Closed circuit, free-flow, underwater breathing system

Claim 3

A method of conducting underwater diving operations, from a vessel means operable to be buoyantly supported upon a body of water as defined in claim 1 wherein said steps of connecting oxygen supplying means and sensing oxygen content in said closed loop comprise the steps of: connecting a regulatable supply of oxygen to said return tank means, and sensing the oxygen content within said return tank means to regulate the supply of oxygen into said return tank means wherein oxygen is supplied to said closed loop system initially into the relatively large volume return tank and then into the relative large volume supply tank before entering said helmet means to maintain a substantially steady oxygen level of gas flowing through said helmet means.

Claim 4

A method of conducting underwater diving operations, from a vessel means operable to be buoyantly supported upon a body of water as defined in claim 1 and further comprising the steps of: providing a compressor-depressor enclosure means carried by said vessel means and containing said depressor means and said compressor means; delivering gas into said enclosure means from said return tank means by operation of said depressor means within said enclosure means; and compressing gas from within said enclosure means by operation of said compressor means with said enclosure means for delivery to said supply tank means.

Claim 5

Apparatus for conducting underwater diving operAtions from a vessel means operable to be buoyantly supported upon a body of water, said apparatus comprising: floating vessel means; underwater enclosure means operable to permit diver ingress and egress; helmet means operable to provide a breathable atmosphere for a diver at a submerged location; flexible conduit means extending through said underwater enclosure means between said vessel means and said helmet means and including supply conduit means and return conduit means; means for continuously circulating a flow of breathable gas through said supply conduit means to the interior of said helmet means and from the interior of said helmet means back through said return conduit means; return tank means carried by said vessel means remote from said diver and being connected to said return conduit means for receiving gas from said helmet means; supply tank means carried by said vessel means remote from said diver and being connected to said supply conduit means for delivering gas thereto; means for transmitting gas from said return tank means to said supply tank means, and including compressor means operable to pressurize gas in said supply tank means to a relatively higher pressure level than gas in said return tank means and depressor means operable to provide a relatively lower pressure level of gas in said return tank means; said relatively higher pressure in said supply tank means being operable to induce and sustain a continuous flow of gas from said supply tank means through said supply conduit means to the interior of said helmet means; means operable independent of diver breathing effort to regulate the rate of continuous flow of gas from said supply conduit means through the interior of said helmet means and into said return conduit means, including flow throttling means, located generally adjacent said helmet means, and operable to continuously pass said continuous flow therethrough, said continuous flow of gas being operable to pass continuously through said helmet means, with said continuous flow of gas circulating continuously through said helmet means and continuously removing carbon dioxide therefrom, and means operable to pass said continuous flow of gas from said helmet means continuously into said return conduit means including back pressure regulator valve means located generally adjacent said helmet means and operable to maintain a back pressure on said continuous flow of gas downstream of said helmet means and maintain a positive pressure in said helmet means relative to the ambient water pressure surrounding said helmet means, said helmet means, return conduit means, return tank means, supply tank means and supply conduit means forming essentially a closed loop system of continuously flowing gas; said continuous flow of gas from said supply conduit means through the interior of said helmet means and into said return conduit means being operable to provide a free and continuous flow of breathable gas operable to generally displace, from the vicinity of said diver''s face, gas exhaled by said diver and induce said displaced exhaled gas to flow out of said helmet means and into said return conduit means; carbon dioxide removing means, carried by said vessel means, and operable to remove carbon dioxide from gas circulating through said closed loop system; oxygen supplying means carried by said vessel means and operable to supply oxygen into said closed loop system; sensing means operable to sense the oxygen content of oxygen in said closed loop system and cause said oxygen supply means to supply oxygen to said closed loop system in response to operation of said sensing means; said oxygen supplying means and said carbon dioxide removing means being operable to concurrently remove carbon dioxide from and add oxygen to gas flowing through said closed loop system; said supply tank means and said return tank means, each being carried by said vessel means anD being relatively large storage capacity relative to said helmet means, and being operable to promote a relatively steady continuous circulation of gas through said helmet means; heating means operable to heat said breathable gas circulated to said helmet means through said supply conduit means; and pressure pulse reducing means comprising said supply tank means and said return tank means with said supply tank means and return tank means being interposed, respectively, between said helmet means and said compressor means and between said helmet means and said depressor means and operable to reduce the transmission to said helmet means of pulses generated by said compressor means and said depressor means.

Claim 6

Apparatus for conducting underwater diving operAtions from a vessel means operable to be buoyantly supported upon a body of water, said apparatus comprising: floating vessel means; underwater enclosure means operable to permit diver ingress and egress; helmet means operable to provide a breathable atmosphere for a diver at a submerged location; flexible conduit means extending through said underwater enclosure means between said vessel means and said helmet means and including supply conduit means and return conduit means; means for continuously circulating a flow of breathable gas through said supply conduit means to the interior of said helmet means and from the interior of said helmet means back through said return conduit means; return tank means carried by said vessel means remote from said diver and being connected to said return conduit means for receiving gas from said helmet means; supply tank means carried by said vessel means remote from said diver and being connected to said supply conduit means for delivering gas thereto; means for transmitting gas from said return tank means to said supply tank means, and including compressor means operable to pressurize gas in said supply tank means to a relatively higher pressure level than gas in said return tank means and depressor means operable to provide a relatively lower pressure level of gas in said return tank means; said relatively higher pressure in said supply tank means being operable to induce and sustain a continuous flow of gas from said supply tank means through said supply conduit means to the interior of said helmet means; means operable independent of diver breathing effort to regulate the rate of continuous flow of gas from said supply conduit means through the interior of said helmet means and into said return conduit means, including flow throttling means, located generally adjacent said helmet means, and operable to continuously pass said continuous flow therethrough, said continuous flow of gas being operable to pass continuously through said helmet means, with said continuous flow of gas circulating continuously through said helmet means and continuously removing carbon dioxide therefrom, and means operable to pass said continuous flow of gas from said helmet means continuously into said return conduit means including back pressure regulator valve means located generally adjacent said helmet means and operable to maintain a back pressure on said continuous flow of gas downstream of said helmet means and maintain a positive pressure in said helmet means relative to the ambient water pressure surrounding said helmet means, said helmet means, return conduit means, return tank means, supply tank means and supply conduit means forming essentially a closed loop system of continuously flowing gas; said continuous flow of gas from said supply conduit means through the interior of said helmet means and into said return conduit means being operable to provide a free and continuous flow of breathable gas operable to generally displace, from the vicinity of said diver''s face, gas exhaled by said diver and induce said displaced exhaled gas to flow out of said helmet means and into said return conduit means; carbon dioxide removing means, carried by said vessel means, and operable to remove carbon dioxide from gas circulating through said closed loop system; oxygen supplying means carried by said vessel means and operable to supply oxygen into said closed loop system; sensing means operable to sense the oxygen content of oxygen in said closed loop system and cause said oxygen supply means to supply oxygen to said closed loop system in response to operation of said sensing means; said oxygen supplying means and said carbon dioxide removing means being operable to concurrently remove carbon dioxide from and add oxygen to gas flowing through said closed loop system; said supply tank means and said return tank means, each being carried by said vessel means anD being relatively large storage capacity relative to said helmet means, and being operable to promote a relatively steady continuous circulation of gas through said helmet means; heating means operable to heat said breathable gas circulated to said helmet means through said supply conduit means; and pressure pulse reducing means comprising said supply tank means and said return tank means with said supply tank means and return tank means being interposed, respectively, between said helmet means and said compressor means and between said helmet means and said depressor means and operable to reduce the transmission to said helmet means of pulses generated by said compressor means and said depressor means.

Claim 7

Apparatus for conducting underwater diving operations from a vessel means operable to be buoyantly supported upon a body of water as defined in claim 4 wherein: said sensing means and oxygen supply means being connected to said return tank means wherein oxygen is supplied to said closed loop system initially into the relatively large volume of said return tank means and then into the relatively large volume of said supply tank means to maintain a substantially steady oxygen level of gas flowing through said helmet means.

Claim 8

Apparatus for conducting underwater diving operations from a vessel means operable to be buoyantly supported upon a body of water as defined in claim 4 and further comprising: compressor-depressor enclosure means carried by said supply vessel; said depressor means being mounted within said enclosure means for withdrawing gas from said return tank means and delivering the gas into said enclosure means; and said compressor means being mounted within said enclosure means for withdrawing gas from said enclosure means, compressing the gas and delivering the compressed gas to said supply tank means.