USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Billy Courson

John Shelburne

Robert J Hughes

Joseph Rudolph

Ray Baggett

Pete Sagasti

Felipe A Garcia

John Mittleman

Kenneth Price

Dennis McCrory

M L Nuckols

A suction device includes a suction cell formed to include a cup having an open end and a stem extending from a side of the cup opposite from the open end. A control system is connected to the stem and arranged to form a partial vacuum in the cup such that the cup is attached to the substrate. The control system may include an actuator and a strain sensor connected to the stem. The actuator preferably includes a length of a material that includes a shape memory alloy.

Underwater vacuum attachment device

An apparatus emits radiation on curable adhesives to bond things together under different ambient conditions. An insulating housing has a cylindrical section and a disc-shaped section defining an interior. A plurality of batteries and an LED array are separated in the interior by an insulating spacer to prevent shorting of batteries. A switch relay in the interior connects power from the batteries to the LED array when a switching mechanism on the outside of the housing is displaced. This displacement closes the switch relay and connects power to the LED array that emits high-intensity radiation. A cover connected to the cylindrical-shaped section seals the interior from ambient and transmits the high-intensity radiation to cure an adhesive. A modular envelope of transparent disc, adhesive, and removable foil can be releasable connected to the housing to secure mounting structure to a surface.

Miniature high intensity LED illumination source

An apparatus emits radiation on curable adhesives to bond objects or surfaces together under a variety of ambient conditions. An insulating housing has a cylindrical section and a disc-shaped section defining an interior. A plurality of batteries and an LED array are separated in the interior by an insulating spacer to prevent shorting of the batteries. A switch relay in the interior connects power from the batteries to the LED array when a switching mechanism mounted on the outside of the housing is displaced. This displacement closes the switch relay and connects power to the LED array that emits high-intensity radiation. A cover connected to the cylindrical-shaped section seals the interior from ambient and transmits the high-intensity radiation to cure an adhesive.

Miniature high intensity led illumination source

An apparatus and method permits unattended cleaning of a surface. A clamping mechanism engages features around a contaminated surface and is connected to a dome-shaped receptacle containing a gelled acid compound. The gelled acid compound is pressed and held against the contaminated surface during cleaning. Gelled acid ensures that the acid component for dissolving does not readily disburse into the ambient environment. Contamination exposed to the gelled acid compound is dissolved, and the clamping mechanism is disengaged for other cleaning tasks. More reliable attachment of instrumentation and other packages can be made to the cleaned surface. The uncomplicated apparatus and method of the invention allow a single diver to quietly attach packages underwater in the harsh marine environment.

Localized acidic underwater surface cleaning apparatus

A portable, diver-operated cryogenic freezing unit cleans surfaces underwater. A housing has a first chamber that contains cryogenic liquid, such as liquid nitrogen, and a second chamber is disposed adjacent to an end portion that fits about contaminating matter on a surface underwater. A valve vents cryogenic liquid from the first chamber to expand as gas in the second chamber. The vented cryogenic liquid and gas freeze a slug of water and the contaminating matter on the surface within the end portion. The housing is bent, twisted or otherwise displaced to break or pry-away and remove the frozen slug of water and contaminating matter from the surface to thereby clean it. A method of cleaning a surface underwater using the cryogenic freezing unit is described.

Confined underwater cryogenic surface preparation

Apparatus for confined underwater cryogenic surface preparation

An interface system supports a load from a surface. A disc-shaped base member is adapted to be secured to a supporting surface. A flexible member has one portion secured to the base member and another portion extends from the base member in a flexible loop to attach and support a tensile load. A cavity in the base member faces an inner surface thereof and contains an adhesive to secure the one portion of the flexible member, and an opening in the center of the base member extends from the cavity to the outer surface to pass the load-bearing flexible loop from the center of the base member and provide a flexible attachment for the tensile load in the center of the base member.

Adaptable and universal system for attachments

A portable, diver-operated device provides an improved method of cleaning surfaces underwater. The device includes a source of ultrasonic energy in a housing that has a compliant portion around an opening to engage and fit around a contaminated surface and clean it with the ultrasonic energy. The housing is made from material that diminishes transmission of the ultrasonic energy to ambient water. The compliant portion seals the source, the contaminated surface and some water from ambient water to concentrate the cleaning power of the source on the surface and to prevent transmission of harmful levels of energy outside of the device and through ambient water.

Portable encapsulated underwater ultrasonic cleaner

An insulation jacket is provided for a breathing gas device. A first jacket ortion wraps completely about the device's cylinder and gas delivery valve. A second jacket portion wraps about a high-pressure regulator coupled in-line with the gas delivery valve and a plurality of gas delivery conduits extending from the high-pressure regulator. The first and second jacket portions are formed from a flexible insulating material of laminate construction. A plurality of fastening strips, e.g., hook-and-loop fastening strips, cooperate with first and second jacket portions after they are wrapped about the respective portions of the breathing gas device.

Insulation jacket for breathing gas device

A device is provided for modifying the temperature of a breathing or other as supplied through a conduit. A heat exchanger is mounted in-line with the conduit. A thermoelectric device has first and second thermally conductive plates separated by at least one thermoelectric couple. The first thermally conductive plate is in thermal contact with the heat exchanger. A phase change material is in thermal contact with the second thermally conductive plate. A voltage is applied to the thermoelectric couple(s) to maintain the first and second thermally conductive plates at different temperatures. The phase change material changes from a first phase to a second phase at a phase change temperature that is selected to be between the different temperatures of the first and second thermally conductive plates.

Breathing gas temperature modification device

A heated decompression shelter for use by a diver underwater during decomssion at the end of a cold water dive. The heated decompression chamber provides a micro-environment within an enclosure for thermal protection during decompression stops in cold water, some of which can be of relatively long duration following relatively deep dives in near freezing water.

Heated shelter for diver decompression

A breathing gas cooling and heating device. Warm breathing gas enters the it which consists of a heat exchanger mounted in an insulated shell and runs through the heat exchanger tubes. These tubes are in intimate thermal contact with micro-encapsulated phase change materials. The micro-encapsulated phase change material changes phase from solid to liquid, thereby absorbing heat at the temperature of the phase change material, and thereby cooling the gas flowing through the heat exchanger. In situations where heating of the breathing gas is desired, the gas stream absorbs heat from the phase change material. The unit is rechargeable for chilling applications after usage by placing the device in an ambient environment less than the temperature of the phase change of the material or by replacing the phase change material. It is rechargeable for heating applications by warming the device to a temperature above that of the phase change material. The unit circumvents the need for ice, the most commonly available chilling medium, in situations where ice or other cooling is not available. Additionally, the unit can be used by filling it with an ice water slurry for fire fighting applications where ice is readily available. The gas then exits the device in a chilled state. The device is designed to work in conjunction with numerous existing breathing apparatus by virtue of the in-line installation capability to existing systems.

Growing community of inventors

Panama City Beach, FL, United States of America

Billy Courson