USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Kirk Vanzandt

Marshall L Nuckols

Jacob Cornman

Brian W Toole

Dennis Gallagher

Charles G Holmes

Wes Hughson

William W Hughes Iii

Ken Powell

A system provides regulated delivery of a high-pressure gas. A first flow path, coupled to a high-pressure gas source, is in fluid communication with a chamber. A flow restrictor, disposed in the first flow path, slows the gas traveling along the first flow path to the chamber. A second flow path, coupled to the high-pressure gas source, is in fluid communication with the chamber. A third flow path connects the chamber to a pressure regulator. A valve, disposed in the second flow path, seals the second flow path when gas pressure at the source exceeds gas pressure in the chamber. The valve opens the second flow path when the gas pressure at the source is balanced with the gas pressure in the chamber allowing the high-pressure gas to flow to the regulator via the third flow path.

Gas temperature reducing system for regulating delivery of a high-pressure gas

A pneumatic valve controller is provided for use with a refillable gas tank that has an inlet and an outlet with a spring-loaded valve disposed in the outlet. The spring-loaded valve is biased to define a flow path between an interior of the gas tank and the outlet. The controller's housing includes a cylinder with a gas filling port in fluid communication with a first axial end of the cylinder. The cylinder's second axial end is open and aligned with the spring-loaded valve. A piston is disposed in the cylinder. A check valve has an input and an output with the input in fluid communication with the gas filling port and the output in fluid communication with the inlet of the gas tank.

Refillable gas tank with pneumatic valve controller

The present invention reduces the amount of oxygen in an oxygen-containing gas within a closed environment. A selected amount of hydrogen gas is mixed with a portion of the oxygen-containing gas from the closed environment to form a first gas mixture. A catalyst exposed to the first gas mixture causes a reaction between the hydrogen and at least a portion of the oxygen therein. The resulting second gas mixture, which is returned to the closed environment, has a lower percentage of oxygen. At least one oxygen sensor is positioned in the closed environment to determine when oxygen levels in the closed environment reach a threshold level. The output signal from the sensor is used to control when and/or how much hydrogen is mixed in the first gas mixture.

Method and system for reducing oxygen in a closed environment

A method and system are provided for simulating the metabolic consumption of oxygen contained in a breathable gas. A variable volume chamber cyclically increases/decreases in volume to receive the breathable gas/expel an exhaust gas. Hydrogen and carbon dioxide are introduced into the chamber to mix with the breathable gas to form the exhaust gas. Hydrogen is introduced in an amount sufficient to react with an amount of the oxygen in the exhaust gas equivalent to that used by a human during a selected level of activity. Carbon dioxide is introduced in an amount equivalent to that provided by a metabolic respiratory quotient associated with the same level of activity. A catalyst, exposed to the exhaust gas, causes a reaction between the hydrogen and oxygen in the exhaust gas to generate simulated human exhalation.

System for simulating metabolic consumption of oxygen

A parachutist navigation system includes a display attached to a side vision area of a parachutist's goggles, a navigation pod attached to the parachutist's helmet, and a remotely located controller. The navigation pod supports therein a GPS receiver and a processor provided with mission data supplied by the controller. The processor uses the mission data and GPS signals to generate a plurality of display-formatted data sets. Coupled to the processor is an user-controlled input device used to select at least one of the plurality of display-formatted data sets for output to the display.

Helmet-mounted parachutist navigation system

A life support system has a semi-closed rebreather supplying oxygen for multiple users, such as high altitude parachutists. A first tank supplies oxygen to initially purge the system, and a second, larger tank supplies oxygen at prescribed amounts for the duration of a mission. Users are connected by hoses to an inlet hose manifold on a scrubber body of the rebreather. The inlet hose manifold has an inlet port boss to receive exhaled gas from each user and an overpressure valve vents excessive amounts of exhaled gas. A CO absorbent in the scrubber body scrubs CO from the exhaled gas. An outlet hose manifold is connected to the scrubber body and has an inlet fitting to supply oxygen and at least one outlet port boss to feed the oxygen and the CO scrubbed gas to the users. This reliable system is lighter-weight and smaller than contemporary systems.

Growing community of inventors

Panama City, FL, United States of America

Kirk Vanzandt