USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

William D Olstad

Dennis Gallagher

Charles G Holmes

William Hughes, Iii

Charles M Edmondson, Ii

Richard Manley

William Hughes

Gram Holmes

William W Hughes, Iii

Dennis G Gallahger

Systems and methods for a facemask wearer to view high resolution, high data content, color imagery are provided. A display using organic light emitting diode (OLED) micro-displays provides 800&#xd7;600 color pixel resolution at 60 Hz. The OLED micro-displays allow for powering the system through a standard Universal Serial Bus (USB) port connected to a compatible sensor system that provides the required power and standard display signal to the OLED display. The display is held away from the user's field of view by a quick release facemask attachment bracket. The bracket can provide for flipping the display up and down, swiveling the display, or rotating the display with one hand. When needed, the display can be flipped down, such that the display is in contact with the facemask faceplate, enabling clear, focused images even in zero visibility water.

Facemask display

An assembly for securing an apparatus to a facemask includes a U-shaped frame extending along similarly shaped portions of the facemask. Removable attachment clips secure the frame to the facemask. Two cylindrical pins with circumferential radiused grooves are attached to and extend from the top portion of the frame. The pins mate with bores in a clevis assembly, to which the apparatus can be attached. A spring-loaded bar spans between the bores. The bores in the clevis assembly receive the pins and the spring-bias causes the bar to engage with the grooves to secure the clevis assembly to the frame. A lever is rotatably attached to the clevis assembly. Pivoting the lever works against the spring-bias to lift the bar out of the grooves, disengaging the pins, and allowing the clevis assembly to be disengaged from the frame and facemask.

Quick release mask bracket

An index bracket assembly positions an external apparatus on a facemask having top and side portions extending to lower corners. A U-shaped frame connected to the external apparatus has top and side openings and a U-shaped bearing surface having orthogonally extending feet at its opposite ends. The U-shaped bearing surface extends along the top and side portions and the feet abut against the lower corners of the facemask. A three-point harness has a top strap connected to the top opening and side straps are connected to the side openings. The top strap and side straps each have a separate adjustable buckle component connected together for tightening them and pulling the U-shaped bearing surface against the top and side portions of the facemask. A layer of compliant material on the U-shaped surface elastically yields to the top and side portions of the facemask to prevent slippage.

Dive mask index bracket

A system is provided for monitoring one or more depth associated parameters of an object submerged in water. A first set of alarm devices are mounted in the system's housing such that they are accessible from the exterior thereof. The first set of alarm devices, defined by an audio generator, a tactile generator, and a light, are initiated in accordance with a predetermined initiation scheme when at least one of the monitored parameters does not satisfy predetermined threshold criteria associated therewith. A second set of alarm devices are tethered to the system's housing for remote positioning with respect thereto. The second set of alarm devices utilize the same types of alarm devices as the first set of alarm devices and are also initiated in accordance with the predetermined initiation scheme.

Depth monitoring and alert system

A method and system displays information in a full face mask. A display module is mounted inside the full face mask on faceplate support structure outside of a forward viewing area of a faceplate portion. The display module is located to be free of interference with an operator's forward field of view through the forward viewing area. A display control module is externally mounted on outside components of the full face mask and has a waterproof housing, processing and display driving electronics, memory, internal sensors, external sensors, and battery. A power-data cable is connected to the display control module externally mounted on the full face mask and to the display module inside the full face mask via an accessory interface plate. A switch on the display control module can be accessed and selectably actuated by an operator to present data from the display control module on the display module.

Display system for full face masks

A system and method indicate azimuth of a diver to a remote console. A compass sensor module on a headgear worn by the diver has a two-axis gimbal mechanism provided with a protective housing around ring and two orthogonal axis structures. A magnetic field sensor unit mounted on one axis structure provides magnetic field data signals representative of the azimuth faced by the diver. A processor section of the compass module connected to the sensor unit provides azimuth data signals from the magnetic field data signals. A data transmission module has a conductor extending from the compass module to an amplifier and cable for amplifying azimuth data signals and remotely transmitting them. An acoustic transducer in the data module can also transmit azimuth data signals as acoustic signals through water. The console connected to the cable and water receives and displays the remotely transmitted azimuth data signals.

Compass and communication system

A system and method indicate the direction faced by an operator. A waterproof housing has a mounting mechanism to engage a part of a headgear worn by an operator to position the housing in a portion of the operator's forward field of view. A two-axis gimbal mechanism is inside the waterproof housing and has a protective housing connected to the waterproof housing. The protective housing contains ring structure coupled to two orthogonal axis structures. A magnetic field sensor module is mounted on one of the axis structures and provides magnetic field data signals representative of the direction faced by the operator. An optical element has a wide field of view to transmit compass data images representative of the magnetic field data signals to the eyes of the operator.

Small head-mounted compass system with optical display

A full face mask has a body frame having a continuous, closed sidewall extending and compliantly resting on bony contours around facial features of a wearer, and a lateral partition extending and resting on bony contours of a wearer's face from one side to another side of the sidewall between the areas of the nose and upper lip. The lateral partition separates the frame into a lower mask section having a lower cavity with a pod opening and an upper mask section having an upper cavity. Lenses supported by the frame define a forward field of view and integrated in the frame are components including a radio frequency antenna receiving dive information signals, a display in a peripheral area outside of the forward field of view, a controller coupled for processing the signals to generate outputs, and a control that passes outputs for display at the visual display.

Display system upgrade for a full face mask

An underwater swim board enables diver navigation under conditions of zero visibility. A rectangular member has a timer, depth gauge, and compass on its topside to provide a visual indication of time, depth and direction. An enhanced display module on the bottom side of the member contains a microprocessor to receive time, depth, and direction signals from separate electronic timer, depth transducer, and magnetic compass modules in the display module creates representative control signals. The display module also has a display screen and an LCD having variable backlight to vary its light intensity. The LCD receives the control signals and displays the information of the time, depth, and direction signals on the screen. A virtual image display lens mounted on the screen allows binocular viewing of the displayed information as magnified near-to-the-eye apparent screen images for a diver holding a dive mask faceplate against the screen.

Enhanced display- underwater combat swim board

A dive mask display system integrates a plurality of components in the mask's frame. These components can include: a radio frequency (RF) antenna for receiving RF signals indicative of dive information, a display that is directly viewable in a peripheral vision area of the diver but outside of the field of view defined by the mask's lens(es), a diver-controlled controller, and a depth sensor. The various monitored information, as well as bottom time tracked by the controller, can be displayed simultaneously.

Growing community of inventors

Panama City, FL, United States of America

William D Olstad