Breathing mask and regulator for aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9616256-B2
Application number	US-201313944547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2013
Priority date	Oct 11, 2005
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus for an oxygen mask for pilots and crew of an airplane includes a flow control device with closed and open positions to regulate flow through an auxiliary channel. A pressure sensor such as an aneroid capsule automatically closes the auxiliary channel upon a decrease in cabin pressure. A handle also allows a user to manually move the flow regulating means to a closed position.

First claim

We claim:

1. An auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus for an oxygen mask for pilots and crew of an airplane, the oxygen mask having an oronasal face seal defining an oronasal cavity, and an oxygen supply regulator, the auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus comprising:
an auxiliary ambient air flow channel defined in a flow channel member through a portion of the oxygen mask, said auxiliary ambient air flow channel being connected to ambient air and configured to deliver ambient air through said auxiliary ambient air flow channel to the oxygen mask;
a flow regulator for regulating flow through the flow channel member, the flow regulator having a main housing and an aneroid housing assembly including a lower aneroid housing movable within the flow regulator main housing between at least one closed position in which flow through the auxiliary ambient air flow channel is blocked and an open position in which flow through the auxiliary ambient air flow channel is enabled, the flow regulator including an aneroid capsule that changes in length in response to changes in cabin pressure operative to move said lower aneroid housing in said flow regulator main housing between said at least one closed position and said open position; and
a push/pull button for manually moving said lower aneroid housing in said flow regulator main housing to said at least one closed position, said push/pull button having a tubular lower portion and an upper plate connected to the tubular lower portion, said tubular lower portion being movably mounted between an upper aneroid housing and said lower aneroid housing.

2. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary ambient air flow channel passes through the oronasal face seal of the oxygen mask, bypassing the oxygen supply regulator.

3. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said flow regulator main housing defines an inner chamber with an upper opening, lower exit ports, and a lower opening;
said aneroid housing assembly includes an upper aneroid housing having a wall and a top cover plate joined to the wall;
said lower aneroid housing is disposed in the inner chamber of the main housing and slidingly mated to the upper aneroid housing;
an annular ball track insert is disposed between the upper aneroid housing and the lower aneroid housing, said annular ball track insert having an inner surface including a lower ball track and an upper ball track, and the wall of the upper aneroid housing including a plurality of ball apertures receiving and retaining corresponding detent balls, respectively;
a spring retainer is disposed within the upper aneroid housing and lower aneroid housing, the spring retainer having a base portion with a plurality of spring fingers connected to and extending from the base portion, the plurality of spring fingers having a protrusion aligned with and disposed adjacent to the detent balls to press against and bias the detent balls outwardly into either of the upper or lower ball tracks to latch the upper aneroid housing in an upper or lower position, respectively; and
said aneroid capsule is disposed within the upper aneroid housing and lower aneroid housing, the base portion of the spring retainer being connected to a bottom surface of the aneroid capsule, so that when the aneroid capsule expands at elevated altitudes, the bottom surface of the aneroid capsule moves downwardly and the plurality of spring fingers of the spring retainer correspondingly are pushed downwardly by the lengthening of the aneroid capsule, releasing pressure on the detent balls to release the detent balls from the lower ball track of the ball track insert in the open position of the lower aneroid housing, and allowing the detent balls to move to the upper ball track of the ball track insert in the at least one closed position of the lower aneroid housing.

4. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said main housing includes an outer threaded flow channel connector, and a flow channel connector flange, threadably connectable to a corresponding threaded mask connector port at a side opening of the oxygen mask oronasal face seal.

5. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 4 , wherein an O-ring sealing gasket is interposed between the mask connector port and the flow channel connector flange to provide a secure leak proof attachment of the auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus to the threaded mask connector port of the oxygen mask oronasal face seal.

6. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said top cover plate includes a plurality of upper vent openings through which ambient air is adapted to flow into the auxiliary ambient air flow channel to the lower exit ports.

7. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said lower aneroid housing comprises a lower outer flange and a channel for receiving and retaining an o-ring located adjacent to a lower inner wall of the main housing, said lower inner wall of the main housing tapering inwardly to form a valve seating surface.

8. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a main coil spring mounted about the lower aneroid housing between the lower outer flange and the top cover plate, wherein said main coil spring biases said lower aneroid housing to said at least one closed position.

9. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said aneroid capsule comprises an aneroid set point screw threadably mounted in an upper portion of the aneroid capsule for adjusting operation of the aneroid capsule.

10. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said push/pull button abuts an upper surface of the ball track insert.

11. The auxiliary breathing flow channel apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a flapper valve secured below the lower exit ports by a flapper valve retainer.

Assignees

• Be Aerospace Inc
• Be Aerospace Inc

Inventors

• Mcdonald Thomas K
• Oswald Mark A
• Cannon James C
• Rogers Bryan N
• Feith Raymond P

Classifications

• A62B9/02 Primary

  Valves {(non-return valves mounted in breathing masks or helmets A62B18/10)} · CPC title

• A62B7/14 Primary

  for high-altitude aircraft · CPC title

• Y10S137/907

  Vacuum-actuated valves · CPC title

• Y10S137/908

  Respirator control · CPC title

• A62B18/08

  Component parts for gas-masks or gas-helmets, e.g. windows, straps, speech transmitters, signal-devices (eye-pieces for protective goggles A61F9/02; composition of materials for the windows or other transparent parts A62D7/00) · CPC title