Water replenishing system and parts thereof
阅读说明:本技术 补水系统及其部件 (Water replenishing system and parts thereof ) 是由 罗伯特·格雷戈里·斯塔尔 爱德华·艾伯特·耶格 雅各布·蒂姆·鲍尔斯 于 2019-01-22 设计创作,主要内容包括:公开了一种用于补水系统的头戴式装置。头戴式装置包括适于连接至补水系统供应管的远端部的流体导管,以及具有上游和下游联接构件的磁性快速连接件。上游和下游联接构件具有共同的配合轴线并且一起限定流体导管的一部分。上游构件还包括能围绕配合轴线旋转而不使联接构件分离的离轴臂。还提供了一种用于补水系统用的头戴式装置的头戴物安装件,该头戴式装置例如为所公开的头戴式装置。(A head-mounted device for a hydration system is disclosed. The head-mounted device includes a fluid conduit adapted to connect to a distal end of a refill system supply tube, and a magnetic quick-connect having upstream and downstream coupling members. The upstream and downstream coupling members have a common mating axis and together define a portion of the fluid conduit. The upstream member also includes an off-axis arm that is rotatable about the mating axis without decoupling the coupling member. A headgear mount for a headgear for a hydration system, such as the disclosed headgear, is also provided.)
1. A head-mounted device, comprising:
a fluid conduit adapted to connect to a distal end of the refill system supply tube; and
a magnetic quick connector having an upstream coupling member and a downstream coupling member having a common mating axis and together defining a portion of a fluid conduit, wherein the upstream member includes an off-axis arm rotatable about the mating axis without decoupling the coupling members.
2. The headset of claim 1, further comprising a mount comprising said magnetic quick connect, wherein said mount is adapted to support the quick connect on a headwear adapted to be worn on a user's head.
3. The headset of claim 2, wherein the mount is (i) configured to attach to a headwear and support the headset on the headwear once attached, (ii) to attach to the headwear, or (iii) at least partially integral with the headwear.
4. The headset of claim 1, wherein the proximal end of the upstream coupling member comprises a fluid connector adapted to connect to a distal end of a refill supply tube.
5. The headset of claim 5, further comprising a valve interposed in said fluid conduit between a connector and a downstream end of an upstream member of said magnetic quick connect.
6. The headset of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the fluid conduit downstream of the magnetic quick connect is selectively adjustable to allow selective positioning of the fluid outlet port proximate the user's mouth.
7. The headset of claim 3, wherein the headwear comprises a helmet.
8. The headset of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the mount is integrally formed with the helmet.
9. The headset of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the fluid conduit downstream of the magnetic quick connect comprises a flexible tube.
10. The headset of claim 9, further comprising an adjustable arm for supporting said flexible tube on a headgear and configured to allow positioning of the fluid outlet port proximate to a user's mouth.
11. The headset of claim 1, wherein an axial pull force along the mating axis between the upstream and downstream members of the magnetic quick connector required to separate the upstream and downstream members of the magnetic quick connector in the axial direction is greater than or equal to 45 ounce-force and less than or equal to 100 ounce-force.
12. The headset of claim 11, wherein the upstream and downstream members of the magnetic quick connect are further separable by pivoting the off-axis arm of the upstream member toward or away from the downstream member by applying a torque in the range of about 6 to 32 ounce-inches.
13. The headset of claim 12, wherein the off-axis arm forms a lever arm greater than or equal to about 0.75 inches and less than or equal to about 2 inches from a pivot point.
14. The headset of claim 1, wherein one of the upstream and downstream members is a male coupling member and the other is a mating female coupling member.
15. The headset of claim 14, wherein the male coupling member includes a protrusion, the female coupling member includes a mating protrusion receiving area defined by a protrusion mating surface, and the protrusion includes an O-ring disposed about an outer periphery thereof, and wherein when the male coupling member and the female coupling member are coupled together, the protrusion extends into the protrusion receiving area, a first fluid communication path disposed in the male coupling member and a second fluid communication path disposed in the female coupling member are in fluid communication, and the O-ring is compressed between the protrusion and protrusion mating surface.
16. The head-mounted device for a hydration system of claim 15, wherein the protrusion and protrusion mating surface are inclined at an angle from 15 ° to 50 ° relative to the mating axis.
17. The head-mounted device for a hydration system of claim 15, wherein the protrusion and protrusion mating surface are inclined at an angle from 25 ° to 35 ° with respect to the mating axis.
18. A headgear mount for a hydration system, the mount comprising:
a support structure comprising a downstream coupling member of a magnetic quick connect;
an upstream coupling member configured to magnetically mate with a downstream member to define a mating axis and a fluid path extending between the members, the upstream member including an off-axis arm rotatable about the mating axis without decoupling the members.
19. The headgear mount of claim 18, wherein the fluid path comprises an inlet port in the off-axis arm and an outlet port configured in the downstream coupling member.
Technical Field
This patent document relates to hydration systems and various components thereof, including a head set for the hydration system.
Background
Medical studies have demonstrated the importance of maintaining adequate water supplementation for the maintenance of personal physical and mental well-being. Serious consequences may occur due to lack of proper water replenishment. The severity of these consequences can range from fatigue and nausea to loss of consciousness and even death. To maintain optimal health, physicians typically recommend drinking at least 8 cups of 8 ounces (240 milliliters) of water per day (plus a total of one gallon per day) under normal circumstances. When an individual is under physical activity, exposed to extreme environmental conditions, and/or is overweight, the amount of fluid that the individual needs to consume generally increases, as the rate of fluid loss by the individual in such cases increases. Therefore, maintaining proper hydration and optimal performance (physically and mentally) requires regular intake of fluid whether the person is exercising, working or merely resting, which in turn requires the ability to ingest fluid.
Various portable devices have been developed to help address the availability issue. These devices include, for example, aluminum and plastic water bottles. While these devices are fairly light, durable, and inexpensive, they do not allow for hands-free fluid consumption, which may be desirable or even very important in certain applications. In addition, they are often inconveniently mounted on the belt or in the pocket of a backpack, making their acquisition difficult or even unsafe during certain activities. As a result, individuals using these types of portable devices often tolerate the absence of fluid for longer than they should. This is often because the user must wait for an appropriate pause in his activity before safely taking the bottle or jug. Individuals using these types of devices also often wait until they feel thirsty before looking for a suitable pause in their activities to drink, due to inconvenience and/or safety issues. However, this method has a problem in that when people are thirsty, they are already dehydrated and thus their bodies are no longer optimally represented. In addition, if an individual waits too long to properly replenish water, their body may begin to cramp, causing pain, and further reducing the ability of the individual to perform physical activity. In addition, people do not immediately recover from dehydration through drinking water or other fluids. This is because once the body is dehydrated, the body cells begin to close, and only through a slow rehydration process, the body cells can recover and begin to function properly again.
More recently, personal hydration systems have been developed that provide a number of advantages over water bottles and kettles, including improved fluid delivery capabilities and convenience. These systems typically include a semi-rigid or flexible pouch-like fluid reservoir that may be carried in packaging on the back or waist of a user. These systems allow users to drink more frequently while engaged in various sports, entertainment and work related activities because a long flexible drinking tube is connected to a reservoir through an outlet at one end and terminates in a mouthpiece with a bite valve at the other end. The tube is of sufficient length to allow the mouthpiece to be carried in the mouth of a user so that the user can freely draw water from the reservoir. Examples of such personal hydration systems and their mouthpieces are disclosed in U.S. patent nos. 5,727,714, 5,060,833, 5,085,349, 6,070,767, and 7,490,740.
Although personal hydration systems often provide significant advances over conventional water bottles, they still suffer from a number of drawbacks. For example, one drawback is that components of the refill system downstream of the fluid reservoir historically have either been permanently secured together or secured together by a tight friction fit that tends to be difficult to establish or release. While these types of connection structures provide suitable fluid-tight seals, they are not optimal in terms of both providing a fluid-tight seal and allowing the user to quickly and repeatedly interchange components downstream of the reservoir. Furthermore, these structures are not designed to allow the downstream components to be easily and safely disconnected in an emergency or in the event that something snags one of the downstream components.
To allow for quick and repeated connection and disconnection of downstream components in a personal hydration system, mechanical quick connects, such as those described in U.S. patent No. 7,073,688, have been employed. The mechanical quick connector also allows a user to quickly and easily interchange downstream components. Therefore, mechanical quick connectors are very useful in many applications. However, one disadvantage of mechanical quick-connect connectors is that once they are connected, they can only be disconnected by pressing a release button. This can pose a significant safety issue in many sport and work related activities. Furthermore, depending on the location of the mechanical quick-connect in the fluid delivery system, two hands may actually be required to connect and/or disconnect the male and female members of the quick-connect provided on the mating component of the refill system. Of course, mechanical quick connects are not designed to allow a user to attach or detach components without the user being able to see the male and female members of the mechanical quick connect to be connected or disconnected, or with one hand.
Another disadvantage of these conventional systems is that the drinking tube swings. As a result, when the user releases the mouthpiece at the end of the drinking tube from the user's mouth, the drinking tube will fall out of the user's mouth and require the user to retrieve the drinking tube and place the mouthpiece back into their mouth the next time they wish to re-drink. However, during certain activities, such as when the user is traveling at high speeds, for example on a bicycle, in a racing car or on a motorcycle, it may not be feasible (or even safe) for the user to manipulate the drinking tube in this manner. However, it is not always possible, or even desirable, for a user to keep the mouthpiece in their mouth at all times.
Headwear has been developed that facilitates hands-free refilling of water. The headgear is designed to allow the bite valve of the drinking tube to be adjustably positioned in front of the user's mouth. Various types of headwear of this type are described in U.S. patent No. 6,283,344 to Bradley, which is incorporated herein by reference. The various types of headgear described in the Bradley patent are designed to be worn on the head of a user such that the middle portion of the drinking tube is positioned vertically above the user's mouth. The configuration employed in the Bradley patent is designed to provide fluid to a user from a back-mounted refill package by gravity or a siphon tube when the user is riding a bicycle or the like, thereby reducing the amount of fluid that the user must draw on a bite valve located at the end of the drinking tube to draw fluid from the refill container to the user's mouth. However, all of the connectors used in the headgear described by Bradley are of the friction fit type. As a result, the portion of the drinking tube extending from the headgear to the fluid reservoir is prone to snagging objects in the environment in which the user is performing their activities. For example, branches may snag on the drinking tube as the rider rides across the tree. If the drinking tube is caught in this manner, the headgear may tear from the user's head and/or may injure the user. Furthermore, the use of all friction fit type connectors can present a serious safety issue if a portion of the water refill system is attached to a vehicle, such as an automobile, truck, motorcycle or bicycle. This complicates the ability of the security personnel to pull the driver from the vehicle, for example, when needed. This also complicates the ability of the driver to separate it from the vehicle in emergency situations as well as non-emergency situations.
Disclosure of Invention
In one embodiment, a head-mounted device for a personal fluid delivery system includes a fluid conduit adapted to connect to a distal end of a refill system supply tube and a magnetic quick-connect. The magnetic quick connector has an upstream coupling member and a downstream coupling member having a common mating axis and together defining a portion of a fluid conduit. The upstream member includes an off-axis arm that is rotatable about the mating axis without disengaging the coupling member.
Some embodiments further comprise a mount adapted to support the quick connector on a headwear (headgear) adapted to be worn on the head of a user. For example, the mount may be (i) configured to attach to a headwear and, once attached, support the headset thereon, (ii) attached to the headwear, or (iii) at least partially formed integrally with the headwear.
In some embodiments, the upstream coupling member may include a fluid connector adapted to connect to a distal end of the refill supply tube. The fluid connector may, for example, comprise a push-to-connect connector or any other suitable connector. A valve may also be inserted in the fluid conduit between the connector and the downstream end of the upstream member of the magnetic quick connector. In some embodiments, the headset may further include a valve interposed in the fluid conduit between the magnetic quick connect and the fluid outlet port of the fluid conduit. Insofar as valves are included, they may for example comprise check valves or one-way valves, such as ball valves. The fluid outlet port may, for example, comprise a nozzle.
In some embodiments, at least a portion of the fluid conduit downstream of the magnetic quick-connect may be configured to be selectively adjustable to allow selective positioning of the fluid outlet port proximate to the mouth of the user. For example, at least a portion of the fluid conduit downstream of the magnetic quick connect may comprise a flexible tube. The headset may further include an adjustable arm for supporting the flexible tube on the headgear and configured to allow the fluid outlet port to be positioned proximate to the user's mouth.
In some embodiments, the headgear may comprise a safety headgear, such as a helmet or hard hat. In other embodiments, the headwear may comprise other common headwear, such as glasses, a hat, a head support, a headset, or any other garment or device intended to be worn on a person's head. Furthermore, the head-mounted device of this patent document may be attached to or integrated with any type of helmet, including, for example, motorcycle helmets (half, three-quarter, open and full), racing helmets, bicycle helmets, ski and ski helmets, mountain climbing helmets, military and other tactical helmets, fire fighting helmets, safety helmets, rescue helmets, and welding helmets. Further, as described above, the mount of the headset may be configured to attach to headgear, it may already be attached to headgear, or at least a portion of the mount may be formed integrally with the headgear.
In some embodiments, the mount may be further configured to support the headset on a headgear such that at least a portion of the magnetic quick connect is disposed behind an ear of the user when the headgear is worn on the head of the user. Thus, for example, in embodiments in which the mount is configured to be attached to headwear such as a hat or helmet, the mount may be configured to be attached to the headwear such that the magnetic quick connector is at least partially disposed behind the user's ear when the headset is attached to the headwear and the headwear is worn on the user's head. However, in other embodiments, the mount may be configured to attach to the headgear such that the magnetic quick connector will be disposed in front of the user's ear when the headgear is worn by the user.
In one implementation, the headgear includes a helmet and at least a portion of the mount is integrally formed with the helmet.
In some embodiments, the axial pull force along the mating axis between the upstream and downstream members of the magnetic quick connect required to separate the upstream and downstream members of the magnetic quick connect in the axial direction is in the range of 45 ounce-force to 100 ounce-force.
Preferably, the upstream and downstream members of the magnetic quick connect can also be separated by pivoting the off-axis arm of the upstream member toward or away from the downstream member by applying a torque in the range of about 6 ounce-inches to 32 ounce-inches. For example, the off-axis arm may form a lever arm greater than or equal to about 0.75 inches and less than or equal to about 2 inches from the pivot point. As will be appreciated from viewing the drawings, the location of the pivot point will depend on whether the off-axis arm pivots towards or away from the downstream member.
In some implementations, one of the upstream and downstream members is a male coupling member and the other is a mating female coupling member. The male coupling member will typically include a protrusion, while the female coupling member will typically include a mating protrusion-receiving area defined by a protrusion mating surface. In some embodiments, the protrusion may include an O-ring disposed about its periphery. In such embodiments, when coupling the male and female coupling members together, the protrusion extends into the protrusion receiving area, the first fluid communication path disposed in the male coupling member and the second fluid communication path disposed in the female coupling member are in fluid communication, and the O-ring is compressed between the protrusion and the protrusion mating surface. While the projections can take a variety of shapes, it is preferred that the projections and projection mating surfaces have a frustoconical shape with their sidewalls inclined at an angle from 15 ° to 50 ° relative to the mating axis. More preferably, the protrusion and the sidewall of the protrusion mating surface are inclined at an angle from 25 ° to 35 ° with respect to the mating axis.
Although the magnetic quick-connect may include male and female coupling members, the headset is not limited in this manner. Indeed, in other implementations, the mating coupling member may not include a male member and a female member.
In some embodiments in which the mount comprises a helmet mount, the helmet mount is preferably elongate in one direction and comprises a helmet mating surface shaped to substantially match the curvature of a helmet to which the helmet mount is to be attached in the elongate direction, so that double sided tape or adhesive pads can be used to attach the helmet mount to the helmet. In addition, the fluid conduit extends from the inlet of the upstream member of the first magnetic quick connector to the outlet of the downstream member of the second magnetic quick connector and ultimately to the fluid outlet port of the headset. Further, the fluid conduit preferably extends transversely through the helmet mount from the supply tube side of the mount to the helmet side.
In another aspect of this patent document, a headgear mount for a hydration system is provided. The headgear mount may comprise: a support structure comprising a downstream coupling member of a magnetic quick connect; and an upstream coupling member magnetically mateable with the downstream member to define a mating axis and a fluid path extending between the coupling members. The upstream member includes an off-axis arm that is rotatable about the mating axis without separating the members. The fluid path may include an inlet port in the off-axis arm and an outlet port configured in the downstream coupling member. The inlet port may, for example, comprise a connector, such as a push-to-connect connector, adapted to allow the fluid conduit to be removably connected to a distal end of a supply tube of the hydration system, such that the fluid conduit is in fluid communication with the supply tube.
In other aspects of this patent document, a personal hydration system is provided, and in another aspect, a fluid delivery system for a personal hydration system is provided. The personal hydration system and fluid delivery system include a head-mounted device and/or headgear as described herein.
Other aspects, objects, desirable features and advantages of various inventions that are the subject of the present disclosure will become apparent and better understood from the following description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments of the disclosed inventions are shown by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of any disclosed invention.
Drawings
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary racing vehicle in which a user is using a head mounted device having a personal water refill system.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary helmet that includes a head-mounted device for use with a personal hydration system.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the headset shown in fig. 2, taken from the input hose side, and removed from the helmet.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the head-mounted device shown in fig. 2 viewed from the opposite side or helmet side.
Fig. 5 is an enlargement of a portion of the perspective view of fig. 4, with the tube clamp shown in an exploded view.
Fig. 6 is a top view of the helmet mount of the headset shown in fig. 4.
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the helmet mount taken along line 7-7 shown in fig. 6.
Figure 8 is an exploded side view of the helmet mount shown in figure 3.
Fig. 9 is a side exploded cross-sectional view taken along the mating axis of the helmet mount shown in fig. 8.
Fig. 10 is a side cross-sectional view taken along the mating axis of an alternative embodiment of the helmet mount.
FIG. 11 is an exploded side cross-sectional view of the alternative embodiment, wherein the cross-sectional view is taken from the same cut line as FIG. 10.
Fig. 12 is another exploded side cross-sectional view of the helmet mount of fig. 10, but also showing an exploded view of the support structure of the helmet mount.
FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary actuation system for use with a fluid delivery system.
Detailed Description
Although it should be understood that the invention described herein is described in connection with specific examples, the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific examples. Rather, after reading this disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the following teachings can be used in a broader range of applications than the examples specifically mentioned herein.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, fig. 1 and 2 illustrate a head-mounted
It should be expressly understood that each of these various aspects and other inventive features of the
Fig. 1 shows a
In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the
The fluid source and audio source may be supported directly or indirectly on the frame of the
The second
Such as by CAMELBAKTMA flexible reservoir, such as the provided flexible reservoir, is particularly suitable for use as a fluid reservoir for the
Albeit such as by CAMELBAKTMA flexible refill reservoir, such as the flexible reservoir provided, is particularly suitable for use as a reservoir for the
Regardless of the specific form of the reservoir of the
Referring to fig. 1, the proximal end of the
As used herein, the terms "proximal" and "distal" are used with respect to the
As best seen in fig. 1-5, the magnetic
Advantageously, when the
Referring to fig. 1-6, the
The magnetic
The
In the embodiment shown, the
Referring to fig. 2-9,
The magnetic attraction between the
The
As described above, the
Although in the illustrated embodiment, the
A
The head-mounted
In addition to being a one-way valve or a check valve, the valves included in the
Whether a one-way valve or a two-way valve is used, the valves should open when a threshold cracking pressure is applied to each valve based on the pressure differential immediately upstream and downstream of each valve. If a two-way valve is used, the valve opens in the proper direction when the desired pressure differential (or cracking pressure) is reached on either side of the valve.
Including a valve in the head-mounted
The inclusion of the
If
Referring to fig. 2-9, in the illustrated embodiment,
The downstream end of the
The
In the embodiment shown, the
In some embodiments, to separate the upstream and
Preferably, the upstream and
In some embodiments, one of the upstream and
Although the magnetic
As seen in the illustrated embodiment, the
Although in the illustrated embodiment, the
Further, mount 132 may be configured to attach to or be integral with various other safety or non-safety headwear. For example, headgear to which the
Referring now to fig. 13, the
In a preferred approach, the microswitch 502 is operatively connected to the
Microswitch 502 may be mounted to steering wheel 504 using a mounting device 510 disposed proximate microswitch 502. In the method illustrated in fig. 13, the mounting device 510 includes a pair of cable ties and a length of elongated heat shrink tubing. In other embodiments, the mounting means may include other suitable structures for mounting microswitch 502 in a desired position. The wireless transmitter 508 may similarly include a mounting device attached thereto for removably attaching the wireless transmitter 508 to the steering wheel 504.
As shown in fig. 13, cable 512 electrically couples microswitch 502 to transmitter 508 to form wireless actuation system 500. The cable 512 in the illustrated embodiment is electrically connected to the microswitch 502 at one end and includes an electrical connector, e.g., a conventional tip-sleeve microbore or cable jack, at a second end to selectively electrically couple the microswitch 502 to the transmitter 508 via a mating electrical connector (e.g., a mating receptacle connector) disposed in one end of the transmitter 508. A mating electrical connector disposed on one end of the wireless transmitter 508 removably receives the electrical connector.
The wireless transmitter 508 is preferably in the form of a FOB, which may be, for example, a bluetooth transmitter, and more preferably a bluetooth low energy ("BLE") transmitter.
Microswitch 502 is preferably a normally open switch such that it closes when the
While the
Given that micro-switch 502 may be safely and conveniently operated by
For the
For the
The components defining the fluid delivery path of the
With reference to fig. 9-11, another embodiment of a headgear mount is now described. The headgear mount 302 is identical to the
Manufacturing the support structure 303 from two pieces may reduce material costs in the manufacturing process.
While various embodiments of the improved personal hydration system and corresponding components thereof have been presented in the foregoing disclosure, numerous modifications, alterations, alternative embodiments, and alternative materials may be contemplated by those skilled in the art and may be utilized to implement various aspects of the described invention. For example, the magnetic quick-connect described above may be used in fluid delivery systems and devices other than personal hydration systems (e.g., the personal hydration system shown in FIG. 1). In addition to liquids, they can also be used for transporting gases. It is to be clearly understood, therefore, that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of any invention as may be claimed in the appended claims.
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