Automatic Buoyancy Compensator

[MattJ]

I am hoping this will improve the diving experience by making it easier, simpler, and safer.

Hmm... two out of three ain't bad...

 

[TSandM]

Don't forget that the BC is only one part of the diver's buoyancy -- the lungs may even be a higher volume system than the BC is, for people diving thin exposure protection and aluminum tanks. You cannot insure neutral buoyancy with a BC simply by having it assess volume or pressure -- it has to sense depth and delta D, which is what I meant by it being annoying for those of us who have learned to use lung volume to make small excursions over obstacles, or under something.

I still think it's intriguing, but it's more complex than it looks at first.

 

[rjack321]

Don't forget that the BC is only one part of the diver's buoyancy -- the lungs may even be a higher volume system than the BC is, for people diving thin exposure protection and aluminum tanks. You cannot insure neutral buoyancy with a BC simply by having it assess volume or pressure -- it has to sense depth and delta D, which is what I meant by it being annoying for those of us who have learned to use lung volume to make small excursions over obstacles, or under something.

I still think it's intriguing, but it's more complex than it looks at first.

It also has to know the tank size, consumption rate in cf and the density of the gas you are breathing (e.g if there's any helium mostly, O2 is close enough to the mass of N2.)

 

[dumpsterDiver]

It is VERY complex. I wonder if the OP is really thinking about designing a BC that will maintain a fixed VOLUME once a desired depth is reached. I imagine that would not be so technically difficult, but the utility of such a simplistic system would be marginal.

 

[redacted]

I already have an automatic buoyancy compensator for small changes. It is called lungs.

Bigger changes are not necessary very often and are adequately simple with a standard inflator. Perhaps your effort would be better spent working on something of greater use.

 

[BRT]

A BCD designed by a non diver sounds worse than a car designed by a non driver.

 

[HIGHwing]

I would say that absent using a CCR, the only way to really achieve neutral buoyancy requires holding your breath.

 

[tridacna]

United States Patent: 8152413

Patent US8152413 - Method of and apparatus for bouyancy compensation for divers - Google Patents

I think that this device encompasses much of what you are trying to achieve. I suspect that you may also be using using a computer to dynamically compensate for variables such as tank weight etc by adding or removing air. The problem is absent knowing exactly what the diver's bouyancy is (without weights), and how much weight they are wearing and so on make your system untenable.

I've dived with the inventor while he used the system. The scary thing for me was not knowing how to help if anything went wrong with his system...

 

[nimoh]

the whole thing sounds interesting, and I have to admit I am curious to see one, but likely would never buy one since my buoyancy isn't an issue, and I think for most new divers, good buoyancy can be learned in a few dives. Good trim, I think takes a bit longer, but also think that automatic trim control wouldn't be a solution for that either.

 

[drfaustus72]

Josh,

I've looked into this as well, as I thought it'd be a good thing to have an automatic neutral adjuster for vacation diving, in other words, just a button you press and it adjusts to neutral buoyancy. It'd be great for all the once a year OW warm water folks, certainly not for more serious divers. Technically, it's not very difficult. However, there are s few patents out on this and (I think) MIT did a project (there are videos somewhere). Also, someone in Europe developed it and the patent was acquired by MARES. So you're up against some big competition in a small market. Unless you have a brilliantly cheap way of accomplishing it, it's probably not feasible economically.

Best

-tr