A solenoid valve assembly with a manual override is provided that includes a solenoid valve housing that is supportive of a valve seat, a plunger-type armature valve element fluidly communicative with a fluid source and initially pressure balanced to remain in a closed position relative to the valve seat and an electromagnet configured to generate a magnetic flux to move the plunger-type armature-valve element into an open position relative to the valve seat. The solenoid valve assembly with a manual override also includes a manual actuation assembly configured to generate an applied force to move the plunger-type armature valve element into the open position relative to the valve seat.

A device for the inflation of an inflatable life vest, notable in that it includes a storage casing containing at least two cartridges of pressurized gas which are arranged side-by-side and touching one another to form a row, and a release casing comprising at least one striker device that makes it possible, in the event of activation, to puncture each of the said cartridges simultaneously or in succession to release the gas they contain in gaseous form to the outside of the inflation device through at least one orifice made on the release casing, the said storage and release casings being in the overall shape of a flattened hollow parallelepiped and joined together removably and in a manner that is gastight with respect to the gas contained in the said cartridges.

A self inflating float assembly includes a tube that is comprised of a resiliently expandable material. The tube has an air port extending into an interior of the tube thereby facilitating the tube to self inflate. Additionally, the tube is comprised of a fluid impermeable thereby facilitating the tube to float when the tube is inflated for performing as a personal floatation device. A valve is rotatably coupled to the air port. The valve is positionable in an open condition thereby facilitating air to pass through the air port for inflating or deflating the tube. The valve is positionable in a closed condition thereby inhibiting air from passing through the air port for retaining the tube at a selected degree of inflation.

A bobbin assembly for an automatic inflator including a generally cylindrical wall, a plurality of arms positioned in a ring centered about and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the bobbin, each arm being pivotably connected to a rim of the cylindrical wall by a living hinge, at least one of the arms including a radial seat extending toward the longitudinal axis of the bobbin to form an annular seat having a diameter to retain a head of a spring-loaded actuator pin of the automatic inflator to hold the spring-loaded actuator pin in a “cocked” position, a toroidal pill positioned between a lumen of the cylindrical wall and the ringed arms to retain the arms in position centered about and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bobbin such that the annular seat maintains the diameter to retain the head of the spring-loaded actuator pin, thereby holding the spring-loaded actuator pin in the “cocked” position and a web interconnecting at least one of adjacent pairs of the arms allowing the paired arms to pivot outwardly via their respective living hinges in unison.

A self inflating float assembly includes a tube that is comprised of a resiliently expandable material. The tube has an air port extending into an interior of the tube thereby facilitating the tube to self inflate. Additionally, the tube is comprised of a fluid impermeable thereby facilitating the tube to float when the tube is inflated for performing as a personal floatation device. A valve is rotatably coupled to the air port. The valve is positionable in an open condition thereby facilitating air to pass through the air port for inflating or deflating the tube. The valve is positionable in a closed condition thereby inhibiting air from passing through the air port for retaining the tube at a selected degree of inflation.

A flotation device that can include a multi-chamber flotation element having an active inflation chamber and a passive inflation chamber. The flotation device can have a first valve in fluid communication with the active inflation chamber but not the passive inflation chamber and an opening in fluid communication with the passive inflation chamber but not the active air chamber. The active inflation chamber can be configured to be inflated through the first valve. The active inflation chamber can be configured to expand the passive inflation chamber from a collapsed state to an expanded state as the active inflation chamber is expanded by, for example and without limitation, permitting ambient air to enter the passive inflation chamber when a pressure within the passive inflation chamber is less than an ambient air pressure.

An electro-pneumatic valve assembly includes a valve having a valve housing and a poppet and a solenoid valve having an actuator housing and a valve body. The valve housing has a wall that defines a valve inlet that is arranged to receive a fluid flow from a pressurized container and defines a valve outlet and a first port. The poppet is disposed within the valve housing and is movable between a first position and a second position. The actuator housing defines an opening. The valve body has a first wall that defines an inlet that is fluidly connected to the first port and a second wall that defines an outlet that is fluidly connected to the second port.

An inflation control system includes a valve module and a controller. The valve module includes a first valve fluidly connected to a fluid source, a second valve fluidly connected to the first valve, and a pressure regulator fluidly connected to the second valve and an aspirator. The controller is in communication with the first valve.

A valve includes a valve body having an inlet for fluid communication with a space or source containing pressurised gas, and at least one outlet. A membrane is arranged between the inlet and the at least one outlet. A membrane puncturing element is arranged for movement between a retracted, inoperative position and an extended position in which it punctures the membrane. An actuating piston is operatively coupled to the membrane puncturing element for moving the membrane puncturing element between its retracted and its extended positions, the actuating piston being received in a piston bore of the valve body. The valve body also includes a cartridge receiving chamber for receiving a sealed actuating gas cartridge. A cartridge puncturing device is provided for puncturing the actuating gas cartridge. An actuating gas flow passage communicates actuating gas released from the actuating gas cartridge to the actuating piston bore upon puncturing the actuating gas.

An inflator including in combination an inflator body having at one end an input for receiving the neck of a gas cartridge, a manifold assembly intended to be fluidly connected to an inflatable, a combination automatic and manual actuator assembly including a spring-loaded actuator including a pierce pin for fracturing a frangible seal of the gas cartridge, a bobbin with a dissolvable pill that retains the spring-loaded actuator in a cocked position and a hood connected onto the end of the inflator body, said hood including an inwardly-extending tab that engages the actuator to securely retain the hood onto the end of the inflator body by means of the inwardly-extending tab being grasped by the forked end of the actuator.