Patent ID: 9694884
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: B63C,F16K

Claim:
1. An overpressure relief valve for a buoyancy compensator device for underwater use of the type comprising an expandable bag internally provided with at least one air chamber, the valve comprising at least one first mobile shutter element configured to occlude at least one corresponding hole formed on an abutment plate that is configured to be applied on a wall of said air chamber, said first mobile shutter element being operatively connected to a first end of a first elastic element, whereas a second end of said first elastic element is in turn operatively connected to an actuator element, wherein said actuator element is an electric actuator element, actuated by an electrical current and configured to counteract, in certain operating conditions of the valve, the elastic force of said first elastic element, so as to perform the selective opening and closing of the first mobile shutter element and, consequently, respectively allow or prevent air from said hole, and then from the inside of said air chamber, from passing towards one or more through holes formed on the outer body of the valve and vice versa, wherein the electric actuator element comprises at least one component manufactured with a shape memory alloy, and wherein the electric actuator element comprises a printed circuit on which said at least one component manufactured with the shape memory alloy is fixed, said at least one component manufactured with the shape memory alloy being constituted by a shaped wire and made integral with said at least one first mobile shutter element.