WO2012141578A2

WO2012141578A2 - Wearable assembly, shirt, gas generator and methods

Info

Publication number: WO2012141578A2
Application number: PCT/NL2012/050171
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roeland Titus Bernard Jansen
Original assignee: Resqme B.V.
Priority date: 2011-03-19
Filing date: 2012-03-19
Publication date: 2012-10-18
Also published as: WO2012141578A3; NL2006431A; US20140073208A1; NL2006431C2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wearable assembly, such as an article of clothing or a life-jacket, for providing a rescue function, such as buoyancy, the wearable assembly comprising: - a support structure which can be arranged round the body, being wearable as for instance an article of clothing or life-jacket, - a fluid holder such as a buoyancy provider able to at least temporarily hold a fluid, preferably a gas, with a density lower than water, - a gas generator comprising a precursor for generating gas for the purpose of generating a gas substantially at a temperature which does not damage the human body or the human skin, preferably a corresponding ambient temperature.

Description

WEARABLE ASSEMBLY , SHIRT , GAS GENERATOR AND ME THODS

The present invention relates to a wearable assembly, such as an article of clothing or a life-jacket, for providing a rescue function, such as buoyancy. The present invention also relates to a shirt embodied as such a wear^¬ able assembly. The present invention also relates to a gas generator for generating gas for use in a wearable assembly according to the present invention. The present inven- tion further relates to a method for providing a rescue function to a person. The present invention further relates to a method for initiating a gas generator for use for a personal rescue function.

Drowning is a major cause of death and a cause of disability, particularly in children but also in adults. This of course happens when the attention of a person is distracted and the person has no defence when taken by surprise by water. Small children in particular are unaware of the danger and drown without an alarm being raised. A water depth of 5 cm can already have fatal consequences here. A major problem here is that a person is unconscious within two minutes and irreparable damage is caused within four to six minutes.

A life-jacket is of course known per se for pre- venting death by drowning. A life-jacket is however mainly aimed at use on board vessels where there is a specific risk of falling overboard. A life-jacket is hereby intended specifically for a situation where a person falls overboard and has to survive in a body of water for a possibly longer period of time.

Drowning as referred to above mainly occurs when the danger is less clearly recognized, as in the case of passengers, in the case bodies of water are located in the neighbourhood of the person or when the person is for instance on holiday and is exposed to relatively unknown risks in respect of the presence of water. In such situations wearing a life-jacket is perceived as very unusual or probably not even identified as an option. The reason for this is that a life-jacket has undesirable character^¬ istics compared to regular clothing. A life-jacket is gen^¬ erally unsuitable for heat insulation. In view of the pur^¬ pose of ensuring survival when falling overboard from a vessel, a life-jacket is also provided with features greatly influencing normal wearer comfort.

In order to provide a solution for the purpose of preventing a person from drowning or becoming disabled the present invention provides a wearable assembly, such as an article of clothing or a life-jacket, for providing a res^¬ cue function, such as buoyancy, the wearable assembly com^¬ prising :

- a support structure which can be arranged round the body, being wearable as for instance an article of clothing or life-jacket,

- a fluid holder such as a buoyancy provider able to at least temporarily hold a fluid, preferably a gas, with a density lower than water,

- a gas generator comprising a precursor for gen- erating gas for the purpose of generating a gas substantially at a temperature which does not damage the human body or the human skin, preferably a corresponding ambient temperature .

An advantage of such an assembly is that, by ap- plying this gas generator comprising a precursor for gen^¬ erating gas, an assembly can be provided wherein the gas generator can be given a relatively very compact form com- pared to buoyancy-generating means of for instance a life vest .

Use is preferably made here of a cool gas genera- tor. Such a cool gas generator is able to provide a very high gas volume relative to the size, weight and/or volume of the gas generator.

A further advantage of such a gas generator is that it can be stored for a long period, up to 10 years or longer, after which period it still functions and can be activated in the usual manner. This is advantageous since it enhances convenience of use, compared for instance to systems with C02 cartridges based on expansion. Such old- fashioned systems reguire a one, two or three yearly check or replacement of working parts.

The operational principle of generating gas from a precursor is in principle known for the purpose of provid^¬ ing a propelling action, such as for rocket engines or in the aerospace industry.

The application of a gas generator in an assembly according to the present invention provides the particular advantage that a high wearer comfort can be achieved in that the gas generator makes only a small addition to the size or the weight of the assembly. The assembly can here- by be embodied in a manner which resembles a regular arti^¬ cle of clothing, such as a shirt or vest. While such a shirt or vest is made somewhat heavier by/for the purpose of the gas generator and the fluid holder, it can nevertheless be worn almost as a regular shirt, and provides a much greater wearer comfort than a per se known life- j acket .

This is of great importance in acceptance of hav^¬ ing to wear such an assembly. It is on the one hand im- portant that parents have available an article of clothing which is easy to handle, while it is on the other hand important that the wearer comfort is such that small children have no objection to wearing this article of clothing for a significant part of the day.

It hereby becomes possible to allow children to be present in the vicinity of water bodies with relatively little supervision, for instance under the supervision of other children. Even if a child were accidentally over- looked, it is possible to anticipate with confidence that the child will be found again without the necessity for too much concern.

According to a first preferred embodiment accord^¬ ing to the present invention, the support structure in the wearable assembly has a wearer comfort similar to the wearer comfort of a vest or shirt, such as a T-shirt, blouse, sports shirt and the like.

In a further preferred embodiment the gas genera^¬ tor is of a cool gas generator type. Such a gas generator is for instance known from the international patent application WO 03/009899. In this patent application the generation of gas is aimed at providing oxygen to for instance divers or for the purpose of driving rocket engines.

In a further preferred embodiment substantially a low reactive or inert gas is generated under operating conditions, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, or wherein moderately reactive gases are generated, such as oxygen or hydrogen. It is even possible to generate a gas such as hydrogen, depending on the choice of precursor, although the choice is mainly determined by a maximum gas yield per weight of the gas generator and the safety of the use in providing the rescue function. Examples of precursors used comprise alkali metal chlorates and alkali metal perchlorates, in particular lithium perchlorate (LiC104), lithium chlorate (LiC103), sodium perchlorate (NaC104), sodium chlorate (NaC103) , po- tassium perchlorate (KC104) or potassium chlorate (KC103), peroxides, in particular sodium peroxide (Na202) and potassium peroxide (K202), superoxides, in particular potas^¬ sium superoxide (K02) and sodium superoxide (Na02), alt^¬ hough many further examples are possible within the under- standing of the skilled person. The choice of precursor depends of course on the choice of the final gas.

The fluid holder in the wearable assembly more preferably comprises a bladder or balloon preferably ar^¬ ranged for holding above water a head of a wearer who has fallen into water. A plurality of forms of the fluid hold^¬ er can hereby be obtained in both the empty and full state. This is important on the one hand for holding at least the mouth and the nose of the user as well as possi^¬ ble above the water surface. On the other hand it is im- portant that a bladder can be manufactured from a plurality of materials, so that choices of material can be made which contribute toward greater wearer comfort. This also makes it possible to provide an article of clothing having a normal wearer comfort which can in principle be worn in the same way as an article of clothing not having a rescue function .

In a further preferred embodiment the fluid holder comprises a textile which, during or after wetting with a liquid such as water, has gas-tight properties. Such a particular preferred embodiment can provide the advantage of imparting a still further improved wearer comfort. Such a textile can for instance have a breathing action during normal use. By means of the present embodiment the fluid holder can be embodied as part of the article of clothing. When the article of clothing becomes wet, the fluid holder will become gas-tight, whereby an inflatable fluid holder is provided in effective manner which can provide the res- cue function.

The fluid holder more preferably comprises at least one material layer which forms a material layer of the assembly, such as an article of clothing. Two layers are hereby in principle sufficient to form the fluid hold- er and the article of clothing. This further enhances the wearer comfort compared to embodiments wherein a material layer is necessary for the article of clothing and two layers for the fluid holder.

In a further preferred embodiment the gas genera- tor is suitable here for producing C02 gas while applying substances comprising a bicarbonate, such as sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, calcium bicarbonate or am^¬ monium bicarbonate, for instance while applying an acid. When this reaction takes place in a bladder with a wall which becomes gas-tight through contact with water, a filled bladder results which can hold the head above water for the purpose of the rescue function.

In order to improve the gas-tight properties of the wall, the fluid holder preferably comprises a nano- fibre, such as for instance of the nylon 6.6 type. At least one layer of the fluid holder more preferably com^¬ prises a breathing material. This increases wearer comfort. This increases wearer comfort. A fully sealing membrane for forming of the fluid holder can cause perspira- tion to accumulate between the skin and the fluid holder. The breathing action can prevent this because it can (help to) discharge the moisture. The assembly more preferably comprises an actuator for the gas generator, the actuator preferably being a mechanical actuator, more preferably comprising an energy source for mechanical energy, such as a spring, preferably dimensioned in the order of magnitude of the gas genera^¬ tor. It hereby becomes possible to have actuation take place automatically in a manner suitable for specific use. Alternatively, a manual actuation is possible.

The wearable assembly is preferably suitable for providing a rescue function for children with a clothing size fitting children of age 0-1, 1-8, more preferably 1- 6, more preferably 1-5, more preferably 1-4, more preferably 1-2, more preferably 2-3, more preferably 3-4, more preferably with fitting length sizes, more preferably with rescue function suitable for the weight.

In a further preferred embodiment the wearable as^¬ sembly is provided with properties such as protection against cold and heat, preferably breathing, preferably washable in normal domestic manner. Substantially the same advantages are provided here as in the case of a normal shirt. Maintenance is easy since a wearable assembly can be easily washed, wherein, depending on the embodiment, no parts need be removed, and for instance in an embodiment where the actuation follows automatically upon contact with water, the gas generator and/or an actuation member need be only temporarily removed.

The bladder is more preferably arranged and formed such that particularly the front side of the head is held above water when a person falls into water, preferably by providing buoyancy at the position of the neck and throat below the ears. This insight makes it possible to optimize the wearer comfort in respect of the minimal size of the bladder. The bladder is preferably arranged here particularly close to the shoulders and the throat of the person.

In a further preferred embodiment the gas generator comprises gas-forming substances which can preferably be actuated by means of mechanical energy, can more pref^¬ erably be actuated by means of contact with water, wherein the gas generator can preferably be arranged under one or both of the armpits. An automatic actuation of the process of forming a gas can hereby be started.

This is particularly advantageous in the case of an unconscious person or a person unaware of the danger of drowning, such as a small child. Examples of the gas- forming substances comprise sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, calcium bicarbonate and/or ammonium bicar- bonate. The assembly more preferably comprises a reaction accelerator such as an acid. Depending on for instance the temperature, the reaction speed of the precursor may in itself be relatively low in relation to the reguired time. A reaction accelerator can provide a life-saving advantage here.

In an alternative preferred embodiment the support structure comprises a harness, preferably an adjustable harness which can be modified to multiple body sizes. Par^¬ ticularly in the case of small children a passage of time of several months can already result in such growth that another size is required. An adjustable harness can enable the assembly to be worn for a longer period of time.

In alternative manner the support structure of the assembly is suitable for wearing over clothing, such as a jacket, raincoat, sailing jacket or the like. The function of the wearable assembly over another article of clothing can for instance hereby be provided without a modified ar^¬ ticle of clothing being required. It is also possible for the assembly to be worn under another article of clothing. Care is preferably taken here that the other article of clothing has sufficient internal space to enable a possible increase in volume.

A further aspect according to the present invention relates to a shirt comprising a wearable assembly ac^¬ cording to the present invention.

A further aspect according to the present invention relates to a gas generator for generating a gas sub- stantially at a temperature which does not damage the human body or the human skin, preferably the corresponding ambient temperature, wherein the gas generator comprises:

- a charge assembly comprising a precursor for generating gas;

- an initiation assembly comprising means for initiating the precursor so as to generate gas;

- wherein the gas generator comprises the quantity of precursor for generating a quantity of gas sufficient to impart a rescue function for a wearable assembly ac- cording to the present invention.

Using such a gas generator according to this aspect advantages are achieved as described in the foregoing in respect of the previous aspect.

The gas generator more preferably comprises a quantity of precursor for generating a maximum of 20 1 of gas, preferably a maximum of 15 1 of gas, more preferably a maximum of 12 1 of gas, more preferably a maximum of 10 1 of gas, more preferably a maximum of 8 1 of gas, more preferably a maximum of 6 1 of gas, more preferably a max- imum of 4 1 of gas.

In a further preferred embodiment the initiation assembly in the gas generator comprises biasing means, such as a spring, and/or biasing means release means, such as a soluble tablet. The automatic actuation of the gas generator is hereby realized in a manner easily understandable to the user.

A further aspect according to the present inven- tion relates to a method for providing a rescue function to a person, preferably a child, comprising steps for:

- providing a wearable assembly according to the present invention;

- preferably providing a gas generator according to the present invention applied in the wearable assembly.

Advantages as described in the foregoing with reference to previous aspects are achieved by means of such a method according to this aspect of the present invention.

According to a preferred embodiment the method comprises of initiating a gas generator for use for a personal rescue function, comprising steps for:

- providing a gas generator according to one or more of the foregoing claims;

- initiating generation of the gas on the basis of the precursor while applying the initiation assembly for the purpose of providing the personal rescue function.

An actuation can hereby be realized in automatic manner, whereby the rescue function of the assembly is provided to the user.

Further advantages, features and details of the present invention will be described in greater detail hereinbelow on the basis of one or more preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying figures. Similar, though not necessarily identical components of dif- ferent preferred embodiments are designated with the same reference numerals.

Fig. 1-5 show preferred embodiments according to the present invention in schematic manner. Fig. 6 shows a preferred embodiment of a cool gas generator according to the present invention.

Fig. 7-8 show an actuation assembly according to further preferred embodiments.

Fig. 9 shows a manifold according to a further preferred embodiment and a schematic partial cross- sectional view of a further preferred embodiment.

Fig. 10-13 show further preferred embodiments of arrangements of a bladder according to the present inven- tion.

Fig. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention. This is a sports shirt 11 which can be worn as a regular sports shirt. Arranged in the sports shirt is a bladder 18, which bladder is present in a rest state in sports shirt 11. Only in the case of an emergency situation does the bladder have to be trans^¬ formed from the rest state, in which it can be worn on the body, to an active state in which buoyancy is provided. The active state entails the bladder being filled with a gas, whereby the sports shirt acquires buoyancy for the purpose of keeping a person, such as a child, afloat. It is the primary intention here that the person, such as the child, is saved from drowning. Bladder 18 can take many forms in order to achieve this purpose, examples of which are described with reference to the figures in this de^¬ scription. In Fig. 1 bladder 18 has a chest element 18C, a back element 18A and connecting elements 18B which in the example run over the shoulder. Provided for the purpose of providing a gas for filling the bladders are two cool gas generators 17 which are arranged such that, when the sports shirt is being worn, they are arranged under the armpit of the person or slightly below at the position of the transition between the front panel 12 and the rear panel 13 of the sports shirt. The operation of the cool gas generator is elucidated in greater detail below. An advantage of the embodiment of the bladder is in this case that while it is worn a high degree of ventilation of the underlying body is achieved. A smaller surface of the bladder in the rest state is effectively advantageous in achieving a desirable measure of ventilation.

Fig. 2 shows a further variant of a shirt, in this case a T-shirt, according to the present invention. The T- shirt is provided with a bladder 28 having two floating bodies 28B arranged at the position of the shoulder and upper arms. A relatively small neck part 28B of the bladder is also provided in order to impart buoyancy in the area of the neck. A chest element 28C is further provided in order to impart a relatively great buoyancy in the chest area. This prevents the person entering the water body in tilted forward position. Using this embodiment the person will therefore tilt to the rear and the breathing orifices, comprising the nose and mouth, will protrude above the water body. This situation is shown schematically in Fig. 2B.

Provided in the variant 31 of Fig. 3 is a bladder 18 with a shoulder panel 33 and a shoulder panel 34 as well as a chest panel 32. A neck opening 35 is provided. In similar manner as in the variant according to Fig. 2 a relatively high buoyancy is imparted to the chest side, whereby the person will remain on his/her back in the water .

Fig. 4 shows a further variant of a T-shirt 41 with a bladder 18. Similarly to the upper part of the T- shirt, this bladder takes a body-enclosing form, wherein the bladder has a front panel 42, sleeves 44, 45 or arm parts and a neck opening 45. Owing to the relatively large achievable volume of this preferred embodiment a relatively high buoyancy is imparted, whereby the person can reach a relatively high position relative to the water.

Fig. 5 shows variant of a T-shirt 51 with a blad- der 18. Bladder 18 is arranged over the shoulder parts and across the front of the breastbone. An opening 55 is pro^¬ vided for the neck. For strengthening purposes a strap is provided on the underside of the shoulder parts, so creat^¬ ing openings 54, 56 for arranging the arms therein. The assembly comprising bladder 18 is also wearable according to this preferred embodiment without the T-shirt. A storage compartment 52 is provided here for arranging for instance money, a telephone or an MP3 player therein.

Fig. 6 shows a preferred embodiment of a cool gas generator according to the present invention. According to the present invention a cool gas generator is suitable for long-term maintenance-free storage, preferably arranged on the bladder. The cool gas generator is adapted to provide a relatively small gas volume as stated. It is hereby pos- sible to embody a gas generator as a cylindrical rod with a cross-section of several millimetres up to for instance a maximum of 2-10 centimetres. Sufficient gas can hereby be generated to provide a certain volume of gas for full or partial filling of a bladder for the purpose according to the invention. It is also possible to arrange such a gas generator with a low volume in an article of clothing with a wearer comfort associated with a relatively light article of clothing such as a T-shirt, sports shirt or other form of shirt. Such an article of clothing can be worn as underwear or as outerwear as the temperature con^¬ ditions allow.

Gas generator 17 comprises a gas-generating part 61 and an activating part 62. The gas-generating part 61 comprises a casing 71, preferably embodied as a cylinder. Other forms are however possible within the scope of the present invention. Situated inside cylinder 71 is a charge assembly 63 comprising precursors for the gas to be formed. Situated on the underside (according to the view of Fig. 6) is a charge assembly spring and a ring biased by the spring. A holder 75 for a primer and a cap 76 for the primer are arranged on the other side of cylinder 71. Likewise arranged on this side is the actuator 62 compris- ing a guide tube 78, a holder 77 for a firing spring, a firing pin 72 and a firing spring 73 for activating firing pin 72 under bias. Firing spring 73 is held in the rest position by a tablet 66 situated in a tablet holder 67. Because firing pin 72 is held in place by the shown cap 74 through the tablet, the spring is prevented from pushing the pin with a great thrust in the direction of primer 75. When the tablet dissolves in water, for instance when the person falls into water, the tablet will dissolve in the water or otherwise react therewith and the grip of the tablet on cap 74 will be lost, whereby the bias of the spring will drive the tip of firing pin 72 into the primer, whereby charge assembly 63 of the cool gas generator will be activated. This will create a quantity of gas which is driven through the closure 79 out of the cool gas generator 61 and will fill bladder 18.

Fig. 7 shows unit 62 in greater detail with the stated components. The cool gas generator can produce various gases depending on the chemical composition. Based on safety requirements, a gas deemed suitable with the pre- cursor therefor, such as a C02 gas generator, can be uti^¬ lized for different applications within the present inven^¬ tion, such as for consumer products but also with a view to environmental requirements. A nitrogen generator - which can have a higher output per unit of weight - could for instance also be utilized.

Fig. 8 shows a closing element 79 with a cylindrical housing 82 having therein a plate element 83 which can be partially broken off. This effectively forms a throttle element for limiting the gas flow in the direction of the bladder, thereby achieving a uniform filling without adverse shock effects.

Fig. 9 shows how the cool gas generator is prefer- ably arranged in the T-shirt and on the bladder. A lining 95 with a bladder 18 there against is arranged on the inner side of the T-shirt. Bladder 18 is double-walled. The manifold 93 is attached to the outer wall by means of for instance adhesion to mounting plate 93 on the inner side or outer side of an opening 99 in the wall of the bladder. Gas generator 61 is attached to the manifold. The gas gen^¬ erator is then covered by means of a manifold cover at^¬ tachable with Velcro 96. The manifold is closable here by means of a pressure valve 79 so that, when the cool gas generator is removed, no undesirable fluids such as moisture or gas can enter the bladder. The whole unit from the lining to the cover 97 is arranged on the inner side of the textile 12, 13 of the shirt. In the examples the blad^¬ der wall can of course likewise have contact surfaces with sleeves 14, 15.

Further variants are shown in Fig. 10 to 13. In the variant shown in Fig. 10 two relatively large air compartments are provided for the chest and a raised air compartment in the neck, at least in the inflated state. A good position on the back is hereby obtained with support^¬ ing of the head, or at least the neck. Also shown clearly in this variant is that the cool gas generator 17 is ar^¬ ranged under or slightly below the armpit. Fig. 11 shows several variants with different forms of bladder. A further aspect according to Fig. 11 is a cool gas generator which is ignited electrically. Provided for this purpose are electrical wires 104 which pro- vide each cool gas generator with electrical energy.

Fig. 12 shows a further variant with a bladder attached substantially in front of the chest and behind the neck. An opening is also provided here for the head. Pro^¬ vided for additional safety is a strap which runs from the chest part to the back part and extends under the crotch of the wearer. A further aspect of this embodiment comprises an alternative method for generating gas by means of allowing water to react with bicarbonate arranged in a bag 110 already placed in the bladder. Such a bag 110 is suitable for receiving water and allowing the bicarbonate to react with this water, thereby creating gas.

The bladder itself comprises a fibre material 112 which is initially water-permeable but which, after con^¬ tact with water, becomes fluid-tight owing to a reaction of the fibres of the material to the water. It hereby becomes possible for water to be initially admitted into the bladder in sufficient measure to allow the reaction of all bicarbonate to form gas. While this reaction is taking place the textile becomes closed to the fluid, whereby the created gas is enclosed in the bladder. This effectively creates a gas-fill bladder which imparts buoyancy.

Tests performed herewith have demonstrated that, depending on the gas-forming reaction mixture (such as for instance the bicarbonate) and the fibre chosen for the bladder, a bladder with buoyancy results within a suffi^¬ ciently short time which only loses buoyancy under consid^¬ erable squeezing force. In order to replace the bag 110 with bicarbonate the bladder is provided with a fluid- tight closure, such as an airtight zip or foldable edge closed for instance by means of press studs.

It is an insight of the present inventor that, while buoyancy has to be provided, this can be limited to a specific time period, such as several minutes to several hours. An embodiment which is particularly recommended is an embodiment with a T-shirt with a single textile layer having arranged therein a single textile layer for the purpose of forming the bladder, wherein both textile lay- ers together form the bladder. A light article of clothing is hereby possible comprising only two textile layers which form both the article of clothing and the bladder and the means for generating gas, such as the bag with bi^¬ carbonate or the cool gas generator.

Fig. 13 shows further variants with additional means for strapping the article of clothing with the blad^¬ ders relative to the person. Provided here is a waist strap 126 which provides an additional strengthening rela^¬ tive to the attachment provided in the embodiments de- scribed in the foregoing by putting on the article of clothing, such as in that the body part is secured under the arms. The additional straps of Fig. 13 provide a greater reliability and strength of the attachment. In ad^¬ dition to waist strap 126, a strap 128 is also provided for arranging round the crotch of the person. Also provided is a connecting strap between waist strap 128 and a back panel of bladder 18. A connection between the T-shirt and the straps is provided by means of Velcro connections 127. The bladder is hereby easily removable from the T- shirt, whereby separate cleaning can be realized.

The present invention has been described in the foregoing on the basis of several preferred embodiments. Different aspects of different embodiments are deemed de- scribed in combination with each other, wherein all combinations which can be deemed by a skilled person in the field as falling within the scope of the invention on the basis of reading of this document are included. These pre^¬ ferred embodiments are not limitative for the scope of protection of this document. The rights sought are defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. Wearable assembly, such as an article of clothing or a life-jacket, for providing a rescue function, such as buoyancy, the wearable assembly comprising:

- a gas generator comprising a precursor for generating gas for the purpose of generating a gas substantially at a temperature which does not damage the human body or the human skin, preferably a corresponding ambient temperature .

2. Wearable assembly as claimed in claim 1, where- in the support structure has a wearer comfort similar to the wearer comfort of a vest or shirt, such as a T-shirt, blouse, sports shirt and the like .

3. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the gas generator is of a cool gas generator type.

4. Wearable assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein substantially a low reactive or inert gas is generated under operating conditions, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, or wherein moderately reactive gases are generated, such as oxygen or hydrogen.

5. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the fluid holder comprises bladder or balloon preferably arranged for holding above water a head of a wearer who has fallen into water.

6. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the fluid holder comprises textile which, during or after wetting with a liquid such as water, has gas-tight properties.

7. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the fluid holder comprises at least one material layer which forms a material layer of the assembly, such as an article of clothing.

8. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the gas generator is suitable for producing C02 gas while applying substances comprising bicarbonate.

9. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the fluid holder comprises nanofibre, such as for instance of the nylon 6.6 type.

10. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein at least one layer of the fluid holder comprises a breathing material.

11. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, comprising an actuator for the gas generator, the actuator preferably being a mechanical ac^¬ tuator, more preferably comprising an energy source for mechanical energy, such as a spring, preferably dimensioned in the order of magnitude of the gas generator.

12. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, suitable for providing a rescue function for children with a clothing size fitting children of age 0-8, more preferably 0-6, more preferably 1-5, more preferably 1-4, more preferably 1-2, more preferably 2-3, more preferably 3-4, more preferably with fitting length sizes, more preferably with rescue function suitable for the weight.

13. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more the foregoing claims, provided with properties such as protection against cold and heat, preferably breathing, preferably washable in normal domestic manner.

14. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the bladder is arranged and formed such that particularly the front side of the head is held above water when a person falls into water, preferably by providing buoyancy at the position of the neck and throat below the ears.

15. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the gas generator comprises gas-forming substances which can preferably be actuated by means of mechanical energy, can more preferably be actuated by means of contact with water, wherein the gas genera- tor can preferably be arranged under one or both of the armpits .

16. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the gas-forming substances comprise: sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, calcium bicarbonate and/or ammonium bicarbonate.

17. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, comprising a reaction accelerator such as an acid.

18. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the support structure comprises a harness, preferably an adjustable harness, which can be modified to multiple body sizes.

19. Wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the support structure is suitable for wearing over clothing, such as a jacket, raincoat, sailing jacket or the like.

20. Shirt comprising a wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims.

21. Gas generator for generating a gas substantially at a temperature which does not damage the human body or the human skin, preferably the corresponding ambient temperature, wherein the gas generator comprises:

- a charge assembly comprising a precursor for generating gas;

- an initiation assembly comprising means for ini- tiating the precursor so as to generate gas;

- wherein the gas generator comprises the quantity of precursor for generating a quantity of gas sufficient to impart a rescue function for a wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims.

22. Gas generator as claimed in claim 21, compris- ing a quantity of precursor for generating a maximum of 20

1 of gas, preferably a maximum of 15 1 of gas, more pref^¬ erably a maximum of 12 1 of gas, more preferably a maximum of 10 1 of gas, more preferably a maximum of 8 1 of gas, more preferably a maximum of 6 1 of gas, more preferably a maximum of 4 1 of gas.

23. Gas generator as claimed in claim 21 or 22, wherein the initiation assembly comprises biasing means, such as a spring, and/or biasing means release means, such as a soluble tablet.

24. Method for providing a rescue function to a person, preferably a child, comprising steps for:

- providing a wearable assembly as claimed in one or more of the claims 11-19;

- preferably providing a gas generator as claimed in one or more of the claims 21-23 applied in the wearable assembly .

25. Method for initiating a gas generator for use for a personal rescue function, comprising steps for:

- providing a gas generator as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims;