JP7648090B2 - High pressure chamber device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hyperbaric chamber device capable of increasing the internal air pressure.

Conventionally, devices have been considered that can improve the health of people in a closed space by controlling the air pressure and air quality in that space. Many of these devices have a relatively large volume, and have problems such as taking a long time to reach a predetermined air pressure and being inefficient when used by individuals. Therefore, there are devices that control the air pressure and air quality within a space while part of the user's body is contained within it, such as those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below.

JP 2011-45611 A JP 2009-285249 A

However, although the device described in the above patent document is certainly compact, it is difficult to ensure airtightness in the areas where the human body is exposed. For example, even during use, the device can easily become misaligned when the user moves, which can cause the air inside to leak out.

The present invention was made in consideration of such circumstances, and aims to provide a high-pressure chamber device that is compact yet highly airtight.

In order to solve the above problems, the high pressure chamber device of the present invention comprises:
A hyperbaric chamber device comprising: a shell that forms a hyperbaric chamber capable of accommodating a user's body; and an air supply unit that supplies air to the hyperbaric chamber, the hyperbaric chamber being capable of increasing the internal air pressure when the user is in the hyperbaric chamber,
The shell includes a main body portion, which is a housing having an opening, and a connecting portion, which is connected to the main body side opening, which is the opening of the main body portion;
The body side opening has a dimension smaller than an inner dimension of the body portion,
the connecting portion includes a bag body molded from a flexible material and having a connecting portion side opening having a dimension larger than a dimension of the main body side opening, and an elastically deformable annular elastic member fixed along an opening edge of the connecting portion side opening,
the elastic member is capable of being inserted into and removed from the main body side opening of the main body portion in an elastically deformed state,
When a portion of the connecting part on the opening side of the connecting part is inserted into the inside of the main body part and the elastic member is deployed, the air supply part supplies air to the connecting part on the opening side of the connecting part, so that the portion of the connecting part on the opening side of the connecting part contacts an opening edge of the main body side opening of the main body part, and the high pressure chamber is formed by the main body part and the connecting part.

In this configuration of hyperbaric chamber device, the hyperbaric chamber is formed by attaching the connecting part so that it protrudes from the opening of the main body when the user places part or all of their body inside the main body. In this configuration of hyperbaric chamber device, the shell is composed of two parts: the main body which is a housing, and the connecting part which is mainly a flexible bag body, and the connecting part is only expanded when in use to form the hyperbaric chamber, making the device itself compact. In addition, after the connecting part is attached to the main body, when the air pressure in the hyperbaric chamber is increased by the air supply unit, the opening edge side of the bag body of the connecting part is pressed against the vicinity of the opening edge of the main body, and the hyperbaric chamber is sealed. Therefore, this configuration of hyperbaric chamber device is compact and simple, yet highly airtight.

The "main body" in this configuration of the hyperbaric chamber device may be capable of housing the entire body of the user, but from the perspective of compactness, it is preferable for part of the user's body to be housed in the connecting part. The "main body" can be capable of housing part of the user's body when the user is seated, or part of the user's body when the user is lying down. The "connecting part" in this configuration can house parts of the user's body that are not housed in the main body, such as the upper body or legs.

In the above configuration, the main body may have a groove on the inner surface of the main body opening, into which the elastic member fits.

With this configuration of the high-pressure chamber device, the connecting part can be attached to the main body at a fixed position, which prevents the connecting part from shifting during use and ensures that the wrap length between the main body and the bag is correct, making it possible to further increase the airtightness of the high-pressure chamber.

In the above configuration, the main body side opening of the main body portion can be open to the side.

The high pressure chamber device of this configuration has a main body that opens to the side, making it easy for the user to enter and exit the main body.

In the above configuration, the main body may have a seat inside for a user to sit on, and the bag of the connecting part may be a cylindrical bag with a bottom.

The hyperbaric chamber device of this configuration is configured so that the main body functions as a chair, and can be used in such a manner that the main body accommodates the upper body of the user, and the connecting part accommodates the legs of the user. Furthermore, even when not in use as a hyperbaric chamber device, the connecting part can be folded up and the main body can be used as a chair, making the hyperbaric chamber device of this configuration easy to incorporate into a living environment.

In the above configuration, the body side opening can be configured to be curved.

For example, if the opening on the main body side is square, it is thought that gaps are likely to occur at the corners between the bag body of the connecting part and the opening on the main body side. With this configuration of the high-pressure chamber device, there is no point where the bag body of the connecting part can bend relative to the opening on the main body side, so the main body part and the bag body are securely wrapped together, making it possible to further increase the airtightness of the high-pressure chamber.

In the above configuration, the body side opening can be formed in a circular shape, and the elastic member can be a circular member with a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the body side opening.

In this configuration of high pressure chamber device, the shape of the opening on the main body side and the shape of the opening on the connecting part side of the connecting part are circular, and since there is no need to consider the orientation of the connecting part relative to the main body part, the connecting part can be easily attached to the main body part.

The present invention provides a high pressure chamber device that is compact yet highly airtight.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an air conditioning device according to an embodiment of the present invention in use; FIG. 1 is a side view showing an air conditioning device according to an embodiment of the present invention in use; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the connecting portion is detached from the main body portion. FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the state in which the connecting part is removed from the main body part. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a process of attaching the connecting portion to the main body portion. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the connecting part is attached to the main body part. A side cross-sectional view showing the state in which air is supplied into the high pressure chamber. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a chair used in an air conditioning apparatus according to another embodiment.

Below, examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as a form for carrying out the present invention. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following examples, and can be carried out in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

The hyperbaric chamber device of the embodiment of the present invention is an air conditioning device 10 that can adjust the air pressure and air quality inside the device while the user is inside, thereby improving the user's health and promoting his/her health. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning device 10 includes a shell 14 capable of housing a user 12 inside, and an air control device (air supply unit) 16 that increases the air pressure inside the shell 14 (hyperbaric chamber S) and controls the quality of the air inside, specifically the oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide concentration.

The shell 14 is composed of a chair 20 on which a user can sit and a flexible bag-shaped cover member 22. The cover member 22 is attached to the chair 20 to form a high-pressure chamber S inside. The chair 20 is composed of a seat 30 on which a user can sit, a roughly spherical housing 32 that accommodates the seat 30, and legs 34 that support the housing 32. The housing 32 is hollow inside and has a shape like a sphere cut on the side. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the housing 32 has a shape like a sphere cut diagonally downward with its apex at a position lower than the apex. In other words, the housing 32 has a roughly circular opening 36 (hereinafter referred to as the "housing side opening 36") formed therein, and the housing side opening 36 opens to the side and slightly diagonally upward. The inner diameter R1 of the housing side opening 36 is smaller than the inner diameter R2 of the housing 32.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a seat portion 30 is provided within the housing 32. The seat portion 30 is composed of a cushion portion 40 and a backrest portion 42, with the cushion portion 40 being disposed on the bottom side within the housing 32 and the backrest portion 42 being disposed on the side opposite the housing side opening 36 in such a position that it faces the housing side opening 36.

The housing 32 can be made of materials such as FRP or PP. The cushion section 40 and the backrest section 42 can be made of sponge or urethane with cushioning properties as the inner material, and synthetic leather, artificial leather, leather, cotton, fabric, etc. can be used as the surface material. The seat section 30 is detachable from the housing 32. An interior material can be provided on the inner surface of the housing 32, and the interior material can be made of resin or a material with the same cushioning properties as the seat section 30.

Although the chair 20 thus configured differs depending on the user's physique, when the user sits in the same position as in a typical chair, as shown in FIG. 2, the body of the user 12, except for a portion of the lower legs (in FIG. 2, from the knees to the lower legs), is housed inside the housing 32. In other words, the housing 32 covers the head of the seated user 12 from above, and covers both the left and right sides of the head and upper body.

The cover member 22 can be attached to the housing 32 of the chair 20. The cover member 22 is mainly composed of a flexible bag-shaped cover body (bag body) 50. The cover body 50 is made of soft synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride, nylon, or polyethylene, and is colorless, transparent, and stretchable. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover body 50 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a circular wire (elastic member) 54 is fixed to the opening edge of the opening 52. That is, the opening 52 of the cover member 22 (hereinafter referred to as the "cover side opening 52") is held in a circular shape by the wire 54. However, the wire 54 can be easily elastically deformed by the user 12 applying force (see FIG. 5). The cover member 22 has no openings other than the cover side opening 52 and the two connection ports 56, 58 for connecting the two connection tubes 60, 62 of the air control device 16, and is highly airtight.

Next, a method of mounting the cover member 22 configured as described above on the housing 32 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer diameter R3 of the cover side opening 52 (outer diameter of the wire 54) of the cover member 22 is made larger than the inner diameter R1 of the housing side opening 36. As described above, the wire 54 can be easily elastically deformed by the user, so that, as shown in FIG. 5, the wire 54 can be elastically deformed to pass through the housing side opening 36 and insert the cover member 22's cover side opening 52 side into the inside of the housing 32. Then, the wire 54 is deployed inside the housing 32 and the wire 54 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the housing 32 and the opening edge of the housing side opening 36, whereby a closed space, that is, a high pressure chamber S, is formed by the housing 32 and the cover member 22.

The inner surface of the housing 32 is provided with an annular groove 32A along the edge of the housing-side opening 36, a set distance inward from the edge of the opening. The inner diameter R4 at the location where this groove 32A is formed is approximately equal to the outer diameter R3 of the cover-side opening 52, so that the end of the cover member 22 to which the wire 54 is fixed, on the cover-side opening 52 side, can fit into the groove 32A. In other words, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a gap is formed between the housing 32 and the cover member 22, causing a loss of airtightness.

With the above-mentioned configuration, the user 12 can sit on the seat 30 of the chair 20 and temporarily house his/her lower legs in the housing 32, or insert his/her lower legs into the cover body 50 from the cover side opening 52 of the cover member 22, and then fit the end of the cover member 22 on the cover side opening 52 side into the groove 32A of the housing 32 to attach the cover member 22 to the housing 32. In this way, the air conditioning device 10 can create a state in which the high pressure chamber S is closed while the user 12 is housed in the high pressure chamber S.

Next, the air control device 16 will be described. The air control device 16 is configured to include a device main body 64 in which an air pressure control device, an oxygen concentrator, and a carbon dioxide removal device are integrated, and the above-mentioned two connection tubes 60, 62 that connect the device main body 64 and the shell 14. The device main body 64 can control the air pressure in the high pressure chamber S, as well as the oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide concentration in the high pressure chamber S. For example, the device main body 64 controls the air pressure in the high pressure chamber S to be higher than the external air pressure, and controls the oxygen concentration in the high pressure chamber S to be higher than the external oxygen concentration, so that the air conditioning device 10 can activate the parasympathetic nerves of the user 12 in the high pressure chamber S to bring him or her into a relaxed state, thereby improving the health of the user 12 and promoting his or her health. When the user 12 breathes in the high pressure chamber S, the carbon dioxide concentration in the high pressure chamber S increases, so the device main body 64 controls the carbon dioxide concentration in the high pressure chamber S to decrease.

Specifically, the air control device 16 takes in the air in the high pressure chamber S into the carbon dioxide removal device through the connecting tube 60. The carbon dioxide removal device separates carbon dioxide from the taken-in air, discharges the separated carbon dioxide to the outside, and sends the air from which carbon dioxide has been removed to the air pressure control device. The oxygen concentrator then sends out the air to which oxygen has been added (air with a high oxygen concentration) to the air pressure control device, and the air pressure control device sends the air to which oxygen has been added and from which carbon dioxide has been removed through the connecting tube 62 to the high pressure chamber S. As a result, the air control device 16 reduces the carbon dioxide concentration in the high pressure chamber S and increases the air pressure and oxygen concentration in the high pressure chamber S. The carbon dioxide removal device may be of a type that adsorbs carbon dioxide. Also, in FIG. 7, the device main body 64 is shown placed on the floor, but it can also be attached to the lower back side of the housing 32, so that the chair 20 and the air control device 16 can be moved together.

The device body 64 is equipped with a switch for adjusting the air pressure in the high pressure chamber S, a switch for adjusting the oxygen concentration in the high pressure chamber S, a switch for adjusting the pressurization time until the adjusted air pressure is reached, a switch for adjusting the pressure recovery time before the adjusted air pressure is restored to the air pressure at the start of pressurization, and a switch for adjusting the exposure time during which the adjusted air pressure is maintained. The air control device 16 is also equipped with a remote controller for remotely operating the device body 64 wirelessly or by wire. Even when the user 12 is housed in the high pressure chamber S, the device body 64 can be remotely operated by using the remote controller.

As described above, the air conditioning device 10, which is the high-pressure chamber device of this embodiment, includes a shell 14 that forms a high-pressure chamber S capable of accommodating the body of a user 12, and an air control device 16 as an air supply unit that supplies air to the high-pressure chamber S. The shell 14 is made up of a housing 32 as a main body portion that is a case having an opening, and a cover member 22 as a connecting portion that is connected to a housing side opening (main body side opening) 36 that is an opening of the housing 32. The housing side opening 36 is smaller in size than the inside dimension (inner diameter) of the housing 32, and the cover member 22 is made up of a cover body 50 as a bag body molded from a flexible material and having a cover side opening (connecting portion side opening) 52 that is larger in size than the housing side opening 36, and an elastically deformable ring-shaped wire (elastic member) 54 fixed along the opening edge of the cover side opening 52. When the wire 54 is in an elastically deformed state, it can be inserted and removed from the housing side opening of the housing 32. When the portion of the cover member 22 on the cover side opening 52 side is inserted inside the housing 32 and the wire 54 is deployed, the portion of the cover member 22 on the cover side opening 52 side comes into contact with the opening edge of the housing side opening 36 of the housing 32, and a high pressure chamber S is formed by the housing 32 and the cover member 22.

In the air conditioning device 10 of this embodiment, the shell 14 is composed of two parts, the housing 32 which is a case, and the cover member 22 which is mainly made of a flexible cover body 50. The cover member 22 is only unfolded when in use to form the high pressure chamber S, so that the device itself is compact. In other words, when not in use as the air conditioning device 10, the flexible cover member 22 can be folded up and used as a chair 20. In addition, in the air conditioning device 10 of this embodiment, after the cover member 22 is attached to the housing 32, when the air pressure in the high pressure chamber S is increased by the air control device 16, the opening edge side of the cover body 50 of the cover member 22 sticks to the vicinity of the opening edge of the housing 32, and the high pressure chamber S is sealed. Therefore, the air conditioning device 10 is compact and simple, yet highly airtight.

In addition, in the air conditioning device 10 of this embodiment, the housing 32 has a groove portion 32A inside the housing side opening 36 on the inner surface, into which the wire 54 of the cover member 22 fits. This allows the cover member 22 to be attached to the housing 32 in a specified position, preventing the cover member 22 from shifting during use and reliably ensuring the lap length between the housing 32 and the cover body 50, resulting in a higher airtightness of the high pressure chamber S.

<Other embodiments>
In the air conditioning device 10 of the above embodiment, the housing side opening 36 provided in the housing 32 as the main body is circular, and the wire 54 fixed to the opening edge of the cover member 22 as the connecting part is also circular, but the shape is not limited to this. For example, instead of the chair 20 in the first embodiment, a chair 80 as shown in FIG. 8 can be used. This chair 80 is configured to include a seat part 82 for a user to sit on, a housing 84 as the main body part constituting the shell, and legs 86 supporting the housing 84, as in the chair 20 in the first embodiment. However, the housing 84 is egg-shaped, and the opening 88 is also egg-shaped. In this case, the cover member as the connecting part can also ensure high airtightness by forming the wire fixed to the opening edge in an egg shape.

In both the air conditioning device 10 of the above-mentioned embodiment and the air conditioning device using the chair 80 shown in FIG. 8, the openings 36, 88 of the housings 32, 84 serving as the main body are configured to open to the side, making it easy for the user 12 to enter and exit the housings 32, 84. Note that the opening of the main body of the hyperbaric chamber device of the present invention is not limited to being on the side. For example, it may be configured to open upward. In that case, the main body can be configured to accommodate at least the lower half of the user's body, and the upper half of the body can be accommodated on the connecting part side.

In addition, in both the air conditioner 10 of the above-mentioned embodiment and the air conditioner using the chair 80 shown in FIG. 8, the openings 36, 88 of the housings 32, 84 as the main body are formed in a curved shape, but this is not limited to this. For example, they may be rectangular or polygonal. However, compared to rectangular or polygonal openings, curved openings do not have any points where the bag body of the connecting part can bend, so the main body and the bag body are securely wrapped, making it possible to further increase the airtightness of the high pressure chamber.

In the above-mentioned embodiment of the air conditioning device 10, the main body functions as a chair, but this is not limited to this. For example, the main body can be shaped to accommodate part or all of the user's body when lying down. Specifically, the main body and the connecting part can be configured to form a capsule-shaped shell. In this case, for example, the upper or side part of the capsule shape can be configured as the connecting part. In other words, in the air pressure chamber device of the present invention, the shape of the main body and the connecting part are not particularly limited, and various shapes can be adopted.

10...Air conditioning device [high pressure chamber device], 12...User, 14...Shell, 16...Air control device [air supply device], 20...Chair, 22...Cover member [connecting part], 30...Seat, 32...Housing [main body], 32A...Groove, 36...Housing opening [main body side opening], 50...Cover body [bag body], 52...Cover side opening [connecting part side opening], 54...Wire [elastic member], 80...Chair, 82...Seat, 84...Housing [main body], 88...Opening [main body side opening]

Claims (5)

A hyperbaric chamber device comprising: a shell that forms a hyperbaric chamber capable of accommodating a user's body; and an air supply unit that supplies air to the hyperbaric chamber, the hyperbaric chamber being capable of increasing the internal air pressure when the user is in the hyperbaric chamber,
The shell includes a main body portion, which is a housing having an opening, and a connecting portion, which is connected to the main body side opening, which is the opening of the main body portion;
The main body portion has a shape in which an internal space expands from the main body side opening toward the inside,
the connecting portion includes a bag body formed from a flexible material and having a connecting portion side opening larger in shape than the main body side opening , and a ring-shaped elastic member that is elastically deformable and fixed along an opening edge of the connecting portion side opening,
the elastic member is capable of being inserted into and removed from the main body side opening of the main body portion in an elastically deformed state,
a connecting portion-side opening portion of the connecting portion is inserted into the main body portion and the elastic member is deployed. When air is supplied by the air supply portion, the connecting portion-side opening portion of the connecting portion comes into contact with an opening edge of the main body-side opening of the main body portion, and the high-pressure chamber is formed by the main body portion and the connecting portion ;
the main body has an inner surface, on the inside of the main body opening, a groove into which the elastic member fits,
A high-pressure chamber device , wherein a portion of the connecting portion on the connecting portion side opening side is pressed by internal pressure between the main body side opening on the inner surface of the main body and the groove portion . 2. The high pressure chamber device according to claim 1 , wherein the body side opening of the body portion opens in a horizontal direction with respect to a vertical direction . The main body portion includes a seat portion therein for a user to sit on,
The high pressure chamber device according to claim 2 , wherein the bag body of the connecting portion is in the form of a cylinder with a bottom. 4. The high pressure chamber device according to claim 1, wherein the body side opening is formed in a curved shape. The body side opening is formed in a circular shape,
5. The high pressure chamber device according to claim 4 , wherein the elastic member is a circular member having a diameter larger than an inner diameter of the main body side opening.

Images