JP2013132382A - Portable low oxygen respirator for training - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low oxygen respirator for training, which is in a simple structure, is light in weight, and is portable, since low oxygen training is not simple nor easy because even a middle-sized device needs an installation place and driving power source and it is difficult to perform training outdoors while carrying a device.SOLUTION: A storage tank for mixing exhaled air and outside air and an adjustment tank having a function of introducing the outside air are fluid-connected to attain a tank body, and the storage tank and a respiration mask having an exhalation and inhalation valve are connected by a flexible tube such as a stretchable duct. Further, to the storage tank, a carbon dioxide absorbing device is attached. The adjustment tank is sectioned in a plurality of fluid-communicated chambers, and an outside air introducing port is airtightly covered with a freely openable and closable lid.

Description

  The present invention relates to an exercise hypoxic respiratory apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a portable training hypoxic respirator that supplies hypoxia in which a user's exhaled air is mixed.

  Facilities (Patent Document 1) and breathing devices (Patent Documents 2 and 3) that provide a low oxygen environment to improve the physical strength and endurance of athletes and general athletes, promote health, and adapt to the highlands There is.

Japanese Patent No. 3245387 Special table 2003-515398 gazette Special table 2009-527302 gazette

  As shown in Patent Document 1, general hypoxic training is performed in a hypoxic chamber in which the oxygen concentration is controlled. However, for large devices, the equipment is fixed and cannot be moved easily, and for medium-sized devices, disassembly and reassembly of the devices are required, requiring a place for installation and power supply, and simple and easy hypoxic training. Can not do.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an invention of a portable hypoxic mask, but since exhalation and inspiration are performed using the same mouthpiece, exhalation and inspiration are mixed in the mask portion and mixed with inspiration. It was difficult to introduce only the exhaled air to the storage tank without the air, and to derive only the air in the storage tank as the intake air. In addition, continuous suction is difficult and is generally suitable for use at rest, so it is not suitable for use for training purposes.

  Patent Document 3 describes an invention of a breathing apparatus provided with a breathing circuit for inhaling gas discharged by a user and connected to a device for supplying breathable gas in the circuit. In this device, a tank containing breathable gas is a component, which is heavy and bulky and poor in portability.It is difficult to perform training such as running this device on the back. It is unsuitable. Furthermore, a device such as a sensor for measuring the oxygen concentration is required, and there is no convenience.

  As a result of diligent research to solve the above-mentioned problems, it was found that the user's exhalation (low oxygen) was effectively used to mix the outside air, and the gas mixing level could be realized by the adjustment tank. In addition, the present invention has reached the present invention that eliminates the need for a gas supply device having a large weight.

  In view of this, an object of the present application is to provide a low oxygen breathing apparatus for training that has a simple structure and is lightweight and portable.

  The “hypoxic respiratory device” of the present invention is a device that supplies air that is lower than the oxygen concentration contained in the atmosphere as the air that a person inhales. Specifically, the oxygen concentration is adjusted by introducing fresh outside air into exhaled breath once the person has inhaled and the oxygen concentration is reduced.

  However, in the exhaled breath, carbon dioxide gas converted from oxygen by a human biological reaction exists, and the carbon dioxide gas accumulates and increases its concentration each time respiration is repeated. For this reason, in order to maintain an excess carbon dioxide gas in a fixed range density | concentration, a carbon dioxide gas adsorbent suppresses a raise of a carbon dioxide gas density | concentration.

  Further, the oxygen concentration is determined by the expiratory / inspiratory amount (spiratory capacity) per person, the volume of the storage tank, and the volume of the adjustment tank. Therefore, in the present invention, the oxygen concentration is adjusted by changing the volume of the adjustment tank depending on which position of the plurality of lids provided in the adjustment tank is opened.

  Therefore, in the invention of claim 1 of the present application, a storage tank that mixes exhaled air and outside air and an adjustment tank that has a function of introducing outside air are fluidly connected to form a tank body, and a breathing tank having a storage tank, exhaled air, and an intake valve The mask is connected with a flexible tube such as a duct having elasticity.

  Furthermore, since the exhalation mouth and the inhalation port are provided separately on the mask to be worn so as to cover the face, and the check valve is attached to each, the exhalation valve is opened and inhaled only when the exhalation is discharged. The intake valve is opened only when

  In the invention of claim 2, the adjustment tank is partitioned into a plurality of chambers in fluid communication.

  In the invention described in claim 3, as the outside air introduction function, one or a plurality of outside air introduction ports are formed in the adjustment tank, and each outside air introduction port is airtightly covered with an openable / closable lid.

  Furthermore, in the invention of claim 4, a carbon dioxide absorption device for reducing carbon dioxide in the breath is attached to the storage tank in the hypoxic respiratory apparatus of claim 1.

  Due to the action of the exhalation valve and the inhalation valve provided on the mask, breathing and inhalation are not mixed in the mask part, and only the exhalation is reliably introduced into the storage tank through a partitioned room formed in the storage tank. On the other hand, only the air in the storage tank is reliably sucked. Thereby, the oxygen concentration of the air supplied for training can be managed more accurately, and the training effect can be enhanced.

  In order to achieve the desired hypoxic state by mixing the exhaled air of the user with the introduced outside air, it has a lightweight and simple structure that does not require a power supply or gas supply tank, etc., so it is highly portable and can be used anytime, anywhere, indoors or outdoors. Hypoxic training is possible.

  Because the device is lightweight, long-time training is possible. This can be expected to improve the training effect of endurance athletes.

  By wearing this device on a backpack, the user can carry on the back and exercise, so it can be used for various training.

  Since the device structure is simplified, it can be provided at low cost.

  Since the outside air inlet is airtightly covered with an openable / closable lid, a desired low oxygen environment can be easily created by selectively opening one outside air inlet.

The perspective view of a hypoxic respiratory organ. The front view of a storage tank main body. FIG. The right side view. Sectional drawing of the upper part of a storage tank. Same as above, top view Explanatory drawing which shows the state which fitted the storage tank cover part to the storage tank. The perspective view of a mask. a Schematic explanatory drawing which shows the effect | action of the exhalation-valve of a mask.

b Schematic explanatory drawing showing the action of the intake valve.
The perspective view of the knapsack for hypoxia respiratory organs.

  An optimal embodiment of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable hypoxic respiratory device 1.

  The hypoxic respirator 1 includes a mask 2, a tank body 3 composed of a storage tank 4 and an adjustment tank 5, a storage tank lid portion 6 fitted to the upper portion of the tank body 3, a mask 2, and a storage tank lid portion 6. It consists of the expansion ducts 7 and 8 which connect.

  The tank main body 3 and the storage tank lid portion 6 are lightweight and shape-retaining structures made of plastic or the like, and have airtightness. The storage tank 4 constituting the tank body 3 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and mixes and stores the user's exhalation and the outside air taken in from the adjustment tank.

  The adjustment tank 4 is formed by connecting a plurality of layers composed of two chambers partitioned left and right in the vertical direction, and a flow passage through which outside air passes is formed inside the chamber. In order to maintain the independence of each chamber, the flow passage cross section is smaller than the chamber cross section and is circular.

  An outside air inlet is formed on the side surface of each chamber. As shown in the right side view of the tank body in FIG. 4, 2500 m is displayed near the outside air inlet 9 of the lowermost first layer right chamber, and 2000 m is displayed in the left chamber 10 of the first layer.

  On the other hand, 1500 m is displayed near the outside air inlet formed in the second layer left chamber 11, and 1000 m is displayed in the second layer right chamber 9. The third layer outside air inlet, which is the uppermost layer, is preliminarily formed.

  Moreover, in order to maintain airtightness, each outside air inlet is covered with a lid having a sealing function such as packing (not shown).

  In each chamber of the first layer to the third layer, there are formed through holes 15, 16, 17 through which gas flows in the left and right chambers, and communication holes 18, 19 through which gas flows to the upper layer. A communication hole 21 to the storage tank is formed in the chamber of the layer.

  The outside air that has flowed into the adjustment tank from the outside air introduction port with the lid opened passes upward through the passages of the chambers, and flows into the storage tank from the hole 21 provided in the bottom surface of the storage tank 4 connected to the adjustment tank 5. It is.

  A lid-like storage tank lid portion is fitted above the storage tank 4.

  FIG. 5 is a sectional explanatory view of the storage tank lid portion 22, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the same, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the storage tank lid portion is fitted into the tank body 3.

  The storage tank lid portion 22 has two cylindrical open portions 23 and 24, 23 is an inhalation side, 24 is an exhalation side, and is connected to the mask 2 through flexible telescopic ducts 7 and 8.

  The hypoxic respirator according to the present application is configured to realize a hypoxic state by reusing a user's exhaled gas and supplying a gas having a lower oxygen concentration than the outside air. Specifically, outside air is mixed into exhaled air once the person has inhaled and the oxygen concentration is low. The oxygen concentration is adjusted according to the amount of outside air mixed in.

  On the other hand, in the exhaled breath, carbon dioxide gas converted from oxygen by a human biological reaction exists, and the carbon dioxide gas accumulates and increases in concentration every time respiration is repeated. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the carbon dioxide gas concentration within a certain range. . Therefore, as a means for reducing the carbon dioxide content, the carbon dioxide absorption device 27 is attached below the expiration side.

  The exhaled air that has flowed into the storage tank from the exhalation side cylinder 24 is introduced into a room 25 partitioned by a partition and enters a carbon dioxide absorber 27 that is airtightly attached below the room 25, where carbon dioxide is removed. The exhaled breath flows into the storage tank.

  The carbon dioxide absorbing device 27 is formed by arranging and mounting in parallel a cylindrical cassette filled with a carbon dioxide absorbing material 26 formed by mixing a component such as calcium chloride with calcium hydroxide. If the carbon dioxide absorption device is attached to the inhalation side, breathing may become difficult. In the present application, the configuration is attached only to the exhalation side.

  The carbon dioxide absorption device has a structure in which the effective cross-sectional area is made larger than that of the exhalation-side cylinder to reduce resistance, and in order to facilitate the replacement of the container, the attachment to the room 25 is a screw-in type or the like. In addition, it is desirable that the upper lid of the cassette be easily opened in order to allow the inside of the container to be cleaned.

  To reduce the carbon dioxide concentration of the inspiration and increase the replacement time of the carbon dioxide absorbent, it is conceivable to increase the amount of carbon dioxide absorbent in the breathing circuit, but the amount of absorbent is maximum because it makes breathing difficult. 200g, and the replacement time is 1 hour. The allowable carbon dioxide concentration used as a guide in this case is 4% or less during exercise and 2% or less at rest.

  A filter 28 is attached below the intake side tube 23 to remove dust from the introduced outside air, carbon dioxide absorbent debris, and the like, and also to have a breathing suppression function.

  In addition, the hypoxic respiratory apparatus of the present application includes a mask.

  The mask 35 is made of a material that does not allow air to pass, such as plastic or rubber, and has a size that covers the mouth and nose. Openings are formed at the top and bottom of the central portion of the mask 35, and the upper side is the intake port 29 and the lower side is the exhalation port 30.

  Cylindrical connecting members 31 and 32 for attaching telescopic ducts 7 and 8 connected to the storage tank main body are airtightly fitted in the openings. Each cylindrical connecting member is provided with an exhalation valve 37 and an inhalation valve 36. The valve is a one-way valve that restricts or substantially prevents the flow of gas in the opposite direction. That is, when the exhalation valve 37 is open, the inhalation valve 36 is closed, and no gas flows into the mask 35 from the storage tank.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the valve mechanism. An intake valve 36 is housed in a cylindrical member 31 fitted to an intake port 29 provided in the mask 35, and the cylindrical member 31 is opened in a cylindrical shape provided in the storage tank lid portion via the telescopic duct 7. Connected to the unit 23.

  On the other hand, an exhalation valve 37 is housed in a cylindrical member 32 fitted to the exhalation port 30. The cylindrical member 32 is connected to the cylindrical open portion 24 of the storage tank lid portion 22 via the telescopic duct 8.

  When the air is sucked into the mask, the intake valve 36 is opened and only the gas from the storage tank flows into the mask (FIG. 9a). At this time, the exhalation valve 37 is closed. On the other hand, the exhaled air 39 exhaled from the mouth flows out from the open exhalation valve 37 (FIG. 9a), is introduced into the room 25 partitioned by the partition in the storage tank, and is carbon dioxide attached airtight below the room 25. Enter into the absorber 27. Here, exhaled air from which carbon dioxide has been removed flows into the storage tank.

  Therefore, exhalation and inspiration are not mixed in the mask, only exhalation is reliably introduced into the storage tank, and only the air in the storage tank is reliably aspirated. This makes it possible to accurately manage the oxygen concentration.

  It is desirable to attach a head belt (not shown) made of an elastic material so that the user can fix the mask 35 to the face.

  Reference numerals 33 and 34 denote head belt attachment members. Training by fixing the mask to the face reliably by the user by adjusting the head belt with the length adjusting member that is attached separately by inserting the end of the head belt through the insertion holes 33a, 34a of the mounting members 33, 34 It becomes possible to do.

  Since the portable hypoxic respirator of the present application is easy to carry, the weight of the tank is about 1 Kg, and the size is about 220 mm in width, 90 mm in depth, and about 300 mm in height. The telescopic duct connecting the tank main body and the mask is flexible and it is easy to ensure a sufficient length, so that the use form can be variously changed depending on the training content.

  For example, the respirator of the present application can be loaded and fixed on the rear part of a bicycle and used for training in a bicycle competition, or placed on a floor or the like and subjected to load training with a bicycle ergometer.

  Although it is possible to carry a shoulder strap or the like directly on a hypoxic respiratory organ, it is possible to use the auxiliary tool 40 as shown in FIG.

  When the hypoxic breathing apparatus is inserted into the knapsack-shaped auxiliary device 40, the tank body is fixed with the mesh-shaped pocket 43 and the lateral belt 42 below, and the arm is passed through the shoulder strap 41, the user carries hypoxic breathing on his back. Various trainings are possible. At this time, the telescopic duct is disposed over the user's shoulder and connected to the mask.

  Next, how the hypoxic respiratory apparatus of the present application works to achieve a hypoxic state will be described.

  The hypoxic respirator according to the invention is a constant mixture of the air exhaled into the storage tank by the user and the ambient air flowing into the storage through the regulating tank in fluid communication with the external environment. To achieve a low oxygen state.

  When the user wearing the mask inhales, the gas in the storage tank flows into the mask through the intake side telescopic duct. At this time, while the inspiratory valve built in the cylindrical connecting member attached to the mask is opened, the expiratory valve is closed while inhaling, so gas flows into the mask through the expansive expansion duct. There is no inflow.

That is, exhalation and inspiration do not mix in the mask.
During intake, only the intake valve is opened and a certain amount of gas flows into the mask from the intake side opening of the storage tank, and the user sucks it.

  Next, when the user exhales into the mask, only the exhalation side valve is opened, and exhalation flows through the exhalation side telescopic duct into the exhalation side storage chamber formed on the bottom surface of the storage tank lid. After that, gas with reduced carbon dioxide concentration flows into the storage tank via the carbon dioxide absorber, and the same amount of gas that flows into the storage tank is discharged from the outside air inlet of the adjustment tank. is there.

  In this way, when the user breathes with the hypoxic respirator attached and wearing the mask, the exhaled air from which carbon dioxide has been removed and the outside air are mixed in the storage tank to inhale the hypoxic gas having a constant concentration. It can be done.

  In the present application, the altitude is displayed at the outside air inlet of the adjustment tank, which is used as a guideline for adjusting the oxygen concentration. The altitude to be simulated is possible by adjusting the effective volume of the ambient air added to the air (exhalation) discharged to the storage tank.

  As described above, the adjustment tank is composed of partitioned chambers, and the outside air inlet formed in the lowermost chamber has the highest altitude display, and the altitude display decreases as it goes up.

  That is, as the flow path to the storage tank becomes longer, that is, when the volume of the adjustment tank increases as the outside air introduction port moves away from the storage tank, the volume of exhaled air stored in the storage tank increases. At the same time, the amount of outside air introduced is reduced, the ratio of outside air to exhaled air is lowered, and a low-concentration oxygen environment can be created. The air supplied to the vicinity of the suction side opening at the upper part of the storage tank has a lower oxygen content than the ambient air. As a result, it is possible to simulate an environment having a higher altitude than the surroundings, that is, a low oxygen environment.

  As described above, the experiment shows that the larger the tank volume, the lower the oxygen concentration.

  Since the oxygen concentration on flat ground is 21%, the oxygen concentration of the 2500m phase, etc. is about 15.5%, when the desired oxygen concentration is determined, the lid of the outside air inlet displaying the appropriate altitude is opened, Other outside air inlets are closed. Incidentally, the upper limit of the altitude to be set in this application is 2500 m.

  Since an open / close lid with a seal structure having a packing is attached to the outside air inlet, a constant low oxygen condition can be maintained by selectively opening one outside air inlet and taking in outside air.

The volume of the storage tank is set to 4 liters based on a single ventilation amount, and the volume of each chamber is set to 0.4 liter. The ventilation amount varies depending on the user and the use conditions.
In general, a person with a heavy weight has a large amount of ventilation, and a person with a small weight has a small amount of ventilation. In addition, it may be affected by the breathing method. Therefore, even if the oxygen concentration is the same, a person with a large ventilation volume may become the lower outside air inlet, and a person with a lower ventilation volume may become the upper outside air inlet.

  Based on a person with a ventilation volume of 100L to 120L / min, if the outside air inlet is different, the difference is about 500m, and if the oxygen concentration is changed, the difference is about 1%, and the outside air introduction amount is 15% to 20%. .

  For this reason, the altitude display described at the outside air inlet includes an allowable range error. For example, it is considered that approximately the same oxygen concentration can be realized in about 2500 m plus or minus 250 m.

  As a result of the experiment, if the outside air inlets of the adjustment tank are numbered 1 to 6 from the top, 1 to 4 are used for exercise, and 5 and 6 are used for rest. It turned out that the usage method which uses four holes for exercise properly in (1) 1000m-1500m, (2) 1500m-2000m, (3) 2000m-2500m is suitable. Further, the resting holes 5 and 6 are also used depending on the user with an oxygen concentration of 10%.

  As described above, the optimal embodiment of the present application has been described with specific numbers, but is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be modified and changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Needless to say.

  The hypoxic respiratory apparatus according to the present application can be used for hypoxic training. Since it is lightweight and excellent in portability, it can be effectively used not only for training conventionally performed in a low oxygen room but also for training outdoors.

1. Hypoxic respiratory organ
2, 35, mask 3, tank body 4, storage tank 5, adjustment tank 6, 22, storage tank cover 7, intake side expansion duct 8, exhalation side expansion duct 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, outside air Inlet 15, 16, 17, communication hole (horizontal hole)
18, 19, 20, communication hole (vertical hole)
21, communication hole (inflow hole to storage tank)
23, inhalation side cylinder 24, exhalation side cylinder 25, exhalation storage chamber 26, carbon dioxide absorber 27, carbon dioxide absorber 28, filter 36, inhalation valve 37, exhalation valve

Claims (4)

Fluidly connecting a storage tank that stores the exhalation of the user and mixes the outside air with a regulating tank that has the function of introducing the outside air,
A breathing mask having an exhalation port having an exhalation valve and an inhalation port having an inhalation valve, and the exhalation port and the inhalation port are each independently connected to a storage tank by a flexible piping member. Hypoxic respiratory.   2. The hypoxic respirator according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment tank is partitioned into a plurality of chambers in fluid communication.   The hypoxic respirator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outside air introduction means is an outside air introduction port provided in the adjustment tank, and the outside air introduction port is covered with an openable / closable lid.   The hypoxic respirator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a carbon dioxide absorption device for reducing carbon dioxide in exhaled breath is attached to the storage tank.

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