JP7117791B2 - high altitude training capsule - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a high altitude training capsule capable of training in high altitude environments.

Conventionally, high-altitude training capsules are known in which the inside of a highly airtight housing is decompressed to below atmospheric pressure to create a hypoxic state, and training can be performed in an environment similar to high altitude in the housing (for example, , see Patent Document 1).

The high-altitude training capsule described in Patent Document 1 has a flattened elliptical outer surface, and is constructed by facing each other two housings made of pressure vessel end plates. In addition, a packing is provided between the abutting portions of the outer peripheral ends of the respective housings to seal the inside.

JP 2007-136152 A

However, in the high-altitude training capsule described in Patent Document 1, two housings made of pressure vessel end plates face each other to form a flat elliptical outer surface. I had a feeling In addition, although packing is arranged at the abutting portion of the outer peripheral edge of each housing, there is a risk that the housing will collapse due to deformation of the packing when the pressure inside the housing is reduced, resulting in poor durability. rice field.

Therefore, there is a demand for a high-altitude training capsule that does not feel oppressive and has high durability.

A high-altitude training capsule according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a housing composed of a rectangular parallelepiped with transparent plates arranged on six sides; The housing has a plurality of reinforcing columns formed on four sides of each surface, the reinforcing columns having a triangular cross section, and the adjacent reinforcing columns having the triangular cross section. The point is that they are in surface contact with each other on the inclined surface that is the oblique side.

The high-altitude training capsule of this configuration is composed of a rectangular parallelepiped with transparent plates arranged on six sides. You can get a feeling of openness.

On the other hand, when the pressure inside the housing is reduced, stress is concentrated on the four sides of each side of the rectangular parallelepiped housing, which tends to collapse. I had to place the pieces. However, the housing in this configuration has a plurality of reinforcing columns formed on the four sides of each surface, and the adjacent reinforcing columns are in surface contact with each other on the inclined surfaces that are the oblique sides of the triangular cross section. Therefore, the inclined surfaces disperse the inward stress applied to the four sides of each surface when the pressure inside the housing is reduced. As a result, it is possible to configure the reinforcing column with an inexpensive member having relatively low rigidity, and there is no need to arrange expensive members having high rigidity on the four sides, and durability can be improved at low cost.

In this way, a highly durable high-altitude training capsule without pressure was provided.

Another characteristic configuration is that the reinforcing column is composed of a hollow member surrounded by a bent plate portion having an L-shaped cross section and a flat plate portion including the inclined surface, and both ends of the flat plate portion have an acute angle. It has a bent portion, and the outer surface of the bent portion is fixed to the inner surfaces of both ends of the bent plate portion.

If the reinforcing column is made of a hollow member as in this configuration, the weight of the high altitude training capsule can be reduced. In addition, in this configuration, the reinforcing column formed in a triangular cross section is composed of the bent plate portion and the flat plate portion, and the bent portion obtained by bending both ends of the flat plate portion at an acute angle and the bent plate portion are fixed. It is possible to custom-manufacture optimal reinforcing columns with high rigidity according to the shape of the capsule. In addition, since the outer surface of the bent portion is fixed to the inner surfaces of both ends of the bent plate portion, the durability is high, and the bent portion of the flat plate portion can be accommodated inside the bent plate portion, so that the appearance is excellent. .

Another characteristic configuration is that a plurality of pipes arranged in a grid pattern are fixed inside the four reinforcing columns.

As in this configuration, if the pipes arranged in a grid pattern are fixed inside the four reinforcing columns, it is possible to further increase the durability when the pressure inside the housing is reduced.

In another characteristic configuration, the reinforcing column is a long triangular column with both ends cut into a quadrangular pyramid shape, and the sides of the adjacent reinforcing columns are in line contact with each other at the corners of the housing. The point is that

The reinforcing columns in this configuration are long triangular columns with both ends cut into quadrangular pyramid shapes, and the sides of adjacent reinforcing columns are in line contact with each other, so all reinforcing columns have the same shape. The corners of the housing can be filled without any gaps. As a result, the high altitude training capsule is aesthetically pleasing, eliminates misalignment of the reinforcing posts, and further increases durability when the interior of the housing is decompressed.

Another characteristic configuration is that the inside of the housing accommodates exercise equipment.

If the exercise equipment is accommodated inside the housing as in this configuration, it is possible to exercise without feeling oppressed.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a high altitude training capsule; FIG. It is a perspective view of a housing|casing. It is a figure which shows an example of the pressure fluctuation pattern of an exercise chamber. 4 is a plan view of the first frame of the housing; FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second frame of the housing; FIG. 10 is a plan view of a third frame of the housing; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 5; 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 5; FIG. It is a cross-sectional view of a reinforcing column. It is an exploded perspective view of a housing corner. It is a sectional view of the reinforcement column concerning other embodiments.

An embodiment of a high altitude training capsule according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as an example of a high altitude training capsule, a capsule 100 containing a treadmill 7 as exercise equipment will be described. However, without being limited to the following embodiments, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a capsule 100 (an example of a high altitude training capsule) according to this embodiment. The capsule 100 includes a control unit 1 that controls the overall operation of the capsule 100, a main body container 2 (an example of a housing) that forms an exercise chamber S inside, and a pump 3 that exhausts air from the exercise chamber S (an example of a decompression mechanism). ), an automatic valve 4 (an example of a decompression mechanism) whose opening degree can be adjusted to introduce outside air into the exercise chamber S, a pressure gauge 5 for detecting the indoor pressure of the exercise chamber S, and an interior of the exercise chamber S A densitometer 6 for detecting the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a treadmill 7 (an example of exercise equipment) housed in the exercise room S, and a storage unit storing information for the control unit 1 to control the operation of the capsule 100. 9 and . The control unit 1 is communicably connected to the pump 3, the storage unit 9, and the like via an internal communication line N. As shown in FIG.

A control unit 1 is a central control unit of the capsule 100 and controls the operation of the pump 3 and the automatic valve 4 . The control unit 1, as a functional unit implemented by a software program stored in the storage unit 9, executes ventilation volume determination, pressure determination, composition determination, exercise amount determination, and the like, which will be described later.

The user H enters the exercise room S through the door 20 a provided in the main body container 2 , and performs exercise such as running on the treadmill 7 in the exercise room S. At this time, the exercise chamber S is depressurized by the pump 3, simulating a highland environment (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a highland environment). The user H can efficiently increase endurance by exercising in the high altitude environment of the exercise room S.

The main container 2 is a housing for the capsule 100 (see also FIG. 2). Details of the main body container 2 will be described later.

The main body container 2 forms an exercise chamber S and has airtightness to the extent that the internal environment of the exercise chamber S (atmospheric pressure and gas composition of the internal atmosphere) can be maintained. In addition to the exercise chamber S, the main body container 2 has a storage chamber (not shown) that stores the pump 3, the automatic valve 4, and the control circuits such as the control unit 1 and the storage unit 9. In addition to the treadmill 7, the exercise room S accommodates a monitor 8 with a touch panel function.

The monitor 8 is a notification device that receives input of information such as operation instructions from the user H and displays necessary notifications to the user H. FIG. The monitor 8 receives input of an exercise menu desired by the user H (for example, in what kind of high-altitude environment to exercise) and user H's identification information (for example, an ID number), and transmits them to the control unit 1 . Also, the monitor 8 displays various kinds of information based on commands from the control unit 1 .

The treadmill 7 is an exercise device for the user H to run or the like on a belt or the like running in a certain direction. The treadmill 7 is connected with an exercise meter 70 for measuring the exercise amount of the user H. As shown in FIG. The exercise amount meter 70 measures the exercise amount of the user H based on the user H's running distance (running distance of the belt) and user H's personal information (for example, gender and weight). The sex and weight of the user H are stored in the storage unit 9 in association with, for example, an ID number. The exercise meter 70 transmits information including the measured exercise amount to the control unit 1 .

The pump 3 is an exhaust fan for exhausting the air from the motion chamber S to the outside to depressurize the motion chamber S. As shown in FIG. This pump 3 is composed of a diaphragm-type vacuum pump. The pump 3 increases or decreases the number of times the diaphragm valve moves up and down (opens and closes) per unit time, thereby increasing or decreasing the exhaust volume (exhaust air volume), thereby increasing or decreasing the degree of vacuum of the atmosphere inside the motion chamber S. Let Hereinafter, increasing the degree of vacuum of the atmosphere inside the movement chamber S is described as depressurization, and decreasing the degree of vacuum (increasing the pressure) of the atmosphere inside the exercise chamber S is described as releasing. The pump 3 arbitrarily increases or decreases the displacement based on a command from the control unit 1 .

The automatic valve 4 is a valve device that adjusts the amount of outside air that flows into the exercise chamber S by adjusting the degree of opening. The automatic valve 4 is attached to an exhaust pipe or the like that communicates the exercise chamber S with the outside. The automatic valve 4 in this embodiment is a proportional valve that can steplessly adjust the degree of opening in a range from fully closed to fully open based on a command from the control unit 1 . While the pump 3 is operating, the automatic valve 4 increases or decreases the degree of opening to increase or decrease the amount of air flowing in from the outside, thereby opening or reducing the pressure in the motion chamber S. If the opening degree of the automatic valve 4 is other than fully closed while the pump 3 is stopped, the movement chamber S is opened.

The control unit 1 adjusts the displacement of the pump 3 and the opening of the automatic valve 4 to determine the ventilation volume and internal pressure (negative pressure range) of the exercise chamber S (ventilation volume determination and pressure determination). The amount of ventilation is the amount of outside air supplied to the exercise room S per unit time. That is, the pump 3 and the automatic valve 4 constitute a decompression mechanism for decompressing the inside of the motion chamber S formed in the main body container 2 to the atmospheric pressure or less.

FIG. 3 exemplifies the pressure fluctuation pattern when the internal pressure of the exercise chamber S is reduced from the atmospheric pressure to the target internal pressure and then released to the atmospheric pressure again. When depressurizing the exercise chamber S, the control unit 1, for example, reduces the opening of the automatic valve 4 by a predetermined amount, and increases the output of the pump 3 in stages so as to maintain the ventilation volume. control to reduce pressure only. As a result, the internal pressure is reduced stepwise (stepwise), so that the user H is prevented from feeling unwell (for example, tinnitus or so-called airplane headache) due to a sudden pressure drop.

On the other hand, when releasing the internal pressure of the exercise chamber S, the control unit 1 performs control to open the automatic valve 4 by a predetermined amount, and the automatic valve 4 is opened by the predetermined amount until the internal pressure of the exercise chamber S becomes equal to the atmospheric pressure. and maintenance of internal pressure are repeated. Therefore, in the process of releasing the internal pressure, the internal pressure rises stepwise (stepwise). These prevent the user H from becoming unwell in the same manner as in the process of reducing the internal pressure.

When the exhaust amount of the pump 3 is relatively larger than the supply amount based on the opening of the automatic valve 4, the internal pressure (partial pressure of oxygen) of the exercise chamber S is kept low. This lowers the partial pressure of oxygen. When the exhaust amount of the pump 3 is relatively smaller than the supply amount based on the degree of opening of the automatic valve 4, the internal pressure of the exercise chamber S increases. This keeps the oxygen partial pressure high. When both the exhaust amount of the pump 3 and the supply amount based on the opening degree of the automatic valve 4 are large, the ventilation amount of the exercise room S is kept large. This maintains a large amount of oxygen supplied from the outside. When both the exhaust amount of the pump 3 and the supply amount based on the opening degree of the automatic valve 4 are small, the ventilation amount of the exercise room S is kept small. As a result, the amount of oxygen supplied from the outside is kept small. When the user H exercises in the exercise room S, oxygen in the exercise room S is consumed and carbon dioxide is released in the exercise room S. Therefore, the control unit 1 adjusts the partial pressure of oxygen and the amount of ventilation according to the amount of exercise of the user H, that is, the amount of oxygen consumed, thereby maintaining the gas composition of the exercise chamber S at a desired value. (Composition determination and momentum determination).

The pressure gauge 5 is a sensor that detects the pressure of the atmosphere inside the motion chamber S. The pressure gauge 5 transmits information including the detected internal pressure to the control unit 1 . As the pressure gauge 5, for example, a diaphragm pressure gauge can be used.

The densitometer 6 is a sensor that detects information including the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere inside the exercise room S. The densitometer 6 transmits information including the detected carbon dioxide concentration to the control unit 1 . For example, a carbon dioxide gas densitometer based on a dispersive infrared absorption method can be used as the densitometer 6 . In this embodiment, based on information including the carbon dioxide gas concentration obtained from the densitometer 6 and information including the internal pressure obtained from the pressure gauge 5, the control unit 1 controls the oxygen partial pressure and the carbon dioxide partial pressure in the exercise chamber S. Calculate the carbon dioxide gas concentration that correlates with the gas composition such as.

The storage unit 9 stores a software program for the control unit 1 to control the operation of the capsule 100 and various information for the control unit 1 to control the operation of the capsule 100, and is a memory device capable of storing. is.

[Details of main container]
A detailed configuration of the main container 2 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main container 2 is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped with acrylic plates 20 (an example of a transparent plate) arranged on six sides. The main container 2 in this embodiment has a bottom surface of 1.2 m×2 m and a height of 2 m. The main container 2 has a plurality (24 in this embodiment) of reinforcing columns 21 formed on four sides of each surface of an acrylic plate 20 having six surfaces. A plurality of pipes 22 having a square cross-section and arranged in a grid pattern are fixed inside the four reinforcing columns 21 . The plate surface of the acrylic plate 20 is fixed to the surfaces of the reinforcing columns 21 and the pipes 22 by adhesion, bolting with the fastening member B, or the like. The reinforcing column 21 and the pipe 22 in this embodiment are made of steel. In this way, since the main body container 2 is composed of a rectangular parallelepiped with the acrylic plates 20 arranged on six sides, the inside of the housing does not feel oppressive like a living room space, and the outside can be seen through the acrylic plates 20. Therefore, a feeling of openness can be obtained as a whole.

The main container 2 comprises a first frame 2A (see FIG. 4) including four reinforcing columns 21 and 11 pipes 22, and two frames each including four reinforcing columns 21 and 24 pipes 22. The second frame 2B (see FIG. 5), three third frames 2C (see FIG. 6) each including four reinforcing columns 21 and 14 pipes 22, and fastening members B (bolts Ba , nut Bb) (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

As shown in FIG. 4, the four reinforcing columns 21 of the first frame 2A are two first reinforcing columns 21A provided on the upper and lower sides and longer than the first reinforcing columns 21A. It is composed of two second reinforcing columns 21B provided. The eleven pipes 22 of the first frame 2A are composed of eight first pipes 22a each having one end fixed to a second reinforcing column 21B provided on the left side or right side with a fastening member B, and four first pipes 22a. Two second pipes 22c each having one side fixed to the other end by welding or the like, and one third pipe 22b having both ends fixed to the other side of the pair of second pipes 22c by welding or the like. It is configured. Both ends of the second pipe 22c are fixed by welding or the like to a pair of first reinforcing columns 21A provided on the upper and lower sides. A door 20a made of an acrylic plate 20 that can be opened and closed is provided in a portion surrounded by a pair of second pipes 22c, a third pipe 22b, and a lower first reinforcing column 21A.

As shown in FIG. 5, the four reinforcing columns 21 of the second frame 2B include two second reinforcing columns 21B provided on the upper and lower sides and two second reinforcing columns 21B provided on the left and right sides. pillar 21B. The 24 pipes 22 of the second frame 2B include four second pipes 22c whose both ends are fixed by welding or the like to a pair of second reinforcing columns 21B provided on the upper and lower sides, and four second pipes 22c provided on the left and right sides. Eight fourth pipes 22d, one end of which is fixed to the second reinforcing column 21B by welding or the like and the other end of which is fixed to the side surface of the second pipe 22c by welding or the like, are welded to the side surfaces of the pair of second pipes 22c. 12 fourth pipes 22d, both ends of which are fixed by means of the like.

As shown in FIG. 6, the four reinforcing columns 21 of the third frame 2C include two first reinforcing columns 21A provided on the left and right sides and two second reinforcing columns provided on the upper and lower sides. pillar 21B. The 14 pipes 22 of the third frame 2C include two second pipes 22c whose both ends are fixed by fastening members B to a pair of first reinforcing columns 21A provided on the left and right sides, and two pipes 22c provided on the upper or lower side. Eight fifth pipes 22e, one end of which is fixed to the second reinforcing column 21B with a fastening member B and the other end of which is fixed to the side surface of the second pipe 22c by welding or the like, are welded to the side surface of the second pipe 22c. It is composed of four fifth pipes 22e whose both ends are fixed by means of the like.

The 24 reinforcing columns 21 of the first frame 2A, the second frame 2B and the third frame 2C are composed of 8 first reinforcing columns 21A and 16 second reinforcing columns 21B. You should prepare steel. The 101 pipes 22 of the first frame 2A, the second frame 2B and the third frame 2C consist of eight first pipes 22a, 16 second pipes 22c, one third pipe 22b and 40 third pipes. It is composed of four pipes 22d and 36 fifth pipes 22e, and five kinds of steel materials may be prepared.

As shown in FIG. 9, each reinforcing column 21 has a triangular cross-section of an isosceles triangle. there is The reinforcing column 21 is composed of a hollow member surrounded by a bent plate portion 21b having an L-shaped cross section and a flat plate portion 21c including an inclined surface 21a. It has a bent portion 21c1, and the outer surface of this bent portion 21c1 is surface-fixed to the inner surfaces of both ends of the bent plate portion 21b. Welding, adhesion, and the like can be used as the form of fixing the bent portion 21c1 and the bent plate portion 21b. In this embodiment, both ends of the flat plate portion 21c are bent so that the inclined surface 21a of the flat plate portion 21c is substantially flush with both end surfaces of the bent plate portion 21b. As a result, adjacent reinforcing columns 21 are in surface contact without gaps. Moreover, since the outer surface of the bent portion 21c1 is fixed to the inner surfaces of both ends of the bent plate portion 21b, the durability is high, and the bent portion 21c1 of the flat plate portion 21c can be accommodated inside the bent plate portion 21b. Therefore, it has excellent aesthetics.

As described above, the main container 2 in this embodiment has a plurality of reinforcing columns 21 formed on the four sides of each surface, and adjacent reinforcing columns 21 are inclined surfaces that form oblique sides of a triangular cross section. Since the surfaces 21a are in surface contact with each other, the slanted surfaces 21a disperse the inward stress applied to the four sides of each surface when the pressure inside the housing is reduced. As a result, the reinforcing column 21 can be configured with an inexpensive member having relatively low rigidity, and there is no need to arrange expensive members having high rigidity on the four sides, and durability can be improved at a low cost. Further, since the reinforcing column 21 and the pipe 22 are made of hollow members, the weight of the main container 2 can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 10, the reinforcing columns 21 are elongated triangular columns with both ends cut into square pyramid shapes (see one-dot chain lines). Each side is in line contact with each other. Since the bottom surface of the cut quadrangular pyramid-shaped portion has the inner side of the pair of curved plate portions 21b adjacent to the inclined surface 21a as one side, the sides of the adjacent reinforcing columns 21 are in line contact with each other. be able to. In this way, the pair of reinforcing columns 21 are in surface contact with each other at the inclined surfaces 21a, so that the appearance becomes a square pipe. The sides of the pillars 21 are in line contact with each other so that the corners of the main container 2 can be formed without gaps.

In other words, the reinforcing columns 21 in this embodiment are long triangular columns with both ends cut into quadrangular pyramid shapes, and the sides of the adjacent reinforcing columns 21 are in line contact with each other. With the pillars 21 having the same shape, the corners of the main body container 2 can be filled without gaps. As a result, the capsule 100 has an excellent appearance, eliminates displacement of the reinforcing columns 21, and further enhances durability when the inside of the housing is decompressed.

[Other embodiments]
(1) As shown in FIG. 11, the reinforcing column 21 is configured such that both ends of the bent plate portion 21b having an L-shaped cross section and both ends of the bent portion 21c1 of the flat plate portion 21c are brought into line contact with each other to It may be fixed by welding or the like. In this case, since the cross section becomes a triangular shape in which the whole is integrated, it is excellent in appearance.
(2) The transparent plate in the above-described embodiments is not limited to the acrylic plate 20, and may be made of transparent plastic or the like.
(3) Although the pipe 22 in the above-described embodiment is a square pipe with a square cross section, it may be a round pipe with a circular cross section.
(4) In the above embodiment, the reinforcing column 21 is formed by cutting both ends of the elongated triangular column into a quadrangular pyramid shape. A separate member may be prepared and both ends of the reinforcing column 21 may be fixed to this separate member.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is applicable to high altitude training capsules that enable training in high altitude environments.

2: Main container (casing)
3: Pump (decompression mechanism)
4: Automatic valve (decompression mechanism)
7: Treadmill (exercise equipment)
20: Acrylic plate (transparent plate)
21: Reinforcement column 21a: Inclined surface 21b: Bending plate portion 21c: Flat plate portion 21c1: Bending portion 22: Pipe 100: Capsule (high altitude training capsule)

Claims (5)

A housing composed of a rectangular parallelepiped with transparent plates arranged on six sides;
a decompression mechanism for decompressing the inside of the housing to atmospheric pressure or less,
The housing has a plurality of reinforcing columns formed on four sides of each face,
The reinforcing column has a triangular cross section,
The high-altitude training capsule in which the adjacent reinforcing columns are in surface contact with each other on the inclined surfaces that are the oblique sides of the triangular cross-section. The reinforcing column is composed of a hollow member surrounded by a bent plate portion having an L-shaped cross section and a flat plate portion including the inclined surface,
2. The high altitude training capsule according to claim 1, wherein the flat plate portion has a bent portion with both ends bent at an acute angle, and the outer surface of the bent portion is surface-fixed to the inner surfaces of both ends of the bent plate portion. The high altitude training capsule according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of pipes arranged in a grid are fixed inside the four reinforcing columns. The reinforcing column is a long triangular column with both ends cut into a quadrangular pyramid shape,
The high altitude training capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sides of the reinforcing columns adjacent to each other are in line contact with each other at the corners of the housing. The high altitude training capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein exercise equipment is housed inside the housing.

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