This invention pertains generally to the field of altitude simulation, and in particular altitude simulation through variation of oxygen concentration levels within a room, exercise space or environmental chamber or surrounding environment.
Hypoxic generators are used during hypoxic therapy by individuals to obtain the benefits in physical performance and wellbeing through improved oxygen metabolism. A hypoxic generator is a device that is used to deprive the body of an adequate oxygen supply. These generators comprise apparatus to provide reduced oxygen, or hypoxic air to a user for active or passive simulated altitude training Hypoxic gas typically contains less than 21% oxygen concentration.
Incorporating some element of exposure to reduced oxygen atmospheres into a training program can be beneficial in terms of performance and general well-being. It has become a widely used element of training for elite athletes and is starting to become used at lower levels as well as for pre-acclimatisation before travelling to high altitude climates and for maintaining fitness levels when suffering from injury. Typically, the existing systems reduce the concentration of oxygen within an enclosed environment, which therefore has the effect of increasing the simulated altitude within that environment. In many of these devices, compressed air is passed through a molecular sieve to separate the air into a hypoxic air stream (reduced oxygen) and a hyperoxic air stream (increased oxygen). The hypoxic air stream is conventionally used to create simulated high altitude conditions for training and therapy purposes within a particular air space or environmental chamber.
In such systems, a user would set the simulated altitude to a specific level, and the control system within the device would maintain this level by supplying hypoxic air to the air space. The hyperoxic air stream is typically discarded.
However, where a person resides at elevated altitude, or visits such a location for an extended period of time, the person is permanently exposed to a reduced oxygen environment. Respiring within such an environment on a permanent basis can have a detrimental effect on their musculoskeletal system, likely causing their muscles to reduce in size, even though their cardiovascular system would likely become more efficient at extracting oxygen from such thinner air. A person experiencing such an exposure to high altitude and therefore low oxygen air, would benefit from frequent exposure to simulated sea level, or similar low altitude, conditions. A simulated lower altitude environment, with therefore an increased oxygen content of the surrounding air, would help a person to retain muscle mass, and be provided with improved, and likely faster, recovery from injury or ailments.
The prior art shows a number of devices which attempt to address these needs in various ways.
US 2007 221 225 (Kutt et al) discloses a means of controlling hypoxic air and normoxic air from a hypoxic/normoxic air unit to modulate hypoxia and to control air quality supplied to a user when simulating an atmospheric environment corresponding to a desired altitude to thereby initiate a physiological response. In particular, a method and apparatus for simulating altitude within an enclosure are disclosed. The apparatus comprises an hypoxic air generator configured to provide hypoxic air to an enclosure; a re-circulated air intake for providing air from the enclosure to the hypoxic air generator; a fresh air intake, an air shut-off that is movable between a first position for allowing air from the fresh air intake to enter the chamber, thus preventing air from the re-circulated air intake to enter the chamber, and a second position for allowing air from the re-circulated air intake to enter the chamber, and preventing air from the fresh air intake to enter the chamber. The air shut-off is controlled by an actuator, wherein the actuator receives control information from a controller for controlling the oxygen content of the enclosure. The apparatus is configured to supply either hypoxic air stream or a fresh air stream to the chamber in response to set requirements on the control means.
Whilst the prior art appears to address the issue of having the capability to decrease the oxygen concentration levels within an environment, and therefore simulating high altitude conditions within the environment, this prior art does not provide means to supply hyperoxic gas to the environment to allow an increase in oxygen concentrations, and to be able to take the level of oxygen to above that existing in ambient air at the location. The prior art attempts to address the issue of reducing the simulated altitude within an environment, however it does so by supplying ambient air surrounding the room to the chamber, and therefore it does not provide a solution to being able to reduce this simulated altitude to below the surrounding environmental conditions of the location. The prior art found comprise systems and apparatus that incorporate a considerable number of valves, which is likely to increase the risk of failure and therefore decrease the reliability of the system.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention aim to provide an altitude simulation assembly with improved control of oxygen concentration within a specific environment, that allows the environment to provide simulated increased altitude and simulated reduced altitude conditions, as and when required.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an altitude simulation assembly for an environmental chamber, the altitude simulation assembly comprising:
Preferably, the fluid flow control means comprises at least one electrically activated valve.
Preferably, the electrically activated valve is operatively connected to a first outlet port for supplying hypoxic gas to the environmental chamber, and a second outlet port for supplying hyperoxic gas to the environmental chamber.
The electrically activated valve may be a solenoid valve configured to move between a first position and a second position, whereby in a first position the solenoid valve is configured to supply hypoxic gas to the environmental chamber and in a second position the solenoid valve is configured to supply hyperoxic gas to the environmental chamber.
Preferably, the air compressor is in fluid communication with an air cooling means for condensing water vapour in the compressed air.
The air cooling means may comprise a fan-cooled radiator.
Preferably, the air cooling means is in fluid communication with a water removal filter for removing condensed water vapour from the compressed air.
The water removal filter may incorporate an automatic drain for releasing condensed water vapour that has been retained in the filter.
The at least one gas separation means may comprise at least one hollow fibre membrane.
In fluid communication with the at least one outlet port may be at least one respiratory filter for removing contaminants from the hypoxic and/or hyperoxic gas.
The at least one outlet port may be in fluid communication with a fluid delivery pipe.
Preferably, the fluid flow control means is controlled by a control device, said control device comprising a control panel and display.
Preferably, the control means is operatively connected to at least one oxygen sensor, whereby said at least one oxygen sensor is configured to sense oxygen level at a location within the environmental chamber.
The fluid flow control means is configured to supply a variable concentration of oxygen to the environmental chamber to alter the simulated altitude within said environmental chamber.
The aforementioned altitude simulation assembly may be configured such that the assembly is retrofittable to an existing gas delivery system.
For a better understanding of the invention and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:
In the figures like references denote like or corresponding parts.
As shown in
The altitude simulation assembly 1 supplies air to the environmental chamber 2 with a specific concentration of oxygen. This alters the overall oxygen level within the environmental chamber 2 to simulate a different altitude within the environmental chamber 2. Reducing the concentration of oxygen of the air within the environmental chamber 2, raises the simulated altitude within the environmental chamber 2. Increasing the concentration of oxygen of the air within the environmental chamber 2, lowers the simulated altitude within the environmental chamber 2. The gas separation means 5 is controlled to allow for this change in simulated altitude.
The hypoxic gas 8 and hyperoxic gas 9 are supplied to the environmental chamber 2 through two separate outlet ports 11, a first outlet port 13 configured to supply hypoxic gas 8 to the environmental chamber 2 and a second outlet port 14 configured to supply hyperoxic gas 9 to the environmental chamber 2.
Entry into the environmental chamber may be through a single, dual, plurality of arrangement of fluid delivery pipes, or similar ducting that allows for sufficient environmental chamber 2 distribution. The altitude simulation assembly 1 allows a considerable variance of altitude to be simulated within the environmental chamber 2, ranging from sea level to the altitude experienced at the top of the highest peak of a mountain range such as Mount Everest.
The system will likely be controlled by a control device, with control panel provided with a plurality of controls or buttons, a display, and in electrical communication with at least one oxygen sensor. There may be a plurality of oxygen sensors placed throughout the environmental chamber 2 to enable a reading of the overall oxygen concentration of air within the environmental chamber 2 to be determined. The control device may be programmed to interpret the data and control the fluid flow control means accordingly.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1710778.0 | Jul 2017 | GB | national |
This is the U.S. National Stage application of International Application No. PCT/GB2018/000104, filed Jul. 5, 2018, which claims the benefit of priority from GB Application No. 1710778.0, filed Jul. 5, 2017. The entire contents of these prior applications are incorporated by reference herein.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/GB2018/000104 | 7/5/2018 | WO | 00 |