Patent Grant
12115124
The present invention relates to a bubble bath physiotherapy system, and in particular, to a bathtub device for bubble bath physiotherapy.
Nowadays, various gases, such as hydrogen or ozone, are injected into water to generate bubbles so as to use the water with the gases dissolved therein for bubble bath physiotherapy of some people. The water with the foregoing dissolved gases may have the effects of health care and relaxation. Generally, water with dissolved hydrogen may be also referred to as hydrogen-rich water or hydrogen water, water with dissolved ozone may be referred to as ozone water, and water with dissolved negative oxygen ion gas is referred to as negative ion water.
Taking negative ion water as an example, the inventors realized that water with dissolved negative ion gas is beneficial to human body, but ozone gas produced by the water together with the negative ion gas may overflow from the water, causing a user to inhale excessive ozone gas, which is harmful to health.
Therefore, it is desirable to design a bathtub device for bubble bath physiotherapy, which may remove the overflow of gas during the bubble bath physiotherapy or from an mixture of gas and liquid, such that the gas to be inhaled by a human body can fall to a safe level.
An object of the present invention is to provide a bathtub device for bubble bath physiotherapy, which achieves a safer bubble bath.
The present invention provides a bathtub device for bubble bath physiotherapy, comprising a bathtub body and a bathtub body support, wherein the bathtub body has an enclosing side wall, a bottom wall, and an upper open side, and the bathtub body is mounted on the bathtub body support. The bathtub device further comprises an exhaust system, wherein the exhaust system is mounted in a space between the bathtub body and the bathtub body support. A fan is configured for delivering gas and has an air inlet side interface device and an air outlet side interface device. An air suction pipe has air suction inlet ends and an air suction outlet end, wherein the air suction inlet ends are configured to be in communication with the upper open side of the bathtub body, such that the air suction inlet ends are capable of sucking the gas discharged from the bathtub body, and the air suction outlet end is connected to the air inlet side interface device of the fan. An exhaust pipe has an exhaust inlet end and an exhaust outlet end, and the exhaust inlet end is connected to the air outlet side interface device of the fan.
In an embodiment, the air suction pipe comprises at least two air suction inlet ends, wherein at least one of the air suction inlet ends is in communication with the upper open side at a tail of the bathtub body, and the other air suction inlet ends are in communication with the upper open side at a head of the bathtub body.
In an embodiment, the air suction pipe is divided into a tail air suction pipe and a head air suction pipe, wherein the air suction inlet end of the tail air suction pipe is arranged at the tail of the bathtub body and is in communication with the upper open side, the air suction inlet end of the head air suction pipe is in communication with the upper open side at the head of the bathtub body, and air suction outlet ends of the two air suction pipes are connected to the air inlet side interface device.
In an embodiment, the air suction inlet end is an air suction hole in an upper side of the enclosing side wall of the bathtub body.
In an embodiment, the air suction hole comprises an outer hole connecting member and an inner hole connecting member, the bathtub body is provided with a mounting hole corresponding to the inner hole connecting member, the mounting hole is higher than an overflow hole of the bathtub body, the inner hole connecting member and the outer hole connecting member each have flange edges, the inner hole connecting member passes through the mounting hole and is inserted in and connected to the outer hole connecting member located on an outer side of the bathtub body, the flange edges of the inner hole connecting member and the outer hole connecting member are respectively located on an inner side and an outer side of the enclosing side wall of the bathtub body and clamp the bathtub body, the air suction pipe comprises a main pipe and a plurality of tubes on one side of the air suction inlet end, the outer hole connecting member is provided with tube holes corresponding to the plurality of tubes, and the plurality of tubes connect the main pipe to the air suction hole to form a flow path for delivering the gas.
In an embodiment, the air suction pipe is provided with a water storage portion adjacent to the air suction inlet end, the water storage portion is provided with a drainage device that allows the fan to suck the gas from the upper open side of the bathtub body through the air suction pipe and that further allows the water in the water storage portion to be discharged from the water storage portion.
In an embodiment, the drainage device is a small opening, and the small opening is sized in such a way that the air suction volume of the fan is not substantially affected; or the drainage device is a drain valve, the bathtub device further comprises an anti-overflow sensor arranged on the water storage portion and configured to detect liquid downstream of the air suction inlet end, and the drain valve drains water based on an output signal of the anti-overflow sensor.
In an embodiment, the air suction inlet end is independent of the bathtub body, and has an air suction direction configured to be adjustable.
In an embodiment, the bathtub body has a length direction and two ends located in the length direction, an auxiliary device adjacent to the upper open side is provided at one of the two ends of the bathtub body, a mounting space is provided below the auxiliary device, and the fan is arranged in the mounting space; the air suction pipe is divided into a short air suction pipe and a long air suction pipe, and the short air suction pipe is led out from the air inlet side interface device of the fan and extends in the height direction of the bathtub body; and the long air suction pipe is led out from the air inlet side interface device of the fan, extends in the length direction of the bathtub body to the other one of the two ends, and then extends in the height direction of the bathtub body.
In an embodiment, a flow control valve capable of being manually or electronically controlled is provided in the air suction pipe and is configured to control the diameter of the air suction pipe so as to adjust the air suction volume at the air suction inlet end.
In an embodiment, the bathtub device further comprises a fan controller and a gas sensor, wherein the gas sensor is arranged corresponding to the upper open side of the bathtub body and is configured to detect the concentration of a specific gas at the upper open side of the bathtub body, and the fan controller controls the rotational speed of the fan based on an output signal of the gas sensor.
In an embodiment, the bathtub body comprises a head and a tail, the bathtub body support comprises a hinge device arranged corresponding to an upper side of the tail of the bathtub and further comprises a rail device connected to the hinge device, the rail device comprises a rail extending from the tail to the head on the upper side of the bathtub body, the bathtub device further comprises a cover plate provided with a slide rail, the slide rail is in sliding fit with the rail, such that the cover plate is capable of being guided by the rail to slide, and the rail device and the cover plate are capable of being supported by the hinge device to rotate.
In an embodiment, the bathtub body comprises a head and a tail, the bathtub body support comprises a hinge device arranged corresponding to an upper side of the tail of the bathtub, the bathtub device further comprises a cover plate that is divided into a front cover plate section and a rear cover plate section in a direction from the head to the tail, the rear cover plate section is connected to the hinge device, and the front cover plate section is arranged above the rear cover plate section and is capable of sliding relative to the rear cover plate section; and the cover plate is capable of being supported by the hinge device to rotate.
The present invention further provides a bubble bath physiotherapy system, comprising a gas generator and a bathtub device, the gas generator delivering a physiotherapy gas to the bathtub device, wherein the bathtub device is the bathtub device mentioned above, and the exhaust air volume of the exhaust system is set to be greater than or equal to the quantity of gas escaping per minute from 1 L of water multiplied by the volume of the bathtub body.
By means of the bathtub device and the bubble bath physiotherapy system mentioned above, harmful gases can be timely removed during bubble bath physiotherapy of a user, thereby achieving a safe bubble bath. The exhaust system is arranged to make full use of the configuration of the bathtub device, which saves on space and is easy to mount. The user's usage habits are fully taken into consideration in the design of the cover plate, which facilitates an operation for the user and improves the user's comfort.
The foregoing and other features, properties and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description made with reference to embodiments and drawings, in which:
The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and the drawings, and more details are explained in the following description for the ease of fully understanding the present invention; however, the present invention can obviously be implemented in various different manners than those described herein, a person skilled in the art can make a similar extension and deduction without departing from the connotation of the present invention according to practical applications, and therefore the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited to the content of the specific embodiments.
For example, a first feature recorded later in the specification being formed above or over a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature and the second feature are formed via a direct contact, or may include an embodiment in which an additional feature is formed between the first feature and the second feature such that the first feature and the second feature may not be in direct contact. Additionally, reference numerals and/or letters may be repeated in different examples in the disclosure. This repetition is for the sake of brevity and clarity, and does not itself represent the relationship between the various embodiments and/or structures to be discussed. Further, when a first element is described in connection with or in combination with a second element, the description includes an embodiment in which the first and second elements are directly connected or combined to each other, and also includes the use of one or more other intervening elements such that the first and second elements are indirectly connected or combined to each other.
As shown in the present invention, unless the context clearly indicates an exception, the words “a”, “an” and/or “the” do not specifically refer to the singular, but may also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms “including” and “comprising” only imply the inclusion of clearly identified steps and elements, these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list, and the method or device may also include other steps or elements.
For ease of description, spatial relation words such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “beneath”, “above”, and “over” may be used herein to describe a relationship between an element or feature shown in the drawings and another element or feature. It shall be understood that these spatial relation words are intended to include other orientations of the devices in use or operation besides the directions described in the drawings. For example, if the devices in the drawings are flipped, the orientation of the element described as being “below” or “under” or “beneath” another element or feature will be changed to being “above” the another element or feature. Therefore, the example words “below” and “beneath” may include both directions: up and down. The device may also have other orientations (rotated by 90° or in another direction), and thereby spatial relationship descriptors used herein should be explained accordingly. In addition, it shall be further understood that when a layer is referred to as being “between” two layers, the layer may be the only layer between the two layers, or there may be one or more layers therebetween.
It should be noted that these and other subsequent drawings are merely used as examples, and are not necessarily drawn to scale, and should not be used as a limitation to the actually claimed scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, variants under different embodiments may be appropriately combined.
The bathtub device 1 comprises a bathtub body 2. The bathtub body 2 has an enclosing side wall 21, a bottom wall 22, and an upper open side 23. For ease of description, the bathtub device 1 or the bathtub body 2 comprises a length direction D1, a width direction D2, and a height direction D3. The length direction D1 may refer to a front-rear direction when a user usually sits or lies in the bathtub device 1, the width direction D2 refers to a left-right direction when the user usually sits or lies in the bathtub device 1, and the height direction D3 is a vertical direction.
The bathtub device 1 comprises a bathtub body support 3. The bathtub body 2 is mounted on the bathtub body support 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the bathtub body support 3 is of a frame structure substantially composed of a plurality of columns 31 and a plurality of cross beams 32, wherein the plurality of cross beams 32 comprise a plurality of longitudinal beams 331 extending in the length direction D1 and a plurality of transverse beams 332 extending in the width direction D2. The plurality of columns 31 are arranged around the enclosing side wall 21 of the bathtub body 2, and the plurality of cross beams 32 are generally located on a lower side of the bottom wall 22 of the bathtub body 2. In other words, the plurality of columns 31 and the plurality of cross beams 32 of the bathtub body support 3 surround the bathtub body 2 from the lower side. The bathtub body support 3 further comprises legs 33 that connect the cross beams 32 and may support the entire bathtub device 1. The legs 33, for example, may be configured to be adjustable in height, or be provided with a roller to facilitate mounting or movement. The bathtub body support 3 may further comprise a peripheral edge 34 of the bathtub body 2. The peripheral edge 34 is located on an upper side of the enclosing side wall 21, that is, the peripheral edge 34 may be regarded as a part of the bathtub body 2, or as a part of the bathtub body support 3.
The bathtub device 1 further comprises an exhaust system 4. The exhaust system 4 is mounted in a space between the bathtub body 2 and the bathtub body support 3.
For example, in the bubble bath physiotherapy system, an exhaust air volume of the exhaust system 4 may be set to be greater than or equal to a delivery volume of the gas generator to the bathtub device 1, and the delivery volume of the gas generator may be detected by a sensor or a flow meter, or may be known by presetting. That is, the delivery volume of the gas generator may vary in real time or be at a constant value. Accordingly, the exhaust air volume of the exhaust system 4 may be at a preset constant value, or the bathtub device 1 may comprise a fan controller, and the exhaust air volume of the exhaust system 4 can be controlled by the fan controller to vary in real time.
The exhaust air volume of the exhaust system 4 may be also set by means of calculation according to the quantity of escaped gas and a volume of the bathtub body 2. For example, the exhaust air volume of the exhaust system 4 is set as follows: exhaust air volume (L/min)≥the quantity (L) of gas escaping per minute from 1 L of water multiplied by the volume (L) of the bathtub body, wherein the volume (L) of the bathtub body may be known in advance, and the quantity (L) of the gas escaping per minute from 1 L of water can be estimated according to the delivery volume of the gas generator. In view that the delivery volume of the gas generator may vary in real time or be at a constant value, the quantity (L) of the gas escaping per minute from 1 L of water may vary in real time or be at a constant value accordingly. Therefore, the exhaust air volume of the exhaust system 4 may be also controlled to vary in real time, or may be a preset constant value accordingly. Alternatively, the bathtub device 1 comprises a fan controller and a gas sensor. For example, the gas sensor may be arranged corresponding to the upper open side 23 of the bathtub body 2 to be described below and can detect the concentration of a specific gas at the upper open side 23 of the bathtub body 2, such as ozone or hydrogen. The fan controller may control the exhaust air volume of the exhaust system 4 based on an output signal of the gas sensor, such as controlling the rotational speed or power of a fan 41 to be described below.
The example configuration of the exhaust system 4 is further particularly shown in
The exhaust system 4 comprises the fan 41, and the fan 41 may deliver a gas. The fan 41 is provided with an air inlet side interface device 411 and an air outlet side interface device 412. For example, the fan 41 may be a quiet air conditioner, so as to implement quiet exhaust without affecting the comfort of a user of a bubble bath for at a close range.
In the illustrated embodiment, the bathtub body 2 has two ends A and B in the length direction D1, an auxiliary device 20 adjacent to the upper open side 23 is provided at the end A of the two ends A and B of the bathtub body 2, a mounting space S is provided below the auxiliary device 20, and the fan 41 is arranged in the mounting space S. For example, the auxiliary device 20 may be a shampoo basin for washing hair as shown in
The exhaust system 4 further comprises an air suction pipe 5. The air suction pipe 5 has air suction inlet ends 51 and 52 and an air suction outlet end 53. The air suction inlet ends 51 and 52 are configured to be in communication with the upper open side 23 of the bathtub body 2, such that the air suction inlet ends 51 and 52 are capable of sucking the gas discharged from the bathtub body 2, and the air suction outlet end 53 is connected to the air inlet side interface device 411 of the fan 41.
The exhaust system 4 further comprises an exhaust pipe 42. Referring to
With reference to
In another embodiment, the air suction pipe 5 may be divided into two air suction pipes, i.e., a tail air suction pipe and a head air suction pipe, wherein the air suction inlet end of the tail air suction pipe is arranged at the tail 28 of the bathtub body 2, that is, at the rear end B, and is in communication with the upper open side 23, the air suction inlet end of the head air suction pipe is in communication with the upper open side 23 at the head 27 of the bathtub body 2, that is, at the front end A, and air suction outlet ends of the two air suction pipes, i.e., the tail air suction pipe and the head air suction pipe, are each connected to the air inlet side interface device 411 of the fan 41.
In
Continuing referring to
In
In another embodiment, the air suction inlet end 51 may be also arranged as an air suction hole in the enclosing side wall 21 similarly to the air suction inlet end 52, or the air suction inlet end 52 may be also arranged independently of the bathtub body 2 similarly to the air suction inlet end 51. Alternatively, in the case of presence of a cover plate described later, the air suction inlet ends 51 and 52 may be also provided in the cover plate to suck the gas in the bathtub body 1, and the air suction inlet ends 51 and 52 may be in communication with the fan 41 by using an elastic stretchable hose to adapt to open and close the cover plate.
The air suction pipe 5 may be further provided with a water storage portion 50 adjacent to the air suction inlet end 52. The water storage portion 50 may be specifically shaped in such a way that a space or a local lowest portion capable of storing water is formed by local bending of the air suction pipe 5. In the illustrated embodiment, the water storage portion 50 is a lower portion of the exhaust tee 80. The water storage portion 50 is provided with a drainage device (not shown in the figure) which allows the fan 4 to suck the gas from the upper open side 23 of the bathtub body 2 through the air suction pipe 5 and which further allows the water in the water storage portion 50 to be drained from the water storage portion. Therefore, this can prevent the water from accidentally entering the air suction pipe 5 through the air suction hole 55 and affecting the operation of the fan 41. The drainage device of the water storage portion 50 may be a small opening, and the small opening is sized in such a way that the air suction volume of the fan 4 is not substantially affected, that is, the water entering the water storage portion may be allowed to flow out without affecting the exhaust. Alternatively, the drainage device may be a drain valve. The bathtub device 1 may further comprise an anti-overflow sensor 302 (shown in
Turning back to
Referring to
Referring to
The cover plate 7 comprises a notch 72 which make it convenient for the user to expose his/her head. Referring to
The hinge device 8 with a high resistance may be provided to prevent a situation in which the user first rotates the rail device 9 and the cover plate 7 by means of the hinge device 8 to lift the cover plate 7 and then slides the cover plate 7, thereby avoiding affecting the user experience and preventing potential safety hazards.
Alternatively, a safety pin extending in the width direction D2 of the bathtub body 2 may be arranged on the cover plate 7, and an outer side surface of the bathtub body 2 or the bathtub body support 3 is provided with a sliding groove extending in the length direction D1 of the bathtub body 2. The safety pin on the cover plate 7 may be inserted in the sliding groove on the outer side surface, and the safety pin can be released from the sliding groove after the cover plate 7 slides by a certain distance with the safety pin toward the tail 28. Therefore, when the cover plate 7 is in the position shown in
The foregoing exhaust system 4 may be also mounted at a position on the cover plate 7 close to the tail 28, and various pipelines of the exhaust system 4 may be arranged in the spaces on two sides of the bathtub body 2.
An overflow pipe 241 connected to the overflow hole 24 is also shown in
In this embodiment, the cover plate 7 is divided into a front cover plate section 73 and a rear cover plate section 74 in the length direction D1 or in a direction from the head 27 to the tail 28, and the rear cover plate section 74 is connected to the hinge device 8. The front cover plate section 73 is arranged above the rear cover plate section 74 and is capable of sliding relative to the rear cover plate section 74. The cover plate 7 (particularly the rear cover plate section 74) is may be supported by the hinge device 8 to rotate. In use, the cover plate 7 may be lifted simply by pushing the front cover plate section 73 toward the tail 28 relative to the rear cover plate section 74 and then rotating the rear cover plate section 74 together with the front cover plate section 73 by means of the hinge device 8. The front cover plate section 73 slides above the rear cover plate section 74, and two side edges 711 of the front cover plate section 73 in the width direction D2 clamp the rear cover plate section 74. Alternatively, the dimension of the front cover plate section 73 in the width direction D2 is greater than that of the rear cover plate section 74 so as to accommodate the rear cover plate section 74.
In this embodiment, the cover plate 7 comprises a front cover plate section 73 and a rear cover plate section 74 like the preceding embodiment, except that the front cover plate section 73 may slide below the rear cover plate section 74 relative to the rear cover plate section 74, the front cover plate section 73 is clamped by two side edges 721 of the rear cover plate section 74 in the width direction D2, alternatively, the dimension of the front cover plate section 73 in the width direction D2 is less than that of the rear cover plate section 74, so as to accommodate the rear cover plate section 74.
The cover plate 7 may be further configured such that the front cover plate section 73 can be rotated relative to the rear cover plate section 74 and lifted, for example, by means of a hinge. As shown in
The cover plate 7 may alternatively be arranged such that the front cover plate section 73 and the rear cover plate section 74 can be independently lifted laterally, for example, by means of their respective hinges. As shown in
Referring to
The present invention has been disclosed above in terms of the preferred embodiments which, however, are not intended to limit the present invention, and any person skilled in the art could make possible changes and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Hence, any alterations, equivalent changes and modifications which are made to the above-mentioned embodiments in accordance with the technical substance of the present invention and without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention, will fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201910585455.7 | Jul 2019 | CN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2020/097905 | 6/24/2020 | WO |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2021/000765 | 7/1/2021 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6317903 | Brunelle | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 20040107492 | Cunerty | Jun 2004 | A1 |
| 20100223721 | May | Sep 2010 | A1 |
| 20200197259 | Estrada | Jun 2020 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 105598119 | May 2016 | CN |
| 206252432 | Jun 2017 | CN |
| 207561845 | Jul 2018 | CN |
| 109908697 | Jun 2019 | CN |
| 110367855 | Oct 2019 | CN |
| S6129738 | Feb 1986 | JP |
| S63117552 | Jul 1988 | JP |
| H0565288 | Mar 1993 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| PCT International Search Report and Written Opinion of the International Search Authority issued in International Application No. PCT/CN2020/097905, Sep. 29, 2020, 6 pp. |
| PCT International Search Report and Written Opinion of the International Search Authority issued in International Application No. PCT/CN2020/097905, Sep. 29, 2020, 5 pp. |
| Japanese Office Action, Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-578019, dated Feb. 2, 2023, 4 pages (with English translation). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220249321 A1 | Aug 2022 | US |
