Oxygen hydrogen bath system

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an oxygen hydrogen bath system capable of easily obtaining the effect of reducing active oxygen by having the body more quickly take in more hydrogen than in the case with conventional technologies. [Solution] An oxygen hydrogen bath system comprises: a chamber (11) having a gas supply port (20) into which gas is introduced, and accommodating the entire human body; a gas supply unit (12) having an air supply pipe (23) which sets the internal pressure to be higher than the atmospheric pressure by supplying a gas containing oxygen into the chamber (11) via the air supply pipe (23); a hydrogen supply unit (13) having a hydrogen supply pipe (27) and supplying hydrogen gas into the chamber (11) via the hydrogen supply pipe (27); and a gas exhaust unit (15) having an exhaust valve (28) which maintains the inside of the chamber (11) within a predetermined pressure range, and discharging gas and hydrogen gas from the chamber (11) via the exhaust valve (28). The oxygen hydrogen bath system, in which, by using the exhaust valve (28), the pressure in the chamber (11) is maintained equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure and equal to or lower than the pressure that is usable in the exhaust valve (28), is characterized in that: a flow path branching point is provided in the middle of a flow path which connects the gas supply unit (12) and the gas supply port (20), at a point closer to the gas supply unit (12) side, as compared to a merging point at which the hydrogen gas from the hydrogen supply pipe (27) joins the flow path; one branch flow path is directed toward the gas supply port (20); and the other branch flow path is directed toward the gas exhaust unit (15).

Description

Oxygen Hydrogen Bath System

[0001] The present invention relates to an oxygen-hydrogen bath system.

[0002] (Position of the present application) The applicant separately holds a patent (Japanese Patent No. 6133526 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1)) entitled "Oxygen Hydrogen Bath System," and the present application is an application for an improved invention of the invention described in that patent.

[0003] The invention covered by Patent No. 6133526 relates to an oxygen-hydrogen bathing system that allows the body to absorb more hydrogen than through oral ingestion of hydrogen water, making it easier to reduce active oxygen. In recent years, there has been a growing need to eliminate excess active oxygen from the body in order to maintain health. Busy businesspeople who are pressed for time are among those with such needs, and it is expected that they would benefit greatly from being able to take an oxygen-hydrogen bath in a short amount of time, even during the workday. The basic technical concept of the invention described in this patent is to supply air with a constant hydrogen gas concentration outside the chamber to an oxygen-hydrogen bathing chamber at a constant rate and volume, while maintaining the hydrogen volume concentration of the air in the chamber at dynamic equilibrium.

[0004] Patent No. 6133526

[0005] However, in the oxygen-hydrogen bath system that embodies the invention described in Patent Document 1, due to the risk involved in using a hydrogen gas generator, its hydrogen gas generation capacity is limited to 500 cc of 100% hydrogen gas per minute, and the hydrogen concentration in the chamber can only be maintained at 1.0% by volume when dynamic equilibrium is reached. Therefore, it does not fully meet the market needs for a sufficient amount of hydrogen to be taken into the body in a shorter time, or even a larger amount within the same time.

[0006] In such cases, a commonly considered solution is to simply increase the capacity of the hydrogen gas generator without changing the entire system, but this solution is undesirable because the amount of hydrogen gas generated exceeds the range confirmed to be safe, raising concerns about the risk of a hydrogen explosion.In addition, it requires the introduction of a new hydrogen gas generator, which has a significant impact on manufacturing costs, and this is undesirable from a business perspective because it increases manufacturing costs.

[0007] Therefore, the inventors have intensively researched a solution to achieve the objectives while using a hydrogen gas generator whose safety has been confirmed so that the amount of hydrogen gas generated over many years of use of the oxygen-hydrogen bath system of Patent Document 1 (prior art) is within a safe range, and while avoiding a significant increase in manufacturing costs. As a result, they have discovered that, without changing the hydrogen gas generator used in the oxygen-hydrogen bath system described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to increase and maintain the hydrogen concentration in the chamber of the oxygen-hydrogen bath system to a level that could not be achieved with the invention described in Patent Document 1, simply by inserting a simple, low-cost Y-joint into the air supply pipe of the system, piping one branch pipe in the same manner as in Patent Document 1, inserting a reducer into the other branch pipe, and connecting the end of that to the gas exhaust part of Patent Document 1 via a T-joint. Based on this finding, the present inventors have made the present invention.

[0008] That is, the first invention is an oxygen-hydrogen bath system comprising: a chamber having a gas supply port through which gas is introduced and capable of accommodating the entire human body; a gas supply unit having a gas supply pipe connected to the gas supply port and supplying oxygen-containing gas into the chamber through the gas supply pipe to make the pressure inside the chamber higher than atmospheric pressure; a hydrogen supply unit having a hydrogen gas generator and a hydrogen supply pipe connected to the gas supply pipe through a Y-joint A and supplying hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas generator into the chamber through the hydrogen supply pipe; and a gas exhaust unit connected to the chamber and having a safety valve or a valve that maintains the pressure inside the chamber within a predetermined pressure range by ON / OFF operation, and exhausting the gas and the hydrogen gas from the chamber through the valve; wherein the gas supply pipe of the gas supply unit has a Y-joint B that divides the flow path of the gas from the gas supply unit into two equal parts, at a position closer to the gas supply unit than the position of the Y-joint A, This oxygen-hydrogen bath system is characterized in that one branch pipe A of the Y-shaped joint B joins with the hydrogen supply pipe at the Y-shaped joint A and then connects to the gas supply port, and the other branch pipe B extends through a reducer and then connects to the gas exhaust section via a T-shaped joint.

[0009] A second invention is the first invention, characterized in that the pressure in the chamber is maintained at 1.1 to 1.35 atmospheres by the valve, and the volume concentration of the hydrogen gas in the chamber is maintained at 1.0 to 2.0 volume %.

[0010] A third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the hydrogen supply unit supplies the hydrogen gas into the chamber while the gas supply unit supplies the gas into the chamber.

[0011] The configuration of the invention described in claim 1 of the present application adds the underlined elements to the configuration of the invention described in claim 1 of Japanese Patent No. 6,133,526, which has already been patented, and therefore these added elements are considered to be fully patentable: A chamber having a gas supply port for introducing gas and capable of accommodating the entire human body, A gas supply unit having a gas supply pipe connected to the gas supply port and supplying oxygen-containing gas into the chamber via the gas supply pipe to make the pressure inside the chamber higher than atmospheric pressure, A hydrogen supply unit having a hydrogen gas generator and a hydrogen supply pipe connected to the gas supply pipe via a Y-shaped A-joint and supplying hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas generator into the chamber via the hydrogen supply pipe, A gas exhaust unit connected to the chamber and having a safety valve or a valve that maintains the pressure inside the chamber within a predetermined pressure range by ON / OFF operation and exhausting the gas and hydrogen gas from the chamber via the valve, the gas supply pipe of the gas supply unit has a Y-shaped B joint that divides the gas flow path from the gas supply unit into two equal parts at a position closer to the gas supply unit than the Y-shaped A joint, one branch pipe A extending from the Y-shaped B joint joins with the hydrogen supply pipe at the Y-shaped A joint and then connects to the gas supply port, and the other branch pipe B extends through a reducer and then connects to the gas exhaust unit via a T-shaped joint.

[0012] According to the present invention, by using a hydrogen gas generator whose safety has been confirmed and the amount of hydrogen gas generated is within a safe range through long-term use of the oxygen-hydrogen bath system of the invention described in Patent Document 1 (prior art), it is expected that not only will more hydrogen be efficiently absorbed into the body through the skin and mucous membranes in a shorter time than with prior art, but it will also be easier to achieve the effect of reducing active oxygen, and it is expected that more oxygen gas and hydrogen gas will be absorbed into the body as dissolved forms, thereby increasing the amount of dissolved oxygen and hydrogen in the blood and body fluids.

[0013] 1 is a conceptual diagram of a system according to the prior art. The reference numbers in the diagram are the same as those in the drawings of Japanese Patent No. 6133526, and these reference numbers indicate the same elements in Figures 2 and 3, which illustrate embodiments of the present invention. This is a conceptual diagram of the system according to the present invention (a conceptual diagram following the description in Figure 1). In this diagram, the same reference numbers as those in Figure 1 indicate the same components as those in Figure 1. This is a conceptual diagram of the system showing a close-up of the branching section, connecting section, and reducer section of the piping according to the present invention. In this diagram, the same reference numbers as those in Figure 1 indicate the same components as those in Figure 1. This is a conceptual diagram of a chamber (the same conceptual diagram as the prior art). The reference numbers in the diagram are the same as those in the drawings of Japanese Patent No. 6133526, and these reference numbers indicate the same elements as those in Figures 2 and 3, which illustrate embodiments of the present invention. This is a graph showing the change over time in the hydrogen concentration (volume %) in a chamber according to the prior art. This is a graph showing the change over time in the hydrogen concentration (volume %) in a chamber according to the present invention. The figure shows two line graphs, the upper line graph for high-speed driving and the lower line graph for normal driving. Note that these two line graphs overlap from the start until 25 minutes have elapsed.

[0014] (Embodiments) The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is an improved invention of the prior art (the invention described in Patent Document 1), and is achieved by adding new components to the system configuration of the prior art. Therefore, to facilitate understanding of which components have been newly added compared to the system configuration of the prior art, we have prepared Figure 1, which shows a conceptual diagram of the system configuration of the prior art, and Figure 2, which shows a conceptual diagram of the system configuration of the present invention. Note that the notation of the system configuration conceptual diagram in Figure 2 follows the notation of the system configuration diagram in Patent Document 1, which is the prior art. Figure 3 shows a close-up of branching sections, connecting sections, etc. in the system configuration diagram of Figure 2.

[0015] The oxygen-hydrogen bath system 10 of this embodiment comprises a chamber 11 that accommodates the entire human body (not shown), a gas supply unit 12 that supplies air into the chamber 11 to make the internal pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, a hydrogen supply unit 13 that supplies hydrogen gas into the chamber 11, a gas exhaust unit 15 that exhausts air and hydrogen gas from the chamber 11, a Y-shaped A joint 42 and a Y-shaped B joint 44 in the pipeline connecting the gas supply unit 12 and the chamber 11, a reducer 40 in the pipeline connecting the gas supply unit 12 and the gas exhaust unit 15, a T-shaped joint 46 where the piping extending from the reducer 40 connects to the gas exhaust unit 15, a measurement unit 16 that measures the environment within the chamber, and a control unit 17 that controls the environment within the chamber.

[0016] As is clear from a comparison of Figure 3, which shows a conceptual diagram of the system of the present invention, with Figure 1, which shows a conceptual diagram of the system of the prior art, in the system of the present invention, the Y-shaped A joint 42, the Y-shaped B joint 44, the reducer 40, and the T-shaped joint 46 are respectively arranged at the locations shown in Figure 3, and are connected by piping indicated by the straight lines in Figure 3, and these piping are made of the same material as the piping used in the prior art (the outer diameter and wall thickness of each piping will be described below).

[0017] Chamber 11 is made of a cylindrical metal member such as aluminum or stainless steel, is air-tight, moisture-tight, and strong enough to withstand a pressure of at least 1.4 atmospheres. An opening 11a that allows people to enter and exit is provided on the side of chamber 11, and an opening / closing unit 18 that closes opening 11a is provided. Also provided on the side of chamber 11 is a gas supply port 20 that is connected to gas supply unit 12.

[0018] The gas supply unit 12 includes a compressor 22 for pressurizing air (air containing oxygen) above atmospheric pressure and introducing it into the chamber 11, and an air supply pipe (gas supply pipe) 23. The gas supply unit 12 may further include an air pressure regulating valve for adjusting the supply pressure of the air. Note that instead of the compressor 22, a pressure vessel (not shown) into which air at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure is pressurized may be provided.

[0019] Here, air (air containing oxygen) compressed by the compressor 22 flows through the air supply pipe 23 toward the chamber 11. A Y-shaped A joint 44 is inserted along the flow path, dividing the flow rate of the inflowing air from one flow path into two equal portions and discharging them through the two flow paths, and a Y-shaped B joint 42 is inserted along the flow path, combining the flow of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen gas generating unit 13 and the flow of compressed air from the compressor 22. The Y-shaped A joint 44 has a typical Y-shaped joint configuration, and the outer diameter and thickness of the inlet pipe are the same as those of the two outlet pipes. The Y-shaped A joint 44 is inserted along the path of the air supply pipe 23 through which the air compressed by the compressor 22 passes, and divides the amount of compressed air equally in half, discharging each half into the branch pipe. The Y-shaped B-joint 42 also has the configuration of a typical Y-shaped joint, but in this case, two flow paths with different outer diameters and wall thicknesses are joined together into one flow path. Specifically, it is configured to join air from one of the branch pipes branching off from the Y-shaped A-joint 44 and hydrogen gas from the hydrogen supply unit 13. The joined air-hydrogen mixed gas flows together into the chamber 11 via the gas supply port 20.

[0020] The hydrogen supply unit 13 includes a hydrogen gas generator 25 that electrolyzes water to produce high-concentration hydrogen gas, a hydrogen supply valve 26 disposed between the hydrogen gas generator 25 and the chamber 11, and a hydrogen supply pipe 27 connecting the two. The hydrogen supply pipe 27 merges with one branch pipe from the Y-shaped A-joint at a Y-shaped B-joint. The hydrogen supply unit 13 may further include a hydrogen pressure adjustment valve (not shown) that adjusts the supply pressure of hydrogen gas. The tip of the hydrogen supply pipe 27 merges with a branch pipe from the Y-shaped A-joint of the air supply pipe at a Y-shaped B-joint located midway along the air supply pipe 23 outside the chamber 11. Note that instead of the hydrogen gas generator 25, a pressure vessel (not shown) into which hydrogen gas at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure is injected may be provided.

[0021] The gas exhaust unit 15 is equipped with an exhaust valve 28 that exhausts air and hydrogen gas introduced into the chamber 11 to the outside of the chamber 11. The gas exhaust unit 15 is turned on and off by the control unit 17 to maintain the pressure inside the chamber 11 within a predetermined pressure range (i.e., above atmospheric pressure and below the usable pressure of the exhaust valve 28). The gas exhaust unit 15 may further be equipped with a safety valve (not shown) that automatically exhausts the gas inside the chamber 11 when the pressure inside the chamber 11 exceeds the predetermined pressure.

[0022] The measuring unit 16 is connected to the control unit 17. The chamber 11 and the control unit 17 are connected, and the measuring unit 16 includes a pressure sensor 30 that measures the pressure inside the chamber 11.

[0023] The control unit 17 is composed of a computer equipped with a CPU, memory, and display (not shown), and controls the environment inside the chamber 11 based on data from the pressure sensor 30. For example, it controls the ON / OFF operation of the compressor 22, the hydrogen gas generator 25, and the first hydrogen supply solenoid valve 26. It also controls the ON / OFF operation of the exhaust valve 28 to adjust the pressure inside the chamber 11.

[0024] The environment within chamber 11 is controlled by controlling the entire system so that, when the pressure within chamber 11 and the hydrogen volume concentration within chamber 11 reach dynamic equilibrium, the pressure within the chamber is preferably 1.10 atmospheres or more and 1.35 atmospheres or less, or 1.10 atmospheres or more and less than the usable pressure of exhaust valve 28, the volume concentration of oxygen within chamber 11 is 20% or more and 30% or less, and the volume concentration of hydrogen is 1.0% to 2.0%, less than the minimum explosion limit of hydrogen.

[0025] Here, the hydrogen supply unit 13 supplies hydrogen gas to the chamber 11 only while the gas supply unit 12 is supplying air. The compressor 22, hydrogen gas generator 25, and hydrogen supply valve 26 may be manually turned on and off, or the user may manually adjust the various pressure controls while viewing the various pressures and the like displayed on a display.

[0026] Next, we will explain the operation of the oxygen-hydrogen bath system 10 according to this embodiment. First, the opening / closing part 18 of the chamber 11 is opened, and a user (not shown) enters the chamber 11 through the opening 11a.

[0027] After the opening / closing unit 18 is closed, the entire system starts operating under the instruction of the control unit 17, and under the instruction of the control unit 17, the gas supply unit 12 supplies air into the chamber 11 and the hydrogen supply unit 13 supplies hydrogen gas into the chamber 11.

[0028] At this time, the control unit 17 brings the environment inside the chamber 11 (particularly the pressure and hydrogen volume concentration) into a state of dynamic equilibrium within the desired time by appropriately controlling the ON / OFF operation of the compressor 22 based on data from the measurement unit 16, controlling the flow rates of air and hydrogen gas by controlling the hydrogen gas generator 25 and hydrogen supply 26 by controlling the ON / OFF operation of the exhaust valve, etc. Then, under this dynamic equilibrium state, the pressure inside the chamber 11 is maintained at 1.10 atmospheres or more and 1.35 atmospheres or less, the volume concentration of oxygen at 20% or more and 30% or less, and the volume concentration of hydrogen at preferably 1.0% or more and 2.0% or less.

[0029] In the present invention, one of the important points is to maintain the environment in chamber 11 in a state of dynamic equilibrium. A user (not shown) is immersed in this dynamic equilibrium environment in chamber 11 for a desired period of time. After the predetermined period of time has elapsed, hydrogen supply unit 13 stops supplying hydrogen gas into chamber 11, and then gas supply unit 12 stops supplying air into chamber 11.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5 (conventional technology) and Figure 6 (the present invention), this oxygen-hydrogen bath system 10 makes it possible to increase the hydrogen volume concentration in the chamber 11 to a higher value than that achievable with conventional technology in a shorter time than with conventional technology. Furthermore, depending on the piping configuration within the system, it is possible to use the same hydrogen generator as that used in conventional technology, and to achieve a final value nearly twice that of conventional technology, which is expected to enable efficient absorption into the human body in a short period of time.

[0031] In addition, by increasing the oxygen concentration in the oxygen-containing gas, the human body can be exposed to a high-pressure, high-concentration oxygen atmosphere in which the oxygen concentration is higher than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere (approximately 21%) and is raised above atmospheric pressure, and it is expected that more oxygen gas will be taken up by the human body as dissolved oxygen.

[0032] In particular, while the gas supply unit 12 supplies air into the chamber 11, the hydrogen supply unit 13 supplies hydrogen gas into the chamber 11, thereby effectively preventing an excess of hydrogen from entering the chamber 11.

[0033] In addition, the gas supply unit 12, the hydrogen supply unit 13, and the gas exhaust unit 15 can also be used to control the volume concentration of hydrogen gas in the chamber 11 to be less than the minimum explosion limit of hydrogen gas, thereby effectively preventing a dangerous environment in the chamber 11 from becoming one in which a hydrogen explosion could occur.

[0034] 6, which shows the change in hydrogen concentration over time in the chamber, was obtained under the following conditions: the pipe with an outer diameter of 10 mm had a wall thickness of 1.75 mm, the pipe with an outer diameter of 6 mm had a wall thickness of 1 mm, and the pipe with an outer diameter of 12 mm had a wall thickness of 2 mm. 1) The Y-shaped A joint is configured for branching, and 2) the outer diameter of the pipe connected at the inlet side of the Y-shaped A joint is φ10 mm, and the outer diameter of each of the two pipes connected at the outlet side of the Y-shaped A joint is φ10 mm. 3) The Y-shaped B joint is configured for merging, and of the two pipes connected at the inlet side of the Y-shaped B joint, the pipe for air (air containing oxygen) has an outer diameter of φ10 mm, and the pipe for hydrogen gas has an outer diameter of φ6 mm, and the outer diameter of one of the pipes connected at the outlet side of the Y-shaped B joint is φ10 mm. 4) The reducer expands the pipe with an outer diameter of φ10 mm on the inlet side to an outer diameter of φ12 mm. 5) The T-joint is configured for changing the direction of the flow path, and the pipe with an outer diameter of φ12 mm extending from the reducer is connected to the middle of the exhaust line from the chamber, which has an outer diameter of φ12 mm. 6) The compressor was operated at a discharge capacity of 200 liters per minute, and the hydrogen generator was operated at a capacity of producing 500 cc per minute of 100% pure hydrogen gas at room temperature. 7) When operated under the above conditions, the hydrogen volume concentration at the outlet of the Y-shaped B joint was approximately 3%. 8) In the case of a conventional system that has the same Y-shaped B joint but does not have a Y-shaped A joint, reducer, or T-joint, when using the same compressor and the same hydrogen generator, the hydrogen volume concentration at the outlet of the Y-shaped B joint was approximately 1%.

[0035] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, although the gas supply unit 12 supplies air into the chamber 11, it is not limited to air; other gases may be used as long as they contain a predetermined concentration of oxygen and are safe for the human body. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on the spatial arrangement of each component; for example, a configuration in which the hydrogen gas supply port is located below the chamber is also within the scope of the present invention.

[0036] The measuring unit 16 may also include an oxygen concentration sensor or a hydrogen concentration sensor, in which case the oxygen concentration or hydrogen concentration in the chamber 11 can be measured in real time.

[0037] Furthermore, although the hydrogen supply pipe 27 of the hydrogen supply unit 13 is connected to the air supply pipe 23, this is not limiting and a separate hydrogen supply port may be provided in the chamber so that hydrogen can be supplied separately from air. In this case, the hydrogen supply pipe may extend from the hydrogen supply port to the vicinity of the user's face when the user enters the chamber. This allows hydrogen to be more efficiently absorbed into the body.

[0038] The opening and closing part may be of a sliding type. Furthermore, since the pressure inside the chamber 11 becomes equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure during use, a structure that slides on the inner surface of the chamber is more preferable.

[0039] 10 Oxygen-hydrogen bath system 11 Chamber 12 Gas supply unit 13 Hydrogen supply unit 15 Gas exhaust unit 20 Gas supply port 23 Air supply pipe 27 Hydrogen supply pipe 28 Exhaust valve 40 Reducer 42 Y-shaped B joint 44 Y-shaped A joint 46 T-shaped joint

Claims

1. In an oxygen-hydrogen bath system comprising: a chamber having a gas supply port through which gas is introduced and capable of accommodating the entire human body; a gas supply section having a gas supply pipe connected to said gas supply port and supplying oxygen-containing gas into said chamber through said gas supply pipe to make the pressure inside said chamber higher than atmospheric pressure; a hydrogen supply pipe connected to said gas supply pipe through a Y-shaped A-joint, a hydrogen supply section having a hydrogen gas generator and supplying hydrogen gas from said hydrogen gas generator into said chamber through said hydrogen supply pipe; and a gas exhaust section connected to said chamber and having a safety valve or a valve for maintaining the inside of said chamber within a predetermined pressure range by ON / OFF operation, and exhausting said gas and said hydrogen gas from said chamber through said valve, said gas supply pipe of said gas supply section has a Y-shaped B-joint at a position closer to said gas supply section than the position of said Y-shaped A-joint which divides the flow path of said gas from said gas supply section into two equal parts; An oxygen-hydrogen bath system characterized in that one branch pipe A extending from the Y-shaped B joint joins with the hydrogen supply pipe at the Y-shaped A joint and then connects to the gas supply port, and the other branch pipe B extends through a reducer and then connects to a gas exhaust section via a T-shaped joint.

2. An oxygen-hydrogen bath system as described in claim 1, characterized in that the valve maintains the pressure in the chamber at 1.1 to 1.35 atmospheres and the volume concentration of the hydrogen gas in the chamber at 1.0 to 2.0 volume percent.

3. An oxygen-hydrogen bath system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the hydrogen supply unit supplies the hydrogen gas into the chamber while the gas supply unit supplies the gas into the chamber.

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