Cold Therapy Tub With Separate Warming Pockets for Hands and Feet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cold-water therapy tubs cause rapid cooling and numbness in hands and feet, leading to discomfort and pain.
Innovation Solution
A cold-water therapy tub with integrated warming chambers or pockets for hands and feet, incorporating a chiller unit for cooling and a separate heating unit for warming, using insulated tub enclosures and high-efficiency pumps for water circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cold-water immersion therapy is used to relieve muscle soreness and inflammation, then therapeutic benefit is achieved, but hands and feet experience rapid cooling leading to numbness and pain
Solution Approach 1:
The tub is divided into distinct thermal zones: a large cold-water immersion area for the body and separate heated pockets for hands and feet. This segmentation allows different body parts to experience different temperatures simultaneously, providing therapeutic cold exposure while protecting extremities from excessive cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the tub have different thermal properties. The main immersion area maintains cold temperature (32-50°F) for therapeutic effect, while the hand and foot pockets maintain warm temperature (80-100°F) to prevent numbness and discomfort in extremities.
2Temperature
If a chiller unit is used to cool water for cold-water immersion therapy, then cold temperature is achieved, but hands and feet cool too rapidly causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The water circulation system is segmented into separate pathways: one pathway cools the main tub water through the chiller unit, while another pathway independently heats and circulates water through the hand and foot pockets via a separate heating element.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different thermal treatments to different locations: the chiller unit maintains cold temperature in the main immersion area, while a heating element maintains warm temperature in the extremity pockets, allowing comfortable operation during cold therapy.
3Ease of operation
If separate heating and cooling systems are used for different body parts, then thermal comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating and cooling systems are merged into a single integrated tub structure. Both the chiller unit and heating element are housed within the same tub enclosure, sharing common components such as the control system, power supply, and structural housing, which reduces overall system complexity despite having separate thermal functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The tub enclosure serves multiple functions: it houses the cold-water immersion area, contains the heated pockets for extremities, and provides structural support for both heating and cooling systems. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated structures for each system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Prevents numbness and pain in hands and feet by maintaining a comfortable temperature, enhancing the effectiveness of cold-water immersion therapy.
Implementation Method 1
a chiller unit and system to cool the water for circulation throughout the tub
Implementation Method 2
a separate heating unit and system to distribute warm water to pockets for the hands and feet
Implementation Method 3
using insulated tub enclosures
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a cold tub with warming pockets which provides a cold-therapy tub with the benefit of warming pockets for the hands and feet to prevent pain and numbness of the hands and feet during use.