Compact Cryotherapy Chamber with PLC Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Whole Body Cryotherapy (WBC) systems are large, energy-intensive, lack precise temperature control, and have safety concerns due to inadequate operational safeguards, making them inefficient and unsafe for repeated use.
Innovation Solution
A compact WBC system with a stainless steel and copper liquid nitrogen delivery system controlled by an electronic controller, featuring a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) with a custom user interface for precise temperature management and safety features, including touch-screen input for temperature settings and real-time monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional WBC systems use large chambers to enclose multiple people, then the system can serve more users simultaneously, but the energy consumption and cooling requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the service capability into multiple independent compact chambers rather than using one large chamber. Each chamber can be operated independently, allowing the system to serve multiple users sequentially with much lower energy consumption per session. The controller manages multiple chambers to provide continuous service.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses rapid cooling cycles where chambers are cooled to cryogenic temperatures, then quickly warmed and ready for the next user. This periodic operation allows high productivity through sequential service while maintaining low energy consumption during each brief cooling event, rather than continuous cooling of a large space.
2Productivity
If conventional WBC systems use large chambers, then more people can be accommodated, but the system becomes immobile and requires permanent installation
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into multiple small, self-contained modular chambers that can be independently manufactured, transported, and deployed. Each module is compact enough to be mobile yet provides sufficient capacity when used in sequence or parallel, resolving the contradiction between capacity and mobility.
3Ease of operation
If conventional WBC systems use simple timer control, then the system is easier to operate, but safety cannot be ensured against improper or deliberate misoperation
Solution Approach 1:
The controller continuously monitors chamber temperature, user presence, and system state, providing real-time feedback to adjust operations and prevent unsafe conditions. The system responds to user inputs and environmental conditions to maintain safety while remaining easy to operate through automatic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts operational parameters such as cooling rate, duration, and temperature thresholds based on real-time conditions. This adaptive control ensures safety by preventing dangerous conditions while maintaining simplicity for the user through automated parameter management.
4Device complexity
If conventional WBC systems require significant downtime between sessions, then the system has simpler cooling requirements, but productivity decreases when serving numerous people
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple independent chambers allow overlapping operation where while one chamber is in downtime, another can be prepared or actively used. This parallel capability increases total sessions per day without requiring each individual chamber to have complex rapid-cooling systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements rapid cool-down cycles that reach cryogenic temperatures quickly, minimizing the time between sessions. This periodic rapid cooling allows chambers to be ready for back-to-back users, dramatically increasing productivity while keeping individual cooling events simple and brief.
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
The system provides efficient and safe cryotherapy sessions with precise temperature control, reducing energy consumption and operational downtime, while ensuring safe operation through advanced monitoring and safety features.
Implementation Method 1
a stainless steel and copper liquid nitrogen to nitrogen gas delivery system
Implementation Method 2
a refrigeration system
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for automatically producing and monitoring a cryotherapy session within a chamber includes a plumbing system coupled to the chamber for cooling the chamber. A central controller may be coupled to the plumbing system. The central controller may be operable for: initiating the cryotherapy session within the chamber with a cryogenic gas flowing through the plumbing system for cooling the chamber to a first temperature; determining if the first temperature has been reached within the chamber; determining if a check-in command has been received for the cryotherapy session; and stopping the cryotherapy session after a predetermined period of time. The central controller may also monitor a cooling rate for the chamber and a heater associated with the cooling rate.