WO1997003631A1 - Hypoxic room system and equipment for hypoxic training and therapy - Google Patents

Hypoxic room system and equipment for hypoxic training and therapy Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1997003631A1
WO1997003631A1 PCT/US1996/011792 US9611792W WO9703631A1 WO 1997003631 A1 WO1997003631 A1 WO 1997003631A1 US 9611792 W US9611792 W US 9611792W WO 9703631 A1 WO9703631 A1 WO 9703631A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
oxygen
chamber
gas mixture
air
invention according
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1996/011792
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Igor K. Kotliar
Original Assignee
Hypoxico Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Family has litigation
First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=24011113&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=WO1997003631(A1) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Application filed by Hypoxico Inc. filed Critical Hypoxico Inc.
Priority to DE69617477T priority Critical patent/DE69617477T3/en
Priority to CA002227444A priority patent/CA2227444C/en
Priority to AT96928000T priority patent/ATE209474T1/en
Priority to EP96928000A priority patent/EP0959862B2/en
Publication of WO1997003631A1 publication Critical patent/WO1997003631A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61GTRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
    • A61G10/00Treatment rooms or enclosures for medical purposes
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61GTRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES, OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES
    • A61G10/00Treatment rooms or enclosures for medical purposes
    • A61G10/04Oxygen tents ; Oxygen hoods
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M16/00Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. mouth-to-mouth respiration; Tracheal tubes
    • A61M16/0045Means for re-breathing exhaled gases, e.g. for hyperventilation treatment
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M16/00Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. mouth-to-mouth respiration; Tracheal tubes
    • A61M16/10Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M16/00Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. mouth-to-mouth respiration; Tracheal tubes
    • A61M16/10Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours
    • A61M16/1005Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours with O2 features or with parameter measurement
    • A61M16/101Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours with O2 features or with parameter measurement using an oxygen concentrator
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D53/00Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols
    • B01D53/02Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography
    • B01D53/04Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography with stationary adsorbents
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M16/00Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. mouth-to-mouth respiration; Tracheal tubes
    • A61M16/10Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours
    • A61M16/105Filters
    • A61M16/1055Filters bacterial
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M16/00Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. mouth-to-mouth respiration; Tracheal tubes
    • A61M16/10Preparation of respiratory gases or vapours
    • A61M16/105Filters
    • A61M16/106Filters in a path
    • A61M16/107Filters in a path in the inspiratory path
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M2202/00Special media to be introduced, removed or treated
    • A61M2202/02Gases
    • A61M2202/0266Nitrogen (N)
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2208/00Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player
    • A63B2208/05Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player the user being at least partly surrounded by a pressure different from the atmospheric pressure
    • A63B2208/053Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player the user being at least partly surrounded by a pressure different from the atmospheric pressure higher pressure
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2208/00Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player
    • A63B2208/05Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player the user being at least partly surrounded by a pressure different from the atmospheric pressure
    • A63B2208/056Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player the user being at least partly surrounded by a pressure different from the atmospheric pressure lower pressure
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2208/00Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player
    • A63B2208/12Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player specially adapted for children
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63BAPPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
    • A63B2213/00Exercising combined with therapy
    • A63B2213/005Exercising combined with therapy with respiratory gas delivering means, e.g. O2
    • A63B2213/006Exercising combined with therapy with respiratory gas delivering means, e.g. O2 under hypoxy conditions, i.e. oxygen supply subnormal
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D2253/00Adsorbents used in seperation treatment of gases and vapours
    • B01D2253/10Inorganic adsorbents
    • B01D2253/106Silica or silicates
    • B01D2253/108Zeolites
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D2257/00Components to be removed
    • B01D2257/10Single element gases other than halogens
    • B01D2257/104Oxygen
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D2259/00Type of treatment
    • B01D2259/40Further details for adsorption processes and devices
    • B01D2259/40007Controlling pressure or temperature swing adsorption
    • B01D2259/40009Controlling pressure or temperature swing adsorption using sensors or gas analysers
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D2259/00Type of treatment
    • B01D2259/45Gas separation or purification devices adapted for specific applications
    • B01D2259/4508Gas separation or purification devices adapted for specific applications for cleaning air in buildings
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D2259/00Type of treatment
    • B01D2259/45Gas separation or purification devices adapted for specific applications
    • B01D2259/4533Gas separation or purification devices adapted for specific applications for medical purposes
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D53/00Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols
    • B01D53/02Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography
    • B01D53/04Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography with stationary adsorbents
    • B01D53/0407Constructional details of adsorbing systems
    • B01D53/0415Beds in cartridges
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01DSEPARATION
    • B01D53/00Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols
    • B01D53/02Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography
    • B01D53/04Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols by adsorption, e.g. preparative gas chromatography with stationary adsorbents
    • B01D53/047Pressure swing adsorption
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24FAIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
    • F24F11/00Control or safety arrangements
    • F24F11/0001Control or safety arrangements for ventilation
    • F24F2011/0002Control or safety arrangements for ventilation for admittance of outside air

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to equipment for providing oxygen-depleted air to a user for hypoxic training or therapy whereby a low-oxygen mountain air of different altitudes is simulated, and more particularly, to such equipment which regulates oxygen content and the humidity of the oxygen-depleted air being delivered for non-contact inhaling by a user.
  • Hypoxic training activates the immune system and protective forces of the organism, and is used for medical, health and fitness purposes.
  • Hypoxic training is a drug-free alternative for treatment and prevention of cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, gynecological, skin and ocular diseases, as well as various types of allergy, neurological disturbances, and other diseases.
  • Hypoxic Training is also successfully used for increasing strength, endurance, vitality and resistance to various diseases of healthy people and athletes.
  • European Patent EP 0472 799 AL shows one type of the apparatus for Hypoxic Training on the market.
  • the apparatus employs a powerful compressor to force air through hollow polyfiber membranes in order to provide an oxygen-depleted gas mixture to the user.
  • This apparatus has a number of disadvantages including excessive weight and noise level and higher than atmospheric pressure of the delivered gas mixture as well.
  • the main disadvantage of this and other currently available machines is the necessity of sterilization or disposal of the contaminated elements of the respiratory system and the possibility of contamination of the entire system.
  • a principal object of the present invention is to provide equipment for simulating oxygen-depleted mountain air of different altitudes - - preferably from 5,000 to 20,000 ft - - which is necessary for hypoxic training or therapy.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a system for hypoxic training and therapy consisting of a closed room having ventilating openings which communicates with a device which supplies oxygen-depleted air or nitrogen, establishing hypoxic and, if necessary, hypobaric or hyperbaric conditions inside this closed room.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible hypoxic training room which may be installed in any facility and having sufficient ventilation openings in order to automatically maintain normal or hypobaric atmospheric pressure inside.
  • Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a device for depleting the oxygen content of the air inside the hypoxic training room employing membrane-separation or molecular sieve-separation principles whereby an oxygen-depleted air is delivered inside a hypoxic training room for a non-contact: inhalation.
  • a further object of this invention is to provide equipment for simulating oxygen-depleted mountain air inside a training or therapy room where the oxygen content, humidity, and temperature of such air can be regulated depending on a training or therapy protocol and a user's condition by means of manual or computerized-logic control.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide equipment, its installation scheme and a method for establishing hypoxic and optional hypobaric or hyperbaric conditions inside any suitable room or structure with specific ventilation conditions.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide a system for hypoxic training which includes exercise equipment as its integral part.
  • Yet another object of the invention is integrating of hypoxic training system inside a motor vehicle or other means of transportation in order to fight drowsiness and increase attentiveness of their operators.
  • the several embodiments presented here employ varying combinations of equipment for supplying an oxygen-depleted gas mixture for hypoxic training or therapy which requires an air composition preferably with 7% to 15% of oxygen and
  • FIG.1 shows a simplified view of the preferred embodiment and the invention.
  • FIG.2 is schematic view of the preferred embodiment wherein an oxygen-enriched gas mixture is extracted from the system.
  • FIG.3 shows a schematic of an alternate embodiment of the invention with the outside installation of a hypoxicator.
  • FIG.4 shows a schematic view of another alternate embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG.5 shows a schematic of a membrane-type hypoxicator.
  • FIG.6 shows a schematic of a molecular sieve-type hypoxicator.
  • FIG.7 shows a schematic view of an alternate molecular sieve-type hypoxicator.
  • the object of this invention is to provide equipment which simulates oxygen-depleted mountain air of different altitudes and delivers it to a user for a non-contact inhalation in accordance with a hypoxic training or therapy protocol.
  • the system consist of two main blocks: a hypoxicator (device for supply oxygen-depleted air or nitrogen with a control unit) and a hypoxic training room which communicate with each other.
  • a hypoxicator device for supply oxygen-depleted air or nitrogen with a control unit
  • a hypoxic training room which communicate with each other.
  • FIG. 1 shows a simplified design of a preferred embodiment 10
  • Figure 2 shows a schematic working principle of the same embodiment.
  • a collapsible hypoxic training room 11 having soft or hard walls made preferably from a clear glass or polymer material supported on a metal or plastic framework 19 and equipped with a door 12, a ceiling 13 and an optional floor platform.
  • a hypoxicator 15 employs almost the same working principle as is well-known in medical field membrane-type or molecular sieve-type oxygen concentrators which separate ambient air into oxygen-rich and nitrogen-rich fractions.
  • the main difference between our hypoxicator and an oxygen concentrator is that with an oxygen concentrator, the oxygen-rich gas mixture is used and nitrogen concentrate is released into the atmosphere, and with a hypoxicator, the nitrogen-rich gas mixture is used and the oxygen concentrate is disposed of.
  • the hypoxicator presented in this invention is also several times more productive and does not need a number of elements necessary in oxygen concentrator devices.
  • we use a custom-made hypoxicator with membrane or molecular-sieve air separation unit being schematically shown in figures 5 and 6 and described later in this document.
  • the hypoxicator 15 installed inside the hypoxic room 11 draws internal room air through a disposable dust and bacterial filter of intake 16 and separates it into oxygen concentrate disposed through output 17 and nitrogen concentrate being discharged inside room 11 through output 18.
  • the constant gas mixture withdrawal from room 11 through output 17 causes the same quantities of fresh air to be drawn in through the ventilating openings 14, keeping normal atmospheric pressure inside room 11.
  • the air-flow capacity of openings 14 must be larger than the maximal flow of the oxygen concentrate able to be produced by the hypoxicator 15. It will allow an even atmospheric pressure inside the hypoxic room 11.
  • ventilating openings 14 may be equipped with the hypobaric valves allowing to create a necessary pressure difference inside the room 11. In this case it is advisable to reduce the number of openings 14 to one or two of a larger size.
  • These valves (or valve) should be combined with a room pressure monitor and controlled by a computerized control unit which will change the air pressure inside the room 11 in accordance to the oxygen content level allowing perfectly-simulated mauntain air conditions at different altitudes.
  • Suitable low-pressure valves with an extremely sensitive room pressure monitor (model RPM-1) and other necessary accessories are available from MODUS Instruments, Inc.
  • the performance of the hypoxicator 15 must be enough to lower the oxygen content of the air inside the room 11 to desired level in a desired amount of time. Preferred are those able to produce at least 15 cubic feet (450 liters) per minute of nitrogen concentrate with minimum 90% purity which should be enough for one individual training room. For larger rooms more efficient hypoxicators should be used or a sluice chamber installed at the entrance in order to save energy by frequent door openings. There is no need to make the door, wall and ceiling joins of the hypoxic room 11 absolutely airtight and it may be used without a floor platform as well.
  • the hypoxic room should be equipped with an oxygen-content sensor and an oxygen-depletion alarm (both not shown). Suitable are those manufactured by Micro
  • the oxygen-content sensor constantly measures the oxygen content in the room and transmits the data to a computerized control unit (not shown) which controls the performance of the hypoxicator 15 to achieve and maintain desired air parameters in accordance to training or therapy protocol.
  • Preferred oxygen content parameters for hypoxic training or therapy lie in the range from 7% to 13% for controlled medical use and 11%-15% for public use for fitness purposes.
  • Pulse oximeters manufactured by Nellcor Inc., Edentec, Ohmeda, Puritan-Bennet Corp. and Simed Corp. are suitable.
  • the oximeter mounted on a finger of a user transmits constantly the pulse rate and SaO2 - data to the computerized control unit which chooses the hypoxic parameters most suitable for a user.
  • a humidity and temperature control unit (not shown) may be installed in the system in order to control humidity and temperature inside the room 11.
  • the hypoxicator 15 draws the internal room air through the intake 16 returning only the oxygen-depleted gas mixture through the output 18 and discharging the oxygen concentrate through the output 17 outside the room 11.
  • Fresh air is drawn through the ventilating openings 14 equalizing atmospheric pressure inside the room 11 and being mixed with the incoming through the output 18 oxygen-depleted air.
  • the oxygen content level of the air inside the room 11 drops to preset proportions which are maintained by the computerized control unit during the session time in accordance to training or therapy protocol and users conditions.
  • Another big advantage of the invention presented here is a gradual lowering of the oxygen content of the air inside the hypoxic room during the session which allows a better adaptation to hypoxic condition and eliminates hypoxic shock.
  • a computerized control unit constantly informs a user about the simulated altitude he reaches during a session.
  • Carbon dioxide produced by a user during a training or therapy session settles because of its higher density and is removed through the low-positioned intake 16 from the room 11. Because of its permeability, which is higher than oxygen and nitrogen, carbon dioxide penetrates faster the oxygen-separating membrane of the hypoxicator 15 and is fully discharged into the atmosphere through the output 17. In case of a molecular sieve-type hypoxicator, carbon dioxide remains with the oxygen concentrate and is removed completely as well.
  • Figure 3 shows a schematic design of an alternate embodiment 30 which differs from the preferred embodiment only through the outside installation of the hypoxicator 35.
  • the air inside the hypoxic training room 31 is drawn through the intake 36 inside hypoxicator 35 wherein it is separated into oxygen concentrate being disposed through the output 37 and oxygen-depleted gas mixture being returned through the output 38 back into room 31, etc. All other parts and devices are the same as in the preferred embodiment.
  • Figure 4 shows a further alternate embodiment 40 wherein the oxygen-depleted air is pumped inside the room 41.
  • the hypoxicator 45 installed preferably outside the room 41 draws outside air through the . dust filter of the intake 46 and disposes oxygen-rich gas mixture through the output 47 blowing the oxygen-depleted air into the room 41 through the output 48.
  • ventilating openings 44 should be installed preferably in the lower portion of the room walls allowing carbon dioxide to be blown out first.
  • the air flow capacity of the ventilating openings 44 must be greater than the volume of the incoming gas mixture by maximal performance of the hypoxicator 45, because it is necessary to keep normal atmospheric pressure inside the hypoxic training room 41.
  • This alternate embodiment requires a humidifier in order to reinstate the humidity of the incoming dry gas mixture to desired proportions. It is necessary because water vapor is faster than other gases in penetrating an oxygen-separating membrane which makes oxygen-depleted retentate too dry for comfortable use. In case of a molecular sieve separator water vapor is removed with the oxygen concentrate.
  • the preferred type of humidifier is a disc spray dispenser widely used in air conditioning systems and which can employ the power of the incoming air stream to produce micro-sized water droplets which evaporate instantly.
  • Any other humidifiers available on the market for home or office use are suitable for the invention presented here and may be installed separately inside or outside a hypoxic room. All other parts and equipment are similar to the preferred embodiment.
  • Hyperbaric conditions may be easily established, if necessary, employing hyperbaric valves at the ventilating openings 44 controlled by a room pressure monitor and computerized control unit similar to the preferred embodiment.
  • FIG. 5 shows a schematic design and a working principle of the membrane type hypoxicator 50.
  • a compressor 51 draws an ambient air and supplies compressed air through an outlet 52 into a membrane separation unit 53 wherein it is separated into oxygen rich permeate and oxygen depleted retentate.
  • the permeate is drawn by a vacuum pump 54 being disposed through the outlet 56 and the retentate is discharged through the conduit 55 inside the hypoxic room (not shown).
  • the system can also work without the vacuum pump 54 being installed here for increasing the efficiency of the separation unit 53. Otherwise, a fan or a blower may be used instead of compressor 50 in which case an efficient vacuum pump 54 is required to achieve the highest air separation grade across the membranes of the separation unit 53.
  • Thomas WOBL double piston compressors (series 1207 and 2807) and Thomas WOBL piston or rotary vacuum pumps (series TF16, TF25 and 2750) manufactured by Thomas Industries, Inc.
  • the membrane separation unit 53 is of known construction and may consist of a set of parallel connected membrane cells or a single cell which employ either flat or capillary membranes.
  • the inlet of the separation unit 53 receives compressed air from conduit 52, and separates the air across the membrane and delivers the oxygen-depleted retentate gas through the outlet to conduit 55.
  • the separation results from a pressure difference created by a compressor 50 and/or vacuum pump 54 expelling the oxygen-rich permeate gas mixture as a result of this compressor and vacuum pump arrangement, the retentate gas mixture is delivered further inside a hypoxic room.
  • Similar membrane separation units usually with hollow-fiber-polymer membranes, are used currently in the medical oxygen-enriching devices.
  • the best material for the membranes is selected from the group consisting of poly(dimethylsiloxane) also referred to as PDMS or its copolymer, or poly[1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne] also referred to as PMSP, available from the Sanyo Chemical Co., the Matsushita Electric Company or the General Electric Co.
  • PDMS poly(dimethylsiloxane)
  • PMSP poly[1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne]
  • PMSP Poly[1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne]
  • silicon rubber silicon rubber, natural rubber, carbon, polybutadiene, polystyrene, ethylcellullose, butyl rubber, Teflon-FEP, polyvinylacetate, poly(2,6-dimethylphenylene oxide) or poly(methylpentene-1).
  • Suitable for use in forming the membranes are porous polyethylene or polypropylene available from Terumo, Bentley, Johnson & Johnson, Bard, Baxter Travenol, 3M, Shiley or Cope.
  • Other possible materials will be apparent to those skilled in the art, who will be able to substitute equivalent materials for those enunciated here without departing from the invention.
  • membrane cells are made with a porous, tubular-shaped support structure having a permeable flat sheet membrane layer on the retentate side of the support structure, the membrane layer being preferably from highly permeable organic, synthetic, ceramic, glass, metal, composite, mineral or biologic material, or combinations thereof in symmetric, asymmetric or composite shape, porous or nonporous.
  • Capillary or hollow-fiber membranes may also be used effectively instead of flat membranes. Due to their kinetic properties, water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen penetrate faster through any kind of membranes than nitrogen, which permits a choice of the most permeable membrane under the lowest possible air pressure in order to increase an efficiency of the membrane separation unit 53.
  • a humidifier may be connected to hypoxicator 50, if necessary, or installed separately in hypoxic room.
  • Figure 6 shows a schematic design and a working principle of the molecular-sieve type hypoxicator 60 which are almost similar to medical oxygen concentrators being commercialized since mid-1970s and operating on the original Skarstrom cycle.
  • a compressor 61 draws an ambient air and pressurizes it preferably up to 3 to 10 bar pressure. Compressed air is delivered through the outlet 62, switching valves block 63 and connectors 64 to adsorber bed 65 or adsorber bed 66 alternately.
  • the molecular sieve material adsorbes nitrogen from the compressed air, allowing oxygen and other gases to pass through to disposal outlets 67 and 68.
  • the two sieve beds 65 and 66 are pressurized alternately in a cyclic manner whereby air flow paths 64 are switched by solenoid switching valves 63.
  • the sieve beds are made preferably from steel used for high-pressure gas containers.
  • a pressurizing valve 69 opens depressurizing bed 65, allowing nitrogen to flow through connector 71 to mixing outlet 73 connected to hypoxic room (not shown here).
  • Some of the oxygen produced at this time by bed 66 is used to purge bed 65 (connections from outlet 68 to bed 65 and from 67 to 66 are not shown here in order to simplify the scheme).
  • compressor 60 The performance of compressor 60 is controlled by a manual or computerized control unit constantly receiving data from an oxygen content sensor, oximeter and other electronic sensors inside a hypoxic room.
  • the particulary preferred materials for adsorbing nitrogen are molecular-sieve zeolites or crystalline aluminosilicates of alkali earth elements, both synthetic and natural, and Molecular-Sieve Carbon, type CMSO2, available from Calgon Corp., Bergbau-Forschung GmbH in Germany and Takeda Chemical Company in Japan.
  • Organic zeolites, pillared interlayer clays (PILCS) and other suitable molecular sieve materials may also be used.
  • the productivity of the hypoxicator in this embodiment should preferably be in a range from 30 to 50 liters per minute of oxygen with 80% to 90% purity which will allow establishing of 12%O2 hypoxic conditions in a 5 cubic meters (185 cubic feet) training room in approximately 10 to 20 minutes.
  • a humidifier may be connected to hypoxicator 60, if necessary, or installed separately in hypoxic room.
  • Figure 7 shows a scheme of a most efficient embodiment of hypoxicator 80 employing preferably Molecular Sieve
  • Carbon type CMSN2 in a pressure-swing adsorption system which allows to produce nitrogen with up to 99.9% purity and absolutely free from carbon dioxide.
  • Compressor 81 supplies air pressurized preferably up to 3 to 10 bar through the outlet 82, switching valves block 83 and connectors 84 to molecular sieve beds 85 and 86. Each sieve bed is alternately pressurized in a cyclic manner and supplies nitrogen until it becomes saturated with oxygen. Bed 85 is pressurized by closing a pressurizing valve 89 and adsorption process begins. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are adsorbed by the adsorbent and nitrogen flows through the pressure regulator valve 94 and conduit 87 to mixing outlet 93 connected to hypoxic room
  • the bed 85 is depressurized by opening valve 85, allowing oxygen to escape from the adsorbent and to be disposed through the conduit 91 and outlet 96.
  • the adsorbent in the sieve bed 86 becomes saturated with oxygen and valve 83 switches air flow path to bed 85 which is pressurized by closing valve 89. The complete cycle is then repeated.
  • One, three or four-bed adsorbing units may be made using the same principle, if necessary.
  • CMSN2 is also available from Bergbau-Forshung GmbH and Takeda Chemical Company. Zeolites made of organic materials are also suitable. Under normal operating conditions, the molecular sieve is completely regenerative and will last indefinitely.
  • a humidifier may be connected to hypoxicator 80 or installed separately in hypoxic room. All necessary switches, valves, pressure regalators, manometers, pressure display-controllers and transmitters, filters, fittings and tubing are available from Modus Instruments, Inc., Victor Equipment Company and AirSep Corporation.
  • the invented system could be applied to any closed room or structure, such as a patient room in a hospital, residential rooms, fitness club rooms, office and conference rooms, schools and child care facilities, theatres, cinemas, restaurants and even a room inside a motor vehicle or other means of transportation.
  • Two basic conditions must be met to build a system are sufficient ventilation of the room allowing instant reinstating of the atmospheric pressure inside the room and a safe disposal of oxygen.
  • a hypoxicator may be installed as shown in figures 1-4 inside or outside a fitness room having a sufficient ventilation through the door or window.
  • hypoxic room system may be easily integrated into any air conditioning system of any building or structure using existing ventilation ducts and equipment for delivery hypoxic gas mixture to any floor or room in the building. This will improve peoples state of health, increase their productivity and lower medical expenses.
  • a hypoxicator may be incorporated into any separate room air conditioner. The shown on Fig. 4 installation scheme of hypoxicator makes the system most suitable and safe for use in a passenger car or other motor vehicles with a closed passenger space. Since most of Americans waste hours of their active life every week inside a car some of this time could be used to their advantage - - for hypoxic training.
  • a small, preferably 12V/DC - powered hypoxicator with membrane or molecular sieve type separation principles described earlier may be installed inside a car interior or behind a dashboard. There is also enough space inside or under passenger seats.
  • a hypoxicators delivery system may be also integrated in a ventilating system. Two conditions must be met in this embodiment in order to create an invented hypoxic room system: an outside air must be drawn for separation and an oxygen concentrate must be discharged outside a car. There are many openings in a car body sufficient to play a role of ventilating openings 44 and constantly equalizing air pressure in a car interior with the outside atmospheric pressure and, if necessary more openings could be made, preferably at doorjambs.
  • the lowest oxygen content of the supplied gas mixture should be preferably 13% - 15% by maximal hypoxicators performance which is absolutely safe and unnoticable by a user and even may be used for fighting sleepiness and increasing attentiveness and vitality.
  • a membrane-type hypoxicator it is simple to preset the performance of the separation unit for a steady supply of the air with 13-15% of oxygen.
  • the produced nitrogen should be mixed with the fresh air in proportion 1 : 2.5 which makes the air with exactly 15% of oxygen.
  • the mixing must be safe and automatically which may be achieved by transmitting nitrogen through "Y"-shaped mixing adapter with a larger fresh air intake opening, allowing 2.5 times more ambient air than nitrogen to be automatically sucked into the system for mixing. This and a computerized control unit with the oxygen-depletion alarm will insure the safety of the system for hypoxic training inside a car.
  • the installation scheme shown on Fig. 2 is also suitable for closed-type motor vehicles.
  • car ventilation ducts and other car body openings play the role of ventilation openings 14.
  • An oxygen concentrate may be discharged to outside through any specially made opening for outlet 17.
  • the best place for incorporating outlet 17 is an outside mirror supporting structure because it communicates with the a car interior through the mirror adjustment mechanism wherein a connection tubing should be installed inside the mirror supporting structure ending with a specially made opening outside and with the connector at inner panel of the door for hypoxicators outlet 17.
  • An inhalation mask with hypoxic air supply tubing retractable from a dashboard or other interior part may be also installed for individual hypoxic training inside a motor vehicle .
  • a mask should be preferably handheld, without any straps, which is safer.
  • This application is most beneficially for a long-distance truck drivers or train operators. A motorist, feeling drowsy, could take a 3-5 minute session of hypoxic inhalation which will significally increase his cardiopulmonary activity, attention and vitality. Car manufacturers could easily integrate this invention in a ventilating system of a vehicle as an additional luxury feature.
  • the presented here invention may be marketed as an anti-sleep mode device for operators of any means of transportation.
  • the system can switch on automatically if a user wears on a finger or another body part a pulse oximeter connected to a computerized or fuzzy logic control unit.
  • a pulse rate of a user drops to the lowest for this individual level a system will be switched on automatically and hypoxic conditions will be established for a time, necessary to increase user activity to desired level.
  • a blood saturation with oxygen is also under constant control.
  • a big advantage of the invented system for this application is that it does not disturb a user and does not cause a "panic effect" which is genetically preset in humans if a part of the oxygen in the air is replaced by carbon dioxide.
  • the system may be successfully used for hypoxic training of mammals as well.

Abstract

A hypoxic room system (10) for hypoxic training and therapy which simulates oxygen depleted mountain air and atmospheric pressures at different altitudes. An oxygen content reducing device (15) in the form of a gas permeable membrane air separator (Figures 5 and 6) or a molecular sieve pressure swing absorption unit (Figure 7) is used.

Description

HYPOXIC ROOM SYSTEM AND EQUIPMENT
FOR HYPOXIC TRAINING AND THERAPY
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation in part of the application filed May 22, 1995 by Igor K. Kotliar entitled "Apparatus for hypoxic training and therapy" and given U.S. serial number 08/445,677.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to equipment for providing oxygen-depleted air to a user for hypoxic training or therapy whereby a low-oxygen mountain air of different altitudes is simulated, and more particularly, to such equipment which regulates oxygen content and the humidity of the oxygen-depleted air being delivered for non-contact inhaling by a user.
Hypoxic training activates the immune system and protective forces of the organism, and is used for medical, health and fitness purposes. Hypoxic training is a drug-free alternative for treatment and prevention of cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, gynecological, skin and ocular diseases, as well as various types of allergy, neurological disturbances, and other diseases. Hypoxic Training is also successfully used for increasing strength, endurance, vitality and resistance to various diseases of healthy people and athletes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
European Patent EP 0472 799 AL shows one type of the apparatus for Hypoxic Training on the market. The apparatus employs a powerful compressor to force air through hollow polyfiber membranes in order to provide an oxygen-depleted gas mixture to the user.
This apparatus has a number of disadvantages including excessive weight and noise level and higher than atmospheric pressure of the delivered gas mixture as well. But the main disadvantage of this and other currently available machines is the necessity of sterilization or disposal of the contaminated elements of the respiratory system and the possibility of contamination of the entire system.
The invention presented here is free of these disadvantages and provides for safe multiple use without the need to sterilize any part of the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A principal object of the present invention is to provide equipment for simulating oxygen-depleted mountain air of different altitudes - - preferably from 5,000 to 20,000 ft - - which is necessary for hypoxic training or therapy.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system for hypoxic training and therapy consisting of a closed room having ventilating openings which communicates with a device which supplies oxygen-depleted air or nitrogen, establishing hypoxic and, if necessary, hypobaric or hyperbaric conditions inside this closed room.
A further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible hypoxic training room which may be installed in any facility and having sufficient ventilation openings in order to automatically maintain normal or hypobaric atmospheric pressure inside.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a device for depleting the oxygen content of the air inside the hypoxic training room employing membrane-separation or molecular sieve-separation principles whereby an oxygen-depleted air is delivered inside a hypoxic training room for a non-contact: inhalation. A further object of this invention is to provide equipment for simulating oxygen-depleted mountain air inside a training or therapy room where the oxygen content, humidity, and temperature of such air can be regulated depending on a training or therapy protocol and a user's condition by means of manual or computerized-logic control.
Another object of this invention is to provide equipment, its installation scheme and a method for establishing hypoxic and optional hypobaric or hyperbaric conditions inside any suitable room or structure with specific ventilation conditions.
A further object of the invention is to provide a system for hypoxic training which includes exercise equipment as its integral part.
Yet another object of the invention is integrating of hypoxic training system inside a motor vehicle or other means of transportation in order to fight drowsiness and increase attentiveness of their operators.
The several embodiments presented here employ varying combinations of equipment for supplying an oxygen-depleted gas mixture for hypoxic training or therapy which requires an air composition preferably with 7% to 15% of oxygen and
93% to 85% of nitrogen.
Each embodiment presented here may be incorporated into an air-conditioning system of any room, building or structure using the systems ventilating ducts and equipment for delivery hypoxic gas mixture. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG.1 shows a simplified view of the preferred embodiment and the invention.
FIG.2 is schematic view of the preferred embodiment wherein an oxygen-enriched gas mixture is extracted from the system.
FIG.3 shows a schematic of an alternate embodiment of the invention with the outside installation of a hypoxicator. FIG.4 shows a schematic view of another alternate embodiment of the invention.
FIG.5 shows a schematic of a membrane-type hypoxicator.
FIG.6 shows a schematic of a molecular sieve-type hypoxicator.
FIG.7 shows a schematic view of an alternate molecular sieve-type hypoxicator.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is to provide equipment which simulates oxygen-depleted mountain air of different altitudes and delivers it to a user for a non-contact inhalation in accordance with a hypoxic training or therapy protocol.
The system consist of two main blocks: a hypoxicator (device for supply oxygen-depleted air or nitrogen with a control unit) and a hypoxic training room which communicate with each other.
Figure 1 shows a simplified design of a preferred embodiment 10, and Figure 2 shows a schematic working principle of the same embodiment. A collapsible hypoxic training room 11 having soft or hard walls made preferably from a clear glass or polymer material supported on a metal or plastic framework 19 and equipped with a door 12, a ceiling 13 and an optional floor platform. There are many types of similar rooms marketed currently as "clean room" or "inhalation room" and manufactured by Liberty Industries, Simplex Inc., Clean Room Products Inc., Clestra Cleanroon, Inc. and many other companies. Most of them are suitable for presented here invention and need just a few changes, such as getting ventilating and installation openings.
A hypoxicator 15 employs almost the same working principle as is well-known in medical field membrane-type or molecular sieve-type oxygen concentrators which separate ambient air into oxygen-rich and nitrogen-rich fractions. The main difference between our hypoxicator and an oxygen concentrator is that with an oxygen concentrator, the oxygen-rich gas mixture is used and nitrogen concentrate is released into the atmosphere, and with a hypoxicator, the nitrogen-rich gas mixture is used and the oxygen concentrate is disposed of. The hypoxicator presented in this invention is also several times more productive and does not need a number of elements necessary in oxygen concentrator devices. In this invention we use a custom-made hypoxicator with membrane or molecular-sieve air separation unit being schematically shown in figures 5 and 6 and described later in this document.
The hypoxicator 15 installed inside the hypoxic room 11 draws internal room air through a disposable dust and bacterial filter of intake 16 and separates it into oxygen concentrate disposed through output 17 and nitrogen concentrate being discharged inside room 11 through output 18. The constant gas mixture withdrawal from room 11 through output 17 causes the same quantities of fresh air to be drawn in through the ventilating openings 14, keeping normal atmospheric pressure inside room 11. The air-flow capacity of openings 14 must be larger than the maximal flow of the oxygen concentrate able to be produced by the hypoxicator 15. It will allow an even atmospheric pressure inside the hypoxic room 11.
The system has a significant advantage - - it allows the simulation of hypobaric conditions existing in reality on different altitudes which is important for hypoxic training and therapy. For this purpose, ventilating openings 14 may be equipped with the hypobaric valves allowing to create a necessary pressure difference inside the room 11. In this case it is advisable to reduce the number of openings 14 to one or two of a larger size. These valves (or valve) should be combined with a room pressure monitor and controlled by a computerized control unit which will change the air pressure inside the room 11 in accordance to the oxygen content level allowing perfectly-simulated mauntain air conditions at different altitudes. Suitable low-pressure valves with an extremely sensitive room pressure monitor (model RPM-1) and other necessary accessories are available from MODUS Instruments, Inc. The performance of the hypoxicator 15 must be enough to lower the oxygen content of the air inside the room 11 to desired level in a desired amount of time. Preferred are those able to produce at least 15 cubic feet (450 liters) per minute of nitrogen concentrate with minimum 90% purity which should be enough for one individual training room. For larger rooms more efficient hypoxicators should be used or a sluice chamber installed at the entrance in order to save energy by frequent door openings. There is no need to make the door, wall and ceiling joins of the hypoxic room 11 absolutely airtight and it may be used without a floor platform as well.
The hypoxic room should be equipped with an oxygen-content sensor and an oxygen-depletion alarm (both not shown). Suitable are those manufactured by Micro
Switch (a Honeywell Div.), Sensormedics Corp., Servomex,
Matheson Gas Products, Enmet Corp. and others.
The oxygen-content sensor constantly measures the oxygen content in the room and transmits the data to a computerized control unit (not shown) which controls the performance of the hypoxicator 15 to achieve and maintain desired air parameters in accordance to training or therapy protocol.
Preferred oxygen content parameters for hypoxic training or therapy lie in the range from 7% to 13% for controlled medical use and 11%-15% for public use for fitness purposes.
It is also necessary for medical purposes to employ a pulse oximeter which measures SaO2 - blood saturation with oxygen, preferably finger type. Pulse oximeters manufactured by Nellcor Inc., Edentec, Ohmeda, Puritan-Bennet Corp. and Simed Corp. are suitable.
The oximeter mounted on a finger of a user transmits constantly the pulse rate and SaO2 - data to the computerized control unit which chooses the hypoxic parameters most suitable for a user. A humidity and temperature control unit (not shown) may be installed in the system in order to control humidity and temperature inside the room 11.
When the room 11 is in use and the door 12 is closed, the hypoxicator 15 draws the internal room air through the intake 16 returning only the oxygen-depleted gas mixture through the output 18 and discharging the oxygen concentrate through the output 17 outside the room 11. Fresh air is drawn through the ventilating openings 14 equalizing atmospheric pressure inside the room 11 and being mixed with the incoming through the output 18 oxygen-depleted air. The oxygen content level of the air inside the room 11 drops to preset proportions which are maintained by the computerized control unit during the session time in accordance to training or therapy protocol and users conditions.
Another big advantage of the invention presented here is a gradual lowering of the oxygen content of the air inside the hypoxic room during the session which allows a better adaptation to hypoxic condition and eliminates hypoxic shock. A computerized control unit constantly informs a user about the simulated altitude he reaches during a session.
Carbon dioxide produced by a user during a training or therapy session settles because of its higher density and is removed through the low-positioned intake 16 from the room 11. Because of its permeability, which is higher than oxygen and nitrogen, carbon dioxide penetrates faster the oxygen-separating membrane of the hypoxicator 15 and is fully discharged into the atmosphere through the output 17. In case of a molecular sieve-type hypoxicator, carbon dioxide remains with the oxygen concentrate and is removed completely as well.
When the desired oxygen content level is established inside the room 11 and the computerized control unit significantly reduces performance of the hypoxicator 15 the carbon dioxide constantly produced by a user will be always removed first and completely from the room 11. Excessive moisture will be also removed from the room
11 because of the faster permeability of water vapor through the oxygen separating membrane, but the humidity of the air inside room 11 will be constantly reinstated because of the existance of ventilating openings and kinetic properties of water vapor.
Figure 3 shows a schematic design of an alternate embodiment 30 which differs from the preferred embodiment only through the outside installation of the hypoxicator 35. The air inside the hypoxic training room 31 is drawn through the intake 36 inside hypoxicator 35 wherein it is separated into oxygen concentrate being disposed through the output 37 and oxygen-depleted gas mixture being returned through the output 38 back into room 31, etc. All other parts and devices are the same as in the preferred embodiment.
Figure 4 shows a further alternate embodiment 40 wherein the oxygen-depleted air is pumped inside the room 41. The hypoxicator 45 installed preferably outside the room 41 draws outside air through the . dust filter of the intake 46 and disposes oxygen-rich gas mixture through the output 47 blowing the oxygen-depleted air into the room 41 through the output 48.
In this embodiment ventilating openings 44 should be installed preferably in the lower portion of the room walls allowing carbon dioxide to be blown out first. The air flow capacity of the ventilating openings 44 must be greater than the volume of the incoming gas mixture by maximal performance of the hypoxicator 45, because it is necessary to keep normal atmospheric pressure inside the hypoxic training room 41.
This alternate embodiment requires a humidifier in order to reinstate the humidity of the incoming dry gas mixture to desired proportions. It is necessary because water vapor is faster than other gases in penetrating an oxygen-separating membrane which makes oxygen-depleted retentate too dry for comfortable use. In case of a molecular sieve separator water vapor is removed with the oxygen concentrate.
The preferred type of humidifier is a disc spray dispenser widely used in air conditioning systems and which can employ the power of the incoming air stream to produce micro-sized water droplets which evaporate instantly. Any other humidifiers available on the market for home or office use are suitable for the invention presented here and may be installed separately inside or outside a hypoxic room. All other parts and equipment are similar to the preferred embodiment. Hyperbaric conditions may be easily established, if necessary, employing hyperbaric valves at the ventilating openings 44 controlled by a room pressure monitor and computerized control unit similar to the preferred embodiment.
Figure 5 shows a schematic design and a working principle of the membrane type hypoxicator 50. A compressor 51 draws an ambient air and supplies compressed air through an outlet 52 into a membrane separation unit 53 wherein it is separated into oxygen rich permeate and oxygen depleted retentate. The permeate is drawn by a vacuum pump 54 being disposed through the outlet 56 and the retentate is discharged through the conduit 55 inside the hypoxic room (not shown).
The system can also work without the vacuum pump 54 being installed here for increasing the efficiency of the separation unit 53. Otherwise, a fan or a blower may be used instead of compressor 50 in which case an efficient vacuum pump 54 is required to achieve the highest air separation grade across the membranes of the separation unit 53.
Most suitable for invention presented here are Thomas WOBL double piston compressors (series 1207 and 2807) and Thomas WOBL piston or rotary vacuum pumps (series TF16, TF25 and 2750) manufactured by Thomas Industries, Inc.
The membrane separation unit 53 is of known construction and may consist of a set of parallel connected membrane cells or a single cell which employ either flat or capillary membranes. The inlet of the separation unit 53 receives compressed air from conduit 52, and separates the air across the membrane and delivers the oxygen-depleted retentate gas through the outlet to conduit 55. The separation results from a pressure difference created by a compressor 50 and/or vacuum pump 54 expelling the oxygen-rich permeate gas mixture as a result of this compressor and vacuum pump arrangement, the retentate gas mixture is delivered further inside a hypoxic room. Similar membrane separation units, usually with hollow-fiber-polymer membranes, are used currently in the medical oxygen-enriching devices.
The best material for the membranes is selected from the group consisting of poly(dimethylsiloxane) also referred to as PDMS or its copolymer, or poly[1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne] also referred to as PMSP, available from the Sanyo Chemical Co., the Matsushita Electric Company or the General Electric Co. Also suitable for use in forming the membranes of the present invention are silicon rubber, natural rubber, carbon, polybutadiene, polystyrene, ethylcellullose, butyl rubber, Teflon-FEP, polyvinylacetate, poly(2,6-dimethylphenylene oxide) or poly(methylpentene-1). Suitable for use in forming the membranes are porous polyethylene or polypropylene available from Terumo, Bentley, Johnson & Johnson, Bard, Baxter Travenol, 3M, Shiley or Cope. Other possible materials will be apparent to those skilled in the art, who will be able to substitute equivalent materials for those enunciated here without departing from the invention.
In the preferred embodiment, membrane cells are made with a porous, tubular-shaped support structure having a permeable flat sheet membrane layer on the retentate side of the support structure, the membrane layer being preferably from highly permeable organic, synthetic, ceramic, glass, metal, composite, mineral or biologic material, or combinations thereof in symmetric, asymmetric or composite shape, porous or nonporous. Capillary or hollow-fiber membranes may also be used effectively instead of flat membranes. Due to their kinetic properties, water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen penetrate faster through any kind of membranes than nitrogen, which permits a choice of the most permeable membrane under the lowest possible air pressure in order to increase an efficiency of the membrane separation unit 53.
A humidifier may be connected to hypoxicator 50, if necessary, or installed separately in hypoxic room.
Figure 6 shows a schematic design and a working principle of the molecular-sieve type hypoxicator 60 which are almost similar to medical oxygen concentrators being commercialized since mid-1970s and operating on the original Skarstrom cycle. A compressor 61 draws an ambient air and pressurizes it preferably up to 3 to 10 bar pressure. Compressed air is delivered through the outlet 62, switching valves block 63 and connectors 64 to adsorber bed 65 or adsorber bed 66 alternately. The molecular sieve material adsorbes nitrogen from the compressed air, allowing oxygen and other gases to pass through to disposal outlets 67 and 68.
The two sieve beds 65 and 66 are pressurized alternately in a cyclic manner whereby air flow paths 64 are switched by solenoid switching valves 63. The sieve beds are made preferably from steel used for high-pressure gas containers. As soon as sieve material in adsorber bed 65 becomes saturated with nitrogen a pressurizing valve 69 opens depressurizing bed 65, allowing nitrogen to flow through connector 71 to mixing outlet 73 connected to hypoxic room (not shown here). Some of the oxygen produced at this time by bed 66 is used to purge bed 65 (connections from outlet 68 to bed 65 and from 67 to 66 are not shown here in order to simplify the scheme). At that time sieve bed 66 becomes saturated with the nitrogen and a pressurizing valve 70 opens, allowing depressurization of the bed 66 and the nitrogen being flown through a tube 72 to the mixing outlet 73. The complete cycle is then repeated. Oxygen disposal outlets 67 and 68 having pressure regulator valves 74 and 75 may join each other, allowing single-tube oxygen transmittion to a wasting point.
The performance of compressor 60 is controlled by a manual or computerized control unit constantly receiving data from an oxygen content sensor, oximeter and other electronic sensors inside a hypoxic room.
The particulary preferred materials for adsorbing nitrogen are molecular-sieve zeolites or crystalline aluminosilicates of alkali earth elements, both synthetic and natural, and Molecular-Sieve Carbon, type CMSO2, available from Calgon Corp., Bergbau-Forschung GmbH in Germany and Takeda Chemical Company in Japan. Organic zeolites, pillared interlayer clays (PILCS) and other suitable molecular sieve materials may also be used.
The productivity of the hypoxicator in this embodiment should preferably be in a range from 30 to 50 liters per minute of oxygen with 80% to 90% purity which will allow establishing of 12%O2 hypoxic conditions in a 5 cubic meters (185 cubic feet) training room in approximately 10 to 20 minutes.
The most suitable compressor for this embodiment is the Thomas WOBL piston compressor. A humidifier may be connected to hypoxicator 60, if necessary, or installed separately in hypoxic room.
Figure 7 shows a scheme of a most efficient embodiment of hypoxicator 80 employing preferably Molecular Sieve
Carbon type CMSN2 in a pressure-swing adsorption system which allows to produce nitrogen with up to 99.9% purity and absolutely free from carbon dioxide.
Compressor 81 supplies air pressurized preferably up to 3 to 10 bar through the outlet 82, switching valves block 83 and connectors 84 to molecular sieve beds 85 and 86. Each sieve bed is alternately pressurized in a cyclic manner and supplies nitrogen until it becomes saturated with oxygen. Bed 85 is pressurized by closing a pressurizing valve 89 and adsorption process begins. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are adsorbed by the adsorbent and nitrogen flows through the pressure regulator valve 94 and conduit 87 to mixing outlet 93 connected to hypoxic room
(not shown). When adsorbent in the bed 85 becomes saturated with oxygen a solenoid valve 83 switches the flow path of the compressed air to bed 86 which is pressurized by closing pressurizing valve 90.
At the same time, the bed 85 is depressurized by opening valve 85, allowing oxygen to escape from the adsorbent and to be disposed through the conduit 91 and outlet 96. At that time, the adsorbent in the sieve bed 86 becomes saturated with oxygen and valve 83 switches air flow path to bed 85 which is pressurized by closing valve 89. The complete cycle is then repeated.
One, three or four-bed adsorbing units may be made using the same principle, if necessary. CMSN2 is also available from Bergbau-Forshung GmbH and Takeda Chemical Company. Zeolites made of organic materials are also suitable. Under normal operating conditions, the molecular sieve is completely regenerative and will last indefinitely.
The Thomas piston compressors are most suitable for this embodiment. A humidifier may be connected to hypoxicator 80 or installed separately in hypoxic room. All necessary switches, valves, pressure regalators, manometers, pressure display-controllers and transmitters, filters, fittings and tubing are available from Modus Instruments, Inc., Victor Equipment Company and AirSep Corporation.
The invented system could be applied to any closed room or structure, such as a patient room in a hospital, residential rooms, fitness club rooms, office and conference rooms, schools and child care facilities, theatres, cinemas, restaurants and even a room inside a motor vehicle or other means of transportation. Two basic conditions must be met to build a system are sufficient ventilation of the room allowing instant reinstating of the atmospheric pressure inside the room and a safe disposal of oxygen. For instance, a hypoxicator may be installed as shown in figures 1-4 inside or outside a fitness room having a sufficient ventilation through the door or window.
The hypoxic room system may be easily integrated into any air conditioning system of any building or structure using existing ventilation ducts and equipment for delivery hypoxic gas mixture to any floor or room in the building. This will improve peoples state of health, increase their productivity and lower medical expenses. A hypoxicator may be incorporated into any separate room air conditioner. The shown on Fig. 4 installation scheme of hypoxicator makes the system most suitable and safe for use in a passenger car or other motor vehicles with a closed passenger space. Since most of Americans waste hours of their active life every week inside a car some of this time could be used to their advantage - - for hypoxic training.
A small, preferably 12V/DC - powered hypoxicator with membrane or molecular sieve type separation principles described earlier may be installed inside a car interior or behind a dashboard. There is also enough space inside or under passenger seats. A hypoxicators delivery system may be also integrated in a ventilating system. Two conditions must be met in this embodiment in order to create an invented hypoxic room system: an outside air must be drawn for separation and an oxygen concentrate must be discharged outside a car. There are many openings in a car body sufficient to play a role of ventilating openings 44 and constantly equalizing air pressure in a car interior with the outside atmospheric pressure and, if necessary more openings could be made, preferably at doorjambs. The lowest oxygen content of the supplied gas mixture should be preferably 13% - 15% by maximal hypoxicators performance which is absolutely safe and unnoticable by a user and even may be used for fighting sleepiness and increasing attentiveness and vitality. In case of a membrane-type hypoxicator it is simple to preset the performance of the separation unit for a steady supply of the air with 13-15% of oxygen. In case of a molecular sieve adsorption separator, the produced nitrogen should be mixed with the fresh air in proportion 1 : 2.5 which makes the air with exactly 15% of oxygen. The mixing must be safe and automatically which may be achieved by transmitting nitrogen through "Y"-shaped mixing adapter with a larger fresh air intake opening, allowing 2.5 times more ambient air than nitrogen to be automatically sucked into the system for mixing. This and a computerized control unit with the oxygen-depletion alarm will insure the safety of the system for hypoxic training inside a car.
The installation scheme shown on Fig. 2 is also suitable for closed-type motor vehicles. In this case, car ventilation ducts and other car body openings play the role of ventilation openings 14. An oxygen concentrate may be discharged to outside through any specially made opening for outlet 17. The best place for incorporating outlet 17 is an outside mirror supporting structure because it communicates with the a car interior through the mirror adjustment mechanism wherein a connection tubing should be installed inside the mirror supporting structure ending with a specially made opening outside and with the connector at inner panel of the door for hypoxicators outlet 17.
An inhalation mask with hypoxic air supply tubing retractable from a dashboard or other interior part may be also installed for individual hypoxic training inside a motor vehicle . In this case a mask should be preferably handheld, without any straps, which is safer. This application is most beneficially for a long-distance truck drivers or train operators. A motorist, feeling drowsy, could take a 3-5 minute session of hypoxic inhalation which will significally increase his cardiopulmonary activity, attention and vitality. Car manufacturers could easily integrate this invention in a ventilating system of a vehicle as an additional luxury feature. The presented here invention may be marketed as an anti-sleep mode device for operators of any means of transportation. The system can switch on automatically if a user wears on a finger or another body part a pulse oximeter connected to a computerized or fuzzy logic control unit. When a pulse rate of a user drops to the lowest for this individual level a system will be switched on automatically and hypoxic conditions will be established for a time, necessary to increase user activity to desired level. A blood saturation with oxygen is also under constant control.
A big advantage of the invented system for this application is that it does not disturb a user and does not cause a "panic effect" which is genetically preset in humans if a part of the oxygen in the air is replaced by carbon dioxide. The system may be successfully used for hypoxic training of mammals as well.

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. A system for providing a reduced-oxygen atmosphere to a user; said system comprising:
an oxygen-extraction device having an inlet intaking an intake gas mixture and first and second outlets, said first outlet transmitting a first gas mixture having a higher oxygen content than the intake gas mixture and said second outlet transmitting a second gas mixture having lower oxygen content than the intake gas mixture;
a breathing chamber having an internal space therein containing air, and an entry communicating with said internal space and through which the user can enter said internal space;
said second outlet communicating with said internal space and transmitting said second mixture to said internal space so that said second mixture mixes with the air in the internal space and
said first outlet transmitting said first mixture to a location wherein it does not mix with the air in the internal space.
2. The invention according to claim 1 and said inlet of said oxygen-extraction device communicating with said internal space and taking the intake gas mixture from the air in said space.
3. The invention according to claim 1 and said inlet of said oxygen-extraction device not communicating with said internal space and taking the intake gas mixture from the air outside said space.
4. The invention according to claim 1 and said internal space communicating with the atmosphere outside said breathing chamber through vents in said chambers structure.
5. The invention according to claim 4 and said vents having valves for creating pressure difference between the air inside said internal space and atmosphere outside said internal space.
6. A system for providing a low-oxygen environment for a user comprising:
a chamber comprising a door and wall structure defining a closed space into which the user can enter through the door, said door being selectively closable so that when closed, the chamber is substantially isolated from the outside environment;
a gas processing device having an intake and first and second outlets, said device intaking a gas mixture through said intake and emitting a reduced oxygen gas mixture having a lower concentration of oxygen than said gas mixture through said first outlet and enriched-oxygen gas mixture having a greater concentration of oxygen than said gas mixture through said second
outlet;
said first outlet being connected with said chamber so that the reduced-oxygen gas mixture is emitted into said closed space inside the chamber;
said chamber having apertures in the wall structure thereof allowing communication therethrough of air in the outside environment with air in the chamber, said apertures being substantially the sole communication between the closed space and the outside environment when the door is closed;
said gas processing device comprising a pump receiving the gas mixture from the inlet and a separation unit with a reduced oxygen mixture conduit and an enriched oxygen mixture conduit, said first outlet being operatively associated with said reduced oxygen mixture conduit and receiving said reduced oxygen gas mixture therefrom, said second outlet being operatively associated with said enriched oxygen mixture conduit and receiving said enriched oxygen gas mixture therefrom and releasing said mixture to a location removed from said chamber and said apertures.
7. The invention according to claim 6 and said separation unit comprising housing defining a space therein and having a separating membrane block supported in said housing and dividing the space into a retentate space and a permeate space, said pump pumping said gas mixture across said membrane block and separating it into oxygen enriched permeate being disposed outside said chamber and oxygen depleted retentate being released inside said chamber.
8. The invention according to claim 6 and said separation unit comprising a pressure swing adsorption device employing molecular sieve material which adsorbes nitrogen from the intaking gas mixture being compressed by said pump whereby the remaining oxygen concentrate is discharged outside said chamber and the nitrogen concentrate being recovered through the depressurization of the nitrogen-saturated molecular sieve material and is released into said chamber.
9. The invention according to claim 6 and said separation unit comprising a pressure swing adsorption device employing molecular sieve material which adsorbes oxygen from the intaking gas mixture being compressed by said pump whereby the remaining nitrogen concentrate is released into said chamber and the oxygen concentrate being recovered through the depressurization of the oxygen-saturated molecular sieve material and is disposed outside the system.
10. The invention according to claim 6 and said intake being connected with said closed space inside the chamber so that the gas mixture is drawn from the air in the chamber.
11. The invention according to claim 6 and said intake not communicating with said chamber so that the gas mixture outside the chamber is drawn for separation.
12. The invention according to claim 6 and said apertures providing openings of at least 2 square centimeters in said wall structure.
13. The invention according to claim 10 and said apertures providing openings for reinstating atmospheric pressure inside said chamber being located in upper portion of the chamber.
14. The invention according to claim 11 and said apertures providing openings for equalizing atmospheric pressure inside said chamber being located in lower portion of the chamber.
15. The invention according to claim 6 and said chamber is a structure inside means of transportation selected from the group consisting of: motor vehicles, airplanes and helicopters, space ships, ships and submarines;
said system used for hypoxic training, fighting sleepiness and drowsiness and increasing attentiveness of operators of said means of transportation.
16. The invention according to claim 6 and said chamber is a structure selected from the group consisting of commercial, medical, physical training, recreational, residential, educational and entertainment rooms and structures;
said system used for hypoxic training and therapy.
17. A system for hypoxic training and therapy simulating an oxygen-depleted mountain air of different altitudes, said system comprising: a closed space inside a structure having a door and ventilating openings;
an oxygen content-reducing device separating ambient air into an oxygen concentrate and a nitrogen concentrate; said oxygen content-reducing device having a nitrogen concentrate outlet communicating with said closed space and supplying air reduced in oxygen content, a gas inlet receiving air for separation, and an oxygen concentrate outlet not communicating with said closed space;
a control unit to control and regulate the performance of said oxygen content-reducing device;
an oxygen content sensor with oxygen depletion alarm for monitoring oxygen content level inside said closed space communicating with said control
unit;
18. The invention according to claim 17 and said system having humidity and temperature control unit for regulating humidity and temperature of the air inside said closed space.
19. The invention according to claim 17 and said system having a pulse oximeter for monitoring users pulse rate and blood saturation with oxygen, said oximeter transmitting data to said control unit for computerized processing and regulating oxygen content level inside said closed space in accordance to users condition.
20. The invention according to claim 17 and said system having physical exercise equipment inside said closed space, said system used for hypoxic training of humans and mammals in order to increase their strength, vitality and resistance to various diseases.
21. The invention according to claim 17 and said system being equipment for hypoxic therapy and used for preventive therapy and treatment of cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, gynecological, allergy, neurological, skin and ocular diseases and illnesses treatable through activating of immune system of organism.
22. The invention according to claim 17 and said closed space is a space inside an entire building or structure, and said oxygen content-reducing device is incorporated into air-conditioning system of said building or structure using the systems ventilation ducts and equipment for delivery hypoxic gas mixture.
PCT/US1996/011792 1995-07-21 1996-07-16 Hypoxic room system and equipment for hypoxic training and therapy WO1997003631A1 (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE69617477T DE69617477T3 (en) 1995-07-21 1996-07-16 HYPOXIC ROUTER SYSTEM AND EQUIPMENT FOR HYPOXIC TRAINING AND THERAPY
CA002227444A CA2227444C (en) 1995-07-21 1996-07-16 Hypoxic room system and equipment for hypoxic training and therapy
AT96928000T ATE209474T1 (en) 1995-07-21 1996-07-16 HYPOXIC ROOM SYSTEM AND FACILITY FOR HYPOXIC TRAINING AND THERAPY
EP96928000A EP0959862B2 (en) 1995-07-21 1996-07-16 Hypoxic room system and equipment for hypoxic training and therapy

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US08/505,621 US5799652A (en) 1995-05-22 1995-07-21 Hypoxic room system and equipment for Hypoxic training and therapy at standard atmospheric pressure
US08/505,621 1995-07-21

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1997003631A1 true WO1997003631A1 (en) 1997-02-06

Family

ID=24011113

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1996/011792 WO1997003631A1 (en) 1995-07-21 1996-07-16 Hypoxic room system and equipment for hypoxic training and therapy

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US5799652A (en)
EP (1) EP0959862B2 (en)
AT (1) ATE209474T1 (en)
CA (1) CA2227444C (en)
DE (1) DE69617477T3 (en)
WO (1) WO1997003631A1 (en)

Cited By (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0898486A1 (en) * 1997-02-08 1999-03-03 Hypoxico Inc. Apparatus for passive hypoxic training and therapy
EP1062005A1 (en) 1998-03-18 2000-12-27 Wagner Alarm- und Sicherungssysteme GmbH Inerting method for preventing and extinguishing fires in enclosed spaces
WO2002060369A1 (en) * 2001-01-30 2002-08-08 Lothar Erich Gluderer Air-conditioned chamber
WO2004050003A1 (en) * 2002-12-02 2004-06-17 Volker Spiegel Recreation room and method for controlling the atmosphere in the room
DE10261809A1 (en) * 2002-12-19 2004-07-01 Henninger, Richard, Dipl.-Kaufm. Regulating oxygen content in closed room involves mixing oxygen-free gas and gas mixture containing oxygen, especially nitrogen/oxygen mixture, with ventilation system at raised internal pressure
EP1574195A2 (en) * 2004-03-08 2005-09-14 L.O.T. Low Oxygen Technology GmbH Room with variable ambient atmosphere
EP1628083A1 (en) * 2003-05-28 2006-02-22 Loufei Lin A method for improving the air quality in the limited space and the equipment using thereof
US7018443B2 (en) 2000-09-06 2006-03-28 Colorado Altitude Training Llc Method and system for reducing body weight in an enclosed atmospheric environment
EP1663408A2 (en) * 2003-09-11 2006-06-07 CVAC Systems, Inc. Method and apparatus for cyclic variations in altitude conditioning
WO2007054314A1 (en) * 2005-11-10 2007-05-18 Airbus Deutschland Gmbh Fire protection with fuel cell exhaust air
EP1981576A1 (en) * 2006-01-24 2008-10-22 Devx Tech IP Limited A gas supply apparatus with improved control
FR2926627A1 (en) * 2008-01-21 2009-07-24 Jacques Labrador Gas supplying system, has gas supply circuit connected to another gas supply circuit and extraction circuit by three way control valves, where valves permit flow of gas form gas inlet to air outlet, when valves are in position
WO2010081181A1 (en) * 2009-01-14 2010-07-22 Georg Hof Swimming pool having a cover, wherein the air located inside the cover can be conditioned
WO2013144366A1 (en) 2012-03-30 2013-10-03 Nl Nanomed Limited Method for controlling a training device and device for providing a defined room atmosphere
US8813860B2 (en) 2005-11-10 2014-08-26 Airbus Operations Gmbh Fuel cell system for extinguishing fires
WO2016102634A1 (en) * 2014-12-24 2016-06-30 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Air treatment
WO2018073823A3 (en) * 2016-10-18 2018-06-21 Yeda Research And Development Co. Ltd. Treatment of a circadian rhythm disorder
GB2564142A (en) * 2017-07-05 2019-01-09 Sporting Edge Uk Ltd An altitude simulation assembly
EP3334484A4 (en) * 2015-08-12 2019-09-25 The General Hospital Corporation Compositions and methods that promote hypoxia or the hypoxia response for treatment and prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress disorders
GB2603480A (en) * 2021-02-03 2022-08-10 Sporting Edge Uk Ltd An air conditioning assembly

Families Citing this family (110)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5964222A (en) * 1995-07-21 1999-10-12 Kotliar; Igor K. Hypoxic tent system
US6314754B1 (en) * 2000-04-17 2001-11-13 Igor K. Kotliar Hypoxic fire prevention and fire suppression systems for computer rooms and other human occupied facilities
US7931733B2 (en) * 1995-07-21 2011-04-26 Kotliar Igor K Method of producing hypoxic environments in occupied compartments with simultaneous removal of excessive carbon dioxide and humidity
US8141649B2 (en) * 2000-04-17 2012-03-27 Firepass Corporation Hypoxic fire suppression system for aerospace applications
US7900709B2 (en) * 2000-12-28 2011-03-08 Kotliar Igor K Hypoxic aircraft fire prevention and suppression system with automatic emergency oxygen delivery system
US7207392B2 (en) * 2000-04-17 2007-04-24 Firepass Ip Holdings, Inc. Method of preventing fire in computer room and other enclosed facilities
WO1997030745A2 (en) * 1996-02-23 1997-08-28 Christoph Schuster Oxygen inhaler
AUPO163896A0 (en) * 1996-08-14 1996-09-05 Resmed Limited Determination of respiratory airflow
EP0865796B1 (en) * 1996-09-02 2007-03-07 Tkachuk, Elena Nikanorovna Installation for producing a gas mixture for hypoxia therapy
AUPO247496A0 (en) 1996-09-23 1996-10-17 Resmed Limited Assisted ventilation to match patient respiratory need
AU8163598A (en) * 1997-07-31 1999-02-22 Hypoxico Inc. Hypoxic tent system
US5988161A (en) * 1997-09-11 1999-11-23 Kroll; Mark W. Altitude adjustment method and apparatus
US6561185B1 (en) 1997-09-11 2003-05-13 Kroll Family Trust Altitude adjustment method and apparatus
US6016803A (en) * 1998-07-21 2000-01-25 Volberg; Walter Self-contained hyperbaric chamber
US6352078B1 (en) * 1999-09-18 2002-03-05 David E. Harvey Hyperbaric chamber accessories
US6497231B1 (en) * 2000-03-24 2002-12-24 White Perry La'monte Hyperbaric oxygen chamber
AU7765401A (en) * 2000-04-17 2001-10-30 Igor K Kotliar Hypoxic fire prevention and fire suppression systems and breathable fire extinguishing compositions for human occupied environments
US6557374B2 (en) * 2000-12-28 2003-05-06 Igor K. Kotliar Tunnel fire suppression system and methods for selective delivery of breathable fire suppressant directly to fire site
US6560991B1 (en) * 2000-12-28 2003-05-13 Kotliar Igor K Hyperbaric hypoxic fire escape and suppression systems for multilevel buildings, transportation tunnels and other human-occupied environments
GB0020809D0 (en) * 2000-08-23 2000-10-11 Edge Uk Ltd Atmosphere regulation
US6945064B2 (en) * 2001-01-03 2005-09-20 Asir Iyadurai Jebaraj Self-contained air-conditioned enclosure
US6904912B2 (en) * 2001-01-31 2005-06-14 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army Automated inhalation toxicology exposure system
US20030129938A1 (en) * 2001-02-26 2003-07-10 Mitchell David E. Ofspr
US8221329B2 (en) * 2001-07-31 2012-07-17 The United State Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army Inhalation system and method
AU2002341673A1 (en) * 2001-09-14 2003-04-01 The United States Of America, As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Thomas Mcdonnell, Patent C Reduced-oxygen breathing device
FR2831825B1 (en) * 2001-11-08 2004-01-30 Intertechnique Sa DILUTION CONTROL METHOD AND DEVICE FOR RESPIRATORY APPARATUS
US6957651B2 (en) * 2002-01-22 2005-10-25 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy System for simulating metabolic consumption of oxygen
US7946959B2 (en) * 2002-05-30 2011-05-24 Nike, Inc. Training scripts
US20050247311A1 (en) * 2002-09-16 2005-11-10 Charles Vacchiano Reduced-oxygen breathing device
US7011092B2 (en) * 2002-12-12 2006-03-14 Airsep Corporation Portable hypoxic apparatus
US7198045B2 (en) * 2003-02-10 2007-04-03 Hollis Parker Risley Low pressure hyperbaric chamber and method of using the same
US20060196502A1 (en) * 2003-02-13 2006-09-07 Murray Pilcher Oxygen deprivation system
US7520277B1 (en) 2003-04-01 2009-04-21 Daniel Grady CPAP enclosure for the treatment of sleep apnea
US8025055B1 (en) 2003-04-01 2011-09-27 Grady Daniel J CPAP enclosure for the treatment of breathing disorders
US8763712B2 (en) 2003-04-09 2014-07-01 Firepass Corporation Hypoxic aircraft fire prevention system with advanced hypoxic generator
DE10343342B4 (en) * 2003-07-11 2008-10-16 Jahn, Axel, Dr. Method and device for air conditioning a room with an air mixture with lowered oxygen partial pressure
WO2005007273A1 (en) * 2003-07-11 2005-01-27 Axel Jahn Method and device for air-conditioning a room with an air mixture having a lowered oxygen partial pressure
US8118024B2 (en) 2003-08-04 2012-02-21 Carefusion 203, Inc. Mechanical ventilation system utilizing bias valve
US7607437B2 (en) 2003-08-04 2009-10-27 Cardinal Health 203, Inc. Compressor control system and method for a portable ventilator
CA2531926C (en) * 2003-08-04 2017-09-19 Pulmonetic Systems, Inc. Portable ventilator system
US8156937B2 (en) 2003-08-04 2012-04-17 Carefusion 203, Inc. Portable ventilator system
US7575549B2 (en) * 2003-08-22 2009-08-18 Sherwin Uda Miller Apparatus and method for increasing, monitoring, measuring, and controlling perspiratory water and solid loss at reduced ambient pressure
US20050059530A1 (en) * 2003-09-11 2005-03-17 Huang-Tung Chang Mutual action video game exercising device
US20080202774A1 (en) * 2003-12-03 2008-08-28 Kotliar Igor K Method of producing hypoxic environments in enclosed compartments employing fuel cell technology
WO2005069251A2 (en) * 2004-01-06 2005-07-28 Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research Hypoxia awareness training system
US20060185669A1 (en) * 2005-02-18 2006-08-24 Oleg Bassovitch Method and apparatus for intermittent hypoxic training
US7926483B2 (en) * 2005-08-04 2011-04-19 Sir Issac Newton Enterprises LLC System for controlling pressure in defined environment and associated method
US7591795B2 (en) * 2005-09-28 2009-09-22 Alterg, Inc. System, method and apparatus for applying air pressure on a portion of the body of an individual
US20070077200A1 (en) * 2005-09-30 2007-04-05 Baker Clark R Method and system for controlled maintenance of hypoxia for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes
US20070221225A1 (en) * 2006-01-24 2007-09-27 Larry Kutt Simulated Altitude Method and Apparatus
JP5199246B2 (en) 2006-05-22 2013-05-15 ナイキ インターナショナル リミテッド Clock display with translucent cover using light source
CN101541289B (en) * 2006-08-04 2011-10-05 戈蒙医药集团股份有限公司 Hyperbaric/hypoxic chamber system
US7588517B2 (en) * 2006-09-08 2009-09-15 Dale Richardson Physical fitness system
WO2008060175A1 (en) * 2006-11-13 2008-05-22 Simon Naumovich Basovich Method for producing a hypoxic gas mixture used for hypoxitherapy
KR100780448B1 (en) 2006-12-18 2007-11-28 이창희 Training room adaptive oneself to a low oxygen content circumstances
KR100780447B1 (en) * 2006-12-19 2007-11-30 이창희 Training room adaptive oneself to a low pressure content circumstances
US20080210234A1 (en) * 2007-02-12 2008-09-04 O'brien William J Variable pressure chamber having a screw compressor
WO2014153201A1 (en) 2013-03-14 2014-09-25 Alterg, Inc. Method of gait evaluation and training with differential pressure system
US20120238921A1 (en) 2011-03-18 2012-09-20 Eric Richard Kuehne Differential air pressure systems and methods of using and calibrating such systems for mobility impaired users
US10342461B2 (en) 2007-10-15 2019-07-09 Alterg, Inc. Method of gait evaluation and training with differential pressure system
WO2009051750A1 (en) 2007-10-15 2009-04-23 Alterg, Inc. Systems, methods and apparatus for calibrating differential air pressure devices
US20090108082A1 (en) * 2007-10-31 2009-04-30 Richard Goldmann Programmatic climate control of an exercise environment
US20090183738A1 (en) * 2008-01-17 2009-07-23 Vniimi Group Of Companies Device for Complex Interval Normobaric Hypoxic Hyperoxic Training of a Human
US8251876B2 (en) 2008-04-22 2012-08-28 Hill-Rom Services, Inc. Breathing exercise apparatus
ES2351809B1 (en) * 2008-07-31 2011-09-30 Oscar Boada Barrao OXYGEN REDUCING EQUIPMENT FOR HYPOXY CONTROL.
DE102009013396B3 (en) * 2009-03-16 2010-08-05 Dräger Medical AG & Co. KG Apparatus and method for controlling the oxygen dosage of a ventilator
ES2709512T3 (en) * 2009-05-15 2019-04-16 Alterg Inc Differential air pressure systems
US8948824B2 (en) 2009-08-05 2015-02-03 Apple Inc. Electronic devices with clips
JP5276630B2 (en) 2009-10-23 2013-08-28 エア・ウォーター防災株式会社 Gas fire extinguishing equipment
NL2005991C2 (en) * 2011-01-12 2012-07-16 Oosterhuis Beheer B V As HYPOXIC FIRE-FIGHTING SYSTEM, BUILDING EQUIPPED WITH IT AND METHOD FOR THIS.
FR2982164B1 (en) * 2011-11-07 2013-12-27 Cie Maritime Dexpertises DEVICE FOR REDUCING THE RISK OF FIRE IN A HYPERBARE ENCLOSURE
US20130160767A1 (en) * 2011-12-26 2013-06-27 Vera Abella Exercise machine including oxygen dispenser
US9180271B2 (en) 2012-03-05 2015-11-10 Hill-Rom Services Pte. Ltd. Respiratory therapy device having standard and oscillatory PEP with nebulizer
CZ305638B6 (en) * 2012-06-27 2016-01-20 Adam James Hansen Device for controlled handling of air
JP2014129998A (en) * 2012-11-30 2014-07-10 Akira Ishibashi Wall, high-clean room system, manufacturing method thereof and architectural structure
US8920286B2 (en) * 2013-03-15 2014-12-30 Mostafa Sheta Exercise cell, ketosis/weight loss inducing exercise machine (KWIEM) ketosis inducing apparatus (KIA)
US9720443B2 (en) 2013-03-15 2017-08-01 Nike, Inc. Wearable device assembly having athletic functionality
WO2015019322A1 (en) * 2013-08-07 2015-02-12 F.R. Pulford & Son Pty Ltd A hypoxic system and method for delivering oxygen depleted breathing gas to a space
US9764170B2 (en) * 2013-12-18 2017-09-19 The United States Of America As Represented By Secretary Of The Navy Hypoxia recovery system for mask off hypoxia training
EP3186451B1 (en) * 2014-08-11 2019-07-31 Stratosphere ATC LLC Exercise apparatus simulating mild to high altitude environments
EP3042698B1 (en) 2015-01-09 2017-03-08 Amrona AG Method and system to prevent and/or extinguish a fire
US10905836B2 (en) 2015-04-02 2021-02-02 Hill-Rom Services Pte. Ltd. Manifold for respiratory device
USD767754S1 (en) 2015-11-02 2016-09-27 Trainingmask, Llc Resistance and filtration breathing device
USD765237S1 (en) 2015-11-04 2016-08-30 Trainingmask, Llc Resistance breathing device
US9579540B1 (en) 2016-01-06 2017-02-28 Trainingmask, L.L.C. Resistance breathing device
USD811581S1 (en) 2016-03-03 2018-02-27 Trainingmask Llc Resistance breathing device
US9707444B1 (en) 2016-03-22 2017-07-18 Trainingmask Llc Resistance breathing device
US9643048B1 (en) 2016-09-09 2017-05-09 TrainingMask L.L.C. Resistance breathing device
USD820974S1 (en) 2016-09-30 2018-06-19 TrainingMask L.L.C. Resistance breathing device
GB2558625B (en) * 2017-01-11 2020-01-01 Sporting Edge Uk Ltd An air conditioning assembly
DE102017103468A1 (en) * 2017-02-21 2018-08-23 Mecora Medizintechnik Gmbh Room and method for making a room
TWI612412B (en) * 2017-02-22 2018-01-21 啓碁科技股份有限公司 Handfree electric device
JP6877229B2 (en) * 2017-04-27 2021-05-26 川崎重工業株式会社 Air purification system
USD1010028S1 (en) 2017-06-22 2024-01-02 Boost Treadmills, LLC Unweighting exercise treadmill
US20190014726A1 (en) * 2017-07-17 2019-01-17 Stewart E. Erickson Crop growth enhancement technology
DE102017212412A1 (en) * 2017-07-19 2019-01-24 Weiss Umwelttechnik Gmbh Humidifier and method for conditioning air
US11654327B2 (en) 2017-10-31 2023-05-23 Alterg, Inc. System for unweighting a user and related methods of exercise
CN108309639A (en) * 2018-02-11 2018-07-24 夏敬懿 Sleep storehouse promotes the method for sleep and the device with storage function
US10322312B1 (en) 2018-06-01 2019-06-18 TrainingMask L.L.C. Resistance and filtration breathing device
CN109089932A (en) * 2018-08-09 2018-12-28 曲阜师范大学 A kind of integral and intelligent manipulation experimental animal treadmill
CN109620597B (en) * 2018-11-27 2021-05-28 济南昆仲信息科技有限公司 Low-pressure experimental device capable of setting and automatically controlling air pressure and oxygen content
RU2722457C1 (en) * 2019-09-03 2020-06-01 Евгений Леонидович Черняков Personal psychophysiological relaxation device of user
WO2021096864A1 (en) * 2019-11-13 2021-05-20 Vibragenix, LLC System and method for generating, and delivering to standing users, therapeutic acoustic vibrations
JP2021117751A (en) * 2020-01-27 2021-08-10 トヨタ自動車株式会社 Information processing apparatus, information processing method, program, and vehicle
AT17483U1 (en) * 2020-10-09 2022-06-15 Richard Rebec Ing Altitude simulation device for humans and/or animals
US11872433B2 (en) 2020-12-01 2024-01-16 Boost Treadmills, LLC Unweighting enclosure, system and method for an exercise device
US20220257445A1 (en) * 2021-02-16 2022-08-18 United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Normobaric Hypoxia Trainer
CN113520759A (en) * 2021-06-21 2021-10-22 浙江科技学院 Pressure boost oxygenation device for plateau environment
CN113856165A (en) * 2021-08-23 2021-12-31 成建国 Department of respiration is with breathing trainer
US20230115873A1 (en) 2021-10-12 2023-04-13 Boost Treadmills, LLC DAP Platform, Integrated Lifts, System and Related Devices and Methods

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US904172A (en) * 1906-03-10 1908-11-17 Frank Batter Apparatus for therapeutic treatment of the air of living-rooms.
US1224180A (en) * 1913-06-06 1917-05-01 Simon Lake Apparatus for treating certain diseases of the human body.
US4826510A (en) * 1988-01-13 1989-05-02 The John Bunn Company Portable low profile DC oxygen concentrator
US4991616A (en) * 1988-01-11 1991-02-12 Desarrollos, Estudios Y Patentes, S.A. Installation for the supply of oxygen in hospitals and the like
US5101819A (en) * 1991-07-11 1992-04-07 Lane John C Method for inducing hypoxia at low simulated altitudes

Family Cites Families (36)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US375015A (en) * 1887-12-20 Depurator
US365067A (en) * 1887-06-21 Pneumatic cabinet
US476548A (en) * 1892-06-07 Depxrator
US826029A (en) * 1904-11-21 1906-07-17 James Edward Harper Rarefied-air apparatus for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.
US911528A (en) * 1907-12-30 1909-02-02 William I Ewart Therapeutical apparatus.
US1827530A (en) * 1927-12-27 1931-10-13 Carrier Engineering Corp Method and apparatus for producing artificial climates
US2373333A (en) * 1942-07-11 1945-04-10 York Corp Method and apparatus for simulating high altitude climb conditions
US3478769A (en) * 1967-11-29 1969-11-18 Us Navy Automatic control system for decompression chamber
DE2837278A1 (en) * 1978-08-25 1980-03-06 Linde Ag Respirable gas supply - by automatically controlled pure oxygen admission to pure nitrogen
SU1223919A1 (en) * 1981-12-21 1986-04-15 Белорусский Научно-Исследовательский Институт Неврологии,Нейрохирургии И Физиотерапии Method of treatment of children having delays of physical development and hyperdynamic syndrome
SU1338862A1 (en) * 1984-09-12 1987-09-23 Белорусский Научно-Исследовательский Институт Неврологии,Нейрохирургии И Физиотерапии Method of treatment of sleep disturbance of patients having initial symtptoms of cerebral aterosclerosis
DE3587995T2 (en) * 1984-12-27 1995-10-12 Teijin Ltd Oxygenation device.
US5398678A (en) * 1985-06-10 1995-03-21 Portable Hyperbarics, Inc. Hyperbaric chamber and exercise environment
DE3526879A1 (en) 1985-07-26 1987-02-05 Helfried Maechling Method and device for preventing fires or to prevent explosions or unwanted reactions taking place upon air coming into contact with goods placed in a delimited volume, especially of fuel to be transported in tank semitrailer or silo trains or of chemical products to be transported
SU1456161A1 (en) * 1986-06-26 1989-02-07 Всесоюзный Научно-Исследовательский Институт Медицинского Приборостроения Apparatus for respiration with hypoxia mixtures
JPH01274771A (en) * 1988-04-26 1989-11-02 Sanyo Denshi Kogyo Kk Medical oxygen concentrating device
FR2640878A1 (en) 1988-12-28 1990-06-29 Martinez Francisco Therapeutic chamber with reduced pressure
SU1680166A1 (en) * 1989-01-12 1991-09-30 Институт Общей Патологии И Патологической Физиологии Амн Ссср Method for curing the neurasthenia patients
SU1688873A1 (en) * 1989-02-06 1991-11-07 Ш.Х. Хасанов и О.И. Тихомиров Method for therapy of patients with allergic rhinitis and rhinosinusopathies
IT1230268B (en) * 1989-06-13 1991-10-18 Todeschini Carlo Mandello Del EQUIPMENT FOR THE EXECUTION OF GYNNASTIC EXERCISES IN A CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERE.
JPH0352631A (en) * 1989-07-20 1991-03-06 Res Inst For Prod Dev Polymer membrane for oxygen enrichment
JP2637246B2 (en) * 1989-09-11 1997-08-06 帝人株式会社 Oxygen-enriched gas supply device
JP2608958B2 (en) * 1989-10-18 1997-05-14 帝人株式会社 Oxygen concentrator
JP2829538B2 (en) * 1990-03-26 1998-11-25 マツダ株式会社 Torque detector
SU1718965A1 (en) * 1990-04-12 1992-03-15 Московский научно-исследовательский институт психиатрии Method for treating paranoidal schizophrenia
US5061298A (en) * 1990-06-13 1991-10-29 Air Products And Chemicals, Inc. Gas separating membranes formed from blends of polyimide polymers
CA2045965A1 (en) * 1990-06-30 1991-12-31 Hiroyoshi Kawakami Oxygen-permeable polymeric membranes
ATE152364T1 (en) * 1990-08-29 1997-05-15 Tradotec Sa DEVICE FOR PRODUCING A HYPOXIC GAS MIXTURE
US5220502A (en) * 1990-10-10 1993-06-15 Cas Medical Systems, Inc. Automatic blood pressure measurement in hyperbaric chamber
US5082471A (en) * 1990-10-15 1992-01-21 Membrane Technology & Research, Inc. Life support system for personnel shelter
US5133339A (en) * 1991-04-15 1992-07-28 Whalen Robert T Exercise method and apparatus utilizing differential air pressure
ES2131508T3 (en) * 1991-06-12 1999-08-01 Tradotec Sa ERGOMETRIC DEVICE.
US5263476A (en) * 1991-07-08 1993-11-23 Henson-Thiery Corporation Enclosure system for burn victims
US5467764A (en) * 1992-02-19 1995-11-21 Hyperbaric Mountain Technologies, Inc. Hypobaric sleeping chamber
FR2702154A1 (en) 1993-03-05 1994-09-09 Cpea Services Method and device for supplying an oxygen-depleted breathing atmosphere to a human or to an animal
FI98559C (en) * 1993-11-09 1997-07-10 Aga Ab Method and apparatus for regulating the atmosphere in a substantially enclosed animal shelter or equivalent space

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US904172A (en) * 1906-03-10 1908-11-17 Frank Batter Apparatus for therapeutic treatment of the air of living-rooms.
US1224180A (en) * 1913-06-06 1917-05-01 Simon Lake Apparatus for treating certain diseases of the human body.
US4991616A (en) * 1988-01-11 1991-02-12 Desarrollos, Estudios Y Patentes, S.A. Installation for the supply of oxygen in hospitals and the like
US4826510A (en) * 1988-01-13 1989-05-02 The John Bunn Company Portable low profile DC oxygen concentrator
US5101819A (en) * 1991-07-11 1992-04-07 Lane John C Method for inducing hypoxia at low simulated altitudes

Cited By (44)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0898486A4 (en) * 1997-02-08 2000-10-18 Hypoxico Inc Apparatus for passive hypoxic training and therapy
EP0898486A1 (en) * 1997-02-08 1999-03-03 Hypoxico Inc. Apparatus for passive hypoxic training and therapy
EP1062005A1 (en) 1998-03-18 2000-12-27 Wagner Alarm- und Sicherungssysteme GmbH Inerting method for preventing and extinguishing fires in enclosed spaces
EP1062005B1 (en) * 1998-03-18 2003-09-03 Wagner Alarm- und Sicherungssysteme GmbH Inerting method for preventing and extinguishing fires in enclosed spaces
US7018443B2 (en) 2000-09-06 2006-03-28 Colorado Altitude Training Llc Method and system for reducing body weight in an enclosed atmospheric environment
WO2002060369A1 (en) * 2001-01-30 2002-08-08 Lothar Erich Gluderer Air-conditioned chamber
AT501544A1 (en) * 2001-01-30 2006-09-15 Gluderer Lothar Erich CLIMATE CHAMBER
US7841929B2 (en) 2002-12-02 2010-11-30 Volker Spiegel Recreation room and method for controlling the atmosphere in the room
US9636565B2 (en) 2002-12-02 2017-05-02 Volker Spiegel Recreation room and method of adjusting the room atmosphere
WO2004050003A1 (en) * 2002-12-02 2004-06-17 Volker Spiegel Recreation room and method for controlling the atmosphere in the room
CN100450466C (en) * 2002-12-02 2009-01-14 福尔克尔·施皮格尔 Recreation room and method for controlling the atmosphere in the room
DE10261809A1 (en) * 2002-12-19 2004-07-01 Henninger, Richard, Dipl.-Kaufm. Regulating oxygen content in closed room involves mixing oxygen-free gas and gas mixture containing oxygen, especially nitrogen/oxygen mixture, with ventilation system at raised internal pressure
DE10261809B4 (en) * 2002-12-19 2007-05-24 Henninger, Richard, Dipl.-Kaufm. Method and device for controlling the oxygen content in a closed room
DE10261809C5 (en) * 2002-12-19 2009-11-19 Henninger, Richard, Dipl.-Kaufm. Method and device for controlling the oxygen content in a closed room
EP1628083A4 (en) * 2003-05-28 2009-04-15 Loufei Lin A method for improving the air quality in the limited space and the equipment using thereof
EP1628083A1 (en) * 2003-05-28 2006-02-22 Loufei Lin A method for improving the air quality in the limited space and the equipment using thereof
EP2521112A3 (en) * 2003-09-11 2013-07-17 Carl E. Linton Method and apparatus for cyclic variations in altitude conditioning
EP1663408A2 (en) * 2003-09-11 2006-06-07 CVAC Systems, Inc. Method and apparatus for cyclic variations in altitude conditioning
EP1663408A4 (en) * 2003-09-11 2010-04-14 Carl E Linton Method and apparatus for cyclic variations in altitude conditioning
US8535064B2 (en) 2003-09-11 2013-09-17 Cvac Systems, Inc. Method and apparatus for cyclic variations in altitude conditioning
EP1574195A3 (en) * 2004-03-08 2009-10-28 L.O.T. Low Oxygen Technology GmbH Room with variable ambient atmosphere
EP1574195A2 (en) * 2004-03-08 2005-09-14 L.O.T. Low Oxygen Technology GmbH Room with variable ambient atmosphere
US8567516B2 (en) 2005-11-10 2013-10-29 Airbus Operations Gmbh Fire protection with fuel cell exhaust air
CN101304786B (en) * 2005-11-10 2012-02-22 空中客车德国有限公司 Fire protection with fuel cell exhaust air
US8256524B2 (en) 2005-11-10 2012-09-04 Airbus Operations Gmbh Fire protection with fuel cell exhaust air
WO2007054314A1 (en) * 2005-11-10 2007-05-18 Airbus Deutschland Gmbh Fire protection with fuel cell exhaust air
US8813860B2 (en) 2005-11-10 2014-08-26 Airbus Operations Gmbh Fuel cell system for extinguishing fires
EP1981576A4 (en) * 2006-01-24 2014-12-24 Devx Tech Ip Ltd A gas supply apparatus with improved control
EP1981576A1 (en) * 2006-01-24 2008-10-22 Devx Tech IP Limited A gas supply apparatus with improved control
FR2926627A1 (en) * 2008-01-21 2009-07-24 Jacques Labrador Gas supplying system, has gas supply circuit connected to another gas supply circuit and extraction circuit by three way control valves, where valves permit flow of gas form gas inlet to air outlet, when valves are in position
WO2010081181A1 (en) * 2009-01-14 2010-07-22 Georg Hof Swimming pool having a cover, wherein the air located inside the cover can be conditioned
US20120011648A1 (en) * 2009-01-14 2012-01-19 Georg Hof Swimming pool having a cover, whereby the air located inside the cover can be conditioned
AU2010205886B2 (en) * 2009-01-14 2014-07-31 Georg Hof Swimming pool having a cover, wherein the air located inside the cover can be conditioned
WO2013144366A1 (en) 2012-03-30 2013-10-03 Nl Nanomed Limited Method for controlling a training device and device for providing a defined room atmosphere
DE202013011802U1 (en) 2012-03-30 2014-07-28 Nl Nanomed Limited Device for providing a defined room atmosphere
WO2016102634A1 (en) * 2014-12-24 2016-06-30 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Air treatment
EP3334484A4 (en) * 2015-08-12 2019-09-25 The General Hospital Corporation Compositions and methods that promote hypoxia or the hypoxia response for treatment and prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress disorders
US10842812B2 (en) 2015-08-12 2020-11-24 The General Hospital Corporation Compositions and methods that promote hypoxia or the hypoxia response for treatment and prevention of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress disorders
WO2018073823A3 (en) * 2016-10-18 2018-06-21 Yeda Research And Development Co. Ltd. Treatment of a circadian rhythm disorder
GB2564142A (en) * 2017-07-05 2019-01-09 Sporting Edge Uk Ltd An altitude simulation assembly
GB2564142B (en) * 2017-07-05 2019-08-07 Sporting Edge Uk Ltd An altitude simulation assembly
GB2603480A (en) * 2021-02-03 2022-08-10 Sporting Edge Uk Ltd An air conditioning assembly
WO2022167509A1 (en) * 2021-02-03 2022-08-11 Sporting Edge (Uk) Ltd An air conditioning assembly
GB2603480B (en) * 2021-02-03 2023-08-09 Sporting Edge Uk Ltd An air conditioning assembly

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69617477T3 (en) 2005-07-28
DE69617477T2 (en) 2002-08-01
US5799652A (en) 1998-09-01
CA2227444C (en) 2002-02-05
EP0959862B2 (en) 2005-01-19
EP0959862A1 (en) 1999-12-01
CA2227444A1 (en) 1997-02-06
EP0959862A4 (en) 1999-12-01
ATE209474T1 (en) 2001-12-15
DE69617477D1 (en) 2002-01-10
EP0959862B1 (en) 2001-11-28

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
EP0959862B1 (en) Hypoxic room system and equipment for hypoxic training and therapy
US5850833A (en) Apparatus for hypoxic training and therapy
US5964222A (en) Hypoxic tent system
US5924419A (en) Apparatus for passive hypoxic training and therapy
US9492781B2 (en) Portable oxygen enrichment device and method of use
JP5571697B2 (en) Oxygen concentrator
US7931733B2 (en) Method of producing hypoxic environments in occupied compartments with simultaneous removal of excessive carbon dioxide and humidity
ES2206606T3 (en) PROCEDURE AND DEVICE FOR THE SUPPLY OF ONE OR A PLURALITY OF SPACES OF A BUILDING WITH AN INCREASED OXYGEN OFFER.
CA2472752C (en) A method of controlling the concentration of purified nitrogen and oxygen in air conditioned space
CN205505206U (en) Multi -functional air conditioner
GB2122103A (en) Apparatus for supplying oxygen-enriched air
US20190126096A1 (en) Apparatus for providing controlled flow of inhalation-air to a user
CN110575596A (en) Intermittent high-low oxygen training system
CN115212057B (en) Method and system for regulating and controlling micro-negative pressure oxygen-enriched state in isolation space and isolation rehabilitation cabin
JP2000314542A (en) Oxygen-enriched environmental apparatus
JP3245387B2 (en) Special composition air supply device
CN210991238U (en) Vehicle special for oxygen enrichment in rescue
WO1999006115A1 (en) Hypoxic tent system
CN110665134B (en) Ear-wearing waist-hanging body-building aerator
JPS6331251B2 (en)
JPS63213734A (en) Gas concentration adjusting system in living room
KR20080002825U (en) Unilocular type of Hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber
CN214665043U (en) Portable oxygen enrichment system for respiratory protection
JP2001000553A (en) Oxygen thickening device for oxygen therapy
JPH08189211A (en) Oxygen feeding mechanism for bathroom

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): CA

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE CH DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE

DFPE Request for preliminary examination filed prior to expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed before 20040101)
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
ENP Entry into the national phase

Ref document number: 2227444

Country of ref document: CA

Ref country code: CA

Ref document number: 2227444

Kind code of ref document: A

Format of ref document f/p: F

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 1996928000

Country of ref document: EP

WWP Wipo information: published in national office

Ref document number: 1996928000

Country of ref document: EP

WWG Wipo information: grant in national office

Ref document number: 1996928000

Country of ref document: EP