1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioning apparatus of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which is used for helping pressured air inside the chamber remain at lower temperature so that people will not feel too hot when receiving service in the chamber.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a treatment in which patients, e.g. those suffering from caisson disease, breathes high concentration oxygen while lying or seated in a large chamber. Because oxygen is relatively expensive and combustible, it will be a waste of money and dangerous to fill the chamber with hyperbaric oxygen, and a chamber is used to provide a sealed space, into which pressured air is fed, and people receiving therapy breathe high concentration oxygen supplied to them via hoods or respirators, which are worn on them. In the light of the fact that some high concentration oxygen can leak into a hyperbaric chamber from a hood used in the chamber in therapy, conventional hyperbaric chambers are not equipped with other electric devices therein lest sparks of electric devices should cause gas in the chamber to explode. Consequently, the temperature of air inside a sealed hyperbaric chamber will become uncomfortably hot because of lack of cooling devices.
Referring to FIG. 4, a cooling device 33 is provided for overcoming the above disadvantage. The cooling device 33 is connected to an appropriate portion of an air inlet pipe 32 of a hyperbaric chamber 31. When pressured air is being supplied into the chamber 31 via the inlet pipe 32, it will first travel through the cooling device 33, and the temperature thereof is reduced. Thus, air is cooler when being supplied into the chamber 31.
However, because air will no longer be supplied through the cooling device 33 into the chamber 31 as soon as air pressure inside the chamber 31 has reached certain level, supply of cool air is limited to early stage of use of the chamber 31. In other words, the temperature inside the chamber 31 will still become higher and higher on the later stage of the course of the chamber 31 being used, causing the users to feel uncomfortable.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning apparatus to the hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which can function to make air cool throughout use of the chamber. The air conditioning apparatus is disposed inside the chamber, and has an air-actuated revolving member for making an axial flow fan revolve so as to force air inside the chamber to travel through a cooling device; thus, the temperature of air inside the chamber is maintained at a comfortably low level, and air circulation is enhanced for the users of the chamber. Because the revolving member is actuated by air pressure, it will not produce sparks to cause high concentration oxygen to explode.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds