ES2660379T3 - Microbubble generation device for hydrotherapy systems - Google Patents

Abstract

Device (100) for generating microbubbles in a hydrotherapy system, said device (100) comprising: i) a first pump (110) comprising a multi-stage pumping unit (111) and a motor (112) connected in operation at the same, ii) at least one suction tube (120) intended to be connected to a water supply; iii) at least one discharge tube (130) intended to be connected to a bathtub (200) of a hydrotherapy system; wherein said suction tube (120) and said discharge tube (130) are connected respectively to a first stage (111a) of said multi-stage pumping unit (111) having a minimum height, and to a second stage ( 111b) of the multi-stage pumping unit (111) having a maximum height, the device being characterized by further comprising: iv) a second pump (140) configured to generate an air flow; v) a feed duct (141) for supplying said air flow, wherein said feed duct (141) is connected at one end to an outlet of the second pump (140) and at the end opposite to said first stage (111a) of the multi-stage pumping unit (111) of said first pump (110), whereby air is mixed with the water sucked by the multi-stage pumping unit (111) along the path of flow leading to its stage (111b) of maximum height and the microbubbles are generated and discharged along with the water through the discharge tube (130).

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Microbubble generation device for hydrotherapy systems Sector of the invention

The present invention relates, in general, to devices for hydrotherapy and spa systems and, in particular, to a device for generating microbubbles in said systems. The U.S.A. 2007094784 A1 discloses a device according to the preamble of claim 1.

Background

Hydrotherapy and spa systems are known that include cuvettes, for example, bathtubs for domestic use, in which flows of pressurized water are generated by means of pumps, and are supplied through conduits suitable for massaging a user's body for relax the muscles and / or for therapeutic purposes. These systems are also known as hydromassage systems.

Devices are also known for hydrotherapy systems configured to generate microbubbles, that is, micrometric sized bubbles. It is known that microbubbles have considerable benefits for human health, specifically because they contain gases such as oxygen and ozone, as well as oxygen ions, which are very effective in neutralizing a wide variety of toxins. More generally, microbubbles contribute effectively to the sense of well-being that a hydrotherapy system can provide to users.

U.S.A. 8646759 B2 describes a microbubble generation device that can be connected to a bathtub. The device comprises a pump for feeding water to a bucket and a device for injecting a gas into the water, for example, air. The device is disposed below the pump with respect to a direction along which the water is fed. Gas injection is produced by Venturi effect, due to the passage of water fed to the bathtub, or with the help of a pump.

The water with the gas dissolved in it is fed to the bucket through a saturation and mixing device, in which microbubbles are formed due to the swirling movement generated within it. The liquid leaving the saturation and mixing device is fed to the bathtub through a suitable pipe and connection hole.

U.S.A. 8505575 B2 describes a microbubble generation device that can be connected to a bathtub. Water drawn by a pump through an inlet port is fed to two separate outlet ports, one configured to supply pressurized water with microbubbles, and the other configured to supply pressurized water only, as in a traditional hydromassage system. . The microbubbles are generated by the aspiration of air by the Venturi effect through a valve connected to a mixer. The mixer is arranged externally to the pump and is fed with water through a suitable tube connected to a pump inlet tube. The water enriched with air leaving the mixer is fed to a relief valve to which the pump also directly supplies a flow of pressurized water. Inside the relief valve, the water is subjected to a swirling movement, which allows microbubbles to be generated.

Another device for generating microbubbles is described in Japanese Patent Publication JP 2011-31190 A. Also in this case, a pump draws water from a bucket and feeds it to a group within which a mixer is arranged. The mixer has a reduced cross section adapted to generate turbulence in the fluid flow. The device also comprises an inlet valve for the aspiration of air, which is injected into the flow of water through a unidirectional valve disposed above the group in which the mixer is arranged. The water that reaches the mixer contains a gas that forms microbubbles due to the turbulent flow generated by the mixer.

The U.S.A. 2007/094784 A1 describes a system for a spa comprising a water flow path and an air injection hole in communication with the water flow path. An air supply system comprising an inlet opening and an inlet valve is periodically placed in fluid communication with the air injection port. The air fed from the air supply system is fed to the path of the water flow by Venturi effect.

Other examples of hydromassage and / or spa devices are described in publications DE 3544002 A1, EP 0376843 A2, U.S.A. 2003/172451 A1, DE 102011118893 A1, U.S.A. 2010/223721 A1 and WO 90/01917 A1.

The devices for the generation of microbubbles known in the art and exemplified above have a remarkable structural complexity and, therefore, have high manufacturing costs.

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In addition, devices that take advantage of the Venturi effect as a means to aspirate air into a water flow require delicate adjustment operations, in order to establish a pressure gradient that allows to ensure air aspiration during the operation of a hydrotherapy system.

Characteristics of the invention.

Therefore, there is a need to simplify bath devices from a structural point of view, which is an object of the present invention. Said objective is achieved with a device for the generation of microbubbles whose main characteristics are specified in the first claim, while other characteristics are specified in the remaining claims.

An idea of the solution underlying the invention is to generate microbubbles without resorting to special mixers or valves or take advantage of the Venturi effect. For this purpose, the device according to the invention comprises a first pump comprising a multi-stage pumping unit and a second pump configured to generate an air flow and feed it to the multi-stage pumping unit of the first pump through a suitable conduit

More specifically, the conduit of the second pump is connected to a first stage of the multi-stage pumping unit having a minimum height, whereby the air is mixed with the water sucked by the pumping unit along the flow path leading to a stage of maximum height of the multi-stage pumping unit. In this way, a series of microbubbles are generated inside the multi-stage pumping unit due to the swirling movement generated by its impellers.

The flow of water leaving the stage of the pumping unit that has the maximum height is thus enriched with microbubbles and is supplied to a bucket. In other words, microbubbles are generated by pumping air directly to the pump that supplies the water, specifically to its multi-stage pumping unit, which is used as a means of mixing and homogenization. This configuration is different from that of the devices known in the art, which take advantage, in general, of the Venturi effect by means of accessories and / or valves arranged above or below a pump.

The main advantage offered by the invention is to disclose a device for the generation of microbubbles whose structure is simple and cheap, since no external mixing device is used. In a different way, thanks to the use of a second pump for the generation of an air flow, the pump that supplies water to a bucket is also used to generate microbubbles and homogenize them with water.

The second pump can advantageously be a diaphragm pump, or an equivalent thereof, which has a simple structure and has few maintenance requirements. This type of pump is very cheap, so it has a minimal impact on the overall costs of the device according to the invention.

The configuration of the device according to the invention is therefore simple and robust thanks to the presence of a limited number of components, and extremely economical.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the device for generating microbubbles can advantageously comprise a control system configured to manage the operation of the second pump intermittently. This feature of the invention makes it possible to avoid an excessive accumulation of air inside the multi-stage pumping unit, which would prevent the proper functioning of the pump.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a discharge tube of the device may advantageously be provided with a flow control valve, for example, a tubular throttling element or a ball valve, which serves to reduce the water flow after the Maximum height stage of the multi-stage pumping unit, thereby causing an increase in pressure inside and facilitating swirling movements in order to improve the generation of microbubbles.

Other advantages and features of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example.

Brief description of the drawings

Reference will be made to the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view schematically showing a device for generating microbubbles according to the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

Referring to Figure 1, a device for generating microbubbles according to the invention is indicated, in general, with the reference number -100- and is shown schematically with respect to a reference system -V-, -L-. In this reference system, a vertical direction -V- represents the direction along the

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which acts gravity, and a longitudinal direction -L-, perpendicular to the vertical direction -V-, represents the direction along which the ducts of the device -100- extend mainly.

The device -100- comprises a first pump -110- which, in turn, comprises a multi-stage pumping unit -111-, for example, comprising centrifugal impellers, and a motor -112- to which the pumping unit Multistage -111- is connected in operation.

At least one suction tube -120- is connected to the multi-stage pumping unit -111-. In an operating configuration of the device -100-, the suction tube -120- extends, for example, in the longitudinal direction -L- and is connected to a bucket -200-, for example, a bathtub, shown only partially and schematically in figure 1. The suction pipe -120- is connected to the cuvette -200- through a first hole -210-.

At least one discharge pipe -130- is also connected to the multi-stage pumping unit -111-. In an operating configuration of the device -100-, the discharge tube -130-, for example, extends in the longitudinal direction -L- and is connected to the cuvette -200- in a second hole -220-.

The suction tube -120- and the discharge tube -130- are connected respectively in a known manner to a first stage -111a- of the multi-stage pumping unit -111- which has a minimum height, as well as to a stage -111b- of the multi-stage pumping unit -111- which has a maximum height.

More specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the stage -111a- having a minimum height is disposed at a free end of the multi-stage pumping unit -111- in the longitudinal direction -L-, while the stage -111b- of the multi-stage pumping unit -111- having a maximum height is adjacent to the motor -112- of the pump -110-.

The first and second holes -210-, -220- are arranged near the bottom of the cuvette -200-, thus guaranteeing the aspiration of water and the supply of a stream of water with microbubbles even when the cuvette is not completely filled .

The device -100- and the cuvette -200- connected in this way define a hydrotherapy system.

It will be appreciated that the operating configuration of the hydrotherapy system described above allows a recirculation of the water already existing in the bucket -200-. Alternatively, the suction tube -120- connected to the multi-stage pumping unit -111- can in turn be connected to the supply network to allow filling of the cuvette -200-. In addition, additional suction tubes can also be connected between the multi-stage pumping unit -111- and the cuvette -200- through suitable valve systems and hydraulic fittings.

According to the invention, the device -100- for the generation of microbubbles also comprises a second pump -140- configured to supply an air flow. The device -100- also comprises a supply line -141- connected at one end to an outlet of the second pump -140- and at the end opposite to the first stage -111a- of minimum height of the multiple pumping unit stages -111- of the first pump -110-. The second pump -140- can be, for example, a membrane-type pump, which has a particularly simple and cheap structure, or an equivalent thereof.

The air flow fed by the second pump -140- to the first stage -111a- of the multi-stage pumping unit -111- is mixed with the water from the suction pipe -120- and, as a result of the movement of swirl caused by the impellers of the multi-stage pumping unit -111-, the microbubbles are progressively generated. The microbubbles are discharged together with the water of the stage -111b- of maximum height of the multi-stage pumping unit -111- and flow through the discharge tube -130-.

In other words, the connection of the supply line -141- of the second pump -140- to the multi-stage pumping unit -111- allows to take advantage of the entire water path inside it for the generation of microbubbles.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the discharge tube -130- is advantageously provided with a flow adjustment means -131-, for example, a tubular throttling element or a ball valve, which serves to reduce the flow rate of water leaving the stage -111b- of maximum height of the multi-stage pumping unit -111-, which causes an increase in the pressure inside. This improves the generation of microbubbles.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the device for generating microbubbles can advantageously comprise a control system (not shown) configured to manage the operation of the second pump -140- intermittently. This feature of the invention makes it possible to avoid the accumulation of air in the multi-stage pumping unit, which would penalize the correct operation of the pump.

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During operation of the device -100-, the pump -140- is cyclically activated for a first predetermined time, for example 2 minutes, and then deactivated for a second predetermined period of time, for example 30 seconds. In this way, a possible excess of air inside the multi-stage pumping unit -111- can be discharged effectively.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the duct -141- of the second pump -140- for feeding the air flow to the pumping unit -111- is advantageously provided with flow interception means configured to prevent the entry of water in the second pump -140- in case of water filtration of the multi-stage pumping group -111-.

Said flow interception means can be formed in a simple and economical manner by means of a siphon -142- arranged above the multi-stage pumping unit -111- with respect to a vertical direction -V-.

Alternatively, a unidirectional valve may be installed in the supply line -141, the unidirectional valve being arranged to allow a flow of fluid, that is, an air flow, only from the second pump -140- to the pumping unit multi-stage -111-.

As shown in Figure 1, the suction tube -120- is connected to the multi-stage pumping unit -111- in a lower portion thereof with respect to the vertical direction -V-, thus allowing to drain by gravity the residual water existing in the pumping unit -111- of the pump -110- at the end of an operating cycle of the hydrotherapy system, for example, when the cuvette -200- is empty in the illustrated operating configuration.

In addition, in an operating configuration of the hydrotherapy system, such as that shown in Figure 1, and referring to the vertical direction -V-, the multi-stage pumping unit -111- is arranged higher than the orifice - 210- connecting the suction tube -120- to the cuvette -200-. In this way, the suction tube -120- connected to the cuvette -200- in the longitudinal direction -L- is slightly inclined downwards in the vertical direction -V-, thereby allowing the gravity discharge of the residual water from the First pump -110- to the bucket -200- after it has been emptied, thus allowing complete drainage of the first pump -110-.

In the alternative embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 2, the device -100- comprises the same components, the only difference is that the stage -111a- which has a minimum height of the multi-stage pumping unit -111- is arranged adjacent to the motor -112- of the pump -110-, while the stage -111b- having a maximum height is arranged at a free end of the multi-stage pumping unit -111- in the longitudinal direction -L- .

The invention has been disclosed herein by referring to preferred embodiments thereof. It will be appreciated that there may be additional embodiments based on the same idea of the invention as defined by the scope of protection of the claims set forth below.

Claims (7)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 35 40 Four. Five 1. Device (100) for generating microbubbles in a hydrotherapy system, said device (100) comprising: i) a first pump (110) comprising a multi-stage pumping unit (111) and a motor (112) connected in operation thereto, ii) at least one suction tube (120) intended to be connected to a water supply; iii) at least one discharge tube (130) intended to be connected to a bathtub (200) of a hydrotherapy system; wherein said suction tube (120) and said discharge tube (130) are connected respectively to a first stage (111a) of said multi-stage pumping unit (111) having a minimum height, and to a second stage ( 111b) of the multi-stage pumping unit (111) having a maximum height, the device being characterized by further comprising: iv) a second pump (140) configured to generate an air flow; v) a feed duct (141) for supplying said air flow, wherein said feed duct (141) is connected at one end to an outlet of the second pump (140) and at the end opposite to said first stage (111a) of the multi-stage pumping unit (111) of said first pump (110), whereby air is mixed with the water sucked by the multi-stage pumping unit (111) along the path of flow leading to its stage (111b) of maximum height and the microbubbles are generated and discharged along with the water through the discharge tube (130). 2. Device (100) according to claim 1, wherein said second pump (140) is a diaphragm type pump. 3. Device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said discharge tube (130) comprises an interception and flow adjustment element (131). 4. Device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the feed duct (141) for feeding the air flow comprises means of interception of the flow configured to prevent water from entering the second pump (140). Device (100) according to claim 4, wherein said means of interception of the flow consist of a siphon (142), said siphon (142) being arranged above the pumping unit (111) of the first pump ( 110) with respect to a vertical direction (V). 6. Hydrotherapy system, said hydrotherapy system comprising a device (100) for generating microbubbles, according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and a bathtub (200), wherein said device (100) is connected to said bathtub (200) through at least one suction tube (120) and at least one discharge tube (130). 7. Hydrotherapy system according to the preceding claim, wherein, with reference to a vertical direction (V), a pumping unit (111) of the device (100) for the generation of microbubbles is arranged higher than a nozzle ( 210) connecting said suction tube (120) to the bathtub (200).