(19)
(11) EP 0 676 185 A2

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(43) Date of publication:
11.10.1995 Bulletin 1995/41

(21) Application number: 95500031.0

(22) Date of filing: 10.03.1995
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)6A61H 33/06
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH DE ES FR GB IT LI LU NL PT

(30) Priority: 10.03.1994 ES 9400491

(71) Applicant: SYSTEM-POOL, S.A.
E-12540 Villarreal (Castellon) (ES)

(72) Inventor:
  • Parra Soriano, Manuel José
    E-12540 Villarreal (Castellon) (ES)

(74) Representative: Duran Moya, Luis-Alfonso et al
DURAN-CORRETJER, S.L., Paseo de Gracia, 101
08008 Barcelona
08008 Barcelona (ES)


(56) References cited: : 
   
       


    (54) Individual sauna cabin


    (57) The improvements relate to the provision of a system for the recirculation of hot air and steam inside the sauna cabin (1) with independent outlets (8,9) for the steam and the hot air arranged in the lower portion of the cabin and respectively connected to the steam generator (5), which is arranged outside the cabin and at its lower portion, and to a pipe (18) outside the cabin leading from an intake in the roof of the same and having heating resistance elements (19,20). The improvements are applicable to individual sauna cabins and permit an improvement in the thermal efficiency and the elimination of excessively hot zones in the top portion.




    Description


    [0001] The present invention relates to improvements to individual cabins for sauna, hydromassage and the like, contributing substantial features of novelty and inventive progress to the state of the art.

    [0002] Individual sauna cabins are intended to enable the user to take a sauna in domestic conditions without having to go to specific centres for those types of bath. At present, various types of individual cabins are known which generally comprise an enclosure having sufficient space for the user, that is to say, cabins for individual use, having an access door and being equipped inside with outlets for steam having a controllable temperature, shower devices using cold and/or hot water, and other accessories such as a keypad accessible from the interior of the cabin for varying the treatment features, that is to say, temperature, treatment time and other parameters, the cabin also having other elements such as illuminating lights and the like.

    [0003] In some known types of sauna cabin, the assembly comprising the steam generator, the system for recirculating the interior air of the cabin, and steam and air outlets is provided in the roof of the cabin where all of the said devices are arranged inside an enveloping arrangement disposed on the top of the actual cabin. Although that arrangement saves a small amount of space, a large number of disadvantages result in the same, above all owing to the necessity of obtaining access by way of steps and other similar means to the upper portion of the cabin, dismantling a cumbersome upper covering, etc., which means that any small maintenance or repair task becomes a complicated operation and takes up a substantial amount of time.

    [0004] In other cases, individual sauna cabin systems are known in which there is only one steam inlet of a modifiable type at the lower portion of the cabin, without any specific system for recirculation, or with recirculation via the actual lower portion, which substantially reduces the efficiency of the cabin and increases the unevenness of its thermal distribution along the length thereof.

    [0005] The present improvements are intended to obtain an efficient distribution of the hot air and steam inside the cabin via the lower portion of the same, providing means such that the recirculation intake is formed in the roof or upper portion of the cabin in a very economical and efficient manner, given the tendency to rise of the steam and hot air which are injected into the lower portion, and such that an ascending flow is obtained which is complemented by a recirculation system with an intake in the roof of the cabin and conveyance to the lower portion of the same by way of external piping which runs vertically down one side of the cabin or down the rear portion of the same and which has in the descending section resistance elements for heating and regulating the temperature of the recirculated air. Likewise, an inlet for external air may optionally be provided which is advantageously controlled by means of a valve controlled by the central control system of the sauna.

    [0006] The assembly comprising the steam generator, water-distributing tank, control valves, system for eliminating water hardness, etc., is arranged outside the cabin and at the lower portion of the same, which facilitates maintenance tasks. If desired, in order to reduce the space taken up by the cabin, the assembly of devices could be arranged in an inset portion or recess provided in the lower portion of the cabin and forming a seat for the user.

    [0007] By means of the present improvements, it is possible to obtain high-quality shower cabins with saunas which require only simple equipment which is easy to install and maintain and which consumes a limited amount of electricity, being especially suitable for domestic use. An important advantage of the present improvements is based on the very efficient use of energy in the circulation of hot air, owing to the already explained recirculation from the lower portion to the upper portion of the cabin as a result of the natural tendency of hot air and steam to rise in the atmosphere.

    [0008] Thus, the system includes sucking air, which has heated the surroundings and which has lost its excess heat, from the interior of the cabin via the roof, conveying it to a lateral outlet and via an external pipe, and reintroducing it into the interior of the cabin via the lower portion of the same, having previously subjected it to the heating action of electrical resistance elements.

    [0009] In addition, suction from the roof also brings the advantage of avoiding the over-heating of this zone, which occurs in some individual sauna cabins of known type.

    [0010] The operation of the cabin is controlled by a central processing unit in the form of a replaceable electronic circuit board (computer) to which access can be gained by means of a membrane keypad of known type incorporated in the sauna cabin and accessible from the inside of the same.

    [0011] By means of the manual control of the sauna indicated above, the steam and hot air can function together or separately, so that the various types of sauna can be obtained. Thus the user, by operating the keypad, can select various types of function such as:
    • hot steam operation only;
    • hot air operation only;
    • combined steam and air operation.


    [0012] It should be borne in mind that, in the last-mentioned case, the consumption of electricity is relatively high and it may therefore be necessary in cases where the domestic installation does not have sufficient power to use resistance elements for heating the air in partial manner.

    [0013] As indicated, the operation of the cabin is controlled by the programmable central processing unit which regulates the operation of the cabin as a function of the user's requirements according to the version he programmes. Of course, the programmed variants can advantageously be changed by the manufacturer by varying the programmes which can be accessed by the user by means of the central control unit.

    [0014] For the purpose of better understanding, and by way of example, some explanatory drawings of a preferred embodiment of a sauna cabin manufactured in accordance with the present invention are attached.

    [0015] Figure 1 shows diagrammatically the assembly of devices affected by the present improvements, without expressly representing the accessories and other devices customary in a hydromassage cabin, such as water jets, fixed showers and tele-showers, etc.

    [0016] Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of the relative arrangement of the recirculation pipe.

    [0017] Figure 3 is a plan view corresponding to Figure 1.

    [0018] Figure 4 shows a variant of the present improvements.

    [0019] The present improvements are applicable to shower and sauna cabins 1 which comprise a substantially parallelepipedal body having a front access door 2 and which, according to the present improvements, have a steam generating system which is arranged at the lower external portion of the cabin and which may be disposed, if desired, in an inset portion or recess in the actual body of the cabin 1 (see Figure 4) and essentially comprises an assembly indicated by the numeral 3 which includes a water inlet, a steam generator and distribution pipes and basically comprises a central water-receiving tank 4 which functions by a system of ducts communicating with the steam generator 5 which has heating means shown diagrammatically 6 and which communicates by means of a pipe 7 with a steam outlet 8 arranged in the base of the cabin, adjacent to an outlet 9 for the recirculation air, which circuit will be explained below.

    [0020] The supply water for the tank 4 passes from an inlet pipe 10 in which are arranged corrector elements 11, for example of magnetic type, in order to prevent excessive encrustation, the entry of water being controlled by a means of an electrical valve 12, and a second electrical valve 13 being provided for controlling the emptying of the tank 4. An electrical pump 23 forces the water towards the pressurised shower outlets (not shown) of the actual cabin. The said electrical valves are controlled by a central processing unit which is shown diagrammatically with the numeral 14 and which is adjacent to a connection box 15, the unit and the box preferably both being arranged at one side or at the rear portion of the cabin, and there is also provided a flexible keypad 16 which is accessible from the inside of the cabin and which is used for the manual control of the operation of the cabin assembly, accessing the programmes previously stored in the central processing unit by the manufacturer.

    [0021] The present improvements provide for the recirculation of hot air inside the cabin from its lower portion to its upper portion in such a manner that the outlet 9 receives the air captured in the upper portion of the cabin by way of a centrifugal fan 17 which forces the air to an external pipe 18 which communicates with the outlet 9. The said external pipe 18 has heating resistance elements indicated in diagrammatic form by the numerals 19 and 20.

    [0022] By means of the explained arrangement, both hot steam and also hot air which are fed in at the lower portion of the cabin rise in natural manner as a result of the difference in temperature towards the upper portion where the recirculation intake is arranged. That substantially improves the efficiency of the installation by reducing the consumption of energy, and also prevents the formation of excessively hot zones in the top portion of the actual cabin.

    [0023] As is customary, there are arranged in the cabin fixed shower units and tele-shower units and also elements for operating water jets, which, because they are customary in this type of installation, have not been shown. Arranged in the roof there are also a light 21 and a sound amplifier 22 optionally connected to an AM-FM receiver.

    [0024] Customary devices, such as protection thermostats and other similar elements, have also not been shown in detail because they are conventional elements not dependent on the present improvements.

    [0025] As will be appreciated, the illumination light 21 will be fed from a 12 volt voltage source in order to avoid any risk, however remote, to the user of the cabin.

    [0026] The present improvements will of course permit various specific versions to be obtained, including:

    a) a shower and sauna cabin provided with the systems described above, that is to say, a hydraulic hydromassage system by way of a hydraulic electrical pump and a regulating tank, generation of steam by electrical resistance elements and a pipe for supply to an outlet in the lower portion of the cabin, there being provided recirculation and heating of the air sucked in from the upper portion of the cabin and forced to the lower portion with heating by means of resistance elements, with a 12 volt light arranged in the roof and an AM-FM receiver and amplifier, all of which may be connected to a shower frame;

    b) shower-sauna cabin as version 1, adaptable to a hydromassage bath or a normal bath;

    c) shower-sauna cabin as version 1, but without a system for the recirculation of air, adaptable to a shower frame;

    d) shower-sauna cabin as version 1, but without a system for the recirculation of air, adaptable to a hydromassage bath or a normal bath;

    e) shower-sauna cabin as version 1, but without a steam system, adaptable to a shower frame;

    f) shower-sauna cabin as version e, adaptable to a hydromassage bath.



    [0027] Versions c) to f) cannot have a 12 volt light or a radio receiver.


    Claims

    1.- Improvements to individual sauna and shower cabins of the type comprising a substantially parallelepipedal cabin (1) with front access by way of a door (2), with an associated steam generator (5) for the generation of steam which is to be introduced into the interior of the cabin (1), and also including pressurised water jet devices and shower devices, characterised by the provision of a system for the recirculation of the interior air of the cabin by means of an intake in the upper portion which is connected to a descending pipe (18) which passes via the outside of the cabin and has heating resistance elements (19) and (20) and leads into an air outlet (9) arranged in the lower portion of the cabin, preferably adjacent to an outlet (8) for steam coming from the steam generator (5) which is arranged outside the cabin and at the lower portion of the same and which has an arrangement of ducts communicating with a tank (4) which receives water via a pipe provided with a magnetic de-ionising device (11) and which, by means of an electrical pump (12), is capable of feeding the pressurised shower outlets incorporated in the actual cabin.
     




    Drawing