Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F23—COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION PROCESSES
  • F23Q—IGNITION; EXTINGUISHING-DEVICES
  • F23Q2/00—Lighters containing fuel, e.g. for cigarettes
  • F23Q2/16—Lighters with gaseous fuel, e.g. the gas being stored in liquid phase
  • F23Q2/173—Valves therefor

Definitions

• the invention relates to a lighter, in particular a disposable pocket lighter, the flame height of which is adjustable, especially to compensate for pressure fluctuations caused by temperature fluctuations.
• Permeability of the dosing material due to thermal expansion causes an increase in flame height to 50 to 70 mm. If the observed change in flame height for a given temperature change is defined as the flame index and index value 1 is associated with an increase in flame height from 25 to 50 mm to a temperature increase from 25 to 50 ° C, an increase in flame height from 25 to 70 mm corresponds to one Flame index of 1.8.
• Flickering of the flame can also often be observed. This is particularly the case with pocket lighters, which are subject to very different temperatures and are often in a completely undefined transport position until immediately before they are used.
• the invention avoids the disadvantages described and provides a controllable flame lighter combined with a stable and reliable gas flow and reduced manufacturing costs.
• the invention relates to a lighter with adjustable flame height, which has a burner, a tank for liquefied gas, a valve device arranged in between and a film with a multiplicity of micropores which are oriented essentially at right angles to the film surface.
• the film is arranged between the valve device and the tank so that all the fuel that flows to the burner has to flow through the micropores.
• the lighter also has means to pass the fuel passing through the film through the valve to the burner and a regulating device to increase or decrease the amount of fuel passing through the film to obtain a flame of the desired height.
• the film is in a rest position when the valve is closed and in a deformed position when the valve is open and does not exceed its yield strength.
• the control device is provided adjacent to the film to come into contact with it in increasing or decreasing dimensions.
• control device is movable between positions corresponding to increased or decreased contact with the film so as to selectively control the passage of fuel through the film and thus the amount of fuel supplied to the burner to a flame to get the desired height.
• the fuel supply comprises a first liquid part, a gaseous part and a second liquid part of the on the upstream surface of the microporous film is formed when the lighter is used in an upright position (opening the valve).
• the fuel that forms the second liquid part is in the form of a thin liquid film.
• the fuel of this liquid film traverses the microporous film and is essentially completely vaporized when it reaches the fuel transfer on the downstream side of the microporous film.
• the control device consists of a chamber which is arranged downstream of the microporous film.
• the upstream end of this chamber is defined by the microporous film, the downstream end has measures regarding the design of the surface and the fuel transfer.
• the depth of the chamber can be regulated between a predetermined minimum and maximum.
• the microporous film can contact the designed surface, the maximum depth corresponding to the smallest contact area between the microporous film and the designed surface and the minimum depth to the maximum contact area between the microporous film and the designed surface.
• the maximum surface contact corresponds to a minimum flame height, while the minimum surface contact corresponds to a maximum flame height.
• the depth of the chamber does not exceed a maximum distance beyond which the microporous film would be deformed beyond its yield point and is limited to a minimum beyond which the microporous film would be irreversibly compressed.
• the fuel transfer consists of a centrally located opening that leads from the designed surface to the valve to supply the fuel to the burner.
• the design of the surface also includes one or more grooves which radiate from the opening arranged in the center to pass one agreed to ensure minimum flame height.
• the grooves preferably have a substantially V-shaped cross section.
• the fuel line connects a point outside of the maximum contact area between the microporous film and the designed surface to the valve to direct the fuel that has passed through the pores of the film.
• the designed surface can have one or more kills that radiate from the
• the kills preferably again have a substantially V-shaped cross section.
• the microporous film has a thickness of 25 ⁇ m and essentially discrete pores which have a slit-like cross section of approximately 0.04 to 0.4 ⁇ m; a preferred fuel is butane or isobutane.
• FIG. 1 shows a partial section through part of a pocket lighter according to a first embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 2 shows a partial section similar to FIG. 1 in a second embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 3 shows the installation situation of an embodiment according to FIG. 1,
• Fig. 4 shows a detail and Fig. 5 shows a section along the line VV in Fig. 4. To make the drawings clearer, all Parts and areas of the lighter that are not necessary to explain the invention are not shown.
• a fuel control and flake height control device 10 of a pocket lighter will be described.
• the mechanism 10 is attached to the lighter housing 12 in a gas-tight manner so that the fuel, preferably butane or isobutane, cannot escape through any leaks between the housing 12 and the regulating device 10.
• the regulator 10 extends through the top wall 14 of the liquefied petroleum gas tank (not shown), which is normally an extension of the side walls of the housing 12 and has an easy part through which the tank is hermetically sealed.
• a part of the housing 12 of the lighter forms, together with the base part, the hermetically sealed fuel tank and must therefore be made of a fuel-compatible one
• the fuel control and flange height control device 10 consists of three main components. These are: a valve unit 16, a metering device 18 and a regulating device 20.
• the valve unit 16 consists of a burner tube 22 with a gas passage 24 and a gas line bore 26 in order to supply the gaseous fuel to the burner tip 28.
• a valve seal 32 is located at the upstream end of valve unit 16 and is used to allow or prevent fuel from flowing through bore 48 to the tip of the burner.
• the valve seal 32 is held in its closed position, covering the valve opening 48, by means of a spring (not shown), as a result of which the burner tube 22 remains in the closed position.
• the valve seal can be opened by actuating the burner handle 30, which acts against the force of the spring. Rubber is a preferred material for the valve seal 32, which is held securely by crimping the ends 34 of the burner tube 22.
• the burner tube 22 is made of an aluminum or copper alloy, while the handle 30 is made of molded plastic such as Delrin 500 (a trademark of the Dupont Company for its acetal resins).
• the flame height regulating device 20 consists of an adjusting ring 36 which is arranged at one end of an adjusting sleeve 38.
• the king 36 and the sleeve 38 are tightly enclosed by a stop sleeve 40.
• the sleeve 38 has a flange 42 with a circumferential groove for receiving a sealing O-ring 44.
• the constant compression of the O-ring 44 prevents the outflow of gaseous fuel.
• the sleeve 38 also has an annular valve seat 46 which cooperates with the valve seal 32. This valve seat 46 has a centrally arranged valve bore 48 um allow the passage of fuel. In Fig.
• valve bore 48 extends through the upstream end of the sleeve 38 directly to the film contact side 66 of the dosing chamber 64, while in Fig. 2 the valve bore 48 does not extend through the sleeve end but with a radial bore 50 which leads to the jacket area of the sleeve end leads, communicates.
• the fuel reaches the radial bore 50 through a gap located at the periphery, which communicates with the metering chamber 64.
• the dosing device 18 has a holder 52, a microporous film 54 and a clamping part 56.
• the socket 52 consists, for example, of an aluminum alloy.
• a depression is advantageously formed, which is surrounded by a clamping shoulder 58.
• the microporous film 54 is pressed by the clamping disk 56 against the clamping shoulder 58 so that the peripheral region of the microporous film 54 is compressed to approximately half its thickness, making it impenetrable to the fuel.
• the clamping disk 56 and the microporous film are fixed at this stage by flanging the cleram lip 60 of the holder 52.
• the clamping disc 56 has a generally central flow opening 62 to allow access of the fuel.
• the depth of the dosing chamber 64 is preferably variable between twice and twenty times the thickness of the microporous film 54.
• the depth the dosing chamber 64, its cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axis of the film 54, the pressure difference between the fuel tank and the environment, the properties and the thickness of the film 54 and the surface configuration of the film contact side 66 determine the number of pores actively participating in the flow of the amount of fuel reaching the burner tip .
• the film contact side 66 is structured with the exception of a peripheral region 123.
• the fuel opening 62 in the clamping disc 56 should be smaller than the diameter of the metering chamber in order to protect the film from damage during assembly.
• the thickness of the clamping disc 56 is approximately 0.5 mm. It is advantageous to form the clamping disc 56 from a metallic material, preferably an aluminum or copper alloy.
• the clitoral disk 56 is able to reliably clamp the microporous film.
• the film 54 is compressed by the clamping disk 56 to about half of its volume, whereby all pores are closed there and the fuel is forced to flow through the open pores of the central part of the film.
• the socket 52 is formed from the same material as the clamping disc 56, whereby the thermal expansion of the parts surrounding the film 54 remains the same in the event of temperature fluctuations.
• the pores of the microporous film 54 transport the fuel substantially perpendicular to the surface.
• the mate rial has a porosity of approx. 44% of its total volume. At a vapor pressure of 1 to 6 bar, the amount of fuel flowing through this film is approximately proportional to the pressure.
• Such material is sold under the trade name "Celgard R 2500" by Celanese Plastics Company, 86 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ, USA at the time of priority.
• the adjustment sleeve 38 has a film contact side 66.
• This film contact side 66 can have all types of protruding and recessed parts 122, 68 (FIGS. 4, 5). It advantageously has a plurality of radial grooves 68. Six grooves are preferably used, arranged in a star shape with a circumferential diameter of 1.3 mm, but it is within the scope of the invention to choose a different number and different diameters. For example, 4 (FIG. 4), 5 or 8 grooves can be provided.
• the grooves 68 are preferably produced in a single embossing process, namely by means of an embossing tool, the corresponding radially arranged, projecting parts with a V-shaped cross section, which have the desired shape (for example a star shape).
• the depth 1 of the grooves 68 can be 0.09 mm, the opening a width k of 0.14 mm and the root a width m of
• the raised edge areas 122 which adjoin the edges of the grooves 68, are somewhat rough when using brass, since the structure of brass (with about 2% lead for good machinability) breaks up somewhat when it is dipped away, i.e. the grain structure is disturbed. The resulting height is about 0.01 mm.
• the slot star can also be embossed by means of an embossing tool that has at least one cutting edge, the embossing tool being rotated about its axis at a defined angle between the individual embossing processes until the desired number of grooves is formed is.
• embossing tool that has at least one cutting edge
• other manufacturing methods such as etching, sandblasting, electrical discharge machining or the like, can also be used. be used.
• the depth and the diameter of the metering chamber 64 are matched to the flexibility of the elastically deformable microporous film 54 so that the desired gas volume can pass through.
• the depth of the metering chamber can be coordinated with the film contact surface 66 so that when the gas pressure in the tank rises due to the temperature rise, the film 54 is thereby pressed against the contact surface 66, thereby preventing an increasing number of pores in the film from permeating fuel to contribute to the burner tip 28. This is also affected by the thermal expansion of the film. As a result, the flame height rises to a smaller extent than the alpha pressure and the amount of fuel flowing through the pores would otherwise have caused.
• the depth of the metering chamber 64 is set to, for example, 0.08 to 0.12 mm, the metering chamber has a diameter of 1.5 to 1.9 mm and the star diameter 1, 3 mm, the flame height at 25 ° C reaches about 25 mm.
• the dimensions given relate to a quality of the "Celgard R 2500", whose porosity has a measured value of 7.5
• Microporous film 54 is flexible due to its small thickness and thermoplastic nature. Accordingly, the film 54 diverts in the direction of the contact surface 66 under the flow pressure and parts of it abut the contact surface 66. When the temperature, and thus the pressure, rises and the valve is open, the elasticity of the film 54 causes it to increase largely rests on the contact surface 66 without exceeding the yield strength of the material. For this reason, part of the pores is closed, while at least the depressions 68 of the contact surface 66 allow the fuel to flow to the burner tip 28.
• a "Celgard R 2500" film with a Gurley value of 7.5 is used and mounted within a recess in a socket that has an annular, planar clerical shoulder with a diameter of 3.2 mm and an inner diameter of 1.85 mm, which also forms the diameter of the cylindrical side walls of the metering chamber 64.
• a clerus disc with an outer diameter of 3 mm is pressed against the clamping shoulder 58 and held there.
• the metering chamber is set to a depth of 0.1 mm, the device according to the invention delivers a flame height of 25 mm (normal flame) at an ambient temperature of 25 ° C., about 1 mg of fuel being consumed per second.
• a change in the depth of the dosing chamber leads to a proportional change in the flame height, so that the flame height can be regulated between 10 and 70 mm within the temperatures normally occurring during operation (from approx. 15 ° C to approx. 50 ° C).
• the flame height is regulated by turning the adjusting ring 36.
• the adjusting sleeve 38 is brought to different positions insofar as the limiting gap 70 allows it.
• Such a movement takes place through the screw connection between the sleeve 38 and the socket 52 and is limited by the limiting ring 40 on the one hand and by a stop surface 42a of the socket 52 on the other.
• part of the thread 53 is not present on the sleeve 38, so as to ensure screwability. It is also a
• Free space 72 is provided to enable the movement of the sleeve 38.
• the limitation for the maximum flame height can be provided by a rotation limiter of the ring 36 by means of a groove 40a and a stop lug 36a, as shown in FIG. 2.
• the adjusting ring 36 is formed in one piece with the adjusting sleeve.
• the nose 36a can be molded as part of the ring 36 or, after assembly, can be made by relocating some of the material of the ring 36.
• the recess 40a is annular and preferably of a length that limits the rotation of the adjusting ring and the sleeve 36 to about 1/3 of a turn or about 120 ° if the pitch of the thread 53 is designed to achieve the desired maximum and minimum Depth of the dosing chamber 64 is reached when the ring 36 is rotated in the permitted range.
• microporous here means a porosity with a certain pore cross-section and a pore length through the entire thickness of a film of suitable material, which ensures that a thin layer or film of liquid fuel is formed on the upstream side of the microporous film 54, when gaseous fuel is in operation in an upright position in the space between the liquid fuel supply and the upstream side of the microporous film 54.
• lighters according to the invention have no wick and no suction tube.
• the lighters can be operated in an inclined position (for example to light a pipe), the flame only increasing slightly, even if the liquid fuel directly contacts the fuel opening 62 and the microporous film. This also applies if the burner tip 28 is positioned below the level of the liquid fuel in the reservoir.
• Calm and even burning of the flame in the normal vertical position during operation is achieved by arranging the flame height regulating device 10, which prevents direct contact of the microporous film 54 with the liquid fuel.
• the flame height regulating device 10 prevents direct contact of the microporous film 54 with the liquid fuel.
• the lighter is fired from an undefined, e.g. horizontal position in which it is carried, to a vertical position, the liquid fuel runs back into the fuel container except for a residual amount which is retained by surface forces.
• the flame is particularly quickly stabilized after ignition if the socket 52 of the metering part 18 protrudes into the liquid gas tank so that the size of the projection corresponds approximately to the level of the clamping shoulder 58, whereby the metering disc 54 approximately in the plane of the ceiling of the Brenn cloth tanks 14 of the lighter body 12 comes to rest.
• the manufacturing cost of a device according to the invention is significantly reduced by the fact that no large components are required, which entail high material costs.
• the costs for the mechanical production of the components are also reduced, since it is not necessary to remove large amounts of material. It is also not necessary to carry out work with increased accuracy in poorly accessible places, for example in deep blind holes.
• the assembly is simplified and can be carried out with relatively simple devices, since the small parts used, such as the clitoral disk 56 and the microporous film 54, are arranged in very shallow depressions. This makes, for example, the pre-assembly of the membrane by means of ultrasound, as described for example in FR-PS 2 313 638, superfluous.
• the relatively small dimensions of the components prevent the occurrence of large thermal expansions or thermal stresses, which impair the stability of the flame height due to both aging and possible leakage of sealing points.
• This effect can be further improved by selecting the materials appropriately, for example materials with a comparable thermal expansion coefficient for all components.
• the uniaxially stretched polypropylene film is deformable in the non-stretched direction, so that the amount of flow could be changed unintentionally. Therefore, it is preferred that the diameter of the valve bore 48 is small (e.g., 0.4 mm on its upstream side) so that the microporous film 54 is prevented from being pressed into the hole 48 due to the fuel pressure.
• the amount of liquid gas is limited to approximately 80% of the tank volume.
• the ambient temperature during the filling procedure is 20 to 25 ° C.
• the limitation to 80% is necessary for safety reasons, because during later storage or while using the lighter, in the event of significantly higher ambient temperatures, such as 60oC, the liquefied gas can cause the tank to explode.
• the metering chamber and the fuel transfer according to FIG. 1 can be combined with a flame height limiter according to FIG. 2. It is also possible, despite the essentially uninfluenced energy balance of the lighter according to the invention due to the evaporation of the fuel which passes through the membrane to the burner tip, and is left to everyone to use materials without paying attention to their thermal heat conduction properties. This is due to the fact that the evaporation energy occurs at the liquid level in the tank. The evaporation and condensation process on the membrane is adiabatic.
• plastic or metal can be used for any of the components as long as the heat of the flame itself does not interfere.
• Other, similar combinations and alternatives can be adopted without departing from the scope of my invention.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Lighters Containing Fuel (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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• 1985
  • 1985-04-29 US US06/728,075 patent/US4680007A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1986
  • 1986-04-29 JP JP61502604A patent/JPS62502630A/ja active Pending
  • 1986-04-29 EP EP86902764A patent/EP0220244A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 1986-04-29 BR BR8606652A patent/BR8606652A/pt unknown
  • 1986-04-29 CA CA507847A patent/CA1268637C/en not_active Expired
  • 1986-04-29 WO PCT/AT1986/000037 patent/WO1986006458A1/de not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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