EP1152869A1

EP1152869A1 - Pump device

Info

Publication number: EP1152869A1
Application number: EP99955957A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stefan FÜRST; Werner Haczek; Andreas Peter
Original assignee: Braun GmbH
Current assignee: Braun GmbH
Priority date: 1999-02-19
Filing date: 1999-11-06
Publication date: 2001-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 2019-11-06
Also published as: US6612819B1; JP4463429B2; WO2000048797A1; JP2002541881A; DE19907222A1; CN1104311C; DE59904068D1; CN1334766A; EP1152869B1; ES2191476T3; ATE231052T1

Abstract

The invention relates to a pump device (13) for taking in a liquid, such as a shaving aid, and transporting same to a liquid dispenser (4) of a hair removal device such as a dry shaving device (TR), hair clipper or epilator, and comprising a pump inlet (E), a pump outlet (PA) and a pump element (63). The pump device (13) provided for in the invention consists of a first and a second housing part (60, 61) in which flow ducts (70, 71) are embodied, valve chambers (68, 69) and a membrane element (62) which is positioned between the first and second housing part (60, 61) and presents both a pump element (63) and at least one valve element. According to the invention the pump inlet (E) can be connected to a liquid dispenser and the pump outlet (PA) to a liquid container (5).

Description

Pumping device

The invention relates to a pump device of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1.

A pump device for sucking in and dispensing a lotion onto the shaving head of a dry shaving apparatus is known from PCT WO 98/08661. The pump consists of a total of four components, namely a housing part having a pump inlet and a pump outlet, in which flow channels are incorporated, a check valve having a diaphragm disk, a control disk and a pump element formed from a diaphragm, which can be actuated directly or indirectly by hand. The invention has for its object to simplify the pumping device of the type mentioned, in particular to reduce the number of components. In addition, the pump device for high pumping frequencies, i.e. also be suitable for an electric drive.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in a pump device of the type mentioned by the features specified in claim 1.

The pump device according to the invention has a number of advantages. An important advantage of the invention is that the pump device is formed from only three components. This results in a considerable saving in manufacturing costs.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the pump device is provided outside of a liquid container. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pumping device is provided within the liquid container.

A substantial saving in manufacturing costs results from the fact that a wall of a liquid container is designed as a first housing part of the pump device. The other two components, such as the membrane and the second housing part, are assigned to this wall and attached to it. In a further embodiment of the aforementioned embodiment, the membrane element arranged between the first housing part and the second housing part is designed to be elastic. A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the valve element and the pump element are designed to be elastic and are provided as a component of the membrane element. In a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that the flow channel leading from a pump inlet to a pump outlet is formed by a pump chamber and a first valve chamber and a second valve chamber.

An essential advantage of the invention arises in that the pump device is provided so that it can be exchanged with the liquid container. The performance of the pump device is therefore designed only for the amount of liquid to be dispensed from the liquid container. The quality requirements to be imposed on the pumping device are therefore extremely low and consequently result in an extremely inexpensive manufacture of the pumping device and liquid container.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and is described in more detail below.

It shows:

1 is a perspective view of a dry shaving apparatus with a view of the rear of the apparatus with a liquid container provided on a narrow side,

Fig. 2 shows a dry shaver according to Fig. 1 with a distance A to one

Provided liquid container,

3 shows a knife frame with a container housing, the outer housing part of which is only partially shown and a view into the interior of the container of the housing,

4 shows a section through the knife frame 11 and through the liquid dispensing device, 5 and 6 show a perspective view of the knife frame with a liquid dispensing device and an actuating element taking different positions,

7 and 8 show a schematic representation of the liquid transport system consisting of a liquid container, a liquid dispensing device, a first and second liquid line and a pump device,

9 shows a schematic illustration of the outer contours of a dry shaving apparatus with a drive for operating a shaving system and a pump device for conveying liquid from a liquid container into the liquid dispensing device,

10 shows a first and second housing part and a diaphragm of a pump device,

11 shows the integration of a pumping device into the housing of a liquid container.

1 shows a perspective illustration of a dry shaving apparatus TR with a view of the rear of the housing 1 and of one of the two narrow sides 2 of the housing 1 and of the shaving head 3, on which a liquid dispensing device 4 is provided. A liquid container 5 is adjustably arranged on the narrow side 2 of the housing 1. 1, the liquid container 5 is in contact with a stop 6 provided on the housing 1. This liquid container 5 can also be arranged within the housing 1 - not shown.

Fig. 2 shows the dry shaver according to Fig. 1 with the difference that by moving the liquid container 5 in the direction of arrow P1, a distance A between the upper wall 7 of the liquid container 5 and the stop 6 is made. The displacement of the liquid container 5 in the arrow directions P1 or P2 results in either a coupling or a decoupling of a pump device 13 which can be driven by an electric drive 50 of the dry shaving apparatus - see FIG. 9. The shaving head 3 has at least one upper knife and a lower knife interacting with it, as well as a shaving head frame 10 and a knife frame 11 arranged to be removable therefrom. An embodiment of such a knife frame 11 is shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 and will be described in more detail below.

In the knife frame 11 - see also FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 - the arched upper knives 18, 19 of the cutting systems provided for a short haircut are in each case on the longitudinal side walls 14 and 15 and on between the end walls 16 and 17 provided webs - not visible - attached. The long hair cutting system with a U-shaped upper knife 20 arranged between the two upper knives 18 and 19 of the short hair cutting systems is movably mounted in the end walls 16 and 17 of the knife frame 11 in the vertical direction - arrow direction P1 and P2.

A liquid dispensing device 4 is provided on a side wall 15 of the knife frame 11. The liquid dispensing device 4 essentially consists of a container housing 21 which is composed of two housing parts 211 and 212, an open-pore contact element 22 arranged in the container housing 21, a spacer 23 assigned to the contact element 22 and an adjusting device V by means of which the spacer 23 in the arrow directions R1 and R2 is adjustable back and forth. The adjusting device V consists of two interacting adjusting elements 25 and 26 with mutually inclined surfaces F1 and F2, a spring element 24, and an actuating element 27. In an interior 33 of the housing part 211 of the container housing 21 are the adjusting element 26 provided with an actuating element 27 and that on the spacer 23 provided adjusting element 25 is movably arranged. The spring element 24 rests on the one hand on a wall of the interior of the housing part 211 and on the other hand on the adjusting element 25 and holds the inclined surface F1 in contact with the inclined surface F2 of the adjusting element 26 by means of the spring pressure provided. The housing part 212 of the container housing 21 is used as a cover attached to the interior 33 of the housing part 211.

The actuating element 27 is provided with a marking M on the adjusting element 26, which is slidably mounted within the container housing 21 and protrudes from the container housing 21 from an elongated opening 28. The actuator 27 is with the marking M can be displaced parallel to a scale SK provided on an outer wall of the housing part 212. When the actuating element 27 is displaced in the direction of the arrow S1, the spacer 23 is moved in the direction of the arrow R1 over the inclined surface F2 of the adjusting element 26 and over the inclined surface F1 of the adjusting element 25. By moving the actuating element 27 in the opposite direction - arrow direction S2 - the spacer 23 is returned to its starting position - arrow direction R2.

The open-pore contact element 22 provided with a rinsing chamber 214 is fixedly arranged in an interior 213 of the housing part 211. The housing part 211 is arranged adjacent and parallel to the longitudinal extent of the upper knife 18, such that the contact element 22 arranged in the interior 213 and partially protruding from the interior 213 can dispense liquid adjacent to the upper knife 18. By adjusting the spacer 23 relative to the contact element 22 - see FIGS. 5 and 6 - the contact surface of the contact element 22 that is used in each case can be changed and thus the amount of liquid dispensed can be controlled.

The liquid to be dispensed by the contact element 22 of the liquid dispensing device is supplied to the contact element 22 via a second liquid line 32. The metering of the liquid to be dispensed through the contact element 22 can also be controlled by sucking off liquid from the liquid dispensing device 4 via a first liquid line 31.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic representation of a liquid transport system from the liquid container 5 to the liquid dispensing device 4 and from the liquid dispensing device 4 back into the liquid container 5. A partition wall 42 is provided in the liquid container 5 to form a first chamber 40 and a second chamber 41. An opening is provided in the partition 42. A second liquid line 32 is guided through this opening and ends at a predetermined distance B from the bottom 46 of the liquid container 5. The size of the opening in the partition 42 is dimensioned such that a gap 43 is formed after the second liquid line 32 has been passed through. This gap serves to supply liquid from the first chamber 40 into the second chamber 41. In the second chamber 41, a porous storage material 44 - for example sintered material - is provided for storing liquid. The first chamber 40 is over a Liquid line 47 is connected to a pump device 13 provided outside the liquid container 5. In the operating state of the liquid transport system, the pressure required to convey liquid from the second chamber 41 can be produced by means of a pressure relief valve 45 via the second liquid line 32 acting as a riser pipe into the liquid dispensing device 4. The pressure relief valve 45 can consist, for example, of a tube with an opening whose cross-section is dimensioned such that the required atmospheric pressure for conveying the liquid can be reached after the pump device 13 has been started up, and any excess pressure that can exceed it can be released.

A contact element 22 is fixedly arranged in the container housing 21 of the liquid dispensing device 4. By means of a corresponding shaping of the contact element 22, a rinsing chamber 214 is provided in the contact element 22, into which liquid 32 is transported via the second liquid line. The pressurized liquid penetrates into the open-pore material of the contact element 22 and is released to the skin through a skin when the outer contact surface 48 is touched, as is indicated by the arrows.

The rinsing chamber 214 is coupled to the inlet side E of the pump device 13 via a first liquid line 31. The outlet PA of the pump device 13 is coupled to the first chamber 40 of the liquid container 5 via a liquid line 47. When the pump device 13 is started up, it sucks both air through the container housing 21 - see arrow L - and liquid from the rinsing chamber 214 and / or the contact element 22 and transports it into the first chamber 40, where it builds up the pressure required for transporting Liquid from the second chamber 41 via the second liquid line 32 into the rinsing chamber 214. By returning excess liquid from the rinsing chamber 214 and / or the contact element, which is brought about by the suction process of the pump device 13, the liquid delivery of the contact element 22 can be controlled in such a way that that liquid is released to a skin to be wetted only by touching the contact surface of the contact element 22. A dispensing of liquid without touching the contact element 22 therefore does not take place.

The gap 43 between the partition 42 and the second liquid line 32 designed as a riser pipe is dimensioned such that the liquid transported by the pump device 13 into the first chamber 40 into the storage material 44 of the second chamber 41 can penetrate. A backflow of liquid stored in the storage material from the second chamber 41 via the gap 43 into the first chamber 40 is prevented by means of the binding effect of the liquid on the storage material 44.

Fig. 8 shows the liquid transport system according to Fig. 7 with the difference that the pump device 13 inside the liquid container 5, i.e. is provided in the first chamber 40. The pump device is part of the liquid container 5 and can be exchanged with it. The interchangeability of the liquid container 5 can be produced by coupling the first liquid line 31 and the second liquid line 32 to the liquid container 5 by means of corresponding coupling elements - not shown. Coupling elements of this type can also be provided in the first liquid line 31 and the second liquid line 32 according to FIG. 7 in order to couple the pump device 13 and the liquid container 5 to them.

A rubber molded part is used as the lid of the liquid container 5, which seals the complete unit including the first and second liquid lines 31, 32 tightly. Metal tips of the first and second liquid lines 31, 32 located in the housing pierce the cover in the line area when the cleaning liquid container is inserted and release the liquid circuit.

The described structure of the liquid container 5 can preferably be carried out as a disposable cartridge or a container that can be filled in or on the hair removal device.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic representation of the arrangement of a liquid transport system according to FIG. 7 in a dry shaving apparatus TR according to FIGS. 1 and 2. The contours of the dry shaving apparatus are represented, for example, by dot-shaped lines.

An electric motor 50 is arranged in the housing 1 of the dry shaving apparatus TR, the motor shaft of which is coupled via an eccentric to an oscillating element 52 in order to set the oscillating element in oscillating movements - see arrow directions S1 and S2. The swing bridge 52 is used to drive cutting elements of the dry shaving apparatus TR - not shown - and also to drive the pumping device 13 of the liquid dispensing device 4. For this purpose, the oscillating element 52 - which is fixed, for example, on wall elements 51 of the housing 1 of the dry shaving apparatus TR is - via a double-armed rocker arm 54, which is pivotally mounted on a pivot axis 53 provided on the housing 1, coupled to a pump element of the pump device 13 for the purpose of transmitting a drive movement. This drive connection can be interrupted by moving the liquid container 5 in the arrow direction P2 by the distance A, so that no liquid is transported from the container 5 into the rinsing chamber 214 and the open-pore contact element 22. By moving the liquid container 5 in the direction of arrow P1, the contact of the pump element of the pump device 13 with the double-armed lever 54 can be restored, so that when the electric motor 50 is started, the oscillating movements of the oscillating element 52 are transmitted to the pump element of the pump device 13 via the double-armed lever 54 and restart the liquid transport system.

The rinsing chamber 214 is coupled to the liquid container 5 by means of a first liquid line line 31 - see FIG. 9 - and to the first chamber 40 via a second liquid line 32. In order to be able to follow the displacement of the liquid container 5 in the arrow directions P1 and P2, the first and second liquid lines are flexible.

10 shows the components of a pumping device 13. The pump device 13 consists of only three parts, namely a first housing part 60, a second housing part 61 and a membrane 62 which is provided between the first housing part 60 and the second housing part 61. The membrane 62 has a flexible pump element 63, which protrudes slightly arched from the flat membrane wall. In the membrane wall of the membrane 62, two flap valves 64 and 65 acting as a check valve are provided. The flutter valves 64 and 65 are part of the membrane 62 and are flexibly molded into the membrane wall. The second housing part 61 is provided with an opening 66 through which the pump element 63 can be actuated by a drive element - for example a lever arm of a double-armed lever 54 according to FIG. 9. A first liquid line 31 can be connected to the second housing part 61. In the first housing part 60, a pump chamber 67 can be connected to a first valve chamber 68 via a flow channel 70 and to the second valve chamber 69, which is provided in the second housing part 61, via a further flow channel 71. The second valve chamber 69 can be coupled via an outlet PA and a pump outlet line 75 to a liquid line 47 leading to the first chamber 40 of the liquid container 5 - see FIG. 7 -. This in the flap valve 65 provided for the membrane 62 is assigned on the one hand to the first liquid line 31 and on the other hand to the first valve chamber 68. The flutter valve 64 is assigned to the second valve chamber 69 and to the liquid line 47 emanating from it. By performing a reciprocating pumping movement on the pump element 63, the pumping element 63 alternately triggers a suction process and a pumping process of liquid and / or air. During the pumping process, the pump element 63 is pressed into the pump chamber 67 in the direction of arrow P1. The liquid and / or air present in the pump chamber 67 is pressed against the flap valve 64 via the flow channel 71, the flexible flap valve 64 moves into the second valve chamber 69. As a result, the flow path of the liquid and / or air via the second valve chamber 69 is released into the pump outlet line 75. The liquid and / or air then flows via a connectable liquid line 47 into the first chamber 40 of the liquid container. During this pumping process, the air and / or liquid under pump pressure acts on the flutter valve 65 via the flow channel 70 and the first valve chamber 68 and includes the pump inlet opening in the second housing part 61, which can be coupled to the first liquid line 31.

After completion of the pumping process, the tensioned elastic pump element 63 moves back to its starting position in the direction of arrow P2 and thereby sucks in air and / or liquid from the first liquid line 31. Due to this suction process, the flutter valve 65 moves into the first valve chamber 68 and thus releases the liquid line 31, so that the air and / or liquid can flow into the pump chamber 67 via the first valve chamber and the flow channel 70. The flap valve 64 is designed and arranged to the flow channel 71 that during the suction process, the flow channel 70 is covered to such an extent that no air and / or liquid past the flap valve 64 into the second valve chamber 69 and from this into that of the flap valve 64 uncovered opening of the outlet PA and the pump outlet line 75 can flow.

The pump device 13 shown in FIG. 10 can - as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 - be arranged both outside and inside a liquid container 5.

According to a further embodiment, the pump device 13 can also be designed as a component of the liquid container 5, as shown in FIG. 11, for example. The pump device according to FIG. 11 differs from the pump device according to FIG. 10 only in that the first housing part 60 of the pump device 13 is part of a wall of the liquid container 5. FIG. 11 shows a part of the interior of a liquid container 5, namely the first chamber 40 by means of a broken line. The chamber 40 can be connected to the second liquid line - see FIG. 7 - via a pump outlet line 75. A recess 81 is provided in the front 80 of the liquid container 5, in which the first valve chamber 68, the flow channel 70, the pump chamber 67, the flow channel 71 and a liquid line 85, which connects the second valve chamber 69 to the first chamber 40 of the liquid container 5 , intended. The membrane 62 is inserted into the recess 81 and by means of the second housing part 61 and corresponding fastening elements, these components are assembled into a complete pump device 13 and then put into operation.

The liquid container 5 is inserted into the housing 1 of the hair removal device and the sealing part is pierced in the line areas and thus connected to the liquid transport system of the device 1. At the same time, by inserting the liquid container 5, the pump device 13 is positioned in front of the oscillating element 54 located in the housing 1. When the application function is switched on, the pump device 13 begins to build up pressure in the liquid container 5. The air sucked in in the starting phase is pumped into the first chamber 40 and can pass through the outlet gap 43 between the second liquid line 32 and the partition wall 42 into the second chamber 41, to put pressure on the liquid there. At the same time, the suction process of the pump device 13 creates a suction effect in the second liquid line 32 of the liquid circuit, which draws the liquid into the liquid dispensing device 4. The application point in the liquid dispensing device 4 is designed such that the pump device 13 can simultaneously suck in air from the outside in addition to the liquid not applied. After the start phase, the pump device 13 always pumps a liquid-air mixture into the liquid container 5, where it is separated into its two components. The separation takes place through the adhesive force of the liquid droplets on the inner wall of the first chamber 40. The larger drops then flow back through the outlet gap 43 into the second chamber 41 and are thus added to the liquid circuit again. Since the system constantly sucks in air in addition to the unused liquid, a higher pressure is built up in the first chamber 40 than the one escaping through the liquid. This excess pressure in the first chamber 40 prevents the liquid from flowing back from the second chamber 41 into the first chamber 40. The pressure is stabilized through a defined opening in the exhaust air throttle acting as a pressure relief valve. The arrangement of the exhaust air throttle in the upper region of the first separation chamber 40 prevents the inflowing droplets from being blown off unintentionally when the hair removal device is tilted. A function of the system is thus ensured even when the hair removal device is pivoted, for example, by 180 ° relative to the illustration according to FIG. 1.

The porous storage material also ensures that the function works even when the liquid container 5 is not full. In this case, the liquid reaches the suction area of the second liquid line 32 due to the capillary action of the storage material. In addition, the liquid movements and the associated noises are minimized.

The structure described makes it possible to store and dispense liquids regardless of their position and movement, the system simultaneously regulating the quantity of liquids to be dispensed.

Claims

Claims:

1. Pump device (13) for sucking and dispensing a liquid, e.g. Shaving aids to a liquid dispenser (4) of a hair removal device, e.g. Dry shaving apparatus (TR), hair clipper, epilator, with a pump inlet (E) and a pump outlet (PA) and a pump element (63), characterized in that the pump device is formed by a first and a second housing part (60, 61) with incorporated flow channels (70, 71) as well as valve chambers (68, 69) and a diaphragm element (62) arranged between the first and second housing parts (60, 61) and having a pump element (63) and at least one valve element and that the pump inlet (E ) with a liquid dispenser and the pump outlet (PA) with a liquid container (5) can be coupled.

2. Pump device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pump device (13) outside the liquid container (5) is provided.

3. Pump device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pump device (13) is provided within the liquid container (5).

4. Pump device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a wall of the liquid container (5) is designed as a first housing part (60) of the pump device (13).

5. Pump device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the membrane element (62) is elastic.

6. Pump device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve element (64, 65) and the pump element (63) are designed to be elastic and are provided as part of the membrane element (62).

7. Pump device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flow channel leading from a pump inlet (4) to a pump outlet (PA) is formed by a pump chamber (67) and a first valve chamber (68) and a second valve chamber (69) .

8. Pump device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pump device (13) with the liquid container (5) is arranged interchangeably.

9. Pump device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pump device (13) is provided for sucking in and conveying a gaseous and / or liquid medium and for building up a delivery pressure for the liquid in the liquid container.