FR2780664A1 - Atomizer for dispersing a fragrance, deodorant, insecticide, microbiocide or asthma treatment agent into the atmosphere - Google Patents

Abstract

The atomizer comprises a reservoir (13) connected to a spray head (12). A solenoid (34) moves an actuation member (36) such that a cam (33) can actuate release of the product. A hot air stream is generated by a fan (21) and heated by passing through passage (23) containing a heater (22) through to conduit (26) with which the spray head communicates. A motor (31) drives the fan and the operating cam. The frequency of use can be programmed at control unit (4).

Description

1i 2780664 The present invention relates to a fumigation device for

  diffusing a substance, for example an odoriferous substance, into the atmosphere of a room to be treated. The substance can be a room fragrance but it can also be a deodorant trapping bad odors or an insecticide or microbicide. It can also be used for respiratory treatment with appropriate molecules resistant to

  desired temperatures, asthma treatment for example.

  Fumigation is a physical phenomenon which consists in instantaneously vaporizing a fluid substance in gaseous form therefore with a change of state. It has the advantage that the dispersion of the substance in the atmosphere is better and therefore the quantity of substance distributed can be less than that of a conventional spray in the form of fine droplets. Evaporation is a very similar physical phenomenon during which the molecules of substance are dispersed under the effect of

ambient heat.

  There exist in the prior art devices carrying out a fumigation such as for example that described in document FR-2 706 330. This document describes a fumigation device in which a fluid product is distributed in the form of fine droplets on a plate heated to a temperature sufficient to allow instant vaporization of said fluid substance. The heating plate serves here as a dispersion surface for the fine droplets which strike it. The molecules of substance released after this vaporization are simply released by thermal convection upwards in the form of smoke. However, this device has a major drawback in that part of the substance which is sprayed onto the heating plate remains attached to it and undergoes calcination which generates bad odors. After a certain period of use, the heating plate

must be cleaned.

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  Another type of device is described in document EP-0 038 598. In this device, the phenomenon used is evaporation. A fluid product containing more or less heavy compounds is sprayed into the atmosphere. The most volatile compounds are distributed in the atmosphere while the least volatile compounds are deposited on a heated disc at a temperature allowing the gradual evaporation of these heavy compounds. After spraying has been carried out, the disc is fed so as to heat it until all of the compounds have evaporated. Again, a hot plate is used to disperse the product molecules. This again causes fouling of the plate which leads to calcination

and bad smells.

  The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks of the prior art by defining a fumigation device in which no fouling or

calcination is not possible.

  To do this, the present invention provides a fumigation device for diffusing a substance, comprising dispensing means for dispensing a fluid product containing said substance in the form of a spray of sprayed product formed of fine droplets, and further comprising means for generating a flow of hot air, the jet of sprayed product being distributed in said flow of hot air so as to evaporate instantly

  said droplets suspended in the air.

  Unlike the devices described in the prior art, here the fumigation or instant evaporation process is carried out in the air without using a support such as a hot plate. This avoids any risk of deposit, and in fact of calcination which generates bad odors. The fumigation device of the present invention therefore does not require periodic cleaning. The temperature of the hot air flow must be determined according to the nature of the substance to be fumigated. This

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  temperature therefore varies depending on whether the fluid containing

  the substance is alcoholic or aqueous.

  According to one embodiment, the dispensing means comprise a dispenser provided with a reservoir containing the fluid, a pump mounted on the reservoir and a spray head mounted on the pump. On the other hand, the means for generating a flow of hot air comprise a fan capable of generating a flow of air through an air passage provided with means

heater.

  According to another characteristic, the device further comprises actuation means for actuating the means

of distribution.

  In a first embodiment, the actuation means comprise a solenoid provided with a movable plunger which acts on the spray head. As a variant, the actuating means comprise a cam which acts on the spray head via a movable actuating element between a working position in which it is placed on the spray head and a rest position . In this case, a solenoid acts on the actuating element to selectively move between its working and rest position. The fan and

  the cam can then be actuated by a common motor.

  To avoid overheating of the spray head, the distribution means are located outside

of hot air flow.

  The device further comprises a programmer for controlling the actuation of the distribution means and

  means for generating a flow of hot air in frequency.

  According to another characteristic, the device comprises deflection means for deflecting the flow of hot air

  loaded with said substance in a chosen direction.

  The present invention also relates to a fumigation process for diffusing a substance into the atmosphere of a room to be treated, characterized in that it comprises

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  spraying a fluid containing said substance into

a flow of hot air.

  The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the attached single figure giving by way of nonlimiting example an embodiment of the

present invention.

  The single figure is a top view of a mode of

  realization of the fumigation device according to the invention.

  the fumigation device is here in the form of a device for domestic use. The representation of the single figure is at scale 1 approximately. As for the thickness of the device, it can be about 6 to 7 cm. It can therefore be seen that it is a consumer device intended for treating homes, offices or even motor vehicles. For its power supply, a connector 51 is provided for plugging in a pluggable cord into the mains or onto the cigarette lighter of a car. It is also possible to envisage an autonomous supply by battery. It is of course possible to envisage other embodiments, for example miniaturized, or even for industrial use. The applications can be most diverse besides that of treatment of premises such as for example in

  medical use for the treatment of asthma.

  The device is therefore in the form of a housing 5 of the aforementioned dimensions. Essentially, this box 5 contains spraying or distribution means 1, means for ventilating a flow of hot air 21, 22, 23, and actuation means for actuating the spraying means 1 and the ventilation means 21. In addition, the apparatus is provided with a programmer for controlling the sequential operation of these various means: only the control keyboard 43 located on the upper face of the housing 5 being visible in the single figure. In the version shown, this keyboard includes on / off keys, +/- frequency regulation keys and

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  two operating mode keys by immediate or automatic impulse, as will be seen below when

  the description of an appliance operating cycle.

  The dispensing means 1 conventionally comprise a dispenser consisting of a reservoir 13, a pump 11 and a spray head 12. It may be a conventional precompression pump allowing good spray quality . In order to avoid any risk of loading an improper dispenser, containing for example a product that is flammable by heat, the reservoir 13 or the head 12 can be provided with polarizing means preventing the installation of any dispenser. For example, these keying means can be constituted by a specific shape of the outer envelope of the reservoir 13 or of the head. By exerting a pressure on the spray head 12, a jet of sprayed fluid product formed of fine droplets is distributed in a space 24 called fumigation which opens towards the outside of the device for example through a grid 25. As its name suggests, the fumigation space 24 is the area in which the fine droplets of product are instantly vaporized

  by a flow of hot air passing through this zone 24.

  To create this flow of hot passing air, the ventilation means comprise a fan 21 which generates a flow of air at ambient temperature, an air passage 23 through which the flow of air at ambient temperature from fan 21 passes and heating means 22 in the form of an electrical resistance located along the air passage 23 to heat the air from the fan 21 as it passes through the air passage 23. The air passage 23 opens into the fumigation space 24 in which the spray head emits its jet of sprayed fluid. The air passage 23 therefore fulfills the function of guide duct but also of heating duct for the air flow coming from the fan 21. When the air flow thus heated emerges from the air passage 23

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  in the fumigation space 24, it comes into contact with droplets of sprayed product and instantly vaporizes them. The temperature of the hot air flow therefore be regulated according to the nature of the product which is sprayed. To achieve immediate evaporation of the droplets, this temperature is between about 100 and 300. With such temperatures, an immediate evaporation of the droplets is ensured inside the fumigation space 24 so that the air flow which leaves through the grid 25 is dry or practically dry and charged with the odoriferous substance contained in the sprayed fluid. It should be noted that the jet of fluid product is emitted substantially in the same direction as the flow of hot air so as not to disturb the flow of hot air. In addition, the configuration of the fumigation chamber 24 is substantially elongated and the spray of sprayed fluid is emitted in the longitudinal direction of the fumigation chamber 24 so that the spray of sprayed product is in contact with the flow of hot air. over a substantially extended length. Thus, instantaneous complete or practically complete evaporation of droplets of fluid is ensured inside the fumigation chamber 24 so that the air flow leaving the grid 25 is dry or practically dry. According to another advantageous characteristic, it should be noted in the embodiment of the single figure that the spray head 12 is not directly located on the passage of the flow of hot air, but in a recess that forms the fumigation 24, so that it is not directly subjected to the heat released by the flow of hot air. Here, any degradation by calcination of the fluid remaining at the spraying orifice of the spray head is avoided.

spray 12.

  According to another characteristic, the walls of the fumigation chamber 24 are provided with a heating jacket 26 to prevent any condensation inside.

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  from the room. The wall temperature can be

about 100 C.

  For the actuation of fan 21, there is provided a

electric motor 31.

  According to a first embodiment shown in the single figure, this motor 31 is also used for actuating the distribution means 1. To do this, a reduction gear 32 is mounted on one of the axis outputs of the motor 31 so as to reduce its rotation speed at about 20 revolutions per minute, or about 1 revolution in 3 seconds. A cam 33 is coupled to the reduction gear 32 which drives it in rotation at the aforementioned speed. The cam is in the form of a disc provided on its outer periphery with a cam tongue 331. The motor 31 by means of the reduction gear 32 drives this rotary cam 33 in an anticlockwise direction. At each rotation, the cam tongue 331 engages with an actuating element 36 which is in the form of a blade. The cam tongue 331 engages one end of the blade 36 while the other end rests on the spray head 12 of the distribution means 1. The actuating blade 36 is pivotally mounted approximately in its middle so that 'an upward bias of its end by the cam 331 causes its other end to drop when it is pressed against the spray head, which causes the pump 11 to be actuated and therefore a jet of product to be emitted sprayed. The pivot on which the blade 36 is pivotally mounted is located at the end of a plunger 35 able to move in a solenoid 34. The blade 36 is therefore movable parallel to itself between a rest position shown in dotted lines in the single figure and a working position in which one of its ends is located on the spray head and the other in the path of the cam tongue 331. The actuating element formed by the blade 36 is therefore disengageable by feeding the

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  solenoid 34. When spraying is desired, it is sufficient to cut off the supply of solenoid 34 so that the blade 36 returns to the working position as shown

in the single figure.

  As a variant, it is also possible to actuate the spraying means 1 directly with a solenoid, such as the solenoid 34, the plunger 35 of which acts directly on the spraying head 12 as described in patent FR-2,647,678. It should however be noted that in the first embodiment, the solenoid is placed next to the distributor and not above it, which reduces

  the dimensions in the vertical direction.

  There will now be described a complete operating cycle of the device which has just been described. After switching on the appliance by pressing the start key on the keyboard 4, the user has two choices, either pulse operation by pressing the I key, or automatic mode operation by pressing the AU button. By pressing the I key, an air flow loaded with fumigated substance is directly emitted. By pressing the AU button, the device will be actuated at regular intervals, the frequency of which can be regulated by pressing the + or - buttons. In any case, the operating cycle of the device is the same whether in pulse mode or in automatic mode. The operating cycle begins with the supply of the resistor 22 located along the air passage 23. Once the resistor 22 has reached a predetermined sufficient temperature, the programmer controls the actuation of the motor 31 which drives the fan 21 of so as to pulsate air through the heated air passage 23. This ensures that the fumigation chamber 24 is crossed by a

  hot air flow before spraying the fluid.

  It is only now that the programmer controls the actuation of the pump 12 or by supplying the solenoid 34 so as to bring the actuating element 36

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  in the working position, either by feeding a solenoid so that its plunger acts directly on the spray head 12. A single jet or several jets of product are then emitted into the hot air flow at the level of the fumigation 24. The vaporized product is taken by the flow of hot air pulsed towards the outside of the device through the grid 25. As soon as the actuation of the pump is finished, the supply of the resistor 22 is cut off then the power supply to the motor 31 which drives

  the fan 21. The operating cycle is thus completed.

  Thanks to the invention, it is possible to produce a directed pulsed air flow charged with a substance chosen by

  depending on the nature of the treatment of the room considered.

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Claims (12)

Claims:   1.- Fumigation device for diffusing a substance, comprising: distribution means (1) for distributing a fluid product containing said substance in the form of a spray of sprayed product formed of fine droplets, characterized in that it comprises in addition: - means (21, 22, 23) for generating a flow of hot air, the spray of sprayed product being distributed in said flow of hot air so as to instantly evaporate said droplets suspended in the air. 2. fumigation device according to claim 1, in which the dispensing means comprise a dispenser provided with a reservoir (13) containing the fluid product, a pump (11) mounted on the reservoir and a head   spray (12) mounted on the pump.   3.- fumigation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for generating a flow of hot air comprises a fan (21) capable of generating a flow of air through an air passage (23) provided means of heating (22).   4.- Fumigation device according to one of the   previous claims, further comprising means   actuator (31-36) to actuate the means of distribution (1).   5.- Fumigation device according to claims 2   and 4, in which the actuation means comprise a solenoid (34) provided with a movable plunger (35) which acts on the spray head. l 2780664   6. Fumigation device according to claims 2   and 4, in which the actuating means comprise a cam (33) which acts on the spray head (12) by means of an actuating element (36) movable between a working position in which it is placed on   the spray head and a rest position.   7. A fumigation device according to claim 6, in which a solenoid (34) acts on the actuating element (36) for the movement selectively between his work and rest position.   8.- Fumigation device according to claims 3   and 6, in which the fan (21) and the cam (33) are powered by a common motor.   9.- Fumigation device according to any one of   previous claims, wherein the means of   distribution (1) are located outside the hot air flow.   10.- Fumigation device according to any one of   the preceding claims, further comprising a   programmer (4) for controlling the actuation of the distribution means (1) and means for generating an air flow hot in frequency.   11.- Fumigation device according to any one of   previous claims, including means for   deflection to deflect the flow of hot air charged with said   substance in a chosen direction.   12.- Fumigation process for diffusing a substance into the atmosphere of a room to be treated, characterized in that it comprises spraying a fluid product containing   said substance in a stream of hot air.