JP2005224648A - Atomizer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an atomizer for atomizing a liquid using a vibrator, wherein the back flow of mist inside the atomizer is suppressed. <P>SOLUTION: The vibrator 12 being in contact with an impregnated body 28 and for atomizing the liquid with which the impregnated body 28 is impregnated by vibrating is at least partially housed in a housing chamber 20 surrounded by a base body part 16 and a cover body 18. An ejecting passage 24 is formed from a prescribed member between the housing chamber 20 and a mist ejecting port 24a and the contact part of the vibrator 12 with the impregnated body 28 is arranged in the ejecting passage 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an atomizer that atomizes liquid by vibrating a vibrator.

  Some atomizers using a vibrator such as an ultrasonic vibrator abut the vibrator on an impregnated body impregnated with a liquid and vibrate the liquid in the vicinity of the abutting portion to atomize the liquid. As this type of conventional technology, for example, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In this type of conventional atomizer, the vibrator is installed at a position recessed from the mist outlet in the casing so that an artificial operation (unauthorized operation) is not applied to the vibrator from the outside.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-10146

  However, depending on the shape of the internal space of the casing and the position of the abutting portion in the casing, when a part of the mist is stored as liquid in the casing without being released and the atomizer is tilted or moved There was a possibility that problems such as spilling out would occur at the momentum. In addition, if there are electrical components such as vibrators and their electrical connection parts in the casing, the accumulated liquid may cause a short circuit or corrosion, resulting in a decrease in atomization performance or inability to atomize. It was.

  An atomizer according to the present invention includes an impregnated body impregnated with a liquid, and a vibrator that atomizes the liquid impregnated by coming into contact with the impregnated body and vibrating, and is a space formed by a predetermined member. A vibrator, at least a part of which is housed in the housing chamber, and a jetting passage is formed by a predetermined member between the housing chamber and the fog jet port, and the vibrator is impregnated with the impregnated body. The contact portion is disposed in the ejection passage or at the boundary between the ejection passage and the storage chamber.

  In the atomizer according to the present invention, the vibrator includes a piezoelectric vibrator and a tapered horn connected to the piezoelectric vibrator, and a tip portion of the horn corresponds to the contact portion. It is preferable that the vibrator is supported in the accommodation chamber in a posture in which a tip portion of the horn is inserted into the ejection passage.

  In the atomizer according to the present invention, it is preferable that an intake passage for taking in external air into the storage chamber is formed in a predetermined member that separates the storage chamber from the external space.

  In the atomizer according to the present invention, it is preferable that the intake passage is formed at a position on the opposite side of the contact portion with respect to the vibrator.

  In the atomizer according to the present invention, it is preferable that an exhaust passage for discharging the air rising in the storage chamber to the external space is formed in a predetermined member that separates the top of the storage chamber from the external space. It is.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of an atomizer 10 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is an AA sectional view (transverse sectional view) of the atomizer 10 of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the atomizer 10 of FIG. 1. FIG.

  An atomizer 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 covers a tank 14 that stores a liquid such as a drug, a base part 16 that functions as a cap of the tank 14 and supports the vibrator 12, and a base part 16 that covers the base part 16. 16 and a cover body 18 that forms a storage chamber 20 for storing the vibrator 12. In this example, the ejection passage 24 is formed in a part of the cover body 18 and the base portion 16. The ejection passage 24 communicates the storage chamber 20 and the external space 22 and becomes an atomized liquid passage. The outlet of the ejection passage 24 is a fog outlet 24a.

  A liquid reservoir 26 for the atomized liquid is formed in the tank 14, and at least a part of the impregnated body 28 is immersed in the liquid reservoir 26. The impregnated body 28 includes a material (for example, a water-absorbing material such as felt, string, thread, paper, sponge, etc.) that impregnates the liquid by capillary action. The liquid is supplied to the contact surface 28a. In this example, the lower end of the impregnated body 28 is disposed in the vicinity of the bottom portion in the tank 14, and the upper end is disposed in the ejection passage 24 on the upper side of the base portion 16, and the through hole 30 provided in the base portion 16 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The impregnated body 28 penetrates. In this example, the specifications (material, configuration, exposure length, etc.) do not cause the exposed portion to collapse or the contact surface 28a to be depressed as much as possible even when the pressing force by the vibrator 12 is applied to the contact surface 28a. , Elastic modulus, etc.) is selected or set. In this example, the inner diameter of the through hole 30 is set to an appropriate diameter and shape that matches the outer diameter of the impregnated body 28, and the impregnated body 28 is inserted into the through hole 30 and gripped. You may make it hold | grip by the structure of. Moreover, you may use the impregnation body 28 of the other shape which is not cylindrical.

  The vibrator 12 in contact with the contact surface 28a of the impregnated body 28 vibrates, so that the contact surface 28a and the surrounding liquid are atomized. As the vibrator 12, for example, a Langevin type ultrasonic vibrator can be used. The vibrator 12 has a shape of a so-called rotating body in which a peripheral edge of a cross section perpendicular to the central axis is circular, and a rear portion of the tapered horn 32 formed by cutting or pressing (the other end side of the tip; the root side) ) Is attached (for example, bonded) with a piezoelectric body 34. An annular groove 36 is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the vibrator 12 so as to have an inner shape. The annular groove 36 is provided at a position of a node of a vibration mode that is mainly used among standing waves generated by vibration in the thickness direction of the vibrator 12. By supporting the vibrator 12 using the annular groove 36, a loss of vibration energy of the vibrator 12 is suppressed. At this time, the vibrator 12 is preferably fixedly supported by the support member 38, but may be supported while allowing rotation and sliding within a predetermined range as appropriate.

  In this example, the vibrator 12 is arranged so that the end region 12 a at the tip of the horn 32 is in contact with the impregnated body 28. At this time, the end region 12a becomes an antinode in the vibration mode. That is, the vibration of the vibrator 12 becomes abdominal at a portion that is in contact with the upper end surface of the impregnated body 28, that is, a portion where the liquid is atomized.

  Further, in this example, the peripheral edge E of the end region 12 a is disposed so as to contact the contact surface 28 a of the impregnated body 28. This is meaningful from the viewpoint of suppressing energy loss. Here, if the central portion of the end region 12a (FIG. 2) of the vibrator 12 (ie, the portion near the central axis O) is in contact with the contact surface 28a, the central portion is the end region 12a. In this case, the vibration energy loss is larger than in the case where the portion other than the central portion is in contact with the portion having the largest amplitude. That is, in the present embodiment, energy loss is suppressed by contacting a portion (for example, the edge E) deviated from the central axis O of the vibrator 12 to the contact surface 28a of the impregnated body.

  The liquid atomized by the vibration of the vibrator 12 is discharged from the ejection passage 24 to the external space 22 through the fog ejection port 24a. At this time, the atomized liquid is given kinetic energy for moving the ejection passage 24 toward the external space 22 by the vibration of the vibrator 12. However, when a portion where the vibrator 12 and the contact surface 28a abut (hereinafter referred to as a contact portion) is disposed in the storage chamber 20, a part of the atomized liquid is stored in the storage chamber. It is also assumed that it stays within 20. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the contact portion is arranged in the ejection passage 24 to suppress it. Specifically, in this example, the impregnated body 28 is disposed so as to extend vertically at a position between the inlet 24b on the storage chamber 20 side of the ejection passage 24 and the mist jet outlet 24a on the outer space 22 side. The vibrator 12 is arranged so that the peripheral edge E is in contact with the approximate center of the contact surface 28a at the upper end of the body 28.

  In this example, the vibrator 12 having the tapered horn 32 is used. In this case, the tapered portion of the horn 32 is inserted into the ejection passage 24, and the outer diameter of the piezoelectric body 34 or the like is larger. The vibrator 12 is disposed so that the portion is not inserted into the ejection passage 24. As the height or width (or inner diameter) of the ejection passage 24 is increased, the atomized liquid is more likely to flow backward toward the storage chamber 20, but this can suppress the backward flow. The height and width of the ejection passage 24 are determined by the outer diameter of the horn 32 (gap with the horn 32) and the flow rate of the spray. Note that the specifications of the ejection passage 24 are desirably determined in consideration of preventing unauthorized operation from the mist ejection port 24a side to the impregnated body 28 and the vibrator 12. That is, it is preferable that the height, width, or inner diameter (for example, about 5 mm at the maximum) from which the finger does not enter at least from the mist outlet 24a to the back of the ejection passage 24, or the distance from the mist outlet 24a to the contact portion. It is. Moreover, although not shown in figure, you may comprise so that the back of the ejection channel | path 24 cannot be directly seen from the fog ejection port 24a as a curved channel | path.

  In the example of FIG. 1, an intake passage 40 that takes in external air into the storage chamber 20 is formed in the cover body 18 that separates the storage chamber 20 from the external space 22. By providing the intake passage 40, an air flow is formed through the intake passage 40, the storage chamber 20, and the ejection passage 24, and the liquid atomized at the contact portion is discharged more smoothly from the mist ejection port 24 a. Become so. In the example of FIG. 1, the intake passage 40 is provided on the side opposite to the contact portion (that is, the end region 12 a at the tip of the horn 32) with respect to the vibrator 12 (that is, the side where the conducting wire 44 is connected). Is good. By doing so, a flow of air that traverses the storage chamber 20 is formed, the retention of air in the storage chamber 20 is suppressed, and the atomized liquid is suppressed from remaining in the storage chamber 20.

  Further, in the example of FIG. 1, an exhaust passage 42 for discharging the air rising in the storage chamber 20 to the external space 22 is formed in the cover body 18 that separates the top of the storage chamber 20 from the external space 22. A part of the electric energy applied to the vibrator 12 is converted into heat, whereby the vibrator 12 generates heat, and an upward air flow may be generated in the storage chamber 20 (or the ejection passage 24). In that case, a part of the atomized liquid may enter the storage chamber 20 due to the ascending air current or the air flow associated therewith, and may stay. Therefore, in this example, the exhaust passage 42 is provided to discharge the warmed air, and a part of the atomized air is suppressed from staying in the storage chamber 20. In the example of FIG. 1, a total of three exhaust passages 42 are provided, two at the upper portion of the storage chamber 20 and one at a position directly above the contact portion of the ejection passage 24.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the illustration in the said embodiment, A various modification is also included.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows an example of the atomizer concerning embodiment of this invention. It is AA sectional drawing (transverse sectional view) of the atomizer of FIG. It is a top view (top view) of the atomizer of FIG. It is a perspective view of the atomizer of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Atomizer, 12 vibrator | oscillator, 12a edge area | region, 14 tank, 16 base | substrate part, 18 cover body, 20 storage chamber, 22 external space, 24 ejection channel | path, 24a fog outlet, 24b inlet, 26 liquid pool, 28 Impregnated body, 28a contact surface, 30 through hole, 32 horn, 34 piezoelectric body, 36 annular groove, 38 support member, 40 intake passage, 42 exhaust passage, 44 lead wire.

Claims (5)

An impregnated body for impregnating the liquid;
A vibrator that atomizes a liquid to be impregnated by vibrating in contact with the impregnated body, wherein the vibrator is at least partially housed in a housing chamber as a space formed by a predetermined member;
With
An atomizer characterized in that a jet passage is formed by a predetermined member between the storage chamber and the fog jet port, and a contact portion of the vibrator with the impregnated body is disposed in the jet passage. . The vibrator includes a piezoelectric vibrator and a tapered horn connected to the piezoelectric vibrator,
The tip of the horn corresponds to the contact portion,
2. The atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator is supported in the storage chamber in a posture in which a distal end portion of the horn is inserted into the ejection passage.   The atomizer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an intake passage for taking in external air into the accommodation chamber is formed in a predetermined member separating the accommodation chamber and the external space.   The atomizer according to claim 3, wherein the intake passage is formed at a position on the opposite side of the contact portion with respect to the vibrator.   The exhaust passage for discharging the air rising in the storage chamber to the external space is formed in a predetermined member that separates the top of the storage chamber from the external space. Atomizer described in 1.

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