JP2006217955A - Vaporizer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vaporizer which can supply steam whose temperature distribution is uniform to an inhalation mask side. <P>SOLUTION: The vaporizer supplies steam delivered from a steam generating source to the inhalation mask side through an interposed steam passage 24. The steam passage 24 is formed into a hollow cylinder whose both ends are opened, and a heater 34 is provided on the wall surface. A steam guiding member 36 facing the heater 34 is installed on the inside of the steam passage 24. The steam guiding member 36 includes a hollow inner cylinder 360 whose top end is closed and a short outer cylinder 361 whose both ends are opened and which is arranged on the outer periphery of the upper end of the inner cylinder 360. The outer cylinder 361 has a shape nearly the same as the inside diameter of a spray opening 26 and is connected to and supported by the upper end of the inner cylinder 360 through a plurality of connecting portions 362 arranged along the circumferential direction, and a discharge opening 363 opening on the inhalation mask 32 side is provided between the inner cylinder 360 and the outer cylinder 361. A narrow steam passage 38 through which steam V passes is formed into a ring shape inside the wall of the heater 34. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a steam inhaler, and particularly to a technique for achieving uniform temperature of mist-like steam.

  As a kind of vapor inhaler, for example, a structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The inhaler disclosed in Patent Document 1 causes the steam generated in the tank portion to be ejected from the steam nozzle to the suction mask via the steam flow passage, and the suction nozzle is disposed in the vicinity of the steam nozzle. The suction liquid is sucked up through the suction nozzle by the negative pressure of the steam sprayed from the steam nozzle, and this is supplied to the suction mask together with the steam.

  However, in this type of steam inhaler, the time required for the steam temperature to reach an appropriate temperature is short, but if dew condensation occurs in the steam passage, high-temperature hot water balls may be ejected from the steam nozzle.

  Thus, in the steam inhaler disclosed in Patent Document 1, a sheet heater is disposed on the inner wall of the steam passage, and the steam is heated by the heater, thereby preventing the occurrence of condensation.

However, the steam inhaler having such a structure has a technical problem described below.
JP 2001-149475 A

  That is, in the steam inhaler disclosed in Patent Document 1, a planar heater is disposed on the inner wall of the steam passage, thereby overheating the steam. The steam that is passed through the vicinity of the inner wall of the steam passage is only part of the steam passage, and the steam that passes through the central portion of the steam passage is hardly heated. There was a problem that the temperature distribution became non-uniform.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vapor inhaler capable of supplying vapor having a uniform temperature distribution to the suction mask side. There is.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in a steam inhaler that supplies steam delivered from a steam generation source to the suction mask side through a steam passage, a heater is disposed on the wall surface of the steam passage. At the same time, a steam guide member facing the heater is installed on the inner surface side of the steam passage to form a narrow narrow steam passage through which the steam passes inside the wall surface.

  According to the steam inhaler configured as described above, the steam guide member facing the heater is installed on the inner surface side of the steam passage to form a narrow steam passage with a narrow width through which the steam passes inside the wall surface. Therefore, the heat of the heater for heating is transmitted to the entire steam passing through the narrow steam passage, and it is possible to prevent the temperature distribution of the steam supplied to the suction mask side from becoming uneven.

  The present invention also includes an inhaler body, a steam generator attached to the inhaler body, and an inhalation mask for steam release provided in the inhaler body, and the inhaler body includes the steam generator. In the steam inhaler in which a steam passage for sending the steam of the container to the suction mask side is formed, and a heater for heating is disposed in the steam passage, a cylindrical or rod-shaped steam guide is provided inside the heater. A member is arranged so that the steam from the steam generator passes through the outer periphery of the steam guiding member and inside the heater.

  In the steam inhaler configured as described above, since the steam passage is narrowed by installing the steam guiding member, the heat of the heater for heating is transmitted to the entire steam passing through the narrow steam passage, and the suction mask side It is possible to prevent the temperature distribution of the steam supplied to the non-uniformity.

  The steam passage is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, the heater for heating is wound around the outer periphery of the steam passage, and the steam guide member has an upper end outer periphery with the steam discharge port opening on the suction mask side. The narrow steam passage can be formed in a ring shape by being formed in the provided cylindrical shape.

  The heater for heating includes a metal cylinder serving as an inner wall of the steam passage, an iron chrome wire wound around an outer periphery of the metal cylinder with an electrical insulating member interposed on both sides, and an outer periphery of the iron chrome wire. The metal cylinder can be heated to a temperature of 100 ° C. or more by providing a synthetic resin film to be coated and energizing the iron chrome wire.

  According to this configuration, when the mist particles (moisture particles) contained in the steam passing through the narrow steam passage hit the metal cylinder, the mist particles are heated to a temperature of 100 ° C. or higher, and thus instantly evaporate. It becomes steam and can raise the temperature of steam quickly.

  The steam guide member may be formed in a hollow cylindrical shape with the discharge port provided on the upper end side, and a discharge hole for releasing a part of the steam from the inside toward the outside may be provided on a side surface on the lower end side.

  According to this configuration, since the steam released toward the outside from the discharge hole hits the metal cylinder of the heater for heating facing the steam guide member, the temperature of the steam can be further rapidly increased, and the narrow steam In the passage, two steam flows are generated and mixed, which promotes uniform steam temperature.

The steam guide member may be provided with a spiral rib on an outer surface thereof.
According to this configuration, since the spiral rib is interposed in the narrow steam passage, the steam swirls in the narrow steam passage, and the centrifugal force accompanying this swirling is included in the steam. When fog particles (water particles) are received, they hit the outer metal cylinder and instantly evaporate into vapor. Such a phenomenon occurs within the range where the ribs are formed, and further raises the temperature of the steam more quickly, and by causing swirling, mixing of the steam is performed and the temperature is also made uniform. .

Furthermore, such swirling is brought into the suction mask, the steam swirls in the suction mask due to centrifugal force, spreads throughout the suction mask, and contributes to the uniform temperature of the steam in the suction mask. Since the swirling vapor has directivity and reaches farther, it can be penetrated deeper into the throat of the user who uses the inhaler.
The steam generation source can be composed of an ultrasonic cartridge.

  The steam inhaler according to the present invention can prevent the temperature distribution of the steam supplied to the suction mask side from becoming uneven.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 5 show a first embodiment of a vapor inhaler according to the present invention. The vapor inhaler shown in these drawings is an example applied when the ultrasonic cartridge 10 is used as a vapor generation source.

  The ultrasonic cartridge 10 is attached to the main body 12, connected to the electrode 14, receives electric power from the electrode 14, and generates steam by driving the built-in ultrasonic vibrator. The upper end is provided with an atomizing tank 16 and a blower fan 18 arranged on the side thereof.

  The cartridge 10 is provided with a cover 20 that covers the top of the atomization tank 16 and the blower fan 16. The cover 20 is provided with a through hole 22 corresponding to the opening of the atomization tank 16. 10 is attached to the main body 12 with the cover 20 attached.

  The main body 12 is provided with a steam passage 24 positioned above the through hole 22 so as to communicate with the upper end opening of the atomization tank 16, and the upper end side thereof is an open steam spraying port 26. Yes.

  The main body 12 is provided with a start / end switch 28, and a power cord 30 connected to a commercial power source is attached. An inhalation mask 32 applied to the mouth of the user is attached to the mist mouth 26 of the steam passage 24.

  The basic configuration of such a vapor inhaler is almost the same as this type of conventional one, but the inhaler of this embodiment has the following remarkable features. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, the vapor V delivered from the ultrasonic cartridge 10 which is a vapor generation source is supplied to the suction mask 32 side via the vapor passage 24. The vapor passage 24 is as follows. It is configured.

  As shown in detail in FIGS. 3 to 5, the steam passage 24 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape having both ends opened, and a heater 34 is provided on the wall surface. As shown in the cross-sectional structure of FIG. 4, the heater 34 serves as an inner wall of the steam passage 24. For example, the metal cylinder 34a formed of a metal having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum, an electrical insulating member, In the case of the example, the mica plate 34b is interposed on both sides, and is composed of an iron chrome wire 34c wound around the outer periphery of the metal tube 34a and a synthetic resin film 34d that covers the outer peripheral surface of the mica plate 34b. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 3, upper and lower ring plates 34 e and 34 f are fixed to both ends of the heater 34 configured as described above, and the upper ring plate 34 e is fogged on the main body 12. The lower ring plate 34 f is formed integrally with the main body 12 while being fixed to the lower end of the mouth 26. A step portion 35 is formed at a portion where the upper ring plate 34 e is fixed to the mist opening 26.

  The heating heater 34 configured as described above heats the metal tube 34a by energizing the iron chrome wire 34c, and the heating temperature at this time is set to, for example, 100 ° C. When the particles contained in the vapor V come into contact with each other, they evaporate instantaneously or in a short time.

  In the case of the present embodiment, a steam guide member 36 facing the heater 34 is provided on the inner surface side of the steam passage 24 having the above-described configuration. Details of the installation state of the steam guide member 36 are shown in FIG.

  The steam guide member 36 of the present embodiment includes a hollow cylindrical inner cylinder 360 whose upper end is closed, and a short outer cylinder 361 which is arranged at a predetermined interval on the outer periphery of the upper end of the inner cylinder 360 and is open at both ends. I have. The steam guide member 36 may have a solid rod shape, a square cross section, an oval cross section, or an elliptic cross section, in addition to being formed in a hollow cylindrical shape.

  The outer cylinder 361 has substantially the same outer shape as the inner diameter of the fog opening 26 and is connected to and supported by the upper end of the inner cylinder 360 via a plurality of connecting portions 362 arranged along the circumferential direction. A discharge port 363 that opens to the suction mask 32 side is provided between the outer cylinder 361 and the outer cylinder 361.

  A part of the connecting portion 362 projects upward from the upper end of the inner cylinder 360 and also serves as a knob when the steam guide member 36 is attached. The discharge holes 363 are formed in a ring shape, and are partitioned by the connecting portions 362 at equal intervals of approximately 90 °.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the steam V introduced into the steam passage 24 is sent out from the steam passage 24 to the suction mask 32 side through the discharge port 363. The steam guide member 36 having such a configuration is mounted such that the outer cylinder 361 is fitted inside the fog opening 26 and the lower end thereof is locked to the step portion 35. A narrow steam passage 38 having a narrow width through which the steam V passes is formed in a ring shape so that the outer surface of the inner cylinder 360 faces the inner surface of the metal cylinder 34a of the heater 34 with a predetermined interval. Is formed. The narrow steam passage 38 has an upper end communicating with the discharge port 363 and a lower end side communicating with the through hole 22 provided in the cover 20.

  In the vapor inhaler configured as described above, when the ultrasonic cartridge 10 is operated to generate the vapor V, the vapor V is pushed by the blower fan 18 and is vaporized through the through hole 22. A user who reaches the passage 24 and is then supplied to the inhalation mask 32 through the mist port 26 and brings his nose and throat closer to the inhalation mask 32 sucks the vapor V.

  At this time, in the heater 34 for heating the steam passage 24, the metal cylinder 34a serving as the inner wall thereof is heated to a predetermined temperature. Further, a steam guide member 36 facing the metal cylinder 34a of the heater 34 is installed on the inner surface side of the steam passage 24, and a narrow narrow steam passage 38 through which the steam passes is formed inward of the wall surface. Yes.

  For this reason, the heat of the heater 34 is transmitted to the entire steam V passing through the narrow steam passage 38 to prevent the temperature distribution of the steam V supplied to the suction mask 32 side from becoming uneven. Can do.

  Further, when the vapor V passes through the narrow vapor passage 38, if fog particles (moisture particles) contained in the vapor V hit the metal cylinder 34a, it evaporates to become vapor and quickly raises the temperature of the vapor V. Can be made.

  In order to effectively exhibit such a temperature rise effect due to evaporation, it is effective to set the temperature of the metal cylinder 34a of the heater 34 to 100 ° C. or more. In this way, when the mist particles (moisture particles) contained in the steam passing through the narrow steam passage 38 hit the metal cylinder, they instantly evaporate and become steam, thereby quickly raising the temperature of the steam V. Can do.

  6 and 7 show a second embodiment of the vapor inhaler according to the present invention. The same or corresponding parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Only the characteristic points will be described below.

  6 and 7 show a steam guide member 36a of the steam inhaler, and the steam guide member 36a shown in these drawings is a hollow cylindrical inner member whose upper end is closed, as in the first embodiment. A cylinder 360a and a short outer cylinder 361a that is disposed at a predetermined interval on the outer periphery of the upper end of the inner cylinder 360a and that is open at both ends are provided.

  The outer cylinder 361a has substantially the same outer shape as the inner diameter of the fog opening 26, and is connected to and supported by the upper end of the inner cylinder 360a via a plurality of connecting portions 362a arranged along the circumferential direction. A discharge port 363a that opens toward the suction mask 32 is provided between the outer cylinder 361a and the outer cylinder 361a.

  When the steam guide member 36a is mounted so as to be locked to the step portion 35, the outer surface of the inner tube 360a faces the inner surface of the metal tube 34a of the heater 34 with a predetermined interval, A narrow steam passage 38 having a narrow width through which the steam V passes is formed in a ring shape.

  In addition to the above-described configuration, the steam guide member 36a of the present embodiment has a discharge hole through which a part of the steam V flows into the side surface on the lower end side of the inner cylinder 360a and discharges it from the inside to the outside. 364a is provided. The discharge hole 364a is formed by cutting the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 360a into a band shape with a predetermined width along the circumferential direction, and a plurality of discharge holes 364a are provided at opposing positions.

  According to this configuration, the vapor V discharged outward from the discharge hole 364a hits the metal cylinder 34a of the heater 34 facing the steam guide member 36a, and the mist particles are evaporated. The temperature can be raised quickly.

  In this case, the metal cylinder 34a is heated to 100 ° C. or higher. In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, two steam V flows are generated in the narrow steam passage 38 and are mixed, so that the uniform steam temperature is also promoted. Can be made.

  8 to 11 show a third embodiment of the vapor inhaler according to the present invention. The same or corresponding parts as those of the second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. Only the characteristic points will be described below.

  FIGS. 8 and 9 show a steam guide member 36b of a steam inhaler. The steam guide member 36b shown in these drawings is a hollow cylindrical inner member whose upper end is closed, as in the first embodiment. A cylinder 360b and a short outer cylinder 361b that is disposed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the inner cylinder 360b at a predetermined interval and that is open at both ends are provided.

  The outer cylinder 361b has an outer shape substantially the same as the inner diameter of the fog opening 26, and is connected to and supported by the upper end of the inner cylinder 360b via a plurality of connecting portions 362b arranged along the circumferential direction. A discharge port 363b that opens to the suction mask 32 side is provided between the outer cylinder 361b and the outer cylinder 361b.

  Further, when the steam guide member 36b is mounted so as to be locked to the step portion 35, the outer surface of the inner tube 360b faces the inner surface of the metal tube 34a of the heater 34 with a predetermined interval, and the wall surface A narrow steam passage 38 having a narrow width through which the steam V passes is formed in a ring shape.

  Furthermore, a plurality of discharge holes 364b are provided on the side surface on the lower end side of the inner cylinder 360b to allow a part of the steam V to flow into the inside and discharge it from the inside toward the outside. In the case of the present embodiment, the steam guide member 36b is provided with a spiral rib 365b on the outer surface of the inner cylinder 360b in addition to the above-described configuration. The spiral rib 365b is disposed above the discharge hole 364b.

  According to this configuration, since the spiral rib 364b is interposed in the narrow steam passage 38, the steam V swirls in the narrow steam passage 38, and the centrifugal force accompanying this swirling is introduced into the steam. When the contained mist particles (water particles) are received, they hit the outer metal cylinder 34a and instantly evaporate into vapor.

  Such a phenomenon occurs within the range where the ribs 365b are formed, and the temperature of the steam is further rapidly raised, and the swirling causes the mixing of the steam V, and also makes the temperature uniform. Further promote.

  Further, such swirling is brought into the suction mask 32, and the steam V swirls by the centrifugal force in the suction mask 32 and spreads over the entire suction mask 32, so that the steam temperature in the suction mask 32 is uniform. The steam V that is swirling has a directivity and reaches a farther distance, so that it can be penetrated deeper into the throat of the user who uses the inhaler.

  Such a swirling form of the steam V is obtained by the spiral rib 365b. However, by devising the shape of the rib 365b, the spiral of the steam V can be obtained as shown in FIGS. It can be formed so as to be oriented only in the direction. Employing such a spiral form makes it possible to more effectively utilize temperature uniformity and directivity. In the example shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the discharge hole 364b is not provided, but the discharge hole 364b as shown in FIGS.

  12 and 13 show the measurement results when the temperature distribution in the suction mask 32 is measured by creating prototypes corresponding to the first embodiment and the third embodiment, respectively. In these prototypes, the same conditions were applied to the heater 34, and in the equivalent prototype of Example 3, the spiral rib 365b was formed on the outer surface of the steam guide member 36 of the equivalent prototype of Example 1.

  The temperature distribution in the suction mask 32 is such that an acrylic pipe having a diameter of 36 mmφ and a length of 120 mm is joined so as to be perpendicular to the cross section of the mask. Thermocouples were installed at the lower and middle three locations, and the temperature temperature over time when the atomization operation was performed was measured.

  FIG. 12 shows the measurement result of the product equivalent to the first embodiment, and FIG. 13 shows the measurement result of the product equivalent to the third embodiment. As is clear from these measurement results, in the case of FIG. 12, a slight difference is observed in the temperature distribution, but in the case of FIG. 13, the temperature distribution is disturbed at the beginning of the measurement, but with time, It was confirmed that this disappeared and the temperature distribution was uniform.

  In the above embodiment, the ultrasonic cartridge 10 is exemplified as the steam generation source. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this, and the steam is blown to a part of the heater to generate the steam. The method of generating can also be applied.

  According to the vapor inhaler according to the present invention, the vapor having a uniform temperature distribution can be supplied to the side of the inhalation mask, so that this technique can be effectively utilized.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of a vapor inhaler according to the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the assembly state of the steam suction device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the vapor | steam channel | path of the vapor | steam inhaler shown in FIG. It is the A section enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 4 is a top view and a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state in which a steam guide member is installed in the steam passage shown in FIG. 3. In 2nd Example of the steam inhaler concerning this invention, it is a top view of the state which installed the steam induction member in the steam channel. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of FIG. 6. In the 3rd Example of the steam inhaler concerning the present invention, it is an upper surface figure in the state where the steam induction member was installed in the steam passage. It is a cross-sectional explanatory view of FIG. In the said 3rd Example, it is description which shows the flow of the vapor | steam in the vapor | steam induction member vicinity. In the said 3rd Example, it is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the vapor | steam in an inhalation mask. It is a measurement result of the temperature distribution in the inhalation mask of the prototype corresponding to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. It is a measurement result of the temperature distribution in the inhalation mask of the prototype corresponding to the third embodiment shown in FIGS.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Ultrasonic cartridge 12 Main body 14 Electrode 16 Atomization tank 20 Cover 24 Steam passage 32 Inhalation mask 34 Heating heater 36, 36a, 36b Steam induction member 360, 360a, 360b Inner cylinder 361, 361a, 361b Outer cylinder 363 363a, 363b Discharge port 364a Discharge hole 365b Rib 38 Narrow steam passage

Claims (7)

In a steam inhaler that supplies steam delivered from a steam generation source to the suction mask side via a steam passage,
A heater for heating is disposed on the wall surface of the steam passage, and a steam guide member facing the heater for heating is disposed on the inner surface side of the steam passage so that the steam passes inward of the wall surface. A steam inhaler characterized by forming a narrow narrow steam passage. An inhaler body,
A steam generator attached to the inhaler body;
An inhaler mask for vapor discharge provided in the inhaler body,
In the steam inhaler in which a steam passage for sending the steam of the steam generator to the suction mask side is formed in the inhaler body, and a heater for heating is arranged in the steam passage,
Inside the heater, a cylindrical or rod-shaped steam guide member is disposed,
The steam inhaler characterized in that steam from the steam generator passes through the outer periphery of the steam guiding member and inside the heater.   The steam passage is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, the heater for heating is wound around the outer periphery of the steam passage, and the steam guide member is an upper end outer periphery, and the steam discharge port that opens to the suction mask side The steam inhaler according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the narrow steam passage is formed in a ring shape.   The heater for heating includes a metal cylinder serving as an inner wall of the steam passage, an iron chrome wire wound around an outer periphery of the metal cylinder with an electric insulating member interposed on both sides, and an outer periphery of the electric insulating member. A vapor inhaler according to claim 3, comprising a synthetic resin film to be coated, and heating the metal tube to a temperature of 100 ° C or higher by energizing the iron-chromium wire.   The steam guide member is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape in which the discharge port is provided on the upper end side, and has a discharge hole that discharges a part of the steam from the inside to the outside on a side surface on the lower end side. The vapor inhaler according to claim 3 or 4.   The steam inhaler according to claim 5, wherein the steam guide member is provided with a spiral rib on an outer surface thereof.   The vapor inhaler according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the vapor generation source is an ultrasonic cartridge.

Images