JP2008221214A - Atomizer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an atomizer which atomizes a liquid into the atmosphere and is easy to handle without requiring an external power supply, and can generate many minus ions. <P>SOLUTION: This atomizer has a spray nozzle through which an atomized liquid is spewed, a bottle filled with the liquid and a ductwork which transfers the liquid of the bottle to the spray nozzle. In addition, the liquid with changed characteristics negatively ionizes the ambient atmosphere during atomizing the liquid by making the atomized liquid pass through a specified material for changing the liquid characteristics. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sprayer that sprays liquid into the atmosphere.

  In recent years, for example, studies on the following Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 2 have suggested that negative ions (air ions) have an effect on health, and air cleaners having a negative ion generation function have been put into practical use. ing. “Negative ions” refers to negatively charged fine particles, and “negatively ionized air” refers to a state in which a large number of negatively charged fine particles exist and are suspended in the air.

Usually, a negative ion generation mechanism used in an air cleaner or the like is an electrode-type negative ion generation mechanism that discharges an electrode by applying a high voltage to the negative ion. In addition, it is known that the surrounding atmosphere is negatively ionized when a liquid is sprayed into the atmosphere by a nebulizer (Leonard effect).
"Research on human comfort in negative ion environment" (Niigata University, Corona Co., Ltd .: Proceedings of the 11th Bioengineering Lecture Meeting of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, pp.124-125, 1999.3) "Effects of negative ions on central and autonomic nervous activities" (Kyushu Institute of Technology, Chiba Univ., Etc .: Abstracts of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Physiological Anthropology, p.60, 1998.6)

However, the electrode-type negative ion generation mechanism has problems that it is necessary to supply electric power from the outside and that there are many restrictions in handling because it has a component that requires high voltage inside. In addition, the amount of negative ions generated by the Leonard effect was about several thousand counts / cm ^3, and the amount of negative ions generated was small.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a nebulizer that does not require an external power source, is easy to handle, and can generate many negative ions.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the atomizer according to claim 1 is configured such that the liquid passing therethrough is sprayed from a spray nozzle onto at least a part of the pipe, thereby negatively ionizing the surrounding atmosphere. A predetermined material is arranged. According to the sprayer of the first aspect, since the negative ionization of the atmosphere is promoted at the time of spraying by the liquid whose characteristics have been altered by the predetermined material as described above, the amount is larger than that of a normal sprayer. Negative ions are generated during spraying and do not require an electrode and a power source.

  Preferably, the predetermined material is stored in a material holding portion formed in at least a part of the pipe.

  Preferably, the predetermined material is a cartridge in which the material holding portion has a hollow portion formed in the middle of the conduit, and the predetermined material is stored in the hollow portion of the cartridge.

  Preferably, the cartridge is detachable from the conduit, and a predetermined material can be exchanged.

  Preferably, the predetermined material is stored in the cartridge in a pulverized state. With such a configuration, the liquid can efficiently come into contact with a predetermined material. Preferably, the particle diameter of the pulverized predetermined material is less than 5 mm, and more preferably, the particle diameter of the pulverized predetermined material is 0.5 to 1 mm.

  A first filter for preventing a predetermined material crushed from entering the spray nozzle is installed at least on the downstream side of the cartridge. Preferably, the first filter is a polyethylene sponge.

  In addition, a second filter for preventing the predetermined material crushed in the bottle from flowing backward is installed on the upstream side of the cartridge. Preferably, the second filter is a polyethylene sponge.

  In addition, as such a predetermined material, there is a material that charges a surrounding substance by a change in temperature or pressure. Examples of such a material include materials that are permanently polarized, such as tourmaline ore and ceramics blended with tourmaline ore.

  Moreover, as such a predetermined material, there is a material that emits far infrared rays at room temperature. When far-infrared rays are radiated to a liquid, the water clusters contained in the liquid (a number of molecules bonded by microscopic forces such as van der Waals force or hydrogen bonds) are divided, and the liquid particle size during spraying is reduced. It tends to be small. In general, when the liquid is sprayed into the atmosphere, it is said that the smaller the particles of the sprayed liquid, the more negative the surrounding air is ionized.

  Furthermore, as such a material, charcoal, barley stone, serpentine, or ceramics in which any one or more of these are blended can be cited.

  Moreover, as such a predetermined material, there is a material that emits a minute amount of radiation. Moisture in the liquid is ionized by the ionizing action of the radiation, and as a result, the surrounding atmosphere is negatively ionized at the time of spraying by the same effect as the material that charges the surrounding substances.

  Examples of such materials include radium-containing ores and ceramics containing radium-containing ores.

  Hereinafter, the structure of the sprayer according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is an overall view of a sprayer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a main part of the sprayer 1. The sprayer 1 has a bottle part 200 and a spray head 300. The bottle part 200 is a cylindrical container that is open at one end, and is filled with a liquid L using water as a solvent. A male thread portion 211 is formed on the outer periphery of the open end 210 of the bottle portion 200. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the spray nozzle side of the sprayer 1 is defined as “upper” and the distal end side with respect to the spray nozzle is defined as “lower”. As long as the air in the cylinder (described later) is discharged into the bottle portion 200 via the, the other configurations are possible. For example, the structure in which the whole sprayer 1 inclines diagonally may be sufficient.

  The spray head 300 includes a filter cartridge 310, a solution intake tube 321, a piston unit 330, a spray nozzle 340, and a cap 350.

  The filter cartridge 310 is a hollow columnar member with pipes protruding from the upper and lower ends thereof, a cartridge main body 311 which is a stepped cylindrical member, and a stepped cylindrical member with a disk-shaped flange member 312a protruding from the stepped portion. A cartridge cap 312, a disk-shaped filter (upper) 313, a filter (lower) 314, and a filler M are included.

  The small cylindrical portion 311 a of the cartridge body 311 forms a pipe on the lower end side of the filter cartridge 310. The outer diameter of the small diameter cylindrical portion 311a is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the solution intake tube 321. In addition, the outer diameter of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 311a and the outer diameter of the solution intake tube 321 are set to be slightly larger than the inner diameter of the relay tube 322 that is a cylindrical member. By inserting the small cylindrical portion 311a and the solution intake tube 321 of the cartridge body 311 from both ends of the relay tube 322, the small diameter cylindrical portion 311a and the solution intake tube 321 are connected in a watertight manner.

  The cartridge body 311 is filled with a filler M. The filler M in the present embodiment corresponds to “predetermined material” in the claims of the present application. In this embodiment, the filler M is tourmaline ore pulverized so that the particle diameter is about 0.5 to 1 mm. Tourmaline ore is a material that charges surrounding substances such as moisture and fine particles in the atmosphere. In particular, the surrounding substances are more effectively charged by changes in temperature and pressure. In addition, the filler M is sealed between the filter (upper) 313 and the filter (lower) 314 so that the filler M does not flow out of the filter cartridge 310. Both the filter (upper) 313 and the filter (lower) 314 are made of polyethylene sponge, and the roughness of the eyes is extremely small compared to the filler M, so that only the liquid L can pass through the filter cartridge 310. Yes.

  In the present embodiment, the particle size of the filler M is about 0.5 to 1 mm, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the dimensions and specifications of the parts constituting the sprayer, the characteristics of the filler, etc. Depending on the case, fillers of various particle sizes can be used.

  The cartridge cap 312 is a member in which a thin cylindrical portion 312b and a large cylindrical portion 312c are joined via a flange member 312a. The outer diameter of the large cylindrical portion 312c is the inner diameter of the large cylindrical portion 311b of the cartridge body 311. It is configured slightly larger. By inserting the large diameter cylindrical portion 312c of the cartridge cap 312 into the large diameter cylindrical portion 311b of the cartridge main body 311, the cartridge cap 312 and the cartridge main body 311 are connected in a watertight manner.

  The piston part 330 includes a cylinder 331, a metal ball 332, a metal ball presser 334, a spring 333, and a piston part 335.

  The cylinder 331 is a two-step cylindrical member in which the small-diameter portion 331a, the medium-diameter portion 331b, and the large-diameter portion 331c are joined in this order, and the disk portion 331e is formed in a flange shape from the middle of the large-diameter portion 331c. It protrudes. The outer diameter of the small diameter portion 331a is configured to be slightly larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter cylindrical portion 312b of the cartridge cap 312. By fitting the small diameter portion 331a of the cylinder 331 into the small diameter cylindrical portion 312b of the cartridge cap 312, the cylinder 331 and the cartridge cap 312 are connected in a watertight manner. An air hole 331f is formed in the side surface of the large diameter portion 331c of the cylinder 331.

  A piston portion 335 is inserted into the cylinder 331 so as to be slidable from above (that is, the large diameter portion 331c side of the cylinder 331). The piston portion 335 is formed by a piston body 335c that slides with the large-diameter portion 331c of the cylinder 331, a cylindrical skirt portion 335a that extends downward from the piston body 335c, and an upward extension from the piston body 335c. A cylindrical pipe portion 335d. A pipe line extending from the lower end of the skirt portion 335 to the upper end of the pipe portion 335d is formed inside the piston 335.

  The inner wall portion of the large-diameter portion 331 of the cylinder 331 is slightly constricted, and the piston body 335c of the piston portion 335 and the large-diameter portion 331 of the cylinder 331 can slide while closely contacting each other at the position of the constricted portion 331d. ing.

  The lower end of the skirt portion 335 a of the piston portion 335 is formed as a tapered tube 335 b that extends downward, and the diameter of the lower end of the tapered tube 335 b is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the medium diameter portion 331 b of the cylinder 331. Further, the outer diameter of the skirt portion 335 a of the piston portion 335 is smaller than the inner diameter of the medium diameter portion 331 b of the cylinder 331. Here, when the piston portion 335 is pushed downward into the cylinder 331, the lower end of the tapered tube 335 b comes into contact with the medium diameter portion 331 b of the cylinder 331. When the piston portion 335 is further pushed downward from this state, the tapered tube 335b is deformed, and the lower end of the tapered tube 335b and the inner wall of the medium diameter portion 331b of the cylinder 331 are brought into close contact with each other.

  A spring 333 is fitted into the skirt portion 335a from below. The upper end of the spring 333 is in contact with the lower end of the piston main body 335 c of the piston portion 335. A metal ball retainer 334 that is a rod-like member is attached to the spring 333 from below. When the piston portion 335 is fitted in the cylinder 331, the spring 333 functions as a compression spring, and the metal ball retainer 334 urges the stainless steel metal ball 332 disposed below the spring 333. . Since the diameter of the metal sphere 332 is larger than the inner diameter of the narrow diameter portion 331 a of the piston portion 331, the metal sphere 332 biased by the metal ball retainer 334 causes a backflow of the liquid L and air from the cylinder 331 to the filter cartridge 310. It functions as a kind of check valve to prevent.

  The cap 350 is configured as a kind of stepped cylinder. When the cylinder 331 with the piston portion 335 is inserted into the cap 350 from the large-diameter portion 352 at the lower portion of the cap 350, the stepped portion 351 and the cylinder 331 of the cap 350 are inserted. The upper surface of the disk portion 331e contacts. At this time, the pipe portion 335 d of the piston portion 335 protrudes from the upper end of the small diameter portion 353 of the cap 350. An internal thread 352 a is formed on the inner wall of the large-diameter portion 352 of the cap 350. The female screw 352a is in screw contact with the threaded portion 211 of the bottle portion 200, and the disk portion 331e of the cylinder 331 is attached to the bottle portion 200 by screwing the cap 350 with the cylinder 331 and the piston portion 335 attached thereto. The cylinder 331 is fixed to the bottle 200 as a result of being biased to the upper end of the open end 210 of the portion 200. In addition, a packing 360 is installed between the upper end of the open end 210 of the bottle part 200 and the disk part 331e of the cylinder 331, and liquid is discharged from the gap between the upper end of the open end 210 of the bottle part 200 and the disk part 331e of the cylinder 331. L is prevented from flowing out.

  The spray nozzle 340 is a cylindrical member that is open at one end, and the upper end of the pipe portion 335d of the piston portion 335 is fitted in such a shape that the open end is peeled downward. The upper surface 341 of the spray nozzle 340 is formed with a liquid passage 343 that is bent in an L shape. The inlet of the passage 343 is formed on the inner wall portion of the upper surface 341 of the spray nozzle 340, and the outlet is formed on the outer side wall of the spray nozzle 340. Has been. That is, the upstream side 343a of the liquid passage 343 of the spray nozzle 340 is a pipe line extending from the inner wall portion of the upper surface 341 of the spray nozzle 340 to the inside of the upper surface 341 of the spray nozzle 340, and the downstream side 343b of the liquid passage 343 is. This is a pipeline that runs horizontally from the inside of the upper surface 341 toward the outer side wall of the spray nozzle 340. The upper end of the pipe portion 335 d of the piston portion 335 is fitted into the upstream side 343 a of the liquid passage 343 in a watertight manner.

  Further, the vicinity of the outlet on the downstream side 343b of the liquid passage 343 (that is, the outer side wall of the spray nozzle 340) is formed as a tapered tube 343c whose diameter becomes narrower toward the outlet.

  A procedure in which the liquid L is sprayed by the sprayer 1 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the liquid L is sprayed by pushing the spray nozzle 340 downward.

  When the spray nozzle 340 is pushed down, the piston 335 is pushed down into the cylinder 331. For this reason, the air in the cylinder 331 is discharged into the bottle part 200 from the air hole 331f.

  As a result, the atmospheric pressure in the bottle part 200 rises, and the air in the bottle part 200 presses the liquid L downward. The pressed liquid L sequentially passes through the solution intake tube 321 and the filter cartridge 310 and further pushes up the metal ball 332 biased downward by the spring 333 upward.

  At this time, since the lower end taper pipe 335b of the skirt portion 335a of the piston portion reaches the medium diameter portion 331b of the cylinder 331, the liquid L that pushes up the metal ball 332 and flows into the medium diameter portion 331b of the cylinder 331 is discharged from the cylinder 331. Without going to the large diameter part 331c, it goes to the pipe part 335d of the piston part 335 through the skirt part 335a of the piston part 335.

  The liquid L toward the pipe portion 335 d of the piston portion 335 moves to the liquid passage 343 of the spray nozzle 340. Since the vicinity of the outlet of the liquid passage 343 is a tapered tube 343c that becomes thinner toward the outlet, the water pressure in the vicinity of the tapered tube 343c increases. Thus, when the high-pressure liquid is discharged from the outlet of the liquid passage 343, it is diffused and sprayed in a mist form.

  As described above, according to the sprayer 1 of the present invention, the liquid L in the bottle unit 200 is configured to be sprayed after passing through the spray cartridge 310 filled with the filler M.

  The measurement results obtained by measuring the number of negative ions contained in the atmosphere after spraying by the sprayer 1 according to the present embodiment are shown below. As a comparative control, the filter cartridge 310 is removed from the nebulizer 1 according to the present embodiment, that is, the small-diameter portion 331a of the cylinder 331 of the nebulizer 1 and the solution intake tube 321 are watertightly connected by the relay tube 322. The measurement result of the number of negative ions by the nebulizer of the configuration is also shown.

  The number of negative ions was measured using an ion counter SC-50 manufactured by Sigma Tech. The measurement was performed by separating the sprayer 30 cm from the sensor of the ion counter and spraying the liquid L once (spray amount 0.2 gram) with the tapered tube 343c of the spray nozzle 340 of the sprayer directed toward the sensor of the ion counter. In addition, 60 liters of air per minute was sucked in the direction from the sprayer to the sensor by a blower attached to the back of the sensor of the ion counter. The temperature at the time of measurement was 20 ° C. and the relative humidity was 54%. Table 1 shows the number of negative ions measured as described above. The measurement results are average values obtained by three measurements.

  As shown in Table 1, according to the nebulizer of the present embodiment, it is possible to generate 20 times or more negative ions as compared with the nebulizer from which the filter cartridge 310 is removed.

  In this embodiment, the tourmaline ore is crushed and used as the filler M, but the liquid L sprayed through the filler is filled with other materials that negatively ionize the surrounding atmosphere. It may be used as a material. As such a material, in addition to charged substances such as tourmaline ore and ceramics blended with tourmaline ore, substances that emit far infrared rays and substances that emit a minute amount of radiation are suitable.

  Examples of the “material that efficiently emits far-infrared rays” include barleystone, serpentine, charcoal, and ceramics containing these materials. Examples of the “substance that emits a trace amount of radiation” include radium-containing ores and ceramics containing radium-containing ores.

  Moreover, the sprayer 1 of this embodiment can replace the filler M. In the present embodiment, the small cylindrical portion 312b of the cartridge cap 312 of the filter cartridge 310 is pulled out from the small diameter portion 331a of the cylinder 331, and the relay tube 322 is pulled out from the small cylindrical portion 311a of the cartridge main body 311 of the filter cartridge 310. Thus, the filter cartridge 310 can be taken out. When exchanging the filler M, the filter cartridge 310 is taken out by the above procedure, and a new filter cartridge 310 is attached to the small diameter portion 331a of the cylinder 331 and the relay tube 322 instead.

  In the present embodiment, the filler M is replaced with the filter cartridge 310, but the present invention is not limited to the above method. For example, the cartridge main body 311 may be separated from the cartridge cap 312 and only the cartridge main body 311 may be replaced, or the entire spray head 300 may be replaced.

  In the present embodiment, the filter cartridge 310 is provided between the solution intake tube 321 and the cylinder 331. However, the filter cartridge 310 may be provided in the liquid L line between the solution intake tube 321 and the cylinder 331. It can be installed anywhere. For example, the filter cartridge 310 may be attached upstream of the solution intake tube 321 or before the spray nozzle 340.

  Further, the configuration may be such that the dimensions of the filter cartridge 310 and the conduit, the selection of the filler M, the particle diameter, and the like are determined according to the spray amount and the like.

  Since the nebulizer according to the present invention does not need to incorporate a high voltage portion unlike an electrode-type negative ion generation mechanism, the structure is simple and the portability is excellent. Therefore, the sprayer according to the present invention is applicable not only to water but also to a sprayer that sprays various liquids using water as a solvent. Such sprayers include humidifiers that use water as a liquid, lotion sprays that use lotion as a liquid, and fragrance sprayers that use a water-soluble fragrance as a liquid.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the sprayer of the specific structure was demonstrated in detail as an example, this invention is not limited to this, The sprayer which has a structure different from this sprayer is also from a bottle. The same effect can be obtained by arranging the cartridge filled with the filler M in the conduit for guiding the liquid to the spray nozzle.

It is a figure which shows the whole sprayer of embodiment of this invention. It is detail drawing of the principal part of the sprayer of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the sprayer of this embodiment which is spraying the liquid.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sprayer 200 Bottle part 300 Spray head 310 Filter cartridge 313 Filter (upper)
314 Filter (bottom)
340 Spray nozzle L Liquid M Filler

Claims (26)

A sprayer for spraying liquid into the atmosphere,
A spray nozzle for spraying the liquid in a mist form;
A bottle filled with the liquid;
A conduit for transferring the liquid in the bottle to the spray nozzle,
A sprayer characterized in that at least a part of the pipe line is provided with a predetermined material that negatively ionizes the surrounding atmosphere by spraying the liquid that has passed through the spray nozzle from the spray nozzle. .   2. The sprayer according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined material is stored in a material holding portion formed in at least a part of the pipe.   The sprayer according to claim 2, wherein the material holding part is a cartridge having a hollow part formed in the middle of the pipe line, and the predetermined material is stored in the hollow part of the cartridge. .   4. The sprayer according to claim 3, wherein the cartridge is detachable from the pipe line.   The sprayer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the predetermined material is stored in the material holding portion in a pulverized state.   The sprayer according to claim 5, wherein a particle diameter of the pulverized predetermined material is 0.1 to 5 mm.   The sprayer according to claim 6, wherein a particle diameter of the pulverized predetermined material is 0.5 to 1 mm.   8. The first filter according to claim 3, wherein a first filter that prevents the pulverized predetermined material from entering the spray nozzle is disposed at least downstream of the cartridge. 9. A nebulizer as described in.   The sprayer according to claim 8, wherein the first filter is a polyethylene sponge.   10. The sprayer according to claim 8, wherein a second filter for preventing the pulverized predetermined material from flowing back into the bottle is installed upstream of the cartridge. 11. .   11. The sprayer according to claim 10, wherein the second filter is a polyethylene sponge.   The sprayer according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the predetermined material is a material that charges a surrounding substance by a change in temperature or pressure.   The sprayer according to claim 12, wherein the surrounding material includes water.   The nebulizer according to claim 12, wherein the surrounding substance includes fine particles in the atmosphere.   The sprayer according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined material is tourmaline ore.   The sprayer according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined material is a ceramic mixed with tourmaline ore.   The sprayer according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the predetermined material is a material that emits far-infrared rays at room temperature.   The sprayer according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined material is charcoal.   The sprayer according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined material is barley stone.   The sprayer according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined material is serpentine.   The sprayer according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined material is ceramics containing any one or more of charcoal, barley stone, and serpentine.   The nebulizer according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the predetermined material is a material that emits a minute amount of radiation.   The sprayer according to claim 22, characterized in that the predetermined material is a radium-containing ore.   The sprayer according to claim 22, wherein the predetermined material is a ceramic containing a radium-containing ore.   The sprayer according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the sprayer is a pump type sprayer.   In a sprayer for spraying liquid held in a bottle into the atmosphere from a spray nozzle, a cartridge having a hollow portion in at least a part of a conduit for transferring the liquid to the spray nozzle is provided. A cartridge for a sprayer, wherein the cartridge is filled with a material, and the predetermined material has a property of negatively ionizing the surrounding atmosphere when the liquid that has passed therethrough is sprayed from the spray nozzle.

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