JP2011078923A - Atomizer and atomizing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an atomizer capable of generating minute mist from liquid such as refined oil and facilitating clean wiping and removal of solidified material (scale) which is produced near a mist jetting pore and may cause clogging. <P>SOLUTION: The atomizer includes: a storage tank 1 for liquid having a stopper 14 on the upper part; a mist release port being disposed on the stopper 14 of the storage tank; and a double pipe composed of an inner pipe 21 through which the compressed air passes and an outer pipe 22 which forms a liquid passage. The inner pipe has an air inlet 21a connected to a compressed air generation source on the lower part and has an air jetting pore 21b on the upper part. The outer pipe has a liquid suction port 22a which opens into the storage tank 1 on the lower part and has the mist jetting pore 22c on the upper part. The liquid passage 22b is formed between an outer pipe inner circumferential wall and an inner pipe outer circumferential wall, the liquid in the storage tank 1 is sucked via the liquid passage and a level thin film formed on the periphery of the air jetting pore 21b is mist-formed by an air flow jetted from the air jetting pore, and the produced mist is made more minute by interference of mist jetting pore. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sprayer, and more particularly to a sprayer suitable for generating mist of aroma components mainly composed of plant essential oils and a spraying apparatus using the sprayer.

  There are two types of spraying devices: a liquid column typified by a diffuser that is crushed with an air flow from a right angle to mist, and a liquid film typified by a nebulizer is misted with an air flow from the inside to mist. (See Patent Documents 1 and 2). In addition, there is a type that mists an aqueous solution using an ultrasonic vibrator (see Patent Document 3).

  Among them, the diffuser is generally used to mist plant essential oil during aromatherapy. In this device, the essential oil sucked up in a cylindrical shape from a narrow tube is crushed by hitting it with an air flow from a right angle direction (side direction of the cylinder), so that the generated mist has a large particle size and is so coarse that it looks white and foggy. Become a mist. On the other hand, the olfactory cell has a very fine structure and senses the fragrance component at the molecular level, so it does not act directly on the olfactory cell in a coarse mist state, the fragrance component evaporates from the mist, and the molecule It acts on the olfactory cells as a fragrance only after it diffuses into a shape.

  However, coarse mist has a small specific surface area and a low evaporation rate from the surface of the mist, so that a large amount of plant essential oil is necessary to spread sufficient molecular fragrance components evenly and make humans sense odors in a wide space. There is a disadvantage that it is necessary to dissipate the oil, and it is necessary to consume wasteful plant essential oil. In addition, since particularly large mists have a high sedimentation rate in the air, they have the disadvantage of falling near the diffuser and being difficult to diffuse far away, and there is a problem that the aroma effect is weak particularly in a wide space. In addition, there has been a problem that mist falling and adhering near the installed diffuser contaminates or damages the floor surface, wall surface, furniture, and the like.

  On the other hand, the nebulizer is a device that mainly inhales a drug to a patient with bronchial disease, and the liquid film to be formed is crushed by an air flow from the vertical direction, so that a finer mist can be generated than the diffuser. However, the devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2 are intended to uniformly deliver a nebulized liquid containing a water-soluble drug into the body for the purpose of efficiently inhaling the drug in a mist form. Since mist formation is performed by a one-stage mist generation mechanism, the particle diameter of the mist remains in a visible range and is not sufficient for application to mist formation of essential oils.

  A spraying device that uses an ultrasonic vibrator atomizes the liquid by applying ultrasonic vibration energy to the liquid and reducing the surface tension of the liquid by the vibration acceleration to split the liquid surface. ). Such a spraying device can generate a mist of about 3 to 5 μm to some extent if it is an aqueous solution or emulsion to which a small amount of plant essential oil is added. Since it is difficult to reduce, it is difficult to obtain the fine mist. In addition, when misting an aqueous solution or emulsion to which a small amount of plant essential oil has been added, in order to obtain an aroma action equivalent to that of pure plant essential oil, it is necessary to increase the spray amount. For this reason, it is necessary to enlarge the storage tank for storing the liquid, and there is a problem that the apparatus is enlarged.

  In addition, with long-term use, plant essential oil may be deposited in the flow path of the sprayer, or clogging may occur due to contamination with impurities. In many cases, these sprayers have an integral spray structure. Therefore, it was difficult to remove the deposited and mixed dirt.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-128348 Special Table 2000-504603 JP 2007-61815 A

  The objective of this invention is providing the sprayer which can generate | occur | produce fine mist from the aromatic component mainly of a plant essential oil.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a sprayer that is easy to wipe and remove a solidified material (scale) that occurs near the mist ejection hole and causes clogging.

  That is, the sprayer of the present invention that has achieved the above-described problem includes a liquid storage tank having an embolus on the top, and a mist generating member provided in the storage tank, and a mist discharge port is provided in the embolus of the storage tank. Consists of a double pipe consisting of an inner pipe that passes compressed air and an outer pipe that forms a liquid flow path. The inner pipe has an air supply port connected to a compressed air generating source at the lower part, and an air ejection hole at the upper part. The outer pipe has a liquid suction port that opens into the storage tank at the lower part, and has a mist ejection hole at the upper part, forms a liquid flow path between the inner peripheral wall of the outer pipe and the outer peripheral wall of the inner pipe, and the air ejection hole The liquid in the storage tank is sucked through the liquid flow path by the air flow ejected from the liquid, and the liquid surface thin film formed at the periphery of the air ejection hole is misted, and the generated mist is caused by the interference of the mist ejection hole. Further refined and discharged from the mist outlet There.

In the sprayer of the present invention, the upper end opening of the air injection hole of the inner pipe and the lower end opening of the mist injection hole of the outer pipe are arranged concentrically so as to form the space S, and the diameter φD1 of the air injection hole And the diameter φD2 of the mist injection hole satisfies the formula (1).
[Equation 2]
Air outlet hole diameter φD1 <Mist outlet diameter φD2 Formula (1)

  The sprayer according to the present invention further has a separation part provided above the mist ejection hole, and sends the fine mist ejected from the mist ejection hole to the mist discharge port so that the coarse mist is returned to the liquid in the storage tank.

  In the sprayer of the present invention, the separation part is provided integrally with a lower part of the embolus and includes a mist inlet that communicates with the mist discharge port.

  Moreover, the sprayer of this invention is set as the structure by which the said isolation | separation part was integrally extended by the upper part of the outer tube | pipe.

  The sprayer according to the present invention further has a structure in which a diffusion member is provided above the mist discharge port of the storage tank so that the emitted mist is deflected and diffused in a desired direction.

  In the sprayer of the present invention, the storage tank is provided with a plug at the top so as to be detachable, and has a compressed air generation source receiving part at the bottom, and a joint nozzle of the compressed air generation source is inserted into the receiving part. The inner pipe fixed to the pipe and the compressed air generation source are detachably connected.

  Further, in the sprayer of the present invention, the outer peripheral wall of the upper end portion of the inner tube is formed in a spherical shape or a conical shape to form an inclination, and the thickness of the liquid surface thin film formed on the periphery of the air ejection hole based on the inclination angle. Is to regulate.

  The sprayer of the present invention has a structure in which the outer tube is detachably attached to the bottom of the storage tank.

  The spray device of the present invention includes the above sprayer and a compressed air generation source that supplies compressed air to the sprayer.

  Further, the spray device of the present invention includes a plurality of the above-described sprayers, and connects the inner pipe of each sprayer to one compressed air generation source through a valve capable of independently adjusting the supply of compressed air to each sprayer. It is configured.

  The sprayer of the present invention can spray a liquid containing an active ingredient such as an aroma component or a deodorant component into a fine mist, and particularly generates a submicron fine mist from a liquid mainly composed of plant essential oils. It is possible. This fine mist has a long residence time in the air and a long diffusion distance. Therefore, even in a wide space, the action of the active ingredient can be effectively expressed with a small amount of liquid, and this can be sustained for a long time. . In particular, in the case of plant essential oil, the aroma component can be quickly obtained over a wide range because the mist has a large specific surface area and the aroma component evaporates quickly. Further, since the embolus and the outer tube can be desorbed and decomposed, the flow path of the spray liquid that may be clogged with precipitation of crystals or the like can be completely washed, and the spray performance can be easily recovered.

It is front sectional drawing which shows embodiment of this invention sprayer with which the isolation | separation part was integrally provided in the embolus of the storage tank. It is front sectional drawing which shows embodiment of this invention sprayer by which the isolation | separation part was integrally extended by the outer tube | pipe. It is an enlarged view which shows the outer pipe | tube with which the isolation | separation part of the embodiment was integrally extended, (a) is a top view, a front view, a bottom view, and (b) is 90 of the front view of (a) in order from the top. The side view which reversed degree, (c) is sectional drawing of the front view of (a). It is a side view which shows typically the spraying apparatus using this invention sprayer. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mist refinement | miniaturization mechanism in the mist production | generation member of this invention sprayer. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mist separation mechanism by the separation part of this invention sprayer. It is an assumption graph which shows the mist refinement | miniaturization function by this invention sprayer. It is a control circuit block diagram of this invention spraying apparatus. It is a control setting operation | movement flow of this invention spraying apparatus. It is a system diagram of the spraying device of the present invention using four sprayers. It is the figure which represented typically the control timing of the spraying apparatus, and the state of a fragrance. (A) represents the spatial concentration of the mist of each essential oil when four types of essential oils are switched and sprayed for a certain time, and (B) sprays several or all of the four types of essential oils at the same time. It shows how the mixing ratio of mist in the space is changed by changing the spray strength (spray amount) of the essential oil. It is a system diagram of another embodiment of the spraying device of the present invention using four sprayers.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the spraying apparatus of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing a preferred embodiment of the sprayer of the present invention. In this drawing, the sprayer A is basically composed of a storage tank 1 and a mist generating member 2 composed of an inner tube 21 and an outer tube 22.

In the mist generating member 2, the inner tube 21 has an air supply port 21a at the lower portion and an air ejection hole 21b at the upper portion, and these are in communication with the air flow path inside the inner tube. The outer tube 22 is extrapolated concentrically with the inner tube 21 so that the outer peripheral wall of the inner tube 21 and the inner peripheral wall of the outer tube 22 have a predetermined distance. The outer tube 22 has a liquid suction port 22 a at the lower portion and a mist ejection hole 22 c at the upper portion, and forms a liquid flow path 22 b from the outer peripheral wall of the inner tube 21 and the inner peripheral wall of the outer tube 22. Further, the inner tube 21 and the outer tube 22 are arranged so as to constitute a space S necessary for mist generation between the upper end opening of the air ejection hole 21b and the lower end opening of the mist ejection hole 3c. The air ejection holes 21b and the mist ejection holes 22c are provided so that the respective diameters φD1 and D2 satisfy the following formula (1).
[Equation 3]
Air outlet hole diameter φD1 <Mist outlet diameter φD2 Formula (1)

  The storage tank 1 has a structure in which an embolus 14 is screwed to an upper storage tank opening end 11, and the spray liquid L is stored therein. In the present embodiment, the separation portion 4 is formed integrally with the embolus 14, and the separation portion 4 is provided so as to project from the substantially central portion of the lower surface of the embolus 14. A mist inlet 4a is provided on the peripheral wall of the protruding portion. Further, the embolus 14 is screwed with a mist discharge port member 15 having a mist flow path 15 a and a mist discharge port 15 b inside, and the mist flow path 15 a and the mist discharge port 15 b are connected to the mist flow of the separation unit 4. It communicates with the outlet 4a. A diffusion member 5 is integrally provided on the top of the mist discharge port member 15. Although the mist discharge port may be provided integrally with the embolus 14, it is possible to adjust the opening degree of the mist inflow port 4a by making it a separate member as in this embodiment and making it movable up and down. Can be easily disassembled and cleaned. Further, in this embodiment, the embolus 14 is detachably provided in the storage tank 1 so that the replenishment and disassembly cleaning of the spray liquid can be easily performed. However, the embolus 14 is fixed to the storage tank 1 and the spray liquid is It is also possible to replace the nebulizer with a cartridge type after it has been lost.

  A possible mist generating mechanism in the sprayer of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, compressed air introduced from a compressed air generation source such as a pump through the air supply port 21a is discharged upward from the air ejection hole 21b, and further discharged through the mist ejection hole 22c into the storage tank 1. When the compressed air is discharged from the mist ejection hole 22c, the space S becomes negative pressure. Therefore, the spray liquid that has entered from the liquid suction port 22a is sucked upward through the liquid flow path 22b, and a circular liquid film is formed along the upper opening surface of the air ejection hole 21b, which is torn off by the discharged air. Thus, a primary mist is formed ((1) in FIG. 7). The outer peripheral wall of the upper end portion of the inner tube 21 is formed in a spherical shape or a conical shape and is inclined, and the thickness of the liquid surface thin film formed on the periphery of the upper end opening portion of the air ejection hole 21b based on this inclination angle. Is regulated. That is, by such an inclination, since the liquid level easily rises from the liquid flow path 22b and the thickness of the liquid level becomes thin, a very thin liquid level thin film is formed at the periphery of the upper end opening of the air ejection hole 21b. The generation of finer mist is promoted as compared with the case without inclination.

  The primary mist generated in this way is ejected into the space S. The ejected primary mist collides with the inner peripheral wall surface, and is further broken by the air flow share due to the impact and the orifice effect to generate a finer secondary mist ((2) and (3) in FIG. 7). . The secondary mist is ejected upward from the mist ejection hole 22c and collides with the separation plate 4c of the separation unit 4 provided above the secondary mist. Here, of the secondary mist, the coarse mist having a large particle diameter ((2) in FIG. 7) mainly bounces back to the storage tank because of its large inertial force, or is united on the separation plate 4c, etc. It is considered that only the fine mist ((3) in FIG. 7) rides on the air flow and is dispersed in the horizontal direction by the diffusion member 5 from the mist outlet 4a through the mist flow path 15a. Then, it is discharged out of the system from the mist discharge port 15b (see FIG. 6). Thus, in the nebulizer of the present invention, extremely fine mist is generated by the three-stage atomization mechanism.

Since it depends on the air pressure of the compressed air to be introduced and the viscosity of the spray liquid, it cannot be specified unconditionally. For example, a spray liquid having a viscosity of 1 to 10 × 10 ⁻³ Pa · s (20 ° C.) is used and the air pressure of the compressed air is used. Is 5 to 10 kPa, the mist can be further refined. Therefore, the diameter φD1 of the air ejection hole 21b is 0.6 to 1.0 mm, and the diameter φD2 of the mist ejection hole 22c is 0.9 to 3.0 mm. Is preferably in the range of 1.5 to 3.0 (D2 / D1), and the distance between the upper end opening of the air ejection hole 21b and the lower end opening of the mist ejection hole 22c is 3 to 10 mm. It is preferable to be in the range. From the same viewpoint, the distance between the outer peripheral wall of the inner tube 21 and the inner peripheral wall of the outer tube 22 is in the range of 0.5 to 1 mm, and the distance between the upper end opening of the mist ejection hole 22c and the separation plate 4c is 5 to 5. Each range is preferably 10 mm. The capacity of the pump is preferably about 2000 to 3000 mL / min at a discharge pressure of 10 KPa.

  The inner pipe 21 is fixed to the storage tank bottom 12 by press fitting, shrink fitting or the like. On the other hand, the outer tube 22 is screwed to the storage tank bottom 12 and is detachable. The storage tank bottom portion 12 is provided with an air generation source receiving portion 13. By inserting a joint for introducing compressed air into the receiving portion 13, the inner pipe 21 and a compressed air generating source such as a pump can be detachably connected.

  When the nebulizer of the present invention is used for a long time or is left for a long time after use, the outer tube 22, the embolus 14 and the mist discharge port member 15 may be removed, and the liquid channel 22b and the mist channel 15a may be washed. It is possible to recover clogging performance by cleaning clogging and the like. The inner tube 21, the outer tube 22, the storage tank 1, the embolus 14, the mist discharge port member 15 and the like are preferably formed of a material such as stainless steel or aluminum.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing another embodiment of the spraying apparatus of the present invention. The separation part 4 is integrally extended on the upper part of the outer tube 22, and the center part of the lower surface of the embolus 14 is formed flat. Other configurations are the same as those in the above embodiment.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing the outer tube 22 in which the separation portion 4 is integrally formed in the present embodiment. The separation unit 4 is provided with a mist ejection hole 4 b communicating with the space inside the mist ejection hole 22 c and the storage tank 1, and a separation plate 4 c substantially parallel to the upper surface of the outer tube 22. In the same manner as described above, the secondary mist ejected from the mist ejection hole 22c of the outer tube 22 collides with the separation plate 4c. Among these, the larger coarse mist does not get on the air flow because of its large inertial force, or the separation plate It is considered that only the fine mist that is easy to ride on the air flow is united on the surface of 4c and is easily discharged to the outside of the storage tank 1 from the mist discharge port 15b. Thus, when the separation part 4 is integrally provided in the outer tube 22, it is not necessary to provide the separation part in the embolus 14.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing an embodiment of the spraying device of the present invention. In the housing D, the sprayer A of the present invention and a compressed air generation source C for supplying compressed air to the sprayer A are connected via a tube B. Yes. Further, on the surface of the housing D, a display / switch E indicating the setting of the spray device is provided.

  FIG. 8 shows a control circuit block diagram of the spray device of the present invention, and FIG. 9 shows an example of a control setting flowchart. As shown in FIG. 8, a timer switch, a power switch, and the like are connected to the microcomputer to control on / off of the pump, and the setting is displayed by a display provided on the housing (see FIG. 4). In this way, by setting the pump power and timer, and adjusting the operation time in the intermittent operation and the overall operation time, it is possible to finely adjust the spray amount. For example, by performing the process shown in FIG. 9, the spraying time per minute is adjusted from several seconds to continuous operation by power setting, and this spraying operation is continuously repeated per day by timer setting. The time can be adjusted to 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours or continuous 24 hours, and it is also possible to change only the power setting without changing the timer setting during use. Also, spraying can be started every day when the start switch is pressed.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing another embodiment of the spray device of the present invention, wherein a plurality of sprayers of the present invention are provided in one housing, and the inner pipe of each sprayer is connected to one compressed air generation source. Has been. Each spraying device is provided with an electromagnetic valve, and each is controlled by a program control unit so that the supply of compressed air to each sprayer can be adjusted independently. Thereby, a plurality of spray liquids stored in each spray device can be sprayed in various combination spaces.

  For example, when four types of essential oils are stored in each of the sprayers A to D, and each sprayer is switched at regular intervals and sprayed as shown in FIG. 11 (A), new aroma components sprayed at the time of switching And the fragrance component remaining in the space can be mixed to give a fragrance that changes over time. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 11 (B), all or part of the sprayers A to D are sprayed at the same time, and each spray intensity (spray amount) is adjusted to change to various fragrances or strength. Can be changed. In this way, by using a plurality of sprayers of the present invention capable of producing a fine mist having extremely fast diffusion performance, a desired fragrance is scented from a combination of various fragrance components, and this is desired timing and strength. It becomes possible to spray with. A plurality of compressed air supply sources may be provided, and the method of supplying compressed air is not limited to the above. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, when using four sprayers of the present invention, each sprayer is compressed. It is also possible to connect the air generation sources, control the compressed air generation sources directly from the program control unit, and adjust the spray time and spray strength (spray amount).

  The sprayer and spray device of the present invention have been mainly described as a fine mist generator for aromatic plant essential oils. However, as a fine mist generator for fragrances other than plant essential oils or similar deodorants, It can be used widely in bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets. In addition, the sprayer and spray device of the present invention can be used for spraying insecticides, antibacterial agents, bactericides, agricultural chemicals, etc., spraying in a substantially sealed house suitable for long-term floating time, or foliar spraying, etc. It can be applied as it is to applications that require a reduction in the amount of fine mist or the amount of liquid used. In particular, since a mist smaller than the insect's airway size can be sprayed, it is extremely effective in spraying insecticides that act on the respiratory system.

Claims (11)

  It is equipped with a liquid storage tank with an embolus on the top and a mist generating member provided in the storage tank. A mist discharge port is provided in the storage tank plug, and the mist generating member forms an inner pipe and a liquid flow path through which compressed air passes. The inner pipe has an air supply port connected to a compressed air generating source at the lower part, an air outlet hole at the upper part, and the outer pipe has an intake opening that opens into the storage tank at the lower part. It has a liquid port and is provided with a mist ejection hole at the top. A liquid flow path is formed between the inner peripheral wall of the outer pipe and the outer peripheral wall of the inner pipe, and the liquid flow path passes through the liquid flow path by the air flow ejected from the air ejection hole. In addition to sucking the liquid in the storage tank, the liquid surface thin film formed at the periphery of the air ejection hole is made mist, and the generated mist is further refined by the interference of the mist ejection hole and discharged from the mist ejection port. A nebulizer. The upper end opening of the air injection hole of the inner pipe and the lower end opening of the mist injection hole of the outer pipe are arranged concentrically so as to form the space S, and the diameter φD1 of the air injection hole and the diameter φD2 of the mist injection hole The nebulizer according to claim 1 satisfying the formula (1).
[Equation 1]
Air outlet hole diameter φD1 <Mist outlet diameter φD2 Formula (1)   The sprayer according to claim 1, further comprising a separation unit provided above the mist ejection hole, sending fine mist ejected from the mist ejection hole to the mist discharge port, and returning the coarse mist to the liquid in the storage tank.   The sprayer according to claim 3, wherein the separation unit is provided integrally with a lower portion of the embolus and includes a mist inflow port communicating with the mist discharge port.   The sprayer according to claim 3, wherein the separation portion is integrally extended on an upper portion of the outer tube.   The sprayer according to claim 1, further comprising a diffusion member provided above the mist discharge port of the storage tank to deflect and diffuse the discharged mist in a desired direction.   The storage tank is provided with an embolus at the top so as to be detachable, and has a compressed air generation source receiving part at the bottom, and an inner pipe fixed to the storage tank by inserting a joint nozzle of the compressed air generation source into the receiving part. The sprayer according to claim 1, wherein the compressed air generation source is detachably connected.   The outer peripheral wall of the upper end portion of the inner tube is formed in a spherical shape or a conical shape to be inclined, and the thickness of the liquid surface thin film formed at the periphery of the upper end opening portion of the air ejection hole is regulated based on the inclination angle. The sprayer according to claim 1.   The sprayer according to claim 1, wherein the outer tube is detachably attached to the bottom of the storage tank.   A spraying device comprising the sprayer according to claim 1 and a compressed air generation source for supplying compressed air to the sprayer.   A spraying apparatus comprising a plurality of sprayers according to claim 1 and connecting an inner pipe of each sprayer to one compressed air generation source via a valve capable of independently adjusting the supply of compressed air to each sprayer.

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