JP2544634Y2 - Ultrasonic atomizer - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic atomizer suitable for use as an inhaler having a small amount of power and a small amount of atomization.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a household atomizer for indoor humidification has been known as an ultrasonic atomizer utilizing ultrasonic vibration caused by resonance in the thickness direction of a piezoelectric ceramic. Such an atomizer for indoor humidification has a piezoelectric vibrator attached to the bottom of a water tank filled with water, and achieves a relatively large atomization amount of about several hundred cc.

However, recently, an ultrasonic atomizer with a small amount of electric power of 5 W or less and suitable for driving a battery has been developed by using an inhaler for inhaling a chemical solution or the like into the throat, trachea, lungs, or the like. The applicant of the present invention has proposed a method of forming a net-like thin plate on a piezoelectric vibrator in which electrodes are formed on a piezoelectric ceramic in Japanese Patent Application No. 3-149252 as a suitable material for such a use. An ultrasonic atomizer that arranges and supplies a liquid to a gap between a piezoelectric vibrator and a thin net-like plate and atomizes the liquid by resonance in a thickness direction of a piezoelectric ceramic has been proposed.

[0004]

In the case where a liquid absorbing member such as a water absorbing cloth utilizing a capillary phenomenon is used to supply a liquid to the gap between the piezoelectric vibrator and the net-like thin plate, the liquid absorbing member is provided with a liquid absorbing member. A liquid such as water always stays, and there is a possibility that various bacteria may propagate in the liquid absorbing member. Further, there may be a possibility that the propagated various bacteria are released to the outside together with the atomized liquid particles.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary ultrasonic atomizer having no problem of the occurrence of various bacteria.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic atomizer of the present invention holds a piezoelectric vibrator having electrodes formed on both sides of a piezoelectric ceramic by a support,
A structure is provided in which a perforated or reticulated thin plate is arranged on the atomizing action surface side of the piezoelectric vibrator, and liquid is supplied to a gap between the atomizing action surface of the piezoelectric vibrator and the perforated or reticulated thin plate by a liquid absorbing member. Further, the liquid absorbing member is made of an antibacterial material that generates Ag ions or Cu ions and is configured to be capable of absorbing liquid by a capillary phenomenon.

[0007]

In the ultrasonic atomizer of the present invention, since the liquid absorbing member is made of an antibacterial material that generates Ag ions or Cu ions, even if liquid such as water stays in the liquid absorbing member. Ag ions or Cu ions suppress the growth of various bacteria, and thus prevent the entry of various bacteria into atomized particles, thereby achieving a sanitary chemical liquid inhaler and the like. Even if Ag ions and Cu ions are present in the atomized particles, they are harmless to the human body.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the ultrasonic atomizer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a disc-shaped piezoelectric ceramic having an atomizing action side electrode 3A on a main surface 2A and an opposing electrode 3B on an opposing surface 2B opposite to the main surface 2A. Are formed by plating or the like to constitute the piezoelectric vibrator 4. The piezoelectric vibrator 4 is press-fitted or fixed with an adhesive or the like in a vibrator arrangement groove 6 of an elastic annular support 5 made of rubber or the like, and an inner peripheral surface of the vibrator arrangement groove 6 is watertight to an outer peripheral surface of the piezoelectric vibrator 4. (Prevents an electrical short circuit between the electrodes 3A and 3B due to the liquid). Then, the elastic annular support 5 on which the piezoelectric vibrator 4 is mounted is fixed to the mounting substrate 11. In this case, the piezoelectric vibrator 4 is held vertically (vertically) on the mounting substrate 11 via the elastic annular support 5.

On the atomizing surface 9 side of the piezoelectric vibrator 4,
A band-shaped or net-like thin plate 7 having a number of minute holes 8 in a band shape having the same width as or slightly smaller than the diameter of the piezoelectric vibrator 4 is arranged parallel to or inclined with respect to the atomizing action surface 9.
One end of the perforated or net-like thin plate 7 is connected to a screw 13 and a nut 14 by a thin plate fixture 12 integrated with the elastic annular support 5.
The other end of the perforated or net-like thin plate 7 is held so as to contact the atomizing surface 9 of the piezoelectric vibrator 4. The contact portions of the perforated or net-like thin plates 7 are in static contact with each other, but may be in the case of minute intervals due to the vibration of the piezoelectric vibrator 4 dynamically.
Here, in an area where the atomization action of the atomization action surface 9 of the piezoelectric vibrator 4 is actually performed, the atomization action between the atomization action surface 9 of the piezoelectric vibrator 4 and the inner surface of the porous or net-like thin plate 7 is caused by capillary action. Small gaps exist so that liquid such as water or chemical liquid to be formed can be spread.
As described above, this can be realized by arranging the perforated or net-like thin plate 7 parallel or inclined as described above. The porous or net-like thin plate 7 is made of stainless steel or the like, and has a thickness of several tens of μm.
The diameter of the many micro holes 8 formed in this is about 10 μm to 100 μm.

A liquid tank 15 is fixedly held on the mounting substrate 11, and the liquid tank 15 contains a liquid W such as water or a chemical to be atomized.

A liquid absorbing member 20 is supported on the liquid tank or the mounting substrate so that the upper end contacts the porous or net-like thin plate 7 and the lower end is immersed in the liquid W in the liquid tank 15. The liquid absorbing member 20 is for sucking up the liquid W in the liquid tank 15 by capillary action and supplying the liquid W onto the porous or net-like thin plate 7. The liquid supplied onto the porous or net-like thin plate 7 is a porous or net-like thin plate. Through a large number of micro holes 8 formed in the piezoelectric vibrator 7, the piezoelectric vibrator 4 spreads to a gap between the atomizing surface 9 and the porous or net-like thin plate 7.

The liquid absorbing member 20 is made of an antibacterial material that generates Ag ions or Cu ions and is configured to be capable of absorbing liquid by a capillary phenomenon. As an example of the liquid absorbing member 20, as shown in FIG. 3, a surface of a fiber 21 is coated with a copper coating 22, and the resultant is woven in a cloth shape or overlapped (bundled) in a felt shape. Further, a resin fiber mixed with zeolite to which Ag ions are adhered and woven in a cloth shape or laminated (bundled) in a felt shape, or a water-absorbing cloth mixed with copper fibers and silver fibers can be used.

A high frequency voltage (for example, 2.4 MHz) is applied between the electrodes 3A and 3B of the piezoelectric vibrator 4 to cause the piezoelectric vibrator 4 to perform ultrasonic vibration due to resonance in the thickness direction.
When liquid such as water or chemical liquid to be atomized is supplied from the liquid absorbing member 20 to the atomizing operation surface side of the piezoelectric vibrator 4, the supplied liquid becomes porous with the atomizing operation surface 9 of the piezoelectric vibrator 4. Reticulated thin plate 7
Are spread by entering into the minute gaps between the inner surfaces of the piezoelectric vibrator 4 by capillary action, and further atomized by ultrasonic vibration in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric vibrator 4 and emitted into the air as atomized particles.

At the time of such an atomizing operation, the liquid W in the liquid tank 15 is frequently changed to 10 cc or less for use in an inhaler or the like.
Since the liquid W is replenished, the problem of corrosion of the liquid W itself does not need to be considered, but the liquid may stay in the liquid absorbing member 20 continuously. If no antibacterial measures are taken on the liquid absorbing member 20, a problem of propagation of various germs in the liquid absorbing member 20 occurs. However, as in the present embodiment, Cu ions or Ag ions are used as the liquid absorbing member 20. By using an antibacterial material capable of generating the water, Cu ions or Ag ions dissolve into the liquid remaining in the liquid absorbing member, and the propagation of various bacteria can be effectively suppressed. In addition, as a result of suppressing the propagation of various bacteria, the liquid absorbing member 2
0 does not generate an unpleasant odor.

In the above embodiment, the piezoelectric vibrators 4 are arranged vertically (vertically), but they may be arranged horizontally or inclined. The present invention is also applicable to a case where liquid is supplied by a liquid absorbing member from a liquid storage tank disposed above or to the side of the piezoelectric vibrator 4.

[0017]

As described above, according to the ultrasonic atomizer of the present invention, the liquid-absorbing member for supplying the liquid to be atomized to the atomizing surface of the piezoelectric vibrator is made of Ag ions or Cu ions. Since it is made of antibacterial material that can be generated, it is possible to prevent bacteria from growing in the liquid remaining in the liquid absorbing member, prevent the bacteria from being released to the outside together with the atomized particles, and improve hygiene. Can improve. Further, generation of an unpleasant odor due to propagation of various bacteria can also be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic atomizer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing one example of a liquid absorbing member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 piezoelectric ceramic 4 piezoelectric vibrator 5 support 6 vibrator arrangement groove 7 perforated or net-like thin plate 8 microhole 9 atomization action surface 11 mounting substrate 20 liquid absorbing member 21 fiber 22 copper coating

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A piezoelectric vibrator having electrodes formed on both sides of a piezoelectric ceramic is held by a support, and a porous or net-like thin plate is arranged on the atomizing surface of the piezoelectric vibrator. An ultrasonic atomizer for supplying a liquid to a gap between an atomizing action surface of a child and a perforated or net-like thin plate by a liquid absorbing member, wherein the liquid absorbing member uses an antibacterial material that generates Ag ions or Cu ions. An ultrasonic atomizer characterized by being capable of absorbing liquid by a capillary phenomenon.