JP3183486B2 - Atomization equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an atomizing apparatus for atomizing a liquid by vibrating a diaphragm by, for example, a piezoelectric element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, humidifiers and the like have been provided with an atomizing device for generating steam. The atomizing device is configured to vibrate a diaphragm having a large number of holes by a piezoelectric element, supply water to the surface of the diaphragm, and generate mist from the holes of the diaphragm. As a configuration for supplying water to the diaphragm, a configuration utilizing surface tension of water has been considered. Examples thereof include a thin metal tube utilizing capillary action, a hydrophilic fiber, and a nonwoven fabric.

[0003]

However, the metal pipe used in the conventional water supply has a problem that it is necessary to perform priming in order to reliably supply water to the starting diaphragm. Further, since the diaphragm is supplied with water only by the capillary action of the pipe during driving, there are limits to the water level that can be supplied by the pipe and the inner diameter of the pipe to obtain a predetermined amount of atomization. On the other hand, hydrophilic fibers and non-woven fabrics have a problem that the amount of water supply is small, and if used for a long time, minerals dissolved in water fill the capillaries and cause clogging,
There is a problem that it cannot withstand continuous use.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide an atomizing apparatus which does not require priming at the time of start-up and which can guide a sufficient amount of water to the diaphragm even when the water level of the storage unit is lowered, and which is excellent in durability. To provide a liquid supply structure.

[0005]

According to the present invention, there is provided an atomizing apparatus comprising: a reservoir for holding a liquid; and a pipe for guiding the liquid held in the reservoir to a level higher than the liquid level by capillary action. And a diaphragm that atomizes the liquid supplied by the liquid supply unit by vibration, and the pipe is provided with an uneven surface.

[0006]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of an atomizing apparatus according to the present invention, which is used for generating water vapor, that is, mist, for example in a humidifier.

In FIG. 1, a liquid stored in a storage part, that is, a container 10 is guided to a vibrator 12 via a liquid supply part 11 and atomized by the vibration of the vibrator 12. Vibrator 1
Reference numeral 2 denotes a piezoelectric element portion 12a and a thin plate member (vibration plate) 12b having a large number of holes, and a base end portion of the thin plate member 12b is fixed to an upper surface of a distal end portion of the piezoelectric element portion 12a. The piezoelectric element portion 12a has electrodes 13 on the upper surface and the lower surface,
It is connected to a power supply circuit 14 that supplies an AC voltage. The liquid supply section 11 is composed of first and second liquid supply pipes 11a and 11b and an outer shell 11c for bundling the first and second liquid supply pipes, and the longitudinal direction of the liquid supply pipe is perpendicular to the surface of the thin plate member 12b. It is installed facing the lower surface.

[0008] The first liquid supply pipe 11a is a thin metal pipe,
The second liquid supply pipe 11b has a winding in which a thin metal wire is spirally wound and attached to the inside of the metal pipe. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the second liquid supply pipe 11b. As shown in FIG. 2, the winding 17 is attached to the inner wall 16 of the metal tube 15 in close contact with each other, and there is no gap between the metal wires adjacent to the winding 17 so that there is no gap.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the liquid supply unit 11 shown in FIG. The line II shows the position of the section of the liquid supply section in FIG.
In this example, as shown in the figure, the liquid supply section 11 is composed of fourteen liquid supply pipes 11a and 11b, and two of these fourteen liquid supply pipes 11a and 11b shown in the upper left of the drawing. The winding 17 is mounted on the liquid tube 11b, and the winding 17 is not mounted on the other liquid supply tubes 11a. These supply pipes 11a and 11b are bundled and arranged in a rectangular cylindrical outer shell 11c. In addition, the number and arrangement of the second liquid supply pipes 11b are freely determined according to the purpose.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The liquid stored in the container 10 is supplied to the liquid supply unit 1 by capillary action.
1 and is guided to the lower surface of the thin plate member 12b. The thin plate member 12b vibrates according to the fluctuation frequency of the voltage applied to the electrode of the piezoelectric element portion 12a. Due to this vibration, the liquid supplied via the liquid supply unit 11 is atomized from a large number of holes of the thin plate member 12b.

In the liquid supply operation by the liquid supply section 11, the second liquid supply pipe 11b on which the winding 17 is mounted has the winding 1
7 and the spiral groove A (FIG. 2) formed between the windings 17 compared to the first liquid supply pipe 11a without the mounting.
Because a large capillary phenomenon occurs due to the inner wall surface of 7,
High liquid supply capacity. Therefore, at the time of starting, the second liquid supply pipe 11
The liquid guided to the lower surface of the thin plate member 12b by the capillary action of b forms a liquid film between itself and the thin plate member 12b, and this liquid film drops as a droplet on the adjacent first water supply pipe 11a, Acts as priming. Therefore, the first liquid supply pipe 11
The capillary action of a is promoted, and the liquid in the first liquid supply pipe 11a is guided to the thin plate member 12b. Such an action is sequentially generated in the other adjacent liquid supply pipes 11a, and the liquid is guided to the thin plate member 12b through all the liquid supply pipes 11a and 11b. That is, according to this embodiment, the water supply performance at the time of starting is improved.

First liquid supply pipe 1 without winding 17
In the water supply according to 1a, when the inner diameter of the pipe is 0.6 mm, the water level H becomes
Water can be supplied up to 30 mm, but no more. On the other hand, in the second liquid supply pipe 11b, even when the inner diameter of the pipe is 1.0 mm, water can be supplied to a water level H of 50 mm. Further, according to the present embodiment, since the inner diameter can be increased, the amount of water supply can be increased as compared with the conventional liquid supply unit.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment, in which a large number of first liquid supply pipes 11a and second liquid supply pipes 11b are arranged. The number and arrangement of the second liquid supply pipes 11b are freely determined according to the purpose. According to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment, in which a winding 17 is provided.
Is wound with a hydrophilic fiber or non-woven fabric 18. When a hydrophilic fiber or nonwoven fabric 18 is used for the liquid supply unit 11, a clogging phenomenon may occur during long-term continuous use. However, in the present embodiment, the winding 17 is provided, and more liquid flows through the winding 17 than the hydrophilic fiber or nonwoven fabric 18, so that the clogging phenomenon is less likely to occur. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, since the winding 17 is provided, the amount of water supply is larger than that of the liquid supply unit 11 composed of only the fiber or the nonwoven fabric 18.

FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the fourth embodiment.
In this embodiment, three holes are formed in a hydrophilic fiber or nonwoven fabric 18 formed into a cylindrical shape, and the windings 17 are inserted into the holes. According to this embodiment, the same effect as that of the second embodiment can be obtained.

FIG. 7 shows a fifth embodiment, in which a metal tube 1 is provided.
5 has a longitudinal groove B formed on the inner wall. Thus, the grooves for promoting capillary action need not be helical.

In the first to fourth embodiments, the winding 17 is provided in the metal tube 15 or the hydrophilic fiber or nonwoven fabric 18 in order to promote the capillary phenomenon. The liquid supply unit 11 may be configured by collecting a large number of tubes or a large number of tubes having a spiral groove formed only on the outer surface.

Instead of the winding 17, a metal wire coated with, for example, a cloth or a resin may be used.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the winding wire 17 is formed by winding a metal wire in close contact with no gap. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to guide a sufficient amount of water to the diaphragm even when the water level of the storage portion is lowered, without the need for priming at the time of starting. But an excellent atomizer can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an atomizing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid supply pipe provided with a winding of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a liquid supply unit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a liquid supply unit according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid supply pipe provided with a winding according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a liquid supply unit according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a liquid supply pipe according to a fifth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Container 11 Liquid supply part 11a 1st liquid supply pipe 11b 2nd liquid supply pipe 11c Outer shell 12 Vibrator 12a Piezoelectric element part 12b Thin plate member 15 Metal tube 17 Winding 18 Hydrophilic fiber and nonwoven fabric

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References Japanese Utility Model Sho 57-62668 (JP, U) International Publication 93/10910 (WO, A1) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B05B 17/04 B05B 9/03 B06B 1/06

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A liquid supply section having a storage section for storing a liquid, a pipe for guiding the liquid held in the storage section above the liquid surface by capillary action, and a liquid supplied by the liquid supply section. A vibrating plate for atomizing by vibration, wherein the pipe is provided with an uneven surface. 2. The atomizing device according to claim 1, wherein the uneven surface is spiral. 3. The atomizing device according to claim 1, wherein the uneven surface extends in a longitudinal direction of the pipe.