JP4482664B2 - Fragrance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fragrance device, for example, a fragrance device suitably used for an olfactory test.

  The olfactometer method is known as a conventional olfactory inspection method. In this method, liquids containing different kinds and concentrations of fragrances are attached to the filter paper, and this is brought close to the subject's nose to inspect the olfaction, but the test results vary depending on the amount of attachment to the filter paper, There is a problem that the amount of fragrance discarded increases due to deterioration over time.

Patent Document 1 discloses a fragrance device in which a microcapsule containing a fragrance component is mixed into a solid base and formed into a stick shape. The fragrance device is applied to a sensory test paper and rubbed with a finger or the like. Describes a method for performing an olfactory test. Such a fragrance is compact and excellent in that it can easily perform an olfactory test, but it is difficult to control the amount of odor generated, so there is room for further improvement in this respect. .
JP 2000-107188 A

  Then, this invention aims at provision of the fragrance | flavor apparatus which can control easily the kind and density | concentration of odor presented to a test subject.

  The object of the present invention is to inject an odor capsule-containing liquid containing microcapsules covering an odor substance in an aqueous medium, and a tape-like adsorbent capable of adsorbing the odor capsule-containing liquid. Transport means for sequentially feeding to the ejection position by the scent, and perfume means for breaking and smelling the microcapsules of the odor capsule-containing liquid adsorbed by the adsorbent, the spray means comprising the odor capsule-containing liquid This is achieved by a scenting device connected to each of the storage units of a fragrance tank provided with a plurality of storage units for storage.

  In this fragrance device, the ejection means moves the stored fragrance tank by moving the held fragrance tank, a nozzle having a plurality of connection portions corresponding to the respective storage sections, a holding means for holding the fragrance tank. It is preferable to include tank attaching / detaching means for attaching / detaching the connecting part to / from the part, and pressurizing means for causing pressure fluctuation in the storing part in a state where the connecting part is connected to the storing part.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the fragrance | flavor apparatus which can control easily the kind and density | concentration of odor presented to a test subject can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a fragrance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the scenting device 1 includes an injection unit 10, a transport unit 20, and a scenting unit 30 in a casing 2.

The injection means 10 includes a holding unit 11 that holds a fragrance tank 40 including a plurality of storage units 41. Each storage part 41 of the fragrance | flavor tank 40 is formed in bowl shape by resin molding etc., and as shown in FIG. 2, it arrange | positions in matrix form in planar view. Each reservoir 41 stores odor capsule-containing liquids with different types of odors to be presented, and the upper opening is covered with a sheet-like lid 42 made of metal such as aluminum or rubber (silicon rubber). And sealed.

  The odor capsule-containing liquid can be formed by dispersing microcapsules formed by coating a odor substance such as a fragrance serving as a core substance with a thin film of a polymer resin in an aqueous medium. As an odor substance, it can be selected from various odor components that exhibit an appropriate odor for the odor test in addition to natural and synthetic fragrances. The polymer resin that coats the odorous substance is not particularly limited, and can be selected from various materials usually used as wall materials for microcapsules such as acrylic resins and styrene resins. A microcapsule or a nanocapsule can be used as the microcapsule. Examples of the aqueous medium include water containing water as a main component and a surfactant, a dispersant, and the like appropriately added so that odor capsules are uniformly dispersed.

  The holding unit 11 includes a holding table 11a on which a fragrance tank 40 inserted in a horizontal direction from an insertion port (not shown) formed in the side wall of the casing 2 is placed, and an edge portion of the holding table 11a The end portion of the locking piece 11b attached to the scent engages with the lid 42 of the fragrance tank 40, thereby holding the fragrance tank 40.

  The injection means 10 includes a plurality of nozzles 12 disposed above the holding unit 11 and a distribution pipe 13 that functions as a pressure means by being connected to a pressurized air supply source (not shown). On-off valves 12a and 13a are interposed, respectively. Each nozzle 12 is provided corresponding to each storage part 41 of the fragrance tank 40, and is arranged so that the lower end is directly above the storage part 41. In addition, the distribution pipe 13 has a distal end portion that is branched so that the distal end of each branch portion 121 b is directly above the storage portion 41. It is preferable that the lower end of the nozzle 12 and the tip of the distribution pipe 13 are formed in a sharp needle shape.

  The injection unit 10 includes an electric cylinder 14 that moves the holding unit 11 up and down. The electric cylinder 14 can raise the fragrance tank 40 inserted from the insertion port (not shown) of the casing 2 to the predetermined position shown by the solid line from the state shown by the broken line in FIG. The lower end of the pipe 13 and the tip of the branch part 121 b of the distribution pipe 13 are configured to pierce the lid body 42 of the fragrance tank 40 and be connected to the storage parts 41. Thus, the electric cylinder 14 functions as a tank attaching / detaching means for attaching / detaching the nozzle 12 to / from the storage part 41 by moving the fragrance tank 40 held by the holding part 11. The structure which moves the fragrance | flavor tank 40 is not limited to the thing of this embodiment, For example, you may use an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, etc., or may use other conveyance means, such as a conveyor other than a cylinder. In addition to the above, the configuration for attaching and detaching the nozzle 12 to and from the storage unit 41 includes, for example, a configuration in which a one-touch coupler is provided at the lower end of the nozzle 12 as a connection unit to the storage unit 41.

  The transport means 20 includes an adsorbent supply roll 22 around which a tape-shaped adsorbent 21 is wound, and an adsorbent take-up roll 23 that winds the adsorbent 21, and is driven by an electric drive motor (not shown). When the adsorbent take-up roll 23 is driven to rotate, the adsorbent 21 is fed out from the adsorbent supply roll 22. The adsorbent 21 is preferably made of a material that can adsorb and hold the odor capsule-containing liquid and is odorless and has a certain degree of strength. In this embodiment, filter paper is used. The adsorbing body 21 is arranged so as to pass through the upper portion of the housing 2 while being tensioned by being stretched over a plurality of tension rolls 24. An opening 2a through which the adsorbent 21 is exposed is formed on the upper surface of the housing 2, and a position immediately below the opening 2a is defined as a fragrance position A.

  The injection direction of each nozzle 12 provided in the injection means 10 is directed to the adsorbent body 21, and the injection position B at which the odor capsule-containing liquid is injected to the adsorbent body 21 is upstream of the fragrance position A in the transport direction. It is on the side.

  The scenting means 30 includes a pair of pressing rolls 31, 31 that are disposed between the scenting position A and the injection position B and sandwich the adsorbent 21. The pressing roll 31 is made of, for example, a rubber roll, and applies a uniform pressing force to the adsorbent 21 on which the odor capsule-containing liquid is adsorbed, thereby destroying the microcapsules and causing the fragrance. Further, the scenting means 30, between the scenting position A and the injection position B, feeds the insulators 33 and 33 to the top and bottom of the adsorbent body 21 from the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the pressing roll 31, respectively. , 34 and insulator take-up rolls 35, 35 for taking up the drawn-out insulators 33, 33 on the downstream side of the pressing roll 31 in the transport direction. The insulators 33 and 33 are formed in a tape shape having the same width as that of the adsorbing body 21, and when the adsorbing body 21 is pressed by the pair of pressing rolls 31 and 31, the adsorbing body 21 and the pressing roll 31, By interposing it with 31, it prevents that an odor component adheres to the press rolls 31 and 31 after microcapsule destruction.

  The operation of the fragrance device 1 is performed by an input operation in the operation box 50 connected to the fragrance device 1 by wire or wirelessly. The operation box 50 includes an input unit 51 that can select and input the type and concentration of the odor to be scented, and the opening and closing of the on-off valves 12a and 13a in the injection means 10 based on the input from the input unit 51, and electric operation. And a controller 52 for controlling the raising and lowering of the cylinder 14 and the driving of the adsorbent take-up roll 23.

  Next, a method for performing an olfactory test using the thus configured fragrance device will be described. First, the fragrance tank 40 in which a plurality of odor capsule-containing liquids used in the olfactory test are stored in each storage unit 41 is held in the holding unit 11, and the electric cylinder 14 is raised by operating the input unit 51 of the operation box 50. Each reservoir 41 is connected to the nozzle 12. The fragrances contained in the plurality of stored odor capsule-containing liquids may all have different odors, or some of the fragrances may have the same odor with different odor substance concentrations. The storage unit 41 may be connected to the nozzle 12 by manually raising the holding unit 11 instead of using the electric cylinder 14.

  Next, an odor to be presented to the subject by the tester is selected, and a corresponding signal is input from the input unit 51 of the operation box 50. The control unit 52 receives this input signal, determines the nozzle 12 corresponding to the selected odor, opens the on-off valve 12a of this nozzle 12 for a predetermined time, and closes the on-off valves 12a of the other nozzles 12. While maintaining the state, the on-off valve 13a of the distribution pipe 13 connected to a pressurized air supply source (not shown) is opened. Thereby, each storage part 41 is pressurized, and the selected odor capsule containing liquid is injected from the front-end | tip of the nozzle 12 with the on-off valve 12a in the open state to the injection position B of the adsorption body 21. The injection amount at this time is controlled to a preset value by keeping the opening time of the on-off valve 12a of the nozzle 12 constant.

  After that, the controller 52 drives the adsorbent take-up roll 23 and the insulator take-up rolls 35 and 35 for a predetermined time to move the odor capsule-containing liquid adsorbed by the adsorbent 21 to the fragrance position A. Thus, when the test preparation is completed, the control unit 52 prompts the subject to pay attention through an output means (not shown) such as a light or a speaker provided in the fragrance device 1 or the operation box 50. The subject performs nasal breathing with the tip of the nose approaching the opening 2a of the fragrance device 1 with this as a signal.

When the odor capsule-containing liquid moves from the injection position B to the fragrance position A, the fragrance means 30 presses and breaks the microcapsule, so that the odor substance coated on the microcapsule is passed through the opening 2a. Disperse outside. The odor concentration generated thereby can keep the injection amount of the odor capsule-containing liquid onto the adsorbent 21 and the pressing force of the microcapsules by the fragrance means 30 (that is, the ratio of the microcapsules to be destroyed). Therefore, it can be set to a concentration intended by the examiner.

  In this way, the odor concentration presented to the subject is gradually increased from a low concentration to a high concentration, and the test is repeated, and the detected concentration of the subject (the level of odor is unknown but the level of odor can be determined) and recognition Determine the concentration (a level at which even the type of odor can be identified).

The odor concentration can be controlled by adjusting the opening time of the on-off valve 12a of the nozzle 12 by operating the input unit 51. Alternatively, odor capsule-containing liquids having different odor substance concentrations stored in the storage unit 41 can be used. It can also be selected as appropriate. Furthermore, the desired amount of odors can be obtained by controlling the amount of microcapsules to be destroyed by adjusting the roller pressing force by the scenting means 30 and the like, while keeping the amount of odor capsule-containing liquid sprayed constant.

  In addition, the detection concentration and the cognitive concentration may be reported verbally or in writing by the subject, or a plurality of input buttons corresponding to various odors are provided on the fragrance device 1, and the input information of the subject is displayed in the operation box. 50 may be configured to output. Different smell smell tests can be performed in the same manner as described above by appropriately selecting the nozzle 12 that opens and closes the on-off valve 12a. The above is the description of the method in which the tester performs the olfactory test by manual operation from the input unit 51 according to a predetermined procedure, but the control unit 52 may automatically perform the above procedure.

  Moreover, it is preferable to determine the storage amount of the odor capsule containing liquid stored in each storage part 41 of the fragrance | flavor tank 40 in consideration of the usage-amount in one odor test | inspection, and thereby reduce the discard amount of fragrance | flavor. can do. The used fragrance tank 40 is subjected to the odor test again by replacing the new fragrance tank 40 after the electric cylinder 14 is lowered by the operation of the input unit 51 and taken out from the insertion port (not shown). Can do. The perfume tank 40 may be replaced by manually lowering the holding unit 11 instead of using the electric cylinder 14.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, the specific aspect of this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, pressurized air is used as the pressurizing means included in the ejecting means 10, but other means for causing the pressure fluctuation in the storage unit 41 may be used. As an example, A configuration in which the volume of the space in which the odor capsule-containing liquid is accommodated can be varied by deformation of the diaphragm by the piezo element.

  In this embodiment, the amount of movement of the adsorbent 21 by driving the adsorbent take-up roll 23 is controlled by adjusting the energization time to an electric drive motor (not shown). If it is necessary to carry out the operation more accurately, the drive motor of the adsorbent take-up roll 23 may be used as a servo motor, and the rotation amount of the adsorbent take-up roll 23 may be detected by a rotary encoder for drive control. . On the other hand, if the adsorption position of the odor capsule-containing liquid in the adsorbent 21 can be visually confirmed from the opening 2a by coloring the odor capsule-containing liquid by mixing a pigment in the aqueous medium, the adsorbent take-up roll 23 Can also be configured to be manually rotatable. Similarly, the insulator winding rolls 35 and 35 can be manually rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the adsorbent winding roll 23.

In the present embodiment, the fragrance means 30 is configured to destroy the microcapsules by a pair of pressing rolls 31, 31. However, the microcapsules can be obtained by an alternative means such as heating or ultraviolet irradiation or a combination thereof. For example, at least one of the pair of pressing rollers 31, 31 may be a heating roller, and the microcapsules may be destroyed by both heating and pressing. From the viewpoint of reliably preventing odor adhesion, it is preferable to destroy the microcapsules in a non-contact manner, for example, a configuration in which the odor capsule-containing liquid is sprayed toward the adsorbent located in the hot plate portion, and a specific wavelength. The structure which destroys a microcapsule by irradiating a laser beam, the structure which destroys a microcapsule by the injection pressure of an odor capsule containing liquid, etc. can be mentioned.

  Moreover, although the case where the fragrance | flavor apparatus 1 is used for an olfactory test | inspection was demonstrated in this embodiment, the fragrance | flavor apparatus of this invention is not limited to such a use, For example, it is always equipped in a cosmetics store etc. Thus, samples of odors of various products can be presented to consumers.

It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the fragrance | flavor apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the fragrance | flavor tank attached to the fragrance | flavor apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Framing apparatus 2 Casing 10 Injection means 11 Holding | maintenance part 12 Nozzle 12a On-off valve 13 Distribution pipe 13a On-off valve 14 Electric cylinder 20 Conveying means 21 Adsorber 22 Adsorbent supply roll 23 Adsorbent winding roll 24 Tension roll 30 Fragrance means 31 Press roll 40 Fragrance tank 41 Storage part 42 Cover body 50 Operation box 51 Input part 52 Control part

Claims (2)

An injection means for injecting a odor capsule-containing liquid containing microcapsules coated with an odor substance in an aqueous medium;
A transport unit that sequentially feeds the tape-shaped adsorbent capable of adsorbing the odor capsule-containing liquid to an ejection position by the ejection unit;
A fragrance means that breaks and fragrances the microcapsules of the odor capsule-containing liquid adsorbed on the adsorbent,
The said injection | spray means is a fragrance | flavor apparatus connected to each said storage part of the fragrance | flavor tank provided with two or more storage parts which store the said odor capsule containing liquid. The injection means
A nozzle having a plurality of connecting portions corresponding to each of the storage portions;
Holding means for holding the fragrance tank;
Tank attaching / detaching means for moving the held fragrance tank and attaching / detaching the connecting portion to / from the storage portion;
The scenting device according to claim 1, further comprising a pressurizing unit that causes pressure fluctuation in the storage unit in a state where the connection unit is connected to the storage unit.

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