JP5861269B2 - Aroma generator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an aroma generating device that diffuses an aroma component to a predetermined area.

  In recent years, there is a demand for electrical devices that generate a refreshing and relaxing fragrance, and various devices have been devised. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a fragrance generating device including a casing in which a fragrance holding body is installed, and a blower pump that flows air into the casing.

  In the fragrance generating device of Patent Document 1, a check valve is provided at an inflow port through which air flows into the housing from the blower pump, and a fragrance component is contained from the inside of the housing to the outside by blowing from the blower pump. An outlet is provided to dissipate the air flow. The discharge port is provided with an active valve whose opening and closing is controlled by a drive circuit.

  In the fragrance generating device of Patent Document 1, when the fragrance component is diffused, air is caused to flow into the housing by driving the blower pump, and the active valve is opened by controlling the drive circuit. Thereby, the fragrance component inside a housing | casing is dissipated outside on an air flow. On the other hand, when the aromatic component is not diffused, the blowing is stopped and the active valve is closed.

JP 2003-310740 A

  However, in the fragrance generating device described in Patent Document 1, an active valve is used to release the fragrance component to the outside, and an actuator and a drive circuit must be provided separately to drive the active valve. Therefore, the structure of the aroma generator becomes complicated, and it becomes difficult to reduce the size and height.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an aroma generating device that can be easily reduced in size and height.

  The fragrance generating device of the present invention includes a housing, a fragrance holder, a piezoelectric blower, and a passive valve. The casing has an internal space, and the internal space is connected to the outside only through the air inlet and the air outlet. The fragrance holder is provided in the internal space of the housing. The piezoelectric blower includes a pump chamber that includes a diaphragm to which a piezoelectric element is attached, and an outer peripheral wall that includes an air delivery hole and an air introduction hole and is formed in a shape surrounding the pump chamber. An air delivery hole of the piezoelectric blower is connected to an air inlet of the housing, and the piezoelectric blower allows air to flow into the internal space from the outside of the housing. The passive valve is attached to the air outlet and has a shape that opens so that the air in the internal space is dissipated to the outside by the discharge pressure from the piezoelectric blower.

  In this configuration, by using a piezoelectric blower that can increase the discharge pressure, the opening and closing of the passive valve can be controlled by controlling the blowing of the piezoelectric blower. Therefore, it is possible to control and dissipate the fragrance component emitted from the fragrance holder provided inside the housing without using a drive circuit or an actuator such as an active valve. An aroma generator can be realized.

  In the fragrance generating apparatus of the present invention, a passive valve can be further attached to the inner space side of the air inlet. In this configuration, since the passive valve is also attached to the air inlet side, the degree of sealing of the internal space when the piezoelectric blower does not blow is improved. That is, unnecessary emission in situations where it is not desired to diffuse the fragrance component can be prevented.

  In the fragrance generating device of the present invention, it is also possible to provide a plurality of air outlets in the housing and attach a passive valve to each of the plurality of air outlets. In this configuration, since there are a plurality of air outlets through which the fragrance component diffuses, the diffusion range can be widened.

  In the fragrance generating apparatus of the present invention, an air inlet and an air outlet are formed on one surface of the housing, and the piezoelectric blower and the passive valve can be attached to the same surface of the housing. With this configuration, the fragrance generating device can be made lower in height.

  Moreover, in the fragrance generating apparatus of this invention, it is preferable that a housing | casing has a main housing | casing which the specific surface opened, and the cover member attached so that attachment or detachment was possible so that the specific surface of this main housing might be covered. In this configuration, by removing the cover member from the main housing, the internal space is opened, and the fragrance holder can be easily inserted or replaced.

  In the fragrance generating device of the present invention, the air inlet and the air outlet are formed in the cover member, and the piezoelectric blower and the passive valve are attached to the main surface opposite to the main surface to which the main housing of the cover member is attached and detached. Can be structured. In this configuration, since the cover member is attached to the main housing after the piezoelectric blower and the passive valve are attached to the cover member, assembly is facilitated.

  A small and low profile fragrance generator can be realized.

It is the top view and side view of the fragrance generator 10 which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a piezoelectric blower 20. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a blower mechanism of a piezoelectric blower 20. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a passive valve 30. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the fragrance generating device 10. FIG. It is a side view of the fragrance generator 10A which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the fragrance generator 10B which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  An aroma generator according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is a plan view of the fragrance generator 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the fragrance generator 10.

  The fragrance generating device 10 includes a housing 1, a piezoelectric blower 20, and a flat passive valve 30.

  The casing 1 is made of, for example, resin, and each side has a size of 40 mm × 20 mm and a thickness of 5 mm in plan view. The housing 1 is formed of a main housing 11 and a cover member 12 and includes an internal space 110. The main housing 11 is formed from a rectangular parallelepiped box with one surface open. The cover member 12 is attached so that the internal space of the main housing 11 is sealed. A plurality of fragrance holders 40 are provided in the internal space 110 of the housing. In this way, by configuring the casing 1 from the main casing 11 and the cover member 12, it is possible to easily insert or replace the fragrance holder 40.

  The cover member 12 is formed with an air inflow port 121 and an air outflow port 122 formed of holes penetrating in the thickness direction of the cover member 12. Thereby, the internal space 110 of the housing 1 sealed by the main housing 11 and the cover member 12 communicates with the outside only by the air inlet 121 and the air outlet 122. The air inlet 121 and the air outlet 122 are formed at positions separated by a predetermined distance along the longitudinal direction of the cover member 12.

  The piezoelectric blower 20 is attached to the cover member 12 so that a nozzle 212 described later can be accommodated in the air inlet 121. At this time, the piezoelectric blower 20 is attached to the main surface of the cover member 12 opposite to the main surface that covers the main housing 11.

  Here, the structure of the piezoelectric blower 20 will be specifically described. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing the configuration of the piezoelectric blower 20, in which FIG. 2A is an external perspective view, FIG. 2B is a front view, and FIG. 2C is a side sectional view.

  The piezoelectric blower 20 includes a blower casing 210. The outer dimensions of the blower casing 210 are, for example, 15 mm to 30 mm on each side (equivalent to height and width) when viewed from the front, and 2 mm in thickness (equivalent to depth). The blower casing 210 includes, for example, a plate-shaped main body 211, a nozzle 212, and a back member 213. The main body 211 and the back member 213 correspond to the “outer peripheral wall” of the present invention. The main body 211 includes a front wall 211F that is square when viewed from the front, and a side wall 211S that is formed to extend perpendicularly to the front wall 211F from the four sides of the front wall 211F. A nozzle 212 having a predetermined diameter and having an air delivery hole 200 is formed substantially at the center of the front wall 211F of the main body 211. Further, on the back side of the blower casing 210, a back member 213 having an air inlet hole 260 is installed. The air inlet hole 260 includes a circular opening that is circular when viewed from the front.

  In the blower casing 210, a pump main body including a pump front wall 221R, a pump side wall 221S, and a diaphragm 240 is disposed.

  The pump front wall 221R is a front chamber made of a space having a predetermined diameter in front view between the pump front wall 221R and the front wall 211F of the blower casing 210 with respect to the front wall 211F of the blower casing 210. 271 and four front side air passages 270 each having a space of a predetermined width are formed. The front chamber 271 is formed so that the center in plan view substantially coincides with the center of the air delivery hole 200. Each front-side air passage 270 is formed so that one end thereof is connected to the front chamber 271 and the other end extends to the vicinity of each corner portion when the blower casing 210 is viewed from the front. The other ends of these front-side air passages 270 communicate with one end portions of the respective side-side air passages 272 that are spaces formed by the front wall 211F and the side wall 211S of the blower casing 210 and the pump front wall 221R. ing.

  In addition, a pump outflow / inflow hole 222 is formed substantially at the center of the pump front wall 221R. The pump inflow / outflow hole 222 is formed so that the central axis substantially coincides with the central axis of the air delivery hole 200 of the blower casing 210. Further, the pump outflow / inflow hole 222 is formed with a diameter equal to or smaller than the air delivery hole 200.

  The pump side wall 221 </ b> S is arranged such that four side-side air passages 272 having a predetermined diameter extending in the direction from the back side to the front side of the blower case 210 are disposed in the blower case 210. It is formed with respect to the side wall 211S of the body 210.

  A diaphragm 240 is disposed at the end of the pump side wall 221S opposite to the pump front wall 221R. The diaphragm 240 is a plate having elasticity, and is made of, for example, resin. Diaphragm 240 is installed such that the main plane when no driving voltage is applied is substantially perpendicular to the central axes of air delivery hole 200 and pump inflow / outflow hole 222. A hollow pump chamber 230 is formed by the diaphragm 240, the opposed pump front wall 221R, and the pump side wall 221S. The pump chamber 230 communicates with the front chamber 271 only by the pump outflow / inflow hole 222.

  A piezoelectric element 250 is disposed on the back side of the diaphragm 240 (the side opposite to the pump chamber 230). The piezoelectric element 250 is made of, for example, lead zirconate titanate ceramic. The piezoelectric element 250 is formed with a drive voltage application electrode (not shown), and the piezoelectric element 250 can be distorted by applying a drive voltage to the drive voltage application electrode.

  Further, the piezoelectric element 250 is formed so as not to contact the back member 213 of the blower casing 210. As a result, a back-side air passage is formed between the diaphragm 240 and the piezoelectric element 250 and the back member 213. The rear side air passage has one end connected to the side air passage 272 and the other end communicated with the air inlet hole 260.

  The piezoelectric blower 20 having such a structure steadily feeds air from the air feed hole 260 and repeats outward from the air feed hole 200 to the front side by repeating the operation (state transition) as shown in FIG. Deliver air.

  3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the air blowing mechanism of the piezoelectric blower 20, in which FIG. 3A is a state in which the diaphragm 240 is curved toward the pump chamber 230, and FIGS. 3B and 3D are FIGS. FIG. 3C shows a state in which the diaphragm 240 is not driven, and FIG. 3C shows a state in which the diaphragm 240 is bent toward the piezoelectric element 250 side.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, when the driving voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 250 and the diaphragm 240 is bent toward the pump chamber 230, the volume of the pump chamber 230 decreases. Along with this, the air in the pump chamber 230 is sent out from the pump inflow / outflow hole 222 to the outside on the front side through the front chamber 271 and the air delivery hole 200. At this time, the air flows from the pump outflow / inflow hole 222 to the air delivery hole 200 through the front air passage 270, the side air passage 272, and the rear air passage through the air inlet 260. The air thus drawn is drawn and delivered from the air delivery hole 200 with a high pressure.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the application of the driving voltage to the piezoelectric element 250 is stopped and the diaphragm 240 is in a steady state, there is no outflow of air from the pump chamber 230, but from the front chamber 271. The inertia force of the air flow to the air delivery hole 200 is working. Therefore, the air sent from the air inlet hole 260 is drawn through the front side air passage 270, the side air passage 272, and the rear side air passage, and is sent out from the air outlet hole 200.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, when the driving voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 250 to curve the diaphragm 240 toward the piezoelectric element 250, the volume of the pump chamber 230 increases. However, the amount of air drawn into the pump chamber 230 is set to be smaller than the air flowing into the air delivery hole 200 due to inertial force. Therefore, similarly to FIG. 3B, the air sent from the air inlet hole 260 is drawn in via the front side air passage 270, the side air passage 272, and the rear side air passage, and the air delivery hole 200 is drawn. Is sent from.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, when the application of the driving voltage to the piezoelectric element 250 is stopped and the diaphragm 240 is in a steady state, there is no outflow of air from the pump chamber 230, but from the front chamber 271. The inertia force of the air flow to the air delivery hole 200 is working. Therefore, the air sent from the air inlet hole 260 is drawn through the front side air passage 270, the side air passage 272, and the rear side air passage, and is sent out from the air outlet hole 200.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, a drive voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 250 to return to the state in which the diaphragm 240 is bent toward the pump chamber 230 side.

  Thus, although the piezoelectric blower 20 has a slight pulsation in the amount of outflow of air, it can constantly send out air from the air delivery hole 200 during driving. Furthermore, with such a configuration, the discharge pressure can be increased while being small and thin.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the passive valve 30 is attached to the cover member 12 so as to include a region where the air outlet 122 is formed. At this time, the passive valve 30 is attached to the surface of the cover member 12 opposite to the main housing 11.

  Here, the structure of the passive valve 30 will be specifically described. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the passive valve 30. The passive valve 30 is formed by sequentially stacking a diaphragm support 31, a diaphragm sheet 32, a spacer 33, and a valve cover 34.

  The diaphragm support base 31 is a frame having a square shape in plan view and having an opening space 310 having a central region penetrating in the thickness direction. At this time, the diaphragm support base 31 is disposed so that the opening space 310 and the air outlet 122 overlap in a plan view when the diaphragm support base 31 is attached to the cover member 12. However, the diaphragm support base 31 includes a central support portion 311 connected to the frame body at a predetermined position in the opening space 310 and having the same thickness as the frame body. The central support 311 is formed so that the diaphragm sheet 32 is not covered with the air outlet 122 when the diaphragm sheet 32 is attached to the surface of the diaphragm support 31, and the through hole 320 overlaps the diaphragm sheet 32 in plan view. Has been. The dimensions of the diaphragm support 31 are, for example, 20 mm × 20 mm in plan view, and the thickness is 0.3 mm.

  The diaphragm sheet 32 has a square shape in plan view, and is made of, for example, a flat membrane-like elastic body made of an elastomer, and a through hole 320 penetrating in the thickness direction is formed at a predetermined position. As described above, the diaphragm sheet 32 is attached so that the through hole 320 overlaps the central support portion 311 of the diaphragm support base 31 in plan view. The dimension of the diaphragm sheet 32 is, for example, 20 mm × 20 mm in plan view, and the thickness is 0.06 mm. The diameter of the through hole 320 is 1.0 mm.

  The spacer 33 is a frame having a square shape in plan view and having an opening space 330 having a central region penetrating in the thickness direction. The dimensions of the spacer 33 are, for example, 20 mm × 20 mm in plan view, and the thickness is 0.6 mm.

  The valve cover 34 has a square shape in plan view, and has a through hole 340 penetrating in the thickness direction. The through hole 340 of the valve cover 34 is formed at a position overlapping the through hole 320 of the diaphragm sheet 32 in plan view when the valve cover 34 is attached to the spacer 33. The dimensions of the valve cover 34 are, for example, 20 mm × 20 mm in plan view, and the thickness is 0.3 mm. The diameter of the through hole 340 is, for example, 1.6 mm.

  FIG. 5 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of the fragrance generating device 10 (AA ′ sectional view in FIG. 1A), and FIG. 5A shows that air is fed from the piezoelectric blower 20. FIG. 5B shows a state in which air is being fed from the piezoelectric blower 20. The fragrance generating device 10 diffuses the fragrance component of the fragrance holder 40 to the outside as shown below.

(I) When the piezoelectric blower 20 is stopped When the piezoelectric blower 20 is not driven, air does not flow from the piezoelectric blower 20 into the internal space 110 of the housing. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5A, the diaphragm seat 32 of the passive valve 30 abuts on the central support portion 311 of the diaphragm support base 31. That is, one end of the through hole 320 of the diaphragm sheet 32 is closed by the center support portion 311. Thereby, the fragrance component volatilized from the fragrance holder 40 in the internal space 110 of the housing 1 stays in the internal space 110 of the housing 1 and is not diffused to the outside from the air outlet 122.

(Ii) When the piezoelectric blower 20 is driven When the piezoelectric blower 20 is driven, high-pressure air flows into the internal space 110 of the housing, as indicated by the thick arrow in FIG. The pressure in the internal space 110 increases.

  Here, the opening space 310 of the diaphragm support base 31 is closed by the diaphragm sheet 32 and the cover member 12 if air is not flowing in, and the housing 1 is opened via the air outlet 122 of the cover member 12. It is connected to the internal space 110. For this reason, when the pressure in the internal space 110 of the housing 1 increases, the pressure in the closed space by the internal space 110 of the housing 1 also increases. Due to this increase in pressure, the diaphragm seat 32 is curved toward the valve cover 34 and is separated from the central support portion 311 of the diaphragm support 31. By this movement, the through hole 320 is opened.

  That is, while the air flows from the piezoelectric blower 20, the pressure in the internal space 110 of the housing 1 becomes higher than the external pressure, so that the internal space 110 of the housing 1 serves as the air outlet of the cover member 12. 122, communicates with the outside through the opening space 310 of the diaphragm support 31, the through hole 320 of the diaphragm sheet 32, the opening space 330 of the spacer 33, and the through hole 340 of the valve cover 34. Thereby, the aroma component stored in the internal space 110 of the housing 1 is diffused from the air outlet 122 to the outside.

(Iii) When the piezoelectric blower 20 returns from the driving state to the stopped state When the piezoelectric blower 20 stops, the pressure in the internal space 110 of the housing 1 decreases and returns to the same pressure as the outside. Thereby, the diaphragm sheet | seat 32 contact | abuts to the center support part 311 of the diaphragm support stand 31 again with the restoring force of an elastic body. Therefore, one end of the through hole 320 of the diaphragm sheet 32 is closed by the center support portion 311 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the fragrance component volatilized from the fragrance holder 40 in the internal space 110 of the housing 1 stays in the internal space 110 of the housing 1 and is not diffused to the outside from the air outlet 122.

  As described above, by using the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to control the diffusion of the fragrance component without using an active valve. Moreover, as above-mentioned, each member which comprises the fragrance generating apparatus 10 of this embodiment is comprised only by what was shortened, and can reduce the fragrance generating apparatus 10 in height. That is, the aroma generator can be realized with a small and simple configuration.

  Next, an aroma generator according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view of the aroma generating apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment. The fragrance generating apparatus 10A of the present embodiment has the same basic structure as the fragrance generating apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, only different parts will be specifically described.

  The casing 1A of the fragrance generating device 10A is formed longer in the longitudinal direction in a plan view than the fragrance generating device 10 shown in the first embodiment. Two air outlets 122A1 and 122A2 are formed in the cover member 12A together with an air inlet 121 similar to that of the first embodiment. The two air outlets 122A1 and 122A2 are formed with a predetermined distance therebetween.

  A passive valve 30A1 is attached to the main surface of the cover member 12A opposite to the main surface covering the main housing 11A so as to cover the air outlet 122A1. A passive valve 30A2 is attached to the main surface of the cover member 12A opposite to the main surface that covers the main housing 11A so as to cover the air outlet 122A2.

  In such a configuration, when the piezoelectric blower 20 is driven and air flows into the internal space 110A of the housing from the piezoelectric blower 20, the passive valves 30A1 and 30A2 are opened, and the fragrance component is diffused to the outside. Thereby, an aromatic component can be diffused to a wider range.

  In addition, although the example provided with two passive valves was shown in this embodiment, three or more may be sufficient.

  Next, an aroma generator according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of the aroma generator 10B according to the present embodiment. The basic structure of the aroma generator 10B of this embodiment is the same as that of the aroma generator 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, only different parts will be specifically described.

  The fragrance generating device 10B has a configuration in which a passive valve 30B is added to the inner space side of the air inlet 121 with respect to the fragrance generating device 10 shown in the first embodiment.

  In such a configuration, when the piezoelectric blower 20 is driven and air flows from the piezoelectric blower 20 into the internal space 110B of the housing, the passive valves 30B and 30 are sequentially opened, and the aromatic component is diffused to the outside. .

  On the other hand, when the piezoelectric blower 20 stops, the passive valves 30B and 30 are closed, and the internal space 110 of the housing 1A becomes a sealed space. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fragrance component from being diffused to the outside at both the air inlet 121 and the air outlet 122.

  In the fragrance generating apparatus of the present invention, the casing may have a plurality of independent internal spaces, and a piezoelectric blower and a passive valve may be attached to each of the plurality of internal spaces. If comprised in this way, if the fragrance | flavor holding body of a different fragrance component is provided for every interior space, various fragrances can be diffused outside.

  The piezoelectric blower according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified within the scope of the gist.

  In the above embodiment, the fragrance holder 40 is formed from a volatile fragrance soaked in a solid core, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be liquid, jelly-like, or an oil pad.

  In the above embodiment, the diaphragm 240 is made of resin, but is not limited thereto. If it is an elastic body, it may be formed from, for example, a metal.

  In the above-described embodiment, the piezoelectric element 250 is made of lead zirconate titanate ceramic, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be composed of a lead-free piezoelectric ceramic material such as potassium sodium niobate and alkali niobate ceramics.

  In the embodiment, the diaphragm sheet 32 is formed of an elastomer, but is not limited thereto. As long as it is an elastic body, it may be formed from, for example, silicone rubber or resin.

10, 10A, 10B, aroma generator,
1, 1A, 1B: housing
11, 11A, 11B: main housing, 110, 110A, 110B: internal space, 12: cover member, 121: air inlet, 122, 122A1, 122A2: air outlet,
20: Piezoelectric blower, 200: Air delivery hole, 210: Blower housing, 211: Main body, 211F: Front wall, 211S: Side wall, 212: Nozzle, 222: Pump inflow / outflow hole, 230: Pump chamber, 240: Diaphragm, 250: Piezoelectric element, 260: Air inlet hole, 270: Air flow passage, 271: Front chamber, 272: Side-side air passage,
30, 30A1, 30A2, 30B: Passive valve, 31: Diaphragm support base, 310: Open space, 311: Center support, 32: Diaphragm sheet, 320: Through hole, 33: Spacer, 330: Open space, 34: Valve Cover, 340: through hole,
40: Air freshener holder

Claims (6)

A housing with an air inlet and an air outlet;
A fragrance holder provided in the internal space of the housing;
A pump chamber including a diaphragm to which a piezoelectric element is attached; and an outer peripheral wall that includes an air delivery hole and an air delivery hole and is formed in a shape surrounding the pump chamber, and the air delivery hole is provided in the casing. A piezoelectric blower that is connected to an air inlet and allows air to flow into the internal space from the outside of the housing;
A passive valve attached to the air outlet and opened so that the air in the internal space is dissipated to the outside by the discharge pressure of the piezoelectric blower,
The front wall provided with the air delivery hole in the outer peripheral wall of the piezoelectric blower is in contact with one surface of the housing,
The nozzle which is formed in the front wall and has the air delivery hole is stored in the air inlet .   The fragrance generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a passive valve is further attached to the inner space side of the air inlet. The housing includes a plurality of the air outlets,
The fragrance generating device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the passive valve is attached to each of the plurality of air outlets. The air inlet and the air outlet are formed on one surface of the housing,
The fragrance generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the piezoelectric blower and the passive valve are attached to the same surface of the casing.   The said housing | casing has the main housing | casing with the specific surface open | released, and the cover member attached so that attachment or detachment was possible so that the said specific surface of this main housing | casing might be covered. The fragrance generator as described. The air inlet and the air outlet are formed in the cover member;
The fragrance generating device according to claim 5, wherein the piezoelectric blower and the passive valve are attached to a main surface of the cover member opposite to a main surface to which the main housing is attached and detached.

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