JP6863320B2 - Volatile component release device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus that releases volatile components.

Recently, volatile components have been released into the vehicle interior by using the air flow of an air conditioner (air conditioner) or the like. For example, an aromatic component, which is a kind of volatile component, is released into the vehicle interior to relax or refresh the driver. It is also possible to improve the driver's concentration and alertness by releasing a functional component, which is a kind of volatile component, into the vehicle interior. Various devices for releasing such volatile components have been proposed, and for example, there are descriptions related to the following patent documents.

Jikkenhei No. 6-38996 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-266 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-267

The aroma generator described in Patent Document 1 requires a compressed air source, and it is difficult to use an air flow supplied from another source.

In the fragrance providing device described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, a plurality of fragrance holders are arranged in series in one vaporization container from the upstream side to the downstream side (the fragrance holders are orthogonal to the air flow). ing. In this case, since the fragrance released from the fragrance holder on the upstream side adheres to the fragrance holder on the downstream side, it is difficult to appropriately adjust the release of each fragrance.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a volatile component releasing device having a structure different from the conventional one.

As a result of diligent research to solve this problem, the present inventor arranges a cylinder accommodating a volatile source along the upstream side to the downstream side of the airflow, and a part of the airflow is surely introduced into the cylinder. The idea was to provide a member (splitting fluid) so that it could be used. By embodying and developing this, the present invention described below has been completed.

<< Volatile component release device >>
(1) The present invention is a volatile component release device disposed in an air stream, which accommodates a volatile source holding a volatile component and extends from the upstream side to the downstream side of the air flow. A first valve that changes the opening degree of the upstream side opening of the cylinder, a second valve that changes the opening degree of the downstream side opening of the cylinder body, and a driving means for driving the first valve and the second valve. It is provided on the upstream side of the second valve, and includes a partial fluid that introduces a part of the airflow to the first valve side and allows the rest of the airflow to pass through, and the partial fluid is of the airflow. through holes for passing the remainder are more disposed, Ri resistive plate der to increase the upstream side of the air pressure than the downstream side, the resistor plate has a insertion hole fitting to interpolate fitting the tube body, the Ru is disposed intermediate the first valve and the second valve.

(2) The volatile component release device of the present invention (simply referred to as "release device") is a volatile component from the downstream opening of the cylinder arranged along the flow direction of the air flow (direction from the upstream side to the downstream side). Is released. The release amount (concentration) is adjusted by changing the opening degree of the first valve and the second valve by the driving means.

Here, the discharge device of the present invention includes a fluid dividing fluid on the upstream side (upstream opening side or the first valve side) of the second valve. A part of the airflow is stably introduced into the cylinder by this fluid. Further, the split fluid not only guides the airflow into the cylinder, but also allows the main airflow to pass by the side of the cylinder. Therefore, the released volatile components are carried to the downstream side on the rest of the airflow that has passed through the side of the cylinder. Thus, according to the release device of the present invention, the volatile components in the cylinder are stably released.

The discharge device of the present invention also has a first valve on the upstream side in addition to the second valve on the downstream side. Therefore, for example, when it is not necessary to release the volatile component, both valves can be closed to prevent the volatile component from leaking from the upstream opening (first valve side).

《Others》
As the "air flow" referred to in the present specification, an air flow supplied from a device other than the discharge device of the present invention is sufficient. However, the discharge device of the present invention may be further provided with an air flow generator (blower fan, etc.) or the like, as appropriate, depending on the installation location and application.

It is a front view of the volatile component release device which is one Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the substrate and the resistance plate which constitute the discharge device. It is an overall perspective view of the discharge amount regulator which comprises the discharge device. It is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the emission amount adjuster.

The contents described in the present specification may apply not only to the volatile component releasing device of the present invention, but also to the usage method, control method, and the like. One or more components arbitrarily selected from the present specification may be added to the above-described components of the present invention. Which embodiment is the best depends on the target, required performance, and the like.

《Fluid separation》
The split fluid appropriately introduces a part of the airflow to the first valve side while leaving the original flow of the airflow. Various forms of the split fluid can be considered, and one example thereof is a resistance plate in which a plurality of through holes for passing the rest of the air flow are arranged. By providing the resistance plate, the air pressure on the downstream side (first valve side) of the resistance plate can be made higher than the air pressure on the upstream side of the resistance plate as compared with the case without the resistance plate. As a result, the airflow is stably introduced into the cylinder through the first valve.

The size, number, arrangement, etc. of the through holes may be uniform or distributed. By changing the size of the through hole or the like, the ratio of the airflow flowing inside the cylinder to the airflow flowing outside the cylinder (splitting ratio) can be adjusted, and the distribution of the airflow passing through the discharge device can be adjusted. For example, the through holes may be enlarged or arranged in large numbers near the center where the flow rate is high, and the through holes may be made small or small in the vicinity of the side walls where the flow rate is low to disperse (uniformize) the air flow. .. The through hole is not limited to a round shape but may be a square shape.

The resistance plate may be arranged between the first valve and the second valve or between the upstream opening and the downstream opening of the cylinder. At this time, the tubular body may be fitted and inserted into the fitting hole provided in the resistance plate.

《Cylinder》
The tubular body may penetrate in the longitudinal direction (axial direction), and may be a cylindrical body or a square tubular body, and the cross-sectional shapes on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side may be different. The cylinder preferably has a space capable of accommodating the volatile source and dissipating the volatile components generated from the volatile source.

《Valve / drive means》
On both opening sides of the cylinder, valves for adjusting the air flow rate (and thus the amount of volatile components released) passing through the cylinder are provided. There are various types of valves, such as butterfly valves, rotary valves, and globe valves. In either case, it should be consistent with the driving means.

When a rotary valve is used, it is easy to adjust the opening degree of each opening while reducing the size. Therefore, the first valve may be a first rotary valve whose opening degree changes according to the rotation angle, and the second valve may be a second rotary valve whose opening degree changes according to the rotation angle.

The first valve and the second valve do not necessarily have to be interlocked. For example, the amount of volatile components released may be adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the second valve while keeping the opening degree of the first valve constant. However, by interlocking the two, the driving means can be simplified. For example, in the above case, if the first rotary valve and the second rotary valve are connected by a shaft and the shaft is rotated by a motor, the first rotary valve and the second rotary valve can be operated in conjunction with each other. ..

The "opening" referred to in the present specification may be either fully closed or fully open, or may be a variable opening that changes between the two stepwise or continuously. The term "fully open" as used herein means that the opening of the valve is fully open, and does not necessarily mean that the opening of the cylinder is fully open. Of course, both may match. If a variable opening is adopted, the amount of volatile components released can be precisely controlled. At this time, a stepping motor, a servo motor, an ultrasonic motor, or the like may be used as the drive source.

《Mixing of volatile components》
The discharge device may have only one set of a group having a cylinder, a first valve, a second valve, and a driving means, or may have a plurality of sets. In the case of a plurality of sets, a plurality of types of volatile sources (volatile sources having different volatile components) are housed in each cylinder, and they are arranged in parallel along the direction of the air flow. In this case, since only one kind of volatile component can be released from each cylinder in a desired amount, the volatile components can be mixed accurately or with high accuracy.

<< Volatile component / Volatile source >>
The volatile component may be of any type. The volatile component may be an aromatic component recognized by the human sense of smell or a functional component having some action regardless of the presence or absence of aroma. Some functional components promote, for example, relaxation of tension (relaxing effect), improvement of concentration and arousal (refreshing effect), and the like. Functional ingredients are not limited to those that have an effect on humans, for example, ingredients that maintain the freshness of vegetables and fruits, ingredients that ripen fruits, etc., ingredients that are effective in preservatives and antifungal agents, etc. But it may be.

The volatile source that retains the volatile component may be any structure as long as it can release the volatile component, and may take various forms. The volatile source may be, for example, a container filled with a gas, a liquid, or the like, a liquid infiltrated into a porous body, or a solid substance. The volatile source is preferably one that is easy to install and replace. For example, the volatile source may consist of a cartridge containing a volatile component and detachable inside the cylinder.

"Installation"
The discharge device of the present invention is installed in, for example, an air flow guide path (duct) provided in an air conditioner or the like. At this time, if the gap between the duct and the inner wall is reduced, the airflow can be easily controlled by the fluid separation. The release device itself may be provided with an air flow generator to actively release volatile components.

A front view of a volatile component release device S (simply referred to as “device S”), which is an embodiment of the present invention, is shown in FIG. The device S includes six emission amount adjusters 1 to 6, a substrate 9 for fixing them, a resistance plate 8 erected from the substrate 9, and a control device for controlling the operation of each emission amount adjuster (not shown). ) And. Since each of the release amount adjusters 1 to 6 has the same structure, the release amount adjuster 1 will be mainly described in this embodiment. The extending direction (airflow direction) of each discharge amount adjuster is appropriately referred to as an axial direction.

"Constitution"
An overall perspective view of the discharge amount adjuster 1 is shown in FIG. 3, and an exploded perspective view of the main part thereof is shown in FIG. 4, respectively. The discharge amount adjuster 1 has a tubular body 10, a rotary valve 11 provided in the upstream opening thereof, a rotary valve 12 provided in the downstream opening thereof, and the inside of the tubular body 10 in the longitudinal direction (axial direction). A shaft 13 that connects the penetrating rotary valves 11 and 12, a holding body 14 that can detachably hold the cartridge k1 containing a volatile component, and a motor 15 that is arranged on the upstream side of the tubular body 10 and drives the shaft 13 to rotate ( It is equipped with a drive source).

The tubular body 10 has a penetrating cylindrical shape and is made of a transparent resin such as acrylic. The rotary valve 11 includes a base 111 having an arc-shaped through groove 1111 and a rotating body 112 having a semicircular plate 1121 for opening and closing the through groove 1111. The rotary valve 12 includes a base 121 having an arc-shaped through groove 1211 and a rotating body 122 having a semicircular plate 1221 that opens and closes the through groove 1211.

The holding body 14 is formed of a substantially cylindrical body including a through hole 141 penetrating in the axial direction and an insertion / insertion hole 143 into which a cylindrical cartridge k1 can be attached / detached. The motor 15 includes a stepping motor housed in a motor case 151, and mounting bolts 152 and input / output end portions 153 project from the motor case 151.

The substrate 9 is made of a substantially rectangular acrylic plate, and is provided with an insertion hole (not shown) for the bolt 152 and an insertion hole 91 for the input / output end portion 153. The resistance plate 8 stands upright from substantially the center of the substrate 9, and has a fitting hole 81 of the tubular body 10 and a large number of through holes 82 arranged around the fitting hole 81.

The discharge amount adjuster 1 is fixed to the substrate 9 by the bolt 152 in a state where the tubular body 10 is fitted into the insertion hole 81 and the input / output end portion 153 protrudes from the insertion hole 91. The same applies to the emission amount regulators 2 to 6. In this way, the device S as shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

"motion"
As shown in FIG. 1, when the device S is arranged in the duct D, the airflow supplied from the upstream side (arrows in the figure) becomes the mainstream passing through the side of the discharge amount adjuster 1 by the resistance plate 8. , It is divided into sidestreams taken into each release amount regulator 1. The motor 15 is driven and controlled by a control device (computer such as a personal computer) to adjust the amount of rotation (angle) of the rotary valves 11 and 12. As a result, the opening degrees of the through grooves 1111 and 1211 are changed, and the air flow rate passing through the tubular body 10 is also changed. As a result, the amount (release amount) of the volatile component generated from the cartridge k1 flowing out from the cylinder 10 is controlled.

Cartridges k1 to k6 containing different volatile components are installed in the release amount regulators 1 to 6, respectively. Then, by adjusting each opening degree of the release amount adjusters 1 to 6, 6 kinds of volatile components can be mixed and released at a desired ratio.

The cylinder 10 and the rotary valves 11 and 12 are sealed with O-rings 161 and 162, respectively, and the volatile component is discharged to the downstream side only through the rotary valve 12. Incidentally, the cartridge k1 can be attached / detached (replaced) by pulling out the cylinder 10 toward the rotary valve 12.

When the outer peripheral shape of the resistance plate 8 and the inner peripheral shape of the duct D are substantially the same, the device S can be fitted in the duct D substantially airtightly, and the airflow can be effectively controlled by the resistance plate 8. A sealing material that enhances airtightness may be further arranged between the outer peripheral shape of the resistance plate 8 and the inner peripheral shape of the duct D.

<< Supplement >>
The case where the device S is arranged in the duct D to which the airflow is supplied from another device has been described. In addition, the device S may generate an air flow by itself by a fan F (see FIG. 1) provided separately. Further, when it is used for a mixing experiment of a plurality of volatile components, the device S may be covered with a cover C so that the air-fuel mixture is discharged from the discharge hole a.

1 Discharge amount adjuster 10 Cylinder 11 Rotary valve (1st valve)
12 Rotary valve (2nd valve)
15 Motor (driving means)
S Volatile component release device D Duct k1 cartridge

Claims (6)

It is a volatile component release device arranged in the air flow.
A cylinder that accommodates a volatile source that retains volatile components and extends from the upstream side to the downstream side of the airflow.
A first valve that changes the opening degree of the upstream opening of the cylinder,
A second valve that changes the opening degree of the downstream opening of the cylinder,
The first valve, the driving means for driving the second valve, and
It is provided on the upstream side of the second valve, and includes a partial fluid that introduces a part of the airflow to the first valve side and allows the rest of the airflow to pass through.
該分fluid through holes for passing the remainder of the gas flow are more disposed, Ri resistive plate der to increase the upstream side of the air pressure than the downstream side,
The resistance plate has a that insertion hole insert fitting the tube body, said first valve and said second intermediate disposed is Ru volatiles emitting device of the valve. The volatile component releasing device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of groups having the cylinder, the first valve, the second valve, and the driving means are arranged in parallel along the direction of the air flow. The first valve is a first rotary valve whose opening degree changes according to the angle of rotation.
The second valve is a second rotary valve whose opening degree changes according to the angle of rotation.
The driving means includes claim 1 or a shaft that connects the first rotary valve and the second rotary valve, and a motor that rotates the shaft to operate the first rotary valve and the second rotary valve. 2. The volatile component release device according to 2. The volatile component releasing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the volatile source includes a cartridge containing the volatile component and is attached to and detached from the cylinder. The volatile component releasing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , which is fitted in the duct for inducing the air flow. The volatile component releasing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising an air flow source that generates the air flow.

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