JPH01155851A - Bubble generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remove the contaminant of the body without using a towel and to achieve the utilization as a sauna, by forming a liquid film by supplying a liquid from a tank part and continuously or intermittently generating bubbles by blowing air from a blower. CONSTITUTION:A tank part 1 storing a liquid generating bubbles, a bubble generating part 2 having a shape permitting the formation of a liquid film by surface tension, rotary parts 3, 4 for rotating the bubble generating part 2, a blower 9 for blowing air to the bubble generating part 2 and a control part 25 for controlling the bubble generating part 2, the rotary parts 3, 4 and the blower 9 are provided. In the bubble generating part 2, the liquid film is formed by the supply of the liquid from the tank part 1 and bubbles are continuously or intermittently generated by the air blown from the blower 9. That is, comfortable bubble bathing is enabled by the synergistic effect of both washing effect by a washing liquid and washing effect by bubbles. By this method, the contaminant of the body can be removed without using a towel and this apparatus can be used as a sauna apparatus.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a foam generating device used in bathrooms such as saunas to promote body cleaning and sweating of the human body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, as awareness of healthy living and comfortable living environments has increased, various improvements have been made to bathing environments and bathroom equipment.

Among various bathroom equipment, there have been many improvements regarding body washing devices, and new proposals have been made through various patent applications.
Facilities are limited to specific users such as nursing the sick and the elderly;
The current situation is that it has not yet become widespread in ordinary households.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, this type of device has been proposed to be roughly divided into a means for cleaning the body by spraying a cleaning liquid mixed with a detergent through a nozzle, and a means for cleaning the body mechanically. The former type of spraying requires actions such as moving your whole body in relation to the spray nozzle or holding the spray nozzle in your hand and spraying onto your body, which is especially useful for people with physical disabilities or elderly people living alone. There are problems with using it. As a solution to this problem, it has been proposed to automatically move the spray nozzle or to arrange the nozzle around the entire circumference so that the whole body can be sprayed, but these methods require large and expensive equipment. There were problems such as: In addition, when cleaning without using cleaning tools such as towels, it is necessary to maintain the state as it is for a suitable period of time after spraying the cleaning solution. There were major problems with practical implementation, such as the fact that it was not possible.

In addition, many mechanical cleaning devices have been proposed that use automatically movable brushes to clean the whole body or parts of the body, such as the back or legs, but as the equipment has become larger, There was strong psychological resistance to using it on a daily basis, and there was no way it could be put into practical use.

Both methods were far from providing comfortable bathing facilities.

On the other hand, sauna devices have recently become widespread in general households due to their health benefits, but home sauna devices include those that use a far-infrared type electric heater heat source and wet saunas that use steam. It has become mainstream. Conventional sauna devices of this type require a considerable amount of time to preheat and cannot be used immediately even if one wants to use them.

■ It requires a dedicated space, and there are problems in terms of installation space not being available in Japan's narrow homes, and the effective use of living space.

■ Since it is used in a dedicated closed space, there is no need to deal with fires caused by heat sources, lack of oxygen, or unforeseen accidents.

There were major problems as a household device in several aspects, including safety.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As mentioned above, conventional body washing devices are difficult to use for people with physical disabilities and elderly people living alone who most need simple bathing.

■ It is necessary to use bathing aids such as towels, and it is a half-hearted device as it is more of a washing liquid spraying device than for body washing.

■ Mechanical body washing methods require large and expensive equipment, and there are problems such as user resistance to providing a comfortable bathing environment.

In addition, especially in home sauna devices, there have been problems in that a long preheating time is required, a dedicated equipment space is required, and safety is required in a closed space.

The present invention solves such conventional problems, and aims to provide inexpensive, easy-to-use, and comfortable bathing equipment, such as body washing and sauna equipment, by utilizing the present invention.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the foam generating device of the present invention includes:
At least a tank section that stores a liquid that generates bubbles;
A foam generating section having a shape that forms a liquid film due to surface tension, a rotating section that rotates the foam generating section, a blower that blows air to the foam generating section, and a control section, the foam generating section i.
The structure is such that a liquid film is formed by supplying liquid from the shower part, and bubbles are generated continuously or intermittently by air blowing from an air blower.

Effects According to the present invention, water or hot water mixed with cleaning liquid or detergent is first supplied to the tank portion using the above-described configuration. next,
The rotating part rotates the bubble generator a pre-adjusted number of times.
It is rotated by the rotation speed and receives liquid supply from the tank section. At this time, a liquid film is formed in the bubble generating part due to surface tension, and the air is blown from the bubble generating part continuously or intermittently by the air blowing from the blower which supplies a pre-adjusted amount of air as in the rotating part. Occur.

The foam generating device of the present invention works as described above, and when the device is installed in a bathtub, for example, the generated bubbles fill the bathtub, and when the bather stays in the bathtub for an appropriate amount of time, the cleaning fluid is removed. Due to the synergistic effect of the cleaning effect of the foam and the cleaning effect of the foam, it is possible to remove dirt from the body while taking a comfortable bubble bath without using bathing aids such as towels.

Furthermore, by controlling the temperature of the bubbles to the bather's desired temperature, sweating is promoted due to the thermal effect on the body, making it possible to use it as a sauna device.

In addition to using a bathtub as described above, this device can be installed in
It is also possible to construct a space that can be used as a bathroom washing area or shower room into a unit, and use it as an integrated unit.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a liquid tank with an opening at the top to which water mixed with cleaning liquid is supplied, and 2 is formed of a circular wire mesh so that a part of it is immersed in the liquid in the liquid tank 1. 3 is a motor for two rotations of the foam generating section, which is connected to the foam generating section 2 via a rotating shaft 4;
Reference numeral 5 denotes a bearing member that supports the rotary shaft 4, and reference numeral 6 denotes an air passage opening facing the bubble generating section 2, in which an electric heater A7'', !: rectifying member 8 is provided. 9
Reference numeral 10 indicates a blower fan provided at the rear of the air passage section 6, and 10 a replenishment tank removably provided within the main body case 11, with an opening/closing lid 12 provided on the top thereof. Reference numeral 13 denotes a replenishment pump for supplying the cleaning water 14 in the replenishment tank 10 to the liquid tank 1. The inlet side of this pump is connected to the replenishment tank 10 via the connection part 15, while the outlet side is connected to the replenishment tank 10. Via a supply pipe 18 with a reverse valve 16 and a three-way valve 17 in the middle,
It opens at the bottom of the liquid tank 1. 19 is a three-way valve 17
This is a drain port for draining the cleaning water in the liquid tank 1 connected to the liquid tank 1. Reference numeral 20 denotes an electric heater B121 provided in the liquid tank 1 for heating cleaning water; a thermistor B121 for controlling the temperature of the cleaning water by turning on and off the electric heater 820;
22 is a water level sensor for maintaining the water level of the cleaning water in the liquid tank 1 within a certain range, and controls on/off the replenishment pump 13 for replenishing the cleaning water 14 from the replenishment tank 10 into the liquid tank 1. . 23 is a partition plate provided around the outer periphery of the water level sensor 22 for stabilizing the water level; 24
Reference numeral 25 indicates a heat insulating material provided around the outer periphery of the liquid tank 1, and 25 a control unit for controlling the water level and temperature of the liquid tank, the rotation speed of the foam generating member 20, and the amount of air blown by the air blowing fan 9, the air blown temperature, etc. 26 is a foam jet port provided in the main body case 11 and opened to the outside of the main body facing the openings of the foam generating section 2 and the ventilation passage section 6; 27 is a supply tank 10;
28 is a leg portion.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show an embodiment of the present invention in use. hD,';z9 is the main body of the bubble generator, which is attached to the rear part of the wall 30 of the sauna unit main body. 31 is a retractable front door, a2 is a chair, and 33 is a foam suction port, which sequentially discharges foam that has become low temperature. 34 is a shower, which is used to remove bubbles after use and as a normal shower facility.

a5 indicates a bathtub, and 36 indicates generated bubbles.

In the above configuration, first, a power source (not shown) for the control unit 25
When the supply is turned on, the replenishment pump 13 operates, and the replenishment tank 1
The supply of cleaning water 14 into the liquid tank 1 starts from 0. The water level in the liquid tank 1 is maintained at a constant level by a water level sensor 22, and when the set water level is reached, the replenishment pump 13 is stopped by a signal from the water level sensor 22.

At the same time, when the water level of the cleaning water is within a certain range according to the signal from the water level sensor 22, the electric heater B20 is energized, and the temperature of the cleaning water is controlled by the thermistor 21 to be raised to the set temperature and maintained. Ru. When the temperature of the washing water reaches the set temperature, a lamp or a buzzer (none of which are shown) notifies the user that the washing water is ready for use.

Next, when the operation switch (not shown) is turned on, the motor 3 starts rotating at a preset rotational speed 7, and the foam generating section 2 rotates. The foam generating section 2 is formed of a wire mesh with an appropriate opening ratio, and a part of the mesh is located in the washing water in the liquid tank 1, so that the foam generating section 2 is By rotating, the cleaning water forms a film on its surface due to surface tension.

Further, after a certain period of time (for example, 2 to 5 seconds) after the motor 3 rotates, the blower fan 9 is turned on and starts blowing air at a preset amount of air. The air is heated to a high temperature by an electric heater A 7 K provided in the air passage 6 and turned on in conjunction with the operation of the air blower fan 9, and is rectified by the rectifying member 8. This air blowing causes the film-like cleaning water to turn into foam, and a large amount of foam is generated from the rotating foam generating section 2, and the foam is supplied to the bather from the foam jet port 26.

When the cleaning water in the liquid tank 1 decreases during operation, the water level sensor 22 is turned on and the replenishment pump 13 is activated to maintain the water level within a certain range.

By the way, the amount of bubbles generated can be controlled by adjusting the rotation speed of the bubble generation section 2 and the rotation speed of the blower fan 9 in conjunction with each other.

Further, regarding the temperature of the bubbles, the control unit 25 controls the electric heater 820 and the electric heater A7 according to the settings of the bather.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the foam generating device of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(In principle, it is possible to generate a large amount of foam in a short period of time with a simple configuration in which a film of cleaning water is formed on the surface by the rotation of the foam generator and air is blown onto this film.) It can be expected to have a wide range of applications, such as body washing devices and sauna devices, and can be effective in creating a comfortable bathing environment.

@) When bathing with normal hot water, the pressure of the water puts a strain on the human body, and people with heart disease and the elderly need to be especially careful when bathing. This problem can be solved by using the bubbles generated by the present invention instead of hot water for bathing.

In addition, for people with physical disabilities and the elderly, the washing effect of the washing water and the washing effect of the foam work synergistically to remove waste products from the body by simply sitting on a chair or other chair soaked in foam. Afterwards, you can wash your body by rinsing off the foam with a shower.

(3) Conventional sauna devices require a long time to preheat, but the bubble generator of the present invention can be used in a short time and can be used as a sauna even without a dedicated space. can.

Furthermore, in addition to the sweating effect due to the thermal effect, the ultrasonic waves generated when the bubbles burst stimulate the muscles and capillaries, and you can also expect a pine surge effect that warms the body to the core.

(4) Since the amount and size of bubbles generated can be freely controlled, it is possible to meet a wide range of user needs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the overall configuration of a foam generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the same position, and FIGS.
Each figure is a perspective view of a main part of an application example of the present invention. 1...Liquid tank, 2...Bubble generating part,
3...Motor, 7...Electric heater A1
9...Blower fan, 13...Replenishment pump, 20...Electric heater B121...
Thermistor, 22... Water level sensor, 25...
. . . Control unit, 26 . . . Foam jet port. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other list
1 Figure 2 Mouth 2611? 9--One bubble of growth! Main body

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A tank section that stores a liquid that generates bubbles, and a bubble generating section that has a shape that forms a liquid film due to surface tension;
It consists of a rotating part that rotates the foam generating part, an air blower that blows air to the foam generating part, and a control part that controls the foam generating part, the rotating part, and the blower, and the foam generating part is connected to the tank part. A foam generating device that forms a liquid film by supplying a liquid and continuously or intermittently generates foam by blowing air from the blower. (2) The control section has a rotation speed control section of the rotating section and a blower control section that controls the amount of air blown, and the rotation speed control section and the blower control section are controlled in conjunction with each other. The foam generating device described in Section 1.