JPH0761355B2 - Aroma control device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial field of application> The present invention is installed in equipment such as an air conditioner, an air purifier, a deodorizer, an oxygen enricher, or an ozone generator, and is used for producing a scent in a room or a vehicle. It relates to an aroma control device for controlling the release.

<Prior Art> Heretofore, there has been provided an air purifier in which an fragrance is disposed inside and an fragrance is sent out by blowing air by a blower (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho-06-27).
63-283648).

By the way, it is only necessary to release the fragrance,
If the fragrance is released at all times, the human sense of smell will slow down,
Since the effect of fragrance spreading cannot be obtained effectively, in this air purifier, the fragrance is discharged intermittently by opening and closing the fragrance discharge hole of the fragrance container. This opening / closing means is a combination of many gears and has a complicated structure.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> On the other hand, since only a single fragrance is attached to this air purifier, if a different fragrance is desired, the fragrance must be replaced each time. There was also the problem that it took time and effort.

Therefore, there is a demand that it is convenient if a plurality of storage containers storing different fragrances are arranged and it is possible to selectively open them, but in this case, opening / closing means must be attached to each storage container. It is conceivable that the structure will be complicated, and especially when the opening / closing means in which a large number of gears are combined as described above is used, the structure becomes more complicated.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an aroma control device capable of selectively emitting a plurality of aromas with a simple structure.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, the fragrance control device according to the present invention includes a cam 4 provided upright on an upper surface of a rotating body 52, and the cam 4.
Different fragrances, which are arranged on the turning locus of each, and which are opened by the contact of the cam 4 and closed by the separation of the cam 4.
Home position detecting means 7 for detecting that the plurality of storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C storing A, B, C, the motor 5 for rotating the rotating body 52, and the cam 4 are in the home position.
And the rotating body 52 from the state where the cam 4 is at the home position.
And a timer means 6a for controlling the drive time of the motor 5 so as to selectively open each of the storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C by the cam 4 by rotating.

<Operation> According to the fragrance control device having the above configuration, the home position detecting means 7 detects that the cam 4 is at the home position, and the timer means 6a controls the drive time of the motor 5 from the state of the home position. Then, by rotating the rotating body 52, the cam 4 is moved to a desired storage container.
Swivel to 3A, 3B, 3C, the desired storage container 3A, 3B, 3C
Can be opened and the desired fragrance can be obtained, and it has a very simple structure with one motor and one home position detection means without using a complicated gear mechanism as in the past. Can be realized.

<Examples> Detailed description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing examples.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a fragrance control device as an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the fragrance control device P includes a frame 1 and a plurality of storage portions 2 of the frame 1, respectively. Storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C that are stored and respectively store the air fresheners A, B, C, and these storage containers 3A, 3B,
Cam 4 as opening and closing means for selectively sealing and opening 3C
And a cam mounting plate as a rotating body to which the cam 4 is mounted
52, a motor 5 as a drive unit for driving the cam mounting plate 52, a processing unit 6 including a printed circuit board as a control unit for adjusting the drive of the motor 5 and controlling the operation of the cam 4, and the processing unit 6. The unit 6 includes a timer means 6a for controlling the operating time of the motor 5 and a home position detecting switch 7 as a home position detecting means arranged on the side of the cam mounting plate 52 as a unit.

The fragrance control device P is attached to a predetermined portion of the air purifier 100 as shown in FIG. 10, for example, and releases fragrance through a vent hole 101a provided in the opening / closing lid 101 of the air purifier 100.

Referring to FIG. 1, the frame 1 includes a top plate 1a and the top plate 1a.
It is composed of the storage section 2 and a plurality of legs 1b hung from the above.

The storage portion 2 is formed by a pair of opposed semi-cylindrical plates 1d and 1e vertically extending downward from the peripheral edge of a circular hole 1c formed in the top plate 1a. Between the semi-cylindrical plate 1d and the semi-cylindrical plate 1e, a pair of introduction grooves 1f and 1g having a predetermined width are formed. The semi-cylindrical plate 1d has an engagement portion 1h formed on the introduction groove 1f side, and the semi-cylindrical plate 1e has an engagement portion 1i formed on the introduction groove 1g side. A step 2 a is provided near the entrance of the storage unit 2.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, each storage container 3A, 3B, 3C
Is an outer container 31, an inner container 32 housed in the outer container 31 and containing the aromatic agents A, B, and C made of aromatic beads and the like, and is engaged with the upper part of the outer container 31 and seals the inner container 32. And a compression coil spring 34 as an urging means interposed between the inner bottom surface 31g of the outer container 31 and the outer bottom surface 32h of the inner container 32.

The lid 33 has a plate-shaped knob 33b standing on the upper surface of the lid body 33a, and a plurality of elastic claws 33c from the peripheral edge of the lid body 33a.
Is hanging. A plurality of ventilation holes 33d are formed in the lid body 33a. At the center of the bottom surface of the lid body 33a, the inner container 3
2 is formed with a plug-like portion 33e to be fitted into the upper opening 32f, and around the plug-like portion 33e is made of rubber or the like that is in close contact with the upper end surface 32g of the inner container 32 to seal the inner container. Seal plate 3
5 is attached.

The inner container 32 consists of a bottomed cylinder with an open top, and the side surface 32
A pair of engaged protrusions 32b, 32c that engage with the engaging portions 1h, 1i of the storage portion 2 are formed in the middle of a, and the side surface 32a is formed.
A plurality of rims 32d are radially formed along the generatrix direction. The rim 32d secures the strength of the inner container 32 and prevents the inner container 32 from being biased in the outer container 31. Further, a protrusion 32e for preventing the compression coil spring 34 from being displaced is provided below the bottom surface of the inner container 32.

The outer container 31 consists of a bottomed cylinder with an open top surface, and the side surface 31
A step 31h is formed on the upper part of a, and the engaged projection of the inner container 32 extends from the upper part of the side surface 31a to the middle part.
A pair of grooves 31b and 31c are formed to allow the 32b and 32c to be inserted vertically. A plurality of locking holes 31d for elastically locking the elastic claws 33c of the lid 33 are formed in the upper end of the outer container 31 (see FIG. 3). Further, at the upper end portion of the outer container 31, in the state where the outer container 31 is engaged with the lid 33, between the lid body 33a and the outer container 31, a plurality of gaps for forming aroma emission are formed. A cutout 31f is provided.

When assembling the storage container 3A, first, in the outer container 31,
After inserting the compression coil spring 34, while introducing the engaged projections 32b, 32c of the inner container 32 accommodating the fragrance A into the grooves 31b, 31c of the outer container 31, To insert. At this time, the projection 32e on the bottom of the inner container 32 is introduced into the compression coil spring 34 (see FIG. 4). Then the lid 33
Is attached to the upper end of the outer container 31 by introducing the elastic claw 33c of the lid 33 into the locking hole 31d of the outer container 31.
At the same time as attaching the lid 33 to the outer container 31, the plug-like portion of the lid 33
33e is fitted in the upper end portion of the inner container 32, and the seal plate 35 is pressed against the upper end surface 32g of the inner container 32 pushed up by the compression coil spring 34 to seal the inner container 32.

As shown in FIG. 1, the storage container 3A assembled in this manner has the engaged projections 32b, 32c protruding outside the outer container 31.
While being introduced into the introduction grooves 1f, 1g of the storage part 2 of the frame 1, and inserted into the storage part 2 and then the storage container 3A is picked.
In the state in which 33b is picked up with a finger, it is rotated counterclockwise in the figure to engage the engaged projections 32b and 32c with the engaging portions 1h and 1i, thereby attaching to the storage portion 2 (see FIG. 4). . In this state, the step portion 31h of the outer container 31 engages with the step portion 2a of the accommodating portion 2, so that the biasing force of the compression coil spring 34 acts in the direction of pushing the inner container 32 upward, and the engaging portion The engagement state between the 1h, 1i and the engaged projections 32b, 32c is maintained.

With reference to FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the cam 4 is the only one standing upright on the cam mounting plate 52 that is rotationally driven by the drive shaft 51 of the motor 5, and is substantially half in side view. It has a circular shape. The cam 4 swivels with the rotation of the cam mounting plate 52, and is moved below the storage container 3A that is going to release the aroma,
As shown in FIG. 5, due to the curved cam surface 4a,
The outer bottom surface 31i of the outer container 31 is pushed up, so that the outer container 3
The lid 33 attached to 1 is lifted to open the upper part of the inner container 31 so that the fragrance from the fragrance A is released.
Moreover, the cam 4 allows the outer container 31 to descend by separating from the lower part of the storage container 3 by turning, and the inner container
Ensure that 32 is sealed by lid 33 (see Figure 4). The storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C are arranged at equal intervals on the circumference that is the turning locus of the cam 4 (see FIG. 6). , 3B, 3C can be opened, or all the storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C can be sealed.

The cam attachment plate 52 has a substantially disc shape, and a protrusion 52a is provided on a part of its circumference. The protrusion 52a pivots along with the rotation of the cam mounting plate 52, and the home position detection switch 7 is arranged at a predetermined position laterally of the cam mounting plate 52.
Turn on and off. It is confirmed that the cam mounting plate 52 is in the home position when the home position detecting switch 7 is in the ON state shown in FIG.

The operation of the processing unit 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9. With reference to the block diagram of FIG. 8, the processing unit 6
Is a fragrance selection unit 81 for selecting a fragrance provided with a plurality of buttons 81a, the operation interval T3 from the state of the home position to the state of returning to the home position after the generation of one fragrance a predetermined interval (for example, Cycle time setter 82 set to 20 minutes), operating time T for releasing each aroma
2. Input signals from the operation time setter 83, which sets multiple stages of 1 minute, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, etc., the frequency discriminating section 84 which discriminates whether the power source frequency is 50 Hz or 60 Hz, and the home position detection switch 7. Then, a signal for driving the motor 5 is output.

When the power supply to the processing unit 6 is started, the home position detection switch 7 is used to check whether the cam mounting plate 52 is at the home position. If the cam mounting plate 52 is not at the home position, the motor 5 is driven. Then the cam mounting plate
Rotate 52 to set cam 4 to the home position (see Fig. 6).

From this home position, the cams 4 store the storage containers 3A, 3B or the fragrances A, B or C, respectively.
In order to open 3C, the motor 5 is driven for the required time T1 set by the timer means 6a, and the cam mounting plate 52 is rotated clockwise by 60 °, 180 ° or 60 ° in FIG. 6, respectively.
Rotate by an angle of 300 °.

This required time T1 is set to TA, TB, T corresponding to the selection of the fragrance A, B or C by the button 81a of the aroma selection unit 81.
Expressed as C, these TA, TB, and TC are obtained by the following equations, where the number of rotations of the motor is R per minute when the frequency is HHz according to the signal from the frequency determination unit 84.

TA = (60/360) x (60 / R) = 10 / R TB = (180/360) x (60 / R) = 30 / R TC = (300/360) (60 / R) = 50 / R Then, for example, when the fragrance A is selected by the button 81a of the fragrance selection unit 81, as shown in FIG. 7, the cam mounting plate 52 rotates by 60 °, and the cam 4 moves below the storage container 3A. Then, the storage container 3A is opened to release the aroma from the fragrance A.

FIG. 9 shows a time chart of the operation of the motor 5 and the home position detection switch 7. In FIG. 9, after the motor 5 is driven in the section J to the section K at the home position, the required fragrance is set in the section L. And then the motor 5 is driven in the section M to return to the home position again in the section N. The section L corresponds to the operation time T2 set by the operation time setting air 83, and the section K, the section L, the section M, and the section N are added to the cycle time setter 82.
It corresponds to the cycle time T3 set by.

According to this embodiment, the home position detecting means 7 detects that the cam 4 is at the home position, and the timer means 6a controls the drive time of the motor 5 from the state of the home position to rotate the rotating body 52. By rotating the cam 4, the cam 4 can be swung to the desired storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C to open the desired storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C and obtain the desired aroma. In addition, this can be realized by a very simple structure with one motor and one home position detecting means without using a complicated gear mechanism as in the past.

Further, since the storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C can seal the fragrance, the fragrance does not leak out unnecessarily.
In particular, since the upper end surface 32g of the inner container 32 is brought into pressure contact with the rubber seal plate 35, sealing is sure.

Furthermore, since the fragrance control device P is unitized, it can be easily applied not only to the air purifier but also to devices such as various air conditioning machines, oxygen enrichers and deodorizers.

In addition, since the storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C can be taken out above the frame 1, it is very easy to exchange the fragrance. Pick the knob 33b and rotate the storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C,
By engaging and disengaging the engaged protrusions 32b, 32c and the engaging portions 1h, 1i, the storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C can be easily attached and detached.

It should be noted that, in the above-described embodiment, the plurality of aromas can be released within a short time and the aromas can be mixed by continuously rotating the cam attachment plate 52 or by tact feeding. Further, the number of storage containers may be two or four or more.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and, for example, instead of the cam 4, each storage container is provided with an opening / closing means such as a solenoid, and the lid 3 is provided.
Various design changes can be made within a range that does not change the gist of the present invention, such as tapering the plug-like portion 33e to improve the sealing property of the inner container 32.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, according to the present invention, the home position detecting means 7 detects that the cam 4 is at the home position, and from this home position state, the driving time of the motor 5 by the timer means 6a. Control the rotating body
By rotating 52, the cam 4 is moved to the desired storage container 3
Swivel to A, 3B, 3C to obtain the desired storage container 3A, 3B, 3C.
Can be opened and the desired fragrance can be obtained, and it has a very simple structure with one motor and one home position detection means without using a complicated gear mechanism as in the past. It has a unique effect that it can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an aroma control device as an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a storage container, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing the upper part of the storage container, and FIG. 5 and 6 are sectional views showing the sealed state and the opened state of the storage container, respectively, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are schematic views showing the position of the cam at the home position and the position of the cam when the storage container is opened. Fig. 8 is a block diagram for controlling fragrance, Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a time chart of a motor and a home position detection switch, and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of an air purifier equipped with a fragrance control device. 3A, 3B, 3C …… storage container, A, B, C …… fragrance 4 …… cam, 5 …… motor, 6a …… timer means, 7 …… home position detection switch (home position detection means), 52 ...... Cam mounting plate (rotating body).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cam 4 erected on the upper surface of a rotating body 52, and different fragrances which are arranged on the turning locus of the cam 4 and which are opened by the contact of the cam 4 and closed by the separation of the cam 4. A plurality of storage containers 3A, 3B, 3C that store A, B, C,
The motor 5 for rotating the rotating body 52, the home position detecting means 7 for detecting that the cam 4 is at the home position, the rotating body 52 from the state where the cam 4 is at the home position, and the cam 4 stores each of them. Container 3A, 3B, 3C
And a timer means 6a for controlling the driving time of the motor 5 so as to selectively open the fragrance.