WO2008068431A2

WO2008068431A2 - {0>automatic cyclic pulverisation method and device<0}

Info

Publication number: WO2008068431A2
Application number: PCT/FR2007/001900
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Luc Mussot
Original assignee: Ad-Venta Sarl
Priority date: 2006-11-21
Filing date: 2007-11-20
Publication date: 2008-06-12
Also published as: FR2908672A1; WO2008068431A3; FR2908672B1

Abstract

A method and a device for automatic and cyclic pulverisation, mounted on a housing (2), having a valve (3), comprising: a hollow body (1), the interior part of which comprises at least an upper chamber (10) closed by a mobile and airtight cut-off (20) and at least one lower chamber (11) formed once the component is mounted on the housing (2), said cut-off (20) resting against said valve (3), a diffusion circuit comprising at least a resilient connector means (12) between a lateral opening (6) drilled in the body (1) and the valve output (3); a calibrated opening (19) capable of providing a gas leak toward the chamber (11) when the valve (3) is open.<0}

Description

Method and automatic device for cyclic spraying

The present invention relates to a new method and a device for performing diffusions regularly and automatically without any manual intervention, other than for starting, from an aerosol-type housing; In the present description, the term "aerosol" will be used to refer to any composition, mixture or single-component gas contained in an aerosol type casing.

Conventionally, an aerosol can consists of a cylindrical gas container provided on one of its faces, said upper part and closing its cylindrical envelope, a cup on which is fixed a valve. This valve allows the output of active products generally diluted in one or more solvents and pushed by a propellant or a mixture of propellant gas (liquefied gases or compressed) when it is maintained. In the present description, the term "valve" will be used to refer to any type of valve which has these same characteristics, namely a closure valve of a container held in closed position by the internal pressure of the container and generally a spring, and which opens when pressed. This type of housing can also serve as a container of compressed gas. In the present description, the term "aerosol casing" will be used to refer to any type of receptacle which has these same characteristics. The main technical sector of the invention is the field of cyclic diffusion of a product contained in an aerosol container. The main disadvantage of an aerosol container provided with its conventional actuating device is to be manually operated to be able to obtain a diffusion of the product contained in the housing. It is certainly also known to be able to carry out cyclic and automatic diffusions by means of a separate system to which the aerosol casing is connected and which releases the gas at regular intervals, often by means of solenoid valves. And many devices have been developed to adapt such systems to aerosol cans, in order to provide cyclic broadcasts automatically.

However, these are often reported, complicated and expensive solutions.

The problem is therefore to be able to achieve a simple device for making diffusions of the product contained in a conventional aerosol can and to diffuse the product contained therein at regular intervals, and this continuously without manual operation other than that of its put into operation and therefore not necessarily maintained on the device for the duration of diffusion of the product, the device to be the simplest possible to achieve, requiring fewer parts than known devices, easy to implement and using the best technology. already developed for high volume applications. To do this, a new process of cyclic and automatic diffusion from an aerosol can was invented, whereby linearly moving along the axis of the valve and in a chamber sealingly attached to the housing a movable shutter which in one direction presses on the valve and then controls its opening, to perform the diffusion of gas through a circuit discharging this gas out of the chamber and in the other direction of movement allows the closure of said valve, stopping the diffusion.

the variable internal pressure of the sealed chamber is used as one of the driving forces of the movable shutter acting on one of the faces thereof, its other face being subjected to another antagonistic driving force of predetermined value and greater than the closing force of the valve, - when pressing on the valve by said movable shutter is increased the internal pressure of the chamber through a calibrated leakage of the diffusion circuit, which pressure increase opposes the driving force antagonist and after a predetermined time subjects the shutter to a resultant force tending to move it in the direction of disengaging the valve which then closes, when the valve is in the closed position, is lowered the internal pressure of the chamber, thanks to a leak calibrated to the outside, which pressure drop can no longer oppose the antagonistic driving force and allows again the displacement of the shutter in the meaning to make it press and open the valve. In a major variant of the process, during diffusion, the gas contained in the housing is evacuated directly out of the chamber through to a separate diffusion circuit and a portion of the gas is diverted from the diffusion circuit to increase the pressure of the chamber through calibrated leakage to said chamber. In a preferred variant of the method described above, the hysteresis of the preceding cycle is increased by at least one stationary permanent magnet which subjects the shutter to a magnetic attraction force tending to keep it in the so-called high position; this magnetic attraction force being highly dependent on the distance of the shutter from the magnet becomes negligible in the low position. In response to the problem posed, a device for cyclic and automatic diffusions is then obtained, intended to be fixed on an aerosol-type housing provided with a valve, which device comprises: a hollow body whose inside part comprises at least one so-called upper chamber closed by a shutter movable and sealed relative to the inner side walls of the inner part of the hollow body and surrounding said shutter forming a control member,

a system for fixing the body, secured to the periphery of the distal end of its hollow part beyond the shutter with respect to the upper chamber and able to cooperate in a sealed manner with the upper part of the surrounding casing; the valve,

at least one so-called lower chamber which is constituted once the device is fixed on the housing, and closed between the shutter and said upper part of the housing, and said shutter being able to bear against a predetermined force against said valve,

- A lateral orifice pierced in the body and adapted to ensure the evacuation of gases to the outside of the component once it is attached to the housing. a calibrated orifice which makes it possible to ensure leakage of gas during its diffusion towards the lower chamber, thus making it possible to increase its internal pressure and thus to move the movable shutter upwards by opposing an antagonistic driving force; predetermined value and greater than the closing force of the valve (3),

In various variants, this diffusion device may also comprise: a separate diffusion circuit comprising at least one means of flexible connection between the lateral orifice pierced in the body and the outlet of the valve;

- At least one fixed permanent magnet, subjecting the shutter provided with a metal plate or other magnet to a magnetic attraction tending to maintain it in so-called high position.

The result is a new automatic and cyclic diffusion device, very simple and arranged to be mounted directly by snapping on aerosol-type housings; this new simplified device for automatic and cyclic diffusion is very simple to manufacture and to manufacture in large series to reduce manufacturing costs compared to current systems that use specific components prohibiting economic solutions; the present invention makes it possible to position oneself in existing markets with a strong competitive advantage, in proposing a component in a unitary form, compact and ergonomic and requiring the implementation of a minimum of parts.

Such a device makes it possible to ensure continuous cyclic diffusions from the pre-existing aerosol casing and remaining unchanged, without any permanent manual operation.

Other advantages of the present invention could be mentioned, but those mentioned above already show enough to prove novelty and interest.

The following description and the accompanying drawings show exemplary embodiments of the invention, but are not limiting in nature: other embodiments are possible within the scope and scope of this invention.

Figure 1 is an axial and lateral sectional view of a device according to a simplified embodiment of the invention and ready to be mounted on an existing and known aerosol casing. This variant is essentially intended for the cyclic diffusion of compressed gases in containers of the aerosol container type.

Figure 2 is a side sectional view as in Figure 1 of the same device according to the invention once mounted on the aerosol container.

Figure 3 is an axial and lateral sectional view according to a second embodiment of the invention. This is a more complex variant of the device with a separate broadcast circuit. This variant describes more particularly the operation concerning the housings containing aerosol products propelled by liquefied gases. Figure 3 shows the position of the device in its phase of stopping diffusion.

Figure 4 is a view of the same device according to the invention that Figure 3 shown in the position of diffusion of the aerosol product.

The device according to the invention comprises a hollow body 1 substantially tubular and made of compatible material and gas-tight used, such as plastic: its inner portion comprises at least one so-called upper chamber 10 and closed by a shutter 20, sealed relative to the inner side walls 16 of the inner part of the hollow body 1 and which surround the shutter 20 forming a control member.

At its distal end 35, open beyond the shutter 20 with respect to the upper chamber 10, the device according to the invention comprises a fastening system 9 of the body 1, secured to its periphery and able to cooperate with one another. sealingly with the upper part of a pressurized aerosol casing 2 P ₄ provided with an aerosol valve 3; said fastening system 9 comprises a seal 8 and fastening means such as an inwardly rounded and elastic flange cooperating by "forced engagement" with the circular portion 39 of the casing 2 which ensures the integration of the support assembly of the aerosol valve 3 on the upper part of the casing of the casing 2 and which is in fact generally of section also of rounded shape: this fastening system 9 of the device according to the invention surrounds the valve 3 and allows to constitute, once the component attached to the housing 2 (as shown in Figures 2,3 and 4) a so-called lower chamber 11 between the shutter 20 and said upper part of the housing 2.

When fixing the device on the aerosol can 2, the control member or shutter 20 bears against a predetermined force against the upper end of the valve 3 and includes any device allowing such a support without closing the orifice of output thereof as shown in Figure 2,3 or 4.

According to the embodiments as shown in the accompanying figures, the upper chamber 10 may also contain a gas such as air at an initial pressure Pi (as shown in FIGS.

1 and 2) or a spring 15 (as in FIG.

4) associated or not with an adjusting means 30, or both (not shown), spring 15 and gas pressure P1, which bear on the control member 20.

By combining the force of a spring and the compression of a gas, the possibility of adjusting the bearing force of the control member 20 on the valve 3 is thus increased, the reaction force due to the compression the spring 15 acting in the same direction as that of the gas contained in the chamber 10. This spring 15 may be a spiral spring whose end rests on the bottom 29 of the upper chamber 10 of the hollow body or on the means of 30, and the other end on the control member 20, as shown in the accompanying figures.

In a variant as shown for example in Figures 3 and 4, the device may also include any manual means 25 adapted to perform the pressurization of the chamber 10 for starting the device. Thus the upper chamber 10 can be arranged to allow the manual start of the actuator 20 through two positions. The so-called high position (not shown) corresponds to a rest position where the support on the control member 20 is no longer felt. By manual support, for example, one can move to the normal operating position as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The arrangement also includes any means necessary for blocking the upper part of the chamber in these two positions.

At rest, that is to say the device not yet fixed on the housing 2, the control member 20 is located at a distance Ll from the bottom 29 which constitutes the end opposite to that distal 35 of the component and when it is fixed on the housing 2, the support, according to a predetermined force as a function of the pressure P ₁ and / or the selected characteristics of the spring 15, of the control member 20 against said valve 3 the up to a distance L ₂ : this operation compresses the spring and / or the gas contained in this chamber 10, while lowering the movable portion of the valve 3 of the aerosol can to the interior thereof, leaving thus leaving this valve 3 out of the gas or gas mixture contained in this housing 2 and which escapes either directly inside the chamber 11 through the orifice 19 in the first exemplary embodiment (as represented in FIG. 2), either directly outside through the orifice 6 via the flexible diffusion circuit 12 and at the same time a portion in the chamber 11 by a leak calibrated through the orifice 19 for the second embodiment (as shown in Figure 4). As a result, the lower chamber 11 is filled and the pressure P3 prevailing in the chamber increases (in the first case, because the orifice 19 is larger than that of the orifice 6) to a value such that it raises the shutter 20 until the closing of the valve 3. When the valve is closed, this gas then escapes towards the outside of the component from this chamber 11 through the lateral orifice 6 pierced in the body 1 either directly in the first case or via the diffusion circuit 12 in the second case . As this pressure P ₃ decreases due to the gas escaping to the outside, the control member 20 then descends by the effect of the pressure P ₂ and / or the spring 15 and presses on the valve 3, thus releasing again the gas, which raises the pressure P ₃ until again to stop the valve 3, thus stopping the gas outlet of the housing 2.

Moreover, in the embodiments shown, the control member 20 may be provided with either a magnet or a metal part 17 subjected to the magnetic attraction of another magnet 18 fixed in the upper chamber 10. In the high position the magnetic attraction is maximum and subjects the shutter 20 to an additional force tending to maintain it in this position. It follows that the pressure P3 will have to fall to a lower minimum value in order to be able to move the shutter downwards. This will have the effect of increasing the hysteresis of the preceding phenomenon and of obtaining an offset between the opening and closing time of the valve 3. Thus, regular cycles of opening and closing of the valve are obtained. the valve 3, depending on the setting force of the spring 15 and / or the pressure P ₂ prevailing in the upper chamber 10, the attraction force of the magnet 18 and the diameters of the orifices 19 and 6.

In the embodiment as shown in Figures 1,2,3 or 4, the control member or shutter 20 is a piston sliding against the inner side walls 16 of the hollow body and provided with a seal 21 rubbing against those and ensuring the seal between the lower chamber 11 and the upper chamber 10, the latter being of internal cylindrical shape to allow the piston 20 to slide.

According to a not shown embodiment the shutter or control member 20 may be an elastic means consisting of a deformable membrane fixed at its periphery to the inner side walls 16 of the hollow body 1 and which delimits, inside the and the upper chamber 10, in communication with the ambient pressure Pa, which chamber comprises a setting spring 15, one end of which rests on the underside of a spring adjustment mechanism 30 and whose other end is supported by on the upper side of the membrane.

In the representation mode described in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper chamber 10 is completely closed and blind at its end 29 opposite the piston 20 and at the distal end 35 of the attachment system 9 of the component, and constituting the upper bottom of the this one.

In this embodiment using the predetermined variation of pressure Pi, P ₂ of a gas in the upper chamber 10 then completely sealed, the lateral orifice 6 pierced in the body 1 communicates with the chamber 10 when the device is ready to be installed on the housing 2, as shown in FIG. to be able, for example, to pre-fill the upper chamber 10 with a gas at an initial pressure P ₁ .

Then once the device attached to this housing as shown in Figure 2, the valve 3 by raising the piston 20 by compressing the gas contained in the upper chamber 10, as explained above, the lateral orifice 6 then communicates with the lower chamber 11.

Thus, a cyclic and automatic diffusion device having in fact only two moving parts relative to each other, namely the _. body 1 provided with a magnet 18 and the piston 20 provided with a metal piece 17, and two seals 8 and 21. This variant is more particularly applicable to cyclic and automatic diffusion devices of gas or mixture of gas contained in the housing 2.

In the variant as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a flexible connection circuit 12 makes it possible to directly connect the outlet of the valve 3 to the outlet orifice 6 situated in the body 1 at the level of the chamber 11. This circuit constitutes the diffusion circuit of the product contained in the housing 2 to the outside and includes any device allowing such a diffusion of the product such as nozzle or calibrated orifice for diffusion.

According to this embodiment, the description and the operating principle are similar to the preceding description, except that a part of the gas is evacuated directly to the outside through a calibrated leakage 19 of the diffusion circuit in the 11. Only this part of the gas makes it possible to increase the pressure P3 prevailing in the chamber 11. closing the valve 3, the gas contained in the chamber 11 can then be discharged to the outside by the diffusion circuit 12 via the orifice 19.

In order to reduce this closing time, it is possible to add a calibrated outlet orifice (not shown) in the body 1, at the level of the chamber 11, which makes it possible to increase the flow of gas evacuating outside. The user therefore has a cyclic diffusion system that operates automatically (as long as the pressure P ₄ in the housing 2 is greater than that P ₃ ), as is necessary for example for automatic perfume diffusion applications. or deodorants ...

Knowing the characteristics of the standard aerosol valve 3, and the geometry of the upper part of the aerosol can 2, the skilled person can define the characteristics of embodiment of the device according to the invention, such as those of the magnet 18 and those of the outlet orifices 19 and 6, and of the spring 15 and / or of the initial pressure Pi of gas contained in the upper chamber 10, as well as the initial position L1 of the control member 20 so that an once the component mounted on the housing 2, said control member 20 is positioned at a distance L ₂ from the bottom of the component, in order to obtain a spring support force and / or a pressure P ₂ sufficient to ensure a diffusion of the gas through the orifice 6, and also automatically and cyclically through the calibrated leak 19 to increase the pressure P3 until the stopping of the broadcast and the resumption of the previous cycle, and this, without interruption, until the housing 2 is almost empty. It will be understood from the foregoing descriptions that the unitary assembly according to the invention that can be delivered separately or with the gas box allows the user to have, by simple intervention on the adjustment means described above, such as those the pressure of the gas and / or the spring in the chamber of a means for obtaining cyclic and automatic spreads on demand.

Although the invention has been described in connection with particular embodiments, it is obvious that it is in no way limited but on the contrary susceptible to modifications and variations that will occur to those skilled in the art and that it includes all the technical elements of the means described and their combinations if they fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Automatic method for cyclic diffusion of a gas or aerosol mixture from a housing (2) containing said gas and provided with a valve (3), characterized in that:

- linearly moving along the axis of the valve (3) and in a chamber (11) sealingly attached to the housing (2) a movable shutter (20) which in one direction presses on the valve (3) and controls then its opening, to perform the release of the pressurized gas (P4) contained in the housing (2), out of the chamber (11) through a calibrated leak (6) and in the other direction of movement allows closing said valve (3), stopping diffusion. the variable internal pressure (P3) of the sealed chamber (11) is used as one of the driving forces of the movable shutter (20) acting on one side thereof, its other face being subjected to another antagonistic force of predetermined value and greater than the closing force of the valve (3), when pressing on the valve (3) by. said movable shutter (20) increases the internal pressure of the chamber (11) through a calibrated leak (19) in the chamber (11), which pressure increase opposes the driving force antagonist and after a predetermined time subjects the shutter (20) to a resultant force tending to move it in the direction of disengaging it from the valve (3) which then closes,

when the valve (3) is in the closed position, the internal pressure of the chamber (11) is lowered, thanks to the calibrated leak (6) towards the outside, which pressure drop can no longer oppose the antagonistic driving force and again allows the displacement of the shutter (20) in the direction of having it press and open the valve (3).

2. Method according to claim 1 characterized in that: - During diffusion, is evacuated directly gas contained in the housing (2) outwardly from the chamber (11) through a separate diffusion circuit ( 12) and, a portion of the gas is diverted from the diffusion circuit (12) to increase the pressure (P3) of the chamber (11) by the calibrated leak (19) to the chamber (11).

3. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: - the hysteresis of the preceding cycle is increased by at least one fixed permanent magnet (18) subjecting the shutter (20) provided with a metal piece or another magnet opposite (17) to a magnetic attraction force tending to maintain it in so-called high position; this magnetic attraction force being highly dependent on the distance of the shutter from the magnet becomes negligible in the low position.

4. Automatic and cyclic diffusion device, intended to be fixed on a housing (2), provided with a valve (3), characterized in that it comprises: a hollow body (1) whose interior part comprises at least a chamber (10) said upper closed by a shutter (20) movable and sealed relative to the inner side walls (16) of the inner part of the hollow body and surrounding said shutter (20) forming a control member,

- a fastening system (9) of the body (1), secured to the periphery (35) of the distal end of its hollow portion beyond the shutter (20) relative to the chamber upper (10) and adapted to cooperate in a sealed manner with the upper part of the housing (2) surrounding the valve (3),

at least one so-called lower chamber (11) which is constituted once the device is fixed on the housing (2), and closed between the shutter (20) and said upper part of the housing (2), and said shutter (20) being able to bear against a predetermined force against said valve (3),

at least one calibrated leakage means (19), which means makes it possible to ensure a gas leak towards the chamber (11) during the diffusion,

- At least one lateral orifice (6) pierced in the body (1) and adapted to ensure the evacuation of gases to the outside of the component once it is fixed on the housing (2).

5. Diffusion device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises:

- A separate diffusion circuit comprising at least one flexible connection means (12) between the lateral orifice (6) pierced in the body (1) and the outlet of the valve (3).

6. Diffuser according to any one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the control member (20) is provided with a metal part or a magnet

(17), subject to the magnetic attraction of at least one permanent magnet (18) fixed in the chamber (10) and tending to maintain it in the so-called high position and is subjected to another antagonistic driving force of predetermined value and greater the closing force of the valve (3).

7. Device according to any one of claims 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that the control member (20) consists of an elastic means attached at its periphery to the side walls (16).

8. Device according to any one of claims 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that the organ of control (20) is a piston sliding against the inner side walls (16).

9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the upper chamber (10) is completely closed and blind at its end (29) opposite the piston (20).

10. Device according to claims 4, 8 and 9, characterized in that the lateral orifice (6) pierced in the body (1) communicates with the upper chamber (10) when the device is ready to be installed on the housing ( 2), then, once the device is fixed on this housing, the valve (3) raising the piston (20) by compressing the gas contained in the upper chamber (10), the lateral orifice (6) communicates with the chamber lower (11).

11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the upper chamber (10) is pre-filled with a gas at an initial pressure (Pi).

12. Device according to any one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that it comprises a spring (15) disposed in the upper chamber (10) and which bears on the control member (20).

13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that it comprises a means (30) for adjusting said spring (15).

14. Device according to any one of claims 4 to 13, characterized in that it comprises a manual means (25) to carry out the pressurization of the chamber (10) for starting the device.

15. Device according to any one of claims 4 to 14, characterized in that said body (1) is made of plastic.