WO2019058880A1

WO2019058880A1 - Mesh-type nebulizer

Info

Publication number: WO2019058880A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/031541
Authority: WO
Inventors: 伸彦小副川
Original assignee: オムロンヘルスケア株式会社
Priority date: 2017-09-19
Filing date: 2018-08-27
Publication date: 2019-03-28
Also published as: JP2019051217A

Abstract

This mesh-type nebulizer is provided with: an engagement section including a cap member (30) which covers the upper part (12) of a body in an openable/closable manner, and also including elastic body packing (34) which is sandwiched between the body and the cap member (30), the engagement section being provided between the upper part (12) of the body and an edge (30Be) of the cap member (30) and irreversibly engaging, when the cap member (30) is closed relative to the body, with the body in one direction in which the edge (30Be) of the cap member (30) is closed relative to the body; and unlocking sections (33, 33) provided to the edge (30Be) of the cap member (30) and deforming outward the edge (30Be) of the cap member (30) when subjected to an external force (P) in a plane perpendicular to the one direction, thereby unlocking the engagement caused by the engagement section.

Description

Mesh type nebulizer

The present invention relates to a mesh-type nebulizer, and more particularly to a mesh-type nebulizer that atomizes a liquid supplied between a diaphragm and a mesh portion through the mesh portion and ejects the liquid.

Conventionally, as this type of mesh type nebulizer, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-4208), elastic packing is provided between the main body and the cap member, and the cap member is the main body In the closed state, it is known that a projection laterally projected from the upper side surface of the main body engages with a recess provided on the inner circumferential surface of the cap member. Thus, in a state where the cap member is closed to the main body, the elastic packing is intended to prevent the liquid supplied between the liquid supply portion, the diaphragm and the mesh portion from leaking to the outside. It is done.

JP 2014-4208 A

However, in the mesh type nebulizer described above, when it is intended to prevent liquid from leaking to the outside, the protrusion dimension of the protrusion of the main body and the recess dimension of the recess of the cap member are enlarged against the repulsive force of the elastic packing. Between the two should be strong. In that case, a large amount of force by the user is required to disengage the cap member from the body. In addition, since the direction of the force for releasing the engagement of the cap member from the main body is from the lower side to the upper side of the main body, it is difficult for the user to apply a force when releasing.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mesh-type nebulizer that is easy to engage and release the cap member with respect to the main body.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is
A mesh type nebulizer that atomizes and ejects liquid through a mesh portion,
Body and
The cap member that covers the upper portion of the main body so as to be openable and closable;
An elastic packing interposed between the main body and the cap member;
Provided between the upper portion of the main body and the edge of the cap member, and when the cap member is closed with respect to the main body, it is irreversible in one direction in which the edge of the cap member is closed with respect to the main body An engagement portion engaged with the
An external force is provided on the edge of the cap member in a plane perpendicular to the one direction to deform the edge of the cap member outward and release the engagement by the engagement portion And an engagement release portion.

In the mesh type nebulizer of the present invention, when the cap member is closed with respect to the main body, the engaging portion irreversibly engages with the main body in one direction in which the edge of the cap member is closed. Thus, engagement of the cap member with the body can be easy and reliable. When attempting to release the engagement of the cap member, the engagement release portion receives an external force in a plane perpendicular to the one direction, and the edge of the cap member is deformed outward. The engagement by the engagement portion is released. Therefore, disengagement of the cap member with the main body can be performed easily and reliably.

Unlike the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the inward projection 131 is provided at the edge of the cap member 130 as shown in FIG. The structure which provides the rotation pressing member 152 which rotates, and provides the protrusion 153 of the outward direction at the front-end | tip of this rotation pressing member 152 can be considered. According to this structure, since the projection 153 and the projection 131 of the cap member 130 engage with each other when the cap member is closed with respect to the main body, liquid can be reliably prevented from leaking to the outside. In addition, when the user applies a slight pressing force Q to the rotation pressing member 152, engagement release of the cap member is easy. However, in this structure, there is a gap S between parts between the main body 110 and the rotation pressing member 152, which makes cleaning difficult. In addition, there is a problem that the cost increases due to the increase in the number of parts and the number of assembling steps. On the other hand, according to the present invention, there is no gap between parts in the main body itself. Therefore, the user can easily maintain the cleaning. In addition, the number of parts can be reduced, and an increase in cost can be suppressed.

In one embodiment, the planar shape of the cap member in a plane perpendicular to the one direction is circular or elliptical.
The engaging portion is provided at one place corresponding to a specific first orientation in the circumferential direction of the upper portion of the main body and the edge of the cap member.
The engagement release portions are provided at two opposite positions on the edge of the cap member corresponding to a second orientation different from the first orientation.

In the mesh type nebulizer of this one embodiment, the engagement release portions are provided at two positions corresponding to the second orientation different from the first orientation at the edge of the cap member. Therefore, it becomes possible for the user to press from the two places on the edge of the cap member and to release it easily. In particular, since the two places are two places on the opposite side of the edge of the cap member, the user can use the hands (for example, the thumb and forefinger) to place the two places from the edge of the cap member. By nipping towards the center of the cap member, disengagement of the cap member is easily possible.

In one embodiment of the mesh nebulizer:
The engagement release portion is provided between the engagement release portion provided in the second orientation of the edge of the cap member and a portion of the upper portion of the main body facing the engagement release portion. A gap is provided to allow deformation towards the center of the cap member.

In the mesh type nebulizer of this one embodiment, the disengaging portion is allowed to deform toward the center of the cap member between the upper portion of the main body and the portion facing the disengaging portion. There is a gap. Therefore, when the user presses the edge of the cap member toward the center of the cap member, the disengaging portion deforms toward the gap in the upper portion of the main body. As a result, disengagement is further facilitated.

As apparent from the above, according to the mesh type nebulizer of the present invention, engagement and release of the cap member with respect to the main body is easy and reliable.

It is a perspective view showing a mesh type nebulizer of this invention. FIG. 2A is a view showing a state in which the mesh type nebulizer is assembled (assembled state) as viewed from above. FIGS. 2 (B) and 2 (C) are views showing the mesh type nebulizer of FIG. 2 (A) as viewed from the front side and the right side, respectively. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in the upper portion of the main body of the mesh nebulizer of FIG. 2B. FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of an engagement portion between the main body of the mesh type nebulizer and the cap member. FIG. 4 (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in the upper part of the main body of the mesh type nebulizer of FIG. 2 (C). FIG. 4 (B) is a figure explaining operation | movement by which engagement of a cap member is cancelled | released with respect to the main body of the said mesh type nebulizer. It is a figure showing the longitudinal section of the upper part of the main part of the conventional mesh type nebulizer. It is a figure which shows the block configuration of the control system mounted in the main body of the said mesh type nebulizer. It is a figure which illustrates the aspect which a user uses the said mesh-type nebulizer.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Component of mesh type nebulizer)
FIG. 1 shows a mesh-type nebulizer (generally indicated by reference numeral 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed obliquely from a state where a cap member 30 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mesh type nebulizer 1 has a lower portion 11 of a main body having a substantially elliptic cylindrical outer shape, and a substantially elliptic cylindrical shape that is detachably fitted from above with respect to the lower portion 11 of the main body. And an upper portion 12 of the body having an outer shape. The lower portion 11 of the main body and the upper portion 12 of the main body constitute the main body 10. As will be described in detail later, the cap member 30 is provided on the rear end of the upper surface of the upper portion 12 of the main body so as to be pivotable about the hinge 38 as shown by arrow C with respect to the upper portion 12 of the main body It is done. When the mesh type nebulizer 1 is assembled, the engagement projection 31 on the edge of the cap member 30 engages with the engagement projection 32 on the upper portion 12 of the main body, and the cap member 30 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the front surface of the lower portion 11 of the main body, a power switch 50 for turning on and off the power of the mesh type nebulizer 1 is provided. Inside the lower portion 11 of the main body, a control system described later is mounted.

FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in the upper portion 12 of the main body of the mesh type nebulizer 1 of FIG. 2B. A mesh portion 21 and a concave support portion 22 for supporting the mesh portion 21 are provided in the front half region of the upper portion 12 of the main body. The support portion 22 includes a bottom plate portion 22b inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the upper portion 12 of the main body, and a side wall portion 22c which is continuous with the bottom plate portion 22b and gradually opens upward. Have. Further, an elastic packing 34 is provided on the upper portion 12 of the main body so as to surround and contact the side wall portion 22c of the support portion 22 in the circumferential direction.

Inside the upper portion 12 of the main body, a vibrating portion (not shown) is provided at a position corresponding to the position directly below the support portion 22. The vibrating portion is of a known type, and is horizontally disposed at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic vibrator disposed at a position spaced downward from the support portion 22 and the bottom plate portion 22 b of the support portion 22. And a horn disposed between the ultrasonic transducer and the vibrating surface for amplifying and transmitting the vibration of the ultrasonic transducer to the vibrating surface.

Moreover, as shown to FIG. 3 (A), the liquid storage part 17 which has a substantially trapezoidal planar shape is provided in the area | region of the rear half among the upper parts 12 of a main body. The liquid storage section 17 has a bottom that gradually becomes shallower toward the front side. In addition, a liquid supply passage 18 for supplying a liquid (chemical solution) from the liquid storage unit 17 toward the vibrating surface of the vibrating unit is provided continuously with the front side portion of the liquid storage unit 17. The liquid storage unit 17 and the liquid supply passage 18 constitute a liquid supply unit. In the state of FIG. 1, the liquid storage section 17 is open upward. Therefore, the user can put the chemical solution into the liquid storage section 17 from above.

(Configuration and operation of cap member)
As shown in FIG. 1, a cap member 30 forming a lid is connected to an edge on the rear end side of the upper surface of the upper portion 12 of the main body via a hinge 38 with respect to the upper portion 12 of the main body. There is. The cap member 30 includes a rear half 30A disposed on the side close to the hinge 38 and having a substantially trapezoidal planar shape, and a front half 30B continuous with the rear half 30A and having an annular, substantially circular planar shape. . Two

cylindrical protrusions

40, 40 are provided on the side opposite to the upper surface of the upper portion 12 of the main body of the front half 30B. A mesa portion 41 having a substantially trapezoidal planar shape corresponding to the planar shape of the liquid storage portion 17 is provided on the side opposite to the upper surface of the upper portion 12 of the rear half 30A main body. When the cap member 30 is closed to the upper portion 12 of the main body and the mesh type nebulizer 1 is assembled, the projection 40 abuts on the upper edge 20 around the support portion 22 of the upper portion 12 of the main body, It serves to position the cap member 30 with respect to the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the upper portion 12 of the body. In addition, the mesa unit 41 closes the upper portion of the liquid storage unit 17 to prevent the chemical solution from overflowing from the liquid storage unit 17. When the mesh type nebulizer 1 is assembled, the front half 30B of the cap member 30 annularly surrounds the mesh portion 21 as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, and the upper portion 12 of the main body In a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the lens, it has a substantially circular planar shape. The center of the front half 30B of the cap member 30 is an opening 30o to which a mouthpiece or the like should be attached.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substantially circular edge 30Be of the front half 30B of the cap member 30 corresponds to the front end (opposite to the hinge 38) as the first orientation with respect to the circumferential direction of the edge 30Be. At one location, an inward projecting engagement protrusion 31 is provided. Further, the upper portion 12 of the main body is provided with an engagement projection 32 which protrudes outward (forward) from the front end of the upper portion 12 of the main body. The engaging protrusion 31 of the edge 30Be (hereinafter referred to as "the edge 30Be of the cap member 30") of the front half 30B of the cap member 30 and the engaging protrusion 32 of the upper portion 12 of the main body constitute an engaging portion. When the cap member 30 is closed with respect to the upper portion 12 of the main body, the engagement protrusion 31 of the cap member 30 irreversibly engages with the engagement protrusion 32 of the upper portion 12 of the main body in one vertical direction. It has become. That is, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 3B, the engaging projection 31 of the cap member 30 is continuous with the inclined surface 31a extending obliquely upward from the lower end and the upper end of the inclined surface 31a. And a horizontal surface 31c connected to the upper end of the vertical surface 31b in the horizontal direction. On the other hand, the engaging projection 32 of the upper portion 12 of the main body has a slope 32a extending obliquely downward from the upper end, a vertical surface 32b connected to the lower end of the slope 32a and arranged vertically, and the vertical surface 32b And a horizontal surface 32c arranged in the horizontal direction. When the cap member 30 is closed with respect to the upper portion 12 of the main body, the front end of the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 is vertically oriented from the top to the lower as indicated by arrow V with respect to the front end of the upper portion 12 of the main body Moving. At this time, the slope 31a of the engagement protrusion 31 abuts on the slope 32a of the engagement protrusion 32 to receive an outward force, and the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 is bent outward and deformed. Thereby, the engagement protrusion 31 of the cap member 30 passes over the engagement protrusion 32 of the upper portion 12 of the main body and engages with the engagement protrusion 32. Once the engagement projection 31 of the cap member 30 engages with the engagement projection 32 of the upper portion 12 of the body, the front end of the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 is directed upward from below to the front end of the upper portion 12 of the body Even if it is going to move, the horizontal surface 31c of the engagement projection 31 abuts on the horizontal surface 32c of the engagement projection 32 to block its movement. That is, the engagement projection 31 of the cap member 30 irreversibly engages with the engagement projection 32 of the upper portion 12 of the main body in the vertical direction. In this way, engagement of the cap member with the body can be easy and reliable. This engagement portion is preferably provided at the front end of the upper portion 12 of the main body opposite to the hinge 38 and the edge 30Be of the cap member 30.

In the state where the cap member 30 is closed with respect to the upper portion 12 of the main body shown in FIG. 3A, the engagement protrusion 31 of the cap member 30 is an elastic packing provided on the side surface of the recess of the upper portion 12 of the main body. Engaging with the engagement projections 32 of the upper portion 12 of the body against the repulsive force of 34. Thereby, the liquid can be reliably prevented from leaking to the outside.

FIG. 4 (A) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in the upper portion of the main body of the mesh type nebulizer of FIG. 2 (C). As shown in FIG. 4A, at the edge 30Be of the cap member 30, two opposite sides (in this example, corresponding to a second orientation different from the front end in the circumferential direction of the edge 30Be) At the left end and the right end),

engagement release portions

33, 33 which are to receive external force in the horizontal plane are provided. Between the two disengaging

portions

33, 33 and the portion of the upper portion 12 of the main body facing the disengaging

portions

33, 33, the disengaging

portions

33, 33 are the centers of the cap member 30, respectively. There are provided gaps T, T which allow deformation towards the end.

The user who tries to open the cap member 30 with respect to the main body moves the

engagement release parts

33 and 33 of the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 toward the center direction of the pinch cap member 30 by hand (for example, with the thumb and forefinger) And press in the arrow P direction. Thus, the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 receives an external force in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the upper portion 12 of the main body. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the engagement release portion 33 is deformed toward the gap T in the upper portion 12 of the main body. Along with this, the front end of the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 is deformed forward (in the direction of the arrow R). In this way, the engagement between the engagement projection 31 and the engagement projection 32 is easily and reliably released.

In this example, it is possible for the user to press from two corresponding positions of the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 and to easily release it. In particular, the user holds the corresponding two points (the left end and the right end of the edge 30Be) with his / her hand (for example, the thumb and forefinger) from the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 toward the center of the cap member 30 , Easy release is possible.

In this example, there is no gap between components in the main body 10 itself. Therefore, the user can easily maintain the cleaning. In addition, the number of parts can be reduced, and an increase in cost can be suppressed.

FIG. 6 shows a block configuration of a control system mounted on the main body 10 of the mesh type nebulizer 1. The mesh type nebulizer 1 includes an operation unit 61, a notification unit 62, a control unit 63, an oscillation frequency generation unit 64, an atomization unit 65, and a power supply unit 66. The operation unit 61 includes the power switch 50 shown in FIG. 1 in this example. The notification unit 62 includes the LED lamp 51 shown in FIG. 1 in this example, and may further include a buzzer (not shown). The oscillation frequency generation unit 64 applies an AC drive voltage to the atomization unit 65 based on the control signal from the control unit 63. The drive voltage is output, for example, for a certain output time after the power switch 50 is pressed. The measurement of the output time can also be performed by a timer not shown. The atomization unit 65 includes the mesh unit 21 shown in FIG. 1 and the vibration unit described above. The AC drive voltage from the oscillation frequency generation unit 64 is applied to the ultrasonic transducer of the vibration unit forming the atomization unit 65. The vibration of the ultrasonic transducer is amplified by the horn and transmitted to the vibration surface. When the vibrating surface vibrates, the chemical solution supplied to the gap between the vibrating surface and the mesh portion 21 is atomized through the mesh portion 21 and spouted. The control unit 63 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), sends a signal to the atomization unit 65 via the oscillation frequency generation unit 64, and controls the atomization amount, the continuous operation time, and the like. In addition, the control unit 63 reports that the power is turned on by the lighting of the LED lamp 51, and that the battery capacity is insufficient due to the blinking of the LED lamp 51. The power supply unit 66 includes a battery (for example, a rechargeable battery of DC 3 V), and supplies power to each part of the control system.

(Use of mesh type nebulizer)
When using this mesh type nebulizer 1, the user previously places a chemical solution in the liquid storage section 17 of the upper portion 12 of the main body. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, in the assembled state, the user detachably mounts, for example, the mouthpiece 80 in the opening 31 o of the cap member 30. Note that, instead of the mouthpiece 80, a suction mask that covers the face of the user 99 may be worn.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the user inclines the mesh type nebulizer 1 slightly forward, the chemical solution is supplied from the liquid storage section 17 forming the liquid supply section through the liquid supply path toward the vibrating surface of the vibrating section. Ru. That is, the chemical solution is supplied between the vibrating surface and the mesh portion 21. Then, when the user turns on the power switch 50, a drive voltage is applied to the ultrasonic transducer of the vibration unit to vibrate the vibration surface. Thereby, the chemical solution is atomized and spouted through the mesh portion 21.

In the above embodiment, the planar shape of the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 is substantially circular, but it is not limited to this. The planar shape of the edge 30Be of the cap member 30 may be substantially elliptical or may be substantially rectangular.

The above embodiments are illustrative, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The plurality of embodiments described above can be established independently, but a combination of the embodiments is also possible. In addition, although various features in different embodiments can be independently established, combinations of features in different embodiments are also possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 mesh type nebulizer 10 main body 11 lower portion of main body 12 upper portion of main body 17 liquid storage portion 21 mesh portion 22 support portion 30 cap member 30Be edge portion 31 engagement protrusion 32 engagement protrusion 33 engagement release portion 34 elastic packing 38 hinge

Claims

A mesh type nebulizer that atomizes and ejects liquid through a mesh portion,
Body and
A cap member that covers the upper part of the main body so as to be openable and closable,
An elastic packing interposed between the main body and the cap member;
Provided between the upper portion of the main body and the edge of the cap member, and when the cap member is closed with respect to the main body, it is irreversible in one direction in which the edge of the cap member is closed with respect to the main body An engagement portion engaged with the
An external force is provided on the edge of the cap member in a plane perpendicular to the one direction to deform the edge of the cap member outward and release the engagement by the engagement portion What is claimed is: 1. A mesh nebulizer comprising:
In the mesh type nebulizer of claim 1,
The planar shape of the cap member in a plane perpendicular to the one direction is circular or elliptical;
The engaging portion is provided at one place corresponding to a specific first orientation in the circumferential direction of the upper portion of the main body and the edge of the cap member.
The mesh release type characterized in that the engagement release portion is provided at two positions on the opposite side of the edge portion of the cap member corresponding to a second orientation different from the first orientation. Nebulizer.
In the mesh type nebulizer of claim 2,
The engagement release portion is provided between the engagement release portion provided in the second orientation of the edge of the cap member and a portion of the upper portion of the main body facing the engagement release portion. A mesh nebulizer characterized in that a gap is provided to allow deformation towards the center of the cap member.