Atomizer for manual actuation

• US 20030209238A1
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim Microparts GmbH (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: STEAG microParts GmbH (C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG)
• Inventors: Hollmann, Holger, Terence Dunne, Stephen, Reinecke, Holger, Peters, Ralf-Peter, Eicher, Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 7,341,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/200.14
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/3436 the interface being a plane perpendicular to the outlet axis
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/3447 the interface being a cylinder having the same axis as the outlet
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/1091 being first hold in a loaded state by locking means or the like, then released B05B11/1092 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0883 having a discharge device fixed to the container

Abstract

A fluid can be discontinuously atomized with an atomizer of the present invention. The atomizer can include a helical spring, disk spring or gas spring, acting as a pressure spring, as an energy storage device, a cylinder, piston, two ducts and two valves. Atomization can be initiated manually by triggering a locking mechanism. The energy storage device can be disposed outside a storage container for the fluid. The energy storage device can be provided mechanical energy manually. Via the piston, the stored energy can exert pressure onto the fluid in the cylinder, which ranges from 1 MPa to 5 MPa (10 bar to 50 bar). Distribution of the droplet size in the atomized jet can be independent from the level of experience and behavior of the person actuating the atomizer, and can be adjusted in a reproducible manner. The mean droplet diameter can be smaller than about 50 micrometers. The mass flow of the fluid through the nozzle can be less than about 0.4 g/s. The design and function of the atomizer can be adjusted to properties of the fluid, to a planned application, and to a desired manner for handling the atomizer.

Claims

1. An atomizer for manual actuation, with which a partial quantity is atomized from a fluid supply and which comprises within a housing:

a storage container for the fluid that is to be atomized;

a nozzle for the fluid that is to be atomized;

a piston displaceable within a cylinder;

a hollow chamber within the cylinder in front of the piston;

an intake duct connecting the storage container with the hollow chamber;

an ejection duct connecting the hollow chamber with the nozzle;

an intake valve disposed in the intake duct;

a drive device for the piston; and

a device for manually providing mechanical energy into the drive device,

wherein the drive device comprises a storage device for mechanical energy and is arranged outside the storage container, the drive device applying the mechanical energy to the piston, and

the nozzle comprises a swirl nozzle providing the fluid flowing through the nozzle with circulation.

2. The atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the swirl nozzle includes a whirl chamber into which the fluid is directed tangential to an inside wall and from which the fluid exits through a nozzle duct that is located in a center of the whirl chamber, and wherein an inside diameter of the whirl chamber is larger than a diameter of the nozzle duct.

3. The atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the swirl nozzle includes a cylindrical hollow chamber in which a cylindrical body is present, and wherein a helical guiding mechanism is disposed in an intermediate space between an outside of the cylindrical body and an inside of the cylindrical hollow chamber of the swirl nozzle, and the fluid is introduced parallel to an axis of the swirl nozzle and exits through a nozzle duct, which is disposed on the axis of the swirl nozzle.

4. The atomizer according to claim 2, wherein the diameter of the nozzle duct is between about 30 micrometers to about 300 micrometers.

5. The atomized according to claim 4, wherein the diameter of the nozzle duct is between about 50 micrometers to about 150 micrometers.

6. The atomizer according to claim 3, wherein a diameter of the nozzle duct is between about 30 micrometers to about 300 micrometers.

7. The atomized according to claim 6, wherein the diameter of the nozzle duct is between about 50 micrometers to about 150 micrometers.

8. The atomizer according to claim 2, wherein a length of the nozzle duct is between about 10 micrometers to about 1000 micrometers.

9. The atomizer according to claim 3, wherein a length of the nozzle duct is between about 10 micrometers to about 1000 micrometers.

10. The atomizer according to claim 2, wherein the inside diameter of the whirl chamber is between about two to about to ten times the diameter of the nozzle duct.

11. The atomizer according to claim 10, wherein the inside diameter of the whirl chamber is between about two-and-a-half times to about five times the diameter of the nozzle duct.

12. The atomizer according to claim 3, wherein a diameter of the cylindrical hollow chamber is between about two to about ten times the diameter of the nozzle duct.

13. The atomizer according to claim 12, wherein the diameter of the cylindrical hollow chamber is between about two-and-a-half times to about five times the diameter of the nozzle duct.

14. The atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the piston is equipped with a rod protruding from the housing, via which the mechanical energy is provided manually to a working spring by pulling out the rod.

15. The atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises two parts connected with each other arranged to rotate relative to each other, and the drive device comprises a screw-thrust transmission device, via which a working spring is manually fed the mechanical energy by rotating the two housing parts relative to each other.

16. The atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the drive device further comprises a locking mechanism including a locking member and a release button that holds the piston in a state where energy is stored in the storage device.

17. The atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a spring.

18. The atomizer according to claim 17, wherein the spring acts as a pressure spring and comprises at least one of a helical spring and a disk spring.

19. The atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a gas spring.

21. The atomizer according to claim 1, wherein the piston is displaceable along a stroke including least two stages.

22. The atomizer according to claim 1, further comprising:

an ejection valve disposed in the ejection duct.

23. The atomizer according to claim 22, wherein the intake valve and the ejection valve comprise automatically operating valves.

24. The atomizer according to claim 22, wherein the intake valve comprises an automatically operating valve and the ejection valve comprises a manually actuated valve.

20. The atomized according to clam 19, gas spring comprises a roll bellows gas spring.