Liquid spray device

• US 20040050953A1
• Filed: 04/01/2003
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Healthcare Company Limited (Omron Corporation)
• Inventors: Arai, Masato, Osuga, Masashi, Itoh, Shinichi, Terada, Takao, Tanaka, Shinya, Asai, Kei, Takahashi, Toshiji
• Granted Patent: US 6,863,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 239/102.2
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/0623 coupled with a vibrating horn
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/063 having an internal channel for supplying the liquid or other fluent material
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/0638 spray being produced by discharging the liquid or other fluent material through a plate comprising a plurality of orifices

Abstract

A bottle unit (30) of a liquid atomizing apparatus is provided with: a bottle section (31) reserving a chemical liquid (L); a horn oscillating member (40) to whose a distal end the liquid (L) in the bottle section (31) is fed; and a mesh member (1) having a number of fine pores (2), and mounted to an end surface of the distal end (41) of the horn oscillating member (40) in contact therewith. The bottle section (31) is constituted of a large capacity section (B) and a small capacity section (b) in communication with the large capacity section (B) through an opening (32), and opposing to the distal end (41) of the horn oscillating member (40). The small capacity section (b) is formed such that the liquid (L′) therein is in contact with a point in the proximity of the contact section between the distal end (41) of the horn oscillating member (40) and the mesh member (1). With such a construction adopted, there can be provided a liquid atomizing apparatus that is obtained at a low cost with not only increased reliability but enhanced durability, and whose operations such as maintenance can be performed with simplicity and convenience without a necessity for a special liquid feed means.

Claims

1. A liquid atomizing apparatus comprising:

a liquid reservoir section (31) reserving a liquid (L);

an oscillation source (40) to whose distal end this liquid (L) in this liquid reservoir section (31) is fed; and

a mesh member (1) having a number of fine pores (2), and mounted to an end surface of a distal end (41) of this oscillation source (40) in contact therewith, and atomizing the liquid (L) in the liquid reservoir section (31) by an oscillation action of combination of the oscillation source (40) and the mesh member (1), wherein

said liquid reservoir section (31) is formed such that when the apparatus is inclined to an oscillation source (40) side, the liquid (L) therein reaches as far as a point in the proximity of a contact section between the distal end (41) of the oscillation source (40) and the mesh member (1), while when the apparatus is held in a horizontal state, the liquid (L) does not reach as far as a point in the proximity of said contact section.

2. The liquid atomizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said liquid reservoir section (31) is constituted of a large capacity section (B) and a small capacity section (b) in communication with this large capacity section (B), and opposing to the distal end (41) of said oscillation source (40), and the small capacity section (b) is formed such that the liquid (L) therein is in contact with a point in the proximity of the contact section between the distal end (41) of the oscillation source (40) and the mesh member (1).

3. The liquid atomizing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said liquid reservoir section (31) is formed such that, when the apparatus is held in a horizontal state, if the liquid (L) in the large capacity section (B) is at a prescribed quantity or less, the liquid (L) in the large capacity section (B) and a liquid (L′

) in the small capacity section (b)are isolated from each other.

4. The liquid atomizing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an opening section (60) through which an atomized chemical liquid is jetted; and

a mesh cap (55) mounted to this opening section (60), wherein said mesh member (1) is held by one support member (50) and the other support member (52) therebetween and fixed to an end surface of the distal end (41) of the oscillation source (40) in contact therewith, both support members (50, 52) are mounted to said mesh cap (55) with packing (51) in one body and this mesh cap (55) is mounted to the opening section (60) with another packing (56) therebetween.

5. A liquid atomizing apparatus comprising:

a liquid reservoir section (31) reserving a liquid (L);

an oscillation source (40) to whose a distal end (41) the liquid (L) in this liquid reservoir section (31) is fed; and

a mesh member (1) having a number of fine pores (2), and mounted to an end surface of the distal end (41) of this oscillation source (40) in contact therewith, and atomizing the liquid (L) in the liquid reservoir section (31) by oscillation action of combination of the oscillation source (40) and the mesh member (1), wherein

the apparatus further comprises;

an opening section (60) through which an atomized chemical liquid is jetted; and

a mesh cap (55) mounted to this opening section (60), said mesh member (1) is held by one support member (50) and the other support member (52) therebetween and fixed to an end surface of the distal end (41) of the oscillation source (40) in contact therewith, both support members (50, 52) are mounted to said mesh cap (55) with packing (51) in one body, and this mesh cap (55) is mounted to the opening section with another packing (56) therebetween.

6. The liquid atomizing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said both packing (51, 56) are formed in one body therebetween.

7. The liquid atomizing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each said both packing (51, 56) is formed in one body with the support member (50, 52), the mesh cap (55) or the liquid reservoir section (31).

8. A liquid atomizing apparatus comprising:

a liquid reservoir section (31) reserving a liquid (L);

an oscillation source (40) to whose a distal end (41) the liquid (L) in this liquid reservoir section (31) is fed; and

a mesh member (1) having a number of fine pores (2), and mounted to an end surface of the distal end (41) of this oscillation source (40) in contact therewith, and atomizing the liquid (L) in the liquid reservoir section (31) by an oscillation action of combination of the oscillation source (40) and the mesh member (1), wherein

each of said fine pores (2) of said mesh member (1) includes;

a liquid reserving portion (3a) formed in the side adjacent to the end surface of the distal end (41) of the oscillation source (40);

a hole (4a) through which the liquid in this liquid reserving portion (3a) is discharged as fine droplets; and

a guide wall (5a) guiding the fine droplets discharged from this hole (4a) in a discharge direction.

9. The liquid atomizing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the liquid reserving portion (3a) in the fine pore (2) of said mesh member (1) is designed to be circular in a cross section and not only is a depth of the liquid reserving portion (3a) thereof set to be equal to or more than an amplitude of the oscillation source (40), but a diameter of an inlet side thereof is also set to 10 times or less as large as that of the circular hole (4a).

10. The liquid atomizing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said mesh member (1) is formed using a NiPd alloy by electroforming