MINUTE BUBBLE GENERATOR, HOME APPLIANCE PROVIDED WITH MINUTE BUBBLE GENERATOR, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING MINUTE BUBBLE GENERATOR

• US 20190329193A1
• Filed: 06/11/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: SASAKI, Hironori, NAGAI, Satoshi, KOMORI, Yasuhiro, UCHIYAMA, Tomonori, NISHIMURA, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 11,331,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4217 Fittings for water supply, e.g. valves or plumbing means to connect to cold or warm water lines, aquastops
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/48 Mixing water in water-taps with other ingredients, e.g. air, detergents or disinfectants
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/232 using flow-mixing means for introducing the gases, e.g. baffles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/2373 for obtaining fine bubbles, i.e. bubbles with a size below 100 µm
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/237611 Air
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/25 Mixing by jets impinging against collision plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/441 characterised by the configuration of the surfaces forming the slits
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4521 the components being pressed through orifices in elements, e.g. flat plates or cylinders, which obstruct the whole diameter of the tube
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 31/81 by vibrations generated inside a mixing device not coming from an external drive, e.g. by the flow of material causing a knife to vibrate or by vibrating nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/10 Maintenance of mixers
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14 incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. injection moulding around inserts or for coating articles B29C45/1671 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2101/12 Thermoplastic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2023/22 Tubes or pipes, i.e. rigid bent tubes not for use as pipe couplings B29L2023/004
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 35/002 using bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/08 Liquid supply or discharge arrangements supply of soap or other washing agents D06F39/02
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/088 Liquid supply arrangements

Abstract

A minute bubble generator includes a flow path member including a flow path allowing a liquid to pass therethrough; and a colliding part provided in the flow path and generating minute bubbles in the liquid passing through the flow path by locally reducing a cross sectional area of the flow path. The colliding part is formed integrally with the flow path member and is provided closer to an upstream end or a downstream end relative to a lengthwise center of the flow path.

Claims

1. A minute bubble generator comprising:

a flow path member including a flow path allowing a liquid to pass therethrough; and

a colliding part provided in the flow path and generating minute bubbles in the liquid passing through the flow path by locally reducing a cross sectional area of the flow path,

the colliding part being formed integrally with the flow path member and being provided closer to an upstream end or a downstream end relative to a lengthwise center of the flow path.

3. The minute bubble generator according to claim 1, wherein the flow path member includes an upstream flow path member having an upstream flow path which is a flow path in an upstream side of the colliding part and a downstream flow path member configured as a separate component from the upstream flow path member and having a downstream flow path which is a flow path in a downstream side of the colliding part.

4. The minute bubble generator according to claim 3, wherein an inner diameter of the downstream flow path is equal to or less than an inner diameter of the upstream flow path.

5. The minute bubble generator according to claim 3 further comprising:

an inserting part provided to either of the upstream flow path member and the downstream flow path member,

an inserted part provided to the remaining other of the upstream flow path member and the downstream flow path member and receiving insertion of the inserting part, and

a deforming part provided to either of the inserting part and the inserted part and connecting the inserting part and the inserted part in a pressed state by deforming when the inserting part is inserted into the inserted part.

9. The minute bubble generator according to claim 1, wherein the colliding part is provided at a downstream end of the flow path member and an end surface in the downstream side of the flow path member where the colliding part is provided is flat.

10. The minute bubble generator according to claim 1, wherein the colliding part is provided at a downstream end of the flow path member and the flow path member is further provided with a projection contacting a surface in a downstream side of the colliding part and projecting toward a downstream side of the flow path from the surface in the downstream side of the colliding part.

11. The minute bubble generator according to claim 10, wherein the projection is provided integrally with the colliding part and a periphery of the projection is flat.

12. The minute bubble generator according to claim 10, wherein the flow path member includes an upstream flow path member having an upstream flow path which is a flow path in an upstream side of the colliding part and a downstream flow path member configured as a separate component from the upstream flow path member and having a downstream flow path which is a flow path in a downstream side of the colliding part,

wherein the colliding part is formed integrally with the upstream flow path and is provided at a downstream end of the upstream flow path member, and

wherein the projection is formed integrally with the downstream flow path and is provided at an upstream end of the downstream flow path member.

13. The minute bubble generator according to claim 1 further comprising a narrowing part provided in an upstream side of the colliding part and formed in a tapered shape in which an inner diameter thereof becomes smaller from an upstream side to a downstream side.

15. A home appliance using water provided with the minute bubble generator according to claim 1.

2. A minute bubble generator comprising:

a flow path member including a flow path allowing a liquid to pass therethrough; and

a colliding part provided in the flow path and generating minute bubbles in the liquid passing through the flow path by locally reducing a cross sectional area of the flow path,

the colliding part being formed as a separate component from the flow path member and being provided in an upstream end side or a downstream end side of the flow path member.

6. The minute bubble generator according to claim 2, wherein the flow path member includes an upstream flow path member having an upstream flow path which is a flow path in an upstream side of the colliding part and a downstream flow path member configured as a separate component from upstream flow path member and having a downstream flow path which is a flow path in a downstream side of the colliding part.

7. The minute bubble generator according to claim 6, wherein an inner diameter of the downstream flow path is equal to or less than an inner diameter of the upstream flow path.

8. The minute bubble generator according to claim 6 further comprising:

an inserting part provided to either of the upstream flow path member and the downstream flow path member,

an inserted part provided to the remaining other of the upstream flow path member and the downstream flow path member and receiving insertion of the inserting part, and

a deforming part provided to either of the inserting part and the inserted part and connecting the inserting part and the inserted part in a pressed state by deforming when the inserting part is inserted into the inserted part.

14. The minute bubble generator according to claim 2 further comprising a narrowing part provided in an upstream side of the colliding part and formed in a tapered shape in which an inner diameter thereof becomes smaller from an upstream side to a downstream side.

16. A home appliance using water provided with the minute bubble generator according to claim 2.

17. A method of manufacturing a minute bubble generator provided with a flow path member having a flow path allowing a liquid to pass therethrough, and a colliding part provided in the flow path so as to be located at a downstream end of the flow path member and generating minute bubbles in the liquid passing through the flow path by locally reducing a cross sectional area of the flow path, the method comprising:

molding a resin by using a mold including a flow path forming part that forms the flow path, a colliding part forming part provided on one end side of the flow path forming part and that forms the colliding part, and a resin injecting part provided on the other end side of the flow path forming part and that injects resin.

18. The method of manufacturing the minute bubble generator according to claim 17, wherein the mold is provided with an insert in the colliding part forming part side.