EP0217744A1 - Spray device for a compressible container - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Spray device for attachment to a compressible container with a liquid nozzle (1) for the liquid to be atomized and with a riser (2) extending into the interior of the container and leading to the liquid nozzle (1), and also with an annular chamber (3) placed around the liquid nozzle, the chamber being connected with the air space in the container above the liquid, the annular chamber (3) opening into a mixture nozzle (4) located on the same axis as the liquid nozzle (1), whereby the orifice (7) of the liquid nozzle lies on a level which is retracted in the direction of flow from the orifice (8) of the mixture nozzle, characterized by a vortex chamber (9) located before the liquid nozzle (1), said vortex chamber being connected with the riser (2) by means of a tangential inflow channel (10), whereby the liquid nozzle (1) and the mixture nozzle (4) have approximately conical interior walls (5, 5'), such that the vortex chamber (9) and the annular chamber (3) taper into their respective conical interior walls (5, 5'), whereby the liquid nozzle (1) has an approximately conical exterior wall (6), and extends into the mixture nozzle in such a manner that the annular chamber (3) opens into the mixture nozzle (4) through an annular conical ring (34).

Description

The invention relates to a spray device according to the preamble of claim 1. Such devices have been known and used for a long time. Today they are often attached to disposable plastic containers and thrown away together with the container after the contents of the container have been used up.

The best fine atomizers would be the double-piston aerosol pumps with a spring-loaded valve that only releases the liquid when the excess pressure exceeds about 5 bar. With larger dispensing quantities of more than 0.2 ml per stroke, the aerosol is noticeably coarser, because otherwise the pressure required would make manual operation more difficult.

Even with the simpler single-piston pumps, drop-free delivery is not guaranteed and the fineness of the aerosol largely depends on the actuation pressure. Since the pump lever is equipped with a power transmission, quantities of up to 1 ml can be dispensed per stroke.

Piston pumps are relatively expensive because they have to be manufactured from several moving parts. The atomizers, in which the pressure is applied by compressing the container, can therefore be significantly simpler in construction.

A problem with the latter devices is that it is difficult to achieve even fine atomization because of the average overpressure in the container during manual operation is less than 0.3 bar. This is because air must also flow out of the container in order to atomize the liquid at all. Because the air escapes very quickly, the overpressure is also irregular and only of short duration, so that a limited amount of liquid is usually only atomized roughly. In known devices, attempts are made to improve the atomization by mixing liquid and air in a mixing chamber under turbulent flow before they exit through the common mixing nozzle. For example, DE-B-059 363 shows an atomizer head for plastic bottles, in which a tube extension serving as a liquid nozzle projects into a mixing chamber. The air enters the mixing chamber through bores and the liquid / air mixture leaves the mixing chamber through a spray nozzle arranged coaxially with the pipe socket.

A similar device in which the liquid nozzle and the mixture nozzle interact and form a closure element has become known from DE-A-28 07 204. Here the nozzles are only released when the internal pressure has reached a certain value. However, mixing also takes place in the case of turbulent flow. However, it is precisely this desired turbulence which, in the case of the weak pressure which is already weak, worsens the performance because the loss of momentum caused thereby is relatively large.

The purpose of the invention is to create a spray device without moving parts, which, with the low and irregular overpressures of the compressible plastic bottle, has the performance characteristics of the pump atomizers mentioned above. With the smaller delivery quantities, it should work drop-free and generate an aerosol that is not inferior in fineness, uniformity and quantity to that of the complicated and expensive double-piston pumps.

On the other hand, it should enable dispensing quantities of up to 1 ml per stroke, but - as is also the case with single-piston pumps - with less fine atomization. Furthermore, in order to be able to implement the wide range of services of the spraying device in the context of economical production, production in a modular design should be possible in such a way that the essential performance parameters can be determined in each case by the use of components which can be interchanged. Finally, the spray device should be easy to manufacture in the form of a reclosable bottle cap. This object is achieved by a spray device which has the features in the characterizing part of claim 1.

This arrangement allows the separate flow paths of both media to be optimally designed, so that a substantial part of the kinetic energy contained in the faster air flow is transferred to the liquid. This is clear from typical numerical values: with an overpressure inside the bottle of around 0.25 bar, the flow velocity at the outlet opening of the liquid nozzle is approximately 3.2 m / s, while the aerosol droplets emerge from the mixture nozzle at speeds of up to 60 m / s. Larger quantities can optionally be dispensed with the arrangement at a reduced speed, so that different requirements with regard to dispensing quantity and aerosol fineness can be met.

The application range of the device can be further improved by arranging a swirl chamber in front of the liquid nozzle, which is connected to the riser pipe via a tangential inlet channel. In addition, the annular chamber can also be provided with a tangential inlet channel. The inlet channels are advantageously arranged in such a way that the same direction of rotation of the liquid or air flow is achieved. Thereby the radial velocity component of the mixture is increased, which leads to an expansion of the beam angle. The aerosol is distributed more evenly over a larger area.

A particularly expedient construction results if the annular chamber and the mixture nozzle are assigned to an air-guiding component and the swirl chamber and the liquid nozzle are assigned to a fluid-guiding component, and if these components can be fixed in a holding part at the same axis one behind the other. These components can be inexpensively manufactured, for example, from plastic material and assembled in the simplest way.

By combining different components with one another, the performance characteristics of the spraying device can be adapted to the respective intended use.

If the distance between the components arranged coaxially in the pot-shaped holding part can be changed by spacing elements, different performance characteristics of the spray device can be achieved with the same components.

An additional function of the spray device is obtained if the components arranged in the holding part are rotationally symmetrical and are rotatably mounted about their axis in such a way that, together with the side wall of the pot-shaped holding part, they form a shut-off device for interrupting the inlet channels. The container can be closed by simply rotating the component group. One of the components is advantageously provided with a turning handle.

The holding part is advantageously formed in one piece with a closure device for the container mouth, for practical reasons the spray axis is approximately transverse to the axis of the container. With this arrangement, a simple and direct course of the inlet channels into the swirl chamber or into the annular chamber is also achieved, with the result that flow losses are prevented. This arrangement also makes operation much easier.

• Figure l einen Querschnitt durch eine erfindungsgemässe Sprühvorrichtung,
• Figur 2 eine Draufsicht auf das flüssigkeitsführende Bauteil gemäss Figur l aus Pfeilrichtung A,
• Figur 3 eine Draufsicht auf das luftführende Bauteil gemäss Figur l aus der gleichen Richtung,
• Figur 4 eine Draufsicht auf eine alternative Ausfüh­rungsform eines flüssigkeitsführenden Bauteils,
• Figur 5 eine Draufsicht auf eine alternative Ausfüh­rungsform eines luftführenden Bauteils,
• Figur 6 eine Querschnitt durch eine alternative Ausfüh­rungsform einer Sprühvorrichtung mit Drehschie­ber und
• Figure 7 einen Teilschnitt durch eine andere Ebene der Ausführungsform gemäss Figur 6.

Embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are described in more detail below. Show it:

• Figure l shows a cross section through a spray device according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 shows a top view of the liquid-carrying component according to FIG. 1 from arrow direction A,
• FIG. 3 shows a top view of the air-guiding component according to FIG. 1 from the same direction,
• FIG. 4 shows a top view of an alternative embodiment of a liquid-carrying component,
• FIG. 5 shows a top view of an alternative embodiment of an air-guiding component,
• Figure 6 shows a cross section through an alternative embodiment of a spray device with rotary valve and
• Figure 7 is a partial section through another level of the embodiment of Figure 6.

FIG. 1 shows a spraying device which consists of three components, which can be produced, for example, from plastic material using the injection molding process. The Liquid-carrying component 23 with the liquid nozzle 1 and the air-carrying component 29 with the mixture nozzle 4 are essentially designed as rotationally symmetrical components and fixed in the holding part l2, which is approximately cup-shaped. The holding part l2 is provided with the closure device l9, which can be designed, for example, as a screw cap with a screw thread 25. This screw cap can be screwed onto a standard plastic bottle. For sealing, a sealing sleeve 26 is used, which seals on the inner wall of the container mouth. The riser pipe 2 is plugged onto a connecting piece 27, which opens into the swirl chamber 9 of the liquid-carrying component 23 via an inlet duct 10. The inlet duct 10 leads tangentially into the swirl chamber 9, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 2. The inlet opening 24 of the inlet channel 10 is visible in FIG.

The liquid nozzle 1 has an approximately conical inner wall section 5. The liquid is supplied to the liquid nozzle 1 via the riser pipe 2, the nozzle 27, the inlet channel 10 and the swirl chamber 9. The outer wall 6 of the liquid nozzle 1 is also conical, which has an influence on the flow parameter of the air, as will be shown below.

The mixing nozzle 4 also has a conical inner wall section 5 '. The liquid-carrying component 23 connects directly to the air-carrying component 29 and, together with the outer wall 6 of the liquid nozzle, forms an annular chamber 3 which surrounds the liquid nozzle 1. An inlet channel 11 leads into the annular chamber 3 and is connected via an air opening 30 to the air space of the container lying above the liquid. As FIG. 3 shows, in the exemplary embodiment shown the inlet channel 11 is guided radially into the annular chamber 3, the inlet opening 28 being still visible in FIG.

The liquid-carrying component 23 and the air-carrying component 29 are arranged on a common axis 20, which is also the spray axis. The opening 7 of the liquid nozzle is, however, arranged in the spray direction in front of the opening 8 for the mixture nozzle. The liquid nozzle 1 projects into the mixture nozzle 4 in such a way that a conical annular gap 34 is formed which leads from the annular chamber 3 into the mixture nozzle 4.

The liquid-carrying component 23 and the air-carrying component 29 can be fastened, for example, by latching or by welding in the cup-shaped holding part 12. In order to make the device closable again, for example a hinged lid 3l with a film hinge 32 can be pivotally attached to the closure device l9. A plug 22 is arranged on the hinged lid 3l, which in the folded-up position penetrates into the opening 8 of the mixture nozzle and closes it. A cap can also be used instead of the stopper.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment in which the inlet channel l0 is divided into two separate channels l0 'and l0' ', which likewise lead tangentially to diametrically opposite inlet openings 24 and 24' on the swirl chamber 9. FIG. 5 shows an inlet duct 11 for the air, which also leads tangentially into the annular chamber 3 instead of radially.

In the alternative exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 6, the liquid nozzle 1 and the mixture nozzle 4 are configured and arranged similarly to those in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. Here, however, the liquid-carrying component 23 consists of two components, namely the chamber part 14 and the nozzle part 35. The swirl chamber 9 becomes predominant formed by the chamber part l4. Instead of the bottom l3 shown in FIG. 1, the holding part l2 is provided with an opening l8. A rotary handle l7 projects through opening l8 and is firmly connected to chamber part l4. All components in the holding part are rotationally symmetrical and connected to one another to form a package. The whole package is rotatably mounted in the holding part.

As can be seen in particular from FIG. 7, the components 23 and 29 together with the side wall l6 of the holding part l2 form a shut-off device for the inlet channels l0 and ll. To shut off the inlet ducts, the entire component group on pivot handle l7 is pivoted until side wall l6 completely closes the ducts. In the same way, the cross section of the inlet channels can also only be reduced, so that a smaller amount of liquid flows out. If the holding part l2 is made of an elastic plastic material, the package consisting of the chamber part, liquid nozzle and mixing nozzle can be bumped into the cup-shaped holding part against a holder shoulder 33.

FIG. 6 also shows a spacer element l5, which is arranged between the liquid-carrying component 23 and the air-carrying component 29 in order to enlarge the axial distance. Such spacer elements above all facilitate the standardization of the components, so that, for example, the same components 23, 29 can be used for different atomization characteristics.

Various spray characteristics are then explained by comparing the exemplary embodiments according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, which are shown approximately on the same scale 10: 1. Obviously, the liquid flow is determined by the design of the Inlet channel l0, the inlet opening 24, the swirl chamber 9 and the inner wall portion 5 of the liquid nozzle l influenced. Analogously, the air flow is influenced by the configuration of the inlet channel 11 of the inlet opening 28, the annular chamber 3 and the annular gap 34, and the individual diameter ratios to one another. It is therefore necessary to compare FIGS. 1 and 6 with regard to these parts.

FIG. 1 shows a spray device for the drop-free delivery of a relatively small amount of liquid in the form of a fine aerosol. For this use (e.g. for cosmetic products) a plastic bottle with a volume of approx. 200 ml and a delivery quantity of 0.1 to 0.15 ml per stroke would be common. This amount would have to be dispensed within about 0.25 seconds if the flow rate was sufficient for fine atomization. At liquid densities of around 1 g / ml, an average excess pressure of 0.2 to 0.3 bar would be required during this time. The flow cross-sections of both media are therefore comparatively small.

The diameter of the swirl chamber 9 is relatively large in relation to the diameter of the opening 7 on the liquid nozzle 1. This causes a steep pressure gradient between the inlet opening 24 and the opening 7, which accelerates the liquid flow on this route. At the same time, the amount of liquid or the yield per pressure surge is reduced by the relatively high counterpressure at the inlet opening 24.

The diameter of the annular chamber 3 is larger than the diameter of the opening 8 at the mixture nozzle 4. As a result, the air flow in the annular chamber 3 is slowed down and the air pressure is increased, so that the hollow conical annular gap 34 is flowed about symmetrically. The cone angle of the Outer wall section 6 on the liquid nozzle 1 is equal to or smaller than that of the inner wall section 5 'on the mixing nozzle 4, so that the cross-sectional area of the annular gap 34 is continuously reduced in the exit direction. This accelerates the air flow in the annular gap 34.

In comparison to FIG. 1, FIG. 6 shows a spray device for coarse atomization of approximately 1.2 ml of liquid per stroke. For such uses (e.g. cleaning agents), bottle volumes of up to 500 ml are common. Here the flow cross-sections are larger, the flow speeds are lower and the average pressure is only approx. 0.1 bar. The diameter of the swirl chamber 9 in relation to the diameter at the opening 7 is reduced in comparison to FIG. 1, since a high back pressure at the inlet opening 24 would reduce the amount of liquid. The statements made with regard to FIG. 1 also apply to the remaining dimensions in this exemplary embodiment.

It applies to all embodiments of the spraying device that in the plane of the opening 7 at the liquid nozzle the two media meet at their own maximum speed. Because of the upstream vortex chamber 9, the liquid emerges from the opening 7 as a hollow-conical jet, which promotes the mixing of the media. Both media experience individually and then together a speed increase with a corresponding pressure drop until the opening 8 at the mixing nozzle 4 is reached. The further the opening 7 is set back in the exit direction, the greater the overpressure at the opening 7 of the liquid nozzle 1. In this way, the performance characteristics of the spray device can be changed by changing the nozzle position while the flow paths are otherwise unchanged. It has already been pointed out that this is particularly advantageous for spacing elements for manufacturing reasons he follows. Of course, however, it is also possible, for example, to provide the components in the holding part 12 with a suitable thread, so that the distance between the two nozzles can be adjusted continuously by screwing them in to different depths.

Incidentally, in practically all applications it is also true that larger dispensing quantities are usual for larger container volumes. As described above, the latter require larger flow cross sections. Therefore, the flow cross-sections of the various embodiments of the spray device are large enough to enable the bottle air space to be refilled quickly. A sufficiently quick actuation sequence is thus guaranteed even without the installation of additional air inlet valves.

Claims (16)

1.Spray device for placing on a compressible container with a liquid nozzle (l) for the liquid to be atomized and with a riser pipe (2) protruding into the container, which leads to the liquid nozzle (l), and with an annular chamber (3 ), which is connected to the air space of the container lying above the liquid, the annular chamber (3) opening into a mixture nozzle (4) for the liquid / air mixture which is arranged coaxially with the liquid nozzle (l), characterized in that the liquid nozzle (l) and the mixture nozzle (4) has an approximately conical inner wall part (5, 5 '), that the liquid nozzle has an approximately conical outer wall (6) and protrudes into the mixture nozzle (4) in such a way that the annular chamber (3) has a hollow cone shape in the mixture nozzle opens, and that the opening (7) of the liquid nozzle lies on a plane which returns to the opening (8) of the mixture nozzle in the exit direction sets is. 2. Spray device according to claim l, characterized in that a vortex chamber (9) is arranged in front of the liquid nozzle (l), which is connected to the riser pipe (2) via a tangential inlet channel (l0). 3. Spraying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the annular chamber (3) and the mixture nozzle (4) are assigned to an air-guiding component (29). 4. Spraying device according to claim 3, characterized in that the annular chamber (3) is provided with a tangential inlet channel (II). 5. Spray device according to claim 2, characterized in that the swirl chamber (9) and the liquid nozzle (l) are assigned to a liquid-carrying component (23). 6. Spraying device according to claim 4 and 5, characterized in that the liquid-carrying component (23) and the air-carrying component (29) can be fixed coaxially one behind the other in a holding part (l2). 7. Spray device according to claim 6, characterized in that the liquid-carrying component (23) and / or the air-carrying component (29) consists of at least two components. 8. Spray device according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the liquid-carrying component (23) and / or the air-carrying component (29) are interchangeably arranged in the holding part (l2). 9. Spraying device according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the distance between the components (l, 4, l4) arranged coaxially in the holding part (l2) can be determined by spacing elements (l5). l0. Spraying device according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the distance between the components (l, 4, l4) arranged coaxially in the holding part (l2) is infinitely adjustable by means of threads attached to the components. 11. Spray device according to one of claims 4 to l0, characterized in that the component (l, 4, l4) arranged in the holding part (l2) are cylindrical and are rotatably mounted together about their axis in such a way that they together with the side wall ( l6) of the holding part form a shut-off device for throttling or interrupting the inlet channels (l0, ll). 12. Spraying device according to claim 11, characterized in that one of the components arranged in the holding part is provided with a rotary handle (l7) for actuating the shut-off element. 13. Spray device according to one of claims 4 to l2, characterized in that the holding part (l2) is connected to a closure device (l9) for the container mouth. 14. Spray device according to claim l3, characterized in that the axis (20) of the holding part extends approximately transversely to the axis (2l) of the container (l9). 15. Spray device according to claim l3 or l4, characterized in that the opening (8) of the mixture nozzle (4) can be closed with a pivotably attached stopper (22) or a cap. 16. The spray device, in particular according to claim 1, which preferably forms a packaging unit with a compressible plastic bottle, from which liquid filling material is dispensed in portions in the form of an aerosol by means of pressure on the bottle wall, in that liquid and air form a mixture from the inside of the bottle, characterized in that that the liquid is fed via a riser pipe to a liquid-carrying component (23), where it follows another flows through a liquid channel (l0) with at least one tangential inlet, a swirl chamber (9) and a conical liquid nozzle, and that the air from the inside of the bottle is fed to an air-guiding component (29), where it is successively an air channel (ll) with an air inlet, an annular chamber (3) and a hollow conical mixture nozzle (4) flows through, and that these components (23, 29) are arranged one behind the other on a common axis such that the conical nozzle (l) of the liquid-carrying component (23) flows through the annular chamber (3) of the air-guiding component (29) penetrates centrally and partially protrudes into the hollow cone of the mixing nozzle (4) and forms an annular gap (34) with it, the cross-sectional area of which, from its largest dimension to its innermost level, gradually decreases towards the outside down to the level, in which the outlet opening (7) of the liquid nozzle (l) is where the air and the liquid meet and in which between the outlet ass opening (7) of the liquid nozzle (l) and the outlet opening (8) of the mixture nozzle (4) remaining conical part of the mixture nozzle (4) form the mixture which is discharged through the outlet opening of the mixture nozzle.

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