Patent Publication Number: US-2004050965-A1

Title: Atomizer for preventing droplets from splattering

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] (A) Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention is related to an atomizer, more specifically, to an atomizer capable of droplet splattering prevention.  
       [0003] (B) Description of Related Art  
       [0004] There are several ways of atomization of liquid in modern technology, one of which is to use an oscillator to generate intermittent vibrations. If the frequency of the vibration resonates to that of the molecular bonds of the liquid covering the vibrator, the molecular bonds of the liquid will be broken to form a mist. The process is known as an atomization. Generally, the higher the vibration frequency is, the finer and lighter the mist particles are, and thus better efficiency of mist dissipation can be achieved.  
       [0005] Another way of atomization is to sharply shrink the diameter of a pipe at the outlet, namely a nozzle, to accelerate an airflow carrying liquid to collide with the sidewalls of the nozzle or obstacles placed in front of the outlet, causing the liquid to be broken into smaller droplets.  
       [0006] Because droplets are usually generated in the process of atomization, the present design of atomizers usually uses a large atomization space, a long distance between the atomizing source and the outlet, a fender in front of the outlet, or a zigzag passage to the outlet to prevent the splattering of droplets.  
       [0007] Referring to FIG. 1( a ), an atomizer  10  comprises a reservoir  101 , a liquid  102 , an oscillating device  104  and a power supply  106 . The atomization of the liquid  102  is generated at a specific resonating level  108 , the dotted line shown in FIG. 1( a ), and the height of the resonating level  108  is according to the vibration frequency of the oscillating device  104 . For instance, if the vibration frequency is 1.6 MHz, the resonating level  108  is located at approximately four centimeters above the oscillating device  104 . If the level  110  of the liquid  102  is above the resonating level  108 , mist  112  will burst at the resonating level  108 , and thus the liquid at the bursting position will be pushed upwards. Therefore, above the level  110 , the mist  112  and the accompanying droplets  114  splatters outwards from the atomization resonance center. The droplets  114  are likely to be formed by the re-combination of the mist  112 . In addition, splattering may occur when the droplets  114  drops downwards to the level  110 . Referring to FIG. 1( b ), if the level  110  is below the resonating level  108 , the droplets  114  above the resonating level  108  and the droplets  120  from a liquid pillar  118  caused by the vibration will splatter outwards. Basically, the extent of splattering of the droplets  114 ,  120  increases with lower liquid level, and the droplets splatter in almost all directions.  
       [0008] Nowadays, the prevention of droplet splattering is still as a bottleneck in the designing of an atomizer. Moreover, the designs to drain out the droplets often make the atomizer difficult to be simplified, restricting the variety of shapes and increasing the time and costs of design and manufacture.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIION  
       [0009] The main objective of the present invention is to prevent droplet splattering of an atomizer, so as to improve the quality of the atomization and enhance the efficiency of mist dissipation. Hence, the atomizer becomes more practical and can be extensively used for other applications.  
       [0010] The structure of the atomizer of the present invention for preventing droplets from splattering can be mainly categorized as follows: (1) the reservoir of the atomizer is able to open and close; and (2) at least one partition is interlaced between the atomizing source and the outlet.  
       [0011] When the atomizing source is activated, the reservoir containing a liquid is closed to prevent the droplets from splattering. In contrast, when the atomization ceases, the outlet of the reservoir is opened after the droplets in the mist gravitate down to the reservoir for dissipating the mist.  
       [0012] The atomizer structure of the present invention comprises a reservoir, an atomizing source and a closable lid, the lid being used as an outlet of the reservoir, the reservoir being used for storing a liquid, and the atomizing source being used for atomizing the liquid. When the atomizing source atomizes the liquid, the outlet, i.e., the lid, is closed to make the reservoir hermetical. When the atomization ceases, the outlet is opened for dissipating the mist out of the reservoir. Furthermore, the actions of the atomizing source and the outlet can be coordinated by a controller to avoid accidental actions.  
       [0013] Furthermore, partitions may be used in the atomizer. The partitions are placed between the atomizing source and the openings to form an interlaced structure, in combination with a housing or by themselves. The partitions of specific sizes and locations have to block all straight lines connecting the atomizing source and the openings of the atomizer, so as to avoid outward splattering droplets that are generated in the process of atomization. As a result, the openings of the reservoir can be placed anywhere on the housing of the reservoir. The openings of such partitions can serve as outlets for mist dissipation, or as the inlet of airflow to blow out the mist.  
       [0014] The atomizer of the present invention using a partitioning device comprises a reservoir, an atomizing source and at least one partition, where the reservoir having at least one opening stores a liquid, and the atomizing source is used for atomizing the liquid. The partition is placed between the atomizing source and the opening to block all straight lines connecting the atomizing source and the opening.  
       [0015] The above-mentioned partitions can be assembled as a structure of a plurality of openings, and can even replace the housing. Therefore, besides for droplet splattering prevention, the partitions allow the mist to be dissipated out.  
       [0016] The atomizer of the present invention can be combined with an airflow generator, a cavity and a pipe to ascertain that the airflow from the airflow generator flows into the reservoir without any backflow. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0017] FIGS.  1 ( a ) and  1 ( b ) illustrate a known atomizer;  
     [0018] FIGS.  2 ( a ) and  2 ( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the first embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0019] FIGS.  3 ( a ) and  3 ( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the second embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0020]FIG. 4 illustrates the method of atomization using a partition of the present invention;  
     [0021]FIG. 5 illustrates the partitioning device of the atomizer of the third embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0022]FIG. 6 illustrates the partitioning device of the atomizer of the fourth embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0023]FIG. 7 illustrates the partitioning device of the atomizer of the fifth embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0024] FIGS.  8 ( a ) and  8 ( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the sixth embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0025] FIGS.  9 ( a ) and  9 ( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the seventh embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0026] FIGS.  10 ( a ) and  1   0 ( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the eighth embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0027] FIGS.  11 ( a ) and  11 ( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the ninth embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0028] FIGS.  12 ( a ) and  12 ( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the tenth embodiment of the present invention; and  
     [0029] FIGS.  13 ( a ) and  13 ( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0030]FIG. 2( a ) and FIG. 2( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the first embodiment of the present invention, of which a reservoir has a closable outlet. Referring to FIG. 2( a ), a liquid  204  stored inside the reservoir  202  of the atomizer  20  can be atomized by an atomizing source  206  to form mist  208 . The reservoir  202  has a top lid  210  that can be opened and closed as the outlet for the mist  208 . The top lid  210  is closed when an atomization occurs, inducing the mist  208  is confined inside the reservoir  202  to prevent the droplets from being splattered outwards.  
     [0031] Referring to FIG. 2( b ), when the atomization ceases, the top lid  210  will be opened after the droplets in the mist  208  naturally gravitate down to the reservoir  202  for dissipating the mist  208  without droplets. Moreover, an airflow generator  214  may be added to increase the dissipation efficiency of the mist  208 .  
     [0032] The atomizer  20  intermittently releases the mist  208 , and a controller  212  can be used to coordinate the actions of the atomizing source  206  and the top lid  210 . When the atomizing source  206  is activated, the top lid  210  has to be closed. In contrast, when the atomizing source  206  ceases, the top lid  210  will be opened after the droplets fall down to the reservoir  202  for dissipating the mist  208 . In addition, the airflow generator  214  can also be controlled by the controller  212  to coordinate the open or close actions of the top lid  210 .  
     [0033]FIG. 3( a ) and FIG. 3( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the second embodiment of the present invention, of which a reservoir has a closable outlet as well. Referring to FIG. 3( a ), a liquid  303  stored inside the reservoir  302  of an atomizer  30  can be atomized by an atomizing source  308  controlled by a controller  310  to form mist  306 . The reservoir  302  has a light-weight lid  304  as the outlet of the mist  306 . When atomization occurs, the lid  304  is closed to confine the mist  306  inside the reservoir  302  to prevent the droplets from being splattered outwards. The controller  310  is further connected to an airflow generator  312 , and a fender  314  is placed in the front of the outlet of the airflow generator  312 .  
     [0034] Referring to FIG. 3( b ), when the atomization ceases, the airflow generator  312  will feed air into the reservoir  302  after the droplets in the mist  306  naturally gravitate down to the reservoir  302 . As a result, the internal pressure of the reservoir  302  is higher than the outside pressure, and the lid  304  will be pushed upwards to dissipate the mist  306  outwards without droplets.  
     [0035] The atomizer  30  intermittently releases the mist  306 , and the controller  310  can coordinate the actions between the atomizing source  308  and the airflow generator  312 . When the atomizing source  308  is activated, the lid  304  is closed. In contrast, when the atomizing source  308  is off, the airflow generator  312  will feed air into reservoir  302  after the droplets fall down to the reservoir  302  to dissipate the mist  306  outwards along with the airflow. Afterwards, if the atomizing source  308  is reactivated, the airflow generator  312  will stop, and thus the lid  304  will resumes the closed position.  
     [0036] Because the fender  314  is fairly close to the wall of the reservoir  302  at the outlet of the airflow generator  312 , the backflow of condensed mist into the outlet can be avoided, and thus the airflow can be sent out smoothly. The lid  304  can be a light-weight and flexible thin plate. When the airflow generator  312  is off, the lid  304  will be closed due to gravitation to avoid the backflow of droplets and the mist  306  entering the reservoir  302  and the airflow generator  312 .  
     [0037] For providing the openings of various types, shapes, and sizes, a fixed or an unfixed partition structure may be placed between the straight lines connecting an atomizing source and an opening of a housing to prevent droplet splattering. Nevertheless, the mist still can be smoothly dissipated due to the different motions of the droplets and the mist. Referring to FIG. 4, the atomizing source  402  of an atomizer  40  is contained within a housing  404  of a opening  406 , in which the angle between the lines connecting the two edges of the housing  404  and the center of the atomizing source  402  is referred to as the divergent angle, and the angle between the lines connecting the edges of a partition  408  and the center of the atomizing source  402  is referred to as the shielding angle. The shielding angle must be larger than or equal to the divergent angle, i.e., the two edges of the housing  404  and the edges of the partition  408  are interlaced or overlapped, so the linear divergence from the atomizing source  402  in all directions are blocked either by the housing  404  or by the partition  408 . Owing to no direct passage between the atomizing source  402  and the opening  406 , the droplets splattered from the atomizing source  402  towards the opening  406  will be blocked. Nevertheless, because a particle of mist is much lighter than a droplet, the mist still can be dissipated out through the two sides of the partition  408  and the opening  406  instead of being blocked by the partition  408 , which is indicated by the arrow sign. If the partition  408  is closer to the atomizing source  402 , i.e., a larger shielding angle, the partition  408  can be smaller. Besides, for easier mist dissipation, the partition  408  can be taken apart into several small partitions, each partition is interlaced with the neighboring one but kept apart at an interval for the passage of the mist. The dimension of the interval also has to comply with the rule that the shielding angle must be larger than or equal to the divergent angle. In other words, the lines connecting any point within the atomizing source  402  and the edges of the partition  408  should not run directly towards the outside. Besides being applied in a common symmetric structure, the above-mentioned atomizer can also be applied in an asymmetric one. The above simple atomizer not only avoids droplet splattering, but also allows the air to flow out smoothly.  
     [0038] The following embodiments are in accordance with the partitioning structure mentioned above, in order to prevent droplet splattering.  
     [0039]FIG. 5 illustrates the partitioning structure of the atomizer of the third embodiment of the present invention. An partitioning structure  50  comprises an atomizing source  502 , a housing  504 , an outer partition  506  and two inner partitions  508 , where the outer partition  506  is interlaced with the inner partitions  508  to form a splatter prevention structure. The positions of the outer partition  506  and inner partitions  508  have to block the linear splattering from any point within the atomizing source  502  to the opening of the housing  504 . Therefore, the point at the very far right of the atomizing source  502  has to be taken into consideration to avoid any omission. Similarly, the outer partition  506  and inner partitions  508  are kept away from each other at an interval to allow the mist to pass, and the interval has to be in light of the rule that the shielding angle must be larger than or equal to the divergent angle as well.  
     [0040]FIG. 6 illustrates the partitioning structure of the atomizer of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. A partitioning structure  60  comprises an atomizing source  602 , three inner partitions  604 , three outer partitions  606  and a housing  608  of sixteen openings. The inner partitions  604  and the outer partitions  606  should be interlaced, and the inner partition  604  and outer partitions  606  have to be away from each other at an interval to allow the mist to pass, and the dimension of the interval is in light of the rule that the shielding angle must be larger than or equal to the divergent angle to prevent droplets splattering.  
     [0041] For application in an atomizer with a large opening or multiple openings, the partitions can be arranged as the partitions  508 ,  506 , or  604 ,  606  of the third or the fourth embodiment. The interlaced portion of the partitions should be larger than or equal to zero, i.e., the straight lines connecting any point within the atomizing source and the edges of the inner and outer partitions should not run directly towards the outside. Besides, the intervals between any two interlaced partitions cannot be too narrow, otherwise the mist dissipation will be hindered.  
     [0042]FIG. 7 illustrates the atomizer structure of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The atomizing source  702  of the partitioning structure  70  is enclosed by sixteen partitions  704 , and each partition  704  is interlaced and shielded by the neighboring one. The partitions  704  can completely block the splattering lines from the atomizing source  702 , and the openings between partitions are formed. Therefore, the partitions  704  can be a substitute of a housing.  
     [0043]FIG. 8( a ) and FIG. 8( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the sixth embodiment of the present invention, which shows an application of interlaced partitions in an atomizer. Referring to FIG. 8( a ), an atomizer  80  comprises a reservoir  802 , a liquid  803 , a ring-shaped partition  804 , a top lid  806  and an atomizing source  808 , where the ring-shaped partition  804 , the reservoir  802  and the top lid  806  are mutually interlaced and kept away from the neighboring one at an interval to allow the mist to pass. The straight lines connecting any point within the atomizing source  808  and the edges of the reservoir  802 , the ring-shaped partition  804  and the top lid  806  cannot run directly towards the outside, so as to prevent the droplet splattering. FIG. 8( b ) shows the top view of the atomizer  80 .  
     [0044]FIG. 9( a ) and FIG. 9( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the seventh embodiment of the present invention, which shows another application of interlaced partitions in an atomizer structure. Referring to FIG. 9( a ), an atomizer  90  comprises a reservoir  902 , a top lid  904 , a liquid  903  and an atomizing source  908 , where the top lid  904  has four sunken openings  906 , and the bevels of the top lid  904  is interlaced with the reservoir  902 . The interlaced area may be larger than or equal to zero. The straight lines connecting any point in the atomizing source  908  and the edges of the top lid  904  should not run directly towards the outside. Besides, the intervals of the top lid  904  and the reservoir  902  of the interlaced area cannot be too narrow, otherwise the mist dissipation will be hindered. FIG. 9( b ) shows the top view of the atomizer  90 .  
     [0045]FIG. 10( a ) and FIG. 10( b ) illustrate the atomizer of the eighth embodiment of the present invention, which shows a further application of interlaced partitions in an atomizer. Referring to FIG. 10( a ), an atomization apparatus  100  comprises a reservoir  1002 , a top lid  1004 , a liquid  1003  and an atomizing source  1008 , where the top lid  1004  is interlaced with the two edges of the reservoir  1002 , and the interval of the reservoir  1002 , also used as the opening, is constituted by four supports  1010 . The straight lines connecting any point in the atomizing source  1008  and the edges of the top lid  1004  or the edges of the reservoir  1002  should not directly run towards the outside. Besides, the intervals cannot be too narrow, otherwise the mist dissipation will be hindered. FIG. 10( b ) shows the top view of the atomizer  100 .  
     [0046] The interlaced partitions of the present invention can block the splattering of the droplets, and still allow mist to be easily dissipated. However, because the mist is an accumulation of molecules whose weight is heavier than the molecules of air, the mist is apt to be precipitated and condensed. If airflow is introduced around the atomizer to increase the efficiency of the mist dissipation, mist precipitation and condensation can be avoided.  
     [0047] The atomizer of the ninth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 11. In comparison with the atomizer  100  of the eighth embodiment, an atomizer  150  further comprises an airflow generator  1110 , of which a reservoir  1102  and a top lid  1106  forms an interlaced structure. The straight lines connecting any point in the atomizing source  1104  and the edges of the top lid  1106  or the edges of the reservoir  1102  cannot run directly towards the outside, so as to block the droplets but still allow the mist generated from the liquid  1103  to be smoothly dissipated through openings  1108 . The airflow generated by the airflow generator  1110  can carry the mist to speed up mist dissipation, reducing the chance of mist precipitation or condensation.  
     [0048]FIG. 12( a ) and FIG. 12( b ) illustrate the atomizer, using a cavity to guide auxiliary airflow, of the tenth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 12( a ), an atomizer  160  comprises a reservoir  1202 , an atomizing source  1204 , a partition  1208 , a fender  1210  and an airflow generator  1216 , where the fender  1210  divides the reservoir to form a cavity  1214  as the channel for airflow. The reservoir  1202  storing a liquid  1203  has an opening  1206  for mist dissipation. When an atomization occurs, the airflow generated by the airflow generator  1216  flows through the cavity  1214  and the fender  1210  into the reservoir  1202  to carry the mist out of the reservoir  1202  through the opening  1206 . The straight lines connecting the outlet of the cavity  1214  and the atomizing source  1204  are blocked by the fender  1210 . FIG. 12( b ) is the top view of the atomization apparatus  160 .  
     [0049] The fender  1210  located at the inlet of the airflow may be fixed, which is pretty close to the sidewall of the cavity  1214 , i.e., the fender  1210  is closed to the airflow inlet. As a result, if the mist is going to flow back to the cavity  1214 , the mist will be condensed to make the airflow stay running smoothly. In addition, the opening  1206  can be covered by a light-weight and top-fixed flexible thin plate. When the airflow generator  1216  is off, the thin plate is closed. In contrast, when airflow is added, the thin plate is blown open. This embodiment can prevent the droplets and mist from back-flowing into the reservoir  1202  and airflow generator  1216 .  
     [0050]FIG. 13( a ) and  13 ( b ) illustrate the atomizer, using a pipe including a valve to guide auxiliary airflow, of the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 13( a ), an atomizer  130  comprises a reservoir  1302 , an atomizing source  1304 , a partition  1308 , a fender  1310  and an airflow generator  1316 . In comparison with the tenth embodiment, the cavity  1214  is replaced with a pipe  1314  as the channel for airflow, and a valve  1318  on the top of the pipe  1314  is used to control the air input. The reservoir  1302  of an opening  1306  stores a liquid  1303 . When atomization occurs, the air flows through the pipe  1314 , the fender  1310  into the reservoir  1302  to carry the mist out of the reservoir  1302 , and the droplets can be blocked by the partition  1308 .  
     [0051] The fender  1310  near the air inlet can block the droplets that splatter towards the valve  1318 . The valve  1318  may be a light-weight and flexible thin plate fixed at one end. Moreover, the opening  1306  can be covered by a light-weight and top-fixed flexible thin plate as well. When the airflow generator  1316  is off, the thin plate is closed. In contrast, when airflow is started, the thin plate is blown open.  
     [0052] The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustratively only. Numerous alternative embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims.