JPS64941Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical field] The present invention relates to an inhaler that relieves pain in the throat by sucking up an inhalation liquid such as a medicinal solution stored in an inhalation tank using steam, atomizing it, and inhaling it into the oral cavity. More specifically, the present invention relates to an inhaler in which a heating element is housed in a heating element accommodating portion having a generally inverted U-shaped cross section provided on the lower wall of a steam tank to form a heater.

[Background technology]

As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional inhaler A' has a steam tank 4' made of heat-resistant synthetic resin, and a heater 8' whose lower wall 4a' is a plate-shaped heating element 45' which is a positive temperature coefficient thermistor. There is an attempt to shorten the rise time of steam generation by improving the thermal efficiency of the heater 8'. However, in this conventional example, since the heater 8 is flat, the amount of steam generated is certainly stable, but because it is flat, a large bottom area is required, and the steam tank 4' is also large. In addition to being unable to make equipment more compact and easier to handle,
Since the volume of the heating section of the steam tank 4' increases, the required heat capacity increases, and the rise time of the steam becomes slower. Furthermore, this type of positive temperature coefficient thermistor has a problem in that the electrode structure is more complicated and the cost is higher than that of a general double-sided electrode type positive temperature coefficient thermistor. Therefore, as an example of a heater for steam generation, a wet hair curler heater B (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
52-138261), a configuration in which the heater 8' is floated in water 5 to increase the thermal efficiency of the heater 8 and make the device more compact can be considered, but according to this configuration, the surface of the water 5 is lower than the top surface of the heater 8'. When the temperature decreases, the heat transfer area becomes less than half, which causes a problem in that the amount of steam generated decreases.

[Purpose of invention]

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inhaler that can effectively utilize the water supplied in the steam tank to the end and generate a stable amount of steam.

[Disclosure of invention]

(Configuration) The inhaler of the present invention includes an inhalation tank 2 in a main body case 1, a steam tank 4 that generates steam to atomize the inhalation liquid 3 in the inhalation tank 2, and a water supply that supplies water 5 to the steam tank 4. This is an inhaler A equipped with a tank 6, in which a heating element accommodating part 56 formed of a good thermal conductor and having an approximately inverted U-shaped cross section with a tapered outer surface is mounted on the lower wall 4a of the steam tank 4 upwardly. The heater 8 is formed by accommodating the heating element 45 in the heating element storage section 56 so as to protrude toward the heating element 45 over substantially the entire area of the heating element storage section 56. With this configuration, the above object is achieved.

(Example) Inside the main body case 1 made of heat-resistant synthetic resin, there is an inhalation tank 2 containing an inhalation liquid 3 such as a medical solution, salt water, or water, a steam tank 4 that generates steam for atomizing the inhalation liquid 3, and a steam tank 4 that generates steam for atomizing the inhalation liquid 3. A water supply tank 6 for supplying water 5 to the tank 4 is detachably attached, and a cover 11 having a spray guide port 9 at the tip is detachably attached to protect it from dust and the like. The suction tank 2, steam tank 4, and water supply tank 6 are made of transparent heat-resistant synthetic resin such as polycarbonate so that the inside can be seen. Steam tank 4 is main body case 1
The heater 8 installed at the bottom boils and evaporates the water 5 supplied, and the steam is passed through the steam outlet 13 provided on the upper wall.
The steam is injected from an injection nozzle 15 at the tip through a steam pipe 14 connected to the steam pipe 14. The injection nozzle 15 becomes thinner toward the tip, and steam is injected at high speed. 63 is a hot water end prevention plate. In front of the tip of the injection nozzle 15 is an L-shaped connecting plate 17.
The tip of the suction nozzle 16 is positioned through the suction pipe 1, and the suction liquid 3 from the suction tank 2 attached to the suction tank mounting portion 12 at the front of the main body case 1 is sucked up using the ventilly effect of high-speed steam.
It is sucked up through 8 and atomized to the spray guide port 12.
Spray toward the target. The injection nozzle 5, the suction nozzle 16, and the steam pipe 14 are made of stainless steel or heat-resistant synthetic resin.
is a rubber tube made of silicone rubber or the like that does not elute substances harmful to the human body in terms of hygiene, and is designed to be easily bent when the suction tank 2 is installed in the main body case 1. The suction tank 2 is vertically partitioned approximately at the center by a partition plate 19, and has a water storage section 20 in the front half so that the suction liquid 3 and the like that have become water droplets near the spray guide port 12 can be stored in the water storage section 20. . A water tank cap 22 is attached to the water supply port 21 at the upper end of the water tank 6, and the water tank cap 22 is provided with a water tank valve 23 and a water tank cap seal 24. The water tank valve 23 is designed to open when pushed in, and is normally closed by a spring 25 to prevent water 5 from leaking even when the water tank 6 is turned upside down. The water tank 6 is inserted into a water tank receiver 26 at the rear of the main body case 1 in an inverted state, and is installed in an airtight state with a water tank seal 27. A water storage chamber 28 is provided in the lower part of the water tank receiver 26 of the main body case 1. A water storage chamber water supply port 29 communicating with the water supply port 21 of the water tank 6 of the water storage chamber 28
is provided with a water storage chamber valve 30, which is closed by a spring 31 when the water supply tank 6 is not attached. The water storage chamber valve 30 is in contact with the water tank valve 23 of the water tank 6, so that the opening and closing operations are interlocked. A water supply valve 33 is provided in the steam tank water supply port 32 that communicates with the steam tank 4 of the water storage chamber 28. By opening this water supply valve 33, a certain amount of water 5 can be supplied, and the water level in the steam tank 4 can be kept constant at all times. The specified water level a can be reached, and the water storage chamber 28 can be closed.
The water 5 does not enter the steam tank 4, and only the water 5 supplied into the steam tank 4 can be vaporized, so that steam can be efficiently generated. This water supply valve 33 is provided at the lower end of an on-off valve 34 provided in the steam tank 4. Opening/closing valve 34
The water supply valve 33 is also provided with a steam relief valve 7 for opening and closing the steam relief port 35 provided on the upper wall of the steam tank 4.
I am trying to link it with. The steam relief port 35, which is opened and closed by the steam relief valve 7, communicates with a steam exhaust tube 42 provided on the upper wall of the steam tank 4, and the steam relief tube 10 is routed from the steam exhaust tube 42 toward the spray guide port 9. It is set up. Therefore, the steam vent 35
The steam passing through and flowing out into the steam relief pipe 10 does not enter the main body case 1 and is gently blown out from the spray guide 9, so even if you carelessly open the steam relief valve 7, the steam may hit your hands and cause burns. Can prevent danger. A water intake valve seal 36 such as an O-ring made of silicone rubber and a steam relief valve seal 3 are attached to the water supply valve 33, the steam relief valve 7, and the on-off valve 34, respectively.
7 and an opening/closing valve seal 38 are installed to maintain an airtight state and prevent water 5, steam, etc. from leaking into the main body case 1. 5
4 is a water storage chamber vent that communicates with the steam release pipe 10. The on-off valve 34 is constantly pushed up by a return spring 41 in order to interlock with the push button 40 that protrudes outward from the opening 39 of the cover 11, and when the push button 40 is pressed, the on-off valve 34 moves down and closes the water supply valve 33.
and the steam relief valve 7 is opened. Since the opening and closing operations of the water supply valve 33 and the steam relief valve 7 are linked in this way, when the steam relief valve 7 is closed to generate steam in the steam tank 4, backflow of high-temperature water to the water storage chamber 28 is prevented. In this way, the steam tank water supply port 32 can be closed, while the steam relief valve 7 can be opened to release the air and steam inside the steam tank 4 to the outside when water is being supplied. A stable water supply can be provided. Further, since the water supply valve 33 and the steam relief valve 7 are provided almost coaxially, even if the internal pressure in the steam tank 4 increases due to steam generation, the internal pressures applied to each valve 33 and 7 will be applied in a direction that cancels each other out. The push button 40 requires only a light operating force. 54 is a water storage chamber vent that communicates with the steam relief pipe 10. A micro switch 43 as a power switch is provided between the steam tank 4 and the push button 40, and the heater 8 is connected via the micro switch 43.
is connected to commercial power. When the push button 40 is pressed, a micro switch 43 is turned on so that the heater 8 can be energized. In this way, the power supply is cut off at the same time as the steam relief valve 7 is opened, so that steam does not blow out continuously during the pause, and even when the machine is paused for a long time, the water 5 in the steam tank 4 runs out. There is no need to put it away. Heater 8
are arranged at the bottom of the steam tank 4, and as shown in FIG.
A heat dissipation plate 44, which is a zinc or aluminum die-cast molded product formed by integrally arranging two parts 6 in parallel, is attached to the steam tank 4.
A plate-shaped heating element 45 made of a positive temperature coefficient thermistor is housed in each heating element storage part 56 of this heat sink 44 over almost the entire area, and the electrodes on both sides of the heating element 45 are tapered. The electrode plates 46 made of brass are connected in close contact with each other, and the outside of the electrode plates 46 is covered with an insulating sheet 47 made of heat conductive silicone rubber. A spacer 48 is interposed between the protruding end of the heating element storage section 56 and the upper end of the heating element 45, and a presser plate 49 is arranged at the base of the heating element storage section 56. The electrode plate 46 is pushed up by the leaf spring 50 into the heating element housing parts 56, 56.
I'm trying to push it. Heating element storage section 56
has a substantially inverted U-shaped cross section, and has a tapered outer surface shape with a gap between both side pieces 56a increasing as it approaches the base, so the heating surface area of the heater 8 is larger than that of the conventional inhaler A'. As shown in Figure 7, the rise time t ₁ of steam generation is longer than that of a conventional inhaler.
The rise time of A' is shorter than t ₁ ', and moreover, the water 5 in the steam tank 4 can be used effectively to the end. The curve shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the amount of steam generated and time in the inhaler A of the present invention, and the curve shown by the dotted line is for the conventional inhaler A'. Moreover, the heating element storage section 56 of the heater 8
Since the outer surface shape of the heater 8 is tapered, even when steam is generated and the water level in the steam tank 4 is lowered, the amount of water present in the valley of the heater 8 rapidly decreases as the water level lowers. Moreover, the air bubbles generated from the water cause the water to be blown off and adhered to the left and right heater surfaces, where it becomes vaporized, making the apparent water level higher due to the vapor bubbles and making good contact with the heat dissipation surface, resulting in a stable amount of steam generation. Moreover, in this case, since the heat dissipation surface at the tip of the heater 8 is small, the change in the amount of steam generated is also small.In this way, the water 5 enters the trough of the heating element storage section 56 and is not absorbed until the end. It can be used effectively and the amount of steam generated is extremely stable. In addition, since the electrode plate 46 is pressed in by the leaf spring 50 via the holding plate 49, the contact state between the electrode, which is the heat radiation surface of the heating element 45, which is a positive temperature coefficient thermistor, and the heating element housing part 56 is improved, and the area is reduced. This makes it possible to dissipate a large amount of heat, making it inexpensive. When the heater 8 thermally expands and contracts due to heating and cooling, the heat sink 44 is damaged due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the heat sink 14 and electrode plate 46, which are good thermal conductors, and the heating element 45, which is a positive temperature coefficient thermistor. On the other hand, there are no gaps that cause poor heat transfer, and a stable amount of heat can be obtained.
Furthermore, a heater 8 is arranged on the lower wall of the steam tank 4,
Since the steam tank water supply port 32 is provided on the side wall near the heater, it is possible to provide the watertight part of the heater 8, that is, the steam tank seal 64, and the steam tank water supply port 32 in an overlapping manner. can be made smaller, allowing steam to rise earlier. 51 is a fixing screw, 52
53 is a lead wire, 57 is a leaf spring holding plate, and 58 is a bottom plate.

Next, the operation of the water absorber A configured as described above will be explained. In FIG. 5, the cover 11 is removed, the water tank 6 is taken out, the water tank cap 24 is removed, and the water tank 6 is refilled with water 5. Insert the plug 60 of the power cord 59 into a commercial power outlet. After that, as shown in the figure, when the water tank 6 is placed on the water tank receiver 26 of the main body case 1, the water tank valve 23 and the water storage chamber valve 3 in the water tank cap 22 are
0 opens, the water supply tank 6 and the water storage chamber 28 communicate with each other, water 5 flows into the water storage chamber 28, and air enters the water supply tank 6. At this time, since the open/close tap 34 is raised and opened, the water 5 flows into the steam tank 4 through the steam tank water supply port 32 until the water level reaches the same level as the water level in the water storage chamber 28. When the water storage chamber 28 is filled with water, air enters from the steam release pipe 10 through the water storage chamber vent 54 and the water supply from the water tank 6 is continued until air stops entering the water tank 6 at the specified water level 9 of the water storage chamber 28. Subsequently, the water level in the steam tank 4 is always kept constant. Next, when the push button 40 is pressed, the on-off valve 34 is lowered as shown in FIG. 4, the steam relief valve 7 and the water supply valve 33 are closed, and the micro switch 43 is turned on, causing the heater 8 to generate heat and the water 5 in the steam tank 4 to warm up. It will be done. When the water 5 boils, the steam tank 4 is filled with steam, and since the steam relief valve 7 and water supply valve 33 are closed, steam is jetted out from the injection nozzle 15. As a result, the suction liquid 3 in the suction tank 2 is sucked up through the suction pipe 18 to the suction nozzle 16 and atomized, and as shown in FIG.
It is ejected as mist droplets. When the push button 40 is released in this state, the open/close valve 34 moves upward from the return spring 41, and the steam relief 7 opens to the state shown in FIG. 10 and is opened near the spray guide port 9b. As a result, the steam pressure in the steam tank 4 rapidly decreases, and no steam is ejected from the injection nozzle 15, so that the spraying of the suction liquid 3 immediately stops. Further, as the opening/closing valve 34 moves upward, the water supply valve 33 also opens, and water 5 is replenished from the water storage chamber 28 and the water supply tank 6 into the evaporation tank 4 as described above. FIG. 5 shows a state in which water supply is completed.
Since this water 5 is not heated, the steam tank 4
The water temperature inside will drop and the generation of steam will stop. Incidentally, since the opening/closing valve 34 is interlocked with the micro switch 43, the power is also cut off as shown in FIG. 8, and the state returns to the original state. When the push button 40 is pressed again, the steam tank 4 is sealed again, the power is turned on, the heater 8 generates heat, and steam is generated again to start spraying.

[Effects of the invention] In the present invention, a heating element storage part made of a good thermal conductor and having a tapered outer surface and having an approximately inverted U-shaped cross section is provided on the lower wall of the steam tank, projecting upward. At the same time, since the motor is formed by housing the heating element over almost the entire area in this heating element storage section, even when steam is generated and the water level in the steam tank drops, the heater's valley area The amount of water present in the water decreases rapidly as the water level gets lower, and moreover, bubbles generated from the water cause the water to be thrown off and adhere to the left and right heater surfaces, where it is vaporized. The water surface is high and in good contact with the heat dissipation surface.In this case, the heating element storage area is made of a good thermal conductor, and the heating element is stored over almost the entire area, so the entire heating element storage area is The surface is heated almost uniformly, and steam can be generated stably. Furthermore, the heating element housing is tapered and the heat dissipation surface at the tip of the heater is small, which reduces the amount of steam generated. The change is also small, and in this way water enters the valley of the heating element housing and can be used effectively until the end.
During use, the amount of steam generated is extremely stable over the entire period, making it easy to use.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view showing a conventional example, Fig. 2 is a side sectional view showing an example of a heater for steam generation, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a push button. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the same as the above shown with the push button pressed; FIG. b is a sectional view taken along line X-X in the same figure a;
The figure is a graph showing the effect of the above embodiment in comparison with the conventional example, and FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing the state of FIG. 5. A... Inhaler, 1... Body case, 2... Inhalation tank, 3... Inhalation liquid, 4... Steam tank, 4a
...Lower wall, 5...Water, 6...Water tank, 8...
Heater, 45...heating element, 56...heating element storage section, 56a...side piece.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) An inhaler equipped with a suction tank inside the main body case, a steam tank that generates steam to atomize the suction liquid in the suction tank, and a water supply tank that supplies water to the steam tank. A heating element housing part formed of a good thermal conductor and having a tapered outer surface and having a substantially inverted U-shaped cross section is provided on the lower wall of the steam tank, and this heating element housing part An inhaler in which a heating element is housed over almost the entire area of the inhaler to form a heater. (2) The inhaler according to claim 1, wherein the heating element is formed of a positive temperature coefficient thermistor.