HK1103992B - Method and device for the evaporation of volatile substances - Google Patents

Description

Method and device for evaporating volatile matter

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method and a device for evaporating volatile substances, such as fragrances and/or insecticides, in which the evaporation is carried out by raising the temperature of a wick impregnated with the substance to be evaporated by means of an electric heating device.

In the present invention, the degree of evaporation of the volatile can also be controlled.

Background

As is known, devices for evaporating volatile substances in liquid state comprise a wick, one end of which is in contact with the volatile substance in the bottle, so that the volatile substance rises by capillary action through the wick, which is made of a porous material, until the wick is totally impregnated.

Typically, these devices comprise heating means, such as PTC resistors, which purposely heat the upper part of the wick, which promote the evaporation of the substance, allowing it to escape in the form of a vapour to the outside of the device.

Some of these devices are equipped with means allowing to control the degree of evaporation of the product, said control being generally based on varying the intensity of the heating to which the wick is heated. The need to control the degree of evaporation tends to complicate the design and manufacture of the device due to the need for several interconnected components, making the manufacturing process more expensive, which is a critical factor in these products since low production costs are critical to the profitability of the device.

Known devices of this type use heating means of solenoid configuration, so that one end of the wick enters and is fixed in a central hole, allowing uniform heating of the entire periphery of the wick in the region of action of said heating element. Although the spiral heating element is effective from an operational standpoint, the device as a whole increases in width and size, and therefore, is undesirable from a manufacturing and marketing standpoint.

Some devices of this type can be found in patents US4.739.928, EP-1.270.022, US6.659.301.

Other prior art volatile substance evaporation devices having spiral heating means are described in the following patents: ES-2.185.490, ES-2.137.111, US-4.968.487.

European patent application EP-1.064.957 describes a device of this type which also has a heating means of helical configuration, in which the cover is moved vertically to effect adjustment of the degree of evaporation.

An electric evaporator is also known from european application EP-1.283.062, having a wick and a curved wall interposed between the wick and a heating means.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for evaporating volatiles, preferably using generated thermal energy.

In addition to the aforementioned advantages, by means of the invention, the degree of evaporation of the substance can be controlled at will by the user and is achieved with a single element which simplifies the manufacturing process to the maximum extent and reduces the cost of the product.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention relates to an apparatus for the evaporation of volatile substances, said apparatus comprising heating means and a wick through which said volatile substances are transported upwards by capillary action, said wick being acted upon by the heating means, which heating means promote the evaporation of said volatile substances. The device has a tube with an open end, the tube housing a portion of the wick, and a peripheral space around the wick defined between the wick and the sides of the tube. The tube has at least one side opening that allows heat flow from the heating device to act on the wick, and the heating device is fixed while the tube is able to rotate in a plane.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for evaporation of a volatile substance, comprising applying a heat source to the volatile substance to be evaporated, closing a portion of the wick inside a small-volume chamber defined by a tubular tube having an open end, and introducing hot air into said chamber through a side opening provided in the tube, the amount of air entering said chamber being controlled by shifting the side opening of the tube with respect to the heat source, varying the distance between the side opening and the heat source.

In this way, a portion of the heat generated by the heating means is transferred to the chamber inside the tube, which houses a portion of the wick. The tube reduces the volume of the space surrounding the wick and therefore requires less thermal energy to achieve the desired degree of evaporation. The reduced volume promotes a "chimney effect", i.e. a rate of increase of the evaporated flavour release, which enhances the diffusion of the product.

The invention includes means that enable the user to control the degree of evaporation of the substance by controlling the degree of effect of the heat on the wick.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for evaporation of a volatile substance, said method comprising subjecting a wick impregnated with the volatile substance to be evaporated to a heat source, which consists in inserting a portion of the wick into a chamber of small volume and in introducing hot air into said chamber. The volume of the reduced volume chamber is slightly greater than the volume of the portion of the wick located therein so as to form a narrow space around the wick between the wick and the side of the tube through which the heated air can rise.

The chamber is defined by a tubular duct which is open at both ends and has at least one side opening, so that in the method of the invention, the hot air generated by the heat source is introduced through the side openings of the duct and is distributed throughout the interior of the chamber, being maintained in proximity to the wick, while it rises through the duct.

In the method, the amount of hot air introduced into the chamber may be controlled so as to vary the degree of evaporation.

In a preferred option of the method, the amount of air is controlled by moving the position of the tube relative to the heat source so that the opening faces the heat source to a greater or lesser extent, thereby allowing greater or lesser transmission of radiation and convection to the interior of the tube and to the surface of the wick exposed to heat.

Drawings

The accompanying set of drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the features of the invention, by way of example and not by way of limitation, and to explain the features of the invention. The drawings are illustrated below:

fig. 1-1 a show perspective views of an evaporation device without the front half of the housing, in which the tubes are in a position corresponding to minimum evaporation, and fig. 1b shows a view similar to the previous figures, but in which the tubes are in a position corresponding to maximum evaporation.

Fig. 2-2 a show side views of the evaporation device without the front half of the casing, with the tubes in a position corresponding to maximum evaporation, and fig. 2b shows a view similar to the previous figures, but with the tubes in a minimum evaporation position. In both figures, the heat generated by the heating device is indicated by three black arrows.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the wick, the tube in which the wick is inserted and the heating means, with the direction of heat radiation indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 shows a view similar to the previous one, showing a front view of the above-mentioned components. The figure discloses an improved convection outlet (smaller cross-sectional area results in increased outlet velocity and hence a greater spread).

Fig. 5 shows two perspective views of an evaporation device with graduated evaporation scales, wherein fig. 5a shows the device in the maximum evaporation position and fig. 5b shows the device in the minimum evaporation position.

Detailed Description

With reference to the figures, it is possible to observe that in one of the possible embodiments of the invention, the device 1 comprises a wick 2, the lower end of which is immersed in a bottle 3, said bottle 3 containing the substance to be evaporated in liquid form, said substance impregnating the whole wick 2. A heating means 4 comprising a cemented electrical resistance is arranged near the upper part of the wick 2 for heating said area.

The device 1 of the invention comprises a cylindrical tube 5 which houses a portion of the wick 2.

The tube 5 has an opening 6 at the side and is fitted in a housing 7, which housing 7 forms part of the device 1, on which device 1 the tube 5 can rotate in a plane, that is to say the tube 5 can rotate freely about its axis but cannot move vertically. The resistance 4 is firmly attached to the housing 7 so that rotation of the tube 5 changes the position of the opening 6 relative to the resistance 4 and thus the heat flow transmitted to the wick in the tube 5.

In another preferred embodiment (not shown here), the device may have two small resistors 4 located on each side of the tube 5, the tube 5 in turn having two openings, the size of the device being further reduced and the wick being caused to be heated more uniformly, since the hot air acts on opposite sides of the device.

In order to take up the smallest possible space inside the housing 7, the employed resistor is flat, as can be seen in fig. 2. Also in fig. 2 it is shown how the resistance 4 is arranged in the same plane, i.e. at the same level as the opening 6, so that the heat it generates reaches the wick 2 more directly and more heat enters the tube 5. At different positions of the tube 5, the position and distance of the opening 6 with respect to the resistance 4 are varied, thus varying the surface of the wick that receives heat directly from the resistance 4.

In this way, two extreme positions are provided at the tube 5 position, which are limited by contact with a flange 8 attached to the tube 5, said flange 8 having a catch for limiting the rotation of the tube inside the housing 7. Thus, a first minimum evaporation end position is defined, as can be observed in fig. 1a and 2b, in which the opening 6 does not face the resistance 4, so that the admission of hot air through the opening 6 is minimal or almost zero.

In the second maximum evaporation limit position, as shown in fig. 1b and 2a, the entire length of the opening 6 is opposite to the resistance 4, so that the intake of hot air into the duct 5 through the opening 6 is maximum.

Figure 3 shows how the hot air entering the duct 5 escapes radially around the length of the wick 2 as it rises through the peripheral space 11 until it exits the duct, as shown in figure 4.

The upper end of the tube 5 emerges from the upper end of the casing 1, forming an annular projection 9 which facilitates manual operation by the user. For this purpose, the tube 5 has a flange on the outer periphery 10, which overlaps with the inner part of the housing 1, said overlap being found between the flange 10 and the annular projection 9, so that a vertical displacement of the tube 5 is prevented, but a rotation thereof is allowed.

In light of the present description and the accompanying drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the description of the invention corresponds to a preferred embodiment, but that various modifications may be introduced without departing from the scope of the invention as set out in the claims.

Claims (17)

1. An evaporation device of volatile substances, comprising a heating device (4) and a wick (2), through said wick (2) the volatile substances are transported upwards by capillary action, said wick (2) being acted upon by the heating device (4), the heating device (4) causing the evaporation of the volatile substances, characterized in that: the device further comprises a tube (5) having an open end, said tube (5) housing a portion of the wick (2), wherein a peripheral space (11) around the wick is defined between the wick and the tube, and said tube (5) has at least one side opening (6) allowing the heat flow from the heating means (4) to act on the wick (2) and the heating means is fixed while the tube is rotatable in a plane.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: a peripheral space (11) is located above the heating means (4).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: a chimney effect can be produced in the peripheral space (11).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: rotation of the tube changes the position of the opening (6) relative to the heating means (4) such that the amount of heat flow acting on the wick is changed.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the heating device includes at least one electrical resistance located proximate the wick.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the heating means comprises two resistors positioned on the diameter of the tube and the tube has two side openings.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, wherein: the resistor defines at least one planar surface.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, wherein: the resistor is in the shape of a prismatic rectangle.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the heating means are located in the same plane as the openings of the tube so that a portion of the wick can face said heating means through these openings.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: in the rotational movement of the tube, a first minimum evaporation limit position is defined at a position where the openings do not face the heating means, and a second maximum evaporation limit position is defined at a position where the openings face the heating means.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the apparatus comprises a housing (7) and the heating means and the tube are supported by the housing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein: the upper end of the tube projects from the top of the housing to form an annular projection (9) which facilitates manual movement thereof relative to the housing (7).

13. The apparatus of claim 11 or 12, wherein: the tube has a peripheral flange, a portion of the housing being located between said peripheral flange and the annular projection (9), preventing vertical displacement of the tube, but allowing rotation thereof.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the tube is cylindrical.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the device comprises a bottle (3), the bottle (3) containing fragrance and/or insecticide volatiles and a portion of the wick being inserted into the bottle.

16. A method of evaporation of a volatile substance comprising the application of a heat source to the volatile substance to be evaporated, characterized in that: the method comprises enclosing a portion of the wick (2) within a small-volume chamber defined by a tubular tube (5) having an open end, and introducing heated air into the chamber through a side opening (6) provided in the tube, wherein the amount of air entering the chamber is controlled by varying the distance between the side opening and a heat source (4) by displacement of the side opening of the tube relative to the heat source.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein: a chimney effect can be created in the chamber.