JP2008049032A - Fine air bubble generator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fine air bubble generator that sufficiently enhances the user's relaxation effects with fine air bubbles, in addition to the appearance and fragrance effects. <P>SOLUTION: The fine air bubble generator is installed on a bath tub and jets out fine air bubbles generated in a fine air bubble unit into the bath tub through a nozzle mounted on a side wall of the bath tub. The generator is equipped with a fragrance means 15 that gives fragrance to the fine air bubbles jetted out from the nozzle 5. The fragrance means 15 is made of such a liquid as essential oil, etc., or otherwise has a container 22 sealing up prescribed fragrance, a piping 15b for connecting the container 22 with an air suction hole of the fine air bubble unit, and a leak preventing system for preventing the fragrance within the container from leakage. The container is housed within a remote control case or one of other various cases such as an operation switch case, etc. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fine bubble generator that is mounted on a bathtub and ejects fine bubbles into hot water in the bathtub.

Conventionally, for example, a device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as a device for ejecting fine bubbles into hot water in a bathtub. In this fine bubble generating device, a suction port and a pressure release valve are provided at the lower portion of the side wall of the bathtub, and a jet port having a fine bubble generating element is disposed in the central portion of the side wall, and between the jet port and the suction port. A prefilter tank, a pump, a pressure adjustment tank, and the like are connected. Then, the hot water in the bathtub is pressurized in the pump by the operation of the pump to generate pressurized dissolved water, and this pressurized dissolved water is separated from excess air in the pressure adjusting tank, and only the pressurized dissolved water is obtained. It is supplied to the fine bubble generating element, and the cloudy dissolved water is jetted into the bathtub from the jet port.
JP 2002-291634 A

  However, in such a fine bubble generating device, although the cloudy melted water is obtained in the bathtub by ejecting the pressurized dissolved water into the bathtub, the dissolved water is simply white and cloudy, for example, A scent like a white turbid bathing agent on the market is not obtained, and it is difficult to sufficiently enhance bathing effects such as a relaxation effect due to fine bubbles. In particular, in the case of bathing with fine bubbles, it is a quiet bathing form that the bather does not feel the strength of the jet, so the appearance of a bathing form that can further enhance the relaxation effect for the bather is required. It is a fact.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a fine bubble generator capable of sufficiently enhancing the relaxation effect due to fine bubbles, in addition to the visual effect. It is to provide.

  In order to achieve such an object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a microscopic device that is mounted on a bathtub and ejects microbubbles generated by the microbubble unit into a bathtub from a jet port provided on a side wall of the bathtub. It is a bubble generation device, characterized by comprising scent-containing means for containing scent into the fine bubbles ejected from the jet port.

  The scent-containing means is preferably formed of a liquid such as essential oil as in the invention described in claim 2. The scent-containing means preferably has a container in which a predetermined scent is sealed, and a pipe that connects the container and the air inlet of the fine bubble unit, as in the invention according to claim 3. In this case, the container preferably has a leakage prevention mechanism for preventing leakage of the scent contained therein to the outside, as in the fourth aspect of the invention. Further, as in the invention described in claim 5, the container is preferably provided in a remote control case in a bathroom where a bathtub is installed or in a case at the upper edge of the bathtub.

  According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, since the fragrance-containing means for adding fragrance to the fine bubbles ejected from the jet port provided on the side wall of the bathtub is provided, The effect of fragrance can be added, and the effect of relaxation by fine bubbles can be sufficiently enhanced, such as obtaining an effect substantially the same as a commercially available bath agent.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, since the scent-containing means is formed of a liquid such as essential oil, the use of a liquid having a relatively strong scent In addition to being able to stably maintain the state of scent generation over a long period of time, it is possible to contain a predetermined amount of scent in the fine bubbles and to effectively generate scent according to taste by direct mixing into the liquid jet. Furthermore, since the essential oil or the like is sufficiently agitated in the hot water by a pump or the like, the oil component or the like does not float on the hot water surface as compared with the case where the essential oil or the like is directly added to the bath water.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the scent-containing means includes a container in which a predetermined scent is sealed, and air suction of the container and the fine bubble unit. Since the pipe is connected to the mouth, the container can be installed at a desired position in the bathroom, and the fragrance can be easily exchanged, and the usability can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 3, since the container has a leakage prevention mechanism for preventing leakage of the scent contained therein to the outside, In the case of not using the fragrance, it is possible to reliably prevent the leakage of the fragrance, extend the life of the fragrance, and use it stably for a long time.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 3 or 4, the container is provided in the remote control case of the bathroom where the bathtub is installed or in the case of the upper edge of the bathtub. The maintenance of the scent-containing means, such as scent exchange, can be easily performed by installing in each case used in the bathroom.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 to 5 show an embodiment of a microbubble generator according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram thereof, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a scent-containing means, and FIG. The sectional view and FIG. 5 are explanatory diagrams of the operating principle of the fine bubble unit.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fine bubble generating device 1 has a fine bubble unit 2 that operates as described later. This fine bubble unit 2 is connected to the suction port of a bathtub 3 via a pipe 6, for example. A suction port 4 provided on one side wall 3 a orthogonal to the back foot direction is connected, and a jet port 5 provided on the side wall 3 a of the bathtub 3 is connected to the discharge port via a pipe 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the fine bubble unit 2 includes a pump 8, a dissolution tank 9, a foaming nozzle 10, and the like. An air suction port 11 is provided on the suction port side of the pump 8, and the dissolution tank 9. Is provided with a surplus air discharge port 12, and a discharge valve 13 is disposed in the surplus air discharge port 12.

  And the fragrance | flavor containing means 15 is connected to the air inlet 11 of this fine bubble unit 2, as shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. The scent containing means 15 has, for example, a container main body 15 a disposed on the wall surface of the bathroom 14, a tube 15 b as piping, and the like, and the tube 15 b is connected between the container main body 15 a and the air suction port 11. . As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the container body 15a of the scent-containing means 15 has a thin and flat shape, and a lid 16 having a knob 16a at the front opening is disposed so as to be openable and closable. A space 17 is formed, and the other end of the tube 15 b is connected to the back surface of the container main body 15 a through the joint 18 in the open state in the space 17.

  In addition, an air suction port 19 is provided in the bottom wall of the container main body 15a. The air suction port 19 is opened when the inside of the container main body 15a becomes negative pressure, and enters the external air space 17. A check valve 20 is provided that allows suction. The lid body 16 that closes the front opening of the container body 15a is disposed in an opening portion provided on the front wall so as to be opened and closed via the packing 21, and sufficient airtightness is secured in the space 17 in the closed state. It has become so. Moreover, the opening of the front wall of the container main body 15a is set to a size that allows a scent bag 22 (aroma essence) accommodated therein to be taken in and out. Perfume (aroma) or a bag (or container) containing liquid such as essential oil.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pump 8 and the dissolution tank 9 of the fine bubble unit 2 are arranged in proximity to each other on the mounting frame 23 having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the pump 8 itself and the dissolution tank. The size of the fine bubble unit 2 is reduced by forming the 9 itself in a small size. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the pump 8 of the fine bubble unit 2 is connected to a power supply device 24 disposed on the back of the ceiling of the bathroom 14, and the power supply device 24 includes a jet provided on the wall surface of the bathroom 14. A remote controller for bus 25 and an underwater light 26 provided on the side wall 3b of the bathtub 3 are connected. Further, for example, on the foot side wall 3b of the bathtub 3, a jet port 27 for a jet bath is provided as shown in FIG.

  Next, an example of operation | movement of the fine bubble generator 1 comprised in this way is demonstrated. First, the fine bubble unit 2 is installed on a waterproof pan on the outside of the side wall 3b of the bathtub 3, and the suction port and the discharge port are connected to the suction port 4 and the jet port 5 of the bathtub 3 by pipes 6 and 7, and The air suction port 11 of the bubble unit 2 and the joint 18 of the container body 15a disposed on the wall surface are connected by a tube 15b. Further, the lid body 16 of the container body 15 a is opened and the scent bag 22 is stored in the internal space 17. At this time, the scent bag 22 accommodated in the container main body 15a is in a state in which the scent fills the space 17, but the space 17 is sealed and leakage of the scent to the outside is prevented.

  As a result, the fine bubble generating device 1 is installed and is ready for use. In this state, when a fine bubble operation switch (not shown) of the remote controller 25 is turned on, the pump 8 of the fine bubble unit 2 is activated and air is turned on. The suction port 11 has a negative pressure, and the air suction port 11 has a negative pressure, whereby the inside of the container body 15a connected by the tube 15b also has a negative pressure. As shown by arrows A in FIGS. 4 and 5, the container body The scent filled in the space 17 of 15a is sucked into the pump 8 through the tube 15b. This scent is sucked into the pump 8 through the tube 15b together with the outside air (outside the container body 15a) by opening the check valve 20 due to the negative pressure in the space 17. The flow rate of the air containing the scent sucked through the tube 15b is set to 1 liter / min, for example.

  When air containing scent is sucked into the pump 8, this is pressurized and dissolved in the hot water in the bathtub 3 and the melting tank 9 sucked from the suction port 4 of the bathtub 3, and in the melting tank 9. The surplus air that has not been dissolved in the hot water is discharged to the outside from the surplus air discharge port 12 as shown by the arrow b in FIG. As a result, pressure-dissolved water in which hot water is dissolved in air containing scent is generated in the dissolution tank 9, and this pressure-dissolved water is ejected into the bathtub 3 from the foaming nozzle 10 disposed in the jet port 5 of the bathtub 3. Since the pressure-dissolved water ejected into the bathtub 3 is set to fine bubbles in the micron (μm) unit of the bubbles, No hot water becomes white and cloudy.

  Due to the bubbles containing the scent, the scent drifts in the hot water in the bathtub 3, and the bather can take a bath in a state where the visual effect and the effect of the scent are combined in the same manner as a commercially available bath agent. Moreover, if the underwater light 26 of a predetermined color is turned on at the time of bathing of the fine bubbles, a predetermined color can be given to the fine bubbles in a cloudy state, and it is fine with the same feeling as bathing agents of various colors. Bubble bathing is possible.

  On the other hand, when the bath with fine bubbles is to be terminated, the pump 8 is stopped when the fine bubble operation switch of the remote controller 25 is turned off or when the fine bubble bathing time set in advance by a timer is completed. Thus, the air suction port 11 becomes positive pressure, and the inside of the container body 15a connected by the tube 15b becomes positive pressure, and the check valve 20 is closed. By closing the check valve 20, the inside of the container main body 15 a is sealed, and leakage of the scent filling the space 17 to the outside is prevented, and the next operation of the pump 8 is awaited. In other words, the check valve 20 provided in the container body 15a is opened only when the pump 8 is operated and sucks air from the outside to include a scent, and the air containing the scent is dissolved in hot water in the dissolution tank 9, The scented pressure-dissolved water is generated and jetted into the bathtub 3.

  In addition, when the fragrance is lost by using the microbubble generator 1 for a predetermined time, the scent bag 22 in the container body 15a is replaced. The scent bag 22 is exchanged by pulling the container body 15a forward with the lid 16 and holding the cover 16a, opening the front opening of the container body 15a as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Can be performed by replacing the used scent bag 22 stored in the sachet with a new scent bag 22 and then closing the lid 16 again.

  Thus, in the fine bubble generator 1 of the said embodiment, since the fragrance | flavor containing means 15 is included and a fragrance is contained in the fine bubble ejected from the jet nozzle 5 provided in the side wall 3a of the bathtub 3, for example, The effect of fragrance can be added to fine bubbles that are cloudy and have visual effects. As a result, in the fine bubble bath that is a quiet bathing form that the bather does not feel the strength of the jet, the relaxation effect with a scent almost the same as a commercially available bath agent can be obtained, etc. It is possible to accurately meet the demands.

  Further, since the scent containing means 15 is composed of a container body 15a in which a predetermined scent is sealed, a tube 15b connecting the container body 15a and the air suction port 11 of the fine bubble unit 2, etc., the tube 15b The container body 15a can be installed on the wall surface of the bathroom 14 by, for example, the vicinity of the remote controller 25, and the operability can be improved and the scent bag 22 can be easily replaced. Can improve usability.

  In addition, a check valve 20 that prevents leakage of the scent of the scent bag 22 accommodated in the space 17 to the outside is disposed in the air suction port 19 that is provided on the bottom wall of the container main body 15a and sucks outside air. Therefore, when the fine bubble generating device 1 is not used, the leakage of the scent to the outside is surely prevented to extend the life of the scent bag 22, and the fine bubble generating device 1 is used stably over a long period of time. It becomes possible.

  Further, since the underwater light 26 is provided on the side wall 3b of the bathtub 3, by setting the color of the LED as the underwater light 26 to a predetermined value, the color of the fine bubbles can be set as desired, and each color that is commercially available The visual effect similar to that of the bathing agent can be obtained, and fantastic colored fine bubbles can be obtained by switching and using, for example, LEDs of a plurality of colors. Further, since the pump 8 and the dissolution tank 9 of the fine bubble unit 2 are integrated with the mounting frame 23, the space for installing the unit 2 can be saved and the installation in the outer space of the bathtub 3 is facilitated. Further, energy saving can be achieved by reducing the size of the pump 8 and the dissolution tank 9 itself.

  By the way, in the above description, the container main body 15a in which the scent bag 22 is accommodated is disposed on the wall surface of the bathroom 14 separately from the remote controller 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. In this way, the scent bag 22 can be configured to be housed in the case 25a of the remote controller 25. In this case, a predetermined space 29 may be provided in a sealed state, for example, on the right side of the remote control case 25a, and the scent bag 22 may be stored in the space 29 so that it can be taken in and out.

  For example, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the case 30 provided on the upper edge flange 3c of the bathtub 3 is provided with a sealed space 29 (not shown) similar to the remote control case 25a. The scent bag 22 can also be stored in the inside 29 so that it can be taken in and out. If comprised in this way, the scent bag 22 can be arrange | positioned in the position where it is easy to operate, for example, exchange work etc. of the scent bag 22 can be performed easily.

  Further, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, a heater 31 (fragrance promoting means) is disposed at a predetermined position in the container main body 15a, and when the pump 8 is activated, the heater 31 is energized and the container main body 15a is energized. The temperature in the space 17 can be increased. If comprised in this way, the amount of fragrance in the scent bag 22 can be increased by energizing the heater 31, and the amount of fragrance mixed in the fine bubbles can be adjusted according to the preference of the bather. And the relaxation effect during bathing of fine bubbles can be further enhanced. In this case, as the scent promoting means, it is possible to use a vibrator or the like which vibrates the scent bag 22 in addition to the heater 31.

  FIG. 7 shows a modification of the fine bubble generator according to the present invention. The feature of this example is that a pipe 32 having a solenoid valve 33 is connected to the air suction port 11 and a liquid having a fragrance such as essential oil is introduced from an open end 32a of the pipe 32 so that the fragrance is contained in the fine bubbles. It is in the point made to let it be. At this time, the liquid is introduced into the air suction port 11 by controlling the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 33 (for example, opening every 1 second). According to this modification, a relatively strong liquid is used as a scent, and the scent can be contained in the fine bubbles by adding it to the air suction port 11 in a drip state. For example, the scent is generated in the bathroom 14. It can be stably maintained for a long period of time, and the liquid can be directly mixed into the jet, and a predetermined amount of scent can be contained in the fine bubbles to effectively generate a scent according to taste. Furthermore, since essential oil or the like is sufficiently stirred into the hot water by the pump 8 or the dissolution tank 9, the oil component or the like does not float on the hot water surface even when a long time has passed.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although the suction inlet 4 and the jet nozzle 5 of the microbubble generator 1 were arrange | positioned in the side wall 3a of the bathtub 3, the suction inlet 4 and the jet nozzle 5 are the back side or the foot side of the bathtub 3, for example. It can be arranged on the side wall 3b, or the number thereof is not limited to one, and a plurality can be provided on a predetermined side wall. In addition, the shape of the container body 15a, the opening / closing mechanism of the lid body 16, the storage form of the scent bag 22, the scent-containing method, and the like in the above embodiment are also examples. For example, in the bathroom 14 other than bathing fine bubbles In the range which does not deviate from the gist concerning each invention of the present invention, such as a container body 15a having a shape capable of emitting a predetermined scent or a combination of the structure shown in FIG. 5 and the structure shown in FIG. Can be changed.

  The present invention can be applied to all fine bubble generators mounted on a bathtub having a suction port and a jet port on a side wall.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a microbubble generator according to the present invention. Top view of the bathtub Perspective view of the scent containing means Sectional view Operational principle diagram of the microbubble unit Front view showing a modification of the scent-containing means Operating principle explanatory view similar to FIG. 5 showing a modification of the fine bubble generating device

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Microbubble generator, 2 ... Microbubble unit, 3 ... Bathtub, 3a, 3b ... Side wall, 4 ... Suction port, 5 ... Jet port, 8 ... Pump , 9 ... Dissolution tank, 10 ... Firing nozzle, 11 ... Air suction port, 12 ... Excess air discharge port, 13 ... Discharge valve, 14 ... Bathroom, 15 ... Fragrance Containing means, 15a ... container main body, 15b ... tube, 16 ... lid, 17 ... space, 19 ... air inlet, 20 ... check valve, 22 ... fragrance Bag, 24 ... Power supply device, 25 ... Remote control, 25a ... Remote control case, 26 ... Underwater light, 29 ... Space, 30 ... Case, 31 ... Heater, 32 ...・ Piping, 32a ... inlet, 33 ... solenoid valve.

Claims (5)

A fine bubble generating device that is mounted on a bathtub and jets fine bubbles generated by a fine bubble unit into a bathtub from a jet port provided on a side wall of the bathtub,
A fine bubble generating apparatus, comprising: a scent-containing means for containing a fragrance in fine bubbles ejected from the jet port.   The fine bubble generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scent-containing means is formed of a liquid such as essential oil.   3. The generation of fine bubbles according to claim 1, wherein the scent-containing means has a container in which a predetermined scent is sealed, and a pipe that connects the container and an air suction port of the fine bubble unit. apparatus.   The microbubble generator according to claim 3, wherein the container has a leakage prevention mechanism for preventing leakage of the scent contained therein to the outside.   The fine bubble generating device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the container is provided in a remote control case of a bathroom in which a bathtub is installed or in a case of an upper edge flange of the bathtub.

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