EP0596155A1

EP0596155A1 - Nozzle for generating bubbles

Info

Publication number: EP0596155A1
Application number: EP92119077A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Toshiharu Fukai
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-10-26
Filing date: 1992-11-06
Publication date: 1994-05-11
Also published as: US5275763A; CA2081392A1

Abstract

A nozzle (10) for continuously generating a number of bubbles is practicably used for the purpose of bathing, cleaning, fire extinguishing, sterilizing or the like. The nozzle (10) includes as essential components a chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit (5), a cylindrical holder (11) to be seized with a user's hand, an injection nozzle (13) attached to the foremost end of the holder (11) for injecting a chemical agent mixture liquid (A) in the form of a number of particles, a cylindrical sleeve (14) secured to the holder (11) with a diameter larger than that of the holder (11), air intake ports (17) formed through the cylindrical sleeve (14) for introducing environmental air into the hollow space of the cylindrical sleeve (14) therethrough, and a mesh-shaped screen (16) fixedly secured to the foremost end of the cylindrical sleeve (14) for allowing a mixture of the injected particles and the introduced air to collide therewith and then generate a number of bubbles each composed of the chemical agent mixture liquid (A). A distance between the injection nozzle (13) and the mesh-shaped screen (16) can be adjusted, and moreover, a flow rate of air to be introduced into the cylindrical sleeve (14) through the intake air ports (17) can be adjusted. To this end, the cylindrical sleeve (14) is displaceably threadably engaged with the holder (11) and an annular adjustment cover (18) is displaceably fitted around the cylindrical sleeve (14). The present injection nozzle (13) may be exchanged with another injection nozzle (22), if necessary.

Description

The present invention relates generally to a bubble generating nozzle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a nozzle for continuously generating a number of bubbles wherein the nozzle can be employed for the purpose of bathing, cleaning, fire extinguishing, sterilizing or the like by continuously blowing from an injection nozzle a number of particles each composed of a chemical agent mixture liquid and then generating a number of bubbles each having air filled therein.
It has been hitherto known that when a chemical agent properly selected corresponding to its application field such as cleaning, fire extinguishing or the like is injected in the form of a number of bubbles, cleaning, fire extinguishing or the like can be achieved at a high efficiency with the chemical agent consumed by a small quantity, since the chemical agent remains at a predetermined location or in a predetermined region for a long time.
In view of the fact as mentioned above, in recent years, can-shaped containers each having a comparatively small volume while containing chemical agents and high pressure gas or compressed air are practically used as fire extinguishers or cleaners each serving to clean a bath tab, a kitchen and dirty articles in an individual dwelling house by blowing the chemical agents in the form of a number of bubbles. However, since each of the conventional can-shaped containers contains chemical agents and high pressure gas only by a limited small quantity, their practical application is unavoidably restricted within the narrow range. In other words, they can be used only to a case that chemical agents and high pressure gas to be injected in the form of a number of bubbles are required by a small quantity. Another problem is that a so-called flon gas has been usually used for the can-shaped containers of the aforementioned type.
In case that a large quantity of chemical agents are used in the form of a number of bubbles, the chemical agents and high pressure gas are filled in each can-shaped container at an expensive cost. For this reason, it is necessary to develop improved technical means for easily filling each can-shaped container with a large quantity of chemical agents and high pressure gas.
In connection with a bubble generating nozzle serving as means for generating a large number of bubbles each composed of chemical agents, a bubbling type fire extinguisher is disclosed in an official gazette of, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication NO. 1-259874. According to the prior invention, an injector type nozzle tip is disposed in a sleeve for the nozzle so that bubble generating liquid is introduced into the fire extinguisher by the action of negative pressure induced by jet stream of pressurized water to mix the foregoing liquid with the pressurized water. The resultant mixture liquid is injected through the nozzle tip toward a deflector disposed in front of the nozzle tip so that it collides with the deflector along which it is dispersively stirred, causing a number of bubbles each serving as a fire extinguishing chemical agent to be generated. In addition, a movable sleeve is displaceably received in the nozzle sleeve so as to allow a distance between the foremost end of the movable sleeve and the deflector to be properly adjusted in order to inject the fire extinguishing agent directly toward an item to be extinguished or spray it toward the same.
The fire extinguisher constructed according to the prior invention is intended to prepare a large number of bubbles each serving as a fire extinguishing agent using a large quantity of pressurized water having high pressure. Thus, when this fire extinguisher is employed for individual dwelling house use using a small quantity of tap water having low pressure, there arise malfunctions as noted below. Specifically, with mixing means having an injector type nozzle tip employed therefor, a small magnitude of negative force is generated by stream of pressurized water, resulting in the chemical agent for generating a number of bubbles failing to be introduced into the fire extinguisher. In addition, since the mixture liquid has a comparatively low pressure, only a small quantity of bubbles are generated when it collides with a plate- shaped deflector along which it is then stirred. Additionally, due to the fact that bubble generating means including the deflector does not include any adjusting means, when pressure of the pressurized water or the kind of chemical agent is changed to another one, the fire extinguisher can not cope with the foregoing changing, and moreover, can not adjust physical properties of each bubble.
As is apparent from the above description, the conventional fire extinguisher for generating a number of bubbles each composed of a chemical agent mixture liquid can not be employed for all of various kinds of applications such as cleaning, fire extinguishing and others. Thus, there arises a necessity that a plurality of bubble generating nozzles are prepared corresponding to all the foregoing applications.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the foregoing background.
An object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle for continuously generating a number of bubbles wherein the nozzle can effectively be employed for the purpose of bathing, cleaning, fire extinguishing, sterilizing or the like using a chemical agent mixture liquid.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle for continuously generating a number of bubbles wherein physical properties of each bubble can be adjusted corresponding to variation of pressure of the chemical agent mixture liquid or the like.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nozzle for continuously generating a number of bubbles, wherein the apparatus comprises a chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit into which water, hot water and chemicals are supplied to prepare a desired chemical agent mixture liquid; a cylindrical holder to be grasped with a user's hand, the cylindrical holder serving to allow the chemical agent mixture liquid to be delivered from the chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit therethrough at a predetermined flow rate in the pressurized state; an injection nozzle attached to the foremost end of the holder for injecting the chemical agent mixture liquid in the form of a number of particles; a cylindrical sleeve secured to the holder with a diameter larger than that of the holder, the cylindrical sleeve having a hollow space in which the chemical agent mixture liquid is injected from the injection nozzle in the form of a number of particles; at least one intake air port formed through the cylindrical sleeve, and a mesh-shaped screen fixedly secured to the foremost end of the cylindrical sleeve for allowing a mixture of the particles injected from the injection nozzle and the air introduced through the intake air ports to collide therewith and then dispersively expand while passing therethrough to generate a number of bubbles each composed of the chemical agent mixture liquid.
From the viewpoint of practical use, it is desirable that a distance between the injection nozzle and the mesh-shaped screen can be adjusted, and moreover, a flow rate of air to be introduced through the intake air ports can be adjusted.
In addition, it is desirable that the mesh-shaped screen can be exchanged with another one, if necessary.
To assure that a flow rate of air to be introduced into the cylindrical sleeve is properly adjusted, an annular adjustment cover is displaceably fitted around the cylindrical sleeve.
Further, according to other embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a nozzle for continuously generating a number of bubbles, wherein the apparatus comprises a chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit into which water, hot water and chemicals are supplied to prepare a desired chemical agent liquid; a cylindrical holder to be grasped with a user's hand, the cylindrical holder serving to allow the chemical agent mixture liquid to be delivered from the chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit therethrough at a predetermined flow rate in the pressurized state, a plurality of male threads being formed around the outer surface of the holder at the fore end part of the same; an injection nozzle threadably secured to the fore end part of the holder for injecting the chemical agent mixture liquid in the form of a number of particles, a plurality of male threads being formed around the outer surface of the injection nozzle, while a plurality of female threads being formed around the inner surface of the same; a cylindrical sleeve threadably secured to the injection nozzle with a diameter larger than that of the holder, the cylindrical sleeve having a hollow space in which the chemical agent mixture liquid is injected from the injection nozzle in the form of particles, a plurality of female threads being formed around the inner surface of a small-diametered portion of the cylindrical sleeve at the rear end part of the same; at least one intake air port formed through the cylindrical sleeve; and a mesh-shaped screen fixedly secured to the foremost end of the cylindrical sleeve for allowing a mixture of the particles injected from the injection nozzle and the air introduced through the intake air port to collide therewith and then dispersively expand while passing therethrough to generate a number of bubbles each composed of the chemical agent mixture liquid.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the following description which has been made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a nozzle for continuously generating a number of bubbles in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the nozzle shown in Fig. 1 in the disassembled state.
Fig. 3 is an illustrative view which shows that the nozzle of the present invention is used by continuously blowing a number of bubbles from the nozzle for the purpose of cleaning a bath tab.
Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a nozzle for continuously generating a number of bubbles in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention will now be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention.
Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 illustrate a nozzle for continuously generating a number of bubble (hereinafter referred to simply as a bubble generating nozzle) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention wherein tap water, hot water heated in a water heater and chemicals are utilized for operating the bubble generating nozzle. In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 designates a piping for tap water, reference numeral 2 designates a piping for hot water heated in a water heater, and reference numeral 20 designates a piping for supplying chemical agents therethrough. The water piping 1, the hot water piping 2 and the chemical agent piping 20 are connected to a chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit 5 via valves 3, 4 and 21. When the unit 5 is supplied with water and hot water to mix with chemical agents suitably employable for various purposes of cleaning, bathing, fire extinguishing or the like at a predetermined ratio, the resultant chemical agent mixture A is prepared in the unit 5. A motor driven pump 23 is disposed at the intermediate position of a flexible piping 7 so that the chemical agent mixture liquid A is delivered from the pump 23 while substantially constant pressure is maintained. As is apparent from Fig. 1, the chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit 5 is connected to a bubble generating nozzle 10 via a coupler 6, the flexible piping 7 and another coupler 8.
The bubble generating nozzle 10 includes an elongated tube-shaped holder 11 connected to the flexible piping 7, and an injection nozzle 12 is attached to the foremost end of the holder 11 in order to inject the chemical agent mixture liquid A with a predetermined expansion angle. A cylindrical sleeve 14 large enough to receive a number of generated particles is arranged ahead of and outside of the injection nozzle 13. The sleeve 14 is integrally constructed of a small-diametered portion 14a threadably engaged with the holder 11 and a large-diametered portion 14b having a diameter larger than that of the portion 14a in the stepped configuration. A mesh-shaped screen 15 is fixedly secured to the foremost end of the large-diametered portion 14b with the aid of a fixing cap 16 as desired while positioning opposite to the injection nozzle 13. The fixing cap 16 is threadably engaged with the foremost end of the sleeve 14. Thus, the mesh-shaped screen 15 can be exchanged with another one by disengaging the fixing cap 16 from the sleeve 14.
A method of continuously generating a number of bubbles in accordance with the present invention is practiced by way of the steps of mixing air with particles of the chemical agent mixture liquid A injected from the injection nozzle 13 in the sleeve 14, colliding the mixture of air and chemical agent mixture liquid A against the mesh-shaped screen 15 at a high speed and then expanding small particles of the injected chemical agent mixture liquid A while passing through the meshed-shaped screen 15 to generate a number of bubbles each composed of a chemical agent B with air filled therein.
Physical properties of each bubble vary depending on a mesh size of the mesh-shaped screen 15, a chemical composition of the chemical agent mixture liquid A, a mixing ratio of water to hot water and a quantity of air mixed with the chemical agent mixture liquid A, water and hot water.
First, the mesh-shaped screen 15 makes it possible to change physical properties of each bubble from a very fine particle-shaped contour to a large soap bubble-shaped contour.
Next, impact force arising when the mixture liquid collides against the mesh-shaped screen 15 vary depending on chemical properties of each chemical agent, pressure of the chemical agent mixture liquid A and a size of the injection nozzle 13. In practice, it has been confirmed based on the results derived from experiments that the impact force has a significant effect on generation of bubbles each composed of a chemical agent B and ejection properties of each bubble. The bubble generating nozzle can cope with variation of the physical properties of each bubble by adequately changing the distance between the injection nozzle 13 and the mesh-shaped screen 15. Specifically, since the small-diametered portion 14a of the sleeve 14 is threadably engaged with the holder 11, the position of the mesh-shaped screen 15 relative to the injection nozzle 13 can be changed as desired by rotating the sleeve 14 relative to the holder 11. Alternatively, the sleeve 14 may be designed to be expansible and contractible in order to change the position of the mesh-shaped screen 15 relative to the injection nozzle 13.
It should be added that a quantity of air to be introduced into the sleeve 14 has a significant effect on variation of the physical properties of each bubble. It has been experimentarily conformed that particles of the chemical agent mixture liquid A are injected from the injection nozzle 13 into the interior of the sleeve 14 at a high speed and the high speed stream of the chemical agent mixture liquid A induced by the foregoing injection allows air to be mixed with the chemical agent mixture liquid A together with the surrounding air.
Air intake ports 17 are formed through the large-diametered portion 14b of the sleeve 14, and an annular adjustment cover 18 is slidably fitted around the large-diametered portion 14b of the sleeve 14. Alternatively, the adjustment cover 18 may threadably be fitted around the large-diametered portion 14b of the sleeve 14. As the position of the adjustment cover 18 varies, a total opened are of the air intake ports 17 varies correspondingly, resulting in a quantity of air to be introduced into the sleeve 14 through the air intake ports 17 being properly adjusted.
Next, a mode of operation of the bubble generating nozzle constructed in the aforementioned manner will be described below.
First, a chemical agent suitably employable for cleaning of a bath tab is prepared in the chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit 5. Next, when the valve 3 on the water piping 1 is opened, tap water flows in the chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit 5 at a predetermined flow rate, causing chemical agents to be mixed with the water, and thereafter, the resultant chemical agent mixture liquid A is delivered to the bubble generating nozzle 10 by driving the pump 23, whereby it is dispersively injected from the injection nozzle 13 at a high speed to generate a number of small particles. At this time, a quantity of air corresponding to a total opened area of the air intake ports 17 is uniformly mixed with the injected small particles of the chemical agent mixture liquid A so that the resultant mixture of small particles and air collides against the mesh-shaped screen 15 at a high speed. As the particles of the mixture which have collided against the mesh-shaped screen 16 passes through the mesh-shaped screen 15, they are expansively deformed into bubbles each having air filled therein, whereby a large number of bubbles each composed of the chemical agent B are continuously generated in the region outside of the mesh-shaped screen 15. These bubbles are ejected toward a bath tab to be cleaned.
A size of bubble composed of the chemical agent B is enlarged more and more as a mesh size of the mesh-shaped screen 15 becomes large. As the mesh-shaped screen 15 is located nearer to the injection nozzle 13, bubbles can be ejected at a longer distance. In addition, as a total opened area of the air intake ports 17 is enlarged to increase a quantity of intake air, a viscosity of each bubble is reduced, i.e., an adhering force of each bubble decreases. Thus, a number of bubbles each composed of the chemical agent B can be generated and ejected toward a bath tab to be cleaned at a high speed by properly selecting the kind of the mesh-shaped screen 15, and moreover, correctly adjusting the position of the mesh-shaped screen 15 relative to the injection nozzle 13 and the total opened area of the air intake ports 17.
Fig. 3 illustrates by way of example that a bath tab 19 is cleaned using the bubble generating nozzle of the present invention. A user grasps the holder 11 of the bubble generating nozzle 10 with his hand to continuously blow a number of bubbles each composed of the chemical agent B toward the bath tab 19. When the bath tab 19 is cleaned using the bubble generating nozzle 10, it is desirable that each bubble composed of the chemical agent B adheres to the bath tab 19 for a long time. For this reason, the total opened area of the air intake ports 17 is set to be small. In other words, an operational effect of cleaning the bath tab 19 can be increased. Thereafter, water is sprayed over the surface of the bath tab 19 until the chemical agent B is entirely washed out. At this time, a cleaning operation for the bath tab 19 has been completed by way of the aforementioned steps.
A bubble generating nozzle in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 4 wherein an injection nozzle can be exchanged with another one as desired.
In this embodiment, an injection nozzle 22 is made of a cylindrical sleeve material of which outer surface is male-threaded and of which inner surface is female-threaded. A holder 11 is threadably engaged with female-threads on the inner surface of the injection nozzle 22, while a small-diametered portion 14a of a cylindrical sleeve 14 is threadably engaged with male threads on the outer surface of the injection nozzle 22. With this construction, the injection nozzle 22 can be exchanged with another one depending on variation of the physical properties of each bubble composed of the chemical agent B.
In case that hot water and compressed air are used in addition to chemical agents to prepare a chemical agent mixture liquid A, it is natural that the operative state of generating bubbles each composed of the chemical agent B correspondingly varies. To cope with the foregoing variation, other kind of chemical agent mixture liquid A is prepared in the chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit 5 to continuously generate a number of bubbles each composed of other kind of chemical agent B. In addition, a various kind of washing operation can be performed by properly selecting the kind of article to be cleaned, e.g., a wall of a building, a floor surface, a vehicle body or the like. In case that a user's body is washed using a bathing cleaner or fire is extinguished with bubbles blown from the bubble generating nozzle, it is obvious that the kind of chemical agent mixture liquid A should be changed corresponding to the kind of usage of the bubble generating nozzles.
While the present invention has been described above with respect to two preferred embodiments thereof, it should of course be understood that the present invention should not be limited only to these embodiments but various change or modification may be made without departure from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A nozzle (10) for continuously generating a number of bubbles, characterized in that water, hot water and chemical agents are supplied in a chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit (5) into which a desired chemical agent mixture liquid (A) is prepared, that a cylindrical holder (11) grasped by a user's hand allows said chemical agent mixture liquid (A) to be delivered from said chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit (5) therethrough at a predetermined flow rate in the pressurized state, that an injection nozzle (13) is attached to the foremost end of said holder (11) for injecting said chemical agent mixture liquid (A) in the form of a number of particles, that a cylindrical sleeve (14) is secured to said holder (11) with a diameter larger than that of said holder (11) and has a hollow space in which said chemical agent mixture liquid (A) is injected from said injection nozzle (13) in the form of a number of particles, that at least one intake air port (17) is formed on said cylindrical sleeve (14) so as to allow environmental air to be introduced into said hollow space of said cylindrical sleeve (14), and that a mesh-shaped screen (16) is fixedly secured to the foremost end of said cylindrical sleeve (14) for allowing a mixture of said particles injected from said injection nozzle (13) and said air introduced through said intake air port (17) to collide therewith and then dispersively expand while passing therethrough to generate a number of bubbles each composed of said chemical agent mixture liquid (A).

2. A nozzle (10) for continuously generating a number of bubbles as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a distance between said injection nozzle (13) and said mesh-shaped screen (16) is adjustable, and moreover, a flow rate of air to be introduced into said cylindrical sleeve (14) through said intake air port (17) is adjustable.

3. A nozzle (10) for continuously generating a number of bubbles as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said mesh-shaped screen (16) can be exchanged with another one, if necessary.

4. A nozzle (10) for continuously generating a number of bubbles as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that an annular adjustment cover (18) is displaceably fitted around said cylindrical sleeve (14) to adjust said flow rate of air to be introduced into said cylindrical sleeve (14) through said intake air port (17).

5. A nozzle (10) for continuously generating a number of bubbles, characterized in that water, hot water and chemical agents are supplied into a chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit (5) in which a desired chemical agent mixture liquid (A) is prepared, that while a cylindrical holder (11) having a plurality of male threads formed around the outer surface at the fore end part thereof is grasped with a user's hand, it permits said chemical agent mixture liquid (A) to be delivered from said chemical agent mixture liquid preparing unit (5) therethrough at a predetermined flow rate in the pressurized state, that an injection nozzle (22) of which outer surface has a plurality of male threads formed thereon and of which inner surface has a plurality of female threads formed thereon is threadably secured to the fore end part of said holder (11) for injecting said chemical agent mixture liquid (A) in the form of particles, that a cylindrical sleeve (22) having a plurality of female threads formed around the inner surface of a small-diametered portion (14a) at the rear end part thereof is threadably secured to said injection nozzle (22) with a diameter larger than that of said holder (11) and has a hollow space in which said chemical agent mixture liquid (A) is injected from said injection nozzle (22) in the form of particles, that at least one intake air port (17) is formed through said cylindrical sleeve (14) so as to allow environmental air to be introduced into said hollow space of said cylindrical sleeve (14), and that a mesh-shaped screen (16) is fixedly secured to the foremost end of said cylindrical sleeve (14) for allowing a mixture of said particles injected from said injection nozzle (22) and said air introduced through said intake air port to collide therewith and then dispersively expand while passing therethrough to generate a number of bubbles each composed of said chemical agent mixture liquid (A).