JP2008286510A - Portable ignition device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a conventional battery lighter uses two or more dry batteries so that the product is large and heavy, and because a cigarette is directly brought in contact with a heat generation body, the heat generation body was deformed and broken in many cases. <P>SOLUTION: Deformation of the heat generating body is prevented by igniting the cigarette in a non-contact manner with the heat generation body by using a charging battery, a blower fan, and a combustion catalyst. Further, a battery lighter having a heat generation part impervious to vibration and impact during conveyance is provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology of a portable ignition device that allows high-temperature heat of a heating element (electric heater) having a combustion catalyst function to contact noncombustible combustibles such as cigarettes and paper.

  A generally known battery-powered lighter simply converts the electrical energy of the built-in battery into a resistance wire heat generating part such as a nichrome wire and converts it into heat energy, and then contacts the heat generating part with a cigarette or the like to generate an ignition source. It is used as. For example, an example of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-148730 has been presented for the purpose of providing a battery-powered lighter that can supply power to a mobile phone.

  Also, when igniting the cigarette, it was lit in the mouth. This was ugly and especially dangerous while driving. Therefore, we will provide a lighter that can be lit without adding to the mouth. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-220758 has been proposed as a table-type lighter for igniting more reliably by combining an electric heater and a fan. As shown in FIG. 4, this patent document 2 describes a large fan 50 and an electric heater 51. However, this is based on a desk lighter and is not suitable for carrying.

A battery-type lighter that uses a dry battery to energize a thin nichrome wire or platinum wire to ignite a cigarette has been known for a long time. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-124850. A lighter using a fuel and a catalyst as in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-134746 has also been proposed. However, there were some unsolved problems.
JP 2003-148730 A JP-A-10-220758 Japanese Utility Model Publication 59-124850 Japanese Utility Model Publication 59-134746

  In the above proposal, since nichrome wire is used as the heating element, a high temperature of 1000 ° C. or higher is necessary to improve the ignition speed in a short time. Nichrome wire was oxidized quickly and cut in a short time. Therefore, in order to reduce power consumption, a small thin nichrome wire must be used for a small heating element. When the temperature is below 800 ° C., the temperature rapidly decreases when it comes into contact with the cigarette. It took a period of several seconds to 10 seconds or more until the battery was used, and the battery was exhausted so that it was not suitable for practical use.

  Furthermore, the power consumption of the nichrome wire alloy is significant regardless of the type of alloy used. However, the one using platinum wire has a catalytic effect and reacts with combustible gas generated from cigarettes and fuel and ignites even at low temperatures, but platinum wire and platinum alloy wire react with carbon present in combustible gas. Carbide is generated, and when used in a reducing atmosphere, it quickly becomes brittle and breaks even with small vibrations.

  Conventional battery-type lighters that have been commercialized use two or more commercially available dry batteries, and thus become large and heavy products that are not suitable for carrying. In addition, in alkaline manganese batteries, etc., the voltage drops rapidly due to the discharge characteristics, so the temperature of the heating element also decreases quickly, making it difficult to ignite, and even if the battery capacity is still about half, the voltage is insufficient and the dry battery It was not preferable for the environment because it had to be disposed of.

  In addition, since the conventional battery-type lighter directly brings the cigarette into contact with the heating element, the small heating element that is soft at high temperatures often deforms and breaks due to heat sagging.

  Therefore, in the present invention, a battery that is small and light and convenient for carrying, is light and thin, and can be recharged is considered so as not to be disposable well in the environment. Furthermore, in order to ignite the cigarette within 3 seconds, the exothermic part has a combustion catalyst function and is completely in non-contact with combustibles such as cigarettes to prevent the heating element from being damaged.

  Therefore, a heating element that generates heat by electric power, a blower that blows air toward the heating element, and a contact prevention body that prevents the heating element and the ignited material from coming into contact with each other, by blowing air from the contact prevention body and the blower, A portable ignition device characterized in that the ignition object can be ignited without being brought into contact with the heating element.

    Further, the heating element is attached so as to be integrated with a combustion catalyst that reacts with oxygen in the air to generate heat, generates heat with power saving, supports the heating element, and serves as a reinforcement of the heating element. In addition to providing a portable ignition device characterized by the above, the present invention proposes a portable ignition device characterized in that a rechargeable battery is used as the power supplied to the heating element.

With the proposed apparatus as described above, an ignited material such as a cigarette does not come into contact with the heating element 10 by the contact prevention body 20, and damage to the heating element such as a platinum wire softened by the heat generation can be prevented. Moreover, since the heat generated by the heating element 10 is blown to the ignited material by the blower fan 18, it can be ignited in a short time.
Further, since the heating element 10 is attached so as to be integrated with the combustion catalyst 11 such as being wound around the combustion catalyst 11, oxidation caused by contacting with oxygen in the air on the catalyst by blowing by the blower fan 18. Heat is generated by the reaction. So-called catalytic combustion is performed, the oxidation reaction is promoted on the catalyst, the temperature is raised, clean combustion gas is generated, and the ignited material can be easily ignited.

In addition, since the surroundings of the heating element 10 become an oxidizing atmosphere generated from the combustion catalyst 11 due to the blowing action, the heating element 10 is prevented from being carbonized, so that the long life of the heating element 10 can be guaranteed.
Furthermore, since the heating element 10 is integrated with the combustion catalyst 11, it is not deformed by heat sagging. And even if an impact such as dropping or colliding the main body occurs while carrying, it is reinforced so that the heating element 10 is not damaged because it is integrated with the fixed combustion catalyst 11. Therefore, even if the heating element is made of platinum wire, it can guarantee sufficient temperature, impact resistance and long life.

Since the electric power supplied to the heating element 10 uses the rechargeable battery 31, it can be charged and used any number of times. In addition, since a higher voltage can be generated than commercially available dry batteries, the time required for the heating element to reach the maximum temperature is shortened, and the power consumption can be reduced.
Furthermore, since the blower fan 18 is operated simultaneously with the energization, a minute amount of vibration is generated, and the user can be recognized that the energization is being performed, so that it can be used safely.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the inside of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention in detail. FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the vicinity of the heating element cover 15. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional lighter with a blower.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. A rechargeable battery 31 is built in the main body case 1 of the portable ignition device, and can be charged from the terminals 32 and 33 for charging. When the switch 30 is operated, electric power is supplied from the output terminals 34 and 35 of the rechargeable battery 31, the heating element 10 generates heat, and the micro motor 22 is rotated.

  The output terminals 34 and 35 of the rechargeable battery 31 are connected to the substrate 2 in the main body case 1, and the substrate 2 has a switch 30, heating element electrodes 16 and 17, motor electrodes 25 and 26, and a display LED 38. LED terminals 36 and 37 are wired and connected. Further, a heating element cover 15, a wind tunnel 21, and a motor mount 23 are fixed to the substrate 2 so as to be able to withstand vibrations and impacts when being carried.

  Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIG. When the switch 30 is turned on, the heating element electrodes 16 and 17 are energized and the heating element 10 generates heat. The heating element 10 is welded to the heating element electrodes 16 and 17 by spot welding 12 and 13. Furthermore, the heating element 10 is wound around and integrated with the combustion catalyst 11. Since the combustion catalyst 11 is fixed to the heating element electrodes 16 and 17, even if the heating element 10 becomes soft due to heat generation, the combustion catalyst 11 is not cut by thermal sagging or vibration.

  When the heating element 10 is energized, the micro motor 22 is rotated and blown into the wind tunnel 21 by the blower fan 18. The wind generated by the blower fan 18 passes through the combustion catalyst 11 and functions to promote combustion by supplying oxygen in the air to the catalyst combustion of the combustion catalyst 11 by the heat generated by the heating element 10. Furthermore, the heat generated at this time is allowed to pass through the slit portion 201 of the contact prevention body 20 to ignite the ignited material.

  The vicinity of the heating element cover 15 will be described with reference to FIG. The heating element cover 15 has a cylindrical shape, and has a board insertion portion 156 at the lower portion so as to be inserted into the board 2 and fixed. A part of the outer periphery of the heating element cover 15 is provided with an air intake port 155 for blowing the wind from the wind tunnel 21 to the heating element 10 and the combustion catalyst 11.

A notch 157 is formed in a U-shape in the circumferential part of the upper part of the heating element cover 15, and the heating part 8 is incorporated in this part, and is embedded and fixed with a filler such as ceramic.
A contact prevention body 20 is fixed above the heat generating portion 8. As the contact prevention body 20, a material having good heat insulation, such as heat resistant glass or mica (phlogopite), is used. A slit 201 is formed in the center of the contact prevention body 20 so that hot air sent by the blower fan 20 is concentrated and passes through to ignite the ignited material.

  An outline of the process and each member when ignition is performed using the portable ignition device configured as described above will be described. As described above, when the switch 30 is turned on, power is supplied from the rechargeable battery 31 and the heating element 10 generates heat. When the heating element 10 reaches 300 ° C., the combustion catalyst 11 reacts to cause catalytic combustion. The temperature of the entire heating unit 8 is increased to about 800 ° C. For example, since the ignition temperature of wood is about 400 ° C., it can be sufficiently ignited by an ignited material such as tobacco. Catalytic combustion is brought into contact with oxygen in the air by blowing by the blower fan 18 and is promoted by an oxidation reaction to maintain the ignition temperature.

When the heating element 10 is a platinum wire, a wire with a wire diameter of 0.1 mm wound in a coil shape with a diameter of about 0.5 mm is generally used, and the length is a minute heater having a role of 7 to 8 mm. Although it is fragile even with a small external force, it can be prevented from being damaged by being wound around the combustion catalyst 11.
Actually, a platinum wire alone is softened at a high temperature and easily deforms and breaks down. Therefore, a platinum rhodium alloy wire having a wire diameter of 0.1 mm wound in a coil shape is used.

  Moreover, although it is estimated that the electric power for igniting a cigarette needs 3W at the minimum, the electric power of 4-5W is required in order to ignite in a short time. By using the heat generating part 8 in which the combustion catalyst 11 and the heat generating element 10 are integrated, the ignition function can be improved and high temperature can be maintained with low power consumption.

  In the above description, the heating element 10 and the blower fan 18 are operated at the same time as the switch 30 is turned on. However, the switch 30 is a three-stage switchable slide switch, the first stage is the disconnection of the electric circuit, the second stage. Is the energization of the heating element 10, the third stage is the simultaneous energization of the heating element 10 and the blower fan 18, and first generates a combustible gas that is thermally decomposed after the temperature of the heating element 10 and the reaction of the combustion catalyst 11 are waited. Then, if the blower fan 18 is operated to blow air, even a highly ignited ignited material such as a cigar can be instantly ignited.

Such an action may be performed automatically by a circuit in the substrate 2 or by switching a slide switch so that an optimal ignition method can be selected.
Note that the switch 30 of this embodiment uses a spring, and a switch with a specification that always returns to disconnecting the electric circuit when the finger is released is selected for safety.

  The rechargeable battery 31 uses a secondary battery such as a lithium polymer battery, an ion lithium battery, or a nickel metal hydride battery. The nominal voltage of these batteries is 3.7V, and even a typical alkaline manganese dry battery generates only a voltage of about 3V. Therefore, the higher the voltage, the greater the power energy, which is advantageous for the design of the heating element 10. Moreover, the time until the heating element 10 reaches the maximum temperature is shortened when the voltage is higher.

As the combustion catalyst 11, a heat-resistant fiber such as alumina fiber or silicon carbide fiber is coated with activated alumina, and then a mixture of platinum or palladium catalyst is applied and reduced in a hydrogen furnace.
This combustion catalyst 11 is catalytically combusted by the air blown from the blower fan 18 and the heat of the heating element 10 to make the vicinity an oxidizing atmosphere, so that the platinum alloy used in the heating element 10 is protected from the reducing atmosphere and is not carbonized. It serves to guarantee a long life.

  Further, since the combustion catalyst 11 made of heat-resistant fiber is contained as the core of the heating element 10, it has a reinforcing effect and is hardly damaged even if combustible materials such as cigarettes come into contact.

  Since the heat generating part 8 has a temperature of about 800 ° C. due to the synergistic effect of the heat generating element 10 and the combustion catalyst 11, even a combustible in a place about 1 mm away by the wind pressure of the blower fan 18 can be sufficiently ignited. Further, the ignition of the combustible material can be further promoted by mixing the gas generated from the combustible material such as tobacco and the oxidizing atmosphere sent from the combustion catalyst 11.

  The combustion catalyst 11 is attached to the heating element electrodes 16 and 17 by pressure bonding. The heating element electrodes 16 and 17 are formed of small diameter pipes plated with nickel on a copper alloy such as stainless steel, nickel or brass. The heating element 10 is attached to the heating element electrodes 16 and 17 by spot welding 12 and 13 and energized.

The contact prevention body 20 is made of a thin material (thickness of about 0.2 mm) made of a thin material (thickness of about 0.2 mm), such as mica plate (mica plate) or heat-resistant glass, and has an adhesive or the like. It is fixed with.
Further, the contact preventing body 20 has a slit portion 201 formed directly above the heating element 10 so that hot air sent by the blower fan 18 is concentrated on the combustible material. In the present embodiment, the elongated hole-like slit portion 201 is formed, but it may be a hole or mesh.

  Further, when not in use, a lid (shirtter) may be installed on the slit portion 201 of the contact prevention body 20 so that the lid is opened and closed in conjunction with the operation of turning on the switch 30. When the finger is released from the switch 30, the lid may be automatically closed and the power switch may be turned off.

    The micro motor 22 is fixed to the substrate 2 by a motor mount 23. The ultra-small motor 22 has a diameter of 4 mm or less and is used for a vibrator of a mobile phone, and uses a power consumption of about 10 mmA.

  The heating element cover 15 is made of heat-resistant resin or ceramic. The board insertion portion 156 is fixed by being inserted into the board 2. The wind tunnel 21 is joined to the air intake port 155, and the air blown by the air blowing fan 18 passes through the heat generating portion 8 and hot air is generated from the slit portion 201.

  The display LED 38 is a display light emitting diode bonded to the substrate 2 by LED terminals 36 and 37, and displays the consumption status and charging status of the rechargeable battery 31.

With the portable ignition device as described above, since the heating element 10 and combustibles such as cigarettes are not in direct contact with each other, the life of the heating element 10 is extended, and it is possible to guarantee one year or more if it is in a normal use state. .
In addition, due to the synergistic effect of the heating element 10, the combustion catalyst 11, and the blower fan 18, the ignition time can be greatly shortened and the power consumption can be reduced.
Further, it is sensibly revealed that energization is caused by minute vibrations of the blower fan 18 and can be used safely.

In the portable ignition device according to the present invention, since the heating element 10 and combustibles such as cigarettes are not in direct contact with each other, the life of the heating element 10 is extended, and it is possible to guarantee one year or more if it is in a normal use state.
Due to the high temperature and combustion catalyst effect, the ignition time of cigarettes and the like has been greatly improved, and even when the energized power is 3 W, it can be ignited within a few seconds.
If the heating element 10 is a heater made of only a platinum alloy, 5 W of electric power is required to achieve the same effect, and a significant labor saving can be achieved.

As an ignition test other than cigarettes, for example, when newspaper is ignited at the third stage of the slide switch, the flame is raised and burned. In addition, when the candle core was moved closer by switching the second and third stages of the slide switch, it was ignited after smoking and burning of the flame was observed. In the same way, firewood lamps and oil stoves easily burn with flames.
These indicate that the effect of the combustion catalyst 11 and the effect of forced air supply by the blower fan 18 have been demonstrated, and can be applied to other non-contact ignition.

It is the figure made to see through the inside of the Example of this invention. It is the figure which drew the principle of the ignition part vicinity of this invention in detail. It is detail drawing of a heat generating body cover. It is sectional drawing of the conventional lighter with a fan.

Explanation of symbols

1 Body Case 2 Substrate 8 Heating Part 10 Heating Element 11 Combustion Catalyst 12 Spot Welding
13 Spot welding +
15 Heating element cover 16 Heating element electrode +
17 Heating element electrode
18 Blower 20 Contact prevention body 21 Wind tunnel 22 Micro motor 23 Motor mount 25 Motor electrode +
26 Motor electrode
30 Switch 31 Rechargeable battery 32 Charging terminal
33 Charging terminal +
34 Output terminal
35 Output terminal +
36 LED terminal +
37 LED terminal
38 LED for display
50 Large fan 51 Electric heater 155 Blow-in port 156 Substrate insertion part 157 Notch part 201 Slit part

Claims (3)

A heating element that generates heat by electric power;
A blower for blowing air toward the heating element;
A contact preventer for preventing the heating element and the ignited material from contacting each other;
A portable ignition device characterized in that the ignited material can be ignited without being brought into contact with the heating element by blowing air from the contact prevention body and the blower.   The heating element is attached so as to be integrated with a combustion catalyst that reacts with oxygen in the air to generate heat, generates heat with power saving, supports the heating element, and reinforces the heating element. The portable ignition device according to claim 1.   The portable ignition device according to claim 1, wherein a rechargeable battery is used as the electric power supplied to the heating element.

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