AUTOMATED DEVICE FOR THE TARGETED SPRAYING OF ACTIVE MATERIAL

Abstract

Device (1) for spraying active material comprising a case (2) fixed on a support (3), said case (2) containing a liquid solution containing at least one active material in a tank (7), said solution being ejected through an ejection orifice (4), said tank (7) being equipped with an activatable diffusion mechanism (10), which communicates with an electronic circuit (10), powered by a battery (11), the activation of which triggers spraying, characterized in that the ejection orifice (4) is connected to a tubular duct with a length of between 5 and 70 cm provided with at least one outlet orifice (5′) for offsetting the ejection of said active material in the form of fine liquid particles.

Claims

1. A device comprising a case fixed on a support, the case containing a liquid solution containing at least one active material in a tank, the solution being ejected through an ejection orifice, the tank being equipped with an activatable diffusion mechanism, which communicates with an electronic circuit, powered by a battery, the activation of which triggers spraying of the active material, wherein the ejection orifice is connected to a tubular duct with a length of between 5 and 70 cm provided with at least one outlet orifice.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular duct has an internal diameter ranging from 0.2 to 5 mm.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular duct has an angle of curvature with respect to a baseplate of between 30° and 120°.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular duct contains an ejection nozzle with a diameter of between 0.2 mm and 2 mm at its outlet orifice.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the activatable diffusion mechanism is a solenoid valve, a spray nozzle of which is offset and is fixed to a free end of the tubular duct.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein a sound intensity generated by the ejection of the liquid through the tubular duct is less than 30 decibels.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the electronic circuit controls the actuation of an electromagnetic coil of the solenoid valve in order to trigger the spraying.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular duct has an accordion-like structure over at least part of its length.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular duct comprises a plurality of perforations.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tubular duct comprises at least one branch.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the active material is selected from an insecticide, a repellent, an odoriferous agent, a cosmetic agent, an anti-itch agent, or the mixtures thereof.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit allows the diffusion mechanism (10) to be remotely controlled.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the remote control of the diffusion mechanism is effected by means of a remote control, a radio system, or a Wi-Fi system.

14. A method for improving spraying of an active material comprising using the device according to claim 1 for spraying a volume of liquid on a target.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the active material is a repellant or an insecticide.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the active material is continuously or intermittently sprayed onto the target.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the volume of the liquid sprayed is from 10 to 400 μL per jet over a time interval of 2 to 10 seconds, and wherein the quantity of active material is from 0.01 to 50% by weight of the volume of liquid.

Description

[0086] FIG. 1: is a perspective bottom view of a device according to the invention, fixed on a collar.

[0087] FIG. 2: is a simplified schematic sectional view of the device along the axis I-I of FIG. 1.

[0088] FIG. 3: is a schematic view of a dog wearing the device according to the invention.

[0089] FIG. 4: is a dog dummy on which spray tests were carried out.

[0090] FIG. 1 shows a device (1) formed by a case (2) fixed on a support (3) of the collar type intended to be worn by an animal. It can be seen, on the lower face (6) of the case (2), that the ejection orifice (4), which is a spray nozzle, is connected to a polypropylene tube (5). The nozzle (4) of the solenoid valve is connected to the tube (5), open at one of its ends (5′), the length of which is adapted according to the size of the carrier animal. In the case shown, the tube (5) is 8 cm long for an internal diameter of 2.5 mm.

[0091] FIG. 2 shows that the case (2) houses a pressurized 4 mL tank (7) containing a liquid containing an active material such as a repellant; a nozzled solenoid valve (10) equips said tank (7). The spray nozzle (4) is located at the free end of the male part of the baseplate (8). The solenoid valve (10) communicates with an electronic circuit (9), which itself is powered electrically by a battery (11), mounted interchangeably. The electronic circuit can be fixed (9) on a suitable fixing support (14). To manually activate the start-up of the solenoid valve (10), a push button (12), connected to the electronic circuit (9), can be provided on the upper part of the case (2). A liquid filling valve (13) also can be provided on the case (2).

[0092] FIG. 3 shows a dog wearing a device (1), according to the invention, fixed on its collar (3). The tube (5) is bent at the chest of the dog in order to best match the shape at this point. Clearly, when the dog is in a sitting posture, the open end (5′) of the tube (5) more easily reaches the belly area as well as the legs.

[0093] In the case whereby the device according to the invention is fixed on a harness, said harness can be placed around the hip or the thorax of an animal.

[0094] FIG. 4 shows five areas of the body of the dog on which strips of Joseph paper have been placed in order to assess the quantity of repellent deposited on each of the areas.

[0095] It can be seen that zone 1 corresponds to the abdomen, zones 2 and 3 correspond to the lower parts of the two front legs and zones 4 and 5 correspond to the lower parts of the two rear legs.

[0096] In order to understand the invention described above, the following examples are provided purely by way of a non-limiting illustration.

[0097] According to a preferred mode of operation of the device according to the invention, the device is equipped with a nozzled solenoid valve, and is fixed on a collar worn by a dog.

[0098] When an animal wears the device according to the invention, fixed on a collar-type support, each actuation of the solenoid valve by the electronic circuit causes the ejection, through the nozzle, of a quantity of liquid containing a certain dose of active material. The tubular duct has a suitable length, which allows the atomized active material to reach the lower parts of the body of an animal such as the belly or the legs. By virtue of the programming of the electronic circuit, the actuation of the solenoid valve can be carried out either automatically (for example, 2 to 5 sprays per day), or manually to cause the nozzle to open/close. Programming can involve determining the duration, frequency and quantity of liquid that is sprayed. During programming, it is also possible to select setpoint values beyond which the actuation of the solenoid valve is automatically triggered. For example, the time interval between two successive sprays can vary from 2 seconds to 5 minutes. Each spray can last between 0.5 seconds and 60 seconds. The volume of liquid ejected with each spray varies as a function of the duration of the spray, and can range from 10 μl to 200 μL.

[0099] The electronic circuit can comprise sensors or probes and transmitters. As sensors, an accelerometer can be provided that allows a warming signal to be sent in the event of excessive scratching, or conversely in the event of prolonged immobilization, which could reflect a symptomatic amorphous state following a viral infection, for example.

[0100] In the case whereby the electronic circuit comprises a transmitter that communicates with an appliance of the remote control or mobile telephone type, the actuation of the solenoid valve can be triggered remotely. In all cases, a person skilled in the art specializing in the field of electronic circuits will know how to determine the appropriate parameters and supports in order to configure the entire circuit as described by the specification of the present invention.

Example 1: Quantification of the Distribution of a Liquid Containing a Repellent on the Lower Parts of a Dog

[0101] The spraying tests described in points 1.1 to 1.3 below were carried out on an adult dummy dog (Jack Russell), hereinafter referred to as “dummy”, on which strips of Joseph paper (25 g/m.sup.2) were placed on different parts of the body, which represents a total covered surface area of 289 cm.sup.2, according to the following distribution: [0102] a 15×9 cm strip on the stomach (zone 1); [0103] a 3.5×11 cm strip inside each of the legs (zones 2 to 5).

[0104] After each spray, the liquid is allowed to dry for 5 min, then the quantity of essential lavender oil deposited per square centimeter of paper is weighed.

[0105] The liquid is made up of an alcoholic solution containing 5% of essential lavender oil and 90% of absolute ethanol. Trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene is used as the propellant gas. The tank is filled, under pressure, with all the above compounds, in order to form the “repellent liquid”.

[0106] At the same time as the gravimetric characterization tests of the essential oil deposit described above, the sound intensity generated by each of the sprays is measured using a sound level meter (Brüel & Kjær, model 2250-W).

[0107] 1.1. Spray Tests Using a Device without a Tubular Duct:

[0108] A spray device known under the trade name HomePet® (model YD-4020) is provided. It is made up of a case, inside which a pressurized liquid tank is housed that is equipped with a nozzled solenoid valve. The case is also provided with a liquid filling valve. The HomePet® device is sold with a remote control, which allows spraying to be triggered at will. This device is specifically designed to discourage a dog from barking.

[0109] The tank of the HomePet® device is filled with the “repellant liquid”, then the case is fixed on a collar around the neck of the dummy, with the spray nozzle being directed downward.

[0110] Once the device is in place, spraying is triggered via the remote control. The volume of each jet is approximately 70 μl. A series of 25 sprays is carried out, then the strips of paper are collected for weighing. The experiment is repeated 3 times. The results are listed in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Measurement of the quantity of essential lavender oil deposited on the paper and average sound intensity generated by a jet] Quantity of essential lavender Average sound intensity Test oil deposited on the paper generated by a jet number (mg/cm.sup.2) (dB) A 0.015 32 to 34 B 0.017 C 0.012

[0111] 1.2 Spray Tests Using the First Variant of a Device According to the Invention:

[0112] A spraying device identical to point 1.1 is provided. The baseplate of the nozzle is connected by interlocking with a 5 cm long polypropylene tube with an internal diameter of 4 mm, with the middle of the tube being bent by an angle of approximately 45°.

[0113] The HomePet® device tank is filled with the “repellent liquid”, then the rest proceeds as in point 1.1. The experiment is repeated 3 times. The results are listed in Table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Measurement of the quantity of essential lavender oil deposited on the paper by means of the tube and average sound intensity generated by a jet, according to the first variant of the invention] Quantity of essential lavender Average sound intensity Test oil deposited on the paper generated by a jet number (mg/cm.sup.2) (dB) D 0.046 <20 E 0.040 F 0.042

[0114] Compared to the results obtained with the reference device in point 1.1, it can be seen that, on the one hand, the quantity of essential lavender oil according to the first variant of the invention has been increased by 2.84 times compared to that of the HomePet® device and, on the other hand, that the sound intensity has been reduced so that its value is lower than that of the detection limit of the sound level meter.

[0115] 1.3 Spray Tests Using the Second Variant of a Device According to the Invention:

[0116] A HomePet® device identical to that described in point 1.2 is provided, except that its original nozzle has been removed from its baseplate. Therefore, the baseplate of the solenoid valve is connected directly, by interlocking, to a polypropylene tube with an internal diameter of 0.8 mm for a length of 8 cm. The baseplate is connected to the orifice of the tank. The tube is bent at 90° at two-thirds of its length, i.e. substantially below the thorax. The spray nozzle, with a diameter of 0.5 mm, is then fixed to the free end of the tube.

[0117] The HomePet® device tank is filled with the “repellent liquid”, then the test proceeds as in point 1.1. The experiment is repeated 3 times. The results are listed in Table 3.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Measurement of the quantity of essential lavender oil deposited on the paper by means of the tube and average sound intensity generated by a jet, according to the first variant of the invention] Quantité d'huile essentielle de Intensité sonore moyenne lavandin déposée sur le papier générée par un jet No essai (mg/cm.sup.2) (dB) G 0.160 20 à 22 H 0.220 I 0.180

[0118] It can be seen that, on the one hand, the quantity of essential lavender oil according to the second variant of the invention has been increased by 12.4 times compared to that of the HomePet® device of point 1.1 and, on the other hand, that the sound intensity has been reduced by 35%.

[0119] These three experiments clearly show that the addition of a tubular duct, which is orientable according to the morphology of an animal, connected to a nozzle, allows the lower parts of a dog to be targeted more effectively. When the nozzle is fixed to the free end of the tube, the quantity of essential lavender oil deposited on the areas to be treated is further increased.

[0120] Furthermore, the use of a tube allows the sound intensities generated by the jets to be significantly attenuated, unlike the devices of the prior art.

Example 2: Tests Aimed at Determining the Influence of the Length of the Tube, the Presence or Absence of a Remote Nozzle, and the Internal Diameter of Said Nozzle, on the Noise Emitted by Each Spray

[0121] A spray device supplied by Shenzen Trainertec Electronic Co., Ltd is provided (model SP13 Remote Spray Trainer). It is made up of a case, inside which a pressurized liquid rank is housed that is equipped with a nozzled solenoid valve. The case is also provided with a liquid filling valve. The SP13 Remote Spray Trainer is sold with a remote control, which allows spraying to be triggered at will. Spraying is adjustable to two levels: Low (30-40 μL per spray) and High (70-80 μL per spray). This device is specifically designed to discourage a dog from barking. This device is called V0.

[0122] The tank of the device is filled with the “repellent liquid”, then the case is fixed on a collar placed around the neck of the dummy, with the spray nozzle being directed downward.

[0123] The liquid is made up of an alcoholic solution containing 5% of essential lavender oil and 90% of absolute ethanol. Trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene is used as the propellant gas. The tank is filled, under pressure, with all the above compounds, in order to form the “repellent liquid”.

[0124] Once the device is in place, the spraying is triggered via the remote control (High level). The sound intensity generated by each spray is measured using a sound level meter (Brüel & Kjær, model 2250-W) at a distance of 15 cm from the collar. A series of 6 sprays is carried out. The results are listed in Table 4.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Average sound Length of the Sound intensity generated hose fitted on Diameter of the intensity generated by one jet the SP13 Remote nozzle offset at Test by one jet (Value/standard Spray Train Device the end of the tube number (dB) deviation in dB) (mm) (mm) Devices 1 40 41 (1) No hose No nozzle V1 2 42 3 41 4 42 5 40 6 40

[0125] The device (model SP13 Remote Spray Trainer) is modified by removing the original nozzle from its baseplate and connecting, by interlocking, the baseplate of the nozzle to a 13 cm long polypropylene tube with an internal diameter of 1 mm (supplied by Weisser Berg). The end of the hose is left free. The tube is then inserted into a metal sheath of the same length in order to be able to orient the jet (internal diameter 4 mm/external diameter 8 mm supplied by Dongguan Xinguanghong Metal & Plastic Products Co., LTD). This device is called V2.

[0126] This device is then modified as follows: a spray nozzle with an internal diameter of 0.6 mm (device V3) or 1 mm (device V4) is fixed at the end of the hose on the device V2.

[0127] The tanks of devices V2, V3 and V4 are filled with “repellent liquid”, then the cases are fixed on collars arranged around the necks of the dummies, with the spray nozzle being directed downward.

[0128] Once the devices are in place, the spraying is triggered via the remote control (High position). The sound intensity generated by each spray is measured using a sound level meter (Brüel & Kjær, model 2250-W) at a distance of 15 cm from the collars. A series of 6 sprays is carried out. The results are listed in Table 5.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Average sound Length of the Sound intensity generated Diameter of the hose fitted on intensity generated by one jet nozzle offset at the SP13 Remote Test by one jet (Value/standard the end of the tube Spray Train Device number (dB) deviation in dB) (mm) (mm) Devices 7 15 17 (2) No nozzle 130 V2 8 15 9 17 10 17 11 19 12 19 13 31 33 (3) 0.6 130 V3 14 29 15 29.5 16 35 17 37 18 37 19 24 25 (2) 1 130 V4 20 24 21 23 22 27 23 27 24 26

[0129] The device (model SP13 Remote Spray Trainer) is modified by removing the original nozzle from its baseplate and connecting, by interlocking, the baseplate of the nozzle to a 20 cm long polypropylene tube with an internal diameter of 1 mm (supplied by Weisser Berg). The end of the hose is left free. The tube is then inserted into a metal sheath of the same length in order to be able to orient the jet (internal/external diameter 4/8 mm supplied by Dongguan Xinguanghong Metal & Plastic Products Co., LTD). This device is called V5.

[0130] This device is then modified as follows: on device V5, a spray nozzle with an internal diameter of 0.6 mm (device V6) or 1 mm (device V7) is fixed to the end of the hose. The tanks of devices V5, V6 and V7 are filled with “repellent liquid”, then the cases are fixed on collars around the necks of the dummies, with the spray tube being directed downward. Once the devices are in place, spraying is triggered via the remote control. The sound intensity generated by each spray is measured using a sound level meter (Brüel & Kjær, model 2250-W) approximately 15 cm from the collars. A series of 6 sprays is carried out. The results are listed in Table 6.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Average sound Length of the Sound intensity generated Diameter of the hose housed in intensity generated by one jet nozzle offset at the SP13 Remote Test by one jet (Value/standard the end of the tube Spray Train Device number (dB) deviation in dB) (mm) (mm) Devices 25 18 17 (1) No nozzle 200 V5 26 18 27 18 28 16 29 17 30 17 31 34 34 (3) 0.6 200 V6 32 31.5 33 31 34 35 35 33 36 41 37 22 24 (2) 1 200 V7 38 23 39 25.5 40 26 41 27 42 22

[0131] Spraying devices V1, V2, V5, V6 and V7 are provided, the tanks of which are filled with the “repellent equid”. The cases are fixed on collars around the necks of dummies, with the spray tube being directed downward. For devices fitted with a tube, the flexible metal sheath is tilted so as to tat-et the belly part of the dummy on which a strip of Joseph paper (25 g/m.sup.2) measuring 15×9 cm is placed. The tube is bent at 90° at two-thirds of its length, i.e. substantially below the thorax.

[0132] Once the devices are in place, 25 sprays are triggered (High position). The liquid is allowed to dry for 5 min, then the quantity of essential lavender oil deposited per square centimeter of paper is weighed. Each test is repeated six times. The results are listed in Table 7.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Average quantity of essential lavender Length of the oil deposited by 25 hose fitted on Diameter of the sprays on the paper the SP13 Remote nozzle offset at Test (Value/Standard Spray Train Device the end of the tube number deviation in mg/cm.sup.2) (mm) (mm) Devices 43 0.01 (0.01) No tube No nozzle V1 44 0.16 (0.11) 130 No nozzle V2 45 0.27 (0.11) 200 No nozzle V5 46 0.22 (0.06) 0.6 V6 47 0.38 (0.10) 1 V7

[0133] The results provided in Tables 4, 5 and 6 show that: [0134] The addition of a tube leads to a significant attenuation of the noise; the noise values measured with devices V2, V3, V4, V5, V6 and V7 are lower than those obtained with device V1 (unmodified). [0135] The length of the tube does not significantly influence the noise attenuation, if Tables 2 and 3 are compared. [0136] A tube without a spray nozzle attenuates noise better than a modified tube with a nozzle (0.6 or 1 mm internal diameter). [0137] Noise reduction is less effective with a small diameter spray nozzle (0.6 mm).

[0138] The results given in Table 7 show that: [0139] The addition of a tube makes it possible to obtain, in all cases, effective targeting of the active material on the targeted area (belly): the quantities of active material weighed with devices V2, V3, V4, V5, V6 and V7 are greater than those obtained with device V1 (not modified). [0140] A longer tube allows more active material to be recovered in the targeted area. [0141] The best results are obtained with a long tube and a nozzle with a 1 mm internal diameter.