ELECTROSTATIC ATOMIZER FOR LIQUIDS

Abstract

An electrostatic atomizer for liquids, in particular cosmetics, is proposed, at least comprising a housing, an electrical energy source, an activation mechanism, control electronics, a high-voltage source, a liquid tank, a delivery device and atomizer nozzles, the control electronics and the high-voltage source being arranged in an interior space of the housing. It is provided that the control electronics either comprise at least one sensor or comprise at least one transmitting and/or receiving module or comprise at least one sensor and at least one transmitting and/or receiving module.

Claims

1. An electrostatic atomizer for liquids, at least comprising: a housing, an electrical energy source, an activation mechanism, control electronics, a high-voltage source, a liquid tank, a delivery device, atomizer nozzles, the control electronics and the high-frequency source being arranged in an interior space of the housing, wherein the control electronics either comprise at least one sensor or comprise at least one transmitting and/or receiving module or comprise at least one sensor and at least one transmitting and/or receiving module.

2. The atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one sensor is formed for detecting the voltage and/or the current intensity of the high-voltage source, in particular for detecting the loading of the high-voltage source.

3. The atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is formed for detecting the intensity and/or the wavelength of incident light.

4. The atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is formed for detecting the air temperature and/or the humidity of the air in the surrounding area of the atomizer.

5. The atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one transmitting and/or receiving module can be connected via a radio link to a cell phone or tablet.

6. The atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy source is formed as a chargeable electrical store and the atomizer comprises at least one charging device for charging the energy source, the charging device being formed in particular as a standardized connection, preferably as a USB connection.

7. The atomizer as claimed in claim 6, wherein the energy source is formed as a chargeable electrical store and the atomizer comprises at least one charging device for charging the energy source, while the charging device is formed as an electromagnetic coil of an inductive charging device, the coil preferably being arranged within the housing, either on a head portion or on a grip portion.

8. The atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is formed for detecting an amount of liquid taken from the liquid tank or for detecting a filling level of liquid in the liquid tank.

9. The atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein a memory, in particular an RFID marking on the liquid tank, can be read and/or written by the control electronics.

10. The atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control electronics comprise a number of sensors for detecting the temperature and/or humidity of the air in the surrounding area of the atomizer and for detecting the intensity and/or the wavelength of incident light and for detecting the voltage and/or the current intensity.

11. The atomizer as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control electronics comprise a number of sensors for detecting a position and/or a movement in space, with the control electronics making it possible for changes in position and/or movement sequences to be detected, stored and analyzed.

12. A method for operating an atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control electronics transfer sensor data from at least one sensor via at least one transmitting and/or receiving module to an external device and the external device processes the data and/or displays them and/or passes them on.

13. A method for operating an atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control electronics obtain sensor data of at least one sensor via at least one transmitting and/or receiving module from an external device, and the control electronics process and/or display and/or pass on these data.

14. A method for operating an atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control electronics transfer data concerning operating states and/or device parameters via at least one transmitting and/or receiving module to an external device and the external device processes and/or displays and/or passes on the data.

15. A method for operating an atomizer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control electronics obtain data via at least one transmitting and/or receiving module from an external device and the control electronics process and/or display and/or pass on these data, in particular use them for providing operating states or device parameters.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0034] The present invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of a drawing, from which further features that are essential to the present invention and advantages of the present invention emerge.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows an atomizer according to the present invention in a greatly simplified schematic representation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] The electrostatic atomizer 1 comprises a housing 2 with an interior space 10, in which housing 2 an electrical energy source 3, an activation mechanism 4, control electronics 5, a high-voltage source 6, a liquid tank 7, a delivery device 8 and atomizer nozzles 9, 9a, 9b are arranged.

[0037] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the control electronics 5 comprise sensors 11, 11a, 11b and a transmitting and/or receiving module 12.

[0038] Sensors 11, 11a, 11b may be intended or designed to allow the voltage and/or the current intensity and/or the wavelength of incident light or the temperature and/or the humidity of the air in the surrounding area 13 of the atomizer 1 to be detected. In this way, correspondingly determined data can, for example, influence a delivery output of the delivery device 8, and consequently also a spraying result of the atomizer 1.

[0039] Sensors 11, 11a, 11b may also be intended or designed to determine or to detect distances between atomizer nozzles 9, 9a, 9b and an object to be sprayed (not shown) by field analysis.

[0040] Sensors 11, 11a, 11b may also be intended or designed to allow an area of a sprayed object to be determined or detected.

[0041] Furthermore, sensors 11, 11a, 11b may be intended or designed to allow optical analyses of an object to be sprayed to be carried out.

[0042] Sensors 11, 11a, 11b may also be provided or appropriately designed to allow repeated uses, for example, multiple uses, to be detected and/or for them to be prevented.

[0043] Sensors 11, 11a, 11b may also be intended or designed to allow an alignment of the atomizer nozzles 9, 9a, 9b with regard to an object to be sprayed to be determined, for example by comparison of the respective potentials of the atomizer nozzles 9, 9a, 9b.

[0044] The transmitting and/or receiving module 12 may, for example, be intended to be connected via a radio link to a cell phone or tablet (not represented). It may also be provided, for example, that data of a user, for example, bodyweight, body size, are transferred from a cell phone or tablet to the atomizer 1, and correspondingly adapted spraying operations are carried out. Such spraying operations may then be carried out individually, and, for example, also only concern individual parts of a user's body.

[0045] By means of corresponding monitoring of the spraying activity of the atomizer with regard to chosen requirements by sensor elements 11, 11a, 11b or the transmitting and/or receiving module 12, an established spraying result can possibly be corrected. In particular, the time and the sprayed amount of liquid may be monitored here, and possibly further spraying operations carried out. A monitoring or checking of spraying operations may also be performed on the basis of image data, which are, for example, transmitted from a smartphone or tablet to the atomizer 1.

[0046] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the atomizer 1 comprises an electrical energy source 3, which is chargeable. For this purpose, the atomizer 1 comprises a charging device 14, which is arranged in a grip region 16 of the atomizer within or in an interior space 10 of the housing 2.

[0047] The transmitting/receiving module 12 can be used to establish a connection via a radio link 17a, for example, WLAN or Bluetooth, to an external device, for example, a smartphone 18, or via a radio link 17b to an external sensor 19. A simultaneous connection to a number of devices, in particular, sensors 19, is also conceivable.

[0048] The data of the internal sensors 11a and 11b and/or of the external sensors 19 and/or of the smartphone 18 may then be processed in the smartphone 18 in an app 20 and instructions and recommendations for the user may be output, for example, on the screen. A remote control of the atomizer 1 from the smartphone 18 is also conceivable.

[0049] There is furthermore the possibility that the smartphone 18 is also connected directly via a radio link 17c to a sensor, and the data of the latter are evaluated and for example UV values are passed on to the app 20, and consequently to the atomizer 1.

[0050] What is more, it is provided that data are transferred via a radio link 17d to an external computing center, for example, a cloud 21, in order to store user profiles or perform statistical evaluations.

[0051] In the context of the present invention, an electrostatic atomization may also be understood as meaning an electrohydrodynamic atomization.

[0052] In the context of the present invention, a liquid should be understood as meaning any kind of liquid. In the context of the present invention, the liquid may be a cosmetic, also liquid paint or lacquer or the like.

LIST OF DESIGNATIONS

[0053] 1 Atomizer [0054] 2 Housing [0055] 3 Electrical energy source [0056] 4 Activation mechanism (button or switch) [0057] 5 Control electronics [0058] 6 High-voltage source [0059] 7 Liquid tank [0060] 8 Delivery device [0061] 9 Atomizer nozzle [0062] 9a Atomizer nozzle [0063] 9b Atomizer nozzle [0064] 10 Interior space [0065] 11 Sensor [0066] 11a Sensor [0067] 11b Sensor [0068] 12 Transmitting and/or receiving module [0069] 13 Surrounding area (of the atomizer) [0070] 14 Charging device [0071] 15 Head portion [0072] 16 Grip portion [0073] 17a Radio link smartphoneatomizer [0074] 17b Radio link sensoratomizer [0075] 17c Radio link smartphonesensor [0076] 17d Radiolink smartphonecloud [0077] 18 Smartphone [0078] 19 Sensor [0079] 20 App [0080] 21 Cloud/Internet