Fragrancing device

Abstract

The invention relates to a fragrancing device comprising a housing, a fragrance cartridge, a closure element and a blower, wherein the fragrance cartridge and/or the blower and/or the closure element is arranged inside the housing and the housing has a first opening and a second opening, wherein an air flow can flow through the housing from the first opening to the second opening, wherein the fragrance cartridge can be exposed and closed by the closure element, wherein the first opening and/or the fragrance cartridge is arranged upstream of the blower relative to the air flow direction in the housing and the second opening is arranged downstream of the blower relative to the air flow direction in the housing.

Claims

1. A fragrancing device having a housing, having a fragrance cartridge, having a closure element and having a blower, wherein the fragrance cartridge and/or the blower and/or the closure element are arranged inside the housing and the housing comprises a first opening and a second opening, wherein the housing is traversable with an air flow from the first opening toward the second opening, wherein the fragrance cartridge is openable and closable by means of the closure element, wherein the first opening and/or the fragrance cartridge is arranged in the housing upstream of the blower with reference to the air flow direction and the second opening is arranged in the housing downstream of the blower with reference to the air flow direction, wherein the fragrance cartridge and the closure element are realized integrally as a structural unit.

2. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a fragrance chamber, which comprises an air volume which is saturatable with fragrance, is provided inside the fragrance cartridge.

3. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressure generated by the blower in the region of the fragrance cartridge is lower than in a region directly behind the blower.

4. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a gas chamber is provided inside the housing, wherein a fluid communication is producible between the gas chamber and the fragrance chamber of the fragrance cartridge by opening the closure element.

5. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fragrance can be sucked out of the gas chamber by the blower.

6. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a carrier material which can be permeated with a fragrance is arranged inside the fragrance cartridge.

7. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a third opening through which the fragrance cartridge is insertable into the housing or removable from the housing.

8. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fragrance cartridge and/or the closure element can be flowed around by an air flow.

9. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blower is formed by a radial blower or an axial blower.

10. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of fragrance cartridges are providable, wherein a singular number of fragrance cartridges or a plurality of fragrance cartridges are closable by one closure element or by several closure elements.

11. The fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the interior the housing realizes a plurality of flow paths which are separate from one another, wherein one or several fragrance cartridges are assigned to each flow path.

12. An air-conditioning system having a fragrancing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fragrancing device is arranged inside an air-conditioning housing or on an air-conditioning housing and fragrance is flowable through the second opening of the fragrancing device into a flow channel inside the air-conditioning system or fragrance is flowable through the second opening of the fragrancing device into a flow channel which is separate from the air-conditioning system.

13. An air-conditioning system having a fragrancing device having a housing, having a fragrance cartridge, having a closure element and having a blower, wherein the fragrance cartridge and/or the blower and/or the closure element are arranged inside the housing and the housing comprises a first opening and a second opening, wherein the housing is traversable with an air flow from the first opening toward the second opening, wherein the fragrance cartridge is openable and closable by means of the closure element, wherein the first opening and/or the fragrance cartridge is arranged in the housing upstream of the blower with reference to the air flow direction and the second opening is arranged in the housing downstream of the blower with reference to the air flow direction, wherein the fragrancing device is arranged inside an air-conditioning housing or on an air-conditioning housing and fragrance is flowable through the second opening of the fragrancing device into a flow channel inside the air-conditioning system or fragrance is flowable through the second opening of the fragrancing device into a flow channel which is separate from the air-conditioning system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in detail below by way of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the arrangement of the fragrance cartridge, the blower and an air flow which flows over the fragrance cartridge and through the blower, and

(3) FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through a fragrancing device according to the invention.

PREFERRED REALIZATION OF THE INVENTION

(4) FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a fragrancing device 1. A fragrance cartridge 2 which is arranged upstream of a blower 3 is shown in FIG. 1. An air flow, which flows over the fragrance cartridge 2 and through the housing 3, can be generated the blower 3. Such an air flow is designated with the reference 4. The fragrance cartridge 2 is arranged upstream of the blower 3 in this case. The blower 3 sucks up the air above and around the fragrance cartridge 2 and blows it out along the left-hand arrow 4. The air flow above or on the fragrance cartridge 2 is consequently generated by the suction of the blower 3.

(5) As a result of such an arrangement of the fragrance cartridge 2 or of the chamber above the fragrance cartridge in the in-take region of the blower 3, a particularly directed flow of air, which is permeated with a fragrance of the fragrance cartridge 2, can be generated at the outlet region of the blower 3. This is in particular advantageous compared to an arrangement of the fragrance cartridge 2 in the blowout region of the blower 3, as a result of which the air flow, in practice, would be pressed away above the fragrance cartridge.

(6) FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through a fragrancing device 10. The fragrancing device 10 comprises a housing 21 which comprises a first opening 14 and a second opening 15. An air flow is able to flow through the first opening 14 into the housing 21 in the direction of the flow arrow designated with the reference 16. The air flow can emerge from the housing 21 by means of the second opening 15 along the flow arrow which is designated with the reference 18. The first opening 14 and the second opening 15, in this case, are preferably located on oppositely situated end regions of the housing 21.

(7) A blower 13, which sucks in the air from the direction of the first opening 14 and blows out in the direction of the second opening 15, is arranged in the interior of the housing 21. Said operating method of the blower 13 ensures that the air volume, which is situated inside the housing 21 upstream of the blower 13, is conveyed completely out of the housing 21. The air volume inside the housing 21 which is located upstream, that is to say to the left, of the blower 13, is sucked in and blown to the right out of the second opening 15.

(8) A gas chamber 19 is realized inside the housing 21 in the front region downstream of the first opening 14. Two fragrance cartridges 11 are arranged in said gas chamber 19. The fragrance cartridges 11 are each operable and closable by means closure elements 12. In this case, the individual closure elements 12 can be actuated in particular independently of one another such that, depending on the system default, one fragrance cartridge 11 or several fragrance cartridges 11 are opened.

(9) Flap elements, as are shown as closure elements 12 in FIG. 2, can be used in an advantageous manner to open or to close the fragrance cartridges 11. Said elements can be mounted, for example, so as to be rotatable about an axis or can be laterally displaceable such that an opening on the fragrance cartridges 11 can be opened or closed. The closure element 12, in this case, can be driven means of an actuator such as for example, an electromotor. Gear units which translate the movement of the motor to the closure element 12 can be provided for this purpose. As an alternative to this, actuators can be provided from a shape memory alloy or a bimetal. Piezo-actuators can also be provided in alternative realizations.

(10) In an advantageous manner, the fragrance cartridges 11 comprise in their interior a carrier material which is permeated with a fragrance. In one advantageous embodiment, said carrier material can fill out a portion of the inner volume of the fragrance cartridge 11. The fragrance can emerge or emit gas at any time and thus in the first step fill a provided air volume in the interior of the fragrance cartridge 11. Once the closure element 12 has been opened, the air volume, which is saturated with fragrance, can flow out of the fragrance cartridge into the housing 21 where it can be transported away by an air flow.

(11) On their top surface, the fragrance cartridges 11 additionally comprise sealing elements which enable a gas-tight closure of the fragrance cartridges 11 by means of the respective closure element 12.

(12) In the region of the fragrance cartridges 11, the housing 21 comprises an upwardly inclined region. Said region forms a gas chamber 19 in the interior of the housing 21. In said gas chamber 19, the fragrance from the fragrance cartridges 11 can be mixed with the air flow which flows through the housing 21 along the flow arrow with the reference 17. To this end, the fragrance is able to flow out of the respective fragrance cartridges 11 along the flow path 20 when the associated closure element 12 is opened.

(13) During the operation of the blower 13, fresh air can be continuously supplied through the first opening 14 into the housing 21 along the flow arrow 16. The air flow then flows through the gas chamber 19 of the housing 21 along the flow arrow 17 and additionally into the blower 13 before the air is blown through the second opening 15 out of the housing 21 along the flow arrow 18. The discharged air, in this case, is advantageously permeated with the fragrance from the fragrance cartridges 11.

(14) The fragrance cartridges 11 can preferably be removed out of the housing 21 individually or also as a plurality. To this end, the tub-shaped bottom segment, for example, in which the fragrance cartridges 11 are received, is able to be separated off from the housing 21 and fitted with new fragrance cartridges 11.

(15) As an alternative to the closure elements which open or close the fragrance cartridges by means of mechanical adjusting members, an atomizer can also be provided on the fragrance cartridge which generates a release of fragrance into the gas chamber following a control signal or an electric pulse.

(16) The fragrance cartridges 11 are preferably arranged in such a manner on one of the inside walls of the gas chamber 19 of the housing 21 that the air flow flows over the openings of the fragrance cartridges 11 along the flow arrow 17. The fragrance is discharged from the fragrance cartridges 11 and entrained in the air flow in this manner.

(17) A carrier material which is saturated with a fragrance is arranged inside the fragrance cartridges 11. An air volume, which is also designated as the fragrance chamber 22, is realized above said carrier material. The fragrance chamber 22 is filled with fragrance emerging from the carrier material until saturation is achieved. When the corresponding closure element 12 is opened, the fragrance existing in the fragrance chamber 22 passes out of the fragrance cartridge 11 along the flow arrow 20 and is conveyed away along the direction of the flow arrow 17. The closure element 12 is also able to be opened, in this case, when the air volume in the fragrance chamber 22 is not yet totally saturated.

(18) A fragrancing device 10, as shown in FIG. 2, can be arranged in an advantageous manner on or in a housing of an air-conditioning system or a ventilation system. In a particularly advantageous realization, the fragrancing device 10 can also be an integral component part of an air-conditioning system housing.

(19) In an advantageous manner, the first opening 14 communicates fluidically with a region which is filled with ambient air. As an alternative to this, an already tempered air mixture can be sucked in via the opening 14 from an air-conditioning system. The flow outlet, which is effected through the second opening 15 on the right-hand end region of the fragrancing device 10, can be connected to a flow channel of an air-conditioning system which is not shown such that the fragrance bound in the air flow is able to be conveyed by the blower 13 into a predefined delivery location.

(20) In an alternative embodiment, the second opening which is located on the right is also able to open out directly into the interior of a vehicle or into a flow channel which is separate from the air-conditioning system. The flow channel that is separate from the air-conditioning system, in this case, opens out, in turn, into the interior of a vehicle.

(21) The individual features of FIGS. 1 and 2 can be combined together in each case. The embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2 do not comprise any limiting character. This applies in particular with regard to the arrangement of the individual elements with respect to one another and to the sizes and the geometrical dimensions of the elements. FIGS. 1 and 2 serve to describe the inventive concept.