DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DISPENSING AND/OR DIFFUSING VOLATILE SUBSTANCES, ESPECIALLY FOR DISPENSING AND/OR DIFFUSING FRAGRANCES AND/OR ACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN AIR CARE AND/OR PEST CONTROL

Abstract

A device for dispensing and/or diffusing volatile substances has a storage tank for a substance to be released into the environment, an electric heating device, and a delivery engine coupled to the heating device. The delivery engine has a substance-receiving area which is in fluid communication with the substance received in the storage tank. The substance is conveyable from the substance-receiving area to a substance-discharging area of the delivery engine, at which the substance is discharged into an air stream to generate a substance air stream enriched with the substance. A controller actuates the electric heating device and/or an air flow generation device during operation of the device. The electric heating device forms a structural unit in the form of a pod heater and has at least the storage tank, the electric heating element and the delivery engine.

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. A device for dispensing and/or diffusing volatile substances, the device comprising: at least one storage tank containing a substance to be released into the environment; an electric heating device having at least one electric heating element for generating heat; at least one delivery engine coupled to said electric heating device for heat-transfer, said delivery engine having at least one substance-receiving area in fluid communication with the substance received in said at least one storage tank, enabling the substance to be conveyed from the at least one substance-receiving area to at least one substance-discharging area of said delivery engine, at which the substance is discharged into an air stream; at least one airflow generating device for generating the air stream to be enriched with the substance; and at least one controller configured to control an actuation of at least one of said electric heating device or said at least one airflow generating device during operation of the device; said electric heating device being a structural unit formed as a pod heater comprising the at least one storage tank, the at least one electric heating element, and the at least one delivery engine.

22. The device according to claim 21, configured for dispensing and/or diffusing fragrances and/or active substances in air care and/or pest control, wherein: the at least one electric heating element is configured for heating and/or evaporating the substance to be emitted; said at least one delivery engine is a capillary element directly or indirectly coupled to said at least one electric heating element for heat transfer; the substance is conveyed from the at least one substance-receiving area by capillary action to at least one substance-discharging area of said delivery engine and the substance is discharged into at least one pure or clean air stream to generate at least one substance air stream that is enriched with the substance; said at least one airflow-generating device is configured to generate the at least one pure or clean air stream to be enriched with the substance; and said at least one controller is configured to control an actuation of at least one of said electric heating device or said at least one air flow generating device during operation of the device at intervals.

23. The device according to claim 21, which further comprises a housing surrounding a housing interior, and wherein: said housing is formed with at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet, and wherein at least one air guide channel is formed, starting from said at least one air inlet, guided to said substance-discharging area of said delivery engine, at which the air stream is enriched with the substance and a substance air stream enriched with the substance is generated, and which, starting from the substance-discharging area, is guided to at least one air outlet, via which the substance air stream is discharged to the environment; and said at least one air flow generating device is operable to draw in ambient air from outside the housing via said at least one air inlet and to convey said at least one air stream to be enriched with the substance, to said substance-discharging area and further to said air outlet.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein said delivery engine is formed by a capillary element and/or has at least one through-flow channel with a channel wall forming said substance delivery region, with said at least one through-flow channel being also a component of said air guide channel.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein: wherein said through-flow channel of said delivery engine has a first opening that adjoins a first section of said air guide channel, the first section of said air guide channel being guided to said through-flow channel starting from an air inlet; said through-flow channel of said delivery engine has a second opening which is opposite said first opening and via which the substance air stream flows out, said second opening forming a housing-side air outlet or connecting to a second section of said air guide channel which is led to the housing-side air outlet and/or forms the housing-side air outlet.

26. The device according to claim 21, further comprising a reservoir area which has or forms said electric heating device.

27. The device according to claim 26, wherein said reservoir area forms said electric heating device and has a first end wall, a side wall and a second end wall opposite and spaced from said first end wall.

28. The device according to claim 27, wherein: said delivery engine is supported on said first end wall, opens out with the first opening in said first end wall and extends in the interior of said electric heating device, surrounded by the substance received therein, over a partial region of the interior in a chimney-like manner; and said second section of said air guide channel extends from said second opening of said delivery engine in a direction of said second end wall, widens in a funnel shape and/or forms the housing-side air outlet.

29. The device according to claim 27, wherein said delivery engine is accommodated approximately centrally in an interior of said electric heating device and/or reservoir area.

30. The device according to claim 21, wherein said at least one electric heating element is in direct contact with said delivery engine and/or at least a partial area of said at least one electric heating element is embedded in said delivery engine.

31. The device according to claim 30, wherein said delivery engine is a capillary element and/or said delivery engine has a hollow cylindrical shape with a central through-flow channel, with a heating coil forming said electric heating element being wound around said central through-flow channel with one or more turns resting on an outer circumferential surface of said delivery engine and/or being wound around said through-flow channel embedded in the hollow cylindrical wall of said delivery engine.

32. The device according to claim 21, wherein said electric heating element is a heating coil connected to a power supply, which supplies the electric heating element with power and heats the electric heating element under control by said controller.

33. The device according to claim 21, wherein said electric heating device (3), being the pod heater, is formed as a separate, removable component.

34. The device according to claim 33, further comprising a technical area comprising at least one of said controller, said at least one air flow generating device, or said at least one air inlet.

35. The device according to claim 34, wherein said pod heater and said technical area are formed by separate components which are releasably connected, with said electric heating device being exchangeably mounted on top of said technical area as viewed in a vertical axis direction.

36. The device according to claim 34, wherein said controller is part of a printed circuit board disposed in said technical area.

37. The device according to claim 34, wherein: said electric heating device being the pod heater lies above said technical area as viewed in a vertical axis direction; said at least one housing-side air inlet is arranged on said technical area in a lower and/or lateral area relative to the vertical axis direction; and a first segment of said at least one air guide channel, starting from a housing-side air inlet, is guided upwards in the vertical axis direction to a reservoir area, with the first segment of said at least one air guide channel being guided approximately centrally through said technical area and said structural units accommodated and arranged in said technical area.

38. The device according to claim 21, wherein said delivery engine is a capillary element made from at least one of a porous ceramic or a porous plastic.

39. A method for dispensing and/or diffusing volatile substances, the method comprising: providing a device according to claim 21; controlling the electric heating device and the at least one air flow generating device in intervals by the controller and during each interval delivering a quantity of a substance by the device which is smaller than a quantity of the substance temporarily stored in the delivery engine; and/or accumulating with the delivery engine in a time between the individual intervals a quantity of the substance which is greater than a quantity of the substance delivered in a following interval.

40. The method according to claim 39, which comprises operating the heating element of the electric heating device at a maximum temperature of between 100 C. and 280 C.

41. The method according to claim 39, which comprises releasing substance particles into the environment having a particle size of between 20 nm and 80 nm.

Description

[0037] The invention is described in more detail below by means of a drawing:

[0038] FIG. 1a a schematic, partially cut-open and perspective sketch of an exemplary type of a device for dispensing and/or diffusing volatile substances according to the invention,

[0039] FIG. 1b a schematic sketch of the operation and structure of the electric heating device of the device of FIG. 1a, which is essentially formed by a capillary element as delivery engine and a heating coil, and

[0040] FIG. 1c a schematic sketch of the design as shown in FIG. 1a, in which the reservoir unit and the technical unit form two separate and detachable components.

[0041] FIG. 1a shows, as an example and schematically, a partially cut-open, perspective representation of a device for dispensing volatile substances, for example for dispensing fragrances and/or active substances, e.g. for air care or pest control, in accordance with the invention. This device comprises a housing 1, which surrounds an interior of the housing.

[0042] Furthermore, an electric heating device 3 is part of or, as shown here, is built by a reservoir area 18.

[0043] As can be best seen in particular from the combination of FIGS. 1a and 1b, the electric heating device 3 respectively reservoir area 18 forms a structural unit in the form of a pod heater and comprises, besides the storage tank 2, a capillary element 4 as delivery engine, which is made of a porous ceramic or a porous plastic, for example. In the capillary element 4, here for example a heating coil 7 is embedded as an electrical heating element, which is coupled with a power or energy supply device 17 in a usual way not shown here in detail. The power or energy supply device 17 can, for example, have a battery or can also ensure an energy supply via an external power source.

[0044] As can be best seen in FIG. 1b, the capillary element 4, which forms part of the pod heater respectively electric heating device 3, has a substance-receiving area 5 which is in contact with the substance 13 in the storage tank 2. Furthermore, the capillary element 4 has a through-flow channel 20, the channel wall of which forms a substance discharging area 6. This through-flow channel 20 is in turn part of an air guide channel 12. Specifically, the through-flow channel 20 of the capillary element 4 has a first opening 21 (see FIG. 1b), which connects to a first section of the air guide channel 12, preferably gas-tight. This first section of the air guide channel 12 is only shown very schematically in FIGS. 1a and 1s represented by the section of the air guide channel 12, which is led from an air inlet 10 in a bottom wall 23 of the housing 1 to the through-flow duct 20. Via the air inlet 10 on the bottom wall side, which is shown here as an example, a clean air stream 11 is conveyed or sucked into the interior of the housing 1 by means of a fan 8 (as an exemplary air flow generating device) and is led in a manner yet to be described to the substance discharging area 6 of the capillary element 4, where the clean air stream 11 is enriched with the substance and a substance-enriched substance air stream 14 is generated.

[0045] To ensure that the substance air stream 14 can flow out of the flow channel 20 of the capillary element 4, this flow channel 20 has an upper or second opening 22 opposite the lower or first opening 21, here exemplarily in vertical axis direction x. Here, this second opening 22 connects to a second section of the air guide channel 12, which is led to an air outlet 15 on the housing side, whereby the connection to this second section of the air guide channel 12 is also preferably gas-tight.

[0046] As can be seen in particular in FIG. 1c, housing 1 also has a technical area 19, which here only has the fan 8, the control unit 16 and at least one air inlet 10 as examples. The reservoir area 18 (which here forms/builds the electrical heating device 3 respectively pod heater) and the technical area 19 are here formed by two separate components, which can be connected to each other detachably or removably.

[0047] The reservoir area 18 here also has, for example, a first end wall 24, a side wall 26 and a second end wall 25 opposite the first end wall 24 at a distance, whereby the capillary element 4 is supported on the first end wall 24, opens out with the first opening 21 in the first end wall 24 and extends upwards like a chimney over part of the interior of the reservoir area 18, surrounded by the substance 13 incorporated therein.

[0048] The second section of the air guide channel 12, on the other hand, extends from the second opening 22 of the capillary element 4, also inside the reservoir area 18, towards the second end wall 25, whereby this second section of the air guide channel 12 here forms a funnel-shaped widening 27 which opens into the housing side air outlet 15.

[0049] The electrical heating device 3 or pod heater is preferably mounted exchangeably on top of the technical area 19 of the housing 1.

[0050] Notwithstanding the design of the electric heating device 3 as a pod heater, it is clear that the electric heating element 7 and/or the capillary element 4 and/or the storage tank 2 may be, as a preferred option, replaceably or exchangeably mounted as parts of the pod heater.

[0051] Control unit 16 is only shown here schematically and is, for example, part of a printed circuit board (PCB) included in technical area 19.

[0052] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1a to 1c, the reservoir area 18 is-only by way of an examplearranged above respectively on top of the technical area 19 in the vertical axis direction x, so that the reservoir area 18 forms a head or pod section 28 and the technical area 19 a base section 29, as shown in FIG. 1c.

[0053] Of course, other embodiments of the pod or head portion 28 are also possible, for example, an embodiment (not shown) in which the head portion is surrounded by and/or received within an additional cover, for example, to create a particular design effect.

[0054] The functioning of this exemplary inventive embodiment is as follows:

[0055] When the device is actuated, the control unit 16 controls the fan 8 and the electric heating device 3 or the heating coil 7 at intervals, i.e. for a certain preset period of time. This causes the capillary element 4 to heat up and the substance temporarily stored in the capillary element 4 due to capillary action, which is diffused in via the substance-receiving area 5, evaporates via the substance-discharging area 6 into the region of the through-flow channel 20, into which the clean air stream 11 drawn in via the air inlet 10 flows.

[0056] Depending on the type and winding of the heating coil, a certain temperature can be preset for the respective substance, preferably preset in such a way that the capillary element 4 does not dry out, i.e. it is always ensured that only a substance quantity is delivered which is smaller than the substance quantity temporarily stored in the capillary element 4.

[0057] In the embodiment shown here, the first section of the air guide channel 12, starting from the air inlet 10 on the housing side, is led upwards, seen in the vertical axis direction x, to the reservoir area 18, whereby the first section of the air guide channel 12 is led approximately centrally through the technical area 19 and the structural units accommodated and arranged there, namely the fan 8 and the energy or power supply device 17. It goes without saying that, in principle, other air guide channels are also possible in a housing.

[0058] In the through-flow channel 20 of the capillary element 4, the clean air flow 11 then meets the substance discharged there via the substance-discharging area 6, as already explained, so that the clean air flow 11 is enriched with substance and the substance air flow 14 already described is formed, which flows out via the funnel-shaped extension 27 and the air outlet 15 provided here as an example.

[0059] The capillary element 4 can be made of a porous ceramic and/or a porous plastic, for example.

[0060] Instead of a fan 8 as an air flow generating device, an air pump can also be used, for example a piezo-controlled air pump, which is not shown here, however.

[0061] It is preferred that the temperature of the heating coil 7 is preferably in the range between 100 C. and 250 C. and/or that during operation of the device, preferably in intermittent operation of the device, no substance quantity is discharged which is greater than the substance quantity temporarily stored in capillary element 4. This means, conversely, that the capillary element 4 must be able to accumulate a quantity of substance in the time between the individual intervals which is greater than the quantity of substance released in the next interval.

[0062] With the device according to the invention, substance particles are preferably emitted into the environment with a size of for example 20 to 80 nm, preferably 30 to 60 nm.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference signs 1 casing 2 storage tank 3 electrical heating device/pod heater 4 capillary element 5 substance receiving area 6 substance discharging area 7 heating coil 8 fan 9 ambient air 10 air inlet 11 clean air stream 12 air guide channel 13 substance 14 substance air flow 15 air outlet 16 control device 17 energy supply device 18 reservoir area 19 technical area 20 through-flow channel 21 first or lower opening 22 second or upper opening 23 bottom wall 24 first front wall 25 second front wall 26 side wall 27 funnel-shaped extension 28 head part 29 base part