Atomizer, atomizer preparation method and atomization equipment

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of liquid atomization, and discloses an atomizer, an atomizer preparation method and an atomization device. The atomizer includes a shell, a sealing gasket and an atomization chip. The atomizer provided by the present invention atomizes the liquid through the atomization chip. Compared with the existing thermal atomization technology, there is no need to heat the liquid, thereby avoiding changes in the chemical composition of the liquid, thereby achieving lossless atomization and good use effect. The atomizer preparation method provided by the present invention adopts a micro-nano processing technology to prepare the atomization chip, with low production cost and good quality. The atomization device provided by the present invention including the above-mentioned atomizer can achieve lossless atomization and good use effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of liquid atomization, and in particular to an atomizer, an atomizer preparation method and atomization equipment. Background Art

[0002] Atomizer is a component used to convert liquid (usually test solution, medicine or e-liquid) into fine mist particles so that it can be released into the air in the form of aerosol. Atomizers are widely used in various fields, including but not limited to air humidification, medical atomization and electronic cigarettes.

[0003] Basically, the working principle of the atomizer is to first introduce the liquid into the interior and then disperse the liquid into mist particles. In the prior art, the dispersion of liquid into mist particles can be achieved by a variety of different technologies, such as ultrasonic atomization, compressed air atomization, thermal atomization, etc.

[0004] At present, thermal atomization technology is commonly used in the field of microfluidics. Specifically, thermal atomization technology achieves atomization by volatilizing the liquid through heating. However, heating easily causes the chemical composition of the liquid to change, and thus lossless atomization cannot be achieved, resulting in poor use effect.

[0005] Therefore, the above problems need to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an atomizer, an atomizer preparation method and an atomizing device, which atomize liquid in a non-heating manner and avoid chemical composition changes in the liquid during the atomization process.

[0007] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] An atomizer, comprising:

[0009] The housing comprises a conveying channel, and two ends of the conveying channel are an inlet and an outlet respectively;

[0010] A sealing gasket, embedded in the conveying channel, and provided with a mounting groove;

[0011] An atomization chip is embedded in the mounting groove, and the atomization chip includes a substrate layer, a guide layer, and a barrier layer which are arranged in sequence;

[0012] The substrate layer comprises an atomization hole, the atomization hole faces the outlet, and the atomization hole is smaller than the outlet;

[0013] The guide layer includes a plurality of guide grooves, and the plurality of guide grooves are distributed around the periphery of the atomization hole;

[0014] The blocking layer includes a blocking member, and the blocking member is used to cover the area of ​​the plurality of guide grooves close to the atomization hole to guide the liquid into the plurality of guide grooves through the side of the plurality of guide grooves away from the atomization hole.

[0015] Preferably, the plurality of guide grooves are arranged in an arc shape, and the plurality of guide grooves are evenly distributed around the center of the atomization hole.

[0016] Preferably, the sealing gasket is made of flexible material.

[0017] Preferably, the conveying channel is arranged in a cone shape, and the conveying channel gradually decreases from the inlet to the outlet.

[0018] Preferably, the outer contour of the sealing gasket is circular, the mounting groove is located at the center of the circle, and the mounting groove is square.

[0019] Preferably, the thickness of the sealing gasket is at least twice the thickness of the atomization chip.

[0020] Preferably, a tapered hole is provided on the shell, and the smallest end of the tapered hole is connected to the conveying channel to form the outlet.

[0021] Preferably, the outer circumference of the housing is provided with a Luer thread.

[0022] A method for preparing an atomizer, for preparing the atomizer as described above, the method for preparing the atomizer comprising:

[0023] preparing the shell;

[0024] preparing the sealing gasket;

[0025] The atomization chip is prepared by adopting micro-nano technology;

[0026] Assembling the atomization chip onto the sealing gasket;

[0027] The sealing gasket is assembled into the housing.

[0028] An atomizing device comprises a liquid supply mechanism and the above-mentioned atomizer, wherein the liquid supply mechanism is connected to the inlet of the atomizer and supplies liquid to the atomizer through the inlet, and the atomizer is used to atomize the liquid and output it.

[0029] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0030] 1. The atomizer provided by the present invention atomizes the liquid through an atomization chip. Compared with the existing thermal atomization technology, there is no need to heat the liquid, thereby avoiding changes in the chemical composition of the liquid, thereby achieving lossless atomization and having a good use effect.

[0031] 2. The atomizer preparation method provided by the present invention adopts micro-nano processing technology to prepare the atomizer chip, which has low production cost and good quality.

[0032] 3. The atomization device provided by the present invention including the above-mentioned atomizer can realize lossless atomization and has good use effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 is an exploded view of the atomizer provided by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 The structure of the housing provided by the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 ;

[0035] Figure 3 The structure of the housing provided by the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 ;

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the sealing gasket provided by the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the atomization chip provided by the present invention;

[0038] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the atomization chip provided by the present invention with the barrier layer removed.

[0039] In the figure:

[0040] 1. Shell; 11. Delivery channel; 12. Inlet; 13. Outlet; 14. Conical hole; 15. Luer thread; 16. Flat incision;

[0041] 2. Sealing pad; 21. Mounting groove;

[0042] 3. Atomization chip; 31. Substrate layer; 311. Atomization hole; 32. Guide layer; 321. Guide groove; 33. Blocking layer; 331. Blocking member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Before any embodiments of the application are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the application is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the above drawings.

[0044] In this application, the terms "comprises", "includes", "has" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of more restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device that includes the element.

[0045] In the present application, the term "and / or" is a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, a centrifugal vortex magnetic pump and / or a centrifugal vortex magnetic pump can represent: the existence of a centrifugal vortex magnetic pump alone, the existence of a centrifugal vortex magnetic pump and a centrifugal vortex magnetic pump at the same time, and the existence of a centrifugal vortex magnetic pump alone. In addition, the character " / " in the present application generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "and / or" relationship.

[0046] In the present application, the terms "connect", "combine", "couple", and "install" may refer to direct connection, combination, coupling, or installation, or indirect connection, combination, coupling, or installation. For example, direct connection refers to two parts or components being connected together without the need for an intermediate piece, and indirect connection refers to two parts or components being connected to at least one intermediate piece respectively, and the two parts or components being connected via the intermediate piece. In addition, "connect" and "couple" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and may include electrical connections or couplings.

[0047] In the present application, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that relative terms (e.g., "about," "approximately," "substantially," etc.) used in conjunction with quantities or conditions include the values ​​and have the meaning indicated by the context. For example, the relative terms include at least the degree of error associated with the measurement of a specific value, the tolerances caused by manufacturing, assembly, and use associated with a specific value, and the like. Such terms should also be considered to disclose a range defined by the absolute values ​​of the two endpoints. Relative terms may refer to plus or minus a certain percentage (e.g., 1%, 5%, 10% or more) of the indicated value. Numerical values ​​that do not use relative terms should also be disclosed as specific values ​​with tolerances. In addition, "substantially" may refer to plus or minus a certain degree (e.g., 1 degree, 5 degrees, 10 degrees or more) on the basis of the indicated angle when expressing a relative angular position relationship (e.g., substantially parallel, substantially perpendicular).

[0048] In this application, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the function performed by a component can be performed by one component, multiple components, one part, or multiple parts. Similarly, the function performed by a part can also be performed by one part, one component, or a combination of multiple parts.

[0049] In the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back" and other directional words are described based on the orientation and positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the context, it is also necessary to understand that when it is mentioned that an element is connected to another element "upper" or "lower", it can not only be directly connected to another element "upper" or "lower", but also indirectly connected to another element "upper" or "lower" through an intermediate element. It should also be understood that directional words such as upper side, lower side, left side, right side, front side, back side, etc. not only represent the positive orientation, but can also be understood as the lateral orientation. For example, the bottom can include directly below, lower left, lower right, lower front, and lower back, etc.

[0050] See also Figures 1 to 6 , this embodiment provides an atomizer, which includes a shell 1, a sealing gasket 2 and an atomizer chip 3. Among them, the shell 1 includes a delivery channel 11, and the two ends of the delivery channel 11 are an inlet 12 and an outlet 13 respectively. The sealing gasket 2 is embedded in the delivery channel 11, and a mounting groove 21 is provided on the sealing gasket 2. The atomizer chip 3 is embedded in the mounting groove 21, and the atomizer chip 3 includes a substrate layer 31, a guide layer 32 and a barrier layer 33 arranged in sequence. The substrate layer 31 includes an atomization hole 311, the atomization hole 311 faces the outlet 13, and the atomization hole 311 is smaller than the outlet 13. The guide layer 32 includes a plurality of guide grooves 321, and the plurality of guide grooves 321 are distributed around the periphery of the atomization hole 311. The blocking layer 33 includes a blocking member 331, which is used to cover the area of ​​the multiple guide grooves 321 close to the atomization hole 311 to guide the liquid into the multiple guide grooves 321 through the multiple guide grooves 321 away from the side of the atomization hole 311. Specifically, the blocking member 331 is used to guide the liquid entering through the inlet 12 to the side of the multiple guide grooves 321 away from the atomization hole 311, so that the liquid can enter the multiple guide grooves 321 through the multiple guide grooves 321 away from the side of the atomization hole 311.

[0051] During atomization, the liquid first enters the delivery channel 11 through the inlet 12, and then the blocking member 331 guides the liquid through the multiple guide grooves 321 away from the side of the atomization hole 311 to enter the multiple guide grooves 321. The multiple guide grooves 321 separate the liquid and transport it to the atomization hole 311 of the substrate layer 31, so that the liquid forms a micro-vortex in the atomization hole 311 and is atomized, and then output through the outlet 13. In this way, the liquid is atomized by the atomization chip 3. Compared with the existing thermal atomization technology, there is no need to heat the liquid, so that the chemical composition of the liquid can be avoided. Changes, and then lossless atomization can be achieved, and the use effect is good.

[0052] It should be noted that the outlet 13 of the housing 1 is preferably circular or elliptical to correspond to the shape of the atomization hole 311 of the atomization chip 3. In the present embodiment, the atomization hole 311 is circular, and the outlet 13 is correspondingly set to be circular, which will not be described in detail. In addition, the size of the outlet 13 needs to be larger than the size of the atomization hole 311 of the atomization chip 3, mainly based on the sealing structure and the position deviation during the assembly process, so as to avoid the atomization hole 311 of the atomization chip 3 being blocked or interfered by the outlet 13, thereby affecting the distribution of the atomization chip 3 after the mist is discharged. In particular, the outlet 13 is preferably a circular hole with a diameter of 0.5mm to 1mm.

[0053] If the atomizer provided in this embodiment is applied to the field of microfluidic technology, it must be miniaturized, and correspondingly, the structural size of the atomizer chip 3 must be small. Among them, the size of the atomizer hole 311 of the atomizer chip 3 is also small, with a diameter between 10um-50um. It should be noted that the smaller the size of the atomizer chip 3, the smaller the atomized particles, but the lower the flux. Conversely, the larger the size, the larger the atomized particles, but the higher the flux. In addition, the depth of the atomizer hole 311 is usually between 350um-800um. The deeper the through hole, the higher the atomization concentration and the smaller the divergence angle. Conversely, the shallower the through hole, the larger the divergence angle.

[0054] In the present embodiment, a plurality of guide grooves 321 are arranged in an arc shape, and a plurality of guide grooves 321 are evenly distributed around the center of the atomizing hole 311. Among them, the purpose of setting a plurality of guide grooves 321 in an arc shape is to enable the liquid to rush into the atomizing hole 311 at an appropriate angle when flowing out of the guide groove 321. It should be noted that the number of guide grooves 321 is preferably three or four, because the more guide grooves 321 are designed, the greater the processing difficulty, and the flow rate of each guide groove 321 will decrease, but the diameter of the atomized particles will also be smaller. In addition, the width of the guide groove 321 is generally 30um-100um, and this width is mainly designed according to the liquid flow rate to be guided, and this embodiment does not make specific requirements and restrictions on this.

[0055] In addition, the blocking member 331 generally needs to have a thickness of 30um-100um to provide sufficient strength. In addition, the area of ​​the blocking member 331 needs to be larger than the diameter of the atomization hole 311, but it is not recommended to exceed the side of the guide groove 321 away from the atomization hole 311, so as to reduce the flow resistance and not affect the normal operation of the guide groove 321. In particular, the blocking member 331 is generally set in a cylindrical shape, and the diameters of the upper and lower sides are relatively close, which is more convenient for processing and preparation.

[0056] In order to accurately install the atomizer chip 3 at a designated position in the housing 1, the sealing gasket 2 is made of a flexible material, so as to avoid a large deviation of the atomizer chip 3 after being installed in the housing 1, and thus the atomization hole 311 of the atomizer chip 3 can be better aligned with the outlet 13 of the housing 1 to ensure the atomization effect. For example, the sealing gasket 2 can be made of materials such as silicone and latex, which is not limited.

[0057] In order to further improve the stability of the atomizer structure, the delivery channel 11 is arranged in a conical shape, and the delivery channel 11 gradually narrows from the inlet 12 to the outlet 13. In this way, during use, the liquid entering the delivery channel 11 through the inlet 12 will continuously impact the sealing gasket 2, thereby continuously pushing the sealing gasket 2 toward the smallest end of the delivery channel 11, thereby squeezing the sealing gasket 2 to make it more firmly matched with the housing 1 and have better sealing performance.

[0058] Preferably, the outer contour of the sealing gasket 2 is set in a circular shape, the mounting groove 21 is located at the center of the circle, and the mounting groove 21 is set in a square shape. It is understandable that the outer contour of the sealing gasket 2 is set in a circular shape to better fit the inner wall of the conveying channel 11, and the sealing effect is better. It can also be understood that the square setting of the mounting groove 21 can better install the atomizer chip 3. Because the atomizer chip 3 is smaller in size, it is easier to process it into a square. For this reason, the mounting groove 21 is set to a square shape. It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the design size of the atomizer chip 3 is 2mm*2mm. Of course, in other embodiments, the atomizer chip 3 can also be designed to other sizes, but the current production process produces atomizer chips 3 of other sizes, and the output is low. In addition, atomizer chips 3 of smaller sizes are difficult to assemble, resulting in sealing problems such as leakage.

[0059] In addition, the thickness of the sealing gasket 2 is at least twice the thickness of the atomizer chip 3, so that the depth of the mounting groove 21 is left with a margin compared to the thickness of the atomizer chip 3, so that it is easier to install the atomizer chip 3 into the mounting groove 21. In this embodiment, the thickness of the sealing gasket 2 is preferably 1 mm.

[0060] Generally speaking, the atomizer will emit mist in a divergent shape, that is, the atomizer will spray the atomized liquid in a dispersed state. In this embodiment, the atomized liquid will be sprayed in a dispersed state through the outlet 13 of the shell 1. In order to avoid the liquid sprayed from the peripheral side of the shell 1 close to the outlet 13 from being blocked, a tapered hole 14 is provided on the shell 1, and the smallest end of the tapered hole 14 is connected to the delivery channel 11 to form the outlet 13. In this way, the outer side of the outlet 13 is the hole wall of the tapered hole 14, and it gradually expands outward, so as to avoid blocking the sprayed liquid. In addition, the sprayed liquid can also be guided by the hole wall of the tapered hole 14 to obtain a better spraying effect.

[0061] In order to improve the convenience of disassembling the atomizer, the outer circumference of the housing 1 is provided with a Luer thread 15. It can be understood that the atomizer can be installed at a designated position of the atomizing device through the Luer thread 15, which is more convenient for operation. In addition, in order to further improve the convenience of disassembling the atomizer, the housing 1 is provided with flat cutouts 16 on both opposite sides near the outlet 13 for easy grasping by the operator.

[0062] It is worth noting that in order to prepare an atomizer chip 3 that meets the above-mentioned usage requirements, currently only one of the two technologies, micro-injection molding and micro-nano processing technology, can be used for preparation. Among them, the micro-injection molding process also involves the preparation of micro-molds, which usually requires more structural processing and surface treatment, and the accuracy of micro-injection molding will gradually decrease with the increase in the number of injection molding times. In addition, in the future, there will gradually be more use scenarios with smaller atomized particles and higher flux. This scenario will require increasing the liquid atomization pressure, but the injection molding structure is difficult to withstand high pressure, and it is easy to have problems such as component deformation. In addition, the sealing performance of the existing atomizer prepared by the micro-injection molding process is also poor, and it is easy to have liquid leakage problems under high pressure.

[0063] Therefore, the atomization chip 3 is prepared by micro-nano processing technology, which has low production cost and good quality.

[0064] To this end, this embodiment also provides a method for preparing an atomizer, which is used to prepare the above-mentioned atomizer.

[0065] The method for preparing the atomizer comprises:

[0066] Prepare a shell 1;

[0067] Prepare a sealing gasket 2;

[0068] The atomization chip 3 is prepared by using micro-nano technology;

[0069] Assemble the atomization chip 3 onto the sealing gasket 2;

[0070] The sealing gasket 2 is assembled into the housing 1 .

[0071] This embodiment further provides an atomization device, which includes a liquid supply mechanism and the above-mentioned atomizer, wherein the liquid supply mechanism is connected to the inlet 12 of the atomizer and supplies liquid to the atomizer through the inlet 12, and the atomizer is used to atomize the liquid and output it. It can be understood that the atomization device including the above-mentioned atomizer can achieve lossless atomization and has a good use effect.

[0072] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made without departing from the protection scope of the present invention. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An atomizer, characterized in that: include: The housing (1) comprises a conveying channel (11), and two ends of the conveying channel (11) are respectively an inlet (12) and an outlet (13); A sealing gasket (2) is embedded in the conveying channel (11), and a mounting groove (21) is provided on the sealing gasket (2); An atomization chip (3) is embedded in the mounting groove (21), and the atomization chip (3) comprises a substrate layer (31), a guide layer (32) and a barrier layer (33) which are arranged in sequence; The substrate layer (31) comprises an atomization hole (311), the atomization hole (311) faces the outlet (13), and the atomization hole (311) is smaller than the outlet (13); The guide layer (32) comprises a plurality of guide grooves (321), and the plurality of guide grooves (321) are distributed around the periphery of the atomization hole (311); The blocking layer (33) comprises a blocking member (331), and the blocking member (331) is used to cover the area of ​​the plurality of guide grooves (321) close to the atomization hole (311), so as to guide the liquid to enter the plurality of guide grooves (321) through a side of the plurality of guide grooves (321) away from the atomization hole (311).

2. An atomizer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of guide grooves (321) are all arranged in an arc shape, and the plurality of guide grooves (321) are evenly distributed around the center of the atomization hole (311).

3. An atomizer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing pad (2) is made of flexible material.

4. An atomizer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The conveying channel (11) is arranged in a conical shape, and the conveying channel (11) gradually narrows from the inlet (12) to the outlet (13).

5. An atomizer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer contour of the sealing pad (2) is arranged in a circular shape, the mounting groove (21) is located at the center of the circle, and the mounting groove (21) is arranged in a square shape.

6. An atomizer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The thickness of the sealing gasket (2) is at least twice the thickness of the atomization chip (3).

7. The atomizer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell (1) is provided with a tapered hole (14), and the smallest end of the tapered hole (14) is connected to the delivery channel (11) to form the outlet (13).

8. The atomizer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer circumference of the housing (1) is provided with a Luer thread (15).

9. A method for preparing an atomizer, characterized in that: Used to prepare the atomizer according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the atomizer preparation method comprising: Preparing the shell (1); preparing the sealing gasket (2); The atomization chip (3) is prepared by using micro-nano technology; Assembling the atomization chip (3) onto the sealing gasket (2); The sealing gasket (2) is assembled into the housing (1).

10. An atomization device, characterized in that: It comprises a liquid supply mechanism and an atomizer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the liquid supply mechanism is connected to an inlet (12) of the atomizer and supplies liquid to the atomizer through the inlet (12), and the atomizer is used to atomize the liquid and output it.

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