Dispenser

Abstract

A liquid fragrance dispenser comprises a dispensing device (4) and a refill bottle (8) configured to store a liquid fragrance wherein the refill bottle (8) comprises a body (5) configured to form a reservoir to store the liquid fragrance and a spray head (6) configured to move relative to the body (5) to activate a spray mechanism comprising a pump, to dispense liquid from the reservoir; the dispensing device (4) comprises a motor configured to move the sprinkler head (6) downward to activate said pump to move the liquid fragrance from the reservoir and to dispense the liquid fragrance from the sprinkler head (6); the distribution device (4) further comprises a low voltage detector configured to determine whether the voltage is below a threshold; and the dispensing device (4) is configured to stop dispensing the liquid fragrance when the low-pressure detector determines that the voltage is below the threshold value.

Description

Background Art

[0001] The environmental benefits of using non-aerosol dispensers as a fluid source have driven the development of spraying fragrances and other fluids via devices that are refilled from non-aerosol fluids.

[0002] Typically, devices for spraying fragrances, deodorants, and disinfecting fluids into a room usually consist of a device that includes a removable fluid source. In many devices, the fluid source is an aerosol-based fluid that disperses a long distance when activated. Spraying non-aerosol liquids requires the use of greater force to activate because the force is directly related to the distance the liquid is sprayed. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a device for spraying fluids, and in particular, but not exclusively, to a device for reliably spraying fluids (such as fragrances, deodorizing fluids and / or pest control materials, etc.) in a non-aerosol form and with more uniform performance. The present invention also relates to a method of using such a device.

[0004] In one aspect of the present invention, there is a liquid fragrance dispenser, which includes a dispensing device and a refill bottle configured to store liquid fragrance, wherein the refill bottle includes a main body and a spray head, the main body is configured to form a reservoir to store liquid fragrance, and the spray head is configured to move relative to the main body to activate a spray mechanism including a pump to dispense liquid from the reservoir; wherein the dispensing device includes a motor, which is configured to move the spray head downward to activate the pump to move the liquid fragrance from the reservoir and dispense the liquid fragrance from the spray head; wherein the dispensing device further includes a low voltage detector, which is configured to determine whether the voltage is lower than a threshold value; and wherein the dispensing device is configured to stop dispensing the liquid fragrance when the low voltage detector determines that the voltage is lower than the threshold value. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] By way of example only, various aspects of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0006] Figure 1 A non-aerosol dispensing device is shown with a refill bottle inserted into the dispensing device;

[0007] Figure 2 shows a graph illustrating the reduction in battery voltage as a function of the number of activations of the dispensing device;

[0008] Figure 3a An example of dispensing device activation with low fluid settling is shown;

[0009] Figure 3b An example of dispensing device activation with moderate fluid settling is shown;

[0010] Figure 3c shows an example of dispensing device activation with high fluid settling; and

[0011] Figure 4 An example of voltage sampling by a low voltage detector is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 The refill bottle 8 is shown located in the dispensing device 4. The dispensing device 4 comprises a refill receiving portion 13, a spraying orifice 2 and a trigger mechanism 11. The trigger mechanism 11 comprises a motor and a gear box.

[0014] The refill bottle 8 comprises a spray head 6 and a main body 5 .

[0015] The refill bottle 8 is configured to contain a fluid for spraying. The fluid is contained in a reservoir formed by the body 5 and is configured to be dispensed via a spray head 6. In the illustrated example, the spray head 6 is coupled to the body 5 via a neck, and the spray head 6 is configured to move relative to the body 5 to activate a spray mechanism to dispense liquid from the reservoir.

[0016] like Figure 2 As illustrated, the refill bottle 8 is configured to be located in the refill receiving portion 13 of the dispensing device 4. When the refill bottle 8 is located in the dispensing device 4, the spray head 6 is configured to be aligned with the spray aperture 2 so that in use, the spray head 6 dispenses fluid through the spray aperture 2 when triggered by the trigger mechanism 11.

[0017] The dispensing device 4 is configured to be placed on a surface, wherein at least a portion of the base 10 is in contact with the surface. In the illustrated example, the base 10 has three contact points with the surface. It is advantageous to have three contact points with the surface to reduce the instability of the dispensing device 4 when placed on the surface. The dispensing device 4 can also be configured to be attached to a surface, for example, the dispensing device 4 can be attached to a wall.

[0018] The dispensing device 4 is configured to dispense fluid from the refill bottle 8 by exerting a force on the spray head 6 so that the spray moves downward to activate the spray mechanism. For example, the spray mechanism includes a pump coupled to the spray head that moves the fluid from the reservoir and dispenses the fluid from the spray head. In this example, the motor is configured to be coupled to a gearbox. The motor and gearbox of the dispensing device are configured to move the spray head downward to activate the pump.

[0019] In the example where the non-aerosol liquid is contained in a refill bottle, the propulsion of the liquid from the spray head is related to the speed applied to the spray head by the dispensing device. For example, the dispensing device moving the spray head at a greater speed will cause the liquid to be sprayed from the spray head at a faster speed, and the liquid will be sprayed farther from the dispensing device and / or the liquid sprayed from the dispensing device will have a larger spread.

[0020] The force applied by the motor of the dispensing device depends on the power available to the motor. In the above example, the motor of the dispensing device 4 is configured to be powered by a battery. The voltage provided by the battery can decrease as the remaining power in the battery decreases. The reduction in voltage may result in a reduction in the performance of the dispensing device.

[0021] Figure 2 The voltage of the battery of the dispensing device 4 is shown as a function of the number of activations of the dispensing device 4. In the example illustrated, the voltage initially drops faster as the number of activations increases, and then after approximately 2000 activations, the rate of drop becomes slower.

[0022] Figure 3a , Figure 3b and Figure 3c The effect of voltage on spraying performance is shown. These figures show the settling of liquid after activating the spraying of the dispensing device. The settling level is based on the amount of liquid dispensed at a certain distance close to the dispensing device. Figure 3a to Figure 3c The image shown in exemplifies the settling of white liquid near the dispensing device.

[0023] Figure 3a Liquid settling from an example of a dispensing device 4 having a battery voltage of 3.23V is shown. Figure 3b Liquid settling from an example of a dispensing device 4 having a battery voltage of 2.588V is shown. Figure 3c Liquid settling from an example of a dispensing device 4 having a battery voltage of 2.426V is shown.

[0024] The image shows the level of sedimentation, which corresponds to the increase of liquid near the dispensing device, increasing as the battery voltage decreases. High levels of sedimentation from the device result in unacceptable performance levels. For example, high levels of sedimentation mean that less liquid will be projected into the room and the efficacy of the dispensing device is reduced.

[0025] The dispensing device includes a microprocessor unit (MCU) and a low voltage detector. The low voltage detector is configured to be connected to the battery via the MCU and measure the voltage from the battery. The low voltage detector measures the voltage from the battery and determines whether the voltage from the battery is below a threshold. In an example, the threshold level of voltage can be based on the voltage of the battery that causes a drop from the dispensing device, which provides an acceptable performance level and thus provides the efficacy of the dispensing device. The threshold level of voltage can also be based on a minimum number of spray activations during the battery life.

[0026] The dispensing device is programmed to set a voltage threshold. For example, the MCU senses the voltage of the battery, and the low voltage detector determines whether the voltage is higher than the threshold.

[0027] In the described example, the dispensing device is configured to stop dispensing liquid when the low voltage detector determines that the battery voltage is below a threshold. For example, when the low voltage detector determines that the battery voltage is below a threshold, the dispensing device stops motor activation.

[0028] In an example, the low voltage detector is activated within a short period of time after initial power-on of the dispensing device. For example, the low voltage detector is activated 2 seconds to 7 seconds after power-on, for example, 3 seconds after power-on. The low voltage detector periodically determines whether the voltage is above or below a threshold. For example, the low voltage detector determines whether the voltage is above or below a threshold every 2 seconds to 10 seconds (e.g., every 5 seconds).

[0029] The low voltage detector is configured to sample the voltage multiple times over a period of time to determine whether the voltage is in a stable state. Figure 4 An example of sampling by a low voltage detector is shown. A large number of samples of the voltage over a period of time ensures that the low voltage detector can determine whether the voltage is above or below a threshold when the motor is activated during the sampling period.

[0030] exist Figure 4 In the example illustrated in , the low voltage detector can sample the voltage by performing 16 voltage checks within a period of 2 seconds. In this example, the low voltage detector samples the voltage every 5 seconds.

[0031] In an example, the dispensing device includes two 1.5 V AA batteries. In this example, the threshold of the low voltage detector may be between 2.5 V and 2.7 V, such as between 2.55 V and 2.65 V, such as between 2.58 V and 2.62 V. In an example, the threshold of the low voltage detector may be 83% to 90% of the total voltage of the battery powering the dispensing device, such as 85% to 88% of the total voltage of the battery, such as 86% to 87% of the total voltage of the battery.

[0032] In an example, when the low voltage detector determines that the voltage is below a threshold, the dispensing device needs to be reset to restart. For example, removing the battery from the dispensing device will reset the device. The requirement to reset the dispensing device to restart prevents erratic performance due to battery voltage fluctuations caused by the battery voltage slowly recovering.

[0033] In the above example, the MCU of the dispensing device is configured to stop providing the spray signal once the low voltage detector determines that the voltage is below a threshold value.

[0034] In the described example, the dispensing device dispenses a liquid fragrance. The dispensing device may also dispense a deodorizing fluid and / or a pest control material, etc.

[0035] Further modifications and developments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention described herein.

Claims

1. A liquid fragrance dispenser comprising a dispensing device and a refill bottle configured to store liquid fragrance, wherein: The refill bottle includes a body and a spray head, the body being configured to form a reservoir to store the liquid fragrance, the spray head being configured to move relative to the body to activate a spray mechanism including a pump to dispense liquid from the reservoir; the dispensing device including a motor configured to move the spray head downward to activate the pump to move the liquid fragrance from the reservoir and dispense the liquid fragrance from the spray head; The dispensing device further includes a low voltage detector configured to determine whether the voltage is below a threshold; and The dispensing device is configured to stop dispensing the liquid fragrance when the low voltage detector determines that the voltage is below the threshold value.

2. The liquid fragrance dispenser according to claim 1, wherein: The dispensing device further comprises a microprocessor unit, and the microprocessor unit is configured to stop providing a spray signal once the low voltage detector determines that the voltage is below the threshold value.

3. A liquid fragrance dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The low voltage detector is configured to determine whether the voltage is below a threshold by performing 16 voltage checks within a period of 2 seconds.

4. A liquid fragrance dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The low voltage detector is configured to determine whether the voltage is below a threshold every 5 seconds.

5. A liquid fragrance dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The low voltage detector is activated 2 to 7 seconds after power-on, for example, 3 seconds after power-on.

6. A liquid fragrance dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The threshold of the low voltage detector is between 83% and 90% of the total voltage of a battery powering the dispensing device, for example between 85% and 88% of the total voltage of the battery, or for example between 86% and 87% of the total voltage of the battery.

7. A liquid fragrance dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The dispensing device is configured to require a reset to restart dispensing when the low voltage detector determines that the voltage is below the threshold.

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