Device for manual application of liquids

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for manually applying liquids, in particular for coloring, marking, painting, writing and / or making up on keratinous surfaces, the device having a capillary reservoir for liquids. According to the invention, a device for measuring the filling level of a capillary reservoir is provided.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of application No. 201980014154.7, entitled “Device for Manual Application of Liquids”, filed with the China Intellectual Property Office on February 5, 2019. Technical Field

[0002] The invention relates to a device for the manual application of liquids, in particular for painting, marking, drawing, writing and / or applying make-up to keratinous surfaces, wherein the device has a capillary store for the liquid. Background Art

[0003] In other words, the invention relates in particular to pens or markers. Devices of this type are known. If the capillary reservoir is empty, the device ceases to function without prior warning. This is particularly unsatisfactory if no replacement device is available and there is no possibility of refilling during use. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide the user with the possibility of preparing in advance when the liquid reservoir is about to be empty.

[0005] According to the invention, the set object is achieved in a device of the type described at the outset by a device for measuring the filling level of a capillary reservoir. By measuring the filling level, the user of the device can prepare in advance for an empty liquid reservoir and ensure timely replacement or refilling.

[0006] According to the invention, the fill level measuring device preferably has a moisture sensor. Such a moisture sensor is particularly well suited for measuring the fill level of a liquid reservoir which is designed as a capillary reservoir.

[0007] It is also preferred according to the invention that the humidity sensor has conductive paths which are designed and arranged such that they measure the filling level of the capillary reservoir in a resistive or capacitive manner. In other words, the invention makes use of the fact that the total resistance and capacitance between the two types of conductive path circuits vary with the filling level of the capillary reservoir. That is, the circuit contains a current circuit to which a portion formed by the capillary reservoir between the conductive paths belongs, wherein the resistance and capacitance of the indicated portion vary as a function of the filling level. Here, a portion of the conductive path can be connected to the positive pole of a voltage source, while the other portion can be connected to the negative pole of the voltage source.

[0008] In principle, the conductive paths can be formed in any desired manner here. It has proven to be advantageous to provide the conductive paths as a comb-like structure.

[0009] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the device has an interface which is designed to provide the result of the measurement of the filling level in a contactless manner. In this way, there is no need for the device itself to have a display device for the filling level. Instead, the result of the measurement of the filling level can be provided by a smartphone or other device which can receive data in a contactless or wireless manner.

[0010] According to the invention, it is also preferably provided an electronic circuit which is connected to an antenna and a measuring device for the filling level. In principle, the electronic circuit is used to provide the measurement result via the antenna in a suitable form.

[0011] According to the invention, it is further preferred that the antenna here is not only used to provide the measurement result, but also to supply power to the electronic circuit. In other words, according to the invention, the device preferably operates according to the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) or transponder (transmitter and responder) principle.

[0012] If the filling level is read according to the RFID principle, in many cases it is advantageous for the antenna of the device to be parallel to the antenna of the reading unit, where the reading unit can be, for example, a mobile phone. Thus, if the device is in the form of a flat marker, corresponding standards are obtained. Therefore, according to the invention, it is preferred that the antenna is arranged parallel to the outer surface, especially if the device has a flat outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the device.

[0013] Additionally or alternatively, according to the invention, at least two antennas can be provided which are located in planes perpendicular to each other. In this way, it is particularly simple to obtain the necessary antenna gain regardless of whether they are aligned with each other or not.

[0014] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, a capacitor and a rectifier are provided for supplying power to the electronic circuit. In this way, it is possible to obtain the power required to operate the electronic circuit by induction using the antenna, where the capacitor serves as a buffer.

[0015] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, it is proposed that the filling level measuring device and / or the interface are located on a carrier, especially on a carrier made of flexible plastic. This results in mechanical stability and manufacturing advantages. That is to say, compared with the previous devices, the device according to the invention does not require any changes during the production process. If during the production process of the capillary memory, the carrier on which the filling level measuring device and / or the interface which is also located thereon is provided with fibers for the capillary memory, the integration of the filling level measuring device or the interface during the production process is particularly simple and problem-free.

[0016] According to the invention, it is further preferred that the filling level measuring device and / or the interface is arranged in the capillary memory. This is particularly useful for freely designing the appearance of the device.

[0017] Finally, according to the invention, it is preferred that the capillary memory has a longitudinal center line, and in a cross-sectional view, the distance of the filling level measuring device and / or the interface from the longitudinal axis and / or the outer edge of the capillary memory is at least 5% of the maximum lateral extension length of the capillary memory.

[0018] The above-mentioned minimum distance from the longitudinal axis is used to arrange the filling level measuring device or the interface outside the area where the tip of the liquid application device is located, for example, or outside the area where the tip may be placed later. If, during the extrusion molding process (for example, when forming the covering of the capillary memory), the elements shown have been embedded in the capillary memory, the minimum distance from the outer edge of the capillary memory is used to protect the filling level measuring device and / or the interface and, if necessary, to protect the carrier from being overheated. Description of the Drawings

[0019] The present invention will be explained in more detail below with the aid of preferred embodiments and with reference to the drawings. It shows:

[0020] Figure 1 is a perspective schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of an application device according to the invention, which is in the form of a flat marker;

[0021] Figure 2 shows Figure 1 the marker shown, but not including its front part;

[0022] Figure 3 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a filling level measuring device according to the invention, which includes an electronic circuit and an antenna;

[0023] Figure 4 schematically shows Figure 3 the arrangement of the elements in the capillary memory shown; and

[0024] Figure 5 is Figure 4 the same view as, but from another embodiment.

[0025] Figures 3 to 5 shows the carrier tape 1, the antenna 2, the electronic circuit 3, the conductive path 4, the fiber memory as a whole denoted by the reference numeral 8, and the filling 9 of the fiber memory 8. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0026] The electronic circuit 3 represents the core of the system. This is an RFID chip with an integrated A / D converter, which is applied to the carrier tape 1, and the carrier tape can be flexibly manufactured in this exemplary embodiment. On the one hand, the electronic circuit 3 is connected to the antenna 2, and the electronic circuit 3 is powered through the antenna by means of an electromagnetic alternating field. The electronic circuit 3 is also connected to the conductive path 4. The conductive path 4 has two comb-shaped parts, and the amount of liquid in the fiber reservoir 8 can be measured resistively by means of the two comb-shaped parts. Hereinafter, this unit is referred to as a circuit. Depending on the degree to which the intermediate region between the conductive paths 4 is wetted by the liquid contained in the fiber reservoir 8, the resistance between the two teeth of the conductive path 4 and thus the resistance in the circuit decrease as the liquid level filled in the fiber memory 8 increases.

[0027] To query the filling level, an evaluation device must be used. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the evaluation device can be a mobile phone on which a suitable App is installed. For this purpose, the mobile phone must be able to perform near-field communication (NFC). NFC provides alternating current to the antenna of the mobile phone, and this alternating current induces a current in the surrounding conductive objects through the magnetic field. If the fiber memory 8 with the above elements is moved close to the phone, an alternating current is induced in the antenna 2. Through the rectifier 5 provided in the electronic circuit 3, the capacitor 6 also provided in the electronic circuit 2 is charged, which provides the necessary power to the RFID chip. Now, the chip measures the ohmic resistance in the above circuit and sends the measured result to the mobile phone through the antenna 2. The result can be displayed at the mobile phone. The electronic circuit 3 together with the conductive path 4 represents a humidity sensor. The antenna 2 is used as an interface for providing the measurement result of the filling level in a non-contact manner.

[0028] The rectifier 5, the capacitor 6 and the switch 7 belong to the electronic circuit 3. Figure 3 In the shown position, the switch 7 connects the antenna 2 to the rectifier 5. In this case, the capacitor 6 can be inductively charged through the antenna 2. If the capacitor 6 is full, the switch 7 connects the antenna 2 to the antenna output of the electronic circuit 3, thus ensuring that the radio signal is not lost in the rectifier 5.

[0029] The production process of an exemplary embodiment of the device according to the present invention is described below. The electronic circuit 3, the conductive path 4 and the antenna 2 are applied to a continuous tape made of flexible plastic. The production steps required for this are well known. Advantageously, the division between the two units precisely corresponds to the length of the fiber reservoir of the device to be produced. Thereby, the shown elements can be precisely inserted into the fiber memory 8.

[0030] The fiber reservoir 8 has a strand (e.g., made of polyester) as a filler 9 which is pulled through the center of an annular nozzle. The annular nozzle extrudes a tube made of a covering material (e.g., polypropylene) around the fiber strand. After the covering material has cooled, the continuous strand with the covering is cut to a desired length by a rotary knife.

[0031] Before the annular nozzle, a continuous tape with circuit elements thereon is added to the strand in order to embed it in the strand. The continuous strand with the covering is always cut between two circuit units. This can be done, for example, when supplying the circuit synchronously with the cutting, by optically or inductively measuring the position of the circuit on the continuous tape. Such a memory with circuit elements can be used like a normal fiber memory in a rod.

[0032] Here, the circuit elements are added to the strand as far as possible not at the edge. If these circuit elements are completely surrounded by the fiber, their heating during the extrusion process will also be reduced, which makes it possible to use a cheaper, less heat-resistant plastic (e.g., polyester) as the carrier tape 1. However, the carrier tape 1 should also not be located exactly in the middle of the fiber reservoir 8. Because during the assembly of the device, the actual applicator element (e.g., the nib) is inserted there.

[0033] In Figure 4 the longitudinal axis of the fiber reservoir 8 is designated by L. The distance A of the carrier tape 1, the antenna 2, the electronic circuit 3 and the conductive path 4 from the longitudinal axis L should be greater than 5% of the diameter D. It is 44% in the exemplary embodiment shown. In the embodiment shown, the distance a from the outer edge is 11% of the diameter D.

[0034] Therefore, compared with a conventional device of the type described at the beginning, the production process does not have to be changed in principle. It is only necessary to insert the carrier with the circuit elements into the fiber bundle before extrusion.

[0035] If the fiber reservoir 8 used in a flat marker according to Figure 1 and 2 includes a measuring device for the filling level with only one antenna 2, then this measuring device for the filling level must be inserted into the fiber reservoir 8 in such a way that the main plane of the antenna 2 is parallel to the flat surface 11 of the marker. To ensure this, additional costs are required.

[0036] Whereas in the exemplary embodiment according to Figure 5 this cost is not necessary. According to Figure 5, the second antenna 10 is orthogonally connected to the first antenna 2. Both antennas 2, 10 are electrically parallel to the electronic circuit 3. In this form, a sufficient amount of power is transferred by inductive coupling, and any radio signal transmitted is received with sufficient intensity on the evaluation device having antennas 2 and 10 - said antennas 2 and 10 being in any position relative to the evaluation device (e.g., a mobile phone).

[0037] The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, claims and drawings are essential for carrying out the invention in its various embodiments, either individually or in any combination.

Claims

1. A device for manually applying a liquid, comprising: a capillary memory for the liquid, a filling level measuring device for measuring the filling level of the capillary memory, and an interface designed to provide the result of the measurement of the filling level in a non-contact manner; wherein the filling level measuring device and the interface are arranged within the capillary memory.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The filling level measuring device has a humidity sensor.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The humidity sensor has conductive paths designed and arranged such that they measure the filling level of the capillary memory in a resistive or capacitive manner.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that The conductive paths have a comb-like structure.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The interface includes an antenna, and wherein the device further includes an electronic circuit connected to the antenna and the filling level measuring device.

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The antenna is used to supply power to the electronic circuit.

7. The device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The device for manually applying a liquid has a flat outer surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the device for manually applying a liquid, and the antenna is parallel to the outer surface.

8. The device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that Comprising at least two antennas located in planes perpendicular to each other.

9. The device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that Comprising a capacitor and a rectifier for supplying power to the electronic circuit.

10. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the filling level measuring device and the interface is located on a carrier made of flexible plastic.

11. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The capillary memory has a longitudinal center line (L), and in a cross-sectional view, at least one of the filling level measuring device and the interface is at a distance from the longitudinal axis and / or the outer edge of the capillary memory of at least 5% of the maximum transverse extension length (D).

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