Device for spraying or projecting powdered, fragmented or liquid material

Abstract

A device (1) for spraying or projecting powdered, flaked, or fragmentary material, or even liquid material, which can be airborne, the device comprising from upstream to downstream: - a pulsed air unit (2) supplying compressed air, - a chamber (3) housing a reservoir (30) intended to hold material to be sprayed, - a downstream projection chimney (4) communicating with the reservoir (30), - the device comprising a compressed air flow circuit (31), the circuit (31) communicating with the pulsed air unit (2) and being arranged and enclosed within the chamber (3) while being outside the reservoir (30) and extending along the length of the reservoir and all around it, while the reservoir (30) includes through passages (300) which open into the air flow circuit (31).

Description

Title of the invention: Device for spraying or projecting powdered, fragmented or liquid material

[0001] The invention relates to a spraying or projection device for powdered or flaked material or other fragmentary material, or even liquid, which can be airborne.

[0002] The invention will be described more particularly with regard to a spraying device for powdered products of the insecticide type, especially for the destruction of wasp or hornet nests, but not limited to this. Another application is, for example, the projection of confetti. In general, the invention applies to all particles or fragmentary bodies capable of being carried by the air.

[0003] In the application of insecticide spraying for hornets and others, a known device includes an insecticide powder cartridge, a spray nozzle connecting downstream of the cartridge, a pole with a conduit connecting upstream of the cartridge, and a gun with a compressed air cartridge allowing compressed air to be delivered through the conduit of the pole to the cartridge.

[0004] However, such a device requires a constant supply of compressed air cartridges. Furthermore, it is desirable to be able to precisely measure the effective amount of insecticide used in order to minimize the environmental impact of such products, which is not always possible.

[0005] A hornet nest treatment device using calibrated cartridges or doses to deliver the required amount of insecticide is known from patent EP3982722. For the device to function, the appropriate dosing cartridge is inserted, which automatically pierces it both upstream and downstream. Compressed air is supplied by a cylindrical air pump connected to the device via hoses, with the compressed air delivery controlled by the opening / closing of a remotely operated smart valve.

[0006] However, even if each cartridge can be calibrated, the aforementioned device requires a compressed air pump, or even a compressor, which is cumbersome and not practical in the field.

[0007] The invention therefore aims to provide a spraying device, in particular for insecticides, which does not have the aforementioned disadvantages and which, in general, regardless of the material being projected, can be compact, simple to implement, while being efficient in its propulsion and able to adapt to the required quantity of material.

[0008] In the following description, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" are understood to mean elements of the device located upstream or downstream with respect to the body of the device, considering the direction of spraying of the material from upstream to downstream.

[0009] According to the invention, the spraying or projection device for powdered material (powdered product, in particular insecticide) or flakes or fragmentary material, or even for liquid product, which can be airborne, comprises from upstream to downstream: - means of supplying compressed air,- - a reservoir intended to hold (temporarily store) material to be sprayed, - a downstream projection chimney communicating with the reservoir, - the reservoir being housed in a chamber arranged between the compressed air supply means and the chimney, and - the compressed air supply means comprising a forced air unit (supplying compressed air) and a compressed air flow circuit, the circuit communicating with the forced air unit and being arranged and enclosed within the chamber while being outside the tank (30) and extending along the length of the tank and all around it, while the tank includes through passages which open into the air flow circuit.

[0010] Advantageously, the device is in the form of a long, narrow assembly and incorporates the compressed air supply means. Advantageously, the device does not require external compressed air supply pipes to be connected. Advantageously, the device forms a single unit for its operation. Advantageously, the device does not necessarily need to be opened to load the material into the tank.

[0011] According to one feature, the forced air unit comprises a suction system and of air blower and includes at least one air inlet (of ambient outside air) and one air expulsion outlet (which is arranged at a downstream end of the block) which communicates with the chamber.

[0012] According to one feature, the chamber has an external wall. According to another feature, the chamber is open at both its upstream and downstream ends, in particular, it is open along its entire hollow cylindrical cross-section.

[0013] According to one feature, the tank is cylindrical in shape. According to another feature, the tank comprises a closed bottom (the bottom corresponding to the so-called upstream end of the tank), an internal wall which is at a distance from the external wall of the chamber, and a downstream end communicating with the chimney (the downstream end corresponding to the entire hollow cylindrical internal section of the tank). According to another feature, the airflow circuit comprises at least one airflow channel, preferably several flow channels. air distributed around the reservoir, each channel having an upstream distal end in communication with the pulsed air block and a longitudinal part into which the through passages open.

[0014] Advantageously, the air suction and blowing system is remotely controllable (via a remote control which communicates remotely with the electronic circuit of the air suction and blowing system).

[0015] The spraying device of the invention advantageously has a general cylindrical body and once the reservoir is filled with an appropriate dose of material, the device is directly ready to operate, having if necessary previously fixed it on a pole and / or having accessorized the chimney, for example by adding a stinger in the context of use for combating a wasp or hornet nest.

[0016] Thus, unlike the prior art, the device uses compressed air from a forced air supply and not compressed air from a specific compressed air distribution device such as an air pump or compressor. The air used for the operation of the device of the invention is directly ambient air drawn in by the device's suction system. The device is therefore compact and does not need to be connected to hoses or an additional compressed air distribution device. It is easy to handle, particularly due to its general cylindrical shape. This portable device is easy to transport, especially to hard-to-reach areas.Furthermore, it is possible to stop spraying at any time by immediately shutting off the pulsed system without completely emptying the tank, which is virtually impossible to achieve with a prior art device that uses a remote compressed air system, as this system empties the tank extremely quickly. Consequently, the user of the device of the invention can resume spraying immediately after the first use since the tank will not have been emptied. Moreover, the tank does not need to be changed like a cartridge; it remains permanently in place and simply needs to be filled with the precise amount of material required. In addition, the compressed air obtained by the blower system of the pulsed air system remains under compression thanks to the design of the air circuit or flow path.Finally, the inventors demonstrated that, surprisingly, the chamber design with a peripheral air supply circuit around the reservoir, part of which opens through passages in the cylindrical wall of the reservoir (rather than an air intake from the bottom of the reservoir as in the prior art), produces an erosion effect for powdered or granular particles and a projection of the material outside the chimney, more as a particle mist than as a unidirectional jet. This has the particular advantage of diffusing the insecticide much more rapidly within a hornet's nest. The combination of the pulsed block and the airflow circuit... Passageways through the reservoir provide a powerful ejection device and allow for dosing of just the necessary material, which is essential for insecticides whose dose must always be optimized.

[0017] Remote control allows safe and efficient application of the product without direct manual intervention on the nest, thus increasing operator safety.

[0018] According to one feature, the tank comprises a closed bottom, an internal wall which is at a distance from the external wall of the chamber (the airflow circuit being between the external wall and the internal wall) and a downstream end communicating with the chimney, and the airflow circuit comprises a plurality of longitudinal airflow channels formed in the thickness of the internal wall and according to the length of the tank, the longitudinal channels comprising a part communicating with an air expulsion outlet of the pulsed air block and a part comprising the through passages, the two parts of the channel being partitioned except at one end which is opposite the air expulsion outlet.

[0019] According to one feature, the through passages are spaced slots which are arranged around the perimeter of the tank and which are staggered according to the length of the tank.

[0020] According to one feature, each airflow channel forms an inverted U-shaped longitudinal channel, with - a first wing which starts from the upstream end of the chamber in communication with the air expulsion outlet, which has a closed wall with the wall of the tank (this first wing has no through passages with the tank) and which extends along the length of the tank (therefore along a corridor) to the end of the U-shaped curve (whose wall is closed), - a second wing (second corridor) which is in continuity with the curvature of the U and parallel to the first wing, and which (the wall of the second wing which corresponds to the inner wall of the tank) includes the through passages and which extends along the tank, ending at the upstream end of the chamber in a sealed manner. The air propelled by the pulsed system, which is already partially compressed, first travels along the first wing, which has a closed wall with the tank and whose cross-section, narrower than the expulsion outlet, further increases the air velocity and compresses it. Then, upon reaching the second wing, it passes successively through each stepped slot from downstream to upstream, propelling the material progressively from the top (downstream part) of the tank to the bottom, ending at the lowest slot of the tank.

[0021] Preferably, the slots which are arranged near the bottom of the tank, at least for the slots of the stage closest to the bottom, have a larger cross-section than the cross-section of the other slots.

[0022] According to one feature, the forced air unit comprises an air suction and blowing system which includes a motor, a turbine and electronic means for remote piloting and control.

[0023] According to one feature, the forced air unit, in particular the air intake and blowing system, includes at least one air inlet which is coupled to an air filter.

[0024] According to one characteristic, the chimney is convergent downstream, in the manner of a nozzle.

[0025] According to one feature, the forced air unit, the chamber, and the chimney are removable, and preferably the reservoir is detachable from the chamber. All the elements can thus be easily cleaned.

[0026] According to one feature, the chimney has a downstream end (from which the material is propelled) which includes removable fixing means, in particular by screwing or by magnetizing, for fixing an accessory chosen from accessories which are a function of the use of the device, such as rigid or flexible prods for treating hornet or wasp nests.

[0027] According to one feature, the chimney has a downstream end (from which the material is propelled) which includes removable fastening means, in particular by screwing or magnetizing, for attaching the spraying device to a material loading device intended to be loaded into the tank, the material being introduced into the tank by gravity flow through the chimney. Thus, particularly for insecticides, the operator does not have to handle the insecticide, which passes directly from the loading device into the tank without any contact.

[0028] The invention also relates to an assembly comprising a spraying device of the aforementioned invention, and a material loading device, the loading device comprising a storage tank and semi-automated means for delivering the material in a controlled quantity.

[0029] According to one feature, the loading device includes a delivery outlet which is able to cooperate by removable attachment with the so-called downstream free end of the chimney, preferably by magnetization, and which is able to deliver the material by gravity and in particular by a vibratory effect, the delivery outlet including an automated opening and closing valve.

[0030] The present invention is now described by means of purely illustrative and in no way limiting examples of the scope of the invention, and from the accompanying illustrations, in which: - [Fig.1] represents a perspective view of an example embodiment of the spraying device according to the invention. - [Fig.2] represents a schematic cross-sectional view of the device of [Fig.1]. - [Fig.3] is an exploded perspective view of the chamber including an outer shell and the tank with its peripheral airflow circuit. - [Fig.4] corresponds to a perspective and top view of the downstream end of the chamber of the device (envelope and reservoir of the [Fig.3] assembled). - [[Fig.5]] is the opposite view of [Fig.4], corresponding to the upstream end of the chamber. - [[Fig.6]] is a perspective view of a device for loading the material to be propelled and the spraying device installed to load the tank.

[0031] The spraying or projection device 1 of the invention illustrated in figures 1 and 2, is intended to spray a powdery or flaked or fragmentary type material that can be airborne, or even a liquid.

[0032] Device 1 can notably be used to spray powdered insecticide. However, the uses are very diverse.

[0033] The device 1 has a generally cylindrical body, preferably terminating at both opposite ends in frustoconical shapes. The device 1 is in several parts, preferably all of which are removable and detachable from one another. In particular, the device 1 comprises, from upstream to downstream, a forced air block 2, an intermediate chamber 3, and a projection chimney 4. The chamber 3 includes within it a reservoir 30 and an airflow circuit 31 which is peripheral to the reservoir 30. The chamber 3 has an upstream end 3A and a downstream end 3B. The airflow circuit 31 communicates, on the one hand, with the forced air block 2 (with its air expulsion outlet), and on the other hand, with the reservoir 30 via through ports 300.

[0034] The forced air unit 2 comprises a housing 20 which contains a remotely controllable air intake and blower system 5 and which includes at least one air inlet 21 upstream of the unit and connected to the upstream portion 50 of the air intake and blower system, and an air outlet 22 downstream of the unit and connected to the downstream portion 51 of the air intake and blower system 5. The air inlet 21 communicates directly with the outside of the device 1, with the ambient air. The air inlet 21 is preferably coupled with an air filter 23. The air intake and blower system 5 may optionally include a non-return valve 52. The forced air system 2 is powered by a 12V battery.

[0035] In the illustrated example, the casing 20 of block 2 has a frustoconical upstream end 2A comprising a free end 20' narrower than the rest of the block body in order to attach a long, slender gripping support such as a pole (not shown). The free end 20' is closed relative to the air inlet 21. The frustoconical end 2A is fitted with the air filter 23. The casing 20 of block 2 presents a hollow cylindrical downstream end 2B suitable for fitting the upstream end 3 A of chamber 3.

[0036] The air intake and blowing system 5 comprises a motor, a turbine, and electronic remote control and operating means. The air intake and blowing system 5 is a forced air system that delivers pressurized air at the air discharge outlet 22. Optionally, the air intake and blowing system 5 may include a non-return valve 24 at the air discharge outlet 22. The air discharge outlet 22 communicates with the chamber 3, more specifically with the airflow circuit 31.

[0037] The chimney 4 is fixed, for example, by screwing it around the downstream end 3B of the chamber 3. The chimney 4 is preferably frustoconical, converging towards the opposite side of the chamber 3, like a nozzle. The chimney 4 is hollow from one end to the other and communicates at its upstream end 4A with the reservoir 30 and opens freely at the opposite end at its downstream end 4B. The free end 4B of the chimney 4 can be fitted with an accessory, for example, a rigid or flexible stinger known per se in the field of hornet nest destruction.

[0038] With particular regard to figures 3 to 5, the chamber 3 is cylindrical in shape comprising two opposite ends upstream 3A and downstream 3B, an external cylindrical wall 32 and an internal cylindrical wall 33 at a distance from the external wall so as to provide inside the internal wall the reservoir 30, and between the external wall 32 and the internal wall 33, the air flow circuit 31.

[0039] The outer wall 32 forms the outer casing of the chamber 3. The outer wall 32 forms a hollow tube open at its two upstream and downstream ends. The outer wall 32 includes, around its downstream end, a removable fastening system 32' such as a thread for screwing into the chimney 4, which includes an associated tapped hole.

[0040] At the downstream end 3B of chamber 3, the annular space separating the inner wall 33 from the outer wall 32 is completely sealed, as shown in [Fig. 4]. The sealing of this annular space at the downstream end is achieved, for example, by a peripheral shoulder 33' of the inner wall 33. Thus, the downstream end 3B of chamber 3 is open to correspond only with the interior of the reservoir 30. The airflow circuit 31 peripheral to the reservoir 30 cannot open outside the downstream end 3B of chamber 3.

[0041] The inner wall 33 internally delimits the reservoir 5 and has a closed upstream end 33A, which corresponds to the closed bottom 30' of the reservoir ([Fig. 4]), and an open downstream end 33B, which corresponds to the inlet of the reservoir 30 ([Fig. 3]). The inlet of the reservoir 30 cooperates directly with the chimney 4. The inlet of the reservoir 30 corresponds to the total cross-section of the interior of the reservoir.

[0042] With regard to [Fig.3], the air flow circuit 31 comprises at least one channel, preferably several channels 310 extending along the length of the chamber 3. The channels 310 are drawn between the outer wall 32 and the inner wall 33 by longitudinal blind cavities in the thickness of the wall 33 and by openings or recesses 33” spaced in the thickness of the edge of the wall at the upstream end 3A.

[0043] In the preferred example shown, each longitudinal channel 310 traces in the inner wall 33 an inverted U-shaped airflow path, the curve of the U being close to the downstream end 33B (the curve of the U being closed by the shoulder 33'), and the U having: - a first wing 310A which starts from the upstream end of chamber 3, from an opening 33” in the downstream edge of wall 33 and which is intended to be in communication with the air expulsion outlet 22, this first wing has a closed bottom wall, that is to say that the wall 33 of the tank 30 is solid and devoid of through passages with said tank, and this first wing extending in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical wall 33; - a second wing 310B parallel to the first wing 310A, this second wing 310B which has its bottom wall corresponding to the wall 33 of the tank, including the through passages 300 and extending along the tank ending at the upstream end 3A at the level of the solid edge of the wall 33.

[0044] The through passages 300 are preferably slots arranged in stages along the length or height of the tank 30 and oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tank. By way of non-limiting dimensional examples, particularly for use as an insecticide tank: - the reservoir 30 has a height of approximately 100 mm and a diameter of approximately 30 mm to hold up to 40 g of powdered material; - The 300 slots have a width (height direction) of 2 mm and 4 mm - The length of the slots (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tank) corresponds to the width of the second wing 310B of the airflow channel, for example, on the order of 15 mm; 4 rows - the slits are staggered, being spaced for example on the order of 10 mm apart; - the slots are distributed in four equidistant longitudinal channels around the reservoir.

[0045] It goes without saying that all the elements of the spraying device and in particular the tank in terms of its size will be dimensionally adapted according to the use.

[0046] Preferably, the reservoir has a lower end slot 301 in the immediate vicinity of the bottom which is wider than the other slots 300.

[0047] The operation of device 1 is as follows. Material to be propelled has been introduced into the reservoir 30. Device 1 is carried by one hand of the operator or is positioned at the top of a pole carried by the user's hand. The forced-air system 2 is activated by a button on a remote control, which is, for example, in the user's other hand. The forced-air system 2 draws in ambient air through the inlet 21 and propels the air through the discharge outlet 22.The air propelled by the forced air system 2, which is already partially compressed, first travels along the first closed-walled wing 310A, whose narrower cross-section than the expulsion outlet 22 further increases the air speed and compresses it. Then, upon reaching the second wing 310B, it passes successively through each stepped slot 300 from downstream to upstream, propelling the material out of the reservoir towards the chimney 4. This process occurs progressively from the top (downstream part) of the reservoir to the bottom, ending with the lowest slot 301 of the reservoir, to bring the material up to the downstream end or outlet of the reservoir.

[0048] Furthermore, the reservoir 30 can be loaded by dismantling the chimney 4 and pouring the material into the reservoir 30 of chamber 3. In one embodiment, particularly to avoid any contact with the material, the invention proposes a semi-automatic loading device 6 illustrated in [Fig. 6]. The chimney 4 does not need to be dismantled. Advantageously, it includes at its downstream end 4B a coupling system with the loading device 6, preferably a magnetic system.

[0049] The loading device 6 comprises a storage tank 60, a control box 61, and a delivery outlet 62 positioned downwards in the loading position. The material stored in the storage tank is intended to fall by gravity through the delivery outlet 62, and preferably by vibration (the loading device including a vibrator). The loading device 6 includes a pivoting valve 63 for opening and closing the delivery outlet 62, which is controlled by the control box. The spraying device 1 is removably attached to the delivery outlet 62. The free end 4B of the outlet of the chimney 4 is directly connected to the delivery outlet 62 of the loading device. Attachment is achieved, for example, by magnetism.Preferably, the loading device 6 further includes a receptacle 64 capable of collecting material when the valve 63 is closed / reopened and when the spraying device 1 is removed, in order to prevent any loss of product into the external environment. The receptacle 64 will subsequently be emptied appropriately to prevent any environmental pollution. The loading device 6, in particular for use with insecticides, is mobile; it is portable and can be transported in a vehicle. On site, the operator loads the spraying device 1 from the [unclear - likely referring to a specific location or feature]. The operator loads the device 6, which is in the vehicle, with the dose of material delivered being precisely that required for the intervention (the sprayer's tank 30 does not necessarily need to be completely filled); the operator does not have to handle the insecticide at all. The operator then walks to the area to be treated, carrying the sprayer 1 filled with the appropriate dose, and attaches it, if necessary, by its end 20' to a pole and optionally attaches it to the free end 4B of the chimney 4. To propel the material, the operator starts the sprayer's pulsed air system 5 via the remote control and can stop it at any time by pressing the remote control again.

Claims

Demands

1. A device (1) for spraying or projecting powdered, flaked, fragmentary, or even liquid material, which may be airborne, the device comprising from upstream to downstream: - compressed air supply means, - a reservoir (30) for receiving the material to be sprayed, - a downstream projection stack (4) communicating with the reservoir (30), - the reservoir (30) being housed in a chamber arranged between the compressed air supply means and the stack (4), and - the compressed air supply means comprising a pulsed air unit (2) and a compressed air flow circuit (31), the circuit (31) communicating with the pulsed air unit (2) and being arranged and enclosed within the chamber (3) while being outside the reservoir (30) and extending along the length of the reservoir and all around it,while the reservoir (30) includes through passages (300) which open into the air flow circuit (31).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tank (30) comprises a closed bottom (30'), an internal wall (33) which is at a distance from the external wall (32) of the chamber and a downstream end (33B) communicating with the chimney (4), and the airflow circuit (31) comprises a plurality of longitudinal airflow channels formed in the thickness of the internal wall (33) and along the length of the tank, the longitudinal channels comprising a part (310A) communicating with an air expulsion outlet (22) of the pulsed air unit and a part (310B) comprising the through passages (300, 301), the two parts of the channel being partitioned except at one end which is opposite the air expulsion outlet (22).

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the through passages (300, 301) are spaced slots which are arranged around the perimeter of the tank and which are staggered along the length of the tank.

4. Device according to claims 2 or 3, characterized in that each air flow channel forms an inverted U-shaped longitudinal channel, with - a first wing (310A) which starts from the upstream end of the chamber in communication with the air expulsion outlet, which is closed to the wall of the tank and which extends along the length of the tank to the end of the curvature of the U, - a second wing (310B) which is in continuity with the curvature of the U and is parallel to the first wing, which includes the through passages and which extends along the tank ending at the upstream end of the chamber in a closed manner.

5. Device according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the slots (301) which are arranged near the bottom of the tank, at least for the slots of the stage closest to the bottom, have a larger cross-section than the cross-section of the other slots (300).

6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pulsed air block (2) comprises an air intake and blowing system (5) which includes a motor, a turbine and electronic means for remote piloting and control.

7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pulsed air block (2) comprises at least one air inlet (21) which is coupled to an air filter (23).

8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chimney (4) is convergent downstream, in the manner of a nozzle.

9. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chimney (4) has a downstream end (4B) which includes removable fixing means, in particular by screwing or by magnetizing, for the fixing of an accessory chosen from accessories which are a function of the use of the device, such as rigid, flexible prods for the treatment of hornet or wasp nests.

10. An assembly comprising a spraying device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, and a material loading device (6), the loading device (6) comprising a storage tank (60) and semi- automated (61) delivery of material according to a controlled quantity.

11. Assembly according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the loading device (6) comprises a delivery outlet (62) which is able to cooperate by removable attachment with the so-called downstream free end (4B) of the chimney, preferably by magnetization, and which is able to deliver the material by gravity and in particular by a vibratory effect, the delivery outlet comprising an automated opening and closing valve.

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