Product

Abstract

To propose a product in which reduction in generation efficiency of fine bubbles due to a relative direction in which fluid flows can be suppressed more.SOLUTION: A product is used in a state in which at least a part thereof is in contact with liquid. Irregularity is formed in a defined portion in the part being in contact with the liquid. Ten-point average roughness Rz of the irregularity satisfies a condition of being within a range of 5 to 500 μm. The product is, for example, a tabular member having a predetermined angle of elevation with respect to a direction in which the liquid flows, or, for example, a tabular member in which a negative pressure is applied to at least one surface of an upper and lower surfaces.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article of manufacture. [Background technology]

[0002] Fine bubbles generated in a liquid such as water, more specifically, microbubbles or nanobubbles, eventually generate free radicals with strong oxidizing power. Since these free radicals have strong bactericidal power, liquids containing fine bubbles, such as water, are also used for sterilizing food ingredients. It is also known that the zeta potential generated on the surface of fine bubbles allows the liquid in which the fine bubbles are present to be stably maintained in a mixed state with immiscible substances for a long period of time. Note that the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard defines microbubbles as bubbles with a diameter of 1 to 100 μm. Although the exact definition of nanobubbles varies depending on the application field and the generation method, they are generally defined as bubbles with a diameter of 1 μm or less.

[0003] Such fine bubbles are attracting attention for various applications. There is also a demand for easy generation of fine bubbles so that they can be used more easily for various applications. In order to easily generate fine bubbles, convex portions are formed on the surface of a product that comes into contact with a liquid (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7169612 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The formation of convex portions on the surface of a product is premised on the supply of a water flow along the surface. However, the environment in which such a water flow is supplied is actually very limited. If the direction of the water flow is not along the surface, the efficiency of generating microbubbles is likely to decrease significantly. For this reason, it is considered important not only to make it possible to easily generate microbubbles, but also to make it possible to further suppress the decrease in the efficiency of generating microbubbles due to the relative direction in which the water (fluid) flows relative to the component.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention proposes a product that can further suppress the decrease in the efficiency of generating fine bubbles depending on the relative direction of fluid flow. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The manufactured product of one embodiment of the present disclosure is intended to be used with at least a portion thereof in contact with a liquid, and has projections and recesses formed in a specified portion of the portion in contact with the liquid, and satisfies the condition that the 10-point average roughness Rz of the projections and recesses is within the range of 5 to 500 μm. Effect of the Invention

[0008] In the present invention, the decrease in the efficiency of generating fine bubbles due to the relative direction of fluid flow can be further suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hand blender in which a product according to an embodiment of the present invention is adopted. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a blender cutter, which is a product according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of images of unevenness formed in an unevenness forming portion. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a container in which a product according to an embodiment of the present invention is employed. [Diagram 5] 3 is a diagram showing an AA′ cross section of a cutter blade for cutting a material provided in the blender cutter shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section of a blender cutter. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a cross section of the blender cutter. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a cross section of the blender cutter. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a cross section of the blender cutter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example, including modified examples, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this. Various modified examples are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hand blender in which a product according to an embodiment of the present invention is adopted. The hand blender 1 is a tool used for liquefying or crushing ingredients such as vegetables or fruits, or for mixing a plurality of ingredients. As shown in FIG. 1, the hand blender 1 is configured with a main body 2 with a built-in motor and the like (not shown), and a mixer unit 3 that can be attached to and detached from the main body 2. Hereinafter, to avoid confusion, the objects to be mixed by the hand blender 1 will be referred to as "ingredients". Since there are ingredients that cannot be cut, such as fluids such as water or oil, it is assumed that the hand blender 1 is used to mix ingredients.

[0012] The main body 2 is a part that serves as a handle when in use, and has an overall cylindrical shape. The main body 2 is provided with a power switch 4 for turning the power on and off. The blender unit 3 includes a detachable part 5 for mounting to the main body 2, a hood 6 that is open downward, and a communication pipe 7 that connects the detachable part 5 and the hood 6 and enables power from the main body 2 to be transmitted to the blender cutter in the hood 6 when they are connected. The product according to this embodiment is realized as a blender cutter used as a part of the hand blender 1.

[0013] 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a blender cutter, which is a product according to an embodiment of the present invention, from below the hood 6. As shown in Fig. 2, the blender cutter 20 is formed with a mounting portion 21 for mounting inside the hood 6. A hole 211 having a rectangular shape as a whole is formed in the mounting portion 21. A protrusion that matches the shape of the hole 211 is provided inside the hood 6. As a result, the blender cutter 20 is mounted on the hood 6 by inserting the protrusion into the hole 211 and then fixing it with a screw or the like. Power is transmitted from the main body 2 to the protrusion. Therefore, the blender cutter 20 rotates around the protrusion as an axis.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the blender cutter 20 has a pair of a first cutter blade 22 and a second cutter blade 23 arranged on either side of a hole 211. Each of the pair of first cutter blades 22 is generally flat and plate-like, and has a cutting edge 221 formed over the entire front end in the assumed rotation direction. This cutting edge 221 can cut shaped materials such as food ingredients. The other pair of second cutter blades 23 has a plate-like shape with the end portion farther from the hole 211 bent downward, for example. The pair of second cutter blades 23 also has a blade portion 231 formed over the entire end portion that is on the front side in the assumed rotation direction. By being formed in a bent shape, the pair of second cutter blades 23 enables stirring or mixing to be performed more efficiently.

[0015] The flat portions of the pair of first cutter blades 22, excluding the blade portions 221, are formed with unevenness for generating fine bubbles. In Fig. 2, the uneven portion 222 where the unevenness is formed is shown by hatching. The reason why the portion other than the blade portions 221 is designated as the uneven portion 222 is to prevent the sharpness of the blade portions 221 from decreasing due to the unevenness.

[0016] The unevenness may also be formed on the back side as viewed in FIG. 2, avoiding the blade portion 221. The unevenness may be formed only on the back side. However, the hand blender 1 is usually used with the lower side of the hood 6 pressed against the material side. As a result, between the side facing the material and the opposite side, the fluid such as water comes into contact with the opposing side more. For this reason, when the unevenness is formed on only one of the sides, it is better to form the unevenness on the opposing side. The unevenness may be provided on the second cutter blade 23.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of an image of the unevenness formed in the unevenness forming portion. As shown in FIG. 3, the unevenness is formed such that convex and concave portions are arranged alternately. There are a number of indices that indicate the surface roughness due to unevenness. In this embodiment, when the index is expressed by Rz (ten-point average roughness) defined in the JIS B 0601:2001 standard, Rz is formed so as to satisfy the following conditions. Such unevenness can be formed, for example, by blasting abrasives, spraying a coating material by heating and melting it, or cutting. Applicable processing methods for unevenness vary depending on the material of the product. The shape of the unevenness that is actually formed also changes depending on the processing method applied. 5μm≦Rz≦500μm

[0018] Such unevenness can be formed, for example, by blasting an abrasive, spraying a coating material by heating and melting it and spraying it, cutting, etc. Applicable processing methods for unevenness vary depending on the material of the product, etc. There are no particular limitations on the processing method as long as the above conditions are met. This condition was determined by checking the amount of microbubbles (mainly nanobubbles) generated. However, the amount of microbubbles generated depends on the fluid (mainly water) that generates the microbubbles, the relative direction between the direction in which the unevenness forming portion 222 moves and the direction in which the fluid flows, and the assumed speed between them. For this reason, it is desirable to comprehensively determine the actual unevenness Rz within the range of the above condition.

[0019] 3, multiple arrows are shown pointing from one side toward the convex portion and the concave portion, each of which indicates the hypothetical flow direction of a fluid in which a vortex can be formed. Even for the relative flow of fluid in one direction, the unevenness allows the direction of the flow that can be influenced to be wider, as shown in Fig. 3. As the direction becomes wider, the length that affects the flow of the fluid in the direction in which the unevenness is formed, i.e., in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the unevenness forming portion 222, also becomes longer.

[0020] As a result, compared to conventional techniques for forming convex portions (see, for example, Patent Document 1), the decrease in the degree of vortex generation depending on the relative direction of fluid flow is suppressed. Vortex currents generate microbubbles. Therefore, compared to conventional techniques, the decrease in the efficiency of microbubble generation depending on the relative direction of fluid flow is also suppressed. In fact, the efficiency of microbubble generation depending on the relative direction of fluid flow can be made higher overall than conventional techniques.

[0021] By generating microbubbles, if the material is food, it is expected that hygiene will be improved through sterilization. Also, if the material contains synthetic resin, it is possible to stably maintain an emulsion state in which the synthetic resin particles are uniformly dispersed in water without using an emulsifier. In addition to these, there are various other advantages to generating microbubbles.

[0022] The unevenness-forming portion 222 corresponds to a determined portion of the portion that comes into contact with the liquid in this embodiment. In this embodiment, unevenness is formed so as to satisfy the above condition over the entire unevenness-forming portion 222, but this is not necessarily required. Since microbubbles can be effectively generated by unevenness that satisfies the above condition, the above condition may be satisfied only in a portion of the entire portion. However, it is desirable that the proportion of unevenness that satisfies the above condition over the entire portion be 10 percent or more, regardless of differences in application, usage, or purpose.

[0023] In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a blender cutter 20 used as a part of a hand blender 1. Parts to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to those such as the blender cutter 20. The present invention can be widely applied to any part that at least partially comes into contact with a fluid capable of generating microbubbles. The present invention may also be applied to products rather than parts.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a container in which the product according to the embodiment of the present invention is used. This container is, for example, for pouring a beverage into it for drinking. When the present invention is applied to a container, the entire inner surface that comes into contact with the beverage may be unevenly formed, or the unevenness may be formed only on a part of the inner surface. Figure 4 shows an example in which the entire inner surface is unevenly formed. The entire inner surface is shown with a dotted line, and the range in which the unevenness is formed is indicated by the dotted line.

[0025] Like the parts, the container may be one that contains a fluid capable of generating microbubbles. If the container is used in contact with such a fluid, the present invention may be applied to a type of product other than a container. For this reason, like the parts, the present invention is widely applicable to any product that at least a portion of which comes into contact with a fluid capable of generating microbubbles. The product may be one manufactured using parts to which the present invention is applied.

[0026] Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an AA' cross section of the cutter blade 22 for cutting a material provided in the blender cutter 20 shown in Fig. 2. That is, Fig. 5 is a cross section of the cutter blade 22 along the flow direction of a liquid (e.g., water) supplied to the cutter blade 22.

[0027] As shown in the figure, the cutter blade 22 in this example has a predetermined angle of attack with respect to the direction of liquid flow, and when the cutter blade 22 is attached to the blender cutter 20, the attachment part 21 is adjusted to set the predetermined angle of attack.

[0028] This angle is set by measuring the amount of fine bubbles generated, which will be described later, and at which the largest amount of fine bubbles is generated.

[0029] In addition, the cross section of the cutter blade 22 in this example is streamlined as shown in Fig. 5, with the upper part 22' of the leading portion 22 being formed thicker and gradually becoming thinner toward the rear. With this configuration, as shown in the figure, the speed of the liquid flowing above the cutter blade 22 increases and the pressure at the top decreases, generating fine bubbles. Then, fine nanobubbles are generated in the liquid flowing behind the cutter blade 22.

[0030] Meanwhile, pressure increases beneath the cutter blade 22 and liquid flows along the underside of the cutter blade 22 .

[0031] In the above description, the set angle and shape of the cutter blade 22 of this embodiment have been described, but the surface of the cutter blade 22 may be formed with the aforementioned irregularities.

[0032] That is, as shown in FIG. 3, convex portions and concave portions are formed alternately, and there are multiple indices that express the surface roughness caused by these concave and convex portions. For example, when the index is expressed by Rz (10-point average roughness) defined in the JIS B 0601:2001 standard, Rz is formed to satisfy the following condition. 5μm≦Rz≦500μm

[0033] Therefore, by configuring in this manner, the degree of vortex generation caused by the relative direction of fluid flow is prevented from decreasing, compared to the conventional technology in which a convex portion is formed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The vortex generates microbubbles. Therefore, compared to the conventional technology, the decrease in the efficiency of generating microbubbles caused by the relative direction of fluid flow is further prevented.

[0034] Further, the cutter blade 22 described above has a streamlined shape, but is not limited to this shape and may be any plate-like member to which negative pressure is applied at least on one of the upper and lower surfaces.

[0035] For example, FIG. 6 shows an example, both of which are diagrams showing the cross-sectional structure of a cutter blade 22a. In the figure, the front part of the cutter blade 22a is formed thick and has an elevation angle, so the speed of the liquid flowing above the cutter blade 22a increases and the pressure at the top decreases, generating fine bubbles. Then, fine nanobubbles are generated in the liquid flowing behind the cutter blade 22a.

[0036] 7 is a configuration in which the shaded portion of FIG. 6 is omitted, and as described above, the speed of the liquid flowing above the cutter blade 22b increases and the pressure above decreases, generating fine bubbles. Then, fine nanobubbles are generated in the liquid flowing behind the cutter blade 22b.

[0037] 8 has a shape in which the leading end of the blade is tilted downward at a predetermined angle, and the cutter blade 22c has an elevation angle, and the cutter blade 22d in Fig. 9 has a shape in which the leading end of the blade is tilted upward at a predetermined angle, and in this case too, the speed of the liquid flowing above the cutter blades 22c and 22d increases, and the pressure at the top decreases, generating fine bubbles. Then, fine nanobubbles are generated in the liquid flowing behind the cutter blades 22c and 22d.

[0038] In the above description of Figs. 5 to 9, the cutter blades 22, 22a to 22d all have an elevation angle, but they may be set to have no elevation angle.

[0039] In addition, the cutter blades 22, 22a to 22d may be configured so that the above-mentioned unevenness is provided on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, or the cutter blades 22, 22a to 22d may be configured so that the above-mentioned unevenness is provided on one of the upper and lower surfaces thereof, or further the cutter blades 22, 22a to 22d may be configured so that the above-mentioned unevenness is provided on a portion of the upper or lower surface thereof.

[0040] The shapes of the cutter blades 22, 22a to 22d configured as described above are merely examples, and any plate-like member on which negative pressure is applied to at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the cutter blade 22 can be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 hand blender, 20 Blender cutter, 22 cutter blade, 22a~22d Cutter blades, 221 Blade, 222 Concave and convex forming part.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture for use in at least one fluid, comprising: A projection and recess are formed in a predetermined portion of the portion in contact with the fluid, A manufactured product characterized in that the 10-point average roughness Rz of the unevenness is within a range of 5 to 500 μm.

2. An article of manufacture for use in at least one fluid, comprising: A manufactured product characterized in that it is a plate-shaped member having a predetermined angle of attack with respect to the flow direction of the fluid.

3. An article of manufacture for use in at least one fluid, comprising: A manufactured product characterized in that it is a plate-shaped member to which negative pressure is applied on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces.

4. 2. The product according to claim 1, wherein the proportion of the irregularities that satisfy the condition is 10% or more.

5. 4. The product according to claim 1, 2 or 3, which is a component for mixing a material into a liquid.

6. 4. The article of manufacture according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the article of manufacture is used for a container for holding liquids.

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