Fine bubble water generation device

Abstract

To provide a portable and simple fine bubble water generator.SOLUTION: The generator main body 4 is inserted into the storage tank 2 from the opening and fixed by the lid 3. The delivery unit 5 supplies gas to the generation apparatus main body 4. The generator main body 4 is equipped with an outer cylinder part 42, an inner cylinder part and a stirring part 44 provided with window openings in respective peripheral walls. When the outer cylinder part 42 and the inner cylinder part are at an angle position θ 0, the window opening and the window opening are overlapped with each other to communicate a passage from the inside of the inner cylinder part to the outside of the outer cylinder part 42. At the angular position θ 1, the overlapping of the window openings is released and the window openings are closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fine bubble water generating device that circulates fine bubble-containing water to increase its concentration, and in particular to an easily portable fine bubble water generating device. [Background technology]

[0002] Fine bubbles, which are invisible bubbles with a diameter of less than 0.1 mm, have excellent properties such as sterilization and deodorization, and are therefore used for a variety of purposes such as cleaning. Fine bubbles with a diameter of 0.001 mm or more but less than 0.1 mm are called "microbubbles," while fine bubbles with a diameter of less than 0.001 mm are called "ultrafine bubbles." Microbubbles slowly rise to the surface in water and disappear over time, whereas ultrafine bubbles remain in water while undergoing Brownian motion.

[0003] In Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3, water containing fine bubbles (hereinafter referred to as "agitated water" in this specification) is circulated between a fine bubble generator and a storage tank. These technologies increase the bubble concentration more than so-called fine bubble showerheads, which generate microbubbles using water pressure. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-105845 [Patent Document 2] Publication No. 3241253 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-74709 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to the technology of Patent Document 1, agitated water is circulated between a fine bubble generator and a storage tank, stored in the storage tank, and then pumped out by a submersible pump. Also, according to Patent Document 2, the agitated water stored in the storage tank is discharged to the outside by free fall. And, according to Patent Document 3, the recovery path and valve for recovering the agitated water may be provided at a position other than the storage tank in the liquid circulation path (same document

[0132] ).

[0006] The technologies in each patent document are aimed at relatively large-capacity devices that require installation work such as installing a storage tank, circulating piping, ensuring the height of the storage tank for discharge using a drop in the water level, or installing a pump, and do not take into consideration simple, portable fine bubble water generating devices.

[0007] The present invention provides a portable and simple fine bubble water generating device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The fine bubble water generator of the present invention comprises a generator body that is inserted into the inside of a storage tank through an opening and fixed by a lid for the opening, and that has a discharge port on the outside of the lid; and a delivery unit that supplies gas from outside the storage tank to the generator body. Furthermore, the generator body includes: an outer cylindrical portion and an inner cylindrical portion that have the same axis and are disposed below the lid, and each of which has a window opening in its peripheral wall; a mixing unit that is fixed to a lower portion of the outer cylindrical portion, takes in water from inside the storage tank, mixes it with the gas to be supplied, and sends the mixed water into the internal space of the inner cylindrical portion; When the outer cylinder portion and the inner cylinder portion are in a first angular position, the window openings in the outer cylinder portion and the window openings in the inner cylinder portion overlap, thereby connecting a passage from the inside of the inner cylinder portion to the outside of the outer cylinder portion, and when the outer cylinder portion is in a second angular position, the overlap of the window openings is released and the window openings are closed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the fine bubble water generating device of the present invention, the storage tank, generator body, and delivery unit are extremely lightweight and are carry-type devices that do not require any installation work, making them easy to carry to the required location for use in camping, outdoors, or in beds in nursing homes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fine bubble water generating device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the fine bubble water generating device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the generator body. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a further exploded view of the fine bubble water generating device. [Figure 5] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Figure 1 shows a fine bubble water generator 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fine bubble water generator 1 comprises a storage tank 2, a generator main body 4 attached to the lid 3 of the storage tank 2, and a delivery unit 5 on the outside of the storage tank 2 that supplies gas (air) to the generator main body 4. An extension hose 6 can be attached to the outlet 40 of the generator main body 4 as needed.

[0012] The storage tank 2 is a commercially available polyethylene tank (water can) with a capacity of 10 to 20 liters. The diameter of the opening 23 (Figure 2) of a typical polyethylene tank is not specified, but many with an inner diameter of 50 mm (10 liters) or 65 mm (20 liters) are available on the market.

[0013] The delivery unit 5 supplies gas taken in from an air intake port 52 to the generator main body 4 via a tube 22. The delivery unit 5 further has a switch 51, which supplies power to the generator main body 4 via wiring 21. The switch 51 can be used to instruct the supply of gas and power to the generator main body 4, and this control will be explained later using Figure 5.

[0014] The extension hose 6 is fixed to the outlet 40 with a hose band 64, and is connected to the shower head 61 via a nipple 65, a connector 66, and a flexible hose 67. The shower head 61 is provided with a water stop button 62 (or trigger) so that the water can be stopped at hand.

[0015] Figure 2 is an exploded view of the fine bubble water generator 1. The generator main body 4 includes a disk portion 41, an outer cylinder portion 42 fixed to the disk portion 41 and extending downward, a base portion 43 to which the discharge port 40 is fixed, a stirring portion 44 fixed below the outer cylinder portion 42, and an inner cylinder portion 45 (described in Figure 3) extending downward from the base portion 43 and disposed within the outer cylinder portion 42.

[0016] The disk portion 41 closes the opening 23 and is pressed toward the opening 23 by the lid 3. The opening 23 and the lid 3 can be fastened together by screwing. The disk portion 41 and the outer cylinder portion 42, and the base portion 43 and the inner cylinder portion 45 share a common axis c. The generator main body 4 can be removed from the opening 23 of the storage tank 2. For this reason, the vertical and horizontal dimensions (pq) of the lower part of the generator main body 4 are designed to be smaller than the diameter of the opening 23. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the opening 23 is 78 mm, and the vertical and horizontal dimensions (pq) are 60 mm square.

[0017] The agitation unit 44 is submerged when water is stored in the storage tank 2. The agitation unit 44 receives power and gas from the delivery unit 5, takes in the water (or agitated water) from the storage tank 2 through the water intake 48, and mixes and agitates the water with the gas to generate fine bubbles.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the generator main body 4. The base 43 can rotate relative to the disk 41 around its axis c within an angular range θ. The disk 41 is dish-shaped with a hole in its bottom, and the base 43 is mounted on top of the hole. An inner cylinder 45 extending downward from the base 43 is inserted into the hole and is inserted into the hollow of the outer cylinder 42. A guide groove 41a is provided on the side wall 41e surrounding the bottom. The guide groove 41a extends in an arc shape over a range corresponding to an angle range θ from a predetermined angle θ0 to another predetermined angle θ1 around the axis c, and a protrusion 43a protruding from the base 43 is inserted within the guide groove. When the base 43 is rotated relative to the disk 41, the range of movement of the protrusion 43a is limited by the angular range θ over which the guide groove 41a extends. Note that 41b and 41c are through-holes through which the wiring 21 and the tube 22 pass. The inner peripheral walls of the outer cylindrical portion 42 and the inner peripheral walls of the inner cylindrical portion 45 abut against each other and are relatively rotatable about the axis c. The outer cylindrical portion 42 is fixed to the disk portion 41, and the inner cylindrical portion 45 is fixed to the base portion 43. When the base portion 43 is rotated relative to the disk portion 41, the outer cylindrical portion 42 and the inner cylindrical portion 45 also rotate in the same manner. The outer cylindrical portion 42 is provided with one or more window openings 42a penetrating from the inner periphery to the outer periphery. In addition, the peripheral wall of the inner cylindrical portion 45 is also provided with one or more window openings 45a penetrating from the inner periphery to the outer periphery.

[0019] 3A and 3B show the state when the base portion 43 is rotated most clockwise relative to the disk portion 41 (at an angle θ0), and Figures 3C and 3D show the state when the base portion 43 is rotated most counterclockwise relative to the disk portion 41 (at an angle θ1). Note that Figures 3A and 3C show the YY cross section, and Figures 3B and 3D show the XX cross section.

[0020] An outlet pipe 47 of the stirring part 44 is fixed so as to communicate with the internal space of the inner cylindrical part 45. An O-ring 46 is interposed between the edge of the outlet pipe 47 and the edge of the inner cylindrical part 45.

[0021] 3A and 3B, window opening 42a in outer cylindrical portion 42 and window opening 45a in inner cylindrical portion 45 are connected to each other. In this state, a circulation path is formed from storage tank 2 to agitator 44, from agitator 44 to the internal space of inner cylindrical portion 45, and from window openings 42a and 45a back to storage tank 2. This circulation path allows agitated water containing fine bubbles to repeatedly pass between storage tank 2 and agitator 44, causing large-diameter bubbles to rise to the surface and disappear, while small-diameter fine bubbles accumulate in storage tank 2.

[0022] 3C and 3D, window opening 42a in outer cylindrical portion 42 and window opening 45a in inner cylindrical portion 45 are closed. In this state, a path is formed that leads to outlet 40 through inner cylindrical portion 45, and the stirred water in storage tank 2 is taken into stirring section 44 and discharged from shower head 61. Note that strict closure is not required here, and even if there is some leakage, discharge from shower head 61 will not be hindered.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the separation of the outer tube portion 42 and the inner tube portion 45. As shown in FIG. 4A, the disk portion 41 is provided with an escape hole 41d that allows the protrusion 43a to escape upward from the guide groove 41a when the outer tube portion 42 and the inner tube portion 45 are at a predetermined angle θ1 that is midway through the guide range angle θ of the guide groove 41a. When the inner tube portion 45 is aligned with the predetermined angle θ1 (FIG. 4B) and pulled upward (FIG. 4C), the outer tube portion 42 and the inner tube portion 45 can be separated as shown in FIG. 4D. This separable configuration makes cleaning of both portions extremely easy.

[0024] FIG. 5 shows the control flow of the delivery unit 5. The outer and inner cylinders 42 and 45 are aligned at a predetermined angle θ0 to form a circulation path between the agitator 44 and the reservoir 2. When the switch 51 is turned on, it is determined whether this is the first time the switch has been turned on since the reservoir 2 was filled with water (Step S2). If this is the first time, gas is supplied to the agitator 44 to generate fine bubbles. This process continues for 15 minutes, repeatedly circulating the fine bubbles within the reservoir 2 until they are filled with fine bubbles (Step S3). In this manner, the fine bubble generation / circulation operation is carried out for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the operation automatically stops. Note that the 15-minute period is set assuming that the reservoir 2 has a capacity of 10 to 20 liters. If a reservoir 2 with a larger water volume is used, the circulation operation time is determined accordingly.

[0025] After 15 minutes of fine bubble generation / circulation, the outer tube 42 and inner tube 45 are aligned at a predetermined angle θ1 to form a path for discharging agitated water from the discharge port 40 to the outside of the storage tank 2. When the switch 51 is turned on in this state, the delivery unit 5 transfers control to step S4 unless this is the first time the switch is turned on. When the switch 51 is turned on and control is transferred to step S4, the gas supply to the agitation unit 44 is stopped, and only the water supply operation of the agitation unit 44 is used. In other words, the function of the agitation unit 44 is to supply gas for generating agitated water, but in reality, this gas is not supplied from the delivery unit 5. When the switch 51 is turned off and control is transferred to step S4, the gas supply is stopped, but the water supply operation of the agitation unit 44 is also stopped. As a result, after the first 15 minutes of fine bubble generation / circulation, the agitation unit 44 operates or stops depending on whether the switch 51 is turned on or off, and the agitation water is supplied.

[0026] The control flow shown in Figure 5 is an example. Various controls are possible with the delivery unit 5. In this embodiment, the structure of the delivery unit 5 is extremely simplified by using only one switch 51, so the generation / circulation of fine bubbles and the delivery of agitated water are controlled for 15 minutes in chronological order based on the time series in which the switch 51 is turned on.

[0027] As another example of the delivery unit 5, a switch corresponding to the 15-minute fine bubble generation / circulation operation and the agitated water delivery operation may be provided. For example, the switch 51 may be a three-pole toggle switch, allowing the agitated water delivery operation and the agitated water delivery operation to be individually specified. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the delivery unit 5 does not know the angular relationship between the outer tube 42 and the inner tube 45. However, this may be changed so that the delivery unit 5 detects the relative angle between the outer tube 42 and the inner tube 45 and switches between the delivery operation and the agitated water delivery operation. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the switch 51 is on and no gas is supplied in step S4, but gas may be supplied to the agitation unit 44.

[0028] According to the fine bubble water generating device 1 of this embodiment, the storage tank 2, generator main body 4, and delivery unit 5 are extremely lightweight and are carry-type devices that do not require any installation work, making them easy to carry to the required location for use in camping, outdoors, or for use in a bed in a nursing home.

[0029] Furthermore, the storage tank 2 used in the fine bubble water generator 1 can be a commonly available polyethylene container. The generator main body 4 and delivery unit 5 are relatively lightweight and not bulky, making them easy to store and transport. This makes them extremely easy to set up at disaster sites and evacuation shelters in the event of a disaster. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 Fine bubble water generator 2. Reservoir 3 Lid 4. Generator body 5. Transmission section 6 Extension hoses 21 Wiring 22 tubes 23 Opening 40 outlet 41 Disc Section 41a Guide groove 41d Escape Hole 41e Side wall part 42 Outer cylinder 42a Window opening 43 Base 43a protrusion 44 Stirring section 45 Inner cylinder 45a Window opening 46 O-ring 47 Outlet pipe 48 Water Intake 51 Switch 52 Air intake 61 shower head 62 Water stop button 64 Hose Band 65 nipple 66 Connector 67 Flexible hose

Claims

1. a generator body that is inserted into the storage tank through an opening, fixed by a lid for the opening, and has an outlet on the outside of the lid; and a delivery unit that supplies gas from the outside of the storage tank to the generator body, Furthermore, the generator body includes: an outer cylindrical portion and an inner cylindrical portion that have the same axis and are disposed below the lid, and each of which has a window opening in its peripheral wall; a mixing unit that is fixed to a lower portion of the outer cylindrical portion, takes in water from inside the storage tank, mixes it with the gas to be supplied, and sends the mixed water into the internal space of the inner cylindrical portion; A fine bubble water generating device characterized in that when the outer tube portion and the inner tube portion are in a first angular position, the window openings in the outer tube portion and the window openings in the inner tube portion overlap, creating a passage from the inside of the inner tube portion to the outside of the outer tube portion, and when they are in a second angular position, the overlap of the window openings is released and they are closed.

2. 2. The fine bubble water generating device of claim 1, wherein the inner tube is removable from the outer tube when the outer tube and the inner tube are in a third angular position.

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