Evaporation device for volatile substances

Abstract

A device for evaporating a volatile substance comprises a porous mat (1) impregnated with the volatile substance, a heating element (2) that heats the porous mat (1) to evaporate the volatile substance, and a reflective element (3) that reflects heat from the heating element (2) back to the porous mat (1). The reflective element (3) forms a cavity defined by the bottom and sidewalls in which the porous mat (1) and heating element (2) are disposed. This feature allows the reflective element to direct or redirect thermal radiation from the heating element toward the porous mat impregnated with the volatile substance and reflect heat energy away from the porous mat back to the porous mat, thereby enabling the use of a heating element that consumes less energy for the same evaporation capacity.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for evaporating a volatile substance, comprising a porous mat impregnated with a volatile substance and a heating element for heating the porous mat to evaporate the volatile substance. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0002] Electrical volatile material diffusers have become a common consumer product in recent decades. Most common devices consist of a refill containing a liquid with volatile material connected to an electrical main body and a wick. The wick transports the liquid from the interior of the refill to the exterior of the wick, where the volatile particles evaporate. The device may alternatively consist of a porous mat impregnated with the volatile material. This refill or porous mat is placed within the device, which, with the aid of an electric heater, promotes evaporation of the volatile material.

[0003] Standard techniques for heater construction have been established for either an electric heater embedded in a ceramic case or a nude electrical resistor placed in a plastic housing, the latter of which serves to ensure electrical insulation between the resistor and the environment.

[0004] Existing solutions for evaporating volatile materials in electrical devices have several drawbacks.

[0005] First, existing solutions generally have large dimensions, and each surface dissipates heat. Therefore, only a portion of the heat is directed to the wick or porous mat where it is needed. This reduces the electrical efficiency of the device, making it particularly inadequate for satisfying one of the recurring consumer demands: portability. Portability is particularly important for insecticide substance diffusers to provide protection against insect bites in outdoor conditions.

[0006] Second, heat not directed towards the core or porous mat promotes general heating of the device, which can substantially increase the temperature of the device's surface. This is why devices have significant dimensions, to ensure that the surface temperature does not exceed the limits defined by electrical certification authorities. Again, the large dimensions of the device limit its portability.

[0007] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 53-157940 teaches an evaporator including a flat heater 11 having perforations that penetrate vertically to the bottom of a mat impregnated with a chemical.

[0008] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-106249 teaches a high-frequency conductive heat insulating material that easily absorbs high-frequency waves by having partial cutouts or partial thin-walled sections that function as heat dissipation passages for fumigation heating of a fumigation and insecticidal substrate impregnated with an insecticidal component.

[0009] International Publication No. WO 2018 / 121857 A1 teaches a device for evaporating a volatile substance, including a wick impregnated with a volatile substance and a heating element that heats the wick to evaporate the volatile substance.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device for evaporating volatile substances that can direct substantially all of the heat supplied from the heating element to a porous mat, thereby preventing excessive temperature rise on the surface of the device.

[0011] The device of the present invention overcomes the above drawbacks and offers other advantages as described below. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The device for evaporating volatile substances according to the invention , the device defined by independent claim 1 : Porous mats impregnated with volatile substances (1); a heating element (2) for heating the porous mat (1) to evaporate the volatile material; a reflecting element (3) for reflecting heat from the heating element (2) to the porous mat (1); Including, The reflecting element (3) is characterized in that it forms a cavity defined by a bottom and a sidewall in which the porous mat (1) and the heating element (2) are placed.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the reflective element is formed from a metal sheet, for example a mirror sheet.

[0014] Advantageously, the cavity formed by the reflective element includes one or more seals to make the cavity airtight.

[0015] More advantageously, the cavity is airtight with a constant level of vacuum, preferably between 0.1 and 0.2 bar.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment, the heating element is a ceramic heater.

[0017] Advantageously, a porous mat is placed over the heating element and the device also includes a printed circuit board (4) on which the reflective element is mounted, the printed circuit board preferably being powered by a battery (5).

[0018] Further advantageously, there is an air gap between the heater and the porous mat to allow evaporation from this side of the porous mat, so less energy is required, and the gap is between 0.1 mm and 3 mm, more preferably between 1 mm and 2 mm.

[0019] It is desirable to have a gap between the printed circuit board and the reflective element.

[0020] Furthermore, the device for evaporating volatile substances according to the invention also comprises a grill (6) covering the porous mat, through which the volatile substances can be evaporated and which also serves as protection against accidental contact with the porous mat, which becomes hot during use.

[0021] Advantageously, the porous mat may be provided with a holder (7) to facilitate its handling.

[0022] This feature allows the reflective element to direct or redirect the thermal radiation from the heating element towards the porous mat impregnated with the volatile substance, allowing the use of a heating element that consumes less energy for the same evaporation capacity, as the thermal energy leaving the porous mat is reflected back towards the porous mat.

[0023] Furthermore, the cavity formed by the reflective element is airtight, which allows for more efficient heating of the porous mat. This is particularly interesting for portable devices that may be exposed to uncontrolled conditions where dirt may be accidentally introduced into the device. Any material present in the cavity will affect the heat transfer. This is due to thermal inertia on the one hand and the interaction of the heater with the heat transfer radiation on the other hand.

[0024] For a better understanding of the present disclosure, drawings are attached which show practical embodiments, by way of diagrammatic and non-limiting example only, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view of components forming a device for evaporating volatile substances according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of a porous mat of a device for evaporating volatile substances according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of a porous mat of a device for evaporating volatile substances according to the present invention; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The device in Figure 1 is an example of a portable device, and because it is a wristband device, it has the highest level of requirements for a portable device: as expected, it must be lightweight, be strong enough to be used in areas where dirt and water may be present, and have a low external temperature for the housing.

[0027] The evaporation device for volatile substances according to the present invention comprises a porous mat 1 impregnated with a volatile substance such as a fragrance or insecticide, and a heating element 2 that heats the porous mat 1 to evaporate the volatile substance.

[0028] The heating element 2 may be any suitable heating element, but according to a preferred embodiment is a flat ceramic heater as shown in FIG.

[0029] The porous mat 1 is also flat and preferably includes a holder 7. The holder 7 facilitates handling, as the porous mat 1 is used as a refill so that the porous mat 1 can be replaced after all volatile materials have evaporated.

[0030] In use, the porous mat 1 is placed above the heating element 2 with a gap therebetween, as shown in FIG.

[0031] The device according to the invention also comprises a reflective element 3 that reflects heat from the heating element 2 towards the porous mat 1. The reflective element 3 forms a cavity defined by a bottom and sidewalls in which the porous mat 1 and the heating element 2 are located.

[0032] According to the embodiment shown, the reflective element 3 is formed from a metal sheet, for example a mirror sheet, and the cavity formed by the reflective element 3 is provided with one or more seals 8 to make the cavity airtight. In the embodiment shown, there are four seals 8, each located at a corner of the cavity having a rectangular planar surface.

[0033] The device for evaporating volatile substances according to the invention also comprises a printed circuit board 4, on which a reflective element 3 is mounted, leaving a gap between the printed circuit board 4 and the reflective element 3.

[0034] The printed circuit board 4 is powered by a battery 5 which can be connected to the main body and charged.

[0035] The printed circuit board 4 heats a heating element 2 located within the cavity defined by the reflective element 3, which in turn heats the porous mat 1 to evaporate the volatile material.

[0036] The assembly of printed circuit board 4, reflective element 3 and heating element 2 is mounted inside a housing 11. The housing 11 may be shaped like a wristwatch, with a closure 10 for accessing the battery 5.

[0037] Additionally, the housing 11 also includes a grill 6 that is hinged to the remainder of the housing 11 to allow for the insertion and removal of the porous mat 1. The grill 6 also serves to protect the user from accidental contact with the heated element.

[0038] According to the illustrated embodiment, a grille 6 is mounted on an intermediate housing 9 which surrounds the reflecting element 3 .

[0039] The operation of the device according to the invention is very simple: first, the porous mat 1 has to be placed in the position for use, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Then the device has to be switched on.

[0040] The battery then powers the printed circuit board 4, which heats the heating element 2. The heating element 2 directly or indirectly heats the porous mat 1, and all the heat from the heating element 2 is concentrated by the reflecting element 3 and reflected back to the porous mat 1.

[0041] Even with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the disclosed device is susceptible to variations and modifications, and that all the details mentioned herein can be replaced by other technically equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. A device for evaporating a volatile material, comprising: Porous mats impregnated with volatile substances (1); a heating element (2) for heating the porous mat (1) to evaporate the volatile material; a reflecting element (3) for reflecting heat from the heating element (2) to the porous mat (1); Including, the reflecting element (3) forms a cavity defined by a bottom and a sidewall in which the porous mat (1) and the heating element (2) are disposed; The device also includes a printed circuit board (4) for heating the heating element (2) located inside the cavity defined by the reflecting element (3). device.

2. 2. A device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 1, wherein the reflective element (3) is formed from a metal sheet.

3. 3. A device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reflective element (3) is formed from a mirror sheet.

4. 4. A device for evaporating volatile substances according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cavity formed by the reflective element (3) comprises one or more seals for making the cavity airtight.

5. 5. A device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 4, wherein the cavity formed by the reflective element (3) has an internal vacuum in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 bar.

6. 2. The device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 1, wherein the heating element (2) is a ceramic heater.

7. 2. The device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 1, wherein the porous mat (1) is positioned above the heating element (2).

8. 2. A device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 1, wherein the porous mat (1) is positioned at a distance of 1 mm to 2 mm from the heating element (2).

9. 8. The device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 7, wherein there is a gap between the printed circuit board (4) and the reflective element (3).

10. 9. The device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the printed circuit board (4) is powered by a battery (5).

11. 11. A device for evaporating volatile substances according to any one of claims 1 to 10, also comprising a grill (6) covering the porous mat (1).

12. 2. A device for evaporating volatile substances according to claim 1, wherein the porous mat (1) comprises a holder (7).

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