Rotary spray head apparatus

Abstract

The invention is a rotary spray head apparatus, expediently for atomising a liquid, comprising a cylindrical-shaped sieve drum (10) configured to be rotatable about a shaft (36), the sieve drum (10) has a mantle, in which mantle passages (12) adapted for leading through liquid are formed, a nozzle (22) arranged in the sieve drum (10), adapted for getting liquid to an inner surface of the mantle of the sieve drum (10), and a drive motor (30) for rotating the sieve drum (10). The invention is characterised in that the passages (12) of the sieve drum (10) have larger cross-section at the inner surface of the mantle than at the outer surface of the mantle.

Description

[0001] ROTARY SPRAY HEAD APPARATUS

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates a rotary spray head apparatus, expediently for atomising liquid, for example spray mixture.

[0004] BACKGROUND ART

[0005] Atomisers applied for plant protection are for the most part have hydraulic spray heads. In hydraulic spray heads, the liquid to be atomised is typically forced through one or more narrow openings or nozzles at high pressure, resulting in the formation of a liquid film at the outer side of the openings or the nozzle, from which droplets (drops) break away. This technology has the disadvantage that the droplets break away from the liquid film randomly, and as a result, with sizes ranging from approximately 5 micrometres to 500 micrometres droplets are produced in every sizes. It is known that in plant protection applications the target is to produce droplets with size of approx. 60-300 micrometres, because due to their large size droplets larger than approx. 300 micrometres do not even reach the targeted area / plant, but instead fall to the ground too early, or if they do get to the plants, on their leaves, these accumulate along the leaf veins and from the leaf tips these also fall to the ground. Due to their smaller size and mass, droplets smaller than approx. 60 micrometres may drift away from the target area, even due to natural upward air convection.

[0006] Therefore, spraying approaches based on hydraulic droplet formation have the disadvantage of high loss that mainly results from that only a small fraction of the produced droplets being put to effective use. Losses resulting from droplets larger than 300 micrometres may even amount to 40-60% of the total liquid to be sprayed, thereby causing significant loss. A further disadvantage is that in addition to not being put to effective use, because of the loss, plant protection substance also causes an environmental load. It is also a disadvantage of this technology that the exact amount of loss cannot be determined, so it is also difficult or even impossible to determine the amount of pesticide that is effectively utilized.

[0007] A partial solution to the above-described disadvantages is offered by the spraying technology with controlled droplet size (CDA: Controlled Droplet Application) that aims at producing droplets falling into the usable size range. The droplet size is expediently adapted to the given application. By the help of the CDA technology, droplets are produced by means of mechanical droplet formation, for example by means of rotating a toothed (serrated) disc or a sieve (sifter). The teeth of a toothed disc and the holes (openings, slots) of a sieve function as liquid thread-producing locations, from where droplets having nearly uniform size break away. The size of the droplets can be modified as a function of the liquid amount delivered to the disc or sieve and of the rotational speed, and as a result it can be achieved that - to a good approximation - only droplets with a size appropriate for the given field of application or for the purpose are produced. Thereby, losses can be significantly reduced in comparison with hydraulic droplet formation.

[0008] Therefore, various apparatuses applicable for atomising liquids or for spraying are known from the prior art.

[0009] By way of example, GB 1 361 606 discloses a spray dryer apparatus having a rotary atomiser. The rotary atomiser comprises an inner cylinder having perforations, through openings and an outer cylinder having a fine mesh sieve. According to the document, the apparatus also comprises fan blades that generate an axial flow for blowing the atomised droplets in a uniform direction.

[0010] GB 2 099 725 A discloses a spraying apparatus having a rotary atomiser and an axial fan. The rotatable atomiser has a foraminous (pitted, perforated) inner cylinder and a foraminous outer cylinder. The outer is a metal sieve, but other configuration is also conceivable, such as metal foam that provides a labyrinth-like pass for the liquid.

[0011] WO 00 / 72975 A1 also discloses an atomiser with dual cylinders that may also comprise a fan. The outer cylinder is configured as a sieve, and according to the abstract of the document the mesh size of the sieve influences the size of the droplets.

[0012] WO 2021 / 148452 A1 also discloses an atomiser with dual cylinders. According to the document both the inner and the outer cylinders are provided with perforations; and the document analyses the relationship between the size of the perforations and the size of the droplets but does not mention the shape of the perforations. US 5,037,029 discloses a spraying apparatus with an outer cylinder having bores with a diameter that increases outwardly from inside (cf. Figs. 1 and 4 of the document).

[0013] BR MU8802711 -2 U2 discloses an atomiser that can also be mounted to an airplane and comprises a pre-disintegrator and a propeller.

[0014] In US 4,034,915 such an atomiser is disclosed that does not include a predisintegrator.

[0015] US 2017 / 0304851 A1 discloses an atomiser nozzle that is formed by 3D printing but operates on a pneumatic principle.

[0016] In view of the known approaches, there is a need for a rotary spray head apparatus that is able to produce liquid droplets of a predetermined size with as high accuracy as possible.

[0017] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Furthermore, the object of the solution according to the invention is to develop a rotary spray head apparatus which is free from the disadvantages of prior art approaches to the greatest possible extent.

[0019] The primary object of the invention is to provide a rotary spray head apparatus that is able to produce (generate) even more uniformly sized droplets than approaches of CDA technology known from prior art.

[0020] A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary spray head apparatus that can be applied with reduced losses compared to known approaches.

[0021] The objects according to the invention can be achieved by providing the rotary spray head apparatus according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

[0022] The solution according to the invention has the advantage that it is able to produce droplets of a predetermined size or droplets with a size falling into a predetermined size range, with improved accuracy compared to the current known approaches.

[0023] Another advantage of the solution according to the invention is that the size of the droplets can be adjusted by modifying certain parameters of the apparatus. We have recognised that the production of uniformly sized droplets requires producing as uniformly sized liquid threads as possible. Approaches applying rotated toothed discs or simple rotated sieve operate with better efficiency, i.e. produce more uniformly sized droplets, compared to spray heads with hydraulic or pneumatic operating principles because droplets breaking away from a liquid thread will have more uniform size than droplets randomly breaking away from a liquid surface. We have recognised that it is possible to produce liquid threads of a more uniform size (e.g. diameter) compared to known approaches, which results in even more uniformly sized droplets with lower deviation.

[0024] A further advantage of the invention is that due to producing nearly homogenous droplets, by applying the apparatus according to the invention, spraying losses can be reduced to approx. 3-5% from the spraying losses of 40-60% of conventional technologies. Applying the rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention, for example, instead of using 300-500 litres of spray liquid per hectare for plant protection spraying operations it is sufficient to use approximately 15-20 litres of spray liquid per hectare, which not only reduces the amount of plant protection substance to be used but also reduces the possibly present environmental harms.

[0025] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example with reference to the following drawings, where

[0027] Fig. 1 is s a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention,

[0028] Fig. 2 is a section of the preferred embodiment of Fig. 1 ,

[0029] Figs. 3A-3D are various views of the preferred embodiment of Fig. 1 (perspective view, front view, side view, bottom view),

[0030] Fig. 4A is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the sieve drum of the rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention, Fig. 4B is a section of the sieve drum of Fig. 4A,

[0031] Fig. 4C is a magnified drawing of a detail of the section of Fig. 4B,

[0032] Fig. 5A is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the spray head body of the rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention, Fig. 5B is a section of the spray head body according to Fig. 5A, Fig. 5C is a top view of the spray head body of Fig. 5A, Fig. 6 is an exploded drawing in side view of a preferred embodiment of the rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention,

[0033] Figs. 7A and 7B are a top view and a side view of the spacer ring of Fig. 6, Fig. 8A is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the support element of Fig. 6,

[0034] Fig. 8B is a bottom view of the support element of Fig. 8A, Fig. 8C is a side view of the support element of Fig. 8A, Fig. 9A is a top view of a preferred embodiment of a holding arm applicable with the rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention, Fig. 9B is a front view of the holding arm of Fig. 9A, and Fig. 9C is a side view of the holding arm of Fig. 9A.

[0035] MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0036] Fig. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the rotary spray head apparatus (rotative spray head apparatus, rotating spray head device) according to the invention in a perspective view, and Fig. 2 is a section of the same preferred embodiment. The apparatus (device, appliance, machine) is expediently adapted for atomising liquid, for example for atomising a spray liquid for plant protection (protection of crops) purposes. The rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention comprises a cylindrical-shaped sieve drum 10 configured to be rotatable about a shaft 36 and a drive motor 30 adapted for rotating the sieve drum 10 (sifter drum, screen drum). By way of example, the drive motor 30 is an electric motor, for example an electric motor with carbon brush, preferably an electric motor without carbon brush. An electric motor without carbon brush has the advantage that they provide trouble-free operation in humid environments (where the apparatus according to the invention is expediently operated), even the humid medium cannot cause a short circuit in it. Further advantages are the higher power achievable with the electric motor without carbon brush and a longer lifespan compared to variants with carbon brush, because carbon brush wear and tear and other corrosion-related problems are not an issue.

[0037] Passages 12 adapted for leading through (transferring, passing) liquid are formed in (on) the mantle (jacket) of the sieve drum 10; the passages 12 function as locations forming liquid threads, and, from the outside surface of which, droplets (drops) of nearly identical size break away when the sieve drum 10 is rotated. By adjusting the rotational speed of the sieve drum 10, i.e. for example by adjusting the output power of drive motor 30, the thickness of the formed liquid threads, and thereby the size of the breaking away droplets.

[0038] The rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention further comprises a nozzle 22 arranged in the sieve drum 10, which gets (injects) the liquid to an inner surface of the mantle of the sieve drum 10. The nozzle 22 preferably has a nozzle hole 21 , more preferably it has one nozzle hole 21 that delivers the liquid to the sieve drum 10 in a predetermined direction, expediently at a direction nearperpendicular to the shaft 36 (e.g. at an angle of 85-95°). This also facilitates the formation of an as uniform as possible liquid layer on the inner mantle of the sieve drum 10 and from that the formation of as uniform as possible liquid threads at the passages 12.

[0039] A feature of the rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention is that the passages 12 of the sieve drum 10 have larger cross-section (cross-sectional area) at the inner surface of the mantle than at the outside surface of the mantle, i.e. the passages 12 have a cross section narrowing from the inner mantle towards the outside mantle (see e.g. Figs. 4B and 4C). The passages 12 of the sieve drum 10 may narrow in any fashion; more preferably, they narrow in a uniform manner (uniformly). We have recognised that the application of passages 12 narrowing outward results in a yet more uniform liquid threads compared to bores having a uniform bore thickness, which results in a yet more uniform breaking away droplet size, which has also been confirmed by spray tests. The sieve drum 10 and the passages 12 thereof are described in more detail in relation to Figs. 4A-4C.

[0040] The sieve drum 10 preferably comprises an inner cylindric element 14 (inner cylinder; i.e., a pre-disintegrator (pre-breaker)) arranged concentrically with the sieve drum 10, and the nozzle 22 is arranged (placed) inside the inner cylindric element 14. Therefore, the nozzle 22 transfers the liquid to be atomised to the inner surface of the inner cylindric element 14, the liquid is delivered to the inner surface of the mantle of the sieve drum 10 through slits 16 (gaps, openings, apertures) adapted for leading (letting) through the liquid, formed in the inner cylindric element 14. The slits 16 are preferably oriented vertically. Arranging the slits 16 in a regular, symmetrical fashion facilitates that the liquid gets onto the inner mantle of the sieve drum 10 in an as uniform layer as possible, thereby allowing the passages of the sieve drum 10 to be provided by the liquid as uniform as possible, such that the thickness of the liquid threads produced at the passages 12 can be as uniform as possible.

[0041] The inner cylindric element 14 is preferably arranged in a rotation-free manner with respect to the sieve drum 10, more preferably, the inner cylindric element 14 and the sieve drum 10 are formed in one piece (formed as one piece, formed integrally). The sieve drum 10, or the sieve drum 10 and the inner cylindric element 14 together are formed preferably by 3D printing, for example by powder printing.

[0042] The apparatus according to the invention further comprises a spray head body 20, preferably connected to the sieve drum 10 via a bearing 28, by way of example a ball bearing. The sieve drum 10 preferably has a rim 17 that fits against the bearing 28. More preferably, the rim 17 is circular in shape and fits around the bearing 28. It is to be noted that for better overview in Fig. 2 the sieve drum 10 is not connected to the spray head body 20. In the connected state the rim 17 fits around the bearing 28, and the nozzle 22 of the spray head body 20 and also its nozzle hole 21 are located in the plane of the vertical centreline of the sieve drum 10.

[0043] The spray head body 20 preferably has a connector 24 for a liquid source, to which for example a hose can be connected. In the spray head body 20 the connector 24 is connected to the nozzle 22 for forwarding the liquid. For easier assembly of the apparatus, the spray head body 20 may comprise a mounting opening 25. Further details of the spray head body 20 are shown in Figs. 5A-5C.

[0044] The drive motor 30 preferably has a cover 35 that can be attached to the spray head body 20 preferably by a screw 34 with a releasable connection, which screw 34 fits into a bore 29 of the spray head body 20 and a bore 31 formed in the cover 35 of the drive motor 30. In a manner illustrated in Fig. 2, the drive motor 30 arranged in the cover 35 is partially located in the spray head body 20, and the drive motor 30 can directly drive the shaft 36. The spray head body 20 may comprise an opening 27 and a shaft sealing 26 arranged therein for passing the shaft 36 therethrough, while at the sieve drum 10 the shaft 36 is secured by a clamping screw 15. The clamping screw 15 ensures that the rotation of the shaft 36 is transferred to the sieve drum 10.

[0045] Preferably, bores 32, 33 of various sizes are formed at the bottom portion of the cover 35 that for example allow fixing to a fan 43 (see Fig. 6), or with other structural elements or apparatuses. Preferably, an opening 37 is formed in the cover 35 for passing therethrough the electric wires of the drive motor 30.

[0046] Figs. 3A-3D show in further views, partly in exploded drawings (with the sieve drum 10 and spray head body 20 separated from each other) the rotary spray head apparatus of Figs. 1 -2 having preferred configuration. Figs. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D, respectively, show another perspective view, a front view, a side view, and a bottom view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 . The structural components shown in Figs. 3A-3D and their features are identical to the structural components and their features disclosed in relation to Figs. 1 -2.

[0047] Figs. 4A-4C show, in various views, a preferred embodiment of the sieve drum 10 applicable in the rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention. Fig. 4A is a perspective view of the sieve drum 10, offering a view of the inner cylindric element 14 arranged inside the sieve drum 10. In the manner shown in Fig. 4A, the inner cylindric element 14 has slits 16 through which the liquid can be delivered from a nozzle 22 arranged inside the inner cylindric element 14 to the inside mantle of the sieve drum 10. In the manner shown in the figure, the slits 16 are preferably oriented vertically, and the height of the slits 16 is the same as the height of the inner cylindric element 14 such that the inner cylindric element 14 does not obstruct vertically the passages 12 of the sieve drum 10, but it enables that approximately the same amount of liquid can be delivered to each of the passages 12 in the vertical direction of the figure. The width of the slits 16 is determined (defined) such that they have sufficient throughput, and such that the slits 16 do not cause turbulence in the apparatus in the planned operational range, for example in the range of 60-450 ml / min of liquid throughput and a range of 3500-12000 revolutions / min of rotational speed.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 4A, the sieve drum 10 preferably has a rim 17 having a shape that corresponds to the spray head body 20 and contributes to guiding the sieve drum 10 during rotation. Accordingly, the rim 17 is preferably of circular shape; and more preferably it is made in (as) one piece with the sieve drum 10.

[0049] Fig. 4B is a section of the sieve drum 10 according to Fig. 4A, and Fig. 4C is a magnified view of the section where the configuration of the bores 12 can be better observed. As it has been set forth above, the bores 12 have narrowing cross-section from the inner surface towards the outer surface of the mantle of the sieve drum 10, more preferably have uniformly narrowing cross-section. To provide uniform droplet formation, the passages 12 of the sieve drum 10 are of identical size and configuration, by way of example the inner diameter of the passages 12 is 1.1 mm, and their outer diameter is 0.9 mm. By way of example, the mantle of the sieve drum 10 has a thickness of 1 mm.

[0050] An opening 18 adapted for passing the shaft 36 therethrough is preferably formed on the top portion of the sieve drum 10.

[0051] In the preferred embodiment according to Fig. 4B, the diameter of the inner cy I indric element 14 is approximately half of the diameter of the mantle of the sieve drum 10, and the width of the slits 16 is approximately 2-5 mm.

[0052] Figs. 5A-5C show, in more detail in various views, a preferred embodiment of the spray head body 20, Figs. 5A, 5B, and 5C showing a perspective view, a sectional view, and a top view, respectively.

[0053] In the manner shown in Fig. 5A and 5B, the nozzle 22 protrudes from the spray head body 20 such that it can introduce into the interior of the sieve drum 10 the liquid that has been preferably delivered to the spray head body 20 via a connector 24. For implementing the apparatus according to the invention, it is sufficient to apply only one nozzle 22, if needed the spray head body 20 may also include a plurality of nozzles 22 that may be supplied with liquid via the same connector or separate connectors 24.

[0054] For the connection to the sieve drum 10, the spray head body 20 comprises a bearing 28, by way of example a ball bearing. Thanks to the bearing 28, the spray head body 20 does not have to rotate together with the sieve drum 10 even during operation. However, the shaft 36 adapted for rotating the sieve drum 10 expediently crosses the spray head body 20, so the spray head body 20 comprises an opening 27 wherein preferably a shaft sealing 26 (simering) is arranged.

[0055] At the bottom portion of the spray head body 20, a motor accommodation space 23 adapted for receiving the drive motor 30 is formed. Assembling the spray head body 20 and connecting it to the sieve drum 10 is also helped by a mounting opening 25.

[0056] In the top view of Fig. 5C, it can be well observed that the main structural components of the spray head body 20, i.e. , by way of example, the bearing 28, the shaft sealing 26, and the opening 27 have a configuration being concentric with each other. Also, the rim 17 of the sieve drum 10 is able to fit against the outer side of the bearing 28 that is preferably also concentric with the above-mentioned elements.

[0057] Fig. 6 shows a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention that also comprises a fan 43 for inducing a flow of the liquid droplets generated at the sieve drum 10 and for guiding them in the appropriate direction. The fan 43 preferably has a rotational axis aligned with the shaft 36 of the sieve drum 10. The sieve drum 10 and the spray head body 20 are configured preferably identically as disclosed already in relation to the previous figures, they are not described in detail here, introducing only those elements and their features that are not included in the previous figures.

[0058] The fan 43 can be connected by way of example directly to the embodiment shown also in Fig. 1 , for example to the cover 35 of the drive motor 30, however, for safety reasons the fan 43 is preferably enclosed in a frame, which on the one hand prevents damage to the blades of the fan 43, and on the other hand prevents injury to persons, animals, or plants coming into contact with the apparatus. Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment according to Fig. 6 the fan 43 is surrounded by a protective ring 42, with protective grids 41 from two sides, which fully enclose the blades of the fan 43 but do not restrict the air flow generated by the fan 43. The protective ring 42 and the protective grid 41 are depicted in more detail in Figs. 7A- 7B and Figs. 8A-8C, respectively.

[0059] The protective grid 41 preferably forms a part of the support element 40. The preferred embodiment of Fig. 6 comprises by way of example two support elements 40, and one of the support elements 40 is connected to the spray head body 20 and / or the cover 35, and the other support element 40 comprises the fan 43 and a motor required for driving and controlling it. This configuration has the advantage that the drive motor 30 of the sieve drum 10 and the motor of the fan 43 are located at a greater distance from each other, which reduces possibility of a common resonance potentially occurring between the two motors.

[0060] In another preferred embodiment it may be sufficient to apply only one support element 40 that comprises both the fan 43 and the motor adapted for driving and controlling it, the same support element 40 being also attached to the spray head body 20 and / or to the cover 35. In this case, the application of the other support element 40 may be omitted, i.e. , it is sufficient to include only the protective ring 42 and the protective grid 41 connected thereto or made integrally therewith.

[0061] Figs. 7A-7B show a preferred embodiment of the protective ring 42 in a top view (Fig. 7A) and side view (Fig. 7B). The protective ring 42 comprises a ring element 50, from which preferably a protective rim 54 protrudes. The protective rim 54 preferably provides circular protection of the blades of the fan 43. In case the blades of the fan 43 undergo damage, the protective rim 54 furthermore prevents blades or pieces of these from being thrust out of the apparatus. Additionally, posts 51 comprising a bore 52 protrude from the ring element 50 in a direction parallel to the shaft 36 and to the axis of the fan 43. The protective ring 42 can be expediently connected to the support element 40 as well as to the protective grid 41 thereof by means of these bores 52. In view of the fact that the space available along the rotational axis for the fan 43 is determined by the height of the posts 51 , it is expedient to choose the height of the posts 51 for the dimensions of the blades of the fan 43.

[0062] Furthermore, bores 53 are also formed in the ring element 50 in a direction perpendicular to the bores 52, enabling for example connection to a holding (support) arm 70. In the preferred embodiment according to Fig. 7A bores 53 are formed at diametrically opposite points of the ring element 50.

[0063] Figs. 8A-8C show in more detail a preferred embodiment of the support element 40 applied in the preferred embodiment according to Fig. 6. Figs. 8A, 8B, and 8C, respectively, show the support element 40 in a perspective view, a top view, and a side view. The protective grid 41 of the support element 40 preferably has a “spider web” configuration, which comprises radial elements 62 and, for connecting these, concentrically arranged circular arc elements 63. Preferably, the support element 40 is formed as a single piece (as one piece), and its material is preferably identical to the material of the sieve drum 10.

[0064] Bores 64 are formed at the ends of the radial elements 62, the arrangement and dimensioning of which fit to the bores 52 of the protective ring 42. Accordingly, the protective ring 42 is preferably coupled to the support element 40 preferably by means of connecting elements passed through the bores 52 and 64. The support element 40 preferably further comprises a cylindrical body 61 that preferably has a hollow configuration and is for example adapted for receiving the motor of the fan 43.

[0065] Figs. 9A-9C show, in various views, a preferred embodiment of a holding arm 70 applicable in the rotary spray head apparatus according to the invention, where Fig. 9A is a top view, Fig. 9B is a front view, and Fig. 9C is a side view of the holding arm 70. By way of example, the holding arm 70 is adapted for attaching the rotary spray head apparatus into a sprayer apparatus, spraying machine, or even onto a vehicle, for example to an airplane, drone, or onto other apparatus or carrier. The holding arm 70 has a shank 71 by way of which the holding arm 70 can be held into any of these vehicles or equipment, more preferably, it can be rotatably held thereinto. Preferably, a gripping arm 72 is connected to the shank 71 , with at least one respective bore 73 being formed at each of the opposite ends of the gripping arms 72, with said bores 73 the holding arm 70 preferably fits the bores 53 of the protective ring 42 according to Fig. 6 and Figs. 7A-7C, and the holding arm 70 can be connected to the protective ring 42 via the bores 53 and 73.

[0066] In the preferred embodiment of Fig. 9A the gripping arm 72 has a semicircular shape, and the bores 73 are formed at the opposite ends of the semicircular-shaped gripping arm 72.

[0067] The shank 71 is preferably configured cylindrically, and thus the holding arm 70 and the rotary spray head apparatus - for example of the embodiment according to Fig. 6 - held by it is rotatable about the axis of the shank 71 , with which the spraying direction can be adjusted as desired for improved spraying efficiency. The mode of industrial application of the invention follows from the characteristic of the solution according to the disclosure above. As can be seen from the description above, the invention accomplishes its objective in an extremely advantageous manner compared to the prior art. The invention is, of course, not limited to the preferred embodiments described in detail above, but further variants, modifications and developments are possible within the scope of protection determined by the claims.

[0068] Legends

[0069] 10 sieve drum

[0070] 12 passage

[0071] 14 inner cy I indric element

[0072] 15 clamping screw

[0073] 16 slit

[0074] 17 rim

[0075] 18 opening

[0076] 20 spray head body

[0077] 21 nozzle hole

[0078] 22 nozzle

[0079] 23 motor accommodation space

[0080] 24 connector

[0081] 25 mounting opening

[0082] 26 shaft sealing

[0083] 27 opening

[0084] 28 bearing

[0085] 29 bore

[0086] 30 drive motor

[0087] 31 ,32,33 bore

[0088] 34 screw

[0089] 35 cover

[0090] 36 shaft

[0091] 37 opening

[0092] 40 support element

[0093] 41 protective grid 42 protective ring

[0094] 43 fan

[0095] 50 ring element

[0096] 51 post 52 bore

[0097] 53 bore

[0098] 54 protective rim

[0099] 61 cylindrical body

[0100] 62 radial element 63 circular arc element

[0101] 64 bore

[0102] 70 holding arm

[0103] 71 shank

[0104] 72 gripping arm 73 bore

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A rotary spray head apparatus, expediently for atomising liquid, comprising- a cylindrical-shaped sieve drum (10) configured to be rotatable about a shaft (36), the sieve drum (10) has a mantle, in which mantle passages (12) adapted for leading through liquid are formed,- a nozzle (22) arranged in the sieve drum (10), adapted for getting liquid to an inner surface of the mantle of the sieve drum (10), and- a drive motor (30) for rotating the sieve drum (10), characterised in that- the passages (12) of the sieve drum (10) have larger cross-section at the inner surface of the mantle than at the outer surface of the mantle.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , characterised by further comprising an inner cylindric element (14) arranged in the sieve drum (10), the nozzle (22) is arranged inside the inner cylindric element (14), and slits (16) adapted for leading through the liquid are formed in the inner cylindric element (14).

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that the inner cylindric element (14) is arranged in the sieve drum (10) concentrically.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterised in that the inner cylindric element (14) is arranged in a rotation-free manner with respect to the sieve drum (10).

5. The apparatus according any of claims 2-4, characterised in that the inner cylindric element (14) and the sieve drum (10) are formed in one piece.

6. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 -5, characterised in that the drive motor (30) is an electric motor without carbon brush.

7. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 -6, characterised by further comprising a fan (43) having an axis of rotation aligned with the shaft (36) of the sieve drum8. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 -7, characterised by further comprising a spray head body (20) having a connector (24) for a liquid source, and the connector (24) is connected with the nozzle (22) for forwarding the liquid.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterised in that the spray head body (20) is connected to the sieve drum (10) via a bearing (28).

10. The apparatus according to any of claims 1-9, characterised in that the sieve drum (10) is formed by means of 3D printing.

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