Fluid Dispenser With Pulsed Carrier Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fluid dispensers for cosmetics and drugs face challenges in maintaining the stability of fluid compositions due to long-term storage, as components can deteriorate or de-mix, especially with alcohol-based carriers which are resource-intensive, irritating, and environmentally problematic, and water-based carriers struggle to mix with oils effectively.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser with independent carrier and agent supply systems, using micropumps to synchronize continuous agent flow with pulsed carrier flow, creating a striped mixing pattern in the mixing area to prevent premature mixing and ensure accurate dosing, allowing for immediate mixing and dispensing of a fluid composition dose without long-term storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If alcohol-based carriers are used to store and transport perfume oil, then the perfume oil is well-solubilized and its characteristics are preserved, but resource consumption increases, production costs rise, skin irritation occurs, and environmental pollution is caused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the carrier fluid from alcohol-based to water-based. This parameter change enables the system to achieve the same solubility function for perfume oil without the harmful side effects of alcohol, thereby resolving the contradiction between composition stability and harmful factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an emulsifier as an intermediary substance that mediates between water and oil. The emulsifier creates a stable emulsion that allows water-based carrier to effectively transport perfume oil, achieving the solubility function without using harmful alcohol-based carriers.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If water-based carriers are used instead of alcohol-based carriers, then resource consumption is reduced and skin irritation is minimized, but the carrier and oil de-mix during storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic ultrasonic vibration to continuously maintain the emulsion stability. The periodic ultrasonic waves prevent the water and oil phases from separating by repeatedly disrupting any forming interfaces, thereby maintaining composition stability without alcohol.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses mechanical vibration (ultrasonic vibration) to maintain emulsion stability. The vibrational energy prevents phase separation by continuously disrupting the interface between water and oil droplets, solving the de-mixing problem of water-based carriers.
3Stability of the object's composition
If components are stored separately and mixed before dispensing, then composition quality is maintained, but the mixing process must be precisely controlled for correct dosage and timing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the storage and mixing functions into an integrated system. The separate reservoirs for water-based carrier and oil are combined with an automated mixing mechanism that ensures precise dosage and timing, maintaining composition quality while managing system complexity through functional integration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution prevents component degradation, reduces resource consumption, minimizes skin irritation, and ensures effective mixing of water-based carriers with oils, maintaining composition quality and environmental sustainability by mixing fluids just before dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
synchronize continuous agent flow with pulsed carrier flow
Implementation Method 2
creating a striped mixing pattern in the mixing area
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A dispenser (1) suitable for dispensing a fluid composition dose (70) to an outside in one discharging cycle is disclosed. The composition dose includes a fluid carrier (31) dose and a fluid agent (21) dose. The dispenser comprises: a carrier supply system (30) configured to supply the carrier; an agent supply system (20) configured to supply the agent, the agent supply system being independent from the carrier supply system; a mixing area (50) arranged downstream of the carrier and agent supply systems in flow directions of the carrier and the agent, the mixing area being configured to mix the independently supplied carrier and agent doses to form the composition dose; and a dispenser head (60) configured to discharge the composition dose to the outside, the dispenser head being in fluid connection with the mixing area. The agent supply system comprises an agent reservoir (22) configured to store the agent, and an agent supply means (23) configured to supply the agent dose in one continuous flow from the agent reservoir to the mixing area. The carrier supply system comprises a carrier reservoir (32) configured to store the carrier, and a carrier supply means (33) configured to supply the carrier dose in discrete pulses from the carrier reservoir to the mixing area. The carrier and agent supply means are synchronized such that, in the one discharging cycle, the continuous flow of the agent dose is disrupted by the pulses of the carrier dose in the mixing area to form the composition dose in which the pulses of the carrier and the discontinuous agent are alternately distributed for being discharged via the dispenser head. Further, a corresponding method of dispensing a fluid composition dose is disclosed.