Foam Dispenser Valve and Collapsible Pouch for Orientation-Independent Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foam dispensers for consumer products often fail to maintain a uniform foaming profile when inverted or tilted, leading to a decrease in foam weight to volume ratio as the product level depletes, and typically yield degraded foam texture and performance due to tortuous delivery paths.
Innovation Solution
A foam dispenser design featuring a container with a hollow body and a foam engine that includes a mixing chamber with separate inlets for liquid and gas, a diffuser, and a valve system allowing operation in any orientation, ensuring consistent foam generation by maintaining pressure and separating liquid and gas reservoirs with a collapsible pouch or delaminating structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional pump-type dispenser is used, then the dispenser can maintain proper operation when positioned up-right, but the dispenser fails to maintain uniform foaming profile when inverted or tilted
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid reservoir is segmented from the gas reservoir using a collapsible pouch that separates the two phases. This segmentation allows independent control of liquid and gas phases, enabling consistent foam generation regardless of container orientation. The pouch creates distinct compartments that maintain proper phase separation even when inverted.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser employs a dynamic valve system that adjusts operation based on container orientation. The valve mechanism adapts its configuration to maintain proper liquid-gas mixing ratios whether the container is upright, inverted, or tilted, ensuring reliable foam generation across all orientations.
2Quantity of substance
If the product level depletes in a conventional dispenser, then the foam volume decreases, but the foam weight to volume ratio deteriorates and foam texture degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser incorporates a feedback mechanism where the collapsible pouch responds to liquid level changes by adjusting its collapse state. This maintains optimal liquid-gas contact and mixing ratios throughout the dispensing cycle, preserving foam weight to volume ratio even as product depletes. The system self-regulates to compensate for changing product levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser maintains consistent foam quality by dynamically adjusting mixing parameters through the valve system and pouch collapse mechanism. As liquid level decreases, the system modifies the liquid-gas mixing ratio and flow characteristics to compensate, ensuring uniform foam texture and performance throughout the usage cycle.
3Device complexity
If a conventional foam delivery path is used, then the dispenser structure is simple, but the foam texture and performance are degraded due to tortuous path
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing chamber is designed with a three-dimensional configuration that allows direct foam delivery from the mixing zone to the outlet. This spatial arrangement eliminates tortuous two-dimensional paths, enabling foam to travel in a straight line while maintaining its texture and performance characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The tortuous delivery path section is extracted and eliminated from the design. The foam delivery system is reconfigured to provide a direct, streamlined path from the mixing chamber to the outlet, removing unnecessary bends and turns that would degrade foam quality.
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
The solution enables uniform foam generation and maintains performance across various orientations and usage cycles, preventing foam degradation and ensuring consistent cleaning performance even when the product level is low.
Implementation Method 1
A pressurized gas is turbulently combined with a liquid as it exits the container By employing this turbulent mixing and/or foam-generating aperture, a foam is created.
Implementation Method 2
a foam-generating aperture. A pressurized gas is turbulently combined with a liquid as it exits the container
Implementation Method 3
separating liquid and gas reservoirs with a collapsible pouch or delaminating structure
Data Source
AI summary
A device for dispensing liquids in the form of foam. The device including a foam engine having a gas inlet, a liquid inlet and a foam discharge. The device also including a valve between the environment and the interior of the device container.