US-12623242-B2 - Mixed-fluid delivery device

US12623242B2US 12623242 B2US12623242 B2US 12623242B2US-12623242-B2

Abstract

A mixed-fluid delivery device includes a piezoelectric pump that includes a piezoelectric vibrator having a piezoelectric element and a vibrating plate and a pump cabinet and discharges a fluid, and a case body including a pump housing chamber, a liquid reservoir portion, a mixing portion that generates a mixed fluid, a nozzle portion through which the gas discharged from the piezoelectric pump is ejected to the mixing portion, and a conducting portion that conducts a liquid toward the mixing portion. The case body has a reflux path through which a residual liquid that remains in the mixing portion without being delivered to the outside is returned to the liquid reservoir portion. The reflux path is provided so as to be in contact with at least a portion of the pump cabinet.

Inventors

Kenjiro Okaguchi

Assignees

MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230912
Priority Date: 20210329

Claims (10)

1 . A mixed-fluid delivery device configured to generate a mixed fluid by mixing an ejected gas with a liquid and deliver the mixed fluid to an outside, the mixed-fluid delivery device comprising: a piezoelectric pump including a piezoelectric vibrator and a pump cabinet, the piezoelectric vibrator including a piezoelectric element and a vibrating plate, the pump cabinet having the piezoelectric vibrator therein, and the piezoelectric pump being configured to discharge the gas; and a case body including a pump housing chamber, a liquid reservoir portion, a mixing portion, a nozzle portion and a conducting portion, the pump housing chamber housing the piezoelectric pump, the liquid reservoir portion being configured to store the liquid, the mixing portion being configured to generate the mixed fluid, the nozzle portion being configured to eject the gas discharged from the piezoelectric pump to the mixing portion, and the conducting portion being configured to conduct the liquid toward the mixing portion, wherein the case body has a reflux path through which a residual liquid remaining in the mixing portion without being delivered to the outside is returned to the liquid reservoir portion, and the reflux path is provided so as to be in contact with at least a part of the pump cabinet.
2 . The mixed-fluid delivery device according to claim 1 , wherein the pump cabinet has a first main surface and a second main surface each facing a main surface of the piezoelectric element, and a part of the reflux path is in contact with at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface.
3 . The mixed-fluid delivery device according to claim 2 , wherein the pump cabinet includes a side surface connecting the first main surface and the second main surface to each other, and the nozzle portion is disposed on the side surface.
4 . The mixed-fluid delivery device according to claim 1 , wherein the case body has, around the nozzle portion, a liquid receiving portion configured to receive the residual liquid, and the reflux path is provided to connect the liquid receiving portion and the liquid reservoir portion to each other.
5 . The mixed-fluid delivery device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a flow path forming body fixed to the case body and forming a flow path through which the mixed fluid flows, wherein the case body includes a wall portion constituting a part of the reflux path and forming an outer surface of the case body, and the flow path forming body forms at least a part of the wall portion and a part of the flow path.
6 . The mixed-fluid delivery device according to claim 2 , wherein the case body has, around the nozzle portion, a liquid receiving portion configured to receive the residual liquid, and the reflux path is provided to connect the liquid receiving portion and the liquid reservoir portion to each other.
7 . The mixed-fluid delivery device according to claim 3 , wherein the case body has, around the nozzle portion, a liquid receiving portion configured to receive the residual liquid, and the reflux path is provided to connect the liquid receiving portion and the liquid reservoir portion to each other.
8 . The mixed-fluid delivery device according to claim 2 , further comprising: a flow path forming body fixed to the case body and forming a flow path through which the mixed fluid flows, wherein the case body includes a wall portion constituting said part or another part of the reflux path and forming an outer surface of the case body, and the flow path forming body forms at least a part of the wall portion and a part of the flow path.
9 . The mixed-fluid delivery device according to claim 3 , further comprising: a flow path forming body fixed to the case body and forming a flow path through which the mixed fluid flows, wherein the case body includes a wall portion constituting said part or another part of the reflux path and forming an outer surface of the case body, and the flow path forming body forms at least a part of the wall portion and a part of the flow path.
10 . The mixed-fluid delivery device according to claim 4 , further comprising: a flow path forming body fixed to the case body and forming a flow path through which the mixed fluid flows, wherein the case body includes a wall portion constituting a part of the reflux path and forming an outer surface of the case body, and the flow path forming body forms at least a part of the wall portion and a part of the flow path.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2022/008863 filed on Mar. 2, 2022 which claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-055218 filed on Mar. 29, 2021. The contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure The present disclosure relates to a mixed-fluid delivery device. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-132471 (Patent Document 1) discloses, as a mixed-fluid delivery device, a nebulizer that ejects compressed air through a nozzle hole while adding a liquid to the compressed air in the outlet region of the nozzle hole, atomizes the liquid, and delivers the atomized liquid to the outside. Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-132471 BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE When a piezoelectric pump is used as a device for generating compressed air, the temperature of the piezoelectric pump rises due to the heat generation of the piezoelectric element that vibrates a vibrating plate. When the temperature of the piezoelectric pump becomes high, there is a concern the piezoelectric pump and therefore the mixed-fluid delivery device do not operate normally. The present disclosure addresses the problem described above with a possible benefit of providing a mixed-fluid delivery device that can cool the piezoelectric pump housed in a pump housing chamber provided in a case body. A mixed-fluid delivery device according to the present disclosure generates a mixed fluid by mixing an ejected gas with a liquid and delivers the mixed fluid to the outside. The mixed-fluid delivery device includes: a piezoelectric pump that includes a piezoelectric vibrator including a piezoelectric element and a vibrating plate, and a pump cabinet having the piezoelectric vibrator therein, the piezoelectric pump discharging a gas; and a case body including a pump housing chamber that houses the piezoelectric pump, a liquid reservoir portion that stores a liquid, a mixing portion that generates a mixed fluid, a nozzle portion through which the gas discharged from the piezoelectric pump is ejected to the mixing portion, and a conducting portion that conducts the liquid toward the mixing portion. The case body has a reflux path through which a residual liquid that remains in the mixing portion without being delivered to the outside is returned to the liquid reservoir portion. The reflux path is provided so as to be in contact with at least a part of the pump cabinet. In the mixed-fluid delivery device according to the present disclosure, the pump cabinet may have a first main surface and a second main surface that face a main surface of the piezoelectric element. In this case, a part of the reflux path is preferably in contact with at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface. In the mixed-fluid delivery device according to the present disclosure, the pump cabinet includes a side surface that connects the first main surface and the second main surface to each other. In this case, the nozzle portion is disposed on the side surface. In the mixed-fluid delivery device according to the present disclosure, the case body may have, around the nozzle portion, a liquid receiving portion that receives the residual liquid. In this case, the reflux path is provided to connect the liquid receiving portion and the liquid reservoir portion to each other. The mixed-fluid delivery device according to the present disclosure further includes a flow path forming body that is fixed to the case body and forms a flow path through which the mixed fluid flows. In this case, the case body may include a wall portion that constitutes a part of the reflux path and forms an outer surface of the case body, and the flow path forming body may form at least a part of the wall portion and a part of the flow path. According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a mixed-fluid delivery device that can cool a piezoelectric pump housed in a pump housing chamber provided in a case body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a nebulizer according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a piezoelectric pump provided in the nebulizer according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the piezoelectric pump provided in the nebulizer according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view for describing the operation of the nebulizer according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a nebulizer according to embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a nebulizer according to embodiment 3. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a piezoelectric pump provided in the nebulizer according to embodiment 3. FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of a nebulizer according to embodiment 4.