Atomizer for spraying a liquid medium
United States Patent m1 m1 3,874,595  
 Rindisbacher A r. l, 1975 ATOMIZER FOR SPRAYING A LIQUID [56] References Cited MEDIUM UNITED STATES PATENTS [75] Inventor: Fritz Rindisbacher, Basel, 2.766.065 lU/l956 .loyslcn 239/227 Switzerland 2,960,047 l Oberhubcr CI Ell 2.964.246 Ill/I960 Alholm et a] 239/217 1 Asslgnee: Aeromatic G. Mullenz. 3.094.254 6/l963 Cullen et al. 222/504 Switzerland Primary Examiner-Robert S. Ward Jr. 0&#39;) Filed May 1974 Attorney, Agent. or Firm-Ladas, Parry, Von Gehr, [2| Appl. No; 475,073 Goldsmith &amp; Deschamps [30] Foreign Application Priority Data :5 f F T Td d h I 3 2 n atomizer or spraying a iqui me ium. aving a June [97 swnzmmd 80 1/73 nozzle body which has connections for the liquid to be [g7] Cl 239/227 339N310 l9 9H0? sprayed and for compressed air. The nozzle body is i 1&#39; 7 3 1 mounted for universal movement by means of two [51] lm C M 1,5 66 3 1 rings connected by rotary pins to one another and to [:58] Pie-Id 214 514.25 225 the nozzle body. The nozzle is driven in a predeter- 239/227. 229. 243. 380, 26], I04, 288, 288.3. DlG. 19; 222/504 mined path by a guide shaft in cooperation with an eccentrically-mounted follower ring.  
 &#39;7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures ATOMIZER FOR SPRAYING A LIQUID MEDIUM The present invention relates to an atomizer for spraying a liquid medium, of the kind having a nozzle body which has at least a connection for the liquid to be sprayed and a connection for the compressed air.  
  The known types of atomizer of the kind referred to, which are supplied with a liquid and compressed air and which are widely used in industrial processing engineering, are expected to have an angle of spray preferably as wide as possible. For constructional reasons the angle of spray of the atomizers currently on the market, however, is limited to about 40, which in many fields of application is insufficient, thereby often making it necessary to use a combination of two or more nozzles. The operating and control cost of these nozzles is relatively high, but so far no simpler and more practical so lution has been found.  
  It is an object of the invention to mitigate this disadvantage.  
  Accordingly, the invention provides an atomizer for spraying a liquid medium comprising a nozzle body which has at least a connection for the liquid to be sprayed and a connection for compressed air, wherein the nozzle body is mounted for free movement and includes a guide shaft with co-operates with an eccentrically mounted follower connected with a drive whereby the nozzle body may be moved in a predetermined path.  
  As a result of this arrangement the nozzle is able to spray a large area and can be adjusted at will.  
  Advantageously the nozzle body is mounted by means of two rings, with a first pair of rotary pins between the two rings which are displaced by 90 relative a second pair of rotary pins connecting the inner ring with the nozzle body, thereby allowing a universal movement of the nozzle body.  
  However, it is also possible to mount the nozzle body in an elastic holding membrane.  
  The follower, for example, may include a ring eccentrically secured to a lower end of a drive shaft. This ring is preferably provided on its inner surface with a plastics coating, for example polytetrafluorethylene.  
  The drive shaft, at its lower end, preferably has a height adjustable adjusting sleeve adapted to slide onto and off of the shaft the same ring being secured thereto.  
  The attached drawing represents an example of an embodiment of an atomizer according to the invention, in which:  
  FIG. 1 is a simplified vertical section through an atomizer and FIG. 2 is a simplified view of the atomizer as seen from below. in  
  FIG. 1 shows a complete nozzle body 1 to the upper part of which is secured a guide shaft 2. The nozzle body 1, the construction of which is well known and is therefore not described in detail, is supplied with liquid via a pipe 3 and with compressed air via a pipe 4. The liquid and the compressed air are discharged through concentric annular nozzle openings in the lower end of the nozzle body, so that the liquid is dispersed by the compressed air. The angle of spraying of the spray cone of liquid may for example be about 40in conformity with known spraying nozzles.  
  The nozzle body 1 is mounted in gimbals formed by two rings 6, 7 which are pivotally connected with each other by means of two pairs of rotary pins 8a, 8b respectively. The pair of rotary pins 80, 8b connecting the 2 two rings 6, 7 are displaced by relative the pair of rotary pins 9a. 9b connecting the inner ring 7 with the nozzle body 1. This type of universal mounting permits the nozzle body to be rotated in any desired direction.  
  A similar mounting, although not without certain disadvantages, could for example also be achieved by using an elastic, for example rubber, holding membrane, in place of the gimbals. The annular holding membrane would then be secured to the lower end of the supporting tube I0 on the one hand, and to the circumference of the nozzle body 1 on the other.  
  The ring 11 secured to the supporting tube 10 has at its lower section an annular groove into which extends a head 11 of a safety bellows 12. The annular bead II has a limited initial tension relative the corresponding annular groove of the ring 6 so that it cannot become detached by itself. The object of the safety bellows I2 is to protect the mechanical parts of the nozzle from contact with the liquid to be sprayed.  
  The guide shaft 2 of the nozzle extends into a catch ring 13, as shown in FIG. I, which is nonrotatably secured to the lower end of an adjusting sleeve I4. The axis of the catch ring I3 is parallel to but spaced from the axis of the tube 10. The adjusting sleeve 14 can be displaced or fixed at any desired height in the direction of the arrow 17 on the circumference of a drive shaft I6 by means of an adjusting screw 15. The shaft 16 is driven by a motor mounted on the supporting tube 10.  
  When the drive shaft 16 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 19 the guide shaft 2 of the nozzle is also moved, whereby the nozzle axis moves along the surface of an imaginary double cone and the nozzle jet thus covers a very large area.  
  By raising the catch ring 13 the effective spraying area may be reduced and by lowering it the same may be increased.  
  In view of the friction generated at the inner surface of the catch ring 13, a plastics coating 20 is preferably applied, which may be, for example, of polytetrafluorethylenes or Nylon or a similar plastics composition.  
  Besides the large adjustable spraying area the arrangement above with reference to the drawings has the advantage that the nozzle body does not rotate about its own axis, thereby eliminating the difficulties in sealing the connecting points of the pipes 3 and 4 encountered with known devices of this kind.  
 I claim:  
  1. An atomiser for spraying a liquid medium comprismg:  
 a nozzle body,  
 connections on the nozzle body for the liquid medium and for compressed air,  
 mounting means for the nozzle body to permit free movement of the nozzle body,  
 a guide shaft mounted on the nozzle body,  
 an eccentrically mounted follower which engages the guide shaft,  
 drive means for driving the follower whereby the nozzle body is moved in a predetermined path.  
  2. An atomiser according to claim 1 wherein the mounting means comprise inner and outer concentric rings, a first pair of rotary pins between the two rings, a second pair of rotary pins displaced by 90 relatively to the first pair of rotary pins and connecting the inner ring to the nozzle body whereby the nozzle body moves universally.  
 has a coating of plastics material.  
  6. An atomiser according to claim 5 wherein the plastics material is polytetrafluorethylene.  
  7. An atomiser according to claim 4 wherein a height adjustable adjusting sleeve is mounted at the end of the drive shaft for axial sliding movement therealong and wherein the ring is connected to said sleeve.