Oral irrigator and valve assembly thereof

Abstract

The valve assembly comprises a valve body, a valve cover, a valve element, sealing rings arranged at the two ends of the valve element and a push button arranged on the valve body, the valve body and the valve element are each provided with a water passing channel, the valve assembly further comprises a valve plug with a water passing hole, when the push button does linear motion, the circumferential motion of the valve plug can be triggered, and when the push button does linear motion, the water passing channel is communicated with the water passing hole. And the water passing channels of the valve core and the valve body are communicated or not communicated. The push button is provided with a sliding rail, the valve body is provided with a sliding groove, and the sliding rail is located in the sliding groove. The push button is provided with a spiral sliding groove, the valve element is provided with a valve rod, and the valve rod is located in the spiral sliding groove. A notch is formed in the valve plug, the section of the end of the valve element is the same as that of the notch, and the notch and the valve element are sleeved. The valve body is provided with a plurality of water passing channels which are symmetrically arranged, the valve plug is provided with a plurality of water passing holes which are symmetrically arranged, and when the valve plug rotates, the water passing holes and the water passing channels can be staggered or overlapped. High-pressure liquid sealing is achieved, and force applied to the push button is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a dental flosser, and more particularly to the valve body of a dental flosser. Background Technology

[0002] A water flosser is a product that uses high-pressure water to clean the mouth and teeth. It consists of a single-handedly held outer shell, inside which is a motor and a pump. When in operation, the water flow is changed from low pressure to high pressure. The high-pressure water passes through a valve body to the nozzle. The outer shell has a switch push button to turn the water flow on or off.

[0003] The valve body of existing oral irrigators is a common switch valve body. When the push button moves linearly, the pushing force of the push button is affected by the superposition of high pressure liquid pressure, resulting in a large pushing force and inconvenient operation, which reduces the user experience of the product.

[0004] This is a shortcoming of existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a valve assembly for a water flosser. Water flossers with such a valve assembly can open and close the valve body with a smaller force applied to the push button, thereby improving the user experience.

[0006] The underlying principle of this invention is as follows: The main reason for the large push force of the push button is that opening or closing the valve body requires reducing the volume of liquid occupied in the liquid passage chamber of the valve body. Since the liquid is an incompressible medium, forcibly changing the volume of the high-pressure liquid requires overcoming the pressure from the high-pressure pump body and sending the high-pressure liquid back into the pump body via the push button's reverse action. Therefore, changing the linear motion outside the valve body to the rotational motion inside the valve body avoids changing the water volume and prevents excessive force.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is: a valve assembly for a dental flosser, comprising a connected valve body and valve cover, a valve core, sealing rings at both ends of the valve core, and a push button on the valve body. Both the valve body and the valve core are provided with water passages. The assembly also includes a valve plug with a water passage hole. When the push button moves linearly, it can trigger the circumferential movement of the valve plug, so that the water passage of the valve core is connected to or not connected to the water passage of the valve body.

[0008] The push button has a slide rail, and the valve body has a slide groove in which the slide rail is located.

[0009] The push button has a spiral groove, and the valve core has a valve stem located in the spiral groove.

[0010] The valve plug has a notch, and the end of the valve core has the same cross-section as the notch, and the two fit together.

[0011] The valve body is provided with at least one or more water passages, and the valve plug is provided with at least one or more water holes. When the valve plug rotates, the water holes and water passages may be misaligned or coincide.

[0012] In this case, the valve plug is preferably made of an elastomer, but the valve plug is not limited to an elastomer.

[0013] The valve body has two lugs, and the valve cover has two protruding lugs, which are engaged with the lugs.

[0014] The technical effects of this invention are:

[0015] 1. During the linear movement of the push button, the elastic valve plug is rotated, which can close and open the high-pressure liquid inside the valve body. The rotation of the valve plug itself realizes the opening and closing of the valve body without changing any liquid passage space. This reduces the force of the push button and makes the operation more convenient.

[0016] 2. The sealing method of the elastic valve plug is extremely important. When the valve plug is in the closed state, that is, when the water passage of the valve core is completely misaligned with the water passage of the valve body, according to Pascal's Law, the pressure applied to an incompressible fluid in a closed container can be transmitted to all parts of the fluid and the container wall without change. Therefore, the force of the high-pressure liquid acting on the elastic valve plug is equal everywhere. At the water passage opening, the pressure of the high-pressure liquid tends to be lower than the low-pressure area of ​​the water passage in the valve body. At this location, the elastic valve plug is subjected to the high pressure of the internal water, tightly adhering to the valve body. This keeps the high pressure at the water passage in dynamic equilibrium, preventing the high-pressure liquid from flowing out of the switch's liquid passage, thus achieving a high-pressure liquid seal. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the valve assembly of the present invention after assembly.

[0018] Figures 2-4 yes Figure 1 Different angle views of the exploded view.

[0019] 1-Push button, 11-Slide rail, 10-Slide groove, 2-Valve body, 20-Slide groove, 21-Ear buckle, 3-Valve core, 31-Slide rod, 30-Water passage, 4-Valve plug, 40-Water passage hole, 5-Valve cover, 61, 62-Sealing ring Detailed Implementation

[0020] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] See Figures 1-4The valve assembly of the present invention includes a push button 1, a valve body 2, a valve core 3, a valve plug 4, a valve cover 5, and two sealing rings 61 and 62. The assembly process of the above components is as follows: the two sealing rings 61 and 62 are respectively assembled on both ends of the valve core 3, and the valve plug 4 is also assembled on the end of the valve core 5; then, the end of the valve core 5 containing the valve plug 4 is inserted into the valve body 2; then, the valve cover 5 is assembled. The valve body 2 and the valve cover 5 are fastened together by the lugs 21 on the valve body 2, and the valve core 3 and the valve plug 7 are located within the fixed space after the valve body 2 and the valve cover 5 are fastened together. The functions of the two sealing rings 61 and 62 are to ensure no leakage between the valve core and the valve body, and no leakage between the valve core and the valve cover, respectively. The valve plug 4 has a notch with a rectangular cross-section. This rectangular notch fits onto the rectangular cross-section end of the valve core 3, thus allowing the valve core to drive the valve plug 5 to rotate synchronously. The valve core 3 and valve body 2 have water passages, and the valve plug 4 is also provided with a water passage hole 40. The water passage 30 of the valve core and the water passage hole 40 of the valve plug are always connected.

[0022] Please note that the push switch 1 has a slide rail 11 and a spiral groove 10, the valve core 3 has a slide rod 31, and the valve body 2 has a groove 20. During the assembly process, the slide rail 11 of the push switch 1 is assembled into the groove 20 of the valve 2, ensuring that the slide rod 31 on the valve core 3 is completely inserted into the spiral groove 10 of the push switch 1. Because its slide rail 11 is confined within the groove of the valve body, the push switch 1 can only move linearly. The valve core 3 and valve plug 4 are located within the fixed space after the valve body 2 and valve cover 5 are engaged, and can only move circumferentially, not axially. Furthermore, the valve plug 4 is fitted onto the end of the valve core 3, and its mating surface is rectangular. Therefore, the valve plug 4 can only rotate synchronously with the valve core 3, making circumferential movements.

[0023] Since the valve stem 31 of the valve core is located in the spiral groove 10 of the push switch 1, the linear motion of the push switch 1 naturally triggers the rotational motion of the valve core and the valve plug. The valve core 3 has a water passage inside, and the valve plug 4 also has a water passage connected to the valve core 3. When the entire valve body 2 is in the open state, the water passage on the valve body 2 is fully connected to the valve plug 5 and the internal passage of the valve core 3, realizing the valve body open state; when the valve core 3 is driven by the push switch 1 and rotates together with the valve plug 4 at a certain angle, the water passage of the valve plug 4 is no longer connected to the valve body 2, thus realizing the rotational closure.

[0024] Due to the rotation of the valve core, the connection between the water passage hole and the water passage of the valve body is constantly changing. In this embodiment, the valve body has two water passages, which are located on both sides of the axis; the valve plug also has two water passage holes. The rotation of the valve plug can make the two water passage holes and the two water passages face each other or be staggered, presenting a geometrically connected state or a geometrically disconnected state. The former corresponds to the valve assembly being open; the latter corresponds to the valve assembly being closed.

[0025] However, since the valve core and valve plug are immersed in high-pressure liquid, gaps may exist at the contact surface between the valve plug and the valve body, causing the valve assembly to tend to transition from the closed state to the open state. Therefore, achieving a stable and durable seal with high-pressure liquid is a crucial issue that needs to be considered to ensure the normal operation of the valve assembly.

[0026] The valve plug of this invention is made of an elastic material and is in a compressed state at the end of the valve core during assembly. When the water passage of the valve plug and the water passage of the valve body are misaligned, the high-pressure water in the water passage acts on the elastic valve plug and is blocked, preventing it from flowing to the water passage, thereby achieving a stable and lasting seal of the high-pressure liquid. When the valve core rotates, and the two gradually overlap and align like "a dog eating the moon," the water passage and the water passages on both sides are connected again, indicating that the valve assembly is open.

[0027] In this invention, the sliding rod, driven by the helical groove of the push-button switch, rotates the valve core and simultaneously rotates the valve plug, without changing the volume of liquid inside the valve body. The rotation only requires overcoming the rotational friction between the two sealing rings and the valve plug, thus greatly reducing the required force and achieving a labor-saving operation.

[0028] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A valve assembly for a dental flosser, comprising a connected valve body and valve cover, a valve core, sealing rings at both ends of the valve core, and a push button on the valve body, wherein both the valve body and the valve core are provided with water passages, characterized in that... It also includes a valve plug with a water passage hole, which can cause the valve plug to move circumferentially when the push button moves linearly, so that the water passage of the valve core is connected or not connected with the water passage of the valve body.

2. The valve assembly for a dental flosser as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The push button has a slide rail, and the valve body has a slide groove in which the slide rail is located.

3. The valve assembly for a dental flosser as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The push button has a spiral groove, and the valve core has a valve stem located in the spiral groove.

4. The valve assembly for a dental flosser as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The valve plug has a notch, and the end of the valve core has the same cross-section as the notch, and the two fit together.

5. The valve assembly for a dental flosser as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The valve body is provided with multiple water passages, and the valve plug is designed with the same number of water passage holes. The water passage holes and water passages are not located at the same rotation center. When the valve plug rotates, the water passage holes and water passages may be misaligned or coincident.

6. The valve assembly for a dental flosser as described in claim 5, characterized in that: There are two water passages and water holes.

7. The valve assembly for a water flosser as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The valve plug is made of an elastomer, but the valve plug is not limited to an elastomer.

8. The valve assembly for a dental flosser as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The valve body has two lugs, and the valve cover has two protruding lugs, which are engaged in the lugs.

9. A water flosser, characterized in that, Includes the valve assembly for a water flosser as described in claims 1 to 8.

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