Liquid ejector

Abstract

To provide a liquid ejector capable of suppressing deterioration of operability by enabling a head part to be pushed until reaching a bottom dead point, as well as, suppressing a decrease in a discharge flow rate of a content.SOLUTION: A liquid ejector 100 according to the present disclosure includes: an attachment member 3 to be attached to a mouth portion C2 of a vessel body C; a cylinder 1 which is suspended downward from the attachment member 3, is provided with an outside air introduction hole 1d for introducing outside air into the vessel body C; a plunger body 11 which is provided biased upward with respect to the cylinder 1 and vertically movably, and is erected from inside the cylinder 1; a cylindrical stem 9 which is provided vertically movably with respect to the cylinder 1 and forms an exhaust valve 15 between itself and the plunger body 11; and a head part 30 which is attached to an upper part of the stem 9 movably as pushed downward, and includes a nozzle (nozzle tip 12) for discharging a content liquid. Therein the stem 9 and the plunger body 11 are each provided with a sliding part 18 for causing vertical frictional resistance to act mutually.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid ejector that is attached to the mouth of a container body and ejects the liquid contained in the container body to the outside world. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of a conventional liquid ejector, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is disclosed one which comprises an attachment member which is attached to the mouth of a container body, a cylinder body which hangs down from the attachment member, a first plunger and a second plunger which are disposed inside the cylinder body and biased upward, a head base which forms a discharge valve between the valve seat of the first plunger and the head base, and a pressing member which is attached to the top of the head base. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-37978 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the liquid ejector of Patent Document 1, when the force of the pressing operation of the pressing member is small, the internal pressure decreases as the contents in the cylinder are discharged, and the first plunger rises due to the biasing force of the spring, which may block the discharge valve. If the discharge valve is blocked during the pressing operation, the contents in the cylinder are compressed, making it impossible to press the pressing member down any further. As a result, the pressing member cannot be pressed all the way to the bottom dead center, so the discharge flow rate of the contents is reduced compared to when it is pressed all the way down, and differences in operability arise, leading to a deterioration in operability for users, and there is room for improvement in these points.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a liquid ejector that prevents a deterioration in operability by enabling the head portion to be pushed all the way to the bottom dead center, and also prevents a decrease in the discharge flow rate of the contents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the liquid ejector of the present disclosure comprises: [1] An attachment member to be attached to the mouth of the container body; a cylinder that hangs down from the mounting member, the cylinder having an outside air inlet hole that introduces outside air into the container body; a plunger body that is biased upward relative to the cylinder and is movable up and down, and stands up from inside the cylinder; a cylindrical stem that is provided so as to be movable up and down relative to the cylinder and that forms a discharge valve between the plunger body and the stem; a head portion which is attached to the upper portion of the stem in a depressable manner and has a nozzle for discharging the content liquid; Equipped with The stem and the plunger body are provided with sliding portions that generate vertical frictional resistance against each other.

[0007] The liquid ejector of the present disclosure further comprises: [2] In the configuration described in [1] above, the stem and the plunger body are formed with an engagement portion that restricts downward displacement of the plunger body relative to the stem, It is preferable that the engagement portion of one of the stem and the plunger body also functions as the sliding portion by sliding against the other of the stem and the plunger body.

[0008] The liquid ejector of the present disclosure further comprises: [3] In the configuration described in [1] or [2] above, The cylinder includes an upper cylinder and a lower cylinder that is connected to a lower end of the upper cylinder and has an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper cylinder, a sub-cylinder provided at a lower portion of the stem and movable in a vertical direction within the upper cylinder; a valve member that seals a gap between the cylinder and the stem, the valve member being a check valve that allows introduction of outside air into the container body through the outside air introduction hole and prevents leakage of the content liquid from the container body through the outside air introduction hole; and Further comprising: a first piston slidable on the inner surface of the lower cylinder is formed below the plunger body, and a second piston slidable on the inner surface of the sub-cylinder is formed above the first piston, The sub-cylinder preferably has a larger inner diameter than the lower cylinder. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a liquid ejector that prevents a deterioration in operability by allowing a head portion to be pushed all the way to the bottom dead center, and also prevents a decrease in the discharge flow rate of the contents. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a liquid ejector according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is an enlarged front sectional view of the stem and plunger body area in FIG. 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is an enlarged front cross-sectional view of a sliding portion between the stem and the plunger body in FIG. 1 (when the discharge valve is closed). FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is an enlarged front cross-sectional view of a sliding portion between the stem and the plunger body in FIG. 1 (when the discharge valve is open). FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A liquid ejector 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 4).

[0012] In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a cylinder having a flange 2 disposed at the upper end of the mouth C2 of the container body C via a packing PK, and hanging downward through the inside of the mouth C2 of the container body C from a mounting member 3 described later. The cylinder 1 includes a bottomed cylindrical cylinder body 1a, a pressure relief portion 1b whose inner surface expands radially outward at a height position lower than the center height of the cylinder body 1a, a valve seat 1e having a truncated cone side shape that reduces in diameter downward and on which the suction valve 10 is seated, a fitting cylindrical portion 1f into which a pipe P is fitted and fixed to lead the content liquid in the storage space S of the container body C into the cylinder 1, and an outside air introduction hole 1d and a pressure release hole 1c provided side by side at two positions, upper and lower, of the cylinder body 1a. The cylinder body 1a also includes an upper cylinder 1h disposed at the upper part, and a lower cylinder 1g connected to the lower end of the upper cylinder 1h, on which a first piston 11d slides and which has an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper cylinder 1h. The pressure relief portion 1b is formed at multiple locations in the circumferential direction, and is provided to relieve the liquid pressure in the cylinder 1 via the pressure relief portion 1b and the pressure release hole 1c when the ejection of the content liquid is completed, thereby improving the liquid cut-off in the nozzle when the ejection of the content liquid is completed. Furthermore, by providing the pressure relief portion 1b, the air in the cylinder 1 can be collected in the container body C during priming, and priming can be performed appropriately. In this embodiment, the outside air introduction hole 1d is provided in the upper cylinder 1h, and is provided to take in outside air into the container body C. That is, when the inside of the container body C becomes a negative pressure state, outside air is taken in through the outside air introduction hole 1d.

[0013] In this specification, claims, and drawings, the up-down direction means the upper and lower directions when the liquid ejector 100 is attached to the container body C and in an upright position as shown in Fig. 1. The radially outward direction means the direction away from the central axis O along a straight line passing through the central axis O of the liquid ejector 100 in Fig. 1 and perpendicular to the central axis O, and the radially inward direction means the direction toward the central axis O along the straight line.

[0014] In addition, Figures 1 and 2 show a state in which the left half (the area to the left of the central axis O) is not pressing down on the head portion 30, and a state in which the right half (the area to the right of the central axis O) is pressing down on the head portion 30 and has reached the bottom dead center.

[0015] The accompanying drawings of the present disclosure are drawn to equal scale in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the aspect ratio of the liquid ejector 100 in the drawings represents the aspect ratio of the liquid ejector 100 of one embodiment of the present disclosure. However, the configuration, shape, dimensional ratio, etc. of the liquid ejector 100 in the accompanying drawings are merely one embodiment of the present disclosure. The present invention should be interpreted based on the wording of the claims, and is not limited to the configuration, shape, dimensional ratio, etc. shown in the drawings.

[0016] In this embodiment, the container body C is formed by extrusion blow molding a synthetic resin material. Alternatively, a glass container or the like may be used for the container body C.

[0017] Reference numeral 3 denotes an attachment member having a cylindrical peripheral wall 3a and a top wall 5b for fixing the flange 2 between the top wall 5b and the mouth C2, with an inner peripheral wall 5 rising from the upper surface of the top wall 5b and an outer peripheral wall 5a integrally provided radially outwardly of the inner peripheral wall 5. A fixed cylinder 4 is formed on the top wall 5b, extending downward and pressing the flange 2 from above. The attachment member 3 has a threaded portion 3S on the inside of the peripheral wall 3a, and is detachably attached to the mouth C2 of the container body C. Note that instead of the threaded portion 3S, an engagement protrusion protruding radially inward from the peripheral wall 3a may be provided so that the attachment member can be attached to the container body C by plugging.

[0018] The head portion 30 of the liquid ejector 100 according to this embodiment includes a pressing member 8 and a nozzle tip 12, and the liquid stored in the cylinder 1 is pressure-fed to the head portion 30 by pressing the pressing member 8 down.

[0019] The pressing member 8 includes an outer peripheral wall 8d, an inner peripheral wall 8e that is provided radially inward of the outer peripheral wall 8d to form a recess 8a and that fits into the inner surface of the stem 9, and a nozzle accommodating portion 8c that accommodates the nozzle tip 12. The pressing member 8 defines a space C1 within the recess 8a, and the content liquid is pressure-fed through the space C1.

[0020] Reference numeral 9 denotes a stem that is displaced downward together with the plunger body 11 by the downward pressure of the pressing member 8. The stem 9 moves up and down in response to repeated downward pressing and returning of the pressing member 8, and the sub-cylinder 7 integrally provided at the lower part of the stem 9 moves inside the upper cylinder 1h. In addition, an outlet A2 is formed at the upper end of the plunger body 11. As described later, the pressure in the cylinder 1 increases due to the downward movement of the stem 9 and the subsequent plunger body 11 caused by the downward pressing of the pressing member 8, and the area receiving the pressure is larger for the second piston 11g than for the first piston 11d of the plunger body 11, and the difference in the pressure receiving area causes the plunger body 11 to move further downward relative to the stem 9. This opens the outlet valve 15 consisting of the contact part 9b of the stem 9 and the inclined part 11b of the plunger body 11 (see FIG. 4), and the content liquid pressure-fed from the inside of the cylinder 1 is discharged to the outside via the outlet valve 15, the outlet A2, and the discharge hole 12a.

[0021] In this embodiment, the sub-cylinder 7 is molded integrally with the lower part of the stem 9, but the present invention is not limited to this. The stem 9 and the sub-cylinder 7 may be molded separately and then assembled together.

[0022] The stem 9 is a cylindrical member that is disposed radially outward of the upper portion of the plunger body 11 and is provided so as to be movable up and down, and forms the above-mentioned discharge valve 15 between the stem 9 and the plunger body 11. An abutment portion 9b is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the stem 9, and the abutment portion 9b abuts against an inclined portion 11b formed on the outer peripheral surface of the plunger body 11 to form a discharge valve 15 (see FIG. 3) that limits the discharge of the content liquid. The discharge valve 15 allows communication between the inside of the cylinder 1 and the nozzle by the downward relative displacement of the plunger body 11 with respect to the stem 9.

[0023] Engagement ribs 9d are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the stem 9 above the discharge valve 15, and are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction and protrude radially inward. The engagement ribs 9d engage with engagement protrusions 11a protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the plunger body 11, and regulate excessive downward relative displacement of the plunger body 11 with respect to the stem 9.

[0024] In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a sliding rib 9e is provided above the engaging ribs 9d arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, protruding radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the stem 9. In this embodiment, the sliding rib 9e is an intermittent rib that is connected directly above the engaging rib 9d and is provided in the same phase as the engaging rib 9d in the circumferential direction. The amount of protrusion of the sliding rib 9e radially inward is smaller than that of the engaging rib 9d. Therefore, the engaging rib 9d can engage with the engaging protrusion 11a to lock the downward movement of the plunger body 11, while the sliding rib 9e can slide against the engaging protrusion 11a. More specifically, the radial inner surface of the sliding rib 9e slides against the radial outer surface of the engaging protrusion 11a on the plunger body 11 side, thereby mutually acting on the frictional resistance in the vertical direction. In other words, the sliding rib 9e and the engaging protrusion 11a constitute the sliding portion 18.

[0025] This configuration of the sliding portion 18 can prevent the plunger body 11 from rising relative to the stem 9 and closing the discharge valve 15 while the head portion 30 is being pressed down. That is, when the plunger body 11 tries to move upward relative to the stem 9 due to the biasing force from the spring SP while the head portion 30 is being pressed down, a downward frictional force acts on the engagement protrusion 11a of the plunger body 11. With this configuration, after the plunger body 11 moves downward relative to the stem 9 due to the difference in pressure-receiving area between the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g and the discharge valve 15 is opened, a downward frictional force acts on the plunger body 11 against the upward movement of the plunger body 11 relative to the stem 9. Therefore, even if the internal pressure drops as the contents in the cylinder 1 are discharged when the force of the pressing operation of the head portion 30 is small, the plunger body 11 can be prevented from moving upward relative to the stem 9 due to the biasing force from the spring SP while the contents are being discharged and the discharge valve 15 is closed. This prevents the head portion 30 from being pushed down any further due to the discharge valve 15 being closed and the contents in the cylinder 1 being compressed. Therefore, the head portion 30 can be pushed all the way to the bottom dead center, which prevents the occurrence of differences in operability and the resulting deterioration of operability for the user. In addition, it prevents the discharge flow rate of the contents from decreasing before the head portion 30 reaches the bottom dead center.

[0026] In this embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the sliding rib 9e and the outer peripheral surface of the engaging protrusion 11a are provided so as to have approximately the same diameter, but this is not limited to the embodiment. The fit between the inner peripheral surface of the sliding rib 9e and the outer peripheral surface of the engaging protrusion 11a may be appropriately determined according to the frictional force to be generated between them. For example, the fit between the inner peripheral surface of the sliding rib 9e and the outer peripheral surface of the engaging protrusion 11a may be a clearance fit or an interference fit. In addition, the frictional force may be optimized by increasing the surface roughness of at least one of the inner peripheral surface of the sliding rib 9e and the outer peripheral surface of the engaging protrusion 11a.

[0027] In the present embodiment, the sliding rib 9e is connected directly above the engaging rib 9d of the stem 9, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sliding rib 9e may be provided above the engaging rib 9d at a distance. The sliding rib 9e may be configured to slide against a portion other than the engaging protrusion 11a on the plunger body 11 side, for example, the sliding rib 9e may slide against a portion provided above the engaging protrusion 11a. The sliding rib 9e may be provided below the engaging rib 9d, in which case it may slide against a portion provided below the engaging protrusion 11a on the plunger body 11 side.

[0028] Furthermore, it is sufficient if both the stem 9 and the plunger body 11 have a portion that functions as the sliding portion 18, and it is not necessary for both to protrude from other portions of the stem 9 and the plunger body 11, as in the case of the sliding rib 9e and the engagement protrusion 11a in this embodiment.

[0029] In addition, in this embodiment, the sliding ribs 9e are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the sliding parts on the plunger body 11 side may be arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. In addition, the sliding parts on both the stem 9 side and the plunger body 11 side may be arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, or the sliding parts on both the stem 9 side and the plunger body 11 side may be arranged continuously in the circumferential direction. By arranging the sliding parts on at least one of the stem 9 side and the plunger body 11 side at intervals in the circumferential direction, the content liquid can pass through the gaps between the ribs. With this configuration, it is not necessary to provide the communication hole 11e in the liquid flow path L, and the freedom of flow path design can be increased.

[0030] The upper end of the stem 9 is fixed to the pressing member 8 by fitting the outer circumferential surface of the inner circumferential wall 8e of the pressing member 8 into the inner circumferential surface of the stem 9.

[0031] A sub-cylinder 7 that can move up and down in the upper cylinder 1h is integrally formed with the stem 9 at the lower part of the stem 9. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the sub-cylinder 7 includes a cylindrical part 7a, an upper wall 7c that closes the upper end of the cylindrical part 7a and is connected to the lower part of the stem 9, and an annular pressing part 7c1 that protrudes upward from the radial outer part of the upper wall 7c and holds a valve member 13 (described later) between the module member 6. In the region where the lower end of the stem 9 and the upper wall 7c are connected, an abutting part 9b that constitutes a discharge valve 15 is provided. As shown in Fig. 2, vertical ribs 7a1 extending in the vertical direction are intermittently provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical part 7a in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, a small gap is provided between the outer surface of the vertical rib 7a1 and the inner surface of the upper cylinder 1h. This configuration reduces the area of ​​the surface of the cylindrical portion 7a facing the upper cylinder 1h and also provides a radial gap between the cylindrical portion 7a and the upper cylinder 1h, thereby reducing the sliding resistance between the sub-cylinder 7 and the cylinder 1 when the pressing member 8 is pressed down to displace the stem 9 downward. Note that the configuration may be such that the outer surface of the vertical rib 7a1 slides against the inner surface of the upper cylinder 1h.

[0032] The plunger body 11 is a member extending in the vertical direction within the cylinder 1 as shown in FIG. 1, and includes a cylindrical portion 11j provided at the top and a columnar portion 11h connected to the bottom end of the cylindrical portion 11j. The top end of the cylindrical portion 11j is provided with an engagement protrusion 11a that engages with the engagement rib 9d of the stem 9 to form a pair of engagement portions 17. The engagement protrusion 11a also functions as a sliding portion 18 that slides against the sliding rib 9e as described above. In addition, a communication hole 11e that communicates the inside and outside of the cylindrical portion 11j is provided below the engagement protrusion 11a. And, an inclined portion 11b that inclines radially outward toward the bottom and forms a valve seat of the discharge valve 15 is provided below the communication hole 11e.

[0033] A columnar portion 11h is formed integrally with the lower end of the cylindrical portion 11j, and hangs down. A piston cylinder 11k is provided radially outward from the columnar portion 11h. A second piston 11g is provided at the upper end of the piston cylinder 11k, and a first piston 11d is provided at the lower end of the piston cylinder 11k. The columnar portion 11h and the piston cylinder 11k are connected at their upper portions, and second communication holes 11f that communicate the inside and outside of the piston cylinder 11k are intermittently provided in the circumferential direction at the connection point. The plunger body 11 is biased upward by a spring SP with respect to the cylinder 1 and is provided so as to be movable up and down, and stands upward from the inside of the cylinder 1.

[0034] In this embodiment, the engaging portion 17 is configured to have the engaging rib 9d and the engaging protrusion 11a on both the stem 9 and the plunger body 11, but is not limited to this. As long as it is possible to restrict the downward relative displacement of the plunger body 11 with respect to the stem 9, the protrusion may be provided on only one of the stem 9 and the plunger body 11.

[0035] The space between the columnar portion 11h and the piston cylinder 11k in the plunger body 11 and the space inside the stem 9 function as a liquid flow path L through which the liquid to be pumped passes. The liquid flow path L is a flow path that runs from the compression space PS at the bottom of the cylinder 1 through the space between the columnar portion 11h and the piston cylinder 11k and the second communication hole 11f, passes through the discharge valve 15, passes through the communication hole 11e, the gaps between the ribs in the sliding portion 18, and the inside of the stem 9, and then passes through the discharge port A2 to the space C1 of the pressing member 8. As will be described later, the liquid in the compressed compression space PS of the cylinder 1 is pumped upward and sent to the discharge hole 12a through this liquid flow path L.

[0036] A second piston 11g that slides on the inner surface of the sub-cylinder 7 is provided at the upper part of the piston cylinder 11k of the plunger body 11. A first piston 11d that slides on the inner surface of the lower cylinder 1g of the cylinder 1 is provided at the lower part of the piston cylinder 11k. In this embodiment, the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g are integrally formed.

[0037] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the inner diameter of the sub-cylinder 7 is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of the lower cylinder 1g. With this configuration, when the pressure inside the cylinder 1 increases by pressing down the pressing member 8, the pressure receiving area of ​​the second piston 11g is larger than the pressure receiving area of ​​the first piston 11d, so that the plunger body 11 moves downward by the downward pressure received by the second piston 11g.

[0038] The space above the second piston 11g and the space below the first piston 11d are connected to each other through a second communication hole 11f as shown in Fig. 1. This allows the pressure inside the cylinder 1 to be kept substantially constant, and the liquid compressed inside the cylinder 1 is discharged from the discharge hole 12a via the liquid flow path L described above.

[0039] Reference numeral 13 denotes a valve member that functions as a check valve for preventing leakage of the content liquid from inside the container body C through the outside air introduction hole 1d. The valve member 13 is a thin-walled member that abuts against the outer circumferential surface of the stem 9 and is capable of opening the valve by elastically deforming downward from a state in which it abuts against the valve fixing flange 6b of the module member 6 as shown in Fig. 2 (see Fig. 2).

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, the valve member 13 is fixed to the cylinder 1 by being clamped between the seal protrusion 1t of the cylinder 1 and a protrusion 6b1 protruding downward from the radial outer end of a valve fixing flange 6b of the module member 6 described later.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 2, the module member 6 includes a cylindrical wall portion 6a surrounding the stem 9 from the radially outer side, a valve fixing flange 6b extending radially outward from the lower end of the cylindrical wall portion 6a, and a fitting peripheral wall 6c standing upward from the radially outer end of the valve fixing flange 6b. As shown in Fig. 2, the outer peripheral surface of the fitting peripheral wall 6c fits into the inner surface of the flange 2, and the fitting peripheral wall 6c is sandwiched from above and below between the top wall 5b and the seal protrusion 1t, thereby fixing the module member 6 to the flange 2, i.e., the cylinder 1.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 2, the radial outer side of the valve member 13 is sandwiched between the seal convex portion 1t and the protrusion 6b1. On the other hand, the radial inner side of the valve member 13 is sandwiched between the valve support protrusion 6b2 of the module member 6 and the annular pressing portion 7c1 of the sub-cylinder 7 and abuts against the stem 9 when the pressing member 8 shown on the left side of Fig. 2 is not pressed, but can be displaced downward from the state of abutting against the valve support protrusion 6b2 by pressing the pressing member 8 as shown on the right side of Fig. 2. With this configuration, when negative pressure is generated in the container body C, the lower region of the valve member 13 also becomes negative pressure through the space between the outside air introduction hole 1d and the vertical rib 7a1, and the radial inner end of the valve member 13 is displaced downward to create a gap between the stem 9, so that outside air is introduced into the inside of the container body C from the outside through the outside air introduction hole 1d.

[0043] On the other hand, as in the prior art (JP Patent Publication No. 2022-27265), when the liquid content is discharged with the container body C in an inverted position using a normal inverted adapter, the liquid content in the container body C may leak to the outside through the outside air introduction hole 1d. However, in this embodiment, as described above, the valve member 13 that seals the inside of the container body C from the outside is fixed to the cylinder 1 by the module member 6. With this configuration, when the pressing member 8 is pressed to discharge the liquid content with the container body C in an inverted position, the valve member 13 abuts against the valve support protrusion 6b2 and the outer surface of the stem 9 to seal the inside of the container body C from the outside. By operating the valve member 13 in this manner, the inside of the container body C is sealed from the outside, thereby suppressing the liquid content in the container body C from leaking to the outside through the outside air introduction hole 1d.

[0044] Reference numeral 10 denotes a suction valve that opens and closes a suction port A1 formed at the lower end of the cylinder 1 in response to the up and down movement of the stem 9. In this embodiment, the suction valve 10 is formed of a ball valve.

[0045] The plunger body 11 is biased upward relative to the cylinder 1 by a spring SP. The plunger body 11 is also movable up and down relative to the cylinder 1. By pressing down the pressing member 8 of the head portion 30 attached above the plunger body 11, the stem 9 and the plunger body 11 move downward, and then the plunger body 11 moves downward due to the difference in pressure-receiving area between the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g described above. When the plunger body 11 moves downward, the space below the first piston 11d in the cylinder 1 (compression space PS) is compressed, increasing the pressure in the cylinder 1.

[0046] A nozzle tip 12 (nozzle) is fitted into the pressing member 8. A discharge hole 12a for ejecting the content liquid is formed in the nozzle tip 12. This discharge hole 12a is composed of a large diameter part and a small diameter part, and can increase the flow rate of the pressure-fed content liquid and eject it to the outside.

[0047] In this embodiment, the liquid ejector 100 includes a cover member 50 that surrounds the head portion 30 from above and from the radially outer side, as shown in Fig. 1. The cover member 50 includes a cylindrical peripheral wall 51 and a top wall 53 that closes the upper end of the peripheral wall 51, and is formed in a topped cylindrical shape. An engagement protrusion 5a1 provided on the outer surface of the outer peripheral wall 5a of the mounting member 3 fits into the inner surface of the lower end of the peripheral wall 51, whereby the cover member 50 is detachably mounted to the mounting member 3.

[0048] Each member constituting the liquid ejector 100 can be made of, for example, synthetic resin or metal.

[0049] When a user uses the liquid contained in the liquid ejector 100 having the configuration shown in Fig. 1, he or she first grasps the body of the container body C in one hand and grasps the peripheral wall 51 of the cover member 50 with the other hand, and pulls the cover member 50 upward. This exposes the head portion 30, making it possible to eject the liquid contained therein.

[0050] Next, with the cover member 50 removed, the user presses the pressing member 8 of the head portion 30 downward. When the pressing member 8 is pressed down, the upper end of the stem 9 into which the inner peripheral wall 8e of the pressing member 8 is fitted is pressed down, and the plunger body 11 is also pressed down, increasing the pressure in the compression space PS of the cylinder 1. Then, due to the difference in the pressure-receiving areas of the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g, the difference in the pressing force from below and the pressing force from above acting on the plunger body 11 causes the plunger body 11 to move further downward relative to the stem 9, and the discharge valve 15 consisting of the abutment portion 9b and the inclined portion 11b is opened. That is, the inner diameter of the sub-cylinder 7 is formed to be larger than the inner diameter of the lower cylinder 1g. With this configuration, when the pressure inside the cylinder 1 rises, the area receiving the downward pressure on the second piston 11g is larger than the area receiving the upward pressure on the first piston 11d, so the plunger body 11 moves downward due to the downward pressure on the second piston 11g. As a result, the liquid inside the cylinder 1, whose pressure has been increased by the compression of the space below the first piston 11d (compression space PS), passes through the liquid flow path L, such as the second communication hole 11f, the discharge valve 15, the communication hole 11e, and the gaps between the ribs of the sliding part 18, and is discharged from the discharge hole 12a.

[0051] In this embodiment, the sliding rib 9e provided on the stem 9 side and the engaging protrusion 11a provided on the plunger body 11 side are configured to slide against each other to cause vertical frictional forces to act on each other. With this configuration, when the plunger body 11 tries to move upward relative to the stem 9 due to the biasing force from the spring SP while the head part 30 is being pressed down, a downward frictional force acts on the engaging protrusion 11a of the plunger body 11. Therefore, even if the contents in the cylinder 1 are discharged and the internal pressure decreases when the force of the pressing operation of the head part 30 is small, the plunger body 11 can be prevented from moving upward relative to the stem 9 due to the biasing force from the spring SP while the contents are being discharged, and the discharge valve 15 can be prevented from being blocked. This can prevent the discharge valve 15 from being blocked and the contents in the cylinder 1 being compressed, making it impossible to press down the head part 30 any further. Therefore, since the head part 30 can be pressed down to the bottom dead center, it is possible to prevent differences in operability from occurring, which leads to a deterioration in operability for the user. In addition, it is possible to prevent the discharge flow rate of the contents from decreasing before the head portion 30 reaches the bottom dead center.

[0052] When the user further presses the pressing member 8, the plunger body 11 continues to move downward relative to the stem 9 while the discharge valve 15 remains open. Eventually, the engagement protrusion 11a provided on the plunger body 11 comes into contact with and engages with the engagement rib 9d of the stem 9 (see FIG. 4). This restricts further downward relative movement of the plunger body 11 relative to the stem 9. Therefore, even if a downward force acts on the plunger body 11 due to the pressing of the pressing member 8, the engagement protrusion 11a and the engagement rib 9d engage with each other as shown in FIG. 4, and the plunger body 11 is not displaced excessively downward. Therefore, even if the pressing member 8 is pressed down vigorously, the plunger body 11 reaches the pressure relief portion 1b earlier than when the pressing member 8 is pressed down at a normal speed, which is a disadvantage in that the ejection amount is greatly reduced.

[0053] When the pressing member 8 is pushed down to the lower limit of the movable range, the first piston 11d of the plunger body 11 reaches a position covering the pressure relief portion 1b of the cylinder 1. As a result, the liquid pressure inside the cylinder 1 is released via the pressure relief portion 1b and the pressure relief hole 1c. By releasing the liquid pressure inside the cylinder 1, the downward pushing force acting on the plunger body 11 is also released, and the plunger body 11 is displaced upward by the urging force of the spring SP, the abutment portion 9b is seated on the inclined portion 11b, and the discharge valve 15 is closed. As a result, the ejection of the content liquid from the discharge hole 12a of the nozzle tip 12 is stopped. In addition, since the liquid pressure inside the cylinder 1 is suddenly released, the ejection of the content liquid can be finished smoothly.

[0054] When the user finishes using the liquid and stops pressing the pressing member 8, the plunger body 11, which had been displaced downward in the cylinder 1, is urged upward by the restoring force of the spring SP and rises to the position shown on the left side of Figures 1 and 2. As the plunger body 11 rises, the volume inside the cylinder 1 increases and negative pressure is generated, and the suction valve 10 seated on the valve seat 1e rises and opens, and the liquid inside the container body C is introduced into the cylinder 1 through the suction port A1 from the pipe P. The introduced liquid is pressurized in the compression space PS of the cylinder 1 by the next pressing of the pressing member 8, and is discharged from the discharge hole 12a through the liquid flow path L, such as the second communication hole 11f, the discharge valve 15, the gaps between the ribs in the sliding part 18, and the communication hole 11e.

[0055] As the liquid content in the container body C is introduced into the cylinder 1 through the pipe P, the pressure inside the container body C becomes negative, but as described above, the area below the valve member 13 also becomes negative through the outside air introduction hole 1d and the space between the vertical rib 7a1. This negative pressure causes the radially inner end of the valve member 13 to displace downward, creating a gap between it and the stem 9, opening the valve and allowing outside air to be introduced into the container body C through the valve member 13, the space between the vertical rib 7a1, and the outside air introduction hole 1d.

[0056] As described above, this embodiment is configured to include a mounting member 3 attached to the mouth C2 of the container body C, a cylinder 1 hanging downward from the mounting member 3, the cylinder 1 having an outside air introduction hole 1d for introducing outside air into the container body C, a plunger body 11 that is biased upward relative to the cylinder 1 and is provided so as to be movable up and down, and stands up from inside the cylinder 1, a cylindrical stem 9 that is provided so as to be movable up and down relative to the cylinder 1 and forms a discharge valve 15 between the plunger body 11, and a head portion 30 that is attached to the upper part of the stem 9 in a depressible manner and has a nozzle (nozzle tip 12) that discharges the content liquid, and the stem 9 and the plunger body 11 are provided with a sliding portion 18 that mutually exerts frictional resistance in the vertical direction. By adopting such a configuration, the sliding portion 18 provided on the stem 9 side and the plunger body 11 side can mutually exert frictional forces in the vertical direction. With this configuration, when the plunger body 11 tries to move upward relative to the stem 9 due to the biasing force from the spring SP while the head portion 30 is being pressed down, a downward frictional force acts on the plunger body 11. Therefore, even if the contents in the cylinder 1 are discharged and the internal pressure drops when the force of the pressing operation of the head portion 30 is small, the plunger body 11 can be prevented from moving upward relative to the stem 9 due to the biasing force from the spring SP while the contents are being discharged, causing the discharge valve 15 to be blocked. This can prevent the discharge valve 15 from being blocked and the contents in the cylinder 1 being compressed, making it impossible to press the head portion 30 down any further. Therefore, since the head portion 30 can be pushed all the way to the bottom dead center, it is possible to prevent differences in operability that lead to deterioration of operability for the user. In addition, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the discharge flow rate of the contents before the head portion 30 reaches the bottom dead center.

[0057] In this embodiment, the stem 9 and the plunger body 11 are formed with an engagement portion 17 that restricts downward displacement of the plunger body 11 relative to the stem 9, and the engagement portion 17 of either the stem 9 or the plunger body 11 is configured to function as a sliding portion 18 by sliding with the other of the stem 9 and the plunger body 11. By adopting such a configuration, one portion can serve as both the sliding portion 18 and the engagement portion 17, so that an increase in the number of parts and an increase in the size of the members can be suppressed.

[0058] In addition, in this embodiment, the cylinder 1 has an upper cylinder 1h and a lower cylinder 1g connected to the lower end of the upper cylinder 1h and having an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper cylinder 1h, a sub-cylinder 7 provided at the lower part of the stem 9 and movable up and down within the upper cylinder 1h, and a valve member 13 that seals the gap between the cylinder 1 and the stem 9, the valve member 13 being a check valve that allows the introduction of outside air into the container body C through the outside air inlet hole 1d and suppresses leakage of the content liquid from the container body C through the outside air inlet hole 1d, and a first piston 11d that can slide on the inner surface of the lower cylinder 1g is formed at the lower part of the plunger body 11, and a second piston 11g that can slide on the inner surface of the sub-cylinder 7 is formed above the first piston 11d, and the sub-cylinder 7 is configured to have an inner diameter larger than that of the lower cylinder 1g. By adopting such a configuration, when negative pressure occurs inside the container body C, the area below the valve member 13 also becomes negative pressure through the outside air introduction hole 1d, opening the valve, allowing outside air to be introduced from the outside into the container body C through the outside air introduction hole 1d. In addition, the valve member 13 functions as a check valve, making it possible to prevent the content liquid inside the container body C from leaking to the outside.

[0059] The above is merely one embodiment of the present disclosure, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, in the above embodiment, the liquid ejector 100 is unitized in advance, but according to the present disclosure, it is also possible to assemble individual parts to the container body C without unitizing it.

[0060] In addition, in this embodiment, the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g are configured to be formed integrally, but this is not limited to the above, and the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g may be configured to be included in separate parts.

[0061] In the present embodiment, only the engaging ribs 9d constituting the engaging portion 17 are provided intermittently in the circumferential direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and both the engaging protrusions 11a and the engaging ribs 9d may be provided intermittently in the circumferential direction. Also, only the engaging protrusions 11a may be provided intermittently in the circumferential direction, or both the engaging ribs 9d and the engaging protrusions 11a may be provided at all circumferential positions. [Industrial Applicability]

[0062] The present disclosure can be employed as a liquid ejector 100 in the fields of cosmetics such as lotions and hair styling products, medicines such as insect repellents, and beauty and health products, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 cylinder 1a Cylinder body 1b Pressure relief section 1c Pressure relief hole 1d Air intake hole 1e Valve seat 1f Fitting cylinder 1g Lower Cylinder 1h Upper cylinder 1t Seal protrusion 2 Flanges 3 Mounting material 3a Peripheral wall 3S Threaded Part 4 Fixed tube 5 Inner wall 5a Outer wall 5a1 Engagement protrusion 5b Ceiling wall 6 Module components 6a Cylinder wall 6b Valve fixing flange 6b1 Protrusion 6b2 Valve support protrusion 6c Mating peripheral wall 7 Sub-cylinder 7a Cylindrical part 7a1 vertical rib 7c upper wall 7c1 Annular pressing part 8 Pressing member 8a Recess 8c Nozzle housing 8d outer wall 8e Inner wall 9. Stem 9b Contact part 9d Engagement rib 9e Sliding rib 10. Intake valve 11 Plunger body 11a Engagement protrusion 11b Inclined part (valve seat) 11d First piston 11e Communication hole 11f 2nd communication hole 11g 2nd piston 11h Column part 11j Cylindrical part 11k piston cylinder 12 Nozzle tip (nozzle) 12a Discharge hole 13 Valve member 15 Exhaust valve 17 Engagement part 18 Sliding part 30 Head section 40 Plunger body 50 Cover member 51 Peripheral wall 53 Top Wall 100 liquid squirt A1 Intake port A2 outlet C Container body C1 space C2 Mouth L Liquid flow path O center axis P Pipe PK packing PS Compressed Space S Storage space SP Spring

Claims

1. An attachment member to be attached to the mouth of the container body; a cylinder that hangs down from the mounting member, the cylinder having an outside air inlet hole that introduces outside air into the container body; a plunger body that is biased upward relative to the cylinder and is movable up and down, and stands up from inside the cylinder; a cylindrical stem that is provided so as to be movable up and down relative to the cylinder and that forms a discharge valve between the plunger body and the stem; a head portion which is attached to the upper portion of the stem in a depressable manner and has a nozzle for discharging the content liquid; Equipped with The liquid ejector, wherein the stem and the plunger body are provided with sliding parts that cause frictional resistance in the upward and downward directions to act on each other.

2. an engagement portion is formed on the stem and the plunger body to restrict downward displacement of the plunger body relative to the stem, 2. The liquid ejector according to claim 1, wherein the engagement portion of one of the stem and the plunger body also functions as the sliding portion by sliding against the other of the stem and the plunger body.

3. The cylinder includes an upper cylinder and a lower cylinder that is connected to a lower end of the upper cylinder and has an inner diameter smaller than that of the upper cylinder, a sub-cylinder provided at a lower portion of the stem and movable in a vertical direction within the upper cylinder; a valve member that seals a gap between the cylinder and the stem, the valve member being a check valve that allows introduction of outside air into the container body through the outside air introduction hole and prevents leakage of the content liquid from the container body through the outside air introduction hole; and Further comprising: a first piston that is slidable on the inner surface of the lower cylinder is formed below the plunger body, and a second piston that is slidable on the inner surface of the sub-cylinder is formed above the first piston, The liquid ejector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sub-cylinder has a larger inner diameter than the lower cylinder.

Images