Trigger-type liquid sprayer

Abstract

To provide a trigger-type liquid sprayer that does not leak liquid even when a load is applied to the trigger portion in the lateral direction due to wrapping or the like.SOLUTION: A trigger-type liquid sprayer according to the present invention comprises: a trigger mechanism 20, which introduces liquid into an injection tube portion 30 from inside a vertical supply tube portion by rearward movement of a forward-biased trigger portion 21 while causing the liquid to circulate toward a spray hole from inside the injection tube portion 30. A pair of support pieces 60 is provided at an upper end of the trigger portion 21, the support pieces extending upward while being spaced apart away from each other in a lateral direction and pivotally supported on both sides in the lateral direction of the injection tube portion 30; and a deformation control portion 70 is formed in a frame shape that surrounds an outer side of the injection tube portion 30, and is provided to cover both sides in the lateral direction of the pair of support pieces 60.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a trigger-type liquid ejector. [Background technology]

[0002] Trigger-type liquid ejectors are known that suck up liquid from a container by operating a trigger and eject the liquid through an ejection hole. One such trigger-type liquid ejector, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, includes a ejector body that is attached to a container containing the liquid, and a nozzle part that has an ejection hole formed therein that ejects the liquid forward.

[0003] The ejector body includes a vertical supply tube that sucks up the liquid in the container body, an injection tube that extends forward from the vertical supply tube, and a trigger mechanism that introduces the liquid from the vertical supply tube into the injection tube and injects it from the injection tube toward the nozzle hole by moving a forward-biased trigger backward. The trigger mechanism includes a cylinder located behind the trigger, and a piston that pressurizes the inside of the cylinder as the trigger moves backward, supplying the liquid in the cylinder into the vertical supply tube. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-34982 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, electronic commerce (EC), where consumers order trigger-type liquid sprayers over the Internet, has been on the rise. In this case, the trigger-type liquid sprayers are wrapped in a warehouse or the like and shipped. To prevent damage to the product during transportation, the product is often wrapped in a horizontal position, for example, on a backing card. However, this wrapping method applies a load in the left-right direction to the trigger part of the product, which can cause the piston connected to the trigger part to become misaligned, breaking the seal between the piston and the cylinder and resulting in liquid leakage.

[0006] The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a trigger-type liquid ejector that does not leak liquid even when a load is applied to the trigger portion in the left-right direction due to wrapping, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) The trigger-type liquid ejector according to the present invention comprises an ejector body that is attached to a container body containing liquid, and a nozzle member that is attached to the ejector body and has an ejection hole formed therein for ejecting the liquid. The ejector body comprises a vertical supply tube section that sucks up the liquid in the container body, an ejection tube section that extends forward from the vertical supply tube section, and a trigger mechanism that introduces the liquid from inside the vertical supply tube section into the ejection tube section and causes the liquid to flow from inside the ejection tube section towards the ejection hole side by moving the trigger section rearward when biased forward. The upper end of the trigger section is provided with a pair of support pieces that extend upward and are spaced apart in the left-right direction and are journaled on both the left and right sides of the ejection tube section, and is formed in a frame shape that surrounds the outside of the ejection tube section and is provided with a deformation control section that covers both the left and right sides of the pair of support pieces.

[0008] According to the trigger-type liquid ejector of the present invention, a frame-shaped deformation restricting portion is provided to surround the outside of the injection tube portion. A pair of support pieces are provided at the upper end of the trigger portion, extending upward and spaced apart in the left-right direction, and pivotally supported on both left and right sides of the injection tube portion. The deformation restricting portion covers both left and right sides of the pair of support pieces, protecting them from the outside. This allows the deformation restricting portion to withstand a load applied in the left-right direction to the base of the trigger portion, restricting deformation of the trigger portion in the left-right direction. This prevents misalignment of the piston connected to the trigger portion, preventing liquid leakage from between the piston and the cylinder.

[0009] (2) The deformation control section includes a pair of side wall sections arranged on both the left and right sides of the injection tube section, a roof section connecting the pair of side wall sections above the injection tube section, and a beam section connecting the pair of side wall sections below the injection tube section, and the beam section may be adjacent to or abutting the lower part of the injection tube section.

[0010] In this case, by having the beam portion of the deformation restricting portion approach or abut against the lower portion of the injection tube portion, it is possible to suppress rattle of the deformation restricting portion in the up and down direction relative to the injection tube portion.

[0011] (3) A biasing member that biases the trigger portion forward may be attached to the injection tube portion, and the deformation restricting portion may surround the injection tube portion and the biasing member.

[0012] In this case, the ejector body can be assembled using a set of three components: the injection tube portion, the biasing member, and the deformation restricting portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a trigger-type liquid ejector that does not leak liquid even when a load is applied to the trigger part in the left-right direction due to wrapping or the like. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a trigger-type liquid ejector according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a deformation restricting portion is attached to an injection tube portion and a biasing member according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a front view illustrating a state in which a deformation restricting portion is attached to an injection tube portion and a biasing member according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a rear view illustrating a state in which the deformation restricting portion is attached to the injection tube portion and the biasing member according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A trigger-type liquid ejector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] 1, the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 according to this embodiment comprises an ejector body 2 that is attached to a container body A that contains liquid, and a nozzle member 3 that is attached to the ejector body 2 and has ejection holes 4 for ejecting the liquid. A cover member 5 is attached to the outside of the ejector body 2.

[0017] Examples of the liquid contained in the container body A include detergents for household use or dishes, deodorizers and air fresheners for use in the air or on clothes, disinfectant alcohol, and the like. Unless otherwise specified, each component part of the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 is a molded product made of synthetic resin such as olefin-based resin.

[0018] The ejector main body 2 mainly includes a vertical supply tube portion 10, a trigger mechanism 20, an injection tube portion 30, a switching valve 40, and a storage valve .

[0019] In the following description, the side of the container body A along the central axis O of the vertical supply tube portion 10 is referred to as the lower side, and the opposite side is referred to as the upper side, and the direction along the central axis O is referred to as the up-down direction. When viewed from the up-down direction, the direction intersecting the central axis O is referred to as the radial direction, and the direction circumferential around the central axis O is referred to as the circumferential direction. In the radial direction, the side where the nozzle member 3 is provided with respect to the ejector body 2 is referred to as the front side, and the opposite side is referred to as the rear side. In the radial direction, the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction is referred to as the left-to-right direction.

[0020] The vertical supply tube 10 is formed in a topped cylindrical shape that extends vertically, and sucks up the liquid inside the container body A. The vertical supply tube 10 is provided with a flange 11 that is placed on the upper opening edge of the mouth of the container body A via a packing. The flange 11 is pressed down from above by a cap 12 that is attached (screwed) to the mouth of the container body A.

[0021] The upper part of a pipe 13 that extends vertically and sucks up liquid from inside the container body A is fitted inside the vertical supply tube part 10. A cylinder tube part 14 is provided on the front side of the vertical supply tube part 10. The cylinder tube part 14 protrudes forward from the vertical supply tube part 10 and is open forward.

[0022] The trigger mechanism 20 includes a trigger portion 21, a piston 22, a cylinder 23, and a biasing member 24. The trigger mechanism 20 causes the liquid to flow from the vertical supply tube portion 10 through the injection tube portion 30 toward the ejection hole 4 side by moving the trigger portion 21 rearward.

[0023] The cylinder 23 is fitted and fixed in the cylinder tubular portion 14. The cylinder 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom that is open at the front and closed at the rear. A horizontal communication passage 18 is formed in the rear wall of the cylinder 23, which communicates between the interior of the cylinder 23 and the interior of the upper end of the vertical supply tubular portion 10 in the front-rear direction.

[0024] The piston 22 is fitted into the cylinder 23 so as to be movable back and forth. The piston 22 moves back and forth in conjunction with the back and forth movement of the trigger portion 21. The interior of the cylinder 23 is pressurized and depressurized as the piston 22 moves back and forth. The piston 22 is formed in a topped cylindrical shape that is open at the rear and closed at the front. The front end of the piston 22 is connected to the rear of the trigger portion 21. As the trigger portion 21 moves backward, the piston 22 retreats and is pushed into the cylinder 23.

[0025] Piston 22 is urged forward together with trigger portion 21 by the elastic restoring force (urging force) of urging member 24. When trigger portion 21 is at its forward-most position, piston 22 is located at the corresponding forward-most position. Urging member 24 has, for example, an elastic plate disposed between injection tube portion 30 and trigger portion 21, and urges trigger portion 21 forward.

[0026] The switching valve 40 is provided inside the vertical supply tube portion 10. The switching valve 40 switches between communication between the inside of the vertical supply tube portion 10 and the inside of the cylinder 23 through the horizontal connecting passage 18 and the inside of the container body A and the inside of the cylinder 23, depending on the pressure increase or decrease inside the cylinder 23. The switching valve 40 is a ball valve.

[0027] The switching valve 40 is disposed on a valve seat 41 formed on the inner circumferential surface of the vertical supply tube section 10 so as to be movable upward. The valve seat 41 is formed in an annular shape and disposed coaxially with the central axis O. The valve seat 41 extends downward from the inner circumferential surface of the vertical supply tube section 10 toward the inside in the radial direction. The switching valve 40 and the valve seat 41 are located below the horizontal connecting passage 18.

[0028] The storage valve 42 is disposed within the vertical supply tube section 10, above the switching valve 40 and the horizontal connecting passage 18. The storage valve 42 is a check valve that allows the supply of liquid from the vertical supply tube section 10 to the injection tube section 30, and prevents the liquid from flowing back from the injection tube section 30 into the cylinder 23. This allows the storage valve 42 to prevent the liquid (and outside air) from entering the cylinder 23 from the injection tube section 30 side when the pressure inside the cylinder 23 is reduced.

[0029] The storage valve 42 is provided at the lower end of a spring portion that extends downward from a base portion attached to the underside of the top wall portion of the vertical supply tube portion 10. The storage valve 42 is movable in the vertical direction by the spring portion, and when it moves upward against the bias of the spring portion, it allows the supply of liquid from inside the vertical supply tube portion 10 to inside the injection tube portion 30. A protrusion that protrudes downward is provided on the underside of the storage valve 42, which limits the upward movement of the switching valve 40 to a certain range and prevents the switching valve 40 from blocking the horizontal connecting passage 18.

[0030] The injection tube portion 30 is disposed above the cylinder tube portion 14 and extends forward from the upper end of the vertical supply tube portion 10. The injection tube portion 30 is formed integrally with the top wall of the vertical supply tube portion 10. The injection tube portion 30 is provided with a relay member 31 to which the nozzle member 3 can be attached. The relay member 31 is attached to the front end of the injection tube portion 30.

[0031] Nozzle member 3 is formed in the shape of a closed cylinder with a closed front end. An ejection hole 4 is formed at the front end of nozzle member 3, which ejects liquid forward. Nozzle member 3 is rotatably attached to relay member 31 in a state in which it is prevented from coming off forward. By rotating relative to relay member 31, nozzle member 3 can be switched between an open state that allows communication with the inside of injection tube portion 30 via relay member 31 and a closed state that blocks communication with the inside of injection tube portion 30 via relay member 31.

[0032] The trigger portion 21 is disposed in front of the piston 22 so as to be movable back and forth. The trigger portion 21 comprises a trigger body 50 and a pair of support pieces 60. The trigger body 50 is the part that is gripped when performing the ejection operation, and is hooked from the front by, for example, an index finger. The trigger body 50 comprises a front plate portion that gradually extends downward as it extends forward, and a pair of side plate portions that extend rearward from the left and right side edges of the front plate portion and face each other in the left-right direction.

[0033] An opening 51 is provided at the upper end of the trigger body 50, opening forward and penetrating the front plate in the front-rear direction. A connecting shaft 52 to which the piston 22 is connected is provided behind the opening 51. The connecting shaft 52 protrudes inward in the left-right direction from each of a pair of side plates of the trigger body 50. Spring receiving portions 53 (see Figures 3 and 4, described below) that come into contact with the biasing member 24 from the front are formed on the surfaces of the pair of side plates facing outward on the left and right.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 1, the pair of support pieces 60 protrude upward from the upper end of the trigger body 50. The pair of support pieces 60 are spaced apart in the left-right direction and are pivotally supported on both left-right sides of the relay member 31 of the injection tube portion 30. Specifically, the pair of support pieces 60 are respectively combined with a pair of lever support walls (not shown) formed on the relay member 31 so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 61. This allows the trigger portion 21 to be rotated about the rotation shaft 61 with the pair of support pieces 60 as a fulcrum.

[0035] A deformation restricting portion 70 is provided inside cover member 5 and outside injection tube portion 30. Deformation restricting portion 70 is formed in a rectangular frame shape when viewed from the front, and surrounds the outside of injection tube portion 30. Deformation restricting portion 70 covers both left and right sides of a pair of support pieces 60 of trigger portion 21, thereby restricting deformation of trigger portion 21 in the left and right direction.

[0036] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the deformation restricting portion 70 is attached to the relay member 31 and the biasing member 24 from the rear. The deformation restricting portion 70 includes a pair of side wall portions 71, a roof portion 72, and a beam portion 73. The pair of side wall portions 71 are arranged on both left and right sides of the relay member 31, and cover the pair of support pieces 60 from the outside. The pair of side wall portions 71 have cutout portions 71a at their lower rear ends to avoid interference with the cylinder 23 (see Fig. 1).

[0037] The roof portion 72 extends in the left-right direction like a plate and connects the upper ends of the pair of side wall portions 71. The roof portion 72 is disposed above the relay member 31. An engaging protrusion 72a that engages with the biasing member 24 is formed on the underside of the roof portion 72. The biasing member 24 includes a base portion 24a attached to the upper part of the relay member 31, and a pair of spring portions 24b that extend downward from both left-right sides of the base portion 24a and engage with the trigger portion 21.

[0038] Base portion 24a is formed in a plate shape and has engagement hole 24c that penetrates in the vertical direction. Engagement protrusion 72a of roof portion 72 engages with engagement hole 24c from above. Furthermore, a locking protrusion 31a is formed on the top of relay member 31, which engages with engagement hole 24c from below. This allows the three components of injection tube portion 30, biasing member 24, and deformation restricting portion 70 to be assembled as a set.

[0039] The beam portion 73 extends in a rod-like shape in the left-right direction and connects the lower ends of the pair of side wall portions 71. The beam portion 73 is disposed below the relay member 31. To avoid interference with the trigger portion 21, the beam portion 73 is disposed in front of the notch 71a and at the lower ends behind the pair of side wall portions 71. The beam portion 73 is adjacent to or abuts against the lower portion of the relay member 31. This makes it possible to suppress rattling of the deformation restricting portion 70 relative to the relay member 31 in the up-down direction.

[0040] As shown in the front view of FIG. 3 and the rear view of FIG. 4, the deformation restricting portion 70 covers both left and right sides of the pair of support pieces 60 of the trigger portion 21, protecting the pair of support pieces 60 from the outside. Specifically, the deformation restricting portion 70 covers the pair of support pieces 60 with a gap in the left and right direction. A pair of spring portions 24b of the biasing member 24 is disposed in the gap between the deformation restricting portion 70 and the pair of support pieces 60. The pair of spring portions 24b are located close to the left and right outer walls of the pair of support pieces 60 and the left and right inner walls of the pair of side wall portions 71 of the deformation restricting portion 70, with the minimum clearance required for insertion. This prevents the pair of spring portions 24b from rubbing against the pair of support pieces 60 or the pair of side wall portions 71, which could cause a stiff pull when operating the trigger portion 21. Note that the deformation restricting portion 70 may be located close to or in contact with both left and right sides of the pair of support pieces 60, covering at least a portion of both left and right sides of the pair of support pieces 60.

[0041] Next, a case where the trigger type liquid ejector 1 configured as described above is used will be described. It is assumed that each part of the trigger type liquid ejector 1 is filled with liquid.

[0042] 1 is pulled rearward, the piston 22 moves rearward, and pressure is applied to the inside of the cylinder 23. At this time, the liquid in the cylinder 23 flows into the upper end of the vertical supply tube portion 10 through the horizontal communicating passage 18, and the liquid presses the switching valve 40 against the valve seat 41, thereby blocking communication between the inside of the cylinder 23 and the inside of the container body A through the horizontal communicating passage 18.

[0043] As a result, the liquid that has flowed into the upper end of the vertical supply tube section 10 is pressurized, and when the internal pressure in this section rises and exceeds a predetermined value, the storage valve 42 is elastically displaced upward, allowing communication between the vertical supply tube section 10 and the injection tube section 30. Then, the liquid in the vertical supply tube section 10 is ejected to the outside from the ejection hole 4 through the injection tube section 30. When the liquid is ejected, the pressure inside the vertical supply tube section 10 is released, and the storage valve 42 closes.

[0044] Thereafter, when the trigger portion 21 is restored forward by the biasing member 24, the piston 22 is restored forward within the cylinder 23 in conjunction with the trigger portion 21. At this time, the pressure within the cylinder 23 is reduced to a level lower than the pressure within the container body A, and the switching valve 40 moves upward away from the valve seat 41. As a result, the liquid within the container body A is supplied into the cylinder 23 through the vertical supply tube portion 10 and the horizontal connecting passage 18. Then, the reduced pressure within the cylinder 23 is released, and the switching valve 40 drops downward and seats on the valve seat 41. This makes it possible to prepare for the next ejection of liquid.

[0045] As described above, in the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 according to this embodiment, when the trigger portion 21 is operated and moves rearward, liquid is sucked up from inside the container body A and ejected to the outside from the ejection hole 4 of the nozzle member 3 through the vertical supply tube portion 10. Here, a frame-shaped deformation restriction portion 70 is attached to the outside of the ejection tube portion 30.

[0046] A pair of support pieces 60 are provided at the upper end of trigger portion 21, extending upward and spaced apart in the left-right direction, and pivotally supported on both left and right sides of injection tube portion 30. Deformation restricting portion 70 covers both left and right sides of pair of support pieces 60, protecting pair of support pieces 60 from the outside. Therefore, loads applied in the left-right direction to the base portion of trigger portion 21 are received by deformation restricting portion 70, and deformation of trigger portion 21 in the left-right direction can be restricted. Therefore, the piston connected to trigger portion 21 does not become misaligned, and leakage of liquid from between the piston and the cylinder can be prevented.

[0047] As described above, the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 according to this embodiment comprises an ejector body 2 that is attached to a container body A that contains liquid, and a nozzle member 3 that is attached to the ejector body 2 and has ejection holes 4 through which the liquid is ejected. The ejector body 2 comprises a vertical supply tube section 10 that sucks up the liquid in the container body A, an injection tube section 30 that extends forward from the vertical supply tube section 10, and a trigger mechanism 20 that introduces the liquid from the vertical supply tube section 10 into the injection tube section 30 and circulates the liquid from the injection tube section 30 toward the ejection holes 4 by moving the trigger section 21 rearward when biased forward. The upper end of the trigger section 21 is provided with a pair of support pieces 60 that extend upward and are spaced apart in the left-right direction and are journaled on both left and right sides of the injection tube section 30. A deformation control section 70 is provided that is formed in a frame shape that surrounds the outside of the injection tube section 30 and covers both left and right sides of the pair of support pieces 60. This configuration makes it possible to provide a trigger-type liquid ejector 1 that does not leak liquid even when a load is applied to the trigger portion 21 in the left-right direction due to wrapping or the like.

[0048] Furthermore, deformation restricting portion 70 of the present embodiment includes a pair of side wall portions 71 arranged on both the left and right sides of injection tube portion 30, a roof portion 72 connecting the pair of side wall portions 71 above injection tube portion 30, and a beam portion 73 connecting the pair of side wall portions 71 below injection tube portion 30, and beam portion 73 is in close proximity to or in contact with the lower portion of injection tube portion 30. With this configuration, beam portion 73 of deformation restricting portion 70 is in close proximity to or in contact with the lower portion of injection tube portion 30, thereby making it possible to suppress rattling of deformation restricting portion 70 in the up and down direction relative to injection tube portion 30.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a biasing member 24 that biases the trigger portion 21 forward is attached to the injection tube portion 30, and the deformation restricting portion 70 surrounds the injection tube portion 30 and the biasing member 24. According to this configuration, the ejector main body 2 can be assembled using a set of three parts: the relay member 31 of the injection tube portion 30, the biasing member 24, and the deformation restricting portion 70.

[0050] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0051] In the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the deformation control portion 70 always covers both the left and right sides of the pair of support pieces 60 of the trigger portion 21, but it may also be configured to cover both the left and right sides of the pair of support pieces 60 at least when the trigger portion 21 is located in the forwardmost position (when in the state during transportation).

[0052] In addition, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 trigger-type liquid jet 2 Squirt body 3 Nozzle member 4 Spout hole 5 Cover member 10 Vertical supply tube 11 Flange 12 Caps 13 Pipe 14 Cylinder tube 18 Horizontal passageway 20 Trigger mechanism 21 Trigger section 22 Piston 23 cylinders 24 biasing member 24a base part 24b Spring part 24c Engagement hole 30 Injection cylinder part 31 Relay member 31a Locking protrusion 40 Switching valve 41 Valve seat 42 Reservoir valve 43 Top Wall 50 Trigger body 51 Opening 52 Connecting shaft 53 Spring support 60 Support piece 61 Rotating shaft 70 Deformation control section 71 Side wall 71a Notch 72 Roof 72a Engaging protrusion 73 Beam section A Container body O center axis

Claims

1. an ejector body attached to a container containing a liquid; a nozzle member attached to the ejector body and having an ejection hole for ejecting the liquid; The ejector body includes: a vertical supply tube portion that sucks up the liquid in the container body; an injection tube portion extending forward from the vertical supply tube portion; a trigger mechanism that introduces the liquid from the vertical supply tube into the injection tube by rearward movement of the forward-biased trigger portion, and causes the liquid to flow from the injection tube toward the ejection hole, a pair of support pieces extending upward and spaced apart in the left-right direction are provided at an upper end of the trigger portion and pivotally supported on both left-right sides of the injection tube portion; a deformation restricting portion formed in a frame shape surrounding the outside of the injection tube portion and covering both sides of the pair of support pieces in the left and right direction; Trigger-type liquid squirt.

2. The deformation restricting portion is a pair of sidewall portions disposed on both left and right sides of the injection tube portion; a roof portion connecting the pair of side wall portions above the injection tube portion; a beam portion connecting the pair of side wall portions below the injection tube portion, the beam portion is in proximity to or in contact with a lower portion of the injection tube portion; The trigger-type liquid ejector according to claim 1 .

3. a biasing member that biases the trigger portion forward is attached to the injection tube portion; the deformation restricting portion surrounds the injection tube portion and the biasing member; 3. The trigger-type liquid ejector according to claim 1 or 2.

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