Trigger-type liquid dispenser
The trigger-type liquid ejector design with a stopper member and reinforcing rib maintains the trigger portion's connection to the main piston, preventing liquid leakage and enabling continuous ejection despite external forces.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024104655
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-16
AI Technical Summary
Conventional trigger-type liquid ejectors risk liquid leakage due to the trigger portion coming off the main piston under unexpected external forces, leading to the inlet port opening and allowing liquid to escape through the outside air introduction passage.
A trigger-type liquid ejector design featuring a stopper member with a rotatable stopper piece and reinforcing rib that restricts the trigger portion's excessive forward movement, maintaining the nozzle member's position relative to the ejector body, and includes a cylindrical biasing member to prevent the trigger portion from disconnecting from the main piston.
Prevents liquid leakage by ensuring the trigger portion remains connected to the main piston even under external forces, allowing continuous ejection without liquid loss through the outside air introduction passage.
Smart Images

Figure 2026005971000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a trigger-type liquid ejector. [Background technology]
[0002] A known trigger-type liquid ejector ejects liquid from an ejection hole by causing the sliding part of the main piston to slide rearward on the inner surface of the main cylinder as the trigger part swings rearward. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, a connecting protrusion formed on the trigger part is inserted into a connecting hole formed in the front end of the main piston, thereby connecting the front end of the main piston to the trigger part, and a portion of the main piston located between the sliding part and the trigger part is inserted inside a cylindrical biasing member that biases the trigger part forward. In this configuration, the biasing member is provided outside the main cylinder where it does not come into contact with the liquid, thereby preventing the biasing member from being altered by the liquid. Note that the trigger-type liquid jetter shown in Patent Document 1 below is provided with a storage cylinder and storage plunger that enable continuous jetting of liquid in addition to the main cylinder and main piston, so the biasing member needs to have a high spring constant, which limits the material that can be used for the biasing member, and there is a concern that this material may be altered by contact with the liquid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-98189 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] In conventional trigger-type liquid ejectors, if an unexpected external force is applied to the trigger portion in the forward direction, for example during transportation, there is a risk that the connecting protrusion will come off the connecting hole and the trigger portion will come off the front end of the main piston. Here, the cylindrical biasing member abuts against the trigger portion with the front end of the main piston inserted inside. Therefore, if the trigger portion comes off the front end of the main piston, and an unintended external force is applied to the trigger portion in a rearward direction, the trigger portion will move rearward together with the main piston. However, after the external force is released, even if the trigger portion moves forward in its restoration state due to the biasing member, the main piston will not move forward in its restoration state and will remain in that position. In this case, as the liquid in the container body is supplied into the main cylinder, the inlet port of the outside air introduction passage that introduces outside air into the container body opens to the inner surface of the main cylinder, and when the main piston is positioned in the forward-most position, the sliding part of the main piston blocks the inlet port, so there is a risk that the liquid in the container body will leak out of the inlet port through the outside air introduction passage.
[0005] The present invention provides a trigger-type liquid ejector that can prevent the trigger portion from coming off the front end of the main piston even if an unexpected external force is applied to the trigger portion in the forward direction. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] A trigger-type liquid ejector according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an ejector body attached to a container body containing liquid, a nozzle member attached to the ejector body and having ejection holes formed therein for ejecting the liquid, and a stopper member combined with the nozzle member and rotatable about the nozzle axis of the nozzle member relative to the ejector body, wherein the ejector body has a vertical supply tube portion that sucks up the liquid in the container body, an outside air introduction passage that introduces outside air into the container body, and a trigger portion disposed in front of the vertical supply tube portion so as to be swingable about the rotation axis toward the rear in a forward biased state, a trigger mechanism that causes liquid to flow from inside the vertical supply tube portion toward the ejection hole side by swinging the trigger portion rearward; a storage cylinder that extends in the front-rear direction and into which liquid that has passed through the vertical supply tube portion is supplied by swinging the trigger portion rearward; and a storage plunger that is disposed in the storage cylinder so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and that moves rearward and is urged forward as liquid is supplied into the storage cylinder, and the trigger mechanism is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens forward and has a closed rear end opening, and a main cylinder communicating with the inside of the main cylinder; a main piston having a sliding part fitted within the main cylinder so as to be slidable back and forth, protruding forward from the sliding part towards the outside of the main cylinder and having a front end connected to the trigger part; and a cylindrical biasing member into which a part of the main piston located between the sliding part and the trigger part is inserted to bias the trigger part forward, and a connecting protrusion formed on either the front end of the main piston or the trigger part is inserted into a connecting hole formed on the other of the main piston and the trigger part, thereby biasing the front end of the main piston. an end of the main piston connected to the trigger portion, an inlet of the outside air introduction passage opening on an inner circumferential surface of the main cylinder, and a sliding portion of the main piston located at a frontmost position closing the inlet; the nozzle member having a bearing portion for rotatably supporting a rotation axis of the trigger portion; the stopper member being disposed between the trigger portion and the main cylinder as the stopper member rotates around the nozzle axis, has a restricting position where it comes into contact with or close to the trigger portion to restrict rearward movement of the trigger portion, and an allowing position where it is separated from the trigger portion to allow rearward movement of the trigger portion;The ejector body is provided with a regulating protrusion, and the stopper piece is provided with a regulated protrusion that abuts against or approaches the regulating protrusion from behind the regulating protrusion when the stopper piece is located at the regulating position.
[0007] When the stopper piece is positioned in the regulating position, a regulated protrusion is provided that abuts against or is close to the regulating protrusion on the ejector body from behind the regulating protrusion.Therefore, when an unexpected external force is applied forward to the trigger part and the trigger part tries to swing forward around the rotation axis, this external force is transmitted to the nozzle member via the bearing part, and even if the nozzle member tries to displace upward relative to the ejector body, the regulated protrusion of the stopper member will abut against the regulating protrusion on the ejector body, thereby regulating the displacement of the nozzle member. Therefore, even if an unexpected external force is applied to the trigger portion in the forward direction, the relative positions of the nozzle member and the ejector body are maintained, and it is possible to prevent the trigger portion from swinging excessively forward around the rotation axis, thereby preventing the connecting protrusion from coming off the connecting hole and the trigger portion from coming off the front end of the main piston. This makes it possible to prevent the liquid in the container from leaking out of the inlet port through the outside air intake passage even if an unexpected external force is applied to the trigger portion in a trigger-type liquid ejector that is provided outside the main cylinder and does not come into contact with the liquid, and has a spring member with a high spring constant that enables continuous ejection.
[0008] The stopper member may include a stopper tube rotatably attached to the nozzle member around the nozzle axis, a connecting portion extending downward from the stopper tube and to which the stopper piece is connected, and a reinforcing rib extending outward in the left-right direction from the connecting portion and connecting the connecting portion to the outer peripheral surface of the stopper tube.
[0009] Since the stopper member is equipped with a reinforcing rib, if an unexpected external force is applied to the trigger portion in the forward direction, as described above, when the regulated protrusion of the stopper member abuts against the regulating protrusion of the ejector body, it is possible to prevent the connecting portion from deforming, and displacement of the nozzle member relative to the ejector body can be reliably restricted. [Effects of the Invention]
[0010] According to the above aspect of the present invention, even if an unexpected external force is applied to the trigger portion in the forward direction, the trigger portion can be prevented from coming off the front end portion of the main piston. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0011] [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] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view seen from the left-right opposite side to FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the ejector body of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1, the trigger-type liquid sprayer 1 of this embodiment comprises a sprayer main body 2, a nozzle member 3, a cover 5, and a stopper member 6. Unless otherwise specified, each component part of the trigger-type liquid sprayer 1 is a molded product made of synthetic resin.
[0013] (Ejector body) The ejector body 2 is attached to a container body A containing a liquid via an attachment cap 30. The ejector body 2 mainly includes a vertical supply tube portion 10, a storage cylinder 40, a storage plunger 50, a trigger mechanism 80, and an outside air introduction passage 2b.
[0014] In this embodiment, the central axis of the vertical supply tube portion 10 is referred to as the axis O1, the container body A side along the axis O1 is referred to as the lower side, and the opposite side is referred to as the upper side, and the direction along the axis O1 is referred to as the up-down direction. A direction intersecting the axis O1 as viewed from the up-down direction is referred to as the front-rear direction, and a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction as viewed from the up-down direction is referred to as the left-right direction.
[0015] The vertical supply tube portion 10 extends vertically and sucks up the liquid inside the container body A. The upper part of a pipe 10a that also extends vertically and sucks up the liquid from the container body A is fitted into the vertical supply tube portion 10. The vertical supply tube portion 10 is formed in a double-cylinder shape having an outer tube and an inner tube. The vertical supply tube portion 10 is attached to the container body A with an attachment cap 30. The mounting cap 30 is formed in the shape of a topped cylinder having an annular top wall, and the lower end of the vertical supply cylinder 10 is inserted inside this top wall.
[0016] The vertical supply tube portion 10 is provided with a main cylinder tube portion 110 and a connecting tube portion 20. The main cylinder tubular portion 110 is provided above the mounting cap 30, protrudes forward, and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a closed rear end opening. A second space S2 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the rear part of the lower end of the main cylinder tubular portion 110 and the vertical supply tubular portion 10. The connecting tube portion 20 protrudes forward and is provided above the main cylinder tube portion 110, connecting the interior of the vertical supply tube portion 10 to the interior of the storage cylinder 40. The connecting tube portion 20 extends forward from the upper end of the vertical supply tube portion 10. Both ends of the connecting tube portion 20 in the front-to-rear direction are open. The rear end opening of the connecting tube portion 20 opens into the vertical supply tube portion 10. The front end opening of the connecting tube portion 20 is sealed by a blocking plug 100.
[0017] The storage cylinder 40 is provided above the vertical supply tube section 10 and the connecting tube section 20. A central axis O2 of the storage cylinder 40 extends in the front-to-rear direction. The storage cylinder 40 straddles the vertical supply tube section 10 in the front-to-rear direction, with the rear part of the storage cylinder 40 protruding rearward from the vertical supply tube section 10 and the front part of the storage cylinder 40 protruding forward from the vertical supply tube section 10. The rear end of the storage cylinder 40 is located rearward of the mounting cap 30. The lower end of the storage cylinder 40 is formed integrally with the upper end parts of the vertical supply tube section 10 and the connecting tube section 20.
[0018] A supply hole 41 is formed in the lower end of the front end of the storage cylinder 40, penetrating vertically and connecting the interior of the storage cylinder 40 to the interior of the connecting cylindrical portion 20. The supply hole 41 is located behind the blocking plug 100. When the trigger portion 81 swings rearward, liquid that has passed through the vertical supply cylindrical portion 10 and the connecting cylindrical portion 20 is supplied through the supply hole 41 to the interior of the storage cylinder 40 (a storage space 40a, described below).
[0019] The storage plunger 50 is disposed in the storage cylinder 40 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The storage plunger 50 moves rearward as liquid is supplied to the storage space 40a. The storage plunger 50 blocks communication between the interior of the vertical supply tube portion 10 and the ejection holes 4 through the interior of the connecting tube portion 20, and allows communication between the interior of the vertical supply tube portion 10 and the ejection holes 4 through the interior of the connecting tube portion 20 when moved rearward. The storage plunger 50 has a sliding cylindrical portion 50a that slides tightly in the front-to-rear direction all around the inner circumferential surface of the storage cylinder 40. A supply hole 41 opens into a portion of the storage cylinder 40 located forward of the sliding cylindrical portion 50a (hereinafter referred to as storage space 40a). Liquid from the vertical supply cylindrical portion 10 is stored in the storage space 40a. The storage space 40a expands as the storage plunger 50 moves rearward as liquid is supplied. A support protrusion 50b is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the storage plunger 50 at a portion located rearward of the sliding cylindrical portion 50a, and extends continuously around the entire circumference.
[0020] A plunger biasing member 60 is provided to bias the storage plunger 50 forward after it has moved rearward. In this embodiment, the plunger biasing member 60 biases the storage plunger 50 forward before the storage plunger 50 moves rearward. The plunger biasing member 60 is, for example, a metal coil spring. The front end of the plunger biasing member 60 abuts against the support protrusion 50b of the storage plunger 50 from behind the support protrusion 50b. The rear end of the plunger biasing member 60 is fitted into and fixed to the rear end of the storage cylinder 40.
[0021] An injection tube portion 70 is provided extending forward from the storage cylinder 40. Liquid from the vertical supply tube portion 10 that has passed through the storage space 40a is supplied into the injection tube portion 70. The injection tube portion 70 is in communication with the interior of the vertical supply tube portion 10 through the storage space 40a, the supply hole 41, and the interior of the connecting tube portion 20.
[0022] The trigger mechanism 80 includes a trigger portion 81, a main cylinder 82, a main piston 83, and a biasing member 84. The trigger mechanism 80 causes the liquid to flow from the vertical supply tube portion 10 through the connecting tube portion 20 toward the nozzle hole 4 by the rearward swing of the trigger portion 81.
[0023] The main cylinder 82, the main piston 83, and the biasing member 84 are formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction, and are arranged coaxially with a common axis extending in the front-rear direction. Hereinafter, this common axis will be referred to as axis O3, the direction intersecting axis O3 as viewed from the front-rear direction will be referred to as cylinder radial direction, and the direction circumferential around axis O3 as viewed from the front-rear direction will be referred to as cylinder circumferential direction.
[0024] The trigger portion 81 is disposed in front of the vertical supply tube portion 10 so as to be swingable rearward about a rotation shaft 81f in a forward biased state. The rotation shaft 81f is formed at the upper end of the trigger portion 81 and extends in the left-right direction. The trigger portion 81 extends in the up-down direction and is disposed below the injection tube portion 70. The trigger portion 81 is disposed in front of the main cylinder 82 and straddles the main piston 83 and the main cylinder 82 in the up-down direction. The rotation shaft 81f of the trigger portion 81 is supported by the nozzle member 3 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction.
[0025] The trigger portion 81 includes a pair of left and right side walls 81a (see FIGS. 2 and 3), a front wall 81b, and a pair of left and right push-in walls 81c.
[0026] The pair of left and right side walls 81a are formed in the shape of plates with their front and back surfaces facing the left-right direction. A rotation shaft 81f is formed at the upper end of the side walls 81a, protruding outward in the left-right direction and supported by the nozzle member 3. The rear end edge of the side walls 81a extends forward as it goes from top to bottom, and presents a curved shape that protrudes rearward when viewed from the left-right direction. The front wall 81b connects the front ends of the pair of left and right lateral walls 81a together. The front wall 81b is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing the front-rear direction. The pair of left and right push-in walls 81c protrude rearward from the front wall 81b and are formed as plates with their front and back surfaces facing left and right. The push-in walls 81c are provided on both left and right sides of the front wall 81b, sandwiching the center in the left and right direction. A left-right gap is provided between the push-in walls 81c and the side walls 81a. This gap is narrower than the distance between the pair of left and right push-in walls 81c. The rear end edges of the push-in walls 81c extend forward from top to bottom and are located rearward of the rear end edges of the side walls 81a. Each of the pair of left and right push-in walls 81c has a connecting protrusion 81g that protrudes inward in the left-right direction and is connected to the front end of the main piston 83. A connecting hole 83b is formed in the front end of the main piston 83, penetrating it in the left-right direction, and the connecting protrusion 81g is inserted into the connecting hole 83b. This connects the front end of the main piston 83 to the trigger portion 81. The connecting protrusion 81g is provided at the center in the up-down direction at the rear of the pushing wall 81c, and is located forward of the rear end edge of the lateral wall 81a. Alternatively, a connecting protrusion 81g may be formed on the front end of the main piston 83, and a connecting hole 83b may be formed in the trigger portion 81. The connecting protrusion 81g may extend in a direction intersecting the left-right direction.
[0027] The main cylinder 82 is fitted into the main cylinder tubular portion 110 and is disposed behind the trigger portion 81. The main cylinder 82 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens forward and a closed rear end opening. A communication passage 2a that connects the inside of the main cylinder 82 with the inside of the vertical supply tubular portion 10 is formed in the bottom wall of each of the main cylinder 82 and the main cylinder tubular portion 110. As shown in FIG. 2, an inlet 82a is formed in the front part of the main cylinder 82, penetrating in the cylinder radial direction. The inlet 82a is connected to a first space S1 between the outer peripheral surface of the main cylinder 82 and the inner peripheral surface of the main cylinder tubular portion 110. The first space S1 extends continuously over the entire length in the cylinder circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 1, a first communication hole 110a is formed in the main cylinder tubular portion 110, connecting the first space S1 with the second space S2. A second communication hole 10d is formed in the wall surface of the vertical supply tubular portion 10 that defines the second space S2, connecting the second space S2 with the inside of the container body A. The inlet 82a, the first space S1, the first communication hole 110a, the second space S2, and the second communication hole 10d constitute an outside air introduction passage 2b that introduces outside air into the container body A as the liquid in the container body A is supplied into the main cylinder 82. The inlet 82a opens to the inner circumferential surface of the main cylinder 82 and is closed by the sliding portion 83a of the main piston 83, which is positioned at the foremost position.
[0028] The main piston 83 has a sliding portion 83a that is fitted within the main cylinder 82 so as to be slidable back and forth. The main piston 83 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an opening facing rearward and a closed front end. The main piston 83 protrudes forward from the sliding portion 83a toward the outside of the main cylinder 82, and its front end is connected to the trigger portion 81. The sliding portion 83a is provided at the rear end of the main piston 83. The front end of the main piston 83 is inserted between a pair of pushing walls 81c and connected to the trigger portion 81. The main piston 83 is urged forward by the urging force of the urging member 84 via the trigger portion 81. The main piston 83 moves back and forth in conjunction with the swinging of the trigger portion 81 in the back and forth direction. The pressure inside the main cylinder 82 is increased and decreased as the main piston 83 moves back and forth.
[0029] The biasing member 84 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction and is, for example, a metal coil spring. The biasing member 84 may be made of, for example, resin or other elastic material. A portion of the main piston 83 located between the sliding portion 83a and the trigger portion 81 is inserted inside the biasing member 84, and biases the trigger portion 81 forward. The biasing member 84 is located in a position where it does not come into contact with liquid. The front end opening edge of the biasing member 84 abuts against the rear end edge of the push-in wall 81c of the trigger portion 81. The rear end of the biasing member 84 is supported by a spring bearing 130 attached to the front end opening of the main cylinder 82.
[0030] The spring bearing 130 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction, and is inserted into and fixed in the main cylinder 82. The rear portion of the urging member 84 is inserted into the spring bearing 130. As shown in FIG. 2 , an annular receiving portion 131 is formed at the rear end of the spring bearing 130, protruding radially inward and extending continuously over the entire length of the cylinder in the circumferential direction. The main piston 83 is inserted inside the receiving portion 131. The receiving portion 131 is located forward of the rear end of the main piston 83. The rear end opening edge of the urging member 84 abuts against the front surface of the receiving portion 131.
[0031] Here, the ejector main body 2 is provided with a pair of side wall portions 135 that cover the biasing member 84 from both the left and right sides. In the illustrated example, the side wall portions 135 protrude forward from the spring bearing 130 and are formed in the shape of a plate with its front and back surfaces facing the left-right direction. The front ends of the pair of side wall portions 135 cover the rear end portion of the trigger portion 81 from the outside in the left-right direction. The front ends of the side wall portions 135 abut or are close to the outer surfaces of the lateral walls 81a of the trigger portion 81 that face outward in the left-right direction.
[0032] 1, a ball valve 90 and a storage valve 91 are provided in the vertical supply tube portion 10. A communication passage 2a opens into the vertical supply tube portion 10 at a portion located between the ball valve 90 and the storage valve 91.
[0033] The ball valve 90 is a check valve that blocks communication between the inside of the container body A and the inside of the main cylinder 82 through the inside of the vertical supply tube section 10 when the inside of the main cylinder 82 is pressurized, and displaces upward when the inside of the main cylinder 82 is depressurized, thereby allowing communication between the inside of the container body A and the inside of the main cylinder 82 through the inside of the vertical supply tube section 10. The storage valve 91 is disposed above the ball valve 90. The storage valve 91 is a check valve that allows the supply of liquid from the vertical supply tube portion 10 through the connecting tube portion 20 to the storage space 40a, and restricts the outflow of liquid from the storage space 40a through the connecting tube portion 20 into the vertical supply tube portion 10.
[0034] (cover) The cover 5 covers the ejector body 2 while exposing the ejection holes 4. The cover 5 covers the entire vertical supply tube portion 10 of the ejector body 2 except for the lower end portion, the entire injection tube portion 70, and the entire storage cylinder 40 from at least both left and right sides and above.
[0035] (Nozzle member) The nozzle member 3 has ejection holes 4 for ejecting liquid, and is attached to the ejector body 2. The nozzle member 3 includes a fitting cylindrical portion 31, a nozzle cylinder 32, and a bearing portion .
[0036] The fitting cylinder portion 31 is fitted into the injection cylinder portion 70. The fitting cylinder portion 31 is fitted onto the outside of the injection cylinder portion 70 from the front of the injection cylinder portion 70. Nozzle cylinder 32 is attached to the front end of fitting cylinder portion 31. Nozzle cylinder 32 is formed with ejection holes 4 that open to the front and eject liquid that has passed through injection cylinder portion 70 forward. As shown in Figure 3, the bearing portion 34 protrudes downward from a pair of left and right sandwiching walls 33 provided on both sides of the fitting cylindrical portion 31 in the left-right direction. The sandwiching walls 33 are attached to the front end portion of the ejector main body 2. The bearing portion 34 protrudes downward from the sandwiching walls 33 and extends in a curved manner rearward, rotatably supporting the rotation shaft 81f of the trigger portion 81. The inside of the bearing portion 34, into which the rotation shaft 81f is inserted, is closed at the top, front, and bottom and is open at the rear. The bearing portion 34 is provided in the middle portion in the front-to-rear direction on the lower end surface of the sandwiching walls 33.
[0037] (Stopper member) The stopper member 6 is combined with the nozzle member 3 and is provided rotatably about a nozzle axis O4 of the nozzle member 3 relative to the ejector body 2. The nozzle axis O4 extends in the front-rear direction and is disposed coaxially with the ejection holes 4. The nozzle axis O4 and the axis O3 are positioned in the same left-right direction. The stopper member 6 includes a stopper cylinder 61, a first connecting portion (connecting portion) 62, a second connecting portion 63, a stopper piece 64, and a reinforcing rib 65.
[0038] As the stopper member 6 rotates about the nozzle axis O4, the stopper piece 64 moves between a restricting position and an allowing position. When the stopper piece 64 is located at the restricting position, it is disposed between the trigger portion 81 and the main cylinder 82 and restricts the rearward movement of the trigger portion 81 by abutting against or approaching the trigger portion 81. When the stopper piece 64 is located at the allowing position, it moves away from the trigger portion 81 and allows the trigger portion 81 to move rearward.
[0039] The stopper cylinder 61 is rotatably attached to the nozzle member 3 around the nozzle axis O4. The stopper cylinder 61 is fitted onto the outside of the nozzle cylinder 32. The stopper cylinder 61 has a through-hole that penetrates in the front-rear direction, is located forward of the ejection hole 4, and faces the ejection hole 4 in the front-rear direction.
[0040] The first connecting portion 62 extends downward from the stopper tube 61. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper portion of the first connecting portion 62 extends outward in the left-right direction as it extends downward from the stopper tube 61, and the lower portion of the first connecting portion 62 extends straight in the up-down direction. The first connecting portion 62 is connected to a portion of the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the stopper tube 61 that is shifted from the center in the left-right direction toward the allowable position side Y (right side in FIG. 4) around the nozzle axis O4, and extends downward from the stopper tube 61 toward the allowable position side Y around the nozzle axis O4. The connection portion between the upper portion of the first connecting portion 62 and the lower portion of the first connecting portion 62 is located at the same vertical position as the connecting protrusion 81g and the connecting hole 83b. The first connecting portion 62 is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing the left-right direction.
[0041] The reinforcing rib 65 protrudes outward in the left-right direction from the first connecting portion 62 and connects the first connecting portion 62 to the outer peripheral surface of the stopper tube 61. The reinforcing ribs 65 are provided separately on both sides of the first connecting portion 62 in the left-right direction. The reinforcing rib 65 is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing the front-to-rear direction. The reinforcing rib 65 protrudes outward in the left-to-right direction from the rear end of the first connecting portion 62. The reinforcing rib 65 has an inverted triangular shape when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, and is formed so that its size in the left-to-right direction decreases as it extends downward. The lower end of the reinforcing rib 65 is located at the connection between the upper part of the first connecting portion 62 and the lower part of the first connecting portion 62.
[0042] The second connecting portion 63 extends rearward from the first connecting portion 62. The front end of the second connecting portion 63 is connected to the lower part of the first connecting portion 62 over the entire length in the vertical direction. The second connecting portion 63 is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing left and right. The upper end surface of the second connecting portion 63 extends downward as it extends rearward. The lower end surface of the second connecting portion 63 extends straight in the front-to-rear direction.
[0043] The stopper piece 64 is connected to the first connecting portion 62 via the second connecting portion 63. The stopper piece 64 extends inward in the left-right direction from the second connecting portion 63. The stopper piece 64 is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing up and down. The stopper piece 64 is located below the main piston 83. In the illustrated example, the front end surface of the stopper piece 64 abuts against or is close to the trigger portion 81 from behind the trigger portion 81. The rear end surface of the stopper piece 64 abuts against or is close to the front end opening edge of the spring bearing 130. The front end of the spring bearing 130 is supported by the front end opening edge of the main cylinder 82. The stopper piece 64 is provided at the rear of the second connecting portion 63. The stopper piece 64 extends from the second connecting portion 63 toward the restriction position side X (left side in FIG. 4) around the nozzle axis O4. The stopper piece 64 straddles the center portion (axis O3) of the main cylinder 82 in the left-right direction. A sliding protrusion 64a is formed on the front end surface of the stopper piece 64, against which the rear end surface of the lateral wall 81a of the trigger portion 81 slides as the stopper member 6 rotates about the nozzle axis O4. The sliding protrusion 64a is located on the permissible position side Y along the nozzle axis O4 from the center of the main cylinder 82 in the left-right direction. When the stopper piece 64 is located in the restricted position, the sliding protrusion 64a abuts against the lateral wall 81a of the trigger portion 81 in the left-right direction, thereby restricting the stopper piece 64 from moving unexpectedly from the restricted position to the permissible position side Y.
[0044] In this embodiment, the ejector main body 2 is provided with a regulating protrusion 2c, and the stopper piece 64 is provided with a regulated protrusion 66 that abuts or comes close to the regulating protrusion 2c from behind when the stopper piece 64 is positioned in the regulating position.
[0045] The restricting projection 2c projects downward from the lower end of the front end of the main cylinder 82. The restricting projection 2c is located on the restricting position side X along the nozzle axis O4 from the center in the left-right direction of the main cylinder 82. The restricting projection 2c is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing in the front-rear direction. The regulated protrusion 66 protrudes toward the regulated position side X around the nozzle axis O4 and rearward relative to the stopper piece 64. The regulated protrusion 66 is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing the front-rear direction. The regulated protrusion 66 is located on the regulated position side X around the nozzle axis O4 from the center of the main cylinder 82 in the left-right direction. Here, the stopper piece 64 is provided with a plate portion 64b that protrudes toward the restriction position side X around the nozzle axis O4 and extends continuously over the entire length of the stopper piece 64 in the front-to-rear direction. A rear end of the plate portion 64b protrudes rearward from the stopper piece 64. The plate portion 64b is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing up and down. The lower end of the restricted protruding piece 66 is connected to the upper surface of the rear end of the plate portion 64b.
[0046] (The action of the trigger-type liquid jet) Next, a description will be given of a case where the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 configured as described above is used. It is assumed that liquid is filled into each part of the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 by operating the trigger part 81 multiple times.
[0047] From a state in which the stopper piece 64 is located at the restricting position and restricts the rearward movement of the trigger portion 81 by abutting against or approaching the trigger portion 81, the stopper member 6 is rotated around the nozzle axis O4 toward the allowable position side Y, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 4, so that the stopper piece 64 is located at the allowable position and separated from the trigger portion 81. This allows the trigger portion 81 to move rearward.
[0048] When the trigger portion 81 is pulled and moved rearward against the biasing force of the biasing member 84, the main piston 83 moves rearward and pressure is applied to the main cylinder 82. As a result, the liquid in the main cylinder 82 is supplied into the vertical supply tube portion 10 through the communication passage 2a. The liquid supplied into the vertical supply tube portion 10 presses the ball valve 90 downward and pushes the storage valve 91 upward.
[0049] As a result, the liquid in the vertical supply tube portion 10 is supplied to the storage space 40a of the storage cylinder 40 through the connecting tube portion 20 and the supply hole 41, and the storage space 40a is pressurized. As the storage space 40a is pressurized, the storage plunger 50 moves rearward against the biasing force of the plunger biasing member 60, and the liquid fills the storage space 40a. As the storage plunger 50 moves rearward, the pressurized liquid in the storage space 40a reaches the ejection hole 4 through the injection tube portion 70. As a result, the liquid is ejected forward from the ejection hole 4.
[0050] As described above, each time the trigger portion 81 is pulled rearward, liquid can be ejected from the ejection hole 4, and the storage plunger 50 can be moved rearward to store liquid in the storage space 40a. When the main piston 83 moves rearward as the trigger portion 81 is pulled, the sliding portion 83a moves rearward away from the introduction port 82a, and the introduction port 82a is opened to the outside.
[0051] Thereafter, when the trigger portion 81 is released, the trigger portion 81 moves forward in its restoration state due to the elastic restoring force (biasing force) of the biasing member 84, and accordingly the main piston 83 connected to the trigger portion 81 also moves forward in its restoration state within the main cylinder 82. As a result, the pressure within the main cylinder 82 is reduced to a level lower than the pressure within the container body A, and the ball valve 90 rises while the storage valve 91 remains closed. Therefore, the liquid within the container body A is sucked up into the vertical supply tube portion 10 and introduced into the main cylinder 82 through the communication passage 2a. This makes it possible to prepare for the next ejection. Here, since the inlet port 82a is open to the outside until the main piston 83 returns from the rear to the frontmost position, as the liquid in the container body A is sucked up into the vertical supply tube portion 10, outside air is introduced into the container body A through the outside air introduction passage 2b.
[0052] When the pulling of the trigger portion 81 is stopped, the supply of liquid to the storage space 40a through the vertical supply tube portion 10 and the connecting tube portion 20 stops, but the storage plunger 50 begins to move forward due to the biasing force of the plunger biasing member 60. At this time, the outflow of liquid from the storage space 40a into the vertical supply tube portion 10 is restricted by the storage valve 91. As a result, the liquid filled in the storage space 40a reaches the ejection hole 4 through the injection tube portion 70 and continues to be ejected forward through the ejection hole 4. In this way, liquid can be ejected not only when the trigger portion 81 is pulled backward, but also when the trigger portion 81 is not operated, and liquid can be ejected continuously.
[0053] After the liquid is ejected, the stopper member 6 is rotated toward the restriction position side X around the nozzle axis O4, and the stopper piece 64 is positioned between the trigger portion 81 and the main cylinder 82. At this time, the front end face of the stopper piece 64 abuts against or comes close to the trigger portion 81 from behind the trigger portion 81, and the rear end face of the stopper piece 64 abuts against or comes close to the front end opening edge of the spring bearing 130. This restricts the rearward movement of the trigger portion 81.
[0054] As explained above, according to the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 of this embodiment, when the stopper piece 64 is positioned in the regulating position, the regulated protrusion 66 is provided which abuts or comes close to the regulating protrusion 2c of the ejector main body 2 from behind the regulating protrusion 2c. Therefore, when an unexpected external force is applied to the trigger portion 81 in the forward direction and the trigger portion 81 tries to swing forward around the rotation axis 81f, this external force is transmitted to the nozzle member 3 via the bearing portion 34, and even if the nozzle member 3 tries to displace upward relative to the ejector main body 2, the regulated protrusion 66 will abut against the regulating protrusion 2c, thereby restricting the displacement of the nozzle member 3. Therefore, even if an unexpected external force is applied to the trigger portion 81 in the forward direction, the relative positions of the nozzle member 3 and the ejector main body 2 are maintained, and it is possible to prevent the trigger portion 81 from swinging excessively forward around the rotation axis 81f, thereby preventing the connecting protrusion 81g from coming off the connecting hole 83b and the trigger portion 81 from coming off the front end of the main piston 83. As a result, in a trigger-type liquid sprayer 1 that is provided outside the main cylinder 82 and does not come into contact with the liquid, and that has a spring member 84 with a high spring constant that enables continuous spraying, even if an unexpected external force is applied forward to the trigger part 81, the liquid in the container body A can be prevented from leaking out of the inlet 82a through the outside air introduction passage 2b.
[0055] Since the stopper member 6 is equipped with the reinforcing rib 65, when an unexpected external force is applied to the trigger portion 81 in the forward direction and, as described above, the regulated protrusion 66 of the stopper member 6 abuts against the regulating protrusion 2c of the ejector main body 2, it is possible to prevent the connecting portion 62 from deforming, and displacement of the nozzle member 3 relative to the ejector main body 2 can be reliably restricted.
[0056] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments and their modifications include, for example, those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are equivalent.
[0057] For example, the ejector body 2 may not have the side wall portion 135 , and the stopper member 6 may not have the reinforcing rib 65 . The restricting protrusion 2c is not limited to being provided on the main cylinder 82, but may be provided on the main cylinder cylindrical portion 110, the spring bearing 130, or the like, for example.
[0058] In addition, within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described embodiments and the above-described variations may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]
[0059] 1 trigger-type liquid jet 2 Squirt body 2b Outside air intake passage 2c Regulatory protrusion 3 Nozzle member 4 Spout hole 6 Stopper member 10 Vertical supply tube 34 Bearing section 40 Storage cylinder 50 Reservoir Plunger 61 Stopper tube 62 1st connection part (connection part) 64 Stopper piece 65 Reinforcing rib 66 Restricted projection piece 80 Trigger mechanism 81 Trigger section 81f Rotation axis 81g connecting protrusion 82 Main cylinder 82a entrance 83 Main piston 83a Sliding part 83b Connection hole 84 biasing member A Container body O4 nozzle shaft
Claims
1. an ejector body attached to a container containing a liquid; a nozzle member attached to the ejector body and having ejection holes formed therein for ejecting the liquid; a stopper member combined with the nozzle member and rotatable about a nozzle axis of the nozzle member relative to the ejector body, The ejector body includes: a vertical supply tube portion that sucks up the liquid in the container body; an outside air introduction passage for introducing outside air into the container body; a trigger mechanism including a trigger portion disposed in front of the vertical supply tube portion so as to be swingable rearward about a rotation axis in a forward biased state, the trigger portion swinging rearward to cause the liquid to flow from inside the vertical supply tube portion toward the ejection hole; a storage cylinder extending in the front-rear direction and into which the liquid that has passed through the vertical supply tube portion is supplied by rearward swing of the trigger portion; a storage plunger that is disposed in the storage cylinder so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and that moves rearward and is urged forward as liquid is supplied into the storage cylinder; The trigger mechanism comprises: a main cylinder formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom that opens forward and has a closed rear end opening, and that communicates with the inside of the vertical supply cylindrical portion; a main piston having a sliding portion fitted within the main cylinder so as to be slidable forward and backward, protruding forward from the sliding portion toward the outside of the main cylinder, and having a front end portion connected to the trigger portion; a cylindrical biasing member into which a portion of the main piston located between the sliding portion and the trigger portion is inserted, and which biases the trigger portion forward; a connecting protrusion formed on either the front end of the main piston or the trigger portion is inserted into a connecting hole formed on the other of the front end of the main piston and the trigger portion, thereby connecting the front end of the main piston to the trigger portion; an inlet of the outside air introduction passage opens on an inner circumferential surface of the main cylinder; The sliding portion of the main piston located at the most forward position closes the inlet port, the nozzle member includes a bearing portion that rotatably supports a rotation shaft of the trigger portion, the stopper member is disposed between the trigger portion and the main cylinder, and includes a stopper piece that moves, as the stopper member rotates around the nozzle axis, between a restricting position where the stopper piece abuts against or approaches the trigger portion to restrict rearward movement of the trigger portion, and an allowing position where the stopper piece is separated from the trigger portion to allow rearward movement of the trigger portion; The ejector body is provided with a restricting protrusion, The trigger-type liquid ejector, wherein the stopper piece is provided with a regulated protruding piece that abuts against or is close to the regulating protruding piece from behind when the stopper piece is located at the regulating position.
2. The stopper member is a stopper cylinder attached to the nozzle member so as to be rotatable around the nozzle axis; a connecting portion extending downward from the stopper tube and connected to the stopper piece; 2. The trigger-type liquid ejector according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing rib that projects outward in the left-right direction from the connecting portion and connects the connecting portion to an outer peripheral surface of the stopper tube.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Trigger type liquid ejector
JP2023098189A