Trigger-type sprayer

Abstract

To provide a trigger-type dispenser that can spray liquid over a wide area while exhibiting excellent foaming properties. [Solution] The trigger-type ejector A of the present invention is of the pressurized type and comprises an ejector body 10 having an ejection hole 11 and a foaming cylinder 20, wherein at least a portion of the liquid ejected in a conical shape from the ejection hole 11 collides with the interior near the opening of the foaming cylinder 20 and foams. Let 1 / 2 of the ejection angle θ of the liquid ejected from the ejection hole 11 be the ejection half angle θ / 2, let L1 be the distance from the ejection hole to the opening end of the foaming cylinder 20 in the liquid ejection direction X, and let HD1 be 1 / 2 of the inner diameter of the opening of the foaming cylinder 20. Assuming a right triangle with two sides, HD1 and L1, forming a right angle, and let θ1 be the angle between the hypotenuse of the right triangle and L1, then tanθ1 is greater than tanθ / 2, and the difference between tanθ1 and tanθ / 2 is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.18.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressurized trigger-type dispenser that is attached to the body of a container for holding liquid. [Background technology]

[0002] A trigger-type dispenser is known that is attached to the body of a container that holds a liquid, and when the trigger is pulled, the liquid is discharged in a foamy form. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a trigger-type dispenser comprising, along with the trigger portion, a nozzle body having a discharge hole, a foam-forming cylinder surrounding the discharge hole in front of the nozzle body, and a lid member connected to the nozzle body for opening and closing the discharge hole, wherein the foam-forming cylinder is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the nozzle body. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a trigger-type dispenser equipped with a switching unit that narrows the spray range of the liquid sprayed through the spray hole and foam-forming cylinder. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-192514 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-196496 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] The trigger-type dispensers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 allow the liquid discharge range to be changed by switching the foam-forming cylinder to the forward or reverse position, or by switching the switching part to the open or closed state. However, the wider the discharge range, the more likely it is that the liquid will not foam sufficiently, and the foaming ratio will tend to decrease. The trigger-type dispensers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 tend to produce insufficient foam when discharging liquid over a wide area.

[0005] The present invention relates to providing a trigger-type dispenser that can spray a liquid over a wide area while exhibiting excellent foaming properties for the liquid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to a pressurized trigger-type dispenser that is attached to the body of a container for holding liquid. In one embodiment, it is preferable that the trigger-type dispenser comprises a discharge body having a discharge hole for spraying the liquid, and a foamed cylindrical portion extending in the discharge direction from the discharge body. In one embodiment, the ejection body preferably has an ejection cylinder portion in which the ejection holes are formed and a discharge insertion portion whose tip is inserted into the ejection cylinder portion, and a swirling groove portion that imparts spin to the liquid is formed in the ejection cylinder portion or the discharge insertion portion. In one embodiment, it is preferable that the trigger-type dispenser is configured such that at least a portion of the liquid ejected in a conical shape from the ejection hole collides with the interior near the opening of the foaming cylinder and foams. In one embodiment, the trigger-type dispenser is: The ejection angle θ of the liquid ejected from the ejection hole is defined as half the ejection angle θ / 2, the distance from the ejection hole to the opening end of the foam cylinder in the direction of liquid ejection is defined as L1, and the inner diameter of the opening of the foam cylinder is defined as half as HD1. Assuming that two sides, HD1 and L1, form a right-angled triangle, and that the angle between the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle and L1 is θ1, It is preferable that tanθ1 is greater than tanθ / 2. In one embodiment, it is preferable that the difference between tanθ1 and tanθ / 2 in the trigger-type dispenser is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.18. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the trigger-type dispenser of the present invention, liquid can be dispensed over a wide area while exhibiting excellent foaming properties. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a partially perspective side view showing one embodiment of a trigger-type dispenser according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a front view of the nozzle mechanism shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are cross-sectional views showing the ejection body and foam cylinder section of Figure 1 in the connected and unconnected states. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the ejection hole in the ejection body shown in Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the ejection angle θ, ejection half-angle θ / 2, and angle θ1 in the foam cylinder section. [Figure 6] Figures 6(a) and (b) show schematic cross-sectional diagrams and examples of ejection ranges illustrating the liquid ejected from the ejection body in the connected and disconnected states. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, based on preferred embodiments thereof. Figures 1 to 4 show one embodiment of the trigger-type dispenser of the present invention. The trigger-type dispenser A of this embodiment is attached to a container body B that contains liquid. The container body B has a neck portion B1 that communicates with the liquid storage space, and the trigger-type dispenser A is attached to the neck portion B1 by screwing or fitting. The trigger-type sprayer A of this embodiment is a pressure-accumulating type sprayer. Specifically, the trigger-type sprayer A of this embodiment comprises a sprayer body 30 having a cylinder and a piston member that slides inside the cylinder, and is configured to have a pressure-accumulating chamber (pressure-accumulating section) in which the liquid is not sprayed (discharged) until the liquid pressure of the liquid stored in the cylinder of the sprayer body 30 reaches a predetermined liquid pressure, and the liquid is sprayed once it reaches a predetermined liquid pressure or higher. Such a pressure-accumulating type mechanism can be a known one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-214464, etc.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, the trigger-type ejector A of the present embodiment includes a sprayer body 30 disposed above the neck portion B1, a trigger 4 rotatably provided on the side wall of the sprayer body 30, and a nozzle mechanism 1 connected to the tip of the sprayer body 30.

[0011] The trigger-type ejector A has an ejection direction X for ejecting the liquid stored in the container body B. The ejection direction X is the direction in which the sprayer body 30 and the nozzle mechanism 1 are arranged, and the direction in which the ejection body 10 and the foaming cylinder portion 20 described later are arranged, and is the direction from the sprayer body 30 toward the foaming cylinder portion 20. This ejection direction X coincides with the axial direction of the ejection body 10 and the foaming cylinder portion 20. The ejection direction X is a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Z in a state where the trigger-type ejector A is attached to the container body B and the bottom of the container body B is grounded on a horizontal plane, and substantially coincides with the horizontal direction. The front side of the ejection direction X and the front of the ejection direction X are the front side and the front of the moving direction (progressing direction) of the liquid when the liquid is ejected, and the opposite side to the front side and the front is the rear side of the ejection direction X and the rear of the ejection direction X. Hereinafter, the front side of the ejection direction X and the front of the ejection direction X are also simply referred to as the "front side" and the "front", and the rear side of the ejection direction X and the rear of the ejection direction X are also simply referred to as the "rear side" and the "rear". Also, the liquid stored in the container body B and ejected to the outside by the trigger-type ejector A is also simply referred to as "liquid".

[0012] The sprayer body 30 of the present embodiment includes an attachment member 31 attached to the neck portion B1 by screwing or the like, a vertical cylinder portion 32 held by the attachment member 31 and extending upward, a horizontal cylinder portion 33 extending forward from the upper end portion of the vertical cylinder portion 32 and having a tip portion connected to the nozzle mechanism 1, a cylindrical holding portion 34 extending forward from the vertical cylinder portion 32, a pump 5 held in the holding portion 34, and a head cover 35 covering a part of the vertical cylinder portion 32, the horizontal cylinder portion 33, the holding portion 34, the pump 5, and the trigger 4. The vertical cylinder portion 32 has a cylindrical neck portion 32a at its lower end, which is inserted through the upper opening (not shown) of the mounting member 31. The neck portion 32a has a smaller width (i.e., diameter) in the direction intersecting the swing direction of the trigger 4 compared to the mounting member 31. The vertical cylinder portion 32 also has a cylindrical intake 32b inside, the lower end of which is connected to a pipe 36 extending into the container body B, and the upper end of which is connected to the rear end of the horizontal cylinder portion 33. These pipe 36, intake 32b, and horizontal cylinder portion 33 form a flow path for the liquid delivered from the container body B to the nozzle mechanism 1.

[0013] The intake 32b has a communication hole 32c that communicates with the pump chamber 54, which will be described later. An intake valve 32d is located upstream of the communication hole 32c (downward in Figure 1), and a discharge valve 32e is located downstream of the communication hole 32c (upward in Figure 1). Inside the intake 32b, there is a lower valve seat 32f on which the intake valve 32d is seated, and an upper valve seat 32h on which the discharge valve 32e is seated. The lower valve seat 32f and the upper valve seat 32h are portions of the intake 32b where the inner diameter is reduced. The discharge valve 32e is a rod-shaped body extending vertically in the Z direction and has a large-diameter portion at its upper end that slides against the inner circumferential surface of the intake 32b. The discharge valve 32e is movable up and down within the vertical cylindrical portion 32, and when the large-diameter portion of the discharge valve 32e sits on the upper valve seat 32h, it closes the internal space of the intake 32b below the upper valve seat 32h. The intake valve 32d is spherical and can move up and down within the vertical cylindrical portion 32, but its upward movement is restricted by the lower end of the discharge valve 32e. When the intake valve 32d seats on the lower valve seat 32f, it closes the internal space of the intake 32b below the lower valve seat 32f.

[0014] Pump 5 comprises a cylindrical cylinder 51 that is fitted and held in a holding portion 34 and extends in the discharge direction X, and a piston 52 that is reciprocally housed inside the cylinder 51 and extends in the discharge direction X. The outer diameter of the piston 52 is smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder 51. As a result, pump 5 has a gap between the outer circumferential surface of the piston 52 and the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder 51. An annular seal portion 52a is provided at the rear end of the piston 52, which slidably and liquid-tightly contacts the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder 51. The seal portion 52a is an annular member having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the piston 52. Pump 5 has a pump chamber 54 located behind the seal portion 52a within the cylinder 51, and a part of the internal space of the cylinder 51 is partitioned by the seal portion. A trigger 4 (operating lever) is engaged with the front end of the piston 52, and the trigger 4 is constantly biased away from the neck portion B1 of the container body B by a biasing means 41 such as a coil spring provided inside the piston 52. Alternatively, the biasing means 41 may be an elastic member that hangs down from the horizontal cylindrical portion 33 and is engaged with the trigger 4.

[0015] The trigger 4 is pivotally attached at its upper end to the tip of the horizontal cylinder 33, and is positioned to hang downward (towards the container body B) from the horizontal cylinder 33, facing the vertical cylinder 32, the holding part 34, and the mounting member 31. The piston 52 is located in the space enclosed by the trigger 4, the mounting member 31, the vertical cylinder 32, and the horizontal cylinder 33. As described above, the upper end of the trigger 4 is engaged with the front end of the piston 52. This allows the piston 52 to reciprocate as the trigger 4 moves back and forth.

[0016] In this embodiment, the trigger-type dispenser A retracts the piston 52 relative to the cylinder 51 by pulling the trigger 4 closer to the container body B. This pressurizes the liquid in the pump chamber 54, and this pressurization pushes the discharge valve 32e up from the upper valve seat 32h, opening it up and sending the liquid in the pump chamber 54 to the nozzle mechanism 1. Furthermore, after the trigger-type dispenser A discharges liquid from the nozzle mechanism 1, releasing the trigger 4 causes the piston 52 and trigger 4 to be pushed back forward by the biasing force of the biasing means 41. This creates negative pressure inside the pump chamber 54, and this negative pressure pushes the intake valve 32d up from the lower valve seat 32f, opening it and allowing the liquid in the container body B to flow into the pump chamber 54. In other words, by repeatedly pulling and releasing the trigger 4 in this manner, it is possible to discharge the liquid in the container body B from the nozzle mechanism 1.

[0017] The nozzle mechanism 1 of this embodiment includes a nozzle outer wall portion 24 that forms the outer surface of the mechanism, a foam cylinder portion 20 disposed inside the nozzle outer wall portion 24, a ejection body 10 disposed inside the foam cylinder portion 20, and a switching cylinder portion 25 that can be connected to the foam cylinder portion 20 (see Figure 3).

[0018] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the ejection body 10 has ejection holes 11 for ejecting liquid. More specifically, the ejection body 10 of this embodiment has an ejection cylinder portion 12 in which the ejection holes 11 are formed, a discharge insertion portion 13 whose front end (the tip in the ejection direction X) is inserted into the ejection cylinder portion 12 and imparts spin to the liquid, and a mounting cylinder portion 14 into which the ejection cylinder portion 12 and the discharge insertion portion 13 are inserted (see Figure 4).

[0019] The mounting cylinder portion 14 is a member having a cylinder portion extending in the ejection direction X, and has a front cylinder portion 14a extending forward and a rear cylinder portion 14b having a larger outer diameter than the front cylinder portion and extending backward. The front cylinder portion 14a and the rear cylinder portion 14b are arranged coaxially, and the internal spaces of both cylinder portions 14a and 14b are in communication with each other (see Figure 1). The inner diameter of the front cylinder portion 14a is smaller than that of the rear cylinder portion 14b and is approximately the same as the inner diameter of the horizontal cylinder portion 33. The front cylinder portion 14a and the rear cylinder portion 14b have the same outer diameter, and both cylinder portions 14a and 14b are continuous in the ejection direction X. The rear end of the front cylinder portion 14a has a smaller inner diameter portion than that of the rear cylinder portion 14b and protrudes forward from the front opening of the rear cylinder portion 14b (not shown). The rear cylindrical portion 14b of the mounting cylindrical portion 14 is positioned so that the front end of the horizontal cylindrical portion 33 of the sprayer body 30 is inserted through the rear opening, and the front end of the horizontal cylindrical portion 33 is in contact with the small inner diameter portion that forms the rear end of the front cylindrical portion 14a. This allows the internal spaces of the horizontal cylindrical portion 33 and the front cylindrical portion 14a to communicate, so that the liquid supplied from the sprayer body 30 is supplied to the spray body 10. The mounting cylindrical portion 14 is positioned so that the spray cylinder portion 12 is inserted through the front opening of the front cylindrical portion 14a, and this opening is closed by the front wall 12f of the spray cylinder portion 12. The front cylindrical portion 14a of the mounting cylindrical portion 14 is located inside the foam cylindrical portion 20, and the periphery of the front cylindrical portion 14a is surrounded by the foam cylindrical portion 20 (see Figure 3). In the ejection body 10 of this embodiment, the discharge insertion section 13 and the front cylindrical section 14a of the mounting cylinder section 14 are arranged coaxially, and the rear ends of the discharge insertion section 13 and the front cylindrical section 14a are connected to form a single integrated part (not shown).

[0020] The ejection cylinder portion 12 is a cylindrical member with an opening at the rear and an opening at the front (tip) closed by a front wall 12f, with an ejection hole 11 formed in the center of the front wall 12f. A cylindrical discharge insertion portion 13 is inserted into the ejection cylinder portion 12 from the rear opening. The space between the ejection cylinder portion 12 and the discharge insertion portion 13, and the space between the front cylindrical portion 14a of the mounting cylinder portion 14 and the discharge insertion portion 13, each form a flow path for the liquid supplied to the nozzle mechanism 1, and the liquid is delivered through this flow path toward the ejection hole 11 of the ejection cylinder portion 12. In this embodiment, the ejection cylinder portion 12 has a swirl groove formed on the inner surface of the front wall 12f (not shown). The inner surface of the front wall 12f is the surface facing the discharge insertion portion 13 in the discharge direction X. The swirl groove in the ejection cylinder portion 12 is connected to the ejection hole 11 and forms a flow path that sends the liquid that has reached the ejection cylinder portion 12 along the outer circumferential surface of the discharge insertion portion 13 to the ejection hole 11. In a plan view of the inner surface of the front wall 12f of the ejection cylinder portion 12, the swirl groove is formed by twisting so as to swirl toward the ejection hole 11, and by passing through the swirl groove, spin can be imparted to the liquid. As a result, the spinned liquid can be ejected in a conical shape from the ejection hole 11.

[0021] In this embodiment, the discharge body 10 has a spiral groove formed in the discharge cylinder portion 12, but instead, the spiral groove may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the discharge insertion portion 13. In this case, the discharge insertion portion 13 may have the following configuration. The discharge insertion section 13 has multiple grooves extending in its axial direction, and a cylindrical recess is formed at the tip of the discharge insertion section 13 in the ejection direction X. A connecting groove is also formed connecting these axially extending grooves and the cylindrical recess, and this connecting groove is connected at a position offset from the center of the cylindrical recess (not shown). That is, the connecting groove is formed by twisting so as to spiral toward the cylindrical recess. In the ejection body 10 equipped with such a discharge insertion section 13, the liquid supplied from the sprayer body 30 travels along the grooves formed on the outer circumferential surface of the discharge insertion section 13, reaches the connecting groove, and is delivered into the cylindrical recess. Because the connecting groove is connected offset from the center of the cylindrical recess, spin can be imparted to the flow of liquid that has entered the cylindrical recess. As a result, the liquid can be ejected in a conical shape from the ejection hole 11 located close to the tip of the discharge insertion section 13.

[0022] The foam cylinder portion 20 is a cylindrical member that extends forward in the ejection direction X from the ejection body 10 and has a through hole that penetrates in the ejection direction X. The ejection body 10 is inserted into the rear end of the through hole of the foam cylinder portion 20. More specifically, the mounting cylinder portion 14 is inserted into the rear opening of the foam cylinder portion 20, and the foam cylinder portion 20 extends forward of the ejection hole 11. The front cylinder portion 14a of the mounting cylinder portion 14 is positioned between the foam cylinder portion 20 and the ejection cylinder portion 12 (see Figure 3). The foam cylinder portion 20 is positioned inside the nozzle outer wall portion 24, and the periphery of the foam cylinder portion 20 is surrounded by the nozzle outer wall portion 24.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, the foam cylinder portion 20 has an injection-side base portion 20a into which the ejection body 10 is inserted and which has a constant inner diameter, and a front end large-diameter portion 20b located in front of the injection-side base portion 20a and having a maximum inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the injection-side base portion 20a. The front end large-diameter portion 20b has a front end portion having the same inner diameter as the opening diameter of the front opening 20e of the foam cylinder portion 20, and a rear end portion connected to the rear of the front end portion and whose inner diameter gradually increases toward the front. The opening diameter of the rear end side of this front end large-diameter portion 20b corresponds to the opening diameter of the front side of the injection-side base portion 20a. Multiple inlet holes 20h are formed in the cylindrical peripheral wall portion of the foamed cylinder portion 20, penetrating the peripheral wall portion (see Figure 4). The multiple inlet holes 20h are intermittently formed in the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion of the injection-side base portion 20a. All or part of the inlet holes 20h are located in front of the ejection holes 11. In this embodiment, the inlet holes 20h consist of slits extending in the ejection direction X, and outside air is introduced into the foamed cylinder portion 20 through outside air inlet holes (deleted portion 24c described later) provided in the nozzle outer wall portion 24, which will be described later.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the nozzle outer wall portion 24 has a roughly triangular shape in a front view, and a through-support portion 24a is formed in the center into which the ejection body 10 and the foam cylinder portion 20 are inserted and positioned. The through-support portion 24a is a through-hole that penetrates the nozzle outer wall portion 24 in the ejection direction X, and the foam cylinder portion 20 is inserted and positioned within this through-hole. The inner diameter of the through-support portion 24a corresponds to the outer diameter of the foam cylinder portion 20, and in the ejection direction X, the position of the front opening end of the through-support portion 24a coincides with the position of the front opening end of the foam cylinder portion 20 [see Figure 3(b)]. The peripheral wall portion forming the through-support portion 24a has a missing portion 24c in which a part of the portion into which the foam cylinder portion 20 is positioned in the ejection direction X is missing, and this missing portion overlaps with the introduction hole 20h of the foam cylinder portion 20. The overlap between the missing portion 24c and the introduction hole 20h allows outside air to be taken into the foam cylinder portion 20. The rear end of the nozzle outer wall portion 24 is connected to the front end of the sprayer body 30, for example, by fitting. The nozzle outer wall portion 24 may also be connected to the sprayer body 30 via other components such as a pressure accumulator (pump 5). Furthermore, the configuration for introducing outside air into the foam cylinder portion 20 is not limited to the missing portion 24c and the introduction hole 20h; a notched portion may also be provided, cut out from the front end of the foam cylinder portion 20 toward the position of the introduction hole 20h.

[0025] The nozzle outer wall portion 24 has a hinge portion 24b at its upper end when viewed from the front, to which the switching cylinder portion 25 is rotatably attached (see Figure 2). The hinge portion 24b comprises a hinge pin that is inserted into the mounting pipe portion 25f of the switching cylinder portion 25, and support portions that fix both ends of the hinge pin. By attaching the switching cylinder portion 25 to this hinge portion 24b, the mounting pipe portion 25f becomes rotatable around the hinge pin, and the switching cylinder portion 25 is rotatably supported relative to the nozzle outer wall portion 24.

[0026] The switching cylinder portion 25 is a plate-shaped member with a through hole formed in the center that penetrates in the ejection direction X, and the peripheral shape of the switching cylinder portion 25 in a front view corresponds to the peripheral shape of the nozzle outer wall portion 24 in a front view. The switching cylinder portion 25 is made connectable to the nozzle outer wall portion 24 and the foam cylinder portion 20 by rotation [see Figures 3(a) and (b)]. When the switching cylinder portion 25 is connected to the nozzle outer wall portion 24, the switching cylinder portion 25 is connectable to the foam cylinder portion 20, and the through hole of the switching cylinder portion 25 and the through hole of the foam cylinder portion 20 are coaxially arranged and communicate in the ejection direction X [see Figure 3(a)]. The rear opening diameter of the switching cylinder portion 25 corresponds to the front opening diameter of the foam cylinder portion 20. The switching cylinder portion 25 has a rear end portion 25a in which the through hole has a constant inner diameter, and a front end portion 25b in which the inner diameter of the through hole gradually increases toward the front opening. Hereinafter, the switching cylinder portion 25 is rotated to connect it to the nozzle outer wall portion 24 and the foam cylinder portion 20, and the state in which the through holes of the switching cylinder portion 25 and the foam cylinder portion 20 are in communication with each other is also simply referred to as the "connected state" [see Figure 3(a)].

[0027] The switching cylinder portion 25, when connected, has a gripping portion 25d that extends downward from the nozzle outer wall portion 24, and at the upper end of the switching cylinder portion 25, it has a mounting pipe portion 25f that is attached to the hinge portion 24b of the nozzle outer wall portion 24. The user of the trigger-type sprayer A can rotate the switching cylinder 25 upward around the hinge 24b by pinching the knob 25d with their fingers and lifting it upward (see Figure 3(b)). This releases the connection by the switching cylinder 25, exposing the front end of the foam cylinder 20, including the front opening. Hereafter, the switching cylinder portion 25 is rotated so that it becomes disconnected from the foam cylinder portion 20, and the front end of the foam cylinder portion 20 is exposed. This state is also simply referred to as the "disconnected state" [see Figure 3(b)]. In this embodiment, the switching cylinder portion 25 is rotatably attached to the nozzle outer wall portion 24 via the hinge portion 24b, thereby enabling switching between a connected state and an unconnected state with respect to the foam cylinder portion 20.

[0028] In the trigger-type sprayer A of this embodiment, after the liquid is ejected in a cone shape from the ejection hole 11, at least a portion of the liquid collides with the interior near the opening of the foaming cylinder 20, causing it to foam. More specifically, when the liquid pressure of the liquid stored in the cylinder 51 of the sprayer body 30 reaches a predetermined liquid pressure or higher, the liquid sent to the ejection body 10 is given spin by the ejection cylinder 12 or the discharge insertion part 13 and then ejected in a cone shape from the ejection hole 11. Figure 4 shows the generatrix S of the cone formed by the ejected liquid. The liquid ejected from the ejection hole 11 is in a mist form, but a portion of the liquid collides with the inner wall of the large-diameter front end portion 20b of the foaming cylinder 20, creating turbulence, and the outside air introduced from the introduction hole 20h mixes with the liquid to cause foaming. In other words, the trigger-type sprayer A of this embodiment can foam liquid without having porous members that cause foaming, such as sponges or mesh.

[0029] From the viewpoint of making it easier for the liquid to collide with the inner wall of the large-diameter front end portion 20b, and from the viewpoint of further improving the ejection (forward movement) of the liquid, the ejection angle θ (see Figure 5) of the liquid ejected from the ejection hole 11 is preferably 60° or more and 90° or less, more preferably 65° or more and 85° or less. In other words, the ejection half-angle θ / 2, described later, is preferably 30° or more and 45° or less, more preferably 32.5° or more and 45° or less, and even more preferably 32.5° or more and 42.5° or less. In the cross-sectional view of the foam cylinder 20 along the ejection direction X shown in Figure 5, the ejection body 10 is omitted from the illustration for ease of explanation, and the position of the front opening of the ejection hole 11 in the ejection direction X is indicated by the symbol "P11". The ejection angle θ is measured by the following method.

[0030] [Measurement of ejection angle θ] The front end of the nozzle outer wall 24 and the foam cylinder 20 are removed from the trigger-type ejector A, exposing the front end of the ejector body 10, including the ejection hole 11. Next, a high-speed camera (for example, model number: Phantom MIRO LC310: manufactured by Vision Research) is set up so that the imaging plane is aligned with the ejection direction X (see Figure 4), and the trigger 4 is pulled at a draw speed of 80 mm / second to photograph the liquid ejected from the ejection hole 11. Then, an image of the liquid spreading out in a cone shape from the ejection hole 11 is acquired, and the cone angle is measured. This measurement is repeated three times, and the average value is taken as the ejection angle θ.

[0031] The pull speed is the speed at which trigger 4 is pulled to its full stroke, that is, the speed at which trigger 4 is pulled from its natural state (no force applied) to the state where it is pulled as close as possible to the container body B. It is the value obtained by dividing the amount of movement (mm) of the lower end of trigger 4 in the discharge direction X per stroke by the time (s) taken to pull.

[0032] Half of the liquid ejection angle θ is also referred to as the "half-ejection angle θ / 2" (see Figure 5). In the nozzle mechanism 1, the distance from the ejection hole 11 in the ejection direction X to the front opening 20e (opening end) of the foam cylinder portion 20 is defined as the "ejection distance L1" of the liquid (see Figure 5). In this embodiment, the ejection distance L1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "L1") is the distance between the ejection hole 11 and the front opening 20e of the large-diameter front end portion 20b in the ejection direction X. That is, in Figure 5, L1 is the distance between position P11 and the front opening 20e. Furthermore, half of the inner diameter D1 of the front opening of the foam cylinder portion 20 is defined as "HD1" (see Figure 5). In addition, a right-angled triangle T is assumed in which two sides of HD1 and L1 form a right angle, and the angle between the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle T and L1 (base) is defined as θ1 (see Figure 5).

[0033] The trigonometric ratio tanθ1(HD1 / L1), which is the trigonometric ratio of the height (HD1) and base (L1) of the right triangle T, is greater than the trigonometric ratio tanθ / 2, which is the trigonometric ratio of the two sides that form the half-angle of the jet θ / 2. That is, the following relationship (1) is satisfied. tanθ1 > tanθ / 2 ···(1) Furthermore, the difference between tanθ1 and tanθ / 2 (tanθ1-tanθ / 2) is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.18, preferably between 0.01 and 0.17, more preferably between 0.02 and 0.15, and even more preferably between 0.04 and 0.1.

[0034] In pressurized trigger-type dispensers, when attempting to dispense liquid over a wide area, the foaming properties of the liquid tend to be insufficient, and the liquid is more likely to be dispensed as a mist rather than foam. In order to improve this, the inventors diligently studied the matter and found that by satisfying the above relation (1) and setting the difference between tanθ1 and tanθ / 2 within a predetermined range, it is possible to maintain good foaming properties of the liquid while ensuring a large foaming range for the foam dispensed from the trigger-type dispenser A. The reason for this effect is thought to be as follows: The more pronounced the collision of the liquid with the inner wall of the foaming cylinder 20, the better the air and liquid are mixed and the higher the foaming properties. On the other hand, this collision guides the liquid flow to converge towards the central axis CL of the foaming cylinder 20 (see Figure 5), reducing the liquid spray range. In other words, there tends to be a trade-off relationship between the foaming properties of the liquid and the spray range. The trigger-type dispenser A of this embodiment satisfies relation (1), and by keeping the difference between tanθ1 and tanθ / 2 within a predetermined range, it is possible to suppress the convergence of the liquid flow towards the central axis CL while maintaining an appropriate degree of collision. As a result, it is believed that well-foamed bubbles can be ejected over a wide area.

[0035] From the viewpoint of achieving a better balance between wide-area liquid ejection and foaming properties, the trigger-type dispenser A of this embodiment has a tanθ1(HD1 / L1) of preferably 0.76 or more and 0.98 or less, more preferably 0.78 or more and 0.96 or less, and even more preferably 0.80 or more and 0.96 or less.

[0036] The ejection angle θ and the half-ejection angle θ / 2 can be adjusted depending on the viscosity of the liquid, the dimensions of each part such as the ejection hole 11, etc. The liquid ejected from nozzle mechanism 1 can have a viscosity equivalent to that of a general liquid detergent with foaming properties, for example, between 0.5 mPa·s and 10 mPa·s. The viscosity of the liquid is measured at a temperature of 30°C using a helical viscometer (TVB-10, manufactured by Toki Sangyo Co., Ltd.) under the following conditions: spindle: TC, rotation speed: 5 rpm, and measurement time: 1 min. The measurement is repeated three times, and the average value is adopted as the viscosity.

[0037] From the viewpoint of making it easier to satisfy the above relation (1), it is preferable that each dimension in the nozzle mechanism 1 is within the following range. The inner diameter D1 (see Figure 5) of the front opening 20e of the foamed cylinder portion 20 is preferably 1400% to 1760%, and more preferably 1520% to 1720%, of the opening diameter d (see Figure 4) of the ejection hole 11. The opening diameter d of the ejection hole 11 (see Figure 4) is preferably 0.40 mm or more and 0.60 mm or less, more preferably 0.50 mm or more and 0.60 mm or less. The liquid ejection distance L1 is preferably 3.7 mm or more and 5.3 mm or less, more preferably 4.0 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less. The inner diameter D1 of the front opening 20e of the foamed cylindrical portion 20 is preferably 7.0 mm or more and 8.8 mm or less, more preferably 7.6 mm or more and 8.6 mm or less.

[0038] The liquid in this embodiment is a detergent containing a surfactant and water, and is foaming. The surfactant can be any surfactant used in detergents, such as anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, or amphoteric surfactants. From the viewpoint of more reliably obtaining foaming, the foaming ratio of the liquid when the trigger 4 is pulled at a speed of 80 mm / second is preferably 10.0 times or more, and more preferably 15.0 times or more. Such a configuration may be applied to both the connected and disconnected states of the switching cylinder 25, but it is preferable to apply it when it is disconnected. When the foaming ratio is within the above range, it is effective in improving the cleaning power when the liquid is a cleaning agent. There is no particular upper limit to the foaming ratio of the liquid, but in reality it is 40.0 times or less. The foaming ratio is measured by the following method: Foam is dispensed from a trigger-type dispenser A into a 10 mL container until the container is full. The foam that spills out of the container is scraped off, and the value (mL / g) obtained by dividing the volume of foam in the container (10 mL) by the mass of the foam (g) is calculated. This operation is repeated five times, and the average of the above values ​​(mL / g) is taken as the foaming ratio.

[0039] Figure 6 shows the nozzle mechanism 1 in both connected and disconnected states. For ease of explanation, the nozzle outer wall portion 24 is omitted from Figure 6(a), and the nozzle outer wall portion 24 and the switching cylinder portion 25 are omitted from Figure 6(b). As described above, the nozzle mechanism 1 of the trigger-type dispenser A of this embodiment includes a switching cylinder section 25, which can be switched between a connected state and an unconnected state with respect to the foam cylinder section 20. The liquid ejection distance L1' in the connected state is the distance between the ejection hole 11 and the front opening (opening end) of the switching cylinder section 25 in the ejection direction X [see Figure 6(a)]. In this connected state, the ejection distance of the liquid ejected from the ejection hole 11 to the outside of the trigger-type dispenser A is longer by the thickness of the switching cylinder section 25 compared to the unconnected state. In the connected state, the inner wall of the switching cylinder section 25, along with the inner wall of the foam cylinder section 20, interferes with the flow of the liquid C1. That is, in the connected state, the liquid C1 is more likely to collide than in the unconnected state, so the flow of foam after the collision is more easily guided to converge towards the central axis of the switching cylinder section 25. As a result, when liquid is sprayed in the connected state, the spray range of the foam (liquid C1) can be made smaller compared to the unconnected state [see Figure 6(a)]. On the other hand, in the unconnected state, the flow of liquid C1 is less interfered with than in the connected state, so the liquid C1 is more likely to maintain a conical shape even after hitting the foam cylinder 20, and a larger spray range of foam (liquid) can be secured [see Figure 6(b)]. In this way, the trigger-type sprayer A of this embodiment can make the spray range of liquid C1 different by switching between the connected and unconnected states of the switching cylinder 25.

[0040] The foam ejection range R1 in the unconnected state is larger than the foam ejection range R2 in the connected state (R1 > R2). These foam ejection ranges R1 and R2 represent the area of ​​foam ejected outside the trigger-type dispenser A. From the viewpoint of making the switching between ejection ranges R1 and R2 clearer, the ejection range R1 of the unconnected bubbles is preferably 1.5 to 8 times, more preferably 3 to 8 times, the ejection range R2 of the connected bubbles. From the viewpoint of more efficiently adhering foam over a wide area, the foam ejection range R1 in the unconnected state is preferably 40 cm. 2 More than 100cm2 The following, more preferably 50cm 2 More than 100cm 2 The following applies: From the viewpoint of ensuring that foam adheres reliably to the target of ejection, the foam ejection range R2 in the connected state is preferably 10 cm. 2 More than 40cm 2 The following, more preferably 10 cm 2 More than 30cm 2 The following applies: The foam emission ranges R1 and R2 are measured by the following method.

[0041] With the trigger-type sprayer A set to have the spray direction X aligned with the horizontal, the trigger 4 is pulled at a pulling speed of 80 mm / second against a wall 15 cm away from the tip of the sprayer body 10. The wall used is colored such as dark gray to make it easily distinguishable from the foam. Next, the liquid (foam) sprayed onto the wall is photographed from the front. For the planar shape formed by the liquid (foam) in the obtained image, the maximum length from the centroid to the periphery of the planar shape is measured, and the area of ​​the circle with this maximum value as the radius is calculated and defined as the foam spray ranges R1 and R2. The longer L1 is, the more densely the ejected bubbles tend to concentrate, forming a shape closer to a circle (see Figure 6(a)). In this case, the area of ​​the circle becomes the bubble ejection range R2. The shorter L1, the more likely the ejected bubbles are to form droplets (liquid droplets) as they move away from the center [see Figure 6(b)]. In this case, the area of ​​a circle with a radius equal to the distance from the center to the furthest edge of the continuous bubble portion becomes the bubble ejection range R1. The continuous bubble portion is defined as the largest area of ​​the part with the closest grayscale level to white, obtained by converting the image of the ejected liquid to 256 levels of grayscale using image processing software such as ImageJ.

[0042] The opening shape of the switching cylinder 25 is not particularly limited and can be any shape such as a circle or an ellipse. From the viewpoint of making it easier to control the foam spray range, it is preferable that the opening shape of the switching cylinder 25 be a perfect circle.

[0043] The through hole at the rear end 25a of the switching cylinder portion 25 in this embodiment has a constant opening diameter (inner diameter) [see Figure 6(a), etc.]. From the viewpoint of making it easier to control the foam injection range, it is preferable that the front opening at the rear end 25a of the switching cylinder portion 25 has a larger opening diameter than the front opening 20e of the foam cylinder portion 20. In this case, the opening diameter D1' of the front opening at the rear end 25a of the switching cylinder portion 25 [see Figure 3(a)] is 102% to 112%, more preferably 102% to 107%, of the opening diameter D1 of the front opening 20e of the foam cylinder portion 20 (see Figure 5).

[0044] The trigger-type dispenser A may be entirely made of synthetic resin, or a portion of it may be made of a material other than synthetic resin, such as metal or ceramic. Examples of synthetic resins that can be used include polyethylene, polyolefins such as polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate, acrylic, polyamide, polyacetal, and vinyl chloride. The trigger-type dispenser A can be manufactured, for example, by injection molding. The container body B is preferably made of synthetic resin and can be manufactured, for example, by blow molding.

[0045] Although the present invention has been described above based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, the trigger-type sprayer A in the above-described embodiment was equipped with a switching cylinder portion 25, but the trigger-type sprayer of the present invention may not be equipped with the switching cylinder portion 25. Furthermore, although the liquid in the above-described embodiment was a detergent, the liquid may also be a facial cleanser, hand soap, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, laundry detergent, hair dye, hair styling product, etc. [Examples]

[0046] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0047] [Spray bottle] A trigger-type ejector A equipped with a nozzle mechanism 1 having the same configuration as that of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 was manufactured, and a spray container in which the trigger-type ejector A was attached to a container body B was prepared. The container body B contained a cleaning agent (liquid) accommodated in a commercially available spray container of "Kao Corporation's product "Kukutto Foam Clear Spray". Such a cleaning agent had foamability and a viscosity of 3.21 mPa·s measured by the above method. For the nozzle mechanism 1, the liquid ejection angle θ was 76°, and the ejection half-angle θ / 2 was 38°. Also, for the foaming cylinder portion 20 included in the nozzle mechanism 1, the opening diameter D1 of the front-side opening 20e and the length in the ejection direction X were made different, and the above L1, HD1, and tan θ1 were adjusted as shown in Table 1 below.

[0048] 〔Ejection test〕 The trigger 4 of the spray container was pulled to eject the cleaning agent from the nozzle mechanism 1, and the foam expansion ratio and the foam ejection range were measured. The spray container was in a state where the ejection direction X was aligned with the horizontal direction, and the cleaning agent was ejected onto a wall 15 cm away from the tip of the ejection body 10. At this time, the switching cylinder portion 25 was in a non-connected state, and the pulling speed was 80 mm / second. Also, based on the measurement results, the foam ejection range was evaluated as follows. A: The foam ejection range was over 50 cm. 2 B: The foam ejection range was over 40 cm and below 50 cm. 2 2 C: The foam ejection range was less than 40 cm. 2

[0049] The splash area of the liquid adhering to the wall due to the above ejection was also measured. The liquid splash range was measured by measuring the maximum distance between the center of the foam ejection range and the splash (liquid droplet) farthest from the center, and calculating the area of a circle with this maximum distance as the radius, which was taken as the liquid splash area. The results of the foam expansion ratio, the foam ejection range, and the splash area are shown in Table 1 below.

[0050] [[ID=3|1]]

Table 1

[0051] As is clear from the results shown in Table 1, when the nozzle mechanism 1 satisfies the above relation (1) and the difference between tanθ1 and tanθ / 2 is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.18, the foaming ratio is 10.0 times or more and the ejection range is evaluated as B or higher. From these results, it was demonstrated that the trigger-type dispenser of the invention exhibits excellent foaming properties of the liquid, even when the foam ejection range is wide. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1. Nozzle mechanism 4 Trigger 10 Spout body 11 Spout hole 12 Spout cylinder part 13 Discharge insertion section 14 Mounting cylinder section 20 Foam cylinder section 20a Injection side base 20b Front end large diameter section 20e front opening 20h introduction hole 24. Nozzle outer wall section 24a Through support part 24b Hinge section 25 Switching cylinder section 25d pinch part 25f Mounting pipe section 30 Sprayer Body A trigger-type sprayer B Container body X Spray direction Z vertical direction

Claims

1. A pressurized trigger-type dispenser that is attached to the body of a container that holds liquid, The system comprises a ejection body having ejection holes for spraying the aforementioned liquid, and a foamed cylindrical portion extending in the ejection direction from the ejection body. The ejection body has an ejection cylinder portion in which the ejection holes are formed, and a discharge insertion portion whose tip is inserted into the ejection cylinder portion, and a swirling groove portion is formed in the ejection cylinder portion or the discharge insertion portion to impart spin to the liquid. At least a portion of the liquid ejected in a cone shape from the ejection hole collides with the interior near the opening of the foaming cylinder and foams. The ejection angle θ of the liquid ejected from the ejection hole is defined as half the ejection angle θ / 2, the distance from the ejection hole to the opening end of the foam cylinder in the direction of liquid ejection is defined as L1, and HD1 is defined as half the inner diameter of the opening of the foam cylinder. Assuming that two sides, HD1 and L1, form a right-angled triangle, and that the angle between the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle and L1 is θ1, tanθ1 is greater than tanθ / 2, A trigger-type sprayer in which the difference between tanθ1 and tanθ / 2 is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.

18.

2. The trigger-type sprayer according to claim 1, wherein the ejection half-angle θ / 2 is 32.5° or more and 45° or less.

3. A trigger-type sprayer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein tanθ1 is 0.78 or more and 0.96 or less.

4. The trigger-type dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the foaming ratio of the liquid is 10.0 times or more when the trigger is pulled at a speed of 80 mm / second.

5. It is equipped with a switching cylinder that can switch between a connected state and an unconnected state with respect to the foam cylinder, The trigger-type dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the foam ejection range differs between the connected state and the unconnected state.

6. In the aforementioned unconnected state, the foam ejection range R1 is 40 cm. ２ More than 100cm ２ The trigger-type sprayer according to claim 5 is as follows:

7. In the aforementioned connected state, the foam ejection range R2 is 10 cm. ２ More than 40cm ２ The trigger-type sprayer according to claim 6 is as follows:

8. The trigger-type dispenser according to claim 6, wherein the foam ejection range R1 in the unconnected state is 1.5 times or more and 8 times or less than the foam ejection range R2 in the connected state.

9. The trigger-type sprayer according to claim 5, wherein the opening shape of the switching cylinder portion is a perfect circle.

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