Trigger-type liquid sprayer

Abstract

To provide a trigger type liquid ejector having a structure capable of reducing the number of components.SOLUTION: An ejector body 11 includes a tank part 18 provided between a vertical supply cylinder part 12 and a trigger part 15, communicating with the vertical supply cylinder part 12 at the interior, and formed so as to be elastically deformable. The tank part is formed into a cylindrical shape extending in an anteroposterior direction, and its front end opening and its rear end opening are respectively closed by an upper part of the trigger part and the vertical supply cylinder part. One part of the tank part is formed as an easy deformation part 22 which is formed thinner than the other part. At least a part of the easy deformation part is provided at a lower end of the tank part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A trigger-type liquid ejector is known from the prior art, as described in Patent Document 1. This trigger-type liquid ejector comprises a ejector body that is attached to a container body that contains liquid, and a nozzle member that is attached to the front end of the ejector body and has an ejection hole formed therein that ejects the liquid forward. The ejector body includes a vertical supply tube section that extends in the vertical direction and sucks up the liquid in the container body, and a trigger section that is arranged in front of the vertical supply tube section and is movable rearward while being biased forward, and a trigger mechanism that causes the liquid to flow from inside the vertical supply tube section toward the ejection hole side by moving the trigger section rearward. The trigger mechanism includes a piston that moves back and forth in conjunction with the trigger portion, and a cylinder into which the piston is inserted and whose interior communicates with the interior of the vertical supply tube portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-064634 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the trigger-type liquid ejector described above, there is a demand for reducing the number of parts.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a trigger-type liquid ejector having a structure that can reduce the number of parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the trigger type liquid ejector of the present invention comprises a ejector body attached to a container body containing liquid, and a nozzle member attached to the front end of the ejector body and having an ejection hole formed therein for ejecting liquid forward, wherein the ejector body comprises a vertical supply tube section extending in the vertical direction and sucking up the liquid in the container body, a trigger section provided in front of the vertical supply tube section and extending in the vertical direction, a tank section provided between the vertical supply tube section and the trigger section, the interior of which is connected to the interior of the vertical supply tube section and formed to be elastically deformable, and and a check valve that blocks communication between the inside of the tank portion and the inside of the container body through the inside of the vertical supply tube portion and allows communication between the inside of the tank portion and the inside of the container body through the inside of the vertical supply tube portion when the pressure inside the tank portion is reduced, the tank portion is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-to-rear direction, with its front end opening being closed by the top of the trigger portion and its rear end opening being closed by the vertical supply tube portion, and a portion of the tank portion is an easily deformable portion that is formed to be thinner than other portions, and at least a portion of the easily deformable portion is provided at the lower end of the tank portion.

[0007] A portion of the tank portion is an easily deformable portion formed to be thinner than the other portions, and at least a portion of the easily deformable portion is provided at the lower end of the tank portion. Therefore, when a lower portion of the trigger portion protruding downward from the tank portion is pulled rearward and a compressive force in the front-to-rear direction is applied to the easily deformable portion, the easily deformable portion is easily bent and deformed so as to protrude toward the inside of the tank portion. As a result, the inside of the tank portion is pressurized, and the check valve blocks communication between the inside of the tank portion and the inside of the container body through the vertical supply tube portion, so that the content liquid in the tank portion flows toward the nozzle member and is sprayed from the spray hole. When the trigger portion is released, the tank portion's restoration deformation reduces the pressure inside the tank portion, and the check valve establishes communication between the inside of the tank portion and the inside of the container body through the vertical supply tube portion, so that the content liquid in the container body is supplied into the tank portion through the vertical supply tube portion. As a result, there is no need to provide a piston or the like as in the conventional case, which simplifies the structure and reduces the number of parts.

[0008] The easily deformable portion may have a size in the front-rear direction that decreases with increasing distance from the lower end of the tank portion along the central axis of the tank portion.

[0009] Since the easily deformable portion decreases in size in the front-to-rear direction as it moves away from the lower end of the tank portion along the central axis of the tank portion, when the lower part of the trigger portion is pulled rearward, the part of the easily deformable portion that is located at the lower end of the tank portion and has the largest size in the front-to-rear direction is easily bent and deformed so as to protrude toward the inside of the tank portion.

[0010] The two circumferential ends of the easily deformable portion along the central axis of the tank portion may, when viewed from the front in the radial direction, exhibit a protruding curved shape toward the side away from the lower end of the tank portion in the circumferential direction.

[0011] When viewed from the front in the radial direction, both circumferential ends of the easily deformable portion exhibit a curved shape that protrudes in the circumferential direction away from the lower end of the tank portion, so that when the lower part of the trigger portion is pulled rearward, the load generated at both circumferential ends of the easily deformable portion and in their vicinity can be reduced.

[0012] The easily deformable portion may be provided over an angular range of 180° or more around the central axis of the tank portion.

[0013] Since the easily deformable portion is provided over an angular range of 180° or more around the central axis of the tank portion, when the lower part of the trigger portion is pulled rearward, the tank portion can be elastically deformed over a wide range while stabilizing the deformed shape. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the number of parts of a trigger-type liquid ejector can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a trigger-type liquid ejector according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a view of the tank portion shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the left and right direction. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a view of the tank portion shown in FIG. 1 as seen from below. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A trigger-type liquid ejector according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0017] One embodiment of a trigger-type liquid ejector will be described below. As shown in Figure 1, the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 is attached to a container body W containing liquid and includes an ejector body 11 having a vertical supply tube part 12 that sucks up the liquid inside the container body W, and a nozzle member 10 having ejection holes 10a formed therein for ejecting the liquid.

[0018] Unless otherwise specified below, all of the components that make up the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 are made of synthetic resin material. Note that all of the components that make up the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 may also be made of synthetic resin material. The liquid contained in the container body W may be a sprayable liquid with a relatively low viscosity.

[0019] In this embodiment, the direction along the central axis O1 of the vertical supply tube portion 12 is referred to as the vertical direction, and the bottom side of the container body W along the vertical direction is referred to as the lower side, and the opposite side is referred to as the upper side. When viewed from the vertical direction, the side where the nozzle member 10 is located with respect to the vertical supply tube portion 12 is referred to as the front side, and the opposite side is referred to as the rear side. When viewed from the vertical direction, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is referred to as the left-right direction.

[0020] The ejector body 11 includes a vertical supply tube portion 12, an injection tube portion 13, a connecting member 19, a trigger portion 15, a tank portion 18, a first check valve 20, and a second check valve 21.

[0021] The vertical supply tube 12 is formed in a multi-stage tube shape extending in the vertical direction. The vertical supply tube 12 includes a large diameter portion 12a and a small diameter portion 12b extending upward from the large diameter portion 12a. The large diameter portion 12a and the small diameter portion 12b are each formed in a double tube shape with an inner tube fitted liquid-tightly within an outer tube. An attachment tube 16 that is attached to the opening of the container body W is attached to the large diameter portion 12a. A pipe 17 is fitted into the lower part of the small diameter portion 12b. The lower end opening of the pipe 17 is located at the bottom of the container body W when the attachment tube 16 is attached to the opening.

[0022] The injection tube portion 13 protrudes forward from the vertical supply tube portion 12, and the inside thereof communicates with the inside of the vertical supply tube portion 12. The injection tube portion 13 is formed integrally with the outer tube of the small diameter portion 12b. Connecting member 19 is fitted onto the outside of injection tube portion 13. The front end of connecting member 19 is located forward of injection tube portion 13. Nozzle member 10 is attached to the front end of connecting member 19.

[0023] The trigger portion 15 is provided in front of the vertical supply tube portion 12 and extends in the up-down direction. The trigger portion 15 extends forward as it goes from top to bottom. The trigger portion 15 is provided below the injection tube portion 13. The upper end of the trigger portion 15 and the front end of the injection tube portion 13 are positioned at the same position in the front-to-back direction. The trigger portion 15 includes a main plate portion 15a and a pair of left and right side plate portions 15b. The main plate portion 15a is formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing the front-to-back direction. The side plate portions 15b are formed in a plate shape with its front and back surfaces facing the left-to-right direction, and each protrudes rearward from both left and right ends of the main plate portion 15a.

[0024] The tank portion 18 is provided between the vertical supply tube portion 12 and the trigger portion 15, and its interior is connected to the interior of the vertical supply tube portion 12 and is formed to be elastically deformable. The tank portion 18 is provided below the injection tube portion 13. The tank portion 18 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-to-rear direction, with its front end opening being closed by the top of the trigger portion 15 and its rear end opening being closed by the vertical supply tube portion 12.

[0025] Hereinafter, when viewed from the front-rear direction, the direction along the central axis O2 of the tank portion 18 is referred to as the circumferential direction, and the direction intersecting the central axis O2 is referred to as the radial direction.

[0026] The tank portion 18 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a rectangular shape that is long in the front-to-rear direction when viewed from the outside in the radial direction. The tank portion 18 is formed integrally with the trigger portion 15 and extends rearward from the main plate portion 15a of the trigger portion 15. The entire tank portion 18 and the trigger portion 15 are made of an olefin-based resin. The front end portion of the tank portion 18 is covered on both the left and right sides by a pair of side plate portions 15b.

[0027] The rear part of the tank part 18 is fitted into a mounting hole 12c formed in the front surface facing forward of the vertical supply tube part 12. The mounting hole 12c is formed in the front surface facing forward of the outer tube of the small diameter part 12b. The rear end part of the tank part 18 is fitted liquid-tightly into an annular groove 12d formed in the bottom surface facing forward of the inner surface of the mounting hole 12c. A communication hole 12e that communicates the inside of the tank part 18 with the inside of the vertical supply tube part 12 is formed in the vertical supply tube part 12. The communication hole 12e opens to a part of the bottom surface of the mounting hole 12c that is located radially inward from the annular groove 12d.

[0028] The first check valve 20 is provided in the vertical supply tube section 12, and when the tank section 18 is pressurized, it blocks communication between the tank section 18 and the container body W through the vertical supply tube section 12, and when the tank section 18 is depressurized, it allows communication between the tank section 18 and the container body W through the vertical supply tube section 12. In the illustrated example, the first check valve 20 is a metal ball valve that is seated so as to be able to move upward on the upper surface of an annular valve seat projection that protrudes radially inward and is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the small diameter portion 12b of the vertical supply tube portion 12. The valve seat projection is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the inner tube of the small diameter portion 12b.

[0029] The second check valve 21 is provided in the vertical supply tube section 12, and when the tank section 18 is pressurized, allows communication between the tank section 18 and the injection tube section 13 through the vertical supply tube section 12, and when the tank section 18 is depressurized, blocks communication between the tank section 18 and the injection tube section 13 through the vertical supply tube section 12. The second check valve 21 is located above the first check valve 20. The second check valve 21 is seated on the upper surface of an upward-facing annular valve seat step formed on the inner circumferential surface of the small diameter portion 12b of the vertical supply tube portion 12 so as to be able to move upward. The valve seat step is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the inner tube of the small diameter portion 12b. When the second check valve 21 moves upward from the upper surface of the valve seat step, it is urged downward by the urging member 21a. Note that the second check valve 21 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0030] In this embodiment, a portion of the tank portion 18 is formed to be thinner than the other portions as an easily deformable portion 22. At least a portion of the easily deformable portion 22 is provided at the lower end portion of the tank portion 18. The easily deformable portion 22 is provided over the entire lower end of the tank portion 18 in the front-rear direction, excluding the front and rear ends of the portion that protrudes forward from the mounting hole 12c of the vertical supply tube portion 12.

[0031] The easily deformable portion 22 is formed by recessing the outer peripheral surface of the tank portion 18 to make it thin. The inner peripheral surface of the tank portion 18 is continuous without any steps over the entire area, including the easily deformable portion 22. The thickness of the easily deformable portion 22 is, for example, 0.4 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less. The thickness of the tank portion 18, excluding the easily deformable portion 22, is, for example, approximately 1.0 mm. The thickness of the trigger portion 15 is thicker than that of the tank portion 18. The easily deformable portion 22 may be formed by recessing the inner circumferential surface of the tank portion 18 to make it thin, or may be formed from a soft material such as elastomer by, for example, two-color molding. The easily deformable portion 22 may be a film that is used as an insert product when the tank portion 18 is injection molded.

[0032] 2, the size of the easily deformable portion 22 in the front-to-rear direction decreases with increasing distance from the lower end of the tank portion 18 in the circumferential direction. The circumferential center of the easily deformable portion 22 is located at the lower end of the tank portion 18. The size of the circumferential center of the easily deformable portion 22 in the front-to-rear direction is smaller than the circumferential size of the easily deformable portion 22. Both circumferential ends 22a of the easily deformable portion 22 are located in the front-to-rear center of the portion of the tank portion 18 that protrudes forward from the mounting hole 12c of the vertical supply tube portion 12.

[0033] In a front view seen from the radial direction, both circumferential end portions 22a of the easily deformable portion 22 present a curved shape that protrudes in the circumferential direction toward the side that is away from the lower end portion of the tank portion 18. In the example shown, both circumferential end portions 22a of the easily deformable portion 22 present a curved shape that protrudes upward when viewed from the left and right. In a front view seen from the radial direction, the radius of curvature of both circumferential end portions 22a of the easily deformable portion 22 is 1 mm or more and 4 mm or less (approximately 2 mm in the example shown).

[0034] The easily deformable portion 22 is provided on the tank portion 18 over an angular range of 180° or more and less than 360° around the central axis O2 of the tank portion 18 when viewed from the front-rear direction.

[0035] The front end edge 22b of the easily deformable portion 22 has a curved shape that protrudes forward when viewed from below, as shown in Fig. 3, and extends linearly rearward from bottom to top when viewed from the left and right, as shown in Fig. 2. The rear end edge 22c of the easily deformable portion 22 has a curved shape that protrudes rearward when viewed from below, and extends linearly frontward from bottom to top when viewed from the left and right.

[0036] Next, a method for ejecting the liquid content using the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 described above will be described.

[0037] As shown by the dotted line in Figure 1, when the lower part of the trigger part 15 that protrudes downward from the tank part 18 is pulled rearward, the part of the upper end of the tank part 18 that is sandwiched between the two circumferential ends 22a of the easily deformable part 22 bends downward, and a compressive force in the front-to-rear direction is applied to the easily deformable part 22, causing the easily deformable part 22 to bend and deform so as to protrude toward the inside of the tank part 18. At this time, the inside of the tank portion 18 is pressurized, causing the second check valve 21 to move upward away from the valve seat step in the vertical supply tube portion 12, allowing communication between the inside of the tank portion 18 and the inside of the injection tube portion 13 through the inside of the vertical supply tube portion 12, and the content liquid in the tank portion 18 is ejected from the ejection hole 10a of the nozzle member 10 through the communication hole 12e, the inside of the vertical supply tube portion 12, and the inside of the injection tube portion 13. During this ejection, the inside of the tank portion 18 is pressurized, causing the first check valve 20 to be pressed against the upper surface of the valve seat protrusion in the vertical supply tube portion 12, blocking communication between the inside of the tank portion 18 and the inside of the container body W through the inside of the vertical supply tube portion 12, so that the content liquid in the tank portion 18 does not flow into the container body W.

[0038] Thereafter, when the trigger portion 15 is released and the tank portion 18 is deformed to restore its original shape, the pressure inside the tank portion 18 is reduced, and the first check valve 20 moves upward away from the valve seat projection inside the vertical supply tube portion 12, allowing communication between the tank portion 18 and the container body W through the vertical supply tube portion 12, and the liquid content inside the container body W is supplied into the tank portion 18 through the vertical supply tube portion 12 and the communication hole 12e. At this time, the reduced pressure inside the tank portion 18 presses the second check valve 21 against the upper surface of the valve seat step inside the vertical supply tube portion 12, blocking communication between the tank portion 18 and the injection tube portion 13 through the vertical supply tube portion 12, so that the liquid content inside the container body W does not flow into the injection tube portion 13.

[0039] As described above, according to the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 of this embodiment, a portion of the tank portion 18 is formed as the easily deformable portion 22 that is thinner than the other portions, and at least a portion of the easily deformable portion 22 is provided at the lower end of the tank portion 18. Therefore, when the lower portion of the trigger portion 15 that protrudes downward from the tank portion 18 is pulled rearward and a compressive force in the front-to-rear direction is applied to the easily deformable portion 22, the easily deformable portion 22 is likely to bend and deform so as to protrude toward the inside of the tank portion 18. This causes the inside of the tank portion 18 to be pressurized, and the first check valve 20 blocks communication between the inside of the tank portion 18 and the inside of the container body W through the inside of the vertical supply tube portion 12, and the liquid content in the tank portion 18 flows toward the nozzle member 10 and is ejected from the ejection hole 10a. When the trigger portion 15 is released, the pressure inside the tank portion 18 is reduced due to the restoration deformation of the tank portion 18, and the first check valve 20 connects the inside of the tank portion 18 to the inside of the container body W through the inside of the vertical supply tube portion 12, and the liquid contents inside the container body W are supplied into the tank portion 18 through the inside of the vertical supply tube portion 12. As a result, there is no need to provide a piston or the like as in the conventional case, which simplifies the structure and reduces the number of parts.

[0040] Since the easily deformable portion 22 decreases in size in the front-to-rear direction as it moves away from the lower end of the tank portion 18 in the circumferential direction, when the lower part of the trigger portion 15 is pulled rearward, the part of the easily deformable portion 22 that is located at the lower end of the tank portion 18 and has the largest size in the front-to-rear direction is easily bent and deformed so as to protrude toward the inside of the tank portion 18.

[0041] When viewed from the front from the left and right, both circumferential ends 22a of the easily deformable portion 22 have a curved shape that protrudes in the circumferential direction toward the side away from the lower end of the tank portion 18, so that when the lower part of the trigger portion 15 is pulled rearward, the load generated at both circumferential ends 22a of the easily deformable portion 22 and in their vicinity can be reduced.

[0042] Since the easily deformable portion 22 is provided over an angular range of 180° or more around the central axis O2 of the tank portion 18, when the lower part of the trigger portion 15 is pulled rearward, the tank portion 18 can be elastically deformed over a wide range while stabilizing the deformed shape.

[0043] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like are also included within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0044] For example, the size of the easily deformable portion 22 in the front-rear direction may be the same over the entire length in the circumferential direction. Both circumferential end portions 22a of the easily deformable portion 22 may be pointed upward. The easily deformable portion 22 may be provided within an angular range of less than 180° around the central axis O2 of the tank portion 18.

[0045] In addition, within the scope of the present invention, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described modified examples may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 trigger-type liquid jet 10 Nozzle member 10a spout hole 11 Squirt body 12 Vertical supply tube 15 Trigger section 18 Tank section 20 First check valve (check valve) 22 Easily deformable part O2 center axis W Container Body

Claims

1. an ejector body attached to a container containing a liquid; a nozzle member attached to a front end of the ejector body and having an ejection hole formed therein for ejecting the liquid forward, The ejector body includes: a vertical supply tube portion extending in the vertical direction and sucking up the liquid in the container body; a trigger portion provided in front of the vertical supply tube portion and extending in the up-down direction; a tank portion provided between the vertical supply tube portion and the trigger portion, the interior of which is in communication with the interior of the vertical supply tube portion and is formed to be elastically deformable; a check valve that blocks communication between the inside of the tank section and the inside of the container body through the inside of the vertical supply tube section when the inside of the tank section is pressurized, and allows communication between the inside of the tank section and the inside of the container body through the inside of the vertical supply tube section when the inside of the tank section is depressurized, The tank portion is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction, and a front end opening is closed by an upper portion of the trigger portion, and a rear end opening is closed by the vertical supply cylindrical portion, A portion of the tank portion is an easily deformable portion formed to be thinner than other portions, A trigger-type liquid ejector, wherein at least a portion of the easily deformable portion is provided at a lower end of the tank portion.

2. 2. The trigger-type liquid ejector according to claim 1, wherein the easily deformable portion decreases in size in the front-rear direction with increasing distance from the lower end of the tank portion along the central axis of the tank portion.

3. 3. A trigger-type liquid ejector as described in claim 2, wherein both circumferential ends of the easily deformable portion along the central axis of the tank portion exhibit a protruding curved shape toward the side away from the lower end of the tank portion in a front view from the radial direction.

4. 4. The trigger-type liquid ejector according to claim 1, wherein the easily deformable portion is provided over an angular range of 180 degrees or more around the central axis of the tank portion.

Images