Liquid ejector

Abstract

To provide a liquid jetting device that easily draws outer air into a container body through an outer air introduction hole while suppressing backflow of the contents into a cylinder.SOLUTION: A liquid jetting device 100 includes: a bottomed cylindrical cylinder 1; a plunger body 11 which is upwardly energized to the cylinder 1 and can move vertically within the cylinder 1; a stem 6d which is erected toward the upper part of the plunger body 11 and can move vertically; and a head part 30 which is attached to the upper part of the stem 6d so as to be pushed down and has a nozzle (nozzle tip 12). The cylinder 1 is provided with an outside air inlet hole 1d to supply outer air into a container body C with negative pressure in the container body C. An outer air inlet valve 5 is a cylindrical member that surrounds the cylinder 1 from the outside in the radial direction and is opened by the contact portion 5c of the outer air inlet valve 5 with the cylinder 1 being displaced outside in the radial direction. The contact portion 5c of the outer air inlet valve 5 is provided with a height difference in the vertical direction toward the circumferential direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] As an example of a conventional liquid sprayer, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is disclosed a liquid sprayer that includes a mounting tubular part that is mounted to the mouth of a container body, and a cylinder that hangs down from the mounting tubular part, and has an air vent with a check valve at the top of a two-way flow path adapter that is mounted to the cylinder, so that outside air taken in from the top opening of the two-way flow path adapter by the negative pressure inside the container body can be supplied into the container body through the air vent. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-47354 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the liquid sprayer of Patent Document 1, the inner diameter of the cylindrical valve member that functions as a backflow prevention valve is too small compared to the outer diameter of the two-way flow path adapter due to dimensional tolerances, and if the valve member contracts upon contact with the contents, the valve does not open, making it difficult to take in outside air into the container body, so there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a liquid ejector that can easily take in outside air into the container body through an outside air inlet hole while suppressing backflow of the contents into the cylinder. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the liquid ejector of the present disclosure comprises: [1] an attachment member to be attached to the mouth of the container body; a bottomed cylindrical cylinder that hangs down from the mounting member; a plunger body that is biased upward relative to the cylinder and is provided so as to be movable up and down within the cylinder; a stem that is erected above the plunger body and is movable up and down; a head portion that is attached to the upper portion of the stem in a depressible manner and has a nozzle for discharging the contents; Equipped with the cylinder is provided with an outside air inlet hole that supplies outside air taken in from an upper end opening by negative pressure within the container body into the container body, and the outside air inlet hole can be opened and closed by an outside air inlet valve; the outside air introduction valve is a cylindrical member that surrounds the cylinder from the outside in the radial direction, and is opened when a contact portion of the outside air introduction valve with the cylinder is displaced radially outward, The contact portion of the outside air introduction valve is characterized in that a difference in height is provided in the vertical direction in the circumferential direction.

[0007] The liquid ejector of the present invention is [2] In the configuration described in [1] above, it is preferable that the contact portion of the outside air introduction valve is disposed along an inclined surface that is inclined relative to the horizontal direction over the entire periphery.

[0008] The liquid ejector of the present invention is [3] In the configuration described in [1] above, it is preferable that the contact portion of the outside air introduction valve has a wave-shaped shape whose up-down position repeatedly changes up and down in the circumferential direction.

[0009] The liquid ejector of the present invention is [4] In the configuration described in any one of [1] to [3] above, it is preferable that the plunger body moves up and down in conjunction with the stem and abuts against a sealing member sliding on the inner surface of the cylinder, thereby suppressing excessive downward displacement.

[0010] The liquid ejector of the present invention is [5] In the configuration described in any one of [1] to [4] above, it is preferable to provide a forward / inverted adapter having an inverted introduction port that sucks in the contents and guides them to the cylinder in the inverted position, and a switching valve that blocks communication between the inverted introduction port and the cylinder in the upright position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a liquid ejector that can easily take in outside air into the container body through the outside air inlet hole while suppressing backflow of the contents into the cylinder. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a liquid ejector according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of an outside air introduction valve used in a liquid ejector according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a front cross-sectional view of a liquid ejector according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a front cross-sectional view of an outside air introduction valve used in a liquid ejector according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an outside air introduction valve used in a liquid ejector according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, a liquid ejector 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0014] In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a cylinder having a flange 2 attached to the upper end of the opening C2 of the container body C via a packing PK. The cylinder hangs downward from an attachment member 3 (described later) through the inside of the opening C2 of the container body C. The cylinder 1 includes a cylindrical cylinder body 1a with a bottom, a pressure relief portion 1b whose inner surface expands radially outward at a height below the center height of the cylinder body 1a, a valve seat 1e having a truncated conical side surface that narrows downward and on which an inlet valve 10 is seated, and an outside air inlet 1d and a pressure relief hole 1c located side by side at two positions, one above the other, on the cylinder body 1a. The pressure relief portions 1b are formed at multiple locations around the circumference and are provided to release fluid pressure within the cylinder 1 through the pressure relief portions 1b and the pressure relief hole 1c to prevent fluid from running out at the nozzle after the content has been ejected. Furthermore, the provision of the pressure relief portions 1b allows air within the cylinder 1 to be recovered into the container body C during priming, ensuring proper priming. The outside air inlet hole 1d is provided to take outside air into the container body C. That is, when the inside of the container body C becomes a negative pressure state, outside air taken in from the upper end opening of the cylinder 1 is taken into the container body C via the outside air inlet hole 1d.

[0015] In this specification, claims, and drawings, the up-down direction refers to the upper and lower directions when the liquid ejector 100 is attached to the container body C and in an upright position as shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the radially outward direction refers to the direction away from the central axis O along a straight line that passes through the central axis O of the liquid ejector 100 in Fig. 1 and is perpendicular to the central axis O, and the radially inward direction refers to the direction toward the central axis O along that straight line.

[0016] 1 and 3, the left side of the central axis O shows the state before the user presses the pressing member 8, and the right side of the central axis O shows the state when the user presses the pressing member 8.

[0017] In this embodiment, the container body C is formed by extrusion blow molding of a synthetic resin material. Alternatively, the container body C may be made of glass or the like.

[0018] Reference numeral 5 denotes an outside air introduction valve that radially covers the above-mentioned outside air introduction hole 1d. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outside air introduction valve 5 is a cylindrical member and includes a valve body 5a extending vertically along the cylinder body 1a and a flange portion 5b that protrudes radially outward from the upper end of the valve body 5a. In this embodiment, the lower end of the valve body 5a is provided with a contact portion 5c that protrudes slightly radially inward and abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1 when the outside air introduction valve 5 is closed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower end of the outside air introduction valve 5 including the contact portion 5c is inclined upward toward the right side of the figure. In other words, the lower end of the outside air introduction valve 5 including the contact portion 5c is arranged along an imaginary inclined surface that is inclined relative to the horizontal direction.

[0019] In addition, an annular protrusion 5a1 that protrudes slightly radially outward is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the valve body 5a. As shown in Fig. 1, the flange portion 5b is sandwiched between the flange 2 of the cylinder 1 and the packing PK, and the inner edge of the packing PK is undercut-engaged with the annular protrusion 5a1, thereby fixing the outside air introduction valve 5 to the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1.

[0020] The outside air intake valve 5 can be made of rubber such as ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) with a hardness of 50-70 degrees. However, when such EPDM is used, the outside air intake valve 5 may shrink depending on the properties of the contents.

[0021] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower end of the valve body 5a, on which the contact portion 5c is formed, is inclined relative to the horizontal direction. This configuration increases the circumferential length of the contact portion 5c compared to when the contact portion is disposed horizontally. The increased circumferential length of the contact portion 5c allows the outside air introduction valve 5 to easily elastically deform and deform with a small force. Furthermore, when a predetermined tensile strain is generated in the circumferential direction of the contact portion 5c, the radial gap between the contact portion 5c and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1 at a certain circumferential position is larger for the contact portion 5c that is aligned along the virtual inclined surface of this embodiment. Therefore, it is easier to introduce outside air into the container body C through the gap between the contact portion 5c and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1.

[0022] In this embodiment, the contact portion 5c is provided so as to follow a virtual inclined surface, but this is not limiting. As long as the circumferential length of the contact portion is longer than the outer diameter of the cylinder body 1a, various other aspects may be adopted in addition to the second embodiment described later.

[0023] Reference numeral 3 denotes an attachment member having a top wall 4 that fixes the flange 2 between itself and the mouth C2, and a peripheral wall 4a that stands up from the upper surface of the top wall 4. The attachment member 3 has a threaded portion 3S on its inside, and is detachably attached to the mouth C2 of the container body C. Note that instead of the threaded portion 3S, an engaging protrusion that protrudes radially inward from the peripheral wall may be provided so that the attachment to the container body C can be made by stoppering.

[0024] The head portion 30 of the liquid ejector 100 according to this embodiment is provided with a pressing member 8 and a nozzle tip 12, and when the pressing member 8 is pressed down, the contents stored in the cylinder 1 are pressure-fed to the head portion 30.

[0025] The pressing member 8 includes an outer peripheral wall 8d, an inner peripheral wall 8e provided radially inward of the outer peripheral wall 8d and forming a recess 8a, a nozzle accommodating portion 8c that accommodates the nozzle tip 12 therein, and a fitting recess 8f into which the stem 6d is fitted. The contents are pressure-fed into the pressing member 8 through the recess 8a.

[0026] Reference numeral 6 denotes a head base portion integrated with a sub-cylinder 6a, a horizontal wall 6b extending radially inward from the sub-cylinder 6a, and a stem 6d standing on the inner periphery of the horizontal wall 6b. As shown in FIG. 1, the sub-cylinder 6a has an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the cylinder body 1a in the region where the first piston 11d slides. A protrusion 6c is formed at the inner periphery of the horizontal wall 6b of the head base portion 6, protruding radially inward and contacting the plunger body 11 (described later) to close the discharge port A2.

[0027] As will be described later, the pressure inside the cylinder 1 increases as the stem 6d and subsequent plunger body 11 descend due to the downward movement of the pressing member 8, and the area of ​​the second piston 11g that receives the pressure is larger than that of the first piston 11d of the plunger body 11, and this difference in pressure-receiving area causes the plunger body 11 to move further downward relative to the stem 6d. This opens the discharge valve 15, which is made up of the protrusion 6c of the head base 6 and the inclined portion 11b (valve seat) of the plunger body 11.

[0028] The head base 6 is a cylindrical member that is disposed radially outward of the plunger body 11 and is provided so as to be movable up and down, and forms the above-mentioned discharge valve 15 between itself and the plunger body 11. The discharge valve 15 allows communication between the inside of the cylinder 1 and the nozzle by the downward displacement of the plunger body 11 relative to the head base 6.

[0029] 1, a stem 6d is erected above the plunger body 11. The inner peripheral surface of the upper end of the stem 6d is fitted into a fitting recess 8f of the pressing member 8 and is fixed to the pressing member 8.

[0030] A liquid flow path L is formed below the inclined portion 11b of the plunger body 11. The liquid flow path L is formed at a circumferential position between flow path ribs 11e that protrude radially outward below the inclined portion 11b. As will be described later, the compressed content in the cylinder 1 is pressure-fed upward through the liquid flow path L and sent to the discharge port A2.

[0031] A first piston 11d that slides on the inner surface of the cylinder main body 1a of the cylinder 1 is provided below the plunger body 11. In this embodiment, the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g are integrally formed.

[0032] 1, the space above the second piston 11g and the space below the first piston 11d are connected by a liquid flow path L. This allows the pressure inside the cylinder 1 to be maintained at a substantially constant level, and the content compressed inside the cylinder 1 is discharged from the discharge hole 12a via the liquid flow path L and the discharge port A2.

[0033] Reference numeral 10 denotes a suction valve that opens and closes a suction port A1 formed at the bottom end of the cylinder 1 in response to the up and down movement of the plunger body 11. In this embodiment, the suction valve 10 is configured as a ball valve.

[0034] The plunger body 11 is biased upward relative to the cylinder 1 by a spring SP. The plunger body 11 is also movable up and down relative to the cylinder 1. By pressing down the pressing member 8 of the head portion 30 attached above the plunger body 11, the stem 6d and plunger body 11 move downward, and then the plunger body 11 moves downward due to the difference in pressure-receiving area between the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g. When the plunger body 11 moves downward, the space below the first piston 11d in the cylinder 1 is compressed, increasing the pressure inside the cylinder 1.

[0035] A nozzle tip 12 is fitted to the pressing member 8. A discharge hole 12a for spraying the contents is formed in the nozzle tip 12. This discharge hole 12a consists of a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion, and can increase the flow rate of the pressure-fed contents so that they can be sprayed to the outside.

[0036] The liquid ejector 100 is provided with a cover member 50 that surrounds the head portion 30 from above and from the radially outer side (shown by imaginary lines (two-dot chain lines) in FIG. 1). The cover member 50 is formed in a topped cylindrical shape, with a cylindrical peripheral wall 51 and a top wall 53 that closes the upper end of the peripheral wall 51. The outer surface of the peripheral wall 4a of the mounting member 3 fits into the inner surface of the lower end of the peripheral wall 51, so that the cover member 50 is detachably attached to the mounting member 3.

[0037] Each member constituting the liquid ejector 100 can be made of, for example, synthetic resin or metal.

[0038] When a user uses the contents of the liquid ejector 100 having the configuration shown in Fig. 1, he or she first grasps the barrel of the container body C with one hand and grasps the peripheral wall 51 of the cover member 50 with the other hand, and then pulls the cover member 50 upward. This exposes the head portion 30, making it possible to eject the contents.

[0039] Next, with the cover member 50 removed, the user presses the pressing member 8 of the head portion 30 downward. When the pressing member 8 is pressed down, the stem 6d, which is fitted into the fitting recess 8f of the pressing member 8, is pressed down, and the plunger body 11 is also pressed down, increasing the pressure inside the cylinder 1. Then, due to the difference in the pressure-receiving areas of the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g, the difference in the pressing force acting on the plunger body 11 from below and the pressing force acting from above causes the plunger body 11 to move further downward relative to the head base 6, and the discharge valve 15 consisting of the protrusion 6c and the inclined portion 11b is opened (see the right half of Figure 1). As a result, the space below the first piston 11d is compressed, and the contents inside the cylinder 1, whose pressure has been increased, pass through the liquid flow path L and the discharge port A2 and are discharged from the discharge hole 12a.

[0040] When the user further presses the pressing member 8, the plunger body 11 continues to descend relative to the head base 6 while the discharge valve 15 remains open. Eventually, the second piston 11g integral with the plunger body 11 abuts against the step 9b of the seal member 9, which is fixed to the pressing member 8 and the head base 6 by the fitting portion 9c (see the right half of FIG. 1). This restricts further downward movement of the plunger body 11 relative to the head base 6, which is fixed to the seal member 9. Therefore, even if a downward force acts on the plunger body 11 due to the pressing of the pressing member 8, the second piston 11g of the plunger body 11 abuts against the step 9b of the seal member 9, as shown in the right half of FIG. 1, and the plunger body 11 does not move excessively downward. Therefore, even when the pressing member 8 is pressed down vigorously, the plunger body 11 reaches the pressure relief portion 1b earlier than when pressed down at a normal speed, which can prevent a significant reduction in the ejection volume.

[0041] When the pressing member 8 is pushed down to the lower limit of its movable range (see the right half of Figure 1), the first piston 11d of the plunger body 11 reaches a position that covers the pressure relief portion 1b of the cylinder 1. This releases the hydraulic pressure inside the cylinder 1 via the pressure relief portion 1b and the pressure release hole 1c. The release of the hydraulic pressure inside the cylinder 1 also releases the downward force acting on the plunger body 11, displacing the plunger body 11 upward due to the biasing force of the spring SP, causing the corner of the protrusion 6c to seat on the inclined portion 11b and closing the discharge valve 15. This stops the content from being ejected from the discharge hole 12a of the nozzle tip 12. Furthermore, because the hydraulic pressure inside the cylinder 1 is suddenly released, the content can be ejected smoothly.

[0042] When the user finishes using the contents and stops pressing the pressing member 8, the plunger body 11, which had been displaced downward within the cylinder 1, is urged upward by the restoring force of the spring SP and rises to the position shown in Fig. 1. As the plunger body 11 rises, the volume within the cylinder 1 increases, creating a negative pressure, and the suction valve 10, which was seated on the valve seat 1e, rises and opens, and the contents within the container body C are introduced into the cylinder 1 from the pipe 213 via the communicating passage R3 and the suction port A1. The introduced contents are pressurized within the cylinder 1 by the next pressing of the pressing member 8, and are then discharged from the discharge hole 12a via the liquid flow path L, the discharge port A2, and the nozzle.

[0043] When a user uses the contents in the container body C by pressing the pressing member 8, the amount of contents remaining in the storage space S decreases, causing a negative pressure to be applied inside the container body C. This negative pressure causes the abutment portion 5c at the lower end of the valve body 5a of the outside air introduction valve 5 to separate from the cylinder body 1a, opening the outside air introduction hole 1d.

[0044] When the outside air introduction hole 1d is opened, outside air introduced through the gap between the outer peripheral wall 8d of the pressing member 8 and the outer peripheral wall 4a of the mounting member 3 is introduced into the container body C from the outside air introduction hole 1d through the gap between the sliding portion 9a of the sealing member 9, which is opened by the negative pressure, and the cylinder 1. In this embodiment, the abutting portion 5c of the outside air introduction valve 5 is inclined relative to the horizontal direction, so that the circumferential length of the abutting portion 5c is longer than the outer diameter of the cylinder body 1a. This configuration increases the radial gap between the abutting portion 5c and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1 at a certain circumferential position when a predetermined tensile strain is generated in the circumferential direction of the abutting portion 5c. This reduces the negative pressure required to open the outside air introduction valve 5, making it easier to take outside air into the container body C through the gap between the abutting portion 5c and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1. Therefore, even if the inner diameter of the valve body 5a of the outside air introduction valve 5 is too small compared to the outer diameter of the cylinder body 1a due to dimensional tolerances, or if the valve body 5a contracts upon contact with the contents, the outside air introduction valve 5 is easy to open, making it easy to take in outside air into the container body C.

[0045] Furthermore, depending on the nature of the contents, the outside air introduction valve 5 may swell, causing the circumferential length of the contact portion 5c to become too long compared with the outer diameter of the cylinder body 1a. In this case, when the outside air introduction valve 5 is closed, the interference between the swollen valve element 5a and the cylinder body 1a may become smaller or a gap may form, resulting in leakage of the contents to the outside through the outside air introduction hole 1d. To prevent this problem from occurring, the initial interference (before swelling) may be increased, causing the contact portion 5c to strongly contact the cylinder body 1a. This allows for proper sealing even after swelling, preventing leakage of the contents. However, increasing the initial interference and causing the contact portion 5c to strongly contact the cylinder body 1a may make it difficult to take in outside air in the initial stage. Even in such cases, adopting this embodiment allows for both proper sealing (hermeticity) and the intake of outside air, even after the outside air introduction valve 5 swells.

[0046] In this embodiment, the abutment portion 5c is provided at the lower end of the outside air introduction valve 5, and the lower end (abutment portion 5c) is configured to follow the imaginary inclined surface, but this is not limited to this. For example, while the lower end of the outside air introduction valve 5 is configured to follow the horizontal surface as in the conventional example (Patent Document 1), the abutment portion 5c may be provided at a position spaced above the lower end of the outside air introduction valve 5, and only the abutment portion 5c may follow the imaginary inclined surface.

[0047] 1, a forward and inverted adapter 201 is provided at the bottom of the cylinder 1 to enable the contents to be sprayed even when the liquid sprayer 100 and container body C are in an inverted position. The forward and inverted adapter 201 has a cylindrical main body portion 210, and when the liquid sprayer 100 is in an upright position, a switching valve 225 blocks communication between the inverted introduction hole 221 and the communication passage R3. The contents in the container body C then flow into the cylinder 1 through the pipe 213 and the communication passage R3 in the forward and inverted adapter 201.

[0048] On the other hand, when liquid sprayer 100 is in the inverted position, the lower end of pipe 213 protrudes from the liquid surface of the contents, but inverted introduction hole 221 is positioned in the contents and switching valve 225 moves by its own weight to be opened. As a result, inverted introduction hole 221 and communication passage R3 communicate with each other inside normal and inverted adapter 201, and the contents inside container body C flow from inverted introduction hole 221 through communication passage R3 inside normal and inverted adapter 201 into cylinder 1.

[0049] In this embodiment, as described above, the cylindrical outside air introduction valve 5 is attached to the radially outer side of the outside air introduction hole 1d. This makes it possible to prevent the contents from flowing back through the outside air introduction hole 1d and entering the cylinder 1, even when the liquid ejector 100 is in an inverted position and the contents are used.

[0050] The outside air introduction valve 5 of this embodiment can also be used in liquid sprayer 100 that is not equipped with forward and inverted adapter 201. This is because the possibility of the contents flowing back through outside air introduction hole 1d by temporarily placing liquid sprayer 100 in an inverted position is similarly present even in liquid sprayer 100 that is not equipped with forward and inverted adapter 201.

[0051] As described above, this embodiment comprises an attachment member 3 attached to the mouth portion C2 of the container body C, a cylindrical cylinder 1 with a bottom that hangs down from the attachment member 3, a plunger body 11 that is biased upward relative to the cylinder 1 and is movable up and down within the cylinder 1, a stem 6d that stands above the plunger body 11 and is movable up and down, and a head portion 30 that is attached to the top of the stem 6d so that it can be pressed down and has a nozzle (nozzle tip 12) that dispenses the contents, and the cylinder 1 is provided with an outside air introduction hole 1d that supplies outside air taken in from the upper end opening by negative pressure within the container body C into the container body C, and the outside air introduction hole 1d can be opened and closed by an outside air introduction valve 5, and the outside air introduction valve 5 is a cylindrical member that surrounds the cylinder 1 from the outside in the radial direction, and the abutting portion 5c of the outside air introduction valve 5 with the cylinder 1 is displaced radially outward to open, and the abutting portion 5c of the outside air introduction valve 5 is configured to have a difference in height in the vertical direction in the circumferential direction. By adopting this configuration, the circumferential length of the contact portion 5c becomes longer than when the contact portion is arranged horizontally. Therefore, when a predetermined tensile strain occurs in the circumferential direction of the contact portion 5c, the radial gap between the contact portion 5c and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1 at a certain circumferential position becomes larger than when the contact portion 5c is arranged horizontally. Therefore, the negative pressure required to open the outside air introduction valve 5 can be reduced, making it easier to take outside air into the container body C through the gap between the contact portion 5c and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1.

[0052] In this embodiment, the contact portion 5c of the outside air introduction valve 5 is configured to be disposed along an inclined surface that is inclined relative to the horizontal direction over the entire circumference. By adopting such a configuration, the slight configuration change of inclining the contact portion 5c relative to the horizontal direction can increase the radial gap between the contact portion 5c and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1, making it easier to take outside air into the container body C through this gap.

[0053] In this embodiment, the plunger body 11 moves up and down in conjunction with the stem 6d and abuts against the seal member 9, which slides against the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder 1, thereby suppressing excessive downward displacement. This configuration prevents the plunger body 11 from descending significantly relative to the stem 6d. Therefore, even when the pressing member 8 is pressed down forcefully, the plunger body 11 reaches the pressure relief portion 1b more quickly than when pressed down at a normal speed, which can prevent a significant decrease in the ejection volume. This stabilizes the ejection volume and allows the contents to be ejected over a long pressing stroke of the pressing member 8.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the adapter 201 is configured to include an inverted / normal position introduction port 221 that sucks in the contents and introduces them into the cylinder 1 in the inverted position, and a switching valve 225 that blocks communication between the inverted introduction port 221 and the cylinder 1 in the normal position. By adopting such a configuration, the contents can be discharged from the head unit 30 in both the normal position and the inverted position, and the outside air introduction valve 5 of this embodiment can suppress backflow of the contents from the container body C into the cylinder 1, particularly in the inverted position.

[0055] Next, a liquid ejector 200 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 3 to 5).

[0056] In this embodiment, the configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment except for the difference in the configuration of the outside air introduction valve 105. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0057] Reference numeral 105 denotes an outside air introduction valve that covers the above-mentioned outside air introduction hole 1d from the radial outside. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the outside air introduction valve 105 is a cylindrical member and includes a valve body 105a that extends vertically along the cylinder body 1a and a flange portion 105b that protrudes radially outward from the upper end of the valve body 105a. In this embodiment, the lower end of the valve body 105a is provided with an abutment portion 105c that protrudes slightly radially inward and abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1 when the outside air introduction valve 105 is closed. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the lower end of the outside air introduction valve 105 that includes the abutment portion 105c has a wave-like shape whose vertical position repeatedly changes up and down in the circumferential direction.

[0058] 3, the outside air introduction valve 105 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1 by the flange portion 105b being sandwiched between the flange 2 of the cylinder 1 and the packing PK and the inner edge of the packing PK being undercut-engaged with the annular protrusion 105a1.

[0059] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the lower end of the valve body 105a, where the contact portion 105c is formed, has a wave-like shape in which the vertical position repeatedly changes up and down in the circumferential direction. This configuration increases the circumferential length of the contact portion 105c compared to when the contact portion is arranged horizontally. Therefore, when a predetermined tensile strain is generated in the circumferential direction of the contact portion 105c, the radial gap between the contact portion 105c and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1 at a certain circumferential position is larger for the contact portion 105c having the wave-like shape of this embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to easily introduce outside air into the container body C through the gap between the contact portion 105c and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 1.

[0060] As described above, in this embodiment, the contact portion 105c of the outside air introduction valve 105 is configured to have a wave-like shape in which the vertical position repeatedly changes up and down in the circumferential direction. By adopting such a configuration, the length of the contact portion 105c is further increased compared to when the contact portion 105c is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and the radial gap between the contact portion 105c and the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder 1 is further increased, making it easier to take outside air into the container body C through this gap.

[0061] Although the present disclosure has been described based on various drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each component can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, and multiple components can be combined into one or divided. It should be understood that these modifications and alterations are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0062] For example, in the first and second embodiments, the liquid ejectors 100, 200 are unitized in advance, but according to the present disclosure, they may be assembled as individual parts to the container body C without being unitized.

[0063] In addition, in the first and second embodiments, the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g are configured to be integrally formed, but this is not limited to this form, and the first piston 11d and the second piston 11g may be configured to be included in separate parts. [Industrial Applicability]

[0064] The present disclosure can be employed as liquid ejectors 100, 200 for cosmetics such as lotions and hair styling products, medicines such as insect repellents, and other beauty and health products, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 cylinder 1a Cylinder body 1b Pressure relief section 1c Pressure relief hole 1d Outside air intake 1e Valve seat 2 flanges 3 Mounting material 3S threaded part 4 Ceiling wall 4a Peripheral wall 5. Fresh air intake valve 5a Valve body 5a1 Annular protrusion 5b Flange part 5c Contact part 6 Head base 6a Sub-cylinder 6b horizontal wall 6c protrusion 6d stem 8 Pressing member 8a Recess 8c Nozzle housing 8d outer wall 8e Inner wall 8f Mating recess 9 Sealing material 9a Sliding part 9b Stepped section 9c Mating part 10. Intake valve 11 Plunger body 11b Inclined part (valve seat) 11d First piston 11e Flow path rib 11g 2nd piston 12 Nozzle tip (nozzle) 12a Discharge hole 15 Discharge valve 30 Head 50 Cover member 51 Peripheral wall 53 Top Wall 100,200 liquid squirt 201 Forward and inverted adapter 210 Main body cylinder 213 Pipe 221 Inlet 225 Switching valve A1 intake port A2 outlet C Container body C2 Mouth L Liquid flow path O center axis PK packing R3 communication path S Storage space SP Spring

Claims

1. an attachment member to be attached to the mouth of the container body; a bottomed cylindrical cylinder that hangs down from the mounting member; a plunger body that is biased upward relative to the cylinder and is provided so as to be movable up and down within the cylinder; a stem that is erected above the plunger body and is movable up and down; a head portion that is attached to the upper portion of the stem in a depressible manner and has a nozzle for discharging the contents; Equipped with the cylinder is provided with an outside air inlet hole that supplies outside air taken in from an upper end opening by negative pressure within the container body into the container body, and the outside air inlet hole can be opened and closed by an outside air inlet valve; the outside air introduction valve is a cylindrical member that surrounds the cylinder from the outside in the radial direction, and is opened when a contact portion of the outside air introduction valve with the cylinder is displaced radially outward, The liquid ejector, wherein the contact portion of the outside air introduction valve has a difference in height in the up and down direction in the circumferential direction.

2. 2. The liquid ejector according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion of the outside air introduction valve is disposed along an inclined surface that is inclined relative to the horizontal direction over the entire periphery.

3. The liquid ejector according to claim 1 , wherein the contact portion of the outside air introduction valve has a wave-like shape whose up-down position repeatedly changes up and down in the circumferential direction.

4. 4. The liquid ejector according to claim 1, wherein the plunger body moves vertically in conjunction with the stem and abuts against a sealing member that slides on the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder, thereby preventing excessive downward displacement.

5. 4. The liquid ejector according to claim 1, further comprising an adapter for use in both normal and inverted positions, the adapter having an inverted introduction port that sucks in the contents and guides them to the cylinder when in the inverted position, and a switching valve that blocks communication between the inverted introduction port and the cylinder when in the upright position.

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