Liquid material discharge device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a liquid material discharge device capable of compactly constituting a device size while allowing a liquid contact part to be attached to a body part without positional deviation. [Solution] This liquid material discharge device comprises: a body part 20 having an operation shaft 61 and a drive device 22 for driving the operation shaft 61; a liquid contact part 30 having a liquid chamber 62 and a liquid feed passage 34 for supplying a liquid material to the liquid chamber 62; and a liquid contact part connector 50 for detachably connecting the liquid contact part 30 to the body part 20. The liquid contact part 30 comprises an insertion part 323 in which a first screw groove 324 is formed on at least a part of a side surface. The liquid contact part connector 50 comprises: a rotary member 51 in which a second screw groove 511 to be screwed with the first screw groove 324 is formed; and a rotary member holder 52 for rotatably supporting the rotary member 51. The tip end of the insertion part 323 is inserted into the rotary member 51 to rotate the rotary member 51, whereby the liquid contact part 30 is raised and fixed to the body part 20.

Description

Liquid material discharge device

[0001] The present invention relates to a discharge device for discharging a liquid material, and more specifically to a liquid material discharge device having a mechanism for separating or connecting a liquid contact part and a main body part. Note that "discharge" in this invention includes a discharge method in which the liquid material contacts a workpiece before it leaves the discharge port, and a discharge method in which the liquid material contacts a workpiece after it leaves the discharge port.

[0002] A known conventional liquid material ejection device has a structure including a main body provided with a liquid chamber communicating with a nozzle, an actuating shaft driven within the liquid chamber, and a storage container provided on the side of the main body. Examples of the actuating shaft include a screw that rotates within the liquid chamber, a plunger rod of the same diameter as the liquid chamber that slides along the inner circumferential surface of the liquid chamber and moves forward and backward, and a rod of a smaller diameter than the liquid chamber that slides along the inner circumferential surface of the liquid chamber and moves forward and backward without sliding along the inner circumferential surface of the liquid chamber (e.g., valve stem 105 in Patent Document 1).

[0003] In a liquid material discharge device having the above structure, when performing maintenance such as replacing or cleaning consumables such as the liquid material or nozzles, the liquid contact part and various parts are removed from the main body, and during this process, accidents have occurred in which the liquid contact part and various parts fall. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, the applicant proposed to solve the problem of falling by providing a holder to which a housing including a discharge member detachably connected to a drive unit is detachably attached, and a movable member that moves up and down along the housing while attached to the housing, and by moving the movable member up and down, the discharge member and drive unit can be detached.

[0004] JP 2022-7035 A Patent No. 6452147 A

[0005] In a liquid material dispensing device having a structure in which the liquid contacting part is detachable from the main body, it is necessary to add a mechanism for attaching the liquid contacting part to the main body, which poses problems such as an increase in the size and weight of the entire device. Furthermore, there is a problem that the liquid contacting part may become misaligned when attached to the main body. In particular, in a jet-type dispensing device (jet-type dispenser) such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, which ejects droplets by moving a rod (operating shaft) with a diameter smaller than that of a liquid chamber back and forth, misalignment of the attachment position significantly affects the ejection accuracy.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid material ejection device that can be configured to be compact in size while allowing the liquid contact portion to be attached to the main body portion without misalignment.

[0007] The liquid material discharging device of the present invention comprises the following technical means: [1] A liquid material discharging device that discharges liquid material by the action of an actuating shaft driven within a liquid chamber, comprising: a main body having the actuating shaft and a drive device that drives the actuating shaft; a liquid contacting part having the liquid chamber and a liquid transfer path that supplies liquid material to the liquid chamber; and a liquid contacting part connector that detachably connects the liquid contacting part to the main body, wherein the liquid contacting part has an insertion part having a first thread groove formed on at least a portion of a side surface thereof, and the liquid contacting part connector has a rotating member having a second thread groove that threadably mates with the first thread groove, and a rotating member holder that rotatably supports the rotating member, wherein the liquid contacting part is raised and fixed to the main body by inserting a tip of the insertion part into the rotating member and rotating the rotating member. [2] The liquid material discharging device described in [1], wherein the insertion part has a linear groove extending vertically on the side surface thereof, and the rotating member holder has a guide that fits into the linear groove. [3] The liquid material discharging device according to [2], wherein the liquid contact portion is horizontally positioned relative to the main body by fitting the guide and the linear groove. [4] The liquid material discharging device according to [2], wherein the diameter of the rotating member is longer than the length of the short side of the main body, and the rotating member holder includes a pair of rotating member holders arranged along the longitudinal direction of the main body, and the pair of rotating member holders sandwich the rotating member so that the side surfaces of the rotating member perpendicular to the longitudinal direction are exposed. [5] The liquid material discharging device according to [4], wherein the pair of rotating member holders each have an arc-shaped inner circumferential surface, and the guide is formed on the inner circumferential surface. [6] The liquid material discharging device according to [2], wherein the linear groove includes a plurality of linear grooves arranged opposite to each other, and the guide includes a plurality of guides that fit into the plurality of linear grooves. [7] The liquid material discharging device according to [2], wherein the linear groove includes a plurality of linear grooves, and the number of the linear grooves is greater than the number of the guides. [8] The linear groove includes a first linear groove and a second linear groove arranged to form an acute angle, a right angle, or an obtuse angle, and by engaging one of the first and second linear grooves with the guide, the horizontal angle of the liquid contact portion relative to the main body portion can be adjusted. [2] A liquid material ejection device as described in [2].[9] The liquid material discharging device described in [2], wherein the linear grooves include first to third linear grooves provided at equal intervals on half of the side peripheral surface of the insertion portion, and the horizontal angle of the liquid contact portion relative to the main body portion can be adjusted by fitting one of the first to third linear grooves into the guide.

[10] The liquid material discharging device described in [1], wherein the insertion portion has an arc-shaped first side surface on which the first thread groove is formed and a second side surface consisting of a flat surface extending in the vertical direction, and the rotating member holder has a flat surface that comes into surface contact with the second side surface when the liquid contact portion is fixed to the main body portion.

[11] The liquid material discharging device described in any of [1] to

[10] , wherein the insertion portion has a flat upper end surface, and the liquid contact portion connector fixes the upper end surface and the bottom surface of the main body portion in surface contact.

[12] The liquid material discharging device according to

[11] , wherein a first guide portion is formed on the upper end surface of the insertion portion, and a second guide portion that fits into the first guide portion is formed on the bottom surface of the main body portion.

[13] The liquid material discharging device according to any one of [1] to

[12] , wherein the liquid contacting portion comprises a connector for connecting a storage container and a liquid transport member in which the liquid transport path is formed.

[14] The liquid material discharging device according to

[13] , wherein the main body portion comprises a storage container holder that holds the storage container connected to the connector, and when the first thread groove and the second thread groove are unthreaded, the storage container holder holds the liquid contacting portion via the storage container.

[15] The liquid material discharging device according to

[13] or

[14] , wherein when the main body portion and the liquid contacting portion are fixed, a gap of 20 mm or less is formed between the liquid contacting portion connector and the liquid transport member.

[16] The liquid material discharge device according to any one of [1] to

[15] , which is a jet type dispenser, a screw type dispenser, a plunger type dispenser, or a valve type dispenser.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to mount the liquid contact part on the main body without misalignment, and to configure the device in a compact size.

[0009] 12 is a perspective view of a liquid material discharge device according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which a liquid contact part has been removed from the liquid material discharge device according to an embodiment; FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a rotating member according to an embodiment; FIG. 15 is a bottom view of a housing according to an embodiment; FIG. 16 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a liquid material discharge device, including a cross-sectional view of a liquid contact part coupler according to an embodiment; FIG. 17 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a liquid material discharge device, including cross-sectional views of a liquid contact part coupler, a liquid feed member, a nozzle attachment member, and a connector according to an embodiment; FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an insertion part of a nozzle attachment member according to an embodiment, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side cross-sectional view of a main part; FIG. 19 is a side view illustrating an operation (1) when removing the liquid contact part from the main body; FIG. 19 is a side view illustrating an operation (2) when removing the liquid contact part from the main body; FIG. 19 is a side view illustrating an operation (3) when removing the liquid contact part from the main body; FIG. 19 is a side view illustrating an operation (1) when attaching the liquid contact part to the main body; and FIG. 19 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG. 10A and 10B are side views illustrating operation (3) when attaching the liquid contact part to the main body part. (a) A plan view of the insertion part of the nozzle attachment member according to the first modified example, and (b) A plan view of the insertion part of the nozzle attachment member according to the second modified example. (a) A perspective view of the liquid contact part connector according to the third modified example. (a) A bottom view of the rotatable member holder according to the fourth modified example, (b) A side cross-sectional view of the rotatable member holder, and (c) A plan view of the insertion part. (a) A bottom view of the rotatable member holder according to the fifth modified example, (b) A side cross-sectional view of the rotatable member holder, and (c) A plan view of the insertion part.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. <Configuration> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a discharge device 10 according to the embodiment is a jet discharge device (jet dispenser) that mainly comprises a main body 20 and a liquid contact part 30 and discharges a liquid material in the form of droplets from a discharge port 43. Within a housing that constitutes the main body 20, an actuating shaft drive device 22 is disposed at a position indicated by a dotted line, and moves an actuating shaft 61, which will be described later, forward and backward. The actuating shaft drive device 22, not shown, is configured, for example, by two actuators arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of an arm connected to the actuating shaft 61 (see Figure 1 of Patent Document 1).

[0011] A storage container holder 23 is disposed on the upper surface of the housing 21. The storage container holder 23 is a plate-like member having a claw portion 23a that is substantially C-shaped when viewed from above at one end thereof, and the claw portion 23a holds the side peripheral surface of the storage container 71. Also, a connector 24 for connecting a cable or the like is provided above the housing 21.

[0012] A liquid contact part connector 50 is removably disposed on the housing bottom surface 211 on the reservoir 71 side of the housing 21 by screws or the like. The liquid contact part connector 50 is composed of a rotating member 51 and a rotating member holder 52. As shown in FIG. 3 , the rotating member 51 is an annular member and has a spiral thread groove 511 formed on its inner circumferential surface. This groove 511 is formed to threadably mate with a spiral thread groove 324 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion 323 of the nozzle mounting member 32. A plurality of side through-holes 512 are formed on the side of the rotating member 51. These side through-holes 512 are used, for example, to insert a rod-shaped tool when tightening or loosening the rotating member 51.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the housing 21 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4 , the rotating member 51 is rotatably held by a rotating member holder 52. The rotating member holder 52 includes a pair of hook-shaped support portions 521 extending toward the center of the rotating member 51. The rotating member 51 is disposed between the support portions 521 and the housing bottom surface 211 so that its side surface is exposed. The pair of support portions 521, disposed along the longitudinal direction of the housing 21, clamp the rotating member 51 to prevent it from falling. The outer diameter of the rotating member 51 is longer than the short side of the housing 21 to facilitate rotational operation during attachment and detachment. The inner peripheral surface 522 of the support portion 521 is arc-shaped and sized to receive the insertion portion 323 of the nozzle attachment member 32. A guide 523, which is a convex portion, is formed on the inner peripheral surface 522 of the support portion 521. The guide 523 is positioned to fit into a linear groove 325 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 323, which will be described later. The guide 523 is cylindrical and extends horizontally, and its lower peripheral surface allows for smooth engagement with the linear groove 325. In the embodiment, the guide 523 is provided at the center in the vertical and horizontal directions of the support part 521 located farther from the storage container 71, but the guide may also be provided on the support part 521 located closer to the storage container 71. Because the guide 523 is provided on the path of the insertion part 323, a positioning mechanism for the liquid contact part 30 is realized without increasing the size of the device.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a side view of the liquid material discharge device 10, including a cross-sectional view of the liquid contact portion connector 50 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, when the liquid contact portion 30 is attached to the main body 20, the storage container 71 is positioned upright on the side of the housing 21. The annular insertion portion upper end surface 323a is fixed in surface contact with the housing bottom surface 211. A gap G is provided between the bottom surface of the rotating member holder 52 and the nozzle mounting member 32 and the second liquid delivery member 312, ensuring a constant non-contact relationship. This gap G ensures contact between the insertion portion upper end surface 323a and the housing bottom surface 211. The liquid contact portion 30 is positioned in surface contact with the flat insertion portion upper end surface 323a and the flat housing bottom surface 211, ensuring accurate installation. To achieve a compact device, the gap G is preferably 20 mm or less, and is set, for example, in the range of 1 to 10 mm or 0.5 to 5 mm.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a side view of the liquid material discharge device 10, including cross-sectional views of the liquid contact part connector 50, liquid delivery member 31, nozzle mounting member 32, and connector 33 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6 , the nozzle mounting member 32 includes a mounting portion 321 extending downward, a body portion 322 located in the vertical center, and a cylindrical insertion portion 323 extending upward. A through-hole extending vertically is formed inside the nozzle mounting member 32, and an annular seal 63 divides the interior of the nozzle mounting member 32 into a liquid chamber 62 and an upper space 64. The liquid material filling the liquid chamber 62 is blocked by the seal 63 and does not reach the upper space 64. An actuating shaft 61 driven within the liquid chamber 62 is inserted through the seal 63. The actuating shaft 61 is a rod-shaped member (rod) with a smaller diameter than the liquid chamber 62. Since no sliding resistance occurs between the actuating shaft 61 and the liquid chamber 62, the actuating shaft 61 can reciprocate at high speed using the actuating shaft drive device 22.

[0016] A nozzle member 41 having a nozzle 42 is detachably attached to the attachment portion 321 of the nozzle attachment member 32. A valve seat 44 having a through hole at its center is disposed between the lower end of the attachment portion 321 and the inner bottom surface of the nozzle member 41. By removing the nozzle member 41 from the attachment portion 321 of the nozzle attachment member 32, the valve seat 44 can be easily replaced.

[0017] A liquid transport member 31 having a liquid transport path 34 is detachably connected to the side of the body 322 of the nozzle mounting member 32. One end of the liquid transport path 34 is provided on the side of the liquid chamber 62 and communicates with the storage container 71 via the liquid transport path 34. The liquid transport member 31 includes a first liquid transport member 311 having a liquid transport path 34a formed therein and a second liquid transport member 312 having a liquid transport path 34b formed therein. The first liquid transport member 311 and the second liquid transport member 312 are detachably connected and can be disassembled for maintenance of the liquid transport path 34. The first liquid transport member 311 includes a connector holder 311a extending upward, and a connector 33 is rotatably held by the connector holder 311a. A storage container 71 is detachably connected to the connector 33.

[0018] FIG. 7 shows only the insertion portion 323 of the nozzle mounting member 32, with (a) being a plan view, (b) being a front view, and (c) being a side cross-sectional view of the main portion. As shown in FIGS. 7(a) and (b), the upper surface of the insertion portion 323 is formed of an annular flat surface. As shown in FIG. 7(b), the upper portion 323b of the insertion portion 323 has a smaller diameter than the lower portion 323c to facilitate insertion into the rotating member 51 and the rotating member holder 52. As shown in FIGS. 7(b) and (c), at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface (side peripheral surface) of the insertion portion 323 is formed with a helical thread groove 324 and a linear groove 325 extending vertically across the helical thread groove 324. As shown in FIG. 7(c), the upper end of the linear groove 325 is open, but the lower end has a groove bottom surface 325a. Note that the lower end of the linear groove 325 may be open without providing the groove bottom surface 325a. By fitting the straight groove 325 into the guide 523 provided on the rotating member holder 52, the effect of determining the rotational direction (horizontal direction) position of the liquid contact part 30 when it is installed and the effect of preventing unnecessary rotation when the liquid contact part 30 is raised are achieved.

[0019] <Removal Operation> The operation for removing the liquid contact part 30 from the main body part 20 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. When the rotating member 51 is rotated in the loosening direction, the liquid contact part 30 moves downward due to the action of the spiral grooves 324, 511 (see Figure 8). When the rotating member 51 is further rotated in the loosening direction, the liquid contact part 30 moves further downward, and the engagement between the spiral grooves 324, 511 is released (see Figure 9). When the engagement between the spiral grooves 324, 511 is released, the liquid contact part 30 can be removed from the main body part 20 by moving the storage container 71 downward along the storage container holder 23, as shown in Figure 10. From another perspective, even when the engagement between the spiral grooves 324, 511 is released, the claws 23a of the storage container holder 23 still hold the storage container 71, preventing the liquid contact part 30 from falling even if the hand holding the liquid contact part 30 slips. In this way, the liquid contact part 30 can be removed from the main body 20 simply by rotating the rotating member 51 in the tightening direction, and no special tools are required.

[0020] <Installation Operation> The operation for installing the liquid contact portion 30 on the main body 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. With the actuating shaft 61 inserted into the seal 63, the insertion portion 323 is inserted into the inner circumferential surface of the rotating member 51 so that the guide 523 fits into the linear groove 325 (see FIG. 11). When the rotating member 51 is rotated in the tightening direction in this state, the liquid contact portion 30 moves upward due to the action of the spiral grooves 324 and 511 (see FIG. 12). FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the main portion of FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 13, when the liquid contact portion 30 is installed, the guide 523 fits into the linear groove 325, preventing the liquid contact portion 30 from rotating. When the rotating member 51 is further rotated in the tightening direction, the liquid contact portion 30 moves further upward, and the annular upper end surface 323a of the insertion portion 323 comes into surface contact with the housing bottom surface 211, thereby positioning the liquid contact portion 30 (see FIG. 14). In this way, the liquid contact part 30 can be attached to the main body 20 simply by rotating the rotating member 51 in the tightening direction, and no special tools are required.

[0021] The liquid contact part connector 50 of this embodiment described above allows for a coupling mechanism that does not increase the device size by using the nut-shaped rotating member 51 and the rotating member holder 52 that supports it. Furthermore, when attaching the liquid contact part 30, the annular upper end surface 323a of the insertion part 323 and the housing bottom surface 211 are positioned by their surfaces contacting each other, providing excellent fixation and preventing misalignment. Furthermore, by engaging the linear groove 325 with the guide 523, the liquid contact part 30 can be attached to the main body 20 while accurately defining its rotational position. Furthermore, the liquid contact part 30 can be removed and attached simply by rotating the rotating member 51, reducing the workload of disassembly and assembly work for maintenance.

[0022] <First Modification> Fig. 15(a) is a plan view of an insertion portion 1323 according to a first modification. Similar to the insertion portion 323 shown in Fig. 7, the insertion portion 1323 shown in Fig. 15(a) includes an upper end surface 1323a, which is an annular flat surface, and a helical thread groove 424 formed on the side surface of the insertion portion 1323. Also similar to the insertion portion 323 shown in Fig. 7, the through-hole formed in the insertion portion 1323 is separated into the liquid chamber 62 and the upper space 64 by a seal 63. The insertion portion 1323 according to the first modification differs from the insertion portion 323 in that it includes a pair of opposing linear grooves 1325a and 1325b. In the first modification, the rotating member holder 52 also includes a pair of guides (not shown) at positions corresponding to the linear grooves 1325a and 1325b. According to the first variant, by fitting together multiple guides and linear grooves 1325a, 1325b, it is possible to appropriately determine the rotational position of the liquid contact part 30 when it is installed, and to prevent the liquid contact part 30 from rotating when it is raised.

[0023] <Second Modification> Figure 15(b) is a plan view of an insertion section 2323 according to a second modification. The insertion section 2323 shown in Figure 15(b) differs from the insertion section 323 shown in Figure 7 in that it includes five equally spaced linear grooves 2325a-2325e on the left half, but is otherwise identical. The insertion section 2323 of the second modification is used by fitting it to a single guide 523 shown in Figures 2 and 4. When the storage container 71 is positioned on the longitudinal axis of the housing 21, as shown in Figure 1, it is sufficient to fit the linear groove 2325c into the guide 523. Alternatively, by fitting the linear groove 2325b or 2325d into the guide 523, the storage container 71 can be positioned at a position offset by 45 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the housing 21. Similarly, by fitting the linear groove 2325a or 2325e into the guide 523, the position of the storage container 71 can be positioned at a position shifted by 90 degrees from the long axis of the housing 21. With the insertion part 2323 of the second modification, when there is a restriction on the arrangement space of the liquid material discharging device 10, the position of the storage container 71 can be easily adjusted by combining the linear groove selected from the linear grooves 2325a, 2325b, 2325d, and 2325e with the guide 523.

[0024] While the second modification illustrates an insert having five linear grooves, the number of linear grooves is not limited to five and any number of linear grooves (e.g., two, three, four, seven, eight, nine, or ten) may be provided. In other words, an insert including first and second linear grooves arranged to form acute, right, or obtuse angles allows for adjustment of the horizontal angle of the liquid contact portion relative to the main body. Furthermore, an insert including first, second, and third linear grooves arranged at equal intervals on half of the side periphery allows for adjustment of the horizontal angle of the liquid contact portion relative to the main body in three stages. In the second modification, multiple guides 523 (e.g., two) may also be provided, and multiple linear grooves may be fitted into the multiple guides 523.

[0025] <Third Modification> Figure 16 is a perspective view of a liquid contact part connector 650 according to a third modification. The liquid contact part connector 650 according to the third modification includes a rotating member 651 and a rotating member holder 652. The rotating member 651 is identical to the rotating member 51 shown in Figure 3. The rotating member 651 is rotatably held by the rotating member holder 652. The rotating member holder 652 differs from the rotating member holder 52 shown in Figure 3 only in the shape of the guide 623. A guide 623, which is a convex portion, is formed on the inner circumferential surface 622 of the support portion 6521 of the rotating member holder 652. The guide 623 is formed at a position where it fits into the linear groove 325 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the insertion portion 323. The guide 523 has an elliptical cylindrical shape extending horizontally and is disposed so that its major axis is aligned vertically, allowing the lower side circumferential surface to smoothly fit into the linear groove 325. In this embodiment, the guide 623 is provided at the center in the left-right direction of the support portion 6521 located farther from the storage container 71. The guide 623 is provided on the path of the insertion portion 323, and therefore the size of the rotating member holder 652 is the same as the size of the rotating member holder 52 shown in Fig. 3. Although the third modified example discloses an aspect in which one guide 623 is provided, an aspect in which multiple guides are provided may also be used, as in the first and second modified examples.

[0026] <Fourth Modification> Figure 17(a) is a bottom view of a rotating member holder 752 according to a fourth modification, (b) is a side cross-sectional view, and (c) is a plan view of an insertion portion. Elements having the same configuration as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described again. As shown in Figures 17(a) and 17(b), the rotating member holder 752 according to the fourth modification includes hook-shaped support portions 721a and 721b that clamp the rotating member 51. The support portion 721a has an arc-shaped inner circumferential surface 722a, similar to the support portion 621 shown in Figure 4. Meanwhile, the support portion 721b, which is provided opposite the support portion 721a, has a flat support portion guide surface 722b.

[0027] 17(c), the insertion portion 723 inserted into the space formed by the support portions 721a and 721b has an arc-shaped first side surface 724 on which a thread groove is formed, and a second side surface (insertion portion guide surface) 725 consisting of a flat surface extending in the vertical direction. The insertion portion guide surface 725 is provided at a position where it is in surface contact with the support portion guide surface 722. By attaching the liquid contact portion with the insertion portion guide surface 725 and the support portion guide surface 722b of the support in surface contact, it is possible to appropriately position the liquid contact portion and prevent the liquid contact portion from rotating when it is raised.

[0028] <Fifth Modification> FIG. 18 (a) is a bottom view of the housing bottom surface 711 according to the fifth modification, (b) is a side cross-sectional view, and (c) is a plan view of the insertion portion. Elements identical to those in the embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described again. As shown in FIGS. 18 (a) and (b), similar to the housing 21 of the embodiment, the housing 710 has an actuating shaft 61 extending downward from the center of the rotating member holder 52 on the housing bottom surface 711. A first guide portion 761, which is a convex portion extending downward from the housing bottom surface 711, is provided on the side of the actuating shaft 61 toward the center of the housing. The outer periphery of the illustrated first guide portion 761 is circular in bottom view, but may have other shapes, such as a polygonal or elliptical outer periphery. The tip of the first guide portion 761 may be rounded to facilitate mating with the second guide portion (described later).

[0029] As shown in FIG. 18( c), the upper end surface 823a of the insertion portion 823, which abuts against the housing bottom surface 711, is provided with a second guide portion 824, which is a recess, at a position corresponding to the first guide portion 761. When the rotating member 51 is rotated so that the annular upper end surface 823a of the insertion portion 823 comes into contact with the housing bottom surface 711, the first guide portion 761 engages with the second guide portion 824 of the insertion portion. Positioning by engaging the first guide portion 761 with the second guide portion 824 enables appropriate positioning of the liquid contact portion when attached and more effectively prevents the liquid contact portion from rotating when raised. Note that the illustrated example discloses a configuration in which the linear groove 825 of the insertion portion 823 engages with a guide (not shown), which is a protrusion provided on the inner circumferential surface of the support portion 521. However, the linear groove 825 and the guide on the inner circumferential surface of the support portion 521 are not necessarily provided.

[0030] The configuration of the fifth modification can also be applied by combining the first to third modifications. Here, when the storage container 71 is positioned at a position rotated a predetermined angle from the longitudinal axis of the housing 21, as in the second modification, it is necessary to provide a plurality of second guide portions on the upper end surface of the insertion portion according to the rotational mode of the implementation. Alternatively, a first guide portion that is a recess may be provided on the bottom surface 711 of the housing, and a second guide portion that is a protrusion that fits into the first guide portion may be provided on the upper end surface of the insertion portion 823.

[0031] While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications and improvements can be made to the above-described embodiments, and such modifications and improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0032] For example, the operating shaft may be the screw of a screw-type dispenser that rotates within the liquid chamber, the plunger rod of a plunger-type dispenser that advances and retracts while sliding against the inner surface of the liquid chamber (metering hole), or the valve rod of a valve-type dispenser that opens and closes the communication port on the bottom of the liquid chamber that communicates with the nozzle.

[0033] The outer periphery of the rotating member (51, 651) may be knurled to prevent slipping, or may be provided with indications such as letters, figures, or symbols to visualize the number of rotations. The outer periphery of the rotating member (51, 651) may have a shape other than a circle, and for example, the outer periphery of the rotating member may be polygonal to visualize the number of rotations and improve operability.

[0034] 10: liquid material discharge device, 20: main body, 21: housing, 22: actuation shaft drive device, 23: storage container holder, 24: connector, 30: liquid contact part, 31: liquid delivery member, 32: nozzle attachment member, 33: connector, 34: liquid delivery path, 41: nozzle member, 42: nozzle, 43: discharge port, 50: liquid contact part connector, 51: rotating member, 52: rotating member holder, 61: actuation shaft (rod), 62: liquid chamber, 63: seal, 64: upper space, 71: storage container (syringe), 72: adapter, 211: bottom surface of housing, 311: first liquid delivery member, 312: second liquid delivery part member, 321: mounting portion, 322: body portion, 323: insertion portion, 324: screw groove (insertion portion), 325: straight groove, 511: screw groove (rotating member), 512: side through-hole, 521: support portion, 522: inner peripheral surface of support portion, 523: guide, 651: rotating member, 652: rotating member holder, 710: housing, 711: bottom surface of housing, 721: support portion, 722: support portion guide surface, 724: first side surface, 725: second side surface (insertion portion guide surface), 752: rotating member holder, 761: first guide portion, 823: insertion portion, 824: second guide portion, 825: straight groove

Claims

1. A liquid material ejection device that ejects a liquid material by the action of an operating shaft that drives within a liquid chamber, comprising: a main body portion having the operating shaft and a drive device that drives the operating shaft; a liquid contact portion having the liquid chamber and a liquid supply path that supplies the liquid material to the liquid chamber; and a liquid contact portion coupler that detachably connects the liquid contact portion to the main body portion. The liquid contact portion includes an insertion portion having a first screw groove formed in at least a part of a side surface thereof. The liquid contact portion coupler includes a rotating member having a second screw groove that engages with the first screw groove, and a rotating member holder that rotatably supports the rotating member. By inserting a tip of the insertion portion into the rotating member and rotating the rotating member, the liquid contact portion rises and is fixed to the main body portion.

2. The liquid material ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the insertion portion includes a linear groove that extends vertically on the side surface, and the rotating member holder includes a guide that fits into the linear groove.

3. The liquid material ejection device according to claim 2, wherein by fitting the guide and the linear groove, horizontal positioning of the liquid contact portion with respect to the main body portion is achieved.

4. The length of the diameter of the rotating member is longer than the length of the short side of the main body portion. The rotating member holder includes a pair of support portions provided along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion. The pair of support portions sandwich the rotating member so as to expose a side surface of the rotating member in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the rotating member.

5. The liquid material ejection device according to claim 4, wherein the inner peripheral surfaces of the pair of support portions are each arcuate, and the guide is formed on at least one of the inner peripheral surfaces.

6. The liquid material ejection device according to claim 2, wherein the linear groove includes a plurality of linearly arranged grooves that face each other, and the guide includes a plurality of guides that fit into the plurality of linear grooves.

7. The liquid material ejection device according to claim 2, wherein the linear groove includes a plurality of linear grooves, and the number of the linear grooves is greater than the number of the guides.

8. The liquid material ejection device according to claim 2, wherein the linear groove includes a first linear groove and a second linear groove arranged to form an acute angle, a right angle, or an obtuse angle. By fitting one of the first and second linear grooves with the guide, the horizontal angle of the liquid contact portion with respect to the main body portion can be adjusted.

9. The straight grooves include first to third straight grooves provided at equal intervals on the half side of the side circumferential surface of the insertion portion. By fitting one of the first to third straight grooves with the guide, the horizontal angle of the liquid contact portion with respect to the main body portion can be adjusted. The liquid material discharge device according to claim 2.

10. The insertion portion includes a first arc-shaped side surface formed with the first screw groove and a second side surface composed of a plane extending in the vertical direction. The rotating member holder includes a plane that is in surface contact with the second side surface when fixing the liquid contact portion to the main body portion. The liquid material discharge device according to claim 1.

11. The insertion portion has an upper end surface that is a plane. The liquid contact portion connector is fixed in a state where the upper end surface and the bottom surface of the main body portion are in surface contact. The liquid material discharge device according to claim 1.

12. A first guide portion is formed on the upper end surface of the insertion portion, and a second guide portion that fits with the first guide portion is formed on the bottom surface of the main body portion. The liquid material discharge device according to claim 11.

13. The liquid contact portion includes a connector for connecting a storage container and a liquid delivery member in which the liquid delivery path is formed. The liquid material discharge device according to claim 1.

14. The main body portion includes a storage container holder that holds the storage container connected to the connector. When the screwing of the first screw groove and the second screw groove is released, the liquid contact portion is held via the storage container by the storage container holder. The liquid material discharge device according to claim 13.

15. In a state where the main body portion and the liquid contact portion are fixed, a gap of 20 mm or less is formed between the liquid contact portion connector and the liquid delivery member. The liquid material discharge device according to claim 13.

16. The liquid material discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, which is a jet dispenser, a screw dispenser, a plunger dispenser, or a valve dispenser.

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