Lever Charging Non-Aerosol Sprayer with Flexible Cable
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing non-aerosol sprayers, such as spring biased sustained duration pumps, require priming with the container on a surface and have a protruding piston rod that can be awkward and prone to getting caught, and often have complex spray valve arrangements.
Innovation Solution
A non-aerosol mechanical sprayer design featuring a spring biased piston in a cylinder integrated with a spray head, a lever charging element connected via a flexible cable, an inlet check valve, an outlet tube, a nozzle, and a trigger mechanism, with the nozzle at one end and the inlet and outlet at the opposite end, allowing for simpler valve arrangements and eliminating the need for a hose connection, and a load bearing surface to support vertical forces during charging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a spring biased sustained duration pump is used, then continuous spraying is achieved, but the container must be held on a surface during priming which is awkward and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The priming operation is extracted from the requirement to hold the container on a surface. The lever charging element allows priming to be performed by a simple lever motion while the container remains in the normal handheld position, eliminating the need for special priming positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
A lever charging element with a cable connection serves as an intermediary mechanism between the user's priming action and the piston. This intermediary allows the priming force to be applied through a convenient lever motion rather than requiring direct manipulation of the piston or container positioning.
2Ease of operation
If a piston rod extends from the container during priming, then the pump can be charged, but the protruding rod is awkward and prone to getting caught
Solution Approach 1:
The protruding piston rod is extracted from the design. Instead, a lever charging element with cable connection is used, which eliminates the need for a visible piston rod to extend from the container during priming operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable connection acts as an intermediary that transmits the priming force without requiring a rigid piston rod to extend. The flexible cable can be routed through the container wall and connected to the lever mechanism, eliminating the protruding rod issue.
3Productivity
If a hose connection is used between container and sprayer, then fluid can be transported, but the valve arrangement becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The hose connection is merged with the sprayer assembly itself. The outlet tube is integrated into the sprayer body, and the check valve is positioned within the sprayer mechanism, combining what were previously separate components into a unified assembly that simplifies the overall valve arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve serves as an intermediary element that controls fluid flow directionally. By positioning the check valve at the inlet to the accumulator and using it to prevent backflow, the system achieves reliable fluid transport without requiring complex valve arrangements throughout the entire system.
4Ease of operation
If the nozzle is positioned at one end and inlet/outlet at the opposite end, then the pump can be primed effectively, but the spray valve arrangement becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The check valve at the inlet to the accumulator serves as a key intermediary that simplifies the valve arrangement. It ensures unidirectional flow into the accumulator during priming and operation, eliminating the need for complex valve mechanisms to control flow directions throughout the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex spray valve arrangement is extracted and replaced by a simpler system using a single check valve at the accumulator inlet. The check valve handles the flow control function that would otherwise require multiple valves and complex mechanisms distributed throughout the system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables sustained continuous spraying without needing to hold the container on a surface, reduces the awkwardness of the piston rod, and simplifies the spray valve mechanism, providing a more efficient and user-friendly operation.
Implementation Method 1
a spring biased piston in a cylinder
Implementation Method 2
the spring exerts force against the piston which pressurizes the liquid in the cylinder
Implementation Method 3
a lever charging element which is coupled to the piston via a flexible cable
Implementation Method 4
an inlet check valve between an inlet to the accumulator and the bottle
Implementation Method 5
When the handle is pulled, the piston is moved through the cylinder against the spring, drawing liquid from the container into the cylinder
Implementation Method 6
The only outlet for the liquid is through the one-way outlet valve into the tube to the spray head which has a spray valve to control dispensing of the liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A sustained duration non-aerosol mechanical sprayer includes a spray head which is screwed onto the top of a bottle. The spray head includes a spring biased piston in a cylinder, a lever which is coupled to the piston via a flexible cable. A thumb support is provided to facilitate movement of the lever. A load bearing surface is provided to absorb force exerted by moving the lever. Anti-rotation structure is provided to locate the spray head relative to the bottle. A window in the spray head allows the contents of the cylinder to be viewed. According to some embodiments, the nozzle is located at one end of the spray head and the end of the accumulator to which the inlet and outlet are connected is located at an opposite end of the spray head.