Piston-Free Spray Pump with Bendable Stem for Collapsible Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensing systems for liquids, particularly those using collapsible containers, face challenges in efficiently dispensing liquids as a spray due to the need for higher pressure differences to achieve atomization, and require more complex pump designs that are not easily recyclable.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing pump system with a resilient housing and a regulator that includes a sideways-bendable stem and displacement guide, allowing for relative displacement between the outer valve and the housing, which enables efficient liquid dispensing as a spray without a piston, and is designed for easy recycling as a single unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If a conventional pump design is used for dispensing liquid as a spray, then the pump structure becomes complex, but the pressure efficiency and atomization capability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the piston component from the pump system entirely. Instead of using a traditional piston-cylinder mechanism to generate pressure, the design relies on the compressibility of the container itself and a simple valve system to achieve spray dispensing, thereby eliminating mechanical complexity while maintaining pressure generation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical piston-based pressure generation system with a valve-controlled pressure retention system. The pump uses a first valve to control liquid flow from the container and a second valve to control spray dispensing, substituting complex mechanical motion with simpler valve actuation mechanisms
2Power
If a piston-based pump is used to achieve high pressure for spray dispensing, then the pressure requirement is met, but the pump design becomes complex and difficult to recycle
Solution Approach 1:
The invention designs the pump as a disposable unit that can be easily manufactured and discarded after use. By eliminating complex mechanical components like pistons and using simple valve structures, the pump becomes cost-effective to produce in large quantities as a single-use item, improving both manufacturing ease and recyclability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the pump body, valve mechanisms, and container interface into an integrated single-unit structure. This consolidation eliminates the need for assembly and disassembly of multiple components, simplifying manufacturing processes and enabling complete recycling or disposal of the entire unit without separation
3Reliability
If a collapsible container is used with the pump, then hygienic integrity is maintained, but the pump must overcome negative pressure to contract the container
Solution Approach 1:
The invention utilizes the container's own collapsibility to assist the pumping action. As liquid is dispensed, the container naturally collapses and contracts under atmospheric pressure, which helps drive liquid toward the pump inlet, thereby reducing the suction force requirement while maintaining hygienic integrity through the collapsible design
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
The system effectively dispenses liquids as a spray with higher pressure efficiency, reducing liquid usage and simplifying manufacturing while allowing for easy recycling, addressing the complexity and recyclability issues of existing systems.
Implementation Method 1
the pressure difference required from the pump is larger than for conventional systems dispensing the liquid in liquid state, since the pressure difference is also utilized to give kinetic energy to the liquid in order to break it up into droplets forming the spray
Implementation Method 2
The process of forming the droplets of the spray is known as atomization
Implementation Method 3
The housing is resilient and has a longitudinal direction. The regulator comprises a stem extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing at least between the inner valve and the outer valve. The stem is resilient along its length so as to be sideways bendable from an original shape to a distorted shape
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b~2c
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a pump (1) for a system for dispensing a liquid as a spray, in particular for a dispensing system which comprises a compressible container (400). The pump (1) comprises a housing (100) forming a chamber (110) and a dispensing opening (120), and a regulator (200) being fixedly arranged in the chamber. The housing is resilient and has a longitudinal direction (L). The regulator comprises an inner valve (230) for regulating a flow of liquid between the container (400) and the chamber (110), an outer valve (220) for regulating a flow of liquid between the chamber and the dispensing opening, and a stem (210) extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing at least between the inner valve (230) and the outer valve (220). The stem is resilient along its length so as to be sideways bendable from an original shape to a distorted shape. The regulator further comprises a displacement guide (240) located at an outer portion of the stem on an inner side of the outer valve. The housing comprises a guide region (104) located adjacent to the displacement guide. An outer perimeter (244) of the displacement guide and at least a portion of an internal surface of the guide region are adapted to each other so as to allow relative displacement between the displacement guide and the guide region substantially along the longitudinal direction of the housing, so as to transfer the sideways bending of the stem to a relative displacement between the outer valve and the housing along the longitudinal direction of the housing. The disclosure further relates to a spray nozzle unit (500), a system for dispensing a liquid as a spray and a method for dispensing a liquid as a spray.