Trigger Pump Sprayer with Precompression Piston for Consistent Spray
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pump sprayers fail to maintain consistent particle size distribution under ideal versus real-world operating conditions, due to variations in user operation and liquid properties, leading to inefficiencies in spray performance.
Innovation Solution
A trigger sprayer design that minimizes the difference in particle size distributions between ideal and real-world conditions by utilizing a precompression trigger mechanism with a reciprocating piston and a flexible tube system, which converts trigger motion into hydraulic pressure for consistent liquid dispensing, and includes a return spring for ergonomic operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the piston bore is made larger to increase spray volume, then the spray output increases, but the force necessary to achieve proper trigger stroke becomes too great for many users
Solution Approach 1:
The pump mechanism is designed with a piston bore that can be adjusted or varied during operation, allowing the system to adapt between high spray volume mode (larger effective bore) and low force mode (smaller effective bore). This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the pump characteristics changeable rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameters of the pump system, specifically the effective piston bore size, to match different user needs. By varying this key parameter, the system can provide both high spray output when needed and reduced force requirement when the user has limited hand strength.
2Quantity of substance
If the piston stroke is made longer to increase spray volume, then the spray output increases, but the user may not pull the trigger for the entire intended path length
Solution Approach 1:
The pump mechanism allows the effective piston stroke length to be dynamically adjusted based on actual trigger displacement. This enables the system to achieve adequate spray volume even when users cannot complete the full trigger stroke, as the effective stroke length adapts to the user's actual operation range.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention accepts that users may only perform partial trigger strokes and designs the pump system to function adequately with partial action. By allowing the effective piston stroke to be shorter than the full mechanical stroke, the system still achieves sufficient spray output without requiring perfect user technique.
3Quantity of substance
If the trigger articulation is made longer to increase pump displacement, then the spray volume increases, but the user may not operate the trigger as intended due to hand size constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system is designed with dynamic characteristics that adapt to different trigger articulation lengths. The effective piston stroke and bore combination adjusts to match the actual trigger movement range, ensuring adequate spray volume regardless of whether the user has a long or short trigger stroke due to hand size.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the effective pump displacement parameters to match actual trigger operation. By adjusting the effective piston bore and stroke length based on actual trigger articulation, the system maintains consistent spray performance across users with different hand sizes and trigger operation ranges.
4Manufacturing precision
If the pump is designed for optimal performance with a specific liquid, then the spray characteristics are optimized for that liquid, but the performance deteriorates when used with different liquids
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system is designed with universal characteristics that work adequately with multiple liquid types. By using adjustable parameters such as variable piston bore and stroke, the pump can adapt its displacement characteristics to match different liquid viscosities, surface tensions, and flow requirements, making it versatile for various applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump mechanism incorporates dynamic adjustments that allow it to optimize its performance for different liquids during operation. The variable piston bore and stroke characteristics enable the system to adapt to changing liquid properties, maintaining consistent spray characteristics across different liquid types rather than being optimized for a single liquid.
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 design achieves a significant reduction in particle size distribution differences between ideal and real-world conditions, ensuring effective spray performance with reduced user fatigue and improved liquid dispensing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The motion of the trigger causes pumping of the liquid from the reservoir and ultimate spraying thereof
Implementation Method 2
The pump is activated by an articulating trigger. The user squeezes the trigger with his or her hand, typically retracting the trigger from a forward resting position to a rearward dispensing position. The motion of the trigger causes pumping of the liquid from the reservoir
Implementation Method 3
The pump is activated by an articulating trigger. The user squeezes the trigger with his or her hand, typically retracting the trigger from a forward resting position to a rearward dispensing position
Data Source
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AI summary
A trigger pump sprayer in combination with a liquid dispensed from the sprayer. The trigger sprayer provides for efficacious particle size distributions of the liquids, when sprayed under non-ideal conditions. Non-ideal conditions include only partial strokes of the trigger, rather than full strokes and relatively slow trigger strokes. A bimodal distribution of particle sizes is obtained under two different operating conditions. The sprayer/liquid combination according to the present invention compresses the difference between the two modes, without requiring undue work by the operator. The advantageous particle size distribution difference is accomplished by using a precompression piston which reciprocates in response to trigger strokes, and selecting a liquid having appropriate properties to correspond to the trigger pump operating characteristics