JP4772419B2 - Liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device that ejects liquid contained in a container body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a liquid ejecting apparatus that includes a nozzle head provided with a nozzle and a pump mechanism that ejects liquid contained in a container body from the tip of the nozzle by pushing down the nozzle head. This liquid discharge device is called a pump dispenser, and is used by being mounted on the mouth and neck of a container body in which liquid such as shampoo, rinse, liquid soap and the like is stored.

  By the way, in a liquid discharge container (container with a pump) provided with such a liquid discharge device, the liquid remaining in the nozzle is collected at the tip, and after use, the liquid is dropped from the tip of the nozzle by its own weight. There was a problem of getting dirty. In addition, the liquid remaining in the nozzle may be solidified by drying and solidifying while being left for a long time, thereby forming a solid at the tip of the nozzle. The solid matter formed at the tip of the nozzle not only narrows the discharge port from which the liquid is discharged, but may also clog the discharge port. Further, when the nozzle head is pushed down, the liquid that is about to be pushed out from the nozzle breaks irregularly between the solid matter and the discharge port, so that the liquid is vigorously moved away from the tip of the nozzle. Problems such as abnormal discharge direction and abnormal discharge pressure that often cause discharge may occur.

  Therefore, in the conventional liquid ejecting apparatus, in order to prevent the liquid remaining in the nozzle from accumulating at the tip, when the pushed-down nozzle head returns to the original position, a back that generates a suction force at the tip of the nozzle is generated. The thing provided with the suction mechanism is proposed (for example, refer patent documents 1-3). However, all of the conventional liquid ejection devices having a back suction mechanism have a complicated structure due to the structure in which the back suction mechanism is arranged on the pump mechanism side or the pump mechanism itself has a back suction function. There was also a problem that would increase. Further, when the back suction mechanism is arranged on the pump mechanism side, a large amount of back suction cannot be taken due to the structure, and there is a problem that the liquid accumulated in the nozzle cannot be sufficiently sucked.

In addition, as a well-known document relevant to this invention, there exist the following patent documents 4 and 5, for example.
Patent Document 4 describes a configuration in which an elastic wall that reduces the volume of the pump chamber by pressing from outside is provided in the pump chamber, and liquid is discharged by pressing the elastic wall. However, the invention described in Patent Document 4 has a structure in which a pump mechanism for pumping the liquid in the container to the nozzle side is arranged on the nozzle head side, and the liquid accumulated in the nozzle as in the present invention is used. The structure is not provided with a back suction mechanism for suction. That is, in the invention described in Patent Document 4, by pressing the elastic wall, the liquid in the pump chamber is pressurized and the discharge valve is opened, and the liquid is discharged from the nozzle, while the pressure is released by releasing the pressure. The suction valve is opened by the negative pressure generated in the pump chamber as the valve is closed, and the liquid in the container is sucked up into the pump chamber. Therefore, in the case of such a structure in which such a pump mechanism is arranged on the nozzle head side, the head portion has a complicated structure, leading to an increase in the size of the head portion.
On the other hand, in Patent Document 5, the nozzle opening / closing means for opening and closing the discharge port of the nozzle portion includes an operation portion made of an elastic body covering the upper side of the main body portion (head portion), and the discharge port of the nozzle portion from the outer surface of the operation portion. And a structure that includes an opening that extends to the outside and closes the discharge port outside, and elastically deforms the operation unit to raise and close the opening / closing unit to be separated from the discharge port. However, in the invention described in Patent Document 5, by providing the head portion with nozzle opening / closing means for opening and closing the discharge port of the nozzle portion, the head portion has a complicated structure, leading to an increase in size of the head portion.
Japanese Patent No. 2697609 JP-A-8-337263 JP-A-9-290185 JP 2004-210328 A Japanese Patent No. 10-258866

  The present invention has been proposed in view of such a conventional situation, and has a simpler and less expensive structure, and a liquid ejection provided with a back suction mechanism capable of obtaining a sufficient back suction amount. An object is to provide an apparatus.

In order to achieve this object, the invention described in claim 1 is a liquid discharge apparatus that is mounted on a container body that stores liquid and discharges the liquid stored in the container body. A head portion that protrudes upward from the position and is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction while being biased upward, and a nozzle portion that extends from the head portion and discharges liquid from the tip portion And a pump mechanism that pumps the liquid contained in the container body to the tip of the nozzle portion by pushing down the nozzle head against the urging force, and the pushed-down nozzle head is in its original position. when returning to, and a back suction mechanism for sucking the liquid collected in the nozzle portion, a back suction mechanism to accommodate Rutotomoni arranged on the nozzle head side, the aspirated liquid When the nozzle head is pushed down while pressing the head unit, the liquid storage unit, the volume changing unit that changes the volume of the liquid storage unit, and the communication unit that communicates between the liquid storage unit and the nozzle unit, While the volume variation part reduces the volume of the liquid storage part, when the pressure on the head part is released and the pushed-down nozzle head returns to the original position, the liquid is restored as the volume of the liquid storage part is restored. A negative pressure is generated in the storage portion, and at this time, the communication portion causes the liquid accumulated in the nozzle portion to pass through a flow path provided separately from the flow path that guides the liquid pumped by the pump mechanism to the tip end portion of the nozzle portion. A liquid ejecting apparatus that is drawn into the liquid storage portion side .
The invention according to claim 2 is the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the back suction mechanism is arranged on the upper surface of the head portion.
Further, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the volume changing portion has an elastic member constituting at least a part of the liquid storage portion, and the volume of the liquid storage portion is changed by elastic deformation of the elastic member. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 or 2 .
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the third aspect, the elastic member is provided so as to cover the upper surface portion of the head portion and be capable of being pressed.
Further, the invention according to claim 5 is an operation member in which the volume changing portion is provided on the upper surface portion of the head portion so as to be capable of being pressed, and an elastic member that biases in a direction opposite to the direction in which the operation member is pressed. has, by releasing the pressing against the pressing to or operating member the operating member is a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that varying the volume of the liquid storage portion.
Further, in the invention according to claim 6 , the volume changing portion is opposite to the direction in which the operation portion provided on the upper surface portion of the head portion so as to be capable of being pressed and the operation portion formed integrally with the operation portion. and an elastic deformation portion which biases, by releasing the pressing against the pressing to or the operation unit of the operation unit, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that varying the volume of the liquid storage portion A liquid ejection device;

As described above, in the liquid ejection device according to the present invention, the back suction mechanism for sucking the liquid accumulated in the nozzle portion is disposed on the nozzle head side, thereby making the back suction mechanism a simpler and less expensive structure. In addition, a sufficient back suction amount can be obtained. Further, the back suction mechanism has a liquid storage part for storing the sucked liquid, a volume changing part for changing the volume of the liquid storage part, and a communication part for communicating between the liquid storage part and the nozzle part. When the nozzle head is pushed down while pressing the head portion, the volume variation portion reduces the volume of the liquid storage portion, while the pressure on the head portion is released and the pushed nozzle head returns to the original position. When the volume of the liquid storage part is restored, a negative pressure is generated in the liquid storage part, and at this time, the communication part is a flow path that guides the liquid pumped by the pump mechanism to the tip part of the nozzle part. Through a separately provided flow path, the liquid accumulated in the nozzle part can be efficiently drawn into the liquid storage part side. Therefore, in this liquid ejection device, the liquid remaining in the nozzle part after use drips from the tip part of the nozzle part, or the liquid remaining in the nozzle part is collected at the tip part of the nozzle part and becomes a solid matter. Can be prevented.

Hereinafter, a liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
A liquid discharge apparatus to which the present invention is applied is, for example, a pump dispenser 1 shown in FIG. The pump dispenser 1 is attached to a container body 2 that contains liquid, and discharges the liquid contained in the container body 2. The pump dispenser 1 is attached to the mouth and neck 2 a of the container body 2 by screwing. It is attached to the container body 2 via the cap 3. The container body 2 to which such a pump dispenser 1 is attached constitutes a so-called vertical manual pump-equipped container (liquid discharge container).

  Examples of the liquid stored in the container body 2 include shampoo, rinse, treatment, liquid soap, cosmetic liquid, cleaning agent, liquid detergent, soft finish, and liquid toothpaste. Further, the liquid is not particularly limited as long as it is a viscous liquid. Furthermore, in the present invention, when the solid component contained in these liquids (the component excluding moisture among the composition components in the liquid) is 10% or more of the total weight, it is solid at the tip of the nozzle unit 7 described later. This is particularly effective because it tends to generate objects.

  The pump dispenser 1 includes a nozzle head 4 that protrudes upward from the mounting cap 3, and a pump mechanism 5 that protrudes from the inside of the mounting cap 3 to the inside of the container body 2. Among these, the nozzle head 4 has a head portion 6 that is pressed and a nozzle portion 7 that extends from the head portion 6. The head portion 6 is attached to an upper end portion of a stem 10 to be described later, and is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction while being biased upward. A flow path 8 that guides liquid from the stem 10 to the nozzle portion 7 is provided in the head portion 6. The nozzle portion 7 has an elongated shape that extends in a substantially horizontal direction from the side surface portion of the head portion 6 and has a tip portion slightly bent downward. Further, the nozzle portion 7 may have an upward shape such that the tip portion is located above the base end portion in order to prevent the liquid remaining inside from being accumulated at the tip portion and becoming a solid matter.

  The pump mechanism 5 includes a cylinder 9 suspended from the mounting cap 3 inside the container body 2, a stem 10 inserted into the cylinder 9, and a bottomed cylindrical piston attached to the lower end of the stem 10. It has a head 11, a gasket 12 attached to the outer peripheral portion of the piston head 11, and a compression coil spring 13 arranged in a compressed state in the cylinder 9.

  The cylinder 9 forms a pump chamber P that is filled with the liquid sucked from the container body 2, and a suction port 14 for sucking the liquid stored in the container body 2 at the lower end thereof, and this suction A spherical suction valve 15 that opens and closes the mouth 14 is provided. Further, a suction pipe 16 that sucks the liquid stored in the container body 2 is suspended from the lower end portion of the cylinder 9 to a substantially bottom surface portion of the container body 2. On the other hand, a vent hole 17 for introducing air into the inside of the container body 2 is provided in the side surface portion on the upper side of the cylinder 9.

  The stem 10 is inserted into a through hole 18a of a support cylinder 18 provided on the upper surface portion of the mounting cap 3, and is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction. At the lower end portion of the stem 10, an enlarged diameter portion 10 a having a diameter larger than that of a portion inserted through the through hole 18 a is provided. The stem 10 urged upward by the compression coil spring 13 is prevented from coming off from the support cylinder 18 by the diameter-enlarged portion 10 a being in contact with the lower end portion of the support cylinder 18. On the other hand, the head portion 6 is attached to the upper end portion of the stem 10. Thereby, the stem 10 communicates with the nozzle portion 7 via the flow path 8 of the head portion 6.

  The piston head 11 is inserted into the enlarged diameter portion 10 a of the stem 10, thereby forming a flow path continuous with the stem 10. Further, a discharge port 19 for discharging the liquid in the cylinder 8 is provided in the side surface portion on the lower side of the piston head 11.

  The gasket 12 is provided so as to be in sliding contact with the inner surface of the cylinder 9 in order to prevent liquid leakage from the cylinder 9. Further, the gasket 12 is attached to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the outer peripheral portion of the piston head 11 so as to open and close the discharge port 19 of the piston head 11. Specifically, the gasket 12 is provided so as to be slidable in the vertical direction between an upper stopper 20a provided at the lower end portion of the stem 10 and a lower stopper 20b provided at the lower end portion of the piston head 11. Yes. The gasket 12 is in contact with the lower stopper 20b of the piston head 11 and closes the discharge port 19 before the nozzle head 5 is pushed down.

  The compression coil spring 13 is disposed in a compressed state between an upper spring receiving portion 21 a provided at the bottom of the piston head 11 and a lower spring receiving portion 21 b provided in the cylinder 9. As a result, the nozzle head 4 is movable in the vertical direction while being urged upward by the urging force of the compression coil spring 13. The lower spring receiving portion 21b also serves as a stopper that restricts the upward movement of the suction valve 15 when the suction valve 15 opens the suction port 14. At this time, the liquid flows into the cylinder 9 through a gap with the suction valve 15 in contact with the lower spring receiving portion 21b.

  By the way, the pump dispenser 1 has a configuration in which a back suction mechanism 30 for sucking the liquid accumulated in the nozzle portion 7 is disposed on the nozzle head 4 side. Specifically, the back suction mechanism 30 includes an elastic member 31 that covers the upper surface portion of the head portion 6 and that can be pressed.

  The elastic member 31 is made of an elastically deformable resin such as rubber, elastomer, polyolefin, silicon resin, or the like. The elastic member 31 is formed in a substantially circular dome shape, and its peripheral edge portion is attached to the upper surface portion of the head portion 6 by bonding or the like. Accordingly, the elastic member 31 constitutes a liquid storage portion S that is a space for storing the liquid sucked from the nozzle portion 7 together with the partition wall 6 a that constitutes the upper surface portion of the head portion 6. Further, the elastic member 31 constitutes a volume changing portion that changes the volume of the liquid storage portion S by its elastic deformation. The partition wall 6 a of the head unit 6 is provided with a communication hole 32 that allows communication between the liquid storage unit S and the flow path 8. That is, the communication hole 32 and the flow path 8 constitute a communication part that allows communication between the liquid storage part S and the nozzle part 7. Note that the volume of the liquid storage portion S is preferably equal to or greater than the volume of the nozzle portion 7. Moreover, it is preferable that the diameter of the communication hole 32 is set to such a size that the liquid stored in the liquid storage portion S does not leak due to surface tension or the like.

  In the container with a pump including the pump dispenser 1 as described above, first, the elastic member 31 is pressed by pressing the head portion 6 as shown in FIG. 3 from the state in which the nozzle head 4 shown in FIG. Due to the elastic deformation, the volume of the liquid storage portion S is reduced. Further, from this state, as shown in FIG. 4, the pump mechanism 5 pushes the liquid L contained in the container body 2 by pushing down the nozzle head 4 against the urging force of the compression coil spring 9. Pumped to the section.

  Specifically, in the pump mechanism 5, the stem 10, the piston head 11 and the gasket 12 are lowered together with the nozzle head 4, whereby the pump chamber P is compressed and the liquid L filled in the pump chamber P is added. It becomes a pressed state. At this time, the gasket 12 is in contact with the upper stopper 20 a of the stem 10 and opens the discharge port 19 of the piston head 11. As a result, the pressurized liquid L is discharged from the tip of the nozzle portion 7. At this time, the suction valve 15 closes the suction port 14 by pressurizing the inside of the pump chamber P.

  On the other hand, in this pump dispenser 1, when the pressed nozzle head 4 shown in FIG. 5 returns to the original position shown in FIG. As the piston head 11 and the gasket 12 rise, the pump chamber P is expanded. At this time, the gasket 12 is in contact with the lower stopper 20b and closes the discharge port 19 of the piston head 11. On the other hand, when the pump chamber P is expanded, the suction valve 15 opens the suction port 14 by the negative pressure generated in the pump chamber P. As a result, the liquid L accommodated in the container body 2 is sucked from the suction pipe 16 and filled in the pump chamber P again. At this time, as the liquid L in the container body 2 decreases, the outside air passes through the vent hole 17 of the cylinder 9 from the gap between the stem 10 and the through hole 18a of the support cylinder 18, and the outside air flows into the container body 2. It will be introduced inside.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the pressed nozzle head 4 returns to the original position, the elastic member 31 is elastically restored by releasing the pressure on the head portion 6. At this time, as the volume of the liquid storage portion S is restored (expanded), a negative pressure is generated in the liquid storage portion S, and the liquid L accumulated in the nozzle portion 7 passes through the communication hole 32 from the flow path 8. It passes through and is drawn into the liquid storage part S.

  Therefore, in this pump dispenser 1, the liquid L remaining in the nozzle portion 7 after use drips from the tip portion of the nozzle portion 7, or the liquid L remaining in the nozzle portion 7 accumulates at the tip portion of the nozzle portion 7. It can prevent becoming a solid substance.

  As described above, in this pump dispenser 1, the back suction mechanism 30 is arranged on the nozzle head 4 side, so that the structure in which the conventional back suction mechanism is arranged on the pump mechanism side or the pump mechanism itself has a back suction function. Compared to the structure, the pump mechanism 5 and the back suction mechanism 30 can be made simpler and less expensive. In addition, a sufficient back suction amount corresponding to the volume of the liquid storage portion S can be obtained without depending on the volume of the pump chamber P described above.

  Further, the liquid ejection device to which the present invention is applied is not necessarily limited to the configuration of the back suction mechanism 30 provided in the pump dispenser 1. For example, a configuration including back suction mechanisms 40, 50, 60, and 70 as shown in FIGS.

  Specifically, the back suction mechanism 40 shown in FIG. 8 has an elastic member 41 that covers the upper surface portion of the head portion 6 and that can be pressed. The elastic member 41 is made of an elastically deformable resin such as rubber, elastomer, polyolefin, or silicone resin, and is formed in a cap shape. A peripheral portion of the elastic member 41 is fixed to the upper surface of the head portion 6 by a fixing tool 42. It is attached in the state. Thereby, the elastic member 41 constitutes a liquid storage portion S that is a space for storing the liquid sucked from the nozzle portion 7 together with the partition wall 6a constituting the upper surface portion of the head portion 6. Further, the elastic member 41 constitutes a volume changing portion that changes the volume of the liquid storage portion S by its elastic deformation.

  In the case of the back suction mechanism 40 shown in FIG. 8, when the nozzle head 4 is pushed down while pressing the head portion 6, the volume of the liquid storage portion S is reduced by elastic deformation of the elastic member 41. On the other hand, when the pressure applied to the head unit 6 is released and the depressed nozzle head 4 returns to the original position, the volume of the liquid storage unit S is restored (expanded) and is negatively charged in the liquid storage unit S. A pressure is generated, and at this time, the liquid accumulated in the nozzle part 7 can be drawn into the liquid storage part S through the communication hole 32 and the flow path 8. As a result, the liquid remaining in the nozzle part 7 after use drips from the tip part of the nozzle part 7 or the liquid remaining in the nozzle part 7 accumulates at the tip part of the nozzle part 7 and becomes a solid substance. Can be prevented.

  On the other hand, the back suction mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 9 has an operation member 51 provided on the upper surface portion of the head portion 6 so as to be pressed. The operation member 51 has an operation portion 51a whose upper surface portion is pressed and a bellows-like shape whose side surface portion is integrally formed with the operation portion 51a and urges it in a direction opposite to the direction of pressing the operation portion 51a. The elastic deformation part 51b is comprised. The operation member 51 constitutes a liquid storage portion S that is a space for storing the liquid sucked from the nozzle portion 7 together with the partition wall 6 a constituting the upper surface portion of the head portion 6. Further, the operation member 51 constitutes a volume changing portion that changes the volume of the liquid storage portion S by elastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion 51b.

  In the case of the back suction mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 9, when the nozzle head 4 is pressed down while pressing the head portion 6, the volume of the liquid storage portion S is reduced by pressing the operation portion 51a. On the other hand, when the pressure applied to the head portion 6 is released and the depressed nozzle head 4 returns to the original position, the volume of the liquid storage portion S is restored (expanded) by the elastic return of the elastic deformation portion 51b. Thus, a negative pressure is generated in the liquid storage portion S, and at this time, the liquid accumulated in the nozzle portion 7 can be drawn into the liquid storage portion S through the communication hole 32 and the flow path 8. As a result, the liquid remaining in the nozzle part 7 after use drips from the tip part of the nozzle part 7 or the liquid remaining in the nozzle part 7 accumulates at the tip part of the nozzle part 7 and becomes a solid substance. Can be prevented.

  On the other hand, the back suction mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 10 includes an operation member 61 provided on the upper surface of the head unit 6 so as to be capable of being pressed as a volume changing unit that changes the volume of the liquid storage unit S, and the operation member 61. A compression coil spring 62, which is an elastic member that biases in the direction opposite to the pressing direction, is provided. The operating member 61 is fitted in a fitting recess 63 provided on the upper surface portion of the head portion 6 and supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Further, a protruding portion 61 a is provided to protrude from the lower end portion of the operation member 61. The operating member 61 urged upward by the compression coil spring 62 is prevented from coming off from the fitting recess 63 by the protrusion 61 a coming into contact with a stopper 63 a provided on the inner surface of the fitting recess 63. Has been made. The operation member 61, together with the partition wall 6a constituting the upper surface portion of the head portion 6 and the fitting recess 63, constitutes a liquid storage portion S that is a space for storing the liquid sucked from the nozzle portion 7. The compression coil spring 62 is disposed in a compressed state in the liquid storage portion S. The elastic member that urges the operation member 61 upward is not limited to the compression coil spring 62, and various spring members can be used.

  In the case of the back suction mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 10, when the nozzle head 4 is pressed down while pressing the head portion 6, the volume of the liquid storage portion S is reduced by pressing the operation member 61. On the other hand, when the pressure on the head portion 6 is released and the pressed nozzle head 4 returns to the original position, the operation member 61 returns to the original position, and the volume of the liquid storage portion S is restored (expanded). As a result, a negative pressure is generated in the liquid storage portion S. At this time, the liquid accumulated in the nozzle portion 7 can be drawn into the liquid storage portion S through the communication hole 32 and the flow path 8. As a result, the liquid remaining in the nozzle part 7 after use drips from the tip part of the nozzle part 7 or the liquid remaining in the nozzle part 7 accumulates at the tip part of the nozzle part 7 and becomes a solid substance. Can be prevented.

On the other hand, the back suction mechanism 70 shown in FIG. 11 is provided with a flow path 71 that draws the liquid accumulated at the tip of the nozzle portion 7 into the liquid storage portion S in the back suction mechanism 30 shown in FIG. . In this case, the liquid accumulated at the tip of the nozzle portion 7 through the flow path 71 can be efficiently drawn into the liquid storage portion S.

In addition, the liquid ejection device to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the configuration in which the back suction mechanism for sucking the liquid accumulated in the nozzle unit 7 described above is arranged on the upper surface portion of the head unit 6, but depending on the case, It can also be set as the structure arrange | positioned at the lower surface part side.
In addition, the liquid discharge apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not necessarily limited to the configuration using the pump mechanism 5, and a conventionally known pump mechanism can be used, and in some cases, a pump with a back suction function A mechanism can be used.

Hereinafter, the effects of the present invention will be made clearer by examples.
In this embodiment, first, a general pump dispenser, a pump dispenser with a back suction function, a combination of a general pump dispenser and a nozzle head with a back suction mechanism, and a pump dispenser with a back suction function with a back suction mechanism A combination of nozzle heads was prepared, and a suction performance evaluation test was performed on a pump-equipped container equipped with each pump dispenser to examine the remaining state of the liquid at the nozzle tip when the liquid contents were discharged. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.
In this test, a dome-shaped elastic member similar to the back suction mechanism 30 shown in FIG. 1 was used as the back suction mechanism. This elastic member is made of a polyester-based elastomer, and has a diameter of 20 mm, a height of 6 mm, and an average thickness of 0.8 mm. Moreover, a beautiful clean body soap (trade name) manufactured by Lion Corporation was used as the content solution.

  From the evaluation results shown in Table 1, since there was no liquid suction in a general pump dispenser, liquid dripping from the nozzle tip was confirmed. On the other hand, in the pump dispenser with a back suction function, liquid was sucked to the middle of the nozzle, but slight liquid dripping from the nozzle tip was confirmed. In contrast, a combination of a general pump dispenser with a nozzle head with a back suction mechanism and a combination of a pump dispenser with a back suction function and a nozzle head with a back suction mechanism both have liquid up to the base of the nozzle. The liquid was sucked and no dripping from the nozzle tip was confirmed.

Next, a time-dependent discharge performance evaluation test was performed on the pump-equipped container equipped with each of the pump dispensers to check for clogging generated at the nozzle tip when the content liquid was repeatedly discharged. The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.
In this test, the clogging state of the nozzle tip was examined while performing a discharge operation twice a day in an environment of an air temperature of 25 ° C. and a humidity of 40%. Moreover, a beautiful clean body soap (trade name) manufactured by Lion Corporation was used as the content solution.

  From the evaluation results shown in Table 2, in a general pump dispenser, clogging of the nozzle tip was confirmed in the first week. On the other hand, in the pump dispenser with a back suction function, clogging of the nozzle tip was confirmed on the 10th day. In contrast, a combination of a general pump dispenser with a nozzle head with a back suction mechanism and a combination of a pump dispenser with a back suction function and a nozzle head with a back suction mechanism both have passed 20 days. Also, clogging of the nozzle tip was not confirmed.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the liquid ejection device shown in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the nozzle head is pushed down. FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the operation of the liquid ejection device shown in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the head portion is pressed. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the liquid ejection device shown in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which liquid is ejected by pushing down the nozzle head. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the operation of the liquid ejection device shown in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the pushed-down nozzle head rises. FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the operation of the liquid ejection apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the pushed-down nozzle head returns to the original position. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the operation of the liquid ejection apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the liquid accumulated in the nozzle portion is drawn into the liquid storage portion. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the back suction mechanism. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the back suction mechanism. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the back suction mechanism. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the back suction mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pump dispenser (liquid discharge apparatus) 2 ... Container body 4 ... Nozzle head 5 ... Pump mechanism 6 ... Head part 7 ... Nozzle part 8 ... Flow path 9 ... Cylinder 10 ... Stem 11 ... Piston head 12 ... Gasket 13 ... Compression coil spring DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Back suction mechanism 31 ... Elastic member 32 ... Communication hole 40 ... Back suction mechanism 41 ... Elastic member 50 ... Back suction mechanism 51 ... Operation member 51a ... Operation part 51b ... Elastic deformation part 60 ... Back suction mechanism 61 ... Operation member 62 ... Compression coil spring (elastic member) 70 ... Back suction mechanism 71 ... Flow path

Claims (6)

A liquid discharge apparatus that is mounted on a container body that stores liquid and discharges the liquid stored in the container body,
A head portion provided so as to protrude upward from the mounting position of the container body and supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction while being biased upward, and provided extending from the head portion, and from the tip portion A nozzle head having a nozzle part for discharging the liquid;
A pump mechanism for pumping the liquid contained in the container body to the tip of the nozzle portion by pushing down the nozzle head against an urging force;
A back suction mechanism that sucks the liquid accumulated in the nozzle portion when the depressed nozzle head returns to the original position;
The back suction mechanism Rutotomoni disposed on the nozzle head side, and a liquid storage portion for storing the aspirated liquid, and the volume changer for changing the volume of the liquid storage portion, the said liquid accommodating portion nozzle A communication part for communicating with the part,
When the nozzle head is pressed down while pressing the head portion, the volume variation portion reduces the volume of the liquid storage portion, while the pressure on the head portion is released and the pressed nozzle head is When returning to the position, a negative pressure is generated in the liquid storage portion as the volume of the liquid storage portion is restored, and at this time, the communicating portion causes the liquid pumped by the pump mechanism to flow into the nozzle portion. A liquid ejection apparatus , wherein the liquid accumulated in the nozzle part is drawn into the liquid storage part side through a flow path provided separately from the flow path leading to the tip .   The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the back suction mechanism is disposed on an upper surface portion of the head portion. The volume variation part has an elastic member constituting at least a portion of said liquid containing portion, to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that varying the volume of the liquid containing portion by the elastic deformation of the elastic member The liquid discharge apparatus as described. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the elastic member is provided so as to cover an upper surface portion of the head portion and be pressed. The volume variation portion includes an operation member provided on the upper surface portion of the head portion so as to be capable of being pressed, and an elastic member that biases the operation member in a direction opposite to the direction in which the operation member is pressed
3. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the liquid storage unit is changed by pressing the operation member or releasing the pressure on the operation member. 4. The volume variation portion is provided with an operation portion provided on the upper surface portion of the head portion so as to be capable of being pressed, and is elastically deformed so as to be integrally formed with the operation portion and urged in a direction opposite to the direction in which the operation portion is pressed. And
Wherein the user releases the press against or the operation unit presses the operation portion, a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that varying the volume of the liquid storage portion.

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