CN218781695U

CN218781695U - Water gun

Info

Publication number: CN218781695U
Application number: CN202222611906.XU
Authority: CN
Inventors: M·莱斯曼; A·朔贝尔; S·沃尔特
Original assignee: Spira Co ltd
Current assignee: Spira Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-04-22
Filing date: 2021-04-20
Publication date: 2023-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 2031-04-20
Also published as: CN216205649U; US20230175810A1; WO2021214063A1; CA3175639A1; CN216205650U; AU2021260046B2; JP2022530696A; JP7101434B2; CN218545433U; EP3901558A1; AU2021260046A1; CN216205651U; EP3901558B1; EP4036514A1; KR20220162176A; CN217204591U

Abstract

The water gun (1) comprises a pressure tank (10), a tube (60) connected to the pressure tank (10), a pump in fluid communication with the pressure tank (10) through the tube (60), a refill opening, wherein the pump has a low pressure end in fluid communication with the refill opening or water reservoir and a high pressure end connected to an opening in a side wall of the tube (60) via a delivery tube, and wherein the pump is an electrically powered pump.

Description

Water gun

The application is a divisional application of a patent application of a utility model named as a water gun, which is 20/04/2021 and has an application number of 202190000077.2.

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a squirt for shooting short rivers jet, and this short rivers jet provides the sensation of water bullet. The water lance has at least one pressure tank, at least one nozzle, at least one pipe and at least one valve with a valve conduit.

Background

Recently, toy water guns for projecting short bursts of water streams have been proposed, for example in WO2018/215646 A1. These short bursts provide the feel of a shot of water. To obtain this effect, WO2018/215646A1 proposes to store water under pressure in a capsule tank. The bladder tank pressurizes water, which is released to and from the laminating unit to the nozzles via the tube. The valve enables the connection between the canister and the nozzle to be opened and closed in a short amount of time. The valve has a valve seat for a valve plug. The valve plug is controlled by a movably supported valve stem. A complicated electrically controlled actuating mechanism displaces the valve stem back and forth, enabling the valve to be opened in a short opening time of about 50 ms.

US20030034358A1 proposes an apparatus for dispensing pressurized liquids such as used in toy water guns. The apparatus comprises: a coupling to a source of pressurized liquid, a spring controlled snap ball valve assembly including a snap ball valve, an inlet and an outlet, a conduit in fluid communication from the coupling to the valve assembly inlet, and a nozzle in fluid communication with the valve assembly outlet. An actuator is connected to the valve assembly to actuate the snap-action ball valve from the closed position to the open position and to actuate the snap-action ball valve from the open position to the closed position to release water with minimal turbulence or other adverse effects of reduced pressure.

US2003/0151880A1 addresses the need for instantaneous application of an electric shock to an offending party located at a relatively large distance to prevent criminal activity of the party in advance. In order to solve the corresponding problem, US2003/0151880A1 proposes an electric stun device with a housing which takes the shape of a gun or a squirt gun. A tank filled with a conductive liquid is disposed in a rear portion of the housing, and a nozzle is disposed in a top front portion of the stun device housing to inject the conductive liquid. The ultra-high voltage discharge circuit is located near the tank and is configured to momentarily discharge the ultra-high voltage to the nozzle as fluid passes through the nozzle and connects an aggressive partner with the ultra-high voltage discharge circuit. The air tank is configured to pressurize the liquid in the supply line and thereby drive the electrically conductive liquid to the nozzle via the supply line. Located between the supply line and the nozzle is a valve housing containing a plunger configured to move from a closed position to an open position and release a valve seat when moved into the open position, thereby controlling the flow of conductive fluid. The rear end of the plunger is attached to the end of the valve stem that faces the nozzle, the valve stem extending through the valve housing. The lever is biased into a closing direction and is operated by pulling the trigger. Operating the electric stun device requires opening the valve for a minimum time sufficient for the injected flow to electrically connect the offending party to the ultra high voltage circuit.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model discloses based on following observation: the prior art solutions of toy water guns are complex and therefore expensive to manufacture. However, high manufacturing costs may inhibit mass production of toy water guns. Furthermore, the range obtained is still short.

The to-be-solved problem of the utility model is to simplify the manufacturing of toy squirt, this toy squirt can jet out very short water stream and jet, and this provides the sensation of water bullet, can realize longer range simultaneously under given jar pressure.

The solution to the problem is described in the present invention. The utility model discloses still relate to the utility model discloses a further improvement.

To provide clear language distinction, "connected" herein indicates a connection that enables fluid flow from one element to another. The connection may be obtained by mechanically coupling corresponding fluid ports or fluid couplings. In contrast, the term "coupled" refers herein to a mechanical attachment or another mechanical interaction. Hence, herein we distinguish between a fluid connection enabling a fluid flow between two elements and a force or torque transmitting coupling of the two elements. The distinction is indicated by the use of the verbs "connect" or "couple" respectively, although we know that it is not possible to provide a connection without coupling elements, the use of the respective terms indicates to which aspect the respective sentence is directed.

Also, the indefinite article "a (a)" is synonymous with "at least one" in this document, as is often the case. Subsequent uses of the definite article "the", "said", etc., having the same meaning are synonymous with "the at least one".

The water gun comprises at least a pressure tank (referred to as "tank"), a nozzle for releasing a water bullet to the environment, a tube connecting the pressure tank with a valve conduit of a valve for controlling the flow of water from the tank to the nozzle. The pressure tank has an outlet (preferably directly) connected to the inlet of the tube, and the tube has an outlet (preferably directly) connected to the inlet port of the valve conduit. The outlet port of the valve conduit is in fluid communication with the nozzle (preferably directly). This reduction in the number of parts reduces cost while reducing flow resistance. Preferably, the laminating device proposed in the prior art is omitted and thus a corresponding pressure drop in the flow path can be avoided. The range is thus increased.

The above components may be enclosed in a housing, as is often the case. Preferably, the above-mentioned components may be at least partially integrated in the housing. The water gun may further comprise at least one of: a battery, a trigger configured to control a valve, for example by controlling an optional valve actuator, a refill inlet, a pump for pumping water or gas (e.g., air) into the tank, and other components known to those skilled in the art.

The pressure tank may be, for example, a capsule tank as proposed in WO2018/215646 A1. In a further alternative, the pressure tank may be placed in fluid communication (intermittently or continuously) with a source of gas pressure to pressurize the water in the tank. The gas pressure source may be a gas cylinder and/or a gas compressor. Conventional gas compressors are either manual or motor driven gas pumps. It should be noted that air is only an example of any gas or gas mixture. For example, CO ₂ The cartridge is commercially available at a reasonable cost and is manufactured by a process which comprises the steps ofAnd may also be used as a source of gas pressure.

Preferably, the water gun further comprises a valve conduit. The valve conduit may be connected (preferably directly) to the outlet of the tube. The valve conduit may have a valve seat between an inlet port of the valve conduit and an outlet port of the valve conduit. For example, the outlet ports may simultaneously provide nozzles.

A movable valve stem (simply "stem") having a valve plug (simply "plug") may define a first longitudinal axis. The rod may be movably supported such that the rod is translatable parallel to the first longitudinal axis. The valve plug may be integrally formed with the stem or may be attached to the stem. Preferably, the plug defines the end of the stem facing the nozzle. The stem (and thus the plug) preferably has a closed position in which the valve plug closes the valve seat and an open position in which the valve plug is retracted to release the valve seat to enable fluid to flow through the valve seat and thus through the valve conduit from the canister to the nozzle via the tube. Translation of the valve stem from the closed position to the open position opens the valve. Similarly, translation of the valve stem from the open position to the closed position closes the valve. The time during which the valve stem moves between these two positions is called the opening time or the closing time, depending on the direction of translation. For the avoidance of doubt, the open position of the valve stem is not necessarily the end position, but the position when the stem is retracted further away from the valve seat without affecting the flow resistance of the water flow through the valve. The on-time and off-time should be short to enhance the water-flip feel of the short burst of water flow.

Preferably, the inlet port and the outlet port of the valve conduit are centered on the (second) longitudinal axis. The second longitudinal axis is preferably identical to the first longitudinal axis defined by the valve stem. In a preferred example, the outlet of the tube, the valve stem, the inlet port of the valve guide, the opening defined by the valve seat and the outlet port or valve are aligned on a single axis. These measures increase the throw distance for a given pressure in the pressure tank.

In the open position, the plug and stem are preferably completely removed from the surface surrounded by the valve seat, thereby further reducing any pressure drop upstream of the nozzle. This measure also increases the range.

As already implicitly disclosed, the tube has a tube wall. The tube wall encloses a longitudinally extending lumen to provide a delivery conduit for fluid, such as water, flowing from the canister through the tube outlet to the inlet port of the valve catheter. Preferably, the tube wall provides a first linear support means. The first linear bearing means may support the bar in such a way that the bar is movable. A part of the rod may extend inside the tube and another part may extend outside the tube, while the tube provides a first linear support means for the rod in a manner that makes the rod movable. In other words, the optional first linear bearing arrangement may support the valve stem in a manner that enables the valve stem to be movable relative to the pipe wall, thereby enabling the stem to translate along the first longitudinal axis. This is particularly cost-effective and does not require positioning the support means of the support rod in the lumen of the tube. Thus, the flow resistance may be further reduced and thus the throw of the water gun increased.

Particularly preferably, the first linear bearing is sealingly attached to the valve stem. For example, the first linear bearing may be a sliding bearing. The sliding bearing arrangement may have a sliding bearing surface that surrounds and is in sealing contact with the surface of the rod. The bearing surface may be an annular surface and preferably the rod has a section with a cylindrical contour, preferably a cylindrical contour, at least in the section of the rod that slides through the annular surface. In this example, the profiles of the annular surface and the rod section may thus be complementary to each other. For the avoidance of doubt only, we refer to the definition of the cylinder surface as provided by Bronstein, semendyayyev, musiol & Muehlig in Chapter 3.3.4 of the "mathematics handbook" 5 th edition published in Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2007. The cylinder may have a circular and a non-circular directional curve and thus have a corresponding cross-section.

Obviously, the first linear bearing means may define a through hole in the tube. The rod may extend through the through hole and thus extend through the tube wall. The rod may plug the through hole. These measures further simplify assembly and enhance range because the valve actuator can be positioned and coupled to a portion of the stem that is outside the lumen (canister, tube, valve catheter) containing the water.

Particularly preferably, the tube has at least two sections: a first section and a second section. The first section may have a first continuously curved midline position. In other words, the first section may preferably be continuously curved in the first direction. Similarly, the second section may also have a continuously curved mid-line position, wherein the second section is preferably continuously curved in a second direction (the second direction being different from the first direction). The two bends (i.e. the first bend and the second bend) preferably have opposite signs and the change in bend at the intersection of the two sections is preferably continuous, i.e. at the intersection the bend is preferably zero. Thus, the tube may have a very low flow resistance, thereby increasing the throw, while enabling the inlet and outlet openings of the tube to be laterally offset but at least substantially parallel (i.e. parallel within ± 15 °, preferably within ± 7.5 °, 5 ° or ± 2.5 °). This provides space to position the valve actuator outside the tube or valve conduit while enabling the momentum of the fluid flowing from the tank through the tube to be maintained. The equipment of squirt has been simplified in the bending, has increased the range of squirt simultaneously.

Preferably, the first and second bends may each define an arc of ± 45 ° or less, more preferably ± 30 ° or less, even more preferably ± 20 ° or less, but preferably ± 10 ° or ± 15 ° or more (smaller absolute values and larger absolute values of the respective arcs are mentioned, since the two arcs have opposite curvatures). A smaller absolute value has the advantage of reducing the pressure loss due to the change in the direction of fluid flow, but a smaller absolute value also has the following disadvantages: the length of the centerline position of the tube increases with the lateral offset, which is orthogonal to the direction of water flow through the respective connection. When releasing the "water bullet", the longer tube has an increased flow resistance and, in addition, requires that more fluid and thus more mass be accelerated and subsequently decelerated by or against the pressure in the tank, respectively, within the same amount of time. A well-balanced bending option as proposed above further increases the range.

For example, the through-hole defined by the first linear bearing may be located in a region of the pipe wall in the vicinity of where the sign of the curvature of the first and second centreline positions of the pipe changes. This vicinity is considered to cover a deviation of 25% or less of the length of the tube, preferably 12.5% or less of the length of the tube. This option enables the size of the water gun to be reduced, further contributing to reduced manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the rod may be (at least substantially) centered in the outlet of the tube, thereby enabling a rather homogeneous flow at the outlet of the tube, which also contributes to the increased throw.

The throw can be further increased if the net cross-sectional area of the tube along the length of the tube is constant over at least 15% of the average cross-sectional area of the tube (preferably over at least 10%, 7.5%, 5% or 2.5%), wherein the cross-sectional area of the valve stem does not contribute to the net cross-sectional area of the corresponding part of the tube. In other words, preferably, the inner diameter of the tube is increased in the portion of the tube through which the rod extends, compared to the portion in which the rod does not extend. The (net) cross-sectional area reduction caused by the rod is therefore preferably compensated for. Preferably, the increase in tube diameter is continuous to avoid turbulence. As already apparent, the net cross-sectional area of the tube at a given location is the cross-sectional area through which water can flow towards the outlet. Thus, in calculating the net cross-sectional area at a given location, the cross-sectional area of the device in the tube is subtracted from the geometric cross-sectional area of the tube. As is often the case, the position in the tube can be expressed by the distance of the cross-sectional plane to the end of the tube. Preferably, at a given location, the cross-sectional plane is at least substantially orthogonal to the average fluid flow direction.

Optionally, the valve may comprise a valve actuator. The valve driver may be configured to displace the valve stem from the closed position of the valve stem into the open position of the valve stem and/or to displace the valve stem from the open position of the valve stem back into the closed position of the valve stem.

For example, the water gun may further include a body, such as a plunger. The body is preferably movably supported and configured to be displaced from the starting position to the end position through a first intermediate position at least substantially parallel (within ± 15 °) to the longitudinal axis of the rod, for example by an optional valve actuator.

For example, the body may be manually driven or electromagnetically driven, for example by a solenoid connected via at least one switch (obviously referred to herein as current, rather than water flow) to a battery or other power source. The solenoid and the body may thus form a solenoid driver. Other types of drivers may also be used. In the simplest version, the driver merely mechanically couples the trigger handle to the valve stem (e.g., pure).

In one example, the valve stem may be biased toward the closed position of the valve stem by spring pressurization, at least when the valve stem is in the open position of the valve stem. Thus, when the valve stem reaches the open position of the valve stem, the kinetic energy of the valve stem is stored by the corresponding elastic member (simply "spring"). This not only reduces the energy consumption of the water gun, but it further helps to make the shut-down time shorter. It is particularly preferred that, if the valve drive is switched off, the biasing force of the body against the movement in the direction of the end position at the starting position of the body is greater than the biasing force of the valve stem towards the open position of the valve stem in the closed position of the valve stem, and the body abuts at least indirectly against the valve stem in the starting position of the body forcing the valve stem into the closed position of the valve stem.

The valve actuator is preferably aligned with the stem, the tube inlet, the inlet port of the valve conduit, the valve seat and the outlet port of the valve conduit and is positioned outside of the tube proximate the first tube section. This results in a reduced flow resistance and enables a very compact water gun. Therefore, these measures contribute to increasing the throw distance while reducing the manufacturing cost.

For example, the body and the valve stem may be coupled via a position selective coupling device, wherein the position selective coupling device is configured to selectively couple the body to the valve stem when the body is in a first intermediate position during movement of the body from the starting position to the ending position. Thus, the position selective coupling device makes it possible to accelerate the body before carrying (entrain) the stem in the first phase of opening the valve. In this first phase, the body is moved from the starting position of the body to a first intermediate position. During this first phase, the acceleration of the body is not slowed down by the mass of the rod and the plug. In the intermediate position, the coupling means become effective and the momentum gained by the body is partially and suddenly transferred to the rod. At this point, the lever is still in the closed position of the lever and is therefore translated towards the open position of the lever in a reduced amount of time. Thus, the valve is opened in a very short amount of time, releasing a burst of water flow. The closing of the valve may be obtained in the same way (i.e. in a reverse manner), i.e. the body first obtains a velocity (and thus a momentum) when moving from the end position of the body to the second intermediate position. After reaching the second intermediate position, the position-selective coupling means become active and the body suddenly transfers a portion of the momentum of the body to the lever, accelerating the lever from the open position of the lever towards the closed position of the lever. Thus, the position selective coupling means contribute to making the closing time shorter. Both of these measures contribute to achieving a short and well-shaped water stream burst, thereby increasing bullet feel and range.

The opening and closing times can be further reduced if the mass of the body is at least as large as the sum of the masses of the valve stem and the optional follower, preferably twice, three times, four times or even more than the sum of the masses of the valve stem and the optional follower.

Preferably, the body is biased into its starting position by a spring, thereby providing a normally closed valve. The energy consumption of the valve actuator is kept low.

Preferably, the position selective coupling means comprises a movably supported follower. The follower may extend at least partially in and/or over a portion of the body. For example, the follower may be a sleeve into which a portion of the body extends. In further examples, the follower comprises a sleeve. The follower and the body may be attached to each other by a second linear bearing arrangement. For example, the follower (and/or body) may have at least one slot and the slot may have a length extending parallel to the first longitudinal axis of the rod. The protrusion of the body (and/or follower) may be movably engaged into the slot, thereby restricting translation of the body relative to the follower to translation in a direction parallel to the first longitudinal axis. For example, the protrusion (e.g., of the body) may be a stud attached to or integrally formed with, for example, the body. The slot generally provides a guide for the body. Of course, as already indicated in brackets, the slot may also be located in the body and the follower may be movably engaged into the slot of the body with a protrusion.

Preferably, the first abutment and the second abutment may limit the distance of relative movement of the body with respect to the follower. To make the above statement more clear, for example, the body may move relative to the follower until the protrusion of the body contacts the abutment of the follower (or, for example, the body may move relative to the follower until the protrusion of the follower contacts the abutment of the body). With reference to the above example, the body may be accelerated by the valve actuator to move translationally along the slot toward the end position of the body until the protrusion strikes the first abutment. This defines a first intermediate position and the driven member acquires velocity (almost) instantaneously through the momentum transferred from the body. Thus, when the body is moved from the starting position of the body to the first intermediate position, the protrusion may move in the slot relative to the follower (provided that the guide is attached to or integrated in the follower). At a first intermediate position, the body strikes the first abutment, carrying the follower when moving further towards the end position of the body.

The position selective coupling means couple the body with the stem and therefore with the plug, by attaching or integrating the follower to or into the stem, respectively. This is a very cheap but reliable position selective coupling device. Also, it is noted that the position of the protrusion and the guide rail may be interchanged without changing the technical teaching.

The first and second selectable abutments may be provided by longitudinally extending end surfaces of the restraining slot of the slot. However, the first and second optional abutments need not be defined as end surfaces of the slot. Any portion of the follower (or body, respectively) that limits translation of the body relative to the follower in the first longitudinal direction may provide the first abutment or the second abutment.

The valve driver may, for example, comprise a solenoid, and the body may, for example, comprise a paramagnetic material. In this case, to open (and/or close) the valve, a voltage U may be provided to the solenoid ₀ . From the starting position of the body to the end position of the body, the magnetic force accelerates the body, initially without carrying the follower and therefore without carrying the wand. At a certain time t _entrain Thereafter, the position selective coupling is engaged and the body carrier bar is moved toward the bar open position. Preferably, at time t _entrain Current through the solenoid I (t, U) ₀ ) Greater than or equal to a given voltage U ₀ Maximum current I through the solenoid _max (U ₀ ) 90% (more preferably 95%, 98% or 99%) of the above, the above collectively being:

this can be achieved by increasing or decreasing the inductance of the coil. Increasing inductance slows the rise in current (i.e., increases the rise time), and decreasing inductance decreases the rise time until a given current through the solenoid is established. This measure further reduces the opening time and/or closing time of the valve and thereby enhances the formation of water slugs.

The water gun may include a pump, such as an electric pump, having a low pressure end and a high pressure end. The low and high pressure end portions are the inlet and outlet, respectively, of the pump, but in order to verbally distinguish them from the inlet and outlet of the pipe, we will refer herein to the low and high pressure end portions of the pump. The low pressure end is preferably in fluid communication with a refill opening of the water gun or with the water reservoir. The high pressure end is preferably in fluid communication with a pressure tank, e.g. with a bladder tank.

In a preferred example, the high pressure end is connected to an opening in a side wall of the tube via a delivery tube. For example, the tube may have a connector configured to connect to a delivery tube. This enables refilling of the pressure tank via the tube and the inlet of the tube. Experiments have surprisingly shown that if the diameter of the opening is less than or equal to 15% of the tube diameter, preferably less than or equal to 10% of the tube diameter or even less (e.g. 7.5%, 5%, etc.), the throw of the water gun is not significantly reduced by the opening in the side wall of the tube. At the same time, the manufacturing costs are reduced, especially when the pressure tank is a capsule tank, because it is much easier to attach the delivery tube to a relatively strong side wall than to attach the delivery tube to an elastic capsule which is inflated each time the tank is filled.

The present invention has been explained in relation to toy water guns, but is not limited to water guns. Other liquids may also be distributed within the stroke. Drugs or herbicides are well known examples of other liquids. Throughout the specification, the term "water" may be replaced by the term "liquid" (in the sense of compound terms, like "water gun" also becomes "liquid gun") without altering the technical teaching of the present patent.

Drawings

The invention will be described below by way of example of embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings without limiting the general inventive concept:

figure 1 shows a water gun as a toy,

figure 2 shows a front section of a toy water gun,

figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of a selectively positionable coupling of a toy water gun,

figure 4 shows an exploded view of a selectively positionable coupling of a toy water gun,

figure 5 shows a side view of the position selective coupling device,

figure 6 showsbase:Sub>A longitudinal section of the position selective coupling device along the planebase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A indicated in figure 5,

figure 7 shows in perspective a follower of the position-selective coupling device,

FIG. 8 shows a side view of the follower, an

Figure 9 shows a longitudinal cross-section of the follower.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a water gun 1. The water gun has a housing 5, the housing 5 supporting components of the water gun 1, such as a trigger assembly 6, a controller (omitted for simplicity), a battery 8, and the like. The water gun has a pressure tank 10, which pressure tank 10 is a capsule tank in this example, but other tanks may also be used. The pressure tank 10 is configured to store a pressurized liquid and has an outlet connected to the inlet 61 of the tube 60.

For example, the canister may be filled by drawing in liquid via the refill inlet 90 and check valve 91 by means of a pump 92. The pump 92 pressurizes the liquid via tubing and fills the bladder.

The outlet of the pressure tank 10 and the inlet 61 of the tube 60 define a plane E. At the connection between the pressure tank 10 and the pipe 60, the plane E is orthogonal to the flow direction of the water. In this example, the outlet of the pressure tank 10 is directly connected to the inlet 61 of the pipe, which is a preferred alternative embodiment, i.e. indirect connections are also possible.

The tube 60 has an outlet 65, which outlet 65 is connected to the inlet port 31 of the valve conduit 38 of the valve 30. At the junction between the tube 60 and the valve 30, the plane D is orthogonal to the flow direction of the water.

The valve conduit 38 provides a nozzle 20 for ejecting bursts of liquid to the environment. Also, the depicted direct connection is preferred, but indirect connections may also be used.

As can be better seen in fig. 2, a front portion of gun 1 is shown in an enlarged view, tube 60 having a tube wall 67. Tube wall 67 may be curved to form first section 63 and second section 64. This bending becomes particularly pronounced when considering the first and second centerline positions 62, 66 of the

respective sections

63 and 64, which centerline positions 62, 66 are indicated by dashed lines. The bends may have opposite directions, i.e. opposite signs. For example, a first section may be curved upward and a subsequent section may be curved downward, defining generally parallel (within ± 15 ° or within ± 7.5 °) forward and rearward end surfaces of the tube 60 (see planes D and E in fig. 1 and 2).

These bends have a number of advantages. For example, they provide a lateral offset of the inlet 61 relative to the outlet 65 of the tube, while maintaining parallelism of the inlet 61 relative to the outlet 65. The offset enables the alignment of the rod 35 with the nozzle 20 (see the first longitudinal axis 2) while leaving a portion of the rod outside the tube 60. Furthermore, the flow through the inlet 61 and the flow through the outlet 65 are at least substantially parallel to each other, to the flow through the valve seat 32 and to the flow through the nozzle 20, which contributes to an enhanced range. By laterally offset is meant that the centers of the respective connections are offset in a direction defined by at least substantially parallel planes E and D, i.e. orthogonally to the average flow direction of the water from the inlet 61 to the outlet 65. In other words, water flowing through the tube 60 may have at least substantially the same momentum (in terms of absolute value and direction) at the inlet 61 and the outlet 65 of the tube. Liquid may enter the valve conduit 38 from the outlet 65 of the tube.

The valve guide 38 may provide a valve seat 32, which valve seat 32 may be closed by a valve plug 36. The valve plug 36 may be attached to the end of the valve stem 35 facing the nozzle extending along the first longitudinal axis 2. The valve stem 35 may be movably supported by a linear slide bearing 68, the linear slide bearing 68 being formed, for example, by a tube wall 67. Preferably, linear sliding bearing 68 is integrally formed by tube wall 67, preferably by tube wall 67 being integrally formed outside the lumen enclosed by tube wall 67. The linear sliding bearing 68 may enable the valve stem 35 to translate parallel to the first longitudinal axis 2 relative to the tube 60 and therefore also relative to the valve seat 32. In fig. 1 and 2, the valve stem is shown in a so-called closed position, i.e. the valve is closed by the plug 36 blocking the passage defined by the valve seat 32. An optional O-ring or other type of gasket may be used to seal the clearance of movement between the sliding bearing surface of the linear slide bearing 68 and the peripheral complementary surface of the rod 35 (see fig. 2).

The valve stem 35 may be coupled to the valve actuator 40, for example, by a position selective coupling device. Activation of the actuator can retract the valve stem 35 and thus open the valve 30. As shown, the valve actuator 40 may be a linear actuator, for example, including a body 45 and an electromagnet 48 (see fig. 1), the electromagnet 48 configured to attract the body 45 when connected to a power source, such as a battery 8.

The body 45 may form part of a position selective coupling device, which is depicted in more detail in fig. 3 to 6. The follower of the position selective coupling device is shown in more detail in fig. 7 to 9. The position selective coupling means couple the rod 35 to the body, i.e. the body 45 carries the follower 50 depending on the position of the body 45. As depicted, for example, in fig. 2, follower 50 may be permanently coupled to rod 35, for example, by attachment member 52.

As shown in fig. 3-9, follower 50 may be a sleeve or at least a portion of follower 50 may have the shape of a sleeve. Body 45 may be movably supported relative to follower 50. Follower 50 can include at least one slot 53, the at least one slot 53 extending at least substantially parallel (within 15, 7.5, 5, 2.5, or less) to first longitudinal axis 2. As can be seen in fig. 4 and 9, the example follower 50 has two such slots 53, each slot 53 defining a guide for attachment to a projection of the body 45. As in this example, the at least one protrusion may be provided by an end section of the rod 46, the rod 46 extending at least substantially perpendicularly (within ± 15 °, ± 7.5 °, ± 5 °, ± 2.5 ° or less) to the first longitudinal axis 2 through at least a section of the body 45. As is evident from fig. 3 and 5, the end section of the rod 46, i.e. the projection of the body 45, enables the body 45 to translate in the groove relative to the follower 50. Slots 53 may each have a closed end that provides a first abutment 54 to limit relative movement of the body with respect to follower 50. The follower 50 can have a second abutment 55. As shown, the second abutment 55 can be provided by the surface of the bottom portion 51 of the follower 50 facing the body 45. Alternatively or additionally, one or more second abutments 55 may also be provided by the closed end of the slot 53.

If the body 45 is accelerated away from the valve seat 32 by the valve driver 40 parallel to the first longitudinal axis 2, the body 45 can freely move parallel to the first longitudinal axis 2 from a starting position of the body 45 as shown in fig. 1 to 3 and fig. 5 and 6 until the projection (see the rod 46) contacts the first abutment 54. Now, a portion of the momentum is transferred to the follower 50 and thus also to the stem 35, while the body 45 continues to be pushed by the driver 40 in a direction away from the valve seat 32. Thus, the valve driver 40 now accelerates the body 45, the follower 50 and the stem 35 with its plug 36 until the body 45 reaches the end position of the body 45.

When the valve actuator 40 is de-energized, the return spring 59 biasing the body 45 toward the valve seat 32 accelerates the body 45 toward the valve seat 32, i.e., toward a starting position of the body (the starting position is shown in fig. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6). During this first portion of movement, body 45 does not carry follower 50 because the protrusion (see bar 46) can slide through slot 53. Once the body 45 reaches the second intermediate position, in which the body 45 abuts against the second abutment 55, the situation changes, suddenly carrying the follower and therefore the valve stem 35 towards the valve seat 32, until the body 45 reaches the starting position of the body 45 and the valve stem 35 reaches the closed position of the valve stem 35, as shown in fig. 1 and 2.

An optional damping spring 49 may be positioned between the follower 50 and the body 45 to bias the follower 50 toward the valve seat 32.

List of reference numerals

1. Water gun

2. First longitudinal axis

5. Shell body

6. Trigger assembly

8. Battery with a battery cell

10. Pressure tank

20. Nozzle with a nozzle body

30. Valves (normally closed)

31. Inlet port

32. Valve seats ('seats')

35. Valve stem ('post')

36. Valve plug ('plug')

38. Valve catheter

40. Valve actuator

45. Body/plunger

46. Stick (protrusion of body)

48. Electromagnet

49. Damping spring

50. Driven member

51. Bottom part

52. Attachment member

53. Trough

54. First abutting part

55. Second abutting part

59. Reset spring

60. Pipe

61. Inlet port

62. First central line position

63. The first section

64. Second section

65. An outlet

66. Second neutral line position

67. Pipe wall

68. Linear sliding bearing device

90. Refill inlet

91. Check valve

92. Pump and method of operating the same

Claims

1. A water gun is characterized in that a water gun body is provided,

the squirt gun at least includes: a pressure tank (10), a tube (60) connected to the pressure tank (10), a pump in fluid communication with the pressure tank (10) and a refill opening, wherein,

the pump having a low pressure end in fluid communication with the refill opening or reservoir and a high pressure end connected via a delivery tube to an opening in a side wall of the tube (60), and wherein,

the pump is an electric pump.

2. A water gun as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said pressure tank (10) is a bladder tank which expands when filled.

3. A water gun as claimed in claim 2,

the water gun further comprises a valve (30) with a valve conduit (38),

the valve conduit (38) having an inlet port (31), an outlet port and a valve seat (32) located between the inlet port (31) and the outlet port, the tube (60) being connected to the inlet port (31),

a movable valve stem (35) with a valve plug (36), wherein the valve stem (35)

Defining a first longitudinal axis (2),

and having a closed position in which the valve plug (36) closes the valve seat and an open position in which the valve plug (36) is retracted to enable fluid flow through the valve seat (32),

the tube (60) has a tube wall (67), wherein the tube wall (67) provides a first linear bearing arrangement, and

the first linear bearing device

Supporting the valve stem (35) in a manner such that the valve stem (35) is movable relative to the tube wall (67) such that the valve stem (35) is translatable along the first longitudinal axis (2),

is sealingly attached to the valve stem (35), and

defines a through hole through which the valve stem (35) extends through the tube wall (67).

4. A water gun as claimed in claim 3, wherein said valve conduit (38) has a taper at said inlet port (31) which tapers in the direction of liquid ejection.

5. A water gun as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a nozzle (20), said outlet port of said valve conduit (38) being in fluid communication with said nozzle (20).

6. A water gun as claimed in claim 3, wherein said tube (60) has a first section (63) and a second section (64), wherein said first section (63) has a first continuously curved mid-line position, and wherein said second section has a second continuously curved mid-line position, wherein the two curves have opposite signs.

7. A water gun as claimed in claim 6, wherein said through-hole defined by said first linear bearing arrangement is located in a region of said tube wall (67) in the vicinity of where the sign of the curvature of the centreline position of the tube (60) changes, wherein said vicinity is defined by 25% of the length of the tube (60).

8. A water gun according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the net cross-sectional area of the tube (60) along the length of the tube (60) is constant over 15% of the average cross-sectional area of the tube, wherein the cross-sectional area of the valve stem (35) does not contribute to the net cross-sectional area of the tube (60).

9. A water gun as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 7,

the water gun further comprises a body (45), the body (45) being movably supported and configured to be displaced by a valve actuator (40) from a start position to an end position through an intermediate position in a direction within ± 15 ° of the angle of the first longitudinal axis (2) defined by the valve stem (35), wherein the body and the valve stem are coupled via a position selective coupling arrangement, wherein the position selective coupling arrangement is configured to selectively couple the body (45) to the valve stem (35) when the body (45) is in the intermediate position during movement of the body from the start position to the end position.

10. A water gun as claimed in claim 9,

the body (45) is biased into a starting position of the body (45) by a spring.

11. A water gun as claimed in claim 9,

the valve stem (35) is biased towards a closed position of the valve stem (35) by spring pressing against the body (45) at least when the body (45) is in the end position of the body (45).

12. A water gun as claimed in claim 9,

the body (45) is biased by spring pressure towards a starting position of the body (45) at least when the body (45) is in an end position of the body (45).

13. A water gun as claimed in claim 10,

if the valve drive is switched off, the biasing force of the body (45) against the movement in the direction of the end position at the starting position of the body (45) is greater than the biasing force of the valve stem towards the open position of the valve stem in the closed position of the valve stem, and the body abuts at least indirectly against the valve stem (35) in the starting position of the body forcing the valve stem into the closed position of the valve stem.

14. A water gun as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 7,

the valve (30) comprises a valve driver (40), the valve driver (40) being configured to displace the valve stem (35) from a closed position of the valve stem (35) into an open position of the valve stem (35) and/or to displace the valve stem (35) from the open position of the valve stem (35) back into a closed position of the valve stem (35).

15. A water gun as claimed in claim 9,

the position selective coupling device includes a driven member (50) movably supported,

-second linear bearing means movably coupling the body (45) and the follower (50), wherein the second linear bearing means enable a translation of the body (45) and the follower (50) relative to each other, wherein the translation is parallel to the first longitudinal axis (2),

an abutment (54, 55) is defined by a surface of the body (45) or the follower (50), the abutment (54, 55) being configured to limit axial movement of the body (45) relative to the follower (50) when the body (45) is moved from a start position of the body (45) to an intermediate position and/or from an end position of the body to a start position of the body,

the follower (50) is attached to the valve stem (35) or integrally formed with the valve stem (35).

16. A water gun as claimed in claim 15, wherein said second linear support means movably coupling said body (45) and said follower (50) comprises:

at least one groove (53), the at least one groove (53) having a length extending parallel to the first longitudinal axis (2), wherein the at least one groove (53) is integrated in the follower (50) or attached to the follower (50),

at least one projection of the body (45) which is movably engaged into the slot (53).

17. A water gun as claimed in claim 15, wherein said second linear support means movably coupling said body (45) and said follower (50) comprises:

at least one groove (53), the at least one groove (53) having a length extending parallel to the first longitudinal axis (2), wherein the at least one groove (53) is integrated in the body (45) or attached to the body (45),

at least one protrusion of the follower (50) movably engaged into the slot (53).

18. A water gun as claimed in claim 15,

the mass of the body (45) is at least as great as the sum of the masses of the valve stem (35) and the follower (50).

19. A water gun according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the tube (60) has a connection configured to connect to the delivery tube.

20. A water gun as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that said opening in said side wall has a diameter less than or equal to 15% of the diameter of said tube (60).