DE102023002691A1 - Water gun - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is a water gun that is equipped with a special pressure generator that exerts pressure on the water in a container and pushes it outwards through the nozzle at high pressure. The pressure is generated in a heating chamber equipped with a fast heating element. There, a few ml of water (or even less) are heated very quickly, generating a water vapor pressure wave that is transferred to the water in a water storage chamber. As a result, a small amount of water is quickly displaced from the water storage chamber and transported to the water gun nozzle and released in the form of a water jet.

Description

The invention relates to a water gun that is equipped with a pump system that works with steam.

The water guns are toys that are manufactured in a wide variety of designs and shapes. A majority of them have a water pressure pump, which is relatively simple in construction and consists of a piston or a chamber with elastic walls which, when pressed, pressurizes a small amount of water and releases it in the form of a water jet through a nozzle installed at the front. Every time you want to create a jet of water, you have to press the trigger firmly. The water jet is quite short and only lasts a fraction of a second. For a new jet you have to pull the trigger again.

There are also numerous versions in which an air pressure pump with a compressed air tank is installed, which uses the air pressure energy to displace the water from a water tank. It is relatively easy to use: you use an integrated air pump to pump a lot of air into a water tank that is partially filled with air at the top. As soon as you press a trigger, a valve is pressed and the water can be directed from a pipe into the nozzle, whereby pressure is directed outwards in the form of a water jet.

However, inflating it is quite laborious and the pressure drops quickly.

However, there are also numerous battery-operated pressure pumps that are built into such toys. The toy becomes very heavy and complicated, therefore not ideal for children.

There are also hydrogen-powered water guns that build pressure into a combustion chamber by igniting hydrogen. They are significantly lighter because many of the heavy components, such as a pressure pump, heavy battery, etc. are missing.

Toy water guns for firing short bursts of water are included in the patent WO 2018/215646 A1 described. The short shots give the impression that water bullets are being fired. To achieve this effect, beats WO 2018/215646 A1 proposes to store the water under pressure in a bladder tank, which is then released to a nozzle. A valve allows the connection between the bladder tank and the nozzle to be opened and closed in a short time. An electrically controlled actuation mechanism moves the valve stem back and forth, allowing the valve to open for very short opening times.

US20030034358A1 describes a device for dispensing pressurized liquid, for example for use in a toy water gun. The device includes a connection to a source of pressurized fluid, a spring-controlled snap ball valve assembly including a snap ball valve, an inlet and an outlet, a conduit in fluid communication from the connection to the inlet of the valve assembly, and a nozzle in fluid communication with the outlet of the valve assembly.

Regardless, the water guns more or less produce a relatively sharp jet of water and are fun to play with. However, there are many of them on the market that are relatively heavy. When empty, many of them weigh over a kilo. The water jet is emitted at the temperature that the water had when it was filled with water, or came about through the exchange with the ambient temperature.

The invention specified in claims 1 to 52 is based on the problem of equipping a water gun with a very simply constructed, light and robust electric pump system, whereby a water jet can be generated.

This problem is solved with the features listed in claims 1 to 52.

• - das Pump-System ist extrem einfach gebaut und funktioniert auch sehr zuverlässig,
• - es ist total leicht und kann mittelmäßige Druckwerte generieren, die für eine Wasserpistole ausreichend sind.

Advantages of the invention are:

• - the pump system is extremely simple and works very reliably,
• - it is totally light and can generate moderate pressure values, which are sufficient for a water pistol.

• 1 die neuartige Wasserpistole mit dem Dampf-Druck-System,
• 2 eine Variante mit einer Membrane,
• 3 ein Ausführungsbeispiel mit einer Doppel-Piston-Konstruktion,
• 4 eine zusätzliche, weitere Wasserkammer,
• 5 ein Mehrfach-Ziel-System,
• 6 den Einbau eines Touch-Bildschirms oder Smartphones,
• 7 eine Wasserpistole mit einem Doppel-System als Druckerzeuger für eine Simulation eines Dauerwasserstrahls,
• 8 die Heiz-Kammer und Heizelement,
• 9 eine Wasserpistole, die Wasserstrahlen mit unterschiedliche Temperatur abgibt,
• 10 eine Ausführung mit einer Lichtbogen-Entladung.

Embodiments of the invention are based on 1 until 10 explained. Show it:

• 1 the new water gun with the steam-pressure system,
• 2 a variant with a membrane,
• 3 an embodiment with a double piston construction,
• 4 an additional, additional water chamber,
• 5 a multiple target system,
• 6 the installation of a touch screen or smartphone,
• 7 a water gun with a double system as a pressure generator for simulating a continuous water jet,
• 8th the heating chamber and heating element,
• 9 a water gun that emits jets of water at different temperatures,
• 10 a version with an arc discharge.

Instead of a piston pump, this water gun has a very simple pressure generation system that only uses water vapor to displace the water from a water storage container in the direction of the nozzle. The water expands with a volume ratio of approximately 1:1670 to steam when heated under atmospheric pressure. This means that a large volume of steam and considerable pressure values can be generated with relatively small amounts of water. For our purposes, very small amounts of water, in the milliliter range (depending on the gun size, 0.3-1.5ml) are required to generate pressure. Because the amounts of water are so small, the power required is just as low. High vapor pressure values can be achieved with 10 -100W, which are only used for a few seconds. This electrical performance can be achieved briefly with the help of a few standard lithium cells. In combination with a high capacity electrical capacitor (10,000 - 30,000µF or more), doubling (or more) of the desired performance is possible. Such capacitors cost very little today (approx. 0.80 - 2.00 euros - the variants for only 16V voltage), are light and not large, so they fit well into the concept here.

The pressure here is generated in a fairly small heating chamber 1, in which, for a small or medium-sized water gun, there is less than 1ml of water. The heating chamber can be installed anywhere in the water gun 2. However, it is preferred to install these under the water storage chamber 3 or to the side thereof. The portioned amount of water (approx. 1ml or less) comes from the water storage chamber via the inflow fluid line 12, which flows into the heating chamber from below (or to the side, in the lower area). It has a small but powerful heating element 4, which can heat and evaporate the small amount of water 5 (less than 1ml) very quickly. The heating element can be immersed in the water or it can be installed forming the lower wall of the heating chamber. To shield the heat outside the heating chamber, an insulator can be made of ceramic 71, for example. The steam 6 generates a pressure that develops through an opening 7 or connecting line 8 (U-shaped line / arc-shaped line, pressure line) in the upper area into the water storage chamber and displaces the water 64 from above downwards. The water from the water storage chamber is led through a water pipe (fluid pipe) 9 directly to the water jet outlet point or nozzle 10 of the water gun and from there is released to the outside in the form of a water jet 11 ( 1 ). As soon as the amount of water in the heating chamber is evaporated and the pressure in the water storage chamber develops, the heating element switches off and from then on the pressure values drop rapidly downwards and a small amount of water is released from the water storage chamber again passed into the heating chamber through an inflow fluid line 12. This line is equipped with a check valve 13 (or solenoid valve 14) that allows water to flow in one direction only. This ensures that the water only flows from the water storage chamber 3 into the heating chamber and not the other way around. When installing an electric valve, it is opened briefly by a control or by triggering the trigger. You can also save on the electric valve if you install the heating chamber just slightly higher than the bottom of the water storage chamber. In this case, the inflow fluid line would have to have a bend or kink that is higher than the heating chamber. This means that a small amount of water will collect there and enter the heating chamber as soon as the check valve can be opened. The check valve is closed when the heating chamber is under pressure, but the pressure is reduced relatively quickly as soon as the amount of water there is consumed or evaporated and the heating element is automatically switched off. In this case, approx. 0.2 - 1ml of water flows into the heating chamber and remains there until the heating element 4 is activated. The heating element is activated by a switch that is coupled to the trigger of the water gun. The faster the heating element gets hot, the smaller the delay in pulling the trigger until the water jet is released. That's why emphasis is placed on fast heating elements that get red-hot within fractions of a second. How quickly the water is heated also depends on the size of the heating chamber and the amount of water in it. With 0.2 - 0.5ml of water this happens very quickly, almost explosively. This makes it possible to achieve a delay of less than two seconds from the moment the trigger is pulled until the water jet is released (even less than one second with capacitor support from the battery pack).

The heating chamber can, for example, have the shape of a ring/tire 15 with a recess 16 at the bottom, the heating element being immersed in the water 5 like a ring. In the middle of the ring (heating chamber) there is an opening 17 which leads into the water storage chamber, which lies directly below and is filled with water. As soon as the water is evaporated into the heating chamber, the steam creates a pressure that displaces the water from the water storage chamber via the line 9 and the nozzle 10. The heating element can an electrical heating resistor in the form of a heating coil, electric glow element, heating coil, heating rod or heating piston can be built and is immersed in water in the heating chamber or forming the floor or wall of the heating chamber.

The amount of water that flows into the heating chamber from the water storage chamber from below through the inflow fluid line 12 is determined by the heating chamber size, the height of the connecting line and the positioning of the two chambers. If the water storage chamber is positioned slightly higher than the heating chamber, the water flows automatically from the water storage chamber into the heating chamber due to the difference in height until it is completely filled with water. Sometimes the connecting pipe is also filled with water, but that doesn't matter.

To bring 1 liter of water to the boil, you need around 2000W of electricity for 120 seconds. To heat 1ml of water to 100°C, only 2W is required for 12s. With 40W you can achieve this heating within 0.6s. Here we only need to heat 0.5ml of water to 105°C, which requires a power output of 11W for a duration of 1.2s. A Li battery pack with three standard cells (3.7V each) delivers approx. 10V and over 10A for a short time. Combined with a capacitor you can double the values. This means that almost 150W to a maximum of 200W of power can easily be delivered for a fraction of a second (0.2s). In short-circuit operation, the lithium cells deliver very high currents (up to 20A per cell). We need almost the power of short-circuit operation, but only for 0.2 seconds. With 150W power output we can bring 1ml of water to 100°C within 0.16 seconds. Purely mathematically, to heat 0.5ml of water to 105°C we need 155W for just 0.08 seconds. This would generate an almost explosive expansion of water vapor, which is completely sufficient for our purposes. Due to the very short overload, this power output would not put much strain on the battery pack. In addition, a built-in electrical capacitor relieves some of the load on the batteries and delivers almost the same power, so in combination with the battery pack you have almost twice the electrical power available. The heating element that is installed here should be heated very quickly. Many electric heating resistors or wire heating coils can easily achieve this. Thin filaments can easily be heated to 300°C in 0.05 seconds. After all, the filaments in previous light bulbs heated up to 2200° within 0.05 seconds and only used around 1 to 10W of power in flashlights. The water evaporation here happens extremely quickly and is comparable to a 250°C hot plate onto which drops of water are let down. They explode due to the heat and turn into water vapor. The expansion of water to water vapor is given as 1:1673. At a temperature of 200°C and a pressure of 10bar for a very short period of time in the heating chamber, the expansion is approx. 1:104. This means that a small amount of water of just 1ml generates 104 cm ³ of steam volume with 10 bar pressure! When expanded, this becomes approx. 500cm ³ at 2bar pressure. This is more than sufficient for our purposes.

Simple exemplary embodiments are shown in the figures. The heating chamber is very small and has an internal volume of less than 2cm ³ . It is built in the shape of a sphere (approx. 10 - 15mm in diameter) and has an approximately 1mm thick steel wall. It is covered with thermal insulation on the outside so that it does not melt or damage any parts of the water gun when heated. Approximately 0.5 - 1ml of water will flow in from the water storage chamber (due to the height difference) or be pumped in through a small pump that is connected to the extractor. The heating element is switched on by a switch, which also includes the electrical capacitor, which is already charged and at the same time connected in parallel with the battery. Despite the small battery pack, considerable current values are delivered to the heating element for a period of 0.1 to 0.5 seconds and cause it to glow. The small heating element heats up to 250°C within 0.1 - 0.2s and because it is immersed in the water in the heating chamber (e.g. in the form of a mini heating coil / heating pen), the water inside is brought to the boil in an instant. The approx. 1 ml of water (even less in smaller guns) turns into steam and tends to expand to approx. 1600cm ³ . However, the pressure becomes ever higher and the steam expansion is largely reduced, so that at 5 bar approx. 300 cm ³ is available. You can install a pressure build-up valve that only opens suddenly at 3 bar, for example. This would, for example, take a little longer than a second until enough steam is generated from 0.5 - 1ml of water, which is easily possible with the rapid heating elements. Above all, the very small amount of water that has to be heated makes evaporation possible with low power output. It is comparable to throwing drops of water onto a hot plate. They literally explode due to the heat and evaporate completely within 0.05-0.1 seconds. The hotplate consumes around 2000W (depending on size), but the drops only hit a fraction of the surface. This small area on which the water drops fall (approx. 0.2cm ² ) would only need 4W of electricity to be heated to 250°C and that would be possible with one or a few standard lithium Battery cells, which deliver significantly more power with the support of the capacitor, heat up at lightning speed. As soon as the valve is opened, this steam pressure is transferred into the water storage chamber almost immediately and the water is fed from the water storage chamber directly to the nozzle (or a water jet outlet point of the water gun) via the fluid line. This creates a water jet with a considerable range. Without a pressure build-up valve, the water jet range is slightly smaller. However, this shortcoming can be compensated fairly well by quickly heating heating elements and high-capacity electrical capacitors. The capacitor can be charged directly through the battery pack, but it is better if it is done via a small electrical resistance (e.g. 1 - 2.5 ohms) because this puts less strain on the battery. The capacitor is then charged more slowly and takes approx. 0.5 - 1 second, but this reduces the load on the battery enormously.

A second variant has a movable membrane 18, which separates the heating chamber and the water storage chamber from one another ( 2 ). When water vapor and pressure builds up in the heating chamber, the membrane is moved downwards or towards the water storage chamber and builds up pressure on the water into the water storage chamber and displaces it from there. The membrane 18 physically separates the two chambers from each other, but transfers the pressure from one chamber to the other without any problems. A pressure release valve is also provided here, which reduces the pressure after the heating element is switched off and the partial water has been displaced from the water storage chamber. Here too, the heating chamber is refilled with water from the water storage chamber. With each shot, an additional 0.5 - 1 ml of water is lost for water vapor, but that is not much and only has a minor effect on the "battle duration" and "ammunition supply" when the pistol is used. The steam should be released forward, through a steam outlet opening or directly via the water gun nozzle after the water jet has been released. This also creates an optical effect that almost looks like smoking weapons after they have been fired.

Another version ( 3 ) is a variant with a double piston construction 19. Here, the heating chamber and the water storage chamber each have a piston, which are connected to each other to transmit force. As soon as pressure is built up in the heating chamber, it pushes the heating chamber piston 20 downwards (or to the side or above, if the chamber is positioned differently) and at the same time also pushes the water storage chamber piston. In this way, the water is displaced from the water storage chamber 3 and released through the nozzle to the outside in the form of a water jet 11. The working surfaces of the two pistons can be the same or different sizes. This allows you to generate the pressure in the water storage chamber higher or lower than in the heating chamber.

The pressure is generated almost simultaneously with the activation of the trigger 21 by the user. The heating element 4 can be activated by a battery 22 and an electronic control 23 and heat the 0.2 - 1 ml of water in an instant. This amount of water is completely evaporated in less than 1 second and a relatively high pressure is briefly exerted on the water in the water storage chamber. Unfortunately, when using a larger amount of water (a few milliliters) in the heating chamber, the high pressure for the water jets cannot be generated as quickly because the power source in the form of a portable battery is not very powerful, which leads to delays between actuation of the trigger and Water jet release leads. Therefore, care is taken to ensure that only a small amount of water reaches the heating chamber per trigger operation. However, installing a larger capacitor can also provide great support here. Nevertheless, the water pistol should be as light and simply constructed as possible.

The pressure values can be influenced by the heating element and the amount of water in the heating chamber. The faster the water is heated there, the faster the necessary pressure is generated. The heating element in the heating chamber can be threaded, which would make it easy to replace in the event of repairs.

When creating the design for this water gun, care must be taken to keep the amount of air in the chambers as low as possible because the air acts like a buffer and can reduce the steam pressure. As the water consumption from the water storage chamber increases, the water level drops and more and more air flows into the chamber. However, this can be done with a solution that is based on the 4 is shown can be avoided. Another water chamber 24 is also installed here, which is smaller than the water storage chamber that is installed directly under the heating chamber. The water storage chamber is also in a higher position and from there a portioned amount of water flows into the water chamber through a water pipe 25 with a check valve 13 (or solenoid valve 14) in it. This ensures that there is only a little air between the heated water 26 and the water level 27 in the water chamber. The water portioning for this additional water chamber occurs self-regulating through the internal volume of this chamber. The amount of water here should be sufficient for a water jet shot (depending on the size of the water pistol, approx. 10 - 50ml).

The entire pump system described here weighs only a fraction of a piston pump or electric motor-driven centrifugal pump. From a technical perspective, the pump system described here is characterized by lower efficiency compared to conventional pumps, but the advantages outweigh the advantages due to the simple construction and robustness. The system described here cannot produce a continuous jet of water, but it can generate pulses of water jets that can flow out of the nozzle for a few seconds. The water gun here can be operated in manual or automatic mode. For such purposes, an electronic control would have to be installed that controls the heating processes and the electrovalves 14.

To meet the power requirement, a solar cell 29 can also be installed, which charges the battery 22. This would be practical because you could, for example, place the water gun 2 under the sun for a few minutes and then a small amount of electricity would be generated and stored, which would be enough for a few shots. The longer it stays in the sun, the greater the energy stored.

As with conventional weapons, laser diodes 30 that mark the target or the water jet (if they are built into the nozzle) can be helpful for target detection in order to mark the meeting point in advance. A laser diode can be installed directly in the nozzle or outside. When it is inside, the water jet glows with the laser beam color of the laser light that the laser diode emits. That would be an interesting effect that would be particularly effective at dusk or at night. As long as no water flows through the nozzle, the laser diode can mark the meeting point of the water jets in advance.

On the 5 An interesting embodiment is shown, whereby the water gun 2 can hit several targets 31 within fractions of a second. For this purpose, a spherical, pivotable or rotatable nozzle 32 is installed, which can be rotated in any direction by an electric actuator 33. For example, once you have acquired two targets, the position of the ball nozzle is detected by a manually controlled ball nozzle rotation, which is activated by two buttons 34 on the water pistol grip 35, one for right rotation, the other for left rotation 32 with a marking button, a jet of water shoots once at the first and then at the second target automatically and in fractions of a second. The detection of the target positions is facilitated by a laser diode / laser marker that is directly coupled to the pivoting nozzle. The ball nozzle can be rotated in several ways. The simplest method is to make it from a magnetic material and install an environment of electromagnets there that can rotate the ball in any direction through magnetic field interaction. The spherical water jet nozzle with magnetic properties is pivoted in any direction by one or more statically installed electromagnets, controlled by the controller. In this way, the pistol can, for example, fire at two targets almost simultaneously. In this case, it would alternately generate short water jet pulses, each of which is emitted in two directions.

For more functions and features, the water gun can also be equipped with numerous other technical means. A touch display (display) 70, which can control some functions, is conceivable, for example. Pressure sensors can also be installed, the pressure values of which are shown on the display 70. The pressure values can also be provided via voice output. For example, you can set the water gun there so that it releases the water jets in pulse form. In this case, the pulse frequency and the amount of water in the heating chamber can be regulated. Radio transmission of data through a built-in radio module 36 can also offer advantages. An app that is installed on a smartphone 37 and can be connected to the water gun using a holder 38 would be suitable for this. Thanks to the activation elements integrated into the holder (e.g. magnets) 39, the smartphone can automatically start its app and establish a connection (e.g. via Bluetooth) with the hardware of the water gun ( 6 ). However, the toy will probably no longer be in the children's toy range, but rather in the adult or young people's range.

Depending on how this water gun is designed, it can deliver individual pulse water jets, rapid water jet pulses that repeat almost as often as you like, but not a real continuous water jet. In order to still be able to simulate a continuous water jet, the system can be installed twice ( 7 ) and then use an electronic control 23 to alternately control the water heating in the two heat chambers so that when one water jet pulse approaches the end, the next one is generated. This gives the impression that a continuous jet of water is being generated. The two systems can emit the water jets from the same nozzle or through two nozzles built into the water gun at the same location.

What is important with this system is that the water is heated into the heating chamber at lightning speed. This requires powerful heating elements that generate high temperatures for a short time. There are plenty of such elements and they are used, for example, in soldering irons that can be heated quickly. The power consumption is quite high, but because the amount of water that is heated is very small, no battery can ensure the power consumption. A very thin heating wire 40, for example, would be sufficient as a heating element. It could be built in the form of a spiral, coil or other suitable shape. The repetition rate of the water jet pulses can be regulated as desired using an electronic controller 41 ( 8th ). To increase the current values, a current capacitor can be connected in parallel.

The pump system, by heating a small amount of water into the heating chamber equipped with a heating element, is the simplest design to create pressure and can be used for such purposes.

With this pump system, the small heating chamber can be installed above the water storage chamber. The heating element lies like a ring in the water (e.g. 0.2 to 4ml) and brings it to the boil in an instant. The water vapor expands and exerts pressure on a piston (or a membrane or directly through an opening) which builds pressure into the water storage chamber. This pressure is maintained until you pull the water gun trigger and release a jet of water. Because the heating chamber is small and the amount of water is very small (0.2 m), heating occurs extremely quickly. A pressure transmission system with the double piston construction 19 can be used for pressure transmission, with the piston surfaces being of different sizes. The piston surface 42 on the water storage chamber can be made larger, while the piston surface 43 in the heating chamber is relatively small. This makes it possible to displace a larger amount of water from the water storage chamber with little water in the heating chamber ( 3 ).

The variant with direct pressure transfer (without pistons) can relatively easily transfer the pressure to the water storage chamber. In this case, the heating chamber would have to be installed above the water storage chamber and, for example, form a recessed, ring-shaped container in which approx. 0.2 - 0.5 ml of water comes. The ring-shaped heating element can be installed there, which heats the water at lightning speed. This evaporates the water and creates a pressure which passes through the opening 17 in the middle of the annular container in vapor form into the water storage chamber and displaces the water there. This variant also works very reliably and generates pressure within less than a second. Practically, every time you pull the trigger, the pressure is built up again. As soon as the heating chamber becomes empty, it is refilled with a little water from the water storage chamber through an inflow fluid line 12 each time the water is displaced. Refilling can also be done by a mechanical pump 44, which is connected to the trigger lever 21 and which transports a small amount of water from the water storage chamber into the heating chamber by pressing the trigger. A sensor system 45 can prevent the heating element from being activated when there is no water in the heating chamber.

Because the heating element has to be heated within seconds, high current values are required for short periods of time. These can additionally be provided by a current capacitor 46, which is connected in parallel to the energy source (battery) and the consumer (heating element) via a switch 47 or electronic control 23. The capacitor 46 should be as small as possible, but still have a high capacity (e.g. approximately 500 to 2000 microfarads). Because the required voltage is quite low (approx. 3.7 - 7.2V), such a capacitor can be made relatively small. This will provide a high current for a short time and thus the heating element can be heated to the maximum in a matter of seconds, causing the water to evaporate in a flash. The steam creates a pressure wave that explosively affects the water in the water storage chamber (or into the water chamber), generating a jet of water with a good range.

Thanks to the electronic control 23, the water jet can always be delivered in pulses or, in the case of a double construction of the system, in the continuous jet form. The number of pulses can also be controlled. You can press and hold the trigger and thus emit, for example, 1 - 30 water jet pulses per second. The double construction of this system can act almost like a continuous water jet due to the alternating pulse jet emission. There are no limits when it comes to designing and programming the control system.

A variant from the 9 has a feature that makes the water gun a little more interesting. Here the water flow that flows towards the nozzle is passed into a small double-chamber construction 48 just in front of the nozzle, in which the amount of water flows divided into the two chambers and part of it flows into one of the chambers (warm water). Chamber 49) is heated and cooled in the other chamber (cold water chamber 50). The temperature differences in the The chambers are effected by an electrical cooling system or a Peltier element 51, which forms the partition 52 between the two chambers. At the exits 53 of these two chambers or in front of the chamber, two short fluid lines 54 are installed, each of which has an electrovalve (55 and 56) that can be switched on and off separately. The two fluid lines 54 are brought together into the nozzle or just before it. Depending on which of the electrovalves is opened, a jet of water with a corresponding temperature is released. Which of the electric valves is activated can be controlled using, for example, two switch buttons 57 on the water gun handle 58. This means you can deliver a cold or warm jet of water, depending on how the user controls it. Accordingly, a laser diode (one blue and one red) can be coupled to each of the two switches, which guide their bundled laser beams 59 in the water jet and use the water jet like a light guide, or emit their laser beams outside the water jet and thus mark the target. A red laser diode 60 with a red laser beam would mark the warm water jet 61, while the cold water jet 63 would be marked with a blue laser diode 62.

Another exemplary embodiment is on the 10 been presented. Here too, the water is heated by a heating element. However, here the heating element is not directly immersed in the water, but rather it heats the air directly over the water into the heating chamber. The heating element here consists of a high-voltage source 67, which generates an arc 68 via two electrodes 66. The arc can reach temperatures of over 5000°C in a flash and emits very intense heat. This will heat the water underneath as well as the walls of the heating chamber. Of course, the electrodes are provided with a water-repellent insulation layer or base at the attachment point. The spark path must also be relatively short and the electricity should not be discharged completely into the water, otherwise electrolysis will occur. When a spark is generated with medium or high-frequency alternating current (e.g. from a few KHz to dozens of MHz), the discharge can also reach the water directly from the electrode via the air. In this case the water is not electrolyzed.

All of these systems use steam to create pressure on the water, thereby generating a water jet. Because the amount of water being heated is very small (less than 1ml), it can be heated in a flash using a conventional lithium cell pack. To heat 0.3ml of water to over 100°C, it only takes 0.2 seconds with a battery that delivers 5A with 3V. If you want to heat larger amounts of water, e.g. 2ml, then the heating process takes a few seconds. In this case, it makes sense to install a pressure build-up valve or pressure-controlled valve / electrovalve 65, which only releases the water jet when the pressure of the water exceeds a pressure value or only when the pressure is high enough. Pressure build-up valves that work purely mechanically are ideal for this, or in the case of a somewhat complicated version of this water gun, an electrovalve that is coupled to a pressure sensor 69, which gives the release when certain pressure values are exceeded and the electrovalve opens suddenly.

The heating chamber in the water gun should be thermally isolated from the surrounding parts in the gun by thermal insulation so that it does not cause any damage. After all, it can get hot up to 150 - 200° for a short time. However, this chamber is cooled very quickly because it is flooded with cold water immediately after the water jet is released and the process starts again.

It should be mentioned that this water gun is absolutely safe to use, even if inexperienced people handle it. It cannot cause skin burns, no matter how you use it, because the heating chamber is thermally insulated in the middle and is not accessible from the outside. The amount of water of less than 1ml that is heated inside does not come out as a jet of hot steam, but this heat is largely reduced by the cold water and absorbed by the water into the water storage chamber. The steam only serves to squeeze out a lot of the water from the water storage chamber to the water gun nozzle and to release it outwards in the form of a water jet. Therefore, regardless of how the user operates this water gun, an unintentional burn injury is ruled out. Although the steam can be released slightly forward through the water gun nozzle after the water jet has been released, it cools down to such an extent because the path to the nozzle is a few dozen cm and the steam only enters the water mass through the water mass Water storage chamber must and then always comes into contact with the fluid line walls. However, as mentioned before, when a small amount of steam flows out of the nozzle, it also creates an optical effect that almost looks like a smoking gun after it has been fired.

The system can also be combined with conventional pump systems. In that case, this water gun would be a hybrid water gun, both devices for the printer had conception on board. Whether the conventional pump system has an air pressure generator, a piston pump or a diaphragm pump (electrically or manually operated) is left to the manufacturer. The method of generating the pressure energy on the water can be controlled or selected by the user using a switch (e.g. switch lever, switch button, etc.).

Another feature can also be installed in the water gun. For example, it can be equipped with an ice compartment in which ice cubes from a refrigerator can be inserted to cool the water from the water gun. It should also be possible to place the ice cubes directly into the water tank. Because the heating element only heats a small amount of water quickly and only the steam from it comes into contact with the larger amounts of water used for the water jet, this has little or no effect on the water temperature in the tank. Ice cubes can therefore also be attached there, which cool down the water to a large extent and increase the fun factor in summer by using water jet guns.

The water gun can be equipped with a coupling element or thread, which allows it to be coupled with an external adapter. This would allow water pressure to be diverted for various purposes. You can also use it to do something completely inappropriate.

REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST

1

Heating chamber

2

Water gun

3

Water storage chamber

4

Heating element

5

Amount of water

6

Steam / water vapor

7

opening

8th

Connecting line / U-shaped line / Arc-shaped line

9

Water pipe/fluid pipe

10

jet

11

water jet

12

Inflow fluid line

13

Check valve

14

Electric valve

15

Ring hoop shape

16

deepening

17

Ring opening

18

Moving membrane

19

Double piston construction

20

Heating chamber piston

21

Deduction

22

battery pack

23

Electronic control

24

Water chamber

25

water pipe

26

Heated water

27

water level

28

Electric valves

29

Solar cell

30

Laser diodes

31

Goals

32

Spherical, pivoting/rotating nozzle

33

Electric actuator

34

Buttons

35

Water pistol grip

36

Radio module

37

Smartphone

38

bracket

39

Activation elements (e.g. magnets)

40

Very thin heating wire

41

Electronic regulator

42

Piston surface on the water storage chamber

43

Piston surface into the heating chamber

44

Mechanical pump

45

Sensor system

46

Current capacitor

47

Switch

48

Double chamber construction

49

Warm water chamber

50

Cold water chamber

51

Peltier element

52

partition wall

53

exits of the two chambers

54

Short fluid lines

55

Cold water solenoid valve

56

Hot water electric valve

57

Switch buttons

58

Water gun handle

59

Laser beams

60

Red laser diode

61

Warm water jet

62

Blue laser diode

63

Cold water jet

64

Water

65

Pressure valve / pressure build-up valve / solenoid valve for pressure relief

66

High voltage electrodes

67

High voltage source

68

Electric arc

69

Pressure sensor

70

Pressure display

71

Ceramic/Thermal Insulator

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• WO 2018215646 A1 [0007]
• US 20030034358 A1 [0008]

Claims (52)

Water gun, characterized in that it has a water pump, which consists of at least: - a small-sized heating chamber with an internal volume of less than 10cm ³ , into which a portioned amount of water flows, - a water storage chamber, which in is installed close to the heating chamber and is connected to it in a pressure-transmitting manner through a wall opening or through a connecting line or pipe, - a heating element that is installed in the heating chamber and ensures that the small portioned amount of water is heated as quickly as possible, which is quickly evaporated and the steam creates pressure on the water in the water storage chamber, - a fluid line that transports the water from the water storage chamber to a water outlet opening of the water gun or to a water gun nozzle, - an energy -Source, which is in the form of a rechargeable battery or a battery, - a switch or an electrical or electronic control that is coupled to the heating element and the energy source. Water gun, characterized in that it has a water pump, which consists of at least: - a small-sized heating chamber with an internal volume in the range of 0.001 cm ³ to a maximum of 300 cm ³ , into which a portioned amount of water can flow, - one Water storage chamber, which is installed near the heating chamber, - a fluid line or a downwardly turned U-shaped or curved pipe line, which connects the heating chamber and the water storage chamber to each other in a pressure-transmitting manner, which conducts the water vapor , whereby the pipe-line ends open into the upper area or into the upper walls of the respective heating chamber and water storage chamber, - a heating element that is built into the heating chamber and which heats the small portioned amount of water as quickly as possible which is quickly evaporated and creates pressure on the water in the water storage chamber via the pipe line - a fluid line that carries the water from the water storage chamber to a water jet outlet point or to a water gun nozzle transported, - an energy source that is designed in the form of a rechargeable battery or a battery, - a switch or an electrical or electronic control that is coupled to the heating element and the energy source. Water pistol after Patent claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that it is a valve or pressure build-up valve or pressure valve that opens when certain pressure values in the heating chamber are exceeded and suddenly directs the steam into the water storage chamber and releases the steam pressure energy there. Water pistol after Patent claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that it has an electrical control and an electrical valve electrically connected to it, which is opened suddenly after a time-controlled operation or a few seconds of operation of the heating element and directs the steam pressure from the heating chamber into the water storage chamber and the steam pressure energy releases there. Water pistol after Patent claim 4 , characterized in that it has a pressure sensor that monitors the internal pressure in the heating chamber, which, when certain pressure values in the heating chamber are exceeded, sends a signal to the control for the electrovalve, whereby the electrovalve opens and the steam suddenly into the water storage chamber and thus releases the steam pressure energy there in a flash. Water pistol according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that it has a pressure value display which displays the pressure values of the heating chamber optically or acoustically or through voice information. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating chamber and the water storage chamber are connected by an inflow fluid line, each in the lower area, which enables the water to flow from the water storage chamber into the heating chamber . Water pistol after Patent claim 7 , characterized in that the inflow fluid line has a check valve that allows the water to flow in only one direction, from the water storage chamber to the heating chamber, with the fluid line ends in the two chambers each in the lower area or from which flow into the chambers at the bottom. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an additional water chamber is present - which acts as an intermediate chamber or link between The heating chamber and the water storage chamber are installed, in which portioned amounts of water from the water storage chamber flow in, - which is connected to the water storage chamber by a fluid line in which a check valve is installed, which is only in one Direction, from the water storage chamber to the water chamber, - which is connected to the water jet exit point or the water gun nozzle that produces the water jet, - which is smaller than the water storage chamber, - which is connected to the heater -Chamber is connected to transmit pressure and from which the pressure wave reaches the heating chamber after heating a small amount of water, and from which the water is displaced towards the water jet outlet point or nozzle. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water pump is present twice and alternately generates water jet pulses through the control. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating element is a heating wire or a heating spiral or an electric glow element or a ceramic heating element. Water pistol after one of the Patent claims 1 until 10 , characterized in that the heating element is a heating resistance element in the form of a small, quickly heating heating coil, heating piston element or heating pin and is integrated into the wall of the heating chamber or is removably installed in the heating chamber wall . Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with hardware and a computer interface via which it can be connected wirelessly or by cable to a PC or smartphone, whereby the pressure generation in the heating chamber can be controlled via a program sequence. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with one or more solar cells for an additional energy supply. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with a water jet nozzle which can be pivoted in any direction and an electric actuator which can pivot or rotate the water jet nozzle controlled by the electronic control. Water pistol after Patent claim 15 , characterized in that the pivoting water jet nozzle is built in a spherical shape. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with a laser beam marker or a laser diode which is mechanically connected directly to the pivotable water jet nozzle. Water pistol after one of the Patent claims 15 until 17 , characterized in that the electronic control is equipped with a multi-target water jet delivery function, whereby the pivoting water jet nozzle can hit multiple targets in a short time in succession or alternately through a quick pivoting movement or rotation, without the water gun each Must be aimed precisely at the target. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has an electrical regulator which controls water jets in pulse form, or generates water jet pulses with a repetition rate or frequency which can be controlled by the user. Water gun according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that it is equipped with a radio module via which bidirectional data communication with a PC or a smartphone is possible. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with a touch display via which the functions of the water gun can be controlled. Water pistol according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that it is equipped with a holder for a smartphone which has an app which is designed and intended for the function control of the water pistol. Water pistol after Patent claim 22 , characterized in that the holder is equipped with activation elements for starting a suitable app on the smartphone and creating a radio connection with the smartphone. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with a speech or word recognition system that generates pressure for the water jet via voice control. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating chamber does not transmit the pressure to the water storage chamber or water chamber directly through an opening, but through a membrane construction. Water pistol after one of the Patent claims 1 until 24 , characterized in that the heating chamber does not transmit the pressure to the water storage chamber or water chamber directly through an opening, but through a double piston construction. Water pistol after Patent claim 26 , characterized in that the double-piston construction has two pistons with different working surfaces. Water pistol according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water flows through the inflow fluid line from the water storage chamber after each water jet firing in portioned quantities into the heating chamber due to a height difference between the two chambers or this due to a small Pump operated by the water gun trigger, which transports a small amount of water from the water storage chamber into the heating chamber after each water jet firing. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with an electrical capacitor coupled in parallel with the energy source and with the heating element via a switch or electrical control. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a mechanical delay element which briefly stores the pressure wave energy from the heating chamber and then slightly delays it and suddenly releases it with full force onto the water for water jet generation . Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a double-chamber water flow construction, which is installed in the water pipe as a water flow element in front of the water jet exit point or the water gun nozzle in the water gun, the two water -Chamber includes that are filled more or less simultaneously with water from the same water pipe, which is through a partition in which an electric water cooling system or a Peltier element is installed that cools the water into a water chamber and into the others heated, equipped. Water pistol after Patent claim 31 , characterized in that the outlets of the two water chambers in the double-chamber construction each have a fluid line, each with a separately controllable, built-in electrovalve, which are brought together directly into the water gun nozzle or immediately in front of it. Water pistol after Patent claim 32 , characterized in that the solenoid valves are controllable by switch buttons or other control that can be operated by the user. Water pistol after one of the Patent claims 31 until 33 , characterized in that it is equipped with two laser diodes, each of which emits a focused laser beam in the target direction, each of which has a different laser beam color, each of which marks the cold and warm water jets. Water pistol after one of the Patent claims 31 until 34 , characterized in that it is equipped with a temperature regulator that regulates the water temperature of the two water chambers. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is a hybrid water gun in which a conventional pump device is also installed and is equipped with a switch through which the method of generating the water jet can be selected. Water pistol after Claim 36 , characterized in that the conventional pumping device is an electric piston pump or diaphragm pump or a hand-operated mechanical pump. Water pistol after one of the Patent claims 31 until 37 , characterized in that the water temperature of the water for the water jet is regulated to 4°C by a built-in automatic control. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with an ice compartment in which ice or ice cubes from a refrigerator can be brought in so that the water in the water gun cools down. Water gun according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that the heating chamber and the water storage chamber form a unit, which are separated from one another by a freely swinging partition or an elastic or oscillating membrane. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with a thread or coupling element in the nozzle area, whereby it can be connected to another external nozzle or a misused adapter. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating element or heating resistor is immersed in the water located in the heating chamber or is installed in the wall or in the floor of the heating chamber. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating element is not inserted directly into the water, but is installed in an area in the heating chamber where there is air and consists of at least one high-voltage generator and two electrodes which produce a current discharge/lightning discharge in the form of an arc that heats the air and thus the water in the heating chamber. Water pistol after Claim 43 , characterized in that the current discharge or arc from the electrodes penetrates the water and heats it. Water pistol after Claim 43 or 44 , characterized in that the current discharge from a high-voltage generator with alternating current and a medium or high frequency is conducted into the electrode. Water gun according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that an electrovalve or pressure build-up valve or pressure valve is installed in the fluid line which directs the pressurized water to the nozzle. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with an electrical circuit which controls an automatic heating element switch-off after a set operating time or temperature exceedance. Water pistol after Patent claim 47 , characterized in that the electrical circuit is coupled to the trigger lever of the water gun. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating chamber is constructed in the shape of a hollow spherical or hollow cylinder. Water pistol after Claim 49 , characterized in that the heating chamber has an inner diameter of 5 - 25mm. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a modular design and the components are easily removable. Water gun according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating chamber in the water gun is thermally insulated from the environment or is equipped with a thermally insulating layer.

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