EP1673961B1 - Valve and dispensing device comprising one such valve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a valve and a fluid dispenser device comprising such a valve. More particularly, the present invention is particularly intended for metering valves.

The valves are well known in the state of the art (see for example the document US-A-3 581 958 ). They generally comprise a valve body in which slides a valve between a rest position and a dispensing position, which is generally an axially depressed position inside the valve body. The valve slides relative to the valve body with the interposition of one or more seal (s) to ensure a safe and reliable dispensing of the fluid. A problem that may arise with the valves is the risk of leakage during actuation, and therefore imperfect distribution of the product. This can for example occur when the user, who actuates the valve, exerts a force that is not exactly axial on the valve. This may cause the valve to move slightly with respect to its central axis, which may cause leaks at the junction between the seals and said valve. This problem is particularly troublesome when the valve is a metering valve, that is to say a valve having a metering chamber defining a precise dose of product dispensed with each actuation of the valve. In particular, when it is a pharmaceutical product, imprecision or non-reproducibility of the dose can be harmful for the user. Another problem which arises in particular in the metering valves concerns the precision and reproducibility of the metering even in the case of storage between two actuations. Generally, the metering valves comprise a filling channel which makes it possible to fill the metering chamber after dispensing a dose, when the valve returns from its dispensing position to its rest position. This filling is done by gravity when the valve is used in inverted position and / or by depression due to the distribution of the previous dose. When the valve is stored in the upright position, there is a risk that the product will flow back through the filling channel back into the reservoir, which has the effect of reducing the dose contained in the dosing chamber, and thus to alter the accuracy and reproducibility of the dose. Again, when it comes to pharmaceutical product, this can have serious consequences for the user.

The present invention aims to provide a valve, including a metering valve, for dispensing fluid product, which does not reproduce the aforementioned drawbacks. More particularly, the object of the present invention is to provide such a valve which guarantees an accuracy and optimum reproducibility of the dosage each time the valve is actuated.

The present invention also aims to provide such a valve that ensures safe and reliable operation thereof even when the user exerts a force that is not quite axial on the valve.

The present invention also aims to provide such a valve that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

The present invention therefore relates to a fluid dispensing valve having a valve body and a valve sliding in said valve body between a rest position and a dispensing position, said valve having a dispensing orifice, said valve comprising an axial guide member cooperating with a guided portion of the valve, said guided portion being opposed to said dispensing orifice, and said valve comprises an upper portion having the dispensing orifice, and a lower portion including said guided portion, said upper portions; and bass being assembled one into the other.

Advantageously, said guide element is integral, in particular monobloc, of said valve body.

Advantageously, said guide element is a hollow sleeve whose inner diameter is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the guided portion of the valve sliding in said hollow sleeve.

According to a first variant embodiment, said hollow sleeve is blind. According to a second embodiment, said hollow sleeve is through.

Advantageously, said valve is a metering valve comprising a metering chamber, said valve comprising a distribution channel connecting the metering chamber at said dispensing orifice in dispensing position of the valve, and a filling channel for filling said metering chamber when the valve returns to its rest position.

Advantageously, the lower part of the valve comprises a blind hole comprising two through-side orifices, one of which opens into the metering chamber in the rest position of the valve, the upper part of the valve being fitted into said blind hole to seal axially. said blind hole.

According to a first embodiment, the blind hole of the lower part of the valve forms a central axial channel connected to said two lateral orifices, thus forming said filling channel, the lower end of said upper part of the valve axially delimiting said channel. central.

Advantageously, said central channel has a polygonal cross section, in particular triangular.

According to a second embodiment, the upper part of the valve comprises an axially extending groove defining with said blind hole of said lower part of the valve at least a portion of the filling channel.

Advantageously, at least one of said lateral orifices is at least partially conical by narrowing towards the blind hole.

Advantageously, the minimum diameter of said at least one conical orifice is approximately 0.3 millimeters.

The present invention also relates to a fluid dispenser device comprising a valve as described above.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique en section transversale d'une valve selon un premier mode de réalisation de la présente invention;
• la figure 2 est une vue similaire à celle de la figure 1, montrant un autre mode de réalisation de la présente invention ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe selon la ligne de coupe CC de la figure 2;
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe selon la ligne de coupe BB de la figure 2;
• la figure 5 est une vue similaire aux figures 1 et 2, montrant encore un autre mode de réalisation de la présente invention ;
• la figure 6 est une vue agrandie du détail A de la figure 5;
• la figure 7 est une vue en coupe selon la ligne de coupe BB de la figure 5; et
• la figure 8 est une vue en coupe selon la ligne de coupe CC de la figure 5.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly in the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of non-limiting examples, and in which:

• the figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
• the figure 2 is a view similar to that of the figure 1 showing another embodiment of the present invention;
• the figure 3 is a sectional view along the section line CC of the figure 2 ;
• the figure 4 is a sectional view along the section line BB of the figure 2 ;
• the figure 5 is a view similar to figures 1 and 2 showing yet another embodiment of the present invention;
• the figure 6 is an enlarged view of detail A of the figure 5 ;
• the figure 7 is a sectional view along the section line BB of the figure 5 ; and
• the figure 8 is a sectional view along the section line CC of the figure 5 .

Referring to the figures, the valve comprises a valve body 10 in which a valve 20 slides between a rest position (shown in FIGS. figures 1 , 2 and 5 ) and a dispensing position (not shown), in which the valve is axially recessed within the valve body 10.

The valve 20 comprises a dispensing orifice 25 and, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a portion 29 opposite to said dispensing orifice 25. According to the invention, this part 29 cooperates with an axial guiding element 15, so that that the displacement of the valve 20 is always exactly aligned with the central axis X of the valve. This guided portion 29 of the valve 20 which cooperates with the guide member 15 is advantageously formed by the end of the valve 20 which is opposite the dispensing orifice 25, to optimize the axial guidance. The axial guide element 15 is preferably integral, in particular made in one piece, with said pump body 10, as shown in FIGS. figures 1 , 2 and 5 . Advantageously, this guide element 15 can be made in the form of a hollow sleeve whose inner diameter is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the guided portion 29 of the valve 20 sliding in said hollow sleeve. Eventually, as it appears on Figures 2 and 3 one or more product passage grooves 16 may be provided at said guide member 15 to allow a passage of the product of the reservoir (not shown) to the interior of the valve body 10, around said guided portion 29 of the valve. Advantageously, this at least one groove also makes it possible to avoid the risk of seizing between the valve and the valve body as a result of any active deposits of product on one of these parts. Alternatively, as shown schematically on the figure 1 , the passage for the product can be carried out in a side wall of the valve body 10. In this case, the hollow sleeve 15 forming the guide element can be blind, as shown in FIG. figure 1 . Another variant, represented on the figures 2 and 5 , shows a hollow sleeve 15 passing through, the valve possibly being able to project out of the valve body 10, inside the tank (not shown), when the valve 20 is depressed in dispensing position. As is clear in particular on the sectional view of the figure 3 , even if the user exerts a force which is not exactly parallel to the central axis X, the valve can not deviate during its displacement of this axis X because of the guide element 15 which axially guides the displacement of the guided portion 29 of the valve, and therefore of the entire valve. This avoids any risk of shift of the valve during actuation, and therefore any risk of leakage especially at the upper seal of the valve.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the valve is a metering valve, that is to say having a metering chamber 30. The valve 20 advantageously comprises a distribution channel 24 which connects the metering chamber 30 to the dispensing orifice 25 when the valve is in the dispensing position. Similarly, a filling channel 26 is advantageously provided for filling the metering chamber 30 when the valve returns from its dispensing position to its rest position. In particular when the valve is used in the inverted position but stored in the upright position, there may be a problem of retention of the dose in the metering chamber 30 between two actuations of the valve. To overcome this problem, the present invention provides for minimizing the section of the filling channel 26 so that to prevent the product contained in the metering chamber from flowing back to the reservoir through this channel.

The figures 1 , 2 and 4 represent a first embodiment. According to this first embodiment, the valve 20 comprises an upper part 21, which incorporates the dispensing orifice 25, and a lower part 22 which incorporates the guided part 29. These upper and lower parts 21, 22 are assembled one in the other, preferably sealingly, to at least partially define the filling channel 26. In the example of figure 1 , 2 and 4 , the lower part 22 of the valve 20 comprises a blind hole 23 which comprises two lateral through-holes 27, 28, one of which opens into the metering chamber 30 in the rest position of the valve 20, and the other opens at the outside of this metering chamber 30 in a portion connected to the reservoir. In this first variant, the blind hole 23 of the lower part 22 of the valve forms a central axial channel 23 which is connected to said two lateral orifices 27 and 28, said central channel 23 and said lateral orifices 27 and 28 thus forming said channel. Refill 26. Preferably, the upper portion 21 of the valve 20 is fitted into the blind hole 23 to axially seal said blind hole 23, and thus axially define said filling channel 26 in this first variant. Advantageously, the central channel 23 has a preferably triangular polygonal cross-section, as shown in FIG. figure 4 . This makes it possible to increase the contact surface between the product and the channel, while reducing the section of this channel, to limit or prevent a return of the product therethrough when the valve is stored in position. right. To further improve this retention, at least one of said lateral orifices 27, 28, preferably both, is made at least partially conical, preferably completely conical, as shown in FIGS. figure 1 and 2 , narrowing towards the interior of the central channel 23. Advantageously, the minimum diameter of the orifices (s) conical (s) 27, 28 is about 0.3 millimeter. With such a diameter, it is almost impossible for the product contained in the metering chamber 30 to flow back through the filling channel 26, the diameter being too small to allow a passage of the product by simple gravity. The conical shape of the holes makes it possible to achieve the minimum diameter of these with a very small value of the order of 0.3 millimeters. Indeed, cylindrical pins for molding cylindrical holes of such a size would be too fragile, so that it would be very difficult and expensive to make cylindrical through holes of size about 0.3 millimeter in diameter. On the other hand, by providing tapered holes narrowing inwardly of the channel 23, the desired result is obtained, namely a retention of the dose in the metering chamber 30 while allowing a molding and a simple and inexpensive embodiment of these holes by means of very strong conical pins, of which only the end has a reduced dimension of the order of 0.3 millimeters.

The Figures 5 to 8 show another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the filling channel 26 is partially defined by a groove 23 'provided in the upper part 21 of the valve, and cooperating with said blind hole 23 to at least partially define the channel This implementation makes it possible to produce a filling channel of even smaller dimensions than in the preceding example, and thus to further increase the retention of the dose in the metering chamber. Figures 5, 6 and 7 in this variant, the through holes 27 and 28 may be only partially conical, and they may even be completely cylindrical, with larger dimensions, the retention not being provided mainly by these holes but by the very small section filling channel 26 at said groove 23 '. Again, it is by assembling the upper portion 21 of the valve within the lower portion 22 thereof that achieves a filling channel providing optimal retention, even in case of prolonged storage. The shape and dimensions of the groove 23 ', as shown on the Figures 7 and 8 , could obviously be modified according to the needs, in particular to optimize the filling of the metering chamber while avoiding a loss of dose by providing a perfect retention of the dose when it is in the metering chamber 30. The filling can be done despite the very small section of the groove 23 'in particular because when the valve 20 is returned from its dispensing position to its rest position by the return spring 50, the valve is generally in the inverted position, and the filling is done not only by the gravity but also by the depression created at the inside this dosing chamber by the distribution of the previous dose.

Of course, by combining a filling channel 26 providing optimal retention of the dose in the metering chamber 30, with the guiding means 15 of the valve 20, ensuring a perfectly axial displacement thereof, it is possible to guarantee a reproducibility and optimum dosing accuracy with each actuation of the valve. However, it is understood that these aspects could be carried out separately from each other depending on the specific requirements.

Although the invention has been described with reference to several embodiments thereof, it is understood that it is not limited by the examples shown. On the contrary, a person skilled in the art can make any useful modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. A fluid dispenser valve comprising a valve body (10) and a valve member (20) that is slidable in said valve body (10) between a rest position and a dispensing position, said valve member (20) including a dispenser orifice (25), said valve being characterized in that it includes an axial guide element (15) that co-operates with a guided portion (29) of the valve member (20), said guided portion (29) being remote from said dispenser orifice (25), and in that said valve member (20) comprises a top portion (21) including the dispenser orifice (25), and a bottom portion (22) including said guided portion (29), said top and bottom portions (21, 22) being assembled one in the other.
2. A valve according to claim 1, in which said guide element (15) is secured to said valve body (10), in particular by being made integrally therewith.
3. A valve according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which said guide element (15) is a hollow sleeve having an inside diameter that is approximately equal to the outside diameter of the guided portion (29) of the valve member that is slidable in said hollow sleeve.
4. A valve according to claim 3, in which said hollow sleeve (15) has a blind hollow.
5. A valve according to claim 3, in which said hollow sleeve (15) has a through hollow.
6. A valve according to any preceding claim, in which said valve is a metering valve including a metering chamber (30), said valve member (20) including a dispenser channel (24) connecting the metering chamber (30) to said dispenser orifice (25) when the valve member (20) is in its dispensing position, and a filler channel (26) for filling said metering chamber (30) when the valve member (20) returns to its rest position.
7. A valve according to claim 6, in which said top and bottom portions are assembled one in the other so as to define said filler channel (26).
8. A valve according to claim 7, in which the bottom portion (22) of the valve member (20) includes a blind hole (23) including two lateral through orifices (27, 28), with one orifice opening out into the metering chamber (30) when the valve member is in its rest position (20), the top portion (21) of the valve member (20) being fitted in said blind hole (23) so as to close said blind hole (23) axially.
9. A valve according to claim 8, in which the blind hole (23) of the bottom portion (22) of the valve member (20) forms a central axial channel (23) that is connected to said two lateral orifices (27, 28), thereby forming said filler channel (26), the bottom end of said top portion (21) of the valve member (20) axially defining said central channel (23).
10. A valve according to claim 9, in which said central channel (23) has a cross-section that is polygonal, and in particular triangular.
11. A valve according to claim 8, in which the top portion (21) of the valve member includes a groove (23') that extends axially and that co-operates with said blind hole (23) of said bottom portion of the valve member (20) to define at least one portion of the filler channel (26).
12. A valve according to any one of claims 8 to 11, in which at least one of said lateral orifices (27, 28) is conical in part, tapering towards the blind hole (23).
13. A valve according to claim 12, in which the minimum diameter of said at least one conical orifice (27, 28) is about 0.3 mm.
14. A fluid dispenser device, characterized in that it includes a valve according to any preceding claim.

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