JP2002531261A - Pre-compression system - Google Patents

Abstract

SUMMARY The present invention relates to a pre-compression system located between a pump and a discharge nozzle connected by a conduit extending into space. The system is movable between a closed position and an open position and has a pre-compression valve biased to the closed position by spring means. The space is connected to a pump and the conduit is connected to a discharge nozzle. The pre-compression valve and the spring means are flexible, and it is possible to integrate the spring means into the pre-compression valve by being constituted by a preferably dome-shaped diaphragm. The space may be annular, may surround the end of the conduit, and may be bounded by a cylindrical sleeve. The present invention is a spray device, comprising a pump having a suction side and a compression side, means for supplying a liquid to be sprayed connected to the suction side of the pump, and a discharge nozzle connected to the compression side of the pump. And the pre-compression system provided between the pump and the discharge nozzle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a pre-compression system arranged between a pump and a discharge nozzle connected by a conduit extending in space, the system being in this state above the mouth of the conduit. A pre-compression valve movable between a position for closing the connection abutting the pedestal and a position for opening the connection away from the pedestal in that state, the pre-compression valve being movable relative to the closed position. Biased by spring means. Such a pre-compression system is disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 5,730,335.

[0002] Such known precompression systems are used, for example, in spray heads for containers such as bottles containing liquid detergent. Such a spray head is formed by a body provided with a manually operable piston pump. Such a pump is operated by a trigger rotatably connected to the body. The suction side of the pump extends into the bottle over a sufficient length, usually near its bottom, through which it is connected to a tube from which liquid can be withdrawn from the bottle. The compression side of the pump is connected via a conduit to the discharge nozzle of the spray head. A precompression system is provided between the pump and the conduit leading to the discharge nozzle, the precompression system being kept closed by spring means and opened only when a predetermined pressure is reached in the pump. It has. The purpose of this pre-compression valve is to prevent the liquid from leaving the discharge nozzle at too low a pressure, as too large droplets are generated in the spray. In fact, the liquid must be pumped out at a predetermined and relatively high pressure from the discharge nozzle in order to obtain an optimal spray pattern.

A known precompression system has the end of the cylinder wall of the pump extending into an annular space. The edge of the cylinder wall forms a pedestal, on which an elastically flexible diaphragm is pressed. The diaphragm is pressed in a closed state by the spring pressure generated by the bending stress of the material of the diaphragm itself in the earlier patent. When the pressure in the pump cylinder is sufficiently high, the diaphragm rises from the pedestal, allowing liquid under pressure to flow from the cylinder to the conduit leading to the discharge nozzle. When almost all the liquid is pressed from the cylinder and the internal pressure decreases again, the diaphragm returns to the closed state again in contact with the pedestal due to the internal spring force.

A disadvantage of such known precompression systems is that the annular space is provided in series with the pump cylinder. It is therefore difficult to design such known pre-compression systems so that they can be manufactured by injection molding, and furthermore, the resulting design is relatively bulky, so that it can be installed in a compact spray head. It becomes difficult to contain. In the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,335, the pump containing such a precompression system is angled between the suction tube and the spray tube for manufacturing reasons, so that its assembly It becomes a complicated structure which makes it difficult.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to allow greater design freedom when integrating this system into a compact spray head, since it is easier to manufacture and assemble than known precompression systems. , To provide a pre-compression system of the kind described above. In the present invention, this is achieved by connecting the space to the pump and connecting the conduit to the discharge nozzle. In this way, by reversing the direction of flow when compared to known precompression systems, it is not necessary to arrange in series with the pump cylinder, for example, a pre-composition such as may be provided adjacent to the cylinder. A compression system can be obtained. This substantially simplifies the design of the spray head, makes the head more compact, and makes its manufacture easier and more suitable. Further, it is not necessary to provide the cylinder and the piston at an angle, which is advantageous for the operation.

The spring means is preferably integrated into the pre-compression valve, for example, the pre-compression valve and the spring means are preferably constituted by an elastically flexible diaphragm. In this way, it is possible to obtain a valve which is structurally simple. The diaphragm is preferably dome-shaped, so that it has a stable and appropriate tension in the rest position.

[0007] The pre-compression system preferably has stop means cooperating with the diaphragm, whereby the bending of the diaphragm is limited and the diaphragm is "flipped" to another home position that is more separated from the pedestal. This prevents situations from returning. This stop means is preferably formed integrally with the diaphragm.

[0008] Furthermore, said space is preferably at least partially annular and at least partially surrounds the end of the conduit, so that it is possible to employ a simple circular diaphragm. The portion of the conduit and the pump surrounded by the annular space each have a centerline that is substantially parallel but offset with respect to each other.

[0009] Preferably, the annular space is bounded by a substantially cylindrical sleeve. In this way, an appropriate sealing state can be obtained, and leakage can be prevented. By integrally molding the diaphragm and the sleeve, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and thus simplify the assembly of the system.

[0010] The sleeve is provided with at least one suction port which can be closed by a valve, through which the liquid to be sprayed is drawn. If the shut-off valve is formed integrally with the sleeve, the number of individual parts can be further reduced and the manufacture and assembly of the pre-compression system can be further simplified.

The present invention further relates to a spray device, the device comprising a pump having a suction side and a compression side, a means connected to the suction side of the pump for supplying a liquid to be sprayed, and a pump. And a pre-compression system of the type described above provided between the pump and the discharge nozzle.

The invention further relates to an assembly comprising a container and a spray device as described above.

The present invention will be described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The spray head 1 for the container 2 comprises a pump 3 having a suction side 5 and a compression side 6. The movable operation means 4 is connected to the pump 3 and is housed in a hollow space 54 in the frame 22 carrying the pump 3 in the illustrated example and is locked therein by a flexible snap arm 55. It is constituted by a trigger 13 having a continuous rotating shaft 53. Connected to the suction side 5 of the pump 3 is a means 7 for supplying liquid from a container, the free end of which comprises a conduit connected to a tube 23 extending into the container. The compression side 6 of the pump 3 is connected to a conduit 9
Through a discharge nozzle 8.

Since the axis 53 of the trigger 13 and the receiving space 54 are located at the top of the spray conduit 9, the trigger 13 is provided with an opening 56 through which the end of this conduit 9 extends, and A discharge nozzle 8 is provided above.

The pump 3 is a piston type pump and has a pump housing or a cylinder 1.
0 and a piston 11 reciprocating in the interior. The piston 11 is connected to a trigger 13. At the end of the pump stroke, the piston 11 and the trigger 13 return to their rest position in their extended state,
The spray head 1 is provided with bias means 16. In the example shown, the biasing means comprises a pair of parallel bending springs 17 that lock to the rim inside the trigger 13. When the trigger 13 rotates around the rotation shaft 53 toward the pump 3 in the pump stroke, and the piston 11 is pressed into the cylinder 10, the spring 17 is bent. When the pressure on the trigger 13 is released, the spring 17 bends back and is forced back to its rest position. Since the trigger 13 is connected to the piston 11 so as to be fixed both under tension and under compression, the piston 11 is likewise pulled back to its rest position. The connection between the trigger 13 and the piston 11 is such that the protrusion 14 of the trigger 13 is
Is a snap connection obtained by being snapped into the corresponding opening 28 in FIG.

A precompression system is provided between the cylinder 10 and the spray conduit 9, which is annular in the example shown, and hermetically sealed by an elastically flexible dome-shaped diaphragm 59. Alternatively, it has a space 58 which is connected to the cylinder 10 which is liquid-tightly closed and the end of the spray conduit 9 which extends into the cylinder 10. This space 58 is accommodated in a cavity 61 in the frame 22, and in the illustrated example, is a cylindrical sleeve 6 provided integrally with the diaphragm 59.
0 forms a boundary line. An opening 15 is formed in the cylindrical sleeve 60, and a valve is provided in the opening 15. The valve is connected to the suction tube 7 for liquid via an opening 67 of the frame 22. Similarly, the valve 63 provided integrally with the sleeve 60 is movable, and in the illustrated embodiment, the position (FIGS. 3, 4, and 6A) for hermetically sealing the opening 67 and the opening 67 are clear. (FIGS. 5 and 6B). Further, a stop member 64 is connected to the diaphragm 59 to limit the bending of the diaphragm 59 so as to prevent the diaphragm 59 from being "repelled". The cylindrical sleeve 60 is locked in the cavity 61 of the frame 22 by an end wall formed integrally with the container 2 in the example shown.

The pre-compression system 40 has the function of inhibiting the transfer of liquid from the container 2 to the discharge nozzle if the predetermined pump pressure has not yet been achieved in a known manner. If the liquid is sprayed through the nozzle 8 at too low a pressure, the droplets generated in the spray cone will be too large due to insufficient spraying of this liquid. In order to prevent this from happening, the connection between the container 2 and the discharge nozzle 8 is closed by a diaphragm 59, which is determined by a dome-like shape and has a periphery around the back of the diaphragm 59. And the internal stresses assisted by the pressure at, forces the rim 66 of the spray conduit 9 to function as a pedestal. For example, a sufficient pressure of about 3 bar is applied to the piston 1
The diaphragm 59 lifts from the pedestal 66 only if it occurs in the cylinder 10 by moving 1 to its end position.

Therefore, the spray head 1 functions as follows. When the user wants to spray the liquid from the container 2, he first pulls the trigger 13. Thus, air present in the cylinder 10 and which cannot return to the container 2 because the opening 67 is closed by the valve 63 is compressed by the piston 11. If the pressure of the air rises sufficiently at the end of the pump stroke, the diaphragm 59 will lift off the pedestal 66 and allow this air to escape.

Thereafter, during the return stroke forced by the biasing means 16, the liquid flows from the container 2 to the cylinder 23 via the tube 23, the conduit 7 and the openings 62 and 67.
It is pulled back to zero or at the end of the suction stroke (FIG. 6A) until it is full. In order to prevent a partial vacuum from being created in the container 2 during this stroke, a vent 51 is provided in the wall of the cylinder 10 and this opening 51 when the piston 11 moves inward. Is opened when the outer peripheral sealing lip 39B passes, and is reconnected to the closed space defined by the outer peripheral and inner peripheral sealing lips 39B and 39A of the piston 11 when the piston 11 performs the outer stroke.

When the trigger 13 is pulled again, the pressure in the cylinder 10 increases quickly because the liquid is hard to compress. Thus, the diaphragm 59 is mounted on the pedestal 6.
6 rises almost instantaneously, the liquid can be pressed through the space between the diaphragm 59 and the pedestal 66 to the spray conduit 9 and further to the discharge nozzle 8 (FIG. 6B) where it is sprayed.

In the present invention, the annular space 58 is connected to the pump cylinder 10 and the conduit 9 extending into it is connected to the discharge nozzle, thus being the opposite of the known pre-compression system. , The annular space 58 need not be juxtaposed with the cylinder 10 and can be offset as shown. Therefore, the spray head can be manufactured efficiently by injection molding, and its design can be made compact.

Although the present invention has been illustrated based on the embodiments, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is possible to provide a diaphragm and a sleeve separately. Further, the stop member can be omitted in some cases, and the selection of the material can be naturally changed. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims that follow.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly consisting of a container and a spray device in which a pre-compression system according to the invention can be used.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the spray head of the assembly of FIG. 1 including a pre-compression system.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of the spray head of FIG. 2 during a pump stroke.

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 of the spray head during a return stroke.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the pre-compression system as viewed from the direction of arrow V in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6A is a longitudinal sectional view of the pre-compression system at the start of a pump stroke.

FIG. 6B is a longitudinal sectional view of the pre-compression system at the end of the pump stroke.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective detailed view showing another embodiment of the valve in the pre-compression system.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CU, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN , IS, JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW (72) Inventor Petrus Lambertus Wilhelm Su-Fluxmans Netherlands, Nuel-5712 Nuel Sommeren, Maidrunstraat No.20 F-term (reference) 3E084 AA04 AB01 BA02 CA01 CB02 DB11 FA09 LB02 LD21

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A pre-compression system arranged between a pump and a discharge nozzle connected by a conduit extending into space, said system abutting a pedestal above a mouth of the conduit in that condition. A pre-compression valve movable between a position for closing the connection and a position for opening the connection away from the pedestal in that state, the pre-compression valve being biased by spring means relative to the closed position. Wherein the space is connected to a pump and the conduit is connected to a discharge nozzle. 2. The pre-compression system according to claim 1, wherein said spring means is integrated in a pre-compression valve. 3. The pre-compression system according to claim 2, wherein the pre-compression valve and the spring means are constituted by an elastically flexible diaphragm. 4. The pre-compression system according to claim 3, wherein the diaphragm has a dome shape. 5. The pre-compression system according to claim 3, further comprising a stop member cooperating with the diaphragm. 6. The pre-compression system according to claim 5, wherein the stop member is formed integrally with the diaphragm. 7. A pre-compression system according to claim 1, wherein the space is at least partially annular and at least partially surrounds the end of the conduit. 8. The portion of the conduit and the pump enclosed by the annular space each having a centerline, the centerlines being substantially parallel but offset with respect to each other. Item 8. A pre-compression system according to item 7. 9. The pre-compression system according to claim 8, wherein said annular space is bounded by a substantially cylindrical sleeve. 10. The pre-compression system according to claim 9, wherein the diaphragm and the sleeve are integrally formed. 11. The precompression system according to claim 9, wherein the sleeve is provided with at least one suction opening which can be closed by a valve. 12. The pre-compression system according to claim 11, wherein the shut-off valve is formed integrally with a sleeve. 13. A spray device, comprising: a pump having a suction side and a compression side; and means for supplying a liquid to be sprayed connected to the suction side of the pump;
A pump comprising: a discharge nozzle connected to the compression side of a pump; and a pre-compression system according to any of the preceding claims, provided between the pump and the discharge nozzle. 14. An assembly comprising a container and the spray device according to claim 13.