JP2005313110A - Bubble formation device and pump type bubbling out vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bubble formation device capable of uniformly forming the bubble and a pump type bubbling out vessel. <P>SOLUTION: A means for solving the problem comprises the bubble formation device 31 provided with a cylinder body 32; and a fluid mixing means 33 provided in the cylinder body 32. The device make the fluid mixing means 33 turn a flowing direction of a liquid stream and a gas stream fed into the cylinder body 32 to cross the liquid stream and the gas stream. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a foam forming apparatus and a pump-type foaming container.

  A pump-type foaming container that discharges foaming liquid such as shampoo, hand soap and shaving agent and air is generally used. Examples of the pump type foaming container include the following.

  As this pump-type foaming container, for example, “a double cylinder consisting of a concentric air cylinder and a liquid cylinder fixed to a lid attached to the container mouth portion, A piston body composed of a large-diameter air piston and a small-diameter liquid piston which are moved up and down and biased upward by the elasticity of a spring to form an air chamber and a liquid chamber. A mixing chamber for communicating the chamber and the liquid chamber is provided above both chambers, and an air passage and a liquid passage for communicating the mixing chamber and the two chambers are provided in the air piston and the liquid piston, respectively. A sheet-like porous body is disposed across the bubble passage on the downstream side of the mixing chamber, and a liquid suction pipe extending to the bottom of the container is attached to the lower end of the liquid chamber and the liquid chamber is opened at a negative pressure. A check valve is provided to the air piston. A second check valve that opens when the air chamber is negative and sucks air outside the air chamber is provided, and an annular sliding seal portion that slides up and down the inner surface of the air cylinder is provided below the outer peripheral surface. An air hole for introducing air into the head space portion of the container is provided in the upper portion of the sliding cylinder portion of the air cylinder on which the sliding seal portion slides, and the upper portion of the piston body passes through the lid body. In the pump type foaming container in which the nozzle body having a nozzle body fixed to the upper end of the piston body and fixed to the upper end of the piston body is engageable with the lid body against the elasticity of the spring, A rod-shaped valve body that is forcibly moved up and down by a predetermined amount as the piston body moves up and down is provided in the liquid passage formed inside the piston body, and the liquid chamber is closed in the liquid passage. With an upper cylindrical part that can be inserted By providing a cylindrical locking body that engages with the rod-shaped valve body on the inner surface side and restricts the amount of vertical movement of the rod-shaped valve body, the dedicated valve body is raised to the upper limit position. The upper part of the liquid passage closes the mixing chamber side outlet and engages with the cylindrical locking body at the lower part to prevent upward movement, and the nozzle body is attached to the lid body. When engaged and when the piston body is lowered to the lower limit position, the piston body is tightly fitted into the upper cylindrical portion of the cylindrical locking body that is tightly fitted into the portion that forms the liquid passage of the liquid piston. The liquid passage is closed and the piston body is lowered, and the liquid passage and the outlet of the liquid passage on the mixing chamber side are released from being closed, and the air A predetermined interval is placed on the outer periphery of the piston for use above the sliding seal portion. An annular seal portion having a size and shape capable of closing the air hole of the sliding cylinder portion is provided, and the sliding seal portion has a size and shape capable of closing the air hole, and the predetermined seal The interval is such that when the piston body is raised to the upper limit position, the sliding seal portion below the air piston closes the air hole, while the nozzle body engages the lid body, When the body is lowered to the lower limit position, the interval is such that the annular seal portion on the upper part of the air piston closes the air hole, and further on the upper portion of the sliding cylinder portion of the air cylinder. Is an air that forms a gap through which air can pass between the piston body and the annular seal portion above the air piston when the piston body is at least in a certain range of positions between the upper limit position and the lower limit position. Pump foam out container, characterized in that the road forming portion is provided. Is proposed (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-70854 (Claim 1, paragraph number [0043], FIGS. 1 to 3)

  In the pump-type foaming container described in Patent Document 1, a net that forms fine uniform foam from a foamable liquid is embedded. And in the pump type foaming container of patent document 1, the foam was formed by allowing the mixture of a liquid and air to pass through this mesh body.

  In the pump-type foaming container using this mesh body, there is a problem that the liquid component is clogged in the mesh body depending on the foamable liquid component, and bubbles are not uniformly formed.

  In the case of a pump-type foam container such as the pump-type foam container described in Patent Document 1, for example, in the case of a relatively thin container having an inner diameter of 25 mm or less, the liquid and air Setting the volume ratio to 1:10 or more may be technically difficult due to excessive pressure loss depending on the mesh size.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a foam-forming device and a pump-type foaming container that can eliminate such conventional problems and form foams uniformly.

  Means for solving the problem includes a cylinder and fluid mixing means provided in the cylinder, and the fluid mixing means is a flow direction of a liquid flow and a gas flow supplied into the cylinder. The bubble forming apparatus is characterized in that the liquid flow and the gas flow are crossed.

  In a preferred aspect of the foam forming apparatus according to the present invention, the fluid mixing means includes a plurality of guide plates disposed in the cylinder so as to extend in the flow direction, and the plurality of guide plates include the flow. Each has a twisted portion formed by twisting with respect to the direction.

  In a preferred aspect of the foam forming apparatus according to the present invention, the cylindrical body includes a supply port to which the liquid flow and the gas flow are supplied, and a discharge port from which the liquid flow and the gas flow are discharged. The plurality of guide plates comprise a supply port side guide plate disposed from the supply port to the center of the cylinder, and a discharge port side guide plate disposed from the center of the cylinder to the discharge port, The supply port side guide plate and the discharge port side guide plate each have the twisted portion on the cylindrical central portion side.

  In a preferred aspect of the foam forming apparatus according to the present invention, the cylindrical body is provided with a net covering the supply port and the discharge port at least one of the supply port and the discharge port.

  Another means for solving the above problem is a pump-type foaming container comprising the foam forming apparatus.

  According to the present invention, by including the cylinder and the fluid mixing means provided in the cylinder, the fluid mixing means converts the flow direction of the liquid flow and the gas flow supplied into the cylinder. Since the liquid flow and the gas flow are crossed, the liquid flow and the gas flow come into contact with each other and the liquid and the gas are mixed, so that bubbles can be formed uniformly.

  Further, according to the present invention, the fluid mixing means includes a plurality of guide plates arranged in the cylinder so as to extend in the flow direction, and the plurality of guide plates are twisted with respect to the flow direction. By having each of the twist portions formed in this manner, the twist portions change the flow direction of the liquid flow and the gas flow supplied into the cylindrical body, so that the liquid flow and the gas flow can intersect each other. Further, for example, in the case of a relatively thin container, setting the volume ratio of liquid to air to 1:10 or more may cause a pressure loss that is too large depending on the mesh size of the mesh body. Although the fluid mixing means has the above-described configuration, it forms bubbles without using a mesh body, so it can form bubbles even in a thin container. Can do.

  Further, according to the present invention, the plurality of guide plates are a supply port side guide plate disposed from the supply port to the central portion of the cylinder, and a discharge port side disposed from the central portion of the cylinder to the discharge port. The supply port side guide plate and the discharge port side guide plate each having the twisted portion on the cylindrical central portion side, and by the twisted portion on the cylindrical central portion side, Conversion of the flow direction of the liquid flow and the gas flow occurs in the central portion of the cylinder. Then, since the liquid flow and the gas flow are crossed at the central portion of the cylindrical body, the liquid flow and the gas flow come into contact with each other, and the liquid and the gas are mixed. Accordingly, since the liquid and the gas are mixed at the central portion of the cylindrical body, bubbles can be formed more uniformly.

  According to the present invention, the cylindrical body is provided with a net that covers the supply port and the discharge port at least one of the supply port and the discharge port. In the case where these components do not cause clogging of the network, finer bubbles can be formed by passing liquid and gas through the network.

  Moreover, according to this invention, a pump type foaming container can show | play the effect | action and effect similar to the above by comprising the said foam formation apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Pump type foaming container]
FIG. 1 is an overall cross-sectional view of a pump type foaming container according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the pump type foaming container according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, the left half shows a state where each piston before pressing the nozzle body is at the upper limit position, and the right half shows a state where the nozzle body is pushed down to the lower limit position when in use.

  The pump-type foaming container 1 is a pump-type foaming container provided with a nozzle body that discharges a foam-like material by moving forward and backward, and an opening that is fixed to the container body 2 and the opening end side of the container body 2. A flange 3, a nozzle body 4 fixed in the container body 2, and an overcap 5 attached to the opening flange 3 are provided.

  The container body 2 is made of a transparent resin and has a cylindrical shape. A groove that can be fitted to the opening flange 3 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the opening end of the container body 2. The opening flange 3 is formed by integrally forming a bottom surface portion 6 and a side wall portion 7 formed in a vertical direction from the bottom surface portion 6. The bottom surface portion 6 has a through hole 6A in the center portion thereof. The nozzle body 4 operates in the through hole 6A. Further, the inner peripheral surface of the side wall portion 7 is formed with a groove that can be fitted into the groove of the container body 2 described above.

  The nozzle body 4 includes a nozzle body button 4 </ b> A, a double cylinder 8, an air piston 9, and a liquid piston 10. The nozzle body button 4A comes into contact with the double cylinder 8 and moves the air piston 9 and the liquid piston 10 forward and backward. Further, a passage through which the formed foam is passed is formed in the nozzle body button 4A. The double cylinder 8 is formed by coaxially and integrally forming an air cylinder 11 and a liquid cylinder 12.

  The air cylinder 11 has a cylindrical shape. On the inner peripheral surface of the opening edge of the air cylinder 11, a locking portion 13 is formed to lock the backward movement of the air cylinder sliding seal portion 22 described later. The locking portion 13 is formed upright in the direction of the central axis of the air cylinder 11. A through-hole 11 </ b> A through which the gas in the container body 2 and the air cylinder 11 flows is formed in the opening edge side wall surface of the air cylinder 11. The through hole 11A is formed so as to reduce in diameter from the outer peripheral surface of the air cylinder 11 toward the inner peripheral surface.

  A cylindrical outer stem 14 and an inner stem 15 are provided in the air cylinder 11. The outer stem 14 is coaxially provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the inner stem 15, and is an outer stem passage 14A having a hollow center portion. The inner stem 15 is also an inner stem passage 15A having a hollow central portion.

  A ball valve seat 16 whose diameter decreases toward the center is formed at one end in the outer stem 14. The ball valve seat 16 is provided with a ball valve 17. The material of the ball valve 17 is not particularly limited, but is made of stainless steel in the present embodiment. A through hole 18 through which external air passes is formed near the ball valve seat 16 on the outer peripheral wall of the outer stem 14.

  On the other hand, the liquid cylinder 12 has a hollow cylindrical shape at the center, and its inner diameter is smaller than that of the air cylinder 11. An urging member 19 is disposed in the liquid cylinder 12. The biasing member 19 is a spring formed in a spiral shape.

  The liquid cylinder 12 is provided with a locking member 20 that locks the reverse movement of the liquid cylinder sliding seal portion 23 described later on the periphery of the liquid cylinder 12. The locking member 20 is fixed so as to sandwich the inner wall and the outer wall of the liquid cylinder 12. A pipe 21 made of transparent resin is provided below the liquid cylinder 12.

  The air piston 9 includes an air cylinder sliding seal portion 22 that slides on the inner wall of the air cylinder 11, and moves forward and backward in the air cylinder 11.

  The cylinder sliding seal portion 22 for air is formed in a cylindrical shape substantially in a cross-sectional view. Further, the air cylinder sliding seal portion 22 has a concave contact surface with the inner wall of the air cylinder 11 and makes point contact with the inner wall of the air cylinder 11 at two points.

  The liquid piston 10 includes a liquid piston main body 10A having a hollow cylindrical shape at the center, a liquid cylinder sliding seal portion 23 provided on the outer periphery of the liquid piston main body 10A, and a foam forming device 31. The air piston 9 is moved backward in the air cylinder 11 to take in the liquid.

  The liquid piston 10A has a liquid piston passage 10B having a hollow central axis. A ball valve 26 is provided below the liquid piston 10. The material of the ball valve 26 is not particularly limited, but is made of stainless steel in the present embodiment.

  The liquid cylinder sliding seal portion 23 is urged by the urging member 19 provided in the liquid cylinder 12 so as to escape from the liquid cylinder 12, and slides on the inner wall of the liquid cylinder 12. The liquid cylinder sliding seal portion 23 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape in cross-sectional view. In addition, the liquid cylinder sliding seal portion 23 has a concave contact surface with the inner wall of the liquid cylinder 12, and the inner wall of the liquid cylinder 12 moves forward and backward (up and down in the figure) at two points. Point contact with.

  The foam forming device 31 mixes the air in the air cylinder 11 and the liquid in the liquid cylinder 12 by moving the air piston 9 forward in the air cylinder 11. The foam forming device 31 is a space formed at the opening end of the outer stem 14 on the backward direction side (upward in the drawing).

  The foam forming device 31 includes a cylinder 32 and fluid mixing means 33 provided in the cylinder 32. FIG. 3 is a front view of the foam forming apparatus. FIG. 4 is a side view of the foam forming apparatus. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the foam forming apparatus.

  The cylindrical body 32 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is fixed to the opening end side of the outer stem 14 on the retreating direction side (upward in the drawing). The cylindrical body 32 has a supply port 32A (lower side in the drawing) to which the liquid flow and gas flow are supplied, and a discharge port 32B (upper side in the drawing) from which the liquid flow and gas flow are discharged. ing.

  The fluid mixing means 33 is a means for changing the flow direction of the liquid flow and the gas flow supplied into the cylindrical body 32 and crossing the liquid flow and the gas flow. In the present embodiment, the flow direction of the liquid flow and the gas flow coincides with the axial direction of the cylindrical body 32.

  The fluid mixing means 33 is preferably provided with a plurality of guide plates 34 arranged in the cylinder 32 so as to extend in the flow direction.

  The plurality of guide plates 34 include a supply port side guide plate 34A disposed from the supply port 32A to the cylindrical body central portion 32C, and a discharge port side guide plate 34B disposed from the cylindrical body central portion 32C to the discharge port 32B. (In particular, see FIG. 4).

  The plurality of guide plates 34 each have a twisted portion 35 formed by twisting in the flow direction.

  The supply port side guide plate 34 </ b> A and the discharge port side guide plate 34 </ b> B each have the twisted portion 35 on the cylindrical body center portion 32 </ b> C side.

  The twisted portion 35 only needs to be formed to be twisted with respect to the flow direction, and the twisting angle is not particularly limited, and is appropriately set according to the target foam diameter to be formed and the amount of foam to be formed. Is done.

  The cylindrical body 32 is preferably provided with a net 36 that covers the supply port 32A and the discharge port 32B in at least one of the supply port 32A and the discharge port 32B. In the present embodiment, the cylindrical body 32 is provided with a net 36 at both the supply port 32A and the discharge port 32B.

  The size of the mesh 36 is appropriately set according to the target diameter of the foam to be formed and the amount of foam to be formed.

[Operation of pump type foaming container]
With reference to FIGS. 1-5, operation | movement of the pump type foaming container 1 is demonstrated below.

[Operation when the nozzle body 4 moves forward (lowering of the nozzle body 4 in FIG. 2) (1)]
First, when using the pump type foaming container 1, the overcap 5 is removed. Then, the nozzle body button 4A is pushed in. Then, the air cylinder sliding seal portion 22 and the outer stem 14 pushed by the nozzle body button 4A are pushed.

  The volume in the air cylinder 11 is compressed by the air cylinder sliding seal portion 22, that is, the pressure in the air cylinder 11 is increased (from the state shown in the left half to the right in FIG. 2). Changes to the state shown in half). At this time, external air enters through a gap between the air cylinder sliding seal portion 22 and the nozzle body button 4A. Since the air that has entered passes through the through hole 18, the ball valve 17 opens the outer stem passage 14 </ b> A.

  Moreover, 11 A of through-holes are open | released because the cylinder sliding seal part 22 for air advances. At this time, the pressure outside the air cylinder 11 and the pressure outside the pump-type foaming container 1 (atmospheric pressure) are the same. And when the pressure in the container main body 2 is lower than the pressure outside the cylinder 11 for air, the air outside the pump type foam container 1 flows into the container main body 2 through the through hole 11A. And the pressure in the container main body 2 will be maintained similarly to the pressure (atmospheric pressure) outside the pump type foaming container 1.

  On the other hand, when the outer stem 14 is pushed in, the inner stem 15, the liquid piston 10, and the liquid cylinder sliding seal portion 23 are pushed in the forward direction. Then, the urging member 19 disposed in the liquid piston 10 is compressed (changes from the state shown in the left half to the state shown in the right half in FIG. 2).

[Operation when the nozzle body 4 moves backward (in FIG. 2, the nozzle body 4 rises) (2)]
Next, the compressed urging member 19 urges the liquid piston 10 in the backward direction of the nozzle body 4 (in the upward direction of the nozzle body 4 in FIG. 2). Then, the volume in the liquid piston 10 is increased, so that the pressure in the liquid piston 10 is reduced. When the pressure in the liquid piston 10 is reduced, the ball valve 26 is lifted and the liquid piston passage 10B of the liquid piston main body 10A is opened.

  Then, the liquid stored in the container main body 2 is drawn into the liquid piston main body 10A. The liquid drawn into the liquid piston body 10A fills the inner stem passage 15A and the outer stem passage 14A (changes from the state shown in the right half to the state shown in the left half in FIG. 2).

  When the nozzle body 4 moves backward (in FIG. 2, the nozzle body 4 rises), the air cylinder sliding seal portion 22 is locked by contacting the locking portion 13. Further, the liquid cylinder sliding seal portion 23 is locked by contacting the locking member 20.

[Operation when the nozzle body 4 moves forward again (lowering of the nozzle body 4 in FIG. 2) (3)]
Next, the nozzle body button 4A is pushed again from the state in which the liquid is filled in the inner stem passage 15A and the outer stem passage 14A. Then, the air cylinder sliding seal portion 22 and the outer stem 14 pushed by the nozzle body button 4A are pushed. The volume in the air cylinder 11 is compressed by the air cylinder sliding seal portion 22. At this time, external air enters through a gap between the air cylinder sliding seal portion 22 and the nozzle body button 4A. Since the air that has entered passes through the through-hole 18, the ball valve 17 opens the outer stem passage 14A (changes from the state shown in the left half to the state shown in the right half in FIG. 2).

  Then, the liquid is pushed out from the opened outer stem passage 14A. The extruded liquid is mixed with air in the bubble forming device 31 filled with air. Specifically, it operates as follows.

[Function of foam forming device]
Here, FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the foam forming apparatus according to the present invention. The fluid mixing means 33 changes the flow direction of the liquid flow and the gas flow supplied into the cylindrical body 32 and intersects the liquid flow A and the gas flow B (air in this embodiment). And the gas flow B come into contact with each other and the liquid and the gas are mixed, so that bubbles can be formed uniformly.

  More specifically, the twisted portion 35 on the cylindrical body central portion 32C side changes the flow direction of the liquid flow A and the gas flow B in the cylindrical central portion 32C. Then, since the liquid flow A and the gas flow B are crossed at the cylindrical central portion 32C, the liquid flow A and the gas flow B come into contact with each other, and the liquid and the gas are mixed. As described above, the liquid and the gas (air) are mixed to form bubbles.

  The formed foam is discharged out of the pump type foaming container 1 through a passage in the nozzle body button 4A.

  Thereafter, the pump-type foaming container repeats the operations (1) to (3) described above.

According to this embodiment as described above, the following effects are obtained.
(1) Since the liquid flow A and the gas flow B come into contact with each other and the liquid and the gas are mixed by the fluid mixing means 33, the bubbles can be formed uniformly.

(2) Since the twisted portion 35 changes the flow direction of the liquid flow A and the gas flow B supplied into the cylindrical body 32, the liquid flow A and the gas flow B can be crossed. Further, for example, in the case of a relatively thin container, setting the volume ratio of liquid to air to 1:10 or more may cause a pressure loss that is too large depending on the mesh size of the mesh body. However, since the fluid mixing means 33 has the above-described configuration, it forms bubbles without using the net body 36, so bubbles are formed even in a thin container. can do.

(3) The twisted portion 35 present on the cylindrical central portion 32C side causes a change in the flow direction of the liquid flow A and the gas flow B in the cylindrical central portion 32C. Then, since the liquid flow A and the gas flow B are crossed at the cylindrical central portion 32C, the liquid flow A and the gas flow B come into contact with each other, and the liquid and the gas are mixed. Therefore, since the liquid and the gas are mixed in the cylinder central portion 32C, bubbles can be formed more uniformly.

(4) The cylindrical body 32 is provided with both the supply port 32A and the discharge port 32B, so that the liquid component to be used does not clog the network body 36. Finer bubbles can be formed by passing liquid and gas through the net 36.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications and improvements within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an overall cross-sectional view of a pump type foaming container according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a pump type foaming container according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of the foam forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view of the foam forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the foam forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the foam forming apparatus according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pump type foaming container 2 Container body 3 Opening flange 4 Nozzle body 5 Overcap 6 Bottom face part 6A Through hole 7 Side wall part 8 Double cylinder 9 Piston for air 10 Piston for liquid 10A Liquid piston main body 10B Liquid piston passage 11 Air cylinder 11A Through hole 12 Liquid cylinder 13 Locking portion 14 Outer stem 14A Outer stem passage 15 Inner stem 15A Inner stem passage 16 Ball valve seat 17 Ball valve 18 Through hole 19 Energizing member 20 Locking member 21 Pipe 22 Air Cylinder sliding seal portion 23 Liquid cylinder sliding seal portion 26 Ball valve 31 Foam forming device 32 Cylinder 32A Supply port 32B Discharge port 32C Cylinder center portion 33 Fluid mixing means 34 Guide plate 34A Supply port side guide plate 34B Discharge Exit side guide plate 35 Twist part 36 Mesh

Claims (5)

A cylinder, and fluid mixing means provided in the cylinder,
The said fluid mixing means changes the flow direction of the liquid flow and gas flow which are supplied in the said cylinder, and crosses the said liquid flow and gas flow, The foam formation apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The fluid mixing means includes a plurality of guide plates disposed in the cylinder so as to extend in the flow direction,
The foam forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of guide plates has a twisted portion formed by being twisted with respect to the flow direction. The cylinder has a supply port to which the liquid flow and the gas flow are supplied, and a discharge port from which the liquid flow and the gas flow are discharged,
The plurality of guide plates comprise a supply port side guide plate disposed from the supply port to the center portion of the cylinder, and a discharge port side guide plate disposed from the center portion of the cylinder to the discharge port.
The foam forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the supply port side guide plate and the discharge port side guide plate respectively have the twisted portion on the cylindrical central portion side. The foam forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cylindrical body is provided with a net covering the supply port and the discharge port at at least one of the supply port and the discharge port. . A pump type foaming container comprising the foam forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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