JP2012042065A - Gas lighter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a turning lock mechanism for a gas lighter adapted to drive a valve operating lever while pressing down a slider of a piezoelectric unit by turning a turning cover.SOLUTION: The gas lighter includes: a fuel tank 2 having a fuel gas discharge valve; a gas discharge lever 3 driving the fuel gas discharge valve to open; the piezoelectric unit 5 igniting fuel gas discharged from a nozzle 1 to a flame port 4a above; and the turning cover 6 driven to turn by a finger to drive the gas discharge lever 3 in a direction to open the gas discharge valve and to drive the piezoelectric unit 5. The turning cover 6 is equipped with: a horizontal slider 7 slidable in a horizontal direction which is the tangential direction of the turning locus of the turning cover 6; a locking member 8a displaced into an unlock position when the horizontal slider 7 is driven in a reverse direction to turning in an igniting direction and into a lock position when the horizontal slider 7 is driven in the igniting direction with respect to a lock engaging part 4c of a body whose upper opening is opened/closed by the turning cover 6; and a resilient member 8b forcing the horizontal slider 7 in the same direction as turning in the igniting direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hand-held gas writer, and more particularly to a so-called safety gas writer including a mechanism that prevents a gas combustion flame from being generated when a person (for example, a child) easily manipulates an ignition operation element. The present invention can be implemented in a gas writer (pocket writer) that ignites cigarettes, cigars, and the like, and a gas writer (ignition tool) that ignites candlesticks, firewood, ignitable materials, and the like.

  There are various ignition operators for this type of gas writer. For example, when the ignition control is a case lid that covers the flint ignition mechanism or the electrode that ignites the fuel gas by the discharge spark, the gas release lever is first driven in the valve opening direction by a person opening the case lid. The gas release valve of the fuel tank opens and a flint spark or an electric spark (spark) ignites the gas. Also, when the ignition operation element is a push button or a slide button, when a person pushes down or slides the push button, the gas release lever is driven in the valve opening direction to open the gas release valve of the fuel tank, and An electric spark ignites gas (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-116849 A

  An infant or a young person may imitate the use of a gas writer by a familiar person such as a father and mess with the gas writer, and may cause a burn or fire due to an unexpected gas combustion flame. In order to prevent such an accident, it is recommended to provide a lock mechanism so that the ignition operator does not move by simple operation. The gas writer of Patent Document 1 includes a push button lock mechanism, and the push button is set to the unlocked position by horizontally sliding the push button (unlock operation). I can't do it. In other words, the ignition operation element that pushes down the slider of the piezoelectric unit and pushes down the free end of the valve operation lever by vertical pushing is provided with a lock slider (push button) that can slide in the lateral direction. When the lock slider is driven to the right, the lock slider is released from the protrusion on the writer body side and can be lowered, and when the lock slider is pushed down, the ignition control is pushed down, fuel gas is ejected from the nozzle, and the piezoelectric unit generates high voltage. The fuel gas is ignited by the spark generated by.

  By the way, the push-button lock mechanism of Patent Document 1 generates a flame when the lock slider is released by being driven to the right and subsequently pressed down. That is, a flame can be generated by driving the lock slider in the horizontal direction and pressing down in the vertical direction. The drive for unlocking and the drive for generating a flame are orthogonal. Therefore, even if this pushbutton lock mechanism is applied to a gas writer that pushes down the slider of the piezoelectric unit and pushes down the free end of the valve operating lever by turning the rotary lid clockwise, the rotation is moved horizontally and horizontally. Since the vertical movement is included, the lock slider is unlocked by the rotation operation, and the lock function becomes weak against the ignition operation (rotation drive).

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotation lock mechanism in a gas writer that pushes down a slider of a piezoelectric unit and drives a valve operation lever by rotating a rotation lid.

(1) A fuel tank (2) having a fuel gas release valve for sending fuel gas to the gas release nozzle (1), a gas release lever (3) for opening the fuel gas release valve, and the gas release nozzle The piezoelectric unit (5) that ignites the fuel gas that exits from (1) to the upper flame port (4a), and is rotated by a finger to drive the gas release lever (3) in the direction to open the gas release valve. In a gas writer comprising a rotating lid (6) for driving the piezoelectric unit (5),
A horizontal slider (7) slidable in a lateral direction that is a tangential direction of the rotation locus with respect to the rotating lid (6), and a lock of the main body whose upper opening is opened and closed by the rotating lid (6) When the horizontal slider (7) is driven in the opposite direction to the rotation of the rotating lid (6) in the ignition direction with respect to the locking portion (4c), the rotation in the ignition direction is in the unlocked position. A locking member (8a) that is displaced to a locking position when the horizontal slider (7) is driven in the same direction, and a resilient member (8b) that forces the horizontal slider (7) in the same direction as the rotation in the ignition direction. ) And the rotating lid (6).

  In addition, in order to make an understanding easy, the code | symbol of the corresponding element or the equivalent element of the Example which is shown in drawing and mentions later in parentheses is attached for reference by reference. The same applies to the following.

  When the user laterally drives the horizontal slider (7) in the direction opposite to the rotation of the rotating lid (6) in the ignition direction, the lock member (8a) is displaced to the unlock position (FIG. 2). ). Maintaining this state, when the user pushes down the horizontal slider (7) in the vertical direction, the rotary lid (6) rotates with the horizontal slider (7) to open the fuel gas release valve and drive the piezoelectric unit (5). To do. Thereby, the fuel gas ejected from the nozzle (1) is ignited and a combustion flame (10) is generated (FIG. 3). When the user lifts his / her finger from the horizontal slider (7), the horizontal slider (7) moves laterally by the repulsive force of the elastic member (8b) and returns to the original position, whereby the lock member (8a) is displaced to the locked position. At the same time, the rotating lid (6) is driven upward by the repulsive force of the coil spring inside the piezoelectric unit and rotates in the reverse direction to close the upper opening of the main body (FIG. 1).

  Even if a person (for example, an infant or a young person) tries to push down or rotate the horizontal slider (7) without horizontally sliding the horizontal slider (7) in the opposite direction (FIG. 1), the locking member (8a ) Is in the locked position, the rotating lid (6) does not rotate and no flame is generated. Therefore, safety against careless operation is high.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the non-use state of the gas writer of one Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the horizontal slider 7 of the gas writer shown in FIG. 1 is laterally driven in the reverse direction shown in FIG. 1 and the lock member 8a is driven to the unlock position. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which produced the flame 10 by rotationally driving the rotation lid | cover (6) of the gas writer shown in FIG.

  (2) The horizontal slider (7) is held by the rotary lid (6) so as to be movable in the lateral direction. The elastic member (8b) has one end at the rotary lid (6) and the other end at the horizontal slider (7). The gas writer according to (1), wherein the gas writer is a compression coil spring that is supported by the above and applies a repulsive force in the ignition direction to the horizontal slider (7).

  (3) The lock member (8a) is pivotally attached to the rotating lid (6) and has an upper end engaged with the horizontal slider (7), and a lower end of the lock engaging portion (4c) of the main body at the lock position. The gas writer according to (1) or (2), wherein the gas writer is in a vertical posture facing the locking surface, but in a tilted posture in which the lower end is disengaged from the locking surface in the unlock position.

  Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

  The gas writer of one embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a liquefied fuel tank 2, and a fuel gas discharge valve that is a normally closed valve for supplying combustion gas to the fuel gas discharge nozzle 1 is provided inside the gas writer. Is lifted upward, the fuel gas release valve is opened, and part of the liquefied fuel in the liquefied fuel tank 2 is vaporized and exits upward from the upper end of the nozzle 1. An upper frame 4 having a crater (flame) and an upper lid 6 that is a rotary lid and is an operator that is ignited by a user are pins 6 a that horizontally penetrate a support stand that is integral with the liquefied fuel tank 2. Are connected together. The nozzle 1 is electrically connected to one of a pair of high voltage output ends of the piezoelectric unit 5, and the tip of the electrical lead connected to the other is a discharge electrode and faces the tip of the nozzle 1. When the piezoelectric unit 5 generates a high voltage, an electric spark (discharge spark) is generated between the discharge electrode / nozzle 1.

  The tip of the gas release lever 3 is engaged with the lower end of the nozzle 1, and by turning the tail end of the gas release lever 3 in the clockwise direction, the tail end of the gas release lever 3 rotates on the lever principle, The tip of the gas release lever 3 pushes the nozzle 1 upward, thereby opening the fuel gas release valve in the fuel tank 2, and the liquefied fuel in the fuel tank 2 is vaporized and flows out through the nozzle 1 to the outside air.

  When the support 6b of the upper lid 6 pushes down the slider on the head of the piezoelectric unit 5, the gas release lever 3 is driven to rotate clockwise when the slider is lowered to some extent, so that the fuel gas release valve of the liquefied fuel tank 2 is opened. Thus, the fuel gas flows out from the nozzle 1. When the slider is further lowered, the piezoelectric element is struck by the plunger in the piezoelectric unit 5 to generate a high voltage, and the high voltage is applied between the discharge electrode / nozzle 1 and an electric spark is generated between the discharge electrode / nozzle 1. The fuel gas generated and flowing out from the nozzle 1 is ignited by the electric spark, and a flame like a candle flame (10 in FIG. 3) is generated from the flame port 4a of the upper frame 4.

  The support 6b of the upper lid 6 which is an operator can be rotated around the pin 6a, and the slider on the head of the piezoelectric unit 5 is pushed down by the clockwise rotation of the upper lid 6 (rotation in the ignition direction). It is done.

  A safety mechanism is attached to the upper lid 6. In this embodiment, the safety mechanism is composed of a horizontal slider 7, a compression coil spring 8b, a lock engaging portion 4c provided on the upper frame 4 in the main body, and a lock member 8a. The horizontal slider 7 is held by the upper lid 6 so as to be slidable in a lateral direction that is a tangential direction of the rotation locus of the upper lid 6 around the pin 6a. The compression coil spring 8b drives the lateral slider 7 to the right with respect to the upper lid 6 by the repulsive force (the rotation direction of the upper lid 6 in the ignition direction). The lock member 8 a is pivotally attached to the right end portion of the upper lid 6, and the upper end thereof is engaged with the right end of the horizontal slider 6. In a state where the horizontal slider 7 is pushed to the rightmost end by the repulsive force of the compression coil spring 8b (FIG. 1), the lock member 8a is in a vertical posture and its lower end faces the horizontal upper surface of the lock engaging portion 4c. The lowering of the lower end of the lock member 8a is prevented by the lock engaging portion 4c. Therefore, even if the upper lid 6 is driven to rotate in the clockwise direction, which is the rotation direction of the ignition direction, the vertical movement during the rotation is blocked by the lock engaging portion 4c, and the rotation of the upper lid 6 is blocked. This is the locked state.

  When the user slides the horizontal slider 7 in the counterclockwise direction (in the reverse direction) in the locked state, this causes the lock engaging portion 4c to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, and the lower end thereof is higher than the horizontal upper surface of the lock engaging portion 4c. When released from the right side (FIG. 2), the upper lid 6 can be rotated clockwise. This is the unlocked state.

  When the user pushes down the horizontal slider 7 in the unlocked state or rotates it in the clockwise direction, the upper lid 6 rotates together with the horizontal slider 7 to open the fuel gas release valve and drive the piezoelectric unit 5. Thereby, the fuel gas ejected from the nozzle 1 is ignited, and the combustion flame 10 is generated in the upper part of the flame opening 4a (FIG. 3). When the user releases his / her finger from the horizontal slider 7, the horizontal slider 7 moves laterally by the repulsive force of the compression coil spring and returns to the original position, whereby the lock member 8a returns to the vertical position and the rotating lid (6) is moved. It is driven upward by the repulsive force of the coil spring inside the piezoelectric unit and rotates in the reverse direction to close the upper opening of the main body. The lock member 8a is in a vertical position, and the lower end thereof is a lock position facing the horizontal upper surface of the lock engaging portion 4c (FIG. 1).

  Even if a person such as an infant or a young person tries to slide or rotate the horizontal slider 7 clockwise (rightward), the upper lid 6 is prevented from rotating while the lower end of the lock member 8a is in contact with the horizontal upper surface of the lock engaging portion 4c. The upper lid 6 does not open. Therefore, safety against careless operation is high.

1: Nozzle 2: Liquefied fuel tank 3: Gas release lever 4: Upper frame 4a: Flame port 5: Piezoelectric unit 6: Upper lid 6a: Pin 7: Horizontal slider 8a: Lock member 8b: Compression coil spring 10: Combustion gas flame

Claims (3)

A fuel tank having a fuel gas release valve for supplying fuel gas to the gas release nozzle, a gas release lever for opening the fuel gas release valve, and a fuel gas that exits from the gas release nozzle to a flame port thereabove. A gas writer comprising: a piezoelectric unit that is rotated by a finger, and a rotation lid that drives the piezoelectric unit by driving the gas release lever in a direction to open the gas release valve;
With respect to the rotary lid, a horizontal slider that is slidable in a lateral direction that is a tangential direction of the rotation trajectory, and a lock engaging portion of a main body whose upper opening is opened and closed by the rotary lid. A lock that displaces to the unlocked position when the horizontal slider is driven in the direction opposite to the rotation of the moving lid in the ignition direction, and to the locked position when the horizontal slider is driven in the same direction as the rotation of the ignition direction. A gas writer comprising: a member, and a resilient member forcing the lateral slider in the same direction as the rotation in the ignition direction.   The horizontal slider is held by the rotary lid so as to be movable in the lateral direction, and the elastic member is a compression coil spring having one end supported by the rotary lid and the other end supported by the horizontal slider, and repels the horizontal slider in the ignition direction. The gas writer according to claim 1, which provides force.   The locking member is pivotally attached to the rotating lid, and the upper end engages with the horizontal slider. In the locked position, the lower end is in a vertical posture facing the locking surface of the lock locking portion of the main body, but in the unlocked position. The gas writer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower end is in an inclined posture that deviates from the locking surface.

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