JP2021155087A - Fluid pouring mechanism and fluid container - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a fluid pouring mechanism with an easy-to-manufacture structure and ability to suppress smooth movement of float from being impaired.SOLUTION: A fluid pouring mechanism has a cup part 4 in a container and a float 5 housed in the cup part 4. The cup part 4 has a cylindrical shape, and has a peripheral wall part 6 that surrounds the area including a spout 2, and a lid plate part 7 that closes the peripheral wall part 6. The float 5 has a pair of disc parts 8a and 8b and a connecting part 9 that connects between the pair of disc parts 8a and 8b. The disk part 8a on the opposite side of the spout 2 is located at a position facing a hole part 7a of the lid plate part 7. With the float 5, in the cup part 4, between a position where the side surface of the disc part 8b or the side surface of the connecting part 9 faces a communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall part 6 and a position where the disc parts 8a and 8b and the side surface of the connecting part 9 both open the communication hole 6a without facing the communication hole 6a, at least a part of the disc parts 8a and 8b can slide while abutting on the inner surface of the peripheral wall part 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid pouring mechanism and a fluid container.

When pouring a fluid from a bottle-shaped fluid container, it is not easy to pour an appropriate amount of fluid. In particular, in a so-called squeeze bottle in which a fluid is injected by pressurizing a container body made of a flexible material, it is difficult to adjust the pressure, and the amount of injection is too large to waste the fluid or to inject excessively. The discharged fluid may overflow and pollute the surroundings. Therefore, various fluid injection mechanisms for controlling the injection amount have been proposed.

In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, a cylindrical member (referred to as a cup portion in the present specification) is provided in the vicinity of the spout of the container containing the fluid, and a movable member (the present invention) is provided in the cup portion. In the specification, it is referred to as a float). The cup portion is provided with a hole portion located on the spout side and a hole located on the opposite side (container body side) to the spout. The float housed in the cup portion has two valve bodies that open and close both holes, respectively, and can be moved in the cup portion. The valve body of the float opens and closes both holes of the cup portion at the same time. Therefore, with the hole on the spout side and the hole on the container body open, the fluid in the container body passes through the cup portion and is poured out from the spout. Then, when the float moves in the cup portion and each valve body closes the hole on the spout side and the hole on the container body side, the fluid pouring stops.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-86855

In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when a certain amount of fluid is poured out from the spout, the valve body of the float covers the hole on the spout side to stop the pouring of the fluid. After that, by releasing the pressure on the container body, the float is moved away from the hole on the spout side, and the next fluid pouring becomes possible. Therefore, in this configuration, the float repeatedly moves in the cup portion. The movement of the float at the time of pouring the fluid is mainly performed by pressing the float with the fluid flowing from the container body into the cup portion by pressurizing the container body. However, as the movement in the cup portion is repeated, the float may be tilted in the cup portion and smooth movement may not be possible. In particular, if the force with which the fluid flowing into the cup portion presses the float is biased, the float may tilt. As a result, a plurality of inclined floats may come into contact with the inner surface of the cup portion and be caught, and the float may become immovable. Then, it may not be possible to stop the injection of the fluid at an appropriate timing, and further, the injection of the liquid itself may become difficult.

Further, when the float has a valve body that opens and closes a hole on the spout side and a valve body that opens and closes a hole on the container body side as in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, each In order to reliably open and close the hole portion, it is necessary to form a valve seat corresponding to each valve body in the cup portion. Therefore, the structure of the cup portion is complicated, the manufacturing is complicated, and the manufacturing cost is high.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fluid pouring mechanism and a fluid container which have a simple structure, can be easily manufactured, and can suppress the smooth movement of the float from being impaired.

The fluid pouring mechanism of the present invention has a cup portion provided inside a container capable of accommodating fluid and having a spout, and a float housed in the cup portion. A cylindrical wall with an opening on the outlet side and a closed end on the opposite side of the spout, which is arranged so as to surround the area including the spout in the container, and the opposite side of the spout. It has a lid plate portion that closes the peripheral wall portion, a hole portion is provided in the lid plate portion, and at least one communication hole is provided in the peripheral wall portion, and the floats are concentric with each other at intervals. The float was housed in the cup portion, having a pair of disc portions arranged in a manner and a connecting portion arranged between the pair of disc portions to connect the pair of disc portions. In the state, the disk portion on the opposite side of the spout is at a position facing the hole of the lid plate, and the float is in the cup portion, and the side surface of the disc portion on the spout side or the side surface of the connecting portion is the cup portion. At least one of the pair of discs between the position of the peripheral wall portion facing the communication hole and the position where the disc portion and the side surface of the connecting portion open the communication hole without facing the communication hole. It is characterized in that the portion can slide while abutting on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion of the cup portion.

According to the present invention, there is provided a fluid pouring mechanism and a fluid container which have a simple structure, can be easily manufactured, and can suppress the smooth movement of the float from being impaired.

It is sectional drawing of the main part of the fluid container of one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the main part of the fluid container shown in FIG. 1 while the float is moving. It is sectional drawing of the main part of the fluid container shown in FIG. 1 in the stopped state of fluid pouring.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the basic structure of the fluid container of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a hollow cap 3 having a spout 2 is fixed to an open end of a hollow container body 1 capable of accommodating a fluid by any known method. It is a thing. Inside this container, a fluid injection mechanism that limits the amount of fluid injected is provided. The fluid pouring mechanism of the present embodiment includes a cup portion 4 provided inside the container and near the spout port 2, and a float 5 housed in the cup portion 4. The cup portion 4 has an opening end on the spout 2 side (the cap 3 side and the upper side of FIG. 1), and is closed on the opposite side of the spout 2 (the container body 1 side and the lower side of FIG. 1). It is a cylinder with an end opening. The cup portion 4 has a peripheral wall portion 6 arranged so as to surround the area including the spout 2 in the container, and a lid plate portion 7 that closes the peripheral wall portion 6 on the container body 1 side to form a closed end. ing. The lid plate portion 7 is provided with a hole portion 7a, and the peripheral wall portion 6 is provided with at least one communication hole 6a. A flow path 13 from the inside of the container body 1 to the communication hole 6a is formed in the container body 1 and around the cup portion 4. The flow path 13 further passes through the inside of the cup portion 4 to reach the spout 2.

The float 5 is housed in the space 10 partitioned by the peripheral wall portion 6 and the lid plate portion 7 of the cup portion 4. The float 5 is arranged between a pair of disc portions 8a and 8b arranged concentrically with each other and a pair of disc portions 8a and 8b, and a pair of disc portions 8a and 8b. It has a connecting portion 9 and a connecting portion 9 for connecting the above. It is preferable that the pair of disk portions 8a and 8b and the connecting portion 9 are integrally formed because they can be easily miniaturized and easily manufactured. Each of the disc portions 8a and 8b has an inner diameter of the cup portion 4, that is, an outer diameter substantially equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the space 10. With the float 5 housed in the cup portion 4, the disc portion 8a on the container body 1 side is located at a position facing the hole portion 7a provided in the lid plate portion 7 of the cup portion 4.

The float 5 is slidable in the cup portion 4 while at least a part of the pair of disc portions 8a and 8b is in contact with the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6 of the cup portion 4. Specifically, the float 5 is located away from the spout 2, and the side surfaces of the disc portions 8a and 8b and the connecting portion 9 do not face the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6 of the cup portion 4. The float 5 moves between the position where the communication hole 6a is opened and the position where the float 5 is close to the spout 2 and the side surface of the disk portion 8b or the connection portion 9 faces the communication hole 6a. It is possible.

The fluid injection method in this embodiment will be described. When the container stands so that the spout 2 is located vertically above and the container body 1 is not pressurized, the float 5 descends by its own weight as shown in FIG. 1, and the disk on the container body 1 side. The portion 8a is located on the lid plate portion 7 of the cup portion 4. At this time, neither the disc portions 8a, 8b nor the side surfaces of the connecting portion 9 face the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6 of the cup portion 4, and the communication hole 6a is opened without being blocked. When pouring out the fluid, the user applies pressure to the container body 1 and the fluid inside the container body 1 by grasping the container body 1 or the like. As shown by an arrow in FIG. 2, the pressurized fluid in the container body 1 passes through the hole portion 7a of the lid plate portion 7 and flows into the space 10 in the cup portion 4. The fluid flowing into the space 10 presses the disk portion 8a at a position facing the hole portion 7a, and the float 5 moves. At the same time, the pressurized fluid in the container body 1 passes through the flow path 13 around the cup portion 4, and further reaches the spout 2 through the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6 through the inside of the cup portion 4. It is poured out from the spout 2. When the container body 1 is pressurized and the fluid is poured out in this way, it is preferable to tilt the container so that the injection port 2 is located vertically above the position where the fluid should be applied. However, the fluid may be poured out by pressurizing the container body 1 without tilting the container. The fluid can be poured out in any posture depending on the type and application of the fluid.

When the pressurization of the container body 1 is continued, the float 5 moves in the cup portion 4 so as to be closer to the spout 2 while the fluid is continuously poured from the spout 2 to the outside. The float 5 slides in the cup portion 4 while at least a part of the pair of disc portions 8a and 8b is always in contact with the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion. Although not shown, when the side surface of the disk portion 8b on the spout 2 side of the float 5 faces the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6, the communication hole 6a is blocked by the side surface of the cylindrical portion 8b, and the communication hole 6a is blocked. The inflow of fluid into the cup portion 4 is blocked. As a result, the pouring of the fluid from the spout 2 is stopped at the end of the small amount of fluid held in the space on the spout 2 side (cap 3 side) of the disk portion 8b in the cup portion 4. Then, when the float 5 further moves, as shown in FIG. 3, the side surface of the connecting portion 9 of the float 5 reaches a position facing the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6 of the cup portion 4. In this state, the end portion (upper end portion in FIG. 3) of the float 5 on the spout 2 side comes into contact with the inner surface of the cap 3, and the float 5 cannot move further to the spout 2 side and stops. In the cup portion 4, a space is created between the disc portion 8b on the spout 2 side and the disc portion 8a on the container body 1 side, and the fluid flows into the cup portion 4 from the communication hole 6a, and this space flows into the cup portion 4. It is held in space. Since the fluid in this space is blocked by the disk portion 8b on the spout 2 side and cannot reach the spout 2, the state in which the fluid is not poured from the spout 2 continues. That is, the fluid is poured out from the spout 2 started by pressurizing the container body 1 when the side surface of the disk portion 8b on the spout 2 side of the float 5 faces the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6. Virtually stop. After that, the float 5 further moves, and the movement of the float 5 to the spout 2 side is completed with the side surface of the connecting portion 9 of the float 5 facing the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6. During this period, the fluid is not discharged from the injection port 2. In this way, according to the present embodiment, the pouring of the fluid is controlled, and the pouring amount of the fluid by one pressurization of the container body 1 becomes substantially constant.

At the time when the side surface of the disk portion 8b on the injection outlet 2 side faces the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6, the fluid injection may be stopped and the movement of the float 5 may be stopped at the same time. For example, with the side surface of the disk portion 8b facing the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6, a part of the float 5 abuts on the cap 3 and cannot move further to the discharge port 2 side (cap 3 side). It may be. Further, when the side surface of the disk portion 8b on the spout 2 side faces the communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6, the fluid injection does not stop, and the side surface of the connecting portion 9 of the float 5 is the communication hole of the peripheral wall portion 6. The float 5 may stop moving and the fluid may be poured out when it faces 6a. In any configuration, in the present embodiment, if the fluid is dispensed from the spout 2 by the pressurization of the container body 1 and then the fluid is dispensed to some extent, the fluid is dispensed. Since it is automatically stopped, it is possible to suppress the injection of an excessive amount of fluid.

In the present embodiment, the float 5 repeatedly moves in the cup portion 4 as in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, but there is little possibility that the float 5 tilts in the cup portion 4 and cannot move smoothly. .. This point will be described. The float 5 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a pair of disc portions 8a and 8b are connected, and at least a part of the pair of disc portions 8a and 8b hits the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6 of the cup portion 4. It slides in the cup portion 4 while being in contact with it. Even if the fluid flowing into the cup portion 4 from the hole portion 7a applies a biased force to the disc portion 8a of the float 5, at least a part of the pair of disc portions 8a and 8b is the cup portion 4. Since it is in contact with the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6 of the above, the contact portion serves as a stopper and the inclination of the float 5 is suppressed. If the float 5 can move smoothly in the cup portion 4 without tilting, an appropriate positional relationship between the disc portions 8a and 8b and the hole portion 7a and the communication hole 6a can be maintained. , It is not necessary to provide a valve seat corresponding to the shape of 8b. Therefore, the structure of the cup portion 4 is simple, and it can be manufactured easily and at low cost.

As described above, in the present embodiment, at least a part of the pair of disc portions 8a and 8b may be in contact with the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6 of the cup portion 4, but the pair of disc portions 8a , 8b are more preferably in contact with the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6. In that case, the disc portions 8a and 8b may have substantially the same outer diameter, and the planar shapes of the disc portions 8a and 8b may be the same. The portions where the disc portions 8a and 8b abut on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6 may be at one location, but more preferably at a plurality of locations. Further, the entire side surface of each of the disc portions 8a and 8b may be in contact with the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6 over the entire circumference, but in order to suppress the smooth movement of the float 5 from being hindered by the frictional force. It is preferable that the side surface partially abuts on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6 instead of the entire side surface of each of the disc portions 8a and 8b. That is, it is preferable that the contact between the disc portions 8a and 8b and the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6 is not a surface contact but a line contact or a point contact. From the viewpoint of suppressing the frictional force and realizing the smooth movement of the float 5, the float 5 has a substantially constant outer diameter and has a large area side surface rather than a columnar or cylindrical shape. As in the embodiment, it is preferable to have a connecting portion 9 having a small diameter and not abutting on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6 between a pair of disc portions 8a and 8b having side surfaces having a small area. Further, from the viewpoint of suppressing the frictional force, the side surfaces of the disc portions 8a and 8b are provided with an uneven shape, only the convex portion 11 abuts on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 6, and the other portions are the peripheral wall portions 6. It is preferable that the configuration does not come into contact with the inner surface. However, the configuration is not limited to the configuration having the convex portion 11 extending in the circumferential direction over the entire circumference of the disc portions 8a and 8b as shown in each drawing, and the direction intersecting the circumferential direction (for example, orthogonal to the circumferential direction). It is also possible to have a configuration in which a convex portion extending in the direction in which the surface is formed or a point-shaped convex portion is provided.

It is preferable that the hole portion 7a is provided at the center position of the planar shape of the lid plate portion 7 of the cup portion 4, and the hole portion 7a faces the central position of the planar shape of the disc portions 8a and 8b. It is preferable that the connecting portion 9 of the float 5 and the disc portions 8a and 8b are arranged concentrically, and the center positions of their planar shapes are the same. Further, in the present embodiment, the float 5 is at a position of the connecting portion 9 close to the disc portion 8b on the spout 2 side from the surface of the disc portion 8a on the container body 1 side facing the lid plate portion 7. A counterbore portion 12 hollowed out is provided. The counterbore portion 12 is provided at the center position of the planar shape of the disc portions 8a and 8b, and faces the hole portion 7a. With such a configuration, the fluid flowing into the cup portion 4 through the hole portion 7a is guided into the counterbore portion 12, and it is easy to apply pressure evenly to the center of the float 5. As a result, the energy loss is small and the float 5 can be moved efficiently. Further, the inclination of the float 5 is suppressed.

The communication hole 6a of the peripheral wall portion 6 of the cup portion 4 is not limited to the circular hole as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and may be a long hole (slit). Although there may be one communication hole 6a, it is preferable that a plurality of communication holes 6a are arranged at equal intervals in the peripheral wall portion 6. In that case, when a part of the float 5 is in a position facing the communication holes 6a, the fluid passing through each communication hole 6a pushes the float 5 from the side, so that the float 5 is stably held and the float 5 is held. Tilt is suppressed.

Although not shown, a seal member that closes the inlet 2 of the cap 3 or a cover that covers the cap 3 may be attached. In that case, remove the cover and seal member before pouring the fluid. The fluid contained in the container of the present embodiment may be a liquid such as a seasoning or a chemical. It is preferable that each member of the fluid container and the fluid injection mechanism of the present invention is made of synthetic resin. In particular, the fluid container of the present embodiment is preferably a so-called squeeze bottle made of a material having flexibility such that the user can hold the container body 1 by hand and apply pressure.

According to the present invention, when the container body 1 is pressurized to inject the fluid from the injection port 2 and the container body 1 is continuously pressurized to continue injecting the fluid, at a certain point in time, specifically, the disk portion 8b ( Alternatively, when the float 5 moves until the side surface of the connecting portion 9) reaches a position facing the communication hole 6a, the pouring of the fluid is stopped. That is, the pouring of the fluid is automatically completed, the pouring amount of the fluid becomes substantially constant (for example, about 8 to 10 ml), and the excessive pouring amount is suppressed. When it is desired to change the injection amount of the fluid, it can be easily dealt with by changing the length of the cup portion 4 to change the moving amount of the float 5 or changing the size of the communication hole 6a. That is, the amount of fluid injected can be adjusted by a simple design change. Then, even if the float 5 repeatedly moves in the cup portion 4, the possibility that the float 5 is tilted is small. Therefore, the smooth movement of the float 5 can be maintained. Moreover, it is not necessary to adopt a complicated configuration (for example, a valve seat) in order to maintain the smooth movement of the float 5, and the inclination of the float 5 can be easily suppressed with a simple configuration.

If the fluid container of the present embodiment is accidentally tilted and the spout 2 is positioned vertically downward, the float 5 moves in the cup portion 4 in the direction close to the spout 2 due to its own weight. , As shown in FIG. 3, the fluid cannot reach the spout 2. Therefore, after a small amount of fluid in the cup portion 4 spills from the spout 2, the fluid in the container body 1 does not spill from the spout 2. Therefore, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, there is also an effect of reducing the amount of fluid spilled when the fluid container is accidentally tilted.

1 Container body 2 Injection port 3 Cap 4 Cup part 5 Float 6 Peripheral wall part 6a Communication hole 7 Lid plate part 7a Hole part 8a, 8b Disk part 9 Connection part 10 Space 11 Convex part 12 Counterbore part 13 Flow path

Claims (8)

It has a cup portion provided inside a container capable of containing a fluid and having a spout, and a float contained in the cup portion.
The cup portion has a cylindrical shape with an opening at one end having an opening end on the spout side and a closed end on the opposite side of the spout, and is arranged so as to surround a region including the spout in the container. It has a peripheral wall portion and a lid plate portion that closes the peripheral wall portion on the opposite side of the spout, the lid plate portion is provided with a hole portion, and the peripheral wall portion has at least one communication hole. It is provided,
The float includes a pair of discs that are concentrically arranged at intervals from each other, and a connecting portion that is arranged between the pair of discs and connects the pair of discs. Have,
With the float housed in the cup portion, the disk portion on the opposite side of the spout is located at a position facing the hole portion of the lid plate portion.
The float is provided at a position in the cup portion where the side surface of the disk portion on the spout side or the side surface of the connecting portion faces the communication hole of the peripheral wall portion of the cup portion, and the disk portion and the above. At least a part of the pair of discs hits the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion of the cup portion between the side surfaces of the connecting portion and the position where the communication hole is opened without facing the communication hole. A fluid injection mechanism characterized by being slidable while in contact. The pair of discs has a similar planar shape, the outer diameter of the connecting portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the pair of discs, and the pair of discs and the connecting portion are The fluid dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, which is concentrically arranged. The fluid injection mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a convex portion is provided on the side surface of the disk portion. 3. The described fluid pouring mechanism. The fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the counterbore portion is located at the center position of the planar shape of the disk portion on the opposite side of the spout, and the hole portion of the lid plate portion faces the counterbore portion. Fluid injection mechanism. A flow path from the inside of the container to the communication hole is formed in the container and around the cup portion, and the flow path further passes through the inside of the cup portion to reach the spout. , The fluid injection mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The fluid pouring mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a hollow container body capable of accommodating a fluid, and a hollow having the spout formed and attached to an open end of the container body. A fluid container characterized by having a cap and. The fluid container according to claim 7, which is a squeeze bottle.

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