JP3105442U - Discharge ignition type gas lighter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a discharge ignition type gas lighter which can be assembled without reducing the size of an existing piezoelectric unit, thereby reducing the size of the whole.
SOLUTION: A lighter main body 2 for storing a fuel, a piezoelectric unit 5 for generating a discharge voltage, an operation button 7 fitted to the head of the piezoelectric unit 5, and a valve mechanism interlocked with the depression of the operation button 7 And a lever mechanism 6 for opening the fuel nozzle 3 to eject fuel gas from the ejection nozzle 4. The piezoelectric unit 5 is configured such that the front surface facing the valve mechanism 3 is rotated around the central axis in the vertical direction and tilted, and the lighter body 2 is tilted. The other end leg 73 of the resin-made gas lever 6 whose one end is linked to the valve mechanism 3 is arranged at a position where the side space of the piezoelectric unit 5 is enlarged in accordance with the inclination.
[Selection diagram] FIG.

Description

  The present invention relates to a generally-known disposable discharge ignition type gas lighter, and more particularly to a structure that is reduced in size while using an existing piezoelectric unit.

  Disposable discharge ignition type gas lighters, which are widely known from the past, are used for discharge ignition, which promotes gas ignition in conjunction with an ignition combustion section covered with a heat-resistant material such as a metal cap and a gas ejection nozzle. And an operation unit for operating the piezoelectric unit. It is a widely known structure that a series of operations up to ignition can be performed by pushing the operation unit next to the combustion unit and the operation mechanism.

  The piezoelectric unit that operates in response to the pressing operation of the operation unit and generates a discharge voltage is configured as a unit component, and incorporates common components even if the external design of the main body of the gas lighter is different. (For example, see Patent Document 1).

There is a demand for miniaturization of the discharge ignition type gas lighter as described above. In this case, the width and thickness of the lighter main body are mainly reduced (smaller). In addition, rather than making the cross section of the lighter body into a rectangular shape with corners, the shape of the lighter body becomes smaller, thinner by converging at the end from the thickest part into an oval shape, a rhombus, an ellipse, etc. There is.
JP 2001-65865 A

  By the way, miniaturization of a discharge ignition type gas lighter can be realized simply by miniaturizing each component. However, this requires time and cost for redesigning and evaluating each miniaturized component. There is a problem that requires.

  In other words, it is necessary to select materials according to the miniaturization design of the parts and to confirm the strength. Particularly, in the case of a piezoelectric unit, if the size of the piezoelectric element is reduced, the time and cost required for research and development are enormous. It becomes.

  From this point, it is preferable to use an existing piezoelectric unit, but a space for accommodating the thickness (width) of the piezoelectric unit plus a gas lever for gas ejection is provided inside the lighter body. Therefore, miniaturization and the external shape of the lighter main body are defined.

  In particular, the upper part of the piezoelectric unit also moves integrally in response to the operation of pressing down the operation unit (operation button), and in response to the movement, the lever push swings the gas lever associated with the valve mechanism, thereby causing the valve mechanism to move. , And a lever mechanism is arranged to eject gas from the ejection nozzle. However, it is difficult to secure the installation space for the gas lever and lever push of the conventional structure. When the thickness is reduced, the strength becomes insufficient, and it becomes difficult to secure durability and operation reliability.

  In order to solve the insufficient strength of the gas lever, it is conceivable that the resin is made of metal. However, erroneous discharge between adjacent parts is likely to occur, which causes a problem that the discharge ignition performance is reduced. Further, in the assembling step in which one end of the gas lever is engaged with the neck of the ejection nozzle, since the metal gas lever is not flexible, it is difficult to assemble it from the vertical direction, which hinders automatic assembly.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a discharge ignition type gas lighter in which an existing piezoelectric unit can be assembled without downsizing and the whole is downsized.

The discharge ignition type gas lighter of the present invention includes a lighter body for storing fuel, a piezoelectric unit for generating a discharge voltage, an operation button fitted to the head of the piezoelectric unit, and interlocking with the depression of the operation button. And a lever mechanism for opening the valve mechanism to eject fuel gas from the ejection nozzle.
The piezoelectric unit is held by the lighter main body in a state where the front surface facing the valve mechanism is rotated around a vertical central axis and tilted, and the side space of the piezoelectric unit is enlarged in accordance with the tilt. The other end of a resin-made gas lever whose one end is linked to the valve mechanism is arranged.

  It is preferable to arrange the center position of the piezoelectric unit at a position offset from the center in the width direction between both side surfaces of the lighter main body.

  It is preferable that a lower end of the operation button, which is located above the other end of the gas lever, be provided with a lever push for rotating the gas lever when the operation button is pressed down. This lever push is reinforced thick.

  The piezoelectric unit accommodating portion of the lighter main body can adopt a structure in which the piezoelectric unit is inclined and accommodated by different projection heights of guide ribs formed on the inner surface.

  Further, the skirt portion of the operation button fitted to the head of the piezoelectric unit may have a structure in which the projection height of the guide rib formed on the inner surface is different, so that the skirt portion is inclined and fitted to the piezoelectric unit. .

  It is preferable that the skirt portion fitted to the head of the piezoelectric unit of the operation button is formed such that the other side wall is formed thicker with respect to one side wall, and the lever push is formed in the thick part. .

  It is preferable that the gas lever and the piezoelectric unit are directly mounted on an upper portion of a tank body of the lighter body.

  According to the present invention as described above, the piezoelectric unit is attached to the lighter body in a state where the front surface facing the valve mechanism is rotated around the central axis in the vertical direction and is inclined, and the side space of the piezoelectric unit is set in accordance with the inclination. In the enlarged area, the other end of the resin gas lever, one end of which is linked to the valve mechanism, is installed, and the existing piezoelectric unit is assembled and the inclination arrangement allows the gas lever and the lever pusher to have sufficient strength. Therefore, the size of the outer shape can be reduced without the cost and time required for the size reduction design of the piezoelectric unit.

  When the center position of the piezoelectric unit is arranged at a position offset from the center in the width direction of the lighter main body, in addition to the inclined arrangement, a side space of the piezoelectric unit can be secured, and the arrangement and strength of the gas lever and the lever push can be easily performed.

  In addition, the adoption of a resin gas lever reduces the occurrence of erroneous discharges, ensures discharge ignition performance, and makes it easy to automatically assemble the gas lever to the ejection nozzle. The same can be done.

  Further, by obliquely assembling the piezoelectric unit, it is possible to make the external shape smaller and thinner as a convergent shape such as an oval shape, a diamond shape, an elliptical shape, and the design is improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is an external side view of a discharge ignition type gas lighter according to one embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing a cross section of a lighter main body of the gas lighter of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view taken along line III-III of FIG. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the gas lighter with the tank removed.

  A gas lighter 1 according to the present embodiment includes a lighter main body 2 that stores fuel gas, and a valve that opens and closes a gas passage from the lighter main body 2 to control supply and cutoff of the fuel gas and to control a fuel gas ejection amount. A mechanism 3, an ejection nozzle 4 for ejecting fuel gas supplied through the valve mechanism 3, a piezoelectric unit 5 constituting an ignition mechanism, and opening the valve mechanism 3 in conjunction with the piezoelectric unit 5, and A gas lever 6 (lever mechanism) for ejecting fuel gas from the fuel cell 4, an operation button 7 for actuating the piezoelectric lever 5 and actuating the gas lever 6, and a cap 8 attached to the upper portion of the lighter body 2 surrounding the ejection nozzle 4. It is composed of

  The lighter main body 2 is made of a molded product of a general-purpose synthetic resin such as AS, and includes a cylindrical tank main body 9 and a bottom lid 10. The tank body 9 has a vertically long cylindrical peripheral wall 11 forming left and right side surfaces 1a and front and rear end surfaces 1b of the lighter 1, and a burner holding hole 9a for holding the valve mechanism 3 in an airtight manner is opened at the upper front side. On the side, there is provided a housing part 9b with a bottomed hole for holding the piezoelectric unit 5, below the intermediate wall 12, a tank chamber 9c opened on the bottom surface, and at the upper end a swing fulcrum 62 of the gas lever 6 is supported. The seat 9d is provided. The bottom of the tank chamber 9c is hermetically closed by the fixing of the bottom cover 10. Inside the tank chamber 9c, as a fuel, a liquefied petroleum gas such as propane, isobutane, normal butane, or other straight-chain saturated hydrocarbon, or any one or a mixture of dimethyl ether A liquefied gas fuel having the following composition is stored.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional shape of the lighter body 2 is curved so that the left and right side surfaces 1a of the peripheral wall 11 project most at the center and the left and right widths (vertical width in the figure) become narrower toward the front and rear end surfaces 1b. It has a converged shape. The front and rear end surfaces 1b are also slightly curved surfaces, and are thin and small.

  The valve mechanism 3 held in the burner holding hole 9a of the lighter main body 2 has a structure known per se, and a nozzle bottom 31 constituting a gas passage and a valve seat (not shown) is airtight toward the communication hole 12a of the intermediate wall 12. , And a nozzle screw 32 is mounted on an upper portion of the nozzle bottom 31. The ejection nozzle 4 is formed in a pipe shape, is disposed so as to be able to move in the axial direction through the center of the nozzle screw 32, and a tip of the ejection nozzle 4 projecting above the burner holding hole 9a has a part of the ejected gas. Is diffused to the outer peripheral portion to enhance the mixing property with air, and the nozzle tip 33 is mounted to enhance the ignitability by the discharge ignition. The lower part of the ejection nozzle 4 reaches the valve seat position of the nozzle bottom 31, and a valve rubber (not shown) is attached to the lower end. Then, the ejection nozzle 4 is urged toward the valve seat portion in the nozzle bottom 31 by a nozzle spring (not shown) arranged inside the nozzle screw 32, and the valve rubber at the tip is attached to the valve seat portion of the nozzle bottom 31. The valve mechanism 3 is configured so that the gas passage is opened by sitting and closing the gas passage and lifting the ejection nozzle 4.

  The piezoelectric unit 5 is an existing component, and a hammer (see FIG. 7) for applying a shock to the piezoelectric element is provided inside a cylindrical outer box 51 having a built-in piezoelectric element (not shown) for generating a high-voltage pulse by applying a shock. (Not shown) is inserted, the inner box 52 partially protrudes to the lower end side of the outer box 51, and an initial locking position where the hammer faces the piezoelectric element at intervals. It is configured to be movable in the axial direction between a position where the hammer collides with the piezoelectric element. A return spring (not shown) for urging the outer case 51 in a direction to increase the distance between the piezoelectric element and the hammer with respect to the inner case 52 is disposed inside the outer case 51. , A hammer spring (not shown) for urging the hammer toward the piezoelectric element in a direction of collision is disposed.

  Although not shown, between the outer box 51 and the inner box 52 and the hammer, the hammer is locked to the outer box 51 when the inner box 52 is near the initial locking position, and the outer box 51 is A lock mechanism for unlocking the hammer by moving the inner box 52 in a direction to cover the inner box 52 is provided. Specifically, in a state where the outer case 51 is pushed up by the return spring and the inner case 52 is locked to one end of the outer case 51, the lock mechanism includes a hammer pin (not shown) projecting to both sides of the hammer. When the hammer is locked to the outer box 51 by being locked to the bottom of the L-shaped groove (not shown) of the outer box 51 through the notch 54 of the box 52 and the outer box 51 is pushed down, the hammer pin is pressed. Is in contact with the inclined surface of the notch 54 of the inner box 52 and the hammer is rotated in the circumferential direction while twisting the hammer spring, whereby the hammer pin is disengaged from the bottom of the L-shaped groove of the outer box 51 and the lock is released. It is configured as follows.

  A discharge terminal (not shown) is mounted on the upper part of the outer case 51 of the piezoelectric unit 5 via a receiving metal (not shown). Then, the lower skirt portion 72 of the operation button 7 is fitted to the upper part of the outer box 51 with the discharge terminal interposed therebetween, and the cap 8 is attached to the upper part of the tank body 9 in front of the operation button 7. One end (rear end) is fitted so as to regulate the upper limit position of the operation button 7.

  The piezoelectric unit 5 is inserted obliquely into the accommodating portion 9b of the tank body 9 of the lighter body 2 with the protruding inner box 52 at the back (downward) (details will be described later).

  The operation button 7 has a skirt portion 72 extending downward on the left and right sides and a rear portion of the operation portion 71 on the upper surface. Due to the difference in the left and right protrusion amounts of the formed guide ribs 75, the direction of the fitting space for the piezoelectric unit 5 formed inside the skirt portion 72 is oblique to the outer shape. The operation button 7 has a lever push 73 at the lower end of the skirt portion 72 that pushes the gas lever 6 when pushed down to rotate the ejection nozzle 4 in a lifting direction.

  The gas lever 6 is made of resin and has an L-shaped cross section. A nozzle engaging portion 61 is formed at one end to be engaged with a neck formed at the tip of the ejection nozzle 4. The fulcrum 62 is swingably supported by the portion 9d, and has a second leg 63 extending rearward and connected to one side (lower portion in FIG. 3) behind the fulcrum 62. The leg 63 extends to the side of the outer box 51 of the piezoelectric unit 5 and is inclined obliquely downward so as to abut the lowered lever push 73. When the operation button 7 is depressed, it is pushed and rotated by the lever push 73, moves the ejection nozzle 4 upward, opens the valve mechanism 3, and ejects the fuel gas. I have.

  The outer shape of the outer case 51 and the inner case 52 of the piezoelectric unit 5 is rectangular when viewed from above, and the piezoelectric unit 5 is mounted on the lighter main body 2 in a state in which the piezoelectric unit 5 is rotated obliquely around a central axis extending in the vertical direction (inclination). Angle; θ). That is, the front surface of the piezoelectric unit 5 facing the valve mechanism 3 is held by the lighter main body 2 in a state of being rotated about the central axis in the vertical direction and inclined. Further, the center position of the piezoelectric unit 5 is arranged at a position (offset amount; d) offset from the center in the width direction between the side surfaces 1a, 1a of the lighter main body 2.

  Thereby, the space between the side surface of the outer box 51 on the left side (the lower side in the figure) and the inner surface of the peripheral wall 11 is wider than the right side on the opposite side, and the thickness of the skirt portion 71 of the operation button 7 in this portion is larger. Is also large, and the strength of the lower part of the lever push 73 is increased.

  Further, the other end leg 63 of the gas lever 6 whose one end is linked to the ejection nozzle 4 of the valve mechanism 3 is arranged at a position where the side space of the piezoelectric unit 5 is enlarged according to the inclination due to the oblique arrangement of the piezoelectric unit 5. Be done. The leg 63 of the gas lever 6 is only on one side, and the thickness of the leg 63 extending to the side of the piezoelectric unit 5 is increased and reinforced, and is located below the lever pusher 73.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 18 denotes a column on both sides having an engagement portion for stopping the cap, and reference numeral 19 denotes a partition member held by the column.

  As described above, components such as the valve mechanism 3, the piezoelectric unit 5, and the gas lever 6 are directly mounted on the upper portion of the tank body 9 of the lighter body 2. That is, since the role of storing and fixing the existing components is performed only by the tank body 9, it is possible to reduce the number of auxiliary components such as the intermediate case that fixes and holds the conventional cap 8 and the piezoelectric unit 5.

  Also, although not shown, the piezoelectric unit 5 directly supplies the ejection nozzle 4 (nozzle tip 33) with a limited amount of direct ejection from the piezoelectric unit 5, particularly from the hole, because the distance between the two is short. The electrode to the nozzle 4 can be easily taken out, and the electric loss can be reduced and the erroneous discharge can be prevented. At this time, it is not necessary to make the lever push 73 and the gas lever 6 conductive, and even if the operation button 7 and the lever push 73 are integrated, erroneous discharge to the finger does not occur, and integration becomes possible. Can be reduced.

  When the gas lighter 1 is used, when the operation button 7 is pressed down with a finger, the outer box 51 of the piezoelectric unit 5 is pressed down while compressing the coil spring 55 against the repulsive force of the return spring. The gas lever 6 that is in contact with the lever push 73 provided on the 51 rotates, the ejection nozzle 4 is lifted, the valve mechanism 3 is opened, and the fuel gas is ejected from the ejection nozzle 4. Then, the lock is released by the lowering of the outer case 51, the hammer strikes the piezoelectric element strongly via the pad, and the discharged gas is ignited by the discharge from the discharge terminal. Then, by continuing to press the operation button 7 as it is, it is kept in a state in which it ignites and a flame comes out, and in this state, it is used, for example, by lighting a cigarette.

  After use, when the user releases the operation button 7, the outer box 51 is lifted by the repulsive force of the return spring and the repulsive force of the coil spring 55, so that the lever push 73 moves upward and is included in the valve mechanism 3. The force of the spring (nozzle spring) lowers the ejection nozzle 4, the gas lever 7 rotates backward and returns to the initial position, the valve mechanism 3 closes, the gas passage is shut off, and the flame goes out.

  According to the above-described embodiment, by disposing the piezoelectric unit 5 obliquely and offset, a sufficient installation space for securing the strength of the gas lever 6 and the lever push 73 is secured on one side of the piezoelectric unit 5. In addition, downsizing of the outer shape can be realized while ensuring operation reliability. Furthermore, by arranging the piezoelectric unit 5 obliquely and arranging the lever push 73 on the operation button 7, it is possible to arrange the valve mechanism 3 and the piezoelectric unit 5 close to each other, so that the length in the front-rear direction can be shortened. This contributes to miniaturization.

  This invention is not limited to the above-described example in the specific configuration of each part such as the piezoelectric unit, but can be widely applied to a general discharge ignition type gas lighter.

FIG. 1 is an external side view of a discharge ignition type gas lighter according to an embodiment of the present invention. Sectional side view showing the lighter body of the gas lighter of FIG. 1 in cross section. III-III sectional plan view of FIG. Rear view of gas lighter with tank removed

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gas lighter 2 Lighter main body 3 Valve mechanism 4 Jet nozzle 5 Piezoelectric unit 6 Gas lever 7 Operation button 9 Tank main body
9b accommodation
11 Perimeter wall
72 Skirt
73 Lever push
61 Nozzle engaging part
62 fulcrum
63 legs

Claims (8)

A lighter main body for storing fuel, a piezoelectric unit for generating a discharge voltage, an operation button fitted to a head of the piezoelectric unit, and a valve mechanism opened in conjunction with the depression of the operation button to open the fuel from the ejection nozzle In a discharge ignition type gas lighter having a lever mechanism for ejecting gas,
The piezoelectric unit is held by the lighter main body in a state where the front surface facing the valve mechanism is rotated around a vertical central axis and tilted, and the side space of the piezoelectric unit is enlarged in accordance with the tilt. A discharge ignition type gas lighter, wherein the other end of a resin gas lever having one end linked to the valve mechanism is disposed.   The discharge ignition gas lighter according to claim 1, wherein a center position of the piezoelectric unit is arranged at a position offset from a center in a width direction between both side surfaces of the lighter main body.   The lever push which turns the gas lever at the time of pushing down of the operation button is constituted in the lower end part of the operation button located above the other end of the gas lever, The claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The discharge ignition type gas lighter according to 2.   The discharge ignition type gas lighter according to claim 3, wherein the lever push is reinforced thick.   The discharge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the piezoelectric unit accommodating portion of the lighter body accommodates the piezoelectric unit in an inclined manner by different projection heights of guide ribs formed on an inner surface. Ignition gas lighter.   The skirt portion of the operation button, which is fitted to the head of the piezoelectric unit, may be inclinedly fitted to the piezoelectric unit due to different projection heights of guide ribs formed on an inner surface. The discharge ignition type gas lighter according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   The skirt part fitted to the head of the piezoelectric unit of the operation button is characterized in that one side wall is formed thicker on the other side wall, and the lever push is formed on this thicker part. The discharge ignition type gas lighter according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   The discharge ignition type gas lighter according to claim 1, wherein the gas lever and the piezoelectric unit are directly mounted on an upper portion of a tank body of the lighter body.

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