JP5620337B2 - Foot-operated liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a foot-operated liquid ejecting apparatus, and in particular, to provide a foot-operated liquid ejecting apparatus using a pump-type dispenser as a discharge mechanism.

  Conventionally, as a stepping type liquid ejecting apparatus, an aerosol type container as described in Patent Document 1 is mainly used. However, aerosol-type containers sometimes contain propellants such as flammable liquefied petroleum gas or dimethyl ether, and if they are discarded with the gas remaining in the container, they are used in garbage collection vehicles and waste disposal facilities. May cause fire or explosion. In order to prevent such an accident, when an aerosol-type container is to be discarded, it is necessary to discharge the residual gas inside the container, which is troublesome. In addition, the aerosol-type container uses the pressure of the gas filled in the container to inject the content liquid, so the content liquid continues to come out while the injection button is pressed, and the injection amount is controlled. In an aerosol-type container, proper ejection is not performed due to insufficient pushing of the stem that may occur when the liquid content is ejected, and a large amount of propellant is ejected from the internal solution. In such a case, the pressure of the filled gas is insufficient, and there is a problem that the liquid content remains in the container and cannot be used (the remaining amount increases).

  For this reason, there is a demand for a stepping type liquid ejecting apparatus using a pump type (accumulation type) dispenser instead of aerosol as a discharge mechanism. If it is a pump-type dispenser, there is no need for a pressurizing propellant like an aerosol-type liquid ejection device, and there is no danger of explosion when disposing of the container, so there is an extra effort such as perforating the container. In addition, since there is no problem that the content liquid cannot be discharged due to insufficient gas pressure, the remaining amount remaining in the container without being ejected can be reduced, and a pump-type dispenser Since the content liquid can be ejected by one-pushing the pressing head, it is possible to discharge the liquid quantitatively.

JP 2002-143733 A

  By the way, when a pump-type dispenser is applied to a foot-operated liquid ejecting apparatus, as a mechanism for operating the dispenser, there is a mechanism that pushes the pressing head by stepping on and swinging an insulator-type operating member with a foot. In such a liquid ejecting apparatus, the operation member may freely swing in a state where a container with a dispenser is not set in the apparatus, causing damage during transfer and the like. There is a problem that it is difficult to set the container in the apparatus because the operating member may interfere when the apparatus is set in the apparatus. In addition, the biasing force that restores the swinging posture of the actuating member after depressing must be compensated by the restoring force of the spring member of the dispenser that undoes the pressing of the pressing head, so the actuating member returns to its original posture after depressing. There is also a problem that it takes time to return, and it is not possible to quickly respond to the request when the content liquid is to be subsequently ejected.

  In this regard, a fixing member is separately provided for fixing the operating member for pushing the pressing head in a state where the container with the dispenser is not set in the stepping type liquid ejecting apparatus (unused state). A spring member for limiting the free swinging of the actuating member or for returning the actuating member to the original posture is provided separately from the spring member of the dispenser so that the actuating member can be quickly returned from the swinging posture. In any case, an increase in manufacturing cost due to an increase in the number of parts is unavoidable.

  Therefore, the present invention uses a pump-type dispenser as a discharge mechanism of a stepping-type liquid ejecting device, and prevents damage caused by swinging of an operating member during transfer without increasing the number of parts. It is an object of the present invention to provide a foot-operated liquid ejecting apparatus that can easily set a container in the apparatus and can quickly respond to the demand for subsequent discharge of the content liquid.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the foot-operated liquid ejection device of the present invention moves the press head of a dispenser attached to the mouth of the container body up and down to move the contents in the container body. A container with a dispenser that ejects liquid to the outside, a base member that holds the container with a dispenser in a vertically displaceable manner, one end provided with a pedal for stepping on, and the other end located below the container with a dispenser The base member is pivotally supported by the base member so that the container with the dispenser is pushed upward by the other end when the pedal is depressed, and is fixed to the base member, In cooperation with the upward displacement of the container with the dispenser by depressing the pedal, the pressure head is pushed in and the content liquid is ejected. A bend plate that biases the operating member into an initial posture before the pedal is depressed, and elastically deforms when the pedal is depressed to allow the operating member to swing. It is characterized by being formed integrally.

  In the foot-operated liquid ejection device of the present invention, the operating member is provided with a contact plate that receives an urging force from the bend plate and elastically deforms with the urging force from the bend plate when the pedal is depressed. It is preferable to become.

  Furthermore, in the foot-operated liquid ejection device of the present invention, it is preferable that the bend plate is bent so as to be convex upward.

  In the foot-operated liquid ejection device of the present invention, before the container with the dispenser is set on the base member, the actuating member is biased to a substantially horizontal posture by a bend plate formed integrally with the base member. Therefore, even if the foot-operated liquid ejection device is shaken or tilted during transfer or the like, the actuating member will not swing and be damaged. Further, when the container with a dispenser is set on the base member, the operating member is biased by the bend plate and is maintained in the initial posture before the pedal is depressed, so that the operating member does not interfere with the container with the dispenser. The container with the dispenser can be set smoothly. When actually discharging the liquid in the container with a dispenser, if the user steps on a pedal that can be stepped on with a foot supported by the base member so as to be able to swing, the actuating member will act on the urging force of the bend plate. The container with dispenser is pushed upward in conjunction with the swing of the operating member, and the pressing head is pushed downward by the housing member, so that the liquid content in the container body is pressurized and compressed. It ejects from the outlet of the pressing head. When the user releases the pedal after the discharge of the content liquid in this way, the operating member is returned to the original initial position by the urging force of the bend plate, so that the spring that returns the pressure head to the original position is restored. Compared to returning the operating member to the initial position with only the urging force of the member, the operating member can be returned to the initial position in a short time, and even if there is a subsequent request to discharge the content liquid, it can respond quickly. Is possible.

  Therefore, according to the foot-operated liquid ejection device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent breakage due to the swinging of the operating member being transferred without increasing the number of parts and to easily set the container in the device. And can respond promptly to requests for subsequent discharge of the content liquid.

It is sectional drawing of the foot-operated type liquid ejection apparatus of embodiment according to this invention. It is sectional drawing of the container with a dispenser of the foot-operated liquid ejection apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the base member of the foot-operated type liquid ejection apparatus of FIG. It is a cross-sectional perspective view which shows the base member of the foot-operated type liquid ejection apparatus of FIG. It is a cross-sectional perspective view which shows the action | operation member of the foot-operated type liquid ejection apparatus of FIG. (A) is a top view of the base member with which the operation member was assembled | attached, (b) is sectional drawing along the AA line. It is sectional drawing which shows the foot-operated liquid ejection apparatus of FIG. 1 in the state before setting the container with a dispenser to the holding | maintenance part of a base member. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the pedal is depressed until the pressing head reaches the stroke end in the foot-operated liquid ejection device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the pedal is further depressed after the pressing head reaches the stroke end in the foot-operated liquid ejection device of FIG. 1.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The foot-operated liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment is placed on a mounting surface G such as a floor and ejects the content liquid in the container when the user operates with his / her foot, as shown in FIG. In addition, a container 3 with a dispenser, a base member 5, a housing member 7, and a pedal 9 that can be stepped on by a user at one end, and the other end is located just below the container 3 with a dispenser. And an actuating member 11 of the type. Hereinafter, in the foot-operated liquid ejection device 1, the side on which the pedal 9 is provided is referred to as “front side” or “front side” (right side in FIG. 1), and the opposite side is referred to as “back side” or “rear side”. (Left side in FIG. 1)

  As shown in FIG. 2, the dispenser-equipped container 3 ejects the content liquid in the container body 13 to the outside by moving the pressing head 17 of the dispenser 15 mounted on the mouth portion 13a of the container body 13 up and down. is there. The container main body 13 has a trunk portion 13c connected to the lower end of the mouth portion 13a via a shoulder portion 13b, and a bottom portion 13d that closes the lower end of the trunk portion 13c. Here, a cross section of the trunk portion 13c is used. The shape is circular, but is not limited to this, and may be a quadrangle or another polygon. In this case, it becomes possible to change the internal capacity without changing the overall height of the dispenser-equipped container 3, and members other than the dispenser-equipped container 3 can be used in common.

As shown in FIG. 2, the dispenser 15 is composed of a peripheral wall 19a and a top wall 19b. The base cap 19 is screwed to the outer side of the mouth 13a of the container body 13 by the peripheral wall 19a, the lower surface of the base cap 19 and the above-mentioned A normal pump mechanism 21 composed of a cylinder, a piston, and a spring member that restores the piston to its original position, suspended between the protruding end of the mouth portion 13a, and a suction pipe 23 connected to the lower end of the pump mechanism 21 And the above-described pressing head 17 that operates the pump mechanism 21 by moving up and down to suck, pressurize, and compress the content liquid in the container body 13 and eject it to the outside. The pressing head 17 includes an inner cylinder 17b that hangs down at a position surrounding the injection port 17a and is attached to the upper end of the pump mechanism 21, and an outer cylinder 17c that surrounds the inner cylinder 17b. Is formed with a step m which slightly increases its diameter. The lower portion than the upper portion than the step m in the outer cylinder 17c and the small diameter portion 17c ₁ step m to the large diameter portion 17c _2. Reference numeral 24 denotes an overcap that is attached to the base cap 19 and can be removed during use.

  The base member 5 holds the dispenser-equipped container 3 slidably up and down and supports the operating member 11 so as to be swingable. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting surface G (FIG. 1), a base plate 28 standing on the back side of the base plate 26, a support plate 30 extending parallel to the base plate 26 inside the base tube 28, and a base An outer peripheral wall 32 provided continuously with the upper end of the cylinder 28 and an inner peripheral wall 34 provided upright on the support plate 30 inside the outer peripheral wall 32 are provided. A portion of the inner peripheral wall 34 and the support plate 30 surrounded by the inner peripheral wall 34 constitutes a holding portion 36 that holds the dispenser-equipped container 3 slidably up and down. The support plate 30 is formed with an opening h1 through which the other end portion of the operating member 11 is inserted, and a pair of bearings 38 for receiving a shaft portion (described later) of the operating member 11 is provided in the vicinity of the opening h1. ing.

  The base member 5 is provided with a bottom plate 42 connected to the lower end of the hanging wall 40 that hangs down from the support plate 30 at a position corresponding to the opening h1. The bottom plate 42 is provided with the operating member 11 before the pedal is depressed. A bend plate 44 that is bent so as to protrude upward is integrally extended so as to be biased to an initial posture and elastically deform when the pedal is depressed to allow the operation member 11 to swing. A pair of cuts s1 that facilitate elastic deformation of the bend plate 44 are formed at positions corresponding to the base of the bend plate 44 of the bottom plate 42. In this example, the bend plate 44 rises from the bottom plate 42 and extends obliquely toward the front side, a horizontal portion 44b extending horizontally from the tip of the first inclined portion 44a, and a tip of the horizontal portion 44b. Although it is comprised with the 2nd inclination part 44c extended and inclined toward the downward direction, it is not limited to this. 3 and 4, reference symbol h <b> 2 leads to an opening h <b> 1 of the support plate 30 formed in the base cylinder 28 for passing the other end of the operating member 11 when the operating member 11 is assembled to the base member 5. It is a notch.

  The housing member 7 cooperates with the upward displacement of the dispenser-equipped container 3 by depressing the pedal 9, and pushes the pressing head 17 to eject the content liquid in the container body 13, as shown in FIG. A body portion 48 surrounding the periphery of the container 3 with a dispenser and having a lower end portion screwed and held on the outer peripheral wall 32 of the base member 5 from the outside; 17 and a top wall portion 50 that forms an opening h3 from which 17 is projected. The edge portion of the opening h3 constitutes a pushing portion 50a that comes into contact with a step m formed on the outer cylinder 17c of the pressing head 17 when the container 3 with a dispenser is displaced upward. In consideration of manufacturing dimensional errors of the members 3, 5, 7, 11, the height of the housing member 7 is set so that the pressing portion 50 a and the pressing head 17 are in a state where the operating member 11 is not operated (initial state). It is preferable to set the height such that a predetermined gap A is formed between the step m. In this example, it has been described that the housing member 7 is fixed to the base member 5 with screws. However, the housing member 7 may be fixed to the outer peripheral wall 32 of the base member 5 by undercut fitting. Furthermore, the shape of the housing member 7 is not particularly limited as long as the pressing head 17 can be pushed in. For example, one or more openings or slits may be provided in the body portion 48 for the purpose of material reduction, design, and the like ( (Not shown). The housing member 7 is preferably formed of a transparent or translucent resin. In this way, the remaining amount of the contents in the container body 13 can be easily grasped from the outside.

  The actuating member 11 displaces (pushes up) the dispenser-equipped container 3 when the user depresses the pedal 9, and pushes the pressing head 17 into the pushing portion 50 a of the housing member 7 to eject the content liquid in the container body 13. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pedal 9 provided at one end, a channel-shaped main body 52 extending rearward from the pedal 9 (C-shaped cross section), and a main body 52 And a pair of shaft portions 54 respectively supported by the pair of bearings 38 of the base member 5. Further, an inner side of the main body portion 52 of the operating member 11 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the operating member 11 so that the tip of the bend plate 44 extending from the bottom plate 42 of the base member 5 is in contact with the bend. A contact plate 56 that can be elastically deformed by an urging force from the plate 44 is provided downward. Further, as shown in the figure, a non-slip convex portion 9a may be provided on the upper surface of the pedal 9.

  A bend piece 58 is integrally formed with a U-shaped slit s2 at the other end of the actuating member 11 (the rear end of the main body 52). When a pushing force exceeding the pushing limit is applied, the pushing force is released by its own elastic swing. Specifically, the spring constant of the bend piece 58 is set larger than the spring constant of the spring member (the spring member incorporated in the pump mechanism) that returns the pressing head 17 to the original position. The bend piece 58 does not swing elastically until the pressing head 17 reaches the stroke end because the spring member of the pump mechanism is preferentially deformed, and elastically swings after the pressing head 17 reaches the stroke end. The excessive pressing force applied to the pressing head 17 is absorbed and released. Reference numeral 58a in the drawing is a protrusion provided on the upper surface of the bend piece 58 and protruding toward the bottom portion 13d of the container main body 13, and the protrusion 58a has a shape in which a portion contacting the bottom portion 13d of the container main body 13 forms a curved surface. Is formed. In this example, two protrusions 58a are provided, but only one such protrusion 58a may be provided.

  Note that the operation member 11 is in a horizontal state (the state shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B) until it comes into contact with the base plate 26 (the mounting surface G when the base plate 26 is not provided) (shown in FIG. 9). The swing displacement amount in the state) is the stroke of the gap A and the pressure head 17 (the stroke of the piston of the pump mechanism 21) formed between the pushing portion 50a of the housing member 7 and the step m of the pressure head 17. It is preferable to set it to be larger than the required push-up amount, which is the sum of the press member 17), and according to this, even when the press head 17 reaches the stroke end (push-in limit), the actuating member 11 has a predetermined depression amount. (The gap B shown in FIG. 8) can be left.

  Next, the operation of the foot-operated liquid ejecting apparatus 1 that takes the above form will be described. FIG. 7 shows a state before the container 3 with a dispenser is set in the holding portion 36 of the base member 5. In this state, the actuating member 11 is a bend formed integrally with the bottom plate 42 of the base member 5. Since the plate 44 is biased to a substantially horizontal posture, the actuating member 11 will not swing and be damaged even if the foot-operated liquid ejection device 1 is shaken or tilted during transfer or the like. Further, when the container 3 with a dispenser is set in the holding portion 36 of the base member 5, the operating member 11 is biased by the bend plate 44 and is maintained in a substantially horizontal posture. The other end of the member 11 does not interfere with the container 3 with a dispenser, and the container 3 with a dispenser can be set smoothly. When actually discharging the liquid in the container 3 with a dispenser, the overcap 24 of the container 3 with a dispenser is removed, the container 3 with a dispenser is set in the holding portion 36 of the base member 5, and the housing member 7 is used as a base. When the user depresses the pedal 9 which can be stepped on with his / her foot supported by the base member 5 so as to be swingable from the state where it is mounted on the member 5, as shown in FIG. Since the container 3 with a dispenser is pushed upward in conjunction with the swing of the actuating member 11, the pressing head 17 is pushed downward by the pushing portion 50a of the housing member 7. The content liquid in the main body 13 is pressurized and compressed and ejected from the ejection port 17a of the pressing head 17 in, for example, a mist form. When the user releases the depression of the pedal 9 after the content liquid is discharged in this way, the pressing head 17 is returned to the original position even with the urging force of the spring member of the pump mechanism 21, and is brought into the swinging posture. Since one actuating member 11 is returned to the original horizontal posture (the state shown in FIG. 1) by the urging force of the bend plate 44, the actuating member 11 is returned to the horizontal posture only by the urging force of the spring member of the pump mechanism 21. The actuating member 11 can be returned to the horizontal posture in a short time, and it is possible to respond quickly even if there is a subsequent request for the discharge of the content liquid.

  As described above, the foot-operated liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment can prevent breakage due to swinging of the operating member during transfer without increasing the number of parts, and can set a container in the device. Can be easily performed, and the request for the subsequent discharge of the content liquid can be quickly met.

  Further, according to the foot-operated liquid ejecting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the operating member 11 is provided with the contact plate 56 that receives the biasing force from the bend plate 44 of the base member 5 and elastically deforms with the biasing force when the pedal is depressed. For this reason, when the pedal 9 is depressed, both the bend plate 44 and the contact plate 56 are bent, and the feeling of depression of the actuating member 11 can be made smoother.

  Further, in the foot-operated liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, when the pressing head 17 reaches the stroke end as shown in FIG. 8, a predetermined stepping margin (gap B) remains in the operating member 11, and this state When the user further depresses the pedal 9, and a pressing force exceeding the pressing limit is applied to the pressing head 17, the bend piece 58 provided at the other end of the operating member 11 itself is shown in FIG. Since the pushing force is released by the elastic swing of the pressure, excessive pressing force is not applied to the pressing head 17, and damage to the dispenser 15 can be avoided.

  Further, according to the foot-operated liquid ejecting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the stepping allowance (gap B) remains in the actuating member 11 even when the pressing head 17 reaches its pressing limit. 5, 5, 7, and 11, even if a manufacturing dimensional error occurs, the pressing head 17 can be surely pushed to the stroke end, and more stable quantitative discharge can be realized.

  Furthermore, according to the foot-operated liquid ejection device 1 of the present embodiment, in the initial state where the pedal 9 is not depressed, the portion (step m) of the pushing portion 50a of the housing member 7 and the pushing portion 50a of the pressing head 17 hits. ), A predetermined gap A is formed between each of the members 3, 5, 7, and 11, so that the dimensional error is absorbed by the existence of the gap A even if a dimensional error in manufacturing occurs. And stable dispensing can be realized.

  Moreover, according to the foot-operated liquid ejecting apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the bend piece 58 formed at the other end of the operating member 11 is provided with a protrusion 58a having a curved surface at a portion in contact with the bottom 13d of the container body 13. As a result, when the operation member 11 pushes up the container 3 with a dispenser, the curved surface (outer surface) of the protrusion 58a smoothly slides on the surface of the bottom 13d of the container body 13, and a smooth feeling of depression can be realized.

  According to the present invention, a pump-type dispenser is used as a discharge mechanism of a stepping-type liquid ejecting apparatus, and damage due to the swinging of the operating member during transfer can be prevented without increasing the number of parts. In addition, it is possible to provide a stepping type liquid ejecting apparatus that can easily set a container in the apparatus and can quickly respond to a request for subsequent discharge of the content liquid.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Foot-operated type liquid ejection apparatus 3 Container with dispenser 5 Base member 7 Housing member 9 Pedal 11 Actuation member 13 Container body 17 Press head 21 Pump mechanism 23 Suction pipe 36 Holding part 44 Bend plate 50a Pushing part 58 Bend piece 58a Protrusion

Claims (3)

A container with a dispenser that ejects the content liquid in the container body to the outside by moving the pressing head of the dispenser attached to the mouth of the container body up and down,
A base member that holds the container with the dispenser so as to be vertically displaceable;
The other end is pivotally supported by the base member so as to be swingable between one end provided with a pedal for depression and the other end located below the container with the dispenser. An actuating member that pushes up and displaces the container with the dispenser by:
A housing member that is fixed to the base member, and that presses the pressing head to eject the content liquid in cooperation with the upward displacement of the container with the dispenser by stepping on the pedal;
The base member is integrally formed with a bend plate that urges the operating member into an initial posture before the pedal is depressed, and elastically deforms when the pedal is depressed to allow the operating member to swing. A foot-operated liquid jetting device.   The foot-operated liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the actuating member is provided with a contact plate that receives an urging force from the bend plate and elastically deforms with the urging force from the bend plate when the pedal is depressed.   The foot-operated liquid ejection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bend plate is bent so as to be convex upward.

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