JPH0511506B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a liquid flow pattern switching mechanism for switching pressurized liquid in a dispenser between a spray and a jet.

[Prior art]

In a dispenser, for example, a trigger type dispenser, a piston reciprocates in conjunction with the rocking of a trigger, draws up liquid contained in a container into a cylinder, pressurizes it, and causes it to flow out from an orifice of a nozzle. When the dispenser is not in use,
The off-position (locked position) of the dispenser is set by locking the trigger or sealing the nozzle orifice with a plug. When in use, after unlocking the trigger or releasing the seal on the plug, the trigger is swung to allow the liquid to flow out. The liquid flows out in the form of a spray or a jet, and the liquid flow pattern, that is, the liquid flow pattern, is usually fixed to either the spray or the jet.
Therefore, only a fixed liquid flow pattern can be obtained, and different liquid flow patterns cannot be set.

A liquid flow pattern switching mechanism is known in which a rotatable nozzle cap is screwed onto the nozzle tip or dispenser body so that the liquid flow pattern can be switched and either a spray flow or a jet flow can be appropriately selected. In this known liquid flow pattern switching mechanism, a spinner (vortex means) is provided at the tip of the nozzle, a flow path is defined around the spinner, and an orifice is bored at the bottom of a bottomed nozzle cap opposite to the spinner. be done. Then, the nozzle cap is rotated to adjust the distance between the nozzle cap bottom and the spinner. That is, by rotating the nozzle cap and spirally advancing the nozzle cap until the bottom of the nozzle cap comes into contact with the tip of the spinner, a spray stream can be obtained.
Further, when the nozzle cap is screwed back and a gap is created between the bottom of the nozzle cap and the tip of the spinner, the liquid flows out without turning into a vortex, resulting in a jet stream. Note that the nozzle cap, dispenser body, nozzle, and spinner are usually injection molded from a synthetic resin material.

Also known is a liquid flow pattern switching mechanism in which a spinner is fixed to the tip of a nozzle and a bottomed nozzle cap is rotatably fitted to the spinner. In this liquid flow pattern switching mechanism, for example,
As disclosed in Publication No. 54-35681, a plurality of liquid flow regulating parts for jet flow, spray flow, etc. are provided on the front surface of the spinner.
They are formed on concentric circles separated by 90 degrees, and the orifices are eccentrically bored in the nozzle cap so that they can be aligned with the respective liquid flow regulating parts. Further, a flow path that communicates the flow path of the nozzle with the orifice is defined inside the spinner. Here, the nozzle cap is not screwed on, but merely rotatably disposed, and does not move back and forth even when rotated. In this configuration, when the nozzle cap is rotated to align the orifice with a predetermined liquid flow restriction portion, a corresponding liquid flow pattern is obtained.

[Problems with conventional technology]

In the known liquid flow pattern switching mechanism, which changes the liquid flow pattern by adjusting the distance between the nozzle cap bottom and the spinner, the orifice is drilled in the center of the nozzle cap, so even if the liquid flow pattern is changed, the outflow position remains unchanged. does not change. However, with this liquid flow pattern switching mechanism, only a spray flow and a jet flow can be set, and an off position (lock position) cannot be set by the liquid flow pattern switching mechanism.

On the other hand, in a liquid flow pattern switching mechanism that aligns an orifice with a predetermined liquid flow regulating part to switch the liquid flow pattern, for example, a jet stream and two types of spray streams (low-spray and high spray) are added to control off-position. can also be set. In off-position,
Needless to say, communication between the flow path and the orifice is cut off. However, in this configuration, since the orifice is not located in the center of the nozzle cap, the position of the orifice moves concentrically in response to switching of the liquid flow pattern. Therefore, the liquid outflow position fluctuates, and the liquid does not flow out at a fixed position.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid flow pattern switching mechanism that allows easy setting of an off-position and allows switching of liquid flow patterns without changing the outflow position.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention adopts a basic structure in which the distance between the nozzle cap bottom and the spinner is adjusted to switch the liquid flow pattern. In addition to the basic structure, according to the present invention, the spinner is integrally formed with an annular seal piece that can come into contact with the inner surface of the nozzle. Further, a pressing piece is provided so as to be interlocked with the nozzle cap. This pressing piece is formed to be able to abut the annular seal piece of the spinner when the nozzle cap spirals, press the annular seal piece against the inner surface of the nozzle, and close the flow path around the spinner. Furthermore, a leaf spring-like elastic piece is extended rearward from the spinner, and is pressed against the slope of the nozzle to exert a forward biasing force on the spinner.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a liquid flow pattern switching mechanism 10 according to the present invention is attached to, for example, a trigger type dispenser 12. The trigger type dispenser 12 is removably attached to the mouth 16 of the container by means of a cap 14. As the trigger 18 swings, a piston (not shown) linked to the trigger reciprocates, sucking up the liquid in the container 20 into a cylinder (not shown) and pressurizing it. The pressurized liquid reaches the spinner 26 via the flow path 24 of the nozzle 22 attached to the dispenser body 21 and exits through the orifice 30 of the nozzle cap 28.

Although the basic structure of the dispenser 12 is well known and will not be described in detail as it is not the purpose of this invention, the dispenser can be used, for example, in USP No.
It has a known configuration disclosed in No. 3840157.

As you can see from Figure 2 in addition to Figure 1,
In the liquid flow pattern switching mechanism 10 of the present invention,
The nozzle 22 is held, for example, by the dispenser body 21, and a thread 32 is formed on a part of the outer surface of the nozzle. A corresponding female thread 33 is formed on a part of the inner surface of the nozzle cap 28, and the nozzle cap is screwed onto the tip of the nozzle 22 by screwing these screws 32 and 33 together.

Further, the spinner 26 interposed between the nozzle 22 and the nozzle cap 28 is molded from synthetic resin into a hollow cylindrical shape with a bottom, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. A circular recess 36 is provided at the center of the bottom of the spinner tip, and a pair of grooves 38 extend in the tangential direction of the recess. As is well known, when the bottom 29 of the nozzle cap abuts the tip of the spinner 26, the pressurized liquid flows into the recess 36 through these grooves 38, thereby turning into a vortex and flowing out from the orifice 30 as a spray stream. do. Annular seal piece 40
However, the nozzle 2 can come into contact with the stepped portion 41 on the inner surface of the nozzle.
It is molded in the center of 2. In the embodiment, the annular seal piece is embodied as a flange, and a plurality of axially extending grooves 39, for example four grooves, are provided in the end face of the flange, and four radially extending grooves 42 are provided in the grooves 39. The flange is provided in communication with the front surface of the flange. Here, the groove 39 is provided at a position that blocks the flow of liquid when the annular seal piece 40 is pressed against the step 41 of the nozzle.

Furthermore, a leaf spring-like elastic piece 44 is attached to the spinner 26.
It extends from behind. These elastic pieces 44
are provided, for example, three equiangularly, and are molded integrally with the spinner by injection molding. Elastic piece 4
4 is formed to a length that can come into contact with the slope 25 provided on the inner surface of the nozzle. A flow path 46 communicating with the flow path 24 of the nozzle via the gap between the elastic pieces 44 is defined around the spinner 26 .

Note that the number and arrangement of the elastic pieces 44 are not limited to those shown in the drawings. Further, although the elastic piece 44 is usually formed integrally with the spinner 26, the elastic piece 44 is not limited to this, and may be formed separately and integrated with the spinner by adhesive or the like. The spinner 26 is preferably molded from a synthetic resin with excellent chemical resistance, such as POM (polyacetal).

As can be seen from Figure 2, the nozzle cap 28
is formed into a central cylindrical shape with a bottom, and has an orifice 30.
is bored in the center of the bottom 29. A hollow cylindrical pressing piece 48 is attached to the bottom 2 of the nozzle cap.
9 by a predetermined length. In other words, when the bottom 29 of the nozzle cap and the tip of the spinner come into contact and close the front surfaces of the recess 36 and groove 38 at the tip of the spinner, the pressing piece 48 is set to a length that does not press the annular seal piece 40 against the step 41. It is formed. In the example,
A pressing piece 48 is formed at a length that comes into contact with the annular seal piece 40 when the front surface of the recess 36 and groove 38 at the tip of the spinner is closed, but at this point it has separated from the annular seal piece 40. Good too. Further, the pressing piece 48 is formed to have an inner diameter that leaves a sufficient gap between the inner surface of the pressing piece 48 and the front outer surface of the spinner.

Further, a protruding seal 50 is attached to the nozzle cap 2.
It is formed on the outer surface of the tip of the nozzle so as to be able to come into sliding contact with the inner surface of the nozzle 22 to ensure liquid tightness between the nozzle 22 and the nozzle cap. In front of the annular seal piece 40, a stopper 51 is formed on the inner surface of the nozzle to which the annular seal piece can come into contact. Stopper 51 is
Usually, it is formed in a ring shape that covers the entire circumference, but it may be formed in a ring shape with a notch as long as it has the function of preventing movement of the annular seal piece.

Note that the components such as the nozzle 22 and the nozzle cap 28 are molded from synthetic resin similarly to the spinner 26.

The liquid flow pattern switching mechanism 10 having the above configuration is operated as follows.

When the trigger type dispenser 12 is not in use, the liquid flow pattern switching mechanism 10 is set to an off position. That is, in FIG. 1, when the nozzle cap 28 is rotated and spirally moved, that is, moved to the right, the pressing piece 48 pushes the annular seal piece 40 against the step 41 of the nozzle cap. to press. Annular seal piece 40
When is pressed against the step portion 41, the flow path 46 is closed, communication between the nozzle flow path 24 and the orifice 30 via the groove 39 is cut off, and an off position is set. Here, even after the bottom portion 29 of the nozzle cap and the tip of the spinner come into contact, it is necessary to continue screwing the nozzle cap. However, nozzle cap 2
8, the elastic piece 44 on the back of the spinner
is pressed against the nozzle slope 25 and deforms inwardly, causing the spinner 26 to contract axially and absorb the movement of the nozzle cap. Therefore, even after contact with the spinner 26, the nozzle cap 28 is allowed to spirally advance. Note that by being pressed by the slope 25 of the nozzle and deforming inward, a restoring force is generated in the elastic piece 44, and this restoring force acts as a biasing force that biases the spinner 26 to the left.

As the nozzle cap spirals in this manner, the annular seal piece 40 is sandwiched between the pressing piece 48 and the stepped portion 41, closing the flow path 46 and forcibly cutting off communication between the flow path 24 and the orifice 30. do. Therefore, even if the pressurized liquid flowing through the flow path 24 attempts to separate the annular seal piece 40 from the stepped portion 41, there is no possibility that the annular seal piece will separate from the stepped portion. Therefore, unnecessary swinging of the trigger 18 when not in use is reliably regulated, and leakage of liquid is sufficiently prevented. Compared to known arrangements that lock the trigger or seal the orifice with a plug to set the off position, the arrangement of the present invention is simple and uncomplicated.

When using the trigger type dispenser 12, first, the nozzle cap 28 is rotated and screwed back, that is, moved to the left. The pushing force that was pushing the spinner 26 in the axial direction is transferred to the nozzle cap 28.
When the nozzle cap is screwed back, the spinner 26 is pushed to the left by the restoring force of the deformed elastic piece 44 when the nozzle cap is screwed forward. In addition, the pressing piece 4
8 moves to the left together with the nozzle cap 28 and moves away from the annular seal piece 40, the annular seal piece is released from the sandwiched state between the pressing piece and the step portion 41. For this reason, the spinner 26 remains in contact with the nozzle cap bottom 29 and continues to open the nozzle cap 2.
8, the annular seal piece 40 is separated from the stepped portion 41, and the flow path 24 of the nozzle and the orifice 30 are communicated with each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the annular seal piece 40 separates from the stepped portion 41,
When the screwing back of the nozzle cap 28 is stopped while the bottom 29 of the nozzle cap and the tip of the spinner are in contact with each other, the spray flow position is obtained. In other words, in this state, if the trigger 18 is swung to pressurize the liquid, the pressurized liquid will reach the gap between the annular seal piece 40 and the stepped portion 41 from the flow paths 24 and 46, and the pressurized liquid will reach the gap between the annular seal piece 40 and the stepped part 41, and The grooves 39 and 42 are reached. Then, the pressurized flow is
It flows from the groove 42 through the gap between the pressing piece 48 and the spinner 26, flows into the recess 36 from the groove 38 on the front surface of the spinner that abuts the nozzle cap bottom 29, turns into a vortex, and flows out from the orifice 30 as a spray stream. Note that the groove 39 may be omitted if a sufficient gap can be secured between the annular seal piece 40 and the inner surface of the nozzle in the radial direction.

As mentioned above, when the nozzle cap spirals into the off-position, the elastic piece 4 behind the spinner
In the configuration in which 4 is deformed, the elastic piece returns to its original shape as the nozzle cap is screwed back. Due to the restoring force of the elastic piece 44, the spinner 26 moves together with the nozzle cap while being pressed against the bottom of the nozzle cap. Therefore, communication between the flow path 24 of the nozzle and the orifice 30 can be quickly established, the pressurized liquid is reliably turned into a vortex, and a fine spray stream can be stably obtained.

Switching from the spray stream position to the spray position is accomplished by further screwing back the nozzle cap 28 to separate the bottom 29 of the nozzle cap from the spinner tip. That is, the spinner 26 integrally moves to the left by the restoring force of the elastic piece 44, following the screwing-back of the nozzle cap 28. However, when the nozzle cap 28 is screwed back sufficiently, the annular seal piece 40 of the spinner collides with the stopper 51 on the inner surface of the nozzle, and is obstructed by the stopper, making it impossible to move integrally with the nozzle cap. Therefore, the bottom 29 of the nozzle cap is separated from the spinner tip (see FIG. 6). Even if the trigger 18 is swung while the tip of the spinner is not in contact with the nozzle cap bottom 29, the groove 38 and the recess 36 on the front surface of the spinner do not function effectively, and the pressurized liquid is not turned into a vortex. Therefore, the pressurized liquid flows out from the orifice 30 as a jet stream.

In this manner, by screwing the nozzle cap 28 back from the off-position, the spray flow position and the jet flow position can be continuously set, and the liquid flow pattern can be changed quickly and easily. Also, since the orifice 30 is drilled in the center of the bottom 29 of the nozzle cap, liquid always flows out from a fixed position. Further, due to the restoring force of the elastic piece 44, the spinner 26 moves along with the nozzle cap 28, with the spinner tip always in contact with the nozzle cap bottom 29. Therefore, the flow path 2 of the nozzle
4. Communication of the orifice 30 is quickly established, the pressurized liquid is reliably turned into a vortex, and a fine spray stream is stably obtained.

It goes without saying that, on the contrary, if the nozzle cap 28 is screwed forward in the jet position, the spray position and the off position are sequentially set.

After the liquid flow has flowed out in the desired liquid flow pattern, if the nozzle cap 28 is screwed forward enough, the pressing piece 48 presses the annular seal piece 40 against the stepped portion 41,
A large amount of resistance will occur, making it difficult to screw the nozzle cap. In this manner, when the nozzle cap 28 is sufficiently screwed in and it becomes difficult to screw it any further, the off position is set, and switching to the off position is automatically sensed.

The shape of the annular seal piece 40 is not limited to a flange, but can take various other shapes. For example, an outwardly expanding frustoconical annular sealing piece may be integrally molded with the spinner. Corresponding to the annular seal piece having such a shape, the pressing piece is formed into a wedge shape so that it can come into contact with the front surface of the truncated conical annular seal piece and spread the annular seal piece in the radial direction. In this combination, as the nozzle cap spirals, the pressing piece comes into contact with the front surface of the annular seal piece and spreads the annular seal piece, so the annular seal piece is pressed against the inner surface of the nozzle and is held between the pressing piece and the nozzle. be done. Then, the flow path 24 of the nozzle, the orifice 3
0 distribution is cut off.

In the embodiment, the liquid flow pattern switching mechanism 10 of the present invention is attached to a trigger type dispenser 12. However, it goes without saying that the liquid flow pattern switching mechanism 10 can be attached to dispensers other than trigger type dispensers. For example, it can be attached to a push-pull type dispenser that pressurizes liquid by moving a piston up and down in conjunction with a push button that can be raised and lowered, or a squeeze-type dispenser that pressurizes liquid by squeezing the container itself. It can also be attached to dispensers that use Freon gas or electric dispensers that pressurize liquid by driving a motor.

Alternatively, a foaming means may be provided in front of the orifice 30, and the spray may collide with the foaming means to form foam. The foaming means is swingably or detachably attached to the nozzle cap 28 or the dispenser body 21, and by removing the foaming means from the outlet path of the pressurized liquid, the foaming flow is switched to the normal spray flow.

The above-mentioned embodiments are for illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way, and any modifications, modifications, etc. made within the technical scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention. Needless to say.

For example, in the embodiment, the pressing piece 48 is formed integrally with the nozzle cap 28, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, a pressing piece formed separately from the nozzle cap 28 is floated between the nozzle cap and the annular seal piece, and when the nozzle cap spirals, the pressing piece moves to the right together with the nozzle cap, and the annular seal piece 40 It may be configured to press . Needless to say, this floating pressing piece is separated from the annular seal by the pressurized liquid when the annular seal piece is not pressed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the off-position is set by rotating the nozzle cap enough to advance the nozzle cap. In this configuration where the off position is set by screwing the nozzle cap,
Off-position can be easily set and the configuration is not complicated.

Furthermore, if the nozzle cap is rotated and screwed back from the off-position, a spray stream or a jet stream can be obtained depending on the degree of screwing back, and the liquid flow pattern can be easily and quickly switched.

Furthermore, since the orifice through which the spray or jet flows out is provided in the center of the nozzle cap, the outflow position will not fluctuate.

Furthermore, because the spinner moves together with the nozzle cap while remaining in contact with the bottom of the nozzle cap due to the restoring force of the elastic piece, communication between the flow path and orifice of the nozzle can be quickly established. In addition, the pressurized liquid is reliably turned into a vortex, and a fine spray stream can be stably obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of a trigger type dispenser equipped with a liquid flow pattern switching mechanism according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2, 5, and 6 are
A vertical cross-sectional view of a liquid flow pattern switching mechanism in an off position, a spray position, and a jet position,
3 and 4 are a perspective view and a rear view of the spinner. 10: Liquid flow pattern switching mechanism, 12: Trigger type dispenser, 20: Container, 21: Dispenser body, 22: Nozzle, 24: Nozzle flow path, 26: Spinner, 28: Nozzle cap,
29: Bottom of nozzle cap, 30: Orifice, 36: Recess at spinner tip, 38: Groove at spinner tip, 39, 42: Groove in annular seal piece, 4
0: Annular seal piece, 41: Nozzle step, 44:
Elastic piece, 46: Channel around the nozzle, 48: Pressing piece, 50: Seal, 51: Stopper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rotatable bottomed nozzle cap is screwed onto the nozzle tip, etc., a spinner is provided at the nozzle tip to form a flow path around the spinner, and an orifice faces the spinner. In the liquid flow pattern switching mechanism, which is bored in the bottom of the nozzle cap and changes the liquid flow pattern by adjusting the distance between the bottom of the nozzle cap and the tip of the spinner by screwing the nozzle cap forward and backward by rotation, A seal piece is formed on the spinner so that it can be pressed against the inner surface of the nozzle to close the flow path around the spinner, and when the nozzle cap is spiraled, it comes into contact with the annular seal piece of the spinner and presses the annular seal piece against the inner surface of the nozzle. A piece is arranged to be interlockable with the nozzle cap, and an elastic piece in the form of a leaf spring extends behind the spinner and presses the elastic piece against the slope of the nozzle.
A liquid flow pattern switching mechanism characterized by applying a forward biasing force to a spinner.