US20060292021A1

US20060292021A1 - Automatic liquid dispensing mechanism

Info

Publication number: US20060292021A1
Application number: US10/289,084
Authority: US
Inventors: Ming-Te Tu
Original assignee: Tu Ming Te
Current assignee: Tu Ming Te
Priority date: 2002-11-07
Filing date: 2002-11-07
Publication date: 2006-12-28

Abstract

An automatic liquid dispensing mechanism includes a planet device and a transmitting hose. The planet device is a plate with a number of rollers provided on a surface thereof such that the rollers can rotate on the surface of the plate. The hose in the form of an arc is engaged in-between the inner rim of the hosing and the outer surface of the rollers. The axis of a driving motor passes through the plate and a side of the housing, and then contacts with the surface of the rollers, thereby the rotation of the axis of the driving motor drives the rollers and the plate to rotate. And then the rollers push the liquid stored in the hose and make it transmitted from the storage tank to the user's end.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed is a liquid dispensing mechanism, wherein the rollers provided on a planet device push the liquid stored in a transmitting hose, thereby transmitting the liquid from the supplying end to the user's end such that the invention is adapted to automatic liquid dispensers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For example, generally, a liquid soap dispenser for dispensing cleanser/hand cleanser installed in bathrooms or washing rooms is mechanically operated by hand or presents as an electronic sensing type. As the former would dispense a predetermined amount of liquid at each press, the user must further press the button to require more liquid; whereas the later can use an electric-eye sensor to control the liquid dispensed though, the liquid dispensing mechanism should rely on the traditional mechanical structure. A liquid dispensing mechanism is shown in FIG. 1, wherein through a speed reducer 12, the power of a motor 11 drives a rotating plate 13 which is axially connected to a connecting bar 14 and a piston 15, thereby the piston 15 can repeat an up-and-down movement in a cylinder 16, and the liquid stored in the storage tank (not shown) can be sucked into a inlet 18 on the cylinder 16 wall and subsequently be pushed out of another outlet 19 to the user's hand.
The speed reducer 12 is provided on a side thereof a maximum switch 20. On an end of the maximum switch 20 is provided a spring 21 which can activate or shut down the operation of the motor 11 by the contact of the left and right extruding points 22 on the surrounding of the rotating plate 13 during the operation of the rotating plate 13, thereby the piston 15 pushes the liquid soap out, and sucks and stores an amount of liquid soap for the next dispense.
Although an automatic soap dispenser can avoid the users from the trouble of manually or overly push the button, there still exist some disadvantages in the use thereof, e.g.:
1. As the automatic soap dispenser is driven by a motor, a speed reducer, a connecting rod and a piston, the breakdown rate of the entire mechanism is relatively high in view of the numerous transmitting units.
2. By way of the push by the piston, each piston stroke can only provide a limited amount of liquid soap. As the amount of the soap dispensed cannot be increased in the form of consequent dispenses, there is difficulty in overcoming the various users' needs for different amount of liquid soap.
3. The piston type soap dispense may render the actions of sucking and pushing the liquid soap by the up-and-down piston stroke. However, as the liquid soap is sucked by way of siphon, the form of the liquid soap is preferably limited to well floating liquids, rather than those in the form of toothpaste or those containing scrubbing particles, which would be stocked in the inlet.
Means of Solving
To improve the disadvantages of the traditional automatic soap dispensers, the invention provides a soap dispensing mechanism which is different from piston type soap dispenser. The invention primarily provides a planet device which is a plate provided with a number of axles on the surface thereof. Each axle is axially connected to a roller. The planet device is mounted in a housing. A hose in the form an arc is provided in-between the inner rim of the housing and the outer surface of the rollers of the planet device. The above mechanisms are driven by a motor. The axis of the motor passes through the plate surface and a side of the housing, whereas the surrounding of the motor contacts with the outer surface of each roller, thereby transmitting the rotating power of the motor to each roller, and activating every roller to rotate and sequentially rotate the whole plate. The rotation of the rollers driven by the rotating plate generates a circular pushing power to the hose surface, and the liquid soap carried in the hose is pushed out sequentially, thereby the liquid soap is socked into another inlet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a sequentially rotating liquid dispensing mechanism, the operation of which can be freely determined to timely adjust the amount of the liquid dispensed, thereby satisfying various needs for liquid amount in different environments.
The secondary object of the invention is to provide a hose which can supply a greater space and section for the liquid float such that substances as toothpaste, or liquid containing scrubbing particles, tomato juice, soybean sauce, juice, coffee and mineral water can be adapted in the invention as well.
A further object of the invention is to provide a motor powder which can directly drive the rollers of the planet device to rotate, and the rollers can directly press the hose to operate the soap dispense. As the mechanisms involved in the invention are simple, the power needed and the costs for designing the integral mechanism can be decreased, and the maintenance of the mechanism is rather convenient.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 2 a and 3, the preferred embodiment of the invention includes a planet device 3, a hose 4 and a housing 5, wherein the planet device 3 is placed in the bottom of the housing 5 and provided with a rotating plate 31. A number of axles 32 extrude from the plate surface, each of the axles 32 is sheathed by a roller 33, and the outer surface of the rollers 33 is distanced from each other. The hose 4 is in the form of an arc provided in-between the inner rim of the housing 5 and the outer surface of each roller 33 of the planet device 3. Two opposite extrusions 40 are provided on the hose and engaged in the grooves 50 in the left and right ends of the housing 5, thereby avoiding the hose 4 from sliding axially.
Now refer to FIGS. 2 b and 3 for the operation of the invention. The motor 6 is positioned in an outer side of the housing 5, and the axis 60 of the motor passes through the center of the rotating plate 31 of the planet device 3, and then is positioned among the rollers 33 such that the axis 60 is in contact with the outer surface of each roller 33. As the axis 60 of the motor rotates clockwise, the rollers 33 directly contacted thereby are activated to rotate counterclockwise and touch the surface of the hose 4. Since the hose 4 is fixed in the housing, through the axles 32, the rotating plate 31 which bears the rollers 33 rotates clockwise to activate the rollers borne by the axles 32 to rotate together. Meanwhile, the surface of the hose 4 is pushed by the force of its self-rotation and the rotation of the rollers 33 driven by the rotating plate 31, a sequential pushing force generates along the direction of the hose axis, thereby air is pushed and transmitted from an inlet end 41 to an outlet end 42. Likewise, when the inlet end 41 is inserted into a liquid soap storage tank (or tomato juice, soybean sauce, juice, coffee or mineral water storage tank ) (not shown), the liquid soap 7 will be sequentially socked from the storage tank and transmitted to the outlet end 42 for users' dispense. The above structure may provide a desired amount of liquid by simply adding a control circuit to control the operating time of the motor 6.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional automatic soap dispensing mechanism.
FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are perspective front views of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of the invention.

DESIGNATES NUMBERS OF THE ELEMENTS

11 . . . motor
12 . . . speed reducer
13 . . . rotating plate
14 . . . connecting rod
15 . . . piston
16 . . . cylinders
18 . . . inlets
19 . . . outlet
20 . . . maximum switch
21 . . . spring
22 . . . extruding point
3 . . . planet device
4 . . . hose
40 . . . extrusion
41 . . . inlet end
42 . . . outlet end
5 . . . housing
50 . . . groove
6 . . . motor
60 . . . axis of motor
7 . . . liquid soap

Claims

1. A liquid dispensing mechanism is directly driven by a motor and includes a planet device, a hose and a housing, wherein:

the planet device provided on a bottom of the housing includes a rotating plate, from the surface of which a number of axles are extruded, and each axle is sheathed by a roller;

the hose, being a transmitting carrier, is in the form of an arc provided in-between the inner rim of the housing and the outer surface of the rollers;

extrusions are provided on the hose and engaged in the opposite grooves of the housing; and

the outer surface of each roller contacted with the axis of the motor is driven to rotate by the motor; the plate of the planet device pushes the hose circularly, thereby transmitting the liquid.

2. A liquid dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the axis of the motor passes through the plate center of the planet device.

3. A liquid dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the rollers of the planet device do not contact with each other, but contact with the axis of the motor.