JP7745481B2 - Trigger-type liquid sprayer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a trigger-type liquid ejector.

Trigger-type liquid ejectors are known that suck up liquid from a container by operating a trigger and eject the liquid through an ejection hole.
Known examples of this type of trigger-type liquid ejector include a trigger-type liquid ejector body that is attached to a container body containing liquid, and a nozzle portion that has an ejection hole formed in it that ejects the liquid forward, as shown in Patent Document 1 below.

The ejector body includes a vertical supply tube that sucks up the liquid in the container, an injection tube that extends forward from the vertical supply tube, and a trigger mechanism having a trigger that is arranged so as to be movable rearward while being biased forward. The trigger mechanism introduces the liquid from the vertical supply tube into the injection tube and injects it from the injection tube toward the nozzle by moving the trigger rearward.
The trigger is biased forward by a pair of elastic members combined with the injection tube, with the lower ends of the elastic members biasing the trigger forward.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-192514

In the above-mentioned conventional trigger-type liquid ejectors, POM resin (polyacetal resin) is often used as the elastic member that biases the trigger portion forward. This is because POM resin has properties such as high mechanical strength and an excellent elastic modulus, making it an excellent material for elastic members.

However, depending on the type of liquid used, POM resin may suffer from a decrease in strength due to its chemical resistance. Specifically, when a sodium hypochlorite solution, which is used in chlorine-based disinfectants such as mold removers, is used as the liquid, adhesion of the liquid to the POM resin may cause the POM resin to dissolve or crack due to a decrease in strength. Furthermore, the POM resin may be deformed or discolored.
Therefore, the elastic member made of POM resin has a problem of being poor in resistance to contents.

The present invention was made in light of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a trigger-type liquid ejector that has excellent resistance to contents and is equipped with an elastic member that has appropriate elasticity.

(1) A trigger-type liquid ejector according to the present invention comprises: an ejector body attached to a container body containing a liquid; and a nozzle part attached to the ejector body and having an ejection hole for ejecting the liquid, the ejector body comprising: a vertical supply tube part that sucks up the liquid in the container body; an injection tube part extended from the vertical supply tube part and having an ejection opening that opens to the outside of the ejector body; a closing member having a closing wall that closes the injection tube part from the rear; and a trigger mechanism having a trigger part arranged to be movable rearward while being biased forward by an elastic member, the trigger part causing the liquid to flow from inside the vertical supply tube part through inside the injection tube part towards the ejection hole side by the movement of the trigger part rearward, the elastic member being arranged outside the injection tube part and formed integrally with the closing wall, and extending forward from the closing wall in an arm shape, the elastic member having a density of 1.34 g/cm3 or ^more and 1.38 g/cm3 or more. It is characterized by being made of polyethylene terephthalate resin of ³ or less.

With the trigger-type liquid ejector according to the present invention, by operating the trigger and moving it backward against the bias of the elastic member, the liquid can be circulated from the inside of the vertical supply tube toward the ejection hole, thereby ejecting the liquid from the ejection hole toward the outside.
In particular, the elastic member is made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin, a crystalline polyester resin, and therefore has crystalline portions where the molecules are regularly arranged. Additionally, the density of the PET resin is adjusted to a range of 1.34 g/cm3 or ^more and 1.38 g/cm3 or ^less , for example, by heat treatment, which provides a certain level of strength and rigidity and allows for appropriate elasticity. This allows for a stable forward bias of the trigger, maintaining stable operability.

Furthermore, because the density of the elastic member is within the above range, it is difficult for chemicals to penetrate into the crystal portion. Therefore, even if a liquid such as a sodium hypochlorite solution is used, chemical resistance is maintained and the strength is unlikely to decrease due to adhesion of the sodium hypochlorite solution. Therefore, the range of liquids that can be used can be expanded, and the resistance to contents can be improved.
Furthermore, because the blocking member and the elastic member are integrally formed, they can be handled as a single unit. This reduces the number of parts and also leads to lower costs. Furthermore, because the elastic member can be disposed outside the injection tube, direct contact between the elastic member and the liquid can be prevented. This makes it even less likely that the strength of the elastic member will be reduced due to the adhesion of liquid.

(2) The polyethylene terephthalate resin may be homopolyethylene terephthalate.

In this case, the elastic member is made of homopolyethylene terephthalate (homoPET), which can be effectively crystallized by heating, for example, and its density can be easily increased. This allows for an elastic member that has both elasticity and excellent chemical resistance. This makes it possible to create a trigger-type liquid sprayer with even better resistance to contents.

The present invention makes it possible to obtain a trigger-type liquid ejector that has excellent resistance to contents and is equipped with an elastic member that has appropriate elasticity.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a trigger-type liquid ejector according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the trigger-type liquid ejector shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the closing member shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the pressure accumulator valve has moved rearward from the state shown in FIG. 1 and the injection opening has been opened. FIG.

An embodiment of a trigger-type liquid ejector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a ejection container in which a trigger-type liquid ejector is attached to a container body will be described as an example.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the trigger-type liquid sprayer 1 of this embodiment comprises a sprayer body 2 that is attached to a container body A that contains liquid, a nozzle portion 3 that is attached to the sprayer body 2 and has an ejection hole 4 for ejecting the liquid, and a cover body 5 that covers the sprayer body 2 and the nozzle portion 3.
2, the cover body 5 is not shown. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, each component part of the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 is a molded product made of synthetic resin.

(Ejector body)
The ejector body 2 mainly includes a vertical supply tube portion 10 , an injection tube portion 20 , an attachment cap 30 , a pressure accumulator valve 40 , a closing member 50 , a trigger mechanism 60 , and a ball valve 70 .

In this embodiment, the central axis of the vertical supply tube portion 10 is defined as an axis O1, the container body A side along this axis O1 is defined as the lower side, the opposite side is defined as the upper side, and the direction along the axis O1 is defined as the up-down direction. Furthermore, in a plan view seen from the up-down direction, a direction intersecting the axis O1 is defined as the front-rear direction L1, and a direction perpendicular to both the up-down direction and the front-rear direction L1 is defined as the left-right direction L2.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the central axis of injection tube portion 20 is defined as axis O2. In this embodiment, axis O2 extends in the front-rear direction L1. Therefore, in this embodiment, front-rear direction L1 corresponds to the axial direction along the central axis of injection tube portion 20. However, the axial direction along axis O2 does not have to coincide with front-rear direction L1.

(Vertical supply tube)
1, the vertical supply tube portion 10 extends in the vertical direction and has the function of sucking up the liquid in the container body A. The vertical supply tube portion 10 mainly includes an outer tube 11 and an inner tube 12 fitted into the outer tube 11.

The outer tube 11 comprises a large diameter portion 11b having a flange portion 11a disposed on the upper opening edge of the mouth of the container body A via a gasket, a small diameter portion 11c disposed above the large diameter portion 11b and having a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion 11b, a connecting tube portion 11d disposed above the small diameter portion 11c and having a smaller diameter than the small diameter portion 11c, and a top wall portion 11e connecting the upper end of the small diameter portion 11c and the lower end of the connecting tube portion 11d.
The small diameter portion 11c is arranged coaxially with the axis O1, and the connecting cylindrical portion 11d is arranged eccentrically forward from the axis O1. The top wall portion 11e covers the ball valve 70 from above.

The inner cylinder 12 is formed to extend vertically and is fitted inside the small diameter portion 11c while being arranged coaxially with the axis O1. This allows the inner cylinder 12 to be combined integrally with the outer cylinder 11. The upper part of the pipe 13, which extends vertically and draws up liquid from the container body A, is fitted inside the inner cylinder 12.

The vertical supply tube 10 configured as described above is attached (screwed) to the opening of the container body A by the attachment cap 30, which presses down on the flange portion 11a of the outer tube 11 from above.

(Injection cylinder part)
An injection tube 20 is disposed above the vertical supply tube 10 .
The injection tube portion 20 is connected to the upper end of the connecting tube portion 11d of the vertical supply tube portion 10 and is formed to extend forward around the axis O2. The injection tube portion 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a front wall and an open rear end. A communication hole is formed in the front wall of the injection tube portion 20, penetrating the front wall in the front-to-rear direction L1. The inside of this communication hole is formed as an injection opening 21 that opens forward.

A rear cylinder portion 22 is formed at the rear end of the injection cylinder portion 20. The rear cylinder portion 22 is a part that constitutes the injection cylinder portion 20.
The rear tube portion 22 is formed in a cylindrical shape with inner and outer diameters larger than those of the injection tube portion 20 and is open to the rear. The rear tube portion 22 is formed integrally with the upper end of the connecting tube portion 11d of the vertical supply tube portion 10 and is formed to extend rearward beyond the connecting tube portion 11d. A through-hole 23 that passes through the rear tube portion 22 in the vertical direction is formed in a lower portion of the rear tube portion 22. This allows communication between the interior of the rear tube portion 22 and the interior of the connecting tube portion 11d through the through-hole 23. Therefore, the interior of the injection tube portion 20 is connected to the interior of the connecting tube portion 11d through the through-hole 23.

A fitting space 24 that is open both rearward and in the left-right direction L2 is formed between the lower portion of the rear tube section 22 and the top wall portion 11e of the outer tube 11 of the vertical supply tube section 10.

A middle cylinder portion 25 extending rearward is formed at the rear end of the injection cylinder portion 20. The middle cylinder portion 25 is disposed coaxially with the axis O2 and is disposed inside the rear cylinder portion 22. The middle cylinder portion 25 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter equal to the inner diameter of the injection cylinder portion 20 and an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the rear cylinder portion 22. As a result, an annular space centered on the axis O2 is formed between the middle cylinder portion 25 and the rear cylinder portion 22.
The lower portion of the middle cylindrical portion 25 is disposed so as to cover the above-mentioned through-hole 23 from above.

A closing member 50 is attached to injection tube portion 20 configured as described above, closing rear tube portion 22 from the rear. As a result, the entire interior of injection tube portion 20 is closed by closing member 50.
The blocking member 50 will be described in detail later.

(Accumulator valve)
An accumulator valve 40 is disposed within the injection tube portion 20 .
The pressure accumulator valve 40 is disposed in the injection tube portion 20 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction L1, and includes a pressure accumulator valve body 41 that releasably closes the injection opening 21 from behind.

The accumulator valve body 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending along the front-to-rear direction L1 and is arranged coaxially with the axis O2. The accumulator valve body 41 is inserted into the injection tube portion 20 from the rear and is arranged over the entire length of the injection tube portion 20. In this case, the accumulator valve body 41 extends along the front-to-rear direction L1 so that, when its front end is in contact with the injection opening 21 from behind, its rear end is located rearward of the rear tube portion 22.

The front end of the accumulator valve body 41 is formed with a hemispherical seal portion 42 that protrudes forward and contacts the injection opening 21 from behind. The rear end of the accumulator valve body 41 is formed with an annular flange portion 43 that extends radially outward from the injection tube portion 20, and a rear protrusion 44 that protrudes further rearward.

A sliding cylindrical portion 45 is formed on the flange portion 43 and protrudes forward from the front surface of the flange portion 43. The sliding cylindrical portion 45 is disposed between the rear cylindrical portion 22 and the middle cylindrical portion 25, and gradually extends radially outward of the injection cylindrical portion 20 as it extends forward. The sliding cylindrical portion 45 is formed to be elastically deformable, and the front end of the sliding cylindrical portion 45 is in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the rear cylindrical portion 22 due to its elastic restoring force.
This allows the sliding cylindrical portion 45 to slide on the inner surface of the rear cylindrical portion 22 while maintaining a certain level of sealing between it and the rear cylindrical portion 22 when the pressure accumulator valve 40 moves in the fore-and-aft direction L1.

The rear protrusion 44 is formed with a tapered cross section that gradually reduces in diameter toward the rear. As a result, the outer peripheral surface of the rear protrusion 44 forms a tapered surface 44a that extends radially inward of the injection tube portion 20 as it extends toward the rear.

The accumulator valve main body 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the injection barrel portion 20. As a result, a gap S1 extending in the front-rear direction L1 is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the accumulator valve main body 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the injection barrel portion 20. The space including this gap S1 and surrounded by the flange portion 43, the sliding barrel portion 45, and the rear barrel portion 22 functions as the accumulator chamber S2.
The pressure accumulation chamber S2 communicates with the inside of the connecting tube portion 11d of the vertical supply tube portion 10 through a through hole 23.

A cylinder tube portion 15 that protrudes forward is formed integrally with the outer tube 11 in a section located below the injection tube portion 20 configured as described above and above the attachment cap 30. The cylinder tube portion 15 opens forward.

(Relay member)
Furthermore, a relay member 80 that connects between the injection tube portion 20 and the nozzle portion 3 is attached to the injection tube portion 20 .
1 and 2 , relay member 80 is attached to injection tube portion 20 from the front. Relay member 80 is located forward of injection opening 21 of injection tube portion 20 and includes an opposing wall portion 81 disposed opposite injection opening 21, a first relay tube portion 82 extending rearward from opposing wall portion 81 and fitted onto the injection tube portion 20, a second relay tube portion 83 extending forward from opposing wall portion 81, and a guide shaft 84 located inside second relay tube portion 83 and extending forward from opposing wall portion 81.

The second relay tube portion 83 and the guide shaft 84 are disposed about an axis O3 that is eccentric downward with respect to the axis O2 of the injection tube portion 20. A communication hole 85 that communicates with the injection opening 21 of the injection tube portion 20 is formed in a portion of the opposing wall portion 81 that is located above the guide shaft 84 and inside the second relay tube portion 83. As a result, the interior of the second relay tube portion 83 communicates with the interior of the injection tube portion 20 through the communication hole 85 and the injection opening 21.
A first switching groove 86 extending in the front-rear direction L1 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the guide shaft 84. A plurality of first switching grooves 86 are formed at intervals around the axis O3.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of lever support walls 87 extending rearward are formed on both sides of the opposing wall portion 81 in the left-right direction L2, sandwiching the second relay tube portion 83 therebetween. The lever support walls 87 are positioned with a gap between them and the second relay tube portion 83.

(Trigger mechanism)
1 and 2, the trigger mechanism 60 includes a trigger portion 61, a main cylinder 62, and a main piston 63. The trigger mechanism 60 is capable of circulating the liquid from the vertical supply tube portion 10 through the injection tube portion 20 toward the ejection hole 4 by rearward swinging of the trigger portion 61.

The main cylinder 62 is fitted into the cylinder tube portion 15. The main cylinder 62 is formed as a bottomed tube that opens forward. The interior of the main cylinder 62 is connected to a portion of the outer tube 11 of the vertical supply tube portion 10 that is located above the inner tube 12.

The main piston 63 is disposed in the main cylinder 62 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction L1. The main piston 63 is movable in the front-rear direction L1 in conjunction with the swing of the trigger portion 61. As a result, the interior of the main cylinder 62 is pressurized and depressurized as the main piston 63 moves in the front-rear direction L1. The main piston 63 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a top that is open at the rear and closed at the front.
The main piston 63 is biased forward together with the trigger portion 61 by the biasing force of the elastic arm portion 52 of the blocking member 50, which will be described later. As the trigger portion 61 swings rearward, the main piston 63 moves rearward and is pushed into the main cylinder 62.
When the trigger portion 61 is in the most forward swing position, the main piston 63 is correspondingly positioned in the most forward position.

The trigger portion 61 includes a trigger body 65, a support piece 66, and a receiving portion 67, and is disposed in front of the main piston 63 so as to be movable back and forth.
The trigger body 65 extends in a forward inclined manner from top to bottom in front of the main piston 63. The trigger body 65 is the part that is gripped when performing a spraying operation, and is hooked from the front with, for example, an index finger.
The front end of the main piston 63 is connected to the vertical middle portion of the trigger body 65. This allows the main piston 63 to move back and forth in association with the forward and backward movement of the trigger portion 61.

A pair of support pieces 66 are provided at the upper end of the trigger body 65, spaced apart in the left-right direction L2. The pair of support pieces 66 are respectively combined with a pair of lever support walls 87 formed on the relay member 80 so as to be rotatable about an axis O4 along the left-right direction L2. This allows the trigger portion 61 to be rotated about the axis O4 with the pair of support pieces 66 as fulcrums.

A pair of receiving portions 67 are provided on the left and right sides of the trigger body 65. The receiving portions 67 protrude from the trigger body 65 on both sides in the left-right direction L2 and are formed to open upward and rearward. The elastic arm portion 52 of the blocking member 50, which will be described later, is fitted into the receiving portions 67. As a result, the trigger portion 61 is biased forward by the elastic restoring force of the elastic arm portion 52.

(ball valve)
As shown in FIG. 1 , the ball valve 70 is provided inside the inner cylinder 12 of the vertical supply cylinder portion 10 .
The ball valve 70 is disposed inside the upper end of the inner cylinder 12 and is removably seated in an annular tapered cylinder 71 that protrudes inward from the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 12. The ball valve 70 serves as a check valve that blocks communication between the inside of the container body A and the inside of the main cylinder 62 through the inside of the vertical supply cylinder section 10 when the inside of the main cylinder 62 is pressurized, and moves upward and separates from the tapered cylinder 71 when the inside of the main cylinder 62 is depressurized, thereby allowing communication between the inside of the container body A and the inside of the main cylinder 62 through the inside of the vertical supply cylinder section 10. The amount of upward movement of the ball valve 70 is restricted by the top wall section 11e of the outer cylinder 11.

(Closure member)
1 and 2 , in the ejector main body 2 configured as described above, a closing member 50 is combined from the rear with the rear cylinder portion 22 of the injection cylinder portion 20. As a result, the closing member 50 closes the injection cylinder portion 20 from the rear with the accumulator valve 40 enclosed inside the injection cylinder portion 20.
The blocking member 50 includes at least an elastic protrusion (elastic body) 51 that contacts the pressure accumulator valve 40 from behind and positions the pressure accumulator valve 40 in a state in which the pressure accumulator valve main body 41 blocks the injection opening 21, and a pair of elastic arm portions (elastic members according to the present invention) 52 that urge the trigger portion 61 forward.

The blocking member 50 will now be described in detail.
As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the blocking member 50 includes a blocking wall 53 that contacts the rear opening end of the rear cylindrical portion 22 of the injection cylindrical portion 20 from the rear, and a fitting tube 54 that extends forward from the blocking wall 53 and is fitted inside the rear cylindrical portion 22.

The elastic protrusions 51 are formed to extend forward from a portion of the blocking wall 53 located inside the fitting tube 54, and are arranged in multiple rows spaced apart circumferentially around the axis O2. The pair of elastic arm portions 52 are formed to extend forward from portions of the blocking wall 53 located on either side of the fitting tube 54 in the left-right direction L2.

The blocking wall 53 contacts the entire circumference of the rear opening end of the rear tube portion 22 from the rear. The outer peripheral surface of the fitting tube 54 is formed with a first locking protrusion (first locking portion) 55 that protrudes radially outward from the injection tube portion 20 and fits into the locking hole 22a formed in the rear tube portion 22, thereby locking with the locking hole 22a from the front.
The first locking projection 55 is formed at least on the upper portion of the fitting tube 54. In the illustrated example, a plurality of first locking projections 55 are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the fitting tube 54, and one of them is formed on the upper portion of the fitting tube 54.
As a result, the fitting cylinder 54 is fitted inside the rear cylinder portion 22 while being prevented from coming off rearward by the first locking projection 55 .

The elastic protrusion 51 contacts, from the rear, the tapered surface 44a of the rear protrusion 44 formed on the injection tube portion 20. As a result, the elastic protrusion 51 positions the accumulator valve 40 in a state in which the accumulator valve main body 41 closes the injection opening 21. The elastic protrusion 51 elastically deforms due to the pressure inside the injection tube portion 20, i.e., the pressure increase inside the accumulator chamber S2, thereby allowing the accumulator valve 40 to move rearward and opening the injection opening 21, and also urges the accumulator valve 40 forward due to elastic restoring deformation as the pressure inside the accumulator chamber S2 decreases.
In this embodiment, the elastic protrusion 51 positions the pressure accumulator valve 40 so as to block the flow of liquid through the injection opening 21 until the pressure in the pressure accumulator chamber S2 reaches a predetermined value, and when the pressure in the pressure accumulator chamber S2 exceeds the predetermined value (including the predetermined value, i.e., when it reaches or exceeds the predetermined value), it elastically deforms and opens the injection opening 21.
In this way, when the pressure in the pressure accumulation chamber S2 exceeds a predetermined value, it is preferable that the elastic protrusion 51 elastically deforms and the pressurized liquid is injected from the injection tube portion 20 through the injection opening 21.

Specifically, when the pressure in the pressure accumulator chamber S2 exceeds a predetermined value, the elastic protrusion 51 elastically deforms so as to bend radially outward in the injection barrel portion 20 while moving along the tapered surface 44a of the rearward protrusion portion 44 (see FIG. 4). As a result, the elastic deformation of the elastic protrusion 51 allows the pressure accumulator valve 40 to move rearward.
Thereafter, the elastic protrusion 51 elastically deforms radially inward as the pressure in the accumulator chamber S2 decreases, thereby biasing the rear protrusion 44 forward, and allowing the accumulator valve 40 to move forward in a restoring state.

The pair of elastic arm portions 52 are arranged on either side of the injection tube portion 20 in the left-right direction L2. When viewed from the side in the left-right direction L2, the pair of elastic arm portions 52 are elastically deformed to form an upwardly protruding arc, with their front ends (lower ends) housed within the receiving portion 67 of the trigger portion 61. As a result, the elastic arm portions 52 are housed within the receiving portion 67 in a state where they are flexibly deformed with their rear end side as the starting point, and the front ends are elastically displaced in the front-to-rear direction L1 as the trigger portion 61 is operated. As a result, the elastic arm portions 52 bias the trigger portion 61 forward.

Furthermore, a connecting wall 56 is formed on the lower portion of the blocking wall 53, extending forward and connecting the pair of elastic arm portions 52 to each other in the left-right direction L2. As a result, the rear ends of the pair of elastic arm portions 52 are integrally connected via the connecting wall 56, ensuring a predetermined rigidity.
The blocking wall 53 is fitted into the fitting space 24 formed between the lower part of the rear tube portion 22 and the top wall portion 11e of the outer tube 11 from the rear side. Therefore, the entire blocking member 50 is combined with the injection tube portion 20 in a state where rattle in the up and down direction is suppressed.

Furthermore, second locking projections (second locking portions) 57 are formed downward on the rear end sides of the pair of elastic arm portions 52. The second locking projections 57 are locked to side projections (side portions) 58 of the ejector main body 2 from the front.
The side protrusions 58 are formed on portions of the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder tube portion 15 that are located on both sides in the left-right direction L2, sandwiching the injection tube portion 20. In other words, the side protrusions 58 are formed on portions of the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder tube portion 15 that are located on both radial sides of the injection tube portion 20, sandwiching the injection tube portion 20, when viewed from above the ejector body 2.

As described above, the blocking wall 53 is assembled to the injection tube portion 20 in a state where it is prevented from coming off rearward by the first locking projection 55 and the second locking projection 57.

(Nozzle part)
1 and 2, the nozzle portion 3 is attached to the second relay cylindrical portion 83. As a result, the nozzle portion 3 is attached to the ejector main body 2 via the relay member 80.
The nozzle portion 3 is disposed forward of the opposing wall portion 81 of the relay member 80 and includes a nozzle wall portion 90 in which the ejection holes 4 are formed, and an outer fitting cylinder portion 91 that extends rearward from the nozzle wall portion 90 and is fitted from the front onto the second relay cylinder portion 83. The interior of the second relay cylinder portion 83 can communicate with the interior of the injection cylinder portion 20 through a communication hole 85.
The outer fitting cylindrical portion 91 is attached to the second relay cylindrical portion 83 so as to be rotatable about the axis O3 while being prevented from slipping out in the forward direction. As a result, the nozzle portion 3 is combined with the relay member 80 so as to be rotatable about the axis O3.

Furthermore, an inner cylinder 92 that fits rotatably around the guide shaft 84 protrudes rearward from the portion of the nozzle wall 90 located inside the outer fitting cylinder 91. A second switching groove 93 extending along the front-to-rear direction L1 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the inner cylinder 92. Furthermore, a spin chamber 94 that can communicate with the first switching groove 86 is formed in a recessed shape on the rear surface of the nozzle wall 90 located inside the inner cylinder 92.

The first switching groove 86 formed in the guide shaft 84 and the second switching groove 93 formed in the inner cylinder portion 92 are connected at a predetermined rotational position of the nozzle portion 3 centered on the axis O3, and are not connected at other rotational positions.
The first switching groove 86 and the second switching groove 93 are connected to each other, so that the ejection holes 4 and the inside of the second relay cylinder portion 83 are connected to each other through the spin chamber 94, the first switching groove 86, and the second switching groove 93. Therefore, the nozzle portion 3 can switch, as it rotates about the axis O3, between an ejection permissive state in which ejection of liquid from the ejection holes 4 is permitted and an ejection restricted state in which ejection is restricted.

(Cover body)
As shown in FIG. 1, the cover body 5 is formed to cover the entire vertical supply tube portion 10 except for the lower end portion and the entire injection tube portion 20 from at least both sides in the left-right direction L2 and above.

(Material of the Closure Member Including the Elastic Arm Portion)
In the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 configured as described above, the entire closure member 50, which is integrally formed with the elastic arm portion 52, is made of a PET resin that does not contain a copolymer component, which is a highly crystalline polyester resin, that is, a so-called homo-PET resin (homo-polyethylene terephthalate). Specifically, the entire closure member 50 is a molded part that is injection-molded from the homo-PET resin.
In particular, in this embodiment, the closure member 50 made of homo-PET resin is formed so as to have a density falling within the range of 1.34 g/cm ³ or more and 1.38 g/cm ³ or less.

Explain in detail.
In this embodiment, the entire closure member 50 is formed by injection molding using homo-PET resin (product number: J-125) manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Next, the entire closure member 50, which is a molded product, is heated to, for example, about 120°C for a predetermined time using an infrared heater or the like, causing the molded product to change from transparent to white, promoting crystallization, and adjusting the density to within a range of ^1.34 g/ ^cm3 or more and 1.38 g/cm3 or less.
The density of the blocking member 50 is measured by the density gradient tube method in accordance with JIS K 7112.

(Trigger-type liquid jetting action)
Next, we will explain how to use the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 configured as described above. It is assumed that by operating the trigger part 61 shown in Figure 1 multiple times, liquid is filled into each part of the trigger-type liquid ejector 1, and the liquid can be sucked up into the vertical supply tube part 10.

As shown in Figure 4, when the trigger portion 61 is pulled backward as indicated by arrow F against the force of the elastic arm portion 52, the main piston 63 moves backward from its forwardmost position, pressurizing the main cylinder 62. This allows the liquid in the main cylinder 62 to be supplied into the vertical supply tube portion 10, and also presses the ball valve 70 downward, pressing it against the tapered tube 71.

This allows the liquid supplied into the vertical supply tube 10 to be supplied into the injection tube 20 through the connecting tube 11d and the through-hole 23. That is, the liquid supplied into the vertical supply tube 10 can be introduced into the pressure accumulator chamber S2, including the gap S1. At this time, because the injection opening 21 is closed by the seal portion 42 of the pressure accumulator valve main body 41, the liquid introduced into the pressure accumulator chamber S2 can increase the pressure within the pressure accumulator chamber S2.

4, the elastic protrusion 51 elastically deforms so as to bend radially outward in the injection tube portion 20 while moving along the tapered surface 44a of the rearward protrusion portion 44. This allows the pressure accumulator valve 40 to move rearward against the bias of the elastic protrusion 51. This allows the seal portion 42 to move rearward away from the injection opening 21, thereby opening the injection opening 21.
Therefore, the pressurized liquid can be forcefully ejected from the ejection tube portion 20 through the ejection opening 21 into the second relay tube portion 83, and can also be guided to the ejection hole 4 through the second switching groove 93, the first switching groove 86 and the spin chamber 94, and can be ejected from the ejection hole 4 to the outside.

After the liquid is ejected, releasing the trigger portion 61 stops the supply of liquid from the main cylinder 62 through the vertical supply tube portion 10 to the injection tube portion 20. This reduces the pressure in the accumulator chamber S2, causing the elastic protrusion 51 to elastically restore. This allows the elastic protrusion 51 to urge the rear protrusion portion 44 forward, restoring the accumulator valve 40 forward. This allows the seal portion 42 to be used to close the injection opening 21 again, as shown in Figure 1.

Furthermore, the elastic restoring force of the elastic arm portion 52 urges the trigger portion 61 forward, causing the trigger portion 61 to return to its original position. As a result, the main piston 63 can be moved forward within the main cylinder 62 in conjunction with the trigger portion 61. This reduces the pressure within the main cylinder 62 to a level lower than the pressure within the container body A, causing the ball valve 70 to rise and separate from the tapered tube 71. This allows the liquid within the container body A to be sucked up into the vertical supply tube portion 10 and introduced into the main cylinder 62, preparing for the next ejection.

As described above, the trigger-type liquid sprayer 1 of this embodiment can cause liquid to be sprayed from the nozzle 4 each time the trigger 61 is pulled backward. In particular, the provision of the pressure accumulator valve 40 makes it possible to stabilize the pressure of the liquid sprayed from the nozzle 4, allowing the liquid to be sprayed in the desired form (for example, as a mist, etc.).

In particular, the entire closure member 50, including the elastic arm portion 52, is made of homo-PET resin, which is a crystalline polyester resin, and therefore has crystalline portions in which molecules are regularly arranged. In addition, the density of the homo-PET resin is set to be in the range of 1.34 g/cm3 or ^more and 1.38 g/ ^cm3 or less.
Therefore, the elastic arm portion 52 can have a certain strength and rigidity and can exert an appropriate elastic force, so that the trigger portion 61 can be stably biased forward by using the elastic arm portion 52, and stable operability can be maintained.
Furthermore, because the density of the elastic arm portion 52 is within the above range, chemicals and the like are less likely to penetrate into the crystal portion. Therefore, even when a liquid such as a sodium hypochlorite solution is used, chemical resistance is maintained, and even if the sodium hypochlorite solution adheres, the strength is less likely to decrease. This allows for a wider range of liquids to be used, and improves resistance to contents.

Furthermore, since the elastic arm portion 52 can be formed from homo-PET resin, it can be easily crystallized by heating or the like, and its density can be easily increased. This allows the elastic arm portion 52 to have elasticity and excellent chemical resistance. This allows the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 to have even better resistance to contents.
If a PET resin containing a copolymer component is used, crystallization does not proceed well, making it difficult to use as the elastic arm portion 52 .

As a result of the above, this embodiment provides a trigger-type liquid ejector 1 that has excellent resistance to contents and is equipped with an elastic arm portion 52 that has appropriate elasticity.

Furthermore, because the blocking member 50 and the elastic arm portion 52 are formed integrally, they can be handled as a single unit. This reduces the number of parts and also leads to lower costs. Furthermore, because the elastic arm portion 52 can be positioned outside the injection tube portion 20, direct contact between the elastic arm portion 52 and liquid can be prevented. This makes it even less likely that the strength of the elastic arm portion 52 will be reduced due to the adhesion of liquid.

Furthermore, according to the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 of this embodiment, the pressure accumulator valve 40 is provided inside the ejection tube portion 20 .
Therefore, compared to the conventional case in which the accumulator valve 40 is provided inside the nozzle portion 3, the nozzle portion 3 can be made smaller and the structure can be simplified, and for example, bulkiness in the front-to-back direction L1, left-to-right direction L2, and up-down direction of the nozzle portion 3 can be easily reduced. Therefore, the trigger-type liquid ejector 1 as a whole can be made smaller.
Furthermore, providing the pressure accumulator valve 40 inside the injection tube portion 20 increases the degree of freedom in the structure of the nozzle portion 3. Therefore, as the trigger-type liquid ejector 1, for example, as in this embodiment, a configuration can be easily adopted in which, as the nozzle portion 3 rotates, the state switches between an ejection permitted state in which ejection from the ejection hole 4 is permitted and an ejection restricted state in which ejection is restricted.

Furthermore, because the pressure accumulator valve 40 is provided inside the injection tube portion 20, the internal volume of the injection tube portion 20 can be reduced without increasing the number of parts. This allows the pressure of the liquid inside the injection tube portion 20 (inside the pressure accumulator chamber S2) to be quickly increased when the trigger portion 61 is operated, reducing the number of priming operations. Furthermore, because air is less likely to remain inside the injection tube portion 20, variations in the spray volume caused by remaining air and dripping from the injection hole 4 can be reduced.

Furthermore, because the pressure accumulator valve body 41 is positioned along the entire length of the injection tube portion 20, the internal volume of the injection tube portion 20 can be further reduced. This makes it possible to more effectively reduce the number of priming operations and suppress the amount of air remaining inside the injection tube portion 20.

Furthermore, the blocking member 50 is prevented from coming off rearward from the injection tube portion 20 by engaging the first and second locking protrusions 55 and 57 at multiple locations. Therefore, the trigger portion 61 can be more stably biased forward using the elastic arm portion 52, and the blocking member 50 can be easily stabilized without rattle when the trigger portion 61 is operated rearward. Furthermore, because the blocking member 50 can be more stably combined with the injection tube portion 20, a stronger seal can be ensured between the injection tube portion 20 and the blocking member 50, improving product reliability.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Examples of embodiments and their variations include those that would be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially identical, and those that are equivalent.

For example, in the above embodiment, the entire closure member 50 including the elastic arm portion 52 is molded from homo-PET resin (homo-polyethylene terephthalate), but it may be molded from PET resin. Even in this case, the same effects can be achieved.
However, when homo-PET resin is used, it is easy to effectively crystallize it by heating, etc., and the density can be easily increased, so that the elastic arm portion 52 can be made to have elasticity and excellent chemical resistance, which is preferable.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which the pressure accumulator valve main body 41 is provided over the entire length of the injection tube portion 20, but this is not limited to this case, and for example, the pressure accumulator valve main body 41 may be arranged in only a portion of the injection tube portion 20 in the front-to-rear direction L1.
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the trigger mechanism 60 including the main cylinder 62 and the main piston 63 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the liquid in the container body A is circulated from the vertical supply tube portion 10 through the injection tube portion 20 toward the ejection hole 4 side by a trigger mechanism including a pump that contracts and deforms like a bellows.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a trigger-type liquid sprayer 1 that sprays liquid forward from the nozzle 4 was described, but this is not limited to this case, and the trigger-type liquid sprayer 1 may also spray liquid in a direction other than forward, such as upward or leftward.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an elastic protrusion 51 was used as an example of an elastic body, but this is not limited to this case, and an elastic member such as a leaf spring may also be formed integrally with the blocking wall 53.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pressure accumulator valve 40 is provided inside the injection tube portion 20, but the pressure accumulator valve 40 is not essential and may not be provided. In this case, the elastic protrusion 51 is not necessary, and it is sufficient to form the elastic arm portion 52, for example, so that it extends forward from the blocking wall 53.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the elastic arm portion 52 extending forward from the blocking wall 53 in an arm shape is used as an example of the elastic member, but the present invention is not limited to this case.
For example, the elastic members may be disposed on both the left and right sides of injection tube portion 20, formed in a forward-convex arc shape in a side view seen from the left-right direction L2, and formed to extend to below injection tube portion 20. In this case, the elastic members include a pair of leaf springs arranged in the front and rear and formed in a concentric arc shape in a side view seen from the left-right direction L2.

Of the pair of leaf springs, the one located on the front side is the main leaf spring, and the one located on the rear side is the sub-leaf spring. The lower ends of the main leaf spring and the sub-leaf spring are integrally connected via an arc-shaped folded portion. A locking piece protrudes downward from the folded portion, and this locking piece is inserted into and engaged with the trigger portion 61 from above.
Even with the elastic member configured in this manner, it is possible to bias the trigger portion 61 forward.

A... Container body 1... Trigger type liquid ejector 2... Ejector main body 3... Nozzle portion 4... Ejection hole 10... Vertical supply tube portion 20... Injection tube portion 52... Elastic arm portion (elastic member)
60...Trigger mechanism 61...Trigger part

Claims (2)

an ejector body attached to a container containing a liquid;
a nozzle portion attached to the ejector body and having an ejection hole for ejecting the liquid;
The ejector body includes:
a vertical supply tube portion that sucks up the liquid in the container body;
an injection tube portion extending from the vertical supply tube portion and having an injection opening portion opening to the outside of the ejector body;
a closing member having a closing wall that closes the injection tube portion from the rear;
a trigger mechanism having a trigger portion arranged to be movable rearward while being biased forward by an elastic member, the trigger portion moving rearward to cause liquid to flow from inside the vertical supply tube portion through the injection tube portion toward the ejection hole side,
the elastic member is disposed outside the injection tube portion, is integrally formed with the closing wall, and is formed so as to extend forward from the closing wall in an arm shape,
The trigger-type liquid ejector is further characterized in that the elastic member is formed of polyethylene terephthalate resin having a density of 1.34 g/cm ³ or more and 1.38 g/cm ³ or less. The trigger-type liquid ejector according to claim 1,
A trigger-type liquid ejector, wherein the polyethylene terephthalate resin is homopolyethylene terephthalate.