Fluid dispenser having a discharge head

Abstract

A fluid dispenser having an accumulator and a discharge head. The discharge head is secured to a base unit of the dispenser, which base unit includes a fluid accumulator. The discharge head has a housing displaceable relative to the base unit for actuating the dispenser. The discharge head has an inlet through which fluid travels from the fluid accumulator into the discharge head, and a discharge opening through which the fluid is delivered into the atmosphere. A swirling chamber having an inlet channel is provided between the fluid inlet and the discharge opening so that inflowing fluid is provided with a swirl which forms a spray stream when exiting the discharge opening. The swirling chamber is switched between a first and a second configuration by changing the geometry of its walls and/or the inlet channel.

Claims

1. A fluid dispenser comprising: a base unit including a fluid accumulator for receiving fluid prior to a fluid discharge procedure; a discharge head secured to said base unit at a first side of said discharge head, said discharge head having a housing displaceable linearly relative to said base unit along a linear movement direction for actuating said fluid dispenser, a fluid inlet disposed to receive fluid from said fluid accumulator and a discharge opening through which fluid is discharged from said fluid dispenser; a pump device actuable by movement of said housing of said discharge head relative to said base unit and conveying fluid from said fluid accumulator into said discharge head, or said fluid accumulator comprises a pressure accumulator and said fluid dispenser comprises a valve device actuable by movement of said housing of said discharge head relative to said base unit and conveying fluid from said fluid accumulator into said discharge head; and a swirling chamber including at least one eccentrically oriented inlet channel disposed between said fluid inlet and said discharge opening such that fluid flowing into said discharge head is provided with a swirl which forms a spray stream upon exiting said discharge opening, said swirling chamber being switchable between a first configuration and a second configuration during operation of said fluid dispenser by changing geometry of said swirling chamber and/or said inlet channel, said discharge head further including a swirling chamber component movably mounted in said discharge head and a button operatively connected to said swirling chamber component for manually switching said swirling chamber between said first configuration and said second configuration by displacing said swirling chamber component, said button being disposed on a second side of said discharge head disposed opposite and remote from said first side thereof, said button being linearly movable relative to said housing of said discharge head along a linear movement direction substantially parallel to the linear movement direction of said housing of said discharge head relative to said base unit.

2. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said swirling chamber component is a first swirling chamber component and said fluid dispenser further comprises a second swirling chamber component, and said swirling chamber is switchable between said first configuration and said second configuration by displacement of said first swirling chamber component relative to said second swirling chamber component which changes the geometry of said swirling chamber and/or said inlet channel, said first and second swirling chamber components at least partially defining said swirling chamber and/or said inlet channel.

3. The fluid dispenser according to claim 2, wherein said second swirling chamber component includes a wall on an inner side thereof, said wall defining a depression which at least partially defines said swirling chamber and/or at least partially defines a groove at least partially forming said inlet channel leading into said swirling chamber, said first swirling chamber component including a contact face, said contact face in said first configuration of said swirling chamber abutting against said second swirling chamber component such that said contact face and said depression together define said swirling chamber and/or such that said contact face and said groove together define said inlet channel.

4. The fluid dispenser according to claim 3, wherein said second swirling chamber component defines said discharge opening of said discharge head.

5. The fluid dispenser according to claim 4, wherein in said second configuration of said swirling chamber, said first swirling chamber component and said second swirling chamber component are spaced from one another by an annular gap through which fluid flows in a direction of said discharge opening.

6. The fluid dispenser according to claim 5, wherein said second swirling chamber component is non-movably fixed to, and forms part of, said housing of said discharge head, and said first swirling chamber component is displaceable relative to said housing.

7. The fluid dispenser according to claim 2, wherein actuation of said button causes displacement of said first swirling chamber component relative to said second swirling chamber component, and said button is coupled to said first swirling chamber component by a transmission.

8. The fluid dispenser according to claim 7, further including a restoring spring disposed to act between said first swirling chamber component and said second swirling chamber component so as to apply a force on said first swirling chamber component in a direction of an end position thereof corresponding to said first configuration of said swirling chamber, whereby an actuation force applied to said button displaces said first swirling chamber component relative to said second swirling chamber component in opposition to the force of said restoring spring.

9. The fluid dispenser according to claim 2, wherein said first and second swirling chamber components have contact faces which abut one another in said first configuration of said swirling chamber to place said swirling chamber in a closed configuration in which fluid flowing into said discharge head is provided with a swirl which forms the spray stream upon exiting said discharge opening, and said contact faces in said second configuration of said swirling chamber are spaced from one another and form a gap therebetween to place said swirling chamber in an open configuration in which fluid flowing into said discharge head flows through said gap and exits said discharge opening substantially without being provided with a swirl upon exiting said discharge head.

10. The fluid dispenser according to claim 9, wherein said second swirling chamber component is fixed to said housing of said discharge head and defines said discharge opening, said button being operatively connected to said first swirling chamber component such that actuation of said button causes displacement of said contact face of said first swirling chamber component in a direction away from said contact face of said second swirling chamber component.

11. The fluid dispenser according to claim 10, wherein said first swirling chamber component is biased in said first configuration of said swirling chamber by a biasing member disposed on said discharge head, said housing of said discharge head having an actuating face disposed sidewardly adjacent said button, wherein a pressing force applied only to said actuation face of said housing and not to said button displaces said housing relative to said base unit along the linear movement direction of said housing and actuates said fluid dispenser with said swirling chamber in said closed configuration, and a pressing force applied to said button displaces said housing relative to said base unit along the linear movement direction of said housing and actuates said fluid dispenser with said swirling chamber in said open configuration.

12. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said discharge head further includes an actuating face disposed at an uppermost portion of said discharge head and configured for receiving a pressing force which displaces said housing relative to said base unit along the linear movement direction of said housing and actuates said fluid dispenser, said button being disposed at said uppermost portion sidewardly adjacent said actuating face.

13. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said discharge opening is disposed in said housing, and said housing of said discharge head is disposed in a telescoping manner with said base unit for linear movement along the linear movement direction of said housing for actuating said fluid dispenser.

14. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said button is configured and disposed such that a pressing force applied to said button displaces said button and displaces said housing relative to said base unit along the linear movement direction of said housing and actuates said fluid dispenser.

15. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said housing of said discharge head has an actuating face disposed sidewardly adjacent said button and configured for receiving a pressing force to actuate said housing and displace said housing relative to said base unit along the linear movement direction of said housing, and said actuating face of said housing is configured for actuation independently from actuation of said button.

16. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said button is mounted on said housing of said discharge head.

17. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said swirling chamber component is a first swirling chamber component and said fluid dispenser further comprises a second swirling chamber component and a biasing member disposed to act between said first swirling chamber component and said second swirling chamber component so as to apply a force on said first swirling chamber component in a direction of an end position thereof corresponding to said first configuration of said swirling chamber, whereby an actuation force applied to said button displaces said first swirling chamber component relative to said second swirling chamber component in opposition to the force of said biasing member.

18. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein manual actuation of said button during a discharge operation of said fluid dispenser switches said swirling chamber between said first configuration in which fluid exiting said discharge opening has a first form of discharge and said second configuration in which fluid exiting said discharge opening has a second form of discharge different from said first form of discharge.

19. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said swirling chamber component is a first swirling chamber component and said fluid dispenser further comprises a second swirling chamber component fixed to said housing and defining said discharge opening, and actuation of said button switches said swirling chamber between said first configuration and said second configuration by displacement of said first swirling chamber component relative to said second swirling chamber component.

20. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1, wherein actuation of said button displaces said swirling chamber component relative to said discharge opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) Further advantages and aspects of the invention are revealed in the claims and in the description below of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are explained below with reference to the figures.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a fluid dispenser according to the invention in an overall view.

(3) FIGS. 2 and 3 show the discharge head of the dispenser of FIG. 1 in two sectional, perspective views.

(4) FIGS. 4A and 4B and 5A and 5B each show, sectioned along two different planes, the discharge device of the dispenser of FIG. 1 in two varying configurations.

(5) FIGS. 6A and 6B show a second variant of a discharge head for a fluid dispenser according to the invention.

(6) FIGS. 7A and 7B show a third variant of a discharge head for a fluid dispenser according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(7) FIG. 1 shows a fluid dispenser 10 according to the invention in an overall view. This fluid dispenser 10 possesses a fluid accumulator 20 and a discharge device 30, which is screwed to a neck 22 of the fluid accumulator 20.

(8) The discharge device 30 in turn possesses a base 40, which is stationary with respect to the fluid accumulator, and a discharge head 50 which is provided on the base 40 and can be pressed down in an actuating direction 2A. An outlet control 42 in the form of a valve device or a pump device, which has an outlet connection 44 at its upper end, is furthermore provided on the base 40. Depending on the design, if this outlet connection 44 is pressed down in direction 2A, the outlet control 42 formed as a valve device is opened so that pressurized fluid can flow into the discharge head 50, or a pump procedure is brought about at the outlet control 42 formed as a pump device, so that fluid is conveyed from a pump chamber (not illustrated) into the discharge head and, upon a subsequent return stroke, the pump chamber is refilled from the fluid accumulator 20.

(9) The discharge head 50 is also explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The discharge head 50 has a multi-part housing 52, which possesses a discharge opening 56 in a separate nozzle component 54. Connected upstream of the discharge opening 56 is a swirling chamber 58 into which tangentially aligned inlet channels 60 lead.

(10) As a result, in the configuration of FIG. 4A, owing to an end face 72 of a plunger component 70 abutting against the nozzle component 54, fluid flowing into the discharge head at the fluid inlet 62 flows into the swirling chamber 58 through the tangential inlet channels 60 and is thereby provided with a swirl. This swirl brings about the production of a spray cone comprising tiny droplets of the fluid during the discharge procedure. This is the first possible configuration of the discharge head 50.

(11) A second possible configuration is illustrated in FIG. 5A and furthermore also in the said FIGS. 2 and 3. In relation to the first configuration, the plunger component 70 in this second configuration is displaced in the radial direction to the right of the component 54 principally forming the swirling chamber. This brings about that the swirling chamber 58 itself and the inlet channel 60 flowing tangentially into it are each opened, as it were. In this case, the inlet channel 60 loses its function almost completely, since fluid can now flow into the swirling chamber via an annular gap 64. Therefore, a fluid swirl is also no longer formed to a relevant extent in the swirling chamber 58. Instead, the fluid is discharged through the discharge opening 56 as a non-atomized stream (jet).

(12) FIGS. 4A and 4B on the one hand and FIGS. 5A and 5B on the other again illustrate the change in the relative position of the plunger component 70 with respect to the swirling chamber component 54. This refers in particular to the variation between the configurations. In FIG. 4A it can be seen that a flat web extending in the discharge head 50 is provided on the base 40, which web forms a guide element 46. As can be seen with reference to FIG. 4B, this guide element 46 does not surround the center axis 4 at a constant spacing but is instead designed in the form of a spiral section. This guide element 46 cooperates with a guide slide 74, which is provided at the rear end 76 of the plunger component 70. This cooperation between the guide element 46 and the guide slide 74 brings about that a rotation of the discharge head 50 with respect to the base 40 also brings about a radial displacement of the guide slide 74 in the manner illustrated by FIGS. 4B and 5B. This radial displacement simultaneously brings about the desired radial displacement of the plunger component 70 and its end face 72, so that the said configurations can be varied as a result of the rotational movement.

(13) FIGS. 6A and 6B show a second variant, the mode of operation of which corresponds to the design described above in terms of activating and deactivating the generation of the spray stream by opening and closing the swirling chamber 58. However, deviating from the design described above, it is provided in this case that the plunger component 70 is pressed permanently in the direction of the configuration of 6A, i.e. the spray configuration, via a spring 88. To deflect the plunger component 70, a button 86 is provided which enables a deflection of the plunger component 70 in opposition to the force of the spring 88 via a transmission or gear 80 in the form of two planar portions 70A, 86A sliding against one another.

(14) It is therefore possible to generate a non-atomized discharge stream by applying a pressing-down force to the discharge head in the region of the button 86. However, if the discharge head 50 has a force applied to it on the upper side 59 of the housing 52, adjacent to the button 86, a spray stream is generated.

(15) In the design of FIGS. 7A and 7B, the construction is again simplified. In this case, a handle 84 is provided on the plunger component 70 at its rear end, which handle permits the two configurations for generating a spray stream or a non-atomized fluid stream by means of a pulling-out or pressing-in maneuver.