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, in particular for discharging pharmaceutical or cosmetic fluids, having the following features: a. the fluid dispenser has a base unit having a fluid accumulator for receiving fluid before the discharge procedure, and b. the fluid dispenser has a discharge head which is provided for securing to the base unit, and c. the fluid dispenser possesses a pump device, which can be actuated by a relative translative movement of the discharge head with respect to the base unit and conveys fluid from the fluid accumulator into the discharge head, or the fluid accumulator is formed as a pressure accumulator and the fluid dispenser possesses a valve device, which can be actuated by a relative translative movement of the discharge head with respect to the base unit and conveys fluid from the fluid accumulator into the discharge head, and d. the discharge head has a housing, which is preferably displaceable with respect to the base unit for the purpose of actuating the fluid dispenser, and e. the discharge head has a fluid inlet, through which fluid to be discharged can make its way from the fluid accumulator into the discharge head, and f. the discharge head has a discharge opening, through which the fluid can be delivered into a surrounding atmosphere, and g. a swirling chamber having at least one eccentrically leading inlet channel is provided between the fluid inlet and the discharge opening so that inflowing fluid is provided with a swirl which brings about the formation of a spray stream as it exits the discharge opening, h. the swirling chamber can be switched between at least a first and a second configuration by changing the geometry of walls of the swirling chamber and/or the at least one inlet channel, and i. the discharge head has a handle for manually switching between the configurations.

2. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 1, having the following feature: a. the swirling chamber and/or the inlet channel is delimited by two swirling chamber components which are movable relative to one another.

3. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 2, having the following feature: a. the swirling chamber components are movable relative to one another in a translative manner, in particular preferably linearly movable.

4. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 2, having the following features: a. a first swirling chamber component is provided, on an inner side, with a depression whereof the walls delimit the swirling chamber, and/or is provided with a groove whereof the walls delimit the inlet channel into the swirling chamber, and b. the second swirling chamber component has a contact face which, in the first configuration, abuts against the first swirling chamber component so that the contact face, together with the depression, delimits the swirling chamber and/or the contact face, together with the walls of the groove, forms the inlet channel.

5. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 4, having the following feature: a. the first swirling chamber component has the discharge opening.

6. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 4, having the following feature: a. in the second configuration, the first swirling chamber component and the second swirling chamber component are spaced from one another by a circumferential annular gap through which fluid can flow in the direction of the discharge opening.

7. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 2, having the following features: a. the first swirling chamber component is part of the housing and b. the second swirling chamber component is formed as a component which is displaceable with respect to the housing.

8. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 2, having the following features: a. a button is provided for manual actuation, by means of which the relative position of the two swirling chamber components can be altered, and b. the button is provided directly on one of the swirling chamber components.

9. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 2, having the following features: a. a button is provided for manual actuation, by means of which the relative position of the two swirling chamber components can be mutually altered, and b. the button is coupled to one of the two swirling chamber components by means of a gear.

10. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 8, having the following feature: a. a restoring spring is provided, which acts between the swirling chamber components so that the swirling chamber components constantly have a force applied to them in the direction of an end position and are displaced in opposition to the force of the restoring spring as a result of a force being applied to the button.

11. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 1, having the feature: a. the button for the relative displacement of the swirling chamber components with respect to one another is provided on a side of the discharge head which is remote from the base unit.

12. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 11, having the following feature: a. the button is movable with respect to the housing of the discharge head in a direction which corresponds to the relative translative movement direction of the discharge head with respect to the base unit.

13. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 1, having the additional features: a. the discharge head is formed to be rotatable about an axis of rotation with respect to the base unit, and b. a gear is provided, by means of which a rotational movement of the discharge head brings about a relative displacement of the swirling chamber components.

14. The fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 13, having the following features: a. the gear comprises a guide element, which is at an angle-dependent spacing from the axis of rotation and is provided on a swirling chamber component of the discharge head or on the base unit, and b. the gear comprises a guide slide, which is in engagement with the guide element and is provided on the base unit or on one of the swirling chamber components.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0028] 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.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a fluid dispenser according to the invention in an overall view.

[0030] FIGS. 2 and 3 show the discharge head of the dispenser of FIG. 1 in two sectional, perspective views.

[0031] 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.

[0032] FIGS. 6A and 6B show a second variant of a discharge head for a fluid dispenser according to the invention.

[0033] 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

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a fluid dispenser 10 according to the invention in an overall view. This fluid dispenser 10 possess a fluid accumulator 20 and a discharge device 30, which is screwed to a neck 22 of the fluid accumulator 20.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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).

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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 gear 80 in the form of two planar portions 70A, 86A sliding against one another.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.