Material spray gun

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11406995-B2
Application number	US-201916560382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2019
Priority date	Jan 25, 2019
Publication date	Aug 9, 2022
Grant date	Aug 9, 2022

Abstract

A spray gun includes a gun body and valves configured to control flow of material and air through the gun body. A trigger is mounted to the gun body and is disposed relative to the valves such that the trigger actuates the valves in sequence to begin air flow and material flow. A sensor senses when the trigger is in an actuated state and the sensor causes a pump to begin pumping material to the spray gun. Release of the trigger causes the trigger to leave the actuated state. A detent mechanism holes the trigger in a detent state intermediate the actuated state and a resting state. The sensor does not sense the trigger with the trigger in the detent state. The trigger maintains the valves open with the trigger in the detent state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A spray gun for a material sprayer configured to spray material output by a pump to the spray gun, the spray gun comprising:
a gun body having a material pathway extending through the gun body to provide material to a spray nozzle and an air pathway extending through the gun body to provide air to the spray nozzle;
a material flow valve disposed at least partially in the gun body and configured to control flow of material through the material pathway to the nozzle;
a trigger pivotably mounted to the gun body and configured to actuate the material flow valve between a first open state and a first closed state; and
a sensor associated with the trigger and configured to sense the trigger being in an actuated state;
wherein the trigger is disposed relative to the material flow valve and the sensor such that shifting the trigger in a first direction through a first pull range from a non-actuated state to a first intermediate state causes the material flow valve to shift to the first open state and such that shifting the trigger in the first direction through a second pull range from the first intermediate state to the actuated state causes the sensor to cause activation of the pump based on the sensor sensing the trigger being in the actuated state; and
wherein release of the trigger through a second direction, opposite the first direction, causes the trigger to shift from the actuated state to the first intermediate state, where the material flow valve is open and the sensor stops sensing the trigger and causes deactivation of the pump, prior to the trigger shifting to the non-actuated state where the material flow valve is in the first closed state.

2. The spray gun of claim 1 , further comprising:
an air flow valve disposed at least partially in the gun body and configured to control flow of air through the air pathway to the nozzle;
wherein the trigger is disposed relative to the material flow valve and the air flow valve such that actuating the trigger through the first pull range causes the trigger to actuate the air flow valve to the second open state prior to actuating the material flow valve to the first open state.

3. The spray gun of claim 2 , wherein the air flow valve comprises:
an air valve seat;
an air valve member disposed in the air flow pathway and interfacing with the air valve seat with the air flow valve in the second closed state and spaced from the air valve seat with the air flow valve in the second open state; and
an air valve needle extending from the air valve member and projecting outside of the gun body towards the trigger;
wherein the air valve needle is spaced from a back side of the trigger with the trigger in the non-actuated position and is in contact with the back side of the trigger with the trigger in the actuated position.

4. The spray gun of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is configured to generate a spray signal causing activation of the pump based on the trigger being in the actuated state, and wherein shifting the trigger in the second direction, opposite the first direction, through the second pull range causes the sensor to stop generating the spray signal.

5. The spray gun of claim 4 , wherein shifting the trigger in the second direction through the first pull range causes the material flow valve to shift to the first closed state and causes an air flow valve disposed at least partially in the gun body to shift to the second closed state.

6. The spray gun of claim 5 , wherein the material flow valve shifts to the first closed state prior to the air flow valve shifting to the second closed state.

7. The spray gun of claim 1 , further comprising:
a detent mechanism mounted to the gun body;
wherein the material flow valve includes a material valve needle disposed at least partially within the gun body, the material valve needle including:
a valve head disposed at a first end of the material valve needle;
a neck formed on a portion of the material valve needle and interfacing with the trigger; and
a groove formed in the material valve needle between the valve head and the neck;

wherein the detent mechanism is configured to engage the groove to prevent movement of the trigger in the second direction, opposite the first direction, and hold the trigger in a detent state intermediate the actuated state and the non-actuated state on release of the trigger from the actuated state;
wherein the trigger maintains the material flow valve in the first open state when the trigger is in the detent position; and
wherein the sensor does not sense the trigger being in the actuated state with the trigger in the detent position such that the pump is deactivated when the trigger is in the detent position.

8. The spray gun of claim 1 , further comprising:
a detent mechanism at least partially disposed in the gun body;
wherein the detent mechanism is configured to prevent movement of the trigger in the second direction, opposite the first direction, beyond a detent state intermediate the actuated state and the non-actuated state and to hold the trigger in the detent state on release of the trigger from the actuated state;
wherein the trigger maintains the material flow valve in the first open state when the trigger is in the detent state; and
wherein the sensor does not sense the trigger being in the actuated state with the trigger in the detent state such that the pump is deactivated when the trigger is in the detent state.

9. The spray gun of claim 8 , wherein the detent mechanism is at least partially disposed in a passage in the gun body, the passage extending transverse to a spray axis of the spray gun.

10. The spray gun of claim 9 , wherein the detent mechanism further comprises:
a ball disposed in the passage;
a button partially disposed in the passage and projecting out of the gun body; and
a spring disposed in the passage on an opposite side of the ball from the button;
wherein the ball is configured to engage a groove of a material valve needle of the material flow valve to maintain the trigger in the detent position.

11. The spray gun of claim 8 , wherein the detent mechanism is actuatable between an engaged state and a release state, wherein the detent mechanism maintains the trigger in the detent position when the detent mechanism is in the engaged state.

12. The spray gun of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises:
a first transducer component disposed on the trigger; and
a second transducer component disposed in a handle of the gun body.

13. A sprayer system comprising:
the spray gun of claim 1 ; and
control circuitry configured to activate the pump based on the control module receiving a spray signal generated by the sensor and to deactivate the pump based on the control module not receiving the spray signal from the sensor.

14. The sprayer system of claim 13 , further comprising:
a motor operatively connected to the pump to power the pump;
wherein the control circuitry is configured to cause an increase in power to the motor based on the control circuitry receiving the spray activation signal, and to cause a decrease in power to the motor based on the control circuitry not receiving the spray activation signal.

15. The sprayer system of claim 14 , wherein the increase in power to the motor activates the motor to cause the motor to power the pump, and wherein the decrease in power to the motor deactivates the motor to cause the motor to stop powering the pump.

Assignees

• Graco Minnesota Inc

Inventors

• Jurmu Jeremy P
• Ryder Douglas S
• Kesti Quincy A
• Gundersen Robert J
• Horning Jeromy D
• Wrobel Steve J
• Taszarek Chad R

Classifications

• B05B12/087

  Flow or presssure regulators, i.e. non-electric unitary devices comprising a sensing element, e.g. a piston or a membrane, and a controlling element, e.g. a valve · CPC title

• B05B12/0026

  to inhibit delivery · CPC title

• B05B12/002

  Manually-actuated controlling means, e.g. push buttons, levers or triggers (for single units B05B11/00) · CPC title

• F04B15/02

  the fluids being viscous or non-homogeneous · CPC title

• E04F21/12

  acting by gas pressure, e.g. steam pressure · CPC title