Abstract:
A fluidic oscillator which is free of feedback passages has an oscillation chamber having a length greater than its width, a pair of mutually facing and complementary-shaped sidewalls (13, 14), planar top and bottom walls (141, 142), and first and second end walls (15). An input power nozzle (17) is formed in said first end wall (15) having a width W and a depth D, for issuing a stream of fluid into the oscillation chamber, and forms alternately pulsating, cavitation-free vortices in said oscillation chamber on each side of the stream. An interconnect passage or channel (107) proximate the downstream end wall (103) enlarges the sweep angle and improves periodicity of the oscillations. The outlet wall (148) is hingedly connected to a chamber wall and the chamber is such that it can be molded with the outlet wall hingedly connected thereto in one molding and forms one side of the inteconnect passage or channel.
Abstract:
A modular nozzle assembly for use with standard trigger sprayers 1, 300 has components which replace the standard nozzle cap 24, 320. A user selectable and user changeable fluidic plate or fluidic circuit member 152, 372 is configured to allow the user to configure a particular combination of components to create precise 2-D or 3-D spray pattern when spraying or dispensing a liquid product from a trigger sprayer or aerosol sprayer. A spray kit with a user configurable modular nozzle assembly and a method for configuring a trigger or aerosol sprayer for a selected spray pattern includes a reconfigurable nozzle assembly with a replacement nozzle cap 150, 346 having modular fluidic circuit insert element retaining features 170, 172 or 376 and at least one detachable modular fluidic circuit insert element 152, 372 which a user may attach to the fluidic modular element retaining nozzle cap150, 346.
Abstract:
A spray dispenser is configured to generate a swirled output spray pattern 152 with improved rotating or angular velocity ω and smaller sprayed droplet size. Cup-shaped nozzle member 60 has a cylindrical side wall 62 surrounding a central longitudinal axis 64 and has a circular closed end wall 68 with at least one exit aperture 74 passing through the end wall. At least one enhanced swirl inducing mist generating structure is formed in an inner surface 70 of the end wall, and including a pair of opposed inwardly tapered offset power nozzle channels 80, 82 terminating in an interaction chamber 84 surrounding the exit aperture 74. The power nozzle channels generate opposing offset flows which are aimed to very efficiently generate a vortex of fluid which projects distally from the exit aperture as a swirled spray of small droplets 152 having a rapid angular velocity.
Abstract:
A nozzle assembly 900, 1000 has a conformal, fluid nozzle component 1200, 1300, 1400 engineered for mechanical installation and alignment and for generating a selected spray. The nozzle assembly has a small cylindrical member with a substantially open proximal end and a substantially closed distal end wall with a centrally located discharge orifice 1230, 1330, 1430 defined therein. Optionally, the cup-shaped filtered orifice defining member also includes a fluidic circuit's oscillation inducing geometry (1420, 1422, 1424) molded into the cup or directly into the distal surface of a nozzle assembly's or spray head's sealing post 902, 1002 and the one-piece filter cup provides the discharge orifice 930, 1030, 1230, 1330, 1430.
Abstract:
A long throw Pop-Up Irrigation Nozzle assembly has no oscillating or rotating parts and includes a cylindrical body having a fluid inlet and a sidewall defining at least one fluidic circuit configured to generate a selected spray pattern when irrigation fluid flows through the body. In order to throw long distance, droplet velocity, droplet size and droplet initial aim angle determine the throw to provide a low precipitation rate ("PR") for fluidic sprays. The nozzle assembly and method of the present invention achieve a PR of 1 in/hr or less and good spray distribution with a scheduling coefficient ("SC") of about 1.5 without utilizing any moving components to provide a significantly more cost effective nozzle assembly, as compared to prior art rotator nozzles.
Abstract:
A full coverage fluidic oscillator (2) includes a fluidic circuit member preferably having an oscillation inducing internal chamber, at least one inlet (8) or source of fluid under pressure, at least a pair of output nozzles (14, 16) connected to the source of fluid for projecting at least first and second impinging fluid jets into free space, where the first and second impinging jets collide or impinge upon one another at a selected jet angle to generate a substantially omni-directional sheet jet having selected thickness. The first and second jets are aimed at a pre-selected intersection point in free space where impingement is to occur. The sheet jet's thickness Δy is determined by the time-varying path or oscillation of each of the first and second impinging jets. The first and second impinging jets can be made to oscillate or pulsate by use of vortex generating amplifier structures (68, 70, 72, 149) within the internal chamber's fluid flow paths.
Abstract:
An improved fluid spray assembly of the type having a primary housing (30), which has an exterior surface with front (32) and rear (34) faces and an opening (36) in the front face that exposes a cavity (38) in the housing, and a check valve (50), which has an exterior surface with upstream (52) and downstream (54) faces, further includes (a) a secondary housing (20) which has an exterior surface with front (22) and rear faces (24) and a fluid flow passage (26) that extends between the secondary housing's faces, and wherein: (b) the primary housing's cavity has a boundary surface which includes a rear portion (40) with a port (42) band a intermediate portion (44) that extends between said cavity opening and said rear portion, (c) the housing exterior surface rear face has an inlet (48) which is connected to the cavity's port by a connecting flow passage (46), and (d) the primary housing cavity's intermediate boundary surface is configured so as to accommodate the placement through the primary housing opening and the holding in place of both the check valve and the secondary housing.
Abstract:
A windshield washer system wherein a nozzle is mounted on the hood (H) of a vehicle and issues a jet of washer fluid in the ambient toward the windshield (W). The nozzle has a housing (E) and a projecting surface, air deflector or tab (T) formed with or attached to the nozzle housing (E) for aerodynamically assuring that the washer fluid impinges on the windshield (W) in a predetermined area thereon at speeds above a predetermined minimum. In preferred embodiments, the projecting surface, air deflector or tab (T) projects from about 6 mm to about 12 mm above the nozzle housing (E).
Abstract:
A two-stage liquid spray device having an outlet region with an island (41) and an exit aperture (47) and a fluidic oscillator (33) driving said outlet region. The improvement for the spray device is operable at a low pressure to achieve full-area coverage with substantially uniform droplets and wherein all of the spray droplets land on the desired work surface and do not bounce. The fluidic oscillator includes an oscillation chamber (33), a power nozzle (31) for introducing a jet of liquid from a source into the oscillation chamber. The oscillation chamber is configured to produce a pair of alternating control vortices which substantially preclude wall attachment of said jet traversing said oscillation chamber, thus avoiding a heavy endedness in the oscillatory jet. An outlet from the oscillation chamber to the outlet region, whereby the jet rhythmically sweeps in end pulses to each side of the island and forms a sheet at the exit aperture. The sheet is rhythmically waved or swept in the ambient air to form the uniform droplets. A transverse slot defines the lateral boundary of the sweeping sheet.
Abstract:
A vehicle nozzle system having a source of washer liquid (14) under pressure, a fluidic oscillator (11) comprising a housing and a fluidic insert having a power nozzle, an oscillation chamber (oc) having an upstream end (pn) coupled to the power nozzle for issuing a jet of washer liquid into the oscillation chamber and a downstream end having an outlet aperture (oc'') for issuing a jet of wash liquid to ambient, and side and top and bottom walls, an oscillation inducing silhouette in the oscillation chamber for causing said jet of wash liquid to rhythmically sweep back and forth between the sidewalls in the oscillation chamber. Top and bottom walls of the oscillation chamber first diverge for a predetermined distance in a downstream direction and then convert towards each other through said outlet aperture. This enables the deflection angle to be adjusted for different vehicles and applications by changes to the fluidic insert without changes to the housing.