Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6328226
-
Patent Number
6,328,226
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, December 22, 199924 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, December 11, 200122 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Visteon Global Tech., Inc.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 239 8
- 239 290
- 239 291
- 239 294
- 239 296
- 239 343
- 239 369
- 239 370
- 239 371
- 239 424
- 239 4245
- 239 427
- 239 4275
- 239 429
- 239 430
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A nozzle 10 including a member 12 which selectively receives a first material 18 and a second material 22, and which selectively atomizes the second material 22 by use of the first material 18. The nozzle 10 further includes a diffuser member 50 which receives the atomized second material 22 and which diffuses the received and atomized second material 22 while substantially, concomitantly, and tangentially applying the first material 18 to the diffused second material 22, thereby allowing the atomized second material 22 to be desirably deposited upon a target location 7 and/or object 9.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a nozzle and more particularly, to a nozzle which selectively emits a streaming sheet of material having relatively uniform and/or substantially identical droplets and having substantially no shear or turbulence.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nozzles selectively emit various types of materials, such as and without limitation paint, thereby allowing the selectively emitted material to be placed or deposited upon various objects and/or upon one or more “targeted” locations in some desired pattern and/or concentration. Particularly, the paint or other material is typically atomized by a relatively high velocity stream of gas and these atomized particles or droplets are selectively emitted, along with the gas, from the nozzle and made to selectively impinge upon the targeted location and/or object.
It is oftentimes desirable to cause the deposited material to form or include substantially “well-defined”, relatively straight, “crisp”, and/or substantially “clean” edges and/or borders in order to allow the deposited material to create an overall aesthetically pleasing appearance and/or to substantially ensure that only portions of the targeted location(s) or object(s) actually receive the emitted material. For example, vehicle paint striping should normally have well defined and relatively straight edges in order to properly enhance the overall appearance of the vehicle. Moreover, vehicle stripping having multi-color (e.g., two or more) paint portions requires the creation of relatively straight edges or substantially “clean breaks” between each of the applied colored materials, in order to provide the desired overall striping appearance.
While prior nozzles and nozzle assemblies selectively emit material and allow the selectively emitted material to be placed upon various objects and/or targeted locations, they do not readily provide these desired well-defined edges due to the creation and/or existence of a relatively turbulent “shear layer” of material which typically occurs at and/or along the edges of the emitted material.
Moreover, the use of relatively viscous materials requires that the atomizing gas be communicated to and traverse within the nozzle at a relatively high speed, thereby causing the atomized material to be emitted from the nozzle at a relatively high speed and requiring a relatively large distance between the nozzle and the targeted area in order to prevent the relatively high-velocity emitted atomized material from “spattering” upon the targeted location or object. This relatively large distance causes the emitted material, emanating from the outlet aperture, to form a general conical shape or pattern having relatively turbulent shear layers at the edges or periphery of the spray pattern, thereby causing the constituent droplets to have a non-uniform velocity emission profile (i.e., the droplets are emitted from the nozzle at non-uniform speeds or velocities), and causing the creation of substantially non-uniform material deposition concentrations upon the targeted location or object. The deposition pattern is also typically distorted and may, in some instances, cause the emitted material to be applied to “non-targeted” portions or objects.
There is therefore a need for a new and improved nozzle which allows material, such as relatively highly viscous material, to be selectively atomized, emitted, and deposited upon a targeted location and/or object; which allows the selectively deposited material to form substantially well-defined and/or substantially “crisp” and/or relatively straight and/or relatively “clean” and even edges; and which allows the deposited material to form and/or to provide an overall aesthetically pleasing appearance, while increasing the likelihood that the material is only placed upon target objects or locations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a nozzle which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated disadvantages of prior nozzles and/or nozzle assemblies.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a nozzle which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated disadvantages of prior nozzles and nozzle assemblies.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, the nozzle includes a housing having communicating inlet and outlet apertures. A first material is received by the inlet aperture and communicated to the outlet aperture. The nozzle further includes an injector which is disposed within the outlet aperture, which is coupled to the source of a second material, and which selectively injects the second material into the outlet aperture, effective to allow the injected second material to be atomized by the first material. The nozzle further includes a member which is coupled to the housing, which receives the atomized second material, which diffuses the atomized second material as the atomized second material is mixed with the first material, and which emits the diffused atomized second material.
It is a third object of the invention to provide a method for communicating atomized material, which emanates from a nozzle, to a certain targeted location. The method includes the steps of diffusing the atomized material; mixing the atomized material with the second material as the atomized material is being diffused; and communicating the diffused atomized material to the targeted location.
These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention in combination with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a nozzle which is made in accordance with the teachings of the preferred embodiment of the invention and which is operatively deployed upon a spray-gun or material emission device;
FIG. 2
is a side sectional view of the nozzle which is shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is an enlarged sectional view of the nozzle which is shown in FIG.
2
and which is taken along line
3
—
3
; and
FIG. 4
is a perspective view of an injection member which is shown in FIG.
2
and
3
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to
FIG. 1
, there is shown a nozzle assembly
10
which is made in accordance with the teachings of the preferred embodiment of the invention and which is operatively deployed upon a conventional and/or commercially available spray-gun or material emitter
12
. As shown, spray gun or material emitter
12
includes a generally hollow body
14
having an outlet aperture
15
which is communicatively and physically coupled to a source
16
of material
18
, such as gas. Body
14
is further communicatively and physically coupled to a source
20
of material
22
, such as paint or some other type of liquid, such as and without limitation flux, and/or fuel, which is to be atomized and selectively deposited upon a vehicle, such as portion
7
of vehicle
9
, or other targeted locations or objects. In one non-limiting embodiment, nozzle
10
and/or various components of nozzle
10
are selectively formed by a silicon micro-machining process.
As should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, gun or emitter
12
selectively causes the materials
18
and
22
to flow through respective tubes or conduits
24
,
26
in a conventional and known manner. Particularly, in this embodiment, material
18
is communicated into body
14
, by tube
24
and exits body
14
through aperture
15
.
As shown best in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, nozzle
10
includes a first hollow member or portion
28
, having an inlet aperture
30
which communicates with the outlet aperture
15
and which cooperates with the outlet aperture
15
to allow gas or other material
18
to enter member or portion
28
through body
14
. Member or body
28
may be removably attached to body
14
or may be integrally formed within body
14
. Further, member
28
includes an outlet aperture
29
.
Assembly
10
further includes a generally hollow and substantially wide-angle diffuser
50
which may be removably coupled and/or connected to member
28
or which may be integrally formed with member
28
, and which has a substantially wide outlet aperture
52
and a relatively narrow inlet aperture
54
which is communicatively coupled to the outlet aperture
52
. Further, diffuser
50
includes substantially identical and integrally formed, generally hollow, arcuate “sheet” type members or portions
56
,
58
which are communicatively and physically coupled, in a conventional manner, to tube
24
by respective tubes or conduits
60
,
62
, and which provide gaseous material
18
along the tangential edges
64
,
66
of the diffuser member
50
. In one non-limiting embodiment, tubes or conduits
60
,
62
may be attached to a separate source of gaseous material
18
.
Further, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, material canister
20
, by the use of tube or conduit
26
, is coupled to tubes or conduits
68
,
70
and one open end of these tubes or conduits
68
,
70
are respectively disposed within aperture
29
. That is, a pair of substantially arcuate or “v”-shaped struts
72
,
74
are disposed within aperture
29
. Each of the struts
72
,
74
has a generally “cupped shaped” or grooved portion
76
which receives and securely positions a respective conduit
68
,
70
within the aperture
29
. A third strut
78
, in another non-limiting embodiment, may be positioned within the throat portion
80
of the member
28
and securely positions, within portion
80
, another tube or conduit (not shown) which is also coupled to tube or conduit
26
.
In operation, gaseous material
18
is communicated into and supersonically traverses body
14
and enters member
28
through the communicating apertures
15
and
30
. The supersonically travelling gaseous material
18
then traverses member
28
and atomizes the injected material
22
which is placed within the aperture
29
by the disposed tubes or conduits
68
,
70
. Material
22
may also be injected into the throat portion
80
by the disposed tube or conduit present within portion
80
. The atomized material
22
then enters the diffuser through the inlet aperture
54
and exits the member
50
through the outlet aperture
52
. Within member
50
, the atomized material
22
is concomitantly diffused and mixed with gaseous material
18
which is applied to the edges
60
,
64
of the diffuser member
50
and to the edges of the diffused atomized material
22
(i.e., the material
18
is tangentially applied to the received atomized material
22
).
The diffuser
50
and the tangentially injected gaseous material
18
causes the received atomized material
22
to be deposited in a substantially uniform concentration upon a targeted location
7
or object
9
, and substantially prevents the creation of relatively turbulent shear layers which distort the pattern of the applied atomized material
22
. Further, it should be realized that the material
22
which is emitted from the injectors
72
,
74
, and
78
is initially injected in a direction which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of symmetry
88
of member
28
. In this manner, the flow of material
18
is not substantially hindered and/or obstructed.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction and method which has been previously described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.
Claims
- 1. A nozzle having a first portion which receives a first material; and a second diffuser portion which receives said first material from said first portion and which further receives a second material, said diffuser portion further having a pair of substantially identical hollow arcuate sheet portions which receives said first material and which cause said first material to traverse the edges of said diffuser portion and to mix with said second material within said diffuser portion.
- 2. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein said first material comprises a gas.
- 3. The nozzle of claim 2 wherein said second material comprises paint.
- 4. The nozzle of claim 1 further comprising a strut which is disposed within said second diffuser portion and which is coupled to a source of said second material.
- 5. The nozzle of claim 4 wherein said strut is V-shaped.
- 6. The nozzle of claim 4 wherein said strut is cupped shape.
- 7. The nozzle of claim 4 further comprising a second strut which is disposed within said first portion and which is coupled to said source of said second material.
- 8. The nozzle of claim 7 wherein said first and said second struts are substantially identical.
- 9. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein said diffuser portion is removably coupled to said first portion.
- 10. The nozzle of claim 1 wherein said diffuser portion is integrally formed with said first portion.
US Referenced Citations (18)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 108 153 |
Apr 1982 |
EP |
964404 |
Jun 1963 |
GB |
81050 |
Apr 1956 |
NL |