Flow guide
AssigneeEndoguard Limited
InventorsAdam Graham James, Jie Chen, Anthony Arthur Wills
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flow guide directs a fluid flow across a surface of a device, for example a lens surface of an endoscope, in a controlled manner to facilitate flow attachment to the surface. Embodiments include features that impart a non-uniform velocity profile and/or include guide surfaces for facilitating flow attachment and/or coverage.
Claims47
A flow guide for directing a fluid flow across a surface of a device, the flow guide including a locating arrangement for locating the device with respect to the flow guide such that the surface is disposed generally in a first plane defined along first and second mutually perpendicular directions, and a channel for directing the fluid flow, the channel having sides spaced with respect to each other in the first direction and extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions, and an outer channel surface extending between the sides of the channel;
- wherein an edge of the outer channel surface is convex in a second plane defined by the first and third directions to define an outlet of non-uniform height relative to the first plane, thereby imparting a non-uniform velocity profile to fluid constrained to flow between the edge of the outer channel surface and the first plane.
A flow guide for directing a fluid flow across a surface of a device, the flow guide including a locating arrangement for locating the device with respect to the flow guide such that the surface is disposed generally in a first plane defined along first and second mutually perpendicular directions, and a channel for guiding the fluid flow, the channel having sides spaced with respect to each other in the first direction, the flow guide also including a respective limb extending from each of the sides generally in the second direction, each limb defining a limb guide surface extending generally in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions and being convex in a plane parallel to the first plane to cause fluid flow from the channel to diverge in the first direction as it flows across the surface of the device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.