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US 4,388,950 AGranted
Fluid flow control element having movable valve and method
AssigneeBowles Fluidics Corporation
InventorsRonald D. Stouffer, Joseph W. Morris
Life of this patent
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AssigneeBowles Fluidics Corporation
InventorsRonald D. Stouffer, Joseph W. Morris
Estimating the term…
A fluid flow control element is constituted by a fluidic amplifier having an interaction region shaped to provide side walls leading to a pair of fluid flow outlets. The fluid flow inlet for the fluidic amplifier has positioned adjacent thereto at least one control fluid passageway, and the flow of fluid to the outlet passages is controlled by at least one pivoted valve or flap element pivoted between two positions for controlling flow fluid from the fluid inlet to a selected one of a pair of fluid flow passageways or outlets. In the preferred embodiment the fluid flow inlet and outlet and the interaction chamber are such that the fluid pressure in the chamber is always above any pressure in the load passageways and fluid from the fluid flow inlet flows out from the chamber through the control passage. The pivoted valve or flap element, in the preferred embodiment is flat so that it is balanced relative to gravity as well as aerodynamically, so that it will not change position due to back pressures as when outlet passages or receivers are partially or completely blocked and does not cause any torque on the valve element about said pivot and hence will remain in the control position despite severe back loading. The invention is described in relation to a low pressure system, such as automobile air flow systems wherein a number of the unique aspects of the invention are utilized.
In a fluid flow control element including a fluid amplifier including a chamber having an interaction region, a fluid flow inlet means and at least one control passageway adjacent said fluid flow inlet, a fluid flow outlet means downstream of, and substantially aligned with said fluid flow inlet,
In an automobile air flow system having an air impeller, channel means for conveying air from said air impeller to a pair of branching passageways branching to respective load devices, a movable valve element comprising an air flow control means at the branch point of said pair of branching passageways, means pivotally mounting said valve element at said branch point for rotary movement between a pair of stop means so that when said valve element engages one of the stop means air flows through one of said pair of branching passageways and when said valve element engages the other of said stop means, air flows through the other of said pair of branching passageways, and a fluidic amplifier element having an interaction region, fluid inlet, a fluid flow outlet, said amplifier being interposed between said branch points and said channel means for controlling the position of said valve element, and at least one control passageway for deflecting the stream of air from said impeller to one side of said interaction region.
In a method of controlling the flow of air in an automobile air flow system having a blower directing air to a branching point and a fluidic amplifier at the branching point directing the air from the blower to one of a pair of load passageways, and a freely pivoted flap member controlled by said fluidic amplifier to one of a pair of positions, each of said positions being where one of said pair of load passageways receives air from said blower and the other of said passageways is blocked thereby and vice versa, said fluidic amplifier having an interaction region and fluid flow inlet and outlet, and at least one control flow passageway, causing the fluid pressure in said interaction region to be greater than ambient whereby air from said impeller flows from said interaction through said at least one control flow passageway.
In a fluid flow controller having a fluid flow inlet and fluid flow outlet downstream of said fluid flow inlet and a pivotted valve element for directing fluid flow in one of a pair of alternate directions, respectively, through said outlet, the improvement comprising,
In an air flow control system having an air impeller, channel means for conveying air from said air impeller to a pair of branching passageways branching to respective load devices, air flow control means at the branch point of said pair of branching passageways comprising a valve element, a pair of stop means, means pivotally mounting said valve element at said branch point for rotary movement between said pair of stop means so that when said valve element engages one of the stops air flows through one of said pair of branching passageways and when said valve element engages the other of said stops air flows through the other of said pair of branching passageways, and a fluidic amplifier element having an interaction region, fluid inlet, a fluid flow outlet, said interaction region being defined by a parallel top and bottom walls and a pair of mutually concavely curved sidewalls which curved sidewalls first diverge from said fluid flow inlet and then converge toward each other to a point beyond said outlet, said amplifier being interposed between said branch point and said channel means for controlling the position of said valve element, and at least one control passageway for deflecting the stream of air from said impeller to one side of said interaction region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.