Multiple horn atomizer with high frequency capability
OwnerShirley Cheng Tsaiinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention comprises a nozzle type atomizer with two or more aligned “horn” stages. The definition of a “horn” stage is well known in the prior art as an effectively half wavelength length and a tapering shape with a central conduit. The present invention uses two to five, or more, horn stages integrally attached end to end. The dramatic improvement in amplitude of the vibration at the tip of the nozzle is without precedence in the prior art. The present invention makes application of transducer vibration at greater than 200 kHz possible. The present invention reduces the required applied energy for generating the necessary amplitude at the tip by the discovery of amplitude multiplication with two or more horn stages.
Claims20
A nozzle type device adapted to atomize liquids at a nozzle tip surface by capillary waves generated in a liquid layer thereon by application of a frequency above about 200 kHz in a transducer attached distal to the nozzle tip comprising:
- (a) two or more tapered horn stages with central channels, a base and a horn tip, each adapted to have a length of about one half of the acoustic wavelength at the frequency;
- (b) each of the horn stages integrally and sequentially attached from horn tip to base and adapted to conduct a liquid from a liquid inlet at a base of first horn stage through the central channels to the horn tip of the last horn stage, which is the nozzle tip surface.
An ultrasonic atomization nozzle type device comprising:
- (a) two or more tapered ultrasonic atomization horn stages with central channels extending from a base to a horn tip of each stage and aligned to conduct a liquid stream, where each horn stage symmetrically extends from the central channel in at least two lateral directions;
- (b) each of the horn stages integrally and sequentially attached from horn tip to base from a first to a last horn stage, which horn tip of the last horn stage is a nozzle tip surface.
A method for ultrasonic liquid atomization in a nozzle type device at an applied transducer frequency of above 200 kHz comprising:
- (a) two or more tapered ultrasonic atomization horn stages with central channels extending from a base to a horn tip of each stage and aligned to conduct a liquid stream, where each horn stage symmetrically extends from the central channel in at least two lateral directions;
- (b) each of the horn stages integrally and sequentially attached from horn tip to base from a first to a last horn stage, which horn tip of the last horn stage defines a nozzle tip surface;
- (c) applying longitudinal transducer frequency vibration to the base of the first horn stage at or above 200 kHz and feeding a liquid stream to the central channel in the base of the first horn stage;
- and
- (d) wetting the nozzle tip surface with the liquid stream and emitting from the nozzle tip surface drops into a gas phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.