Device for producing high speed air projectiles or pulses

Abstract

An assembly for producing air projectiles. The assembly includes a driver with an attached converging nozzle. The driver includes a flexible diaphragm and is responsive to an electrical control signal to displace the flexible diaphragm from a first position to a second position. In one embodiment, the driver is an audio speaker driver such as a woofer and the diaphragm is a speaker cone or diaphragm. The nozzle has an inner bore or chamber that converges from a first size at a first end proximate to the driver to a second, smaller size at a second distal end. The second end of the nozzle may include a planar muzzle extending perpendicular to a central axis of the bore and including an outlet smaller than the diaphragm diameter. The driver has a rapid response to control signals such as less than about 20 milliseconds to produce a projectile at the muzzle.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates, in general, to air cannons and other devices that operate to generate air rings, air and smoke vortices, and puffs of air, and, more particularly, to a device, and method of operating such a device, that quietly produces air projectiles or pulses that travel at relatively high speeds while generally retaining their shape, e.g., a projectile, slug, or pulse rather than rapidly dispersing.[0003]2. Relevant Background[0004]Air “cannons” are commonly used to prevent buildups of material and to improve material flow in industrial settings. Generally, these industrial-use cannons use an accumulator or tank to store a quantity of pressurized air from a compressor or other source. A large-flow, fast-acting valve is then used to selectively release a quantity of the air through a nozzle or other outlet. These air cannons provide an effective technology for use in removing possible bottlenecks in pi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The present invention addresses the above problems by providing an air projectile assembly that provides a very fast response to a control signal to shoot or discharge a high speed volume or slug of air. In one embodiment, the invention combines a driver of an audio speaker (which may be also known as a loudspeaker, a voice coil loudspeaker, or the like) with a converging nozzle. For example, the driver may be a large diameter woofer or voice coil device for a loudspeaker. The converging nozzle is sealed to the loudspeaker driver and includes a planar end piece or muzzle at the distal end that has a smaller outlet or opening (e.g., less than about 6 inches in many applications). A driver is selected with a large throw such as an excursion of 1 to 3 inches or more of its flexible diaphragm or cone (as typically measured peak to peak or, in some cases, rest to peak). In some embodiments, two or more drivers or

Problems solved by technology

This causes a rapid displacement of air next to the cone within the nozzle's bore or chamber, which results in pressurization of the

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