Air cannon

Abstract

In air cannons equipped with multiple ejection ports, a technology that allows for easy modification of the ejection direction is desirable. [Solution] The disclosed air cannon comprises an injection head having a plurality of injection holes, and an air circuit connected to the injection head to eject air from the plurality of injection holes. The injection head comprises a front surface which is the air ejection surface, and a back surface to which the air circuit is connected. The plurality of injection holes are provided between the front surface and the back surface so that air supplied from the air circuit connected to the back surface is ejected from the front surface. The injection head is configured to be deformable so that the position of the front surface relative to the back surface changes, and the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes changes as the injection head is deformed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air cannon.

Background Art

[0002] An air cannon is a device that ejects a vortex ring. The air cannon is used, for example, for transporting scents. When an air cannon is used for transporting a scent, it is possible to present a scent locally in space or time, and it is possible to present the scent to a user without having the user wear a scent presentation device.

[0003] As shown in FIGS. 10(A) and (B), in a general air cannon, air extruded from one circular opening forms a doughnut-shaped vortex ring. On the other hand, there is an air cannon of a type called a cluster digital air cannon (CDA). The CDA combines a plurality of air ejection holes to eject air and generates one vortex ring. The CDA is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Since the ejection direction by an air cannon has locality, it is desirable to be able to change the ejection direction of the air cannon. Therefore, in an air cannon having a plurality of ejection holes such as a CDA, a technique that can easily change the ejection direction is desired.

[0006] One aspect of the disclosure is an air cannon. The disclosed air cannon may include an ejection head having a plurality of ejection holes, and an air circuit connected to the ejection head so as to eject air from the plurality of ejection holes. The ejection head may include a front surface that is an air ejection surface, and a back surface to which the air circuit is connected.

[0007] The plurality of injection holes may be provided between the front and the rear surface so as to inject air supplied from the air circuit connected to the rear surface outwards. The injection head is configured to be deformable so as to change the position of the front surface relative to the rear surface, and the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes may change as a result of the deformation of the injection head.

[0008] Further details will be described in the embodiments below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front view of the air cannon. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a side view of the air cannon. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an assembled side view of the air cannon's ejection head. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a photograph of the injection head. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the change in injection direction due to deformation of the injection head. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a photograph showing the change in injection direction due to deformation of the injection head. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram of injection head deformation with injection timing control. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows another example of an injection head. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows variations in the deformation of the injection head. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows a conventional air cannon. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a photograph showing a conventional CDA. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] <1. Overview of the air cannon>

[0011] (1) The air cannon according to the embodiment may include an injection head having a plurality of injection holes, and an air circuit connected to the injection head so as to inject air from the plurality of injection holes. The injection head may include a front surface that is the air injection surface, and a back surface to which the air circuit is connected. The plurality of injection holes may be provided between the front surface and the back surface so as to inject the air supplied from the air circuit connected to the back surface from the front surface. The injection head is configured to be deformable such that the position of the front surface with respect to the back surface changes, and the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes can change due to the deformation of the injection head.

[0012] (2) The air cannon may further include a deformation driving unit for deforming the injection head.

[0013] (3) The injection head may be configured such that the front surface moves parallel to the back surface.

[0014] (4) The air cannon may further include a deformation driving unit for moving the front surface parallel to the back surface.

[0015] The injection head may be configured such that the angle of the front surface with respect to the back surface changes.

[0016] (5) The injection head may include a plurality of tubes each having an injection hole formed therein. By deforming each of the plurality of tubes, the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes can change.

[0017] (6) The injection head may include a front member having the front surface, a back member having the back surface, and a plurality of tubes disposed between the front member and the back member and each having an injection hole formed therein. The front member may be provided such that its relative position with respect to the back member can be changed. By moving the front member relative to the back member, each of the plurality of tubes can be deformed, and the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes can change.

[0018] (7) The injection head may include a head body having a plurality of injection holes formed therein. By deforming the head body, the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes can be changed.

[0019] (8) The injection head may include a front member having the front surface, a rear member having the rear surface, and a head body disposed between the front member and the rear member and having a plurality of injection holes formed therein. The front member may be provided such that its relative position with respect to the rear member can be changed. By relatively moving the front member with respect to the rear member, the head body is deformed, and the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes can be changed.

[0020] The air cannon may further include a control device that controls the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes. The control device can control the injection timing of the air from the plurality of injection holes according to the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes.

[0021] <2. Example of air cannon>

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of an air cannon 100 of an embodiment. The air cannon 100 is used, for example, for transporting scents, spatial delivery of pharmaceuticals, etc. By placing a scent or a pharmaceutical on the air discharged from the air cannon 100, it becomes possible to transport the scent or the pharmaceutical, etc. In the figure, the X direction indicates the left - right direction, the Y direction indicates the up - down direction, and the Z direction indicates the front - rear direction.

[0023] The air cannon 100 includes an injection head 10 (injection part) from which air is injected. The illustrated air cannon 100 is a cluster - type digital air cannon (Cluster Digital Air cannon: CDA). The injection head 10 includes a plurality of injection holes 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E, 11F. The injection holes 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E, 11F are also collectively referred to as injection holes 11 for the sake of representation.

[0024] CDA uses a combination of multiple injection holes 11 to inject air, making it possible to control the air velocity distribution and timing.

[0025] On the other hand, in the typical air cannons shown in Figures 10(A) and (B), it is impossible to control the air velocity distribution and timing. For example, the air cannon shown in Figure 10(A) has a box-shaped container with a single circular opening at the front. When a mechanical volume reduction occurs in the box-shaped container, air is pushed out from the circular opening, and the air drawn outwards forms a donut-shaped vortex ring. The air cannon shown in Figure 10(B) has a cylindrical container with a single circular opening at the front. When compressed air is injected into the cylindrical container, air is pushed out from the circular opening, and the air drawn outwards forms a donut-shaped vortex ring. In the air cannons shown in Figures 10(A) and (B), the velocity distribution of the opening, which is directly involved in vortex ring formation, is determined dependently and is difficult to set freely.

[0026] In contrast, the CDA, instead of a single circular opening, is equipped with numerous small-diameter injection holes 11 as shown in Figure 1. A vortex ring is formed by the air ejected from the numerous injection holes 11. In other words, in the CDA, numerous small injection holes 11 synthesize to form an opening equivalent to the single circular opening shown in Figures 10(A) and 10(B). In the CDA, by individually controlling the airflow and its temporal changes ejected from each injection hole 11 with a compressor and solenoid valves, it becomes possible to control the airflow velocity distribution and timing, which was not possible with the air cannon shown in Figures 10(A) and 10(B).

[0027] The injection head 10 of this embodiment is configured to be deformable in order to change the direction of travel (injection direction) of the vortex ring. In order to effectively present fragrances, etc., to the user (target person), it is necessary to aim the vortex ring at the user's nose. However, the positional relationship between the air cannon 100 and the user may change. Therefore, it is necessary to change the direction of travel (injection direction) of the vortex ring according to the user's position. The injection head 10 of this embodiment changes the orientation of the multiple injection holes 11 by deforming, thereby changing the direction of travel of the ejected vortex ring. The deformation of the injection head 10 will be described later.

[0028] In the injection head 10 of this embodiment, the injection holes 11 are formed in the thickness direction (front-to-back direction; Z direction) of the injection head 10. Air supplied from the back surface 10b of the injection head 10 is injected through each of the multiple injection holes 11 and out from the front surface 10a, which is the injection surface.

[0029] Here, the multiple injection holes 11 are approximately the same size. In the air cannon 100 of this embodiment, a single vortex ring is formed by the air discharged from the multiple injection holes 11 almost simultaneously. That is, in the air cannon 100 of this embodiment, a single vortex ring is formed by the collection of air discretely discharged from the multiple injection holes 11.

[0030] The front 10a side of the injection hole 11 is open and serves as an air outlet. The back 10b side of the injection hole 11 serves as a supply port for air supplied from the air circuit 13, which will be described later. As shown in Figure 1, the multiple injection holes 11 are distributed when viewed from the front 10a of the injection head 10. In the example in Figure 1, the injection head 10 is rectangular when viewed from the front 10a, and the multiple injection holes 11 are arranged on the circumference of multiple concentric circles C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 centered at position O within the front 10a.

[0031] The radius of concentric circle C1 is R1, the radius of concentric circle C2 is R2, the radius of concentric circle C3 is R3, the radius of concentric circle C4 is R4, the radius of concentric circle C5 is R5, and the radius of concentric circle C5 is R6 (R1>R2>R3>R4>R5>R6).

[0032] In Figure 2, for the sake of simplicity, the injection holes 11 have been simplified, and only injection holes 11A and 11B, which are located on two concentric circles C1 and C2, are shown, while injection holes 11C, 11D, 11E, and 11F are omitted.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, an air circuit 13 is connected to the supply port on the back surface 10b of the injection head 10. The air circuit 13 is a fluid circuit that supplies air to each of the multiple injection holes 11 and releases air from each of the multiple injection holes 11 to form vortex rings.

[0034] Each of the supply ports on the back surface 10b of the injection head 10 is connected to a tube 12 of the air circuit 13. The tube 12 is an airflow tube that guides air to the supply ports of the injection holes 11. As shown in Figure 2, multiple tubes 12 are connected to the back surface of the injection head 10.

[0035] The air circuit 13 includes solenoid valves 33 provided on each of the multiple tubes 12, and an adjustment unit 13A that adjusts the pressure of the air supplied to the multiple solenoid valves 33. The adjustment unit 13A includes, as an example, one compressor 31, a regulator 32 provided between the compressor 31 and the solenoid valves 33, and a pressure tank 34 provided between the compressor 31 and the regulator 32. The compressor 31 outputs pressurized air.

[0036] The regulator 32 adjusts the pressure of the air output from the compressor 31. The regulator 32 supplies the pressure-adjusted air to a plurality of injection holes 11. The regulator 32 and the plurality of holes 11 are connected by tubes 12 and 12A. Tubes 12 and 12A consist of a single tube 12A connected to the regulator 32 and a plurality of branch tubes 12 branching off from the single tube 12A. A solenoid valve 33 is provided in the middle of each branch tube 12. Here, the branch tubes 12 are simply referred to as tubes 12.

[0037] The pressure of the air supplied to the injection holes 11 via the solenoid valve 33 is adjusted by adjusting the air pressure generated in the air circuit 13. In this embodiment, a single regulator adjusts the air pressure supplied to all injection holes 11.

[0038] In Figure 2, a solenoid valve 33 is connected to each of the multiple tubes 12. In other words, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the injection holes 11 and the solenoid valve 33. This configuration will be assumed in the following explanation. However, it is not essential that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the injection holes 11 and the solenoid valve 33; multiple tubes 12 connected to multiple injection holes 11 may merge into one, and one solenoid valve 33 may be provided for that single tube. In other words, there may be branches in the tubes 12 between the solenoid valve 33 and the multiple injection holes 11. However, experiments have shown that the presence of branches in the tubes 12 between the solenoid valve 33 and the injection holes 11 can hinder the stable injection of the vortex ring, so a one-to-one correspondence between the injection holes 11 and the solenoid valve 33 is preferable. Furthermore, it is not necessary for there to be tubes 12 between the injection holes 11 and the solenoid valve 33; each of the multiple solenoid valves 33 may be directly connected to the supply port of each injection hole 11. The absence of the tube 12 between the injection port 11 and the solenoid valve 33 allows for more stable injection of the vortex ring.

[0039] The air cannon 100 may include a control device 20. The control device 20 may be, for example, a computer and include a control unit 21 which includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 22 which stores a program to be executed by the control unit 21, and an input unit 23 which accepts user instructions such as buttons or a keyboard.

[0040] The control device 20 is communicatively connected to the compressor 31, the regulator 32, each solenoid valve 33, and the pressure tank 34. This connection may be wired or wireless. The control unit 21 reads and executes a program stored in the memory 22 and controls the compressor 31, the regulator 32, and each solenoid valve 33 according to instructions from the user. In other words, the control unit 21 controls the air circuit 13. The control unit 21 inputs a control signal to the regulator 32 to control the pressure applied by the compressor 31. The control unit 21 also inputs a control signal to each solenoid valve 33 to individually control the opening / closing of each solenoid valve 33. Furthermore, the control unit 21 stops pressurizing the pressure tank 34 when the pressure in the pressure tank 34 reaches a specified pressure, and conversely, controls the compressor 31 to fill the pressure tank 34 with air when the pressure in the pressure tank 34 falls below the specified pressure.

[0041] The control device 20 can individually control multiple solenoid valves 33. The control device 20 controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valves 33 so that the air ejected from the multiple injection holes 11 forms a vortex ring. In order to form a vortex ring, the control device 20 can individually control the opening and closing of multiple solenoid valves so that the density of the injection holes that eject air differs between the center and the outer edge of the injection range, which is the area in the injection head 10 where the injection holes exist. This makes it possible to make the velocity of the ejected air different between the center and the outer edge of the injection range. As a result, a single vortex ring is formed by the air ejected from the multiple injection holes.

[0042] When the air cannon 100 is used as a fragrance component transport device, the air cannon 100 may further include a supply mechanism 16 for supplying fragrance components, as shown in Figure 2. The supply mechanism 16 may, for example, be installed in the middle of the tube 12, as shown in Figure 2. The supply mechanism 16 supplies fragrance components to the air in the tube 12. The supply mechanism 16 is instructed to start and stop supplying fragrance components by a control signal from the control device 20. Note that the supply mechanism 16 does not have to be installed in the middle of the tube 12; for example, it may be an atomizing device that fragrances the air ejected in front of the ejection head 10.

[0043] As described above, the injection head 10 of the embodiment is configured to be deformable in order to change the direction of travel of the vortex rings (injection direction). As shown in Figure 2, the air cannon 100 is equipped with a deformation drive unit 60 that performs an operation to deform the injection head 10. The deformation drive unit 60 generates an external force (deformation force) that deforms the injection head 10 according to the desired direction of travel of the vortex rings (injection direction), and applies this external force to the injection head 10. The deformation force is generated, for example, by a motor provided in the deformation drive unit. The injection head 10 deforms in response to the deformation force applied from the deformation drive unit 60, thereby changing the orientation of the multiple injection holes 11. As a result, the direction of travel of the vortex rings injected from the injection head 10 changes. Note that the deformation of the injection head 10 may be performed manually.

[0044] To automatically deform the injection head 10, the control device 20 can control the deformation drive unit 60. The control device 20 drives the deformation drive unit 60 so that deformation occurs in the injection head 10 according to the desired vortex ring direction of travel (injection direction). For example, the control device 20 determines the vortex ring injection direction based on instructions from the user or a sensor signal from a sensor that detects the user's position where the vortex ring is injected, and deforms the injection head 10 to obtain the determined vortex ring injection direction.

[0045] Here, to change the ejection direction, it is also possible to change the orientation of the entire air cannon 100. For example, it is possible to mount the entire air cannon 100, including the ejection head 10 and the air circuit 13, on a tripod head and control the direction of the air cannon 100. However, mounting the entire air cannon 100 on a tripod head would make it larger.

[0046] To avoid increasing size and achieve a compact design, it is conceivable that in a CDA, only the direction of the ejection head 10, rather than the entire air cannon 100, could be changed. However, as shown in Figure 11, in a CDA, numerous tubes 12 are connected to the back surface 10b of the ejection head 10. Therefore, in order to change the direction of the entire ejection head 10, it would be necessary to swing around the numerous tubes 12 connected to the back surface 10b, which imposes constraints on achieving both compactness and rapid directional control.

[0047] For example, in the case of a conventional CDA as shown in Figure 11, the injection head 10 only needs to have the tube 12 connected to it, so it can be just a thin plate with a hole formed therein for connecting the tube 12. In contrast, in the air cannon 100 of the embodiment, the injection head 10 is not made of a thin plate, but is made of a relatively thick and flexible material, making the injection head 10 deformable.

[0048] By deforming the injection head 10, the direction of airflow inside the injection head 10 is changed, thereby altering the injection direction of the vortex rings. When changing direction by deformation of the injection head 10, the amount of deformation is relatively small. Therefore, since the injection direction of the vortex rings can be controlled with a small amount of mechanical displacement, rapid direction control is possible. Furthermore, in the air cannon 100 of this embodiment, since the injection direction of the vortex rings can be changed by deformation of the injection head 10, the back surface 10b of the injection head 10 can be made stationary, or if it moves, the amount of movement can be kept small. Therefore, it is not necessary to swing the entire assembly, including the numerous tubes 12 connected to the back surface 10b, around. Thus, in this embodiment, by giving the injection head 10 thickness and allowing it to deform, both compactness and rapid direction control can be achieved.

[0049] Figures 3 to 7 show an example of a deformable injection head 10. As shown in Figure 3(A), the injection head 10 comprises a plurality of pipe-shaped hollow tubes 53. The internal space of the tubes 53 constitutes the injection hole 11. Each of the plurality of tubes 53 is formed from a deformable, flexible material. The material of the tubes 53 is, for example, thermoplastic urethane elastomer (TPU). TPU is suitable because it is flexible. Furthermore, TPU is suitable because it can be molded with a fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer.

[0050] As shown in Figure 3(A), the multiple tubes 53 are attached to the back plate so as to be supported by the first back plate 51 (back member). The first back plate 51 has multiple insertion holes into which each of the multiple tubes 53 is inserted. The multiple tubes 53 are attached by inserting their rear ends (left ends in Figure 3) into the first back plate 51 so as to integrate with the first back plate 51. The first back plate 51 may be made of a relatively rigid material to reliably support the tubes 53.

[0051] The tips of the multiple tubes 53 (right end in Figure 3) are held by a front plate 52 (front member). The front plate 52 has a surface that becomes the front surface 10a of the injection head. Multiple insertion holes 52a are formed inside the front plate 52 into which each of the multiple tubes 53 is inserted. The diameter of each of the multiple insertion holes 52a is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the tube 53, and the tube 53 is loosely fitted into the insertion hole 52a. That is, when the tube 53 is inserted into the insertion hole 52a, a gap is created between the tube 53 and the insertion hole 52a (see Figure 5). These gaps help to prevent the tip of the tube 53 from being constrained by the front plate 52 when the tube 53 is deformed to change the injection direction, and help to change the orientation of the tip of the tube 53. The front plate 52 can also be formed from a relatively hard material.

[0052] As described above, the multiple tubes 53 are held at their front and rear ends by plates 51 and 52 (front member and rear member). As will be described later, the multiple flexible tubes 53 between these plates 51 and 52 deform as the front plate 52 moves relative to the rear plate 51.

[0053] A second back plate 54 is attached to the back side of the first back plate 51. The second back plate 54 functions as a connection point for the tubes 12 of the air circuit 13. The second back plate 54 has multiple connection holes 54a to which each of the multiple tubes 12 is connected. As shown in Figures 3(A) and 3(B), the second back plate 54 is attached to the first back plate 51 such that the connection holes 54a coincide with the positions of the tubes 53. The second back plate 54 is integrated with the first back plate 51, for example by being bonded to it. In addition to the first back plate 51, the second back plate 54 also constitutes a back member to which the rear ends of the multiple tubes 53 are connected.

[0054] As shown in Figures 3(B) and 3(C), each tube 12 of the air circuit 13 is inserted into and connected to each connection hole 54a. Air supplied from the air circuit is supplied from tube 12 to tube 53 (and to the injection hole 11 inside). In other words, the connection hole 54a serves as the air supply port for the injection head 10.

[0055] Figure 4 shows an injection head 10 assembled from multiple tubes 53 and plates 51, 52, and 54. The injection head 10 shown in Figure 4 includes a position adjustment unit 55 that allows the relative positions of the back plates 51 and 54 and the front plate 52 to be adjusted, and also fixes the back plates 51 and 54 and the front plate 52 in the adjusted positions.

[0056] In the injection head 10 shown in Figures 3 and 4, the front plate 52 is, for example, movable in parallel with respect to the rear plates 51 and 54. In Figure 4, the front plate 52 is guided by a position adjustment unit 55 so that it can move in parallel with respect to the rear plates 51 and 54. The position adjustment unit 55 shown in Figure 4 can also fix the position of the moved front plate 52 with screws. Note that the position adjustment unit 55 shown in Figure 4 is for manually moving and fixing the front plate 52. Therefore, if the position adjustment of the front plate 52 is to be performed automatically, a structure like the position adjustment unit 55 shown in Figure 4 is unnecessary, and it is sufficient that the front plate 52 is provided so that it can move in parallel with respect to the rear plates 51 and 54.

[0057] Furthermore, the position adjustment unit 55 in Figure 4, as an example, allows the front plate 52 to move only in one direction (for example, the Y direction) within the XY plane. However, it is preferable that the front plate 52 be movable in two dimensions (any direction in the XY plane) in order to enable changing the injection direction in various directions.

[0058] Figures 5 and 6 show how the injection direction of the injection head 10 can be changed by moving the front plate 52.

[0059] Figures 5(A) and 6(A) show the state before the front plate 52 moves (initial state). In the initial state, the positions of the front plate 52 and the back plate 51 (Y-direction position) are aligned, and the tube 53 extends straight in the front-to-back direction (Z-direction; direction perpendicular to the front plate 52). Therefore, the injection hole 11 inside the tube 53 also extends straight in the front-to-back direction (Z-direction). As a result, as shown in Figure 6(A), the direction of air injection is in the Z-direction forward from the front 10a of the injection head 10. Therefore, in the initial state, as shown in Figure 5(A), the vortex ring C is injected forward.

[0060] In other words, in the injection head 10 of the embodiment, the multiple injection holes 11 are provided between the front 10a and the back surface so as to eject air supplied from an air circuit 13 connected to the back surface 10b from the front surface 10a. In the initial state, the multiple injection holes 11 are oriented perpendicular to the front surface 10a, and the vortex ring C is ejected in a direction perpendicular to the front surface 10a. Hereinafter, the direction perpendicular to the front surface 10a will be referred to as the "initial direction".

[0061] Figures 5(B) and 6(B) show the front plate 52 in a state where it has been moved upward (in the Y direction). When this movement is performed automatically, as shown in Figure 5, the deformation drive unit 60 generates a force to move the front plate 52 upward based on a command from the control device 20. Since the back plate 51 is fixed in position, the relative position between the back plate 51 and the front plate 52 changes as the front plate 52 moves. As the front plate 52 moves, the multiple tubes 53 located between the back plate 51 and the front plate 52 deform together. Here, the tip side of each tube 53 deforms upward. Therefore, the injection holes 11 inside the tubes 53 also face upward. As a result, as shown in Figure 6(B), the direction of air injection becomes angled with respect to the initial direction, which is the injection direction in the initial state. For example, as shown in Figure 5(B), the vortex ring C is injected diagonally upward.

[0062] Thus, the injection head 10 is configured to be deformable so that the position of the front surface 10a relative to the back surface 10b changes. When the injection head 10 is deformed, for example, the orientation of each of the multiple injection holes 11 changes to upward, and the vortex ring C is ejected diagonally upward.

[0063] As shown in Figures 5(B) and 6(B), the amount of movement d of the front plate 52 (the amount of deformation of the injection head 10) can be relatively small. Even when obtaining a large change in the injection direction, the amount of movement d can be limited to about the thickness (length in the front-to-back direction) of the injection head. Therefore, since the injection direction of the vortex ring can be controlled with a small amount of mechanical displacement, rapid directional control becomes possible.

[0064] Figure 7 shows an example in which the control device 20 controls the deformation of the injection head 10 as well as the injection timing of each of the multiple injection holes 11. In Figure 7, the control device 20 controls the injection timing of each of the multiple injection holes 11 so that the leading surface of the air injected from each injection hole 11 is tilted toward the injection direction. As shown in Figure 5(B), if the injection timing of each injection hole 11 is approximately the same, the leading surface of the injected air will be approximately parallel to the plane of the injection head 10. In contrast, as shown in Figure 7, by making the injection timing of each injection hole 11 different according to the injection direction, the leading surface of the injected air can be tilted according to the injection direction. This makes it possible to more appropriately inject the vortex ring in the desired injection direction.

[0065] In the example shown in Figure 7, the front plate 52 is moving upward. Therefore, by controlling the solenoid valve so that the injection timing is delayed for the upper injection holes 11 (in the direction of movement of the front plate 52) and accelerated for the lower injection holes 11 (in the opposite direction), the leading edge of the air can be tilted toward the injection direction. In Figure 7, the upper injection hole 11 is formed by the upper tube 53B, to which the solenoid valve 33B is connected via tube 12B. The lower injection hole 11 is formed by the lower tube 53A, to which the solenoid valve 33A is connected via tube 12A. The control device 20 can control the opening timing of each of the multiple solenoid valves 33 so that the opening timing is delayed for the solenoid valve 33B side and accelerated for the solenoid valve 33A side.

[0066] Figure 8 shows another example of the injection head 10. In the example in Figure 8, unless otherwise specified, the information provided for Figures 3 through 7 is used as a reference.

[0067] In Figure 8, the injection head 10 comprises a head body 57 with a plurality of injection holes 11 formed inside. The head body 57 is made of a flexible material and can be easily deformed. The head body 57 may be made of, for example, a soft urethane resin.

[0068] As shown in Figure 8(A), the head body 57 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the multiple injection holes 11 are formed to penetrate in the direction of the cylindrical axis.

[0069] As shown in Figures 8(B) and 8(C), the injection head 10 includes a front plate 52 (front member) and a back plate 54 (back member) that sandwich the head body 57 from both sides in the cylindrical axis direction (both sides in the front-rear direction). That is, the head body 57 is positioned between the front plate 52 (front member) and the back plate 54 (back member). The front and back of the head body 57 are fixed to the front plate 52 and the back plate 54, for example by adhesive, and become integrated with the front plate 52 and the back plate 54. The front plate 52 and the back plate 54 are provided with through holes that communicate with the injection hole 11, with the through hole in the front plate 52 serving as an air outlet and the through hole in the back plate 54 serving as an air supply port.

[0070] In the example shown in Figure 8, when the front plate 52 is moved parallel to the back plate 54, changing the relative positions of the two plates 52 and 54, the head body 57 deforms. This deformation of the head body 57 changes the orientation of each of the multiple injection holes 11 formed within the head body 57 simultaneously. This makes it possible to change the injection direction.

[0071] Figure 9 shows variations in the deformation of the injection head 10. In the examples in Figures 3 to 8, the front surface 10a was translated in parallel with the fixed back surface 10b, starting from an initial state where the back surface 10b and the front surface 10a were parallel (see Figure 9(A)), as shown in Figure 9(B). The deformation of the injection head 10 is not limited to the translation of the front surface 10a; it may also involve changing the angle of the front surface 10a, as shown in Figure 9(C). The orientation of the injection hole 11 can also be changed by changing the angle of the front surface 10a. Both translation and angle change may be performed.

[0072] When the front surface 10a is moved parallel to the back surface 10b, as shown in Figure 9(B), it is preferable that the distance D between the front surface 10a and the back surface 10b remains constant even after the movement. When the angle is changed, as shown in Figure 9(C), the distance between the front surface 10a and the back surface 10b becomes either D1, which is smaller than D, or D2, which is larger than D. The injection holes 11 located between the front surface 10a and the back surface 10b need to have a structure that can expand and contract significantly to accommodate the variation in the distance between the front surface 10a and the back surface 10b. Furthermore, the variation in the distance between the front surface 10a and the back surface 10b leads to a variation in the length of each injection hole 11, which can destabilize the injection of vortex rings. In contrast, when the front surface 10a is moved parallel to the back surface 10b, the distance D between the front surface 10a and the back surface 10b remains constant, and the amount of movement d is small, so there are fewer problems and it is preferable.

[0073] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10: Injection head 10a:Front 10b: Back 11: Injection hole 11A: Injection hole 11B: Injection hole 11C: Injection hole 11D: Injection hole 11E: Injection hole 11F: Injection hole 12: Tube 12A: Single tube 12B: Tube 13: Air Circuit 13A: Adjustment section 16: Feeding mechanism 20: Control device 21: Control Unit 22: Memory 23: Input section 31: Compressor 32: Regulator 33: Solenoid valve 33A: Solenoid valve 33B: Solenoid valve 34: Pressure tank 51: First back plate 52: Front plate 52a: Insertion hole 53: Tube 53A: Tube 53B: Tube 54: Second back plate 54a: Connection hole 55:Position adjustment section 57: Head body 60: Deformation drive unit 100: Air Cannon C: Vortex ring C1: Concentric circles C2: Concentric circles C3: Concentric circles C4: Concentric circles C5: Concentric circles C6: Concentric circles d: Movement amount

Claims

1. An injection head equipped with multiple injection holes, An air circuit connected to the injection head is provided to eject air from the plurality of injection holes, Equipped with, The injection head is, The front, which is the air outlet, The rear side to which the aforementioned air circuit is connected, Equipped with, The plurality of injection holes are provided between the front and the back so as to eject air supplied from the air circuit connected to the back surface from the front surface. The injection head is configured to be deformable so that the position of the front surface relative to the back surface changes, and the orientation of each of the plurality of injection holes changes as the injection head is deformed. Air cannon.

2. The system further comprises a deformation drive unit for deforming the injection head. The air cannon according to claim 1.

3. The injection head is configured such that the front surface moves parallel to the back surface. The air cannon according to claim 1.

4. The system further includes a deformation drive unit for moving the front side in parallel with respect to the rear side. The air cannon according to claim 1.

5. The injection head comprises a plurality of tubes, each having an injection hole formed inside, As each of the multiple tubes deforms, the orientation of each of the multiple injection holes changes. The air cannon according to claim 1.

6. The injection head is, The front member having the aforementioned front surface, The rear member having the aforementioned rear surface, A plurality of tubes are arranged between the front member and the back member, each having the injection holes formed inside, Equipped with, The front member is provided so that its relative position to the rear member can be changed. By moving the front member relative to the back member, each of the multiple tubes deforms, and the orientation of each of the multiple injection holes changes. The air cannon according to claim 1.

7. The injection head comprises a head body in which the plurality of injection holes are formed inside, As the head body deforms, the orientation of each of the multiple injection holes changes. The air cannon according to claim 1.

8. The injection head is, The front member having the aforementioned front surface, The rear member having the aforementioned rear surface, A head body is positioned between the front member and the rear member, and has the plurality of injection holes formed inside it, Equipped with, The front member is provided so that its relative position to the rear member can be changed. By moving the front member relative to the rear member, the head body deforms, and the orientation of each of the multiple injection holes changes. The air cannon according to claim 1.

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