Fluidic Spout Oscillation via Vortex Street and Coanda Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spout apparatuses face challenges in achieving a compact and durable design with comfortable water distribution, as they often require complex structures and movable parts, leading to wear issues and uneven water distribution, and are sensitive to flow volume changes which affect the spout area.
Innovation Solution
A spout apparatus with an oscillation inducing element that includes a water supply passageway, a water collision portion to create oppositely circulating vortexes, a tapered vortex street passageway to guide the vortex, and a separating portion to suppress the Coanda effect, ensuring a constant spout area and even water distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a nozzle is driven in an oscillating manner by the supply force of supplied water, then the direction of hot or cold water spouted from a spouting port changes in an oscillating manner, but the structure becomes complex and wear occurs in moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical oscillating nozzle system with a fluidic oscillation system. The oscillation is generated by fluid dynamics within a fixed nozzle structure, specifically using a feedback flow path that creates pressure differences to alternately push water against different wall surfaces, achieving oscillating discharge without any moving mechanical parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses hydraulic principles to generate oscillation through fluid pressure variations. The feedback flow path creates alternating pressure rises that drive the oscillating flow pattern, utilizing the hydraulic properties of water itself to produce the oscillating motion rather than mechanical actuation.
2Reliability
If a fluidic element is used to induce self-oscillation, then the structure becomes compact and durable, but the spout area changes with flow volume
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a tapered flow path within the feedback flow path that maintains a substantially constant flow velocity regardless of flow volume changes. This parameter control ensures that the oscillating spout area remains consistent across different operating conditions, addressing the adaptability issue while preserving the durability benefits of the fluidic element approach.
3Productivity
If the feedback flow path is loop-shaped, then pressure rises to push water, but the spout area varies significantly with flow volume
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the feedback flow path by introducing a tapered section that compensates for flow volume variations. This geometric parameter change ensures that flow velocity remains substantially constant despite changes in overall flow volume, thereby stabilizing the oscillating spout area while maintaining the oscillation generation capability provided by the loop-shaped feedback path.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a compact, durable, and user-friendly spout apparatus with a constant spout area, independent of flow volume changes, and suppresses the Coanda effect to ensure uniform water distribution over a wide area.
Implementation Method 1
a water collision portion disposed on a downstream end portion of the water supply passageway so as to block a portion of a cross section of the water supply passageway, the water collision portion alternately produces oppositely circulating vortexes on the downstream side of the water collision portion by colliding with water guided by the water supply passageway
Implementation Method 2
a vortex street passageway, comprising a tapered part, disposed on the downstream side of the water supply passageway so as to guide the vortex formed by the water collision portion while causing it to grow
Implementation Method 3
a separating portion, placed at the downstream end of the vortex street passageway, for suppressing the Coanda effect acting on the flow of water along a wall surface of the vortex street passageway
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a spout apparatus (1) for discharging water, including a spouting apparatus main body (2) and an oscillation inducing element (4) for discharging water with reciprocating motion; wherein the oscillation inducing element has: a water supply passageway (10a); a water colliding portion (14) for generating vortexes of mutually opposing circulations at the downstream side thereof by the collision of hot or cold water; a vortex street passageway (10b) having a tapered part, placed on the downstream side of the water supply passageway, which narrows in flow path cross section toward the downstream side; a separating portion (12) for suppressing the Coanda effect acting on the flow of water along the wall surface of a vortex street passageway; and a flow-aligning passageway (10c) having an essentially fixed flow path cross section which aligns the flow of hot or cold water which has passed through the separating portion.