Rain-can style showerhead assembly incorporating eddy filter for flow conditioning in fluidic circuits
A fluidic oscillator adapted for use in a showerhead or nozzle assembly includes an eddy filter structure which reduces the adverse effects of fluid supply turbulence on the fluidic oscillator's spraying performance. A nozzle or rain can style showerhead assembly includes a water chamber or manifold which receives water via a central inlet fitting. Water entering the water chamber or manifold flows turbulently into and through the manifold and is expelled under pressure through a plurality of nozzles which are configured as specially adapted fluidic inserts.
1. A showerhead or nozzle assembly for use with a manifold supplying fluid, comprising:
(a) a manifold configured to receive pressurized fluid via a fluid supply inlet having an inlet diameter, said manifold including an open interior volume defined by a tortuous path having a length and a laterally extending width wherein said laterally extending width is greater than said length, said open interior volume which is pressurized with inward and distally flowing fluid, wherein said inward flowing fluid flows laterally within said interior volume creating turbulent eddies within said interior volume, said turbulent eddies extending laterally from said fluid supply inlet, said manifold being bounded by a perforated rain-can shaped front face defining a plurality of laterally spaced, substantially parallel channels or throughbores configured to permit fluid to flow distally or forwardly therethrough; and
(b) a plurality of fluidic oscillators, each oscillator having a body member with top, bottom, side, front and rear outer surfaces, each oscillator having a fluidic circuit embedded in said top surface forming a path in which a fluid flows through said oscillator, each said fluidic circuit having a fluid inlet in fluid communication with the manifold's fluid supply inlet via said open interior volume, a power nozzle having a width dimension, an interaction chamber, and an outlet in said front surface from which the fluid is sprayed from said oscillator,
wherein said oscillators are configured with an eddy filter structure upstream from said fluidic circuit's fluid inlet and responsive to said fluid supply to reduce the adverse effects of said turbulent eddies from said manifold's open interior volume on the generation of oscillating sprays,
wherein said eddy filter structure comprises:
a first aligned array of filter posts which project inwardly into the fluid's flow path, wherein said first aligned array of filter posts are evenly spaced at an inter-post gap dimension “a” of about one millimeter,
a second aligned array of filter posts which project inwardly into the fluid's flow path, wherein said second aligned array of filter posts are spaced at said inter-post gap dimension “a” of about one millimeter behind said first aligned array of filter posts and offset such that a space between adjacent filter posts in said first aligned array is centered on a central axis of a filter post in the second array, and
wherein the inter gap-post gap dimension “a” is less than the power nozzle's width dimension to ensure that filtered turbulent eddies are smaller than the power nozzle width dimension.
2. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein said eddy filter structure's first aligned array of posts comprises an upstream row of posts and said second aligned array of posts comprises a downstream row of posts spaced from said first row of posts by an inter-row spacing “b”.
3. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 2 , wherein said eddy filter structure's inter-row spacing “b” is about one millimeter.
4. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 3 ,
wherein said inter post spacing “a” and inter row spacing “b” define openings that are each less than half the power nozzle's width, and
wherein said eddy filter's configuration ensures that filtered turbulent eddies are smaller than the power nozzle width dimension, whereby the nozzle performs reliably and correctly with a desired spray fan angle.
5. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 4 , wherein the desired spray fan angle is 18 degrees.
6. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein each oscillator has an island obstacle disposed in the fluid flow path formed by said fluidic circuit which is responsive to the fluid flowing from the fluid inlet and impinging thereon for establishing alternating vortices in said fluid.
7. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein said perforated rain-can shaped front face includes a diameter of about 4 to 8 inches and said a plurality of fluidic oscillators are positioned within a plurality of throughbores arrayed upon said rain-can shaped front face at different radial distances from a central axis.
8. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein said second aligned array of filter posts is position distally from said first aligned array of filter posts wherein said first aligned array of filter posts includes a greater number of filter posts than said second aligned array of filter posts.
9. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising at least one inwardly projecting wall that extends within the tortuous path.
10. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 9 , wherein said inwardly projecting wall extends from the rain-can shaped front face.
11. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 9 , wherein said inwardly projecting wall extends from the manifold.
12. The showerhead or nozzle assembly of claim 1 , wherein said manifold further comprises a pivoting ball joint to allow the nozzle assembly to be aimed.
13. A rain-can style showerhead assembly, comprising:
(a) a manifold configured with a central flow inlet having a central inlet diameter to receive pressurized fluid, said manifold including an open interior volume defined by a tortuous path having a length and a laterally extending width wherein said laterally extending width is greater than said length, said open interior volume which is pressurized with inward flowing fluid from said central flow inlet which creates turbulent eddies within said flowing fluid, said turbulent eddies extending laterally from said central flow inlet, said manifold's interior volume being bounded distally by a perforated rain-can showerhead shaped front face defining a plurality of channels or throughbores configured to permit fluid to flow distally or forwardly therethrough;
(b) a plurality of fluid oscillators, each being configured to be received within and in fluid communication with said front manifold's face channels or throughbores, wherein each fluid oscillator has a body member with a chamber therein, said chamber having a fluid inlet for receiving turbulent manifold fluid under pressure from said manifold's interior volume and admitting said fluid into said chamber and a fluid outlet for issuing pressurized fluid from said chamber forwardly and into an ambient environment, said inlet and outlet defining a flow path therebetween for flow of fluid through said chamber; and an oscillation-inducing structure for causing the fluid issued from said fluid oscillator's outlet to cyclically sweep back and forth, said oscillation-inducing structure comprising a structural surface disposed in the fluid's flow path and responsive to said fluid from said inlet impinging thereon for establishing alternating vortices in said fluid, where said fluid is accelerated in a power nozzle upstream of said outlet; wherein said power nozzle has a power nozzle width dimension and a power nozzle depth dimension, and
(c) an eddy filter structure in at least one of said fluid oscillator's fluid flow path and in fluid communication with said fluid oscillator's inlet and responsive to said fluid to reduce the adverse effects of turbulence in said manifold fluid,
wherein said eddy filter structure comprises:
a first aligned array of filter posts which project inwardly into the fluid's flow path, wherein said first aligned array of filter posts are evenly spaced at an inter-post gap dimension “a” of about one millimeter,
a second aligned array of filter posts which project inwardly into the fluid's flow path, wherein said second aligned array of filter posts are spaced at said inter-post gap dimension “a” of about one millimeter behind said first aligned array of filter posts and offset such that a space between adjacent filter posts in said first aligned array is centered on a central axis of a filter post in the second array, and
wherein the inter gap-post gap dimension “a” is less than the power nozzle's width dimension to ensure that filtered turbulent eddies are smaller than the power nozzle width dimension.
14. The rain-can style showerhead assembly of claim 13 , wherein said eddy filter structure's first aligned array of posts comprises an upstream row of posts and said second aligned array of posts comprises a downstream row of posts spaced from said first row of posts by an inter-row spacing “b”.
15. The rain-can style showerhead assembly of claim 14 , wherein said eddy filter structure's inter-row spacing “b” is about one millimeter.
16. The rain-can style showerhead assembly of claim 15 ,
wherein said inter post spacing “a” and inter row spacing “b” define openings that are each less than half the power nozzle's width dimension, and
wherein said eddy filter's configuration ensures that filtered turbulent eddies are smaller than the power nozzle width dimension, whereby the nozzle performs reliably and correctly with a desired spray fan angle of approximately 18 degrees.
17. The rain-can style showerhead assembly of claim 15 ,
wherein said inter post spacing “a” and inter row spacing “b” define openings that are each less than half the power nozzle's depth dimension, and
wherein said eddy filter's configuration ensures that filtered turbulent eddies are smaller than the power nozzle depth dimension, whereby the nozzle performs reliably and correctly with a desired spray fan angle of approximately 18 degrees.
18. The rain-can style showerhead assembly of claim 13 , wherein said eddy filter's inter post spacing “a” is less than half the power nozzle's width dimension, wherein said eddy filter's configuration ensures that filtered turbulent eddies are smaller than the power nozzle width dimension, whereby the nozzle performs reliably and correctly.