Devices for producing vacuum using the venturi effect
View Patent ↗Devices for producing vacuum using the Venturi effect have a housing defining a suction chamber, a motive passageway converging toward the suction chamber, a discharge passageway diverging away from the suction chamber, and a suction passageway in fluid communication with the suction chamber. A solenoid valve is positioned in the suction passageway and has an elongate sealing member received inside a coil, a first seal seat at a first end of the coil, and a second seal seat at the second end of the coil. The elongate sealing member is translatable within the coil between the first seal seat and the second seal seat, which define an open position and a closed position. Within the suction chamber, a motive exit of the motive passageway is generally aligned with and spaced apart from a discharge entrance of the discharge passageway to define a Venturi gap.
1. A device for producing vacuum using the Venturi effect comprising:
a housing defining a suction chamber, a motive passageway converging toward the suction chamber and in fluid communication therewith, a discharge passageway defining a discharge entrance at the suction chamber and diverging away from the suction chamber beginning at the discharge entrance and in fluid communication therewith, and a suction passageway in fluid communication with the suction chamber; and
a solenoid valve in the suction passageway controlling fluid flow into the suction chamber, the solenoid valve comprising;
an elongate sealing member received inside a bobbin having a coil wound thereon, the bobbin and the coil are seated inside a core, wherein the core and the bobbin collectively define a plurality of fluid channels around the exterior surface of the elongate sealing member;
a spring seated against an interior wall of the suction chamber and in operative engagement with the elongate sealing member; and
a seal seat defining a closed position and an opposing seat defining an open position;
wherein the elongate sealing member is translatable within the coil between the open position and the closed position;
wherein within the suction chamber a motive exit of the motive passageway is aligned with and spaced apart from the discharge entrance of the discharge passageway by a lineal distance (V D ) to define a Venturi gap.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the motive passageway and the discharge passageway both diverge in cross-sectional area away from the suction chamber as a hyperbolic or parabolic function.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the bobbin has spaced apart guide members defining flow channels oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sealing member.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the solenoid valve is in a normally closed position.
5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the suction passageway is disposed parallel to the discharge passageway.
6. A device for producing vacuum using the Venturi effect comprising:
a housing defining a suction chamber, a motive passageway converging toward the suction chamber and in fluid communication therewith, a discharge passageway diverging away from the suction chamber and in fluid communication therewith, and a suction passageway in fluid communication with the suction chamber; and
a solenoid valve in the suction passageway controlling fluid flow into the suction chamber, the solenoid valve comprising an elongate sealing member received inside a coil, a first seal seat having a first bore therethrough defining a closed position of the solenoid valve; a first core member defining a second bore aligned with the first bore and through which the elongate sealing member is translatable into engagement with the first seal seat and defining a plurality of flow channels radiating radially outward from the second bore; and a second seat defining an open position at the opposite end of the coil from the first seal seat; wherein the elongate sealing member is translatable within the coil between the first seal seat and the second seat;
wherein the elongate sealing member and the first core member both comprise materials that conduct magnetic flux;
wherein, in the open position, fluid flow is through the first bore, through the plurality of flow channels in the first core member, and around the exterior surface of the elongate sealing member;
wherein within the suction chamber a motive exit of the motive passageway is aligned with and spaced apart from a discharge entrance of the discharge passageway by a lineal distance (V D ) to define a Venturi gap.
7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the motive passageway and the discharge passageway both diverge in cross-sectional area away from the suction chamber as a hyperbolic or parabolic function.
8. The device of claim 6 , wherein the motive exit has a first corner radius around the entire opening inside the motive passageway.
9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the discharge entrance is flush with a wall of the suction chamber and transitions thereto with a second corner radius, the second corner radius being larger than the first corner radius.
10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the cross-sectional area of the motive exit is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the discharge entrance.
11. The device of claim 6 , wherein the motive passageway terminates in a spout protruding into the suction chamber and disposed spaced apart from all one or more sidewalls of the suction chamber thereby providing suction flow around the entirety of an exterior surface of the spout.
12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the exterior surface of the spout converges toward an outlet end of the motive passageway with one or more converging angles when viewed in a longitudinal cross-section.
13. The device of claim 11 , wherein, when viewed in a cross-section taken transverse to the lineal distance (V D ) of the Venturi gap, the suction chamber has a rounded interior bottom below the spout.
14. The device of claim 6 , wherein the suction chamber has an internal width within a range of 10 mm to 25 mm.
15. The device of claim 6 , wherein the solenoid valve is in a normally closed position.
16. The device of claim 6 , wherein the suction passageway is disposed parallel to the discharge passageway.
17. The device for producing vacuum using the Venturi effect of claim 16 , wherein the suction passageway enters the suction chamber at a position that generates a 180 degree change in the direction of suction flow from the suction passageway to the discharge passageway.
18. A system comprising:
a device for producing vacuum using the Venturi effect as set forth in claim 6 ;
a source of boost pressure fluidly connected to the motive passageway;
a device requiring vacuum fluidly connected to the suction passageway; and
a source of pressure less than the boost pressure fluidly connected to the discharge passageway.
19. The device for producing vacuum using the Venturi effect of claim 6 , further comprising a bobbin having the coil wound thereon and defining a core in which the sealing member is disposed; wherein the bobbin has spaced apart guide members defining flow channels oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sealing member and aligned one each with the plurality of fluid channels in the first core for fluid flow around the exterior surface of the elongate sealing member.
20. The device for producing vacuum using the Venturi effect of claim 6 , further comprising a spring seated against an interior wall of the suction chamber and in operative engagement with the elongate sealing member.