Micro-sized structure and construction method for fluidic oscillator wash nozzle
A micro-sized structure and construction method for a fluidic oscillator wash or spray nozzle ( 100 or 250 ) has a nozzle housing ( 110 or 252 ) enclosing an interior cavity ( 112 or 262 ) which receives an insert ( 114 or 254 ) having internal fluid passages defining first and second power nozzles ( 120, 122 or 280, 282 ). The power nozzles receive pressurized fluid ( 130 ) flowing through the interior cavity of the housing, where the fluid flows into the cavity at the bottom of the housing and flows upwardly to inlets ( 140, 142 ) for the power nozzles so that accelerating first and second fluid flows are aimed by the power nozzles toward one another in an interaction region ( 154 or 284 ) which exhausts laterally along a spray axis through a horn-shaped throat defined partly within the insert and partly within the flared spray outlet orifice ( 160 or 290 ) defined through the sidewall ( 162 ) in the housing.
1. A method for assembling a micro-sized fluidic oscillator wash or spray nozzle assembly, comprising:
(a) defining within a nozzle housing an interior cavity having an upper slot in fluid communication with a bottom opening which is configured to receive and retain an insert for defining internal fluid passages extending along opposite edges of the insert and leading to first and second power nozzles and having an interaction region wherein the slot is enlarged at its opposite sides to define the fluid passages and to allow the fluid to flow into the power nozzles;
(b) providing, in said insert, the first and second power nozzles configured to receive pressurized fluid from the interior cavity of the housing by way of opposing lateral inlets leading to the first and second power nozzles to produce accelerating first and second fluid flows aimed by the first and second power nozzles toward one another in the interaction region defined within the insert;
(c) defining, within said housing a transverse lumen aligned along a spray axis through a sidewall in the housing to form a throat or spray outlet orifice, where the cross sectional shape of that throat or outlet orifice is defined by the housing's sidewall and the insert, when said insert is inserted in said housing's interior cavity, where the sidewall of the housing is oriented generally perpendicular to the bottom opening; and
(d) inserting said insert into said nozzle housing through said bottom opening and forcing the insert upwardly into the upper slot to abut wall surfaces within the housing.
2. A micro-sized fluidic nozzle assembly, comprising:
a housing having an internal fluid cavity for receiving fluid under pressure, said cavity having an open bottom and an upwardly extending slot;
said housing including an upper portion having front, back and top walls surrounding and defining said slot, and having a forwardly-extending throat that is a transverse lumen aligned along a spray axis through said front wall and terminating in a spray orifice, said front wall is oriented generally perpendicular to said open bottom;
an insert mountable within said slot in contact with and secured by interior surfaces of said front, back and top walls, said insert incorporating an interaction region within said housing that is aligned with said spray axis and said throat when said insert is secured in said slot;
wherein the cavity includes internal fluid passages extending along opposite edges of the insert and leading to a first power nozzle and a second power nozzle, wherein the slot is enlarged at its opposite sides to define the fluid passages and to allow the fluid to flow into the power nozzles, said first power nozzle and second power nozzle of said insert are in fluid communication with said cavity and with said interaction region for accelerating and directing fluid from said cavity into said interaction region in opposition to each other to produce fluidic oscillating vortices in said interaction region and ejecting said fluid through said throat and said orifice to generate a patterned spray.
3. The nozzle assembly of claim 2 , wherein said insert is positioned in said slot through the open bottom of said cavity so that said interaction region comprises a volume defined partly within the insert and partly within the tapering throat or spray outlet orifice defined through the sidewall in the housing.
4. The nozzle assembly of claim 3 , further including an insert carrier for positioning said insert in said slot and for sealing the open bottom of the fluid cavity.
5. The nozzle assembly of claim 3 , wherein said open bottom of said cavity is connectable to a pressurized fluid source.
6. The nozzle assembly of claim 2 , wherein said throat is formed by inwardly and forwardly curving walls formed in said housing front wall.
7. The nozzle assembly of claim 6 , wherein said insert interaction region cooperates with said curving walls to form said throat.
8. The nozzle assembly of claim 2 , wherein said upper portion of said housing has exterior dimensions of 7 mm in width, 3 mm in depth and 9 mm in height, and wherein said insert is 0.85 mm thick.
9. The nozzle assembly of claim 2 , wherein said patterned spray is a uniform spray fan having a spray angle of 15°-80°, when supplied from a fluid source at a flow rate of 50-350 ml/min at 15-22 psi, and wherein the spray fan may have a selected thickness of 6° to 25°.
10. The nozzle assembly of claim 9 , wherein said patterned spray is generated when said housing is supplied with a cold fluid having a viscosity of up to 25 cP.
11. The nozzle assembly of claim 2 , wherein the transverse lumen is aligned generally perpendicularly relative to the upwardly extending slot of the housing.