TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This field relates to vortex cannons and more particularly to a device with means in generating, launching, propelling, and transporting a fluid towards a target using vortex loop of fluid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In indoor ventilation, the user must remain in favorable room environment preferably, a well-circulated surrounded by aromatic ambiance. The user may use a conventional fan supplied with aromatic component that flows along with the airflow produced by the fan to the surrounding, which also makes the air turbulent or well-circulated.

A conventional domestic fan used for ventilation and circulation of the surrounding air typically uses a set of blades or vanes mounted for rotation about an axis, and a drive apparatus for rotating the set of blades to generate an airflow. The rotation of the blades creates a turbulent flow to the surrounding air, making the surrounding air to move or circulate which then makes a cooling effect to the user as heat is dissipated through a convection and evaporation process. The conventional domestic fan generally used for directing the flow within a range, however, due to air friction with the surrounding air, the range of airflow becomes limited. Therefore, the fan requires faster blade rotation or different blade configuration to increase the airflow range. In addition, the energy required for transporting or spreading a fluid with aromatic component using the airflow of the conventional domestic fan is inefficient due to limited range which requires large amount of fragrant component to travel in longer distances.

Another device which transports the aroma component is described in JP2008275196A by ejecting a ring vortex or air vortex containing the aroma component to a target without using the conventional fan with set of blades or vanes. The device as described in (‘96A) is an air cannon that includes an end plate making an orifice at the end portion of a cylindrical body or chamber, and a compression means to reduce the volume and increase the pressure of fluid within the chamber before exiting to the orifice of the tube which is designed to cause the air in the tube to fire an air vortex. Moreover, by changing the design of the orifice with a curved profile and adding a wing-like air deflector may direct and converge the airflow towards the middle axis or central axis of the chamber. Thus, the air vortex is created, generated, launched, and propelled resulting to a farther flight range than the cited prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention discloses a vortex generating cannon system that can generate, launch, and propel a vortex of fluid towards the target. The system is designed as a fluid transporting device with cannon system to improve indoor air ambiance and circulation by flying a vortex of air in the atmosphere and enable the faster diffusion and convection of the aromatic component and heat transfer along the flight path of the vortex.

The vortex generating cannon system according to the present invention includes a compression means, a barrel including a first fluid inlet and a fluid outlet or an orifice; the first fluid inlet and the fluid outlet defining a bore through which the fluid flow from the compression means enters and exits the barrel, a closed loop deflector situated within the barrel enhancing a fluid convection initiated by the compression means before emitting the fluid flow to the fluid outlet. The vortex generating cannon system according to the present invention is characterized in that the closed loop wing deflector having a foil shape cross-section and further comprises a leading edge facing the oncoming fluid flow from the compression means, an upper and a lower surface that causes the fluid flow to deflect, and a trailing edge that causes to create, launch, and propel a vortex loop of fluid containing an aromatic component towards a target. Preferably, the airflow is generated by the compression means. The compression means reduces the volume of air in the barrel creating an increased in air static pressure. As the airflow converge to the wing deflector, the static pressure is reduced as the dynamic pressure of the airflow increases upon exiting the fluid outlet. Alternatively, the compression means may comprise a motor-driven pump for creating an airflow to a fluid chamber which builds up the static pressure within the chamber before the airflow is received by the first fluid inlet of the cannon system.

The compression means may also comprise of a propellant or fuel that when ignited or triggered, the potential energy of the propellant is released and transformed into kinetic energy propelling the compression means or a piston which displaces a volume of fluid in the barrel. For instance, the potential energy of the propellant may be released and transformed into kinetic energy with or without the compression means or the piston, directing the released energy with the fluid inside the barrel which is then released to the fluid outlet.

The barrel may also include a second inlet wherein a flow of a second fluid or a fluid with aromatic component (with different physical properties like viscosity, density, etc. from the fluid outside the barrel and the fluid enters the first fluid inlet) such as perfume enters the barrel and to be diffused within the barrel which is drawn and carried by the airflow from the first fluid inlet to the deflector unto the target. The fluid with aromatic component or a fluid with different properties may be diffused in a separate chamber before entering the first fluid inlet of the barrel.

The vortex generating cannon system may comprise the first fluid inlet, the fluid outlet, and an interior for conveying the airflow from the first fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, with the valve then being provided within the passage of the barrel. The valve when closed restricts the airflow from the first fluid inlet which increases the pressure of one side of the valve and a section of the barrel that when the valve is opened the pressure is released and directs the airflow to the wing deflector. The first fluid inlet may be arranged to direct the airflow with a straightener making the flow in the barrel uniform as possible.

Preferably, a baffle body is provided within the interior passage, the shape of baffle body corresponds to the shape of the wing deflector having a curved baffle body profile that is situated to the fluid outlet of the barrel to direct the exiting airflow substantially towards a central axis of the barrel generating a higher airflow within an inner diameter than alongside an outside diameter of the vortex loop of fluid. The generation of high airflow within the inner diameter of the vortex loop of fluid creates a pressure difference in the interior passage between the first fluid inlet and the fluid outlet of the barrel. The pressure difference pushes the barrel to the opposite direction of the airflow within the inner diameter of the vortex loop of fluid and thus, generates a thrust force as a reaction force (opposite in direction) from the launch of the vortex loop due to higher outlet airflow or pressure difference.

The wing deflector is arranged to direct and converge the airflow towards the central axis of the barrel wherein the leading edge faces the oncoming airflow from the compression means including the fluid with aromatic component.

The wing deflector may comprise at least one high-lift device such as a boundary layer control device that controls the behavior of a fluid flow boundary layer to increase the fluid flow above the upper surface of the closed loop wing deflector which may also increase generation of lifting force. The boundary layer control device is a device such as a vortex generator, turbulator, boundary layer suction device or pump, and the like. The high-lift device may also comprise a plurality of electrodes having electric field that moves ionized particles or molecules of fluid relative to the wing deflector preventing turbulent flow around the deflector.

The vortex generating cannon system may comprise a transmitter device that sends plurality of photons or light to the fluid and a light sensor that detects a reflected light that is then converted as data about the movement of fluid for visualization and interpretation. Preferably, the vortex cannon comprising a device that ejects a moving heat source, or a high energy particle towards the vortex loop of fluid and absorbed the energy to further propel the vortex loop of fluid by heating up the particles whereas weakens the molecular bond of at least two particles in the vortex loop of fluid which then adds kinetic energy that increases vorticity of the vortex loop of fluid towards the target.

The device that transmits a moving heat source or a high energy particle that may be a device or a gun that generates and emits a laser, an electromagnetic wave, a plasma, or a combusting substance, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vortex generating cannon system;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Fig. 1 ;

Figure 3 is a front view of the vortex generating cannon system;

Figure 4 is a schematic of a first embodiment of the cannon system;

Figure 5 is the schematic of a third embodiment of the cannon system; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

There will now be described a vortex generating cannon system that can generate, launch, and propel a vortex loop of fluid (such as a circular toroidal vortex or a vortex ring) towards a target, and in doing so provide a user of the cannon system with various options as to how the vortex loop of fluid is generated and delivered by the cannon system. The term “vortex generating cannon system” as used herein refers to cannon system configured to generate and deliver a vortex loop of fluid together with a fluid having an aromatic component for the purpose of thermal comfort and/or environmental or climate control with preferred fragrant ambiance. Such a cannon system may be capable of generating a vortex loop of fluid with at least two different substances and propelling the vortex loop of fluid faster using a moving heat source than without the moving heat source.

The vortex generating cannon system 1000 as depicted in Figure 1, comprising a compression means 1100 for creating a fluid flow of a fluid, a barrel 1200 having a 3-dimensional (3D) shape (may be conical, cylindrical, cuboidal, prism, and the like) preferably a cylindrical shape comprising a first fluid inlet 1210 through which a fluid flow or airflow enters the barrel 1200, a fluid outlet 1220 through which the fluid flow exits the barrel 1200, the first fluid inlet 1210 and the fluid outlet 1220 defining a bore or a tube through which the fluid flow from the compression means 1100 enters and exits the barrel 1200, a closed loop wing deflector 1300 situated within the barrel enhancing a fluid convection initiated by the compression means 1100 before emitting the fluid flow to the fluid outlet 1220, and a support means (not shown) to hold the closed loop wing deflector 1300 in place within the barrel 1200. The barrel 1200 comprises an interior passage 1230 for directing the fluid from the first fluid inlet 1210 compressed and expanded by the compression means 1100. The compression means in preferred embodiment, such as a piston 1110 as depicted in Figure 2 is situated within the barrel 1200 and having the center that is concentric to a central axis z of the barrel 1200 pushing the fluid and to be compressed between the first fluid inlet 1210 and the fluid outlet 1220 of the barrel 1200. The piston 1110 is accelerated by an electromagnet 1120 by which a magnetic field 1130 is produced by electric current in a coil of wire. The piston 1110 acts like as a projectile wherein comprises a ferromagnetic material 1140 or a conducting material to be accelerated by the electromagnet 1120. Such combination of the piston 1110 and the coil of wire may be called as an electro-mechanical diaphragm.

In the first embodiment, the compression means as depicted in Figure 4, comprise a motor-driven pump 500 for creating a fluid flow to a fluid container 520 through inlet hose 510 wherein the static pressure builds up within the container 520 (such as hydraulic or pneumatic reservoir) before the fluid flow is released and expanded from the container 520 through outlet hose 530 and then received by the first fluid inlet 1210 of the barrel 1200 or by the piston 1110 that is moved by pressure which then displaces the fluid within the barrel 1200 of the system 1000. The fluid entering the first fluid inlet 1210 or moving within the barrel 1200 or exiting the fluid outlet 1220 may not have a constant flow velocity. For instance, the flow entering the first fluid inlet 1210 oscillates or fluctuates in a sinusoidal wave frequency using valve or first fluid inlet 1210 with variable geometry (area). The creation of vortex loop of fluid 1500 may depend upon the changes in fluid velocity within the barrel 1200, and geometry of the wing deflector 1300 such as the thickness, angle of attack, and chord of foil shape cross-section 1300a. A number called as Strouhal number changes as the fluid velocity change wherein the Strouhal number is inversely proportional to fluid velocity. As the Strouhal number increases, a diameter C and vorticity of the vortex loop of fluid 1500 decreases.

In the second embodiment, the first fluid inlet 1210 is arranged to direct the fluid flow with a straightener 100 making the fluid flow in the barrel 1200 uniform as possible, the straightener 100 is a perforated plate inserted within the interior passage 1230 of the barrel 1200. The straightener 100 having a honeycomb pattern perforation is configured to be located after the first flu id inlet 1210 reducing the swirl and turbulence of the fluid moving within the barrel 1200 before the fluid from the first fluid inlet 1210 collide with the closed loop wing deflector 1300.

As depicted in Figures 1 and 2, the vortex cannon system 1000 comprising the barrel 1200 further includes of at least one second fluid inlet 1240 that is arranged to direct a second fluid (a fluid with different physical properties from the atmosphere or fluid outside the barrel 1200 and the fluid that enters the first fluid inlet 1210) such that the second fluid is inserted through the second fluid inlet 1240 and to be diffused within the barrel 1200 or the interior passage 1230 which is then drawn and carried by the fluid flow created by the compression means 1100 to the closed loop wing deflector 1300 and unto a target. In another embodiment, the second fluid may be ejected from the piston 1110 having an outlet (not shown).

The barrel 1200 comprising the first outlet having a baffle body 1221 to deflect the fluid flow towards a central axis z of the barrel 1200. The baffle body 1200 is provided within the interior passage 1230 of the barrel 1200, the shape of the baffle body 1221 corresponds to the shape of the wing deflector 1300 having a curved (concave) baffle body profile that is situated to the fluid outlet 1220 to direct the exiting fluid flow substantially towards a central axis z of the barrel 1200 generating a higher fluid flow within an inner diameter A than alongside an outer diameter B of the vortex loop of fluid 1500. The vortex loop of fluid 1500 is a loop of starting vortex that is formed adjacent to the trailing edge of the wing deflector 1300. The generation of high fluid flow within the inner diameter A of the vortex loop of fluid 1500 creates a pressure difference in the interior passage 1220 between the first fluid inlet 1210 and the fluid outlet 1220 of the barrel 1200. The pressure difference pushes the barrel 1200 to the opposite direction of the fluid flow in the inner diameter A and thus, generates a thrust force component parallel to the central axis z as a reaction force from the launch of the vortex loop 1500 or the pressure difference between the first fluid inlet 1210 and the fluid outlet 1220.

The closed loop wing deflector 1300 having a foil shape cross-section 1300a is situated stationarily and coaxially disposed within the barrel 1200 sharing the central axis z, and further comprises a leading edge 1300b facing the fluid flow, an upper 1300c and a lower surface 1300d that causes the fluid flow to deflect, and a trailing edge 1300e that causes to create a jet stream and generate, launch, and propel a vortex loop of fluid towards a target with long flight range. The wing deflector 1300 is designed with foil shape cross-section 1300a having a chord or a line from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the foil. The foil shaped crosssection 1300a is used to aerodynamically and/or hydrodynamically deflect the oncoming fluid flow from the first fluid inlet 1210 with an angle of attack (the angle at which the chord of the wing deflector meets the relative wind or fluid flow) is between -10° and 30° relative to the central axis z of the barrel 1200. The foil shape cross-section 1300a is an airfoil preferably an asymmetric airfoil to produce a pressure difference between the upper surface 1300c and lower surface 1300d with at least 0° angle of attack. The closed loop wing deflector 1300 is preferably positioned stationarily within the barrel 1200 using the support means (not shown), wherein said support means may be an assembly of rigid bodies connected by joints to constrain the motion of the closed loop wing deflector 1300, may be a rigid body to connect the deflector 1300 and the barrel 1200 or may be the support means having a bearing that supports a load or force using magnetic, acoustic, fluid, rolling element, or shaft (threaded or simple). In another embodiment, the closed loop wing deflector 1300 may be designed as a flat plate or a cambered flat plate to efficiently deflect the oncoming fluid flow in low Reynold’s number wherein the fluid is having low-speed flow and/or low-density and/or high viscosity released from the first fluid inlet 1210. The low Reynold’s number’s value is less than or equal to 10 ⁴ (10 to the 4 ^th power).

The closed loop wing deflector 1300 is further comprising a high lift device (not shown) or an aerodynamic device, such high lift device is a boundary control device that uses a boundary layer control method of controlling the behavior of fluid flow boundary layers as part of fluid forced convection moving on the surface of the wing deflector 1300. Such boundary layer is preferably a laminar flow around the closed loop wing deflector 1300 that exists with viscous forces present in the layer of fluid close to the surface; the boundary layer separates as the angle of attack of the wing changes and/or the oncoming fluid flow increases. The early boundary layer separation on the upper surface is undesirable to the creation of the vortex loop of fluid 1500; therefore, the wing deflector 1300 is equipped with at least one high-lift device that increases the velocity of the fluid flow above the upper surface 1300c. Such boundary layer control device is a vortex generator; a small vane attached to the lifting surface preferably on the upper surface 1300c of the wing 1300 creating a vortex or a turbulent flow that delays the boundary layer flow separation above the upper surface 1300c. For instance, the wing deflector 1300 may comprise a subsequent boundary layer control device having a suction inlet disposed to the upper surface 1300c to draw the fluid moving on the upper surface 1300c that also delays the boundary layer flow separation. The suction inlet disposed to the upper surface may be a plurality of suction inlets that the upper surface 1300c may be described with perforations.

In some embodiment, the closed loop wing deflector 1300 and/or baffle body 1221 may change or morph its shape using smart materials such as shape memory alloys, ceramics, foams, polymers, etc. The smart materials having inherent properties enable them to respond to ambient temperature changes by adjusting their geometry, wherein the change in ambient temperature is triggered by an actuator (such as piezoelectricity) or a heating means. Thus, the change of geometry due to the smart material component of the closed loop wing deflector 1300 and/or baffle body 1221 can change the fluid flow behavior within the barrel and around the deflector 1300 before exiting the fluid outlet 1220. As the shape of the deflector 1300 and the fluid flow around the deflector 1300 changes, the creation of vortex loop of fluid 1500 is dependent to said changes. For instance, as the vortex loop 1500 is launched from the trailing edge 1300e, subsequent vortex loop of fluid is forming - commonly called as a stopping vortex. The deflector 1300 increases the vorticity of the stopping vortex by bending the trailing edge 1300e upstroke and/or by pulling the piston 1110 sucking the fluid from outlet 1220 into barrel 1200. The vorticity of the stopping vortex is utilized to build up pressure faster within the barrel 1200 using less energy. And as the trailing edge bend downstroke and/or releasing fluid flow from the inlet 1210, additional thrust or jet is generated.

As depicted in Figure 2, The upper surface 1300c is facing a wall 1250 of the barrel 1200, the lower surface 1300d is facing inward to the central axis z of the barrel 1200, the leading edge 1300b is facing the oncoming fluid from the first fluid inlet 1210, and the trailing edge 1300e is directed outwards the barrel 1200. io In third embodiment as depicted in Figure 5, the vortex generating cannon system 1000 further comprising a device 400 like a gun that emits a moving heat source 410 with at least 1 Joule of energy (preferably with a high energy particle such as a photon from a laser) directed to the vortex loop of fluid generated and launched by the vortex generating cannon system 1000. The moving heat source 410 propelled by the gun 400 may weakens and/or breaks a molecular bond of at least two particles within the vortex loop of fluid 1500 which increases the kinetic energy; thus, further increases heat and vorticity of the vortex loop of fluid 1500 and propel the fluid from the barrel 1200 towards the target. For instance, the moving heat source 410 may be a plasma, a combusting substance (carbon, fuel, propellant, etc.), or an electromagnetic radiation such as microwave moving in a flight path 420 heating up a molecule along the flight path 420 and a molecule in the vortex loop of fluid 1500 making the molecule along the path 420 and/or in the vortex loop 1500 gain energy.

The vortex generating cannon system 1000 having the closed loop wing deflector 1300 that enhances the fluid convection preferably a forced convection (a type of transport in which fluid is generated by an external source such as pump, fan, suction device, etc.) that transports the fluid to the target from the compression means 1100 and the first fluid inlet 1210. The wing deflector 1300 deflects or deviates the oncoming fluid and creates a pressure and/or temperature difference on the surface of the wing 1300. The fluid that the wing deflector 1300 deviates is preferably a mixture of plurality of fluid/gas entering the first fluid inlet 1210 and the second fluid inlet 1240 before the formation of the vortex loop of fluid 1500. In some embodiment, the fluid flow occurs within the barrel 1200 is moved by forced convection together with natural convection, thermal radiation, and/or thermal conduction which is commonly called as mixed convection. In another embodiment, the fluid flow is moved by a natural convection alone, generating a flow without the use of the external source wherein the closed loop wing deflector 1300 maintain the stationary position within the barrel 1200 and creates the vortex loop of fluid li 1500 through natural circulation wherein the fluid in the barrel move or circulate continuously with respect to gravity and possible changes in heat energy.