SWEEPING AIR STREAM APPARATUS AND METHOD

Abstract: In an automobile air flow system, air is forced through an air outlet element or nozzle (13, 21, 24) in a sweeping air stream pattern by an oscillating reed or vane member (42) supported solely at the downstream end (43) for air initiated oscillatory movement in the flow path of the air from the source; a weight (41) is on the free, upstream end of the vane and is of a size such that the rate of oscillation is determined by the spring constant of a spring in the vane member and the weight. The oscillating vane (42) is proportioned with respect to the cross-sectional size of the outlet such that at any extreme of its oscillatory movement it does not physically contact any other structural member.

Description: SWEEPING AIR STREAM APPARATUS AND METHOD BACKGROUND AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION ' O THE " INVENTION Th.e invention generally is directed to air flow and distribution systems and in particular, to the treated air flow systems in automobiles such as defrosters, air condition¬ ing and heating systems. In automobile systems, the defrost system and the air conditioning system as well as the heating system typically are all contained under the dashboard and prior art efforts to use standard (feedback) type fluidic noz¬ zles while, basically, functionally good in sweeping a jet of air across the windshield, physical size of the fluidic element is much too large to fit within the dash, particularly in small and downsized automobiles. For example, the outlet of some automobile ducting is about 3 X 5 inches. If one were to use the samller 3" dimen¬ sion for the power nozzle width ( ) of the fluidic ele¬ ment, the resultant length of the nozzle would be too long. Experiments with the resultant sweeping air jet from such a large element to discover more about its uniformity characteristics in the air showed that the frequency standard of the oscillator is in the order of 10 H and at an air velocity of about 100 feet per second the characteristic wavelength is in the order of about 10 feet which is satisfactory. Various electrically powered oscillatory elements have been sugges ed, however they add cost, complexity and maintenance problems and are not silent. The operational basis for the oscillating jet is that a concentrated jet would be uniformly swept over the windshield so that the intensity of the heat, because of minimal mixing with ambient, would be maximized at the point of impact of the air stream but would be uniformly distributed by the sweeping action. In order to accouip- lish this, the sweeping rate -or frequency of the air stream must be low. enough compared to the. velocity of the air jets so that the wavelength is long compared to the nozzle. When the wavelength is long, a small portion of the stream resides in the ambient air before impacting the windshield. On the other hand, with a short wavelength much of the stream resides in the am¬ bient air, producing severe mixing with the ambient, which for defrost purposes tends to defeat the purpose at hand. However, for air conditioning purposes, a low sweeping rate is desired in the initial cool down phase of the air confined within the automibile and, after the vehicle has been cooled down, a mixing with the ambient is desired so as to maintain the temperature. This dual sweep frequency concept is also desirable for the heating of the vehicle that is to say, the initial heat¬ ing is obtained by a low rate or frequency of sweeping of the air stream in the passenger compartment in order to more rapidly cool down or heat up the passenger co p- artment and then, after a short time interval the sweep ■ rate is increased to thereby produce mixing of the fresh¬ ly cooled or heated air with the air in the -passenger " compartment. In order to satisfy the requirement of small space and to minimize ambient mixing for defrost operation (which is undesirable since it lowers the thermal energy of air impacting the windshield) , the present invention provides an oscillator whose frequency is independent of the air stream properties and whose frequency is char- acteristically low. However, the invention also provides an oscillator whose frequency can be changed dependent upon time and/or temperature to achieve an initial low frequency of operation so as to assure a rapid heating and/or cooling of the passenger compartment and subse¬ quently, a higher frequency of oscillation to assure a better mixing characteristic (in contrast to the de- frost .operation) after, the passenger compartment, has been cooled or " heated for a selected period of time. The present invention provides a vibrating reed air stream oscillator, -constituted by a thin resilient vane in the shape of an inverted "T" which is supported in cantilevered fashion from the stem of the "T" in the duct. This provides an air initiated oscil¬ lation mechanism which is extremely reliable, very low in cost and can be installed or incorporated in existing defrost systems without significant structural modifica¬ tion and which does not require any additional space. In fact, the invention can reduce the space requirements since it results in a much more efficient and rapid de¬ frost of an automobile windshield -by concentrating the heated air rather than diffusing it over a wide or long path. That is to say, instead of a diffuser of wide angles, the air stream is swept over the wide angle and, in some cases, a single defrost air outlet adjacent to the windshield can accommodate the entire windshield. Th oscillating element of the present invention solves the problems in a simple, efficient relatively maintenance free and inexpensive manner.- According to the invention an oscillatory member is supported in the air outlet element of an automobile air flow system, said oscillatory member being consti¬ tuted by a resilient vane or reed secured at its down¬ stream end proximate the center of the air outlet ele¬ ment, the free upstream end has a weighted, air impingement surface and is proportioned with respect to the cross-sectional size of the outlet element that dur¬ ing oscillatory movement there is no physical contact with any structural portion of the cutlet elements. In defrost/defog systems, the frequency of oscillation is such that the wavelength is long relative to the dis¬ tance from the outlet element to the windshield surface OMPI / WIP0 s thereby minimizing mixing of defrost/ defog air. with am¬ bient air . In heating and air conditioning systems higher initial frequencies , and hence shorter wavelength, are desireable to obtain better mixing to obviate hot or cold spots . Rapid heating/ cooling of the passenger compartment , initially requires subsequently lower frequenc -longer wavelength. The vane is fairly broad and wide and acts like a moving wall to deflect or direct the exiting air j et stream in a sweeping fashion . Since the reed or vane is wide and its upstream end unsupported and during its travel in any direc¬ tion it must not contact any structure , the fluid air stream can and do at times distort the bending axis of the reed and thereby creating a clicking . However , such noise making is very undesirable particularly in the closed space of an autcmobile and, becuase of the distortion in the spring metal itself, tends to greatly reduce the life of the element when used as an oscillator . A further feature of the present invention provides improved oscillating reed struc tures which are eseentially clickless or noiseless and have long operating lif es . _ __ _ _ _ In a first embodiment this is achieved by providing a transverse stiffening of the reed element in directions transverse to the direction of air flow so as to limit bending of the reed element during its os cillations along an axis which is transverse to the direction of air flow. That is to say , the axis of stiffening is parallel to the bending axis but it does not detract frc the flexibility and oscil¬ lating function of the device. In a preferred eπiboidinent, the bend- ing is a gentle curvature of bending of the reed element over sub¬ stantially the entire body. In addition, the body of the reed sup¬ port element has a slot in it with the mouth of the s lot gently rounded or smoothed to receive and clamp the downstream end of the reed element so that there are no sharp edges against which the body of the reed ele- ment is engaged during oscillation. Moreover, the edges of the reed element is polished to remove notches, etc... all of these features avoiding metal fatigue,of the reed body leading to extended life of the oscillator element per se. In a. further embodiment,, the oscillating vane is constituted by a pair of spaced coil springs with an elasto eric sheet, between them and a weight. This flex¬ ible assembly is inherently clickless and the stress in the coil spring is. very low even for large flexural de¬ flections so that fatigue is no problem. Apart from the requirement that there be no physical contact with side- walls etc... during oscillatory movement of the vane, no special handling of the materials or precise toler- ance is required. BRIEF ' DESCRIPTION OF" THE " DRAWINGS ■The above and other objectives, advantages and_ fea¬ tures of the invention will become more apparent from the following specification when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 (and inset thereto) is an isometric perspec- ' tive view of an automobile defrost system and άts proxi¬ mity to the windshield of an automobile to which the invention has been applied; Figure 2a illustrates the sweeping rate (frequency) of the air stream must be low enough compared to the vel¬ ocity of the jet so .that the wavelength is long compared to the nozzle to windshield distance, Figure 2b shows that when the wavelength is long, a small portion of the stream resides in the ambient air before impacting the windshield, Figure 3 illustrates the relationship between the air stream wavelength, the velocity of propagation and the frequency of oscillation, Figure 4a illustrates a fixed oscillation element primarily for defrost/defog use and Figure 4b illustrates a manually adjustable oscillatory element flwo director both figures being according to preferred embodiments 5 of this invention; Figure 5 is modification of the oscillatory element shown in Figure 4b to which an oscillatory rate control function has been applied for controlling the rate of oscillation of the oscillating element, ■J_Q Figure 6 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the friction held manual control arrangement of Figure 4b, Figure 7 is a partial isometric perspective view of an automobile defrost nozzle incorporating the in- vention , Figure 8 is an enlarged side perspective view of the mounting bar for securing the downstream end of the vibrating reed and Figure 9 is an isometric perspective view of the oscillating-reed of the present invention showing the 20 weight attachment and the bend therein. Figure 10 is a partial isometric view of an auto¬ mobile heat/air conditioning nozzle incorporating a coil spring-elastomeric vane modification of the oscillating 25 vane of the present invention, Figure 11 is an isometric view of the coil spring- elastomeric vane shown in Figure 10, Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view along lines 12- 12 of Figure 11, 30 Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view along lines 13- 13 of Figure 11 and, Figure 14 is an enlarged side elevational view of a typical coil spring and its dimensions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION ' OF THE ' INVENTION The invention will be described with particular reference to that automobile air flow system. As shown in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, a windshield defrost system according to the invention includes a conventional heater 10 which is usually in¬ stalled underneath the dashboard or instrument panel 11 connected, via main duct work 12 to defrost/defog nozzle 13. The nozzle 13 is connected via duct 15 to main duct- work 12 but, it will be appreciated that separate pas¬ sage ways or ducting may be utilized for connecting out¬ let nozzles to car heater 10 in the event two nozzles are used. Nozzle 13 has an outlet opening 17, juxtaposed so as to direct air over the inner surface of windshield 20 - Air for heating the interior of the passenger comp¬ artment is delivered through separate nozzle 21 for di¬ recting air from common duct 12 to the interior compart¬ ment of the vehicle. It will be appreciated that cσn-._- trol linkages and/or cables for controlling valving in duct 12 for directing all the air to outlet nozzle 13 for defrost purposed,_an ' d/or to the outlet nozzle 21 for heating the interior compartment of the vehicle are standard control instrumentalities and hence do not per se form a part of. the present invention. By the same token, in some automobiles the outlet air nozzle 21 can be connected to a source of outside air for vent¬ ing purposes. Still referring to Figure 1, there is shown air con- ditioning outlet nozzle 24 which is connected to a con¬ ventional automobile air conditioning unit and air cir¬ culation system 25, it being appreciated that outlet 21 can also be used for supplying air from the air cond- _ O. PI itioning unit to the passenger compartment. The heat/ defrost door or valve assembly and motor, the air cond¬ itioner evaporator case and assembly as well as the blower motor and an intake are conventional and not - illustrated in detail. Most fluidic nozzles have a characteristic wave¬ length λ which is a constant for a given size nozzle, constant over a variety of pressures and has a frequency characteristic which is linear with velocity. The wave- length is a function of the velocity of propagtion and the frequency of oscillation so that > • wherein: λ equals the wavelength of the oscillating stream, V * -'equals velocity of stream propagation and F equals the frequency of oscillation. Figure 2a and 2b illustrate the patterns on an auto¬ mobile windshield 20" of the operational basis for oscil¬ lating the air jet such that a concentrated jet is uni- formly swept over the windshield 20' so that the inten- • sity of the heat, because of minimal mixing of heated air with the ambient air, will be maximized at the point of impact of the air stream on the windshield and this effect is. uniformly distributed by the sweeping action over the windshield surface. The relationship of the sweeping rate (f r equency) of the air stream issuing from nozzle 30 " (Figure 3a) and the nozzle 31 (Figure 2b) respectively to windshield distance D is illustrated in Figures 3a and 3b. When the wavelength is long relative to distance D, a small portion of the stream resides in the ambient air sut before impacting the windshield. This is illustratedin Figure 3a and labled; short stream length residence (minimum ambient mixing) . When the wave¬ length is short relative to distance D,a much larger portion of the air stream resides in the ambient air before impacting the windshield; this is illustrated in Figure 2b and legended "long stream length residence (maximum ambient mixing). For the defrost operation, the operation illustrated in Figure 3a is used. As discussed earlier . in connection with the improvements in efficiency in the cooling and heating of the passenger compartment, after the initial heating or cooling of the passenger compartment has taken place it is desirable that ma imum ambient mixing condition be brought into play. However, the short stream length residence for minimum ambient mixing is desirable in the heating and cooling situation in the initial heating or cooling cycle of the passenger compartment. Reference is made to Figure 5 which discloses the control over the oscillating element to achieve a situation shown in Figure 2a and Figure 2b. THE ' OSCILLATOR ELEMENT ' OF " THIS ' INVENTION Referring now to Figure 4a, the duct or channel 40 carrying air under pressure from the blower in the de¬ frost unit 10 is directed to an oscillatory impingement member or element 41. Oscillatory impingement element 41 is supported for oscillatory movements_by a thin metal reed 42, which together with the oscillatory "T" which is cantileverly supporte ' from the stem of the "T" at a f xed support" 43_ Air passing through duct 40 will impinge on the cross part of the "T" shaped element and initiate oscil¬ lation thereof. The spring 42 (which is the stem part of the "T" reed) and the mass (the cross part of oscil¬ latory impingement member 41) act together as a spring- mass system which is forced to oscillate by the air flow¬ ing by it. The stem 42 of the "T" reed acts like a moving wall to deflect the exiting air stream in an os- - dilatory, sweeping manner across windshield 20. The frequency is constant for any air velocity since it is determined primarily by the spring-mass characteristics of the "T" system. Therefore, it is easy to select parameters to produce a low frequency (say about 4 hertz H ) so that the oscillating air streams wavelength is = w- = 100 " feet per second = 25 feet 4 hertz Furthermore, the overall length of the device can be made very short so that under the dash space is conserved and may even be reduced. No additional or special re¬ quirements are needed for. the power source or feed ductin as it operates over, extremely wide range of air flows. The same vibrating reed system can be used to cause the sweeping motion of the air stream entering an auto¬ mobile passenger compartment for the purpose of more ef¬ ficiently conditioning the air. Thus, as described earlier herein, the air stream can initially have a long ' wavelength, the oscillatory frequency of vibrating reed oscillatory impingement member 41'-42' being low, so that the short stream length provides good throw to more efficiently heat up space remote from the outlet _nozzle and, after a period of_time changed to a shorter wavelength to provide greater mixing with the ambient air (see Figure 2b) . In Figure 4b the oscillating ele¬ ment has the shape of an "L" with the stem 42' being a thin metal reed and the cross or let 41' of the "L" be¬ ing impinged upon by the air flow in passage way 40' . There are times when it is desirable in the heat- ing and cooling application that- the air stream be con¬ fined to a particular location in the passenger com¬ partment, such as to the driver's side. As described above, the oscillatory impingement member can be cap- tured at a selected position in the outlet nozzle ele¬ ment to prevent oscillation thereof and to cause air to issue from the outlet in a non-sweeping air stream pattern. As shown in Figure 4b and Figure 6 the air oscil¬ lating element is mounted on a lever 50 which projects a short distance beyond the end of the nozzle so as to be accessable to the passenger compartment to serve as a flow controller and also as a pointer or indication of the direction of air flow. Flow director lever 50 is mounted on a pivot pin 51 extending between walls 40-A and 40-B of air passageway 41 and one or more friction elements or washers 52 friction elements 52, which may be integrally formed on the walls 40-A and 40-B, serve to retain lever 50 and the oscillatory member 41'-42' at any passenger selected position in the air stream. In the position illustrated in full lines in Figure 40 the air stream is deflected or directed to flow, to the right and is not oscillated or swept. When lever 50 is centered and substantially aligned with the air passage¬ way 40'., oscillatory element 41'-42' is set into oscil¬ lation by the air flow through the passageway thereby imparting a sweeping movement to the air stream.. Since the .cross member 41' is more on one side of the passage- way, more air will be_ directed to the opposite side and therefore can serve as a means to favor the distribution of air in the passenger compartment to the driver's side, if desired. The oscillatory rate change feature is illustrated in Figure 6. According to this feature the length of the reed element 42 is adjusted to adjust the rate of oscillation. Flow director lever 50 is provided with an elongated slot 60 which has side walls 61 and 62 which frictionally engage pivot 51' to which the stem 42" of the oscillating element is secured (it being appreciated that the pivot. ay be integrally formed on the end of the stem). The stem 42' passes through a sli 63 in the end of lever 51. The surfaces 63S of slit 63 slidingly engage the surfaces of the stem 42" to thereby lengthen or shorten the length of the spring and hence lower and raise the oscillatory frequency by pulling . lever 51' out or pushing it in, respectively. Friction washer or elements 52 also serve to maintain the adjuste position of lever 51' with respect to stem 42". Referring to Figure 7 the duct or channel 70 of an automobile windshield defrost system is illustrated and it is connected to a source of defrost air for defrost operation. As noted above the invention can be applied to other air supply systems such as heating and cooling systems for automobiles and can be beneficially applied with equal facility to air supply systems where it is desired to sweep the air back and forth as for example, from a,room air conditioner. The outlet nozzle 71 has a pair of spaced flaring walls 72-1 and 72-2 respectivel joined by a pair of side walls 73, one of which is shown in Figure 7. A vibrating reed oscillator element 75, described in greater, detail in connection with Figure 9, • has the downstream thereof 76 secured in a mounting bar assembly 77 (described more fully in connection with figure 8), mounting bar 77 being secured to side walls 73. A curvature 78 or bend is provided in the body of the reed element 75 which stiffens the body of the ele¬ ment so that it generally flexes about an axis transvers to the direction of air flow and in this embodiment the air flow axis is denoted generally by the line "T". Any bending movement of the reed element 75 about any non- parallel axis such as its longitudal axis 1, is prevente by the bend 78. It will be appreciated that a series of transverse corrugations along. the entire length of the body ele¬ ment 75 can achieve the same objective as the gentle curvature or bend 78, as well as a series of stiffener elements spaced along the entire operating length of the body 75 and spaced relatively short distances from one another can achieve the same objective which is to pre- vent cross or twist bending of the body of the reed ele¬ ment 75 and to limit the bending about the axis "T" or any axis parallel thereto. The upstream end 80 has a weight 21 riveted there¬ to, the weight 81 having a slot 82 therein into which the upstream end 80 of vibrating reed element 75 is re¬ ceived and riveted therein or otherwise secured. As shown in Figure 9, in the preferred embodiment the reed element is constituted by spring steel. In an operating example, the spring steel was a number 301 spring steel fully hardened, but it will be appreciated that most degrees of hardness of spring steel can be utilized to practice the invention. Fully hardened spring steel has a tensil strength of approximately 175,000 psi minimum and the extra hard spring steel 301 has a tensil strength o of over 200,000 psi, both of which are useful in prac¬ ticing the invention. Also, the weight 81 was 14 grams, having a width of .058 inches a thickness of .512 inches, and a width the same as the width of the reed element 75. namely 2.235 inches. The reed itself has a thickness of 5 .005 inches. The bend 78 in the preferred embodiment " was formed by rolling the body of the reed element 75 over a 1/2 inch cylinder.. In the illustrated embodiment, the bend 78 has a radious of about.3 inches but this is not critical. What is important though is the twisting 0movements of the reed element be resisted so as to avoid bending of the body of the reed element about an axis - other than those which are parallel to a secured down¬ stream end 76 of reed element 75. As is conventional in the manufacture of springs, the edges 91 and 92 of the reed element are polished to eliminate notches burrs and the like and the downstream end 76 of the ele¬ ment is secured in mounting bar assarfoly 77. Motxiting assembly 77 is constituted by a pair of plates 77-1 and 77-2 which has a slot 85 or space therebetween, the opposing edges or 5 corners 86 and 87 of the slot being rounded (a radius of at least 1/8 inch) so that there are no sharp edges against which the body of the reed element bears during the back and forth oscillatory movement. Thin rubber shims 77-S are positioned on each side of reed element 10 75 to serve as cushions. Rivets 88 are used to secure the end 76 of the reed element 75 in the mounting bar assembly 77 and the mounting bar assembly 77 is secured by screws, welding or releasable fasteners in the side- walls 73 (only one shown) of the outlet element. The 1 mounting bar can also be formed of plastic material, if desired. ' With reference to Figure 9, for use in sweeping the defrost air of a Pinto automobile (manufactured by the Ford Motor Company) a typical reed element was made 20 of fully hardened 301 spring steel (175,000 psi) having a thickness of .005 inches a width of 2.235 inches and a length between the upper edge of the weight 81 and the lower edge of mounting bar assembly 77 of 2.457 inches. The weight 81 had _the dimensions and weight given above. 25. It:will be appreciated that since the inverted "T" e.g. , the oscillatory impingement element, is only required to oscillate at relatively low rates, the move¬ ment is limited thereby minimizing the material problem. And in view of the relative simplicity of and compactness 3() of the device, it can reduce the space under the dash. Since in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cross-sectional area of the oscillatory impingement ele¬ ment is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the duct to permit free movement thereof without impacting on any element, it is completely silent, consumes no /^υR power and does not introduce any significant pneϋmatic impedance and thereby does not unduly load the impeller or blower motor in the defrost, unit. Referring to Figure 10, the duct or channel of an automobile heater/air conditioning system is indicated as supplying air to a nozzle 21' which incorporates a further modified form of oscillating vane constituted by the coil spring-elastomeric vane assembly 90, the de¬ tails of which are illustrated in Figures 11-14. In this emboidment, a pair of spaced coil springs 91 and 92 (the dimensional parameters are shown in Figure 14 for a typical application) , which are embedded in tubu¬ lar end sections 93 and 94 of a thin sheet 95 of elastic or elasto eric material, such as rubber. The upstream end of tab 96 of elastic vane 95 is' clamped between a pair of weight elements 98A and 98B, which have a pair of semi-circular recesses 100 and 101 in their facing edges for receiving and clamping the upstream or oscil¬ lating end of coil springs 91 and 92. The downstream end or tab 102 of elastic vane 95. is secured between a pair of mounting bars 104-105 which are used to secure the downstream end 106 of the vane assembly to the spaced walls 107-108 of nozzle 21'. Mounting bars 104- 105 also have a pair of facing semicircular recesses 109-110 for receiving and clamping the downstream ends of the coil springs 91 and 92. The tubular ends 93 and 94 are formed by folding back a pair of integral flaps and cementing or by fus¬ ion, molding etc... Although in the example the elasto- meric sheet is mounted to the coil springs 91 and 92 by the tubular end sections, integral upstream tab portions or extensions 96 clamped between -weight elements 98A and 98B and the integral downstream tab extension 102 clamp¬ ed between the mounting bar assembly coact with the tub¬ ular sections to stabilize the assembly to prevent sagg- ing under gravity or acceleration in the plane of the assembly shown in Figure 10. This flexible assembly is silent and inherently clickl ' ess. The stress in the coil springs 91 and 92 is very low, even for large flexural deflection, so that fatigue is not a signifi¬ cant problem. Moreover, no special handling or treat¬ ment of the materials or-precise tolerances are requir¬ ed. Also, this assembly can be used in the defrost nozzle. It will be appreciated that all rubber or elasto- eric material vane-springs may be molded or otherwise formed to have the desired spring - mass characteristics described above and perform in air flow systems as des¬ cribed above, due regard being had for the effect of temperature on rubber etc. Likewise, the composite metal-elastometer and spring properties may easily be utilized to practice the invention. The mass or weight required to achieve a desired spring-mass system can be molded into the nd of the vane, and the mounting _ assembly can also be integrally molded into the unit. While I have shown and described preferred embodi¬ ments of my invention, it will be appreciated that var¬ ious modifications and adaptations of my invention are possible and it is intended that such modifications and changes as would be obvious to those skilled in the art be emcompassed within the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims: C AIMS 1. In an automobile air flow system wherein a source of air under pressτre is forced through a channel to an outlet element in a sweeping air stream pattern, the improvement comprising, an air powered oscillatory member, and means supporting said oscillatory member proxi¬ mate the center of said outlet element, said oscillatory member being proportioned with respect to the cross-sec¬ tional size of said outlet element such that at any ex¬ treme of its oscillatory movement in said outlet ele¬ ment it does, not physically contact any structural por¬ tion of said channel and said outlet element, said os¬ cillatory member being rendered oscillatory solely upon the flow of air from said source through said outlet, and causing the air flow to sweep back and-forth in said outlet element, said oscillatory member including a spring, and means securing said spring at the downstream end to at least one surface of said outlet element. 2. The invention defined in Claim 1 including means to capture said air powered oscillatory ma±ier at a selected posi¬ tion in said outlet element to prevent oscillation thereof and cause air to issue from said outlet in a non-sweep¬ ing air stream pattern. 3. The invention defined in Claim 2 wherein said means to capture said oscillatory member includes a friction stop, and lever means for adjusting said mem¬ ber to a non-oscillatory position. 4. The invention defined in Claim 1 including an impingement member on the free end of said spring and wherein the rate of oscillation of said impingement member is' related to the spring constant of said spring, the rate of air flow, and the weight of said impingement member. 5. The invention defined in Claim 1 wherein said air powered oscillatory member is in the shape of an inverted "T", the free end of the stem of said "T" be¬ ing the sole point of support for said "T" in the air flow, and being downstream of the cross of said "T". 6. The invention defined in Claim 1 wherein said air powered oscillatory member is in the shape of an inverted "L", the free end of the stem of said "L" be¬ ing the sole point of support for said "L" in the air flow and being downstream of the cross of said "L". 7. The invention defined in Claim 1 wherein said oscillatory member is a steel spring and includes means for limiting the bending thereof to an axis transverse to the direction of air flow in said ' channel. 8. The invention defined in Claim 7 including a weight member on the upstream end of said steel spring wherein the rate of oscillation of said oscillatory mem¬ ber is related to the spring constant of said spring, the rate of air flow and the weight of said weight mem¬ ber. . 9. The inventio defined in " Claim 1 wherein said spring in said oscillatory member is constituted by a pair of spaced steel coil, springs, a flexible sheet ex¬ tending between and supported by said spaced apart coil springs, and a weight member at the upstream end of said oscillatory member. O 10.' The invention defined in Claim 9 wherein said coilspring pair embedded in the ends of said flexible sheet. 11. The invention defined in Claim 10 wherein said flexible sheet is elastic. 12. The invention defined in Claim 1 . 0 wherein said flexible sheet is rubber. 13. The invention defined in Claim 1 wherein the upstream end of said oscillatory member is a weight ele¬ ment and the rate of oscillation is a function of the combined spring constant of said spring and said elastic sheet_ and the weight of . said weight element. 14. In an air flow -system having a source of air under pressure flowing through a channel coupled to an outlet element is issued in a sweeping air stream pattern, the improvement comprising a resilient vane in said outlet element, said resilient, vane having a longitud¬ inal axis, and means securing the downstream end only of said vane in fixed relation to said outlet, element with the upstream end of said res-ilient vane being free and oscillatable, solely by air flow, bet¬ ween a pair of extreme positions, said extreme positions being short of contacting said outlet and said channel and causing the air to issue in a sweeping air stream pattern from said outlet element. 15, The invention defined in Claim 14wherein said resilient vane includes means for limiting the bending thereof to an axis transverse to the direction of air flow. 16. The invention defined in Claim 15 wherein said means for limiting the bending of said resilient vane is constituted by a bend in the body of said resilient vane member. 17. The invention defined in CLaim 15 wherein said means securing said downstream endo said vane element includes a mounting assembly bar having a slot formed therein for receiving said downstream end of said re¬ silient vane, said slot having the opposing facing cor¬ ner edged thereof at the entrance way to said slot rounded and smoothed. 18. The invention defined,in Claim 15 wherein the edges of said resilient vane body member is polished to lengthen the life of said oscillator element. 19. The invention defined in Claim 14 including a weight secured to the free end of said vane. 20. The invention defined in Claim 19 wherein the end. of said weight presents a flat surface transverse to ' the direction of air flow in said channel. 21. The invention defined in Claim 14 wherein said resilient vane is constituted by a pair of apaced apart coil springs and an flexible sheet extending between and carried by said coil springs, respectively, and a weight member carried at the free end of said resilient vane. 22. The invention defined in Claim 21 wherein said flexible sheet is made of an elastomeric material, a pair of tubes formed at each side of said flexible sheet, and one of said coul springs being located in one of said tubes, respectively. BURE 23. The invention defined in Claim 22 wherein said flexible sheet includes, upstream and downstream tab ex¬ tensions, said weight member being secured to. the up¬ stream tab extension and upstream ends of said springs, and means securing said downstream tab extension and the downstream ends of said springs together and to said mounting means. 24. An automobile defrost/defog system including a nozzle having an outlet for directing a stream of air upon the interior surface of an automobile window, the improvement comprising means for sweeping said stream of air back and forth across said interior surface at a frequency such that the wave length of the sweep is such that there is a short length of air stream between said nozzle and the edge of said interior surface nearest said nozzle and the edge of said interior surface near¬ est whereby mixing of said air stream with ambient air is reduced, said means for sweeping including an air initiated oscillation member, said air initiated oscil¬ lation member being an elongated resilient member having its direction of elongation, when in a state of ■ rest, coaxial with " the direction of air flow, and means supporting the downstream end of said resilient member such that the free upstream end is free to sweep back and forth.in said air stream at a point upstream of said means supporting said downstream end at the fre¬ quency of said sweep. 25. The invention defined in Claim 24 wherein said resilient member includes a steel spring and a weight member rigidly coupled to the upstream end of said steel spring such that the frequency of back and forth oscillation is substantially determined by the weight and spring constant of said steel spring. -BTJ EATT ______ : _____ _ ■// ■ ._ Y ΪFO „ _ 26. . The invention defined in Claim 24 wherein said resilient member includes a pair of spaced .coil springs, an elastσmeric sheet supported on said coul springs and means weighting the upstream end of said springs such that the frequency of back and forth oscillation is substantially determined by the weight and spring con¬ stant of said coil springs. 27. A resilient vane oscillator element for use in air flow sweeping systems which comprises a spring metal steel body member, and a structural formation on the body of said resilient vane member- rendering the same clickless during flexing thereof about a selected axis. 28. A method of rendering a resilient reed air operated oscillator element clickless comprising apply¬ ing structural means to said resilient reed to prevent, bending thereof about all axis except one selected axis and those parallel thereto. 29. A resilient vane for an air operated oscilla- • tor for use in air flow sweeping system which comprises a pair of spaced apart, elongated coil springs, an elas- tomeric sheet supported on said coil springs and a rigid weighting member on one end of said pair of coil springs said weight being large enough such that the frequency of oscillation is substantially determined by said weight and the spring constant of said springs. 30. A method of defrosting and/or defogging an automobile window comprising sweeping a jet of air from a source across the interior surface at a rate such that the wave length is greater than the distance from said source to the automobile window.. 31. A method of controlling the air flowing into the passenger compartment of an automobile omprising 1) Sweeping air from said source at a first sweep rate for an initial period of time, and, 2) Subsequently sweeping the air from said source at a different second sweep rate for a further time period. 32. The method defined in Claim 20 wherein said first sweep rate is higher than said second sweep rate. 33. The method defined in Claim 20 wherein said first sweep rate is lower than said second sweep rate. ' _.\ ^ ' £A _ ~ O...PI " WIPO ' '

Inventors: STOUFFER R
Applicants: BOWLES FLUIDICS CORP, STOUFFER R
Application year: 1980
Main classification: B60H1
IPC codes: B05B1, B05B3, B60H1, B60S1, F24F13