Method and apparatus for aspirating fluids

Claim 2

In an aspirator including a first passageway that is outwardly bounded by a first tubular wall, means for establishing a flow of fluid generally axially through said first passageway, and a second tubular wall spaced radially outwardly from said first tubular wall, said tubular walls together forming an aspirated fluid passageway radially between them, said passageway having an ambient air inlet and an outlet positioned to discharge the aspirated fluid into admixture with the fluid flowing through said first passageway, the improvement comprising: a check valve comprising a flexible tubular sleeve having an upstream end, support means extending about said upstream end and normally supporting said upstream end tight against said second tubular wall, and additional support means normally holding said sleeve against said second tubular wall along a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart lines extending generally axially rearwardly from said forward end, with said sleeve being sized to lie substantially tight against said second tubular wall when ambient air is flowing inwardly through said aspirated air passageway, and with said sleeve being substantially unrestrained rearwardly of said upstream end support means and between said additional support means, so that backflow through said aspirated air passageway will move the unrestrained portions of said sleeve radially inwardly and will hold downstream end parts thereof tightly against said first tubular wall.

Claim 3

The improvement of claim 1, wherein said additional support means comprises radial support plates extending between said first and second tubular walls in axial planes.

Claim 4

The improvement of claim 2, wherein said support plates are three in number.

Claim 5

The improvement of claim 2, wherein said support plates are connected to said second tubular wall at locations rearwardly of said sleeve and are each recessed at their outer ends in the region of the sleeve, with the sleeve being clamped between the recessed portions of said support plates and the second tubular wall.

Claim 6

The improvement of claim 1, wherein the support means for the upstream end of said sleeve includes a resilient band, and means securing said band to said second tubular wall at points in common axial planes with said additional support means, said resilient band having sufficient elasticity to hold the entire upstream end of said sleeve outwardly against said second tubular wall during one level of back pressure within the aspirator but being deformable inwardly between said securement points to disengage the sleeve from said duct inner wall at a higher level of back pressure, so that said sleeve-type check valve also functions as an overpressure relief valve.

Claim 7

The improvement of claim 5, wherein said additional support means comprises radial support plates extending between said first and second tubular walls in axial planes.

Claim 8

The improvement of claim 6, wherein said struts are three in number and wherein said means for securing said band includes means for fastening said band to said struts.

Claim 9

A successive entrainment aspirator, comprising: a first wall forming a first primary flow passageway having an inlet in communication with ambient air; injector means arranged to introduce an aspirating fluid into said first inlet, with said aspirating fluid serving to aspirate ambient air into said first passageway; a second wall circumscribing said first wall and being spaced radially therefrom to form an annular first wall secondary flow passageway therebetween having an inlet in communication with ambient air; a third wall circumscribing said second wall and being spaced radially therefrom to form an annular second primary flow passageway therebetween having an inlet in communication with ambient air; a fourth wall circumscribing said third wall and being spaced radially therefrom to form an annular second secondary flow passageway having an inlet in communication with ambient air, and with said fourth wall extending downstream a substantial distance downstream of the other walls, so as to form a large diameter total flow passageway downstream of the other said passageway; second injector means arranged to introduce an aspirating fluid into said second primary flow passageway, with said aspirating fluid serving to aspirate ambient air into said second primary flow passageway, and with flow through said primary flow passageways serving to aspirate ambient air into said secondary flow passageways; and check valve means in said annular first and second secondary flow passageways, for precluding backflow of fluids through such secondary flow passageways.

Claim 10

A successive entrainment aspirator, comprising: a first wall forming a first primary flow passageway having an inlet in communication with ambient air; injector means arranged to introduce an aspirating fluid into said first inlet, with said aspirating fluid serving to aspirate ambient air into said first passageway; a second wall circumscribing said first wall and being spaced radially therefrom to form an annular first wall secondary flow passageway therebetween having an inlet in communication with ambient air; a third wall circumscribing said second wall and being spaced radially therefrom to form an annular second primary flow passageway therebetween having an inlet in communication with ambient air; a fourth wall circumscribing said third wall and being spaced radially therefrom to form an annular second secondary flow passageway having an inlet in communication with ambient air, and with said fourth wall extending downstream a substantial distance downstream of the other walls, so as to form a large diameter total flow passageway downstream of the other said passageway; second injector means arranged to introduce an aspirating fluid into said second primary flow passageway, with said aspirating fluid serving to aspirate ambient air into said second primary flow passageway, and with flow through said primary flow passageways serving to aspirate ambient air into said secondary flow passageways; and check valve means in said annular first and second secondary flow passageways, for precluding backflow of fluids through such secondary flow passageways.

Claim 11

The aspirator defined by claim 8, wherein said valve means each includes a flexible, cylindrical sleeve having its upstream peripheral edge substantially sealed against the outer wall of its respective passageway and its downstream edge secured at spaced points also to said respective outer walls.

Claim 12

The aspirator defined by claim 9, further including a resilient band secured at spaced points to the outer wall of said third annular passageway and secured to the entire upstream peripheral edge of said sleeve whereby said band presses said upstream peripheral edge of said sleeve against said outer wall to form said seal but is biased inwardly to break said seal when a desired predetermined pressure is obtained downstream of said sleeve.

Claim 13

In an inlet assembly for an inflatable including wall means defining an ambient air inlet passageway for the inflatable, and nozzle means for injecting an aspirating fluid into and through said passageway, for entraining ambient air into said inflatable, the improvement comprising: said wall means including a radially movable wall section which initially occupies a flow bounding position in which the ambient air passageway is substantially completely open to ambient air and the flow rate of ambient air into the inflatable is relatively large, the said wall section having an outer surface in position to be subjected to back pressure within said inflatable so that when back pressure reaches a predetermined level it forces the movable wall section radially inwardly into a position reducing the size of the ambient air passageway, and means for limiting the extent of radially inward movement of said wall section so that when said wall section is in a radially inward posItion it blocks flow through an outer region of the ambient air passageway but a reduced size inner flow path remains which is sized to function effectively with said nozzle means for pumping ambient air into the inflatable at a decreased flow rate but at a higher pressure.

Claim 14

In an inlet assembly for an inflatable including wall means defining an ambient air inlet passageway for the inflatable, and nozzle means for injecting an aspirating fluid into and through said passageway, for entraining ambient air into said inflatable, the improvement comprising: said wall means including a radially movable wall section which initially occupies a flow bounding position in which the ambient air passageway is substantially completely open to ambient air and the flow rate of ambient air into the inflatable is relatively large, the said wall section having an outer surface in position to be subjected to back pressure within said inflatable so that when back pressure reaches a predetermined level it forces the movable wall section radially inwardly into a position reducing the size of the ambient air passageway, and means for limiting the extent of radially inward movement of said wall section so that when said wall section is in a radially inward posItion it blocks flow through an outer region of the ambient air passageway but a reduced size inner flow path remains which is sized to function effectively with said nozzle means for pumping ambient air into the inflatable at a decreased flow rate but at a higher pressure.

Claim 15

The improvement of claim 11, wherein the means for limiting the extent of radial inward movement of said wall section comprises a generally centrally positioned tubular duct.

Claim 16

An inlet member for an inflatable object comprising: a cylindrical duct secured to said inflatable object and having an inner boundary; central nozzle means arranged at the upstream end of said duct for injecting at least one generally central, generally conical jet along the longitudinal axis of said duct; an annular array of additional nozzle means arranged equidistantly around said longitudinal axis between said duct inner boundary and said central nozzle means for injecting a plurality of outer, generally conical jets around said central jet, said additional nozzle means being positioned inwardly of said duct inner boundary about one-third of the radius of said duct and said central and outer jets generally intersecting one another at a location along said duct whereat the outer jets engage the inner boundary of the duct, said location of intersection being spaced longitudinally from said nozzles a distance equal to about 6 to 9 times the diameter of the duct divided by the number of diametrically arranged conical jets at said point of intersection; and valve means for preventing unwanted backflow from the inflatable object through said inlet member when the inflatable object is inflated.

Claim 17

An inlet member for an inflatable object comprising: a cylindrical duct secured to said inflatable object and having an inner boundary; central nozzle means arranged at the upstream end of said duct for injecting at least one generally central, generally conical jet along the longitudinal axis of said duct; an annular array of additional nozzle means arranged equidistantly around said longitudinal axis between said duct inner boundary and said central nozzle means for injecting a plurality of outer, generally conical jets around said central jet, said additional nozzle means being positioned inwardly of said duct inner boundary about one-third of the radius of said duct and said central and outer jets generally intersecting one another at a location along said duct whereat the outer jets engage the inner boundary of the duct, said location of intersection being spaced longitudinally from said nozzles a distance equal to about 6 to 9 times the diameter of the duct divided by the number of diametrically arranged conical jets at said point of intersection; and valve means for preventing unwanted backflow from the inflatable object through said inlet member when the inflatable object is inflated.

Claim 18

An inlet member for an inflatable object comprising: a cylindrical duct secured to said inflatable object and having an inner boundary; central nozzle means arranged at the upstream end of said duct for injecting at least one generally central, generally conical jet along the longitudinal axis of said duct; an annular array of additional nozzle means arranged equidistantly around said longitudinal axis between said duct inner boundary and said central nozzle means for injecting a plurality of outer, generally conical jets around said central jet; wall means forming an inner first-entrainment duct and an outer annular first-entrainment duct each aligned respectively with said central nozzle means and said additional nozzle means, said inner duct and said outer annular duct forming a first second-entrainment passageway therebetween and said outer annular duct and said cylindrical duct forming a second second-entrainment passageway therebetween, and means for sealing said passageways against a backflow; and valve means for preventing unwanted backflow from the inflatable object through said inlet member when the inflatable object is inflated.

Claim 19

An inlet member for an inflatable object comprising: a cylindrical duct secured to said inflatable object and having an inner boundary; central nozzle means arranged at the upstream end of said duct for injecting at least one generally central, generally conical jet along the longitudinal axis of said duct; an annular array of additional nozzle means arranged equidistantly around said longitudinal axis between said duct inner boundary and said central nozzle means for injecting a plurality of outer, generally conical jets around said central jet; wall means forming an inner first-entrainment duct and an outer annular first-entrainment duct each aligned respectively with said central nozzle means and said additional nozzle means, said inner duct and said outer annular duct forming a first second-entrainment passageway therebetween and said outer annular duct and said cylindrical duct forming a second second-entrainment passageway therebetween, and means for sealing said passageways against a backflow; and valve means for preventing unwanted backflow from the inflatable object through said inlet member when the inflatable object is inflated.

Claim 20

The aspirator defined by claim 14, wherein the cross-sectional area of said outer annular duct is about 8 times the cross-sectional area of said inner duct.

Claim 21

The aspirator defined by claim 14, wherein said central nozzle means includes at least three equidistantly spaced nozzles.

Claim 22

The aspirator defined by claim 14, wherein said means for sealing said first and second second-entrainment passageways includes inner and outer flexible, cylindrical sleeves.

Claim 23

The aspirator defined by claim 14, wherein said inner, first-entrainment duct wall means and said outer annular first-entrainment duct wall means are secured in place within said cylindrical duct by strut means having recessed portions therein, said means for sealing said first and second second-entrainment passageways including inner and outer flexible, cylindrical sleeves nested in said recessed portions of said struts and secured at their upstream peripheral edges to said annular first-entrainment duct wall means and said cylindrical duct, respectively.

Claim 24

The aspirator defined by claim 17, wherein said upstream peripheral edges of sAid sleeves are secured to resilient bands that are fastened at spaced points to said annular first-entrainment duct wall means and said cylindrical duct, whereby said bands press said upstream peripheral edges of said inner and outer sleeves against said annular first-entrainment duct wall means and the inner wall of said cylindrical duct, respectively, to seal but are biased inwardly to break the seal when a predetermined pressure is obtained downstream of said sleeves.

Claim 25

A successive entrainment inflation aspirator comprising an inlet tube for an inflatable, said tube having inlet and outlet ends; valve means in said inlet tube for completely closing same and preventing outflow from the inflatable; wall means in said inlet tube dividing the interior of the inlet portion of said inlet tube into at least one first-entrainment passageway and at least one second-entrainment passageway each of which is in communication with ambient air, said first-entrainment passageway surrounding said second-entrainment passageway; nozzle means arranged to inject an aspirating fluid through said first-entrainment passageway, with said aspirating fluid and the ambient air entrained thereby serving as an aspirating fluid for said second-entrainment passageway said nozzle means comprising a circular array of nozzles directed to discharge axially of the first-entrainment passageway; and valve means in said second-entrainment passageway for disabling it independently of said first-entrainment passageway.

Claim 26

A successive entrainment inflation aspirator comprising an inlet tube for an inflatable, said tube having inlet and outlet ends; valve means in said inlet tube for completely closing same and preventing outflow from the inflatable; wall means in said inlet tube dividing the interior of the inlet portion of said inlet tube into at least one first-entrainment passageway and at least one second-entrainment passageway each of which is in communication with ambient air, said first-entrainment passageway surrounding said second-entrainment passageway; nozzle means arranged to inject an aspirating fluid through said first-entrainment passageway, with said aspirating fluid and the ambient air entrained thereby serving as an aspirating fluid for said second-entrainment passageway said nozzle means comprising a circular array of nozzles directed to discharge axially of the first-entrainment passageway; and valve means in said second-entrainment passageway for disabling it independently of said first-entrainment passageway.