Miniaturized fluidic element and circuit construction

Claim 2

A fluidic logic circuit comprising: a first stack of thin planar laminar sheets forming a plurality of individual fluidic logic elements, each logic element including: a power nozzle for issuing a power stream of fluid in a flow plane parallel to the planes of said laminar sheets; a receiver for receiving said power stream in said flow plane when said power stream is undeflected; and control means for selectively deflecting said power stream out of said flow plane; a second stack of thin planar laminar sheets forming a plurality of individual fluid flow interconnection passages for interconnecting various ones of said logic elements, said second stack of laminar sheets being positioned against and secured to one side of said first stack of laminar sheets; and further comprising a plurality of said fluidic circuits, each including: a plurality of plug-type fluid-conducting terminals communicating with various ones of said interconnection passages; and a plurality of socket-type fluidconducting terminals communicating with others of said interconnection passages; wherein said plurality of plug-type terminals for each circuit are arranged to be received by said plurality of socket-type terminals for each of the other circuits in said plurality of circuits.

Claim 3

A fluidic logic circuit comprising: a first stack of thin planar laminar shets forming a plurality of individual fluidic logic elements, each logic element including: a power nozzle for issuing a power stream of fluid in a flow plane parallel to the planes of said laminar sheets; a receiver for receiving said power stream in said flow plane when said power stream is undeflected; and control means for selectively deflecting said power stream out of said flow plane; a second stack of thin planar laminar sheets forming a plurality of individual fluid flow interconnection passages for interconnecting various ones of said logic elements, said second stack of laminar sheets being positioned against and secured to one side of said first stack of laminar sheets; wherein said second stack of laminar sheets is larger in the planes of said laminar sheets than said first stack of laminar sheets, said circuit further comprising: a third, fourth and fifth stack of laminar sheets, each forming a plurality of said logic elements and secured to said second stack, said second stack including additional interconnection passages for interconnecting various fluidic elements in said first, third, fourth and fifth stacks, said third stack being positioned on the same side of said second stack as said first stack, said fourth and fifth stacks being positioned on the opposite side of said second stack.

Claim 4

A fluidic logic circuit comprising: a first stack of thin planar laminar shets forming a plurality of individual fluidic logic elements, each logic element including: a power nozzle for issuing a power stream of fluid in a flow plane parallel to the planes of said laminar sheets; a receiver for receiving said power stream in said flow plane when said power stream is undeflected; and control means for selectively deflecting said power stream out of said flow plane; a second stack of thin planar laminar sheets forming a plurality of individual fluid flow interconnection passages for interconnecting various ones of said logic elements, said second stack of laminar sheets being positioned against and secured to one side of said first stack of laminar sheets; wherein said second stack of laminar sheets is larger in the planes of said laminar sheets than said first stack of laminar sheets, said circuit further comprising: a third, fourth and fifth stack of laminar sheets, each forming a plurality of said logic elements and secured to said second stack, said second stack including additional interconnection passages for interconnecting various fluidic elements in said first, third, fourth and fifth stacks, said third stack being positioned on the same side of said second stack as said first stack, said fourth and fifth stacks being positioned on the opposite side of said second stack.

Claim 5

The fluidic circuit according to claim 2 further comprising fluid-conducting terminal means communicating with various interconnection passages in said second stack and being adapted to be plugged into terminals of a similar fluidic circuit.

Claim 6

A fluidic element formed from a stack of thin planar laminar sheets by through-openings through integral numbers of said laminar sheets, said element comprising: a vent opening defined through an end sheet of said stack; an open interaction region defined on one side by said vent opening, on the opposite side by the surface of one of said laminar sheets, and on two remaining sides by edges of the laminar sheets lying between said end sheet and said one sheet; a power nozzle formed between two of said laminar sheets and arranged to receive pressurized fluid and issue same into said interaction region as a power stream, said power stream beiNg issued in a flow plane which is parallel to the planes of said laminar sheets; a receiver disposed at the opposite end of said interaction region between two laminar sheets and aligned with said power nozzle in said flow plane to receive the undeflected power stream; and a control nozzle defined through at least said one of said laminar sheets and arranged to receive control fluid and issue same as a control stream into said interaction region, said control nozzle being oriented to cause said control stream to deflect said power stream through said vent opening.

Claim 7

A fluidic element formed from a stack of thin planar laminar sheets by through-openings through integral numbers of said laminar sheets, said element comprising: a vent opening defined through an end sheet of said stack; an open interaction region defined on one side by said vent opening, on the opposite side by the surface of one of said laminar sheets, and on two remaining sides by edges of the laminar sheets lying between said end sheet and said one sheet; a power nozzle formed between two of said laminar sheets and arranged to receive pressurized fluid and issue same into said interaction region as a power stream, said power stream beiNg issued in a flow plane which is parallel to the planes of said laminar sheets; a receiver disposed at the opposite end of said interaction region between two laminar sheets and aligned with said power nozzle in said flow plane to receive the undeflected power stream; and a control nozzle defined through at least said one of said laminar sheets and arranged to receive control fluid and issue same as a control stream into said interaction region, said control nozzle being oriented to cause said control stream to deflect said power stream through said vent opening.

Claim 8

The fluidic element according to claim 4 wherein said receiver is defined on one side by a second laminar sheet immediately adjacent said end sheet, said second sheet projecting into said interaction region to serve as a flow divider for said power stream between said receiver and said vent opening.

Claim 9

The fluidic element according to claim 4 further comprising a first vent passage communicating with said interaction region upstream of said receiver and extending through said one laminar sheet to ambient.

Claim 10

The fluidic element according to claim 6 wherein said first vent passage terminates in a vent outlet in said one sheet and disposed adjacent said vent opening, said first vent passage extending into said stack of laminations alongside said vent opening and into communication with said interaction region through said one laminar sheet.

Claim 11

The fluidic element according to claim 6 wherein one side of the downstream end of said power nozzle is defined on one side by a third laminar sheet immediately adjacent said one laminar sheet, said third laminar sheet being stepped toward said one laminar sheet at the upstream end of said interaction region.

Claim 12

The fluidic element according to claim 8 wherein said receiver is defined on another side by said third laminar sheet.

Claim 13

The fluidic element according to claim 9 wherein said first vent passage extends through said one and said third laminar sheets immediately upstream from the entrance to said receiver.

Claim 14

The fluidic element according to claim 10 further comprising a second vent passage communicating with said interaction region through said one laminar sheet at a location upstream of first vent passage, said first and second vent passages being spaced by co-extensive portions of said first and one and third laminar sheets.

Claim 15

The fluidic circuit according to claim 11 wherein the downstream end of said power nozzle is defined on another side by said second lamination, said second lamination being stepped toward said end lamination immediately downstream of said power nozzle to define a stepped region between said power nozzle and the upstream end of said vent opening.

Claim 16

The fluidic element according to claim 12 wherein said power nozzle is wider at its upstream portion than its downstream end, said upstream portion being defined between said one and said second laminar sheets.

Claim 17

The fluidic element according to claim 4 wherein a plurality of said elements, all identical, are defined in said stack of laminar sheets, and further comprising: an interconnection manifold comprising a further stack of laminar sheets disposed adjacent the stack containing said fluidic elements and oriented such that the sheets in both stacks are arranged in parallel planes, said interconnection manifold including a plurality of interconnecting passages extending between control nozzles of certain elements and receivers of other elements.

Claim 18

The fluidic element according to claim 4 wherein adjacent laminar sheets are diffusion bonded to one another.