Cleaning system
First Claim
1. A cleaning system for removing undesirable material or object from a sensitive component or element on a vehicle which is relatively moving in a fluid medium at a given velocity, said vehicle having a front end which faces the incoming fluid medium and a rear end which does not face the incoming fluid medium,the density of said undesirable material or object being significantly greater than that of said fluid medium, comprising:
- wall means defining a fluid flow duct having an entrance end and a smaller-sized exit end, said entrance end generally facing said incoming fluid medium to cause the fluid medium to enter said fluid flow duct at substantially the given velocity,said wall means narrowing down in cross-sectional area from the entrance end toward the exit end to increase the velocity of the exit fluid stream to a value significantly higher than the given velocity thereby removing, through momentum of the higher-velocity exit fluid stream, said undesirable material or object from said sensitive component or element;
actuating means for opening or closing said fluid flow duct to make the cleaning system operative or non-operative, respectively;
means for sensing the amount of said undesirable material or object already present on said sensitive component or element to determine if the cleaning system should be in the operative or non-operative mode; and
computer means coupling said sensing means and said actuating means to automatically and selectively put the cleaning system into the desired, operative or non-operative mode.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cleaning system for removing undesirable material from an outer surface of a critical or sensitive element relatively moving in a fluid comprises a tubular duct for the flow of the fluid medium and having an entrance end an exit end. The entrance end is oriented generally in the opposite direction of the relatively moving fluid to receive the fluid medium. The tubular duct narrows down in cross-sectional area to define a Venturi section at the exit end thereby substantially increasing the exit fluid flow velocity. The exit end is placed adjacent to and generally directed toward the outer surface causing the high-velocity exit fluid stream to remove the undesirable materials through the momentum thereof.
31 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A cleaning system for removing undesirable material or object from a sensitive component or element on a vehicle which is relatively moving in a fluid medium at a given velocity, said vehicle having a front end which faces the incoming fluid medium and a rear end which does not face the incoming fluid medium,
the density of said undesirable material or object being significantly greater than that of said fluid medium, comprising: -
wall means defining a fluid flow duct having an entrance end and a smaller-sized exit end, said entrance end generally facing said incoming fluid medium to cause the fluid medium to enter said fluid flow duct at substantially the given velocity, said wall means narrowing down in cross-sectional area from the entrance end toward the exit end to increase the velocity of the exit fluid stream to a value significantly higher than the given velocity thereby removing, through momentum of the higher-velocity exit fluid stream, said undesirable material or object from said sensitive component or element; actuating means for opening or closing said fluid flow duct to make the cleaning system operative or non-operative, respectively; means for sensing the amount of said undesirable material or object already present on said sensitive component or element to determine if the cleaning system should be in the operative or non-operative mode; and computer means coupling said sensing means and said actuating means to automatically and selectively put the cleaning system into the desired, operative or non-operative mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A cleaning system for preventing undesirable material or object contained in a fluid medium from degrading the performance of a sensitive component or element on a vehicle which is relatively moving in the fluid medium at a given velocity,
the density of said undesirable material or object being substantially greater than that of said fluid medium, comprising: -
means for forcing said relatively moving fluid stream containing said undesirable material or object to enter and flow, in its entity, in a single spiral path of a simple cross-sectional shape for generating centrifugal forces on both the moving fluid stream and the undesirable material or object; and means for centrifugally separating the undesirable material or object from the fluid stream due to the greater centrifugal force on said undesirable material or object relative to that on said less dense fluid medium, without loss of the fluid stream from said forcing means and said separating means when there is no undesirable material or object in the fluid medium and with only minimal loss of the fluid stream when there is undesirable material or object in the fluid medium. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of preventing undesirable material or object contained in a fluid medium from degrading the performance of a sensitive component or element on a vehicle which is relatively moving in the fluid medium at a given velocity, the density of said undesirable material or object being significantly greater than that of said fluid medium, comprising:
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forcing said relatively moving fluid stream containing said undesirable material or object to flow, in its entirety, in a single, spiral path of simple cross-sectional shape for generating centrifugal forces on both the moving fluid stream and the undesirable material or object; and centrifugally separating the undesirable material or object from the fluid stream , without loss of the fluid stream from said forcing step and said separating Step when there is no undesirable material or object in the fluid medium and with only minimal loss of the fluid stream when there is undesirable material or object in the fluid medium. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification