A high-pressure valve for a spray nozzle. The high-pressure valve includes a valve inlet, a valve outlet to which the spray nozzle is attachable, a fluid connection which connects the valve inlet to the valve outlet, a movable piston, a tappet which is arranged in the fluid connection, and a flushing apparatus which flushes the high-pressure valve and/or the spray nozzle with a flushing liquid. The tappet moves between a closed position and an open position via the movable piston. A spray liquid reaches the valve outlet and/or the spray nozzle from the valve inlet via the fluid connection when the tappet is in the open position.

A fluidic oscillator having independent frequency and amplitude control includes a fluidic-oscillator main flow channel having a main flow inlet, a main flow outlet, and first and second control ports disposed at opposing sides thereof. A fluidic-oscillator controller has an inlet and outlet. A volume defined by the main flow channel is greater than the volume defined by the controller. A flow diverter coupled to the outlet of the controller defines a first fluid flow path from the controller's outlet to the first control port and defines a second fluid flow path from the controller's outlet to the second control port.

A fluidic oscillator having independent frequency and amplitude control includes a fluidic-oscillator main flow channel having a main flow inlet, a main flow outlet, and first and second control ports disposed at opposing sides thereof. A fluidic-oscillator controller has an inlet and outlet. A volume defined by the main flow channel is greater than the volume defined by the controller. A flow diverter coupled to the outlet of the controller defines a first fluid flow path from the controller's outlet to the first control port and defines a second fluid flow path from the controller's outlet to the second control port.

A synthetic jet actuator and a method for optimizing a synthetic jet actuator to meet operating requirements and physical constraints may include estimating dimension and a resonance frequency of an air cavity of the synthetic jet actuator, and using the estimated resonance frequency to the estimate dimensions of a piezoelectric actuator of the synthetic jet actuator. Individual simulations of the air cavity and piezoelectric actuator, and a coupled simulation may be performed using the estimated dimensions, and the dimensions may be revised and simulations re-executed to match the resonance frequencies of the air chamber and the piezoelectric actuator. The method maybe yield a synthetic jet actuator having a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric actuator that is approximately equal to a quarter-wavelength resonance frequency of the air cavity.

A fluidic chip defining an oscillator device for a spray system which provides a fan spray pattern of a fluid mixture at low temperature conditions while using standard fluid pump pressures. The fluidic chip configurations as described may provide a substantially stable exit fan angle at temperatures as low as about −10 degrees Celsius.

An electrically-actuated variable pressure control system for use with flow-controlled liquid application systems. Direct acting solenoid valves are pulsed at varying frequencies and duty cycles0000change the resistance to flow encountered by the flow-controlled liquid application system. This pulsing solenoid valve technique preserves a high degree of accuracy and uniformity through a wide range of pressure control. This wide range of pressure control indirectly allows the flow-controlled liquid application system to operate over a wider range of flow control, yielding indirect benefits to performance and productivity. When the solenoid valves are attached to pressure-atomization spray nozzles, control over spray pattern and droplet size is further achieved.

An electrically-actuated variable pressure control system for use with flow-controlled liquid application systems. Direct acting solenoid valves are pulsed at varying frequencies and duty cycles0000change the resistance to flow encountered by the flow-controlled liquid application system. This pulsing solenoid valve technique preserves a high degree of accuracy and uniformity through a wide range of pressure control. This wide range of pressure control indirectly allows the flow-controlled liquid application system to operate over a wider range of flow control, yielding indirect benefits to performance and productivity. When the solenoid valves are attached to pressure-atomization spray nozzles, control over spray pattern and droplet size is further achieved.

In one embodiment, a massage mode assembly for a showerhead is disclosed. The massage mode assembly includes a drive element, a cam, and a shutter. The drive element has a drive element length or diameter, depending on the shape of the drive element, and is rotatable about an axis by fluid flowing through the showerhead. The cam is connected to the drive element and rotates with the drive element. The shutter is operably engaged with the cam and has a shutter length that is longer than the drive element length and the rotation of the cam causes the shutter to move correspondingly.

A liquid material is discharged in a flying mode at a high tact by moving a needle (12) at a high speed with a small-sized drive device. A liquid droplet discharge device includes a liquid chamber (51) that is communicated with a discharge opening (60), and that is supplied with the liquid material, a needle (12) having a tip that is advanced and retracted within the liquid chamber, a drive device (2) that operates the needle (12) to advance and retract, and a displacement magnifying mechanism (3), wherein liquid droplets are discharged in a flying mode from the discharge opening (60). Even number of drive devices are disposed in a left-right symmetric relation, and the displacement magnifying mechanism (3) includes an elastically deformable U-shaped member (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) having a bottom portion to which the needle (12) is coupled.

A fluidic oscillator array includes a plurality of fluidic-oscillator main flow channels. Each main flow channel has an inlet and an outlet. Each main flow channel has first and second control ports disposed at opposing sides thereof, and has a first and a second feedback ports disposed at opposing sides thereof. The feedback ports are located downstream of the control ports with respect to a direction of a fluid flow through the main flow channel. The system also includes a first fluid accumulator in fluid communication with each first control port and each first feedback port, and a second fluid accumulator in fluid communication with each second control port and each second feedback port.