GB2418876A

GB2418876A - Fluid nozzle with internal light source.

Info

Publication number: GB2418876A
Application number: GB0422127A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jim Gilling; Christopher John Samwell
Original assignee: HYDRALECTRIC APPLIANCE CONTROL
Current assignee: HYDRALECTRIC APPLIANCE CONTROL
Priority date: 2004-10-06
Filing date: 2004-10-06
Publication date: 2006-04-12
Also published as: GB0422127D0

Abstract

The present invention provides a fluid jet nozzle for discharging a fluid jet through a surrounding liquid. The fluid jet nozzle has a nozzle part 2 that is located in the surrounding liquid in use and supplied with pressurised fluid and a light emitter 22. The light emitter 22 is adapted to emit a white or coloured light such that when the pressurised fluid is discharged as a fluid jet J though the surrounding liquid, the emitted light is substantially entrained within the fluid jet because of the principle of total internal reflection. The fluid jet nozzle can be used in place of conventional fluid jet nozzles in whirlpool baths, swimming pools and the like to create a pleasing visual effect, the fluid jet nozzle may also be used in a shower head.

Description

241 8876 - 1

TITLE

Fluid jet nozzles

DESCRIPTION

Technical Field

The present invention relates to fluid jet nozzles, and in particular to fluid jet nozzles that can be used in whirlpool baths, swimming pools and the like to discharge a jet of pressurised fluid (normally water or a mixture of water and air) through a surrounding liquid. The present invention also relates to fluid jet nozzles that can be used in shower units to discharge a "body jet" of pressurised water.

Background Art

Whirlpool baths (also called whirlpool spas and whirlpool tubs) are well known and include a number of fluid jet nozzles at spaced intervals around the perimeter wall.

Each fluid jet nozzle extends through the perimeter wall and includes a nozzle part and a mixing chamber. The nozzle part is positioned inside the perimeter wall and is completely covered with water when the whirlpool bath is in use. The mixing chamber is usually positioned outside of the perimeter wall and is supplied with re circulated pressurised water from a pump unit. Pressurised air is also fed into the mixing chamber from an air flow line. The water and air are mixed in the mixing chamber before being supplied to the nozzle part and discharged as a jet of aerated water to create a "whirlpool" effect. 1 he jets gently massage the body of the user of the whirlpool bath and can help in the treatment of back pain, arthritis and sporting injuries, as well as relieving everyday stress arid strain.

Swimming pools often have one or more fluid jet nozzles as part of their re circulation system. The fluid jet nozzles can be located in the sidewalls and/or in the floor of the swimming pool and discharge a jet of water that has previously been cleaned and filtered.

It is becoming increasingly common for certain types of shower unit to include one or more fluid jet nozzles in addition to the conventional shower head. The fluid jet - 2 nozzles are mounted in the housing of the shower unit and discharge so-called "body jets" of pressurised water towards the body of the person taking a shower.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a fluid jet nozzle for discharging a fluid jet through a surrounding liquid, the fluid jet nozzle comprising: a nozzle part that is located in the surrounding liquid in use and supplied with pressurised fluid; and a light emitter adapted to emit light such that when the pressurised fluid is discharged as a fluid jet from the nozzle part through the surrounding liquid, the emitted light is substantially entrained within the fluid jet.

The fluid jet nozzle is adapted such that the emitted light emerges from the nozzle part inside the fluid jet. Under normal circumstances, it might be expected that the emitted light would simply radiate out from the end of the nozzle part in all directions to illuminate the surrounding liquid. However, the applicant has found that the boundary layer between the moving (and often turbulent) fluid jet and the relatively stationary surrounding liquid acts to trap the emitted light inside the fluid jet. Each time the emitted light impinges on this boundary layer it is reflected back away from the boundary layer following a process similar to that of total internal reflection. The emitted light is therefore effectively entrained within the fluid jet until it starts to break up and the boundary layer no longer exists. At this point the emitted light will be fully released from the fluid jet and provide a burst of illumination.

The fluid jet nozzle can be used in place of conventional fluid jet nozzles in whirlpool baths, swimming pools and the like to create a pleasing visual effect. For example, in the case of a whirlpool bath, the user will see a number of brightly illuminated jets streaming out from around the sides of the bath and exploding in bursts of light when the jets eventually start to break up and the emitted light is fully released. The colour of the emitted light can be chosen to provide a feeling of "wel]-being" that complements the relaxing and therapeutic massaging effects of the aerated jets of the whirlpool bath. It will be readily appreciated that the visual effect is particularly striking when there is low ambient light such as at night.

The fluid jet nozzle preferably includes a mixer chamber in fluid communication with the nozzle part and supplied with pressurised fluid. The light emitter is preferably adapted to emit light towards and through the pressurised fluid in the mixer chamber.

The nozzle part can have a longitudinal axis and in this case the light emitter is preferably adapted to emit a beam of light substantially along the longitudinal axis of the nozzle part. The applicant believes that this particular arrangement helps to entrain the emitted light within the fluid jet because the light beam will impinge on the boundary layer at a very shallow angle and is therefore more likely to be reflected back away from the boundary layer. In the case where the fluid jet nozzle includes a mixer chamber, the beam of light can be directed through the pressurised fluid in the mixer chamber and along the nozzle part of the fluid jet nozzle.

The fluid jet nozzle may include a plurality of light emitters. With reference to the particular arrangement mentioned above, the plurality of light emitters can be circumferentially spaced around the periphery of a lighting unit having a longitudinal axis that is substantially coaxial with the!ongitudina! axis of the nozzle part of the fluid jet nozzle. Each of the plurality of light emitters can be angled slightly towards the longitudinal axis of the lighting unit to create a focused beam of light. The focus point for the plurality of light emitters can be selected to lie adjacent to or inside the nozzle part of the fluid jet nozzle. The lighting unit is preferably made of a transparent or translucent material and can be releasably secured to a rear part of the fluid jet nozzle in use.

Means can be provided to make sure that all available light from the light emitter or the plurality of light emitters is collected and directed towards the nozzle part. For example, the surface of the lighting unit behind the plurality of light emitters can be reflective so that any light impinging on the surface is reflected back towards the nozzle part. - 4

An optical device such as a collimating lens can be positioned in front of the light emitter or the plurality of light emitters to produce a focused beam of light, preferably substantially along the longitudinal axis of the nozzle part.

The emitted light can be white light or coloured light. For reasons of efficiency, reliability and cost, the light emitter is preferably a highbrightness light emitting diode (LED) such as those manufactured by OSRAM Opto Semiconductors Inc of San Jose, CA 95134, United States of America. However, it will be readily appreciated that any suitable light emitter can be used.

An electronic controller is preferably used to control the operation of the light emitter, either automatically or in response to a user input. T he light emitter can be controlled to emit light continuously during operation of the fluid jet nozzle or in fixed or variable pulses, for example. The intensity of the emitted light can also be selectively varied. If the fluid jet nozzle includes a plurality of light emitters then these can be chosen so that they emit light at different wavelengths. Switching on certain ones of the light emitters but not others can then selectively alter the colour of the emitted light entrained in the fluid jet. The colour of the emitted light can be kept constant or can be varied according to a preset or random pattern.

The electronic controller for the light emitter can be fully integrated with the electronic controller of the whirlpool bath, swimming pool or the like so that all the relevant operational settings (water temperature, recirculation settings, jet massage pattern, jet pressure, lighting etc.) can be selected or programmed using a single control panel or remote control unit.

The nozzle part (or mixing chamber) is preferably supplied with pressurized water or a mixture of pressurised water and pressurised air. In the latter case, it will be readily appreciated that the nozzle part discharges a jet of aerated water that can be used in a whirlpool bath to create a "whirlpool" effect. The amount of pressurised air that is supplied to the nozzle part (or mixing chamber) can be altered to change the pressure - s - or massage "hardness" of the fluid jet. The surrounding liquid is preferably predominantly water, although in some cases liquids such as chlorine or other cleaning or anti-bacterial solutions may also be present.

The present invention also provides a shower unit having one or more fluid jet nozzles for discharging a body jet, the fluid jet nozzle comprising: a nozzle part that is supplied with pressurised water; and a light emitter adapted to emit light such that when the pressurised water is discharged as the body jet from the nozzle part, the emitted light is substantially entrained within the body jet.

In this case the emitted light is trapped inside the body jet because of the difference between the refractive indices of the water and the surrounding air. It is generally recognised that total internal reflection will occur if two basic conditions are met: (i) the emitted light is located in a more optically dense medium and impinges on a boundary layer with a less optically dense medium; and (ii) the angle of incidence of the emitted light is greater than the so-called critical angle. The critical angle (i.e. the angle between emitted light and the normal to the boundary layer) can be calculated using the following formula: 2Q Sin = n' / n2 where: n' is the refractive index in the less optically dense medium; and n2 is the refractive index of the more optically dense medium.

Water has a refractive index of about 1.3333 and the surrounding air has a refractive index of about 1.0003. The critical angle for the water/air boundary layer is therefore about 49 degrees.

The emitted light will emerge from the nozzle part inside the body jet. The fluid jet nozzle will typically be mounted in the shower unit so as to direct the body jet in a - 6 substantially horizontal direction towards the body of the user. As the body jet curves slightly downwardly under the influence of gravity, the emitted light will eventually impinge on the boundary layer. However, the light emitter is adapted to make sure that the angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle for the water/air boundary layer and the emitted light will therefore be reflected back away from the boundary layer according to the principle of total internal reflection. This will happen each time the emitted light impinges on the boundary layer until the body jet hits a surface such as the body of the person taking a shower, or the wall of the shower enclosure. At this point the emitted light will be fully released from the body jet and provide a burst of 1 0 illumination.

The illuminated body jets create a pleasing visual effect and removes the need for additional lighting in the shower enclosure.

The nozzle part can have a longitudinal axis and in this case the light emitter is preferably adapted to emit a beam of light substantially along the longitudinal axis of the nozzle part. This provides that the angle of incidence of the light beam is greater than the critical angle for the water/air boundary layer.

The fluid jet nozzle for the shower unit can have the same techmical features and construction as the fluid jet nodule previously described above.

The shower unit can be an electric shower unit where cold water from the mains supply is fed directly to an electric heater unit and then supplied at pressure to the nozzle part (or mixing chamber) of the fluid jet nozzle. The shower unit can also be a thermostatic shower unit. In this case, cold water from the mains supply and hot water from a hot water tank or a combination boiler is fed separately into a mixer valve and mixed together so that the water leaving the mixer valve is at a preselected temperature. The mixing is carried out within a standard thermostatic cartridge. The mixed water is then fed to a pump unit and supplied at pressure to the nozzle part (or mixing chamber) of the fluid jet nozzle. 7

The shower unit can include a diverter valve to allow the user to supply pressurised water to the conventional shower head, the body jets or a combination of both.

Drawings Figure I is a perspective view of a fluid jet nozzle according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the fluid jet nozzle of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a horizontal crosssectional view of the fluid jet nozzle of Figure I. With reference to Figures I to 3, a fluid jet nozzle for use in a whirlpool bath includes a nozzle part 2 that is surrounded by a chrome bezel 4. The nozzle part 2 is substantially cylindrical and has a longitudinal axis L1.

A main body 6 of the fluid jet nozzle is made of a rigid plastics material and includes an outer cylindrical flange 8 having an internal screw threaded part for receiving an externally screw threaded flange of the bezel 4. The flange 8 also includes an externally screw threaded part for receiving an internally screw threaded collar 10.

To install the fluid jet nozzle in a whirlpool bath, the bezel 4 is passed through an aperture in the perimeter wall from inside the whirlpool bath. The main body 6 is then screwed onto the bezel 4 and the collar 10 is tightened until the perimeter wall of the whirlpool bath is firmly retained between the collar and the beze!. O-rings 19 are provided between the bezel 4 and the main body 6 of the whirlpool bath to provide a watertight seal.

The main body 6 of the fluid jet nozzle includes a mixing chamber 14 downstream of, and in fluid communication, with an input end 2a of the nozzle part 2. Water is drawn from an outlet of the whirlpool bath by a pump unit (not shown) and supplied at high pressure to the mixing chamber 14 through a water inlet 16. Similarly, pressurized air is supplied from an air flow line (not shown) to the mixing chamber 14 through an air inlet 18. The pressurised water and pressurised air are combined in the mixing chamber 14 before being discharged from an output end 2b of the nozzle part 2 as a jet of aerated water J. - 8 A lighting unit 20 is removably press-fitted to a rear part of the main body 6. The lighting unit 20 is made of a translucent plastics material and has eight high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs) 22 circumferentially spaced around its periphery (only two of which are shown). Each LED 22 is located in an individual recess provided in the front face of the lighting unit 20. The lighting unit 20 also includes a recess or chamber 24 in which a circuit board (not shown) containing the necessary electronic components for driving the LEDs 22 is located. The entire lighting unit 20 is therefore relatively self-contained and can be easily replaced in the event that one or more of the LEDs 22 or the electronic components fails.

The lighting unit 20 can be selected to emit white light or coloured light depending on the particular type or combination of LEDs 22 chosen. The lighting unit 20 has a longitudinal axis L2 that is substantially coaxial with the longitudinal axis L1 of the nozzle part 2. Although Figure 2 shows the longitudinal axes Ll and L2 as being exactly coaxial, the nozzle part 2 is mounted to the bezel 4 in such a way that the user of the whirlpool bath can adjust the direction of the nozzle part within predefined limits. The angle of the longitudinal axis Ll of the nozzle part 2 may therefore vary slightly with respect to the longitudinal axis L2 of the lighting unit 20. However, this variation is not sufficient to have an effect on the operation of the fluid jet nozzle as described below.

The light emitted by the LEDs 22 combines to form a beam of light in a direction along the longitudinal axis L2 of the lighting unit 20. The light beam passes through the mixing chamber 14 and along the nozzle part 2 before eventually emerging from the output end 2b of the nozzle part 2 inside the aerated jet J. Because of the location of the lighting unit 20, the light beam is travelling substantially along the longitudinal axis Ll of the nozzle part 2 when it enters the aerated jet.

As described above, a boundary layer exists between the turbulent and aerated jet and the relatively stationary and non-aerated water that surrounds it. The applicant has found that every time the light beam impinges on this boundary layer the light beam is reflected back away from the boundary layer as shown by the dotted arrow in Figure - 9 - 2. It will be readily appreciated that the dotted arrow in Figure 2 is simply to illustrate the general principle of the total internal reflection of an emitted light beam within the aerated jet and does not represent the actual path of the light beam emitted by the LEDs 22. In practice a very small percentage of the emitted light will always pass through the boundary layer so that the fluid jet appears to be lit along its full length.

The light beam is therefore effectively entrained within the aerated jet until it starts to break up and the boundary layer no longer exists. At this point the light beam will be fully released and provide a burst of illumination.

Although not shown, a fluid jet nozzle that can be mounted in the housing of a shower unit to provide a "body jet" of pressurised water has the same construction as the fluid jet nozzle described above. The only difference is that the main body does not include an air inlet because the mixing chamber is only supplied with pressurised water.

Claims

- lo - CLAIMS

1. A fluid jet nozzle for discharging a fluid jet through a surrounding liquid, the fluid jet nozzle comprising: a nozzle part that is located in the surrounding liquid in use and supplied with pressurised fluid, and a light emitter adapted to emit light such that when the pressurised fluid is discharged as a fluid jet from the nozzle part through the surrounding liquid, the emitted light is substantially entrained within the fluid jet.

2. A fluid jet nozzle according to claim l, further including a mixer chamber in fluid communication with the nozzle part and supplied with pressurised fluid.

3. A fluid jet nozzle according to claim 2, wherein the light emitter is adapted to emit light towards and through the pressurised fluid in the mixer chamber.

4. A fluid jet nozzle according to any preceding claim, wherein the nozzle part has a longitudinal axis and the light emitter is adapted to emit a beam of light substantially along the longitudinal axis of the nozzle part.

5. A fluid jet nozzle according to claim 4, further including a phrality of light emitters.

6. A fluid jet nozzle according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of light emitters are circumferentially spaced around the periphery of a lighting unit having a longitudinal axis that is substantially coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the nozzle part.

7. A fluid jet nozzle according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of light emitters is angled slightly towards the longitudinal axis of the lighting unit to create a focused beam of light. - 11

8. A fluid jet nozzle according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the lighting unit is made of a transparent or translucent material.

9. A fluid jet nozzle according to any preceding claim, wherein the light emitter is a high brightness light emitting diode (LED).

10. A fluid jet nozzle according to any preceding claim, further comprising an electronic controller for controlling the operation of the light emitter.

11. A fluid jet nozzle according to any preceding claim, wherein the nozzle part is supplied with pressurised water.

12. A fluid jet nozzle according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the nozzle part is supplied with a mixture of pressurised water and pressurised air.

13. A whirlpool bath having one or more fluid jet nozzles according to any preceding claim.

14. A shower unit having one or more fluid jet nozzles for discharging a body jet, the fluid jet nozzle comprising: a nozzle part that is supplied with pressurised fluid; and a light emitter adapted to emit light such that when the pressurised fluid is discharged as the body jet from the nozzle part, the emitted light is substantially entrained within the body jet.

1S. A shower unit according to claim 14, wherein the fluid jet nozzle further including a mixer chamber in fluid communication with the nozzle part and supplied with pressurised fluid.

16. A shower unit according to claim IS, wherein the light emitter is adapted to emit light towards and through the pressurised fluid in the mixer chamber. - 12

17. A shower unit according to any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the nozzle part has a longitudinal axis and the light emitter is adapted to emit a beam of light substantially along the longitudinal axis of the nozzle part.

18. A shower unit according to claim 17, further including a plurality of light emitters.

19. A shower unit according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of light emitters are circumferentially spaced around the periphery of a lighting unit having a longitudinal axis that is substantially coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the nozzle part.

20. A shower unit according to claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of light emitters is angled slightly towards the longitudinal axis of the lighting unit to create a focused beam of light.

21. A shower unit according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the lighting unit is made of a transparent or translucent material.

22. A shower unit according to any of claims 14 to 21, wherein the light emitter is a high brightness light emitting diode (LED).

23. A shower unit according to any of claims 14 to 22, further comprising an electronic controller for controlling the operation of the light emitter.

24. A shower unit according to any of claims 14 to 23, wherein the nozzle part is supplied with pressurised water.

25. A fluid jet nozzle substantially as herein described and with reference to the drawings.