1. An air inlet arrangement for use with a supersonic jet engine configured to consume air at a predetermined mass flow rate when the supersonic jet engine is operating at a predetermined power setting and moving at a predetermined Mach speed, the air inlet arrangement comprising:
a cowl having a cowl lip; and
a center body coaxially aligned with the cowl, the center body having an apex, a first compression surface downstream of the apex, and a second compression surface downstream of the first compression surface, the second compression surface being spaced apart from the cowl lip such that the second compression surface and the cowl lip define an inlet,
wherein a protruding portion of the center body extends upstream of the cowl lip for a length greater than a conventional spike length and wherein the protruding portion of the center body is configured to divert a portion of a flow of air located in a path of the inlet out of the path of the inlet such that a remaining flow of air approaching and entering the inlet is not greater than the predetermined mass flow rate when the supersonic jet engine is operating at the predetermined power setting and moving at the predetermined Mach speed.
2. The air inlet arrangement of claim 1, wherein the cowl lip is oriented at an angle substantially parallel to a direction of a free stream.
3. The air inlet arrangement of claim 1, wherein the inlet has an annular configuration.
4. The air inlet arrangement of claim 1, further comprising an expansion surface disposed between the first compression surface and the second compression surface.
5. The air inlet arrangement of claim 4, wherein the first compression surface is contiguous with the expansion surface and wherein the expansion surface is contiguous with the second compression surface.
6. The air inlet arrangement of claim 1, wherein the second compression surface is an isentropic compression surface.
7. The air inlet arrangement of claim 1, wherein the second compression surface is a relaxed isentropic compression surface.
8. An air inlet arrangement for use with a supersonic jet engine configured to consume air at a first predetermined mass flow rate when the supersonic jet engine is operating at a predetermined power setting and moving at a predetermined Mach speed, the air inlet arrangement comprising:
a cowl having a cowl lip;
a center body coaxially aligned with the cowl, the center body having an apex, a first compression surface downstream of the apex, and a second compression surface downstream of the first compression surface, the second compression surface being spaced apart from the cowl lip such that the second compression surface and the cowl lip define an inlet; and
a bypass splitter disposed between the cowl and the center body to form a bypass configured to receive air at a second predetermined mass flow rate when the supersonic jet engine is operating at the predetermined power setting and moving at the predetermined Mach speed,
wherein a protruding portion of the center body extends upstream of the cowl lip for a length greater than a conventional spike length and wherein the protruding portion of the center body is configured to divert a portion of a flow of air located in a path of the inlet out of the path of the inlet such that a remaining flow of air approaching and entering the inlet is not greater than the first predetermined mass flow rate and the second predetermined mass flow rate combined when the supersonic jet engine is operating at the predetermined power setting and moving at the predetermined Mach speed.
9. The air inlet arrangement of claim 8, wherein the cowl lip is oriented at an angle substantially parallel to a direction of a free stream.
10. The air inlet arrangement of claim 8, wherein the inlet has an annular configuration.
11. The air inlet arrangement of claim 8, further comprising an expansion surface disposed between the first compression surface and the second compression surface.
12. The air inlet arrangement of claim 11, wherein the first compression surface is contiguous with the expansion surface and wherein the expansion surface is contiguous with the second compression surface.
13. The air inlet arrangement of claim 8, wherein the second compression surface is an isentropic compression surface.
14. The air inlet arrangement of claim 8, wherein the second compression surface is a relaxed isentropic compression surface.
15. A method of making an air inlet arrangement for use with a supersonic jet engine configured to consume air at a first predetermined mass flow rate when the supersonic jet engine is operating at a predetermined power setting and moving at a predetermined Mach speed, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a cowl and a center body, the cowl having a cowl lip and the center body having an apex, a first compression surface downstream of the apex, and a second compression surface downstream of first compression surface;
positioning the center body with respect to the cowl such that:
the center body is coaxial with the cowl,
a protruding portion of the center body extends upstream of the cowl lip for a length greater than a conventional spike length, and
the second compression surface is spaced apart from the cowl lip such that the second compression surface and the cowl lip define an inlet,
wherein the protruding portion of the center body is configured to divert a flow of air located in a path of the inlet out of the path of the inlet such that a remaining flow of air approaching and entering the inlet is not greater than the first predetermined mass flow rate when the supersonic jet engine is operating at the predetermined power setting and moving at the predetermined Mach speed.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein providing the center body comprises providing a center body having a second compression surface configured to cause isentropic compression.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein providing the center body comprises providing a center body having a second compression surface configured to cause relaxed isentropic compression.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein providing the center body comprises providing a center body having an expansion surface disposed between the first compression surface and the second compression surface.
19. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing a bypass splitter and positioning the bypass splitter between the cowl and the center body to form a bypass configured to receive air at a second predetermined mass flow rate when the supersonic jet engine is operating at the predetermined power setting and moving at the predetermined Mach speed, and wherein the center body is configured to divert the flow of air that is located in the path of the inlet out of the path of the inlet such that the remaining flow of air approaching and entering the inlet is not greater than the first predetermined mass flow rate and the second predetermined mass flow rate combined when the supersonic jet engine is operating at the predetermined power setting and moving at the predetermined Mach speed.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein providing the center body comprises providing a center body having an expansion surface disposed between the first compression surface and the second compression surface and wherein the second compression surface is configured to cause relaxed isentropic compression.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A clothes washing machine comprising:
a control unit;
a washing tub;
a drum which is rotatable within the washing tub about a horizontal or inclined center of rotation and capable of containing items of laundry to be washed;
a door assembly for closing the tub and having a conical portion penetrating into the tub;
an annular gasket interposed between the door assembly and the washing tube;
a zone defined by the space between the annular gasket and the door assembly; and
a sensing device configured to sense at least an item of laundry in at least a portion of the zone and provide the control unit with a signal indicative of the presence of the at least an item of laundry.
2. A washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device comprises a laundry guard configured to measure the pressure exerted by items of laundry against the laundry guard.
3. A washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device comprises an optical sensor adapted to detect when an item of laundry intercepts a predetermined light path.
4. A washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device comprises an electrical sensor having at least two electrodes disposed in the zone.
5. A washing machine according to claim 4, wherein the electrodes are disposed on the gasket.
6. A washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to reverse the drum rotation when an item of laundry is detected in at least a portion of the zone.
7. A washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to modify the cycle of the washing machine according to the signal from the sensing device.
8. A washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device comprises a luminance sensor.
9. A washing machine according to claim 1, and further comprising a display for indicating the presence of the at least an item of laundry in at least a portion of the zone.
10. A clothes washing machine comprising:
a control unit,
a washing tub,
a drum which is rotatable within the washing tub about a horizontal or inclined center of rotation and capable of containing the items to be washed,
a door assembly for closing the tub and having a conical portion penetrating into the tub,
an annular gasket interposed between the door assembly and the washing tub, and
a sensing device comprising a laundry guard configured to measure the pressure exerted by items of laundry against the laundry guard disposed in a zone of the annular gasket, wherein the sensing device detects when at least an item of laundry is present between the annular gasket and the door assembly and provides the control unit with a signal indicative of the presence of the item of laundry.
11. A washing machine according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is adapted to reverse the drum rotation when an item of laundry is detected between the annular gasket and the door assembly.
12. A washing machine according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is adapted to modify the cycle of the washing machine according to the signal from the sensing device.
13. A washing machine according to claim 10, further comprising a display for indicating the presence of an item of laundry between the annular gasket and the door assembly.
14. A clothes washing machine comprising:
a control unit;
a washing tub;
a drum which is rotatable within the washing tub about a horizontal or inclined center of rotation and capable of containing the items to be washed;
a door assembly for closing the tub and having a conical portion penetrating into the tub;
an annular gasket interposed between the door assembly and the washing tub; and
a sensing device disposed in a zone of the annular gasket;
wherein the sensing device comprises an electrical sensor having at least two electrodes disposed in the zone and detects when at least an item of laundry is present between the annular gasket and the door assembly and provide the control unit with a signal indicative of the presence of the item of laundry.
15. A washing machine according to claim 14, wherein the electrodes are disposed on the gasket.