| 摘要 |
A display apparatus for providing entertaining visual aesthetic effects utilizes pressurized flowing air to propel lightweight beads into the air in arc-shaped trajectories which suggest the paths of water droplets from a water fountain. The beads are propelled upwardly from tubular bead discharge nozzles which protrude upwardly from a collection platform. Each nozzle has therethrough a bore which has a lower entrance opening for receiving pressurized flowing air, and circumferentially spaced apart bead entrance notches which penetrate the tubular side wall and a lower transverse end wall of the nozzle adjacent to the collection platform. Beads which have been propelled into the air and fallen back onto the platform are drawn into the nozzle entrance opening by a venturi effect, thus providing a recirculating levitated beads fountain display. In an embodiment utilizing individual rotary fans to provide pressurized flowing air to individual bead discharge nozzles, a flow straightener duct containing longitudinally disposed baffles is mounted between each fan and nozzle, to minimize cyclonic movement of beads discharged from the nozzle. Optionally, the apparatus is provided with novel valves which enable air flow rates and hence bead discharge heights from each of a plurality of nozzles to be independently controlled. The apparatus also is optionally provided with sound activated and/or computer controlled illumination sources for varying the color and intensity of illumination of levitated beads, thus implementing a light-show effect.
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