GB2031068A - Electric ceiling fans - Google Patents

Abstract

The fan comprises a shaft 1 having an arrangement 3 at its upper end to enable the fan to be suspended from a ceiling, a fan housing 9 having fan blades fixedly secured thereto, an electric motor comprising a rotor contained within and mounted on the fan housing 9 and a stator mounted on the lower end of the shaft, the shaft having at least one bearing thereon supporting the fan housing and permitting the fan housing to rotate about the shaft, a capacitor 7 for reducing the impedance of the electric motor and a canopy (not shown) enclosing said arrangement for suspending the fan from a ceiling. In order to avoid the necessity of providing a second canopy at the lower end of the shaft, the capacitor 7 is located at the upper end of the shaft, within the canopy. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electric ceiling fans This invention relates to electric ceiling fans.

Conventional ceiling fans comprise a tubular shaft, the upper end of which is split to receive a rubber wheel. The fan is then suspended from the ceiling by means of a hook which grips the rubber wheel. The rubber wheel is secured in the split end by passing a pin through apertures in each of the divided parts of the shaft at the split end and through the wheel, the pin being held in place by a nut or split pin. For aesthetic reasons, a canopy is provided to cover the split end of the shaft. The electrical wiring from the mains is fed through the tubular shaft. At the lower end of the shaft a rigid casing is provided which houses a capacitor which is provided to reduce the impedance of an electric motor which drives the fan.The stator of the electric motor is mounted on the lower end of the shaft, together with bearings about which the fan housing, on which is mounted the fan blades, rotates. The rotor of the electric motor is secured to the fan housing. A second canopy is provided at the lower end of the shaft to cover the casing which houses the capacitor, the second canopy extending outwardly from the shaft, the bottom of the canopy being in the proximity of the top of the fan housing.

According to the invention, there is provided an electric ceiling fan comprising a shaft having an arrangement at one end to enable the fan to be suspended from a ceiling, a fan housing having a plurality of fan blades fixedly secured thereto, an electric motor comprising a rotor and a stator contained within said fan housing, the rotor being mounted on the fan housing and the stator being mounted on the other end of said shaft, the shaft having at least one bearing thereon supporting said fan housing and about which the housing rotates in use, a capacitor for reducing the impedance of said electric motor, the capacitor being located at said one end of the shaft, and a canopy enclosing said suspending arrangement and said capacitor.

Thus, by virtue of the arrangement according to the invention, there is no longer any need to provide a second canopy at the lower end of the shaft, thus resulting in a considerable saving in manufacturing costs.

It should be understood that the term "shaft" as used herein includes within its scope an arrangement comprising a so-called downrod having the fitting to enable the fan to be suspended from the ceiling at one end and a so-called uprod on which the bearing for the fan housing and stator are mounted, the downrod and uprod being connected together as disclosed in co-pending application no. 52997/77 (Serial No.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the capacitor is mounted within the split end of the shaft.

In a preferred feature of the invention, the split end of the shaft is hooked, and a rubber wheel for mounting the fan on the ceiling is mounted on a pin which is then furnished with securing means such as a circlip or split pin at each end.

In order to install the fan, the wheel is mounted on the hook suspended from the ceiling. The assembled fan with the blades installed is then suspended from the pin by passing the hooked split end of the shaft over the pin, each part of the split end passing between the wheel and one of the circlips or split pins. This operation can be carried out with the shaft more or less vertical, thus enabling the fan to be suspended from the hook with the fan blades already installed on the fan housing. In contrast, with a conventional ceiling fan, the rubber wheel is installed between the split ends of the shaft during manufacture. Then, in order to suspend the fan from the hook it is necessary to pivot the shaft about the axis of the wheel. This can only be done when the fan blades are detached from the fan housing, in order to avoid the blades fouling the ceiling.The blades then have to be mounted on the housing after the shaft has been suspended from the ceiling.

In a further preferred feature, the base of the fan housing is constructed so as to permit an electric light socket to be inserted, or, if the electric light is not required, to mount a removable plate for covering the aperture for the electric light socket.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of an electric ceiling fan according to the invention, the fan blades being omitted for the sake of clarity; Figure 2 is an elevation of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the upper end of the shaft; Figure 3 is a view of the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 fitted with a light socket; and Figure 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 showing a removable plate covering an aperture for the light socket shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in the drawings, an electric ceiling fan comprises a tubular shaft~ 1, the upper end of which is split into two parts 2 to receive a rubber wheel 3 therebetween to enable the fan to be suspended from a ceiling by means of a hook passing round the wheel 3.

The divided parts 2 of the shaft 1 each have an L-shaped slot 4 therein to receive a pin 5 carrying the wheel 3, so that each part 2 effectively forms a hook, the pin 5 being provided with securing means in the form of a circlip 6 at each end. By virtue of this form of construction, the arrangement which enables the fan to be suspended from a ceiling can be assembled by first passing the pin 5 through the wheel 3, placing the circlips 6 on the pin 5, and then inserting the pin 5 in the slots 4.

This avoids the necessity of aligning the axial aperture of the wheel 3 with apertures in the split ends of the shaft before the pin can be inserted.

A capacitor 7 is mounted between the split ends of the shaft 1 for reducing the impedance, and hence the power consumption, of the electric motor of the fan. The capacitor 7 is secured to the shaft by means of a strap 8 passing around one of the split ends 2.

A fan housing 9 is provided at the lower end of the shaft 1, the fan housing being provided with means for fixedly securing a plurality of fan blades thereto, the blades being omitted from the drawings for the sake of clarity. The end of the shaft 1 within the housing has the stator of the electric motor mounted thereon, and the rotor of the electric motor is mounted on the inside of the housing 9. The lower end of the shaft 1 is further provided with bearings (not shown) supporting the fan housing 9 and allowing the housing to rotate about the axis of the shaft 1.

Since the capacitor 7 is provided at the upper end of the shaft, it can be encased by the canopy (not shown) which is conventionally provided at the upper end of the shaft to enclose the fitting for suspending the fan from a ceiling. The fan thus does not require a second canopy as is conventionally provided at the lower end of the shaft, extending downwardly and outwardly from the shaft and terminating in the vicinity of the upper surface of the fan housing. As shown in Fig. 1, the shaft 1 passes cleanly through an aperture in the upper surface of the housing 9.

The fan may further comprise a light socket 10 which is mounted on the lower end of the shaft 1 and extends through an aperture in the underside of the rotatable fan housing, as shown in Fig. 3. If a light socket is not required, a removable plate 11 may be provided on the underside of the fan housing to cover the aperture therein, as shown in Fig. 4.

Claims (7)

1. An electric ceiling fan comprising a shaft having an arrangement at one end to enable the fan to be suspended from a ceiling, a fan housing having a plurality of fan blades fixedly secured thereto, an electric motor comprising a rotor and a stator contained within said fan housing, the rotor being mounted on the fan housing and the stator being mounted on the other end of said shaft, the shaft having at least one bearing thereon supporting said fan housing and about which the housing rotates in use, a capacitor for reducing the impedance of said electric motor, the capacitor being located at said one end of the shaft, and'a canopy enclosing said suspending arrangement and said capacitor.

2. A fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper end of the shaft comprises two parts, means for suspending the fan from a ceiling being provided between the two parts of the shaft.

3. A fan as claimed in claim 2, wherein said capacitor is situated between said two parts of the shaft.

4. A fan as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein said two parts of the shaft form hooks by means of which the shaft is suspended in use from a pin passing through a wheel, securing means being provided at each end of said pin, each said part of the shaft being between said wheel and one of said securing means.

5. A fan as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising means for mounting a socket for an electric light bulb on the lower end of said shaft, the socket extending through an aperture in said fan housing when present.

6. A fan as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a removable plate mounted on said fan housing to cover said aperture.

7. An electric ceiling fan substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.