GB2399146A

GB2399146A - Filter layer for a fan blade

Info

Publication number: GB2399146A
Application number: GB0410893A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tai-Ching Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-08-22
Filing date: 2002-08-22
Publication date: 2004-09-08
Also published as: GB2392208B; GB0410893D0; GB2392208A; GB0219525D0

Abstract

A filtration layer of a fan blade comprises a base filtration material 113 and active carbon 112. The base filtration material 113 may comprise a non-woven fabric, a fibrous layer, such as fibrous polyethylene, or a polyurethane foam containing voids. The active carbon 112 may be in fibrous, powder or particulate form. The filtration layer may comprise two sheets of base filtration material 113 joined together by hook and loop fastening tape 114, with the active carbon 112 sandwiched between them. Also disclosed is a fan assembly incorporating fan blades with filtration layers. The fan assembly includes a smoke detector which activates the fan when smoke is detected and an isolation switch which switches off the fan when a protective grille is removed. The fan assembly may also include an ion generator.

Description

TITLE: FAN STRUCTURE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a fan that helps improve quality of ambient air, and more particularly, to one that contains active carbon, a smoke detector for automated start-up, and automatically cuts off the power when the mesh cover is removed.

(b) Description of the Prior Art:

USA Patents Nos. 4,477,262; 4,781,525; 6,045,329; 6,254,726 and 6,368,393 disclose the teaching of having incorporated a filtration layer to the external surface of a fan blade. The filtration layer is provided at where outside the space available for the rotation of the blade by forcing air to be either sucked or blown through the filtration layer for air filtration. However, since the function of the filtration will affect the air volume produced by the fan, the filtration layer must be made rather loosely. Consequently, the filtration result is poor since only larger particles can be filtered.

Meanwhile, as taught in USA Patents Nos. 4,753,573; 4,889,543; 5,562,412 and 5,775,876, the filtration layer is directly provided on the blade.

The filtration layer is vertically fixed on the entire (closed) blade (USA Patent to Nos. 4,753,573 and 5,562,412); or connected between two abutted blades (USA Patent No. 4,889,543); or is contained in a frame (USA Patent No. 5,562,412).

However, they are all related to ceiling fans and the filtration result is poor since the air volume is not great. Furthermore, blade for the ceiling fan is made in hollow to contain the filtration layer as disclosed in USA Patent Nos. 5,341,565 and 5,795,131. A cavity having a smaller side (below) and a larger side (above) with slats provided between both sides to receive insertion of a filtration layer as taught in USA Patent No. 5,341,565; while a cavity is also provided to be paved with a filtration layer then multiple slates in parallel to one another are provided above to restrict the filtration layer in position and with its peripheral to be fixed onto the blade as taught in USA Patent No. 5, 795,131, both found with the defective of having complicated structures.

All the examples cited above are each related to a ceiling fan. Since the ceiling fan has a lower revolution speed and creates weaker eccentric force, the filtration layer is not vulnerable to be deformed or falling off. However, in case of a standing electric fan known for greater eccentric force when all the blades are rotating, the structure of the prior art for the ceiling fan cannot be adapted at all.

All the filtration layers cited above are made in porous form, and do not provide the function of de-odorizing and sterilization at the same time.

Furthermore, all the fans cited above though provided with the filtration layer, each of the fan is operated by manual without the capacity to detect quality of the ambient air. The fan should be automatically started once the quality of the ambient air is detected that air filtration is required, particularly to some one (e.g., one suffers asthma) who is allergic to poor air quality. Therefore, there

requires further improvement of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THIS INVENTION

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a fan structure that is capable of detecting the smoke so to be automatically started to improve air quality and cutting off the power when the mesh cover is removed for safety purpose. To achieve the purpose, the present invention is essentially composed of blades, a mesh cover, filtration layers containing active carbon that mounted on the blades, a smoke detector on the mesh cover, a power interruption switch and a conductor plate so that the fan will be staked once the smoke is detected, and the conductor plate constantly connected to the power interruption switch will cut off the power once the mesh cover is removed.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a fan blade for the fan while circulating is de-odorizing and sterilizing the air. To achieve the purpose, a plurality of holes are bored through the blade to be mounted with a filtration layer containing active carbon; and the blade is either made of hard mesh material or integrated with the filtration layer containing active carbon; or the filtration layer is strictly made of active carbon.

Another purpose yet of the present invention is to provide a filtration layer containing active carbon to be mounted to the fan blade. To achieve the purpose, the filtration layer is composed of a layer of active carbon sandwiched by basic filtration materials of two layers of non-woven fabrics; or the active carbon layer is made integrated with the base filtration layer by adopting the similar method of paper making; or having the active carbon layer either sandwiched between or adhered to two or more than two layers of the base filtration material; and said filtration layer may composed of a fiber staple of the base filtration layer made of non-woven fabric, fibrous layer, polyethylene or polyurethane foam adhered with active carbon in the form of powder, particle or fiber staple; or having the active carbon powder, particles or fibers to be mixed with pulp to produce a thin layer with voids to be adapted to the fan blade.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention as assembled.

Fig. 3 is a side view showing the first and the second preferred embodiments of the present invention in use.

s Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a local part taken from Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of a fan blade of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of a second preferred embodiment of a fan blade of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of a fan blade of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is sectional view of a fourth preferred embodiment of a fan blade of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is perspective view of a fifth preferred embodiment of a fan blade of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a first preferred embodiment of a filtration layer of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of a second preferred embodiment of a filtration layer of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of a third preferred embodiment of a filtration layer of the present invention.

is Fig. 13 is a sectional view of a fourth preferred embodiment of a filtration layer of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to Fig. 1, a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is composed of four blades (1), a mesh seat (2), a mesh cover (3), a smoke detector (4), an ion generator (5), a conductor (6), and a conduction plate (7). Each of s the blades (1) is fixed with a filtration layer (11) containing active carbon, jointly driven by a motor (not illustrated, nor elaborated due to the motor is a prior art).

The mesh seat (2) is provided behind the blades (1) and the mesh cover (3) is buckled to the mesh seat (2) by means of a locking slat (31). The smoke detector (4), the ion generator (5) and the conductor (6) are all mounted on the lo mesh seat (2). A wire tube (51) is adapted to the ion generator (5) to connect the wires (prior art/not illustrated) from the said electric appliances (the smoke detector (4), the ion generator (5) and the conductor (6)) to a control circuit board (prior art, not illustrated, nor elaborated) of the electric fan. The conductor (6) is in its normally off status. The conduction plate (7) is provided on the mesh cover (3) in relation to the conductor (6). As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the conductor (6) is conducted when the mesh cover (3) is buckled to the mesh seat (2), thereby, when the smoke detector (4) automatically detects excessive smoke in the air, it sends signals to the control circuit board to command the blades (1) to rotate. Meanwhile, the ion generator (5) is also activated for the filtration to layer (11) to filter the air and to de-odorize and sterilize the air jointly by the active carbon in the filtration layer (11) and ions generated from the ion generator (5) to improve air quality.

Now referring to Fig. 2, a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is essentially composed of four blades (1A), the mesh seat (2), the mesh cover (3), the smoke detector (4), the ion generator (5), the conductor (6) and the conduction plate (7). Both of the first and the second preferred embodiments of the present invention share the same structure with the only exception that a plurality of nipples (l l lA) are provided on each of the blades (1A) to retain a filtration layer (11A) containing active carbon in the second preferred o embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 5 through 9 show the detailed structures of the blade (1) and the blade (1A) together with other preferred embodiments of the present invention. The blade (1) with its detailed structure as illustrated in Fig. 5, has provided with a through hole (12) at the center while the filtration layer (11) is made in a size slightly larger than that of the through hole (12) and adhered with its periphery to the blade (1). The filtration layer (11) merely fully covers up the through hole (12) of the blade (1) so that once the blade (1) starts to rotate, the air is blow out of the front end of the blade (1) to create instant negative pressure for the air to be sucked into where behind the blade (1) and to the front end of the blade (1) through the filtration layer (11).

As illustrated in Fig. 6, a plurality of nipples (13A) are provided on the periphery of a through hole (12A) in the blade (1A) and a plurality of dents (111A) are provided on the periphery of a filtration layer (11A) to be buckled up with the nipples (13A) for fixing the filtration layer (11A) to the blade (1A) and the filtration layer (11A) can be replaced with a new one after its use for a certain period.

In a third preferred embodiment of the fan blade as illustrated in Fig. 7, a plurality of through holes (12B) are provided in a blade (1B), and a filtration layer (11B) containing active carbon is provided on the surface of the blade (1B) and the through holes (12B) while the filtration layer (llB) may be forthwith made of active carbon and directly mounted on the blade (1B) and the through holes (12B).

As illustrated in Fig. 8, in a fourth preferred embodiment of the fan blade, a plurality of through holes (12C) are provided in a blade (1C) with the blade (1C) made integrated with a filtration layer containing active carbon.

In a fifth preferred embodiment of the fan blade as illustrated in Fig. 9, a blade (ID) is made of hard mesh material and a filtration layer (11D) containing active carbon is provided in the mesh.

The filtration layer (11) (including 11A, 11B and 11D) can be structured as illustrated in Fig. 10 through 13. The number of the filtration is not illustrated since each element related to the same filtration layer (11). Referring to Fig. 10 for a first preferred embodiment of the filtration layer (11) of the present invention, wherein, active carbon in the form of powder, particle or fiber is mixed with pulp to be made into thin layer of active carbon (112) containing voids. As illustrated in Fig. 11, in a second preferred embodiment of the filtration layer (11) has directly adhered an active carbon layer (112) to where before or behind a base filtration material (113) composed of non-woven fabric, fibrous layer, polyethylene or polyurethane foam containing voids, or the active carbon layer (112) is directly attached to where before or behind the base filtration material (113) either by adhesion, spray or any other means while the active carbon layer (112) may be in the form of powder, particle or fibrous staple.

As illustrated in Fig. 12, the filtration layer (11) in a third preferred embodiment, the active carbon layer is sandwiched between to layers of the base filtration material (113) made of non-woven fabric, fibrous layer, polyethylene or polyurethane foam containing voids, and the active carbon layer (112) may be in the form of powder, particle, fibrous staple or an single sheet. The adhesion between two layers of base filtration material (113) may be made forthwith with to adhesion (e.g. by means of ultra-sonic wave) or other means; or by means of a magic tape (114) provided on the periphery of the base filtration material (113) as illustrated in Fig. 12 so that the active carbon layer (112) can be replaced with a new one or the base filtration material (113) can be cleaned in the maintenance of the fan blade.

As illustrated in Fig. 13, in a fourth preferred embodiment of the filtration layer (11) more than two (three layers as illustrated) layers of the base filtration material (113) are provided with a layer of active carbon (112) sandwiched between any two abutted layers of the base filtration material (113).

Claims

1. A filtration layer of a fan blade is composed of a base filtration material adhered with active carbon.

2. A filtration layer of a fan blade as claimed in Claim 1, wherein, a base filtration material includes non-woven fabric, fibrous layer, or fibrous staple polyethylene or polyurethane foam containing voids.

lo

3. A filtration layer of a fan blade as claimed in Claim 1, wherein, the active carbon is in the form of powder, particle or staple.

4. A filtration layer of a fan blade as claimed in Claim 1, wherein, a base filtration material is a thin layer containing voids is made of pulp mixed with active carbon in the form of powder, particle, or fiber.

5. A filtration layer of a fan blade as claimed in Claim 1, wherein, a base filtration material and active carbon are blended in the similar method used for making pulp.

6. A filtration layer of a fan blade as claimed in Claim 1, wherein, the filtration layer is made of a layer of active carbon containing voids.

7. A filtration layer of a fan blade as claimed in Claim], wherein, two :5 layers of base filtration material are provided and provided relatively a hook side of a magic tape and a loop side of a magic tape to be buckled to each other, and the active carbon is sandwiched between the two layers of base filtration material.

so

8. A fan structure including blades and a mesh cover, each of the blades being provided with a filtration layer containing active carbon; the mesh cover containing a smoke detector, a power interruption switch and a conduction plate; the smoke detector upon detecting excessive smoke in the ambient air to start the fan; the conduction plate being connected to the power interruption switch to cut off the power once the mesh cover being s removed.

9. A fan structure as claimed in Claim 8, wherein, an ion generator is separately provided to the mesh cover.

lo

10. A fan blade providing a through hole in the blade and a filtration layer containing active carbon being provided on the surface of the blade and the through hole.

11. A fan blade as claimed in Claim 10, wherein, the filtration layer is directly composed of active carbon.

12. A fan blade as claimed in Claim 10, wherein, the blade is made of hard mesh material.

so

13. A fan blade as claimed in Claim 10, wherein, the blade is made intergraded with a filtration layer containing active carbon.

14. A fan blade as claimed in Claim 10, wherein, a plurality of nipples are provided on the blade, and a plurality of dents are provided on a filtration layer for the filtration layer to be buckled and secured to the blade.