JP2016153653A - Spiral tower fan - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tower fan capable of circulating air through a wider horizontal blower range while maintaining a constant air circulation pattern without adversely affecting the whole room circulation.SOLUTION: In a tower fan 10 having a base 14 and a column 12 coupled to the base, a blower is positioned within the column. The blower has an inlet 28 and an outlet, and the outlet twists about an exterior of the column along a longitudinal axis of the column.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Related applications
[0001] This application claims priority to US Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 313,277, filed March 12, 2010, entitled SPIRAL TOWER FAN. Insist below. The provisional patent applications referred to above are incorporated herein in their entirety.

  [0002] Tower fans are preferred in various situations because of the relatively small floor space required for tower fans only. The undesirable point is that a typical tower fan blows air only in a narrow blower range along the height of the blower. Until now, air circulation in a large range has been carried out by reciprocating a tower fan. In order to reciprocate the tower fan in this way, a second motor for enabling the tower column to reciprocate is required. In addition, by reciprocating the fan, the air circulation pattern when the fan reciprocates is not constant, which greatly hinders the circulation in the entire room. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a tower fan that can circulate air over a wider horizontal blowing range without the need for additional costs for a reciprocating motor. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a tower fan that can circulate air in a wider horizontal blowing range while maintaining a constant air circulation pattern without adversely affecting the circulation of the entire room.

  [0003] A tower fan includes a base and a column coupled to the base. A blower is placed in the column. The blower has an inlet and an outlet, and the outlet is twisted around the exterior of the column along the longitudinal axis of the column.

[0004] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a spiral tower fan. [0005] FIG. 2 is a front view of the spiral tower fan of FIG. [0006] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the spiral tower fan of FIG. [0007] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the spiral tower fan of FIG. 1 taken along line BB. [0008] FIG. 2 is a superposition of two cross-sectional views of the spiral tower fan of FIG. 1 taken along lines AA and BB, respectively. [0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a spiral blower suitable for use with the tower fan of FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a tower fan 10 includes a column 12 mounted on a base 14. The column 12 extends generally vertically along the longitudinal axis. Although column 12 may be a separate component, alternatively, column 12 and base 14 may be formed as a single integral part by molding or another manufacturing process. The base can include two halves 16 and 18 to facilitate manufacture and assembly, as shown. The foot 20 may be coupled to the base 14 so that the tower fan is placed horizontally on a surface such as a floor. A handle 19 may be placed in contact with or coupled to the column 12, thereby facilitating the user to selectively place the tower fan 10. A variable speed blower is located in the region 22 of the column 12 and is connected to a crossflow blower blade 24 (shown in FIG. 4) and extends vertically along the height 26 of the blower. The blower inlet 28 is covered by a cross guard 30 shown as a slat that may be horizontal. In some embodiments, the slats may be louvered to blur the interior of the column 12. Cross guard 30 may be coupled to vertical support 32. Cross guard 30 and vertical support 32 may be configured to limit access to blower fan blades 24. An outlet is shown provided with a generally vertical slat 31 to guide the air flow out of the blower and away from the column 12. The vertical slat 31 may be connected to the cross rib 33. Vertical slats 31 and cross ribs 33 may be configured to limit access to blower fan blades 24. A control device may be provided on the control panel 34. In the tower fan 10, the control device may be disposed on the top surface of the column 12. In another embodiment, the controller may be located on the side or base 14 of the column 12. In addition, an indicator light may be provided to visually indicate the speed of the blower or another parameter. Exemplary control devices and indicators may include an indicator light 42 for visually displaying the operating status of the power button 36, speed selector 38, timer 40 and tower fan 10.

  [0011] A recessed area 44 may be provided on the top surface of the tower fan 10, and the recessed area 44 is configured to receive and hold a remote control device (not shown) for operating the tower fan 10. May be. The remote control device may be an infrared type remote control device, in which case a remote sensor window 45 may be located on the side near the top of the tower fan 10. In another embodiment, the remote control device may be an ultrasonic type, a radio frequency type, or another alternative suitable type of remote control device.

  [0012] In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the tower fan 10 is arranged such that the base 14 is placed on the floor and the column 12 extends upward therefrom. The blower height 26 may extend from about one-half to two-thirds of the total height of the column 12, or may extend up to three-quarters or more. In some such embodiments, the blower height 26 may extend along a larger or smaller portion of the overall height of the column. The inlet 28 and the outlet of the blower are twisted about the longitudinal axis (vertical axis) of the tower fan 10. This allows the blower to guide air over a wider blowing range along the height direction of the tower fan 10 / column 12. This allows greater air circulation without using a reciprocating design.

  [0013] A power supply for the motor may be powered by a cord, and the power supply may be located in the base 14 and / or region 22. The wire route 46 forms a conduit for wiring that connects the control panel 34 to the motor and power supply.

[0014] Referring to FIG. 4, a cross section of the tower fan 10 along line BB of FIG. 2 illustrates certain aspects of the tower fan 10 in more detail. The tower fan 10 is shown to further include a column 12 that is shown formed of two pieces, a rear portion 13 and an inlet portion 48. This configuration can be selected to facilitate manufacturing, and other suitable shapes can be selected. As the blower or fan blade 24 rotates, air is drawn along a path generally indicated by an arrow. This air passes through the inlet 28 through the spatial gap to the cross guard 30 and the vertical support 32. This air flows through the inlet air cut-off 50 and is guided around the interior of the column 12. This air flow exits between vertical slats 31 which are shown to have a generally airfoil shape. This air flow is partially restricted from returning to the inlet 28 by the outlet air cutoff 52. Although the outlet air cut-off 52 is shown molded with the wire route 46, alternatively, these components may be formed separately. The front edge of the vertical slat 31 may be provided with a rounded portion 54 for generating an appropriate back pressure to reduce noise and / or vibration.

  [0015] Referring to FIG. 5, two cross-sectional views of the tower fan 10 along lines AA and BB are shown. Section BB is shown highlighted. As can be seen, the air inlet cut-off 50 is provided at the same relative position in both cross-sections, but the outlet air cut-off 52 is moved radially around the column 12 with the outlet. Lines C and D indicate the tangential direction of the end from the outlet, which makes it possible to distribute the air by 75 ° or more in the lateral direction without the need for reciprocal movement. It is also possible to achieve different angular lateral distributions by changing the exit sweep angle or the overall height of the tower. Although the vertical slats 31 are shown in a generally parallel arrangement, these slats may be arranged radially to provide an extremely wide outlet air in a given cross section.

  [0016] In another embodiment, the air blowing range may extend over 90 °, which may be suitable when the fan is placed in a corner of a generally rectangular room or work area. . In another embodiment, the air blowing range may be greater than 60 °, 180 °, 360 °, or any other desired angle. In some embodiments, a smaller version of the tower fan 10 may be used as a desktop fan, such a smaller version of the tower fan 10 being used to circulate air in an area near the user or It can be placed on another piece of furniture. In some other embodiments, the tower fan may be combined with a heating technique, such as a heating element located in the column, to have a heating function.

  [0017] Referring to FIG. 6, the blower 24 may be a spiral blower having blades 60 arranged in a spiral fashion similar to the vertical slats 31 shown in the previous figure. The blower 24 may further include a plurality of support members 62 that are fixedly connected to the blade 60. In some embodiments, a plurality of subunits composed of blades 60 that are surrounded by two support members 62 may be connected end to end, in which case an aggregate of blowers 24 is formed. In addition, two end caps 64 and 66 are provided. An end cap 66 is shown disposed at the top of the blower 24 and may be coupled to an internal structure within the column 12 to align the blower 24. The end plate 64 may be disposed at the base of the blower 24 in the vicinity of the drive motor. End plate 64 includes fins 68, apertures 70, and a central opening 72. The central opening 72 may be configured to receive a collar or another device for connecting the blower 24 to the drive shaft. Fins 68 are provided to dissipate heat from the drive motor in use. The aperture 70 is disposed between the fins 68 to draw warm air above the motor housing into the blower 24. This further assists in cooling the motor, and driving the blower 24 makes it possible to use a small and low-cost motor.

  [0018] Although several exemplary embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, the invention is not limited to only the described exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made to these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. I want to be recognized.

[0019] The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” as used in the description of the embodiments of the invention and the appended claims are also plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is intended to include.

  [0020] All technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs unless defined otherwise. All publications, patent applications, patents and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

  [0021] Further, as used herein, "comprises" and / or "comprising" indicate the presence of the stated feature, integer, step, action, element, and / or component. It should be understood that it does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass other orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

  [0022] Furthermore, the terms first and second are used herein to describe various features, elements, regions, layers and / or sections, and these features, elements, regions It should be understood that layers and / or intervals should not be limited by these words. These words are merely used to distinguish one feature, element, region, layer or section from another feature, element, region, layer or section. Accordingly, the first feature, first element, first region, first layer, or first section discussed below does not depart from the teachings of the present invention without the second feature, second , The second region, the second layer, or the second section, and the term second is the same.

  [0023] Also, when an element is shown "connected" or "coupled" to another element, the element may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there are intervening elements present Please understand. Conversely, when an element is shown as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Also, as used herein, the word “plurality” means at least two elements. Moreover, like numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0024] As described above, a number of embodiments of the novel invention have been shown and described. As is apparent from the above description, certain aspects of the invention are not limited by the specific details of the examples presented herein, and therefore other modifications and uses or equivalents thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. Is intended to come up with. As used in the above specification, the words “having” and “including” and similar words are used in the meaning of “optional”, ie, “may include”. It is used in the sense of “may be)” and is not used in the sense of “required”. However, many variations, modifications, variations and alternative uses and uses of this configuration will become apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of this specification and the accompanying drawings. These alterations, modifications, variations, and alternative uses and applications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be encompassed by the invention, and the invention is claimed below. Limited only by scope. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to only the embodiments shown herein, but rather is consistent with the entire scope consistent with the claims, and here it is the singular unless specifically stated otherwise. An element is not meant to be “one and only one” but rather is meant to mean “one or more”. All structural and functional equivalents for the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure, as known to those skilled in the art or later known to those skilled in the art, are hereby expressly incorporated by reference. And is intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

[0024] As described above, a number of embodiments of the novel invention have been shown and described. As is apparent from the above description, certain aspects of the invention are not limited by the specific details of the examples presented herein, and therefore other modifications and uses or equivalents thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. Is intended to come up with. As used in the above specification, the words “having” and “including” and similar words are used in the meaning of “optional”, ie, “may include”. It is used in the sense of “may be)” and is not used in the sense of “required”. However, many variations, modifications, variations and alternative uses and uses of this configuration will become apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of this specification and the accompanying drawings. These alterations, modifications, variations, and alternative uses and applications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be encompassed by the invention, and the invention is claimed below. Limited only by scope. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to only the embodiments shown herein, but rather is consistent with the entire scope consistent with the claims, and here it is the singular unless specifically stated otherwise. Elements are not meant to be “one and only one” but rather are meant to mean “one or more”. All structural and functional equivalents for the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure, as known to those skilled in the art or later known to those skilled in the art, are hereby expressly incorporated by reference. And is intended to be included within the scope of the claims.
(Item 1)
In tower fans,
The base,
A column connected to the base;
A blower disposed within the column, the blower having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet comprising a blower twisted around the exterior of the column along a longitudinal axis of the column Tower fan.
(Item 2)
Item 2. The tower fan of item 1, wherein the blower is an axial blower and extends along a portion of the column.
(Item 3)
Item 3. The tower fan of item 2, wherein the outlet comprises a plurality of slats having an airfoil cross-sectional shape.
(Item 4)
Item 4. The tower fan of item 3, wherein at least a portion of the slat has a rounded leading edge.

Claims (4)

In tower fans,
The base,
A column connected to the base;
A blower disposed within the column, the blower having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet comprising a blower twisted around the exterior of the column along a longitudinal axis of the column Tower fan.   The tower fan of claim 1, wherein the blower is an axial blower and extends along a portion of the column.   The tower fan according to claim 2, wherein the outlet comprises a plurality of slats having an airfoil cross-sectional shape.   The tower fan of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the slat has a rounded leading edge.

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