US20090014556A1

US20090014556A1 - Mist-Spraying Electric Fan

Info

Publication number: US20090014556A1
Application number: US11/969,123
Authority: US
Inventors: Raj Jen Gokal
Original assignee: Weatherworks
Current assignee: Weatherworks
Priority date: 2006-10-18
Filing date: 2008-01-03
Publication date: 2009-01-15
Also published as: CN200972227Y

Abstract

An electric fan with a mist-spraying device includes: a base, a support mounted on the base; a head assembly mounted on top of the support, the head assembly including a motor, fan blades driven by the motor, and a mantle housing the fan blades; a control device controlling the fan and the mist-spraying; an atomizing device disposed on the base; and a mist-spraying pipe disposed adjacent to the fan blades and connected to the atomizing device via an atomizing passage. The mist-spraying pipe is disposed at a front side of the fan blades. The mist-spraying pipe is formed with a plurality of apertures which are through holes and face the fan blades.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED-RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

None.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC
None.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed broadly relates to the field of cooling devices and more particularly relates to the field of a fan with a mist-spraying feature.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electric fans are widely used for ventilating and cooling in hot environments. Some electric fans also provide humidity in dry regions, in addition to ventilating and cooling. They accomplish this using a mist-spraying function using a mist-spraying device whose mist-spraying function is achieved by a pump. The pump is contained in a water tank having a water inlet and a water outlet and is adapted to supply water to the mist-spraying device, and the fan device, which are respectively disposed on the rear side and front side of the motor. The motor switch and pump switch are provided on the same switch seat. A water inlet pipe coupled to the pump directly passes through a fixed atomizing disc on which circumferential atomizing teeth are provided. An outlet of the water inlet pipe precisely faces a water splash disk which is rotated by the motor and has a corrugated shape. The water is splashed by the splash disc and is atomized by the impact between the splashed water and atomizing teeth. In the above mentioned solution, the fan and the atomizing device are respectively provided in the two ends of the motor, and are synchronously driven by the motor. The water mist produced by the mist-spraying device is dispersed by the fan so as to achieve an effect of humidity.
However, some problems are inherent in this misting solution. Firstly, the effects of ventilating and cooling are decreased due to the motor simultaneously driving both the fan and mist-spraying device; otherwise a large power motor is required. Secondly, the produced water mist must pass through the motor in order to be blown away by the fan device, therefore, the motor is put into contact with water mist all the time, which decreases the lifespan of the motor. Thirdly, the water is splashed by the splash disc so as to form the water mist, thus the effect of atomizing is not satisfied and is also difficult to control.
Another example is an electric fan with an automatic mist-spraying device. The fan includes an electric motor, a driving device for driving an atomizing vessel, a mist valve, a motion transmitting device, and an atomizing vessel. The driving device and motion transmitting device are coupled to a mantle of the fan. The driving device is coupled to one end of a motion transmitting device. A nozzle of the atomizing vessel is coupled to another end of the motion transmitting device. The atomizing vessel is a metal container which is disposed on the lower part of the motion transmitting device and on the casing of the automatic mist-spraying device.
The contents of the atomizing vessel are liquid and compressed air; the driving device comprises a driving motor and a small gear fixed on a shaft of the driving motor. The motion transmitting device includes a large gear of a gear assembly which is fixed on the casing and engages with the small gear; a toothed block engages with the small gear of the gear assembly; and the block is coupled to the nozzle. In this example, water mist is sprayed to the front side of the fan by the atomizing vessel, and then is blown away by the fan. However, the atomizing vessel cannot continuously provide a water mist, and the effect of the mist spraying is dramatically decreased as long as the pressure is decreasing within the vessel. In addition, it is possible to affect the ventilation of the fan if the dimension of the atomizing vessel which is disposed on the head of the fan is too large.
Therefore, there is a need for a mist-spraying electric fan which can overcome the disadvantages in the relevant art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, according to an embodiment of the invention an electric fan that sprays mist includes: a base, a support mounted on the base; and a head assembly mounted on top of the support. The head assembly includes a motor; fan blades driven by the motor and a mantle housing the fan blades. The fan further includes: a control device controlling the fan and the mist-spraying; an atomizing device disposed in the base; and a mist-spraying pipe disposed adjacent to the fan blades and connected to the atomizing device via an atomizing passage.
The mist-spraying pipe is disposed at a front side of the fan blades. The mist-spraying pipe is formed with a plurality of mist-spraying holes which are through holes and face the fan blades. The diameter of each mist-spraying hole becomes larger gradually from front to rear such that each mist-spraying hole is formed as a cone-shaped hole. The mist-spraying pipe is positioned between the fan blades and the motor and is formed with a plurality of mist-spraying holes which are open to the fan blades. Each of the mist-spraying holes has a diameter larger than those of the other mist-spraying holes whose positions on the mist-spraying pipe are below it.
The mist-spraying pipe is formed as an annular structure where the outside diameter is smaller than the rotating diameter of the fan blades, and the distance between each mist-spraying hole and a rotating center of the fan blades is 0.3-0.7 times as large as the rotating radius of the fan blades. The mist-delivering blades are provided in the base and driven by a mist-delivering motor. A water chamber is provided in the base and the atomizing device is disposed in the water chamber. A water inlet is provided in a top of the water chamber and a water tank is mounted at the water inlet. A hollow thermal insulation layer is provided inside the tank.
A water groove is provided at the water inlet, and a water inlet pipe is disposed in the water groove such that the water inlet is formed in the water inlet pipe, and wherein an outlet of the water tank is provided with a sealing cover plate, a pushing rod which is pushed to move by the water inlet pipe so as to drive the sealing cover plate to move, and a spring fitting with the pushing rod.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To describe the foregoing and other exemplary purposes, aspects, and advantages, we use the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a mist-spraying fan, according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a right-side view of the mist-spraying fan, according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the mist-spraying fan without a mantle, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a right-side view of the fan of FIG. 3, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a front view of a water tank, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of the water tank, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a mist-spraying hole, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a front view of a mist-spraying fan, according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a right-side view of the fan of FIG. 8, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows a front view of the fan of FIG. 8, with the mantle removed, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows a right sectional view of the fan of FIG. 10, according embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 shows a right sectional view of a mist-spraying fan, according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 13 shows a partial enlarged view of a region A in the fan of FIG. 12, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

While the invention as claimed can be modified into alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

We describe a mist-spraying fan which provides humidity in addition to ventilating and cooling effects.
Referring now in specific detail to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 2 through FIG. 6, there is illustrated a first embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the mist-spraying fan includes: a base 1, a support 2 mounted on the base 1, a head assembly 3 mounted on a top of the support, and a control device. The control device is a system of circuit control which controls the entire electrical operation of the fan and the mist-spraying device. The head assembly 3 includes a motor 31, fan blades 32 driven by the motor, and a mantle 33 housing the fan blades. All of the above mentioned components are well-known structures in the art.
In addition to the above-mentioned components, the mist-spraying fan according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes: an atomizing device 4 disposed in the base 1, a mist-spraying pipe 5 disposed adjacent to the fan blades 32 and in this embodiment the mist-spraying pipe is disposed on a front side of the fan blades, the mist-spraying is connected to the atomizing device via an atomizing passage 6.
In this embodiment, the atomizing device is an ultrasonic vibrating atomizer which generates a cold water vapor (mist) from water, using a process known as “cold boiling.” The main purpose of the atomizing device is to generate mist; therefore, the atomizing device can be any other atomizing device with a different structure, as long as it achieves its purpose. The mist-spraying pipe is disposed on the front side of the fan blades so that the mist ejected from the mist-spraying pipe is dispersed by rotation of the fan blades. As can be seen, in this embodiment no mist passes through the motor so that the mist does not cause corrosion and damage to the motor.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the atomizing passage 6 is located in a channel inside the support 2 whose top connects to the mist-spraying pipe. For simplification, the support 2 may be manufactured as a hollow structure, and the hollow chamber of the support 2 and the mist-spraying pipe are connected so as to form the atomizing passage.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in the above mentioned embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of mist-spraying holes 51 is disposed on the mist-spraying pipe; the mist-spraying holes are through holes and face to the fan blades. The fan blades produce wind, and while the wind passes through the mist-spraying holes, the mist inside the mist-spraying holes is dispersed by the wind, while simultaneously forming a vacuum in the upper portion of the mist-spraying pipe so that the mist located in the lower part is sucked up and ejected.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in the above mentioned embodiment of the present invention, one of the mist-spraying holes has a diameter larger than those of the other mist-spraying holes whose positions on the mist-spraying pipe are below that of the one mist-spraying hole on the mist-spraying pipe, that is, the higher the position of a mist-spraying hole on the mist-spraying pipe is, the larger the diameter of the mist-spraying hole.
The amount of the mist ejected from the holes varies with the change in height of the holes. The mist-spraying hole at the lowest position ejects the greatest amount of mist, whereas the mist-spraying hole at the highest position ejects the least amount of mist. Because of this, one of the mist-spraying holes has a diameter larger than those of the other mist-spraying holes whose positions on the mist-spraying pipe are below that of the one mist-spraying hole on the mist-spraying pipe, e.g. the diameter of the mist-spraying hole at the highest position on the mist-spraying pipe is the largest, and the lower the position of a mist-spraying hole on the mist-spraying pipe is, the smaller the diameter of the mist-spraying is, thereby the amount of the mist ejected in the lowest position can be limited, and the amount of the mist ejected in the highest position can be increased, as a result that the ejected amount of the mist between top and bottom are basically equal. The effect of atomizing is also improved by the equal ejection of the mist to the fan blades 32.
Referring to FIG. 7, in the above mentioned embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of each mist-spraying hole becomes larger gradually from front to rear such that each mist-spraying hole is formed as a cone-shaped hole, e.g. an end of the mist-spraying hole which is close to the fan blades is large, and the other end of the mist-spraying hole from which the mist is ejected is small, with such structure, the mist can re-atomize again and the effect of atomizing is improved.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in the above mentioned embodiment of the present invention, the mist-spraying pipe is in the form of an annular structure and the outside diameter is smaller than the rotating diameter of the fan blades, and the distance between each mist-spraying hole and a rotating center of the fan blades is 0.3-0.7 times as large as the rotating radius of the fan blades. For instance, the distance between the mist-spraying hole and a rotation center of the fan blades is 0.5 times as large as the rotation radius of the fan blades in this embodiment. The above-mentioned structure produces more efficient suction of the mist inside the mist-spraying pipe 5.
Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, in the above mentioned embodiment of the present invention, a water chamber 11 is disposed inside the base 1, and the atomizing device 4 is mounted in the water chamber 11. The water chamber 11 contains water so that the atomizing device 4 conveniently atomizes water. It is advantageous for using the base 1 as a water container: firstly, the structure of the present invention becomes more compact by saving space; secondly, because the base 1 contains water, the fan can stand steadier and hardly fall down.
Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, a water inlet 111 is disposed on the top of the water chamber 11, and a water tank 7 is installed on the place of the water inlet 11. The tank 7 can contain more water such that the period of the continual atomizing is increased. A hollow thermal insulation layer 75 is provided inside the tank 7, therefore the temperature of water inside the tank can be ensured. If cold mist is needed, the hollow thermal insulation layer can maintain the temperature of cold water contained in the water tank, therefore cold mist can be provided as needed. The present invention ensures the stability of the internal water temperature and makes the temperature of the ejected mist steady, thus it is advantageous for adjusting the environmental temperature.
Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, a water groove 112 is provided at the water inlet 111, a water inlet pipe 113 is disposed in the water groove 112, the water inlet 111 is disposed on the water inlet pipe 113, an outlet of the water tank is provided with a sealing cover plate 72, with a pushing rod 73 which drives the sealing cover plate 72 move and with a spring 74 which fits with the pushing rod 73 by the water inlet pipe so as to drive the sealing cover plate to move, and with a spring fitting with the pushing rod.
When the water tank 7 is mounted on the base 1, the water inlet pipe 113 can push the pushing rod 73, then the pushing rob 73 pushes the sealing cover plate 72 to move toward to the water tank, thus the outlet of water is opened, and the water of the water tank flows into the water chamber 11 via the water inlet 111 of the water inlet pipe 113. When the water chamber 11 is full, the water groove 112 stores water until the level of water reach a position of the water outlet and then water no longer flows out from the water tank. However, when the level of water drops, the water tank starts providing water again, thus there is always enough water in the water chamber. The existence of the sealing cover plate 72 prevents water from flowing out from the water outlet 71 as the water tank is being lifted.
Referring to FIG. 8-FIG. 11, in a second embodiment, the present invention comprises a base 1, a support 2 mounted on the base 1, a head assembly 3 mounted on a top of the support, and a control device. The control device is a system of circuit control which controls the entire electrical operation of the fan. The head assembly 3 includes a motor 31, fan blades 32 driven by the motor and a mantle 33. An atomizing device 4 is disposed in the base 1, a mist-spraying pipe 5 is disposed between the fan blades 32 and the motor 31. The mist-spraying device is connected to the atomizing device via an atomizing passage 6. In this case, the atomizing device is an ultrasonic vibrating atomizer which can produce mist from water. A main purpose of the atomizing device is to generate mist, therefore, the atomizing device can be any other atomizing device and can have a different structure.
The mist-spraying pipe is disposed on the back side of the fan blades, thus the mist generated by the atomizing device is sucked from the mist-spraying pipe via atomizing passage 6, due to vacuum formed at the rear of the fan blades while the fan blades are rotating. Because the mist-spraying pipe 5 is disposed between the fan blades 32 and the motor 31, there is no mist passing through the motor so that the mist will not cause any corrosion and damage to the motor.
Referring to FIG. 8-FIG. 11, in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of mist-spraying holes 51 are disposed on the mist-spraying pipe, the openings of the mist-spraying holes face to the fan blades. The mist-spraying holes are adjacent to the fan blades so that the mist is easily ejected. The other structures of this embodiment are identical to the structures of the first embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, in a third embodiment of the present invention, mist-delivering blades 61 are provided in the base and driven by a mist-delivering motor 62. The mist-delivering blades 61 blow the mist generated by the atomizing device 4 into the atomizing passage 6, when the suction force of the fan blades 32 is small, the mist can also be ejected from the mist-spraying pipe 5. As a result that the ejection of the mist is not limited by the intensity of wind of the fan blades, e.g. the mist ejection of the electric fan is not affected by the speed of fan blades. The other structures of this embodiment are identical with the structure of the above mentioned embodiments.
Although explanatory embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes, alternatives, and modifications can be made in the embodiments without departing from spirit and principles of the invention. Such changes, alternatives, and modifications all fall into the scope of the claims and their equivalents.
Therefore, while there has been described what are presently considered to be the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other modifications can be made within the spirit of the invention. The above descriptions of embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting in scope. The embodiments, as described, were chosen in order to explain the principles of the invention, show its practical application, and enable those with ordinary skill in the art to understand how to make and use the invention. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but rather should be interpreted within the full meaning and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electric fan that sprays a mist, comprising:

a base;

a support mounted on the base;

a head assembly mounted on top of the support and comprising a motor, fan blades driven by the motor, and a mantle housing the fan blades;

a control device controlling the fan and the mist-spraying;

an atomizing device disposed in the base; and

a mist-spraying pipe disposed adjacent to the fan blades and connected to the atomizing device via an atomizing passage.

2. The fan of claim 1, wherein the mist-spraying pipe is disposed at a front side of the fan blades.

3. The fan of claim 2, wherein the mist-spraying pipe comprises a plurality of mist-spraying apertures which are through holes and face the fan blades.

4. The fan of claim 3, wherein the mist-spraying apertures are conical, such that an opening at a front end of the aperture is larger than an opening at a rear end of the aperture.

5. The fan of claim 4, wherein the aperture opening increases in diameter from front to rear.

6. The fan of claim 1, wherein the mist-spraying pipe is disposed between the fan blades and the motor.

7. The fan of claim 6, wherein the mist-spraying pipe comprises a plurality of mist-spraying holes which are opened to the fan blades.

8. The fan of claim 7, wherein one of the mist-spraying holes has a diameter larger than those of the other mist-spraying holes whose positions on the mist-spraying pipe are below that of the one mist-spraying hole on the mist-spraying pipe.

9. The fan of claim 1, wherein the mist-spraying pipe is an annular structure and its outside diameter is smaller than a rotating diameter of the fan blades, and the distance between each mist-spraying hole and a rotating center of the fan blades is 0.3-0.7 times as large as a rotating radius of the fan blades.

10. The fan of claim 1, wherein mist-delivering blades are provided in the base and driven by a mist-delivering motor.

11. The fan of claim 1, wherein a water chamber is provided in the base and the atomizing device is disposed in the water chamber.

12. The fan of claim 11, wherein a water inlet is provided in a top of the water chamber and a water tank is mounted at the water inlet.

13. The fan of claim 11, wherein a hollow thermal insulation layer is provided inside the tank.

14. The fan of claim 11, wherein a water groove is provided at the water inlet, and a water inlet pipe is disposed in the water groove such that the water inlet is formed in the water inlet pipe, and wherein an outlet of the water tank is provided with a sealing cover plate, a pushing rod which is pushed to move by the water inlet pipe so as to drive the sealing cover plate to move, and a spring fitting with the pushing rod.