US2233588A - Fan - Google Patents

Description

March 4, 1941. J CROOK 2,233,588

FAN

.Filed Aug. 18, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. D. CROOK March 4, 1941'.

FAN

Filed Aug. 18, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 4, 1941 {UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 15 Claims.

My invention relates to fans and specifically to a simple, inexpensive and effective means for causing a rotary fan, with its guard and motor, to oscillate or to rotate with reference to its base.

Another object of the invention is to provide ,an oscillatory fan with means whereby the length of the oscillations may be adjusted.

Referring to the drawings, which are made a part of this application and in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, illustrating the use of my invention. 7

Figure 2, a side elevation of the same. Figure 3, a section through the fan base, showing the adjustable stroke-limiting means.

Figure 4, a similar view showing another position of the stroke-limiting means.

Figure 5, a vertical section showing electrical iconnections, such as preferably used in connection with a fan mounted for rotation, e. g., about a vertical axis.

Figure 6, aside view of a modified valve or closure, and; .Figure '7, an elevation of the same.

In the drawings, reference character In indicates the stationary base of a fan, to which is connected an upper adjustable portion II by means of a horizontal pivot bolt l2, in well known manner.

and an upwardly extending neck I4.

to the shoulder l3 by means of a flanged collar '18 secured to the shoulder l3 by screws, there being roller bearings l9 interposed between flange l1 and co-acting members l3 and I8.

Current is supplied to the motor by means of conductors 20 andv 2| leading to spring-pressed stationary contacts 2223 which engage respectively with a contact ring and a contact 25. The contact ring 24 is connected to aconductor 26 and the contact 25 is connected to a conductor 21, contacts 24 and 25 being mounted in an insulating block 28 which rotates or oscillates with the support I6, as the case may be, while contacts 22 and 23 are mounted in an in-- sulating block 29 on the adjustable member H of the base Ill.

The impellerfor air comprises the fan shaft 3| carried by the armature or motor l5, as usual, and the fan blades 32, These parts and the skeleton or openwork guard may be of any desirable or conventional form. In the present case the guard l'iasfront andrearrings-SB and 34 sup- The part II has a shoulder l3 The fan, motor I5 is mountedon a tubular support l6 which has at its lower end a flange 11 connected ported by radially extending bars 35 connected to a boss 35' said rings being connected by cross bars 36, which may be integral with the radial bars 35. In effect these cross bars .act as brackets to support valves now to be described. 5

For producing an oscillatory movement of the fan without the use of any gears or other complicated and expensive devices I provide valves or closure members 3'! at opposite sides of the fan, these valves being shown as consisting of arcuate strips of sheet metal or the like each provided at its upper end with hook-shaped ears 38 adapted to be hooked over a suitable support, here shown as consisting of a cross member 36 of the guard. At their lower ends these valves have upwardly extending hooks 39 for engagement with the end portions 40 of an .arcuate yoke member 4 here shown as a wire bent at its middie to provide a downwardly extending lug or finger 42 projecting from said yoke and having a 0 buffer sleeve of rubber or the like, shown at 43. It will be seen that the connector 4| maintains the valves 3|31 in a substantially constant spaced relation with reference to each other, such that either valve may be in contact with the fan guard while the other is substantially spaced therefrom, as at the right in Figure 1, or both valves may be spaced equally from the fan guard if desired. -It will be noted that cross member 36 adjacent the lower ends of the valves are also provided with buffers, preferably in the form of rubber sleeves 44 to deaden the shock when struck by a valve 31 and to eliminate noise caused by such shocks.

For limiting the extent of oscillation I provide controlling means, here shown as consisting in a pair of fingers 45 and 46 pivotally supported on a projection 41 having a threaded neck 48 and a winged nut 49 thereon for clamping the fingers in adjusted position. In Figure 3 these fingers are shown as positioned to afford an oscillation over an arc of about 90, which is regarded as the normal oscillation. Figure 4 shows the fingers at the limit of their inward movement toward each other, where no oscillation of the fan is permitted, the valves bein held equi-distant from the fan at both sides thereof. It will be obvious that these fingers may be set .at any point between the wide open position of Figure 3 and the iullyclosed position of Figure 4. s

The form oibas'e and electrical connections shown in Figure 5 is particularly adapted for a fan which rotates continuously in one direction around its base, since-such a construction prevents twisting of the conductor and consequent 2E i i."

breakage. Such a form is, however, also Well suited for use with an oscillatory fan, for similar reasons. When it is desired that the fan shall rotate continuously in one direction the yoke 4| and the control members 45 and 46 may be omitted, as well as one of the valves. In such cases a single valve such as shown in Figures 6 and '7 is attached to one side of the fan guard and this is preferably not attached pivotally as in Figure 1 but is formed with lugsil at opposite ends' of the body 52 for hooking over a pair of cross members 36 ofthe fan guard.

In the use of a single valve for continuous rotation of the fan the valve will be attached to one side or the other of the guard, according to which direction of bodily rotation is preferred.

If a single valve 52 is attached to the left hand side of the guard in Figure 1', in the manner ,de-' scribed the fan will rotate continuousl to the right in said figure for the reason that theair passes the inside of the valve at greater speed than on the outside of the valve and the pressure of the air on the inside of the valve is less because of such difference in air speed; also the air outside the valve is moving forwardly and inwardly thus creating a pressure more than normal on the outside of the valve. These unequal pressures on the valve cause the fan to oscillate. The nearer the valve is to the tip of the fan blades the faster will be the rotation as the faster will be the passage of the ,air and the greater the reduction of air pressure on the inside of the valve. If the valve i fixed to the right hand side of the guard the impeller and guard will rotate bodily (together with the fan motor) toward the left in Figure 1.

If oscillation of the fan is desired two valves are attached respectively to opposite sides of the guard as shown in Figure 1, thesevalves being connected pivotally to the cross members of the guardat their upper ends and being secured together at their lower ends by the yoke-like connector 4!. If the impeller be now caused to rotate with the parts as shown in Figure 1 the entire upper portion of the fan will move toward the right in said figure until the rubber bufier 43 of finger 42 strikes the control member 46, when the entire yoke 4| will be held against further movement to the right with the body of the fan. As the fan with its motor. etc. continues to move to the right due to the momentum of such parts the control member 46 will finally pull the right hand valve suddenly into contact with the guard, at the same time snapping the left hand valve away from the guard, whereupon the direction of oscillation of the fan will be reversed, i. e., it will now move toward the left in said figure.

I .am aware that numerous efforts have been made to substitute simpler and cheaper means for the toothed gears, etc., commonly used for causing rotary fans to oscillate and I am acquainted with patents for such devices, but such constructions as have been suggested are usually so placed as to interfere seriously with the airstream proceeding from the fan, and so they detract. from the efilciency of the fan. In the case of disks or vanes placed in front ofthe fan they also mar its appearance. and such contrivances and various others that have been suggested are of such weight and construction as-to be operable only with difilcult for reversing the fan, if in fact they are operative at all to cause continued oscillation of the fan.

It will" be obvious to those skilled in the art" that many variations may be made in the device herein described, all without departing from invention,

arranged to oscillate with said fan and being so constructed as to hold one or the other of said valvemembers against the guard and the other one away from the guard, and control means positioned. for. engagement by said connecting means. at. the end of each stroke of oscillation for reversing the relative positions of said valve members with regard to said guard, thereby causing the fan to oscillate. I

2. Adevice as inclaim 1,, said. valve member being. each pivotally connected to a. cross. member of said guard' 3. A device as in; claim '1', said valve members being each pivoted. on a. cross member? of said guard, andsaid connecting: means being pivotally connected to the lower: ends: of said valve. members.

4. A device as in claim. 1, said: control means;

including members adjustable toward andv away from each other to vary the oscillatory: travel of said fan.

5. A device as in claim 1, said controlmeans including .a pair of independently movable. ele;. ments adapted to vary the travel of said: connecting means. g

6. In a fan, a rotary impeller, a skeleton guard therefore, said impeller and said. guard: being. mounted for movement on an axis; other than that of the impeller, and a closure member mountedon the periphery of-saidzguardat: one side of the impeller to shut off the incomin air and thus to cause the. fan to rotate bodily about said axis.

7. In afan, .abase, an impeller, a guard for I being so; constructed and: arranged'as' to shu't' 01f the air passing into said guard radially or said impeller and thus. to cause movement of sai fan about said other axis.

8. A valve. for. a rotary fan havinga cylindrical guard. about the ends of its blades, said valve comprising an- 'arcuate strip of metal havi g.-

means. at one end for securing it to said; 'fa-nguard so thatit li'es against the periphery of said guard. t i

9. A valve for a rotary fa-nha-ving a periph eral guard, said valve com-prising an renas strip of metal having means at each end for-- securing it 'tosaid fan guard so against" the periphery of said guard.

that it lies 7 10. A valve structure for a fan guardqcom prising a pai rof oppositely bowed strips ef: sheet material; and a connector secured-to onefend of each of'said strips, said connector having: aprojecting lug midwaybetween said strips; f v

11-; combination with a bas'e; a rotary tan mounted for oscillation "on said base; an openwork guard for the fan, valve members on said guard at opposite sides of the fan adapted to prevent entrance of air into said guard, and control means for said valves constructed and arranged for positionin said valves alternately closer to the center of rotation of the fan, thereby causing the fan to oscillate on its base.

12. A device as in claim 11, said control means being adjustable to vary the extent of oscillation of the fan.

13. A device as in claim 11, said control means beign operable to prevent oscillation of said fan.

14. In a fan, a rotary impeller having radially extending blades, a support therefor mounted for oscillation about an axis other than that of the impeller, said support including portions 10- cated laterally beyond said impeller blades, valves supported on said portions radially outward beyond the ends of the fan blades for movement toward and from the axis of said impeller, said valves being constructed and arranged to shut off the air passing radially to said impeller, and control means for moving said valves thereby causing the fan to oscillate.

15. An electric fan comprising a rotary support, a motor thereon, a shaft driven by the motor, a fan on said shaft, and a guard surrounding said fan, means located radially outward laterally of the guard for shutting off air from one side of said fan.

JAMES D. CROOK.

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