U.S. patent application number 11/426922 was filed with the patent office on 2007-12-27 for enhanced axial air mover system with grill.
This patent application is currently assigned to DRY AIR TECHNOLOGY. Invention is credited to Grant L. Reuter.
Application Number | 20070297914 11/426922 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38873741 |
Filed Date | 2007-12-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070297914 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Reuter; Grant L. |
December 27, 2007 |
ENHANCED AXIAL AIR MOVER SYSTEM WITH GRILL
Abstract
Implementations of an enhanced axial air mover system address
various issues such as drying performance, transportability,
storage, use, and assembly. Some implementations include ergonomic
positioning of a carrying handle relative to positioning of a
fan-assembly to make the system easier to carry. Enclosures with
variable diameter profiles increase air flow performance. A floor
edge allows for flush positioning of the air mover's outlet to
improve flow of air. Various supports and engagement members allow
for horizontal and/or vertical engagement of a plurality of the air
movers for storage or increased air moving capacity for a given
application. An alignment guide assists with positioning of the air
mover with respect to a room wall to enhance air flow within the
room. A cord retaining system provides an enhanced approach for
securing the air mover's electrical cord. Grill guards have slotted
ends to assist with assembly of the air mover.
Inventors: |
Reuter; Grant L.;
(Anacortes, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DAVIS WRIGHT TREMAINE, LLP/Seattle
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 2200
SEATTLE
WA
98101-3045
US
|
Assignee: |
DRY AIR TECHNOLOGY
Burlington
WA
|
Family ID: |
38873741 |
Appl. No.: |
11/426922 |
Filed: |
June 27, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
416/93R |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 25/08 20130101;
F04D 25/06 20130101; F24F 7/007 20130101; F04D 13/06 20130101; F04D
19/002 20130101; F04D 25/084 20130101; F04D 29/703 20130101; F04D
29/522 20130101; F04D 29/325 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
416/93.R |
International
Class: |
F01D 5/00 20060101
F01D005/00 |
Claims
1. An air mover system comprising: a fan assembly including a
propeller and a motor, the propeller coupled to the motor; and a
housing assembly including an enclosure, the enclosure having an
interior and an exterior, the fan assembly being positioned in the
interior, the interior bounded by an inlet and an outlet, the
enclosure having an inlet portion extending from the inlet and an
outlet portion extending from the outlet, the inlet portion and the
outlet portion including holes to receive screws; and a grill guard
including support members with slotted end portions, the slotted
end portions each having an elongated opening to engage with a
different one of the screws coupled with one of the inlet portion
and the outlet portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention is related to axial air movers.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Air movers are used for such applications as to dry
buildings and other structures when accidents have occurred causing
areas in the buildings and other structures to become wet.
Unfortunately, conventional air movers can be noisy, can waste
energy, and can raise difficulties in transport, use, storage, and
assembly of the units.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
[0005] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional elevational side view of a first
fan-assembly version of an enhanced axial air mover system.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional elevational side view of a
second fan-assembly version of the enhanced axial air mover
system.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevational side view of a third
fan-assembly version of the enhanced axial air mover system.
[0008] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevational side view of a
fourth fan-assembly version of the enhanced axial air mover
system.
[0009] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevational side view of the
enhanced axial air mover system having radiused edges.
[0010] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional elevational side view of the
enhanced axial air mover system having tapered edges.
[0011] FIG. 7 is an elevational inlet view of an augmented
implementation of the first fan-assembly version of the enhanced
axial air mover system.
[0012] FIG. 8 is an elevational outlet view of the augmented
implementation of the enhanced axial air mover system of FIG.
7.
[0013] FIG. 9 is an elevational outlet view of a matrix
configuration of a plurality of the augmented implementations of
FIG. 7.
[0014] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an engaged pair of the
augmented implementations of FIG. 7.
[0015] FIG. 11 is a top-outlet perspective port side view of the
augmented implementation of FIG. 7.
[0016] FIG. 12 is an elevational port side view of the augmented
implementation of FIG. 7.
[0017] FIG. 13 is a bottom-outlet perspective starboard side view
of the augmented implementation of FIG. 7.
[0018] FIG. 14 is an elevational starboard side view of the
augmented implementation of FIG. 7.
[0019] FIG. 15 is an elevational starboard side view of a
vertically stacked pair of the augmented implementations of FIG.
7.
[0020] FIG. 16 is a drying performance chart.
[0021] FIG. 17 is an elevational front view of person carrying the
augmented implementation of FIG. 7.
[0022] FIG. 18 is a top-inlet perspective port side view of the
augmented implementation of FIG. 7.
[0023] FIG. 19 is a top plan view of the augmented implementation
of FIG. 7.
[0024] FIG. 20 is a bottom plan view of the augmented
implementation of FIG. 7.
[0025] FIG. 21 is a top view of a room being dried by four of the
augmented implementations of FIG. 7 showing airflow.
[0026] FIG. 22 is a top view of the room being dried by the four
augmented implementations of FIG. 7 showing drying area.
[0027] FIG. 23 is a top plan view of the augmented implementation
of FIG. 7 showing alignment with a wall of the room of FIG. 21.
[0028] FIG. 24 is a top-outlet perspective starboard side view of
the augmented implementation of FIG. 7 with a cord restraint
system.
[0029] FIG. 25 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 24 showing
engagement detail of the court restraint system.
[0030] FIG. 26 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 24 showing
disengagement detail of the cord restraint system.
[0031] FIG. 27 is a top-outlet perspective port side view of the
augmented implementation of FIG. 7 with an attached grill
guard.
[0032] FIG. 28 is a top-inlet perspective port side view of the
augmented implementation of FIG. 7 with an attached grill
guard.
[0033] FIG. 29 is an enlarged exploded fragmentary view of one
either of the grill guards of FIG. 27 and FIG. 28 showing
engagement detail with the augmented implementation of FIG. 7.
[0034] FIG. 30 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the grill guards
of FIG. 29 with the grill being attached in a first position.
[0035] FIG. 31 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the grill guards
of FIG. 29 with the grill being attached in a second position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0036] As discussed herein, implementations of an enhanced axial
air mover system address various issues such as drying performance,
transportability, storage, use, and assembly. Some implementations
include ergonomic positioning of a carrying handle relative to
positioning of a fan-assembly to make the system easier to carry.
Implementations have enclosures with variable diameter profiles to
increase air flow performance through the air mover. A floor edge
allows for flush positioning of the air mover's outlet to improve
flow of air after exhausted from the air mover. Various supports
and engagement members allow for horizontal and/or vertical
engagement of a plurality of the air movers for storage or
increased air moving capacity for a given application. An alignment
guide assists with positioning of the air mover with respect to a
room wall to enhance air flow within the room. A cord retaining
system provides an enhanced approach for securing the air mover's
electrical cord. The air mover's grill guards have slotted ends to
assist with assembly of the air mover.
[0037] A first fan assembly version 100 of the enhanced axial air
mover system is shown in FIG. 1 as having an inlet 102 to receive
intake air 104 flowing toward the system in the direction of the
Z-axis and an outlet 106 to release exhaust air 108 flowing from
the system in the direction of the Z-axis. The first version 100
has a housing assembly 110 including an enclosure 112 and a handle
114 extending therefrom. The handle 114 includes a grip 116 and a
bracket 118. The enclosure 112 has an interior 120 with an inner
surface 122 depicted in FIG. 1 with a straight profile. The
enclosure 112 has edges 123 on both the inlet 102 and the outlet
106 depicted in FIG. 1 as blunt. The first version 100 further
includes a fan assembly 124 having a propeller 126 with blades 128
extending from a hub 130. The fan assembly also includes a motor
132 with a shaft 133 extending therefrom with the hub 130 attached
thereto. The motor 132 has a power cord 134 protruding through a
passageway 135 in the enclosure 112. The motor 132 is held in place
relative to the enclosure 112 with support vanes 136 extending from
the enclosure. The support vanes 136 are shaped to help guide the
exhaust air 108 leaving the system.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 1, the motor 132 is located along the
Z-axis substantially near the outlet 106. The propeller 126 is
positioned in the interior 120 farther from the outlet 106 than the
motor 132 is from the outlet. Since the motor 132 weighs
significantly more than the propeller 126, the combined center of
gravity (CG) of the motor and the propeller as the fan assembly 124
is located approximately near the center of the motor along the
Z-axis as shown in FIG. 1. The grip 116 of the handle 114 is
positioned along the Z-axis to be substantially aligned along a
second dimension substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis with the
center of gravity (CG) of the fan assembly 124 to allow for greater
ease in transport of the system. In many implementations, the
Z-axis is substantially horizontally oriented and the second
dimension substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis is
substantially vertically oriented with the system is being
carried.
[0039] A second fan assembly version 140 is shown in FIG. 2 in
which the propeller 126 is located substantially near the outlet
106 and the motor 132 is located farther from the outlet. The
position of the grip 116 of the handle 114 along the Z-axis is
changed in the second fan assembly version 140 to be aligned with
the center of gravity (CG) of the fan assembly 124 of the second
fan assembly version 140.
[0040] A third fan assembly version 150 is shown in FIG. 3 in which
the propeller 126 is located substantially near the inlet 102 and
the motor 132 is located farther from the inlet. The position of
the grip 116 of the handle 114 along the Z-axis is changed in the
third fan assembly version 150 to be aligned with the center of
gravity (CG) of the fan assembly 124 of the third fan assembly
version 150.
[0041] A fourth fan assembly version 160 is shown in FIG. 4 in
which the motor 132 is located substantially near the inlet 102 and
the propeller 126 is located farther from the inlet. The position
of the grip 116 of the handle 114 along the Z-axis is changed in
the fourth fan assembly version 160 to be aligned with the center
of gravity (CG) of the fan assembly 124 of the fourth fan assembly
version 160.
[0042] The enclosure 112 is shown in FIG. 5 as having a version of
the edges 123 curved with a substantially constant radius such that
the curve of the edge is sized approximately half the thickness, T,
of the enclosure. The enclosure 112 of FIG. 5 is shown to house any
one of the first fan assembly version 100, the second fan assembly
version 140, the third fan assembly version 150, and the fourth fan
assembly version 160. The enclosure 112 has a version of the inner
surface 122 with a substantially straight profile.
[0043] The enclosure 112 is shown in FIG. 6 as having a version of
the edges 123 as tapered. The tapering of the edges 123 is such
that for an inlet portion 170 of the enclosure, the diameter of the
inner surface 122 changes from D_in at the inlet 102 to D_mid1 at
the Z_mid1 location along the Z axis in from the inlet along the
Z-axis. The change of diameter between D_in and D_mid1 for the
inlet portion 170 can be at least as much as twice the average
thickness, T, of the enclosure 112 in some implementations. In
other implementations the change in diameter for the inlet portion
170 between D_in and D_mid1 is at least as much as five to ten
percent of the diameter, D_in, at the inlet.
[0044] The diameter of the enclosure 112 continues to decrease
along the Z-axis for a first mid-portion 172 of the enclosure from
a diameter of D_mid1 at the Z_mid1 location to D_mid2 at the Z_mid2
location approximately near a mid location along the Z-axis so that
the inner surface 122 has a substantially variable profile for the
inlet portion 170 and the first mid-portion 172. Farther toward the
outlet 106 along the Z-axis for a second mid-portion of the
enclosure 112 from the Z_mid2 location to a Z_mid3 location, the
diameter of the enclosure 112 increases gradually from D_mid2 at
the Z_mid2 location to D_mid3 at the Z_mid3 location. For an outlet
portion 176 of the enclosure 112 the diameter of the enclosure
increases more abruptly from D_mid3 at the Z_mid3 location to D_out
at the outlet 106 so that the inner surface 122 has a substantially
variable profile between the second mid-portion 174 and the outlet
portion 176. In some implementations, the change in diameter
between D_mid3 and D_out can be at least half as great as the
change in diameter between D_in and D_mid1. The enclosure 112 of
FIG. 6 is shown to house any one of the first fan assembly version
100, the second fan assembly version 140, the third fan assembly
version 150, and the fourth fan assembly version 160.
[0045] An augmented implementation 180 of the first fan-assembly
version 100 is shown in FIG. 7 as having a top 181, a bottom 182, a
port 183, and a starboard 184. The bracket 118 of the handle 114
has a platform 186 to support an additional one of the augmented
implementation 180 positioned above the depicted augmented
implementation as further described below. Two vertical supports
188 extend upward from the top 181 to further support the
additional above-positioned one of the augmented implementation
180. Each of the vertical supports 188 has a peg 190 to engage with
the additional above-positioned one of the above augmented
implementation 180.
[0046] Extending from the bottom 182 are two legs 192 each having a
floor guard 194 to support the inlet portion 170 and the first
mid-portion 172 on a floor. Extending from the port 183 are port
supports 196. Extending from the starboard 184 are starboard
supports 198. The starboard support 198 is further shown to have a
peg 200 for engagement with the port support of another of the
augmented implementations 180.
[0047] In FIG. 8, the augmented implementation 180 is shown to have
an opening 202 in each of the legs 192 to receive the peg 190 of
one of the vertical supports 188 of a lower-positioned one of the
augmented implementations 180. The augmented implementation 180 has
a support pad 204 that rests on the platform 186 of a
lower-positioned augmented implementation. The augmented
implementation 180 has a floor edge to allow for a more flush
positioning of the inlet portion 102 with a floor of a room. As
discussed herein, a more flush positioning allows for enhanced flow
of the exhaust air 108.
[0048] The matrix 210 having m rows by n columns of a plurality of
instances of the augmented implementation 180 is shown in FIG. 9.
The port supports 196 of the first column of the augmented
implementations 180 are engaged with respective ones of the
starboard supports 198 of the second column of the augmented
implementations and so on for other adjacent columns of the
augmented implementations of the matrix 210.
[0049] The support pads 204 of the second row of the augmented
implementations 180 rest upon the respective platforms 186 of the
first row of the augmented implementations and so on for other
adjacent rows of the matrix 210. The pegs 190 of the vertical
supports 188 of the first row of the augmented implementations 180
engage with the respective openings 202 of the legs 192 of the
augmented implementations of the second row of the matrix 210.
[0050] Various subsets of the matrix 210 can be implemented such as
having a single row or a single column. For instance, a single row
could have as little as two of the augmented implementations 180
coupled together as shown in FIG. 10. Alignment guides 214, further
discussed herein, are shown on the top of the outlet portion 176 of
the augmented implementations 180.
[0051] The floor edge 206 and associated downward pitch of the
outlet portion 176 relative to the inlet portion 170 of the
augmented implementation 180 is better shown in FIG. 11 through
FIG. 14. The floor edge 206 allows the outlet portion 176 of the
augmented implementation to be pitched down toward a floor surface
relative to the inlet portion 170. Instead of the outlet portion
176 being completely circular near the outlet 106, a section of the
outlet portion is missing. The missing section forming the floor
edge 206 of the outlet portion 176 is shaped as though a horizontal
slice is taken through the outlet portion near the bottom 182 of
the augmented implementation 180 as the outlet portion is being
pitched downward relative to the inlet portion 170. The floor edge
206 allows more of the outlet portion 276 to be flush with a floor,
in comparison to a case in which the outlet 106 was completely
circular thereby allowing an increase in air flow near the floor
surface of the exhaust air 108 leaving the outlet.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 15, for a column of a pair of an upper one
180u of the augmented implementations 180 of the pair and a lower
one 180l of the augmented implementations of the pair, the legs 192
and the support pad 204 of the upper one are sized and positioned
relative to the platform 186 and the vertical supports 188 of the
lower one so that the pitch angle, P, for each of the augmented
implementations of the column pair is substantially the same.
[0053] A drying performance graph of FIG. 16 shows total floor area
dried as area under a curve for three configurations: 1.) parallel,
2.) angled, and 3.) flush angled. The parallel configuration is
similar to the augmented implementation 180, however, without the
outlet portion 176 pitched downward relative to the inlet portion
170 and without the floor edge 206. The angled configuration is
similar to the augmented implementation 180 having the outlet
portion 176 being pitched downward relative to the inlet portion
170, but without the floor edge 206. The flush angled configuration
is similar to the augmented implementation 180 having the outlet
portion 176 being pitched downward relative to the inlet portion
170 and having the floor edge 206.
[0054] As shown by the graph of FIG. 16, the parallel configuration
has the least amount of area under its curve indicating that the
least amount of floor area was dried with this configuration. The
angled configuration has about the same amount of drying area as
the parallel configuration except for a large drying area away from
the angled configuration air blower as airflow turns a corner of a
room. The flush angled configuration has the most area under the
curve indicating that the flush angled configuration has the most
drying area. The flush angled configuration also has relatively
even drying area and the most drying area near the air blower of
the three configurations depicted.
[0055] As shown in previous figures such as FIG. 13, to conform
with a plane of the floor when the outlet portion 176 is pitched,
the floor edge 206 is shaped as a curvilinear cut of the circular
outlet 106. The curvilinear cut of the floor edge 206 can be used
to another advantage for carrying the augmented implementation 180
as shown in FIG. 17. Since both the handle 114 and the floor edge
206 are located near or at the outlet 106, the curvilinear aspect
of the floor edge can be used to position the augmented
implementation 180 in a more ergonomic position for transport. By
allowing the floor edge 206 to be positioned near the leg or other
portion of an individual carrying the augmented implementation, the
arm used to carry can be brought closer to the torso resulting in a
more comfortable position for carrying the augmented
implementation.
[0056] The variable profile for the inlet portion 170 of the
augmented implementation 180 is indicated in FIG. 18. The variable
profiles for the inlet portion 170, the first mid-portion 172, the
second mid-portion 174, and the outlet portion 176 are indicated in
FIG. 19 and FIG. 20.
[0057] An example of placement of the augmented implementation 180
in a room 230 with walls 232 and a floor 234 to be dried is shown
in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22. By placing each of the augmented
implementations 180 at a predetermined angle such as an acute
angle, (such as approximately 30.degree. for a version of the
augmented implementation) with a different one of the walls 232,
air flow 236 is distributed in a relatively uniform manner along
the walls 232 and across the floor 234. The relatively uniform
distribution of the air flow 236 results in a relatively large and
evenly distributed dried area 238 of the floor 234 as shown in FIG.
22.
[0058] For various versions of the augmented implementation 180,
there will generally be a particular acute angle 240 for aligning
the augmented implementation relative to the wall 232. As shown in
FIG. 23, the alignment guide 214 can be arranged to have a
perpendicular instance 242 to be used to align the augmented
implementation 180 relative to the wall 232. For the case in which
the alignment guide 214 is used as the perpendicular instance 242,
the augmented implementation 180 is aligned relative to the wall
232 such that the alignment guide 214 is approximately
perpendicular to the wall. In other versions of the augmented
implementation 180 other instances of the alignment guide 214
having other position angles relative to the wall 232 can be
used.
[0059] The power cord 134 is shown in a secured position in FIG. 24
and FIG. 25 by using an elastic member 246, having a capability of
resuming original shape after being stretched or expanded, to
fasten the power cord to a protruding member such as a post 248
extending from the augmented implementation 180. As shown, the post
248 extends from the outlet portion 176 although in other versions
of the augmented implementation 180, the post could extend from
other locations of the augmented implementation.
[0060] The location of the post 248, expanded length and contracted
length of the elastic member 246, length of the power cord 134, and
location of the power cord passageway 135 are synergistically
adjusted so that the elastic member 246 can be stretched to give
sufficient tension to hold the power cord in place after the power
cord has been wrapped around a portion of the augmented
implementation 180 (such as being wrapped around the outlet portion
176 as depicted) when the elastic member is coupled with the post
248, or other protruding member. The elastic member 246 is also
secured around a head portion 250 of the power cord 134 as
depicted, however, in other versions, the elastic member can be
coupled to the power cord in some other manner. To use the
augmented implementation 180, the elastic member 246 is uncoupled
from the post 248 as shown FIG. 26.
[0061] A grill guard 260 having support members 261 is shown in
FIG. 27 with the support members coupled to the outlet portion 176
and is shown in FIG. 28 with support members coupled to the inlet
portion 170 through brackets 262. As shown in FIGS. 29-31, the
grill guard 260 has slotted end portions 264 that receive a washer
266 and screw 268 to couple with a threaded hole 270 in the bracket
262. The slotted end portion 264 has an elongated opening 272 that
allows the slotted end portion 264 to be positionally adjusted
relative to the screw 268 when the screw is coupled to the threaded
hole 270 to account for dimension differences in the inlet portion
170 and the outlet portion 176 due to variation in manufacturing
conditions. Consequently, use of the slotted end portions 264 on
the grill guard 260 reduce assembly problems due to manufacturing
variations.
[0062] Conventional air movers used in water damage restoration
have been centrifugal type fans of dual inlet design. While there
is a range of sizes and power configurations the vast majority fall
in the 1/4 to 1/2 horsepower (HP) range with 1/3 HP being typical.
This type of fan would generate about 1250 cubic feet per minute
(CFM) and have a static pressure capacity at zero flow at around 3
inches of water column. This type fan would draw about 5 amps at
115V. When multiple fans were used to do structural drying work
finding enough available power became as issue. Contractors were
using more and more fans on a job in an effort to speed the drying
process. We looked at adapting axial fans that had been used for
ventilation of confined spaces to this type of structural
drying.
[0063] Items that had to be balanced in the design included the
Diameter of the axial fan, the number of blades, the pitch of the
blades, motor HP, RPM, blade tip clearance, barrel length and inlet
and outlet design.
[0064] A vane axial fan with a 16'' blade diameter in the correct
housing could produce around 2000 CFM with a static pressure at
zero flow of 1.3 inches of water column. This performance level
required 1.4 HP which would draw 2.5 amps. This setup gave the
contractor more airflow per unit running at half the amps. A given
structural drying job would now dry quicker with less setup
issues.
[0065] As we looked at how the fans were drying the structure we
saw some opportunity for improvement. The air outlet of the fan is
directed at the wall at an angle so that the air flows down the
wall but also maintains a higher air pressure zone against the
wall. If we ran the fan at no angle to the wall the air velocity
down the wall increased but the amount of structural material,
walls and floors, that was being dried decreased. We looked at
angles from 5 to 55 degrees and found that angles between 25 and 35
degrees produced the largest drying area. We recommend a 30 degree
angle against the wall.
[0066] We changed from a 8 blade 35 degree pitch to a 6 blade 30
pitch because we found that the inherent static load at the 30
degree angle to the wall would allow us to run the 6 blade
configuration and increase flow and the overall drying area without
adding more load, it still ran at 2.5 amps.
[0067] We also found that by shaping the air outlet to direct the
flow down at floor level increased the amount of drying area. The
original shell design was from a vane axial fan model line that we
produced which used duct connection rings for the attachment of
long runs of flexible ducting. This left a sharp edge at both the
inlet and outlet that created some level of shock loss in the
airflow. Because the structural drying application did not require
any type of duct connection we changed the shape of the inlet and
outlet in minimize the transition at the opening. This gave us much
cleaner flow coming into the blade area and increased overall flow
numbers. We were able to increase the size of the diameter of the
blade to 17 inches without increasing the amp draw above the 2.5
amps in the smaller shell.
[0068] From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although
specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein
for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made
without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. For
instance in some implementations Further, in some instances,
Likewise, Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by
the appended claims.
* * * * *