Patent Application
20130156609
Traditional air circulators, e.g., fans, are powered by permanent-split capacitor motors or three-phase induction motors. These types of motors use greater amounts of energy and are less inefficient then electronically commutated permanent magnet type motors. Moreover, due to acoustical considerations, these motors are typically operated at considerably less than their optimum speed which further reduces their electrical efficiency. These motors also typically run at a higher temperature due to electrical inefficiencies. The consistent control of air circulator speed is also missing with permanent-split capacitor motors or three-phase induction motors.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
The present invention is directed to an air circulator. This air circulator includes an electronically commuted motor that is devoid of a transformer, the motor having a rotor, a rotatable blade assembly having at least one blade, where the blade assembly is connected to the rotor of the electronically commuted motor, a housing that is operatively connected to the electronically commuted motor and having an input for line voltage, and a switch that is secured to the housing and electrically connected to a signal voltage input of the electronically commuted motor and the line voltage input.
In another aspect of the invention, an air circulator is disclosed. This air circulator includes an electronically commuted motor that is devoid of a transformer, the motor having an electronic drive, a salient pole stator and a permanent magnet rotor with the electronic drive attached to the salient pole stator with the permanent magnet rotor rotatably positioned within the salient pole stator, a rotatable blade assembly having at least one blade, where the blade assembly is connected to the permanent magnet rotor of the electronically commuted motor, a housing that is operatively connected to the electronically commuted motor and having a line voltage input; and a switch that is secured to the housing and electrically connected to a signal voltage input of the electronically commuted motor and the line voltage input.
Still yet another aspect of the present invention is that a method for utilizing an air circulator is disclosed. The method includes utilizing an electronically commuted motor that is devoid of a transformer, the motor having a rotor with a rotatable blade assembly having at least one blade, where the blade assembly is connected to the rotor of the electronically commuted motor, and operating a switch that is secured to a housing and electrically connected to the electronically commuted motor and an input for line voltage, where the housing is operatively connected to the electronically commuted motor and includes an input for line voltage and the switch that is secured to the housing and electrically connected to a signal voltage input of the electronically commuted motor and the line voltage input.
These are merely some of the innumerable aspects of the present invention and should not be deemed an all-inclusive listing of the innumerable aspects associated with the present invention. These and other aspects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the following disclosure and accompanying drawings.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
Reference characters in the written specification indicate corresponding items shown throughout the drawing figures.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as to obscure the present invention.
The preferred embodiment of an air circulator is generally indicated by numeral 10 in
Referring now to
The previously referenced rotatable blade assembly 14 can vary in shape, size and number. A wide variety of materials can be utilized for the rotatable blade assembly 14 including, but not limited to, metal and plastic. In the illustrative, but nonlimiting, embodiment, the rotatable blade assembly 14 includes a first rotatable blade 32, a second rotatable blade 34 and a third rotatable blade 36. However, the number of rotatable blades can vary tremendously. The first rotatable blade 32, the second rotatable blade 34 and the third rotatable blade 36 are all connected together and preferably, but not necessarily, integrally attached to a support member 38. The center of the support member 38 preferably includes an aperture 40. The aperture 40 of the support member 38 slides over the rotor 42, and is preferably, but not necessarily, connected in position with a securing hardware, e.g., nut 44, as shown in
A significant advantage to the present invention is that the ECM 16 is directly powered from an input for receiving line voltage 20, as shown in
Although a wide variety of connectors may be utilized for securing the ECM 16, an illustrative, but nonlimiting, example includes u-shaped bracket 56 which includes a first connecting member 58 and a second connector member 60 that are attached by a third hardware connection, e.g., nut and bolt combination 62. There is a fourth hardware connection, e.g., nut and bolt combination 64 that can be moved within a u-shaped aperture 66 and secured to any point within the u-shaped aperture 66, shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to an exposed view of
An illustrative, but nonlimiting, example of permanent magnets 90 includes ferrite magnets. Losses due to the permanent magnet rotor 42 are very low. The electronic drive 86 provides control of both speed and torque with high efficiency and low energy use. Speed ramping is also potentially available as well as diagnostics. Lower temperature swing between cycles is also present. There is an input voltage receptacle 104 for receiving line voltage into the electronic drive 86. It has circuitry that converts single phase power into three-phase power received from the input voltage receptacle 104. The three-phase power remains fully synchronized to the rotor 42, which has the permanent magnets 90 attached thereto.
An illustrative, but nonlimiting, example of an ECM motor for the present invention, includes an ECM 142™, which is manufactured by Regal Beloit Corporation, having a place of business at 200 State Street, Beloit, Wis. 53511-6254. This is a one-third horsepower motor with 115 volts, 60/50 Hertz, 5.8 Amperes with a counter-clockwise rotation. The circuitry of the electronic drive 86 receives voltage signals to indicate the desired speed. The rotation per minute is three values, i.e., 570, 768 and 972, for the low speed, middle speed and high speed referenced previously above, respectively. The signal voltage is designed to be the same voltage as the line voltage so no auxiliary transformers are required to treat the signal voltage. There is a signal voltage receptacle 106 in addition to the input voltage receptacle 104 that are electrically connected to the electronic drive 86, as shown in
Furthermore, it should be understood that when introducing elements of the present invention in the claims or in the above description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the terms “have,” “having,” “includes” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required.” Similarly, the term “portion” should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies.
Thus, there have been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims that follow.
