BATTERY-POWERED FANS

This application claims priority to Japanese patent application serial numbers 2011-095891 and 2011-141377, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to battery-powered fans.

2. Description of the Related Art

Fans powered by rechargeable batteries (i.e., DC power sources) do not require a commercially available AC power source, such as an AC 100 V power source. Therefore, the battery-powered fans can be carried to various places, such as construction sites, for use there. The rechargeable battery may be removed from the fan for recharging by a battery charger, so that the battery can be repeatedly used.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 3-172598 teaches a fan that is powered by a rechargeable battery. The battery of this publication has a relatively large weight and is mounted to a lower end of a support leg of the fan for serving as a support base. Therefore, the fan may be paced in stable on an installation surface.

Known electric tools, such as electric drills and screwdrivers, have rechargeable batteries in forms of battery packs. Therefore, if the battery packs of the electric tools can be used as batteries for the fans, the batteries may be efficiently used both for the fans and the electric tools.

However, in the case of the fan of the above publication having the battery serving as a support base, in order to remove the battery for replacement with another battery or for recharging by a battery charger, it is necessary to lift the entire fan. Therefore, a troublesome operation is necessary for removing the battery from the fan.

Therefore, there has been a need in the art for enabling a battery of a battery-powered fan to be easily mounted and removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect according to the present teachings, a battery pack can be mounted to and removed from at least one of a fan main body and a support device at least when the fan main body is supported on an installation surface via the support device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a fan according to a first example and showing a battery pack mounted to the fan;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the fan taken along line (II)-(II) in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fan as viewed diagonally from the right front side and showing the state where the battery pack has been removed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the state where the battery pack has been mounted.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fan as viewed from the rear side in a direction indicated by arrow (V) in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the fan as viewed from the rear side in a direction indicated by arrow (VI) in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the fan and showing the state where an auxiliary leg has been folded and the fan is in a storage position laid along an installation surface;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 7 but showing the state where the battery pack has been removed;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the fan and showing the state where an auxiliary leg has been folded and the fan is self-supported on the installation surface;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a fan according to a second example and showing battery packs mounted to the fan;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 but showing the state where the battery packs have been removed;

FIG. 12 is a right side view of the fan as viewed in a direction indicated by arrow (XII) in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a front view of a fan according to a third example and showing battery packs mounted to the fan;

FIG. 14 is a front view of the fan according to the third example and showing the state where the battery packs have been removed;

FIG. 15 is a front view of a fan according to a fourth example and showing battery packs mounted to the fan;

FIG. 16 is a front view of the fan according to the fourth example and showing the state where the battery packs have been removed;

FIG. 17 is a front view of a fan according to a fifth example and showing a battery pack mounted to the fan;

FIG. 18 is a front view of the fan according to the fifth example and showing the state where the battery pack has been removed;

FIG. 19 is a right side view of the fan as viewed in a direction indicated by arrow (XIX) in FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is a right side view of a fan according to a sixth example;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the fan of the sixth example as viewed diagonally from the right rear side;

FIG. 22 is a front view of a fan according to a seventh example;

FIG. 23 is a right side view of the fan as viewed in a direction indicated by arrow (XXIII) in FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a fan according to the seventh example as viewed diagonally from the left front side;

FIG. 25 is a front view of a fan according to an eighth example;

FIG. 26 is a right side view of the fan as viewed in a direction indicated by arrow (XXVI) in FIG. 25; and

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the fan of the eighth example as viewed diagonally from the left front side.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Each of the additional features and teachings disclosed above and below may be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide improved battery-powered fans. Representative examples of the present invention, which examples utilize many of these additional features and teachings both separately and in conjunction with one another, will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Only the claims define the scope of the claimed invention. Therefore, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detailed description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the invention. Moreover, various features of the representative examples and the dependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically enumerated in order to provide additional useful examples of the present teachings. Various examples will now be described with reference to the drawings.

In one example, a fan may include a main body, a support device and a battery mount device. The main body may have an electric motor, a fan blade assembly rotatably driven by the electric motor, and a fan guard for covering the fan blade assembly. The support device may be configured to support the main body and may have a contact surface for contacting an installation surface, so that the main body can be supported on the installation surface via the support device with the contact surface contacting the installation surface. The fan may further include a battery pack and a battery mount device. The battery pack may store an electric power to be supplied to the electric motor. The battery mount device may be configured to be able to mount the battery pack to at least one of the main body and the support device and to remove the battery pack from the at least one of the main body and the support device in a state that the main body is supported on the installation surface via the support device. For example, the battery mount device may be provided on at least one of the main body and the support device.

With this arrangement, the batter pack can be mounted and removed in the state that the main body is supported on the installation surface (i.e., the state where the fan is self-supported). Therefore, it is possible to mount and remove the battery pack without need of lifting the fan, so that the operability in mounting and removing the battery pack can be improved and the usability of the fan can be improved.

The battery pack may be a slide-type battery pack, an insert-type battery pack or any other type of battery pack. The slide-type battery pack may be mounted to and removed from the battery mount device by moving the battery pack to slide along the battery mount device. The insert-type battery pack may be mounted to and removed from the battery mount device by inserting the battery pack into the battery mounting device and withdrawing the battery pack from the battery mounting device.

The support device may include at least one leg and a base portion. The at least one leg may be connected between the main body and the base portion.

In one example, the battery mount device may be provided on the base portion and disposed at an upper part of the base portion. With this arrangement, because the battery pack can be mounted to the upper part of the base portion, the battery pack can be mounted to and removed from the battery mount device without need of lifting the fan.

In addition, the battery pack mounted to the upper part of the base portion may be prevented from direct collision with the installation surface when the fan is accidentally fallen down. Therefore, it is possible to reduce potential damage to the battery pack, so that the durability of the fan can be improved.

For example, the battery pack may be mounted to and removed from the battery mount device in opposite directions that are substantially parallel to the installation surface. With this arrangement, the operability and the usability of the fan can be further improved.

In another example, the battery mount device may be disposed at a lateral side part, such as a left end part and/or a right end part, of the base portion. Alternatively, the battery mount device may be provided on at least one leg or a handle for carrying around the fan.

In a further example, the battery mount device may be disposed at a position within a path of flow of air produced by the rotation of the fan blade assembly. For example, the battery mount device may be provided on the fan guard. With this arrangement, as the flow of air produced by the rotation of the fan blade assembly passes around the battery mount device and the battery pack mounted to the battery mount device, the battery mount device and the battery pack may be cooled, so that the durability of the fan can be improved.

The position within the flow of air may be a rear portion or a front portion of the fan guard. In addition, because the air blown forwardly from the front side of the fan guard may circulate to return to the rear side of the fan guard, a left portion and/or right portion of the fan guard also may be within the flow of air.

The fan may be configured to be able to selectively receive a supply of electric power from the battery pack or an AC power source. This may enable the user to selectively use the battery pack (i.e., DC power source) or the AC power source depending on the place where the fan is used. Thus, the fan can be used both in the outdoor situation and the indoor situation.

The battery mount device may be configured to be able to mount battery packs having different rating voltages. This may extend the applicable range of the fan with respect to the rating voltage to be applied. Therefore, the versatility of the fan can be improved.

An outer circumference of the fan guard may be covered with an elastomeric material. With this arrangement, it is possible to reduce impacts that may be applied to the fan guard when the fan is accidentally fallen down. Therefore, the durability of the fan can be improved.

Representative examples of battery-powered fans will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 27. The battery-powered fans of these examples are different from each other in their mounting structures of battery packs serving as power sources. However, the other constructions necessary for serving as fans are basically the same with each other. Therefore, in FIGS. 1 to 27, like members are given the same reference numerals and the description of these members will not be repeated.

A first example will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. Referring to FIG. 1, a fan 1 generally includes a main body 2 and a support device 9. The main body 2 includes an electric motor 3 that may be a DC motor, a fan blade assembly 4 including a plurality of fan blades (three fan blades in this example), and a fan guard 5 for covering the fan blade assembly 4. The support device 6 supports the main body 2 on a floor surface F, so that the fan 1 can be placed on the floor surface F in a self-supported manner. In this example, the floor surface F serves as an installation surface for installation of the fan 1.

A handle 12 having a relatively large size is mounted to the main body 2 at a position on an upper part of the fan guard 5, so that the user can carry around the fan 1 with the handle 12 held by his or her hand. The outer circumferential surface of the fan guard 5 except for its front and rear parts is covered with an elastomeric material 18 that may prevent the fan guard 5 from being damaged. Therefore, the fan 1 may be improved in its durability. Projections 18a are formed on the elastomeric material 18 and are spaced from each other in the circumferential direction, so that the projections 18a can absorb potential impacts that may be applied to the fan guard 5 when the fan 1 is accidentally fallen down. Therefore, the fan guard 5 may be improved in its impact absorbing ability, and it is possible to reliably prevent potential damage to the fan guard 5.

The support device 6 may include a base portion 7 and left and right legs 8 and 9. The base portion 7 may be adapted to contact the floor surface F. The left leg 8 and the right leg 9 extend upward from the a left part and the a right part of the base portion 7, respectively, for supporting the main body 2. The base portion 7 has a substantially cylindrical shape. A battery pack 10 may be mounted to an upper part of a central portion with respect to the left and right direction of the base portion 7.

The left leg 8 and the right leg 9 are pivotally connected to opposite ends of the base portion 7 via a left support portion 8a and a right support portion 9a disposed at the lower end of the left leg 8 and the lower end of the right leg 9, respectively, so that the left and right legs 8 and 9 can pivot relative to the base portion 7 about a central axis of the base portion 7. Each of the left and right support portions 8a and 9a has a substantially cylindrical tubular shape and has the same axis as the central axis of the base portion 7. More specifically, each of the left and right legs 8 and 9 can be tilted within an angular range of substantially 90° between a position extending vertically upward relative to the floor surface F (hereinafter called an “upright position” or a “vertical position) and a position extending along the floor surface F (hereinafter called a “storage position” or a “horizontal position”). In addition, the left and right legs 8 and 9 have flat contact portions 8b and 9b for contacting with the floor surface F.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the base portion 7 has a substantially U-shaped auxiliary leg 11 that extends reward from the rear portion of the base portion 7. With the aid of the auxiliary leg 11, the base portion 7 can be held in such a position that the battery pack 10 is positioned on the upper side of the base portion 7. In this way, the fan 1 can be self supported.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6, when the left and right legs 8 and 9 are positioned at the upright position, the flat contact portions 8b and 9b may contact the floor surface F, so that the fan 1 can be held in stable in a self-supported state. As the left and right legs 7 and 8 are tilted rearwardly toward the storage position relative to the base portion 7, the main body 2 moves toward the auxiliary leg 11 in such a manner that the main body 2 is folded over the auxiliary leg 11 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Therefore, the fan 1 can take a compact configuration that is suited for storing in a storage space. Also in this state, the fan 1 can be self-supported because the flat contact portions 8b and 9b can still contact the floor surface F. Thus, the support portions 8a and 9a having the flat contact portions 8b and 9b rotate relative to the base portion 7 as the legs 8 and 9 are tilted. Therefore, the fan 1 in this compact configuration can be stored in a relatively narrow space because the auxiliary leg 11 is folded upward toward the main body 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, a battery mount device 13 is provided on the base portion 7. More specifically, the battery mount device 13 is disposed at the upper surface of the central portion with respect to the left and right direction of the base portion 7. The battery mount device 13 includes a pair of parallel rails 13a and a connector 13b (see FIGS. 5 and 8). The connector 13b may be electrically connected to a power source circuit (not shown) of the fan 1 and is disposed between the rails 13a at the rear portion of the battery mount device 13. The battery pack 10 can be mounted to the battery mount device 13 by moving the battery pack 10 to slide along the battery mount device 13 in a direction from the front side toward the rear side of the battery mount device 13 as indicated by an outline arrow in FIG. 3. Thus, the battery pack 10 can be engaged with the rails 13a and moved to slide along the rails 13a. When the battery pack 10 reaches a mount position where the battery pack 10 is locked against the battery mount device 13, a connector (not shown) of the battery pack 10 may be connected to the connector 13b. Therefore, an electric power of the battery pack 10 can be supplied from the battery pack 10 to the electric motor 3 via the power source circuit.

A battery generally used for an electric tool, such as a screwdriver or a grinder may be used as the battery pack 10 of this example. Therefore, a battery pack removed from the electric tool can be used as the battery pack 10. The battery pack 10 can be removed from the battery mount device 13 for recharging by a battery charger (not shown), so that the battery pack 10 can be repeatedly used. The battery pack 10 may include a case and a plurality of battery cells, such as lithium-ion battery cells. For example, the battery pack 10 may have a high rating voltage, such as 14.4 V or 18V. The battery mount device 13 may be configured such that any of a battery pack having a rating voltage of 14.4 V and a battery pack having a rating voltage of 18 V can be mounted. In this connection, the power source circuit of the fan 1 may perform a PWM control (pulse width modulation control) to enable the fan blade assembly 4 to rotate at a given rotational speed in any of the case that a battery pack having a rating voltage of 14.4 V is used and the case that a battery pack having a rating voltage of 18 V is used.

A remove button 10a is provided on the front portion of the battery pack 10. The remove button 10a is operable to be slid upward as viewed in FIG. 3 in order to release the lock condition of the battery pack 10 against the battery mount device 13. The user can then remove the battery pack 10 from the battery mount device 13 by slidably moving the battery pack 10 in the forward direction (opposite to the direction indicated by the outline arrow).

Even in the case that the main body 2 of the fan 1 is in the folded state and placed to be laid horizontally on the floor surface F as shown in FIG. 8, the battery pack 10 can be removed as it is slid in the forward direction. The battery pack 10 can be mounted as it is slid in the rearward direction.

Operation members may be mounted to the front surfaces of the left and right legs 8 and 9 for various operations of the fan 1. In this example, a timer operation panel 14 is mounted to the front surface of the left leg 8 for setting the time for operation of the fan 1. A power source switch 15 and a wind power switching button 16 may be frequently used and may be mounted to the front surface of the right leg 9.

An adaptor connector 17 may be mounted to the right side surface of the right leg 9. The adaptor connector 17 is connectible with an AC adaptor (not shown) that serves as an AC/DC converter for converting a commercially available AC power, such as AC 100 V power, to a DC power, such as DC 15 V power. In this example, the fan 1 can use any of a DC power (such as 14.4 V or 18 V) supplied from the battery pack 10 and a DC power (DC 15 V) supplied from the AC adaptor connected to the adaptor connector 17. In this connection, the power source circuit of the fan 1 is configured such that when the AC adaptor is connected to the adaptor connector 17, the supply of power from the battery pack 10 is automatically interrupted, so that power supplied from the AC adapter can be used. On the contrary, when the AC adaptor is disconnected from the adaptor connector 17, the power source circuit automatically switches for use of the supply of power from the battery pack 10.

The front portion of the fan guard 5 has a plurality of concentric frame portions including radially outer side frames 5a including one positioned most radially outer side of the fan guard 5. Each of the radially outer side frames 51 is inclined toward the center of the fan guard 5 by a small angle, so that air blown forwardly from the fan blade assembly 4 may not be diffused but may be oriented toward the center. Therefore, the air can be efficiently blown forwardly.

As described above, according to the fan 1 of the first example, the battery pack 10 serving as a power source can be mounted to the battery mount device 13 that is disposed at the upper surface of the base portion 7. Therefore, the battery pack 10 mounted to the battery mount device 13 may be positioned on the upper side of the upper surface of the base portion 7. In addition, the sliding directions of the battery pack 10 for mounting the battery pack 10 and removing the same are oriented substantially along the floor surface F. In other words, the sliding directions are substantially parallel to the floor surface F. Therefore, the user can remove the battery pack 10 from the battery mount device 13 without need of lifting the fan 1, for example, by grasping the handle 12. In addition, it is possible to ensure a sufficient slidable range (sliding distance) for the sliding movement of the battery pack 10 for mounting to the battery mount device 13. Therefore, the battery pack 10 can be mounted and removed in the state where the fan 1 is placed on the floor surface F. Hence, the fan 1 is improved in operability and usability in this respect.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the battery pack 10 can still be mounted to and removed from the battery mount device 13 in the state where the main body 2 is folded toward the rear side.

Further, because the main body 2 is tiltably connected to the base portion 7 via the support portions 8a and 9a of the left and right legs 7 and 8, it is possible to fold the auxiliary leg 11 toward the main body 2. The fan 1 in this folded configuration can be stored in the state where the fan 1 is laid horizontally on the floor surface F as shown in FIG. 7. Even in this folded configuration, the battery pack 10 can be removed from and mounted to the battery mount device 13 as it is slid along the battery mount device 13. Therefore, the fan 1 is improved in operability and usability also in this respect.

Further, because the left and right support portions 8a and 9a are provided with the flat contact portions 8b and 9b, respectively, the fan 1 can be self-supported even in the state where the auxiliary leg 11 is folded upwardly. Therefore, the fan 1 can be stored within a space having a narrow width.

Furthermore, because the battery pack 10 is mounted to the upper side of the base portion 7 via the battery mount device 13, it may be possible to prevent the battery pack 10 from direct collision with the floor surface F even in the case that the fan 1 accidentally falls down onto the floor surface F. Therefore, it is possible to prevent potential damage to the battery pack 10, so that the durability of the fan 1 can be improved.

Furthermore, the circumferential surface of the fan guard 5 is partially covered by the elastomeric material 18 that may have suitable resiliency. Therefore, it is possible to reduce potential impacts that may be applied when the fan 1 accidentally falls down. Additionally, the air may be efficiently blown under the guide of the inclined wall portions 5a of the fan guard 5.

Furthermore, the DC power (e.g., 14.4 V or 18 V) supplied from the battery pack 10 and the DC power (e.g., 15 V) supplied from the AC adaptor converting a commercially available AC power, such as AC 100 V power, to a DC power can be automatically selectively used as a power source. Therefore, the usability can be further improved because the fan 1 can be used at various situations, such as the situation of indoor use and the situation of outdoor use.

A second example will now be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 that show a fan 1A according to the second example. The fan 1A is different from the fan 1 of the first example mainly in a mounting structure of a battery pack. In other respect, the construction of the fan 1A is the same as the fan 1.

The fan 1A of the second example is provided with left and right battery mount devices 21 that are not disposed at the upper surface of the base portion 7 but are disposed at the left and right ends of base portion 7. A battery pack 20 can be mounted to each of the battery mount devices 21. Each of the battery mount devices 21 is configured as a mount hole opened to the right side or the left side. Each of the battery packs 20 can be inserted into the corresponding battery mount device 21 for mounting thereto and can be withdraw from the corresponding battery mount device 21 for removing therefrom.

Because the battery packs 20 have the same construction, the construction of only one of the battery packs 20 will be described. The battery pack 20 includes a case and three lithium-ion battery cells that may provide a rating voltage of 10.8 V. Also in this example, a battery generally used for an electric tool, such as a screwdriver, can be used as the battery pack 20. The battery pack 20 has a pair of lock claws 20a and a pair of remove buttons 20b that are provided to correspond to the lock claws 20a. As the battery pack 20 is inserted into the corresponding battery mount device 21, the lock claws 20a may engage an inlet portion of the battery mount device 21, so that the battery pack 20 can be locked at a mounted position against the battery mount device 21. In addition, when the battery packs 20 reaches to the mounted positions relative to the battery mount devices 21, the battery packs 20 may be electrically connected to the power source circuit disposed within the main body 2 of the fan 1, so that an electric power can be supplied to the motor 3. When the user pushes the remove buttons 20b of the battery pack 20, for example, by fingers of the user, the lock claws 20a may be disengaged from the corresponding battery mount device 21, so that the battery pack 20 can be removed from the battery mount device 21.

Also according to the fan 1A of the second example, it is possible to mount and remove the battery packs 20 by moving the battery packs 20 in directions along the floor surface F (i.e., substantially parallel to the floor surface F). Therefore, the user can remove the battery packs 20 from the battery mount devices 21 and can mount the battery packs 20 to the battery mount devices 21 without need of lifting the fan 1A. Hence, the fan 1A is improved in operability and usability in this respect.

A third example will now be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 that show a fan 1B according to the third example. The fan 1B is different from the fan 1 of the first example mainly in a mounting structure of a battery pack. In other respect, the construction of the fan 1B is the same as the fan 1.

The fan 1B of the third example is provided with left and right battery mount devices 30 disposed at the lateral surfaces of the left and right legs 8 and 9. Each of the battery mount devices 30 includes the pair of parallel rails 13a and the connector 13b (as described in the first example). The connector 13b is disposed at the rear portion of the battery mount device 30 and positioned between the rails 13a. In this example, two battery packs 10 can be mounted to the battery mount devices 30 by moving the battery packs 10 in the vertical direction. More specifically, each of the battery packs 10 can be removed from the corresponding battery mount device 30 by moving the battery pack 10 to slide upward and can be mounted to the corresponding battery mount device 30 by moving the battery pack 10 to slide downward.

Similar to the first example, the battery packs 10 removed from the battery mount devices 30 can be recharged by a battery charger (not shown), so that the battery packs 10 can be repeatedly used.

In this example, the adaptor connector 17 may be mounted to the rear surface of the right leg 9.

A fourth example will now be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 that show a fan 1C according to the fourth example. The fan 1C is different from the fan 1 of the first example mainly in a mounting structure of battery packs. In other respect, the construction of the fan 1C is the same as the fan 1.

Similar to the third example, the fan 1C of the fourth example is provided with left and right battery devices 31 disposed at the lateral surfaces of the left and right legs 8 and 9. The battery packs 20 each having a rating voltage of 10.8 V are mounted to the battery mount devices 31. Each of the battery mount devices 31 is configured to define a mount hole opened upward. When the battery pack 20 is inserted into the corresponding battery mount device 31, the lock claws 20a may engage an inlet portion of the mount hole of the battery mount device 31, so that the battery pack 20 can be locked at a mounted position against the battery mount device 31. When the remove buttons 20b of the battery pack 2 are pushed, for example, by fingers of the user, the lock claw 20a may be disengaged from the battery mount device 31, so that the battery pack 20 can be withdrawn and removed upwardly from the battery mount device 31.

Similar to the previously described examples, the battery packs 20 that have been removed from the battery mount devices 31 can be recharged by a battery charger (not shown), so that the battery packs 20 can be repeatedly used. In addition, the adaptor connector 17 may be mounted to the rear surface of the right leg 9.

According to the third and fourth examples, the battery packs 10(20) can be mounted to the lateral surfaces of the left and right legs 8 and 9 at positions spaced upwardly from the floor surface F. Therefore, the user can remove the battery packs 10(20) from the battery mount devices 21(31) and can mount the battery packs 10(20) to the battery mount devices 21(31) without need of lifting the fan 1B(1C). Hence, the fans 1B and 1C are improved operability and usability.

A fifth example will now be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 19 that show a fan 1D according to the fourth example. The fan 1D is different from the fans 1 and 1A to 1C of the first to fourth examples mainly in a mounting structure of battery packs. In other respect, the construction of the fan 1D is the same as the fans 1 and 1A to 1C.

In the fifth example, the handle 12 of the first example is replaced with a handle 40. The handle 40 is mounted to the upper portion of the fan guard 5 via a pair of extensions 40a that extend upward from the fan guard 5 in parallel to each other. A battery mount device 41 is disposed at the right end of the handle 40. The battery mount device 41 is configured as a mounting hole opened to the right. As the battery pack 20 is inserted into the battery mount device 41, the lock claws 20a may engage an inlet portion of the battery mount device 41, so that the battery pack 20 can be locked at a mounted position against the battery mount device 41. As the remove buttons 20b of the battery pack 20 (locked at the mounted position shown FIG. 17) are pushed, for example, by fingers of the user, the lock claws 20a may be disengaged from the battery mount device 41, so that the battery pack 20 can be withdrawn and removed from the battery mount device 41.

According to the fifth example, the battery pack 20 is mounted to the handle 40 that is spaced upwardly from the floor surface F. Therefore, the user can mount and remove the battery pack 20 without need of lifting the fan 1D. Hence, the fan 1D is improved in operability and usability in this respect.

The battery pack(s) configured to be mounted to and removed from the battery mount device by being inserted into and withdrawn from the battery mount device (i.e., “insert-mount type battery pack”) and/or the battery packs(s) configured to be mounted to and removed from the battery mount device by being slid relative to the battery mount device (i.e., “slide-mount type battery pack”) may be mounted to various portions of the fan other than those described in the first to fifth examples. Thus, the battery pack(s) may be mounted to any portion(s) of the fan as long as it is possible to ensure a sufficient movable range of the battery pack(s) for mounting and removing the battery pack(s) when in the state where the fan is placed on the floor surface. Portions usable for mounting the battery pack(s) may include (i) the upper surface, the lateral surface and/or the rear surface of the base portion 7, (ii) the front surface, the rear surface, the left surface and/or the right surface of one or both of the left and right support legs 8 and 9, (iii) the front surface, the rear surface, the left surface and/or the right surface of the main body 2, or any other portion(s) of the component(s) of the fan as will be hereinafter described with reference to sixth to eighth examples.

FIGS. 20 to 27 show fans 1E, 1F and 1G according to sixth to eighth examples. Each of the fans 1E, 1F and 1G is configured to mount the battery 10 to the main body 2 at a position, through which flow of air generated by the rotation of the fan blade assembly 4 may pass.

Referring to FIGS. 20 and 21, the fan 1E according to the sixth example is designed for use with the slide-mount type battery pack 10. In this example, the battery pack 10 can be mounted to a battery mount device 50 that is disposed at the rear surface of the fan guard 5 of the main body 2 at a position on the upper side of the electric motor 3. In other respect, the sixth example is substantially the same as the first example.

The battery mount device 50 may have a pair of rails and a connector that are similar to those of the battery mount device 13 of the first example. As indicated by outline arrows in FIG. 20, the battery pack 10 can be mounted to the battery mount device 50 by moving the battery pack 10 to slide downward along the battery mount device 50 and can be removed from the battery mount device 50 by pushing the remove button 10a for releasing the lock state and by moving the battery pack 10 to slide upward along the battery mount device 50. Similar to the first example, the removed battery pack 10 can be recharged by a battery charger and can be repeatedly used. The battery pack 10 used in this example may have lithium-ion battery cells providing a rating voltage of 18 V, and therefore, a battery generally used for an electric screwdriver or an electric cutting device or other electric tool can be used as the battery pack 10.

Because the battery pack 10 can be mounted to the rear surface of the fan guard 5 (i.e., the rear surface of the main body 2), the user can mount and remove the battery pack 10 without need of lifting the fan 1E. Hence, the fan 1E is improved in operability and usability.

In particular, in this example, the battery pack 10 can be mounted to the upper portion of the rear surface of the fan guard 5 of the main body 2 and may be positioned proximal to the handle 12. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the moving distance of the hand when the hand is moved from the handle 12 to the battery pack 10 or vice versa. Therefore, the fan 1E is improved in operability and usability also in this respect.

Referring to FIGS. 22 to 24, the fan 1F according to the seventh example is designed for use with two slide-mount type battery packs 10. The fan 1F of this example is different from the fans of the first to sixth example mainly in the position for mounting the battery packs 10. In other respect, the seventh example is substantially the same as the previous examples.

In this example, the battery packs 10 are mounted to left and right battery mount devices 60 that are disposed at the left and right side portions of the fan guard 5, which are positioned within a path of flow of air produced by the fan blade assembly 4. In particular, the battery packs 10 mounted to the battery mount devices 50 may protrude laterally outer side from the fan guard 5.

In the third example described previously, the battery mount devices 30 are disposed at the lateral surfaces of the left and right legs 8 and 9 for mounting the slide-type battery packs 10. Unlike the third example, the battery mount devices 60 of the seventh example are disposed at the left and right portions of the main body 2. Therefore, the battery mount devices 60 are positioned at a higher level than the battery mount devices 30. Similar to the battery mount device 13 of the first example, each of the battery mount devices 60 may have a pair of rails and a connector portion.

As indicated by outline arrows in FIGS. 22 and 24, each of the battery packs 10 can be mounted to the corresponding battery mount device 60 by moving the battery pack 10 to slide downward along the battery mount device 60 and can be removed from the battery mount device 60 by pushing the remove button 10a for releasing the lock state and by moving the battery pack 10 to slide upward along the battery mount device 60. The removed battery packs 10 can be recharged by a battery charger and can be repeatedly used.

Similar to the first to seventh examples, the user can mount and remove the battery packs 10 in the state where the fan 1F is placed on the floor surface F without need of lifting the fan 1F, and therefore, the fan 1F is improved in operability and usability in this respect.

In particular, in this example, the battery packs 10 can be mounted to the left and right portions of the fan guard 5, through which flow of air generated by the rotation of the fan blade assembly 4 passes to turn the direction from the front side toward the rear side or flow of air circulates. Therefore, the battery packs 10 as well as the battery mount devices 60 can be efficiently cooled, so that the durability of these components can be improved.

In the case of this seventh example, the battery packs 10 can be mounted to the left and right portions of the fan guard 5 at positions substantially within a horizontal plane extending through the center of rotation of the fan blade assembly 4. However, the battery packs 10 may be mounted at any other positions of the left and right portions of the fan guard 5 by changing the positions of the battery mount devices 60 relative to the right and left portions of the fan guard 5. For example, one of the battery packs 10 may be mounted to the fan guard 5 at a position higher than the horizontal plane extending through the center of rotation of the fan blade assembly 4 and the other of the battery packs 10 may be mounted to the fan guard 5 at a position lower than the horizontal plane. Alternatively, the battery packs 10 may be mounted to the left and right sides of the fan guard 5 within the upper half or the lower half of the circumference of the fan guard 5 such that the battery packs 10 are positioned to be symmetrical with each other with respect to the left and right direction.

Referring to FIGS. 25 to 27, the fan 1G according to the eighth example is designed for use with the slide-mount type battery pack 10. In this example, the battery pack 10 can be mounted to a battery mount device 70 that is disposed at a front portion of the fan guard 5, through which flow of air generated by the rotation of the fan blade assembly 4 may pass. More specifically, the battery mount device 70 is positioned within a region that is higher in level than the center of rotation of the fan blade assembly 4, i.e., the center of the fan guard 5. Similar to the first, third, sixth and seventh examples, the battery mount device 70 is configured to mount the slide-type battery pack 10, and therefore, the battery mount device 70 may have a pair of rails and a connector portion. Also in this eighth example, as indicated by outline arrows in FIGS. 26 and 27, the battery pack 10 can be mounted to the battery mount device 70 by moving the battery pack 10 to slide downward along the battery mount device 70 and can be removed from the battery mount device 70 by pushing the remove button 10a for releasing the lock state and by moving the battery pack 10 to slide upward along the battery mount device 70.

Therefore, also in this example, the user can mount and remove the battery pack 10 in the state where the fan 1G is placed on the floor surface F without need of lifting the fan 1G, and therefore, the fan 1G is improved in operability and usability in this respect.

In particular, in this example, the battery pack 10 and the battery mount device 70 are positioned right in front of the fan blade assembly 4, and therefore, the battery pack 10 and the battery mount device 70 can be more efficiently cooled, so that the durability of these components can be improved.

The above examples may be modified in various ways. For example, although the battery pack 10 having a rating voltage of 14.4 V or 18 V and the battery pack 20 having a rating voltage of 10.8 V were exemplified, batteries having different rating voltages from those of the battery packs 10 and 20 can be also used. Further, the number of the battery packs to be mounted to the fan may be suitably changed. For example, in the case of the first example, the fan 1 may include two battery mount devices for mounting two battery packs 10 to the upper surface of the base portion 7. In the case of the second example, the fan 1A may include only one battery mount device for mounting only one battery pack 20 to one side of the base portion 7. In the case of the third and fourth examples, the fan 1B(1C) may include only one battery mount device for mounting the battery pack 10(20) to one of the legs 8 and 9. In the case of the sixth and eight examples, the fan 1E(1G) may include two more battery mount devices for mounting a plurality of battery packs 10(20).

Further, the arrangements of the battery packs and the battery mount devices of the first to eighth examples may be suitably combined. For example, it may be possible to configure a fan such that a battery pack(s) can be mounted to the upper surface of the base portion 7 (arrangement of the first example), and/or the left and right ends of the base portion 7 (arrangement of the second example), and/or the lateral surfaces of the left and right legs 8 and 9 (arrangement of the third example), and/or the left and right side portions of the main body 2 (arrangement of the seventh example), and/or the rear portion of the main body 2 (arrangement of the sixth example), and/or the front portion of the main body 2 (arrangement of the eighth example).

Furthermore, although each of the fans of the above examples has the left and right legs 8 and 9 that are tiltable relative to the base portion 7 for enabling the auxiliary leg 11 to be folded over the base portion 2, the left and right legs 8 and 9 may be fixedly connected to the base portion 7. Also with this arrangement, it is possible to ensure a sufficient slidable range (sliding distance) for the sliding movement of the battery pack for mounting the battery pack to the battery mount device. In addition, the number of the legs may not be limited to two and may be one or three or more.

Number	Date	Country	Kind
2011-095891	Apr 2011	JP	national
2011-141377	Jun 2011	JP	national

BATTERY-POWERED FANS

Information

Publication Number

Date Filed

Date Published

Inventors

Original Assignees

CPC

US Classifications

International Classifications

Abstract

Description

Claims

Priority Claims (2)