Concentrator attachment for blower air tube

Abstract

A concentrator nozzle attachment for a blower device is disclosed that increases the airflow velocity of the blower without sacrificing the field of the jetting air. The concentrator nozzle is formed of an outer ring with a centrally located guide surface and is placed at the exit of an air tube. As the air exits the air tube, it's forced to flow around the guide surface, thus increasing its velocity. The attachment is secured to the end of the air tube and so does not alter the outer diameter through which the air exits. In this way, air velocity is increased without reducing its effectiveness.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to outdoor blowers having an air tube with a concentrator to increase the air flow velocity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Outdoor blower devices are used to clean patios, sidewalks and other areas by blowing away leaves and other debris. Currently known blowers can be axial-type or centrifugal-type, and can be powered by a variety of sources including DC electric power, AC electric power or petroleum based fuels. To satisfy the requirements of the user, the blower must generate a sufficiently large quantity of air, having sufficient velocity. In some cases, air quantity is preferred over air velocity, and thus the user should be able to dictate this on the blower apparatus.

Concentrator nozzles are well known and used to adjust the performance of the blower apparatus. FIG. 1 shows a typical air tube 30 for a blower having a concentrator feature built in. In this embodiment, the air tube's cross-sectional area is gradually reduced from its proximal end 32 to its distal end 34, as shown by the circles 36a and 36b, respectively. The cross-sectional area is reduced by reducing the diameter of the air tube which defines the field of the jetting air or its area-of-effect (AoE). The reduction in diameter and cross-sectional area increases the air velocity, but comes at a cost of reducing the air quantity and the AoE and so diminishes the effectiveness of the blower.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention provides a concentrator nozzle that increases the airflow velocity without sacrificing its AoE. The concentrator nozzle is formed of an outer ring with a centrally located guide surface. The concentrator is placed at the exit of an air tube, where the guide surface blocks a central portion of the airflow. The outer diameter of the air tube is not changed, and in this way, air velocity is increased without affecting the AoE. In a preferred embodiment, the concentrator nozzle is shown as a separate attachment allowing the user to use it on existing air tubes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Further features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following description, which is given by way of example and in association with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the airflow through a typical tapered air tube;

FIG. 2 shows the airflow through an air tube with a concentrator attachment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a blower with the concentrator attachment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the motor housing;

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view at the outlet of the air tube;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the concentrator attachment;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the concentrator attachment;

FIG. 8 shows the concentrator attachment in two pieces; and

FIG. 9 shows an alternate embodiment of the connection between the concentrator attachment and the air tube.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 3, a blower 10 incorporating a concentrator attachment 12 of the present invention is shown. The blower is an axial type blower with a main housing 14 having a rear air inlet 16 and an air tube 18. The concentrator attachment 12 is secured at an outlet of the air tube 18. A motor 20 and fan 22 (see FIG. 4) are positioned in the main housing 14, with the motor being powered by a battery 24. The battery 24 is secured to a bottom portion of the main housing 14 within a battery housing 26. The battery housing 26 surrounds the battery 24 and protects it from damage during falls or other mishaps. Additionally, the battery housing 26 is used to support the blower 10 when it's placed on the ground or other surface.

Although a battery 24 is shown, any other power source, such as AC power or gasoline, can be used to provide energy to the motor and still fall within the scope of the invention.

The air tube 18 is connected to the housing 14 at a first end, using ribbed walls or other well known connection means. The air tube 18 maintains a constant cross-sectional area along its longitudinal length.

As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the concentrator 12 includes an outer ring 40 and an inner guide surface 42. The guide surface 42 is connected to the ring by guide vanes 44. As best shown in FIG. 5, the outer ring 40 forms a U-shaped clip or coupling portion 46 that frictionally fits over the end of the air tube 18 to secure it in place. Alternatively, the concentrator 12 can be secured to the air tube 18 using a bayonet style connector as shown in FIG. 9. Here the end of the air tube 18 includes a pin 70. The outer ring of the concentrator includes an L-shaped slot 72 that slides over the pin 70 and is rotated to lock the concentrator to the air tube. The concentrator 12 can also be threadingly connected to the air tube 18 or use any other known connection means.

The vanes 44 are shown in the figures with a slight curve. The vanes 44 can be straight or any other configuration to modify the airflow, and can be used to help reduce turbulence.

The guide surface 42, can be any desired aerodynamic shape, but is shown as tear-drop shaped and is placed at the exit of the air tube 18. As shown in FIG. 5, part of the guide surface 42 is inside the air tube and part of it is outside. The guide surface 42 blocks a center portion of the airflow path so that air is diverted around the guide surface. Because the area of the airflow path area is reduced, the air velocity is increased. However, at the same time, the diameter of the air tube itself is not changed and so its AoE is not affected.

This effect is best shown by reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a typical air tube 30 having a concentrator feature built in. The tapered air tube's diameter is reduced so that its exit area and AoE are reduced by 39%, as shown by the cross-sectional area circles at its proximal end 36a and its distal end 36b. Contrast this with FIG. 2, which shows the air tube 18 of the present invention with a concentrator attachment 12 secured at its distal end 19. The diameter of the air tube 18 itself remains constant along its length so that the diameter at its exit 50b is the same as its proximal end 50b. In other words, there is no reduction in the AoE. But because the concentrator's guide surface 42 blocks the airflow at the air tube's exit, the cross-sectional area is reduced by 39% increasing the air velocity at the exit. It should be understood that although the present invention reduces the cross-sectional area by 39%, the guide surface 42 can be sized to reduce the cross-sectional area by more or less than this amount depending on the desired airflow profile.

Furthermore, although the guide surface 42 is shown centered at the exit of the air tube, the guide surface 42 can be off-center or at any position so long as it remains at the exit of the air tube and blocks some portion of the air path.

It should be understood that the concentrator 12 can be used with any air tube, including straight air tubes like in the present invention, or tapered air tubes like that shown in FIG. 1. The use of a concentrator with a tapered air tube would simply alter the existing airflow dynamics in a manner similar to the use of a concentrator with a straight air tube. Furthermore, although the concentrator is shown here as a separate attachment, the principles disclosed here can be integrally formed in an air tube and still fall within the scope of the invention.

Furthermore, it is important to note that the guide surface be positioned at the exit of the air tube 18. This ensures that the air speed upon exiting the air tube is maximized. Having the guide surface placed further upstream may briefly increase the air velocity, but the air velocity would again drop by the time it reached the air tube exit.

In a preferred embodiment, the concentrator attachment 12 is made of two separate pieces as shown in FIG. 8. A first piece is the head portion 60 which comprises an upstream part of the guide surface and a second piece is a tail portion 62 comprising the ring 40 and a downstream part of the guide surface. The two pieces have threaded connectors that are screwed together to produce the concentrator attachment.

Producing the concentrator attachment from two pieces simplifies manufacturing and assembly. It should be understood that threadingly connecting the two pieces is only one way of connecting the two pieces, and that the two pieces may be connected in any manner, including snap fit, adhesives, etc. Additionally, the concentrator attachment can be made from one piece if desired.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure

Claims

1. A blower device comprising: a housing having a motor and a fan therein;an air tube connected to a front portion of the housing for directing airflow to a distal end of the air tube, the distal end having a diameter defining an area of effect and a cross sectional area;a concentrator connected to the distal end of the air tube, the concentrator positioning an air guide surface at the distal end of the air tube thereby reducing the cross sectional area without reducing the area of effect; andwherein the guide surface is tear-drop shaped.

2. The blower device of claim 1, wherein the guide surface has a rear portion and a front portion, the rear portion being partially inside the air tube and the front portion being partially outside the air tube, the front portion being exposed to the environment.

3. The blower device of claim 1, wherein the concentrator has an outer ring that is secured to the air tube.

4. The blower device of claim 3, wherein the air guide surface is connected to the outer ring by vanes.

5. The blower device of claim 3, wherein the air guide surface is centered with respect to the air tube.

6. The blower device of claim 3, wherein the outer ring has a length in the direction of airflow, the diameter of the outer ring being consistent along its length.

7. The blower device of claim 3, wherein the concentrator is made of two pieces that are threadedly connected together.

8. The blower device of claim 3, wherein the outer ring encircles a middle portion of the air guide surface, leaving a rear portion and a front portion uncovered.

9. The blower device of claim 1, wherein the concentrator is substantially the same diameter as the air tube.

10. The blower device of claim 1, wherein the concentrator has a substantially consistent diameter along its length.

11. The concentrator attachment of claim 1, wherein the concentrator is connected to a distal end of the air tube, the concentrator positioning an air guide surface at the distal end thereby reducing the cross sectional area without reducing the area of effect of the air tube.

12. A concentrator attachment for a blower device, the concentrator attachment comprising: an outer ring adapted to be secured to the end of an air tube;a guide surface positioned within the outer ring, the guide surface having a rear portion and a front portion, wherein the outer ring encircles a middle portion of the guide surface;wherein when the outer ring to secured to the air tube, the front portion of the guide surface is adapted to be outside the air tube and exposed to the environment; andwherein the guide surface is tear-drop shaped.

13. The concentrator attachment of claim 12, wherein the outer ring and the guide surface are made of separate pieces that are releasably connected together.

14. A method of increasing the air velocity of a blower device, comprising the steps of: providing a blower having an air tube with a distal end, the distal having an area of effect and a cross sectional area;placing a concentrator at the distal end of an air tube, wherein the concentrator includes a tear-drop shaped guide surface within the air flow path, wherein the concentrator reduces the cross sectional area without reducing the area of effect; andturning on the blower device so that air is blown through the air tube, wherein prior to exiting the air tube the air is forced to move around the guide surface thus increasing its velocity.