Ceiling fans have been around for many years as a useful air circulator. The popular blade style over the years is a flat planar rectangular blade that can have a slight tilt, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 355,027 to Yound and Des. 382,636 to Yang. These patents while moving air are not concerned with maximizing optimum downward airflow. Furthermore, many of the flat ceiling fan blades have problems such as poor performance at high speeds, wobbling, and excessive noise that is noticeable to persons in the vicinity of the fan blades.
Aircraft, marine and automobile engine propeller type blades have been altered over the years to shapes other than flat rectangular. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,903,823 to Lougheed; 1,942,688 to Davis; 2,283,956 to Smith; 2,345,047 to Houghton; 2,450,440 to Mills; 4,197,057 to Hayashi; 4,325,675 to Gallot et al.; 4,411,598 to Okada; 4,416,434 to Thibert; 4,730,985 to Rothman et al. 4,794,633 to Hickey; 4,844,698 to Gornstein; 5,114,313 to Vorus; and 5,253,979 to Fradenburgh et al.; Australian Patent 19,987 to Eather. However, these patents are describing devices that are generally used for high speed water, aircraft, and automobile applications where the propellers are run at high revolutions per minute(rpm) generally in excess of 500 rpm. None of these propellers are designed for optimum airflow at low speeds of less than approximately 200 rpm which is the desired speeds used in overhead ceiling fan systems.
Some alternative blade shapes have been proposed for other types of fans. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,506,937 to Miller; 2,682,925 to Wosik; 4,892,460 to Volk; 5,244,349 to Wang; Great Britain Patent 676,406 to Spencer; and PCT Application No. WO 92/07192.
Miller '937 requires that their blades have root “lips 26”
Wang '349 requires each of their blades be “drilled with a plurality of perforations . . . for reducing weight . . . (and) may be reinforced by at least one rib . . . ”, abstract. Clearly, such a blades would not be aesthetically pleasing to the user to have various holes and ribs visible on the blades, and there is no description for increasing airflow with such an arrangement. Great Britain Patent '406 describes “. . . fan impellers” that require an “. . . unitary structure . . . constituted by a boss and four blades . . . ” page 1, lines 38+, and does not describe any single blades that can be used without any central boss type hub arrangement nor any use for less than three or more than four blade operation that will allow versatility for mounting separate numbers of blades on a ceiling fan motor. PCT '192 is for use “in an electric fan . . . to convert axially existing ambient air into a radially outward current of air . . . ”, abstract, and is shown in FIGS. 5–12 as being used for being mounted on “post(s)”, and the like, and is not directed toward a ceiling fan operation, which would direct air primarily downward. Additionally, PCT '192 generally requires an elaborate arrangement of using plural blades angled both upward and downward for operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,821 to Boyd et al. describes a ceiling fan of covering large blades of between 15 feet(180 inches) to approximately 40 feet(480 inches) which can not be used for conventional applications such as those used in homes and offices.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 34,109 and 4,844,698 to Gornstein describes sixty inch blades for use vehicles such as hovercrafts, airboats, and dirigibles which have no application to being used as ceiling fans.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,788 to Sorensen mentions some old uses of having four to six blade fans that cover approximately 5 feet(60 inches) but has not no data on low speed operation, nor on using three blades, nor on using any twisted blade configurations, and would not have enhanced efficiency over conventional ceiling fan operation.
Although larger ceiling fans with diameters greater than 54 inches have been produced, these fans have not incorporated enhancements to the fan blade, such as maximizing twist, taper and air foil configurations to optimize air moving performance.
Thus, the need exists for better performing ceiling fans over the prior art.
The first objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades that are aerodynamically optimized to move up to approximately 40% or more air than traditional flat planar ceiling fan blades.
The second objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades that are more quiet and provide greater comfort than traditional flat planar ceiling fan blades.
The third objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades that are less prone to wobble than traditional flat planar ceiling fan blades.
The fourth objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades that reduce electrical power consumption and are more energy efficient over traditional flat planar ceiling fan blades.
The fifth objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades designed for superior airflow at up to approximately 240 revolutions per minute(rpm).
The sixth objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades being more aesthetically appealing than traditional flat planar ceiling fan blades.
The seventh objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades with reduced low operational speeds for reverse operation to less than approximately 40 revolutions per minute.
The eighth objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades having reduced low operational forward speeds of less than approximately 75 revolutions per minute.
The ninth objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades with reduced medium operational forward speeds of up to approximately 120 revolutions per minute, using less than approximately 9 Watts at low speeds.
The tenth objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades with an approximately 60(sixty) inch diameter(tip-to-tip fan diameter) for enhancing air moving efficiency at lower speeds than conventional fans.
The eleventh objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades with an approximately 64(sixty four) inch diameter (tip-to-tip fan diameter) for enhancing air moving efficiency at lower speeds than conventional fans.
The twelfth objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades having a coverage area of up to approximately 2,827 square inches, which would be up to approximately a 23% increase in coverage over conventional 54 inch diameter fans.
The thirteenth objective of the subject invention is to provide ceiling fan blades having a coverage area of up to 3,217 square inches, which would be up to approximately 40% increase in coverage over conventional 54 inch diameter fans.
The fourteenth objective of the subject invention is to provide a three blade ceiling fan having greater air flow than conventional four and five blade ceiling fans. The fifteenth objective of the subject invention is to provide a three blade ceiling fan having less than the approximate power consumption as conventional four and five blade ceiling fans, with greater air flow than conventional blades.
Embodiments of the invention include ceiling fans having tip-to-tip spans of approximately 60 inches and approximately 64 inches, using three, four, five or more blades. Increased airflow and coverage areas of approximately 3,217 square inches or more can occur with these fans.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the presently preferred embodiments which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.
Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
Testing of novel ceiling fan blades were first described in detail to parent patent application to the subject invention, namely U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 09/056,428 filed Apr. 7, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,541, and incorporated by reference. The initial novel blades were tested between May and June, 1997 at the Florida Solar Energy Center® in Cocoa, Fla., and included three parameters of measurement data: airflow(meters per second(m/s), power(in watts) and speed(revolutions per minute(rpm)). Those novel ceiling fan blades far surpassed the operating parameters of various ceiling fans in operation, as do the subject fan blades of this invention.
The invention further claims the benefit or priority to Provisional Application No. 60/342,564 filed Dec. 26, 2001, and this invention is also a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/976,515 filed Oct. 12, 2001, which claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/265,241 filed Jan. 31, 2001, and this invention is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/711,599 filed Nov. 13, 2000, which is a divisional aplication of U.S. Ser. No. 09/415,883 filed Oct. 8, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,799, which is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 09/067,236 filed Apr. 27, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,898 which is incorporated by reference, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/056,428 filed Apr. 7, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,541, all of which are incorporated by reference.
Table 1 refers to the input data where velocity measurements in meters per second were compared between the novel GW(Gossmer Wind) Industrial 3 blade fan with 60 inch blades compared to the Gossamar Wind Windward II, the FSEC/AERO, and the conventional ceiling fans models by Hunter, CF705WW, and F4852WW. Table 1 is test data at low speeds.
Table 2 shows the operational results of Table 1 for the 60″ blades.
Referring to Tables 1 and 2, at low speed, approximately 86 rpm, the three bladed GW Industrial draws approximately 14.5 Watts while producing approximately 2500 CFM of air flow, which clearly exceeds conventional fans by Hunter, CF705WW, and F4852WW in both CFM and CFM/Watt.
At high speed, the three bladed GW Industrial draws approximately 102 Watts to produce approximately 242 rpm, and the fan produces approximately 5700 CFM, considerably greater than the conventional fans. The motor was 18×188 Power Max motor. Model 526 012: CF 10-H60, commercial electric motor.
Table 3 shows the novel 60(sixty) inch diameter novel blades at low, medium and high speeds in revolutions per minute(rpm) with Power Draw as the instantaneous electric power requirement in Watts at those speeds, and air coverage profile under the fans as compared to previous invention and a standard large 54)fifty-four) inch ceiling fan. The conventional 54″(averaged) is a Emerson CF705WW, off-the-shelf fan model. CFM refers to cubic feet per minute.
High speed refers to the medium high speed for the industrial fan.
A purpose and desirability of the new configuration is re-establish true air foil for fan blade design by limiting fan speed in reverse operation to “low” only with capacitors to limit that speed to approximately 40 rpm.
The reason for this desirability is that the lack of true air foil causes flow separation in last third of fan blade, loss of efficiency and a more limited air flow pattern(air flow only directly under the fan). Reestablishing a thinner trailing edge will reduce flow turbulence in the wake of the movement of the fan blade.
The novel predecessors to the subject invention(Windward II, and FSEC/Aero) provide air flow amounts at low speed(approximately 90 rpm) that conventional fans must run at medium speeds with greater power use and higher rpm rates.
The air flow resistance increases at the square of velocity, where the motor power necessary to overcome it(in Watts) increases at the cube of velocity. Thus, the previous invention fans(Windward II, and FSEC/Aero) can use only approximately 17 Watts at low speed which can be cut approximately 9 Watts if the fan speed is dropped from approximately 90 rpm to approximately 75 rpm while still maintaining superior air flow to the conventional ceiling fans.
Table 4 shows a comparison of running a modified version of the subject invention with revised capacitors on the Model Windward II.
From the above it is apparent that dropping power to approximately 11.4 Watts does not drop flow proportionately, so that the invention's air moving efficiency goes up by approximately 21%.
Since power requirements for air movement increase at the cube of velocity, the air moving efficiency of the novel blades has been increased with a standard motor since the fan blade length has been increased since the large fan blade cuts a larger circumference and the tip velocities are lower. The conventional standard 54″ blade diameters(having flat type blades of approximately 27″ inches in length) will describe a circle of approximately 170 inches. The novel 60 inch blades travel approximately a distance of approximately 188 inches. The conventional 54″ fan blades form a coverage area of approximately 2,290 square inches directly beneath the fan. The novel 60″ fan blades form a coverage area of approximately 2,827 square inches which is approximately 23% greater in coverage.
As discussed above, the conventional standard 54″ blade diameters(having flat) type blades of approximately 27″ inches in length) will describe a circle of approximately 170 inches. The novel 64 inch blades travel approximately a distance of approximately 201 inches. The conventional 54″ fan blades form a coverage area of approximately 2,290 square inches beneath the fan. The novel 64″ fan blades form a coverage area of approximately 3,217 square inches which is approximately 40% greater in coverage.
Although the preferred embodiments of the 60″ and 64″ twisted blades have been tested in 3 blade configurations, the invention can be used with four, five, or more blades.
The benefits of using the novel large blades causes an increased air flow coverage which means a larger comfort zone for occupants within a given room(space) For example, increased airflow coverage increases from approximately 15.9 square feet with a 54″ fan to approximately 19.6 square feet with a 60″ fan and to approximately 22.3 square feet with a 64″ fan.
While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.
This invention relates to ceiling fans, and in particular to three or more blade ceiling fan having large diameters of approximately 60 to approximately 64 inches, along with operating fan blades at reduced rotational speeds (approximately 75 to approximately 250 rpm) for reduced energy consumption with larger air movement volumes, and the invention claims the benefit of priority to Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/342,564 filed Dec. 26, 2001, and this invention is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. Application Ser. No. 09/976,515 filed Oct. 12, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,721, which claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/265,241 filed Jan. 31, 2001, and this invention is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/711,599 filed Nov. 13, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,984, which is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 09/415,883 filed Oct. 8, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,799, which is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 09/067,236 filed Apr. 27, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,898 which is incorporated by reference, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/056,428 filed Apr. 7, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,541 which is incorporated by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1506937 | Miller | Sep 1924 | A |
1903823 | Lougheed | Apr 1933 | A |
1942688 | Davis | Jan 1934 | A |
2088312 | Weber | Jul 1937 | A |
2231746 | Ballentine | Feb 1941 | A |
2283956 | Smith | Apr 1942 | A |
2345047 | Houghton | Mar 1944 | A |
2450440 | Mills | Oct 1948 | A |
2682925 | Wosika | Jul 1954 | A |
4197057 | Hayashi | Apr 1980 | A |
4325675 | Gallot et al. | Apr 1982 | A |
4411598 | Okada | Oct 1983 | A |
4416434 | Thibert et al. | Nov 1983 | A |
4693673 | Nee | Sep 1987 | A |
4730985 | Rothman et al. | Mar 1988 | A |
4782213 | Teal | Nov 1988 | A |
4844698 | Gornstein et al. | Jul 1989 | A |
4892460 | Volk | Jan 1990 | A |
4974633 | Hickey | Dec 1990 | A |
5033113 | Wang | Jul 1991 | A |
5114313 | Vorus | May 1992 | A |
RE34109 | Gornstein et al. | Oct 1992 | E |
5244349 | Wang | Sep 1993 | A |
5253979 | Fradenburgh et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
5328329 | Monroe | Jul 1994 | A |
D355027 | Young | Jan 1995 | S |
5516264 | Anetrini | May 1996 | A |
5554006 | Liao | Sep 1996 | A |
D382636 | Yang | Aug 1997 | S |
5860788 | Sorensen | Jan 1999 | A |
5951162 | Weetman et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
6039533 | McCabe | Mar 2000 | A |
6039541 | Parker et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6244821 | Boyd et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6254476 | Choi | Jul 2001 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
19987 | Jan 1929 | AU |
1050902 | Jan 1954 | FR |
676406 | Jul 1952 | GB |
925931 | May 1963 | GB |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60342564 | Dec 2001 | US | |
60265241 | Jan 2001 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10121388 | Apr 2002 | US |
Child | 11027242 | US | |
Parent | 09415883 | Oct 1999 | US |
Child | 09711599 | US | |
Parent | 09067236 | Apr 1998 | US |
Child | 09415883 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 09976515 | Oct 2001 | US |
Child | 10121388 | US | |
Parent | 09711599 | Nov 2000 | US |
Child | 09976515 | US | |
Parent | 09056428 | Apr 1998 | US |
Child | 09067236 | US |