FAN

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of Chinese Patent Application No. CN 202210777975.X, filed on Jun. 28, 2022, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entireties.

BACKGROUND

A fan is a machine that speeds up the flow of air by driving fan blades to rotate. An energy source of the fan may be a direct current power supply or an alternating current power supply, and the direct current power supply is generally carried by a battery pack and is more convenient for a user who does not have easy access to the alternating current power supply. The fan may be used in a variety of scenarios, and different application scenarios have different requirements for the placement and air output angle of the fan.

SUMMARY

The fan includes a battery pack coupling portion for mounting a battery pack; an air output assembly including fan blades, where the fan blades are driven by a motor to rotate about a first axis; the air output assembly further includes a front housing located on the front side of the fan blades, and an airflow flows out from the front housing; and the air output assembly further includes a rear housing located on the rear side of the fan blades, and the airflow flows in from the rear housing; a pivot assembly connected to the air output assembly, where the air output assembly is rotatable about a second axis of the pivot assembly; and a support assembly connected to the pivot assembly, where the support assembly is capable of supporting the air output assembly. The maximum distance of the front housing available for air output in an up and down direction is defined as the air output diameter of the fan, and the distance between the first axis and the second axis is defined as a first distance, where a ratio of the first distance to the air output diameter is greater than or equal to 25%.

In an example, the ratio of the first distance to the air output diameter is greater than or equal to 33%.

In an example, the pivot assembly is connected to the bottom of the air output assembly, and the second axis is located on the lower side of the air output assembly.

In an example, the pivot assembly is at least partially located between the air output assembly and the battery pack coupling portion.

In an example, the support assembly includes a support rod and a support member, the support rod is connected to the pivot assembly, and the support member supports the support rod so that the fan is capable of being placed on a placement plane.

In an example, the support assembly includes four support members, where when the fan is placed on the placement plane, a projection of the center of gravity of the fan on the placement plane falls within a region enclosed by the four support members.

In an example, the maximum width of the air output assembly in a left and right direction is defined as a second distance, and the maximum distance of the support assembly in the left and right direction is defined as a third distance, where the second distance is greater than the third distance.

In an example, the rated voltage of the battery pack is greater than or equal to 36 V and less than or equal to 56 V.

In an example, the weight of the battery pack is greater than or equal to 0.8 kg and less than or equal to 2.5 kg.

In an example, the battery pack adapted to the fan is also adaptable to other types of power tools other than the fan.

In an example, the battery pack is capable of being mounted into the battery pack coupling portion from front to back.

In an example, the battery pack is at least partially located on the front side of the second axis when the battery pack is mounted in the fan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fan;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fan with a front housing and a rear housing removed;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a pivot assembly of a fan;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a support assembly from one perspective;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a support assembly from another perspective;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the fan in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a front housing in an example;

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the fan in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the fan in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the fan in FIG. 9 placed on an inclined plane inclined to a horizontal plane;

FIG. 11 is a side view of an air output assembly of the fan in FIG. 9 rotating backward by an angle about a second axis;

FIG. 12 is a side view of an air output assembly of the fan in FIG. 9 rotating backward by 90 degrees about a second axis;

FIG. 13 is a side view of an air output assembly of the fan in FIG. 9 rotating forward by an angle about a second axis;

FIG. 14 is a side view of an air output assembly of the fan in FIG. 9 rotating forward by 90 degrees about a second axis;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the fan in FIG. 12 placed on a placement plane inclined to a horizontal plane; and

FIG. 16 is a side view of the fan in FIG. 14 placed on a placement plane inclined to a horizontal plane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To make solved technical problems, adopted technical solutions, and achieved technical effects of the present application more apparent, the technical solutions in examples of the present application are further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings. The examples described below are part, not all, of the examples of the present application.

In the description of the present application, it is to be noted that orientations or position relations indicated by terms such as “center”, “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “front”, and “rear” are based on the drawings. These orientations or position relations are intended only to facilitate and simplify the description of the present application and not to indicate or imply that a device or element referred to must have such particular orientations or must be configured or operated in such particular orientations. Thus, these orientations or position relations are not to be construed as limiting the present application. Moreover, the terms “first,” “second,” and the like are used only for distinguishing between different structures or components and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

The present application discloses a fan 10. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the fan 10 includes an air output assembly 100, a pivot assembly 200, a battery pack coupling portion 300, and a support assembly 400.

The air output assembly 100 includes fan blades 140, a front housing 130 located on the front side of the fan blades 140 and used for guiding the airflow out, and a rear housing 150 located on the rear side of the fan blades 140 and used for guiding the airflow in. The top of the air output assembly 100 includes a grip 110, and an operator can lift the fan 10 by holding the grip 110, thereby moving the position of the fan 10. The fan 10 may also be hung for use by the grip 110. A speed regulation knob 120 is disposed on the lower side of the grip 110 and used for adjusting the rotational speed of the fan blades 140.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fan blades 140 rotate about a first axis 141. In this example, the first axis of the fan blades 140 basically coincides with a motor axis of a motor 160, and the fan blades 140 are directly driven by the motor 160 to rotate. The motor 160 is disposed right behind the fan blades 140, and the rotation of the fan blades 140 can help the motor 160 to dissipate heat. A wire connecting a battery pack 310 to the motor 160 is disposed in a connection structure 170. In this example, the connection structure 170 is a housing structure that is connected to the rear housing 150 and extends from the rear end of the motor 160 to the battery pack coupling portion 300. In an example, the connection structure 170 is integrally formed with the rear housing 150, or in other words, the connection structure 170 is hidden inside the rear housing 150 and the wire penetrates through the rear housing 150.

The pivot assembly 200 allows the air output assembly 100 to rotate about a second axis 201, thereby regulating the direction of the airflow flowing out. The battery pack coupling portion 300 is used for mounting the battery pack 310, so as to supply power to the fan 10. In this example, the battery pack coupling portion 300 and the battery pack 310 are located on the lower side of the air output assembly 100 and also on the lower side of the pivot assembly 200 and are connected to the pivot assembly 200. The air output assembly 100 and the battery pack coupling portion 300 are separately disposed on two sides of the pivot assembly 200. The pivot assembly is connected to the bottom of the air output assembly.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pivot assembly 200 may be divided into a first pivot assembly 210 and a second pivot assembly 220. In this example, the first pivot assembly 210 is located at the left end of the pivot assembly 200 and is a knob mechanism, and the second pivot assembly 220 is located at the right end of the pivot assembly 200 and is a fastening mechanism. A first plane 101 perpendicular to the first axis 141 is defined.

In conjunction with FIGS. 9, 12, and 14, the air output assembly 100 can rotate forward or backward around the pivot assembly 200. In this example, the maximum angle at which the air output assembly 100 can rotate forward or backward around the pivot assembly 200 in a vertical position shown in FIG. 9 is 90 degrees.

In this example, a pivot knob 211 in the first pivot assembly 210 may be adjusted to at least two positions. When the pivot knob 211 is rotated to one of the positions, the air output assembly 100 may be rotated; and when the pivot knob 211 is rotated to the other position, the air output assembly 100 cannot be rotated. The “rotation” here means that the air output assembly 100 rotates relative to the pivot assembly 200. It is to be noted that the specific form of the pivot assembly 200 is not limited and various pivot structures for achieving fan rotation exist in the conventional art.

FIGS. 3 to 5 disclose the specific structure of the support assembly 400, where a support rod 420 is connected to the lower end of the air output assembly 100 and the pivot assembly 200, and the support rod 420 is supported by support members 410. The support assembly 400 forms a support plane 401. In this example, a plane formed by the lower surface of the support members 410 of the support assembly 400 is the support plane 401. In this example, the outer surface of the front housing 130 is basically parallel to the first plane 101. When the fan 10 is in a non-rotating state and placed on a horizontal plane, the first plane 101 is perpendicular to the support plane 401.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, multiple support members 410 may be provided. In this example, the support members 410 include a first support member 411 located at the left front of the air output assembly 100, a second support member 412 located at the right front of the air output assembly 100, a third support member 413 located at the left rear of the air output assembly 100, and a fourth support member 414 located at the right rear of the air output assembly 100. The four support members 410 enclose a trapezoidal region. It is to be noted that in other examples, multiple support members 410 are integrally formed into one piece; or several support members 410 may be integrally formed and then used with other support members 410.

The support rod 420 may be composed of multiple rod portions, such as a first rod portion 421 connecting the first support member 411 and the third support member 413, a second rod portion 422 connecting the third support member 413 and the fourth support member 414, a third rod portion 423 connecting the fourth support member 414 and the second support member 412, a fourth rod portion 424 connecting the first support member 411 and the first pivot assembly 210, and a fifth rod portion 425 connecting the second support member 412 and the second pivot assembly 220. The five rod portions may be integrally formed; or the five rod portions may be separately formed and then spliced together; or several rod portions may be integrally formed and spliced together with other rod portions, which is not limited here.

It is to be understood that the support members 410 may be composed of four support members as in this example or may be composed of more or fewer support members. In some examples, the support members 410 and the support rod 420 may be made of the same material such as plastic or may be made of different materials, for example, the support members 410 are made of a plastic material and the support rod 420 is made of a metal material. The support members 410 and the support rod 420 may be integrally formed or separately formed and then mounted together.

FIG. 5 further shows the bottom structure of the battery pack coupling portion 300. In this example, the battery pack coupling portion 300 includes a bottom 320 and sidewalls 330, where the left and right sidewalls 330 and the bottom 320 may enclose the battery pack 310 within the battery pack coupling portion 300. This design prevents the battery pack 310 from falling out or slipping off as the rotational angle or position of the fan 10 changes.

The rated voltage of the battery pack 310 that can be accommodated in the battery pack coupling portion 300 is greater than or equal to 36 V and less than or equal to 56 V. In an example, the rated voltage of the battery pack 310 is 40 V. The weight of the battery pack 310 that can be accommodated in the battery pack coupling portion 300 is greater than or equal to 0.8 kg and less than or equal to 2.5 kg. The following table lists information about four battery packs 310 applicable to the fan 10.

TABLE 1

Battery
Battery
Battery
Battery

pack 1
pack 2
pack 3
pack 4

Rated voltage (V)
40
V
40
V
40
V
40
V

Weight (kg)
0.89
kg
1.3
kg
1.37
kg
1.88
kg

In conjunction with FIGS. 6 to 8, when the first axis 141 of the fan blades 140 is perpendicular to the support plane 401, a point of intersection of the first axis 141 of the air output assembly 100 and a paper surface is 142. The air output diameter D of the front housing 130a is the maximum air output distance of a front housing 130a in a vertical direction. It is to be noted that the air output diameter D here refers to the inner length of the front housing 130 and not the outer length of the front housing 130.

To further illustrate the air output diameter D, FIG. 7 is used as an example for description. In this example, the air output boundary of the front housing 130a is basically circular, that is to say, the first diameter D1 of the inner side of the front housing 130a along an up and down direction is basically equal to the second diameter D2 of the inner side of the front housing 130a along a left and right direction. Here, “basically equal” is defined as follows: the ratio of the difference between the first diameter D1 of the inner side of the first housing 130a along the up and down direction and the second diameter D2 of the inner side of the first housing 130a along the left and right direction to the larger value between the first diameter D1 and the second diameter D2 is less than or equal to 10%. That is to say, if the air output area of the front housing 130 is not a perfect circle, for example, the air output area of the front housing 130 is elliptical or in other shapes, as long as the ratio of the difference between the first diameter D1 and the second diameter D2 to the larger value between D1 and D2 is less than or equal to 10%, it is considered that the front housing 130 satisfies that D1 is basically equal to D2. In this case, the first diameter D1 is used as the air output diameter D.

As shown in FIG. 6, the distance between the second axis 201 of the pivot assembly 200 and the first axis 141 of the air output assembly 100 is a first distance L1, and the first distance L1 is greater than or equal to one-fourth of the air output diameter D. In an example, the first distance L1 is greater than or equal to one-third of the air output diameter D. In an example, the first distance L1 is greater than or equal to half of the air output diameter D. That is to say, in an example, the ratio of the first distance L1 to the air output diameter D is greater than or equal to 25%. In an example, the ratio of the first distance L1 to the air output diameter D is greater than or equal to 33%. In an example, the ratio of the first distance L1 to the air output diameter D is greater than or equal to 50%.

In addition, the maximum width of the air output assembly 100 in the left and right direction is a second distance L2, and the maximum width of the support assembly 400 in the left and right direction is a third distance L3, where the second distance L2 is greater than or equal to the third distance L3. The second distance L2 may be the maximum distance of the front housing 130 in the left and right direction or the maximum distance of the rear housing 150 in the left and right direction. In an example, the second distance L2 is 1 to 1.2 times the third distance L3. In an example, the second distance L2 is about 1.1 times the third distance L3. Such a proportional relationship makes the fan 10 “long and thin” in shape so that the fan 10 in use requires less standing area, thereby saving space.

The overall height of the fan 10 is a first height H1, and the first height H1 is about twice the third distance L3. In an example, the first height H1 is less than twice the third distance L3. The first height H1 is about 1.4 to 1.8 times the second distance L2. In an example, the first height H1 is about 1.6 times the second distance L2. In this manner, the part of the fan 10 with the maximum distance in the left and right direction is at the air output assembly 100, the air output assembly 100 is used for actually doing work to output the airflow, and the pivot assembly 200, the battery pack coupling portion 300, and the support assembly 400 are used for exciting and keeping the continuous air output from the air output assembly 100. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, an area occupied by the air output assembly 100 may be regarded as an effective area, and the fan 10 disclosed in the present application helps to increase the ratio of the effective area of the fan 10 to a total area. The fan 10 has a higher space utilization rate and can be adapted to more usage conditions and working conditions.

In an example, the grip 110 of the fan 10 may be configured to be a pivotable structure, that is, the grip 110 is pulled up when needed for use and lowered when not needed. Therefore, FIG. 6 further defines a second height H2 excluding the top grip 110, and the second height H2 is the distance between the topmost part of the housing of the air output assembly 100 and the support plane 401. In an example, the second height H2 is 0.85 to 0.95 times the first height.

The distance between the second axis 201 of the pivot assembly 200 of the fan 10 and the support plane 401 is a third height H3, and the ratio of the first height H1 to the third height H3 is greater than or equal to 2.5 and less than or equal to 4.7. In some examples, the ratio of the first height H1 to the third height H3 is greater than or equal to 3.0 and less than or equal to 3.5. When the ratio of the first height H1 to the third height H3 is too small, the height of the second axis 201 is too high, affecting the position of the center of gravity of the whole machine; and when the ratio of the first height H1 to the third height H3 is too large, the second axis 201 is too close to the support plane 401, affecting the distance between the battery pack 310 and the ground when the battery pack 310 rotates.

As shown in FIG. 8, a region formed by the support members 410 is basically trapezoidal. The support assembly 400 includes the first support member 411 and the second support member 412 that are located in the front row and the third support member 413 and the fourth support member 414 that are located in the rear row. The maximum width between the first support member 411 and the second support member 412 along the left and right direction is the third distance L3, and the maximum width between the third support member 413 and the fourth support member 414 along the left and right direction is a fourth distance L4. The third distance L3 is greater than or equal to the fourth distance L4.

In conjunction with FIGS. 6 and 8, when viewed from the front, the center of gravity of the fan 10 may fall on the lower side of the air output assembly 100, at the pivot assembly 200, or at the battery pack coupling portion 300. When viewed upward from the bottom, the center of gravity of the fan 10 falls within a region of the battery pack coupling portion 300.

In an example, the maximum width of the support assembly 400 in the left and right direction is the third distance L3 and may also be the maximum width between the third support member 413 and the fourth support member 414 along the left and right direction. The maximum width of the support assembly 400 in a front and rear direction is a fifth distance L5. In this example, the fifth distance L5 is basically equal to the third distance L3. Table two describes an example of the preceding parameters.

TABLE 2

L1
L2
L3
L4
L5
H1
H2
H3
D1
D2

Unit (mm)
222
439
392
347
398
710
655
213
361
368

As described in the preceding table, a support area of the fan 10 is defined as an area of a region enclosed by all the support members 410 of the support assembly 400. In this example, the support area is an area of a trapezoid. According to the trapezoid area formula, the support area in this example is 0.147 m².

FIGS. 9 to 16 further disclose the effects that can be achieved by rotating the air output assembly 100 of the fan 10 around the pivot assembly 200.

FIG. 9 shows a right view of FIG. 1. At the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the first axis 141 of the fan blades 140 of the air output assembly 100 is parallel to a placement plane 402 on which the fan 10 is placed, and the placement plane 402 basically coincides with the support plane 401 formed by the support assembly 400. As shown in FIG. 10, when the fan 10 shown in FIG. 9 is placed on an inclined plane, a projection of the center of gravity of the fan 10 on the support plane 401 falls within a range formed by the support members of the support assembly 400. At this time, an angle between the placement plane 402 on which the fan 10 is placed and the horizontal plane is a first angle α. The minimum value of the first angle α is zero degrees (that is, the placement plane 402 is parallel to the horizontal plane), and the maximum value of the first angle α is greater than or equal to 10 degrees. In some examples, the angle between the placement plane 402 and the horizontal plane may be 12 degrees, 14 degrees, or 16 degrees, and at these angles, the fan 10 can be placed stably without tipping over.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the air output assembly 100 rotates backward around the pivot assembly 200. In this example, the air output assembly 100 can rotate backward up to 90 degrees. During the rotation of the air output assembly 100 from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 12, the projection of the center of gravity of the fan 10 on the support plane 401 always falls within the range formed by the support members of the support assembly 400.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the air output assembly 100 rotates forward around the pivot assembly 200. In this example, the air output assembly 100 can rotate forward up to 90 degrees. During the rotation of the air output assembly 100 from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 14, the projection of the center of gravity of the fan 10 on the support plane 401 always falls within the range formed by the support members of the support assembly 400.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, when the air output assembly 100 of the fan 10 rotates by a certain angle, the fan 10 can still be disposed on a surface with a certain slope without tipping over. The first angle α between the placement plane 402 on which the fan 10 is placed and the horizontal plane is at least 10 degrees and the fan 10 does not tip over. In the case shown in FIG. 15, the center of gravity of the fan 10 is located to the right of a first straight line 101 perpendicular to the horizontal plane, where the first straight line 101 passes through the foremost edge of the support members 410 in the front row. In the case shown in FIG. 15, the center of gravity of the fan 10 is located to the left of a second straight line 102 perpendicular to the horizontal plane, where the second straight line 102 passes through the foremost edge of the support members 410 in the front row.

In conjunction with FIGS. 11 to 16, the angle between the first axis 141 of the air output assembly 100 and the support assembly 401 is greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees.

It is to be noted that the preceding case where the fan 10 does not tip over when placed on the placement plane 402 inclined to the horizontal plane includes not only the case where the battery pack 310 is mounted in the battery pack coupling portion 300 but also the case where the battery pack 310 is not mounted in the battery pack coupling portion 300, that is, when the battery pack 310 is not mounted in the fan 10. Similarly, the case where the fan 10 does not tip over when the air output assembly 100 rotates forward or backward and is placed on the support plane 401 inclined to the horizontal plane means that the fan 10 does not tip over whether or not the battery pack 310 is mounted in the fan 10.

When the air output assembly 100 rotates about the second axis 201, the battery pack coupling portion 300 rotates together, and the direction of rotation of the air output assembly 100 is just opposite to the direction of rotation of the battery pack coupling portion 300. In addition, the ratio of the first distance L1 to the air output diameter D is greater than or equal to 25%. With such a structure and specific parameter settings, the fan 10 can be placed stably and the projection of the center of gravity of the fan 10 on the support plane 401 falls within the region enclosed by the support members 410 in various placement cases where the battery pack 310 is mounted in the fan 10, the battery pack 310 is not mounted in the fan 10, the support plane 401 is horizontal, the support plane 401 is inclined to the horizontal plane, or the air output assembly 100 rotates by a certain angle relative to the support plane 401.

In addition, the battery pack 310 disclosed in the present application may be inserted into the fan 10 from front to back and is convenient for the operator to mount and replace. When the fan 10 is placed as shown in FIG. 9, the battery pack 310 is located at least partially on the front side of the second axis 201 and partially on the rear side of the second axis 201. This arrangement is more conducive to the balance of the whole machine.

The fan disclosed in the present application can be adapted to various usage cases and has a unique appearance. The fan in use saves the space occupied by the support assembly 400 and can “stand” stably when placed at different angles. When the fan 10 is in a folded state shown in FIG. 12 or 14, the fan 10 saves space and is easy to store.

The basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present application are shown and described above. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the preceding examples do not limit the present application in any form, and all technical solutions obtained through equivalent substitutions or equivalent transformations fall within the scope of the present application

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Priority Claims (1)