Patent Application
20100111720
In order to maintain a level of human comfort within a dwelling the forced movement of air is employed to make one feel cooler. For the purpose of demonstrating a clear example of the preferred invention its use as a ceiling fan is selected. The prior art employs pitched blades when rotated by the motor the movement of air caused by the fan will create an artificial breeze. When temperatures are warm, this artificial breeze aids in a feeling cooler as the breeze passes over ones body.
Since the middle of the 20th Century systems such as central air-conditioning were incorporated in dwellings, to control the internal temperature of homes during summer months. Those systems added heating elements to have a singular central system for the home owner. However limitations in the distribution of the heat or cold produced by these systems have demonstrated that an uneven distribution within a room or enclosed area of a structure lends itself to the addition of a ceiling fan to supplement the circulation of air within those confines for the comfort of the user.
As stated the deficiencies that are part of the heating and or cooling system have been partially addressed by the use of a ceiling fan that obviously increases the movement of air within the confines of a room, the normal operating state of the ceiling fan is for its operation to be continuous. This continuous operation occurs while the heating/cooling system is cycled from operating to its off state.
Another claimed benefit of the prior art bladed ceiling fan is a overall reduction in energy consumption caused by the ability to alter the set temperature of the heating/cooling system to reduce its time of operation yet provide the user the level of comfort with a lower duty cycle of the centralized heating/cooling system.
The known physical property of air lends itself to the supplemental aid of a ceiling fan. To be specific, the fact that cooler air that has a greater density will seek a level lower with warmer air rising. The fan of the prior art will drive down the warmer air at the ceiling level in an attempt to create a higher state of movement within the confines of a room thus an attempt to equalize the distribution of the cool air when the cooling air source system is in use. Most ceiling fans of the prior art incorporate an ability to reverse the flow of air by reversing the direction of rotation of the fan blades. The purpose of the reverse flow is to enhance the distribution of warm air when the central heating feature of the heating/cooling system is being used, during the winter months. During the reverse flow of operation the warmer air at the ceiling is circulated across the ceiling and the desired effect is for this movement to create a circulation that distributes the room air with greater equality.
Important to note is that all of the ceiling fans of the prior art attempt to gain the improvements in comfort to the user by moving air parallel to the vertical surfaces of the room and thus perpendicular to the horizontal surfaces of the room. Thus the motion of the air circulation of the prior art is limited to a single column of forced air commonly found at the center of the room, or for lager rooms multiple fans are affixed to the ceiling. For the purpose of clarity the preferred embodiment will describe the preferred invention when adopted as a single unit mounted in the center of an average room in a dwelling.
As previously stated the pitched blade ceiling fan of the prior art forces a singular column of air from it position on the ceiling of a room perpendicular to the horizontal surfaces of a room.
The prior art uses the movement of the single vertical column of air to strike one of the horizontal surfaces of the room thus requiring an abrupt 90 degree turn of that column of air. In an attempt to circulate the air in order to equalize or homogenize the natural hot and cold layers, the prior art is deficient towards that purpose.
As will be seen by one skilled in the prior art the preferred invention greatly advances the basis of the ceiling fan paddle blade system to accomplish its stated goals.
It is therefore a general object of the invention to provide an air pump apparatus that will meet the objectives and minimize limitations of the type previously described.
It is a specific object of the invention to provide an air pump that is forcing its output laterally to its plane of rotation.
It is another specific object of the invention to provide complete circulation and mixing of air of different temperatures when used within the confines of a room.
It is another specific object of the invention to disperse its high volume of air displacement in all directions (360°) parallel to its plane of rotation.
It is another specific object of the invention to pass cooling air symmetrically around the drive motor thus adding to its useful life.
It is another specific object of the invention to allow the users of the prior art paddle blade(s) to refit and replace those blade(s) with the preferred invention. Thus overcoming the limitations of the prior art without the cost of complete replacement of all the components of the prior art.
In order to provide a solution to the deficiencies of the prior art, a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a high volume air pump, comprised of multiple disc(s) stacked equally and then rotated around a central axis. The rotating disc(s) are manufactured in a fashion that allows air to enter from a central opening in the disc(s) and then exit in all directions via equal spaces between the array of disc(s) at a high volume.
Objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The primary feature of the preferred invention that improves the prior art is the circulated high volume of air emitted 360 degrees in its plane of rotation thus having the air follow a path that is parallel to the horizontal surfaces of the room when installed.
The disc(s) 101 of the preferred invention are practically limited as to diameter or material selected for construction. With regard to a material used for the construction of the disc(s) 101, selection of plastic, metals or fiberglass resin materials will yield adequate for this purpose.
The outer ring 308 of the disc array adapter plate 301 has holes 304 drilled through it to match the hole pattern of the disc(s) 102 thus allowing the disc array mounting bolt 402 to pass through the plate 301 and disc array stack 401 securing the plate 301 to the disc array 401 with a nut, in addition available fastening techniques of varied methods may be employed to complete the disc array.
The inner ring 305 is drilled with hole(s) 304 to provide mounting of the disc array adapter plate 301 to the drive motor 406. The preferred invention allows for universal replacement of the prior art paddle blade configuration due to the inner ring 305 of the disc array adapter plate 301 and hole(s) 304 drilled to match ceiling fan flywheel blade mounting points of any existing ceiling fan flywheel of the prior art or when the preferred invention is newly manufactured. The circular space 307 which is interior to the inner ring 305 is to accommodate all lighting fixtures that are common to the prior art ceiling fan when the replacement with the preferred invention is accomplished by its user.
P2−P1=(fluid density×angular velocity2)÷2(R22−R12)
Where P2 and P1 are pressures, and R2 and R1 are the radius differences.
As described above the prior art is limited to a single column of air that it can displace. This singular column of air is limited by the diameter of the blades rotating about the hub of the fan; the single column is limited to the center of the room in a typical installation of a ceiling fan. The single column of air has a limited effect to any point lateral to that column until contact is made with a horizontal surface of the room. In addition the single column of air must make a 90 degree turn, and in the case of summer use [down draft] it will have to climb back to the ceiling.
The preferred also lends itself to scaling of its diameter and number of disc(s) 101 dependent upon the application.
In describing the invention, reference has been made to preferred embodiments and illustrative advantages of the invention. The subject invention, however, is not limited to residential ceiling fans. Those skilled in the art and familiar with the instant disclosure of the subject invention may recognize additions, deletions, modifications, substitutions, and other changes which fall within the purview of the subject invention and claims.
After reading and understanding the foregoing detailed description of an inventive high displacement air pump apparatus in accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that several distinct advantages of the subject high displacement air pump apparatus are obtained.
At least some of the major advantages include providing a disc array 401 made of a plurality of materials suitable for the application. The disc array 401 is perforated in a pattern 102 that will allow the vertical stacking of the disc(s) 101 to be accomplished to a number desired by the user. The disc array 401 when rotated by a drive motor 406 will intake air via the open air intake hub 103 and expel that air at a high volume, relative to the prior art, in all directions 360 degrees parallel to the direction of rotation. When used as a replacement to the prior art ceiling paddle fan the induced circulation homogenizes the air within the room to cause even temperature distribution of the heated or conditioned air within.
