Patent Application
20220282736
This disclosure is directed to the placement of a control panel for a high-volume low speed (HVLS) fan adjacent a structural member supporting the fan. The system and kit disclosed herein direct placement of a HVLS fan control panel compliant with the Underwriters Laboratories 508A standard.
Because of their size large HVLS fans are mounted to building structural members such as an I-beam, Glulam beam, Unistrut, steel truss or a purlin. Disclosed herein is a system and kit to address the electrical power and control wiring needs of an HVLS fan by integrating an electrical enclosure into the mount assembly that is certified to meet the standard for the construction of industrial control panels [UL 508A].
The scope of UL 508A includes all control panels including enclosed control panels and control panels with environmental control devices. UL 508A encompasses a broad range of requirements for industrial control panels, primarily the electrical requirements around those control panels to include how they are operated and installed. UL 508A is critically important for the design of industrial equipment, industrial machinery, processing equipment and similar equipment such as high-volume low speed (HVLS) fans. The industrial equipment and control panels are by law covered under the requirements of the National Electric Code (NEC NFPA 70) and must be suitable for use. UL 508A is the standard for suitability for use of industrial control panels.
HVLS fan control panels have traditionally been positioned at a location not proximate to the fan and often in undesirable locations to allow ready access to and wiring of the panels during installation. This installation methodology creates unsightly placement of control panel boxes within the occupied space and can even lead to an unsafe setting should an unauthorized individual gain access to the electrical power and control wiring that extends to the control panel from the power source and the operator's control module.
In accordance with preferred embodiments of the device disclosed herein, some of the aesthetic and functional challenges associated with the routing of electrical wiring of HVLS fans are overcome.
The apparatus disclosed herein integrates an industrial electrical enclosure compliant with UL 508A with the HVLS fan mounting system. This design allows the HVLS fan to be fastened to the mount apparatus and the mount apparatus secured to the electrical enclosure. A plate secured to the top of the control panel may then be secured to the building structural element.
These, together with other aspects of the device disclosed herein, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the technology, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part of this disclosed technology. For a better understanding of the disclosed technology, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the disclosed technology.
Illustrative embodiments of the disclosed HVLS fan with structural support member mounted control panel system and kit are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein:
Illustrated at
The general configuration of the system 10 as disclosed herein includes the support member 20 providing structural support to the building or open-air space in which the HVLS fan is located. The HVLS control panel 14 is mounted to the structural support member 20 which may be of any number of configurations and fabricated from different materials. Some of the various types of structural support members contemplated by this disclosure will be discussed in greater detail below.
As illustrated at
As illustrated at
As illustrated at
At the second end 88 of the extension tube 74 are another two sets of diametrically opposed through holes 90 that connect the extension tube 74 to the fan motor shaft 94. As with the first end 69 of the extension tube 70, shear pins secure the extension tube 70 to the fan motor shaft 94 by passing through the two sets of diametrically opposed through holes 90 of the extension tube 74 and through the through holes 95 of the motor shaft 94. The shear pins 96 prevent retraction of the fan motor shaft 94 from the extension tube 70 due to the weight of the HVLS fan 12.
The structural support member 20 may include any of a Glulam beam, a purlin, an I-beam, a steel truss or a Unistrut all of which can support the system 10 to include the control panel 14. The attachment of the control panel 14 to an I-beam 100 is illustrated at
In yet another embodiment, the control panel 14 is attached to a Unistrut 160 as illustrated at
As illustrated at
For a control panel 14 to be capable of, for example, supporting the weight of a 24-foot diameter HVLS fan driven by a 2 HP motor and weighing in at over 435 pounds the housing 14, upper plate 24 and inwardly extending flanges 178, 180 must be capable of resisting considerable loads. The housing 14 assembly further includes a front plate 190 with a through hole 192 for access by at least one of a cable gland of a power cable or a communication cable 194. The housing 14 assembly also includes a back plate 196 with a through hole 198 for insertion of a communication cable. The control panel 14 as disclosed herein complies with Underwriters Laboratories certification standard 508A Standard for Industrial Panels and the entire HVLS fan system 10 is compliant with UL 507 Standard for Electric Fans.
There may be installation scenarios where the system 10 requires the installation of a separation mount 200 as illustrated at
The variable frequency drive or motor controller then sends electrical power and commands to the HVLS fan motor 16 via wiring 202 that extends downward from the controller through an opening 204 in the enclosure 182. The wiring 202 may extend through a separation mount 200 if one is installed or may extend directly through a universal mount 32 or rigid industrial mount 34. Upon reaching the terminus end of either the universal mount 32 or rigid industrial mount 34, the wiring 202 extends beyond the base plate of the mount member 30 and into the mount tube 68. Upon entering the mount tube 68 the wiring 202 continues to transit into the extension tube 74 before finally entering the fan motor shaft 94. The
The kit as disclosed herein comprises the HVLS fan motor 16, blades 60, extension tube 74, mount member 30 and control panel 14 that is specifically configured for attachment to a structural support member 20. The control panel 14 as previously detailed comprises a housing 22 that is preferably fabricated from at least 3 GA thickness steel plate, is C-shaped with an upper plate 24 with through holes 206 for attachment to the structural support member 20. The lower surface 26 of the control panel housing 22 includes two inwardly extending flanges 178, 180 each with preferably at least two through holes located in each of the inwardly extending flanges for insertion of fasteners that are also fastened to a mount member 30 that supports the HVLS fan 12 beneath the control panel 14. The control panel 14 of the kit includes either a variable frequency drive (VFD) or a motor controller 184 enclosed within an enclosure 182 thereby further protecting the sensitive electronics of the VFD or motor controller from outside impacts during shipping and installation.
The disclosed system and kit should not be construed as limiting in any way. Instead, the present disclosure is directed toward all novel and nonobvious features and aspects of the various disclosed embodiments, alone and in various combinations and sub-combinations with one another. The disclosed apparatus and systems are not limited to any specific aspect or feature or combination thereof, nor do the disclosed embodiments require that any one or more specific advantages be present or problems be solved.
In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the disclosed invention may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only examples of the disclosure and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims. We therefore claim as our invention all that comes within the scope of these claims.
The disclosure presented herein is believed to encompass at least one distinct invention with independent utility. While the at least one invention has been disclosed in exemplary forms, the specific embodiments thereof as described and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense, as numerous variations are possible. Equivalent changes, modifications, and variations of the variety of embodiments, materials, compositions, and methods may be made within the scope of the present disclosure, achieving substantially similar results. The subject matter of the at least one invention includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein and their equivalents.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein regarding specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element or combination of elements that may cause any benefits, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be considered as critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims of at least one invention.
Many changes and modifications within the scope of the instant disclosure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the one or more inventions described herein include all such modifications. Corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all elements in the claims are intended to include any structure, material, or acts for performing the functions in combination with other claim elements as specifically recited. The scope of the one or more inventions should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples set forth herein.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein regarding specific embodiments. Furthermore, the connecting lines, if any, shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the inventions.
The scope of the inventions is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, or C” is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. Different cross-hatching is used throughout the figures to denote different parts but not necessarily to denote the same or different materials.
In the detailed description herein, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a feature, structure, or characteristic is described relating to an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic relating to other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. After reading the description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure in alternative embodiments.
Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
This application claims priority from U.S. Application No. 63/157,965 filed on Mar. 8, 2021.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63157965 | Mar 2021 | US |
