Patent Application
20240218884
The present disclosure relates, generally, to a ventilation fan. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a fan wheel for increased performance.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying certain modes of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
A ventilation fan having a scroll defining an interior space, an inlet opening into the interior space, and an outlet spaced apart from the inlet, a fan wheel arranged within the interior space and defining a rotation axis, the fan wheel having a wheel hub and a plurality of fan blades each defining a proximal end coupled to the wheel hub and each fan blade extending from the wheel hub parallel to the rotation axis to a distal end, wherein the distal end of at least a first of the plurality of fan blades is located circumferentially forward of a proximal end of the first of the plurality of fan blades, and a motor configured to drive rotation of the fan wheel about the rotation axis in a direction of travel. The distal end of the first of the plurality of fan blades is located circumferentially forward of a proximal end of the first of the plurality of fan blades along the direction of travel of the fan wheel. The plurality of fan blades can be spaced apart circumferentially about the rotation axis. The distal end of the first of the plurality of fan blades can be located circumferentially forward of a proximal end of the first of the plurality of fan blades to define an angle in the range of 68 degrees to 82 degrees with respect to the rotation axis. The angle can be 80 degrees. The first of the plurality of fan blades can have an inner edge and an outer edge located radially outward of the inner edge, and the angle can be defined at the outer edge of the first of the plurality of fan blades. The inner edge of the distal end of the first of the plurality of fan blades can be located circumferentially forward of the inner edge of the proximal end of the first of the plurality of fan blades along the direction of travel of the fan wheel to define an inner edge angle in the range of 1 degree to 15 degrees greater than the angle of the outer edge.
A fan wheel for a ventilation fan, the fan wheel having a wheel hub coupled to a motor for rotation about a rotation axis, and a plurality of fan blades coupled to an outer edge of the wheel hub and spaced apart circumferentially about the rotation axis, and each of the fan blades is arranged to lie at an angle relative to a horizontal plane perpendicular to the rotation axis such that a distal end of each of the blades is located circumferentially forward of a proximal end of each corresponding fan blade in a direction of travel of the fan wheel about the rotation axis.
A fan wheel for a ventilation fan, the fan wheel defining a rotation axis and having a wheel hub; and a plurality of fan blades, a first of the plurality of fan blades having a proximal end coupled to the wheel hub and the first of the plurality of fan blades extending from the wheel hub parallel to the rotation axis to a distal end, and a fan blade inner edge located radially inward a fan blade outer edge, wherein the outer edge at the distal end is located circumferentially forward of the outer edge at the proximal end to define an angle with respect to the rotation axis. The angle can be in the range of 68 degrees to 82 degrees. The angle can be 80 degrees. The inner edge of the distal end can located circumferentially forward of the inner edge of the proximal end to define an inner edge angle with respect to the rotation axis. The inner edge angle can be in the range of 1 degree to 15 degrees greater than the angle of the outer edge. Each of the plurality of blades can be configured the same as the first of the plurality of blades. The plurality of fan blades can be spaced apart circumferentially about the rotation axis. The first fan blade can comprise a concave side extending between the inner and outer edges and a convex side extending between the inner and outer edges. The fan wheel can be configured to be located in a scroll defining an interior space, an inlet opening into the interior space, and an outlet spaced apart from the inlet, and the fan wheel is configured to be situated in the scroll such that the distal end of the first of the plurality of fan blades is located adjacent to the inlet opening. The wheel hub can be configured to connect to a motor to cause rotation of the fan wheel. The inner edge can be curved along from the proximal end to the distal end.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments. In the drawings:
A ventilation fan 10 is configured to be mounted to a building to ventilate at least one room of the building. The ventilation fan 10 includes a scroll 12, a fan wheel 14 arranged to lie within an interior space 16 defined by the scroll 12, and a motor 15 configured to drive the fan wheel 14 as shown in
The fan wheel 14 is located within the interior space 16 defined by the scroll 12 and is configured to move air through the inlet 18 as suggested in
The motor 15 is optionally mounted to the top wall 12T of the scroll 12 and is configured to drive rotation of the fan wheel 14 about a rotation axis 14A relative to the scroll 12 as shown in
In some embodiments, additional fan blades may be included on the wheel hub 30 between the rotation axis 14A and the fan blades 34 as described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/36,331, titled VENTILATION FAN and filed on Dec. 30, 2022, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Each of the fan blades 34 have a proximal end 40 fixed to the wheel hub 30 and arranged to lie near the top wall 12T and the motor 15 and a distal end 42 arranged to lie near a bottom wall 12B of the scroll inlet 18. The proximal end 40 of the plurality of fan blades 34 are coupled to the wheel hub 30 at a radially outer edge 44 of the wheel hub 30. The distal end 42 of each of the fan blades 34 are arranged slightly radially outward of the scroll inlet 18 and are spaced apart from the scroll bottom wall 12B. The blade support ring 32 is coupled to the distal end 42 of each of the fan blades 34. The blade support ring 32 is also coupled to a radially outer edge 56 of each of the fan blades 34 to locate each of the fan blades 34 radially between the blade support ring 32 and the rotation axis 14A. In other embodiments, the blade support ring 32 may be coupled to the fan blades 34 in other areas.
The plurality of fan blades 34 are shaped and oriented relative to the rotation axis 14A to move air through the inlet 18 when the plurality of fan blades 34 are driven in rotation about the rotation axis 14A by the wheel motor 15. The plurality of fan blades 34 extend at an angle 100 with respect to a plane parallel to the rotation axis 14A from the wheel hub 30 to the blade support ring 32 as shown in
The angle 100 shown in
Each of the fan blades 34 also extends radially outward away from the rotation axis 14A from a radially inner edge 54 to the radially outer edge 56. Each of the fan blades 34 is curved from the radially inner edge 54 to the radially outer edge 56 to have a concave side 50 and a convex side 52 as shown in
The radially inner edge 54 of each of the fan blades 34 is also arranged to lie at an angle 108 relative to the horizontal plane 104 as shown in
The wheel hub 30 includes a hub base 60, a hub body 62, and a shaft mount 64 as shown in
Some fan wheels have blades which extend parallel to the rotation axis of the fan wheel at least along one radial end of the blades. Traditional wheels are straight (90 degree in angle) to bottom and/or top ring. It was found that this type of blade profile can be effective to move a majority of the air only along about ⅓ of a total height of the wheel (HA) as shown in
It should be noted that the various components and features described above can be combined in a variety of ways, so as to provide other non-illustrated embodiments within the scope of the disclosure. As such, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described hereinabove. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced in various ways. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not limitation.
Although the present disclosure has been described in the foregoing description by way of illustrative embodiments thereof, these embodiments can be modified at will, without departing from the spirit, scope, and nature of the subject disclosed.
Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit the invention. The word exemplary is used to mean serving as an example or illustration. To the extent that the term include, have, or the like is used, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term comprise as comprise is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions.
Phrases such as an aspect, the aspect, another aspect, some aspects, one or more aspects, an implementation, the implementation, another implementation, some implementations, one or more implementations, an embodiment, the embodiment, another embodiment, some embodiments, one or more embodiments, a configuration, the configuration, another configuration, some configurations, one or more configurations, the subject technology, the disclosure, the present disclosure, other variations thereof and alike are for convenience and do not imply that a disclosure relating to such phrase(s) is essential to the subject technology or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspect or some aspects may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa, and this applies similarly to other foregoing phrases.
All numbers and ranges disclosed above may vary by some amount. Whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and any included range falling within the range are specifically disclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to set forth every number and range encompassed within the broader range of values. In addition, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee. Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims, are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the element that it introduces. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word or term in this specification and one or more patent or other documents that may be incorporated herein by reference, the definitions that are consistent with this specification should be adopted.
A phrase “at least one of” preceding a series of items, with the terms “and” or “or” to separate any of the items, modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list. The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection of at least one item; rather, the phrase allows a meaning that includes at least one of any one of the items, and/or at least one of any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. By way of example, each of the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” refers to only A, only B, or only C; any combination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, and C.
In one aspect, a term coupled or the like may refer to being directly coupled. In another aspect, a term coupled or the like may refer to being indirectly coupled. Terms such as top, bottom, front, rear, side, horizontal, vertical, and the like refer to an arbitrary frame of reference, rather than to the ordinary gravitational frame of reference. Thus, such a term may extend upwardly, downwardly, diagonally, or horizontally in a gravitational frame of reference.
The title, background, brief description of the drawings, abstract, and drawings are hereby incorporated into the disclosure and are provided as illustrative examples of the disclosure, not as restrictive descriptions. It is submitted with the understanding that they will not be used to limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the detailed description, it can be seen that the description provides illustrative examples and the various features are grouped together in various implementations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed configuration or operation. The claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and “said” and similar references in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. An element proceeded by “a,” “an,” “the,” or “said” does not, without further constraints, preclude the existence of additional same elements. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosure and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosure.
Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure. It should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are exemplary only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/436,276, filed Dec. 30, 2022, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein and made a part hereof.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63436276 | Dec 2022 | US |
