Nozzle for fan assembly
阅读说明:本技术 用于风扇组件的喷嘴 (Nozzle for fan assembly ) 是由 N.E.C.麦昆 P.T.雷利 D.M.刘易斯 J.戴森 A.S.诺克斯 于 2019-06-26 设计创作,主要内容包括:提供了一种用于风扇组件的喷嘴。喷嘴包括喷嘴体部,用于接收空气流的进气口和用于发射空气流的一个或多个出气口。喷嘴体部具有截头椭球形的大体形状,其中第一截断形成喷嘴体部的面,且第二截断形成喷嘴体部的基座。一个或多个出气口设置在喷嘴体部的面处。优选地,进气口设置在喷嘴体部的基座处。(A nozzle for a fan assembly is provided. The nozzle includes a nozzle body, an air inlet for receiving an air stream and one or more air outlets for emitting the air stream. The nozzle body has a general shape of a truncated ellipsoid, with a first truncation forming a face of the nozzle body and a second truncation forming a base of the nozzle body. One or more air outlets are provided at the face of the nozzle body. Preferably, the air inlet is provided at the base of the nozzle body.)
1. A nozzle for a fan assembly, the nozzle comprising:
a nozzle body having a general shape of a truncated ellipsoid, wherein a first cut forms a face of the nozzle body and a second cut forms a base of the nozzle body;
an air inlet for receiving an air flow, the air inlet being provided at a base of the nozzle body; and
one or more air outlets for emitting an air flow, the one or more air outlets being provided at a face of the nozzle body;
wherein the nozzle body defines an opening at a face of the nozzle body, and the nozzle further comprises an intermediate surface disposed within the opening, wherein the one or more air outlets are disposed about a periphery of the intermediate surface.
2. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle further comprises a single internal air passage within the nozzle body extending between the air inlet and the one or more air outlets.
3. The nozzle of claim 2, wherein the air passage is at least partially defined by an inner surface of the nozzle.
4. A nozzle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cross-sectional area of the air passageway varies between the air inlet and the one or more air outlets.
5. The nozzle of claim 2, wherein the air passage widens adjacent the air inlet and narrows adjacent the one or more air outlets.
6. A nozzle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the air passage comprises a plenum region between the air inlet and the one or more air outlets.
7. A nozzle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plenum region is defined by an inner surface of the nozzle and the diverting surface is arranged within the nozzle body, wherein the diverting surface is arranged to direct the air flow within the air passage towards the one or more air outlets.
8. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the angle of the face of the nozzle body relative to the base of the nozzle body is fixed.
9. The nozzle of claim 8, wherein the angle of the face relative to the base is from 0-90 degrees, more preferably from 0-45 degrees, and still more preferably from 20-35 degrees.
10. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base of the nozzle body is arranged to be mounted over the air outlet of the fan assembly.
11. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the intermediate surface spans the area between the one or more gas outlets.
12. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the intermediate surface defines a portion of each of the one or more air outlets.
13. The nozzle of claim 12, wherein the one or more air outlets are each defined by a portion of the intermediate surface and an opposing portion of the nozzle body.
14. A nozzle as claimed in claim 13, wherein for each of the one or more air outlets, the portion of the intermediate surface which partially defines the air outlet has a shape corresponding to the shape of the opposing portion of the nozzle body.
15. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the one or more air outlets are oriented to direct an air flow over at least a portion of the intermediate surface.
16. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle defines a gap between the intermediate surface and the nozzle body, and wherein the one or more air outlets are provided through portions of the gap.
17. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the one or more air outlets each comprise a curved slot disposed on the face of the nozzle body.
18. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises a first air outlet and a second air outlet.
19. The nozzle of claim 18 wherein the first and second outlet ports comprise a pair of curved slots diametrically opposed on the face of the nozzle.
20. The nozzle of claim 19, wherein the first and second air outlets comprise a pair of arcuate slots having an arcuate angle of 20 to 110 degrees, preferably from 45 to 90 degrees, and more preferably from 60 to 80 degrees.
21. The nozzle of claim 19, wherein the pair of arcuate slots are provided by separate portions of an elliptical gap.
22. The nozzle of claim 21, wherein each portion of the gap between the pair of curved slots is occluded by one or more covers.
23. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle further comprises a valve for controlling air flow from the air inlet to the one or more air outlets.
24. The nozzle of claim 23 wherein the first and second air outlets together define a combined air outlet, and the valve includes one or more valve members movable to adjust the size of the first air outlet relative to the size of the second air outlet while maintaining the size of the combined air outlet constant.
25. The nozzle of claim 1, wherein the nozzle body has a general shape of a truncated sphere, wherein the first truncation forms a circular face of the nozzle body and the second truncation forms at least a portion of a circular base of the nozzle body.
26. A fan assembly comprising an impeller, a motor for rotating the impeller to generate an air flow and a nozzle as claimed in claim 1 for receiving the air flow.
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a nozzle for a fan assembly, and a fan assembly comprising such a nozzle.
Background
Conventional domestic fans typically include a set of blades or vanes mounted for rotation about an axis, and a drive arrangement for rotating the set of blades to generate an air flow. The movement and circulation of the air flow creates a "cold" or breeze, and as a result, the user experiences a cooling effect as heat is dissipated by convection and evaporation. The blades are typically located in a cage that allows airflow through the housing while preventing a user from contacting the rotating blades during use of the fan.
US 2,488,467 describes a fan that does not use vanes enclosed in a cage for emitting air from the fan assembly. Instead, the fan assembly includes a base housing a motor-driven impeller to draw an air flow into the base, and a series of concentric annular nozzles connected to the base, the annular nozzles each including an annular outlet positioned at the front of the fan for emitting the air flow from the fan. Each nozzle extends about a bore axis to define a bore about which the nozzle extends.
Each nozzle of the airfoil shape may thus be considered to have a leading edge at the rear of the nozzle, a trailing edge at the front of the nozzle, and a chord line extending between the leading and trailing edges. In US 2,488,467, the chord line of each nozzle is parallel to the eye axis of the nozzle. The air outlet is located on the chord line and is arranged to emit an air flow in a direction extending along the chord line away from the nozzle.
Another fan assembly is described in WO 2010/100451 which does not use blades enclosed in a cage to emit air from the fan assembly. The fan assembly comprises a cylindrical base which also houses a motor-driven impeller for drawing a primary air flow into the base, and a single annular nozzle connected to the base and comprising an annular mouth through which the primary air flow is emitted from the fan. The nozzle defines an opening through which air in the environment surrounding the fan assembly is drawn by the primary air flow emitted from the mouth, expanding the primary air flow. The nozzle includes a coanda surface over which the mouth is arranged to direct the primary air flow. The coanda surfaces extend symmetrically about the central axis of the opening so that the air flow produced by the fan assembly is in the form of an annular jet having a cylindrical or frusto-conical profile.
The user may change the direction in which the air stream is emitted from the nozzle in one of two ways. The base includes an oscillating mechanism that is actuatable to oscillate the nozzle and a portion of the base about a vertical axis that passes through a center of the base so that the air flow generated by the fan assembly sweeps about an arc of about 180 °. The base further comprises a tilting mechanism to allow the nozzle and the upper part of the base to be tilted to an angle of up to 10 ° with respect to the horizontal with respect to the lower part of the base.
Disclosure of Invention
According to a first aspect, a nozzle for a fan assembly is provided. The nozzle comprises a nozzle body having a general shape of a joint ellipse, wherein a first truncation defines a face of the nozzle body and a second truncation defines a base of the nozzle body; an air inlet for receiving an air flow, the air inlet being provided at a base of the nozzle body; and one or more air outlets for emitting an air flow, the one or more air outlets being provided at a face of the nozzle body. The nozzle body defines an opening at a face of the nozzle body, and the nozzle further comprises an intermediate surface disposed within the opening, wherein the one or more air outlets are disposed about a periphery of the intermediate surface.
The nozzle body or outer housing defines an outermost surface of the one or more nozzles. The nozzle body or outer housing thereby generally defines the outer shape or form of the nozzle. The face of the nozzle may thus comprise the intermediate surface and a portion of the nozzle body (i.e. the edge of the opening which extends around or around the periphery of the intermediate surface). Preferably, the base of the nozzle body is arranged to fit over the air outlet of the fan assembly such that the air flow emitted from the fan assembly is received by the air inlet of the nozzle. The nozzle body may define a further opening at the nozzle body base, wherein the air inlet of the nozzle is disposed within the further opening.
This nozzle geometry provides several benefits over conventional configurations. In particular, the elliptical shape of the nozzle body makes it substantially conform to: each of the annular outlets from the fan body, a generally oval overall outlet disposed on the face of the nozzle, and a curved internal air passageway extending from the air inlet to the overall outlet of the nozzle. This shape thus optimizes the space occupied by the nozzle body, while optimizing the flow path of the air flow between the air inlet and the total air outlet of the nozzle, in order to improve the overall efficiency with which the air flow is directed by the nozzle. In this regard, the air discharge holes/openings that discharge the air stream from the motor-driven impeller are generally annular in shape. The elliptical shape of the nozzle body thus causes the nozzle body at the nozzle inlet to generally conform to an annular or near annular inlet. Furthermore, this elliptical shape of the nozzle body allows the nozzle to have a larger inlet end so that the corresponding outlet of the fan body (which would contain the motor-driven impeller) can be larger, providing improved air flow, pressure and efficiency. Furthermore, providing a nozzle with a generally elliptical overall air outlet provides benefits with respect to efficiency and flexibility with which the air flow may be emitted from the nozzle. The elliptical shape of the nozzle body thus causes the shape of the nozzle body at the overall air outlet of the nozzle to generally conform to the shape of the elliptical air outlet.
The nozzle also includes a single internal air passage within the nozzle body that extends between the air inlet and the one or more air outlets. Preferably, the air inlet is at least partially defined by a first end of the air channel and the one or more air outlets are at least partially defined by an opposite second end of the air channel. The first end of the air passage may be arranged within a further opening at the base of the nozzle body. The second end of the air passage may be disposed within an opening at a face of the nozzle body. The air passage may be at least partially defined by an inner surface of the nozzle. Preferably, the inner surface of the nozzle defining the internal passage is curved.
The air passage may have a generally elliptical cross-section (i.e. in a plane parallel to the face of the nozzle body or base). Preferably, the cross-sectional area of the air passage varies between the air inlet and the one or more air outlets. More preferably, the air channel widens adjacent the air inlet and narrows adjacent the one or more air outlets. The cross-sectional area of the air passage is then maximized between the air inlet and the one or more air outlets.
The air passage may comprise a plenum region between the air inlet and one or more air outlets. The plenum region may be defined by an inner surface of the nozzle and the turning surface is arranged within the nozzle body, wherein the turning surface is arranged to direct the air flow within the air passage towards the one or more air outlets.
The use of a single internal passage for conveying the air flow from the generally annular air inlet to the elliptical air outlet also provides improved efficiency and flexibility, particularly if the passage is shaped to provide a smooth transition for the air flow travelling from the air inlet to the air outlet of the nozzle. The elliptical shape of the nozzle body then also causes the shape of the nozzle body to generally conform to the shape of the internal passageway, but also provides space for other components of the nozzle.
The angle of the face of the nozzle body relative to the base of the nozzle body may be fixed. Preferably, the angle of the face relative to the base is from 0-90 degrees, more preferably from 0-45 degrees, and still more preferably from 20-35 degrees.
The intermediate surface may span the area between one or more of the air outlets. In other words, the intermediate surface may extend across an area bounded by one or more air outlets. Preferably, the intermediate surface may be located concentrically within the face of the nozzle body. The intermediate surface may be flat or partially convex. Preferably, the intermediate surface defines a portion of each of the one or more air outlets. The one or more air outlets may then each be defined by a portion of the intermediate surface and an opposing portion of the nozzle body. For each of the one or more air outlets, the portion of the intermediate surface that partially defines the air outlet may have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the opposing portion of the nozzle body. In particular, that part of the intermediate surface which defines the air outlet may have a radius of curvature which is substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the opposite part of the nozzle body.
The one or more air outlets may be oriented to direct an air flow over at least a portion of the intermediate surface. The one or more air outlets may be arranged to direct the air flow emitted therefrom to pass the air flow across at least a portion of the intermediate surface. The one or more air outlets may be arranged to direct the air flow over portions of the intermediate surface adjacent the respective air outlet.
The nozzle may define a generally elliptical opening/gap between the intermediate surface and the nozzle body, and one or more air outlets may then be provided through portions of the gap/opening. In particular, the gap/opening may be defined by an edge of the opening at the face of the nozzle and an opposing portion of the intermediate surface.
One or more of the air outlets may be oriented toward the convergence point. The convergence point may be positioned on a central axis of the face of the nozzle body.
The one or more air outlets may each comprise a curved slot provided on the face of the nozzle body. The curved slot may be arcuate. Preferably, the one or more air outlets are shaped like arcs, and more preferably like arcs of a circle.
The nozzle may include a first air outlet and a second air outlet. The first and second air outlets are separate. In other words, the first air outlet and the second air outlet are physically separated from each other. Preferably, the first and second air outlets comprise a pair of curved slots diametrically opposed on the face of the nozzle. The first and second air outlets may comprise a pair of arcuate slots having an arcuate angle of from 20 to 110 degrees, preferably from 45 to 90 degrees, and more preferably from 60 to 80 degrees. The pair of arc-shaped slots may be provided by separate portions of the oval-shaped gap/opening. The outer or inner periphery of the opening is 3-18 times larger, preferably 4-8 times larger, and more preferably 4-6 times larger than the outer or inner periphery of each of the first and second outlet ports.
Each portion of the gap/opening between the pair of curved slots may be occluded by one or more covers. The one or more covers are movable between a closed position in which portions of the opening between the pair of curved slots are occluded and an open position in which portions of the elliptical opening between the pair of curved slots are open. Alternatively, the one or more covers may be fixed and then preferably formed integrally with one or more of the nozzle body and the intermediate surface of the nozzle. For each of the plurality of portions of the gap/opening between the pair of curved slots, the corresponding cover may have a shape corresponding to a shape of the opposing portion of the nozzle body. In particular, the counter cover may have a radius of curvature that is substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the opposite portion of the nozzle body.
The nozzle may also include a valve for controlling the flow of air from the air inlet to the one or more air outlets. The first and second air outlets may together define a combined air outlet, and the valve may then include one or more valve members that are movable to adjust the size (i.e. open area) of the first air outlet relative to the size of the second air outlet while maintaining the size of the combined/cumulative air outlet constant. For each valve member, the valve member may have a shape corresponding to the shape of the opposing portion of the nozzle body. In particular, the valve member may have a radius of curvature that is substantially equal to the radius of curvature of the opposing portion of the nozzle body. The one or more valve members may be arranged for translational movement (i.e. not rotation) and preferably for linear movement (i.e. in a straight line). The one or more valve members may be arranged to move laterally relative to the nozzle body and optionally also to move laterally relative to the external guide surface.
The maximum diameter of the nozzle body may be 1.05 to 2 times greater, and preferably 1.1 to 1.4 times greater, than the diameter of the base of the nozzle body. The maximum diameter of the nozzle body may be 1.05 to 2 times greater than the diameter of the face of the nozzle body, and preferably 1.1 to 1.4 times greater.
The nozzle body may have a general shape of a truncated sphere, with the first truncation forming a circular face of the nozzle and the second truncation forming at least a portion of a circular base of the nozzle body.
According to a second aspect, a nozzle for a fan assembly is provided. The nozzle includes a nozzle body, an air inlet for receiving an air stream and one or more air outlets for emitting the air stream. As mentioned above, the nozzle body may have the general shape of a truncated sphere, with the first truncation forming the face of the nozzle and the second truncation forming the base of the nozzle body. One or more air outlets are provided at the face of the nozzle body. Preferably, the air inlet is provided at the base of the nozzle body.
According to a third aspect, there is provided an assembly comprising an impeller, a motor for rotating the impeller to generate an air flow, and a nozzle according to any of the first and second aspects for receiving the air flow. The fan assembly may comprise a base on which the fan assembly is supported, and the angle of the face of the nozzle relative to the base of the fan assembly is then preferably fixed. Preferably, the angle of the face of the nozzle relative to the base of the fan assembly is from 0-90 degrees, more preferably from 0-45 degrees, and still more preferably from 20-35 degrees. The base of the fan assembly is preferably provided at a first end of the body of the fan assembly and the nozzle is then preferably mounted to an opposite second end of the body of the fan assembly. Preferably, the motor and impeller are housed within the body of the fan assembly.
Drawings
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of a fan assembly;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the fan assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spherical nozzle of the fan assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a spherical nozzle of the fan assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 5 is a front view of a spherical nozzle of the fan assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 6 is a side view of a spherical nozzle of the fan assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the spherical nozzle taken along line A-A in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the spherical nozzle taken along line B-B in FIG. 10;
FIG. 9 is a top view of the spherical nozzle of FIG. 3 with an upper portion removed;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the spherical nozzle of FIG. 3 with an upper portion removed;
FIG. 11a is a simplified vertical cross-sectional view of the spherical nozzle showing the valve member in a first position;
FIG. 11b is a simplified vertical cross-sectional view of the spherical nozzle showing the valve member in a second position; and
FIG. 11c is a simplified vertical cross-sectional view of the spherical nozzle showing the valve member in a third position.
Detailed Description
A nozzle for a fan assembly will now be described which has a generally frusto-ellipsoidal shape, with this geometry providing some benefits over conventional nozzles. The term "fan assembly" refers herein to a fan assembly configured to generate and deliver an air flow for the purposes of thermal comfort and/or environmental or climate control. Such a fan assembly may be capable of generating one or more of a dehumidified air stream, a humidified air stream, a purified air stream, a filtered air stream, a cooled air stream, and a heated air stream.
The nozzle comprises a nozzle body or outer housing having a general shape of a joint ellipse, wherein a first truncation defines a face of the nozzle body and a second truncation defines a base of the nozzle body; an air inlet for receiving an air flow, the air inlet being provided at a base of the nozzle body; and one or more air outlets for emitting an air flow, the one or more air outlets being provided at a face of the nozzle body. The nozzle body defines an opening at a face of the nozzle body, and the nozzle further comprises an intermediate surface disposed within the opening, wherein the one or more air outlets are disposed about a periphery of the intermediate surface. The frusto-ellipsoidal shape of the nozzle body/outer housing is such that the face and base of the nozzle body/outer housing are generally elliptical in shape. Preferably, the angle of the nozzle body/outer housing face relative to the base of the nozzle body is fixed, in the range 0 to 90 degrees.
The nozzle body or outer housing defines an outermost surface of the one or more nozzles. The nozzle body or outer housing thereby generally defines the outer shape or form of the nozzle. The face of the nozzle may thus comprise the intermediate surface and a portion of the nozzle body (i.e. the edge of the opening which extends around or around the periphery of the intermediate surface). The intermediate surface is then outwardly facing, i.e. facing away from the centre of the nozzle, and is exposed within the opening at the face of the nozzle body. The intermediate surface then extends at least partially across the face of the nozzle. Preferably, the base of the nozzle body is arranged to fit over the air outlet of the fan assembly such that the air flow emitted from the fan assembly is received by the air inlet of the nozzle. The nozzle body may define a further opening at the nozzle body base, wherein the air inlet of the nozzle is disposed within the further opening.
The term "ellipsoidal" as used herein refers to a three-dimensional geometric shape such that all planar cross-sections of the shape are elliptical or circular. The ellipsoid shape thus has three independent axes and is generally defined by the lengths of the three half-axes. An ellipsoid shape with two half-axes of the same length is called a spheroid or spheroid (sphere). An ellipsoid in which all three half-axes have the same length is called a sphere.
The term "air outlet" as used herein refers to the portion of the nozzle through which the air stream exits the nozzle. In particular, in the embodiments described herein, each air outlet comprises a duct or conduit defined by the nozzle and through which the air flow exits the nozzle. Each air outlet can thus alternatively be referred to as an exhaust port. This is different from the other parts of the nozzle, in that the other parts are upstream of the air outlet and serve to direct the air flow between the air inlet and the air outlet of the nozzle.
Preferably, the nozzle comprises a single internal air passage or duct extending between the air inlet and the one or more air outlets shown. The air inlet may then be at least partially defined by a first end of the air channel and the one or more air outlets are at least partially defined by an opposite second end of the air channel. Preferably, the air passage is shaped such that it substantially conforms to the shape of the nozzle body. The air passage may thus have a generally elliptical cross-section, with the cross-sectional area of the air passage varying between the air inlet and the one or more air outlets in a plane parallel to the face or base of the nozzle body. Thus, it is preferred that one or both of the first and second ends of the air passage have a generally elliptical cross-section.
Preferably, the air channels widen or flare outwardly adjacent the air inlets and narrow adjacent the one or more air outlets. In other words, it is preferred that the cross-sectional area of the air passage increases as the air passage extends from the air inlet until it reaches a maximum between the air inlet and the one or more air outlets and then decreases as the interior air passage approaches the one or more air outlets. Preferably, the surface of the air passage is fully curved so as to provide a smooth transition for the air flow travelling from the air inlet to the one or more air outlets. The term "curved" as used herein refers to a surface that deviates from a plane in a smooth continuous manner.
The air passage may be at least partially defined by an inner surface of the nozzle. The inner surface may be provided by an inner wall of the nozzle, wherein said inner wall is arranged within the nozzle body.
Fig. 1 and 2 are external views of a first embodiment of a
The
In this embodiment,
In the illustrated embodiment, the
The body or
The
In the illustrated embodiment, this
The
The structure and operation of the
As described above, the
The
The
In this embodiment, two separate valve mechanisms are then positioned below the
The
In the illustrated embodiment, the internal air passage 1270 (which extends between the
As previously described, the mode switching valve is arranged to change the air delivery mode of the
When switching from the guide mode to the diffusion mode, the mode switching valve opens the closed portion of the gap 1260 (i.e., opens those portions of the
In the illustrated embodiment, the mode switching valve includes a pair of mode switching
In the illustrated embodiment, the mode switching
The mode
The mode shift valve also includes a mode
In the embodiment shown in fig. 7-10, the mode switching valve further comprises two pairs of movable baffles 1293, 1294 arranged to help direct air emitted from the first and second guide
Each pair of movable baffles 1293, 1294 comprises a first
In this embodiment, the pair of movable stops 1293, 1294 is arranged to move laterally (i.e., translationally) relative to the
In fig. 7-10, the
To switch the
As briefly mentioned above, the flow directing valve is arranged to control the direction of the air flow generated by the nozzle when in the directing mode. To this end, a flow inducing valve is arranged to control the flow of air from the
In the embodiment shown in fig. 7-10, two diametrically opposed portions of the gap 1260 (which remain open when the nozzle is in the guide mode) form a pair of identical circular arc shaped slots that provide the first and second guide
In the illustrated embodiment, the pair of arc-shaped slots (which provide the first and second guide
The first and second pilot
The flow directing valve then comprises a
When minimized, the first and second guide
In the illustrated embodiment, the
The flow directing valve also includes a
In the embodiment shown in fig. 7-10, the
Turning now to fig. 11a-11c, three possible resultant air flows are illustrated, which may be achieved by varying the size of the first guide
In fig. 11a, the flow directing valve is arranged with the flow directing
In fig. 11b, the flow directing valve is arranged with the flow directing
In fig. 11c, the flow directing valve is arranged with the flow directing
It should be understood that the embodiments of fig. 11a, 11b and 11c are merely schematic and may actually represent some extreme cases. By controlling the flow directing
As noted above, the dual mode configuration of the nozzle is particularly useful when the nozzle is used with a fan assembly configured to provide purified air, as a user of such a fan assembly may wish to continue to receive purified air from the fan assembly without the cooling effect created by the high pressure concentrated air flow provided in the pilot mode. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment described above, the angle of the face of the nozzle relative to the base of the nozzle, and hence the base of the fan assembly, is arranged such that, when placed on a near horizontal surface, the resultant air flow generated by the fan assembly when the nozzle is in the diffuser mode will be directed generally upwardly. These embodiments thus also enable the diffusion mode airflow to be indirectly delivered to the user, thereby further reducing the cooling effect produced by the airflow.
It will be understood that each of the articles shown may be used alone or in combination with other articles shown in the figures or described in the specification, and that articles mentioned in the same paragraph or in the same figure are not necessarily used in combination with each other. Furthermore, the word "device" may be replaced by a suitable actuator or system or apparatus. Furthermore, references to "comprising" or "constituting" are not intended to limit anything in any way and the reader should interpret the corresponding description and claims accordingly.
Furthermore, while the present invention has been described in the terms of the preferred embodiments mentioned above, it should be understood that those embodiments are merely exemplary. Those skilled in the art will be able to make modifications and variations, in view of this disclosure, within the scope of the appended claims. For example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the described invention may be equally applicable to other types of environmentally controlled fan assemblies, not just free-standing fan assemblies. By way of example, the fan assembly can be any of a free-standing fan assembly, a ceiling or wall mounted fan assembly, and an onboard fan assembly, for example.
As a further example, although the nozzle has a generally frusto-spherical shape in the above-described embodiments, and the groove and the face defining the overall outlet opening of the nozzle are then both generally circular in shape, the nozzle and the groove may have different shapes. For example, rather than having a spherical general shape, the nozzles in the above-described embodiments have a general shape of an aspherical ellipsoid or an aspherical spheroid (sphere). Further, rather than being circular, the face of the nozzle may have a non-circular, elliptical shape. Similarly, rather than being circular, the slot defining the outlet port of the nozzle may have a non-circular elliptical shape, with the first and second guide mode outlet ports then each being non-circular, elliptical arcs.
Furthermore, although in the above described embodiments the nozzle has only a single air outlet in the form of a generally annular gap, the nozzle may equally comprise a plurality of air outlets. For example, the space between the intermediate guide surface and the nozzle body may be divided into a plurality of independent arcuate slots, each forming an independent air outlet, which together define the overall air outlet of the nozzle. In this case, the mode switching valve may be arranged such that in the guiding mode only a first subset of the air outlets are occluded by the one or more valve members, whereas in the diffusing mode a first subset of the plurality of air outlets will be at least partially open and preferably maximally open. In both the guiding and the diffusion mode, a second subset of the plurality of air outlets will then all be at least partially open (i.e. the valve will be arranged such that the valve member does not obstruct/influence the second subset of the plurality of air outlets), wherein this second subset then provides the guiding mode air outlets of the nozzle.
Furthermore, although in the above described embodiments the base of the nozzle body is mounted directly to the upper end of the body of the fan assembly, in particular embodiments the nozzle may further comprise a neck portion provided at the base of the nozzle body and arranged to connect to the upper end of the body of the fan assembly. The neck portion may then define the air inlet opening of the nozzle, wherein the open lower end of the nozzle body then defines the air inlet opening of the nozzle body.
Further, while the above embodiments all use a valve motor for driving movement of one or more valve members, the nozzles described herein may alternatively include a manual mechanism for driving movement of a valve member, wherein force applied by a user will be translated into movement of a valve member. For example, it may take the form of a rotatable dial or wheel or a sliding dial or switch, wherein rotation or sliding of the dial by the user causes rotation of the pinion.
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