Comfort fan providing continuous radial air flow
A fan device provides airflow throughout a radial region from the location of the fan so that people positioned around the fan simultaneously receive a continuous flow of air at a calculated velocity that provides a desired cooling or heating effect and thermal comfort, and that can be further adjusted by the operator/user.
1 . A fan device, comprising:
a housing having a columnar shape and defining a central vertical axis, the housing having a base that is configured to sit on a surface, and a top having a top edge that extends circumferentially around the central vertical axis;
an inlet configured to allow air into the housing at a side of the housing above the base;
a fan positioned inside the housing between the inlet and an outlet at the top of the housing, and configured to blow air toward the outlet;
a motor coupled to the fan and positioned below the fan; and
a directional ducting member positioned inside the housing between the fan and the outlet, wherein the directional ducting member has a lower terminus positioned over a center of the fan, and a top of the directional ducting member has an outer edge that extends circumferentially around the vertical axis and that is positioned over the top edge of the housing to form the outlet as a gap between the outer edge of the top of the directional ducting member and the top edge of the housing to direct air blown by the fan outward radially and circumferentially from the outlet, and the outer edge of the top of the directional ducting member extends outward radially from the central vertical axis at least as far as the top of the housing, and wherein a distance between an inside of the housing and the directional ducting member decreases between the lower terminus and the housing, in a horizontal direction, and between the top edge of the housing and the directional ducting member, in a vertical direction, the outlet, wherein the lower terminus of the directional ducting member is within the housing and below the top edge of the housing, and is positioned centrally over the fan.
2 . The fan device of claim 1 , wherein the outlet is positioned at a top of the comfort fan.
3 . The fan device of claim 1 , wherein the outlet is configured to direct air at an angle of between five and fifteen degrees upward relative to horizontal.
4 . The fan device of claim 1 , wherein the fan is oriented to blow air in a vertical direction.
5 . The fan device of claim 1 , further comprising a control which is operable to adjust an air flow rate by controlling a speed of the fan.
6 . The fan device of claim 5 , wherein the control includes a manual control provided on the fan device.
7 . The fan device of claim 5 , wherein the control further includes a wireless transceiver operable to receive control information that indicates a speed of the fan to control the air flow rate.
8 . The fan device of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor, wherein an ambient temperature indicated by the temperature sensor is used, at least in part, by the fan device to set an initial air flow rate out of the outlet.
9 . The fan device of claim 8 , further comprising a humidity sensor, and wherein an ambient relative humidity indicated by the humidity sensor is further used by the fan device to set an initial air flow rate out of the outlet.
10 . The fan device of claim 1 , further including a light element that can be selectively illuminated to provide light outward from the fan device.
11 . A comfort fan, comprising:
a housing having a vertical axis and top having a top edge, and partially defining an air inlet at a bottom of the housing;
a base on which the housing is mounted, the base configured to sit on a surface, the air inlet being a gap between the base and the bottom of the housing;
a fan having fan blades positioned inside the housing between the air inlet and the top of the housing;
a motor coupled to the fan blades to drive the fan blades at a selected speed of a variable speed range of the motor; and
a directional ducting member inside the housing positioned over the fan blades, the directional ducting member having a top having an outer edge that is positioned over the top of the housing and which extends outward from the vertical axis at least as far as the top of the housing to define a circumferential air outlet as a gap between the top edge of the housing and the outer edge of the top of the directional ducting member, wherein the air outlet is configured to direct air blown by the fan blades through the air outlet radially outward perpendicular to the vertical axis, wherein a distance between the directional ducting member and the housing decreases from a lower terminus of the directional ducting member, in a horizontal direction, to the top edge of the housing and the directional ducting member at the air outlet, in a vertical direction.
12 . The comfort fan of claim 11 , wherein the air outlet is positioned at a height of eight to fifteen inches above a bottom of the comfort fan.
13 . The comfort fan of claim 11 , wherein the motor is operable to provide an air flow rate that can be varied by the motor from 160 to 400 feet minute at a selected distance from the comfort fan.
14 . The comfort fan of claim 11 , further comprising a temperature sensor, wherein an ambient temperature indicated by the temperature sensor is used, at least in part, to set an initial air flow rate out of the air outlet.
15 . The comfort fan of claim 14 , further comprising a humidity sensor, and wherein an ambient relative humidity indicated by the humidity sensor is further used by the comfort fan to set an initial air flow rate out of the outlet.
16 . The comfort fan of claim 11 , further including a light element that can be selectively illuminated to provide light outward from the comfort fan.