IP Library Granted Patent US 8,641,361
Granted Patent B2
US 8,641,361 · App. 12/756,594 · Granted Feb 4, 2014

Airflow from a blower with one or more adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,641,361
App. No.
12/756,594
Granted
Feb 4, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for improving the airflow exiting a blower that has one or more adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower that include: determining a rotational speed of an impeller in the blower and adjusting a position of at least one of the adjustable guide vanes in dependence upon the rotational speed of the impeller.

Claims (36)

1. A method of improving airflow from a blower with adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower, wherein an impeller in the blower includes one or more magnetic elements and wherein each adjustable guide vane includes one or more magnetic elements, the method comprising:

identifying one or more airflow exit points at the outlet of the blower; and

determining an amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises selecting a magnetic force profile.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic force profile includes at least one of: a number of active impeller magnets, a strength of each active impeller magnet, a strength of a guide vane magnet, a distance between at least one active impeller magnet and at least one guide vane magnet, a polarity of at least one active impeller magnet, and a polarity of at least one guide vane magnet.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises determining an amount of friction that exists at each of the one or more pivot points.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises determining a position of the pivot point for each of the adjustable guide vanes.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises determining a position of a vane magnet included in each of the adjustable guide vanes.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises determining a position of one or more impeller magnets included in the impeller.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises determining a distance between one or more vane magnets included in the adjustable guide vanes and one or more impeller magnets included in the impeller.

9. A blower with one or more adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower, the blower comprising:

an impeller configured to rotate around a rotational center, wherein the impeller includes one or more impeller magnets; and

one or more adjustable guide vanes, wherein each of the one or more adjustable guide vanes includes one or more vane magnets;

wherein the rotation of the impeller provides a magnetic force between the one or more impeller magnets and the one or more vane magnets that causes the one or more guide vanes to be positioned such that an airflow exit speed at each of one or more exit points is consistent within a predetermined range.

10. The blower of claim 9 , wherein the one or more impeller magnets are of a same polarity as the one or more vane magnets.

11. The blower of claim 9 , wherein the one or more impeller magnets are of an opposite polarity as the one or more vane magnets.

12. The blower of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the vane magnets is encased within a closeable cell.

13. The blower of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the one or more impeller magnets is encased within a closeable cell.

14. The blower of claim 9 , further comprising a magnetic profile management module, wherein magnetic profile management module includes computer program instructions for:

determining a rotational speed of an impeller in the blower; and

adjusting, in dependence upon the speed, the magnetic force between the one or more impeller magnets and the one or more vane magnets thereby causing the one or more guide vanes to be positioned such that an airflow exit speed at each of one or more exit points is consistent within a predetermined range.

15. A computer program product for improving airflow from a blower with adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of:

identifying one or more airflow exit points at the outlet of the blower; and

determining an amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining a weight of each of the adjustable guide vanes.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining an amount of friction that exists at each of the one or more pivot points.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining a position of the pivot point for each of the adjustable guide vanes.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining a position of a vane magnet included in each of the adjustable guide vanes.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining a position of one or more impeller magnets included in the impeller.

21. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining the amount of magnetic force needed to position the adjustable guide vanes such that the airflow exit speed at each of the one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out the steps of determining a distance between one or more vane magnets included in the adjustable guide vanes and one or more impeller magnets included in the impeller.

22. A method of improving airflow from a blower with adjustable guide vanes that are affixed to the blower at one or more pivot points located in an outlet of the blower, wherein an impeller in the blower includes one or more magnetic elements and wherein each adjustable guide vane includes one or more magnetic elements, the method comprising:

determining a rotational speed of the impeller;

adjusting, in dependence upon the rotational speed of the impeller, a magnetic force between the one or more magnetic elements in the impeller and at least one magnetic element in a particular adjustable guide vane such that the airflow exit speed at each of one or more airflow exit points is consistent within a predetermined range.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the one or more magnetic elements in the impeller are encased within a closeable cell and wherein adjusting, in dependence upon the rotational speed of the impeller, the magnetic force between the one or more magnetic elements in the impeller and at least one magnetic element in the particular adjustable guide vane further comprises adjusting the closeable cell.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein at least one magnetic element in a particular adjustable guide vane is encased within a closeable cell and wherein adjusting, in dependence upon the rotational speed of the impeller, the magnetic force between the one or more magnetic elements in the impeller and at least one magnetic element in the particular adjustable guide vane further comprises adjusting the closeable cell.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the one or more magnetic elements in the impeller are electromagnets and wherein adjusting, in dependence upon the rotational speed of the impeller, the magnetic force between the one or more magnetic elements in the impeller and at least one magnetic element in the particular adjustable guide vane further comprises adjusting a current applied to the electromagnet.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 10, 2014
From: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
To: LENOVO INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Reel/Frame 034194/0291 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 9, 2010
From: JUNE, MICHAEL S.; MATTESON, JASON A.; STEINKE, MARK E.
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 024209/0400 →