Fan oscillating device

• US 20060196872A1
• Filed: 03/01/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cheng-Kuang Yan
• Original Assignee: Cheng-Kuang Yan
• Inventors: Yan, Cheng-Kuang
• Application Number:
  US11/364,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20060196872A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/753
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/105 by changing rotor axis direction, e.g. oscillating fans interconnecting rotary motion and oscillating motion F16H
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/79 for controlling the direction of the supplied air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/007 with forced flow using ducting systems F24F7/06

Abstract

A fan-oscillating device includes a housing unit mounted to a fan head, a control rod movable between an engagement position and a disengagement position, and a rotatable wheel rotatable on the housing unit only when the control rod is disposed in the engagement position. A link-connecting member is disposed rotatably on the rotatable wheel, and has an eccentric portion. A link has two ends connected respectively and pivotally to the fan head and the eccentric portion. When the control rod is rotated, the link-connecting member rotates relative to the rotatable wheel so as to adjust a distance between the eccentric portion of the link-connecting member and a rotating axis of the rotatable wheel, thereby resulting in a change to an oscillation angle of the fan head.

Claims

1. A fan-oscillating device adapted to interconnect an electrical motor and a fan head, said fan-oscillating device comprising:

a housing unit adapted to be mounted to the fan head;

a control mechanism including an upright control rod that is movable relative to said housing unit between an engagement position and a disengagement position and that is rotatable about a central axis of said control rod;

a rotatable wheel disposed rotatably on said housing unit and adapted to be rotated by the motor only when said control rod is disposed in said engagement position;

a link-operating unit including a link-connecting member that is disposed rotatably on said rotatable wheel and that has an eccentric portion; and

a link having a first end adapted to be connected pivotally to the fan head, and a second end connected pivotally to said eccentric portion of said link-connecting member;

said control rod of said control mechanism being connected to said link-connecting member such that said control rod is rotatable about said central axis thereof so as to rotate said link-connecting member relative to said rotatable wheel, thereby adjusting a distance between said eccentric portion of said link-connecting member and a rotating axis of said rotatable wheel, which results in a change to an oscillation angle of the fan head.

2. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control mechanism further includes:

an annular motor-connecting member disposed rotatably in said housing unit and adapted to be rotated by the motor, said motor-connecting member having an inner surface that is formed with at least one axially extending slot, which has two open ends;

an upright clutch rod disposed movably and rotatably in said housing unit and extending through said motor-connecting member, said clutch rod being connected to said control rod so as to allow for synchronous axial movement and relative rotation of said control rod and said clutch rod while preventing separation of said control rod and said clutch rod;

at least one spring-biased ball disposed on said clutch rod and engaging said slot in said motor-connecting member so as to allow for synchronous rotation of said clutch rod and said motor-connecting member when said control rod is disposed in said engagement position, rotation of said clutch rod being transferred to said rotatable wheel, said spring-biased ball being removed from said slot in said motor-connecting member when said control rod moves to said disengagement position.

3. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said rotatable wheel is formed with a toothed annular outer surface, said clutch rod having a lower end that is formed with a toothed annular outer surface, which engages said toothed annular outer surface of said rotatable wheel so as to allow for rotation of said rotatable wheel when said control rod is disposed in said engagement position and when the motor is in operation.

4. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said clutch rod has an upper end portion that is formed with an annular groove, said control rod having an annular wall that is formed with two U-shaped slots, which define two aligned resilient plate portions, each of said plate portions being formed with a projection extending radially and inwardly therefrom, said projections extending toward each other and engaging said annular groove in said upper end portion of said clutch rod so as to allow for synchronous axial movement of said control rod and said clutch rod and relative rotation between said control rod and said clutch rod.

5. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said control mechanism further includes an annular driving gear disposed rotatably within said housing unit, said clutch rod extending through and being disposed movably and rotatably within said driving gear, said driving gear being co-rotatable with said control rod and having an annular surface that is formed with a toothed surface portion and a smooth surface portion connected to said toothed surface portion along a circumferential direction of said driving gear;

said link-operating unit includes a driven gear formed with an annular toothed surface engaging said toothed surface portion of said annular surface of said driving gear so as to limit a rotation angle of said control rod to be smaller than a predetermined angle, said predetermined angle being smaller than 360 degrees, rotation of said driven gear being transferred to said link-connecting member so as to pivot said link-connecting member relative to said rotatable wheel, thereby changing a radial position of said eccentric portion of said link-connecting member relative to said rotatable wheel and, thus, the oscillation angle of the fan head.

6. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said control rod has an end that is formed with a plurality of axially extending slots, and said driving gear is formed with a plurality of axially extending tongues engaging respectively said slots in said control rod so as to allow for co-rotation of said driving gear with said control rod.

7. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said housing unit includes an externally threaded rod portion disposed fixedly thereon, said link-connecting member being formed with a circumferential row of teeth, said link-operating unit further including:

a rotating shaft journalled on an inner surface of said housing unit, said driven gear being sleeved fixedly on said rotating shaft;

a spur gear journalled on an outer surface of said housing unit and connected coaxially and fixedly to said rotating shaft;

a first drive member having an internally threaded portion engaging said externally threaded rod portion of said housing unit, an annular toothed portion engaging said spur gear so as to allow for transfer of rotation from said spur gear to said first drive member, and an externally threaded portion;

a second drive member journalled on said rotatable wheel and perpendicular to said externally threaded rod portion of said housing unit, said second drive member having a thin externally toothed portion engaging said externally threaded portion of said first drive member;

a third drive member journalled on said rotatable wheel and connected to said second drive member so as to allow for transfer of rotation from said second drive member to said third drive member, said third drive member having a worm rod portion engaging said teeth of said link-connecting member so as to allow for transfer of rotation from said third drive member to said link-connecting member.

8. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said second drive member further has a thick externally toothed portion thicker than said thin externally toothed portion, said third drive member having an externally toothed portion, said link-operating unit further including:

a first drive gear disposed rotatably on said rotatable wheel and formed with an annular toothed surface engaging said thick externally toothed portion of said second drive member so as to allow for transfer of rotation from said second drive member to said first drive gear;

a second drive gear disposed rotatably on said rotatable wheel and formed with an annular toothed surface engaging said externally toothed portion of said third drive member so as to allow for transfer of rotation from said second drive gear to said third drive member; and

a precompressed torsional spring disposed between said first and second drive gears so as to allow for transfer of rotation from said first drive gear to said second drive gear, while preventing transfer of rotation from said second drive gear to said first gear;

whereby, when said motor is in operation and when said control rod is disposed in said engagement position so as to rotate said rotatable wheel and, thus, said eccentric portion of said link-connecting member relative to said housing unit, said control rod can be rotated relative to said housing unit so as to adjust the oscillation angle of the fan head.

9. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said rotatable wheel is formed with an integral pivot pin, each of said first and second drive gears being formed with an integral stop rod and an integral central sleeve sleeved rotatably on said pivot pin of said rotatable wheel, said torsional spring having a coiled spring portion sleeved on said central sleeves of said first and second drive gears, and two ends abutting respectively against said stop rods of said first and second drive gears so as to bias said second drive gear to rotate relative to said first drive gear to a predetermined position.

10. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said stop rods are aligned with each other in a radial direction of said first and second drive gears when said second drive gear is disposed in the predetermined position.

11. The fan-oscillating device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said tooth surface portion of said driving gear is formed with a plurality of interconnected teeth, which define a plurality of alternately arranged shallow and deep tooth valleys.