Electrically driven, circumferentially supported fan
First Claim
1. A fan assembly for cooling air passing through a radiator, comprising:
- a road vehicle having an engine, a radiator, and a liquid circulating between said radiator and said engine, said radiator being mounted such that air passes therethrough as said vehicle moves;
a fan support assembly coupled to said vehiclea fan coupled to said fan support assembly and supported thereby, said fan having blades extending from a central region to the periphery of said fan, said fan including a fan ring coupled to the tips of said blades and extending circumferentially around said fan, said fan support assembly extending circumferentially around said fan and completely out of the path of airflow through said fan;
bearing means within said fan support assembly for supporting the weight of said fan; and
an electric drive means within said fan support assembly for electrically driving said fan.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A circumferentially supported fan assembly for drawing cooling air through a radiator of a vehicle is described. The fan includes a fan ring extending circumferentially around the periphery of the fan, the blades of the fan extending from a central region to the fan ring. The entire weight of the fan is borne by a fan support assembly which extends around the periphery of the fan ring, outside the path of air flowing through the fan. The fan is the rotor of an electrically driven motor. A rotor flange of the fan ring extends transverse to the axis of the rotation of the fan, providing a greater torque advantage for the motor. An electrical control circuit selectively controls the speed of the fan to maintain the liquid temperature of the radiator below a selected threshold value. As additional cooling is required, the electronic controller gradually and smoothly increases the power drawn from the engine to turn the fan to increase its speed towards a selected speed. The air permeability of the fan when freewheeling is significantly increased because no central shaft or support structure blocks the airflow through the fan.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A fan assembly for cooling air passing through a radiator, comprising:
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a road vehicle having an engine, a radiator, and a liquid circulating between said radiator and said engine, said radiator being mounted such that air passes therethrough as said vehicle moves; a fan support assembly coupled to said vehicle a fan coupled to said fan support assembly and supported thereby, said fan having blades extending from a central region to the periphery of said fan, said fan including a fan ring coupled to the tips of said blades and extending circumferentially around said fan, said fan support assembly extending circumferentially around said fan and completely out of the path of airflow through said fan; bearing means within said fan support assembly for supporting the weight of said fan; and an electric drive means within said fan support assembly for electrically driving said fan. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A fan assembly for cooling air passing through a radiator, comprising:
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a road vehicle having an engine, a radiator, and a liquid circulating between said radiator and said engine, said radiator being mounted such that air passes therethrough as said vehicle moves; a fan having a fan ring extending circumferentially around the periphery of said fan, said fan having blades extending from a central region to said ring; a fan support assembly supporting said fan, said fan support assembly extending circumferentially around said fan ring and outside the path of air flowing through said fan such that airflow through said fan is not blocked by any portion of said fan support assembly; bearing means between said fan ring and said fan support assembly; and a fan drive means adjacent said fan ring for driving said fan at a selected speed. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A method of cooling liquid that is circulating through a radiator which is coupled to the frame of a vehicle, comprising:
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sensing the temperature of liquid within said radiator; supporting a fan about its circumference for freewheeling rotation when said temperature is below said selected threshold value, said fan including an air permeable central region through which air may easily pass to cool said liquid by the flow of ambient air as said vehicle moves; moving said radiator through the air and causing air to pass through said radiator as said vehicle moves; passing air through a central region of said fan; and electrically driving said fan to draw additional air through said radiator when said temperature exceeds a selected threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification