Columnar air moving devices, systems and methods
First Claim
1. An air moving device comprising:
- a housing having an air inlet at a first end and an air outlet at a second end spaced from said first end with an air flow passage between said first and second ends,a rotary fan mounted in said housing near said air inlet and having an impeller with a diameter and a plurality of blades that produce an air flow with rotary and axial air flow components, said blades each having an upstream edge and a spaced downstream edge, anda plurality of spaced, radially extending air guide vanes that extend longitudinally in said housing between said impeller and said air outlet for converting said rotary component of said airflow into laminar and axial air flow in said housing, said vanes each having an upstream end, said vanes being spaced from said impeller by a gap between said upstream ends of said vanes and said downstream edges of said blades, said gap having a selected size, said gap size being selected to be less than one half of said diameter of said impeller to avoid generation of turbulence and reduce static back pressure in said air flow, whereby said air flow exits said air outlet in an axial stream extending beyond said air outlet in a columnar pattern with minimal lateral dispersion.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Air moving device includes a housing, an impeller in the housing for generating a downward air flow, and vanes in the housing in close proximity to and a selected distance below the impeller to straighten the air flow. The device produces an air flow that substantially remains in a column over a substantial distance. The method includes producing an air flow that substantially remains in a column over a substantial distance and directing the air flow from the ceiling towards the floor to provide temperature destratification of the air in an enclosed space. The method also includes directing warm air from the ceiling to the floor and storing heat in the floor, apparatus on the floor and ground under the floor. The stored heat is released when the ceiling is cooler than the floor.
105 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An air moving device comprising:
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a housing having an air inlet at a first end and an air outlet at a second end spaced from said first end with an air flow passage between said first and second ends, a rotary fan mounted in said housing near said air inlet and having an impeller with a diameter and a plurality of blades that produce an air flow with rotary and axial air flow components, said blades each having an upstream edge and a spaced downstream edge, and a plurality of spaced, radially extending air guide vanes that extend longitudinally in said housing between said impeller and said air outlet for converting said rotary component of said airflow into laminar and axial air flow in said housing, said vanes each having an upstream end, said vanes being spaced from said impeller by a gap between said upstream ends of said vanes and said downstream edges of said blades, said gap having a selected size, said gap size being selected to be less than one half of said diameter of said impeller to avoid generation of turbulence and reduce static back pressure in said air flow, whereby said air flow exits said air outlet in an axial stream extending beyond said air outlet in a columnar pattern with minimal lateral dispersion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 18, 19, 20, 22)
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11. An air moving device comprising:
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a housing having an air inlet at a first end and an air outlet at a second end spaced from said first end with an air flow passage between said first and second ends, a rotary fan mounted in said housing near said air inlet and having an impeller with a plurality of blades that produce an air flow with rotary and axial air flow components, said blades each having an upstream edge and a spaced downstream edge, a plurality of spaced, radially extending air guide vanes that extend longitudinally in said housing between said impeller and said air outlet for converting said rotary component of said airflow into laminar and axial air flow in said housing, said vanes each having an upstream end, said vanes being spaced from said impeller by a gap between said upstream ends of said vanes and said downstream edges of said blades, said gap having a selected size, said gap size being selected to be no greater than a selected maximum dimension to avoid generation of turbulence and reduce static back pressure in said air flow, whereby said air flow exits said air outlet in an axial stream extending beyond said air outlet in a columnar pattern with minimal lateral dispersion, and means to fasten said housing to a can light recessed in a ceiling to suspend said housing from said can light, said means to fasten including an electric connector having an externally threaded male end for connecting to a light bulb socket in said light can, a mounting plate at said first end of said housing, a tube attached to the top of the mounting plate, said means to fasten including a compression spring in said tube, a shaft telescoping in said tube and axially slidable therein, and co-operating interfitting key and slot portions on said tube and shaft to prevent relative rotation between said tube and shaft, said male end being carried on the end of said shaft opposite said spring, said spring urging said male end into said socket.
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12. An air moving device comprising:
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a housing having an air inlet at a first end and an air outlet at a second end spaced from said first end with an air flow passage between said first and second ends, a rotary fan mounted in said housing near said air inlet and having an impeller with a plurality of blades that produce an air flow with rotary and axial air flow components, said blades each having an upstream edge and a spaced downstream edge, a plurality of spaced, radially extending air guide vanes that extend longitudinally in said housing between said impeller and said air outlet for converting said rotary component of said airflow into laminar and axial air flow in said housing, said vanes each having an upstream end, said vanes being spaced from said impeller by a gap between said upstream ends of said vanes and said downstream edges of said blades, said gap having a selected size, said gap size being selected to be no greater than a selected maximum dimension to avoid generation of turbulence and reduce static back pressure in said air flow, whereby said air flow exits said air outlet in an axial stream extending beyond said air outlet in a columnar pattern with minimal lateral dispersion, and an electric connector having an externally threaded male end mounted to said first end of said housing for connecting to a light bulb socket, a grill on said housing for permitting air to enter said inlet, and an electric light bulb socket mounted inside said housing to illuminate a room in which said housing is mounted.
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13. An air moving device comprising:
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a housing having an air inlet at a first end and an air outlet at a second end spaced from said first end with an air flow passage between said first and second ends, a rotary fan mounted in said housing near said air inlet and having an impeller with a plurality of blades that produce an air flow with rotary and axial air flow components, said blades each having an upstream edge and a spaced downstream edge, a plurality of spaced, radially extending air guide vanes that extend longitudinally in said housing between said impeller and said air outlet for converting said rotary component of said airflow into laminar and axial air flow in said housing, said vanes each having an upstream end, said vanes being spaced from said impeller by a gap between said upstream ends of said vanes and said downstream edges of said blades, said gap having a selected size, said gap size being selected to be no greater than a selected maximum dimension to avoid generation of turbulence and reduce static back pressure in said air flow, whereby said air flow exits said air outlet in an axial stream extending beyond said air outlet in a columnar pattern with minimal lateral dispersion, and a grill and support assembly for mounting to a ceiling, said grill and support assembly having an inner ring with a spherical concave inner bearing surface, and a housing ring sized and shaped to receive said housing, said second ring having a spherical convexly curved exterior second bearing surface sized and shaped to mate in a frictional fit with said inner bearing surface to support said housing from said ceiling and enable said housing to be vertical and to tilt at selected angles to the vertical and be frictionally held at a selected position. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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21. An air moving device comprising:
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a housing having an air inlet at a first end and an air outlet at a second end spaced from said first end with an air flow passage between said first and second ends, a rotary fan mounted in said housing near said air inlet and having an impeller with a diameter including a hub with an axis of rotation and a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially extending blades mounted on said hub, said blades producing an air flow with rotary and axial air flow components, said blades each having an upstream edge and a spaced downstream edge, and a plurality of spaced air guide vanes that extend axially and radially relative to said axis in said housing between said impeller and said air outlet for converting said rotary component of said air flow into laminar axial air flow in said housing, said vanes each having an upstream end, said vanes being spaced in close proximity to said impeller by a gap between said upstream ends of said vanes and said downstream edges of said blades, said gap having a selected size, said gap size being selected to be less than one half of said diameter of said impeller to avoid generation of turbulence and reduce static back pressure in said air flow, whereby said air flow exits said air outlet in an axial stream extending beyond said air outlet in a columnar pattern with minimal lateral dispersion.
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Specification