Active air flow adjustable fan

• US 8,206,099 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Delta Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Tsai, Shang-Yen, Lin, Hsin-Chen
• Primary Examiner(s): EDGAR, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US12/071,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20080267764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 236/1, 415/126, 415/53.3, 415/211.2, 415/224, 415/58.4, 415/204, 415/206, 415/148, 415/150, 361/695, 621/80, 416/1, 416/236
• US Class Current: 415/206
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/422 Discharge tongues F04D17/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/4246 comprising more than one outlet
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/464 adjusting flow cross-section, otherwise than by using adjustable stator blades
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2250/52 Outlet

Abstract

A fan includes at least one fan frame, at least one impeller and at least one active flow-control device. The fan frame includes at least one air inlet and at least one air outlet. The impeller is disposed in the fan frame. The active flow-control device, is disposed on the fan frame for adjusting the size of the air inlet or the size of the air outlet according to demands.

Claims

1. A fan, comprising

at least one fan frame, comprising at least two air outlets;

at least one impeller disposed in the frame; and

at least one active flow-control device disposed at the fan frame, for adjusting sizes of at least one of the two air outlets,

wherein the active flow-control device is on a tongue of the fan frame and configured to move in a swinging manner to alternatively adjust the sizes of the two air outlets.

2. The fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active flow-control device is driven by electrical magnetism, gear or a motor.

3. The fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a heat source at one of the two air outlets has higher temperature than another heat source at the other of the two air outlets, the active flow-control device increases the size of one of the two air outlets or decreases the size of the other of the two air outlets.

4. The fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fan is a centrifugal fan and the impeller comprises at least one curved or plate-shaped blade.

5. The fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active flow-control device is controlled by a system.

6. The fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active flow-control device is arranged between the at least two air outlets.

7. The fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active flow-control device is configured to at least partially overlap with the at least two air outlets, respectively, so that during the swinging movement, the active flow-control device increases the size of one air outlet while decreasing the size of the other air outlet simultaneously.