Fan assembly

• US 9,127,855 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Inventors: Staniforth, Mark Joseph, Pullen, Jude Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Duane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bergfelder, Adam W
• Application Number:
  US13/559,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20130026664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 261/81, 261/133, 261/116
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/08 the working fluid being air, e.g. for ventilation
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/705 Adding liquids
• CPC Class Codes: F04F 5/16 displacing elastic fluids
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/01 in which secondary air is induced by injector action of the primary air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/26 Arrangements for air-circulation by means of induction, e.g. by fluid coupling or thermal effect
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2006/008 Air-humidifier with water reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2006/143 using pressurised air for spraying
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/28 using the Coanda effect
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 6/14 using nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/54 Free-cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A fan assembly includes a nozzle and a body on which the nozzle is mounted. The nozzle has a first air inlet, a first air outlet, and a first interior passage for conveying air from the first air inlet to the first air outlet. The nozzle also includes a second air inlet, a plurality of second air outlets, and a second interior passage for conveying air from the second air inlet to the second air outlets. The body generates a first air flow through the first interior passage and a second air flow through the second interior passage. A first air passageway conveys the first air flow to the first air inlet and a second air passageway conveys the second air flow to the second air inlet. One of the temperature, humidity, composition and electrical charge of the second air flow is changed before it is emitted from the nozzle.

Claims

1. A fan assembly comprising:

a nozzle having at least one first air inlet, at least one first air outlet, a first interior passage for conveying air from said at least one first air inlet to said at least one first air outlet, at least one second air inlet, at least one second air outlet, and a second interior passage for conveying air from said at least one second air inlet to said at least one second air outlet, the nozzle defining a bore about which the interior passages extend and through which air from outside the fan assembly is drawn by air emitted from the air outlets;

a body on which the nozzle is mounted, the body comprising a flow generating system for generating a first air flow through the first interior passage and a second air flow through the second interior passage, a first air passageway for conveying the first air flow to said at least one first air inlet, and a second air passageway for conveying the second air flow to said at least one second air inlet, the second air passageway being arranged to receive air from the first air passageway downstream from the flow generating system, and

a system for changing one of the temperature, humidity, composition and electrical charge of the second air flow.

2. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the first interior passage is isolated from the second interior passage.

3. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the first interior passage surrounds the bore of the nozzle.

4. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the second interior passage surrounds the bore of the nozzle.

5. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one first air outlet is arranged to emit the first air flow through at least a front part of the bore.

6. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one first air outlet comprises a plurality of first air outlets located about the bore.

7. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein said at least one second air outlet is located in a front end of the nozzle.

8. The fan assembly of claim 7, wherein said at least one second air outlet comprises a plurality of air outlets located about the bore.

9. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of air outlets comprises one or more apertures.

10. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the system for changing one of the temperature, humidity, composition and electrical charge of the second air flow is located in the body.

11. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the system for changing one of the temperature, humidity, composition and electrical charge of the second air flow is located at least partially in the second air passageway.

12. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the system for changing one of the temperature, humidity, composition and electrical charge of the second air flow is configured to humidify the second air flow.

13. The fan assembly of claim 1, wherein the system for changing one of the temperature, humidity, composition and electrical charge of the second air flow comprises a water tank.

14. The fan assembly of claim 13, wherein the body comprises a base comprising an air inlet through which air enters the body, and the water tank is mounted on the base.

15. The fan assembly of claim 14, wherein the base and the water tank each have a cylindrical outer surface, and wherein the outer surfaces of the base and the water tank have substantially the same radius.

16. The fan assembly of claim 13, wherein the system for changing one of the temperature, humidity, composition and electrical charge of the second air flow comprises a reservoir for receiving water from the water tank, and a transducer for atomizing water stored in the reservoir, and wherein the second air passageway is arranged to convey the second air flow over at least part of the reservoir.