Electric fan with impediment buffering

• US 9,702,369 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2014
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wen Ching Lee
• Original Assignee: Wen Ching Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Wen Ching
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiehe, Nathaniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Korobanov, Georgi
• Application Number:
  US14/305,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20140369835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/007 multistage fans
• 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: F04D 25/166 using fans

Abstract

An electric fan includes a fan body having a fan shaft coupled to a fan motor. A fan motor bracket is connected to a fixing portion of the fan motor. A swivel shaft is coupled to the fan motor bracket. A sleeve is mounted around the swivel shaft and is coupled to an output shaft of a swivel motor. The sleeve includes an inner periphery having grooves. The swivel shaft receives an elastic element extending in a radial direction of the swivel shaft. A ball is mounted to an end of the elastic element. The ball is biased by the elastic element to be partially received in one of the grooves. If the fan body is impeded during the swiveling movement, the ball moves inward and compress the elastic element, disengaging the swivel shaft from the sleeve to reduce damage to the sleeve and the output shaft of the motor.

Claims

1. An electric fan with impediment buffering, comprising:

a fan body including a plurality of blades coupled to a fan shaft, the fan shaft being coupled to a fan motor and including a fan motor bracket connected to a fixing portion of the fan motor; and

an impediment buffering device including a swivel shaft coupled to the fan motor bracket and a sleeve mounted around the swivel shaft, the sleeve being coaxially coupled to an output shaft of a swivel motor, the sleeve including an inner periphery having a plurality of grooves, the swivel shaft receiving an elastic element extending in a radial direction thereon and a ball mounted to an end of the elastic element, the ball being biased by the elastic element to be partially received in one of the plurality of grooves for releasably locking the swivel shaft to the sleeve, wherein the swivel motor remains stationary while the fan motor bracket is driven to undergo swiveling movement relative thereto.

2. The electric fan with impediment buffering as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a support fixed in relation to the swivel shaft, with the support including a bearing cap receiving a ball bearing, with an electrically conductive copper ring mounted around the swivel shaft, with a tube mounted to the support and extending in a radial direction, with an electrically conductive spring received in the tube, with an electrically conductive bead attached to an end of the electrically conductive spring facing the electrically conductive copper ring, wherein when the electrically conductive copper ring rotates, the electrically conductive bead is biased by the electrically conductive spring to contact the electrically conductive copper ring, allowing 360°

rotation of the electrically conductive copper ring, and with the electrically conductive spring adapted to be connected to a power source.

3. The electric fan with impediment buffering as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an angle limiting switch including a detecting circuit board, with the detecting circuit board including a transmitter and a receiver, with the angle limiting switch further including a mounting frame fixed to the swivel shaft, with a light blocking plate extending outward from the mounting frame in a radial direction, with the detecting circuit board including a processor,

wherein when the receiver receives a signal and controls a rotating time of the swivel shaft, data in the processor is zeroed when the receiver is blocked by the light blocking plate, and

wherein after a rotating angle of the swivel shaft is set, leftward rotation and rightward rotation on left and right sides of a zeroed position are controlled by corresponding rotating time of an average rotating angle on the left and right sides of the zeroed position through data zeroing control.