Multidirectional fan systems and methods

#Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to multidirectional fans, more particularly, systems, methods, and multidirectional fans used for cooling devices such as electric motors.

#When operating a fan, such as a centrifugal fan, it is desirable to maintain airflow in a particular direction despite the direction of rotation of the fan. Fans with bidirectional motors may have blades that are oriented in the radial direction to allow for use when the fan in rotated in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Radial blades, however, are not as efficient as inclined blades and may cause excess noise. Thus, it is common to affix the blades in an inclined orientation. However, in order to maintain airflow in the same direction when the direction of the motor rotation is changed, the blades must be manually adjusted to a different incline or the entire fan must be swapped with a fan having blades at a different incline. Manual adjustment of the blades often requires removing the fan from the motor shaft and/or the use of tools. Both manually adjusting the blades and swapping out the fan may cause time and/or manpower to be wasted.

#In accordance with the above, presently disclosed embodiments are directed to apparatuses and systems comprising a multidirectional fan and methods for using the multidirectional fan.

#For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its features and advantages, reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is an illustrative front perspective view of a multidirectional fan having flexible fan blades in a radial bidirectional position in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

#FIG. 2 is an illustrative front perspective view of a multidirectional fan having flexible fan blades in a clockwise unidirectional position in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

#While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted, such embodiments do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation should be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.

#Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail herein. In the interest of clarity, not all features of the actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such embodiment, numerous implementation specific decisions must be made to achieve developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system related and business related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. Furthermore, in no way should the following examples be read to limit or define the scope of the disclosure.

#Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is an illustrative perspective view of a multidirectional fan 100 according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. Multidirectional fan 100 comprises a back plate 102, a hub 108, a plurality of flexible fan blades 110, and a plurality of fasteners 116. In certain embodiments, back plate 102 may comprise an interior surface 104 and a central opening 106. In certain embodiments, hub 108 may be located around central opening 106 and project outwardly from interior surface 104 of back plate 102.