Reconfigurable grille and fan assembly including reconfigurable grille
AssigneeKaz USA, Inc.
InventorsRich Thrush, William Fiebel, Adam Sanchez, Christopher S. Kanel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A reconfigurable grille for use in association with an axial fan, and a fan assembly including the reconfigurable grille. The reconfigurable grille includes a central hub, an outer rim, and a plurality of vanes each extending from the central hub to the outer rim. The plurality of vanes are configured to switch between at least a first configuration and a second configuration, for example, by a rotation of the central hub relative to the outer rim. The grille can further include a control element to switch the vanes between different configurations.
Claims30
A reconfigurable grille for use in association with an axial fan, comprising:
- a central hub;
- an outer rim;
- and
- a plurality of vanes each extending from the central hub to the outer rim, the plurality of vanes configured to switch between at least a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in one of the first configuration and the second configuration, each of the plurality of vanes comprises at least a generally counterclockwise curved portion, and in the other of the first configuration and second configuration, each of the plurality of vanes comprises at least a generally clockwise curved portion.
A reconfigurable grille for use in association with an air-moving device, comprising:
- a central hub;
- an outer rim;
- and
- a plurality of vanes each extending from the central hub to the outer rim,
- wherein the central hub and the outer rim are configured to rotate relative to each other to move the plurality of vanes from a first configuration to a second configuration.
A fan assembly, comprising:
- a fan having at least one blade rotatable about a rotating axis;
- a housing at least partially enclosing the fan;
- and
- a reconfigurable grille mounted on the housing, the reconfigurable grille including:
- a central hub,
- an outer rim, and
- a plurality of vanes each extending from the central hub to the outer rim, the plurality of vanes configured to switch between at least a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in one of the first configuration and second configuration, each of the plurality of vanes comprises at least a generally counterclockwise curved portion, and in the other of the first configuration and second configuration, each of the plurality of vanes comprises at least a generally clockwise curved portion.
A fan assembly, comprising:
- a fan having at least one blade rotatable about a rotating axis, the rotation of the fan generating an airflow;
- a reconfigurable grille disposed proximate the fan, the reconfigurable grille having a plurality of openings defined by a plurality of vanes permitting at least a portion of the airflow to exit the reconfigurable grille, and the reconfigurable grille switchable between a first configuration and a second configuration, the geometries of the openings in the first configuration being different from the geometries of the openings in the second configuration,
- wherein the airflow exiting the reconfigurable grille in the first configuration produces a focused laminar flow, and the airflow exiting the reconfigurable grille in the second configuration produces a turbulent splayed flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.