Centrifugal pump and fan assembly
AssigneeRexair, Inc.
InventorRobert R. Kamrath
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pump-fan assembly of an air modification device may include a fan, a pump and a disk. The fan may include a central hub disposed on a top surface of the disk, and a plurality of blades extending from the hub towards an outer circumferential edge of the disk. The pump may include a hollow pump body defining an inner tubular passage between an inlet end and a discharge end. An impeller may be arranged at the inlet end and an outlet port may be arranged at the discharge end. The pump and the fan may be coupled at an interface between the discharge end of the pump body and a bottom surface of the disk. The outlet port may be disposed in the interface and arranged to guide a stream of pumped liquid along the bottom surface of the disk. The disk may define a liquid barrier.
Claims20
An assembly, comprising:
- a fan sub-assembly including a disk rotatable about an axis having an air surface and a liquid surface disposed axially opposite the air surface, a central hub disposed on the air surface for receiving a drive member, and a plurality of blades disposed on the air surface extending from the hub towards an outer peripheral edge of the disk;
- and
- wherein the liquid surface is sealed throughout a radial extent of the disk to separate a flow of supplied liquid from the air surface of the disk.
An air modification apparatus, comprising:
- a housing having at least one opening for air to traverse;
- a motor disposed in the housing and having a drive shaft for rotating about an axis;
- a basin coupled to the housing for containing a liquid;
- and
- a pump-fan assembly coupled to the drive shaft and at least partially extending into the basin, wherein the pump-fan assembly includes:
- a fan assembly including a central hub having a cavity receiving the drive shaft, and a plurality of blades extending outwardly from the hub;
- a pump assembly including a hollow pump body extending into the basin, the pump body having an inlet end, an axially opposite discharge end, and an inner tubular passage extending from the inlet end to the discharge end, the pump assembly further including an impeller arranged at the inlet end, an outwardly flared flange extending from the discharge end, and a plurality of circumferentially distributed outlet ports disposed in an inner surface of the flange;
- a disk arranged between the hub of the fan assembly and the pump body of the pump assembly, the disk having a top surface coupled to the hub of the fan assembly and an axially opposite bottom surface;
- wherein the pump assembly is rotationally fixed to the fan assembly via a mechanical connection between the flange of the discharge end and the bottom surface of the disk;
- and
- wherein the disk defines a liquid barrier throughout a radial extent of the bottom surface.
An air modification system, comprising:
- a housing having at least one opening for air to traverse;
- a motor disposed in the housing and having a drive shaft for rotating about an axis;
- a basin coupled to the housing for containing a liquid;
- at least one air vent arranged to be in communication with the basin and the housing;
- and
- a pump-fan assembly coupled to the drive shaft and at least partially extending into the basin, wherein the pump-fan assembly includes:
- a fan including a disk, a central hub arranged on a top surface of the disk and coupled to the drive shaft via a press-fit connection, and a plurality of blades extending from the central hub towards an outer circumferential edge of the disk for generating a centrifugal air flow along the top surface of the disk;
- and
- a pump including a hollow pump body having an inlet end, a discharge end and an inner tubular passage extending in an axial direction between the inlet end and the discharge end, wherein the inlet end extends into the basin to deliver liquid via the inner passage to the discharge end, and the discharge end is coupled to a bottom surface of the disk, and wherein at least one outlet port is disposed at an interface between the discharge end and the bottom surface of the disk;
- wherein liquid droplets expelled from the pump via the at least one outlet port are guided along the bottom surface of the disk and dispersed in a radial direction outwardly towards the basin so that air traveling in the centrifugal air flow and said liquid droplets flow in a collateral path from the outer circumferential edge of the disk.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.