Laminar flow fan and rotation alignment method of laminar flow fan

Abstract

A laminar flow fan having antimicrobial properties and a method of assembling the fan are disclosed. The fan creates a microbe-free environment through effective laminar exchange of air, which passes through and is sterilized by the antimicrobial surface on the fan. Laminar flow is ensured by rotationally aligning the main disc, preventing wobble by properly positioning the disc between cams, which can adjust the disc position with an accuracy of 0.001 mm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention particularly relates to a laminar flow fan and an assembly fixture thereof. Background Art

[0002] Laminar flow fans consist of flat, parallel discs. These discs rotate, and the air trapped between them will also rotate. Centrifugal force will then push the air and expel it outwards over the edges of the discs and into the surrounding air space. If the discs have some sort of path to allow new air to replace the exhausted air, then the rotating discs will circulate the air. Thus, the rotating discs are able to circulate air without the need for traditional fan blades.

[0003] The discs are fixed to a fixed motor, whereby they rotate about a central axis. The discs are equally spaced and centrally perforated in a manner that will allow air to flow through the perforations and along the discs at high volumes, thereby exiting symmetrically between the individual discs perpendicular to the air flow at which they enter. Due to the less restricted or lower pressure air entry and the correct vertical disc spacing, a corresponding increase in laminar flow is achieved. This feature of the preferred invention allows operation at speeds that are practical for use as a fan.

[0004] As described below, this laminar flow can assist in creating an antimicrobial environment when the disk is enhanced with an antimicrobial surface as described below. Summary of the invention

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a rotational alignment method for a laminar fan, comprising: providing a laminar fan assembly fixture, the fixture also comprising a base, a plurality of cam-column assemblies of the same shape, and an alignment drive, wherein the cam-column assembly and the alignment drive are mounted on the base in a circular structure, each cam-column assembly also comprising a cam mounted on the top of the column, each cam being annular and having a central cavity, the central cavity being constructed to be sleeved on a cylindrical extension portion having a shape complementary to the central cavity of the cam, the radius of each cam gradually increasing around the circumference of the cam from a minimum value at an initial point on the circumference to a maximum value at a point 360 degrees away from the initial point; and providing a laminar fan component, which comprises a plurality of slave discs, a master disc, and a fastening device, which, when engaged, fixes the slave discs and the master disc together to an appropriate position. The method also includes the following steps: loosely mounting the slave disc on the fixture, loosely mounting the master disc on the fixture so that the edge of the master disc contacts the outer circumference of each cam; adjusting the outer radius of the cam to compensate for the diameter of the master disc so that: if the diameter of the master disc is larger than the diameter of the slave disc by a given length, the outer radius of the cam is retracted by that length to accurately compensate for the larger length of the master disc, and if the diameter of the master disc is smaller than the diameter of the slave disc by a given length, the outer radius of the cam is extended by that length to accurately compensate for the smaller length of the master disc; engaging the alignment drive to contact the edge of the master disc, thereby forcing the master disc to contact the outer circumference of each slave disc and enter precise rotational alignment; and tightening the fan component mounting member, thereby locking the master disc into proper rotational alignment.

[0006] In some embodiments, the alignment driver further comprises an alignment hammer comprising an offset point pivot and an alignment hammer head, wherein the alignment force is provided by the alignment hammer head striking an edge of the master disc and / or the slave disc.

[0007] In some embodiments, the plurality of cam-column assemblies further comprise two cam-column assemblies, and wherein the cam-column assemblies are positioned at angular positions at arc distances of 120° and 240° as measured in a standard compass disk with zero degrees at the 12 o'clock position, and the alignment drive contacts the master disc and / or the slave disc at 0°.

[0008] In some embodiments, the difference in size of the primary disks is as small as 0.001 mm.

[0009] In some embodiments, the alignment of the fan is tested by rotating the fan while the fan is in contact with a dial indicator, wherein a dial indicator reading indicates whether the fan is rotationally aligned.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a laminar flow fan, comprising a main disc and a plurality of slave discs, wherein surfaces of the slave discs are impregnated with antimicrobial substances.

[0011] In some embodiments, the antimicrobial substance is selected from the group consisting of copper and copper alloys.

[0012] In some embodiments, the copper alloy includes a brass alloy, a bronze alloy, and a nickel silver alloy.

[0013] In some embodiments, the copper alloy comprises a copper-nickel-zinc alloy.

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a laminar flow fan, comprising a master disk and a plurality of slave disks, wherein surfaces of the slave disks comprise positively charged carbon atoms in a matrix on the surfaces of the slave disks.

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a laminar flow fan, comprising a main disc and a plurality of slave discs, wherein surfaces of the slave discs include ionized slave disc surfaces. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is an assembly fixture on which a laminar flow fan is being assembled.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a column component of the cam-column assembly of FIG. 5 .

[0018] FIG. 3 is a cam component of the cam-column assembly of FIG. 5 .

[0019] Figure 4 shows the assembly fixture without the laminar flow fan.

[0020] 5 is a perspective view of the cam-post assembly.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a top view of the cam-post assembly.

[0022] FIG. 7 illustrates an assembly fixture alignment hammer in contact with the fan during assembly.

[0023] FIG. 8 illustrates the assembly fixture alignment hammer swinging away from the fan during the disc alignment process.

[0024] Fig. 9 Illustrated is the assembly fixture with the fan main disc in place during the disc alignment process.

[0025] Fig.10 Illustrated is a dial indicator measuring the rotational alignment of a fan.

[0026] Fig.11 This is an exploded view of the fan.

[0027] Fig.12 It was the fan during assembly where the disc assembly was not fixed in place.

[0028] Fig.13 This is the final assembled fan with the components fixed in place. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Assembly fixture

[0030] Fig. 1 illustrates the assembly fixture 100 of the laminar flow fan that keeps assembling.The purpose of the assembly fixture is to ensure that as the assembly process is completed, all the slave disks 160 are extremely accurately aligned with the central axis of the master disk 170.Significantly, these fans are designed to produce perfect laminar flow.However, if the vertical and horizontal orientations of the disk are not accurately aligned to eliminate swinging as the disk rotates around the central axis, perfect laminar flow cannot be achieved.Specifically, the slave disk can be manufactured to have high precision.However, the master disk has a small size difference between samples, which surprisingly causes an unbalanced fan when assembling.This change will produce eddy or turbulent flow, which causes the disturbance flow of air in the whole invention, thus negating perfect laminar flow.When there is a lateral difference in the alignment of the fan, interference is generated due to changing the entry point of the air relative to the next successive slave disk 160 or master disk 170. With respect to vertical alignment, if the fan undergoes movement in the vertical plane while rotating, these changes will cause oscillations in either the slave disc 160 or the master disc 170. This results in a disturbance in the laminar flow of air exiting at the fan's outer diameter. A trained observer can detect subtle but visible flutters during fan rotation.

[0031] Complete elimination of this destructive effect on the achievement of pure laminar flow is accomplished by the preferred invention through the use of an assembly fixture during assembly of the entire array of slave discs 160 relative to the master disc 170. The assembly fixture 100 includes a base, at least two (2) vertically fixed cam-post assemblies 500 also shown in FIG5, and an alignment hammer 400 also shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0032] Figures 1 and 4 illustrate an embodiment having a square base, but the exact shape is not important. The base is preferably a metal substrate. The cam-post assembly 500 of Figure 5 comprises the post 200 shown in Figure 2 and the cam 300 shown in Figure 3.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, referring to FIG. 4 , the cam-post assemblies 500 and the alignment hammers 400 are positioned as follows. The two (2) cam-post assemblies 500 are placed at arc distances of 120° and 240°, respectively, as measured in a standard compass with zero degrees at the 12 o'clock position. The alignment hammers 400 are positioned so that the alignment hammer heads 410 contact the disc at the zero degree (0°) point. Thus, the three components, the two cam-post assemblies and the alignment hammer heads, are spaced equidistantly along the circumference of the circle. Additional cam-post assemblies and alignment hammers can be added as long as they are positioned so that they will precisely contact the circular fan disc at their periphery.

[0034] The alignment hammer is the preferred embodiment, and other actuators will work equally well. Other actuators may be gravity driven, such as the hammer described herein, or driven by a pneumatic or hydraulic mechanism. The actuator shares the property of providing a subtle but firm force to move the fan's disc into precise rotational alignment.

[0035] Each of the post 200 and the cam 300 is machined with high precision. The post 200 in Fig. 2 is a cylindrical structure that is machined to have a cross section having a circumference shaped as an almost perfect circle.

[0036] As the fan rotates, any deviation from a perfectly circular configuration will result in wobble and is considered misalignment. In one preferred embodiment, the cam-post assembly is configured to correct misalignment as small as 0.1 mm in 0.1 mm increments. In another preferred embodiment, misalignment as small as 0.01 mm is detected and corrected in 0.01 mm increments. In yet another preferred embodiment, misalignment as small as 0.001 mm is detected and corrected in 0.001 mm increments.

[0037] The bottom of the post 200 is configured to be securely attached to the base. In a preferred embodiment, the bottom cam has a dowel-like cylindrical extension 220 that inserts into a complementary hole drilled into the base.

[0038] Referring to FIG5, each cam-post assembly 500 is positioned on a metal base plate to allow a single point of contact with the periphery of the slave disk 160, see FIGS. 7 and 8. The cam 300 shown in FIG3 is fixed to the top of the post 200 shown in FIG2. In a typical embodiment, the post is metal. The cam 300, which is also typically metal, is mounted on the top of the post so that the cam is free to rotate about the central axis of the cam-post assembly, as shown in FIG5.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the cam 300 is attached to the top of the post as follows. The top of the post has a short cylindrical extension 210 that is smaller in diameter than the body of the post. As shown in FIG2 , the cylindrical extension 210 can be formed by machining the top of the post downward to reduce the diameter of the top of the post, thereby forming a shoulder at the junction of the top and the body of the post. The cam is designed as a gapped ring with a centrally located circular cavity, as shown in FIG3 , the inner diameter of the ring being configured to fit over the cylindrical extension 210. The combined components are shown in FIG5 . Note that the cylindrical extension is generally at the same height as the top of the cam.

[0040] FIG. 6 illustrates that etched into the top of the column is a fixed compass line 610. Across the compass line 610 are scale marks (lines) etched into the top of the cam at the inner edge of the top of the cam. These marks represent one millimeter and are used to adjust for slight differences (if any) between the slave disc diameter and the master disc diameter, which may cause rotational imbalance of the competing fan. Specifically, the cam outer diameter is milled to gradually increase as it travels around the outer periphery. The diameter starts relatively small at one side of the gap and gradually increases as it travels around the outer periphery of the cam until it reaches a maximum value at the other side of the gap.

[0041] The cam itself is designed to rotate about the central axis of the post. Referring to Figure 6, when the movable cam is placed in its zero (0) position, the outer surface of the cam is perfectly dimensionally aligned with the fixed portion of the cam-post assembly at the contact point on the outer diameter of the slave disc as the slave disc is assembled.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the cam is secured to the post by a U-clip type fastener, as shown in FIG3 . The cam ring is interrupted by a narrow gap. The ring is secured to the post by closing the gap and "clamping" the ring around the post. For example, holes may be drilled on either side of the gap to accommodate locking screws or pins 310. The screws or pins can be inserted into the holes and passed through threads or other mechanisms and used to close the gap. For example, the screws can be tightened to close the gap and "clamp" the cam to the post, thereby not allowing unwanted movement of the cam when assembly of the entire array is completed.

[0043] The cam is vertically positioned to contact only the main disc 170, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Fig. 9 The cam does not contact the slave disc 160 below the cam. The purpose of using a cam is to allow an unlimited number of adjustment contact points that allow the manufacturer to compensate for any variations in the dimensions of the manufactured parts that would otherwise cause the master disc and attached array to deviate from proper rotational alignment. As previously mentioned, even a slight misalignment can significantly interfere with the pure laminar flow that the fan is designed to produce.

[0044] Specifically, the cam is used to correct misalignment of the fan discs as follows. For example, if the master disc is misaligned because its radius is 0.001 mm larger than the radius of the slave disc, the cam can be rotated on the column so that the compass line moves from one scale mark to the adjacent mark and the portion of the cam that contacts the master disc is retracted precisely 0.001 mm. Similarly, if the master disc is 0.001 mm smaller in radius than the slave disc, the cam can be rotated in the opposite direction, which causes the larger radius of the cam to contact the master disc, thereby extending the cam precisely 0.001 mm. In this way, the master disc can be rotationally aligned to a tolerance of 0.001 mm. This rotational alignment can be achieved using the following and Fig.10 Test with the dial gauge shown.

[0045] As shown in Figure 7 to Fig. 9 As shown, the alignment hammer 400 provides positive pressure to the array of the preferred invention, thereby firmly holding the array during assembly. The alignment hammer has sufficient weight and pivots about the offset point pivot 420, see FIG8, with an arm of appropriate length to ensure that the contact point of the alignment hammer head is at a pre-arranged position of the metal substrate, for example, the zero degree (0°) position along the diameter of the slave disk as shown in FIG7.

[0046] Once filled with all the components including the preferred invention, the assembly fixture is securely fixed to a table with an inclination relative to the horizontal plane, as shown in Figure 4. The preferred inclination angle is 30° from the horizontal plane. The inclination means that gravity will exert a positive force on the array to bear against the cam posts, as shown in Figure 1.

[0047] The fan is shown in Figure 7 to Fig. 9 160 is placed in the assembly fixture so that the outer periphery is firmly in contact with the cam-post assembly 500. Each successive slave disc is then added to the starting bottom slave disc to include the entire array of the preferred invention. At this point in the assembly process, the alignment hammer 410 is placed against the array and a positive force is provided on the array as described above to ensure that the array is not allowed to move during the assembly process.

[0048] In other embodiments, multiple alignment hammers 400 can be employed to further ensure proper alignment. As described above, other drivers may be used in both single and multiple driver embodiments.

[0049] In another preferred embodiment, a master disc is added and fixed to an array of slave discs, e.g. Fig.11 As shown, a set of bolts 180 are used, using washers 185, where the bolts traverse the array from the master disc through the slave disc to a base ring 190 containing holes for engaging the bolts. The holes can be threaded to complementarily engage with threads on the bolts.

[0050] Before the slave disks are permanently fastened together, they can be Fig.10 The micrometer 1010 shown tests alignment. Note that the fan is turned upside down to perform this test as shown. The micrometer has a probe that is mechanically connected to a display that indicates the probe position. The fan is rotated and the probe is traveled along the outer surface of the main disc 170. As the position display oscillates back and forth, any significant misalignment will be detected.

[0051] Fig.12 The fan is illustrated with the components assembled but "loose". At this point, the alignment steps are performed as described above. After aligning the master disc, and with the alignment hammer holding the slave disc in place, as shown in the figure below: Fig.13 Tighten the various bolts as shown and secure the components into their final positions.

[0052] Antimicrobial environment

[0053] The fan is uniquely designed to have effective antimicrobial and antiviral functions. The disc surface can be impregnated with an antimicrobial substance. The preferred surface is an ionized surface, typically including positively charged carbon atoms in a matrix on the disc surface. Other ionized surfaces will also work. In addition, certain copper and copper alloys (brass, bronze, nickel silver, copper-nickel-zinc and others) have antimicrobial / antiviral properties.

[0054] The antimicrobial substance can be coated on the surface or incorporated into the raw material that makes up the slave disc. Due to the laminar flow, the fan becomes an effective antimicrobial device by effectively removing viable microorganisms from the surrounding environment. Microorganisms and viral particles suspended in the air are effectively circulated through the fan and rendered inviable.

Claims

1. A method for rotational alignment of a laminar flow fan, the method comprising: A laminar fan assembly fixture is provided, the fixture further comprising a base, a plurality of cam-column assemblies of the same shape, and an alignment driver, wherein the cam-column assemblies and the alignment driver are mounted on the base in a circular configuration, each cam-column assembly further comprising a cam mounted on the top of the column, each cam being annular and having a central cavity, the central cavity being configured to be sleeved on a cylindrical extension having a shape complementary to the central cavity of the cam, and each cam radius gradually increasing around the circumference of the cam from a minimum value at an initial point on the circumference to a maximum value at a point 360 degrees angularly away from the initial point; and A laminar flow fan assembly is provided, comprising a plurality of slave discs, a master disc, and a fastening device that, when engaged, secures the slave discs and the master disc together in position, The method further comprises the following steps: loosely mounting the slave disc on the fixture and loosely mounting the master disc on the fixture so that the edge of the master disc contacts the outer periphery of each cam; The outer radius of the cam is adjusted to compensate for the diameter of the main disc so that: If the diameter of the master disc is greater than the diameter of the slave disc by a given length, the outer radius of the cam is retracted by that length to exactly compensate for the greater length of the master disc, and If the diameter of the master disc is smaller than the diameter of the slave disc by a given length, the outer radius of the cam is extended by that length to exactly compensate for the smaller length of the master disc; engaging the alignment actuator to contact an edge of the master disk, thereby forcing the master disk into contact with the periphery of each slave disk and into precise rotational alignment; and Tighten the fan assembly mount, thereby locking the main disc into proper rotational alignment.

2. The rotation alignment method according to claim 1, wherein: The alignment drive further includes an alignment hammer including an offset point pivot and an alignment hammer head, wherein an alignment force is provided by the alignment hammer head striking an edge of the master disc and / or the slave disc.

3. The rotation alignment method according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of cam-post assemblies include two cam-post assemblies, and wherein the cam-post assemblies are positioned at angular positions at arc distances of 120° and 240°, measured in a standard compass disk with zero degrees at the 12 o'clock position, and wherein the alignment drive contacts the master disc and / or the slave disc at 0°.

4. The rotation alignment method according to claim 1, wherein: The size difference of the master disks is as small as 0.001 mm.

5. The rotation alignment method according to claim 1, wherein: The alignment of the fan is tested by rotating the fan while the fan contacts a dial indicator, wherein a dial indicator reading indicates whether the fan is rotationally aligned.

6. A laminar flow fan comprising a master disc and a plurality of slave discs, the laminar flow fan being assembled by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, surfaces of the slave discs being impregnated with an antimicrobial substance.

7. The laminar flow fan according to claim 6, wherein: The antimicrobial substance is selected from the group consisting of copper and copper alloys.

8. The laminar flow fan according to claim 7, wherein: The copper alloys include brass alloys, bronze alloys and nickel silver alloys.

9. The laminar flow fan according to claim 7, wherein: The copper alloy includes a copper-nickel-zinc alloy.

10. A laminar flow fan comprising a master disk and a plurality of slave disks, the laminar flow fan being assembled by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the surfaces of the slave disks comprising positively charged carbon atoms in a matrix on the surfaces of the slave disks.

11. A laminar flow fan comprising a master disk and a plurality of slave disks, wherein the laminar flow fan is assembled by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the surfaces of the slave disks comprise ionized slave disk surfaces.

Images