Electric fan

Abstract

To provide an electric fan capable of uniformizing air quantity per unit area to an air blowing target during rotating operation of an air blowing section.SOLUTION: An electric fan includes: an air blowing section 100 that blows air by rotating a fan 16 in an air blowing direction determined by a lateral rotating angle and a vertical rotating angle; a lateral rotating section 31 that laterally rotates the air blowing section 100 about a lateral rotating axis by using a lateral rotation motor 12 to change the lateral rotating angle; a vertical rotating section 33 that vertically rotates the air blowing section 100 about a vertical rotating axis vertical to the lateral rotating axis by using a vertical rotation motor 22 to change the vertical rotating angle; and a control section 30 that controls the lateral rotating section 31 and the vertical rotating section 33 so as to make air quantity per unit area blown from the air blowing section 100 and hitting an air blowing target constant in a vertical rotating angle fixation mode of controlling the lateral rotating section 31, a lateral rotating angle fixation mode of controlling the vertical rotating section 33 and vertical / lateral rotating angle cooperation mode of controlling the lateral rotating section 31 and the vertical rotating section 33 in a cooperative manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric fan. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, an electric fan includes a blower unit with a fan and a support unit that supports the blower unit. One such electric fan, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, is known in which the horizontal and vertical swinging motions of the blower unit are performed on independent rotation axes, allowing the fan to rotate at any center position and within any reciprocating range. Operating an operating device allows the fan to adjust the rotation, rotation center position, and rotation range. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-98740 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Electric fans are used, for example, to cool people by blowing the fan's wind on them, or to dry laundry efficiently by blowing the fan's wind on it.

[0005] However, the electric fan disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a constant rotation speed when the blower rotates horizontally and vertically from the front. Therefore, as the blower rotates horizontally or vertically from the front, the distance the air from the electric fan reaches the object to be blown, such as a person or laundry, becomes longer, and the amount of air per unit area of ​​the object to be blown decreases. This reduces the feeling of coolness felt by the person to be blown and causes problems such as inefficient drying of laundry.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a fan that can provide a uniform amount of air per unit area to the object being blown air, such as a person or laundry, in order to prevent a decrease in the feeling of coolness of the object being blown air, even when the fan's blowing section is rotated, and to achieve efficient drying of laundry. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the electric fan of the present disclosure comprises: a blower unit that rotates a fan to blow air in a blowing direction determined by a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle; a horizontal rotation unit that has a horizontal rotation motor and rotates the blower unit horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis using the horizontal rotation motor to change the horizontal rotation angle; a vertical rotation unit that has a vertical rotation motor and rotates the blower unit vertically around a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis using the vertical rotation motor to change the vertical rotation angle; and a control unit that executes one of three operating modes: a fixed vertical rotation angle mode that controls the horizontal rotation unit; a fixed horizontal rotation angle mode that controls the vertical rotation unit; and a linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode that controls the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit in conjunction with each other, and the control unit controls the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit in the three operating modes so that the volume of air per unit area blown from the blower unit and hitting the object to be blown is constant. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to achieve an advantageous effect of making the air volume per unit area of ​​the object to be blown air uniform even when the blowing section of the electric fan is rotated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the overall configuration of an electric fan according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 4 is a vector diagram illustrating the airflow direction of the electric fan according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the base and the support of the electric fan according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4]3 is a diagram showing the configuration of an operation unit of the electric fan according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the blower and the support of the electric fan according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a control unit provided in the electric fan according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 3 is a functional block diagram showing control of the electric fan according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the rotation principle of a stepping motor according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a current supply sequence for coils in the stepping motor of FIG. 8 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 1 is a top view of the electric fan according to the first embodiment when the horizontal rotation angle is 0. FIG. [Figure 11] 1 is a top view of the electric fan according to the first embodiment when the electric fan is rotating horizontally at a horizontal rotation angle θ. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an airflow hits an object to be blown when the horizontal rotation angle of the electric fan according to the first embodiment is 0. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow strikes an object to be blown when the electric fan according to the first embodiment rotates horizontally for D seconds from a position where the horizontal rotation angle is 0. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the airflow hits an object to be blown when the electric fan according to the first embodiment continues to rotate horizontally for a further D seconds from the position where it has rotated horizontally for D seconds. FIG. [Figure 15] 12 is a side view of the electric fan according to the first embodiment, taken along the cross section BB of FIG. 11, when the electric fan is rotating vertically at a vertical rotation angle δ. [Figure 16] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an airflow hits an object to be blown when the vertical rotation angle of the electric fan according to the first embodiment is 0. FIG. [Figure 17] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow strikes an object to be blown when the electric fan according to the first embodiment rotates vertically for E seconds from a position where the vertical rotation angle is 0. FIG. [Figure 18]10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the airflow hits an object to be blown when the electric fan according to the first embodiment continues to rotate vertically for a further E seconds from the position where the electric fan has rotated vertically for E seconds. FIG. [Figure 19] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the air blowing position of the electric fan according to the first embodiment moves on an object to be blown air at an inclination angle ψ with respect to the lateral direction. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the airflow strikes an object to be blown when the electric fan according to the comparative example continues to rotate horizontally for a further D seconds from the position where it has rotated horizontally for D seconds. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the airflow strikes an object to be blown when the electric fan according to the comparative example continues to rotate vertically for a further E seconds after having rotated vertically for E seconds. [Figure 22] 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of gears that adjust the horizontal rotation speed and vertical rotation speed of the electric fan according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 23] 10 is a diagram showing details of gears that adjust the horizontal rotation speed and vertical rotation speed of the electric fan according to the second embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, electric fans according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments.

[0011] Embodiment 1 First, the overall configuration of electric fan 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the overall configuration of electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1. In FIG. 1, coordinates are shown in a Cartesian coordinate system. X, Y, and Z axes are orthogonal to one another. Here, the X axis is the front-to-rear direction, and the direction of the arrow is sometimes referred to as the front side, and the direction opposite the arrow is sometimes referred to as the rear side. The Y axis is also referred to as the horizontal or left-to-right direction, and the direction of the arrow is sometimes referred to as the right-side side or right side, and the direction opposite the arrow is sometimes referred to as the left-side side or left side. The Z axis is also referred to as the up-to-down direction, and the direction of the arrow is sometimes referred to as the up side, and the direction opposite the arrow is sometimes referred to as the down side. As shown in FIG. 1, electric fan 1 includes a blower unit 100 that generates airflow F, a support unit 101 that supports blower unit 100, a base unit 102 that supports blower unit 100 and support unit 101, and a protection unit 103 that protects the area around fan 16, which is part of blower unit 100, from the user. The support pole 101 and base 102 of the electric fan 1 correspond to a support portion that supports the blower portion 100.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, a disk-shaped base 102 supports the air blower 100 and the support column 101. The base 102 also has an operation unit 19 that can be used to turn the power switch of the electric fan 1 on and off, adjust the airflow volume, and adjust the horizontal rotation operation (horizontal swing operation) and vertical rotation operation (vertical swing operation). Adjustments to the airflow volume, horizontal rotation operation, and vertical rotation operation include, for example, changing the rotation speed, rotation range, and rotation center. The base 102 also has a casing that is exposed to the outside, and the casing contains a horizontal rotation unit 31 and a horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 (described later) inside. The horizontal swing operation and vertical swing operation may be collectively referred to as the swing operation or the rotation operation.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1 , the support column 101 is cylindrical and supports the blower 100 at a high position above the floor on which the base 102 is placed. The support column 101 is provided with a height adjustment button 26. A user can adjust the support column 101 to a desired height and use the electric fan 1 by pressing the height adjustment button 26 to raise or lower the support column 101 until it is aligned with one of several protrusions (not shown) on the support column 101 and then releasing the height adjustment button 26. The support column 101 is also rotatable laterally relative to the base 102, as indicated by RX in FIG. 1 , about a horizontal rotation axis AX1 that is parallel to the Z axis. This configuration allows the blower 100 and the support column 101 to rotate laterally within a reciprocating range within the horizontal rotation range of the blower 100. The horizontal rotation section 31 of the blower 100 will be described later.

[0014] The blower unit 100 blows air in a blowing direction determined by the horizontal rotation angle θ, which is the horizontal swing angle, and the vertical rotation angle δ, which is the vertical swing angle. As shown in FIG. 1, the blower unit 100 has a fan 16, which is an impeller, and a fan motor 17. The fan motor 17 is connected to the fan 16 and rotates the fan 16 about a rotation axis AX3. As the fan 16 rotates, it blows air in a direction parallel to the rotation axis AX3. In the electric fan 1, the direction parallel to the rotation axis AX3 corresponds to the blowing direction. In FIG. 1, the air blown in the blowing direction is indicated by airflow F. The fan 16 is a propeller fan. This is because, by facing the object 7 to which air is being blown, the fan 16 can efficiently blow air toward the object 7. Instead of a propeller fan, for example, a centrifugal fan, a turbo fan, or a mixed-flow fan may also be used. The fan motor 17 receives signals from the fan control unit 30a to start and stop the electric fan 1 and change the rotation speed of the fan 16. The blower unit 100 also has a cover 18, which houses a vertical rotation unit 35 (described later), a vertical rotation angle detection unit 34, and a portion of the fan motor 17. The cover 18 protects the vertical rotation unit 35, the vertical rotation angle detection unit 34, and the fan motor 17. The blower unit 100 is mounted on the support unit 101 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, i.e., the Z-axis direction, about a vertical rotation axis AX2 serving as a rotation axis. The vertical rotation axis AX2 is parallel to the Y-axis. The vertical rotation axis AX2 is also perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis AX1. Furthermore, the rotation axis AX3, which is the center of rotation of the fan 16 in the electric fan 1, intersects with the intersection of the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2, regardless of the vertical rotation angle (described later).

[0015] The protective part 103 is a part that covers the fan 16 and prevents, for example, the user's hand or foreign objects from coming into contact with the fan 16. The protective part 103 has multiple wires that extend radially. A certain gap is provided between adjacent wires. The rotation of the fan 16 causes air to be sucked in through gaps formed on the rear side of the protective part 103, and the air is then blown out from gaps formed on the front side of the protective part 103, as indicated by airflow F.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a vector diagram illustrating the airflow direction of electric fan 1 according to the first embodiment. The horizontal rotation angle θ and vertical rotation angle δ of airflow unit 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The components of airflow direction vector Q in the X, Y, and Z directions are (QX1, QY1, QZ1). The airflow vector obtained by projecting airflow direction vector Q in FIG. 2 onto a plane (corresponding to the XY plane) perpendicular to horizontal rotation axis AX1 is defined as QXY1. The components of QXY1 are (QX1, QY1, 0). Here, horizontal rotation angle θ is the absolute value of the angle between QXY1 and a predetermined reference direction. The components of the reference direction vector are (1, 0, 0). Therefore, horizontal rotation angle θ is greater than 0 degrees whether the angle between QXY1 and the predetermined reference direction is positive or negative. For ease of explanation, FIG. 2 illustrates the reference direction as a direction perpendicular to the YZ plane, i.e., the X-axis direction as the positive direction. However, this is not limiting. The reference direction is determined in advance by the designer of the electric fan 1, etc. Next, the vertical rotation angle δ is the absolute value of the angle between the airflow direction vector Q in Figure 2 and a plane (corresponding to the XY plane) perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis (AX1). The vertical rotation angle is equal to the angle between the airflow direction vector Q and QXY1. Therefore, the vertical rotation angle δ is greater than 0 degrees whether the angle between the airflow direction and the plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis is positive or negative.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of base unit 102 and support unit 101 of electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1. For ease of explanation, FIG. 3 does not show the casing of base unit 102. As shown in FIG. 3, base unit 102 has a horizontal rotation unit 31 and a horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 inside the casing. Horizontal rotation unit 31 has horizontal rotation motor 12 that has gear 10 as a first gear, bearing 15, and gear 11 as a second gear. Furthermore, horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 has detection plate 13 and sensor 14.

[0018] Bearing 15 is provided at the end of support part 101 on the base part 102 side. A portion of support part 101 on the base part 102 side is fitted inside base part 102 and is rotatable relative to base part 102 in the rotation direction indicated by RX. Support part 101 is rotatably held relative to base part 102 via bearing 15. Gear 10 is provided below bearing 15 on base part 102. The rotation axis of gear 10 coincides with AX1, which is the lateral rotation axis of the support part. Gear 11 is provided inside the casing of base part 102 and engages gear 10. When gear 11 is driven by lateral rotation motor 12, support part 101 rotates horizontally.

[0019] As will be described later, a stepping motor 33a is used as the lateral rotation motor 12. The lateral rotation motor 12 is provided inside the casing of the base part 102. The rotation speed and center of the lateral rotation motor 12 can be changed by pulse signals from the lateral rotation control part 30b.

[0020] The detection plate 13 is provided above the gear 10 at the end of the support part 101 on the base part 102 side. The detection plate 13 has slits for position detection. The sensor 14 is provided on the base part 102 and reads the position detection slits. The sensor 14 detects the horizontal rotation angle θ of the support part 101 based on the number of slits it reads, similar to existing sensors that detect rotation angles.

[0021] The control unit 30 is, for example, a control circuit configured with circuits, and controls the electric fan 1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 described below, the control unit 30 has a fan control unit 30a, a horizontal rotation control unit 30b, and a vertical rotation control unit 30c. The fan control unit 30a, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b, and the vertical rotation control unit 30c control the fan motor 17 of the blower unit 100, the horizontal rotation motor 12 of the horizontal rotation unit 31, and the vertical rotation motor 22 of the vertical rotation unit 35, respectively.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the operation unit 19 of the electric fan 1. In FIG. 4, the operation unit 19 has a power switch 311, an airflow increase switch 312, an airflow decrease switch 313, a horizontal rotation switch 314, a vertical rotation switch 315, a center position change switch 316, and a rotation range change switch 317. The power switch 311 is located on the front of the front of the electric fan 1. The center position change switch 316 is a switch that changes the rotation center position of the air blower unit 100 and includes a left direction change switch 316a, a right direction change switch 316b, an up direction change switch 316c, and a down direction change switch 316d. The rotation range change switch 317 has a horizontal rotation range change switch 317a and a vertical rotation range change switch 317b.

[0023] The operation of the electric fan 1 controlled by the control unit 30 will be described for each switch on the operation unit 19. When the user presses the power switch 311 while the electric fan 1 is turned off, the control unit 30 starts driving the fan motor 17. Furthermore, when the user presses the power switch 311 while the electric fan 1 is turned on, the control unit 30 stops driving the fan motor 17. When the user presses the airflow increase switch 312 or the airflow decrease switch 313, the control unit 30 increases or decreases the rotation speed of the fan motor 17. When the user presses the vertical rotation switch 315 while the air blower unit 100 is not rotating vertically, the control unit 30 drives the vertical rotation motor 22 to perform automatic vertical rotation, for example, by rotating the electric fan 100 clockwise around the vertical rotation axis AX2 in the rotation direction RY shown in FIG. 1 to a predetermined angle, as viewed from the right side in the Y-axis direction, then returning to the reference direction, then further rotating counterclockwise to a predetermined angle, and then returning to the reference direction. This returns the fan to the origin for automatic vertical rotation. The vertical rotation angle δ during this return is, for example, within a range of ±90° from the reference direction. A stopper (not shown) is provided at a predetermined angle to prevent further rotation. This return to the origin may be performed multiple times. When the user presses the horizontal rotation switch 314 while the electric fan 1 is not rotating horizontally, the control unit 30 drives the horizontal rotation motor 12 to perform automatic horizontal rotation. The control unit 30 rotates the electric fan 1 clockwise around the horizontal rotation axis AX1 in the rotation direction RX shown in FIG. 1 around the reference direction (X-axis), for example, to a predetermined angle when viewed from above in the Z-axis direction, then returns the electric fan 1 to the reference direction, then rotates counterclockwise to a predetermined angle, and then returns the electric fan 1 to the reference direction. This returns the fan 1 to the origin for automatic horizontal rotation. The horizontal rotation angle θ during this return is, for example, within a range of ±90° from the reference direction. A stopper (not shown) is provided at a predetermined angle to prevent further rotation. This origin search may be performed multiple times.

[0024] 5 is a diagram showing the structure of the blower 100 and the support pole 101 of the electric fan 1. For ease of explanation, the cover that covers the fan motor 17 is not shown in FIG.

[0025] The vertical rotation unit 35 and vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 of the blower unit 100 will be described using Figure 5. The vertical rotation unit 35 of the blower unit 100 has a rotation shaft 25, a vertical rotation motor 22 having gear 21 as a fourth gear, and gear 20 as a third gear. The vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 of the blower unit 100 has a detection plate 23 and a sensor 24.

[0026] Rotating shaft 25 is an axis that enables vertical rotation of blower unit 100. Rotating shaft 25 rotatably holds blower unit 100 relative to support column 101. Gear 20 is provided on support column 101. Vertical rotation motor 22 having gear 21 is fixed to blower unit 100, and by meshing with gear 20 to drive it, blower unit 100 rotates vertically.

[0027] As will be described later, a stepping motor 33b is used as the vertical rotation motor 22. The function of the vertical rotation motor 22 is similar to that of the above-mentioned horizontal rotation motor 12. The vertical rotation motor 22 can change the rotation speed and center of rotation according to pulse signals from the vertical rotation control unit 30c.

[0028] The detection plate 23 is located at the end of the support part 101 on the blower part 100 side, and is provided on the opposite side of the gear 20 via the support part 101, with the rotating shaft 25 as its axis. The detection plate 23 has a slit for position detection. The sensor 24 is provided in the blower part 100 and reads the slit in the detection plate 23. The blower part 100 is controlled by the control part 30 provided in the base part 102.

[0029] The sensor 24 is a slit sensor, and the method of detecting the rotation angle is the same as that of the sensor 14 described above.

[0030] The control unit 30 controls a fixed vertical rotation angle mode in which the vertical rotation angle δ of the blower unit 100 is fixed and the horizontal rotation angle θ is varied, a fixed horizontal rotation angle mode in which the horizontal rotation angle θ of the blower unit 100 is fixed and the vertical rotation angle δ is varied, and a linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode in which the horizontal rotation angle θ and the vertical rotation angle δ of the blower unit 100 are linked. In the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, the horizontal rotation angle θ of the blower unit 100 detected by the sensor 14 is acquired, and the horizontal rotation motor 12 is driven to control the horizontal rotation angle θ based on the acquired horizontal rotation angle θ. In the fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, the vertical rotation angle δ of the blower unit 100 detected by the sensor 24 is acquired, and the vertical rotation motor 22 is driven to control the vertical rotation angle δ based on the acquired vertical rotation angle δ. In the linked vertical-horizontal rotation angle mode, the horizontal rotation angle θ and vertical rotation angle δ of blower unit 100 detected by sensors 14 and 24 are acquired, respectively, and horizontal rotation motor 12 and vertical rotation motor 22 are driven to control the horizontal rotation angle θ and vertical rotation angle δ based on the acquired horizontal rotation angle θ and vertical rotation angle δ. In any of the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, and linked vertical-horizontal rotation angle mode, the horizontal rotation operation, which is a horizontal swing operation of blower unit 100, and the vertical rotation operation, which is a vertical swing operation, are controlled so that the air volume per unit area hitting object 7 to be blown is constant.

[0031] The object 7 to be blown by is the object that is hit by the airflow F, which is the wind generated by the electric fan 1. The object 7 to be blown by is at least arranged in a direction parallel to the vertical rotation axis AX2 of the electric fan 1, which faces the reference direction, which is the front side of the X axis. An example of this is a piece of laundry hanging from a clothesline extending in a direction parallel to the vertical rotation axis AX2. Furthermore, when multiple objects are lined up in a row in a direction parallel to the vertical rotation axis AX2, these multiple objects may be considered as a single object 7 to be blown by. For example, this may be the case when small pieces of laundry or people are lined up in a row in the Y axis direction. Note that when the laundry is large, the object 7 to be blown by by also has a spread in the Z axis direction.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit 30 provided in the electric fan 1. The control unit 30 is realized as a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware, an integrated circuit, or a circuit including a processor. The control unit 30 includes a processor 40, a memory 41, a memory 42, and a hardware interface 43. These components are connected via a bus 44.

[0033] Memory 41 stores a program executed by processor 40. Memory 41 is also used as a work area for processor 40. In the angle interlocking mode of the first embodiment, memory 41 stores a program related to a method for controlling the vertical rotation angle of blower unit 100. Memory 41 is a non-volatile memory, such as a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0034] The memory 42 reads and stores information necessary for program execution. In the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, and linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode, it reads and stores information about the horizontal rotation angle θ and vertical rotation angle δ of the air blower unit 100. The memory 42 is a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM). The memory 42 stores the distance X0 from the intersection of the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2 to the object 7, in a direction perpendicular to a plane parallel to the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2, i.e., parallel to the X-axis direction. The distance X0 is determined in advance by the designer of the electric fan 1. The distance X0 is communicated to the user by means of a description in the instruction manual or other means.

[0035] The processor 40 executes a program stored in the memory 41. In the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, and linked vertical and horizontal rotation angle mode, the processor 40 controls the horizontal rotation angle θ and the vertical rotation angle δ of the blower unit 100 provided in the control unit 30. The processor 40 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0036] The hardware interface 43 connects the computer with the sensors 14, 24, and the switches of the operation receiving unit 19a, and transmits and receives signals.

[0037] 7 is a functional block diagram showing the control of electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1. The configuration of the function for controlling blower section 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0038] The operation unit 19 of the electric fan 1 includes an operation receiving unit 19a and an operation transmitting unit 19b. When a user presses a switch on the operation unit 19, the operation receiving unit 19a receives a signal including a command corresponding to that switch. The operation transmitting unit 19b acquires the signal received by the operation receiving unit 19a and transmits the signal to the control unit 30 related to the operation.

[0039] The control unit 30 has a fan control unit 30a that controls the driving of the fan 16, a horizontal rotation control unit 30b that controls the horizontal rotation angle θ for horizontal rotation operation, and a vertical rotation control unit 30c that controls the vertical rotation angle δ for vertical rotation operation.

[0040] The fan control unit 30a receives a signal from the operation transmission unit 19b and transmits a control signal to the fan motor 17 to perform the above-mentioned control. In response to this control signal, the fan motor 17 starts or stops driving or changes the rotation speed.

[0041] Horizontal rotation control unit 30b receives a signal from operation transmission unit 19b and transmits a control signal to horizontal rotation motor 12 to perform control corresponding to the operation content. In response to this control signal, horizontal rotation motor 12 controls the horizontal rotation operation, specifically, starts or stops driving, changes the horizontal rotation center and horizontal rotation range (range of horizontal rotation angle θ), and changes the horizontal rotation speed, which is the horizontal swing speed.

[0042] The vertical rotation control unit 30c receives a signal from the operation transmission unit 19b and transmits a control signal to the vertical rotation motor 22 to perform control corresponding to the operation content. In response to this control signal, the vertical rotation motor 22 controls the vertical rotation operation, specifically, starts or stops driving, changes the center of vertical rotation, changes the vertical rotation range (range of vertical rotation angle δ), and changes the vertical rotation speed, which is the vertical swing speed. Note that the horizontal rotation speed and vertical rotation speed may be collectively referred to as the rotation speed, and the horizontal swing speed and vertical swing speed may be collectively referred to as the swing speed.

[0043] The commands issued by the operation transmitting unit 19b will now be described in detail. When the user presses the power switch 311 while the electric fan 1 is turned off, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits a signal to the fan control unit 30a to start driving the fan 16, i.e., to start rotating the fan 16. Furthermore, when the user presses the power switch 311 while the electric fan 1 is turned on, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits a signal to the fan control unit 30a to stop driving the fan 16, i.e., to stop rotating the fan 16. When the user presses the airflow increase switch 312, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits a signal to the fan control unit 30a to increase the rotation speed of the fan 16. Furthermore, when the user presses the airflow decrease switch 313, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits a signal to the fan control unit 30a to decrease the rotation speed of the fan.

[0044] When the user presses the horizontal rotation switch 314 while the electric fan 1 is not rotating horizontally, the operation transmitter 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b to start the horizontal rotation of the pole unit 101. When the user presses the horizontal rotation switch 314 while the electric fan 1 is rotating horizontally, the operation transmitter 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b to stop the horizontal rotation of the pole unit 101. When the user presses the left direction change switch 316a, the operation transmitter 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b to change the center of horizontal rotation of the pole unit 101 to the left, i.e., the left side. When the user presses the right direction change switch 316b, the operation transmitter 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b to change the center of horizontal rotation of the pole unit 101 to the right, i.e., the right side. When the user presses the + button of the horizontal rotation range change switch 317a, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b a signal to increase the horizontal rotation range of the support unit 101. When the user presses the - button of the horizontal rotation range change switch 317a, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b a signal to decrease the horizontal rotation range of the support unit 101.

[0045] When the user presses the vertical rotation switch 315 while the electric fan 1 is not rotating vertically, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits a signal to the vertical rotation control unit 30c to start the vertical rotation operation of the air blower unit 100. When the user presses the vertical rotation switch 315 while the electric fan 1 is rotating vertically, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits a signal to the vertical rotation control unit 30c to stop the vertical rotation operation of the air blower unit 100. When the user presses the upward direction change switch 316c, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits a signal to the vertical rotation control unit 30c to change the center of vertical rotation of the air blower unit 100 upward. When the user presses the downward direction change switch 316d, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits a signal to the vertical rotation control unit 30c to change the center of vertical rotation of the air blower unit 100 downward.

[0046] The fan 1 has three operating modes for swinging, i.e., rotation: a fixed vertical rotation angle mode in which the fan 1 rotates horizontally without rotating vertically; a fixed horizontal rotation angle mode in which the fan 1 rotates vertically without rotating horizontally; and a linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode in which the fan 1 rotates horizontally and vertically. For example, when the fan 1 is in the fixed vertical rotation angle mode and a user operates the fan 1 in the linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode, the operation transmitter 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation controller 30b and the vertical rotation controller 30c to operate the fan 1 in the linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode. Here, the operation to operate the fan 1 in the linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode is performed by the user pressing and holding the horizontal rotation switch 314 or the vertical rotation switch 315. Upon receiving the signal to operate the fan 1 in the linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode, the horizontal rotation controller 30b and the vertical rotation controller 30c execute control in the linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode. Furthermore, when the fan 1 is in the vertical / horizontal rotation angle linked operation mode, if the user presses and holds the horizontal rotation switch 314, the operation transmission unit 19b sends a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b and the vertical rotation control unit 30c to operate the fan 1 in the fixed vertical rotation angle mode. Also, when the fan 1 is in the vertical / horizontal rotation angle linked operation mode, if the user presses and holds the vertical rotation switch 315, the operation transmission unit 19b sends a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b and the vertical rotation control unit 30c to operate the fan 1 in the fixed horizontal rotation angle mode. Having received the signal to operate the fan 1 in the fixed vertical rotation angle mode or the fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b and the vertical rotation control unit 30c end control in the vertical / horizontal rotation angle linked mode. Details of the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, the fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, and the fixed vertical / horizontal rotation angle linked mode will be described later.

[0047] Before operating the blower in one of the three operating modes, the user moves the blower so as to satisfy the following two conditions. The first condition is that the blower unit 100 is positioned directly facing the object 7 to be blown, as the reference direction. The second condition is that the distance from the intersection of the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2 to the object 7 to be blown is defined as distance X0, when the intersection is parallel to a direction perpendicular to a plane parallel to the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2. Distance X0 is stored in memory 42. The distance X0 stored in memory 42 is used to calculate the horizontal angular velocity ω0 at time t=0. Specifically, the horizontal angular velocity ω0 at time t=0 is calculated based on Equation 8, which will be described later. However, the horizontal angular velocity ω0 can also be stored in memory 42 in advance instead of distance X0. That is, the horizontal angular velocity ω0 stored in memory 42 in advance may be used as the horizontal angular velocity ω0.

[0048] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the rotation principle of a stepping motor 33 according to embodiment 1. In the stepping motor 33, stepping motor 33a is the horizontal rotation motor 12, and stepping motor 33b is the vertical rotation motor 22. The stepping motors 33a and 33b are controlled by the same method, so they will be described as a single stepping motor 33. FIG. 8 shows a wiring diagram of a coil 332 arranged around a rotor 331 of the stepping motor 33. The stepping motor 33 has a rotor 331 and a coil 332 wound around a stator (not shown). A base pin 333 is connected to each coil 332. A pin number identifying the base pin 333 is assigned to the base pin 333.

[0049] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the energization sequence of the coils in the stepping motor 33 of FIG. 8 according to the first embodiment. This figure shows the energization sequence, i.e., the excitation sequence, when the stepping motor 33 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis with 1-2 phase excitation. In FIG. 9, "+" indicates that a positive voltage is applied to the base pin 333, and "-" indicates that a negative voltage is applied to the base pin 333. Applying voltage to the base pin 333 in order from step "1" to "8" rotates the rotor 331 counterclockwise. In this way, the rotation axis is rotated by changing the energized coil 332 for each step. In other words, the rotation can be achieved by switching the excited coil 332. To stop the rotation of the stepping motor 33 and hold it there, simply continue excitation without proceeding to the next step. The energization sequence, i.e., the excitation sequence, when the stepping motor 33 is rotated clockwise as viewed from the direction of the rotation axis can be achieved by interchanging the "+" and "-" signs in FIG. 9. In this way, the stepping motor 33 (33a, 33b) controls the state of current flow to the base pin 333, specifically, by controlling the frequency of the current pulse signal to the base pin 333, thereby controlling the horizontal and vertical rotation operations of the blower section 100 which are linked to the rotation of the stepping motor 33 (33a, 33b).

[0050] Next, the operation of the electric fan 1 in the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, and linked vertical and horizontal rotation angle mode will be described in order. Note that in the following description, angles are in degrees, angular velocities are in degrees / sec, distances are in meters, and speeds are in meters / sec, but other units may be used.

[0051] First, the operation of the electric fan 1 in the fixed vertical rotation angle mode will be described. In the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, the electric fan 1 rotates horizontally. Note that in the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, the electric fan 1 does not rotate vertically. Fig. 10 is a top view of the electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1 when the horizontal rotation angle is 0. In Fig. 10, the electric fan 1 faces the reference direction. Fig. 11 is a top view of the electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1 when it is rotating horizontally at a horizontal rotation angle of θ. Figs. 10 and 11 are views projected onto the XY plane.

[0052] As shown in Figure 10, when the horizontal rotation angle θ, which serves as the reference direction, is 0 and the vertical rotation angle δ is 0, the user positions the fan 1 at a position where the distance from the intersection of the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2 to the object 7 to be blown air is X0 when the direction is perpendicular to a plane parallel to the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2, that is, parallel to the X-axis direction. Here, the intersection of the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2 is defined as Or. Also, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the object 7 on the fan 1 side is defined as P0.

[0053] As shown in Figure 11, when the fan is rotating horizontally at a horizontal rotation angle θ, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the object 7 facing the electric fan 1 is defined as Q0, and the distance on the XY plane from the intersection Or to the intersection Q0 is defined as LQ. The distance on the XY plane from point P0 to point Q0 is defined as the airflow center position Y. At this time, the relationship in Equation 1 holds.

[0054]

number

[0055] Here, the airflow center position Y changes on the object 7 to be blown due to a change in the horizontal rotation angle θ caused by the horizontal rotation operation. In FIG. 11, the airflow center position Y changes in the Y-axis direction of the YZ plane on which the object 7 to be blown is placed. Here, the horizontal rotation operation of the horizontal rotation motor 12, in other words, the horizontal rotation speed, is controlled so that the airflow center position Y moves on the Y-axis, in other words, on the object 7 to be blown, at a constant speed. If the constant speed at which the airflow center position Y moves on the object 7 to be blown is VY0, the movement speed of the airflow center position Y is expressed by Equation 2.

[0056]

number

[0057] By integrating Equation 2 and setting time t=0 and the airflow center position Y=0 in the reference direction shown in FIG. 10, Equation 2 can be expressed as Equation 3.

[0058]

number

[0059] By combining Equation 1 and Equation 3, we obtain Equation 4.

[0060]

number

[0061] By rearranging Equation 4, Equation 5 is obtained.

[0062]

number

[0063] From Equation 5, the time change θ(t) of the horizontal rotation angle θ is expressed by Equation 6.

[0064]

number

[0065] Furthermore, if the lateral angular velocity at time t=0 is ω0, the constant velocity VY0 moving on the object 7 to be blown is expressed by Equation 7.

[0066]

number

[0067] By rearranging Equation 7, Equation 8 is obtained.

[0068]

number

[0069] Substituting Equation 8 into Equation 6, we obtain Equation 9.

[0070]

number

[0071] Here, the lateral angular velocity ω is expressed as the time derivative of the lateral rotation angle θ. Therefore, Equation 9 can be expressed as Equation 10, where ω(t) is the time change in the lateral angular velocity ω with respect to time t.

[0072]

number

[0073] Here, Equation 10 is expanded as Equation 11.

[0074]

number

[0075] Furthermore, the lateral angular velocity ω can be expressed as follows using the lateral rotation angle θ: First, Equation 12 is obtained from Equation 1 and Equation 2.

[0076]

number

[0077] Equation 12 is expanded as in Equation 13.

[0078]

number

[0079] Here, the differentiation of tan θ with respect to the horizontal rotation angle θ is generally expressed by Equation 14.

[0080]

number

[0081] Substituting Equation 14 into Equation 13, Equation 8 gives ω0 = VY0 / X0, so Equation ω(θ), which expresses the lateral angular velocity ω using the lateral rotation angle θ, is expressed as Equation 15.

[0082]

number

[0083] As described above, the control unit 30 controls the rotation speed of the horizontal rotation motor 12 based on Equation 9, which is the relational expression between the horizontal rotation angle θ and time t, or Equation 10, which is the relational expression between the horizontal angular velocity ω and time t, or Equation 15, which is the relational expression between the horizontal angular velocity ω and the horizontal rotation angle θ, so that the airflow center position Y moves at a constant speed on the Y axis, in other words, on the object 7 to be blown. Therefore, the airflow time for the object 7 to be blown can be made constant, in other words, the air volume per unit area can be made uniform.

[0084] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow F hits object 7 to be blown when horizontal rotation angle θ of electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1 is 0. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow F hits object 7 to be blown when electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1 rotates horizontally for D seconds from a position where horizontal rotation angle θ is 0. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow F hits object 7 to be blown when electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1 rotates horizontally for a further D seconds from a position where it has rotated horizontally for D seconds. How airflow F hits object 7 to be blown will be described using FIGS. 12 to 14.

[0085] When the direction of the electric fan 1 is such that the horizontal rotation angle θ shown in FIG. 12 is 0, i.e., when the electric fan 1 rotates horizontally for D seconds from the reference direction to reach the position shown in FIG. 13, the area A of the object 7 to be blown indicates the area that the airflow F hits during D seconds. When the direction of the electric fan 1 rotates horizontally for another D seconds from the position shown in FIG. 13 to reach the position shown in FIG. 14, the area C of the object 7 to be blown indicates the area that the airflow F hits during the additional D seconds. In the first embodiment, the horizontal rotation angle θ of the electric fan 1 is controlled so that the areas A and C of the object 7 to be blown by the airflow F are equal. In other words, the horizontal rotation speed of the electric fan 1 is slowed so that the area C is equal to the area A. Therefore, the air volume per unit area is equal for the areas A and C. Note that FIGS. 12 to 14 are provided to facilitate understanding of the airflow F hitting the object 7 to be blown; in reality, the horizontal rotation speed changes continuously. 12 to 14, as the horizontal rotation angle θ of the electric fan 1 increases, the horizontal rotation speed of the electric fan 1 decreases continuously. However, within the range allowed by the design, the horizontal rotation speed of the electric fan 1 may be decreased in steps rather than continuously.

[0086] FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow F hits object 7 when electric fan 1 according to a comparative example rotates horizontally for an additional D seconds after rotating horizontally for D seconds. The comparative example in FIG. 20 shows a case in which electric fan 1 rotates horizontally at a constant speed. FIG. 20 corresponds to the case in FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 20, when electric fan 1 rotates horizontally at a constant speed, area B of object 7 is larger than area C shown in FIG. 14. This is because the distance airflow F travels to reach object 7 becomes longer. As a result, the amount of air per unit area reaching object 7 decreases as horizontal rotation angle θ increases.

[0087] Next, the operation of the electric fan 1 in the fixed horizontal rotation angle mode will be described. In the fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, the electric fan 1 rotates vertically. Note that in the fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, the electric fan 1 does not rotate horizontally. FIG. 15 is a side view of the electric fan according to embodiment 1, taken along cross section BB in FIG. 11, when the electric fan is rotating vertically at a vertical rotation angle δ. FIG. 15 shows the case where the electric fan is rotating vertically at a vertical rotation angle δ and a vertical angular velocity ωz around a vertical rotation axis AX2 that passes through intersection Or and is perpendicular to cross section BB.

[0088] In Figure 15, if the intersection point between the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the object 7 facing the fan 1 at the vertical rotation angle δ is Q1, the distance from the intersection point Or to the intersection point Q1 is LQ, and the distance from the intersection point Q0 to the intersection point Q1 is Z, then the relationship in Equation 16 holds.

[0089]

number

[0090] Here, the airflow center position Z changes on the object 7 to be blown with a change in the vertical rotation angle δ due to the vertical rotation operation. In FIG. 15, the airflow center position Z changes in the Z-axis direction of the YZ plane on which the object 7 to be blown is placed. Here, the vertical rotation speed of the vertical rotation motor 22 is controlled so that the airflow center position Z moves on the Z-axis, in other words, on the object 7 to be blown, at a constant speed. If the constant speed at which the airflow center position Z moves on the object 7 to be blown is VZ0, the movement speed of the airflow center position Z is expressed by Equation 17.

[0091]

number

[0092] By integrating Equation 17 and setting time t=0 and airflow center position Z=0 in the reference direction (δ=0) of vertical rotation angle δ, Equation 17 is expressed as Equation 18.

[0093]

number

[0094] Equation 16 and Equation 18 are simultaneously solved to obtain Equation 19.

[0095]

number

[0096] By rearranging Equation 19, Equation 20 is obtained.

[0097]

number

[0098] From Equation 20, the change δ(t) in the vertical rotation angle δ over time is expressed by Equation 21.

[0099]

number

[0100] Furthermore, if the vertical angular velocity at time t=0 is ωz0, the constant velocity VZ0 moving over the object 7 to be blown is expressed by Equation 22.

[0101]

number

[0102] By rearranging Equation 22, Equation 23 is obtained.

[0103]

number

[0104] Substituting Equation 23 into Equation 21, we obtain Equation 24.

[0105]

number

[0106] In addition, in the reference direction (time t=0, horizontal rotation angle θ=0) shown in FIG. 10, distance LQ=distance X0, so Equation 23 can be expressed as Equation 25.

[0107]

number

[0108] Here, the vertical angular velocity ωz is expressed as the time differential of the vertical rotation angle δ. Therefore, Equation 24 is expressed as Equation 26, which expresses the time change ωz(t) of the vertical angular velocity ωz with respect to time t.

[0109]

number

[0110]

number

[0111] Furthermore, the vertical angular velocity ωz can be expressed as follows using the vertical rotation angle δ: First, Equation 28 is obtained from Equation 16 and Equation 17.

[0112]

number

[0113] Equation 28 is expanded as in Equation 29.

[0114]

number

[0115] Here, the differentiation of tan δ with respect to the vertical rotation angle δ is generally expressed by Equation 30.

[0116]

number

[0117] When Equation 30 is substituted into Equation 29, Equation 23 gives ωz0=VZ0 / LQ, and therefore Equation 31 expresses the vertical angular velocity ωz(δ) using the vertical rotation angle δ.

[0118]

number

[0119] As described above, the control unit 30 controls the rotation speed of the vertical rotation motor 22 based on Equation 24, which is the relational expression between the vertical rotation angle δ and time t, or Equation 27, which is the relational expression between the vertical angular velocity ωz and time t, or Equation 31, which is the relational expression between the vertical angular velocity ωz and the vertical rotation angle δ, so that the airflow center position Z moves at a constant speed on the Z-axis, in other words, in the Z-axis direction on the object 7 to be blown. Therefore, the airflow time for the object 7 to be blown can be made constant, in other words, the air volume per unit area can be made uniform.

[0120] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow F hits object 7 to be blown when vertical rotation angle δ of electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1 is 0. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow F hits object 7 to be blown when electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1 rotates vertically for E seconds from a position where vertical rotation angle δ is 0. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow F hits object 7 to be blown when electric fan 1 according to embodiment 1 rotates vertically for a further E seconds from a position where it has rotated horizontally for E seconds. How airflow F hits object 7 to be blown will be described using FIGS. 16 to 18.

[0121] When the direction of the electric fan 1 is such that the vertical rotation angle δ shown in FIG. 16 is 0, i.e., when the electric fan 1 rotates horizontally for E seconds from the reference direction to reach the position shown in FIG. 17, the area A of the object 7 to be blown by the airflow F for E seconds. When the direction of the electric fan 1 is further rotated vertically for E seconds from the position shown in FIG. 17 to reach the position shown in FIG. 18, the area C of the object 7 to be blown by the airflow F for the further E seconds. In the first embodiment, the vertical rotation angle δ of the electric fan 1 is controlled so that the areas A and C of the object 7 to be blown by the airflow F are equal. In other words, the vertical rotation speed of the electric fan 1 is slowed so that the area C is equal to the area A. Therefore, the air volume per unit area is equal for the areas A and C. Note that FIGS. 16 to 18 are intended to facilitate understanding of the airflow F impinging on the object 7 to be blown by the airflow F; in reality, the vertical rotation speed changes continuously. 16 to 18, for example, as the vertical rotation angle δ of the electric fan 1 increases, the vertical rotation speed of the electric fan 1 decreases continuously. However, in order to achieve the desired effect, the vertical rotation speed of the electric fan 1 may be decreased in steps rather than continuously, within an allowable range.

[0122] FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which airflow F hits object 7 when electric fan 1 according to a comparative example continues to rotate vertically for another E seconds after rotating vertically for E seconds. The comparative example in FIG. 21 shows a case in which electric fan 1 has a constant vertical rotation speed. FIG. 21 corresponds to the case in FIG. 18. As shown in FIG. 21, when electric fan 1 has a constant vertical rotation speed, area B of object 7 is larger than area C shown in FIG. 18. This is because the distance that airflow F travels to reach object 7 becomes longer. As a result, the amount of air per unit area reaching object 7 decreases as vertical rotation angle δ increases.

[0123] Next, we will explain the operation of the electric fan 1 in the vertical-horizontal rotation angle linked mode. Figure 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the airflow position of the electric fan 1 moves on the object 7 to be blown at an angle of inclination ψ with respect to the horizontal direction. Figure 19 shows the object 7 to be blown, which is in front of the electric fan 1, as viewed from the rear. As described above, the vertical-horizontal rotation angle linked mode controls the horizontal rotation operation and the vertical rotation operation in a linked manner. As shown in Figure 19, the airflow center position Q3 moves at a constant speed in a diagonal linear direction from point P0 in the reference direction on the YZ plane on which the object 7 to be blown is located. In Figure 19, it moves diagonally upward to the left.

[0124] First, the relationships between the horizontal rotation angle fixed mode and the vertical rotation angle fixed mode are established as shown in Equation 32 to Equation 34. Equation 32 corresponds to Equation 1, and Equation 33 corresponds to Equation 16.

[0125]

number

[0126]

number

[0127]

number

[0128] Here, since the airflow center position Q3 moves linearly at an inclination angle ψ as shown in FIG. 19, the relationship of Equation 35 is established using Equations 32 to 34.

[0129]

number

[0130] By rearranging Equation 35, Equation 36 is obtained.

[0131]

number

[0132] In this way, if the horizontal rotational movement and vertical rotational movement of the blower unit 100 of the fan 1 are linked and the swinging movement is controlled so that the horizontal rotational angle θ and the vertical rotational angle δ satisfy the relationship of Equation 36, the blowing center position Q3 can be moved at a constant speed in a diagonal linear direction relative to the object 7 to be blown, as shown in Figure 19.

[0133] The relationship between the horizontal angular velocity ω and the vertical angular velocity ωz at this time is as follows. The relationships in the horizontal rotation angle fixed mode and the vertical rotation angle fixed mode are expressed by Equation 37 and Equation 38. Note that Equation 37 corresponds to Equation 15, and Equation 38 corresponds to Equation 31.

[0134]

number

[0135]

number

[0136] When the time t=0, the horizontal rotation angle θ=0, and the vertical rotation angle δ=0, Equation 39 holds.

[0137]

number

[0138] Here, near the origin (intersection point PO in FIG. 19), it can be considered that VY0≈ω0×X0 and VX0≈ωz0×X0. At this time, the airflow center positions Y and Z are expressed by Equations 40 and 41.

[0139]

number

[0140]

number

[0141] From equations 40, 41 and 35, equation 42 is obtained.

[0142]

number

[0143] Substituting Equation 42 into Equation 38 and rearranging it, we obtain Equation 43.

[0144]

number

[0145] Substituting the square of Equation 36 into Equation 43 gives Equation 44.

[0146]

number

[0147] As described above, the control unit 30 controls the horizontal angular velocity ω using the horizontal rotation angle θ based on Equation 37, i.e., controls the horizontal rotation speed of the horizontal rotation motor 12, and controls the vertical angular velocity ωz using the horizontal rotation angle θ based on Equation 44, i.e., controls the vertical rotation speed of the vertical rotation motor 22, thereby moving the airflow center position Q3 at a constant speed in a diagonal linear direction on the YZ plane on which the object 7 to be blown is located.

[0148] As described above, the horizontal rotation speed and vertical rotation speed, which are the oscillation speeds of the blower unit 100 of the electric fan 1, are controlled by the horizontal rotation motor 12, which is the stepping motor 33a, and the vertical rotation motor 22, which is the stepping motor 33b. More specifically, the control unit 30 controls the oscillation speed by controlling the frequency of the energization pulse signals to the stepping motors 33a and 33b. For example, when controlling the horizontal rotation speed, specifically the horizontal rotation angle θ, the frequency when the horizontal rotation angle θ = 0 is set to F0, and control is performed based on Equation 45, which corresponds to Equation 15. By controlling according to Equation 45, the airflow center position Y can be controlled to move at a constant speed over the object 7 to be blown. When controlling the vertical rotation speed, specifically the vertical rotation angle δ, the control can be performed in accordance with Equation 31. When controlling the horizontal rotation angle θ and the vertical rotation angle δ in conjunction with each other, the control can be performed in accordance with Equations 37 and 44.

[0149]

number

[0150] As described above, according to the first embodiment, in any of the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, and linked vertical-horizontal rotation angle mode, the center position (Y, Z, Q3) of the airflow of the airflow unit 100 of the electric fan 1 moves at a constant speed over the object 7 to be blown. This makes it possible to keep the airflow time for the object 7 constant when the airflow unit 100 rotates in the horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction, in other words, to make the airflow volume per unit area uniform. This prevents a decrease in the sense of coolness felt by people within the range of the object 7 to be blown and also enables efficient drying of laundry.

[0151] In addition, the user can select any of the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, and linked vertical and horizontal rotation angle mode according to the size of the object 7 to be blown with air, which more effectively prevents a decrease in the feeling of coolness for people within the range of the object 7 to be blown with air and also enables efficient drying of laundry.

[0152] Embodiment 2 In the first embodiment, the control unit 30 controls the horizontal rotation speed and the vertical rotation speed by controlling the frequency of the energization pulse signal to the stepping motors 33a and 33b. In the second embodiment, the horizontal rotation speed and the vertical rotation speed are changed by changing the tooth spacing, in other words, the tooth pitch, of the gear 11 of the horizontal rotation unit 31 and the gear 21 of the vertical rotation unit 35, instead of controlling the frequency using the energization pulse signal. The other configurations are the same as those described in the first embodiment, so detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0153] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the configuration of gears (10, 11, 20, 21) that adjust the horizontal rotation speed and vertical rotation speed of electric fan 1 according to embodiment 2. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing details of gears (11, 21) that adjust the horizontal rotation speed and vertical rotation speed of electric fan 1 according to embodiment 2. As described in embodiment 1, horizontal rotation motor 12 has gear 11, which meshes with gear 10. Vertical rotation motor 22 has gear 21, which meshes with gear 20. As shown in FIG. 22, the tooth pitch of gears 11 and 21 increases as the horizontal rotation angle θ increases in horizontal rotation operation and as the vertical rotation angle δ increases in vertical rotation operation from the position where the horizontal rotation angle θ and the vertical rotation angle δ are both 0, which is the reference direction (see FIG. 10). Meanwhile, the tooth pitch of gear 10, which rotates support column 101 horizontally (the RX direction shown in FIG. 1), and gear 21, which rotates blower unit 100 vertically (the RY direction shown in FIG. 1), are equal. This allows the horizontal rotation speed to slow down as horizontal rotation angle θ increases from the position where horizontal rotation angle θ is 0. Also, the vertical rotation speed can slow down as vertical rotation angle δ increases from the position where vertical rotation angle δ is 0.

[0154] More specifically, for example, when controlling the lateral rotation angle θ so that the lateral rotation speed decreases, as shown in FIG. 23, when the pitch of gear 11 at a position where the lateral rotation angle θ, which is the reference direction, is 0 is P0, and the pitch of gear 11 when the lateral rotation angle θ is θ1 is P1, gear 11 is positioned so that Equation 46, which corresponds to Equation 15, holds.

[0155] To control the airflow center position Y so that it moves at a constant speed over the object 7, the angular velocity ω must be reduced as the horizontal rotation angle θ increases. On the other hand, to reduce the angular velocity of the rotation axis as the horizontal rotation angle θ increases, the amount of rotation of gear 10, which adjusts the horizontal rotation speed, must be reduced as the horizontal rotation angle θ increases. Similarly, the amount of rotation of gear 20, which adjusts the vertical rotation speed, must be reduced as the vertical rotation angle δ increases. Therefore, as shown in Figure 23, for horizontal rotation, gear 11 is used to adjust the horizontal rotation speed so that the gear pitch increases as the horizontal rotation angle θ increases. Similarly, for vertical rotation, gear 21 is used to adjust the vertical rotation speed so that the gear pitch increases as the vertical rotation angle δ increases.

[0156] A specific explanation will be given using gear 11, which adjusts the lateral rotation speed, as an example. If the gear pitch P1 of gear 11 at lateral rotation angle θ1 is twice the gear pitch P0 of gear 11 at lateral rotation angle θ0, when the rotation amount of gear 10 is twice the lateral rotation angle θ0, the rotation amount of gear 11 becomes the lateral rotation angle θ0. In other words, the rotation amount of gear 11 is 1 / 2 the rotation amount of gear 10.

[0157] According to the above example, generally, if the gear pitch P1 of gear 11 is A times the gear pitch P0 of gear 10, the angular velocity ω1 of gear 11 is 1 / A times the angular velocity ω0 of gear 10. Therefore, if the angular velocity ω1 / angular velocity ω0 is cos 2 To achieve θ1, the gear pitch P1 / gear pitch P0 must be 1 / cos 2 The gear pitches of the gears 20 and 21 used for vertical rotation may be set in consideration of the same relationship.

[0158] This allows the airflow center position Y to be controlled so as to move at a constant speed over the object 7. Similarly, to control the vertical rotation angle δ, gear 21 should be arranged so as to correspond to equation 31, and to control the horizontal rotation angle θ and vertical rotation angle δ in conjunction with each other, gears 11 and 21 should be arranged so as to correspond to equations 37 and 44.

[0159]

number

[0160] As described above, according to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the airflow center position (Y, Z, Q3) of the air blowing unit 100 moves at a constant speed above the object 7 to be blown. Therefore, when the air blowing unit 100 swings left and right, up and down, or diagonally, the airflow time for the object 7 to be blown can be made constant; in other words, the air volume per unit area can be made uniform. This prevents a decrease in the sense of coolness felt by people within the range of the object 7 to be blown, and also enables efficient drying of laundry.

[0161] As in the first embodiment, the user can select from either the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, the fixed horizontal rotation angle mode, or the linked vertical and horizontal rotation angle mode according to the size of the object 7 to be blown with air, which more effectively prevents a decrease in the feeling of coolness for people within the range of the object 7 to be blown with air and also enables efficient drying of laundry.

[0162] The configurations described in the above embodiments are examples of the contents of the present disclosure. The embodiments can be combined with other known technologies. Part of the configurations of the embodiments can be omitted or modified without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0163] Examples of aspects that may be included in the present disclosure are set forth below as appendices. (Appendix 1) a blower that rotates a fan in a blowing direction determined by a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle to blow air; a horizontal rotation unit having a horizontal rotation motor, the horizontal rotation unit rotating the blower unit horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis by the horizontal rotation motor to change the horizontal rotation angle; a vertical rotation unit having a vertical rotation motor, the vertical rotation motor vertically rotating the blower unit around a vertical rotation axis perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis, thereby changing the vertical rotation angle; a control unit that executes one of three operation modes: a fixed vertical rotation angle mode that controls the horizontal rotation unit; a fixed horizontal rotation angle mode that controls the vertical rotation unit; and a linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode that controls the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit in a linked manner; Equipped with The control unit controls the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit in the three operation modes so that the amount of air per unit area blown from the blower unit onto the object to be blown is constant. Electric fan. (Appendix 2) the control unit controls the horizontal rotation speed of the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation speed of the vertical rotation unit so that the airflow center position of the air blower unit moves at a constant speed on the object to be blown. 1. A fan as described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) the horizontal rotation motor and the vertical rotation motor are each a stepping motor, and the horizontal rotation speed and the vertical rotation speed are controlled by the frequency of an energization pulse signal applied to the stepping motor; A fan as described in Appendix 2. (Appendix 4) the horizontal rotation unit has the horizontal rotation motor, a second gear driven by the horizontal rotation motor, and a first gear meshing with the second gear to cause the blower unit to perform the horizontal rotation operation, and the vertical rotation unit has the vertical rotation motor, a fourth gear driven by the vertical rotation motor, and a third gear meshing with the fourth gear to cause the blower unit to perform the vertical rotation operation, The tooth pitches of the first gear and the third gear are equal, the second gear is formed so that a tooth pitch becomes wider as the horizontal rotation angle becomes larger from a reference direction, and the fourth gear is formed so that a tooth pitch becomes wider as the vertical rotation angle becomes larger from a reference direction, The tooth pitch of the second gear and the fourth gear is formed so that the airflow center position of the air blowing unit moves at a constant speed above the object to be air blown. A fan as described in Appendix 2.

[0164] 1 Fan, 7 Object to be blown, 10 Gear, 11 Gear, 12 Horizontal rotation motor, 13 Detection plate, 14 Sensor, 15 Bearing, 16 Fan, 17 Fan motor, 18 Cover, 19 Operation unit, 19a Operation receiving unit, 19b Operation transmitting unit, 20 Gear, 21 Gear, 22 Vertical rotation motor, 23 Detection plate, 24 Sensor, 25 Rotating shaft, 26 Height adjustment button, 30 Control unit, 30a Fan control unit, 30b Horizontal rotation control unit, 30c Vertical rotation control unit, 31 Horizontal rotation unit, 32 Horizontal rotation angle detection unit, 33 Stepping motor, 33a Stepping motor, 33b Stepping motor, 34 Vertical rotation angle detection unit, 35 Vertical rotation unit, 40 Processor, 41 Memory, 42 Memory, 43 Hardware interface, 44 Bus, 100 Blowing section, 101 support section, 102 base section, 103 protective section, 210 blowing target, 311 power switch, 312 air volume increase switch, 313 air volume decrease switch, 314 horizontal rotation switch, 315 vertical rotation switch, 316 center position change switch, 316a left direction change switch, 316b right direction change switch, 316c upward direction change switch, 316d downward direction change switch, 317 rotation range change switch, 317a horizontal rotation range change switch, 317b vertical rotation range change switch, 331 rotor, 332 coil, 333 base pin.

Claims

1. a blower that rotates a fan in a blowing direction determined by a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle to blow air; a horizontal rotation unit having a horizontal rotation motor, the horizontal rotation unit rotating the blower unit horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis by the horizontal rotation motor to change the horizontal rotation angle; a vertical rotation unit having a vertical rotation motor, the vertical rotation motor vertically rotating the blower unit around a vertical rotation axis perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis, thereby changing the vertical rotation angle; a control unit that executes one of three operation modes: a fixed vertical rotation angle mode that controls the horizontal rotation unit; a fixed horizontal rotation angle mode that controls the vertical rotation unit; and a linked vertical / horizontal rotation angle mode that controls the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit in a linked manner; Equipped with The control unit controls the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit in the three operation modes so that the amount of air blown from the blower unit and hitting the object per unit area is constant. Electric fan.

2. the control unit controls the horizontal rotation speed of the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation speed of the vertical rotation unit so that the airflow center position of the air blower unit moves at a constant speed on the object to be blown. The electric fan according to claim 1.

3. the horizontal rotation motor and the vertical rotation motor are each a stepping motor, and the horizontal rotation speed and the vertical rotation speed are controlled by the frequency of an energization pulse signal applied to the stepping motor; The electric fan according to claim 2.

4. the horizontal rotation unit has the horizontal rotation motor, a second gear driven by the horizontal rotation motor, and a first gear meshing with the second gear to cause the blower unit to perform the horizontal rotation operation, and the vertical rotation unit has the vertical rotation motor, a fourth gear driven by the vertical rotation motor, and a third gear meshing with the fourth gear to cause the blower unit to perform the vertical rotation operation, The tooth pitches of the first gear and the third gear are equal, the second gear is formed so that a tooth pitch becomes wider as the horizontal rotation angle becomes larger from a reference direction, and the fourth gear is formed so that a tooth pitch becomes wider as the vertical rotation angle becomes larger from a reference direction, The tooth pitch of the second gear and the fourth gear is formed so that the airflow center position of the air blowing unit moves at a constant speed above the object to be air blown. The electric fan according to claim 2.

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