Blower

Abstract

To improve air blowing efficiency.SOLUTION: An air blower 100 includes: a louver device 3 having a plurality of movable fins, an actuator 7 for driving the movable fins and a human sensor 8 for detecting a position of a surrounding person M; and a louver controller 20 for controlling the actuator and controlling positions of the movable fins so that air A blown out from the louver device flows toward the position of the person detected by the human sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a blower device.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a factory production line, workers are located and work in adjacent work areas along it. Also, a blower device for sending cooling air to the workers is provided. Generally, the blower device includes a duct that extends along its longitudinal direction above the work area and through which cooling air flows, and a plurality of flexible ducts that are provided at intervals in the duct and hang downward. Air is blown from each flexible duct to a worker at a specific position towards which its outlet faces. Such a form of air conditioning is called spot air conditioning.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described general blower device, cooling air is constantly blown out from all the flexible ducts. Therefore, even when there is no person at a specific position, air is blown, resulting in wasted blowing energy.

[0005] Therefore, in view of such circumstances, the present disclosure was devised, and its object is to provide a blower device capable of improving blowing efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a louver device having a plurality of movable fins, an actuator for driving the movable fins, and a human presence sensor for detecting the position of a person around; A louver controller controls the actuator and the position of the movable fins so that the air emitted from the louver device is directed towards the position of the person detected by the motion sensor, A blower is provided, characterized by comprising the following:

[0007] Preferably, the blower is A duct extends along its longitudinal direction above the work area, through which cooling air flows, The duct has multiple downward-facing outlets provided at intervals, Equipped with, Each of the aforementioned multiple air outlets is provided with the aforementioned louver device.

[0008] Preferably, the blower is A fan that sends air into the duct, A pressure sensor for detecting the pressure inside the duct, A fan controller controls the rotation speed of the fan so that the pressure detected by the pressure sensor approaches a predetermined set value. It is equipped with.

[0009] Preferably, the blower is The louver device is provided with a louver fan located at the inlet, which blows air toward the plurality of movable fins.

[0010] Preferably, the louver controller controls the plurality of movable fins to a predetermined minimum opening when no person is detected by the motion sensor.

[0011] Preferably, the louver controller operates the plurality of movable fins in accordance with the movement of a person detected by the motion sensor.

[0012] Preferably, the louver controller causes the plurality of movable fins to swing so that air is blown out over the entire area where multiple people are located when multiple people are detected by the motion sensor.

[0013] Preferably, the movable fins are rotatable about a rotation axis and are arranged in a plurality in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. The portion of the movable fin located at the most one end side in the arrangement direction, on the inlet side of the rotation axis, is bent toward the one end side, or The portion of the movable fin located at the most other end side in the arrangement direction, on the inlet side of the rotation axis, is bent toward the other end side, or The portions of the movable fins located at the most one end side and the other end side in the arrangement direction, on the inlet side of the rotation axis, are bent toward the one end side and the other end side, respectively.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] According to the present disclosure, the blowing efficiency can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram showing a blowing device. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram showing a louver device. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram showing the operation of this embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram showing the operation of this embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing the usage state of an auxiliary controller. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram showing a first modification. [Figure 7] It is a schematic diagram showing another usage state of the first modification. [Figure 8] It is a schematic diagram showing a second modification.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that it should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0017] Figure 1 schematically shows a blower according to this embodiment. The blower 100 is installed in a factory having a manufacturing line L and functions as a spot air conditioner. The manufacturing line L extends in a predetermined direction, and in the figure it extends in the left-right direction. A work area W adjacent to the manufacturing line L is provided on the near side of the manufacturing line L in the thickness direction of the paper. The work area W extends parallel to the manufacturing line L along its longitudinal direction. Workers M mainly perform their work in this work area W.

[0018] The blower 100 extends along the longitudinal direction above the work area W and includes a duct 1 through which cooling air A flows, and a plurality of downward-facing outlets 2 (only one shown) provided at intervals in the duct 1. The blower 100 also includes louver devices 3 provided at each of the multiple outlets 2.

[0019] Duct 1 extends horizontally along the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in the diagram) of the work area W, directly above the work area W. Duct 1 is suspended and supported, for example, from the ceiling of the factory. The outlet 2 is formed by an opening in the lower part of duct 1. Air A inside duct 1 is blown downward from this outlet 2.

[0020] The blower 100 includes a fan 4 that delivers air A into the duct 1. The fan 4 is connected to the inlet end of the duct 1 and delivers air A from this inlet end toward the outlet end (not shown). The fan 4 is electrically powered and includes an inverter 5 that controls the rotational speed of its drive motor.

[0021] As shown in detail in Figure 2, the louver device 3 includes a plurality of movable fins 6, an electric motor 7 as an actuator to drive the movable fins 6, and a motion sensor camera 8 as a motion sensor to detect the position of people in the surrounding area. The blower device 100 also includes a louver controller 20 for controlling the louver device 3.

[0022] The movable fins 6 are mounted on a rectangular frame-shaped casing 9, which is open at the top and bottom, so as to be rotatable around a pivot axis 10, and are arranged in multiples along the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in the figure) of the work area W. The pivot axis 10 extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the work area W. Therefore, the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in the figure) of the work area W coincides with the direction in which the multiple movable fins 6 are arranged, and the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in the figure) of the work area W (thickness direction in the figure) coincides with the longitudinal direction or axial direction of the pivot axis 10. The electric motor 7 and all the movable fins 6 are connected by a link mechanism 11, which acts as a connecting mechanism, and the rotation of the motor 7 allows the angular position θ of all the movable fins 6 around the pivot axis 10 to be changed simultaneously. By causing the link mechanism 11 to reciprocate with the motor 7 as shown by arrow a, the movable fins 6 can also be made to swing as shown by arrow b.

[0023] A servo motor is used for motor 7, allowing the angular position θ of the movable fin 6 to be controlled to any desired position. The angular position θ of the movable fin 6 can be continuously changed from a fully closed angular position θ0 (=0°) that does not allow air passage to a predetermined maximum angular position θmax (for example, 135°). The angular position θ of the movable fin 6 changes in proportion to the value of the analog electrical signal input to motor 7.

[0024] The motion-sensing camera 8 is pointed towards the work area W below and sends the image data of the work area W it captures to the louver controller 20. Based on this image data, the louver controller 20 detects or identifies the location and number of workers M in the work area W.

[0025] In this embodiment, the louver controller 20 is integrated into the louver device 3. The louver controller 20 controls the motor 7 and the angular position θ of the movable fins 6 so that the air A emitted from the louver device 3 is directed towards the position of the worker M detected by the motion-sensing camera 8. More specifically, the louver controller 20 determines the angular position θ of the movable fins 6 corresponding to the detected position of the worker M, and outputs an analog electrical signal to the motor 7 such that the actual angular position θ of the movable fins 6 is equal to the determined angular position θ. This makes it possible to blow air precisely towards the position of the worker M.

[0026] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 1, the blower 100 includes a pressure sensor 21 that detects the pressure (static pressure) P inside the duct 1, and a fan controller 22 that controls the rotation speed of the fan 4 so that the pressure P detected by the pressure sensor 21 approaches a predetermined set value Ps. The fan controller 22 controls the rotation speed of the fan 4 by sending a control signal to the inverter 5. As a result of this fan control, the actual pressure P inside the duct 1 is kept constant around the set value Ps.

[0027] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0028] First, if the motion sensor camera 8 does not detect a worker M, the louver controller 20 controls the multiple movable fins 6 to a predetermined minimum opening. Here, the minimum opening refers to the opening of the movable fins 6 or the louver device 3 when the movable fins 6 are at a predetermined minimum angular position θmin. At this time, the amount of air passing through the louver device 3, in other words, the amount of air blown out from the louver device 3, is minimized.

[0029] The minimum angular position θmin is set to be equal to, for example, the fully closed angular position θ0. In this case, the amount of air blown out from the louver device 3 becomes zero, and no air is blown out from the louver device 3. Alternatively, the minimum angular position θmin may be set to an angular position slightly larger than the fully closed angular position θ0 (for example, 5°). In this case, a small amount of air is blown out from the louver device 3.

[0030] In any case, if the motion sensor camera 8 does not detect worker M, the airflow can be stopped or reduced to a low level, thereby suppressing the wasted consumption of airflow energy. Furthermore, by blowing a low amount of air, the air in the work area W can be slightly circulated.

[0031] Next, as shown in Figure 1, if the motion-sensing camera 8 detects only one worker M, the movable fins 6 are controlled to an angular position θ corresponding to the worker M's position. As a result, the louver device 3 directs air A specifically towards only that one worker M. This prevents wasted airflow to areas where no one is present, allowing for efficient airflow.

[0032] Next, as shown in Figure 3, when one of the workers M moves, the motion sensor camera 8 detects the movement of worker M. The angle position θ of the movable fin 6 changes in accordance with the movement of worker M, and air A is continuously supplied from the louver device 3 to the moving worker M. This allows the air to follow the movement of worker M, enabling efficient airflow.

[0033] Next, as shown in Figure 4, if there are multiple workers M detected by the motion-sensing camera 8 (four in the illustrated example), the movable fins 6 swing to blow air A over the entire area where the multiple workers are located.

[0034] In other words, the louver controller 20 identifies workers M1 and M2, who are located at both ends of the work area W in the longitudinal direction, from the image data of the motion-sensing camera 8. It then identifies the area between the position of worker M1 at one end and the position of worker M2 at the other end as the air outlet area. It then determines the angular position θ1 corresponding to one end of the air outlet area and the angular position θ2 corresponding to the other end, and swings the movable fin 6 between the angular position θ1 and the angular position θ2. This allows air A to be evenly blown only in the area where multiple people are present, enabling efficient ventilation.

[0035] By the way, multiple louver devices 3 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the duct 1, and each is controlled independently. Therefore, the open / closed state of each louver device 3 varies. Here, the louver device 3 is considered closed when the movable fins 6 are at the minimum angular position θmin and blowing out the minimum airflow (including zero), and the louver device 3 is considered open when the movable fins 6 are at an angular position greater than the minimum angular position θmin and blowing out a sufficient airflow greater than the minimum airflow.

[0036] Assuming the fan 4's rotation speed is constant, the amount of air blown out from a specific louver device 3 will change depending on the open / closed state of the remaining louver devices 3. For example, if one specific louver device 3 is open, and all the remaining louver devices 3 are closed, a strong volume of air will be blown out from that specific louver device 3. Conversely, if all the remaining louver devices 3 are open, only a small volume of air will be blown out from that specific louver device 3.

[0037] However, in this embodiment, the rotation speed of the fan 4 is controlled so that the pressure P inside the duct 1 is kept constant around the set value Ps. This makes it possible to keep the inlet pressure in each louver device 3 constant, eliminating the dependency on the airflow of a specific louver device 3 depending on the open / closed state of the remaining louver devices 3. Furthermore, it is possible to keep the airflow of a specific louver device 3 constant regardless of the open / closed state of the remaining louver devices 3.

[0038] In this embodiment, the more open louver devices 3 are, the higher the rotational speed of the fan 4 and the greater the amount of air delivered from the fan 4. Conversely, the fewer open louver devices 3 are, the lower the rotational speed of the fan 4 and the greater the amount of air delivered from the fan 4. Therefore, the rotational speed of the fan 4 can be changed according to the required amount of airflow, contributing to efficient airflow.

[0039] Furthermore, increasing the pressure setting value Ps will increase the wind speed of the air blown out from the louver device 3, thereby increasing the distance the wind can reach.

[0040] As described above, according to this embodiment, since the louver device 3 is installed instead of the conventional flexible duct, air can be blown only towards people detected by the motion sensor camera 8, thereby improving airflow efficiency.

[0041] Furthermore, since the fan effectively stops when no person is detected by the motion-sensing camera 8, this also improves the efficiency of the fan.

[0042] Furthermore, conventional designs had multiple flexible ducts hanging down from the duct, which was unsightly. However, in this embodiment, these flexible ducts can be omitted, thus improving the appearance.

[0043] Furthermore, if the equivalent of four conventional flexible ducts is handled by a single louver device 3, the amount of air delivered by the fan 4 can be reduced by 75% compared to conventional methods.

[0044] Incidentally, as shown in Figure 5, auxiliary controllers 23 for maintenance can be connected to the louver controller 20 and the fan controller 22 via cables 24 (wireless may also be used). When connected to the louver controller 20, the auxiliary controller 23 can be used to manually set the angle position of the movable fins 6, which does not depend on the image data from the motion-sensing camera 8, and to change the setting of the minimum angle position θmin stored in the louver controller 20. In addition, the monitor 25 of the auxiliary controller 23 can display images taken by the motion-sensing camera 8, and various settings can be changed using these images.

[0045] Furthermore, when the auxiliary controller 23 is connected to the fan controller 22, it can be used to change the pressure setting value Ps, etc.

[0046] In this way, the auxiliary controller 23 can be used to change various settings of the louver controller 20 and the fan controller 22, thereby increasing convenience.

[0047] In the illustrated example, two auxiliary controllers 23 are connected to the louver controller 20 and the fan controller 22, respectively. However, one auxiliary controller 23 may be shared by both. Conversely, a dedicated auxiliary controller 23 may be used for each of the louver controllers 20 and the fan controller 22. Furthermore, it is preferable that the auxiliary controller 23 is shared by the louver controller 20 of each louver device 3.

[0048] [Differentiation] Next, modified examples of the present disclosure will be described. Parts identical to those in the basic embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the figures and their descriptions will be omitted. The following will primarily describe the differences from the basic embodiment.

[0049] [First variation] As shown in Figure 6, the first modified blower device includes a small louver fan 26 provided at the inlet of the louver device 3 that blows air toward a plurality of movable fins 6. This allows the air A in the duct 1 to be drawn in by the louver fan 26 and blown toward the plurality of movable fins 6 more actively. The louver fan 26 is attached to the upper end of the casing 9 and is positioned upstream of the plurality of movable fins 6 in the airflow direction. In this modified version, the louver fan 26 is provided between the casing 9 and the outlet 2.

[0050] As shown in Figure 7, the louver device 3, which has an integrated louver fan 26, can also be used independently without being combined with the duct 1. This allows the louver device 3 to be used in any location, increasing convenience. In this case, the louver fan 26 draws in outside air from its inlet side.

[0051] [Second variation] As shown in Figure 8(B), in the second modified blower, the inlet portion of some of the movable fins 6 is bent.

[0052] As shown in the diagram, one end of the pivot shaft 10 in the axial direction (thickness direction in the diagram) is designated as the front side (front in the diagram), and the other end (back in the diagram) is designated as the rear side. Also, one end of the multiple movable fins 6 arranged in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the pivot shaft 10 (left-right direction in the diagram) is designated as the right side (left in the diagram), and the other end (right in the diagram) is designated as the left side.

[0053] In the basic embodiment described above, the number of movable fins 6 was 7, but in this modified example, the number of movable fins 6 is reduced to 3.

[0054] The portion R of the rightmost movable fin 6A (referred to as the rightmost movable fin) located on the inlet side (upper side in the diagram) of the pivot axis 10, relative to the arrangement direction of these movable fins 6 (left-right direction in the diagram), is bent toward the right.

[0055] Furthermore, the leftmost movable fin 6C (referred to as the leftmost movable fin) located on the right side (left-right direction in the diagram) of the arrangement direction of the movable fins 6, the portion R on the inlet side (upper side in the diagram) of the pivot axis 10, is bent toward the left.

[0056] On the other hand, the movable fins 6 other than those movable fins 6A and 6C, that is, the movable fins 6B located between those movable fins 6A and 6C in the arrangement direction (left-right direction in the figure) (referred to as intermediate movable fins), are flat or have a straight cross-section along their entire length in the longitudinal direction of the fin, from the inlet side (upper side in the figure) end P to the outlet side (lower side in the figure) end Q, and are not bent, similar to the basic embodiment.

[0057] The configuration of the rightmost movable fin 6A and the leftmost movable fin 6C is symmetrical. First, let's explain the rightmost movable fin 6A.

[0058] The rightmost movable fin 6A is rotatably supported by a pivot shaft 10 at its midpoint in the longitudinal direction of the fin. The pivot shaft 10 and the rightmost movable fin 6A near it are spaced apart from the casing 9 to the left. The rightmost movable fin 6A has an inlet-side portion R (upper in the figure) and an outlet-side portion S (lower in the figure) relative to the pivot shaft 10. The inlet-side portion R is bent to the right at a predetermined angle α relative to the outlet-side portion S. In this modified example, the angle α is acute, specifically 45°. The inlet-side portion R is bent relative to the outlet-side portion S at the position of the pivot shaft 10. However, it is not limited to this, and for example, the inlet-side portion R may be bent at a position closer to the inlet than the pivot shaft 10. The outlet-side portion S of the rightmost movable fin 6A is arranged parallel to the outlet-side portion S of the intermediate movable fin 6B.

[0059] The leftmost movable fin 6C is also rotatably supported by the pivot shaft 10 at its midpoint in the longitudinal direction of the fin. The pivot shaft 10 and the leftmost movable fin 6C near it are spaced apart to the right from the casing 9. The inlet portion R of the leftmost movable fin 6C is bent to the left at a predetermined angle α relative to the outlet portion S. The inlet portion R is bent relative to the outlet portion S at the position of the pivot shaft 10, but as described above, it may also be bent at a position closer to the inlet than the pivot shaft 10. The outlet portion S of the leftmost movable fin 6C is arranged parallel to the outlet portion S of the intermediate movable fin 6B.

[0060] These movable fins 6A to 6C are arranged at equal intervals in the direction of arrangement (left-right direction in the figure). That is, the pivot shafts 10 corresponding to each movable fin 6A to 6C are arranged at equal intervals in the direction of arrangement (left-right direction in the figure). As described above, these movable fins 6A to 6C are rotated simultaneously by the motor 7 and the link mechanism 11.

[0061] Figure 8(B) shows the case where the movable fins 6A to 6C are positioned at a predetermined neutral angular position θc. In this modified example, the neutral angular position θc is 90°. At this time, the outlet portion S of the rightmost movable fin 6A, the outlet portion S of the leftmost movable fin 6C, and the intermediate movable fin 6B are pointed directly downwards, and the louver device 3 blows air A straight down.

[0062] Figure 8(A) shows the case where the movable fins 6A to 6C are positioned at the rightmost angular position θr, which is smaller than the neutral angular position θc. In this modified example, the rightmost angular position θr is 45°, and the absolute value of the difference between the neutral angular position θc and the rightmost angular position θr (θc-θr) is also 45°. At this time, the outlet side portion S of the rightmost movable fin 6A, the outlet side portion S of the leftmost movable fin 6C, and the intermediate movable fin 6B are directed diagonally downward to the right, and the louver device 3 blows air A in that direction.

[0063] In this modified example, the rightmost angular position θr is the angular position when the movable fins 6A to 6C are physically facing furthest to the right. At this point, the exit end Q of the rightmost movable fin 6A is closest to or in contact with the casing 9, so the movable fins 6A to 6C cannot be turned any further to the right.

[0064] Figure 8(C) shows the case where the movable fins 6A to 6C are positioned at the leftmost angular position θl, which is greater than the neutral angular position θc. In this modified example, the leftmost angular position θl is 135°, and the absolute value of the difference between the neutral angular position θc and the leftmost angular position θl (θc-θl) is also 45°. At this time, the outlet side portion S of the rightmost movable fin 6A, the outlet side portion S of the leftmost movable fin 6C, and the intermediate movable fin 6B are directed diagonally downward to the left, and the louver device 3 blows air A in that direction.

[0065] In this modified example, the leftmost angular position θl is the angular position when the movable fins 6A to 6C are physically facing furthest to the left. At this time, the exit end Q of the leftmost movable fin 6C is closest to or in contact with the casing 9, so the movable fins 6A to 6C cannot be turned any further to the left.

[0066] Thus, in this modified louver device 3, the movable fins 6A to 6C can be rotated 45° to the right and 45° to the left, with respect to the neutral angular position θc.

[0067] Incidentally, let's consider the embodiment in which the rightmost movable fin 6A and the leftmost movable fin 6C are not bent, as shown by the dashed line a in Figure 8(B). In this case, when the neutral angular position θc is shown in Figure 8(B), the outlet width of the louver device 3 is Wc'. This is equal to the left-right width of the outlet of the casing 9.

[0068] However, when the rightmost angular position θr is shown in Figure 8(A), the airflow width of the louver device 3 becomes Wr', which is smaller than the airflow width Wc' when the neutral angular position θc is reached. Wr' is equal to the distance between the axes of the pivot axis 10 of the rightmost movable fin 6A and the leftmost movable fin 6C.

[0069] Similarly, when the leftmost angular position θl is shown in Figure 8(C), the airflow width of the louver device 3 becomes Wl', which is smaller than the airflow width Wc' when the neutral angular position θc is reached. Wl' is also equal to the distance between the axes of the pivot axis 10 of the rightmost movable fin 6A and the leftmost movable fin 6C.

[0070] Thus, there is a problem in that when the angular position θ of the movable fins 6A to 6C changes, the airflow width changes, and consequently, the wind speed changes.

[0071] In contrast, this modified version can solve these problems.

[0072] As shown by the solid line in Figure 8(B), in this modified example, when the neutral angular position θc is reached, the airflow width of the louver device 3 is near Wc, which is smaller than the aforementioned Wc'. Wc is equal to the distance between the axes of the pivot axis 10 of the right end movable fin 6A and the left end movable fin 6C. This is because the bent inlet side portion R of the right end movable fin 6A reduces the gap between the right end movable fin 6A and the casing 9. Similarly, the bent inlet side portion R of the left end movable fin 6C reduces the gap between the left end movable fin 6C and the casing 9.

[0073] A small gap is created between the inlet portion R of the rightmost movable fin 6A and the casing 9, but this gap is still smaller than the gap in the previous embodiment. Similarly, a small gap is created between the inlet portion R of the leftmost movable fin 6C and the casing 9, but this gap is still smaller than the gap in the previous embodiment. Therefore, the blowing width of this modified example approaches Wc, or is substantially equivalent to Wc.

[0074] When the rightmost angular position θr is shown in Figure 8(A), the discharge width Wr of the louver device 3 is equal to the discharge width Wr' in the above embodiment and equal to the discharge width Wc. Therefore, the discharge width Wr at the rightmost angular position θr is substantially equivalent to the discharge width at the neutral angular position θc.

[0075] The same applies when the leftmost angular position θl is shown in Figure 8(C). The discharge width Wl of the louver device 3 is equal to the discharge width Wl' in the above embodiment and is equal to the discharge width Wc. Therefore, the discharge width Wl at the leftmost angular position θl is substantially equivalent to the discharge width at the neutral angular position θc.

[0076] Thus, according to this modified example, it is possible to suppress changes in the airflow width due to changes in the angular position θ of the movable fins 6A to 6C, and thereby suppress changes in wind speed.

[0077] Furthermore, this modification is more effective the fewer the number of movable fins 6 (the smaller the width of the casing 9 in the left-right direction). This is because the fewer the number of movable fins 6, the smaller the ratio of the discharge width Wc to the discharge width Wc'. Conversely, the more movable fins 6 there are, the larger the ratio of the discharge width Wc to the discharge width Wc'.

[0078] Strictly speaking, when the rightmost angular position θr shown in Figure 8(A) is reached, the effective airflow width of the louver device 3 is slightly smaller than the effective airflow width in the previous embodiment. This is because the bent inlet portion R of the leftmost movable fin 6C is closer to or in contact with the casing 9 than in the previous embodiment, thereby reducing the gap between the leftmost movable fin 6C and the casing 9.

[0079] Similarly, when the leftmost angular position θl is shown in Figure 8(C), the effective airflow width of the louver device 3 is slightly smaller than the effective airflow width in the above embodiment. This is because the bent inlet portion R of the rightmost movable fin 6A is closer to or in contact with the casing 9 than in the above embodiment, thereby reducing the gap between the rightmost movable fin 6A and the casing 9.

[0080] In this modified example, the bending angle α of the rightmost movable fin 6A and the leftmost movable fin 6C is set to be equal to the maximum rotation angle (45°) of the movable fin 6 from its neutral angular position θc, i.e., the absolute value of the difference (θc-θr or θc-θl) between the neutral angular position θc and the rightmost angular position θr or the leftmost angular position θl. However, the bending angle α is adjustable and may be smaller or larger than its maximum rotation angle. Furthermore, the bending angle α does not have to be an acute angle as in this modified example; it may be a right angle or an obtuse angle.

[0081] In this modified example, the bending angles α of the rightmost movable fin 6A and the leftmost movable fin 6C are made equal, but they may be made different.

[0082] In this modified example, both the rightmost movable fin 6A and the leftmost movable fin 6C are bent, but either one may be bent. This is because even in this case, the effective blowout width at the neutral angular position θc can be reduced from Wc'.

[0083] Although embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, various other embodiments and modifications of this disclosure are conceivable.

[0084] (1) For example, one louver controller 20 can be shared among multiple louver devices 3. In this case, the louver controller 20 can be housed in a control panel installed on the wall of a factory, etc. The fan controller 22 can also be placed in a location other than the fan 4, for example, inside the control panel.

[0085] (2) The blower may be applied to locations other than the factory production line.

[0086] (3) Fan 4 may be used to supply air cooled by an air conditioning unit.

[0087] (4) The actuator may be something other than the electric motor 7. Similarly, the motion sensor may be something other than the motion camera 8.

[0088] The embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to those described above, but include any variations, applications, and equivalents encompassed within the spirit of this disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, this disclosure should not be constrained, but can be applied to any other art that falls within the scope of the spirit of this disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0089] 1 duct 2 air outlets 3. Louver device 4 Fans 6 movable fins 7 Motor 8-person motion-sensing camera 20 Louver controllers 21 Pressure Sensor 22 Fan controllers 26 Louver Fan 100 Blower A air M worker W Work Area

Claims

1. A duct extending along the longitudinal direction through which cooling air flows, The duct has multiple downward-facing outlets provided at intervals, Multiple louver devices provided at each of the multiple air outlets, A louver controller for controlling the aforementioned louver device, A blower equipped with, The louver device comprises a plurality of movable fins, actuators for driving the movable fins, and a motion sensor for detecting the position of people in the surrounding area. The louver controller controls the actuator and the position of the movable fin so that the air coming out of the louver device is directed towards the position of the person detected by the motion sensor. The louver controller controls the plurality of movable fins to a predetermined minimum opening when no person is detected by the motion sensor, thereby causing a small amount of air to be blown out from the louver device. A blower characterized by the following features.

2. A fan that sends air into the duct, A pressure sensor for detecting the pressure inside the duct, A fan controller controls the rotation speed of the fan so that the pressure detected by the pressure sensor approaches a predetermined set value. Equipped with The blower according to claim 1.

3. The louver device is provided with a louver fan that blows air toward the plurality of movable fins. The blower according to claim 1.

4. The louver controller operates the plurality of movable fins in accordance with the movement of a person detected by the motion sensor. The blower according to claim 1.

5. The louver controller causes the multiple movable fins to swing when multiple people are detected by the motion sensor, so that air is blown out over the entire area where those multiple people are located. The blower according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned movable fins are rotatable around the pivot axis and are arranged in multiples perpendicular to the pivot axis. The portion of the movable fin located at the one end in the direction of its arrangement that is closer to the inlet than the pivot axis is bent toward the one end, or The portion of the movable fin located at the far end in the aforementioned arrangement direction that is closer to the inlet than the pivot axis is bent toward the other end, or The portions of the movable fins located at the one end and the other end in the aforementioned arrangement direction, on the inlet side of the pivot axis, are bent toward the one end and the other end, respectively. The blower according to claim 1.

Images