Blower

Abstract

Provided is a blower capable of suppressing a difference in the speed of a blown airstream.　A blower according to the present disclosure comprises a fan that rotates and blows out an airstream, a blowing unit that has a fan motor for driving the fan and that sends an airstream in a blowing direction, a rotation unit that rotates the blowing unit around a predetermined axis and changes the blowing direction, and a control unit that performs a rotation speed changing mode for changing the rotation speed of the fan. In the rotation speed changing mode, the rotation speed of the fan when the absolute value of the angle between the blowing direction and a predetermined reference direction is a second angle, which is greater than the absolute value of the first angle, is higher than the rotation speed of the fan when the angle between the blowing direction and the reference direction is the first angle.

Description

blower

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a blower.

[0002] Generally, a blower includes a blower unit with a fan and a support unit that supports the blower unit. As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a known example of such a blower is a fan in which the blower unit rotates vertically and horizontally on independent rotation axes, and the blower unit can rotate vertically and horizontally as well as at a center position within any rotation range.

[0003] JP 2016-98740 A

[0004] A blower is used, for example, to blow air to people within the range of the air blown by the fan, or to blow air from the blower onto laundry to dry it efficiently.

[0005] However, when the electric fan disclosed in Patent Document 1 is operated with a target object, such as laundry or a person, facing directly on a vertical plane in front of the fan's airflow range, the air speed at the target object slows as the target object moves away from the center of rotation of the fan. This is because the farther the fan rotates from the center of rotation, the longer the distance between the fan and the target object.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to suppress differences in the wind speed of the blown air.

[0007] The blower of the present disclosure comprises a fan that rotates to blow out air, a blowing unit that has a fan motor that drives the fan and sends air in the blowing direction, a rotating unit that rotates the blowing unit around a predetermined axis to change the blowing direction, and a control unit that operates a rotation speed change mode to change the rotation speed of the fan, and in the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of the fan is faster when the angle between the blowing direction and a predetermined reference direction is a first angle, when the absolute value of the angle between the blowing direction and the reference direction is a second angle that is greater than the absolute value of the first angle.

[0008] The blower of the present disclosure has the effect of suppressing the difference in wind speed of the air blown to an object on a vertical plane in front of the blowing range.

[0009] 1. A perspective view of a blower according to embodiment 1. 2. A vector diagram showing the blowing direction of the blower according to embodiment 1. 3. A diagram showing the interior of a base and a support column of the blower according to embodiment 1. 4. A diagram showing an operation unit of the blower according to embodiment 1. 5. A diagram showing the interior of a blowing section and a support column of the blower according to embodiment 1. 6. A hardware configuration diagram of a computer of the blower according to embodiment 1. 7. A functional block diagram of the blower according to embodiment 1. 8. A flowchart related to a rotation speed change mode of the blower according to embodiment 1. 9. A plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to embodiment 1 is 0 degrees and the vertical rotation angle is 0 degrees. 10. A cross-sectional view taken along A-A in FIG. 9 of the blower according to embodiment 1. 11. A plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to embodiment 1 is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ. 12. A cross-sectional view taken along B-B in FIG. 11 of the blower according to embodiment 1. 13. A schematic diagram showing how the air blows from the blower according to embodiment 1. 14. A functional block diagram of the blower according to embodiment 2. 15. A flowchart related to a rotation speed change mode of the blower according to embodiment 2. 16 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the fan according to embodiment 2 is 0 degrees and the vertical rotation angle is the reference vertical rotation angle δ0. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in FIG. 16 of the fan according to embodiment 2. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along D-D in FIG. 18 of the fan according to embodiment 2. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing how the air blows from the fan according to embodiment 2.

[0010] Hereinafter, a blower according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment.

[0011] Embodiment 1. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a blower according to embodiment 1. In Fig. 1, coordinates are shown in a Cartesian coordinate system, with the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis orthogonal to one another. The overall configuration of blower 1 will be described using Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, blower 1 includes a blower unit 100 that generates air, 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 fan 16, which is part of blower unit 100. Note that support unit 101 and base unit 102 of blower 1 according to embodiment 1 correspond to a support unit that supports blower unit 100.

[0012] The blower unit 100 blows air in a direction determined by the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle. The horizontal rotation angle of the blower unit 100 changes depending on the horizontal rotation operation performed by the horizontal rotation unit 31 of the support unit 101. The vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 changes depending on the vertical rotation operation performed by the vertical rotation unit 33. The horizontal rotation unit 31 and the vertical rotation unit 33 will be described later.

[0013] The blower 100 also includes a fan 16 and a fan motor 17 .

[0014] The fan 16 is an axial fan having multiple blades and a shaft on which the blades are attached radially, drawing in air from the rear of the blades and expelling it to the front. By using an axial fan as the fan 16, air can be efficiently blown to an object facing the blower. Furthermore, the fan 16 is not limited to the simple propeller shape shown in FIG. 1 . The fan 16 may be, for example, a counter-rotating fan or a reversible flow fan.

[0015] The fan motor 17 rotates the fan 16 about the rotation axis AX3, and the rotation of the fan 16 blows air in a direction parallel to the rotation axis AX3. That is, in the blower 1 according to the first embodiment, the direction parallel to the rotation axis AX3 corresponds to the air blowing direction. The fan motor 17 receives a signal from the fan control unit 30a and drives and stops the fan. The fan control unit 30a will be described later. The fan motor 17 also has a cover 18 that covers the motor and the vertical rotation unit 33.

[0016] The support post 101 is cylindrical and supports the blower 100 at a position higher than the floor. The support post 101 is provided with a height adjustment button 26. The user can adjust the height of the support post 101 to the desired height and use the blower 1 by raising or lowering the support post 101 while pressing the height adjustment button 26, aligning it with the position of one of the multiple protrusions on the support post 101, and then releasing the height adjustment button 26.

[0017] Furthermore, the support unit 101 is provided so as to be rotatable laterally about a rotation axis AX1 relative to the base unit 102. In the first embodiment, the rotation axis AX1 is parallel to the Z-axis. With this configuration, the blower unit 100 and the support unit 101 perform a horizontal rotation operation within a horizontal rotation range. The horizontal rotation operation of the blower unit 100 and the support unit 101 is performed by the horizontal rotation unit 31.

[0018] Furthermore, the blower unit 100 is provided to be rotatable in the vertical direction around a rotation axis AX2 relative to the support unit 101. In the first embodiment, the rotation axis AX2 is parallel to the XY plane. With this configuration, the blower unit 100 performs vertical rotation within a vertical rotation range. The vertical rotation of the blower unit 100 is performed by the vertical rotation unit 33.

[0019] Furthermore, rotation axis AX2, which corresponds to the vertical rotation axis, is perpendicular to rotation axis AX1, which corresponds to the horizontal rotation axis. Furthermore, for the sake of explanation, in blower 1 of embodiment 1, rotation axis AX3, which is the center of rotation of fan 16, intersects with the intersection of horizontal rotation axis AX1 and vertical rotation axis AX2 regardless of the setting of the vertical rotation angle described below.

[0020] The base 102 is disk-shaped and supports the blower 100 and the support column 101. The base 102 also has an operation unit 19 that can be used to switch on and off the blower 1, adjust the air volume, and adjust the vertical and horizontal rotation. Adjusting the rotation can include, for example, changing the rotation speed, rotation range, and rotation center of the blower 100. The base 102 also has a casing that is exposed to the outside. Inside the casing are a horizontal rotation unit 31 and a horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32, which will be described later.

[0021] The protective part 103 covers the fan 16 and prevents, for example, the user's hands or foreign objects from coming into contact with the fan 16. The protective part 103 has multiple wires extending radially. A certain gap is provided between adjacent wires. The wind generated by the rotation of the fan 16 is blown out through the gaps formed in the protective part 103.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a vector diagram showing the air blowing direction of the blower according to embodiment 1. The horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 .

[0023] The components of the airflow direction vector Q in the X, Y, and Z directions are (QX1, QY1, QZ1). The airflow direction vector obtained by projecting the airflow direction vector Q onto a plane (XY plane) perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis (rotation axis AX1) is defined as QXY1. The components of QXY1 are (QX1, QY1, 0). Furthermore, the airflow direction vector obtained by projecting the airflow direction vector Q onto a plane (ZX plane) perpendicular to the vertical rotation axis (rotation axis AX2) is defined as QZX1. The components of QZX1 are (QX1, 0, QZ1).

[0024] In the first embodiment, the horizontal rotation angle is the absolute value θ of the angle between QXY1 and a predetermined reference direction. The components of the reference direction vector are (1, 0, 0). Therefore, the horizontal rotation angle is greater than 0 degrees whether the angle between QXY1 and the predetermined reference direction is a positive value or a negative value. For the sake of explanation, FIG. 2 shows the reference direction as a direction perpendicular to the YZ plane, i.e., the positive X-axis direction, but this is not limited to this. The reference direction is determined in advance by the designer of the blower 1, etc.

[0025] In the first embodiment, the vertical rotation angle is the absolute value δ of the angle between the QZX1 and a predetermined reference direction. Therefore, the vertical rotation angle is greater than 0 degrees whether the angle between the airflow direction and a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis is positive or negative.

[0026] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the interior of base 102 and the support column of blower 1 according to embodiment 1. For ease of explanation, the casing of base 102 is not shown in Fig. 3. The internal structure of the support column and base 102 of blower 1 will be described using Fig. 3.

[0027] The base 102 has, inside the casing, a horizontal rotation unit 31, a horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32, and a control unit 30. The horizontal rotation unit 31 has a gear 10, a bearing 15, and a horizontal rotation motor 12 equipped with a gear 11.

[0028] The gear 10 is provided at the base side end of the support column 101. The rotation axis of the gear 10 coincides with the lateral rotation axis AX1 of the support column 101.

[0029] The bearing 15 is provided at the end of the support 101 on the base side. The support 101 is held rotatably relative to the base 102 via the bearing 15.

[0030] The gear 11 is provided on the base portion 102. The gear 11 meshes with the gear 10 and is driven by the horizontal rotation motor 12, causing the support portion 101 to rotate horizontally.

[0031] The horizontal rotation motor 12 is a stepping motor that is provided on the base 102 and drives the gear 11. The horizontal rotation motor 12 can control its rotation by a pulse signal from the horizontal rotation control unit 30b. The horizontal rotation control unit 30b will be described later.

[0032] The horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 has a detection plate 13 and a sensor 14 .

[0033] The detection plate 13 is provided on the support part 101 and is located above the gear 10. The detection plate 13 has a slit for position detection.

[0034] The sensor 14 is provided on the base 102. The sensor 14 reads the position detection slits. Similar to existing sensors that detect rotation angles, the sensor 14 detects the horizontal rotation angle of the support 101 based on the number of slits that it reads.

[0035] The control unit 30 is, for example, a control circuit configured with circuits, and controls the blower 1. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 , which will be described later, the control unit 30 has a fan control unit 30a, a horizontal rotation control unit 30b, and a vertical rotation control unit 30c. Each control unit controls the fan motor 17, the horizontal rotation motor 12, and the vertical rotation motor 22, respectively.

[0036] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an operation unit of the blower according to embodiment 1. The configuration of operation unit 19 and the operation of control unit 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 4 .

[0037] 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 rotation center position change switch 316, and a rotation range change switch 317. The power switch 311 faces the front of the blower 1. The rotation center position change switches 316 change the center position of the rotation range of the blower unit 100 and include 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. More specifically, the left direction change switch 316a and the right direction change switch 316b change the horizontal rotation center position, which is the center position of the horizontal rotation range of the blower unit 100. The up direction change switch 316c and the down direction change switch 316d change the vertical rotation center position, which is the center position of the vertical rotation range of the blower unit 100. The rotation range change switch 317 has a horizontal rotation range change switch 317a and a vertical rotation range change switch 317b.

[0038] The operation of the control unit 30 will be described for each switch of the operation unit 19. When the user presses the power switch 311 while the blower 1 is turned off, the fan control unit 30a of the control unit 30 starts driving the fan motor 17. When the user presses the power switch 311 while the blower 1 is turned on, the fan control unit 30a of 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 fan control unit 30a of the control unit 30 changes the rotation speed of the fan motor 17 in accordance with the command.

[0039] When the user presses the horizontal rotation switch 314 while the blower 1 is not rotating horizontally, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b of the control unit 30 drives the horizontal rotation motor 12 to perform automatic horizontal rotation, which involves rotating the blower unit 100 clockwise horizontally to a predetermined angle around the rotation axis AX1, then returning it to the horizontal rotation center position, rotating it counterclockwise further to a predetermined angle, and then returning it to the horizontal rotation center position.

[0040] When the user presses the vertical rotation switch 315 while the blower 1 is not rotating vertically, the vertical rotation control unit 30c of the control unit 30 drives the vertical rotation motor 22 to perform automatic vertical rotation, which involves rotating the blower unit 100 clockwise around the rotation axis AX2 to a predetermined angle, then returning it to the vertical rotation center position, then rotating it counterclockwise to a predetermined angle, and then returning it to the vertical rotation center position.

[0041] When the user presses the left direction change switch 316a, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b of the control unit 30 changes the horizontal rotation center position of the support unit 101 to the left. When the left direction change switch 316a is pressed, the rotation range of the air blower unit 100 moves to the left. When the user presses the right direction change switch 316b, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b of the control unit 30 changes the horizontal rotation center position of the support unit 101 to the right. When the right direction change switch 316b is pressed, the rotation range of the air blower unit 100 moves to the right.

[0042] When the user presses the upward direction change switch 316c, the vertical rotation control unit 30c of the control unit 30 changes the vertical rotation center position of the air blower unit 100 upward. When the upward direction change switch 316c is pressed, the rotation range of the air blower unit 100 moves upward. When the user presses the downward direction change switch 316d, the vertical rotation control unit 30c of the control unit 30 changes the vertical rotation center position of the air blower unit 100 downward. When the downward direction change switch 316d is pressed, the rotation range of the air blower unit 100 moves downward.

[0043] When the user presses the + button on the horizontal rotation range change switch 317a, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b of the control unit 30 expands the horizontal rotation range of the support unit 101. For example, if the support unit 101 is rotating within a range of 30 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the horizontal rotation center position, pressing the + button on the horizontal rotation range change switch 317a will cause the support unit 101 to rotate within a range of 40 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the horizontal rotation center position. Furthermore, when the user presses the - button on the horizontal rotation range change switch 317a, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b of the control unit 30 narrows the horizontal rotation range of the support unit 101. For example, if the support column 101 is rotating within a range of 30 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the horizontal rotation center position, and the - button on the horizontal rotation range change switch 317a is pressed, the support column 101 will rotate within a range of 20 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the horizontal rotation center position.

[0044] When the user presses the + button on the vertical rotation range change switch 317b, the vertical rotation control unit 30c of the control unit 30 expands the vertical rotation range of the air blower unit 100. For example, if the air blower unit 100 is rotating within a range of 30 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the vertical rotation center position, pressing the + button on the vertical rotation range change switch 317b will cause the air blower unit 100 to rotate within a range of 40 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the vertical rotation center position. Furthermore, when the user presses the - button on the vertical rotation range change switch 317b, the vertical rotation control unit 30c of the control unit 30 narrows the vertical rotation range of the air blower unit 100. For example, when the blower unit 100 is rotating within a range of 30 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the center of vertical rotation, if the - button on the vertical rotation range change switch 317b is pressed, the blower unit 100 will rotate within a range of 20 degrees in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around the center of vertical rotation.

[0045] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the inside of the blower unit and the support column of the blower according to embodiment 1. For the sake of explanation, cover 18 of blower unit 100 is not shown in Fig. 5. The vertical rotation unit 33 and vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 of blower unit 100 will be described using Fig. 5.

[0046] The vertical rotation unit 33 of the blower unit 100 has a vertical rotation motor 22 having a rotation shaft 25 and a gear 21 , and a gear 20 .

[0047] The rotating shaft 25 is an axis that enables vertical rotation of the blower unit 100. The rotating shaft 25 rotatably holds the blower unit 100 relative to the support unit 101. The vertical rotation motor 22 having a gear 21 is fixed to the blower unit 100, and by meshing with and driving the gear 20, the blower unit 100 rotates vertically. The vertical rotation motor 22 is a stepping motor, and its properties are similar to those of the horizontal rotation motor 12 described above. The vertical rotation motor 22 controls the vertical rotation of the blower unit 100 using pulse signals from the vertical rotation control unit 30c. The gear 20 is provided on the support unit 101.

[0048] The vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 of the blower unit 100 has a detection plate 23 and a sensor 24 .

[0049] The detection plate 23 is provided at the end of the support part 101 on the blower side, and 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 sensor 24 is a slit sensor, and the method for detecting the rotation angle is the same as that of the sensor 14 described above.

[0050] In addition, the control unit 30 controls the blower 1 in two modes: a fixed rotation speed mode in which the fan rotation speed is constant regardless of the horizontal and vertical rotation angles of the blower 1, and a variable rotation speed mode in which the rotation speed of the fan 16 is changed and controlled according to the horizontal and vertical rotation angles of the blower 1.

[0051] In the rotation speed change mode of the first embodiment, the blower unit 100 of the blower 1 performs automatic rotation independently in the horizontal and vertical directions. Also, in the rotation speed change mode of the first embodiment, the blower unit 100 of the blower 1 controls the rotation speed of the fan 16 depending on the horizontal and vertical positions where the automatic rotation is being performed.

[0052] In particular, in the rotation speed change mode, the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 detected by the sensor 14 and the sensor 24, respectively, are acquired, and the fan motor 17 is driven to control the rotation speed of the fan 16 based on the acquired horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100. Also, in the rotation speed change mode, the blower 1 controls the airflow speed of the blower unit 1 to a blow target 210 (described below) so that the blow speed is constant. The blow target 210 will be described later. Note that in the rotation speed change mode, the horizontal rotation angle θ, which is the absolute value of the angle between the reference direction and the blowing direction vector obtained by projecting the blowing direction vector onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis, satisfies the condition 0 degrees ≦ θ < 90 degrees. Also, in the rotation speed change mode, the vertical rotation angle δ, which is the absolute value of the angle between the reference direction and the blowing direction vector obtained by projecting the blowing direction vector onto a plane perpendicular to the vertical rotation axis, satisfies the condition 0 degrees ≦ δ < 90 degrees.

[0053] 6 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the computer of the fan according to embodiment 1. The hardware configuration of the computer of the fan 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0054] The computer of the blower 1 is a microcontroller mounted on an electronic circuit. The computer includes a processor 40, a memory 41, a memory 42, and a hardware interface 43. These components are connected via a bus 44.

[0055] The processor 40 executes a program stored in the memory 41. In the rotation speed change mode of the first embodiment, the processor 40 executes rotation speed control of the fan 16 provided in the control unit 30, and controls the rotation speed of the fan 16. The processor 40 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0056] The memory 41 stores programs executed by the processor 40. The memory 41 is also used as a work area for the processor 40. In the rotation speed change mode of the first embodiment, the memory 41 stores a program related to a method for controlling the rotation speed of the fan 16. The memory 41 is a non-volatile memory, such as a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0057] The memory 42 reads and stores information necessary for executing the program. In the rotation speed change mode of the first embodiment, the memory 42 reads and stores information on the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 and the rotation speed of the fan 16. The memory 42 is a volatile memory, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0058] The hardware interface 43 connects the computer, the sensor 14, the sensor 24, and the switches of the operation unit 19, and transmits and receives signals.

[0059] Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram of the blower 1 according to embodiment 1. The functional configuration of the blower section 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 7 .

[0060] The blower 1 has at least one operation unit 19. The operation unit 19 includes an operation receiving unit 19a and an operation transmitting unit 19b. The operation receiving unit 19a receives a signal including a command based on a switch pressed by a user. 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.

[0061] The control unit 30 includes a fan control unit 30a that controls the operation of the fan, a horizontal rotation control unit 30b that controls the horizontal rotation of the blower unit 100, and a vertical rotation control unit 30c that controls the vertical rotation of the blower unit 100.

[0062] 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. This signal causes the fan motor 17 to start and stop driving and change the rotation speed.

[0063] The horizontal rotation control unit 30b receives a signal from the operation transmission unit 19b and transmits a control signal to the horizontal rotation motor 12 to perform control that matches the operation content. This signal causes the horizontal rotation motor 12 to start and stop driving. This signal also changes the horizontal rotation center position and horizontal rotation range of the horizontal rotation motor 12.

[0064] 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 that matches the operation content of the operation unit 19. This signal causes the vertical rotation motor 22 to start and stop driving, change the vertical rotation center position, and change the vertical rotation range.

[0065] When the user operates the blower 1 in the fixed rotation speed mode to operate the blower 1 in the variable rotation speed mode, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the fan control unit 30a to operate the blower 1 in the variable rotation speed mode. In the blower 1 according to the first embodiment, the operation to operate the blower 1 in the variable rotation speed mode is performed by the user pressing and holding the horizontal rotation switch 314. The fan control unit 30a, which has received the signal to operate the blower 1 in the variable rotation speed mode, executes control in the variable rotation speed mode, which will be described later.

[0066] More specifically, when a signal to operate the blower 1 in the rotation speed change mode is received, the fan control unit 30a acquires the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle from the horizontal rotation angle transmitting unit 35 and the vertical rotation angle transmitting unit 36, respectively. Then, the rotation speed of the fan 16 is determined from the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100.

[0067] Furthermore, in the blower 1 according to the first embodiment, when the blower 1 is in the variable rotation speed mode, the user can press and hold the horizontal rotation switch 314, which causes the operation transmitter 19b to transmit a signal to the fan control unit 30a to operate the blower 1 in the fixed rotation speed mode. Upon receiving the signal to operate the blower 1 in the fixed rotation speed mode, the fan control unit 30a ends control in the variable rotation speed mode, which will be described later.

[0068] Furthermore, before the user presses and holds horizontal rotation switch 314 to operate blower 1 in the rotation speed change mode, the user moves blower 1 in the reference direction so that blower unit 100 faces directly toward target 210. More specifically, the user adjusts the height of support column 101 to move blower 1 so that blower unit 100 faces directly toward target 210.

[0069] Fig. 8 is a flowchart relating to the rotation speed change mode of the blower according to embodiment 1. Next, detailed control content for the rotation speed change mode will be described using Fig. 8. The flowchart in Fig. 8 starts after the user moves blower 1 so that blower unit 100 in the reference direction faces target 210.

[0070] Step S100 is executed when the rotation speed change mode is started. In step S100, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b moves the horizontal rotation unit 31 so that the horizontal rotation angle of the blower unit 100 becomes 0 degrees. When the horizontal rotation angle of the blower unit 100 is set to 0 degrees, the process ends.

[0071] Step S101 is performed after step S100. In step S101, the vertical rotation control unit 30c moves the vertical rotation unit 33 so that the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 becomes 0 degrees. That is, step S101 causes the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 to become 0 degrees. When the vertical rotation control unit 30c acquires the initial vertical rotation angle δ0, the process of step S101 ends.

[0072] By the processing of steps S100 and S101, blower unit 100 moves to the initial direction, which is the position when the rotation speed change mode is started. That is, in the first embodiment, the initial direction of blower unit 100 is a direction in which the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle are 0 degrees and which coincides with a predetermined reference direction.

[0073] Step S102 is performed after step S101. In step S102, the fan control unit 30a starts the rotation of the fan 16 by driving the fan motor 17. When the fan control unit 30a starts the rotation of the fan 16, the process of step S102 ends.

[0074] Step S103 is performed after step S102. In step S103, automatic horizontal and vertical rotation of the blower unit 100 is initiated. More specifically, in step S103, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b drives the horizontal rotation motor 12 to initiate automatic horizontal rotation of the support unit 101. Also in step S103, the vertical rotation control unit 30c drives the vertical rotation motor 22 to initiate automatic vertical rotation of the blower unit 100. The processing of step S103 ends when the blower unit 100 starts automatic horizontal and vertical rotation.

[0075] Step S104 is performed after step S103. In step S104, the horizontal rotation angle θ and vertical rotation angle δ of the blower unit 100 are obtained. More specifically, in step S104, the horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 obtains the horizontal rotation angle θ, which is an angle with respect to a reference direction. Also in step S104, the vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 obtains the vertical rotation angle δ, which is an angle with respect to the reference direction. Once the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle are determined, step S104 ends.

[0076] Step S105 is performed after step S104. In step S105, the fan control unit 30a determines the rotation speed N of the fan 16 from the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle acquired in step S104. In step S105, as will be described later, the larger the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle, the higher the rotation speed of the fan 16. Once the rotation speed of the fan 16 is determined, step S105 ends.

[0077] Step S106 is performed after step S105. In step S106, the fan control unit 30a drives the fan motor 17 so that the rotation speed of the fan 16 coincides with the rotation speed N determined in step S105. In step S106, the fan motor 17 is driven so that the rotation speed of the fan 16 coincides with the rotation speed determined in step S105, and the process ends.

[0078] After step S106 is completed, the blower 1 executes step S104. That is, while the blower 1 is operating in the rotation speed change mode, the blower 1 repeatedly performs the processes from step S104 to step S106 as needed. The rotation speed change mode can be ended by, for example, pressing and holding the horizontal rotation switch 314.

[0079] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 is 0 degrees and the vertical rotation angle is 0 degrees. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 9 of the blower according to embodiment 1. That is, FIGS. 9 and 10 show a state in which the blower unit 100 is in the initial orientation. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 11 of the blower according to embodiment 1. That is, FIGS. 11 and 12 show a state in which the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 are arbitrary angles. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing how the air blows from the blower 1 according to embodiment 1. The calculation of the rotation speed of the fan 16 of the blower unit 100 performed in step S105 will be described in detail using FIGS. 9 to 13 . 9 to 12, coordinates are shown in a Cartesian coordinate system, as in Fig. 1, with the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis orthogonal to one another. Also, the white arrows in Fig. 9 to 13 indicate the direction of the air blown from the fan 1.

[0080] The blowing target 210 is an object to which the blower 1 blows air. The blowing target 210 may have a length at least in a direction parallel to the rotation axis AX2, that is, in the Y-axis direction. For example, the blowing target 210 is a piece of laundry hanging from a clothesline extending in a direction parallel to the rotation axis AX2. Furthermore, when multiple objects are lined up in a line parallel to the rotation axis AX2, the multiple objects may be treated as a single blowing target 210. For example, the blowing target 210 is a small piece of laundry or people lined up in a line in the Y-axis direction.

[0081] 9 and 10 , when the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle are 0 degrees and the direction is perpendicular to the plane parallel to the rotation axes AX1 and AX2, i.e., parallel to the X-axis direction, the distance from the intersection of the rotation axes AX1 and AX2 to the target 210 to be blown is defined as X0. The intersection of the rotation axes AX1 and AX2 is defined as point Or. The intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the target 210 facing the fan 1 is defined as point P0 when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees and the angle between the vertical rotation angle and the XY plane is 0 degrees.

[0082] 11 and 12 , when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is 0 degrees, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 1 side of the blower target 210 is defined as Q0. Also, as shown in FIG. 12 , when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 1 side of the blower target 210 is defined as point Q1. As shown in FIG. 11 , the distance from point Or to point Q0 on the XY plane is defined as LQ. Furthermore, the distance from point Or to point Q1 is defined as L2. At this time, the relationship shown in Equation 1 holds.

[0083]

[0084] The horizontal rotation angle θ and the vertical rotation angle δ are values ​​greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. Therefore, cos θ and cos δ are values ​​greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1. In other words, when the horizontal rotation angle θ or the vertical rotation angle δ is not 0 degrees, L2 is a value greater than X0.

[0085] The air volume of blower 1 is proportional to the rotation speed of fan 16. The air volume blown to blown target 210 is calculated by multiplying the airflow area, which is the area of ​​the range through which blown air is blown by blower 1, by the air velocity. As shown in Fig. 13 , the airflow area for blown target 210 when the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle are 0 degrees is denoted as Sa, and the airflow area for blown target 210 when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ is denoted as Sb. The wind speed of the air blown to blown target 210 when the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle are 0 degrees is denoted as Va, and the wind speed of the air blown to blown target 210 when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ is denoted as Vb.

[0086] The airflow area is proportional to the square of the airflow distance from the fan 1 to the target 210. Therefore, the relationship shown in Equation 2 holds between the airflow areas Sa and Sb.

[0087]

[0088] Furthermore, when the relational expression of Equation 1 is substituted into Equation 2, the relationship shown in Equation 3 holds between the airflow areas Sa and Sb.

[0089]

[0090] The air volume is calculated by multiplying the airflow area by the air velocity. Therefore, according to Equation 3, when the fan 1 is operated in a fixed rotation speed mode in which the air volume is constant regardless of the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle, the air velocity varies depending on the horizontal rotation angle or the vertical rotation angle. More specifically, the air velocity of the air blown by the fan 1 when the horizontal rotation angle or the vertical rotation angle is not 0 degrees is lower than the air velocity when the horizontal rotation angle or the vertical rotation angle is 0 degrees. Furthermore, the larger the horizontal rotation angle or the vertical rotation angle, the lower the air velocity of the air blown to the airflow target 210. This is because cos θ and cos δ monotonically decrease when θ and δ are in the range of 0 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees.

[0091] Therefore, in the rotation speed change mode according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotation speed N of the fan 16 is controlled so as to satisfy the relationship shown in Equation 4. In Equation 4, the rotation speed of the fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle are 0 degrees is set to N0.

[0092]

[0093] As shown in Equation 4, in blower 1 according to embodiment 1, the rotation speed of fan 16 increases as the angle between the airflow direction of blower unit 100 and the reference direction increases. This configuration can reduce the difference in wind speed caused by the horizontal rotation angle or the vertical rotation angle.

[0094] That is, when the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 is the same, the fan control unit 30a controls the fan 16 so that the rotation speed of the fan 16 increases when the horizontal rotation angle is larger. Also, when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower unit 100 is the same, the fan control unit 30a controls the fan 16 so that the rotation speed of the fan 16 increases when the vertical rotation angle is larger.

[0095] Furthermore, by changing the rotation speed of the fan 16 as shown in Equation 4, it is possible to blow air to the target 210 at a constant wind speed.

[0096] As described above, blower 1 according to the first embodiment includes fan 16 that rotates to blow out air, blower unit 100 that has fan motor 17 that drives fan 16 and sends air in the airflow direction, rotation units (corresponding to horizontal rotation unit 31 and vertical rotation unit 33) that rotate blower unit 100 about a predetermined axis to change the airflow direction, and control unit 30 that operates a rotation speed change mode to change the rotation speed of fan 16. In the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of fan 16 is faster when the angle between the airflow direction and a predetermined reference direction is a second angle whose absolute value is greater than the absolute value of the first angle than when the angle between the airflow direction and the reference direction is a first angle. With this configuration, blower 1 according to the first embodiment effectively reduces the difference in wind speed of air blown to a target on a vertical plane in front of the airflow range.

[0097] Furthermore, in the fan 1 according to the first embodiment, as an additional configuration, in the rotation speed change mode, the controller 30 increases the rotation speed of the fan 16 as the angle between the airflow direction and the reference direction increases. With this additional configuration, the fan 1 according to the first embodiment effectively reduces the difference in wind speed of the air blown to the target on the vertical plane in front of the airflow range.

[0098] Furthermore, as an additional configuration, the fan 1 according to the first embodiment includes a horizontal rotation unit 31 that rotates the fan unit 100 horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle, the horizontal rotation angle being the absolute value of the angle between the reference direction and the direction of a vector that projects the airflow direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis, and in the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of the fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is a fourth angle greater than the third angle is faster than the rotation speed of the fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is a third angle. This additional configuration allows the fan 1 according to the first embodiment to achieve the effect of reducing differences in wind speed caused by differences in the horizontal rotation angle.

[0099] Furthermore, as an additional configuration, the fan 1 according to the first embodiment includes a vertical rotation unit 33 that rotates the fan unit 100 up and down about the vertical rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle, the vertical rotation angle being the absolute value of the angle between the reference direction and the direction of a vector that projects the airflow direction onto a plane perpendicular to the vertical rotation axis, and in the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of the fan 16 when the vertical rotation angle is a sixth angle that is larger than the fifth angle is faster than the rotation speed of the fan 16 when the vertical rotation angle is a fifth angle. With this additional configuration, the fan 1 according to the first embodiment has the effect of reducing differences in wind speed caused by differences in the vertical rotation angle.

[0100] Furthermore, as an additional configuration, blower 1 according to the first embodiment includes a rotation unit that includes horizontal rotation unit 31 that rotates blower unit 100 horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle, and vertical rotation unit 33 that rotates blower unit 100 around a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle, and the horizontal rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the direction of a vector obtained by projecting the blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a reference direction, and the vertical rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the direction of a vector obtained by projecting the blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the vertical rotation axis and the reference direction. The rotation speed is an absolute value of the angle, and in the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is a ninth angle greater than the eighth angle is faster than the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle, and the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is the tenth angle greater than the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle is faster than the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle. With this additional configuration, blower 1 according to embodiment 1 exhibits the effect of being able to reduce the difference in wind speed caused by the difference between the vertical rotation angle and the horizontal rotation angle.

[0101] Furthermore, blower 1 according to the first embodiment further includes, as an additional component, a horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 that detects the horizontal rotation angle, and in the rotation speed change mode, control unit 30 uses the horizontal rotation angle detected by horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 to control fan 16 so that the rotation speed when the horizontal rotation angle is the fourth angle is faster than the rotation speed when the horizontal rotation angle is the third angle. This additional component allows blower 1 according to the first embodiment to use the detected horizontal rotation angle to further reduce the difference in wind speed with respect to the target on a vertical plane in front of the air blowing range.

[0102] Furthermore, blower 1 according to embodiment 1 further includes, as an additional component, a vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 that detects the vertical rotation angle, and in the rotation speed change mode, control unit 30 uses the vertical rotation angle detected by vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 to control fan 16 so that the rotation speed when the vertical rotation angle is the sixth angle is faster than the rotation speed when the vertical rotation angle is the fifth angle. With this additional component, blower 1 according to embodiment 1 advantageously uses the detected vertical rotation angle to further reduce the difference in wind speed with respect to the target on a vertical plane in front of the air blowing range.

[0103] Furthermore, blower 1 according to embodiment 1 further includes, as additional components, a horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 that detects a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 that detects a vertical rotation angle. In the rotation speed change mode, control unit 30 uses the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle detected by horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 and vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 to control fan 16 so that the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the ninth angle is faster than the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle, and so that the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is the tenth angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle is faster than the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle. With this additional configuration, the blower 1 of embodiment 1 has the effect of being able to use the detected horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle to further reduce the difference in wind speed for a vertically planar target located in front of the blowing range.

[0104] Furthermore, as an additional configuration, in the blower 1 according to the first embodiment, when the horizontal rotation angle in the initial direction, which is the position of the blower unit 100 when the rotation speed change mode is started and detected by the vertical rotation angle detection unit 34, is set to 0 degrees, the vertical rotation angle in the initial direction is set to a reference vertical rotation angle δ0 (δ0 = 0), the rotation speed of the fan 16 in the initial direction is set to N0, the horizontal rotation angle detected by the horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 is set to θ, the vertical rotation angle detected by the vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 when the horizontal rotation angle is θ is set to δ, and the rotation speed of the fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ is set to N, in the rotation speed change mode, the control unit 30 This additional configuration allows the fan 16 to be controlled so as to satisfy the following formula: With this additional configuration, the blower 1 according to the first embodiment has the advantage of being able to blow air at the same air speed to an object on a vertical plane in front of the blowing range.

[0105] Furthermore, blower 1 according to embodiment 1 further includes, as an additional component, an operation unit 19 that accepts user operation, and blower 1 has a variable rotation speed mode and a fixed rotation speed mode in which the rotation speed of fan 16 is constant regardless of the airflow direction of blower unit 100. The variable rotation speed mode and the fixed rotation speed mode are switched by operating operation unit 19. This additional component allows blower 1 according to embodiment 1 to advantageously use different modes depending on the situation.

[0106] Although the blower of the first embodiment has a height adjustment button on the support pillar, and the height of the blower is adjusted by pressing the height adjustment button, this is not limited to this. For example, the blower may have support pillars of multiple heights, and the support pillars may be detachable from the blower and the base, so that the user can use different support pillars depending on the height at which they want to blow air.

[0107] Furthermore, although the blower of the first embodiment has an operation unit provided on the base, this is not limited thereto. The operation unit may be provided on the blower unit or the support column. The operation unit may be configured as an operation device separate from the blower, such as a remote control, or may be configured as an application that causes a user's mobile terminal to function as the operation unit, with the mobile terminal serving as the operation unit. The blower may also be configured to have multiple operation units. In the case of a configuration having multiple operation units, each operation unit may have a different function. For example, the operation unit provided on the base unit has a power switch, an airflow increase switch, and an airflow decrease switch, and the operation unit provided on the support column has a horizontal rotation switch and a vertical rotation switch.

[0108] Furthermore, although the blower of the first embodiment includes a support column 101 and a base 102 as components corresponding to the support that supports the blower, the configuration of the support column is not limited to this. For example, the blower may have a configuration similar to that of a circulator, in which the blower is supported only by a base column without a support column. In this case, the base column corresponds to the main body. Furthermore, for example, instead of the support column and base column, the blower may have a fixing column for fixing to a structure such as a wall or ceiling, and the fixing column supports the blower, similar to a wall-mounted fan or ceiling fan. In this case, the fixing column corresponds to the support column.

[0109] Furthermore, although the blower of the first embodiment includes a horizontal rotation angle detector and a vertical rotation angle detector, this is not limiting. For example, a stepping motor rotates when a pulse signal is input, and the rotation angle per pulse is predetermined. Therefore, when a stepping motor is used as the horizontal rotation motor, the control unit can acquire the pulse signal input to the horizontal rotation motor and calculate the rotation angle based on the number of pulses included in the pulse signal. In this case, the control unit can acquire the horizontal rotation angle even without a horizontal rotation angle detector. The same applies to a vertical rotation motor.

[0110] Furthermore, the blower of the first embodiment calculates the rotation speed of the fan in the blower section using the vertical rotation angle δ and the horizontal rotation angle θ to determine the fan rotation speed N corresponding to the vertical rotation angle δ and the horizontal rotation angle θ, but this is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which multiple fan rotation speeds are stored in a memory in stages, and the fan rotation speed is changed in stages according to the vertical rotation angle δ or the horizontal rotation angle θ. Any configuration may be adopted in which the fan rotation speed increases when the vertical rotation angle δ or the horizontal rotation angle θ changes from the initial direction. This is because, in the first embodiment, the greater the vertical rotation angle δ or the horizontal rotation angle θ, the farther the fan moves from the reference position.

[0111] Furthermore, although the blower of the first embodiment is configured to automatically rotate in both the vertical and horizontal directions, this is not limiting. For example, the blower may be configured to automatically rotate only in the vertical direction, but not in the horizontal direction. In this case, the rotation speed of the fan is determined only by the vertical rotation angle. That is, the rotation speed of the fan is faster when the vertical rotation angle is larger than when the vertical rotation angle is smaller.

[0112] Alternatively, the fan may be configured to automatically rotate only horizontally and not vertically. In this case, the fan rotation speed is determined solely by the horizontal rotation angle. That is, the fan rotation speed is faster when the horizontal rotation angle is larger than when the horizontal rotation angle is smaller.

[0113] Furthermore, although the blower of the first embodiment is configured to determine the rotation speed of the fan using both the vertical rotation angle and the horizontal rotation angle, this is not limiting. Even if the blower rotates vertically and horizontally, the rotation speed of the fan may be determined only from the vertical rotation angle, or only from the horizontal rotation angle.

[0114] Furthermore, although the blower of the first embodiment is configured to blow air in a direction determined by the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle, this is not limiting. The blower may be configured to blow air in a direction determined only by the horizontal rotation angle without performing vertical rotation. Furthermore, the blower may be configured to blow air in a direction determined only by the vertical rotation angle without performing horizontal rotation.

[0115] Furthermore, although the blower of the first embodiment is configured to start the horizontal and vertical rotation of the blower unit after starting the rotation of the fan, this is not limiting and the fan may be configured to start rotation after starting the horizontal and vertical rotation of the blower unit.

[0116] Furthermore, in the blower of embodiment 1, the central axis AX3, which is the center of rotation of the fan, intersects with the intersection of the rotation axes AX1 and AX2 regardless of the vertical rotation angle, but this is not limited to this. For example, due to factors such as design limitations, the intersection of the rotation axes AX1 and AX2 may differ from the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 with the rotation axis AX1 or AX2. However, even if the intersections are different, the same effect as the blower of embodiment 1 can be achieved as long as the rotation speed of the fan when the angle with the reference direction is large is faster than the rotation speed of the fan when the angle with the reference direction is small.

[0117] Furthermore, the initial direction and the center position of the rotation range may or may not coincide with each other.

[0118] In addition, in the first embodiment, the vertical rotation angle in the initial orientation is 0 degrees, but this is not limited to this. In the initial orientation, as long as the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, the vertical rotation angle does not have to be 0 degrees.

[0119] Embodiment 2. A blower 2 according to embodiment 2 will be described. The blower 2 according to embodiment 2 differs from the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 in that the blower unit 200 does not perform vertical rotation and horizontal rotation independently, but rather the vertical rotation angle is controlled in conjunction with the horizontal rotation angle. The blower configuration and hardware configuration of the blower 2 according to embodiment 2 are the same as those of the blower 1 according to embodiment 1, except that the vertical rotation angle is controlled in conjunction with the horizontal rotation angle, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0120] In the rotation speed change mode of blower 2 according to embodiment 2, the vertical rotation angle is controlled in conjunction with the horizontal rotation angle. More specifically, in the rotation speed change mode of blower 2 according to embodiment 2, the locus of intersections between the airflow direction and the blown target is linear on the blower-side surface of the blown target on a plane perpendicular to a predetermined reference direction.

[0121] When the blower 2 blows air to a target on a plane perpendicular to the reference direction, the vertical rotation angle is linked to the horizontal rotation angle, and the trajectory of the intersection of the airflow direction and the target is controlled to be a straight line, thereby reducing the difference in how the air hits the target.

[0122] However, even if the trajectory of the intersection between the airflow direction and the airflow target 210 is linear, the speed of the airflow sent to the airflow target 210 will vary depending on the horizontal rotation angle or the vertical rotation angle. This is because the distance from the center of rotation increases as the distance from the airflow unit 200 to the airflow target 210 increases. If the rotation speed of the fan 16 is not changed depending on the airflow direction of the airflow unit 200, the speed of the airflow sent to the airflow target 210 decreases as the distance from the center of rotation increases.

[0123] As with the blower 2 according to embodiment 2, by changing the rotation speed of the fan 16 according to the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle, it is possible to blow air uniformly to the target 210 located on a plane perpendicular to the reference direction.

[0124] Fig. 14 is a functional block diagram of the blower 2 according to embodiment 2. The functional configuration of the blower unit will be described with reference to Fig. 14 .

[0125] The functional block diagram of the blower 2 according to the second embodiment differs from the functional block diagram of the blower 1 according to the first embodiment in the configurations of the vertical rotation control unit 50c, the horizontal rotation angle transmission unit 45, and the vertical rotation angle transmission unit 46. The blower 2 according to the second embodiment also differs in the control performed by the fan control unit 50a. The configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the control unit 50, the horizontal rotation angle transmission unit 45, and the vertical rotation angle transmission unit 46, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0126] When a signal to operate the blower 2 in the rotation speed change mode is received, the vertical rotation control unit 50c acquires the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle from the horizontal rotation angle transmission unit 45 and the vertical rotation angle transmission unit 46, respectively. Then, the vertical rotation control unit 50c determines the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 200 from the horizontal rotation angle and the reference vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 200. The calculation of the vertical rotation control unit 50c will be described later.

[0127] Fig. 15 is a flowchart relating to the rotation speed change mode of blower 2 according to embodiment 2. The control content of the rotation speed change mode will be described in detail using Fig. 15. Before starting the flowchart of Fig. 15, the user positions blower unit 200 directly facing target 210 in the reference direction with the vertical rotation angle of blower unit 200 set to a non-zero angle.

[0128] Step S200 is performed when the rotation speed change mode is started. In step S200, horizontal rotation control unit 30b moves horizontal rotation unit 31 so that the horizontal rotation angle of blower unit 200 becomes 0 degrees. Step S200 ends when the horizontal rotation angle of blower unit 200 is moved to become 0 degrees.

[0129] By the processing of step S200, blower unit 200 moves to the initial direction, which is the position when starting the rotation speed change mode. That is, in the second embodiment, the initial direction of blower unit 200 is a horizontal rotation angle of 0 degrees and a vertical rotation angle of a reference vertical rotation angle δ0 that is predetermined by the user. The reference vertical rotation angle δ0 is the vertical rotation angle with respect to the reference direction.

[0130] Step S201 is performed when step S200 is completed. In step S201, the vertical rotation control unit 50c acquires a reference vertical rotation angle δ0. The reference vertical rotation angle δ0 acquired in step S201 is the vertical rotation angle in the initial direction. When the vertical rotation control unit 50c acquires the reference vertical rotation angle δ0, the process in step S201 is completed.

[0131] Step S202 is performed after step S201 is completed. In step S202, the fan control unit 50a starts the rotation of the fan 16 by driving the fan motor 17. In step S102, the fan control unit 50a starts the rotation of the fan 16, and the process ends.

[0132] Step S203 is performed after step S202 is completed. In step S203, automatic horizontal rotation of the blower unit 200 is started. When the horizontal rotation motor 12 starts automatic horizontal rotation, step S203 is completed.

[0133] Step S204 is performed after step S203 is completed. In step S204, the horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 acquires the horizontal rotation angle θ, which is the angle with respect to the reference direction. Furthermore, the vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 acquires the vertical rotation angle δ. In step S204, the horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 acquires the horizontal rotation angle, and the vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 acquires the vertical rotation angle, and the processing ends.

[0134] Step S205 is performed after step S204 is completed. In step S205, the fan control unit 50a determines the rotation speed N2 of the fan 16 from the horizontal rotation angle θ and vertical rotation angle δ acquired in step S204. Once the rotation speed of the fan 16 is determined, step S205 is completed.

[0135] Step S206 is performed after step S205 is completed. In step S206, the fan control unit 50a drives the fan motor 17 so that the rotation speed of the fan 16 coincides with the rotation speed N2 determined in step S205. In step S206, the fan motor 17 is driven, and the process ends when the rotation speed of the fan 16 coincides with the rotation speed determined in step S205.

[0136] Step S207 is performed after step S206 is completed. In step S207, the vertical rotation control unit 50c determines the vertical rotation angle δ. Once the vertical rotation angle is determined, step S207 ends.

[0137] Step S208 is performed when step S207 is completed. In step S208, the vertical rotation control unit 50c drives the vertical rotation motor 22 so that the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 200 coincides with the vertical rotation angle δ determined in step S207. In step S208, the vertical rotation motor 22 is driven and the vertical rotation angle coincides with the angle determined in step S207, and the process ends.

[0138] After step S208 is completed, the blower 2 executes step S204. That is, while the blower 2 is operating in the rotation speed change mode, the blower 2 repeatedly performs the processes from step S204 to step S208 as needed. The rotation speed change mode can be ended by, for example, pressing and holding the horizontal rotation switch 314.

[0139] FIG. 16 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower 2 according to the second embodiment is 0 degrees and the vertical rotation angle is the reference vertical rotation angle δ0. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along C-C in FIG. 16 of the blower 2 according to the second embodiment. That is, FIGS. 16 and 17 show a state in which the blower unit 200 is in the initial orientation. FIG. 18 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower 2 according to the second embodiment is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along D-D in FIG. 18 of the blower 2 according to the second embodiment. That is, FIGS. 18 and 19 show a state in which the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 200 are arbitrary angles. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing how the air blows from the blower according to the second embodiment. The calculation of the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 200 performed in step S207 will be described in detail using FIGS. 16 to 20 . 16 to 19, coordinates are shown in Cartesian coordinates, with the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis orthogonal to one another, as in Fig. 1. Also, the white arrows in Fig. 16 to 20 indicate the direction of the air blown from the fan 2.

[0140] As in the first embodiment, the intersection of the rotation axis AX1 and the rotation axis AX2 is designated as point Or. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 , when the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle are 0 degrees and the direction is perpendicular to the plane parallel to the rotation axis AX1 and the rotation axis AX2, i.e., parallel to the X-axis direction, the distance from the intersection of the rotation axis AX1 and the rotation axis AX2 to the blower target 210 is designated as X1. Furthermore, when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees and the angle between the vertical rotation angle and the XY plane is 0 degrees, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 2 side of the blower target 210 is designated as point P1. Furthermore, when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees and the vertical rotation angle is the reference vertical rotation angle δ0, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 2 side of the blower target 210 is designated as point P2. Furthermore, the distance from point P1 to point P2 is designated as Z2. Furthermore, the distance from point Or to point P2 is designated as L3. At this time, the relationships shown in the formulas 5 and 6 are established.

[0141]

[0142]

[0143] As shown in Figures 18 and 19, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is 0 degrees, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 2 side of the blower target 210 is defined as point Q2. Also, as shown in Figure 19, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 2 side of the blower target 210 is defined as point Q3. As shown in Figure 18, the distance from point Or to point Q2 on the XY plane is defined as LQ2. Also, the distance from point Q2 to point Q3 is defined as Z3. Also, the distance from point Or to point Q3 is defined as L4. In this case, the relationships shown in equations 6 and 7 hold.

[0144]

[0145]

[0146] In the rotation speed change mode in the second embodiment, the locus of intersections between the airflow direction and airflow target 210 is linear on the surface of airflow target 210 facing fan 2 on a plane perpendicular to a predetermined reference direction, as shown in Fig. 20. In other words, since Z2 and Z3 are equal, from Equations 5 and 7, vertical rotation angle δ changes while satisfying the relational expression shown in Equation 9.

[0147]

[0148] Let Sc be the airflow area for the airflow target 210 when the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle are 0 and the vertical rotation angle is δ0, and Sd be the airflow area for the airflow target 210 when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ. Let Vc be the wind speed of the air blown to the airflow target 210 when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 and the vertical rotation angle is δ0, and Vd be the wind speed of the air blown to the airflow target 210 when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ.

[0149] The airflow area is proportional to the square of the airflow distance from the fan 2 to the target 210. Therefore, the relationship shown in Equation 10 holds between the airflow areas Sc and Sd.

[0150]

[0151] Furthermore, when the relational expressions of Expressions 6 and 8 are substituted into Expression 10, the relationship shown in Expression 11 holds between the airflow areas Sc and Sd.

[0152]

[0153] Therefore, in the rotation speed change mode according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotation speed N of the fan 16 is controlled so as to satisfy the relationship shown in Equation 12. In Equation 12, the rotation speed of the fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees and the vertical rotation angle is δ0 is set to N0.

[0154]

[0155] Furthermore, when the relationship in Equation 9 is substituted into Equation 12, the relational expression in Equation 13 is established.

[0156]

[0157] As shown in Equation 13, in blower 2 according to the second embodiment, the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is not 0 degrees is greater than the rotation speed of fan 16 when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees and the vertical rotation angle is δ0. Because the absolute value of the angle between a direction other than the initial direction and the reference direction in the trajectory of blower unit 100 is greater than the absolute value of the angle between the initial direction and the reference direction, this configuration can reduce the difference in wind speed caused by the horizontal rotation angle or the vertical rotation angle.

[0158] Furthermore, by controlling the rotation speed of the fan 16 as shown in equation 13, air can be blown at a constant wind speed to the target 210 on the blower side of the target 210, which is on a plane perpendicular to a predetermined reference direction, while keeping the trajectory of the intersection between the blowing direction and the target 210 linear.

[0159] As described above, blower 2 according to the second embodiment, like blower 1 according to the first embodiment, includes fan 16 that rotates to blow out air, blower unit 200 that has fan motor 17 that drives fan 16 and sends air in the blowing direction, rotation units (corresponding to horizontal rotation unit 31 and vertical rotation unit 33) that rotate blower unit 200 about a predetermined axis to change the blowing direction, and control unit 50 that operates a rotation speed change mode to change the rotation speed of fan 16. In the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of fan 16 is faster when the angle between the blowing direction and a predetermined reference direction is a second angle whose absolute value is greater than the absolute value of the first angle than when the angle between the blowing direction and a predetermined reference direction is a first angle. With this configuration, blower 2 according to the second embodiment achieves the same effects as those described in the first embodiment.

[0160] Furthermore, as an additional configuration, the blower 2 according to the second embodiment has a reference vertical rotation angle δ0 greater than 0 degrees, and the control unit 50 controls the vertical rotation angle in the rotation speed change mode so that the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is not 0 degrees is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees. With this additional configuration, the blower 2 according to the second embodiment has the effect of suppressing differences in the way the air blows depending on the magnitude of the horizontal rotation angle.

[0161] Furthermore, in the blower 2 according to the second embodiment, as an additional configuration, the control unit 50 performs the following in the rotation speed change mode: The vertical rotation unit 33 is controlled so as to satisfy the following mathematical expression. With this additional configuration, the blower 2 according to the second embodiment more effectively suppresses differences in the way the wind hits the fan depending on the horizontal rotation angle.

[0162] Although the blower in the second embodiment maintains a constant vertical height in the rotation speed change mode, this is not limiting. For example, depending on the precision of the rotation angle of the vertical rotation motor, it may be difficult to precisely match the vertical rotation angle to the calculated vertical rotation angle, making it difficult to maintain a constant vertical height. In particular, as shown in Equation 13, the larger the horizontal rotation angle, the smaller the change in vertical rotation angle for a given horizontal rotation angle, making it more difficult to match the calculated vertical rotation angle. In such cases, the blower may be controlled to match the calculated vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is between 0 and a given angle. Furthermore, the control unit does not need to precisely match the vertical rotation angle to the calculated vertical rotation angle. It is sufficient for the blower to perform control in the rotation speed change mode so that the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is greater than 0 degrees is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees.

[0163] Furthermore, although the blower of the second embodiment is configured to control the vertical rotation angle after controlling the rotation speed of the fan, this is not limiting and the configuration may be such that the vertical rotation angle is controlled first, and then the rotation speed of the fan is controlled.

[0164] 1 Fan, 2 Fan, 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 Vertical rotation unit, 34 Vertical rotation angle detection unit, 40 Processor, 41 Memory, 43 Hardware interface, 44 Bus, 45 Horizontal rotation angle transmission unit, 46 Vertical rotation angle transmission unit, 50 Control unit, 50a Fan control unit, 50c Vertical rotation control unit, 100 air blowing unit, 101 support unit, 102 base unit, 103 protective unit, 200 air blowing unit, 210 air blowing target, 311 power switch, 312 air volume increase switch, 313 air volume decrease switch, 314 horizontal rotation switch, 315 vertical rotation switch, 316 rotation 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.

Claims

1. A blower comprising: a fan that rotates to blow out air; a blowing unit that has a fan motor that drives the fan and sends air in a blowing direction; a rotating unit that rotates the blowing unit around a predetermined axis to change the blowing direction; and a control unit that operates a rotation speed change mode to change the rotation speed of the fan, wherein in the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of the fan is faster when the angle between the blowing direction and a predetermined reference direction is a first angle than when the absolute value of the angle between the blowing direction and the reference direction is a second angle that is greater than the absolute value of the first angle.

2. The blower according to claim 1, wherein in the rotation speed change mode, the control unit increases the rotation speed of the fan as the angle between the airflow direction and the reference direction increases.

3. The blower of claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotation unit includes a horizontal rotation section that rotates the blowing unit horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle, the horizontal rotation angle being the absolute value of the angle between the reference direction and the direction of a vector projecting the blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis, and in the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is a fourth angle greater than the third angle is faster than the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is a third angle.

4. The blower of claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotating unit includes a vertical rotation unit that rotates the blowing unit in an up-down direction around a vertical rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle, the vertical rotation angle being the absolute value of the angle between the reference direction and the direction of a vector projecting the blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the vertical rotation axis, and in the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of the fan when the vertical rotation angle is a sixth angle greater than the fifth angle is faster than the rotation speed of the fan when the vertical rotation angle is a fifth angle.

5. The rotation unit includes a horizontal rotation unit that rotates the blowing unit horizontally around a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle, and a vertical rotation unit that rotates the blowing unit around a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle, wherein the horizontal rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the direction of a vector obtained by projecting the blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and the reference direction, and the vertical rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the direction of a vector obtained by projecting the blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the vertical rotation axis and the reference direction, 3. The blower according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the rotation speed change mode, the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is a ninth angle greater than the eighth angle is faster than the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle, and the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is a tenth angle greater than the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle is faster than the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle.

6. A blower as described in claim 3, further comprising a horizontal rotation angle detection unit which detects the horizontal rotation angle, wherein in the rotation speed change mode, the control unit uses the horizontal rotation angle detected by the horizontal rotation angle detection unit to control the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is the fourth angle to be faster than the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is the third angle.

7. The blower according to claim 4, further comprising a vertical rotation angle detection unit which detects the vertical rotation angle, wherein in the rotation speed change mode, the control unit uses the vertical rotation angle detected by the vertical rotation angle detection unit to control the rotation speed of the fan when the vertical rotation angle is the sixth angle to be faster than the rotation speed of the fan when the vertical rotation angle is the fifth angle.

8. The blower according to claim 5, further comprising: a horizontal rotation angle detection unit that detects the horizontal rotation angle; and a vertical rotation angle detection unit that detects the vertical rotation angle, wherein in the rotation speed change mode, the control unit uses the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle detected by the horizontal rotation angle detection unit and the vertical rotation angle detection unit to control the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the ninth angle to be faster than the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle, and to control the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is the tenth angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle to be faster than the rotation speed of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is the seventh angle and the vertical rotation angle is the eighth angle.

9. When the horizontal rotation angle in an initial direction, which is the position of the blower unit when the rotation speed change mode is started, detected by the vertical rotation angle detection unit, is 0 degrees, the vertical rotation angle in the initial direction is a reference vertical rotation angle δ0, the rotation speed of the fan in the initial direction is N0, the horizontal rotation angle detected by the horizontal rotation angle detection unit is θ, the vertical rotation angle detected by the vertical rotation angle detection unit when the horizontal rotation angle is θ is δ, and the number of rotations of the fan when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ is N, in the rotation speed change mode, the control unit: The blower according to claim 8 , wherein the fan is controlled so as to satisfy the following formula:

10. The blower described in claim 9, wherein the reference vertical rotation angle δ0 detected by the vertical rotation angle detection unit is greater than 0 degrees, and the control unit controls the vertical rotation unit in the rotation speed change mode so that the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is not 0 degrees is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees.

11. In the rotation speed change mode, the control unit is configured to change the vertical rotation angle δ to The blower according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the vertical rotation unit is controlled so as to satisfy the following formula:

12. A blower as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising an operation unit that accepts user operation, the blower having the rotation speed change mode and a rotation speed fixed mode in which the rotation speed of the fan is constant regardless of the air blowing direction of the air blowing unit, and switching between the rotation speed change mode and the rotation speed fixed mode by operating the operation unit.

Images