Air blower

Abstract

This air blower (A1) comprises: an air blowing unit (1) having a shape extending in an air blowing direction (N); a pedestal part (2) that supports the air blowing unit (1) so as to be vertically swingable; and a control unit (8) that controls air blowing and vertical swinging of the air blowing unit (1). An air blowing port (131) is provided on one end side of the air blowing unit (1) in the air blowing direction (N). When stopping air blowing by the air blowing unit (1), the control unit (8) performs control so that the air blowing unit (1) stops in an upward orientation in which the air blowing port (131) faces upward. With such a configuration, the aesthetic appearance and stability can be improved.

Description

Blower

[0001] The present invention relates to a blower.

[0002] Blowers are widely used as devices for blowing air to a predetermined area. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a conventional blower. The blower disclosed in this document is intended to blow air over a wide area by having a blower unit including a fan swing vertically and horizontally.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-165008

[0004] In the above-described blower, the blower unit has a shape extending in the blowing direction. In a stopped state where the blowing from the blower unit is stopped, if the blower unit is placed in a posture where the blowing direction faces the horizontal direction, there is a risk that the aesthetic appearance and stability of the blower may be impaired.

[0005] The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances described above, and an object thereof is to provide a blower capable of improving aesthetic appearance and stability.

[0006] The blower provided by the present invention includes: a blower unit having a shape extending in a blowing direction; a pedestal portion that supports the blower unit so as to be capable of vertical swinging; and a control portion that controls blowing of the blower unit and the vertical swinging. A blowing port is provided on one end side of the blower unit in the blowing direction, and the control portion performs control such that when stopping the blowing of the blower unit, the blower unit stops in an upward posture where the blowing port faces upward.

[0007] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the blower unit includes a fan and a cover that accommodates the fan, a part of the cover is removable in the blowing direction, and when starting blowing of the blower unit, the control portion performs control such that the blower unit changes from the upward posture to a forward inclined posture where the blowing direction intersects the vertical direction.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the air blower is supported on the base so as to be able to oscillate left and right, the control unit further controls the left and right oscillation of the air blower, and when the air blower stops blowing air at a position where the air outlet is offset from the center of the left and right oscillation, the control unit moves the air outlet toward the center of the left and right oscillation while controlling the air blower to stop in the upward position.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control device further includes an operating device that includes an up-and-down operating unit for operating the up-and-down oscillation of the air blower, wherein when the up-and-down operating unit is operated while the air blower is performing automatic up-and-down oscillation and left-and-right oscillation, the control unit continues the automatic left-and-right oscillation and causes the air blower to oscillate up and down based on the operation of the up-and-down operating unit.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control device further includes a left-right operating unit for operating the left-right oscillation of the air blower, and when the left-right operating unit is operated while the air blower is performing automatic up-down oscillation and left-right oscillation, the control unit continues the automatic up-down oscillation and causes the air blower to oscillate left-right based on the operation of the left-right operating unit.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit further comprises a storage unit for storing the position of the air blower unit in the up-and-down oscillation and the left-and-right oscillation, and when the air blower unit is performing air blowing while at least one of the up-and-down oscillation and the left-and-right oscillation is stopped, the control unit stores the position of the oscillation that is stopped among the up-and-down oscillation and the left-and-right oscillation as the stop position in the storage unit, and when the air blower unit resumes air blowing, it causes the air blower unit to oscillate up-and-down or left-and-right to the stop position stored in the storage unit.

[0012] According to the present invention, the aesthetic appearance and stability of the blower can be improved.

[0013] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] This is a perspective view showing the forward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a perspective view showing the forward-tilted position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a perspective view showing the upward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a partial perspective view showing the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a plan view showing the forward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a front view showing the forward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a side view showing the forward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a rear view showing the forward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is an upward-facing side view showing the forward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a partial side view showing the forward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a partial side view showing the upward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a cross-sectional view along the line VII-VII in Figure 5A. This is a cross-sectional view along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 5A. This is a cross-sectional view showing the upward-facing position of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is an exploded perspective view showing the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is an exploded perspective view showing the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a system configuration diagram showing the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a plan view showing the operating device of the blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a timing chart showing an example of operation of a blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a timing chart showing another example of operation of a blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a timing chart showing another example of operation of a blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a timing chart showing another example of operation of a blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a timing chart showing another example of operation of a blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a timing chart showing another example of operation of a blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0016] The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., used in this disclosure are for identification purposes only and are not intended to assign any order to the objects.

[0017] Figures 1 to 11 show a blower according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The blower A1 of this embodiment comprises a blower unit 1, a base unit 2, a first drive unit 6, a second drive unit 7, a control unit 8, and a harness 91. The blower A1 is for blowing air to a predetermined area and is a type of blower commonly referred to as a circulator, but the specific structure of the blower A1 is not limited in any way. The use of the blower A1 is not limited in any way and can be used, for example, to circulate indoor air.

[0018] In these figures, the z-direction corresponds to the up-and-down direction. However, the up-and-down direction in this invention is not strictly limited to the vertical direction, but can be various directions depending on the usage of the blower. In this embodiment, up-and-down oscillation will be explained using oscillation around a rotation axis extending in the x-direction as an example. Similarly, up-and-down oscillation in this invention is not limited to oscillation along the vertical direction. The x-direction and y-direction are directions perpendicular to the z-direction, respectively. Left-and-right oscillation in this invention may be oscillation in a direction intersecting the up-and-down oscillation. In this embodiment, left-and-right oscillation will be explained using oscillation around a rotation axis extending in the z-direction as an example.

[0019] The air blower unit 1 is the part that blows air in a set direction. Figure 1 shows the air blower unit 1 in a forward-facing position where the air blowing direction N coincides with the y-direction and the air outlet 131 faces forward in the y-direction. Figure 2 shows the air blower unit 1 in a forward-tilting position where the air blowing direction N intersects with the y-direction and the z-direction and the air outlet 131 faces diagonally upward. Figure 3 shows the air blower unit 1 in an upward-facing position where the air blowing direction N coincides with the z-direction and the air outlet 131 faces upward. The specific configuration of the air blower unit 1 is not limited in any way. In this embodiment, the air blower unit 1 includes a fan 11, a fan motor 12, a cover 13, and a motor cover 16.

[0020] The fan 11 generates the airflow that the blower 1 sends out through rotation. The specific structure of the fan 11 is not limited in any way, and various types of blade structures can be used as appropriate. In the illustrated example, the fan 11 is a so-called axial flow fan, also known as a propeller fan.

[0021] The fan motor 12 is the drive source that rotates the fan 11. The fan motor 12 is, for example, a DC motor. The fan motor 12 is housed, for example, in a motor cover 16.

[0022] The cover 13 houses the fan 11, fan motor 12, motor cover 16, etc. The cover 13 is made of, for example, resin. The cover 13 has a shape that extends in the airflow direction N. The shape of the air blower 1 is not limited in any way, and in this embodiment it is a cylindrical shape with the airflow direction N as its central axis.

[0023] The cover 13 of this embodiment has a front cover 14 and a rear cover 15. The front cover 14 is the part located on the front side in the airflow direction N and constitutes an air outlet 131 located on one end side in the airflow direction N. The rear cover 15 is the part located on the rear side in the airflow direction N and constitutes an air intake port 132 located on the other end side in the airflow direction N.

[0024] The fan 11 is connected, for example, to the drive shaft of the fan motor 12. When the fan 11 rotates due to the drive of the fan motor 12, the air drawn in from the rear cover 15 is sent out from the air outlet 131 of the front cover 14 in the direction of airflow N.

[0025] In this embodiment, the rear cover 15 includes a first rear cover 151 and a second rear cover 152. The first rear cover 151 is located on the upper side in the z direction. The second rear cover 152 is located on the lower side in the z direction.

[0026] The rear cover 15 has two slits 153. The two slits 153 are separated in the x-direction and parallel to each other. Each slit 153 is provided to extend from the bottom to the top in the z-direction.

[0027] The rear cover 15 has a curved portion 154. The curved portion 154 is located at the rear end in the airflow direction N. When the curved portion 154 is facing the upper surface 21 of the base (upward position), which will be described later, the curved portion 154 is curved along the upper surface 21 of the base.

[0028] Figures 10A and 10B show an example of how to remove the cover 13. First, as shown in Figure 10A, the front cover 14 is removed from the rear cover 15 by moving it forward in the y-direction. In this case, the engagement between the front cover 14 and the rear cover 15 may be released by, for example, rotating the front cover 14 around an axis extending in the y-direction relative to the rear cover 15. Next, as shown in Figure 10B, the first rear cover 151 is removed from the second rear cover 152. In this case, the first rear cover 151 may be removed by, for example, removing several screws.

[0029] The base portion 2 supports the air blower 1 so that it can oscillate left and right. In this embodiment, the air blower 1 can oscillate left and right for, for example, 360 degrees around the central axis C1 as the center of rotation. The base portion 2 includes a first base portion 3 and a second base portion 4. The first base portion 3 supports the air blower 1. The second base portion 4 surrounds the outer circumference of the first base portion 3. The base portion 2 also has a base top surface 21. The base top surface 21 is the uppermost surface of the base portion 2 in the z direction and faces the curved portion 154 in the upward position. The base top surface 21 is a curved surface that is recessed downward in the z direction.

[0030] As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the first base portion 3 of this embodiment includes a base upper portion 31, a base lower portion 32, and a spacer 33.

[0031] The lower part of the base 32 is located below the upper part of the base 31 in the z-direction. The lower part of the base 32 has a main body 321 and a wiring hole 322. The main body 321 occupies most of the lower part of the base 32 and is, for example, a circular bottomed shape that opens upward in the z-direction. The wiring hole 322 is located approximately in the center of the main body 321 and is a through hole extending in the z-direction. The central axis C1 overlaps with the wiring hole 322 when viewed in the z-direction and may form the center of the wiring hole 322.

[0032] The upper part of the base 31 is located above the lower part of the base 32 in the z direction. The upper part of the base 31 supports the air blower 1. The upper part of the base 31 is a part that rotates around the central axis C1 relative to the second base 4 so that the air blower 1 can oscillate left and right. The upper part of the base 31 is circular in shape when viewed in the z direction, for example, and opens downward in the z direction. The upper part of the base 31 has two through holes 311. The two through holes 311 are spaced apart in the x direction in the portion of the upper part of the base 31 that is included in the upper surface 21 of the base, and each opens upward in the z direction. The two through holes 311 are located directly below the two slits 153 in the z direction.

[0033] The spacer 33 is positioned between the upper base 31 and the lower base 32. The spacer 33 rotates with the upper base 31 relative to the lower base 32.

[0034] The second base portion 4 is a fixed part that does not move relative to the surface on which the blower A1 is placed, such as the floor, when the blower portion 1 oscillates from side to side. The specific configuration of the second base portion 4 is not limited in any way, and in this embodiment, the second base portion 4 is, for example, a circular bottomed shape that opens upward in the z direction.

[0035] The first drive unit 6 is located within the lower base 32 and the second base 4, and rotates the upper base 31 around the central axis C1. As shown in Figure 7, the first drive unit 6 includes a first drive source 61 and a first transmission mechanism 62.

[0036] The first drive source 61 is, for example, a motor, which generates the driving force to oscillate the air blower 1 from side to side. The first drive source 61 is housed within the second base portion 4, and the main body of the first drive source 61 is located below the lower base portion 32. The tip of the drive shaft of the first drive source 61 is located within the housing space 36. A gear for transmitting the driving force is attached to the drive shaft of the first drive source 61, for example.

[0037] The first transmission mechanism 62 is a mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the first drive source 61 to the spacer 33 and the upper part of the base 31. The specific configuration of the first transmission mechanism 62 is not limited in any way, and in this embodiment, the first transmission mechanism 62 is configured as a gear that meshes with the gear on the drive shaft of the first drive source 61 and the gear portion provided on the spacer 33. The first transmission mechanism 62 is housed in the housing space 36. With this configuration of the first drive unit 6, when the first drive source 61 generates driving force, the upper part of the base 31, the spacer 33, the second drive unit 7 and the blower unit 1 oscillate from side to side.

[0038] The second drive unit 7 causes the air blower unit 1 to oscillate up and down relative to the base unit 2. As shown in Figures 1 to 8, the second drive unit 7 includes a second drive source 71, a curved guide unit 72, and support legs 73 and 74. In this embodiment, the air blower unit 1 can oscillate up and down by, for example, 90 degrees, with a central axis C2 extending in the x direction as the center of rotation.

[0039] Support legs 73 and 74 are fixed to the upper part of the base 31 and are positioned apart in the x-direction. Support legs 73 and 74 are inserted through two through holes 311. Support legs 73 and 74 are also inserted through two slits 153. The upper ends of support legs 73 and 74 in the z-direction are supported by a rotating shaft 76 so that the air blower 1 can oscillate up and down.

[0040] The second drive source 71 generates a driving force to cause the air blower 1 to oscillate up and down relative to the base 2. In this embodiment, the second drive source 71 is located behind the motor cover 16 in the air blowing direction N and is fixed to the motor cover 16.

[0041] The bending guide portion 72 is for converting the driving force of the second drive source 71 into vertical swing rotation. In the present embodiment, the bending guide portion 72 has a curved shape over an azimuth of about 90 degrees. A plurality of tooth rows are provided inside the bending guide portion 72 over an azimuth of about 90 degrees. The bending guide portion 72 is fixed to, for example, a support leg 74. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a gear portion 711 attached to the drive shaft of the second drive source 71 meshes with the tooth rows of the bending guide portion 72. Accordingly, when the second drive source 71 is driven, the second drive source 71 moves along the bending guide portion 72 to draw an arc. This causes the blower unit 1 to swing vertically.

[0042] The control unit 8 controls the horizontal swing of the blower unit 1, and further controls the air blowing of the blower unit 1 and the vertical swing of the blower unit 1. As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 8 is disposed inside the second base portion 4. The control unit 8 may be a CPU, for example.

[0043] The blower A1 further includes a power supply unit 51 and a storage unit 52. The power supply unit 52 converts, for example, commercial 100V AC power supplied from the outside into power suitable for the operation of the fan motor 12, the first drive source 61, and the second drive source 71. The storage unit 52 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, and is used to implement the operation of the blower A1 described later.

[0044] The harness 91 is connected to the control unit 8 and the blower unit 1. The harness 91 supplies power to the fan 11 of the blower unit 1, for example.

[0045] The blower A1 can also be operated by an operating device 95. The operating device 95 is a device for a user of the blower A1 to operate the blower A1. The operating device 95 may be capable of transmitting an operation signal to the control unit 8 by, for example, infrared communication. FIG. 12 shows an example of the operating device 95.

[0046] The operating device 95 includes, for example, a power button 950, an upward button 951, a downward button 952, a leftward button 953, a rightward button 954, an automatic vertical oscillation button 955, and an automatic horizontal oscillation button 956. The power button 950 is a button for turning ON / OFF the blowing operation of the blower A1. The upward button 951 is a button for oscillating the blower unit 1 to swing upward, and the downward button 952 is a button for oscillating the blower unit 1 to swing downward. The leftward button 953 is a button for oscillating the blower unit 1 to swing leftward, and the rightward button 954 is a button for oscillating the blower unit 1 to swing rightward. The automatic vertical oscillation button 955 is a button for causing the blower unit 1 to automatically oscillate vertically, and the automatic horizontal oscillation button 956 is a button for causing the blower unit 1 to automatically oscillate horizontally.

[0047] Next, an example of the operation of the blower A1 will be described below.

[0048] FIG. 13 is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of the blower A1. In FIG. (a) of the figure, the horizontal axis represents time t, and the vertical axis represents the blowing speed V of the blower unit 1. In FIG. (b) of the figure, the horizontal axis represents time t, and the vertical axis represents the vertical position α of the vertical oscillation.

[0049] At time t0, the blower A1 performs a normal blowing operation, the blowing speed V is set to a predetermined blowing speed V1, and the blower unit 1 automatically performs vertical oscillation such that the vertical position α reciprocates between a vertical position α1 and a vertical position α2. In this example, the vertical position α1 corresponds to the upward posture of the blower unit 1, the blowing direction N is along the z-direction, and the blowing direction N forms an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the y-direction. The vertical position α2 corresponds to the forward-facing posture of the blower unit 1, the blowing direction N is along the y-direction, and the angle between the y-direction and the blowing direction N is 0 degrees.

[0050] At time t0, the blower A1 is in normal operation. That is, the blowing speed V is set to a predetermined blowing speed V1. The blower unit 1 automatically performs vertical oscillation, and reciprocates (performs vertical oscillation) between the vertical position α1 and the vertical position α2.

[0051] At time t1, for example, the user presses the power button 950 to stop the airflow. As a result, the airflow speed V becomes 0. In Figure (a), the airflow speed V changes from airflow speed V1 to 0 at time t1, but in reality, due to a predetermined deceleration or the inertia of the fan 11, the airflow speed V may become 0 at a time later than time t1. As shown in Figure (b), the air blower 1 moves from the vertical position α at time t1 to the vertical position α1. That is, the control unit 8 controls the second drive source 71 so that the vertical position α of the air blower 1 becomes the vertical position α1. As a result, at time t2, the vertical position α becomes the vertical position α1, and the vertical oscillation of the air blower 1 stops. As a result, the operation of the blower A1 stops with the air blower 1 in an upward position.

[0052] With this operation, regardless of the state of the up-and-down oscillation of the blower unit 1, when the blower unit 1 stops blowing air, the operation of the blower A1 stops with the blower unit 1 in an upward position as shown in Figure 3. Since the blower unit 1 has a shape that extends along the airflow direction N, in the upward position, the center of gravity of the blower unit 1 coincides with or is close to the center (central axis C1) in the x and y directions. This improves the stability of the blower A1. In particular, if heavy objects such as the fan motor 12 are positioned towards the rear in the airflow direction N of the blower unit 1, tipping over of the blower A1 can be prevented more reliably.

[0053] Furthermore, because the air blower section 1, which extends along the airflow direction N, is in an upward position, the blower A1 as a whole presents a smart, upright appearance. This improves the aesthetics of the blower A1. In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the air blower section 1 is cylindrical, and the base section 2 is a short cylindrical shape that is circular when viewed in the z direction. Also, the diameter of the air blower section 1 and the diameter of the base section 2 are approximately the same. As a result, when the air blower section 1 stops in an upward position, the entire blower A1 presents a single cylindrical shape, and a more continuous appearance is achieved between the air blower section 1 and the base section 2. This further enhances the aesthetics of the blower A1. Because the upper surface 21 of the base and the curved section 154 are curved to be parallel to each other, the gap between the air blower section 1 and the base section 2 can be made less visible. In addition, more of the support legs 73 and 74 can be hidden.

[0054] Figure 14 shows another example of operation of the blower A1. In this figure, as in the example of operation shown in Figure 13, the operation is stopped at time t2 with the blower unit 1 in an upward position. Then, at time t3, the operation of the blower A1 is restarted, for example, by the user pressing the power button 950. At this time, the control unit 8 controls the second drive source 71 so that the vertical position α of the blower unit 1 becomes a preset vertical position α3. The vertical position α3 is located between the vertical position α1 and the vertical position α2, and is the position where the blower unit 1 is tilted forward, facing diagonally upward, as shown in Figure 2. When the vertical position α of the blower unit 1 becomes the vertical position α3 at time t4, the control unit 8 controls the second drive source 71 to stop the blower unit 1 at the vertical position α3 and continue blowing air. For example, if the user presses the automatic up-and-down oscillation button 955 after time t4, the control unit 8 may control the second drive source 71 so that the air blower unit 1 automatically oscillates up and down.

[0055] With this operation, when the operation of the blower A1 is stopped and then restarted, the vertical position α of the blower unit 1 is set to vertical position α3. As a result, when the blower unit 1 resumes blowing air with the air outlet 131 facing diagonally upward and forward, the airflow from the blower unit 1 resumes. Therefore, the air in the room can be mixed more efficiently immediately after restarting.

[0056] Figure 15 shows other examples of operation of the blower A1. Figures (a) and (b) are the same as Figures (a) and (b) of Figure 13. In Figure (c), the horizontal axis is time t, and the vertical axis is the left-right position β of the left-right oscillation.

[0057] At time t0, the blower A1 is operating in normal blowing mode, with a blowing speed V set to a predetermined blowing speed V1, and the blower unit 1 is automatically oscillating up and down so that its vertical position α oscillates back and forth between vertical position α1 and vertical position α2. The blower unit 1 is also automatically oscillating left and right so that its left and right position β oscillates back and forth between left and right position β1 and left and right position -β1. In this example, left and right position +β1 is the position where the blower unit 1 is facing furthest to the left, and left and right position -β1 is the position where the blower unit 1 is facing furthest to the right. Left and right position β0 is defined as the position where the air outlet 131 of the blower unit 1 is facing forward in the y direction (the position where the blowing direction N coincides with the y direction). That is, the blower unit 1 is reciprocating (oscillating left and right) between left and right position +β1 and left and right position -β1, centered on left and right position β0 where the air outlet 131 is facing forward in the y direction.

[0058] At time t1, for example, the user presses the power button 950 to stop the airflow. As a result, the airflow speed V becomes 0. Also, as shown in Figure (b), the air blower unit 1 moves from its vertical position α at time t1 to vertical position α1, becoming an upward-facing position. Furthermore, as shown in Figure (c), the air blower unit 1 moves from its horizontal position β at time t1 to horizontal position β0. That is, the control unit 8 controls the first drive source 61 so that the horizontal position β of the air blower unit 1 becomes horizontal position β0. As a result, at time t2, the vertical position α becomes vertical position α1 and the vertical oscillation of the air blower unit 1 stops, and the horizontal position β becomes horizontal position β0 and the horizontal oscillation of the air blower unit 1 stops.

[0059] With this operation, from time t2 onward, the air blower 1 is stopped with its vertical position α at vertical position α1 and its horizontal position β at horizontal position β0. For example, if the user presses the downward button 952 of the operating device 95 to change the vertical position α of the air blower 1 to vertical position α2, the air outlet 131 can be directed towards the front in the y direction while maintaining the horizontal position β at horizontal position β0. This allows for smooth removal of, for example, the front cover 14 and the first rear cover 151 shown in Figure 10.

[0060] Figure 16 shows other examples of operation of the blower A1. Figures (a), (c), and (d) are the same as Figures (a) to (c) of Figure 15. Figure (b) shows time t on the horizontal axis and the operating state of the up button 951 and down button 952 on the vertical axis. "Up" indicates that the up button 951 is pressed, and "Down" indicates that the down button 952 is pressed.

[0061] At time t0, the fan A1 is operating normally, and the fan unit 1 is automatically oscillating up and down and left and right. At time t1, when the user presses the up button 951, the mode changes from automatic up and down oscillation to manual up and down oscillation. The control unit 8 also controls the second drive source 71 so that the up and down position α increases, i.e., the fan unit 1 oscillates upward. After time t1, the automatic left and right oscillation of the fan unit 1 continues. Then, at time t2, the up button 951 is released. As a result, the up and down position α of the fan unit 1 is maintained at up and down position α4.

[0062] Furthermore, when the user presses the down button 952 at time t3, the control unit 8 controls the second drive source 71 so that the vertical position α decreases, that is, the air blower 1 oscillates downward from the vertical position α4. Then, at time t4, the down button 952 is released. As a result, the vertical position α of the air blower 1 is maintained at the vertical position α5. From time t1 through to time t4, the automatic left-right oscillation of the air blower 1 continues.

[0063] This operation allows the air blower unit 1 to continue its automatic left-right oscillation while the vertical position α of the air blower unit 1 can be manually finely adjusted to any desired position.

[0064] Figure 17 shows other examples of operation of the blower A1. Figures (a), (c), and (d) are the same as Figures (a), (c), and (d) of Figure 16. Figure (b) shows time t on the horizontal axis and the operating state of the left-facing button 953 and the right-facing button 954 on the vertical axis. "Left" indicates that the left-facing button 953 is pressed, and "Right" indicates that the right-facing button 954 is pressed.

[0065] At time t0, the fan A1 is operating normally, and the fan unit 1 is automatically oscillating up and down and left and right. At time t1, when the user presses the left-facing button 953, the mode changes from automatic left and right oscillation to manual left and right oscillation. The control unit 8 also controls the first drive source 61 so that the left-right position β shifts to the left, i.e., the fan unit 1 oscillates to the left. After time t1, the automatic up-and-down oscillation of the fan unit 1 continues. Then, at time t2, the left-facing button 953 is released. As a result, the left-right position β of the fan unit 1 is maintained at the left-right position + β2.

[0066] Furthermore, when the user presses the right-facing button 954 at time t3, the control unit 8 controls the first drive source 61 so that the left-right position β shifts to the right, that is, so that the air blower 1 oscillates to the right from the left-right position +β2. Then, at time t4, the right-facing button 954 is released. As a result, the left-right position β of the air blower 1 is maintained at the left-right position -β3. From time t1 through to time t4, the automatic up-and-down oscillation of the air blower 1 continues.

[0067] This operation allows the fan unit 1 to continue its automatic up-and-down oscillation while the left-right position β of the fan unit 1 can be manually fine-tuned to any desired position.

[0068] Figure 18 shows another example of the operation of the blower A1. Figures (a) to (d) are the same as Figures (a) to (d) in Figure 16. Similar to the operation example shown in Figure 16, at time t4 the downward button 952 is released and the vertical position α of the blower unit 1 is maintained at vertical position α4. Then, at time t5 the blower unit 1 stops blowing air by the user pressing the power button 950 or the like. The control unit 8 controls the second drive source 71 and the first drive source 61 so that the vertical position α becomes vertical position α1 and the left / right position β becomes left / right position β0. As a result, at time t6 the operation of the blower A1 stops with the blower unit 1 in an upward position. In this operation, the control unit 8 stores the vertical position α at the time the user performed the operation to stop the operation in the storage unit 52.

[0069] Next, at time t7, the operation of the blower A1 is restarted, for example, by the user pressing the power button 950. The control unit 8 controls the second drive source 71 so that the vertical position α of the blower unit 1 moves from vertical position α1 to vertical position α4 stored in the storage unit 52. The control unit 8 also controls the first drive source 61 so that the blower unit 1 automatically oscillates left and right. At time t8, when the vertical position α of the blower unit 1 becomes vertical position α4, the control unit 8 controls the second drive source 71 so that the vertical position α is maintained at vertical position α4.

[0070] This operation allows the user to restart the operation of the blower A1 at their preferred vertical position α (vertical position α4) immediately before stopping the operation of the blower A1. The control unit 8 may store the vertical position α at the time the user performed the stop operation, or it may store the horizontal position β. When restarting operation, the control unit 8 may control the blower 1 to the horizontal position β stored in the control unit 8.

[0071] The blower according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The specific configuration of each part of the blower according to the present invention can be modified in various ways.

[0072] A1: Blower, 1: Blower unit, 2: Base unit, 3: First base unit, 4: Second base unit, 6: First drive unit, 7: Second drive unit, 8: Control unit, 11: Fan, 12: Fan motor, 13: Cover, 14: Front cover, 15: Rear cover, 16: Motor cover, 21: Top surface of base, 31: Upper part of base, 32: Lower part of base, 33: Spacer, 36: Housing space, 51: Power supply unit, 52: Memory unit, 61: First drive source, 62: First transmission mechanism, 71: Second drive source, 72: Curved guide unit, 73: Support leg unit, 74: Support leg unit, 76: Rotating shaft unit, 91: Harness, 95: Operating device 131: Air outlet, 132: Air intake, 151: First rear cover, 152: Second rear cover, 153: Slit, 154: Curved section, 311: Through hole, 321: Main body section, 322: Wiring hole, 711: Gear section, 950: Power button, 951: Up button, 952: Down button, 953: Left button, 954: Right button, 955: Automatic up / down oscillation button, 956: Automatic left / right oscillation button, C1, C2: Center axis, N: Airflow direction, V, V1: Airflow speed, α, α1, α2, α3, α4, α5: Up / down position, β, β0, β1, β2: Left / right position

Claims

1. A blower comprising: a blower section having a shape extending in the direction of airflow; a base section that supports the blower section so that it can oscillate up and down; and a control unit that controls the airflow and the up and down oscillation of the blower section, wherein an air outlet is provided at one end of the blower section in the direction of airflow, and the control unit controls the blower section to stop in an upward position with the air outlet facing upward when the airflow of the blower section is stopped.

2. The blower according to claim 1, wherein the blower unit includes a fan and a cover housing the fan, a portion of the cover is removable in the direction of the blower, and the control unit controls the blower unit to move from an upward position to a forward-tilted position where the direction of the blower intersects the vertical direction when the blower unit starts blowing air.

3. The blower according to claim 1, wherein the blower unit is supported on the base so as to be able to oscillate left and right, the control unit further controls the left and right oscillation of the blower unit, and when the control unit stops blowing air from the blower unit at a position where the air outlet is offset from the center of the left and right oscillation, the control unit moves the air outlet toward the center of the left and right oscillation while controlling the blower unit to stop in the upward position.

4. The blower according to claim 3, further comprising an operating device including an up-and-down operating unit for operating the up-and-down oscillation of the blower unit, wherein when the up-and-down operating unit is operated while the blower unit is performing automatic up-and-down oscillation and left-and-right oscillation, the control unit continues the automatic left-and-right oscillation and causes the blower unit to oscillate up and down based on the operation of the up-and-down operating unit.

5. The blower according to claim 3, further comprising an operating device including a left / right operating unit for operating the left / right oscillation of the blower unit, wherein when the left / right operating unit is operated while the blower unit is performing automatic up / down oscillation and left / right oscillation, the control unit continues the automatic up / down oscillation and causes the blower unit to oscillate left / right based on the operation of the left / right operating unit.

6. The blower according to claim 3, further comprising a storage unit for storing the position of the blower unit in the up-and-down oscillation and the left-and-right oscillation, wherein when the control unit stops the blower unit while it is blowing air with at least one of the up-and-down oscillation and the left-and-right oscillation stopped, it stores the position of the oscillation that is stopped among the up-and-down oscillation and the left-and-right oscillation as the stop position in the storage unit, and when the blower unit resumes blowing air, it moves the blower unit to the stop position stored in the storage unit in the up-and-down oscillation or the left-and-right oscillation.

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