Adjustable Air Moving Device for Sloped Ceiling Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air moving devices struggle to effectively destratify air temperature in enclosures with sloped ceilings or walls, as existing solutions face challenges in tilting and installing devices close to these surfaces without compromising ceiling clearance or achieving desired airflow directions.
Innovation Solution
An air moving device with an adjustable housing and tilt mechanism, featuring flexible connectors and anchors, allows for vertical alignment and tilting to direct air perpendicular to the floor, accommodating slanted or horizontal installations and varying tilt angles without hinges, using a mount with tracks and apertures for adjustable support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the air moving device is mounted directly to a slanted ceiling or wall, then the installation is simple, but the device cannot achieve vertical alignment and proper airflow direction
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into separate components: a mounting plate that attaches to the ceiling/wall and adjustable supports that connect the plate to the housing. This segmentation allows the mounting plate to handle the slanted surface while the supports provide vertical alignment, resolving the contradiction between simple installation and proper alignment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable supports incorporate telescoping mechanisms with locking features, allowing the distance between the mounting plate and housing to be modified. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the device to achieve vertical alignment on slanted surfaces while maintaining installation simplicity through a modular, easy-to-adjust system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the housing distance from the ceiling is increased to accommodate tilting, then alignment is improved, but ceiling clearance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping supports with locking mechanisms enable dynamic adjustment of the housing distance from the ceiling. Users can set the optimal distance that maintains adequate ceiling clearance while achieving proper vertical alignment, resolving the contradiction between alignment capability and clearance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing the geometric parameters of the installation, specifically the distance between the mounting plate and housing, to optimize both ceiling clearance and vertical alignment. This parameter adjustment capability resolves the contradiction by enabling flexible adaptation to different ceiling heights and slopes.
3Device complexity
If fixed supports are used, then the structure is simple, but adjustment for vertical alignment is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The supports transition from fixed to adjustable through telescoping sections with locking mechanisms. This dynamic design allows the supports to maintain structural simplicity while enabling tilt adjustment capability, resolving the contradiction between structural complexity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system incorporates circular tracks or slots that guide the adjustment movement, providing a simple curved path that enables tilt adjustment without complex mechanical linkages. This approach maintains structural simplicity while achieving the required adaptability for vertical alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
An air moving device according to the present disclosure can include a housing and an installation hub. The housing can be connected to the installation hub via one or more adjustable supports. An impeller can be installed at least partially in the housing and configured to direct air out of the housing. In some embodiments, the adjustable supports can be adjusted to move the housing with respect to the installation hub. For example, the adjustable supports can be configured to modify the tilt of the housing and/or the overall distance between the housing and the installation hub. The installation hub can be installed on a ceiling, wall, or other mounting surface. Adjustment of the adjustable supports can permit vertical alignment of the air moving device housing, even when the installation hub is mounted to a slanted or sloped (e.g., non-horizontal) ceiling or wall.