Ceiling Fan with Retractable Shaft for Safe Cleaning Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ceiling fans are difficult to clean due to their height, often requiring large ladders and extendable poles, which poses safety risks and convenience issues.
Innovation Solution
A ceiling fan design that includes a multi-section shaft and a pitch change mechanism, allowing the fan assembly to be lowered for easy cleaning and the blades to be rotated for thorough cleaning, with motorized control for height adjustment and pitch change via a base motor and gear system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the fan is mounted high on the ceiling, then the fan can effectively circulate air in large spaces, but the fan becomes difficult to clean and requires ladders and extendable poles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the shaft movable between extended and retracted positions. The shaft can be extended to reach high ceilings for effective air circulation, then retracted to bring the fan blades within cleaning distance. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining high mounting effectiveness and enabling easy cleaning access.
2Productivity
If the fan is mounted high on the ceiling, then the fan can effectively cool large buildings, but cleaning requires safety equipment and poses safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The movable shaft system allows the fan to operate at high mounting positions for effective building cooling while enabling safe cleaning by retracting the shaft. This eliminates the need for ladders and extendable poles, removing safety hazards while maintaining productivity during operation.
3Productivity
If the fan is mounted high on the ceiling, then the fan can effectively circulate air in bedrooms, but cleaning requires large ladders and extendable poles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a movable shaft that can be retracted to bring fan blades within cleaning distance. This eliminates the need for complex cleaning equipment such as large ladders and extendable poles, reducing device complexity while maintaining effective air circulation in bedrooms during operation.
4Ease of operation
If the fan assembly is lowered to cleaning height, then the fan can be cleaned easily, but the fan cannot operate at optimal height
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is designed to be dynamically adjustable between extended and retracted positions. When extended, the fan operates at optimal ceiling height for effective air circulation. When retracted, the fan assembly is lowered to cleaning height for easy maintenance. This dynamic system resolves the contradiction between operational effectiveness and cleaning ease.
5Adaptability or versatility
If the shaft is extended to reach high ceilings, then the fan can be installed in commercial buildings, but the fan becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The movable shaft system provides adaptability for installation at various ceiling heights including high commercial building ceilings. The shaft can be extended to reach high ceilings during installation, then retracted during maintenance to bring the fan assembly within accessible distance, resolving the contradiction between installation versatility and maintenance accessibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables safe and convenient cleaning of ceiling fans without the need for ladders or poles, improving user safety and accessibility while allowing for adjustable airflow during operation.
Implementation Method 1
the base motor raises or lowers the fan assembly by moving the multi-section shaft between the collapsed position and the extended position
Implementation Method 2
a first gear rotatable around the fan motor and a second gear meshed with the first gear and operably connected to the fan blade, the first gear driving the second gear such that movement of the second gear causes the at least one fan blade to rotate about a central axis of the at least one fan blade to change the at least one fan blade's pitch
Data Source
AI summary
A fan is disclosed. The fan includes a base mountable to a ceiling; a base motor contained in the base; a multi-section shaft operably connected to the base motor and moveable between a collapsed position and an extended position; and a fan assembly connected to the multi-section shaft and including a fan motor and at least one fan blade operably connected to the fan motor, wherein in response to a signal, the base motor raises or lowers the fan assembly by moving the multi-section shaft between the collapsed position and the extended position.