Folding Personal Fan Blade and Cage Dynamics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal cooling fans lack efficient solutions for compact storage and deployment, as well as adequate protection from rotating blades during use and storage.
Innovation Solution
A personal cooling fan design featuring retractable and foldable fan blades and a protective cage with longitudinal members that automatically expand and lock into place, utilizing elastic fabric and a snap-fit mechanism for safe operation and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the fan blades and protective cage are fixed in an extended position, then the protection from rotating blades is ensured, but the shipping and storage space is excessively large
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cage and fan blades are designed to dynamically change their configuration between extended (operational) and retracted (storage) states. The cage members are movable relative to the housing, allowing them to extend outward to enclose the rotating blades during operation and retract inward to minimize volume during storage and shipping.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cage members are designed to nest within the housing when retracted, with each longitudinal member fitting inside the housing structure. This nesting arrangement allows the cage to occupy minimal space during storage while providing full protection when extended.
2Volume of stationary object
If the fan blades are made retractable and foldable, then the shipping and storage space is reduced, but the protection from rotating blades during use and storage is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic positioning where the cage members automatically extend to protective positions when the fan is operational and retract when the fan is stored. This dynamic behavior ensures protection is provided exactly when needed while minimizing space when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The cage members are designed to automatically extend and lock into position when the fan is activated, without requiring manual intervention. The system self-regulates the protective state based on operational status, ensuring protection is always provided when the blades are rotating.
3Reliability
If the protective cage is made stationary and fixed, then the protection from rotating blades is ensured, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than a complex fixed structure, the invention uses simple movable cage members that can extend and retract along guided paths. This dynamic but simple mechanism provides the same protective function as a complex fixed structure while reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
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 compact shipping and storage, automatic deployment, and enhanced safety through the automatic expansion and locking of the protective cage, ensuring efficient use of space and protection from rotating blades.
Implementation Method 1
When the fan is turned on, the rotation of the shaft and therefore the race, combined with centrifugal force, causes the blades to splay, forming a radial array.
Implementation Method 2
A plurality of elastic fabric members 120 are engaged with the longitudinal members 116 and expand to form a protective cage about the rotating fan blades.
Data Source
AI summary
A personal motorized cooling fan designed to retract and fold into a vertical tower for economy of shipping, storage and desk space. Each fan blade includes a blade portion and a root portion that rides in a race that guides the blades as they splay during rotation. When the fan is turned on, the rotation of the shaft and therefore race, combined with centrifugal force, causes the blades to splay forming a radial array. A protective cage including an array of longitudinal members expands in a fan-like manner. The cage is engaged with ribbons of stretch fabric that retract and fold along with the cage and blades after use. The entire assembly folds tidily into a slender tower.