Range Hood Air Inlet Segmentation to Prevent Fan Inlet Turbulence
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Solution Overview
Problem
The operation efficiency of range hoods is reduced due to airflow turbulence at the air inlet, caused by smoke moving along the inner wall from different angles, leading to increased air resistance.
Innovation Solution
A spacer is introduced to divide the air inlet area into multiple sub-areas, guiding airflow from different directions into the fan in a dispersed manner, preventing turbulence and reducing air resistance by adjusting the position and size of these sub-areas based on smoke flow rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If smoke moves along the inner wall from different angles to the air inlet, then the smoke can be drawn in from multiple directions, but airflow turbulence is produced at the air inlet which increases air resistance and reduces operation efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlet area is segmented into multiple air inlet sub-areas by the spacer, with each sub-area receiving airflow from different directions. This segmentation allows the range hood to maintain multi-directional smoke intake capability while preventing turbulence by directing each segmented airflow stream separately into the fan, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and productivity
2Quantity of substance
If multiple airflows from different directions converge at the air inlet, then comprehensive smoke coverage is achieved, but air resistance increases due to turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer acts as an intermediary component between the multiple airflow streams and the fan air inlet. It divides the converging airflows into separate sub-areas, mediating the interaction between different airflow directions and preventing direct turbulence. This allows comprehensive smoke coverage to be maintained while significantly reducing air resistance by eliminating turbulent convergence
3Area of stationary object
If the air inlet area is kept large to improve smoke intake, then more smoke can be captured, but turbulence increases when airflows from different angles intersect
Solution Approach 1:
The large air inlet area is segmented into multiple sub-areas by the spacer, allowing each sub-area to handle airflow from specific directions without interference. This segmentation maintains the overall large inlet area for comprehensive smoke capture while preventing turbulence by isolating different airflow streams, thus preserving both the area benefit and operational efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a range hood, including: a case provided with a smoke inlet; and a fan provided inside the case. An air inlet area is formed between an air inlet of the fan and a side wall of the case, the air inlet area is provided with a spacer, and the spacer is configured to divide the air inlet area into at least two air inlet sub-areas. The air inlet sub-areas are located at different positions of the air inlet area. The airflow entering the case from the smoke inlet flows to the air inlet of the fan, and the airflow flows to the sub-air inlet area in different directions. The space blocks airflows in different directions, to prevent turbulence at the intersection of airflows in different directions.