Retractable Air Guide Members for Compact Airflow Direction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air delivery appliances, such as cooling fans and air conditioners, face challenges in providing adjustable airflow while maintaining compactness and design flexibility, as they often require significant space for adjusting airflow directions.
Innovation Solution
An airflow apparatus featuring a flared bore that widens to an outlet, combined with retractable air guide members that can protrude into the flared bore to control the direction and convergence of airflow, allowing for dynamic airflow control without changing the position of the flared bore or outlet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional cooling fans swivel on a base to direct airflow in different directions, then airflow direction adjustability is improved, but the space required around the appliance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air guide members are made retractable, allowing them to dynamically change position between retracted and protruded states. This enables airflow direction control without requiring the entire appliance to move or swivel, thereby reducing the space needed around the appliance while maintaining airflow adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
The airflow control function is segmented from the main appliance body by using separate, movable air guide members. These members can be independently positioned to control airflow direction without moving the entire appliance, reducing the spatial footprint required for operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional air conditioners use adjustable grilles to control airflow direction, then airflow direction control is improved, but the compactness of the appliance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The air guide members are designed to be retractable rather than fixed, allowing the appliance to maintain a compact form when the members are retracted. When airflow direction control is needed, the members protrude to provide adjustment functionality, thus achieving both compactness and controllability.
Solution Approach 2:
The air guide members are positioned to retract into or along the walls of the flared bore, effectively nesting the control mechanism within the existing appliance structure. This minimizes the additional volume required for airflow control functionality.
3Adaptability or versatility
If air guide members protrude into the flared bore, then airflow convergence and direction control are improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retractable nature of the air guide members provides dynamic airflow control capability, allowing the system to switch between different airflow patterns (converged when protruded, diffuse when retracted). This dynamic mechanism achieves versatile control without requiring multiple separate components.
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
This solution enables compact and flexible airflow control, allowing for various airflow patterns, including focused and dispersed flows, without compromising the appliance's size or structural complexity, resulting in improved efficiency and reduced noise.
Implementation Method 1
The airflow adhering to the curved surface of the wall in this manner is a phenomenon known as the Coandă effect. The protrusion of the air guide members into the flared bore effectively interrupts the airflow following the curved surface of the wall
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, system and method for controlling airflow is described. The apparatus comprises a wall which delimits a flared bore. The apparatus further comprises at least one air guide member which retractably protrudes into the flared bore from the wall. The flared bore widens to an outlet, thereby to permit a diverging airflow to be expelled therefrom when each of the at least one air guide member is retracted. When the at least one air guide member protrudes into the flared bore, air flowing in the flared bore is guided by a surface, e.g. a concave surface, of the respective air guide member away from the wall and towards the outlet. The retractable air guide member thus enables the direction and/or degree of convergence of the air flowing out of the outlet to be controlled.