Apparatus, system and method for controlling airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air delivery appliances face challenges in providing adjustable airflow while maintaining compactness, as they often require significant space for adjustment mechanisms, compromising design flexibility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An airflow apparatus with a flared bore and retractable air guide members that can protrude into the bore to control airflow direction and convergence, allowing for dynamic airflow patterns without changing the appliance's position, using a wall with a curved surface and a mechanism for independent retraction and protrusion of air guide members.
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 space required around the appliance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air guide member is made movable within the housing, transitioning between retracted and protruded positions to dynamically adjust airflow direction. This internal movement mechanism eliminates the need for external swiveling space while maintaining airflow directionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of moving the entire fan assembly in horizontal or vertical planes (requiring lateral space), the invention moves the air guide member along the axial dimension within the housing. This dimensional shift allows airflow direction control without occupying additional external space.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional air conditioning appliances use adjustable grilles to control airflow direction, then airflow direction control is improved, but compactness of the appliance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The air guide member is nested within the housing structure, moving internally along the axial direction. This nesting approach allows the airflow control mechanism to be contained within the existing appliance volume, maintaining compactness while providing adjustable airflow direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable air guide member provides dynamic airflow direction control within the fixed housing volume, eliminating the need for external adjustable grilles that would increase the appliance's overall volume.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the flared bore outlet position is changed to control airflow direction, then airflow direction control is improved, but design flexibility and compactness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The airflow direction control function is extracted from the fixed flared bore structure and assigned to a separate, movable air guide member. This separation allows the flared bore to remain stationary while the air guide member independently adjusts airflow direction, maintaining design simplicity and flexibility.
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 and flexible design with controlled airflow direction and convergence, reducing noise and turbulence, and allowing for various airflow patterns such as focused, dispersed, or tilted flows, enhancing operational efficiency and user control.
Implementation Method 1
The airflow adhering to the curved surface of the wall in this manner is a phenomenon known as the Coand effect.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an airflow apparatus (100) for controlling the direction and/or degree of convergence of air flowing from an outlet (102). The apparatus comprises a wall (104) which delimits a flared bore (106). The apparatus further comprises at least one air guide member (108A; 108B; 108C; 110A; 110B; 110C) which retractably protrudes into the flared bore from the wall. The flared bore widens to the 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. Further provided is a system comprising the apparatus and a controller for controlling the protrusion/retraction of the at least one air guide member. A method of operating the airflow apparatus is also disclosed.