Temperature displaying fan

Abstract

An electric fan assembly has a rotating fan blade mounted with an array of light emitting devices; a thermistor mounted on the fan blade and providing an analog signal corresponding to a sensed temperature, a fan blade position synchronizing switch and a microcontroller and display driver having an analog to digital converter. The microcontroller and display driver is connected to receive the signals from the thermistor and synchronizing switch and programmed to selectively power the light emitting devices when the fan blade is in a synchronized position to provide an alpha numeric display of the ambient temperature by a persistence-of-vision effect.

1 . A rotary electric fan assembly for sensing and displaying ambient environmental temperature by a persistence-of-vision effect comprising:
 a housing;   an electric motor mounted in said housing;   means for connection to a power supply;   a fan blade assembly connected for rotation by the motor;   a temperature sensor mounted on the fan blade assembly for providing an analog electrical output signal corresponding to a temperature sensed;   an LED array mounted on a fan blade so as to be swept by fan blade rotation through an area in view of a spectator;   synchronizing means for providing a synchronizing signal indicating a rotational position of the fan blade assembly;   means for receiving the analog electrical output signal from the temperature sensor and for converting the analog signal to a corresponding digital output signal; and,   a microcontroller and display driver connected to receive the digital output signal and the synchronizing signal and for providing a output selectively lighting LEDs of the array in accordance with the sensed temperature and rotational position of the fan blade assembly, so that the temperature of ambient air will be sensed and displayed in the area swept by the fan blade by the persistence-of-vision effect.   
   
   
       2 . A rotary electric fan assembly according to  claim 1  wherein the means for receiving the analog electrical output signal from the temperature sensor and for converting the analog signal to a corresponding digital output signal is combined as a package with the microcontroller. 
   
   
       3 . A rotary electric fan assembly according to  claim 1  wherein the temperature sensor is mounted on a fan blade of the fan blade assembly so that the temperature of ambient air will be sensed while passing through the fan blade assembly. 
   
   
       4 . A rotary electric fan assembly according to  claim 3  wherein the LED array, the microcontroller and display driver; and the temperature sensor are mounted on a common circuit board attached to a common fan blade. 
   
   
       5 . A rotary electric fan assembly according to  claim 4  wherein the synchronizing means comprises a phototransistor mounted on the common circuit board and a LED mounted on the housing and aligned for momentary registration with each other during each rotation of the fan blade assembly to provide the synchronizing signal. 
   
   
       6 . A rotary electric fan assembly for sensing and displaying ambient environmental temperature by a persistence-of-vision effect comprising:
 a housing;   an electric motor mounted in said housing;   means for connection to a power supply;   a fan blade assembly connected for rotation by the motor;   a temperature sensor mounted on a portion of the fan assembly at a location remote from a heat generating region for providing an analog electrical output signal corresponding to a sensed temperature;   an LED array mounted on the a fan blade so as to be swept through an area in view of a spectator by fan blade rotation;   synchronizing means for providing a signal indicating a rotational position of the fan blade assembly;   an analog to digital converter for converting the analog electric output signal from the temperature sensor into a corresponding digital output signal, and,   a microcontroller and display driver connected to receive the signals from the analog to digital converter and the synchronizing means and programmed to provide a output signal to selectively light LEDs of the array in accordance with the sensed temperature and rotational position of the fan blade assembly, so that the temperature of ambient air will be sensed and displayed in the area through which the LED array rotates by the persistence-of-vision effect.   
   
   
       7 . A rotary electric fan assembly according to  claim 1  wherein the analog to digital converter is combined as a package with the microcontroller. 
   
   
       8 . A rotary electric fan assembly for displaying information/data by a persistence-of-vision effect of a type comprising:
 a housing;   an electric motor mounted in said housing;   means for connection to a power supply;   a fan blade assembly mounted for rotation by the motor;   an LED array mounted on the fan blade so as to be swept through an area in view of a spectator by fan blade rotation;   synchronizing means for providing a signal indicating a rotational position of the fan blade assembly;   a microcontroller and display driver connected to LEDs of the array and supplied with data to be displayed and programmed to provide a digital output to selectively light LEDs in conjunction with signals from the synchronizing means to display the supplied data by the persistence-of-vision effect,   the improvement residing in that means for supplying display data to the microcontroller and display driver comprises a temperature sensor provided on a portion of the fan assembly remote from a heat generating region thereof so that the data displayed corresponds to the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor.   
   
   
       9 . A rotary electric fan assembly according to  claim 7  wherein data supplied by the temperature sensor is in analog form and the microcontroller and display driver includes an analog to digital converter. 
   
   
       10 . An electric fan assembly for displaying information/data by a persistence-of-vision effect of a type having a rotating fan blade mounted with an array of light emitting devices; a data supply; a fan blade position synchronizing switch; and, a microcontroller and display driver connected to the data supply and to the synchronizing switch so as to selectively power the light emitting devices to display the data in an area swept by the fan blade during rotation by a persistence-of-vision effect, wherein the data is supplied by a temperature sensor mounted on a portion of the electric fan assembly remote from a heat generating region thereof so that the ambient air temperature is displayed.