High Volume Low Speed Fan Using Direct Drive Transverse Flux Motor

Abstract

Disclosed is a high volume low speed (HVLS) fan that is designed to circulate air in large buildings for cooling, heating, and ventilation. A fan with a diameter between 8 to 24 feet consisting of a plurality of blades, with each in the shape of a tapered airfoil, is driven by a direct drive transverse flux electric motor to produce a very large slowly moving column of air. The HVLS system preferably includes motion and angular shutdown, voltage recognition, blade size recognition and data logging for recording the last 100 or so hours of operation to facilitate warranty applicability and assist in trouble shooting as well as software updates and programming via Bluetooth and internet keypad.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A fan for use in a building comprising:
 a transverse flux motor operably coupled to a plurality of struts;   a plurality of fan blades mounted to and extending outwardly from the plurality of struts;   a controller in operable communication with a user interface and the transverse flux motor.   
     
     
         2 . The fan of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to operate the transverse flux motor to provide cooling in the building in response to human input to the user interface. 
     
     
         3 . The fan of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a humidity input from a humidity sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The fan of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive a temperature input from a temperature sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The fan of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to provide automatic resumption of blade rotation when a fault code is corrected. 
     
     
         6 . The fan of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to integrate with a building management system. 
     
     
         7 . The fan of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to sense the rotational speed of the fan and confirm that the speed is within the tolerance for the selected blade diameter profile. 
     
     
         8 . A fan for use in a building comprising:
 a transverse flux motor directly coupled to a plurality of struts;   a plurality of fan blades mounted to and extending outwardly from the plurality of struts; and   a controller in operable communication with a user interface and the transverse flux motor, the controller configured to (i) operate the transverse flux motor to provide air flow in the building in response to human input through the user interface, (ii) operate the transverse flux motor to provide a high volume of low speed air in response to an input from a humidity sensor, (iii) operate the transverse flux motor to provide a high volume of low speed air in response to a temperature input from a temperature sensor, (iv) provide automatic resumption of blade rotation when a fault code is corrected, (v) receive input from a building management system, and (vi) operate the transverse flux motor with a wide range of voltage magnitude.   
     
     
         9 . The fan of  claim 8 , wherein the user interface comprises a software option for selecting the speed of rotation of the transverse flux motor. 
     
     
         10 . The fan of  claim 8 , further comprising a memory module in communication with the controller, the memory module for storing user preferred operating parameters. 
     
     
         11 . The fan of  claim 8 , wherein the controller monitors rotational speed, load and motion variations. 
     
     
         12 . The fan of  claim 8 , wherein the controller recognizes blade size. 
     
     
         13 . The fan of  claim 8 , wherein controller software updates may be uploaded through a Modbus device or Bluetooth. 
     
     
         14 . The fan of  claim 8 , wherein troubleshooting of the controller and transverse flux motor may be performed through a Modbus device. 
     
     
         15 . The fan of  claim 8 , wherein the building management system further integrates the fan with lighting, heating and cooling systems, doors and other features connected to the system. 
     
     
         16 . The fan of  claim 8 , wherein an hour meter is in operable communication with the controller for monitoring the duration of operation of the transverse flux motor. 
     
     
         17 . The fan of  claim 8 , wherein the wide range of voltage magnitude is from 110 to 636 volts. 
     
     
         18 . The fan of  claim 17 , wherein single phase or three phase voltages are recognized by the controller. 
     
     
         19 . The fan of  claim 8 , wherein the controller monitors hours of operation for warranty purposes.