Fan apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12287091-B2
Application number	US-202218054668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2022
Priority date	Dec 7, 2021
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

In a fan apparatus that includes a passage, a switching device, and a control device, on a premise that at a state where an effective sectional area at a predetermined portion of the passage is switched to a predetermined first-area by the switching device, a value of a current flowing to the fan when a rotational speed of the fan is made to a predetermined rotational speed is defined as a first fan-current value, at a state where the effective sectional area at the predetermined portion of the passage is switched to a predetermined second-area which is larger than that of the first area by the switching device, the value of the current flowing to the fan when the rotational speed of the fan is made to the predetermined rotational speed is defined as a second fan-current value, and a ratio of the first fan-current value to the second fan-current value is defined as a detected current ratio, a control device is configured to: memorize as a standard current ratio a detected current ratio that is detected when the fan apparatus is set up; and decide a clogging degree of the passage by comparison of a detected current ratio after detection of the standard current ratio with the standard current ratio.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fan apparatus, comprising,
a passage in which a fan is interposed;
a switching device that switches an effective sectional area at a predetermined portion of the passage; and
a control device,
wherein:
on a premise that at a state where the effective sectional area at the predetermined portion of the passage is switched to a predetermined first-area by the switching device, a value of a current flowing to the fan when a rotational speed of the fan is made to a predetermined rotational speed is defined as a first fan-current value, at a state where the effective sectional area of the predetermined portion of the passage is switched to a predetermined second-area which is larger than that of the first-area by the switching device, the value of the current flowing to the fan when the rotational speed of the fan is made to the predetermined rotational speed is defined as a second fan-current value, and a ratio of the first fan-current value to the second fan-current value is defined as a detected current ratio,
the control device is configured to: memorize as a standard current ratio a detected current ratio that is detected when the fan apparatus is set up; and decide a clogging degree of the passage by comparison of a detected current ratio after detection of the standard current ratio with the standard current ratio.

2. The fan apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the detected current ratio decreases below the standard current ratio, the control device decides that the clogging degree at the predetermined portion of the passage increases and when the detected current ratio increases above the standard current ratio, the control device decides that the clogging degree at a portion, except the predetermined portion, of the passage increases.

Assignees

• Rinnai Kk

Inventors

• Noritake Katsuya

Classifications

• F23D14/02

  Premix gas burners, i.e. in which gaseous fuel is mixed with combustion air upstream of the combustion zone · CPC title

• F23N2231/26

  for clogging air inlet · CPC title

• F23N5/242

  using electronic means · CPC title

• Y02B30/70

  Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating · CPC title

• F23N3/005 Primary

  using electrical or electromechanical means (F23N3/02 - F23N3/08 take precedence) · CPC title