JP7800720B2 - blower - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a blower.

A typical blower comprises a blower unit equipped with a fan and a support unit that supports the blower unit. One such blower, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, is a fan in which the blower unit's up/down and lateral reciprocating motion is performed on independent rotation axes, allowing for up/down and lateral reciprocating motion at any desired center position and reciprocating range. With such a fan, operating the control device allows for the start or stop of up/down reciprocating motion control, the start or stop of lateral reciprocating motion control, adjustment of the center position of rotation, and adjustment of the reciprocating range, etc.

JP 2016-98740 A

Air blowers are used, for example, to blow air at people within their reach, or to direct the air from the blower at laundry to dry it efficiently.

However, in the fan disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the air blower only moves back and forth horizontally, the trajectory of the intersection between the air blow direction and the target on any vertical plane in front of the air blowing range draws an arc shape that moves upward the farther it is from the center of rotation. Therefore, when an object to be blown, such as laundry or a person, is placed on any vertical plane in front of the air blowing range, the way the air hits the target will vary depending on the horizontal rotation angle.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above issues and aims to reduce differences in the way wind hits the vehicle.

The blower of the present disclosure includes a blower unit that blows air in a blowing direction determined by a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle, a horizontal rotation unit that rotates the blower unit about a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle, a vertical rotation unit that rotates the blower unit about a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle, a control unit that operates an angle interlocking mode that controls the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit, and a horizontal rotation angle detection unit that detects the horizontal rotation angle, wherein the horizontal rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the direction of a vector obtained by projecting the blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a predetermined reference direction, and the vertical rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the blowing direction and the plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis, and in the angle interlocking mode, when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, the vertical rotation angle is not 0 degrees, but the horizontal rotation angle detected by the horizontal rotation angle detection unit is obtained, and the vertical rotation unit is controlled so that the vertical rotation angle decreases as the obtained horizontal rotation angle increases.
The blower of the present disclosure includes a blower unit that blows air in a blowing direction determined by a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle, a horizontal rotation unit that rotates the blower unit about a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle, a vertical rotation unit that rotates the blower unit about a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle, and a control unit that operates in an angle interlocking mode to control the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit, wherein the horizontal rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the direction of a vector obtained by projecting the blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a predetermined reference direction, and the vertical rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the blowing direction and the plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis, and the control unit controls the vertical rotation unit in the angle interlocking mode so that the distance from the intersection of the blowing direction and a blowing target on a plane perpendicular to the horizontal reference direction that is a predetermined distance away from the blower unit when the vertical rotation angle is 0 to the intersection of the blowing direction and the blowing target when the vertical rotation angle is greater than 0 remains constant even when the horizontal rotation angle changes.
The blower of the present disclosure includes a blower unit that blows air in a blowing direction determined by a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle, a horizontal rotation unit that rotates the blower unit about a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle, a vertical rotation unit that rotates the blower unit about a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle, a control unit that controls the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit in an angle interlocking mode and a fixed vertical rotation angle mode that controls the vertical rotation angle to be constant regardless of the horizontal rotation angle, and an operation unit that accepts user operations . The horizontal rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the direction of a vector projecting the airflow direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a predetermined reference direction, and the vertical rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the airflow direction and a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis.By operating the operating unit, the angle linked mode and the vertical rotation angle fixed mode are switched, and in the angle linked mode, the vertical rotation angle is not 0 degrees when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, and the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is not 0 degrees is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees.

This disclosure has the effect of reducing differences in the way the wind hits objects on a vertical plane in front of the air flow range.

1 is a perspective view of a blower according to a first embodiment. 10 is a vector diagram showing the air blowing direction of the blower according to the first embodiment. 3A and 3B are views showing the inside of the base and the support of the blower according to the first embodiment; 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an operation unit of the blower according to the first embodiment. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the inside of the blower unit and the support column of the blower according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a computer of the blower according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the blower according to the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart relating to control of an angle interlocking mode of the blower according to the first embodiment. 10 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to the first embodiment is 0. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the blower according to the first embodiment taken along line AA in FIG. 9. 1 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to the first embodiment is θ. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the blower according to the first embodiment taken along the line BB in FIG. 11. 10 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to the first embodiment is θ1. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the blower according to the first embodiment taken along the line CC in FIG. 13. 10 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to the first embodiment is θ2. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the blower according to the first embodiment taken along the line DD in FIG. 15. 10 is a calculation example showing the relationship between a horizontal rotation angle θ and a vertical rotation angle δ according to the first embodiment. 14 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the CC cross-sectional view of FIG. 13 when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to the comparative example is θ1. 16 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 15 when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to the comparative example is θ2. 10 is a plan view of the YZ plane showing an example of the operation of the blower according to the second embodiment. FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a vertical rotation angle in the XZ plane of the blower according to the second embodiment.

The following describes in detail a blower according to an embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blower according to a first embodiment. In FIG. 1, coordinates are shown in a Cartesian coordinate system, with the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis perpendicular to one another. The overall configuration of blower 1 will be described using FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, blower 1 includes a blower unit 100 that generates air, a support unit 101 that supports the blower unit, a base unit 102 that supports blower unit 100 and support unit 101, and a protection unit 103 that protects fan 16, which is part of blower unit 100. Note that support unit 101 and base unit 102 of blower 1 according to the first embodiment correspond to a support unit that supports the blower unit.

As shown in Figure 1, the disc-shaped base 102 supports the blower 100 and the support column 101. The base 102 also has an operation unit 19 that can be used to switch on and off the blower 1, adjust the air volume, and adjust the vertical and horizontal rotation. Adjusting the rotation can include, for example, changing the rotation speed, rotation range, and rotation center. The base 102 also has a casing exposed to the outside, and the inside of the casing has a horizontal rotation unit 31 and a horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32, which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the support column 101 is cylindrical and supports the blower unit 100 at a position higher than the floor. A height adjustment button 26 is provided on the support column 101. The user can adjust the height to the desired level and use the blower 1 by pressing the height adjustment button 26 to raise or lower the support column 101, aligning it with one of the multiple protrusions on the support column 101, and then releasing the height adjustment button 26. The support column 101 is also rotatable laterally about a rotation axis AX1 relative to the base 102. In embodiment 1, the rotation axis AX1 is parallel to the Z-axis. With this configuration, the blower unit 100 and the support column 101 rotate laterally within a reciprocating range, which is their rotation range. The horizontal rotation section 31 of the blower unit 100 will be described later.

The blower unit 100 blows air in a direction determined by the horizontal and vertical rotation angles. As shown in FIG. 1, the blower unit 100 includes a fan 16 and a fan motor (not shown). The fan motor rotates the fan 16 around the rotation axis AX3, and as the fan 16 rotates, it blows air in a direction parallel to the rotation axis AX3. In other words, in the blower 1 according to embodiment 1, the direction parallel to the rotation axis AX3 corresponds to the blowing direction. The fan 16 blows air by rotating an impeller. The fan 16 uses an axial flow fan with blades attached to the center of the frame, drawing air from the rear of the blades and expelling it to the front. This is because efficient airflow can be achieved by directly facing the blower and the target. Furthermore, the fan 16 is not limited to the simple propeller shape shown in FIG. 1; it may also be a counter-rotating fan or a reversible flow fan. The fan motor receives signals from the fan control unit 30a to drive, stop, and change the rotation speed. The fan motor has a cover 18 that covers the motor and the vertical rotation unit 33. The blower unit 100 is mounted on the support 101 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction about a rotation axis AX2 in FIG. 1 . In the first embodiment, the rotation axis AX2 is parallel to the Y-axis. The rotation axis AX2, which corresponds to the vertical rotation axis, is perpendicular to the rotation axis AX1, which corresponds to the horizontal rotation axis. For the sake of explanation, in the blower 1 of the first embodiment, the rotation axis AX3, which is the center of rotation of the fan 16, intersects with the intersection of the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2, regardless of the vertical rotation angle, which will be described later.

The protective part 103 is a part that covers the fan 16 and prevents, for example, the user's hands or foreign objects from coming into contact with the fan 16. The protective part 103 has multiple wires that extend radially. A certain gap is provided between adjacent wires. The wind generated by the rotation of the fan 16 is blown out through the gaps formed in the protective part 103.

Figure 2 is a vector diagram showing the airflow direction of the blower according to embodiment 1. The horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle of the blower according to embodiment 1 will be explained using Figure 2. The components of the airflow direction vector Q in the XYZ-axis direction are (QX1, QY1, QZ1). The airflow vector obtained by projecting the airflow direction vector Q in Figure 2 onto a plane (corresponding to the XY plane) perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis (rotation axis AX1) is QXY1. The components of QXY1 are (QX1, QY1, 0). In embodiment 1, the horizontal rotation angle is the absolute value θ of the angle between QXY1 and a predetermined reference direction. The components of the reference direction vector are (1, 0, 0). Therefore, the horizontal rotation angle is greater than 0 degrees whether the angle between QXY1 and the predetermined reference direction is a positive value or a negative value. For the sake of explanation, in FIG. 2 , the reference direction is set to a direction perpendicular to the YZ plane, i.e., the positive direction of the X-axis, but this is not limiting. The reference direction is determined in advance by, for example, the designer of the blower 1. In the first embodiment, the vertical rotation angle is the absolute value δ of the angle between the airflow direction vector Q in FIG. 2 and a plane (corresponding to the XY plane) perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis (AX1). The vertical rotation angle is equal to the angle between the airflow direction vector Q and QXY1. Therefore, the vertical rotation angle is greater than 0 degrees whether the angle between the airflow direction and the plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis is positive or negative.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing the inside of the base and support of the blower according to embodiment 1. For the sake of explanation, the casing of the base 102 is not shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the base 102 has a horizontal rotation section 31 and a horizontal rotation angle detection section 32 inside the casing. The horizontal rotation section 31 has a gear 10, a bearing 15, and a horizontal rotation motor 12 having a gear 11. The horizontal rotation angle detection section 32 has a detection plate 13 and a sensor 14.

Bearing 15 is provided at the base-side end of support portion 101. Support portion 101 is rotatably held relative to base portion 102 via bearing 15. Gear 10 is provided at the base-side tip of support portion 101. The axis of rotation of gear 10 coincides with AX1, the lateral axis of rotation of the support portion. Gear 11 is provided on base portion 102 and engages with gear 10. When driven by lateral rotation motor 12, support portion 101 rotates horizontally.

The horizontal rotation motor 12 is a stepping motor mounted on the base 102. The horizontal rotation motor 12 can change its rotation speed and center of rotation using pulse signals from the horizontal rotation control unit 30b.

The detection plate 13 is provided on the support section 101 and is located above the gear 10 at the side end of the base section. The detection plate 13 has slits for position detection. The sensor 14 is provided on the base section 102 and reads the position detection slits. The sensor 14 detects the horizontal rotation angle of the support section 101 based on the number of slits it reads, similar to existing sensors that detect rotation angles.

The control unit 30 is, for example, a control circuit composed of circuits, and controls the blower 1. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 described below, the control unit 30 has a fan control unit 30a, a horizontal rotation control unit 30b, and a vertical rotation control unit 30c. Each control unit controls the fan motor, the horizontal rotation motor 12, and the vertical rotation motor 22, respectively.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the operation unit of the blower according to embodiment 1. The configuration of the operation unit 19 will be explained using Figure 4. The operation unit 19 has a power switch 311, an airflow increase switch 312, an airflow decrease switch 313, a horizontal rotation switch 314, a vertical rotation switch 315, a center position change switch 316, and a rotation range change switch 317. The power switch 311 faces the front of the blower 1. The center position change switch 316 is a switch that changes the rotation center position of the blower unit 100, and includes a left direction change switch 316a, a right direction change switch 316b, an up direction change switch 316c, and a down direction change switch 316d. The rotation range change switch 317 has a horizontal rotation range change switch 317a and a vertical rotation range change switch 317b.

The operation of the control unit 30 will be explained for each switch. When the user presses the power switch 311 while the blower 1 is turned off, the control unit 30 starts driving the fan motor. Furthermore, when the user presses the power switch 311 while the blower 1 is turned on, the control unit 30 stops driving the fan motor. When the user presses the airflow increase switch 312 or the airflow decrease switch 313, the control unit 30 changes the rotation speed of the fan motor in accordance with the command. When the user presses the vertical rotation switch 315 while the blower 1 is not rotating vertically, the control unit 30 drives the vertical rotation motor 22 to rotate the blower 1 clockwise to a predetermined angle around the rotation axis AX2, then return it to the reference direction, further rotate counterclockwise to a predetermined angle, and then return it to the reference direction. When the user presses the horizontal rotation switch 314 while the blower 1 is not rotating horizontally, the control unit 30 drives the horizontal rotation motor 12 to perform automatic horizontal rotation, which involves rotating the blower unit 100 clockwise to a predetermined angle around the reference direction, with the front direction of the blower unit 100 as the reference direction, then returning it to the reference direction, rotating it counterclockwise to a predetermined angle, and then returning it to the reference direction.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the interior of the blower unit and the support column of the blower according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. Note that for the sake of explanation, the cover 18 of the blower unit 100 is not shown in Figure 5.

The vertical rotation unit 33 and vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 of the blower unit 100 will be described using Figure 5. The vertical rotation unit 33 of the blower unit 100 has a rotating shaft 25, a vertical rotation motor 22 with a gear 21, and a gear 20. The vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 of the blower unit 100 has a detection plate 23 and a sensor 24.

The rotating shaft 25 is an axis that enables vertical rotation of the blower unit 100. The rotating shaft 25 rotatably holds the blower unit 100 relative to the support unit 101. The gear 20 is provided on the support unit 101. The vertical rotation motor 22 with the gear 21 is fixed to the blower unit, and by engaging with and driving the gear 20, the blower unit 100 rotates vertically.

The vertical rotation motor 22 is a stepping motor, and its properties are similar to those of the horizontal rotation motor 12 described above. The vertical rotation motor 22 can change its rotation speed and center of rotation using pulse signals from the vertical rotation control unit 30c.

The detection plate 23 is provided at the end of the support section 101 on the blower side and has a slit for position detection. The sensor 24 is provided in the blower section 100 and reads the slit in the detection plate 23. The control section 30 is provided on the base section 102.

Sensor 24 is a slit sensor, and the method for detecting its rotation angle is the same as that of sensor 14 described above.

The control unit 30 controls the blower 1 in two modes: a fixed vertical rotation angle mode, in which the horizontal and vertical rotation angles of the blower 1 are not linked, and an angle linkage mode, in which the horizontal and vertical rotation angles of the blower 1 are linked. In particular, in the angle linkage mode, the horizontal and vertical rotation angles of the blower unit 100 detected by the sensors 14 and 24, respectively, are acquired, and the vertical rotation motor 22 is driven to control the vertical rotation angle based on the acquired horizontal rotation angle. In addition, in the angle linkage mode, the vertical distance at the position where the wind reaches the blowing target 210, i.e., the vertical height, is controlled to be constant. In the angle linkage mode, the condition 0 degrees < θ < 90 degrees is satisfied except when the horizontal rotation angle θ returns to the reference direction.

The blown object 210 is an object to which the blower 1 blows air. The blown object 210 may have a length at least parallel to the rotation axis AX2, i.e., in the Y-axis direction. For example, a piece of laundry hanging from a clothesline extending parallel to the rotation axis AX2. Also, if multiple objects are lined up in a row parallel to the rotation axis AX2, those multiple objects may be considered a single blown object 210. For example, small pieces of laundry or people lined up in a row in the Y-axis direction may be used.

Figure 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of the computer of the blower according to embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 6, the computer of the blower according to embodiment 1 is a microcontroller mounted on an electronic circuit. The computer includes a processor 40, memory 41, memory 42, and a hardware interface 43. These components are connected via a bus 44.

Memory 41 stores programs executed by the processor. Memory 41 is also used as a work area for processor 40. In the angle interlocking mode of embodiment 1, memory 41 stores a program related to the method of controlling the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100. Memory 41 is a non-volatile memory, such as a ROM (Read Only Memory).

Memory 42 reads and stores information necessary for program execution. In the angle interlocking mode of embodiment 1, information on the horizontal rotation angle and vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 is read and stored. Memory 42 is a volatile memory, such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Here, memory 42 stores the distance X0 from the intersection of the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the rotation axis AX2 to the target 210, in a direction perpendicular to a plane parallel to the horizontal rotation axis AX1 and the vertical rotation axis AX2, i.e., parallel to the X-axis direction. Distance X0 is predetermined by the designer of blower 1. Distance X0 is communicated to the user by means of being included in the instruction manual or other means.

The processor 40 executes a program stored in the memory 41. In the angle interlocking mode of embodiment 1, the controller 30 executes vertical rotation angle control of the blower 1, thereby controlling the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100. The processor 40 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

The hardware interface 43 connects the computer to the switches of sensor 14, sensor 24, and operation receiving unit 19a, and sends and receives signals.

Figure 7 is a functional block diagram of the blower 1 according to embodiment 1. The functional configuration of the blower unit 100 will be explained using Figure 7.

The blower 1 has at least one operation unit 19. The operation unit 19 includes an operation receiving unit 19a and an operation transmitting unit 19b. The operation receiving unit 19a receives a signal containing a command when a user presses a switch. The operation transmitting unit 19b acquires the signal received by the operation receiving unit 19a and transmits the signal to the control unit 30 related to the operation.

The control unit 30 has a fan control unit 30a that controls the operation of the fan, a horizontal rotation control unit 30b that controls the horizontal rotation, and a vertical rotation control unit 30c that controls the vertical rotation of the blower unit 100.

The fan control unit 30a receives signals from the operation transmission unit 19b and transmits control signals to the fan motor to perform the above-mentioned control. These signals cause the fan motor to start and stop operation and change its rotation speed.

The horizontal rotation control unit 30b receives a signal from the operation transmission unit 19b and transmits a control signal to the horizontal rotation motor 12 to perform control that matches the operation content. This signal causes the horizontal rotation motor 12 to start and stop driving, change the horizontal rotation center, and change the horizontal rotation range.

The vertical rotation control unit 30c receives a signal from the operation transmission unit 19b and transmits a control signal to the vertical rotation motor 22 to perform control that matches the operation content. This signal causes the vertical rotation motor 22 to start and stop driving, change the center of vertical rotation, and change the vertical rotation range.

Specific commands issued by the operation transmission unit 19b are described below. When the user presses the power switch 311 while the blower 1 is not turned on, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the fan control unit 30a to start fan rotation. Furthermore, when the user presses the power switch 311 while the blower 1 is turned on, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the fan control unit 30a to stop fan rotation. When the user presses the airflow increase switch 312, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the fan control unit 30a to increase the fan rotation speed. Furthermore, when the airflow decrease switch 313 is pressed, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the fan control unit 30a to decrease the fan rotation speed. When the user presses the horizontal rotation switch 314 while the blower 1 is not rotating horizontally, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b to start horizontal rotation of the support column 101. Furthermore, when the user presses the horizontal rotation switch 314 while the blower 1 is rotating horizontally, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b to stop the horizontal rotation of the support unit 101. When the user presses the left direction change switch 316a, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b to change the center of horizontal rotation of the support unit 101 to the left. When the user presses the right direction change switch 316b, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b to change the center of horizontal rotation of the support unit 101 to the right. When the user presses the + button of the horizontal rotation range change switch 317a, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b to expand the horizontal rotation range of the support unit 101. Furthermore, when the - button of the horizontal rotation range change switch 317a is pressed, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b a signal to reduce the horizontal rotation range of the support unit 101. When the vertical rotation switch 315 is pressed by the user while the blower 1 is not rotating vertically, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits to the vertical rotation control unit 30c a signal to start the vertical rotation of the blower unit 100. When the vertical rotation switch 315 is pressed by the user while the blower 1 is rotating vertically, the operation transmitting unit 19b transmits to the vertical rotation control unit 30c a signal to stop the vertical rotation of the blower unit 100. When the upward direction change switch 316c is pressed by the user, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the vertical rotation control unit 30c to change the vertical rotation center of the blower unit 100 to an upward direction.Furthermore, when the downward direction change switch 316d is pressed, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to the vertical rotation control unit 30c to change the vertical rotation center of the blower unit 100 to a downward direction.

When the blower 1 is in fixed vertical rotation angle mode and the user operates the blower 1 in angle interlocking mode, the operation transmission unit 19b transmits a signal to operate the blower 1 in angle interlocking mode to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b and the vertical rotation control unit 30c. In the blower 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation to operate the blower 1 in angle interlocking mode is performed by the user pressing and holding the horizontal rotation switch 314. The horizontal rotation control unit 30b and the vertical rotation control unit 30c, which have received the signal to operate the blower 1 in angle interlocking mode, execute control in the angle interlocking mode, which will be described later. Furthermore, in the blower 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the blower 1 is in angle interlocking operation mode, the user pressing and holding the horizontal rotation switch 314 causes the operation transmission unit 19b to transmit a signal to operate the blower 1 in fixed vertical rotation angle mode to the horizontal rotation control unit 30b and the vertical rotation control unit 30c. Upon receiving the signal to operate the blower 1 in the fixed vertical rotation angle mode, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b and the vertical rotation control unit 30c end the control in the angle interlocking mode, which will be described later.

In addition, before the user presses and holds the horizontal rotation switch 314 to operate the blower 1 in angle interlocking mode, the user moves the blower so that the following two conditions are met. The first condition is that the blower unit 100 faces the target 210 in the reference direction. The second condition is that the distance from the intersection of the rotation axis AX1 and the rotation axis AX2 to the target 210 when the plane parallel to the rotation axis AX1 and the rotation axis AX2 is parallel to a direction perpendicular to the plane is the distance X0 stored in memory 42.

Figure 8 is a flowchart relating to the control of the angle interlocking mode of the blower according to embodiment 1. Next, the detailed control content of the angle interlocking mode will be explained using Figure 8. The flowchart in Figure 8 starts after the user moves the blower 1 so that the blower unit 100 in the reference direction faces the target 210.

Step S100 is processed when the angle linkage mode is started. In step S100, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b moves the position of the horizontal rotation axis of the blower unit 100 in a predetermined reference direction. Step S100 ends after the position of the horizontal rotation axis of the blower unit 100 has been moved in the reference direction.

Step S101 is performed when step S100 is completed. In step S101, the vertical rotation control unit 30c acquires a reference vertical rotation angle δ0. The reference vertical rotation angle δ0 acquired in step S101 is the vertical rotation angle when the direction of the horizontal rotation angle matches the reference direction. Step S101 ends when the vertical rotation control unit 30c acquires the reference vertical rotation angle δ0.

Step S102 is performed when step S101 is completed. In step S102, the horizontal rotation control unit 30b drives the horizontal rotation motor 12, thereby starting automatic horizontal rotation of the support unit 101. Step S102 ends when the horizontal rotation motor 12 starts automatic horizontal rotation.

Step S103 is performed when step S102 is completed. In step S103, the horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 acquires the horizontal rotation angle θ, which is the angle relative to the reference direction acquired in step S101. Step S103 ends when the horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 acquires the horizontal rotation angle of the support unit 101.

Step S104 is processed when the horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 detects the horizontal rotation angle of the support unit 101. In step S104, the vertical rotation control unit 30c determines the vertical rotation angle δ. Step S104 ends when the vertical rotation angle is determined.

Step S105 is processed when the vertical rotation angle is determined by the vertical rotation control unit 30c. In step S105, the vertical rotation control unit 30c drives the vertical rotation motor 22 so that the vertical rotation angle of the blower unit 100 matches the vertical rotation angle δ determined in step S104. Step S105 ends when the vertical rotation motor 22 is driven and the vertical rotation angle moves to the angle determined in step S104.

After step S105 is completed, the blower 1 performs step S103. In other words, while the blower 1 is operating in the angle interlocking mode, it repeatedly performs the processes from step S103 to step S105. The angle interlocking mode can be ended, for example, by pressing and holding the horizontal rotation switch 314.

Figure 9 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to embodiment 1 is 0. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the blower according to embodiment 1 taken along line A-A in Figure 9. Figure 11 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to embodiment 1 is θ. Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the blower according to embodiment 1 taken along line B-B in Figure 11. The calculation of the vertical rotation angle δ of the blower unit performed in step S104 will be explained in detail using Figures 9 to 12. Note that, as in Figure 1, coordinates in Figures 9 to 12 are shown in a Cartesian coordinate system, with the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis orthogonal to each other. Furthermore, the hollow arrows in Figures 9 to 11 indicate the direction of the air blown from blower 1.

First, as described above, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 and the reference vertical rotation angle is δ0, the distance from the intersection of the rotation axes AX1 and AX2 to the target 210 is determined by the user to be X0, i.e., parallel to the X-axis direction, when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 and the plane parallel to the rotation axes AX1 and AX2 is perpendicular to the X-axis direction. Here, the intersection of the rotation axes AX1 and AX2 is designated as point Or. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the target 210 facing the fan 1 when the vertical rotation angle is δ0 is designated as point P1. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the target 210 facing the fan 1 when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 and the vertical rotation angle is 0 is designated as point P0. Furthermore, the distance in the Z-axis direction from point P0 to point P1 is designated as Z0. In this case, the relationship shown in Equation 1 holds.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is 0, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 1 side of the blowing target 210 is defined as point Q0. Also, as shown in Figure 12, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ and the vertical rotation angle is δ, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 1 side of the blowing target 210 is defined as point Q. As shown in Figure 11, the distance from Or to Q0 on the XY plane is defined as LQ. In this case, the relationship shown in equation 2 holds.

In the angle interlocking mode, the vertical height is controlled to be constant, so the distance in the Z-axis direction from Q0 to Q shown in Figure 12 is Z0. In this case, the relationship shown in equation 3 holds.

When equation 2 is substituted into equation 3, the relationship shown in equation 4 is established.

Then, by substituting equation 1 into equation 4 and rearranging, the relationship shown in equation 5 is established.

Rearranging Equation 5 yields the formula shown in Equation 6. Therefore, in step S104, the vertical rotation angle δ is calculated to satisfy Equation 6. Note that arctan in Equation 6 refers to arc tangent. As shown in Equation 6, the argument of arc tangent is the value obtained by multiplying tan(δ0) by cos(θ). Here, θ satisfies the relationship 0 degrees < θ < 90 degrees, so cos(θ) is always greater than 0 and less than 1. Therefore, from Equations 5 and 6, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ, the vertical rotation angle δ is always smaller than the reference vertical rotation angle δ0.

As described above, in the angle linkage mode, the control unit 30 performs control in accordance with the flowchart of Figure 8, so that on a plane perpendicular to the reference direction a predetermined distance away from the blower unit 100, i.e., on the surface of the blower 1 side of the blower target 210, the trajectory of the intersection between the blowing direction and the blowing target 210 becomes linear.

Figure 13 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to embodiment 1 is θ1. Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in Figure 13 of the blower according to embodiment 1. Figure 15 is a plan view of the XY plane when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to embodiment 1 is θ2. Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along D-D in Figure 15 of the blower according to embodiment 1. Using Figures 13 to 16, the linkage between the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle in the angle linkage mode will be explained in detail. Here, θ1 and θ2 are assumed to satisfy the relationship 0 degrees < θ1 < θ2 < 90 degrees.

As shown in Figures 13 and 14, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ1 and the vertical rotation angle is 0, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 1 side of the blower target 210 is defined as point Q10. Also, as shown in Figure 14, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ1 and the vertical rotation angle is δ1, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 1 side of the blower target 210 is defined as point Q1. Also, as shown in Figure 13, the distance from Or to Q10 on the XY plane is defined as LQ1.

As shown in Figures 15 and 16, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ2 and the vertical rotation angle is 0, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 1 side of the blowing target 210 is defined as point Q20. Also, as shown in Figure 16, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ2 and the vertical rotation angle is δ2, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 1 side of the blowing target 210 is defined as point Q2. Also, as shown in Figure 15, the distance from Or to Q20 in the XY plane is defined as LQ2.

In addition, in equation 6, the larger the argument, the larger the arctangent's value, and the larger the horizontal rotation angle θ, the smaller the argument. In other words, the larger the horizontal rotation angle θ, the smaller the value of δ, which is the left side of equation 6. Therefore, the relationship θ1 < θ2 leads to the relationship δ1 > δ2.

Figure 17 shows an example calculation showing the relationship between the rotation angle θ and the vertical rotation angle δ when X1 = 1 m and Z1 = 0.5 m. As shown in Figure 17, the vertical rotation angle δ reaches its maximum value when the rotation angle θ is 0, and as the value of θ increases, the vertical rotation angle δ is controlled to decrease.

Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the CC cross-sectional view of Figure 13 when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower in the comparative example is θ1. Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the D-D cross-sectional view of Figure 15 when the horizontal rotation angle of the blower in the comparative example is θ2. Using Figures 18 and 19, the effects achieved by the blower in embodiment 1 will be explained in comparison with the comparative example.

The blower 300 of the comparative example is similar to the blower 1 of embodiment 1, except that it does not perform control corresponding to the angle linkage mode and maintains the vertical rotation angle at δ0 regardless of the horizontal rotation angle.

As shown in Figure 18, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ1 and the vertical rotation angle is δ0, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and the surface of the blower 1 side of the blowing target 210 is defined as point Q3. Furthermore, the distance in the Z-axis direction from point Q10 to Q3 is defined as Z3.

As shown in Figure 19, when the horizontal rotation angle is θ2 and the vertical rotation angle is δ0, the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 and a line extending in the Z-axis direction from the surface of the blower 1 side of the blowing target 210 is defined as point Q4. Furthermore, the distance in the Z-axis direction from point P0 to Q4 is defined as Z4.

In equation 2, the numerator on the right-hand side is a constant value regardless of the horizontal rotation angle, but the denominator on the right-hand side becomes smaller as the horizontal rotation angle θ increases. In other words, the larger the horizontal rotation angle, the larger LQ, which is the left-hand side of equation 2, becomes. Therefore, due to the relationship 0 < θ1 < θ2, the relationship X0 < LQ1 < LQ2 holds.

Furthermore, the triangle formed by points Or, P1, and P0 shown in Figure 10, the triangle formed by points Or, Q3, and Q10 shown in Figure 18, and the triangle formed by points Or, Q4, and Q20 shown in Figure 19 are similar to each other. This is because the angles of the three types of triangles mentioned above, with point Or as their vertex, are the same at δ0, and the angles with point P0, Q3, or Q4 as their vertices are the same right angles, and they meet the condition for similarity of triangles, where the angles of two pairs of angles are equal.

Since the ratio of the lengths of corresponding sides of similar figures is equal, the relationship X0 < LQ1 < LQ2 leads to the relationship Z0 < Z3 < Z4. In other words, if the blower unit is rotated horizontally while maintaining a constant vertical rotation angle regardless of the horizontal rotation angle, the greater the horizontal rotation angle, the longer the vertical height when it reaches the target 210, i.e., the distance in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, changes in the horizontal rotation angle change the distance in the Z-axis direction, resulting in differences in how the air hits the target. In particular, as shown in Figure 19, depending on the horizontal rotation angle, the rotation axis AX3 and the target 210 may not intersect. In this case, the air blown out from blower 300 passes over the target 210, meaning that the air from blower 1 does not hit the target 210.

In contrast, as shown in Figures 10, 14, and 16, the vertical height when the blower reaches the target 210 for airflow, i.e., the distance in the Z-axis direction, remains constant as the horizontal rotation angle increases with the increase in the horizontal rotation angle of the blower according to embodiment 1. Therefore, compared to the comparative example, which rotates horizontally while maintaining a constant vertical rotation angle regardless of the horizontal rotation angle, the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 suppresses differences in the way the air hits the target 210 depending on the horizontal rotation angle.

As described above, the blower 1 of embodiment 1 comprises a blower unit 100 that blows air in a blowing direction determined by the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle; a horizontal rotation unit 31 that rotates the blower unit about a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle; a vertical rotation unit 33 that rotates the blower unit about a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle; and a control unit 30 that operates in an angle interlocking mode to control the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit, wherein the horizontal rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the blowing direction projected onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a predetermined reference direction, and the vertical rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the blowing direction and a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis. In the angle interlocking mode, the vertical rotation angle is not 0 degrees when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, and the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is not 0 degrees is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees. In this configuration, in the angle interlocking mode, the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is not 0 degrees is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, thereby achieving the effect of suppressing differences in the way the wind hits depending on the size of the horizontal rotation angle, compared to a blower that rotates horizontally while maintaining a constant vertical rotation angle regardless of the horizontal rotation angle.

Furthermore, the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 has an additional configuration in which, in the angle interlocking mode, the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is a second angle greater than the first angle is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is a first angle greater than 0 degrees. This additional configuration has the effect of further reducing the difference in the way the wind hits the fan depending on the horizontal rotation angle.

Furthermore, the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 has, as an additional component, a horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 that detects the horizontal rotation angle, and a configuration in which, in angle interlocking mode, the control unit 30 acquires the horizontal rotation angle detected by the horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 and controls the vertical rotation unit so that the vertical rotation angle decreases as the acquired horizontal rotation angle increases. This additional component has the effect of further reducing differences in the way the wind hits the fan depending on the horizontal rotation angle.

Furthermore, the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 includes, as an additional component, a vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 that detects the vertical rotation angle. The vertical rotation angle detection unit 34 detects a reference vertical rotation angle, which is the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees. The control unit 30 is configured to control the vertical rotation unit in angle interlocking mode so that the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is greater than 0 degrees is smaller than the reference vertical rotation angle. This additional component has the effect of further reducing differences in the way the wind hits the fan depending on the horizontal rotation angle.

Furthermore, the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 has an additional configuration in which, when the reference vertical rotation angle is δ0 and the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is θ is δ, the control unit 30 controls the vertical rotation unit 33 in the angle interlocking mode to satisfy the formula δ = arctan(tan(δ0) × cos(θ)). This additional configuration has the effect of further reducing differences in the way the wind hits the fan depending on the horizontal rotation angle.

Furthermore, the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 has an additional configuration in which, in the angle interlocking mode, the trajectory of the intersection between the airflow direction and the target airflow, which is located on a plane perpendicular to the reference direction and a predetermined distance from the blower unit, is linear. This additional configuration has the effect of further reducing differences in the way the air hits the target air depending on the horizontal rotation angle.

Furthermore, the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 has an additional configuration including a base 102 that supports the blower unit 100, and a support column 101 that is disposed between the blower unit 100 and the base 102 and increases the distance between the blower unit 100 and the base 102 in a direction perpendicular to the reference direction. This additional configuration has the effect of enabling the blower unit 100 to be positioned away from the floor surface on which the base 102 is placed.

Furthermore, the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 has, as an additional component, an operation unit 19 that accepts user operation. The blower 1 has an angle interlocking mode and a fixed vertical rotation angle mode in which the vertical rotation angle remains constant regardless of the horizontal rotation angle, and is configured to switch between the angle interlocking mode and the fixed vertical rotation angle mode by operating the operation unit 19. This additional component allows the user to select the angle interlocking mode when control of the vertical rotation angle and horizontal rotation angle is required, and the fixed vertical rotation angle mode when control of the vertical rotation angle and horizontal rotation angle is not required, thereby achieving the effect of being able to use different modes depending on the situation.

Note that the blower 1 of embodiment 1 has a height adjustment button 26 on the support column, and the height of the blower unit 100 is adjusted by pressing the height adjustment button 26, but this is not limited to this. For example, the blower 1 may be configured to have support columns of multiple heights, and the support columns may be detachable from the blower unit and base, allowing the user to use different support columns according to the height at which they want to blow air.

Furthermore, in the blower 1 of embodiment 1, the operation unit 19 is provided on the base 102, but this is not limited to this. The operation unit may be provided on the blower unit or the support column. The operation unit may be configured as an operation device separate from the blower, such as a remote control, or may be configured to use a mobile device owned by the user as the operation unit using an application that causes the mobile device to function as the operation unit. The configuration may also have multiple operation units. In the case of a configuration with multiple operation units, each operation unit may have a different function. For example, the operation unit provided on the base unit has a power switch, an airflow increase switch, and an airflow decrease switch, and the operation unit provided on the support column has a horizontal rotation switch and a vertical rotation switch.

Furthermore, while the blower 1 of embodiment 1 includes a support column 101 and a base 102 as components corresponding to the support that supports the blower unit 100, the configuration of the support column is not limited to this. For example, the configuration may be similar to that of a circulator, in which the blower unit is supported only by the base, without a support column. In this case, the base corresponds to the main body. Furthermore, for example, instead of a support column and a base column, the configuration may be similar to that of a wall-mounted fan or ceiling fan, which has a fixing section for fixing to a structure such as a wall or ceiling, and which supports the blower with the fixing section. In this case, the main body corresponds to the fixing section.

Furthermore, while the blower 1 of embodiment 1 is equipped with a horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32 and a vertical rotation angle detection unit 34, this is not limited to this. For example, a stepping motor rotates when a pulse signal is input, and the rotation angle per pulse is predetermined. Therefore, if a stepping motor is used as the horizontal rotation motor, the control unit can acquire the pulse signal input to the horizontal rotation motor and calculate the rotation angle based on the number of pulses contained in the pulse signal. In this case, the control unit can acquire the horizontal rotation angle even without the horizontal rotation angle detection unit 32. The same is true for a vertical rotation motor.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the blower 1 calculates the vertical rotation angle δ of the blower unit 100 using the reference vertical rotation angle δ0 and the horizontal rotation angle θ, and determines the vertical rotation angle δ corresponding to the horizontal rotation angle θ. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the reference vertical rotation angle of the blower 1 can be set in stages, and a numerical table corresponding to the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle for each reference vertical rotation angle can be stored in memory. The vertical rotation angle can be determined according to the horizontal rotation angle based on this table. Furthermore, when the blower rotates horizontally at a constant speed, the horizontal rotation angle is determined according to time. In this case, the vertical rotation angle can be determined according to time as long as the vertical rotation angle obtained when the blower rotates horizontally from the reference direction by the horizontal rotation angle is larger than the vertical rotation angle obtained when the blower rotates horizontally from the reference direction by a horizontal rotation angle larger than the vertical rotation angle.

Furthermore, while the blower 1 of embodiment 1 maintains a constant vertical height in the angle interlocking mode, this is not limited to this. For example, depending on the precision of the rotation angle of the vertical rotation motor, it may be difficult to precisely match the vertical rotation angle to the calculated vertical rotation angle, making it difficult to maintain a constant vertical height. In particular, as shown in Equation 6, the larger the horizontal rotation angle, the smaller the change in vertical rotation angle for a given change in horizontal rotation angle, making it more difficult to match the calculated vertical rotation angle. In such cases, for example, when the horizontal rotation angle is between 0 and a predetermined angle, the control unit may control the vertical rotation angle to match the calculated vertical rotation angle, and when the horizontal rotation angle is greater than the predetermined angle, the control unit may control the vertical rotation angle to match the calculated vertical rotation angle at the predetermined angle. Furthermore, the control unit does not need to precisely match the vertical rotation angle to the calculated vertical rotation angle; it is sufficient that the blower, at least in the angle interlocking mode, controls the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is greater than 0 degrees so that the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees. By performing this type of control, it is possible to suppress differences in the way the wind hits the fan depending on the horizontal rotation angle, compared to a blower like the comparative example, which rotates horizontally while maintaining a constant vertical rotation angle regardless of the horizontal rotation angle.

Furthermore, in the blower 1 of embodiment 1, the rotation axis AX3, which is the center of rotation of the fan 16, intersects with the intersection of the rotation axes AX1 and AX2 regardless of the vertical rotation angle set, as described below, but this is not limited to this. For example, due to factors such as design limitations, the intersection of the rotation axes AX1 and AX2 may differ from the intersection of the rotation axis AX3 with the rotation axis AX1 or AX2. However, as long as the vertical rotation angle when rotated horizontally from the reference direction by a horizontal rotation angle greater than the vertical rotation angle when rotated horizontally from the reference direction by a vertical rotation angle greater than the horizontal rotation angle, the same effect as that of the blower of embodiment 1 can be achieved even if the above-mentioned intersection point is different.

Embodiment 2.
A description will be given of a blower 2 according to embodiment 2. The blower 2 according to embodiment 2 differs from the blower 1 according to embodiment 1 in that it has a plurality of angle interlocking modes in which the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees is different. The configuration, hardware configuration, flowchart, and functional block diagram of the blower 2 according to embodiment 2 are the same as those of the blower 1 according to embodiment 1, except for the fact that it has a plurality of angle interlocking modes, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

The blower 2 according to the second embodiment has multiple angle interlocking modes. The multiple angle interlocking modes each have a different vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, i.e., a different reference vertical rotation angle. The blower 2 according to the second embodiment has a total of four angle interlocking modes, from the first angle interlocking mode to the fourth angle interlocking mode. Furthermore, as the angle interlocking mode number increases, the reference vertical rotation angle decreases, with the first angle interlocking mode having the largest reference vertical rotation angle and the fourth angle interlocking mode having the smallest reference vertical rotation angle.

Before implementing the angle interlocking mode in embodiment 2, the user positions the blower 2 directly facing the target 220. At this time, it is desirable that the rotation axis AX3 of the blower 2, i.e., the intersection between the airflow direction and the target 220, be near the top in the first angle interlocking mode. Furthermore, the transition from the fixed vertical rotation angle mode to the angle interlocking mode is performed by operating the operation unit 19, as in embodiment 1.

An example of operation of the angle linkage mode in embodiment 2 will be described using Figures 20 and 21. Figure 20 is a diagram showing an example of operation in the YZ plane in the angle linkage mode. Figure 21 is a plan view showing the vertical rotation angle in the XZ plane of a blower according to embodiment 2. The arrows in Figure 20 indicate an example of the trajectory of the intersection between the blowing direction of the blowing target 220 on a plane perpendicular to the reference direction and the blowing target 220. In the blower 2 according to embodiment 2, when a user performs an operation to switch to the angle linkage mode, the first angle linkage mode to the fourth angle linkage mode are performed in order.

First, the control unit 30 performs the first angle interlocking mode. In the first angle interlocking mode, the intersection point starts at R0 in Figure 20 and moves to the right along the trajectory RY1 to R1 while maintaining a constant position in the Z-axis direction.

After the intersection point has moved to R1, the control unit 30 performs the second angle interlocking mode. Because the second angle interlocking mode has a smaller reference vertical rotation angle than the first angle interlocking mode, the position of the intersection point in the Z-axis direction is lower. Therefore, when the control unit 30 changes from the first angle interlocking mode to the second angle interlocking mode, the intersection point moves from R1 along the trajectory RZ1 from top to bottom to R2. Next, in the second angle interlocking mode, the intersection point moves from R2 to right to left along the trajectory RY2 to R3, while maintaining a constant position in the Z-axis direction.

After the intersection point has moved to R3, the control unit 30 performs the third angle linkage mode. Because the third angle linkage mode has a smaller reference vertical rotation angle than the second angle linkage mode, the position of the intersection point in the Z-axis direction is even lower. Therefore, when the control unit 30 changes from the second angle linkage mode to the third angle linkage mode, the intersection point moves from R3 along the trajectory RZ2 from top to bottom to R4. Next, in the third angle linkage mode, the intersection point moves from R4 to R5 from left to right along RY3, while maintaining a constant position in the Z-axis direction.

After the intersection point has moved to R5, the control unit 30 performs the fourth angle linkage mode. Because the fourth angle linkage mode has a smaller reference vertical rotation angle than the third angle linkage mode, the position of the intersection point in the Z-axis direction is even lower. Therefore, when the control unit 30 changes from the third angle linkage mode to the fourth angle linkage mode, the intersection point moves from R5 along the trajectory RZ3 from top to bottom to R6. Next, in the fourth angle linkage mode, the intersection point moves from R6 to right to left along the trajectory RY4 to R7, while maintaining a constant position in the Z-axis direction.

After the intersection point moves to R7, the control unit 30 performs the first angle linkage mode. The first angle linkage mode has a larger reference vertical rotation angle than the fourth angle linkage mode, and the position of the intersection point in the Z-axis direction is higher. Therefore, when the control unit 30 changes from the fourth angle linkage mode to the first angle linkage mode, the intersection point moves from R7 to R0, from top to bottom along the trajectory RZ4. After returning to R0, the intersection point repeats the above movement.

In Figure 20, the distance from R1 to R2 is WZ1, the distance from R3 to R4 is WZ2, and the distance from R5 to R6 is WZ3. Also, WZ4 is the height in the Z-axis direction from the height in the Z-axis direction to R6 and R7 when the vertical rotation angle δ of the blower unit is 0 degrees.

As in embodiment 1, the horizontal rotation angle is expressed as the absolute value of the angle between the airflow direction vector projected onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a predetermined reference direction. The position of the reference direction in embodiment 2 is the same as in embodiment 1. As in embodiment 1, the vertical rotation angle is expressed as the absolute value of the angle between the airflow direction vector and a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis. In embodiment 2, the reference vertical rotation angles are different for each of the multiple angle interlocking modes. The horizontal rotation angle θ at any position is in the range 0 degrees < θ < 45 degrees, except when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees. As shown in FIG. 21 , if the reference vertical rotation angle in the first angle interlocking mode is δY4 + δY3 + δY2 + δY1, the reference vertical rotation angle in the second angle interlocking mode is δY4 + δY3 + δY2, the reference vertical rotation angle in the third angle interlocking mode is δY4 + δY3, and the reference vertical rotation angle in the third angle interlocking mode is δY4, then the relationships in equations 7 to 10 below hold.

An example of controlling the vertical rotation angle when changing the angle interlocking mode in embodiment 2 is described below. The values required for controlling the vertical rotation angle in embodiment 2 are the distances X1, Z3, WZ1, WZ2, WZ3, and WZ4 in the X-axis direction between the blowing target 220 and the blower 200 when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees.

By changing the angle linkage mode with a different standard vertical rotation angle in this way, it is possible to further reduce differences in the way the wind hits the target in the vertical and horizontal directions, such as a rectangular shape.

As described above, the blower 2 of embodiment 2, like the blower 1 of embodiment 1, comprises a blower unit 100 that blows air in a blowing direction determined by the horizontal rotation angle and the vertical rotation angle; a horizontal rotation unit 31 that rotates the blower unit about a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle; a vertical rotation unit 33 that rotates the blower unit about a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle; and a control unit 30 that operates in an angle interlocking mode to control the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit, wherein the horizontal rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the direction of a vector obtained by projecting the blowing direction onto a direction perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a predetermined reference direction, and the vertical rotation angle is the absolute value of the angle between the blowing direction and a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis, and in the angle interlocking mode, the vertical rotation angle is not 0 degrees when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, and the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is not 0 degrees is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the rotation angle is 0 degrees. Therefore, the blower 2 according to the second embodiment also achieves the same effects as the blower 1 according to the first embodiment.

Furthermore, the blower 2 according to embodiment 2 has an additional configuration in which the control unit 30 operates in a first angle interlocking mode, which is an angle interlocking mode in which the vertical rotation angle is set to a predetermined first vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, and a second angle interlocking mode, which is an angle interlocking mode in which the vertical rotation angle is set to a second vertical rotation angle smaller than the first vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, and the control unit 30 operates in the second angle interlocking mode after operating in the first angle interlocking mode. This additional configuration has the effect of suppressing differences in how the wind hits the target in the vertical direction.

Furthermore, the blower 2 according to embodiment 2 has an additional configuration in which the control unit 30 performs the second angle interlocking mode and then performs the first angle interlocking mode again. This additional configuration has the effect of further reducing the difference in how the air blows on the target in the vertical direction.

In the blower 2 of embodiment 2, a total of four reference vertical rotation angles, from the first angle interlocking mode to the fourth angle interlocking mode, each have a different angle interlocking mode, but this is not limited to this; multiple reference vertical rotation angles may each have a different angle interlocking mode. Alternatively, the blower may have a predetermined number of angle interlocking modes each with a different reference vertical rotation angle, and the user may select the number of angle interlocking modes to use from the predetermined number of angle interlocking modes.

Furthermore, in the blower 2 of embodiment 2, the first angle linkage mode is performed in order through the fourth angle linkage mode, with the intersection moving from top to bottom, but this is not limited to this, and the fourth angle linkage mode is performed in order through the first angle linkage mode, with the intersection moving from bottom to top.Furthermore, in the blower 2 of embodiment 2, the starting position of each angle linkage mode is the right end or left end of the blowing target 220, but this is not limited to this, and the start position may be the center of the blowing target in the Y direction.

1 Blower, 2 Blower, 10 Gear, 11 Gear, 12 Horizontal rotation motor, 13 Detection plate, 14 Sensor, 15 Bearing, 16 Fan, 18 Cover, 19 Operation unit, 19a Operation receiving unit, 19b Operation transmitting unit, 20 Gear, 21 Gear, 22 Vertical rotation motor, 23 Detection plate, 24 Sensor, 25 Rotation shaft, 26 Height adjustment button, 30 Control unit, 30a Fan control unit, 30b Horizontal rotation control unit, 30c Vertical rotation control unit, 31 Horizontal rotation unit, 32 Horizontal rotation angle detection unit, 33 Vertical rotation unit, 34 Vertical rotation angle detection unit, 35 Horizontal rotation angle transmission unit, 36 Vertical rotation angle transmission unit, 40 Processor, 41 Memory, 42 Memory, 43 Hardware interface, 44 Bus, 100 Blower unit, 101 Support unit, 102 Base part, 103 Protective part, 210 Airflow target, 220 Airflow target, 311 Power switch, 312 Airflow increase switch, 313 Airflow decrease switch, 314 Horizontal rotation switch, 315 Vertical rotation switch, 316 Center position change switch, 316a Left direction change switch, 316b Right direction change switch, 316c Up direction change switch, 316d Down direction change switch, 317 Rotation range change switch, 317a Horizontal rotation range change switch, 317b Vertical rotation range change switch.

Claims (9)

a blower that blows air in a blowing direction determined by a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle;
a horizontal rotation unit that rotates the blower unit around a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle;
a vertical rotation unit that rotates the blower unit around a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle;
a control unit that performs an angle linkage mode to control the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit;
a horizontal rotation angle detection unit that detects the horizontal rotation angle;
Equipped with
the horizontal rotation angle is an absolute value of an angle between a direction of a vector obtained by projecting the air blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a predetermined reference direction,
the vertical rotation angle is an absolute value of an angle between the air blowing direction and a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis,
In the angle interlocking mode, when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, the vertical rotation angle is not 0 degrees,
The fan acquires the horizontal rotation angle detected by the horizontal rotation angle detection unit, and controls the vertical rotation unit so that the vertical rotation angle decreases as the acquired horizontal rotation angle increases. a blower that blows air in a blowing direction determined by a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle;
a horizontal rotation unit that rotates the blower unit around a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle;
a vertical rotation unit that rotates the blower unit around a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle;
a control unit that performs an angle linkage mode to control the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit;
Equipped with
the horizontal rotation angle is an absolute value of an angle between a direction of a vector obtained by projecting the air blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a predetermined reference direction,
the vertical rotation angle is an absolute value of an angle between the air blowing direction and a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis,
The control unit
In the angle linkage mode,
A blower that controls the vertical rotation unit so that the distance from the intersection of the air blowing direction and the target to be blown on a plane perpendicular to the horizontal reference direction, a predetermined distance from the blowing unit, when the vertical rotation angle is 0, to the intersection of the air blowing direction and the target to be blown when the vertical rotation angle is greater than 0, remains constant even when the horizontal rotation angle changes . a blower that blows air in a blowing direction determined by a horizontal rotation angle and a vertical rotation angle;
a horizontal rotation unit that rotates the blower unit around a horizontal rotation axis to change the horizontal rotation angle;
a vertical rotation unit that rotates the blower unit around a vertical rotation axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis to change the vertical rotation angle;
an angle linkage mode for controlling the horizontal rotation unit and the vertical rotation unit;
a control unit that performs control in a fixed vertical rotation angle mode that performs control to keep the vertical rotation angle constant regardless of the horizontal rotation angle;
It has an operation unit that accepts user operations,
the horizontal rotation angle is an absolute value of an angle between a direction of a vector obtained by projecting the air blowing direction onto a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis and a predetermined reference direction,
the vertical rotation angle is an absolute value of an angle between the airflow direction and a plane perpendicular to the horizontal rotation axis, and the operation unit is operated to switch between the angle interlocking mode and the vertical rotation angle fixed mode;
In the angle interlocking mode, when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, the vertical rotation angle is not 0 degrees,
A blower in which the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is not 0 degrees is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees. a vertical rotation angle detection unit that detects the vertical rotation angle,
the vertical rotation angle detection unit detects a reference vertical rotation angle, which is the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees;
The blower according to claim 1 , wherein, in the angle interlocking mode, the control unit controls the vertical rotation unit so that the vertical rotation angle is smaller than the reference vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is larger than 0 degrees. When the reference vertical rotation angle is δ0, the horizontal rotation angle is θ, and the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is θ is δ,
In the angle interlocking mode, the control unit
The blower according to claim 4, wherein the vertical rotation unit is controlled so as to satisfy the formula (θ). 4. The blower according to claim 1, wherein in the angle interlocking mode, the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is a second angle greater than the first angle is smaller than the vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is a first angle greater than 0 degrees. a base portion that supports the blower portion;
The blower according to claim 1 , further comprising: a support portion disposed between the blower portion and the base portion, the support portion increasing the distance between the blower portion and the base portion in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal reference direction. the control unit performs a first angle linked mode, which is the angle linked mode in which the vertical rotation angle is set to a predetermined first vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, a second angle linked mode, which is the angle linked mode in which the vertical rotation angle is set to a second vertical rotation angle smaller than the first vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees, and a third angle linked mode, which is the angle linked mode in which the vertical rotation angle is set to a third vertical rotation angle smaller than the second vertical rotation angle when the horizontal rotation angle is 0 degrees,
The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit performs the first angle linkage mode, then the second angle linkage mode, and then the third angle linkage mode. A blower as described in claim 8, wherein the control unit performs the first angle interlocking mode again after performing the third angle interlocking mode.