Oscillating fan
From DDL Wiki
Contents |
Customer Needs
The customer’s primary need is to cool a room by circulating air. More air circulation provides greater air movement and cooling potential. The fan’s noise level is a concern of the customer. Quiet operation, with little to no vibrations is preferred. The customer must also be able to adjust the fan’s rotational speed to best suit the surroundings. This allows for quieter, lower energy, operation when maximum air circulation is unnecessary. Another necessity is the ability to vary the direction of where air is being. This includes altering the vertical orientation as well as providing horizontal oscillation. The fan should also be safe for the user. This involves shielding the fan blades, while still allowing air to pass through. This shielding prevents objects and body parts from coming in contact with the blades. Fans are generally only used during warm times of the year. As a result they must be easy to move and store while not in use.
Function
An oscillating fan cools an area using forced convection thus increasing heat transfer. This is accomplished by spinning three plastic blades which circulates air in the desired direction. The blades are spun by an AC brushless motor, which is powered from a standard 120V wall outlet. The motor’s rotational speed can be adjusted by the user using a circular knob. The fan is also capable of horizontal oscillation. The user starts this movement by pushing a button at the top of the fan casing. This engages a gear train which spins a small plastic linkage. This linkage is connected to an aluminum bar which is attached to the casing. This simple mechanism translates circular motion to oscillatory horizontal motion. The gear train is powered by the same motor and shaft that spin the blades, thus requiring no additional motor.
Product Use
First, the customer must plug the fan into a 120V wall socket. Once plugged in, the user may turn the fan on by rotating the knob from the off setting. The user may adjust the fan's speed to low, medium or high, by rotating the knob to the desired setting. The user can set the fan to oscillate by pressing down on the rear switch. The oscillation allows the fan to cool multiple locations. The user can stop the fan from oscillating by simply pulling up the rear switch. The consumer may also change the vertical direction of the fan by using a Phillips screwdriver on the screw connecting the fan to the shaft. The user must loosen the screw, aim the fan in the desired direction, and then tighten the screw. For storage, the consumer must turn the knob to the off setting, unplug the fan from the 120V wall socket, wrap the power cord around the head of the fan, disassemble the fan head and stand, and place the pieces in the storage unit.
Components:
As part of the first stage of disassembly, we documented the inner workings prior to removing each individual component. Refer to the table below for more details on individual components identified in these pictures.
The following table contains each individual part present in the product. A brief description of each part and its function will help determine whether any of the components can be refined for future designs to make it less expensive or possibly remove it all together.
Part # | Part name | QTY | Function | Materials | Manufacturing Process | Picture |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
001 | Front Fan Cover | 1 |
| ?? | Merging of Extruded Parts | |
002 | Threaded Cap for Blades | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | |
003 | Blade Unit | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | |
004 | Set Screw | 1 |
| Steel | Extrusion | |
005 | Rear Plate Fastener | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | |
006 | Rear Fan Cover | 1 |
| ?? | Merging of Extruded Parts | |
007 | Motor Front Cover | 1 |
| ?? | cast | |
008 | Swivel Adjustment Knob | 1 |
| Plastic/Steel | Injection Molding/Extrusion | |
009 | Nut for Swivel Adjustment Knob | 1 |
| Steel | Stamped | |
010 | Fan Head Coupling | 1 |
| Plastic/Steel | Injection Molding/Extrusion | |
011 | Speed Selection Knob | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | |
012 | Switch | 1 |
| Plastic/Copper | Injection Molding/Stamped | Image:Fan switch.jpg |
013 | Motor Housing | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | |
014 | Capacitor | 1 |
| Plastic/Other | N/A | |
015 | Electrical Wire | 7 |
| Plastic/Copper | Drawn | Image:Fan electrical wire.jpg |
016 | Oscillation Gear Casing | 1 |
| ?? | Cast | |
017 | Gear Casing Cap | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | |
018 | Oscillation Control Knob | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | |
019 | Transmission Gear | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | |
020 | Small Ball Bearing | 1 |
| Steel | Cast | |
021 | Small Spring | 1 |
| Steel | Extrusion | |
022 | Gear 1 | 31 |
| Plastic | Molded | [[Image:]] |
023 | Gear 2 | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | [[Image:]] |
024 | Plastic Shaft and Oscillation Linkage | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | [[Image:]] |
025 | Oscillation Linkage | 1 |
| ?? | Cast | |
026 | Shaft | 1 |
| Stainless Steel | Extrusion | [[Image:]] |
027 | Permanent Magnet | 1 |
| Ferric Material | Coiled Wire | |
028 | Rear Shaft Support and Bearing | 1 |
| ?? | Cast | [[Image:]] |
029 | Front Shaft Support and Bearing | 1 |
| ?? | Cast | [[Image:]] |
030 | AC Motor Block | 1 |
| Steel | Cast/Rolled | |
031 | AC Motor Coils | 1 |
| Copper | Drawn | |
032 | Wire Holder | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | [[Image:]] |
033 | Power Cable | 1 |
| Plastic/Steel | Molded/Stampled | |
034 | Screws | 22 |
| Iron/Steel | Extrusion/Rolled | |
035 | Bolts | 1 |
| Iron/Steel | Extrustion/Rolled | |
036 | Washers | 4 |
| Iron | Stamped/Bent | [[Image:]] |
037 | Nut | 1 |
| Iron | Cast | |
038 | Wire Coupling | 1 |
| Plastic | Injection Molding | Image:Fan wire coupling.jpg |