Abstract:
A wind-powered ventilator includes a pressurization conduit hood mounted on the periphery of a fan-less automatic directional type ventilator, or a worm gear type ventilator. The conduit hood is arranged to pressurize atmospheric wind, however feeble and minimal, and conduct the wind to produce a pressurization effect, causing a pressurized wind moment to pass directionally through the ventilator, there by achieving enhanced drafting efficiency without the intervention of artificial power sources.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/520,139, filed Mar. 7, 2000, and now allowed. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    (a) Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The invention relates to wind-powered ventilator with a pressurization conduit hood, and more specifically to a wind-powered ventilator of the type that automatically faces in the prevailing wind direction, or to a wind-driven worm gear type ventilator, having a peripherally-mounted pressurization conduit hood that acts upon incoming, naturally induced wind, to produce a pressurization effect, thereby enhancing the ventilation performance of the ventilator as a whole.  
           [0004]    (b) Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    By and large, commercially-available ventilators which operate by force of natural wind come largely either in the type which runs automatically in a direction consistent with the prevailing wind direction, or else in the type which works with a worm gear. In the former type, a negative pressure zone is produced at the outlet when wind passes by the outlet, that is, the wind will carry away the air at the outlet of the ventilator and thereby cause the air in the ventilation pipe to be sucked out, resulting in a naturally induced drafting effect without necessitating an ad hoc artificial power supply. On the other hand, in the worm gear type ventilator, a roughly spheroidal worm gear includes a number of cambered vanes on one side which, when blown by atmospheric wind, will cause the worm gear to rotate, while similarly structured worm gear vanes on the other side serve to exhaust thermal fumes form indoors at the same time. In this latter instance, ventilation is also achieved solely by force of nature without the need for an artificial power source.  
           [0006]    While the two types of conventional ventilators described above, one of the automatic directional type and the other of the worm gear type, are truly worthy devices from the standpoints of power utilization and economy, they remain subject to improvement all the same. The problem is that while a ventilator is typically meant to draft or exhaust turbid gases and thermal fumes that accumulate indoors, such gases and fumes are especially intolerable in summertime, and summer happens to be the season with the weakest wind which comes about by nature, particularly at noontime when but a very feeble wind is felt. Where such is the case, as truly it is a general rule, there is no energy to drive either the automatic directional type or the worm gear type ventilator which is why immediate improvement is necessary—the sooner the better.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The primary object of the invention is therefore to provide a wind-powered ventilator having a pressurization conduit hood which is to be mounted on the periphery of the ventilator proper, the ventilator proper being either an automatic directional type or else a worm gear type, and the conduit hood being arranged to pressurize atmospheric wind, however feeble and minimal, and conduct the wind to produce a pressurization effect, causing a pressurized wind moment to pass directionally through the ventilator, thereby achieving enhanced drafting efficiency without the intervention of artificial power sources.  
           [0008]    A further object of the invention is to provide a wind-powered ventilator having a pressurization conduit hood assembly, the ventilator being of an automatic directional type or else a worm gear type, and further including a series of directional vanes which will comply with the prevailing direction in which the ambient wind blows, thereby realizing a pressurizing effect in line with that prevailing direction.  
           [0009]    A further object of the invention is to provide a wind-powered ventilator having a pressurization conduit hood assembly which incorporates an axial fan on the outlet of the ventilator having a series of vanes arranged in two stages with the inner stage close to the axis serving to exhaust off-gas, and the outer stage extending to the outlet of the conduit hood, so that the two-stage series of vanes is driven by the force of wind pressurized accordingly, with the inner stage sucking the air flow resident in the automatic directional ventilator, thereby achieving improved drafting performance. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional perspective view of the invention in the embodiment of a fan-less automatic directional ventilator;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the invention in the embodiment of a fan-less automatic directional ventilator;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2A is an illustration of an internal strut system for the pressurization conduit hood of the fan-less automatic directional ventilator embodiment of the invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is an illustration of the operation of the fan-less automatic directional ventilator of the invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the structural layout of an automatic directional ventilator embodiment of the invention, which includes a fan;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional view of another automatic directional ventilator embodiment of the invention, including a fan;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the invention, realized in a fan structure;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional view of the fan structure embodiment of the invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional view of the invention in the embodiment of a worm gear type ventilator;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 is a top view of the worm gear type ventilator embodiment of the invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 is a side view of the worm gear type ventilator embodiment of the invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 is a three dimensional perspective view of a further example of the invention embodied in a worm gear type ventilator;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 12 is a top view of the further example of the invention embodied in a worm gear type ventilator; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 13 is an illustration of the operation of the worm gear type embodiment of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    As shown in FIGS.  1 - 8 , the wind-powered ventilator of the invention essentially includes a ventilator  1  of the type designed to automatically face the wind direction and a current conduit hood  2 , or in an alternative design, a worm gear type ventilator  3  and a current conduit hood  2 ′. According to a first preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the wind force is increased and which operates without assistance of a fan, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ventilator  1  consists of an elbow draft pipe  11  with a hollow chassis  10 . By uniting the vertical port of the elbow  11  with the chassis  10 , the elbow draft pipe  11  is made rotatable upon the chassis  10 .  
         [0025]    The current conduit hood  2 , as also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a hollow generally cylindrical member  21  having a conical reducing configuration which includes in addition an axially extending vane  22  on the outer wall, vane  22  being in the form of a flat plate, and the internal tubular wall of the generally cylindrical member  21  being integral with one or more ribs  23 , or alternatively, with one or more strutting member  23 ′, such as is shown in FIG. 2A, to provide linkage, support and directional follow-through purposes.  
         [0026]    By installing the current conduit hood  2  of the perimeter of the traverse section of the elbow draft pipe  11  of the automatic directional ventilator  1  so that the end with the smaller diameter of the generally cylindrical member  21  is largely aligned with the outlet of the traverse section of the elbow draft pipe  11 , thus tightly fitting the directional vane  22  above the elbow draft pipe  11 . The several ribs  23  or strutting rods  23 ′ are respectively secured to the wall of the external pipe of the traverse section of the elbow draft pipe  11  and thereby forms, upon the union of the conduit hood  2  with the automatic directional ventilator  1 , a wind-powered ventilator having a pressurization conduit hood.  
         [0027]    The wind-powered ventilator thus assembled may be installed on top of a roof, with the directional vane  22  on tope following the direction in which the wind prevails. When natural wind enters the current conduit hood  2 , the conically reducing configuration of the hood  2  serves to build up pressure because the exit end of the current conduit hood  2  has a smaller diameter than the entrance, as shown in FIG. 3. As the air passes the exit rim of the elbow draft pipe  11 , a zone of negative pressure will be created, and therefore the elbow draft pipe  11  will be able to continuously exhaust hot gas from indoors. The current conduit hood  2  thus increases the force of entering wind so that even with a very weak natural wind, drafting can be maintained by the working of the conduit hood  2 , in a manner that is more advantageous than in the case of drafting effects possible with the traditional automatic directional ventilator.  
         [0028]    By referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, it will be appreciated that with the invention, several radially extending ribs  12  at the outlet of the drafting pipe  11  may be secured to the midpoint of a hub  13 . At the forward section of the hub  13  is installed articulatorily an axial fan  14  which is surrounded by a number of radially extending, plate-shaped vanes  141  with legs declined in a common direction, and whose distal ends extend to the outlet of the current conduit hood  2 . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the plate-shaped vanes  141 ′ may also be modified to incorporate necks  142 ′ at the mid-section in common with the edge of the drafting pipe  11 , to provide a two-section structure for the vanes  141 ′, the vanes in this instance still declined in a common direction, so that the section  143 ′ facing the wind on the terminal end of each vane  141 ′ just extends to the outlet of the conduit hood  2 , while the section  144 ′ which pulls the wind is inside the outlet of the drafting pipe  11  to enhance the drafting structure of a fan. When natural wind gets an increase in pressure to blow out of the conduit hood  2 , the terminal tip of vanes  141 ,  141 ′ will get a push to set the axial fan  14  to rotation, and meanwhile the air in the draft pipe  11 , by way of the interior section of vanes  141 ,  141 ′, or by way of the wind pulling section  144 ′, will be drafted out synchronously. Since the axial fan  14  is driven by the action of wind power pressurized at the conduit hood  2 , the corresponding rotation speed will increase in like measure, resulting in excellent drafting efficiency.  
         [0029]    According to another embodiment, the invention consists of a worm gear ventilator  3  and a current conduit hood  2 ′, such as is shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0030]    The worm gear ventilator  3 , shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, is executed in a roughly spheroidal profile, comprising peripherally a number of arched vanes  31  which, on the side facing the wind, are driven to rotation.  
         [0031]    The conduit hood  2 ′, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, consists essentially of one or two arched plates  24 ′, a directional vane  25 ′, a hub  26 ′, and a fixing rod  27 ′. The direction vane  25 ′ is vertically set, having a strut  251 ′ protruded from the frontal tip on its bottom secured to the hub  26 ′, hub  26 ′ being configured essentially like a round plunger attached on one side or both sides with two fixing rods  27 ′, which in turn are each secured to the front and rear of the upper side of the at least one arched plate  24 ′. The arched plates or plates  24 ′ extend downwardly with the one or two arched plates  24 ′ abutting one side of the hub  26 ′, the arched plate  24 ′ on the one side being exposed in the forward direction, and where two such arched plates  24 ′ are provided, the other plate  24 ′ on the other side being exposed to the rear.  
         [0032]    In this manner the hub  26 ′ is articulatorily mounted in the center on top of the worm gear ventilator  3  with one or two arched plates  24 ′ being mounted respectively on lateral sides of the worm gear ventilator  3 , with the arched plate  24 ′ on one side being exposed forwardly and where two arched plates are provided, the arched plate  24 ′ on the other side being exposed rearwardly. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, both arched plates  24 ′ are slightly exposed and skewed with respect to the tangent of the direction in which the worm gear ventilator  3  rotates, while the directional vane  25 ′ is positioned behind the worm gear ventilator  3 , between both arched plates and slightly above them when viewed axially.  
         [0033]    In that arrangement, the vertically extending directional vane  25 ′ controls the arched plate  24 ′ on one side of the conduit hood  2 ′ to face the side where wind comes from. Once natural wind blows inside the arched plate  24 ′, the incoming wind is guided by the reducing configuration of the arched profile and a pressurizing effect is brought upon the wind which is further led into a vane  31  on one side of the worm gear ventilator  3 , whereby the worm gear ventilator  3  is driven into rotation. When this happens hot gases from indoors are pumped out at the same time by a vane  31  on the other side, such as is shown in FIG. 13. The purpose of the invention lies essentially in the boosting effects of the conduit hood when the worm gear ventilator  3  is in operation, that is, active in rotation, the rotative structure of the worm gear ventilator  3  being conventional so that details of the worm gear structure are not described further herein. With the invention, pressurization is induced on the incoming natural wind by the action of arched plate  24 ′ incorporated as a part of the conduit hood  2 ′ and, as a result, when the worm gear ventilator  3  is being driven by pressurized natural wind, the rate of rotation will increase somewhat accompanied by an enhanced drafting performance. This advantage over conventional type worm gear ventilators is more evident in summer when the nature wind is generally the weakest.