Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present subject matter described herein, relates to the technical field of speed regulation in ceiling fan. The present invention, in particular, pertains to five steps rotary full flat knob fan regulator used for regulating the speed of fan.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fans, be it Ceiling Fans, Stand Fan or Table Fan usually comprising of three to four blades, comes in the category of electrical appliances used for air circulation inside a room and provide comfort to the user. Since the external environment is not same across all the locations and varies throughout the day, the air delivery requirement simultaneously, changes for the user. Therefore, it becomes a basic need to regulate the speed of a fan and enable the user to have an option of selecting desired speed as and when required. Now for stand fans and table fans, inbuilt speed settings in the form of push buttons are given but to control the speed of ceiling fan inbuilt push button settings cannot be given because it is mounted on ceiling, and it is impractical to climb and regulate speed. Therefore, a special device called Fan Regulator does this regulation and control of speed of a ceiling fan. A fan Regulator is mounted on switchboards and it allows the user to select the speed of fan depending upon their comfort.

The working principle of a Rotary Fan regulator is simple. A variable capacitance in series (usually few capacitors connected together with some tapping corresponding to each step) is used in this regulator. The Knob is connected to the shaft, which goes inside the PCB module. As we turn the knob the capacitance increases and it reduces the voltage available to the fan. For example the fan rated 230V may get only 180V due to voltage division (Rated voltage in India is 230V). This will reduce the fan speed.

There are four common types of Fan regulator depending on working principle:
1) Resistive type Fan Regulator
2) Inductive type Fan Regulator
3) Electronic solid-state type Fan Regulator
4) Electronic Capacitive type Fan Regulator

However, resistive and inductive type are now outdated and mostly capacitive type fan regulator is popular today because of its power saving capability.

Depending upon aesthetics and usability again there are two types of Fan regulator.
1) Full flat type.
2) Protruding Knob type (Round)

The protruding knob type, which is usually round knob coming out of plate surface, has some limitations when it comes to usability, costing as well as aesthetics.

Reference is made to Indian Patent Application no. 201821012311. This document relates to fan regulator where speed controller is achieved through voltage input regulation and the current voltage or step level is to be known by a customer. In an aspect, the step fan regulator can include an indicator disc and an operating knob. In another aspect, the indicator disc can be mounted on a main drive shaft of said regulator. In another aspect, the operating knob operatively can be engaged with said main drive shaft. In another aspect, upon rotation of the operating knob to increase/decrease speed of the fan, the drive shaft can be rotated, based on which the indicator disc moves along said drive shaft so as to position an indicator flag that is configured on the indicator disc in such a way as to coincide with indentation steps of the speed along with indication windows that are configured on front cover of the regulator.

With changing times and preferences, electrical components are not only looked upon as a mere device for switching on or off a circuit but also adds to the aesthetics of one’s home. Electrical market is gradually moving towards full flat solution in which everything is in harmony with the wall and nothing protrudes out of the surface, be it switch or Fan regulator.

Secondly, round knobs bring with themselves a necessity of laser marking to show a particular step or an additional component in the assembly to show the particular step at which fan is operating.

Reference is made to US7462795B2. This relates to a rotary Knob, which is having an electronic display. It has a rotary actuated potentiometer and it is actuated as soon as the rotary knob is rotated. However, the electronic display is fixed and does not rotate with the Knob.

Further reference is made to EP1061429B1. This relates to a rotary knob, which is retractable in nature. A bearing element and an axially displaceable actuator element is there. This uses a spring for exerting force on actuating element. The operating device also has a display via which driver is informed about the operating states.

However, it becomes difficult for a person to locate the position of regulator in the dark room or for a blind person to speculate which position the regulator is at, as it is symmetrical.

Therefore, there remain a need to address and remove all the above limitations as well as saving the material used in developing the former.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following disclosure presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the present invention. It is not intended to identify the key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concept of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of the invention presented later.

The main object of present invention is to address and remove all the above limitations as well as saving the material used in developing the former.

The present invention involves full flat fan regulator with rectangular knob and inbuilt flag feature in the knob itself.

Yet another object of the present invention is to develop an 4+1 steps fan regulator which has less production cost.

According to one aspect of present invention, the present subject matter relates to a five steps fan regulator for adjusting speed of a fan. The five steps fan regulator includes a regulator housing, a PCB assembly, a PCB lock cover, a full flat operating knob with amalgamated indicator flag feature and a front cover with windows for flag feature.

In another embodiment, the full flat operating knob can be operatively engaged with a main drive shaft.

In another embodiment, the operating knob is rotated to increase/ decrease speed of fan such that said indicator flag coinside with indication windows that are configured on front cover of the regulator.

In a further embodiment, the indicator flag can be visible on the operating knob of the regulator and moves from window to window along with the drive shaft whenever the operating knob is moved.

In yet another embodiment, main drive shaft can be configured in a PCB assembly.

In an embodiment, the fan regulator can include 5 windows that are distributed equally on the front cover of said regulator, and match 5 indentation steps of speed.

In an embodiment, the PCB lock cover can get assembled on the PCB assembly with assistance of a hexagonal nut.

In an embodiment, the front cover with indication windows can be fixed on the PCB assembly with one or more snap locks, based on which rear housing is fitted onto the front cover, thereby enveloping the entire PCB assembly with one or more snap locks.

In contrast to the conventional fan regulator, the with the round knob six plastic components were used in which one component was exclusively used for denoting the step of regulator but in the present invention only five plastic components are used and flag feature is amalgamated in the knob itself. Moreover, from the front cover a large amount of material is removed to make provision for the flat Knob and thus, with improved aesthetics we have also been able to save material by around three grams per product.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent in the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a simple 5 step rotary Fan Regulator according to one of the embodiment of present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates the inside assembly of Fan Regulator after removing the Front Cover according to one of the embodiments of present invention.

Figure 3 illustrates the Knob with inbuilt Flag Feature according to one of the embodiments of present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates where the knob sits inside the housing according to one of the embodiments of present invention.

Figure 5 illustrates he cross sectional view of a full flat rotary fan regulator showing all the components inside the assembly according to one of the embodiments of present invention.

Figure 6 illustrates the various components of a full flat rotary fan regulator with all the components exploded in the assembly order according to one of the embodiments of present invention.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may not have been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding, but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “a component surface” includes a reference to one or more of such surfaces.

All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which various embodiments belong. Further, the meaning of terms or words used in the specification and the claims should not be limited to the literal or commonly employed sense but should be construed in accordance with the spirit of the disclosure to most properly describe the present disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular various embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of various embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof. Also, Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

The present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the various embodiments set forth herein, rather, these various embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the present disclosure. Furthermore, a detailed description of other parts will not be provided not to make the present disclosure unclear. Like reference numerals in the drawings refer to like elements throughout.

The present subject matter relates to a five steps fan regulator for adjusting speed of a fan. The five steps fan regulator includes a regulator housing, a PCB assembly, a PCB lock cover, a full flat operating knob with amalgamated indicator flag feature and a front cover with windows for flag feature.

In another embodiment, the full flat operating knob can be operatively engaged with a main drive shaft.

In another embodiment, the operating knob is rotated to increase/ decrease speed of fan such that said indicator flag coinside with indication windows that are configured on front cover of the regulator.

In a further embodiment, the indicator flag can be visible on the operating knob of the regulator and moves from window to window along with the drive shaft whenever the operating knob is moved.

In yet another embodiment, main drive shaft can be configured in a PCB assembly.

In an embodiment, the fan regulator can include five windows that are distributed equally on the front cover of said regulator, and match five indentation steps of speed.

In an embodiment, the PCB lock cover can get assembled on the PCB assembly with assistance of a hexagonal nut.

In an embodiment, the front cover with indication windows can be fixed on the PCB assembly with one or more snap locks, based on which rear housing is fitted onto the front cover, thereby enveloping the entire PCB assembly with one or more snap locks.

Figure 1-6 illustrates a proposed fan regulator, in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The present fan regulator comprises a housing (5) which accommodates PCB assembly (4), PCB lock cover (3) and Knob (2). A front cover (1) with windows for flag feature and provision for flat knob is placed from the top.

As shown in FIG. 6, the PCB lock cover (3) can get assembled on the PCB assembly (4) with the help of the hexagonal nut. The operating knob (2) can be mounted on the drive shaft of the electronic PCB assembly (4) with an interference fit. The front cover (1) with indication windows is then fixed on to the PCB assembly (4) with snap locks. The rear housing (5) is then fitted on to the front cover (1), enveloping the entire PCB assembly (4) with snap locks.

In an embodiment, the operating knob (2) can be rotated to regulate the speed, in other words, increase or decrease the speed of the fan in steps; the drive shaft of the PCB assembly (4) is rotated. The full flat operating knob (2) can be mounted on the drive shaft, moves along with it. The indicator flag on the operating knob can be positioned in such a way to coincide with the indentation steps of the speed along with the windows on the front cover. The indicator flag can be visible on the front side of the product and moves from window to window along with the drive shaft whenever the operating knob (2) is moved.

In the present invention, the working principle of regulator is usual rotary fan regulator however the novelty lies in the following aspects.

a) Achieving a full flat fan regulator in sync with flat switches, where all the switch modules are in the plane of switch plate and nothing protrudes out from the surface of plate, thus enhancing the aesthetics of switch plate assembly.

b) The novelty lies in absorbing the extra height of round knob (12mm) which was bulging out from the front surface in the same rear housing by modifying the PCB lock cover & realigning the positions of capacitors in PCB assembly.

c) The novelty lies in achieving the flag feature to display individual steps of fan regulator, without using any additional plastic component.

d) The novelty lies in enhancing the usability of fan regulator, as for a rectangular knob it is easy to locate the speed position even in dark which is not possible in case of round knobs as they are symmetrical

e) The novelty lies in easy adaptability to different kind of regulator be it resistive, capacitive, triac etc.

f) The invention also involves large amount of material removal from front cover and reduced number of plastic components than earlier, thus saving almost three grams of material per product leading to cost benefits.
, Claims:
1. A five steps fan regulator for adjusting speed of a fan comprising
a regulator housing,
a PCB assembly,
a PCB lock cover,
a full flat operating knob with amalgamated indicator flag feature, operatively engaged with a main drive shaft; and
a front cover with windows for flag feature;
wherein upon rotation of the operating knob to increase/decrease speed of the fan, the drive shaft is rotated, so as to position said indicator flag that is configured on the full flat operating knob in such a way as to coincide with indentation steps of the speed along with indication windows that are configured on front cover of the regulator.

2. The regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indicator flag is visible on the operating knob of the regulator and is adapted to move from window to window along with the drive shaft whenever the operating knob is moved.

3. The regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main drive shaft can be configured in a PCB assembly.

4. The regulator as claimed in claim 1, comprising five windows that are distributed equally on the front cover of said regulator, and match five indentation steps of speed.

5. The regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the PCB lock cover is assembled on the PCB assembly with assistance of a hexagonal nut.

6. The regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front cover with indication windows are fixed on the PCB assembly with one or more snap locks, based on which regulator housing is fitted onto the front cover, thereby enveloping the entire PCB assembly with one or more snap locks.

7. The regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operating knob (2) can be mounted on the drive shaft of the electronic PCB assembly (4) with an interference fit.

8. The regulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operating knob is a rotary knob.