Articulating Blower Arrays and Methods

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/700,046 titled “ARTICULATING BLOWER ARRAYS AND METHODS” filed on Sep. 27, 2024, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosures generally relate to blower systems, apparatuses, and methods, and more particularly to blower systems, apparatuses, and methods that employ an articulating array of blowers.

BACKGROUND

Powered blowers have many different uses and various configurations. Some blower configurations include a gas engine driving a single axial fan and a turning elbow to direct flow from the fan to the ground. Such configurations often require large amounts of power and are thus gas operated. Gas-operated blowers may be loud, thereby limiting times and locations of operation. Additionally, the turning elbow may introduce losses and additional noise, further impacting operation of the blower.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of various aspects described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview and is not intended to identify key or critical elements or to delineate the scope of any claim. The following summary merely presents some concepts in a simplified form as an introductory prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

Aspects described herein relate to systems, apparatuses, and methods directed to articulating blower arrays. The articulating blower arrays disclosed herein may improve over some existing blowers having a turning elbow. The articulating blower arrays disclosed herein may improve over such existing blowers by defining an linear airflow path between an inlet and an outlet of the articulating blower array, in other words by eliminating the turning elbow those existing blowers use to direct the airflow toward the ground or other target. By eliminating the turning elbow, the articulating blowers disclosed herein may avoid losses and excessive noise that result from such turning elbows. By avoiding turning losses, the articulating blower arrays disclosed herein may provide improved blowing operation, for example, one or more of comparable or improved airflow velocity or airflow volume with lower power requirements. By avoiding excessive noise, the articulating blower arrays disclosed herein may expand the times and locations deemed acceptable for operation.

The articulating blower arrays described herein include a bank of individual blowers. The bank of individual blowers may be referred to, for convenience, as a blower bank module or simply a blower bank. The individual blowers may be referred to as blower units. The blower units may be arranged in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array (e.g., a 1×n array, a 2×n array, or an n×m array or blower units). The blower bank is configured to move between a first position and a second position. For example, the blower bank may be configured to move in a continuous or stepwise fashion between the first position and the second position. The blower bank may move between the first position and the second position by rotating about an axis. The blower bank thus may be described as configured to sweep back-and-forth between the first position and the second position. In some examples, an articulating blower array may be towed behind or mounted on a vehicle (such as, e.g., a golf cart). In some examples, an articulating blower array may be mounted on a wheeled, powered chassis under autonomous or manual control. In these examples, the rotation axis may be the direction of travel of the blower with the articulating blower array blowing in a direction away from the direction of travel. The articulating blower array thus may blow air in a perpendicular or slantwise direction relative to the direction of travel.

Mobilizing the articulating blower arrays as disclosed herein advantageously enables blower operation over large areas. For example, mobile articulating blower arrays may be employed to quickly and easily clear debris (e.g., leaves, sticks, rocks, refuse, etc.) from large public or private spaces (e.g., parks, lawns, golf courses, etc.). As another example, mobile articulating blower arrays may be employed to quickly and easily dry large areas (e.g., roads, racetracks, runways, etc.). These and other advantages of articulating blower arrays, whether or not mobilized, will be appreciated with the benefit of the full disclosures herein.

An air-moving device such as a blower may include a blower bank and a control unit. The blower bank may define a linear airflow path between a first side of the blower bank and a second side of the blower bank that is opposite the first side. The blower bank may include an inlet at the first side of the blower back, and exhaust outlet (or simply outlet) at the second side of the blower bank. The blower bank also may include an array of one or more blower units positioned between the inlet and the exhaust outlet. Each blower unit may be configured to eject a thrusted airflow from the exhaust outlet in substantially the same direction as an ingested airflow into the inlet. The blower bank may further include an articulating joint configured to rotate the blower bank module around an axis of rotation thereby modifying the blowing angle of the blower bank. The control unit may be, for example, a computing device having one or more processors and memory storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the computing device to control operation of the blower bank. For example, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, may cause the computing device to modify a blowing angle of the blower bank at least by controlling rotation of the blower bank around the axis of rotation via the articulating joint and controlling operation of one or more blower units of the blower bank. Controlling operation of the blower units may include controlling one or more settings of the blower units. The control unit thus may be configured to provide signals, commands, or instructions to the articulating joint and individual blower units to control rotation of the articulating joint and the blower units of the blower bank.

The air-moving device may include a tow hitch coupled to the blower bank that is configured to connect to a vehicle. In some examples, the air-moving device may include a battery configured to power the array of one or more blower units. In some examples, the control unit may be configured to independently control each blower unit of the array of one or more blower units.

Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure allow for articulating blower arrays that are efficient, optimizable, and have low-noise emissions. For example, use of multiple, compact blower units in the blower bank may allow for use of differing power sources, e.g., battery or AC powered, that are more efficient and that result in less noise generation than conventional systems. Moreover, the size and configuration of the array of blower units may allow for the thrusted airflow to be ejected from the blower bank module in substantially the same direction as the ingested airflow entering the inlet, and do not require elbows or other airflow turning apparatuses typically included in conventional systems.

For example, the control unit may be configured to set one power setting of a first subset of the blower units and a different power setting for a second subset of the blower units. For example, the control unit may set different subsets of blower units to different power settings (e.g., a “high” power setting and a “low” power setting), activate one subset of the blower units and deactivate another subset of the blower units (e.g., turn power on or off), and the like. The control unit may be configured to select or otherwise designate one or more blowing units as the first subset of blowing units and one or more other blowing units as the second subset of blowing units based on a desired blowing characteristic of the blower bank. An area of the primary airflow path may generally increase from an axial location of the stator to an axial location of the outlet. As another example, the inlet is located at an axial position aft of the bladed fan. The distributed array of blowing units may include a multiple rows of blowing units and multiple columns of blowing units in a grid format, or in some examples may include a single row and/or a single column of blowing units.

These features, along with many others, are discussed by way of example in greater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1A-1E illustrate a perspective views of an example tow-behind blower in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of an example of an inlet assembly of an articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 2B illustrates a perspective view of an example housing for a blower bank of an articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 2C illustrates a perspective view of an example inlet for a blower bank of an articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 2D illustrated a front view of the example inlet of FIG. 2C;

FIG. 3A illustrates a front view of a portion of an example blower bank of an articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 3B illustrates a side view of a portion of an example blower bank of an articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 3C illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a blower bank of an articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an example blower unit in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 5A illustrates an exploded view of the example blower unit of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5B illustrates another exploded view of the example blower unit of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6A illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an example blower unit in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 6B illustrates a side cross-sectional view another example blower unit in accordance with aspects described herein.

FIG. 7A-7B illustrate another example tow-behind articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 8A-8C illustrate other example tow-behind articulating blower arrays in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 9 illustrates articulating points of an example tow-behind articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 10 illustrates a front view of a portion of an example blower bank having a hexagonal blower arrangement in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of example components of a control computer that may be part of or in communication with an articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 12A illustrates a schematic top view of an articulating blower array with respective blower areas illuminated in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 12B illustrates an example user interface providing a visualization of a blower area of an articulating blower array in accordance with aspects described herein;

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of example method steps for controlling operation of an articulating blower array; and

FIG. 14 illustrates another flowchart of example method steps for controlling operation of an articulating blower array.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration various examples in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples may be utilized and implemented whereby structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Further, headings within this disclosure should not be considered as limiting aspects of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that the examples are not limited to the headings.

Aspects of the disclosure are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Rather, the phrases and terms used herein are to be given their broadest interpretation and meaning. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. The terms “outlet” and “exhaust” and “nozzle” may also be used interchangeably. The terms “blower,” “blower unit,” “air-moving device,” and “propulsor” may also be used interchangeably.

By way of introduction, aspects discussed herein may relate to blower array systems, apparatuses, and methods to provide an articulating airflow stream. For example, articulating blower arrays may be used as industrial blowers for cleaning debris and/or drying wet surfaces in large areas (e.g., parks, golf courses, recreational areas, courts, and the like), for Foreign Object Debris (FOD) removal from runways, car dryers, ventilators/dryers for rooms or other larges areas, oscillating dryers, leaf blowers, snow blowers, and the like. Such articulating blower arrays may include an articulating array of compact blower devices that eject airflow in substantially the same direction as ingested airflow, and thus do not require a turning elbow. Such articulating blower arrays may be operated by any number of energy sources, including batteries, AC power sources, internal combustion engines, and powered take offs, e.g., that are on agricultural equipment. As such, an articulating array of compact blower devices may provide a blower that operates quieter and more efficiently that conventional blowers and with improved operability, durability, and maintenance. For example, replacing components in an articulating array of compact blower devices may be relatively easier compared to conventional blowers and accomplished more efficiently and effectively than prior systems and methods.

Tow-behind blowers may be used to landscape debris such as leaves in parks, golf courses, and other large areas. Tow-behind blowers may also be used by vehicles to clear debris from stretches of highways or roads, and/or be used on airport runways or taxiways to clear or reduce FOD. Conventional-tow-behind blowers and other large format blowers often use a gas engine to drive a single axial fan having a large diameter fan, on the order of 12 inches or more, and a 90-degree turning elbow to direct airflow from the fan to the ground. Due to the amount of power required by such conventional tow-behind blowers require for typical operation, gas engines are used and electric-powered alternatives do not produce sufficient power. As a result, such conventional tow-behind blowers create significant noise and emissions. For example, turning elbows are required in many conventional tow-behind blowers required due to mounting restrictions relating to both weight and physical size, which generally prohibits the lateral placement of the engine when the blower is towed behind a vehicle. The turning elbow itself introduces high turning losses (e.g., on the order of 10-20%) and noise. However, mechanisms for directing ejected airflow are important for efficient and effective operation of the blower. Additionally, noise is an important consideration in operating blower devices as such devices are commonly used in recreational areas, such as golf courses and public parks, and use of conventional blower devices with high noise emissions may be restricted to when people are not using the area.

According to one or more examples described herein, blower apparatuses that are powered by gas alternatives, such as battery or AC power, may operate more quietly while maintaining similar or better runtimes and performance. For example, configurations as described herein may have higher efficiency and less aerodynamic losses, thus contributing to improved blower performance characteristics. Elimination of turning elbows relative to conventional designs may allow for simpler manufacturing designs in addition to improved blower performance characteristics.

FIG. 1A-1E illustrate a perspective views of an example tow-behind articulating blower array 100 in accordance with aspects described herein. The articulating blower array 100 may also be referred to simply as a blower apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1A-1E, the tow-behind articulating blower array 100 includes a blower bank 110 and a control unit 130. The blower bank 110, in this example, includes an inlet 112 at a first end 110A and an outlet 114 at a second end 110B opposite of the first end. The blower bank 110, in this example, also includes an array, e.g., a distributed array, of one or more blower units 116 (air-moving devices). The blower units 116 not shown in FIG. 1A-1E, but shown by way of example in FIG. 3A-C and are discussed in more detail below. The blower units 116 are positioned between between the inlet 112 and the outlet 114. The array of blower units 116 is configured to eject (propel, blow) an airflow from the outlet 114 in a substantially same direction as the airflow entering the inlet 112. FIG. 1D, for example, shows an ingested airflow direction 111A and an ejected airflow direction 111B. The blower bank 110, in this example therefore, is configured to eject an airflow without a turning elbow such that the ejected airflow is in substantially the same direction as the airflow ingested into the blower bank 110. The tow-behind articulating blower array 100 thus defines a substantially linear airflow path between the inlet 112 and the outlet 114. It will be appreciated that the airflow path may be described as substantially linear even if the airflow out of the tow-behind articulating blower array 100 is not substantially linear, e.g., due to vortices created by controlled or uncontrolled mixing of airflows from individual blower units 116, residual swirling of the airflow blown by the fans of the blower units, or other aerodynamic effects.

The design of the inlet may be configured for an array of blower units. The inlet may include an overarching bell mouth inlet. FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of an example inlet assembly of an articulating blower apparatus 100 according to one or more examples as described herein. The inlet assembly, in this example, includes an inlet 112 having a bell mouth structure 112A that generally forms a border around the inlet. The webbing and curvature of the bell mouth structure 112A may be configured to optimize cross flow and performance impact of the blower bank 110. The inlet 112, in this example, also includes a grid structure 112B positioned in a central region of the inlet that segments the inlet into different regions corresponding to different blowers units in the array of blower units. The inlet assembly, in this example, also includes a grate 113 positioned in front of the grid structure 112B that is designed to limit or prevent FOD ingestion into the blower bank 110, e.g., for FOD exceeding a certain threshold size.

FIG. 2B illustrates a perspective view of an example blower array housing 116A (or simply housing 116A) for the blower bank module 110. The housing 116A, in this example, includes a structure (e.g., a frame, shell, wall, etc.) that supports each of the blower units 116 in the array of blower units. As shown in FIG. 2B, the housing 116A, in this example, includes a structure to house two rows of five blower units. In some examples, a housing may be configured to support a single row of ten blower units (e.g., as shown in FIG. 7A-B and FIG. 8A). In some examples, housing may be configured to support a single blower unit. In further examples, the housing may be configured to support other quantities and configurations of blower units, such as blower units arranged in a hexagon shape (e.g., as shown in FIG. 10), blower units arranged in an octagon shape, 3 rows of 3 blower units, 2 rows of 2 blower units, and the like. A housing of an articulated blower array may be configured to support additional and alternative quantities and arrangements of blower units without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

More generally, a housing of an articulating blower array may include a one-dimensional array of blower units (e.g., a 1×2 array of blower units, a 1×5 array of blower units, a 1×10 array of blower units, a 1×n array of blower units, and the like) or a two-dimensional array of blower units (e.g., a 2×2 array of blower units, a 2×5 array of blower units, an n×n array of blower units, an n×m array of blower units, and the like). It should be appreciated that an array of blower units does not require any particular spatial relationship among the individual blower units of the array. As such, an array of blower units may include, for example, respective subsets of one or more blower units. An individual blower unit may be deemed to be included in a subset of blower units based on, for example, proximity to other blower units of the subset, alignment with other blower units of the subset, or other indicia indicating affiliation or association with other blower units of the subset. In some examples, the individual blower units may be arranged in one or more rows and/or one or more columns. In some examples, individual blower units may be aligned with one or more other blower units of the array. Alignment between blower units may be determined based on the respective centers and/or perimeters of the blower units being aligned. It will be appreciated that the quantity and arrangement of the blower units at the articulating blower array may impact the airflow output by the articulating blower array, for example, due to the interaction between the individual airflows generated by the blower units. As such, articulating blower arrays may be configured with a quantity and arrangement of blower units to achieve desired performance characteristics, for example, the direction of the airflow, the size of the blowing area, the spatial distribution of different airflow velocities, and the like.

The blower bank 110, in this example, includes an array of blower units 116 that are arranged along a straight axis and that extends between the inlet 112 to the outlet 114 (e.g., with no turning elbow), such that the entire blower bank module from the inlet to the outlet 114 (e.g., along that straight axis) may be rotated radially with respect to an axis of rotation. Such configurations may eliminate the need for turning elbows that create aerodynamic losses and allow for rotating the thrusted (propelled) airflow from the outlet 114 as well as for rotating a direction of the inlet 112. The blower units 116 in the blower bank 110 may allow for altering the angle of attack or the angle of thrust without having to alter the angle of the outlet 114 relative to the inlet 112. In other words, the inlet 112 and the outlet 114 may remain along a fixed axis regardless of change a direction of the blower bank 110 around the axis of rotation. As such, the rotatability of the blower bank 110 allows for steering the airflow in desired directions from the blower bank 110. Additionally, the individual blower units 116 may have adjustable stators to steer a direction of the thrusted airflow generated by an individual blower unit. Such stators may, when not adjusted, serve to straighten the thrusted airflow generated by the blower unit 116. For example, the blower units 116 may be axial fans, and the stator may deswirl the thrusted airflow generated by a bladed fan. But when adjusted (e.g., like a flap or a rudder) the adjustable stator may be configured to change an angle by which the thrusted airflow passes through the stator. As such, the adjustable stator may direct airflow right or left, or up or down relative to the ground, without rotating the blower bank itself. It will be appreciated that, in some examples, an articulating blower array may be operated to directed the thrusted airflow by both adjusting the stator and rotating the blower bank.

Referring back to FIG. 1A-1E, the blower bank 110 may also include an articulating joint 118 configured to articulate a blower angle 120 of the blower bank 110 around an axis of rotation 122. The articulating joint 118 may be configured to articulate the blower bank 110 about the axis of rotation 122 so as to alter a direction of airflow ejected by the blower bank. An actuator 124 may be configured to drive the articulating joint 118 to cause the array of blower units 116 to rotate to a specified blower direction, for example, at a specified blower angle, to direct ejected airflow from the blower bank 110. The articulating joint 118 may include a stopper 128 configured to limit a maximum degree of rotation of the blower bank 110, e.g., a maximum blower angle, about the axis of rotation 122. In some examples, the control unit 130 may be configured to halt a movement of the blower bank 110 about the articulating joint 118 when the inlet 112 reaches a preset proximity to a ground location, for example, when the inlet 112 faces the ground or has a blower angle relative to the ground within a preset threshold. As such, the articulating blower array 100 may be configured such that the outlet 114 moves between an upper maximum blower angle and a lower maximum blower angle. By way of example and without limitation, the upper maximum blower angle may correspond to an orientation of the blower bank 110 whereby the thrusted airflow path is parallel with the ground, and the lower maximum blower angle may correspond to an orientation of the blower bank whereby the thrusted airflow path is parallel with an axis between 0° and 45° relative to the ground.

To prevent or reduce FOD ingestion, the blower bank 110 may be configured so as to only be able to rotate within a limited range of rotation, e.g., set by a stopper 128 on the articulating joint 118. In some examples, the blower bank 110 may be configured to have limited rotation based on a blower outlet closest to the ground as opposed to a location of the inlet. To reduce the mass flow through the blower bank module 110 (e.g., as measured in cubic feet per meter, CFM), either a motor speed (e.g., as measured in revolutions per minute, RPM) may be throttled down via the control unit 130, thereby resulting in different noise qualities due to running the blower at different blade pass frequencies.

Additionally, the angle at which the ejected airflow hits debris in an environment may significantly impact how effective a blower may be at moving debris. If the blower is pointed too steeply toward the ground or too shallowly relative to the ground, the blower may not be able to move debris as effectively. The articulating blower array 100, in this example, thus may have an optimal blower angle or range of optimal blower angles for effectively removing certain debris from a given environment. As an example, heavier debris may take more force to initially start moving the debris, after which less force may be required to keep the debris moving once debris has been initially lifted or blown. The control unit 130 thus may be configured to receive as input a specified condition and/or a specified debris type, and the control unit 130 may then provide a set of blower settings that are deemed to be effective for a given blower use. The control unit 130 may store parameters for blower settings in memory and/or a data store. The control unit 130 also may store an association between a set of parameters and debris type, environment type, condition, and the like. Operating the articulating blower array thus may include providing user input that specifies a given debris type, environment, and/or condition. Based on the user input, the control unit 130 may retrieve the appropriate set of parameters for operating the articulating blower array.

The control unit 130 may be coupled to the blower bank 110 and configured to control one or more settings of the blower bank. The control unit 130 may include any suitable components to power the blower bank 110 and/or to connect to a power source to power the blower bank 110. For example, an articulating blower array may include a battery or a battery module (not shown) configured to power the array of one or more blower units 116 of the blower bank 110. In some examples, an articulating blower array may include at least one of: a battery, an alternating current power source, an internal combustion engine, and a power take off device for powering the blower bank module 110. In some examples, an articulating blower array may include a pair of 5 or 7 kilowatt-hour (kWh) batteries, which may be used in parallel to provide up to 10 or 14 kWh capacity, thereby facilitating relatively longer runtimes for the articulating blower array. In some examples, a tow-behind articulating blower array may be configured to connect to the power source of an electric vehicle that tows the articulating blower array and draw power from the battery bank of the electric vehicle. In some examples, a tow-behind articulating blower array may be configured to connect to power take-off (PTO) generator that produces electricity from the running engine of a vehicle (e.g., a tractor, truck, and the like) that tows the articulating blower array.

The control unit 130 may include a control panel 131 and/or a user interface suitable to allow a user to adjust an input of one or more settings of the blower apparatus 100, such as but not limited to power on/off, blower angle, blower speed, blower array subset settings, blower oscillation speed, blower duration, and the like. For example, the blower bank 110 may be configured to articulate about the axis of rotation 122 based on an instruction from the control unit 130. As another example, the control unit 130 may be configured to set a first subset of blower units 116 to a first power setting and to turn power off to a second subset of blower units of the blower bank 110, as will be described in more detail below. Further, the control unit 130 may be configured to designate one or more blower units 116 as the first subset of blower units 116 and one or more other blower units 116 as the second subset of blower units 116 based on a desired blower characteristic of the blower apparatus 100. In some examples, the control unit 130 may be configured to activate and/or control a selected combination of the one or more blower units to achieve a predetermined blowing characteristic (e.g., determined based on a specified blower application and/or based on specified environmental conditions).

The control unit 130 may include a control panel 131 having a user interface. The user interface may be or include, for example, a joystick, switch, knob, slider, touchscreen, sensor (e.g., tilt sensor), or any other input mechanism suitable for controlling operation of the blower apparatus. The user interface may receive user input from a user of the blower apparatus during operation. Based on receiving the user input, the user interface may, for example, cause a drive shaft of the one or more blower units to rotate the aerodynamic rotor thereof. In some examples, the user input received at the user interface may cause a processor of a control computer of the blower apparatus to transmit a signal that causes the motor to provide power to the drive shaft that causes rotation of the rotor thereby controlling operation of one or more blower units (controlling, e.g., the speed of the rotor, the air velocity resulting from rotation of the rotor, the volume of air moved, a noise level) as disclosed herein.

While shown as a panel of input devices in FIG. 1A-1E, the control panel 131 may also include a graphical user interface and/or touch screen configured to receive one or more input via interaction with an interface. In some examples, the control unit 130 may be configured to connect (e.g., via a wireless connection) to a mobile device or other user computing device and to receive one or more settings from the coupled device. For example, the mobile device may include a mobile application associated with the blower apparatus 100 that provides an application interface specific to control of an associated blower apparatus 100 and that allows a user to specify one or more settings for the blower apparatus 100 via the application interface.

In some examples, the control unit 130 may be configured to independently control each blower unit of the array of one or more blower units 116. The control unit 130 may also be configured to independently adjust a power level or motor speed of each blower unit of the array of one or more blower units 116. Various combinations of the individual blowers of the blower bank 110 may be operated at a specified power setting (e.g., at 100% RPM) and the other individual blowers may be selectively turned off. Such combinations of individual blowers may be set and controlled from the control unit. Accordingly, by individually turning blower units on or off or by powering up or down individual blower units, mass flow volume through the blower bank 110 may be changed without changing the jet velocity speed of the blanker bank 110. While some conventional blowers require enlarging or reducing a nozzle diameter to change mass flow, blower apparatuses according to one or more examples of the present disclosure may be configured to change mass flow volume by independently adjusting power settings to different blower units of the blower bank without a nozzle. In some examples, the control unit 130 may provide an interface that allows a user to separately power on/off each blower unit and to separately set a motor speed of each blower unit of the blower bank. In some examples, the control unit may have pre-programmed sequences of blowers that are associated with accomplishing a given blower characteristic. For example, only blowers in the four corners of the array in the blower bank 110 may be utilized. In some examples, only the left half, only the right half, only a top row, or only a bottom row of the array in the blower bank 110 may be utilized. One or more combinations of individual blower may be predetermined based on aerodynamic analysis and/or optimizations to the exhaust. Such predetermined combinations may be accessible and viewable to the user. In some examples, a user may be able to manually program customized combinations of blowers. Generally, the more blower units that are activated, the higher the jet velocity speed and mass flow volume will be. Additionally, by altering the motor speed of individual blower units, the exhaust speed may be changed. As an illustrative example, the blower bank 110 may be first operated using eight blower units, that are each at 100 percent of power, and producing a jet velocity speed of 130 mph and 5,000 CFM of airflow volume. If a higher airflow volume is desired while retaining the same jet velocity speed, the blower bank 110 may be operated by using ten blower units with each blower unit operating at less than 100 percent power or a lower motor speed. Similarly, the reverse may apply as well, in which additional individual blower units may be shut down or reduced in motor speed so as to lower jet velocity but keep about the same mass flow. For example, one blower unit operating at 100 percent of power may produce a certain mass flow rate, but two blower units that each operating at less than 100 present of power both operating at less than 100% RPM produce a lower jet velocity but the same mass flow rate. Still further, different blower units may operate simultaneously at different power settings or motor speeds. By controlling different blower units (e.g., setting a motor speed and/or setting an on/off activation), noise can be better controlled, thus allowing the blower apparatus to be operable even in environments where noise restrictions are in place by simply changing one or more settings of the blower bank.

In some applications, it may be difficult for a user to visualize a direction of ejected airflow from the blower bank 110. Accordingly, the control unit 130 may provide a visual indicator or may be operably connected to a system that provides a visual indicator, thereby further optimizing performance and/or runtime of the articulating blower array 100. Simple visual indicators, such as line lasers or illumination systems with light sources may be used to show an area of ejected airflow from the blower bank 110. For example, FIG. 12A illustrates a schematic top view of an articulating blower array 1201 that ejects an airflow 1205 in a given direction. Various illumination regions may be provided depending on a blower angle and/or power setting of the blower apparatus that provide a visual indicator of a blower ejection area. For example, a first region 1210, a second region 1215, or a third region 1210 may be illuminated based on various blower settings of the blower apparatus. Still further, various additional regions may be illuminated outside of those depicted in FIG. 12A. Other types of visual indicators may include sensors and/or cameras that may be configured to monitor direction and movement of debris blown from the articulating blower array 1201 or an area of ejected flow from the articulating blower array. The visual indicator may be configured to be updated as one or more settings are adjusted at the control unit 130. In some examples, the control unit 130 may include one or more of a line laser, a sensor, and a camera configured to monitor and provide a visual indication of a direction of the blower bank 110.

In some examples, the control unit 130 may be configured to provide the visual indicator of an area of ejected airflow from the blower bank 110. The visual indicator may include a light source illuminating a region indicating the area of ejected airflow. In some examples, one or more cameras may be included with the control unit, and the visual indicator may include a video screen depicting the articulating blower array 100 and a surrounding area with a superimposed graphic indicating the area of ejected airflow. FIG. 12B shows an example interface 1250 that includes a visual indicator 1252 of a blower area, for example, as a video or an image on the interface 1250. The interface 1250 may include a selectable icon to change one or more setting of the blower, such as a blower position adjustor icon 1254 and a blower power adjustor icon 1256. Upon changing one or more settings of the blower, the visual indicator 1252 may be updated, e.g., in real-time, to reflect the changed settings. Various other icons and display options may also be provided in such an interface without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Various other types of visual indicators may be used with the articulating blower array 100 as described herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Still further, the control unit 130 may be configured with software appropriate to control operation of the various blowers of the blower bank 110 as described herein. For example, the control unit 130 may be configured to operate in an autonomous mode in which automated settings are applied to control the individual blower units, e.g., to a specified direction at a specified power level and a combination of actuated blower units for a specified direction of time. Similarly, the control unit 130 may be programmed with a number of preprogrammed settings or sequences, e.g., that are specific to certain environments or use cases. Additionally, in some examples, the vehicle may be preprogrammed with defined routes for autonomous or semi-autonomous operation, and one or more of the preprogrammed sequences may correspond to preprogrammed defined vehicle routes.

In some examples, the control unit 130 may receive feedback from one or more sensors and control operation of the blower bank 110 based on such feedback. Sensors may include, for example, cameras, humidity sensors, liquid sensors (e.g., to detect rain, damp areas, etc.), and the like. Based on signals received from the one or more sensors and/or information derived from the signals received from the one or more sensors, the control unit 130 may modify the blowing angle and/or the thrust of one or more blower units 116 of the blower bank 110. In some examples, the control unit 130 may include a wireless communication module (e.g., a wireless receiver, wireless transceiver, etc.) to receive signals (e.g., wireless signals) from remotely located sensors. In this way, the control unit 130 may optimize the blowing angle and thrust based on debris type and environmental conditions. For example, in wet conditions, more thrust may be needed to help unstick wet leaves. Heavier debris such as pebbles and rocks may also require greater thrust to move. Through feedback from these sensors (e.g., real-time feedback), the control unit 130 may adjust and optimize the blowing angle and/or thrust during operation to ensure the most efficient debris clearing performance. By adjusting the blowing angle and/or thrust in real-time during operation, productivity may be increased and/or runtime may be maximized. In some environments, noise ordinances may prevent operation at the maximum thrust setting. The maximum thrust setting, therefore, may be limited based on the environment to conform to such ordinances. In these examples, the blower bank angle may need to be adjusted to a steeper angle toward the ground to help move heavier debris. As automatic lawn mowing robots become more advanced and widely adopted, there is still a need to manually clear debris such as grass clippings and leaves. Blower arrays as described herein with these feedback mechanisms in place may facilitate further automation by allowing areas to be maintained with less operators and even during off-hours.

A tow hitch 150 may be coupled to the blower bank 110. The tow hitch 150, in this example, extends in a direction generally perpendicular to the first end 110A and the second end 110B of the blower bank. In some examples, the tow hitch 150 may couple to the blower bank 110 and/or the control unit 130 via an articulating joint 152.

A wheeled chassis 170 may be connected to the control unit 130. The wheeled chassis 170 may be configured to allow ease of movement of the articulating blower array 100 when the articulating blower array 100 is coupled to a moving vehicle. While shown in FIG. 1A-1E as a single axle, the wheeled chassis 170 may include two axles, three axles, or any additional number of axles. Additionally, while the wheeled chassis 170 is shown in FIG. 1A-1E as having two wheels space apart by the control unit 130, in some examples, a wheeled chassis may include a single wheel, e.g., placed below a central region of the control unit 130. Further, while FIG. 1A- 1E show the control unit 130 mounted to the wheeled chassis 170, in some examples, the blower bank 110 may be mounted to the wheeled chassis, instead or in addition to the control unit. Further, the wheeled chassis 170 may be removable, such that the articulating blower array may be able to operate in a stationary mode when the wheeled chassis has been removed. In some examples, other ground-interfacing devices may be used instead of wheels on the chassis 170, such as, but not limited to, skis for snow-blowing applications, treads for rougher or less developed terrain, track wheels, and the like. In some examples, the articulating blower array may be mounted to a stationary device, e.g., for stationary blower uses. Still further, in some examples, the articulating blower array may be mounted to an aerial vehicle.

Still referring to FIG. 1A-1E, the articulating blower array 100 may be used as a distributed array tow-behind blower that includes a blower bank 110 that has an articulatable bank of one or more blower units 116. A tow hitch 150 may be coupled to one end of the blower bank 110 via a rotating or articulating joint 152. A wheeled chassis 170 and a control unit 130 (e.g., a battery-powered control unit 130) may be connected to the other end of the blower bank 110 via another rotating joint 172 (shown in FIG. 3A). An actuator 124 may drive the articulating joint 118 to cause the blower bank 110 to rotate to direct the flow of ejected air from the articulating blower array 100. In some examples, not pictured in FIG. 1A-1E, a flap may be included to direct the ejected airflow flow, for example, that can symmetrically change a direction of ejected airflow from one side to the other side of the articulating blower array 100. The blower bank module 110 may be able to articulate so as to blow ejected airflow in both directions, e.g., toward a left side or a right side of the articulating blower array 100, where a front side of the articulating blower array is defined as proximate to the end with the tow hitch 150.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, a front view of a portion of an example blower bank 110 is shown, e.g., with the grate 113 and the bell mouth structure 112A removed from the first end 110A. As shown in FIG. 3A, the blower array housing 116A is configured to support two rows of five blower units 116. The blower array housing 116A may support the blower units 116 in a plurality of rows and/or a plurality of columns in a grid format. A front end of each of the blower units 116 is shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3A also depicts how articulating joint 152 of the tow hitch 150 and rotating joint 172 of the wheeled chassis 170 may connect to the blower bank module 110. FIG. 3B illustrates a side perspective view of a portion of an example blower bank 110, e.g., having a side cover of an external housing removed to view the blower units 116 therein. As shown in FIG. 3B, the blower array housing 116A supports each of the blower units 116 in position in the blower bank module. With FIGS. 3A and 3B showing an example blower bank 110 with two rows of five blower units 116, in the side view of FIG. 3B, only a single row of five blower units 116 is visible. Each row of blower unit 116 may be secured in place in the blower array housing 116A via a blower array clamp 116B.

In some examples, the blower bank 110 may be configured for ease of access to each of the blower unit 116 to enable easy replacement or access otherwise to individual blower units 116, for example, as part of performing maintenance on the articulating blower array. For example, a cover of the blower bank 110 may be removable, and the blower array clamp 116B may be loosened or removed to enable access to and/or removal of an individual blower units 116. As shown in FIG. 3C, which illustrates a side perspective view of a portion of a blower bank 110, a side cover of the blower bank 110 has been removed such that a blower unit 116 is visible.

In FIG. 3C, the blower array clamp 116B is still in place, securing the blower unit 116 in the blower array housing 116A. The blower unit 116 may also include a connection port 116C that connects the blower unit 116 to other components of the articulating blower array 100, such as the control unit 130. In addition to the blower bank 110 being configured for ease of access to individual blower units 116, the articulating blower array 100 may be configured such that even if one or more blower units become inoperable, the articulating blower array may still be able to continue to operating with the remaining blower units 116. In some examples, if a blower unit 116 becomes inoperable, the control panel 131 may be configured to display a message indicating a specific blower unit that has become inoperable, and the control unit 130 may automatically cut off power from that specific blower unit and only allow for operation of remaining blower units.

Blower Units

According to aspects described herein, a blower unit (also referred to herein as a blower, air-moving device, or a propulsor) is described herein. Generally, the blower unit is configured to move air therethrough and eject the airflow out an exhaust outlet. The blower unit may move airflow for various applications from large-scale applications such as, for example, towed blowers, oscillating fans, and industrial blowers, snow blowers, and the like. However, the applications of the blower units are not limited those described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an individual blower unit 400 in accordance with aspects described herein. Generally, the blower unit 400 includes a plurality of components that may collectively reduce noise emitted by the blower unit 400 during thrust generation. The blower unit 400 may be the same as or similar to the blower unit 116 of FIG. 3A-3B. Thus, the blower unit 400 is configured to limit noise pollution. For example, the blower unit 400 may include a tensioned blade fan that includes a plurality of fan blades. By tensioning the blade fan, the angle of the fan blades is maintained to be substantially the same whether the blower unit is generating maximum thrust or is not operating (e.g., is at rest). As a result, noise pollution may be reduced and thrust efficiency may be increased compared to conventional blower units. The blower unit 400 limits noise pollution given that the angle of the fan blades is maintained within a predetermined tolerance range. For example, the blower unit 400 may emit noise that is less than 65 dBA at 300 feet sideline/5,000 lbf.

FIG. 5A illustrates a first exploded view of the blower unit 400 and FIG. 5B illustrates a second exploded view of the blower unit 400 according to certain examples. The blower unit 400 may include a plurality of different components as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. For example, the blower unit 400 may include a duct lip 401, a nose cone 403, a hub 405, a blade fan 409, a locking ring 410, a tension ring 411, a motor 415, a body housing 417, an outer casing 413 (e.g., that includes a plurality of outer casings 413A and 413B, a stator 419 (e.g., that includes stator blades 419A, motor housing 419B, stator body 419C), and a tail cone 421. Other example blower units may include other components than those shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. In one example, the duct lip 401, the outer casing 413 (e.g., outer casing 413A, outer casing 413B), and a portion of the stator 419 (e.g., stator body 419C) may collectively form a casing that houses the components of the blower unit, as shown in FIG. 4.

The blade fan 409 may include a plurality of blades. The total number of blades included in the blade fan 409 may be significantly more than the number of blades included in conventional blower units that have 2 to 5 blades. In some examples, the blade fan 409 may include any number of blades, from a lower range of about 20 blades to an upper range of about 150 blades. The blade may have a hub/tip ratio (H/t) of 0.3 to 0.5. However, any number of blades, e.g., greater than five, may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Similarly, the blades may have hub/tip ratios less than 0.3 or greater than 0.5, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Generally, the total number of blades included in the blade fan 409 may be dependent on the application of the blower unit. The material for the blades may also be dependent on the type of application of the blower unit. For example, the blades may be composed of metal such as aluminum or titanium or a composite such as carbon fiber, or combinations thereof. Because of the higher quantity of blades of the blade fan 409, a more forward center of gravity results in the blower unit 400, which may allow for greater ease in centering and replacing components in the blower unit.

In some examples, the blade fan 409 may limit overall blade noise as the blade fan 409 spins at a low tip speed (around 300-450 ft/sec). As described herein, the tensioned blade fan 409 may allow for many more blades to be included within mechanical material limits and still achieve ultrasonic signatures and low subsonic tip speeds. Furthermore, a higher quantity of blades raises the tonal noise into ultrasonic frequencies outside the upper limit of human audibility (around 2-16,000 Hz for typical adults). Furthermore, a low blade loading due to the higher blade count may also reduce the severity of vortex-to-vortex collisions which cause broadband noise.

The blade fan 409 may include a plurality of blades arranged to form a circular ring shape with a hollow center where a hub is disposed. Each blade may be positioned such that at least a portion of the leading edge and at least a portion of the trailing edge of the blade are overlapped by neighboring blades. For example, a leading edge of a given blade may be overlapped by the trailing edge of a blade to the left of the given blade and a trailing edge of the given blade may be overlapped by a leading edge of a blade to the right of the given blade.

Each blade may be comprised of an airfoil disposed between a first locking end and a second locking end. In some examples, the airfoil may have a geometric twist. The geometric twist may include a change in airfoil angle of incidence measured with respect to the root of the blade. That is, the airfoil may include a plurality of different angles of incidence across the length of the airfoil due to the geometric twist. For example, the airfoil may have a first angle of incidence at a first side of the geometric twist and may have a second angle of incidence at a second side of the geometric twist. U.S. Pat. No. 11,802,485, titled “Propulsor Fan Array,” is incorporated by reference herein, and describes example propulsor fans and bladed disks that may implement the blade fan concepts described herein.

The tension ring 411 is configured to connect to the blade fan 409 by being placed around the circumference of the blade fan 409. More specifically, the tension ring 411 is configured to connect to first locking ends of each blade of the blade fan 409 according to one or more examples. By locking the first locking ends of the blades to the tension ring 411, the pitch of the blade tips may be maintained to be substantially the same during thrust generation and at rest thereby reducing audible noise that is emitted from the blower unit 400 since changes in pitch can be perceivable to the human ear. Thus, pre-tensioning the blades using the tension ring 411 may reduce inefficiencies due to tip gaps. In some examples, the tension ring 411 may be made of metal such as aluminum or titanium or a composite such as carbon fiber. However, other materials may be used in other examples.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the tension ring 411 may have a diameter at a first end that is substantially the same as a diameter at a second end thereof, with a body of the tension ring 411 being disposed between the first end and the second end. The body of the tension ring 411 may include a plurality of openings (e.g., slots) that extend through the entire thickness thereof. Each opening may be configured to connect to a first locking end of a respective blade of the blade fan 409. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5A-5B, there is a one-to-one relationship between each opening of the tension ring 411 and the blades. In some examples, a fastener such as an epoxy may also applied to the first locking end of each blade to further strengthen the connection between the blades and the tension ring 411. A locking ring 410 may be configured to connect to the blade fan 409 and the hub 405 and beneficially tensions the roots of the blades. Thus, the blades of the blade fan 409 may be tensioned at both the tips and the roots to maintain the angle of the blades during operation. The locking ring 410 may be made of metal such as aluminum or titanium or a composite such as carbon fiber.

Still referring to FIG. 5A-5B, the body housing 417 may be configured to house (e.g., partially surround) components of the blower unit 400. For example, the blade fan 409, hub 405, tension ring 411, locking ring 410, and motor 415 may be housed within the body housing 417. Other components of the blower unit 400 may be contained within the body housing 417 in other examples. The body housing 417 may be made of metal such as aluminum or titanium or a composite such as carbon fiber. However, other materials may be used in different examples.

The body housing 417 may be cylindrical in shape and may include a first end (e.g., an inlet) and a second end (e.g., an outlet). The first end may have a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the second end. The first end may include a plurality of mounting holes that are formed around the circumference of the first end of the body housing 417. For example, the first end of the body housing 417 may be configured to connect to a second end of the duct lip 401 such that mounting holes in the duct lip 401 are aligned with the mounting holes of the body housing 417. Fasteners may be used to secure the duct lip 401 to the first end of the duct body housing 417.

In some examples, the second end of the body housing 417 may include a plurality of mounting holes that are formed around the circumference of the second end of the body housing 417. For example, the second end of the body housing 417 may be configured to connect to a first end (e.g., an inlet) of the stator 419. While the second end of the body housing 417 is connected to the first end of the stator 419, the mounting holes in the second end of the body housing 417 may be aligned with mounting holes on the first end of the stator 419. Fasteners (e.g., nuts, bolts, rivets) may be used to secure the second end of the body housing 417 to the first end of the stator 419. In some examples, the body housing 417 may include a plurality of intermediate portions that are each configured to house different components of the blower unit 400.

Still referring to FIGS. 4 and 5A-5B, the stator 419 may include a plurality of stator blades 419A. The stator 419 may include components other than or in additional to those shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A-5B. In some configurations, the stator blades 419A may extend radially from the motor housing 419B that surrounds the motor 415. That is, the root of each stator blade 419A may be connected to the motor housing 419B that surrounds the motor 415 and the airfoil of the stator blade 419A may extend outward away from the motor housing 419B that surrounds the motor 415. In some examples, each stator blade 419A may extend away from the motor housing 419B that surrounds the motor 415 at an angle measured with respect to a reference line that extends perpendicular from a point on the motor housing 419B that surrounds the motor 415 from which the stator blade 419A extends.

In one example, the stator blades 419A may conduct heat away from the motor 415. Since the stator blades 419A contact the motor housing 419B that surrounds the motor 415, air that passes over the stator blades 419A dissipates heat generated by the motor 415. In some examples, the arrangement of the stator blades 419A may also limit noise generated by the blade fan 409 and may control thrust generated by the blower unit 400. The blade count of the stator blades 419A may be selected so that the harmonics of the stator 419 cancel out harmonics of the blade fan 409. For ultrasonic fans, because of the localized low Reynolds number along the blade, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the blade fan 409 may include a plurality of blades that may be higher in count (i.e., total amount) than the stator blades 419A for favorable acoustics. This may vary anywhere from 50% to 200% more blades for a particular set of design tones. In some examples, tips of the stator blades 419A may be in contact with an inner surface of the stator body 419C. Thus, the stator blades 419A are stationary. By contacting the stator blades 419A with the inner surface of the stator body 419C, the position of each stator blade 419A may be static.

The nose cone 403 may be configured to modulate oncoming airflow behavior and to reduce aerodynamic drag. The nose cone 403 may also be configured with an impeller to aid in cooling air mass flow without contributing significantly to broadband or tonal noise. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the nose cone 403 may be disposed within the duct lip 101 and may be connected to the blade fan 409.

In some examples, the nose cone 403 may be configured to connect to the motor 415 with the hub 405 disposed between the nose cone 403 and the motor 415. The nose cone 403 may include a plurality of mounting holes on a rear surface of the nose cone 403. Fasteners 407 (e.g., nuts and bolts, rivets, etc.) may be placed in the mounting holes to connect the nose cone 403 to a first end of the hub 405. As will be further described below, the fasteners 407 may extend through the hub 405 and connect to a first end of the motor 415.

In some examples, the nose cone 403 may be conical in shape. However, the nose cone 403 can include any number of shapes and geometries without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The nose cone 403 may include an opening (e.g., a hole or orifice) at a first end of the nose cone 403. As the blade fan 409 spins, air may be pulled through the opening in the nose cone 403 to cool the motor 415. In some examples, secondary mass flow may cool inner components, based at least in part on a size of the inner diameter of an opening in the nose cone 403. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this diameter may be derived subject to thermal requirements of different electric motors and the air required to cool them at the most constraining condition, typically max continuous operation.

The motor 415 may be connected to the stator 419. For example, the motor 415 may be an electric motor. More specifically, the motor 415 may be a line replacement air-cooled electric motor.

In some examples, the motor 415 may include a housing that is cylindrical in shape. The housing of the motor 415 may include a cavity disposed between a first end and a second end. The cavity may extend from the first end towards the second end, but reaching the second end. In particular, the cavity may be configured to house the motor 415. That is, the motor 415 may be placed within the cavity of a motor housing. Thus, the shape and size of the cavity may be dependent on the shape and size of the motor 415. Since the motor 415 may be placed within the cavity and the motor 415 may be indirectly connected to the hub, the stator 419 also functions as a structural component to support the hub and other components of the blower unit 400.

In some examples, the motor 415 may include a center hub-driven motor. That is, a single motor 415 may be used to drive the blower unit 400. An example motor 415 of the blower unit 400 may be an electric motor. In some examples, the motor 415 may be a brushless electric motor or an electric ducted fan (EDF). However, other types of motors such as a gas motor or jet turbine may be used in the blower unit 400 in other examples. Generally, different motor types and sizes may be used depending on the application of the blower unit 400.

The tail cone 421 may be configured to be connected to the motor 415. The tail cone 421 may be disposed within the stator body 419C. The tail cone 421 may be configured to produce a change of area relative to that at the stator 419 using the air exits the blower unit 400. The tail cone 421 may be made of metal such as aluminum or titanium or may be made of a composite such as carbon fiber.

The tail cone 421 may include a first end and a second end. For example, the first end may have a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the second end. The diameter of the tail cone 421 may differ across a length of the tail cone 421. As shown in FIG. 5A-5B, the diameter of the tail cone 421 may decrease from the first end (e.g., forward end) towards the second end (e.g., aft end).

The tail cone 421 may include a first end (i.e., an inlet) and a second end (i.e., an outlet). In some examples, the first end may have a diameter that may be greater than a diameter of the second end. The diameter of the tail cone 421 may vary across a length of the tail cone 421. As shown in FIG. 5A-5B the diameter of the tail cone 421 reduces from the forward, first end towards the aft, second end.

In some examples, the first end of the tail cone 421 may be configured to connect to the second end of the motor 415. Thus, the diameter of the first end of the tail cone 421 may substantially match a diameter of the second end of the motor 415. In some examples, the first end of the tail cone 421 may include a mounting surface that mates with the second end of the motor 415. The mounting surface may be attached to the motor 415 using fasteners, for example. However, other attachment mechanisms may be used in other examples.

The tail cone 421 may include a cavity formed through the length of the tail cone 421 starting from the first end to the second end. Shaping of the aft end of the tail cone 421 may be governed by exhausted secondary flow from the interior of the tail cone 421 with respect to the expansion of the jet following a blade fan and/or a stator, for example, the bladed disk and/or stator.

Additionally, blower units according to the aspects described herein may incorporate bladed disks (also referred to as “blisks” or “blisk”) having singular (“single-part”) or multi-part construction. Single-part blisks may be differentiated from multi-part blisks formed as an assembly of parts that form a singular unit once assembled. Multi-part blisks may be constructed to be disassembled without destroying the integrity of the blisk or its constituent components, such as with removable fasteners or the like that allow the blisk to remain an integral structure under intended use conditions, such as those provided herein, whereas single-part blisks may be constructed to not be disassembled or deconstructed without destroying the structural integrity of the single-part blisk and/or its components (e.g., hub, blades, shroud). Various single-part blisks are described in commonly-owned U.S. Patent Application Number Ser. No. 18/891,900, filed on Sep. 20, 2024, and entitled “AIR-MOVING DEVICE WITH SINGLE-PART ROTOR AND METHODS,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/891,746, filed on Sep. 20, 2024, and entitled “AIR-MOVING DEVICES, AERODYNAMIC ROTOR, AND METHODS,” each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Due to properties of the blisk and other physical properties of the blower, the blower may provide better airflow and reduced noise levels relative to conventional blowers. The physical properties of the blower that may contribute to the improved airflow and reduced noise levels include its “wetted geometry,” which may include the geometries that touch the path of the air flow through the leaf blower.

FIG. 6A illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a housing of the example blower unit 600 according to one or more examples as described herein. In some instances, a cross-section view of the blower unit 600 along place A-A′ shown in FIG. 4 may be similar to or substantially the same as the cross-section view shown in FIG. 6A.

The blower unit 600 may include an inlet 602 at a first end (e.g., a forward end) and outlet 604 at a second end (e.g., an aft end). The blower unit 600 may include additional components similar to the components shown in the blower unit 400 of FIGS. 4 and 5A-5B. For example, the blower unit 600 may include an external casing 606, a nose cone 616, a blade fan 610, a motor 618, a stator 612, and a tail cone 620. Other examples of the blower unit 600 may include other components than shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Generally, the blower unit 600 includes multiple components that may collectively reduce noise emitted by the blower unit 600 during thrust generation.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the blower unit 600 may include an inlet 602 at a forward end of the blower unit 600 and an outlet 604 at an aft end of the blower unit 400. A primary airflow path 608 may extend between the inlet 602 and the outlet 604. The primary airflow path 608 may be configured to provide a pathway of airflow moving through the blower unit 600. For example, the blade fan 610 may have plurality of fan blades in a portion of the primary airflow path 608 and the stator 612 may have a plurality of stator blades in a portion of the primary airflow path 608 aft of the blade fan 610. Airflow may pass through the primary airflow path 608 by passing around the fan blades and the stator blades to move from the inlet 602 to the outlet 604 of the blower unit 600.

As shown in the cross-section view of FIG. 6A, the casing 606 may partially or fully surround the blade fan 610 and the stator 612. In some examples, the casing 606 may have an exterior wall, an interior wall, and a cavity between the exterior wall and the interior wall. One or more electronic components may be housed in the cavity of the casing 606. Though not shown in FIG. 6A, the casing 606 may include suitable components features, such as mounting holes, surface indentations, fasteners, and the like, for mounting the blower unit 600 into a blower apparatus, e.g., into the blower array housing 116A of FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 6B illustrates another side cross-sectional view of the housing of an example blower unit 650 according to one or more examples as described herein. Due to physical properties of the blower unit 650, the blower unit 650, like blower unit 400 and blower unit 600, may provide better airflow and reduced noise levels relative to conventional blowers. The physical properties of the blower that may contribute to the improved airflow and reduced noise levels include its “wetted geometry,” which may include the geometries that touch the path of the air flow through the blower. The wetted geometries may include, for example, the respective geometries of the inlet 602, blades (e.g., rotor blades of the blade fan 610, stator blades of the stator 612), nozzle or outlet 604, nose cone 616, motor 618, tail cone 620, and any other geometry of the blower unit that touches air being moved by the blower unit. A blower unit, when connected to other portions of a blower apparatus, may be connected to a user interface for controlling operation of the blower unit (e.g., controlling a speed the rotor and/or a direction or angle of the airflow output).

Blowers as described herein may be designed for both professional (commercial) use and consumer (residential) use. The operational output of professional-grade blowers may be different compared to consumer-grade blowers. For example, the volumetric airflow for professional-grade blower may range from about 500 to as high as 20,000 cfm whereas the volumetric airflow for consumer-grade blowers may be in the range of about 300-700 cfm. As another example, the air velocity for professional-grade blowers may be in the range of about 100-500 mph whereas the air velocity of consumer-grade blowers may be in the range of about 100-200 mph. Handling features also may differ between professional-grade and commercial-grade blowers. As described below, blowers as described herein may include electric motors powered by one or more batteries. In some examples, professional-grade blowers may include relatively larger and/or multiple batteries to accommodate relatively longer operation durations. To account for the relatively heavier weight that results from such batteries, professional-grade leaf blowers may include, for example, a structure, such as a wheeled chassis, to allow the full weight of the battery to be supported, amongst other components. Consumer-grade blowers, on the other hand, may include a single battery that is relatively smaller and thus lighter. Consumer-grade blowers, therefore, may be handheld and include a handle or an arm mount.

The exhaust area may impact the range of volumetric air flow and air velocity for a blower. For example, expected volumetric air flow and the air velocity produced by a blower may depend on the diameter of the blower exhaust. Relatively larger nozzle diameters may yield relatively higher thrust output and volumetric air flow but a relatively lower air velocity while relatively smaller nozzle diameters may yield relatively higher air velocities but relatively lower thrust output and volumetric air flow. As such, the diameter of the blower exhaust may involve a tradeoff between higher thrust output and volumetric air flow at the expense of air velocity or higher air velocity at the expense of thrust output and volumetric air flow. Example systems described herein may produce significantly more thrust and airflow volume for the same jet speed (e.g., conventional systems may produce around 84 Newtons of thrust and 2,260 cfm airflow volume at a speed of 143 mph, while systems according to the present disclosure may produce around 250 Newtons of thrust and 7,500 cfm airflow volume at a speed of 130 mph). As such, the systems described herein may have significantly lower thrust specific power, thereby requiring less power to produce a same amount of thrust (e.g., conventional systems may have a thrust specific power on the order of around 79 Watts/Newtons, while systems according to the present disclosure may have a thrust specific power on the order of around 47 Watts/Newtons). In examples as discussed herein, the blower apparatus may operate at speeds in a range of 100-500 mph and airflow volumes from about 50 cfm to as high as 20,000 cfm. For example, one or more blower units in the array to provide 500 cfm at a speed of 100 mph. Still further, the blower apparatuses described herein may have thrust specific powers less than 75, less than 65, less than 55 or less than 50, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As discussed, the blower apparatuses described herein may produce substantially less noise than conventional blowers. For example, as a range of about 50 feet, the blower apparatuses as discussed herein may produce less than 80 dBA of noise, less than 70 dBA of noise, or less than 60 dBA of noise, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

In some examples, the exhaust of the blower may be configured to change the airflow output during operation. Changing the airflow may include changing the volume, velocity, or direction (e.g., rotation, angle) of the airflow. As described above, volumetric air flow and air velocity may depend on the diameter of the nozzle. In some examples, a blower may be configured to exchange different nozzle attachments that, when attached to an exhaust of a blower, may change the air flow (e.g., volume, velocity) output by the blower. The nozzle attachments may change the diameter (e.g., increase or decrease) and/or shape of the end of the nozzle. In some examples, a blower may be configured to receive a stator insert that, when inserted in an exhaust of a blower, may change the air flow (e.g., direction) output by the blower.

According to some examples, a sub-assembly may be incorporated into (e.g., housed within, contained in a housing of) any blower unit, such as those described herein for example, to improve air movement, improve efficiency, and reduce noise levels relative to conventional blower units. The sub-assembly, in an example, may include an inlet guard, an inlet duct, a nose cone, a collet, a rotor, a stator, a motor, an aft duct, and a tail cone. The inlet guard, inlet duct, nose cone, rotor, stator, aft duct, and tail cone may belong to the wetted geometry of the sub-assembly and, as a result, their respective designs may impact the aerodynamics and acoustics of the sub-assembly. The respective designs of these components, therefore, may be configured (e.g., optimized) to minimize losses and minimize noise generated by the movement of air past and through these components. The rotor may be implemented as a singular, unitary, monolithic bladed disk as described herein. The nose cone may be integrally formed with the rotor as described herein such that the nose cone and rotor form a singular, unitary, monolithic unit. The collet may be used to connect the nose cone, rotor, and motor. The collect may be designed to permit quick swapping of the rotor (e.g., for installation, removal, repair). The stator also may have a singular, unitary, monolithic construction. The motor may be an electric motor. The motor may be powered by one or more batteries (e.g., one or more rechargeable batteries). The batteries may be removable (e.g., swappable) in the air-moving device. The tail cone may be combined with (e.g., connected to, integrated with) the housing of the motor and contain any connections (e.g., wires) that may result in unwanted noise or negatively impact performance if positioned in the flow of the air path. A blower unit may include aspects of the sub-assembly, for example and without limitation, the rotor (e.g., a multi-part blisk or a single-part blisk) and motor. A blower unit may be incorporated into various types of air-moving devices (e.g., housed within a housing of a blower).

The blisks described herein may be used for a variety of air-moving applications. A variety of air-moving devices, therefore, may include, for example, a fan that employs a single-part blisk as described herein. In one example, a blisk as described herein may be incorporated into a blower as shown in FIG. 1A-1E and 3A-3C. Other types of air-moving devices that may include one or more blisks as described herein may include, for example, blower fans (e.g., carpet dryers, race track dryers, car wash dryers), debris-removing blowers (e.g., for golf courses, airport runways, recreational areas), air purifiers, snow-making devices, snow blowers, and other types of air-moving devices configured to move air using an axial fan. It should also be appreciated that the blisk may be designed for applications that may dictate larger form factors. As such, dimensions of blisks as described herein may include blisk diameters in the range of about 1 foot (0.3048 m) to about 6 feet (1.8288 m) or even larger.

While FIG. 1A-1E show an example of a blower apparatus configuration, many additional configurations and variations on the placement of various components are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, blower apparatuses as discussed herein may be used in moving application, e.g., by attaching to a vehicle to clean debris over large areas, as well as stationary applications like oscillating fans, car dryers at a car wash, and other applications where large areas need to be cleaned, dried, and/or ventilated. For example, the blower bank module may be oriented horizontally or vertically, depending on a arrangement to which the blower module is mounted or rested on, and/or depending on a desired region for clearing debris or drying. As a particular example, the blower bank module may be oriented vertically for use at the end of a car wash to help dry and/or clean vehicles at a car wash. As another example, the blower bank module may be mounted to a movable vehicle for used in removal of FOD from a large area, such as an airport runway. As yet another example, the blower bank module may be used to remove debris from golf courses, where noise constraints are in place, due to close proximity to residential areas.

Blower configurations described herein may be designed achieve maximum blowing force and minimal noise. For example, the blowing thrust may be made more efficient, in part, by the removal of a turning elbow that is required in conventional systems. Such turning elbows may result in around 30% losses. Such losses are nearly completely eliminated in systems described herein which do not include such elbows but rather eject airflow in a same direction as ingested airflow. For example, conventional systems may create as much as 85 dBA of noise within a range of 50 feet, but systems as described herein may produce less than 60 dB within the same proximity range. Further, the articulating components of the examples described herein allow for multiple uses and adjusting a direction of the blower to suit a particular use. Further, use of electric, compact blower units allow for a blower module of sufficiently small size to be able to rotate.

Other variations include other blower bank arrangements, as well as additional arrangements of axles and wheels when the blower bank module is being towed, such as shown in the examples in FIG. 7A-9B.

FIG. 7A-7B respectively illustrate two examples of a tow-behind articulating blower array. FIG. 7A illustrates what may be referred to as a “front” tow-behind articulating blower array 700, and FIG. 7B illustrates what may be referred to as a “back” tow-behind articulating blower array 750. As shown in FIG. 7A-7B, the tow-behind articulating blower arrays 700 and 750 may include a blower bank 702 with a distributed array of one or more air-moving devices (e.g., blower units) configured to ingest an airflow from a first side of the blower bank 702 and to eject an airflow out a second side of the blower bank opposite of the first side. As described herein, the blower bank 702 ejects the airflow in substantially the same direction as the ingested airflow. The blower bank 702 may be similar to or the same as blower bank 110 of FIG. 1A-1E. For example, an articulating joint (not shown in FIG. 7A-7B) may be configured to articulate a blower angle of the blower bank 702 around an axis of rotation (and/or may be configured to alter an elevation angle and/or a roll angle of the blower bank 702).

A control unit 706 may be coupled to the blower bank 702 to control one or more settings of the blower bank module as described herein. The control unit 706 may include a control panel 707 and/or a user interface suitable to allow a user to adjust an input of one or more settings of the tow-behind articulating blower array as described herein, such as but not limited to power on/off, blower angle, blower speed, blower array subset settings, blower oscillation speed, blower duration, and the like. A wheeled chassis 708 may attached to (e.g., mounted on) the control unit 706 to assist with movement of the tow-behind articulating blower arrays 700 and 750. In other examples, the wheeled chassis 708 may additionally or alternatively be attached to the blower bank module 702.

A tow hitch 704 may be coupled to a side of the tow-behind articulating blower arrays 700 and 750 to attach them to a movable vehicle 710. The vehicle 710 may include any movable device configured to tow the tow-behind articulating blower arrays 700 and 750 and move them across an area, such as but not limited to an automobile, a golf cart, a wheeled robotic vehicle, aerial vehicle, a tractor, and the like. In that regard, the “front” articulating tow-behind blower array 700 differs from the “back” tow-behind articulating blower array 750, in that the tow hitch 704 of the “front” articulating tow-behind blower array 700 couples to the blower bank 702 such that the blower bank is positioned in front of the of control unit 706 whereas the tow hitch 704 of the “back” articulating tow-behind blower array 750 couples to the control unit 706 such that the blower bank 702 is positioned behind the control unit 706.

Additional alternate configurations may be used without departing from the present disclosure, such as having the control unit 706 on top of or beneath the blower bank 702, the control unit being positioned to a left or right side of the blower bank, the control unit or the blower bank being mounted directly to the vehicle 710, among other examples.

FIG. 8A-8C respectively illustrate other examples of tow-behind articulating blower arrays 800, 850 and 880. The articulating tow-behind blower arrays 800, 850 and 880, in these examples, include a blower bank 802, a control unit 806, a wheeled chassis 808, a tow hitch 804, and a vehicle 810, which may be similar to or the same as the same named components of FIG. 7A-7B. The blower bank 802, in these examples, has a distributed array of one or more air-moving devices (e.g., blower units) configured to ingest an airflow from a first side of the blower bank 802 and to eject an airflow out a second side of the blower bank opposite of the first side, in substantially the same direction as the ingested airflow. The blower bank 802 may support one or more air-moving devices in various configurations. For example, the articulating blower array 800 of FIG. 8A has a single row of ten air-moving devices with aligned centers, and the articulating blower array 850 of FIG. 8B has two rows of five air-moving devices with offset centers. Various other configurations will be appreciated with the benefit of the present disclosures and may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 8A-8C, the blower bank 802 is mounted to the wheeled chassis 808. The control unit 806 may be mounted directly to the wheeled chassis 808 or may be mounted to a portion of the blower bank 802. FIG. 8C show a rear view of a tow-behind articulating blower array 870, which may be similar to the tow-behind articulating blower array 800 of FIG. 8A or the tow-behind articulating blower array 850 of FIG. 8B. As shown in FIG. 8C, the blower bank 802 has an articulating joint 803 by which the blower bank module 802 may articulate relative to the wheeled chassis 808.

FIG. 9 articulating points of an example tow-behind articulating blower array 900. Similar to the configurations described with respect to FIG. 1A-1E, and as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 906 may be coupled to the blower bank 902 via an articulating joint 903 to provide a sweep angle 909 between the control unit 906 and the blower bank 902. As such, the tow hitch 904 may be configured to couple to the vehicle 910 via an articulating joint 905, in which the articulating joint 903 and the articulating joint 905 may each articulate such that the wheeled chassis 908 maintains movement of the blower in a same direction as a direction of the vehicle. Further, while the blower bank 902 may have an articulating point to allow a change in blower elevation angle (not shown in FIG. 9), as described herein, the blower bank may have an additional articulating point to further allow modification to a roll angle of the blower bank.

In additional examples, as an alternative to the linear or grid formations described herein a blower bank may include a manifold that combines a circular packing of blower units combined into a single exhaust outlet. For example, FIG. 10 shows an example hexagonal arrangement of blower units 1016. As shown in FIG. 10, a front view of a portion of an example blower bank 1010 is shown, for example, with the grate and the bell mouth structure removed from the first end 1010A. The blower array housing 1016A is configured to support seven blower units 1016 in a generally hexagonal shape, with a blower unit proximate to each point of the hexagon and a blower unit 1016 in a middle portion of the blower array housing. The blower array housing 1016A may support the blower units 1016 in a generally hexagonal shape. In still other examples, the blower array housing may include any number of shapes with various arrangements of blower units therein (e.g., circular, oval, triangular, square, rectangular, kite, diamond, trapezoidal, pentagonal, octagonal, and the like). In other configurations, the blower apparatus may include a single blower unit.

In the interests of optimizing blower performance and runtime, an articulating blower array with an aerodynamic inlet, an exhaust outlet to control the ejected airflow, and components to allow the entire blower bank to rotate allow for a blower configuration that does not require a turning elbow. Additionally, configurations described herein also provide for the support structure for a power source, e.g., a battery, that maintains a relatively lower center of mass and a mechanism to articulate the blower bank to direct the ejected airflow. Additional considerations may include mechanisms to ensure that the blower bank can only articulate such that the inlet is within a preset threshold away from facing the ground (e.g., to prevent injection of FOD).

While various arrays described herein may include an array of ten blowers (e.g., two rows of five blowers, or one row of ten blowers), various other configurations may be employed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, such as a circular arrangement, a hexagonal arrangement, an octagonal arrangement, a square arrangement having three rows of three blowers, two rows of two blowers, one single blower, and the like. Indeed, any number of blower units and arrangement of the blower units are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Aspects of this disclosure further relate to one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums that comprise computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform at least one or more functions as disclosed herein, such as, but not limited to, controlling operation of one or more blower unit and/or blower apparatuses of a blower system, and/or other functions. FIG. 11, for example, depicts a block diagram of example components of a control computer that may be part of or in communication with a blower system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 depicts one non-limiting example of a computer-readable medium according to some examples. Specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of control computer 1150 for a blower system (e.g., a tow-behind articulating blower array). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosures associated with FIG. 11 may be applicable to any system, blower device, or blower device control system disclosed herein and/or combinations thereof. Control computer 1150 may include one or more processors, such as processor 1152-1 and 1152-2 (generally referred to herein as “processors 1152 ” or “processor 1152”). Processors 1152 may communicate with each other or other components via an interconnection network or bus 1154. Processor 1152 may include one or more processing cores, such as cores 1156-1 and 1156-2 (referred to herein as “cores 1156” or more generally as “core 1156”), which may be implemented on a single integrated circuit (IC) chip.

Cores 1156 may have a shared cache 1158 and/or a private cache (e.g., caches 1160-1 and 1160-2, respectively and referred to herein as “caches 1160”). One or more caches 1158/1160 may locally cache data stored in a system memory, such as memory 1162, for faster access by components of the processor 1152. Memory 1162 may be in communication with the processors 1152 via a chipset 1166. Cache 1158 may be part of system memory 1162 in certain examples. Memory 1162 may include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and include one or more of solid-state memory, optical or magnetic storage, and/or any other medium that can be used to store electronic information. Yet other examples may omit system memory 1162.

System 1150 may include one or more I/O devices (e.g., I/O devices 1164-1 through 1164-3, each generally referred to as I/O device 1164). I/O data from one or more I/O devices 1164 may be stored at one or more caches 1158, 1160 and/or system memory 1162. Each of I/O devices 1164 may be permanently or temporarily configured to be in operative communication with a component of an apparatus, such as a blower unit, using any physical or wireless communication protocol.

Although the computer 1150 is shown on a single drawing, those of ordinary skill in the art with the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that one or more components may be “remote” with respect to another component. For example, in one example, one or more components may be in a separate housing from one or more other components. In some examples, one or more components of the computer 1150 may only be in wireless communication with other components of the computer 1150. In some examples, one or more components of computer 1150 may be located on or within a portion of a blower device, and yet other components may be located remote with respect to the blower device.

It will be appreciated with the benefit of the present disclosures that a method of controlling a blower are also contemplated. The blower may be an articulating blower array such as a tow-behind articulating blower array. FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart 1300 of example method steps for controlling a blower. The method of controlling the blower may include providing a user interface that is configured to receive user input indicating selecting of one or more operational settings of a blower bank (step 1302). The user interface may be a tactile user interface having one or more of knobs, switches, sliders, and the like configured to set or adjust the operational settings of the blower bank. The user interface may be an electronic user interface presented, for example, on a display screen of a computing device (e.g., a touchscreen). The user interface may be a combination tactile and electronic user interface having both tactile user interface elements and electronic user interface elements. The user input may indicate an operational setting for a single blower unit, a subset of blower units, or all blower units of the blower bank. As described herein, the blower bank may define a linear airflow path between a first side of the blower bank and a second side of the blower bank. The blower bank may include an inlet at the first side and an outlet at the second side with an array of one or more blower units positioned between the inlet and the outlet. As described herein, each blower unit is configured to ingest an airflow at the inlet and eject a thrusted airflow from the outlet in substantially the same direction as the ingested airflow. The blower bank also may include an articulating joint configured to rotate the blower bank around an axis of rotation. The method of controlling the blower also may include receiving user input at the user interface that indicates a selection of at least one of the operational settings (step 1304). Based on the user input received, a controller such as a computing device may control operation of the blower bank (step 1306). Controlling operation of the blower bank may include rotating the blower bank around the axis of rotation to modify a blowing angle of the blower bank (step 1306a). Controlling operation of the blower bank also may include controlling operation of at least one of the blower units (step 1306b). Controlling operation of the blower units may include applying different power settings to different subsets of the blower units, for example, a first power setting to a first subset of blower units and a second power setting to a second subset of blower units. The user input indicating the selection of the operational setting may indicate a desired blowing characteristic (e.g., airflow velocity, airflow volume, blowing duration, and the like). The user input indicating the selection of the operational setting may indicate a desired blowing application (e.g., debris removal, drying, and the like). The user input indicating the selection of the operational setting may indicate a desired blowing environment (e.g., lawn, golf course, roadway, tarmac, and the like). Controlling operation of the blower units may include selecting one or more operational settings based on the blowing characteristic, blowing application, and/or blowing environment indicated in the user input. Additional user input may be received during operation of the blower to modify the blowing angle of the blower bank and/or to modify one or more operational settings of the blower bank, for example, operational settings for one, some, or all of the blower units of the blower bank.

As described herein an articulating blower array also may be configured for autonomous operation. For example, a computing device configured to control the articulating blower array may store a defined blowing sequence, which may be implemented as a sequence of instructions that control operational characteristics of a blower bank including blowing angle, blowing duration, thrusted airflow velocity, thrusted airflow volume, activated and deactivated subsets of blower units, and the like. The instructions may indicate, for example, respective power settings for one or more blower units, which blower units to activate (e.g., by providing power or not providing power One or more blowing sequences may be stored by the computing device configured to control the articulating blower array. A defined blowing sequence may be selected based on user input indicating a selection of one of the defined blowing sequences. One or more defined blowing sequences also may be selected based on receipt of a trigger. The trigger may be or otherwise include a command to execute an identified blowing sequence or a preselected blowing sequence. A defined blowing sequence also may be selected according to a defined schedule. A computing system may provide a user interface configured to receive user input that define new blower sequences or modify existing blower sequences. A blower sequence also may include or otherwise be associated with a defined route for a vehicle (e.g., an autonomous vehicle) that tows the articulating blower array during operation. One or more locations along a defined route may be associated with a respective set of defined operational characteristics for the articulating blower array. In this way, a two-behind blower may be configured to execute a desired blowing sequence as the vehicle travels along the route.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart 1400 of example method steps for controlling operation of a blower based on a defined blower sequence. A defined blower sequence may be retrieved for an articulating blower array (step 1402). The retrieved blower sequence may then be processed by a controller for the articulating blower array to read the first set of operational characteristics in the defined blower sequence (step 1404). The controller may then control the blower bank of the articulating blower array based on the first set of operational characteristics in the defined blower sequence (step 1406). The controller may then read the next set of operational characteristics in the defined blower sequence (step 1408) and control the blower bank based on the next set of operational characteristics (step 1410). If the defined blower sequence includes additional sets of operational characteristics (step 1412:Yes), the controller may continue to read subsequent sets of operational characteristics in the defined blower sequence (step 1408) and control operation of the articulating blower array according to those operational characteristics until the end of the defined blower sequence (step 1412:No). As described herein, the controller of the articulating blower array may execute a defined blower sequence during towing of the articulating blower array by a vehicle under manual or autonomous control.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in any statement of examples is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Furthermore, while aspects of the present disclosure have been described in terms of preferred examples, and it will be understood that the disclosure is not limited thereto since modifications may be made to those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. For example, although various examples are described herein, features and/or steps of those examples may be combined, divided, omitted, rearranged, revised, and/or augmented in any desired manner. Various alterations, modifications, and improvements will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and are intended to be part of this description, even if not expressly stated herein, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the disclosures herein.