When extreme heatwaves strike, static air conditioners can only do so much for people on the move. As global temperatures continue to reach historical highs, portable personal cooling devices have become daily essentials just to survive the harsher climate. Driven by rising outdoor activity and the expanding e-commerce, the global portable fan market is projected to reach $7.3 billion in 2034. This booming demand challenges companies to innovate portable fans beyond its standard features of portability.
Why portable cooling is becoming an engineering problem
Creating high-speed motors for a higher wind speed output is the primary engineering solution to make portable fans adapt to the intensifying heat. However, this motor innovation comes with trade-offs that lead to other consumer pain points.
High-speed motors require more power at a given time, thus draining battery energy faster. The increased speed also means increased frequency of electrical pulses and mechanical vibrations, leading to a more whiney motor. Lastly, motors with higher speed creates more friction and less down time to cool down, creating more wasted heat energy.
The longevity of use of portable fans also becomes a top demand for these devices. As much as possible, portable fans must be designed with the least thickness and weight so that it will not cause heavy strain during prolonged use. However, high-power fans typically require more blades or a specific height to provide sufficient cooling power. These require additional bulk and weight to the fan, which decreases its wearability aspect.
Pro1 mini fan reflects Jisulife’s technical priorities
Established in 2016, Jisulife (Shenzhen Jisu Technology Co., Ltd) is a portable fan company that prioritizes user-facing ergonomics with hardware advancements. The release of the Portable Fan Pro1 Mini at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show is a prime example of this strategy. This model is powered by a three-phase brushless motor with a maximum of 17, 000 RPM and a quiet operation. Also, it is capable of 30 hours of continuous runtime along with an integrated magnetic aroma pod diffuser.
Pro1 mini shows a portable fan with both user-centered and improved hardware features, but without sacrificing either. Jisulife’s innovation pipeline aims to tweak the technology or the mechanics of the machines themselves to accommodate the necessary comfort features.
Patent deep dives: Engineering solutions in Jisulife’s hardware
Behind JisuLife’s commercial releases is a patent portfolio focused on fundamental hardware challenges. The following patent disclosures outline specific mechanical and electrical solutions targeting motor noise, power draw, and physical bulk.
Real-time active noise cancellation
Standard portable fans rely on high-speed micro-motors and the fan blades to produce strong airflow, but running them at high speeds creates loud disruptive noise like high-pitched mechanical whines and turbulent air noise. Traditional passive solutions like physical foam padding and sound baffles need to add bulk and weight to the device to be effective. Also, these methods fail to cancel out noise levels when the user moves or shakes the fan. As a result, standard portable fans are too loud for quiet settings, for use in extended periods of time, or when the operating speed of the fan is increased when the weather is too hot.
CN122447359 introduces an active, real-time method of noise cancellation by generating a reduction signal to counter the total noise received by the noise reduction assembly. The sound generated by the air inlet/outlet edges, fan blades, motor housing, and central air duct are detected through signal collectors in these areas. The total noise is combined into a unified wave which drives the internal speakers to generate the noise reduction signal.
This reduction signal is produced by flipping the unified noise wave upside down to create a destructive wave that actively cancels out the unwanted sounds. Aside from this, the invention also features a dual motor noise control. When the unwanted sound exceeds the limit for the active noise control, the system automatically decreases the motor speed to maintain a more quiet operation.
This patent, titled “Portable Active Noise Reduction Fan,” was filed on January 23, 2025 and was published on July 24, 2026. The listed inventors are Jiahang Xie, Zhiqiang He, and Junjie Sun.
Higher-efficiency circuit board architecture for three-phase motors
Three-phase motor drives are used in portable fans because they allow stable high-speed outputs. However, these drives are expensive to produce and demand high power to operate in the device. A standard three-phase motor drives require a dedicated driver integrated circuits (ICs) in the microcontroller unit (MCU) and the drive bridge, which increases the printed circuit board (PCB) size, component count, and manufacturing expenses.
Aside from this, the three-phase motor uses square-wave excitation in portable fans, which abruptly switch current on and off, causing torque ripples and higher internal heat inside the motor. This causes loud noises, obvious jitters, sharp motor sounds, and unnecessary battery drains in high-speed operations. Thus, there is a need to make three-phase motor drives more efficient by addressing its components and mechanism.
CN119543750 addresses the current limitations of three-phase motor drives by reducing the complexity of the three-phase motor drive structure. Specifically, the architecture of the standard three-phase motor drives is changed by removing the need for ICs. The MCU pins are instead directly connected to the ends of three upper and three lower bridge arms of the drive bridge circuit. The gate driver ICs draw additional current to stay powered on, so removing it from the structure of the motor reduces the overall power consumption and manufacturing costs of the motor.
More importantly, a sinusoidal three-phase alternating current for starting, stopping, or adjusting the speed of the micromotor is used in place of a square wave. This substitution reduces the high power requirement of three-phase motor drives because the sine wave aligns the electrical current directly with the rotor’s magnetic field, keeping energy transfer smooth. Because lower power consumption is needed, the battery runtime of the portable fan is also improved.
The translated patent title of this innovation is “Portable Fan and Drive Axle Circuit,” which was filed on January 6, 2025 and published on February 28, 2025. The inventors listed are Haijun Gao, Guanzheng Zheng, and Xie Jiahang.
Lightweight architecture for wearable neck fans
Jisulife’s products are not limited to handheld fans. Neck-hanging fans are hands-free models of portable fans designed to keep users cool. To ensure enough air volume and wind force, conventional neck fans have dual-sided impellers with physical blades and air openings on opposing sides of the impellers. In standard industry practices, these dual-sided blades must also be made taller to draw enough airflow inside the fan. However, doubling the blades and increasing the blade heights adds to the depth and weight of the fan. This makes the neck fan thick, heavy, and uncomfortable during extended wear, causing user fatigue. Thus, a more space-efficient way to maintain sufficient air intake is needed to keep the neck fan lightweight.
WO2024221492 addresses these limitations by re-engineering the fan impeller architecture to achieve dual-sided air intake using only a single set of physical blades. Instead of increasing blade height or adding blades to both sides, this model focuses on increasing the air entry surface area, open flow paths, and internal ventilation zones.
Physical fan blades are placed exclusively on the top side of the central plate. To draw air from the opposite side, through-hole ventilation ports are cut directly through the body of the central plate itself. Air entering from the empty bottom side passes straight through these holes and then into the spaces between the top blades. This feature allows full two-way air entry while removing an entire layer of physical blades.
The patent also specifies structural parameters to keep the airflow strong while making the operating noise down. The ventilation ports must make up 14% to 20% of the total fan surface area to ensure adequate air intake without causing draft resistance. Second, a 1.6 mm to 2.0 mm gap between the bottom of the spinning plate and the inner housing wall allows air to slide in smoothly. Finally, a raised, curved lip along the intake edge guides incoming air into the blades and blocks high-pressure air from bouncing backward, which prevents harsh whistling noises.
Through these features, the neck-hanging fan maintains its previous cooling performance but with reduced thickness, weight, and even noises for a comfortable extended wear.
The translated patient title of this innovation is “Neck Fan and Fan Blade Thereof,” which was filed internationally on April 28, 2023 and published on October 31, 2024. The listed inventors are Jiahang Xie, Shuiyong Yuan, and Xin Xiao.
Jisulife: Global Patenting Activity
Jisulife’s first patenting activity began in 2017, a year after its establishment in 2016. In this year, the company started developing portable home devices while also initiating the first portable fan project. In 2018, one patent was filed together with the launch of the company’s first long-lasting handheld fan. The following year, the first sharp rise in its patenting activity was observed alongside the company’s establishment of the JISU laboratory that focuses on research aligned with consumer needs. Additionally, this rise reflects the effect of their branding expansion in the same year by expanding internationally and registering their English brand name.
Interestingly, their patent filings decreased despite the launch of their first bladeless neck fan in 2020 and their continued global recognition, which is likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After this year though, their IP protection activity surged at least three times higher than the creation of their laboratory in 2019. The company started expanding its portable fan portfolio in 2021, making a larger R&D focus selection for developments. Innovations leaned towards high-efficiency and energy-saving airflow technologies in 2022 and expanded it further to high-speed motors and low-noise fans with multiple functions in the following year.
2024 was marked as the hottest year recorded, which coincided with the highest number of patent applications. As their products gained more demand, it incited accelerated efforts to protect their innovations to maintain the company’s position. In the last two years, Jisulife continued building on the same engineering pipeline but with further refinements in the existing technologies.
Jisulife: Top Technology Areas
JisuLife’s IP portfolio is anchored by three main technology areas that shape its product development. Representing 75.2% of all filings, F04D (non-positive displacement pumps) focuses on continuous airflow optimization. Rather than relying on basic fan housings, these patents optimize blade hub ratios and narrow internal air passages to maximize wind speed and air intake while minimizing air drag and turbulence noise.
Focusing on personal ergonomics, A61F accounts for 5.8% of filings by protecting body-worn cooling devices. This category covers neck-hanging fans that provide airflow in high-blood flow areas like the neck and upper spine to regulate body temperature. Finally, H02P makes up 4.7% of filings, governing electric motor control systems. These patents cover inventions that decrease motor noise, prevent battery drain, and stop motors from overheating at high speeds. Together, these classifications demonstrate Jisulife’s R&D strategy that connects fluid mechanics, comfort, and efficient motor performance.
Jisulife: Top Law Firms
Leader’s Intellectual Property based in Beijing, China led the representation for 13 of Jisulife’s patent filings. Four other top legal representatives are also based in China. This representation supports the patent filings in the main manufacturing and research arm of the company, which are both in China.
Herrero & Asociados, a Spain-based firm closely follows, representing patents filed in Europe. Other representatives including A.P.T Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys (Australia), Ade & Co. (Canada), Adastra IP and IP Pattana (Southeast Asia), and Sarang IP Law Firm (South Korea) are all from Asia. This distribution ensures that Jisulife’s technologies are protected from competitors or imitators in areas where they have a large market share.
Next-generation portable fans
With the predicted growth of the portable fan market, hardware inventions will continue to come. Beyond the current advances, future developments might be moving toward AI-assisted temperature sensing and automated speed control. The addition of AI in fans for adaptive thermal sensing and user proximity detection to adjust the wind speed of the fan accordingly, preserving battery life beyond its inherent technology. Personalization of cooling routines through smartphone integration will make the fans even more adaptive to the user’s lifestyle.
Recently, Jisulife has integrated built-in AI protection chips in its recent handheld fan products for monitoring the device’s battery, motor, and internal circuits. This might be the very beginning for adaptive, automated personal fans.