A fan system for a range hood and a range hood

Abstract

This invention relates to a fan system for a range hood and a range hood. The fan system includes: a volute housing with an air inlet on its side wall; and a baffle plate that blocks the air inlet of the volute housing and can be moved relative to the volute housing by a drive mechanism, thereby changing the area of ​​the blocked area of ​​the air inlet. Under different back pressure conditions, since the area of ​​the backflow region at the air inlet is also different, the baffle plate can be adjusted to a suitable position. For example, when the back pressure is high in actual operating conditions, the backflow region at the air inlet is larger, and the baffle plate can be expanded accordingly to block the increased backflow region at the air inlet. Conversely, when the back pressure is low in actual operating conditions, the backflow region at the air inlet is smaller, and the baffle plate can be retracted accordingly to block the reduced backflow region at the air inlet. Since the area of ​​the baffle plate blocking the air inlet is adjustable, the air intake conditions at the air inlet can be specifically improved according to different operating conditions of the range hood.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of range hood technology, and in particular to a fan system for a range hood and a range hood. Background Technology

[0002] A range hood is a kitchen appliance used to purify the kitchen environment. The fan system is a key component of a range hood. Currently, most range hoods use multi-blade centrifugal fans that are small in size, have high flow rates, and high pressure. To adapt to wide operating conditions such as shared flues, the gap between the collector and the impeller is generally selected within a certain range. In situations with high back pressure at the range hood outlet, such as in high-rise buildings or shared flues, a noticeable backflow of air occurs from the volute back to the collector and then to the air inlet. This not only affects the range hood's smoke extraction efficiency but also produces a noticeable whistling sound.

[0003] To address this, Chinese invention patent application number 202110560483.0 discloses an inlet collector for a centrifugal fan and a centrifugal fan. The inlet collector includes a connecting section, a guide section, and a trunnion section. The guide section is connected to the outer wall of the inlet side of the fan volute via the connecting section. The guide section has a conical structure and a through hole in the middle. The trunnion section has an arc surface and is located inside the guide section. The trunnion section is formed by laying out the trunnion profile along the impeller axis of the centrifugal fan. By incorporating a trunnion section in the guide section, the leakage flow on the inlet volute tongue side and the reverse flow caused by the intersection of the inlet airflow are blocked by the trunnion structure during movement, preventing them from colliding with the inlet airflow. This effectively controls vortex generation and kinetic energy loss, improving aerodynamic performance and reducing fan noise.

[0004] However, the fume extraction in the aforementioned patent application still has certain shortcomings. Since the aforementioned ear shield section is fixed at the air inlet of the fan casing, the area of ​​the air inlet it blocks and the position of the blocked area (relative to the entire air inlet) are fixed. However, when the back pressure at the air outlet of the fan system changes, in order to accurately control the airflow backflow to achieve the best air intake conditions, the required blocking area and the position of the blocked area at the air inlet also vary. Therefore, this ear shield section design cannot specifically improve the air intake conditions at the air inlet according to the different operating conditions of the range hood. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The first technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a fan system for a range hood that can specifically improve the air intake conditions at the air inlet according to different operating conditions of the range hood, in light of the current state of the technology.

[0006] The second technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a range hood that uses the fan system described above, in light of the current state of the prior art.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve the first technical problem is: a fan system for a range hood, comprising:

[0008] The volute has air inlets on its side walls;

[0009] Also includes:

[0010] A wind deflector blocks the air inlet of the volute and can be moved relative to the volute by a drive mechanism, thereby changing the area of ​​the blocked air inlet.

[0011] The wind deflector can be installed on the side wall of the volute in a linear movement manner. However, in order to minimize the movement path of the wind deflector and avoid interference with other components, the wind deflector is rotatably connected to the side wall of the volute with an axis perpendicular to the side wall of the volute as the rotation center.

[0012] Considering that the recirculation area at the air inlet of the volute is mainly close to the volute tongue, in order to make the movement of the baffle as much as possible to block and change the blocking area of ​​the air inlet near the volute tongue, the volute has an air outlet and a volute tongue. The vertical plane passing through the volute tongue is denoted as the first plane, and the horizontal plane passing through the center line of the air inlet is denoted as the second plane. The area where the side of the volute wall near the air outlet relative to the first plane intersects with the side of the volute wall above the second plane is denoted as the mounting area of ​​the side of the volute wall. The rotation center of the baffle relative to the volute is located at the above-mentioned mounting area. The baffle can deflect downward to increase the blocked area of ​​the air inlet near the volute tongue and can deflect upward to decrease the blocked area of ​​the air inlet near the volute tongue.

[0013] In order to minimize the travel distance of the wind deflector and avoid interference with other components, the wind deflector is a telescopic plate with an adjustable unfolded area.

[0014] To simplify the structure of the wind deflector, the wind deflector includes multiple folded plates arranged in a stacked manner in the front-to-back direction. Each folded plate coincides with the rotation center of the volute, and the width of each folded plate gradually increases from its rotation center to the end away from the rotation center. Any two adjacent folded plates are connected together in a manner that allows them to be closed and staggered relative to each other.

[0015] As an improvement, each folding plate has a first side away from the volute tongue and a second side adjacent to the volute tongue. Of two adjacent folding plates, the one furthest from the volute wall is designated as the first folding plate, and the one closest to the volute wall is designated as the second folding plate. The second side of the first folding plate has a first stop that folds backward, and the first side of the second folding plate has a second stop that folds forward and is limited to the side of the first stop away from the volute tongue. The power output end of the drive mechanism is connected to the foremost folding plate of the wind deflector, thereby causing the foremost folding plate to deflect downward or upward relative to the volute wall. It is conceivable that the folding plates of the wind deflector could also be connected together using flexible sheets; this structural design would also achieve the purpose of folding and unfolding.

[0016] In order to facilitate the smooth folding of each folding plate, the frontmost folding plate of the wind deflector or the connection point between the power output end of the drive mechanism and the frontmost folding plate of the wind deflector has a stop bar that extends forward and backward and is located on the first side of each of the other folding plates. During the upward deflection of the outermost folding plate of the wind deflector relative to the volute, the stop bar drives the other folding plates to deflect upward and fold together.

[0017] Generally, the drive mechanism can be a conventional electric push rod, motor and transmission mechanism to form a motion mechanism. However, in order to make full use of the back pressure of the fan system under actual working conditions as a power source and to simplify the structure of the drive mechanism, the drive mechanism includes a pneumatic push rod. The output end of the pneumatic push rod is connected to the baffle plate. The air pipe connected to the power input end of the pneumatic push rod extends to the air outlet of the fan system. The air pipe is also equipped with a pressure control valve for controlling the flow path of the air pipe.

[0018] Using the back pressure of the fan system under actual operating conditions as the power source, the extension length of the electric actuator can be automatically adjusted according to the back pressure. Specifically, the pressure control valve can adopt a control valve structure that opens when the set pressure threshold is reached and closes when the pressure is below the set threshold. After the back pressure reaches the set threshold, the pneumatic actuator works. The pneumatic actuator can be positioned in different working positions (different extension lengths) according to the pressure changes provided at the volute. The greater the pressure, the longer the extension rod of the pneumatic actuator extends, and the larger the area of ​​the baffle plate. At the same time, due to the increased pressure at the volute, the airflow backflow phenomenon near the volute is more obvious, and the backflow area is larger. The baffle plate with the corresponding increased area can effectively prevent the collision of the backflow and the inflow airflow, improving aerodynamic performance and fan noise. Similarly, as the pressure decreases, the extension length of the pneumatic push rod becomes shorter, and the area of ​​the baffle plate also decreases accordingly. At this time, due to the decrease in pressure at the volute tongue, the backflow phenomenon near the volute tongue tends to weaken, and the backflow area also becomes relatively smaller. Thus, the baffle plate with the corresponding reduced unfolding area can be matched accordingly, effectively preventing the collision between the backflow and the inlet airflow, and avoiding the airflow volume at the inlet being affected due to excessive obstruction of the inlet.

[0019] As an improvement, it also includes a collector located at the air inlet of the volute, the collector having an axial flow guide portion, the inner peripheral wall of the axial flow guide portion having protrusions arranged sequentially along its circumference and extending radially inward.

[0020] The aforementioned boss structure has a rectifying effect, which can disrupt the rotating vortex in the intake airflow, reduce the resistance of the intake airflow, and make the intake smoother.

[0021] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the second technical problem is: a range hood, including a fan system, wherein the fan system adopts the above-mentioned fan system for range hoods.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this invention are: the baffle plate blocking the air inlet of the volute can be driven by a drive mechanism to move relative to the volute, thereby changing the area of ​​the area blocked by the air inlet. Under different back pressure conditions, since the area of ​​the backflow area at the air inlet is also different, the baffle plate can be adjusted to a suitable position. For example, when the back pressure is large in actual working conditions, the backflow area at the air inlet is larger, and the baffle plate can be expanded accordingly to block the increased backflow area at the air inlet. Conversely, when the back pressure is small in actual working conditions, the backflow area at the air inlet is smaller, and the baffle plate can be retracted accordingly to block the smaller backflow area at the air inlet. Since the area of ​​the baffle plate blocking the air inlet is adjustable, the air intake conditions at the air inlet can be improved in a targeted manner according to the different working conditions of the range hood. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the fan system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a front view of the fan system according to an embodiment of the present invention (the wind baffle is in a fully deployed state);

[0025] Figure 3 This is a front view of the fan system according to an embodiment of the present invention (the wind baffle is in a semi-open state);

[0026] Figure 4 This is a front view of the fan system according to an embodiment of the present invention (the wind baffle is in the retracted state);

[0027] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the fan system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a front view of the wind deflector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Sectional view at point AA;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the back side of the wind deflector after it is fully extended according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a range hood according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0033] The specification and claims of this invention use terms indicating direction, such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "side," "top," and "bottom," to describe various exemplary structural parts and elements of the invention. However, these terms are used herein merely for ease of explanation and are determined based on the exemplary orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Since the embodiments disclosed in this invention can be arranged in different orientations, these terms indicating direction are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limitations. For example, "upper" and "lower" are not necessarily limited to directions opposite to or consistent with the direction of gravity.

[0034] See Figures 1-9This illustration shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a fan system for a range hood, including a volute 10, an impeller 14, a motor (not shown), and a baffle plate 20. An air inlet 11 is provided on the side wall of the volute 10. The impeller 14 is driven by the motor and rotates within the volute 10, with its air inlet port opposite to the air inlet 11 on the side wall of the volute 10. The volute 10 also has an air outlet 12, and a volute tongue 13 is formed on the annular wall of the volute 10 adjacent to its air outlet 12.

[0035] A collector 30 is also provided at the air inlet 11 of the volute 10. In this embodiment, the collector 30 is integrated into the side wall of the volute 10, and the two are integrally formed. The collector 30 includes an annular mounting part and an axial flow guide part 31 located inside the annular mounting part. The extension direction of the axial flow guide part 31 is basically consistent with the axial direction of the impeller 14. The inner peripheral wall of the axial flow guide part 31 has bosses 32 arranged sequentially along the circumference. Each boss 32 extends radially inward along the axial flow guide part 31. Specifically, the bosses 32 can be formed by stamping. The bosses 32 have a flow straightening function, which can disrupt the rotating vortex in the intake airflow, reduce the resistance of the intake airflow, and make the intake smoother.

[0036] To ensure uniform airflow, protrusions 32 are evenly arranged on the axial guide portion 31 in the circumferential direction of the collector 30. Furthermore, a gap 33 exists between adjacent protrusions 32, the size of which is substantially the same as the circumferential dimension of the protrusion 32. On the other hand, the axial guide portion 31 of the collector 30 also has a dimension substantially the same as the axial dimension of the protrusions 32 in the axial direction of the collector 30, to ensure a rectification effect.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, each boss 32 is further provided with a noise reduction groove 320 on its leeward side edge. The opening size of the noise reduction groove 320 gradually increases along the airflow direction, and a V-shaped groove is preferred. Providing a noise reduction groove 320 on the boss 32 can rectify the turbulent vortex between the collector 30 and the air inlet of the impeller 14, making the fluid flow more smoothly before entering the impeller 14.

[0038] A wind deflector 40 is also provided on the front sidewall of the volute 10. In this embodiment, the wind deflector 40 includes multiple folded plates 41 arranged in a stacked manner in the front-rear direction. Each folded plate 41 is rotatably connected to the front sidewall of the volute 10 and coincides with the rotation center of the volute 10. Specifically, each folded plate 41 is elongated, and the end of each folded plate 41 is rotatably connected to the front sidewall of the volute 10 via the same pivot 24. The extension direction of the pivot 24 is perpendicular to the front sidewall of the volute 10. More specifically, the width of each folded plate 41 gradually increases from its rotation center towards the end away from the rotation center. Any two adjacent folded plates 41 can be folded together or staggered circumferentially around the pivot 24, thus forming a baffle structure with an adjustable unfolded area.

[0039] The vertical plane passing through the volute tongue 13 is denoted as the first plane m, and the horizontal plane passing through the center line of the air inlet 11 is denoted as the second plane n. The area on the side wall of the volute 10 that is closer to the air outlet 12 relative to the first plane m and the area on the side wall of the volute 10 that is above the second plane n is denoted as the mounting area s of the side wall of the volute 10. The pivot 24 connecting each fold plate 41 of the baffle plate 40 to the side wall of the volute 10 is located at the aforementioned mounting area s. Thus, when the baffle plate 40 deflects downward, the area of ​​the air inlet 11 near the volute tongue 13 is increased, and when the baffle plate 40 deflects upward, the area of ​​the air inlet 11 near the volute tongue 13 is decreased.

[0040] Each fold plate 41 has a first side 411 away from the volute tongue 13 and a second side 412 adjacent to the volute tongue 13. Each fold plate 41 has a first stop 421 folded forward at its first side 411, and a second stop 422 folded backward at its second side 412. For ease of explanation, the fold plate on the front side of two adjacent fold plates 41 (i.e., the fold plate relatively away from the side wall of the volute 10) is referred to as the first fold plate 41a, and the fold plate on the rear side (i.e., the fold plate relatively close to the side wall of the volute 10) is referred to as the second fold plate 41b, and so on. Figure 7 As shown, the first stop 421 at the second side 412 of the first folding plate 41a is limited to the side of the second stop 422 at the first side 411 of the second folding plate 41b that is close to the volute tongue 13. Thus, when the first folding plate 41a deflects to a certain angle in a direction away from the volute tongue 13, the first stop 421 of the first folding plate 41a abuts against the second stop 422 of the second folding plate 41b, and then, during the continued deflection, it causes the second folding plate 41b to unfold relatively.

[0041] It is understandable that the power output end of the drive mechanism can be connected to the foremost folding plate 41 of the wind deflector 40, so that during the process of driving the outermost (foremost) folding plate 41 to deflect downward relative to the volute 10, all folding plates 41 can be unfolded to form a complete baffle structure, such as... Figure 2 As shown. In this embodiment, in order to smoothly retract each folding plate 41 by causing it to deflect in the opposite direction, the power output end of the drive mechanism has a stop bar 25 extending forward and backward at the connection position between it and the foremost folding plate 41 of the wind deflector 40. Specifically, the power output end of the drive mechanism passes through the gap 33 between the innermost (rear) folding plate 41 and the front side wall of the volute 10 and is hinged to one end of the stop bar 25, and the other end of the stop bar 25 is connected to the first side 411 of the outermost folding plate 41. Since the stop bar 25 is located at the first side 411 of each of the folding plates 41 except the outermost folding plate 41 (that is, on the side of each of the folding plates 41 away from the volute tongue 13), during the upward deflection of the outermost folding plate 41 of the wind deflector 40 relative to the volute 10, the stop bar 25 can abut against the first side 411 of each of the folding plates 41, thereby causing the other folding plates 41 to deflect upward and retract together.

[0042] The front sidewall of the volute 10 is also provided with a drive mechanism for driving the wind deflector 40 to rotate. In this embodiment, the drive mechanism uses a pneumatic push rod 21. The main body of the pneumatic push rod 21 is hinged to the front sidewall of the volute 10, and the power output end of the pneumatic push rod 21 is rotatably connected to the wind deflector 40. Under the drive of the pneumatic push rod 21, each fold plate 41 of the wind deflector 40 can freely unfold or retract. Figure 2 The image shows the wind deflector 40 in a fully extended state, in which the wind deflector 40 substantially covers the entire area of ​​the air inlet 11 above the second plane n, except for the portion of the air inlet 11 located below the volute tongue 13. Figure 3 The image shows the wind deflector 40 in a semi-open state, in which the wind deflector 40 blocks most of the area of ​​the air inlet 11 above the second plane n; Figure 4 The image shows the wind deflector 40 in a retracted state, in which the wind deflector 40 only covers a portion of the top area of ​​the air inlet 11.

[0043] Since the wind deflector 40 adopts a stacked folded plate 41 combination structure, after all the folded plates 41 are fully opened, each folded plate 41 occupies a certain thickness in the front-back direction. The outermost folded plate 41 has a certain gap 33 between itself and the front side wall of the volute 10, especially with the collector 30 at the air inlet 11. External airflow will leak into the air inlet 11 through this gap 33, causing additional noise problems. For this reason, each folded plate 41 in this embodiment has a sealing edge 410 formed by folding backward at the edge of its end away from its rotation center. After the wind deflector 40 is opened, the sealing edge 410 of some folded plates 41 can block the radial periphery of the collector 30, reducing airflow leakage at this point.

[0044] The pneumatic actuator 21 in this embodiment can be any pneumatic actuator device in the prior art, such as a piston-type pneumatic actuator. The power input end (i.e., the air inlet) of the pneumatic actuator is connected to an air pipe 22, and the other end of the air pipe 22 can extend to the air outlet 12 of the fan system. The air pipe 22 is also provided with a pressure control valve 23 for controlling the opening and closing of the air pipe 22, thereby using the air pressure at the air outlet 12 of the fan system as the power source of the pneumatic actuator 21.

[0045] Using the back pressure of the fan system under actual operating conditions as the power source, the extension length of the electric actuator can be automatically adjusted according to the back pressure. Specifically, the pressure control valve 23 can be a control valve that opens when the set pressure threshold is reached and closes when the pressure is below the set threshold. After the back pressure reaches the set threshold, the pneumatic actuator 21 works. The pneumatic actuator 21 can be positioned in different working positions (different extension lengths) according to the pressure changes provided at the volute tongue 13. The greater the pressure, the longer the extension rod of the pneumatic actuator 21 extends, and the larger the area of ​​the baffle plate 40. At the same time, due to the increased pressure at the volute tongue 13, the airflow backflow phenomenon near the volute tongue 13 is more obvious, and the backflow area is larger. The baffle plate 40 with the corresponding increased area can effectively prevent the collision of the backflow and the incoming airflow, improving aerodynamic performance and fan noise. See details. Figure 2 Similarly, as the pressure decreases, the extension length of the pneumatic push rod 21 shortens, and the area of ​​the baffle 40 that unfolds also decreases accordingly. At this time, because the pressure at the volute tongue 13 decreases, the backflow phenomenon near the volute tongue 13 tends to weaken, and the backflow area also becomes relatively smaller. Therefore, the baffle 40 with its corresponding reduced unfolding area can effectively prevent the collision of the backflow and the incoming airflow, avoiding the impact on the airflow volume at the air inlet 11 due to excessive obstruction. See details... Figure 3 and Figure 4 .

[0046] See Figure 9This embodiment also relates to a range hood, including a housing 50 and a fan system disposed on the housing 50, wherein the fan system is the aforementioned fan system.

Claims

1. A fan system for a range hood, comprising: The volute (10) has an air inlet (11) on its side wall, and the volute (10) has an air outlet (12) and a volute tongue (13); Its features also include: The wind deflector (40) blocks the air inlet (11) of the volute (10) and can be driven by the drive mechanism to move relative to the volute (10), thereby changing the area of ​​the blocked area of ​​the air inlet (11). The wind baffle (40) is rotatably connected to the side wall of the volute (10) with the axis perpendicular to the side wall of the volute (10) as the rotation center; The wind deflector (40) is a telescopic plate with an adjustable unfolded area; The wind deflector (40) includes a plurality of folded plates (41) arranged in a stacked manner in the front-back direction. Each folded plate (41) coincides with the rotation center of the volute (10). Any two adjacent folded plates (41) are connected together in a manner that can be closed and staggered. The width of each folded plate (41) gradually increases from its rotation center to the end away from the rotation center. Each folding plate (41) has a first side (411) away from the volute tongue (13) and a second side (412) adjacent to the volute tongue (13). The side of two adjacent folding plates (41) that is away from the volute shell (10) is called the first folding plate (41a), and the side of the folding plate that is close to the volute shell (10) is called the second folding plate (41b). The second side (412) of the first folding plate (41a) has a first stop (421) that folds backward, and the first side (411) of the second folding plate (41b) has a second stop (422) that folds forward and is limited to the side of the first stop (421) away from the volute tongue (13). The power output end of the drive mechanism is connected to the foremost folding plate (41) of the wind deflector (40), thereby causing the foremost folding plate (41) to deflect downward or upward relative to the volute shell (10).

2. The fan system for a range hood according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical plane passing through the volute tongue (13) is designated as the first plane (m), and the horizontal plane passing through the center line of the air inlet (11) is designated as the second plane (n). The area on the side wall of the volute (10) that is closer to the air outlet (12) relative to the first plane (m) and the area on the side wall of the volute (10) that is above the second plane (n) intersects with the area on the side wall of the volute (10). The rotation center of the baffle plate (40) relative to the volute (10) is located at the aforementioned installation area (s). The baffle plate (40) can be deflected downward to increase the area of ​​the air inlet (11) near the volute tongue (13) and can be deflected upward to decrease the area of ​​the air inlet (11) near the volute tongue (13).

3. The fan system for a range hood according to claim 1, characterized in that: On the frontmost folding plate (41) of the wind deflector (40) or at the connection point between the power output end of the drive mechanism and the frontmost folding plate (41) of the wind deflector (40), there is a stop bar (25) extending forward and backward and located at the first side (411) of each of the remaining folding plates (41). During the upward deflection of the outermost folding plate (41) of the wind deflector (40) relative to the volute (10), the stop bar (25) drives the remaining folding plates (41) to deflect upward and retract together.

4. The fan system for a range hood according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The drive mechanism includes a pneumatic push rod (21), the output end of which is connected to the baffle plate (40), and an air pipe (22) connected to the power input end of the pneumatic push rod (21) extends to the air outlet (12) of the fan system. The air pipe (22) is also provided with a pressure control valve (23) for controlling the flow path of the air pipe (22).

5. The fan system for a range hood according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a collector (30) provided at the air inlet (11) of the volute (10), the collector (30) having an axial flow guide (31), the inner peripheral wall of the axial flow guide (31) having bosses (32) arranged sequentially along its circumference and extending radially inward.

6. A range hood, comprising a fan system, characterized in that: The fan system is the same as the fan system for range hoods as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images