Blower for a vacuum cleaner

Abstract

The invention relates to a blower (2) for a vacuum cleaner, comprising a blower housing (4), an electric motor (6) with a motor housing (8), a fan wheel (10) driven by the electric motor (6) to generate an airflow (20) from a blower inlet opening (12) of the blower housing (4) through an air channel (14) formed between the blower housing (4) and the motor housing (8) to a blower outlet opening (16) of the blower housing (4), and a sound insulation device (18) for dampening the sound emitted by the electric motor (6), wherein, firstly, the electric motor (6) and the fan wheel (10) are arranged in the blower housing (4), and secondly, the sound insulation device (18) covers the blower outlet opening (16) from the outside, and wherein the airflow (20) flowing through the blower housing (4) is at least partially dampened by the sound insulation device (18) out of the blower (2), characterized in thatthat the motor housing (8) has at least one motor inlet opening (22) and at least one motor outlet opening (24), wherein the blower housing (4), the motor inlet opening (22), the motor outlet opening (24) and the sound insulation device (18) are coordinated such that a partial airflow (26) of the airflow (20) flowing through the air duct (14) flows successively into the motor inlet opening (22), through the motor housing (8), out of the motor outlet opening (24) and out of the blower housing (4).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a blower for a vacuum cleaner of the type mentioned in the preamble of patent claim 1.

[0002] Such blowers for vacuum cleaners are already known from the prior art in a large number of embodiments and comprise a blower housing, an electric motor with a motor housing that delimits the electric motor to the outside, a fan wheel driven by the electric motor for generating an air flow from a blower inlet opening of the blower housing through an air duct formed between the blower housing and the motor housing to a blower outlet opening of the blower housing and a sound insulation device for insulating the sound emitted by the electric motor, wherein on the one hand the electric motor and the fan wheel are arranged in the blower housing and on the other hand the sound insulation device covers the blower outlet opening from the outside in a way that is permeable to air, and wherein the air flow flowing through the blower housing flows out of the blower at least partially through the sound insulation device into a free environment.

[0003] The invention therefore addresses the problem of improving a blower for a vacuum cleaner.

[0004] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a blower having the features of claim 1, which is characterized in that the motor housing has at least one motor inlet opening and at least one motor outlet opening. The blower housing, the motor inlet opening, the motor outlet opening, and the soundproofing device are designed to be coordinated with one another in such a way that a partial air flow of the air flow flowing through the air duct flows successively in the flow direction into the motor inlet opening, through the motor housing, out of the motor outlet opening, and out of the blower housing into the open environment. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are set forth in the following subclaims.

[0005] The advantage achievable with the invention lies in the particular improvement of a blower for a vacuum cleaner. Due to the inventive design of the blower for a vacuum cleaner, it is possible to achieve, on the one hand, cooling of the blower's electric motor and, on the other hand, a reduction in the noise emitted by the blower during operation in a very simple manner in terms of design and manufacturing technology. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the two aforementioned measures—i.e., cooling of the electric motor on the one hand and noise reduction on the other—are not solved separately from one another, but are implemented uniformly, i.e., as a single unit, so to speak.The sound insulation device is designed and positioned at the fan outlet opening in such a way that the air flow partially flows through the motor housing and thus cools the electric motor, while a remainder of the air flow flows out through the fan outlet opening through the sound insulation device into the open environment.

[0006] In principle, the blower according to the invention can be freely selected within wide, suitable limits in terms of type, mode of operation, material, and dimensions. Furthermore, the blower according to the invention can be designed for a vacuum cleaner both as household appliances and as commercial devices, i.e., vacuum cleaners for professional use. However, the use of the blower according to the invention is not limited to vacuum cleaners.

[0007] An advantageous development of the blower according to the invention provides that the blower housing, the motor inlet opening, the motor outlet opening, and the soundproofing device are designed to be coordinated with one another such that the partial air flow is less than 50%, preferably less than 30%, particularly preferably less than 15% of the air flow. In this way, the majority of the air flow is necessarily directed through the blower outlet opening and thus through the soundproofing device, so that the acoustics of the blower according to the invention, namely the noise reduction, are significantly improved. This applies particularly to the preferred and especially to the particularly preferred embodiment of this development.

[0008] A further advantageous development of the blower according to the invention provides that the blower housing, the motor inlet opening, the motor outlet opening, and the soundproofing device are designed to be coordinated with one another in such a way that the ratio of partial air flow to air flow is predetermined by the size and number of the at least one motor inlet opening and / or the size and number of the at least one motor outlet opening and / or the air permeability of the soundproofing device. This allows the ratio of partial air flow to air flow to be pre-adjusted in a particularly simple manner in terms of design and manufacturing technology.

[0009] Another advantageous development of the fan according to the invention provides that the fan housing, the motor outlet opening, and the soundproofing device are designed to be coordinated with one another in such a way that the partial air flow flows directly out of the motor outlet opening into the open environment or that the partial air flow flows indirectly through the soundproofing device into the open environment, wherein the soundproofing device has a higher air permeability for the partial air flow compared to the rest of the air flow. In this way, the flow resistance for the partial air flow is reduced compared to the rest of the air flow such that a sufficient amount of air flows through the motor housing for the purpose of cooling the electric motor. This is made possible in a particularly simple manner in terms of design and manufacturing technology by means of the first-mentioned alternative of this development.The second alternative of this further development has the advantage that the noise reduction is further improved.

[0010] A further advantageous development of the blower according to the invention provides that the soundproofing device comprises at least one air-permeable foam part. Preferably, the soundproofing device is designed as at least one air-permeable foam part, particularly preferably, the soundproofing device is designed as a single air-permeable foam part. This allows the soundproofing device to be implemented in a very simple and therefore cost-effective manner. Depending on the degree of air permeability of the at least one foam part, the ratio of partial air flow to air flow can thus be easily determined in advance.

[0011] Another advantageous development of the blower according to the invention provides for the soundproofing device to be positively connected to the blower housing. This makes it particularly easy to achieve a substantially airtight connection between the soundproofing device and the blower housing, both in terms of design and manufacturing.

[0012] A further advantageous development of the fan according to the invention provides that the at least one motor inlet opening and / or the at least one motor outlet opening are / are designed as a plurality of openings. Preferably, this plurality of openings is arranged uniformly distributed around a circumference of the motor housing. Particularly preferably, this plurality of openings is designed as a total of three openings, wherein these openings are each arranged offset by 120° on the motor housing. This makes it possible to generate a partial air flow sufficiently large to cool the electric motor, without any individual opening in the motor housing having to be disadvantageously large in terms of construction and flow.The preferred embodiment of this refinement further has the advantage that the air flow through the motor housing for cooling the electric motor is evened out around the periphery, so that the electric motor can be sufficiently cooled from all sides. Furthermore, the particularly preferred embodiment of this refinement has the additional advantage of enabling a particularly advantageous adjustment of the number of openings, the size of each opening, and the circumferential distribution of the openings.

[0013] A particularly advantageous development of the blower according to the invention provides that the motor housing is designed as an integral component of a blower's control stage, wherein the control stage is arranged in the blower housing or formed on the blower housing. This eliminates the need for a separate motor housing for the electric motor. Instead, a control stage of the blower is used as the motor housing of the electric motor, so that the control stage, in addition to its primary function of guiding the air flow conveyed by the fan impeller, also serves as the motor housing.

[0014] As already explained above, the blower according to the invention can be freely selected within a wide range of suitable limits. This also applies to its field of application. The blower is particularly advantageous for use as a vacuum cleaner blower, especially as a cordless vacuum cleaner blower. Such devices naturally have very little installation space for the blower according to the invention and any additional sound insulation.

[0015] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows Fig. 1 an embodiment of the fan according to the invention in a side view, Fig. 2 the embodiment in a Fig. 1 corresponding sectional view and Fig. 3 the embodiment in a cross-section in the area of ​​the engine inlet openings.

[0016] In the Fig. 1 to 3, an embodiment of the fan according to the invention for a vacuum cleaner is shown purely by way of example.

[0017] The blower 2 is designed here as a blower for a household vacuum cleaner, namely a cordless vacuum cleaner, and comprises a blower housing 4, an electric motor 6 with a motor housing 8 delimiting the electric motor 6 to the outside, a fan wheel 10 driven by the electric motor 6 for generating an air flow from a blower inlet opening 12 of the blower housing 4 through an air duct 14 formed between the blower housing 4 and the motor housing 8 to a blower outlet opening 16 of the blower housing 4 and a sound insulation device 18 for insulating the sound emitted by the electric motor 6, wherein on the one hand the electric motor 6 and the fan wheel 10 are arranged in the blower housing 4 and on the other hand the sound insulation device 18 covers the blower outlet opening 16 from the outside so that it is permeable to air, and wherein the air flowing through the blower housing 4 Air flow flows out of the blower 2 into a free environment at least partially through the sound insulation device 18.The air flow is in the . Fig. 2 symbolized by filled arrows 20.

[0018] According to the invention, the motor housing 8 has at least one motor inlet opening 22 and at least one motor outlet opening 24, wherein the blower housing 4, the motor inlet opening 22, the motor outlet opening 24 and the sound insulation device 18 are designed to be coordinated with one another in such a way that a partial air flow of the air flow 20 flowing through the air duct 14 flows successively in the flow direction into the motor inlet opening 22, through the motor housing 8, out of the motor outlet opening 24 and out of the blower housing 4 into the free environment. The partial air flow is in the Fig. 2 by open arrows 26. In the present embodiment, the motor housing 8 is designed as an integral component of a control stage of the blower 2, wherein the control stage, i.e., the motor housing 8, is formed on the blower housing 4. However, it is also conceivable that the control stage of the blower, i.e., for example, the control stage designed as a motor housing in the present embodiment, is arranged as a separate component of the blower in the blower housing.

[0019] As from the Fig. As can be seen in Figure 2, the fan housing 4, the motor outlet opening 24, and the soundproofing device 18 are designed to be coordinated with one another in such a way that the partial air flow 26 flows at least partially directly out of the motor outlet opening 24 into the open environment. However, it is also conceivable for the partial air flow 26 to flow at least partially indirectly through the soundproofing device 18 into the open environment, wherein the soundproofing device 18 can, for example, have a higher air permeability for the partial air flow 26 compared to the remainder of the air flow 20.The at least one engine inlet opening 22 and / or the at least one engine outlet opening 24 are / is formed here as a plurality of openings, namely such that this plurality of openings is arranged uniformly distributed on a circumference of the engine housing 8, wherein this plurality of openings is formed as a total of three openings, and wherein these openings are each arranged offset by 120° on the engine housing 4. See in particular the . Fig. 3.

[0020] In the present embodiment, the soundproofing device 18 comprises at least one air-permeable foam part. For example, the soundproofing device 18 can be designed as at least one air-permeable foam part. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the soundproofing device 18 can be designed as a single air-permeable foam part.

[0021] Furthermore, the soundproofing device 18 is positively connected to the fan housing 4, namely in such a way that the air-permeable soundproofing device 18 is hermetically connected to the fan housing 4. Accordingly, the air flow 20 flowing through the fan outlet opening 16 is forced to flow through the soundproofing device 18 toward the outside, so that an undesired bypass flow of this air around the soundproofing device 18 is effectively prevented.

[0022] In the present exemplary embodiment, the at least one engine inlet opening 22, the at least one engine outlet opening 24, and the soundproofing device 18 are designed to be coordinated with one another such that the partial air flow 26 is less than 50%, preferably less than 30%, particularly preferably less than 15% of the air flow. For this purpose, the fan housing 4, the at least one engine inlet opening 22, the at least one engine outlet opening 24, and the soundproofing device 18 are designed to be coordinated with one another such that the ratio of partial air flow 26 to air flow 20 is predetermined by the size and number of the at least one engine inlet opening 22 and / or the size and number of the at least one engine outlet opening 24 and / or the air permeability of the soundproofing device 18.

[0023] The functioning of the fan according to the invention according to the present embodiment is explained below with reference to Fig.1 to 3 are explained in more detail.

[0024] The fan 2 is in operation, so that the electric motor 6 drives the fan impeller 10 in a manner known per se to those skilled in the art. The rotation of the fan impeller 10 draws air from the ambient air through the fan inlet opening 12 into the fan housing 4, through an air duct 14 formed between the fan housing 4 and the motor housing 8, which serves as a guide stage, to the fan outlet opening 16 of the fan housing 4. Due to the flow resistance of the air-permeable soundproofing device 18, a partial air flow 26 of the air flow 20 flowing through the air duct 14 is directed successively in the flow direction into the at least one motor inlet opening 22, through the motor housing 8, out of the at least one motor outlet opening 24, and out of the fan housing 4, for example, directly into the ambient air. The electric motor 6 is thereby cooled.The remainder of the air flow 20 enters the open air indirectly, i.e., by flowing through the sound-insulating device 18. Since only a small portion of the air flow 20 enters the open air directly as a partial air flow 26, and the remainder of the air flow 20, i.e., the majority of the air flow 20, flows out indirectly into the open air via the sound-insulating device 18, this not only effectively cools the electric motor 6 but also simultaneously enables very good noise reduction during operation of the fan 2.

[0025] Due to the inventive design of the blower 2, it is thus possible, on the one hand, to cool the electric motor 6 of the blower 2 and, on the other hand, to reduce the noise emitted by the blower 2 during its operation in a very simple manner in terms of design and manufacturing technology. This is due, among other things, to the fact that the two aforementioned measures—i.e., cooling the electric motor 6 on the one hand and noise reduction on the other—are not solved separately from one another, as is usual in the prior art, but are implemented uniformly, i.e., as a single unit, so to speak.

[0026] The invention is not limited to the present embodiment. See, for example, the relevant statements in the introduction to the description as well as the comments on optional or alternative embodiments in the explanation of the specific embodiment.

Claims

[1] Blower (2) for a vacuum cleaner, comprising a blower housing (4), an electric motor (6) with a motor housing (8) delimiting the electric motor (6) to the outside, a fan wheel (10) driven by the electric motor (6) for generating an air flow (20) from a fan inlet opening (12) of the blower housing (4) through an air duct (14) formed between the blower housing (4) and the motor housing (8) to a fan outlet opening (16) of the blower housing (4) and a sound insulation device (18) for insulating the sound emitted by the electric motor (6), wherein on the one hand the electric motor (6) and the fan wheel (10) are arranged in the blower housing (4) and on the other hand the sound insulation device (18) covers the blower outlet opening (16) from the outside in an air-permeable manner, and wherein the blower housing (4) the air flow (20) flowing through the soundproofing device (18) flows out of the fan (2) into a free environment, at least partially, characterized byin that the motor housing (8) has at least one motor inlet opening (22) and at least one motor outlet opening (24), wherein the blower housing (4), the motor inlet opening (22), the motor outlet opening (24) and the soundproofing device (18) are designed to be coordinated with one another in such a way that a partial air flow (26) of the air flow (20) flowing through the air duct (14) flows successively in the flow direction into the motor inlet opening (22), through the motor housing (8), out of the motor outlet opening (24) and out of the blower housing (4) into the free environment. [2] Blower (2) according to claim 1, characterized by that the blower housing (4), the motor inlet opening (22), the motor outlet opening (24) and the sound insulation device (18) are designed to be coordinated with one another in such a way that the partial air flow (26) is less than 50%, preferably less than 30%, particularly preferably less than 15% of the air flow (20). [3] Blower (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized byin that the fan housing (4), the motor inlet opening (22), the motor outlet opening (24) and the soundproofing device (18) are designed to be coordinated with one another in such a way that the ratio of partial air flow (26) to air flow (20) is predetermined by means of the size and number of the at least one motor inlet opening (22) and / or the size and number of the at least one motor outlet opening (24) and / or the air permeability of the soundproofing device (18). [4] Blower (2) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized bythat the fan housing (4), the motor outlet opening (24) and the sound insulation device (18) are designed to be coordinated with one another in such a way that the partial air flow (26) flows out directly from the motor outlet opening (24) into a free environment or that the partial air flow flows out indirectly through the sound insulation device into the free environment, wherein the sound insulation device has a higher air permeability for the partial air flow compared to a remainder of the air flow. [5] Blower (2) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the sound insulation device (18) comprises at least one air-permeable foam part, preferably that the sound insulation device (18) is designed as at least one air-permeable foam part, particularly preferably that the sound insulation device (18) is designed as a single air-permeable foam part. [6] Blower (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized bythat the sound insulation device (18) is positively connected to the blower housing (4). [7] Blower (2) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by that the at least one engine inlet opening (22) and / or the at least one engine outlet opening (24) are / is designed as a plurality of openings, preferably that this plurality of openings is arranged uniformly distributed on a circumference of the engine housing (8), particularly preferably that this plurality of openings is designed as a total of three openings, wherein these openings are each arranged offset by 120° on the engine housing (8). [8] Blower (2) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by that the motor housing (8) is designed as an integral component of a control stage of the blower (2), wherein the control stage is arranged in the blower housing or is formed on the blower housing (4). [9] Blower (2) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized bythat the blower (2) is designed as a vacuum cleaner blower, preferably as a battery-powered vacuum cleaner blower.

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