FAN

Abstract

A blower comprises a housing with an opening, an impeller arranged within the housing, a motor arranged within the housing and configured to drive the impeller, a feedthrough within the housing, a conduit, and a sealing element. The feedthrough has first and second holes that, via the opening, connect an inner and an outer surface of the housing. The conduit is inserted into the first hole. The sealing element closes the second hole.

Description

[TECHNICAL FIELD]

[0001] The present invention relates to a blower. [GENERAL STATE OF THE ART]

[0002] A blower with a feedthrough through which a line is passed is known (see, for example, patent document 1). [STATE OF THE ART DOCUMENT][PATENT DOCUMENT]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Unexamined Japanese patent application Publication No. 2021-131021 [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION][TASKS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION]

[0004] The number of conductors used depends on the blower model. It is therefore conceivable that bushings with a different number of holes are used for different blower models. In this case, however, several types of bushings would have to be manufactured, which could increase production costs. It is therefore conceivable to manufacture a bushing with the same number of holes as the maximum number of conductors that could be used with the blowers and to use this bushing for all different blower models. This makes the bushing more versatile. However, if such a bushing is used for all models, the airtightness of the blower could be reduced by the unused holes in the bushing. This could reduce the blower's performance.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a blower which has a versatile feedthrough and ensures airtightness. [MEMORY FOR SOLVING THE TASKS]

[0006] The foregoing problem is solved by a blower comprising: a housing with an opening; an impeller arranged in the housing; a motor arranged in the housing and configured to drive the impeller; a feedthrough arranged in the housing; a conduit and a closure element, wherein the feedthrough has first and second holes which, via the opening, establish a connection between an inside and an outside of the housing, the conduit being inserted into the first hole and the closure element closing the second hole. [EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION]

[0007] According to the present invention, a blower can be provided which has a versatile feedthrough and ensures airtightness. [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] Fig. Figure 1 is a sectional view of a first blower model; Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are perspective external views of an implementation; Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B are perspective views of the exterior of locking elements; Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B are perspective external views of the feedthrough and the closure elements used in the first blower model; Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B are illustrations to explain how the locking element is prevented from being removed from the opening towards the inside of an engine housing; Fig. Figure 6 is a sectional view of a second blower model; Fig. 7A and Fig. Figure 7B shows perspective external views of the feedthrough and the closure elements used in the second blower model; Fig. 8A and Fig. Figure 8B shows perspective external views of the feedthrough and closure elements used in a third blower model; and Fig. 9A is a perspective view of the exterior of a locking element in a first modification and Fig. 9B is a perspective view of the exterior of a locking element in a second variation. [FORMS OF THE INVENTION][First blower model]

[0008] Fig. Figure 1 is a sectional view of a first model of a blower 1. The blower 1 comprises an impeller housing 10, a motor housing 20, a feedthrough housing 30, a bearing retainer 40, an impeller I, a motor M, a feedthrough 70, and a sealing element 80. The impeller I is housed in the impeller housing 10. The motor M is housed in the motor housing 20. The feedthrough 70 is housed in the feedthrough housing 30. The impeller housing 10 has an upper housing 11 and a lower housing 12. An intake opening 13 for drawing gas into the impeller housing 10 is formed in the center of the upper housing 11. The upper housing 11 faces the side of the upper surface of the impeller I. An annular air channel 14 is defined by a section of the upper housing 11 radially outside the impeller I and the lower housing 12.The gas, which is directed through the intake opening 13 into the air duct 14, is expelled from an outlet opening (not shown) formed in the impeller housing 10. The lower housing 12 is mounted to the motor housing 20 via an annular sealing element S. The impeller I is attached to a distal end of a rotating shaft 51, which will be described later.

[0009] The bearing retaining element 40 has a cylindrical section 41 and a flanged section 42. The cylindrical section 41 and the flanged section 42 face the side of the lower surface of the impeller I. The cylindrical section 41 is essentially cylindrical. Two bearings B, in which the rotating shaft 51 is rotatably mounted, are held in the cylindrical section 41. The flanged section 42 is attached to an upper end section of the cylindrical section 41. A collar 44 is attached to the outer circumferential section of the cylindrical section 41. A vibration damper 45 is arranged between the collar 44 and the lower housing 12. A nut 46 is screwed onto the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical section 41. The collar 44 and the vibration damper 45 are held between the nut 46 and the flanged section 42.The space in which the impeller I is housed and the space in which the motor M is housed are divided by the vibration damping material 45.

[0010] The motor M comprises a rotor 50, a stator 54, coils 55, insulators 56, and a circuit board 57. The rotor 50 includes a rotating shaft 51, a yoke 52, and a magnet 53. The yoke 52 is attached to the rotating shaft 51. The magnet 53 is held on the outer circumferential section of the yoke 52. The magnet 53 is cylindrical and magnetized with opposite polarities in the circumferential direction. The rotating shaft 51, the yoke 52, and the magnet 53 rotate as a single unit. The stator 54 is arranged radially outside the magnet 53. The coils 55 are each wound around the stator 54 via the insulators 56. The coils 55 are electrically connected to the circuit board 57. The circuit board 57 is arranged on the side opposite the impeller I with respect to the rotor 50, the stator 54, the coils 55 and the insulators 56.The circuit board 57 is connected to a conductor C1, as described later, and is connected via conductor C1 to an electronic circuit located outside the motor M, thereby controlling the excitation of the coils 55. When the coils 55 are energized, a magnetic force is generated between the stator 54 and the magnet 53. The impeller I thus rotates together with the rotor 50.

[0011] Circuit board 57 is connected to conductor C1. Conductor C1 supplies the motor M with electrical current. More precisely, the coils 55 are energized via conductor C1. Although in Fig. Where only one cable C1 is shown in Figure 1, in the present embodiment three cables C1 are arranged from the front of the paper to the back.

[0012] An opening 21 is formed in part of a lower side wall of the motor housing 20. The bushing housing 30 is attached to the motor housing 20 and thus covers the opening 21. The bushing 70, which is held in the bushing housing 30, has three holes h1, as will be described in detail later. The three conductors C1 are each guided through the three holes h1. The bushing 70 is provided with five holes h2. The five holes h2 are closed by the sealing elements 80. The bushing 70 has three insertion holes 31, through each of which the three conductors C1 are guided. The bushing 70 has five insertion holes 32, which correspond to the five holes h2. Details will be described later. [Feedthrough and closure element]

[0013] Fig. 2A and Fig. Figures 2B are perspective external views of the feedthrough 70. The feedthrough 70 is made of rubber. The feedthrough 70 has an inner surface 71, an outer surface 72, and an outer circumferential surface 73. The inner surface 71 and the outer surface 72 face each other. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the inner surface 71 faces the inside of the motor housing 20, and the outer surface 72 faces the outside of the motor housing 20. A rib 74 is formed on the outer circumferential edge of the outer surface 72, projecting from the outer surface 72. The passage 70 has a plurality of holes h1, h2, and h3 that extend through the inner surface 71 and the outer surface 72. In the present embodiment, the passage 70 has three holes h1, five holes h2, and two holes h3. One hole h1 has a larger diameter than both hole h2 and hole h3. The diameters of holes h2 and h3 are essentially identical. The five holes h2 are arranged longitudinally in the passage 70. The three holes h1 and the two holes h3 are arranged longitudinally in a different plane than the five holes h2 in the passage 70.The feedthrough housing 30 is provided with three insertion holes 31, each corresponding to the three holes h1, five insertion holes 32, each corresponding to the five holes h2, and two insertion holes, each corresponding to the two holes h3. The insertion hole formed in the feedthrough housing 30 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the insertion hole formed in the feedthrough housing 30 can be an elongated hole corresponding to at least two of the holes h1, h2, and h3. For example, the feedthrough housing 30 can include an insertion elongated hole corresponding to the three holes h1 and the two holes h3, and an insertion elongated hole corresponding to the five holes h2.

[0014] Hole h1 is for inserting conductor C1, which, as previously described, supplies the motor M with electrical current. Hole h2 is for inserting a conductor connected to a position sensor located in the blower 1 of Fig. 1 is not used and detects the rotational position of the rotor 50. The hole h3 is provided for the insertion of a conductor connected to a temperature sensor located in the blower 1 of Fig. 1 is not used and the temperature of the motor M is measured. The position sensor is, for example, a Hall sensor. The temperature sensor is, for example, a thermistor.

[0015] Fig. 3A and Fig. Figure 3B shows perspective external views of the closure element 80 and a closure element 80a. The closure element 80 has five insertion sections 81 and a support section 82 that carries the five insertion sections 81. The five insertion sections 81 run parallel with equal spacing between them. The support section 82 is essentially plate-shaped. The closure element 80a has two insertion sections 81a and a support section 82a that carries the two insertion sections 81a. The two insertion sections 81a run parallel with equal spacing between them. The support section 82a connects the proximal end faces of the two insertion sections 81a. The closure element 80 closes the holes h2. The closure element 80a closes the holes h3. The closure elements 80 and 80a are made of plastic. The closure elements 80 and 80a are stiffer than the feedthrough 70.

[0016] Fig. 4A and Fig. Figure 4B shows perspective external views of the feedthrough 70, the sealing element 80, and the sealing element 80a used in the first model of the blower 1. The insertion section 81 of the sealing element 80 is inserted into the holes h2 from the inner surface 71 of the feedthrough 71. Similarly, the insertion section 81a of the sealing element 80a is inserted into the hole h3 from the inner surface 71. The holes h2 and h3 of the feedthrough 70, which are not used in the blower 1, are therefore sealed. This ensures the airtightness of the blower 1. Since the holes h1 are designed to accommodate the conductors C1, which supply the motor M with electrical current as previously described, the holes h1 are not sealed with the sealing elements 80 and 80a. Hole h1 corresponds to a first hole. Holes h2 and h3 correspond to a second hole.

[0017] The support section 82 is dimensioned such that it is not inserted into hole h2. Likewise, the support section 82a is dimensioned such that it is not inserted into hole h3. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the locking elements 80 and 80a are thus prevented from being pulled out of the opening 70 and the motor housing 20. Fig. 1 The locking element 80a is located on the front of the paper.

[0018] The five insertion sections 81 are also held by the support section 82. The user can therefore insert the five insertion sections 81 into the five holes h2 of the feedthrough 70 while simultaneously holding the support section 82. The same applies to the closure element 80a. This ensures practicality.

[0019] The locking elements 80 and 80a are made of plastic, and the bushing 70 is made of rubber. Both the locking element 80 and 80a are therefore stiffer than the bushing 70. Consequently, the frictional force between the bushing 70 and each of the locking elements 80 and 80a is lower. This simplifies the insertion of the insertion sections 81 and 81a into the holes h2 and h3 of the bushing 70, respectively. This ensures practicality.

[0020] Next, it is described how the locking element 80 is prevented from being removed from the opening 70 towards the inside of the motor housing 20. One situation in which such removal could occur is, for example, a case in which the user of the blower 1 uses the tip of a pen or something similar, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 4A, pressure is exerted on the distal ends of the insertion sections 81 and 81a, which protrude from the holes h2 and h3, respectively. As previously described, it is desirable to prevent the sealing element 80 from being removed from the opening 70 towards the inside of the motor housing 20 to ensure the airtightness of the blower 1. In such a case, the sealing element 80 can be bonded to the opening 70 with an adhesive. However, from a handling perspective, adhesives are undesirable at the production site. Furthermore, the use of the adhesive may be limited depending on the application of the blower. The blower 1 according to the present embodiment therefore has the following design.

[0021] Fig. 5A and Fig. Figure 5B shows how the locking element 80 is prevented from being removed from the feedthrough 70 towards the inside of the motor housing 20. The edge of the circuit board 57 lies on an extension line of the hole h2 in the axial direction. The length L1 of the locking element 80 in the axial direction of the hole h2 is longer than the distance L2 from the inner surface 71 of the feedthrough 70 to the edge of the circuit board 57 in the same direction. Even if the locking element 80 were to move out of a state in which the insertion section 81 of the locking element 80 is inserted into the hole h2, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 5A, the carrier section 82 moves towards the inside of the motor housing 20, thus coming into contact with the edge of the circuit board 57 before the locking element 80 falls off the feedthrough 70, as shown in Figure 5A. Fig. Figure 5B is shown. In this way, the locking element 80 is prevented from being removed from the opening 70 towards the inside of the motor housing 20. In the present embodiment, the edge of the circuit board 57 does not lie on the extension line of the hole h3 in its axial direction. Therefore, when the locking element 80a moves from a state in which the insertion section 81a of the locking element 80a is inserted towards the inside of the motor housing 20, the support section 82a can be removed from the opening 70 of the locking element 80a towards the inside of the motor housing 20 without touching the edge of the circuit board 57.

[0022] In such a case, the insulator 56 can be used instead of the circuit board 57. For example, a wall can be provided in a part of the insulator 56, or the relative position between the feedthrough 70 and the motor M can be changed such that the insulator 56 lies on the extension lines of the holes h2 and h3 in the axial direction thereof.

[0023] In this way, the sealing element is prevented from being pulled out of the opening 70 to the inside of the motor housing 20 without the use of an adhesive or anything similar, and airtightness is ensured.

[0024] The closure elements 80 and 80a differ from the feedthrough 70 in terms of their color gloss. In the present embodiment, the closure elements 80 and 80a are black, and the feedthrough 70 is also black. However, as described above, the gloss differs. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4A, the distal ends of the insertion sections 81 and 81a protrude from the holes h2 and h3, respectively. The distal ends of the insertion sections 81 and 81a are therefore visually identifiable through the insertion hole 32 of the feedthrough housing 30, in which the feedthrough 70 is held. Once the blower 1 is assembled, it is therefore easy to check whether the holes h2 and h3 of the feedthrough 70 are properly closed with the sealing elements 80 and 80a, respectively. The color of the sealing elements 80 and 80a and the color of the feedthrough 70 are not limited to black. [Second, third and fourth blower models]

[0025] Fig. Figure 6 is a sectional view of a second model of a blower 1a. Only the differences between blower 1a and blower 1 are described. The model of blower 1a differs from that of blower 1. A position sensor 58 for detecting the rotational position of the rotor 50 is provided on a circuit board 57a of a motor Ma of blower 1a. Five conductors C2 are connected to the position sensor 58 via the circuit board 57a. The conductor C2 is guided through the hole h2 of the bushing 70. Therefore, in blower 1a, the sealing element 80 is not inserted into the holes h2 of the bushing 70.

[0026] Fig. 7A and Fig. Figure 7B shows perspective external views of the feedthrough 70 and the sealing element 80a, which are used in the second model of the blower 1a. The blower 1a is not equipped with a temperature sensor to detect the temperature of the motor Ma, and therefore the holes h3 are sealed with the sealing element 80a. This ensures the airtightness of the blower 1a.

[0027] Fig. 8A and Fig. Figure 8B shows perspective external views of the feedthrough 70 and the sealing elements 80 used in the third blower model. The third blower model does not have a position sensor to detect the rotational position of the rotor 50, but instead has a temperature sensor to detect the motor temperature. In this case, only the holes h2 of the feedthrough 70 are sealed by the sealing element 80. A fourth blower model has both a position sensor and a temperature sensor. Therefore, in the fourth blower model, the feedthrough 70 is used without the sealing elements 80 and 80a.

[0028] As previously described, the bushing 70 is used in a number of blower models and is more versatile. Therefore, manufacturing costs are lower compared to producing a bushing specifically designed for each model. As previously described, the holes h1 are not closed by the sealing element. [Modification of the locking element]

[0029] Fig. Figure 9A is a perspective view of the exterior of a locking element 80b in a first modification. The locking element 80b has an insertion section 81b and a support section 82b for carrying the insertion section 81b. The insertion section 81b is cylindrical, and the support section 82b is prismatic. The width of the support section 82b is greater than the diameter of the insertion section 81b. The support section 82b is therefore dimensioned such that it is not inserted into the holes h2 and h3.

[0030] Fig. Figure 9B is a perspective external view of a closure element 80c in a second modification. The closure element 80c has six insertion sections 81c and a support section 81c that carries the six insertion sections 82c. At the distal end of the insertion section 81c, a larger-diameter section 81c1 is formed. The larger-diameter section 81c1 protrudes from the tip of the hole when the insertion section 81c is inserted into the hole of the feedthrough, thus preventing the insertion section 81c from being pulled out of the hole. A groove section 82c1 is formed in the support section 82c between the insertion sections 81c adjacent to each other. The user can separate the support section 82c by bending the support section 82c around the groove section 82c1.

[0031] The number, size, position and shape of holes h1, h2 and h3 are not based on the examples shown in Fig. 2A and Fig.2B are illustrated, and similar limitations apply. The feedthrough 70 may be provided with holes into which leads for applications other than those supplying power to the motor and those connected to the position and temperature sensors are routed. For example, a hole may be provided for the insertion of a lead connected to a torque sensor, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a vibration sensor, an air pressure sensor, or the like.

[0032] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in detail, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments mentioned above and further embodiments, variants and modifications can be made without deviating from the scope of the present invention. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2021-131021

[0003]

Claims

[1] Blower (1, 1a), comprising: a housing (10, 20) with an opening (21); an impeller (I) arranged in the housing (10, 20); a motor (M) arranged in the housing (10, 20) and arranged to drive the impeller (I); a passage (70) arranged in the housing (10, 20); a line (C1) and a closure element (80, 80a), where the passage (70) has first and second holes (h1, h2, h3) which establish a connection between an inside and an outside of the housing (10, 20) via the opening (21), the cable (C1) is guided into the first hole (h1), and the closure element (80, 80a) closes the second hole (h2, h3). [2] Blower (1, 1a) according to claim 1, wherein the closure element (80, 80a) comprises: an insertion portion (81, 81a) inserted into the second hole (h2, h3), and a support portion (82, 82a) dimensioned such that it is not inserted into the second hole (h2, h3) and carries the insertion portion (81, 81a), the carrier section (82, 82a) is located in the housing (10, 20) relative to the insertion section (81, 81a), and the closure element (80, 80a) is prevented from being pulled out of the second hole (h2, h3) to the outside of the housing (10, 20) by preventing the support portion (82, 82a) from being inserted into the second hole (h2, h3). [3] The blower (1, 1a) according to claim 2, wherein the support portion (82, 82a) is prevented from being pulled out of the second hole (h2, h3) to the inside of the housing (10, 20) by bringing the support portion (82, 82a) into contact with a part of the motor (M). [4] Blower (1, 1a) according to claim 3, wherein the motor (M) has a printed circuit board (57), and the part of the motor (M) is the circuit board (57).

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