FAN DEVICE FOR RADIATORS

Abstract

Task: A fan device for radiators is provided which enables a weight reduction. Means for solving the problem: A fan device 1 for radiators includes a fan 10 having a plurality of blades 12 provided on a hub 11, a motor 20 that rotates the fan 10, and a shroud 30 that covers the fan 10 and the motor 20. In the fan device 1 for radiators, the shroud 30 is configured such that a shroud main portion 31 covering the fan 10 and the motor 20 and a motor fixing portion 32 fixing the motor 20 are formed as a unit.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a fan device for radiators. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Generally, in a cooling fan device used for cooling a water-cooled engine (hereinafter referred to as a "fan device for radiators"), a shell is provided that covers a fan and a motor that rotates the fan (see, for example, Patent Document 1). PRIOR ART DOCUMENTSPatent documents

[0003] Patent Document 1: JP 2020-48298 A Brief description of the inventionProblems to be solved by the invention

[0004] However, in a conventional radiator fan assembly, the motor is attached to the casing via a plate attached to the stator. In other words, a conventional radiator fan assembly has the problem that the weight of the radiator fan assembly increases by the weight of the plate.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a fan device for radiators which enables weight reduction, taking the above problem as an example. Means of solving the task

[0006] To achieve the object, a fan device for radiators according to the present invention comprises a fan on whose hub a plurality of blades are provided, a motor that rotates the fan, and a shroud that covers the fan and the motor, wherein the shroud is constructed such that a shroud main portion covering the fan and the motor and a motor fixing portion fixing the motor are formed as a unit.

[0007] In a fan device for radiators according to one aspect of the present invention, the motor includes a stator having a stator core on which a cylindrical bearing holding hole is formed, a rotation axis disposed in the bearing holding hole and to which the fan is mounted, and a pair of bearings juxtaposed along the axis direction in the bearing holding hole and rotatably supporting the rotation axis with respect to the stator core, wherein the stator has an engaging portion engaging with the motor fixing portion, and the motor fixing portion has a portion engaged by the engaging portion.

[0008] In a fan device for radiators according to one aspect of the present invention, the engaging portion and the engaged portion have shapes that fit into each other. EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

[0009] By means of a fan device for radiators according to the present invention, a weight reduction can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS Fig. 1 is a front view showing a simplified structure of a fan device for radiators according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view showing the structure of the Fig. 1 shows a simplified view of the fan device for radiators. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the Fig. 1 shown fan device for radiators. Fig. 4 is a front view of an engaged portion of the motor fixing portion which the shell of the Fig. 1 shown fan device for radiators. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a through hole formed by the shell of the Fig. 1 shown fan device for radiators. Fig. 6 is a front view of the Fig. 5 shown through hole. EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A fan device for radiators according to an embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the figures.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a front view showing a simplified structure of a fan device 1 for radiators according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view showing a simplified structure of the fan device 1 for radiators. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the fan device 1 for radiators.

[0012] In the following description, for the sake of simplicity, the direction of the Fig. 3 shown rotation axis x (hereinafter referred to as "rotation axis direction"), the direction of arrow a is referred to as top side a and the direction of arrow b is referred to as bottom side b. In addition, in the diameter direction perpendicular to the rotation axis x, the direction away from the rotation axis x (direction of arrow c in Fig. 3) is called the outer peripheral side c and the direction approaching the rotation axis x (direction of arrow d in Fig. 3) is referred to as the inner peripheral side d. For the sake of simplicity, the following description will be Fig. 3 is referred to as the side of the motor 20. Brief description of the embodiment

[0013] As in Fig. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a fan device 1 for radiators according to the present embodiment includes a fan 10 having a plurality of blades 12 provided on a hub 11, a motor 20 that rotates the fan 10, and a shroud 30 that covers the fan 10 and the motor 20. In the fan device 1 for radiators, the shroud 30 is configured such that a shroud main portion 31 covering the fan 10 and the motor 20 and a motor fixing portion 32 fixing the motor 20 are integrally formed.

[0014] In the fan device 1 for radiators, for example, the motor 20 includes a stator 21 having a stator core 222 on which a cylindrical bearing holding hole 211 is formed, a rotation axis 22 disposed in the bearing holding hole 211 and to which the fan 10 is attached, and a pair of bearings 23 juxtaposed along the axis direction in the bearing holding hole 211 and rotatably supporting the rotation axis 22 with respect to the stator core 222, wherein the stator 21 has an engaging portion 223 engaging with the motor fixing portion 32, and the motor fixing portion 32 has a portion 321 engaged by the engaging portion 233.

[0015] In the stator 21 of the motor 20, for example, the engaging portion 223 and the engaged portion 321 have shapes that fit into each other. Construction of the fan device for radiators

[0016] As in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the radiator fan device 1 is provided on the vehicle, for example, for introducing outside air into a radiator (not shown) that cools coolant of a water-cooled engine of a vehicle (not shown) such as an automobile, a motorcycle, or the like. The radiator fan device 1 is generally provided at the rear (rear side in the direction of travel of the vehicle) or the front (front side in the direction of travel) of the radiator. The radiator fan device 1 rotates the motor 20 when the coolant exceeds a certain temperature during stoppage or low-speed travel or the like of the vehicle, supplies outside air to the radiator via the fan 10, and forcibly cools the coolant in the radiator.

[0017] As in Fig. 3, the motor 20 comprises, in addition to the above-mentioned main structural elements, i.e., the stator 21, the rotational axis 22 and the pair of bearings 23, a rotor 6. The motor 20 is an external rotor motor and is, for example, a brushless direct current (DC) motor.

[0018] The stator 21 has, in addition to the stator core 222 and the engaging portion 223, a coil 220 and an insulator 225.

[0019] The outer circumference of the stator core 222 is formed in an annular or approximately annular shape, and the bearing holding hole 211 is formed on its inner circumference. The stator core 222 is constructed from a plurality of stacked, annular plates of a magnetic body, such as steel plates or the like. Fig. 3, the illustration of the plates forming the stator core 222 is omitted.

[0020] The coil 220 is wound around the stator core 222 via the insulator 225. The insulator 225 is an insulating material attached to the stator core 222.

[0021] The two bearings 23 are arranged side by side in the bearing holding hole 211 in the axial direction. The two bearings 23 rotatably support the rotation axis 22 with respect to the stator core 222. The two bearings 23 are pressed into the inner peripheral surface of the bearing holding hole 211 of the stator core 222. The two bearings 23 are arranged separated from each other in the bearing holding hole 211 in the axial direction of the rotation axis 22.

[0022] One of the two bearings 23 is provided at the top of the axis direction of the rotation axis 22. The other of the two bearings 23 is provided at the bottom of the axis direction of the rotation axis 22. The two bearings 23 are ball bearings that have rolling elements provided between the inner ring and the outer ring in addition to an inner ring and an outer ring.

[0023] The engagement portion 223 is a part of the lower side of the bearing holding hole 211 (the side opposite to the side where the rotor 6 is provided) in the stator core 222. In other words, the engagement portion 223 serves to fix a portion of the bearing holding hole 211 to the motor 20 and the shell 30.

[0024] The engagement portion 223 is a member that engages the motor fixing portion 32 and the stator core 222. The engagement portion 223 has a shape that can engage with the engaged portion 321 provided on the motor fixing portion 32. Concretely, the engagement portion 223 is, for example, a cylindrical or approximately cylindrical opening that is concavely formed from a bottom portion 224 of the lower side in the axial direction of the stator core 222 toward the upper side in the axial direction.

[0025] As in Fig. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, in the fan device 1 for radiators, the shroud 30 covers the space between the outer peripheral side of the fan 10 and the front or rear side of the unillustrated radiator. The shroud 30 is configured such that the shroud main portion 31 and the motor fixing portion 32 are integrally formed by a plastic material or the like.

[0026] The shroud main portion 31 forms the essential shape of the shroud 30, which covers the space between the outer periphery of the fan 10 and the radiator. The motor fixing portion 32 is provided for fixing the motor 20 to the shroud 30.

[0027] Fig. 4 is a front view of the engaged portion 321 of the motor fixing portion 32 provided in the casing 30 of the fan device 1 for radiators. Fig. 4, in order to mainly explain the shape of the motor fixing portion 32 and the engaged portion 321, an illustration of the structural elements provided in the fan device 1 for radiators in the vicinity of the motor fixing portion 32 has been omitted. Fig. 5 is a front view of a through hole 325 provided in the casing 30 of the fan device 1 for radiators. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the through hole 325.

[0028] As in Fig. 3 to 5, the motor fixing portion 32 includes a base plate 320, the engaged portion 321, a positioning portion 322, and the through hole 325.

[0029] As in Fig. 3, the base plate 320 is a member for fixing the motor 20 to the shell 30. The base plate 320 is formed, for example, as a flat plate in order to reliably contact the bottom portion 224 of the stator core 222 of the motor 20, according to the shape of the bottom portion 224.

[0030] As in Fig. 4, the convex engaged portion 321 is provided on the base plate 320, for example, in the center portion of the surface or in the vicinity thereof. The engaged portion 321 is a member that engages with the motor fixing portion 32 and the stator core 222 by engaging with the engaging portion 223. The engaged portion 321 has a shape that can engage with the engaging portion 223 provided on the stator core 222. Concretely, the engaged portion 321 is, for example, a convex portion having a cylindrical or approximately cylindrical shape, which is convexly formed so as to protrude from the base plate 320, which is opposite to the bottom portion 224 of the stator core 222, to the upper side in the axial direction in a state where the motor fixing portion 32 and the stator core 22 are engaged with each other.

[0031] As in Fig. 4, the positioning portion 322 is a convex-shaped member provided on a cylindrical or nearly cylindrical outer peripheral surface 324 of the engaged portion 321 and projecting toward the outer peripheral side. The positioning portion 322 is provided plural times on the cylindrical or nearly cylindrical outer peripheral surface 324 of the engaged portion 321 in the circumferential direction of the positioning portion 322. In the motor fixing portion 32, the number of the positioning portion 322, the arrangement intervals of the plurality of positioning portions 322, and the shape of the positioning portion 322 can be appropriately determined. The engaged portion 321 is engaged with the engaging portion 223 by the positioning portion 322 contacting the inner peripheral surface of the engaging portion 223.

[0032] As in Fig. 5 and Fig.6, the shell 30 is provided with a through-hole 325 for passing a current-carrying member 27, such as a magnet wire, a pole terminal, a bus bar, or the like, from the motor 20. To facilitate the positioning of the current-carrying member 27, a conical shape 326 may be provided at the through-hole 325, through which the current-carrying member 27 is guided and directed toward the upper side of the axial direction. In the case where the current-carrying member 27 is a rigid member, the current-carrying member 27 and the through-hole 325 may be used as a current-carrying member positioning portion that performs the positioning of the motor 20 with respect to the shell 30. Furthermore, a protruding portion 327, which is a member convex toward the outer peripheral side, may be provided at the through-hole 325.

[0033] Furthermore, an electrical element forming a control circuit for controlling the operation of the motor 20 may also be installed on the casing 30.

[0034] The rotor 6 is fixed to the rotation axis 22 and supports a permanent magnet 61 on the outer circumference of the stator 21. The rotor 6 has a race portion 62, which is annular or approximately annular, covering the outer circumference of the stator 21 and supporting the permanent magnet 61 on the inner circumference, and a ceiling portion 63, which is disc-shaped or approximately disc-shaped and covering the top of the stator 21. The rotor 6 is fixed to the rotation axis 22. Specifically, an end portion 226 of the upper end in the axial direction of the rotation axis 22 is positioned on the ceiling portion 63 side of the rotor 6. The hub 11 is fixed to the ceiling portion 63 of the rotor 6.

[0035] Next, the effect of the fan device 1 for radiators having the above-described structure will be explained.

[0036] By means of the fan device 1 for radiators described above, since it is not necessary to provide members such as plates or the like for fixing the motor 20 and the shell 30 on the motor 20 by providing the motor fixing portion 32 that fixes the stator core 222 of the motor 20, the weight and cost of the omitted members can be saved.

[0037] By means of the above-described radiator fan device 1, the bearing holding hole 211 for holding the two bearings 23 on the stator core 222 can be used as the engagement portion 223. Furthermore, by means of the radiator fan device 1, the positioning of the shell 30 and the motor 20 can be performed by the pin-shaped positioning portion 322 provided on the engaged portion 321 on the shell 30 side.

[0038] By means of the above-described fan device 1 for radiators, due to the positioning portion 322 provided at the engaged portion 321 and the current-carrying element positioning portion formed by the current-carrying element 27 and the through-hole 325, the current-carrying element 27 can be positioned and precisely mounted on the casing 30. Furthermore, since the rotational axis 22 is fixed on the rotor 6 side, a high-strength metal plate, which is necessary when the rotational axis is fixed on the stator 22 side, can be omitted. If the rotational axis is directly fixed to a casing made of plastic without using this plate, there may be cases where, for example, the mounting precision is poor or the rotational precision of the rotational axis 22 deteriorates.

[0039] By means of the fan device 1 for radiators described above, a weight reduction can therefore be achieved.

[0040] Furthermore, those skilled in the art can appropriately modify the present invention according to common knowledge. As long as such modifications maintain the structure of the present invention, they are, of course, included within the scope of the invention.

[0041] In the above-described radiator fan device 1, the shapes of the engaging portion 223 and the engaged portion 321 are not limited to the above-mentioned shapes. In other words, in the radiator fan device, as long as the engaging portion and the engaged portion fix the stator core of the motor and the motor fixing portion of the casing, the shapes of the engaging portion and the engaged portion are not limited to a cylindrical or approximately cylindrical shape, but various shapes, such as rectangular or approximately rectangular shapes or the like, can be used.

[0042] In the fan device 1 for radiators, the engaging portion 223 is not limited to using a part of the bearing holding hole 211, but may be provided independently of the bearing holding hole 211, for example.

[0043] In the fan device 1 for radiators, as long as the engagement portion and the engaged portion can fix the stator core of the motor and the motor fixing portion of the shell, they are not limited to the above-described concave engagement portion 223 and convex engaged portion 321, but the relationship of concavity and convexity may be other.

[0044] In the fan device 1 for radiators, the shape of the positioning portion 322 is not limited, and the positioning portion 322 does not need to be provided at the engaged portion 321.

[0045] For the motor 20 described above, an example was explained in which the motor is a brushless direct current (DC) motor, but the present invention is not limited to this motor. Furthermore, an example was given in which the motor fixing portion 32 fixing the motor 20 is provided on the casing 30, but this is a versatile structure in which all types of external rotor motors can be used. Explanation of reference symbols

[0046] 1: Radiator fan device; 6: Rotor; 10: Fan; 11: Hub; 12: Blade; 20: Motor; 21: Stator; 22: Rotary axis; 23: Bearing; 27: Power switching element; 30: Shell; 31: Shell main section; 32: Motor fixing section; 61: Permanent magnet; 62: Running section; 63: Ceiling section; 220: Coil; 221: Bearing holding hole; 222: Stator core; 223: Engaging section; 224: Bottom section; 225: Insulator; 226: End section; 320: Base plate; 321: Engaged section; 322: Positioning section; 324: Outer peripheral surface; 325: Through hole; 326: Conical shape; 327: Protruding section QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

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

[0000] JP 2020-48298 A

[0003]

Claims

[1] A fan device for radiators, comprising a fan having a plurality of blades provided on a hub, a motor that rotates the fan, and a shroud that covers the fan and the motor, wherein the shell is configured such that a shell main body covering the fan and the motor and a motor fixing portion fixing the motor are formed as a unit. [2] Fan device for radiators according to claim 1, comprising: a stator having a stator core on which a cylindrical bearing holding opening is formed, a rotational axis arranged in the bearing holding opening and to which the fan is attached, and a pair of bearings arranged side by side in the bearing holding opening in the axial direction and rotatably supporting the axis of rotation with respect to the stator core, wherein the stator has an engaging portion for the motor fixing portion, and the motor fixing portion has an engaged portion for the engaging portion. [3] A fan device for radiators according to claim 2, wherein the engaging portion and the engaged portion have shapes that fit into each other.

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