Engine cooling system

Abstract

Blower (100), comprising: a housing (110) comprising a handle portion (144); a motor (120) provided in a motor housing (320); a fan assembly (160) operatively coupled to the motor (120) for forcing air through a blower tube (150) in response to operation of the motor (120); and a control unit (130) provided in a control unit housing portion (132) of the housing (110) for selectively supplying power to the motor (120) for operating the motor (120), wherein the fan assembly (160) draws air through at least one first inlet opening (200) disposed on the side of the blower (100) into an inlet portion (154) of the blower tube (150) and through the fan assembly (160) to be expelled at an outlet (156) of the blower tube (150) in response to operation of the motor (120), and wherein the control unit housing section (132) comprises at least one second inlet opening (230) in the housing (110), which is different from the first inlet opening (200), for sucking cooling air through the at least second inlet opening (230) and through the control unit housing section (132) and expelling it through an outlet opening (240) of the control unit housing section (132) into the inlet section (154) of the blower tube (150).

Description

The exemplary embodiments relate generally to outdoor motor devices and, more particularly, to a structure for motor device cooling with respect to the electronics and / or motor of the motor devices.Outdoor engine apparatuses include, for example, apparatuses such as lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, edge-mounted trimmers, chainsaws, blowers, and the like. These devices are often used to perform tasks that inherently require portability of the devices. Accordingly, these devices are typically designed to be relatively robust and have the ability to perform difficult operations in a difficult environmental region, while also accommodating the portability requirement.The feeding of such devices could be realized in various ways. In outdoor motor devices designed to be manually operated, size and weight are of particular importance. In some applications, the emissions produced by the device (i.e., in terms of noise and / or pollutants) are also of particular importance. To reduce emissions, such outdoor engine devices driven by electric motors may be selected. However, using a line voltage powered electric motor may limit portability. As such, battery-powered devices can find greater acceptance.However, batteries and the components that power them may generate heat. If certain components, such as the control unit or the electric motor, are overheated, the product may fail for a period of time. Therefore, developing strategies for bypassing the thermal load generated by the battery-powered outdoor engine devices may be important.US 6 105 206 A discloses a portable blower apparatus having an electric motor and a battery. The blower is configured to suck an air flow therein to cool a control unit and the battery inside the blower.Some example embodiments may therefore provide structures that allow cooling of certain device components (e.g., the battery, control circuitry, and / or electric motor) without adding auxiliary fans or other cooling structures that may increase the size, cost, and / or complexity of outdoor engine devices.A blower of an exemplary embodiment according to the invention includes a housing including a handle portion, a motor provided in a motor housing, a fan assembly operatively coupled to the motor to drive air through a blower tube in response to operation of the motor, and a control unit provided in a control unit housing portion of the housing to selectively supply power to the motor for operating the motor. The fan assembly draws air into an inlet portion to be ejected at an outlet of the blower tube in response to operation of the motor. The control unit housing section comprises at least one inlet opening in the housing in order to suck cooling air for cooling the control unit before the cooling air is ejected into the inlet section through at least one outlet opening.A blower of an alternative exemplary embodiment according to the invention includes a housing including a handle portion, a motor provided in the motor housing, a fan assembly operatively coupled to the motor to drive air through a blower tube in response to operation of the motor, and a control circuit provided in a control unit housing portion of the housing to selectively supply power to the motor to drive the motor. In some cases, the fan assembly draws air into an inlet portion to be expanded at an outlet of the blower tube in response to operation of the engine. The motor housing further includes at least one motor housing inlet opening to allow a portion of the air flowing through the fan assembly to enter the motor housing for cooling the motor.In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method of cooling blower components is provided. The method includes rotating a fan assembly in response to operation of a motor. The rotation of the fan assembly creates a vacuum region in an inlet portion and a positive pressure regulator on a main duct of the fan assembly. The method further comprises drawing air into the inlet portion through a controller housing portion of a blower housing to cool a controller of the blower, drawing air into the inlet portion through a battery compartment to cool a battery of the blower, and forcing air out of the main duct through a motor housing to cool the motor.Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which do not necessarily illustrate a true to scale representation, and wherein: FIG. 1 illustrates a cut-away side view of a blower in accordance with an example embodiment; FIG. 2 illustrates a cut-away side view of a blower to show some structures for providing cooling of blower components in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a surface of a blower tube adjacent to the engine, in accordance with an example embodiment; and FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a method for cooling blower components in accordance with an example embodiment.Some example embodiments will now be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, example embodiments are shown. And indeed, the examples described and depicted herein should not be construed as limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Much more, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will meet applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Moreover, as used herein, the term "or" is intended to be a logical operator that turns out to be true whenever one or more of its operands is true. As used herein, operably coupling should be understood to refer to a direct or indirect connection, which in both cases enables a functional interconnection of components that are operably coupled together.Some example embodiments described herein provide structures for diverting air and / or drawing air past various components using vacuum and positive pressure regions generated due to normal blower operation. As such, cooling of certain components may be achieved without the addition of additional components, such as fans and / or the like. Components such as batteries, control circuitry, the motor, and / or the like may therefore be cooled with reduced cost and complexity while increasing blower operating safety.FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a blower 100 along a longitudinal centerline of the blower 100. It should be noted that the blower 100 of FIG. 1 merely illustrates an example of a motor device to which an example embodiment may be applied. Referring to FIG. 1, the blower 100 may include a housing 110 inside which various components of the blower 100 are housed. The blower 100 may further include a motor 120 or a drive unit for providing the driving force to move air through the blower 100. In some embodiments, the drive unit may be a three-phase electric motor that operates under the control of a control unit 130 or a control circuit and is driven by a battery 140 or a battery adapter. However, a DC motor could also be used in some embodiments.The housing 110 may be formed of plastic, composites, metal, or other desirable materials. In an exemplary embodiment, the housing 110 may be formed from two or more molded parts that may be assembled together. In some cases, the molded parts may form half shells (e.g., a right and a left half shell), which may be attached to each other by welding, adhesive, snap-in fasteners, fasteners (e.g., screws), and / or the like. When molded parts are joined together, they can form a seam at the location where the molded parts are joined together.In some embodiments, the control unit 130 may be housed in its own portion of the housing 110. The portion of the housing 110 in which the control unit 130 is accommodated may be referred to as a control unit housing portion 132, and the control unit housing portion 132 may be a component of a half shell (as described above) or may be a separate housing portion that is attached to other housing portions. The control unit housing portion 132 may be disposed adjacent to a portion of the housing 110 in the vicinity of which the motor 120 is provided.In an exemplary embodiment, the battery 140 may be housed in a battery compartment 142 that may be mounted at a rear portion of the housing 110 that is separated from the controller housing portion 132 by a handle 144. The handle 144 may include a trigger 146 that may be actuated by a finger of the operator while the operator holds the handle 144. Actuation of the trigger 146 may cause power from the battery 140 to be selectively supplied to the motor 120 to turn on the motor 120 based on control provided by the control unit 130. In some cases, the control unit 130 may include inhibiting devices, protection functions, or other control mechanisms that may sense various states of the blower 100 via sensors, switches, or other mechanisms to selectively control the supply of power to the motor 120 based on indications of user intent (e.g., by actuation of the trigger 146) and / or determinations regarding the state of the blower 100 as provided by the sensors, switches, or other mechanisms.It should be appreciated that although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the trigger 146 is used for selectively driving the motor 120, other example embodiments may employ another selection, switching, button or other such actuator to selectively control operation of the motor 120. Thus, ON / OFF, speed control or other actuatable functions for controlling the motor 120 may be performed by application of an actuator of any desirable shape, and the trigger 146 is merely an example.The blower 100 may further include a blower tube 150 that is fixed to the housing 110 (or is a part of the housing 110) and through which the air may be ejected. The blower tube 150 may define a blower tube axis 152 that defines an axial centerline of the blower tube 150. The blower tube 150 may include an inlet portion 154 and an outlet 156. The outlet 156 may be at a distal end of the blower tube 150, and the inlet portion 154 may be at an opposite end of the blower tube 150 adjacent to the motor 120 and the battery 140. In particular, the inlet portion 154 may include ventilation vents, vanes, guide holes, and other such vents 158 formed in the housing 110 to allow air to enter the blower tube 150 in response to operation of the motor 120 to be ejected through the outlet 156. In this regard, operation of the motor 120 may cause an impeller or fan assembly 160 to rotate such that a low pressure region is created to draw air into the inlet portion 154 through the apertures 158 to be moved through the fan assembly 160 and to be ejected from the blower tube 150 at the outlet 156 for blowing away sheets, debris, or any other material.In some cases, as shown in FIG. 1, the motor 120 and fan assembly 160 may each be coaxial with the blower tube axis 152 such that air exiting the fan assembly 160 is moved generally along a direction substantially parallel to the blower tube axis 152 (although such flow may be turbulent). Air entering the inlet portion 154 is, at any rate, generally drawn in at an angle relative to the blower tube axis 152. In some cases, the angle may be about 90 degrees, as shown by arrow 162 in FIG. 1. However, the angle could be an obtuse angle in some embodiments. As such, the air entering blower tube 150 (i.e., intake air) may undergo a directional change relative to the direction such air takes through fan assembly 160 and / or through blower tube 150 as the air approaches outlet 156 (i.e., as outlet air). In some cases, the ventilation vents, the wings, the guide holes, or other such openings 158 formed in the housing 110 to form the inlet portion 154 may be strategic to reduce the possibility of noise from the motor 120 or from the air flow in the blower tube 150 reaching the ears of the operator. Moreover, the ventilation vents, the wings, the guide holes, or other such openings 158 of the inlet portion 154 may be formed on a side portion of the housing 110 as shown in FIG. 1.In an exemplary embodiment, the battery compartment 142 may be disposed at a rearmost end of the housing 110, which may be above or even behind the inlet portion 154. On the other hand, the control unit housing portion 132 may be disposed outside the blower pipe 150 adjacent to the motor 120. Thus, referring to FIG. 1, the battery 140 is disposed at a rear of the blower 100, and the outlet 156 is disposed at the front of the blower 100. The handle 144 is generally held by the operator in a manner such that the handle 144 is uppermost and the motor 120 is suspended below the handle 144. With these relative positions referenced, it is noted that half of the housing 110 removed in FIG. 1 is the left half, and the right half of the housing 110 is thus still present.As shown in FIG. 1, the blower 100 may be configured to balance and optimize ergonomy during operation. As such, the handle 144 is generally configured to extend substantially horizontally to the ground surface while the operator holds the blower 100 on a natural or comfortable handle, as shown by line 180, that is parallel to the ground surface. The blower tube axis 152, on the other hand, is at an angle relative to line 180 and the ground surface. The angle may be between 15 degrees and 35 degrees in some embodiments, and could be selected based on balancing the center of gravity of the various components of the blower 100, while also creating a natural downward angle of inclination that directs the outlet 156 generally toward the ground when the blower 100 is held in its most comfortable and natural position by the operator.FIG. 1 shows example vectors indicating the masses of various components of the blower 100. In this regard, m1represents the center of gravity of the battery 140, which is relatively heavy and is located at a rear portion of the blower 100, in close proximity to the intersection of the blower tube axis 152 and line 180. On the other hand, m2 represents the smaller center of gravity of the motor 120, and m3 represents the center of gravity of the control unit 130. When held on the handle 144, the "x" shape 182 represents a point above which the various center points of gravity of the blower 100 are equalized. Thus, m4represents the center of gravity of the fan assembly 160 that is located in front of the handle 144 along with the center of gravity of the motor 120 and the control unit 130 to counteract the increased weight of the battery 140.Providing the handle 144 at an angle relative to the blower tube axis 152 and distributing the masses as provided in FIG. 1 causes the blower 100 to have a natural downward angle of inclination when balanced in its ergonomically optimized, balanced angleThis state is maintained.As discussed above, the motor 120, the battery 140, and the control unit 130 may generate heat while operating. Accordingly, in order to reduce the risk of overheating of these components and maximize the operational safety of the blower 100, these components should be effectively cooled. An exemplary embodiment may therefore be provided with various airflow direction structures to enable cooling of these components. FIG. 2 illustrates some of these structures, in accordance with an example embodiment.As shown in FIG. 2, the battery compartment 142 may be provided with one or more inlet ports 200 disposed at upper / rear portions of the battery compartment 142 and one or more outlet ports 210 disposed at lower portions of the battery compartment 142 to allow intake of air through the battery compartment 142 and through and into the inlet portion 154. The inlet openings 200 and / or the outlet openings 210 may be formed at seams between the half shells (if applied) or at any other arbitrary portion of the battery compartment 142. Accordingly, when the fan assembly 160 runs and creates a low pressure area adjacent an inlet of the fan assembly 160, the low pressure area created in the inlet portion 154 may draw air through the ventilation vent openings, vanes, guide holes, or other such openings 158 formed in the housing 110, but air may also draw into the inlet portion 154 through the inlet openings 200, the battery compartment 142, and the outlet openings 210. Arrows 220 are provided to show the air flow path through the battery compartment 142 that can cool the battery 140.The air flow through the battery compartment 142, which is a much smaller component of the total volume of air passing through the fan assembly 160, may be slightly heated relative to the temperature of the air entering the inlet portion as shown by arrow 162. However, the airflow shown by arrow 220 may be a relatively small fraction of the total airflow that passes through the fan assembly 160 and therefore may not substantially heat the air temperature when it mixes with the airflow shown by arrow 162 in the inlet portion 154. Accordingly, no additional cooling fan or characteristics need be provided, and instead, the battery 140 may be cooled by air ultimately passed through the fan assembly 160.As also shown in FIG. 2, the control unit housing portion 132 may be provided with one or more inlet ports 230 disposed at a front portion of the control unit housing portion 132 and one or more outlet ports 240 disposed at a rear portion of the control unit housing portion 132 to allow air to be drawn through the control unit housing portion 132 and into the inlet portion 154. The inlet openings 230 and / or the outlet openings 240 may be formed at joints between the half shells (if applied) or at any suitable portion of the controller unit housing portion 132. Accordingly, when the fan assembly 160 operates and creates a low pressure area adjacent an inlet of the fan assembly 160, the low pressure area created in the inlet portion 154 may draw air through the ventilation vents, vanes, guide holes, or other such openings 158 formed in the housing 110, but air may also draw into the inlet portion 154 through the inlet openings 230, the controller housing portion 132, and the outlet openings 240. Arrows 250 are provided to show the airflow path through the control unit housing portion 132 that can cool the control unit 130.The air flow through the control unit housing section 132, which is a much smaller component of the total volume of air passing through the fan assembly 160, may be slightly heated relative to the temperature of the air entering the inlet portion as shown by arrow 162. However, the air flow represented by arrow 250 may be a relatively small fraction of the total air flow passing through the fan assembly 160 and will therefore not substantially heat the air temperature when mixed with the air flow represented by arrow 162 in the inlet portion 154. Accordingly, no additional cooling fan or features need necessarily be provided, and instead, the control unit 130 may be cooled by air ultimately passing through the fan assembly 160.In an exemplary embodiment, the outlet openings 210 from the battery compartment 142 may be disposed behind the outlet openings from the controller housing portion 132. However, both outlet openings 210 and 240 may be generally configured to allow air to enter inlet portion 154 to mix with the main blower air flow represented by arrow 162. Referring to FIG. 2, it is noted that each of the airflow paths may undergo a directional change to be absorbed by the air passing through the fan assembly 160 and ultimately ejected from the blower 100. In this regard, the main intake airflow shown by arrow 162 may undergo a directional change of about 90 degrees to be absorbed by the airflow through the fan assembly 160. The flow of air through the battery compartment 142, as indicated by arrow 220, may experience a change in direction of less than 90 degrees to be incorporated into the flow of air through the vent assembly 160. The flow of air through the control unit housing portion 132, on the other hand, may undergo a change in direction of substantially 180 degrees as indicated by arrow 250 to be incorporated into the flow of air through the fan assembly 160. Moreover, as indicated by arrow 250, airflow through the controller housing portion 132 may travel along an exterior of the portion of the blower tube 150 to which the motor 120 is housed adjacent in a direction substantially opposite the direction of airflow through the fan assembly 160. As such, air cooling the control unit 130 moves in a direction opposite to the direction of air flow through the blower tube 150.Thus, in an exemplary embodiment, the flow of air through the blower tube 150 may cool the battery 140 and the control unit 130. In some cases, the air flow through the blower tube 150 may additionally or alternatively cool the motor itself. FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the surface of blower tube 150 disposed adjacent motor 120 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the fan assembly 160 may include an axial rotor hub 300 that may be mounted on a shaft that is rotated by rotation of the motor 120. The axial rotor hub 300 may further include fan blades 310 extending radially outward from the axial rotor hub 300 between (or connected to) a motor housing 320 of the motor 120 and a tube wall 330 of the blower tube 150 to define a main channel 340 through which air is forced by rotation of the fan blades 310. The main channel 340 forms an annular cavity surrounding the motor housing 320 and bounded by the tube wall 330, and defines a positive pressure region as the damper vanes 310 rotate. A vacuum condition is created in the inlet section 154 to draw air toward the fan blades 310, and as a result, a vacuum condition is created in the main duct 340 to force the air through the blower tube 150 to the outlet 156. In some cases, stator vanes or stator vanes 345 may be provided in (or at an end of) the main duct 340 to direct air exiting the fan assembly 160 further into the blower tube 150 to be spun toward the outlet 156.As shown in FIG. 3, the motor housing 320 may include one or more rear motor housing openings 350 formed therein on a surface adjacent the main duct 340 to allow air to flow around within the motor housing 320 for cooling the motor 120 before flowing back into the blower tube 150 through front motor housing openings 360 that may be formed in a conical portion 362 of the motor housing 320. The positive pressure condition formed in the main passage 340 may cause some air to be forced into the rear motor housing apertures 350 to flow proximate the motor 120 to remove heat from the motor 120 as it flows to the front motor housing apertures 360. It should be appreciated, however, that the front and rear apertures 360 and 350 may generally allow airflow in any direction through the motor housing 320 such that cooling air may pass near the motor 120 for cooling.Referring to FIG. 3, it is noted that the rear motor housing openings 350 may be formed at a portion of the motor housing 320 that is located between the fan blades 310 and the stator vanes 345. Moreover, in some cases, the motor housing facing openings 350 may be formed at a portion of the motor housing 320 that is proximate and forward of the fan blades 310 (i.e., proximate a point where the positive pressure is significant or maximum) to improve the flow of air through the motor housing 320. The flow of air through the engine housing 320 may move in the same direction as the flow of air through the main duct 340 and through the blower tube 150, as the flow of air in the engine housing moves toward the front engine housing openings 360 to be received by the main flow of air through the blower tube 150. However, as mentioned above, the direction need not be limited.In an exemplary embodiment that employs cooling the control unit 130, the battery 140, and the motor 120 by application of airflow drawn through the fan assembly 160, it is noted that the control unit 130 is cooled by system air (e.g., air drawn into the blower tube 150) upstream of the axial rotor hub 300, that the battery 140 is cooled by system air upstream of the axial rotor hub 300, and that the motor 120 is cooled by system air downstream of the axial rotor hub 300. These various components of the blower 100 may therefore be cooled to increase the reliability of the blower 100 without adding additional separate costs, weight, and complexity to achieve such cooling, as no additional cooling fans are required. Some embodiments may also enable the use of a less expensive motor as compared to integrating the housing into the fan system (which may save additional costs). FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a method for cooling blower components. The method may include rotating a fan assembly in response to operation of a motor in operation 400. Rotation of the fan assembly may create a vacuum region in an inlet portion and a vacuum region on a main duct of the fan assembly. The method may further include drawing air into the inlet portion through a controller housing portion of a housing of the blower to cool a controller of the blower in operation 410, drawing air into the inlet portion through a battery compartment to cool a battery of the blower in operation 420, and forcing air out of the main duct through a motor housing to cool the motor in operation 430. In some embodiments, all air entering the inlet portion through the battery compartment, the controller housing portion, and / or openings in the housing undergoes a change of direction before being ejected from the fan assembly.A blower of an exemplary embodiment may therefore include a housing including a handle portion, a motor provided in a motor housing, a fan assembly operatively coupled to the motor to drive air through a blower tube in response to operation of the motor, and a control circuit provided in a control unit housing portion of the housing to selectively supply power to the motor to operate the motor. In some cases, the fan assembly draws air into an inlet portion to be ejected at an outlet of the blower tube in response to operation of the engine. In an exemplary embodiment, the control unit housing section can comprise at least one inlet opening in the housing for the intake of cooling air in order to cool the control unit before the cooling air is forced into the inlet section through at least one outlet opening. Alternatively or additionally, the motor housing may further include a motor housing inlet opening to allow a portion of the air flowing through the fan assembly to enter the motor housing for cooling the motor.The electric drive device of some embodiments may include additional features that may be optionally added, either alone or in combination with each other. For example, in some embodiments (1), the portion of air entering the engine housing may move in a direction substantially parallel to a tube axis of the blower tube before entering and exiting the engine housing. In some cases, in addition to or as an alternative to (1) (2), the at least one motor housing inlet opening may be disposed between a fan blade and a stator blade of the fan assembly. Additionally or alternatively, (3) the at least one motor housing inlet opening may be disposed downstream of the fan assembly.In some embodiments, any or all of (1) to (3) may be applied in addition to the optional modifications or additions described above. In some embodiments, the cooling air may move in a first direction as it passes the at least one inlet opening and the at least one outlet opening, and may move in a second direction substantially opposite the first direction when received by the air that has passed through the fan assembly. Additionally or alternatively, the blower may include a battery housed or mounted in a battery compartment of the housing. The battery compartment may include at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port through which the battery cooling air flows past the battery and into the inlet portion. Additionally or alternatively, air may primarily enter the inlet section through openings located on the blower side. In other words, a large part of the air in the inlet section can enter through openings on the sides of the blower. In such an example, all air entering the inlet portion through the battery compartment, the controller housing portion, and / or the openings may undergo a change of direction before being ejected from the fan assembly. Additionally or alternatively, the battery and control unit may be cooled by air (e.g., system air) upstream of an axial rotor hub of the fan assembly and the motor may be cooled by air downstream of the axial rotor hub.Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions recited herein will occur to those skilled in the art to which inventions relate having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. It is therefore to be understood that the inventions are not to be considered as limiting the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and / or functions, various combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and / or functions than those expressly described above are also contemplated, as may be recited in some of the appended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits, or solutions to problems are described herein, it is noted that such advantages, benefits, and / or solutions to problems may be applicable to some example embodiments, but not necessarily to all example embodiments. Thus, all possible advantages, benefits, or solutions described herein should not be considered as critical, required, or essential to all embodiments or to what is claimed herein. Although specific terms are used herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for limiting purposes.

Claims

A blower (100) comprising: a housing (110) comprising a handle portion (144); a motor (120) provided in a motor housing (320); a fan assembly (160) operatively coupled to the motor (120) for forcing air through a blower tube (150) in response to operation of the motor (120); and a control unit (130) provided in a control unit housing portion (132) of the housing (110) for selectively supplying power to the motor (120) for operating the motor (120), wherein the fan assembly (160) draws air through at least a first inlet opening (200) disposed on the side of the blower (100) into an inlet portion (154) of the blower tube (150) and through the fan assembly (160), to be ejected at an outlet (156) of the blower tube (150) in response to operation of the motor (120), and wherein the control unit housing portion (132) comprises at least one second inlet opening (230) in the housing (110) different from the first inlet opening (200), to suck cooling air through the at least second inlet opening (230) and through the control unit housing portion (132) and eject it through an outlet opening (240) of the control unit housing portion (132) into the inlet portion (154) of the blower tube (150).The blower (100) of claim 1, wherein the motor housing (320) further comprises at least one motor housing inlet opening (350) to allow a portion of the air passing through the fan assembly (160) to enter the motor housing (320) to cool the motor (120).The blower (100) of claim 2, wherein the portion of air entering the motor housing (320) moves in a direction parallel to a pipe axis (152) of the blower pipe (150) before entering the blower pipe (150) from the motor housing (320).The blower (100) of claim 2, wherein the at least one motor housing inlet opening (350) is disposed between a fan blade (310) and a stator blade (345) of the fan assembly (160).The blower (100) of claim 2, wherein the at least one motor housing inlet opening (350) is disposed downstream of the fan assembly (160).The blower (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the cooling air moves in a first direction as it passes between the at least one second inlet opening (230) and the at least one outlet opening (240), and moves in a second direction substantially opposite the first direction when taken up by the air that has passed through the fan assembly (160).The blower (100) of any preceding claim, further comprising a battery (140) housed within a battery compartment (142) of the housing (110), the battery compartment (142) comprising at least one inlet port (200) and at least one outlet port (210) through which battery cooling air flows past the battery (142) and into the inlet portion (154).The blower (100) of claim 7, wherein all air entering the inlet portion (154) through the battery compartment (142), the controller housing portion (132), or through openings (158) undergoes a directional change before being ejected from the fan assembly (160).The blower (100) of claim 7, wherein the battery (140) and the control unit (130) are cooled by air upstream of an axial rotor hub (300) of the fan assembly (160), and the motor is cooled by air downstream of the axial rotor hub (300).A blower (100) comprising: a housing (110) comprising a handle portion (144); a motor (120) provided in a motor housing (320); a fan assembly (160) operatively coupled to the motor (120) for forcing air through a blower tube (150) in response to operation of the motor (120); and a control unit (130) provided in a control unit housing portion (132) of the housing (110) for selectively supplying power to the motor (120) for operating the motor (120), wherein the fan assembly (160) draws air through at least a first inlet opening (200) disposed on the side of the blower (100) into an inlet portion (154) of the blower tube (150) and through the fan assembly (160), A motor housing inlet opening (350) for allowing a portion of the air flowing through the fan assembly (160) to enter the motor housing (320) and cool the motor (120), wherein the at least one motor housing inlet opening (350) is disposed downstream of the fan assembly (160) to be ejected at an outlet (156) of the blower tube (150) in response to operation of the motor (120), and wherein the at least one motor housing inlet opening (350) is disposed downstream of the fan assembly (160).The blower (100) of claim 10, wherein the portion of air entering the motor housing (320) moves in a direction parallel to a tube axis (152) of the blower tube (150) before entering the blower tube (150) from the motor housing (320).The blower (100) of claim 10, wherein the at least one motor housing inlet opening (350) is disposed between a fan blade (310) and a stator blade (345) of the fan assembly (160).The blower (100) of claim 10, wherein the control unit housing portion (132) comprises at least one second inlet opening (230) in the housing (110) different from the first inlet opening (200) to draw cooling air through the at least second inlet opening (230) and through the control unit housing portion (132) and expel it through an outlet opening (240) of the control unit housing portion (132) into the inlet portion (154) of the blower tube (150).The blower (100) of any of claims 10 to 13, wherein the cooling air moves in a first direction as it passes between the at least one second inlet opening (230) and the outlet opening (240), and moves in a second direction substantially opposite the first direction when received by the air that has passed through the ventilation assembly (160).The blower (100) of any of claims 10 to 14, further comprising a battery (140) housed within a battery compartment (142) of the housing (110), the battery compartment (142) comprising at least one inlet port (200) and at least one outlet port (210) through which battery cooling air flows past the battery (140) and into the inlet portion (154).The blower (100) of claim 15, wherein all air entering the inlet portion (154) through the battery compartment (142), the controller housing portion (132), or through first openings (158) undergoes a directional change before being ejected from the fan assembly (160).The blower (100) of claim 15, wherein the battery (140) and the control unit (130) are cooled by air upstream of the axial rotor hub (300) of the fan assembly (160), and the motor (120) is cooled by air downstream of the axial rotor hub (300).A method of cooling blower components, the method comprising: rotating a fan assembly (160) in response to operation of a motor (120), the rotation of the fan assembly creating a vacuum region in an inlet portion (154) and a vacuum region on a main duct (340) of the fan assembly (160); sucking air into the inlet portion (154) by a control unit housing portion (132) of a housing (110) of the blower (100) to cool a control unit (130) of the blower (100); sucking air into the inlet portion (154) through a battery compartment (142) to cool a battery (140) of the blower (100); and pressing air from the main duct (340) through a motor housing (320) to cool the motor (120).The method of claim 18, wherein all air entering the inlet portion (154) through the battery compartment (142), the controller housing portion (132), or through first openings (158) in the housing (110) undergoes a directional change before being ejected from the fan assembly (160).

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