Electric fan

Abstract

To provide an electric fan capable of suppressing the rattling of a blowing part during up-and-down oscillating operation of the blowing part.SOLUTION: An electric fan 1 includes a blowing head 20 having a rear impeller 25 and a front impeller 26, and a body part 10 having an upper side holding plate 82 slidably supporting the blowing head 20 and an external case 40 covering the upper side holding plate 2, the blowing head 20 having a rear side neck part 31 to be slid on the upper side holding plate 82, the external case 40 having a first opening part opened over the slide range of the rear side neck part 31c, and an inner wall part extending from the opening end of the first opening part along a blowing side wall-shaped part 31c1 of the rear side neck part 31c into the first opening part, the rear side neck part 31c having a protruded portion 31c3 protruded in the first opening part 1 until coming near to the inner wall part in a horizontal direction perpendicular to a sliding direction of the rear side neck part 31c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fan.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a fan capable of swinging up and down has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fan including a blowing unit and a support unit that supports the blowing unit, and the blowing unit can be swung up and down. In this fan, a slit extending in the vertical direction is formed in the cover of the blowing unit, and the support unit has a pair of support legs inserted into the slit and pivotally attached to the blowing unit so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. By rotating the cover with respect to the pair of support legs, the entire blowing unit rotates in the vertical direction with respect to the support unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the fan disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that play may occur in the left-right direction when the cover is rotated with respect to the pair of support legs due to the gap generated between the support legs and the slit.

[0005] The present invention has been created in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a fan capable of suppressing play of the blowing unit during the up-and-down swinging operation of the blowing unit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The blower of the present invention includes a main body having a blower unit with an impeller, a sliding support unit that slidably supports the blower unit, and a case that covers the sliding support unit. The blower unit has a slidable portion that slides on the sliding support unit. The case has an opening that opens over the sliding range of the slidable portion, and an inner wall portion that extends into the opening along the slidable portion from the opening end of the opening. The slidable portion has a protruding portion that protrudes in a first direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slidable portion in the opening until it approaches the inner wall portion.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a blower that can suppress the rattling of the blower unit during the pitching motion of the blower unit up and down.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fan 1 according to this embodiment is a small desktop fan 1, which is of a double-reverse type, and includes a main body 10 and a blower head 20 provided above the main body 10. On the front side of the main body 10, there is provided a control knob 12 for the user to control the on / off of the power of the fan 1, the blowing speed of the blower head 20, the presence or absence of the head swing in the left-right direction, etc. With the fan 1, the user can cause the blower head 20 to blow air by operating the control knob 12. Hereinafter, the side where the control knob 12 of the main body 10 is provided (the downstream side of the air blowing flow path) is defined as the front side of the fan 1, the opposite side is defined as the rear side, and the right side and the left side when the main body 10 is viewed from the front side are defined as the right side and the left side of the fan 1 for explanation.

[0010] First, the configuration of the blower head 20 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the blower head 20 includes a rear cover 21 provided on the rear side, that is, the upstream side of the air blowing flow path, a front cover 22 provided on the front side, that is, the downstream side of the air blowing flow path, a cover attachment member 30 provided between the rear cover 21 and the front cover 22, a rear impeller 25 attached to the rear side of the cover attachment member 30, and a front impeller 26 attached to the front side of the cover attachment member 30. That is, the cover attachment member 30 is provided between the two impellers 25 and 26.

[0011] The rear cover 21 has a substantially short cylindrical shape with a slightly reduced diameter on the rear side and a bottom, and is attached to the cover attachment member 30 so as to cover the rear impeller 25. The rear cover 21 has a grill shape in which substantially the whole of it is composed of beam-shaped parts, and includes a rear first grill part 21a that constitutes an annular side surface and a rear second grill part 21b that is provided inside the rear first grill part 21a and constitutes a bottom surface. The rear first grill part 21a has a plurality of beam-shaped parts 21a1 extending linearly and parallel in the front-rear direction, and the rear second grill part 21b has a plurality of beam-shaped parts 21b1 extending linearly and parallel in the left-right direction. At the lower end of the rear second grill part 21b, there is provided a concave opening 21b2 that opens in a concave shape toward the front side.

[0012] The front cover 22 has a substantially short cylindrical shape with a bottom on the front side, and is attached to the cover attachment member 30 so as to cover the front impeller 26. The front cover 22 has a side portion 22a that forms an annular side surface, and a grill-like front grill portion 22b that is provided inside the side portion 22a and forms a bottom surface. The front grill portion 22b has a plurality of beam-like portions 22b1 that linearly extend in parallel in the left-right direction. In a state where the fan 1 is installed on the installation surface, each beam-like portion 21b1 of the rear cover 21 and each beam-like portion 22b1 of the front cover 22 are parallel to the installation surface. Therefore, in the fan 1, it is easy to clean each beam-like portion 21b1, 22b1.

[0013] The rear impeller 25 has a substantially cylindrical rear rotating portion 25a with a bottom on the rear side, and five rear blade portions 25b that extend outward from the outer peripheral surface of the rear rotating portion 25a. The front impeller 26 has a substantially cylindrical front rotating portion 26a with a bottom on the front side, and seven front blade portions 26b that extend outward from the outer peripheral surface of the front rotating portion 26a. Inside the rear rotating portion 25a, a rear drive mechanism (not shown) composed of a motor or the like for rotating the rear impeller 25 is accommodated. Inside the front rotating portion 26a, a front drive mechanism (not shown) composed of a motor or the like for rotating the front impeller 26 is accommodated.

[0014] The cover attachment member 30 is composed of a rear attachment member 31 provided on the rear side and supported by the main body portion 10, and a front attachment member 32 provided on the front side to which both covers 21, 22 are attached. The rear attachment member 31 has a circular upper circular portion 31a provided at its upper part to which the rear impeller 25 is attached, a rear wiring accommodation portion 31b extending downward from the upper circular portion 31a, and a rear neck portion (sliding portion) 31c provided below the rear wiring accommodation portion 31b to form the rear side of the neck portion of the blower head 20. A rear drive mechanism is attached to the rear side of the upper circular portion 31a. The rear wiring accommodation portion 31b and the rear neck portion 31c have a hollow interior and are open on the front side.

[0015] The upper part of the rear head portion 31c connected to the rear wiring housing portion 31b is provided in a stepped shape so as to spread left and right downward. As shown in the enlarged views PR1 and PL1 of FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the lower part of the rear head portion 31c has both left and right end portions extending downward respectively, and is in a bilaterally symmetric shape, and this part is supported by the main body portion 10. In other words, a pair of lower parts of the rear head portion 31c are provided in parallel in the left - right direction.

[0016] Among the portions extending downward of the pair of rear head portions 31c provided, the portions extending in a wall shape in the vertical direction are respectively the air - blowing side wall - like portions 31c1, and the portions provided so as to extend in the front - rear direction from the lower end portions of the air - blowing side wall - like portions 31c1 and protrude inward in the left - right direction are respectively the air - blowing side contact portions 31c2 that directly contact the main body portion 10 (see FIG. 4). Each air - blowing side contact portion 31c2 is provided in a convex arc shape downward (from the air - blowing side contact portion 31c2 side toward the main body portion 10 side). Further, at the front end portions of the respective air - blowing side wall - like portions 31c1, protruding portions 31c3 that protrude slightly outward in the left - right direction (first direction) are respectively provided. Each protruding portion 31c3 is provided in a substantially rectangular plate shape with both plate surfaces facing in the front - rear direction.

[0017] The front mounting member 32 has an annular annular portion 32a that constitutes its outer periphery, a circular central portion 32b provided at the central portion inside the annular portion 32a to which the front impeller 26 is attached, and a front head portion 32c provided below the annular portion 32a that constitutes the front side of the neck portion of the air - blowing head 20. A front - driving mechanism is attached to the front side of the central circular portion 32b. The central circular portion 32b is supported by three beam - like portions extending inward from the annular portion 32a, and among them, the beam - like portion extending in the vertical direction is the front wiring housing portion 32d. The front head portion 32c and the front wiring housing portion 32d have a hollow interior and are open to the rear side.

[0018] After being configured as described above, the rear attachment member 31 and the front attachment member 32 are assembled such that the rear impeller 25 is attached to the upper circular portion 31a of the rear attachment member 31, and the front impeller 26 is attached to the central circular portion 32b of the front attachment member 32. Then, the upper circular portion 31a and the central circular portion 32b, the rear wiring accommodating portion 31b and the front wiring accommodating portion 32d, the rear head portion 31c and the front head portion 32c are assembled so as to overlap each other. As a result, a space that is open downward is formed between the front attachment member 32 and the rear attachment member 31. Wires from the rear drive mechanism and the front drive mechanism are accommodated in this space. These wires are routed to the lower end sides of the front attachment member 32 and the rear attachment member 31 that are assembled together and are connected to a control board 70 (to be described later) inside the main body portion 10.

[0019] Thereafter, the front cover 22 is screwed and attached to the front side of the front attachment member 32 so as to cover the front impeller 26, and the rear cover 21 is screwed and attached to the rear side of the rear attachment member 31 so as to cover the rear impeller 25. As a result, the upper portion of the rear head portion 31c of the rear attachment member 31 is accommodated in the concave opening portion 21b2 of the rear cover 21. In this way, the blower head 20 is assembled.

[0020] Next, the configuration of the main body portion 10 will be described. The main body portion 10 has a non-rotating portion 14 provided at the lower end portion, and a rotating portion 16 provided above the non-rotating portion 14 and rotating around the axis of a motor shaft (not shown) extending in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating portion 16 has a configuration in which each member is accommodated inside a substantially cylindrical outer case (case) 40 that constitutes the outer surface. The non-rotating portion 14 includes an installation portion 50 that is installed on a table or the like. The installation portion 50 is a substantially circular shallow dish-shaped member that is open upward. When the motor shaft rotates with the installation portion 50 installed, the rotating portion 16 rotates relative to the non-rotating portion 14, and the swinging operation of the fan 1 to the left and right is performed.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 7, an external case 40 that constitutes the outer portion of the rotating part 16 has an upper surface and a hollow interior. At the center in the left-right direction on the upper surface of the external case 40, an arc-shaped recess 40a that is recessed downward in an arc shape is provided. In the arc-shaped recess 40a, a plurality of first openings (openings) 40a1 that open in a slit shape in the vertical direction are provided. Also, the wall surfaces on both the left and right sides within the arc-shaped recess 40a are inner wall portions 40b that extend from the upper surface of the external case 40 (in other words, the open ends on both the left and right sides of the first opening 40a1) into the first openings 40a1 on both the left and right sides. On the front surface of the external case 40, a second opening 40c that opens in a substantially circular shape is provided. The front portion of the above-described control knob 12 is exposed to the outside from the second opening 40c.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 4, in the space inside the external case 40, a control board 70, a motor (drive mechanism) (not shown), and a holding portion 80 that holds the motor are provided. The control board 70 is disposed in the front portion inside the external case 40 with both of its board surfaces facing in the front-rear direction. The control board 70 controls and integrates the operation of the blower 1 based on the operation of the control knob 12. The rear portion of the control knob 12 is connected to the control board 70. The motor is composed of a motor body and the above-described motor shaft (rotating shaft) that extends from the lower surface of the motor body, and when the motor body is driven, the motor shaft rotates around the axis.

[0023] The holding portion 80 has an upper holding plate (sliding support portion) 82 and a lower holding plate 84 that are disposed above and below the motor so as to sandwich the motor. The upper holding plate 82 and the lower holding plate 84 are provided in parallel at an interval in the vertical direction with both of their board surfaces facing in the vertical direction. The control board 70 described above is disposed in the front portion between the upper holding plate 82 and the lower holding plate 84 (the front portion of the motor). The upper holding plate 82 has a substantially disc shape, and the motor body, the control board 70, and the control knob 12 are attached to its lower surface. The motor body, the control board 70, and the control knob 12 are held by being attached to the upper holding plate 82.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 6, on both the left and right sides of the upper surface of the upper holding plate 82, main body side contact portions 82a are respectively provided which rise slightly upward in a wall shape with both wall surfaces facing in the left - right direction. On the upper surface of each main body side contact portion 82a, the blowing - side contact portion 31c2 of the blowing head 20 is brought into contact. That is, the main body side contact portion 82a supports the blowing head 20 by coming into contact with the blowing - side contact portion 31c2. The upper surface of each main body side contact portion 82a is provided in a concave arc shape facing downward (from the blowing head 20 side toward the upper holding plate 82 side). Specifically, the upper surface of each main body side contact portion 82a is provided in a concave arc shape corresponding to the convex arc shape of the blowing - side contact portion 31c2.

[0025] Since the blowing - side contact portion 31c2 and the main body side contact portion 82a are shaped as described above, when each blowing - side contact portion 31c2 is supported on each main body side contact portion 82a, each blowing - side contact portion 31c2 contacts each main body side contact portion 82a with substantially no gap (see FIG. 4). And each blowing - side contact portion 31c2 (rear side neck portion 31c) is supported so as to be slidable substantially in the front - rear direction (sliding direction) along the concave arc - shaped curved surface on each main body side contact portion 82a. Also, each first opening 40a1 of the external case 40 is provided so as to open in the substantially front - rear direction over the sliding range of the rear side neck portion 31c.

[0026] For this reason, the user can slide the blowing head 20 along the shape of the main body side contact portion 82a in a state where the blowing head 20 is supported by the main body portion 10 and each main body side contact portion 82a is covered by the external case 40. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the blowing head 20 can be moved in the downward - facing direction (the direction in which the blowing head 20 tilts forward) DL and the upward - facing direction (the direction in which the blowing head 20 tilts backward) DU, and thereby, the pitching motion of the sending head 20 in the up - down direction is performed.

[0027] Also, as shown in FIG. 6, on the inner side in the left-right direction of each main body side contact portion 82a, main body side wall-shaped portions 82b that rise upward in a wall shape with both wall surfaces facing in the left-right direction are respectively provided. At the upper end portions of the respective main body side wall-shaped portions 82b, sandwiching portions 82b1 that extend in the front-rear direction and protrude outward in the left-right direction are respectively provided. As shown in the enlarged views PR2 and PL2 of FIG. 8, each sandwiching portion 82b1 is provided such that its protruding tip portion is slightly bent downward. In a state where each blower side contact portion 31c2 is supported on each main body side contact portion 82a, it is close to each blower side contact portion 31c2 from above. For this reason, each blower side contact portion 31c2 is sandwiched in the vertical direction (second direction) so as to be slidable along the main body side contact portion 82a between each main body side contact portion 82a and each sandwiching portion 82b1.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 6, at three locations on the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the upper holding plate 82, connection support pillars 82c that extend downward in a substantially columnar shape are respectively provided. The lower end portions of the respective connection support pillars 82c are connected to the lower holding plate 84. Also, at the central portion of the lower surface of the upper holding plate 82, a motor mounting portion 82d to which the motor main body is mounted is provided. At the front end portion of the lower surface of the upper holding plate 82, a board mounting portion 82e to which the control board 70 is mounted is provided so as to extend downward from the upper holding plate 82.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the lower holding plate 84 has a substantially disc shape, and a substantially circular through hole (not shown) through which the motor shaft is inserted is provided at its central portion. Among the upper surface of the lower holding plate 84, at positions corresponding in the vertical direction to the respective connection support pillars 82c provided on the upper holding plate 82, short cylindrical connected portions to which the lower end portions of the respective connection support pillars 82c are connected are respectively provided. By connecting the lower end portions of the respective connection support pillars 82c to the lower holding plate 84, the upper holding plate 82 and the lower holding plate 84 are connected with a space therebetween in the vertical direction.

[0030] Next, the sliding mode of the blower head 20 when the sending head 20 swings up and down will be described. As shown in the enlarged views PR2 and PL2 of FIG. 8, when the blower head 20 is supported by the main body 10, the inner wall 40b of the outer case 40 extends along the blower side wall portion 31c1 of the rear neck portion 31c, and the protruding portion 31c3 protrudes until it is close to the inner wall 40b. For this reason, even if the blower head 20 rattles left and right when the blower side contact portion 31c2 is slid substantially in the front-rear direction along the main body side contact portion 82a, each protruding portion 31c3 interferes with the inner wall 40b, and the blower head 20 is prevented from rattling left and right. As a result, the user can smoothly perform the swinging operation of the sending head 20 up and down.

[0031] In addition, since each blower side contact portion 31c2 is slid while being sandwiched in the vertical direction between each main body side contact portion 82a and each sandwiching portion 82b1, when the blower side contact portion 31c2 is slid, the blower side contact portion 31c2 is prevented from separating from the main body side contact portion 82a and coming off the main body 10.

[0032] As described above, the blower 1 according to the present embodiment includes a main body 10 having a blower head 20 having a rear impeller 25 and a front impeller 26, an upper holding plate 82 that slidably supports the blower head 20, and an outer case 40 that covers the upper holding plate 2. The blower head 20 has a rear neck portion 31c that slides on the upper holding plate 82. The outer case 40 has a first opening 40a1 that opens over the sliding range of the rear neck portion 31c, and an inner wall 40b that extends into the first opening 40a1 along the blower side wall portion 31c1 of the rear neck portion 31c from the opening end of the first opening 40a1. The rear neck portion 31c has a protruding portion 31c3 that protrudes in the left-right direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the rear neck portion 31c in the first opening 40a1 until it is close to the inner wall 40b.

[0033] According to the fan 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, when the user slides the rear side neck portion 31c in the sliding direction, the pitching motion of the air-sending head 20 up and down is performed. At this time, even if the air-sending head 20 (rear side neck portion 31c) rattles in the left-right direction, since the protruding portion 31c3 interferes with the inner wall portion 40b, the air-sending head 20 is suppressed from rattling left and right. Thus, in the fan 1, it is possible to suppress the rattling of the air-sending head 20 during the pitching motion of the air-sending head 20 up and down.

[0034] Further, in the fan 1 of the present embodiment, the portion (main body side contact portion 82a) of the upper holding plate 82 that contacts the rear side neck portion 31c is provided in a concave arc shape from the rear side neck portion 31c side toward the upper holding plate 82 side, and the portion (air-sending side contact portion 31c2) of the rear side neck portion 31c that contacts the upper holding plate 82 is provided in a convex arc shape from the rear side neck portion 31c side toward the upper holding plate 82 side. According to this, it is possible to realize a specific configuration for the air-sending head 20 to be in a forward-tilted posture and a backward-tilted posture and perform a pitching motion up and down by sliding the air-sending side contact portion 31c2 along the main body side contact portion 82a, and it is possible to realize a configuration in which the main body side contact portion 82a and the air-sending side contact portion 31c2 are in contact with almost no gap.

[0035] Further, in the fan 1 of the present embodiment, a pair of lower portions of the rear side neck portion 31c are provided in parallel in the left-right direction. According to this configuration, the rear side neck portion 31c is slidably supported on both the left and right sides with respect to the upper holding plate 82. Therefore, the air-sending head 20 can be supported stably with respect to the main body portion 10.

[0036] Further, in the fan 1 of the present embodiment, the upper holding plate 82 has a sandwiching portion 82b1 that slidably sandwiches the portion (air-sending side contact portion 31c2) of the upper holding plate 82 that contacts the rear side neck portion 31c in the up-down direction orthogonal to the sliding direction (front-rear direction) and the left-right direction. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the air-sending side contact portion 31c2 from separating from the upper holding plate 82 and coming off from the main body portion 10 when sliding the air-sending side contact portion 31c2 on the upper holding plate 82.

[0037] In addition, in the electric fan 1 of the present embodiment, the main body 10 has a motor that rotates the upper holding plate 82 together with the air blowing head 20 around the motor shaft in the vertical direction perpendicular to the sliding direction and the left-right direction. According to this configuration, when the motor is driven and the upper holding plate 82 rotates around the motor shaft, the swinging movement of the air blowing head 20 to the left and right is performed. Therefore, in the electric fan 1, it is possible to suppress the rattling of the air blowing head 20 during the swinging movement of the air blowing head 20 up and down while realizing a configuration capable of executing the swinging movement of the air blowing head 20 to the left and right.

[0038] Note that the embodiments described above are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0039] 1 Electric fan 10 Main body 12 Control knob 14 Non-rotating part 16 Rotating part 20 Air blowing head 21 Rear cover 21a Rear first grill part 21a1 Beam-like part 21b Rear second grill part 21b1 Beam-like part 21b2 Concave opening 22 Front cover 22a Side surface part 22b Front grill part 22b1 Beam-like part 25 Rear impeller 25a Rear rotating part 25b Rear blade part 26 Front impeller 26a Front rotating part 26b Front blade part 30 Cover mounting member 31 Rear mounting member 31a Upper circular part 31b Rear wiring accommodating part 31c Rear neck part 31c1 Air blowing side wall-like part 31c2 Air supply side contact part 31c3 Protrusion 32 Front mounting member 32a Annular part 32b Central circular part 32c Front head part 32d Front wiring accommodation part 40 Outer case 40a Arc-shaped recess 40a1 First opening 40b Inner wall part 40c Second opening 50 Installation part 70 Control board 80 Holding part 82 Upper holding plate 82a Body side contact part 82b Body side wall-like part 82b1 Clamping part 82c Connection support part 82d Motor mounting part 82e Board mounting part 84 Lower holding plate

Claims

1. a blower unit having an impeller; a main body unit including a sliding support unit that slidably supports the blower unit, and a case that covers the sliding support unit; the blower unit has a slidable part that slides on the sliding support unit; the case has an opening that opens over the sliding range of the slidable part, and an inner wall part that extends into the opening along the slidable part from the opening end of the opening; the slidable part has a protruding part that protrudes in a first direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the slidable part in the opening until it approaches the inner wall part; a fan.

2. the part of the sliding support unit that contacts the slidable part is provided in a concave arc shape from the slidable part side toward the sliding support unit side; the part of the slidable part that contacts the sliding support unit is provided in a convex arc shape from the slidable part side toward the sliding support unit side; The fan according to claim 1.

3. a pair of the slidable parts are provided in parallel in the first direction; The fan according to claim 1.

4. the sliding support unit has a clamping part that slidably clamps the part of the slidable part that contacts the sliding support unit in a second direction orthogonal to the sliding direction and the first direction; The fan according to claim 1.

5. the main body unit has a drive mechanism that rotationally drives the sliding support unit together with the blower unit around a rotation axis along a second direction orthogonal to the sliding direction and the first direction; The fan according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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