Air blower

Abstract

To provide an air blower which can reduce a space to be installed and improve degree of freedom to arrange an air duct connected to an outlet.SOLUTION: An air blower 15 sucks air in a cabin 11 by a centrifugal fan 16 and then transfers the air into the other place in the cabin 11. The centrifugal fan 16 makes an impeller 25 in a case 24 rotate around a rotation axis 26 to suck air in the cabin 11 into the case 24 and blow the air from an outlet 20 of the case 24 to the outside of the case 24. A plurality of outlets 20 are opened on an outer peripheral surface of the case 24 at intervals in a circumferential direction. A movable valve 27 to open / close the outlet 20 is arranged in the case 24 between the impeller 25 and the outlet 20. The movable valve 27 can rotate around the rotation axis 26 to block any of the plurality of the outlets 20 through the rotation so as to switch a position to blow the air to the outside of the case 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a blower device. [Background technology]

[0002] In vehicles such as automobiles, a blower device may be installed inside the vehicle cabin to distribute conditioned air blown from an air conditioner to various locations within the vehicle cabin. The blower device, for example, uses a centrifugal fan to draw in air from the vehicle cabin and then distributes the air to other locations within the vehicle cabin, thereby preventing the conditioned air blown into the vehicle cabin from being concentrated in a specific location within the vehicle cabin. The centrifugal fan of the blower device rotates an impeller within a case about a rotation axis, thereby drawing air into the case and then blowing it out of the case through an outlet in the case. The air thus blown out of the case is then blown into the vehicle cabin via a duct or the like.

[0003] There is a demand for a blower device that can blow air from an outlet on a case of a centrifugal fan to multiple locations within the vehicle cabin, and that can selectively blow the air. To achieve this demand, for example, a butterfly door as shown in Patent Document 1 can be used. In this case, multiple ducts extending toward multiple locations within the vehicle cabin are connected to the outlet on the case of the centrifugal fan. Furthermore, a butterfly door is disposed at the connection point between the outlet and the multiple ducts. The butterfly door can be rotated to connect the outlet to one of the multiple ducts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-173140 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, if the air blown out from the outlet of the centrifugal fan is selectively sent to multiple locations in the vehicle cabin, a large space must be provided for installing the blower, and the degree of freedom in duct placement is reduced.

[0006] The reason why the installation space for the blower is so large is that the installation of the butterfly valve makes the blower larger, and the reason why the flexibility of duct placement is limited is because the use of butterfly valves requires connecting multiple ducts to the outlet of the centrifugal fan. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below. A blower device that solves the above problem uses a centrifugal fan to draw air from the vehicle cabin and then blow the air to another location within the vehicle cabin. The centrifugal fan rotates an impeller inside a case about a rotation axis, drawing air into the case and then blowing it out of the case through an air outlet in the case. A plurality of air outlets are opened at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the case. A movable valve for opening and closing the air outlet is disposed inside the case between the impeller and the air outlet. The movable valve is rotatable about the rotation axis, and by closing one of the plurality of air outlets through its rotation, it switches the position from which air is blown out of the case.

[0008] According to the above configuration, by connecting ducts extending to different locations within the vehicle cabin to the multiple air outlets, the air blown from the air outlets can be selectively sent to multiple locations within the vehicle cabin. Specifically, by closing one of the multiple air outlets with a movable valve, the air outlet position outside the case can be switched. The air blown from the air outlet is then selectively blown to a predetermined location within the vehicle cabin via the duct. Because the movable valve is located between the impeller and the air outlet within the centrifugal fan case, providing the movable valve does not increase the size of the centrifugal fan or the blower device equipped with the centrifugal fan. This reduces the space required to install the blower device. Furthermore, even if the position of the air outlet in the case is changed circumferentially on the outer periphery of the case, the shape of the movable valve can be changed accordingly, allowing the air outlet to be opened or closed by rotating the movable valve around the rotation axis. Therefore, changing the circumferential position of the air outlet allows for relatively flexible arrangement of the duct connected to the air outlet. As a result, the degree of freedom in arranging the duct connected to the air outlet is increased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 2] 2 is a plan view schematically showing the blower device of the vehicle of FIG. 1 as viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a centrifugal fan in the blower device of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the centrifugal fan of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the centrifugal fan of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 5 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a state in which a movable valve in the centrifugal fan of FIG. 4 is rotated leftward around a rotation axis. FIG. [Figure 7] 5 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a state in which the movable valve in the centrifugal fan of FIG. 4 is rotated clockwise around the rotation axis. FIG. [Figure 8]2 is a perspective view showing the centrifugal fan of FIG. 1 as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a centrifugal fan. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the centrifugal fan of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 11 is an enlarged view showing a pinion gear and a plurality of teeth of an operating mechanism in the centrifugal fan of FIG. 10. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the blower will be described below with reference to FIGS. An air conditioner 12 for conditioning the interior of a vehicle compartment 11 is disposed in the front of the vehicle shown in Fig. 1. The air conditioner 12 performs air conditioning, such as adjusting the temperature and humidity, in the vehicle compartment 11 by blowing conditioned air into the vehicle compartment 11 from an air outlet 13 located in the front of the vehicle. A blower 15 is attached to a roof panel 14 inside the vehicle compartment 11. This blower 15 is intended to prevent the conditioned air blown into the vehicle compartment 11 from becoming unevenly distributed within the vehicle compartment 11.

[0011] The blower device 15 includes a centrifugal fan 16 and a duct 17. The centrifugal fan 16 is located above a front seat 18 in the vehicle interior 11. The centrifugal fan 16 draws air from an inlet 19 inside the vehicle interior 11 and then blows it out through an outlet 20. An inlet 21 of the duct 17 is connected to the outlet 20 of the centrifugal fan 16. The duct 17 extends from the outlet 20 of the centrifugal fan 16 toward the rear of the vehicle, i.e., toward the right in FIG. 1 . An outlet 22 is formed at the rear end of the duct 17. The outlet 22 is located above a rear seat 23 in the vehicle interior 11.

[0012] Duct 17 receives air blown out from outlet 20 of centrifugal fan 16 through inlet 21. The air sent to duct 17 in this manner is sent through outlet 22 to a location in passenger compartment 11 different from the location corresponding to inlet 19, more specifically to the rear of passenger compartment 11. This prevents the conditioned air blown out from air conditioner 12 through outlet 13 into passenger compartment 11 from being concentrated toward the front of passenger compartment 11.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the blower device 15 as viewed from above. The centrifugal fan 16 of the blower device 15 includes a case 24, an impeller 25, and a rotary shaft 26. The case 24 is formed with the air inlet 19 and the air outlet 20 described above. The air outlets 20 include a first air outlet 20a and a second air outlet 20b, and a plurality of the air outlets 20 are formed in the case 24. The first air outlet 20a opens toward the right seat in the passenger compartment 11. The second air outlet 20b opens toward the left seat. The duct 17 includes a first duct 17a connected to the first air outlet 20a and a second duct 17b connected to the second air outlet 20b. The first duct 17a is for sending air to the rear seat 23 located on the right side of the passenger compartment 11. The second duct 17b is for sending air to the rear seat 23 located on the left side of the passenger compartment 11.

[0014] An impeller 25 that rotates around the center line of a rotary shaft 26 is disposed within the case 24. By rotating the impeller 25 within the case 24 around the center line of the rotary shaft 26, air from the vehicle interior 11 is drawn into the case 24 through the air inlet 19. The air within the case 24 forms a spiral flow centered on the rotary shaft 26 due to centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the impeller 25, and flows toward the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b. The air introduced into the first duct 17a via the first air outlet 20a is sent from the outlet 22 located on the right side of the vehicle interior 11 toward the right-side rear seat 23 within the vehicle interior 11. The air introduced into the second duct 17b via the second air outlet 20b is sent from the outlet 22 located on the left side of the vehicle interior 11 toward the left-side rear seat 23 within the vehicle interior 11.

[0015] <Details of Centrifugal Fan 16> 3 to 5 respectively show an exploded view of the centrifugal fan 16, a planar cross section of the centrifugal fan 16, and a longitudinal cross section of the centrifugal fan 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the case 24 of the centrifugal fan 16 is formed by joining an upper division body 24a and a lower division body 24b together. By joining the upper division body 24a and the lower division body 24b together, a plurality of air outlets 20, i.e., first air outlets 20a and second air outlets 20b, are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the case 24, as shown in FIG. 4. An air inlet 19 is formed in the lower division body 24b of the case 24. As shown in FIG. 5, the case 24 can be attached to the roof panel 14 inside the vehicle interior 11.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, an impeller 25 is disposed between the upper division 24a and the lower division 24b of the case 24. The impeller 25 is fixed to a rotary shaft 26. The rotary shaft 26 is rotatably supported by the upper division 24a. This allows the impeller 25 to rotate around the rotary shaft 26. The centrifugal fan 16 includes a movable valve 27 disposed between the upper division 24a and the lower division 24b. The movable valve 27 opens and closes the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b. The movable valve 27 is formed to cover half of the upper surface of the impeller 25 and half of the outer peripheral surface of the impeller 25. The portion of the movable valve 27 that covers the outer peripheral surface of the impeller 25 is located between the impeller 25 and the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b.

[0017] The portion of the movable valve 27 that covers the outer peripheral surface of the impeller 25 has a peripheral surface 28 that extends in the rotational direction of the rotary shaft 26. The movable valve 27 is rotatable around the rotary shaft 26, and through this rotation, the peripheral surface 28 closes either the first air outlet 20a or the second air outlet 20b, thereby switching the position from which air is blown out of the case 24. The movable valve 27 in FIG. 4 is positioned in the center of its rotation range. At this time, both the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b are open. In this case, both the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b are positioned to blow air out of the case 24. The air blown out of the case 24 in this manner is sent into the passenger compartment 11 via the first duct 17a and the second duct 17b.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 6, when the movable valve 27 is rotated counterclockwise around the rotation axis 26 from the center of its rotation range, the circumferential surface 28 of the movable valve 27 closes the first air outlet 20a and opens the second air outlet 20b. In this case, the second air outlet 20b is positioned to blow air out of the case 24. The air blown out of the case 24 in this manner is sent into the passenger compartment 11 via the second duct 17b. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, when the movable valve 27 is rotated clockwise around the rotation axis 26, the circumferential surface 28 of the movable valve 27 closes the second air outlet 20b and opens the first air outlet 20a. In this case, the first air outlet 20a is positioned to blow air out of the case 24. The air blown out of the case 24 in this manner is sent into the passenger compartment 11 via the first duct 17a.

[0019] <Operation mechanism 29> As shown in Figure 5, the centrifugal fan 16 is provided with an operating mechanism 29 for operating the movable valve 27 from outside the case 24 to rotate it around the rotation shaft 26. The centrifugal fan 16 is disposed above a roof head lining 30 that is disposed below the roof panel 14. An air intake hole 31 is formed in the roof head lining 30 at a position corresponding to the centrifugal fan 16. A cover 32 for covering the air intake hole 31 is attached to the roof head lining 30 on the passenger compartment 11 side. The cover 32 is capable of passing air through it.

[0020] The operating mechanism 29 includes a slide rod 33 that protrudes downward from the movable valve 27. The slide rod 33 passes through a slit 34 formed in the lower half 24b of the case 24 and protrudes outside the case 24 as shown in FIG. 8. Furthermore, the slide rod 33 passes through an intake hole 31 in the roof head lining 30 as shown in FIG. 5, and also passes through a slit 35 formed in the cover 32, thereby protruding toward the interior of the vehicle compartment 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the slit 34 formed in the lower half 24b extends in an arc shape centered on the rotation shaft 26. Similarly to the slit 35, the slit 35 formed in the cover 32 also extends in an arc shape.

[0021] In the above-described operation mechanism 29, the movable valve 27 can be operated from outside the case 24 to rotate around the rotation axis 26 by moving the slide rod 33 around the rotation axis 26. More specifically, the slide rod 33 protrudes from the roof headlining 30 into the passenger compartment 11. Therefore, by operating the slide rod 33 from inside the passenger compartment 11 as described above, the movable valve 27 can be rotated around the rotation axis 26.

[0022] Next, the effects of the blower device 15 in this embodiment will be described. (1-1) The position at which air is blown out of the case 24 is switched by closing either the first air outlet 20a or the second air outlet 20b of the centrifugal fan 16 with the peripheral surface 28 of the movable valve 27. As a result, the air blown out from the centrifugal fan 16 is selectively sent to a predetermined location in the vehicle compartment 11, i.e., toward the right rear seat 23 or the left rear seat 23 in the vehicle compartment 11, via the first duct 17a and the second duct 17b. The movable valve 27 of the centrifugal fan 16 is located between the impeller 25 and the case 24. More specifically, a portion of the movable valve 27 that covers the upper surface of the impeller 25 is located between the upper end of the upper split body 24a, and a portion that covers the outer peripheral surface of the impeller 25 is located in the case 24 between the impeller 25 and the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b. Therefore, the provision of the movable valve 27 does not increase the size of the centrifugal fan 16 and the blower device 15 provided with the centrifugal fan 16. Therefore, the space required to install the blower device 15 can be kept small.

[0023] (1-2) The positions of the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b in the case 24 of the centrifugal fan 16 can be changed as needed in the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface of the case 24. Even if the positions of the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b are changed in this way, by changing the shape of the movable valve 27 accordingly, the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b can be opened and closed by rotation of the movable valve 27 about the rotation axis 26. Therefore, by changing the positions of the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b in the circumferential direction, the arrangement of the first duct 17a and the second duct 17b connected to the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b can be changed relatively freely. As a result, the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the first duct 17a and the second duct 17b connected to the first air outlet 20a and the second air outlet 20b is increased.

[0024] (1-3) The first air outlet 20a of the centrifugal fan 16 opens toward the right seat side in the vehicle compartment 11. This makes it easy to connect the first duct 17a, which sends air toward the rear seat 23 on the right side in the vehicle compartment 11, to the first air outlet 20a. In addition, the second air outlet 20b of the centrifugal fan 16 opens toward the left seat side in the vehicle compartment 11. This makes it easy to connect the second duct 17b, which sends air toward the rear seat 23 on the left side in the vehicle compartment 11, to the second air outlet 20b.

[0025] (1-4) Even if the centrifugal fan 16 is disposed between the roof panel 14 and the roof headlining 30, the movable valve 27 can be rotated around the rotation axis 26 by manually holding the slide rod 33 of the operating mechanism 29 from inside the vehicle compartment 11 and moving it around the rotation axis 26.

[0026] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the blower will be described with reference to FIGS. The blower device of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the operation mechanism 29 of the centrifugal fan 16. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the operation mechanism 29 of this embodiment includes an operation shaft 36 and a pinion gear 37. The operation shaft 36 extends beside the movable valve 27 in the same direction as the rotation shaft 26. The operation shaft 36 penetrates the lower section 24b of the case 24, the air intake hole 31 in the roof headlining 30, and the cover 32, protruding into the passenger compartment 11. The operation shaft 36 is supported by the upper section 24a of the case 24 so as to be rotatable about its center line. The pinion gear 37 is fixed to the operation shaft 36. As shown in FIG. 11 , the operation mechanism 29 includes a plurality of teeth 38 formed on the movable valve 27. These teeth 38 mesh with the pinion gear 37.

[0027] According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects (1-1), (1-2), and (1-3) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (2-1) When rotating the movable valve 27 of the centrifugal fan 16 around the rotation axis 26, the operating shaft 36 of the operating mechanism 29 is rotated around its center line from inside the vehicle compartment 11. When the operating shaft 36 is rotated in this manner, the rotation is transmitted to the movable valve 27 via the pinion gear 37 and the plurality of teeth 38 on the movable valve 27. Therefore, even if the centrifugal fan 16 is disposed between the roof panel 14 and the roof headlining 30, the movable valve 27 in the case 24 can be operated to rotate around the rotation axis 26 by rotating the operating shaft 36 of the operating mechanism 29 as described above.

[0028] [Other embodiments] The above-described embodiments can be modified, for example, as follows: The above-described embodiments and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0029] Instead of the operating mechanism 29, an actuator such as a motor may be used to rotate the movable valve 27 around the rotation shaft 26. The first air outlet 20a does not necessarily have to open toward the right seat.

[0030] The second air outlet 20b does not necessarily have to open toward the left seat. The first duct 17a does not necessarily have to send air toward the rear seat 23 on the right side in the passenger compartment 11.

[0031] The second duct 17b does not necessarily have to send air toward the rear seat 23 on the left side in the passenger compartment 11. The air blower 15 does not necessarily have to be disposed between the roof panel 14 and the roof headlining 30, but may be disposed in another location.

[0032] There may be three or more air outlets 20. In this case, the shape of the movable valve 27 is determined so that, by rotating the movable valve 27, one of the air outlets 20 is closed, or at least one is opened while multiple air outlets 20 are closed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 11...Vehicle compartment 14...Roof panel 15...Ventilation device 16...Centrifugal fan 17...Duct 17a...1st duct 17b...Second duct 19...Intake port 20…Air outlet 20a…1st outlet 20b…Second outlet 23...rear seat 24…Case 24a...Upper segment 24b…lower division body 25...Impeller 26...Rotation axis 27... Movable valve 28…Surrounding surface 29...Operating mechanism 33...Slide rod 34...Slit 36...Operation axis 37...Pinion gear 38...tooth

Claims

1. A blower device that draws air into a vehicle cabin using a centrifugal fan and then sends the air to another location within the vehicle cabin, wherein the centrifugal fan rotates an impeller within a case about a rotation axis to draw air into the case and then blow the air out of the case through an air outlet of the case, A plurality of the air outlets are opened at intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the case, a movable valve for opening and closing the air outlet is disposed between the impeller and the air outlet inside the case; The movable valve is rotatable around the rotation axis, and by closing one of the multiple air outlets through that rotation, the blower device switches the position from which air is blown out of the case.

2. The blower device according to claim 1 , wherein the centrifugal fan includes an operating mechanism for operating the movable valve from outside the case to rotate the movable valve around the rotation axis.

3. the operating mechanism includes a slide rod protruding from the movable valve, The slide rod passes through a slit formed in the case and protrudes out of the case, The blower device according to claim 2 , wherein the slit extends in an arc shape centered on the rotation shaft.

4. the operating mechanism includes an operating shaft extending in the same direction as the rotation shaft beside the movable valve, a pinion gear fixed to the operating shaft, and a plurality of teeth formed on the movable valve to mesh with the pinion gear; 3. The blower device according to claim 2, wherein the operating shaft is supported by the case so as to be rotatable about its center line and protrudes outside the case.

5. The centrifugal fan can be attached to a roof panel inside a vehicle cabin, the air outlet includes a first air outlet that opens toward a right seat side in the vehicle compartment and a second air outlet that opens toward a left seat side in the vehicle compartment, The blower device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first air outlet is connected to a first duct for sending air to the right seat, and the second air outlet is connected to a second duct for sending air to the left seat.

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