Blower

Abstract

To provide a blower capable of maintaining airtightness.SOLUTION: A blower 1 includes: a ventilation passage 7 in which air flows; and a shielding body 5 that is arranged to be movable between a first position for opening the ventilation passage 7 and a second position for closing the ventilation passage 7 with respect to the ventilation passage 7. The shielding body 5 has a body section 11 that is movably arranged in the ventilation passage 7 and an abutting section 13 that is elastically deformably provided in the body section 11 and abuts on an internal surface of the ventilation passage 7 at the second position of the shielding body 5. The abutting section 13 is made of a soft material which is softer than that of the body section 11 and is elastically deformable and has a contact section 15 which is brought into contact with the internal surface of the ventilation passage 7 and a non-contact section 17 arranged on the body section 11 side. A first connection section 19 that connects the contact section 15 and the non-contact section 17 and is elastically deformable is provided between the contact section 15 and the non-contact section 17. A second connection section 21 that connects the non-contact section 17 and the body section 11 and is elastically deformable is provided between the non-contact section 17 and the body section 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a known blower device includes a ventilation passage through which air flows, and a shutter valve as a shielding body arranged in the ventilation passage so as to be movable between a first position that opens the ventilation passage and a second position that closes the ventilation passage (see Patent Document 1). In this blower device, the shutter valve has a main body portion arranged so as to be movable in the ventilation passage, and a seal body as an abutting portion that is elastically deformable on the main body portion and abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage when the shutter valve is in the second position. In such a blower device, when the shutter valve is in the second position, the seal body elastically deforms and abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage, thereby closing the ventilation passage and blocking the flow of air within the ventilation passage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-108654 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the blower device of Patent Document 1, the abutment portion protrudes linearly from the main body portion while being parallel to the flat surface of the main body portion. When the shielding body is in the second position blocking the ventilation passage and the linear abutment portion abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage, it undergoes significant elastic deformation toward the main body portion, resulting in a large amount of elastic deformation. If the abutment portion undergoes a large amount of elastic deformation, wrinkles or the like may occur on the surface of the abutment portion, creating a gap between the inner surface of the ventilation passage and the abutment portion, potentially reducing airtightness.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a blower that can maintain airtightness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The blower device of this embodiment comprises an air passage through which air flows, and a shielding body arranged to be movable relative to the air passage between a first position that opens the air passage and a second position that blocks the air passage, the shielding body having a main body portion arranged to be movable relative to the air passage, and a contact portion that is elastically deformable and provided on the main body portion and abuts against the inner surface of the air passage at the second position of the shielding body, the abutting portion being made of a soft material that is softer and elastically deformable than the material of the main body portion, and having a contact portion that contacts the inner surface of the air passage and a non-contact portion arranged on the main body portion side, and a first connecting portion that elastically deforms and connects the contact portion and the non-contact portion is provided between the contact portion and the non-contact portion, and a second connecting portion that elastically deforms and connects the non-contact portion and the main body portion is provided between the non-contact portion and the main body portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a blower that can maintain airtightness. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a blower device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shielding body of the air blower according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The blower device according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0010] 1, a blower 1 according to this embodiment is applied, for example, between an air conditioner (not shown) mounted on a vehicle and an air outlet (not shown) through which air is blown out from the air conditioner. The blower 1 can adjust the flow rate of air from the air conditioner and change the flow rate of air blown out from the air outlet.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the blower 1 includes a casing 3 and a shield 5. The casing 3 and the shield 5 are made of a plastic material.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the casing 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to form an air passage 7 through which air flows inside. An opening on one side of the casing 3 is arranged so as to communicate with an outlet from which temperature-adjusted air from the air conditioner comes out. An opening on the other side of the casing 3 is connected to, for example, an air outlet located on the passenger compartment side, and causes the air that has flowed through the air passage 7 to flow toward the air outlet.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the shielding body 5 is arranged inside the ventilation passage 7 so as to be rotatable via a shaft 9. The shielding body 5 is arranged so as to be rotatable (movable) between a first position (a state shown by a phantom line in Figure 1) where the shielding body 5 opens the ventilation passage 7, and a second position (a state shown by a solid line in Figure 1) where the shielding body 5 closes the ventilation passage 7. The shielding body 5 includes a main body 11 and a contact portion 13.

[0014] The main body 11 is formed in a plate shape with an area slightly smaller than the opening area of ​​the ventilation passage 7. The main body 11 is made of a hard material, such as a hard synthetic resin, that has enough rigidity to prevent deformation when the contact portion 13 contacts the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7. In addition, the main body 11 has a thickness that prevents elastic deformation when the contact portion 13 contacts the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7. A shaft 9 protrudes from each of the two side surfaces of the main body 11 that face the side walls of the ventilation passage 7. The shaft 9 is rotatably inserted into holes (not shown) provided in the side walls of the ventilation passage 7. A drive mechanism (not shown) that rotates the shaft 9 engages with the shaft 9 inserted into the holes. The main body 11, which is disposed within the ventilation passage 7, is rotated within the ventilation passage 7 between a first position and a second position by the operation of the drive mechanism. When the main body 11 is positioned in the first position, it opens the ventilation passage 7, allowing air to flow from one side of the ventilation passage 7 to the other. When the main body 11 is positioned in the second position, it closes the ventilation passage 7, blocking air from flowing from one side of the ventilation passage 7 to the other. At this time, the abutting portion 13 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, preventing air from leaking between the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 and the abutting portion 13.

[0015] The contact portions 13 are provided at both ends of the main body 11 in the rotation direction that face the upper and lower walls of the ventilation passage 7 when the shielding body 5 is in the second position. The contact portions 13 are made of a soft material, such as rubber, that is softer than the material of the main body 11 so that they can elastically deform when they come into contact with the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7. When the contact portions 13 come into contact with the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, they apply a pressing force to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 by recovering from elastic deformation, and come into close contact with the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7.

[0016] Here, in a conventional abutment portion formed in a straight line, when elastically deforming, there is only one free end on the tip side and one base end on the main body portion 11 side within the abutment portion. Therefore, when the conventional abutment portion abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, only one pressing force is applied to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 as the abutment portion recovers from elastic deformation. In such a conventional abutment portion, in order to improve the adhesion between the abutment portion and the ventilation passage 7, the overall length of the abutment portion must be increased to increase the amount of elastic deformation of the abutment portion. Therefore, when the conventional abutment portion elastically deforms, wrinkles may occur on the surface, resulting in a decrease in airtightness.

[0017] Therefore, the contact portion 13 is formed so as to apply a plurality of pressing forces to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 by recovering from elastic deformation when the contact portion 13 contacts the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7. The contact portion 13 includes a contact portion 15, a non-contact portion 17, a first connecting portion 19, and a second connecting portion 21.

[0018] The contact portion 15 is provided at the tip end of the abutment portion 13, farthest from the main body portion 11. The contact portion 15 is the portion that comes into contact with the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 when the shielding body 5 is in the second position. The contact portion 15 is formed in a curved shape so as to bulge toward the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, and is elastically deformable. By making the contact portion 15 elastically deformable, when the contact portion 15 comes into contact with the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, the contact portion 15 elastically deforms and applies a pressing force to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 by restoring from the elastic deformation. This increases the contact pressure of the contact portion 15 with the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, thereby improving airtightness. In addition, by forming the contact portion 15 in a curved shape, the contact area of ​​the contact portion 15 with the ventilation passage 7 can be increased, thereby improving airtightness.

[0019] The non-contact portion 17 is provided at a portion of the abutting portion 13 that is located on the main body portion 11 side. When the shielding body 5 is in the second position, the non-contact portion 17 is separated from the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 and does not contact the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7. The non-contact portion 17 is formed in a curved shape so as to bulge toward the opposite side from the contact portion 15, and is elastically deformable. By making the non-contact portion 17 elastically deformable, when the contact portion 15 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, the non-contact portion 17 elastically deforms and applies a pressing force to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 by restoring from the elastic deformation. This increases the contact pressure of the contact portion 15 against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, thereby improving airtightness.

[0020] The first connecting portion 19 is a portion of the abutting portion 13 that connects the contact portion 15 and the non-contact portion 17. The first connecting portion 19 is thinner than the contact portion 15 and the non-contact portion 17 and is elastically deformable so that it is more easily elastically deformed than the contact portion 15 and the non-contact portion 17. The first connecting portion 19 may be formed of an elastic material (soft material) that is more easily elastically deformed than the contact portion 15 and the non-contact portion 17. The first connecting portion 19 serves as a base end when the entire contact portion 15 elastically deforms when the contact portion 15 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7. The first connecting portion 19 elastically deforms when the contact portion 15 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 and applies a pressing force to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 by restoring from the elastic deformation. This increases the contact pressure of the contact portion 15 against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, thereby improving airtightness. The first connecting portion 19 applies a pressing force to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, thereby reducing the overall amount of elastic deformation of the abutting portion 13. This makes it possible to prevent wrinkles and the like from occurring on the surface of the abutting portion 13 when the abutting portion 13 elastically deforms, thereby preventing a gap from occurring between the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 and the abutting portion 13 and maintaining airtightness. The first connecting portion 19 is bent at the first position of the shielding body 5 so that the contact portion 15 is disposed adjacent to the non-contact portion 17. By disposing the contact portion 15 adjacent to the non-contact portion 17, the overall amount of elastic deformation of the abutting portion 13 when the contact portion 15 abuts the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 can be further reduced. This makes it possible to further prevent wrinkles and the like from occurring on the surface of the abutting portion 13 when the abutting portion 13 elastically deforms.

[0021] The second connecting portion 21 is a portion that connects the main body portion 11 and the non-contact portion 17 at the contact portion 13. The second connecting portion 21 is thinner than the non-contact portion 17 and is elastically deformable so that it is more easily elastically deformed than the non-contact portion 17. The second connecting portion 21 may be formed of an elastic material (softer material) that is more easily elastically deformed than the contact portion 15 or the non-contact portion 17. The second connecting portion 21 serves as the base end when the entire non-contact portion 17 elastically deforms when the contact portion 15 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7. At this time, the first connecting portion 19 serves as the free end when the entire non-contact portion 17 elastically deforms. When the contact portion 15 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, the second connecting portion 21 elastically deforms and applies a pressing force to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 by restoring from the elastic deformation. This increases the contact pressure of the contact portion 15 against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, thereby improving airtightness. The second connecting portion 21 applies a pressing force to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, thereby reducing the overall amount of elastic deformation of the abutting portion 13. This makes it possible to prevent wrinkles and the like from occurring on the surface of the abutting portion 13 when the abutting portion 13 elastically deforms, thereby preventing a gap from occurring between the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 and the abutting portion 13 and maintaining airtightness. The second connecting portion 21 is bent so that the non-contact portion 17 is disposed close to the main body portion 11 when the shielding body 5 is in the first position. By disposing the non-contact portion 17 close to the main body portion 11, the overall amount of elastic deformation of the abutting portion 13 when the contact portion 15 abuts the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 can be further reduced. This makes it possible to further prevent wrinkles and the like from occurring on the surface of the abutting portion 13 when the abutting portion 13 elastically deforms.

[0022] In this way, the contact portion 13 is elastically deformed so as to apply multiple (four in this example) pressing forces to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7. Therefore, even if the overall amount of elastic deformation of the contact portion 13 is reduced, sufficient contact pressure can be obtained between the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 and the contact portion 13. By reducing the overall amount of elastic deformation of the contact portion 13, it is possible to prevent wrinkles and the like from occurring on the surface of the contact portion 13 when the contact portion 13 is elastically deformed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent gaps from occurring between the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 and the contact portion 13, and maintain airtightness.

[0023] Such abutment portion 13 is formed from a single member that is continuous with the main body portion 11. The main body portion 11 and the abutment portion 13, which are made of different materials, are molded, for example, by two-color molding. Alternatively, the main body portion 11 and the abutment portion 13 may be molded separately and then joined, for example, by welding, to form the main body portion 11 and the abutment portion 13 from a single continuous member. By forming the main body portion 11 and the abutment portion 13 from a single continuous member, the shielding body 5 is composed of a single member. Therefore, there is no assembly error between the main body portion 11 and the abutment portion 13, and the abutment portion 13 can be stably abutted against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, thereby maintaining airtightness. In addition, the number of parts of the shielding body 5 can be reduced.

[0024] Here, a guide portion 23 that guides the elastic deformation of the contact portion 13 is provided on the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 with which the contact portion 13 abuts. The guide portion 23 is formed with an inclined surface that slopes upward along the rotation direction of the shielding body 5 from the first position to the second position. The guide portion 23 abuts against the contact portion 13 when the shielding body 5 rotates from the first position to the second position and before the shielding body 5 is positioned at the second position, and elastically deforms the contact portion 13 while sliding against the contact portion 13 until the shielding body 5 is positioned at the second position. At this time, the contact portion 13 abuts against the guide portion 23 along the inclined surface of the guide portion 23 while increasing the contact pressure with the guide portion 23. Therefore, even if the overall elastic deformation of the abutment portion 13 is reduced, the contact pressure between the contact portion 13 and the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 when the shielding body 5 is at the second position can be increased, thereby improving airtightness.

[0025] Such a blower device 1 includes an air passage 7 through which air flows, and a shielding body 5 arranged to be movable relative to the air passage 7 between a first position that opens the air passage 7 and a second position that closes the air passage 7. The shielding body 5 has a main body 11 arranged to be movable relative to the air passage 7, and a contact portion 13 that is elastically deformable and provided on the main body 11 and abuts against the inner surface of the air passage 7 when the shielding body 5 is in the second position. The contact portion 13 is made of a soft material that is softer and elastically deformable than the material of the main body 11, and has a contact portion 15 that contacts the inner surface of the air passage 7 and a non-contact portion 17 that is arranged on the main body 11 side. An elastically deformable first connecting portion 19 is provided between the contact portion 15 and the non-contact portion 17 and connects the contact portion 15 and the non-contact portion 17. Further, between the non-contact portion 17 and the main body portion 11, there is provided a second connecting portion 21 which connects the non-contact portion 17 and the main body portion 11 and is elastically deformable.

[0026] The abutting portion 13 has an elastically deformable first connecting portion 19 and a second connecting portion 21. When the contact portion 15 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, the first connecting portion 19 serves as a base end when the entire contact portion 15 elastically deforms. When the contact portion 15 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, the first connecting portion 19 elastically deforms and applies a pressing force to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 by restoring from the elastic deformation. When the contact portion 15 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, the second connecting portion 21 serves as a base end when the entire non-contact portion 17 elastically deforms. At this time, the first connecting portion 19 serves as a free end when the entire non-contact portion 17 elastically deforms. When the contact portion 15 abuts against the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, the second connecting portion 21 elastically deforms and applies a pressing force to the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 by restoring from the elastic deformation. Therefore, contact portion 13 is elastically deformed to apply at least two pressing forces to the inner surface of ventilation passage 7, and even if the overall amount of elastic deformation of contact portion 13 is reduced, sufficient contact pressure can be obtained between the inner surface of ventilation passage 7 and contact portion 13. By reducing the overall amount of elastic deformation of contact portion 13, it is possible to prevent wrinkles and the like from occurring on the surface of contact portion 13 when contact portion 13 is elastically deformed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent gaps from occurring between the inner surface of ventilation passage 7 and contact portion 13, and maintain airtightness.

[0027] Therefore, such an air blower 1 can maintain airtightness.

[0028] Furthermore, the first connecting portion 19 is bent so that the contact portion 15 is disposed adjacent to the non-contact portion 17 when the shielding body 5 is in the first position. The second connecting portion 21 is bent so that the non-contact portion 17 is disposed adjacent to the main body portion 11 when the shielding body 5 is in the first position.

[0029] By bending the first connecting portion 19 and the second connecting portion 21, the contact portion 15, the non-contact portion 17, and the main body portion 11 are arranged close to each other when the contact portion 15 is not in contact with the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7. This makes it possible to further reduce the overall amount of elastic deformation of the abutting portion 13 when the contact portion 15 is in contact with the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, and further suppresses the occurrence of wrinkles and the like on the surface of the abutting portion 13 when the abutting portion 13 is elastically deformed.

[0030] Furthermore, the main body 11 and the contact portion 13 are formed from one continuous member.

[0031] By forming the main body 11 and the contact portion 13 from one continuous member, the shield 5 is made up of a single member. This prevents assembly errors between the main body 11 and the contact portion 13, and allows the contact portion 13 to stably contact the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, thereby maintaining airtightness. In addition, the number of parts in the shield 5 can be reduced.

[0032] Further, on the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7, a guide portion 23 is provided which guides the elastic deformation of the contact portion 13 when the contact portion 13 comes into contact with the guide portion 23.

[0033] Therefore, even if the overall elastic deformation of the abutment portion 13 is reduced, the contact pressure between the abutment portion 13 and the inner surface of the ventilation passage 7 at the second position of the shielding body 5 can be increased, thereby improving airtightness.

[0034] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present embodiment.

[0035] For example, in the blower device according to this embodiment, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are bent at the first position of the shielding body, but this is not limited thereto, and the contact portion and the non-contact portion may be arranged in a straight line at the first position of the shielding body without bending the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.

[0036] Furthermore, although one non-contact part is disposed between the contact part and the main body part, this is not limiting, and multiple non-contact parts may be disposed between the contact part and the main body part. In this case, it is sufficient to make each connecting part elastically deformable, and it is possible to further increase the pressing force applied to the inner surface of the ventilation passage.

[0037] Furthermore, although the shielding body is arranged so as to be rotatable in the ventilation passage, this is not limited to this. For example, the shielding body may be arranged so as to be movable linearly toward the inner surface of the ventilation passage, and the structure for moving the shielding body may be any type. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1. Blower 5 Shield 7 Ventilation duct 11 Main body 13 Contact part 15 Contact area 17 Non-contact part 19 1st connection part 21 2nd connection part 23 Information Department

Claims

1. A ventilation duct through which air flows, a shielding body disposed relative to the ventilation passage so as to be movable between a first position that opens the ventilation passage and a second position that closes the ventilation passage; Equipped with the shielding body has a main body portion movably disposed in the ventilation passage, and a contact portion elastically provided on the main body portion and contacting the inner surface of the ventilation passage when the shielding body is at the second position, the abutment portion is made of a soft material that is softer than the material of the main body portion and is elastically deformable, and has a contact portion that contacts the inner surface of the ventilation passage and a non-contact portion that is disposed on the main body portion side; an elastically deformable first connecting portion is provided between the contact portion and the non-contact portion, and connects the contact portion and the non-contact portion; The air blower includes a second connecting portion between the non-contact portion and the main body portion, the second connecting portion connecting the non-contact portion and the main body portion and being elastically deformable.

2. the first connecting portion is bent so as to position the contact portion adjacent to the non-contact portion at the first position of the shield; The blower device according to claim 1 , wherein the second connecting portion is bent so that the non-contact portion is disposed adjacent to the main body portion when the shield is in the first position.

3. The blower device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main body and the contact portion are formed from a single continuous member.

4. The air blower device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a guide portion is provided on an inner surface of the air passage to guide elastic deformation of the contact portion when the contact portion comes into contact with the inner surface of the air passage.

Images