Blower

Abstract

To obtain an air blower capable of blowing, from a blowout port, air with lower temperature than air suctioned from a suction port.SOLUTION: An air blower 100 has: a body box 1 in which an air passage connecting a suction port 2 and a blowout port is formed; impellers 5 each forming an air passage from the suction port 2 to the blowout port; and an electric motor that rotates the impellers 5. The air blower comprises: a plurality of ventilation units 20 arranged side by side in the body box 1, and a heat exchanger 50 that is installed outside the body box 1 and exchanges heat with the air suctioned into the body box 1 from the suction port by the ventilation units 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a blower for blowing conditioned air. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a blower includes a main body box having an intake port on the rear side and an exhaust port on the front side, a motor provided inside the main body box, an axial flow fan attached to the motor's rotating shaft, a filter or protective guard attached to the intake port, and a ceiling-hanging leg attached to the side of the main body box, which allows the angle of the main body box to be adjusted. A blower with this structure is disclosed in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-313603 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Because large-space buildings have low air-conditioning efficiency, they require large-scale air-conditioning equipment, which imposes significant installation and running costs. For this reason, attempts have been made to improve air-conditioning efficiency by installing fans in buildings and stirring the air inside the buildings, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. However, when only using fans to blow air, hot air stagnating at the top of the building may hit users, raising the temperature they experience.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a blower that can blow out air from an outlet that is at a lower temperature than air drawn in from an inlet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present disclosure provides a blower comprising: a main body box having an air passage formed therein connecting an air inlet and an air outlet, and a plurality of blower units each having an impeller that forms an airflow in the air passage from the air inlet to the air outlet, and an electric motor that rotates the impeller, and arranged side by side within the main body box. The blower comprises a heat exchanger installed outside the main body box and performing heat exchange with air drawn into the main body box from the air inlet by the blower unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain an effect of providing a blower that can blow out from an outlet air having a lower temperature than air drawn in from an inlet. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a rear view of a blower according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a blower according to a first embodiment taken along a direction parallel to a direction from an inlet to an outlet. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front side of a blower according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rear side of a blower according to a first embodiment; [Figure 5] 1 is a side view of a blower according to a first embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger of a blower according to a first embodiment; [Figure 7] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger of a blower according to a first embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of temperature distribution in a space in which a blower according to the first embodiment is installed. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of a polarity switch disposed between a Peltier element and a power supply of the fan according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of a polarity switch disposed between a Peltier element and a power supply of the fan according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of a polarity switch disposed between a Peltier element and a power supply of the fan according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a blower according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a rear view of a blower according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the blower according to embodiment 1 in a direction parallel to the direction from the air inlet to the air outlet. FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the blower according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the blower according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a side view of the blower according to embodiment 1. In the following description, the direction connecting air inlet 2 and air outlet 3 is referred to as the first direction. The direction in which a plurality of blower units 20, which will be described later, are arranged is referred to as the second direction. The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other. The direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction is referred to as the third direction. In each drawing, arrow X indicates the first direction, arrow Y indicates the second direction, and arrow Z indicates the third direction.

[0011] The blower 100 includes a box-shaped main body box 1 that forms an outer shell, and multiple blower units 20 provided within the main body box 1. The main body box 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped box with its longitudinal direction in the second direction. An air inlet 2 is provided on the back of the main body box 1, and an air outlet 3 is provided on the front of the main body box 1. Ceiling legs 21 are attached to both side surfaces of the main body box 1. Multiple air passages 4 connecting the air inlet 2 and the air outlet 3 are formed inside the main body box 1. The air passages 4 extend along the first direction. The multiple air passages 4 are formed at equal intervals in the second direction. Each air passage 4 is cylindrical. In the first embodiment, a structure with five air passages 4 is illustrated, but the number of air passages 4 may be four or less or six or more. Air taken into the main body box 1 through the air inlet 2 passes through each air passage 4 and is blown out from the air outlet 3.

[0012] A blower unit 20 is installed in each air passage 4. The blower unit 20 is an electrical device that generates an airflow from the rear side to the front side and blows the air toward the front side. The blower unit 20 includes an impeller 5 and an electric motor 6 to which the impeller 5 is attached. The impeller 5 rotates about a rotation axis 51 parallel to the first direction, generating an airflow in the air passage 4 from the air inlet 2 to the air outlet 3. The blower units 20 are housed side by side in the main body box 1 so that air is blown out from the air outlet 3 on the front side of the main body box 1. The electric motor 6 rotates the impeller 5 about the rotation axis 51. That is, the rotation axis 51 is the central axis of rotation of the impeller 5 and also the central axis of rotation of the shaft of the electric motor 6. The blower unit 20 is secured to the air passage 4 by a holder 15 provided in each air passage 4.

[0013] The impeller 5 is an axial flow impeller that generates an airflow in the axial direction of rotation. The impeller 5 has a boss 52 connected to the shaft of the electric motor 6 and a plurality of blades 53 extending radially from the boss 52.

[0014] Air inlet 2 extends in the second direction and spans multiple air ducts 4. A tapered section 21A, whose diameter decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side, is formed in a certain section of the wall of air duct 4 from the end on the air inlet 2 side toward the downstream side. Tapered section 21A functions as a bell mouth. Note that "upstream" and "downstream" refer to upstream and downstream with respect to the airflow in air duct 4.

[0015] A protective guard 8 configured in a grid pattern is provided at the air inlet 2. The protective guard 8 is provided to prevent foreign objects from entering each air passage 4, to prevent fingers and other objects from coming into contact with the blades, and to prevent parts such as blades from flying off in the event that they become detached. In the first embodiment, the protective guard 8 is described as being configured by arranging wires in a grid pattern, but this is not limited to this. It may also be configured from a mesh or a punched metal obtained by drilling multiple holes in a metal plate. Even when the protective guard 8 is configured using a mesh or punched metal, it is possible to pass air through and obtain the above-mentioned effects of preventing foreign objects from entering, injuries, and parts from flying off.

[0016] The air outlet 3 is formed on the surface of the main body box 1 opposite the surface on which the air inlet 2 is formed in the first direction, across the blower unit 20. The air outlet 3 is formed in a slit shape extending along the second direction and spanning multiple air passages 4. That is, the air currents that pass through the multiple air passages 4 gather at the air outlet 3 and are blown out as a band-like air current. The main body box 1 is formed with multiple air outlets 3, which are arranged side by side along the third direction at intervals. That is, multiple air outlets 3 are formed in parallel with intervals in the third direction. In the first embodiment, two air outlets 3, air outlet 3A and air outlet 3B, are formed in the main body box 1. The air outlet 3A and the air outlet 3B are formed symmetrically with respect to a plane including multiple rotation axes 51. That is, the air outlet 3A and the air outlet 3B are arranged on opposite sides of the plane including multiple rotation axes 51.

[0017] A nozzle section 9 is formed in air passage 4 downstream of motor 6, with the flow path area gradually decreasing from inlet 2 toward outlet 3. Nozzle section 9 has a nozzle inclined section 9A and a nozzle flat section 9B. Nozzle inclined section 9A is inclined so as to uniformly narrow air passage 4 around rotation axis 51 in the third direction and gradually decrease the flow path area of ​​air passage 4. On the other hand, nozzle flat section 9B is formed parallel to rotation axis 51 and is connected to outlet 3 of main body box 1. That is, nozzle flat section 9B is a parallel section that extends from the end on the outlet 3 side toward impeller 5 in a certain section parallel to rotation axis 51.

[0018] Guide portions 7 extending in the second direction are provided between the air outlets 3 aligned in the third direction. By providing the guide portions 7, the air outlet 3 is divided into two parts, air outlet 3A and air outlet 3B. Air outlet 3A and air outlet 3B extend in the second direction. In a cross section parallel to a plane formed by the first direction and the third direction, the guide portion 7 has a guide protrusion 7A formed in an arc shape with its apex at the center position of the guide portion 7 in the third direction, and a guide flat portion 7B formed downstream of the guide protrusion 7A.

[0019] In a cross section parallel to the plane formed by the first direction and the third direction and including the rotation axis 51, the dimension of the guide protrusion 7A in the third direction decreases as it moves away from the air outlet 3 toward the motor 6. The guide flat portion 7B facing the nozzle flat portion 9B of the air passage 4 is parallel to the nozzle flat portion 9B. The guide portion 7 as a whole is formed in a symmetrical shape with respect to the plane including the multiple rotation axes 51.

[0020] The fan 100 can be installed by hanging it from the ceiling of a building by fastening the ceiling suspension leg 21 to a suspension bolt attached to the ceiling surface. As the impeller 5 rotates, air flows into the fan 100 through the slits in the protective guard 8, as shown by arrow F in Figure 2. The airflow entering the fan 100 flows from each intake port 2 into each air duct 4. Static pressure and dynamic pressure are applied to the airflow entering each air duct 4 by the impeller 5. The airflow passing through the impeller 5 is divided into two by the action of the guide portion 7 and the nozzle portion 9. The airflow divided into two by the action of the guide portion 7 and the nozzle portion 9 becomes a zonal airflow extending in a second direction and is released into the air-conditioned space from the air outlet 3. The zonal airflow released into the air-conditioned space from the air outlet 3 is used for applications such as air curtains and air circulation.

[0021] 4, a heat exchanger mounting plate 60 is provided at one end in the third direction of the air inlet 2 of the air blower unit 20, and a plurality of heat exchangers 50 are installed side by side at equal intervals in the second direction corresponding to each air blower unit 20. The heat exchangers 50 reduce the temperature of the air drawn into the air duct 4 from the air inlet 2.

[0022] The heat exchanger 50 is equipped with a Peltier element 30. The heat exchanger 50 is installed outside the main body box 1. More specifically, the heat exchanger 50 is installed on a heat exchanger mounting plate 60 and fixed perpendicularly to the top surface of the main body box 1. The heat exchanger mounting plate 60 has a top surface 61 that protrudes above the air inlet 2 and a side surface 62 that protrudes to the side of the air inlet 2. The heat exchanger mounting plate 60 is fixed to the protective guard 8 by a reinforcing plate 70 at a position between the air blower units 20.

[0023] It is not necessary that the heat exchanger 50 is provided for each blower unit 20.

[0024] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger of a fan according to embodiment 1. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger of a fan according to embodiment 1. Heat exchanger 50 includes Peltier element 30, which is a heat exchange element, heat exhaust fan 10, and heat dissipation fins 90. Heat exhaust fan 10 and heat dissipation fins 90 are housed in case 80. Case 80 is rectangular parallelepiped-shaped, and has intake ports 81 formed on four surfaces, both side surfaces in a first direction and both side surfaces in a second direction. Case 80 also has exhaust port 82 formed on the top surface.

[0025] The Peltier element 30 is an element that utilizes the Peltier effect, in which heat is transferred from one surface to the other when an electric current is passed through it. The Peltier element 30 is attached so that its first surface 31 is in thermal contact with the heat exchanger mounting plate 60. The second surface 32 is thermally connected to a heat dissipation fin 90. The heat exchanger 50 is structured so that air drawn in through an air intake 81 by the heat dissipation fan 10 passes through the heat dissipation fin 90 and is exhausted through an exhaust port 82. The first surface 31 of the Peltier element 30 acts as a heat absorption surface and is cooled, and the second surface 32 acts as a heat dissipation surface and is heated. Heat exchange occurs when the exhaust air passes through the heat dissipation fin 90, and heat is transferred from the heat dissipation fin 90 to the exhaust air and is then exhausted.

[0026] The Peltier element 30 is installed so that the second surface 32 is perpendicular to the suction port 2 of the main box body 1.

[0027] As shown by the solid arrows in Fig. 5, airflow is generated by the blower unit 20, where air is sucked into the air duct 4 through the air inlet 2 and blown out through the air outlet 3. In addition, as shown by the hollow arrows in Fig. 5, the heat exchanger 50 generates an airflow, where air is sucked into the case 80 through the air inlet 81 by the heat exhaust fan 10 and blown out through the air outlet 82.

[0028] The air drawn in by the blower unit 20 through the air inlet 2 exchanges heat with the top surface 61 of the heat exchanger mounting plate 60, and the air cooled by the heat exchanger 50 is blown out from the air outlet 3. Heat is dissipated by being transferred in the following order: air drawn in by the blower unit 20 → heat exchanger mounting plate 60 → Peltier element 30 → heat dissipation fins 90 → exhaust air by the heat exhaust fan 10. Therefore, the blower 100 can cool the air drawn in through the air inlet 2 by the blower unit 20 and blow it out from the air outlet 3.

[0029] The air cooled by the Peltier element 30 has a lower temperature and a higher specific gravity than the air drawn in through the air inlet 2, and so its direction of travel gradually changes downward after being blown out from the air outlet 3. This makes it possible to cool the room while mitigating the feeling of cold air caused by direct airflow blown downward rather than horizontally.

[0030] The exhaust of the heat exchanger 50 by the heat exhaust fan 10 is performed independently of the air blowing by the air blowing unit 20.

[0031] The exhaust direction of the heat exhaust fan 10 is perpendicular to the direction of air blown by the blower unit 20, and is directed away from the blower unit 20. By arranging the heat exhaust fan 10 in this manner, the heat exhaust from the heat exchanger 50 can be exhausted in a direction different from the direction of air blown by the blower unit 20, without interfering with the cooling effect of the air blown by the blower 100. In other words, because the heat exchanger 50 is installed outside the main body box 1, the heat exhaust from the heat exchanger 50 does not accumulate inside the main body box 1, and an increase in the temperature of the air blown out from the air outlet 3 can be suppressed.

[0032] Since the blower 100 uses the Peltier element 30 in the heat exchanger 50, there are no restrictions on the outdoor unit and duct piping when installing it in a large space such as a factory or warehouse.

[0033] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the temperature distribution in a space in which the fan according to the first embodiment is installed. By providing ventilation openings 202 in wall 201 of building 200 and installing fan 100 near ceiling 203, it is possible to prevent hot air from accumulating near ceiling 203. When the outside air temperature is 34°C, the temperature near floor 204 of building 200, which does not have fan 100 installed and does not have ventilation openings 202 in wall 201, is assumed to be 41°C. In the same environment with an outside air temperature of 34°C, when fan 100 according to the first embodiment is installed and cool air with a suction temperature reduced by approximately 2°C is blown out from outlet 3, the temperature near floor 204 of building 200 becomes 38°C. This shows that fan 100 according to the first embodiment can lower the temperature near floor 204 of building 200 by 3°C, thereby improving the working environment.

[0034] In the above description, the blower 100 is described using the heat exchanger 50 equipped with the Peltier element 30, which is a heat exchange element, but the heat exchanger 50 does not have to be equipped with the Peltier element 30 as long as it can exchange heat with the air drawn into the main body box 1 from the air inlet 2 by the air blowing unit 20. In other words, the heat exchanger 50 is not limited to a specific configuration as long as it can exchange heat with the air drawn into the main body box 1 from the air inlet 2 by the air blowing unit 20.

[0035] Embodiment 2 The Peltier element 30 can switch between a heat absorption surface and a heat radiation surface by switching the polarity of the power supply. In the second embodiment, a fan 100 having a function of switching between the heat absorption surface and the heat radiation surface of the Peltier element 30 will be described.

[0036] 9, 10, and 11 are diagrams showing the states of a polarity switch disposed between the Peltier element and the power supply of a fan 100 according to embodiment 2. Fan 100 according to embodiment 2 has a DC power supply 41 that supplies DC current to Peltier element 30, and a polarity switch 42 that reverses the polarity of the current flowing through Peltier element 30.

[0037] 9 shows a first state of polarity switch 42 of fan 100 according to embodiment 2. In the first state, positive electrode Vp of DC power supply 41 is connected to second terminal P2 on second surface 32 side of Peltier element 30, and negative electrode Vm of DC power supply 41 is connected to first terminal P1 on first surface 31 side of Peltier element 30. In this state, first surface 31 side is the heat absorption surface, and second surface 32 side is the heat release surface. The first state shown in FIG. 9 is the same state as fan 100 according to embodiment 1.

[0038] 10 shows a second state of polarity switch 42 of fan 100 according to embodiment 2. In the second state, positive electrode Vp of DC power supply 41 is connected to first terminal P1 on the first surface 31 side of Peltier element 30, and negative electrode Vm of DC power supply 41 is connected to second terminal P2 on the second surface 32 side of Peltier element 30. In this state, second surface 32 side is a heat absorption surface, and first surface 31 side is a heat release surface.

[0039] 11 shows the third state of polarity switch 42 of fan 100 according to embodiment 2. In the third state, DC power supply 41 and Peltier element 30 are separated, no current flows through Peltier element 30, and Peltier element 30 neither releases nor absorbs heat.

[0040] As described above, in blower 100 according to the second embodiment, by switching the polarity of polarity switch 42, the polarity of the current flowing through Peltier element 30 can be switched, thereby switching between the heat absorption surface and the heat release surface of Peltier element 30. This makes it possible to switch between cooling and heating the airflow blown out from air outlet 3. Furthermore, by setting polarity switch 42 to the third state, Peltier element 30 can be disconnected from DC power supply 41, and neither cooling nor heating can occur.

[0041] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples of the content, and may be combined with other known technologies, or parts of the configurations may be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0042] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0043] (Appendix 1) a main body box having an air passage connecting an intake port and an outlet port; a plurality of blower units arranged side by side within the main body box, each of which has an impeller that forms an airflow in the air passage from the air inlet to the air outlet, and an electric motor that rotates the impeller; a heat exchanger that is installed outside the main body case and exchanges heat with air drawn into the main body case through the air inlet by the blower unit. (Appendix 2) 2. The fan according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is provided for each of the blower units. (Appendix 3) 3. The fan according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed above the main body box. (Appendix 4) a heat exchanger mounting plate having a top surface extending above the suction port; 4. The blower according to claim 3, wherein the heat exchanger is attached to the heat exchanger mounting plate. (Appendix 5) 5. The fan according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger includes a Peltier element. (Appendix 6) The fan according to claim 5, further comprising a polarity switch for switching the power polarity of the Peltier element. (Appendix 7) A blower described in any one of appendixes 1 to 6, characterized in that the heat exchanger has an exhaust fan that exhausts air in a direction perpendicular to the blowing direction of the blower unit and away from the blower unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 main body box, 2 intake port, 3, 3A, 3B outlet, 4 air duct, 5 impeller, 6 motor, 7 guide portion, 7A guide convex portion, 7B guide flat portion, 8 protective guard, 9 nozzle portion, 9A nozzle inclined portion, 9B nozzle flat portion, 10 exhaust heat fan, 15 holding portion, 20 blower unit, 21 ceiling suspension leg, 21A reduced diameter portion, 30 Peltier element, 31 first surface, 32 second surface, 41 DC power supply, 42 polarity switch, 50 heat exchanger, 51 rotating shaft, 52 boss portion, 53 blade portion, 60 heat exchanger mounting plate, 61 top surface, 62 side surface, 70 reinforcing plate, 80 case, 81 intake port, 82 exhaust port, 90 heat dissipation fin, 100 blower, 200 building, 201 Walls, 202 ventilation openings, 203 ceilings, 204 floors.

Claims

1. a main body box having an air passage connecting an intake port and an outlet port; a plurality of blower units arranged side by side within the main body box, each of which has an impeller that forms an airflow in the air passage from the air inlet to the air outlet, and an electric motor that rotates the impeller; a heat exchanger that is installed outside the main body case and exchanges heat with air drawn into the main body case through the air inlet by the blower unit.

2. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is provided for each of the blower units.

3. The blower according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed above the main body box.

4. a heat exchanger mounting plate having a top surface extending above the suction port; 4. The blower according to claim 3, wherein the heat exchanger is attached to the heat exchanger mounting plate.

5. 2. The blower of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a Peltier element.

6. The blower according to claim 5, further comprising a polarity switch for switching the power polarity of the Peltier element.

7. 7. The blower according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger has an exhaust fan that exhausts air in a direction perpendicular to the air blowing direction of the blower unit and away from the blower unit.

Images