blower

Abstract

To provide a blower which can prevent damage of an impeller.SOLUTION: A blower 1 includes: an impeller 10 which rotates around a center axis; a motor which rotates the impeller; and a housing 30 which houses the impeller and the motor. The housing has a peripheral wall part 322 and a lid wall part 31. The peripheral wall part is disposed at the radial outer side relative to the impeller and extends in an axial direction. The lid wall part covers one axial side of the impeller. The peripheral wall part has protruding parts 322e protruding to one axial end side. Each protruding part is disposed at one axial side relative to an axial end surface of the lid wall part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A conventional blower includes, for example, a fan (impeller), a motor, and a case. The fan rotates around a central axis. The motor rotates the fan. The case houses the fan and the motor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-17678 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the blower disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, when an external force is applied from one axial direction to the other axial direction, the case may be pressed toward the other axial direction by the external force, causing deformation and contact with the fan, which may result in damage to the fan.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a blower that can prevent damage to the impeller. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An exemplary blower of the present invention has an impeller that rotates around a central axis, a motor that rotates the impeller, and a housing that houses the impeller and the motor. The housing has a peripheral wall portion and a cover wall portion. The peripheral wall portion is located radially outward from the impeller and extends in the axial direction. The cover wall portion covers one axial side of the impeller. The peripheral wall portion has a protruding portion that protrudes toward one axial end. The protruding portion is located on one axial side of the axial end face of the cover wall portion.

[0007] In addition, in an exemplary blower of the present invention, the cover wall portion has an impeller that rotates around a central axis, a motor that rotates the impeller, and a housing that houses the impeller and the motor. The housing has a peripheral wall portion and a cover wall portion. The peripheral wall portion is located radially outward from the impeller and extends in the axial direction. The cover wall portion covers one axial side of the impeller. The cover wall portion has an intake port, a flat plate portion, and a connecting portion. The intake port penetrates in the axial direction. The flat plate portion is located on the central axis and covers a portion of the intake port. The connecting portion extends radially outward from the flat plate portion and connects the flat plate portion to a peripheral edge of the intake port. In the cover wall portion, the flat plate portion or the peripheral edge portion is located at a position farthest axially from the impeller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a blower capable of preventing damage to the impeller can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blower according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the blower according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional perspective view of a blower according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a blower according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a blower according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a top view of a blower according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional perspective view of a blower according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the direction parallel to the central axis C of the blower 1 is referred to as the "axial direction," the direction perpendicular to the central axis C of the blower 1 is referred to as the "radial direction," and the direction along the arc centered on the central axis C of the blower 1 is referred to as the "circumferential direction." For convenience of explanation, this specification will describe the shape and positional relationship of each part by assuming that the axial direction is the up-down direction and that the cover wall portion 31 side of the housing 30 is the upper side with respect to the impeller 10. For example, one axial side will be referred to as the axial upper side or upper side. The other axial side will be referred to as the axial lower side or lower side. Furthermore, one axial end will be referred to as the upper end, and the other axial end will be referred to as the lower end. Note that the up-down direction is merely a term used for explanation and does not limit the actual positional relationship or direction.

[0011] First Embodiment (1. Blower Configuration) A blower 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described. Figs. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a top view of the blower 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The cover wall 31 is not shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a vertical cross section of the blower 1. The blower 1 according to this embodiment is attached to the heel of a shoe, for example, to ventilate the inside of the shoe.

[0012] The blower 1 has an impeller 10, a motor 20, and a housing 30. The impeller 10 rotates around a central axis C. The motor 20 is disposed inside the impeller 10 and rotates the impeller 10. The housing 30 accommodates the impeller 10 and the motor 20 in its internal space. The motor 20 may be an outer rotor type motor or an inner rotor type motor.

[0013] The housing 30 has a cover wall portion 31 and a storage portion 32. The cover wall portion 31 and the storage portion 32 are separate members.

[0014] The cover wall portion 31 covers the upper side (one axial side) of the impeller 10. The cover wall portion 31 is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape. The cover wall portion 31 has an intake port 311, a flat plate portion 312, a connecting portion 313, and a fitting portion 314.

[0015] Air intake port 311 is formed in a circular shape and penetrates lid wall portion 31 in the axial direction. Flat plate portion 312 is disposed on central axis C and covers a portion of air intake port 311. Flat plate portion 312 is formed in a circular plate shape, and the upper surface of flat plate portion 312 is perpendicular to central axis C.

[0016] The connecting portion 313 extends radially outward from the flat plate portion 312, and connects the flat plate portion 312 to the peripheral edge portion 311a of the intake port 311. A plurality of connecting portions 313 are arranged in the circumferential direction, and are formed such that the outer circumferential side is inclined toward one side in the circumferential direction relative to the inner circumferential side.

[0017] At the radially outer end, peripheral edge 311a of intake port 311 is inclined axially upward (to one axial side) as it moves radially inward. The upper surface of peripheral edge 311a is formed parallel to flat plate portion 312 at the radially inner end.

[0018] In the cover wall portion 31, the upper surface of the flat portion 312, the upper surface of the connecting portion 313 and the radially inner end portion of the upper surface of the peripheral portion 311a are flush with each other and are located at the position farthest from the impeller 10 in the axial direction.

[0019] This creates a large axial gap between the flat plate portion 312, the connecting portion 313, and the radially inner ends of the peripheral edge portion 311a and the impeller 10. Therefore, even if the area of ​​the cover wall portion 31 facing the impeller 10 in the axial direction is deformed by an external force applied from the heel downward in the axial direction (from one axial direction to the other axial direction), for example, it is possible to prevent the impeller 10 from coming into contact with the cover wall portion 31. This makes it possible to provide a blower 1 that can prevent damage to the impeller 10.

[0020] The fitting portions 314 penetrate the cover wall portion 31, and are fitted with protrusions 322e, which will be described later. This fixes the cover wall portion 31 and the storage portion 32. The fitting portions 314 are provided in four locations at the corners of the cover wall portion 31. Note that the fitting portions 314 may be formed as recesses recessed from the lower surface (end surface on the other axial side) of the cover wall portion 31 to the upper axial side (one axial side).

[0021] The storage section 32 has a bottom wall section 321 and a peripheral wall section 322. That is, the housing 30 has the peripheral wall section 322. The bottom wall section 321 is located below the impeller 10 and the motor 20 and extends in the radial direction. The motor 20 is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom wall section 321.

[0022] The peripheral wall portion 322 is disposed radially outward of the impeller 10 and extends axially upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 321. The peripheral wall portion 322 has a curved surface portion 322a and flat surfaces 322b and 322c (see FIG. 2). When viewed in the axial direction, the curved surface portion 322a gradually moves away from the central axis C in the rotation direction A of the impeller 10. When viewed in the axial direction, the flat surface portion 322b extends linearly in the tangential direction from the downstream end of the curved surface portion 322a. When viewed in the axial direction, the flat surface portion 322c extends radially outward from the upstream end of the curved surface portion 322a. An air outlet 323 is formed between the downstream end of the flat surface portion 322b and the outer end of the flat surface portion 322c.

[0023] The peripheral wall portion 322 has a protruding portion 322d protruding in the axial direction from its upper surface (end surface on one axial side). The protruding portion 322d is disposed axially above (on one axial side of) the upper surface (end surface on one axial side) of the cover wall portion 31. In this embodiment, the protruding portion 322d protrudes axially above the upper surfaces of the flat plate portion 312, the connecting portion 313, and the radially inner end portion of the peripheral edge portion 311a. As a result, when the housing 30 is subjected to an external force axially downward (on the other axial side) from, for example, the heel (a plane perpendicular to the central axis C), the protruding portion 322d receives the external force before the cover wall portion 31, and the peripheral wall portion 322 supports the external force. This prevents the cover wall portion 31 from being pressed axially downward (on the other axial side) by the external force. This prevents the cover wall portion 31 from deforming and contacting the impeller 10.

[0024] The protrusion 322d is disposed radially outward of the cover wall 31 and surrounds three sides of the cover wall 31 when viewed from the axial direction. That is, the protrusion 322d extends in the circumferential direction so as to surround at least a portion of the cover wall 31. This improves the strength of the protrusion 322d, and reduces deformation of the protrusion 322d when the protrusion 322d is subjected to an external force in the axial direction. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the cover wall 31 from being pressed axially downward (toward the other axial side) by an external force.

[0025] Furthermore, protrusion 322d is formed in an annular shape sandwiching opening 322f on the axially upper side of air outlet 323. Opening 322f has a central angle θ of less than 180 degrees about central axis C. By narrowing the circumferential width of opening 322f, the strength of protrusion 322d can be further improved.

[0026] The peripheral wall 322 also has protrusions 322e. The protrusions 322e are positioned radially inward of the protruding portions 322d and protrude in the axial direction from the upper surface (the end surface on one axial side) of the peripheral wall 322. Four protrusions 322e are provided in the circumferential direction. By fitting the protrusions 322e into the fitting portions 314, it becomes easy to position the cover wall 31 and the storage portion 32, and the cover wall 31 and the storage portion 32 can be easily fixed together.

[0027] At this time, the upper end (end face on one axial direction side) of protrusion 322d is positioned axially above (on one axial direction side) protrusion 322e. This prevents the protrusion 322e from being damaged due to the external force concentrating on the protrusion 322e when the housing 30 is subjected to an external force on the axially lower side (from one axial direction to the other axial direction). Note that protrusion 322e is preferably formed long in the axial direction in a range lower than protrusion 322d. This improves the ease of attachment of the cover wall 31 and the storage section 32 and makes them less likely to come off.

[0028] A duct 33 connecting the intake port 311 and the outlet port 323 is formed within the housing 30, and the duct 33 is surrounded by the bottom wall portion 321, the peripheral wall portion 322, and the cover wall portion 31. The impeller 10 and the motor 20 are disposed within the duct 33.

[0029] The impeller 10 has a cylindrical portion 11 and blades 12. The cylindrical portion 11 and the blades 12 are integrally molded from resin using a mold.

[0030] The tubular portion 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape and extends in the axial direction, with the top and bottom surfaces open. A motor 20 is fixed inside the tubular portion 11. This supports the impeller 10 so that it can rotate about a central axis C. As shown in FIG. 2, when driven by the motor 20, the impeller 10 rotates clockwise (direction A) when viewed from above in the axial direction.

[0031] The blades 12 extend radially outward from the cylindrical portion 11. In this embodiment, the blades 12 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The outer circumferential end of each blade 12 is arranged further rearward in the rotation direction than the inner circumferential end (see FIG. 2). As a result, each blade 12 is inclined with respect to the radial direction.

[0032] In this embodiment, the housing 30 further includes an accommodation space 34. The accommodation space 34 is disposed across the space axially below the bottom wall portion 321 and the space radially opposite the air outlet 323 of the peripheral wall portion 322. A circuit board 40 and a battery (not shown) connected to the motor 20 are housed inside the accommodation space 34 (see FIG. 3). A switch 50 is also disposed on the side of the housing 30. The switch 50 switches the motor 20 between ON and OFF.

[0033] (2. Blower operation) In the blower 1 configured as described above, when the switch 50 is turned on to drive the motor 20, the impeller 10 rotates about the central axis C. As a result, air is taken into the duct 33 inside the housing 30 from the air intake port 311.

[0034] The air taken into the duct 33 passes between adjacent blades 12, is accelerated radially outward by the rotating impeller 10, and is blown out radially outward from the impeller 10. The air blown out radially outward from the impeller 10 is exhausted to the outside of the housing 30 from the air outlet 323.

[0035] Second Embodiment Next, a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figures 4 and 5 are a perspective view and an exploded perspective view of blower 1 of the second embodiment. Figures 6 and 7 are a top view and a vertical cross-sectional perspective view of blower 1. Note that switch cover 51, switch 50, and spring 54 are not shown in Figures 6 and 7. Also, Figure 6 does not show cover wall 31. For ease of explanation, parts similar to those of the first embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3 described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0036] The blower 1 of this embodiment is attached to, for example, clothing and can ventilate the inside of the clothing. The blower 1 also has a switch 50 disposed on the upper surface (one end surface in the axial direction) of the cover wall portion 31, and the switch 50 can change the rotation speed of the motor 20. Specifically, the switch 50 is composed of a switch cover 51, a switch button 52, a spring 54, a switch sensor 53, and a connector 55.

[0037] The switch sensor 53 is disposed on the upper surface (one end surface in the axial direction) of the flat plate portion 312. The switch sensor 53 is connected to the circuit board 40, which is connected to the motor 20, via a connector 55. The connector 55 passes through the upper surface (one end surface in the axial direction) of the connecting portion 313 and extends to the outside of the cover wall portion 31.

[0038] The springs 54 are provided at four locations on the outer periphery of the cover wall portion 31. The switch button 52 is formed in a rectangular plate shape and has a protrusion 52a that protrudes axially outward on the central axis C. The lower surface (the end surface on the other axial side) of the switch button 52 is supported in the axial direction by the springs 54. At this time, a gap is formed between the lower surface of the switch button 52 and the upper surface of the cover wall portion 31.

[0039] The switch cover 51 has a through hole 51b on the central axis C and is curved convexly outward in the axial direction. The switch cover 51 covers the switch button 52 from above in the axial direction, and the outer periphery of the switch cover 51 contacts the upper surface of the peripheral wall portion 322. The convex portion 52a of the switch button 52 is exposed to the outside through the through hole 51b. An inlet 51a is formed on the side of the switch cover 51. Airflow that flows into the switch cover 51 from the inlet 51a flows through the gap between the lower surface of the switch button 52 and the upper surface of the cover wall portion 31 and flows into the air intake 311.

[0040] By pressing the protrusion 52a downward in the axial direction (the other axial side), the lower surface (the end surface on the other axial side) of the protrusion 52a comes into contact with the switch sensor 53. This causes the motor 20 to be driven, stopped, or have its rotation speed changed.

[0041] By arranging the switch 50 on the upper surface (one end surface in the axial direction) of the cover wall portion 31, the space required for providing the switch 50 is saved, and the blower 1 can be made smaller in the radial direction.

[0042] Furthermore, by arranging switch sensor 53 on the upper surface (end surface on one axial side) of flat plate portion 312, switch sensor 53 is less susceptible to the influence of airflow flowing into intake port 311.

[0043] Furthermore, connector 55 passes over the upper surface (end surface on one axial side) of coupling portion 313, and therefore connector 55 can prevent the airflow flowing into intake port 311 from being disturbed.

[0044] Furthermore, unlike the first embodiment, the blower 1 of this embodiment does not have a slanted peripheral edge 311a of the intake port 311, and the connecting portion 313 is slanted axially upward (to one axial side) as it moves radially inward. As a result, in the cover wall portion 31, the upper surface of the flat plate portion 312 is positioned at the position farthest axially from the impeller 10. Therefore, a large axial gap is formed between the flat plate portion 312 and the impeller 10. As a result, even if the area of ​​the cover wall portion 31 axially facing the impeller 10 is deformed, for example, by strongly pressing the switch button 52, contact between the impeller 10 and the cover wall portion 31 can be prevented. This makes it possible to provide a blower 1 that can prevent damage to the impeller 10.

[0045] Furthermore, the connecting portion 313 has ribs 313a that protrude in the axial direction from the circumferential end and extend in the radial direction (see FIG. 5), which improves the strength of the connecting portion 313 and reduces deformation of the region of the cover wall portion 31 that faces the impeller 10 in the axial direction.

[0046] In this embodiment, the accommodation space 34 is disposed only on the axially lower side of the bottom wall portion 321, thereby reducing the size of the fan 1 in the radial direction. A circuit board (not shown) connected to the motor 20 and the battery 60 are housed inside the accommodation space 34 (see FIG. 7).

[0047] (3. Other) The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the present invention. The configuration of the embodiment may be appropriately modified without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the embodiments may be combined as far as possible. For example, a rib 313a may be formed on the connecting portion 313 of the first embodiment. [Industrial Applicability]

[0048] According to the present invention, the device can be mounted on not only shoes and clothes but also office equipment, medical equipment, electrical appliances, transportation equipment, etc. It can also be used in fans. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 blower 10 impeller 11 Cylinder part 12 Feathers 20 Motor 30 Case 31 Lid wall 32 Storage area 33 Duct 34 Containment Space 40 Circuit Board 50 Switch 51 Switch cover 51a Inlet 51b Through hole 52 Switch Button 52a Convex part 53 Switch Sensor 54 Spring 55 Connector 60 Battery 311 Air intake 311a Periphery 312 Flat plate part 313 Connecting part 313a Rib 314 Engagement part 321 Bottom wall 322 Peripheral wall section 322a Curved section 322b, 322c flat part 322d protrusion 322e protrusion 322f opening 323 Air outlet A Rotation direction C center axis θ angle

Claims

1. an impeller that rotates around a central axis; a motor that rotates the impeller; a housing that accommodates the impeller and the motor, The housing includes: a peripheral wall portion disposed radially outward of the impeller and extending in the axial direction; a cover wall portion that covers one axial side of the impeller, the peripheral wall portion has a protruding portion that protrudes to one side in the axial direction, the protruding portion is disposed on one axial side of an end face on one axial side of the cover wall portion, the peripheral wall portion and the cover wall portion are separate members, The peripheral wall portion is a protrusion disposed radially inward of the protruding portion and protruding in the axial direction from an end face on one axial side, The lid wall portion is The blower, wherein the protrusion has a fitting portion that fits into the protrusion.

2. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is disposed radially outward of the cover wall portion and extends circumferentially so as to surround at least a portion of the cover wall portion.

3. The blower according to claim 2 , wherein the protrusion is formed in an annular shape that sandwiches the opening, and a central angle of the opening is less than 180 degrees.

4. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein an end face of the protruding portion on one axial side is positioned on one axial side of the protruding portion.

5. The lid wall portion is an intake port penetrating in the axial direction; a flat plate portion disposed on the central axis and covering a portion of the intake port; a connecting portion extending radially outward from the flat plate portion and connecting the flat plate portion and a peripheral portion of the intake port, The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the flat plate portion or the peripheral edge portion of the cover wall portion is disposed at a position farthest from the impeller in the axial direction.

6. The blower according to claim 5 , wherein the connecting portion is inclined toward one side in the axial direction as it extends radially inward.

7. The blower according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the peripheral edge portion is inclined toward one axial side as it extends radially inward.

8. The blower according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the connecting portion has a rib that projects in the axial direction from a circumferential end portion and extends in the radial direction.

9. The blower according to any one of claims 5 to 8, further comprising a switch arranged on an end face on one axial side of the cover wall portion, for changing the rotation speed of the motor.

10. The blower according to claim 9 , wherein the switch has a switch sensor disposed on an end surface on one axial side of the flat plate portion.

11. 11. The blower according to claim 10, wherein the switch sensor is connected to a circuit board connected to the motor via a connector, and the connector passes over an end face on one axial side of the connecting portion and extends to the outside of the cover wall portion.

Images