blower

The blower's recessed base design with a plug insertion hole and wrap portion addresses installation challenges, allowing flexible placement and preserving performance by reducing stress on connectors and cables.

JP7791378B1Active Publication Date: 2025-12-24YAMAZEN
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2025052081
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-03-26
Publication Date
2025-12-24
Estimated Expiration
2045-03-26

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Traditional blowers face installation challenges due to power cords and connectors that are difficult to bend, especially when placed near walls, leading to stress and potential damage, which affects data transfer and power supply performance.

Method used

The blower design incorporates a recessed base with a plug insertion hole that allows the plug connector to be positioned deeper within the base, providing a predetermined distance from the side end, along with a wrap portion to stabilize the plug and prevent stress, ensuring easy installation and maintaining performance.

Benefits of technology

Enables flexible placement of the blower near walls without stress on the plug connector or power cable, preventing damage and maintaining data transfer and power supply efficiency.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a blower that can be arranged with a high degree of freedom without applying excessive stress to a plug connector that is connected to a plug insertion hole. [Solution] The blower of the present disclosure comprises a main body that houses fan blades and an electric motor for driving the fan blades, a stand that supports the main body, a base that supports the stand and is formed by a member having a top, bottom, and side surfaces, and a power supply cable assembly that includes a power supply cable of a predetermined length and a plug connector that has a housing that is connected to the end of the power supply cable and a plug that is exposed from the housing, and the base has a recess that is recessed in the depth direction from the side end and has a plug insertion hole into which the plug can be inserted and removed.
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a blower, and more particularly to the structure of a power supply unit that supplies power to the blower. [Background technology]

[0002] Fans and circulators are two types of blowers that use electric motors to generate airflow. Fans aim to cool the human body by blowing the generated airflow directly onto the skin, while circulators are primarily used to generate highly directional airflow and stir and circulate the air indoors. While many traditional circulators were used for industrial purposes such as in factories, in recent years their use has expanded to circulate indoor air in residential environments, particularly to supplement the heating and cooling effects of air conditioners.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique relating to a home circulator, which is one type of fan (Patent Document 1).

[0004] The household circulator disclosed in Patent Document 1 is composed of a blower unit consisting of a fan blade, a housing, and an electric motor, a stand that rotatably supports the blower unit, and a base that supports the stand. The base is formed with a connection part for a power cord with a plug for supplying power from a household power source to each part of the circulator.

[0005] Electrical appliances that are powered by a normal household power source, such as those shown in Patent Document 1, often have a power cord connector on the side of the base. In such cases, it can be difficult to install a circulator close to a wall. This is because power cords have a relatively strong protective layer to protect them from breakage and deterioration, making them difficult to bend. Furthermore, the connector of the power cord to the base usually has a terminal of a predetermined length, making it even more difficult to bend than the power cord itself. This type of structure is also true for electric fans.

[0006] Recently, a power supply method using Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery (USB PD), which has been mainly used in charging devices, has been adopted for various devices. In a power supply method using USB PD, as shown in FIG. 2, a power supply device uses a power supply cable assembly 140 including a Type-C cable 142 (power supply cable 142), a Type-C terminal 141 (plug connector 141) including a resin housing 141b connected to one end of the Type-C cable 142 and a plug 141a exposed from the housing 141b, and a Type-C adapter (not shown) connected to the other end of the Type-C cable 142. One of the features of the power supply method using USB PD is that the Type-C terminal 141 located at one end of the Type-C cable 142 is detachable from the power supply connection port (plug insertion hole) of the device. Because the specifications of the Type-C terminal 141 and the power supply connection port are standardized, one power supply cable assembly can be used with multiple types of devices. While the power supply cord for the USB PD system is relatively thin and flexible, the plug connector 141 has a predetermined width and length defined by the standard. Therefore, it is not possible to install the device close to the wall with the plug connector 141 connected to the plug insertion hole on the side of the base. Furthermore, excessive stress is applied to the plug connector 141 and the power supply cable 142, which may undesirably affect data transmission and power supply performance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6775262 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a blower that can be placed with a high degree of freedom without placing excessive stress on the plug connector that is connected to the plug insertion hole. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention provides the following solutions.

[0010] The blower according to the first feature comprises a main body that houses the fan blades and an electric motor for driving the fan blades, a stand that supports the main body, a base that supports the stand and is formed by a member having a top surface, a bottom surface, and side surfaces, and a power supply cable assembly that includes a power supply cable of a predetermined length and a plug connector having a housing that is connected to an end of the power supply cable and a plug that is exposed from the housing, and the base has a recess that is recessed in the depth direction from the side end and has a plug insertion hole into which the plug portion is inserted.

[0011] According to the invention relating to the first feature, the base portion is provided with a recess that is recessed from the side end portion in the depth direction and has a plug insertion hole into which the plug portion can be inserted and removed.Therefore, even when a plug is connected to the plug insertion hole, the plug connector is located deeper than the side end portion of the base portion.This prevents the problem that even if the blower is placed near a wall, the plug connector or power supply cable will interfere with the wall and make it impossible to install.As a result, the blower can be placed freely without any restrictions on where it can be placed.

[0012] In addition, the blower according to the second feature is an invention according to the first feature, in which the depth of the recess in the depth direction is set so that when the plug portion is connected to the plug insertion hole, the rear end portion of the housing portion is located a predetermined distance inward from the side end portion of the base portion.

[0013] According to the invention relating to the second feature, the depth of the recess in the depth direction is set so that when the plug portion is connected to the plug insertion hole, the rear end of the housing portion is located a predetermined distance inward from the side end of the base portion.Therefore, when the plug portion is connected to the plug insertion hole, the plug connector can remain within the recess, preventing the plug connector from being subjected to large stress from the wall.As a result, it becomes possible to place the blower close to a wall, and also to suppress a decrease in data transfer speed and power supply performance.

[0014] In addition, the blower according to the third feature is an invention according to the second feature, in which the predetermined distance between the rear end of the housing part and the side end of the base part when the plug part is connected to the plug insertion hole is set to be at least 2 / 3 times the longitudinal length of the housing part.

[0015] According to the third aspect of the invention, when the plug portion is connected to the plug insertion hole, the predetermined distance between the rear end of the housing portion and the side end of the base portion is set to at least 2 / 3 times the longitudinal length of the housing portion. This ensures space within the recess for the power supply cable to move, preventing not only the plug connector but also the power supply cable from being subjected to large stress from the wall. As a result, it becomes possible to place the blower close to a wall, and it is possible to reliably prevent a decrease in data transfer speed and power supply performance.

[0016] A fourth feature of the blower is the invention of the first feature, wherein the width of the recess is set to 14 / 5 times or more the width of the housing portion.

[0017] According to the fourth feature of the invention, the width of the recess is set to be 14 / 5 times or more the width of the housing part, so that when gripping the housing part to insert or remove the plug part, the fingers gripping the housing part can be easily inserted into the recess, making it easy to insert or remove the plug.

[0018] Furthermore, a blower according to a fifth feature is an invention according to any one of the first to fourth features, and has a wrap portion around the plug insertion hole that surrounds the periphery of the housing portion by a predetermined length when a plug is connected to the plug insertion hole.

[0019] According to the fifth feature of the invention, a wrap portion is provided around the plug insertion hole, which surrounds the housing portion by a predetermined length when the plug portion is connected to the plug insertion hole. This stabilizes the insertion of the plug portion into the plug insertion hole, thereby ensuring stable data transfer and dispersing external impacts to prevent damage and wear to the plug portion, thereby significantly extending the service life of the plug portion.

[0020] In addition, a blower according to a sixth feature is an invention according to the fifth feature, in which the wrap portion is formed as a second recess formed by further recessing the bottom portion located at the innermost part of the recess, and the plug insertion hole is formed in the bottom portion of the second recess.

[0021] According to the sixth feature of the invention, a second recess formed by further recessing the innermost bottom of the recess functions as a wrap portion, and a plug insertion hole is formed at the bottom of the second recess. Therefore, when a plug is connected to the plug insertion hole, the housing portion can be positioned further back than the first recess, and the second recess can stabilize the insertion of the plug portion into the plug insertion hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a blower that can be arranged with a high degree of freedom without applying excessive stress to the plug connector that is connected to the plug insertion hole. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a circulator 1 according to a first embodiment, where (a) is a rear view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in (a). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the power supply cable assembly 140. As shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the detailed structure of the connector connection part 150 of the circulator 1 according to the first embodiment, where (a) is a bottom view, and (b) and (c) are partially enlarged views. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the detailed structure of the connector connection part 250 of the electric fan 2 according to the second embodiment, where (a) is a bottom view, and (b) and (c) are partially enlarged views. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these are merely examples, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0025] First Embodiment 1 and 2, the overall configuration of a circulator 1, which is a first embodiment of a blower according to the present invention, will be described.

[0026] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of a circulator 1 according to a first embodiment, in which (a) is a rear view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (a). Also, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a power feed cable assembly 140.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the circulator 1 according to the first embodiment is made up of a base 110, a stand 120, a main body 130, a power supply cable assembly 140, and a connector connection part 150.

[0028] Base 110 is a member for placing the entire circulator 1 on the floor, and is a substantially disc-shaped member having at least a substantially circular bottom surface 111 and side surfaces 112. The shape of base 110 is not limited to a substantially disc shape, and base 110 may have various shapes, such as a rectangular shape or an elliptical shape.

[0029] The stand part 120 is mounted on the base part 110. surface The main body 130 is a substantially cylindrical member extending substantially vertically upward from the main body 130 .

[0030] The main body 130 is pivotally supported on the upper end of the stand 120 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and houses fan blades (not shown) and an electric motor (not shown) for driving the fan blades. The fan blades are components that generate airflow and are connected to a rotating shaft (not shown) that transmits power from the electric motor using a cap (not shown). A male screw is formed at the tip of the rotating shaft, and the fan blades are connected to the rotating shaft by inserting the rotating shaft into a through-hole provided in the center of the fan blade and screwing the cap onto the male screw.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the power supply cable assembly 140 is a component that supplies power from a household or commercial power source, and includes a plug connector 141 consisting of a plug portion 141a and a housing portion 141b, a power supply cable 142 of a predetermined length to which the plug connector 141 is connected at one end, and an AC adapter (not shown) to which the other end of the power supply cable 142 is connected. A connector board (not shown) is installed inside the housing portion 141b. In this embodiment, the power supply cable assembly 140 complies with the USB Type-C standard and is removably connected to a connector connection portion 150 (described later). As shown in FIG. 2, the length of the plug portion 141a of the plug connector 141 in the longitudinal direction is 6 mm, and the length of the housing portion 141b in the longitudinal direction is 18 mm. The width of the housing portion 141b in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is 10.6 mm.

[0032] The connector connection part 150 is a part to which the plug connector 141 of the power supply cable assembly 140 is connected, and is provided on the base part 110 of the circulator 1.

[0033] [Connector connection part 150] The detailed structure of the connector connection part 150 in the circulator 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the detailed structure of the connector connection part 150 of the circulator 1 according to the first embodiment, where (a) is a bottom view and (b) and (c) are partially enlarged views. In the present invention, the term "inward" refers to foundation The direction from the end of the side surface 112 of the portion 110 to the opposite end.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3 , the connector connection part 150 has a first recess 151 that is provided inward from the side surface 112 of the base part 110 and has a predetermined width W11 and a predetermined depth D11. The first recess 151 has a second recess 152 at its innermost bottom portion, having a predetermined width W12 and a predetermined depth D12, into which a portion of the housing part 141b is inserted. The connector connection part 150 also has a plug insertion hole 153 at the bottom of the second recess 152, into which the plug part 141a is insertable and detachable. A power receiving terminal (not shown) is provided inside the plug insertion hole 153, and by inserting the plug part 141a of the connector 141 of the power feed cable assembly 140 into the plug insertion hole 153, the power supply can receive power from a household power source or a commercial power source via an AC adapter, the power feed cable 142, and the plug connector 141 of the power feed cable assembly 140.

[0035] In the first embodiment, the first recess 151 and the second recess 152 function as recesses in the present invention, and at the same time, the second recess 152 functions as a wrap portion in the present invention. In other words, the second recess 152 has both the function of positioning the housing portion 141b inside the base portion 110 and the function of surrounding the periphery of the housing portion 141b by a predetermined length.

[0036] In the first embodiment, when the plug portion 141a is inserted into the plug insertion hole 153, the front end of the housing portion 141b abuts against the bottom of the second recess 152, and the plug portion 141a is inserted into the plug insertion hole 153. toThe position of the housing part 141b in the inserted state is determined. At this time, the rear end of the housing part 141b is located at least 12 mm inward from the end of the side surface 112 of the base part 110. That is, the total value of the depths D11 and D12 of the first recess 151 and the second recess 152 is, when the plug part 141a of the connector 141 is inserted into the plug insertion hole 153, plug The rear end of the housing portion 141b of the connector 141 is set to be located inward from the end of the side surface 112 of the base portion 110 by 12 mm or more.

[0037] Specifically, the depths of the first recess 151 and the second recess 152 are set as D11=40.7 mm and D12=6.44 mm, respectively, and the widths are set as W11=30.2 mm and W12=12.99 mm, respectively.

[0038] Since the length of the housing portion 141b in the longitudinal direction is 18.0 mm and D11=40.7 mm and D12=6.44 mm, the distance from the rear end of the housing portion 141b to the end of the side surface 112 of the base portion 110 when the plug portion 141a is inserted into the plug insertion hole 153 is 29.14 mm. In other words, a space in which the power supply cable 142 can move is formed inside the base portion 110 over a length of 29.14 mm in the longitudinal direction. In this case, the distance between the rear end of the housing portion 141b and the end of the side surface 112 of the base portion 110 when the plug portion 141a is connected to the plug insertion hole 153 is 2 / 3 or more times the length of the housing portion 141b in the longitudinal direction.

[0039] Furthermore, because the width of the housing portion 141b in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is 10.6 mm and W11=30.2 mm, a gap of 19.6 mm is ensured between the housing portion 141b and the first recess 151 in the width direction when the plug portion 141a is inserted into the plug insertion hole 153. In this case, the gap between the housing portion 141b and the first recess 151 in the width direction is 9 / 5 or more times the width of the housing portion 141b. In other words, the width of the first recess 151 is set to 14 / 5 or more times the width of the housing portion 141b.

[0040] In the first embodiment, the second recess 152, which is formed further inward from the bottom of the first recess 151, is formed to partially surround the periphery of the housing portion 141b of the power feed cable assembly 140 by a predetermined length and also functions as a wrap portion. Therefore, even when the plug portion 141a of the power feed cable assembly 140 is inserted into the plug insertion hole 153, rattle of the plug portion 141a and the housing portion 141b can be prevented, and stability is increased.

[0041] Furthermore, since the second recess 152 formed further inward from the bottom of the first recess 151 is used as a wrap portion, when the plug portion 141a is connected to the plug insertion hole 153, the housing portion 141b can be positioned further back than the first recess is formed, and the second recess 152 can stabilize the insertion of the plug portion 141a into the plug insertion hole 153, thereby achieving both effects simultaneously.

[0042] Second Embodiment A fan 2, which is a second embodiment of a blower according to the present invention, will be described using Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the detailed structure of the connector connection part 250 of the fan 2 according to the second embodiment, where (a) is a bottom view and (b) and (c) are enlarged partial views. Note that only the parts that differ from the circulator 1 of the first embodiment will be described, and a description of the parts that are common will be omitted.

[0043] The connector connection portion 250 of the electric fan 2 of the second embodiment has a recess 251 with a predetermined width W21 and a predetermined depth D21 that is provided inward from the side surface 212 of the base portion 210. The connector connection portion 250 also has a plug insertion hole 252 at the bottom of the recess 251, into which the plug portion 241a of the power feed cable assembly 240 can be inserted and removed. A power receiving terminal (not shown) is installed inside the plug insertion hole 252, and by inserting the plug portion 241a of the plug connector 241 of the power feed cable assembly 240 into the plug insertion hole 252, the power feed cable assembly 240 can receive power from a household power source or a commercial power source via the AC adapter of the power feed cable assembly 240, the power feed cable 242, and the plug connector 241. A wrap portion 253 that surrounds the housing portion 241b by a predetermined length is provided around the plug insertion hole 252. The wrap portion 253 is formed as a cylindrical member that protrudes from the bottom of the recess 251 toward the end of the side surface 212. When the plug portion 241a is connected to the plug insertion hole 252, the wrap portion 253 surrounds the entire periphery of the housing portion 241b by a predetermined length.

[0044] In the second embodiment, when the plug portion 241a is inserted into the plug insertion hole 252, the front end of the housing portion 241b abuts against the bottom of the recess 251, and the position of the housing portion 241b in a state where the plug portion 241a is inserted into the plug insertion hole 252 is determined. At this time, the rear end of the housing portion 241b is located at least 12 mm or more inward from the end of the side surface 212 of the base portion 210. In other words, the depth D21 of the recess 251 is set so that, in a state where the plug portion 241a of the plug connector 241 is inserted into the plug insertion hole 252, the rear end of the housing portion 241b of the plug connector 241 is located 12 mm or more inward from the end of the side surface 212 of the base portion 210.

[0045] Specifically, the depth of the recess 251 is set as D21=30.00 mm, and the width of the recess 251 is set as W21=50.00 mm.

[0046] Since the length of the housing portion 241b of the power feed cable assembly 240 in the longitudinal direction is 18.0 mm, the distance between the rear end of the housing portion 241b and the end of the side surface 212 of the base portion 210 is 12.00 mm when the plug portion 241a is inserted into the plug insertion hole 252. In other words, a space is formed inside the base portion 210 over a length of 12.00 mm in the longitudinal direction, allowing the power feed cable 242 to move.

[0047] In addition, a wrap portion 253 is formed around the plug insertion hole 252, surrounding a portion of the housing portion 241b over the entire circumference, thereby preventing rattling of the plug portion 241a and the housing portion 241b when the plug portion 241a is inserted into the plug insertion hole 252, thereby increasing stability.

[0048] In this way, in the present invention, the base portion is provided with a recess that is recessed in the depth direction from the side end and has a plug insertion hole into which the plug portion can be inserted and removed.Therefore, even when a plug is connected to the plug insertion hole, the plug connector is located deeper than the side end of the base portion.This prevents the problem of the plug connector or power supply cable interfering with the wall and making it impossible to install the blower even if it is placed near a wall, and as a result, the blower can be placed freely without any restrictions on where it can be placed.

[0049] Furthermore, the depth of the recess is set so that when a plug is connected to the plug insertion hole, the rear end of the housing part is positioned a predetermined distance inward from the side end of the base part. Therefore, when a plug is connected to the plug insertion hole, the plug connector can remain within the recess, preventing the plug connector from being subjected to large stress from the wall. As a result, it becomes possible to place the blower close to a wall, and also to prevent a decrease in data transfer speed and power supply performance.

[0050] Furthermore, since the predetermined distance between the rear end of the housing and the side end of the base when the plug is connected to the plug insertion hole is set to at least 2 / 3 the longitudinal length of the housing, space is secured within the recess to allow the power supply cable to move, and it is possible to prevent not only the connector but also the power supply cable from being subjected to large stress from the wall.As a result, it is possible to place the blower close to a wall, and it is possible to reliably prevent a decrease in data transfer speed and power supply performance.

[0051] In addition, the width of the recess is set to be 14 / 5 times or more the width of the housing part, so when gripping the housing part to insert or remove the plug, the fingers gripping the housing part can be easily inserted into the recess, making it easy to insert or remove the plug.

[0052] In addition, a wrap portion is provided around the plug insertion hole that surrounds the housing portion by a predetermined length when the plug is connected to the plug insertion hole, thereby stabilizing the insertion of the plug into the plug insertion hole, thereby ensuring stable data transfer and dispersing external impacts to prevent damage and wear to the plug, thereby significantly extending the service life of the plug.

[0053] In addition, a second recess formed by further recessing the bottom located at the innermost part of the recess functions as a wrap portion, and a plug insertion hole is formed at the bottom of the second recess.Therefore, when a plug is connected to the plug insertion hole, the housing portion can be positioned further back than when one recess is formed, and the second recess can stabilize the insertion of the plug into the plug insertion hole.

[0054] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0055] Furthermore, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to an embodiment having all of the configurations described. [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] The blower of the present invention can be applied to a circulator for circulating air in a space, or a so-called electric fan for cooling the human body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Circulator 110 Base 111 bottom 112 Side 120 Stand 130 Main body 140 Power supply cable assembly 141 Plug Connector 141a Plug part 141b Housing part 142 Power Cable 150 Connector connection part 151 First recess 152 Second recess (lap portion) 153 Plug insertion hole 2. Electric fans 210 Base 211 bottom 212 Side 220 Stand 230 Main body 240 Power supply cable assembly 241 plug connector 241a Plug part 241b Housing part 242 Power Cable 250 Connector connection part 251 Recess 252 Plug insertion hole 253 Wrap section

Claims

1. a main body that houses the fan blades and an electric motor for driving the fan blades; a stand portion for supporting the main body portion; a base portion that supports the stand portion and is formed by a member having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side surface; a power supply cable assembly including a power supply cable of a predetermined length, and a plug connector having a housing portion connected to an end of the power supply cable and a plug portion provided so as to be exposed from the housing portion; the base portion includes a recess that is recessed from an end of the side surface in a depth direction and has a plug insertion hole into which the plug portion can be inserted and removed, The depth of the recess in the depth direction is set so that the rear end of the housing portion when the plug portion is connected to the plug insertion hole is located a predetermined distance inward from the end of the side surface of the base portion, and the predetermined distance between the rear end of the housing portion and the end of the side surface of the base portion when the plug portion is connected to the plug insertion hole is set to be 2 / 3 or more times the longitudinal length of the housing portion. Blower.

2. The width of the recess is set to be 14 / 5 times or more the width of the housing portion. The blower of claim 1 .

3. a wrap portion is provided around the plug insertion hole, the wrap portion surrounding the periphery of the housing portion by a predetermined length when the plug portion is connected to the plug insertion hole; 3. The sending machine according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the lap portion is formed as a second recess formed by further recessing the bottom portion located at the innermost position of the recess, and the plug insertion hole is formed in the bottom of the second recess. The blower according to claim 3.

Citation Information

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