Blower device, heat source-side unit, use-side unit, and method for manufacturing blower device

Abstract

A first bell mouth (20) has a first peripheral wall part (21) that forms a first air passage (22). The first peripheral wall part (21) has an opening (51) that penetrates in the thickness direction. A porous part (50) is disposed to cover the opening (51). The first peripheral wall part (21) has an attachment part (55) to which the porous part (50) is attached.

Description

Blower device, heat source side unit, user side unit, and method for manufacturing blower device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a blower device, a heat source side unit, a user side unit, and a method for manufacturing the blower device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a fan motor that includes a bell mouth (casing) having a cylindrical air tunnel provided in its body, and a rotor fan having multiple blades provided within the air tunnel.

[0003] The fan motor of Patent Document 1 has a turbulence prevention member provided on the air intake side of the body. The turbulence prevention member is made of a material that allows air to flow through, such as a porous material with many pores formed therein.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-218150

[0005] Incidentally, when the bell mouth is made of a resin material, it is conceivable to insert-mold a porous portion as a turbulence prevention member into the body portion of the bell mouth.

[0006] However, when attempting to integrally mold the porous portion into the bell mouth, there is a problem that it takes time to mold the porous portion, resulting in poor production efficiency.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to improve the production efficiency of a blower equipped with a bellmouth including a porous portion.

[0008] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a blower comprising a fan (16, 36) and a bellmouth (20, 40) having a peripheral wall portion (21, 41) that forms an air passage (22, 42) through which air transported by the fan (16, 36) passes, wherein the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has an opening (51) penetrating in the thickness direction and is provided with a porous portion (50) arranged to cover the opening (51), and the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has an attachment portion (55) for attaching the porous portion (50).

[0009] In the first aspect, the porous portion (50) is attached to the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) by the attachment portion (55), thereby improving production efficiency compared to when the porous portion (50) is integrally molded with the bell mouth (20, 40).

[0010] A second aspect of the present disclosure is the blower device of the first aspect, wherein the attachment portion (55) includes a claw portion (56) that engages with the porous portion (50).

[0011] In the second aspect, the porous portion (50) can be easily attached to the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) simply by engaging the porous portion (50) with the claw portions (56).

[0012] A third aspect of the present disclosure is a blower device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the porous portion (50) extends circumferentially around the peripheral wall portion (21, 41), and the mounting portion (55) includes a housing portion (57) that houses a circumferential end portion of the porous portion (50).

[0013] In the third aspect, the end of the porous portion (50) can be restricted so as not to move unintentionally.

[0014] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the blower device of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the peripheral wall (21, 41) has a rib (52) extending across the opening (51).

[0015] In the fourth aspect, by providing the rib (52) at the opening (51), it is possible to ensure the rigidity of the peripheral wall (21, 41) even when the opening (51) has a large opening area.

[0016] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the air blower device of any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the attachment portion (55) is provided on the outer circumferential surface side of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41).

[0017] In the fifth aspect, the attachment portion (55) is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41), thereby making it possible to prevent airflow on the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) from being obstructed.

[0018] A sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the air blower device of any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the porous portion (50) is elastically deformable along the circumferential surface of the circumferential wall portion (21, 41).

[0019] In the sixth aspect, by elastically deforming the porous portion (50) along the peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41), the opening (51) can be covered while the porous portion (50) is in close contact with the peripheral wall portion (21, 41).

[0020] A seventh aspect of the present disclosure is the air blower device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a surface of the porous portion (50) is subjected to a water-repellent treatment.

[0021] In the seventh aspect, moisture is less likely to adhere to the porous portion (50), thereby making it possible to prevent mold from growing on the porous portion (50).

[0022] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, in the blower device of the seventh aspect, the holes of the porous portion (50) communicate with each other in the thickness direction of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41).

[0023] In the eighth aspect, even if the porous portion (50) has been subjected to a water-repellent treatment, the pressure of the air flowing through the air passage (22, 42) can be released to the outside of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) through the holes in the porous portion (50).

[0024] A ninth aspect of the present disclosure is a heat source side unit including a blower (15) according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, a refrigerant circuit (1a) through which a refrigerant flows, and a heat exchanger (14) provided in the refrigerant circuit (1a) for exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit (1a) and air transported by the blower (15).

[0025] In the ninth aspect, it is possible to provide a heat source side unit including a blower (15), a refrigerant circuit (1a), and a heat exchanger (14).

[0026] A tenth aspect of the present disclosure is a user-side unit including a blower (35) according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, a refrigerant circuit (1a) through which a refrigerant flows, and a heat exchanger (34) provided in the refrigerant circuit (1a) for exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit (1a) and air transported by the blower (35).

[0027] In the tenth aspect, it is possible to provide a utilization side unit including a blower (35), a refrigerant circuit (1a), and a heat exchanger (34).

[0028] An eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing an air blower including a fan (16, 36) and a bellmouth (20, 40) having a peripheral wall portion (21, 41) that forms an air passage (22, 42) through which air transported by the fan (16, 36) passes, wherein the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has an opening (51) penetrating in the thickness direction, and the method includes the steps of: arranging a porous portion (50) so as to cover the opening (51); and attaching the porous portion (50) to the peripheral wall portion (21, 41).

[0029] In the eleventh aspect, the opening (51) of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) is covered with the porous portion (50), and the porous portion (50) is attached to the peripheral wall portion (21, 41). This improves production efficiency compared to when the porous portion (50) is integrally molded with the bell mouth (20, 40).

[0030] Fig. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing the configuration of a refrigeration system of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a heat source side unit. Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a user side unit. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a bell mouth. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the state before a porous portion is attached to the peripheral wall portion of the bell mouth.

[0031] 1, the air conditioner (1) includes a refrigerant circuit (1a) filled with a refrigerant. The refrigerant circuit (1a) operates in a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.

[0032] The air conditioner (1) adjusts the temperature of air in an indoor space. The air conditioner (1) performs cooling operation and heating operation. In cooling operation, the air conditioner (1) cools the air in the indoor space. In heating operation, the air conditioner (1) heats the air in the indoor space. The air conditioner (1) includes a heat source unit (10) and a utilization unit (30).

[0033] The heat source unit (10) is disposed in the outdoor space and includes a compressor (2), a pressure reducing mechanism (3), a four-way switching valve (4), a first heat exchanger (14), and a first blower (15).

[0034] The utilization side unit (30) is arranged in the indoor space and includes a second heat exchanger (34) and a second blower (35).

[0035] <Heat Source Side Unit> As shown in Fig. 2, the heat source side unit (10) includes an outdoor casing (11). The outdoor casing (11) is formed in the shape of a rectangular box.

[0036] The interior of the outdoor casing (11) is partitioned into a blower chamber (12) and a machine chamber (13). A first heat exchanger (14) and a first blower (15) are disposed in the blower chamber (12).

[0037] The first heat exchanger (14) exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outdoor air, and is, for example, of a fin-and-tube type.

[0038] The first blower (15) includes a first fan (16), a first fan motor (17), and a first bell mouth (20). The first fan (16) is, for example, a propeller fan. The first fan (16) is disposed substantially coaxially with a first peripheral wall portion (21) of the first bell mouth (20). The first fan motor (17) drives and rotates the first fan (16).

[0039] The first bell mouth (20) is provided on the side wall on the front side (lower side in FIG. 2 ) of the outdoor casing (11). The first bell mouth (20) has a first circumferential wall portion (21). The first circumferential wall portion (21) is formed in a cylindrical shape. The first circumferential wall portion (21) forms a first air passage (22). The first circumferential wall portion (21) is disposed so as to surround a part of the outer periphery of the first fan (16).

[0040] The first fan (16) transports outdoor air. In FIG. 2 , the air flow is indicated by white arrows. The outdoor air is drawn into the outdoor casing (11). When passing through the first heat exchanger (14), the outdoor air exchanges heat with the refrigerant. The air that has undergone heat exchange passes through the first air passage (22) of the first bell mouth (20) and is blown out of the outdoor casing (11).

[0041] The machine room (13) accommodates a compressor (2), a pressure reducing mechanism (3), and a four-way switching valve (4). Only the compressor (2) is shown in FIG. 2. The compressor (2) compresses the refrigerant. The compressor (2) is a rotary compressor, and may be, for example, a swing type, a rolling piston type, or a scroll type.

[0042] 1, the pressure reduction mechanism (3) is, for example, an expansion valve. The pressure reduction mechanism (3) reduces the pressure of the refrigerant. The pressure reduction mechanism (3) is, for example, an electronic or temperature-sensitive expansion valve.

[0043] The four-way switching valve (4) switches the flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (1a). The four-way switching valve (4) switches between a first state shown by a solid line in Fig. 1 and a second state shown by a dashed line in Fig. 1. In the first state, the four-way switching valve (4) connects the discharge side of the compressor (2) to the gas side of the first heat exchanger (14) and connects the suction side of the compressor (2) to the gas side of the second heat exchanger (34).

[0044] The four-way switching valve (4) in the second state connects the discharge side of the compressor (2) to the gas side of the second heat exchanger (34), and also connects the suction side of the compressor (2) to the gas side of the first heat exchanger (14).

[0045] <Usage Side Unit> As shown in Fig. 3, the usage side unit (30) is, for example, a ceiling-mounted indoor unit. The ceiling-mounted usage side unit (30) includes a ceiling-embedded type in which the usage side unit (30) is embedded in the ceiling surface, and a ceiling-suspended type in which the usage side unit (30) is suspended from the upper wall.

[0046] The user side unit (30) includes an indoor casing (31). The indoor casing (31) includes a casing body (31a) and a panel (31b). The casing body (31a) is shaped like a rectangular box. An opening is formed on the lower side of the casing body (31a).

[0047] The panel (31b) is detachably attached to the open surface of the casing body (31a). An intake grille (32) is provided in the center of the panel (31b).

[0048] An outlet (33) is formed in each of the four side edges of the panel (31b). A flap (39) is disposed inside the outlet (33).

[0049] The casing body (31a) accommodates a second heat exchanger (34), a second blower (35), and a drain pan (38). The second blower (35) is disposed above the suction grille (32).

[0050] The second blower (35) includes a second fan (36), a second fan motor (37), and a second bell mouth (40). The second fan (36) is, for example, a centrifugal turbofan. The second fan motor (37) drives the second fan (36) to rotate.

[0051] The second heat exchanger (34) is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the second fan (36). The second heat exchanger (34) is, for example, a fin-and-tube heat exchanger. The drain pan (38) is disposed below the second heat exchanger (34).

[0052] The second bell mouth (40) is disposed between the suction grille (32) and the second fan (36). The second bell mouth (40) has a second peripheral wall portion (41). The second peripheral wall portion (41) is formed in a cylindrical shape. The second peripheral wall portion (41) forms a second air passage (42).

[0053] The second fan (36) transports the indoor air. In Fig. 3, the air flow is indicated by white arrows. The indoor air passes through the suction grille (32) and the second bell mouth (40) and is sucked into the indoor casing (31).

[0054] The indoor air that has passed through the second air passage (42) of the second bell mouth (40) is drawn into an inlet opening at the center below the second fan (36) and is blown out from an outlet opening radially outward of the second fan (36). The air blown out from the outlet of the second fan (36) exchanges heat with the refrigerant as it passes through the second heat exchanger (34). The heat-exchanged air is supplied to the indoor space through the outlet (33) of the indoor casing (31).

[0055] <Porous Portion of Bell Mouth> When air passes through the first air passage (22) of the first bell mouth (20) in the heat source unit (10), the air is likely to separate from the inner surface of the first circumferential wall portion (21), causing a vortex flow. When a vortex flow occurs, the flow of air passing through the first circumferential wall portion (21) is significantly disturbed, resulting in noise generation.

[0056] Similarly, in the user-side unit (30), when air passes through the second air passage (42) of the second bell mouth (40) of the user-side unit (30), the air is likely to separate from the inner surface of the second circumferential wall portion (41), generating a vortex flow. When a vortex flow is generated, the flow of air passing through the second circumferential wall portion (41) is significantly disturbed, resulting in the generation of noise.

[0057] In order to solve such problems, it is conceivable to provide the first peripheral wall portion (21) and the second peripheral wall portion (41) with a porous portion (50) having a plurality of continuous fine pores, thereby releasing the pressure of the air flowing through the first air passage (22) and the second air passage (42) to the outside of the first peripheral wall portion (21) and the second peripheral wall portion (41).

[0058] Here, for example, when the first bell mouth (20) and the second bell mouth (40) are made of a resin material, it is conceivable to insert-mold the porous portion (50) into the first peripheral wall portion (21) of the first bell mouth (20) and the second peripheral wall portion (41) of the second bell mouth (40), respectively.

[0059] However, if the porous portion (50) is integrally molded with each of the first bell mouth (20) and the second bell mouth (40), it takes a long time to mold the porous portion (50), resulting in poor production efficiency. Furthermore, there is a risk that the pores of the porous portion (50) will be crushed by the resin material, or that poor bonding will occur. Therefore, there is a problem in that it takes a lot of man-hours to manage the molding conditions of the resin material.

[0060] Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the production efficiency of the air blower (35) including the first bell mouth (20) and the second bell mouth (40) each including the porous portion (50).

[0061] In the following, a description will be given of a mode in which the porous portion (50) is attached to the first bell mouth (20), and a description of a mode in which the porous portion (50) is attached to the second bell mouth (40) will be omitted since it is similar.

[0062] It should be noted that the second bell mouth (40) can also have a configuration similar to that of the first bell mouth (20). Therefore, in Figures 4 and 5, the symbols for the second circumferential wall portion (41) and the second air passage (42) of the second bell mouth (40) that correspond to the first circumferential wall portion (21) and the first air passage (22) of the first bell mouth (20) are written in parentheses.

[0063] 4 and 5, the first bell mouth (20) has a first peripheral wall portion (21). The first peripheral wall portion (21) is formed in a cylindrical shape. The first peripheral wall portion (21) defines a first air passage (22).

[0064] The upstream end of the first peripheral wall portion (21) in the air flow direction is formed into a curved cylindrical shape such that the inner diameter decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the downstream end of the first peripheral wall portion (21) in the air flow direction is formed into a curved cylindrical shape such that the inner diameter increases from the upstream side to the downstream side.

[0065] The first peripheral wall portion (21) has openings (51) penetrating therethrough in the thickness direction. The openings (51) are formed in the shape of elongated holes extending in the circumferential direction. A plurality of the openings (51) are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0066] The porous portion (50) extends along the circumferential direction of the first peripheral wall portion (21). The porous portion (50) is elastically deformable along the peripheral surface of the first peripheral wall portion (21). The porous portion (50) is made of, for example, melamine foam or a sponge material. Note that the material of the porous portion (50) is merely an example and is not limited thereto. The porous portion (50) is made of a porous material having a large number of fine, interconnected pores. The average diameter of the pores (voids) in the porous portion (50) is, for example, in the range of 15 μm to 300 μm. The porosity of the porous portion (50) (= void volume / total volume of the porous member) is, for example, in the range of 35% to 90%.

[0067] The porous portion (50) is disposed so as to cover the opening (51). The surface of the porous portion (50) is treated to be water-repellent. The pores of the porous portion (50) communicate with each other in the thickness direction of the first peripheral wall portion (21). When the porous portion (50) is used outdoors, it is preferable that the porous portion (50) be made of a weather-resistant material or be treated to be weather-resistant.

[0068] The opening (51) is provided with a rib portion (52). The rib portion (52) extends across the opening (51). A plurality of the rib portions (52) are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0069] The first peripheral wall portion (21) has an attachment portion (55). The attachment portion (55) is integrally formed with the first peripheral wall portion (21). The attachment portion (55) attaches the porous portion (50) to the first peripheral wall portion (21). The attachment portion (55) includes a claw portion (56) and a storage portion (57). The claw portion (56) and the storage portion (57) are provided on the outer circumferential surface side of the first peripheral wall portion (21).

[0070] The claw portions (56) engage with the porous portion (50). A pair of the claw portions (56) is provided along the edge of the opening (51) so as to face each other on the upstream side and the downstream side in the air flow direction. The porous portion (50) is held between the pair of claw portions (56) facing each other across the opening (51). A plurality of pairs of the claw portions (56) are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the first peripheral wall portion (21).

[0071] The storage portions (57) are respectively disposed at both circumferential ends of the opening (51). The pair of storage portions (57) have openings on their surfaces facing the circumferential ends of the porous portion (50). The circumferential ends of the porous portion (50) are respectively received in the openings of the pair of storage portions (57).

[0072] In this embodiment, a configuration is assumed in which the porous portion (50) is attached to both the first bell mouth (20) and the second bell mouth (40), but a configuration in which the porous portion (50) is attached to at least one of the first bell mouth (20) and the second bell mouth (40) may also be used.

[0073] <Method of Manufacturing Bell Mouth> The procedure for attaching the porous portion (50) to the first bell mouth (20) will be described below. First, the porous portion (50) is arranged so as to cover the opening (51) of the first peripheral wall portion (21) of the first bell mouth (20). At this time, the porous portion (50) is elastically deformed along the peripheral surface of the first peripheral wall portion (21), thereby bringing the porous portion (50) into close contact with the first peripheral wall portion (21).

[0074] In the process of positioning the porous portion (50) so as to cover the opening (51), the porous portion (50) may be pushed from the radial outside of the first peripheral wall portion (21) toward between the pair of claw portions (56), or the porous portion (50) may be inserted circumferentially so as to pass between the pair of claw portions (56) from the circumferential outside of the first peripheral wall portion (21).

[0075] In the step of attaching the porous portion (50) to the first peripheral wall portion (21), the opening (51) is covered with the porous portion (50), and then both circumferential ends of the porous portion (50) are accommodated in the pair of accommodation portions (57), respectively. In this way, both circumferential ends of the porous portion (50) are attached to the pair of accommodation portions (57). Furthermore, the porous portion (50) is sandwiched between the periphery of the opening (51) in the first peripheral wall portion (21), the pair of claw portions (56), and the rib portion (52), thereby attaching the porous portion (50) to the first peripheral wall portion (21).

[0076] In this way, it is possible to manufacture the first bell mouth (20) in which the porous portion (50) is attached to the first peripheral wall portion (21).

[0077] Effect of the Embodiment In the present embodiment, the bell mouth (20, 40) has a peripheral wall portion (21, 41) that forms an air passage (22, 42). The peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has an opening (51) that penetrates through the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) in the thickness direction. The porous portion (50) is disposed to cover the opening (51). The peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has an attachment portion (55) to which the porous portion (50) is attached.

[0078] In this way, the porous portion (50) is attached to the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) by the attachment portion (55), thereby improving production efficiency compared to when the porous portion (50) is integrally molded with the bell mouth (20, 40).

[0079] In this embodiment, the attachment portion (55) includes claws (56) that engage with the porous portion (50). This allows the porous portion (50) to be easily attached to the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) simply by engaging the porous portion (50) with the claws (56). Furthermore, even if the porous portion (50) becomes soiled, it can be easily replaced.

[0080] In this embodiment, the porous portion (50) extends along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41), and the attachment portion (55) includes a receiving portion (57) that receives the circumferential end portion of the porous portion (50). This makes it possible to prevent the end portion of the porous portion (50) from unintentionally shifting.

[0081] In the present embodiment, the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has a rib portion (52) extending across the opening portion (51). By providing the rib portion (52) in the opening portion (51) in this manner, it is possible to ensure the rigidity of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) even when the opening portion (51) has a large opening area.

[0082] Furthermore, the rib (52) can prevent the porous portion (50) from protruding from the opening (51) toward the inner surface of the peripheral wall (21, 41).

[0083] In this embodiment, the attachment portion (55) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41). By providing the attachment portion (55) on the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) in this manner, it is possible to prevent the air flow on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) from being obstructed.

[0084] In the present embodiment, the porous portion (50) is elastically deformable along the circumferential surface of the circumferential wall portion (21, 41). As a result, by elastically deforming the porous portion (50) along the circumferential surface of the circumferential wall portion (21, 41), the porous portion (50) can cover the opening (51) while being in close contact with the circumferential wall portion (21, 41).

[0085] In this embodiment, the surface of the porous portion (50) is subjected to a water-repellent treatment, which makes it difficult for moisture to adhere to the porous portion (50), thereby making it possible to suppress the growth of mold on the porous portion (50).

[0086] In the present embodiment, the pores of the porous portion (50) communicate with each other in the thickness direction of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41). As a result, even in the case of a porous portion (50) that has been subjected to a water-repellent treatment, the pressure of the air flowing through the air passages (22, 42) can be released to the outside of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) through the pores of the porous portion (50).

[0087] In this embodiment, it is possible to provide a heat source unit (10) including a blower (15), a refrigerant circuit (1a), and a heat exchanger (14).

[0088] In this embodiment, it is possible to provide a utilization side unit (30) including a blower (35), a refrigerant circuit (1a), and a heat exchanger (34).

[0089] In this embodiment, the opening (51) of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) is covered with the porous portion (50), and the porous portion (50) is attached to the peripheral wall portion (21, 41). This improves production efficiency compared to when the porous portion (50) is integrally molded with the bell mouth (20, 40).

[0090] Other Embodiments The above-described embodiment may be configured as follows.

[0091] In this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a first bell mouth (20) is provided on the side wall of the outdoor casing (11) of the heat source unit (10), and the air transported by the first fan (16) passes through the first bell mouth (20) and is blown out to the side of the outdoor casing (11), but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

[0092] For example, a first bell mouth (20) may be provided on the ceiling surface of the outdoor casing (11) of the heat source unit (10), and the air transported by the first fan (16) may pass through the first bell mouth (20) and be blown out above the outdoor casing (11). In this case, a porous portion (50) may be attached to the first peripheral wall portion (21) of the first bell mouth (20) that opens upward.

[0093] Although the embodiments and modifications have been described above, it will be understood that various modifications in form and detail are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. Furthermore, elements of the above embodiments, modifications, and other embodiments may be combined or substituted as appropriate. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. in the specification and claims are used to distinguish between terms to which these terms are attached, and do not limit the number or order of those terms.

[0094] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present disclosure is useful for a blower device, a heat source side unit, a user side unit, and a method for manufacturing a blower device.

[0095] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a Refrigerant circuit 10 Heat source side unit 14 First heat exchanger 15 First blower 16 First fan 20 First bell mouth 21 First circumferential wall portion 22 First air passage 30 User side unit 34 Second heat exchanger 35 Second blower 36 Second fan 40 Second bell mouth 41 Second circumferential wall portion 42 Second air passage 50 Porous portion 51 Opening 52 Rib portion 55 Mounting portion 56 Claw portion 57 Storage portion

Claims

1. A blower comprising a fan (16, 36) and a bellmouth (20, 40) having a peripheral wall portion (21, 41) forming an air passage (22, 42) through which air transported by the fan (16, 36) passes, wherein the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has an opening (51) penetrating therethrough in the thickness direction, and is provided with a porous portion (50) arranged to cover the opening (51), and the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has an attachment portion (55) for attaching the porous portion (50).

2. The blower according to claim 1, wherein the attachment portion (55) includes a claw portion (56) that engages with the porous portion (50).

3. A blower device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the porous portion (50) extends circumferentially around the peripheral wall portion (21, 41), and the mounting portion (55) includes an accommodation portion (57) that accommodates an end portion of the porous portion (50) in the circumferential direction.

4. The blower according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has a rib portion (52) extending across the opening portion (51).

5. The blower according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the attachment portion (55) is provided on the outer circumferential surface side of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41).

6. The air blower according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the porous portion (50) is elastically deformable along the peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41).

7. The air blower according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the surface of the porous portion (50) is subjected to a water-repellent treatment.

8. The air blower according to claim 7, wherein the holes of the porous portion (50) communicate with each other in the thickness direction of the peripheral wall portion (21, 41).

9. A heat source side unit comprising: a blower (15) according to any one of claims 1 to 8; a refrigerant circuit (1a) through which a refrigerant flows; and a heat exchanger (14) provided in the refrigerant circuit (1a) for exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit (1a) and air transported by the blower (15).

10. A user unit comprising: a blower (35) according to any one of claims 1 to 8; a refrigerant circuit (1a) through which a refrigerant flows; and a heat exchanger (34) provided in the refrigerant circuit (1a) for exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit (1a) and air transported by the blower (35).

11. A method for manufacturing an air blower comprising a fan (16, 36) and a bellmouth (20, 40) having a peripheral wall portion (21, 41) that forms an air passage (22, 42) through which air transported by the fan (16, 36) passes, wherein the peripheral wall portion (21, 41) has an opening (51) penetrating in the thickness direction, the method for manufacturing an air blower comprising the steps of: arranging a porous portion (50) so as to cover the opening (51); and attaching the porous portion (50) to the peripheral wall portion (21, 41).

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