Outdoor unit and refrigeration cycle device

Abstract

This outdoor unit comprises: a housing that constitutes an outer shell and is provided with an air blowout part; and a blower disposed in the housing such that the blowout side of the air faces the blowout part in the housing. The blower includes: a cylindrical casing having an intake-side opening on the upstream side in the air flow, and a blowout-side opening on the downstream side; a fan which has a boss and a fan blade part provided on the outer periphery of the boss, and which is disposed in the casing such that a part of the fan blade part protrudes from the intake-side opening; and a plurality of stator blades provided radially on the downstream side of the fan and having an outer peripheral end connected to the inner peripheral surface of the casing. The outer peripheral ends of the plurality of stator blades are connected to a downstream part of the casing, which is the end on the downstream side, and the casing is configured so as to expand after the inner diameter of the casing decreases toward the downstream part from the intake-side opening and reaches the minimum diameter. The boss has an outer diameter that increases from the upstream side toward the downstream side. The blade outer diameter of the fan blade part when projected on the meridian plane decreases from the downstream side toward the upstream side. The blowout part has a plurality of holes provided at positions corresponding to gaps between respective adjacent stator blades among the plurality of stator blades as viewed from the downstream side.

Description

Outdoor units and refrigeration cycle devices

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit equipped with a blower and a refrigeration cycle device.

[0002] Some outdoor units of refrigeration cycle devices (e.g., air conditioners) include a fan and a cylindrical structure arranged on the outer periphery of the fan (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the outdoor unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cylindrical structure, a bell mouth, is arranged on the outer periphery of the propeller fan. The propeller fan and the bell mouth have a semi-open configuration in which part of the propeller fan blades protrude from the upstream end of the bell mouth in the air flow. Furthermore, the bell mouth has a suction-side end that widens toward the outer periphery and has a constant inner diameter so that the clearance between the inner surface of the bell mouth and the blades is constant in the air flow direction.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-105865

[0004] When an outdoor unit is provided with a propeller fan and bellmouth arranged as described above as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the intake airflow is biased toward the outer periphery of the blades due to the biased flow on the upstream side of the airflow, resulting in poor static pressure efficiency. Furthermore, the airflow inside the blower is released downstream with its wind speed biased toward the outer periphery of the blades, so the outlet airflow has a locally high radial wind speed at the outer periphery, which causes significant pressure loss and noise problems when it collides with a grill provided downstream of the propeller fan in the outdoor unit.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an outdoor unit and a refrigeration cycle apparatus that can improve static pressure efficiency and reduce noise.

[0006] The outdoor unit according to the present disclosure is an outdoor unit comprising a housing that constitutes an outer shell and is provided with an air blowing section, and a blower that is arranged within the housing so that the air blowing side faces the blowing section of the housing, the blower comprising a cylindrical casing having an intake side opening on the upstream side and an outlet side opening on the downstream side in the air flow, a fan having a boss and fan blades provided on the outer periphery of the boss, the fan being arranged within the casing so that a part of the fan blades protrudes from the intake side opening, and a fan that is radially provided downstream of the fan and has an outer periphery end that faces the casing. and a plurality of stator vanes connected to the inner peripheral surface of a casing, wherein the outer peripheral ends of the plurality of stator vanes are connected to the downstream section which is the downstream end, and the inner diameter of the casing decreases from the suction side opening toward the downstream section, reaching a minimum diameter and then expanding, the outer diameter of the boss increases from the upstream side to the downstream side, the outer diameter of the fan blade section, when projected onto a meridian plane, decreases from the downstream side to the upstream side, and the blowing section has a plurality of holes provided at positions corresponding to the gaps between adjacent stator vanes of the plurality of stator vanes when viewed from the downstream side.

[0007] A refrigeration cycle device according to the present disclosure has a refrigerant circuit through which a refrigerant circulates, and includes the outdoor unit described above, wherein the outdoor unit has a compressor that circulates the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the blower includes a plurality of stator vanes arranged radially downstream of the fan, with their outer peripheral ends connected to the inner peripheral surface of the casing. The casing is configured such that the outer peripheral ends of the stator vanes are connected to the downstream portion, which is the downstream end, and the inner diameter of the casing decreases from the suction-side opening to the downstream portion, reaching a minimum diameter, and then expands. The boss is configured so that the outer diameter increases from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the fan blade portion has a blade outer diameter that decreases from the downstream side to the upstream side. This allows the fan and casing to efficiently increase dynamic pressure, and the multiple stator vanes convert the dynamic pressure into static pressure, improving static pressure efficiency. The outlet portion of the housing has a plurality of holes located at positions corresponding to the gaps between adjacent stator vanes when viewed from the downstream side. This prevents collisions between the airflow from the multiple stator vanes and the outlet portion of the housing, thereby reducing the impact on fan characteristics and noise generation when airflow is blown out from the outdoor unit. Therefore, in the outdoor unit and the refrigeration cycle device, static pressure efficiency can be improved and noise can be reduced.

[0009] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of a blower mounted in an outdoor unit according to Embodiment 1, as seen from the upstream side in the air flow. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the blower of FIG. 1, as seen from the downstream side in the air flow. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the blower of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the blower of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the blower of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the meridian plane shape of blades in the blower of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic top view showing the internal structure of an outdoor unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing a state in which a metal grill is removed from the outdoor unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is a schematic front view showing the upper half of the outdoor unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 9 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing the configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the blower of FIG. 6, as seen from the upstream side. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a second modified example of the blower of FIG. 6. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the blower of FIG. 13, as seen from the upstream side. FIG. 14 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of an outdoor unit according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 16 is a partial enlarged view of the blower of FIG. 15 .

[0010] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the present disclosure includes all possible combinations of the configurations shown in the following embodiments. In particular, the combinations of components are not limited to the combinations in each embodiment, and components described in one embodiment can be applied to another embodiment. In the following description, directional terms (e.g., "up," "down," "right," "left," "front," "rear," etc.) are used as appropriate to facilitate understanding, but these are for explanatory purposes and do not limit the present disclosure. In each drawing, components designated with the same reference numerals are identical or equivalent, and this applies throughout the entire specification. Note that the relative dimensional relationships or shapes of each component in each drawing may differ from those in actuality.

[0011] Embodiment 1. An outdoor unit 310 and a blower 100 mounted on the outdoor unit 310 according to Embodiment 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the blower 100 mounted on the outdoor unit 310 according to Embodiment 1, as viewed from the upstream side in the air flow. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the blower 100 of FIG. 1, as viewed from the downstream side in the air flow. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the blower 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of the blower 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the blower 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the meridian plane shape of the blades 20 in the blower 100 of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a schematic top view showing the internal structure of the outdoor unit 310 according to Embodiment 1.

[0012] Here, the meridian shape of the blade 20 refers to the shape obtained when the blade 20 is rotated and projected onto one meridian plane around the rotation axis 11. The meridian plane is a plane that includes the rotation axis 11 and is parallel to the rotation axis 11. FIG. 5 shows a cross section of the blower 100 cut along the meridian plane. The thick arrows in FIGS. 5 and 7 indicate the direction of air flow. FIGS. 1 and 3 show the rotation direction R of the blade 20. In each of FIGS. 3 to 6, the upper side of the illustration indicates the upstream side in the air flow.

[0013] 7, the outdoor unit 310 includes a housing 311, which is an outer shell, and the blower 100 and other components disposed within the housing 311. The housing 311 has a blowing section 315 that faces the air blowing side of the blower 100. The blowing section 315 functions as a grill.

[0014] First, the configuration of the blower will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the blower 100 includes a fan, a casing 30, a motor 40, a cup portion 50, and a plurality of straightening ribs 60. The fan includes a boss 10 and a fan blade portion provided on the outer periphery of the boss 10. The fan blade portion is a plurality of blades 20 connected to the outer periphery of the boss 10. The blower 100 is a semi-open axial flow blower. In the following description, the direction along the rotating shaft 11 may be referred to as the "axial direction of the blower" or simply as the "axial direction." The direction along the circumference of a circle centered on the rotating shaft 11 in a plane perpendicular to the rotating shaft 11 may be referred to as the "circumferential direction of the blower" or simply as the "circumferential direction." The direction along the radius of the circumference in the above plane may be referred to as the "radial direction of the blower" or simply as the "radial direction."

[0015] The boss 10 is provided on the rotating shaft 11. The boss 10 has a tip surface 12 and an outer peripheral surface 13. The boss 10 is fixed to a motor shaft 41 of a motor 40 (described later). The outer peripheral surface 13 is located downstream of the tip surface 12 in the air flow. The tip surface 12 protrudes from the casing 30 when viewed in the radial direction. The outer peripheral surface 13 overlaps with the casing 30 when viewed in the radial direction. The boss 10 is configured so that its outer diameter increases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the air flow. The diameter of the boss 10 at the outer peripheral surface 13 increases monotonically from the upstream side to the downstream side. A diameter Db (see FIG. 5 ) at the downstream end of the boss 10 is the maximum diameter of the boss 10.

[0016] The blades 20 are provided on the outer periphery of the boss 10. The blades 20 rotate together with the boss 10 around the rotation shaft 11 by the driving force of the motor 40. Each blade 20 has a leading edge 21, a trailing edge 22, an outer peripheral edge 23, and an inner peripheral edge 24. The leading edge 21 is an edge located forward in the direction of rotation R of the blade 20. The leading edge 21 is the upstream edge of the blade 20 in the airflow. A portion of the blade 20 on the leading edge 21 side protrudes upstream in the airflow further than an upstream portion 31 of the casing 30 described below. The trailing edge 22 is an edge located rearward in the direction of rotation R of the blade 20. The trailing edge 22 is the downstream edge of the blade 20 in the airflow.

[0017] The outer peripheral edge 23 is an edge located on the outer peripheral side of the blade 20. The outer peripheral edge 23 is provided between the outer peripheral end of the leading edge 21 and the outer peripheral end of the trailing edge 22. The inner peripheral edge 24 is an edge located on the inner peripheral side of the blade 20. The inner peripheral edge 24 is provided between the inner peripheral end of the leading edge 21 and the inner peripheral end of the trailing edge 22. The inner peripheral edge 24 is connected to the outer peripheral surface 13 of the boss 10.

[0018] An outer peripheral edge 23 of the blade 20 faces the inner peripheral surface of the casing 30 across a gap. Specifically, when viewed in the radial direction, the outer peripheral edge 23 overlaps an upstream portion 31, a small diameter portion 33, and a part of an intermediate portion 34 of the casing 30, which will be described later. Hereinafter, the part of the outer peripheral edge 23 that faces the smallest diameter portion of the casing 30 may be referred to as an opposing portion 25.

[0019] The casing 30 surrounds the plurality of blades 20 from the outer periphery. The casing 30 has an upstream suction-side opening 30u and a downstream outlet-side opening, and is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the rotary shaft 11. The casing 30 is configured such that the outer peripheries of the plurality of flow-straightening ribs 60 are connected to a downstream section 32, which is the downstream end, and the inner diameter of the casing 30 decreases from the suction-side opening 30u toward the downstream section 32, reaches a minimum diameter, and then expands.

[0020] The casing 30 has an upstream section 31 which is the upstream end of the casing 30 in the air flow, a small diameter section 33 which has the smallest diameter in the casing 30, a downstream section 32 which is the downstream end of the casing 30 and to which the plurality of flow straightening ribs 60 are connected, and an intermediate section 34 which connects the small diameter section 33 and the downstream section 32. In other words, the casing 30 is configured so that the upstream section 31, the small diameter section 33, the intermediate section 34, and the downstream section 32 are connected in this order from the upstream side in the air flow.

[0021] The suction-side opening 30u of the casing 30 is formed in the upstream section 31. The casing 30 has a shape that is warped toward the outer periphery on the upstream section 31 side. As a result, the upstream section 31 faces the outer periphery. That is, the upstream section 31 has a shape that decreases in diameter as the air flows from the suction-side opening 30u toward the downstream side. In this embodiment, the upstream section 31 has a flared shape. The upstream section 31 may have an arc-shaped or multiple arc-shaped cross section. By forming the upstream section 31 in such a shape, the amount of air suctioned can be increased.

[0022] A blow-side opening of the casing 30 is formed in the downstream portion 32. In the present embodiment, an inner diameter D5 (see FIG. 5 ) of the casing 30 in the downstream portion 32 is constant and is the same as the inner diameter of the casing 30 at the suction-side opening 30u in the upstream portion 31. The inner circumferential surface of the downstream portion 32 faces the outer circumferential surface of the cup portion 50, and the outer circumferential ends of each of the plurality of flow-straightening ribs 60 are connected to the inner circumferential surface of the downstream portion 32.

[0023] The intermediate section 34 is located downstream of the small diameter section 33 and upstream of the downstream section 32 in the air flow. The intermediate section 34 has a shape that gradually increases in diameter as it progresses downstream. Note that, in the portion of the intermediate section 34 that is downstream of the downstream end of the boss 10, the inner diameter of the casing 30 may be constant and the same as the inner diameter D5 of the casing 30 in the downstream section 32 (see FIG. 5 ).

[0024] The small diameter section 33 is located downstream of the upstream section 31 and upstream of the intermediate section 34 in the air flow. The small diameter section 33 smoothly connects the upstream section 31, which decreases in diameter downstream, to the intermediate section 34, which increases in diameter downstream, and has, for example, an arc-shaped cross section. The inner diameter of the casing 30 at the small diameter section 33 is smaller than the inner diameter of the casing 30 at the upstream section 31, the intermediate section 34, and the downstream section 32.

[0025] As described above, in this embodiment, when viewed in the radial direction, the upstream section 31, the small diameter section 33, and at least a portion of the intermediate section 34 of the casing 30 are arranged to overlap with the boss 10 and the blades 20. In the upstream section 31, the small diameter section 33, and the intermediate section 34 of the casing 30, which are arranged on the outer periphery of the boss 10 and the blades 20, the inner diameter of the casing 30 first decreases toward the downstream side, reaches a minimum diameter, and then increases. In the downstream section 32 of the casing 30, which is arranged on the outer periphery of the cup section 50, the inner diameter of the casing 30 is constant.

[0026] The air flow path within the casing 30 is defined on the upstream side by the inner circumferential surface of the casing 30 and the outer circumferential surface 13 of the boss 10, and on the downstream side by the inner circumferential surface of the casing 30 and the outer circumferential surface of the cup portion 50. In this specification, the flow path cross-sectional area within the casing 30 is defined as the value obtained by subtracting the cross-sectional area of ​​the boss 10 or the cross-sectional area of ​​the cup portion 50 from the cross-sectional area of ​​the space surrounded by the inner circumferential surface of the casing 30 in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis 11.

[0027] In this embodiment, the flow path cross-sectional area in the downstream portion 32 of the casing 30 is smaller than the flow path cross-sectional area in the upstream portion 31 of the casing 30. In other words, the discharge area of ​​the casing 30 is smaller than the suction area of ​​the casing 30, so that the air drawn into the casing 30 is efficiently pressurized. For example, the flow path cross-sectional area in the casing 30 monotonically decreases downstream in the upstream portion 31, and is generally constant downstream of the small diameter portion 33.

[0028] The cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path within the casing 30 may decrease downstream in the entire section from the suction-side opening 30u to the outlet-side opening of the casing 30. In this case, if the diameter of the cup portion 50 is constant as in the example of Figure 5, the downstream portion 32 of the casing 30 may be formed to have a smaller diameter.

[0029] Furthermore, a slight inclination (e.g., 0.2 to 0.3 mm) sufficient for molding purposes may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cup portion 50 or the inner peripheral surface of the casing 30 at the downstream portion 32 of the casing 30. Therefore, when the diameter of the cup portion 50 is constant or the inner diameter D5 of the casing 30 at the downstream portion 32 of the casing 30 is constant, this also includes cases where the slight inclination described above is present due to molding.

[0030] The motor 40 is disposed on the rotating shaft 11. The motor 40 is disposed inside the casing 30. The motor body 42 of the motor 40 is disposed downstream of the fan (the boss 10 and the plurality of blades 20) in the airflow. By disposing the motor body 42 and the structure for fixing the motor 40 within the housing 311 (the cup portion 50 in this embodiment) downstream of the blades 20, loss during air intake can be reduced compared to when the motor body 42 is disposed upstream of the blades 20. As a result, the input power and noise of the blower 100 can be reduced.

[0031] The diameter of the motor 40 (motor body 42) is smaller than the maximum diameter of the boss 10 (i.e., the diameter Db at the downstream end of the boss 10). The motor shaft 41 of the motor 40 protrudes from the motor body 42 and is connected to the boss 10.

[0032] A connector wire 45 extends from the motor 40. The connector wire 45 is drawn out from the cup portion 50 and routed, for example, along the leading edge side of the airflow straightening rib 60. The connector wire 45 is drawn out to the outside of the blower 100 through, for example, a notch provided in the casing 30. The connector wire 45 may also be routed along the trailing edge side of the airflow straightening rib 60. By routing the connector wire 45 of the motor 40 along the leading edge side or the trailing edge side of the airflow straightening rib 60 in this way, interference between the connector wire 45 and the airflow can be reduced.

[0033] The cup portion 50 is disposed on the rotary shaft 11. The cup portion 50 has a cylindrical shape centered on the rotary shaft 11. The diameter Dc of the cup portion 50 is larger than the diameter of the motor 40. The diameter Dc of the cup portion 50 is approximately the same as the maximum diameter of the boss 10 (i.e., the diameter Db at the downstream end of the boss 10). The cup portion 50 supports the motor 40 (particularly the motor body 42) from the downstream side in the air flow. In FIG. 5 , the motor body 42 is housed in the cup portion 50. The cup portion 50 is supported by the casing 30 via a plurality of straightening ribs 60.

[0034] The plurality of rectifying ribs 60 are disposed downstream of the blades 20 in the airflow. Each of the rectifying ribs 60 is arranged radially around the rotation shaft 11. Each of the rectifying ribs 60 has an inner peripheral end and an outer peripheral end. The inner peripheral end of the rectifying rib 60 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the cup portion 50. The outer peripheral end of the rectifying rib 60 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the casing 30 (specifically, the inner peripheral surface of the downstream portion 32 of the casing 30). The rectifying ribs 60 function as stator blades that rectify the airflow generated by the blades 20. The dynamic pressure increased by the blades 20 is converted to static pressure by the rectifying ribs 60. Furthermore, since the inner diameter D5 of the casing 30 at the downstream portion 32 is constant, the linearity of the airflow blown out from the downstream portion 32 can be improved, thereby more efficiently converting dynamic pressure into static pressure.

[0035] When viewed in the radial direction, the flow straightening rib 60 is curved (see FIGS. 3 and 4). An upstream end 61 of the flow straightening rib 60 is inclined with respect to the rotation axis 11 in accordance with the direction of the swirling flow generated by the blades 20. On the other hand, a downstream end 62 of the flow straightening rib 60 is formed parallel to the rotation axis 11.

[0036] In FIG. 4 , the distance between the upstream end 61 of one of the flow straightening ribs 60-1 and the flow straightening rib 60-2 adjacent to the flow straightening rib 60-1 is defined as L1. The distance L1 is measured perpendicular to the extension direction of the flow straightening rib 60-1 at the upstream end 61 and along the inner circumferential surface of the casing 30. The distance between the downstream end 62 of the flow straightening rib 60-1 and the flow straightening rib 60-2 is defined as L2. The distance L2 is measured perpendicular to the extension direction of the flow straightening rib 60-1 at the downstream end 62 and along the inner circumferential surface of the casing 30. In this case, the distance L1 is shorter than the distance L2 (L1<L2). That is, the distance between two adjacent flow straightening ribs 60 in the circumferential direction gradually increases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the air flow. According to this configuration, the flow path between two adjacent flow straightening ribs 60 widens toward the downstream side, so that the pressure can be increased.

[0037] 6 , a portion of the blade 20 on the trailing edge 22 side is located downstream of the downstream end 14 of the boss 10 and upstream of the upstream end 51 of the cup portion 50. With this configuration, air leakage between the boss 10 and the cup portion 50 can be reduced.

[0038] The outer diameter D1 of the blade 20 at the trailing edge 22 is larger than the outer diameter D2 of the blade 20 at the leading edge 21 (D1 > D2). The fan blade portion (plural blades 20) is configured so that the outer diameter of the blade decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side in the airflow. Here, the outer diameter of the blade refers to the outer diameter of the blade in the meridian plane shape (see FIG. 6 ) obtained by projecting the fan blade portion onto the meridian plane. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the blade is approximately constant from the upstream side to the opposing portion 25 and increases monotonically downstream. That is, in this embodiment, the outer diameter D2 of the blade 20 at the leading edge 21 is the same as the outer diameter D3 of the blade 20 at the opposing portion 25 (D2 = D3). Furthermore, the outer diameter D1 of the blade 20 at the trailing edge 22 is at least larger than the outer diameter D3 of the blade 20 at the opposing portion 25 (D1 > D3).

[0039] In this embodiment, the outer diameter D1 of the blade 20 at the trailing edge 22 is larger than the inner diameter D4 of the casing 30 at the small diameter portion 33 (D1>D4). As a result, when viewed from the axially upstream side, a part of the outer peripheral edge 23 of the blade 20 on the trailing edge 22 side overlaps with the small diameter portion 33 of the casing 30 (see FIG. 1). This reduces airflow leakage at the outer periphery of the blade 20, thereby increasing the air volume.

[0040] However, the outer diameter D1 of the blade 20 at the trailing edge portion 22 may be smaller than the inner diameter D4 of the casing 30 at the small diameter portion 33. In this case, the blade 20 can be easily inserted into the casing 30, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the blower 100.

[0041] In the meridian shape of the blade 20 shown in Figure 6, the portion above the two-dot chain line is the portion that protrudes upstream from the blow-side opening of the casing 30. In the meridian shape of the blade 20, the portion below the two-dot chain line is the portion located inside the casing 30. In the meridian shape of the blade 20, the area of ​​the portion that protrudes upstream from the blow-side opening of the casing 30 is smaller than the area of ​​the portion located inside the casing 30. With this configuration, the pressure-boosting effect of the casing 30 can be sufficiently obtained.

[0042] 6 , the distance between the outer peripheral edge 23 of the blade 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 30 is maintained substantially constant in a portion (hereinafter also referred to as a first portion 20a) located downstream of the opposing portion 25 of the blade 20 in the axial direction. Note that the distance between the outer peripheral edge 23 of the blade 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 30 may narrow toward the downstream side in the first portion 20a. However, the distance between the outer peripheral edge 23 of the blade 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 30 increases toward the leading edge 21, i.e., toward the upstream side, in a portion (hereinafter also referred to as a second portion 20b) located upstream of the opposing portion 25 of the blade 20 in the axial direction.

[0043] As shown in Figure 2, the chord length of the first portion 20a is LA, and the chord length of the second portion 20b is LB. In this case, the relationship LA x 2 < LB is satisfied. This reduces airflow leakage at the outer periphery of the blade 20, thereby increasing the air volume.

[0044] Fig. 8 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the metal grill 314 has been removed from the outdoor unit 310 according to Embodiment 1. Fig. 9 is a schematic front view showing the upper half of the outdoor unit 310 according to Embodiment 1. Fig. 10 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing the configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus 300 according to Embodiment 1. The outdoor unit 310 is equipped with the blower 100 described using Figs. 1 to 6, and is mounted on the refrigeration cycle apparatus 300. An air conditioner will be shown below as an example of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 300.

[0045] (Refrigeration Cycle Apparatus 300) As shown in FIG. 10 , the refrigeration cycle apparatus 300 (air conditioner) includes an outdoor unit 310 and an indoor unit 320. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 300 includes a refrigerant circuit 300C in which a compressor 301, a heat exchanger 303, an expansion valve 304, and an indoor heat exchanger 305 are connected in this order via refrigerant piping. The compressor 301 circulates refrigerant through the refrigerant circuit 300C. The refrigerant circuit 300C also includes a flow path switching device 302 that switches the refrigerant flow path between cooling operation and heating operation. The flow path switching device 302 is configured, for example, with a four-way valve. The outdoor unit 310 includes the compressor 301, the heat exchanger 303, and the expansion valve 304. The indoor unit 320 includes an indoor heat exchanger 305. During heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger 305 functions as a condenser, and the heat exchanger 303 functions as an evaporator. During cooling operation, indoor heat exchanger 305 functions as an evaporator, and heat exchanger 303 functions as a condenser. The outdoor unit 310 is provided with the above-mentioned blower 100, and the indoor unit 320 is provided with an indoor blower 306. Figure 10 shows a case where three blowers 100 (first blower 100-1 and second blower 100-2) are provided in the outdoor unit 310.

[0046] (Outdoor Unit 310) The outdoor unit 310 will be described using Figures 7 to 9. In Figures 7 to 9, the outdoor unit 310 is a side-flow type outdoor unit 310 in which an air outlet 315 is formed on a side surface. The outdoor unit 310 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 311. Hereinafter, the side surface of the housing 311 of the outdoor unit 310 on which the outlet 315 is provided is referred to as the front surface 312. In Figures 7 to 9, the width direction (left-right direction) of the outdoor unit 310 when viewed with the front surface 312 of the outdoor unit 310 as the front is indicated by the arrow X direction, the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the outdoor unit 310 is indicated by the arrow Y direction, and the height direction (up-down direction) of the outdoor unit 310 is indicated by the arrow Z direction. The left side of Figure 7 represents the rear side of the outdoor unit 310.

[0047] 7, blower 100 is disposed in housing 311 so that its air blowing side faces blowing section 315 of front section 312. Air inlets 317 are formed in the rear and left side sections of housing 311.

[0048] In this embodiment, the front surface 312 of the housing 311 is composed of a metal front panel 313 (see FIG. 8 ) in which a circular air outlet 313o is formed, and a metal grill 314 (see FIG. 9 ) in which an air outlet 315 is formed. The metal grill 314 is provided on the outer side of the front panel 313, i.e., on the front side and downstream in the air flow, so that the air outlet 315 faces the air outlet 313o of the front panel 313. Note that, although the present embodiment shows an example in which the front surface 312 is composed of the front panel 313 and the metal grill 314, the front surface 312 may also be the front panel 313 in which the air outlet 315 is formed.

[0049] The outdoor unit 310 also includes a heat exchanger 303, a compressor 301, and a partition plate 319 that separates the interior space of the housing 311 into a blower chamber F in which the blower 100 and other components are disposed, and a machinery chamber M in which the compressor 301 and other components are disposed. A power supply board (not shown) and other components are disposed in the machinery chamber M. A connector wire from the motor 40 of the blower 100 is connected to the power supply board.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 8 , the outdoor unit 310 has a first fan 100-1 and a second fan 100-2 as the fans 100. The first fan 100-1 and the second fan 100-2 are arranged parallel to each other in the vertical direction (the direction of the arrow Z). The rotation shaft 11 of the first fan 100-1 and the rotation shaft 11 of the second fan 100-2 are parallel to each other. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the first fan 100-1 and the second fan 100-2 are arranged vertically along the front side of the fan chamber F (the front panel 313 of the housing 311). Note that, although two fans 100 are arranged parallel to each other in this embodiment, three or more fans 100 may be arranged parallel to each other.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 7 , the heat exchanger 303 is disposed upstream of the blower 100 in the air flow. The heat exchanger 303 is L-shaped when viewed from above. The heat exchanger 303 is disposed along the rear and left side surfaces of the housing 311 where the air inlet 317 is formed. The width of the rear portion of the heat exchanger 303 in the left-right direction (direction of arrow X) is greater than the width of the blower 100, and when the outdoor unit 310 is viewed from the rear side, the entire suction-side opening 30u of the blower 100 overlaps with the rear portion of the heat exchanger 303. The rear and left portions of the heat exchanger 303 are spaced apart from the blower 100.

[0052] In Figure 7, partition plate 319 divides the interior space of housing 311 into a fan chamber F on the left side and a machine chamber M on the right side. The rear portion of partition plate 319 is bent toward the machine chamber M, and the rear side of fan chamber F is expanded toward the machine chamber M compared to the front side. The heat exchanger 303, which is L-shaped when viewed from above, is disposed on the rear side and left side of fan chamber F. Outside air is supplied to heat exchanger 303 by fan 100, which is disposed in fan chamber F together with fan 100.

[0053] The blower 100 is attached to a front panel 313 in which an air outlet 313o is formed. Specifically, the casing 30 and a cup portion 50 that houses the motor body 42 of the motor 40 are fixed to the front panel 313. The rotation axis 11 of the blower 100 is perpendicular to the surface of the front panel 313. As shown in FIG. 8 , the casing 30 of the blower 100 is fixed to the front panel 313 so that the rotation axis 11 of the blower 100 and the center of the air outlet 313o of the front panel 313 coincide with each other. The size of the air outlet 313o of the front panel 313 is set to be equal to or larger than the size of the air outlet opening of the casing 30 so that the airflow from the blower 100 is not obstructed by the front panel 313.

[0054] 9 , the air outlet portion 315 of the metal grille 314 has a plurality of holes 315h provided at positions corresponding to the gaps G between adjacent ones of the plurality of flow straightening ribs 60 of the blower 100 when viewed from the front of the outdoor unit 310, i.e., when viewed from the downstream side. The shape of each hole 315h in the air outlet portion 315 is generally the same as the shape of the gaps G between the flow straightening ribs 60.

[0055] Here, the gap G between the flow straightening ribs 60 when viewed from the downstream side is the region indicated by diagonal lines in Fig. 2. In other words, the gap G between the flow straightening ribs 60 when viewed from the downstream side is a region that penetrates in the axial direction and is formed between adjacent flow straightening ribs 60 between the cup portion 50 and the inner circumferential surface of the outlet-side opening of the casing 30 when the blower 100 is viewed from the downstream side. As shown in Fig. 9, the hole 315h of the outlet portion 315 may be formed larger than the gap G between the flow straightening ribs 60 when viewed from the downstream side shown in Fig. 2.

[0056] As shown in Figure 9, the blowing section 315 is composed of a circular opening edge section 315b, a circular central section 315a, and a plurality of bars 315c extending radially from the central section 315a to the opening edge section 315b.

[0057] In Figure 9, when viewed from the front of the outdoor unit 310, the radial crosspieces 315c provided between the holes 315h of the outlet section 315 have a width Wg in the circumferential direction that is the same as the width Wr (see Figure 2) of the rear edge portion, i.e., the downstream end 62, of the flow straightening rib 60. When viewed from the front of the outdoor unit 310, the crosspieces 315c are configured to cover only the downstream end 62 (end face) of the flow straightening rib 60. This reduces the effect of the front surface 312 of the outdoor unit 310 on the fan characteristics.

[0058] The central portion 315a of the blowout portion 315 is provided so as to cover at least a portion of the bottom surface (see FIG. 8) of the cup portion 50 in which the motor body 42 is housed, i.e., the downstream end of the cup portion 50. The inner diameter Dg1 of the blowout portion 315, i.e., the diameter of the central portion 315a, is the same as or smaller than the diameter Dc of the cup portion 50. The outer diameter Dg2 of the blowout portion 315, i.e., the opening diameter of the opening edge portion 315b, is the same as or larger than the inner diameter D5 of the casing 30 at the blowout-side opening of the casing 30 (in FIG. 5, the inner diameter D5 of the casing 30 at the downstream portion 32).

[0059] The operation of outdoor unit 310 will be described below with reference to Figures 6, 7, and 9. As shown in Figure 7, when blower 100 is driven, air (outside air) is drawn into housing 311 through heat exchanger 303 and then into blower 100. As indicated by the thick arrow in Figure 7, air is drawn into blower 100 from an area wider than suction-side opening 30u of casing 30.

[0060] As shown in Figure 6, the blower 100 includes a plurality of stator vanes (flow control ribs 60) arranged radially on the downstream side of the fan. The outer peripheral ends of the plurality of stator vanes are connected to the downstream section 32 of the casing 30. The inner diameter of the casing 30 decreases from the suction-side opening 30u toward the downstream section 32, reaching a minimum diameter and then expanding. The fan is disposed within the casing 30 so that a portion of the fan blades (plurality of blades 20) protrudes from the suction-side opening 30u. The boss 10 is configured so that its outer diameter increases from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the outer diameter of the fan blades (plurality of blades 20) decreases from the downstream side to the upstream side.

[0061] According to the above configuration, the air flow path formed between the outer peripheral surface 13 of the boss 10 and the inner peripheral surface of the casing 30 gradually narrows from the suction-side opening 30u of the casing 30 toward the smallest diameter portion of the casing 30. This allows the flow of air drawn into the casing 30 to contract, rectifying the airflow and increasing its wind speed, thereby making the wind speed uniform on the inner and outer peripheral sides of the blades 20. This effectively increases dynamic pressure. Furthermore, since multiple rectifying ribs 60 are radially arranged on the downstream side of the fan, the airflow with a uniform wind speed can flow into the rectifying ribs 60. This reduces pressure loss at the rectifying ribs 60 and efficiently converts dynamic pressure into static pressure. Therefore, the static pressure of the airflow blown out from the blower 100 is increased, and noise generated when air is blown out from the blower 100 is suppressed.

[0062] 9 , the blowout section 315 of the housing 311 facing the blowout side of the blower 100 has a plurality of holes 315h provided at positions corresponding to the gaps G between adjacent ones of the plurality of straightening ribs 60 when viewed from the downstream side. This configuration suppresses collision of the airflow from the gaps G between the straightening ribs 60 of the blower 100 with the blowout section 315 of the housing 311, suppressing the impact on the fan characteristics when the airflow is blown out from the outdoor unit 310 and suppressing noise generation. Therefore, even when air is blown out from the outdoor unit 310, the effect of increasing static pressure by the blower 100 is maintained and noise generation at the blowout section 315 is suppressed.

[0063] Furthermore, the bottom surface 53 of the cup portion 50 in which the motor 40 (see FIG. 6) is housed is covered by the central portion 315a of the blowout portion 315 of the housing 311. If the front surface 312 of the housing 311 on which the blowout portion 315 is provided is made of a metal member, the central portion 315a of the blowout portion 315, i.e., the metal member, will be located downstream of the bottom surface 53 of the cup portion 50. Therefore, noise from the fan, motor 40, etc. can be further reduced by the noise attenuation provided by the metal front surface 312.

[0064] (First Modification) Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a first modification of the blower 100 shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the blower 100a shown in Fig. 11 as viewed from the upstream side. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, in the blower 100a of the first modification, the tip side and internal structure of the boss 10a differ from the structure of the boss 10 shown in Figs. 2 to 6. Note that other configurations of the blower 100a, such as the outer peripheral surface 13 of the boss 10a, the plurality of blades 20, the casing 30, the motor 40, the cup portion 50, and the plurality of rectifying ribs 60, are the same as those of the blower 100 shown in Figs. 2 to 6.

[0065] In the blower 100a of the first modification, multiple reinforcing ribs 18 are provided on the tip side of the boss 10a, i.e., the upstream portion of the boss 10a. The boss 10a has an outer peripheral wall 15, a boss shaft portion 16 disposed within the outer peripheral wall 15, and a partition wall 17 disposed within the outer peripheral wall 15 to separate the upstream side from the downstream side. The outer peripheral wall 15 has the outer peripheral surface 13 described above as its outer surface. The boss shaft portion 16 has a cylindrical shape and is the portion of the boss 10a that is attached to the motor shaft 41 of the motor 40. The motor shaft 41 is inserted into the boss shaft portion 16 and fixed with a nut 43. The partition wall 17 is provided axially between the upstream end and downstream end of the outer peripheral wall 15. The boss 10a also has multiple reinforcing ribs 18 that extend upstream from the partition wall 17 and connect the boss shaft portion 16 to the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall 15.

[0066] That is, when viewed from the upstream axial direction, a plurality of recessed spaces 19a are formed between the boss shaft portion 16 and the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall 15, separated circumferentially by a plurality of reinforcing ribs 18 and having the partitions 17 as their bottoms. By providing the partitions 17, the motor body 42 located downstream of the fan cannot be seen from the upstream axial direction, and the intake airflow flows downstream through the outer peripheral side of the boss 10a. By providing structures such as the partitions 17 and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 18 within the outer peripheral wall 15 of the boss 10a, the rotational strength of the boss 10a, which has an outer peripheral surface 13 that is inclined relative to the axial direction, can be improved.

[0067] (Second Modification) FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the blower 100 shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the blower 100b shown in FIG. 13 as viewed from the upstream side. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 , in the blower 100b of the second modification, the boss 10b has an outer peripheral wall 15, a boss shaft portion 16 disposed within the outer peripheral wall 15 and attached to the motor shaft 41, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 18 connecting the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall 15 and the boss shaft portion 16. While the blower 100a of the first modification had a partition wall 17 (see FIG. 11 ) provided within the outer peripheral wall 15 of the boss 10a, the blower 100b of the second modification does not have a partition wall 17 within the outer peripheral wall 15 of the boss 10b. That is, the boss 10b has a plurality of through holes 19b penetrating from the upstream side to the downstream side so that the motor body 42 provided downstream of the fan can be seen when viewed from the upstream side in the axial direction. The boss 10b is configured to connect the space on its upstream side to the space on its downstream side in which the motor main body 42 is disposed.

[0068] By providing multiple through-holes 19b that penetrate boss 10b in the axial direction in this manner, part of the intake airflow flows downstream to motor body 42 through the multiple through-holes 19b in outer peripheral wall 15 of boss 10b, as shown by the thick arrows in Figure 13. This makes it possible to cool motor 40, which generates heat.

[0069] As described above, the outdoor unit 310 according to the first embodiment includes a housing 311 that forms an outer shell and that is provided with an air outlet 315, and a blower 100 that is disposed within the housing 311 such that the air outlet side faces the outlet 315 of the housing 311. The blower 100 includes a cylindrical casing 30 that has an intake-side opening 30u on the upstream side of the air flow and an outlet-side opening on the downstream side. The blower 100 also includes a boss 10 and a fan that has fan blades (plurality of blades 20) disposed on the outer periphery of the boss 10 and is disposed within the casing 30 such that a portion of the fan blades protrudes from the intake-side opening 30u. The blower 100 also includes a plurality of stator blades (flow straightening ribs 60) that are disposed radially downstream of the fan and whose outer peripheries are connected to the inner circumferential surface of the casing 30. The casing 30 is configured such that the outer peripheral ends of the multiple stator vanes are connected to a downstream section 32, which is the downstream end, and the inner diameter of the casing 30 decreases from the suction-side opening 30u toward the downstream section 32, reaching a minimum diameter and then expanding. The boss 10 is configured such that the outer diameter increases from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the fan blade section (multiple blades 20) is configured such that the blade outer diameter, when projected onto a meridian plane, decreases from the downstream side to the upstream side. The blowout section 315 has multiple holes 315h provided at positions corresponding to the gaps G between adjacent stator vanes (flow control ribs 60) when viewed from the downstream side.

[0070] The fan (boss 10 and multiple blades 20) and casing 30 in blower 100 efficiently increase dynamic pressure, and the multiple stator vanes (flow control ribs 60) efficiently convert the dynamic pressure back into static pressure, improving static pressure efficiency. Furthermore, collisions with the airflow from the multiple stator vanes are suppressed in the blowout section 315 of housing 311 compared to conventional designs, reducing the impact on fan characteristics when the airflow is blown out from outdoor unit 310 and suppressing noise generation. Therefore, static pressure efficiency can be improved and noise reduction can be achieved in outdoor unit 310.

[0071] Furthermore, the blow-out section 315 has a plurality of radially arranged crosspieces 315c that are provided at positions aligned with the trailing edges (downstream ends 62) of the plurality of stator vanes (flow straightening ribs 60) when viewed from the downstream side. This makes it possible to minimize collisions with air from the gaps G between the flow straightening ribs 60, further enhancing the effects of improving static pressure efficiency and reducing noise in the outdoor unit 310.

[0072] The outdoor unit 310 also includes a motor 40 that drives and rotates the fan and has a motor shaft 41 connected to a motor body 42 and a boss 10 that protrudes from the motor body 42. The motor body 42 of the motor 40 is disposed within the casing 30 on the downstream side of the fan.

[0073] This prevents the motor 40 from obstructing the flow of air drawn into the casing 30 by the rotation of the fan, making it easier to obtain sufficient airflow.

[0074] Furthermore, the boss 10b is provided with a plurality of through holes 19b that penetrate from the upstream side to the downstream side so that the motor 40 can be seen when viewed from the upstream side (see FIGS. 13 and 14). This allows a portion of the intake airflow to pass inside the outer peripheral surface 13 of the boss 10b. Therefore, even if the boss 10b is shaped so that its outer diameter increases from the upstream side to the downstream side as described above, the airflow can be directed at the motor body 42 downstream of the boss 10b to cool the heat-generating motor 40.

[0075] Boss 10b also has an outer peripheral wall 15, a boss shaft portion 16 that is disposed within outer peripheral wall 15 and attached to motor shaft 41, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 18 that connect the inner surface of outer peripheral wall 15 to boss shaft portion 16. The plurality of through holes 19b are gaps between adjacent ones of the plurality of reinforcing ribs 18. This makes it easy to mold boss 10b.

[0076] The outdoor unit 310 also includes a connector wire 45 drawn from the motor 40. The connector wire 45 is arranged along the leading edge (upstream end 61) of one of the plurality of stator vanes (flow control ribs 60). This makes it possible to reduce interference between the connector wire 45 and the airflow.

[0077] The housing 311 also has a metal wall surface (for example, a front surface 312) on which the blower 315 is provided. The blower 100 includes a cup portion 50 that houses the motor body 42 and to which the inner circumferential ends of the plurality of stator blades are connected. The blower 100 has a central portion 315a that is located downstream of the cup portion 50. As a result, even in a configuration in which the motor body 42 is located downstream of the fan, noise from the motor 40 can be reduced by noise attenuation provided by the metal central portion 315a that is located downstream of the cup portion 50.

[0078] Furthermore, boss 10a has an outer peripheral wall 15, a boss shank 16 disposed within outer peripheral wall 15, a partition wall 17 disposed within outer peripheral wall 15 to separate the upstream side from the downstream side, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 18 extending from partition wall 17 to the upstream side and connecting boss shank 16 to the inner surface of outer peripheral wall 15. Thus, by providing structures such as partition wall 17 and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 18 within outer peripheral wall 15 of boss 10a, it is possible to improve the rotational strength of boss 10a, which has an outer peripheral surface 13 that is inclined with respect to the axial direction.

[0079] The refrigeration cycle apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment has a refrigerant circuit 300C through which a refrigerant circulates, and is also provided with the above-described outdoor unit 310. The outdoor unit 310 has a compressor 301 that circulates the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 300C. Performance of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 300 equipped with the above-described outdoor unit 310 can be improved.

[0080] Embodiment 2. Figure 15 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of an outdoor unit 310c according to embodiment 2. Figure 16 is a partially enlarged view of the fan 100c in Figure 15. Figure 16 shows a cross section of the fan 100c cut along a meridian plane. The thick arrows in Figure 16 indicate the direction of air flow. In Figure 16, the upper side represents the upstream side of the air flow.

[0081] 15 and 16, in an outdoor unit 310c according to embodiment 2, the arrangement of the motor 40 differs from that in embodiment 1. Therefore, the outdoor unit 310c is configured to include a motor support portion 307 that supports the motor 40.

[0082] The configuration of the blower 100c, other than the arrangement of the motor 40, is the same as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the blower 100c includes a plurality of stator vanes (flow straightening ribs 60) arranged radially on the downstream side of the fan. The casing 30 is configured such that the outer peripheral ends of the plurality of stator vanes are connected to the downstream section 32, and the inner diameter of the casing 30 decreases from the suction-side opening 30u toward the downstream section, reaching a minimum diameter, and then expanding. The boss 10 is configured such that the outer diameter increases from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the fan blade section (plurality of blades 20) has a blade outer diameter that decreases from the downstream side to the upstream side. Furthermore, the configuration of the outdoor unit 310c, other than the motor support section 307, is also the same as in the first embodiment. Specifically, the blowout section 315 of the housing 311 of the outdoor unit 310c has a plurality of holes 315h provided at positions corresponding to the gaps G between adjacent stator vanes (flow straightening ribs 60) when viewed from the downstream side (see FIG. 9 ).

[0083] As an example of a fan blade whose blade outer diameter decreases from downstream to upstream, Fig. 6 illustrates a case in which the blade outer diameter of the fan blade is substantially constant from the upstream side to the opposing portion 25 and then monotonically increases downstream from that point. Fig. 16 illustrates another example of a fan blade whose blade outer diameter decreases from downstream to upstream, where the blade outer diameter of the fan blade increases monotonically from the upstream side to near the downstream end (specifically, downstream of the opposing portion 25) and then becomes substantially constant near the downstream end.

[0084] In FIG. 15, the outdoor unit 310c includes two fans 100c (a first fan 100c-1 and a second fan 100c-2). The first fan 100c-1 and the second fan 100c-2 are arranged parallel to each other in the vertical direction (the direction of the arrow Z). In the outdoor unit 310c of the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, each fan 100c is attached to the front panel 313. Specifically, the casing 30 and the cup portion 50 are fixed to the front panel 313.

[0085] 15 , the motor 40 is disposed on the rotary shaft 11, as in the case of the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, the motor body 42 of the motor 40 is disposed outside the casing 30 and upstream of the fan (i.e., the boss 10 and the plurality of blades 20), that is, inside the housing 311 of the outdoor unit 310c and further back than the fan. In other words, the motor body 42 is not housed in the cup portion 50. For this reason, the outdoor unit 310c of the second embodiment is configured to include a motor support portion 307 for fixing the motor body 42 inside the housing 311.

[0086] The motor support portion 307 is a frame-like member extending in the vertical direction (arrow Z direction), with the motor body 42 of the first fan 100c-1 fixed to its upper portion and the motor body 42 of the second fan 100c-2 fixed to its lower portion. Within the housing 311, the motor support portion 307 is disposed in the space between the fans of the first fan 100c-1 and the second fan 100c-2 and the rear portion of the heat exchanger 303. The motor support portion 307 is disposed, for example, on the bottom surface of the housing 311 and attached to the heat exchanger 303. Because the motor support portion 307 is a frame-like member with holes, it prevents obstruction of the airflow between the heat exchanger 303 and the fans.

[0087] In this way, the present disclosure can also be applied to the outdoor unit 310c that includes the motor support portion 307.

[0088] The configuration of the outdoor units 310, 310c is not limited to that of the above-described Embodiments 1 and 2. The configuration of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 300 is not limited to that of the above-described Embodiment 1.

[0089] For example, the wall surface of the housing 311 on which the blowing section 315 is provided may be any wall surface that faces the blowing side of the fan 100. The outdoor units 310 and 310c may be, for example, top-flow outdoor units in which the air blowing section 315 is provided on the upper surface. The wall surface on which the blowing section 315 is provided is preferably a metal wall surface.

[0090] Furthermore, for example, each of the flow straightening ribs 60 may be formed so that its outer peripheral end is located rearward of its inner peripheral end in the rotation direction R of the blade 20. In this case, when viewed from the downstream axial side, each of the flow straightening ribs 60 may be curved so that its forward side is convex in the rotation direction R of the blade 20. In this way, by arranging each of the flow straightening ribs 60 so that its outer peripheral end is located rearward of its inner peripheral end in the rotation direction R of the blade 20, it is possible to straighten the airflow while reducing the flow resistance of each of the flow straightening ribs 60. In this case, the bars 315c of the blowing section 315 provided corresponding to the trailing edge portions (downstream ends 62) of the flow straightening ribs 60 are arranged so that their outer peripheral ends are located rearward of the inner peripheral end of the bars 315c in the rotation direction R of the blade 20, similar to the flow straightening ribs 60.

[0091] Furthermore, for example, the inner diameter D5 (see FIG. 5) of the casing 30 in the downstream portion 32 does not have to be constant, and may increase or decrease from the upstream side toward the downstream blow-out opening.

[0092] 10 boss, 10a boss, 10b boss, 11 rotating shaft, 12 tip surface, 13 outer peripheral surface, 14 downstream end, 15 outer peripheral wall, 16 boss shaft portion, 17 partition wall, 18 reinforcing rib, 19a recessed space, 19b through hole, 20 blade, 20a first portion, 20b second portion, 21 leading edge portion, 22 trailing edge portion, 23 outer peripheral edge portion, 24 inner peripheral edge portion, 25 opposing portion, 30 casing, 30u suction side opening, 31 upstream portion, 32 downstream portion, 33 small diameter portion, 34 intermediate portion, 40 motor, 41 motor shaft, 42 motor body, 43 nut, 45 connector wire, 50 cup portion, 51 upstream end, 53 bottom surface, 60 straightening rib, 60-1 straightening rib, 60-2 straightening rib, 61 Upstream end, 62 downstream end, 100 blower, 100-1 first blower, 100-2 second blower, 100a blower, 100b blower, 100c blower, 100c-1 first blower, 100c-2 second blower, 300 refrigeration cycle device, 300C refrigerant circuit, 301 compressor, 302 flow path switching device, 303 heat exchanger, 304 expansion valve, 305 indoor heat exchanger, 306 indoor blower, 307 motor support portion, 310 outdoor unit, 310c outdoor unit, 311 housing, 312 front portion, 313 front panel, 313o air outlet, 314 metal grill, 315 air outlet portion, 315a central portion, 315b opening edge portion, 315c Crosspiece, 315h hole, 317 intake port, 319 partition plate, 320 indoor unit, D1 outer diameter, D2 outer diameter, D3 outer diameter, D4 inner diameter, D5 inner diameter, Dg1 inner diameter, Dg2 outer diameter, F blower room, G gap, L top view, L1 distance, L2 distance, M machine room, R rotation direction, Wg width.

Claims

1. An outdoor unit comprising: a housing that constitutes an outer shell and is provided with an air blowing section; and a blower disposed within the housing so that the air blowing side faces the blowing section of the housing, wherein the blower comprises: a cylindrical casing having an intake side opening upstream in the air flow and an outlet side opening downstream; a fan having a boss and fan blades provided on the outer periphery of the boss, the fan being disposed within the casing so that a portion of the fan blades protrudes from the intake side opening; and a plurality of stator blades that are provided radially downstream of the fan and have their outer peripheral ends connected to the inner peripheral surface of the casing, wherein the outer peripheral ends of the plurality of stator blades are connected to the downstream section, which is the downstream end, and the inner diameter of the casing is configured to decrease and then increase from the suction side opening to a minimum diameter as it moves toward the downstream section, and the outer diameter of the boss increases as it moves from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the outer diameter of the fan blades, when projected onto a meridian plane, decreases as it moves from the downstream side to the upstream side, The blowout section has a plurality of holes provided at positions corresponding to gaps between adjacent ones of the plurality of stator vanes when viewed from the downstream side.

2. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the blowing section is provided at a position aligned with the trailing edge portions of the plurality of stator vanes when viewed from the downstream side, and has a plurality of bars arranged radially.

3. An outdoor unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising a motor that drives the fan to rotate, the motor having a motor body and a motor shaft that protrudes from the motor body and is connected to the boss, the motor body being positioned downstream of the fan within the casing.

4. The outdoor unit according to claim 3, wherein the boss is provided with a plurality of through holes that extend from the upstream side to the downstream side so that the motor can be seen when viewed from the upstream side.

5. An outdoor unit as described in claim 4, wherein the boss has an outer peripheral wall, a boss shaft portion disposed within the outer peripheral wall and attached to the motor shaft, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs connecting the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall and the boss shaft portion, and the plurality of through holes are gaps between each adjacent one of the plurality of reinforcing ribs.

6. The outdoor unit according to any one of claims 3 to 5, further comprising a connector wire drawn from the motor, the connector wire being arranged along a leading edge portion of one of the plurality of stator vanes.

7. An outdoor unit as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the housing has a metal wall on which the blowing section is provided, the blower has a cup section in which the motor body is housed and to which the inner circumferential ends of the plurality of stator vanes are connected, and the blowing section has a central section located downstream of the cup section.

8. An outdoor unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the boss has: an outer peripheral wall; a boss shaft portion arranged within the outer peripheral wall; a partition wall provided within the outer peripheral wall to separate the upstream side from the downstream side; and a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending from the partition wall to the upstream side and connecting the boss shaft portion to the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall.

9. A refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit through which a refrigerant circulates, comprising an outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the outdoor unit has a compressor that circulates the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit.

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