Blender Base Airflow Path Design to Reduce Motor Cooling Noise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Loud noise generated by blenders, particularly due to motor operation and associated vibrations, disrupts environments in both household and commercial settings, and existing solutions fail to effectively reduce noise without adding additional components.
Innovation Solution
A blender base design featuring a housing with an air inlet and exhaust port, a diffuser with a curved wall, and a fan that directs airflow through the motor bore, creating a tortuous path for sound and air to reduce noise perception, while a motor baffle member ensures all air passes through the motor bore and exhaust port, minimizing noise leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling air is forced through the motor and base, then the motor is cooled effectively, but noise is amplified and transmitted to the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curved air passageways and rounded flow paths within the base housing to redirect cooling air away from direct line-of-sight transmission paths. The curved geometry diffracts sound waves and prevents straight-line noise propagation while maintaining effective motor cooling through the exhaust port.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary air flow path that acts as a mediator between the motor cooling function and noise reduction goal. By routing air through curved passageways and using the base housing as a sound barrier, the system decouples the cooling function from noise transmission, allowing both objectives to be achieved simultaneously.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a tortuous air path is created to reduce noise, then noise perception is reduced, but air flow resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The curved air passageways are designed with gradual bends rather than sharp angles, reducing flow separation and turbulence. This minimizes energy loss while still achieving the noise reduction benefit of blocking direct sound transmission paths from the motor to the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the geometry parameters of the air passageways, including curvature radius, passage cross-section area, and flow path length, to balance noise reduction with minimal pressure drop. The exhaust port positioning and sizing are specifically tuned to maintain adequate cooling air flow despite the tortuous path.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces perceived noise levels by at least 10 dB, addressing the root cause of noise generation within the blender base without adding extra components, thereby improving user experience in noisy environments.
Implementation Method 1
a fan operatively forcing air to travel through the air inlet aperture, about the diffuser, and through the diffuser aperture
Implementation Method 2
a diffuser disposed in the housing and comprising a diffuser aperture operatively in fluid communication with the air inlet aperture
Implementation Method 3
The vibrations created by the operating motor cause the base itself, and other components within the base, to vibrate, thereby generating additional noise
Implementation Method 4
The air moving within the blender and out of the blender contributes to the noise heard during operation of the blender
Data Source
AI summary
A blender system is shown and described herein. In one aspect, the blender system includes a base with an interior and an exterior formed by a housing. The housing may include an air inlet port and an exhaust port. The interior of the base includes a motor bore forming an air pathway connecting the air inlet port to the exhaust port. The motor bore also includes an entry aperture fluidly connecting the motor bore to the air inlet port. The entry aperture is indirectly in line with the air inlet port. The exit aperture fluidly connects the motor bore to the exhaust port, and the exit aperture is indirectly in line with the exhaust port.