Outer Rotor Fan-Motor Assembly for Low-Vibration Refrigerator Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fan-motor assemblies in refrigerators experience vibration and noise due to imbalance and direct contact between components, which degrades performance and increases noise levels as rotational speed increases, necessitating a solution for low-vibration and low-noise operation.
Innovation Solution
A fan-motor assembly design featuring an outer rotor fan motor with a rotor frame spaced apart from the hub, using a shaft to provide rotational force, and a rotor frame that is integrally formed with the shaft, with a dome shape and stepped portions to restrict vibration, and a spring to fix the fan and shaft, along with bearings and an insulator for electrical insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the rotational frequency of the fan is increased to increase wind flow rate, then the productivity is improved, but the vibration and noise increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vibration isolation member as an intermediary component between the motor and the fan hub. This mediator absorbs and isolates vibrations generated by the motor during high-speed rotation, preventing their transmission to the fan blades. This allows the fan to operate at high rotational frequencies for increased wind flow rate while the vibration isolation member suppresses the accompanying vibration and noise, thus resolving the technical contradiction between productivity improvement and harmful factor reduction.
2Device complexity
If components are directly coupled to transmit rotational force, then the device complexity is reduced, but the vibration transmission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vibration isolation member serves as an intermediary element inserted between the motor shaft and the fan hub. While this adds one component to the coupling structure, it significantly reduces vibration transmission by absorbing mechanical vibrations. The simple ring-shaped design of the vibration isolation member minimizes the increase in device complexity while effectively addressing the vibration transmission problem that would otherwise require complex damping mechanisms.
3Productivity
If the fan rotates at high speed to meet customer noise reduction requirements, then the productivity is improved, but the friction between components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vibration isolation member acts as a mediator that reduces friction between components during high-speed rotation. By providing a cushioning layer between the motor shaft and fan hub, it minimizes direct metal-to-metal contact and reduces frictional losses. This allows the fan to rotate at high speeds for improved wind generation capability while the vibration isolation member reduces energy loss through friction, thereby resolving the technical contradiction between productivity improvement and energy loss reduction.
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 design effectively prevents vibration and noise transmission, maintains component balance, and reduces deformation, resulting in improved performance and reduced noise levels even at high-speed rotation.
Implementation Method 1
a magnet generating magnetic flux for rotating the rotor
Implementation Method 2
a spring to fix the fan and shaft
Implementation Method 3
bearings and an insulator for electrical insulation
Data Source
AI summary
A fan-motor assembly includes a fan which includes a hub and blades and generates a wind by using a rotational force, and an outer rotor fan motor which includes a stator and a rotor rotating at the periphery of the stator and is coupled to the fan by a shaft to provide the rotational force to the fan. In the fan-motor assembly, the rotor includes a magnet generating magnetic flux for rotating the rotor, and a rotor frame which surrounds the magnet to be coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the magnet and is spaced apart from the hub by the shaft so as not to be directly contacted with the hub.