EP1561037B1 - Fan, in particular for a device - Google Patents

Abstract

A fan has a hub and a fan housing connected to the hub. The fan housing delimits an air passage of the fan outwardly. A fan wheel is connected to the hub and rotatably arranged in the air passage. A motor is arranged on the hub for driving the fan wheel. An electrical connection with at least one flexible line is connected to the motor and extends from the motor to the fan housing. A recess is provided within the fan housing and the flexible line extends from the motor to the recess. A holding member locks in place in the recess and deflects the flexible line at least at one deflection location about a predetermined minimum angle to thereby effect strain relief on the portion of the flexible line extending from the deflection location to the motor.

Description

The invention relates to a fan, in particular a device fan. The latter has a hub, a fan housing connected to the hub, which defines an air passage opening provided in the fan to the outside, also a fan wheel, which is rotatably arranged in the air passage opening, a motor arranged on the hub for driving the fan wheel, and an electrical connection which leads from the motor to the fan housing and has at least one electrical line.

In such lines, a so-called strain relief must be provided. In fact, they are usually soldered to a printed circuit board of the motor, and this solder joint is not permanently loadable and can be damaged or destroyed by mechanical drag, which is why such a train must be stopped before it is e.g. can reach the circuit board.

There are various possibilities for such strain reliefs. It is possible to deflect the flexible conduit in at least two places by a certain angle, whereby the tensile force is absorbed in the region of these deflections, so that the underlying part of the flexible conduit leading to the engine remains draft-free. This prevents that during transport, during installation, and during the operation of such a fan, a pulling force on the electrical line into the interior of the fan and the contact points or solder joints or plug contacts and, for. is transferred to the circuit board of the motor.

To ensure such strain relief permanently, it must be ensured that the line is held at these deflection points.

In fans with plastic housings to reach the strain relief, for. in that one threads the line into fixed deflections. Threading namely a flexible line in locking lugs or constrictions, so it is held there permanently.

For metal housings, the electrical line is threaded through an opening in the flange and then secured by inserting a holder and thus permanently held. If a plug is attached to such a cable, it must not be larger than the opening in the flange, as otherwise it can not be threaded through this opening. In such a case, one proceeds in such a way that one fixes the plug only after mounting the line to this, or that one solves the cable provided with a plug only after its mounting on the circuit board of the engine, but this increases the assembly time and the Assembly costs increased.

From US 4 549 858 A1 a fan is known. This one has a hub, one connected to the hub Fan housing which defines an air passage opening provided in the fan to the outside and at two points of its circumference each having a radial extension, further comprising a fan wheel which is rotatably disposed in the air passage opening and performs a rotation in the circumferential direction during its rotation, further one on the hub arranged motor for driving the fan wheel, and an electrical connection, which leads from the motor to the fan housing and having an electrical line, wherein in the radial extension of the fan housing, a recess is provided. On the line a support block is formed, and this is anchored in an opening of the motor stator and thus acts as a strain relief. From it, the line is guided in the direction of the axis of rotation of the motor to the outside, where it is deflected in the radial direction and guided in the region of the radial extension in a plastic part and clamped, which latter is fixed in the recess in this radial extension. Such a construction is complex.

It is an object of the invention to provide a new fan.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by the subject matter of patent claim 1. The invention uses a recess in the radial extension of the fan housing. This extension extends in the direction of the movement of the impeller and approximately tangential to the local course of the fan housing. In this recess, the electrical line is guided, and in this recess, a holding member is inserted and latched there, which deflects the electrical line at least one point by a predetermined minimum angle in the latched state, on the side leading to the motor of this line a strain relief cause. By using the insertable into the recess of the fan housing and there latchable holding member, it is achieved that, for example, a flexible line before mounting this support member in a simple manner can be inserted into the recess provided for this, so need not be threaded, and that only is deflected during assembly of the holding member.

After mounting the support member so fixed a conduit - can be removed only from the strain relief by either removing the support member again, or by ausfüädelt the flexible line over its entire length from the deflections - without plug. A flexible cable to which a plug is attached, can only be removed from the strain relief by removing the retaining member from its catch. It is therefore very advantageous that the electrical line does not have to be threaded into the at least one deflection, but that it is deflected when the holding member is inserted and locked, and that in the latched position of the holding member, the deflection necessary for a strain relief is automatically given.

In a preferred manner, one proceeds according to claim 2, that the holding member in the latched state, the electrical line at two locations by a predetermined minimum angle deflects to cause the strain relief. This results in a very safe strain relief, without the need for an additional during assembly Effort would be necessary. The invention also achieves that the assembly time is independent of the length of the electrical line, and that also lines at the end of a plug is attached, can be easily installed.

Such a support member has the advantage that the electrical line does not need to be threaded there, but that you can simply hang them on the support member, which simplifies the assembly.

Fig. 1

eine raumbildliche Darstellung einer bevorzugten Ausführungsform eines erfindungsgemäßen Lüfters vor der Fertigmontage,

Fig. 2

eine Explosionsdarstellung des Lüfters der Fig. 1,

Fig. 3

eine Draufsicht auf die Luftaustrittsseite des Lüfters der Fig. 1,

Fig. 4

einen Schnitt, gesehen längs der Linie IV-IV der Fig. 3,

Fig. 5

eine Seitenansicht eines verrastbaren Halteglieds 80, gesehen in Richtung des Pfeiles V der Fig. 7,

Fig. 6

einen Schnitt, gesehen längs der Linie VI-VI der Fig. 3,

Fig. 7

eine Draufsicht, gesehen in Richtung des Pfeiles VII der Fig. 5,

Fig. 8

eine Schemadarstellung des Halteglieds 80 der Fig. 5 im montierten Zustand,

Fig. 9

einen Schnitt, gesehen längs der Linie IX-IX der Fig. 11,

Fig. 10

eine Draufsicht auf ein Eck des Lüfters, in welchem ein Halteglied 80 montiert ist,

Fig. 11

einen Schnitt, gesehen längs der Linie XI-XI der Fig. 10, also analog Fig. 4, aber bei montiertem Halteglied und montierter flexibler Leitung 52, und

Fig. 12 bis 15

raumbildliche Darstellungen des Halteglieds 80, gesehen aus verschiedenen Richtungen.

Further details and advantageous developments of the invention will become apparent from the described below and shown in the drawing, in no way as a limitation of the invention to be understood embodiment, and from the other dependent claims. It shows:

Fig. 1

a three-dimensional representation of a preferred embodiment of a fan according to the invention before the final assembly,

Fig. 2

an exploded view of the fan of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3

a top view of the air outlet side of the fan of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4

a section, taken along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5

3 is a side view of a latchable holding member 80, seen in the direction of arrow V of FIG. 7,

Fig. 6

3 is a section taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 3,

Fig. 7

a top view, as seen in the direction of arrow VII of FIG. 5,

Fig. 8

a schematic representation of the holding member 80 of FIG. 5 in the mounted state,

Fig. 9

a section, taken along the line IX-IX of Fig. 11,

Fig. 10

a plan view of a corner of the fan, in which a holding member 80 is mounted,

Fig. 11

a section, as seen along the line XI-XI of FIG. 10, ie analogous to FIG. 4, but with mounted holding member and mounted flexible line 52, and

Fig. 12 to 15

three-dimensional representations of the holding member 80, seen from different directions.

FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view a so-called device fan 20. This is exemplary shown here as diagonal fan, which has advantages for some applications because a more favorable fan characteristic curve shows that if, for example, a filter is clogged and therefore the flow rate dV / dt (Flow Rate) of the fan 20, in a diagonal fan, the generated pressure Δpf (static pressure) increases more than that of an axial fan, which provides a safety margin for the user, especially when a high pressure is required in a large amount of air.

Fig. 2 shows the structure of the fan 20 in an exploded view. This has a fan housing 22 which has approximately the shape of a frusto-conical tube 24, at the two ends mounting flanges 26, 28 are provided. The flow direction of the air is shown in Fig. 1 at 30. The inflow side of the fan 20 is denoted by 32, the outflow side by 34.

The fan 20 has a motor 36 whose stator is indicated in FIGS. 1 to 3 with dashed lines and a fan 38 with fan blades 40 drives. The motor 36 is preferably an electronically commutated two-phase external rotor motor in which the fan wheel 38 is mounted directly on the outer rotor.

The shape of the fan blades 40 is adapted to the conical shape of the inside of the tube 24. The fan 38 is formed frustoconical on its outer side 39, as indicated in Fig. 2 and forms together with the This has a smaller diameter on the air inlet side 32 than on the air outlet side 34. Likewise, the fan 38 has on the air inlet side 32 has a smaller diameter, which increases in the direction of the air outlet side 34.

For mounting the motor 36 is a hereinafter referred to as a hub mounting flange 44, which is connected via thin support webs 46 with the fan housing 22. This is preferably done by screw, which are indicated in Fig. 1 to 3 at 48. For this purpose, the webs 46 at their ends widening 21, which fit into corresponding recesses 23 of the fan housing 22, cf. Two diametrically opposite recesses 23 each have a centering pin 25 which fits positively into a corresponding recess 27 of the associated widening 21 and thus the hub 44 exactly in the conical tube 24 centered. The screws 48 are therefore only for attachment, but not for centering. This is a very advantageous type of attachment, also with regard to automation of production.

Further, a shortened web 50 is provided on the hub 44, the function of which is to support a flexible electrical connection line 52 of the motor 36, e.g. can be designed as a multi-core sheathed cable. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the flexible conduit 52 comes through a lateral opening 49 of the hub 44 from the motor 36 where it is e.g. soldered to a printed circuit board, not shown, is then inserted into a guide groove 53 provided on the web 50, and then led further outwards to the fan housing 22, where a so-called strain relief is provided for the line 52, which is described below.

The motor 36 is fixedly connected to the hub 44 via retaining claws, not shown, and the webs 46, 50 are preferably formed integrally with the hub 44. In Fig. 1, the direction of rotation of the illustrated fan 20 is indicated at 56.

The connecting line 52 of the fan 20 usually includes a plurality of flexible insulated lines, preferably called so-called strands, each of which is composed of a plurality of thin wires, which are covered by an insulating material. In household such flexible lines or "strands" eg in the form of multi-core sheathed cables are used for the electrical connection of irons or televisions. A fan 20 requires two lines for supplying an operating voltage. In many cases, additional lines are provided, eg for a tacho signal or an alarm signal. All of these flexible leads must be fastened quickly and, above all, securely in the assembly of the fan 20, as will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fan housing 22, viewed in the direction of the axis of rotation of the motor 36, designated 60 (FIG. 2), has an approximately rectangular and in particular square outline with four corners, on which holes 62 are provided for fastening the fan 20 , At the corner 64, which is shown in Fig. 1 to 3 front right, there is a recess 66. For this purpose, the tube 24 is provided on its outer side with a flat widening 68, which preferably approximately parallel to the axis of rotation 60 and transverse to the corner 64th runs. At least one of the flanges 26, 28 has, subsequent to this widening 68, a recess, which is designated 28A at the flange 28 and 26A at the flange 26. Preferably, the recesses 26A, 28A are substantially aligned with each other, so that you can pass through the flexible conduit 52 in the axial direction, ie approximately parallel to the axis of rotation 60 through them, see. Fig. 1. In the region of the corner 64, the flanges 26, 28 are interconnected by a connecting member 69, the shape and position of Figs. 1 to 3 clearly shows. Its function in the assembly of the flexible conduit 52 will be described below.

On the outflow side 34 of the frusto-conical tube 24, a lateral recess 70 is provided, which is approximately in extension of the shortened web 50, so that the flexible conduit 52 which is guided in the groove 53 of the web 50, then through the recess 70 and through the recesses 28A and 26A can be placed without having to be threaded somewhere. This type of leadership of the line 52 is clear from Fig. 1 to 3. In this case, the line 52 extends approximately parallel to the flat widening 68. This represents an intermediate step in the assembly, as is apparent from the following text.

3 shows a plan view of the outflow side of the fan 20. It can be seen very well the five fan blades 40 and their characteristic of a diagonal fan shape. The concave ends 72 of the wings 40 are located on the suction side 32. Furthermore, one clearly recognizes the shape of the three webs 46, as well as their connections 48 with the fan housing 22. Also recognizes the shape of the shortened web 50 and the groove 53 provided on it , in which the at least one flexible conduit 52 is inserted in the manner shown. This groove 53 extends only over part of the air passage cross section 41, for example, as shown, over one third of its radial extent. Furthermore, it can be seen that the flat widening 68 at its right end in FIG. 3 merges into a projection 74 on which latching is possible. At its left end, it merges into an analog projection 76, the function of which will be explained below.

As shown, the flexible conduit 52 extends from the motor 36 via the channel 53 and through the recess 70 of the frusto-conical tube 24 to the two recesses 28A and 26A of the flanges 28 and 26. This is shown in the same way in Fig. 4 , which represents a section through the specified part of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows a holding member 80, as seen in the direction of arrow V of Fig. 7, that is in side view. Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the holding member 80 as viewed in the direction of the arrow VII of Fig. 5. Figs Retaining member 80 in various perspective views to facilitate the understanding of its shape.

The holding member 80 has a substantially flat base portion 82, which is shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 in plan view and which serves to lock the holding member 80 in the corner 64 of the fan 20 in the recess 66 there. For this purpose, it is provided on the bottom left with a hook 84 which engages behind the projection 76 of the fan housing 22 in the mounted state according to FIG. On the right, the holding member 80 has a releasable, resilient latching hook 86, which can be latched according to FIG. 8 on the projection 74 of the fan housing 22. In Fig. 9 is Thus, the holding member 80 inserted from the left into the recess 66 until it is held in the manner shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 on the projections 74, 76.

In Fig. 5 is located above the base part 82, a roof part 90 which is connected at its left in Fig. 5 end portion via a slope 92 with the base part 82. The roof part 90 is wider at its in Fig. 6 and 7 upper portions than the base portion 82 and forms there a boundary wall 94 which is perpendicular to the base part 82 and the shape and position of Fig. 5 and 6 clearly.

The roof part 90 is also connected at a location which is approximately in its center, via a deflecting member 96 with the base part 82. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the deflecting member 96 serves to deflect the flexible conduit 52 by a certain minimum angle after the holding member 80 has been inserted into the fan housing 22.

To the right of the deflector 96, the roof member 90 has a raised portion 98 which, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, bears against the member 69 with bias in the assembled state, preventing the retainer member 80 from becoming disengaged in tension as it disengages from the location 74 , However, disengagement is possible by pushing the holding member 80 in Fig. 8 or 9 with one hand to the right and then bends the resilient latching hook 86 with the other hand up and then the holding member 80 by hand to the left out of the recess 66 out pushes or pulls. The holding member 80 is preferably made of a resilient plastic.

As can be seen from FIG. 7 , the roof part 90 only covers part of the base part 82 in the lower section. The flexible line 52 can be guided through the free region 99. If this is not desired, the area 99 can also be completely covered by the roof part 90.

Fig. 9 shows the support member 80 in the mounted state in the recess 66 in the corner 64 of the fan housing 22. The support member 80 is locked in this position after its assembly, but can be unlatched by lifting the resilient latch member 86 and pulled out of the recess 66 to the left become.

Fig. 10 shows the same corner 64 of the fan housing 22, but in plan view, so not in section. One recognizes the flexible line 52, which is guided via the support member 50 to the recess 70. The lateral recess 28A of the fan housing 22 is largely closed by the portion 94 of the holding member 80 so that a guide opening is formed there for the flexible conduit 52, as also clearly shown in FIG. 11 .

By the deflection member 96, the flexible line 52 is pressed in Fig. 11 to the right when inserting the support member 80 so that it is once deflected at a first deflection point 106 where it leaves the recess 70. On the other hand, the flexible line 52 is deflected by the deflection member 96 at a second deflection point 108 by an angle which can be between about 60 and 110 °, depending on the application. If the flexible line 52 is led out of the fan 20 in a direction 52A, the deflection angle at the second deflection point 108 is approximately 60 °, and the flexible line 52 is led out of the fan 20 in a direction 52B, namely through the recess 26A. Thus, the deflection angle at the point 108 is greater than 90 °. Finally, the flexible conduit 52 can also be led out in one direction, designated 52C in FIG. 9, abutting against the part 69 of the fan housing 22. In this case, then the line 52 passes through the free space 99, which is shown in Fig. 7. If this possibility is to be ruled out, the free space 99 is completely covered by the roof part 90, by making this roof part 90 correspondingly wider.

By the two deflection points 106, 108 of FIG. 11 takes place in any case, the required strain relief on that side of the flexible conduit 52, which leads to the motor 36. The assembly is very simple, ie the flexible line 52 is simply inserted into the fan 20, as shown in Fig. 1, and then the holding member 80 is inserted into the recess 66 and locked there. This automatically creates the two deflection points 106, 108 (FIG. 11), whereby the strain relief is produced. Such an assembly is therefore possible regardless of whether a plug is attached to the line 52 or not. As an alternative, a plug can also be fastened directly in or on the holding member 80, or the holding member 80 can itself as Plug can be formed, and this plug can be inserted into the recess 66 and latched there.

• Vor der Montage des Halteglieds 80 kann mindestens eine flexible Leitung 52 direkt in entsprechende Öffnungen des Lüfters 20 eingelegt werden, d.h. sie muss nicht eingefädelt werden, und sie wird erst während der Montage des Halteglieds 80 an den Stellen 106, 108 umgelenkt.
• Nach der Montage kann die flexible Leitung 52, sofern an ihr kein Stecker befestigt ist, nur noch entweder durch Ausfädeln über ihre ganze freie Länge oder durch Demontieren des Halteglieds 80 aus der Zugentlastung entfernt werden.
• Eine flexible Leitung 52, an der ein Stecker befestigt ist, kann nur noch durch Entriegeln des Halteglieds 80 wieder aus der Zugentlastung entfernt werden.
• Durch das Einschieben und Verrasten des Halteglieds 80 wird die mindestens eine flexible Leitung 52 gleichzeitig an zwei Stellen 106, 108 (Fig. 11) umgelenkt, so dass man in der Endstellung des Halteglieds 80 automatisch die für eine Zugentlastung notwendige Zahl und Art von Umlenkungen erreicht.
• Sofern mehrere flexible Leitungen 52 verwendet werden, ergibt sich eine wesentliche Arbeitsvereinfachung durch die beiden Aussparungen 26A, 28A, in welche diese Leitungen vor der Montage analog Fig. 1 eingelegt werden können. Wenn die Leitungen 52 eingelegt sind, kann anschließend das Halteglied 80 eingeschoben und verrastet werden. Jedoch kann die Erfindung z.B. auch ohne die Aussparung 26A realisiert werden, weil man auch in diesem Fall die Zugentlastung durch Umlenkung erhält.
• Die Montagezeit ist unabhängig von der Länge der flexiblen Leitung(en) 52.
• Auch flexible Leitungen 52, an deren freiem Ende ein Stecker befestigt ist, können problemlos auf diese Weise montiert werden.
• Durch den am Gehäuse 22 vorgesehenen Steg 69 ist ein Herausfädeln der flexiblen Leitung 52 im verrrasteten Zustand des Halteglieds 80 nicht oder nur sehr schwer möglich.
• Ein Einfädeln der flexiblen Leitung 52 in feststehende Umlenkungen am Gehäuse entfällt durch die Erfindung, wodurch sich die Montagezeit entsprechend verkürzt.
• Anstelle der dargestellten einzelnen flexiblen Leitung 52 funktioniert die Erfindung in gleicher Weise auch bei Verwendung mehrerer flexiblen Leitungen oder solcher Leitungen, die in einen Isolierschlauch eingelegt sind und bei denen eine Zugentlastung notwendig ist.
• Anstelle des Halteglieds 80 kann ggf. auch ein Steckeranschluss eingesetzt werden.
• Sofern eine Zugkraft auf die flexible Leitung 52 aufgebracht wird, die senkrecht zur Einschieberichtung verläuft, wird diese nicht vom Halteglied 80, sondern vom Teil 69 des Gehäuses 22 aufgenommen, vgl. die Linie 52C in Fig. 9.
• Durch das Teil 69 werden im Bereich des Ecks 64 die beiden Flanschteile 26 und 28 relativ zueinander stabilisiert. Dies ist bei der Befestigung des Lüfters 20 über seine Flansche 26, 28 von Vorteil, z.B. bei einer Durchsteckverschraubung. Im Bereich der anderen Ecken können analoge Verstärkungen vorgesehen werden, wie das Fig. 1 klar zeigt.

Advantages in the invention are mainly due to the following features:

• Before mounting the support member 80, at least one flexible conduit 52 may be inserted directly into corresponding openings of the fan 20, ie, it need not be threaded, and it will not be deflected at locations 106, 108 during assembly of the support member 80.
• After assembly, the flexible line 52, if no plug is attached to it, only be removed either by unthreading over its entire free length or by dismantling the support member 80 from the strain relief.
• A flexible line 52 to which a plug is attached, can only be removed by unlocking the support member 80 from the strain relief.
• By the insertion and locking of the holding member 80, the at least one flexible line 52 is simultaneously deflected at two locations 106, 108 (FIG. 11), so that in the end position of the holding member 80, the number and type of deflections necessary for a strain relief is automatically reached ,
• If a plurality of flexible lines 52 are used, there is a substantial simplification of work by the two recesses 26A, 28A, in which these lines can be inserted prior to assembly analogous to FIG. If the lines 52 are inserted, then the holding member 80 can be inserted and locked. However, the invention can be realized, for example, without the recess 26A, because you get in this case, the strain relief by redirecting.
• The assembly time is independent of the length of the flexible conduit (s) 52.
• Also flexible lines 52, at the free end of a plug is attached, can be easily mounted in this way.
• By provided on the housing 22 web 69 a threading out of the flexible conduit 52 in the latched state of the support member 80 is not possible or very difficult.
• Threading the flexible conduit 52 into fixed deflections on the housing is eliminated by the invention, whereby the assembly time is shortened accordingly.
• Instead of the illustrated individual flexible line 52, the invention works in the same way even when using multiple flexible cables or such cables, which are inserted into an insulating tube and in which a strain relief is necessary.
• If necessary, a plug connection can also be used instead of the holding member 80.
• If a tensile force is applied to the flexible conduit 52, which extends perpendicular to the insertion direction, it is not absorbed by the holding member 80, but by the part 69 of the housing 22, cf. the line 52C in FIG. 9.
• By the part 69, the two flange portions 26 and 28 are stabilized relative to each other in the region of the corner 64. This is in the attachment of the fan 20 via its flanges 26, 28 of advantage, for example in a push-through. Analog reinforcements can be provided in the area of the other corners, as FIG. 1 clearly shows.

The invention is particularly advantageous in combination with a diagonal fan, but can also be used with axial fans with advantage. Naturally, multiple variations are possible within the scope of the invention. So one could e.g. also form the shortened web 50 so long that you can attach it to the corner 64 of the fan housing 22, which he would have a slightly different shape than the webs 46. Also, the invention can be used in the same way where to connect a fan Lines are used, which are relatively rigid, but still flexible, so no strands. Such and other modifications are within the scope of the invention.

Claims (17)

1. Fan, in particular equipment fan (20), which comprises:

   a hub (44);

   a fan housing (22) which is connected to the hub (44), externally bounds an air passage opening (41) provided in the fan and comprises a radial widening (64) in at least one location on its circumference;

   a fan wheel (38) which is arranged rotatably in the air passage opening (41) and when it rotates executes a movement in the circumferential direction;

   a motor (36) which is arranged on the hub (44) to drive the fan wheel (38);

   an electrical connection which leads from the motor (36) to the fan housing (22) and comprises at least one electrical lead (52);

   characterised in that a recess (66) is provided in the radial widening (64) of the fan housing (22), which recess extends roughly in the direction of the movement of the fan wheel (38) and roughly tangentially to the line of the fan housing (22) there and in which recess (66) the electrical lead (52) is guided,

   and in that a retaining member (80) can be introduced into this recess (66) and locked in it, which retaining member in the locked state deflects the electrical lead (52) by a predetermined minimum angle in at least one location in order to produce strain relief on the side of this electrical lead (52) leading to the motor (36).
2. Fan according to claim 1, in which the retaining member (80) in the locked state deflects the electrical lead (52) at two locations (106, 108) for strain relief, this lead preferably being embodied as a flexible lead (52).
3. Fan according to claim 1 or 2, in which a supporting member (50, 53) is provided on the hub (44) for the at least one electrical lead (52), which supporting member (50, 53) supports the electrical lead (52) at least in areas in the area of the air passage opening (41).
4. Fan according to one of the preceding claims, in which the fan housing (22), viewed in the direction of the rotational axis (60) of the motor (36), presents a roughly rectangular and in particular square outline comprising corners (64),
   and the radial widening (64) in which the recess (66) is provided, is formed in one of these corners.
5. Fan according to claim 3 or 4, in which the supporting member (50, 53) is provided in an area between the hub (44) and the corner (64) provided with the recess (66) .
6. Fan according to one of claims 3 to 5, in which the fan housing (22) comprises a tube-like portion (24) for radially external delineation of the air passage opening (41), which tube-like portion (24) at one end at least runs into a flange (26, 28) which runs essentially perpendicularly to the rotational axis (60) of the motor (36) and in the area of the recess (66) for reception of the retaining member (80) is provided with an opening (26A, 28A) for insertion of the at least one electrical lead (52), which opening produces a deflection in the electrical lead (52) located there in conjunction with the fitted retaining member (80).
7. Fan according to claim 6, in which the opening (70) passes through an end portion of the tube-like portion (24) .
8. Fan according to one of the preceding claims, in which the fan housing (22) comprises a tube-like portion (24) for radially external delineation of the air passage opening (41), which portion (24) extends between the inlet side (32) and the outlet side (34) of the fan (20) and on the greater part of its axial extension is roughly embodied like a truncated hollow cone the larger cross-section of which faces the outlet side (34).
9. Fan according to claim 8, in which the hub (44) is fastened in the area of the outlet side (34) of the fan housing (22).
10. Fan according to claim 9, in which the hub (44) is provided on its radially outer side with outwardly extending spokes (46, 50), a plurality of which are connected mechanically to the fan housing (22) in the area of their free end (21) .
11. Fan according to claim 10, in which a form-locking guide (25, 27), which defines the position of the spoke (46) concerned relative to the fan housing (22), is provided on at least one spoke (46) in the area of the free ends (21).
12. Fan according to claim 11, in which in each case a form-locking guide (25, 27) is provided in the area of the free ends (21) of two spokes (46) lying roughly diametrically opposite one another.
13. Fan according to one of claims 10 to 12, in which at least one of the spokes (50) is provided with a supporting member (53) which is designed to support the at least one electrical lead (52) in the area of the air passage opening (41).
14. Fan according to one of the preceding claims, in which the electrical lead (52) comprises at least one insulated stranded conductor.
15. Fan according to one of the preceding claims, in which the electrical lead (52) comprises a plurality of flexible stranded conductors.
16. Fan according to claim 15, in which the flexible stranded conductors are combined together in one insulating tube.
17. Fan according to one of the preceding claims, in which the electrical lead (52) is embodied as a multi-cord sheathed lead.

Images