Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
  • F04D25/00—Pumping installations or systems
  • F04D25/02—Units comprising pumps and their driving means
  • F04D25/06—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven
  • F04D25/0606—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven the electric motor being specially adapted for integration in the pump
  • F04D25/0613—Units comprising pumps and their driving means the pump being electrically driven the electric motor being specially adapted for integration in the pump the electric motor being of the inside-out type, i.e. the rotor is arranged radially outside a central stator
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
  • F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
  • F04D29/40—Casings; Connections of working fluid
  • F04D29/52—Casings; Connections of working fluid for axial pumps
  • F04D29/54—Fluid-guiding means, e.g. diffusers
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
  • F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
  • F04D29/26—Rotors specially for elastic fluids
  • F04D29/32—Rotors specially for elastic fluids for axial flow pumps
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
  • F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
  • F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
  • F04D29/26—Rotors specially for elastic fluids
  • F04D29/32—Rotors specially for elastic fluids for axial flow pumps
  • F04D29/325—Rotors specially for elastic fluids for axial flow pumps for axial flow fans
  • F04D29/329—Details of the hub
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
  • F24F1/06—Separate outdoor units, e.g. outdoor unit to be linked to a separate room comprising a compressor and a heat exchanger
  • F24F1/38—Fan details of outdoor units, e.g. bell-mouth shaped inlets or fan mountings
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
  • F24F13/24—Means for preventing or suppressing noise

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to a fan of an air conditioner.
• Air conditioners are used to control an enclosed space by cooling or heating the enclosed space using a refrigerant system.
• An air conditioner includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit.
• the indoor unit includes an indoor heat exchanger.
• the outdoor unit includes a compressor, a condenser, a fan, and a motor.
• the fan of the outdoor unit may be an axial fan that draws in and discharges air in its axial direction.
• the hub has a cylindrical shape. Therefore, air discharged from the hub is directed to a center portion of a grill disposed in front of the hub.
• the center portion of the grill makes noise louder than the peripheral portion of the grill since the center portion of the grill has a lower stiffness than the peripheral portion of the hub.
• the air discharged to the center portion of the grill makes a turbulent flow, thereby decreasing airflow efficiency at the center portion of the grill. As a result, the airflow rate at the center portion of the grill is reduced.
• a motor is coupled to a center of the hub of the fan without any structure for reducing the distance between the motor and the fan. Therefore, the airflow efficiency of the fan decreases, and more noises occur due to the relatively large distance between the motor and fan. Furthermore, since the vibration level of the fan increases in proportion to the distance between the motor and the fan, the noise level of the fan is also proportional to the distance between the motor and the fan. Moreover, when the distance between the motor and the fan is large, the outdoor unit must have a large size to accommodate the assembly of the motor and the fan. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem
• Embodiments of the present invention provide a fan of an air conditioner that has improved airflow efficiency by reducing a noise level at a hub of the fan. [8] Embodiments of the present invention also provide a fan of an air conditioner that is designed to reduce the noise of an outdoor unit of the air conditioner.
• Embodiments of the present invention also provide a fan of an air conditioner that is designed to reduce the size of an outdoor unit of the air conditioner.
• An aspect of the present invention provides a fan of an air conditioner including a hub divided into an intake portion and a discharge portion, the discharge portion gradually increasing in outer diameter; and a plurality of blades provided on an outer circumferential surface of the hub.
• a further aspect of the present invention provides a fan of an air conditioner including a hub divided into an intake portion and a discharge portion, the discharge portion being tapered from a discharge end of the hub to the intake portion; and a plurality of blades provided on an outer circumferential surface of the hub.
• a further aspect of the present invention provides a fan of an air conditioner including a hub divided into an intake portion and a discharge portion, the discharge portion gradually increasing in outer diameter; a plurality of blades formed along an outer circumferential surface of the hub; and a motor partially inserted into the hub.
• the intake portion may have a constant outer diameter.
• the discharge portion may have a conical or rounded shape.
• the intake portion may be tapered from the discharge portion to an intake end of the hub.
• the intake portion and the discharge portion may have different tapered angles.
• the tapered angle of the discharge portion may be larger than the tapered angle of the intake portion.
• the discharge portion may be rounded along a centerline of the hub.
• a motor can be partially inserted in the intake end of the hub.
• Fig. 1 is a view illustrating an outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention
• Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a motor and a fan of the outdoor unit of Fig. 1
• Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating a hub of the fan of Fig. 2 according to a first embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 4 is a graph illustrating the noise characteristics of the hub of Fig.
• Fig. 5 is a side view illustrating a fan according to a second embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating a fan according to a third embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 7 is a side view illustrating a fan according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 1 is a view illustrating an outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present disclosure.
• the outdoor unit includes a case 10 and a barrier wall 11 dividing the case 10 into two parts.
• a compressor 20 is provided in one part of the case 10.
• An outdoor heat exchanger 30, a motor 40, and a fan 100 are provided in the other part of the case 10.
• the case 10 includes an intake grill 12 and a discharge grill 13.
• the intake grill 12 is formed at a rear side (the rear of the paper in Fig. 1) and a lateral side of the outdoor heat exchanger 30, and the discharge grill 13 is formed at a front side (the front of the paper in Fig. 1) of the outdoor heat exchanger 30.
• the outdoor heat exchanger 30 is L-shaped such that the effective area of the outdoor heat exchanger 30 for heat exchange can be increased. However, the outdoor heat exchanger 30 can have other shapes if necessary.
• the motor 40 is provided in the case 10 and supported by a bracket 42.
• the motor 40 includes a shaft 41, and the fan 100 is coupled to the shaft 41.
• the discharge grill 13 is located in front of the fan 100.
• Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the motor 40 and the fan 100, and
• Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating a hub 110 of the fan 100 according to a first embodiment.
• the fan 100 includes the hv ⁇ > 110 and a plurality of blades
• the blades 120 are formed along an outer circumferential surface of the hub 110.
• the hub 110 includes an accommodation recess 113 in an intake end thereof to receive a portion of the motor 40.
• a predetermined clearance is formed between the motor 40 and the hub 110. Snce the motor 40 is partially inserted into the accommodation recess 113 of the hub 110, the final length of an assembly of the motor 40 and the hv ⁇ > 110 can be reduced. Therefore, the inside space of the case 10 can be saved, and a relatively large fan can be installed in the case 10.
• the motor 40 and the hub 110 can be assembled more closely owing to the accommodation recess 113, the vibration of the fan 100 coupled to the motor 40 through the shaft 41 can be reduced. As a result, the fan 100 can blow more air with less noise.
• the hub 110 includes an intake region 111 and a discharge region 112.
• the intake portion 111 may have a constant diameter.
• the discharge portion 112 may have a diameter that increases from the intake region
• the discharge portion 112 may have an inclination angle ⁇ in the range of 10 to 80 degrees.
• the discharge portion 112 can have a rounded shape.
• the blades 120 and the hub 110 are designed such that the speed (or flow rate) of air through the blades 120 is highest at a distance of two-thirds the radius of the fan 100.
• Fig. 4 is a graph illustrating the noise characteristics of the hub 110 with respect to the inclination angle ⁇ of the discharge portion 112.
• the discharge portion 112 of the hub 110 has a cylindrical shape (i.e., the inclination angle ⁇ is zero)
• a noise at the discharge portion 112 is large.
• the noise at the discharge portion 112 is small.
• the noise at the discharge portion 112 increases in proportion to the inclination angle ⁇ when the inclination angle ⁇ ranges from 20 degrees to 80 degrees.
• the inclination angle ⁇ is larger than 80 degrees, the noise at the discharge portion 112 increases steeply. Therefore, the inclination angle ⁇ of the discharge portion 112 may be in the range of 20 to 80 degrees.
• Air discharged from the fan 100 is directed to the outside of the case 10 through the discharge grill 13.
• air discharged from the hub 110 of the fan 100 is not directed toward the center of the discharge grill 13 of the case 10, the possibility of a noise and a turbulent flow can be reduced at the center portion of the discharge grill 13.
• Fig. 5 is a side view illustrating a fan according to a second embodiment. In Fig. 5, only a hub 210 of the fan is illustrated.
• a discharge portion 212 of the hub 210 enlarges towards a discharge end of the hub 210, and an intake portion 211 of the hub 210 enlarges from an intake end of the hub 210 towards the discharge portion 212.
• An inclination angle ⁇ 3 of the discharge portion 212 may be different from an inclination angle ⁇ 2 of the intake portion 211.
• the inclination angle ⁇ 3 of the discharge portion 212 can be larger than the inclination angle ⁇ 2 of the intake portion 211.
• the inclination angle ⁇ 3 of the discharge portion 212 can be the same as the inclination angle ⁇ 2 of the intake portion 211.
• the intake portion 211 can have an increasing diameter as described above, and the discharge portion 212 can have a rounded shape.
• the hub 210 may have an accommodation recess 213 in the intake end thereof to receive the motor 40.
• each of the intake portion 211 and the discharge portion 212 has an increasing diameter, such that air can be easily discharged from the hub 210 in a direction towards the blades of the fan. Therefore, the air resistance and noise of the hub 210 can be reduced. Furthermore, since air can flow along the hub 210 more easily, an airflow rate along the hub 210 can be increased, and a noise at the hub 210 can be reduced.
• Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating a fan according to a third embodiment. In Fig. 6, only a hub 310 of the fan is illustrated.
• a discharge portion 312 of the hub 310 has a gradually increasing diameter toward a discharge end of the hub 310. Furthermore, the discharge portion 312 of the hub 310 is rounded along a centerline of the hub 310. For example, the discharge portion 312 of the hib 310 can be streamlined along the centerline of the hub 310.
• An intake portion 311 of the hub 310 may have a constant diameter.
• the hub 310 may include an accommodation recess 313 in the intake end thereof to receive the motor 40.
• Air can smoothly diverge from the discharge portion 312 of the hub 310 since the discharge portion 312 is streamlined. Therefore, the air resistance and noise at the discharge portion 312 can be relatively small. Furthermore, since air can flow smoothly from the discharge portion 312 in a direction towards the blades (not shown) of the fan, the airflow rate at the hub 310 can increase.
• FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a fan according to a fourth embodiment. In Fig. 7, only a hub 410 of the fan is illustrated.
• a discharge portion 412 of the hub 310 can be rounded such that the discharge portion 412 has a gradually increasing diameter toward a discharge end of the hub 410.
• the discharge portion 412 of the hub 410 can be streamlined along a centerline of the hub 410.
• An intake portion 411 of the hub 410 may have a gradually increasing diameter from an intake end of the 410 to the discharge portion 412.
• An inclination angle ⁇ 3 of the discharge portion 412 may be different from an inclination angle ⁇ 2 of the intake portion 411.
• the inclination angle ⁇ 3 of the discharge portion 412 can be larger than the inclination angle ⁇ 2 of the intake portion 411.
• the inclination angle ⁇ 3 of the discharge portion 412 can be the same as the inclination angle ⁇ 2 of the intake portion 411.
• the hub 410 may have an accommodation recess 413 in the intake end thereof to receive the motor 40.
• an air resistance at the intake end of the hub 410 can be relatively small. Air flowing along the intake portion 411 of the hvb 410 can be smoothly discharged by the rounded discharge portion 412 of the hub 410 in a direction towards blades (not shown) of the fan. Here, since the discharge portion 412 is rounded (streamlined) the air resistance and noise at the discharge portion 412 can be significantly reduced, and thus the airflow rate at the hub 410 can be increased. [73] As described above, air can flow efficiently at the discharge portion of the hub of the fan with less noise so that the fan can be applied to various fields.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=39584230

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (5)

Citations (7)

Family Cites Families (18)

• 2006
  • 2006-12-29 KR KR1020060139065A patent/KR20080062891A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2007
  • 2007-10-12 EP EP07833314A patent/EP2102506A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-10-12 WO PCT/KR2007/005003 patent/WO2008082061A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2007-10-22 US US11/876,288 patent/US20080159872A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (7)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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