JP2009055666A - Electric fan apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric fan apparatus which can achieve the improvement of cooling performance and the prevention of infiltration of water to a bearing. <P>SOLUTION: This electric fan apparatus is equipped with a housing, which is equipped with a storage chamber that houses a rotor and a stator and is composed of a front housing and a rear housing, an outside air inlet-outlet section 56, which allows the circulation of air between the storage chamber and its outside, fins 72 for labyrinth, which are projected toward the storage chamber 51 from the rear housing 53 capably of radiating, in the storage chamber, the heat of a driving circuit transmitted to the rear housing 53, and are integrated into a rib form that surrounds a rear side bearing and besides are juxtaposed in plural numbers in the radial direction of the rear side bearing, and grooves 73 for air current, which are formed to radially pierce each fin 72 so as to allow the circulation of air between the radial outside and the radial inside of each fin 72 and are arranged not to overlap continuously inside and outside in its radial direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric fan device suitable for application to a so-called brushless motor.

Conventionally, an electric fan device used for cooling a radiator device of a passenger car has a risk of water intrusion during traveling. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-151620 discloses a countermeasure against this.
In Patent Document 1, a waterproof wall is erected around an outside air inlet that is opened in a housing that contains a stator and a rotor, and a water drain hole is provided in the outer diameter direction of the outside air inlet, A technique is described in which outside air is introduced into the chamber from the outside air inlet to cool the heat generating portion and prevent water from entering the storage chamber.
JP 2004-40934 A

However, in the above-described conventional technology, when water has entered the storage chamber without being able to stop water entry with the waterproof wall and the drain hole, the water reaches the bearing portion that supports the rotating shaft. The fan performance may be degraded.
Furthermore, there is a problem that sufficient cooling performance cannot be obtained simply by introducing outside air into the storage chamber.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric fan device that can achieve improvement in cooling performance and prevention of water intrusion into a bearing. .

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a housing including a rotor for supplying a driving force to a rotating shaft of a fan and a storage chamber for storing a stator, and the rotation disposed on the fan side with the storage chamber interposed therebetween. A front housing having a front side bearing for supporting a shaft; a rear housing having a rear side bearing disposed on a side away from the fan and supporting the rotating shaft; and the front housing at an outer peripheral portion of the housing chamber And an outside air entrance / exit part that is formed at a mating portion of the rear housing and allows air to flow between the housing chamber and the outside, and a drive circuit that is installed in the rear housing and relatively drives the rotor and the stator. The rear housing protrudes from the rear housing toward the housing chamber so that heat from the rear housing can be radiated to the housing chamber. A plurality of fins that are integrally formed in a surrounding ridge shape and are arranged in parallel in the radial direction of the rear bearing, and each fin to allow air to flow between the radially outer side and the radially inner side of each fin. An electric fan device comprising: an air circulation groove that is formed so as to penetrate in the radial direction and that does not continuously overlap in the radial direction inside and outside.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electric fan device according to the first aspect, wherein the fins are arranged concentrically around the rear side bearing.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electric fan device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the outside air inlet / outlet portion is widened at the outer peripheral portion of the rear housing and the front housing. A plurality of outer peripheral fins that protrude from the rear housing toward the front housing and extend in the outer diameter direction so as to dissipate heat from the rear housing. It was set as the electric fan apparatus characterized by having.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electric fan device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the heat generating portion of the drive circuit and the fin are arranged in the axial direction of the rotating shaft. The electric fan device is characterized by being arranged in a parallel direction.

In the present invention, the heat of the rotor or the rotor is cooled by exchanging the air in the accommodation chamber in which the rotor or the rotor is arranged with the outside air through the outside air inlet / outlet portion. The heat of the drive circuit installed in the rear housing is cooled by being transferred to the rear housing and then radiated from the fins protruding integrally with the rear housing to the housing chamber.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the cooling performance of the drive circuit can be improved as compared with a case where no fin is provided in the rear housing. In addition, since the fins are formed integrally with the rear housing, the heat conductivity can be secured and the cooling performance can be improved as compared with a separate one from the rear housing. It can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. In addition, since a plurality of fins are formed so as to surround the rear side shaft, higher cooling performance can be obtained as compared with a single case. Furthermore, since the fin has an air circulation groove, the air can be smoothly distributed and the surface area of the fin can be increased to further improve the cooling performance as compared with the case without the air circulation groove. be able to.

On the other hand, the water that has entered from the outside air inlet / outlet provided at the mating portion of the front housing and the rear housing naturally falls through the rear housing, but at this time, the flow toward the rear side bearing is received by the fins, Go through the fins. Since this fin is provided with a radial air flow groove in the middle, there is a possibility that water traveling through the fin may travel from the air flow groove to the inner bearing in the direction of the rear bearing. Since the groove is arranged so as not to overlap continuously in the radial direction, a labyrinth structure is formed by the fin and the air circulation groove, and this water can be prevented from reaching the rear side bearing.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent water from entering the rear side bearing and to secure fan performance. In addition, since the labyrinth structure that prevents the infiltration of water is formed using heat-dissipating fins, the structure is simplified compared to providing such a labyrinth structure separately from the fins. The material used can be reduced.

  In the invention described in claim 2, since the fins are arranged concentrically around the rear side bearing, water can be smoothly dropped, and the performance of preventing water from entering the rear side bearing can be enhanced.

In the invention according to claim 3, since the outer peripheral fins are formed in the outside air entrance / exit part, the rear housing can dissipate heat even at the portion where outside air is introduced into and discharged from the housing chamber.
Therefore, the cooling performance can be improved as compared with a configuration in which no heat radiating fin is provided, such as a gap between the rear housing and the front housing.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the heat generated in the heat generating portion of the drive circuit can be transmitted to the fin at a short distance, and the cooling performance can be improved as compared with the case where both are separated.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The electric fan device of this embodiment includes a housing (5) having a housing (51) for housing a rotor (3) and a stator (4) for applying a driving force to a rotating shaft (2) of the fan (1). And a front-side bearing (54) that forms the housing (5) and is disposed on the fan (1) side with the storage chamber (51) in between, and supports the rotating shaft (2). A rear housing (53) including a rear side bearing (55) disposed on a side away from the housing (52) and the fan (1) and supporting the rotating shaft (2); and the housing chamber (51) An outer air inlet / outlet portion (56) that is formed in a joint portion of the front housing (52) and the rear housing (53) at the outer peripheral portion to allow air to flow between the storage chamber (51) and the outside, and the rear Set in housing (53) A drive circuit (6) for relatively driving the rotor (3) and the stator (4), and the rear housing (53) so that heat of the rear housing (53) can be radiated to the housing chamber (51). ) Projecting toward the housing chamber (51), and integrally formed in a ridge shape surrounding the rear side bearing (55), and a plurality of juxtaposed in the radial direction of the rear side bearing (55) The fins (72), and the fins (72) are formed to penetrate the fins (72) in the radial direction so as to allow air to flow between the radially outer side and the radially inner side of the fins (72), and An electric fan device comprising: an air circulation groove (73) arranged so as not to continuously overlap in the radial direction inside and outside.

  Below, based on FIGS. 1-4, the electric fan apparatus A of Example 1 of the best embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the electric fan device A according to the first embodiment includes a fan 1, a rotating shaft 2 that rotates integrally with the fan 1, a rotor 3 that is fixed to the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 2, and a rotor 3. A stator 4 and a housing 5 are provided on the outer periphery. The electric fan device A is disposed at the front of an automobile (not shown), and cools by sending air to a radiator or a condenser (not shown) arranged behind the vehicle (in the direction of arrow RR).

  The fan 1 is attached to the front end of the rotating shaft 2 at the front of the vehicle (in the direction of the arrow FR), and forms air blown behind the vehicle (in the direction of the arrow RR) in the drawing when rotating.

  The rotor 3 includes a permanent magnet (not shown) inside, while the stator 4 includes a plurality of electromagnets 4a in a circumferential shape and energizes these electromagnets 4a with a preset phase. The rotor 3 is rotated.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rotor 3 and the stator 4 are accommodated in an accommodation chamber 51 of the housing 5.
The housing 5 is made of a metal casting having excellent thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and includes a front housing 52 on the fan 1 side and a rear housing 53 on the side far from the fan 1.

  The front housing 52 includes a bottom wall 52a, a cylindrical tube portion 52b that is integrally continuous with the outer periphery of the bottom wall 52a, and an outer peripheral flange 52c that extends continuously from the end of the tube portion 52b to the outer periphery. The longitudinal section is formed in a substantially hat shape.

  In addition, a through hole 52d that allows the rotation shaft 2 to pass therethrough is formed at the center of the bottom wall 52a. And the front side bearing 54 which supports the edge part of the vehicle front side of the rotating shaft 2 is provided in the inner periphery of the cylindrical support flange 52e surrounding the through-hole 52d.

  The rear housing 53 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape by a bottom wall 53a and a cylindrical tube portion 53b that is integrally continuous with the outer periphery of the bottom wall 53a.

The bottom wall 53 a is formed in a disk shape whose outer diameter is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the outer peripheral flange 52 c of the front housing 52.
Thick portions 53c having a thickness increased in the outer diameter direction are formed at three locations in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 53b, and screw holes 53d into which screws 57 can be screwed are formed in the thick portions 53c. A pair is formed (see FIGS. 1 and 2).
A support flange 53e is formed at the center of the bottom wall 53a so as to be coaxial with the front side bearing 54 and project in a cylindrical shape toward the storage chamber 51. An end of the rotary shaft 2 on the vehicle rear side is formed on the support flange 53e. The rear side bearing 55 which supports a part is installed.
Further, on the rear surface of the bottom wall 53a opposite to the accommodation chamber 51, a substrate 61 provided with a drive circuit 6 for driving the electromagnet 4a of the stator 4 is installed as shown in FIG. In the substrate 61, a contact portion 61a that is in contact with the bottom wall 53a is set in a portion where the heat generating portion 62 such as a power transistor of the drive circuit 6 is installed.

The front housing 52 is fastened to the rear housing 53 with screws 57.
That is, the outer peripheral flange 52c of the front housing 52 is in contact with the bottom wall 53a at three positions where the thick portion 53c overlaps with the vehicle front-rear direction (the arrow FR indicates the front of the vehicle). Thus, the above-mentioned fastening is achieved by screwing the screw 57 penetrating the outer peripheral flange 52c into the screw hole 53d.

  Further, in the front housing 52, the three outer circumferential flanges 52c and the cylindrical part 52b are arranged so as to be spaced apart from the bottom wall 53a in the front of the vehicle at three places in the circumferential direction excluding the fastening portions with the three thick parts 53c. A part is notched (not shown), and an outside air entrance / exit 56 that allows air to flow between the housing chamber 51 and the outside is formed between the front housing 52 and the rear housing 53. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outside air inlet / outlet portion 56 is provided at three locations in the circumferential direction, one of which is disposed at the lower end of the storage chamber 51.

  Furthermore, in the electric fan device A of the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer periphery is integrally formed on the surface of the bottom wall 53 a of the rear housing 53 on the side of the housing chamber 51 (the vehicle front side). Fins 71 and labyrinth fins 72 are formed.

  The outer peripheral fins 71 are arranged in each outside air entrance / exit portion 56, and are formed in a thin plate shape that protrudes forward from the bottom wall 53a until it contacts the front housing 52 and extends in the outer diameter direction. In the first embodiment, 16 sheets are formed for each outside air inlet / outlet portion 56.

The labyrinth fins 72 protrude toward the housing chamber 51 and are formed in a ridge shape describing an arc surrounding the rear side bearing 55 and the support flange 53e, and a plurality of labyrinth fins 72 are arranged in the radial direction of the rear side bearing 55. In the first embodiment, seven layers are formed in the radial direction. Further, the labyrinth fins 72 are arranged at positions where the substrate 61 overlaps with the abutting portion 61 a where the substrate 61 abuts against the bottom wall 53 a of the rear housing 53 in the vehicle front-rear direction.
Out of these labyrinth fins 72, the outermost ones are arranged on the same line at intervals in the circumferential direction.

On the other hand, the six-layered one arranged on the inner side penetrates each labyrinth fin 72 in the radial direction so as to allow the air flow at the radially outer side and the radially inner side at four locations in the circumferential direction. Thus, an air circulation groove 73 is formed.
These air circulation grooves 73 are relatively radially arranged on the inner side and the outer side, and are arranged with the circumferential phase different by 45 degrees, and are arranged so as to overlap in the radial direction. Between the groove | channels 73 and 73, the protrusion part of each fin 72 is arrange | positioned, and it is the arrangement | positioning by which the groove | channel 73 for air circulation is not arrange | positioned continuously overlapping in radial direction.
Note that some of the labyrinth fins 72 are partially cut away so as to avoid the through holes 53 f formed in the rear housing 53.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described.
First, the cooling performance will be described.
When the electromagnet 4a of the stator 4 is driven by the drive circuit 6 and the rotor 3 rotates, the fan 1 forms air blow to the rear of the vehicle.
At this time, a part of the blast is introduced from the outside air inlet / outlet portion 56 to the accommodating chamber 51, and the heat generated in the stator 4 and the drive circuit 6 is cooled by heat exchange with the outside air.

  The heat of the drive circuit 6 installed in the rear housing 53 is transmitted to the bottom wall 53a of the rear housing 53 and then received from the outer peripheral fins 71 and the labyrinth fins 72 protruding integrally with the bottom wall 53a. By being radiated into the chamber 51, it is efficiently cooled.

In addition, since the outer peripheral fins 71 are arranged in the outside air entrance / exit part 56 for taking in and out the outside air from the storage chamber 51, the air flowing through the outside air entrance / exit part 56 is always in contact with the outer periphery fins 71, thereby exchanging heat. Even efficient cooling can be performed.
In addition, the substrate 61 of the drive circuit 6 is brought into contact with the bottom wall 53a of the rear housing 53 at the contact portion 61a, and in addition, a labyrinth fin 72 is disposed at a position overlapping the contact portion 61a in the vehicle front-rear direction. Therefore, the distance between the heat generating portion and the heat radiating portion is short, and more efficient cooling can be performed. Furthermore, since the air circulation grooves 73 are formed at four locations in the circumferential direction in the labyrinth fin 72, the air can be smoothly distributed as compared with the case where the air circulation grooves 73 are not provided. The surface area of the labyrinth fin 72 is enlarged, and the cooling performance can be further enhanced.

Next, water intrusion will be described.
In the electric fan device A according to the first embodiment, since the outside air entrance / exit portion 56 is formed at the joint portion between the front housing 52 and the rear housing 53, there is a possibility that water may enter the storage chamber 51 from the outside air entrance / exit portion 56. is there. The water that has entered from the outside air inlet / outlet portion 56 naturally falls along the bottom wall 53a of the rear housing 53 as shown by an arrow WO in FIG. At this time, the flow toward the rear side bearing (support flange 53 e) 55 is received by the labyrinth fin 72 and falls along the labyrinth fin 72.

  Since the labyrinth fin 72 is formed in an arc shape, water naturally falls down the labyrinth fin 72 smoothly. Further, since the radial air flow groove 73 is provided in the middle of the labyrinth fin 72, the water passing through the labyrinth fin 72 is directed from the air flow groove 73 to the inner diameter direction, that is, toward the rear side bearing 55. In the first embodiment, since the air circulation groove 73 is arranged so as not to overlap continuously in the radial direction, the intrusion of water in the radial direction is hindered, and this water flows to the rear side bearing 55. Can be blocked.

Then, the water that has reached the lower end of the labyrinth fin 72 is discharged from the air circulation groove 73 to the outside of the storage chamber 51 through the outside air inlet / outlet portion 56 disposed at the lower end of the storage chamber 51 as shown in the figure. Is done.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent water from entering the rear side bearing 55.

As described above, in the electric fan device A according to the first embodiment, the outer peripheral fins 71 and the labyrinth fins 72 are provided integrally with the rear housing 53. The cooling performance of the circuit 6 can be improved. In addition, since both the fins 71 and 72 are formed integrally with the rear housing 53, heat conductivity can be ensured and the cooling performance can be improved as compared with the rear housing 53 and a separate one. At the same time, it is possible to reduce costs by reducing manufacturing effort.
In addition, since the outer peripheral fins 71 are arranged in the outside air entrance / exit part 56 so that outside air entering / exiting the storage chamber 51 is always touched, efficient cooling is achieved.
And since the labyrinth fin 72 surrounds the rear side bearing 55 and is formed in 7 layers, higher cooling performance can be obtained as compared with a single case. Moreover, the labyrinth fins 72 are arranged in multiple locations inside and outside as described above, but are provided with four air flow grooves 73 penetrating in the radial direction, so that the labyrinth fins 72 are not provided with the air flow grooves 73. As a result, air can be circulated smoothly, and the surface area of the fins can be increased, thereby further improving the cooling performance.
Further, a contact portion 61a provided in the heat generating portion 62 of the drive circuit 6 causes the substrate 61 to contact the bottom wall 53a of the rear housing 53 and overlaps the contact portion 61a in the vehicle front-rear direction for labyrinth. Since the fins 72 are arranged, the distance between the heat generating portion and the heat radiating portion can be shortened, and the cooling performance can be further improved.

  Further, in the electric fan device A of the first embodiment, the labyrinth fin 72 forms a labyrinth structure that surrounds the rear side bearing 55 in multiple layers, and the air circulation groove 73 formed in the labyrinth fin 72 has a diameter of The phases were arranged with a phase difference of 45 degrees inside and outside so as not to continuously overlap in the direction. Therefore, the water flowing from the outside air inlet / outlet portion 56 through the bottom wall 53a does not reach the rear side bearing 55, but is discharged from the storage chamber 51 through the air circulation groove 73 and the outside air inlet / outlet portion 56 at the lower end. It is possible to prevent water from entering the side bearing 55 and to secure fan performance. In addition, since the labyrinth structure for preventing the ingress of water is formed by using the labyrinth fins 72 for heat radiation from the rear housing 53, such a labyrinth structure is formed separately from the heat radiation fins. Compared with provision, the structure can be simplified and the amount of materials used can be reduced.

  In addition, in the first embodiment, the labyrinth fins 72 are arranged concentrically around the rear side bearing 55, so that the water can be smoothly dropped, and the water intrusion prevention performance to the rear side bearing 55 is improved. be able to.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, since one of the outside air entrance / exit portions 56 is disposed at the lower end portion of the storage chamber 51, the drainage performance can be improved.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment and Example 1 of this invention were explained in full detail with reference to drawings, specific structure is not restricted to this Embodiment and Example 1, and does not deviate from the summary of this invention. A degree of design change is included in the present invention.

  For example, in the first embodiment, the electric fan device used for cooling an automobile radiator or the like is shown, but the application range of the electric fan device of the present invention is not limited to an automobile, such as a train. It can also be used for other vehicles and industrial equipment other than vehicles.

Further, in the first embodiment, the labyrinth fin 72 arranged in a circular arc on the outer periphery of the rear side bearing 55 is shown as the fin. However, this shape is not limited to the arc shape, but a triangle, square It can also be formed into a polygonal shape such as a hexagon or octagon, or a curved shape such as an ellipse or a teardrop.
Further, in the first embodiment, the labyrinth fins 72 that are disposed so as to surround the rear side bearing 55 in a sevenfold manner are shown as the fins. However, the number of multiplexes is limited to 7 as long as the number is multiple. It is not a thing.

  Moreover, in Example 1, although the example which formed the outer peripheral fin 71 in the external air entrance / exit part 56 was shown, it is not necessary to form an outer peripheral fin in this external air entrance / exit part 56. FIG. Moreover, in Example 1, although the example which formed the external air entrance / exit part 56 in three places was shown, this number is not limited to 3, One or multiple other than 3 may be sufficient.

  In the first embodiment, the rotor 3 is provided inside the stator 4, but conversely, the rotor may be provided outside the stator.

It is a front view which shows the rear housing 53 of the electric fan apparatus A of Example 1 of the best embodiment of this invention, and has shown the state seen from the arrow Y1 direction of FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the rear housing 53. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the electric fan apparatus A of Example 1. It is an expanded sectional view showing an important section of electric fan device A of Example 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fan 2 Rotating shaft 3 Rotor 4 Stator 5 Housing 6 Drive circuit 51 Accommodating chamber 52 Front housing 53 Rear housing 54 Front side bearing 55 Rear side bearing 56 Outside air inlet / outlet part 61 Substrate 61a Abutting part 62 Heat generating part 71 Outer peripheral fin 72 Labyrinth Fin 73 Air flow groove A Electric fan device

Claims (4)

A housing including a rotor that gives a driving force to a rotating shaft of the fan and a housing chamber that houses a stator;
A front housing having a front-side bearing disposed on the fan side and supporting the rotating shaft across the housing chamber; and a rear-side bearing disposed on a side away from the fan and supporting the rotating shaft. Rear housing,
In the outer periphery of the storage chamber, an outside air inlet / outlet portion that is formed at a mating portion of the front housing and the rear housing and allows air to flow between the storage chamber and the outside,
A drive circuit that is installed in the rear housing and relatively drives the rotor and the stator;
The rear housing protrudes from the rear housing toward the housing chamber so as to be able to radiate heat to the housing chamber, and is integrally formed in a ridge shape surrounding the rear side bearing, and the rear side bearing A plurality of fins arranged side by side in the radial direction;
The fins are formed so as to penetrate the fins in the radial direction so as to allow air flow between the radially outer side and the radially inner side of the fins, and are arranged so as not to overlap continuously in the radial direction. An air flow channel,
An electric fan device comprising:   The electric fan device according to claim 1, wherein the fins are arranged concentrically around the rear-side bearing. The outside air entrance / exit part is formed at the outer peripheral part of the rear housing and the front housing with the gap between them being increased,
The outside air inlet / outlet portion is provided with a plurality of outer peripheral fins projecting from the rear housing toward the front housing and extending in the outer diameter direction so as to dissipate heat of the rear housing. The electric fan device according to claim 1 or 2.   The electric motor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat generating portion of the drive circuit and the fin are arranged so as to overlap each other in a direction parallel to an axial direction of the rotation shaft. Fan device.

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