JP2022140271A - Air blower - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air blower which can improve air blowing efficiency and can reduce noise.SOLUTION: A case 10 has a bell mouth 11 which forms a suction port 2 for sucking air. A fan 20 includes a main plate 21 provided rotatably around an axis in an inner side of the case 10, a plurality of blades 22 arranged around the axis and connected to the main plate 21, and a shroud 30 connected to a portion 23 on a side opposite to the main plate of the plurality of blades 22. A nozzle 60 is cylindrically formed and is provided in a region in a radial direction inner side of the bell mouth 11. A flow path partition member 70 is intermittently provided in a circumferential direction between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 and partitions a space between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11 into a plurality of partition flow paths 73 through which air flows.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to blowers.

The blower described in Patent Document 1 has a centrifugal fan arranged inside a case provided with a bell mouth that forms an air suction port. In this blower, when the fan rotates, the air sucked from the inside of the bell mouth flows from the leading edge side of the blades through the flow path between the blades and is blown out from the air outlet on the trailing edge side of the blades. In this blower, the inner peripheral surface of the shroud of the fan and the inner peripheral surface of the bell mouth are formed to have substantially no level difference, so that air is smoothly sucked into the fan from the bell mouth.

Japanese Patent No. 6634929

However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, when the pressure on the air outlet side of the fan becomes higher than the pressure on the suction port side of the fan, the air blown out from the air outlet of the fan again fills the gap between the shroud and the case. A flow is generated that flows back to the suction port side of the fan via the air. If the amount of backflow air increases, there is concern that the blowing efficiency of the blower will decrease.

In addition, since the air that flows backward from the air outlet side of the fan to the suction port side of the fan contains a velocity component in the rotation direction of the fan, the backflow air contains the velocity component and flows in from the suction port. If it intersects with the fan and is sucked into the leading edge side of the fan, noise may be generated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a blower capable of improving blowing efficiency and reducing noise by reducing the amount of air that flows backward from the air outlet side of the fan to the suction port side. With the goal.

To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the invention, a blower includes a case (10), a fan (20), a nozzle (60) and a flow path partition member (70). The case has a bell mouth (11) forming an air intake (2) for sucking air. The fan includes a main plate (21) rotatable around an axis (CL) inside the case, a plurality of blades (22) arranged around the axis and connected to the main plate, and a plurality of blades. It has a shroud (30) connected to the part (23) on the side opposite to the main plate. The nozzle is formed in a cylindrical shape and provided in a region radially inside the bell mouth. The flow path partitioning member is provided intermittently in the circumferential direction between the bell mouth and the nozzle, and partitions the space between the nozzle and the bell mouth into a plurality of partition flow paths (73) through which air flows.

According to this, when the fan rotates, the air sucked from the inside of the nozzle flows from the leading edge side of the blades through the flow path between the blades and is blown out from the air outlet on the trailing edge side of the blades. At this time, if the pressure loss in the flow path on the downstream side of the blower is large, and the difference between the pressure on the outlet side and the pressure on the suction port side increases as the number of rotations of the fan increases, the air outlet side of the fan increases. The amount of air that flows back to the suction port side from the shroud and the gap between the case (hereinafter referred to as "backflow air") increases. If the blower does not have a flow path partitioning member, the backflow air may straddle the end of the nozzle on the side opposite to the main plate and flow inside the nozzle, increasing the speed and volume of the air. On the other hand, in the invention according to claim 1, the space between the nozzle and the bell mouth is partitioned into a plurality of partition channels by the channel partitioning member intermittently provided between the bell mouth and the nozzle in the circumferential direction. By doing so, it is possible to increase the pressure loss of the counterflow air passing through the plurality of partition passages. Therefore, according to the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to reduce the wind speed and the air volume of the backflow air that flows inside the nozzle across the end of the nozzle on the side opposite to the main plate, thereby improving the blowing efficiency of the blower.

In addition, as a result of research by the inventor, it was found that the backflow air that flows inside the nozzle across the end on the side opposite to the main plate has a large circumferential wind speed distribution, so the backflow air flows in from the suction port in that state. It was found that noise increases when the air flows into the leading edge side of the airfoil and intersects with the main stream. On the other hand, in the invention according to claim 1, the circumferential direction wind speed distribution of the backflow air is reduced by increasing the pressure loss of the backflow air passing through the plurality of partitioning channels with the flow channel partition member. is possible. Therefore, according to the invention of claim 1, the noise of the blower can be reduced.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the blower includes a case (10), a fan (20), a nozzle (60) and a plurality of flow path partition members (70). The case has a bell mouth (11) forming an air intake (2) for sucking air. The fan includes a main plate (21) rotatable around an axis (CL) inside the case, a plurality of blades (22) arranged around the axis and connected to the main plate, and a plurality of blades. It has a shroud (30) connected to the part (23) on the side opposite to the main plate. The nozzle is formed in a cylindrical shape and provided in a region radially inside the bell mouth. A plurality of channel partitioning members are provided between the bellmouth and the nozzle, and partition the space between the nozzle and the bellmouth into a plurality of partitioning channels (73) through which air flows. In this blower, the air velocity of the air that flows backward from the air outlet side of the fan to the suction port side inside the nozzle through the plurality of partition passages in the space formed between the bellmouth and the nozzle is made uniform. Thus, there are portions where the intervals between the plurality of channel partitioning members are narrow and locations where the intervals between the plurality of channel partitioning members are wide.

According to this, by arranging a portion where the space between the plurality of flow path partitioning members is narrow at a portion where the wind speed of the backflow air is high, the wind speed of the backflow air is made uniform over the circumferential direction between the nozzle and the bellmouth. It is possible to Therefore, according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the plurality of flow path partitioning members can reduce the circumferential wind speed distribution of the counterflow air across the nozzles, thereby reducing the noise of the blower.

Also, in the invention according to claim 7, by arranging a location where the space between the plurality of flow path partitioning members is narrow at a location where the backflow air has a high wind speed and increasing the pressure loss of the backflow air flowing through that location, the backflow It is possible to reduce the volume of air and improve the blowing efficiency of the blower.

It should be noted that the reference numerals in parentheses attached to each component etc. indicate an example of the correspondence relationship between the component etc. and specific components etc. described in the embodiments described later.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fan according to the first embodiment cut along a virtual plane including the axis; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1; It is an enlarged view of the III part of FIG. 1, and is a figure which showed the flow of the air in face mode. It is an enlarged view of the III part of FIG. 1, and is the figure which showed the flow of the air in foot mode or defroster mode. FIG. 3 is a diagram of a portion corresponding to FIG. 2 in the blower according to the second embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram of a portion corresponding to FIG. 2 in the blower according to the third embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram of a portion corresponding to FIG. 2 in the blower according to the fourth embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram of a portion corresponding to FIG. 2 in the blower according to the fifth embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram of a portion corresponding to FIG. 2 in the blower of the comparative example, and is a diagram showing the flow of air in the foot mode or the defroster mode; FIG. 4 is a diagram of a portion corresponding to FIG. 3 in the blower of the comparative example, and is a diagram showing the flow of air in the face mode; FIG. 4 is a diagram of a portion corresponding to FIG. 3 in the blower of the comparative example, and is a diagram showing the flow of air in the foot mode or the defroster mode; It is sectional drawing which cut|disconnected the air blower which concerns on 6th Embodiment by the virtual plane containing an axial center. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII of FIG. 12; FIG. FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the XVI portion of FIG. 12, showing the airflow in the face mode; FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the XVI portion of FIG. 12, showing the airflow in the foot mode or defroster mode;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each of the following embodiments, the same or equivalent portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. Further, the shape of each configuration of the blower 1 described in each drawing is schematically described for easy understanding of the description, and does not limit the present invention.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The blower 1 according to the first embodiment is a centrifugal blower used, for example, in a vehicle air conditioner.

<Configuration of blower 1>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the blower 1 includes a case 10, a fan 20, a drive section 50, a nozzle 60, a flow path partition member 70, and the like. It should be noted that the fan 20 and the drive unit 50 are omitted in FIG. 2 for the sake of clarity. This also applies to FIGS. 5 to 9 and 13, which will be referred to in embodiments and comparative examples to be described later.

In the following description, the axial center CL of the fan 20 may be simply referred to as "the axial center CL". The axis CL coincides with the rotation center of the fan 20 . Further, the side of the air inlet 2 of the blower 1 will be referred to as "one side in the axial direction", and the side opposite to the air inlet 2 of the blower 1 will be referred to as "the other side in the axial direction". Hereinafter, the air suction port 2 will simply be referred to as the suction port 2 .

The case 10 is a member that forms at least part of an air passage of the vehicle air conditioner. Although not shown, the air passage of a vehicle air conditioner is generally provided with an air cooling device such as an evaporator, an air heating device such as a heater core or an electric heater, and a plurality of flow path switching doors. there is Therefore, in the vehicle air conditioner, the pressure loss of the air flowing through the air passage may change depending on the air conditioning mode.

The case 10 has, on the upstream side of the fan 20, a bell mouth 11 forming a suction port 2 for sucking air. The bell mouth 11 has a curved shape in which the inner diameter gradually decreases from one side to the other side in the axial direction. The bell mouth 11 has a substantially arcuate radially inner surface in a cross-sectional view obtained by cutting along a plane including the axial center CL of the fan 20 (hereinafter referred to as a “longitudinal cross-sectional view”). .

The case 10 has a front wall 12 formed radially outward from a portion on one side of the bell mouth 11 in the axial direction. The front wall 12 is formed in a planar shape substantially perpendicular to the axial center CL of the fan 20 . Note that the front wall 12 may be formed so as to be inclined with respect to the axial center CL of the fan 20 . The case 10 has an upstream case 13 extending from a radially outer portion of the front wall 12 to one side in the axial direction.

In addition, the case 10 includes a case tubular portion 14 that extends in a tubular shape from a portion on the other axial side of the bell mouth 11 toward the other axial direction, and a portion of the case tubular portion 14 that extends from the portion on the other axial side in the axial direction. and a case annular portion 15 extending radially outward. The case 10 also has a downstream side case 16 extending from a radially outer portion of the case annular portion 15 toward the other side in the axial direction. Each part of the case 10 may be composed of a plurality of members, or may be integrally molded.

The case tubular portion 14 is provided with a predetermined gap from the shroud tubular portion 32 in a radially outer region of the shroud tubular portion 32 of the fan 20 to be described later. Further, the case annular portion 15 is provided with a predetermined gap from the shroud annular portion 31 in a region on one side in the axial direction of the shroud annular portion 31 of the fan 20 , which will be described later. The case tubular portion 14 and the shroud tubular portion 32 are provided substantially parallel, and the case annular portion 15 and the shroud annular portion 31 are also provided substantially parallel.

The fan 20 is a centrifugal fan (specifically, a turbo fan) and is rotatably provided inside the case 10 . The fan 20 has a main plate 21 , a plurality of blades 22 , a shroud annular portion 31 and a shroud tubular portion 32 . In addition, in the description of the first embodiment, the shroud annular portion 31 and the shroud cylinder portion 32 may be collectively referred to as the shroud 30 . The fan 20 is a closed fan in which a main plate 21, a plurality of blades 22, and a shroud 30 are integrally formed. The fan 20 is integrally formed by resin injection molding, for example.

The main plate 21 is formed in a substantially disk shape and arranged inside the case 10 . The main plate 21 is inclined radially outward from the central portion toward the other side in the axial direction. In other words, the main plate 21 has a shape that protrudes toward the suction port 2 side from the outer edge toward the central portion. A shaft 51 extending from the driving portion 50 is fixed to the central portion of the main plate 21 . Thereby, the main plate 21 is provided inside the case 10 so as to be rotatable around the axis.

A plurality of blades 22 are arranged at predetermined intervals around the axis between the main plate 21 and the shroud 30 . The plurality of blades 22 are connected to the shroud 30 at one axial portion 23 (that is, the portion 23 opposite the main plate), and are connected to the main plate 21 at the other axial portion 24 . Thereby, a flow path is formed between the adjacent blades 22 between the shroud 30 and the main plate 21 . In the following description, the channel is called inter-blade channel 25 . When the fan 20 rotates, the air sucked from the suction port 2 passes through the inter-blade flow path 25 from the leading edge 26 side of the blade 22 and is blown out from the air outlet 28 formed at the trailing edge 27 side of the blade 22. .
Although not shown, the plurality of blades 22 extend rearward in the rotational direction of the fan 20 from the front edge 26 toward the rear edge 27 . That is, the fan 20 of the first embodiment is a turbo fan.

The leading edge 26 of the blade 22 is connected to the shroud tubular portion 32 at one end 29 in the axial direction. The leading edge 26 of the blade 22 is inclined radially inward from an end 29 on one side in the axial direction toward an end 291 on the other side in the axial direction. 291 is connected to the main plate 21 radially inside the innermost diameter of the nozzle 60 . Note that the leading edge 26 of the blade 22 may be referred to as the leading edge 26 in the following description.

In the first embodiment, the shroud 30 includes a tubular shroud tubular portion 32 formed on the suction port 2 side, and an annular shroud extending radially outward from a portion of the shroud tubular portion 32 on the other side in the axial direction. and an annular portion 31 . The shroud annular portion 31 is an annular portion connected to one portion 23 of the plurality of blades 22 in the axial direction (that is, the portion 23 of the plurality of blades 22 on the side opposite to the main plate). The shroud tubular portion 32 is a portion of the shroud annular portion 31 that extends in a tubular shape from a radially inner portion toward the side opposite to the main plate. The shroud annular portion 31 and the shroud tubular portion 32 are formed continuously. The shroud annular portion 31 has a smooth curved shape that is convex toward the inter-blade flow path 25 when viewed in longitudinal section. As a result, the air flowing through the inter-blade passage 25 is prevented from separating from the surface of the shroud 30 on the inter-blade passage 25 side, and flows along the surface of the shroud 30 on the inter-blade passage 25 side.

The drive unit 50 is an electric motor that outputs torque when energized. A shaft 51 protruding from the driving portion 50 is fixed to the main plate 21 of the fan 20 . When the electric motor as the drive unit 50 is energized, the torque output from the drive unit 50 causes the shaft 51 and the fan 20 to rotate about their axes.

The nozzle 60 is formed in a tubular shape and is provided from a radially inner region of the bell mouth 11 to a radially inner region of the shroud tubular portion 32 . The nozzle 60 is fixed to the case 10 by a flow path partitioning member 70, which will be described later, and functions as a stationary blade.

An end portion 61 of the nozzle 60 on the side opposite to the main plate (that is, one end portion of the nozzle 60 in the axial direction) is closer to the opposite side of the main plate than the front wall 12 of the case 10 (that is, one side in the axial direction). protrudes to The nozzle 60 has a shape that expands radially outward from the central portion toward the end portion 61 on the side opposite to the main plate. The nozzle 60 has a shape in which the outer diameter gradually decreases from the end 61 on the side opposite to the main plate toward the end 62 on the side of the main plate 21 (that is, from one side to the other in the axial direction).

In addition, in a vertical cross-sectional view, the nozzle 60 has a thickness of a portion extending from the end 61 on the opposite side of the main plate (that is, one end in the axial direction) to the center. The plate thickness gradually decreases toward the portion 62 (that is, the other end portion in the axial direction). The nozzle 60 has a so-called blade shape in which the length in the axial direction along the radially inner surface is longer than the length in the axial direction along the radially outer surface.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a channel partition member 70 is provided between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60. As shown in FIG. The flow path partitioning member 70 is connected to the bell mouth 11 at its radially inner portion, and is connected to the nozzle 60 at its radially outer portion. The flow path partitioning member 70 is provided intermittently in the circumferential direction between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60, and divides the space between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11 into a plurality of partition flow paths 73 through which air flows. there is

The number of flow path partition members 70 is more than twice the number (for example, 2 to 4) required to support the nozzles 60 so that the pressure loss of the air passing through the plurality of partition flow paths 73 increases. It is preferable to configure with a number (for example, 8 or more). In addition, the air flow in the axial direction and the circumferential direction compared to the air flow in each partition flow path 73 when the flow path partition member 70 is the number required to support the nozzle 60 (for example, 2 to 4) can be reduced (e.g., 8 or more).

The fan 1 of the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 has twenty flow path partitioning members 70 . By increasing the number of flow path partitioning members 70 in this way, it is possible to increase the pressure loss of the air passing through each partitioning flow path 73 . In addition, it is possible to reduce the airflow in the axial direction and the circumferential direction in each partitioning channel 73 and to rectify the airflow in each partitioning channel 73 . However, the number of flow path partitioning members 70 is not limited to the number shown in FIG.

Moreover, each channel partitioning member 70 preferably has a large thickness when viewed from the axial direction in order to increase the pressure loss of the air passing through the plurality of partitioning channels 73 . However, from the viewpoint of preventing distortion during resin injection molding, the thickness of each channel partition member 70 is preferably about 1.5 to 3.0 mm, more preferably 2.0 to 2.5 mm. more preferred.

By increasing the number of flow path partitioning members 70 and increasing the thickness of the flow path partitioning members 70 as viewed from the axial direction, the distance between the adjacent flow path partitioning members 70 (that is, each partitioning flow path 73 can cross-sectional area of the flow path viewed from the direction) becomes narrower. Thereby, it is possible to increase the pressure loss of the air passing through the partition flow path 73 . Further, by increasing the number of flow path partitioning members 70 and increasing the length of the flow path partitioning members 70 in the axial direction, the distance of each partitioning flow path 73 in the axial direction is increased. As a result, it is possible to increase the pressure loss of the air passing through each partitioning flow path 73 and enhance the rectifying effect of the air flowing through each partitioning flow path 73 in the axial direction and the circumferential direction.

In the first embodiment, the channel partitioning member 70 is radially provided between the nozzle 60 and the bellmouth 11 . Further, the channel partitioning member 70 is provided over the entire circumference between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 . In addition, the channel partitioning members 70 are provided at uniform intervals in the circumferential direction between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzles 60 . Note that the uniform intervals in the circumferential direction are uniform within a range including manufacturing tolerances. For example, if it is within 5%, it shall be included in the uniform range.

An end portion 71 of the flow path partitioning member 70 on the side opposite to the main plate is positioned closer to the main plate 21 than an end portion 61 of the nozzle 60 on the side opposite to the main plate. On the other hand, the end portion 72 of the flow path partitioning member 70 on the main plate 21 side is located on the opposite side of the main plate than the end portion 62 of the nozzle 60 on the main plate 21 side. Therefore, the flow path partitioning member 70 does not block the flow of the main flow that is sucked into the fan 20 from the flow path on the upstream side of the nozzle 60 through the suction port 2 radially inward of the nozzle 60 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the following description of the first embodiment, between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11, the space on one side in the axial direction with respect to the partition flow path 73 is defined as the first space. It is called 1 channel 81 . A space on the other side in the axial direction from the partitioning channel 73 between the nozzle 60 and the case cylindrical portion 14 is called a second channel 82 . A space between the nozzle 60 and the shroud tube portion 32 is called a third flow path 83 . In addition, the space between the shroud 30 (specifically, the shroud tubular portion 32 and the shroud annular portion 31) and the inner wall of the case 10 (specifically, the case tubular portion 14 and the case annular portion 15) is filled with a gap flow. Call it Road 84.

<Operation of blower 1>
Next, the flow of air when the blower 1 of this embodiment is operated will be described.

<Face mode>
First, the flow of air when the air conditioner is set to the face mode and the blower 1 is operated will be described with reference to FIG. In general, when the air conditioner is set to the face mode, the pressure loss in the flow path on the downstream side of the blower 1 is smaller than that in the foot mode or defroster mode.

When the fan 20 rotates, air is sucked into the inter-blade flow path 25 of the fan 20 from a radially inner region of the nozzle 60 as indicated by an arrow F1 in FIG. The air flow indicated by the arrow F1 is called the mainstream. A part of the main stream flows along the radially inner surface of the nozzle 60 .

At the same time, as indicated by arrows F2 and F3, the air sucked by the fan 20 along the front wall 12 of the case 10 collides with the radially outer surface of the nozzle 60, and flows along the surface into the first flow path. 81→partition channel 73→second channel 82→third channel 83, and is sucked into the inter-blade channel 25 from the blade leading edge 26 side.

Also, when the fan 20 rotates, the pressure at the air outlet 28 of the fan 20 becomes higher than the pressure at the suction port 2 side of the fan 20 . Therefore, as indicated by arrows F4 and F5, the air flowing backward from the air outlet 28 side to the suction port 2 side flows through the gap flow path 84 . It should be noted that the air that flows back through the gap flow path 84 contains a velocity component in the rotation direction of the fan 20 . Then, the air flowing through the gap flow paths 84 indicated by arrows F4 and F5 and the air flowing in from the first flow path 81 indicated by arrow F2 merge in the second flow path 82, and then move toward the second flow path as indicated by arrow F3. It flows through the third channel 83 and is sucked into the inter-blade channel 25 together with the main stream from the blade leading edge 26 side.

Here, the pressure of the air flowing along the radially outer surface of the nozzle 60 is higher than the pressure of the main stream flowing into the fan 20 along the radially inner surface of the nozzle 60 . Therefore, the pressure difference between the pressure in the first flow path 81, the partition flow path 73 and the second flow path 82 and the pressure on the side of the air outlet 28 of the fan 20 becomes small, and the air outlet 28 side of the fan 20 increases the gap flow path. The amount of air flowing back through 84 can be reduced.

In addition, the air flowing through the first flow path 81 and the air flowing backward through the gap flow path 84 merge in the second flow path 82 , so that the speed component of the merged air in the rotation direction of the fan 20 becomes small. Therefore, the crossing angle between the air blown out from the third flow path 83 toward the blade leading edge 26 side and the main stream becomes small, and noise can be reduced.

<Foot mode or Defroster mode>
Next, the flow of air when the blower 1 is operated with the air conditioner in the foot mode or the defroster mode will be described with reference to FIG.

When the fan 20 rotates, the main stream is sucked into the inter-blade passage 25 from the front edge 26 side of the fan 20 along the radially inner surface of the nozzle 60, as indicated by arrow F1 in FIG. Here, in general, when the air conditioner is set to the foot mode or the defroster mode, the pressure loss in the flow path on the downstream side of the blower 1 is greater than that in the face mode. Therefore, as the rotation speed of the fan 20 increases, the difference between the pressure on the side of the air outlet 28 of the fan 20 and the pressure on the side of the suction port 2 becomes larger than the pressure difference in the face mode. As a result, when the wind speed and air volume of the air flowing back through the gap flow path 84 increase, the backflow air flows from the second flow path 82 through the partition flow path 73 and the first flow path 81 as indicated by the dashed arrow F6 in FIG. It tries to flow inside the nozzle 60 across the end 61 of the nozzle 60 on the side opposite to the main plate. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, since the space between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11 is partitioned into a plurality of partitioned channels 73 by the channel partitioning member 70, the pressure of the backflow air passing through the partitioned channels 73 is The losses are increased, and the wind speed and volume of the backflow air are reduced.

Further, the inventor's research has revealed that the backflow air that tries to flow inside the nozzle 60 across the end 61 of the nozzle 60 opposite to the main plate has a large wind speed distribution in the circumferential direction. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, since the space between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11 is partitioned into a plurality of partitioned channels 73 by the channel partitioning member 70, the pressure of the backflow air passing through the partitioned channels 73 is Loss is increased, and the circumferential wind velocity distribution of the backflow air is reduced.

<Comparative example>
Here, for comparison with the fan 1 of the first embodiment described above, a fan 100 of a comparative example will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. FIG. It should be noted that the blower 100 of this comparative example was created by the applicant and is not a prior art.

As shown in FIG. 9 , in blower 100 of the comparative example, ribs 700 are provided between bell mouth 11 and nozzle 60 in a necessary number (for example, four) to support nozzle 60 . The rib 700 has a negligibly small function and effect as flow resistance of backflow air.

<Face mode in comparative example>
FIG. 10 shows the flow of air when the air conditioner is set to the face mode in the blower 100 of the comparative example. As indicated by arrows F1 to F5 in FIG. 10, even in the fan 100 of the comparative example, the air flow when the air conditioner is set to the face mode and the fan 1 is operated is the same as the fan 1 of the first embodiment. be. Therefore, even in the blower 100 of the comparative example, when the air conditioner is in the face mode, it is possible to reduce the amount of backflow air, improve the blowing efficiency, and reduce noise.

<Foot Mode or Defroster Mode in Comparative Example>
Next, FIG. 11 shows the flow of air when the air conditioner is set to the foot mode or the defroster mode in the blower 100 of the comparative example. When the fan 20 rotates, the main stream is sucked into the inter-blade passage 25 from the front edge 26 side of the fan 20 along the radially inner surface of the nozzle 60, as indicated by arrow F1 in FIG. As described above, when the air conditioner is in the foot mode or the defroster mode, the pressure loss in the flow path on the downstream side of the blower 100 is greater than in the face mode. Therefore, as the rotation speed of the fan 20 increases, the difference between the pressure on the side of the air outlet 28 of the fan 20 and the pressure on the side of the suction port 2 becomes larger than the pressure difference in the face mode. As a result, when the wind speed and air volume of the air flowing back through the gap flow passage 84 increases, the back-flowing air straddles the end 61 of the nozzle 60 on the side opposite to the main plate, as indicated by the arrow F7 in FIG. will flow inside.

Here, as indicated by arrows F8 to F13 in FIG. 60”) has a large circumferential wind speed distribution. That is, the plurality of arrows F8 to F13 shown in FIG. 9 indicate locations where the wind speed of the backflow air straddling the nozzle 60 is high. On the other hand, in the region between the arrows F8 to F13 shown in FIG. 9, the wind speed of the backflow air across the nozzle 60 is low. In this way, in the blower 100 of the comparative example, when the air conditioner is in the foot mode or the defroster mode, the backflow air across the nozzle 60 has a large circumferential wind speed distribution and is joined with the main stream, and the front edge 26 side of the blade 22 There is a risk that the noise will increase by flowing into the

<Effects of the blower 1 of the first embodiment>
Compared with the fan 100 of the comparative example, the fan 1 of the first embodiment has the following effects.
(1) The blower 1 of the first embodiment includes flow path partitioning members 70 intermittently provided between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 in the circumferential direction. The channel partitioning member 70 partitions the space between the nozzle 60 and the bellmouth 11 into a plurality of partitioning channels 73 through which air flows. According to this, by partitioning the space between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11 into a plurality of partitioned channels 73 by the channel partitioning member 70, the pressure loss of the backflow air passing through the plurality of partitioned channels 73 is increased. It is possible. Therefore, the blower 1 can reduce the wind speed and air volume of the backflow air and improve the blowing efficiency.

As a result of research by the inventors, as described above, the backflow air across the nozzle 60 has a large circumferential wind speed distribution, and the backflow air having the wind speed distribution intersects with the main stream and flows toward the front edge 26 of the blade 22. It was found that the noise increased as the water flowed in. On the other hand, in the blower 1 of the first embodiment, the pressure loss of the backflow air passing through the partition flow path 73 is increased by the flow path partition member 70, so that the wind velocity distribution of the backflow air across the nozzle 60 in the circumferential direction is increased. can be reduced. Therefore, the blower 1 can reduce the noise generated when the backflow air flows into the leading edge 26 side of the blade.

(2) In the first embodiment, the channel partitioning member 70 is radially provided between the nozzle 60 and the bellmouth 11 so as to increase the pressure loss of the air flowing through the plurality of partitioning channels 73. .
According to this, a specific arrangement of the plurality of channel partitioning members 70 is exemplified.

(3) In the first embodiment, the end portion 71 of the flow path partitioning member 70 on the side opposite to the main plate is located closer to the main plate 21 than the end portion 61 of the nozzle 60 on the side opposite to the main plate. Further, the end portion 72 of the flow path partitioning member 70 on the main plate 21 side is located on the opposite side of the main plate than the end portion 62 of the nozzle 60 on the main plate 21 side.
According to this, the flow path partitioning member 70 does not block the flow of the main flow that is sucked into the fan 20 from the flow path on the upstream side of the nozzle 60 through the radially inner side of the nozzle 60 .

(4) In the first embodiment, the channel partitioning members 70 are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction between the bellmouth 11 and the nozzles 60 .
According to this, by uniformly increasing the pressure loss of the counterflow air passing through the partition passage 73 in the circumferential direction, the wind speed and the air volume of the counterflow air flowing through the partition passage 73 are reduced. It is possible to reduce the distribution. Moreover, even if the position of the wind speed distribution in the circumferential direction of the backflow air across the nozzle 60 changes due to the usage conditions of the blower 1, it is possible to reduce the wind speed distribution.

(5) In the first embodiment, the channel partitioning member 70 is provided along the entire circumference between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 .
According to this, by increasing the pressure loss of the backflow air passing through the partition passage 73 over the entire circumference, the wind speed and air volume of the backflow air flowing through the partition passage 73 are reduced, and as a result, the wind speed distribution is reduced. can be reduced. Moreover, even if the position of the wind speed distribution in the circumferential direction of the backflow air across the nozzle 60 changes due to the usage conditions of the blower 1, it is possible to reduce the wind speed distribution.

(6) In the first embodiment, the fan 20 is a turbo fan whose blades 22 extend rearward in the rotational direction from the leading edge 26 toward the trailing edge 27. and the air outlet 28, the flow rate of the backflow air tends to increase. Even in the blower 1 having the turbofan having such characteristics, it is possible to exhibit the effects of improving the blowing efficiency and reducing the noise.

(7) In the first embodiment, the number of channel partition members 70 is more than twice the number required to support the nozzles 60 .
According to this, by increasing the number of the flow path partitioning members 70, the flow path cross-sectional area of each partition flow path 73 becomes smaller, so that the pressure loss of the backflow air passing through the partition flow path 73 can be increased. It is possible. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the air volume of the backflow air and reduce the wind velocity distribution of the backflow air in the circumferential direction.

(Second to fifth embodiments)
In the second to fifth embodiments, the configuration of the flow path partition member 70 is changed from that of the first embodiment, and the rest is the same as in the first embodiment. Only about

(Second embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 5, in the second embodiment, the channel partitioning member 70 provided between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 is configured in a net shape. Meshes of the mesh-shaped flow path forming member serve as a plurality of partition flow paths 73 . The mesh-like channel partition member 70 is provided along the entire circumference between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 so as to increase the pressure loss of the air passing through the plurality of partition channels 73 .

The thickness of the mesh-shaped flow path forming member, the flow path cross-sectional area of the plurality of partition flow paths 73, and the flow path length of the plurality of partition flow paths 73 in the axial direction can be set arbitrarily. Specifically, in FIG. 5, the shape of the plurality of partitioning channels 73 is rectangular, but the shape of the plurality of partitioning channels 73 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, circular, elliptical, polygonal, or a combination thereof. , can be set arbitrarily.

The net-like flow path partition member 70 provided in the blower 1 of the second embodiment described above also increases the pressure loss of the backflow air passing through the plurality of partition flow paths 73, so that the wind speed and air volume of the backflow air are reduced, It is possible to reduce the circumferential wind velocity distribution of the backflow air straddling the nozzle 60 . Therefore, in the blower 1 of the second embodiment as well, the blowing efficiency can be improved and the noise can be reduced.

(Third embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 6, in the third embodiment, the flow path partitioning member 70 is provided only within a predetermined angular range set at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 . In FIG. 6, arrows R1 to R3 indicate the predetermined angular range in which the flow path partition member 70 is provided. In the third embodiment, three predetermined angle ranges are set. The predetermined angular range in which the flow path partitioning member 70 is provided is set to a position where the wind speed of the backflow air across the nozzle 60 would be high if the flow path partitioning member 70 were not provided. The location can be set by experiment, simulation, or the like. As described above, the blower 1 of the third embodiment has a narrow space between the plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 and a plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 so that the wind velocity of the backflow air across the nozzles 60 is made uniform. 70 has a part with a wide space|interval.

In the blower 1 of the third embodiment described above, by arranging the locations where the intervals between the plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 are narrow at locations where the backflow air has a high wind speed, It is possible to equalize the wind speed of the backflow air over the direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the circumferential wind velocity distribution of the backflow air straddling the nozzle 60 and reduce the wind velocity and air volume of the backflow air. Further, in the third embodiment, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the channel partitioning member 70 is not provided more than necessary.

(Fourth embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 7, in the fourth embodiment, the channel partitioning members 70 are provided between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 at uneven intervals in the circumferential direction. In addition, the non-uniform intervals in the circumferential direction refer to non-uniform intervals that do not include manufacturing tolerances if they are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction. If the difference in cross-sectional area between the plurality of partition channels 73 is greater than 5%, it can be said to be non-uniform.

The blower 1 of the fourth embodiment can increase the pressure loss of the backflow air passing through the plurality of partition passages 73 and uniform the wind speed of the backflow air. That is, it is possible to reduce the circumferential wind velocity distribution of the backflow air straddling the nozzle 60 and reduce the wind velocity and air volume of the backflow air.

(Fifth embodiment)
The fifth embodiment is a modification of the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, in the fifth embodiment, the flow path partitioning members 70 are provided only in predetermined angular ranges set at six points in the circumferential direction between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 . In FIG. 8, arrows R1 to R6 indicate the predetermined angular range in which the channel partition member 70 is provided. The predetermined angular range in which the flow path partitioning member 70 is provided is set to a position where the wind speed of the backflow air across the nozzle 60 would be high if the flow path partitioning member 70 were not provided. The location can be set by experiment, simulation, or the like. That is, the predetermined angular range in which the flow path partition member 70 is provided is not limited to the six positions shown in FIG. 8, and can be set arbitrarily.

As described above, in the blower 1 of the fifth embodiment as well, in order to equalize the wind velocity of the backflow air across the nozzles 60, the portions where the intervals between the plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 are narrow and the plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 has a part with a wide space|interval. The blower 1 of the fifth embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the third embodiment and the like.

(Sixth embodiment)
A sixth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The sixth embodiment has a configuration in which the shroud tubular portion 32 is omitted from the first embodiment, and the rest is the same as the first embodiment. Therefore, the parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

<Configuration of blower 1>
As shown in FIG. 12, the blower 1 of the sixth embodiment also includes a case 10, a fan 20, a drive section 50, a nozzle 60, a flow path partition member 70, and the like.
The fan 20 has a main plate 21 , multiple blades 22 and a shroud 30 . In the sixth embodiment, the shroud 30 has a shroud annular portion 31 connected to the portion 23 of the plurality of blades 22 on the side opposite to the main plate. However, in the sixth embodiment, the shroud 30 has a portion (that is, the shroud cylinder portion 32 described in the first embodiment) that extends cylindrically from the radially inner portion of the shroud annular portion 31 toward the side opposite to the main plate. not. The nozzle 60 is formed in a tubular shape, and is provided from a radially inner region of the bell mouth 11 to a radially inner region of the case tubular portion 14 . Other configurations of the fan 1 of the sixth embodiment are substantially the same as those described in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , a plurality of channel partitioning members 70 are provided between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzles 60 . A plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 are intermittently provided in the circumferential direction between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 to form a plurality of partition flow paths 73 through which air flows in the space between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11. partitioning. The number, thickness, etc. of the plurality of channel partitioning members 70 are the same as those described in the first embodiment. That is, the plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 increase the pressure loss of the air passing through each partition flow path 73, reduce the air flow in the axial direction and the circumferential direction in each partition flow path 73, and The number, thickness, etc. of the passages 73 are set for the purpose of rectifying the air flow of the passages 73 .

In the sixth embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 13, a plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 are radially provided between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11 . A plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 are provided over the entire circumference between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 . Moreover, the plurality of flow path partitioning members 70 are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction between the bell mouth 11 and the nozzle 60 .
However, the number, shape, arrangement, etc. of the channel partitioning members 70 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 13, and the configurations described in the second to fifth embodiments can be applied.

<Operation of blower 1>
Next, the flow of air when the blower 1 of this embodiment is operated will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG.

In the following description of the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11, a space on one side in the axial direction with respect to the partition flow path 73 is provided. It is called the first channel 81 . A space on the other side in the axial direction from the partitioning channel 73 between the nozzle 60 and the case cylindrical portion 14 is called a second channel 82 . Also, the space between the shroud 30 and the inner wall of the case 10 is called a gap channel 84 .

<Face mode>
First, the flow of air when the air conditioner is set to the face mode and the blower 1 is operated will be described with reference to FIG. In general, when the air conditioner is set to the face mode, the pressure loss in the flow path on the downstream side of the blower 1 is smaller than that in the foot mode or defroster mode.

When the fan 20 rotates, air is sucked into the inter-blade flow path 25 of the fan 20 from a radially inner region of the nozzle 60 as indicated by an arrow F1 in FIG. The air flow indicated by the arrow F1 is called the mainstream. A part of the main stream flows along the radially inner surface of the nozzle 60 .

At the same time, as indicated by arrows F2 and F3, the air sucked by the fan 20 along the front wall 12 of the case 10 collides with the radially outer surface of the nozzle 60, and flows along the surface into the first flow path. 81→partition channel 73→second channel 82, and is sucked into the inter-blade channel 25 from the blade leading edge 26 side.

Also, when the fan 20 rotates, the pressure at the air outlet 28 of the fan 20 becomes higher than the pressure at the suction port 2 side of the fan 20 . Therefore, as indicated by arrows F4 and F5, the air flowing backward from the air outlet 28 side to the suction port 2 side flows through the gap flow path 84 . It should be noted that the air that flows back through the gap flow path 84 contains a velocity component in the rotation direction of the fan 20 . Then, the air flowing through the gap flow paths 84 indicated by arrows F4 and F5 and the air flowing in from the first flow path 81 indicated by arrow F2 merge in the second flow path 82, and then move toward the blades as indicated by arrow F3. It is sucked into the inter-blade passage 25 from the leading edge 26 side together with the main stream.

Here, the pressure of the air flowing along the radially outer surface of the nozzle 60 is higher than the pressure of the main stream flowing into the fan 20 along the radially inner surface of the nozzle 60 . Therefore, the pressure difference between the pressure in the first flow path 81, the partition flow path 73 and the second flow path 82 and the pressure on the side of the air outlet 28 of the fan 20 becomes small, and the air outlet 28 side of the fan 20 increases the gap flow path. The amount of air flowing back through 84 can be reduced.

In addition, the air flowing through the first flow path 81 and the air flowing backward through the gap flow path 84 merge in the second flow path 82 , so that the speed component of the merged air in the rotation direction of the fan 20 becomes small. Therefore, the crossing angle between the air blown from the second flow path 82 toward the blade leading edge 26 side and the main stream becomes small, and noise can be reduced.

<Foot mode or Defroster mode>
Next, the flow of air when the blower 1 is operated with the air conditioner in the foot mode or the defroster mode will be described with reference to FIG.

When the fan 20 rotates, the main flow is sucked into the inter-blade passage 25 from the front edge 26 side of the fan 20 along the radially inner surface of the nozzle 60, as indicated by arrow F1 in FIG. Here, in general, when the air conditioner is set to the foot mode or the defroster mode, the pressure loss in the flow path on the downstream side of the blower 1 is greater than that in the face mode. Therefore, as the rotation speed of the fan 20 increases, the difference between the pressure on the side of the air outlet 28 of the fan 20 and the pressure on the side of the suction port 2 becomes larger than the pressure difference in the face mode. As a result, when the wind speed and air volume of the air flowing back through the clearance flow path 84 increase, the backflow air flows from the second flow path 82 through the partition flow path 73 and the first flow path 81 as indicated by the dashed arrow F6 in FIG. It tries to flow inside the nozzle 60 across the end 61 of the nozzle 60 on the side opposite to the main plate. On the other hand, in the sixth embodiment, since the space between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11 is partitioned into a plurality of partition channels 73 by a plurality of channel partition members 70, the backflow air passing through the partition channels 73 pressure loss increases, and the wind speed and volume of backflow air are reduced.

Further, the inventor's research has revealed that the backflow air that tries to flow inside the nozzle 60 across the end 61 of the nozzle 60 opposite to the main plate has a large wind speed distribution in the circumferential direction. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, since the space between the nozzle 60 and the bell mouth 11 is partitioned into a plurality of partitioned channels 73 by a plurality of channel partitioning members 70, the backflow air passing through the partitioned channels 73 pressure loss increases, and the circumferential wind velocity distribution of the backflow air is reduced.

The fan 1 of the sixth embodiment described above also reduces the wind speed and the air volume of the backflow air passing through the plurality of partition passages 73 in the same manner as the fan 1 described in the first embodiment and the like, and reduces the backflow across the nozzle 60. It is possible to reduce the circumferential wind velocity distribution of the air. Therefore, in the blower 1 of the sixth embodiment as well, the blowing efficiency can be improved and the noise can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
(1) In each of the above-described embodiments, the blower 1 was described as being used in a vehicle air conditioner, but the blower 1 is not limited to this, and can be used in various applications such as a ventilator or a blower. can.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the fan 20 included in the blower 1 was described as a turbo fan, but it is not limited to this, and may be a centrifugal fan such as a sirocco fan or a radial fan.

(3) In each of the above-described embodiments, the nozzle 60 provided in the blower 1 has a wing shape whose diameter decreases from one side to the other in the axial direction, and protrudes from the front wall 12 of the case 10 toward the side opposite to the main plate. Although described as being provided, it is not limited to this. The nozzle 60 may have, for example, a simple cylindrical shape, or may not protrude from the front wall 12 of the case 10 toward the side opposite to the main plate.

(4) In each of the above-described embodiments, the numbers of flow path partitioning members 70 are illustrated as 14, 20, 21, and 24 in each figure. The shape can be set arbitrarily.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the claims. Moreover, the above-described embodiments are not unrelated to each other, and can be appropriately combined unless the combination is clearly impossible. Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, it goes without saying that the elements constituting the embodiment are not necessarily essential, unless it is explicitly stated that they are essential, or they are clearly considered essential in principle. stomach. In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, when numerical values such as the number, numerical value, amount, range, etc. of the constituent elements of the embodiment are mentioned, when it is explicitly stated that they are particularly essential, and when they are clearly limited to a specific number in principle It is not limited to that specific number, except when In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of the constituent elements, the shape, It is not limited to the positional relationship or the like.

1 blower 2 suction port 11 bellmouth 20 fan 21 main plate 22 blade 30 shroud 60 nozzle 70 channel partitioning member 73 partitioning channel

Claims (13)

in the blower,
a case (10) having a bell mouth (11) forming a suction port (2) for sucking air;
A main plate (21) provided rotatably around an axis (CL) inside the case, a plurality of blades (22) arranged around the axis and connected to the main plate, and a plurality of blades a fan (20) having a shroud (30) connected to a portion (23) on the opposite side of the main plate;
a tubular nozzle (60) provided in a radially inner region of the bell mouth;
A channel partitioning member (70) intermittently provided in the circumferential direction between the nozzle and the bell mouth and partitioning the space between the nozzle and the bell mouth into a plurality of partition channels (73) through which air flows. ) and a blower. 2. The blower according to claim 1, wherein said channel partitioning member is radially provided between said nozzle and said bell mouth so as to increase pressure loss of air flowing through said plurality of partitioning channels. The blower according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said flow path partitioning members are provided at uniform intervals in the circumferential direction between said nozzle and said bell mouth. 2. The flow path partition member according to claim 1, wherein the flow path partition member is provided in a net shape between the nozzle and the bell mouth so as to increase pressure loss of air flowing between the nozzle and the bell mouth. blower. The blower according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flow path partition member is provided along the entire circumference between the nozzle and the bell mouth. An end (71) of the flow path partitioning member on the side opposite to the main plate is positioned closer to the main plate than an end (61) of the nozzle on the side opposite to the main plate,
6. The end portion (72) of the flow path partitioning member on the main plate side is located on the opposite side of the main plate than the end portion (62) of the nozzle on the main plate side. 1. The blower according to 1. in the blower,
a case (10) having a bell mouth (11) forming a suction port (2) for sucking air;
A main plate (21) provided rotatably around an axis (CL) inside the case, a plurality of blades (22) arranged around the axis and connected to the main plate, and a plurality of blades a fan (20) having a shroud (30) connected to a portion (23) on the opposite side of the main plate;
a tubular nozzle (60) provided in a radially inner region of the bell mouth;
a plurality of flow path partitioning members (70) provided between the nozzle and the bell mouth and partitioning the space between the nozzle and the bell mouth into a plurality of partition flow paths (73) through which air flows; prepared,
In the space formed between the nozzle and the bell mouth, the wind speed of the air that flows backward from the air outlet side of the fan to the suction port side inside the nozzle through the plurality of partition passages is made uniform. , the air blower has a location where the plurality of flow path partitioning members are spaced narrowly and a location where the plurality of flow path partitioning members are spaced widely. 8. The blower according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of flow path partitioning members are provided only in a predetermined angular range set at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction between said nozzle and said bell mouth. 8. The blower according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of flow path partitioning members are arranged circumferentially between said nozzle and said bell mouth at uneven intervals. 10. The blower according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the fan is a turbofan in which the blades extend rearward in the direction of rotation from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The blower according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said flow path partitioning members are formed in a number that is at least twice the number required to support said nozzles. The shroud has a shroud annular portion (31) connected to a portion (23) of the plurality of blades on the side opposite to the main plate, and has a tubular shape extending from the radially inner portion of the shroud annular portion to the side opposite to the main plate. 12. A fan as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, which does not have a portion extending into the air. The shroud includes a shroud annular portion (31) connected to a portion (23) of the plurality of blades on the side opposite to the main plate, and a portion of the shroud annular portion located radially inward and cylindrically extending toward the side opposite to the main plate. 12. A fan as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising a shroud tube (32).

Images