Air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11209011-B2
Application number	US-201716346390-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2017
Priority date	Nov 1, 2016
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed is an air conditioner that suppresses generation of leakage vortices between a fan and a shroud. An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an axial fan for blowing air; a shroud partially surrounding a circumference of the axial fan to guide air blown by the axial fan; and a fence ring provided in an inner surface of the shroud and protruding in a radial direction from the inner surface of the shroud. In addition, the fence ring is disposed between a downstream end of the axial fan and a downstream end of the shroud.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air conditioner, comprising:
an axial fan for blowing air;
a shroud partially surrounding a circumference of the axial fan to guide air blown by the axial fan; and
a fence ring provided in an inner surface of the shroud and protruding in a radial direction from the inner surface of the shroud,
wherein the fence ring is disposed between a downstream end of the axial fan and a downstream end of the shroud.

2. The air conditioner of claim 1 ,
wherein the shroud is comprised of an inlet portion having an inner diameter decreasing from an upstream side toward a downstream side in a flow direction of air passing through the shroud, and an outlet portion positioned at a downstream side of the inlet portion and having a constant inner diameter, and
wherein the fence ring is disposed in the outlet portion.

3. The air conditioner of claim 2 , wherein a portion in a vertical cross section of the fence ring is formed vertical to an inner surface of a vertical cross section of the outlet portion.

4. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the fence ring protrudes continuously from the shroud.

5. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein an edge of a vertical cross section of the fence ring is rounded.

6. The air conditioner of claim 1 ,
wherein the shroud has a reinforcement ring formed on an outer surface of the shroud and protruding in a radial direction, and
wherein the fence ring is disposed between the reinforcement ring and a downstream end of the shroud.

7. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein a protruding height of the fence ring is smaller than a tip clearance that is a minimum distance between a tip of the axial fan and the inner surface of the shroud.

8. The air conditioner of claim 7 , wherein the protruding height of the fence has a value that is 50% to 80% of the tip clearance.

9. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein a protruding height of the fence ring has a value that corresponds to 1% to 3% of a diameter length of the axial fan.

10. The air conditioner of claim 9 , wherein the protruding height of the fence ring has a value that corresponds to 1.2% to 2% of the diameter length of the axial fan.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc
• Seoul Nat Univ R&Db Foundation

Inventors

• Kim Taejun
• Choi Seokho
• Oh Siyoung
• Sa Yongcheol
• Choi Haecheon
• Park Keuntae

Classifications

• F24F1/38 Primary

  Fan details of outdoor units, e.g. bell-mouth shaped inlets or fan mountings · CPC title

• F04D29/526

  Details of the casing section radially opposing blade tips (ducts F04D29/545) · CPC title

• F04D29/325 Primary

  for axial flow fans (blade mountings F04D29/34, blades F04D29/38) · CPC title

• F24F13/20

  Casings or covers · CPC title

• F24F2013/205

  Mounting a ventilator fan therein · CPC title