Fan motor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017227020-A1
Application number	US-201715422555-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 2, 2017
Priority date	Feb 8, 2016
Publication date	Aug 10, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

This fan motor includes a motor, an impeller arranged to rotate together with a rotating portion of the motor, and a housing arranged to house the motor and the impeller therein. The housing includes an inner wall portion, a silencer portion, and a communicating opening. The inner wall portion is arranged to extend along a rotation axis to assume a tubular shape, and is arranged to house at least a portion of the impeller therein. The silencer portion includes a portion arranged radially outside of the inner wall portion, and is arranged to define a silencing space between the inner wall portion and the silencer portion. The communicating opening is arranged to bring a space inside of the inner wall portion into communication with the silencing space. A portion of the communicating opening is defined by an end portion of the inner wall portion on an inlet side. The silencing space is arranged to cover only a portion of the circumferential extent of the inner wall portion. This allows the silencing space to be arranged in a dead space around the inner wall portion. A reduction in noise can thus be achieved without an increase in the size of a space in which the fan motor is installed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fan motor comprising:
a motor including a stationary portion and a rotating portion arranged to rotate about a rotation axis; an impeller including a plurality of blades, and arranged to rotate together with the rotating portion; and a housing arranged to house the motor and the impeller therein; wherein the housing includes: a tubular inner wall portion arranged to extend from an inlet side to an outlet side along the rotation axis, and arranged to house at least a portion of the impeller therein; a silencer portion including a portion arranged radially outside of the inner wall portion, and arranged to define a silencing space between the inner wall portion and the silencer portion; and a communicating opening arranged to bring a space inside of the inner wall portion into communication with the silencing space; a portion of the communicating opening is defined by an end portion of the inner wall portion on the inlet side; and the silencing space is arranged to cover only a portion of a circumferential extent of the inner wall portion.

2 . The fan motor according to claim 1 , wherein the silencing space is arranged to be in communication with a space outside of the silencing space only through the communicating opening.

3 . The fan motor according to claim 1 , wherein
the silencer portion includes: an outer wall portion arranged radially outside of the inner wall portion; and a flange portion arranged to extend radially inward from an inlet-side end portion of the outer wall portion; and at least a portion of the communicating opening is defined by the end portion of the inner wall portion on the inlet side and an end portion of the flange portion on the outlet side.

4 . The fan motor according to claim 3 , wherein the flange portion includes, in a radially inner end portion thereof, a slanting portion arranged to slant from the inlet side to the outlet side as the slanting portion extends radially inward.

5 . The fan motor according to claim 3 , wherein the flange portion is arranged on the inlet side of the blades.

6 . The fan motor according to claim 5 , wherein the flange portion is arranged to have an inside diameter equal to or smaller than an outside diameter of the blades.

7 . The fan motor according to claim 1 , wherein an end portion of each blade on the inlet side is arranged on the outlet side of an end portion of the inner wall portion on the inlet side.

8 . The fan motor according to claim 7 , wherein an inner circumferential surface of the inner wall portion includes, in an end portion thereof on the inlet side, an increased diameter portion arranged to increase in a diameter from the outlet side toward the inlet side.

9 . The fan motor according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the silencing spaces are arranged in a circumferential direction.

10 . The fan motor according to claim 1 , wherein
the housing includes an outer circumferential surface being substantially in a shape of a regular square when viewed in an axial direction; and the silencing space is arranged at a position overlapping with a corner portion of the outer circumferential surface when viewed in a radial direction.

11 . The fan motor according to claim 1 , further comprising a sound-absorbing sponge arranged in the silencing space.

12 . The fan motor according to claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a partitioning portion arranged to partition the silencing space in a circumferential direction.

13 . The fan motor according to claim 1 , comprising at least two of the impellers.

14 . The fan motor according to claim 13 , comprising:
two of the motors including a first motor and a second motor; and two of the impellers including a first impeller and a second impeller; wherein the first and second impellers are arranged one above the other in an axial direction; the first impeller is arranged to rotate together with the rotating portion of the first motor; the second impeller is arranged to rotate together with the rotating portion of the second motor; and the first and second impellers are arranged to rotate in opposite directions.

Assignees

• Nidec Corp

Inventors

• Arima kumiko
• Matsuda Shigekatsu
• Yamashita Takamasa
• Sakuma Yuuichi
• Yamagata Ryota

Classifications

• F04D19/002

  Axial flow fans · CPC title

• F04D29/663 Primary

  Sound attenuation · CPC title

• F04D29/522

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F04D25/06

  the pump being electrically driven (F04D25/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F04D29/665 Primary

  by means of resonance chambers or interference · CPC title