Propeller fan and air conditioner having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018080468-A1
Application number	US-201715711997-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 21, 2017
Priority date	Sep 21, 2016
Publication date	Mar 22, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A propeller fan that includes a hub body with a shaft coupling portion. The propeller fan also includes a plurality of hub blades extending spirally from the hub body. The propeller fan additionally includes a plurality of blades extending outward from the hub body and the hub blade to generate an airflow in an axial direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A propeller fan comprising:
a hub body including a shaft coupling portion; a plurality of hub blades extending spirally from the hub body; and a plurality of blades extending outward from the hub body and the hub blades generate an airflow in an axial direction.

2 . The propeller fan according to claim 1 , wherein each blade comprises a leading edge disposed at a front portion in a rotational direction, a trailing edge disposed at a rear portion in the rotational direction, and a tip edge connecting the leading edge with the trailing edge, and
at least one portion of the hub blade protrudes in a forward direction of the leading edge.

3 . The propeller fan according to claim 2 , wherein each of the hub blades comprises a front side wall disposed at a front portion in the rotational direction, a rear side wall disposed at a rear portion of the rotational direction, and a connection portion configured to connect the front side wall with the rear side wall, and
the connection portion protrudes in the forward direction of the leading edge to prevent stress from being concentrated on one portion of the blade.

4 . The propeller fan according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of blades comprises a first blade and a second blade,
the plurality of hub blades comprises a first hub blade and a second hub blade, and a leading edge of the first blade is connected to a rear side wall of the first hub blade and a trailing edge of the first blade is connected to a front side wall of the second hub blade.

5 . The propeller fan according to claim 3 , wherein the hub body comprises a side wall portion that the blade extends from and at least one support rib connecting the shaft coupling portion with the side wall portion, and
the side wall portion, the support rib, the front side wall, and the rear side wall are of similar thickness in the axial direction.

6 . The propeller fan according to claim 1 , wherein an axial thickness of the hub blade is greater than an axial thickness of the blade.

7 . The propeller fan according to claim 1 , wherein each of the blades comprises a plurality of recesses formed on a negative pressure surface of the blade to reduce a thickness of the blade, and
the plurality of recesses are disposed behind the hub blade in a rotational direction.

8 . The propeller fan according to claim 1 , wherein the hub body comprises a positioning projection and a positioning groove to allow one or more additional propeller fans to be stacked in the axial direction, and
the positioning projection is formed on an upper surface or a lower surface of the hub body, the positioning groove is formed on a lower surface or an upper surface of the hub body, and the positioning projection and the positioning groove includes shapes corresponding to each other to be axially coupled.

9 . The propeller fan according to claim 1 , wherein the blade comprises a plurality of vortex generators formed on a positive pressure surface of the blade to reduce flow resistance of the blade.

10 . The propeller fan according to claim 9 , wherein each of the blades comprises a leading edge disposed at a front portion in a rotational direction, a trailing edge disposed at a rear portion in the rotational direction, and a tip edge connecting the leading edge with the trailing edge, and
the plurality of vortex generators are arranged at distances gradually increasing from the hub blade to the tip edge.

11 . A propeller fan comprising:
a hub body including a shaft coupling portion; a blade extending outward from the hub body and generating an airflow in an axial direction; and a plurality of vortex generators formed on a positive pressure surface of the blade and arranged at distances gradually increasing from the hub body to an end portion of the blade.

12 . The propeller fan according to claim 11 , wherein each of the vortex generators comprises a front portion, a central portion, and a rear portion along a rotational direction of the blade and has a thickness increasing from the front portion to the central portion and decreasing from the central portion to the rear portion, the central portion comprising a maximum thickness.

13 . The propeller fan according to claim 12 , wherein the central portion and the rear portion are V-shapes when viewed in an axial direction.

14 . The propeller fan according to claim 13 , wherein each of the vortex generators further comprises a tail portion protruding backward from the central portion to a rear end of the rear portion.

15 . An air conditioner comprising:
a main body; a heat exchanger disposed inside of the main body; a propeller fan configured to force air inside the main body to flow; and a driving motor configured to drive the propeller fan, wherein the propeller fan comprises a hub body including a shaft coupling portion that a rotary shaft of the driving motor is coupled, a blade extending outward from the hub body and generating an airflow in an axial direction, a plurality of vortex generators formed on a positive pressure surface of the blade and reducing flow resistance of the blade, and a hub blade extending spirally from the hub body reinforcing strength of the blade.

16 . The air conditioner according to claim 15 , wherein the blade comprises a leading edge disposed at a front portion in a rotational direction, a trailing edge disposed at a rear portion in
the rotational direction, and a tip edge connecting the leading edge with the trailing edge, and at least one portion of the hub blade protrudes in a forward direction of the leading edge.

17 . The air conditioner according to claim 16 , wherein the hub blade comprises a front side wall disposed at a front portion in the rotational direction, a rear side wall disposed at a rear portion in the rotational direction, and a connection portion configured to connect the front side wall with the rear side wall, and
the connection portion protrudes in a forward direction of the leading edge to prevent stress from being concentrated on one portion of the blade.

18 . The air conditioner according to claim 17 , wherein the blade comprises a first blade and a second blade,
the hub blade comprises a first hub blade and a second hub blade, and a leading edge of the first blade is connected to a rear side wall of the first hub blade and a trailing edge of the first blade is connected to a front side wall of the second hub blade.

19 . The air conditioner according to claim 16 , wherein the plurality of vortex generators is arranged at distances gradually increasing from the hub blade to the tip edge.

20 . The air conditioner according to claim 15 , wherein the vortex generator comprises a front portion, a central portion, and a rear portion along a rotational direction of the blade, and the vortex generator further comprises a tail portion protruding from the central portion to a rear end of the rear portion.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Yeon Je
• Yoon Seong Hyun
• Kim Jin Baek
• Seo Eung Ryeol

Classifications

• F04D29/681

  especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title

• F24F1/38

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

• F04D29/66

  Combating cavitation, whirls, noise, vibration or the like (gas-flow silencers for machines or engines in general F01N); Balancing (surge control F04D27/02) · CPC title

• F04D29/384

  characterised by form · CPC title

• F04D29/329

  Details of the hub · CPC title