JP7141914B2 - blower unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to blower units.

A vehicle air-conditioning system mounted on a vehicle is provided with a blower unit for pumping outside air or inside air to the air-conditioning unit. In this blower unit, a fan is driven to rotate by a drive motor, and an airflow generated by the rotation of the fan is guided to the air conditioning unit through a flow path inside the case.

For example, in the blower unit disclosed in Patent Literature 1, part of the airflow generated by rotational driving of the fan is used as cooling air for the drive motor. In the blower unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, part of the airflow is taken in from a cooling air inlet provided in a part of the case, and the taken-in air is supplied to the drive motor.

JP 2007-001541 A

By the way, air containing moisture such as outside air may be introduced to the fan. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to prevent moisture from being supplied to the drive motor. In the blower unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, an air intake chamber serving as a buffer chamber is formed inside a cooling air inlet, and a cooling air port connected to a drive motor is provided inside the air intake chamber, and cooling air is provided. A waterproof wall is erected on the upstream side of the mouth. According to Patent Document 1 as described above, the air that has flowed into the air intake chamber collides with the waterproof wall, and moisture adheres to the waterproof wall, thereby removing moisture from the air.

However, in the blower unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, the waterproof wall increases the pressure loss in the path leading to the drive motor. For this reason, unless a large drive motor or fan is installed, there is a possibility that a sufficient flow rate of cooling air supplied to the drive motor cannot be ensured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to reduce the flow resistance of the cooling air in a blower unit that takes in part of the air pressure-fed from a fan as cooling air for a drive motor. do.

The present invention employs the following configurations as means for solving the above problems.

A first invention is a blower unit that includes a fan, a drive motor that drives the fan to rotate, and a case that houses the fan and the drive motor, wherein the case is configured to absorb air pumped by the fan. and a cooling air inlet formed on a wall surface on an upstream side of the cooling air inlet in a direction of air flow and intersecting with the direction of air flow. and a groove portion extending along the width direction.

In a second invention based on the first invention, at least one of both end portions in the extending direction of the groove is on the same side of the cooling air inlet in the width direction of the cooling air inlet. A configuration is adopted in which it is arranged outside of one of the positioned ends.

In a third invention based on the second invention, the other of the two end portions in the extending direction of the groove portion is positioned on the same side of the cooling air inlet in the width direction of the cooling air inlet. It adopts a configuration in which it is arranged outside the other end of the line.

A fourth invention is, in any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the groove overlaps with the center of the cooling air inlet in the width direction when viewed from the air flow direction. Then, a configuration is adopted in which the end portion is arranged close to the cooling air inlet.

A fifth aspect of the invention employs a configuration in which, in any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, a plurality of the grooves are arranged in the air flow direction.

According to the present invention, since the groove portion extending along the width direction of the cooling air inlet is provided in the case wall surface on the upstream side of the cooling air inlet, the cooling air is pushed along the case wall surface by the air flow. Water droplets heading for the wind inlet are captured by flowing into the grooves. Furthermore, moisture trapped in the grooves flows to the ends of the grooves and is swept away by the air flow from the ends of the grooves. In other words, according to the present invention, it is possible to move the moisture flowing along the case wall surface toward the cooling air inlet in the width direction of the cooling air inlet by means of the groove, and to guide the moisture to a position where it is difficult for the water to enter the cooling air inlet. Intrusion of moisture into the cooling air inlet can be suppressed. Therefore, according to the present invention, in the blower unit that takes in part of the air that is pumped from the fan as cooling air for the drive motor without providing a waterproof wall, the flow path of the cooling air is reduced compared to the case where the waterproof wall is installed. In addition to reducing the resistance, it is possible to prevent moisture from entering the cooling air inlet.

It is a sectional view showing a schematic structure of a blower unit in a 1st embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view including an air intake chamber of the blower unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1; (a) is an enlarged view including a cooling air inlet provided in a case of the blower unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a modified example of the blower unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view including a cooling air inlet provided in a case provided; FIG. 8 is an enlarged view including cooling air inlets provided in a case of a blower unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

An embodiment of a blower unit according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the blower unit S1 of the first embodiment. The blower unit S1 of this embodiment is a unit provided in a vehicle air conditioning system, and pumps air to the air conditioning unit. As shown in FIG. 1, the blower unit S1 of this embodiment includes a blower case 1 (case), a fan 2 installed in the blower case 1, a drive motor 3 for rotating the fan 2, and the like. .

The blower case 1 has a substantially circular shape when viewed from above, and accommodates a fan 2 and a drive motor 3 therein. As shown in FIG. 1, the blower case 1 has a fan housing chamber 1a for housing the fan 2 in the upper central portion thereof, and a drive motor housing chamber 1b for housing the driving motor 3 in the lower central portion thereof. An opening 1a1 connected to a blower duct (not shown) is formed in the upper portion of the fan housing chamber 1a.

Further, the blower case 1 includes a scroll flow path 1c (air flow path) that surrounds the fan housing chamber 1a and the drive motor housing chamber 1b. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the scroll flow path 1c is connected to the fan housing chamber 1a and functions as an air flow path through which the air pressure-fed by the fan 2 flows. A discharge side end (not shown) of the scroll flow path 1c is connected to a duct leading to an air conditioning unit.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, inside the blower case 1, an air intake chamber 1e is provided which is connected to the scroll passage 1c via a cooling air inlet 1d. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view including the air intake chamber 1e, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a motor outlet 10 communicating with the drive motor 3 is provided inside the air intake chamber 1e. The motor outlet 10 is formed by an open end of a connecting passage 11 connecting the air intake chamber 1e and the drive motor housing chamber 1b on the side of the air intake chamber 1e.

In the blower unit S1 of this embodiment, a part of the air flow pressure-fed by the fan 2 is taken into the air intake chamber 1e through the cooling air inlet 1d, and the air is taken in through the cooling air inlet 1d. The air taken into the chamber 1e is introduced from the motor outlet 10 into the drive motor housing chamber 1b as cooling air. The floor surface 1e1 of the air intake chamber 1e is inclined downward toward the cooling air inlet 1d, and the motor outlet 10 is formed on the floor surface 1e1 and opens upward. there is

FIG. 3(a) is an enlarged view including the cooling air inlet 1d viewed from the scroll flow path 1c side. As shown in this figure, in the blower unit S1 of the present embodiment, the blower case 1 has a waterproof groove 1f (groove portion) on the wall surface on the upstream side of the cooling air inlet 1d in the direction of air flow in the scroll passage 1c. is doing. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the waterproof groove 1f is linear in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d (the direction perpendicular to (intersecting) the air flow direction in the scroll passage 1c and along the case wall surface). It is provided extending in a shape.

Both ends (one end 1f1 and the other end 1f2) of the waterproof groove 1f in the extending direction are wider than the width direction ends (one end 1d1 and the other end 1d2) of the cooling air inlet 1d. placed outside. In other words, one end 1f1 of the waterproof groove 1f is located outside one end 1d1 of the cooling air inlet 1d located on the same side as the one end 1f1 in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. positioned. Furthermore, the other end 1f2 of the water-proof groove 1f is positioned outside the other end 1d2 of the cooling air inlet 1d located on the same side as the other end 1f2 in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. positioned. In such a waterproof groove 1f, the distance from one end 1f1 to the other end 1f2 is set to be larger than the dimension of the cooling air inlet 1d in the width direction.

When the water droplets attached to the case wall surface are flowed by the airflow flowing through the scroll flow path 1c toward the cooling air inlet 1d, the waterproof groove 1f captures the water droplets and causes the water to enter the cooling air inlet 1d. prevent intrusion. More specifically, water droplets that are pushed by the air flow along the case wall surface and head toward the cooling air inlet 1d flow into the waterproof groove 1f due to capillarity or the like when they come into contact with the waterproof groove 1f. Moisture that has flowed into the watertight groove 1f flows to the ends of the watertight groove 1f (one end 1f1 and the other end 1f2), and is washed away from the ends of the watertight groove 1f by the air flow. In other words, the water taken into the waterproof groove 1f is moved in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d so as to avoid the cooling air inlet 1d by moving to the end of the waterproof groove 1f, and then moves to the waterproof groove 1f. drained from Therefore, the waterproof groove 1f catches the water droplets adhering to the wall surface of the case and heading toward the cooling air inlet 1d, thereby preventing water from entering the cooling air inlet 1d.

Returning to FIG. 1 , the fan 2 is connected to the drive motor 3 via the shaft 4 and is rotationally driven by transmission of power generated by the drive motor 3 via the shaft 4 . By rotating the fan 2, the air is pumped and an air flow is formed in the scroll flow path 1c.

The drive motor 3 operates based on a command signal input from the outside, and generates power for rotationally driving the fan 2 as described above. In this embodiment, the drive motor 3 is cooled by blowing the air entering the motor inlet 10 as cooling air.

In the blower unit S1 of this embodiment having such a configuration, the drive motor 3 is operated to form an airflow in the scroll flow path 1c. The airflow generated by the blower unit S1 is supplied to the air conditioning unit. Further, when an air flow is formed in the scroll flow path 1c, part of the air is taken into the air intake chamber 1e through the cooling air inlet 1d and blown to the driving motor 3 as cooling air through the motor inlet 10. be done.

Here, according to the blower unit S1 of the present embodiment, the waterproof groove 1f extending along the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d is provided on the case wall surface on the upstream side of the cooling air inlet 1d. Water droplets that are pushed by the air flow along the wall surface of the case and head toward the cooling air inlet 1d are captured by flowing into the waterproof groove 1f. Furthermore, the water trapped in the waterproof groove 1f flows to the end of the waterproof groove 1f and is washed away by the air flow from the end of the waterproof groove 1f.

In other words, according to the blower unit S1 of the present embodiment, water flowing along the case wall surface toward the cooling air inlet 1d is moved in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d by the waterproof groove 1f, and enters the cooling air inlet 1d. It is possible to guide the cooling air to a difficult position, and it is possible to prevent moisture from entering the cooling air inlet 1d.

Therefore, according to the blower unit S1 of the present embodiment, there is no need to provide a waterproof wall, and a waterproof wall is provided in the blower unit S1 that takes in part of the air pressure-fed from the fan 2 as cooling air for the drive motor 3. It is possible to prevent moisture from entering the cooling air inlet 1d while lowering the flow path resistance of the cooling air.

In addition, in the blower unit S1 of the present embodiment, one end 1f1 of the waterproof groove 1f is located on the same side as the one end 1f1 in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. is located outside one end 1d1 of the . Furthermore, the other end 1f2 of the water-proof groove 1f is positioned outside the other end 1d2 of the cooling air inlet 1d located on the same side as the other end 1f2 in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. positioned. Therefore, water discharged from either end of the waterproof groove 1f is discharged outside the cooling air inlet 1d in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. Therefore, even if the discharged moisture is again pushed by the airflow and moved along the flow direction of the airflow, it is possible to prevent the moisture from entering the cooling air inlet 1d.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3(b), it is also possible to employ a configuration in which a plurality of waterproof grooves 1f are arranged in the air flow direction of the scroll flow path 1c. By arranging a plurality of waterproof grooves 1f in this way, it is possible to capture more moisture, so that it is possible to more reliably prevent moisture from entering the cooling air inlet 1d. Note that the shapes of the plurality of waterproof grooves do not necessarily have to be the same.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 4(a) is an enlarged view of a region including the cooling air inlet 1d of the blower unit of the present embodiment, viewed from the side of the scroll flow path 1c. As shown in this figure, in the blower unit of this embodiment, the case has a bent waterproof groove 1g.

The waterproof groove 1g has a central portion between one end 1g1 and the other end 1g2 located upstream in the direction of air flow in the scroll passage 1c, and the one end 1g1 and the other end 1g2 are positioned downstream in the direction of air flow. That is, the waterproof groove 1g is arranged so that the end portion thereof is closer to the cooling air inlet 1d than the portion overlapping the center of the cooling air inlet 1d in the width direction when viewed from the direction along the air flow direction. ing.

Both ends (one end 1g1 and the other end 1g2) of the waterproof groove 1g are located outside the width direction ends (one end 1d1 and the other end 1d2) of the cooling air inlet 1d. are placed in In other words, one end 1g1 of the waterproof groove 1g is located outside one end 1d1 of the cooling air inlet 1d located on the same side as the one end 1g1 in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. positioned. Further, the other end 1g2 of the waterproof groove 1g is located outside the other end 1d2 of the cooling air inlet 1d located on the same side as the other end 1g2 in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. positioned.

According to such a blower unit of the present embodiment, the waterproof groove 1g has an end portion that overlaps with the center of the cooling air inlet 1d in the width direction when viewed from the air flow direction. It is arranged close to the cooling air inlet 1d. For this reason, the water trapped in the waterproof groove 1g is pushed by the airflow and easily flows toward the one end 1g1 or the other end 1g2 of the waterproof groove 1g, and the water is smoothly drained from the waterproof groove 1g. It becomes possible to go to

Further, in the blower unit S1 of the present embodiment, one end 1g1 of the waterproof groove 1g is located on the same side as the one end 1g1 in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. is located outside one end 1d1 of the . Further, the other end 1g2 of the waterproof groove 1g is located outside the other end 1d2 of the cooling air inlet 1d located on the same side as the other end 1g2 in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. positioned. Therefore, water discharged from either end of the waterproof groove 1g is discharged outside the cooling air inlet 1d in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. Therefore, even if the discharged moisture is again pushed by the airflow and moved along the flow direction of the airflow, it is possible to prevent the moisture from entering the cooling air inlet 1d.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4(b), it is also possible to form the waterproof groove 1g into a curved shape in which the central portion bulges toward the upstream side in the direction of air flow. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4(c), it is also possible to divide the waterproof groove 1g at the central portion.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiment are examples, and can be variously changed based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described first embodiment, the waterproof groove 1f has a linear shape parallel to the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to employ a configuration in which a linear waterproof groove is provided that is inclined with respect to the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d.

In the above embodiment, both ends of the waterproof groove 1f (one end 1f1 and the other end 1f2) or the ends of the waterproof groove 1g (one end 1g1 and the other end 1g2) The configuration in which both are arranged outside the cooling air inlet 1d in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this. Since it is thought that by moving the water droplets in the width direction of the cooling air inlet 1d even slightly, it is possible to suppress the entry of moisture into the cooling air inlet 1d. It need not be arranged outside the cooling air inlet 1d in the width direction of 1d. However, at least one of both end portions of the waterproof groove is preferably arranged outside the cooling air inlet 1d.

Also, for example, it is possible to employ a configuration having waterproof grooves in which the ends are narrower or shallower than the central portion. By adopting such a configuration, it becomes easier to move moisture toward the ends of the waterproof groove by using capillary action and wind pressure, and the spatial volume of the ends becomes smaller than the spatial volume of the central portion. , water can be easily drained from the end of the waterproof groove.

Further, for example, the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extending direction of the waterproof groove is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be a triangular shape or a semicircular shape. For example, by making the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extending direction of the waterproof groove a triangular shape in which the cooling air inlet 1d side is deeper than the opposite side, water droplets can easily enter the waterproof groove, and moisture can be absorbed from the center of the waterproof groove. can be made difficult to overflow.

1 Blower case (case) 1d Cooling air inlet 1d1 End 1d2 End 1f Waterproof groove 1f1 End 1f2 End 1g waterproof groove, 1g1 end, 1g2 end, 2 fan, 3 drive motor, 4 shaft, 10 motor outlet, 11 connection flow path, S1 blower unit

Claims (5)

A blower unit comprising a fan, a drive motor that drives the fan to rotate, and a case that houses the fan and the drive motor,
Said case is
a scroll passage through which air pumped by the fan flows;
a cooling air inlet for taking in part of the air flowing through the scroll passage as cooling air for the drive motor;
A groove formed in a wall surface on the upstream side of the cooling air inlet in the direction of air flow , apart from the cooling air inlet, and extending along the width direction of the cooling air inlet intersecting with the direction of air flow. and
An end of the groove is spaced apart from a bottom surface of the scroll passage.
A blower unit characterized by: At least one of both end portions of the groove portion in the extending direction is arranged outside one end portion located on the same side of the cooling air inlet in the width direction of the cooling air inlet. A blower unit according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a The other end of the groove in the extending direction is arranged outside the other end located on the same side of the cooling air inlet in the width direction of the cooling air inlet. 3. The blower unit according to claim 2, characterized by: The end of the groove portion is arranged closer to the cooling air inlet than the portion overlapping the center of the cooling air inlet in the width direction when viewed in the direction along the air flow direction. The blower unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: 5. The blower unit according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said grooves are arranged in said air flow direction.

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