U.S. patent application number 11/670784 was filed with the patent office on 2008-08-07 for blower assembly with pre-swirler.
Invention is credited to Jayanthi Iyer.
Application Number | 20080187439 11/670784 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39670251 |
Filed Date | 2008-08-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080187439 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Iyer; Jayanthi |
August 7, 2008 |
BLOWER ASSEMBLY WITH PRE-SWIRLER
Abstract
A blower assembly for use in a vehicle is disclosed, wherein the
blower assembly includes a pre-swirler for causing a change of
direction of air entering the blower assembly.
Inventors: |
Iyer; Jayanthi; (Canton,
MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FRASER CLEMENS MARTIN & MILLER LLC
28366 KENSINGTON LANE
PERRYSBURG
OH
43551
US
|
Family ID: |
39670251 |
Appl. No.: |
11/670784 |
Filed: |
February 2, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
415/204 ;
415/206; 415/208.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 29/441
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
415/204 ;
415/208.2; 415/206 |
International
Class: |
F04D 17/08 20060101
F04D017/08; F04D 29/44 20060101 F04D029/44 |
Claims
1. A blower assembly comprising: a blower housing including a fluid
inlet and a spaced apart fluid outlet; a fan disposed in the blower
housing; and a pre-swirler disposed in the inlet of the blower
housing, wherein the pre-swirler is formed integrally with the
blower housing.
2. The blower assembly according to claim 1, wherein the blower
assembly is adapted to be disposed in a vehicle.
3. The blower assembly according to claim 1, wherein the
pre-swirler is substantially stationary relative to the blower
housing.
4. The blower assembly according to claim 1, wherein the
pre-swirler includes a plurality of vanes extending radially
outwardly form a central hub to terminate at an outer ring.
5. The blower assembly according to claim 4, wherein the vanes
include a leading edge and a trailing edge.
6. The blower assembly according to claim 5, wherein the vanes
include an outer edge extending between the leading edge and the
trailing edge.
7. The blower assembly according to claim 5, wherein the
pre-swirler includes five vanes.
8. The blower assembly according to claim 5, wherein the
pre-swirler includes seven vanes.
9. A blower assembly comprising: a blower housing including a fluid
inlet and a spaced apart fluid outlet; and a pre-swirler disposed
in the inlet of the blower housing, the pre-swirler including a
central hub, an outer ring, and a plurality of vanes extending
radially outwardly form the hub to terminate at an outer ring.
10. The blower assembly according to claim 9, wherein the blower
assembly is adapted to be disposed in a vehicle.
11. The blower assembly according to claim 9, wherein the
pre-swirler is formed integrally with the blower housing.
12. The blower assembly according to claim 9, wherein the
pre-swirler is substantially stationary relative to the blower
housing.
13. The blower assembly according to claim 9, wherein the vanes
include a leading edge and a trailing edge.
14. The blower assembly according to claim 13, wherein the vanes
include an outer edge extending between the leading edge and the
trailing edge.
15. The blower assembly according to claim 9, wherein the
pre-swirler includes five vanes.
16. The blower assembly according to claim 9, wherein the
pre-swirler includes seven vanes.
17. The blower assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a
fan disposed in the blower housing.
18. A blower assembly comprising: a blower housing including a
fluid inlet and a spaced apart fluid outlet; a fan disposed in the
blower housing; and a pre-swirler disposed in the inlet of the
blower housing, the pre-swirler including a centrally formed hub,
an outer ring, and a plurality of vanes, the vanes extending
radially outwardly from the centrally formed hub to the outer ring,
wherein the vanes include a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a
surface formed between the leading edge and the trailing edge,
wherein the pre-swirler is formed integrally with the blower
housing.
19. The blower assembly according to claim 18, wherein the
pre-swirler includes five vanes.
20. The blower assembly according to claim 18, wherein the
pre-swirler includes seven vanes.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a blower assembly and more
particularly to a blower assembly including a pre-swirler for
causing air entering the blower assembly to change direction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Centrifugal fans or blowers are commonly used in the
automotive, air handling, and ventilation industries for directing
a forced flow of air through air conditioning components. In a
typical blower assembly, air is drawn into a housing through an
inlet aperture by a rotating blower or fan.
[0003] Blower assemblies typically include an electrically driven
impeller that rotates in a predetermined direction in the housing.
The impeller includes one or more curved blades, which draw the air
into the impeller axially along an axis of rotation and discharge
the air radially outwardly therefrom.
[0004] Blower assemblies in automotive applications have been
fitted with pre-swirlers to cause a rotation or swirling of air
entering the blower assembly. The pre-swirlers cause the air to
enter the impeller of the blower assembly at a preferred angle. If
the air is not rotated sufficiently, an increase in drag, noise,
vibration, and a loss of efficiency of the blower assembly can
occur. Accordingly, if the air is pre-rotated and enters the blades
of the impeller with a desired amount of rotation, the efficiency
of the blower assembly can be maximized.
[0005] To overcome the above-described problems, U.S. Pat. No.
3,781,127 discloses a centrifugal blower, which includes a
plurality of spin inducing inlet blades and a mechanism for
pivotally supporting the blades around an outer wall of an inlet to
a centrifugal blower. With this arrangement, an amount of air
entering the blower can be controlled and a rotation can be
imparted on the incoming air. Alternatively, the blades can be shut
completely, thus restricting the flow of air into the blower, while
imparting a maximum spin to the incoming air.
[0006] While the assembly shown by the '127 patent is effective in
varying the amount of air entering the blower, the assembly is
costly and complex to manufacture. Furthermore, the assembly
requires a mechanism to control an amount of rotation of each of
the blades relative to the blower housing, adding further cost and
complexity thereto,
[0007] It would be desirable to produce a blower assembly that
includes a device for rotating a volume of air entering the blower
assembly, wherein a cost, an airflow restriction, and a complexity
thereof are minimized and an efficiency thereof is maximized.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Harmonious with the present invention, a blower assembly
that includes a device for rotating a volume of air entering the
blower assembly, wherein a cost, an airflow restriction, and a
complexity thereof are minimized and an efficiency thereof is
maximized, has surprisingly been discovered.
[0009] In one embodiment, a blower assembly comprises: a blower
housing including a fluid inlet and a spaced apart fluid outlet; a
fan disposed in the blower housing; and a pre-swirler disposed in
the inlet of the blower housing, wherein the preswirler is formed
integrally with the blower housing.
[0010] In another embodiment, a blower assembly comprises: a blower
housing including a fluid inlet and a spaced apart fluid outlet;
and a pre-swirler disposed in the inlet of the blower housing, the
pre-swirler including a central hub, an outer ring, and a plurality
of vanes extending radially outwardly form the hub to terminate at
an outer ring.
[0011] In another embodiment, a blower assembly comprises: a blower
housing including a fluid inlet and a spaced apart fluid outlet; a
fan disposed in the blower housing; and a pre-swirler disposed in
the inlet of the blower housing, the pre-swirler including a
centrally formed hub, an outer ring, and a plurality of vanes, the
vanes extending radially outwardly from the centrally formed hub to
the outer ring, wherein the vanes include a leading edge, a
trailing edge, and a surface formed between the leading edge and
the trailing edge, wherein the pre-swirler is formed integrally
with the blower housing.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The above, as well as other objects and advantages of the
invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art
from reading the following detailed description of a preferred
embodiment of the invention when considered in the light of the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a blower assembly
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a
pre-swirler of the blower assembly illustrated in FIG. 1; and
[0015] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a
pre-swirler in accordance with another embodiment of the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The following detailed description and appended drawings
describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the
invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled
in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to
limit the scope of the invention in any manner.
[0017] FIG. 1 shows a blower assembly 10 including a first housing
section 12 having a pre-swirler 14 formed therein, a second housing
section 16, and a fan wheel 18. The blower assembly 10 is adapted
to be disposed in a vehicle (not shown).
[0018] The first housing section 12 in the embodiment shown is
formed from plastic. It is understood that the first housing
section 12 can be formed from other materials as desired. The first
housing section 12 includes an inlet aperture 20 and an outlet
aperture (not shown) formed therein. The pre-swirler 14 is disposed
in the inlet aperture 20. It is understood that the pre-swirler 14
can be formed integrally with the first housing section 12 or
separately therefrom as desired. It is also understood that the
position of the inlet aperture 20 and the pre-swirler 20 on the
first housing section 12 can be moved as desired.
[0019] As more clearly shown in FIG. 2, the pre-swirler 14 includes
an array of spaced apart vanes 22 extending radially outwardly from
a central hub 24. In the embodiment shown, the pre-swirler 14
includes five (5) vanes 22. It is understood that additional or
fewer vanes 22 can be used as desired. The vanes 22 extend from the
hub 24 to an outer ring 26 that is attached to the first housing
section 12. It is understood that if the pre-swirler 14 is formed
integrally with the first housing section 12 the outer ring 26 is
formed as a part of the first housing section 12. It is noted that
the pre-swirler 14 is substantially stationary relative to the
first housing section 12. While the outer ring 26 of the
pre-swirler 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is generally circular in
shape, it is understood that the pre-swirler 14 can have any shape
as desired.
[0020] The vanes 22 of the pre-swirler 14 each include a
substantially linear leading edge 28 extending along an entire
length of the vane 22. The vanes 22 also include a trailing edge 30
spaced from the leading edge 28 and extending radially and axially
outwardly from the hub 24 at an angle with respect to the leading
edge 28. It is understood that the trailing edge 30 may extend from
the hub 24 in other directions as desired. A substantially axially
extending outer edge 31 joins the leading edge 28 with the trailing
edge 30. The outer edge 31 is a curved or rounded edge, although
the outer edge may have other shapes as desired such as linear, for
example. It is understood that other configurations can be used as
desired, such as wherein the leading edge 28 and the trailing edge
30 merge at a point (not shown) prior to the edges 28, 30 reaching
the outer ring 26, for example. The vanes 22 include a first
surface 29 and an opposed second surface (not shown) extending from
the leading edge 28 to the trailing edge 30. It is understood that
the first surface 29 and the second surface can be curved or
substantially flat as desired. Spaces 32 are formed between
adjacent vanes 22 in the pre-swirler 14.
[0021] The second housing section 16 includes an outlet aperture 34
formed therein. Optionally, the second housing section 16 may
include an inlet aperture 36 formed therein for receiving a shaft
38 that is mechanically coupled to a motor (not shown). The shaft
38 is also mechanically coupled to the fan wheel 18 to couple the
motor to the fan wheel 18.
[0022] The first housing section 12 and the second housing section
14 are joined together and cooperate to enclose the fan wheel 18.
The fan wheel 18 includes plurality of fan blades 40 disposed
around an inlet ring 42 and a hub 44. The outlet aperture of the
first housing section 12 and the outlet aperture 34 of the second
housing section 16 cooperate to form an air outlet 46 of the blower
assembly 10.
[0023] In use the fan wheel 18 is driven by the motor and is caused
to rotate about an axis of rotation A. The rotation of the fan
wheel 18 causes the air to flow through the inlet aperture 20 of
the first housing section 12.
[0024] The first surfaces 29 of the vanes 22 cause a change of
direction of the air in a direction substantially parallel to the
first surface 29. It is understood that the second surfaces of the
vanes 22 may also cause a change of direction of the air.
[0025] Accordingly, the air flows out of the inlet aperture 20 in a
different direction than the air entering the inlet aperture 20.
Thereafter, the fan wheel 18 causes the air to flow out of the
blower assembly 10 through the air outlet 46 to a desired area (not
shown).
[0026] Since the number of vanes 22 present is less than prior art
assemblies, the frictional losses caused by contact between the
vanes 22 and the air are minimized. Further, since the blower
assembly 10 is simple in structure, a cost and a complexity of
manufacture of the blower assembly 10 are minimized. The complexity
of the mechanism is minimized since the prior art components
necessary to move moveable vanes and a strategy for moving such
vanes are not needed by the blower assembly 10 of the present
invention. Additionally, to maximize an efficiency of the blower
assembly 10, a portion of the air enters the fan wheel 18 traveling
radially outwardly. The rotation or change of direction of the air
imparted by the vanes 22 of the pre-swirler 14 facilitates the
radial outward entry of the air.
[0027] It has been found that the blower assembly 10 discussed
above for FIGS. 1 and 2 provides an optimal performance for fan
wheel speeds of 3200-3400 rpm and airflows of greater than 300
cubic feet per minute (cfm). It should be understood that changing
a pitch of the vanes 22 by changing an axial angle of the first
surface 29 and changing the number of vanes 22 can both be used to
modify a flow restriction and an amount of direction change
imparted by the vanes 22. This occurs because a different amount of
airflow is influenced by the vanes 22.
[0028] FIG. 3 shows a pre-swirler 114 in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention. The pre-swirler 114 is adapted to be
disposed in an aperture (not shown) of a blower housing (not shown)
as discussed above for the pre-swirler 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The pre-swirler 114 can be formed integrally with or separately
from the blower housing as desired.
[0029] The pre-swirler 114 includes an array of spaced apart vanes
122 extending radially outwardly from a central hub 124. In the
embodiment shown, the pre-swirler 114 includes seven (7) vanes 122.
It is understood that additional or fewer vanes 122 can be used as
desired.
[0030] The vanes 122 extend from the hub 124 to an outer ring 126
that is attached to the blower housing. It is understood that if
the pre-swirler 114 is formed integrally with the blower housing,
the outer ring 126 is formed as part of blower housing It is noted
that the pre-swirler 114 is substantially stationary relative to
the blower housing. While the outer ring 126 of the pre-swirler 114
shown in FIG. 3 is generally circular in shape, it is understood
that the pre-swirler 114 can have any shape as desired.
[0031] The vanes 122 of the pre-swirler 114 each include a
substantially linear leading edge 128 extending along an entire
length of the vane 122. The vanes 122 also include a trailing edge
130 spaced from the leading edge 128 and extending radially and
axially from the hub 124 at an angle with respect to the leading
edge 128. The pitch of the vanes 122 shown in FIG. 3 is less than
as discussed above for FIGS. 1 and 2. It is understood that the
trailing edge 130 may extend from the hub 124 in other directions
as desired. A substantially axially extending outer edge 131 joins
the leading edge 128 with the trailing edge 130. The outer edge 131
is a curved or rounded edge, although the outer edge 131 may have
other shapes as desired such as linear, for example. It is
understood that other configurations can be used as desired, such
as wherein the leading edge 128 and the trailing edge 130 merge at
a point (not shown) prior to the edges 128, 130 reaching the outer
ring 126, for example. The vanes 122 include a first surface 129
and an opposed second surface (not shown) extending from the
leading edge 128 to the trailing edge 130. It is understood that
the first surface 129 and the second surface can be curved or
substantially flat as desired. Spaces 132 are formed between
adjacent vanes 122 in the pre-swirler 114.
[0032] Use of the pre-swirler 114 in a blower assembly (not shown)
is similar to that for the pre-swirler 14 described above in FIGS.
1 and 2. The vanes 122 of the pre-swirler 114 cause a change of
direction of air entering the blower housing. Since the pitch of
the vanes 122 is less than that discussed above for FIGS. 1 and 2,
the pre-swirler 114 imparts less rotation on the air entering the
blower housing. Further, since the pre-swirler 114 includes more
vanes 122 than the pre-swirler 14 discussed above for FIGS. 1 and
2, a larger amount of airflow is influenced by the vanes 122. It
has been found that the pre-swirler 114 provides an optimal
performance for fan wheel (not shown) speeds of 3000-3200 rpm and
airflows of 250-300 cfm.
[0033] In the embodiment shown, both the pitch and the number of
vanes 122 were modified compared to the pitch and the number of
vanes 22 discussed above for FIGS. 1 and 2. It is understood that
either of the pitch or the number of vanes 122 can be adjusted
independently to optimize performance of the blower assembly for a
desired fan wheel speed and a desired airflow range as desired.
[0034] While the pre-swirlers 14, 114 have been shown disposed in
first blower housing sections 12, 112, it is understood that the
pre-swirlers 14, 114 can be used in different types of blower
housings as desired, such as a scroll housing, for example, without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
[0035] From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in
the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this
invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof,
can make various changes and modifications to the invention to
adapt it to various usages and conditions.
* * * * *