U.S. patent application number 12/000921 was filed with the patent office on 2008-09-25 for centrifugal blower and air conditioner having the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Weon Seok Choi, Jin Baek Kim, Young Jae Kim, Jai Kwon Lee.
Application Number | 20080229776 12/000921 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39773358 |
Filed Date | 2008-09-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080229776 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Young Jae ; et
al. |
September 25, 2008 |
Centrifugal blower and air conditioner having the same
Abstract
A centrifugal blower capable of preventing generation of a
swirled air stream in a space between the inner surface of a casing
and a side end of a centrifugal fan, and an air conditioner having
the same. The centrifugal blower includes a casing having an air
inlet, an air outlet, and a bell-mouth located near the air inlet,
a centrifugal fan installed in the casing, and a stream-cutoff
member provided at an inner surface of the casing around the
bell-mouth to prevent an air stream from being swirled in a space
between the inner surface of the casing and a side end of the
centrifugal fan.
Inventors: |
Kim; Young Jae; (Yongin-si,
KR) ; Lee; Jai Kwon; (Suwon-si, KR) ; Choi;
Weon Seok; (Seoul, KR) ; Kim; Jin Baek;
(Suwon-si, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700, 1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO.,
LTD.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
39773358 |
Appl. No.: |
12/000921 |
Filed: |
December 18, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/411 ;
415/208.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 29/162 20130101;
F04D 29/681 20130101; F24F 2013/205 20130101; F24F 1/005 20190201;
F04D 17/162 20130101; F24F 1/0022 20130101; F24F 2221/40 20130101;
F24F 1/0007 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/411 ;
415/208.1 |
International
Class: |
F25D 17/06 20060101
F25D017/06; F01D 1/02 20060101 F01D001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 21, 2007 |
KR |
10-2007-27769 |
Claims
1. A centrifugal blower comprising: a casing having an air inlet,
an air outlet, and a bell-mouth located near the air inlet; a
centrifugal fan installed in the casing; and a ring-shaped
stream-cutoff member provided at an inner surface of the casing
around the bell-mouth to prevent an air stream from being swirled
in a space between the inner surface of the casing and a side end
of the centrifugal fan.
2. The centrifugal blower according to claim 1, wherein the
stream-cutoff member protrudes from the inner surface of the casing
to be close to the side end of the centrifugal fan, and an outer
diameter of the stream-cutoff member is smaller than an outer
diameter of the centrifugal fan.
3. The centrifugal blower according to claim 2, wherein the
centrifugal fan is a turbo fan having an opened side end close to
the stream-cutoff member.
4. The centrifugal blower according to claim 2, wherein the
stream-cutoff member includes a stream guiding plane close to the
side end of the centrifugal fan, the stream guiding plane having
the same width as a radial blade length of the centrifugal fan.
5. The centrifugal blower according to claim 1, wherein the
ring-shaped stream-cutoff member has a diameter and a width, and
the width protrudes from the inner surface of the casing in a
substantially orthogonal direction and extends close to, without
touching, the side end of the centrifugal fan.
6. The centrifugal blower according to claim 1, wherein the
ring-shaped stream-cutoff member is mounted on the inner surface of
the casing and substantially fills a space defined by the inner
surface of the casing, and an interior surface of the bellmouth and
the side end of the centrifugal fan.
7. An air conditioner having a body, a heat exchanger installed in
the body, and a centrifugal blower installed in the body to blow
air, the centrifugal blower comprising: a casing having an air
inlet, an air outlet, and a bell-mouth located near the air inlet;
a centrifugal fan installed in the casing; and a stream-cutoff
member provided at an inner surface of the casing near the
bell-mouth to prevent an air stream from being swirled in a space
between the inner surface of the casing and a side end of the
centrifugal fan.
8. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the
stream-cutoff member has a ring shape protruding from the inner
surface of the casing to be close to the side end of the
centrifugal fan, and an outer diameter of the stream-cutoff member
is smaller than an outer diameter of the centrifugal fan.
9. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the
centrifugal fan is a turbo fan having an opened side close to the
stream-cutoff member.
10. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the
stream-cutoff member includes a stream guiding plane close to the
side end of the centrifugal fan, the stream guiding plane having
the same width as a radial blade length of the centrifugal fan.
11. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the
ring-shaped stream-cutoff member has a diameter and a width, and
the width protrudes from the inner surface of the casing in a
substantially orthogonal direction and extends close to, without
touching, the side end of the centrifugal fan.
12. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the
ring-shaped stream-cutoff member is mounted on the inner surface of
the casing and substantially fills a space defined by the inner
surface of the casing and an interior surface of the bellmouth and
the side end of the centrifugal fan.
13. A centrifugal blower comprising: a casing having an air inlet,
an air outlet, and a bell-mouth located near the air inlet; a
centrifugal fan installed in the casing; and means for preventing
an air stream from being swirled in a space between the inner
surface of the casing and a side end of the centrifugal fan.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent
Application No. 2007-0027769, filed on Mar. 21, 2007 in the Korean
Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a
centrifugal blower and an air conditioner having the same, and,
more particularly, to a centrifugal blower which may prevent
generation of a swirled air stream in a space between the inner
surface of a casing and a side end of a centrifugal fan, and an air
conditioner having the same.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A centrifugal blower is used in an air conditioner, etc. to
blow air. One example of an air conditioner having a centrifugal
blower is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
2006-0090839.
[0006] The conventional centrifugal blower, disclosed in the above
Publication, includes a casing to guide a current of air, and a
centrifugal fan installed in the casing. The casing has air inlets
formed in both side surfaces of the casing to suction air, and air
outlets formed in a direction crossing the air inlets to blow the
suctioned air. The casing also has curved bell-mouths provided at
the air inlets.
[0007] The centrifugal fan installed in the casing includes a
rotating plate coupled to a rotating shaft, a plurality of blades
annularly arranged about the rotating shaft at opposite
outer-peripheral surfaces of the rotating plate, each blade having
a first end fixed to the rotating plate, and supporting rings to
support the outer periphery of the second ends of the blades.
[0008] Referring to FIG. 1 showing the above described centrifugal
fan included in the conventional centrifugal blower, since the
supporting rings 1 a connect the outer periphery of the second ends
of the respective blades 1b to each other, the second ends of the
blades 1a located close to the bell-mouths 3 of the casing 2 are
opened. When the supporting rings 1a are used to connect the outer
periphery of the second ends of the blades 1b to each other in
order to reinforce the strength of the blades 1b, substantially,
the centrifugal fan 1 has no shroud to guide a current of air.
[0009] If the centrifugal fan 1 rotates within the casing 2, air is
suctioned toward the center of the centrifugal fan 1 through the
air inlets 4, and thereafter, is blown toward the periphery of the
centrifugal fan 1 within the casing 2.
[0010] However, since the second ends of the respective blades 1b
of the centrifugal fan 1 located close to the bell-mouths 3 of the
casing 2 are opened (i.e. have no air-guiding shroud) and also, the
second ends of the blades 1b are spaced apart from the inner
surface of the casing 2 at the outside of the bell-mouths 3, there
is a problem in that air is swirled in spaces 5 between the second
ends of the respective blades 1b and the inner surface of the
casing 2. Specifically, as represented by the arrow A of FIG. 1,
the air in the vicinity of the second ends of the blades 1a flows
backward along the inner surface of the casing 2, and is again
suctioned inward of the blades 1a, causing a swirled air
stream.
[0011] The swirled air stream A disturbs a main air stream B,
resulting in poor blowing efficiency and severe air flow noise. In
particular, in the case of the centrifugal blower employing a turbo
fan having no shroud at the second ends of the blades 1a, the above
described problem may be made worse.
SUMMARY
[0012] Accordingly, one or more embodiments of the present
invention provide a centrifugal blower which may prevent generation
of a swirled air stream in a space between the inner surface of a
casing and a side end of a centrifugal fan, and an air conditioner
having the same.
[0013] Additional aspects and/or advantages will be set forth in
part in the description which follows and, in part, will be
apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the
invention.
[0014] To achieve at least the above and/or other aspects and
advantages, embodiments of the present invention include a
centrifugal blower including, a casing having an air inlet, an air
outlet, and a bell-mouth located near the air inlet, a centrifugal
fan installed in the casing, and a ring-shaped stream-cutoff member
provided at an inner surface of the casing around the bell-mouth to
prevent an air stream from being swirled in a space between the
inner surface of the casing and a side end of the centrifugal
fan.
[0015] In an embodiment, the stream-cutoff member may have a ring
shape protruding from the inner surface of the casing to be close
to the side end of the centrifugal fan, and an outer diameter of
the stream-cutoff member may be smaller than an outer diameter of
the centrifugal fan.
[0016] In an embodiment, the centrifugal fan may be a turbo fan
having an opened side end close to the stream-cutoff member.
[0017] In an embodiment, the stream-cutoff member may include a
stream guiding plane close to the side end of the centrifugal fan,
the stream guiding plane having the same width as a radial blade
length of the centrifugal fan.
[0018] To achieve at least the above and/or other aspects and
advantages, embodiments of the present invention include an air
conditioner having a body, a heat exchanger installed in the body,
and a centrifugal blower installed in the body to blow air, the
centrifugal blower including, a casing having an air inlet, an air
outlet, and a bell-mouth located near the air inlet, a centrifugal
fan installed in the casing, and a stream-cutoff member provided at
an inner surface of the casing near the bell-mouth to prevent an
air stream from being swirled in a space between the inner surface
of the casing and a side end of the centrifugal fan.
[0019] To achieve at least the above and/or other aspects and
advantages, embodiments of the present invention include a
centrifugal blower including, a casing having an air inlet, an air
outlet, and a bell-mouth located near the air inlet, a centrifugal
fan installed in the casing, and means for preventing an air stream
from being swirled in a space between the inner surface of the
casing and a side end of the centrifugal fan.
[0020] To achieve at least the above and/or other aspects and
advantages, embodiments of the present invention include a method
of preventing an air stream from being swirled in a space between
an inner surface of a casing having an air inlet, an air outlet,
and a bell-mouth located near the air inlet, and a side end of a
centrifugal fan installed in the casing. The method includes
providing a ring-shaped stream-cutoff member at an inner surface of
the casing around the bell-mouth.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] These and/or other aspects and advantages will become
apparent and more readily appreciated from the following
description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings of which:
[0022] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional centrifugal
blower;
[0023] FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an air conditioner having
a centrifugal blower, according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0024] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a stream-cutoff member
included in the centrifugal fan, according to an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0025] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the stream-cutoff member shown
in FIG. 3; and
[0026] FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the
stream-cutoff member included in the centrifugal fan according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0027] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments,
examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements
throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the
present invention by referring to the figures.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an air conditioner having
a centrifugal blower according to an embodiment of the present
invention. The air conditioner may include, for example, a body 10,
a heat exchanger 11 installed in the upper region of the body 10,
and a centrifugal blower 30 installed in the lower region of the
body 10.
[0029] The body 10 may have, for example, suction holes 12 formed
in a rear wall or both sidewalls thereof at lower positions to
suction indoor air, lateral-side discharge holes 13 formed in both
the sidewalls thereof at upper positions, and a front-side
discharge hole 14 formed in the center of a front wall thereof. An
upper door 15 may be installed in the upper portion of the front
wall of the body 10 to open or close the front-side discharge hole
14. The upper door 15 may be movable vertically along rails (not
shown) installed at the body 10. To move the upper door 15
vertically, a lifting device 16 may be installed at a rear surface
of the upper door 15.
[0030] The heat exchanger 11 provided in the body 10 may have a
flat-plate shape to allow air blown upward from the centrifugal
blower 30 to be heat exchanged while passing through the heat
exchanger 1. The heat exchanger 11 may be obliquely installed to
divide the inner upper space of the body 10.
[0031] The centrifugal blower 30 may include, for example, a casing
31, a centrifugal fan 40 installed in the casing 31, and a drive
motor 50 to drive the centrifugal fan 40. The drive motor 50 may be
fixed to an inner surface of the rear wall of the body 10, and the
centrifugal fan 40 may be coupled to a rotating shaft 51 extending
from the drive motor 50 to the center of the casing 31.
[0032] A first air inlet 32 and a second air inlet 33 may be formed
in front and rear walls of the casing 31, respectively, to suction
air toward the rotating shaft 51. Also, an air outlet 34 may be
formed in an upper wall of the casing 31 to discharge the suctioned
air. That is, the air may be suctioned into the casing 31 through
the two air inlets 32 and 33 and discharged through the upper air
outlet 34. The first and second air inlets 32 and 33 of the casing
31 may be provided, respectively, with first and second bell-mouths
35 and 36. The first and second bell-mouths 35 and 36 may be curved
inward of the casing 31 to guide the air being suctioned into the
casing 31.
[0033] The centrifugal fan 40 is able to suction air through the
first and second air inlets 32 and 33 formed in the front and rear
walls of the casing 31. That is, the centrifugal fan 40 may suction
air from opposite directions. The centrifugal fan 40, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3, may include, for example, a rotating plate 41
coupled to the rotating shaft 51, a plurality of first blades 42
fixed to a front outer-peripheral surface of the rotating plate 41,
and a plurality of second blades 43 fixed to a rear
outer-peripheral surface of the rotating plate 41. The first and
second blades 42 and 43 may be annularly arranged about the
rotating shaft 51. First ends of the respective first blades 42
toward the first bell-mouth 35 may have an opened shape (having no
shroud), and first ends of the respective second blades 43 toward
the second bell mouth 36 may be connected to each other by a shroud
44. The centrifugal fan 40 may be a turbo fan or multi-blade
sirocco fan having radial long-length blades, for example.
[0034] If the centrifugal fan 40 rotates by operation of the drive
motor 50, as shown in FIG. 2, the centrifugal blower 30 may suction
air through the first and second air inlets 32 and 33, to blow the
suctioned air to the upper air outlet 34. Here, the air is first
guided to the center of the centrifugal fan 40 by the first and
second bell-mouths 35 and 36, and thereafter, may be blown in a
radial outward direction through a space between the first blades
42 and the second blades 43.
[0035] The centrifugal blower 30, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, further
may include one or more stream-cutoff members 60, provided for
example, at the inner surface of the casing 30 around the first and
second bell-mouths 35 and 36, respectively, to block spaces 38
between the inner surface of the casing 31 and opposite side ends
of the centrifugal fan 40. Each stream-cutoff member 60 may have a
ring shape protruding from the inner surface of the casing 31 to be
close to the associated side end of the centrifugal fan 40. An
outer diameter of the stream-cutoff member 60 may be smaller than
that of the centrifugal fan 40.
[0036] As described above and as shown in FIG. 4, the stream-cutoff
members 60 block the spaces 38 between the inner surface of the
casing 31 around the first and second bell-mouths 35 and 36 and
both the ends of the centrifugal fan 40, thereby preventing the
air, blown in a radial direction of the centrifugal fan 40, from
being introduced into and swirled in the spaces 38 between the
inner surface of the casing 31 and both the ends of the centrifugal
fan 40.
[0037] The conventional centrifugal blower, as shown in FIG. 1, may
cause the swirled air stream A in the space between the centrifugal
fan and the inner surface of the casing. However, the centrifugal
blower 30 of embodiments of the present invention may eliminate or
minimize the problem of the swirled air stream of the conventional
centrifugal blower because the stream-cutoff members 60 may prevent
the introduction of air streams into the spaces 38 between the
inner surface of the casing 31 and the side ends of the centrifugal
fan 40. Consequently, the present invention may prevent or minimize
deterioration in blowing efficiency and the generation of air flow
noise due to the swirled air stream.
[0038] In an embodiment, the advantageous effects of the
stream-cutoff member 60, as shown in FIG. 4, may be enhanced when
it is applied to a centrifugal fan having no shroud, in the same
manner as the centrifugal fan 40 using the first blades 42 each
having open-sided ends. This is because the stream-cutoff member 60
may prevent the introduction of air streams into the centrifugal
fan 40 through the opened side end of the first blade 42.
[0039] FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the stream-cutoff
member. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the spaces between the
side ends of the centrifugal fan 40 and the inner surface of the
casing 31 (e.g., the spaces around the respective bell-mouths whose
outer perimeter are defined by the inner surface of the casing, an
interior surface of the bellmouth and the side end of the
centrifugal fan) may be completely filled with the stream-cutoff
members 70 to prevent the generation of a swirled air stream. Each
stream-cutoff member 70 may have a stream guiding plane 71 close to
the opened side ends of the respective first blades 42, and the
stream guiding plane 71 may have the same length as a radial length
of each first blade 42. Here, the blown air may be guided in a
radial outward direction of the centrifugal fan 40 along the stream
guiding plane 71, achieving high blowing efficiency without the
risk of a swirled air stream.
[0040] As apparent from the above description, embodiments of the
present invention provide a centrifugal blower having a
stream-cutoff member to block a space between the inner surface of
the casing around a bell-mouth and a side end of a centrifugal fan.
Providing the stream-cutoff member generally has the effect of
preventing the generation of a swirled air stream between the side
end of the centrifugal fan and the inner surface of the casing. As
a result, the present invention may enhance the blowing efficiency
of air and reduce air flow noise.
[0041] Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it
would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may
be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles
and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the
claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *