U.S. patent application number 12/613709 was filed with the patent office on 2011-05-12 for blower fan.
Invention is credited to Alex Horng, Chao-Hsun Lee, Ming-Tsung Li.
Application Number | 20110110774 12/613709 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43974289 |
Filed Date | 2011-05-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110110774 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Horng; Alex ; et
al. |
May 12, 2011 |
Blower Fan
Abstract
A blower fan includes a housing having a lateral wall defining a
compartment. The housing includes an air inlet and an air outlet
both in communication with the compartment. An impeller mounted in
the compartment includes a hub and blades mounted on the hub. A
first plane including opposite first and second end edges in the
air outlet is parallel to and spaced from a second plane including
a center of the hub. The compartment of the housing includes an air
outlet section and a pressure accumulating section on opposite
sides of the second plane. The air outlet section is located
between the first and second planes. The lateral wall of the
housing includes at least one air guiding hole located in the
pressure accumulating section. At least one air guiding tube
includes an outlet end and an inlet end coupled to the at least one
air guiding hole.
Inventors: |
Horng; Alex; (Kaohsiung,
TW) ; Li; Ming-Tsung; (Kaohsiung, TW) ; Lee;
Chao-Hsun; (Kaohsiung, TW) |
Family ID: |
43974289 |
Appl. No.: |
12/613709 |
Filed: |
November 6, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
415/208.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 29/582 20130101;
H05K 7/20172 20130101; F04D 29/4246 20130101; H05K 7/20145
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
415/208.1 |
International
Class: |
F04D 29/54 20060101
F04D029/54 |
Claims
1. A blower fan comprising: a housing including a lateral wall
defining a compartment, with the housing further including an air
inlet and an air outlet both in communication with the compartment,
with the air outlet including opposite first and second end edges,
with the housing defining a first plane passing the first and
second end edges; an impeller rotatably mounted in the compartment
of the housing, with the impeller including a hub and a plurality
of blades mounted on an outer periphery of the hub, with the
impeller defining a second plane including a center of the hub,
with the second plane parallel to and spaced from the first plane;
and at least one air guiding tube including an inlet end and an
outlet end, with the compartment of the housing including an air
outlet section and a pressure accumulating section on opposite
sides of the second plane, with the air outlet section located
between the first and second planes, with the lateral wall of the
housing including at least one air guiding hole located in the
pressure accumulating section, with the inlet end of said at last
one air guiding tube coupled to said at least one air guiding
hole.
2. The blower fan as claimed in claim 1, with said at least one air
guiding tube including an inner wall tangent to an inner face of
the lateral wall of the housing in the pressure accumulating
section.
3. The blower fan as claimed in claim 1, with said at least one air
guiding tube further including a plurality of branch tubes between
the inlet end and the outlet end.
4. The blower fan as claimed in claim 1, with said at least one air
guiding hole including an air guiding hole, with said at least one
air guiding tube including two air guiding tubes, and with the
inlet ends of the two air guiding tubes coupled to the air guiding
hole.
5. The blower fan as claimed in claim 3, with said at least one air
guiding hole including an air guiding hole, with said at least one
air guiding tube including two air guiding tubes, and with the
inlet ends of the two air guiding tubes coupled to the air guiding
hole.
6. The blower fan as claimed in claim 1, with said at least one air
guiding hole including two air guiding holes located in the
pressure accumulating section, with said at least one air guiding
tube including two air guiding tubes, and with the inlet end of
each of the two air guiding tubes coupled to one of the two air
guiding holes.
7. The blower fan as claimed in claim 3, with said at least one air
guiding hole including two air guiding holes located in the
pressure accumulating section, with said at least one air guiding
tube including two air guiding tubes, and with the inlet end of
each of the two air guiding tubes coupled to one of the two air
guiding holes.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a blower fan and, more
particularly, to a blower fan including air guiding tubes.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Conventional blower fans include a housing having an axial
air inlet and a side air outlet. An impeller is rotatably mounted
in the housing for drawing in air currents that are concentrated
before exiting the side air outlet to a heat source. In use, the
blower fans must be mounted adjacent the heat source with the side
air outlet aligned with the heat source to assure temperature
lowering of the heat source.
[0005] Currently available electronic products may have several
heat sources such as the main board, the central processing unit,
the display card, etc located in different locations. However, the
conventional blower fans can only perform heat dissipation for the
heat sources adjacent the side air outlet. A solution to this is
increasing the number of the blower fans that leads to inevitable
increase in the costs. In another approach, the housing of the
blower fan is provided with several air outlets or an external air
guiding tube for dissipating heat generated by heat sources in
different locations.
[0006] FIG. 1 shows a blower fan 7 including a substrate 71 on
which an impeller unit 72 and a lateral wall 73 are provided. A
pressure accumulating channel 74 is formed on an inner side of the
lateral wall 73 and includes two ends each having a radial air
outlet 75. The substrate 71 defines an axial air inlet 76
perpendicular to the radial air outlets 75. The impeller unit 72
draws in air currents via the axial air inlet 76. The air currents
exit the radial air outlets 75 under the centrifugal force created
during operation of the impeller unit 72 to dissipate heat
generated by heat sources in different locations. An example of
such a blower fan 7 is disclosed in Taiwan Patent Publication No.
516668. However, the heat sources can not always locate adjacent
the radial air outlets 75. Thus, the blower fan 7 provides limited
utility.
[0007] FIG. 2 shows a blower fan 8 including a side air outlet 81
and an air guiding tube 82 coupled to the side air outlet 81. The
air guiding tube 82 can be coupled to a heat source 84 via a heat
pad 83. By such an arrangement, the blower fan 8 not only
dissipates heat by the side air outlet 81 but also generates air
currents that are guided by the air guiding tube 82 to the heat
source 84 distant to the blower fan 8. The blower fan 8 generally
includes a pressure accumulating section for increasing the wind
pressure of the air currents generated by the blower fan 8. An
example of such a blower fan 8 is disclosed in Taiwan Patent
Publication No. 200517816. However, an end of the air guiding tube
82 coupled to the side air outlet 81 of the blower fan is not in
the pressure accumulating section, such that the amount of air
provided through the air guiding tube 82 is limited, failing to
effectively lower the temperature of the heat source 84 and having
unsatisfactory heat dissipating effect.
[0008] FIG. 3 discloses a blower fan 9 including a side air outlet
92. An air guiding tube 91 includes a first end 911 coupled to
blower fan 9 and a second end 912 extending toward a heat source
93. In operation, the heat generated by the heat source 93 flow
from the second end 912 to the first end 911 while the blower fan 9
generates air currents. The side air outlet 92 of the blower fan 9
can be utilized to dissipate heat generated by another heat source.
An example of such a blower fan 9 is disclosed in Taiwan Patent
Publication No. 200528011. However, the first end 911 of the air
guiding tube 91 is not in the pressure accumulating section of the
blower fan 9. Furthermore, the heat generated by the heat source 93
must flow from the second end 912 to the first end 911, such that
the heat dissipating effect provided by the air guiding tube 91 is
still unsatisfactory.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] An objective of the present invention is to provide a blower
fan with increased air output.
[0010] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
blower fan capable of dissipating heat of heat sources in different
locations.
[0011] The present invention fulfills the above objectives by
providing, in a preferred form, a blower fan including a housing
having a lateral wall defining a compartment. The housing further
includes an air inlet and an air outlet both in communication with
the compartment. The air outlet includes opposite first and second
end edges. The housing defines a first plane passing the first and
second end edges. An impeller is rotatably mounted in the
compartment of the housing. The impeller includes a hub and a
plurality of blades mounted on an outer periphery of the hub. The
impeller defines a second plane including a center of the hub. The
second plane is parallel to and spaced from the first plane. At
least one air guiding tube includes an inlet end and an outlet end.
The compartment of the housing includes an air outlet section and a
pressure accumulating section on opposite sides of the second
plane. The air outlet section is located between the first and
second planes. The lateral wall of the housing includes at least
one air guiding hole located in the pressure accumulating section.
The inlet end of the at last one air guiding tube is coupled to the
at least one air guiding hole.
[0012] The present invention will become clearer in light of the
following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this
invention described in connection with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The illustrative embodiments may best be described by
reference to the accompanying drawings where:
[0014] FIG. 1 shows an elevational view of a conventional blower
fan.
[0015] FIG. 2 shows an exploded, perspective view of another
conventional blower fan.
[0016] FIG. 3 shows an exploded, perspective view of a further
conventional blower fan.
[0017] FIG. 4 shows an exploded, perspective view of a blower fan
of a first embodiment according to the preferred teachings of the
present invention.
[0018] FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional view of the blower fan of
FIG. 4.
[0019] FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of a blower fan of a
second embodiment according to the preferred teachings of the
present invention.
[0020] FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view of a blower fan of a
third embodiment according to the preferred teachings of the
present invention.
[0021] FIG. 8 shows a cross sectional view of a lower fan of a
fourth embodiment according to the preferred teachings of the
present invention.
[0022] All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic
teachings of the present invention only; the extensions of the
figures with respect to number, position, relationship, and
dimensions of the parts to form the preferred embodiments will be
explained or will be within the skill of the art after the
following teachings of the present invention have been read and
understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional
proportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength, and
similar requirements will likewise be within the skill of the art
after the following teachings of the present invention have been
read and understood.
[0023] Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the same
numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the
terms "first", "second", "inner", "outer", "end", "section",
"centrifugal", and similar terms are used herein, it should be
understood that these terms have reference only to the structure
shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the
drawings and are utilized only to facilitate describing the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] A blower fan of a first embodiment according to the
preferred teachings of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 4
and 5 and generally includes a housing 1, an impeller 2, and an air
guiding tube 3. The housing 1 can be mounted in a desired location
of an electronic product, such as a side of a main board inside a
computer. The impeller 2 is rotatably mounted in the housing 1 to
generate enough amount of air for heat dissipating purposes. The
air guiding tube 3 is coupled to the housing 1 for dissipating heat
generated by heat sources 4 in different locations of the
electronic product.
[0025] Specifically, the housing 1 includes a lateral wall 11
defining a compartment 111. The housing 1 further includes an air
inlet 12 and an air outlet 13 that are in communication with the
compartment 111. The air outlet 13 includes opposite first and
second end edges 131 and 132. The housing 1 defines a first plane
P1 passing the first and second end edges 131 and 132. A cover 14
is mounted to the lateral wall 11 of the housing 1 and includes an
opening 141 aligned with the air inlet 12. Air currents generated
by the impeller 2 can flow through the opening 141 and the air
inlet 12 into the compartment 111 of the housing 1. The housing 1
can include at least one auxiliary air inlet preferably aligned
with the air inlet 12.
[0026] The impeller 2 is rotatably mounted in the compartment 111
and includes a hub 21 and a plurality of blades 22. The impeller 2
defines a second plane P2 including a center of the hub 21. The
second plane P2 is parallel to and spaced from the first plane P1.
The blades 22 are mounted to an outer periphery of the hub 21 for
driving the air currents to the air outlet 13 and the air guiding
tube 3.
[0027] More specifically, the compartment 111 is divided into an
air outlet section 111a and a pressure accumulating section 111b by
defining the first and second planes P1 and P2. The air outlet
section 111a is located between the first and second planes P1 and
P2. The pressure accumulating section 111b and the air outlet
section 111a are located on opposite sides of the second plane P2.
The lateral wall 11 includes an air guiding hole 15 in the pressure
accumulating section 111b for coupling the air guiding tube 3.
[0028] The air guiding tube 3 includes an inlet end 31 and an
outlet end 32. The inlet end 31 is coupled to the air guiding hole
15 of the housing 1 and in communication with the compartment 111.
Namely, the inlet end 31 is located in the pressure accumulating
section 111b. The outlet end 32 extends away from the housing 1 for
guiding the air currents to the heat source 4.
[0029] With reference to FIG. 5, in use, the air outlet 13 faces a
heat source 4, and the length of the air guiding tube 3 allows it
to extend to another heat source 4 with the outlet end 32 of the
air guiding tube 3 facing the other heat source 4. The impeller 2
draws in air currents, and the centrifugal force created during
operation of the impeller 2 drives the air currents to the heat
sources 4 via the air guiding tube 3 and the air outlet 13. Thus,
the blower fan according to the teachings of the present invention
can dissipate heat generated by heat sources 4 in different
locations.
[0030] Since the inlet end 31 of the air guiding tube 3 is in the
pressure accumulating section 111b, the wind pressure of the air
currents drawn in by the impeller 2 via the air inlet 12 can be
accumulated in the pressure accumulating section 111b to provide a
larger wind pressure. Thus, the air currents driven by the blades
22 can flow more easily along an inner face of the lateral wall 11
of the housing 1 to the heat source 4 after passing through the air
guiding tube 3. Thus, the air guiding tube 3 provides more amount
of air by the larger wind pressure to dissipate the heat generated
by the heat source 4, enhancing the overall heat dissipating
effect.
[0031] More specifically, with reference to FIG. 5, an inner wall
S1 of the air guiding tube 3 according to the teachings of the
present invention is preferably tangent to the inner face S2 of the
lateral wall 11 in the pressure accumulating section 111b. Thus,
the air currents driven by the blades 22 flowing along the inner
wall S2 of the lateral wall 11 of the housing 1 encounters less
resistance, so that the air guiding tube 3 can provide more amount
of air for heat dissipating purposes.
[0032] The housing 1 of the blower fan according to the teachings
of the present invention can include one or more air guiding holes
15 cooperating one or more air guiding tubes 3 according to needs.
Furthermore, the blower fan according to the teachings of the
present invention can utilize various types of the air guiding
tubes 3.
[0033] In a preferred form shown in FIG. 6, the lateral wall 11 of
the housing 1 includes an air guiding hole 15 located in the
pressure accumulating section 111b. The air guiding tube 3 further
includes a plurality of branch tubes 33 between the inlet end 31
and the outlet end 32. The branch tubes 33 extend to additional
heat sources 4. Thus, the air guiding tube 3 can proceed with heat
dissipation for more heat sources 4.
[0034] In another preferred form shown in FIG. 7, the lateral wall
11 of the housing 1 includes an air guiding hole 15 located in the
pressure accumulating section 111b. Furthermore, there are two air
guiding tubes 3 provided for two heat sources 4. The inlet end 31
of each air guiding tube 3 is coupled to the air guiding hole 15.
The outlet end 32 of each air guiding tube 3 extends toward one of
the heat sources 4. Thus, the air guiding tubes 3 can proceed with
heat dissipation for the heat sources 4 in different locations. The
air guiding tubes 3 can be integrally formed with each other as a
single continuous monolithic member as desired.
[0035] In another preferred form shown in FIG. 8, the lateral wall
11 of the housing 1 includes two air guiding holes 15 located in
the pressure accumulating section 111b. Furthermore, there are two
air guiding tubes 3 provide for a plurality of heat sources 4. The
inlet end 31 of each air guiding tube 3 is coupled to one of the
air guiding holes 15. Each air guiding tube 3 includes one or more
branch tubes 33 between the inlet end 31 and the outlet end 32.
Thus, the air guiding tubes 3 can proceed with heat dissipation for
many heat sources 4, providing enhanced utility.
[0036] According to above, by locating the air inlet ends 31 of the
air guiding tubes 3 in the pressure accumulating section 111b, the
air currents driven by the impeller 2 can flow through the air
guiding tubes 3 to the heat sources 4 under less resistance,
providing excellent heat dissipation and enhancing the heat
dissipating effect.
[0037] The air guiding tubes 3 according to the teachings of the
present invention can provide more amount of air for dissipating
heat generated by a plurality of heat sources 4 while providing air
output via the air outlet 13, of the housing 1. Thus, the amount of
outputted air is increased.
[0038] The blower fan according to the teachings of the present
invention can proceed heat dissipation for a heat source 4 via the
air outlet 13 of the housing 1 as well as for a plurality of heat
sources 4 distant to the blower fan by using at least one air
guiding tube 3, providing enhanced utility.
[0039] Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in
other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general
characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated,
the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all
respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the
invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by
the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the
meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be
embraced therein.
* * * * *