U.S. patent application number 13/769929 was filed with the patent office on 2014-08-21 for dual fan coaxial flow blower housing assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Ford Global Technologies, LLC. Invention is credited to Paul Bryan Hoke, James R. Hurd, Clay Wesley Maranville.
Application Number | 20140234092 13/769929 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50437497 |
Filed Date | 2014-08-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140234092 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Maranville; Clay Wesley ; et
al. |
August 21, 2014 |
DUAL FAN COAXIAL FLOW BLOWER HOUSING ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A blower assembly including a housing for a first scroll fan and
a second scroll fan that are connected by a shaft to a motor that
rotates the fans. The first and second scroll fans are coaxially
mounted on the shaft. Fresh air ports and recirculated air ports
are provided for the circulation of fresh air and recirculated air,
respectively. The fresh air ports and recirculated air ports may be
selectively opened and closed by doors to control the flow of air
from the outside and from the passenger compartment as controlled
by the HVAC system.
Inventors: |
Maranville; Clay Wesley;
(Ypsilanti, MI) ; Hoke; Paul Bryan; (Plymouth,
MI) ; Hurd; James R.; (Canton, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Ford Global Technologies,
LLC
Dearborn
MI
|
Family ID: |
50437497 |
Appl. No.: |
13/769929 |
Filed: |
February 19, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
415/185 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60H 1/00471 20130101;
B60H 2001/00085 20130101; F04D 29/441 20130101; F04D 19/002
20130101; F04D 29/665 20130101; F04D 29/424 20130101; F04D 29/4226
20130101; F04D 17/162 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
415/185 |
International
Class: |
F04D 19/00 20060101
F04D019/00 |
Claims
1. A HVAC blower assembly comprising: a housing; a motor assembled
to the housing; a first fan and a second fan operatively connected
to the motor, the first fan and the second fan being coaxially
aligned to draw air from a first inlet and a second inlet,
respectively; and an outlet that receives the air from the first
fan and the second fan and passes the air to a passenger
compartment.
2. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising: a shaft that is
driven by the motor and extends from first and second opposite ends
of the motor, and wherein the first fan is connected to a first end
of the shaft and the second fan is connected to a second end of the
shaft.
3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the housing further comprises a
first air inlet that the first fan draws air into the housing, and
a second air inlet that the second fan draws air into the
housing.
4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the first fan draws air
including recirculated air from the passenger compartment and fresh
air from outside of the passenger compartment.
5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fan draws air
including recirculated air from the passenger compartment and fresh
air from outside of the passenger compartment.
6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the second fan draws air
including recirculated air from the passenger compartment and fresh
air from outside of the passenger compartment.
7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fan and the second fan
are coaxially aligned in a vertical orientation.
8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fan and the second fan
are coaxially aligned in a horizontal orientation.
9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fan and the second fan
are coaxially aligned in an angular orientation that is between
vertical and horizontal.
10. A HVAC blower assembly comprising: a housing that defines a
first opening and a second opening; a motor disposed within the
housing; a first blower scroll fan operatively connected to the
motor that draws air through the first opening; a second blower
scroll fan operatively connected to the motor that draws air
through the second opening; a first closure member that controls
air flowing through the first opening by controlling a first volume
of air from a fresh air source and a second volume of air from a
passenger compartment; and a second closure member that controls
air flowing through the second opening from the passenger
compartment.
11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the second closure member
controls air flowing through the second opening from the fresh air
source.
12. The assembly of claim 11 further comprising: an outside air
vent that provides air from the fresh air source to both the first
opening and second opening.
13. The assembly of claim 12 further comprising a fresh air duct
provided on the housing that extending from the first opening to
the second opening to provide fresh air to the second opening.
14. The assembly of claim 11 further comprising: a first outside
air vent that provides air from the fresh air source to the first
opening; and a second outside air vent that provides air from the
fresh air source to the second opening.
15. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising: a plurality of
ribs formed inside the housing for supporting the motor and the
first blower scroll fan and the second blower scroll fan within the
housing.
16. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising: a plurality of
acoustic air flow ribs formed inside the housing in an air outlet
from the housing that also include a motor mount.
17. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising: a shaft that is
driven by the motor and extends from first and second opposite ends
of the motor, and wherein the first blower scroll fan is connected
to a first end of the shaft and the second blower scroll fan is
connected to a second end of the shaft.
18. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising: an outlet that
receives the air from the first blower scroll fan and the second
blower scroll fan and passes the air to a passenger compartment.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates to vehicle heating ventilation and
air conditioning (HVAC) system blower fans and blower housings.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Vehicle HVAC systems have a separate air inlet for fresh air
and for recirculated air. Air is directed from the fresh air inlet
and/or the recirculated air inlet to the blower within the blower
housing. The blower housing structurally supports the blower fan.
Blower housings with separate fresh air inlets and recirculated air
inlets may encounter problems relating to noise levels and
vibration.
[0003] Another problem encountered by vehicle HVAC systems is that
they tend to be bulky. As the volume of air moved through the
system is increased, the space required to house the blower housing
also increases. Space available for a blower housing in a vehicle
is limited and may impact vehicle design freedom.
[0004] In HVAC systems having more than one fan, each fan typically
has one inlet that is shifted between a fresh air source and a
recirculation air source. Multiple fans are not used to draw fresh
air and recirculated air through the same inlet.
[0005] The above problems and other problems are addressed by this
disclosure as summarized below.
SUMMARY
[0006] This disclosure is directed to a HVAC housing for a dual
wheel/dual scroll fan blower that is assembled to a blower housing
to create a coaxial air flow path within the blower housing. The
blower housing may have integral internal ribs that direct air flow
from the cowl air flow inlet and indirectly to the blower. The
internal rib design in the coaxial fan chamber also provides
structural support for directly assembling the fans, motor and
other components to the blower housing assembly. The internal rib
design reduces noise and vibrations while improving the flow of air
into the blower inlet.
[0007] In one embodiment, the fresh air from the cowl air flow
inlet may be the only fresh air inlet that provides fresh air to
both fans. Fresh air may be provided to two more inlet openings
from the cowl area to the fans. Recirculation air inlets may also
be provided that may operate in combination with or independently
of the fresh air inlets.
[0008] The dual wheel/dual scroll fan blower may be horizontally
oriented, vertically oriented or oriented in any angular
orientation required to meet the packaging requirements in the
limited space available for the HVAC blower housing assembly in a
vehicle. The size of the HVAC blower housing assembly may be
reduced due to increased efficiency of the coaxial fans and, as a
direct result, the size and weight of the instrument panel may be
reduced. A smaller HVAC blower housing assembly allows more design
freedom for instrument panel designs.
[0009] The HVAC blower housing assembly may facilitate providing a
partial recirculation strategy that permits part of the air flow to
be recirculated with fresh air. Partial recirculation of air within
the vehicle in combination with limited fresh air may reduce the
load on the HVAC system and may permit system specifications to be
less rigorous.
[0010] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a HVAC blower
housing assembly is disclosed that includes a housing and a motor
assembled to the housing. A first fan and a second fan are
operatively connected to the motor and are coaxially aligned to
draw air from a first inlet and a second inlet, respectively. An
outlet receives air from the first fan and the second fan and
forces the air to the passenger compartment.
[0011] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a HVAC
blower housing assembly is disclosed that includes a housing that
defines a first opening and a second opening. A motor is disposed
within the housing and is connected to a first blower scroll fan
and a second blower scroll fan. The first blower scroll fan is
operatively connected to the motor that draws air through the first
opening. The second blower scroll fan is operatively connected to
the motor that draws air through the second opening. A first
closure member controls the flow of air through the first opening
by controlling the volume of air drawn from a fresh air source and
the volume of air drawn from a passenger compartment. A second
closure member controls the flow of air through the second opening
from the passenger compartment.
[0012] According to further aspects of this disclosure, the HVAC
blower housing assemblies summarized above may also include a
jacket that defines an annulus disposed around the housing that
facilitates air flow around the housing from one end of the housing
to the opposite end of the housing. A wide variety of fresh air and
recirculated air inlets are disclosed. Different door combinations
may be provided to control the sources of air provided to the
blower scroll fans. The blower scroll fans are coaxially aligned
and may be oriented vertically, horizontally or in another
orientation to suit packaging requirements and space limitations
within an instrument panel.
[0013] The above aspects of this disclosure and other aspects will
be more fully described in the following detailed description of
the illustrated embodiments and with reference to the attached
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a HVAC blower housing
assembly having recirculation air inlets on both ends of the
assembly and a fresh air inlet on one ends of the assembly that
also provides fresh air through a partial annulus to the opposite
end of the assembly.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view taken along
the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a HVAC blower housing
assembly having recirculation air inlets on both ends of the
assembly and a fresh air inlet on one end of the assembly that also
provides fresh air through a cylindrical annulus to the opposite
end of the assembly.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vertically oriented
HVAC blower housing assembly having recirculation air inlets on
both ends of the assembly and fresh air inlets on both ends of the
assembly.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a horizontally oriented
HVAC blower housing assembly having recirculation air inlets on
both ends of the assembly and fresh air inlets on both ends of the
assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The illustrated embodiments are disclosed with reference to
the drawings. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed
embodiments are intended to be merely examples that may be embodied
in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily
to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show
details of particular components. The specific structural and
functional details disclosed are not to be interpreted as limiting,
but as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art
how to practice the disclosed concepts.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, a blower assembly 10 is illustrated
that includes a housing 12. A motor 16 is disposed within the
housing and is operatively connected to a first scroll fan 18 and a
second scroll fan 20 by a shaft 22. The first and second scroll
fans 18 and 20 are coaxially aligned on the shaft 22 and draw air
from opposite ends of the housing because they are oppositely
oriented on the shaft 22. The first scroll fan 18 is connected to a
first end 26 of the shaft 22 and the second scroll fan 20 is
connected to a second end 28 of the shaft 22. The motor 16 rotates
the shaft 22 to operate the first and second scroll fans 18 and
20.
[0021] A fresh air port 30 admits fresh air F into the housing 12.
The fresh air F is also selectively provided to the fresh air duct
32. The fresh air duct 32 is a semi-annular duct that routes air
around the first and second scroll fans 18 and 20. A fresh air door
34 may be shifted between a position blocking the fresh air port 30
and an open position in which fresh air F may be provided to the
fresh air duct 32. A first recirculated air duct 36 provides
recirculated air R. A first recirculated air door 38 may be opened
and closed to permit or prevent the flow of recirculated air R
through the first recirculated air duct 36. The first recirculated
air door 38 may be a pivoting door or a roll film door depending on
cost and space requirements. A second recirculated air duct 40 is
provided at the opposite or lower end of the housing 12 and an
alternate recirculated air duct 42 may also be provided on the
housing 12 to permit recirculated air R to flow into housing 12. A
combination door 44 may be moved to a blocking position blocking
the second recirculated air duct 40 and the alternate recirculated
air duct 42. The combination door 44 may also be moved to block the
flow of fresh air F through the fresh air duct 32.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 2, a diagrammatic representation of the
apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. The first scroll fan 18 is
shown disposed within the housing 12. The fresh air duct 32 is
shown to be a semi-annular duct attached to the outside of the
housing 12. The first scroll fan 18 is shown in operation expelling
air into an outlet duct 50. The air in the outlet duct 50 is outlet
air that is provided to a passenger compartment 52.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 3, a blower assembly 54 is shown that
includes a housing 56. The blower assembly 54 is attached to a
bulkhead 58 by a fastener 60. A cowl 62 is also shown at one end of
the housing 56 that separates the interior of the vehicle (not
shown) from the exterior.
[0024] A motor 64 is assembled to the housing 56 and bulkhead 58 by
motor mount ribs 66 that operatively support the motor 64 within
the housing 56. A first scroll fan 68 and a second scroll fan 70
are provided on opposite ends of a shaft 72. The shaft 72 is
rotated by the motor 64 to provide air flow by rotation of the
scroll fans 68 and 70.
[0025] A fresh air port 76 is defined by the cowl 62 and the
housing 56. Fresh air F is supplied to the blower housing assembly
54 through the fresh air port 76 when a fresh air door 78 is
opened. Fresh air door 78 may be closed to operate the blower
housing assembly 54 in a recirculation mode. A fresh air duct 80 is
provided that encloses the housing 56. The fresh air duct 80 may be
a cylindrical annulus through which fresh air is permitted to flow
from the fresh air port 76 through a plurality of acoustic air flow
ribs 82 to the opposite ends of the blower assembly 54. The
acoustic air flow ribs 82 support the housing 56 within the fresh
air duct 80 and are constructed to eliminate unwanted noise in the
blower assembly 54. A first recirculated air duct 84 is provided in
the fresh air duct 80 adjacent the fresh air port 76. Recirculated
air R is admitted through the first recirculated air duct 84 from
the passenger compartment 52 (shown in FIG. 2). The first
recirculated air duct 84 may be opened and closed by a first roll
film door 86 depending upon whether air is requested to be
recirculated through the blower assembly 54. A second recirculated
air duct 88 is provided on the opposite end of the blower assembly
54 from the fresh air port 76. A second roll film door 90 may be
provided that opens and closes the second recirculated air duct 88
to either permit or restrict air from being recirculated by the
blower housing assembly 54.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 4, another alternative embodiment of a
blower assembly 96 is illustrated. A housing 98 of the blower
assembly 96 is attached to a cowl 100 of the vehicle (not
shown).
[0027] A first scroll fan 106 and a second scroll fan 108 are
attached to opposite ends of a shaft 110. A motor 102 operates the
scroll fans 106 and 108, as previously described. A first fresh air
port 112 is provided through the cowl 100 and may be opened and
closed by a first fresh air door 114. A second fresh air port 116
is provided near the other end of the housing 98 and is adapted to
be opened and closed by a second fresh air door 118. The second
fresh air port 116 may receive air from the outer side of the
bulkhead (not shown) that is similar to the bulkhead 58 shown in
FIG. 3. A second fresh air door 118 may be opened and closed to
allow fresh air F to flow into the housing 98. A first recirculated
air duct 120 is provided in the housing 98 near the first fresh air
port 112. A first roll film door 122 is provided to open and close
the first recirculated air duct 120. A second recirculated air duct
124 is provided in the opposite end of the housing 98 from the
first fresh air port 112. The second recirculated air duct 124 may
be opened and closed by a second roll film door 126, as previously
described.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 5, a horizontal blower assembly 130 is
illustrated that includes a housing 132 that is adapted to be
secured below the cowl 134 of the vehicle (not shown). A motor 136
is operatively connected to a first scroll fan 140 and a second
scroll fan 142 by a shaft 144.
[0029] A first fresh air port 146 is provided in the housing 132 on
the left side of FIG. 5. The first fresh air port 146 may be opened
and closed by rotating a dual function door 148 to open and close
the first fresh air port 146. A second fresh air port 150 may be
provided between the cowl 134 and housing 132. The second fresh air
port 150 is adapted to be opened and closed by a second fresh air
door 152. A first recirculated air duct 154 may be provided in the
housing 132 to permit air to be recirculated in the passenger
compartment 52 (as shown in FIG. 2). The dual door 148 may be used
to open and close the first recirculated air duct 154 by rotating
the dual door 148 between the position shown in FIG. 5 in solid
lines and a position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 5.
[0030] A second recirculated air duct 158 is provided in the
opposite end of the housing 132 from the first recirculated air
duct 154. The second recirculated air duct 158 may be opened and
closed by a roll film door 160, as previously described.
[0031] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not
intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the
disclosed apparatus and method. Rather, the words used in the
specification are words of description rather than limitation, and
it is understood that various changes may be made without departing
from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as claimed. The
features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to
form further embodiments of the disclosed concepts.
* * * * *