U.S. patent application number 15/871223 was filed with the patent office on 2019-04-25 for slim fan.
The applicant listed for this patent is Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Alex Horng, Tso-Kuo Yin.
Application Number | 20190120238 15/871223 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66170483 |
Filed Date | 2019-04-25 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190120238 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Horng; Alex ; et
al. |
April 25, 2019 |
Slim Fan
Abstract
A slim fan includes a housing, an impeller, and a stator unit.
The housing includes a bottom board. The bottom board includes an
inner face and an outer face. The bottom board includes at least
one receiving space located between the inner face and the outer
face. An impeller is rotatably mounted in the housing. A stator
unit is mounted in the housing. The stator unit includes a circuit
board, a coil unit, and at least one electronic element. The coil
unit and the at least one electronic element are mounted on the
circuit board. The at least one electronic element extends into the
at least one receiving space.
Inventors: |
Horng; Alex; (Kaohsiung
City, TW) ; Yin; Tso-Kuo; (Kaohsiung City,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sunonwealth Electric Machine Industry Co., Ltd. |
Kaohsiung City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
66170483 |
Appl. No.: |
15/871223 |
Filed: |
January 15, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 25/0646 20130101;
F04D 25/0653 20130101; F04D 19/002 20130101; F04D 17/16 20130101;
F04D 29/403 20130101; F04D 25/068 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F04D 25/06 20060101
F04D025/06; F04D 29/40 20060101 F04D029/40 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 24, 2017 |
TW |
106136539 |
Claims
1. A slim fan comprising: a housing including a bottom board,
wherein the bottom board includes an inner face and an outer face,
wherein the bottom board includes at least one receiving space
located between the inner face and the outer face; an impeller
rotatably mounted in the housing; and a stator unit mounted in the
housing, wherein the stator unit includes a circuit board, a coil
unit, and at least one electronic element, wherein the coil unit
and the at least one electronic element are mounted on the circuit
board, and wherein the at least one electronic element extends into
the at least one receiving space.
2. The slim fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein before the stator
unit and the housing are assembled, each of a maximum axial height
of the bottom board in an axial direction of the impeller and a
maximum axial height of the stator unit in the axial direction of
the impeller is not larger than 1.1 mm, and wherein a sum of the
maximum axial height of the bottom board and the maximum axial
height of the stator unit is larger than 1.1 mm.
3. The slim fan as claimed in claim 2, wherein after the stator
unit and the housing are assembled, the stator unit and the bottom
board have an assembled axial height not larger than 1.1 mm.
4. The slim fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one
receiving space is located within a maximum diametric range of the
stator unit.
5. The slim fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coil unit is
formed on the circuit board by etching or electrocasting.
6. The slim fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit board
includes a plurality of grooves, and wherein the coil unit extends
into the plurality of grooves.
7. The slim fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one
receiving space includes a through-hole extending through the
bottom board.
8. The slim fan as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one
receiving space includes a first chamber and a second chamber,
wherein the at least one electronic element extends into the first
chamber, and wherein a spacer is mounted in the second chamber.
9. The slim fan as claimed in claim 8, wherein a diametric range of
the first chamber in a diametric direction of the impeller is
smaller than a diametric range of the second chamber in the
diametric direction of the impeller.
10. The slim fan as claimed in claim 8, wherein the spacer does not
protrude beyond the outer face of the bottom board.
11. The slim fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one
receiving space includes a blind hole in the bottom board.
12. The slim fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein the impeller
includes a hub and a plurality of blades, wherein the plurality of
blades is annularly disposed on an outer periphery of the hub,
wherein each of the plurality of blades includes an inner edge and
an outer edge, wherein a blade rotational range is formed between
the inner edges and the outer edges of the plurality of blades, and
wherein the stator unit is not located within the blade rotational
range in an axial direction of the impeller.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The application claims the benefit of Taiwan application
serial No. 106136539, filed on Oct. 24, 2017, and the entire
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a fan and, more
particularly, to a slim fan.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] Generally, since electronic elements in electronic products
generate heat during operation, many electronic products are
equipped with heat dissipating fans for a long time. The heat
dissipating fans provide a wind driving function to force air
currents to flow for expelling the high temperature air inside the
electronic products, increasing the heat dissipating efficiency
during operation of the electronic products and thereby maintaining
stable operation of the electronic products.
[0004] However, with the developing demands of thinning and high
performances of electronic products, "thinning" is another aim in
addition to fulfilling the heat dissipating demand of electronic
products. Thus, the developing trends of many electronic products
in recent years focus on how to reduce the axial height of the heat
dissipating fans. Current heat dissipating fans generally include a
housing, a stator unit mounted in the housing, and an impeller
rotatably mounted in the housing. When it is desired to reduce the
axial height of the overall heat dissipating fan, most designs aim
in improvement to the structure of the stator unit.
[0005] With reference to FIG. 1, as an example, a conventional thin
fan 9 includes a housing 91, a stator unit 92, and an impeller 93.
The housing 91 includes a bottom board 911 and a shaft tube 912
connected to the bottom board 911. The stator unit 92 includes a
circuit board 921 mounted around the shaft tube 912. The stator
unit 92 further includes a plurality of coils 922 formed by
windings. The coils 922 are mounted on and electrically connected
to the circuit board 921. The impeller 93 includes a shaft 931
rotatably mounted in the shaft tube 912. The impeller 93 further
includes a magnetic element 932 aligned with the coils 922. An
embodiment similar to the thin fan 9 is disclosed in Taiwan Patent
No. 1342098 entitled "Motor."
[0006] Since at least one electronic element 923 (such as a driving
element) is mounted to a lower face of the circuit board 921, the
housing 91 requires a pad 913 annularly disposed around an outer
periphery of the shaft tube 912 and connected to the bottom board
911, such that the circuit board 921 abuts the pad 913 when the
circuit board 921 is mounted around the shaft tube 912.
Furthermore, a gap G exists between the lower face of the circuit
board 921 and the bottom board 911 for receiving the at least one
electronic element 923. Thus, it is difficult to further reduce the
axial height of the fan 9, and the structure of the housing 91 is
complicated and is difficult to form.
[0007] Thus, improvement to the conventional thin fans is
necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides
a slim fan that is simplified in the structure of a housing to
further reduce the axial height of the slim fan.
[0009] The present invention provides a slim fan to simplify the
structure of the housing thereof to thereby increase convenience in
manufacture of the housing and assembly of the slim fan.
[0010] When the terms "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "side",
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, rather
than restricting the invention.
[0011] A slim fan according to the present invention includes a
housing, an impeller, and a stator unit. The housing includes a
bottom board. The bottom board includes an inner face and an outer
face. The bottom board includes at least one receiving space
located between the inner face and the outer face. An impeller is
rotatably mounted in the housing. A stator unit is mounted in the
housing. The stator unit includes a circuit board, a coil unit, and
at least one electronic element. The coil unit and the at least one
electronic element are mounted on the circuit board. The at least
one electronic element extends into the at least one receiving
space.
[0012] Thus, the slim fan according to the present invention is
simplified in the structure of the housing to further reduce the
axial height of the slim fan and to increase the convenience of
manufacturing the housing and assembly of the slim fan.
[0013] In an example, before the stator unit and the housing are
assembled, each of a maximum axial height of the bottom board in an
axial direction of the impeller and a maximum axial height of the
stator unit in the axial direction of the impeller is not larger
than 1.1 mm. The sum of the maximum axial height of the bottom
board and the maximum axial height of the stator unit is larger
than 1.1 mm. This can be applied in mini-type heat dissipating fan
technique.
[0014] In an example, after the stator unit and the housing are
assembled, the stator unit and the bottom board have an assembled
axial height not larger than 1.1 mm. This can be applied in
mini-type heat dissipating fan technique.
[0015] In an example, the at least one receiving space is located
within a maximum diametric range of the stator unit. This assures
that the bottom board has a higher structural strength.
[0016] In an example, the coil unit is formed on the circuit board
by etching or electrocasting. This can further reduce the maximum
axial height of the stator unit.
[0017] In an example, the circuit board includes a plurality of
grooves, and the coil unit extends into the plurality of grooves.
This can reduce the maximum axial height of the stator unit.
[0018] In an example, the at least one receiving space includes a
through-hole extending through the bottom board. This increases the
manufacturing convenience of the bottom board and is helpful in
reducing the operating temperature of the at least one electronic
element and the axial height of the fan.
[0019] In an example, the at least one receiving space includes a
first chamber and a second chamber, the at least one electronic
element extends into the first chamber, and a spacer is mounted in
the second chamber. This reduces the axial height and avoid
exposure of the at least one electronic element.
[0020] In an example, a diametric range of the first chamber in a
diametric direction of the impeller is smaller than a diametric
range of the second chamber in the diametric direction of the
impeller. This increases the operational convenience while
assembling the spacer.
[0021] In an example, the spacer does not protrude beyond the outer
face of the bottom board. This avoids an increase in the maximum
axial height of the overall slim fan.
[0022] In an example, the at least one receiving space includes a
blind hole in the bottom board. Thus, the bottom board has a better
structural strength and is less likely to deform.
[0023] In an example, the impeller includes a hub and a plurality
of blades. The plurality of blades is annularly disposed on an
outer periphery of the hub. Each of the plurality of blades
includes an inner edge and an outer edge. A blade rotational range
is formed between the inner edges and the outer edges of the
plurality of blades. The stator unit is not located within the
blade rotational range in an axial direction of the impeller. Thus,
the maximum axial height of the overall slim fan can be reduced
while effectively avoiding damage to the stator unit resulting from
collision with the plurality of blades.
[0024] 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
[0025] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of a
conventional thin fan.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, exploded, perspective view of a
slim fan of a first embodiment according to the present
invention.
[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of the slim
fan of the first embodiment according to the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic, top view of the slim fan of the
first embodiment according to the present invention before
attachment of a cover.
[0029] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic, top view of a stator unit and a
bottom board of the slim fan of the first embodiment according to
the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of a slim fan of a second
embodiment according to the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a slim fan of a third
embodiment according to the present invention.
[0032] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of a slim fan of a fourth
embodiment according to the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of a slim fan of a fifth
embodiment according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] FIG. 2 shows a slim fan of a first embodiment according to
the present invention. In this non-restrictive embodiment, the slim
fan is in the form of a blower type fan. The slim fan of this
embodiment includes a housing 1, an impeller 2 mounted in the
housing 1, and a stator unit 3 mounted in the housing 1.
[0035] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing 1 is a hollow
housing capable of introducing air into and out of the hollow
housing. In this embodiment, the housing 1 includes a bottom board
11, a sidewall 12, and a cover 13. The bottom board 11 includes an
inner face 11a and an outer face 11b. The sidewall 12 is coupled to
the bottom board 11. The cover 13 is connected to the sidewall 12
and faces the inner face 11a of the bottom board 11. Thus, a space
for receiving other members is defined between the bottom board 11,
the sidewall 12, and the cover 13. The bottom board 11 includes at
least one receiving space S located between the inner face 11a and
the outer face 11b. Furthermore, the housing 1 includes a shaft
coupling portion 14 mounted on the bottom board 11 and protruding
from the inner face 11a of the bottom board 11. The shaft coupling
portion 14 can be integrally formed with or detachably coupled to
the bottom board 11.
[0036] The impeller 2 includes a shaft 21, a hub 22, a plurality of
blades 23, and a magnetic element 24. The shaft 21 is connected to
the hub 22 and is rotatably mounted to the shaft coupling portion
14 of the housing 1. The plurality of blades 23 is annularly
disposed on an outer periphery of the hub 22. The magnetic element
24 is mounted to an inner periphery of the hub 22. Each of the
plurality of blades 23 includes an inner edge 231 and an outer edge
232. A blade rotational range R (see FIG. 4) is formed between the
inner edges 231 and the outer edges 232 of the plurality of blades
23.
[0037] The stator unit 3 includes a circuit board 31, a coil unit
32, and at least one electronic element 33 (such as a driving
element or a sensor element). The coil unit 32 and the at least one
electronic element 33 are mounted on the circuit board 31. The
circuit board 31 can be mounted around the shaft coupling portion
14. The coil unit 32 faces the magnetic element 24. The at least
one electronic element 33 extends into the at least one receiving
space S of the bottom board 11 but does not protrude beyond the
outer face 11b of the bottom board 11. Preferably, all electronic
elements 33 are received in the at least one receiving space S.
[0038] Specifically, the circuit board 31 includes a first surface
31a and a second surface 31b opposite to the first surface 31a. The
circuit board 31 can be coupled with the shaft coupling portion 14
by press fitting, and the first surface 31a of the circuit board 31
abuts the inner face 11a of the bottom board 11 of the housing 1.
Alternatively, the circuit board 31 is mounted around the shaft
coupling portion 14 by loose fitting, and the first surface 31a of
the circuit board 31 is bonded to the inner face 11a of the bottom
board 11 of the housing 1 by an adhesive (such as a gum or a glue)
or hot melting. In a case that the bottom board 11 of the housing 1
is made of an insulating material, the circuit board 31 can be
directly bonded to the inner face 11a of the circuit board 11 by
the inner surface 11a. In another case that the bottom board 11 of
the housing 1 is made of a non-insulating material, an insulating
plate (not shown) can be disposed on the first surface 31a of the
circuit board 31, and the circuit board 31 can be indirectly bonded
to the inner face 11a of the bottom board 11 via the insulating
plate.
[0039] It is noted that before the stator unit 3 and the housing 1
are assembled, the bottom board 11 has a maximum axial height h1 in
an axial direction of the impeller 2, and the maximum axial height
h1 of the bottom board 11 in the axial direction of the impeller 2
is not larger than 1.1 mm. Furthermore, the stator unit 3 (the
overall height of a combination including the circuit board 31, the
coil unit 32, and the at least one electronic element 33) includes
a maximum axial height h2 in the axial direction of the impeller 2,
and the maximum axial height h2 of the stator unit 3 in the axial
direction of the impeller 2 is not larger than 1.1 mm. Furthermore,
after the stator unit 3 and the housing 1 are assembled, the stator
unit 3 and the bottom board 11 have an assembled axial height H1
not larger than 1.1 mm.
[0040] After assembly of the slim fan according to the present
invention, the at least one electronic element 33 of the stator
unit 3 extends into the at least one receiving space S of the
bottom board 11 but does not protrude beyond the outer face 11b of
the bottom board 11, such that the assembled axial height H1 can be
smaller than the sum of the maximum axial height hl of the bottom
board 11 and the maximum axial height h2 of the stator unit 3.
Thus, the maximum axial height H2 of the overall slim fan is
reduced while simplifying the structure of the housing 1 (without
the need of the pad in the prior art). The overall slim fan is more
light and more thin and is easy to manufacture and assemble. As a
result, the slim fan according to the present invention can be used
in the heat dissipating technique in which the sum of the maximum
axial height h1 and the maximum axial height h2 is larger than 1.1
mm and in which the assembled axial height H1 is preferably not
larger than 1.1 mm.
[0041] Furthermore, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the stator
unit 3 is not located within the blade rotational range R in the
axial direction of the impeller 2, such that the plurality of
blades 23 of the impeller 2 can be closer to the inner surface 11a
of the bottom board 11, which is helpful in reducing the maximum
axial height 112 of the overall slim fan. Furthermore, damage to
the stator unit 3 resulting from collision with the plurality of
blades 23 can be effectively avoided.
[0042] Furthermore, in a non-restrictive example, the at least one
receiving space S can include a through-hole extending through the
bottom board 11 to increase the manufacturing convenience of the
bottom board 11. Furthermore, a portion of the air currents can
flow through the at least one receiving space S into the housing 1
during rotation of the impeller 2 and can directly flow toward the
at least one electronic element 33 of the stator unit 3.
[0043] Thus, the operating temperature of the at least one
electronic element 33 and the axial height of the fan can be
reduced. The coil unit 32 of the stator 3 can be formed on the
circuit board 31 by etching or electrocasting to further reduce the
maximum axial height h2 of the stator unit 3.
[0044] Furthermore, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, the at least
one receiving space S can be located within a maximum diametric
range of the stator unit 3, assuring that the bottom board 11 can
have a higher structural strength.
[0045] FIG. 6 shows a slim fan of a second embodiment according to
the present invention. The second embodiment according to the
present invention is substantially the same as the first embodiment
except for the at least one receiving space S.
[0046] Specifically, in this embodiment, the at least one receiving
space S is still in the form of a through-hole extending through
the bottom board 11. Nevertheless, the at least one receiving space
S includes a first chamber S1 and a second chamber S2 communicating
with the first chamber S1. The first chamber S1 is adjacent to the
inner face 11a of the bottom board 11, and the second chamber S2 is
adjacent to the outer face 11b of the bottom board 11. A diametric
range of the first chamber S1 in a diametric direction of the
impeller 2 is smaller than a diametric range of the second chamber
S2 in the diametric direction of the impeller 2. The at least one
electronic element 33 of the stator unit 3 extends into the first
chamber S1. The slim fan further includes a spacer 4 mounted in the
second chamber S2. The spacer 4 can be a label and preferably does
not protrude beyond the outer face 11b of the bottom board 11, such
that the slim fan provides an identifying effect without increasing
the maximum axial height H2 of the overall slim fan while avoiding
exposure of the at least one electronic element 33.
[0047] FIG. 7 shows a slim fan of a third embodiment according to
the present invention. The third embodiment according to the
present invention is substantially the same as the first embodiment
except that the at least one receiving space S of the third
embodiment is a blind hole in the bottom board 11, such that the
bottom board 11 has a better structural strength and is less likely
to deform.
[0048] FIG. 8 shows a slim fan of a fourth embodiment according to
the present invention. The fourth embodiment according to the
present invention is substantially the same as the first embodiment
except that the coil unit 32 of the stator unit 3 of the fourth
embodiment can be of a coreless winding type or a type having
silicon steel plates with windings. Since the coil unit 32 of these
types has a larger axial height, the circuit board 31 of the stator
unit 3 can include a plurality of grooves 311, and the coil unit 32
can extend into the plurality of grooves 311. Alternatively, a
portion of the electronic elements 33 can be received in the
plurality of grooves 311 to reduce the maximum axial height h2.
[0049] FIG. 9 shows a slim fan of a fifth embodiment according to
the present invention. This embodiment shows a slim fan according
to the present invention in the form of an axial flow type fan.
Specifically, the slim fan of this embodiment includes a housing 5,
an impeller 6 mounted in the housing 5, and a stator unit 7 mounted
in the housing 5.
[0050] The housing 5 includes a bottom board 51, a sidewall 52, and
a plurality of ribs 53. The bottom board 51 includes an inner face
51a and an outer face 51b opposite to the inner face 51a. The
bottom board 51 is mounted inside the sidewall 52. The plurality of
ribs 53 connects the bottom board 51 to the sidewall 52. The bottom
board 51 includes at least one receiving space S located between
the inner face 51a and the outer face 51b. Furthermore, the housing
5 includes a shaft coupling portion 54 mounted on the bottom board
51 and protruding from the inner face 51a of the bottom board
51.
[0051] The impeller 6 includes a shaft 61, a hub 62, a plurality of
blades 63, and a magnetic element 64. The shaft 61 is connected to
the hub 62 and is rotatably mounted to the shaft coupling portion
54 of the housing 5. The plurality of blades 63 is annularly
disposed on an outer periphery of the hub 62. The magnetic element
64 is mounted to an inner periphery of the hub 62.
[0052] The stator unit 7 includes a circuit board 71, a coil unit
72, and at least one electronic element 73 (such as a driving
element or a sensor element). The coil unit 72 and the at least one
electronic element 73 are mounted on the circuit board 71. The
circuit board 71 can be mounted around the shaft coupling portion
54. The coil unit 72 faces the magnetic element 64. The at least
one electronic element 73 extends into the at least one receiving
space S of the bottom board 51 but does not protrude beyond the
outer face 51b of the bottom board 51.
[0053] It is noted that, in this embodiment, the housing 5 further
includes a limiting portion 55 on the inner face 51a of the bottom
board 51, such that the circuit board 71 mounted around the shaft
coupling portion 54 can be restrained within the limiting portion
55. Nevertheless, the maximum axial height hl of the bottom board
51 does not include the thickness of the limiting portion 55.
[0054] By the arrangement of the above structure, after assembly of
the slim fan of this embodiment, the at least one electronic
element 73 of the stator unit 7 extends into the at least one
receiving space S of the bottom board 51 of the housing 5 but does
not protrude beyond the outer face 51b of the bottom board 51, such
that the assembled axial height H1 of the stator unit 7 and the
bottom board 51 can be smaller than the sum of the maximum axial
height hl of the bottom board 51 and the maximum axial height h2 of
the stator unit 7, thereby reducing the maximum axial height H2 of
the overall slim fan.
[0055] In view of the foregoing, the slim fan according to the
present invention is simplified in the structure of the housing 1,
5 to further reduce the axial height of the slim fan and to
increase the convenience of manufacturing the housing 1, 5 and
assembly of the slim fan.
[0056] Although the invention has been described in detail with
reference to its presently preferable embodiments, it will be
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various
modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the
scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
* * * * *