Ceiling fan

A ceiling fan includes a suspending unit and a ceiling fan body. The ceiling fan body includes a shaft; a motor; a plurality of blades; an upper body cover having a first opening, at a central part, for passing the shaft therethrough, and a second opening outside the first opening; and a lower body cover. The upper body cover rotates with the blades and has a first wall standing vertically between the first opening and the second opening.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a national phase application of international application PCT/JP2011/006975 filed on Dec. 14, 2011, which claims the benefit of foreign priority to Japanese patent application 2011-001741 filed on Jan. 7, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a ceiling fan.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventional ceiling fans include a suspending unit and a ceiling fan body. The ceiling fan body includes a shaft, a motor, a plurality of blades, an upper body cover, and a lower body cover. The upper body cover has at its central part a first opening for passing a shaft therethrough, and second openings outside the first opening. The suspending unit is fixed to the ceiling. The ceiling fan body is suspended at the shaft by the suspending unit. The motor is fixed to the bottom of the shaft. The blades are attached to the motor. The upper body cover is disposed over the motor. The lower body cover is disposed under the motor. One such ceiling fan is disclosed in a Patent Literature shown below.

A task of the conventional ceiling fan is to improve safety, which is performed in the following way. A conventional ceiling fan has openings (a first opening and second openings) in the upper body cover in order to reduce a temperature increase in the motor. When the motor is heated, the heat causes an upward current, which is discharged through the openings of the upper body cover, thereby reducing the temperature increase in the motor.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the case that water is spilled in an upstairs room in an apartment or other multi-family building, this may cause a short circuit or current leakage in the ceiling fan in the downstairs room. Specifically, the water spilled in the upstairs room may run down along the suspending unit of the ceiling fan in the downstairs room, and enter the motor through the openings of the upper body cover.

The ceiling fan of the present invention includes a suspending unit fixed to a ceiling; and a ceiling fan body suspended by the suspending unit. The ceiling fan body includes a shaft configured to be suspended by the suspending unit; a motor fixed at the bottom of the shaft; a plurality of blades attached to the motor; an upper body cover disposed on the upper surface of the motor; and a lower body cover covering the motor. The upper body cover has a first opening, at a central part, for passing the shaft therethrough; and a second opening outside the first opening. The upper body cover rotates with the blades and has a first wall standing vertically between the first opening and the second opening.

With this configuration, even if water droplets from the ceiling fall in between the first opening and the first wall, the water droplets are forced outward along the upper surface of the upper body cover by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the upper body cover, and then collide with the first wall. Then, the water droplets are propelled up the first wall and splash outside the upper body cover. This reduces the amount of water that enters the motor through the second openings so as to prevent a short circuit, thereby improving safety.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 1is a schematic diagram of a ceiling fan according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 1, the ceiling fan of the present embodiment includes ceiling fan body3and cylindrical unit24covering the top portion of ceiling fan body3.

FIG. 2shows the inside of the ceiling fan of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 2, the ceiling fan includes suspending unit2fixed to ceiling1, and ceiling fan body3suspended by suspending unit2. Ceiling fan body3includes shaft4, motor7, blades10, upper body cover11, and lower body cover16. Shaft4is disposed at the top portion of ceiling fan body3in such a manner as to be suspended by suspending unit2. Shaft4includes joint5directly hung on suspending unit2, and cylindrical shaft portion6provided under joint5.

Motor7is fixed at the bottom of shaft portion6. Motor7includes disk-shaped stator8fixed to the bottom of shaft portion6, and ring-shaped rotor9, which rotates around stator8. Blades10extend from around the periphery of rotor9in outward horizontal direction30.

FIG. 3is an obliquely upward view of the ceiling fan according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention from which an outer cover has been partially removed. As shown inFIG. 3, bowl-shaped upper body cover11having an open bottom is disposed on the upper surface of rotor9. Upper body cover11has, at central part11a, circular first opening12for passing shaft portion6therethrough. Upper body cover11further has a plurality of second openings13outside first opening12. Second openings13are long holes extending outward.

As shown inFIG. 2, ceiling fan body3further includes circuit board holding cover14at the bottom of stator8, and circuit board15under stator8. Circuit board holding cover14is bowl-shaped with an open bottom and is fixed to the bottom surface of stator8. Circuit board15is fixed inside circuit board holding cover14. Lower body cover16is bowl-shaped with an open top and is fixed to cover circuit board holding cover14and circuit board15from below. The periphery of lower body cover16is located outside the periphery of upper body cover11. When the ceiling fan having the above structure is switched on, rotor9of motor7rotates, making blades10and upper body cover11rotate.

As shown inFIG. 3, the ceiling fan of the present exemplary embodiment is characterized in that upper body cover11rotates with blades10, and that upper body cover11includes cylindrical first wall17standing vertically between first opening12and second openings13.

Even if water droplets fall from ceiling1between first opening12and first wall17, the water droplets are forced outward along the upper surface of upper body cover11by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of upper body cover11. Then, the water drops move upward along first wall17by the centrifugal force. As shown inFIG. 2, first wall17is a cylindrical plate protruding vertically from upper body cover and has a top edge, and the water droplets splash outside upper body cover11from the top edge by the centrifugal force.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, upper body cover11has first inclined surface18between first opening12and first wall17, first inclined surface18inclining downward in an outward direction. More specifically, upper body cover11has ring-shaped first inclined surface18inclined downward toward first wall17from around the periphery of first opening12.

Hence, when water droplets fall on first inclined surface18from ceiling1, first inclined surface18facilitates them to be discharged to the outside by the rotation of upper body cover11. Thus, the water droplets splash outside upper body cover11so as to reduce the amount of water that enters motor7through second openings13, thereby improving safety.

As shown inFIG. 3, first wall17adjoins second openings13. The short distance between first wall17and second openings13allows the water droplets that have been propelled up first wall17by the centrifugal force to easily be propelled over second openings13and to splash outside upper body cover11.

As shown inFIG. 3, upper body cover11further has second inclined surface19outside first wall17, second inclined surface19inclining downward in the outward direction from first wall17. Second openings13are formed in second inclined surface19. More specifically, second openings13are formed in the direction in which second inclined surface19is inclined downward.

Hence, when water droplets fall between second openings13on second inclined surface19from ceiling1, second inclined surface19facilitates them to be discharged to the outside by the rotation of upper body cover11. Thus, water droplets splash outside upper body cover11so as to reduce the amount of water that enters motor7through second openings13.

As shown inFIG. 3, upper body cover11further includes cylindrical second wall20standing around shaft4along the periphery of first opening12. Hence, even if water droplets fall near the outside of second wall20from ceiling1and then splash toward first opening12, second wall20reduces the amount of water that enters motor7through first opening12.

As shown inFIG. 3, first wall17has a plurality of grooves21. Each groove21includes guide units22formed on second inclined surface19. More specifically, first wall17includes grooves21which communicating between first inclined surface18and the outside of second openings13by way of guide units22. Grooves21are where first wall17is not formed. Guide units22are flat plates standing vertically and located between second openings13. Guide units22decrease in height in the outward direction.

Hence, the water droplets that have fallen between first opening12and first wall17from ceiling1but have not been propelled up first wall17are forced into grooves21along first wall17by the centrifugal force. Then, the water droplets splash from grooves21to the outside of second openings13along guide units22. This reduces the amount of water that enters motor7through second openings13.

As shown inFIG. 3, the ceiling fan of the present invention further includes outer cover23, which covers suspending unit2, shaft4, and upper body cover11. Outer cover23includes cylindrical unit24and flange25. Cylindrical unit24is fixed around the periphery of suspending unit2. Flange25extends outward and obliquely downward from the bottom end of cylindrical unit24. Cylindrical unit24is disposed outside second openings13. In other words, outer cover23covers the periphery of suspending unit2and upper body cover11.

As described above, the ceiling fan of the present invention includes outer cover23, which prevents the water droplets fallen on the outer peripheral surface of outer cover23from ceiling1from entering motor7. Cylindrical unit24does not rotate and is disposed outside second openings13. Hence, the water droplets that have fallen between first opening12and first wall17from ceiling1and then splashed outside upper body cover11adhere to the inner circumference surface of outer cover23. Then, the water droplets run along the inner circumference surface of outer cover23and the bottom surface of flange25, and finally run down to the outside of second openings13. This reduces the amount of water that enters motor7through second openings13.

Therefore, the present disclosure concerns a ceiling fan body3for a ceiling fan, the ceiling fan body includes an upper body cover11and a lower body cover16. The upper body cover11includes a central hole12configured to receive a shaft portion6which is mechanically engaged with a motor7including a stator8and a rotor9rotating around the stator, the upper body11disposed on an upper surface of the rotor9. The upper body cover11includes a plurality of slits13disposed radially in an outer periphery of the central hole for radiating heat. The upper body cover11includes a wall portion17disposed radially between the plurality of slits13and the central hole12, the wall portion17configured to substantially prevent fluid from entering the plurality of slits while the rotor9rotates around the stator. The upper body cover11further includes a second wall portion20disposed radially along a periphery of the central hole12. The wall portion17further includes a plurality of guide units arranged to guide the fluid from the wall portion17out of the ceiling fan body.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the ceiling fan of the present invention is expected to be suitable for household and office use

REFERENCE MARKS IN THE DRAWINGS