Patent Publication Number: US-2010129243-A1

Title: Blower, housing and wind wheel thereof

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119 and the Paris Convention Treaty, this application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 200820204500.7 filed on Nov. 27, 2008, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a blower, a housing and a wind wheel thereof. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A conventional blower comprises a housing, a wind wheel and a motor. A rotating shaft of the motor is connected to the wind wheel, the wind wheel and the motor are disposed in the housing, an air inlet is disposed at the bottom of the housing, and an air outlet is disposed on one side of the housing. As the motor rotates, air enters the housing via the air inlet, the rotating shaft drives the wind wheel to rotate and generate airflow in the housing, and then the airflow is discharged via the air outlet. 
     The housing and the wind wheel are normally made of aluminum-coated or galvanized steel plates. But the aluminum-coated or galvanized steel plates are expensive, and easy to be corroded under a high-temperature (60-100° C.) and high-humidity (100%) environment. 
     To solve the above-mentioned problems, plastics are used to replace the aluminum-coated or galvanized materials so that the blower is capable of operating under a high-temperature (60-100° C.) and high-humidity (100%) environment. However, the blower made of plastics needs mold opening, the number of molds is large and a development period of the molds is long, which increases development investment, production cost and manufacturing difficulty. Moreover, the blower has large volume and complex structure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above-described problem, it is one objective of the invention to provide a blower that is capable of operating under a high-temperature (60-100° C.) and high-humidity (100%) environment, and features simple structure, easy manufacturing and low production cost. 
     It is another objective of the invention to provide a housing for blower that is capable of operating under a high-temperature (60-100° C.) and high-humidity (100%) environment, and features simple structure, easy manufacturing and low production cost. 
     It is a further objective of the invention to provide a wind wheel for blower that is capable of operating under a high-temperature (60-100° C.) and high-humidity (100%) environment, and features simple structure, easy manufacturing and low production cost. 
     To achieve the above objectives, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, provided is blower, comprising a housing having a cavity, a wind wheel, a motor, an air inlet, and an air outlet. The housing and the wind wheel are made of steel plates, enamel materials are coated on surfaces of the steel plates, the wind wheel is disposed in the cavity of the housing, the air inlet is disposed at the bottom of the housing, and the air outlet is disposed on one side of the housing in a radial direction. 
     In a class of this embodiment, the wind wheel can also be made of resin. 
     In a class of this embodiment, the housing comprises a body and a bottom plate. 
     In a class of this embodiment, the cavity is disposed on the body. 
     In a class of this embodiment, the air inlet is disposed at the center of the bottom plate. 
     In a class of this embodiment, the air outlet is disposed on one side of the body and connected to the cavity. 
     In a class of this embodiment, a flange is extended from the cavity and connected to the edge of the bottom plate. 
     In a class of this embodiment, the motor is disposed at the top of the housing via a U-shaped supporter. 
     In a class of this embodiment, a pair of protruding portions are extended from both ends at the top of the U-shaped supporter. 
     In a class of this embodiment, a pair of lugs are disposed on a shell of the motor. 
     In a class of this embodiment, the lug is disposed on the protruding portion via a self-tapping screw. 
     In a class of this embodiment, a sheet is disposed on the protruding portion. 
     In a class of this embodiment, the motor has a rotating shaft, and a cooling fan is disposed on the rotating shaft and between the motor and the housing. 
     In a class of this embodiment, a capacitor is connected to the motor, and a sheet is disposed on the capacitor. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, provided is a housing for blower, the blower comprising an air inlet and an air outlet, and the housing comprising a cavity, a body, and a bottom plate. The housing is made of steel plates, enamel materials are coated on surfaces of the steel plates, the cavity is disposed on the body, the air inlet is disposed at the center of the bottom plate, and the air outlet is disposed on one side of the body and connected to the cavity. 
     In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, provided is a wind wheel for blower, the blower comprising a housing having a cavity, and the wind wheel comprising multiple blades. The wind wheel are made of steel plates, enamel materials are coated on surfaces of the steel plates, the wind wheel is disposed in the cavity of the housing, and the blades enable airflow to move in a direction. 
     Advantages of the invention comprise: 1) the housing can be made by a stamping process, and is capable of operating under a high-temperature (below 100° C.) and high-humidity (100%) environment; 2) the blower is made of general steel plates, and production cost is reduced by 40% in comparison with conventional aluminum-coated or galvanized steel plates; 3) the blower features simple structure, short development period, low development investment and easy manufacturing; 4) the wind wheel is made of steel plates or BMC resin, and is capable of operating under a high-temperature (below 100° C.) and high-humidity (100%) environment; 5) the body and the bottom plate of the housing facilitates simple structure and easy production; 6) the motor is disposed at the top of the housing via the U-shaped supporter, which simplifies structure of the blower; 7) arrangement of the protruding portion and the lug facilitates simple structure, easy installation and reduced volume; 8) arrangement of the sheet, the capacitor and the protruding portion facilitates simple structure and easy installation. 
     Advantages of the housing and the wind wheel of the invention comprise: 1) the housing and the wind wheel can be made by a stamping process, and are capable of operating under a high-temperature (below 100° C.) and high-humidity (100%) environment; 2) the housing and the wind wheel are made of general steel plates, and production cost is reduced by 40% in comparison with conventional aluminum-coated or galvanized steel plates; 3) the housing and the wind wheel feature simple structure, short development period, low development investment and easy manufacturing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is described hereinafter with reference to accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of blower disposed in one angle of an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of blower disposed in another angle of an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of blower of an exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of blower of an exemplary embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a steel plate coated with enamel materials of an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , blower of the invention comprises a housing  1 , a wind wheel  2 , a motor  3 , an air inlet  11 , and an air outlet  12 . 
     The housing  1  comprises a cavity  9 , a body  14  and a bottom plate  15 . 
     The housing  1  and the wind wheel  2  are made of steel plates, and enamel materials are coated on surfaces of the steel plates. In another embodiment, the wind wheel  2  is made of BMC resin. 
     The wind wheel  2  is disposed in the cavity  9  of the housing  1 . 
     A hole is disposed at the top of the housing  1 . 
     The motor  3  is disposed at the top of the housing  1  via a U-shaped supporter  5  and has a rotating shaft  4 , and the rotating shaft  4  passes through the hole and is connected to the wind wheel  2  in the housing  1 . 
     A bottom portion of the U-shaped supporter  5  is connected to the housing  1  via a rivet  13 . 
     A flange  18  is extended from the cavity  9  and connected to the edge of the bottom plate  15 . 
     A cooling fan  10  is disposed on the rotating shaft  4  and between the motor  3  and the housing  1 , whereby improving heat dissipation effect of the motor  3 . 
     A pair of protruding portions  6  are extended from both ends at the top of the U-shaped supporter  5 . 
     A pair of lugs  7  are disposed on a shell of the motor  3 , and on the protruding portion  6  via a self-tapping screw  8 . 
     The air inlet  11  is disposed at the bottom of the housing  1  and the center of the bottom plate  15 . 
     The air outlet  12  is disposed on one side of the housing  1  in a radial direction and connected to the cavity  9 . 
     A capacitor  17  is connected to the motor  3 , and a sheet  16  is disposed on the capacitor  17 . In another embodiment, the sheet  16  is disposed on the protruding portion  6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the steel plate comprises a steel layer  19  and an enamel layer  20  disposed outside the steel layer  19 . 
     Since the housing  1  and the wind wheel  2  made of the steel plate are simple in shape and structure, they can be made by a stamping process and are capable of operating under a high-temperature (below 100° C.) and high-humidity environment. Moreover, use of steel plates reduces production cost by 40% in comparison with conventional aluminum-coated or galvanized steel plates. In addition, the blower of the invention features simple structure, short development period, low development investment and easy manufacturing. 
     While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.