Patent Publication Number: US-11028858-B2

Title: Integrated downstream funnel

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a cooling fan module, in particular one for use with a heat exchanger, such as a radiator, for an automotive vehicle. However, the present disclosure can also be used in other applications such as cooling fan for a home heating and cooling system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Vehicles often include various components that are cooled by a heat exchanger, such as a radiator. Heated air may be drawn or moved away from the radiator by a cooling fan module. Cooling fan modules may include a powered fan that is housed within a frame and operable to move air from an upstream side of the frame to a downstream side of the frame. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one embodiment, a cooling fan module is provided. The cooling fan module may include a fan assembly including blades extending from a hub and terminating at a fan ring. The fan ring may include a first leg that may extend in an axial direction, a second leg, that may extend substantially orthogonally to the first leg, and a curved portion that may extend between the first leg and the second leg. The cooling fan module may include a shroud that may have an upstream side and a downstream side. The fan assembly may be arranged to move air from the upstream side to the downstream side. The shroud may include a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a third sidewall, a first ring, a second ring, and a third ring. The first sidewall may define an opening and the fan assembly may be disposed within the opening. The first ring, the second ring, and the third ring may each extend in an axial direction away from the upstream side. The first ring may extend from the first sidewall and the second ring may be concentrically arranged with respect to the first ring. The third ring may be arranged concentrically with respect to the second ring. The second sidewall may extend between the first ring and the second ring. The third sidewall may extend between the second ring and the third ring. The fan assembly may be arranged with respect to the shroud such that the first leg is concentrically arranged with respect to the second ring and the second leg is spaced apart from the second sidewall in the axial direction. 
     The second sidewall may extend in a first direction and the first direction may be transverse to the axial direction. 
     The first direction may be substantially orthogonal to the axial direction. 
     The cooling fan module may include a strut support member and a strut. The strut support member may extend axially from the first sidewall. The strut may extend radially from the strut support member into the opening. The strut support member may form a partial fourth ring. The partial fourth ring may extend from the third ring. 
     The second sidewall may bifurcate the first ring. 
     According to another embodiment, a cooling fan module is provided. The cooling fan module may include a fan assembly including blades extending from a hub and terminating at a fan ring. The fan ring may include a first leg that may extend in an axial direction, a second leg, that may extend substantially orthogonally to the first leg, and a curved portion that may extend between the first leg and the second leg. The shroud may include a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a third sidewall, a first ring, a second ring, and a third ring. The first sidewall may define an opening and the fan assembly may be disposed within the opening. The first ring may extend axially from the first sidewall and the second ring may extend in the axial direction and may be arranged concentrically with respect to the first ring. The third ring may extend in the axial direction and may be arranged concentrically with respect to the second ring. The second leg of the fan may be spaced apart from the second sidewall by a first axial distance. A distal end of the first leg may be spaced apart from the third sidewall by a second axial distance. The first axial distance may be equal to the second axial distance. 
     The first leg of the fan ring may be spaced apart from the second ring by a first radial-gap distance. The second leg of the fan ring may include a distal end and the distal end may be spaced apart from the first ring by a second radial-gap distance. The first radial-gap distance may be equal to the second radial distance. 
     The second ring may be spaced apart from the first ring by a first height. The third ring may be spaced apart from the second ring by a second height. The second height may be less than the first height. 
     The first axial ring may have a first axial length and the second ring may have a second axial length. The second axial length may be greater than the first axial length. 
     The third ring may have a third axial length that may be less than the second axial length of the second ring. 
     The third axial length may be less than or equal to one third of the second axial length of the second ring. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary cooling fan module. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a partial-perspective-cross-sectional view of a portion of the cooling fan module illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  each illustrate a detail-perspective-cross-sectional view of a portion of the cooling fan module illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic diagram of the cooling fan module and a heat exchanger. 
         FIG. 6  is a chart illustrating acoustic performance of a cooling fan module with and without the third ring and the third sidewall. 
         FIG. 7  is a chart illustrating efficiency of a cooling fan module with and without the third ring and the third sidewall. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations. 
     In the following discussion of the figures, a polar coordinate system is utilized. An axial direction extends along an axis of rotation the fan assembly. A radial direction extends orthogonal to the axial direction from the axis of rotation towards a periphery of the frame of the cooling fan module. 
     The term orthogonal means one or more surfaces or lines intersect at a right angle or are arranged at a right angle. The term planar means a surface is flat and lies along a plane. 
     This invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and methods described below, as specific components and/or conditions may, of course, vary. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is used only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting in any way. 
     As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular form “a,” “an,” and “the” comprise plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, reference to a component in the singular is intended to comprise a plurality of components. 
     The term “substantially” or “about” may be used herein to describe disclosed or claimed embodiments. The term “substantially” or “about” may modify a value or relative characteristic disclosed or claimed in the present disclosure. In such instances, “substantially” or “about” may signify that the value or relative characteristic it modifies is within ±0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% or 10% of the value or relative characteristic. 
     Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments. 
     Referring generally to the figures, a cooling fan module  100  is provided. The cooling fan module  100  may be configured to move or displace air from a heat exchanger  10  towards a downstream impediment  12 . As one example, the heat exchanger  10  may be a radiator or a condenser that may use liquid such as coolant that cools incoming air. The heat source may be an internal combustion engine or an electric motor or other heat generating source. The side of the cooling fan module disposed closest to the radiator may be referred to as the upstream side and the side disposed further away from the radiator may be referred to as the downstream side. In one or more embodiments, the downstream impediment  12  may be an internal combustion engine, an electric machine or motor, one or more batteries, or another vehicle component. 
     Pressure downstream from the fan may be higher than pressure on the upstream side of the fan. This pressure difference may drive recirculating airflow from the downstream side back to the upstream side through a space between the fan and the opening defined by the frame. This recirculating airflow may be drawn across the fan blades. As a result, tangential airflow velocity may vary, thus decreasing efficiency and leading to unwanted noise. 
     The cooling fan module  100  may be provided with a fan assembly  102  that may include a number of fan blades  104  that may extend from a hub  106  and terminate at a fan ring  108 . As one example, the fan assembly  102  may be driven by an electric motor  103  to rotate the fan assembly  102  about a rotational axis RA, that may be defined by the hub  106 , and be configured to move air from the upstream side to the downstream side. The fan ring  108  may include a first leg  110  and a second leg  112  that may extend in a direction that is orthogonal to the first leg  110 . The first leg  110  and the second leg  112  may be connected to one another by a curved portion  114 . 
     The cooling fan module  100  may include a shroud  116  that may include a first sidewall  118  that may define an opening  120  and the fan assembly  102  may be disposed within the opening  120 . The shroud  116  may also be provided with a number of rings. For example, the shroud may include a first ring  122  that may extend axially from the first sidewall  118  towards the downstream side of the shroud. A second sidewall  124  may extend from the first ring  122  to a second ring  126  that may be arranged concentrically with the first ring  122 . In one or more embodiments, the second sidewall  124  may bifurcate the first ring  122 . A downstream funnel may be provided and include a third sidewall  128  that may extend between the second ring  126  and a third ring  130  that may be arranged concentrically with the first ring  122 , or the second ring  126 , or both. 
     The fan assembly  102  may be arranged with respect to the shroud  116  such that the first leg  110  is concentric to the second ring  126  and the second leg  112  may be axially spaced apart from the first sidewall  118 . In other words, the second leg  112  may be at least partially aligned in the axial direction with at least portions of the second sidewall  124  and the first leg may be at least partially aligned in the radial direction with the second ring  126 . As one example, the second sidewall  124  may extend in a first direction that may be transverse to the axial direction. The first direction may be substantially orthogonal, forming an approximately ninety-degree angle with the rotational axis RA. 
     The shroud  116  may include a number of strut support members  132  and a number of struts  134 . In one or more embodiments, one or more of the strut support members  132  may extend from the first sidewall  118  in the axial direction and one or more of the struts  134  may extend radially from the strut support member  132  into the opening  120 . The struts  134  may be configured to support a motor mounting ring  133 . One or more of the strut support members  132  may form a partial fourth ring  136  or portions of a fourth ring  136  that may extend from the third ring  130 . The third ring  130  may extend to a distal end of the fourth ring  136  and/or to the strut  134 . The third ring  130  may be spaced apart from the first sidewall  118  by a first distance and the partial fourth ring  136  may be spaced further apart from the first sidewall  118  by a second distance that is greater than the first distance. 
       FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  illustrates partial-perspective-cross-sectional views of a portion of the cooling fan module illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The fan ring  108  may be arranged with respect to the shroud  116  to prevent recirculation of air from the downstream side of the fan shroud  116  to the upstream side. In one or more embodiments, the second leg  112  of the fan ring  108  may be spaced part from the second sidewall  124  by a first axial distance A 1 . A distal end  138  of the first leg  110  may be spaced apart from the third sidewall by a second axial distance A 2 . The first axial distance A 1  and the second axial distance A 2  may be configured such that the fan ring  108  provides an air flow passage from the downstream side to the upstream side. The first leg  110  of the fan ring  108  may be spaced apart from the second ring  126  by a first radial-gap distance Gr 1  and a distal end  140  of the second leg  112  of the fan ring  108  may be spaced apart from the first ring  122  by a second radial-gap distance Gr 2 . As one example, the first radial-gap distance Gr 1  and the second radial-gap distance Gr 2  may be substantially equal to each other. 
     The second ring  126  may be spaced apart from the first ring  122  by a first height H 1  and the third ring  130  may be spaced apart from the second ring  126  by a second height H 2 . The second height H 2  may be less than the first height H 1 . The first ring  122  may have a first axial length L 1  and the second ring  126  may have a second axial length L 2 . In one or more embodiments, the first axial length L 1  may be greater than the second axial length L 2 . As one example, the first axial length L 1  may be less than or equal to half of the second axial length L 2 . Additionally, the third ring  130  may have a third axial length L 3  that may be less than the second axial length L 2 . The third axial length L 3  may be less than or equal to half of the first axial length L 1  of the first ring  122 . 
     The first leg  110  may include an inner portion  142  and an outer portion  144 , the inner portion  142  may be disposed closer to the rotational axis RA than the outer portion  144 . The third ring  130  may include an inner portion  146  and an outer portion  148 , the inner portion  146  may be disposed closer to the rotational axis RA than the outer portion  148 . The outer portion  144  of the first leg  110  may be radially offset from the inner portion  146  of the third ring  130  by an offset distance D 3 . As one example, the outer portion  144  of the first leg  110  may be spaced apart from the rotational axis RA by a first distance that is represented in  FIG. 3  by the truncated lead line D 1 . The inner portion  146  of the third ring  130  may be spaced apart from the rotational axis by a second distance that is represented in  FIG. 3  by a truncated lead line D 2 . The second distance D 2  may be greater than the first distance D 1 . The first leg  110  may have a first thickness T 1  and the offset distance D 3  may be less than or equal to the first thickness T 1 . The offset distance D 3  may be configured such that air flow is provided from the downstream side to the upstream side and so that recirculation of air flow from the downstream side to the upstream side is mitigated. 
     The first leg  110  and the second leg  112  of the fan ring  108  may be connected to each other by a curved portion  114  that may have a first radius R 1 . The second sidewall  124  may be connected to the second ring  126  by a second curved portion  152  that may have a second radius R 2 . The first radius may be at least two times greater than the second radius R 2 . The third sidewall  128  and the third ring  130  may be connected to one another by a third curved portion  154  that may have a third radius R 3 . The third radius R 3  may be less than the second radius R 2 . The distal end  138  of the first leg  110  may have a fourth radius R 4  that may be greater than the third radius. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic diagram of the cooling fan module  100  and the heat exchanger  10 . In one or more embodiments, the distance between various portions of the cooling fan module  100  and the heat exchanger  10  may alter the acoustic performance and overall efficiency of the cooling fan module  100 . As one example, the heat exchanger  10  may be spaced apart from the second leg  112  of the fan ring by an axial distance A 3 . The first leg  110  of the fan ring may be spaced apart from a leading edge of the strut  134  by an axial distance A 4  and a trailing edge of the third ring  130  may be spaced apart from the leading edge of the strut  134  by an axial distance A 5 . As one example, the axial distance A 3  may be greater than the axial distances A 4  and A 5 . As another example, the axial distance A 4  may be at least two times greater than the axial distance A 5 . 
     As one example, the configuration of the cooling fan module described above may result in improved acoustic characteristics and increased efficiency while maintaining a sufficient air power. For example,  FIG. 6  illustrates a chart of the acoustic performance of a cooling fan module with and without the third sidewall  128  and third ring  130 . The cooling fan module provided with the third sidewall  128  and third ring  130  provides a reduction in overall noise (represented by the Y-axis) of approximately two L/dB(A) between the 1,200 revolutions per minute and 2,400 revolutions per minute (represented by the X-axis). As another example,  FIG. 7  illustrates a chart of operating efficiency of the cooling fan module with and without the third sidewall  128  and third ring  130 . The cooling fan module provided with the third sidewall  128  and third ring  130  provides approximately a two-percent increase in operating efficiency (represented by the Y-axis) at a predetermined flow rate m 3  per seconds. 
     While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. These attributes can include, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, to the extent any embodiments are described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics, these embodiments are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications. 
     PARTS LIST 
     
         
         
           
               10  heat exchanger 
               12  heat source 
               100  cooling fan module 
               102  fan assembly 
               103  electric motor 
               104  fan blades 
               106  hub 
               108  fan ring 
               110  first leg 
               112  second leg 
               114  curved portion 
               116  shroud 
               116  fan shroud 
               118  first sidewall 
               120  opening 
               122  first ring 
               124  second sidewall 
               126  second ring 
               128  third sidewall 
               130  third ring 
               132  strut support members 
               133  motor mount ring 
               134  struts 
               136  fourth ring 
               138  distal end 
               140  distal end 
               142  inner portion 
               144  outer portion 
               146  inner portion 
               148  outer portion 
               152  second curved portion 
               154  third curved portion 
           
         
       
    
     The following is a list of reference numbers shown in the Figures. However, it should be understood that the use of these terms is for illustrative purposes only with respect to one embodiment. And, use of reference numbers correlating a certain term that is both illustrated in the Figures and present in the claims is not intended to limit the claims to only cover the illustrated embodiment.