Patent Publication Number: US-10781824-B2

Title: Fan and motor

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of China Patent Application No. 201810296763.3, filed Apr. 3, 2018, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The application relates in general to a fan and a motor, and in particular, to a fan and a motor for preventing reverse rotation. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     If the temperature is not properly controlled when using an electronic device or a server, it may cause instability and other adverse effects on product reliability. Accordingly, the present electronic devices usually comprise fans as heat dissipation devices. 
     However, an electronic device or server of the type mentioned above usually has a plurality of fans. When one of the fans fails, the air introduced by other fans may cause the failed fan to rotate in reverse. Consequently, the introduced air may directly flow out from the electronic device or server through the failed fan, and the efficiency of heat dissipation is reduced. Thus, how to address the aforementioned problem has become an important issue. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     To address the deficiencies of conventional products, an embodiment of the invention provides a fan, including a shaft seat disposed on a frame, a rotor, a plurality of blades, and a stopping assembly. The rotor is disposed on the shaft seat and includes a hub and a rotation shaft. The hub has a first locking mechanism adjacent to its peripheral surface, the blades are connected to the hub, and the rotor is connected to the shaft seat via the rotation shaft. The stopping assembly corresponds to the rotor, and includes a second locking mechanism facing the first locking mechanism. When the rotor smoothly rotates, the first locking mechanism is separated from the second locking mechanism. When the rotor rotates in reverse, the stopping assembly moves along a first direction, and the first and second locking mechanisms contact each other. When the first locking mechanism is affixed to the second locking mechanism, the rotor stops rotating. 
     In some embodiments, the fan further comprises a rebounding assembly disposed between the hub and the stopping assembly. The rebounding assembly provides a pushing force to the stopping assembly along a second direction, wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction. The rebounding assembly may comprise a first magnetic member and a second magnetic member corresponding to the first magnetic member, respectively disposed on the frame and the stopping assembly. The rebounding assembly can also comprise an elastic member, connected to the stopping assembly and the frame. 
     In some embodiments, the first locking mechanism comprises a plurality of toothed structures. Each of the toothed structures has a first contact surface and a second contact surface. The length or the appearance of the first contact surface is different from that of the second contact surface. 
     In some embodiments, the frame further comprises a base plate, and the stopping assembly comprises a bottom, a plurality of connecting members, and a locking portion. The connecting members pass through the base plate and connect the bottom and the locking portion, and the base plate is disposed between the bottom and the locking portion. A plurality of openings are formed on the base plate. The bottom has at least one extending structure, which is not parallel to the center surface of the bottom. The connecting members are inclined relative to the bottom and accommodated in the openings, and can move along a third direction in the openings, wherein the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction. 
     In some embodiments, the base plate, the connecting members, and the locking portion are integrally formed as one piece. 
     An embodiment of the invention further provides a motor, including a shaft seat disposed on a frame, a rotor, and a stopping assembly. The rotor is disposed on the shaft seat and includes a hub and a rotation shaft. The hub has a first locking mechanism adjacent to its peripheral surface, and the rotor is connected to the shaft seat via the rotation shaft. The stopping assembly corresponds to the rotor, and includes a second locking mechanism facing the first locking mechanism. When the rotor smoothly rotates, the first locking mechanism is separated from the second locking mechanism. When an external force is applied on the stopping assembly, the stopping assembly moves along a first direction, and the first and second locking mechanisms contact each other. When the first locking mechanism is affixed to the second locking mechanism, the rotor stops rotating. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a fan according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2A  is an exploded-view diagram of the fan according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2B  is another exploded-view diagram of the fan according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram representing a first locking mechanism affixing to a second locking mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram representing the first locking mechanism separated from the second locking mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
     The making and using of the embodiments of the fan and motor are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments provide many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the embodiments, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It should be appreciated that each term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning conforming to the relative skills and the background or the context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless defined otherwise. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a fan F according to an embodiment of the invention, and  FIGS. 2A and 2B  are exploded-view diagrams of the aforementioned fan F. Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B , the fan F primarily comprises a frame  100 , a motor, and a plurality of blades  220 , wherein the motor comprises a rotor  200 , a stopping assembly  300 , and a rebounding assembly  400 . When the fan F operates, the rotor  200  of the fan F can rotate around a rotation axis S, and the air can flow from the air-intake side  10  of the fan F to the exhaust side  20  of the fan F. Generally, the fan F can be disposed in a server or an electronic device (such as a personal computer), so as to introduce the external air into the server or the electronic device, or exhaust therefrom. Therefore, the purpose of heat dissipation can be achieved. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the frame  100  comprises a base plate  110  and a side wall  120 . The side wall  120  is connected to the base plate  110  and surrounds an accommodating space R. In particular, the base plate  110  has a plurality of ribs  111 , and can be connected to the side wall  120  through the ribs  111 . A plurality of openings  112  can be formed between the ribs  111 . The rotor  200  can introduce or exhaust the external air through the openings  112 . Furthermore, a shaft seat  130  is disposed on the base plate  110  of the frame  100 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , in this embodiment, the rotor  200  may comprise a hub  210 , a rotation shaft  230 , and a driving module  240 . The hub  210  is hollow, and the rotation shaft  230  and the driving module  240  can be accommodated in the hub  210 . The blades  220  are connected to the peripheral surface  211  of the hub  210  at equal intervals. 
     In this embodiment, a first locking mechanism  212  is formed on the bottom of hub  210  adjacent to the peripheral surface  211 , wherein the first locking mechanism  212  comprises a plurality of toothed structures T 1 . Each of the toothed structures T 1  has a first contact surface  212   a  and a second contact surface  212   b , and the second contact surface  212   b  is connected to the first contact surface  212   a  of the adjacent toothed structure T 1 . It should be noted that, the length or the appearance of the first contact surface  212   a  is different from that of the second contact surface  212   b . For example, in this embodiment, the length of the first contact surface  212   a  is greater than that of the second contact surface  212   b , and the second contact surface  212   b  is substantially parallel to the rotation axis S. Each of the toothed structures T 1  is substantially formed as a right triangle. 
     The rotation shaft  230  can connect the hub  210  of the rotor  200  to the shaft seat  130 , and the driving module  240  can drive the hub  210  and the blades  220  to rotate around the rotation axis S relative to the frame  100 . For example, the driving module may comprise at least one driving coil  241 , at least one magnetic member  242 , and at least one circuit board  243 . The driving coil  241  and the magnetic member  242  are respectively disposed on the shaft seat  230  and the hub  210 , and the circuit board  243  is disposed on the base plate  110  and electrically connected to the driving coil  241 . When a current flows through the driving coil  241  via the circuit board  243 , an electromagnetic force is generated between the driving coil  241  and the magnetic member  242 . Therefore, the hub  210  and the blades  220  can rotate around the rotation axis S relative to the frame  100 . Since the rotation shaft  230  is inserted into the shaft seat  130 , the hub  210  and the blades  220  will not deviate from the rotation axis S during rotation. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 3 , the stopping assembly  300  comprises a bottom  310 , a plurality of connecting members  320 , and a locking portion  330 . The bottom  310  has a first surface  311  and a second surface  312 , wherein the first surface  311  is opposite to the second surface  312  and faces the hub  210 . Moreover, in this embodiment, the bottom  310  further comprises at least one extending structure  313 , which is not parallel to the center surface of the bottom  310 . 
     The base plate  110  is disposed between the bottom  310  and the locking portion  330 , and the connecting members  320  pass through the openings  112  on the base plate  110  to connect the bottom  310  to the locking portion  330 . In this embodiment, the connecting members  320  are disposed to correspond the rotation direction of the hub  210 , therefore, the connecting members  320  are inclined relative to the bottom  310  of the stopping assembly  300 . The ribs  111  on the base plate  110  correspond to the connecting members  320  of the stopping assembly  300 , so they are also inclined. Furthermore, the width of each of the openings  112  is greater than that of each of the connecting members  320 . Thus, the connecting members  320  can move along X-axis or Y-axis in the openings  112 . 
     A second locking mechanism  361  corresponding to the first locking mechanism  212  is formed on the locking portion  330 , and comprises a plurality of fasten recesses T 2 . Each of the fasten recesses T 2  has a third contact surface  361   a  and a fourth contact surface  361   b , and the fourth contact surface  361   b  is connected to the third contact surface  361   a  of the adjacent fasten recess T 2 . The third contact surface  361   a  and the fourth contact surface  361   b  respectively correspond to the first contact surface  212   a  and the second contact surface  212   b . In this embodiment, the length of the third contact surface  361   a  is substantially the same as that of the first contact surface  212   a . The fourth contact surface  361   b  is parallel to the rotation axis S, and its length is substantially the same as the length of the second contact surface  212   b . The included angle between the third contact surface  361   a  and the fourth contact surface  361   b  is substantially the same as that between the first contact surface  212   a  and the second contact surface  212   b.    
     In this embodiment, the bottom  310 , the connecting members  320 , and the locking portion  330  are formed in an assembled manner, so as to facilitate the assembly. In some embodiment, the bottom  310 , the connecting members  320 , and the locking portion  330  can be integrally formed as one piece. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 3 , the rebounding assembly  400  is disposed between the hub  210  and the stopping assembly  300 , and provides a pushing force away from the hub  210  on the first surface  311  of the bottom  310 . In this embodiment, the rebounding assembly  400  comprises a first magnetic member  410  and a second magnetic member  420 , respectively affixed to the base plate  110  and the first surface  311  of the bottom  310 . The surfaces of the first and second magnetic members  410  and  420  facing each other include the same magnetic pole. Therefore, the aforementioned pushing force can be provided by the magnetic repulsion force between the first magnetic member  410  and the second magnetic member  420 . 
     In some embodiments, the rebounding assembly  400  may comprise an elastic member (not shown) connected to the base plate  110  and the first surface  311 , such as a compression spring. The aforementioned pushing force can be provided by the elastic force of the elastic member. 
     The operation method of the fan F is discussed below. Referring to  FIG. 3 , when the driving module  240  operates normally and the rotor  200  smoothly rotates, the air flows from the air-intake side  10  of the fan F to the exhaust side  20  of the fan F. At this time, the hub  210  is separated from the stopping assembly  300 , and the stopping assembly  300  is affixed to a first position relative to the hub  210  due to the pushing force of the rebounding assembly  400 . The stopping assembly  300  does not move close to the hub  210  when shaking or colliding. 
     When the fan F fails and cannot operate normally (for example, due to the failure of the driving module  240 , or interference between a foreign object and the blades  220 ), the fan F cannot introduce air to flow from the air-intake side  10  to the exhaust side  20 . Moreover, air may flow from the exhaust side  20  to the air-intake side  10  when this fan F is disposed in some external environment, and the rotor  200  may rotate in reverse. As shown in  FIG. 4 , when the air flows from the exhaust side  20  to the air-intake side  10  and the rotor  200  rotates in reverse, the air can apply an external force that is greater than the pushing force of the rebounding assembly  400  on the second surface  312  of the bottom  310 . The stopping assembly  300  moves along the Z-axis (the first direction) from the first position to a second position, and the first locking mechanism  212  contacts the second locking mechanism  361 . When the first locking mechanism  212  is affixed to the second locking mechanism  361 , the rotor  200  stops rotating. 
     In detail, when the first locking mechanism  212  is affixed to the second locking mechanism  361 , the first contact surface  212   a  contacts the third contact surface  361   a , and the second contact surface  212   b  contacts the fourth contact surface  361   b . Since the second and fourth contact surfaces  212   b  and  361   b  are substantially parallel to the rotation axis S, the rotor  200  cannot rotate in reverse, and stops rotating. 
     Since the connecting members  320  can move along X-axis or Y-axis (the third direction) in the openings  112  in a certain range, the second locking mechanism  361  can be easily joined with the first locking mechanism  212 , so as to reduce the worn therebetween caused by the friction. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , when the failure is resolved and the fan F operates normally again, the rotor  200  smoothly rotates again, and the first contact surface  212   a  slides along the third contact surface  361   a  and pushes the stopping assembly  300  to move along −Z-axis (the second direction). Therefore, the first locking mechanism  212  is separated from the second locking mechanism  361 . Furthermore, since the fan F introduces the air to flow from the air-intake side  10  to the exhaust side  20  again, the external force from the air is not applied on the second surface  312  of the bottom  310 , and the pushing force of the rebounding assembly  310  can drive the stopping assembly  300  to move along −Z-axis (the second direction) to the first position. 
     In other words, when the external force applied on the second surface  312  of the bottom  310  of the stopping assembly  300  is less than the pushing force applied on the first surface  311  of the bottom  310  from the rebounding assembly  400 , the stopping assembly  300  is in the first position relative to the rotor  200 , and the first locking mechanism  212  is separated from the second locking mechanism  361 . When the external force applied on the second surface  312  of the bottom  310  of the stopping assembly  300  is greater than the pushing force applied on the first surface  311  of the bottom  310  from the rebounding assembly  400 , the stopping assembly  300  can move from the first position to the second position relative to the rotor  200 , and the first locking mechanism  212  is affixed to the second locking mechanism  361 . 
     Furthermore, since the first locking mechanism  212  is formed on the hub  210  adjacent to the peripheral surface  211 , the contact area of the first locking mechanism  212  and the second locking mechanism  361  can be increased, and the manufacture of the members is also facilitated. 
     In summary, a fan and a motor are provided. The fan or the motor includes a shaft seat disposed on a frame, a rotor, and a stopping assembly. The rotor is disposed on the shaft seat and includes a hub and a rotation shaft. The hub has a first locking mechanism adjacent to its peripheral surface, and the rotor is connected to the shaft seat via the rotation shaft. The stopping assembly corresponds to the rotor, and includes a second locking mechanism facing the first locking mechanism. When the rotor smoothly rotates, the first locking mechanism is separated from the second locking mechanism. When the rotor rotates in reverse, the stopping assembly moves along a first direction, and the first and second locking mechanisms contact each other. When the first locking mechanism is affixed to the second locking mechanism, the rotor stops rotating. 
     Although some embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that many of the features, functions, processes, and materials described herein may be varied while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps. Moreover, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements. 
     While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.