Patent Publication Number: US-2022235791-A1

Title: Centrifugal fan and clothing dryer

Description:
FIELD 
     The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of fans, and specifically provides a centrifugal fan and a dryer. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Based on the principle of converting kinetic energy into potential energy, a centrifugal fan uses a high-speed rotating impeller to accelerate gas, then decelerate it, and change a flow direction thereof, thus converting kinetic energy into potential energy. The centrifugal fan includes a motor, a housing, and an impeller arranged in the housing. The motor can drive the impeller to rotate at a high speed to accelerate the gas. A volute tongue is provided at an air outlet of the housing, and the volute tongue can cut an air flow driven by the impeller so that the air flow is discharged from the air outlet. 
     In some occasions, the centrifugal fan is required to be able to achieve both forward and reverse rotations. Taking dryers as an example, in order to reduce the cost, existing dryers usually use one motor to simultaneously drive a drying cylinder and the impeller of the centrifugal fan to rotate. In order to solve the problem of entangled clothing in the drying cylinder, the drying cylinder needs to rotate in both forward and reverse directions during the working process of the dryer. When the impeller rotates in the forward direction as the drying cylinder rotates in the forward direction (which is the design direction of the centrifugal fan), the volute tongue can cut the air flow driven by the impeller so that the air flow is discharged from the air outlet. However, when the impeller rotates in the reverse direction as the drying cylinder rotates in the reverse direction (which is opposite to the design direction), the volute tongue cannot cut the air flow driven by the impeller, resulting in a sharp decrease in the air volume discharged from the air outlet, thereby affecting a drying effect on the clothing. 
     Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a new centrifugal fan and dryer to solve the above problem. 
     SUMMARY 
     In order to solve the above problem in the prior art, that is, to solve the problem that the volute tongue of the existing centrifugal fan cannot cut the air flow driven by the impeller when the rotation direction of the impeller is opposite to the design direction, which results in a sharp decrease in the air volume discharged from the centrifugal fan, the present disclosure provides a centrifugal fan, which includes a housing, a driving mechanism, as well as an impeller and a volute tongue that are arranged in the housing, in which the housing is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, the driving mechanism is connected to the volute tongue and is capable of driving the volute tongue to rotate between a first limit position and a second limit position, and the volute tongue includes a first volute tongue portion and a second volute tongue portion; the impeller is arranged to be capable of suctioning air into the housing from the air inlet when rotating, and the volute tongue is arranged to be capable of cutting the air blown from the impeller and guiding the air to the air outlet when the volute tongue is in the first limit position and the impeller is rotating in a forward direction; the volute tongue is further arranged to be capable of cutting the air blown from the impeller and guiding the air to the air outlet when the volute tongue is in the second limit position and the impeller is rotating in a reverse direction; in which the first limit position is a position where the first volute tongue portion abuts against an inner wall of the housing on one side in a sealingly manner, and the second limit position is a position where the second volute tongue portion abuts against an inner wall of the housing on the other side in a sealingly manner. 
     In a preferred technical solution of the above centrifugal fan, a first sealing structure is provided on the inner wall of the housing on the one side, and a second sealing structure is provided on the inner wall of the housing on the other side; when the volute tongue is in the first limit position, the first volute tongue portion abuts against the first sealing structure in a sealingly manner, and when the volute tongue is in the second limit position, the second volute tongue portion abuts against the second sealing structure in a sealingly manner. 
     In a preferred technical solution of the above centrifugal fan, the first sealing structure is a first sealing protrusion formed on the inner wall of the housing on the one side. 
     In a preferred technical solution of the above centrifugal fan, the second sealing structure is a second sealing protrusion formed on the inner wall of the housing on the other side. 
     In a preferred technical solution of the above centrifugal fan, the impeller includes a plurality of straight vanes arranged annularly. 
     In a preferred technical solution of the above centrifugal fan, the plurality of straight vanes are all arranged in a radial direction of the impeller. 
     In a preferred technical solution of the above centrifugal fan, the impeller includes a plurality of arc-shaped vanes arranged annularly. 
     In a preferred technical solution of the above centrifugal fan, the driving mechanism includes a driving member and a transmission member, in which the driving member is connected to the housing, the driving member is connected to the volute tongue through the transmission member, and the driving member is capable of driving the transmission member to cause the volute tongue to rotate. 
     In a preferred technical solution of the above centrifugal fan, the driving member is a motor, the transmission member is a transmission belt, one end of the transmission belt is connected to an output shaft of the motor, and the other end of the transmission belt is connected to the volute tongue. 
     In another aspect, the present disclosure also provides a dryer, which includes the centrifugal fan described above. 
     It can be understood by those skilled in the art that in the preferred technical solutions of the present disclosure, a rotatable volute tongue is provided in the housing of the centrifugal fan, the volute tongue includes a first volute tongue portion and a second volute tongue portion, and the volute tongue can rotate between a first limit position and a second limit position; when the volute tongue is in the first limit position and the impeller is rotating in a forward direction, the second volute tongue portion can cut the air blown from the impeller and guide the air to the air outlet; and when the volute tongue is in the second limit position and the impeller is rotating in a reverse direction, the first volute tongue portion can cut the air blown from the impeller and guide the air to the air outlet. Through such an arrangement, it can be ensured that the centrifugal fan has a sufficient amount of air when the impeller rotates either in the forward direction or in the reverse direction; moreover, when the volute tongue is in the first limit position, the first volute tongue portion abuts against the inner wall of the housing on one side in a sealingly manner, thereby preventing air from flowing back along the inner wall on this side; and similarly, when the volute tongue is in the second limit position, the second volute tongue portion abuts against the inner wall of the housing on the other side in a sealingly manner, thereby preventing air from flowing back along the inner wall on this side and improving the stability of air flow. 
     Further, a first sealing structure is provided on the inner wall of the housing on one side, and a second sealing structure is provided on the inner wall of the housing on the other side; when the volute tongue is in the first limit position, the first volute tongue portion abuts against the first sealing structure in a sealingly manner, and when the volute tongue is in the second limit position, the second volute tongue portion abuts against the second sealing structure in a sealingly manner. By providing the first sealing structure on the inner wall of the housing on the one side such that the first volute tongue portion abuts against the first sealing structure in a sealingly manner, the sealingness between the first volute tongue portion and the inner wall on this side can be improved. Similarly, by providing the second sealing structure on the inner wall of the housing on the other side such that the second volute tongue portion abuts against the second sealing structure in a sealingly manner, the sealingness between the second volute tongue portion and the inner wall on this side can be improved. 
     Further, a plurality of straight vanes are arranged in the radial direction of the impeller. Through such an arrangement, the centrifugal fan can blow out the same amount of air when the impeller rotates either in the forward direction or in the reverse direction. 
     In addition, the dryer further provided by the present disclosure on the basis of the above technical solutions, due to the employment of the above centrifugal fan, has the technical effects of the above centrifugal fan. As compared with the dryer before improvement, the dryer of the present disclosure can provide a sufficient amount of air when the drying cylinder rotates either in the forward direction or in the reverse direction, thereby improving the drying effect on the clothing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a first schematic structural view of a centrifugal fan of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a second schematic structural view of the centrifugal fan of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a third schematic structural view of the centrifugal fan of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a fourth schematic structural view of the centrifugal fan of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a fifth schematic structural view of the centrifugal fan of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a sixth schematic structural view of the centrifugal fan of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is a seventh schematic structural view of the centrifugal fan of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 8  is an eighth schematic structural view of the centrifugal fan of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     First, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described below are only used to explain the technical principles of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. 
     It should be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, terms indicating directional or positional relationships, such as “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise” and the like, are based on the directional or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only used for ease of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, or be constructed or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be considered as limitations to the present disclosure. In addition, terms “first” and “second” are merely used for description, and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. 
     In addition, it should also be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, terms “install”, “arrange”, “connect” and “connection” should be understood in a broad sense; for example, the connection may be a fixed connection, or may also be a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; it may be a direct connection, or an indirect connection implemented through an intermediate medium, or it may be an internal communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific situations. 
     Based on the problem pointed out in the “BACKGROUND” that the volute tongue of the existing centrifugal fan cannot cut the air flow driven by the impeller when the rotation direction of the impeller is opposite to the design direction, which results in a sharp decrease in the air volume discharged from the centrifugal fan, the present disclosure provides a centrifugal fan and a dryer, aiming at enabling the volute tongue of the centrifugal fan to cut the air flow driven by the impeller when the impeller rotates either in the forward direction or in the reverse direction and guaranteeing the demand on the air volume. 
     Specifically, as shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the centrifugal fan of the present disclosure includes a housing  1 , a driving mechanism, as well as an impeller  2  and a volute tongue  3  that are arranged in the housing  1 . The housing  1  is provided with an air inlet  4  and an air outlet  5 , the driving mechanism is connected to the volute tongue  3  and is capable of driving the volute tongue  3  to rotate between a first limit position and a second limit position, and the volute tongue  3  includes a first volute tongue portion  31  and a second volute tongue portion  32 ; the impeller  2  is arranged to be capable of suctioning air into the housing  1  from the air inlet  4  when rotating, and the volute tongue  3  is arranged to be capable of cutting the air blown from the impeller  2  and guiding the air to the air outlet  5  when the volute tongue  3  is in the first limit position and the impeller  2  is rotating in a forward direction; the volute tongue  3  is further arranged to be capable of cutting the air blown from the impeller  2  and guiding the air to the air outlet  5  when the volute tongue  3  is in the second limit position and the impeller  2  is rotating in a reverse direction; in which the first limit position is a position where the first volute tongue portion  31  abuts against an inner wall of the housing  1  on one side in a sealingly manner, and the second limit position is a position where the second volute tongue portion  32  abuts against an inner wall of the housing  1  on the other side in a sealingly manner Specifically, the volute tongue  3  shown in  FIG. 2  is in the first limit position. At this time, the first volute tongue portion  31  abuts against a first-side inner wall  11  of the housing  1  in a sealingly manner; when the impeller  2  rotates in a forward direction (rotating clockwise when viewed from the figure), the second volute tongue portion  32  can cut the air blown from the impeller  2  and guide the air to the air outlet  5 . Moreover, since the first volute tongue portion  31  abuts against the first-side inner wall  11  of the housing  1  in a sealingly manner, air can be prevented from flowing back along the first-side inner wall  11 . The volute tongue  3  shown in  FIG. 3  is in the second limit position. At this time, the second volute tongue portion  32  abuts against a second-side inner wall  12  of the housing  1  in a sealingly manner; when the impeller  2  rotates in a reverse direction (rotating counterclockwise when viewed from the figure), the first volute tongue portion  31  can cut the air blown from the impeller  2  and guide the air to the air outlet  5 . Moreover, since the second volute tongue portion  32  abuts against the second-side inner wall  12  of the housing  1  in a sealingly manner, air can be prevented from flowing back along the second-side inner wall  12 . By adjusting the position of the volute tongue  3 , it can be ensured that the centrifugal fan has a sufficient amount of air when the impeller  2  rotates either in the forward direction or in the reverse direction. The volute tongue  3  can be driven by the driving mechanism to rotate from the first limit position to the second limit position. The driving mechanism may be provided as a hydraulic driving mechanism or a motor driving mechanism. Such adjustments and changes to the specific type and structural form of the driving mechanism do not deviate from the principle and scope of the present disclosure, and should be defined within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. 
     In addition, it should be noted that when the volute tongue  3  is in the first limit position or the second limit position, the volute tongue  3  needs to be fixed and stationary under the impact of the airflow. In a possible situation, the driving mechanism has a locking function. For example, the driving mechanism may be a self-locking motor, and the locking can be realized by self-locking of the motor. That is, after the driving mechanism drives the volute tongue  3  to rotate to the first limit position, the volute tongue  3  can be fixed and stationary at the first limit position. Similarly, after the driving mechanism drives the volute tongue  3  to rotate to the second limit position, the volute tongue  3  can be fixed and stationary at the second limit position. In another possible situation, a magnetic attraction structure is provided on the volute tongue  3  and/or inner side walls of the housing  1 . When the volute tongue  3  is in the first limit position, the first volute tongue portion  31  is attracted onto the first-side inner wall  11  of the housing  1  by the magnetic attraction structure. Similarly, when the volute tongue  3  is in the second limit position, the second volute tongue portion  32  is attracted onto the second-side inner wall  12  of the housing  1  by the magnetic attraction structure. Of course, the above two situations are only exemplary, and should not be considered as constituting limitations to the present disclosure. 
     Preferably, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the driving mechanism includes a driving member  6  and a transmission member  7 . The driving member  6  is connected to the housing  1 , and the driving member  6  is connected to the volute tongue  3  through the driving member  7 . The driving member  6  can drive the transmission member  7  to cause the volute tongue  3  to rotate. The driving member  6  is a motor, and the transmission member  7  is a transmission belt, with one end of the transmission belt being connected to an output shaft of the motor, and the other end of the transmission belt being connected to the volute tongue  3 . In a possible situation, a rotating shaft  8  is provided on the volute tongue  3 , with a bottom of the rotating shaft  8  being rotatably connected to a bottom plate  13  of the housing  1 , and a top of the rotating shaft  8  being rotatably connected to a top plate  14  of the housing  1 . The top of the rotating shaft  8  is provided with a rotating disc  9 , one end of the transmission belt is connected to the output shaft of the motor, and the other end of the transmission belt is connected to the rotating disc  9 . The motor drives the transmission belt to move, the transmission belt drives the rotating disc  9  to rotate, and the rotating disc  9  drives the rotating shaft  8  to rotate. In another possible situation, the top of the volute tongue  3  is provided with a first rotating shaft, the bottom plate  13  of the housing  1  is provided with a second rotating shaft, and the bottom of the volute tongue  3  is provided with a shaft hole adapted to the second rotating shaft. One end of the transmission belt is connected to the output shaft of the motor, and the other end of the transmission belt is connected to the first rotating shaft. The motor drives the transmission belt to move, the transmission belt drives the first rotating shaft to rotate, and the first rotating shaft drives the volute tongue  3  to rotate. The above two situations are only exemplary, and should not be considered as constituting limitations to the present disclosure. In addition, the transmission member  7  may also be provided as other transmission structures such as gears. Such adjustments and changes to the specific structural form of the transmission member  7  do not deviate from the principle and scope of the present disclosure, and should be defined within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. 
     Preferably, as shown in  FIGS. 2 to 5 , a first sealing structure is provided on the inner wall the housing  1  on one side, and a second sealing structure is provided on the inner wall of the housing  1  on the other side; when the volute tongue  3  is in the first limit position, the first volute tongue portion  31  abuts against the first sealing structure in a sealingly manner, and when the volute tongue  3  is in the second limit position, the second volute tongue portion  32  abuts against the second sealing structure in a sealingly manner. The first sealing structure is provided on the first-side inner wall  11  of the housing  1 , and the first sealing structure is a first sealing protrusion  111  formed on the first-side inner wall  11 . When the volute tongue  3  is in the first limit position, the first volute tongue portion  31  abuts against the first sealing protrusion  111  in a sealingly manner The second sealing structure is provided on the second-side inner wall  12  of the housing  1 , and the second sealing structure is a second sealing protrusion  121  formed on the second-side inner wall  12 . When the volute tongue  3  is in the second limit position, the second volute tongue portion  32  abuts against the second sealing protrusion  121  in a sealingly manner. Of course, the first sealing structure may also be provided as a structure such as a sealing plate or a sealing rib fixed on the first-side inner wall  11 . Similarly, the second sealing structure may also be provided as a structure such as a sealing plate or a sealing rib fixed on the second-side inner wall  12 . Such adjustments and changes to the specific structural form of the first sealing structure and the second sealing structure do not deviate from the principle and scope of the present disclosure, and should be defined within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. 
     In addition, it should be noted that in practical applications, in addition to maintaining the volute tongue  3  at the first limit position and the second limit position, the volute tongue  3  may also be maintained at a certain position between the first limit position and the second limit position under some special requirements. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the volute tongue  3  is located between the first limit position and the second limit position at this time, and when the volute tongue  3  is in this position (the position where the volute tongue  3  in dashed lines is located in  FIG. 6 ), a distance between the second volute tongue portion  32  and the impeller  2  is increased as compared with the distance between the second volute tongue portion  32  and the impeller  2  when the volute tongue  3  is in the first limit position. Therefore, the cutting effect of the second volute tongue portion  32  on the air flow is weakened, thereby reducing the noise. Of course, the air volume will also decrease correspondingly, which is therefore suitable for applications that require a small air volume. It should be noted that the volute tongue  3  can be maintained at any position between the first limit position and the second limit position through the self-locking of the motor. 
     Preferably, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the impeller  2  includes a plurality of straight vanes  21  arranged annularly. In a preferred situation, the plurality of straight vanes  21  are all arranged in a radial direction of the impeller  2 . Through such an arrangement, the centrifugal fan can blow out the same amount of air when the impeller  2  rotates either in the forward direction or in the reverse direction. Of course, in practical applications, according to specific conditions, the plurality of straight vanes  21  may also be set to form a specific included angle with the radial direction of the impeller  2 . Such flexible adjustments and changes do not deviate from the principle and scope of the present disclosure, and should be defined within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. 
     Preferably, as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the impeller  2  includes a plurality of arc-shaped vanes  22  arranged annularly. In this case, the forward and reverse rotations of the impeller  2  can bring about two working modes, one of which is focused on performance, and the other of which is focused on efficiency. For example, in the arrangement of  FIG. 7 , when the impeller  2  rotates in the forward direction (rotating clockwise when viewed from the figure), an outlet angle of the arc-shaped vane  22  faces the direction of rotationally blowing-out wind. At this time, the impeller  2  works in the forward vane mode, and the impeller  2  can provide a greater air flow pressure. When the impeller  2  rotates in the reverse direction (rotating counterclockwise when viewed from the figure), as shown in  FIG. 8 , the outlet angle of the arc-shaped vane  22  is opposite to the direction of rotationally blowing-out wind. The impeller  2  works in the reverse vane mode, and the air flow pressure that the impeller  2  can provide is less than that in the forward vane mode. However, this work mode can provide higher aerodynamic efficiency. 
     It should be noted that the specific shape of the vane is not limited to the above-mentioned straight vanes and arc-shaped vanes, and the vanes may also be configured into other shapes. For example, the vanes may also be provided as “V”-shaped vanes or “L”-shaped vanes, etc. Such adjustments and changes to the specific shape of the vanes do not deviate from the principle and scope of the present disclosure, and should be defined within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. 
     Finally, the present disclosure also provides a dryer, which includes the centrifugal fan described above. 
     Hitherto, the technical solutions of the present disclosure have been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of protection of the present disclosure is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principles of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or replacements to relevant technical features, and all the technical solutions after these changes or replacements will fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.