Patent Publication Number: US-2009238687-A1

Title: Blower

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a blower, and more particularly to a blower for inflating objects, such as inflatable toys and mattresses. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a blower  1  disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,516 includes a motor housing  11 , a fan housing  12 , a screen plate  13  spaced apart from the fan housing  12  and disposed on the motor housing  11 , a motor  14  disposed within the motor housing  11 , a fan blade unit  15  driven by the motor  14  and disposed within the fan housing  12 , and a switch  16  disposed on the motor housing  11 . 
     The motor housing  11  is disposed around an axis (I), defines an accommodating space  110  for receiving the motor  14 , and has opposite first and second end walls  111 ,  112 , a peripheral wall  113  interconnecting the first and second end walls  111 ,  112 , and two spaced-apart support legs  114  connected fixedly to and disposed under the peripheral wall  113 . The first and second end walls  111 ,  112  are formed respectively with first and second openings  115 ,  116  in spatial communication with and aligned with the accommodating space  110  along the axis (I). The first opening  115  is covered by the fan housing  12 . The second opening  116  is covered by the screen plate  13 . The motor  14  includes four connecting lugs  141 . The peripheral wall  113  of the motor housing  11  has four connecting portions  117 , and a plurality of vent holes  118 . The connecting lugs  141  are fastened respectively to the connecting portions  117  by bolts to fix the motor  14  within the motor housing  11 . 
     The fan blade unit  15  includes a pair of end plates  151  and a plurality of blades  152  connected between the end plates  151 . 
     The switch  16  is connected electrically to a power cable (not shown) and the motor  14  at the accommodating space  110 . 
     During use, an electrical plug (not shown) on the power cable is first inserted into an electrical socket (not shown). Next, the switch  16  is operated to activate the motor  14  to thereby rotate the fan blade unit  15 . Hence, air is blown from an exhaust tube  121  of the fan housing  12  into an object (not shown), such as an inflatable toy and a mattress. 
     The blower  1  suffers from the following advantages:
     (1) The motor  14  is an AC motor, and is used with a start capacitor (not shown). During assembly, the start capacitor is connected electrically to the motor, and subsequently an assembly of the start capacitor and the motor is placed into the motor housing  11 . The switch  16  is connected electrically to the start capacitor. The start capacitor and the switch  16  are easily damaged. When the start capacitor or the switch  16  malfunctions, the motor  14  cannot be rotated, and it is therefore necessary to remove the motor  14  from the motor housing  11  for repair and replacement of the start capacitor or the switch  16 . However, removal of the motor  14  cannot be performed unless the fan housing  12 , the fan blade unit  15 , and the screen plate  13  are removed from the motor housing  11 , thereby resulting in difficulties in maintenance and repair of the blower  1 .   (2) When the motor  14  is operated, heat generates thereby. Although air can flow onto the motor  14  via the screen plate  13  and the vent holes  118  to dissipate heat from the motor  14 , since the endplates  151  have flat outer surfaces, heat dissipated from the motor  14  is limited, thereby reducing the service life of the motor  14 .   (3) The support legs  114  are disposed under only the motor  14 . That is, no support is disposed under the fan blade unit  15  and the fan housing  12 . As a result, the blower  1  is easily tilted and therefore overturned.   (4) Two lower ones of the connecting lugs  141  of the motor  14  have an inclination angle of 45°, and are fastened respectively to the connecting portions  117  by bolts. Since the motor  14  is heavy, stress is concentrated at the parts of the connecting portions  117  engaging respectively the bolts due to a vibration generated during operation of the motor  14 . After a long period of use, such stress concentration results in deformation of the motor housing  11 . Thus, the motor  14  cannot be positioned stably within the motor housing  11 .   

     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of this invention is to provide a blower that can overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages associated with the prior art. 
     According to this invention, a blower includes a housing unit, a fan blade unit, a driving device, a start capacitor, a switch device, and a power source device. The power source device is connected electrically to the switch device. The housing unit includes a driver housing for receiving the driving device, and a fan housing for receiving the fan blade unit. The driver housing includes a mounting recess. The housing unit further includes a cover plate for covering removably the mounting recess. The start capacitor and the switch device are disposed removably within the mounting recess. Preferably, the start capacitor and the switch device are connected electrically to the driving device at the mounting recess. 
     When the blower malfunctions, the cover plate can be removed from the driver housing to allow for a check whether the switch device, the start capacitor (especially the electrical contacts thereof) need to repair or replace, thereby resulting in convenience in maintenance and repair of the blower. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a partly exploded perspective view of a conventional blower disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,516; 
         FIG. 2  is a partly sectional side view of the preferred embodiment of a blower according to this invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a partly exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is an assembled perspective view of the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a fragmentary, partly sectional, partly exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating connections among a driving device, a switch device, a start capacitor, and a power source device; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating how a fan housing is supported by two auxiliary support seats; 
         FIG. 7  is a partly sectional side view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating how the driving device is mounted in a housing unit; and 
         FIG. 8  is a partly sectional front view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating the positions of a plurality of main blades, a plurality of auxiliary blades, and a motor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4 , and  6 , the preferred embodiment of a blower according to this invention includes a housing unit  2 , a fan blade unit  3  disposed in the housing unit  2 , a driving device  4  for rotating the fan blade unit  3 , a start capacitor  5  connected electrically to the driving device  5 , a switch device  6  connected electrically to the driving device  5 , and a power source device  7  connected electrically to the switch device  6 . 
     The housing unit  2  includes a driver housing  21 , and a fan housing  23  connected to and aligned with the driver housing  21  along an axis (II). The driver housing  21  includes a first accommodating space  210  for receiving the driving device  4 . The fan housing  23  includes a second accommodating space  230  that receives the fan blade unit  3  and that is in spatial communication with the first accommodating space  210 . The housing unit  2  further includes first and second screen plates  24 ,  25  disposed respectively on the driver housing  21  and the fan housing  23  such that air can flow into the first and second accommodating spaces  210 ,  230  through holes  241 ,  251  in the first and second screen plates  24 ,  25 . The driver housing  21  further includes a mounting recess  220 . The housing unit  2  further includes a cover plate  26  for covering removably the mounting recess  220 . The start capacitor  5  and the switch device  6  are disposed removably within the mounting recess  220 . Electrical contacts among the driving device  4 , the start capacitor  5 , and the switch device  6  are located in the mounting recess  220 . 
     Preferably, the driver housing  21  includes a housing body  211  defining the first accommodating space  210 , a main support seat  212  connected fixedly to and disposed under the housing body  211 , two spaced-apart auxiliary support seats  213  (see  FIG. 6 ) extending from the main support seat  212  and disposed under the fan housing  23  for supporting the fan housing  23 , and a grip member  214  connected to and disposed above the housing body  211 . The housing body  211  has a first end wall  215  abutting against the fan housing  23 , a second end wall  216  opposite to the first end wall  215 , and a peripheral wall  217  interconnecting the first and second end walls  215 ,  216 . The first and second end walls  215 ,  216  are formed respectively with first and second openings  218 ,  219  in spatial communication with the first accommodating space  210 . The first opening  218  is also in spatial communication with the second accommodating space  230  in the fan housing  23 . The second opening  219  is covered by the first screen plate  24 . The mounting recess  220  is formed in an outer surface of the peripheral wall  217 . The grip member  214  is connected to and disposed above the peripheral wall  217 . 
     The housing body  211  further has two spaced-apart upper positioning portions  221  disposed at the peripheral wall  217 . With further reference to  FIG. 7 , the driver housing  21  further includes an inner positioning seat  222  extending upwardly from the main support seat  212  into the first accommodating space  210 . The inner positioning seat  222  has two horizontal lower positioning portions  223 . The driving device  4  includes a motor  41  disposed along the axis (II) for rotating the fan blade unit  3 , and four connecting plates  43  extending from the motor  41  and connected respectively and fixedly to the upper and lower positioning portions  221 ,  223 . In this embodiment, the connecting plates  43  are fastened respectively to the upper and lower positioning portions  221 ,  223  by bolts  40 . Two lower ones of the connecting plates  43  are formed respectively with two horizontal plate portions  431  abutting respectively against the lower positioning portions  223 . 
     With further reference to  FIG. 5 , the driver housing  21  further includes an outer mounting hole  224  disposed in proximity to the mounting recess  220  and formed through the peripheral wall  217 , and an inner through hole  225  formed through the peripheral wall  217  and in spatial communication with the mounting recess  220 . 
     Preferably, the fan housing  23  of the housing unit  2  includes a hollow cylindrical shield  231  connected fixedly to the driver housing  21  and in spatial communication with the first opening  218 , and an exhaust tube  232  extending from a periphery of the shield  231  in a tangent direction and having an end distal from the shield  231  and defining an exhaust port  233 . The exhaust port  233  is aligned with the fan blade unit  3 , and is in spatial communication with the second accommodating space  230 . The second accommodating space  230  is defined by the shield  231 . The shield  231  is formed with an opening  234  that is spaced apart from the first opening  218  and that is covered by the second screen plate  25 . 
     With further reference to  FIG. 8 , the fan blade unit  3  includes an inner end plate  31  connected to the motor  41  of the driving device  4  and rotatable about the axis (II), an outer end plate  32  parallel to and aligned with the inner end plate  31  along the axis (II), a plurality of main blades  33  connected between the inner and outer end plates  31 ,  32  and arranged around the axis (II), and a plurality of auxiliary blades  34  extending from the inner end plate  31  in a direction away from the main blades  33  and toward the driving device  4 . When the main and auxiliary blades  33 ,  34  are rotated, air is drawn into the blower through the first and second screens  24 ,  25 , and blown out of the blower through the exhaust port  233 . 
     The driving device  4  further includes a start cable unit  44  extending from the motor  41  and connected electrically to the start capacitor  5 , and a power cable unit  45  connected electrically to the switch device  6 . The start cable unit  44  includes a positive cable  441 , a negative cable  442 , and two terminals  443  each connected to an end of a respective one of the positive and negative cables  441 ,  442 . The power cable unit  45  includes a positive cable  451 , a negative cable  452 , a grounding cable  453 , and three terminals  454  each connected to a respective one of the positive, negative, and grounding cables  451 ,  452 ,  453 . The start cable unit  44  and the power cable unit  45  extend from the first accommodating space  210  into the mounting recess  220  through the inner through hole  225  to connect respectively and electrically with the start capacitor  5  and the switch device  6 . 
     The start capacitor  5  is disposed on a side surface of the cover plate  26 , and includes a capacitor body  51 , and a pair of positive and negative contacts  52 ,  53  disposed on the capacitor body  51  and connected respectively and electrically to the terminals  443  of the start cable unit  44  at the mounting recess  220 . 
     The power source device  7  includes an electrical plug  71  disposed for electrical connection with an electrical socket (not shown), an electrical cable unit  72  extending from the electrical plug  71  into the first accommodating space  210  through the outer mounting hole  224 , and an anchor unit  73  sleeved on the electrical cable unit  72  and fixed within the outer mounting hole  224 . The anchor unit  73  includes an externally threaded member  731  sleeved fixedly on the electrical cable unit  72  and abutting against a side surface of the peripheral wall  217 , and an internally threaded member  732  engaging the externally threaded member  731  and abutting against an opposite side surface of the peripheral wall  217 . The electrical cable unit  72  includes a positive cable  721 , a negative cable  722 , a grounding cable  723 , and three terminals  724  each connected to a respective one of the positive, negative, and grounding cables  721 ,  722 ,  723 . The positive and negative cables  721 ,  722  of the electrical cable unit  72  extend into the mounting recess  220  through the inner through hole  225 . 
     The switch device  6  includes a switching key  61  disposed on and extending from the cover plate  26  in a direction away from the mounting recess  220 , and a socket unit  62  disposed on the cover plate  26  and extending into the mounting recess  220 . The switching key  61  is operable to switch the socket unit  62  between ON and OFF states. The socket unit  62  includes four conductive plates  621  in electrical contact with the terminals  724 ,  454  on the positive and negative cables  721 ,  722  of the electrical cable unit  72  of the power source device  7  and on positive and negative cables  451 ,  452  of the power cable unit  45  of the driving device  4 , respectively. The terminals  724 ,  454  on the grounding cables  723 ,  453  of the electrical cable unit  72  of the power source device  7  and the power cable unit  45  of the driving device  4  are in electrical contact with each other so as to interconnect the grounding cables  723 ,  453  electrically. 
     To inflate an object (not shown), such as an inflatable toy and a mattress, the power source device  7  is connected to a power supply (not shown), and the switching key  61  of the switch device  6  is switched to the OFF state to activate the start capacitor  5  and the motor  41  of the driving device  4  to thereby rotate the fan blade unit  3  about the axis (II). 
     The position of the mounting recess  220  should not be limited. However, to promote safety of the blower during outside use, preferably, the mounting recess  220  is formed horizontally in the peripheral wall  217 , and the cover plate  26  is vertical, and covers the mounting recess  220  to prevent flow of rainwater into the mounting recess  220 , which will results in malfunction of the electrical components mounted therewithin. 
     In view of the above, the blower of this invention has the following advantages:
     (1) When the blower malfunctions and when it is desired to repair the same, it is only necessary to remove the cover plate  26  from the driver housing  21  to expose the mounting recess  220 . Hence, check, repair, and replacement can be conducted with respect to the start capacitor  5 , the switch device  6 , the electrical contacts between the driving device  4  and the start capacitor  5 , the electrical contacts between the driving device  4  and the switch device  6 , and the electrical contacts between the switch device  6  and the power source device  7 , thereby resulting in convenience in maintenance and repair of the blower.   (2) Due to the presence of the auxiliary blades  34 , when the fan blade unit  3  is rotated, air flows over a side of the motor  41  to dissipate heat therefrom, thereby increasing the service life of the motor  41 .   (3) The housing unit  2  includes a main support seat  212  for supporting the housing body  211  and the driving device  4 , and the auxiliary support seats  213  for supporting the fan housing  23 . As such, total contact area between the housing unit  2  and the ground is sufficient. Therefore, during operation of the blower, a stable support can be provided to the fan housing  23  and the housing body  211  to thereby prevent tilting and overturning of the blower.   (4) The two lower connecting plates  43  are formed respectively with the horizontal plate portions  431  abutting respectively against the lower positioning portions  223  of the inner positioning seat  222 , as described above. Since the plate portions  431  are horizontal, the motor  41  can be supported stably by the housing unit  2  due to a large contact area between the motor  41  and the inner positioning seat  222 , thereby preventing deformation of the housing unit  2 .   

     With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only as indicated by the appended claims.