Patent Description:
Fans are widely applied in factories, mines, tunnels, cooling towers, vehicles, ships, and buildings for ventilation, dust removal and cooling purposes, and are also used in air conditioning equipment and household appliances for cooling and ventilation purposes. Fans are machinery used for transporting gas. From the energy viewpoint, they are machines for converting mechanical energy of a prime mover into energy of the gas. Depending on the gas flow direction, fans may be divided into centrifugal fans, axial flow fans, diagonal flow fans, and cross-flow fans. When an axial flow fan is operating, a power machine drives an impeller to rotate in a cylindrical housing. Gas enters from a current collector, gains energy through the impeller thus having increased pressure and speed, and then is discharged axially. The impeller is the main component of the fan, and its geometrical shape, size, number of blades and manufacturing accuracy have a great impact on the performance of the fan.

An impeller made by cold pressing aluminum alloy is typically used in the structural design and production of the axial flow fan. Such impellers however have low efficiency, high energy consumption and loud noise during operation of the fan.

In addition, such impellers are susceptible to deformation during transportation and use due to stack instability and are practically irreparable once deformation occurs. Although a same structure of plastic material may be used for replacement, the problems of low efficiency and loud noise are still not solved.

<CIT> discloses an axial flow fan blade. The axial flow fan blade comprises a hub and a plurality of blade bodies, a middle disc is arranged in the axial middle of the hub, the middle disc axially divides the hub into a first shaft portion and a second shaft portion, the shaft end edge of the first shaft portion and the shaft end edge of the second shaft portion are in corrugated fluctuation form in the circumferential direction of the hub of the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion, a convex portion and a concave portion of the first shaft portion and a concave portion and a convex portion of the second shaft portion are matched in corrugated shape, a shaft sleeve is arranged at the center of the hub, the shaft sleeve forms an equal-thickness side wall based on the shape of the shaft hole on the periphery of a shaft hole, the inner side wall of the shaft hole at least comprises two linear sections which are notlocated on the same circumference line, blade reinforcing ribs are arranged on the blade bodies, the blade reinforcing ribs are arranged along the outer contour edges of the rear edges, the outer edges and the leading edges of the blade bodies, the inner edges of the blade bodies and the outer side wall surface of the hub are connected and reinforced through the plurality of first reinforcing ribsand the plurality of second reinforcing ribs. According to the axial flow fan blade, the blade strength is improved, the injection molding shrinkage amount is reduced, and the blade performance is improved, meanwhile, the stacking size can be reduced, and transportation and storage are facilitated.

<CIT> discloses an axial flow wind wheel, an outdoor unit of the air conditioner and the air conditioner. The axial flow wind wheel comprises a hub and multiple blades. The multiple blades arear ranged on the outer circumferential wall of the hub and are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the hub. The section, in the radial direction of the hub, of each blade comprises a first curved section, a second curved section, a third curved section and a fourth curved section, wherein the inner end of the curved section is connected to the outer circumferential wall of the hub, the first curved section and the third curved section both extend in an inclined manner in the direction close to one of the suction surface and the pressure surface of the blade, the second curved section and the fourth curved section both extend in an inclined manner in the direction close to the other one of the suction surface and the pressure surface of the blade. According to the axial flow wind wheel, the flow rate of the axial flow wind wheel can be effectively improved, the loss of the axial flow wind wheel can be lowered, the noise of the axial flow wind wheel is lowered, the pneumatic performance is improved, and the user experience is improved.

<CIT> discloses a n axial fan includes: a cutout in a rear edge part of each of the plurality of blades, the rear edge part being opposite to a front edge part of the each of the plurality of blades in a rotational direction of the each of the plurality of blades, the cutout extending from the rear edge part toward the front edge part such that the cutout divides the rear edge part into an outer rear edge part and an inner rear edge part; a rib in a blade surface of the each of the plurality of blades, the rib extending from the hub toward an outer circumference of the each of the plurality of blades along the front edge part; and a first thickness-reduced part adjacent to an end of the rib, the end of the rib being closer to the outer circumference, the each of the plurality of blades being thinned in the first thickness-reduced part.

The present invention provides an axial flow impeller, which can solve the problems of loud noise and stack instability during transportation.

The present invention is set out in the appended set of claims An axial flow impeller provided by the invention includes a central hub and a plurality of blades.

The central hub includes a base plate and a stacking sidewall. The stacking sidewall is disposed at an edge of the base plate, a plurality of first convex portions are disposed at a first edge of the stacking sidewall extending axially, a plurality of first concave portions are respectively disposed between adjacent two of the plurality of first convex portions, a plurality of second convex portions are disposed at a second edge of the stacking sidewall extending in the axial direction, a plurality of second concave portions are respectively disposed between adjacent two of the plurality of second convex portions, the plurality of first convex portions are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of second concave portions in the axial direction, and the plurality of first concave portions are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of second convex portions in the axial direction.

The plurality of blades are disposed along an external surface of the stacking sidewall, and an edge of each of the plurality of blades connecting to the stacking sidewall extends from an edge of one of the plurality of first convex portions to an edge of an adjacent second convex portion. The base plate comprises a mounting portion and an annular portion disposed at a periphery of the mounting portion, wherein the mounting portion is provided with a mounting hole, and wherein a first and second surface of the annular portion are provided with support ribs.

The support ribs comprise a first support rib group disposed on the first surface of the annular portion and a second support rib group disposed on the second surface of the annular portion, and wherein the first support rib group and the second support rib group are of different shapes.

A plurality of first support ribs of the first support rib group extend in a rotational direction, and heights of the plurality of first support ribs extending in the axial direction gradually increase from a first end close to the mounting portion to a second end away from the mounting portion.

In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified and defined, the term "connected to each other", "connected" or "secured" is to be construed in a broad sense, for example, as securely connected, detachably connected, or integrated; mechanically connected or electrically connected; directly connected to each other or indirectly connected to each other via an intermediary; or internally connected between two elements or interactional relations between two elements.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, when a first feature is described as "on" or "below" a second feature, the first feature and the second feature may be in direct contact or be in contact via another feature between the two features instead of being in direct contact. Moreover, when the first feature is described as "on", "above" or "over" the second feature, the first feature is right on, above or over the second feature or the first feature is obliquely on, above or over the second feature, or the first feature is simply at a higher level than the second feature. When the first feature is described as "under", "below" or "underneath" the second feature, the first feature is right under, below or underneath the second feature or the first feature is obliquely under, below or underneath the second feature, or the first feature is simply at a lower level than the second feature.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientations or position relations indicated by terms such as "above", "below", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside" and the like are based on orientations or position relations shown in the drawings. These orientations or position relations are intended only to facilitate and simplify description of the present application, and not to indicate or imply that a device or element referred to must have such specific orientations or must be configured or operated in such specific orientations. Thus, these orientations or position relations are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish between descriptions and have no special meaning.

The present invention provides an axial flow impeller, which may be used on a fan.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the axial flow impeller includes a central hub <NUM> and a plurality of blades <NUM>, and the plurality of blades <NUM> are disposed along a circumferential direction of the central hub <NUM>.

The central hub <NUM> includes a base plate <NUM> and a stacking sidewall <NUM>. The stacking sidewall <NUM> is disposed at an edge of the base plate <NUM>, a plurality of first convex portions <NUM> are disposed at a first edge of the stacking sidewall <NUM> extending axially, a first concave portion <NUM> is disposed between adjacent two of the plurality of first convex portions <NUM>, a plurality of second convex portions <NUM> are disposed at a second edge of the stacking sidewall <NUM> extending in the axial direction, a second concave portion <NUM> is disposed between adjacent two of the plurality of second convex portions <NUM>, the plurality of first convex portions <NUM> are in one-to-one correspondence with second concave portions <NUM> in the axial direction, and first concave portions <NUM> are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of second convex portions <NUM> in the axial direction.

The central hub <NUM> is provided with a stacking sidewall <NUM> for stacking, a first edge of the stacking sidewall <NUM> extending in the axial direction can be axially engaged with a second edge of another stacking sidewall <NUM> extending in the axial direction, so that a stacking effect of two axial flow impellers is optimized, simultaneously, the weight of a single axial flow impeller is effectively reduced by <NUM>%, and the transportation cost is reduced.

The plurality of blades <NUM> are disposed along an external surface of the stacking sidewall <NUM>, and an edge of each of the plurality of blades <NUM> connecting to the stacking sidewall <NUM> extends from an edge of one of the plurality of first convex portions <NUM> to an edge of an adjacent second convex portion <NUM>. The edge of each of the plurality of blades <NUM> connecting to the stacking sidewall <NUM> is limited between the first edge and second edge of the stacking sidewall <NUM>, so that the plurality of blades <NUM> of an upper axial flow impeller do not interfere with the plurality of blades <NUM> of a lower axial flow impeller and the axial flow impellers are stacked better.

The base plate <NUM> includes a mounting portion <NUM> and an annular portion <NUM> disposed at an periphery of the mounting portion <NUM>, the mounting portion <NUM> is provided with a mounting hole <NUM>, and a front surface of the annular portion <NUM> and a rear surface of the annular portion <NUM> are provided with support ribs. The mounting portion <NUM> is provided with a mounting hole <NUM> to mount the axial flow impeller on a main body of the fan, and the annular portion <NUM> is provided with support ribs to improve the strength of the axial flow impeller.

The support ribs include a first support rib group <NUM> disposed on the front surface of the annular portion <NUM> and a second support rib group <NUM> disposed on the rear surface of the annular portion <NUM>, and the first support rib group <NUM> and the second support rib group <NUM> are different in shape.

The first support rib group <NUM> and the second support rib group <NUM> respectively disposed on two surfaces of two sides of the annular portion <NUM> can improve the strength of the axial flow impeller, and the first support rib group <NUM> and the second support rib group <NUM> are of different shapes, so that the mounting surface of the axial flow impeller can be easily distinguished.

A plurality of first support ribs of the first support rib group <NUM> extend in a rotational direction, and heights of the plurality of first support ribs extending in the axial direction gradually increase from a first end close to the mounting portion <NUM> to a second end away from the mounting portion <NUM>.

When the axial flow impeller rotates, the first support rib group <NUM> will generate centrifugal airflow, the efficiency of the airflow passing through the plurality of blades <NUM> is optimized, so that the effects of energy conservation and emission reduction are achieved, dust accumulated on the plurality of blades <NUM> can be taken away, the load increase caused by the accumulated dust is reduced, and the accumulation of dust and condensed water can be effectively prevented.

A plurality of second support ribs of the second support rib group <NUM> extend in a radial direction of the central hub <NUM>, and heights of the plurality of second support ribs extending in the axial direction gradually increase from a first end close to the mounting portion <NUM> to a second end away from the mounting portion <NUM>.

The second supporting ribs are linear, the first supporting ribs are curved, and the shapes of the second supporting ribs and the first supporting ribs are different, so that the installation surfaces for air suction and for air blowing of the axial flow impeller can be conveniently distinguished.

A plurality of convex ribs <NUM> parallel to each other are disposed at a first end of each of the plurality of blades <NUM> close to the central hub <NUM>, and an angle is formed between an arrangement direction of the plurality of convex ribs <NUM> and the radial direction of the central hub <NUM>.

The roots of the blades <NUM> are optimized, and the strength of the edges of the plurality of blades <NUM> with thin walls is increased.

In this embodiment, the length of the convex ribs <NUM> closer to the central hub <NUM> is smaller, that is, the convex ribs <NUM> parallel to each other gradually increase in a direction away from the central hub <NUM>.

The plurality of convex ribs <NUM> and the second support rib group <NUM> are disposed on a same surface of each of the plurality of blades <NUM>. At this time, the surface of each of the plurality of blades <NUM> provided with the plurality of convex ribs <NUM> and the second support rib group <NUM> serves as a positive pressure surface, and the surface of each of the plurality of blades <NUM> provided with the first support rib group <NUM> serves as a negative pressure surface.

Optionally, a reinforcing rib line <NUM> is disposed at a second end of each of the plurality of blades <NUM> away from the central hub <NUM>. The reinforcing rib line <NUM> disposed can improve the strength of the plurality of blades <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An axial flow impeller, comprising:
a central hub (<NUM>), comprising a base plate (<NUM>) and a stacking sidewall (<NUM>) disposed at an edge of the base plate (<NUM>), wherein a first edge of the stacking sidewall (<NUM>) extending axially is provided with a plurality of first convex portions (<NUM>), and a plurality of first concave portions (<NUM>) are respectively provided between every two adjacent first convex portions (<NUM>) of the plurality of first convex portions (<NUM>), wherein a second edge of the stacking sidewall (<NUM>) extending axially is provided with a plurality of second convex portions (<NUM>), and a plurality of second concave portions (<NUM>) are respectively disposed between every two adjacent second convex portions (<NUM>) of the plurality of second convex portions (<NUM>), wherein the plurality of first convex portions (<NUM>) are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of second concave portions (<NUM>) in the axial direction, and the plurality of first concave portions (<NUM>) are in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of second convex portions (<NUM>) in the axial direction; and
a plurality of blades (<NUM>), disposed along an external surface of the stacking sidewall (<NUM>), and an edge of each of the plurality of blades (<NUM>) connecting to the stacking sidewall (<NUM>) extends from an edge of one of the plurality of first convex portions (<NUM>) to an edge of an adjacent second convex portion (<NUM>);
wherein the base plate (<NUM>) comprises a mounting portion (<NUM>) and an annular portion (<NUM>) disposed at a periphery of the mounting portion (<NUM>), wherein the mounting portion (<NUM>) is provided with a mounting hole (<NUM>), and wherein a first and second surface of the annular portion (<NUM>) are provided with support ribs;
wherein the support ribs comprise a first support rib group (<NUM>) disposed on the first surface of the annular portion (<NUM>) and a second support rib group (<NUM>) disposed on the second surface of the annular portion (<NUM>), and wherein the first support rib group (<NUM>) and the second support rib group (<NUM>) are of different shapes;
characterized in that:
a plurality of first support ribs of the first support rib group (<NUM>) extend in a rotational direction, and heights of the plurality of first support ribs extending in the axial direction gradually increase from a first end close to the mounting portion (<NUM>) to a second end away from the mounting portion (<NUM>).