Patent ID: 8801375

Claim:
A fan arrangement adapted for use in association with a circuit board ( 17 ) formed with a first opening ( 80 ) and bearing a plurality of heat-generating components ( 11 ), the fan arrangement comprising an electric motor ( 18 ) serving, in operation, to drive a fan wheel ( 26 ; 170 ); an air-directing element ( 100 ) associated with the fan wheel; an internal stator ( 44 ) and an external rotor ( 22 ), the fan wheel ( 26 ; 170 ) being drivingly connected to the external rotor, said internal stator ( 44 ) of said motor being mounted on a first side of the circuit board ( 17 ), said fan wheel also being arranged on said first side; the air-directing element ( 100 ) being adapted for mounting on the circuit board ( 17 ) separately from the electric motor ( 18 ), and having a portion ( 108 ) which is adapted to define, together with the circuit board ( 17 ), an air conduit ( 127 ), so that, in operation, a cooling air flow ( 13 ) is generated by the fan wheel ( 170 ), which air flow ( 13 ) emerges from the fan arrangement ( 16 ) and is directed in a targeted manner by the air conduit ( 127 ), to thereby cool components in specific sectors on the circuit board ( 17 ), which components are arranged at respective locations radially surrounding said air conduit ( 127 ), the air flow ( 13 ) being correspondingly reduced in sectors where little cooling air is needed; the motor including a bearing tube ( 38 ), the bearing tube ( 38 ) having a longitudinal central axis ( 41 ) of rotation, and being attached to said internal stator ( 44 ) of the motor, so that the bearing tube can be inserted, during assembly of said motor, into said first opening ( 80 ) of said circuit board ( 17 ) from said first side of the circuit board ( 17 ), on which the fan wheel ( 26 ; 170 ) is to be located; the motor being secured to the circuit board at a plurality of points located within said air conduit ( 127 ) defined between said circuit board ( 17 ) and said air-directing element ( 100 ).