Patent ID: 8292575

Claim:
A fan apparatus for an air conditioner, comprising: an outside case; a fan housing secured to an inside of the outside case, the fan housing comprising: a bottom wall; a top wall positioned vertically above the bottom wall; a plurality of sidewalls extending between the top wall and the bottom wall; air inlets respectively formed in the bottom wall and the top wall; and an air outlet formed in one of the plurality of sidewalls; a fan mounted in the fan housing; a BLDC motor including a rotor and a stator positioned in the rotor; a shaft having a first end coupled to the rotor and a second end coupled to the fan for transmission of driving force from the rotor to the fan; bearings for supporting the shaft; and a supporter secured to the fan housing so as to securely mount the motor to the air inlet formed in the top wall, wherein the supporter supports the stator and rotatably supports the shaft, wherein the supporter includes: a cylindrical bearing housing portion having the bearings mounted therein; stator securing portions extending radially outward from an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical bearing housing portion to receive the stator mounted thereon; and supporter securing portions provided at distal end portions of the stator securing portions and fastened to the top wall of the fan housing at a periphery of the air inlet formed in the top wall, wherein the motor is secured to the stator securing portions at a top side of the supporter, the shaft extends from the motor through a central opening of the supporter at which the bearing housing portion is formed, and the fan is coupled to the second end of the shaft within the fan housing and below the supporter such that the supporter and motor and fan coupled thereto are suspended in the fan housing.