Power equipment cooling system

• US 10,232,502 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Original Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Inventors: Bylund, Christian, Nyberg, Tobias, Malmqvist, Lars, Martinsson, Par, Levander, Andreas, Lejon, Jan, Wibling, Fredrik, Haglind, Jonas
• Primary Examiner(s): Redding, David
• Application Number:
  US15/124,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20170021489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 20/47 Vacuum or blower devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/14 cleaning by blowing-off, also combined with suction cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/008 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/002 Axial flow fans
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/06 the pump being electrically driven F04D25/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/0613 the electric motor being of the inside-out type, i.e. the rotor is arranged radially outside a central stator
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/0673 Battery powered
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/00 Control, e.g. regulation, of pumps, pumping installations or pumping systems specially adapted for elastic fluids
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/38 Blades for axial flow compressors F04D29/324
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/522 especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/542 Bladed diffusers fixing blades to stators F01D9/042
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5806 Cooling the drive system
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5813 Cooling the control unit

Abstract

A method of cooling blower components may include rotating a fan assembly (160) responsive to operation of a motor (120). The rotation of the fan assembly may create an underpressure region in an inlet portion (154) and an overpressure region at a main channel (340) of the fan assembly (160). The method may further include drawing air into the inlet portion (154) through a control unit housing portion (132) of a housing (110) of the blower (100) to cool a control unit (130) of the blower (100), drawing air into the inlet portion (154) through a battery compartment (142) to cool a battery (140) of the blower (100), and pushing air from the main channel (340) through a motor housing (320) to cool the motor (120).

Claims

1. A blower comprising:

a housing including a handle portion;

a motor provided in a motor housing;

a fan assembly operably coupled to the motor to force air through a blower tube responsive to operation of the motor; and

control circuitry provided in a control unit housing portion of the housing to selectively apply power to the motor for operation of the motor,

wherein the fan assembly draws air through a first aperture into an inlet portion of the blower tube through the fan assembly to be expelled at an outlet of the blower tube responsive to operation of the motor, and

wherein cooling air is drawn through a second aperture, the second aperture being different than the first aperture, through the control unit housing portion to be expelled at an outlet aperture of the control unit housing into the inlet portion of the blower tube.

2. The blower of claim 1, wherein the motor housing further comprises at least one motor housing inlet aperture to enable a portion of the air passing through the fan assembly to enter the motor housing to cool the motor.

3. The blower of claim 2, wherein the portion of the air that enters the motor housing moves in a direction parallel to a tube axis of the blower tube prior to exiting the motor housing into the blower tube.

4. The blower of claim 2, wherein the at least one motor housing inlet aperture is located between a fan blade and a stator blade of the fan assembly.

5. The blower of claim 2, wherein the at least one motor housing inlet aperture is located downstream at least a portion of the fan assembly.

6. The blower of claim 1, wherein the cooling air moves in a first direction while passing between the second inlet aperture and the outlet aperture, and moves in a second direction that is substantially opposite the first direction after being expelled from the outlet aperture and being incorporated into the air passed through the fan assembly.

7. The blower of claim 1, further comprising a battery disposed in a battery compartment of the housing, wherein the battery compartment includes at least one inlet aperture and at least one outlet aperture via which battery cooling air passes past the battery and into the inlet portion.

8. The blower of claim 7, wherein all air entering the inlet portion via the battery compartment or the control unit housing portion undergoes a direction change prior to being expelled from the fan assembly.

9. The blower of claim 7, wherein the battery and the control unit are cooled by air upstream of an axial rotor hub of the fan assembly and the motor is cooled by air downstream of the axial rotor hub.

10. A blower comprising:

a housing including a handle portion;

a motor provided in a motor housing;

a fan assembly operably coupled to the motor to force air through a blower tube responsive to operation of the motor; and

control circuitry provided in a control unit housing portion of the housing to selectively apply power to the motor for operation of the motor,

wherein the fan assembly draws air through a first aperture into an inlet portion of the blower tube through the fan assembly to be expelled at an outlet of the blower tube responsive to operation of the motor,

wherein the motor housing further comprises at least one motor housing inlet aperture to enable a portion of the air passing through the fan assembly to enter the motor housing to cool the motor, and

wherein the at least one motor housing inlet aperture is located closer to the outlet of the blower tube than at least a portion the fan assembly.

11. The blower of claim 10, wherein the portion of the air that enters the motor housing moves in a direction parallel to a tube axis of the blower tube prior to exiting the motor housing into the blower tube.

12. The blower of claim 10, wherein the at least one motor housing inlet aperture is located between a fan blade and a stator blade of the fan assembly.

13. The blower of claim 10, wherein cooling air is drawn through a second aperture, the second aperture being different than the first aperture, through the control unit housing portion to be expelled at an outlet aperture of the control unit housing into the inlet portion of the blower tube.

14. The blower of claim 10, wherein the cooling air moves in a first direction while passing between the second inlet aperture and the outlet aperture, and moves in a second direction that is substantially opposite the first direction after being expelled through from the outlet aperture and being incorporated into the air passed through the fan assembly.

15. The blower of claim 10, further comprising a battery disposed in a battery compartment of the housing, wherein the battery compartment includes at least one inlet aperture and at least one outlet aperture via which battery cooling air passes past the battery and into the inlet portion.

16. The blower of claim 15, wherein wherein all air entering the inlet portion via the battery compartment or the control unit housing portion undergoes a direction change prior to being expelled from the fan assembly.

17. The blower of claim 15, wherein the battery and the control unit are cooled by air upstream of an axial rotor hub of the fan assembly and the motor is cooled by air downstream of the axial rotor hub.

18. A method of cooling blower components, the method comprising:

rotating a fan assembly responsive to operation of a motor, the rotation of the fan assembly creating an underpressure region in an inlet portion and an overpressure region at a main channel of the fan assembly;

drawing air through a first aperture into the inlet portion to be expelled at an outlet of a tube of the blower;

drawing cooling air through a second aperture, the second aperture being different than the first aperture, into the inlet portion through a control unit housing portion of a housing of the blower to cool a control unit of the blower;

drawing air into the inlet portion through a battery compartment to cool a battery of the blower; and

pushing air from the main channel through a motor housing to cool the motor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein all air entering the inlet portion via the battery compartment or the control unit housing portion undergoes a direction change prior to being expelled from the fan assembly.