Blower Assembly And Method

• US 20150260201A1
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Revcor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Revcor Incorporated
• Inventors: Hall, Craig R., Adamski, Stephen A., Shoemaker, Nathan K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,995,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 17/04 of transverse-flow type
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/283 rotors of the squirrel-cage type
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/666 by means of rotor construction or layout, e.g. unequal distribution of blades or vanes
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/667 by influencing the flow pattern, e.g. suppression of turbulence

Abstract

In one aspect, a blower assembly is provided having a housing and a cross flow fan rotatably mounted to the housing. Rotation of the fan drives fluid flow through the housing and produces an eccentric vortex of fluid flow in the housing. The fan has a circular blade support that induces fluid flow with rotation of the fan which interacts with the eccentric vortex. The circular blade support has at least one flow interrupter configured and arranged to rotate through the interaction of the eccentric vortex and the flow induced by the circular blade support to disrupt the interaction between the eccentric vortex and the flow induced by the circular blade support. In this manner, the at least one flow interrupter reduces the effect of the unstable vortex-blade support interaction on the airflow through the blower assembly which stabilizes the air loading on the blower assembly motor and reduces the noise.

Claims

1. A blower assembly comprising:

a housing;

a cross flow fan rotatably mounted to the housing with rotation of the fan driving fluid flow through the housing and producing an eccentric vortex of fluid flow in the housing;

a circular blade support of the fan that induces fluid flow with rotation of the cross flow fan which interacts with the eccentric vortex; and

at least one flow interrupter of the circular blade support configured and arranged to rotate through the interaction of the eccentric vortex and the flow induced by the rotating circular blade support and disrupt the interaction between the eccentric vortex and the flow induced by the rotating circular blade support.

2. The blower assembly of claim 1 wherein the circular blade support has a generally flat face producing a laminar boundary layer with rotation of the fan and the at least one interrupter breaks up the laminar boundary layer with rotation of the fan.

3. The blower assembly of claim 1 wherein the circular blade support includes a plurality of flow interrupters spaced apart about the circular blade support.

4. The blower assembly of claim 1 wherein the circular blade support includes at least one opening associated with the at least one flow interrupter.

5. The blower assembly of claim 4 wherein the at least one flow interrupter includes a plurality of flow interrupters and the at least one opening includes an opening associated with each of the plurality of flow interrupters.

6. The blower assembly of claim 1 further comprising an electric motor having a high electrical resistance rotor.

7. The blower assembly of claim 1 wherein the fan includes a plurality of blades attached to the circular blade support at locations unevenly spaced about the circular blade support.

8. The blower assembly of claim 1 wherein the fan includes twenty-two blades spaced about the circular blade support by an uneven angular displacement between adjacent blades, the angular displacement of the blades including:

a first angular displacement of approximately 16.1 degrees;

a second angular displacement of approximately 18.5 degrees;

a third angular displacement of approximately 19.4 degrees;

a fourth angular displacement of approximately 17.8 degrees;

a fifth angular displacement of approximately 15.4 degrees;

a sixth angular displacement of approximately 13.9 degrees;

a seventh angular displacement of approximately 13.9 degrees;

an eighth angular displacement of approximately 15.4 degrees;

a ninth angular displacement of approximately 17.8 degrees;

a tenth angular displacement of approximately 19.4 degrees;

an eleventh angular displacement of approximately 18.5 degrees;

a twelfth angular displacement of approximately 16.1 degrees;

a thirteenth angular displacement of approximately 14.3 degrees;

a fourteenth angular displacement of approximately 13.8 degrees;

a fifteenth angular displacement of approximately 14.7 degrees;

a sixteenth angular displacement of approximately 16.9 degrees;

a seventeenth angular displacement of approximately 19.1 degrees;

an eighteenth angular displacement of approximately 19.1 degrees;

a nineteenth angular displacement of approximately 16.9 degrees;

a twentieth angular displacement of approximately 14.7 degrees;

a twenty-first angular displacement of approximately 13.8 degrees; and

a twenty-second angular displacement of approximately 14.3 degrees.

9. A blower assembly comprising:

a housing;

a cross flow fan mounted to the housing;

a circular blade support of the fan having a center;

at least one flow interrupter of the circular blade support disposed radially outward from the center of the circular blade support; and

a plurality of blades of the fan connected to the circular blade support radially outward from the at least one flow interrupter and spaced circumferentially about the circular blade support.

10. The blower assembly of claim 9 wherein the circular blade support has a generally planar face and the at least one flow interrupter extends transversely to the face of the circular blade support.

11. The blower assembly of claim 9 wherein the circular blade support has a flat outer surface adjacent the at least one flow interrupter and the at least one flow interrupter is upstanding from the flat outer surface.

12. The blower assembly of claim 9 wherein the at least one flow interrupter includes a plurality of flow interrupters in a circular arrangement about the center of the circular blade support.

13. The blower assembly of claim 9 wherein the at least one flow interrupter has a base portion connected to an adjacent region of the circular blade support and a tip portion spaced away from the base portion and the adjacent region of the circular blade support.

14. The blower assembly of claim 9 wherein the circular blade support has at least one through opening disposed radially outward from the center of the circular blade support and radially inward from the plurality of blades.

15. The blower assembly of claim 9 wherein the circular blade support has at least one opening at the at least one flow interrupter.

16. The blower assembly of claim 15 wherein the at least one flow interrupter includes a plurality of flow interrupters and the at least one opening includes an opening at each of the plurality of flow interrupters.

17. The blower assembly of claim 16 wherein the plurality of flow interrupters are in a circular arrangement about the center of the circular blade support and the plurality of openings are in a corresponding circular arrangement about the center of the circular blade support.

18. The blower assembly of claim 9 wherein the at least one flow interrupter has a polygonal shape.

19. The blower assembly of claim 9 further comprising an electric motor for rotating the cross flow fan and the motor includes a high electrical resistance rotor.

20. The blower assembly of claim 9 wherein the at least one flow interrupter includes a plurality of flow interrupters having different shapes.

21. A blower assembly comprising:

a housing;

a cross flow fan mounted in the housing for rotating about an axis;

a first blade support and a second blade support of the cross flow fan;

at least one protrusion of the first blade support extending axially toward the second blade support; and

at least one protrusion of the second blade support extending axially toward the first blade support.

22. The blower assembly of claim 21 wherein the at least one protrusion of the first blade support includes a plurality protrusions in a spaced, generally circular arrangement about the first blade support.

23. The blower assembly of claim 22 wherein the at least one protrusion of the second blade support includes a plurality of protrusions in a spaced, generally circular arrangement about the second blade support.

24. The blower assembly of claim 21 wherein at least one of the first blade support and the second blade support includes at least one through opening at the at least one protrusion thereof.

25. The blower assembly of claim 21 wherein at least one of the first blade support and the second blade support includes a plurality of protrusions and the one of the first blade support and the second blade support includes a corresponding plurality of through openings in the one of the first blade support and the second blade support.

26. The blower assembly of claim 21 wherein the cross flow fan includes a plurality of blades mounted to the first and second blade supports at unevenly spaced positions about the circumferences of the first and second blade supports.

27. The blower assembly of claim 26 wherein the plurality of blades are sinusoidally spaced about the circumferences of the first and second blade supports.

28. The blower assembly of claim 26 wherein at least one of the first blade support and the second blade support includes a plurality of protrusions at evenly spaced positions about the one of the first blade support and the second blade support.

29. The blower assembly of claim 21 further comprising an electrical motor for rotating the cross flow fan about the axis and the motor includes a high electrical resistance rotor.

30. The blower assembly of claim 21 wherein the cross flow fan includes a third blade support having at least one protrusion extending axially toward one of the first and second blade supports.

31. The blower assembly of claim 30 wherein the third blade support includes at least two protrusions with one protrusion extending axially toward the first blade support and another protrusion extending axially toward the second blade support.