Apparatus for conveying a cooling air flow having a cooling domes

• US 8,230,910 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Company KG (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Company KG (MAHLE-STIFTUNG GmbH)
• Inventors: Bielesch, Thomas, Schweizer, Benjamin, Spieth, Michael, Vollert, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): CIRIC, LJILJANA V
• Application Number:
  US12/090,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20080264600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,127 Days
• Field of Search: 165/200, 165/201, 165/202, 165/41, 165/42, 165/121, 165/122, 165/185, 165/80.2, 165/80.3, 165/104.31, 165/104.33, 165/120, 338/50, 338/51, 338/96, 180/68.1, 123/41.12, 361/697
• US Class Current: 165/200
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 7/048 using electrical drives
• 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 29/526 Details of the casing section radially opposing blade tips ducts F04D29/545
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5813 Cooling the control unit

Abstract

An apparatus for conveying a cooling air flow for at least one motor vehicle heat exchanger has a fan frame, a fan wheel, a fan control unit, and a cooling body. The fan frame has a frame opening, which the fan wheel rotates within. The fan control unit is arranged in an edge region of the frame opening. The cooling body cools the fan control unit and has cooling domes. A first cooling dome is arranged entirely radially exterior to the frame opening and a second cooling dome is located partially radially within the frame opening and partially radially exterior to the frame opening. The first cooling dome exchanges heat with an auxiliary flow that flows radially exterior to the frame opening with respect to the center of the fan wheel when the fan wheel rotates.

Claims

1. An apparatus for conveying a cooling air flow for at least one motor vehicle heat exchanger, comprising:

a fan frame having a frame opening,

a fan wheel configured to rotate in the frame opening,

a fan control unit which is arranged in an edge region of the frame opening, and

a cooling body configured to cool the fan control unit and comprising a plurality of cooling domes, wherein a first cooling dome is arranged entirely radially exterior to the frame opening with respect to a center of the fan wheel, and a second cooling dome is located partially radially within the frame opening and partially radially exterior to the frame opening with respect to the center of the fan wheel,

wherein the first cooling dome is configured to exchange heat with an auxiliary flow that flows radially exterior to the frame opening with respect to the center of the fan wheel when the fan wheel rotates.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame opening has a frame ring of cylindrical configuration.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first cooling dome is arranged radially exterior to the frame ring and forms a bypass channel.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bypass channel has a through opening which is arranged in the fan frame for the auxiliary flow.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein heat dissipation elements are arranged in the bypass channel.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fan wheel has a cover.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame opening has an air inlet region having a bell-shaped configuration, and a cover is arranged between the air inlet region and the second cooling dome such that a gap is formed between the air inlet region and a front edge of the cover.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the auxiliary flow is generated in a region of the gap and the front edge of the cover by rotation of the fan wheel.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second cooling dome is configured to exchange heat with the cooling air flow when the fan wheel rotates.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a cover located between an air inlet region of the frame opening and the second cooling dome, and wherein the second cooling dome protrudes into the frame opening and is configured to exchange heat with the cooling air flow.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a length of the first cooling dome differs from a length of the second cooling dome.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a base plate connected to a first end of each of the plurality of cooling domes.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of cooling domes includes a second end, and wherein the second ends form an arc that corresponds to an outer circumference of a fan cover.