Ventilating system for motor vehicles

• US 8,376,884 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2005
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPAL Automotive S.R.L.
• Original Assignee: SPAL Automotive S.R.L.
• Inventors: Spaggiari, Alessandro
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, SAMANTHA A
• Application Number:
  US11/661,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20080020698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,644 Days
• Field of Search: 454/118, 454/184, 454/139
• US Class Current: 474/184
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00464 The ventilator being of the axial type
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/0693 Details or arrangements of the wiring
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/582 specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/601 specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps

Abstract

A ventilating system, especially for a motor vehicle air conditioning system, comprises: a wall (4) for mounting an axial fan (2), the latter being equipped with a ring-shaped casing (6), with an axis (X), defined externally by a cylindrical wall (7); an electric motor (11) supported by a plurality of radial spokes (10) connected to the ring-shaped casing (6) and having an impeller (12) at the end of its output shaft; a power cable (14) connected at one end to the motor (11) and connectable at the other end to an electrical power source through a connector (14a). The axial fan (2) is mounted on the wall (4), which delimits a space (5) for containing the air conditioning system, at an air opening (3), in such a way that the impeller (12) faces the inside of the space (5) and the motor (11) faces the outside. The ring-shaped casing (6) comprises means (19) for fastening the cable (14) to its cylindrical outside surface (18) and defining a passage (25) for the cable (14) through the mounting wall (4).

Claims

1. A ventilating system, especially for motor vehicles air, comprising:

a mounting wall (4) delimiting a space (5) for containing the system (1);

an axial fan (2) mounted on both sides of the mounting wall (4) and comprising a ring-shaped casing (6) with a cylindrical outside surface (18);

a motor (11) mounted on the ring-shaped casing (6);

an impeller (12), with vanes (13), coaxial with the axis (X) of the ring-shaped casing (6) and keyed to the output shaft of the motor (11); and

a power cable (14) connected to the electric motor and connectable to an electrical power source inside the space (5),

the ventilating system being characterised in that the axial fan (2) is mounted on the wall (4) at an air opening (3), in such a way that the impeller (12) faces the inside of the space (5) and the motor (11) faces the outside; and

the ring-shaped casing (6) comprising means (19) for fastening the cable (14) to its cylindrical outside surface (18) and defining a passage (25) for the cable (14) through the mounting wall (4).

2. The system according to claim 1, characterised in that the fan (2) has a flange (8) and is fitted in the opening (3) in such a way that it can be extracted, abutting with the flange (8) against the outside surface (9) of the wall (4).

3. The system according to claim 1, characterised in that the fastening means (19) comprise retaining means (20) integral with the ring-shaped casing (6), and a cable (14) locking device (21);

the locking device (21) being removable and slotting into the retaining means (20) in such a way as to define the passage (25) for the cable (14).

4. The system according to claim 3, characterised in that the ring-shaped casing (6) has a U-shaped slot made in the vicinity of the retaining means (20), facing a first end of the locking device (21) and allowing the power cable (14) to pass through it.

5. The system according to claim 3, characterised in that the locking device (21) has at a second end of it an opening (32) defining an outlet, inside the space (5), through which the power cable (14) leads out of the ring-shaped casing (6).

6. The system according to claim 1, characterised in that the locking device (21) comprises a bottom wall (26) having a flexible portion (30) in the vicinity of its first end, and a pair of walls (27, 28) substantially parallel with each other and at right angles to the bottom wall (26);

the side walls (26, 27) and the flexible portion (30) respectively comprising radial locking means (29) and axial locking means (31) of the locking device (21) with respect to the retaining means (20).

7. The system according to claim 6, characterised in that the radial locking means (29) are defined by two ribs extending in a direction substantially parallel with the axis (X) from the opposite inside faces of the two side walls (27, 28);

and

the axial locking means (31) are defined by a pair of shoulders extending transversally to the axis (X) and made on the bottom wall (26) close to the free end of the flexible portion (30).

8. The system according to claim 7, characterised in that the retaining means (20) are defined by a pair of protrusions (22) having two longitudinal grooves (24), substantially parallel with the axis (X) of the ring-shaped casing (6), for accommodating the ribs (29), and two surfaces (23) transversal to the axis (X) for abutting against the shoulders (31).

9. The system according to claim 5, characterised in that, at the outlet opening (32) for the power cable (14), one of the two side walls has a slot (33) through which the cable (14) can pass.

10. The system according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a plurality of spokes (10) for attaching the electric motor (11) to the ring-shaped casing (6).

11. The system according to claim 10, characterised in that the connecting cable (14) is fastened to one of the spokes (10) to extend at least from the electric motor (11) to the U-shaped slot.