AXIAL FLOW FAN

• US 20160097396A1
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nidec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nidec Corporation
• Inventors: TAKAOKA, Tsukasa, HAYASHIDA, Ryota, YAMAZAKI, Shoki, YAMAGATA, Ryota, HIGASHIDANI, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 9,957,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 19/002 Axial flow fans
• 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 25/068 Mechanical details of the pump control unit pump control details F04D27/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/703 specially for fans, e.g. fan guards

Abstract

A fan includes a motor part, an impeller fixed to the motor part, a housing, and a first circuit board mounted with electronic components. The motor part includes an armature having coils, and a second circuit board connected to the coils and the first circuit board. The housing surrounds outer peripheries of the motor part and the impeller. The housing includes an intake port which is an upper opening of the housing, an exhaust port which is a lower opening of the housing, a flange portion enlarged radially outward from an outer circumferential surface of the housing, and a circuit board fixing portion protruding from the outer circumferential surface and making contact with the first circuit board. The first circuit board is disposed spaced apart from the outer circumferential surface, positioned radially inward of a radial outer edge of the flange portion, and arranged to extend in an axial direction.

Claims

1. A fan comprising:

a motor part arranged to rotate about a center axis extending up and down;

an impeller including a plurality of blades extending radially outward, the impeller fixed to the motor part;

a housing arranged to surround outer peripheries of the motor part and the impeller, the housing including a cylindrical inner circumferential surface and a cylindrical outer circumferential surface;

a first circuit board positioned radially outward of the outer circumferential surface of the housing and electrically connected to the motor part; and

a plurality of ribs arranged to interconnect the motor part and the housing,

wherein the motor part includes an armature having coils, and a second circuit board electrically connected to the coils and the first circuit board,

the housing includes an intake port which is an upper opening of the housing, an upper edge which surrounds the intake port, an exhaust port which is a lower opening of the housing, a lower edge which surrounds the exhaust port, a flange portion enlarged radially outward from the outer circumferential surface of the housing, and a circuit board fixing portion protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the housing and making contact with the first circuit board, and

the first circuit board is mounted with a plurality of electronic components and is disposed in a spaced apart relationship with the outer circumferential surface of the housing, the first circuit board being positioned radially inward of a radial outer edge of the flange portion and arranged to extend in an axial direction.

2. The fan of claim 1, wherein the shape of a radial outer edge of the flange portion is a substantially square shape having four corner portions,

at least an electrolytic capacitor is mounted on the first circuit board, and

when viewed in the axial direction, the electrolytic capacitor is disposed in a position overlapping with a virtual straight line which interconnects the center axis and one of the corner portions.

3. The fan of claim 1, wherein the flange portion includes an upper flange portion positioned in an upper portion of the housing and a lower flange portion positioned in a lower portion of the housing.

4. The fan of claim 1, wherein the first circuit board has a shape of a flat plate extending in the axial direction,

a region of the outer circumferential surface of the housing, which radially faces the first circuit board, is a planar surface, and

the circuit board fixing portion is disposed on the planar surface.

5. The fan of claim 1, wherein the circuit board fixing portion includes a first circuit board fixing portion and a second circuit board fixing portion disposed along a circumferential direction, and

at least one of the electronic components of the first circuit board is circumferentially positioned between the first circuit board fixing portion and the second circuit board fixing portion.

6. The fan of claim 1, wherein the circuit board fixing portion includes a first circuit board fixing portion and a second circuit board fixing portion disposed along the axial direction, and

at least one of the electronic components of the first circuit board is axially positioned between the first circuit board fixing portion and the second circuit board fixing portion.

7. The fan of claim 1, wherein the circuit board fixing portion includes a plurality of circuit board fixing portions, and

at least one of the plurality of circuit board fixing portions is disposed at a lower side of the ribs.

8. The fan of claim 1, wherein the housing includes at least a first housing positioned at an axial upper side and a second housing positioned at an axial lower side, and

the first circuit board is disposed over the first housing and the second housing.

9. The fan of claim 8, further comprising:

a cover member provided independent of the first housing and the second housing, and disposed radially outward of the outer circumferential surface of the housing,

wherein when viewed in the axial direction, the first circuit board is surrounded by the outer circumferential surface of the first housing or the outer circumferential surface of the second housing and the cover member, and

the cover member is arranged to interconnect the first housing and the second housing.

10. The fan of claim 1, wherein the housing includes at least a first housing positioned at an axial upper side and a second housing positioned at an axial lower side,

the first circuit board is disposed over the first housing and the second housing, and

each of the first housing and the second housing includes the circuit board fixing portion.

11. The fan of claim 1, further comprising:

a cover member provided independent of the housing and disposed radially outward of the outer circumferential surface of the housing,

wherein when viewed in the axial direction, the first circuit board is surrounded by the outer circumferential surface of the housing and the cover member.

12. The fan of claim 1, further comprising:

a cover member provided independent of the housing and disposed radially outward of the outer circumferential surface of the housing,

wherein the cover member is configured to fix the first circuit board to the housing.