Blower device and vehicular air-conditioning device

Abstract

A blower device and a vehicular air-conditioning device including a chamber for air flow so as to cool a motor, whereby water drops are prevented from reaching the motor with higher reliability. Included is a casing having an air intake port, an air discharge port, and a discharge flow path portion communicating between the air intake port and the air discharge port; a scroll fan provided in the casing to take in the air from the air intake port and generate an air flow to the air discharge port through the discharge flow path portion; a motor rotationally driving the scroll fan; and a motor cooling unit cooling the motor. The motor cooling unit includes a chamber for partial air flow from the discharge flow path portion and a cooling duct having an opening portion which opens into the chamber at one end and supplying air to the motor.

Claims

1. A blower device comprising: a casing comprising an air intake port, an air discharge port, and a flow path portion communicating between the air intake port and the air discharge port; a fan taking in air from the air intake port and generating an air flow to the air discharge port through the flow path portion; a motor rotationally driving the fan; and a motor cooling unit cooling the motor, the flow path portion comprising a scroll flow path portion formed continuously in a circumferential direction at a radially outer portion of the fan, and a discharge flow path portion extending straight in a tangential direction from a downstream end of the scroll flow path portion, the motor cooling unit comprising a chamber defined by the casing and taking therein a part of the air flow from a side wall of the discharge flow path portion, and a duct having an opening portion that opens vertically upward inside the chamber and that forms an intake end of the duct, the duct supplying, to the motor, the air in the chamber taken in through the opening portion, the duct being configured to take in the air in the chamber from above the opening portion, the duct being provided spaced apart from a wall of the casing that defines the chamber, in a planar view, a ceiling portion serving as an outermost wall of the chamber and having an inclined surface that is inclined downward from above, and the inclined surface being formed at least in the ceiling portion of the chamber located vertically above the opening portion.

2. The blower device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is formed into a conical shape that is gradually inclined downward to a radially outer portion from a central portion of the ceiling portion.

3. A vehicular air-conditioning device comprising the blower device according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an internal configuration of a blower device according to the present embodiment.

(2) FIG. 2 is a bottom view illustrating the blower device.

(3) FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along A-A line of FIG. 2, illustrating a configuration of a fan unit of the blower device.

(4) FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a chamber of the blower device.

(5) FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a chamber of a blower device according to a modification of the present embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(6) Embodiments of a blower device and a vehicular air-conditioning device according to the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings.

(7) FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an internal configuration of a blower device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a bottom view illustrating the blower device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along A-A line of FIG. 2, illustrating a configuration of a fan unit of the blower device. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view illustrating a chamber of the blower device. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the chamber.

(8) Blower Device

(9) As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a blower device 10 constituting the vehicular air-conditioning device includes a hollow casing 11, a fan unit 20 provided on a first end 11a side of the casing 11 so as to generate wind, a discharge nozzle unit 30 discharging the wind generated by the fan unit 20, a heat exchanger housing unit 40 provided on a second end 11b side of the casing 11 so as to house an evaporator 41, and a motor cooling unit 50.

(10) As illustrated in FIG. 3, the casing 11 has a two-part configuration with upper and lower portions, in which a bottomed, upper casing 11A that opens upward and a bottomed, lower casing 11b that opens downward are combined and connected together in the vertical direction.

(11) Fan Unit

(12) As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the fan unit 20 includes a motor 21 (see FIG. 3), a scroll fan 22 provided in the casing 11 and rotationally driven by the motor 21, an air intake port 23 (see FIG. 3) formed in the upper casing 11A, and a scroll flow path portion 24 formed in a radially outer portion of the scroll fan 22 in the casing 11.

(13) As illustrated in FIG. 3, the motor 21 includes a motor main body 21a that is held in a manner of being fit into a motor holding opening 13 formed at a bottom plate portion 11c of the lower casing 11B, and a motor shaft 21b that is axially, rotationally driven by the motor main body 21a. The motor 21 is provided such that the motor shaft 21b protrudes upward from the bottom plate portion 11c of the lower casing 11B.

(14) The scroll fan 22 is provided above the bottom plate portion 11c of the lower casing 11B while being integrally connected to the motor shaft 21b. The scroll fan 22 has a cylindrical shape with the motor shaft 21b as its center, and includes a plurality of blades 22a provided in an outer circumferential portion thereof at intervals in the circumferential direction. This scroll fan 22 is rotationally driven together with the motor shaft 21b by the motor 21, to take the outside air from an air intake port 23 formed in the upper casing 11A into a radially inner portion of the scroll fan 22 and also, send the intake air to a radially outer portion of the scroll fan 22.

(15) As illustrated in FIG. 1, the scroll flow path portion 24 is formed continuously in the circumferential direction at the radially outer portion of the scroll fan 22. The scroll flow path portion 24 gradually increases a cross-sectional area of its flow path toward a downstream side in the air flow direction along the circumferential direction.

(16) Discharge Nozzle Unit

(17) The discharge nozzle unit 30 includes a discharge flow path portion 31 formed in the casing 11, extending straight in the tangential direction from a downstream end of the scroll flow path portion 24 of the fan unit 20 and guides the air sent from the scroll flow path portion 24 to the downstream side through this discharge flow path portion 31.

(18) Heat Exchanger Housing Unit

(19) The heat exchanger housing unit 40 includes an evaporator 41 housed in the casing 11. The evaporator 41 is provided with its first surface side 41a facing a downstream end 31b side of the discharge flow path portion 31 of the discharge nozzle unit 30. Also, the casing 11 has an air discharge port 14 communicating with the outside and inside of the casing 11, at a position opposing a second surface side 41b of the evaporator 41.

(20) In such a heat exchanger housing unit 40, the air sent from the scroll flow path portion 24 and taken in through the discharge flow path portion 31 passes from the first surface side 41a to the second surface side 41b, of the evaporator 41 and exchanges heat with a refrigerant flowing in the evaporator 41. The air, after being subjected to heat exchange in the evaporator 41, is discharged to the outside of the casing 11 from the air discharge port 14 of the casing 11.

(21) Motor Cooling Unit

(22) As illustrated in FIG. 3, the motor cooling unit 50 cools the motor main body 21a of the motor 21 for rotationally driving the scroll fan 22 of the fan unit 20. This motor cooling unit 50 includes a chamber 51 taking therein the air from the discharge flow path portion 31 of the discharge nozzle unit 30, and a cooling duct 52 sending the air in the chamber 51 toward the motor main body 21a.

(23) As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the chamber 51 is formed in a region between the discharge flow path portion 31 and the scroll flow path portion 24, at an upstream portion 31a of the discharge flow path portion 31 of the discharge nozzle unit 30. Specifically, in the casing 11, the chamber 51 is surrounded by an outer peripheral wall 11s provided at a radially outer portion of the scroll flow path portion 24, a side wall 11t provided on one side in the width direction, of the discharge flow path portion 31, an L-shaped wall 53 of an L shape in plan view extending outward from an outer surface of the outer peripheral wall 11s and connecting to an outer surface of the side wall 11t, a bottom plate portion 54 formed in the lower casing 11B, and a ceiling portion 55A formed in the upper casing 11A.

(24) Moreover, the chamber 51 communicates with the discharge flow path portion 31 through a communication opening 56 formed in the side wall 11t, and a part of the air flowing through the discharge flow path portion 31 flows into the chamber 51 from this communication opening 56.

(25) As illustrated in FIG. 3, the cooling duct 52 includes a cylindrical suction nozzle 57 having an opening portion 57a that opens vertically upward inside the chamber 51 and protruding upward from the bottom plate portion 54 of the chamber 51, and a cylindrical guide flow path portion 58 continuous to the suction nozzle 57, provided along a lower portion of the bottom plate portion 11c of the lower casing 11B. The guide flow path portion 58 includes a spray nozzle 58a spraying the air to the motor main body 21a that protrudes downward from the bottom plate portion 11c of the lower casing 11B.

(26) In this motor cooling unit 50, the air flowing into the chamber 51 from the discharge flow path portion 31 through the communication opening 56 is sent from the opening portion 57a that opens into the chamber 51, to the suction nozzle 57. The air sent to the suction nozzle 57 passes the guide flow path portion 58 and then is sprayed to the motor main body 21a by the spray nozzle 58a to cool the motor main body 21a.

(27) As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the above-described motor cooling unit 50, the ceiling portion 55A of the chamber 51 has an inclined surface 59 that is inclined obliquely downward from one end portion 55a to the other end portion 55b. The inclined surface 59 is formed at least in a region of the ceiling portion 55A including a portion vertically above the opening portion 57a of the suction nozzle 57.

(28) Here, there are no limitations on the positions of the end portions 55a and 55b provided in upper and lower portions in the inclination direction, respectively, at the inclined surface 59 of the ceiling portion 55A. For example, in the ceiling portion 55A, the end portion 55b may be on the communication opening 56 side and the end portion 55a may be on the side far from the communication opening 56.

(29) In a case where water drop forms on the ceiling portion 55A of the chamber 51 due to water, etc. in the air taken into the chamber 51, this inclined surface 59 allows the water drop to flow downward from above in the inclination direction along the inclined surface 59. In this embodiment, the water drop made to flow downward along the inclined surface 59 is discharged from the communication opening 56 to the discharge flow path portion 31.

(30) According to the above-described configuration, the blower device 10 includes the motor cooling unit 50 equipped with the chamber 51 taking in a part of the air from the discharge flow path portion 31 and the cooling duct 52 having the opening portion 57a that opens into the chamber 51 and supplying, to the motor 21, the air in the chamber 51 taken in through the opening portion 57a and the ceiling portion 55A of the chamber 51 has the inclined surface 59 that is inclined downward from above. With this configuration, when water drop forms on the ceiling portion 55A of the chamber 51 due to water, etc. in the air taken into the chamber 51, the inclined surface 59 of the ceiling portion 55A allows the water drop to flow downward from above along the inclination direction of the inclined surface 59. This makes it possible to suppress the intrusion of water drop from the opening portion 57a of the motor cooling unit 50 into the cooling duct 52 and prevent it from reaching the motor 21.

(31) Also, the inclined surface 59 formed at least vertically above the opening portion 57a can prevent water drop from falling on the opening portion 57a with higher reliability.

(32) Also, according to a vehicular air-conditioning device (not illustrated) equipped with the blower device 10 of the present embodiment, the inclined surface 59 formed at the ceiling portion 55A of the blower device 10 can suppress the intrusion of water drop into the cooling duct 52 from the opening portion 57a of the motor cooling unit 50 and prevent it from reaching the motor 21.

Modification of Embodiment

(33) In the above-described embodiment, the ceiling portion 55A of the chamber 51 is inclined obliquely downward from the one end portion 55a to the other end portion 55b; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.

(34) FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a chamber of a blower device according to a modification of the present embodiment.

(35) For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the ceiling portion 55B of the chamber 51 may be formed by an inclined surface 60 of an umbrella shape extending obliquely downward to an outer circumferential end portion 55d at a radially outer portion from a central portion 55c of the ceiling portion 55B in plan view.

(36) In such a configuration as well, owing to the umbrella-like inclined surface 60 of the ceiling portion 55B of the chamber 51, when water drop forms on the ceiling portion 55B, the water drop can be guided toward the radially outer portion of the ceiling portion 55B. This makes it possible to suppress the intrusion of water drop from the opening portion 57a of the motor cooling unit 50 into the cooling duct 52 and prevent it from reaching the motor 21.

(37) Note that the above-described embodiment is described of the configuration of the blower device 10; however, the configuration of the respective units can be changed as appropriate within the gist of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

(38) 10 Blower device 11 Casing 14 Air discharge port 21 Motor 22 Scroll fan (fan) 23 Air intake port 31 Discharge flow path portion (flow path portion) 50 Motor cooling unit 51 Chamber 52 Cooling duct (duct) 55A, 55B Ceiling portion 57a Opening portion 58 Guide flow path portion 58a Spray nozzle 59, 60 Inclined surface