Heating Appliance Including a Backward-Incline Blower

Abstract

A heating appliance including a backward-incline blower is provided herein. a modified backward-incline blower design is described herein. This modified blower housing design inverts the motor side of the blower wheel and provides an inlet above the bottom of the furnace. That is, rather than the motor extruding from the top of the housing, the motor and shaft are provided below the bottom of the housing. This allows the backward-incline blower to be provided in a conventional heating appliance while still allowing the blower to have sufficient space below the blower to receive input air from the side vents of the heating appliance. The housing may be formed such that the backward-incline fan may be provided within existing rail systems within the heating appliance, allowing the backward-inline blower to be easily removed from the heating appliance for maintenance or motor replacement.

Claims

1. A gas furnace comprising: a burner chamber; a blower chamber comprising: a backward-incline fan comprising: a housing that houses a blower wheel; and a motor that is provided below a bottom end of the housing and is connected to the blower wheel by a shaft, wherein the backward-incline fan is configured to pull air through an opening at the bottom end of the housing, and wherein the air is received by the backward-incline fan via one or more air inlets of the blower chamber.

2. The gas furnace of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a top plate, and wherein the top plate of the housing is removably mounted to a horizontal wall separating the burner chamber and the blower chamber.

3. The gas furnace of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a top plate, wherein the blower chamber further comprises one or more rails, and wherein the one or more rails are configured to receive the top plate.

4. The gas furnace of claim 1, wherein the backward-incline fan further comprises a hub that extends downward into an interior cavity of the backward-incline fan, wherein the hub is configured to receive the shaft of the motor.

5. The gas furnace of claim 1, wherein a gap exists between sidewalls of the housing and blades of the blower wheel such that air travels within the gap and out of a top end of the housing.

6. The gas furnace of claim 1, wherein the one or more air inlets are provided on a side panel of the blower chamber.

7. The gas furnace of claim 6, wherein the one or more air inlets are positioned beneath the housing.

8. The gas furnace of claim 1, wherein the blower wheel comprises a top ring and a bottom ring, and wherein the bottom ring of the blower wheel is affixed to the housing.

9. A backward-incline fan for a heating appliance comprising: a housing that houses a blower wheel; and a motor that is provided below a bottom end of the housing and is connected to the blower wheel by a shaft, wherein the backward-incline fan is configured to pull air through an opening at the bottom end of the housing, and wherein the air is received by the backward-incline fan via one or more air inlets of the heating appliance.

10. The backward-incline fan of claim 9, wherein the housing further comprises a top plate, and wherein the top plate is configured to be removably mounted to a horizontal wall separating a first chamber and a second chamber of the heating appliance.

11. The backward-incline fan of claim 9, wherein the housing further comprises a top plate, wherein the heating appliance further comprises one or more rails, and wherein the top plate is slidably received by the one or more rails.

12. The backward-incline fan of claim 9, wherein the backward-incline fan further comprises a hub that extends downward into an interior portion of the backward-incline fan, wherein the hub is configured to receive the shaft of the motor.

13. The backward-incline fan of claim 9, wherein a gap is provided between sidewalls of the housing and blades of the blower wheel such that air travels within the gap and out of a top end of the housing.

14. A heating appliance comprising: a first chamber; a second chamber comprising: a backward-incline fan comprising: a housing that houses a blower wheel; and a motor that is provided below a bottom end of the housing and is connected to the blower wheel by a shaft, wherein the backward-incline fan is configured to pull air through an opening at the bottom end of the housing, and wherein the air is received by the backward-incline fan via one or more air inlets of the second chamber.

15. The heating appliance of claim 14, wherein the housing further comprises a top plate, and wherein the top plate of the housing is removably mounted to a horizontal wall separating the first chamber and the second chamber.

16. The heating appliance of claim 14, wherein the housing further comprises a top plate, wherein the second chamber further comprises one or more rails, and wherein the top plate is slidably received by the one or more rails.

17. The heating appliance of claim 14, wherein the backward-incline fan further comprises a hub that extends downward into an interior cavity of the backward-incline fan, wherein the hub is configured to receive the shaft of the motor.

18. The heating appliance of claim 14, wherein a gap exists between sidewalls of the housing and blades of the blower wheel such that air travels within the gap and out of a top end of the housing.

19. The heating appliance of claim 14, wherein the one or more air inlets are provided on a side panel of the second chamber.

20. The heating appliance of claim 14, wherein the blower wheel comprises a top ring and a bottom ring, and wherein the bottom ring of the blower wheel is affixed to the housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. In some instances, the use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and/or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. Throughout this disclosure, depending on the context, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.

[0005] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a heating appliance, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0006] FIG. 2 shows a front elevation view of the heating appliance of FIG. 1, shown with the cabinet doors removed, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0007] FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the heating appliance of FIG. 1, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0008] FIGS. 4-6 show diagrams illustrating airflow through a heating appliance, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 7 shows an existing backward-incline fan, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0010] FIGS. 8-9B show the challenges associated with implementing the backward-incline fan of FIG. 7 in an existing heating appliance, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0011] FIGS. 10A-10B show another heating appliance including a modified backward-incline fan, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure

[0012] FIGS. 11A-11C show the modified backward-incline fan of FIGS. 10A-10B, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0013] FIGS. 12A-12C show a mechanism for securing the modified backward-incline fan of FIGS. 11A-11B within a furnace, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0014] FIGS. 13A-13F show exemplary blower wheels, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Disclosed herein is a heating appliance including a backward-incline blower. As defined herein, a heating appliance may generally refer to any apparatus that uses thermal transfer from a heat exchanger to provide warm air to a conditioning space, such as a residential home or a commercial building. Non-limiting examples of such heating appliances may include gas furnaces, heat pumps, etc. Reference may be made hereinafter to a furnace, however, this is not intended to be limiting (and is merely for exemplary purposes) and another other type of heating appliance may also be applicable.

[0016] Regulations, such as fan efficiency ratings (and other types of ratings) are increasingly requiring more efficient heating appliances. One approach to improve the efficiency of existing heating appliances is to provide more efficient components within the heating appliances. One such component that provides the potential for an efficiency increase is the blower fan that produces airflow across the heat exchanger of the heating appliance. For example, in a gas furnace, the blower fan typically pulls air into the furnace through one or a combination of openings connected to the ductwork to maintain a steady velocity of airflow. This velocity, for example, is set forth in the HVAC industry by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Manual D. This velocity is constant and may require specific-sized openings to maintain the velocity and volume of the furnace without causing undue noise. The optional openings of the furnace may be at the bottom, left, and right sides. In some applications of high capacity, to maintain the velocity, two of these three options may be required. In some cases, the side openings may be almost the same as the width of the blower compartment and provide a surface area for the duct to attach. These openings are shown in a side panel of the furnace (illustrated in FIGS. 4-6) and direct the air up through the furnace and across the heat exchanger. Heat is transferred to the air from the heat exchanger, and the warm air is then routed through the conditioning space via ductwork (this process is illustrated in FIG. 6).

[0017] Conventionally, heat appliances use forward-curve blowers (the term fan may be used interchangeably herein with blower). A forward-curve blower is a fan that includes a relatively large number of shallow blades that face the direction of rotation of the fan. These fans, however, may not be as efficient as other types of fans, such as backward-incline blowers. Backward-incline blowers require less power to produce the same amount of airflow as the forward-curve blowers and provide this efficiency at higher static pressures. Therefore, the heating appliances described herein are configured to implement these backward-incline blowers in place of the less efficient forward-curve blowers.

[0018] While these backward-incline blowers are known to be more energy-efficient than forward-curve blowers, providing a backward-incline blower within conventional heating appliances presents various challenges. For example, a conventional gas furnace (shown in FIGS. 1-3) may include a blower cabinet that houses the forward-curve blower that pulls air from outside of the furnace and directs the air up towards a heat exchanger housed within a burner cabinet provided above the blower cabinet (depending on the specific configuration of the furnace). By design, the forward-curve blower pulls air through the sides of the blower housing via one or more inlet openings (illustrated in FIG. 4) and directs the air up out of the top of the blower. Accordingly, a side panel of the blower cabinet may be conventionally provided with one or more air inlets that allow air to flow through the side panel and into the forward-curve blower. To maintain proper velocity, the opening must be large enough to allow for the volume of the appliance. Therefore, the forward-curve blower housing with its dual side inlets provides for various ways for air to be pulled into the blower. It is typically positioned parallel with the direction of flow, uses up the entire area of the blower section of the furnace, and may be positioned close to the bottom of the blower cabinet and still function as intended

[0019] In contrast, the backward-incline blower operates by pulling air from a single inlet below the blower wheel that is oriented perpendicular to the direction of the air flow. The backward-incline blower is typically not provided within a housing and uses the interior of the plenum or duct as the housing. Therefore, the backward-incline blower cannot simply be provided in the same location within the furnace that the existing forward-curve blower would be provided, as there would be insufficient space below the backward-incline blower to pull air into the backward-incline blower from the side inlet openings of the side. This limits the various options the appliance can be installed.

[0020] Traditionally, backward-incline blowers are manufactured with external rotor motors with the motor on the opposite of the inlet side of the blower. These blowers may have a plate to mount the motor controller on the top. This plate may have a framework cage that surrounds the wheel and secures the wheel to the inlet plate. The blower wheel for the backward-incline blower (the portion including the fan blades that generate the airflow) is provided within the support bars or cage and may not normally include a housing. An example of this construction is shown in FIG. 7. The motor that drives the blower wheel is conventionally provided above the top plate of the housing. Given this conventional construction, the backward-incline blower often cannot be mounted to the horizontal wall separating the blower cabinet and the burner cabinet, given that the motor or the control head extrudes from the top of the housing. Further, given that the motor and blower wheel would be fixed in place, the blower would not be able to rotate to accommodate the air intakes on the side panel of the heating appliance.

[0021] One approach for achieving sufficient airflow through the bottom of the backward-incline blower may include adding a plenum to the bottom of the furnace. While this would provide for sufficient airflow using the side air intakes, this would also add manufacturing cost and complexity to the production of the furnace and may significantly increase the size of the furnace as well (this is illustrated in FIG. 8A).

[0022] To address these challenges of implementing a more energy-efficient backward-incline blower within existing heating appliances, a modified backward-incline blower design is described herein. This modified blower housing design inverts the motor side of the blower wheel and provides an inlet above the bottom of the furnace. That is, rather than the motor extruding from the top of the housing, the motor and shaft are provided below the bottom of the housing. Further details about this configuration are described with respect to at least FIGS. 10A-12C.

[0023] The housing may be formed such that the backward-incline fan is provided within existing rail systems within the heating appliance, allowing the backward-inline blower to be easily removed from the heating appliance for maintenance or motor replacement.

[0024] Turning to the figures, the general operation of a gas heating appliance is first described with reference to FIGS. 1-3. In particular, the heating appliance illustrated in these figures is a gas, forced-air furnace 10. However, as indicated above, the description of a gas furnace is merely exemplary and any other heating appliance may also be applicable. Additionally, the specific configuration of the furnace 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3 is merely one example of a gas furnace 10 and other configurations may also be possible.

[0025] In general, furnace 10, which is shown here in an upflow configuration but may also be used in horizontal and downflow configurations, comprises a housing 12 with a cross-section of a generally rectangular shape having upper and lower ends to which supply and return air ductwork (not illustrated) is operatively connected. A vertical wall 14 extends within housing 12 to define a supply plenum and a burner chamber 16. A heat exchanger assembly 18 is positioned within the supply plenum. Similarly, a horizontal wall 20 extends within housing 12 to define a blower chamber 22 which also serves as an inlet plenum. Housing 12 may comprise upper and lower doors 24, 26, which respectively open to burner chamber 16 and blower chamber 22.

[0026] Heat exchanger assembly 18 comprises a plurality of combustor tubes 28 which are horizontally spaced apart and vertically serpentine. In FIG. 3, five such combustor tubes 28 are shown. Combustor tubes 28 are secured at their inlet ends to an upper portion of vertical wall 14. The outlet ends of combustor tubes 28 are connected to a transition box 30, which is positioned in a lower portion of the supply plenum. A collector box 32 is mounted on vertical wall 14 in generally horizontal facing relationship with transition box 30, and a secondary heat exchanger (which may be of the condenser type) extends therebetween. An outlet 34 of collector box 32 is in fluid communication with an inlet of a draft inducer fan 36, which is disposed in burner chamber 16. Draft inducer fan 36 has an outlet 38 connectable to an exterior vent stack (not illustrated). Additional information regarding the operation of heat exchangers in gas, forced air furnaces is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,933, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

[0027] A burner assembly 40 is supported by fasteners to vertical wall 14 in the upper portion of burner chamber 16. In furnace 10, burner assembly 40 comprises a plurality of in-shot type gas burners which are supplied with hydrocarbon fuel (such as natural gas) through fuel supply piping 41 coupled to a supply manifold 42. A gas valve 44, which may be a DC milliamp, constant current control type gas valve, is coupled along the fuel supply piping upstream of manifold 42. The gas burners are spaced outwardly apart from, and face, the open inlet ends of associated combustor tubes 28. As is well known, the gas burners are operative during firing of furnace 10 to flow flames and hot combustion gases into the inlet ends of combustor tubes 28.

[0028] Further, a blower assembly 46 for forcing supply air across heat exchanger assembly 18 is secured in blower chamber 22 below horizontal wall 20. An outlet 48 of blower assembly 46 may be coupled with an opening 50 defined in horizontal wall 20 beneath heat exchanger assembly 18. Blower assembly 46 may comprise a variable-speed electronically commutated motor, which may facilitate two-stage operation. Finally, a control board assembly 52 may be disposed in front of blower assembly 46 in blower chamber 22. Control board assembly 52 includes control electronics to control the operation and various components of furnace 10, as is well known. A wiring harness 54 (FIG. 3), which as shown may extend between blower chamber 22 and burner chamber 16, provides electronic communication between the control circuitry of control board assembly 52 and the various components of furnace 10.

[0029] In operation, upon a demand for heat from furnace 10 by a thermostat (not illustrated) located in the space to be heated and in electronic communication with control board assembly 52, the burners of burner assembly 40 and the draft inducer fan 36 are energized. Flames and resulting combustion products from the burners are directed into the open inlet ends of combustor tubes 28, and the combustion products are drawn through the heat exchanger assembly 18 by the operation of draft inducer fan 36. In particular, the received combustion products are drawn sequentially through serpentine primary combustor tubes 28, transition box 30, the secondary heat exchanger, and collector box 32. Combustion products entering the draft inducer fan 36 from collector box 32 are discharged from fan 36 into the associated vent stack.

[0030] At the same time, blower assembly 46 draws return air from the conditioned space served by furnace 10 upwardly through return ductwork connected to an opening in the bottom of housing 12 and into blower chamber 22. Air entering chamber 22 enters the inlet of blower assembly 46 and is forced upwardly through opening 50 in horizontal wall 20 and then externally across heat exchanger assembly 18. As it traverses heat exchanger assembly 18, the air receives combustion heat from heat exchanger assembly 18. The heated air then exits housing 12 into supply ductwork for delivery to the conditioned space served by furnace 10.

[0031] FIGS. 4-5 show diagrams illustrating airflow through a gas furnace (such as furnace 10 or any other furnace configuration described herein or otherwise). Beginning with FIG. 4, another exemplary gas furnace 400 is shown (which may be similar to gas furnace 10 of FIGS. 1-3). Similar to the gas furnace 10, the gas furnace 400 includes a blower cabinet 402 and a burner cabinet 404. The burner cabinet 404 includes a heat exchanger 412 and the blower cabinet 402 includes the blower 410 that produces airflow across the heat exchanger 412. In this example, the blower 410 is a conventional forward-curve blower. As shown in FIG. 4, cool air from the environment outside of the gas furnace 400 is pulled into a side portion of the blower 410 and is directed upward into the burner cabinet 414 and across the heat exchanger 412. The air is heated via thermal transfer between the heat exchanger 412 and the air as the air passes over the heat exchanger 412. The heated air is directed outward from the gas furnace 400 and is routed through a conditioned space (e.g., residential home or commercial building) via ductwork to heat the conditioned space. FIG. 5 shows the gas furnace 400 with the side panel 406 provided over the blower chamber 402 to illustrate the location of the gas furnace 400 through which the outside air is drawn. Although not shown in the figure, the side panel 406 typically includes an air inlet in the form of one or more openings (also referred to herein as vents) to allow air to flow through the side panel 406 and into the blower chamber 402. The one or more openings are optional and are cut out of the side of the cabinet exterior to be attached to the ductwork return plenum (for example, within the conditioned space, such as the residential home or commercial building).

[0032] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary existing backward-incline fan 700. The backward-incline fan 700 includes a blower wheel 702 (including the fan blades of the backward-incline fan 700 that produce the airflow) that is provided within a support structure 701. The support structure plate 704 provides a mounting surface for the motor controller 710 of the backward-incline fan 700. In some applications, the support plate may be much smaller and only cover a small area outside the motor controller. The motor itself may be an external rotor motor that is part of the wheel. The duct, plenum, or the jacket sides are conventionally used as the housing. The bottom plate 706 divides the spaces between the return duct and the blower wheel 701 and the bottom plate 706 (while the term plate is used herein, the top plate 704 and bottom plate 706 may be made from any material, such as a plastic or any other type of material) that are supported by one or more support bars 708.

[0033] The bottom plate 706 also includes an inlet 707 through which air is pulled by the blower wheel 703. That is, air is pulled through the inlet 707 provided on the bottom plate 706, up through the center of the blower wheel 702, and is directed out through the sides of the housing 701 (the typical airflow is visualized through the arrows in the figure). The fan blades of the blower wheel 702 are provided at intervals such that the air flow can pass through the gaps between the fan blades and out of the side of the housing 701. The motor controller 710 that drives the blower wheel 702 typically extrudes above the top plate 704.

[0034] FIG. 8 shows a gas furnace 800 including the backward-incline fan of FIG. 7. Specifically, FIG. 8 illustrates the challenges associated with using the existing backward-incline fan 700 package shown in FIG. 7 within the existing furnace configurations. That is, the bottom plate 706 of the backward-incline fan 700 would be mounted on the bottom of the furnace 800 to provide sufficient room at the top of the backward-incline fan 700 for the motor 710 and blower wheel 702. Since the motor 710 and blower wheel 702 would be fixed at the bottom of the furnace 800, the backward-incline fan 700 would not be able to be rotated for side air intake (providing a disadvantage for furnaces 800 with side air inlets). Additionally, the backward-incline fan 700 would also not be easily removable from the furnace 800 for maintenance.

[0035] One alternative approach for receiving sufficient side air intake (shown in FIG. 8) may be to add an additional plenum 802 to the bottom of the furnace 800. While this would allow for the side air intake, this would also add manufacturing cost and complexity to the production of the furnace 800. This would also significantly increase the size of the furnace 800 as well (the height of the furnace 800 would increase to account for the plenum 802). This is especially problematic because the larger furnace 800 may not fit within the existing ductwork of a residential home or commercial building, which may necessitate replacing the ductwork to accommodate the larger furnace 800.

[0036] FIGS. 9A-9B further illustrate the challenges associated with using the existing backward-incline fan 700 package shown in FIG. 7. FIGS. 9A-9B again show an existing gas furnace 900. FIG. 9A shows a furnace 900 including a forward-curve blower wheel 901. As indicated previously in FIG. 4, the forward-curve blower wheel 901 pulls air sideways through the forward-curve blower wheel from the air inlets 904 in the furnace 900 and expels the air upwards through the furnace 900. In contrast, FIG. 9B shows the furnace 900 with a backward-incline fan 902. Given that the backward-incline fan 902 pulls air from below the backward-incline fan 902, the backward-incline fan 902 would need to be installed above the air inlets 904 for proper airflow. However, the heat exchanger 906 interferes with the placement of the backward-incline fan 902 in a proper position above the air inlets 904.

[0037] Finally, as previously indicated with respect to FIGS. 8A-8B, there may be insufficient space within the furnace 900 for the backward-incline fan 902 to be installed at a sufficient height above the bottom of the furnace 900 for sufficient air flow to be generated through the bottom of the backward-incline fan 902.

[0038] FIGS. 10A-10B show another gas furnace 1000 including a modified backward-incline fan 1006. In contrast with the existing backward-incline fan 700 shown in FIG. 7, the modified backward-incline fan 1006 shown in FIGS. 10A-10B includes a motor 1008 that is mounted below a housing 1007 of the backward-incline fan 1006, rather than being mounted above the top plate of the housing (as is the case with the typical existing backward-incline fan design shown in FIG. 7). In this configuration, the housing 1007 of the modified backward-incline fan 1006 may be mounted at a sufficient height above the bottom of the gas furnace 1000 such that air from the air inlet 1005 can be pulled through the bottom of the modified backward-incline fan 1006 by the blower wheel within the housing 1007). This is because the motor 1008 is not extruding from the top of the modified backward-incline fan 1006, so the modified backward-incline fan 1006 may be mounted flush against the horizontal wall 1009 between the burner cabinet 1002 and the blower cabinet 1004 (or another structure provided proximate to the top portion of the blower cabinet). Additionally, the housing 1007 allows air to be pulled upward through the furnace 1000, whereas with a conventional backward inclined fan that only includes a support structure (see FIG. 7), the air would be directed outward and not upward.

[0039] Turning to FIGS. 11A-11C, a modified backward-incline fan 1100 (which may be the same as, or similar modified backward-incline fan 1006) is illustrated. FIG. 11A shows a perspective cross-section view of the modified backward-incline fan 1100. FIG. 11B shows a front cross-section view of the modified backward-incline fan 1100. Finally, FIG. 11C shows a flipped perspective view of the modified backward-incline fan 1100 (with the motor 1108 facing upward instead of downward as shown in FIGS. 11A-11B). Reference is made to the modified backward-incline fan 1100 shown in FIG. 11C being flipped because the modified backward-inclined fan 1100 would be installed within a heating appliance with the motor 1108 facing downward toward the bottom of the heating appliance. For example, if the modified backward-inclined fan 1100 is installed in the gas furnace 10, the motor 1108 would be facing toward the bottom of the blower cabinet 22.

[0040] As is shown in FIGS. 11A-11B, the modified backward-incline fan 1100 includes a blower wheel 1105, a housing 1101, and a motor 1108 that is used to rotate the blower wheel 1105 to produce airflow. The housing 1101 encompasses the blower wheel 1105 and the motor is attached to the housing 1101 using motor mounts 1121. The mounts 1121 connect to the modified backward-incline fan 1100 within the heating appliance.

[0041] Beginning with the housing 1101, the housing 1101 is shown as including a top plate 1102, a rounded sidewall 1103, and a bottom ring 1126 (although these are described individually, the top plate 1102, rounded sidewall 1103, and bottom inlet ring 1126 may form one continuous structure). The top plate 1102 may be provided as a flat or substantially flat surface (or includes flat or substantially flat portions) such that the modified backward-incline fan 1100 may be mounted flush to a surface within a heating appliance via the top plate 1102. However, this is not intended to be limiting and the top plate 1102 may also be provided in any other shape as well (including a rounded shape).

[0042] As one non-limiting example of a mounting mechanism, and using the gas furnace 10 of FIGS. 1-3 as an example of a heating appliance, the top plate 1102 may include one or more apertures 1109 for receiving fasteners that may be used to fasten the housing 1101 to the horizontal wall 20 of the gas furnace 10 (or any other surface separating two chambers of a furnace, depending on the particular furnace design). In some instances, the housing 1101 may not necessarily be fastened directly to the horizontal wall 20, but rather may be fastened to a structure that is in contact with the horizontal wall 20. Generally speaking, the modified backward-incline fan 1100 may be mounted within the blower chamber 22 via any structure that is proximate to the top end of the blower chamber 22 such that the opening 1104 at the bottom end of the housing 1101 is sufficiently above the bottom surface of the gas furnace 10 for intake air to be drawn up through the bottom of the modified backward-incline fan 1100.

[0043] As another non-limiting example of a mounting mechanism, the housing 1101 may be mounted to the horizontal wall 20 or another structure proximate to the top end of the blower chamber 22 using one or more rails. That is, the one or more rails may be secured to a structure within the blower chamber and may be configured to slidably receive the top plate 1102 of the housing 1101 (this is illustrated in FIGS. 12A-12C).

[0044] These are merely two non-limiting examples of mechanisms by which the modified backward-incline fan 1100 may be secured within the gas furnace 10. Other suitable mechanisms are also possible. Additionally, as indicated above, reference to the gas furnace 10 is only for exemplary purposes and the modified backward-incline fan 1100 may also be provided in any other type of heating appliance as well.

[0045] The housing 1101 may be shaped such that the blower wheel 1105 of the modified backward-incline fan 1100 may be received within an internal cavity of the housing 1101. The housing 1101 also includes an aperture 1104 provided at a bottom end of the housing 1101 that allows air below the modified backward-incline fan 1100 to be pulled up through the housing 1101 and directed out of the housing 1101 above the top end of the modified backward-incline fan 1100. For example, the air may be pulled in through the opening 1104, through a gap 1115 formed between the fan blades of the blower wheel 1105 and the sidewalls 1103 of the housing 1105 and directed up out of the top end of the modified backward-incline fan 1100.

[0046] The blower wheel 1105 may include a top ring 1120, a bottom ring 1122, and one or more fan blades 1124 connected between the top ring 1120 and the bottom ring 1122. The top ring 1120 and the hub 1107 may be formed as a continuous structure of the blower wheel 1105. The fan blades 1124 may be spaced at intervals such that gaps are provided between the fan blades 1124 to allow for airflow through the modified backward-incline fan 1100 via the gaps in the fan blades 1124.

[0047] To facilitate the rotation of the blower wheel 1105, the motor 1108 is provided with a shaft 1106 that connects to the blower wheel 1105. Specifically, a proximal end 1116 of the shaft 1106 is attached to the motor 1108 and a distal end 1118 of the shaft 1106 is attached to the blower wheel 1105. Accordingly, when the motor 1108 rotates the shaft 1106, the shaft 1106 also causes a rotation of the blower wheel 1105. In embodiments, a hub 1107 may be formed within the center of the blower wheel 1105 (for example, the hub 1107 may be located centrally to the fan blades of the blower wheel 1105. The hub 1107 may extend downward into the center cavity of the blower wheel 1105 and the shaft 1106 may be connected to a bottom portion of the hub 1107 through an aperture in the hub 1107. By extending the hub 1107 downward toward the bottom of the blower wheel 1105, the length of the shaft 1106 may be reduced to stabilize the shaft 1106 and motor 1108 during operation.

[0048] FIGS. 12A-12C show an example of a mechanism for securing a modified backward-incline fan 1200 (which may be the same as, or similar to, modified backward-incline fans 1006, 1100, etc.) within a heating appliance (the heating appliance is not shown in FIGS. 12A-12C). FIGS. 12A-12B provide different perspective views, and FIG. 12C provides a side view. Specifically, FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate the previously-indicated example of a rail system that may be used to secure the modified backward-incline fan 1200 within the heating appliance. Similar to the other modified backward-incline fans described herein, the modified backward-incline fan 1200 is shown as including the housing 1201 including the top plate 1202, the blower wheel 1205 provided within the housing 1201, and the motor 1208 that is used to drive the blower wheel 1205.

[0049] To secure the modified backward-incline fan 1200 to the furnace, the heating appliance may include a plurality of rails 1210 that are configured to receive the top plate 1202 of the modified backward-incline fan 1200. The top surface 1202 of the modified backward-incline fan 1200 may be slid within the plurality of rails 1210 and may be held into place. The use of the rails allows for ease of installation of the modified backward-incline fan 1200 within the furnace and the ease of removal of the modified backward-incline fan 1200 for maintenance (that is, the modified backward-incline fan 1200 is slid along the plurality of rails 1210 to insert/remove the modified backward-incline fan 1200 from the furnace). However, the modified backward-incline fan 1200 may also be installed within the furnace using any other suitable mechanism, such as fasteners (bolts, screws, etc.), as an additional non-limiting example.

[0050] FIGS. 13A-13F provide illustrations of exemplary blower wheels 1300 (for example, the modified backward-incline fans of FIGS. 10A-12C without the housing and the motor). FIGS. 13A-13B show a more simplified version of a blower wheel 1300 to illustrate the general arrangement of the fan blades 1302 of a backward-incline fan.

[0051] Particularly, FIGS. 13A-13B show that the blower wheel 1300 with one or more fan blades 1302 that are affixed to one or more rings (for example, first ring 1304 and second ring 1306) on either end of the fan blades 1302. A rotation of the rings causes a corresponding rotation of the fan blades 1302, and the rotation of the fan blades 1302 causes airflow to be generated by the blower wheel 1300. The first ring 1304 includes an aperture 1308. Accordingly, when the fan blades 1302 are rotated, air is pulled into the blower wheel 1300 through the aperture 1308 and is then directed out of the sides 1310 of the blower wheel 1300 via the air gaps formed between the fan blades 1302 (in a similar manner as illustrated in FIG. 7). That is, during operation of the modified backward-incline fan, air is pulled from a first side 1312 of the blower wheel 1300 and directed outward away from a second end 1314 of the blower wheel 1300.

[0052] While the second ring 1306 is shown as a solid ring without an opening in the center (whereas the first ring 1304 is shown as having an opening 1308), this is not intended to be limiting and other blower wheel configurations are also possible. For example, the second ring 1306 may also have an opening such that some of the air that is pulled through the blower wheel 1300 may be directed through the opening of the second ring 1306 as well.

[0053] FIGS. 13C-13D show a modified blower wheel 1350. The modified blower wheel 1350 includes similar elements as the blower wheel 1300 shown in FIGS. 13A-13B, but also includes a hub 1316 that is connected to the second ring 1306. The hub 1316 includes an aperture 1318 that is configured to receive a shaft of the motor (not shown in FIGS. 13A-13D) that is used to drive the blower wheel 1300. That is, the shaft of the motor may be inserted into the aperture 1318 of the hub 1316. Given that the shaft is then fixed within the aperture 1318, a rotation of the shaft would cause a corresponding rotation of the blower wheel 1300.

[0054] FIGS. 13E-13F show another perspective (the perspective facing the second ring 1306 instead of the perspective facing the first ring 1304) of the blower wheels 1300 and 1350 shown in FIGS. 13A-13D. Specifically, FIG. 13E shows another perspective of the blower wheel 1300 and FIG. 13F shows another perspective of the blower wheel 1350.

[0055] It should be apparent that the foregoing relates only to certain embodiments of the present application and that numerous changes and modifications may be made herein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the general spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[0056] Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality described with respect to a particular device or component may be performed by another device or component. Further, while specific device characteristics have been described, embodiments of the disclosure may relate to numerous other device characteristics. Further, although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, can, could, might, or may, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments may not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments.