WO2018008342A1 - Blowing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A blowing apparatus (10) is provided with a casing (11), a fan (12), and a driving source (13). The fan (12) can be driven to rotate. The driving source (13) drives the fan to rotate. The casing (11) has: a storage space (14) that stores the fan (12); and a suction hole (15) and a discharge hole (16) that are connected to the storage space (14). The casing (11) has a tongue (17) on a boundary between the storage space (14) and the discharge hole (16). The edge of the tongue (17) is not parallel to the rotary shaft of the fan (12).

Description

Blower

The present invention relates to a blower that blows air using a fan.

Conventionally, continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) has been performed for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). In CPAP, a blower that blows air or an air-oxygen mixed gas is used.

As a conventional blower, for example, there is a flow generator described in Patent Document 1. The flow generator includes a housing, an impeller, and an electric motor. The housing is formed with an inlet and an output. The housing houses the impeller and the electric motor. The impeller is attached to the shaft of the electric motor. The impeller rotates when the electric motor operates. Thereby, air is attracted | sucked from an input part, moves to the outer peripheral part from the center part of an impeller, flows out from the outer peripheral part of an impeller, and is discharged | emitted from an output part.

JP 2009-178557 A

In the flow generator described in Patent Document 1, the impeller and the output unit are arranged at different positions in the height direction. For this reason, the air which flowed out from the outer peripheral part of the impeller moves in the direction of the rotating shaft of the impeller, and is then discharged from the output part. As described above, when the air moves in the direction of the rotation shaft of the impeller, the characteristics, efficiency, and the like of the flow generator are deteriorated. Further, since the impeller and the output portion are arranged at different positions in the height direction, the housing cannot be thinned.

On the other hand, if the impeller and the output section are arranged at the same position in the height direction, the air flow along the outer periphery of the impeller and the air flow discharged from the discharge hole are separated, and the discharge is efficiently performed. In order to exhaust air from the hole, it is necessary to provide a tongue on the housing. However, since the tongue is located close to the outer periphery of the impeller, the impeller vane passes by the tongue, causing a sudden pressure change in the air near the tongue, resulting in wind noise. Resulting in.

An object of the present invention is to provide a thin blower capable of suppressing noise during operation.

The first blower of the present invention includes a fan, a drive source, and a housing. The fan can be driven to rotate. The drive source rotates the fan. The housing includes a storage space for storing the fan, and a suction hole and a discharge hole communicating with the storage space. The housing has a tongue at the boundary between the storage space and the discharge hole. The edge of the tongue is non-parallel to the rotational axis of the fan.

The second blower of the present invention includes a fan, a drive source, and a housing. The fan can be driven to rotate. The drive source rotates the fan. The housing includes a storage space for storing the fan, and a suction hole and a discharge hole communicating with the storage space. The housing has a tongue at the boundary between the storage space and the discharge hole. An edge of the fan blade on the outer peripheral side of the fan is not parallel to the rotation axis of the fan.

In these configurations, the edge of the tongue or the edge of the fan blade on the outer peripheral side of the fan is not parallel to the rotation axis of the fan. For this reason, the pressure change of the gas in the vicinity of the tongue when the blades of the fan pass by the tongue is reduced, the generated wind noise is suppressed, and the blower can be silenced. Moreover, since a tongue part is provided in a housing | casing, thickness reduction of an air blower is attained. Further, since the noise can be reduced even when the fan and the discharge hole are located at substantially the same position in the height direction, the fan and the discharge hole can be reduced in thickness as compared with the blower described in Patent Document 1.

In the first blower of the present invention, the edge of the tongue may have a symmetrical shape when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the fan. With this configuration, when the fan rotates, the force is balanced in the direction of the rotation axis of the fan. For this reason, since air flows smoothly, the noise at the time of rotation of a fan can be reduced.

In the first or second blower of the present invention, the distance between the side wall of the housing facing the storage space and the outer periphery of the fan is minimized at the tongue, and the direction of rotation of the fan along the side wall from the tongue It is preferable that it becomes wider as it goes to the discharge hole. With this configuration, the air blowing efficiency can be improved.

In the first or second blower of the present invention, it is preferable that the side wall of the housing and the outer peripheral portion of the fan are closest to each other at the tip of the tongue. With this configuration, the air blowing efficiency can be improved.

In the first or second blower of the present invention, it is preferable that the thickness of the storage space is equal to or less than the thickness of the discharge hole on the side communicating with the storage space. Here, the thickness of the storage space and the discharge hole is the size of the storage space and the discharge hole in the rotation axis direction of the fan, respectively. With this configuration, the air blowing efficiency can be improved.

According to the present invention, noise during operation of the blower can be suppressed, and the blower can be thinned.

FIG. 1A is a plan view of the air blower 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a side view of the blower 10. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the blower 10 taken along the line AA. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the blower 10 taken along the line BB. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the blower 10 taken along the line CC. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the lower housing 112 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the fan 12 and the lower housing 112 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the main part of the cut surface when the blower 10 is cut along the line DD. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the lower housing 312 according to the blower of the comparative example. FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of the fan 12 and the lower housing 312 according to the blower of the comparative example. FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a main part of a cut surface when the blower according to the first example of the second embodiment is cut along the line DD. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing the main part of the cut surface when the blower according to the second example of the second embodiment is cut along the line DD. FIG. 9C is a diagram illustrating the main part of the cut surface when the blower according to the third example of the second embodiment is cut along the line DD. FIG. 10A is an external perspective view of the fan 72 and the lower housing 312 according to the first example of the third embodiment. FIG. 10B is a side view of the blade 723 according to the first example of the third embodiment. FIG. 11A is an external perspective view of a fan 82 according to a second example of the third embodiment. FIG. 11B is a side view of the fan 82 according to the second example of the third embodiment.

Hereinafter, several specific examples will be given with reference to the drawings to show a plurality of modes for carrying out the present invention. In each figure, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same portions. In consideration of ease of explanation or understanding of the main points, the embodiments are shown separately for convenience, but the components shown in different embodiments can be partially replaced or combined. In the second and subsequent embodiments, description of matters common to the first embodiment is omitted, and only different points will be described. In particular, the same operation effect by the same configuration will not be sequentially described for each embodiment.

<< First Embodiment >>
FIG. 1A is a plan view of the air blower 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a side view of the blower 10. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the blower 10 taken along the line AA. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the blower 10 taken along the line BB. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the blower 10 taken along the line CC. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the lower housing 112. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the fan 12 and the lower housing 112. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the main part of the cut surface when the blower 10 is cut along the line DD.

The blower 10 is used, for example, for continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) performed as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). In CPAP, a pressure of 4 cmH ₂ O or more and 20 cmH ₂ O or less is normally applied to a patient's airway by supplying pressurized air or an air-oxygen mixed gas to the patient's airway, and the patient's airway is blocked by the pressure. To prevent that.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the blower 10 includes a housing 11, a fan 12, and a motor 13. The motor 13 is an example of the “drive source” in the present invention. The housing 11 has a storage space 14 for storing the fan 12, and a suction hole 15 and a discharge hole 16 communicating with the storage space 14. The fan 12 can be rotationally driven. The motor 13 drives the fan 12 to rotate. The housing 11 has a tongue portion 17 at the boundary between the storage space 14 and the discharge hole 16. The housing 11 has a side wall 114, and the side wall 114 is parallel to the rotation axis R of the fan 12. On the other hand, the edge 171 of the tongue 17 is not parallel to the rotation axis R of the fan 12. The edge 171 of the tongue portion 17 has an inclination in a sectional view. The fan 12 and the discharge hole 16 are disposed at substantially the same position in the direction of the rotation axis R of the fan 12.

As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the casing 11 is formed by joining an upper casing 111 and a lower casing 112 to each other. The housing 11 has a main body portion 18 having a substantially disk-like appearance, and a nozzle 19 extending from the main body portion 18. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the main body 18 houses the fan 12 in the storage space 14. The storage space 14 is an internal space of the main body 18. The storage space 14 has a substantially disk shape. The normal direction of the main surface of the storage space 14 substantially coincides with the normal direction of the main surface of the main body 18. The suction hole 15 is formed on the lower surface side of the main body 18. The suction hole 15 is disposed substantially at the center of the main body 18 in plan view (as viewed from the normal direction of the main surface of the main body 18).

2 and 3B, the main body 18 is substantially circular in plan view, and the nozzle 19 extends in a substantially tangential direction of the circle in plan view. The discharge holes 16 are formed by the nozzles 19 extending from the side surfaces of the main body 18. The discharge hole 16 is a space in the nozzle 19. The discharge hole 16 gradually expands from the main body 18 side toward the opposite side. The thickness of the storage space 14 is equal to the thickness of the discharge hole 16 on the side communicating with the storage space 14. That is, the thickness of the storage space 14 is equal to or less than the thickness of the discharge hole 16 on the side communicating with the storage space 14. Thereby, the improvement of ventilation efficiency is attained. The discharge hole 16 gradually becomes thicker from the main body 18 side toward the opposite side. Thereby, for example, the tube used in CPAP and the nozzle 19 can be connected, and the air blowing efficiency can be improved. The opening area of the discharge hole 16 gradually increases from the main body 18 side toward the opposite side. Thereby, the improvement of ventilation efficiency is attained. The thicknesses of the storage space 14 and the discharge hole 16 are the sizes of the storage space 14 and the discharge hole 16 in the direction of the rotation axis R of the fan 12, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 3A, the motor 13 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 18. The motor 13 is disposed substantially at the center of the main body 18 in plan view. The shaft 131 of the motor 13 reaches the storage space 14 through an opening formed on the upper surface side of the main body 18. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the fan 12 is disposed in the storage space 14. The fan 12 has a substantially disk shape. The fan 12 is arranged such that its main surface is substantially parallel to the main surface of the main body 18. The fan 12 is attached to the shaft 131 of the motor 13. The direction of the rotation axis R of the fan 12 substantially coincides with the normal direction of the main surface of the main body 18. A rotation axis R of the fan 12 passes through a substantially central portion of the fan 12 in plan view.

As shown in FIG. 2, the flow path 141 is formed when the side wall 114 of the housing 11 and the outer peripheral portion 126 of the fan 12 face each other. The width of the channel 141 gradually increases from the tongue 17 side toward the discharge hole 16 side. In other words, the distance d1 between the side wall 114 of the housing 11 facing the storage space 14 and the outer peripheral portion 126 of the fan 12 is minimized at the tongue portion 17 and discharged from the tongue portion 17 along the side wall 114 in the rotation direction of the fan 12. It gradually becomes wider toward the hole 16. The side wall 114 facing the storage space 14 is closest to the fan 12 at the tongue 17 and gradually moves away from the fan 12 as it goes from the tongue 17 along the side wall 114 toward the discharge hole 16. The side wall 114 of the housing 11 and the outer peripheral portion 126 of the fan 12 are closest to each other at the tip portion of the tongue portion 17. The flow path 141 is smoothly connected to the discharge hole 16. The side wall 114 facing the storage space 14 is smoothly connected to the side wall 114 facing the discharge hole 16 on the side opposite to the tongue 17 side.

2 and 5, the fan 12 is formed by integrally forming a first holding plate 121, a second holding plate 122, and a plurality of blades 123. The first holding plate 121 and the second holding plate 122 are substantially disk-shaped and have substantially the same size. The plurality of blades 123 are held between the first holding plate 121 and the second holding plate 122. The first holding plate 121 is disposed on the motor 13 (see FIG. 3A) side. The second holding plate 122 is disposed on the suction hole 15 side. The main surfaces of the first holding plate 121, the second holding plate 122, and the main body 18 are substantially parallel to each other. The central portion of the main surface of the first holding plate and the central portion of the main surface of the second holding plate substantially coincide. A shaft hole 124 into which the shaft 131 of the motor 13 is fitted is formed in the first holding plate 121. The shaft hole 124 is disposed substantially at the center of the first holding plate 121 when the main surface of the first holding plate 121 is viewed in plan. The second holding plate 122 has an opening 125 for sucking air. The opening 125 is disposed substantially at the center of the second holding plate 122 when the main surface of the second holding plate 122 is viewed in plan. The blades 123 extend radially with respect to the rotation axis R of the fan 12. The blades 123 are curved so as to be convex in the rotation direction of the fan 12 with respect to the direction from the rotation axis R side of the fan 12 toward the outer peripheral portion 126 side of the fan 12. In addition, the blade | wing 123 may be formed in linear form. An edge 127 on the outer peripheral portion 126 side of the fan 12 in the blade 123 is substantially parallel to the rotation axis R of the fan 12.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the tongue 17 is provided at the boundary between the storage space 14 and the discharge hole 16. The tongue 17 bends so that the inner wall of the housing 11 protrudes toward the internal space of the housing 11 in plan view. The tongue portion 17 protrudes in a direction parallel to the main surface of the main body portion 18 on the inner space side of the housing 11. An edge 171 of the tongue portion 17 is not parallel to the rotation axis R of the fan 12 (see FIG. 3A). The edge 171 of the tongue 17 is non-parallel to the edge 127 of the blade 123 on the outer peripheral part 126 side of the fan 12 (see FIG. 5). The edge 171 of the tongue portion 17 is inclined with respect to the rotation axis R of the fan 12 in plan view from the storage space 14 side to the discharge hole 16 side. The tongue 17 protrudes from the upper surface side of the housing 11 to the inner space side of the housing 11 on the lower surface side of the housing 11. The tongue portion 17 is smoothly connected to the main body portion 18 and the nozzle 19. The tongue 17 is formed integrally with the lower housing 112. The tongue portion 17 may be formed separately from the lower housing 112 and joined to the lower housing 112. The length d3 of the inclined portion of the tongue portion 17 may be longer than the interval d2 between the adjacent blades 123 on the outer peripheral portion 126 side of the fan 12. The length d3 of the inclined portion of the tongue portion 17 is between the distal end portion 172 of the tongue portion 17 and the base end portion 173 of the tongue portion 17 (the portion where the protrusion is most suppressed) in the protruding direction of the tongue portion 17. Distance.

When the motor 13 is driven, the fan 12 rotates. As a result, air is sucked from the suction hole 15 and passes through the opening 125 of the fan 12 from below to above. The air passes between the blades 123 from the rotation axis R side of the fan 12 toward the outer peripheral portion 126 side of the fan 12, moves in the rotation direction of the fan 12 while being pressurized, and The liquid is discharged from the discharge hole 16. In this manner, the blower 10 sucks air from the suction hole 15 and discharges pressurized air from the discharge hole 16.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the lower housing 312 according to the blower of the comparative example. FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of the fan 12 and the lower housing 312 according to the blower of the comparative example. The edge of the tongue 37 is parallel to the rotation axis R of the fan 12 (see FIG. 3A). The other structure of the air blower of a comparative example is the same as that of the air blower 10.

In the blower of the comparative example, the fan 12 rotates and the blades 123 periodically pass by the tongue 37, so that the air pressure in the vicinity of the tongue 37 changes periodically. Thereby, when the fan 12 rotates, a wind noise is generated. In the first embodiment, the edge 171 of the tongue 17 is not parallel to the rotation axis R of the fan 12. Thereby, in 1st Embodiment, the time change of the pressure of the air near the tongue part 17 by rotation of the fan 12 becomes gentle compared with a comparative example. For this reason, the periodic time change of the pressure of the air near the tongue part 17 by rotation of the fan 12 is suppressed. As a result, wind noise generated when the blades 123 pass by the tongue portion 17 is suppressed, so that the air blowing device 10 can be silenced. Further, since the fan 12 and the discharge hole 16 are disposed at substantially the same position in the direction of the rotation axis R of the fan 12, the blower 10 can be thinned. Further, by making the length d3 of the inclined portion of the tongue portion 17 longer than the interval d2 of the blades 123, it becomes possible to further reduce the change in air pressure in the vicinity of the tongue portion 17, so that noise can be further reduced.

<< Second Embodiment >>
In the second embodiment, the edge of the tongue has a symmetrical shape when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the fan. FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a main part of a cut surface when the blower according to the first example of the second embodiment is cut along a DD line (see FIG. 2). FIG. 9B is a diagram showing the main part of the cut surface when the blower according to the second example of the second embodiment is cut along the line DD. FIG. 9C is a diagram illustrating the main part of the cut surface when the blower according to the third example of the second embodiment is cut along the line DD.

The edge 471 of the tongue 47, the edge 571 of the tongue 57, and the edge 671 of the tongue 67 are respectively symmetrical shapes when viewed in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis R of the fan 12 (see FIG. 3A). Have The edge 471 of the tongue portion 47, the edge 571 of the tongue portion 57, and the edge 671 of the tongue portion 67 are substantially line symmetric with respect to the axis L in plan view from the storage space 14 (see FIG. 2) side. It is. The axis L is orthogonal to the rotation axis R of the fan 12 and passes through the center of the housing in the direction of the rotation axis R of the fan 12.

The tongue portion 47 has two inclined surfaces that are inclined with respect to the direction of the rotation axis R of the fan 12. The end of the tongue 47 has a substantially triangular shape when the discharge hole 16 side is viewed from the storage space 14 side. The tongue 47 protrudes on the axis L the longest toward the internal space of the housing 41. The end portion of the tongue portion 57 has a substantially semicircular shape when the discharge hole 16 side is viewed from the storage space 14 side. The tongue 57 protrudes on the axis L the longest toward the internal space of the housing 51. The end of the tongue 47 has a recess that is recessed in a substantially triangular shape when the discharge hole 16 side is viewed from the storage space 14 side. The tongue portion 57 protrudes the longest toward the internal space of the housing 61 on the upper surface side of the housing 11 and the lower surface side of the housing 11.

In the second embodiment, the edge 471 of the tongue 47, the edge 571 of the tongue 57, and the edge 671 of the tongue 67 are axisymmetric with respect to the axis L. Therefore, when the fan 12 rotates, the rotation axis R of the fan 12 Balance the force in the direction. For this reason, since air flows smoothly, the noise at the time of rotation of a fan can be reduced.

<< Third Embodiment >>
In the third embodiment, the edge on the outer peripheral side of the fan blade is non-parallel to the rotation axis of the fan. FIG. 10A is an external perspective view of the fan 72 and the lower housing 312 according to the first example of the third embodiment. FIG. 10B is a side view of the blade 723 according to the first example of the third embodiment. The edge of the tongue 37 is parallel to the rotation axis of the fan 72. An edge 727 on the outer peripheral side of the fan 72 in the blade 723 is not parallel to the rotation axis of the fan 72. The edge 727 of the blade 723 is inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the fan 72 when viewed from the rotation direction of the fan 72. An edge 727 of the blade 723 is inclined with respect to the rotation axis of the fan 72 in a direction from the rotation axis of the fan 72 toward the outer peripheral portion. The edge 727 of the blade 723 is non-parallel to the edge of the tongue 37. The edge 727 of the blade 723 may be non-parallel to the rotation axis of the fan 72 and may have a symmetrical shape when viewed from the rotation direction of the fan 72.

FIG. 11A is an external perspective view of a fan 82 according to a second example of the third embodiment. FIG. 11B is a side view of the fan 82 according to the second example of the third embodiment. The blower of the second example of the third embodiment is the blower of the first example of the third embodiment, except that a fan 82 is provided instead of the fan 72 (see FIG. 10A). It is configured in the same way. The fan 82 is disposed so that the first holding plate 121 faces the main surface of the lower housing 312 (see FIG. 10A).

The blades 823 extend radially with respect to the rotation axis R of the fan 82. The blade 823 has a twisted shape. An edge 828 on the rotation axis R side of the fan 82 in the blade 823 is parallel to the rotation axis R of the fan 82. An edge 827 on the outer peripheral side of the fan 82 in the blade 823 is not parallel to the rotation axis R of the fan 82. The edge 827 of the blade 823 is inclined in the rotation direction of the fan 82 with respect to the rotation axis R of the fan 82.

Also in the third embodiment, since the time change of the pressure in the vicinity of the tongue portion 37 due to the rotation of the fan 72 becomes gentle, wind noise generated when the blade 723 passes by the tongue portion 37 can be suppressed.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the blower discharges air has been described. However, the blower may discharge a gas such as an air-oxygen mixed gas.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Air blower 11, 41, 51, 61 ... Housing | casing 12, 72, 82 ... Fan 13 ... Motor 14 ... Storage space 15 ... Suction hole 16 ... Discharge hole 17, 37, 47, 57, 67 ... Tongue part 18 ... Main body 19 ... Nozzle 111 ... Upper casing 112, 312 ... Lower casing 114 ... Side wall 121 ... First holding plate 122 ... Second holding plate 123, 723, 823 ... Blade 124 ... Shaft hole 125 ... Opening 126 ... Outer circumference Portions 127, 171, 471, 571, 671, 727, 827, 828 ... Edge 131 ... Shaft 141 ... Channel 172 ... Tip 173 ... Base end

Claims (6)

A fan that can be rotated,
A drive source for rotating the fan;
A blower comprising: a storage space for storing the fan; and a housing having a suction hole and a discharge hole communicated with the storage space,
The housing has a tongue at the boundary between the storage space and the discharge hole,
An air blower in which an edge of the tongue is non-parallel to a rotation axis of the fan. A fan that can be rotated,
A drive source for rotating the fan;
A blower comprising: a storage space for storing the fan; and a housing having a suction hole and a discharge hole communicating with the storage space,
The housing has a tongue at the boundary between the storage space and the discharge hole,
An air blower in which an edge of the fan blade on the outer peripheral side of the fan is non-parallel to a rotation axis of the fan. The blower device according to claim 1, wherein an edge of the tongue portion has a symmetrical shape when viewed in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the fan. The gap between the side wall of the housing facing the storage space and the outer peripheral portion of the fan is the smallest at the tongue, and from the tongue toward the discharge hole along the side wall in the rotation direction of the fan. The air blower according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which becomes wider as The air blower according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the side wall of the housing and the outer peripheral portion of the fan are closest to each other at a tip portion of the tongue portion. The blower according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a thickness of the storage space is equal to or less than a thickness of the discharge hole on a side communicating with the storage space.

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