US20110070081A1 - Cooling fan with internally tapered housing - Google Patents
Cooling fan with internally tapered housing Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110070081A1 US20110070081A1 US12/610,389 US61038909A US2011070081A1 US 20110070081 A1 US20110070081 A1 US 20110070081A1 US 61038909 A US61038909 A US 61038909A US 2011070081 A1 US2011070081 A1 US 2011070081A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- fan housing
- fan
- outer edge
- central axis
- cooling fan
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 31
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005299 abrasion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
- F04D29/08—Sealings
- F04D29/16—Sealings between pressure and suction sides
- F04D29/161—Sealings between pressure and suction sides especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
- F04D29/164—Sealings between pressure and suction sides especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps of an axial flow wheel
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04D—NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04D29/00—Details, component parts, or accessories
- F04D29/40—Casings; Connections of working fluid
- F04D29/52—Casings; Connections of working fluid for axial pumps
- F04D29/54—Fluid-guiding means, e.g. diffusers
- F04D29/541—Specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
- F04D29/545—Ducts
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates generally to cooling fans, and more particularly to an axial fan with a fan housing which can be easily fabricated.
- Cooling fans are commonly used in combination with heat sinks for cooling electronic components, such as CPUs. Normally, the heat sink is arranged on the electronic component to absorb heat therefrom, while the cooling fan is arranged on the heat sink to produce forced airflow flowing through the heat sink to take away the heat.
- the cooling fan includes a stator, a rotor rotatably supported by the stator, and a fan housing surrounding the rotor for guiding the forced airflow through the heat sink.
- the fan housing usually has a rectangular or annular profile. An inner surface of the fan housing facing the rotor is cylindrical, to avoid interference of the rotor and the fan housing during rotation of the rotor.
- the fan housing is usually made of plastic, by a process of injection molding. During the molding process, after the fan housing is molded in a mold, it is difficult to separate the fan housing from the mold because the inner surface of the fan housing is cylindrical. As a result, the fan housing is liable to sustain abrasion of the inner surface thereof and/or deformation during the removal process.
- the drawing is a cross-sectional view of a cooling fan according to an exemplary embodiment.
- the drawing shows a cooling fan according to an exemplary embodiment, the cooling fan including a fan housing 12 , a stator 20 , a rotor 14 , and a pair of bearings 129 .
- the fan housing 12 is annular (or cylindrical) and hollow.
- An air inlet 121 is formed at a top of the fan housing 12
- an air outlet 123 is formed at a bottom of the fan housing 12 opposite to the air inlet 121 .
- the fan housing 12 has an inner surface 124 surrounding the rotor 14 .
- the inner surface 124 converges (tapers) slightly in a downward direction, i.e., the inner surface 124 of the fan housing 12 slants towards a central axis O of the fan housing 12 from top to bottom.
- the inner surface 124 of the fan housing 12 expands slightly in an upward direction away from the central axis O of the fan housing 12 , with an inner space 126 surrounded by the inner surface 124 correspondingly expanding slightly in the upward direction. Accordingly, the air inlet 121 at the top of the fan housing 12 is a little larger than the air outlet 123 at the bottom of the fan housing 12 .
- a first angle ⁇ 1 between the inner surface 124 and the central axis O of the fan housing 12 is in the range of 0.3 ⁇ 3 degrees.
- a base 125 is received in the fan housing 12 , and is arranged at the air outlet 123 .
- a central tube 128 extends upwardly from a center of the base 125 .
- a central hole 30 extends through the central tube 128 , such that top and bottom ends of the central tube 128 are open. That is, the central hole 30 is a through hole.
- an annular recess 32 communicating with the central hole 30 is formed at an inner periphery of each of the top and bottom ends of the central tube 128 .
- Each recess 32 has a diameter exceeding that of the central hole 30 .
- the top and bottom ends of the central tube 128 have an inner diameter exceeding that of a middle portion of the central tube 128 .
- the stator 20 is mounted around the central tube 128 of the base 125 .
- the stator 20 includes a stator core 22 with coils 24 wound thereon to establish an alternating magnetic field, and a PCB (printed circuit board) 26 electrically connected with the coils 24 to control electrical current flowing through the coils 24 .
- PCB printed circuit board
- the rotor 14 includes a hub 146 forming a shaft seat 147 at a central portion thereof, a plurality of rotary blades 142 extending radially and outwardly from an outer periphery of the hub 146 , a magnet 148 adhered to an inner surface 124 of the hub 146 and facing the coils 24 of the stator 20 , and a shaft 144 extending downwardly from the shaft seat 147 of the rotor 14 .
- the shaft 144 defines an annular notch 140 at a distal end thereof.
- Each of the rotary blades 142 has an outer edge 145 confronting the inner surface 124 of the fan housing 12 .
- the outer edge 145 of each rotary blade 142 is approximately parallel to the inner surface 124 of the fan housing 12 . That is, the outer edge 145 of the rotary blade 142 slants towards the central axis O of the fan housing 12 from top to bottom.
- a second angle ⁇ 2 between the outer edge 145 of the rotary blade 142 and the central axis O of the fan housing 12 is equal to the first angle ⁇ 1 between the central axis O and the inner surface 124 of the fan housing 12 .
- a distance between the outer edge 145 of the rotary blade 142 and the inner surface 124 of the fan housing 12 is constant from top to bottom.
- a height of the outer edge 145 of the rotary blade 142 as measured parallel to the central axis O of the fan housing 12 is designated as H
- a first distance between a bottom end of the outer edge 145 of the rotary blade 142 and the central axis O of the fan housing 12 is designated as R 1
- a second distance between a top end of the outer edge 145 of the rotary blade 142 and the central axis O of the fan housing 12 is designated as R 2 .
- the bearings 129 are received in the top and bottom recesses 32 of the central tube 128 , respectively, and surround the shaft 144 .
- the rotor 14 When assembled, the rotor 14 is received in the inner space 26 and surrounded by the inner surface 124 , with the shaft 144 extending through the bearings 129 .
- the shaft 144 of the rotor 14 is rotatably supported by the pair of bearings 128 .
- a locking ring 40 is arranged in the bottom recess 32 of the central tube 128 and engages in the notch 140 of the shaft 144 to limit movement of the shaft 144 along an axial direction thereof.
- a coil spring 50 is arranged between the bottom bearing 129 and the central tube 128 for applying a preset engaging pressure between the rotor 14 and the top bearing 129 , thereby ensuring that the top bearing 129 remains stationary relative to the hub 146 in the axial direction of the shaft 144 .
- the rotor 14 is rotated by the interaction of the alternating magnetic field established by the stator 20 and the magnetic field of the magnet 148 of the rotor 14 .
- the rotary blades 142 thus produce forced airflow to take away heat generated in an application environment that employs the cooling fan. Since the distance between the outer edge 145 of each rotary blade 142 and the inner surface 124 and the fan housing 12 is uniform from top to bottom, during rotation of the rotor 14 , interference of the rotor 14 and the fan housing 12 is avoided, and the cooling fan can operate smoothly and quietly.
Abstract
A cooling fan includes a fan housing and a rotor. The fan housing includes an inner surface defining an inner space therein. The inner surface expands along a direction parallel to a central axis of the fan housing. The rotor is received in the inner space and surrounded by the inner surface of the fan housing. The rotor includes a hub and a plurality of rotary blades extending outwardly from the hub. Each of the rotary blades has an outer edge confronting the inner surface of the fan housing. The outer edge of each rotary blade slants towards the central axis of the fan housing.
Description
- 1. Technical Field
- The present disclosure relates generally to cooling fans, and more particularly to an axial fan with a fan housing which can be easily fabricated.
- 2. Description of Related Art
- Cooling fans are commonly used in combination with heat sinks for cooling electronic components, such as CPUs. Normally, the heat sink is arranged on the electronic component to absorb heat therefrom, while the cooling fan is arranged on the heat sink to produce forced airflow flowing through the heat sink to take away the heat.
- Generally, the cooling fan includes a stator, a rotor rotatably supported by the stator, and a fan housing surrounding the rotor for guiding the forced airflow through the heat sink. The fan housing usually has a rectangular or annular profile. An inner surface of the fan housing facing the rotor is cylindrical, to avoid interference of the rotor and the fan housing during rotation of the rotor. The fan housing is usually made of plastic, by a process of injection molding. During the molding process, after the fan housing is molded in a mold, it is difficult to separate the fan housing from the mold because the inner surface of the fan housing is cylindrical. As a result, the fan housing is liable to sustain abrasion of the inner surface thereof and/or deformation during the removal process.
- What is need, therefore, is a cooling fan which can overcome the above limitations.
- The drawing is a cross-sectional view of a cooling fan according to an exemplary embodiment.
- The drawing shows a cooling fan according to an exemplary embodiment, the cooling fan including a
fan housing 12, astator 20, arotor 14, and a pair ofbearings 129. - The
fan housing 12 is annular (or cylindrical) and hollow. Anair inlet 121 is formed at a top of thefan housing 12, and anair outlet 123 is formed at a bottom of thefan housing 12 opposite to theair inlet 121. Thefan housing 12 has aninner surface 124 surrounding therotor 14. Theinner surface 124 converges (tapers) slightly in a downward direction, i.e., theinner surface 124 of the fan housing 12 slants towards a central axis O of the fan housing 12 from top to bottom. Put another way, theinner surface 124 of thefan housing 12 expands slightly in an upward direction away from the central axis O of thefan housing 12, with aninner space 126 surrounded by theinner surface 124 correspondingly expanding slightly in the upward direction. Accordingly, theair inlet 121 at the top of thefan housing 12 is a little larger than theair outlet 123 at the bottom of thefan housing 12. - Since the
inner surface 124 of thefan housing 12 expands upwardly along the central axis O, after thefan housing 12 is molded in a mold, it is relatively easy to separate thefan housing 12 from the mold by moving the mold in an upward direction along the central axis O of thefan housing 12. Furthermore, during the separation process, friction between theinner surface 124 of thefan housing 12 and the mold is avoided. Thus the quality of thefan housing 12 obtained should be good. In order to maintain the cooling capability of the cooling fan and still facilitating separation of the fan housing 12 from the mold, a first angle θ1 between theinner surface 124 and the central axis O of thefan housing 12 is in the range of 0.3˜3 degrees. - A
base 125 is received in thefan housing 12, and is arranged at theair outlet 123. Acentral tube 128 extends upwardly from a center of thebase 125. Acentral hole 30 extends through thecentral tube 128, such that top and bottom ends of thecentral tube 128 are open. That is, thecentral hole 30 is a through hole. In addition, anannular recess 32 communicating with thecentral hole 30 is formed at an inner periphery of each of the top and bottom ends of thecentral tube 128. Eachrecess 32 has a diameter exceeding that of thecentral hole 30. Thus the top and bottom ends of thecentral tube 128 have an inner diameter exceeding that of a middle portion of thecentral tube 128. - The
stator 20 is mounted around thecentral tube 128 of thebase 125. Thestator 20 includes astator core 22 withcoils 24 wound thereon to establish an alternating magnetic field, and a PCB (printed circuit board) 26 electrically connected with thecoils 24 to control electrical current flowing through thecoils 24. - The
rotor 14 includes ahub 146 forming ashaft seat 147 at a central portion thereof, a plurality ofrotary blades 142 extending radially and outwardly from an outer periphery of thehub 146, amagnet 148 adhered to aninner surface 124 of thehub 146 and facing thecoils 24 of thestator 20, and ashaft 144 extending downwardly from theshaft seat 147 of therotor 14. Theshaft 144 defines anannular notch 140 at a distal end thereof. - Each of the
rotary blades 142 has anouter edge 145 confronting theinner surface 124 of thefan housing 12. Theouter edge 145 of eachrotary blade 142 is approximately parallel to theinner surface 124 of thefan housing 12. That is, theouter edge 145 of therotary blade 142 slants towards the central axis O of thefan housing 12 from top to bottom. A second angle θ2 between theouter edge 145 of therotary blade 142 and the central axis O of thefan housing 12 is equal to the first angle θ1 between the central axis O and theinner surface 124 of thefan housing 12. Thus a distance between theouter edge 145 of therotary blade 142 and theinner surface 124 of thefan housing 12 is constant from top to bottom. - As shown in the drawing, a height of the
outer edge 145 of therotary blade 142 as measured parallel to the central axis O of thefan housing 12 is designated as H, a first distance between a bottom end of theouter edge 145 of therotary blade 142 and the central axis O of thefan housing 12 is designated as R1, and a second distance between a top end of theouter edge 145 of therotary blade 142 and the central axis O of thefan housing 12 is designated as R2. The second distance R2 is slightly larger than the first distance R1, and the second angle θ2 between theouter edge 145 of therotary blade 142 and the central axis O should satisfy the equation: θ 2=tan−1((R2−R1)/H). - The
bearings 129 are received in the top andbottom recesses 32 of thecentral tube 128, respectively, and surround theshaft 144. When assembled, therotor 14 is received in theinner space 26 and surrounded by theinner surface 124, with theshaft 144 extending through thebearings 129. Thus theshaft 144 of therotor 14 is rotatably supported by the pair ofbearings 128. Alocking ring 40 is arranged in thebottom recess 32 of thecentral tube 128 and engages in thenotch 140 of theshaft 144 to limit movement of theshaft 144 along an axial direction thereof. Acoil spring 50 is arranged between the bottom bearing 129 and thecentral tube 128 for applying a preset engaging pressure between therotor 14 and the top bearing 129, thereby ensuring that the top bearing 129 remains stationary relative to thehub 146 in the axial direction of theshaft 144. - During operation, the
rotor 14 is rotated by the interaction of the alternating magnetic field established by thestator 20 and the magnetic field of themagnet 148 of therotor 14. Therotary blades 142 thus produce forced airflow to take away heat generated in an application environment that employs the cooling fan. Since the distance between theouter edge 145 of eachrotary blade 142 and theinner surface 124 and thefan housing 12 is uniform from top to bottom, during rotation of therotor 14, interference of therotor 14 and thefan housing 12 is avoided, and the cooling fan can operate smoothly and quietly. - It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
Claims (16)
1. A cooling fan comprising:
a rotor comprising a hub and a plurality of rotary blades extending outwardly from the hub; and
a fan housing surrounding the rotor, the fan housing having an inner surface confronting the rotor, the inner surface expanding along a direction parallel to a central axis of the fan housing.
2. The cooling fan of claim 1 , wherein an angle defined between the inner surface of the fan housing and the central axis of the fan housing is in the range of 0.3˜3 degrees.
3. The cooling fan of claim 1 , wherein each of the rotary blades comprises an outer edge confronting the inner surface of the fan housing, the outer edge of each rotary blade aslant towards the central axis of the fan housing.
4. The cooling fan of claim 3 , wherein an angle defined between the outer edge of each rotary blade and the central axis of the fan housing is in the range of 0.3˜3 degrees.
5. The cooling fan of claim 3 , wherein the outer edge of each rotary blade is parallel to the inner surface of the fan housing.
6. The cooling fan of claim 1 , wherein the fan housing defines an air inlet and an air outlet at opposite sides, the air inlet being larger than the air outlet.
7. The cooling fan of claim 6 , wherein the inner surface of the fan housing expands from the air outlet towards the air inlet.
8. The cooling fan of claim 7 , wherein each of the rotary blades comprises an outer edge confronting the inner surface of the fan housing, a first end of the outer edge adjacent to the air outlet being closer to the central axis of the fan housing relative to a second end of the outer edge adjacent to the air inlet.
9. The cooling fan of claim 7 , wherein each of the rotary blades comprises an outer edge confronting the inner surface of the fan housing, the outer edge of each rotary blade parallel to the inner surface of the fan housing.
10. The cooling fan of claim 9 , wherein an angle defined between the inner surface of the fan housing and the central axis of the fan housing is in the range of 0.3˜3 degrees.
11. The cooling fan of claim 7 , wherein an angle defined between the inner surface of the fan housing and the central axis of the fan housing is in the range of 0.3˜3 degrees.
12. A cooling fan comprising:
a fan housing having an inner surface defining an inner space therein, the inner surface expanding along a direction parallel to a central axis of the fan housing; and
a rotor received in the inner space and surround by the inner surface of the fan housing, the rotor comprising a hub and a plurality of rotary blades extending outwardly from the hub, each of the rotary blades having an outer edge confronting the inner surface of the fan housing, the outer edge of each rotary blade aslant towards the central axis of the fan housing.
13. The cooling fan of claim 12 , wherein an angle defined between the inner surface of the fan housing and the central axis of the fan housing is in the range of 0.3˜3 degrees.
14. The cooling fan of claim 12 , wherein an angle defined between the outer edge of each rotary blade and the central axis of the fan housing is in the range of 0.3˜3 degrees.
15. The cooling fan of claim 12 , wherein the outer edge of each rotary blade is parallel to the inner surface of the fan housing.
16. The cooling fan of claim 15 , wherein an angle defined between the inner surface of the fan housing and the central axis of the fan housing is in the range of 0.3˜3 degrees.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CN200910307441.5 | 2009-09-22 | ||
CN2009103074415A CN102022357A (en) | 2009-09-22 | 2009-09-22 | Radiator fan |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110070081A1 true US20110070081A1 (en) | 2011-03-24 |
Family
ID=43756771
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/610,389 Abandoned US20110070081A1 (en) | 2009-09-22 | 2009-11-02 | Cooling fan with internally tapered housing |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20110070081A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN102022357A (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TWI662193B (en) * | 2017-02-07 | 2019-06-11 | 奇鋐科技股份有限公司 | Structure for holding a fan iron shell to a bearing and fan using same |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4564335A (en) * | 1979-10-06 | 1986-01-14 | Papst-Motoren Gmbh & Co. Kg | Axial flow fan |
US6814542B2 (en) * | 2000-04-28 | 2004-11-09 | Verax Ventilatoren Gmbh | Blower especially for ventilating electronic devices |
US7110255B2 (en) * | 2003-04-11 | 2006-09-19 | Delta Electronics, Inc. | Heat-dissipating device and a housing thereof |
US20070248461A1 (en) * | 2006-04-25 | 2007-10-25 | Shn-Yung Lee | Fan generating medium wind pressure and air supply |
US20080107524A1 (en) * | 2006-11-03 | 2008-05-08 | Bor-Haw Chang | Fan device capable of increasing air pressure and air supply |
-
2009
- 2009-09-22 CN CN2009103074415A patent/CN102022357A/en active Pending
- 2009-11-02 US US12/610,389 patent/US20110070081A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4564335A (en) * | 1979-10-06 | 1986-01-14 | Papst-Motoren Gmbh & Co. Kg | Axial flow fan |
US6814542B2 (en) * | 2000-04-28 | 2004-11-09 | Verax Ventilatoren Gmbh | Blower especially for ventilating electronic devices |
US7110255B2 (en) * | 2003-04-11 | 2006-09-19 | Delta Electronics, Inc. | Heat-dissipating device and a housing thereof |
US20070248461A1 (en) * | 2006-04-25 | 2007-10-25 | Shn-Yung Lee | Fan generating medium wind pressure and air supply |
US20080107524A1 (en) * | 2006-11-03 | 2008-05-08 | Bor-Haw Chang | Fan device capable of increasing air pressure and air supply |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN102022357A (en) | 2011-04-20 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FU ZHUN PRECISION INDUSTRY (SHEN ZHEN) CO., LTD., Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SUO, XUE-LIAN;YEH, DUNG-CHANG;REEL/FRAME:023453/0140 Effective date: 20091025 Owner name: FOXCONN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., TAIWAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SUO, XUE-LIAN;YEH, DUNG-CHANG;REEL/FRAME:023453/0140 Effective date: 20091025 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |