The invention relates to a blower wheel and more particularly to a blower wheel which optimizes efficiency and minimizes noise and vibration during an operation thereof.
Centrifugal blowers are commonly used for directing a forced flow of air through an air duct. In a typical blower assembly, air is drawn into a housing through an air inlet and discharged from the housing through an air outlet. Blower assemblies typically include an electrically driven blower wheel that rotates in a predetermined direction in the housing. The blower wheel includes one or more arcuate blades, which draw the air into the blower wheel axially along an axis of rotation and discharge the air radially outwardly therefrom.
Typically, in climate control applications such as heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of a vehicle, the centrifugal blowers are required to operate effectively and efficiently over a range of operating conditions of the vehicle. However, current centrifugal blowers may produce an undesirable level of noise, vibration, and harshness (“NVH”) caused by, for example, motor cogging torque and axial cogging forces, torque ripple, and axial ripple forces which excite vibration and resonant modes in the blower wheel structure.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to produce a blower wheel that maximizes performance and structural integrity, while minimizing a cost and optimizing modes of vibration thereof.
In concordance and agreement with the present invention, a blower wheel that maximizes performance and structural integrity, while minimizing a cost and optimizing modes of vibration thereof, has surprisingly been discovered.
In one embodiment, the blower wheel comprises: a hub having a first surface and a second surface, the hub including at least one of a wave configuration formed in at least one of the first surface and the second surface thereof and a plurality of support members formed in the second surface.
In another embodiment, the blower wheel comprises: a hub having a first surface and a second surface, the hub including a wave configuration having a plurality of crests and a plurality of troughs formed in at least one of the first surface and the second surface thereof; and at least one blade arranged on an outer periphery of the hub.
In yet another embodiment, the blower wheel comprises: a hub having a first surface and a second surface, the hub including a wave configuration having a plurality of crests and a plurality of troughs formed in at least one of the first surface and the second surface thereof, and an array of support members formed in the second surface thereof.
The above, as well as other objects and advantages of the invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:
The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.
As illustrated, the blower wheel 10 includes an annular array of spaced apart blades 12 extending between a hub 14 and a concentrically arranged outer ring 16. In certain embodiments, the blades 12 are arranged on an outer periphery of the hub 14 at equal intervals with respect to an axis of rotation of the blower wheel 10, although other intervals can be used. Additional or fewer blades 12 than shown can be employed if desired. Each of the blades 12 includes a substantially linear leading edge 18 and substantially linear trailing edge 20 extending from the hub 14 to the outer ring 16. Each of the blades 12 further includes a first surface 22 and an opposed second surface 24. In certain embodiments, the first surface 22 has a substantially concave shape in the direction of rotation of the blower wheel 10 and the second surface 24 has a substantially convex shape in the direction of rotation of the blower wheel 10. It is understood that the first surface 22 and the second surface 24 can have any shape as desired such as a substantially concave shape in the direction of rotation of the blower wheel 10, a substantially convex shape in the direction of rotation of the blower wheel 10, or a substantially planar shape, for example.
The hub 14 is generally dome-shaped having a nose portion 26 formed at an apex thereof. As illustrated in
Each of the wave configurations 30, 31 increases a structural integrity of the blower wheel 10, as well as separates frequencies of noise produced by the blower wheel 10 to militate against amplification and resonance effects, and thereby minimize NVH. In certain embodiments, the wave configurations 30, 31 extend radially outward from the nose portion 26 to the leading edge 18 of the blades 12. In other embodiments shown in
In certain embodiments, the wave configuration 31 formed in the inner surface 42 is substantially similar to the wave configuration 30 formed in the outer surface 28. For simplicity, only the wave configuration 30 formed in the outer surface 28 will be described hereinafter. The wave configuration 30 includes an annular array of crests 32 and an annular array of troughs 34 alternately formed in the outer surface 28 of the hub 14. As shown in
In a non-limiting example illustrated in
As shown in
In use the blower wheel 10 is driven by the motor and is caused to rotate about the axis of rotation. The rotation of the blower wheel 10 causes the air to flow through the air inlet of the housing. The blades 12 cause a change of direction of the air from a substantially axial direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the blower wheel 10 to a substantially radial direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Accordingly, the air flows axially through the air inlet into the blower wheel 10, and then flows radially outwardly from the blower wheel 10 into a scroll duct of the housing. Thereafter, the air flows out of the housing to a desired area.
From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/666,027 filed Jun. 29, 2012, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference,
Number | Date | Country | |
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61666027 | Jun 2012 | US |