Electric Fan

Abstract

An electric fan includes an impeller generating an air flow by its rotation, a motor rotating the impeller around a rotation axis, a circuit board with a driving circuit for the motor mounted thereon, and a housing. The housing accommodates the impeller, the motor, and the circuit board. A motor supporting portion of the housing, which supports the motor and the circuit board, includes a plate-like portion and an outer wall formed along an outer edge of the plate-like portion. The plate-like portion has at least one of a cutout portion formed on an outer edge thereof and a through hole formed therein. A reinforcement wall is formed along an outer edge of the through hole and/or the cutout portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a housing, a circuit board, and a stator of an electric fan according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the housing of the electric fan of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electric fan of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the circuit board and the stator are mounted in the housing of the electric fan of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a housing of an electric fan according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where a circuit board and a stator are mounted in the housing of the electric fan of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a housing of an electric fan according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a housing of an exemplary conventional electric fan.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the housing of the electric fan of FIG. 8.

Claims

1. An electric fan comprising: an impeller generating an air flow by its rotation;a motor, to which the impeller is attached, rotating the impeller around a rotation axis;a circuit board with a driving circuit for the motor mounted thereon; anda housing accommodating the impeller, the motor, and the circuit board therein and surrounding the impeller to form a passage for the air flow between the housing and the impeller, wherein:the housing includes a motor supporting portion opposed to the motor and supporting the motor and the circuit board;the motor supporting portion includes a plate-like portion and an outer wall formed along an outer edge of the plate-like portion, the plate-like portion having at least one of a through hole formed therein and a cutout portion formed on an outer edge thereof; andthe housing includes a reinforcement wall formed along an outer edge of the at least one of the through hole and the cutout portion.

2. The electric fan according to claim 1, wherein the cutout portion is formed on the outer edge of the plate-like portion of the motor supporting portion of the housing, the cutout portion allowing a wire to be electrically connected to the circuit board from an outside of the electric fan.

3. The electric fan according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is formed in the plate-like portion of the motor supporting portion of the housing, the through hole preventing interference of an electronic component mounted on the circuit board with the plate-like portion.

4. The electric fan according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is formed in the plate-like portion of the motor supporting portion of the housing, the through hole allowing for insertion of a conductive pin which is to be brought into contact with a conductive land provided on the circuit board therethrough.

5. The electric fan according to claim 4, wherein the circuit board includes a rewritable memory which stores data used for control of driving and rotation of the motor, and the conductive land is used for rewriting the data stored in the rewritable memory from an outside of the electric fan by being brought into contact with the conductive pin.

6. The electric fan according to claim 1, wherein a height of the reinforcement wall is lower than a height of the outer wall formed along the outer edge of the plate-like portion.

7. The electric fan according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of the circuit board is slightly smaller than a diameter of an inner edge of the outer wall of the motor supporting portion of the housing.