High performance radiator fan

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6386839
  • Patent Number
    6,386,839
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, December 28, 2000
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, May 14, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Koczo; Michael
    • Solak; Timothy P.
    Agents
    • Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Abstract
A high performance radiator fan includes an axial fan and a centrifugal fan. The axial fan has a plurality of arched-shaped blades located between a protrusive circular hub and a closed motor shell for drawing airflow from the upper end of the axial fan through the curved blades into the centrifugal fan. The airflow is converged and spun out at high speed and great volume by centrifugal force to enhance heat dissipation efficiency.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates to a high performance radiator fan and particularly a fan that uses a closed periphery motor shell and a protrusive circular hub in an axial fan to draw airflow completely and axially into a centrifugal fan located beneath for dischare by centrifugal force thereby generating maximum air flow power.




Conventional radiator fans mostly are designed based on a barrel body with a flat bottom end and have formed blades attached to the periphery of the barrel body. Because of molding design limitation, the blades usually do not align to the same axial line. There is a gap between two adjacent blades. Kinetically, because of the design limitation mentioned above, it is difficult for the blades to increase airflow discharge volume and will result in not very high heat dissipation coefficient. Their disadvantages may be summarized as follows:




1. The top end of a conventional blade is a flat plane. Airflow volume drawn from the upper end of the fan is limited when the blades are rotating. As a result, discharged airflow volume and speed are relatively small.




2. As the gap between every two blades is quite large, airflow cannot be converged effectively before discharging out. Rather, airflow tends to disperse and results in not adequate airflow discharge volume and poor heat dissipation efficiency.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In view of aforesaid disadvantages, it is therefore an object of this invention to provide a high performance radiator fan which may increase airflow output and enhance heat dissipation effect.




The radiator fan according to this invention includes two sections. The upper section has a protrusive circular hub attached to a plurality of equally spaced formed blades. The outer rim of the blades attaches to a closed motor shell. The lower section is a barrel structure having periphery equally divided by a plurality of vanes which have a portion corresponding to the blades located thereabove and have other portions formed a centrifugal fan. Combining the upper and lower section thus forms a high performance radiator fan of this invention.




In one aspect, the blades at the upper section are arch-shaped and extend outward from the circular hub to the closed motor shell so that they will generate suction force to completely draw airflow through the curved blades to the centrifugal fan which in turn converges the airflow for discharging out. As this invention has two sets of separate blades and vanes, they may be made by separate molds. The blades may couple with the vanes whose number is twice as many of the blades. The blades and vanes may be aligned to same axial line (the upper end of the vanes may be superposed with the lower end of the blades at the same axial line and be configured separately). Airflow drawn from the upper section will be converged in this area and be discharged by the rotating vanes. It thus may produce maximum airflow volume in a converged manner whereby to greatly enhance heat dissipation efficiency.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention, as well as its many advantages, may be further understood by the following detailed description and drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

is an exploded view of this invention.





FIG. 2

is a sectional view of this invention.





FIG. 3

is a sectional view of this invention, showing airflow path.





FIG. 4

is a fragmentary schematic view of this invention, showing airflow path.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to

FIGS. 1 and 2

, this invention includes an axial fan


1


located at the upper section and a centrifugal fan


2


located at the lower section. The axial fan


1


has a protrusive circular hub


10


in the center. There are a plurality of equally spaced arch-shaped blades


11


which have respectively one end attached to the outside circumference of the hub


10


and another end thereof attached to a closed motor shell


12


. The hub


10


has a spindle aperture


13


formed therein for engaging with a spindle


3


and a circular recess


14


formed at the bottom end thereof.




The centrifugal fan


2


has a barrel structure in the center which has an engaging ring


21


at the top end engageable with the recess


14


when assembly and a plurality of equally spaced vanes


20


attached to the circumference of the barrel structure and extended radially outward to the periphery thereof. The number of the vanes


20


is twice of the blades


11


. Each blade


11


is axially mated and connected with one of the vanes


20


. The barrel structure has a spindle opening


22


in the center for fastening to the spindle


3


. The axial fan


1


and centrifugal fan


2


thus formed then may be assembled to become the radiator fan of this invention. Outside the periphery of the fan assembly, a coil


4


is provided around the motor shell


12


. Then the fan assembly may be mounted on a radiator block


5


through the engagement of the spindle


3


.




Referring to

FIGS. 3 and 4

, when in use, the motor is energized to drive the blades


11


and vanes


20


rotating. Airflow at the upper end of the fan assembly is sucked into the axial fan


1


inside the motor shell


12


, and is flowing pass the curved surface of the blades


11


and is completely channeled into the centrifugal fan


2


. Because of the blades


11


and vanes


20


are axially aligned and superposed with each other, airflow will be converged and spun out because of centrifugal force without dispersing whereby to increase airflow volume and heat dissipating efficiency.



Claims
  • 1. A high performance radiator fan comprising an axial fan assembled with a centrifugal fan, wherein:the axial fan includes a protrusive circular hub in the center thereof and a plurality of equally spaced arch-shaped blades extended outward from the hub to connect with a closed periphery shell of a motor, the hub having a recess formed at the bottom end thereof and a spindle aperture formed in the center thereof for engaging with a spindle; the centrifugal fan includes a barrel structure in the center and a plurality of equally spaced vanes extended outward from the barrel structure to the periphery thereof, the number of the vanes being twice that of the blades, each blade being engaged and superimposed with one of the vanes axially, the barrel structure having an engaging ring at the top end thereof engageable with the recess and a spindle opening in the center thereof for engaging with the spindle; and a motor coil surrounds the shell; wherein when the motor is energized and rotates, airflow above the axial fan will be drawn into the axial fan and passing through the blades and be completely converged into the centrifugal fan for discharging out by centrifugal force.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Number Name Date Kind
2936948 Eck May 1960 A
3794443 McCarty Feb 1974 A
3867062 Troller Feb 1975 A
4150916 Tsutsui et al. Apr 1979 A
4167369 Ishihara Sep 1979 A
4459087 Barge Jul 1984 A
4553075 Brown et al. Nov 1985 A
5895206 Chuang et al. Apr 1999 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number Date Country
4-1314 Jan 1992 JP