Patent Application
20210277915
Aquatic systems, such as swimming pools, commonly use motorized pumps to move volumes of water into and across various systems. The pumps are powered by motor and drive components to form a pump assembly that is typically used in connection with other aquatic system components to recirculate, heat, cool, chemically treat, and/or filter the water in the swimming pool, spa, or other type of aquatic system. Conventional pump assemblies utilize a fan-based cooling system to cool the motor and drive components, which produce heat during operation of the pump.
While the fan shroud cooling system for conventional type pump assemblies provide cooling for the motor and drive components during operation of the pump via the drawn-in cool air, the process can present some inefficiencies. Not only does a significant amount of cool air directed across the motor housing dissipate before traveling the entire length of the motor, but the partitioning of air between the motor and the drive heat sink means that the drive encounters less of the cool air. Each of these factors can reduce the effectiveness and efficiency of the fan shroud cooling systems currently used in conventional pump assemblies. Accordingly, a need exists for a more effective and efficient fan shroud cooling system for pump assemblies to cool the motor and drive components of the assembly.
Some embodiments provide a fan shroud for a pump assembly having a pump, a motor, and a drive. The fan shroud includes a fan shroud end cap coupled to a rear bell end of the motor, the fan shroud end cap having a vented surface for receiving cool air drawn by a motor fan during operation of the motor. The fan shroud further includes an extended shell sidewall extending from the fan shroud end cap across a length of the motor, and the fan shroud end cap and the extended shell sidewall are configured to surround the motor.
In some forms, the fan shroud is configured to direct the cool air drawn through the fan shroud end cap across a drive heat sink connected to the drive after directing the cool air across the motor. The extended shell sidewall extends up to, and abuts a seal plate of the pump. Further, the extended shell sidewall is spaced apart from the motor along the length of the motor to allow air flow from the fan shroud end cap to the seal plate. In some forms, the extended shell sidewall extends along substantially an entire length of the motor. The fan shroud can further include an end enclosure configured to enclose the extended shell sidewall around an end of the motor opposite the fan shroud end cap.
In some forms, the fan shroud includes a heat sink enclosure extending from the extended shell sidewall and surrounding a heat sink of the drive, and the heat sink enclosure includes one or more vents. The one or more vents can be positioned adjacent fins that extend from the heat sink and downward from the drive. In some forms, the one or more vents include a plurality of vent openings and a portion of the plurality of vent openings are blocked. The plurality of vent openings can include rear vents near the fan shroud end cap that are blocked and front vents near a seal plate of the pump that are fully open. In some embodiments, the portion of the plurality of vent openings that are blocked are blocked along one of a horizontal direction from the fan shroud end cap toward a seal plate of the pump, a vertical direction from the motor toward the drive, or a diagonal direction. In some forms, the plurality of vent openings is formed as a lattice of honeycombs.
Some embodiments provide a pump assembly configured for moving water through an aquatic system. The pump assembly includes a pump unit, a housing surrounding the pump unit, a motor coupled to the pump unit and extending away from the housing, the motor configured to power the pump unit. The pump assembly further includes a drive for controlling the motor, a drive heat sink adjacent the motor, and a fan shroud cooling system at least partially enclosing the motor. In some forms, the fan shroud cooling system is configured to direct cool air drawn through the fan shroud cooling system across a portion of the motor and then across a portion of the drive heat sink. The fan shroud cooling system can include a fan shroud end cap connected to, and secured around, a rear end portion of the motor, the fan shroud end cap having a vented surface for receiving cool air drawn by a motor fan during operation of the pump assembly. The fan shroud cooling system can include an extended shell sidewall extending from the fan shroud end cap across a length of the motor, and the fan shroud end cap and the extended shell sidewall substantially enclose the motor.
In some forms, the fan shroud cooling system further includes an end enclosure configured to enclose the extended shell sidewall around a front end of the motor where the motor connects to the housing surrounding the pump unit. In some forms, the extended shell sidewall abuts a seal plate of the housing to enclose an end of the motor opposite the fan shroud end cap. The fan shroud cooling system can include an opening defined through the extended shell sidewall along an upper portion of the extended shell sidewall below the drive heat sink. The fan shroud cooling system can further include a heat sink enclosure extending from the extended shell sidewall and substantially enclosing the drive heat sink, and the heat sink enclosure includes one or more vented surfaces. In some embodiments, the fan shroud cooling system is configured to direct cool air drawn in through the fan shroud end cap across a substantial length of the motor and then across the drive heat sink after exiting the fan shroud cooling system through the opening.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of embodiments of the invention:
The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modifications to the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to be limited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The following detailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different figures have like reference numerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of embodiments of the invention. Skilled artisans will recognize the examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of embodiments of the invention.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, unless otherwise specified or limited, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified or limited, “at least one of A, B, and C,” and similar other phrases, are meant to indicate A, or B, or C, or any combination of A, B, and/or C. As such, this phrase, and similar other phrases can include single or multiple instances of A, B, and/or C, and, in the case that any of A, B, and/or C indicates a category of elements, single or multiple instances of any of the elements of the categories A, B, and/or C.
The pump assembly 10 may further include a motor (not shown) and a control means or a drive 22 to power and operate the pump unit 14. According to one embodiment, the motor may be configured as a permanent magnet motor design to impart rotational force onto the pump unit 14. However, any other suitable motor design is considered within the scope of the present invention. The drive 22 may be configured as a variable speed drive or other suitable drive configuration for powering and controlling the motor and thereby controlling the operation of the pump unit 14. The drive 22 may also be configured with a drive heat sink 24 that is adjacent to and extends downward from the drive 22 and that dissipates the heat generated by the drive 22 during operation of the motor. The control means or drive 22 may further be configured with a control panel to facilitate the operation of the pump assembly 10.
The motor may include a rear bell end and a body extending from the rear bell end toward the housing 12. The motor may also be encased by a motor housing. A shaft portion of the motor may extend through the housing 12 and connect to the pump unit 14 to power and operate the pump unit 14. The shaft portion of the motor may be secured to the housing 12 by means of a seal plate 26 mounted to the housing 12. The pump assembly 10 may further include a base or a frame component 28 positioned below the motor and configured to secure and stabilize the motor with respect to the housing 12. The particular construction and configuration of the housing 12, the pump unit 14, the motor, and the drive 22 are not intended to be construed as limitations of the present invention.
The fan shroud 100 provides airflow across various motor and drive components to cool the motor and drive components during the operation of the pump assembly 10. The fan shroud 100 may include a fan shroud end cap 102 connected to the motor of the pump assembly 10, and an extended fan shroud shell sidewall 104 that surrounds the motor. The fan shroud 100 may further include a rectilinear opening 108 located at an upper portion of the shell sidewall 104 in order to assist in distributing airflow traveling through the fan shroud 100 across the heat sink 24 of the drive 22, adjacent to the motor, as discussed in more detail below.
In some forms, the fan shroud end cap 102 may be connected to the rear bell end of motor opposite the pump unit 14. The fan shroud end cap 102 may include a circular vented surface 32 at an end thereof that permits the inflow of outside air drawn by the fan (not shown) connected to the motor. The fan shroud end cap 102 is coupled to the shell sidewall 104. The shell sidewall 104 extends away from the fan shroud end cap 102, around the body of the motor, and along substantially the entire length of the motor. The extended shell sidewall 104 may terminate at an end enclosure 106 adjacent to the seal plate 26, the seal plate 26 connecting the motor to the housing 12. The end enclosure 106 is designed to enclose a front end of the fan shroud 100 and restrict air from traveling out of the fan shroud 100 at locations other than the opening 108 in the upper portion of the shell sidewall 104. The extended shell sidewall 104 may further b e configured so as to be slightly spaced apart, partially, or entirely around the circumference of the motor, in order provide an airflow pathway 110 that permits the flow of air along the length of the motor. To provide effective airflow, the extended shell sidewall 104 can be spaced apart from the motor, around the circumference of the motor, at a distance value that results in a ratio of the distance value to the diameter of the motor that is between five to one and twenty-five to one. Collectively, the fan shroud end cap 102, the shell sidewall 104, and the end enclosure 106 may substantially surround the motor, including the rear bell end, the motor body, and at least part of the shaft portion.
In some forms, the fan shroud end cap 102, the shell sidewall 104, and the end enclosure 106 surround the motor to varying degrees. For example, in some forms, the shell sidewall 104 extends around fifty to eighty percent of the circumference of the motor from the bottom of the motor around toward the drive 22 or from the top of the motor toward the frame component 28. In some forms, the shell sidewall 104 extends around seventy-five to one hundred percent of the circumference of the motor notwithstanding the opening 108. In some forms, the shell sidewall 104 extends from the fan shroud end cap 102 halfway down the length of motor to surround the motor. In some forms, the shell sidewall 104 extends from the fan shroud end cap 102 along twenty-five to one hundred percent of the length of the motor to surround the motor. Accordingly, the shell sidewall 104 surrounds the motor by extending around varying portions of the motor circumference and varying portions of the motor length.
In some embodiments, the opening 108 in the shell sidewall 104 is directly adjacent to the drive heat sink 24. The opening 108 may be located directly below the central portion of the drive heat sink 24. The heat sink 24 may include a plurality of vertical fins 34 that extend downward from the drive heat sink 24 and at least partially into the opening 108. Thus, the opening 108 is configured to permit air traveling though the fan shroud 100 to exit the fan shroud 100 by flowing past the fins 34 of the drive heat sink 24 after traveling through the extended shell sidewall 104.
As shown in
As a result of the configuration of the fan shroud 100, all, or substantially all, of the cool air drawn through the fan shroud 100 by the motor fan first cools the motor, and additionally cools the drive heat sink 24 and the drive 22, thereby providing an efficient path for the cooling air. The fan shroud 100 eliminates the need to separately direct airflow to the motor and the components of the drive 22 of the pump assembly 10, providing more efficient cooling of the motor and the drive 22 during operation of the pump assembly 10.
A pump assembly 210 according to another embodiment is illustrated in
In addition, the fan shroud 200 includes a heat sink enclosure 236 that extends outward and upward from the extended shell sidewall 204 and surrounds a heat sink of the drive 222. The heat sink enclosure 236 includes slotted louvers 238 to direct air flow from the fan shroud end cap 202 out through the slotted louvers 238. The heat sink enclosure 236 can ensure that air effectively flows past the fins (not shown) of the heat sink, cooling off the drive 222. During operation, the motor fan draws air in through the vented surface 232 of the fan shroud end cap 202, and the extended shell sidewall 104 directs air across the motor, up to and across the fins of the drive heat sink, and out through the slotted louvers 238. Additionally, the slotted louvers 238 can be manufactured to be selectively closed along the length of the heat sink enclosure 236. For example, the slotted louvers 238 may be selectively closed along a horizontal length or a vertical height of the heat sink enclosure 236. In some forms, the slotted louvers 238 can be selectively closed at a diagonal angle along the heat sink enclosure 236. Accordingly, selectively closing the slotted louvers 238 encourages air drawn in through the vented surface 232 to flow across the components within the fan shroud 200 that heat the fastest or reach the highest temperatures during operation of the pump assembly 210.
Further, the fan shroud 300 can include an upper heat sink enclosure 336 that extends outward and upward from the extended shell sidewall 304 and surrounds a heat sink 324 of the drive 322. The upper heat sink enclosure 336 can include a plurality of vents 338 positioned adjacent fins 334 which extend from the heat sink 324 downward from the drive 322. During operation, the motor fan 342 draws air in through the vented surface 332 of the fan shroud end cap 302, and the extended shell sidewall 304 directs air across the motor housing 340, up to the fins 334, across the fins 334 of the drive heat sink 324, and out through the vents 338. In some embodiments, the vents 338 are positioned symmetrically on both sides of the heat sink enclosure 336 with respect to a plane extending from the rear bell end of the motor 320 toward the seal plate 326 and through a vertical axis of the motor 320.
In some forms, the shell sidewall 304 can be comprised of multiple parts that are coupled together using fasteners, connectors, adhesives, welding or other suitable connection means. For example, the shell sidewall 304 can include two halves, each half of which is secured independently to the motor housing 340. Also, the shroud end cap 302 can be fastened independently to the motor housing 340. Thus, the fan shroud 300 can comprise modular parts that can be installed or removed independently, allowing access to the motor housing 340, the motor fan 342, and the heat sink 324. Alternatively, the fan shroud 300 can be composed of a single, integral part.
In some forms, the fan shroud end cap 302, the shell sidewall 304, and the heat sink enclosure 336 surround the motor 320 to varying degrees. For example, in some forms, the shell sidewall 304 extends around fifty to eighty percent of the circumference of the motor 320 from the bottom of the motor 320 around toward the drive 322 or from the top of the motor 320 toward the bottom of the motor 320. In some forms, the shell sidewall 304 extends around seventy-five to one hundred percent of the circumference of the motor 320 notwithstanding the heat sink enclosure 336, which can fully or partially complete the enclosing of the remaining circumference of the motor 320 not surrounded by the shell sidewall 304.
In some forms, the shell sidewall 304 extends from the fan shroud end cap 302 halfway down the length of motor 320 to surround the motor. In some forms, the shell sidewall 304 extends from the fan shroud end cap 302 along the twenty-five to one hundred percent of length of the motor 320 to surround the motor 320. Further, the shell sidewall 304 can include internal baffles that extend around at the motor 320. For example, in some forms, the shell sidewall 304 includes one or more arcuate baffles that extend partially around the circumference of the motor housing 340 between the motor 320 and the heat sink 324. The arcuate baffles encourage air to flow adjacent to the motor housing 340 and further around the outside of the motor housing 340 toward the top of the motor 320 and toward the center of the heat sink 324 before exiting the fan shroud 300 via the vents 338. Accordingly, the shell sidewall 304, the fan shroud end cap 302, and the heat sink enclosure 336 surround the motor by extending around varying portions of the motor circumference and varying portions of the motor length.
Generally, the vents 338 may be provided in the form of vent openings 344 that can be formed in a number of shapes to facilitate air flow. More specifically, the vent openings 344 may be defined by a matrix or lattice of honeycombs or angled slats as depicted in the embodiments described herein. Further, the vents 338 can be manufactured to be partially blocked along the length of the heat sink enclosure 336. For example, the vent openings 344 depicted in
The vent openings 344 of the rear vent section 346 can be partially or fully blocked to prevent airflow, and the vent openings 344 of the front vent section 348 can be partially or fully open to allow air to pass through. By partially or fully blocking the rear vent section 346, the heat sink enclosure 336 prevents air from exiting the fan shroud 300 too early or until the air has traveled farther away from the fan shroud end cap 302 and across the surface of the motor housing 340 if the rear vent section 346 was not partially or fully blocked. The blocked vents and the unblocked vents can be distributed along the heat sink enclosure 336 in various ratios.
For example, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Although
Further, in some forms, although the vents 338 can be positioned symmetrically on either side of the heat sink enclosure 336, with respect to the plane extending from the rear bell end of the motor 320 toward the seal plate 326 and through a vertical axis of the motor 320, the selective blocking of vent openings 344 can be arranged asymmetrically with respect to one side of the heat sink enclosure 336 versus the other (other side not shown). For example, the rear vent section 346 may be blocked on one side of the heat sink enclosure 336 according to any of the arrangements listed above but be blocked according to another of the arrangements listed above on the other side of the heat sink enclosure 336. By asymmetrically blocking the vents 338 with respect to the plane extending from the rear bell end of the motor 320 toward the seal plate 326 and through a vertical axis of the motor 320, a higher airflow is encouraged on one side of the heat sink enclosure 336 versus the other to provide a lateral bias of airflow.
Accordingly, the selective arrangement of blocked/open vent openings 344 can force air drawn-in through the vented surface 332 and along the parts of the motor housing 340 and the heat sink 324 that heat the fastest or reach the highest temperatures during operation of the pump assembly 310. For example, the selective arrangement of blocked/open vent openings 344 can be used to target high heat areas of the drive 322 that occur in localized positions along the horizontal length L, the vertical height H, or on a particular side of the heat sink enclosure 336.
The fan shroud 100, 200, 300 (and the components thereof) may be constructed from any suitable material, including without limitation, plastic or polymer-based materials, metals, composites, or any combination thereof. As described herein, the fan shroud 100, 200, 300 may form a substantially enclosed shell or enclosure around the motor 320 and may function to protect the motor 320 from damage and/or environmental effects (such as rain, moisture, heat, etc.). As a result, the fan shroud 100, 200, 300 may reduce or eliminate the need for the housing of the motor 320 to be coated or treated to protect against moisture and environmental effects, which can reduce the costs of the components of the motor 320 and/or the pump assembly 10, 210, 310.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well-adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and-sub combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Since many possible embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is also to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting.
The constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present invention. Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/986,417 filed on Mar. 6, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62986417 | Mar 2020 | US |
