These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept by referring to the figures.
Referring to
The main plate 30 may have a disc shape having a predetermined thickness, and may include the hub 31 positioned at the center thereof to connect with the fan motor (not illustrated), and a connection boss 32 formed at the center of the hub 31 to allow insertion of the rotational shaft of the fan motor (not illustrated) therein.
The hub 31 may protrude in a front direction from the main plate 30 to define a space at a rear side of the hub 31 such that the rotational shaft of the fan motor (not illustrated) can be inserted into the space, and the hub 31 may have holes 33 formed in a circumferential pattern outside the connection boss 32 to prevent overheating of the fan motor (not illustrated).
The blades 40 are disposed such that, when receiving a rotational force from the fan motor (not illustrated), the blades 40 rotate along with the rotational shaft of the fan motor (not illustrated) to generate a centrifugal force or a centripetal force to suck air axially with respect to the turbo fan 100 and to discharge air radially with respect to the turbo fan 100. To this end, the plurality of blades 40 are vertically installed to the main plate 30, and arranged at predetermined intervals on an outer periphery of the main plate 30 to define a curved pathway between the blades 40.
The plurality of blades 40 may be formed to have a constant thickness in order to reduce shrinkages or molding imperfections which can occur upon injection molding of streamline-shaped blades. In addition, a portion of each blade 40 may be located on the main plate 30, and a remaining portion of each blade 40 may extend away from the main plate 30. In other words, each blade 40 may have an inlet side 41 located on the main plate 30, and an outlet side provided as an extension 42 extending away from the main plate 30.
The shroud 50 is positioned in a ring shape on first ends of the blades 40 while connecting the respective blades 40. The shroud 50 is rounded in the axial direction such that a diameter of the shroud 50 gradually decreases towards a front side thereof extending away from the main plate 30.
The shroud 50 defines at a center thereof a suction port 101 through which air is sucked. In addition, discharge ports 102 are formed at a side of the turbo fan 100, that is, at an outside of pathways defined between the blades 40 and between the shroud 50 and the main plate 30. Accordingly, when the turbo fan 100 is rotated by a driving force of the fan motor (not illustrated), air is sucked into the turbo fan 100 through the suction port 101 defined inside the shroud 50 by the rotational force of the turbo fan 100, and is discharged towards the discharge ports 102 through the pathways between the blades 40.
In the turbo fan according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, each blade 40 may be formed with a slope 43 at an outer periphery thereof to suppress a generation of turbulence.
In other words, as the blades 40 are rotated, turbulence is generated along the end of the extension 42 of each blade 40, causing a noise of the turbo fan 100. Thus, in order to reduce the noise by reducing the generation of turbulence, the slope 43 can be formed at the end of the extension 42 of each blade 40.
While
As illustrated in
These results also illustrate that the turbo fan according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept can generate a greater air volume than the conventional turbo fan under the same noise condition.
A turbo fan according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept can be applied to a variety of applications, such as the air conditioner illustrated in
In addition, according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept, a main plate of a turbo fan may have an outer diameter less than or equal to an inner diameter of a shroud so that, when forming the turbo fan using a single mold, the turbo fan can be easily taken out from the mold. Accordingly, a turbo fan according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept integrally comprising a main plate, a plurality of blades and a shroud can be produced without performing a post-machining process in which, after integrally molding the main plate and the plurality of blades, the shroud is separately molded and attached to the blades.
A turbo fan according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept can also be integrally formed by injection molding, and reduce noise by a simple modification of an outer appearance to have a slope formed at each of the blades.
A turbo fan according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept may have slopes formed at the outer periphery of a plurality of blades at an outlet side thereof to suppress a generation of turbulence, thereby reducing noise.
Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2006-32901 | Apr 2006 | KR | national |