VEHICLE BLOWER UNIT

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]The present invention relates to a vehicle blower unit.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002]An air conditioning system for a vehicle is installed to cool or heat the interior of the vehicle or to remove frost or the like that is formed on a windshield during rain or in winter, thereby allowing a driver to secure clear forward and rearward fields of vision. An air conditioning system may include a blower unit for blowing air to the inside of an air conditioning case and an air conditioning unit for cooling or heating the air transferred by the blower unit.

[0003]The blower unit may include a scroll case and a blower wheel disposed inside the scroll case. Among them, the blower wheel may rotate in the inside of the scroll case and discharge air to the inside of the air conditioning case. Recently, due to the introduction of electric vehicles, the overall size of air conditioning systems has been reduced, and thus the size of a blower wheel in a blower unit has also been reduced.

[0004]A blower wheel reduced in size in this way has unsatisfactory amounts of wind and reduction of noise compared to the conventional blower wheel in terms of the amount of wind and noise. Therefore, there is an increasing need for research to provide a blower wheel having similar performance to the conventional blower wheel while being smaller than the conventional blower wheel.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

[0005]The present invention is devised to solve the above problems, and an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a vehicle blower unit which is improved to have performance similar to that of the conventional blower wheel.

Technical Solution

[0006]According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle blower unit including: a motor; and a blower wheel that is coupled to a motor drive shaft and blows air in a radial direction while rotating, wherein the blower wheel includes: a ring; a hub fixed to the motor drive shaft; and a plurality of blades each having a main body disposed on the ring along a circumference of the ring, the blade includes an uneven portion that changes flow of air that is discharged, and the uneven portion is provided as a plurality of uneven portions disposed in a vertical direction.

[0007]The uneven portion may be formed on a portion of the blade from which air is finally discharged.

[0008]The uneven portion may include: a first uneven portion disposed away from the ring from an end portion of the main body close to the ring; and a second uneven portion connected to the first uneven portion and disposed from an end point of the first uneven portion to an end portion area of the main body that is not in contact with the ring.

[0009]The first uneven portion may include: a plurality of first convex portions disposed sequentially; and a plurality of first concave portions formed between the first convex portions.

[0010]The second uneven portion may include: a plurality of second convex portions disposed sequentially; and a plurality of second concave portions formed between the second convex portions.

[0011]A first vertical length of the first concave portion of the first uneven portion may be greater than a second vertical length of the second concave portion of the second uneven portion.

[0012]A first distance between end portions of the first convex portions of the first uneven portion may be greater than a second distance between end portions of the second convex portions of the second uneven portion.

[0013]A length of the first uneven portion may range from 50% to 70% of a length of the blade.

[0014]The blade may be formed such that one side and the other side are eccentric from a center of the motor drive shaft.

[0015]The blade may include: a first surface close to the ring; and a second surface close to the hub in a direction from the ring toward the hub, and the first surface and the second surface may have different shapes.

[0016]The blade may include: a first surface close to the ring; and a second surface close to the hub in a direction from the ring toward the hub, and the blade may have a shape twisted in a direction from the first surface toward the second surface.

[0017]The first surface and the second surface of the blade may not be disposed on the same line in the direction from the ring toward the hub.

[0018]The blade may include: a first end portion connected to the ring; and a second end portion disposed at a position spaced apart from the ring in a radial direction of the ring, and the first end portion may have a shape parallel to an outer circumferential surface of the ring.

[0019]The blade may have a vertical length that gradually increases in a direction from the first surface toward the second surface.

[0020]In the blade, a first angle formed by a first virtual line passing through a center point of the ring and a second virtual line connecting the center point of the ring and a center of the first end portion of the second surface may be greater than a second angle formed by the first virtual line and a third virtual line connecting the center point of the ring and a center of the first end portion of the first surface.

[0021]When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the direction from the ring toward the hub, the first end portion of the second surface of each blade may overlap two adjacent blades in a direction in which the ring rotates.

[0022]The blade may include a third uneven portion formed on the first end portion.

[0023]The third uneven portion may include: a plurality of third convex portions disposed sequentially; and a plurality of third concave portions formed between the third convex portions.

Advantageous Effects

[0024]According to embodiments of the present invention, since uneven portions having different sizes are sequentially disposed on a main body of a blade, a flow separation phenomenon can be prevented and the flow resistance of air can be reduced. Therefore, loss in an amount of air can be prevented, smooth air flow can be achieved, and more air can be guided into the air conditioning case compared to the conventional blower wheel.

[0025]In addition, since uneven portions having different sizes are sequentially disposed on a main body of a blade, a flow separation phenomenon can be prevented and a phenomenon of air colliding with the blade can be prevented. Therefore, vibration and noise generated by collisions can be reduced, and thus the quietness of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and a vehicle can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blower wheel of a vehicle blower unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027]FIG. 2 is a view showing a blade.

[0028]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2.

[0029]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a graph obtained by measuring noise on the basis of a frequency in the blower wheel of the vehicle blower unit according to the embodiment of the present invention and a blower wheel according to a comparative example.

[0030]FIG. 5 is a view showing another embodiment of a first uneven portion and a second uneven portion.

[0031]FIG. 6A is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the present invention.

[0032]FIG. 6B is a view showing the blade of FIG. 6A which is coupled to a hub.

[0033]FIG. 7 is a side view of the blade of FIG. 6A.

[0034]FIG. 8 is a plan view of the blade of FIG. 6A.

[0035]FIG. 9 is a view showing a single blade.

[0036]FIG. 10 is a view showing a plane of each area of the single blade of FIG. 9.

[0037]FIG. 11 is a view showing that the plane of each area of FIG. 10 is applied to the single blade.

[0038]FIG. 12 is a view showing an example in which a third uneven portion is formed on the blade of FIGS. 6A to 11.

MODES OF THE INVENTION

[0039]Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040]However, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to some of the described embodiments but may be implemented in various different forms, and one or more of the components among the embodiments may be used by being selectively coupled or substituted without departing from the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0041]In addition, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted with meanings that are generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains unless explicitly specifically defined and described, and the meanings of commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, may be interpreted in consideration of their contextual meanings in the related art.

[0042]In addition, the terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0043]In the specification, a singular form may include a plural form unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, and when described as “at least one (or one or more) of A, B, and C,” it may include one or more of all possible combinations of A, B, and C.

[0044]In addition, terms such as “first,” “second,” “A,” “B, “(a),” and “(b)” may be used to describe components of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0045]These terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component, and the nature, sequence, order, etc. of the components are not limited by these terms.

[0046]In addition, when a first component is described as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “joined” to a second component, it may include not only a case in which the first component is directly connected, coupled, or joined to the second component, but also a case in which the first component is “connected,” “coupled,” or “joined” to the second component with another component present between the first component and the second component.

[0047]In addition, when a first component is described as being formed or disposed “on (above)” or “below (under)” a second component, “on (above)” or “below (under)” may include not only a case in which the two components are in direct contact with each other, but also a case in which one or more other components are formed or disposed between the two components. In addition, when expressed as “on (above)” or “below (under),” it may include the meaning of not only an upward direction but also a downward direction based on one component.

[0048]Hereinafter, a vehicle blower unit will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference signs throughout the drawings, and overlapping description thereof will be omitted.

[0049]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blower wheel of a vehicle blower unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a blade.

[0050]Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle blower unit according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a motor and a wheel that is coupled to a motor drive shaft and blows air in a radial direction while rotating. A blower wheel 1 may serve to guide air to the inside of an air conditioning case in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a vehicle. A blower wheel 1 includes a ring 100, a hub 200 fixed to a motor drive shaft, and a plurality of blades 300 each having a main body 320 disposed on the ring 100 along a circumference of the ring 100.

[0051]The ring 100 may have a hollow shape. The ring 100 may be provided in a shape having an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface. The ring 100 may set the arrangement positions of the plurality of blades 300.

[0052]The hub 200 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the ring 100. The hub 200 may be rotated by rotational power received from a power transmission device (not shown). The hub 200 may support the blade 300 together with the ring 100. Accordingly, when the hub 200 rotates, the plurality of blades 300 supported by the hub 200 rotate, and when the plurality of blades 300 rotate, the ring 100 may also rotate along with the blades 300. The hub 200 may provide a center of rotation for the blower wheel 1.

[0053]The blade 300 may be connected to the ring 100. The blade 300 may be disposed between the ring 100 and the hub 200. The blade 300 may guide air such that air flowing to the inside of the blower wheel 1 is discharged to the outside of the blower wheel 1, while rotating along with the hub 200. The blade 300 may include the main body 320 and an uneven portion 340.

[0054]The main body 320 may connect the ring 100 and the hub 200. The main body 320 may be disposed on the ring 100 along the circumference of the ring 100. More specifically, one end portion of the main body 320 may be connected to a surface connecting the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface of the ring 100, and the other end portion thereof may be connected to the hub 200. That is, the main body 320 may have a shape having a length in a direction intersecting a radial direction of the ring 100. A plurality of main bodies 320 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other along the outer circumferential surface or the inner circumferential surface of the ring 100.

[0055]The uneven portion 340 may be formed on an outer side of the blade 300. More specifically, the uneven portion 340 may be called a trailing edge of the main body 320 and formed on a portion of the blade from which air is finally discharged.

[0056]The uneven portion 340 may change the flow of air that is discharged. A plurality of uneven portions 340 may be disposed in a vertical direction. Here, the vertical direction may be a direction from the ring 100 toward the hub 200 or a direction opposite thereto and may also be a height direction of the blade 300.

[0057]The uneven portion 340 may form a plurality of grooves toward an inside of the main body 320. The uneven portion 340 may include a first uneven portion 342 and a second uneven portion 344. The first uneven portion 342 and the second uneven portion 344 may have the same length. More specifically, the first uneven portion 342 and the second uneven portion 344 may each have a length that is 50% of the total length of the blade 300, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0058]The first uneven portion 342 may be disposed away from the ring 100 from an end portion of the main body 320 close to the ring 100. More specifically, the first uneven portion 342 may be disposed on the end portion of the main body 320 close to the outer circumferential surface of the ring 100. The first uneven portion 342 may include a plurality of first convex portions 342a disposed sequentially and a plurality of first concave portions 342b formed between the first convex portions 342a.

[0059]The second uneven portion 344 may be connected to the first uneven portion 342. The second uneven portion 344 may be disposed from an end point of the first uneven portion 342 to an end portion area of the main body 320 that is not in contact with the ring 100. That is, the second uneven portion 344 may be disposed from the end point of the first uneven portion 342 to a point connected to the hub 200. The second uneven portion 344 may include a plurality of second convex portions 344a disposed sequentially and a plurality of second concave portions 344b formed between the second convex portions 344a.

[0060]The air to be discharged to the outside of the blower wheel 1 may be dispersed by the shape of the second uneven portion 344 of the first uneven portion 342. More specifically, the first concave portion 342b of the first uneven portion 342 and the second concave portion 344b of the second uneven portion 344 may form a discharge path for the air guided through the blade 300. In this case, since the air is dispersed by the first concave portion 342b and the second concave portion 344b, the air may be discharged to the outside of the blower wheel 1 through the blade 300 faster compared to the conventional blade 300 not having the shape of the uneven portion 340 without causing a decrease in flow rate. Accordingly, since the blower wheel 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can guide a greater amount of air than the conventional blower wheel 1 in the same period of time, the amount of power generated for using the blower wheel 1 can be reduced. In this way, economic efficiency can be improved.

[0061]In addition, since the first uneven portion 342 and the second uneven portion 344 can reduce an air flow separation phenomenon that occurs through the blade 300, it is possible to reduce the flow resistance and to make smooth air flow. Accordingly, noise caused by vibrations generated when air collides with the blade 300 can be reduced, and thus quietness and stability of the blower wheel 1 can be improved.

[0062]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2.

[0063]Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a first vertical length VL1 of the first concave portion 342b of the first uneven portion 342 may be greater than a second vertical length VL2 of the second concave portion 344b of the second uneven portion 344. Additionally, a first distance D1 between end portions of the first convex portions 342a of the first uneven portion 342 may be greater than a second distance D2 between end portions of the second convex portions 344a of the second uneven portion 344. Due to these features, the second uneven portion 344 may have a smaller size than the first uneven portion 342.

[0064]Since the air guided to a lower end area of the blade 300 due to the operating characteristics of the blower wheel 1 can be dispersed more through the second uneven portion 344, the uneven portion 340 can reduce vibrations generated when air collides with the blade 300 in an area of the blade 300 in which the air is finally guided. Accordingly, noise caused by the vibrations can be reduced, and thus the quietness and stability of the blower wheel 1 can be improved.

[0065]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a graph obtained by measuring noise on the basis of a frequency in the blower wheel of the vehicle blower unit according to the embodiment of the present invention and a blower wheel according to a comparative example.

[0066]Referring to FIG. 4, the graph obtained by measuring noise on the basis of a frequency in the blower wheel 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the blower wheel according to the comparative example is shown. Here, the comparative example is a blower wheel including a blade 300 on which the uneven portion 340 is not formed.

[0067]From the graph, it can be seen that the noise level per frequency generated by the blower wheel 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is lower than the noise level per frequency generated by the blower wheel according to the comparative example. In particular, it can be confirmed that a difference in the noise level in a section between 300 Hz and 400 Hz is greater than that in each of other Hz sections. That is, it can be seen that applying the uneven portion 340 to the blower wheel 1 can improve the quietness of the HVAC system.

[0068]FIG. 5 is a view showing another embodiment of the first uneven portion and the second uneven portion.

[0069]Referring to FIG. 5, the first uneven portion 342 may have a greater length than the second uneven portion 344. More specifically, the first uneven portion 342 may have a length that is 70% of the total length of the blade 300, and the second uneven portion 344 may have a length that is 30% of the total length of the blade 300. Due to the operating characteristics of the blower wheel 1, air is guided toward a lower end of the blade 300. When the second uneven portion 344 is disposed on the lower end of the blade 300, vibration and noise caused by air guided to the air conditioning case through the blower wheel 1 are reduced, and thus the operating stability of the blower wheel 1 can be improved.

[0070]In this way, the length of the first uneven portion 342 according to FIGS. 1 to 5 may range from 50% to 70% of the length of the blade 300. That is, a starting point of the second uneven portion 344 changes depending on the length of the first uneven portion 342, which may mean that the rotation speed of the blower wheel 1 can be appropriately adjusted according to the characteristics of each vehicle equipped with the blower wheel 1. Therefore, the blower wheel 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can have the effect of adjusting the amount of wind of the vehicle according to the characteristics of the vehicle.

[0071]Hereinafter, another embodiment of the blade of the present invention will be described.

[0072]FIG. 6A is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the present invention, FIG. 6B is a view showing the blade of FIG. 6A which is coupled to a hub, FIG. 7 is a side view of the blade of FIG. 6A, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the blade of FIG. 6A, FIG. 9 is a view showing a single blade, FIG. 10 is a view showing a plane of each area of the single blade of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a view showing that the plane of each area of FIG. 10 is applied to the single blade.

[0073]Referring to FIGS. 6A to 8, a blade 300 may be disposed between a ring 100 and a hub 200. A plurality of blades 300 may be disposed along the circumference of the ring 100. The plurality of blades 300 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other. The blade 300 may include a main surface 360, a first surface 380, and a second surface 390.

[0074]The main surface 360 may form the exterior of each blade 300. The main surface 360 may be connected to a surface connecting an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface of the ring 100 as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The main surface 360 may be disposed on the outer side of the hub 200 as shown in FIG. 6A, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The main surface 360 may be connected to the ring 100 to overlap the hub 200 as shown in FIG. 6B. The main surface may have a shape having a length in a direction intersecting the radial direction of the ring 100.

[0075]The first surface 380 may be disposed on one open side of the main surface 360, and the second surface 390 may be disposed on the other open side of the main surface 360. More specifically, the first surface 380 may be disposed on a side of the main surface 360 close to the ring 100, and the second surface 390 may be disposed on a side of the main surface 360 close to the hub 200. The first surface 380 and the second surface 390 may have different shapes. Additionally, the first surface 380 and the second surface 390 may not be disposed at the same position when viewed in the direction from the ring 100 toward the hub 200. That is, the first surface 380 and the second surface 390 may be disposed alternately.

[0076]Hereinafter, the shape of the blade 300 will be described in detail.

[0077]Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, the blade 300 may include a first end portion 300a connected to the ring 100 and a second end portion 300b disposed at a position spaced apart from the ring 100 in the radial direction of the ring 100. The first end portion 300a and the second end portion 300b may be formed in a circular shape having a curvature.

[0078]In FIG. 9, section lines SL of the single blade are shown at equal intervals between the first surface 380 and the second surface 390 in the direction from the ring 100 toward the hub 200. In addition, a first section S1 to a fifth section S5 formed along section lines SL shown in FIG. 9 are shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. That is, FIGS. 10 and 11 sequentially show the first surface 380, the first section S1, the second section S2, the third section S3, the fourth section S4, the fifth section S5, and the second surface 390.

[0079]First, as shown in FIG. 9, the blade 300 may have a shape that gradually becomes longer in a direction from the first surface 380 toward the second surface 390. As can be seen from the five section lines SL between the first surface 380 and the second surface 390 shown in FIG. 9, the blade 300 gradually increases in size in a direction from an upper side toward a lower side.

[0080]In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, a first angle A1 formed by a first virtual line L1 passing through a center point CP of the ring 100 and a second virtual line L2 connecting the center point of the ring 100 and a center of the first end portion 300a on the second surface 390 may be greater than a second angle A2 formed by the first virtual line L1 and a third virtual line L3 connecting the center point CP of the ring 100 and a center of the first end portion 300a on the first surface 380.

[0081]More specifically, the angle formed by the first virtual line L1 and the second virtual line L2 may be 3°. In addition, although not shown, the angle formed by the second virtual line L2 and a virtual line connecting the center point of the ring 100 and a center of the first end portion 300a on the first section S1 may also be 3°. In this way, in the first end portion 300a on the first section S1 to the first end portion 300a on the fifth section S5, the angle formed by the virtual lines connecting the first end portion 300a of each section and the center point of the ring 100 may be 3°. In addition, the angle formed by the virtual line connecting the first end portion 300a on the fifth section S5 and the center point of the ring 100 and the second virtual line L2 may also be 3°. In this way, it can be seen that the blade 300 gradually increases in size in the direction from the first surface 380 toward the second surface 390. Here, the above angle is not limited to 3° but may be changed as necessary depending on the size and shape of the blade 300, the size of the ring 100, the shape of the ring 100, the shape of the hub 200, and the size of the hub 200.

[0082]That is, as described above, the blade 300 has a shape that gradually spreads out in the direction from the ring 100 toward the hub 200 due to the first surface 380 and the second surface 390 having different shapes. Additionally, in another aspect, the blade 300 may have a shape twisted in the direction from the first surface 380 toward the second surface 390. Accordingly, since the blade 300 can guide a greater amount of wind than the conventional blade 300 in the same period of time, a user's satisfaction with the air conditioning can be improved.

[0083]In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the direction from the ring 100 toward the hub 200, the first end portion 300a of the second surface 390 of each blade 300 may overlap two adjacent blades 300 in a direction in which the ring 100 rotates. More specifically, the first end portion 300a may overlap two adjacent blades 300 from the first end portion 300a of the first surface 380 toward the second end portion 300b of the second surface 390.

[0084]In this way, the blower wheel according to the embodiment of the present invention may include the blade 300 having a wider air flow area than the conventional blade 300 in which air flows from an upper portion toward a lower portion on the basis of the direction from the ring 100 toward the hub 200. Therefore, it is possible to have an effect of increasing the amount of wind compared to the conventional blower wheel and an effect of reducing noise by reducing the formation of vortices.

[0085]FIG. 12 is a view showing an example in which a third uneven portion 350 is formed on the blade of FIGS. 6A to 11.

[0086]Referring to FIG. 12, the blade 300 may include the third uneven portion 350. The third uneven portion 350 may be formed on an outer side of the blade 300. More specifically, the third uneven portion 350 may be called a trailing edge and formed on the first end portion 300a that is a portion of the blade 300 from which air is finally discharged. In this case, since the blade 300 has a shape twisted in the direction from the first surface 380 toward the second surface 390, the third uneven portion 350 may be disposed along the twisted first end portion 300a.

[0087]The third uneven portion 350 may include a plurality of third convex portions 350a disposed sequentially and a plurality of third concave portions 350b formed between the third convex portions 350a. That is, the third uneven portion 350 may have a structure in which the third convex portions 350a and third concave portions 350b are sequentially and alternately disposed.

[0088]The third uneven portion 350 can disperse air that is discharged to the outside of the blower wheel. More specifically, the third concave portion 350b of the third uneven portion 350 may form a discharge path for air guided through the blade 300. Accordingly, the blade 300 of FIG. 12 can discharge air to the outside of the blower wheel more quickly than the conventional blade 300 not having the shape of the uneven portion without causing a decrease in flow rate.

[0089]Although the present invention has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as described in the appended claims. In addition, the differences relating to these modifications and changes should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.