# US 10,480,526 B2 · Axial flow fan and air-conditioning apparatus including the same

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- Number: US 10,480,526 B2
- Document ID: US10480526B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/756,085
- Filed: 2015-11-02
- Published: 2018-08-23
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2015-11-02
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Inventors: Seiji Nakashima; Takahide Tadokoro; Shuhei Mizutani; Yutaka Aoyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480526B2

## CPC

- F04D 29/384: {characterised by form}
- F04D 29/325: {for axial flow fans (blade mountings F04D29/34, blades F04D29/38)}
- F04D 29/667: {by influencing the flow pattern, e.g. suppression of turbulence}
- F01D 5/141: {Shape, i.e. outer, aerodynamic form (F01D5/148 - F01D5/20 take precedence; blade construction F01D5/147)}
- F04D 29/324: {Blades}
- F04D 29/544: {Blade shapes}
- F05D 2240/303: related to the leading edge of a rotor blade
- F05D 2240/307: related to the tip of a rotor blade
- F04D: NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS (engine fuel-injection pumps F02M; ion pumps H01J41/12; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02)
- F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D)
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS

## Abstract

An axial flow fan according to the present invention includes a plurality of blades, each of the blades including: a leading edge formed in front in a direction of rotation of the axial flow fan; an inner circumferential edge formed at an inner circumference of the blades; and an outer circumferential edge formed at an outer circumference of the blades, the outer circumferential edge configured to be at downstream of a fluid, forced to move by the axial flow fan, than the inner circumferential edge, the blade being reflexed toward upstream of the fluid at a portion adjacent to the outer circumferential edge, and having a local angle-decrease section having a blade inlet angle α at the leading edge decreasing from neighborhood, the local angle-decrease section being formed at a side of the leading edge and being located closer to the outer circumferential edge than to the inner circumferential edge.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An axial flow fan comprising:
a plurality of blades, each of the blades including
a leading edge formed in front in a direction of rotation of the axial flow fan,
an inner circumferential edge formed at an inner circumference of the blades, and
an outer circumferential edge formed at an outer circumference of the blades, the outer circumferential edge being located at downstream in a flow direction of a fluid, forced to move by the axial flow fan, than the inner circumferential edge,
the blade being reflexed toward upstream of the fluid at a portion adjacent to the outer circumferential edge, and having a local angle-decrease section having a blade inlet angle at the leading edge decreasing from neighborhood, the local angle-decrease section being formed at a side of the leading edge and being located closer to the outer circumferential edge than to the inner circumferential edge,
the local angle-decrease section having, at a leading edge of the local angle-decrease section, a minimum point at which the blade inlet angle is a minimum,
the local angle-decrease section having an intermediate point located at an intermediate position between both ends of the local angle-decrease section,
the minimum point being formed closer to a rotation axis than the intermediate point.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The axial flow fan of claim 1 further comprising a cylindrical boss portion around a rotation axis, wherein
a radial length Rs that is a distance between the rotation axis and the minimum point satisfies
0.1<(Rt−Rs)/(Rt−Rb)<0.5,
where a radial length that is a distance from the rotation axis to an outer circumferential surface of the boss portion is Rb, and
a maximum radial length from the rotation axis to the outer circumferential edge is Rt.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The axial flow fan of claim 1, wherein
the local angle-decrease section is formed within half a length at a side of the outer circumferential edge, of a radial length of the leading edge, and
the blade inlet angle of the local angle-decrease section is smaller than the blade inlet angle at an inner circumference side relative to the local angle-decrease section.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The axial flow fan of claim 1, wherein the plurality of blades each have an arc cross-sectional shape in a blade chord direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The axial flow fan of claim 4, wherein
the blade inlet angle satisfies
α=γ+θc/2,
where the blade inlet angle is denoted by α,
an angle formed by a rotation axis and a blade chord connecting the leading edge and a trailing edge formed in back in the direction of rotation is referred to as stagger angle γ, and
an acute angle at a point of intersection of a tangent line at the leading edge and a tangent line at the trailing edge is referred to as camber angle θc.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

An air-conditioning apparatus comprising the axial flow fan of claim 1.