Fan assembly
AssigneeJohnson Electric S.A.
InventorsDavide Parodi, Giovanni Delsant
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fan assembly has a support structure and a motor fixed to the support structure. The motor has a stator, an outer rotor and a controller. Components of the controller are in a thermal exchange relationship with a plate-like heat sink at one end of the stator. A fan, fixed to the rotor, has a hollow hub from which blades extend. Air flows through inlet openings in a front wall of the hub. The heat sink has a slit with an outer side, axially offset from the inner side. A portion of the heat sink forms a wing deflecting part of the air flow coming from the inlet openings through the slit to pass over the surface of the heat sink.
Claims16
A fan assembly, comprising:
- a fixed support structure;
- an electric motor, comprising a stator fixed to the fixed support structure and a rotor,
- a controller having components in a thermal exchange relationship with a plate-like heat sink which extends transversely with respect to a rotational axis of the motor;
- and
- a fan, fixed to the rotor of the motor,
- wherein the heat sink has a ventilation opening with an inner side and an outer side along a radial direction of the motor, a wing corresponding to the ventilation opening defines a slit with respect to the heat sink in an axial direction of the motor, and the wing is adapted to deflect airflow coming into the ventilation opening, sending it through the slit to flow to an outer surface of the heat sink.
A fan assembly for a heat exchanger of a vehicle, comprising:
- a fixed support structure, comprising an outer frame and an inner member connected to the frame by a plurality of spokes;
- an electric motor, comprising a stator fixed to the inner member, and a rotor rotatable with respect to the stator,
- a controller having components in a thermal exchange relationship with a plate-like heat sink which extends transversely with respect to a rotational axis of the motor at one end of the stator;
- and
- a fan, fixed to the rotor at the other end of the stator and having a hollow hub from which a plurality of blades extend;
- the hub having a front wall intended to be struck by air flow caused by the fan and a lateral skirt which surrounds the motor defining an annular space with respect thereto;
- a plurality of inlet openings being provided in said front wall through which air flows into the annular space,
- wherein the heat sink has a slit in a peripheral region facing the annular space, the slit is open to the annular space and an outer surface of the heat sink, the slit has an inner side and an outer side offset with respect to the inner side in an axial direction of the motor, a portion of the heat sink adjacent to the outer side of the slit forming a wing adapted to deflect, in use, part of the air flow coming from the annular space, sending it through the slit to pass over the outer surface of the heat sink adjacent to the inner side of the slit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.