US20080101933A1

US20080101933A1 - Airflow generating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20080101933A1
Application number: US11/581,453
Authority: US
Inventors: Win-Haw Chen; Chen-Yueh Chang
Original assignee: Inventec Corp
Current assignee: Inventec Corp
Priority date: 2006-10-17
Filing date: 2006-10-17
Publication date: 2008-05-01

Abstract

An airflow generating apparatus is provided. Fan blades are disposed around a hub, and one side of a fan blade is partially fixed on the peripheral of the hub, and another portion not fixed on the peripheral side of the hub is a free portion swinging with airflow. Therefore, the airflow generating apparatus employing the fan blades can adjust the swaying angle in accordance with the variation of different flow fields, so as to maintain a smooth airflow.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an airflow generating apparatus, more particularly, t to an airflow generating apparatus having a blade with one end being a free portion swinging with airflow.
2. Related Art
A Fan is an equipment used to generate airflow, which mainly includes fan blades. The fan blades are used to generate a pressure difference to drive a fluid to flow. Therefore, the design of the fan blades is quite important. The design of the fan blades has been disclosed in the US Patent Publication No. 3,075,743, U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,569, and No. 20050095131, in which a multi-section fan blade structure is used to reduce the wind resistance and to generate smooth airflow. In the US Patent Publication No. 6,948,912 and No. 6,206,641, different shapes of fan blades are used to improve the efficiency of generating airflow. However, the above patents cannot generate a compensating mechanism capable of compensating in accordance with difference operating environment and flow fields.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above problems, the present invention is directed to provide an airflow generating apparatus, in which a fan blade has a free portion swinging with the airflow.
Therefore, in order to achieve the above objective, an airflow generating apparatus disclosed in the present invention comprises a hub, a motor, and a plurality of fan blades. The motor drives the hub to rotate. Each of the fan blades comprises a fixed portion and a free portion connected to the fixed portion. The fixed portion on the side facing the hub is fixed on the hub, so that when the hub rotates, the fixed portion generates an axial airflow, and the axial airflow pushes the free portion to swing.
The fixed portion has a plurality of supporting ribs on one side surface thereof to reinforce the supporting strength of the fixed portion. Further, the fixed portion is made of a hard material, and the free portion is made of a flexible material.
The airflow generating apparatus further comprises a frame and a plurality of baffles. The frame is used to accommodate the hub and the fan blades. Each of the baffles comprises a fixed portion and a free portion connected to the fixed portion. One side of the fixed portion is fixed on the peripheral side of the frame, and the free portion swings under the push of the axial airflow.
The fixed portion has a plurality of supporting ribs on one side surface thereof to reinforce the supporting strength of the fixed portion. Further, the fixed portion is made of a hard material, and the free portion is made of a flexible material.
The frame further comprises a connecting element disposed in the middle of the frame, so that one end of the baffles is connected to the frame, and the other end of the baffles is connected to the connecting element.
In addition, the baffles are also totally fixed on the peripheral side of the frame, and are used to guide the axial airflow and cannot swing.
The present invention further discloses an airflow generating apparatus, which comprises a frame, a hub, a motor, a plurality of fan blades, and a plurality of baffles. The motor is disposed in the frame to drive the hub to rotate. The plurality of fan blades is connected to the peripheral side of the hub, so that when the hub rotates, the fan blades generate an axial airflow. Each of the baffles comprises a fixed portion and a free portion connected to the fixed portion. One side of the fixed portion is fixed on the peripheral side of the frame, and the free portion swings under the push of the axial airflow.
The fixed portion has a plurality of supporting ribs on one side surface thereof to reinforce the supporting strength of the fixed portion. The fixed portion is made of a hard material, and the free portion is made of a flexible material.
The frame further comprises a connecting element disposed in the middle of the frame, so that one end of the baffles is connected to the frame, and the other end of the baffles is connected to the connecting element.
Therefore, according to the airflow generating apparatus of the present invention, the fan blade structure can automatically adjust the swaying angle by the use of the free portion of the fan blade in accordance with the different operating environment, and can change the swaying angle in accordance with different flow fields to provide smooth flow field, thereby improving efficiency and reducing noises. Similarly, the baffle of the fan is design to have a free portion that swings in accordance with different flow fields and to generate a compensating mechanism.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a combined schematic view and a top view of the fan blades of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the fan blades of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are a combined schematic view and a top view of the fan blades according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a combined schematic view of the airflow generating apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded view of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic views of the baffles connected to the frame and the connecting element of the present invention; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic views of the baffles according to different embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a combined schematic view and a top view of the fan blades of the present invention are shown. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the present invention is a fan blade structure of an airflow generating apparatus. The fan blades 100 are disposed around a hub 300 of an airflow generating apparatus (not shown). Each of the fan blades 100 includes a fixed portion 101 and a free portion 102 connected to the fixed portion 101. One side of the fixed portion 101 is fixed on the peripheral side of the hub 300, and the free portion 102 is not fixed on the peripheral side of the hub 300. The free portion 102 swings with the airflow with respect to the fixed portion 101.
Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic view of the fan blades of the present invention is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, the fixed portion 101 of a fan blade 100 has a plurality of supporting ribs 103 on one side surface thereof to reinforce the supporting strength of the fixed portion 101 of the fan blade 100, so that the fan blade 100 can maintain a certain swaying angle.
Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a combined schematic view and a top view of the fan blades according to another embodiment are shown. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the fan blade 100 includes a hard material 105 and a flexible material 107. The hard material 105 is fixed on the peripheral side of the hub 300 to form the fixed portion 101, and the flexible material 107 is connected to one side of the hard material 105 to form an entire fan blade 100. The flexible material 107 at this side becomes the free portion 102 of the fan blade 100, and swings with the airflow.
Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6A, a combined schematic view and a schematic exploded view of the airflow generating apparatus of the present invention, and a schematic view of the baffles connected to the frame and the connecting element. As shown in FIG. 4, the present invention is an airflow generating apparatus are shown. The airflow generating apparatus includes a frame 500, a motor 700, a hub 300, and a plurality of fan blades 100. The motor 700 is fixed in the frame 500, and the hub 300 is connected to the motor 700 and is driven by the motor 700 to rotate. The fan blade 100 includes a fixed portion 101 and a free portion 102 connected to the fixed portion 101. One side of the fixed portion is fixed on the peripheral side of the hub 300, and the free portion 102 is not fixed on the peripheral side of the hub 300. When the motor 700 drives the hub 300 to rotate, the hub 300 drives the fan blade 100 to rotate, so as to generate an axial airflow along the axial direction of the motor 700. The free portion 102 in the fan blade 100 swings with the axial airflow to generate the smooth airflow. Other structures of the fan blade 100 have been described above, and the details will not be described herein again. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A, a plurality of baffles 510 can be further added and fixed on one side of the frame 500. Each of the baffles 510 includes a fixed portion 511 and a free portion 512 connected to the fixed portion 511. The fixed portion 511 is fixed on the peripheral side of the frame 500, and the free portion 512 is not fixed on the peripheral side of the frame 500. A connecting element 501 is provided in the middle of the frame 500, so that one end of a baffle 510 is connected to the frame 500, and the other end of the baffle 510 is connected to the connecting element 501, so that the baffles 510 are opposite to the fan blades 100. The baffles 510 are connected to the connecting element 501 in the same manner of being connected to the frame 500. When the hub 300 rotates, the fan blades 100 are driven to rotate to generate the axial airflow, and the free portion 512 of the baffle 510 swings with the axial airflow, so as to improve the efficiency of generating airflow and stabilize the airflow.
Referring to FIG. 6B, a schematic view of the baffles according to another embodiment is shown. As shown in FIG. 6B, the baffles 510 are totally fixed on the frame 500 and the connecting element 501, and the baffles 510 cannot swing with the airflow.
Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the schematic views of the baffles according to different embodiments of the present invention are shown. As shown in FIG. 6, the fixed portion 511 of a baffle 510 has a plurality of supporting ribs 513 on one side surface thereof. The supporting ribs 513 are used to reinforce the strength of the baffle 510. As shown in FIG. 7, the fixed portion 511 of the baffle 510 is made of a hard material 515, and the free portion is made of a flexible material 517. The hard material 515 is fixed on the peripheral side of the frame 500 and the connecting element 501 to form the fixed portion 511, and the flexible material 517 is connected to one side of the hard material 515 but is not fixed on the peripheral side of the frame 500 and the connecting element 501, such that the flexible material 517 becomes the free portion 512. The flexible material 517 swings with respect to the hard material 515. The free portion 511 swings with the airflow, so as to stabilize the airflow. The swaying angle may be automatically adjusted in accordance with the change of the operating environment and the external airflow, thereby improving the efficiency.
Therefore, for the airflow generating apparatus of the present invention, the application fields may include the common radiating fan, the turbo apparatus and the airflow generating equipment having the fan blade.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An airflow generating apparatus, comprising:

a hub;

a motor, driving the hub to rotate; and

a plurality of fan blades, wherein each of the fan blades comprises a fixed portion and a free portion connected to the fixed portion, the fixed portion on a side facing the hub is fixed on the hub, so that when the hub rotates, the fixed portion generates an axial airflow, and the axial airflow pushes the free portion to swing.

2. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixed portion of each fan blade has a plurality of supporting ribs to reinforce the strength of the fixed portion.

3. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixed portion is made of a hard material and the free portion is made of a flexible material.

4. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a frame, for accommodating the hub and the fan blade; and

a plurality of baffles, wherein each of the baffles comprises a fixed portion and a free portion connected to the fixed portion, one side of the fixed portion is fixed on the peripheral side of the frame, and the free portion swings under the push of the axial airflow.

5. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the fixed portion has a plurality of supporting ribs on one side surface thereof to reinforce the strength of the fixed portion.

6. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the fixed portion is made of a hard material, and the free portion is made of a flexible material.

7. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the frame further comprises a connecting element disposed in the middle of the frame, so that one end of the baffles is connected to the frame, and the other end of the baffles is connected to the connecting element.

8. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a frame, for accommodating the hub and the fan blade; and

a plurality of baffles, wherein each of the baffles is fixed on the peripheral side of the frame and guides the axial airflow.

9. An airflow generating apparatus, comprising:

a frame;

a hub;

a motor, disposed in the frame, for driving the hub to rotate;

a plurality of fan blades, connected to the peripheral side of the hub, so that when the hub rotates, the fan blades generate an axial airflow; and

a plurality of baffles, wherein each of the baffles comprises a fixed portion and a free portion connected to the fixed portion, one side of the fixed portion is fixed on the peripheral side of the frame, and the free portion swings under the pushed of the axial airflow.

10. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fixed portion has a plurality of supporting ribs on one side surface thereof to reinforce the strength of the fixed portion.

11. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fixed portion is made of a hard material, and the free portion is made of a flexible material.

12. The airflow generating apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the frame further comprises a connecting element disposed in the middle of the frame, so that one end of the baffles is connected to the frame, and the other end of the baffles is connected to the connecting element.