DUAL FAN COAXIAL FLOW BLOWER HOUSING ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A blower assembly including a housing for a first scroll fan and a second scroll fan that are connected by a shaft to a motor that rotates the fans. The first and second scroll fans are coaxially mounted on the shaft. Fresh air ports and recirculated air ports are provided for the circulation of fresh air and recirculated air, respectively. The fresh air ports and recirculated air ports may be selectively opened and closed by doors to control the flow of air from the outside and from the passenger compartment as controlled by the HVAC system.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to vehicle heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system blower fans and blower housings.

BACKGROUND

Vehicle HVAC systems have a separate air inlet for fresh air and for recirculated air. Air is directed from the fresh air inlet and/or the recirculated air inlet to the blower within the blower housing. The blower housing structurally supports the blower fan. Blower housings with separate fresh air inlets and recirculated air inlets may encounter problems relating to noise levels and vibration.

Another problem encountered by vehicle HVAC systems is that they tend to be bulky. As the volume of air moved through the system is increased, the space required to house the blower housing also increases. Space available for a blower housing in a vehicle is limited and may impact vehicle design freedom.

In HVAC systems having more than one fan, each fan typically has one inlet that is shifted between a fresh air source and a recirculation air source. Multiple fans are not used to draw fresh air and recirculated air through the same inlet.

The above problems and other problems are addressed by this disclosure as summarized below.

SUMMARY

This disclosure is directed to a HVAC housing for a dual wheel/dual scroll fan blower that is assembled to a blower housing to create a coaxial air flow path within the blower housing. The blower housing may have integral internal ribs that direct air flow from the cowl air flow inlet and indirectly to the blower. The internal rib design in the coaxial fan chamber also provides structural support for directly assembling the fans, motor and other components to the blower housing assembly. The internal rib design reduces noise and vibrations while improving the flow of air into the blower inlet.

In one embodiment, the fresh air from the cowl air flow inlet may be the only fresh air inlet that provides fresh air to both fans. Fresh air may be provided to two more inlet openings from the cowl area to the fans. Recirculation air inlets may also be provided that may operate in combination with or independently of the fresh air inlets.

The dual wheel/dual scroll fan blower may be horizontally oriented, vertically oriented or oriented in any angular orientation required to meet the packaging requirements in the limited space available for the HVAC blower housing assembly in a vehicle. The size of the HVAC blower housing assembly may be reduced due to increased efficiency of the coaxial fans and, as a direct result, the size and weight of the instrument panel may be reduced. A smaller HVAC blower housing assembly allows more design freedom for instrument panel designs.

The HVAC blower housing assembly may facilitate providing a partial recirculation strategy that permits part of the air flow to be recirculated with fresh air. Partial recirculation of air within the vehicle in combination with limited fresh air may reduce the load on the HVAC system and may permit system specifications to be less rigorous.

According to one aspect of this disclosure, a HVAC blower housing assembly is disclosed that includes a housing and a motor assembled to the housing. A first fan and a second fan are operatively connected to the motor and are coaxially aligned to draw air from a first inlet and a second inlet, respectively. An outlet receives air from the first fan and the second fan and forces the air to the passenger compartment.

According to another aspect of this disclosure, a HVAC blower housing assembly is disclosed that includes a housing that defines a first opening and a second opening. A motor is disposed within the housing and is connected to a first blower scroll fan and a second blower scroll fan. The first blower scroll fan is operatively connected to the motor that draws air through the first opening. The second blower scroll fan is operatively connected to the motor that draws air through the second opening. A first closure member controls the flow of air through the first opening by controlling the volume of air drawn from a fresh air source and the volume of air drawn from a passenger compartment. A second closure member controls the flow of air through the second opening from the passenger compartment.

According to further aspects of this disclosure, the HVAC blower housing assemblies summarized above may also include a jacket that defines an annulus disposed around the housing that facilitates air flow around the housing from one end of the housing to the opposite end of the housing. A wide variety of fresh air and recirculated air inlets are disclosed. Different door combinations may be provided to control the sources of air provided to the blower scroll fans. The blower scroll fans are coaxially aligned and may be oriented vertically, horizontally or in another orientation to suit packaging requirements and space limitations within an instrument panel.

The above aspects of this disclosure and other aspects will be more fully described in the following detailed description of the illustrated embodiments and with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a HVAC blower housing assembly having recirculation air inlets on both ends of the assembly and a fresh air inlet on one ends of the assembly that also provides fresh air through a partial annulus to the opposite end of the assembly.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a HVAC blower housing assembly having recirculation air inlets on both ends of the assembly and a fresh air inlet on one end of the assembly that also provides fresh air through a cylindrical annulus to the opposite end of the assembly.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vertically oriented HVAC blower housing assembly having recirculation air inlets on both ends of the assembly and fresh air inlets on both ends of the assembly.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a horizontally oriented HVAC blower housing assembly having recirculation air inlets on both ends of the assembly and fresh air inlets on both ends of the assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrated embodiments are disclosed with reference to the drawings. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are intended to be merely examples that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. The specific structural and functional details disclosed are not to be interpreted as limiting, but as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to practice the disclosed concepts.

Referring to FIG. 1, a blower assembly 10 is illustrated that includes a housing 12. A motor 16 is disposed within the housing and is operatively connected to a first scroll fan 18 and a second scroll fan 20 by a shaft 22. The first and second scroll fans 18 and 20 are coaxially aligned on the shaft 22 and draw air from opposite ends of the housing because they are oppositely oriented on the shaft 22. The first scroll fan 18 is connected to a first end 26 of the shaft 22 and the second scroll fan 20 is connected to a second end 28 of the shaft 22. The motor 16 rotates the shaft 22 to operate the first and second scroll fans 18 and 20.

A fresh air port 30 admits fresh air F into the housing 12. The fresh air F is also selectively provided to the fresh air duct 32. The fresh air duct 32 is a semi-annular duct that routes air around the first and second scroll fans 18 and 20. A fresh air door 34 may be shifted between a position blocking the fresh air port 30 and an open position in which fresh air F may be provided to the fresh air duct 32. A first recirculated air duct 36 provides recirculated air R. A first recirculated air door 38 may be opened and closed to permit or prevent the flow of recirculated air R through the first recirculated air duct 36. The first recirculated air door 38 may be a pivoting door or a roll film door depending on cost and space requirements. A second recirculated air duct 40 is provided at the opposite or lower end of the housing 12 and an alternate recirculated air duct 42 may also be provided on the housing 12 to permit recirculated air R to flow into housing 12. A combination door 44 may be moved to a blocking position blocking the second recirculated air duct 40 and the alternate recirculated air duct 42. The combination door 44 may also be moved to block the flow of fresh air F through the fresh air duct 32.

Referring to FIG. 2, a diagrammatic representation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. The first scroll fan 18 is shown disposed within the housing 12. The fresh air duct 32 is shown to be a semi-annular duct attached to the outside of the housing 12. The first scroll fan 18 is shown in operation expelling air into an outlet duct 50. The air in the outlet duct 50 is outlet air that is provided to a passenger compartment 52.

Referring to FIG. 3, a blower assembly 54 is shown that includes a housing 56. The blower assembly 54 is attached to a bulkhead 58 by a fastener 60. A cowl 62 is also shown at one end of the housing 56 that separates the interior of the vehicle (not shown) from the exterior.

A motor 64 is assembled to the housing 56 and bulkhead 58 by motor mount ribs 66 that operatively support the motor 64 within the housing 56. A first scroll fan 68 and a second scroll fan 70 are provided on opposite ends of a shaft 72. The shaft 72 is rotated by the motor 64 to provide air flow by rotation of the scroll fans 68 and 70.

A fresh air port 76 is defined by the cowl 62 and the housing 56. Fresh air F is supplied to the blower housing assembly 54 through the fresh air port 76 when a fresh air door 78 is opened. Fresh air door 78 may be closed to operate the blower housing assembly 54 in a recirculation mode. A fresh air duct 80 is provided that encloses the housing 56. The fresh air duct 80 may be a cylindrical annulus through which fresh air is permitted to flow from the fresh air port 76 through a plurality of acoustic air flow ribs 82 to the opposite ends of the blower assembly 54. The acoustic air flow ribs 82 support the housing 56 within the fresh air duct 80 and are constructed to eliminate unwanted noise in the blower assembly 54. A first recirculated air duct 84 is provided in the fresh air duct 80 adjacent the fresh air port 76. Recirculated air R is admitted through the first recirculated air duct 84 from the passenger compartment 52 (shown in FIG. 2). The first recirculated air duct 84 may be opened and closed by a first roll film door 86 depending upon whether air is requested to be recirculated through the blower assembly 54. A second recirculated air duct 88 is provided on the opposite end of the blower assembly 54 from the fresh air port 76. A second roll film door 90 may be provided that opens and closes the second recirculated air duct 88 to either permit or restrict air from being recirculated by the blower housing assembly 54.

Referring to FIG. 4, another alternative embodiment of a blower assembly 96 is illustrated. A housing 98 of the blower assembly 96 is attached to a cowl 100 of the vehicle (not shown).

A first scroll fan 106 and a second scroll fan 108 are attached to opposite ends of a shaft 110. A motor 102 operates the scroll fans 106 and 108, as previously described. A first fresh air port 112 is provided through the cowl 100 and may be opened and closed by a first fresh air door 114. A second fresh air port 116 is provided near the other end of the housing 98 and is adapted to be opened and closed by a second fresh air door 118. The second fresh air port 116 may receive air from the outer side of the bulkhead (not shown) that is similar to the bulkhead 58 shown in FIG. 3. A second fresh air door 118 may be opened and closed to allow fresh air F to flow into the housing 98. A first recirculated air duct 120 is provided in the housing 98 near the first fresh air port 112. A first roll film door 122 is provided to open and close the first recirculated air duct 120. A second recirculated air duct 124 is provided in the opposite end of the housing 98 from the first fresh air port 112. The second recirculated air duct 124 may be opened and closed by a second roll film door 126, as previously described.

Referring to FIG. 5, a horizontal blower assembly 130 is illustrated that includes a housing 132 that is adapted to be secured below the cowl 134 of the vehicle (not shown). A motor 136 is operatively connected to a first scroll fan 140 and a second scroll fan 142 by a shaft 144.

A first fresh air port 146 is provided in the housing 132 on the left side of FIG. 5. The first fresh air port 146 may be opened and closed by rotating a dual function door 148 to open and close the first fresh air port 146. A second fresh air port 150 may be provided between the cowl 134 and housing 132. The second fresh air port 150 is adapted to be opened and closed by a second fresh air door 152. A first recirculated air duct 154 may be provided in the housing 132 to permit air to be recirculated in the passenger compartment 52 (as shown in FIG. 2). The dual door 148 may be used to open and close the first recirculated air duct 154 by rotating the dual door 148 between the position shown in FIG. 5 in solid lines and a position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 5.

A second recirculated air duct 158 is provided in the opposite end of the housing 132 from the first recirculated air duct 154. The second recirculated air duct 158 may be opened and closed by a roll film door 160, as previously described.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the disclosed apparatus and method. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as claimed. The features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosed concepts.

Claims

1. A HVAC blower assembly comprising:

a housing;

a motor assembled to the housing;

a first fan and a second fan operatively connected to the motor, the first fan and the second fan being coaxially aligned to draw air from a first inlet and a second inlet, respectively; and

an outlet that receives the air from the first fan and the second fan and passes the air to a passenger compartment.

2. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a shaft that is driven by the motor and extends from first and second opposite ends of the motor, and wherein the first fan is connected to a first end of the shaft and the second fan is connected to a second end of the shaft.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the housing further comprises a first air inlet that the first fan draws air into the housing, and a second air inlet that the second fan draws air into the housing.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the first fan draws air including recirculated air from the passenger compartment and fresh air from outside of the passenger compartment.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fan draws air including recirculated air from the passenger compartment and fresh air from outside of the passenger compartment.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the second fan draws air including recirculated air from the passenger compartment and fresh air from outside of the passenger compartment.

7. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fan and the second fan are coaxially aligned in a vertical orientation.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fan and the second fan are coaxially aligned in a horizontal orientation.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fan and the second fan are coaxially aligned in an angular orientation that is between vertical and horizontal.

10. A HVAC blower assembly comprising:

a housing that defines a first opening and a second opening;

a motor disposed within the housing;

a first blower scroll fan operatively connected to the motor that draws air through the first opening;

a second blower scroll fan operatively connected to the motor that draws air through the second opening;

a first closure member that controls air flowing through the first opening by controlling a first volume of air from a fresh air source and a second volume of air from a passenger compartment; and

a second closure member that controls air flowing through the second opening from the passenger compartment.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the second closure member controls air flowing through the second opening from the fresh air source.

12. The assembly of claim 11 further comprising:

an outside air vent that provides air from the fresh air source to both the first opening and second opening.

13. The assembly of claim 12 further comprising a fresh air duct provided on the housing that extending from the first opening to the second opening to provide fresh air to the second opening.

14. The assembly of claim 11 further comprising:

a first outside air vent that provides air from the fresh air source to the first opening; and

a second outside air vent that provides air from the fresh air source to the second opening.

15. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising:

a plurality of ribs formed inside the housing for supporting the motor and the first blower scroll fan and the second blower scroll fan within the housing.

16. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising:

a plurality of acoustic air flow ribs formed inside the housing in an air outlet from the housing that also include a motor mount.

17. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising:

a shaft that is driven by the motor and extends from first and second opposite ends of the motor, and wherein the first blower scroll fan is connected to a first end of the shaft and the second blower scroll fan is connected to a second end of the shaft.

18. The assembly of claim 10 further comprising:

an outlet that receives the air from the first blower scroll fan and the second blower scroll fan and passes the air to a passenger compartment.