FLUID APPARATUS

Abstract

A fluid aparatus includes an apparatus main body that includes a motor and a fan driven by the motor, a frame on which the apparatus main body is mounted, a pipe that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body to discharge and introduce a fluid by rotation of the fan, an operation unit that is provided to the pipe to input an operation command for the apparatus main body by operation from outside, a cable that transmits a signal between the operation unit and the apparatus main body, and a connecting portion that is provided to the cable to separably couple the operation unit and the apparatus main body to each other.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-85921 filed Apr. 20, 2015 in the Japan Patent Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a fluid apparatus including a motor as a power source for a fan.

A backpack blower as an example of the fluid apparatus has been known that is configured to include a fan rotationally driven by a motor and a battery supplying electric power to the fan, both mounted on a backpack frame, and to be carried by a user on the user's back by means of the backpack frame for use (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,400).

A backpack blower including an engine as a power source for a fan has also been known that includes a pipe for discharging air, attached to a blower main body mounted on a backpack frame, and a trigger for controlling the rotational speed of the engine, provided to a grip of the pipe (see, for example, JP2014-234610).

SUMMARY

The backpack blower disclosed in JP2014-234610 mentioned above is easy to use because a user can hold the grip to direct a leading end (an air discharge outlet) of the pipe in a desired discharge direction and, moreover, can control the air discharge rate by manipulating the trigger with a hand holding the grip.

According to the backpack blower disclosed in JP2014-234610, a cable for coupling the trigger and the blower main body to each other is directly secured to them, since the structure of a discharge rate control mechanism for controlling the air discharge rate does not allow for detachment of the cable.

This causes a problem of reduced portability because the undetachable cable gets in the way when, for example, the pipe is detached from the blower main body and divided to carry the blower along.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, it is desired, in a motor-driven fluid apparatus including a pipe for introducing and discharging a fluid, the pipe being attached to an apparatus main body and provided with an operation unit, to help preventing a cable coupling the apparatus main body and the operation unit to each other from getting in the way.

In a fluid apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus main body including a motor and a fan driven by the motor is mounted on a frame, and a pipe for discharging and introducing a fluid by rotation of the fan is detachably attached to the apparatus main body.

The pipe is provided with an operation unit for inputting an operation command for the apparatus main body by operation from outside, the operation unit and the apparatus main body being coupled to each other by a cable for transmitting a signal.

The cable is provided with a connecting portion for separably coupling the operation unit and the apparatus main body to each other.

Thus, in the fluid apparatus according to the present disclosure, the operation unit and the apparatus main body can be separated from each other by decoupling a cable connection therebetween by means of the connecting portion. This helps preventing the cable from getting in the way to thereby provide improved portability when, for example, the pipe is detached from the apparatus main body and divided to carry the fluid apparatus along.

The operation unit and the apparatus main body thus being separable from each other, it is possible to coupe a second operation unit that is different from the operation unit provided to the pipe to a cable or a cable connecting portion on the separated apparatus main body side, so as to run the fluid apparatus.

The connecting portion may be provided to at least one of a connection between the cable and the operation unit or a connection between the cable and the apparatus main body, or may be provided to an intermediate portion of the cable.

Providing the connecting portion to the connection between the cable and the operation unit or to the connection between the cable and the apparatus main body allows the connecting portion to be provided to an end of the cable, thereby allowing for provision of one cable.

In such a case, a user can couple the cable to the operation unit or to the apparatus main body easily with one hand, since a connecting portion on the operation unit side or on the apparatus main body side, to be coupled to the cable, is secured to the operation unit or to the apparatus main body.

Providing the connecting portion to an intermediate portion of the cable requires provision of two cables. It is, however, possible to set a cable extending from the apparatus main body and a cable extending from the operation unit each at any length. Thus, it is possible to set each cable to a length that does not cause the cable to get in the way when the pipe is detached from the apparatus main body.

The operation unit may comprise a plurality of input elements for inputting a plurality of commands.

The plurality of input elements includes, for example, a dial switch for setting a maximum rotational speed of the motor, a trigger switch for inputting a speed command for the motor according to an amount the trigger switch is operated, and a lock button for locking an operational position of the trigger switch.

The operation unit may further comprise a main power switch for the apparatus main body as one of the plurality of input elements.

Setting the main power switch thus provided to the operation unit to the OFF state, for example, can help preventing the motor from being driven to rotate the fan when an input element inputting a drive command for the motor (such as a trigger switch) is unintentionally operated. This leads to improved safety.

The apparatus main body may be provided with a plurality of fans to increase fluid discharging and introducing capacity. In this case, it is conceivable to include a plurality of motors in the apparatus main body to drive each fan separately.

In such a case as this where a plurality of motors are included in the apparatus main body, it is desired that the operation unit be configured to input a command value common to each motor as an operation command for the plurality of motors.

Such a configuration eliminates the need for a user to input an operation command separately for each motor, thereby providing facilitated operation and improved usability. It also eliminates the need to provide an input element to each motor, resulting in an operation unit with a simpler configuration.

The operation unit may be provided with a display for displaying conditions of the fluid apparatus. It is desired that the display be configured to display at least one of a run/stop state of the apparatus main body, remaining energy of a battery supplying electric power to the motor, or an abnormality in the apparatus main body, for example.

The operation unit may be provided to the pipe position-adjustably along a central axis of the pipe. This allows the operation unit to be located in such a position easy for a user to operate it, thereby providing improved usability.

The operation unit may be detachably attachable to the pipe. This allows the operation unit to be detached from the pipe for separate use, also thereby providing improved usability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an explanatory diagram illustrating an appearance of a backpack blower according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a blower main body seen from the same direction as in FIG, 1; and

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the backpack blower.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a backpack blower (hereinafter also referred to simply as a blower) 2 according to an embodiment as an example of a fluid apparatus comprises a blower main body 6 mounted on a backpack frame 4 and a pipe 8 guiding air discharged from the blower main body 6 to a discharge outlet 9 located at a leading end of the pipe 8 to discharge the air from the discharge outlet 9.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the blower main body 6 accommodates fans 10A and 10B rotating around a common central axis A to thereby introduce external air from around both ends of the central axis A and send the air out in the same direction.

The blower main body 6 is provided with a pipe mount 7 for discharging air collected from, the fans 10A and 10B to the pipe 8.

The fans 10A and 10B respectively comprise outer rotor brushless motors (hereinafter referred to simply as motors) 12A and 12B, and corresponding blades of the fans are secured to corresponding rotors of the motors 12A and 12B.

The blower main body 6 is secured, via a spring 5 for absorbing vibration, to the backpack frame 4, which is provided with a pad 4a and a belt 4b to be used by a user to shoulder the backpack frame 4.

The pipe mount 7 is provided to the blower main body 6 so as to be located on the user's right when the blower main body 6 is carried on the user's back by means of the backpack frame 4.

The pipe 8 is made of pipes 8a to 8e, which are segments of the pipe 8 divided along its central axis into five.

Among these, the pipe 8a is detachably attachable to the pipe mount 7 and has an L shape such that the direction of air discharged from the blower main body 6 can be changed from laterally to forwardly relative to the user.

The pipe 8b to be coupled to the pipe 8a is shaped like an accordion such that the discharge outlet 9 can be directed to any direction.

The pipe 8c to be coupled to the pipe Sb is a straight pipe provided, on its outer periphery, with a handle 20 to be gripped by a user to change the direction of the discharge outlet 9. The handle 20 is slidable along a central axis of the pipe 8c and can be secured in any position for use.

The pipe 8c is configured to be coupled either to the straight pipe 8d or to the pipe 8e including the discharge outlet 9 with a reduced diameter at its leading end. When the pipe 8d is coupled to the pipe 8c, the pipe 8e can be coupled to a leading end of the pipe 8d.

The handle 20 is provided with a trigger switch (hereinafter, a switch is indicated as a SW) 22, a dial SW 24, and a lock button 26, as an operation unit operable by a finger of a user when the handle 20 is gripped by the user.

Among these, the trigger SW 22 controls the air discharge rate from the blower 2 (more specifically, the rotational speed of the motors 12A and 12B), and the dial SW 24 sets the maximum discharge rate (more specifically, the maximum rotational speed of the motors 12A and 12B), which is adjustable by operation of the trigger SW 22.

The lock button 26 is an operation button allowing a locking mechanism to function that holds the trigger SW 22 at its maximum operational position or at any operational position.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the handle 20 is further provided with a main power SW 28 and a display 30 for displaying operating conditions.

The trigger SW 22, the dial SW 24, the main power SW 28, and the display 30 are coupled, via a cable 32 and a connector 34, to a central controller 40 secured, together with the blower main body 6, to the backpack frame 4.

In this context, the connector 34 corresponds to an example of a connecting portion according to the present disclosure, which is a multicore connector for coupling a plurality of signal lines inside the cable (more specifically, the multicore cable) 32 extending from the blower main body 6 to the above-described elements in the handle 20.

As illustrated in an enlarged view X in FIG. 1, the connector 34 comprises a first connector 34a secured to an end of the cable 32 and a second connector 34b secured to the handle 20 and detachably couplable to the first connector 34a.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the trigger SW 22 comprises a main switch 22a that is turned into the ON state by operation by a user and a variable resistor 22b that varies its resistance according to the amount of operation by the user.

The central controller 40 applies a power voltage Vd to the variable resistor 22b and takes in a voltage divided using a sliding contact of the variable resistor 22b as a trigger command.

The dial SW 24 comprises a variable resistor that varies its resistance according to the rotational position of the dial. The central controller 40 applies a power voltage Vd to the variable resistor and takes in a voltage divided using a sliding contact of the variable resistor as a dial command.

When the main SW 22a of the trigger SW 22 is turned into the ON state, the central controller 40 sets the rotational speed of the fans 10A and 10B (i.e., of the motors 12A and 12B) at a ratio corresponding to the trigger command (i.e., the divided voltage) taken in from the variable resistor 22b of the trigger SW 22, with the maximum rotational speed being a rotational speed corresponding to the dial command taken in from the dial SW 24.

The main power SW 28 is a momentary (normally off) SW switching the ON/OFF state of an internal power circuit (i.e., the run/stop state of the central controller 40) by operation by a user depressing and releasing the SW. If the SWs 22, 24, and 28 are not operated for a given period of time, the central controller 40 will automatically turn the internal power circuit into the OFF state.

The display 30 comprises light-emitting diodes DA1 and DB1, each lit up by electric power from the central controller 40 when the central controller 40 can drive the corresponding fans 10A and 10B.

The display 30 further comprises light-emitting diodes DA2 and DB2, each lit up by electric power from the central controller 40 when corresponding DC power sources (batteries) 50A and 50B used to drive the corresponding motors 12A and 12B of the fans 10A and 10B have low remaining energy.

These light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are made of those with different emission colors, for example, green for the light-emitting diodes DA1 and DB1 and red for the light-emitting diodes DA2 and DB2.

The DC power sources 50A and 50B used to drive the motors 12A and 12B comprise two battery packs 50A1, 50A2 and two battery packs 50B1, 50B2, respectively.

The two battery packs 50A1, 50A2 and the two battery packs 50B1, 50B2 are respectively coupled to controllers 60A and 60B for driving the motors 12A and 12B and are individually coupled in series in the corresponding drive controllers 60A and 60B.

When the blower main body 6 is seen from behind the backpack frame 4, the battery packs 50A1, 50A2, 50B1, and 50B2 are arranged, in sequence from left to right, along a lower portion of the blower main body 6.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive controllers 60A and 60B (only the drive controller 60A is shown in FIG. 2) are provided in positions anterior, relative to the backpack frame 4, to mounts for the battery packs 50A1 to 50B2 (only the battery pack 50A2 is shown in FIG. 2) and corresponding to the battery packs 50A1, 50A2, 50B1, and 50B2.

The central controller 40 is provided to be located further right to the drive controllers 60A and 60B when the blower main body 6 is seen from behind the backpack frame 4, since the central controller 40 is required to be coupled, via the cable 32, to the SWs 22, 24, 28 and the display 30 in the handle 20 provided to the pipe 8.

The central controller 40 is coupled to the drive controllers 60A and 60B via cables 42A and 42B and connectors 44A and 44B.

The central controller 40 outputs, via the cables 42A and 42B to the drive controllers 60A and 60B, a main SW signal, a speed command for the motors 12A and 12B, and an F/R signal indicating the rotational direction of the motors 12A and 12B, taken in from the trigger SW 22 and the dial SW 24.

The drive controllers 60A and 60B respectively comprise driving circuits 62A and 62B driving the corresponding motors 12A and 12B at a speed corresponding to the speed command according to the above-described signals inputted from the central controller 40 and monitoring circuits 64A and 64B for condition monitoring.

The monitoring circuits 64A and 64B monitor conditions (such as currents, voltages, temperatures) of the DC power sources 50A and 50B, the motors 12A and 12B, and the drive controllers 60A and 60B themselves.

When the monitoring results are normal, the monitoring circuits 64A and 64B output a drive permission signal to the central controller 40 via the cables 42A and 42B. When the monitoring results are abnormal, the monitoring circuits 64A and 64B stop outputting a drive permission signal.

The monitoring circuits 64A and 64B detect the remaining energy of the battery packs 50A1, 50A2 and 50B1, 50B2, respectively, and display the remaining energy of the individual battery packs 50A1, 50A2, 50B1, and 50B2 on remaining energy displays 52A and 52B provided to the blower main body 6.

The monitoring circuits 64A and 64B output a low remaining energy signal to the central controller 40 via the cables 42A and 42B when the remaining energy of the corresponding battery packs 50A1, 50A2 and 50B1, 50B2 is lowered to thereby lower the output of the motors 12A and 12B to a given level.

The central controller 40 drives the motors 12A and 12B by outputting, to the drive controllers 60A and 60B outputting the drive permission signal, a rotational speed set based on the signals from the trigger SW 22 and the dial SW 24 as a speed command.

When the central controller 40 receives an input of the drive permission signal from the drive controllers 60A and 60B, the central controller 40 illuminates the corresponding light-emitting diodes DA1 and DB1 to thereby notify that the central controller 40 is in the ON state and can drive the fans 10A and 10B.

When the central controller 40 receives an input of the low remaining energy signal from the drive controllers 60A and 60B, the central controller 40 flashes the corresponding light-emitting diodes DA2 and DB2 to thereby notify that the output of the motors 12A and 12B has been lowered to the given level.

When the central controller 40 receives an input of the low remaining energy signal while it does not receive an input of the drive permission signal from the drive controllers 60A and 60B, the central controller 40 does not illuminate the corresponding light-emitting diodes DA1 and DB1 while it illuminates DA2 and DB2, to thereby notify that the corresponding battery packs 50A1, 50A2 and 50B1, 50B2 need to be charged.

The cables 42A and 42B include corresponding power lines for inputting corresponding power voltages (voltage between both ends of two batteries coupled in series) VbatA and VbatB of the DC power sources 50A and 50B from the corresponding drive controllers 60A and 60B to the central controller 40.

The power lines each comprise a pair of a positive signal line and a negative signal line respectively coupled to the positive side and the negative side of the corresponding DC power sources 50A and 50B, in which the signal line on the negative side is coupled to ground lines of the central controller 40 and the corresponding drive controllers 60A and 60B.

This allows the central controller 40 to be supplied with operating power from the DC power sources 50A and 50B and moreover allows the negative sides of the DC power sources 50A and 50B and the ground lines of the controllers 40, 60A, and 60B to have an identical potential.

In other words, this can provide the control, system with a uniform reference potential when the central controller 40 drives the motors 12A and 12B by means of the drive controllers 60A and 60B, so as to facilitate the design work to build the control system.

As described above, the blower 2 according to the present embodiment has the handle 20 to be gripped by a user, the handle 20 being provided to the pipe 8 detachably attached to the blower main body 6.

The handle 20 is provided with the trigger SW 22, the dial SW 24, the lock button 26, and the main power SW 28 as an operation unit, as well as the display 30 including the light-emitting diodes DA1, DB1, DA2, and DB2.

The trigger SW 22, the dial SW 24, the main power SW 28, and the light-emitting diodes DA1, DB1, DA2, and DB2 are each coupled, via the single cable (more specifically, the multicore cable) 32, to the blower main body 6 (more specifically, to the central controller 40).

If the cable 32 is secured to the handle 20 and the blower main body 6, it gets in the way, for example, when the entire pipe 8 is detached from the blower main body 6 or when the pipe 8c, together with a pipe leading end portion attached thereto, is detached from the blower main body 6.

However, the cable 32 according to the present embodiment is coupled, via the connector 34, to the handle 20, and it is thus possible to separate the handle 20 (and eventually the pipe 8) and the blower main body 6 from each other by decoupling the connection at the connector 34.

This helps preventing the cable 32 from getting in the way to thereby provide improved usability when the pipe 8 or part thereof is detached from the blower main body 6 and subdivided.

According to the blower 2 of the present embodiment, the first connector 34a is secured to an end of the cable 32, and thus it is also possible to attach another operation unit, other than the handle 20, to the end of the cable 32 via the first connector 34a.

This enables the usage where a user hangs the another operation unit from the waist by means of the cable 32 in carrying the blower main body 6 on the user's back and manually operates the another operation unit when necessary. In such a case, another handle involving no switch operation may be attached to the attaching position of the handle 20 to replace the handle 20.

The handle 20 is provided to the pipe 8c movably along its central axis and is separable from the pipe 8c. Thus, it is also possible for a user to hang the handle 20 itself from the waist for use.

The handle 20 is provided with the main power SW 28 in addition to the trigger SW 22 for inputting a drive command for the motors 12A and 12B and the lock button 26.

When the blower 2 is not intended for operation, setting the main power SW 28 in the handle 20 to the OFF state helps preventing the motors 12A and 12B from being driven by accidental operation of the trigger SW 22 and the lock button 26, thereby providing improved safety.

Despite the fact that the blower 2 according to the present embodiment has the plurality of motors, i.e., the motors 12A and 12B, provided in the blower main body 6, it has only one trigger SW 22 and one dial SW 24 for inputting a drive command for the motors and setting the rotational speed therefor.

The central controller 40 takes in inputs from the trigger SW 22 and the dial SW 24 as a common command value for driving the motors 12A and 12B and sets the rotational speed of the motors 12A and 12B.

Thus, according to the blower 2 of the present embodiment, the user does not have to input a separate operation command for each of the motors 12A and 12B and can use the blower 2 easily. Because there is no need to provide the trigger SW 22 and the dial SW 24 to each of the motors 12A and 12B, it is also possible to provide an apparatus with a simpler configuration,

The. handle 20 is provided with the display 30 capable of displaying conditions of the blower 2 (more specifically, the run/stop state of the central controller 40, abnormal driving of the motors 12A and 12B, and low remaining battery energy), as well as with the operation unit.

This allows the user to perceive the conditions of the blower 2 by gripping the handle 20 and checking the conditions of the display 30 (lighting state of the light-emitting diodes DA1 to DB2).

An embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, but the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiment and can take various forms within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

For example, in the above embodiment, the connector 34 as a connecting portion has been described as one used to couple the cable 32 and the handle 20 (more specifically, the operation unit and the display in the handle 20) to each other. However, it may be used to couple the cable 32 and the blower main body 6 (more specifically, the central controller 40) to each other.

In this case, the connector 34 may be provided to each of the ends of the cable 32 to allow the cable 32 to be detached both from the handle 20 and from the blower main body 6.

As illustrated in an enlarged view Y in FIG. 1, the cable 32 may be divided into two and provided, at cable ends on a dividing point in the cable 32, with the first connector 34a and the second connector 34b for mutual connection to thereby form a connecting portion.

In such a case, it is possible, by aligning the dividing point in the cable 32 with a dividing point in the pipe 8, to help preventing the ends of the cable 32 from protruding from the pipe and thus getting in the way when the pipe 8 and the cable 32 are divided at their respective dividing points.

The above embodiment has described, as a backpack fluid apparatus, a blower that discharges air from a leading end of a pipe by rotation of a fan. However, the present disclosure may be a fluid apparatus that introduces air by rotation of a fan, or may be a fluid apparatus that introduces and discharges air by switching the rotational direction of a fan.

The above embodiment has described the switches as an operation unit and the display, as being provided to the handle 20 secured to the pipe 8. However, they may be provided directly to the pipe 8.

The blower main body 6 according to the above embodiment has been described as accommodating two sets of a motor and a fan. However, a set or three or more sets of a motor and a fan may be provided instead. The configuration may be such that a single motor drives a plurality of fans.

The above embodiment has described a backpack fluid apparatus, but the present disclosure may be a portable fluid apparatus.

Claims

1. A fluid apparatus comprising:

an apparatus main body that comprises a motor and a fan driven by the motor;

a frame on which the apparatus main body is mounted;

a pipe that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body to discharge and introduce a fluid by rotation of the fan;

an operation unit that is provided to the pipe to input an operation command for the apparatus main body by operation from outside;

a cable that transmits a signal between the operation unit and the apparatus main body; and

a connecting portion that is provided to the cable to separably couple the operation unit and the apparatus main body to each other.

2. The fluid apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is provided to at least one of a connection between the cable and the operation unit or a connection between the cable and the apparatus main body.

3. The fluid apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is provided to an intermediate portion of the cable.

4. The fluid apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit comprises a plurality of input elements that inputs a plurality of commands.

5. The fluid apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operation unit comprises a dial switch that sets a maximum rotational speed of the motor, a trigger switch that inputs a speed command for the motor according to an amount the trigger switch is operated, and a lock button that locks an operational position of the trigger switch as the plurality of input elements.

6. The fluid apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operation unit comprises a main power switch for the apparatus main body as one of the plurality of input elements. 7, The fluid apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the apparatus main body comprises a plurality of motors, and

wherein the operation unit is configured to input a command value common to each of the plurality of motors as an operation command for the plurality of motors.

8. The fluid apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operation unit comprises a display that displays conditions of the apparatus main body.

9. The fluid apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the display is configured to display at least one of a run/stop state of the apparatus main body, remaining energy of a battery supplying electric power to the motor, or an abnormality in the apparatus main body.

10. The fluid apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operation unit is provided to the pipe position-adjustably along a central axis of the pipe.

11. The fluid apparatus according to claim I,

wherein the operation unit is detachably attachable to the pipe.

12. The fluid apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a backpack fluid apparatus.