JP7516442B2 - Fan - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electric fan.

Portable electric fans have been known for some time. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a portable electric fan that includes a main body and a blade unit that is rotatably supported on the main body via a shaft. In this electric fan, a push-type switch for turning the electric fan on and off is provided on the side of the main body.

Utility Model Registration No. 3224868

However, in small portable fans, when the fan is on, the vibration caused by the rotation of the blades can cause components such as switches on the main body to rattle, generating abnormal noise. In the fan of Patent Document 1 above, when the fan is on, the vibration of the main body caused by the rotation of the blade unit can cause the push-type switch to rattle between the main body and the fan, generating abnormal noise.

In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide an electric fan that can prevent or suppress the generation of abnormal noise caused by rattling of components.

The present invention is a portable electric fan that includes a main body, a blower head having an impeller, and a pressing member that is provided on the main body in a manner that allows it to be pressed down. The pressing member is flexible and has a pressing part that presses the main body in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the pressing direction.

The present invention provides an electric fan that can prevent or suppress the generation of abnormal noise caused by rattling of components.

1 is a perspective view of an electric fan according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is an exploded oblique view of a fan according to a first embodiment, seen from the front. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded oblique view of a circuit board and a switch of the electric fan according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the front. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a front case and a switch of the electric fan according to the first embodiment, seen from the rear side. FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the front case and the switch of the electric fan according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the rear. FIG. 11 is a rear view of the front case and the switch of the electric fan according to the second embodiment, as viewed from the rear.

First Embodiment
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. As shown in Figure 1, the electric fan 1 according to this embodiment is a small portable electric fan 1, and includes a main body 10, an air blowing head 20 provided on the upper side of the main body 10, and a carabiner part 30 provided on the lower side of the main body 10. The electric fan 1 can blow air from the air blowing head 20 by holding the main body 10 and pressing a switch (push member) 12. The configuration around the switch 12 will be described in detail later. In addition, the electric fan 1 can moor an object to be moored to the carabiner part 30. In the following, the side where the switch 12 of the main body 10 is provided (the downstream side of the air flow path) is the front side of the electric fan 1, and the opposite side is the rear side, and the right and left sides when the main body 10 is viewed from the front side are described as the right and left sides of the electric fan 1.

The main body 10 is in the shape of a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped, and has a rear case (first case) 40 provided on the rear side, i.e., the upstream side of the air flow path, and a front case (second case) 50 provided on the front side (first direction side), i.e., the downstream side of the air flow path. The front case 50 is engaged with the front side of the rear case 40 and assembled, thereby providing a space between them. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the space provided between the rear case 40 and the front case 50 contains the circuit board 14 (including the switch 12), the battery 16, the separator 18, etc. The separator 18 is disposed between the circuit board 14 and the battery 16, isolating and isolating them. The separator 18 may be a double-sided tape for temporarily fixing the battery 16 during assembly.

The upper end of the opening side of the rear case 40 is provided with a protruding wall portion 41 that protrudes forward like a wall. On both the left and right sides of the protruding wall portion 41, a pair of engaging claws (engaging portions) 42 are provided spaced apart in the left-right direction. In addition, a plurality of fitting protrusions 43 that protrude forward are provided on the edge of the opening side of the rear case 40. On the other hand, on both the left and right sides of the upper end of the opening side of the front case 50, a pair of engaged claws (engaged portions) 52 are provided spaced apart in the left-right direction. In addition, a plurality of fitting recesses 53 that are recessed forward are provided on the edge of the opening side of the front case 50 (see Figures 4 and 5). The main body portion 10 can be assembled by engaging the engaging claws 42 and the engaged claws 52 and fitting the fitting protrusions 43 into the fitting recesses 53.

A rear storage section 44 is provided at the bottom of the opening side of the rear case 40, which is cut out to accommodate part of the carabiner section 30. Meanwhile, a front storage section 54 is provided at the bottom of the opening side of the front case 50, which is cut out to accommodate part of the carabiner section 30 and to which the carabiner section 30 is attached. In addition, a roughly circular switch opening 56 is provided near the top of the front surface of the front case 50, in which the switch 12 is housed with exposed forward.

The upper end of the front case 50 is provided with a head assembly part 58 to which the blower head 20 is attached, at a part forward of the engaged claw 52. In other words, the assembly part of the main body 10 to which the blower head 20 is attached is provided on the front side of the engagement part between the engaging claw 42 and the engaged claw 52. The left and right sides of the head assembly part 58 are front shaft support parts 58a that protrude forward. The front shaft support parts 58a rotatably support the front part of the rotating shaft 26b1 of the blower head 20 described later. The front ends of both front shaft support parts 58a are substantially arc-shaped in side view. The left and right inner parts of both front shaft support parts 58a are provided with front cutout parts 58a1 that are cut in a semicircular shape so that the front part of the rotating shaft 26b1 is rotatably supported (see Figures 4 and 5). Between the two front shaft support parts 58a is a neck insertion part 58b into which the neck part 26 of the blower head 20 is inserted.

A rear support member 59 is attached to the head assembly section 58 from its rear side. Rear cutouts 59a are provided at the front ends on both the left and right sides of the rear support member 59, which are cut out in a semicircular shape so that the rear portion of the rotating shaft 26b1 is rotatably supported. The rear support member 59 is attached to the head assembly section 58 with the front portion of the rotating shaft 26b1 supported by both front cutouts 58a1, and the rotating shaft 26b1 of the blower head 20 is attached to the front case 50. The rear support member 59 is attached to the head assembly section 58 in a manner that it is sandwiched between the rear case 40 and the front case 50 and housed within the main body section 10.

The blower head 20 has a rear cover 22 provided on the rear side, a front cover 24 provided on the front side, a neck 26, a rear impeller (impeller) 27, and a front impeller (impeller) 28. The rear cover 22 is substantially cylindrical in shape with a slightly reduced diameter at the rear side and a bottom. The rear cover 22 is provided with rear grilles 22a and 22b. The front cover 24 is substantially annular. The front cover 24 is provided with a front grill 24a. The neck 26 is provided at the lower end of the front cover 24. The rear impeller 27 and the front impeller 28 are housed between the rear cover 22 and the front cover 24.

The rear cover 22 is provided at its center with a substantially circular rear motor housing 22c housing a rear motor M1 for rotating the rear impeller 27. The rear grills 22a and 22b are formed of long rod-shaped frames extending radially outward from the rear motor housing 22c. Similarly, the front cover 24 is provided at its center with a substantially circular front motor housing 24c housing a front motor (not shown) for rotating the front impeller 28. The front grill 24a is formed of a long rod-shaped frame extending radially outward from the front motor housing. Driving power is supplied to the rear motor M1 and the front motor from the circuit board 14 in the main body 10 via the wiring cable 21.

The neck 26 of the blower head 20 extends downward from the center of the lower end of the front cover 24 so as to form an approximately T-shape when viewed from the front. The neck 26 has an opposing part 26a that constitutes the horizontal bar of the approximately T-shape, and a rotating part 26b that constitutes the vertical bar of the approximately T-shape. The opposing part 26a faces both front shaft supports 58a of the front case 50 in the electric fan 1 on both the left and right sides. The opposing part 26a has an approximately rectangular fixing surface (not shown) on which the cushioning material 60 described below is fixed, on the portions of the opposing part 26a that face the front shaft supports 58a.

The rotating part 26b of the neck 26 extends downward from the center of the opposing part 26a in the left-right direction in a generally rectangular column shape, and is generally circular in side view. The rotating part 26b is inserted into the neck insertion part 58b of the head assembly part 58 and assembled. Rotating shafts 26b1 extend from both the left and right side surfaces of the rotating part 26b, and are arranged on the same axis along the left-right direction. The rotating shaft 26b1 is sandwiched between the rear cutout part 59a and the front cutout part 58a1, so that the rotating shaft 26b1 is supported so as to be rotatable around its axis. In the electric fan 1, the blowing direction can be changed by rotating the blower head 20 around the axis of the rotating shaft 26b1.

The rotating shaft 26b1 extending from the left side surface of the rotating part 26b has a bearing member 29 attached to its outer periphery, the bearing member 29 having an outer diameter dimension one size larger than that of the rotating shaft 26b1. The rotating shaft 26b1 is supported by the bearing member 29 and is sandwiched between the rear cutout 59a and the front cutout 58a1, and is supported rotatably. By supporting the rotating shaft 26b1 through the bearing member 29 in this way, the friction between the rotating shaft 26b1 and both cutouts 59a and 58a1 is reduced, allowing the rotating part 26b to rotate smoothly. The rear cutout 59a and both front cutouts 58a1 are different on the left and right, one of which is sized to correspond to the outer diameter dimension of the rotating shaft 26b1, and the other to correspond to the outer dimension of the bearing member 29.

The cushion material 60 is a buffer material having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is made of, for example, silicone rubber. The upper surface of the cushion material 60 is flat, and is attached to the fixing surface of each of the opposing parts 26a by double-sided tape or the like, and is fixed to each of them. The cushion material 60 is arranged in a vertically compressed state in the gap between the opposing part 26a and the front shaft support part 58a, and presses the opposing part 26a by its elastic return force (i.e., the thickness dimension of the cushion material 60 is larger than the gap dimension between the fixing surface of the opposing part 26a and the front shaft support part 58a). Therefore, as the blower head 20 rotates, the lower surface of the cushion material 60 fixed to the opposing part 26a comes into sliding contact with the front shaft support part 58a.

Here, the fan 1 rotates the blower head 20 around the axis of the rotation shaft 26b1, so that the tilt angle of the blower head 20 can be adjusted between an initial state in which the airflow path is aligned along the front-rear direction and a tilted state in which the blower head 20 is tilted forward by approximately 100 degrees from the initial state. That is, in the initial state, the rear surface of the rotating part 26b abuts against the front end of the protruding wall part 41 of the rear case 40, restricting the rotation of the rotating part 26b toward the rear side, and in the tilted state, the front surface of the rotating part 26b abuts against the lower surface of the neck insertion part 58b of the front case 50, restricting the rotation of the rotating part 26b toward the front side. In addition, as the blower head 20 rotates, each cushion material 60 slides against the front shaft support part 58a of the main body part 10 while pressing against the front shaft support part 58a, so that the blower head 20 can be held at any tilt angle.

The carabiner part 30 has a mooring part 32 and an attachment part 34 that is attached to the main body part 10. The carabiner part 30 is formed of, for example, fiber-reinforced plastic. The mooring part 32 has a frame 32a that is substantially C-shaped when viewed from the front side, and a substantially cylindrical gate 32b that is connected to one end of the frame 32a in an openable and closable manner. The upper part of the frame 32a is provided with a screw fastening part 32a1 that is screwed to the front case 50. The screw fastening part 32a1 has two screw holes, and its lower end surface is shaped to match the shape of the lower surface of the main body part 10. The part of the frame 32a below the screw fastening part 32a1 is exposed to the lower side of the main body part 10 from the lower end of the main body part 10.

The mounting part 34 extends upward from the upper right side of the frame 32a in a roughly plate-like shape. The mounting part 34 has screw holes for screwing to the front case 50. The carabiner part 30 becomes annular when the gate 32b is closed, and an object can be moored in the space formed in the frame 32a. A part of the upper part of the frame 32a and the left side part of the mounting part 34 are curved and recessed along the outer periphery of the battery 16 so as not to interfere with the battery 16 when it is housed in the main body part 10.

Next, the configuration around the switch 12 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, a movable piece 15 is disposed between the switch 12 and the circuit board 14 for opening and closing a switch mechanism (not shown) provided on the circuit board 14. When the switch 12 is pressed down from the front side, a protrusion 12a1 (see FIG. 4) provided on the rear surface of the switch 12 comes into contact with the movable piece 15, causing the movable piece 15 to move rearward (toward the switch mechanism), opening and closing the switch mechanism. This causes the switch 12 to be turned on and off. When the switch 12 is not pressed down, the switch 12 is separated from the movable piece 15 (circuit board 14).

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the switch 12 has a receiving portion 12a and a pressing portion 13 extending from the receiving portion 12a. The switch 12 is formed as a single unit. The receiving portion 12a is generally disk-shaped, and moves rearward (in the pressing direction) when pressed from the front. The rear surface of the receiving portion 12a is provided with a protruding portion 12a1 that protrudes rearward in a + shape. In addition, an engagement piece 12a2 that protrudes slightly to the side is provided on a part of the side surface of the receiving portion 12a.

On the other hand, in the opening of the front case 50, a stepped fitting portion 50a is provided along the opening edge of the switch opening 56 into which the edge of the receiving portion 12a is fitted. When the receiving portion 12a is fitted into the fitting portion 50a, the front surface of the receiving portion 12a is exposed to the front side from the switch opening 56. A part of the fitting portion 50a is provided with an engagement recess 50a1 into which the engagement piece 12a2 of the receiving portion 12a is engaged. When the engagement piece 12a2 is engaged with the engagement recess 50a1, the rotation of the receiving portion 12a, which is approximately disk-shaped, is restricted. In addition, a case wall portion 50b is provided around the fitting portion 50a, surrounding the receiving portion 12a fitted into the fitting portion 50a on the inside and rising like a wall on the rear (pressing direction) side. The case wall portion 50b is provided in a shape that is approximately circular when viewed from the rear side, along the outer periphery of the receiving portion 12a (see FIG. 5).

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the pressing portion 13 of the switch 12 is flexible and has an arm 13a and two protrusions 13b. The arm 13a is an elastic piece that extends counterclockwise from the lower center of the side of the receiving portion 12a along the outside of the case wall portion 50b. The arm 13a forms a roughly arc shape and extends to a position where its circumferential angle is roughly 90 degrees, sandwiching the case wall portion 50b between itself and the receiving portion 12a.

The two protrusions 13b on the arm 13a are spaced apart from each other and protrude from the inner surface of the arm 13a toward the case wall 50b. One protrusion 13b is provided at the tip of the arm 13a, and the other protrusion 13b is provided approximately midway between the tip and base end of the arm 13a. The tip of each protrusion 13b abuts against the case wall 50b, and the elastic force of the arm 13a presses against the case wall 50b. The portion of the case wall 50b facing the arm 13a is made to rise higher than the other portions of the case wall 50b so that the tips of the protrusions 13b abut against it.

Each protrusion 13b presses the case wall 50b in the radial direction of the approximately disk-shaped receiving portion 12a. In other words, each protrusion 13b presses the case wall 50b in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction (rearward) of the switch 12. Therefore, while the receiving portion 12a is fitted into the fitting portion 50a, it is held in the radial direction while being movable in the pressing direction. In other words, the switch 12 is held in the front case 50 in a state in which it can be pressed backward.

As described above, the electric fan 1 according to this embodiment is a portable electric fan 1, and includes a main body 10, a blower head 20 having a rear impeller 27 and a front impeller 28, and a switch 12 that is provided on the main body 10 in a depressible manner. The switch 12 has a pressing portion 13 that presses the main body 10 in a direction that intersects with the pressing direction.

The electric fan 1 according to this embodiment is configured in this way, so that the switch 12 is held in the main body 10 in a state in which it can be pressed in the pressing direction, and even if vibrations occur due to the rotation of the rear impeller 27 and the front impeller 28 when the electric fan 1 is in the on state, it is possible to prevent or suppress rattling of the switch 12. This makes it possible to prevent or suppress the generation of abnormal noises due to rattling of the switch 12.

In addition, in the electric fan 1, the pressing portion 13 presses the main body portion 10 in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction. This effectively holds the switch 12 in the main body portion 10 in a state in which it can be pressed in the pressing direction. This effectively prevents or suppresses the generation of abnormal noise caused by rattling of the switch 12.

In the electric fan 1, the switch 12 has a receiving portion 12a that receives a pressing operation and moves in the pressing direction, and the front case 50 of the main body 10 has a case wall portion 50b that surrounds the receiving portion 12a on its inside and rises in the pressing direction. The pressing portion 13 extends from the receiving portion 12a to the outside of the case wall portion 50b and presses the case wall portion 50b from the outside. As a result, the receiving portion 12a surrounded by the inside of the case wall portion 50b can be pressed in the pressing direction, while the pressing portion 13 presses the case wall portion 50b on the outside of the case wall portion 50b, so that the receiving portion 12a is held by the case wall portion 50b. In this way, a specific configuration can be provided for holding the switch 12 in the main body 10 in a state in which it can be pressed in the pressing direction.

In addition, in the electric fan 1, the pressing portion 13 has an arm 13a extending from the receiving portion 12a, and a protrusion 13b protruding from the arm 13a and pressing against the case wall portion 50b. This allows the protrusion 13b to press against the case wall portion 50b by utilizing the elasticity of the arm 13a extending from the receiving portion 12a, so that the pressing portion 13 can effectively press against the case wall portion 50b. This increases the holding force of the pressing portion 13 to hold the switch 12 against the main body portion 10.

Furthermore, in the electric fan 1, two protrusions 13b are provided on the arm 13a. This allows the pressing force of the pressing part 13 on the case wall part 50b to be increased compared to a configuration in which one protrusion is provided on the arm, and the holding force of the pressing part 13 on the main body part 10 of the switch 12 can be increased.

Furthermore, in the electric fan 1 according to this embodiment, the switch 12 is held in the main body 10 by a part of the switch 12 pressing against a part of the main body 10, so that assembly and disassembly around the switch 12 can be performed more easily than in a configuration in which a part of the switch is fixed to the main body by fusion or the like.

In addition, in the electric fan 1 according to this embodiment, when the switch 12 is not pressed, the switch 12 is separated from the circuit board 14. This prevents heat generated from the circuit board 14 from being transferred to the pressing portion 13 of the switch 12, and prevents thermal deformation of the pressing portion 13 due to the heat of the circuit board 14.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In the electric fan according to the second embodiment, the configuration of the pressing portion 112b of the switch 112 is different from that of the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the description will be omitted. As shown in Fig. 6, in the switch 112 of the electric fan according to the second embodiment, the arms 113a1 and 113a2 extending from the lower center of the side surface of the receiving portion 112a branch out and extend in two directions. That is, the switch 112 has two arms 113a1 and 113a2.

One arm 113a1 has the same configuration as the arm 13a according to the first embodiment, and extends counterclockwise along the outside of the case wall 50b. The other arm 113a2 extends clockwise along the outside of the case wall 50b. The other arm 113a2, like the one arm 113a1, extends to a position where the circumference angle is approximately 90 degrees, forming an approximately arc shape, and sandwiches the case wall 50b between the receiving portion 112a. The other arm 113a2, like the one arm 113a1, has two protrusions 113b that press against the case wall 50b. In this embodiment, the engagement piece 112a2 on the switch 112 and the engagement recess 150a1 on the front case 150 are positioned slightly shifted clockwise compared to the configuration of the first embodiment so as not to interfere with the other arm 113a2.

The electric fan according to this embodiment is configured with two arms 113a1 and 113a2 extending from the receiving portion 112a as described above, and therefore the pressing force of the pressing portion 113 on the case wall portion 50b can be increased compared to the configuration of the first embodiment. The holding force of the pressing portion 113 on the main body portion 10 of the switch 112 can be further increased.

The above-described embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope and essence of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 electric fan 10 main body 12 switch 12a receiving portion 12a1 protruding portion 12a2 engaging piece 13 pressing portion 13a arm 13b protrusion 14 circuit board 15 movable piece 16 battery 18 separator 20 blower head 21 wiring cable 22 rear cover 22a rear grill 22b rear grill 22c rear motor housing portion 24 front cover 24a front grill 24c front motor housing portion 26 neck portion 26a facing portion 26b rotating portion 26b1 rotating shaft 27 rear impeller 28 front impeller 29 bearing member 30 carabiner portion 32 mooring portion 32a frame 32a1 screw fastening portion 32b gate 34 mounting portion 40 rear case 41 protruding wall portion 42 engaging claw 43 Fitting protrusion 44 Rear housing portion 50 Front case 50a Fitting portion 50a1 Engagement recess 50b Case wall portion 52 Engaged claw 53 Fitting recess 54 Front housing portion 56 Switch opening 58 Head assembly portion 58a Front shaft support portion 58a1 Front cutout portion 58b Neck insertion portion 59 Rear support member 59a Rear cutout portion 60 Cushion material 112 Switch 112a Receiving portion 112a1 Protrusion 112a2 Engagement piece 113 Pressing portion 113a1 Arm 113a2 Arm 113b Protrusion 150 Front case 150a1 Engagement recess 150b Case wall portion M1 Rear motor

Claims (5)

A portable electric fan,
A main body portion,
A blower head having an impeller;
A push-down member provided on the main body portion so as to be capable of being pushed down,
the pressing member has a pressing portion that is flexible and presses the main body portion in a direction intersecting the pressing direction , and a receiving portion that receives a pressing operation and moves in the pressing direction ,
the main body portion has a wall portion that surrounds the reception portion and rises in the pressing direction,
the pressing portion extends from the receiving portion to an outside of the wall portion and presses the wall portion from the outside,
The receiving portion has an engagement piece that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction and is engaged with the main body portion.
A fan characterized by the above. The electric fan according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressing part presses the main body part in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction. The electric fan according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the pressing portion has an arm extending from the receiving portion, and a protrusion protruding from the arm to press the wall portion. The electric fan according to claim 3 , wherein the arm is provided with a plurality of the projections. The electric fan according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein a plurality of the arms extend from the receiving portion.

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