JP7640839B2 - Blower device and bathroom heating/drying device equipped with same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a blower device used for bathroom ventilation, etc., and a bathroom heating and drying device equipped with the same.

A specific example of an air blower is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233696.
The blower device in this document is installed in the main unit of a bathroom heater/dryer and is used for bathroom ventilation, etc. This type of blower device is often made relatively large in size to increase the maximum air volume. To achieve this, a method is often used in which the entire casing surrounding the fan (impeller) is made of plastic, and a motor for driving the fan is attached to this plastic casing.
According to such a measure, it is possible to increase the size of the blower device while reducing the weight and cost of the entire blower device.

However, there is still room for improvement in the above-mentioned conventional technology, as described below.

In other words, fan drive motors tend to become high-temperature heat sources during operation. This tendency is even stronger in bathroom heater/dryer devices, which are installed in high-humidity environments and used for long periods of time. On the other hand, fan drive motors are not uniformly prone to heat generation and ignition throughout, and the motor's wiring outlet is one of the parts of the motor that is particularly prone to heat generation and ignition. However, in the past, no effective measures had been taken to deal with this. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in terms of increasing reliability in terms of safety.

Patent No. 4282921

The present invention was conceived in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an air blower that can adequately prevent or suppress the spread of fire caused by heat generation and ignition of the fan drive motor, and a bathroom heating and drying device equipped with the same.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

The blower provided by a first aspect of the present invention comprises a motor for driving a fan and a resin support member to which the motor is attached, and a motor case of the motor has a peripheral wall portion having a width in the opposing direction between the motor and the support member, and a wiring outlet portion is provided on this peripheral wall portion, and the blower further comprises a flame retardant board interposed between the support member and the motor and made of a material having higher flame retardancy than the support member, and the flame retardant board is provided with a protruding region that protrudes outward beyond the outer contour of the motor case when viewed in the opposing direction, and this protruding region corresponds to the wiring outlet portion.
Here, "flame retardant" means the ability to resist flames, delay the time until ignition, or suppress the amount or rate of combustion, and does not necessarily mean conformity to a specific standard. "Highly flame retardant" also includes non-flammability.

With this configuration, even if the motor for driving the fan generates heat or catches fire, a flame retardant plate that is more flame retardant than the support member is interposed between the motor and the resin support member, making it possible to prevent or suppress the spread of fire to the support member. Motors are prone to catching fire at the wiring outlet, but since the protruding area of the flame retardant plate can be positioned at the location corresponding to the wiring outlet, it is possible to appropriately respond to ignition from the wiring outlet and prevent the fire from spreading.
The flame retardant plate may be, for example, a thin metal plate, and the motor support member may be made of resin as in the conventional case, so that increases in overall weight and manufacturing costs can be appropriately suppressed.

In the present invention, the motor is preferably set in a horizontal orientation in which the central axis of the motor case extends in a direction intersecting the vertical height direction, and the wiring outlet is positioned at one end of the motor case in the left-right width direction and faces approximately horizontally.

With this configuration, even if a fire occurs at the wiring outlet, the flame will have a simple shape that spreads in front of and above the wiring outlet without coming into much contact with the motor case, making it easier to prevent the fire from spreading. Unlike the present invention, if the wiring outlet is located, for example, at the bottom of the motor case, the upward flame will hit the motor case and will not have a simple shape, making it difficult to prevent the fire from spreading.

In the present invention, preferably, the blower device according to the present invention is configured to be selectively attached to a target portion in either a first attachment mode in which the exhaust direction from the blower device is to the right as viewed from the front, or a second attachment mode in which the blower device is rotated half a turn from the first attachment mode and the exhaust direction is to the left as viewed from the front.

According to this configuration, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, when installing a blower, the exhaust direction must be appropriately determined taking into consideration the housing situation, etc., and in such a case, the above-mentioned configuration is convenient because the blower can be selectively set to either the so-called right exhaust type or left exhaust type. Here, the blower is configured such that the motor is horizontally placed and the wiring outlet is located at one end of the motor case in the left-right width direction and faces approximately horizontally, so that in either the right exhaust type or the left exhaust type, the wiring outlet is located at one end of the motor case in the left-right width direction (strictly speaking, it is displaced from one end to the other end) and faces approximately horizontally. Therefore, the flame at the time of ignition can be stabilized to a simple shape.

In the present invention, preferably, the device further includes a fire-prevention cover that covers the wiring outlet and has flame retardant properties.

This configuration makes it possible to effectively prevent the spread of flames in the event of a fire at the wiring outlet.

In the present invention, preferably, the flame retardant plate is a metal plate, and the support member has a convex rib surrounding the outer periphery of the flame retardant plate.

With this configuration, the manufacturing cost of the flame retardant plate can be reduced. It can also be made non-flammable. On the other hand, if the flame retardant plate is made of a metal plate, the outer periphery of the plate may be sharp, which may cause injury to the fingers of the worker. However, if the outer periphery is surrounded by a convex rib, this risk is eliminated.

In the present invention, preferably, a laminate tape in which glass cloth is laminated and bonded onto a metal foil tape is applied to the area of the motor that is to be prevented from spreading fire.

With this configuration, the laminate tape can effectively prevent ignition from the fire prevention target area of the motor. The laminate tape has glass cloth laminated and bonded onto the metal foil tape, so it has the excellent flame retardancy (non-combustibility) of the metal foil tape, as well as the flexibility and ease of handling of the glass cloth. Although the metal foil tape has excellent flame retardancy (non-combustibility), it is prone to tearing when handled alone and workers are prone to injuring their fingers. In contrast, the configuration described above eliminates such concerns, making it possible to improve the efficiency of tape application work and the finishing quality.

The bathroom heating and drying device provided by the second aspect of the present invention is characterized by having the air blower provided by the first aspect of the present invention.

This configuration provides the same effects as those described for the blower device provided by the first aspect of the present invention.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a bathroom heating and drying device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the bathroom heating and drying device shown in FIG. 1 . 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IIIa-IIIa in FIG. 2, and FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IIIb-IIIb in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the blower device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the blower shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, as viewed obliquely from below, and a perspective view of a motor which is a part of the blower; FIG. FIG. 3A is a front view of the blower device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 3B is a front view of FIG. 3A in a partially exploded state. 6(a) is a front view showing a state in which the orientation of the blower device is opposite to that of FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIIa-VIIIa in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of a main portion showing an example of the case where the laminate tape shown in FIG. 8A is attached to a motor. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an example of a fire spread prevention cover, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view from the opposite direction to that of FIG. FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing the present embodiment in a simplified manner, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison example with the present embodiment in a simplified manner.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

The bathroom heating and drying device A shown in Figures 1 and 2 is composed of a device main unit B and an air blower F. In general, the device main unit B has the function of heating the bathroom, and the air blower F has the function of a ventilation fan.

The bathroom heating and drying apparatus A of this embodiment is characterized primarily by the configuration of the air blower F, but the basic configuration of the apparatus main unit B itself is similar to that of a known apparatus, so this point will be explained briefly.
That is, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the device main unit B has a configuration in which a fan 15 (impeller) and a heat exchanger 12 as air heating means are incorporated in a main body case 10 that is open at the bottom. The main body case 10 is attached to the ceiling panel 90 of the bathroom, and when the fan 15 rotates, air from the bathroom is sucked into the main body case 10 through the intake port 91, passes through the heat exchanger 12 where it is heated, and is then returned to the bathroom through the exhaust port 92. The heat exchanger 12 is capable of heating the air by using hot water supplied from a water heater, for example.
The main body unit B includes a motor (not shown) for driving and rotating the fan 15, and is preferably provided with a fire prevention means for the motor. However, in this embodiment, the fire prevention means intended by the present invention is provided in the blower F, and a description of the fire prevention means for the motor in the main body unit B will be omitted.

The blower F is attached to the device main unit B. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3(a), an opening 11 is formed in the side wall 19 of the main body case 10 of the device main unit B, and the blower F is attached to a location corresponding to this opening 11. As described below, the installation direction of the blower F can be reversed left and right. When the blower F is operated, air in the bathroom is exhausted to the outside, and the bathroom is ventilated.

As shown in Figures 2, 3(b), and 4, the blower F includes a fan 3 (impeller), a fan casing 2 that houses the fan 3, a motor M for rotating the fan 3, a fireproof plate 8, and a cover 4 for preventing the spread of fire.

The fan 3 is, for example, a sirocco fan type impeller, and is supported by the output shaft 66 of the motor M. The fan casing 2 is constructed by combining a resin casing main body member 20 with a resin side plate member 21 located on one side (the front side) of the main body member 20, and connecting them using a screw fastening means or the like. The fan casing 2 houses the fan 3, and forms an air flow path 22 therein that has an intake port 22a and an exhaust port 22b. The side plate member 21 corresponds to a specific example of a support member.

The motor M is itself similar to conventional motors, and the rotor, stator, bearings, etc. (not shown) are housed in the motor case 6, which is generally disk-shaped. The motor case 6 has a generally cylindrical peripheral wall 60, which is provided with a wiring outlet 61 from which wiring 68 serving as lead wires is pulled out to the outside of the motor case 6.

As shown in FIG. 5, laminate tape 7 (the dotted area) is applied to a specific area of motor M that is to be prevented from spreading fire. For example, the area of motor M indicated by reference character P in FIG. 5 and specific mounting legs 67 (67a, 67b) among the multiple mounting legs 67 provided on motor M are specific examples of areas to be prevented from spreading fire, and are parts that are more likely to generate heat and catch fire than other general parts of motor M. In contrast, in this embodiment, such areas to be prevented from spreading fire are covered with laminate tape 7.

As shown in Fig. 8(a), the laminate tape 7 is a tape in which an aluminum glass cloth 71 is laminated and bonded onto an aluminum tape 70. The aluminum tape 70 and the aluminum glass cloth 71 correspond to specific examples of the metal foil tape and the glass cloth, respectively, as referred to in the present invention. In the laminate tape 7, the aluminum tape 70 and the aluminum glass cloth 71 are laminated and bonded together before being attached to the motor case 6, and the aluminum tape 70 is provided with an adhesive layer 72 covered with a release paper (not shown). Therefore, as shown in Fig. 8(b), in the attachment work to the motor case 6, the aluminum tape 70 and the aluminum glass cloth 71 can be attached simultaneously.
In many cases, the area around the wiring outlet 61 of the peripheral wall 60 of the motor M is also prone to heat generation and ignition. Preferably, the laminate tape 7 is also attached to such an area so as not to impede the outlet of the wiring 68.

The motor M is attached to the side plate member 21 of the fan casing 2 by means of screws or the like, and a flame retardant plate 8 is interposed between them as described below. The motor M is attached horizontally, and as shown in Fig. 6(b) , the wiring outlet 61 is positioned at one end of the motor case 6 in the left-right width direction (the left end in Fig. 6(b) ) in a specific position facing approximately horizontally.
Here, the "horizontal installation" refers to a configuration in which the central axis of the motor case 6 (the central axis CL shown in Figs. 2, 3, etc.) extends in a direction intersecting the up-down height direction (vertical direction). In this embodiment, the central axis CL is set to extend in the horizontal direction.

The flame retardant plate 8 is made of a metal plate such as stainless steel, and is more flame-retardant than the fan casing 2, and is interposed between the motor M and the side plate member 21. When viewed from the front (an example of the facing direction view referred to in the present invention), the flame retardant plate 8 is formed to be larger than the outline of the motor case 6, and the area corresponding to the wiring outlet 61 includes an overhanging area 80 that extends outward beyond the outline of the motor case.

The side plate member 21 of the fan casing 2 is provided with a convex rib 26 that is loop-shaped when viewed from the front and surrounds the outer periphery of the flame retardant plate 8, or a shape similar to this. This prevents the outer periphery of the flame retardant plate 8 from being exposed to the outside, and prevents workers from injuring their fingers with sharp edges on the outer periphery. However, in the areas Sa and Sb shown in Figure 5, the convex rib 26 is partially cut out or the protruding height of the convex rib 26 is partially reduced. This helps to ensure that the convex rib 26 does not interfere with the application of the laminate tape 7 to the mounting legs 67a and 67b.

The fire spread prevention cover 4 is made of, for example, a flame-retardant resin, and includes a front wall portion 4a, a side wall portion 4b, an upper wall portion 4c, and a lower wall portion 4d, as shown in Fig. 9. The flame retardant grade of the fire spread prevention cover 4 is, for example, 5VA according to the UL94 standard.
The fire spread prevention cover 4 is located on one side of the motor M so as to be close to it, and is attached to the front side of the flame retardant plate 8. As a result, the front wall 4a is located in front of the wiring outlet 61 of the motor M (the front in this case is the direction in which the wiring outlet 61 faces, which is the left side in FIG. 6), the side wall 4b is located to the side of the wiring outlet 61 (the front side in FIG. 6), the upper wall 4c and the lower wall 4d are located above and below the wiring outlet 61, respectively, and the fire spread prevention cover 4 covers the wiring outlet 61.
Wiring 68 of the motor M is led out to the outside, for example, through the gap between the side wall portion 4b and the motor M.

The blower F is attached to the device main body unit B so that the air intake 22a communicates with the opening 11 of the device main body unit B, and as a means for this, a plurality of holes 29a for inserting screws are provided in the back plate 29 of the casing main body 20 of the fan casing 2. In contrast, a plurality of holes 18 for fastening screws are provided around the opening 11 of the device main body unit B. When attaching the blower F to the device main body unit B, first and second attachment modes are possible.
The first mounting mode, as shown in Fig. 6, is a right-side exhaust mode in which the exhaust port 22b is located on the right side of the motor M in a front view. In contrast, the second mounting mode, as shown in Fig. 7, is a left-side exhaust mode in which the exhaust port 22b is located on the left side of the motor M. When the blower F is rotated half a turn from the first mounting mode, it can be set to the second mounting mode, and in this embodiment, either one of the first and second mounting modes can be selectively set.

Next, we will explain the operation of the above-mentioned air blower F and the bathroom heating and drying device A equipped with it.

First, even if the motor M for driving the fan generates heat or catches fire, a highly flame-retardant flame retardant plate 8 is interposed between the motor M and the side plate member 21 serving as a resin support member, so it is possible to appropriately prevent or suppress the spread of fire to the side plate member 21. The motor M has a tendency to catch fire easily at the wiring outlet 61, but the flame retardant plate 8 has a large protruding area 80 at a location corresponding to the wiring outlet 61, so it is possible to thoroughly prevent the flame from coming into contact with the side plate member 21.
On the other hand, the flame retardant plate 8 is easily manufactured using a metal plate, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and an increase in the manufacturing cost can also be suppressed.

As mentioned above, the motor M is placed horizontally, with the wiring outlet 61 located at one end of the motor case 6 in the lateral width direction and facing approximately horizontally. Therefore, even if a fire breaks out at the wiring outlet 61, the flame will have a simple shape that spreads mainly forward and upward from the wiring outlet 61 without coming into contact with the motor case 6 (see the flame at the wiring outlet 61 on the left side shown by the solid line in Figure 10 (a)). In contrast, the fire spread prevention cover 4 is flame retardant and effectively covers the wiring outlet 61. Therefore, the fire spread prevention cover 4 appropriately blocks the flame, further enhancing the fire spread prevention effect.

In this embodiment, the blower F can be changed from the first mounting state shown in FIG. 6 to the second mounting state shown in FIG. 7. In the second mounting state, the wiring outlet 61 of the motor M is located at one end (strictly speaking, the other end) in the width direction of the motor case 6 and faces approximately horizontally, and is configured similarly to the first mounting state (symmetrical arrangement) (see the wiring outlet 61 on the right side shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 10(a)). Therefore, not only in the first mounting state but also in the second mounting state, it is possible to make the flame generated at the wiring outlet 61 have a simple shape and obtain a preferable fire spread prevention effect. In the second mounting state, the lower wall 4d of the fire spread prevention cover 4 can be positioned above the wiring outlet 61 to help block the flame.

10B shows a comparison with the present embodiment. In this comparison, in the first mounting mode, the wiring outlet 61 is located toward the upper part of the motor case 6, as shown by the solid line, and is covered by the fire spread prevention cover 4'. However, in the second mounting mode, the wiring outlet 61 is located toward the lower part of the motor case 6, as shown by the imaginary line. In this case, a flame that breaks out at the position of the wiring outlet 61 and tries to rise upward hits the motor case 6 in large amounts, and does not have a simple shape. It is difficult to adequately block such a flame by the fire spread prevention cover 4' or another fire spread prevention cover.
In contrast, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages in the comparative example.

As mentioned above, laminate tape 7 is affixed to the specified areas of motor M that are to be prevented from spreading fire. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent fire from starting at motor M. Laminate tape 7 is made by laminating and bonding aluminum glass cloth 71 onto aluminum tape 70, so it has the excellent flame retardancy (non-combustibility) of aluminum tape 70, as well as the flexibility and ease of handling of aluminum glass cloth 71. Aluminum tape 70 alone has the disadvantage that it is easily torn when handled, but by laminating and bonding aluminum glass cloth 71, this risk is eliminated.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the air blower and bathroom heating and drying device according to the present invention can be freely designed and modified within the intended scope of the present invention.

The flame retardant plate in the present invention may be made of a material having a higher flame retardancy than the support member that supports the motor, and may not necessarily be made of a metal plate, but may be made of a material other than metal. The flame retardant plate may be interposed between the motor and its support member, and may have a protruding area corresponding to the wiring outlet of the motor.
In the above embodiment, the motor M is provided with a plurality of mounting legs 67, and the flameproof plate 8 is provided so as to protrude outward from the arc-shaped region connecting the tips of the plurality of mounting legs 67 when viewed from the front (when viewed in the direction facing the motor and the support member of the present invention). This is more preferable in terms of suppressing fires from each part of the motor M. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The protruding region of the flameproof plate in the present invention (the region protruding outward from the outer contour line of the motor case when viewed in a specific facing direction) may be provided corresponding to the wiring outlet of the motor so as to be able to respond to fires at the wiring outlet. It is also possible to configure the flameproof plate so that no protruding region is provided in the part not corresponding to the wiring outlet.
In the above-described embodiment, the side plate member that constitutes part of the fan casing that houses the fan inside is considered to be the support member (a resin member to which the motor is attached) as defined in the present invention, but the support member is not limited to this.

The fan is not limited to a centrifugal fan type, and can be of other types and shapes. The specific type of motor (drive/control method, etc.) is not important. The fire prevention cover only needs to be flame-retardant and capable of covering the wiring outlet of the motor, and its specific shape can be modified in various ways.

In the above-described embodiment, the laminate tape is configured as a tape in which an aluminum glass cloth is laminated and bonded onto an aluminum tape, but is not limited to this. The laminate tape referred to in the present invention can also be configured as a laminate in which a glass cloth other than the aluminum glass cloth is laminated and bonded onto a metal foil tape other than an aluminum tape.

A bathroom heating and drying device is a device that has the function of heating and drying a bathroom, and as a means for heating the air in the bathroom, heating means other than, for example, a hot water heat exchanger can be used.
In the above embodiment, the air blower F is not installed inside the main unit B of the bathroom heating and drying apparatus A, but is attached to its outside and used as a ventilation fan, but the air blower according to the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be configured as an air blower installed inside the bathroom heating and drying apparatus, or it can be configured as a circulation fan used, for example, to draw in and heat and blow air from the bathroom instead of for ventilation.

A bathroom heating and drying device B device main unit F blower M motor 2 fan casing 21 side plate member (support member)
3 Fan 4 Fire prevention cover 6 Motor case 60 Peripheral wall 61 Wiring outlet 7 Laminate tape 70 Aluminum tape (metal foil tape)
71 Aluminum glass cloth (glass cloth)
8 Fireproof board 80 Protruding area (of fireproof board)

Claims (7)

A motor for driving a fan;
a resin support member to which the motor is attached;
Equipped with
a motor case of the motor has a peripheral wall portion having a width in a direction in which the motor and the support member face each other , and the peripheral wall portion is provided with a wiring outlet portion and a plurality of mounting legs for mounting the motor to the support member ,
The motor further includes a flame retardant plate interposed between the support member and the motor and made of a material having a higher flame retardancy than the support member.
This blower device is characterized in that the flame retardant plate is provided with a protruding area that protrudes around the entire outer periphery of the outer contour lines of the motor case and the multiple mounting legs when viewed in the opposing direction, and this protruding area separates the wiring outlet portion and each of the multiple mounting legs from the support member . The blower device according to claim 1,
A blower device in which the motor is set in a horizontal orientation with the central axis of the motor case extending in a direction intersecting the vertical height direction, and the wiring outlet portion is positioned at one end of the motor case in the left-right width direction and facing approximately horizontally. The blower device according to claim 2,
This blower is configured so that it can be selectively attached to a target attachment portion between a first attachment mode in which the exhaust direction from the blower is to the right when viewed from the front, and a second attachment mode in which the blower is rotated half a turn relative to the first attachment mode and the exhaust direction is to the left when viewed from the front. The blower device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The air blower further includes a fire-prevention cover that covers the wiring outlet and has flame retardant properties. The blower device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The flame retardant plate is a metal plate,
A blower device, wherein the support member has a convex rib surrounding the outer periphery of the flame retardant plate. The blower device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A laminate tape having a glass cloth laminated and bonded onto a metal foil tape is applied to an area of the motor that is to be prevented from spreading fire. A bathroom heating and drying device comprising the air blower according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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