JP7847552B2 - Blower - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a blower equipped with an oil pan.

Patent Document 1 discloses a blower device, referred to as an air conveying fan that forms a band-shaped airflow, to which an oil pan is attached. The blower device disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a main body enclosure with openings formed in its front and rear walls, an electric motor installed inside the main body enclosure, a fan attached to the motor's shaft, ceiling suspension legs installed on the side walls of the main body enclosure, and oil pan suspension legs attached to the side walls of the main body enclosure together with the ceiling suspension legs.

The blower device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used suspended from the ceiling by fixing ceiling suspension legs to ceiling suspension bolts suspended from the ceiling. The oil pan is fixed to the oil pan suspension legs and positioned vertically below the main body.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-173913

However, in the blower device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the oil pan suspension legs are attached to the main body enclosure along with the ceiling suspension legs using bolts and nuts. Therefore, when attaching the oil pan to the main body enclosure suspended from the ceiling, it is necessary to remove the nuts from the bolts that secure the main body enclosure to the ceiling suspension legs. In the blower device disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that removing the nuts from the bolts may cause the main body enclosure to detach from the ceiling suspension legs, making it difficult to attach the oil pan to the main body enclosure while it is suspended from the ceiling.

This disclosure has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a blower that allows the oil pan to be easily attached to the main body enclosure even when the main body enclosure is suspended from the ceiling.

To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the blower device according to this disclosure comprises a main body enclosure with openings formed in the front and rear walls; a blower unit installed inside the main body enclosure, which draws in air from the opening in the rear wall of the main body enclosure and blows it out from the opening in the front wall of the main body enclosure to form an airflow; ceiling suspension legs installed on the side walls of the main body enclosure; oil pan suspension legs installed on the side walls of the main body enclosure, overlapping the ceiling suspension legs; and an oil pan fixed to the oil pan suspension legs and positioned vertically below the main body enclosure. The oil pan suspension legs have mounting holes into which fastening components that fasten the oil pan suspension legs, ceiling suspension legs, and main body enclosure are inserted. The shape of the mounting holes is such that two holes of different sizes are connected in the front-to-back direction, where the front wall and rear wall face each other . With the fastening component inserted into the larger of the mounting holes, the oil pan suspension leg is slid in the front-to-back direction relative to the ceiling suspension leg and main body enclosure, thereby positioning the fastening component in the smaller of the mounting holes.

According to this disclosure, a blower device is obtained that allows the oil pan to be easily attached to the main body enclosure even when the main body enclosure is suspended from the ceiling.

Perspective view showing the blower according to Embodiment 1 Left side view showing the blower according to Embodiment 1 Right side view showing the blower according to Embodiment 1 This is a side view showing the oil pan suspension leg installed on the left side wall of the main body enclosure according to Embodiment 1, and is viewed from the opposite side to Figure 2. This is a side view showing the oil pan suspension leg installed on the right side wall of the main body enclosure according to Embodiment 1, and is viewed from the opposite side to Figure 3. Left side view showing the oil pan according to Embodiment 1 Left side view showing the behavior of the oil pan when the oil pan according to Embodiment 1 is hooked onto the oil pan suspension legs. Cross-sectional view showing the blower according to Embodiment 1

The blower according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1.
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the blower device 100 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a left side view showing the blower device 100 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 3 is a right side view showing the blower device 100 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the blower device 100 comprises a main body casing 1, a blower unit 2, ceiling suspension legs 3, oil pan suspension legs 4, and an oil pan 5. The blower device 100 is installed on the ceiling of a factory or the like.

In the following description, the depth direction of the blower 100 is the X-axis direction, the height direction of the blower 100 is the Y-axis direction, and the width direction of the blower 100 is the Z-axis direction. The positive direction in the X-axis direction is forward, and the negative direction in the X-axis direction is backward. The positive direction in the X-axis direction is the direction from the negative side to the positive side of the X-axis, and the negative direction in the X-axis direction is the direction from the positive side to the negative side of the X-axis. The positive direction in the Y-axis direction is upward, and the negative direction in the Y-axis direction is downward. The positive direction in the Y-axis direction is the direction from the negative side to the positive side of the Y-axis, and the negative direction in the Y-axis direction is the direction from the positive side to the negative side of the Y-axis. The positive direction in the Z-axis direction is to the right, and the negative direction in the Z-axis direction is to the left. The positive direction in the Z-axis direction is the direction from the negative side to the positive side of the Z-axis, and the negative direction in the Z-axis direction is the direction from the positive side to the negative side of the Z-axis. Furthermore, in the following explanation, the direction parallel to the X-axis will be referred to as the front-back direction, the direction parallel to the Y-axis as the up-down direction, and the direction parallel to the Z-axis as the left-right direction.

As shown in Figure 1, the main body 1 is a box-shaped component. The main body 1 has a front wall 11, a rear wall 12, left and right side walls 13 and 14, an upper wall 15, and a lower wall 16. The front wall 11 and the rear wall 12 are spaced apart from each other in the front-to-back direction. The front wall 11 is positioned in front of the rear wall 12, but spaced apart from it. The side walls 13 and 14 are spaced apart from each other in the left-to-right direction. The upper wall 15 and the lower wall 16 are spaced apart from each other in the up-to-down direction. The side walls 13 and 14, the upper wall 15, and the lower wall 16 connect the outer edges of the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12.

Openings 17 are formed in both the front wall 11 and the rear wall 12 of the main enclosure 1. Although the opening in the rear wall 12 is not shown in the figures, an opening is also formed in the rear wall 12. The opening 17 in the front wall 11 is divided into two sections vertically. This allows for an extension of the range of the airflow, as described later.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each of the side walls 13 and 14 of the main enclosure 1 is provided with a pivot shaft 18 extending in the left-right direction. The pivot shaft 18 is, for example, a bolt. The main enclosure 1 is rotatable about the pivot shaft 18 relative to the ceiling suspension legs 3. That is, by rotating the main enclosure 1 about the pivot shaft 18, the mounting angle of the main enclosure 1 relative to the ceiling suspension legs 3 can be changed. The mounting angle of the main enclosure 1 refers to the angle formed between the direction in which the upper wall 15 of the main enclosure 1 faces and the horizontal direction, within a plane parallel to the side walls 13 and 14 of the main enclosure 1.

As shown in Figure 3, the blower unit 2 is installed inside the main body enclosure 1. It draws in air through an opening in the rear wall 12 of the main body enclosure 1 and blows it out through an opening 17 in the front wall 11 of the main body enclosure 1 to form an airflow. In the following description, the side from which the airflow is blown out may be referred to as the outlet side, and the side opposite the outlet side may be referred to as the intake side. The blower unit 2 includes a fan 21, an electric motor 22 that drives the fan 21, and a wind tunnel 23 that houses the fan 21 and the electric motor 22.

In this embodiment, the fan 21 is an axial fan, but other types of fans may also be used. The air duct 23 has a cylindrical shape with openings on the front and rear walls. The opening on the rear wall of the air duct 23 serves as the intake port 24, and the opening on the front wall serves as the outlet port 25. As the fan 21 rotates, air is drawn into the air duct 23 through the intake port 24, and the airflow is blown out of the air duct 23 through the outlet port 25. Multiple blower units 2 are housed side-by-side inside the main body 1, with their intake ports 24 facing the rear wall 12 of the main body 1 and their outlet ports 25 facing the front wall 11 of the main body 1. The multiple blower units 2 are arranged side-by-side in the left-right direction. Therefore, the shape of the blower device 100 shown in Figure 1 is wide in the left-right direction.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the ceiling suspension legs 3 are installed on the side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1. The ceiling suspension legs 3 are fixed to ceiling suspension bolts (not shown). By fixing the ceiling suspension legs 3 to the ceiling suspension bolts suspended from the ceiling, the blower device 100 is installed on the ceiling. One ceiling suspension leg 3 is installed on each of the left and right side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1. As shown in Figure 1, the ceiling suspension legs 3 are L-shaped plate-like members. The ceiling suspension legs 3 are formed by bending and drilling a single metal plate. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the ceiling suspension legs 3 have a ceiling suspension leg side mounting wall 31 that is superimposed on the side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1. The ceiling suspension leg side mounting wall 31 is a flat wall extending in the vertical direction. An insertion hole 32 is formed in the ceiling suspension leg side mounting wall 31 into which the rotating shaft 18 provided in the main body 1 is inserted.

Multiple first adjustment holes 33 are formed in the mounting wall 31 on the ceiling suspension leg side. These first adjustment holes 33 are for adjusting the mounting angle of the main body 1 relative to the ceiling suspension leg 3. The multiple first adjustment holes 33 are arranged on the same circumference around the rotation axis 18. They are also spaced at equal angles in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis 18. In this embodiment, there are 19 first adjustment holes 33, but this number may be increased or decreased as appropriate. Note that in Figure 3, the reference numeral is used for one of the first adjustment holes 33 of the ceiling suspension leg 3 installed on the side wall 14 of the main body 1; however, the ceiling suspension leg 3 installed on the side wall 14 of the main body 1 also has the same number of first adjustment holes 33 as shown in Figure 2. Each of the side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1 has at least one fixing hole 19. The fixing hole 19 can communicate with any of the first adjustment holes 33 of the ceiling suspension leg 3.

To adjust the mounting angle of the main body 1 relative to the ceiling mount 3, insert the rotation shaft 18 of the main body 1 into the insertion hole 32 of the ceiling mount 3, rotate the main body 1 around the rotation shaft 18 relative to the ceiling mount 3, and insert the screws 7 into either of the first adjustment holes 33 of the ceiling mount 3 and the fixing holes 19 of the main body 1. In other words, by rotating the main body 1 and changing the first adjustment hole 33 into which the screws 7 are inserted, the mounting angle of the main body 1 relative to the ceiling mount 3 can be changed. By changing the mounting angle of the main body 1 relative to the ceiling mount 3, the airflow outlet angle can be changed. Then, with the rotation shaft 18 of the main body 1 inserted into the insertion hole 32 of the ceiling mount 3, the ceiling mount 3 and the main body 1 can be fixed together by tightening the nut 6 onto the rotation shaft 18. The airflow outlet angle refers to the angle formed by the airflow outlet direction and the horizontal direction. Figures 2 and 3 show the blower device 100 according to Embodiment 1 when the airflow direction is parallel to the horizontal direction.

The oil pan suspension legs 4 are installed on the side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1, overlapping the ceiling suspension legs 3. The oil pan suspension legs 4 are installed overlapping the side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1, with the ceiling suspension legs 3 in between. One oil pan suspension leg 4 is installed on each of the left and right side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1. The oil pan suspension legs 4 are flat plate-shaped members. The oil pan suspension legs 4 are formed by cutting and drilling a single metal plate. The oil pan suspension legs 4 have mounting holes 41 into which fastening components that connect the oil pan suspension legs 4, the ceiling suspension legs 3, and the main body 1 are inserted. The fastening components are a rotating shaft 18 and a nut 6. The oil pan suspension legs 4 are fixed to the side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1 together with the ceiling suspension legs 3 by the rotating shaft 18 and the nut 6. The mounting holes 41 will be explained in detail later.

As shown in Figure 2, the oil pan suspension leg 4 has a plurality of second adjustment holes 42. These second adjustment holes 42 are for adjusting the mounting angle of the main body 1 relative to the ceiling suspension leg 3. The plurality of second adjustment holes 42 are arranged on the same circumference around the rotation axis 18. The plurality of second adjustment holes 42 are spaced at equal angles in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis 18. To limit the airflow outlet angle when the oil pan 5 is attached to the main body 1, it is preferable that the number of second adjustment holes 42 be less than the number of first adjustment holes 33 in the ceiling suspension leg 3. In this embodiment, there are five second adjustment holes 42, but this number may be increased or decreased as appropriate.

The second adjustment hole 42 is connected to the fixing hole 19 of the main body casing 1. The second adjustment hole 42 is also connected to one of the first adjustment holes 33 of the ceiling suspension legs 3. In this embodiment, the second adjustment hole 42 is connected to the first adjustment holes 33 located on the discharge side, up to the fifth from the top. It is preferable to determine the number and position of the second adjustment holes 42 so that the airflow blown out from the blower unit 2 does not hit the oil pan 5. Screws 7 for fastening the oil pan suspension legs 4, ceiling suspension legs 3, and main body casing 1 are inserted into the second adjustment hole 42 of the oil pan suspension legs 4, the first adjustment hole 33 of the ceiling suspension legs 3, and the fixing hole 19 of the main body casing 1. The second adjustment hole 42 will be described in detail later.

As shown in Figure 1, the oil pan 5 is fixed to the oil pan suspension legs 4 and positioned vertically below the main body 1. The oil pan 5 serves to catch oil falling from the main body 1. When installing the blower 100, the main body 1 is first mounted to the ceiling using the ceiling suspension legs 3. Then, the oil pan suspension legs 4 are attached to the side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1, and the oil pan 5 is attached to the main body 1 using the oil pan suspension legs 4. In other words, since the oil pan suspension legs 4 and the oil pan 5 are independent components of the main body 1, the blower 100 can also be formed by retrofitting the oil pan suspension legs 4 and the oil pan 5 to an existing blower.

Next, the mounting holes 41 and the second adjustment holes 42 will be described in more detail, mainly with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a side view showing the oil pan suspension leg 4 installed on the left side wall 13 of the main body casing 1 according to Embodiment 1, and is viewed from the opposite side to Figure 2. Figure 5 is a side view showing the oil pan suspension leg 4 installed on the right side wall 14 of the main body casing 1 according to Embodiment 1, and is viewed from the opposite side to Figure 3.

The mounting hole 41 penetrates the oil pan suspension leg 4 in the left-right direction. When viewed along the direction of penetration, the mounting hole 41 has the shape of two holes, 41a and 41b, connected together. In this embodiment, the shape of the mounting hole 41 when viewed along the direction of penetration is generally that of a Daruma doll. The two holes 41a and 41b communicate with each other through a portion of their inner walls. In the following description, when distinguishing between the two holes 41a and 41b, the larger hole 41a will be referred to as the large hole 41c, and the smaller hole 41b will be referred to as the small hole 41d.

The large hole 41c is circular in shape. The small hole 41d is oval in shape. The opening dimension of the large hole 41c is larger than the opening dimension of the small hole 41d. In other words, the diameter of the large hole 41c is larger than the diameter of the small hole 41d. The large hole 41c and the small hole 41d are aligned in the front-to-back direction. The large hole 41c is located behind the small hole 41d, i.e., on the suction side of the small hole 41d. The large hole 41c is sized to allow insertion of the rotating shaft 18 and the nut 6 shown in Figures 2 and 3. The small hole 41d is sized to allow insertion of the rotating shaft 18, but not to allow insertion of the nut 6.

The second adjustment holes 42 penetrate the oil pan suspension leg 4 in the left-right direction. When viewed along the penetration direction, one of the second adjustment holes 42 has the shape of two connected holes 42a and 42b, one large and one small. The other second adjustment hole 42, when viewed along the penetration direction, is circular. In this embodiment, the shape of one of the second adjustment holes 42, when viewed along the penetration direction, is generally a daruma doll shape. The two holes 42a and 42b communicate with each other through a portion of their inner walls. In the following description, when distinguishing between the two holes 42a and 42b, the larger hole 42a will be referred to as the large hole 42c, and the smaller hole 42b will be referred to as the small hole 42d.

The large hole 42c is circular. The small hole 42d is oval. The opening dimension of the large hole 42c is larger than the opening dimension of the small hole 42d. In other words, the diameter of the large hole 42c is larger than the diameter of the small hole 42d. The large hole 42c and the small hole 42d are aligned in the front-to-back direction. The large hole 42c is located behind the small hole 42d, i.e., on the suction side of the small hole 42d. The large hole 42c is sized to allow insertion of the rotating shaft 18 and the nut 6 shown in Figures 2 and 3. The small hole 42d is sized to allow insertion of the rotating shaft 18, but not to allow insertion of the nut 6. The mounting hole 41 and the second adjustment hole 42, which is roughly oval-shaped, coincide in the vertical direction.

Next, the oil pan suspension legs 4 and the oil pan 5 will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Figure 6 is a left side view showing the oil pan 5 according to Embodiment 1.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, multiple screw holes 43 are provided in the lower edge of each of the left and right oil pan suspension legs 4. There are two screw holes 43 on each of the left and right oil pan suspension legs 4. The two screw holes 43 are spaced apart in the front-to-back direction. The screw holes 43 penetrate the oil pan suspension leg 4 in the left-to-right direction. In the following description, when distinguishing between the two screw holes 43 of each oil pan suspension leg 4, the screw hole 43 on the suction side will be referred to as the first screw hole 43a, and the screw hole 43 on the discharge side will be referred to as the second screw hole 43b.

As shown in Figure 1, the oil pan 5 is a concave-shaped member that opens upwards. The oil pan 5 has a bottom wall 51 and rising walls 52 and 53 that rise from the left and right ends of the bottom wall 51. As shown in Figure 6, the bottom wall 51 of the oil pan 5 is inclined downwards from the discharge side to the suction side. The depth of the oil pan 5 increases from the discharge side to the suction side. An outlet 55 is provided in the suction side portion of the bottom wall 51 of the oil pan 5. An oil discharge pipe (not shown) is connected to the outlet 55. The oil collected in the oil pan 5 is discharged through the outlet 55 and the pipe. Because the oil pan 5 is deeper on the suction side than on the discharge side and has an outlet 55 on the suction side, the center of gravity of the oil pan 5 is on the suction side.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each of the left and right vertical walls 52 and 53 is provided with multiple screw fixing points 54 that are fixed to the oil pan suspension legs 4 by screws 8. Two screw fixing points 54 are provided on each of the left and right vertical walls 52 and 53. The two screw fixing points 54 are spaced apart from each other in the front-to-back direction. The screw fixing points 54 are holes that penetrate the oil pan 5 in the left-to-right direction. Screws 8 are inserted into the screw holes 43 of the oil pan suspension legs 4 and the screw fixing points 54 of the oil pan 5 to fasten the oil pan suspension legs 4 and the oil pan 5 together. In this embodiment, the oil pan 5 is fixed to the oil pan suspension legs 4 at four points using four screws 8. In the following description, when distinguishing between the two screw fixing points 54 on each vertical wall 52 and 53, the screw fixing point 54 on the suction side will be referred to as the first screw fixing point 54a, and the screw fixing point 54 on the discharge side will be referred to as the second screw fixing point 54b.

The shape of the first screw fixing portion 54a on each of the left and right rising walls 52 and 53 is circular. The shape of the second screw fixing portion 54b on each of the left and right rising walls 52 and 53 is generally hook-shaped. More specifically, the shape of the second screw fixing portion 54b extends downward from the upper edge of the rising walls 52 and 53, and then extends towards the discharge side. In other words, the second screw fixing portion 54b, which is the furthest from the center of gravity of the oil pan 5 among the multiple screw fixing portions 54, is shaped to hook onto the screw 8 inserted into the oil pan suspension leg 4. That is, the second screw fixing portion 54b located on the part of the oil pan 5 opposite to the part with the center of gravity is shaped to hook onto the screw 8.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the two oil pan suspension legs 4 are asymmetrical in shape to distinguish them from each other. Specifically, one oil pan suspension leg 4, shown in Figure 4, has a notch 44 cut out on the suction side at its discharge end, while the other oil pan suspension leg 4, shown in Figure 5, does not have a notch 44 at its discharge end. Furthermore, the first screw hole 43a of one oil pan suspension leg 4 and the first screw hole 43a of the other oil pan suspension leg 4 are offset in the front-to-back direction.

Because the positions of the left and right first screw holes 43a are misaligned in the front-to-back direction, the first screw fixing portion 54a of the rising wall 52 shown in Figure 2 and the first screw fixing portion 54a of the rising wall 53 shown in Figure 3 are misaligned in the front-to-back direction. In other words, the first screw fixing portion 54a of the rising wall 52 and the first screw fixing portion 54a of the rising wall 53 are in asymmetrical positions.

Next, the effects of the blower device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 7. Figure 7 is a left side view showing the behavior of the oil pan 5 when the oil pan 5 according to Embodiment 1 is hooked onto the oil pan suspension legs 4. Note that Figure 7 is a left side view showing the blower device 100 according to Embodiment 1 when the airflow direction is parallel to the horizontal direction.

As the main body 1 shown in Figure 1 is installed on the ceiling, the work of attaching the oil pan suspension legs 4 and the oil pan 5 to the main body 1 is performed at a height. When performing such installation work, it is necessary to remove the nuts 6 from the rotating shafts 18 provided on the side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1 shown in Figures 2 and 3. However, since the nuts 6 are fastening components that fasten the ceiling suspension legs 3 and the main body 1, there is a risk that the main body 1 will detach from the ceiling suspension legs 3 if the nuts 6 are completely removed from the rotating shafts 18. In this embodiment, the oil pan suspension legs 4 have mounting holes 41 into which the nuts 6, which are fastening components that fasten the oil pan suspension legs 4, the ceiling suspension legs 3 and the main body 1, are inserted. The shape of the mounting holes 41 is such that two holes of different sizes 41a and 41b are connected, so that the oil pan suspension legs 4 can be attached to the ceiling suspension legs 3 and the main body 1 without completely removing the nuts 6 from the rotating shafts 18. Specifically, the nut 6 fastening the ceiling suspension leg 3 to the main body 1 is loosened by the thickness of the oil pan suspension leg 4. While holding the oil pan suspension leg 4, the nut 6 is inserted into the larger of the mounting holes 41a. Next, the oil pan suspension leg 4 is slid towards the suction side in the front-rear direction relative to the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the main body 1. This positions the opening edge of the smaller of the mounting holes 41b between the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the nut 6. Then, by tightening the nut 6, the opening edge of the smaller of the mounting holes 41b is sandwiched between the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the nut 6, allowing the oil pan suspension leg 4 to be attached to the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the main body 1. Finally, by attaching the oil pan 5 to the oil pan suspension leg 4, the oil pan 5 can be attached to the main body 1 via the oil pan suspension leg 4. Therefore, in this embodiment, the oil pan 5 can be easily attached to the main body 1 even when the main body 1 is suspended from the ceiling.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the oil pan suspension leg 4 has a second adjustment hole 42 into which a screw 7 fastening the oil pan suspension leg 4 to the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the main body 1 is inserted. The shape of the second adjustment hole 42 is such that two holes 42a and 42b of different sizes are connected, allowing the oil pan suspension leg 4 to be attached to the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the main body 1 without completely removing the screw 7 from the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the main body 1. Specifically, the screw 7 fastening the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the main body 1 is loosened by the thickness of the oil pan suspension leg 4, and while holding the oil pan suspension leg 4, the screw 7 is inserted into the larger of the two adjustment holes 42a. Subsequently, the oil pan suspension leg 4 is slid toward the suction side in the front-rear direction relative to the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the main body 1. This allows the opening edge of the smaller of the two adjustment holes 42b to be positioned between the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the head of the screw 7. Next, by tightening the screw 7, the opening edge of the smaller of the two adjustment holes 42b is sandwiched between the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the head of the screw 7, allowing the oil pan suspension leg 4 to be attached to the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the main body 1. Then, by attaching the oil pan 5 to the oil pan suspension leg 4, the oil pan 5 can be attached to the main body 1 via the oil pan suspension leg 4. Therefore, in this embodiment, the oil pan 5 can be easily attached to the main body 1 even when the main body 1 is suspended from the ceiling.

Furthermore, when the oil pan suspension leg 4 is slid toward the suction side in the front-rear direction relative to the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the main body 1, the opening edge of the smaller of the two mounting holes 41b is positioned between the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the nut 6, while the opening edge of the smaller of the two adjustment holes 42b is positioned between the ceiling suspension leg 3 and the head of the screw 7. The mounting holes 41 and the second adjustment holes 42 are formed in this manner.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the oil pan 5 is provided with a plurality of screw fixing parts 54 that are fixed to the oil pan suspension legs 4 by screws 8. Of the plurality of screw fixing parts 54, the second screw fixing part 54b, which is furthest from the center of gravity of the oil pan 5, is shaped to hook onto the screw 8 inserted into the oil pan suspension leg 4. With this configuration, when attaching the oil pan 5 to the oil pan suspension leg 4, the second screw fixing part 54b, which is located on the discharge side and furthest from the center of gravity of the oil pan 5, is first hooked onto the screw 8 inserted into the oil pan suspension leg 4. At this time, since the center of gravity of the oil pan 5 is on the suction side, the oil pan 5 rotates around the screw 8 so that the suction side portion of the oil pan 5, where the discharge port 55 is provided, is located downwards, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 7. With the second screw fixing part 54b hooked onto the screw 8, the oil pan 5 is suspended from the oil pan suspension leg 4. In other words, the oil pan 5 will not fall from the oil pan suspension leg 4. Therefore, when attaching the oil pan 5 to the oil pan support legs 4, it is no longer necessary to constantly support the oil pan 5, allowing one person to easily attach the oil pan 5 to the oil pan support legs 4. Then, the intake side portion of the oil pan 5, where the discharge port 55 is located, is lifted, and the screw 8 is screwed into the first screw fixing portion 54a and the first screw hole 43a, while the screw 8 that was hooked onto the second screw fixing portion 54b is screwed into the second screw hole 43b. By performing this attachment process on both the left and right oil pan support legs 4, the oil pan 5 can be attached to each of the left and right oil pan support legs 4.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, one oil pan support leg 4 is installed on each of the left and right side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1. The two oil pan support legs 4 are asymmetrical in shape, allowing for identification of the left and right oil pan support legs 4. Therefore, the oil pan support legs 4 can be properly attached to the side walls 13 and 14 of the main body 1 without misplacing them.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first screw fixing portion 54a on the left-side rising wall 52 and the first screw fixing portion 54a on the right-side rising wall 53 are located asymmetrically. This allows the oil pan 5 to be properly attached to the main body 1 via the oil pan suspension legs 4 without incorrectly mounting the front and rear positions of the oil pan 5. Specifically, the oil pan 5 can be properly attached to the main body 1 via the oil pan suspension legs 4 with the shallower portion facing the discharge side and the deeper portion facing the suction side.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the number of second adjustment holes 42 is less than the number of first adjustment holes 33 in the ceiling suspension legs 3. This limits the mounting angle of the main body 1 relative to the ceiling suspension legs 3 when the oil pan 5 is attached to the main body 1, thereby limiting the airflow outlet angle. Therefore, the size and position of the oil pan 5 can be easily determined so that the airflow blown from the blower unit 2 does not hit the oil pan 5. This eliminates the need to adjust the front-to-back position of the oil pan 5 each time the airflow outlet angle is changed, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-173913. Consequently, since a structure for adjusting the front-to-back position of the oil pan 5 is unnecessary, the structure for attaching the oil pan 5 to the main body 1 can be simplified, and the oil pan 5 can be provided at a lower cost.

Here, with reference to Figure 8, the method for determining the size and position of the oil pan 5 will be explained. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the blower device 100 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the blower device 100 according to Embodiment 1 when the airflow outlet direction is diagonally downward. Specifically, Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view when the airflow outlet angle is set to the lowest possible limit with the oil pan 5 attached to the main body 1, that is, when the airflow outlet angle is set to the lowest possible outlet angle θ1. Figure 8 is viewed from the same direction as Figure 3. In Figure 8, only the blower unit 2 and the oil pan 5 are shown.

When determining the size and position of the oil pan 5, the spread angle θ2 of the airflow blown out from the blower unit 2 is taken into consideration. Specifically, the size and position of the oil pan 5 are determined by adding an airflow spread angle θ2 of approximately 15° to 20° to the lowest airflow outlet angle θ1, and then ensuring that the airflow blown out from the blower unit 2 does not hit the oil pan 5. In Figure 8, arrow Y1 indicates the direction of the airflow blown out from the blower unit 2 at the lowest airflow outlet angle θ1. In Figure 8, arrow Y2 indicates the direction of the airflow blown out from the blower unit 2 at an airflow spread angle θ2. Furthermore, the size and position of the oil pan 5 are determined so that it covers the entire projection surface of the main body casing 1 when the airflow is at its lowest outlet angle θ1. By determining the size and position of the oil pan 5 in this manner, it becomes unnecessary to adjust the front-to-back position of the oil pan 5 each time the airflow outlet angle is changed. Therefore, since a structure for adjusting the front-to-back position of the oil pan 5 is unnecessary, the structure for attaching the oil pan 5 to the main body casing 1 can be simplified, and the oil pan 5 can be provided at a lower cost.

Next, a modified example of Embodiment 1 will be described.

The shape of the mounting hole 41 is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 2 and 3; any shape consisting of a hole 41a large enough to insert a nut 6 and a hole 41b large enough not to insert a nut 6 is acceptable.

In this embodiment, the oil pan suspension legs 4 are attached to the ceiling suspension legs 3 and the main body 1 using both the nuts 6 and screws 7 shown in Figures 2 and 3. However, it is sufficient to attach the oil pan suspension legs 4 to the ceiling suspension legs 3 and the main body 1 using at least the nuts 6. In this configuration, the second adjustment hole 42 of the oil pan suspension legs 4 can be omitted. Furthermore, the screw 7, the first adjustment hole 33, and the fixing hole 19, which are adjustment mechanisms for adjusting the mounting angle of the main body 1 relative to the ceiling suspension legs 3, may also be omitted.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the number of second adjustment holes 42 was less than the number of first adjustment holes 33 in the ceiling suspension leg 3, but it may be the same number as the first adjustment holes 33.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the two oil pan suspension legs 4 were asymmetrical in shape, but they may also be symmetrical.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first screw fixing portion 54a of the left-side rising wall 52 and the first screw fixing portion 54a of the right-side rising wall 53 were in asymmetrical positions, but they may also be in symmetrical positions.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the second screw fixing part 54b, which is furthest from the center of gravity of the oil pan 5, was shaped to hook onto the screw 8 inserted into the oil pan suspension leg 4. However, it may also be shaped in a way that does not allow it to hook onto the screw 8. For example, the second screw fixing part 54b may have the same circular hole as the first screw fixing part 54a. Alternatively, the second screw fixing part 54b may have a shape consisting of two connected holes of different sizes, i.e., a roughly daruma doll shape. In this embodiment, the second screw fixing part 54b, which is furthest from the center of gravity of the oil pan 5, was shaped to hook onto the screw 8 inserted into the oil pan suspension leg 4. However, the first screw fixing part 54a, which is closest to the center of gravity of the oil pan 5, may also be shaped to hook onto the screw 8 inserted into the oil pan suspension leg 4.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the center of gravity of the oil pan 5 was on the suction side, but it may also be on the discharge side. That is, the oil pan 5 may be deeper on the discharge side than on the suction side, and may have a discharge port 55 on the discharge side. In such a structure, the first screw fixing part 54a among the multiple screw fixing parts 54 will be the screw fixing part 54 furthest from the center of gravity of the oil pan 5, and the shape of the first screw fixing part 54a may be such that it can be hooked onto the screw 8 inserted into the oil pan suspension leg 4. More specifically, the shape of the first screw fixing part 54a may extend downward from the upper edge of the rising walls 52, 53, and then extend towards the suction side.

In this embodiment, some of the multiple screw fixing parts 54 of the oil pan 5 were shaped to hook onto the screws 8. However, some of the multiple screw holes 43 of the oil pan suspension leg 4 may be shaped to hook onto the screws 8. In such a structure, when attaching the oil pan 5 to the oil pan suspension leg 4, the screws 8 should be pre-attached to the oil pan 5, and these screws 8 should be hooked onto some of the multiple screw holes 43. This will result in the oil pan 5 being suspended from the oil pan suspension leg 4, thus achieving the same effect as in the above-described embodiment.

The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples; they can be combined with other known technologies, and parts of the configuration can be omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 Main body casing, 2 Blower unit, 3 Ceiling mounting legs, 4 Oil pan mounting legs, 5 Oil pan, 6 Nut, 7, 8 Screw, 11 Front wall, 12 Rear wall, 13, 14 Side walls, 15 Top wall, 16 Bottom wall, 17 Opening, 18 Rotating shaft, 19 Fixing hole, 21 Fan, 22 Electric motor, 23 Wind tunnel, 24 Intake port, 25 Outlet, 31 Ceiling mounting leg side mounting wall, 32 Insertion hole, 33 First adjustment hole, 41 Mounting holes, 41a, 41b, 42a, 42b Holes, 41c, 42c Large holes, 41d, 42d Small holes, 42 Second adjustment hole, 43 Screw hole, 43a First screw hole, 43b Second screw hole, 44 Notch, 51 Bottom wall, 52, 53 Rising wall, 54 Screw fixing part, 54a First screw fixing part, 54b Second screw fixing part, 55 Outlet, 100 Blower.

Claims (3)

The main body is a box-shaped structure with openings formed in the front and rear walls,
A blower unit is installed inside the main body enclosure and blows air drawn in through an opening in the rear wall of the main body enclosure and blows it out through an opening in the front wall of the main body enclosure to form an airflow.
The ceiling suspension legs are installed on the side wall of the main enclosure,
An oil pan suspension leg is installed on the side wall of the main body box, overlapping the ceiling suspension leg,
An oil pan fixed to the oil pan suspension legs and positioned vertically below the main body box,
Equipped with,
The oil pan suspension leg has a mounting hole into which a fastening component is inserted to fasten the oil pan suspension leg, the ceiling suspension leg, and the main body box.
The shape of the mounting hole is such that two holes of different sizes are connected in the front-to-back direction, which is the direction in which the front wall and the rear wall face each other .
A blower characterized in that, with the fastening component inserted into the larger of the mounting holes, the oil pan suspension leg is slid in the front-rear direction relative to the ceiling suspension leg and the main body box, thereby positioning the fastening component in the smaller of the mounting holes . The oil pan suspension legs are installed one on each of the left and right side walls of the main body enclosure.
The blower according to claim 1, characterized in that the two oil pan suspension legs are asymmetrical in shape. The aforementioned ceiling suspension legs are installed one on each of the left and right side walls of the main enclosure.
The oil pan suspension legs are installed one on each of the left and right side walls of the main body enclosure, overlapping the ceiling suspension legs.
The oil pan has left and right rising side walls,
Each of the rising side walls of the oil pan is provided with a plurality of screw fixing parts that are fixed to the oil pan suspension legs by screws.
The center of gravity of the oil pan in the front-rear direction is located in front of or behind the center of the oil pan in the front-rear direction.
The blower according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, of the plurality of screw fixing parts on each of the rising side walls , the one screw fixing part furthest from the center of gravity of the oil pan in the front-rear direction is shaped to be hooked onto the screw inserted into the oil pan suspension leg.