Blower apparatus and outdoor unit of air conditioner having the same

Abstract

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner may include a case, an outdoor heat exchanger disposed in the case to perform heat exchange between outdoor air and a refrigerant, and a blower apparatus to blow and guide the outdoor air. The blower apparatus may include a blower fan to rotate about a shaft thereof to blow the air heat-exchanged with the refrigerant by the outdoor heat exchanger in one direction and an orifice installed in the case such that an inside and an outside of the case communicate with each other through the orifice to guide the air blown by the blower fan. The orifice may include a discharge part to guide air discharged from a front to a rear of the blower apparatus in an axial direction. A sectional area of the discharge part gradually increases from the front to the rear of the blower apparatus in the axial direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An outdoor unit of an air conditioner comprising:
 a case;   an outdoor heat exchanger disposed in the case to perform heat exchange between outdoor air and a refrigerant; and
 a blower apparatus to blow and guide the outdoor air, wherein 
 the blower apparatus includes:
 a blower fan to rotate about a shaft and to blow the air heat-exchanged with the refrigerant by the outdoor heat exchanger; and 
 an orifice to guide the air blown by the blower fan, 
 wherein the orifice includes a discharge part to guide air from a front of the blower apparatus to a rear of the blower apparatus in an axial direction of the blower apparatus, and wherein a sectional area of the discharge part gradually increases from the front of the blower apparatus to the rear of the blower apparatus in the axial direction. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 1 , wherein the orifice includes:
 a suction part located opposite to the discharge part to guide air suctioned, by the blower fan, from the front of the blower apparatus to the rear of the blower apparatus; and   a connection part between the suction part and the discharge part, and   wherein a sectional area of the suction part gradually decreases from the front of the blower apparatus to the rear of the blower apparatus.   
     
     
         3 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the discharge part is at a rear of the blower fan, and   the suction part is at a front of the blower fan.   
     
     
         4 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 3 , wherein the blower fan is at the connection part. 
     
     
         5 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 4 , wherein the shaft of the blower apparatus is aligned with centers of the discharge part, the suction part, and the connection part. 
     
     
         6 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 2 , wherein a rear end of the discharge part is more adjacent to the rear of the blower apparatus than to a rear end of the blower fan, and wherein a front end of the suction part is more adjacent to the front of the blower apparatus than to a front end of the blower fan. 
     
     
         7 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 6 , wherein a ratio of a width of the rear end of the discharge part to a width of the connection part is 1.6:1 to 1.4:1. 
     
     
         8 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 7 , wherein
 a difference between the width of the rear end of the discharge part and the width of the connection part is 50% to 100% of the width of the connection part.   
     
     
         9 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 6 , wherein the front of the blower apparatus is aligned with a direction of gravity. 
     
     
         10 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the orifice is at an upper region of the case, and   the rear end of the discharge part is at the upper region of the case.   
     
     
         11 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the case includes suction holes, through which outdoor air is provided, and   the suction holes are located under the discharge part, and the suction holes are at a side of the case.   
     
     
         12 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 1 , wherein reinforcement ribs are provided at an outer perimeter of the orifice, and the reinforcement ribs are provided in a radial manner. 
     
     
         13 . A blower apparatus comprising:
 a blower fan to rotate about a shaft and to blow heat-exchanged air in a direction; and   an orifice to guide the air blown by the blower fan,   wherein the orifice includes a discharge part to guide air from a front of the blower apparatus to a rear of the blower apparatus in an axial direction of the blower apparatus, and   wherein a sectional area of the discharge part gradually increases from the front of the blower apparatus to the rear of the blower apparatus in the axial direction.   
     
     
         14 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein the orifice includes:
 a suction part located opposite to the discharge part to guide air suctioned, by the blower fan, from the front of the blower apparatus to the rear of the blower apparatus; and   a connection part between the suction part and the discharge part, and   wherein a sectional area of the suction part gradually decreases from the front of the blower apparatus to the rear of the blower apparatus.   
     
     
         15 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein
 the discharge part is at a rear of the blower fan, and   the suction part is at a front of the blower fan.   
     
     
         16 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the shaft of the blower fan is aligned with centers of the discharge part, the suction part, and the connection part. 
     
     
         17 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein a rear end of the discharge part is more adjacent to the rear of the blower apparatus than to a rear end of the blower fan. 
     
     
         18 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein a front end of the suction part is more adjacent to the front of the blower apparatus than to a front end of the blower fan. 
     
     
         19 . A unit of an air conditioner comprising:
 a heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between air and a refrigerant; and   a blower apparatus to guide air, wherein the blower apparatus includes:
 a blower fan to rotate and to move the air heat-exchanged with the refrigerant by the heat exchanger, and 
 an orifice to guide the air moved by the blower fan, 
 wherein the orifice includes a discharge part to guide air from a first side of the blower apparatus to a second side of the blower apparatus, and wherein a sectional area of the discharge part gradually changes from the first side of the blower apparatus to the second side of the blower apparatus. 
   
     
     
         20 . The outdoor unit according to  claim 19 , wherein the orifice includes:
 a suction part, at a first side of the blower fan, to guide air from the first side of the blower apparatus to the second side of the blower apparatus; and   a connection part between the suction part and the discharge part, the discharge part being at a second side of the blower fan, and the blower fan is at the connection part, and   wherein a sectional area of the suction part decreases from the first side of the blower apparatus to the second side of the blower apparatus.