Blower assembly for a vehicle

Abstract

A blower assembly includes a housing having a scrolled wall, a motor having an output shaft extending within the housing, an impeller positioned within the housing and mounted to the output shaft for creating an airflow along an airflow path within the housing, an airflow outlet, and a scroll cut-off. The scroll cut-off forms a substantially continuous surface with the scrolled wall at a downstream end and with the airflow outlet at an upstream end, along the airflow path, in a first position. The blower assembly also includes an actuator for moving the scroll cut-off along a projection extending from the scrolled wall adjacent the downstream end of the scroll cut-off from the first position to a second position for reducing the airflow. The scroll cut-off may include more than one member.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A blower assembly, comprising:
 a housing having a scrolled wall;   a motor having an output shaft extending within said housing;   an impeller positioned within said housing and mounted to said output shaft for creating an airflow along an airflow path within said housing;   an airflow outlet;   a scroll cut-off forming a substantially continuous surface with said scrolled wall at a downstream end and with said airflow outlet at an upstream end, along the airflow path, in a first position;   a projection extending from said scrolled wall adjacent said downstream end of said scroll cut-off; and   an actuator for moving said scroll cut-off along said projection from the first position to a second position for reducing the airflow.   
     
     
         2 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the second position is adjacent a distal end of said projection. 
     
     
         3 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said scroll cut-off and said impeller define an air gap having a minimum distance in the first position. 
     
     
         4 . The blower assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the air gap defined by said scroll cut-off and said impeller has a maximum distance in the second position. 
     
     
         5 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said motor and said output shaft are positioned within said housing. 
     
     
         6 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein a downstream end of said scroll cut-off moves along said airflow outlet from the first position to the second position. 
     
     
         7 . The blower assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said scroll cut-off includes an upstream member and a downstream member which together form the substantially continuous surface with said scrolled wall and said airflow outlet, along the airflow path, in the first position. 
     
     
         8 . The blower assembly of  claim 7 , further comprising a second projection extending from said housing; and wherein said actuator moves said downstream member of said scroll cut-off along said projection and said second projection from the first position to a second position for reducing the airflow. 
     
     
         9 . The blower assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the second position is adjacent a distal end of said projection. 
     
     
         10 . The blower assembly of  claim 8 , wherein said scroll cut-off and said impeller define an air gap having a minimum distance in the first position. 
     
     
         11 . A vehicle incorporating the blower assembly of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         12 . A blower assembly, comprising:
 a housing having a scrolled wall;   a motor having an output shaft extending within said housing;   an impeller positioned within said housing and mounted to said output shaft for creating an airflow along an airflow path within said housing;   an airflow outlet;   at least two members forming a substantially continuous surface with said scrolled wall at a downstream end and said air flow outlet at an upstream end, along the airflow path, in a first position;   a first projection extending from said scrolled wall adjacent said upstream end of said at least two members and a second projection extending from said housing adjacent said downstream end of said at least two members; and   an actuator for moving at least one of said at least two members along said first and second projections from the first position to a second position for reducing the airflow.   
     
     
         13 . The blower assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the second position is adjacent a distal end of at least one of said first and second projections. 
     
     
         14 . The blower assembly of  claim 12 , wherein an upstream member of said at least two members and said impeller define an air gap having a minimum distance in the first position. 
     
     
         15 . The blower assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the upstream member of said at least two members is moved by said actuator, and a downstream member is static. 
     
     
         16 . A vehicle incorporating the blower assembly of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         17 . A method of changing a rate of airflow in a blower assembly comprising the steps of:
 creating an airflow using an impeller positioned within a housing having a scrolled wall;   establishing an air gap between a scroll cut-off in a first position and said impeller, said air gap determining the rate of the airflow; and   adjusting the air gap to affect the rate of airflow by moving said scroll cut-off along a projection extending from said scrolled wall adjacent a downstream end of said scroll cut-off from the first position to a second position.   
     
     
         18 . The method of changing an airflow rate in a blower assembly of  claim 17 , wherein said scroll cut-off forms a substantially continuous surface with said scrolled wall at the downstream end and an air flow outlet at an upstream end in the first position such that the established air gap is minimized and the airflow rate is maximized. 
     
     
         19 . The method of changing an airflow rate in a blower assembly of  claim 18 , wherein said downstream end of said scroll cut-off is adjacent a distal end of said projection in the second position such that the established air gap is maximized and the airflow rate is minimized. 
     
     
         20 . The method of changing an airflow rate in a blower assembly of  claim 17 , wherein said scroll cut-off includes an upstream member and a downstream member which together form the substantially continuous surface with said scrolled wall and said airflow outlet in the first position, and the step of adjusting the air gap includes moving at least one of said upstream and downstream members of said scroll cut-off from the first position to a second position.