Blower apparatus

Abstract

This blower apparatus includes an air blowing portion including a plurality of flat plates arranged with an axial gap defined between adjacent ones of the flat plates; a motor portion arranged to rotate the air blowing portion; and a housing arranged to house the air blowing portion and the motor portion. The housing includes an air inlet and an air outlet. At least one of the flat plates is defined by a non-perfect circular flat plate having an outer edge configuration in which specific configurations repeatedly appear one after another in a circumferential direction in a plan view. Once the air blowing portion starts rotating, an air flow traveling radially outward is generated between the flat plates by viscous drag of surfaces of the flat plates and a centrifugal force.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A blower apparatus comprising:
 an air blowing portion arranged to rotate about a central axis extending in a vertical direction;   a motor portion arranged to rotate the air blowing portion; and   a housing arranged to house the air blowing portion and the motor portion; wherein   the housing includes:
 an air inlet arranged above the air blowing portion, and arranged to pass through a portion of the housing in an axial direction; and 
 an air outlet arranged to face in a radial direction at at least one circumferential position radially outside of the air blowing portion; 
   the air blowing portion includes a plurality of flat plates arranged in the axial direction with an axial gap defined between adjacent ones of the flat plates; and   at least one of the flat plates is defined by a non-perfect circular flat plate having an outer edge configuration in which specific configurations repeatedly appear one after another in a circumferential direction in a plan view.   
     
     
         2 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each specific configuration includes a cut recessed radially inward. 
     
     
         3 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the air blowing portion is caused by the motor portion to rotate to one side in the circumferential direction; and   a portion of the outer edge configuration which defines the cut includes a cut guide portion arranged to curve to an opposite side in the circumferential direction as the cut guide portion extends radially outward.   
     
     
         4 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 each non-perfect circular flat plate includes:
 an inner annular portion being annular, and centered on the central axis; 
 an outer annular portion being annular, centered on the central axis, and arranged radially outside of the inner annular portion; 
 a plurality of ribs each of which is arranged to radially join the inner annular portion and the outer annular portion to each other; and 
 a plurality of air holes each of which is surrounded by the inner annular portion, the outer annular portion, and two circumferentially adjacent ones of the ribs, and is arranged to pass through the non-perfect circular flat plate in the axial direction; 
   each air hole is arranged to be in communication with a space radially outside of the air blowing portion through the axial gap;   each rib is arranged to curve to the opposite side in the circumferential direction as the rib extends radially outward; and   a curvature of the cut guide portion and a curvature of the rib are arranged to be equal to each other.   
     
     
         5 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 each specific configuration includes an angled portion; and   the non-perfect circular flat plate includes an outer edge in a shape of a polygon.   
     
     
         6 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein, a number of specific configurations included in the non-perfect circular flat plate is a prime number. 
     
     
         7 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the non-perfect circular flat plate, the specific configurations are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. 
     
     
         8 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a center of the air inlet is arranged to coincide with the central axis. 
     
     
         9 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the motor portion includes:
 a stationary portion including an armature and a bearing housing; and 
 a rotating portion including a shaft, a bearing member, and a magnet arranged radially opposite to the armature; 
   the bearing housing and a combination of the shaft and the bearing member are arranged to have a lubricating fluid therebetween;   the bearing housing and the rotating portion are arranged to together define a gap defining a seal portion therebetween, the seal portion having a surface of the lubricating fluid defined therein; and   in the seal portion, a distance between the bearing housing and the rotating portion is arranged to increase with increasing distance from the surface of the lubricating fluid.   
     
     
         10 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the motor portion includes:
 a stationary portion including an armature;   a rotating portion including a magnet arranged radially opposite to the armature; and   a ball bearing arranged to connect the rotating portion to the stationary portion such that the rotating portion is rotatable with respect to the stationary portion.   
     
     
         11 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a plurality of the air outlets at a plurality of circumferential positions.