Blower apparatus

Abstract

This blower apparatus includes an air blowing portion including a plurality of flat plates; a motor portion; and a housing. The housing includes an air inlet and an air outlet. Each of a top flat plate and intermediate flat plates among the flat plates includes an air hole and an air blowing region radially outside of the air hole. Since the air flow is generated between the flat plates, the air flow does not easily leak upwardly or downwardly, and thus, an improvement in air blowing efficiency is achieved. A radial middle of the air blowing region of at least one of the intermediate flat plates is arranged radially outward of a radial middle of the air blowing region of an upwardly adjacent one of the flat plates.

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;   the flat plates include:
 a top flat plate arranged at a highest position of all the flat plates; 
 a bottom flat plate arranged at a lowest position of all the flat plates; and 
 a plurality of intermediate flat plates arranged between the top flat plate and the bottom flat plate; 
   each of the top flat plate and the intermediate flat plates includes:
 an air hole arranged to pass therethrough in the axial direction; and 
 an air blowing region being a region radially outside of the air hole; 
   a distance between the central axis and a radial middle position of the air blowing region of the intermediate flat plate that is arranged at a lowest position of all the intermediate flat plates is arranged to be greater than a distance between the central axis and a radial middle position of the air blowing region of the top flat, plate; and   a distance between the central axis and a radial middle position of the air blowing region of each of the intermediate flat plates is arranged to be equal to or greater than a distance between the central axis and a radial middle position of the air blowing region of an upwardly adjacent one of the flat plates.   
     
     
         2 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the bottom flat plate is arranged to have an outside diameter greater than an outside diameter of the top flat plate; and   each of the flat plates is arranged to have an outside diameter equal to or greater than an outside diameter of an upwardly adjacent one of the flat plates.   
     
     
         3 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein each of the flat plates is arranged to have an outside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the upwardly adjacent one of the flat plates. 
     
     
         4 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein each of the flat plates includes an outer end surface angled radially outward with decreasing height. 
     
     
         5 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a distance between the central axis and a radially outer end of the air hole that is arranged at a lowest position of all the air holes is arranged to be greater than a distance between the central axis and a radially outer end of the air hole that is arranged at a highest position of all the air holes; and   a distance between the central axis and a radially outer end of each of the air holes is arranged to be equal to or greater than a distance between the central axis and the radially outer end of an upwardly adjacent one of the air holes.   
     
     
         6 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the distance between the central axis and the radially outer end of each of the air holes is arranged to be greater than the distance between the central axis and the radially outer end of the upwardly adjacent one of the air holes. 
     
     
         7 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein each of the top flat plate and the intermediate flat plates includes an end surface defining an outer edge of the air hole, the end surface being angled radially outward with decreasing height. 
     
     
         8 . The blower apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the air inlet is centered on 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.