[0001] The disclosure relates to a fan device, and more particularly to a fan device having
a casing body and a porous plate to define a noise-reduction room.
[0002] When a general fan is in operation, fan blades of the fan are prone to irregular
vibration due to air turbulence at end portions of the fan blades, and an undesired
noise is generated accordingly. For reducing the undesired noise, different auxiliary
noise-reduction devices have been developed to be used with the fan.
[0003] Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional noise-reduction fan assembly includes a fan 10
and a noise-reduction device 1 mounted to the fan 10. The noise-reduction device 1
includes a casing 11 connected to the fan 10, a plurality of drivenable fan blades
12, a surrounding plate 13, and a sound-absorbing member 14. The casing 11 defines
an inner space 110. The drivenable fan blades 12 are made of a sound-absorbing material
and disposed in the inner space 110. The surrounding plate 13 is disposed in the inner
space 110 and divides the inner space 110 into a central room 132 for receiving the
drivenable fan blades 12 and a sound-absorbing room 130 surrounding the central room
132. The sound-absorbing member 14 is filled in the sound-absorbing room 130. The
surrounding plate 13 has a plurality of through holes 131 to spatially communicate
the central room 132 with the sound-absorbing room 130. Airflow generated by the fan
10 will drive rotation of the drivenable fan blades 12 and then the airflow will be
guided into the central room 132. The airflow is also guided from the central room
132 into the sound-absorbing room 130 through the through holes 131 of the surrounding
plate 13. The noise generated by the fan 10 can be partially absorbed by the drivenable
fan blades 12 and partially absorbed by the noise-absorbing member 14 filled in the
sound-absorbing room 130.
[0004] However, the aforementioned conventional noise-reduction fan assembly requires installation
of the drivenable fan blades 12, and the drivenable fan blades 12 are required to
be adjusted based on a few parameters of the fan 10, such as rotational performance
and an integral structural configuration. Hence, the design and manufacturing of the
conventional noise-reduction device 1 is relatively complicated.
[0005] Referring to FIG. 2, another conventional noise-reduction fan assembly includes a
fan 20 and a noise-reduction device 2 connected to the fan 20. The noise-reduction
device 2 includes a resonator 21 and a status indication unit 220. The fan 20 is exemplified
to be a heat-dissipating fan for dissipating heat of an electronic apparatus, such
as a central processing unit 22. The status indication unit 220 is connected between
the resonator 21 and the central processing unit 22, and is capable of indicating
an operational status of the central processing unit 22. The resonator 21 includes
a casing 211 that defines an inner chamber 210 in spatial communication with the fan
20, a clapboard 212, an elastic component 213, and two thermoelectric components 214
capable of detecting noise through noise-responsive deformation.
[0006] The clapboard 212 is disposed in the inner chamber 210, and divides the inner chamber
210 into a space 201 in spatial communication with the fan 20 and a resonance room
200. The elastic component 213 is received in the resonance room 200 and is connected
to the clapboard 212 and the casing 211 so that the clapboard 212 is movable relative
to the casing 211.
[0007] The two thermoelectric components 214 are disposed in the resonance room 200 and
located respectively on two symmetrical sides of the clapboard 212. The thermoelectric
component 214 is in signal communication with the status indication unit 220 and is
deformable accordingly. Deformation of the thermoelectric components 214 will move
the clapboard 212 to adjust a resonance volume of the resonance room 200 so as to
eliminate the noise generated by the fan 20.
[0008] The aforementioned conventional noise-reduction fan assembly also has complicated
structure and signal communication. Hence, there is plenty of room for improvement
in the structural design of the conventional noise-reduction fan assembly.
[0009] Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a fan device that can alleviate
at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.
[0010] According to the disclosure, a fan device includes a casing unit and a fan impeller
unit mounted in the casing unit.
[0011] The casing unit has an axis and includes a casing body, a porous plate, and an air-entering
tube.
[0012] The casing body is formed with a receiving space and an air outlet port in spatial
communication with the receiving space. The porous plate is formed with a plurality
of through holes and is disposed in the receiving space to divide the receiving space
into an air-flowing room and a noise-reduction room aligned with and spaced apart
from each other along the axis. The air-entering tube is connected to the casing body
and is in spatial communication with the air-flowing room.
[0013] The fan impeller unit is disposed in the air-flowing room of the receiving space
and is rotatable about the axis to generate airflow that partially flows from the
air-flowing room into the noise-reduction room through the through holes of the porous
plate.
[0014] Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following
detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings,
of which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional noise-reduction fan assembly;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating another conventional noise-reduction fan assembly;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view illustrating a first embodiment of a fan device according
to the disclosure;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the first embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the first embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a second embodiment of a fan device
according to the disclosure;
FIG. 7 is an exploded view illustrating a third embodiment of a fan device according
to the disclosure;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the
third embodiment; and
[0015] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a fourth embodiment of a fan device
according to the disclosure.
[0016] Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where
considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals
have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements,
which may optionally have similar characteristics.
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, a first embodiment of a fan device includes a casing unit
3 and a fan impeller unit 4 that is mounted in the casing unit 3.
[0018] The casing unit 3 has an axis (A) and includes a casing body 31, a porous plate 32,
an air-entering tube 33, and an air guiding member 34. The casing body 31 is formed
with a receiving space 310 and an air outlet port 318 in spatial communication with
the receiving space 310. In this embodiment, the casing body 31 of the casing unit
3 includes a base 312 and a cover 311 connected to the base 312 to cooperatively define
the receiving space 310.
[0019] The porous plate 32 is formed with a plurality of through holes 329 and is disposed
in the receiving space 310 to divide the receiving space 310 into an air-flowing room
301 and a noise-reduction room 302 aligned with and spaced apart from each other along
the axis (A) . The base 312 cooperates with the porous plate 32 to define the noise-reduction
room 302. The cover 311 cooperates with the porous plate 32 to define the air-flowing
room 301. The porous plate 32 is further formed with an inner tube-communicating through
hole 321 spaced apart from the through holes 329.
[0020] The air-entering tube 33 is connected to the casing body 31 and is in spatial communication
with the air-flowing room 301. The air-entering tube 33 peripherally and outwardly
extends from and is in spatial communication with the inner tube-communicating through
hole 321.
[0021] The air guiding member 34 is disposed at the air outlet port 318 of the casing body
31 and is in spatial communication with the receiving space 310 of the casing body
31. In one form, the air guiding member 34 may peripherally protrude from the air
outlet port 318 of the casing body 31 and tapered along a direction away from the
casing body 31, such that an airflow flowing through the air guiding member 34 can
be collectively pressurized to have an increased air pressure.
[0022] The fan impeller unit 4 is disposed in the air-flowing room 301 of the receiving
space 310 and is rotatable about the axis (A) to generate an airflow that partially
flows from the air-flowing room 301 into the noise-reduction room 302 through the
through holes 329 of the porous plate 32.
[0023] To be specific, when the fan impeller unit 4 is in operation, ambient air is guided
into the air-flowing room 301 through the air-entering tube 33 and the inner tube-communicating
through hole 321 of the porous plate 21. The airflow is generated from the air flowing
into the air-flowing room 301. A main stream of the airflow mainly flows from the
air-flowing room 301 toward the air outlet port 318. A tributary of the airflow flows
from the air-flowing room 301 into the noise-reduction room 302 through the through
holes 329 of the porous plate 32.
[0024] In this embodiment, the configuration of the casing unit 3, such as the shape and
the internal volume of the noise-reduction room 302 is designed in accordance with
the noise frequency of the fan impeller unit 4. In addition, the airflow flowing into
the noise-reduction room 302 through the through holes 329 of the porous plate 32
is dispersed by the through holes 329 before entering the noise-reduction room 302,
so that wind shear produced and concentrated at a certain position can be avoided
to reduce the noise.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 6, a second embodiment of the fan device according to the disclosure
is illustrated. The second embodiment is structurally similar to the first embodiment.
However, the fan device of the second embodiment further includes a sound-absorption
member 5 disposed in the noise-reduction room 302. Specifically, the sound-absorption
member 5 is porous. Hence, in this embodiment, the noise is further absorbed by the
sound-absorption member 5. Furthermore, the volume and the shape of the noise-reduction
room 302 can be adjusted by the filling manner of the sound-absorption member 5 therein
in compliance with the desired configuration of the casing unit 3.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a third embodiment of the fan device according to the
disclosure is illustrated. The third embodiment is structurally similar to that of
the first embodiment. However, instead of forming the inner tube-communicating through
hole 321, the base 312 includes a bottom plate 316 that is distal to the cover 311
and that is formed with an outer tube-communicating through hole 317. The air-entering
tube 33 peripherally and outwardly extends from and is in spatial communication with
the outer tube-communicating through hole 317.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 9, a fourth embodiment of the fan device according to the disclosure
is illustrated. The fourth embodiment is structurally similar to that of the first
embodiment. However, instead of forming the inner tube-communicating through hole
321, the casing body 31 of the casing unit 3 is formed with an outer tube-communicating
through hole 317' in spatial communication with the receiving space 310. The outer
tube-communicating through hole 317' and the porous plate 32 are located at two opposite
sides of the fan impeller unit 4 along the axis (A), such that the noise-reduction
room 302 is distal to the air-entering tube 33. The air-entering tube 33 peripherally
and outwardly extends from and is in spatial communication with the outer tube-communicating
through hole 317'.
[0028] To sum up, by virtue of the design of the casing body 31 and the inclusion of the
porous plate 32, the airflow generated by the fan impeller unit 4 partially flows
from the air-flowing room 301 into the noise-reduction room 302 through the porous
plate 32, and the airflow is simultaneously dispersed by the porous plate 32 to reduce
wind shear. Therefore, the noise generated by the fan impeller unit 4 of the fan device
according to the disclosure can be reduced.
[0029] In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details
have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments.
It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments
may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated
that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment,"
an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure.
It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes
grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose
of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive
aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may
be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment,
where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.
1. A fan device including a casing unit (3) and a fan impeller unit (4) mounted in the
casing unit (3), said fan device
characterized by:
said casing unit (3) having an axis (A) and including
a casing body (31) that is formed with a receiving space (310) and an air outlet port
(318) in spatial communication with said receiving space (310),
a porous plate (32) that is formed with a plurality of through holes (329) and that
is disposed in said receiving space (310) to divide said receiving space (310) into
an air-flowing room (301) and a noise-reduction room (302) aligned with and spaced
apart from each other along the axis (A), and
an air-entering tube (33) that is connected to said casing body (31) and that is in
spatial communication with said air-flowing room (301); and
said fan impeller unit (4) being disposed in said air-flowing room (301) of said receiving
space (310) and being rotatable about the axis (A) to generate airflow that partially
flows from said air-flowing room (301) into said noise-reduction room (302) through
said through holes (329) of said porous plate (32).
2. The fan device of claim 1, characterized in that said casing body (31) of said casing unit (3) includes a base (312) and a cover (311)
connected to said base (312) to cooperatively define said receiving space (310), said
base (312) cooperating with said porous plate (32) to define said noise-reduction
room (302), said cover (311) cooperating with said porous plate (32) to define said
air-flowing room (301), said porous plate (32) being further formed with an inner
tube-communicating through hole (321) spaced apart from said through holes (329),
said air-entering tube (33) peripherally and outwardly extending from and in spatial
communication with said inner tube-communicating through hole (321).
3. The fan device of claim 1, characterized in that said casing body (31) of said casing unit (3) includes a base (312) and a cover (311)
connected to said base (312) to cooperatively define said receiving space (310), said
base (312) cooperating with said porous plate (32) to define said noise-reduction
room (302), said cover (311) cooperating with said porous plate (32) to define said
air-flowing room (301), said base (312) including a bottom plate (316) that is distal
to said cover (311) and that is formed with an outer tube-communicating through hole
(317), said air-entering tube (33) peripherally and outwardly extending from and in
spatial communication with said outer tube-communicating through hole (317).
4. The fan device of claim 1, characterized in that said casing body (31) of said casing unit (3) is further formed with an outer tube-communicating
through hole (317') in spatial communication with said receiving space (310), said
outer tube-communicating through hole (317') and said porous plate (32) being located
at two opposite sides of said fan impeller unit (4) along the axis (A), said air-entering
tube (33) peripherally and outwardly extending from and in spatial communication with
said outer tube-communicating through hole (317').
5. The fan device of any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by a sound-absorption member (5) disposed in said noise-reduction room (302).
6. The fan device of claim 5, characterized in that said sound-absorption member (5) is porous.
7. The fan device of any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said casing unit (3) further includes an air guiding member (34) disposed at said
air outlet port (318) of said casing body (31) and in spatial communication with said
receiving space (310) of said casing body (31).