US 12,270,328 B2
Cooling fan assembly with water fording features
Frederick R. Cote, Dover, MA (US); and Mark Bilodeau, Dover, MA (US)
Assigned to Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart (DE)
Appl. No. 18/040,046
Filed by Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart (DE)
PCT Filed Jul. 26, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/070889
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 31, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/023285, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 3, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/059,515, filed on Jul. 31, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0272733 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
Int. Cl. F01P 5/04 (2006.01); F01P 5/02 (2006.01); F04D 25/06 (2006.01); F04D 29/32 (2006.01); F04D 29/52 (2006.01); F04D 29/60 (2006.01)
CPC F01P 5/04 (2013.01) [F01P 5/02 (2013.01); F04D 25/06 (2013.01); F04D 29/329 (2013.01); F04D 29/522 (2013.01); F04D 29/601 (2013.01); F01P 2005/046 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automotive cooling fan assembly comprising:
a motor;
a fan that is driven by the motor to rotate about a rotational axis, the fan including a cylindrical hub having a first end, a second end, and a curved surface that is parallel to
the rotational axis and extends between the first and second ends, and blades disposed along a circumference of the curved surface, the blades protruding radially outward from the hub with respect to the rotational axis; and
a shroud that supports the motor, the shroud including
a barrel that at least partially surrounds the fan and is concentric with the rotational axis, and
a motor support structure that extends from the barrel and supports the motor,
wherein
an operating gap is disposed between an end of the hub and the motor support structure, where a dimension of the operating gap corresponds to an axial distance between the end of the hub and the motor support structure, where the term axial refers to a direction that is parallel to the rotational axis,
the motor support structure includes a protrusion that protrudes axially into the operating gap, the protrusion spanning less than 360 degrees relative to the rotational axis, and
the dimension of the operating gap is a minimum at the protrusion.