Blower assembly

1. A blower assembly comprising:

a housing including a fluid inlet and a spaced apart fluid outlet, the housing further including a first inlet feature at least partially circumscribing the fluid inlet; and

a fan wheel disposed in the housing, the fan wheel including a hub, an inner ring axially spaced apart from the hub in a direction substantially parallel to an axis of rotation of the fan wheel, an outer ring radially outwardly spaced apart from the inner ring, and a plurality of outer blades extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the fan wheel, wherein a first end of at least one of the outer blades is coupled to the hub and a second end of the at least one of the outer blades is coupled to the inner and the outer rings, wherein the first inlet feature of the housing spans a gap formed between the outer ring of the fan wheel and an inner wall of the housing and extends over the outer ring and between the inner ring and the outer ring.

2. The blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fan wheel includes a skirt portion extending between the inner ring and the outer ring to provide a closure to openings formed between the outer blades of the fan wheel.

3. The blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fan wheel includes a plurality of inner blades extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the fan wheel, a first end of each of the inner blades coupled to the hub and a second end of each of the inner blades coupled to the inner ring.

4. The blower assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the inner blades are integrally formed with the outer blades.

5. The blower assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the second end of at least one of the inner blades extends to an edge of the inner ring.

6. The blower assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the second end of at least one of the inner blades is offset from an edge of the inner ring.

7. The blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a first housing section and a second housing section.

8. The blower assembly according to claim 7 , wherein an inner surface of the housing is at least partially defined by an inner peripheral surface of the first housing section and an inner peripheral surface of the second housing section.

9. The blower assembly according to claim 8 , wherein a distance between the inner peripheral surface of the first housing section and the inner peripheral surface of the second housing section is variable.

10. The blower assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the distance between the inner peripheral surface of the first housing section and the inner peripheral surface of the second housing section increases from a scroll cutoff generally defined as a location where a cross-sectional area of a scroll duct formed in the housing is minimized to the fluid outlet of the housing.

11. The blower assembly according to claim 8 , wherein a radius of the housing measured between the axis of rotation of the fan wheel and the inner surface of the housing is variable.

12. The blower assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the radius of the housing measured between the axis of rotation of the fan wheel and the inner surface of the housing increases from a scroll cutoff generally defined as a location where a cross-sectional area of a scroll duct formed in the housing is minimized to the fluid outlet of the housing.

13. The blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the housing further includes a second inlet feature at least partially circumscribing the fluid inlet, and wherein the second inlet feature spans a second gap formed between the inner ring and the outer ring of the fan wheel and extends into an opening defined by the inner ring of the fan wheel.

14. A blower assembly comprising:

a housing including a fluid inlet and a spaced apart fluid outlet, the housing further including a first inlet feature at least partially circumscribing the fluid inlet; and

a fan wheel disposed in the housing, the fan wheel including a hub, an inner ring axially spaced apart from the hub in a direction substantially parallel to an axis of rotation of the fan wheel, an outer ring radially outwardly spaced apart from the inner ring, and a plurality of outer blades extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the fan wheel, a first end of at least one of the outer blades is coupled to the hub and a second end of the at least one of the outer blades is coupled to the inner and the outer rings, wherein an inner surface of the housing and an outer peripheral surface of the fan wheel form a scroll duct to receive a flow of fluid therein, wherein the scroll duct expands in an axial direction and a radial direction from a scroll cutoff generally defined as a location where a cross-sectional area of the scroll duct is minimized toward the fluid outlet, and wherein the first inlet feature of the housing spans a gap formed between the outer ring of the fan wheel and an inner wall of the housing and extends over the outer ring and between the inner ring and the outer ring.

15. The blower assembly according to claim 14 , wherein a rate of expansion in the radial direction is greater than a rate of expansion in the axial direction from the scroll cutoff to the fluid outlet.

16. The blower assembly according to claim 14 , wherein at least one of a radius of the housing measured between the axis of rotation of the fan wheel and the inner surface of the housing and a distance between an inner peripheral surface of a first housing section of the housing and an inner peripheral surface of a second housing section and is variable.

17. The blower assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the housing further includes a second inlet feature at least partially circumscribing the fluid inlet, and wherein the second inlet feature spans a second gap formed between the inner ring and the outer ring of the fan wheel and extends into an opening defined by the inner ring of the fan wheel.