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A blower assembly including a blower housing having a side wall with a first portion extending from the initial cutoff through an angle of at least 45° or more, the first portion having a radius which is substantially constant or which increases at a relatively small rate. The side wall additionally

A blower assembly including a blower housing having a side wall with a first portion extending from the initial cutoff through an angle of at least 45° or more, the first portion having a radius which is substantially constant or which increases at a relatively small rate. The side wall additionally includes a second portion, extending from the end of the first portion to the outlet, which forms a continuous curve with the first portion and has an increasing radius which is increasing at a larger rate and has a rate of increase that is also increasing with housing angle. The shape of the side wall allows a reduction in the overall size of the blower housing for a given size of impeller.

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1. A blower assembly comprising: a motor having an output shaft that is rotatable in a rotation direction around a rotation axis, the rotation axis defining mutually perpendicular axial and radial directions relative to the blower assembly;an impeller mounted on the output shaft for rotation with th

1. A blower assembly comprising: a motor having an output shaft that is rotatable in a rotation direction around a rotation axis, the rotation axis defining mutually perpendicular axial and radial directions relative to the blower assembly;an impeller mounted on the output shaft for rotation with the output shaft, the impeller having a plurality of blades that surround an interior of the impeller; and,a blower housing with an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening, the blower housing having an end wall with a shaft opening on an axially opposite side of the impeller from the air inlet opening, the blower housing having a side wall that extends axially from the end wall and defines an interior of the blower housing, the motor being mounted on the end wall with the output shaft extending through the shaft opening to the impeller in the blower housing interior and there being no other obstructions extending from the blower housing into the interior of the blower housing and into the interior of the impeller that would obstruct a free flow of air through the air inlet opening and into the interior of the blower housing and into the interior of the impeller and from the interior of the impeller through the plurality of fan blades surrounding the interior of the impeller to the blower housing side wall, the side wall having a first end that defines a cutoff adjacent the air outlet opening and a point on the side wall that is spaced in the rotation direction from the cutoff by an arc of at least 45°, the side wall being a radial distance from the rotation axis that is substantially constant as the side wall extends from the cutoff to the point on the side wall and increases at a rate as the side wall extends in the rotation direction away from the point on the side wall toward the air outlet opening, the rate defining an increasing expansion angle of the side wall, and the side wall being a continuous curve as the side wall extends in the rotation direction from the cutoff through the point on the side wall and toward the air outlet opening. 2. The blower assembly of claim 1, further comprising: the air inlet opening being circular and having an inner diameter dimension that is smaller than an inner diameter dimension of the plurality of blades surrounding the impeller interior. 3. The blower assembly of claim 1, further comprising: the impeller having an axial width dimension that is smaller than an exterior diameter dimension of the impeller. 4. The blower assembly of claim 1, further comprising: the point on the side wall being spaced in the rotation direction from the cutoff by an arc of at most 120°. 5. The blower assembly of claim 4, further comprising: the radial distance of the side wall from the axis of rotation increasing at the rate as the side wall extends in the rotation direction from the point on the side wall through an arc of at least 180°. 6. A blower assembly comprising: a motor having an output shaft that is rotatable in a rotation direction around a rotation axis, the rotation axis defining mutually perpendicular axial and radial directions relative to the blower assembly;an impeller mounted on the output shaft for rotation with the output shaft, the impeller having a plurality of blades that surround an interior of the impeller; and,a blower housing with an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening, the blower housing having an end wall with a shaft opening on an axially opposite side of the impeller from the air inlet opening, the blower housing having a side wall that extends axially from the end wall and defines an interior of the blower housing, the end wall supporting the motor with the output shaft extending through the shaft opening to the impeller in the blower housing interior and there being no other obstructions extending from the blower housing into the interior of the blower housing and into the interior of the impeller that would obstruct a free flow of air through the air inlet opening into the interior of the blower housing and the interior of the impeller and from the interior of the impeller through the plurality of fan blades surrounding the interior of the impeller to the blower housing side wall, the side wall having a scroll shaped length that extends in the rotation direction from a first end that defines a cutoff adjacent the air outlet opening, around the impeller to a second end on an opposite side of the air outlet opening from the first end, the side wall length having a first portion that extends in the rotation direction from the cutoff to a point on the side wall where the first portion of the side wall length subtends an angle of at least 45° at the rotation axis, the side wall length having a second portion that extends in the rotation direction from the point on the side wall to the second end, the radial distance from the rotation axis to the side wall being substantially constant generally along the entirety of the side wall first portion, and the side wall second portion having an increasing expansion angle that gradually increases as the second portion extends from the point on the side wall to the second end, and the side wall being a continuous curve as the side wall extends in the rotation direction through the first portion of the side wall length, the point on the side wall and the second portion of the side wall length. 7. The blower assembly of claim 6, further comprising: the air inlet opening being circular and having an inner diameter dimension that is smaller than an inner diameter dimension of the plurality of blades surrounding the impeller interior. 8. The blower assembly of claim 7, further comprising: the impeller having an axial width dimension that is smaller than an exterior diameter dimension of the impeller. 9. The blower assembly of claim 6, further comprising: the first portion of the side wall length being spaced a constant radial distance from the rotation axis as the first portion of the side wall length extends in the rotation direction from the first end of the side wall length to the point on the side wall length. 10. The blower assembly of claim 6, further comprising: the second portion of the side wall length being spaced a radial distance from the rotation axis that increases at an increasing rate as the second portion of the side wall length extends in the rotation direction from the point on the side wall length to the second end of the side wall. 11. A blower assembly comprising: a motor having an output shaft that is rotatable about an axis of rotation in a rotation direction, the axis of rotation defining mutually perpendicular axial and radial directions relative to the blower assembly;an impeller mounted on the motor output shaft for rotation of the impeller in the rotation direction with the motor output shaft, the impeller having a plurality of fan blades that extend axially across the impeller and surround an interior of the impeller; and,a blower housing having an interior containing the impeller, a circular air inlet opening that is coaxial with the impeller, and an outlet opening, the blower housing having an end wall with a shaft opening on an axially opposite side of the impeller from the air inlet opening, the end wall supporting the motor with the output shaft extending through the shaft opening to the impeller in the blower housing interior and there being no other obstructions extending from the blower housing into the interior of the blower housing and into the interior of the impeller that would obstruct a free flow of air through the air inlet opening into the interior of the blower housing and the interior of the impeller and from the interior of the impeller through the plurality of fan blades surrounding the interior of the impeller to the blower housing side wall, and the blower housing having a side wall that extends axially from the end wall and has a scroll shaped length that extends in the rotation direction from a first cutoff end of the side wall at one side of the blower housing outlet opening, around the impeller to a second end of the side wall on an opposite side of the blower housing outlet opening from the first end, the side wall having a first portion that extends from the first cutoff end the rotation direction and subtends an angle of at least 45° at the axis of rotation, the side wall first portion being a radial distance from the axis of rotation that is substantially constant as the first portion extends in the rotation direction from the first cutoff end and the side wall having a second portion that forms a continuous curve with the side wall first portion and extends from the first portion in the rotation direction to the side wall second end, the side wall second portion being a radial distance from the axis of rotation that increases at a rate as the side wall second portion extends in the rotation direction from the side wall first portion to the side wall second end, the rate defining an increasing expansion angle of the side wall second portion. 12. The blower assembly of claim 11, further comprising: the air inlet opening having an inner diameter dimension that is smaller than an inner diameter dimension of the impeller plurality of fan blades. 13. The blower assembly of claim 12, further comprising: the impeller having an outer diameter dimension that is larger than an axial width dimension of the impeller. 14. A blower assembly comprising: a motor having an output shaft that is rotatable in a rotation direction around a rotation axis, the rotation axis defining mutually perpendicular axial and radial directions relative to the blower assembly;an impeller mounted on the output shaft for rotation with the output shaft, the impeller having a plurality of blades surrounding an interior of the impeller; and,a blower housing with an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening, the blower housing having an end wall with a shaft opening on an axially opposite side of the impeller from the air inlet opening, the blower housing having a side wall that extends axially from the end wall and defines an interior of the blower housing, the end wall supporting the motor with the output shaft extending through the shaft opening to the impeller in the blower housing interior and there being no other obstructions extending from the blower housing into the interior of the blower housing and into the interior of the impeller that would obstruct a free flow of air through the air inlet opening and into the interior of the blower housing and into the interior of the impeller and from the interior of the impeller through the plurality of fan blades surrounding the interior of the impeller to the blower housing side wall, the side wall having a scroll shaped length that extends in the rotation direction from a first end of the side wall length that defines a cutoff adjacent the air outlet opening of the blower housing, around the impeller to a second end of the side wall length adjacent the air outlet opening on an opposite side of the air outlet opening from the first end, the side wall length having a first portion that extends in the rotation direction from the first end to a point on the side wall length where the first portion of the side wall length subtends an angle of at least 45° at the rotation axis, the side wall length having a second portion that forms a continuous curve with the first portion of the side wall length and extends in the rotation direction from the first portion of the side wall length to the second end of the side wall length, the first portion of the side wall length having no expansion angle as the first portion of the side wall length extends in the rotation direction from the first end of the side wall length to the point on the side wall, and the second portion of the side wall length having a gradually increasing expansion angle from the no expansion angle of the first portion of the side wall length as the second portion of the side wall length extends in the rotation direction from the first portion of the side wall length to the second end of the side wall length. 15. The blower assembly of claim 14, further comprising: the air inlet opening being circular and having an inner diameter dimension that is smaller than an inner diameter dimension of the plurality of blades surrounding the impeller interior. 16. The blower assembly of claim 15, further comprising: the impeller having an axial width dimension that is smaller than an exterior diameter dimension of the impeller. 17. A blower assembly comprising: a motor having an output shaft that is rotatable in a rotation direction around a rotation axis, the rotation axis defining mutually perpendicular axial and radial directions relative to the blower assembly;an impeller mounted on the output shaft for rotation with the output shaft, the impeller having a plurality of blades surrounding an interior of the impeller; and,a blower housing with an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening, the blower housing having an end wall with a shaft opening on an axially opposite side of the impeller from the air inlet opening, the blower housing having a side wall that extends axially from the end wall and defines an interior of the blower housing, the end wall supporting the motor with the output shaft extending through the shaft opening to the impeller in the blower housing interior and there being no other obstructions extending from the blower housing into the interior of the blower housing and into the interior of the impeller that would obstruct a free flow of air through the air inlet opening into the interior of the blower housing and into the interior of the impeller and from the interior of the impeller through the plurality of fan blades surrounding the interior of the impeller to the blower housing side wall, the side wall having a scroll shaped length that extends in the rotation direction from a first end of the side wall length that defines a cutoff adjacent the air outlet opening of the blower housing, around the impeller to a second end of the side wall length adjacent the air outlet opening on an opposite side of the air outlet opening from the first end, the side wall length having a first portion that extends in the rotation direction from the first end to a point on the side wall length where the first portion of the side wall length subtends an angle of at least 45° at the rotation axis, the side wall length having a second portion that forms a continuous curve with the first portion of the side wall and extends in the rotation direction from the first portion of the side wall length to the second end of the side wall length, the first portion of the side wall length being spaced a constant radial distance from the rotation axis as the first portion of the side wall length extends in the rotation direction from the first end of the side wall length to the point on the side wall length, and the second portion of the side wall length being spaced a radial distance from the rotation axis that gradually increases from the constant radial distance of the first portion of the side wall length and increases at an increasing rate as the second portion of the side wall length extends in the rotation direction from the point on the side wall length to the second end of the side wall length. 18. The blower assembly of claim 17, further comprising: the air inlet opening being circular and having an inner diameter dimension that is smaller than an inner diameter dimension of the plurality of blades surrounding the impeller interior. 19. The blower assembly of claim 17, further comprising: the impeller having an axial width dimension that is smaller than an exterior diameter dimension of the impeller.