Flap arrangement for a motor vehicle air conditioning system

Abstract

The invention relates to a flap arrangement (32) for a motor vehicle air conditioning system, comprising an air inlet housing (33) and a flap (23; 23'; 23''; 29'''; 44) pivotably arranged in the air inlet housing (33) about a flap axis (29; 29'; 29''; 29'''; 38) for regulating an airflow in the air inlet housing (33). The flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38) has a flap body (24; 24'; 24''; 24'''; 39) and an elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40) circumferentially around the flap body (24; 24'; 24'''; 24'''; 39), the outer contour of which forms a square outer sealing edge (26; 26'; 26''; 26'''; 41). At least one sealing surface (34; 34'; 34'') is provided in the air inlet housing (33) for compressing the elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40).The circumferential elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40) has a variable sealing width (27), while the at least one sealing surface (34; 34'; 34'') is designed to adapt to the variable sealing width (27) such that the compression of the elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40) in the closed state varies over the circumference of the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a flap arrangement for a motor vehicle air conditioning system.

[0002] Vehicle air conditioning systems typically include an air intake device with a fan and an air inlet housing, which usually incorporates a recirculation function. This recirculation function serves to prevent odors and / or pollutants from the surrounding environment from entering the passenger compartment. Among other things, the recirculation function is used to save energy during air conditioning, as the recirculated air has a smaller temperature difference to overcome to reach the desired temperature. The usability of the recirculation function is limited by the risk of deteriorating air quality due to oxygen consumption by the occupants. As a compromise, the vehicle air conditioning system's air intake system can be operated in a partial recirculation mode, in which fresh air and recirculated air are mixed together.

[0003] When the vehicle is operated at higher speeds, dynamic pressure, or ram air, can be generated at the fresh air intake of the air intake housing. Without countermeasures, this undesirably increases the airflow through the air conditioning system. Air conditioning systems for premium vehicles therefore often include a ram air compensation function integrated into a fresh air recirculation system. Simultaneously, the air intake should have a partial recirculation function. Furthermore, the ram air should be compensated even at a low airflow setting and in partial fresh air recirculation mode. Ram air compensation is only possible to a limited extent by reducing the blower power to a minimum. Therefore, some air conditioning systems additionally employ dynamic pressure compensation by reducing the cross-section at the fresh air opening. This cross-sectional reduction is achieved by an additional control flap.At high stagnation pressures, for example 300 Pascals, and with a desired low airflow rate, for example 20% fan output, and with the additional use of partial fresh air recirculation mode, for example 40% fresh air intake, the cross-section at the fresh air inlet must be significantly reduced, for example to 3-5% of the original cross-section, in order to maintain the desired parameters of airflow rate and fresh air / recirculation ratio. This is where conventional air intake devices reach their limits. Among other things, the closing behavior of the fresh air flap restricts the possibility of using a partial recirculation function in combination with stagnation compensation.

[0004] Typically, the fresh air damper is a two-component damper in which an elastic damper seal is attached to the circumference of a damper body made of rigid plastic. This seal typically has the same sealing width over the entire circumference of the fresh air damper. For the purposes of this patent application, the sealing width is defined as the distance perpendicular to the outer sealing edge or, if the outer sealing edge is curved, such as at rounded corners, as the distance perpendicular to a tangent drawn to the outer sealing edge between the outer sealing edge and an inner sealing edge abutting the damper body. The housing has at least one sealing surface against which the damper seal presses when closed, or against which the damper seal is compressed.The sealing width, the overlap with the at least one housing sealing surface, and the resulting sealing compression are the same or similar across the entire circumference of the fresh air flap. The sealing design described within the scope of this invention consists of a sealing lip that is pressed and deformed against a housing-side sealing stop surface, thereby conforming to the sealing surface. Hereinafter, the nominal overlap of the sealing lip with the housing sealing surface in the closed position is referred to simply as the sealing compression.

[0005] To achieve a smooth closing action of the fresh air damper, it is operated within a drum-shaped housing with a continuously decreasing gap between the damper and the air intake housing as it closes. Even with this solution, the ability to compensate for dynamic pressure is limited, as the damper cannot reduce the opening cross-section of the fresh air intake precisely enough. This is due to play or hysteresis in the damper drive and the lack of accuracy in damper positioning. Taking into account the tolerances of the damper and the housing, the gap between the damper and the drum-shaped housing section must not fall below a certain width immediately before the damper reaches its closed position or end position to prevent the seal from rubbing.At the end of the flap's movement, the final gap, which can be, for example, 1 to 2 millimeters wide, closes relatively abruptly in the last part of the flap's movement. Thus, the last portion of the opening cross-section closes steeply downwards in the final part of the flap's movement until it reaches the closed position.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a flap arrangement with a flap in a housing with a finer and gentler closing behavior of the flap in the last part of the flap's travel path compared to the prior art, so that the opening cross-section of the air inlet can be gradually closed.

[0007] The problem is solved by a flap arrangement with the features according to claim 1. Further developments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0008] The invention relates to a flap arrangement for a motor vehicle air conditioning system, comprising an air intake housing and a flap pivotably arranged in the air intake housing about a flap axis for regulating airflow in the air intake housing. The flap has a flap body and an elastic flap seal circumferentially around the flap body, the outer contour of which forms an outer sealing edge. At least one sealing surface for compressing the elastic flap seal is also provided in the air intake housing. The circumferential elastic flap seal has a variable sealing width, while the at least one sealing surface is adapted to the variable sealing width such that the compression of the elastic flap seal varies around the circumference of the flap when closed.

[0009] The core of the invention consists of the design of a flap and a housing structure that makes the closing behavior of a flap, in particular a fresh air flap, even finer and smoother in the final part of the flap movement up to its end position than in previously known flap arrangements in air intake housings of automotive air conditioning systems. Instead of a constant sealing width and compression around the circumference of the flap, a variable sealing width and compression are used. Advantageously, the at least one sealing surface in the air intake housing is designed and / or oriented such that greater compression is achieved in areas with a larger sealing width when the flap closes than in areas with a comparatively smaller sealing width.

[0010] Due to the variable sealing width and sealing compression, the solution according to the invention allows the cross-section of a fresh air inlet to be adjusted very finely in the last part of the flap movement up to the closed position, thereby optimizing the flap closing behavior.

[0011] The sealing edge formed by the outer contour of the elastic flap seal can have the shape of a polygon, preferably a quadrilateral, but also, for example, a triangle, pentagon, hexagon or heptagon; however, a sealing edge in the form of an oval or partial oval is also possible, including, for example, circular, semicircular, elliptical and semi-elliptical sealing edges.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sealing edge of the flap has the shape of a quadrilateral, with the corners preferably being rounded. The flap seal has a smaller sealing width at each of two opposite locations in the region of the flap's center, or offset therefrom in a region between the flap's center and one of the flap's corners, than at any of the four corners of the flap. The described embodiment is particularly advantageous if the sealing width increases continuously in both directions from each of the locations with the smaller sealing width, for example, in the flap's center, to the next corner with the larger sealing width.The square shape of the flap or sealing edge is therefore advantageous because the variable sealing width and variable sealing compressibility can be implemented particularly well in connection with the production of the injection-molded housing.

[0013] In a further development of this embodiment, the flap also has a smaller sealing width at two opposite points in the region of the flap axis than at any of the four corners of the flap. The described embodiment is particularly advantageous if the sealing width increases continuously from the region of the flap axis in both directions towards the next corner.

[0014] In a further embodiment of the invention, in which the outer sealing edge of the flap has the shape of a rectangle, the flap seal has a smaller sealing width at two points opposite each other in the direction perpendicular to the flap axis than at the other two corners of the flap. Preferably, starting from each of the two corners with the smaller sealing width, the sealing width increases continuously to the opposite corner in the direction parallel to the flap axis. Likewise, in this embodiment, the flap can also have a smaller sealing width in the region of the flap axis than at the two corners of the flap with the larger sealing width.In this case, it is advantageous if, in the area of ​​the flap seal that includes the corners with the larger seal width, the seal width of the flap seal increases continuously in both directions towards the corners with the larger seal width, starting from the area of ​​the flap axis.

[0015] The at least one sealing surface in the air intake housing can be adapted accordingly to achieve increased sealing compression at the four corners. Thus, according to the described embodiment, a standard seal size and standard sealing compression can be present in the center of the flap and near the flap axis, while at the four corners of the flap, there is an extended seal width, resulting in increased sealing compression. With this solution, the flap would close first at the extended corners, initially leaving a gap in the center. After further flap rotation, the central area of ​​the flap seal would also seal, so that the flap closes completely. Such a flap concept is particularly advantageous for use in a two-part left / right air intake housing.A two-component flap is preferred, in which the elastic flap seal is attached to the circumference of a flap body made of hard plastic.

[0016] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the flap body can be shaped such that the area of ​​the flap seal with a smaller sealing width is positioned offset from an area with a larger sealing width in the direction of rotation of the flap about the flap axis. In this way, variation in the compression of the elastic flap seal in the closed state can be achieved around the circumference of the flap even when the sealing surface is aligned parallel to the flap axis.

[0017] The achieved closing behavior allows for a partial recirculation function to be used in a wider range of low blower settings and dynamic pressure equalization depending on the vehicle speed.

[0018] The closing behavior is particularly advantageous when the flap can be positioned as precisely as possible by a flap actuator. This advantage can be achieved with a dedicated actuator, for example, a separate actuator with a stepper motor. Alternatively, an actuator with a DC motor and a feedback potentiometer at the output, an actuator with a Hall sensor, or an actuator with a DC motor and pulse count evaluation would also be possible.

[0019] With regard to a cost-effective solution, it is particularly advantageous if the subject matter of the present invention is combined with features as disclosed in DE 10 2022 120 057 A1. This document shows a way in which a flap can be positioned with sufficient accuracy as a fresh air flap, while at the same time requiring only one actuator to move the fresh air flap coupled with a recirculation flap. The flap system disclosed in DE 10 2022 120 057 A1 comprises two rotary flaps adjustable about a pivot axis, a fresh air flap and a recirculation flap, and an actuator by which one of the two rotary flaps, usually the fresh air flap, is directly driven for adjustment.A drive shaft of the directly driven fresh air flap features a cam disc with a guide track. A pendulum lever, mechanically coupled to a drive lever of the other rotary flap, is guided in this track such that rotation of the cam disc indirectly drives the adjustment of the recirculation flap. Due to the direct drive and the indirect drive dependent on the direct drive, each rotary flap can be moved between a first closed position and a second closed position, and then to an open position, using only one actuator. The mechanical coupling between the pendulum lever and the drive lever allows the indirectly driven recirculation flap to be adjustable without its own actuator, depending on the position of the directly driven fresh air flap. The combination of the cam disc, pendulum lever, and drive lever is called a cam mechanism.The cam mechanism therefore has a cam disc with a guide track and a pendulum lever guided in the guide track, which interacts with a drive lever of a drive shaft of the rotary flap in such a way that a rotation of the cam disc causes a rotational movement of both rotary flaps.

[0020] Further details, features, and advantages of embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show: Fig. 1: An example of a state-of-the-art air intake device for a motor vehicle air conditioning system, shown as a schematic sectional view. Fig. 2: a state-of-the-art air intake housing as a schematic sectional view, Fig. 3: a flap arrangement with a flap in a drum-shaped housing according to the state of the art as a schematic sectional view, Fig. 4: A schematic representation of part of the flap in the housing in a position near the end position of the flap movement, prior art. Fig. 5: Flap according to the state of the art, with constant sealing width around the circumference of the flap, Fig. 6A: a diagram of the flap closing behavior showing the opening cross-section as a function of the flap's position during flap movement, state of the art, Fig. 6B: an enlarged section of the diagram from Fig. 6A with a flap closing behavior that corresponds to the last section of the flap movement, state of the art, Fig. 7: a flap according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 8: a perspective view of an example of a flap arrangement according to the invention with a left / right split air inlet housing and the flap pivotably arranged therein, Fig. 9: a section of a housing sealing surface for increased compression of the seal at a corner, Fig. 10: A schematic representation of the flap and part of the adapted sealing surface at the beginning of the flap closing process, Fig. 11A: a diagram showing the opening cross-section as a function of the position of the flap during flap movement in a flap arrangement according to the invention, Fig. 11B: an enlarged section of the diagram of Fig. 11A, which corresponds to the last section of the flap movement, Fig. 12: a flap according to a further embodiment of the invention, Fig. 13A: a schematic representation of a square flap with variable sealing width, wherein the smallest sealing width is located in the center of the flap, Fig. 13B: a schematic representation of the relative position of the sealing edge of a according to Fig. 13A formed flap opposite a sealing surface of a left / right split air inlet housing at the beginning of the closing process, Fig. 14A: a schematic representation of a rectangular flap with variable sealing width, wherein the smallest sealing width is located off-center on one side of the flap, Fig. 14B: a schematic representation of the relative position of the sealing edge of a according to Fig. 14A formed flap opposite a sealing surface of an off-center split left / right air inlet housing at the beginning of the closing process Fig. 15A: a schematic representation of a rectangular flap with variable sealing width, which is not intended for a two-part housing separated orthogonally to the flap axis, wherein the smallest sealing width is located off-center on one side of the flap, Fig. 15B: a schematic representation of the relative position of the sealing edge of a according to Fig. 15A formed flap opposite a sealing surface of an air inlet housing, which is not separated orthogonally to the flap axis, at the beginning of the closing process, Fig. 16A: a perspective view of a twisted flap (fresh air flap), Fig. 16B: a side view of the twisted flap, Fig. 16C: a top view of one side of the twisted flap showing two section planes I and II and Fig. 16D: a section view along a section plane I and a section view along a section plane II.

[0021] The Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of an air intake device 1 with a blower 2 and an air inlet housing 3 according to a prior art example, which has a fresh air inlet 4 and a recirculated air inlet 5. According to this example of dynamic pressure compensation, in addition to a fresh air / recirculated air flap 6, which is capable of opening and closing both the recirculated air inlet 5 and the fresh air inlet 4, a pressure compensation flap 7 is arranged as an additional control flap at the fresh air inlet 4 within the air inlet housing 3.

[0022] The Fig. Figure 2 shows a schematic sectional view of an air inlet housing 3 according to another example from the prior art, which has a fresh air inlet 4 for drawing in fresh air 4a and a recirculation inlet 5 for drawing in recirculated air 5a. According to the in Fig. In the example shown, a recirculation flap 8 is arranged at the recirculation inlet 5 and a fresh air flap 9 at the fresh air inlet 4. The recirculation flap 8 is in the open position, meaning that the recirculation inlet 5 is open, and the fresh air flap 9 is in the closed position, meaning that the fresh air flap 9 rests against at least one sealing surface 10 inside the air inlet housing 3 with seals circumferential to such an extent that the fresh air inlet 4 is closed.

[0023] To ensure a smooth closing behavior of the fresh air flap 9 or the pressure compensation flap 7 (see Fig. 1) To achieve this, the corresponding flap is operated within a drum shape with a gap between the flap and the air inlet housing 3 that continuously decreases when the flap is closed.

[0024] The Fig. Figure 3 shows a flap arrangement 12 with a fresh air flap 9 in a drum-shaped housing part 11 in an air inlet housing according to the prior art as a schematic sectional view.

[0025] Even with this solution, the ability to compensate for dynamic pressure is limited, as the fresh air flap 9, or rather the pressure compensation flap, cannot reduce the opening cross-section of the fresh air inlet precisely enough. This is due to play or hysteresis in the flap drive and the lack of accuracy in flap positioning. Taking into account the tolerances of the fresh air flap 9 and the housing, the gap between the fresh air flap 9 and the drum-shaped housing part 11 must not fall below a certain width immediately before the closed position or end position of the flap movement.

[0026] The Fig. Figure 4 shows a schematic sectional view of a portion of the fresh air flap 9 within the drum-shaped housing part 11 in a position near the end position 13 of the flap movement. In this final part of the flap movement, the gap 14 between the fresh air flap 9 and the drum-shaped housing part 11 is typically 1 to 2 mm wide. When the fresh air flap 9 reaches its end position, the last millimeter of gap 14 closes abruptly. The fresh air flap 9 has a flap body 15 and an elastic flap seal 16 circumferentially around the flap body 15. This flap seal 16 typically has the same sealing width over the entire circumference of the fresh air flap 9. As mentioned previously, the housing has a sealing surface 10 against which the flap seal 16 presses when the fresh air flap 9 reaches its end position, thus compressing the flap seal 16.Typically, the flap seal 16 is attached to the circumference of the hard plastic of the flap base body 15.

[0027] The Fig. Figure 5 shows a two-component fresh air damper 9 according to the prior art, which has an elastic damper seal 16 circumferentially around the circumference of the damper body 15, the outer contour of which forms an essentially quadrilateral outer sealing edge 17, more precisely a sealing edge 17 with four rounded corners 18. The sealing width 19, that is, the distance perpendicular to the outer sealing edge 17 or, if the outer sealing edge 17 is curved, as at the rounded corners 18, the distance perpendicular to a tangent to the outer sealing edge 17 between the outer sealing edge 17 and an inner sealing edge 20 abutting the damper body 15, is typically, as in the case of the Fig. As can be seen from the fresh air flap 9 shown in Figure 5, the width of the flap seal 16 is the same or at least similar across its entire circumference. It follows that the seal width 19 at the two opposite points of the flap seal 16 in the center 21 of the flap, as well as at the two opposite points of the flap seal 16 in the area of ​​the flap axis 22, is the same or similar as the seal width 19 at the four corners 18 of the fresh air flap 9.

[0028] The Fig. Figure 6A presents the flap closing behavior in a diagram showing the percentage opening cross-section of the fresh air opening as a function of the position, expressed as a percentage, of the total travel path of the flap, from an open position with an opening cross-section of 100% to a closed position with an opening cross-section of 0%. Fig. Figure 6B shows an enlarged section of the diagram from Fig. 6A represents the last section of the flap's travel path. According to the figures Fig. 6A and Fig. In the example shown in 6B, the last 3% of the opening cross-section closes steeply downwards in the last 2% of the flap movement along the travel path.

[0029] The Fig. Figure 7 shows a flap 23 designed according to an embodiment of the invention. This flap 23, intended as a fresh air flap, has a flap body 24 and an elastic flap seal 25 circumferentially around the flap body 24, the outer contour of which forms a square outer sealing edge 26. Instead of a substantially constant sealing width and constant compression around the circumference of the flap, as in the Fig. As shown in Figure 4, flap 23 is shown according to Fig. 7 has a variable sealing width 27, which allows for variable compression. The circumferential elastic flap seal 25 has a smaller sealing width 27.1 at two opposite points in the area of ​​the flap center 28 and in the area of ​​the flap axis 29 than the larger sealing width 27.2 at each of the four corners 30 of the flap 23.

[0030] The sealing width 27, that is, the distance perpendicular to the outer sealing edge 26 or, if the outer sealing edge 26 is curved, as at the rounded corners 30, the distance perpendicular to a tangent applied to the outer sealing edge 26 between the outer sealing edge 26 and an inner sealing edge 31 abutting the flap base body 24, increases on both opposite longer sides of the Fig. The flap 23 shown in Figure 7 increases continuously in both directions from the flap center 28 to the nearest corner 30. The sealing width 27 also increases continuously on both shorter sides from the area of ​​the flap axis 29 in both directions to the nearest corner 30.

[0031] The Fig. Figure 8 shows a perspective view of an example of a flap arrangement 32 according to the invention with a left / right split air inlet housing 33 and the flap 23 pivotably arranged therein. In order to achieve increased sealing compression at the four corners 30, an adapted sealing surface is provided.

[0032] A section of a suitably adapted sealing surface 34 of the air inlet housing 33 is in Fig. 9 can be seen. The sealing surface 34 widens from the central area 35, which is intended for compressing the center of the flap, to a corner area 36 for compressing the in Fig. 9 flap seals not shown at the corner of the fresh air flap continuously.

[0033] The Fig. Figure 10 includes a schematic representation of the flap 23, which is pivotably arranged within the air inlet housing 33, and of the section of the adapted sealing surface 34 at the beginning of the closing process of the flap 23. With the applied solution, the flap 23 first closes at the corners 30 with the extended areas of the elastic flap seal 25, while in the area between the corners 30, with respect to the direction y of the flap axis 29, particularly in the area of ​​the flap center 28, a gap 37 initially remains. After a further rotation of the flap 23, the area of ​​the elastic flap seal 25 at the flap center 28 also seals and closes the flap 23 completely.

[0034] The applied solution optimizes the flap closing behavior. In the final part of the flap movement, the cross-section of the fresh air flap opening can be very finely adjusted until it reaches the closed position, thus achieving a smooth closing action. Fig. Figure 11A shows in a diagram how the opening cross-section changes depending on the position of the in Fig. 10 shows flap 23 changing during flap movement in a flap arrangement according to the invention, wherein Fig. Figure 11B is an enlarged section of the diagram, corresponding to the final part of the flap movement. In the example shown, flap 23 gradually closes from 3% down to 0% cross-section over the last 8% of the flap movement.

[0035] The Fig. Figure 12 shows a flap 38 designed according to a further embodiment of the invention. This flap 38 has a flap body 39 and an elastic flap seal 40 circumferentially around the flap body 39, the outer contour of which forms an oval outer sealing edge 41. Instead of a substantially constant sealing width and constant compression at the circumference of the flap, the flap 38 according to Fig. 12 has a variable sealing width 42, which allows for variable compression. The circumferential elastic flap seal 40 has a larger sealing width 42.2 at two opposing points in the area of ​​a flap center 43 than in the area of ​​the flap axis 44, where a smaller sealing width 42.1 is present.

[0036] The characters Fig. 13A, Fig. 14A and Fig. Figure 15A schematically shows different embodiments of flaps with a variable sealing width, while in the figures Fig. 13B, Fig. 14B and Fig. 15B shows different embodiments of sealing surfaces of an air distribution housing and their relative position to the sealing edge of the respective associated flap.

[0037] The Fig. Figure 13A shows the embodiment of a flap 23 described above, with a flap seal 25 of variable sealing width 27, in which the flap 23 is designed as a mirror image and is pivotably mounted about a flap axis 29 in a two-part, i.e., left / right-divided, air inlet housing. The central housing division is indicated by a dividing line 45, which corresponds to the mirror axis of the flap 23 and is oriented perpendicular to the flap axis 29. The dividing line 45 runs through the center of the flap 28, in which the positions of the smallest sealing width 27.1 are also located.

[0038] The Fig. 13B contains a schematic representation of the relative position of the sealing edge 26 of a according to Fig. 13A formed flap 23 against a sealing surface of a left / right split air inlet housing at the beginning of the closing process. At the beginning of the closing process, the flap 23 first closes at the corners 30 with the extended areas of the elastic flap seal 25, while in the area between the corners 30, with respect to the direction of the flap axis 29, particularly in the area of ​​the flap center 28, a gap 37 initially remains. This is shown in the top view according to Fig. Opposite the straight sealing edge 26 (13B) is a sealing surface 34 formed in the air inlet housing, which comprises two equally sized V-shaped sub-surfaces, each oriented obliquely to the flap axis 29, forming an obtuse angle at a vertex located on the dividing line 45 of the central housing division. This results in the gap 37 remaining at the beginning of the closing process being largest in the area of ​​the housing center indicated by the dividing line 45 and the smallest sealing width.

[0039] The Fig. Figure 14A shows another embodiment of a rectangular flap 23' with a flap seal 25' of variable sealing width 27', which is pivotably mounted about a flap axis 29' in a two-part, i.e., left / right-divided, air inlet housing. In this embodiment, however, the flap 23' does not exhibit symmetry with respect to a dividing line running through the center of the housing, especially since the dividing line 45' of the housing division does not run along the center of the housing, but off-center. The positions of the smallest sealing width 27.1' lie on the off-center dividing line 45', while the most extended areas of the elastic flap seal 25', i.e., the largest sealing width 27.2', are located at the corners 30' of the flap.

[0040] The Fig. Figure 14B shows the relative position of the sealing edge 26' according to Fig. 14A formed flap 23' against a sealing surface 34' of a left / right split air inlet housing at the beginning of the closing process. At the beginning of the closing process, the flap 23' first closes at the corners 30' with the extended areas of the elastic flap seal 25', while in the area between the corners 30', with respect to the direction y of the flap axis 29', in particular in the area of ​​the dividing line 45', a gap 37' initially remains. This is shown in the top view according to Fig. Opposite the straight sealing edge 26' of 14B lies a sealing surface 34' formed in the air inlet housing, which comprises two differently sized, V-shaped sub-surfaces, each oriented obliquely to the flap axis 29', forming an obtuse angle at a vertex located on the dividing line 45' of the off-center housing separation. This results in the gap 37' remaining at the beginning of the closing process being largest in the area of ​​the housing separation indicated by the dividing line 45' and the smallest sealing width.

[0041] The Fig. Figure 15A contains a schematic representation of a rectangular flap 23" with a variable sealing width 27", which is not intended for a two-part housing separated orthogonally to the flap axis 29", wherein the smallest sealing width 27.1" is located on one side of the flap 23". In the representation of the Fig. 15A the sealing width increases from a right edge, where the smallest sealing width 27.1" is present in the area of ​​the two rounded corners 30.1", to a left edge, where the largest sealing width 27.2" is present in the area of ​​the two rounded corners 30.2", continuously along the outer sealing edge 26" parallel to the direction of the flap axis 29".

[0042] The Fig. Figure 15B shows the relative position of the sealing edge 26" according to Fig. 15A formed flap 23" opposite a straight sealing surface 34" of an air inlet housing separated non-orthogonally to the flap axis 29" at the beginning of the closing process. At the beginning of the closing process, the flap 23" closes first at the corners 30.2" with the extended areas of the elastic flap seal 25" on the left area of ​​the sealing edge 26", which, due to the inclination of the sealing surface 34" compared to the areas of the sealing edge 26" running parallel to the flap axis 29", first meets the sealing surface 34", while to the right of this, a gap 37" remains between the sealing edge 26"'' and the straight sealing surface 34" in the remaining area. After further flap rotation around the flap axis 29'', the remaining area of ​​the flap seal 25'', including the edge area with the corners 30.1'', would also have the smaller seal width 27.Seal 1'' so that the flap closes completely 23''.

[0043] In the characters Fig. 13A and Fig. 13B, Fig. 14A and Fig. 14B as well Fig. 15A and Fig. In the embodiments described in 15B, the at least one sealing surface 34; 34'; 34'' is adapted to the variable sealing width in such a way that the compression of the elastic flap seal 25; 25'; 25'' in the closed state varies over the circumference of the flap 23; 23'; 23'' by having the sealing surface 34; 34'; 34'' or the sealing surfaces an inclination relative to the flap axis 29; 29'; 29'' or to the areas of the outer sealing edge 26; 26'; 26'' running parallel to the flap axis 29; 29'; 29''.

[0044] In the Fig. Figures 16A to 16D describe an embodiment of the invention in the case where a sealing surface is straight and runs parallel to the flap axis 29'''. The flap 23''' has a flap seal 25''' whose sealing width 27''' is equal to or similar to the sealing width 27'' of the one described in Figure 16A to 16D. Fig. The flap shown in Figure 15A varies. The compression of the elastic flap seal 25''' varies in the closed state over the circumference of the flap 23''' because the two flap leaves 46.1, 46.2, which form the flap body 24''', are twisted or bent in such a way that the area of ​​the flap seal 25''' with the smaller sealing width 27.1''' is shifted relative to the area with the larger sealing width 27.2''', with respect to the direction perpendicular to the flap axis 29''', so that despite a parallel alignment of the parts shown in the figures Fig. 16A to 16D, the sealing surface of the air inlet housing not shown, to the flap axis 29"', the area with the larger sealing width 27.2" first hits the sealing surface during the closing process.

[0045] The Fig. Figure 16A shows a perspective view of such a twisted flap 23"', which can be used, for example, as a fresh air flap. The sealing width 27"' of the flap seal 25"' increases continuously along an outer sealing edge 26"' parallel to the direction of the flap axis 29"', starting from an edge where the smallest sealing width 27.1''' is located in the area of ​​two rounded corners 30.1''', to an opposite edge where the largest sealing width 27.2" is located in the area of ​​two rounded corners 30.2"''. The flap body 24"' comprises two flap blades 46.1, 46.2, which are connected by a flap shaft 47 extending along the flap axis 29"'' and are oriented at an obtuse to extant angle to each other.

[0046] The side view of flap 23"' in Fig. Figure 16B shows the helical deformation of the two flap blades 46.1, 46.2 of the flap body 24"' which abut the flap shaft 47, whereby the elastic flap seal 25"', which runs around the circumference of the flap body 24"' and whose outer contour forms an outer sealing edge 26"', adapts to this deformation. As a result, in the side view, the flap body 24'" and the area of ​​the outer sealing edge 26"' running parallel to the flap axis 29"' are visible on one side of each flap blade 46.1; 46.2. The deformation of the flap 23'" can therefore be described as helical because the flap blades 46.1, 46.2 are bent in opposite directions.

[0047] Based on a sectional view with two cutting planes I and II in Fig. Figure 16D is intended to explain the effect of the deformation of the flap 23"' on the closing process, whereby the two section planes I and II are shown in a top view of one side of the twisted flap 23"' in the Fig. 13C is displayed.

[0048] The Fig.Figure 16D shows that in section I, the elastic flap seal 25''' has a significantly smaller sealing width than in section II, and the outer sealing edge 26''' of section II is positioned offset from the outer sealing edge 26''' of section I in the direction of a rotation 48 of the flap 23''' about the flap axis 29'''. This means that, during a clockwise rotation 48 of the flap 23''' and with the sealing surfaces of the air inlet housing aligned parallel to the flap axis on both sides of the flap 23''', the outer sealing edge 26''' of the elastic flap seal 25''' with the larger sealing width of section II would always first encounter the respective sealing surface during the closing process of the flap 23'''.After further rotation 48 of the flap 23''' clockwise, the flap seal 25''' of smaller sealing width in the area of ​​section II would also contact and seal the sealing surface running parallel to the flap axis, so that the flap 23''' closes completely. Reference symbol list 1 Air intake device (state of the art) 2 blowers (state of the art) 3 Air intake housings (state of the art) 4 Fresh air intake (state of the art) 4a Fresh air 5 Recirculation inlet (state of the art) 5b Recirculating air 6 Fresh air / recirculation flap (state of the art) 7 Pressure compensation valve (state of the art) 8 Recirculation flap (state of the art) 9 Fresh air flap (state of the art) 10 Sealing surface (state of the art) 11 drum-shaped housing part (state of the art) 12. Flap arrangement (state of the art) 13 End position of the flap movement (state of the art) 14 gap (state of the art) 15 Valve body (state of the art) 16 Flap seal (state of the art) 17 Sealing edge (state of the art) 18 (rounded) corners of the seal (state of the art) 19 Seal width (state of the art) 20 Sealing edge (state of the art) 21 Center of flaps (state of the art) 22 Flap axis (state of the art) 23, 23', 23'', 23''' flap (square) 24, 24', 24'', 24'' Valve body 25, 25', 25'', 25'' elastic flap seal 26, 26', 26'', 26''' outer sealing edge 27, 27'', 27'' variable sealing width 27.1, 27.1', 27.1'', 27.1''' smaller sealing width 27.2, 27.2', 27.2'', 27.2'' larger sealing width 28 flap center 29, 29', 29', 29''' Flap axis 30, 30' corner 30.1, 30.1', 30.1'', 30.1''' Corner 30.2, 30.2', 30.2'', 30.2''' Corner 31 inner sealing edge 32 flap arrangement 33 Air intake housing 34, 34', 34'' sealing surface 35 middle area of ​​the sealing surface 36 Corner area of ​​the sealing surface 37, 37', 37'' remaining gap at the start of the closing process 38 flap (oval) 39 Valve bodies 40 elastic flap seals 41 outer sealing edge 42 variable sealing width 42.1 smaller sealing width 42.2 larger sealing width 43 flap center 44 flap axis 45, 45' Dividing line 46.1 Leaflet of a deformed valve 46.2 Leaflet of a deformed valve 47 flap shaft 48 Rotation of the flap around the flap axis Section I Section II QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2022 120 057 A1

[0019]

Claims

[1] Flap arrangement (32) for a motor vehicle air conditioning system, comprising an air inlet housing (33) and a flap (23; 23'; 23''; 29''''; 44) pivotably arranged in the air inlet housing (33) about a flap axis (29; 29'; 29''; 29''''; 38) for regulating an airflow in the air inlet housing (33), wherein the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38) has a flap base body (24; 24'; 24''; 24'''; 39) and an elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40) circumferentially around the circumference of the flap base body (24; 24'; 24''; 24'''; 39), the outer contour of which has an outer sealing edge (26; 26'; 26''; 26'''; 41) forms, and at least one sealing surface (34; 34'; 34'') is formed in the air inlet housing (33) for compressing the elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40), wherein the circumferential elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40) has a variable sealing width (27; 42) and the at least one sealing surface (34; 34';34'') is designed to be adapted to the variable sealing width (27; 42) such that the compression of the elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40) in the closed state varies over the circumference of the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38).; [2] Valve arrangement (32) according to claim 1, characterized by , that the sealing edge (26; 26'; 26''; 26''; 41) formed by the outer contour of the elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40) has the shape of a polygon, an oval or a partial oval. [3] Valve arrangement (32) according to claim 2, characterized by, that the outer sealing edge (26; 26') of the flap (23; 23') has the shape of a quadrilateral, wherein the flap seal (25; 25') has a smaller sealing width (27.1; 27.1') at two opposite points in the area of ​​a flap center (28) or offset thereto in an area between the flap center (28) and one of the corners (30; 30') of the flap (23; 23') than at each of the four corners (30; 30') of the flap (23). [4] Valve arrangement (32) according to claim 3, characterized by , that starting from each of the points with the smaller sealing width (27.1; 27.1') the sealing width (27; 27') increases continuously in both directions to the next corner (30; 30') with the larger sealing width (27.2; 27.2'). [5] Valve arrangement (32) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized by, that the flap (23; 23') has a smaller sealing width (27.1; 27.1') at two opposite points in the area of ​​the flap axis (29; 29') than at each of the four corners (30; 30') of the flap (23; 23'). [6] Valve arrangement (32) according to claim 5, characterized by , that the sealing width (27; 27') always increases continuously from the area of ​​the flap axis (29; 29') in both directions to the next corner (30; 30') of the flap (23; 23'). [7] Valve arrangement (32) according to claim 2, characterized by , that the outer sealing edge (26''; 26''') of the flap (23''; 23''') has the shape of a quadrilateral, wherein the flap seal (25''; 25''') has a smaller sealing width (27.1''; 27.1''') at two points opposite each other in the direction perpendicular to the flap axis (29''; 29'') of two corners (30.1''; 30.1''') of the flap (23''; 23''') than at the other two corners (30.2''; 30.2''') of the flap (23''; 23'''). [8] Valve arrangement (32) according to claim 7, characterized by , that starting from each of the two corners (30.1''; 30.1'''') with the smaller sealing width (27.1''; 27.1'''') up to the opposite corner (30.2''; 30.2'') in the direction parallel to the flap axis (29''; 29'''') the sealing width (27) increases continuously. [9] Valve arrangement (32) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized by , that the flap (23''; 23''') in the area of ​​the flap axis (29''; 29''') has a smaller sealing width (27.1''; 27.1''') than at the two corners (30.2''; 30.2''') of the flap (23''; 23''') with a larger sealing width (27.2''; 27.2'''). [10] Valve arrangement (32) according to claim 9, characterized by , that the sealing width (27) of the flap seal (25''; 25'''), starting from the area of ​​the flap axis (29''; 29'''), increases continuously in both directions towards the corners (30.2''; 30.2''') with a larger sealing width (27.2''; 27.2'''). [11] Valve arrangement (32) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by , that the air intake housing (33) is a two-part left / right air intake housing. [12] Valve arrangement (32) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by , that the at least one sealing surface (34; 34'; 34'') in the air inlet housing (33) is designed and / or oriented such that in areas of a larger sealing width (27.2; 27.2'; 27.2''; 27.2'; 42.2) when closing the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38) a greater sealing compression can be achieved than in areas with a comparatively smaller sealing width (27.1; 27.1'; 27.1''; 27.1'''; 42.1). [13] Valve arrangement (32) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by, that the at least one sealing surface (34; 34'; 34') in the air inlet housing (33) is designed and / or oriented such that when the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38) closes, it first closes in areas of the larger sealing width (27.2; 27.2'; 27.2''; 27.2'''; 42.2) of the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38), whereby in the areas with the comparatively smaller sealing width (27.1; 27.1'; 27.1''; 27.1'''; 42.1) a gap (37; 37'; 37'') initially remains and after further flap rotation the area with the smaller sealing width (27.1; 27.1'; 27.1''; 27.1'''; 42.1) of the flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40) seals, so that the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23''; 38) closes completely. [14] Valve arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized by, that the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38) is a two-component flap in which the elastic flap seal (25; 25'; 25''; 25'''; 40) is attached to the circumference of a flap base body (24; 24'; 24''; 24'''; 39) made of hard plastic. [15] Valve arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized by , that the flap body (24''') is shaped such that the area of ​​the flap seal (25''') with a smaller sealing width (27.1''') is positioned displaced relative to an area with a larger sealing width (27.2''') in the direction of a rotation (48) of the flap (23''') about the flap axis (29'''). [16] Valve arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized by , that the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38) is a fresh air flap. [17] Flap arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising a separate actuator for positioning the flap. [18] Valve arrangement according to claim 17, characterized by , that the flap (23; 23'; 23''; 23'''; 38) is coupled as a fresh air flap with a recirculation flap in such a way that the fresh air flap can be moved by means of the separate actuator coupled with the recirculation flap.

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