Vehicle air vent with automated blade control

Abstract

A vehicle vent includes a body, an actuator, a first set of blades, a first blade drive system movably connected to the first set of blades, a second set of blades, and a second blade drive system movably connected to the second set of blades. The actuator is positioned to, in operation, provide a force to the first and second blade drive systems in a single direction, thereby causing movement of the first and second sets of blades.

Description

[0001] Priority claim

[0002] This patent document claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 363,902, filed on April 29, 2022. The disclosure of that priority application is fully incorporated by reference into this document. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of vehicle vents, and in particular to vents that are controlled using actuators to move vanes of the vent. Background Art

[0004] Vehicle vents are typically controlled by the user through manual movement. Automated vane control can provide the user with, for example, a streamlined car interior; easy to use electronic controls, precise positioning of the vents, and repeatable preset positions. To provide multi-directional airflow adjustment, multiple sets of vanes can be used, but conventional units require two motors, one for each set of vanes to move. This can increase the cost of producing the vent, as well as increase the form factor of the entire vent. If the unit is placed in an existing car with small manual vents, the resulting increase in size can cause serious problems.

[0005] This patent document describes an apparatus that addresses at least some of the above-referenced issues and / or other issues. Summary of the invention

[0006] In a first aspect, this document discloses a vehicle vent comprising a body, an actuator, a first set of blades, a first blade drive system movably connected to the first set of blades, a second set of blades, and a second blade drive system movably connected to the second set of blades. The actuator is positioned to provide a force to the first blade drive system and the second blade drive system in a single direction during operation, thereby causing movement of the first blade drive system and the second set of blades.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first blade drive system includes at least one gear configured to transfer torque from the actuator to the first set of blades.

[0008] In some embodiments, the second blade drive system is configured to drive the second set of blades through the full range of motion at least once for approximately every degree of movement of the first set of blades. The second blade drive system may also be configured to drive the second set of blades through the full range of motion at least four times, at least eight times, at least twenty-five times, or more each time the first set of blades are driven through the full range of motion once. In some embodiments, the first blade drive system and the second blade drive system are configured so that a force in a single direction drives the first fin and the second fin through the full range of motion without requiring a force in a second direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 The front, right side, and top perspective views of an example vehicle vent.

[0010] Figure 2A for Figure 1 Front, left, and top perspective views of an example vehicle vent.

[0011] Figure 2B for Figure 1 A perspective view of an example vehicle vent gear.

[0012] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Top view of an example vehicle air vent.

[0013] Figure 4 for Figure 1 An example of a bottom view of a vehicle vent.

[0014] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Right side view of an example vehicle vent.

[0015] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A side cutaway view of an example vehicle vent.

[0016] Figure 7 for Figure 1 Left side view of an example vehicle vent.

[0017] Figure 8 for Figure 1 Front view of an example vehicle vent.

[0018] Fig. 9 for Figure 1 An example of a rear view of a vehicle air vent.

[0019] Fig.10 Schematic diagrams depicting schematic side and top views of an example vehicle vent vane drive system.

[0020] Fig.11A A graphical representation of an example of vehicle vent vane movement.

[0021] Fig. 11B A graphical representation of a second example of vehicle vent vane movement.

[0022] Fig.12 Schematic diagrams depicting the movement of vanes in various vehicle vent vane drive systems.

[0023] Fig.13 A flow chart illustrating a method of controlling a vehicle vent is provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] As used in this document, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. As used in this document, the term "comprising" or "comprises" means "including or includes, but not limited to". When used in this document, the term "exemplary" is intended to mean "as an example" and is not intended to indicate that a particular exemplary item is preferred or required.

[0025] In this document, when the terms "first" and "second" are used to modify nouns, such use is intended only to distinguish one item from another, and is not intended to require an ordinal order unless otherwise specified. When used in conjunction with a numerical value, the term "approximately" is intended to include values ​​that are close to, but not exactly, the stated number. For example, in some embodiments, the term "approximately" can include values ​​within + / -10% of the stated value.

[0026] In this document, the term "connected" when referring to two physical structures means that the two physical structures are in contact with each other. Connected devices may be fixed to each other, or they may simply be in contact with each other without being fixed.

[0027] When used in this document, terms such as "top" and "bottom," "upper" and "lower," or "front" or "back," are not intended to have absolute orientations, but are intended to describe the relative positions of various components with respect to each other. For example, a first component may be an "upper" component and a second component may be a "lower" component when a device of which the components are a part is oriented in a first direction. If the orientation of the structure containing the components changes, the relative orientation of the components may be reversed, or the components may be on the same plane. The claims are intended to encompass all orientations of devices containing such components.

[0028] The present disclosure is not limited to the specific systems, methods or protocols described, as these may vary. The terminology used in this specification is only for the purpose of describing a specific version or embodiment and is not intended to limit the scope.

[0029] In various embodiments, a vehicle vent may include an actuator to control the positioning of blades to direct airflow out of the vent. The vent may include multiple sets of blades to direct air in multiple directions. For example, the vent may include a set of horizontal blades that direct air upward or downward, or a set of vertical blades that direct air to the left or right. The blade sets may be offset from each other to prevent complete movement of the blades without interfering with each other. Conventional systems may require manual movement of the two sets of blades. Actuators may automate this process, however, using multiple actuators in a vehicle vent may add additional cost and volume to the system. The disclosed single actuator system solves these problems by using a single actuator to move the horizontal blade set and the vertical blade set. The actuator can rotate in a single direction and drive the two blade sets to adjust the two blade sets to various angles determined by the user.

[0030] Figure 1-10 Various views of an example vehicle vent 100 are illustrated. The vent 100 may include an actuator 102, a body 104, a main blade (horizontal) drive system 106, and a secondary blade (vertical) drive system 108, a main blade 110, a secondary blade 114, a front air outlet 112, and an air inlet 116. Air may travel from an air source (not shown) through the body 104 to the air inlet 116. As the air passes through the body 104, it may be directed through two or more sets of blades that may change the direction of the airflow. For example, the main blade 110 may affect the direction of the air flow in a vertical direction, while the secondary blade 114 may affect the air flow in a horizontal direction. For example, the vertical direction may be a direction perpendicular to the floor of the vehicle. In other words, the main blade 110 may direct the air upward or downward relative to the floor of the vehicle. In contrast, the horizontal direction may be parallel to the floor of the vehicle. In other words, the secondary blade 114 may direct the air to the left or right (parallel to the floor of the vehicle).

[0031] As another example, the main blade 110 can be substantially parallel to a plane. The plane can be the floor or canopy of the vehicle, the roof, the housing of the vent, etc. When the blade moves to change the direction of the airflow, the main axis (that is, along the length of the blade) can remain parallel to the plane. For example, when the plane is defined as the floor of the vehicle, the main blade 110 is parallel to the floor of the vehicle and can guide the air upward (toward the roof) or downward (toward the floor of the vehicle). The secondary blade can be perpendicular to the plane. Therefore, when the plane is defined as the floor of the vehicle, the secondary blade 114 is perpendicular to the floor of the vehicle and can guide the air to the left or right, but the air will remain parallel to the plane (if it is not affected by the main blade 110). In other examples, the main blade 110 can be at different angles relative to the plane (such as the floor of the vehicle). The secondary blade 114 can be positioned substantially perpendicular to the main blade 110.

[0032] Thus, the primary blades 110 may be positioned to direct air in a first direction. The secondary blades 114 may be positioned to direct air in a second direction. As described above, the first direction and the second direction may be different directions.

[0033] The actuator 102 can rotate a drive shaft (not shown) connected to a gear 202 that meshes with gears of both the primary blade drive system 106 and the secondary blade drive system 108. In this way, rotation of a single actuator 102 can cause movement of both the primary blade 110 and the secondary blade 114. Therefore, a single actuator 102 can be placed at the side of the vent 100 and used to drive both sets of blades. This provides improvements in size, complexity (e.g., number of parts), and efficiency (e.g., power consumption) relative to a system using multiple actuators (e.g., one actuator drives the primary blades and one actuator drives the secondary blades). The actuator 102 can be an electric motor or other type of suitable motion device.

[0034] The secondary blade drive system 108 may include a gear 210 to receive a torque input from the actuator 102 via the gear 202. Although depicted as separate visible gears, the secondary blade drive system 108 (as well as the primary blade drive system 106 described in more detail below) may take various forms, including dedicated enclosed or sealed gearboxes or transmissions. The gears 202 and 210 may include meshing bevel gears to change the plane of rotation of the actuator 102 (e.g., from the axis of the actuator 102 to a perpendicular axis along the axis of rotation of the primary shaft 216). In some embodiments, other types of gears that transfer torque between shafts at right angles may be used, such as worm gears or hypoid gears. As shown in FIG. Figure 2BAs illustrated in the example, the bevel gears (or other types of gears) 202B, 210B of the gears 202, 210 can also be fixed to the spur gears 202A, 210A (or similar gears, such as helical gears) to transmit torque in the other direction. The gears can be formed integrally, or otherwise connected together using welding, adhesives, one or more fasteners, or other suitable attachment methods. The spur gear 210A can mesh with the spur gear 217 of the main shaft 216. Therefore, when the drive shaft of the actuator 102 rotates, the gear 202 will rotate. The rotation of the gear 202 can be transmitted to the gear 210 through the bevel gears 202B and 210B. The rotation will be further transmitted to the gear 217 through the spur gear 210A.

[0035] refer to Figure 2A and Figure 3 , the main shaft 216 can rotate around the pivot 219. The pivot 219 can include a shaft, a pin or other suitable structure around which the main shaft 216 can rotate. In addition, the main shaft 216 can be attached to the shaft 214. The shaft 214 can be eccentrically attached to the main shaft 216 so that the rotation of the main shaft 216 causes one end of the shaft 214 to rotate around the pin 219. Such rotation causes the pin 218 to translate forward / backward and left / right. The forward / backward translation is absorbed by the narrow slot 222, and the protrusion 223 slides in the narrow slot 222. Alternatively, the blade guide strip 226 can include a narrow slot, and the strip 220 can include a protrusion 223. The left / right translation of the pivot 218 will move the blade guide strip 226 from left to right. Each auxiliary blade 114 is attached to the blade guide strip 226 by a connecting rod 230. The attachment point of the secondary vane 114 to the link 230 can be outside the body 104 of the vent 100 at the top of the vane to limit the impedance to airflow through the body 104 (caused by the link 230 and the vane guide strip 226). The link 230 and secondary vane 114 pivot near the front side of the link. Thus, when the vane guide strip 226 translates laterally (i.e., Figure 3 When the auxiliary blade 114 is pivoted, the left / right direction of the airflow through the body 104 (through the inlet 116) is changed. As an example, from Figure 3 From the perspective of FIG. 2, when the blade guide strip 226 translates to the right, the rear side of the connecting rod 230 will move to the right, thereby rotating the auxiliary blade 114 clockwise and guiding the air to the left. Conversely, when the blade guide strip 226 translates to the left, the rear side of the connecting rod 230 will move to the left, thereby rotating the auxiliary blade 114 counterclockwise and guiding the air to the right.

[0036] Figure 4 An example illustrates this airflow direction. Figure 4Also illustrated is a pivot 402 that may be connected to the bottom of the secondary blade 114 to provide additional support for the secondary blade 114 while also allowing the secondary blade to rotate.

[0037] Figure 5 The example illustrates a right side view of the example vent 100, showing the actuator 102 and the main blade drive system 106. The actuator can provide torque to the main blade drive system 106 via the gear 202, which can mesh with the gear 204. The gear 204 can mesh with a gear located on the main shaft 208 (received by Figure 3 illustrative example), and causes the main shaft 208 to rotate about the pin 506. The plate 502 can be rigidly mounted relative to the rest of the vent 100 (e.g., the plate 502 does not move when the actuator drives the blade). The drive link 504 can move up and down relative to the plate 502 by sliding along the narrow slots 510A, 510B. The drive link 504 can include a protrusion, a pin, etc., which slides in the narrow slots 510A, 510B. As the main shaft 208 rotates, the pin 508, which can be eccentrically mounted on the main shaft 208, will rotate. The pin 508 will move along the narrow slot 511 and cause the link 504 to move in the longitudinal direction (along the vertical axis). The link 504 can be connected to the main blade guide strip 512, which can cause vertical movement of at least a portion of the main blade 110. The main blade 110 may be pivotally mounted to the body 104 at points 516A, 516B via linkages 514A, 514B.

[0038] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a side portion of the vent 100. As depicted, the main blade 110 may include two portions 602, 604 connected together at a hinge 606. The hinges 606A, 606B may be connected to the main blade guide strip 512 and driven up and down to change the orientation of the blades and thereby change the vertical direction of the airflow through the vent 100. When the main blade guide strip is driven upward, the hinge 606A will move into the gap 608A and the hinge 606B will rise into the cavity near the outlet 112. This blade position will cause the air passing through the vent 100 to be directed downward. Similarly, when the main blade guide strip 512 is moved downward, the hinge 606B will move into the gap 608B and the hinge 606A will drop into the cavity near the outlet 112. This blade position will cause the air passing through the vent 100 to be directed upward. As Figure 7, this vertical movement of the hinges 606A, 606B is achieved by the pivot 702 of the main blade 110 sliding in the slot 704 of the body 104. The main blade 110 can be pivotally fixed to the front part of the body 104 near the outlet 112. Alternatively, these positions can be reversed. For example, the slot 704 can be located at the front of the body near the outlet 112, and the fixed pivot can be located at the rear of the main blade 110.

[0039] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The front and rear views of the vent 100 are illustrated respectively. In these figures, the primary vanes 110 and secondary vanes 114 are both in a neutral position, which would result in air being directed out of the outlet 112 parallel to the sides of the body 104 of the vent 100 .

[0040] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the secondary blade drive system is provided. As illustrated, an actuator can drive a bevel gear to rotate other gears. The gears are then attached to a plate via an eccentric pin that causes translation of the plate. The plate is connected to each secondary blade to translate one end of the secondary blade and rotate them around a fixed point. This rotation then allows for selectable airflow directions through the vent. Fig.10 Indications n1-n6 are included which represent the potentially different gear ratios between the various gears of the blade drive system.

[0041] For both the auxiliary blade drive system 108 and the main blade drive system 106 described above, the accompanying drawings illustrate a specific number of gears; however, more or fewer gears may be used in each system. In addition, the size of the gears, the number of teeth on each gear, and the resulting gear ratio may be different from the gears shown in the accompanying drawings. The gear ratio of each drive system can be selected to achieve a specific relative speed difference between the drive of the main blade 110 and the auxiliary blade 114. In some cases, this can be achieved by adding additional gears or removing gears from the drive system. This speed difference will allow a single actuator 102 to drive in one direction, thereby moving both the main blade 110 and the auxiliary blade 114, and will still achieve a variety of combinations of main blade positions and auxiliary blade positions to allow the user to guide the airflow in any direction (within the structural limitations of the blade rotation). The gears can be adjusted to move the auxiliary blade 114 at a much higher speed than the main blade 110. On the contrary, the auxiliary blade 114 can move at a much slower speed than the main blade 110.

[0042] As an example, the gears may be selected so that for each degree of rotation of the primary blade 110, the secondary blade 114 will travel one full turn. In this case, one full turn refers to the blade passing through its entire range of motion. In other words, in one full turn, the secondary blade 114 will travel from a maximum position on the right to a maximum position on the left. Thus, for each degree of the primary blade, the secondary blade can be in any position within its range of motion. Thus, the actuator 102 can be controlled to drive the secondary blade to any position and adjust the primary blade 110 to a specific angle within 1 degree. Fig.11A is a graphical representation of the movement of such a blade. Fig.11A In the specific example of , for every degree of movement of the main blades (vertical blade set), the secondary blades (left and right movement) move one full circle.

[0043] In other embodiments, the degree of tolerance of the main blade 110 may be varied. For example, for less precise control of the position of the main blade 110, the secondary blade 114 may travel one full revolution for every 3 or 5 degrees of movement of the main blade 110. Fig. 11B 1 is a graphical representation of an example blade movement of one full revolution of the secondary blades for every three degrees of movement of the primary blades (in the illustrated example, the vertical blade set). As an example, for more precise control of the position of the primary blades 110, the secondary blades 114 may travel one full revolution for every half degree of movement of the primary blades 110. These relationships may be controlled by relative gearing between the primary blade drive system 106 and the secondary blade drive system 108.

[0044] As another example, the second blade drive system can be configured to drive the second set of blades through the full range of motion at least four, eight, twenty-five, fifty, or more times every time the first set of blades are driven through the full range of motion once.

[0045] Implementing such a single actuator drive system allows for fine automated control of the vent vane position with limited programming and a reduced number of actuators required. This can reduce costs while also allowing the vent to maintain a smaller form factor. The single actuator system presented here also allows the use of a single unidirectional actuator. Driving the actuator in a single direction can position both vanes anywhere within their range of motion. This further facilitates simple programming (no need to program the system for multiple directions of rotation or multiple actuators) and allows the use of cheaper unidirectional actuators.

[0046] Another advantage of a one-way actuator system is that multiple sets of blades can be set to any angle combination in one stroke. For example, in some systems, the primary blades must first be set to a specific angle, and then the secondary blade angle can be set. For example, if the blades start in a position such that the primary blades point to a downward flow and the secondary blades point to a rightward flow and the user wants to set the blades in opposite directions (e.g., primary blades pointing up and secondary blades pointing to the left), the actuator must first be driven in one direction until the primary blades complete a cycle and reach the upward position. The actuator can then be rotated in the opposite direction to achieve the desired angle of the secondary blades.

[0047] In the current embodiment, the main blade can be driven in either direction based on the direction of the actuator. In other designs, the actuator can drive the main blade only when it rotates in one direction (not in the opposite direction). Similar to such a system is a typical windshield wiper system. If the wiper is stopped in the middle of a cycle, the next time the wiper is started, it will have to first complete the swing and then return to the starting position. Here, unlike such a system, the main blade angle can be driven directly to the desired position - the actuator can be driven in either direction based on the previous position of the blade. Similar to this system is a typical car window system - if the button is pushed up, the car window that has rolled up halfway will continue to rise, and vice versa, if the button is pushed down, the car window will drop. This movement will occur directly (that is, without first rising and then falling).

[0048] Fig.12 is a graphical illustration of such a system. The outer rectangle represents the area of ​​the human vehicle occupant around which air can be directed from the vents. Points A and B are two locations that form a state of the outlet vanes set at two different angles. For example, at point A, the primary vane directs the flow upward and the secondary vane directs the flow to the right. In a system where the primary and secondary vanes are driven separately, if the occupant wants to direct the flow to point B, the vanes follow the path illustrated by the dashed path: the primary vane must be lowered using a first rotation direction of the actuator, followed by the secondary vane starting to operate with rotation of the actuator in the opposite direction. This two-step process requires additional time. The disclosed embodiments improve this process by being able to drive both vanes to the desired position simultaneously, thereby reducing the time to achieve the desired vane position and, therefore, the air flow direction. This improvement is achieved by driving the vanes directly from point A to point B without returning to some starting position, as shown by the solid line connecting point A to point B.

[0049] Fig.13800 is a flow chart, which illustrates a method 800 for controlling a vehicle vent consistent with the disclosed embodiments. The method 800 may be implemented, for example, to control a main blade set and a second blade set of a vehicle vent to drive the blades to a position where air is directed in a direction desired by a user. At step 801, the method 800 may include identifying a first desired orientation of a first set of blades. The first desired orientation may correspond to a first set of blades of a vehicle vent (e.g., blades for directing vertical airflow) and a desired airflow direction. At step 802, the method 800 may include identifying a second desired orientation. Similar to the first desired orientation, the second desired orientation may correspond to a second set of blades of a vehicle vent (e.g., blades for directing vertical airflow) and a desired airflow direction. Identifying the desired blade orientation may include receiving an input corresponding to a desired orientation or a desired airflow path from a user, such as from an input device such as a touch screen, a knob, a joystick, etc. The input device may be integrated into a dashboard of a vehicle. Identifying the desired blade orientation may also include receiving the desired orientation from another computing device.

[0050] Method 800 can be performed by a computing device, such as a computer in a vehicle. "Computing device" refers to a device that includes a processor and a memory. Each device can have its own processor and / or memory, or the processor and / or memory can be shared with other devices in a virtual machine or container arrangement. The memory will contain or receive programming instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform one or more operations according to the programming instructions. Examples of electronic devices include onboard computers, personal computers, servers, mainframes, virtual machines, containers, gaming systems, televisions, and mobile electronic devices, such as smartphones, personal digital assistants, cameras, tablet computers, laptops, media players, and the like. As a specific example, a vehicle computer can be a central computer of the vehicle or a computer associated with a touch screen of the vehicle. The computing device can communicate with an input device. In some embodiments, the computing device and the input device can be integrated, such as a smartphone with a touch screen. The computing device can also communicate with a controller (e.g., a motor controller) that controls the functions of the actuator.

[0051] In step 803, method 800 may include determining an amount of rotation of the actuator to achieve the first and second blade orientations. For example, step 803 may further include determining a current position or orientation of one or both blade groups. Then, based on one or more current positions and the desired orientation, the amount of rotation may be calculated. The amount of rotation may depend on, for example, the relative rotation rate between the first set of blades and the second set of blades (e.g., for each cycle of the secondary blades, the primary blades rotate one degree, for each cycle of the secondary blades, the primary blades rotate three degrees, for each cycle of the primary blades, the secondary blades rotate four complete cycles, and so on). As described above, the first and second blade drive systems (corresponding to the first set of blades and the second set of blades) may be configured to drive the first and second sets of blades at different rates.

[0052] In step 804, method 800 may include operating an actuator so that the first group of blades are oriented in a first desired orientation and the second group of blades are oriented in a second desired orientation. Specifically, operating the actuator includes causing the actuator (e.g., via a controller) to apply torque to the first blade drive system. As described above, the first blade drive system includes at least one gear that is configured to transfer torque from the actuator to the first group of blades. As described above, torque may also be applied to the second blade drive system so that the second group of blades is driven at a rate different from that of the first group of blades. The torque applied to the second blade drive system may be applied directly by the actuator, or indirectly by the actuator (i.e., applied to a gear of the first blade drive system that transfers the torque to a gear of the second blade drive system).

[0053] Based on the foregoing description, other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described embodiments may be changed or modified without departing from the broad inventive concept of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in this document, but is intended to include all changes and modifications within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle vent, comprising: main body; Actuator; The first set of leaves; a first blade drive system movably connected to the first set of blades; The second set of leaves; as well as a second blade drive system movably connected to the second set of blades; Wherein the actuator is positioned to provide a force to both the first blade drive system and the second blade drive system in a single direction during operation, thereby causing movement of both the first set of blades and the second set of blades.

2. The vehicle air vent according to claim 1, wherein: The first blade drive system includes at least one gear configured to transfer torque from the actuator to the first set of blades.

3. The vehicle air vent according to claim 2, wherein: The second blade drive system includes a second gear configured to transfer torque from the actuator to the second set of blades.

4. The vehicle air vent according to claim 1, wherein: The second blade drive system is configured to drive the second set of blades through a full range of motion at least once for approximately every degree of movement of the first set of blades.

5. The vehicle air vent according to claim 1, wherein: The second blade drive system is configured to drive the second set of blades through a full range of motion at least four times for every time the first set of blades are driven through a full range of motion once.

6. The vehicle air vent according to claim 1, wherein: The second blade drive system is configured to drive the second set of blades through a full range of motion at least eight times for every time the first set of blades are driven through a full range of motion once.

7. The vehicle air vent according to claim 1, wherein: The second blade drive system is configured to drive the second set of blades through a full range of motion at least twenty-five times for every time the first set of blades are driven through a full range of motion once.

8. The vehicle air vent according to claim 1, wherein: The first blade drive system and the second blade drive system are configured such that a force in a single direction drives the first set of blades and the second set of blades through a full range of motion without requiring a force in a second direction.

9. The vehicle air vent of claim 1, wherein: The first set of blades are positioned to direct air in a first direction.

10. The vehicle vent of claim 9, wherein: The second set of blades are positioned to direct air in a second direction; and The second direction is different from the first direction.

11. A method comprising: In a system including a vehicle vent having a first set of blades and a second set of blades: operating an actuator in a single direction so that the actuator provides a force to a first blade drive system corresponding to the first set of blades and a second blade drive system corresponding to the second set of blades, thereby causing movement of both the first set of blades and the second set of blades; Wherein, the first blade drive system and the second blade drive system are configured to drive the first set of blades and the second set of blades at different rates.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The operation causes the actuator to apply torque to the first blade drive system.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The first blade drive system includes at least one gear configured to transfer torque from the actuator to the first set of blades.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: identifying a first desired orientation of the first set of blades; identifying a second desired orientation of the second set of blades; as well as The actuator is operated to position the first set of blades in the first desired orientation and to position the second set of blades in the second desired orientation.

15. A vehicle vent, comprising: main body; Actuator; The first set of leaves; a first blade drive system movably connected to the first set of blades and comprising a first gear; The second set of leaves; as well as a second blade drive system movably connected to the second set of blades and comprising a second gear; wherein the actuator is positioned to provide a force to the first gear and the second gear in a single direction in operation, thereby causing movement of both the first set of blades and the second set of blades; and Wherein, the second blade drive system is configured to drive the second set of blades through the full range of motion at least four times each time the first set of blades are driven through the full range of motion once.

16. The vehicle vent of claim 15, wherein: The first set of blades are positioned to direct air in a first direction.

17. The vehicle vent of claim 16, wherein: The second set of blades are positioned to direct air in a second direction; and The second direction is different from the first direction.

18. The vehicle vent of claim 15, wherein: The actuator is positioned to apply a force directly to both the first gear and the second gear.

19. The vehicle vent of claim 15, wherein: The actuator is positioned to apply a force directly to the first gear; and The first gear is positioned to transfer force to the second gear.

20. The vehicle vent of claim 15, wherein: The actuator comprises a motor that rotates in a single direction, and the force is a torque.

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