ACTIVE AIR VALVE DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE

Abstract

Active air flap device for a vehicle, comprising: a channel (2) which is attached to a front-end component (1); and a housing (3) which is connected to the channel (2) and has a rotatably connected air flap (6) therein, wherein the housing (3) further comprises: a body (31) which is attached to the channel (2) and to which the air flap (6) is rotatably connected; and a pair of wings (32) which are each connected to both sides of the body (31) in such a way that they can be pivoted forwards / backwards, wherein the active air flap device further comprises a rotatable component (10) which is connected to the body (31) and the wing (32) to enable the wing (32) to pivot, characterized in that the rotatable component (10) has: a rotatable tube (11) which is attached vertically to the wing (32); and a fixed axis (12) whose two ends pass vertically through the rotatable tube (11) and are attached to the body (31).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Area of ​​the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an active air flap device for a vehicle and in particular to an active air flap device for a vehicle (e.g. motor vehicle, e.g. automobile) which has a pedestrian protection function. Description of related technology

[0002] In general, not only drive components such as an engine (e.g., an internal combustion engine) but also a variety of heat exchangers such as a radiator or cooler, an intercooler, an evaporator, a condenser, etc. are located in a vehicle engine compartment.

[0003] These heat exchangers allow a refrigerant to flow through them and are cooled or release heat by means of a heat exchange between the refrigerant in the heat exchangers and outside air outside the heat exchangers, and the outside air should be well supplied so that various heat exchangers in the engine compartment of a vehicle work reliably.

[0004] However, the problem is that a large amount of outside air flows inwards when a vehicle travels at high speed, resulting in a considerable increase in air resistance and a decrease in the vehicle's fuel efficiency.

[0005] To solve this problem, an active air flap device was developed in which, when driving at low speed, the flow of air into the engine compartment is increased by increasing an opening angle, and when driving at high speed, the flow of air is restricted by decreasing the opening angle, thereby improving fuel efficiency.

[0006] An active air flap device for a vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from DE 197 28 305 A1. Another active air flap device for a vehicle is known from the subsequently published DE 10 2011 055 394 A1.

[0007] As in Fig. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, an active air flap device of a vehicle has a channel 2 which is connected to a front end component 1 of a vehicle and directs an airflow, as well as a housing 3 connected to the channel 2, an actuator 4 which is attached to the middle part of the housing 3, and an air flap 6 which is rotatable with respect to the housing 3 and opens / closes an air path 5 of the housing 3.

[0008] In this arrangement, the actuator 4 has a motor and a plurality of gear components (reduction gear), as well as a shaft 7 which can rotate relative to the housing and is arranged on both sides of the actuator 4, wherein the gear components are fitted onto the shaft in such a way that they can transmit force, and the air flaps 6 integrally connected to each of the shafts 7, so that the shafts 7 rotate and the air flaps 6 rotate when the actuator 4 is actuated, thereby simultaneously opening / closing the air path 5 of the housing 3.

[0009] However, there is a deficiency in that the housing 3, which is a rigid body that maintains the external appearance and has a stiffness, is attached in such a way that it does not move with respect to the channel in the above-described active air flap device of the related technology, so that a pedestrian is more severely injured in a collision with the pedestrian. BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention was made in an effort to eliminate these shortcomings. The object of the present invention is to provide an active air flap device for a vehicle which can minimize injuries to pedestrians in a pedestrian / car collision, meet pedestrian safety regulations, and improve commercial value by being designed such that a part of a housing can rotate and slide relative to a channel when an external force is applied.

[0011] This problem is solved by an active air damper device according to claim 1. Further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0012] An active air flap device for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises: a channel which is attached to a front-end component; and a housing which is connected to the channel and to which an air flap is rotatably connected, wherein the housing comprises: a body which is attached to the channel and to which the air flap is rotatably connected; and a pair of wings or side elements (hereinafter referred to as wings) which are each connected to both sides of the body (one wing to one side and the other wing to the other side) in such a way that they are pivotable forwards / backwards.

[0013] The device also features a rotatable component which is connected to the body and the wing to allow the wing to pivot.

[0014] The rotatable component features a rotatable tube which is vertically attached to the wing, and a fixed axis, both ends of which pass vertically through the rotatable tube and are attached to the body.

[0015] The device may further include a movable component that connects the wing to the channel to allow the wing to move relative to the channel when the wing pivots.

[0016] The rotatable component may further include a return spring which is wound around the rotatable tube, one end of which is attached to the body and the other end of which is attached to the wing, and which provides an elastic restoring force to the pivoting movement of the wing.

[0017] The movable component may include: a guide rail bracket which is attached to the channel and has a guide groove which extends in the forward / reverse direction; and a slider which is connected to the wing and has an integral projection which fits into the groove and moves along the guide groove.

[0018] The devices of the present invention have other properties and advantages, which are evident from the accompanying drawings or are explained in more detail below. Together with the "Detailed Description," they serve to illustrate certain principles of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is a front view of an active air damper device according to the related technology; Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an exploded view of Fig. 2; Fig. Figure 4 is a view showing a housing of an active air damper device according to the present invention; Fig. Figure 5 is an exploded view of an exemplary rotatable component according to the present invention; and Fig. 6 and Fig. Figure 7 shows an exemplary movable component according to the present invention.

[0019] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale and that they represent a somewhat simplified depiction of the features that illustrate the basic principles of the invention. Specific design features of the present invention, such as specific dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes, are also partly determined by the intended use and application environment.

[0020] In the drawings, identical reference numerals consistently denote identical or similar parts of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Detailed reference will now be made to various embodiments of the present invention. Examples are explained by the accompanying drawings and the text below. Although the invention is explained in connection with exemplary embodiments, this in no way limits the invention to these embodiments. Rather, the invention is intended to cover various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments beyond those cited as examples, provided they fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims.

[0022] It is understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicle..." or other similar terms used herein refers to motor-driven vehicles in general, such as passenger cars including off-road vehicles (SUVs, derived from the English term "sports utility vehicle"), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and vehicles with other alternative fuels (e.g., fuels derived from raw materials other than petroleum). A hybrid vehicle is defined herein as a vehicle that has two or more sources of propulsion, for example, vehicles that are both gasoline-powered and electrically powered.

[0023] An active air flap device for a vehicle according to various embodiments of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] An active air flap device for a vehicle as in the Fig. Figures 4 to 7 show a channel 2 which directs an airflow, and a housing 3 which is connected to the channel 2.

[0025] Channel 2 is equipped with a Fig. 1 is connected to the front end component 1 of a vehicle shown, and an actuator 4 is attached to the middle part of the housing 3.

[0026] A shaft 7, which can rotate relative to the housing 3, is arranged on both sides of the actuator 4 and is rotated by force from the actuator 4. An air flap 6 is integrally connected to each of the shafts 7, and an air path 5 of the housing 3 is opened / closed by rotating the air flap 6. It should be understood that the shaft and the air flaps can be monolithic.

[0027] On the other hand, the design of the housing of the active air flap device according to the present invention has been improved in order to be able to protect a pedestrian as well as possible, which means that the housing 3 of the active air flap device according to the present invention has a body 31 which is attached to the duct 2 and to which the air flaps are rotatably connected, as well as a pair of wings 32 which are each connected to both sides of the body in such a way that they can pivot forwards / backwards.

[0028] The active air flap device according to the present invention further comprises a rotatable component 10 which is connected to the body 31 and the wings 32 in order to enable the wings 32 to pivot, and a movable component 20 which connects the wings 32 to the channel 2 in order to enable the wings 32 to move relative to the channel 2 when the wings 32 pivot.

[0029] In this arrangement, the rotatable component 10 has a rotatable tube that is vertically attached to the wing 32, as well as a fixed (or stationary) axle 12, both ends of which extend vertically through the rotatable tube 11 and are attached to the body 31, and a return spring 13, which is wound around the rotatable tube 11, one end of which is attached to the body 31 and the other end of which is attached to the wing 32, and which provides an elastic restoring force to the pivoting movement of the wing 32. Tube supports 14 are integrally formed on the upper and lower sections of the rotatable tube 11, and the ends of the tube supports 14 are connected to the wings 32 by means of fasteners such as bolts or screws. It should be understood that the tube supports and the rotatable tube can be formed monolithically.

[0030] Furthermore, the rotatable tube 11 is designed in such a way that it is able to rotate freely around the fixed axis 12, and the return spring 13 is a coil spring, but not limited to that.

[0031] The movable component 20 has a guide rail bracket 21, which is attached to the channel 2 and has a guide groove 21a extending in the forward / reverse direction, as well as a slider 22, which is connected to the wing 32 and has an integral projection 22a that fits into the guide groove 21a and moves along the guide groove 21a. It is understood that the projection can be formed monolithically with the slider.

[0032] A plurality of guide rail holders 21 is provided and a plurality of guide projections is formed on the slider 22.

[0033] The operation of various embodiments of the present invention is described below.

[0034] If, as a result of contact with a pedestrian, an impact is applied to the housing and a signal is shown by arrow F1 in Fig. When the force indicated in 6 is applied to the wing 32 of the housing 3, the wing 32 pivots backwards about the fixed axis 12, as indicated by an arrow R1 in the figure.

[0035] When the wing 32 pivots, the return spring 13 is compressed, and simultaneously the slider 22 moves backward along the guide rail bracket 21, as indicated by arrow M1 in Fig. 7 indicated.

[0036] The slider is moved by means of the projections 22a of the slider 22, which move along the guide groove 21a formed on the guide rail bracket 21.

[0037] As described above, the impact energy can be absorbed by swiveling the wing in the event of a collision with a pedestrian, making it possible to injure the pedestrian as little as possible and to comply with safety guidelines for pedestrian protection, and accordingly, it is possible to significantly improve commercial value.

[0038] Furthermore, the rearward-swinged wing 32 is returned to its initial position by means of a restoring force from the return spring 13 when the external force is removed, and the glider 22 also returns to the Fig. 6 returns to the depicted state.

[0039] Since the wing of the housing according to an active air flap device for a vehicle of the present invention can absorb impact energy by pivoting upon a collision with a pedestrian, thus making it possible to minimize the injury to the pedestrian as much as possible, and since it is also possible to comply with safety instructions for the protection of a pedestrian, it is possible to significantly increase commercial value.

[0040] To simplify the explanation and allow for a precise definition in the attached claims, the terms "above" or "below" etc. are used to denote elements of the exemplary embodiment with reference to the positioning of these elements as shown in the drawings.

[0041] The preceding descriptions of certain exemplary embodiments of the present inventions have been provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes. They are not intended to be exhaustive, nor are they intended to limit the invention to the forms disclosed, and many modifications and variations are evidently possible in light of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiments have been chosen and described to illustrate certain principles of the invention and their practical application, enabling those skilled in the art to manufacture and use various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. The scope of protection of the invention is defined by the attached claims.

Claims

[1] Active air flap device for a vehicle, comprising: a channel (2) which is attached to a front-end component (1); and a housing (3) which is connected to the channel (2) and has a rotatably connected air flap (6) therein, wherein the housing (3) further comprises: a body (31) which is attached to the channel (2) and to which the air flap (6) is rotatably connected; and a pair of wings (32) which are each connected to both sides of the body (31) in such a way that they can be pivoted forwards / backwards, wherein the active air flap device further comprises a rotatable component (10) which is connected to the body (31) and the wing (32) to enable the wing (32) to pivot, characterized by , that the rotatable component (10) has: a rotatable tube (11) which is attached vertically to the wing (32); and a fixed axis (12) whose two ends pass vertically through the rotatable tube (11) and are attached to the body (31). [2] The device according to claim 1, further comprising a movable component (20) which connects the wing (32) to the channel (2) to enable the wing (32) to move relative to the channel (2) when the wing (32) pivots. [3] The device according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable component (10) further comprises a return spring (13) which is wound around the rotatable tube (11), one end of which is attached to the body (31) and the other end of which is attached to the wing (32), and which provides an elastic return force to the pivoting movement of the wing (32). [4] The device according to claim 2 or according to claims 2 and 3, wherein the movable component (20) comprises: a guide rail bracket (21) which is attached to the channel (2) and has a guide groove (21a) which extends in the forward / backward direction; and a glider connected to the wing (32) and has an integral projection (22a) that fits into the groove and moves along the guide groove (21a).

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