Sliding flap arrangement and air conditioning unit

Abstract

Sliding flap arrangement, in particular for an air conditioning unit (10), comprising: - a plate-shaped sliding flap body (20) with at least one rack (21) aligned in the adjustment direction (V), - a rotatably mounted drive shaft (30) with at least one radially arranged toothed ring (31) which can be engaged with the at least one rack (21), and - a misassembly protection device which, when the engagement of the at least one toothed ring (31) with the at least one rack (21) is established, supports a predetermined angular position of the drive shaft (30) relative to the sliding flap body (20), characterized in that the misassembly protection device is located outside the at least one toothed ring (31) and the at least one rack (21), wherein - a rotationally symmetric disk (33) is provided circumferentially on the drive shaft (30) in the axial direction next to the at least one toothed ring (31), which has a notch (34) as a singular deviation in the radial direction (R),and- in the sliding flap body (20) a corresponding singular counter contour is provided which is adapted to the notch (34).

Description

The present invention relates to a sliding flap arrangement with mismounting protection and to an air conditioning device with such a sliding flap arrangement, in particular for the automotive field of application.In motor vehicle air conditioners, a plurality of air flaps are typically provided, with the aid of which different partial air streams can be mixed in provided ratios and conducted in specific directions or regions. This relates in particular to the admission of the air at the air inlet and the outlet of partial air streams at different air outlets, and furthermore also to the allocation of the partial air streams to heat exchangers and the mixing of different air streams in the air conditioning unit.Sliding flaps are known per se for use in air conditioners. Depending on the application, such a louver type can have advantages over other louver types, for example with regard to installation space and opening characteristic, to name just a few.Slide flaps are typically driven via a transport mechanism, in which a driving gearwheel engages in a toothed rack provided on the slide flap. In this case, in the assembled state, attention must be paid to a correct positioning of the sliding flap relative to those air ducts and openings for which the sliding flap is intended to regulate the air supply. In order to avoid incorrect assembly of the sliding flap, it is therefore known to provide protection against incorrect assembly, so that correct positioning of the sliding flap is supported during assembly. In particular, deviations in the tooth pattern are known, for example due to a tooth with a wider back which engages in a correspondingly wider gap.WO 2019 / 063906 A1 discloses an air conditioning unit in which, in the case of a lateral installation direction of a sliding flap into a housing half, a temporary mismounting protection is formed in the form of a pair of tab-catches on the sliding flap and the shaft, which protection is separated again during further assembly with the second housing half. A particular disadvantage of this is that it is not possible to install the sliding flaps on the assembled air conditioner. Further generic sliding flap arrangements are known, for example, from DE 10 2019 219 533 A1, DE 10 2019 219 536 A1, DE 10 2019 219 542 A1, DE 10 2020 215 310 A1.It is the object of the present invention to specify a sliding flap arrangement which provides an alternative to existing solutions against incorrect assembly and not only reduces the risk of incorrect assembly but also enables operation with as low friction as possible.This object is achieved according to the invention by a sliding flap arrangement having the features of claim 1 and by an air conditioning unit having such a sliding flap arrangement having the features of claim 7. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are evident from the dependent claims.The sliding flap arrangement according to the invention comprises an essentially plate-shaped sliding flap body with at least one toothed rack oriented in the adjustment direction, a rotatably mounted drive shaft with at least one radially arranged toothed rim which can be brought into engagement with the toothed rack, and mismounting protection which ensures or at least supports an provided angular position of the drive shaft with respect to the sliding flap body when the toothed rim engages in the toothed rack. The sliding flap arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that the mismounting protection is located outside the toothed rim and outside the toothed rack. In this case, the tooth arrangement on the toothed rim and / or on the toothed rack is typically regular, as a result of which "non-round" running behavior or changed force effects of an irregular tooth structure are avoided. "Supported" means, in the sense of the invention, that possibly incorrect assembly is not completely ruled out by this device, but the risk is significantly reduced and, in the limit, incorrect assembly is completely impossible, i.e. correct assembly is ensured.In the sliding flap arrangement according to the invention, a rotationally symmetrical disk is provided on the drive shaft circumferentially in the axial direction next to the ring gear, which disk has a notch as a singular deviation in the radial direction, and a corresponding singular counter contour is provided in the sliding flap body, which is adapted to the notch (singular deviation).The notch (singular deviation) can be designed as desired. The singular counter contour is configured for this purpose as a transverse rib, for example, wherein the transverse rib is oriented parallel to the drive shaft in the assembled state. Typically, the sliding flap body is designed to be flexible in the adjustment direction. A transverse rib gives additional stability of the sliding flap in the transverse direction. The bending behavior in the longitudinal direction is not influenced-unlike in the case of a "double tooth", which leads to undesired stiffening of the sliding flap. In addition, good contact with the sealing surfaces with respect to the housing of the air conditioner is achieved.According to a further development of the sliding flap arrangement according to the invention, a bearing is provided with a stopper which extends in the radial direction. At one end of the drive shaft, a counterstop is then provided, which extends in the radial direction, wherein the stopper and counterstop are adapted to one another such that the rotational range of the drive shaft in the bearing is limited to a rotational angle range. Furthermore, it can advantageously be provided that the drive shaft can be brought into the correct installation orientation on the basis of the adaptation of the stopper to the counterstop in such a way that the sliding flap and the drive shaft engage in one another in the provided manner. This additional configuration of the drive shaft makes it possible to improve a correct positioning during assembly even further.According to the invention, an air conditioning device comprises such a sliding flap arrangement, wherein the bearing is connected to the housing of the air conditioning device and the sliding flap body is provided for opening and closing an opening or a passage in the air conditioning device.Expediently, a first angular position and a second angular position are defined, in which the counterstop (which is seated on the drive shaft) in each case abuts against the stopper (which is seated on the bearing). These two angular positions define the above-mentioned angular angle range at least for assembly. For the operation of the air conditioning device, further means for limiting the angle of rotation range can be provided, so that the stopper and the counter stopper can then be configured to be less robust and do not necessarily have to be designed for the forces arising during operation. In the first angular position, a rotation opposite to the later installation orientation of the sliding flap body is blocked, and in the second angular position, a rotation into the later installation orientation is blocked.It is advantageously provided that in the first angular position the notch (which is seated on the drive shaft) is oriented in the direction of the opening or passage in the air conditioner in such a way that the singular counter contour (which is seated on the sliding flap body) comes into contact with the notch during a movement in the installation orientation for installation in the air conditioner.The invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of exemplary embodiments and with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 to 7.FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of an air conditioning unit for a motor vehicle having a sliding flap arrangement,FIG. 2 shows an air conditioning unit with a sliding flap arrangement according to FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6 to 7,FIGS. 3, 4 to 5 show details of a sliding flap arrangement according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention,FIG. 6 shows a sliding flap body for the sliding flap arrangement according to FIGS. 3, 4 to 5 andFIG. 7 shows a detail of the drive shaft mounting of the sliding flap body according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention.FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of an air conditioning unit 10 for a motor vehicle having a sliding flap arrangement. The air conditioning unit 10 is surrounded by an air-conducting housing 11 and has an air inlet 12, from where an air stream is conducted via a cooling heat exchanger 13 and a heating heat exchanger 14 to various air outlets (not shown). As is generally known to the person skilled in the art, both air inlet 12 and the air outlets can have different partial openings and are adapted to the respective requirements. These are in particular a fresh air opening and a circulating air opening for the air inlet 12, foot outlets, manned air blasts and a defroster duct for the air outlets, which will not be discussed in more detail below.The air flow through the air conditioning unit 10 results in various openings and passages which can be opened or closed by air flaps depending on the application. By way of example, a passage 15 for bypassing the heating heat exchanger 14 is shown. A slide door body 20 is provided for opening and closing the passage 15, the slide door assembly support 40 being connected to the housing 11 of the air conditioner 10. In the upper position (shown in dash-dot line), the cold air path for bypassing the heating heat exchanger 14 is closed by the sliding flap body 20. In the lower position (shown in dotted lines), the cold air path is cleared.Slide door assemblies may also be provided at other air inlets, air outlets, openings, and passages (not shown).FIG. 2 shows an air conditioning unit 10 having four slide flap arrangements according to the invention for regulating four different air flows through the air conditioning unit 10. The details of the sliding flap arrangements will be discussed in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6 to 7.The bearings 40 of different sliding flap arrangements, each with a sliding flap body 20, are fastened in the exemplary embodiment to a central wall 16 and to the outer wall 17 of the housing 11. The four corresponding passages can be provided per se for any desired partial air streams. Typically, air streams for the driver and passenger sides as well as front and rear seat rows are divided in air conditioners 10 for motor vehicles, without being limited thereto.With reference to FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6 to 7, the sliding flap arrangement according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be discussed in more detail. The couplings between the sliding flap body 20 and the drive shaft 30 according to FIGS. 3, 4, 5 to 6 can be provided together with the rotational angle alignment between the drive shaft 30 and the bearing 40 according to FIG. 7 or also independently of one another.The sliding flap arrangement comprises a substantially plate-shaped sliding flap body 20 which is flexible in the adjustment direction V and has two racks 21 which run on both edges and are oriented in the adjustment direction V. A rotatably mounted drive shaft 30 can be brought into engagement with the racks 21 by means of two radially arranged toothed rings 31. A correct angular position between the drive shaft 30 and the sliding plate body 20 is to be ensured so that the passages open and close properly. For this purpose, mismounting protection is provided, which ensures or at least assists in achieving such an angular position provided when the toothed rings 31 engage the toothed racks 21.As can be seen from FIG. 3, a rotationally symmetrical disk 33 is provided in the axial direction next to the toothed rim 31 shown on the right, which disk has a notch 34 as a singular deviation in the radial direction R. Adapted to this, transverse ribs 23 are provided in the sliding flap body 20 as a corresponding singular counter contour. The transverse ribs 23 are provided on the edges of the sliding flap body 20 which are opposite in relation to the adjustment direction V, that is to say are oriented parallel to the drive shaft 30 in the assembled state.FIGS. 4 and 5 show the configuration of the notch 34 in the rotationally symmetrical disk 33 and the contour of the transverse ribs 23 in the sliding flap body 20 as a detailed view.The mismounting protection is thus located outside the toothed rings 31 and also outside the toothed racks 21. In addition, the transverse ribs 23 provide additional stability of the sliding flap bodies 20 in the transverse direction, while the bending behavior in the longitudinal direction is not influenced. This allows better contact with the sealing surfaces relative to the housing 11.The lateral bearing 40 on both sides of the drive shaft 30 will now be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 7. The bearing 40 is firmly connected to the housing 11, e.g. made of the same injection molding material in one piece with the respective housing part. The bearing 40 has an opening for receiving the drive shaft 30. In the opening circumference, a stopper 41 is provided, which extends in the radial direction R toward the rotational axis.The diameter of the drive shaft 30 is smaller at its ends than the inside diameter of the opening in the bearing 40 so that the drive shaft 30 can be inserted therein. The drive shaft 30 has a counter stopper 35 which extends outward in the radial direction. The stopper 41 and the counter stopper 35 are fitted to each other such that the rotation range of the drive shaft 30 in the bearing 40 is limited to a rotation angle range D, in this example, about 300°. For the matching of stopper 41 and counterstop 35, it should be noted that alternatively other configurations are also possible. In particular, the geometry of the drive shaft 30 and of the bearing 40 at the engagement point can be interchanged, i.e. the bearing takes place about a pin which engages in the drive shaft 30 (not shown).Due to the position of the stopper 41 and the counterstop 35 and the cooperation of the notch 34 with the transverse ribs 23, the incorrect assembly of the sliding flap arrangement can now be practically prevented. In addition, the symmetrical configuration of the sliding flap body 20, in particular due to the symmetrical arrangement of the racks 21 and the transverse ribs 23, allows the sliding flap body 20 to be inserted into the drive shafts 30 in both directions during the assembly.During assembly, the drive shaft 30 is first inserted into the bearing 40. The drive shaft 30 cannot be freely rotated through by the stopper 41 and the counter stopper 35, but is limited in the rotational angle range D and can be brought into the first angular position conveniently, i.e. without visual inspection or aids, by means of a rotation with one hand.In the first angular position, the singular deviation (notch 34) on the drive shaft 30 is oriented with respect to the opening or passage 15 in such a way that, during a movement for installing the sliding flap body 20 into the air conditioner 10, the transverse rib 23 now comes into contact with the notch 34. During the installation movement, the rack 21 of the slide door body 20 simultaneously engages with the ring gear 31 of the drive shaft 30. This enables rapid and error-free installation. Due to the regularity of the toothed rack 21 and the toothed rim 31, if the slide flap body 20 is configured symmetrically, it can possibly even be installed from both directions.The installation orientation corresponds to the adjustment direction V of the sliding flap body 20 during operation of the air conditioner. The rotational angle range D, which is predetermined for the mounting by the stopper 41 and the counter stopper 35, is typically limited by further devices (not shown) during operation. In this case, the stopper 41 and the counter stopper 35 need only withstand the forces of assembly, but not the forces occurring during operation.REFERENCE NUMERALS10 Air conditioner 11 Housing 12 Air inlet 13 Cooling heat exchanger 14 Heating heat exchanger 15 Opening / passage 16 Middle wall 17 Outer wall 20 Slide door body 21 Rack 22 Teeth 23 Transverse rib 30 Drive shaft 31 Ring gear 32 Teeth 33 Disk 34 Notch 35 Counter stopper 40 Bearing 41 Stopper V Adjusting direction R Radial direction D Rotational angle range

Claims

Sliding flap arrangement, in particular for an air conditioning unit (10), comprising - a plate-shaped sliding flap body (20) having at least one toothed rack (21) oriented in the adjustment direction (V), - a rotatably mounted drive shaft (30) having at least one radially arranged toothed rim (31) which can be brought into engagement with the at least one toothed rack (21), and - a mismounting guard which assists an provided angular position of the drive shaft (30) with respect to the sliding flap body (20) when the at least one toothed rim (31) engages the at least one toothed rack (21), characterized in that the mismounting guard lies outside the at least one toothed rim (31) and the at least one toothed rack (21), wherein - a rotationally symmetrical disc (33) is provided on the drive shaft (30) circumferentially in the axial direction next to the at least one toothed rim (31), which has a notch (34) as a singular deviation in the radial direction (R), and - a corresponding singular counter contour is provided in the slide flap body (20), which is adapted to the notch (34).Sliding flap arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the tooth arrangement (22; 32) on the at least one toothed ring (31) and / or on the at least one toothed rack (21) is regular.Sliding flap arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the singular counter contour is a transverse rib (23) which, in the assembled state, is aligned parallel to the drive shaft (30).Sliding flap arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sliding flap body (20) is flexible in the adjustment direction (V).Sliding flap arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - a bearing (40) is provided with a stopper (41) which extends in the radial direction (R), and - a counterstop (35) is provided at one end of the drive shaft (30) which extends in the radial direction (R), wherein the stopper (41) and counterstop (35) are matched to one another in such a way that the rotational range of the drive shaft (30) in the bearing (40) is limited to a rotational angle range (D).Sliding flap arrangement according to Claim 5, characterized in that - the drive shaft (30) can be brought into the correct installation orientation on the basis of the adaptation of the stopper (41) to the counterstop (35) in such a way that the sliding flap body (20) and the drive shaft (30) engage one another in the intended manner.Air conditioner (10) with a slide door arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the bearing (40) is connected to the housing (11) of the air conditioner (10) and the slide door body (20) is provided for opening and closing an opening or a passage (15) in the air conditioner (10).Air conditioning device (10) according to Claim 7, characterized in that a first angular position is defined, in which the counterstop (35) strikes against the stopper (41), wherein, in this first angular position, the notch (34) on the drive shaft (30) is oriented in the direction of the opening or passage (15) in such a way that the singular counter contour on the sliding flap body (20) comes into contact with the notch (34) during a movement for installation in the air conditioning device (10).

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