Additional water deflector for the air intake of the air-conditioning system of motor vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to an additional deflector (2) intended to complete the channelling of water flows above an air intake grille (3) of a motor vehicle air-conditioning system by being mounted on a main deflector (1) comprising an upper duct (11) and lateral ducts (12) which at least partially surround the grille, characterised in that it comprises an inclined upper wall (21) and a lower wall (22) locally covering the upper duct (11) of the main deflector (1), and at least one attachment and wedging element (20) intended to engage with a complementary element (10) supported by the main deflector (1). The invention also relates to a sealing assembly for an air intake of an air-conditioning system.

Description

DESCRIPTION TITLE: ADDITIONAL WATER DEFLECTOR FOR THE AIR INTAKE OF THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM OF MOTOR VEHICLES

[0001] The present invention claims priority from French application 2302405 filed on March 13, 2023, the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The invention relates, in general, to the field of protecting the air inlet of the air conditioning system of motor vehicles. In particular, the invention relates to an additional deflector intended to be assembled to the main deflector in order to improve the channeling of water flows (rainwater or cleaning water) and to prevent their penetration into the air inlet duct of the air conditioning system.

[0003] The invention also relates to a sealing assembly for the air inlet of a motor vehicle air conditioning system comprising a main deflector and an associated additional deflector.

[0004] Generally, the air intake vents of air conditioning systems fitted to motor vehicles are fitted with grilles mounted in the cowl located under the vehicle's windscreen and designed to prevent, or at least limit, the occlusion of this vent by debris.

[0005] In order to prevent harmful water penetration into the air intake duct and thus protect the air conditioning system, these grilles are already equipped with means for diverting and evacuating water to the outside.

[0006] These means include, in particular, a peripheral deflector intended to collect and laterally channel the water flows coming mainly from the lower part of the windshield bay and coming above these grilles to prevent them from being sucked in by the air intake vents. Such a deflector includes, in particular, an upper chute and lateral chutes which at least partially surround the grille. Such a deflector is described in patent application FR 2213165.

[0007] Furthermore, patent FR2919565B1 describes a water deflector positioned at the air inlet of the air conditioning unit. This deflector has an upward-facing wall whose function is to prevent water droplets from being carried away by the incoming air flow and projected into the air inlet of the air conditioning unit.

[0008] However, these existing deflectors do not provide sufficiently effective channeling of water flows. In particular, they do not allow the flow of water coming from the pillar and the seal of the windshield bay to be broken up and redirected onto the peripheral deflector in order to prevent it from splashing onto the side support of the wiper motor located in the cowl before being sucked through the air intake grille.

[0009] Consequently, it is now necessary to resolve the technical problems posed by previous solutions by seeking a solution that makes it possible to supplement the action of the current deflectors with means capable of locally improving the insulation of the grille and therefore the watertightness of the air inlet duct while being capable of being easily and quickly mounted on the existing main deflectors.

[0010] In this context, the invention proposes an additional deflector intended to be mounted, in the awning, on the main deflector and in line with the bay upright as well as a sealing assembly comprising a main deflector and an additional deflector.

[0011] This object is achieved, according to the invention, by means of an additional deflector intended to complete the channeling of water flows above an air inlet grille of a motor vehicle air conditioning system by being mounted on a main deflector comprising an upper chute and lateral chutes which at least partially surround said grille, characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, an inclined upper wall and a lower wall locally covering said upper chute of the main deflector and, on the other hand, at least one fixing and wedging element intended to cooperate with a complementary element carried by the main deflector.

[0012] According to an advantageous characteristic of the additional deflector of the invention, its upper wall is delimited on its external longitudinal edge and its lateral edges by projecting sides.

[0013] According to another characteristic of the deflector of the invention, its lower wall is provided with an inclined longitudinal rib forming a drop breaker.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the deflector of the invention, the fixing and wedging element is formed of a transverse tab in which is provided an orifice for receiving a lug carried by the upper chute of the main deflector.

[0015] According to a specific embodiment of the invention, the additional deflector comprises three fixing and wedging tabs cooperating by snap-fastening or by riveting with three lugs carried by the upper chute of the main deflector.

[0016] According to yet another characteristic of the deflector of the invention, its upper and lower walls are inclined downwards between their outer and inner longitudinal edges towards the upper chute of the main deflector.

[0017] Preferably, its inclined upper wall has a flared U-shaped section delimiting a pouring spout.

[0018] Another object of the invention is a sealing assembly for an air inlet of a motor vehicle air conditioning system comprising a main deflector and an additional deflector as defined above which is mounted on said main deflector.

[0019] Yet another object of the invention is a method of mounting a sealing assembly as defined above on a motor vehicle, characterized in that, prior to its mounting in the awning, the additional deflector is fixed to the main deflector on the exterior side intended to be positioned next to the grille and under the windshield upright and seal.

[0020] A final object of the invention is a motor vehicle equipped with an air conditioning system comprising an air inlet mouth closed by a grille and a sealing assembly as mentioned above for channeling water flows around said grille.

[0021] In principle, the invention proposes an improved technical solution for completing and perfecting the sealing of the air intake of the air conditioning system. Thus, the water likely to flow in line with the pillar of the windscreen bay is collected locally by the additional deflector before being conveyed to the main deflector to be evacuated without falling in front of the air intake grille.

[0022] At the same time, the invention provides a sealing assembly that is pre-assembled and ready for installation in the vehicle's canopy at the factory. This makes the installation process quicker and easier.

[0023] Furthermore, the mutually cooperating fixing and wedging elements are made in one piece with each of the deflectors that make up the assembly and can therefore be made by an injection molding process.

[0024] The entire invention thus provides effective air-water separation despite the off-center positioning in the awning of the air conditioning unit's air intake, which exposes the grille to water infiltration from the pillar and the windshield bay seal. Thanks to the combination of the main deflector and the additional deflector, all water flows are thus perfectly channeled.

[0025] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from reading the description which follows, with reference to the appended figures, for which:

[0026] [Fig. 1] is a partial perspective view of a motor vehicle canopy with the air intake vent of an air conditioning system provided with an embodiment of the sealing assembly of the invention.

[0027] [Fig. 2] is a perspective view of a sealing assembly with a main deflector and an additional deflector according to the invention.

[0028] [Fig.3] is a detailed perspective view of the sealing assembly of Figure 2.

[0029] For clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs throughout the figures.

[0030] Naturally, the embodiments of the additional deflector and the sealing assembly of the invention, as schematically illustrated by the figures presented above and described below, are given only as non-limiting examples. It is explicitly provided within the scope of the invention that different embodiments can be proposed and combined together to propose others.

[0031] The invention relates to the field of protecting the air conditioning system of motor vehicles against infiltration or flow of water likely to penetrate through the air intake vents located in the vehicle's cowl below the level of the windshield. Indeed, the penetration of water, even in the form of droplets, into the air conditioning system would then cause damage or at least serious disruption to its operation.

[0032] In general and as illustrated in Figure 1, the insulation of the air inlet of the air conditioning system is ensured by a deflector 2 mounted above and around the front grille 3 mounted in front of the air inlet mouth. This deflector, hereinafter called the main deflector 1, has the function of channeling and evacuating the water which comes from the external environment of this grille. For this purpose, the main deflector 1 comprises an upper chute 11 recovering the water flows and directing them towards lateral chutes 12 which evacuate them by gravity.

[0033] In the environment of this grille 3, and here on its outer side, the structure of the vehicle generally carries a support member for a windscreen wiper (not shown) mounted on an inner lining of the front side wing. Traditionally, this deflector 1 is provided with at least one fixing element on the structure of the vehicle. Above this lateral zone of the cowl, is the windscreen bay pillar and its seal (not shown). Now these latter elements promotes the flow of significant water flows into the canopy in the immediate vicinity of the grid and on a corner part of the deflector 1 which is not suitable for channeling such flows.

[0034] Consequently, the invention provides means complementary to those used until now to perfect the channeling of water likely to flow laterally into the awning from the pillar or the windshield bay seal. The invention also aims, in a second aspect, to provide an improved sealing assembly adapted to allow its rapid and easy assembly and then its mounting on the structure of the vehicle.

[0035] These means consist of an additional deflector 2 comprising an inclined upper wall 21 and a lower wall 22 locally covering the upper chute 11 of the main deflector 1. The additional deflector 2 further comprises at least one fixing and wedging element and, where appropriate, as in the embodiment shown here, three fixing and wedging elements 20 intended to cooperate with complementary elements 10 carried by the main deflector 1 and which will be described in detail later.

[0036] The upper wall 21 of the additional deflector 2 is delimited on its external longitudinal edge and its lateral edges by projecting sides 23 preventing lateral overflow of the collected water, as illustrated in figure 2.

[0037] This wall 21 of the additional deflector 2 is inclined downwards between its outer longitudinal edge 2a and its inner edge 2b in the direction of the upper chute 11 of the main deflector 1, as illustrated by figures 1 and 2. This configuration allows a gravitational flow of the collected water towards the upper chute of the main deflector 1. Preferably, the inclined upper wall 21 has a flared U-shaped section delimiting a pouring spout 21a oriented towards the upper chute 11, as illustrated by figure 1 so as to accelerate the flow rate of the water.

[0038] The lower wall 22 is, for its part, provided with an inclined longitudinal rib 24 forming a drop breaker, as illustrated in figure 3. Similarly, as the wall upper 21, the lower wall 22 of the additional deflector 2 is inclined downwards between its outer longitudinal edge 2a and its inner edge 2b towards the main deflector 1. This configuration makes it possible to cause the water droplets to fall into the upper chute 11 of the main deflector 1.

[0039] In the embodiment shown in the figures, the fixing and wedging elements 20 of the additional deflector 2 of the invention are formed of transverse, substantially horizontal tabs, in which orifices 20a are provided. These orifices 20a are intended to receive lugs 10a carried by the walls of the upper chute 11 of the main deflector 1. The tabs 20 and their orifices 20a cooperate by snap-fastening or by riveting with the lugs 10a.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Additional deflector (2) intended to complete the channeling of water flows above an air inlet grille (3) of a motor vehicle air conditioning system by being mounted on a main deflector (1) comprising an upper chute (11) and lateral chutes (12) which at least partially surround said grille, characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, an inclined upper wall (21) and a lower wall (22) locally covering said upper chute (11) of the main deflector (1) and, on the other hand, at least one fixing and wedging element (20) intended to cooperate with a complementary element (10) carried by the main deflector (1).

2. Additional deflector according to claim 1, characterized in that said upper wall (21) is delimited on its external longitudinal edge and its lateral edges by projecting flanks (23). 3.Additional deflector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said lower wall (22) is provided with an inclined longitudinal rib (24) forming a drip breaker.

4. Additional deflector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said fixing and wedging element (20) is formed of a transverse tab in which is formed an orifice (20a) for receiving a lug (10a) carried by the upper chute (11) of the main deflector (1).

5. Additional deflector according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises three fixing and wedging lugs (20) cooperating by snap-fastening or by riveting with three lugs (10a) carried by the upper chute (11) of the main deflector (1). 6.Additional deflector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said upper (21) and lower (22) walls are inclined downwards between their outer (2a) and inner (2b) longitudinal edges in the direction of the upper chute (11) of the main deflector (1).

7. Additional deflector according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the inclined upper wall (21) has a flared U-shaped section delimiting a pouring spout (21a).

8. Sealing assembly for an air inlet of a motor vehicle air conditioning system comprising a main deflector (1) and an additional deflector (2) according to one of the preceding claims, mounted on said main deflector (1).

9. Method of mounting a sealing assembly according to the preceding claim, characterized in that prior to its mounting in a vehicle canopy, the additional deflector (2) is fixed on the main deflector (1) on the outer side intended to be positioned next to the grille (3) and under the pillars and windshield seal of the vehicle. 10.Motor vehicle equipped with an air conditioning system comprising an air inlet mouth closed by a grille (3) and a sealing assembly (1, 2) according to claim 8 for channeling water flows around said grille.

Images