Wind control device

Abstract

To provide a wind control device capable of generating fluctuating wind with a simple structure.SOLUTION: The wind control device 1 includes a movable blade 10 disposed in an air passage. The movable blade 10 has a blade-shaped cross section, and includes a body part 12 rotatably supported by the ventilation passage with a front edge 17 side facing the upstream side of the ventilation passage, and a bent part 13 bent in the thickness direction of the body part 12 at a rear edge 20 of the body part 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wind control device that includes movable blades disposed in an air passage. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, for example, air conditioning devices have been known that include a register device in which oscillating fins with wing-shaped cross sections are arranged rotatably within an air duct, and a coil spring is connected to the rear edge thereof, causing the oscillating fins to oscillate using lift generated in response to the pressure difference on the side of the oscillating fins due to the passage of air conditioning air through the air duct, and the expansion and contraction of the coil spring, thereby generating a fluctuating wind (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-187371 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the case of the above-mentioned register device, not only is the configuration complicated due to the use of a coil spring, but because the coil spring is located inside the air passage, further configuration is required to prevent the coil spring from obstructing the flow of air-conditioned air.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and has an object to provide a wind control device that can generate fluctuating wind with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A wind control device according to one aspect of the present invention is a wind control device comprising a movable blade arranged in an air passage, the movable blade having an airfoil-shaped cross section and a main body portion supported in the air passage so as to be freely rotatable with its leading edge facing the upstream side of the air passage, and a bent portion bent at the rear edge of the main body portion in the thickness direction of the main body portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, fluctuating wind can be generated with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the movable blades of the wind control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the movable blades of the wind control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] In Figures 1(a) and 1(b), reference numeral 1 denotes a wind control device. The wind control device 1, also known as a register, controls the conditioned air from an air conditioner or the like. Hereinafter, for clarity, the wind direction adjustment device 1 defines the upwind side, or the side that receives the wind, as the front side or rear side, and the opposite side, or the downwind side, or the side from which the wind blows out, as the rear side or front side. The two-way direction, or width direction, as viewed from the downstream side, and the up-down direction are defined. In this embodiment, the wind control device 1 is applied to an air conditioner for a vehicle, such as an automobile. The wind control device 1 may be disposed in any position, but in the drawings, the arrow FR side is the front side, the arrow RR side is the rear side, the arrow U side is the upper side, and the arrow D side is the lower side, and the normal direction to the paper surface is the left-right direction. These directions are merely illustrated as examples and may be changed as appropriate depending on the installation location and orientation of the wind control device 1.

[0011] The air conditioner includes a case body 3. The case body 3 is also called a duct. The case body 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, the case body 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape in the front-rear direction. In the example shown, the case body 3 is formed in a square cylindrical shape. An air passage 5 is enclosed inside the case body 3. The direction parallel to the central axis of the case body 3 is the ventilation direction of the air passage 5. In this embodiment, the ventilation direction of the air passage 5 is the front-rear direction, and air is ventilated from the front to the rear. That is, in the air passage 5, the front side is the upstream side in the ventilation direction, and the rear side is the downstream side in the ventilation direction.

[0012] The case body 3 has a predetermined length in the direction of air flow through the air passage 5. An inlet for receiving air, i.e., conditioned air, into the air passage 5 is formed at the front end of the case body 3, and an outlet 7 for discharging the conditioned air from the air passage 5 is formed at the rear end of the case body 3. An air passage 5 is formed between the inlet and the outlet 7 to communicate these. The conditioned air passes from the inlet to the outlet 7. The case body 3 may be formed as a single unit, or may be formed by combining multiple members.

[0013] Movable blades 10 of the wind control device 1 are rotatably arranged inside the case body 3, i.e., in the air passage 5. The movable blades 10 are also called fins, louvers, etc., and rotate relative to the case body 3 to cause fluctuations in the conditioned air blown out from the air outlet 7 in accordance with the rotation. In this embodiment, the movable blades 10 are positioned facing the air outlet 7. There may be one or more movable blades 10.

[0014] The movable blade 10 is integrally formed from, for example, a synthetic resin. The movable blade 10 has a main body portion 12 formed in a plate shape and a bent portion 13 connected to the main body portion 12.

[0015] The main body 12 has an airfoil-shaped cross section. The airfoil shape refers to a shape that generates lift through interaction with a fluid, which in this embodiment is the airflow in the air passage 5. For example, the shape may be asymmetrical with respect to a reference plane, thereby generating a pressure difference between the two sides in response to the airflow. The main body 12 has one main surface, a low-pressure side 15, which is a flow-straightening surface, and the other main surface, a high-pressure side 16, which is also a flow-straightening surface. The main body 12 is disposed within the air passage 5 with its leading edge 17 facing upstream, and has a pivoting portion 18 on the leading edge 17 side. The pivoting portion 18 is rotatably supported by a pivot support on the case body 3 side. In this embodiment, the pivoting portion 18 is disposed along the left-right direction, and the main body 12 is disposed within the air passage 5 with the low-pressure side 15 on the upper side and the high-pressure side 16 on the lower side, with the pivot axis aligned in the left-right direction. In other words, the movable vane 10 is configured to pivot vertically.

[0016] The main body 12 has a rounded leading edge 17 and a pointed trailing edge 20. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the main body 12 has the greatest curvature at the leading edge 17 and the smallest curvature at the trailing edge 20. The cross-sectional shape of the main body 12 bulges out more toward the low-pressure side 15 than toward the high-pressure side 16 with respect to the chord (a line segment passing through the rotation axis and connecting the leading edge 17 and the trailing edge 20). In the illustrated example, the low-pressure side 15 is convexly curved, and the high-pressure side 16 is flat or nearly flat. In this embodiment, the maximum thickness of the main body 12 is set to, for example, about 5 mm. The chord length of the main body 12, i.e., the length of the line segment between the leading edge 17 and the trailing edge 20, is set to about 55 mm, and the length from the rotation axis, which is the center line of the rotating part 18, to the trailing edge 20 is set to about 50 mm.

[0017] The bent portion 13 is also called a wind direction plate or the like. The bent portion 13 is connected to the trailing edge 20 of the main body portion 12. The bent portion 13 is bent in the thickness direction of the main body portion 12. The bent portion 13 is bent upward. That is, in this embodiment, the bent portion 13 is bent toward the low-pressure side 15 of the main body portion 12. The length of the bent portion 13 is shorter than the chord length of the main body portion 12. For example, the length of the bent portion 13 is set to about 10 mm. The bending angle of the bent portion 13 with respect to the chord of the main body portion 12 is a predetermined fixed angle, set to, for example, 30° to 70°.

[0018] When the wind control device 1 ventilates the conditioned air into the air passage 5 (indicated by arrow W), as shown in FIG. 1(a), a pressure difference occurs between the air flowing along the low-pressure side 15 and the high-pressure side 16 due to the shapes of the low-pressure side 15 and the high-pressure side 16 of the main body 12, generating an upward lift force F1 on the main body 12. Meanwhile, the conditioned air flows upward along the bent portion 13 after passing through the main body 12, generating a downward force F2 (>lift force F1). The difference between the downward force F2 and the lift force F1 causes the movable blade 10 to rotate downward. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the conditioned air basically hits the high-pressure side 16 against the movable blade 10 that has rotated downward, generating an upward force F3. The movable blade 10 then rotates upward, approaching a horizontal position. Therefore, by ventilating the air passage 5 (as shown by arrow W), the operations of Figure 1(a) and Figure 1(b) are repeated alternately, and the operation of the movable blades 10 causes fluctuations in the air-conditioned air blown out from the outlet 7.

[0019] In this way, by forming a bent portion 13 bent in the thickness direction of the main body 12 at the trailing edge 20 of the main body 12, which has an airfoil-shaped cross section, the movable vanes 10 rotate back and forth in response to the air flow in the air passage 5 without requiring a separate configuration in the air passage 5 or the like to operate the movable vanes 10, so that a fluctuating wind can be generated with a simple configuration. The fluctuating wind improves comfort. In addition, because the configuration is simple, the wind control device 1 can be made smaller. Furthermore, because there is no configuration that obstructs the air flow in the air passage 5, there is no reduction in air volume or efficiency.

[0020] The main body 12 is positioned in the air passage 5 with a rotation axis in the left-right direction, and the bent portion 13 is bent upward, so that the combination of the lift force F1 generated by the air passage and the downward force F2 generated by the bending of the bent portion 13 allows the movable wing 10 to easily rotate alternately up and down.

[0021] In this embodiment, the main body 12 is arranged in the air passage 5 with the low-pressure side 15 on top and the high-pressure side 16 on the bottom, so the force that rotates the main body 12 upward is relatively small because it is the difference between the lift force F1 generated by the airflow and the downward force F2 generated by the bending of the bending portion 13, and therefore the range of motion of the main body 12 is relatively small, making it possible to generate a fast, small amplitude in the fluctuating wind.

[0022] Furthermore, by fixing the rotation of the movable blades 10 at a predetermined rotation angle, it is also possible to adjust the amount of air passing through the air passage 5 according to the rotation angle.

[0023] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Note that the same components and functions as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0024] In this embodiment, the main body 12 is arranged in the air passage 5 with the low-pressure side 15 on the bottom and the high-pressure side 16 on the top, and the bent portion 13 of the movable wing 10 is bent upward relative to the main body 12, i.e., toward the high-pressure side 16.

[0025] When the wind control device 1 ventilates the conditioned air into the air passage 5 (indicated by arrow W), as shown in FIG. 2(a), a pressure difference occurs between the air flowing along the low-pressure side 15 and the high-pressure side 16 due to the shapes of the low-pressure side 15 and the high-pressure side 16 of the main body 12, generating a downward lift force F1 on the main body 12. Meanwhile, the conditioned air flows upward along the bent portion 13 after passing through the main body 12, generating a downward force F2 (>lift force F1). The sum of the downward force F2 and the lift force F1 causes the movable blade 10 to rotate downward. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the conditioned air basically hits the low-pressure side 15 of the movable blade 10, generating an upward force F3. The movable blade 10 then rotates upward, approaching a horizontal position. Therefore, by ventilating the air passage 5 (as indicated by arrow W), the operations of Figures 2(a) and 2(b) are repeated alternately, and the operation of the movable blades 10 causes fluctuations in the conditioned air blown out from the outlet 7.

[0026] In this way, by having a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment, such as forming a bent portion 13 bent in the thickness direction of the main body portion 12 at the trailing edge 20 of the main body portion 12, which has a wing-shaped cross section, the movable blades 10 rotate back and forth in response to the ventilation in the air passage 5 without having to provide a separate configuration in the air passage 5 or the like for operating the movable blades 10, so that it is possible to generate fluctuating wind with a simple configuration, and it is possible to achieve the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0027] In this embodiment, the main body 12 is arranged with the low-pressure side 15 on the bottom and the high-pressure side 16 on the top, so the force that rotates the main body 12 upward is relatively large because it is the sum of the lift force F1 generated by the ventilation and the downward force F2 generated by the bending of the bending portion 13, and therefore the range of motion of the main body 12 is relatively large, making it possible to generate a slow and large amplitude in the fluctuating wind.

[0028] In each embodiment, the axis of rotation of the main body 12 of the movable blade 10 may be in the vertical direction.

[0029] Furthermore, the wind control device 1 is not limited to being used in an air conditioning system for an automobile, but may be used for any other purpose. [Industrial Applicability]

[0030] The present invention can be suitably used as a wind control device for an air conditioning system of an automobile, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 Wind control device 5. Ventilation channel 10 Movable wings 12 Main body 13 Bend 15 Low pressure side 16 High-pressure side 17 leading edge 20 Trailing edge

Claims

1. A wind control device comprising a movable blade disposed in an air passage, The movable wing is a main body having an airfoil-shaped cross section and rotatably supported in the air passage with a leading edge side facing the upstream side of the air passage; a bent portion bent at a rear edge of the main body portion in the thickness direction of the main body portion; A wind control device characterized by:

2. The main body is disposed in the air passage with a rotation axis in the left-right direction, The bending portion is bent upwardly of the main body portion.

2. The wind control device according to claim 1.

3. The main body is arranged with the low-pressure side on top and the high-pressure side on the bottom.

3. The wind control device according to claim 2.

4. The main body is arranged with the low-pressure side on the bottom and the high-pressure side on the top.

3. The wind control device according to claim 2.

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