Structure and method for mounting register in ceiling blower

Abstract

To facilitate mounting work of a register to a roof head lining.SOLUTION: The ceiling blower is provided with a register 22 and a bracket 27. The register 22 is provided with a claw 24 protruding from the bezel to the rear surface 15b side of the roof head lining 15 through the blowout port 18 of the roof head lining 15. A hole 28 to which the claw 24 of the register 22 is hooked is formed in the bracket 27. The bracket 27 is disposed on the back surface 15b of the roof headlining 15. The bracket 27 is fixed to the register 22 together with the register 22 by sandwiching the roof head lining 15 between the bracket 27 and the bezel of the register 22 through the engagement of the pawl 24 of the register 22 with the hole 28.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a structure and method for mounting a register in a ceiling air blower. [Background technology]

[0002] In vehicles such as automobiles, in order to distribute the conditioned air blown out from the air conditioner evenly throughout the vehicle cabin, it is conceivable to install a ceiling fan inside the vehicle cabin, as shown in Patent Document 1. Taking into consideration that the conditioned air blown out from the air conditioner tends to be biased toward the front of the vehicle cabin, this ceiling fan is designed to distribute the air in the front of the vehicle cabin toward the rear of the vehicle cabin.

[0003] The ceiling blower is disposed between a roof panel and a roof headlining of a vehicle. The roof headlining is located closer to the interior of the vehicle than the roof panel. The roof headlining is formed with an intake port and an outlet port. The intake port is for the ceiling blower to draw air from the front of the vehicle interior. The outlet port is for blowing the air drawn by the ceiling blower to the rear of the vehicle interior.

[0004] The ceiling blower includes a duct for directing the drawn air toward the outlet. The duct is located between the roof panel and the roof headlining. The duct has a connection port that connects to the outlet in the roof headlining. The ceiling blower blows the air that has passed through the duct into the vehicle cabin through the outlet in the roof headlining. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-66242 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] A ceiling air blower device may include a register that adjusts the direction of air blown from the air outlet. Such a register can be attached to the air outlet of the roof headlining using a hot melt adhesive (hereinafter referred to as hot melt) or the like. However, when attaching the register to the air outlet of the roof headlining using a hot melt or the like, it is necessary to fix the register to the roof headlining with a crimping jig to cure the hot melt, or to ensure that the hot melt has time to cure. This makes the work of attaching the register to the roof headlining difficult.

[0007] Furthermore, when attaching a register to the roof headlining's air outlet with hot melt, the duct must be secured to the roof headlining in advance so that the duct connection port of the ceiling air blower does not shift from the roof headlining's air outlet during the installation work. It is also possible to secure the duct to the roof headlining using hot melt or other adhesives. However, when securing the duct to the roof headlining with hot melt, it is necessary to secure the duct to the roof headlining with a crimping jig to allow the hot melt to cure, and it is also necessary to ensure that the hot melt cures over a certain period of time. As a result, extra work is required to secure the duct to the roof headlining with hot melt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below. The ceiling air blower mounting structure for a register in a ceiling air blower that solves the above-mentioned problem is applied to a ceiling air blower that blows air into a vehicle cabin from an air outlet formed in the roof headlining of a vehicle. The ceiling air blower includes a register that adjusts the direction of air blowing from the air outlet and a bracket for attaching the register to the roof headlining. The register includes a bezel that is arranged on the surface of the roof headlining that faces the passenger compartment, and a claw that protrudes from the bezel to the back side of the roof headlining through the air outlet. Holes are formed in the bracket to engage with the claws of the register. The bracket is arranged on the back side of the roof headlining. The bracket is fixed to the roof headlining together with the register by sandwiching the roof headlining between the bracket and the bezel of the register through the claws of the register engaging with the holes.

[0009] According to the above configuration, the claws of the bezel of the register are hooked from the front side of the roof headlining through the air outlet into the holes of the bracket arranged on the back side of the roof headlining. As a result, the roof headlining is sandwiched between the bracket and the bezel of the register. This secures the register and bracket to the roof headlining. In this way, the register and bracket can be attached to the roof headlining simply by hooking the claws of the bezel of the register into the holes of the bracket. This facilitates the installation of the register to the roof headlining.

[0010] A method for attaching a register to a ceiling air blower that solves the above-mentioned problem is applied to a ceiling air blower that blows air into a vehicle cabin from an air outlet formed in a roof headlining of a vehicle. The ceiling air blower includes a register that adjusts the direction of air blown from the air outlet and a bracket for attaching the register to the roof headlining. A bezel of the register is placed on the surface of the roof headlining facing the passenger compartment, so that claws protruding from the bezel pass through the air outlet and into the back side of the roof headlining. A bracket is then placed on the back side of the roof headlining so that the claws of the register are hooked into holes formed in the bracket. This sandwiches the roof headlining between the bracket and the bezel of the register. The bracket and register are fixed to the roof headlining by sandwiching the roof headlining between the bracket and the bezel of the register in this way.

[0011] According to the above method, the claws of the bezel of the register are hooked from the front side of the roof headlining through the air outlet into the holes of the bracket arranged on the back side of the roof headlining. As a result, the roof headlining is sandwiched between the bracket and the bezel of the register. This secures the register and bracket to the roof headlining. In this way, the register and bracket can be attached to the roof headlining simply by hooking the claws of the bezel of the register into the holes of the bracket. This makes it easy to attach the register to the roof headlining. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle to which a ceiling air blower device is applied. [Figure 2] 2 is a plan view schematically showing the ceiling blower of FIG. 1 as viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the end of the connection port side of the duct of the ceiling air blower of FIG. 1 and its surroundings. FIG. [Figure 4]2 is a perspective view showing a register of the ceiling air blower of FIG. 1 as viewed obliquely from below. FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a perspective view showing the register of FIG. 4 as viewed from the rear side of the roof head lining. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a register, a bracket, and a duct in the ceiling blower of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a fastening structure between an end of a duct and a bracket in the ceiling air blower of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing how the barrel is attached to the bezel of the register of FIG. 6. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing how the register of FIG. 8 is attached to a roof head lining. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing how the register of FIG. 8 is attached to a roof head lining. [Figure 11] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing how a duct is attached to the register and bracket of FIG. 8. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the attached state of the duct in FIG. 11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a structure and method for attaching a register to a ceiling air blower will be described with reference to FIGS. An air conditioner 12 for conditioning the interior of a vehicle compartment 11 is disposed in the front of the vehicle shown in Fig. 1. The air conditioner 12 performs air conditioning, such as adjusting the temperature and humidity, in the interior of the vehicle compartment 11 by blowing conditioned air into the interior of the vehicle compartment 11 from a supply port 13 located in the front of the vehicle. A ceiling air blower 16 is disposed between a roof panel 14 and a roof headlining 15 in the interior of the vehicle compartment 11.

[0014] The roof headlining 15 is located closer to the interior of the vehicle compartment 11 than the roof panel 14. The roof headlining 15 is formed with an intake port 17 and an outlet port 18. The intake port 17 is used to draw air into the vehicle compartment 11 using the ceiling blower 16, and is located at the front of the vehicle compartment 11. The outlet port 18 is used to blow out the air drawn in by the ceiling blower 16 into the vehicle compartment 11, and is located at the rear of the intake port 17 in the vehicle compartment 11.

[0015] <Details of ceiling ventilation device 16> The ceiling blower 16 is intended to prevent uneven distribution of conditioned air within the vehicle compartment 11, the air being blown into the vehicle compartment 11 from the supply port 13 by the air conditioner 12. The ceiling blower 16 includes a fan 19 and a duct 20. The fan 19 draws air from the vehicle compartment 11 through an intake port 17 and then discharges the air into the duct 20. The duct 20 extends from the fan 19 toward the rear of the vehicle, i.e., toward the right in FIG. 1. A connection port 21 is formed at the rear end of the duct 20 for connection to the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15.

[0016] The duct 20 directs the air discharged from the fan 19 toward the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15. The air flowing through the duct 20 is blown out from the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15 into the vehicle compartment 11. As a result, the air flowing through the duct 20 is sent to a location different from the location corresponding to the air inlet 17 in the vehicle compartment 11, more specifically, to the rear of the vehicle compartment 11. As a result, the conditioned air blown out from the air conditioner 12 through the supply port 13 into the vehicle compartment 11 is prevented from being biased toward the front of the vehicle compartment 11.

[0017] <Structure around the connection port 21 of the duct 20 in the ceiling blower 16> 2 is a schematic diagram of the ceiling blower 16 as viewed from above. Duct 20 of ceiling blower 16 branches into two branches downstream of fan 19 in the width direction of the vehicle, i.e., on both sides in the vertical direction in FIG. 2. The above-mentioned connection ports 21 are formed at the downstream ends of the branched portions of duct 20. These connection ports 21 are connected to the air outlets 18 of roof headlining 15 shown in FIG. 1. The air outlets 18 are formed on both sides in the width direction of the vehicle within passenger compartment 11, i.e., on both sides in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1, so as to correspond to the connection ports 21 of duct 20.

[0018] 3 to 5 show an enlarged view of the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side and its surroundings. The ceiling blower 16 is equipped with a register 22 shown in Fig. 4. This register 22 is used to adjust the direction in which air is blown out from the air outlet 18.

[0019] The register 22 includes a bezel 23 that is disposed on the surface 15a of the roof headlining 15 that faces the passenger compartment 11. The bezel 23 is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15. The register 22 includes a plurality of claws 24 that protrude from the bezel 23 toward the rear surface 15b of the roof headlining 15, via the air outlet 18, as shown in FIG. 5. A cylindrical barrel 25 is disposed on the bezel 23 at a position corresponding to the air outlet 18 so as to be rotatable about its center line. The barrel 25 is formed with a number of fins 26 spaced apart in the direction of its center line. By appropriately rotating the barrel 25 about its center line, the blowing direction of the air blown out from the air outlet 18 into the passenger compartment 11 can be adjusted.

[0020] The ceiling air blower 16 includes a rectangular plate-shaped bracket 27. The bracket 27 is used to attach the register 22 to the roof headlining 15. The bracket 27 is disposed on the rear surface 15b of the roof headlining 15 so as to surround the air outlet 18. Holes 28 are formed in the bracket 27, into which the claws 24 of the register 22 are latched. When the claws 24 of the register 22 are not latched in the holes 28, the bracket 27 is able to move along the rear surface 15b of the roof headlining 15. When the claws 24 of the register 22 are latched in the holes 28, the bracket 27 is fixed to the roof headlining 15 together with the register 22 by sandwiching the roof headlining 15 between the bracket 27 and the bezel 23 of the register 22.

[0021] Fig. 6 shows a state in which the register 22 and the bracket 27 are attached to the roof headlining 15. As can be seen from Fig. 6, the bracket 27 is capable of fixing the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side, and this fixing connects the connection port 21 to the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15. A seal member 29 is arranged between the bracket 27 and the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side, for sealing between a portion of the bracket 27 surrounding the air outlet 18 and the end of the duct 20. As shown in Fig. 5, the seal member 29 is formed in an annular shape along the portion of the bracket 27 surrounding the air outlet 18.

[0022] At both longitudinal ends of the bracket 27, seats 30 are formed for fixing the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side to the bracket 27. A through hole 31 is formed in the seat 30. The end of the duct 20 is fixed to the bracket 27 using a clip 32 shown in FIG. 7. The clip 32 serves as a fastening member for fixing the end of the duct 20 to the bracket 27. A flange 33 is formed at the end of the duct 20. A through hole 34 is formed in the flange 33. When the clip 32 is passed through the through holes 31 and 34 with the flange 33 and the seat 30 overlapping, the clip 32 cannot be removed from the through holes 31 and 34. By fastening the flange 33 to the seat 30 with the clip 32 in this way, the end of the duct 20 is fixed to the bracket 27.

[0023] 3, the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side covers the portion of the bracket 27 that surrounds the air outlet 18, as well as the holes 28 and the tabs 24. Two of the holes 28 and the tabs 24 are provided at intervals on the side of the passage 20a in the duct 20 relative to the air outlet 18, and three are provided at intervals on the side of the air outlet 18 that is away from the passage 20a. Of the holes 28 and the tabs 24, those located closer to the passage 20a in the duct 20 are positioned away from the center line LC of the passage 20a when the center line LC of the passage 20a is extended toward the air outlet 18.

[0024] <Method of attaching the register 22 to the roof headlining 15> The duct 20 and register 22 of the ceiling blower 16 are attached to the roof headlining 15 before the roof headlining 15 is attached to the roof panel 14.

[0025] More specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, the register 22 is assembled by attaching the barrel 25 to the bezel 23. Then, as shown in Fig. 9, the bezel 23 is placed on the front surface 15a of the roof headlining 15, and the claws 24 protruding from the bezel 23 are passed through the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15 and onto the rear surface 15b of the roof headlining 15. At this time, the claws 24 are hooked onto the periphery of the air outlet 18 on the rear surface 15b of the roof headlining 15. This makes it difficult for the claws 24 to come out of the air outlet 18.

[0026] 10 , the bracket 27 is placed on the back surface 15b of the roof headlining 15 so that the claws 24 of the register 22 are hooked into the holes 28 of the bracket 27. As a result, the roof headlining 15 is sandwiched between the bracket 27 and the bezel 23 of the register 22. Then, by sandwiching the roof headlining 15 between the bracket 27 and the bezel 23 of the register 22, the bracket 27 and the register 22 are fixed to the roof headlining 15.

[0027] After the bracket 27 and the register 22 are fixed to the roof headlining 15, the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side is fixed to the bracket 27 as shown in Figures 11 and 12. More specifically, with a seal member 29 shown in Figure 5 arranged between the portion of the bracket 27 surrounding the air outlet 18 and the end of the duct 20, a flange 33 at the end of the duct 20 is placed on a seat 30 of the bracket 27. Thereafter, the flange 33 is fastened to the seat 30 by passing a clip 32 through the through holes 31, 34 of the flange 33 and the bracket 27. As a result, the end of the duct 20 is fixed to the bracket 27.

[0028] At this time, the portion of the bracket 27 surrounding the air outlet 18, the hole 28, and the claws 24 are covered by the end of the duct 20. Also, as shown in Fig. 6, a seal member 29 is sandwiched between the portion of the bracket 27 surrounding the air outlet 18 from its periphery and the end of the duct 20. Then, by fixing the upper end of the duct 20 to the bracket 27, the connection port 21 of the duct 20 is connected to the air outlet 18 of the roof head lining 15.

[0029] According to the present embodiment described above in detail, the following advantageous effects can be obtained. (1) The claws 24 of the bezel 23 of the register 22 are hooked onto the holes 28 of the bracket 27 arranged on the back surface 15b of the roof headlining 15 from the front surface 15a side of the roof headlining 15 via the air outlet 18. As a result, the roof headlining 15 is sandwiched between the bracket 27 and the bezel 23 of the register 22. This fixes the register 22 and the bracket 27 to the roof headlining 15. In this way, the register 22 and the bracket 27 can be attached to the roof headlining 15 simply by hooking the claws 24 of the bezel 23 of the register 22 into the holes 28 of the bracket 27. This facilitates the attachment of the register 22 to the roof headlining 15.

[0030] (2) The bracket 27, which is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the air outlet 18 on the rear surface 15b of the roof headlining 15, is capable of fixing the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side. By fixing the end of the duct 20 to the bracket 27, the connection port 21 of the duct 20 is connected to the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15, and the duct 20 is fixed to the roof headlining 15. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the duct 20 from being fixed to the roof headlining 15 in a state where the connection port 21 of the duct 20 and the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15 are misaligned.

[0031] (3) The bracket 27 is formed with a seat 30 used to fasten a clip 32 for fixing the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side to the bracket 27. Then, by fastening the clip 32 to the seat 30, more specifically by passing the clip 32 through the flange 33 and the through holes 31, 34 of the seat 30 and fastening it to the seat 30, the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side is fixed to the bracket 27. This allows the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side to be firmly fixed to the bracket 27.

[0032] (4) The end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side covers the portion of the bracket 27 surrounding the air outlet 18, the hole 28, and the claws 24 of the bezel 23 of the register 22. Of the holes 28 and the claws 24, those located closer to the passage 20a in the duct 20 are positioned away from the center line LC of the passage 20a when the center line LC of the passage 20a is extended toward the air outlet 18. Therefore, even if the claws 24 are located inside the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side, the claws 24 are less likely to obstruct the flow of air from the passage 20a of the duct 20 toward the air outlet 18 in the roof headlining 15.

[0033] (5) After the bracket 27 and the register 22 are fixed to the roof headlining 15, the flange 33 at the end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side is fixed to the bracket 27 by fastening the bracket 27 to the seat 30 with the clip 32. As a result, the connection port 21 of the duct 20 is connected to the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15. Therefore, the end of the duct 20 is easily fixed to the bracket 27 by fastening with the clip 32. Also, at this time, the connection port 21 of the duct 20 is connected to the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15, and the duct 20 is fixed to the roof headlining 15. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the duct 20 from being fixed to the roof headlining 15 in a state where the connection port 21 of the duct 20 and the air outlet 18 of the roof headlining 15 are misaligned. As a result, no extra work is required, as is the case when the duct 20 is fixed to the roof headlining 15 using hot melt or the like to prevent the misalignment.

[0034] The above embodiment can be modified as follows, for example: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility. The sealing member 29 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0035] The end of the duct 20 on the connection port 21 side does not necessarily have to be fixed to the bracket 27 by the clip 32. For example, the fixation may be performed by a screw or the like instead of the clip 32. In this case, the screw serves as a fastening member. Also, the fixation does not have to be performed by a fastening member, and may be performed by a hot melt or the like.

[0036] Of the holes 28 in the bracket 27 and the claws 24 in the register 22, those located closer to the passage 20a in the duct 20 do not necessarily have to be positioned away from the center line LC of the passage 20a when the center line LC of the passage 20a is extended toward the air outlet 18.

[0037] The number of holes 28 in the bracket 27 and the number of claws 24 in the register 22 may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 11...Vehicle compartment 12...Air conditioner 13...Supply port 14...Roof panel 15...Roof headlining 15a…Surface 15b…Back side 16...Ceiling ventilation device 17...Intake port 18…Air outlet 19...Fan 20...Duct 20a...passage 21...Connection port 22...Register 23...Bezel 24...Claws 25...barrel 26...Finn 27…Bracket 28…hole 29...Sealing member 30…za 31...Through hole 32...clip 33...Flange 34...Through hole

Claims

1. The present invention is applied to a ceiling air blower that blows air into a vehicle cabin from an air outlet formed in a roof headlining of a vehicle. the ceiling air blower device includes a register that adjusts the direction in which the air is blown out from the air outlet, and a bracket that attaches the register to the roof headlining, the register includes a bezel disposed on a surface of the roof headlining that faces the passenger compartment, and a claw that protrudes from the bezel to a rear surface of the roof headlining through the air outlet, The bracket is formed with holes into which the claws of the register are latched, The bracket is arranged on the back surface of the roof headlining, and is fixed to the roof headlining together with the register by sandwiching the roof headlining between the bracket and the bezel of the register through the hooking of the register's claws into the holes.

2. the ceiling air blower device includes a duct for circulating air blown into the vehicle interior, The duct is formed with a connection port for connecting to the air outlet of the roof headlining, The bracket is arranged to surround the air outlet of the roof headlining from its periphery, and is capable of fixing the end of the duct on the connection port side, and this fixing connects the connection port to the air outlet of the roof headlining.

3. 3. The ceiling air blower according to claim 2, wherein the bracket is formed with a seat for fastening a fastening member for fixing the end of the duct on the connection port side to the bracket.

4. an end portion of the duct on the connection port side covers a portion of the bracket surrounding the air outlet, the hole, and the claw; A register mounting structure in a ceiling air blower as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the holes and claws located closer to the passage in the duct are located away from the center line of the passage when the center line is extended toward the air outlet.

5. The present invention is applied to a ceiling air blower that blows air into a vehicle cabin from an air outlet formed in a roof headlining of a vehicle. the ceiling air blower device includes a register that adjusts the direction in which the air is blown out from the air outlet, and a bracket that attaches the register to the roof headlining, a bezel of the register is disposed on a surface of the roof headlining that faces the passenger compartment, and a claw protruding from the bezel passes through the air outlet and onto a rear surface of the roof headlining; The bracket is disposed on the rear surface of the roof headlining so that the claws of the register are engaged with the holes formed in the bracket, thereby sandwiching the roof headlining between the bracket and the bezel of the register; The method for attaching a register in a ceiling air blower includes fixing the bracket and the register to the roof headlining by sandwiching the roof headlining between the bracket and the bezel of the register.

6. the ceiling air blower device includes a duct for circulating air blown into the vehicle interior, The duct is formed with a connection port for connecting to the air outlet of the roof headlining, A method for installing a register in a ceiling air blower as described in claim 5, wherein after the bracket and the register are fixed to the roof headlining, the end of the duct on the connection port side is fixed to the bracket by fastening it to the bracket with a fastening member, thereby connecting the connection port to the air outlet of the roof headlining.

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