Air conditioning outlet device

Abstract

To provide an air blowout port device for an air-conditioner equipped with an operation knob with a good assembling property.SOLUTION: An air blowout port device (10) for an air-conditioner is equipped with a fin (31) that can adjust a wind direction, a platy member (42) that is located on the downstream side of the fin (31) and extends in a direction orthogonal to the fin (31), and an operation knob (50) that can adjust an orientation of the fin (31) by sliding with respect to the platy member (42). The operation knob (50) has an elastic member (60) that contacts with a projecting portion (47) of the platy member (42) to elastically deform. The operation knob (50) includes a locking member (70) that is locked by the elastic member (60) with elastic force, and an assembling member (52) that is assembled to the locking member (70).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air-conditioning outlet device capable of adjusting the airflow direction by an operation knob. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Vehicles such as passenger cars are provided with air-conditioning outlet devices capable of blowing air into the vehicle compartment. The air conditioning air outlet device disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a housing that also serves as an air outlet, vertical fins (fins) that can adjust the direction of airflow by swinging around an axis supported by the housing, and horizontal fins (plate-shaped members) that are positioned downstream of the vertical fins in the airflow direction and extend in the left-right direction.

[0003] The horizontal fins are equipped with an operating knob that can adjust the orientation of the vertical fins by sliding it relative to the horizontal fins. The operating knob has a leaf spring (elastic member) inside. When the passenger slides the operating knob left or right, the leaf spring comes into contact with a fin protrusion formed on the upstream end face of the horizontal fin and bends, creating a feeling of operation of the operating knob. Once the leaf spring overcomes the fin protrusion, it is held in that position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-062770 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The operation knob has two divided members that are split vertically (in the thickness direction of the horizontal fins) as its main components. The two divided members are assembled to each other so as to sandwich the horizontal fins. Furthermore, the leaf spring is sandwiched between the two divided members and fixed inside the operation knob. In other words, the process of assembling the operation knob requires the work of sandwiching the horizontal fins and the leaf spring between the two divided members. It is necessary to sandwich the horizontal fins between the divided members while paying attention to the position of the leaf spring and to prevent the leaf spring from falling, and therefore an improvement is required in the ease of assembly of the operation knob.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner outlet device having an operation knob that is easy to assemble. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] First, fins that can adjust the direction of the wind by swinging around an axis, a plate-like member located downstream of the fins with respect to the flow direction of the airflow adjusted by the fins and extending in a direction perpendicular to the fins; an operation knob that can adjust the orientation of the fin by sliding it relative to the plate-like member, the plate-like member has a protruding portion protruding toward the upstream side from an upstream end surface facing the upstream side, In the air-conditioning outlet device, the operation knob has an elastic member that is elastically deformable in contact with the protruding portion of the plate-like member, The operating knob includes a locking member that is locked by the elastic member through elastic force, and an assembly member that is assembled to the locking member, in the air-conditioning outlet device.

[0008] Secondly, preferably, in the air conditioning air outlet device according to the first aspect, the elastic member has a plate-shaped main body extending in a direction in which the operation knob slides, and locking portions extending from both ends of the main body toward the upstream side and locking to the locking member, The locking member has a support portion that supports an end surface of the elastic member, The support portion has two restricting portions that contact the opposite ends of the main body portion and restrict the movement of the elastic member.

[0009] Thirdly, preferably, in the air conditioning air outlet device according to the second aspect, The support portion extends downstream of the restricting portion and has a slide surface along which the end face of the elastic member can slide when the elastic member is attached to the locking member.

[0010] Fourthly, preferably, in the air conditioning air outlet device according to the second aspect, The restricting portion has a holding portion capable of clamping the main body portion together with the supporting portion.

[0011] Fifthly, preferably, the air-conditioning air outlet device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the locking member includes a housing portion that houses the locking portion of the elastic member, When viewed from a direction along the axis of the fin, the elastic member housed in the housing is exposed. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The present invention can provide an air conditioner outlet device equipped with an operation knob that is easy to assemble. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an air-conditioning outlet device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the air-conditioning outlet device shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] Fig. 3A is an exploded perspective view of an operation knob that can be assembled to a fin, and Fig. 3B is an enlarged view of a portion surrounded by line 3B in Fig. 3A. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the area surrounded by the line 5 in FIG. 4. [Figure 6]11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating the assembly of an elastic member to a locking member. [Figure 7] 13 is a bottom view of the locking member to which the elastic member is attached. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] <Example> The embodiments will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Le indicates left, Ri indicates right, Up indicates top, and Dn indicates bottom. The up-down and left-right directions are used to explain the directions, and do not limit the direction in which the air conditioner outlet device is attached to the vehicle. Furthermore, Us indicates upstream, and Ds indicates downstream. Upstream and downstream are based on the direction of air flow adjusted by fins, which will be described later.

[0015] Please refer to Fig. 1. The air-conditioning air outlet device 10 is attached to, for example, a dashboard located in front of the occupants of a passenger vehicle. The occupant can adjust the air outlet direction left / right or up / down by moving the operation knob 50 left / right or up / down. Alternatively, the occupant can operate the operation knob 50 to block the air being blown into the vehicle compartment (room) Vi.

[0016] Please refer to Fig. 2. The air conditioning air outlet device 10 includes a housing 20 formed into a rectangular frame shape, a vertical fin unit 30 having both upper and lower ends supported by the housing 20, a horizontal fin unit 40 located downstream of the vertical fin unit 30 and having both left and right ends supported by the housing 20, and an operation knob 50 for operating the vertical fin unit 30 and the horizontal fin unit 40.

[0017] The housing 20 is a resin member having a generally rectangular cylindrical shape. The downstream end of the housing 20 also serves as an air outlet 21 for blowing air into the vehicle interior Vi. The housing 20 includes vertical fin support portions 22 formed on the top and bottom for supporting both ends of the vertical fin unit 30, and horizontal fin support portions 23 formed on the left and right for supporting both ends of the horizontal fin unit 40.

[0018] (fins, shaft) The vertical fin unit 30 includes four vertical fins 31 (fins) that have shafts 31a each rotatably supported by the vertical fin support parts 22 and can swing left and right, and a vertical fin link 32 that connects the four vertical fins 31 and swings the four vertical fins 31 left and right simultaneously. One of the four vertical fins 31 (the second vertical fin 31 from the left in FIG. 2) is integrally formed with a pinion gear part 33 that rotates when the operation knob 50 is moved left and right.

[0019] The horizontal fin unit 40 includes left and right fin support members 41, 41 fixed to the left and right horizontal fin support parts 23, respectively, five plate-like horizontal fins 42 (plate-like members) whose both ends are supported by these fin support members 41, 41 and which can swing up and down, and a horizontal fin link 43 which connects these five horizontal fins 42 and swings the five horizontal fins 42 up and down simultaneously. Note that the horizontal fins 42 may be plate-like members that cannot swing.

[0020] (Operation knob) 3, the operation knob 50 includes an elastically deformable leaf spring 60 (elastic member), an upstream member 70 (locking member) that can lock the leaf spring 60 by its elastic force and is located on the upstream side of the horizontal fins 42, a downstream member 52 (attachment member) that can be assembled to the upstream member 70 from the downstream side, and a lid 59 that can close an opening 52a on the downstream side of the downstream member 52. The lid 59 may be omitted, in which case the shape can be simplified by closing the opening with the downstream member 52 and further reducing the amount of protrusion of the operation knob 50 toward the vehicle cabin.

[0021] (Upstream end of fin) Please refer to Figures 3A and 5. The horizontal fin 42 has an upstream end surface 45 facing the upstream side. A recess 46 is formed in the center in the left-right direction of the upstream end surface 45. The recess 46 has a fin protrusion 47 (a protrusion of a plate-shaped member) that protrudes toward the upstream side.

[0022] (Leaf spring) The leaf spring 60 has a plate-shaped main body 61 extending in the left-right direction, two arms 64, 64 extending linearly downstream from both ends 63, 63 in the left-right direction (the sliding direction of the operation knob 60) of the main body 61, and two locking portions 65, 65 provided at the tip of each arm 64 and capable of being locked to the upstream member 70. The locking portions 65 are bent so as to protrude outward (in a direction away from the center in the left-right direction).

[0023] The main body 61 has a spring protrusion 62 (a protrusion of an elastic member) bent so as to protrude downstream. When the operation knob 50 (see FIG. 1) is moved left and right, the spring protrusion 62 bends as it passes over the fin protrusion 47. The spring protrusion 62 returns to its original shape after passing over the fin protrusion 47, and the position of the leaf spring 60 can be maintained by the spring protrusion 62 and the fin protrusion 47.

[0024] (Support part, Regulating part) 3A. The upstream member 70 includes a plate-shaped base 72 having a support portion 71 that supports the lower end surface 60a (end surface) of the leaf spring 60. The support portion 71 may be formed of a rib or the like, and may support the leaf spring 60 in a contactable manner. The support portion 71 of the base 72 has two restriction portions 73, 73 that extend upward from the support portion 71 and restrict the movement of the leaf spring 60.

[0025] 3 and 5. Each of the restricting portions 73 has an upstream restricting surface 74 that restricts the end portion 63 of the main body portion 61 from the upstream side, a lateral restricting surface 75 that faces outward and restricts the arm portion 64 from the side, and an upper restricting surface 76 (holding portion) that restricts the upper end surface 60b of the end portion 63 of the main body portion 61 from above. The upper restricting surface 76, together with the support portion 71, sandwiches the end portion 63 of the main body portion 61.

[0026] Furthermore, the support portion 71 of the base portion 72 has, on the outer side of the side restriction surface 75, a locking portion slide surface 77 on which the locking portion 65 of the leaf spring 60 can slide.

[0027] (Assembly of leaf springs) A method of assembling the leaf spring 60 to the upstream member 70 will be described with reference to Figures 6A and 6B. The arm portion 64 is slid upstream relative to the lateral restriction surface 75, and the locking portion 65 is slid upstream relative to the locking portion slide surface 77. The locking portion slide surface 77 bends inward (towards the center in the left-right direction) as it moves upstream. The locking portion 65 is pushed by the locking portion slide surface 77 and bends as it moves upstream.

[0028] 6B and 6C, when the top 77a of the locking portion slide surface 77 is overcome, the bent locking portion 65 returns to its original shape and is locked. This completes the assembly of the leaf spring 60 to the upstream member 70.

[0029] (Storage section) Please refer to Figures 3A and 6C. A storage section 80 that stores the locking portion 65 is provided above the support portion 71 of the base 72. The storage section 80 has a substantially U-shaped side wall portion 81 that surrounds the locking portion 65 except for the downstream side. The side wall portion 81 has an outer wall portion 83 located on the outside of the locking portion 65, an inner wall portion 84 located on the inside of the locking portion 65, and a back wall portion 85 located on the upstream side of the locking portion 65. Furthermore, the storage section 80 has an upper wall portion 82 (see Figure 3B) that covers the locking portion 65 from above.

[0030] (Exposed locking part) 7 shows the upstream member 70 with the leaf spring 60 locked, viewed from the opposite side of the support portion 71 (see FIG. 5). When the upstream member 70 is viewed from below upward, the locking portion 65 stored in the storage portion 80 is exposed. In other words, the bottom of the storage portion 80 is formed by the base portion 72, and the base portion 72 has a bottom exposure hole 72a formed therein such that the entire bottom of the storage portion 80 is open.

[0031] It is sufficient that the locking portion 65 is exposed when viewed from a direction along the axis 31a of the vertical fin (when viewed in the up-down direction). For example, instead of the lower exposure hole 72a, an upper exposure hole (not shown) may be formed such that the entire upper wall portion 82 (see FIG. 3B) of the storage portion 80 is open. Furthermore, both the lower exposure hole 72a and the upper exposure hole may be formed. The cross-sectional shape of the storage portion 80 can be changed as appropriate.

[0032] (Other configurations of the upstream member) 3A, the upstream member 70 has two plate-shaped horizontal fin clamping portions 91, 91 that can clamp the downstream end portion 48 of the horizontal fin 42 with a gap therebetween together with the base portion 72, a gear portion 92 that can mesh with the pinion gear 33 of the vertical fin 31, and two contact surfaces 93, 93 that can come into contact with the upstream end surface 45 of the horizontal fin 42.

[0033] (Downstream member 52) The downstream member 52 has a cylindrical shape with a substantially rectangular cross section. The downstream member 52 has cutout portions 53, 53 (only the right cutout portion 53 is shown) that are cut out so that the horizontal fin 42 can be sandwiched therein. The downstream member 52 has upper fitting holes 54 into which upper protrusions 95 provided on each sandwiching portion 91 can be fitted, and lower fitting holes 55 into which lower protrusions 96 provided on the base 72 can be fitted. Note that the downstream member 52 is a single member, but may be composed of multiple members.

[0034] (First effect) Please refer to Fig. 4. The air-conditioning air outlet device 10 includes vertical fins 31 (fins) capable of adjusting the airflow direction by swinging around an axis 31a, horizontal fins 42 (plate-shaped members) positioned downstream of the vertical fins 31 with respect to the airflow direction adjusted by the vertical fins 31 and extending in a direction perpendicular to the vertical fins 31, and an operation knob 50 capable of adjusting the orientation of the vertical fins 31 by sliding relative to the horizontal fins 42.

[0035] The horizontal fins 42 have fin protrusions 47 that protrude upstream from an upstream end face 45 facing the upstream side. The operation knob 50 has a leaf spring 60 (elastic member) that is in contact with the fin protrusions 47 and is elastically deformable. The deformation of the leaf spring 60 creates a feeling of operation of the operation knob 50. The operation knob 50 includes an upstream member 70 (locking member) to which the leaf spring 60 is locked by its elastic force, and a downstream member 52 (attachment member) that is assembled to the upstream member 70.

[0036] The operation knob of the prior art was composed of two divided parts, an upper part and a lower part, and these divided parts sandwiched the leaf spring. When the leaf spring was sandwiched, there was a risk that the leaf spring would fall off. The divided parts needed to be adjusted, which was time-consuming. In addition, since it was sandwiched by ribs, the position and wobble had to be adjusted, so as the precision was increased, the gap in the front-to-rear direction became smaller, which reduced the ease of assembly.

[0037] In the embodiment, the operation knob 50 includes an upstream member 70 (locking member) to which the leaf spring 60 is locked, and a downstream member 52 (attachment member) assembled to the upstream member 70. That is, since the leaf spring 60 itself is locked to the upstream member 70, no other components or fixing parts are required when fixing the leaf spring 60 to the upstream member 70. Furthermore, since the leaf spring 60 is locked to the upstream member 70, the leaf spring 60 does not come off the upstream member 70 when the downstream member 52 is assembled to the upstream member 70. An air-conditioning outlet device 10 including an operation knob 50 with good assembly properties can be provided. Furthermore, even if the rattle of the operation knob 50 is adjusted, the assembly properties are not hindered.

[0038] Note that "the leaf spring 60 is engaged by an elastic force" means that the leaf spring 60 is bent when the leaf spring 60 is attached to the upstream member 70 (see Figs. 6A to 6C), and it does not matter whether the leaf spring 60 is bent or not when the leaf spring 60 is engaged (Fig. 6C). Furthermore, the operation knob 50 is divided into an upstream side and a downstream side, but the direction in which the leaf spring 60 is divided does not matter. The operation knob 50 is composed of at least two members, and it is sufficient that the leaf spring 60 is engaged by an elastic force with respect to one of those members.

[0039] (Second Effect) 3 and 5. The leaf spring 60 has a plate-shaped main body portion 61 extending in the direction in which the upstream member 70 slides (left-right direction), and locking portions 65, 65 extending upstream from both ends 63, 63 of the main body portion 61 and locking with the locking member 70. The upstream member 70 has a support portion 71 supporting a lower end surface 60a of the leaf spring 60. The support portion 71 has two restricting portions 73, 73 that contact both ends 63, 63 of the main body portion 61 to restrict movement of the leaf spring 60.

[0040] By using the leaf spring 60 with both ends bent as the elastic member and providing the upstream member 70 with a restricting portion 73 that restricts the movement of the leaf spring 60, the leaf spring 60 can be easily engaged with the upstream member 70.

[0041] (Third Effect) 3A and 5. The support portion 71 extends downstream of the restricting portion 73 and has a slide surface 71a along which the lower end surface 60a of the leaf spring 60 can slide when the leaf spring 60 is assembled to the upstream member 70. The leaf spring 60 can be easily assembled to the upstream member 70 by simply placing the leaf spring 60 on the slide surface 71a and pushing the leaf spring 60 toward the restricting portion 73.

[0042] (Fourth Effect) Please refer to Fig. 3B. The restricting portion 73 faces the support portion 71 and has an upper restricting surface 76 (holding portion) capable of clamping the main body portion 61. The restricting portion 73 restricts the movement of the leaf spring 60 on the support portion 71. Furthermore, by providing the upper restricting surface 76, the upward movement of the leaf spring 60 can also be restricted. In addition, since the main body portion 61 can be supported at both ends, it is possible to suppress the main body portion 61 from shifting or tipping (up and down rotation) when a load is applied to the main body portion 61.

[0043] (Fifth Effect) Please refer to Fig. 7. The leaf spring 60 has a storage section 80 that stores the locking portion 65 of the leaf spring 60. When viewed from below to above (in the direction along the axis 31a of the vertical fin 31), the locking portion 65 of the leaf spring 60 stored in the storage section 80 is exposed. The assembly of the leaf spring 60 to the upstream member 70 can be visually confirmed.

[0044] As long as the functions and effects of the present invention are achieved, the present invention is not limited to the examples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10…Air conditioning outlet device 31...Vertical fin (fin) 31a…Vertical fin axis 42...Horizontal fin (plate-shaped member) 45...Upstream end surface of horizontal fin (plate-shaped member) 47…Fin protrusion (protrusion) 50…Operation knob 52...Downstream member (assembly member) 60...Leaf spring (elastic member) 60a...Lower end surface of leaf spring (end surface of elastic member) 61...Main body of leaf spring (elastic member) 65...Lap spring (elastic member) locking portion 70...Upstream member (locking member) 71...Support part 71a...Slide surface 73…Regulation Department 76...Upper regulating surface (holding part) 80…Storage section

Claims

1. The fins can adjust the direction of the wind by swinging around an axis. a plate-like member located downstream of the fins with respect to the flow direction of the airflow adjusted by the fins and extending in a direction perpendicular to the fins; an operation knob that can adjust the orientation of the fin by sliding it relative to the plate-like member, the plate-like member has a protruding portion protruding toward the upstream side from an upstream end surface facing the upstream side, In the air-conditioning outlet device, the operation knob has an elastic member that is elastically deformable in contact with the protruding portion of the plate-like member, The operation knob includes a locking member that is locked by the elastic member through a restoring force, and an assembly member that is assembled to the locking member.

2. The elastic member has a plate-shaped main body portion extending in a direction in which the operation knob slides, and a locking portion extending upstream from both ends of the main body portion and locking to the locking member, The air-conditioning outlet device according to claim 1 , wherein a restoring force of the elastic member acts on each of the engagement portions in a direction in which the engagement portions move away from each other.

3. The engaging member has a support portion supporting an end face of the elastic member, The air-conditioning outlet device according to claim 2 , wherein the support portion has two restricting portions that contact the both ends of the main body portion to restrict movement of the elastic member.

4. The air-conditioning outlet device according to claim 3 , wherein the support portion extends downstream of the restricting portion and has a slide surface along which the end face of the elastic member can slide when the elastic member is attached to the locking member.

5. The air-conditioning outlet device according to claim 3 , wherein the restricting portion has a holding portion capable of clamping the main body portion together with the supporting portion.

6. the locking member includes a housing portion that houses the locking portion of the elastic member, The air-conditioning outlet device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the elastic member stored in the storage section is exposed when viewed from a direction along the axis of the fin.

7. A fin that can adjust the wind direction by swinging around an axis; a plate-like member located downstream of the fins with respect to the flow direction of the airflow adjusted by the fins and extending in a direction perpendicular to the fins; an operation knob that can adjust the orientation of the fin by sliding it relative to the plate-like member, the plate-like member has a protruding portion protruding toward the upstream side from an upstream end surface facing the upstream side, In the air-conditioning outlet device, the operation knob has an elastic member that is elastically deformable in contact with the protruding portion of the plate-like member, the operation knob includes a locking member to which the elastic member is elastically locked, and an assembly member assembled to the locking member, the elastic member has a plate-shaped main body extending in a direction in which the operation knob slides, and locking portions extending from both ends of the main body toward the upstream side and locking to the locking member, The locking member has a support portion that supports an end surface of the elastic member, The support portion has two restricting portions that contact both ends of the main body portion and restrict the movement of the elastic member. the locking member includes a housing portion that houses the locking portion of the elastic member, the elastic member stored in the storage portion is exposed when viewed from a direction along the axis of the fin.

8. An air conditioning outlet device as described in Claim 7, wherein the support portion extends downstream of the regulating portion and has a sliding surface along which the end face of the elastic member can slide when the elastic member is assembled to the engaging member.

9. An air conditioning outlet device as described in Claim 7, wherein the regulating portion has a holding portion capable of clamping the main body portion together with the support portion.

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