Wind direction control device

Abstract

To provide a wind direction control device which can inhibit operation resistance from increasing instantaneously to improve operability when a guide louver is rotationally operated.SOLUTION: A wind direction control device (1) of the invention includes: a case body (10); a first guide louver (20) rotatably disposed; a second guide louver (30) rotatably disposed at the upstream side of the first guide louver (20); and an operation knob (50) which is slidably attached to the first guide louver (20) and operated to rotate the second guide louver (30). The operation knob (50) includes: a knob body (51); an engagement part (52) extending from the knob body (51); and a knob spacer member (60, 90, 90a) which is fixed to the interior of the knob body (51) and placed in tight contact with an outer surface of the first guide louver (20). Each knob spacer member (60, 90, 90a) includes: a tight contact surface which tightly contacts with at least a part of the first guide louver (20); and at least one slit part having a shape that intersects with the tight contact surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wind direction control device having a guide louver that is rotatably disposed relative to a case body. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-42210 (Patent Document 1) describes a louver support member (fin support member) that is applied to a wind direction control device for an automobile. The wind direction control device is attached to an interior member such as an instrument panel, and controls the direction of air blown into the vehicle cabin.

[0003] The louver support member described in Patent Document 1 is attached to the air outlet of a wind direction control device. A plurality of guide louvers are arranged at the air outlet. Each guide louver has a cylindrical rotating shaft formed at both ends, and one rotating shaft of the guide louver is inserted into a through-hole provided in the louver support member and supported for free rotation.

[0004] The louver support member in Patent Document 1 is made of an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer with a predetermined shear hardness. This creates a large number of fine irregularities on the louver support surface of the louver support member. Patent Document 1 explains that by using such a louver support member, no load change occurs at the peak of the operating load when the guide louvers are rotated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-42210 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the case of a wind direction control device equipped with a louver support member as described in Patent Document 1, when the guide louver is rotated, as described above, no load change occurs at the peak of the operating load, so a stable rotational load is obtained and a smooth operating torque can be generated.

[0007] However, if the guide louvers are held at their stopped angle without being rotated for a long period of time, they tend to adhere tightly to the louver support members. As a result, when a driver or other person manually rotates the guide louvers, the operating resistance (feeling of weight when operating) increases momentarily, giving the driver a feeling of being caught in the operation or making the rotation of the guide louvers unstable, resulting in a decrease in the operability of the guide louvers.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a wind direction control device that can suppress the momentary increase in operating resistance when rotating the guide louver, thereby improving its operability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wind direction control device having a case body that allows air to circulate inside, at least one first guide louver rotatably arranged with respect to the case body, at least one second guide louver rotatably arranged upstream of the first guide louver with respect to the case body, and an operation knob that is slidably attached to the first guide louver and is operated to rotate the second guide louver, wherein the operation knob has a knob main body portion attached to the first guide louver, an engagement portion that extends from the knob main body toward the upstream side and engages with the second guide louver, and an elastically deformable knob spacer member that is fixed within the knob main body and is brought into close contact with the outer surface of the first guide louver, the knob spacer member is held in a state in which a rear end or a rear end face of the knob spacer member is in contact with a front end of the first guide louver, The knob spacer member is Front endThe device has a contact surface that contacts at least a part of the device and at least one slit portion that has a shape that intersects with the contact surface. The knob spacer member has a gap portion that is provided rearward from the front end surface of the knob spacer member and that, together with the slit portion, promotes elastic deformation of the portion that abuts against the first guide louver when the operation knob is operated, or has a groove portion that is provided rearward from the front end surface of the spacer main body of the knob spacer member and that, together with the slit portion, promotes elastic deformation of the rear end portion of the spacer main body when the operation knob is operated. It is characterized by:

[0010] In this case, it is preferable that the slit portion is formed by a gap or a groove portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the operation knob. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the air direction control device of the present invention, when the guide louver is rotated, the operation resistance can be suppressed from increasing instantaneously, thereby improving the operability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a wind direction control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which the horizontal louvers and the shaft spacer members of the airflow direction control device shown in FIG. 1 are disassembled. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is an enlarged schematic view showing a horizontal louver and an operation knob of the airflow direction control device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a knob spacer member before it is attached to a knob body of the operation knob. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a shaft spacer member according to a first modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a shaft spacer member when attached to the airflow direction control device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a shaft spacer member according to a second modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a perspective view schematically showing a shaft spacer member according to a third modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a shaft spacer member according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a knob spacer member according to a first modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a knob spacer member before being attached to an operation knob. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a perspective view schematically showing a knob spacer member according to a second modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the examples described below, and various modifications are possible as long as they have substantially the same configuration as the present invention and provide similar operational effects. For example, the overall shape, design, size, etc. of the wind direction control device are not particularly limited, and can be modified depending on the installation location of the device, the type and design of the vehicle in which it is installed, etc. [Example]

[0014] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a wind direction control device according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a horizontal louver and an axis spacer member of the wind direction control device in an exploded state. Fig. 3 is a schematic enlarged view showing an operating knob of the wind direction control device.

[0015] 1 is installed in an interior member such as an instrument panel or a center console arranged in the passenger compartment of an automobile. By connecting this air direction control device 1 to an air conditioner (not shown) or the like provided in the automobile, it is possible to blow air supplied from the air conditioner into the passenger compartment through an air outlet (opening) formed in the interior member.

[0016] Here, with respect to the air direction control device 1, the front-to-rear direction refers to the direction along which air is blown out from the air direction control device 1 when the horizontal louvers 20 and vertical louvers 30, which will be described later, are held in a neutral center position. The front-to-rear direction can also be rephrased as the air circulation direction of the air direction control device 1. In this case, the downstream side of the air flow is the front, and the upstream side of the air flow is the rear. The neutral center position of the horizontal louvers 20 (or the vertical louvers 30) refers to the position where the horizontal louvers 20 (or the vertical louvers 30) are held so that the top and bottom surfaces of the horizontal louvers 20 (or the left and right side surfaces of the vertical louvers 30) are aligned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0017] The up-down direction and the left-right direction are the vertical direction (height direction) and horizontal direction (width direction) when viewing the air direction control device 1 from the air outlet side. In this case, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are each perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are also perpendicular to each other.

[0018] The wind direction control device 1 of this embodiment has a case body 10 that circulates air inside, a plurality of horizontal louvers (front guide louvers) 20 rotatably arranged as first guide louvers at the front end of the case body 10, and a plurality of vertical louvers (rear guide louvers) 30 rotatably arranged as second guide louvers at a position rearward (upstream) of the horizontal louvers 20. In this embodiment, three horizontal louvers 20 and three vertical louvers 30 are attached to the wind direction control device 1. Note that in the present invention, there is no particular limitation on the number of horizontal louvers 20 and the number of vertical louvers 30 to be installed.

[0019] The wind direction control device 1 also has a horizontal link member 29 that connects the multiple horizontal louvers 20, a pair of left and right axial spacer members (first spacer members) 40 that rotatably hold the multiple horizontal louvers 20 and are attached to the case body 10, a vertical link member (not shown) that connects the multiple vertical louvers 30, and an operating knob 50 that is operated when rotating the vertical louvers 30.

[0020] The case body 10 of this embodiment is formed in the shape of a rectangular tube with a cross section perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction being approximately rectangular. An air flow path is formed in the case body 10 along the front-to-rear direction, which allows air supplied from the air conditioning unit to flow forward. The case body 10 has a case main body 11 with a cross section perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction having a constant shape, and a front end frame portion (spacer mounting portion) 12 formed integrally with the front end of the case main body 11.

[0021] The case body 10 has a case main body 11 having an upper wall, a lower wall, and left and right side walls. The upper and lower wall portions of the case main body 11 are provided with a plurality of engagement holes 13 that rotatably hold the vertical louvers 30 and penetrate the upper and lower wall portions in the vertical direction.

[0022] The front end frame portion 12 of the case body 10 is formed with a larger left-right dimension than the case main body portion 11 via a step. The front end frame portion 12 has an upper wall portion, a lower wall portion, and left and right side wall portions. The upper and lower wall portions of the front end frame portion 12 are arranged so that the outer and inner surfaces of the upper and lower wall portions form a continuous surface with the outer and inner surfaces of the upper and lower wall portions of the case main body 11 without any step. Each of the left and right side wall portions of the front end frame portion 12 has fitting recesses 14 recessed from the front edge of the left and right side wall portions toward the rear, into which a portion of the shaft spacer member 40 is fitted and held. In this embodiment, each of the left and right side wall portions has three fitting recesses 14 provided at equal intervals in the vertical direction.

[0023] The horizontal louvers 20 in this embodiment are arranged along the left-right direction and are arranged so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction relative to the case body 10. In this embodiment, the horizontal louvers 20 have upper horizontal louvers 21, middle horizontal louvers 22, and lower horizontal louvers 23, which are arranged spaced apart from one another in the up-down direction. The upper horizontal louvers 21 and lower horizontal louvers 23 are also arranged spaced apart in the up-down direction from the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion of the case body 10, respectively. The upper horizontal louvers 21, middle horizontal louvers 22, and lower horizontal louvers 23 are connected via horizontal link members 29 so as to maintain a parallel positional relationship with one another and so that their respective rotational movements are linked.

[0024] Each horizontal louver 20 has a thin plate-shaped horizontal louver main body 25, a pair of left and right rotation shafts 26 that protrude outward in the left-right direction from the left and right side ends of the horizontal louver main body 25, and a connecting pin (not shown) that is connected to a horizontal link member 29. In this case, the outer surfaces of the front and rear ends of the horizontal louver main body 25 are formed into arc-shaped curved surfaces that bulge outward. In addition, a mounting recess 27 for mounting an operation knob 50 is provided at the rear end of the horizontal louver main body 25 of the middle horizontal louver 22 so as to be recessed forward. When mounted on the middle horizontal louver 22, the operation knob 50 can move left and right within the range in which the mounting recess 27 of the middle horizontal louver 22 is formed.

[0025] The vertical louvers 30 of this embodiment are arranged along the up-down direction and are pivotally supported on the case body 10 so as to be rotatable in the left-right direction. The vertical louvers 30 also have a left vertical louver 31, a central vertical louver 32, and a right vertical louver 33 that are arranged spaced apart from one another in the left-right direction. The left vertical louvers 31, the central vertical louvers 32, and the right vertical louvers 33 are connected via vertical link members (not shown) so that they maintain a parallel positional relationship with one another and so that their respective rotational movements are linked.

[0026] Each vertical louver 30 has a thin plate-shaped vertical louver main body 35, a pair of upper and lower rotation shafts (not shown) protruding from the upper and lower ends of the vertical louver main body 35, and a connecting pin (not shown) connected to the vertical link member. The rotation shafts provided on each vertical louver 30 are inserted into engagement holes 13 provided on the upper and lower wall portions of the case body 10 and are rotatably held. The central vertical louver 32 has a central recess 36 provided in the vertical center of the vertical louver main body 35 so as to be recessed from the front end edge toward the rear, and an engagement shaft 37 spanning the central recess 36 in the vertical direction or approximately in the vertical direction.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the left and right axial spacer members 40 are formed to be symmetrical to each other. The axial spacer members 40 are made of a soft synthetic resin with elasticity, such as an elastomer, and are elastically deformable. Each axial spacer member 40 has four vertical wall portions 41 arranged along the vertical direction and three louver holder portions 42 that connect two vertically adjacent vertical wall portions 41 and are curved in a roughly U-shape.

[0028] The four vertical wall portions 41 are arranged in a straight line. Each U-shaped louver holding portion 42 is a portion of the shaft spacer member 40 that rotatably holds the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20. Each louver holding portion 42 has upper and lower clamping portions 42a that clamp the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 from above and below, and a curved portion 42b that connects the upper and lower clamping portions 42a. The louver holding portion 42 is formed so as to be elastically deformable between a state in which the upper and lower clamping portions 42a are in contact with or close to each other (the state shown in FIG. 1) and a state in which they are spaced apart enough to allow the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 to be inserted (the state shown in FIG. 2). Furthermore, in each louver holding portion 42, the upper and lower clamping portions 42a are recessed on their opposing inner circumferential surfaces, extending in the left-right direction, to form a receiving groove 42c that can receive the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20.

[0029] Here, a method for rotatably attaching the three horizontal louvers 20 to the case body 10 using the left and right shaft spacer members 40 will be described. First, as shown in Figure 2, the left and right shaft spacer members 40 are held in a state in which the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portions 42 are spaced apart. Next, the rotating shaft portions 26 of each horizontal louver 20 are inserted between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the corresponding louver holding portions 42 of the left and right shaft spacer members 40. At this time, it is preferable to insert the rotating shaft portions 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 into the receiving groove portions 42c of the louver holding portions 42.

[0030] After inserting the rotation shaft 26 of each horizontal louver 20 into the corresponding louver holding portion 42 of the axial spacer member 40, the axial spacer member 40 is elastically deformed in the vertical direction so that the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portion 42 come into contact with or are close to each other. This elastic deformation causes each rotation shaft 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 to be sandwiched between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the corresponding louver holding portion 42, and at least a portion of the rotation shaft 26 is accommodated in the accommodation grooves 42c provided in the upper and lower clamping portions 42a. This allows the rotation shaft 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 to be rotatably held by the corresponding louver holding portion 42. At this time, the louver holding portion 42 holding the rotation shaft 26 of the horizontal louver 20 is held in a vertically collapsed state (with the upper and lower clamping portions 42a in contact with or close to each other).

[0031] Next, the left and right axial spacer members 40, which hold the rotation shaft portions 26 of the horizontal louvers 20, are attached to the front end frame portion 12 of the case body 10. Specifically, the vertical wall portions 41 of the axial spacer members 40 are inserted inside the front end frame portion 12 of the case body 10 so as to follow the left and right side wall portions of the front end frame portion 12, and the louver holding portions 42, which hold the rotation shaft portions 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 and are collapsed in the vertical direction, are fitted into the corresponding fitting recesses 14 provided in the front end frame portion 12 of the case body 10. Note that the work of fitting the louver holding portions 42 of the axial spacer members 40 into the fitting recesses 14 of the case body 10 may be performed simultaneously for a total of six louver holding portions 42 provided on the left and right axial spacer members 40, or may be performed sequentially for one or more louver holding portions 42 at a time.

[0032] As described above, the six louver holders 42, which hold the rotation shafts 26 of the horizontal louvers 20, are fitted into the corresponding fitting recesses 14 of the case body 10, thereby attaching the left and right shaft spacer members 40 to the case body 10. At the same time, the three horizontal louvers 20 are rotatably held in the case body 10 via the left and right shaft spacer members 40.

[0033] When the horizontal louvers 20 are rotatably held in the case body 10, each louver holding portion 42 of the axial spacer member 40 has a contact surface that comes into close contact with the circumferential surface of the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louvers 20, and a slit portion 45 formed between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portion 42. In this case, the contact surface that comes into close contact with the rotation shaft portion 26 of the louver holding portion 42 is formed by the inner surface of the accommodating groove portion 42c provided in the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portion 42.

[0034] The slits 45 of the louver holding portions 42 are formed perpendicular to the vertical direction by a slit or gap that is provided between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a when the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portions 42 come into contact with or are close to each other. Therefore, the slits 45 of the louver holding portions 42 are formed along the radial direction of the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 (or along the direction normal to the rotation direction of the rotation shaft portion 26) so as to intersect with the contact surface that is in close contact with the rotation shaft portion 26 of the louver holding portions 42.

[0035] Here, the slit portion 45 intersecting the contact surface of the louver holding portion 42 means that, for example, a slit or gap between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a that form the slit portion 45 is formed and extends to the position of the contact surface. The slit means a portion where the louver holding portion 42 is interrupted by overlapping surfaces such as the inner circumferential surfaces of the louver holding portion 42, and this slit includes, for example, the boundary portion (boundary surface) between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a where no gap is formed as in this embodiment.

[0036] As described above, the slits 45 of the louver holding portions 42 are formed in a shape that intersects with the contact surface that comes into close contact with the rotation shafts 26 of the louver holding portions 42. This promotes elastic deformation of the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portions 42 (particularly the portions of the clamping portions 42a near the slits 45) when the rotation shafts 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 rotate between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portions 42, thereby making it easier for air to enter between the rotation shafts 26 and the upper and lower clamping portions 42a, which are in close contact with each other. As a result, for example, even if the rotation shafts 26 are in tight contact with the upper and lower clamping portions 42a and are difficult to move (i.e., stuck together) when rotating the horizontal louvers 20, this state can be easily released, making it possible for the rotation shafts 26 to rotate smoothly.

[0037] In the air direction control device 1 of this embodiment, the operation knob 50 used to operate the vertical louvers 30 is attached to the middle horizontal louvers 22 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction. As shown in Figure 3, the operation knob 50 has a knob main body 51, a vertical louver engagement part 52 extending rearward from the knob main body 51, and a knob spacer member (second spacer member) 60 fixed inside the knob main body 51.

[0038] The knob body 51 of the operation knob 50 is formed to cover at least the upper surface of the middle horizontal louvers 22, the front end, and the mounting recesses 27 provided at the rear end. The vertical louver engagement portion 52 has a pair of left and right engagement arms 52a extending rearward from the rear end of the knob body 51. A space is provided between the left and right engagement arms 52a. The vertical louver engagement portion 52 engages with the central vertical louver 32 by accommodating the engagement shafts 37 of the central vertical louver 32 in the space of the vertical louver engagement portion 52.

[0039] In this way, because the vertical louver engagement portion 52 of the operating knob 50 is engaged with the central vertical louver 32, when the operating knob 50 is slid left or right, the central vertical louver 32 and the left vertical louvers 31 and right vertical louvers 33, which are connected to the central vertical louver 32 by vertical link members not shown, can be rotated left or right together in accordance with the movement of the operating knob 50.

[0040] The knob spacer member 60 is held (fixed) at a predetermined position inside the knob main body 51. A part of the knob spacer member 60 (a contact portion 63 described below) is in close contact with the middle horizontal louver 22. The knob spacer member 60 is made of a soft synthetic resin with elasticity, such as an elastomer, and is elastically deformable.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4 before being attached to the knob main body 51, the knob spacer member 60 has left and right side plate portions 61, five lateral wall portions 62 arranged in the left-right direction between the left and right side plate portions 61, and four abutment portions (contact portions) 63 that connect two adjacent lateral wall portions 62 on the left and right and are curved in an approximately U-shape.

[0042] The left and right side plate portions 61 are arranged parallel to each other. Furthermore, a horizontal wall portion 62 is connected to the front end portion of the side plate portion 61. The five horizontal wall portions 62 are arranged so as to be aligned in a straight line between the left and right side plate portions 61. The abutment portion 63 of the knob spacer member 60 comes into close contact with the middle horizontal louver 22, thereby generating an appropriate operating resistance when the operating knob 50 is slid left and right.

[0043] 4 is attached to the knob main body 51 by being held at a predetermined position within the knob main body 51 in a state in which the knob spacer member 60 is compressed in the left-right direction so as to reduce the distance between the left and right side plate portions 61. In the knob spacer member 60 attached to the knob main body 51, each of the approximately U-shaped abutment portions 63 is held in a deformed state so as to reduce the spacing between the lateral wall portions 62.

[0044] Furthermore, when the operation knob 50 having the knob spacer member 60 is slidably attached to the middle horizontal louvers 22, the knob spacer member 60 is held within the operation knob 50 with the rear ends of the abutting portions 63 abutting (closely contacting) the front ends of the middle horizontal louvers 22. In this case, the knob spacer member 60 has a contact surface where each abutting portion 63 is in close contact with the middle horizontal louvers 22, slit portions 65 provided adjacent to each abutting portion 63 in the left-right direction, and gap portions 66 formed between the horizontal wall portions 62 along the up-down direction.

[0045] In this case, the slit portion 65 of the knob spacer member 60 is formed by a gap that is provided between two adjacent abutment portions 63 in the left-right direction and opens toward the rear. In other words, the slit portion 65 of the knob spacer member 60 is formed to extend to the position of the contact surfaces so as to intersect with the contact surfaces of the four abutment portions 63 lined up in the left-right direction.

[0046] Furthermore, in this knob spacer member 60, gap portions 66 are provided between each side wall portion 62 along the vertical direction, making it easier to elastically deform the abutment portions 63, which are provided to sandwich each gap portion 66, in the left-right direction.

[0047] The knob spacer member 60 is provided with the above-mentioned slit portions 65 and gap portions 66, which promotes elastic deformation of each abutment portion 63 (particularly the portion of the abutment portion 63 close to the slit portions 65) when the operation knob 50 slides left and right along the middle horizontal louvers 22, thereby making it easier for air to enter between the abutment portions 63 and the front ends of the middle horizontal louvers 22, which are in close contact with each other. As a result, for example, when sliding the operation knob 50, even if the abutment portions 63 are in tight contact with the middle horizontal louvers 22 and are difficult to move (i.e., stuck), this state can be easily released, making it possible to slide the operation knob 50 smoothly.

[0048] As described above, in the wind direction control device 1 of this embodiment, when the horizontal louvers 20 are rotated up and down, even if the horizontal louvers 20 are held at their stopped angle for a long period of time without being rotated, causing the horizontal louvers 20 to be in tight contact with the left and right shaft spacer members 40, as described above, when the horizontal louvers 20 start to rotate, air can easily enter between the rotation shafts 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 and the shaft spacer members 40. As a result, the horizontal louvers 20 can be rotated smoothly up and down, which makes it less likely that problems such as a feeling of catching in operation, as occurs in conventional wind direction control devices, or problems such as unstable rotation of the horizontal louvers 20, will occur, improving the operability of the horizontal louvers 20.

[0049] Furthermore, when rotating the vertical louvers 30 left and right using the operation knob 50, just as in the case of the horizontal louvers 20, even if the vertical louvers 30 have not been rotated for a long period of time and the knob spacer member 60 of the operation knob 50 is in tight contact with the middle horizontal louvers 22, as described above, when operation of the operation knob 50 begins, air can be made to easily enter between the knob spacer member 60 and the middle horizontal louvers 22. As a result, the vertical louvers 30 can be rotated smoothly left and right, making it less likely that problems such as a feeling of catching when operating or problems such as unstable rotation of the vertical louvers 30 will occur, thereby improving the operability of the vertical louvers 30.

[0050] In the present invention, the axial spacer member that holds the rotation shaft portion of the horizontal louvers is not limited to the form of axial spacer member 40 of the above-described embodiment, and may be formed in various forms other than those of the embodiment as long as it has a contact surface that comes into close contact with at least a portion of the rotation shaft portion of the horizontal louvers and a slit portion that has a shape that intersects with the contact surface, as shown in Figures 5 to 9, for example. Below, modified examples of the axial spacer member are specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0051] 5 and 6 show a shaft spacer member 70 according to a first modified example. The shaft spacer member 70 according to this first modified example is made of a soft synthetic resin having elasticity, such as an elastomer. The shaft spacer member 70 according to the first modified example has a pair of vertical wall portions 71 arranged along the up-down direction, an upper hinge portion 72 connecting the upper ends of the two vertical wall portions 71, and locking portions 73 provided at the lower ends of the two vertical wall portions 71.

[0052] In this case, the locking portion 73 has a hook portion 73a provided at the lower end of one vertical wall portion 71 and a protrusion portion 73b provided at the lower end of the other vertical wall portion 71 and on which the hook portion 73a is hooked. Note that in the present invention, the structure of the locking portion 73 is not particularly limited. Furthermore, three accommodation grooves 74 are recessed into the inner side edges of each vertical wall portion 71 facing each other, to accommodate and rotatably hold the rotation shaft portions 26 of the horizontal louvers 20.

[0053] When combining two axial spacer members 70 of the first modified example and attaching them to the case body of the airflow direction control device, first, the rotation shafts 26 of the three horizontal louvers 20 are inserted between a pair of spaced-apart vertical wall portions 71 of the axial spacer member 70 and held in the positions of the corresponding storage grooves 74. Next, the two vertical wall portions 71 are closed so that they come into contact or are close to each other as shown in FIG. 6, and the hook portions 73a of the locking portions 73 are engaged with the protrusions 73b to lock them. This causes the rotation shafts 26 of the three horizontal louvers 20 to be rotatably held by the axial spacer member 70.

[0054] After the left and right rotating shaft portions 26 of the three horizontal louvers 20 are rotatably held by the left and right axial spacer members 70, the left and right axial spacer members 70 are attached to the front frame portion of the case body. In this case, although not shown, the axial spacer members 70 can be easily attached to the case body by, for example, providing a fitting recess in the upper wall portion of the front frame portion of the case body into which the upper hinge portion 72 of the axial spacer member 70 is fitted and held, and providing a fitting recess in the lower wall portion of the front frame portion into which the locking portion 73 of the axial spacer member 70 is fitted and held. This allows the three horizontal louvers 20 to be rotatably held in the case body via the left and right axial spacer members 70. Note that in the present invention, the method and means for attaching the axial spacer member 70 to the front frame portion of the case body are not particularly limited.

[0055] In this case, the axial spacer member 70 has a contact surface (the inner surface of the accommodation groove portion 74) that comes into close contact with the circumferential surface of the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20, and a slit portion 75 (a cut or gap) formed between the two vertical wall portions 71 of the axial spacer member 70. The slit portion 75 is also formed along the vertical direction so as to intersect with the contact surface of the vertical wall portion 71 that comes into close contact with the rotation shaft portion 26.

[0056] In the air direction control device formed using the axial spacer member 70 of this first modified example, when the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 rotates between a pair of vertical wall portions 71 of the left and right axial spacer members 70, elastic deformation of the vertical wall portions 71 is promoted, making it easier for air to enter between the rotation shaft portion 26 and the vertical wall portions 71, which are in close contact with each other. As a result, even if, for example, the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 is tightly attached to the axial spacer member 70 and is difficult to move, it is possible to make it easier to rotate the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 smoothly, as in the case of the axial spacer member 40 of the above-described embodiment. Therefore, the operability of the horizontal louver 20 can be improved.

[0057] The shaft spacer member 70a according to the second modified example shown in Fig. 7 has a pair of vertical wall portions 71 arranged along the up-down direction, an upper hinge portion 72 connecting the upper ends of the two vertical wall portions 71, and a lower hinge portion 76 connecting the lower ends of the two vertical wall portions 71. The shaft spacer member 70a according to the second modified example is provided with a lower hinge portion 76 instead of the locking portion 73 of the shaft spacer member 70 according to the first modified example, but the portions other than the lower hinge portion 76 are formed substantially similarly to the shaft spacer member 70 according to the first modified example.

[0058] The shaft spacer member 70b according to the third modified example shown in Fig. 8 has a pair of vertical wall portions 71 arranged along the up-down direction. The shaft spacer member 70b of this third modified example is formed in a shape in which the upper hinge portion 72 and the locking portion 73 are removed from the shaft spacer member 70 of the first modified example.

[0059] In the wind direction control device formed using the axial spacer members 70a, 70b of the second and third modified examples described above, the operability of the horizontal louvers 20 can be improved, as in the case of the above-mentioned embodiment and first modified example.

[0060] 9 has a vertical wall portion 81 arranged along the vertical direction. This vertical wall portion 81 is provided with a vertical groove portion 82 arranged along the vertical direction and three accommodation holes 83 that accommodate and rotatably hold the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20.

[0061] The vertical groove 82 is provided over the entire vertical direction of the vertical wall 81. Moreover, the vertical groove 82 is formed as a V-shaped groove whose cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction has a constant, generally V-shape over the entire vertical direction of the vertical wall 81. The vertical wall 81 can be bent in the direction of opening and closing the vertical groove 82 by using the portion where the thickness is reduced by the vertical groove 82 as a hinge.

[0062] In the wind direction control device formed using the axial spacer member 80 of this fourth modified example, the horizontal louvers 20 are also rotatably held by the axial spacer member 80. In this case, the axial spacer member 80 has a contact surface (the inner surface of the accommodating hole 83) that is in close contact with the circumferential surface of the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louvers 20, and a V-shaped vertical groove portion 82 that serves as a slit portion formed between two vertical wall portions 81 of the axial spacer member 80. The slit portion (V-shaped vertical groove portion 82) is also formed in the up-down direction so as to intersect with the contact surface of the accommodating hole 83. Therefore, in the wind direction control device formed using the axial spacer member 80 of the fourth modified example, the operability of the horizontal louvers 20 can be improved, as in the case of the above-described embodiment.

[0063] Furthermore, in the present invention, the form of the knob spacer member that is installed on the operation knob 50 and brought into close contact with the horizontal louvers 20 is not limited to the knob spacer member 60 of the above-described embodiment. In the present invention, instead of the knob spacer member 60 of the embodiment, it is also possible to use, for example, the knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example shown in Figures 10 and 11, or the knob spacer member 90a of the second modified example shown in Figure 12.

[0064] Here, FIG. 10 is a perspective view that schematically shows the knob spacer member 90 when attached to the operation knob 50, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view that schematically shows the knob spacer member 90 before being attached to the operation knob 50. The knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example has a spacer main body 91, two slit portions 92 formed forward from the rear end surface of the spacer main body 91, and two V-shaped groove portions 93 recessed in an approximately V shape from the front end surface of the spacer main body 91 toward the rear.

[0065] In the knob spacer member 90 attached to the operation knob 50, the spacer main body 91 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this case, the six surfaces of the spacer main body 91 facing the front-rear, left-right, and top-bottom directions are formed flat except for the portions where the slit portion 92 and the V-shaped groove portion 93 are formed. The slit portion 92 is formed in the shape of a thin groove.

[0066] Furthermore, the knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example can be bent so that the left and right side ends of the spacer main body 91 are positioned forward of the widthwise central portion of the spacer main body 91 by using the portions where the dimensions in the front-to-rear direction are reduced by the slit portions 92 and V-shaped groove portions 93 as hinges (see Figure 11).

[0067] The knob spacer member 90 of this first modified example is held by the operation knob 50 in the state shown in Fig. 10. Furthermore, the operation knob 50 to which the knob spacer member 90 is attached is slidably attached to the middle horizontal louver 22. Therefore, in the air direction control device formed using the knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example, the knob spacer member 90 is held inside the operation knob 50 with the rear end face of the spacer main body 91 abutting against the front end of the middle horizontal louver 22.

[0068] In this case, the knob spacer member 90 has a contact surface where the spacer main body portion 91 is in close contact with the middle horizontal louver 22, two slit portions 92 arranged to intersect with the rear end surface of the spacer main body portion 91, and a V-shaped groove portion 93 opening into the front end surface of the spacer main body portion 91.

[0069] The knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example is provided with the slit portion 92 and V-shaped groove portion 93, which promotes elastic deformation of the rear end portion of the spacer main body 91 (particularly the portion close to the slit portion 92) when the operation knob 50 slides left and right along the middle horizontal louvers 22, thereby making it easier for air to enter between the spacer main body 91 and the middle horizontal louvers 22, which are in close contact with each other. As a result, for example, even when the spacer main body 91 is tightly in contact with the middle horizontal louvers 22 and is difficult to move when sliding the operation knob 50, the operation knob 50 can be easily slid smoothly, as in the case of the knob spacer member 60 of the above-described embodiment. This improves the operability of the vertical louvers 30.

[0070] 12 has a spacer main body 91a, two slits 92 formed forward from the rear end face of the spacer main body 91a, and two V-grooves 93 recessed in a generally V shape from the front end face of the spacer main body 91a toward the rear. The knob spacer member 90a of the second modification differs from the knob spacer member 90 of the first modification in the shape of the spacer main body 91a, but is otherwise formed substantially similarly to the knob spacer member 90 of the first modification.

[0071] In the knob spacer member 90a of the second modified example attached to the operation knob 50, the spacer main body 91a has five flat surfaces facing forward, left and right, upward, and downward, except for the portions where the slit portion 92 and the V-shaped groove portion 93 are formed. Two protrusions 94 that protrude rearward are provided at the rear end of the spacer main body 91a. Each protrusion 94 has a mountain-like shape whose thickness (dimension in the up-down direction) gradually decreases toward the rear. The two protrusions 94 are also arranged parallel to each other in the left-right direction.

[0072] In a wind direction control device formed using the knob spacer member 90a of this second modified example, the operability of the vertical louvers 30 can be improved, as in the case of the knob spacer members 60 and 90 of the above-described embodiment and the first modified example. Furthermore, when the knob spacer member 90a of the second modified example is used, the contact area between the knob spacer member 90a and the front end of the middle horizontal louver 22 is reduced, thereby reducing the operating resistance when sliding the operating knob 50 left and right. Therefore, by using the knob spacer member 90a of the second modified example, the operating knob 50 can be operated more smoothly than with the knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example.

[0073] Furthermore, in the wind direction control device 1 of the above-described embodiment, the horizontal louvers 20 are arranged in front of the vertical louvers 30, and the operation knob 50 for controlling the rotation of the vertical louvers 30 is attached to the front horizontal louvers 20. However, in the present invention, the wind direction control device may be formed so that the vertical louvers are arranged in front of the horizontal louvers, and the operation knob for controlling the rotation of the horizontal louvers is attached to the front vertical louvers so as to be slidable in the up and down direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 Wind direction control device 10 Case body 11 Case body 12 Front end frame part (spacer mounting part) 13 Engagement hole 14 Insertion recess 20 Horizontal louvers (front guide louvers) 21 Upper horizontal louver 22 Middle horizontal louver 23 Lower horizontal louver 25 Horizontal louver body 26 Rotating shaft 27 Mounting recess 29 Horizontal link member 30 Vertical louvers (rear guide louvers) 31 Left side vertical louver 32 Central vertical louver 33 Right side vertical louver 35 Vertical louver body 36 Central recess 37 Engagement shaft part 40 shaft spacer member (first spacer member) 41 Vertical wall section 42 Louver holder 42a Clamping part 42b Curved section 42c Receiving groove 45 Slit section 50 Operation knob 51 Knob body 52 Vertical louver engagement part 52a Engagement arm portion 60 Knob spacer member (second spacer member) 61 Side plate part 62 Side wall 63 Contact part (close contact part) 65 Slit section 66 Gap section 70 Shaft spacer member 70a, 70b Shaft spacer member 71 Vertical wall section 72 Upper hinge part 73 Locking part 73a Hook part 73b Protrusion 74 Receiving groove 75 Slit section 76 Lower hinge part 80 Shaft spacer member 81 Vertical wall section 82 Vertical groove 83 Receiving hole 90,90a Knob spacer member 91, 91a Spacer body 92 Slit section 93 V-shaped groove 94 Protrusion

Claims

1. A wind direction control device having a case body that allows air to circulate inside, at least one first guide louver rotatably arranged with respect to the case body, at least one second guide louver rotatably arranged upstream of the first guide louver with respect to the case body, and an operation knob that is slidably attached to the first guide louver and is operated to rotate the second guide louver, the operation knob has a knob body attached to the first guide louver, an engagement portion extending from the knob body toward the upstream side and engaging with the second guide louver, and an elastically deformable knob spacer member fixed within the knob body and brought into close contact with the outer surface of the first guide louver, the knob spacer member is held in a state in which a rear end or a rear end face of the knob spacer member is in contact with a front end of the first guide louver, the knob spacer member has a contact surface that contacts at least a part of the front end portion of the first guide louver, and at least one slit portion having a shape that intersects with the contact surface; The knob spacer member has a gap portion that is provided rearward from the front end surface of the knob spacer member and that, together with the slit portion, promotes elastic deformation of the portion that abuts against the first guide louver when the operation knob is operated, or has a groove portion that is provided rearward from the front end surface of the spacer main body of the knob spacer member and that, together with the slit portion, promotes elastic deformation of the rear end portion of the spacer main body when the operation knob is operated. A wind direction control device characterized by:

2. The slit portion is a gap extending in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the operation knob.

2. The wind direction control device according to claim 1, wherein the wind direction control device is formed by a groove.

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