Active air flap

Abstract

The present invention relates to an active air flap for controlling the flow rate or inflow of cooling air introduced into a vehicle heat exchanger. More specifically, the present invention relates to an external active air flap for blocking airflow caused by the oncoming wind during driving when the door of the AAF is closed and reducing rattle noise.

Description

Active air flaps

[0001] The present invention relates to an active air flap that controls the flow rate or whether cooling air is introduced into a vehicle heat exchanger, and more specifically, to an external active air flap that prevents air flow due to driving wind when an AAF door is closed and improves rattle noise.

[0002]

[0003] Typically, the engine room of a vehicle is equipped with various heat exchangers such as radiators, intercoolers, evaporators, and condensers to cool each component within the vehicle, such as the engine, or to control the temperature of the air inside the vehicle. These heat exchangers generally have a heat exchange medium circulating inside them, and cooling or heat dissipation is achieved by exchanging heat between the heat exchange medium inside the heat exchanger and the air outside the heat exchanger. Therefore, in order for the various heat exchangers inside the engine room of a vehicle to operate stably, it is natural that outside air must be smoothly supplied into the engine room. Hereinafter, heat exchangers equipped for cooling vehicle components or the vehicle interior as described above are collectively referred to as heat exchangers.

[0004] Meanwhile, in recent automobile development, there is a growing tendency to reduce the number of parts and processes in order to improve productivity. As a means of improving productivity, a technology has been proposed that assembles multiple parts individually to form a complex and assembles them on an assembly line, that is, modularization. A representative example of this is a front-end module that is modularized by assembling a bumper including a heat exchanger, headlamp, and bumper beam stay.

[0005]

[0006] Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a typical vehicle front-end module, and Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of a conventional active air flap.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a front end module, and the front end module is modularized by centering a carrier (10) including a front panel (11) and support panels (12) extending at a predetermined angle from both ends of the front panel (11), a heat exchanger (30) is mounted on the rear of the front panel (11) of the carrier (10), a headlamp (not shown) is mounted on a headlamp mounting portion (12a) formed on the support panel (12) of the carrier (10), and a bumper (20) is mounted on the front of the carrier (10).

[0008] The heat exchanger (30) is modularized into a cooling module including the heat exchanger (30) and is placed at the rear of the front panel (11). It can be formed in various ways depending on the design, but is briefly illustrated in the drawing.

[0009] The front-end module for a vehicle having the above configuration has an opening (21) formed on the bumper (20) side for air intake to smoothly introduce outside air into the heat exchanger (30) provided on the inside of the carrier (10). The opening (21) may be formed in a form in which a simple hole is formed as shown, or may be formed in a form in which a net or grill-shaped structure is additionally provided on the opening (21) to prevent foreign substances from entering the opening (21).

[0010] When the vehicle is driven, outside air is quickly drawn in through the opening (21), and thus, smooth heat exchange can be achieved in the heat exchanger (30) provided inside the carrier (10).

[0011] Meanwhile, when the vehicle is initially started, it is advantageous for the vehicle's aerodynamics and fuel efficiency to be improved by quickly heating the engine to an appropriate temperature for smooth operation. However, if outside air is introduced through the opening (21) during the above process, it prevents the engine from being heated to the appropriate temperature, and thus does not help improve the vehicle's aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

[0012] Additionally, when the vehicle is driven at high speed, the air flow entering the opening (21) also becomes very fast, resulting in significantly increased air resistance. As air resistance increases as the vehicle's driving speed increases, the vehicle engine must generate more energy, resulting in poor fuel efficiency.

[0013] The conventional opening (21) was a fixed structure in the form of a mere hole, so it was fundamentally impossible to control, such as by adjusting the flow rate of air flowing in while the vehicle is driving. Therefore, as described above, there was a problem in that it was impossible to solve the problem of reduced fuel efficiency due to increased resistance of air flowing into the engine room during initial starting and high-speed driving.

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an active air flap (40) is applied between the opening (21) and the heat exchanger (30) to control or block the amount of air flowing in from the opening (21).

[0015] AAF (40) helps improve aerodynamics and fuel efficiency by closing the opening (21) during initial startup and until the engine temperature rises to a certain range, and when the engine temperature rises above a certain temperature, it opens the opening (21) to help cool the engine, and when the vehicle is driven at high speed, it appropriately controls the air flow rate to reduce air resistance.

[0016] The AAF (40) that performs the above role is composed of an air guide (41) located at the rear end of the opening (21) and guiding air flowing in through the opening (21), a body (43) provided with a door (42) located at the rear end of the air guide (41) and opening or closing the air guide (41), and an actuator (44) provided in the body (43) and driving the door (42).

[0017]

[0018] The door (42) of the conventional AAF (40) as described above is composed of a door flap that opens or closes the air guide (41), and a shaft that is connected to an actuator (44) and drives the door flap, and the door flap and the shaft are formed integrally. At this time, the conventional shaft is configured such that one side is connected to the actuator (44), and the other side is rotatably connected to the body (43) to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the one side. Therefore, when the door (42) is closed, the other side of the door (42) where the shaft is connected only to the body may be subject to movement due to the driving wind, and there is a problem in that noise is generated due to vibration.

[0019]

[0020] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an active air flap that configures a door flap and a shaft separately, and prevents play or shaking when closing the opposite side door flap that is not connected to the actuator by applying a torsional load to the opposite side shaft through overrotation of the side shaft connected to the actuator when the door of the AAF is closed.

[0021] Additionally, as the shaft and door flap are configured separately, the door flap provides an active air flap made of a material that is aesthetically pleasing and easy to paint.

[0022]

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an active air flap is provided between an opening of a bumper and a heat exchanger to control the flow rate of air or whether air is introduced into the heat exchanger through the opening, wherein the active air flap comprises: a body forming an air flow space between the opening and the heat exchanger; a door flap having a first rotational axis formed on one side in the width direction and a second rotational axis formed on the other side in the width direction, the door flap being rotatably coupled to the body in the axial direction, and opening or closing the air flow space by rotation; a shaft coupled to the door flap, the shaft including a first connecting portion on one side in the width direction coupled to the first rotational axis, and a second connecting portion on the other side in the width direction coupled to the second rotational axis; and an actuator provided on the body to rotate the shaft, wherein the first connecting portion is fixed to the first rotational axis, and the second connecting portion is coupled to the second rotational axis so as to be capable of limited relative rotation.

[0024] In addition, the second connecting portion is characterized in that it can be overrotated in the closing direction of the door flap when the door flap is closed.

[0025] Additionally, the actuator is connected to the other side of the shaft in the width direction to drive the second connecting part.

[0026] Additionally, the shaft is configured such that a torsional load due to overrotation of the second connecting portion is transmitted to the first connecting portion.

[0027] In addition, the door flap includes a first door flap side extending rearward from one end; a first rotational shaft extending to one side from the first door flap side and rotatably coupled to the body; and a first shaft insertion groove recessed from the rear side of the first rotational shaft to the front side so that the first connecting portion is fitted therein, and the first rotational shaft is coupled to the body in a state where the front side of the first connecting portion of the shaft is fitted therein.

[0028] In addition, the active air flap includes a rotation hole formed on one side of the body to fit the first rotation shaft and the first connecting portion, and extending in the width direction; and a door flap coupling flange formed on one end of the shaft and coupled to the side of the first door flap.

[0029] In addition, the body further includes a first stopper formed on a lower side of the body in the width direction so as to limit rotation of the door flap by contacting the lower side of the first door flap when the door flap is closed.

[0030] In addition, the door flap includes a second door flap side extending rearward from the other end; a second rotational shaft extending to the other side from the second door flap side and rotatably coupled to the body; and a second shaft insertion groove recessed from the rear side of the second rotational shaft to the front side so that the second connecting portion is fitted therein, wherein the second rotational shaft is coupled to the body in a state where the front side of the second connecting portion is fitted therein, and the second connecting portion is connected to the drive shaft of the actuator, and a rotational gap is formed between the second rotational shaft and the second connecting portion so as to be capable of overrotating by a certain angle when the body of the door flap is closed.

[0031] In addition, the active air flap includes a first rotation groove formed on the other side of the body and recessed forward so that the second rotation shaft and the second connecting portion are fitted into the first rotation groove while the first rotation shaft is fitted into the rotation hole; and a fixed bracket coupled to the body so as to seal the open side of the first rotation groove while the second rotation shaft and the second connecting portion are seated in the first rotation groove.

[0032] In addition, the body further includes a second stopper formed on the lower side of the other side in the width direction of the body so as to limit rotation of the door flap by contacting the lower side of the second door flap when the door flap is closed.

[0033] In addition, the second rotation shaft is formed in a semicircular shape protruding toward the front, and includes a 1-1 driving surface formed on the lower rear surface and a 1-2 driving surface formed on the upper rear surface, and the second connecting portion includes a driving body formed in a semicircular shape protruding toward the rear, and an insertion body inserted into the second shaft insertion groove in a semicircular shape protruding toward the front, into which the driving shaft of the actuator is fitted, and the driving body includes a 2-1 driving surface formed on the lower front surface and in which the 1-1 driving surface is in contact, and a 2-2 driving surface formed on the upper front surface and in which the 1-2 driving surface is in contact, and a predetermined gap is formed between the 1-2 driving surface and the 2-2 driving surface.

[0034] In addition, when the actuator rotates while the door flap is closed and fixed, the shaft allows overrotation until the first-second driving surface and the second-second driving surface come into contact, thereby transmitting a torsional load to the first rotational axis and the first connecting portion.

[0035] In addition, the gap between the first and second driving surfaces and the second and second driving surfaces is characterized in that the circumferential angle is 5 to 20 degrees with respect to the rotation axis.

[0036] In addition, the shaft and the door flap are combined by being made of separate materials, and the shaft and the door flap are characterized in that they are made of different materials.

[0037] In addition, a second rotation groove having an inner diameter smaller than that of the first rotation groove is formed on the other side of the first rotation groove, and a detachment prevention portion extending in the radial direction of the shaft is formed between the second connecting portion on the shaft and the other end so as to be seated in the second rotation groove, and the fixed bracket is coupled to the body so as to seal the open side of the second rotation groove while the detachment prevention portion is seated in the second rotation groove.

[0038]

[0039] The active air flap of the present invention having the above configuration has the effect of further increasing the fixing force of the door flap by the torsional load of the shaft when the door is closed, thereby reducing the generation of flow due to the driving wind and preventing shaking noise.

[0040] In addition, when selecting a material for the door flap formed separately from the shaft, durability is improved and the quality of the exterior can be enhanced by using a material with excellent paintability and a low risk of embossing or corrosion.

[0041]

[0042] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the FEM.

[0043] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional AAF.

[0044] Figure 3 is a full perspective view of an AAF according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of an AAF according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 5 is an enlarged view of one side of the width direction of the AAF according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the other side of the width direction of the AAF according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the other side of the width direction of the AAF with the fixing bracket removed according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the coupling state of the second connecting portion of the shaft and the second rotation axis of the door flap according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Fig. 9 is a side view with the door flap open.

[0051] Fig. 10 is a side view of the door flap positioned between open and closed.

[0052] Figure 11 is a side view showing the state of the shaft before overrotation with the door flap closed.

[0053] Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the main part of Figure 11.

[0054] Figure 13 is a side view showing the state after the shaft is overrotated with the door flap closed.

[0055] Figure 14 is an enlarged view of the main part of Figure 13.

[0056] <Explanation of symbols>

[0057] 1000: Active air flaps

[0058] 100: Body

[0059] 101: Mounting

[0060] 110: Rotating Hall

[0061] 120: 1st rotation home

[0062] 125: Second rotation home

[0063] 130: 1st stopper

[0064] 140: Second Stopper

[0065] 200: Door

[0066] 201: First rotation axis

[0067] 202: Second rotation axis

[0068] 210: Shaft

[0069] 213: Door flap joint flange

[0070] 214: Drive body

[0071] 215: Detachment prevention unit

[0072] 216: Insert body

[0073] 220: Door flap

[0074] 221: 1st door flap side

[0075] 222: Second door flap side

[0076] 223: First shaft insertion groove

[0077] 224: Second shaft insertion groove

[0078] 300: First connector

[0079] 310: First Volt

[0080] 400: Second connector

[0081] 410: Fixed bracket

[0082] 420: Second Volt

[0083] 900: Actuator

[0084] 910: Drive shaft

[0085]

[0086] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments presented below are provided as examples to ensure that those skilled in the art can fully grasp the spirit of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below and may be embodied in other forms.

[0087]

[0088] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an external active air flap (1000) (hereinafter, 'AAF') according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the AAF (1000) showing first and second connecting portions (300, 400) formed on both sides of the shaft (210) in the axial direction when the door (200) of the present invention is closed.

[0089] As illustrated, the present invention relates to an AAF (1000) installed in a front-end module to open or close an opening in a bumper, and is installed on the front side of a vehicle of a heat exchanger to control the flow rate of air flowing in through the opening or block the air flowing in when necessary. In particular, the AAF (1000) of the present invention may be an external AAF (1000) installed in the opening of a bumper so that a door (200) is exposed to the front of the vehicle. Hereinafter, the AAF (1000) of the present invention having the above-described features will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0090] The AAF (1000) of the present invention includes a body (100) in which an air flow space in which air flows is formed, a door (200) installed in the body (100) to open or close the air flow space of the body (100) according to rotation, and an actuator (900) provided in the body (100) to drive the opening or closing of the door (200).

[0091] The body (100) is formed in the form of a square frame with a hollow portion formed inside along the front-rear direction of the vehicle, an actuator (900) is installed at the other end in the width direction of the body (100), and a door (200) is installed in the airflow space of the body (100). A plurality of mountings (101) for coupling to the rear of a bumper may be formed spaced apart from each other around the front side of the vehicle of the body (100).

[0092] The door (200) is positioned on the body (100) and opens the airflow space to allow air flowing in through the opening to pass or closes the airflow space to block the airflow. It may be configured with a shaft (210) that is connected to a drive shaft (910, see FIG. 7) of an actuator (900) and rotates in an axial direction, and a door flap (220) that is coupled to the shaft (210) and opens or closes the airflow space by the rotation of the shaft (210). Accordingly, the door (200) is opened when the door flap (220) is parallel to the airflow direction by the rotation of the door flap (220) with the shaft (210) as the rotation axis, and is closed when it is perpendicular to the airflow direction.

[0093] The shaft (210) and the door flap (220) are made of separate materials and are combined, and the shaft (210) and the door flap (220) may be made of different materials. The shaft (210) may be made of a PA resin series material to secure rigidity, and the door flap (220) may be made of a resin material to secure paint performance and to have low embossing or corrosion. For example, the door flap (220) may be made of the same material as the bumper of the vehicle. The shaft (210) may have a first connecting portion (300) formed on one side in the width direction coupled to a first rotation axis (201, see FIG. 5) formed on one side in the width direction of the door flap (220), and a second connecting portion (400) formed on the other side in the width direction coupled to a second rotation axis (202, see FIG. 7) formed on the other side in the width direction of the door flap (220).

[0094] The actuator (900) may be provided at the other end in the width direction of the body (100) so as to be connected to the other end in the width direction of the shaft (210) and rotate the second connecting portion (400). The actuator (900) is connected to the shaft (210) of the door (200) and performs the function of rotating the door (200) by the rotation of the driving shaft (910) according to the instruction of the control unit. That is, the door (200) may be rotated by the rotation of the actuator (900) in one direction to open the air flow space of the AAF (1000), and the door (200) may be rotated by the rotation of the other direction to close the air flow space of the AAF (1000). The actuator (900) may have a configuration of a commonly used motor.

[0095] Since the door (200) of the external AAF (1000) as described above is directly exposed to the wind pressure of the incoming driving wind, the door flap (220) may be pushed backward by the wind pressure when the vehicle is driven at high speed, and in particular, the pushing or shaking may be greater on one side of the door flap (220) that is spaced apart from the actuator (900) than on the other side of the door flap (220) that is close to the drive shaft (910) of the actuator (900). Therefore, when the wind pressure is generated due to the tension of the door (200) or the clearance between the drive shaft of the actuator (900) and the shaft (210), an abnormal opening phenomenon may occur on one side of the door flap (220), and noise may be generated due to the shaking of the door (200). Accordingly, the present invention is characterized by including a connection structure between a shaft (210) and a door flap (220) to prevent one side of the door (200) from being abnormally opened when wind pressure is generated while the door (200) is closed. Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of an AAF (1000) having the above-described connection structure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0096] As shown in Fig. 4, the door (200) is configured as a separate body including a shaft (210) connected to an actuator (900) and a door flap (220) that opens or closes the air flow space of the body (100) and can be combined with each other.

[0097] The shaft (210) is connected to the body (100) on one side and the other side in the width direction so as to be rotatable with the width direction as the rotation axis, and the other end is connected to the drive shaft (910) of the actuator (900) so as to rotate in conjunction with the drive shaft (910) of the actuator (900).

[0098] The door flap (220) may be connected to the shaft (210) so as to rotate in conjunction with the shaft (210), and may be coupled so that one side in the width direction and the other side in the width direction can rotate with the body (100) as the rotation axis. Accordingly, the door flap (220) may be configured to be opened by rotation of the shaft (210) in one direction and closed by rotation in the other direction. The door flap (220) includes a door flap front surface (229) that opens or closes an airflow space of the body (100), a first door flap side surface (221) that extends from one end in the width direction of the door flap front surface (229) toward the rear of the vehicle, and a second door flap side surface (222) that extends from the other end in the width direction toward the rear of the vehicle. A first rotation axis (201, see FIG. 5) extending from one side to one side is provided on the first door flap side (221), and a second rotation axis (202, see FIG. 7) extending from the other side to the other side is provided on the second door flap side (222). The first rotation axis (201) is coupled with a first connecting portion (300) provided on one side of a shaft (210) and is rotatably coupled to one side of a body (100), and the second rotation axis (202) is coupled with a second connecting portion (400) provided on the other side of the shaft (210) and is rotatably coupled to the other side of the body (100).

[0099] At this time, one side of the shaft (210) is fixedly connected to the first rotation axis (201) of the door flap (220) through the first connecting portion (300), and the other side is connected to the second rotation axis (202) of the door flap (220) through the second connecting portion (400) so that the second rotation axis (202) can be connected in a limited manner to enable relative rotation. Specifically, the second connecting portion (400) can be configured so that the second rotation axis (202) can be over-rotated by a certain angle in the other direction when the door flap (220) is closed and the second rotation axis (202) is fixed in a state where it cannot rotate in the other direction.

[0100] Accordingly, the door flap (220) is configured to close the body (100) by the rotation of the shaft (210) in the other direction, and the second connecting portion (400) of the shaft (210) is configured to apply a torsional load in the other direction to one side of the shaft (210), i.e., the first connecting portion (300), through additional rotation in the other direction while the door flap (220) is closed and the second rotation axis (202) is fixed. This is configured to prevent noise caused by abnormal opening or shaking of one side of the door flap (220) by additionally applying a torsional load to the first connecting portion (300) which has a relatively weak force capable of maintaining the closed state of the door flap (220). In addition, even if a play occurs between the drive shaft (910) and the shaft (210) of the actuator (900), it is configured to prevent noise caused by abnormal opening or shaking of one side of the door flap (220) as a torsional load is applied to one side of the door flap (220).

[0101] Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of the first connecting portion (300) and the second connecting portion (400) of the AAF (1000) having the above-described characteristics will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0102]

[0103] FIG. 5 shows an enlarged perspective view of one side of an AAF (1000) in the width direction according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which a first connecting portion (300) is illustrated.

[0104] As illustrated, a first door flap side surface (221) extending rearward is formed at one end (220-1) of the door flap (220), and a first rotational shaft (201) extending from one side to one side is formed at the first door flap side surface (221). The first rotational shaft (201) has a first shaft insertion groove (223) formed at the rear end that is recessed toward the front, into which a first connecting portion (300) formed at the other end (210-1) of the shaft (210) is inserted. In addition, the first connecting portion (300) is rotatably coupled to a rotating hole (110) formed at one side (101) of the body (100) in a state where the first connecting portion (300) is inserted into the first shaft insertion groove (223). Accordingly, the first rotation axis (201) can be fitted into the rotation hole (110) while wrapping around the front side of the first connecting part (300).

[0105] In addition, a door flap coupling flange (213) extending vertically is formed on the rear side of the first connecting portion (300) and can be bolted to the rear side of the first door flap side (221) via a first bolt (310).

[0106] Through the above configuration, one side of the shaft (210) and one side of the door flap (220) are fixedly connected, and the first rotation axis (201) also rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft (210), and the door flap (220) rotates about the first rotation axis (201), and the door flap (220) is configured to open as the upper side of the door flap (220) moves rearward by one direction of rotation of the first rotation axis (201), and to close as the upper side of the door flap (220) moves forward by the other direction of rotation of the first rotation axis (201).

[0107] At this time, a first stopper (130) that restricts rotation of the door flap (220) in the other direction by contacting the lower part of the first door flap side (221) when the door flap (220) is closed may be formed to protrude upward on the lower surface of the body (100) at the lower side in the width direction of the body (100).

[0108]

[0109] FIG. 6 shows an enlarged perspective view of the other side in the width direction of an AAF (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which a second connecting portion (400) is illustrated, and FIG. 7 shows an enlarged perspective view of the other side in the width direction of an AAF according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which a fixing bracket (410) is removed.

[0110] As illustrated, the second connecting portion (400) formed on the other side (210-2) of the shaft (210) is coupled with the second rotational axis (202) formed on the other side (220-2) of the door flap (220) and is rotatably seated in the first rotational groove (120) formed on the other side (102) of the body (100). The first rotational groove (120) is formed to be recessed from the rear to the front side of the other side (102) of the body (100) so that the second connecting portion (400) and the second rotational axis (202) are rotatably fixed on the body (100) by coupling with the fixing bracket (410). In addition, the other end (212) of the shaft (210) is coupled with the drive shaft (910) of the actuator (900) and is configured to be rotatable in conjunction with the drive shaft (910).

[0111] Meanwhile, a second door flap side surface (222) extending toward the rear is formed on the other side (220-2) of the door flap (220), and a second rotational shaft (202) extending from the other side to the other side is formed on the second door flap side surface (222). The second rotational shaft (202) has a second shaft insertion groove (224, see FIG. 8) formed at the rear end toward the front, into which a second connecting portion (400) formed on the other side (210-2) of the shaft (210) is inserted. In addition, the second connecting portion (400) is seated in the first rotational groove (120) formed on the other side (102) of the body (100) in a state where it is inserted into the second shaft insertion groove (224). Accordingly, the second rotation axis (202) can be placed in the first rotation groove (120) while wrapping around the front side of the second connecting part (400).

[0112] The second connecting part (400) is first assembled in a form in which the second connecting part (400) is seated in the first rotation groove (120) so that it can be coupled to the other side of the body (100) while the first connecting part (300) is fitted into the rotation hole (110) on one side of the body (100), and then the second connecting part (400) coupled with the second rotation shaft (202) is seated in the first rotation groove (120) while a separate fixing bracket (410) is coupled to the first rotation groove (120) so that the second connecting part (400) can rotate. The fixing bracket (410) is bolted to the body (100) via the second bolt (420).

[0113] At this time, a second stopper (140) that restricts the rotation of the door flap (220) in the other direction by contacting the lower part of the second door flap side (222) when the door flap (220) is closed may be formed to protrude upward on the lower surface of the body (100) in the width direction of the other side of the body (100).

[0114] In addition, a second rotation groove (125) is formed on the other side of the first rotation groove (120), and a separation prevention part (215) formed between the second connection part (400) on the shaft (210) and the other end (212) can be installed in the second rotation groove (125). The separation prevention part (215) is configured to have a smaller diameter than the adjacent one side and the other side in the axial direction, and the second rotation groove (125) is also configured to have an inner diameter corresponding to the separation prevention part (215). Therefore, the axial movement of the shaft (210) is prevented through the combination of the separation prevention part (215) and the second rotation groove (125). In addition, it prevents air flowing in the air flow space from leaking to the other side in the width direction of the AAF (1000) through the outer circumferential surface of the shaft (210).

[0115]

[0116] FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the other side of the door (200) showing the connection state of the second connecting portion (400) of the shaft (210) and the second rotation axis (202) of the door flap (220).

[0117] As shown, the second rotation shaft (202) is formed in a semicircular shape with a cross-section protruding toward the front side, and a first-first driving surface (202-1) is formed on the lower rear surface, and a first-second driving surface (202-2) is formed on the upper rear surface. In addition, the second rotation shaft (202) is formed with a second shaft insertion groove (224) that is sunken from the rear side to the front side.

[0118] The second connecting part (400) includes a driving body (214) in the shape of a semicircle with a cross-section protruding toward the rear, and an insertion body (216) inserted into the second shaft insertion groove (224) in the shape of a semicircle with a radius smaller than that of the driving body (214) and protruding toward the front.

[0119] The driving body (214) has a 2-1 driving surface (214-1) formed on the lower front surface that contacts the 1-1 driving surface (202-1), and a 2-2 driving surface (214-2) formed on the upper front surface that contacts the 1-2 driving surface (202-1).

[0120] The insertion body (216) has a smaller radius than the driving body (214) and is inserted into the second shaft insertion groove (224). The insertion body (216) has a driving shaft insertion groove (216-1) formed from the front side to the rear side so that the driving shaft (910) of the actuator (900) can be fitted therein.

[0121] At this time, the second connecting portion (400) and the second rotation shaft (202) can be configured so that when combined, the first-first driving surface (202-1) and the second-first driving surface (214-1) are in contact, and a certain gap (θ) is formed between the first-second driving surface (202-2) and the second-first driving surface (214-2) along the circumferential direction.

[0122] Accordingly, when the shaft (210) rotates in one direction or the other direction, the first-first driving surface (228-1) and the second-first driving surface (214-1) maintain a state of contact with each other, and the first-second driving surface (202-1) and the second-second driving surface (214-2) maintain a state of being spaced apart from each other. However, when the door flap (220) is closed and the second rotation shaft (202) no longer moves in the other direction, the second connecting portion (400) is configured to be able to overrotate by the distance between the second-second driving surface (214-2) and the first-second driving surface (202-2) by the other direction operation of the actuator (900).

[0123] When the door flap (220) rotates in the other direction so that the first door flap side (221) contacts the first stopper (130) and the second door flap side (222) contacts the second stopper (140) and no further movement is possible, the door flap (220) can be defined as being closed, and this means a state in which the second rotation axis (202) cannot rotate in the other direction.

[0124] Accordingly, as the second connecting portion (400) is over-rotated, a torsional load is generated on the shaft (210), and the torsional load is transmitted to the first connecting portion (300) located on one side of the shaft (210) and the first rotational axis (201) fixedly connected to the first connecting portion (300), so as to prevent abnormal opening or shaking on one side of the door flap (220).

[0125] In addition, the gap (θ) between the first-second driving surface (202-1) and the second-second driving surface (214-2) based on the rotation axis of the shaft (210) may be 5 to 20 degrees along the circumferential direction with the axial direction as the origin.

[0126] In addition, although not shown in the drawing, an elastic member may be provided between the first-second driving surface (202-2) and the second-second driving surface (214-2), so that an elastic force may be applied to the first-second driving surface (202-2) even when the first-second driving surface (202-2) and the second-second driving surface (214-2) do not come into contact when the shaft rotates. The elastic member may be, for example, a compression spring.

[0127] Through the above configuration, an additional torsional load is transmitted to one side of the door flap (220) to prevent abnormal opening or shaking of the door flap (220).

[0128] At this time, the elastic force of the elastic member can be configured to be smaller than the torsional load of the shaft described above.

[0129]

[0130] Fig. 9 shows a side view of the door flap (220) in an open state.

[0131] As illustrated, the door flap (220) is opened by one-way (clockwise in the drawing) rotation of the second rotation axis (202) and the second connecting portion (400). At this time, the second connecting portion (400) cannot rotate relative to the second rotation axis (202) in either one or the other direction, and the above-described gap can be maintained.

[0132]

[0133] Fig. 10 shows a side view of the door flap (220) positioned between open and closed.

[0134] As illustrated, the door flap (220) moves in the closing direction by the rotation of the second rotation axis (202) and the second connecting portion (400) in the other direction (counterclockwise in the drawing). At this time, the second connecting portion (400) cannot rotate relative to the second rotation axis (202) in either one direction or the other direction, and the above-described gap can be maintained.

[0135]

[0136] Fig. 11 is a side view showing the second connecting portion (400) of the shaft (210) in a state before overrotation with the door flap (220) closed, and Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of the main part of Fig. 11.

[0137] As illustrated, the door flap (220) closes the airflow space by the rotation of the second rotation axis (202) and the second connecting portion (400) in the other direction (counterclockwise in the drawing), and as the door flap (220) is fixed, the second rotation axis (202) is also fixed and cannot rotate in the other direction. At this time, the second connecting portion (400) is in a state where it can rotate relative to the second rotation axis (202) in the other direction by the amount of the gap. In other words, it is in a state where overrotation in the other direction is possible.

[0138]

[0139] Fig. 13 is a side view showing the state after the second connecting portion (400) of the shaft (210) has been overrotated while the door flap (220) is closed, and Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of the main part of Fig. 13.

[0140] As illustrated, with the door flap (220) and the second rotation axis (202) fixed, the second connecting portion (400) can overrotate in the other direction (counterclockwise in the drawing) by the gap illustrated in FIG. 12. As the second connecting portion (400) further rotates in the other direction while the first connecting portion (300) of the shaft (210) coupled to the first rotation axis (201) on one side of the door flap (220) is fixed, a torsional load is generated by the elastic force of the shaft (210), and a torsional load is applied to the first connecting portion (300).

[0141]

[0142] The relative rotation of the first and second connecting parts (300, 400) when the door flap (220) is opened or closed as described above can be expressed in a table as follows.

[0143] Door flap status 1st connection 2nd connection Open progress Fixed gap maintained Open complete Fixed gap maintained Close progress Fixed gap maintained Close complete Fixed Relative rotation possible

[0144] The technical concept of the present invention should not be construed solely based on the aforementioned embodiments. The scope of application is diverse, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed in the claims. Therefore, such improvements and modifications, as long as they are obvious to those skilled in the art, fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. In order to control the flow rate of air flowing into the heat exchanger through the opening of the bumper or whether air is flowing in, an active air flap provided between the opening and the heat exchanger, The above active air flaps, A body forming an airflow space between the above opening and the heat exchanger; A door flap having a first rotation axis formed on one side in the width direction and a second rotation axis formed on the other side in the width direction and coupled to the body so as to be rotatable in the axial direction, and opening or closing the airflow space by rotation; A shaft coupled with the door flap, comprising a first connecting portion on one side in the width direction coupled to the first rotation axis, and a second connecting portion on the other side in the width direction coupled to the second rotation axis; and An actuator is provided on the body and rotates the shaft, An active air flap, wherein the first connecting portion is fixed to the first rotational axis, and the second connecting portion is coupled to the second rotational axis so as to enable limited relative rotation.

2. In paragraph 1, The above second connecting part, An active air flap characterized in that the door flap can be over-rotated in the closing direction when the door flap is closed.

3. In paragraph 2, The above actuator, An active air flap connected to the other side of the width direction of the above shaft and driving the second connecting part.

4. In paragraph 3, The above shaft, An active air flap configured such that a torsional load caused by overrotating of the second connecting portion is transmitted to the first connecting portion.

5. In paragraph 2, The above door flap, First door flap side extending rearward from one end; A first rotational axis extending to one side from the first door flap side and rotatably coupled to the body; and It includes a first shaft insertion groove that is sunken from the rear side of the first rotational axis to the front side and into which the first connecting part is fitted. An active air flap, wherein the first rotation axis is coupled to the body with the front side of the first connecting portion of the shaft fitted.

6. In paragraph 5, The above active air flaps, A rotation hole formed on one side of the body so that the first rotation axis and the first connecting part are fitted, and extending in the width direction; and An active air flap comprising a door flap coupling flange formed at one end of the shaft and coupled to the first door flap side.

7. In paragraph 5, The above body, An active air flap further comprising a first stopper formed on a lower side of the width direction of the body so as to limit rotation of the door flap by contacting the lower side of the first door flap when the door flap is closed.

8. In paragraph 6, The above door flap, Second door flap side extending rearward from the other end; A second rotational axis extending from the second door flap side to the other side and rotatably coupled to the body; and It includes a second shaft insertion groove that is sunken from the rear side of the second rotational axis to the front side and into which the second connecting part is fitted. The second rotational axis is connected to the body with the front side of the second connecting part fitted, An active air flap, wherein the second connecting portion is connected to the driving shaft of the actuator, and a rotation gap is formed between the second rotation shaft and the second connecting portion so as to enable overrotation by a certain angle when the door flap is fixed in the closed position.

9. In paragraph 8, The above active air flaps, A first rotation groove formed on the other side of the body and sunken forward so that the second rotation shaft and the second connecting part are fitted while the first rotation shaft is fitted into the rotation hole; and An active air flap comprising a fixed bracket coupled to the body so as to seal an open side of the first rotation groove while the second rotation shaft and the second connecting portion are seated in the first rotation groove.

10. In paragraph 8, The above body, An active air flap further comprising a second stopper formed on the lower side of the other side in the width direction of the body so as to limit rotation of the door flap by contacting the lower side of the second door flap when the door flap is closed.

11. In paragraph 9, The second rotation axis is formed in a semicircular shape protruding toward the front, and includes a first-first driving surface formed on the lower rear surface and a first-second driving surface formed on the upper rear surface. The second connecting part includes a driving body formed in a semicircular shape protruding toward the rear, and an insertion body inserted into the second shaft insertion groove in a semicircular shape protruding toward the front, into which the driving shaft of the actuator is inserted. The above driving body is, It includes a 2-1 driving surface formed on the lower front surface and in contact with the 1-1 driving surface, and a 2-2 driving surface formed on the upper front surface and in contact with the 1-2 driving surface. An active air flap in which a certain gap is formed along the circumferential direction between the first and second driving surfaces and the second and second driving surfaces.

12. In paragraph 11, With the above door flap closed and fixed An active air flap, wherein when the actuator rotates, the shaft allows overrotation until the first-second drive surface and the second-second drive surface come into contact, thereby transmitting a torsional load to the first rotational shaft and the first connecting portion.

13. In paragraph 11, The gap between the above 1-2 driving surface and the 2-2 driving surface is An active air flap characterized by a circumferential angle of 5 to 20 degrees with respect to the above rotation axis.

14. In paragraph 1, The above shaft and the above door flap are made of separate parts and are combined, An active air flap, characterized in that the shaft and door flap are made of different materials.

15. In paragraph 9, On the other side of the first rotation groove, a second rotation groove having an inner diameter smaller than that of the first rotation groove is formed. Between the second connecting portion and the other end on the shaft, a detachment prevention portion is formed that extends in the radial direction of the shaft so as to be seated in the second rotating groove. An active air flap in which the above fixed bracket is coupled to the body to seal the open side of the second rotation groove while the above anti-separation part is seated in the second rotation groove.

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