Actuator for air vent

Abstract

The present invention relates to an actuator for an air vent having an output shaft driving device capable of rotationally driving a wind direction adjusting wing of the air vent in left / right horizontal directions or up / down vertical directions in an electric manner. The actuator for an air vent comprises: a housing having a rectangular inner space therein; an output shaft for rotationally driving an operating lever connected to a wind direction adjusting wing; and an eccentric step motor for driving the output shaft. The eccentric step motor comprises: an eccentric stator having an inner circumferential surface formed in an arc shape and generating a rotating magnetic field according to a motor driving signal; and an eccentric rotor having an outer circumferential surface formed in an arc shape and rotationally driven by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator, wherein one side of the outer circumferential portion of the output shaft is integrally connected to the inside of the eccentric rotor so that the output shaft is rotationally driven in synchronization with the rotational driving of the eccentric rotor.

Description

Actuator for air vent

[0001] The present invention relates to an actuator for an air vent, and more specifically, to an actuator for an air vent equipped with an output shaft driving device capable of driving the wind direction adjustment wing of the air vent to pivot in the left / right horizontal direction or the up / down vertical direction by an electric method.

[0002] Generally, air vents, such as those located on the instrument panel at the front of the vehicle's interior, are primarily applied to heating and cooling systems to allow cooling and heating airflow generated from air conditioners or heaters to flow into the vehicle's interior; they are installed at the end of the air duct facing the vehicle's interior.

[0003] Here, the air vent includes a casing formed on the outer periphery and provided in the duct, a wind direction control wing provided inside the casing, and a wing knob assembly for rotating the wind direction control wing.

[0004] At this time, the wind direction control wings are provided in the horizontal and vertical directions, and typically, regardless of the order of the horizontal and vertical directions, a pair of vertical and horizontal wind direction control wings are provided in the forward and backward directions, and through this, the wind can be blown in the up and down and left and right directions.

[0005] The wind direction control wing is equipped with a plurality of vertical wind direction control wings and horizontal wind direction control wings arranged in the up-down and left-right directions.

[0006] The air vent system allows the user to adjust the wind direction by rotating the vertical wind direction control wing and the horizontal wind direction control wing through manual operation of the wing knob assembly installed on the vertical wind direction control wing.

[0007] These conventional manual vehicle air vents have the inconvenience of requiring the user to manually operate the airflow control knobs to change the airflow direction and volume, even when the indoor temperature changes due to the operation of the air conditioner.

[0008] In addition, in conventional air vents, in order to change the direction of the vertical and horizontal air direction control wings, the passenger or driver must manually operate the knob to change the direction, which increases the risk of accidents.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to continuously move the wind direction back and forth, a very cumbersome task is required, in which the user must manually hold and operate the knob.

[0010] To address these issues, air vent systems use electric actuators that utilize small motors as the driving source.

[0011] Since these electric actuators use small motors as the driving source, multiple spur gear trains are used to increase the driving torque, which results in poor mass production assembly and is a cause of noise generation.

[0012] Korean Published Patent Application No. 10-2022-0114995 (Patent Document 1) discloses an air vent device for a vehicle, characterized by comprising: a duct section having an inlet and an outlet of an air passage connected to a vehicle air conditioner; a cover section that opens and closes the outlet of the duct section by a tilting operation; a vent section capable of sliding in the forward and backward directions between the inlet and outlet of the duct section in conjunction with the tilting operation of the cover section; a driving section that switches the positions of the cover section and the vent section; and a control section that controls the driving section according to a preset logic including a direct air mode in which the vent section moves to the outlet of the duct section and an indirect air mode in which the cover section moves to the outlet of the duct section, wherein a spacer having a guide groove that assists the tilting operation of the cover section is located on the inner side of the outlet side of the duct section.

[0013] In this case, since the drive unit includes a pair of actuators, a main gear, a sub-gear, a side gear, a connecting pin, a pinion gear, and a protective cover located at each of the outer ends of the duct section, there is a problem of using a multiple gear train structure to increase the torque of the output rotation shaft, and there are factors contributing to increased costs due to the complex assembly structure and the use of a dedicated controller.

[0014] The above air vent device controls the mode of the air vent device by having the control unit detect the vehicle status, determine whether the air conditioner is operating while the vehicle is driving.

[0015] In addition, conventionally, since the air vent actuator is configured by combining a stepping motor and a worm gear, a pair of bearings are used at each end of the motor, and there is a problem that a bracket must be additionally used to prevent shaking of the gear and motor assembly.

[0016] The present invention was devised in consideration of these conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide an actuator for an air vent that can pivotally drive the air direction adjustment wing of the air vent in the left / right horizontal direction or the up / down vertical direction by using only an output shaft driving device with a step motor, without using a gear train composed of multiple gears.

[0017] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an actuator for an air vent capable of pivoting an operating lever in a preset range in the up-down or left-right direction from a reference point using an output shaft drive device utilizing a two-phase four-wire stepper motor having an eccentric structure of a radial gap type.

[0018] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an actuator for an air vent equipped with an output shaft drive device that does not require a separate bearing to rotatably support the output shaft as the output shaft's RPM is set to approximately 5 RPM.

[0019] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an actuator for an air vent equipped with an output shaft drive device that can accommodate a compact rectangular housing optimized for pivoting by limiting the operating lever and rotor to a preset range.

[0020] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an air vent actuator in which an eccentric rotor is integrally extended from one side of the output shaft opposite to an eccentric stator, so as to configure the output shaft drive unit using a two-phase four-wire stepper motor having an eccentric structure of the radial gap type.

[0021] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an air vent actuator in which a circular rotor is formed concentrically on the outer circumference of the output shaft opposite an eccentric stator so as to configure the output shaft drive unit using a radial gap type 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor.

[0022] To achieve the above objective, an actuator for an air vent according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a housing having an internal space in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped; an output shaft that pivotally drives an operating lever connected to a wind direction control wing; and an eccentric stepper motor that generates rotational power necessary for the operation of the actuator according to a motor drive signal and pivotally drives the output shaft, wherein the eccentric stepper motor comprises: an eccentric stator whose inner surface is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range and generates a rotating magnetic field according to the motor drive signal; and an eccentric rotor whose outer surface is separated from the inner surface of the eccentric stator by an air gap and is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range, and which pivotally drives from a reference point set in the center to a preset range by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator, wherein one side of the outer surface of the output shaft is integrally connected to the inner side of the eccentric rotor and pivotally drives in synchronization with the pivoting drive of the eccentric rotor.

[0023] In this case, the eccentric stator may include: a first stator of phase A in which a first coil of phase A is wound in the first and second coil winding sections of the first and second back yokes; and a second stator of phase B which is stacked below the first stator of phase A and in which a second coil of phase B is wound in the third and fourth coil winding sections of the third and fourth back yokes.

[0024] Additionally, the first stator of the above A-phase comprises: a first back yoke having a first coil winding section on which the first coil of the above A-phase is wound and which is bent downward at a right angle at the rear end of the body, and a plurality of first inner stator teeth extending at equal intervals and bent downward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the first back yoke; and a second pole plate a having a second back yoke having a second coil winding section on which the first coil of the above A-phase is wound and which is arranged to intersect the first coil winding section and which is bent upward at a right angle at the rear end of the body, and a plurality of second inner stator teeth extending at equal intervals and which are bent upward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the second back yoke. It may include an insulating first bobbin that is coupled to the inner and outer circumferences of the first and second coil winding sections, which are each bent at a right angle to the rear ends of the first and second back yokes and arranged to intersect, and forms trench-type first and second coil winding regions on the inner side, respectively; and a first coil of phase A wound in the first and second coil winding regions of the first bobbin.

[0025] Furthermore, the second stator of the B-phase comprises: a third back yoke having a third coil winding section on which the second coil of the B-phase is wound, which is bent downward at a right angle at the rear end of the body; and a third pole plate B having a plurality of third inner stator teeth extending at equal intervals, which are bent downward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the third back yoke; and a fourth pole plate b having a fourth back yoke having a fourth coil winding section on which the second coil of the B-phase is wound, which is bent downward at a right angle at the rear end of the body; and a plurality of fourth inner stator teeth extending at equal intervals, which are bent upward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the fourth back yoke. It may include an insulating second bobbin that is coupled to the inner and outer circumferences of the third and fourth coil winding sections, which are each bent at a right angle to the rear ends of the third and fourth back yoke and arranged to intersect, and which each forms a trench-type third and fourth coil winding region; and a second coil of phase B wound in the third and fourth coil winding regions of the second bobbin.

[0026] The air vent actuator according to the present invention further includes a motor driving circuit that is mounted on a printed circuit board disposed at the bottom of the stator and generates motor driving signals of the T, W, V, and U phases in a PWM manner from the output terminal of a motor driver; wherein motor driving signals of the T and W phases from the output terminal of the motor driver are applied to the A-phase lead wire connected to both ends of the first coil of the A-phase, and motor driving signals of the V and U phases from the output terminal of the motor driver are applied to the B-phase lead wire connected to both ends of the second coil of the B-phase, and wherein the eccentric step motor can perform pivoting driving of the eccentric rotor by a 4-step sequence in which the sequence is set according to the combination of the current direction flowing through the first coil of the A-phase and the second coil of the B-phase when the motor driving signals of the T, W, V, and U phases are applied from the motor driver.

[0027] In this case, the eccentric rotor may include: a rotor support formed to extend in an arc shape from the outer periphery of the output shaft; a back yoke installed in an arc-shaped groove formed at the tip of the rotor support; and an arc-shaped magnet stacked at the tip of the back yoke, with N-pole and S-pole magnetic poles alternately arranged.

[0028] In addition, the air vent actuator according to the present invention further comprises: a motor driving circuit mounted on a printed circuit board disposed at the lower part of the stator and generating a motor driving signal in the T, W, V, and U phases of a PWM method from the output terminal of a motor driver; and first and second Hall sensors for detecting the magnet of the rotor when the rotor pivots in the left / right direction at both ends of the printed circuit board; wherein the motor driving circuit can drive the rotor in the reverse direction to reverse the rotation direction of the rotor by determining that the rotor has reached a left / right rotation limit point when the first and second Hall sensors detect the magnet of the rotor.

[0029] The above housing includes a lower case in the shape of a rectangular tube; and an upper cover that covers the upper part of the lower case and has a cylindrical output shaft guide extended therefrom. The output shaft may include a body in the shape of a circular rod formed integrally with the rotor support of the eccentric rotor; an extension part that extends upward from the body and has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the body and is formed with a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the output shaft guide; and a "+" shaped shaft coupling projection that extends from the extension part, protrudes to the outside of the output shaft guide, and is connected to the operating lever.

[0030] An actuator for an air vent according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises: a housing having a rectangular space inside; a printed circuit board (PCB) installed inside the housing and having a motor driving circuit mounted thereon that generates motor driving signals on the T, W, V, and U phases using a two-phase four-wire bipolar driving method; an output shaft that pivotally drives an operating lever connected to a wind direction control wing of the air vent; and an eccentric stepper motor that generates rotational power necessary for the operation of the actuator according to the motor driving signal and pivotally drives the output shaft; wherein the eccentric stepper motor comprises an eccentric stator whose inner surface is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range and which generates a rotating magnetic field according to the motor driving signal. The eccentric rotor includes an outer surface that is separated from the inner surface of the eccentric stator by an air gap and is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range, and is driven to pivot within a preset range from a reference point set in the center by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator; wherein one side of the outer circumference of the output shaft is integrally connected to the inside of the eccentric rotor so that pivoting can be performed in synchronization with the pivoting of the eccentric rotor.

[0031] In this case, the eccentric stator may include: a first stator of phase A in which a first coil of phase A is wound in the first and second coil winding sections of the first and second back yokes; and a second stator of phase B which is stacked below the first stator of phase A and in which a second coil of phase B is wound in the third and fourth coil winding sections of the third and fourth back yokes.

[0032] In addition, motor driving signals of phases T and W are applied from the output terminal of the motor driving circuit to the A-phase lead wire connected to both ends of the first coil of phase A, and motor driving signals of phases V and U are applied from the output terminal of the motor driving circuit to the B-phase lead wire connected to both ends of the second coil of phase B, and when the motor driving signals of phases T, W, V, and U are applied to the first coil of phase A and the second coil of phase B, the sequence is set according to the combination of current directions flowing in the first coil of phase A and the second coil of phase B, and the eccentric rotor can be driven by a 4-step sequence.

[0033] An actuator for an air vent according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises: a housing having an internal space in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped; an output shaft that pivotally drives an operating lever connected to a wind direction control wing; and a radial gap type eccentric stepper motor installed inside the housing and driven by a two-phase four-wire bipolar drive method and driving the output shaft according to a motor drive signal; wherein the eccentric stepper motor comprises: an eccentric stator whose inner surface is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range and which generates a rotating magnetic field according to the motor drive signal; and a circular rotor formed concentrically on the outer circumference of the output shaft and driven pivotally from a reference point set in the center to a preset range by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator; wherein the body of the output shaft is characterized in that the tip of a plurality of output shaft guide projections protruding from the bottom of the housing is coupled to a trench-shaped circular groove formed on the lower surface to support the rotation of the output shaft.

[0034] The air vent actuator according to the present invention further comprises a motor driving circuit mounted on a printed circuit board disposed at the lower part of the stator and generating first to fourth motor driving signals in the T, W, V, and U phases in the PWM method from the output terminal of the motor driver; and the step motor can drive the rotor in rotation according to a 4-step sequence in which the direction of the current flowing in the first coil of the A phase and the second coil of the B phase is set according to the setting of the first and second motor driving signals in the T and W phases applied to the A phase lead wire and the third and fourth motor driving signals in the V and U phases applied to the B phase lead wire among the first to fourth motor driving signals in the T, W, V, and U phases generated from the motor driver, and the sequence is set according to the combination of the directions of the current flowing in the first coil of the A phase and the second coil of the B phase.

[0035] In addition, the phase current flowing through the first coil of phase A and the second coil of phase B is switched every 180 degrees of electrical angle, and the current flowing through the first and second coils of phase A and B is applied with a 90-degree phase difference, and each sequence in the 4-step sequence can be set at intervals of 5 degrees of mechanical angle.

[0036] Furthermore, the circular rotor may include a circular back yoke formed on the outer periphery of the output shaft; and a circular magnet stacked on the outer periphery of the back yoke, with N-pole and S-pole magnetic poles alternately arranged.

[0037] Additionally, the housing comprises a lower case in the shape of a rectangular tube; and an upper cover that covers the upper part of the lower case and has a cylindrical output shaft guide extended therefrom. The output shaft may include a body in the shape of a circular rod coupled to the center of the circular rotor; an extension part that extends upward from the body and has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the body and is formed with a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the output shaft guide; and a "+" shaped shaft coupling projection that extends from the extension part, protrudes to the outside of the output shaft guide, and is connected to the operating lever.

[0038] Furthermore, the above-mentioned eccentric stator is a first stator of phase A in which a first coil of phase A is wound on the first and second coil winding sections of the first and second back yoke; The rotary drive of the circular rotor can be achieved by a 4-step sequence in which a sequence is set according to the combination of current directions flowing through the first coil of the A phase and the second coil of the B phase, when the motor drive signals of the T, W, V, and U phases are applied to the A phase lead wire connected to both ends of the first coil of the A phase, and motor drive signals of the V, U phases are applied to the B phase lead wire connected to both ends of the second coil of the B phase, and the sequence is set according to the combination of current directions flowing through the first coil of the A phase and the second coil of the B phase.

[0039] As described above, in the present invention, by using only an output shaft driving device with a step motor and without using a gear train composed of multiple gears, the output shaft for driving the operating lever can be driven to pivotally, thereby driving the wind direction adjustment wing of the air vent to pivot horizontally to the left / right or vertically up / down in an electric manner.

[0040] As a result, in the present invention, a gear train composed of multiple gears can be omitted by replacing the rotation axis of the operating lever that rotates the vertical or horizontal wind direction control wing of the air vent with the output axis of the actuator.

[0041] In the present invention, the airflow direction of the air vent can be driven to rotate in the left / right horizontal direction or the up / down vertical direction in automatic or manual mode, and as a result, air circulation within the vehicle can be achieved automatically.

[0042] In addition, the present invention can be implemented using an output shaft drive device utilizing a 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor having an eccentric structure of a radial gap type so that the operating lever can be pivotally driven in the up-down or left-right directions, respectively, from a reference point.

[0043] For example, the output shaft drive device can drive the output shaft formed integrally with the rotor by driving the rotor to rotate in a range of 60 to 80 degrees from a reference point by means of a rotating magnetic field generated from a pole plate formed in an arc shape with an arc angle of 150 to 180 degrees.

[0044] In this case, first and second stopper Hall elements can be placed on a printed circuit board (PCB) on which a motor driving circuit corresponding to the width of both ends of a pole plate formed in an arc shape ranging from 150 to 180 degrees is mounted. In this case, when the first and second stopper Hall elements detect a magnet during left / right rotation of the rotor, the rotation of the rotor can be stopped and the direction of rotation of the rotor can be changed.

[0045] Furthermore, in conventional actuators, when the output shaft RPM is about 5 RPM, if the minimum RPM of the drive motor is 1000 or lower, control is not effective, so the gear ratio of the gear train must be configured to at least 200:1, which presents a problem in that a gear train structure with many gears combined must be adopted to implement this.

[0046] In consideration of these problems, the present invention can drive the output shaft for driving the operating lever using only the power of a step motor without using a gear train composed of multiple gears, and can also provide an actuator that does not require a separate bearing to rotatably support the output shaft as the output shaft's RPM is set to approximately 5 RPM.

[0047] In addition, the present invention may apply a compact rectangular housing optimized for pivoting drive by limiting the operating lever and rotor to a preset range, for example, 150 to 180 degrees.

[0048] Furthermore, the present invention provides an actuator that does not use a gear train composed of a plurality of gears, wherein an eccentric rotor is integrally formed extending from one side of the output shaft opposite to an eccentric stator so as to configure the output shaft drive device using a 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor having an eccentric structure of a radial gap type.

[0049] In addition, the present invention provides an actuator that does not use a gear train composed of multiple gears, as the output shaft drive unit is configured using a radial gap type 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor and a circular rotor is formed concentrically on the outer circumference of the output shaft opposite to an eccentric stator.

[0050] In the present invention, an output shaft drive device that facilitates coil winding can be provided as the first and second coils are wound on the back yoke of the first stator of phase A and the second stator of phase B, respectively, used in a two-phase four-wire stepper motor.

[0051] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an actuator for an air vent according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] FIG. 2 is a modular exploded perspective view showing an air vent actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] FIG. 3 is a fully exploded perspective view showing an air vent actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an output shaft driving device using an eccentric stepper motor with the housing removed from an air vent actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] FIGS. 5a to 5c are, respectively, a plan view showing the output shaft drive unit of FIG. 4, a cross-sectional view along line AA of FIG. 5a, and a cross-sectional view along line BB of FIG. 5a.

[0056] FIG. 6 is a fully exploded perspective view showing the output shaft drive unit of FIG. 4.

[0057] FIGS. 7a and FIGS. 7b are, respectively, a top perspective view showing the state with the upper cover removed in an air vent actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention and an enlarged view of part C shown in FIG. 7a.

[0058] FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the overall driving circuit of a 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor according to the present invention.

[0059] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an actuator for an air vent according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] FIGS. 10a and FIGS. 10b are a cross-sectional view along the CC line of FIG. 9 and a modular exploded perspective view showing an actuator for an air vent according to a second embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

[0061] FIG. 11 is a fully exploded perspective view showing an air vent actuator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an output shaft driving device using an eccentric stepper motor with the housing removed in an air vent actuator according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] FIGS. 13a and FIGS. 13b are the longitudinal cross-sectional view and the longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG. 12, respectively.

[0064] FIG. 14 is a completely exploded perspective view showing the output shaft drive unit of FIG. 12.

[0065] FIGS. 15a and FIGS. 15b are, respectively, a top perspective view showing the state with the upper cover removed in an air vent actuator according to a second embodiment of the present invention and an enlarged view of part D shown in FIG. 15a.

[0066] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0067] In this process, the size or shape of components depicted in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation. Additionally, terms specifically defined in consideration of the configuration and operation of the present invention may vary depending on the intent or convention of the user or operator. Definitions of such terms should be based on the content throughout this specification.

[0068] The air vent system to which the present invention is applied may include, for example, a vertical wind direction control wing and a horizontal wind direction control wing installed on an instrument panel or the like to form an air vent, first and second operating levers respectively connected to the vertical wind direction control wing and the horizontal wind direction control wing, and a first actuator for vertical wind direction control and wind closing and a second actuator for horizontal wind direction control for driving the first and second operating levers in an electric manner.

[0069] The first and second actuators are installed on the side and top of the air vent, respectively, and as part of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system, can be connected to a Climate Control Module (CCM) via a CAN (controller area network), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), or UART communication network inside the vehicle.

[0070] In addition, the first and second actuators each receive a control signal from the air conditioning control unit (CCM) according to the user's mode setting and pivot the first and second operating levers, thereby pivoting the airflow direction of the air vent in the left / right horizontal direction or the up / down vertical direction in automatic or manual mode, so that air circulation inside the vehicle can be achieved automatically.

[0071] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7b, an air vent actuator (100) according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises a rectangular housing (10), a printed circuit board (PCB) (40) on which a motor driving circuit (41) is installed on the bottom inside the housing (10) and generates a motor driving signal in response to receiving a control signal from a CCM (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system, an output shaft (50) that pivotally drives an operating lever connected to a wind direction control wing, and an output shaft driving device (200) that generates rotational power required for the operation of the actuator in response to the motor driving signal of the motor driving circuit (41) and pivotally drives the output shaft (50).

[0072] In the present invention, the output shaft (50) is driven by rotational force of the step motor (150) purely without using a gear train to increase driving torque by reducing the rotational speed of the output shaft drive device (200), and the "+" shaped shaft coupling projection (51) extended at the tip of the output shaft (50) can pivotally drive the operating lever connected to the vertical wind direction control wing or the horizontal wind direction control wing, respectively.

[0073] The above housing (10) is formed in the shape of a rectangular box in the shape of a rectangular prism, and includes a lower case (12) in the shape of a rectangular tube and an upper cover (11) that covers the upper part of the lower case (12).

[0074] In this case, the upper case (11) has a cylindrical output shaft guide (11b) extended therein, which guides the extension (53) of the output shaft (50) when the output shaft (50) rotates and exposes the "+" shaped shaft coupling projection (51) of the tip portion to the outside.

[0075] On the four sides of the upper case (11), a snap-coupling extension (11a) is formed extending downward, with a through hole formed to snap-coupling to a snap-coupling projection (12f) formed protruding from the outside of the lower case (12).

[0076] Accordingly, the upper case (11) and the lower case (12) are secured by snap coupling using the snap coupling extension (11a) and the snap coupling projection (12f) without using fixing bolts, etc.

[0077] The lower case (12) is provided with an internal space (13) in the shape of a rectangular box to accommodate an output shaft drive device (200), and on the outer surface, four housing fixing extensions (12a-12d) necessary for fixing an air vent actuator (100) to a vehicle are protruded, and each of the housing fixing extensions (12a-12d) has a through hole formed therein that is used for fastening a fixing bolt, etc.

[0078] In addition, a plurality of fixing protrusions (12h) are vertically protruded from the inner wall of the lower case (12) to be inserted into the coupling groove (44) of the printed circuit board (40) described later and to prevent movement of the printed circuit board (40).

[0079] Furthermore, a connector (210) is coupled to one side entrance of the lower case (12), and a PCB fixing part (12g) is inserted into the coupling groove (44) of the printed circuit board (40) at its lower end to prevent movement of the printed circuit board (40) and to support the connector (210), and is protruded inward.

[0080] In this case, the connector (210) is electrically connected to the printed circuit board (40), and a connector of a wire harness for receiving a control signal from the air conditioning control device (CCM) of the HVAC system may be coupled.

[0081] In addition, a pair of connector fixing guides (11d) are formed extending downward at the entrance of the upper case (11) corresponding to the entrance of one side of the lower case (12) to prevent the connector (210) from coming loose.

[0082] An air vent actuator (100) according to the first embodiment of the present invention uses an eccentric stepper motor (150) having an eccentric structure in a rectangular shape to pivotally drive an output shaft (50) formed integrally with the rotor (20), and a rectangular housing (10) including an upper cover (11) and a lower case (12) in the shape of a rectangular tube has a compact structure optimized for accommodating an output shaft driving device (200) in the shape of a rectangular tube in the internal space (13).

[0083] The above printed circuit board (40) is formed in a roughly rectangular shape, and a plurality of PCB fixing grooves (44) are spaced apart on the outer side, and a plurality of through holes (43) are formed on one side inside.

[0084] In this case, the leading edge of a plurality of output shaft guide projections (12e) protruding from the bottom of the lower case (12) extends through a plurality of through holes (43), and as described later, the lower part of the output shaft (50) is set so that the outer periphery is prevented from moving and rotation is possible by the leading edge of the plurality of output shaft guide projections (12e). A support is provided on the outer periphery of the plurality of output shaft guide projections (12e) to support the printed circuit board (40) with a gap from the bottom.

[0085] Accordingly, as the printed circuit board (40) is supported with a gap from the bottom of the lower case (12), the motor driving circuit (41) shown in FIG. 8 can be safely mounted on the lower surface of the printed circuit board (40).

[0086] In addition, as shown in FIG. 5a, in the present invention, first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) are installed at both ends of the lower surface of the printed circuit board (40) to detect the magnet (22) of the rotor (20) when the rotor (20) rotates in a left / right direction, and the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) can serve as stopper sensors that limit the rotation range of the rotor (20).

[0087] In this case, when the rotor (20) rotates in the left / right direction, it is preferable that the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) be installed on the lower surface of the printed circuit board (40) to avoid contact with the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b), but for convenience of explanation, FIG. 5a shows that the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) are installed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board (40).

[0088] The first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) can be installed at both ends of the lower surface of the printed circuit board (PCB) (40) corresponding to both ends of the first to fourth inner stator teeth (31a-31d) which are formed in the shape of an arc with an arc angle of 150 to 180 degrees.

[0089] Accordingly, when the rotor (20) rotates in the left / right direction and approaches the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b), and the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) detect the magnet (22) of the rotor (20), the motor driving circuit (41) determines that the rotor (20) has reached the left / right rotation limit point and can drive the step motor (150) in the reverse direction to reverse the rotation according to the mode setting of the air vent.

[0090] Generally, when a stepper motor controls the amount of left / right rotation of a rotor without using a Hall sensor for a stopper to detect the rotational position, errors can accumulate and cause errors because the rotational range of the rotor is not verified.

[0091] The output shaft drive unit (200) that generates rotational power in the above actuator (100) is installed inside the housing (10) and is composed of a radial gap type eccentric step motor (150) in which an eccentric rotor (20) and an eccentric stator (30) are installed facing each other.

[0092] As described above, the output shaft drive device (200) that rotates the output shaft (50) in the present invention is substantially the same as the eccentric step motor (150) since it is implemented by the eccentric step motor (150).

[0093] The above eccentric stepper motor (150) includes an eccentric stator (30) whose inner surface is formed in an arc shape with an arc angle of, for example, 150 to 180 degrees, an eccentric rotor (20) whose outer surface is separated from the arc-shaped inner surface of the eccentric stator (30) by an air gap and is formed in an arc shape with an arc angle of, for example, 50 to 80 degrees, and an output shaft (50) whose one side of the outer surface is integrally connected to the inside of the eccentric rotor (20) and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the eccentric rotor (20).

[0094] The eccentric rotor (20) is driven to pivot in a range of 60 to 80 degrees in the left and right directions from a reference point set in the center by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator (30), and as a result, the operating lever (not shown) connected to the output shaft (50) and the wind direction control wing is also driven to pivot simultaneously in conjunction with the pivoting drive of the eccentric rotor (20).

[0095] Accordingly, the eccentric stepper motor (150) can pivotally drive the first and second operating levers, which are respectively connected to the vertical wind direction control wing and the horizontal wind direction control wing, in the up-down or left-right directions from the central reference point through the output shaft (50).

[0096] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7b, the eccentric stator (30) includes a first stator (30a) of phase A and a second stator (30b) of phase B stacked on the upper and lower sides to form a two-phase four-wire stepper motor (150), and the first stator (30a) of phase A and the second stator (30b) of phase B have substantially the same structure.

[0097] The first stator (30a) of the above A-phase is bent downward at a right angle at the rear end of the body and has a first back yoke (33a) having a first coil winding section (330a) on which the first coil (34a) of the above A-phase is wound, and a first pole plate A (35a) having a plurality of first inner stator teeth (31a) that are bent downward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the first back yoke (33a) and extended at equal intervals, a second back yoke (33b) having a second coil winding section (330b) on which the first coil (34a) of the above A-phase is wound and which is arranged intersecting with the first coil winding section (330a) and from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the second back yoke (33b) It includes a second pole plate a (35b) having a plurality of second inner stator teeth (31b) that are bent at a right angle upward and extended with equal spacing, an insulating first bobbin (32a) that is bent at a right angle at the rear end of each of the first and second back yoke (33a, 33b) and is coupled to the inner and outer circumferences of the first and second coil winding sections (330a, 330b) arranged in an intersecting manner, and a first coil (34a) of phase A that is wound in the coil winding sections (320a, 320b) of the first bobbin (32a).

[0098] In the first stator (30a) of the above A, a plurality of first inner stator teeth (31a) and a plurality of second inner stator teeth (31b) are arranged to intersect each other as shown in FIG. 7a and FIG. 7b.

[0099] Additionally, the second stator (30b) of the B phase stacked on the lower part of the first stator (30a) of the A phase is bent downward at a right angle at the rear end of the body and has a third back yoke (33c) having a third coil winding section (330c) on which the second coil (34b) of the B phase is wound, and a third pole plate B (35c) having a plurality of third inner stator teeth (31c) extended at an even interval and bent downward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the third back yoke (33c), and a fourth back yoke (33d) having a fourth coil winding section (330d) on which the second coil (34b) of the B phase is wound and is bent upward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the fourth back yoke (33d) and It includes a fourth pole plate b (35d) having a plurality of fourth inner stator teeth (31d) formed with equal spacing and extended, an insulating second bobbin (32b) that is coupled to the inner and outer circumferences of the third and fourth coil winding sections (330c, 330d) which are each bent at a right angle to the rear ends of the third and fourth back yoke (33c, 33d) and arranged to intersect, forming a trench-type coil winding area (320c, 320d), and a second coil (34b) of phase B that is wound in the coil winding area (320c, 320d) of the second bobbin (32b).

[0100] In this case, in the second stator (30b) of the above B, a plurality of third inner stator teeth (31c) and a plurality of fourth inner stator teeth (31d) are arranged to intersect each other as shown in FIG. 7a and FIG. 7b.

[0101] The first to fourth back yokes (33a-33d) in the first stator (30a) of phase A and the second stator (30b) of phase B above serve as magnetic circuits.

[0102] The first and second bobbins (32a, 32b) can be integrally formed in the first to fourth coil winding sections (330a-330d) by an insert molding method to form first to fourth coil winding regions (320a-320d) on the inside and outside, and, for example, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), which is a thermoplastic plastic, can be used.

[0103] A plurality of first to fourth inner stator teeth (31a-31d) arranged on an inward curved surface at the respective leading ends of the first stator (30a) of the A phase and the second stator (30b) of the B phase are formed on a curved surface that forms an arc shape in the range of approximately 150 to 180 degrees overall.

[0104] The first to fourth inner stator teeth (31a-31d) of the stator (30) can be set in proportion to the pivoting angle of the operating lever so that the operating lever can pivot in a range of 120 to 160 degrees in total, with each of the up and down or left and right directions being 60 to 80 degrees from the reference point, depending on the rotation of the rotor (20).

[0105] Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7b, the rotor (20) and the output shaft (50) are formed integrally, and the output shaft (50) rotates simultaneously with the rotation of the rotor (20).

[0106] The rotor (20) comprises a rotor support (23) formed in a fan shape extending from the outer circumference of the output shaft (50), an arc-shaped back yoke (21) disposed in an arc-shaped groove (23a) provided at the tip of the rotor support (23), and an arc-shaped magnet (22) stacked on the front surface of the back yoke (21) with alternating N and S poles.

[0107] The above rotor support (23) may be provided with a through hole (23b) for a weight-removal space as needed for weight reduction.

[0108] The above magnet (22) is usually configured to have a circular structure when configuring the rotor, but in the present invention, it is designed to move left and right according to the rotation direction and rotation speed by using an eccentric magnet formed in the shape of an arc with a center angle of a preset angle.

[0109] In the illustrated embodiment, the magnet (22) may be formed in an arc shape with an angle of, for example, 60 to 80 degrees, and the rotor (20) rotates the output shaft (50) in a range of 120 to 180 degrees in total, with rotational driving of 60 to 80 degrees each in the up and down or left and right directions from a reference point.

[0110] Additionally, the output shaft (50) includes a circular rod-shaped body (52) formed integrally with the rotor support (23), an extension part (53) that extends upward from the body (52) and has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the body (52) and is formed with a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the output shaft guide (11b), and a "+" shaped shaft coupling projection (51) that extends from the extension part (53), protrudes to the outside of the output shaft guide (11b), and is connected to the operating lever.

[0111] The lower part of the body (52) of the output shaft (50) is provided with a stepped portion (52a) as shown in FIG. 5b, and the movement of the outer circumference of the stepped portion (52a) is restricted by the tip portions of four output shaft guide protrusions (12e) protruding from the bottom of the lower case (12).

[0112] Furthermore, as the outer diameter of the body (52) is set larger than the inner diameter of the output shaft guide (11b) and the outer diameter of the extension (53) is set smaller than the inner diameter of the output shaft guide (11b), the upper part of the output shaft (50) may be prevented from moving upward or left and right by the output shaft guide (11b).

[0113] As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the output shaft (50) can be driven in place as the body (52) is prevented from moving upward or moving by the output shaft guide (11b), and the lower part of the body (52) is restricted from moving left and right by the tip of the four output shaft guide protrusions (12e), and since the rotational speed of the rotor (20) is about 5 RPM and the friction load is small, there is no need to use a separate bearing.

[0114] In this case, the output shaft (50) and the rotor support (23) can both be formed from a thermoplastic plastic, for example, polyoxymethylene (POM) (also known as acetal).

[0115] The above output shaft drive device (200) receives a control signal from the air conditioning control device (CCM) according to the user's automatic or manual mode setting, and by driving the operating lever of the air vent to pivot within a preset range, it pivots the direction of the airflow of the cooling and heating air supplied to the interior through the air vent in the left / right horizontal direction or the up / down vertical direction, and as a result, the circulation of air inside the vehicle can be automatically achieved.

[0116] FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the overall motor driving circuit of a 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor according to the present invention.

[0117] The stator (30) of the two-phase stepper motor (150) according to the present invention includes a first coil (34a) of phase A and a second coil (34b) of phase B, each wound in the first and second coil winding sections (330a, 330b) of the first and second back yoke (33a, 33b) of the first stator (30a) of phase A and the third and fourth coil winding sections (330c, 330d) of the third and fourth back yoke (33c, 33d) of the second stator (30b) of phase B, respectively.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 8, the stepper motor (150) has A-phase and B-phase lead wires (A, A' and B, B') connected to each end of the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B, so the signal wires leaking out of the stepper motor (150) are 2-phase 4-wire type.

[0119] When the above 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor (150) has 18 slots / 10 poles, it is preferable to use a bipolar driving circuit for the driving circuit.

[0120] A motor driving circuit (41) is mounted on the printed circuit board (40) disposed below the stator (30), and the motor driving circuit (41) is, for example, composed of an integrated circuit (IC) chip and equipped with a 16-bit microcontroller unit (MCU) internally for data signal processing, and a motor driving signal (T) on the T, W, V, U phase of the PWM method s ,W s ,V s ,U s A motor driver (42) that generates ) is provided at the output terminal.

[0121] The above bipolar driving circuit can be implemented in the motor driver (42), and the motor driver (42) has four pairs of power switching transistors each connected in a totem pole at an output terminal connected to a pre-driver, and a motor driving signal (T on T, W, V, U) from the connection point between the four totem pole connected power switching transistors s ,W s ,V s ,U s is causing ).

[0122] Motor driving signal (T on the above T, W) s ,W s ) is applied to the A-phase lead wire (A,A'), and the motor driving signal (V) of the V,U phase s ,U s ) is applied to the B phase lead wire (B,B').

[0123] An important feature of the bipolar driving of the 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor (150) is that bidirectional current flow is possible through the A-phase and B-phase lead wires (A, A' and B, B') connected to the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B, and the incoming current flows through the entire motor winding (i.e., coil).

[0124] The above bipolar driving step motor (150) is a motor driving signal (T, W, V, U) in the form of pulses generated from the motor driver (42) of the motor driving circuit (41). s ,W s ,V s ,U s The motor driving signal (T) of the T and W phases applied to the A phase lead wire (A, A') among ) s ,W s ) and the motor driving signal (V) of the V and U phases applied to the B phase lead wires (B, B') s ,U s Depending on the setting of ), the direction of the current flowing through the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B can be set.

[0125] Accordingly, the 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor (150) can rotate the rotor (20) by one step at a time by generating a rotating magnetic field from the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B according to a 4-step sequence set according to the combination of the current directions flowing through the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B inserted into the bipolar driving circuit.

[0126] In the case of sequence 1, as the currents flowing through the first and second coils (34a, 34b) of phases A and B are set to opposite (+,-), the torque graph in sequence 1 has a peak torque point, and the direction of the magnetic field lines becomes the same at position 2 in the core shape, and saturation proceeds.

[0127] After that, the torque graph in sequence 2, where the current flowing through the first and second coils (34a, 34b) of phases A and B is set in the same direction, has a torque point lower than the peak, and the magnetic flux saturation value increases at position 1 in the core shape. At position 2 of the core, the direction of the magnetic field lines is reversed and does not saturate.

[0128] In addition, in the case of sequence 3, the current flowing through the first and second coils (34a, 34b) of phase A and phase B is set to opposite (+,-) directions, and in the case of sequence 4, the current flowing through the first and second coils (34a, 34b) of phase A and phase B is set to the same direction.

[0129] The "Pollution" (abbreviated as a 2017) is a diluted 2017.

[0130] The rotational speed of the rotor (20) is proportional to the pulse speed applied to the first and second coils (34a, 34b), so it can be easily controlled, and when operated at a low speed of 5 rpm as in the present invention, the bipolar driving circuit has strong torque and relatively good power efficiency.

[0131] In this case, after the rotor (20) is rotated by a preset angle in the left or right direction from the reference point, if the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) installed at both ends of the upper surface of the printed circuit board (40) detect the magnet (22) of the rotor (20), the rotation of the rotor (20) is stopped, and the rotation direction of the rotor (20) is reversed so that rotational driving can be performed in the opposite direction.

[0132] An actuator for an air vent according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 9 to 15b.

[0133] Referring to FIGS. 9 to 15b, an air vent actuator (100) according to the second embodiment of the present invention comprises a rectangular housing (10), a printed circuit board (PCB) (40) on which a motor driving circuit (41) is installed on the bottom inside the housing (10) and generates a motor driving signal in response to receiving a control signal from a CCM (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system, an output shaft (50) that pivotally drives an operating lever connected to a wind direction control wing, and an output shaft driving device (200) that generates rotational power required for the operation of the actuator in response to the motor driving signal of the motor driving circuit (41) and pivotally drives the output shaft (50).

[0134] The air vent actuator (100) according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that, as described below, the output shaft drive device (200), i.e., the eccentric step motor (150), forms a radial gap type motor in which a circular rotor (20) and an eccentric stator (30) are installed facing each other, and the rest is the same.

[0135] Accordingly, parts identical to those in the first embodiment are assigned the same reference number and a detailed description is omitted.

[0136] The air vent actuator (100) according to the second embodiment of the present invention rotates the output shaft (50) purely by the rotational force of the step motor (150) without using a gear train to increase the driving torque by reducing the rotational speed of the output shaft driving device (200) in the same way as the first embodiment, and the "+" shaped shaft coupling projection (51) extended at the tip of the output shaft (50) can pivotally drive the operating lever connected to the vertical wind direction control wing or the horizontal wind direction control wing, respectively.

[0137] An air vent actuator (100) according to the second embodiment of the present invention uses an eccentric stepper motor (150) having an eccentric structure in a rectangular shape to pivotally drive an output shaft (50) coupled to the center of the rotor (20), and a rectangular housing (10) including an upper cover (11) and a lower case (12) in the shape of a rectangular tube has a compact structure optimized for accommodating an output shaft driving device (200) in the shape of a rectangular tube in the internal space (13).

[0138] The above printed circuit board (40) is formed in a roughly rectangular shape, and a plurality of PCB fixing grooves (44) are spaced apart on the outer side, and a plurality of through holes (43) are formed on one side inside.

[0139] In this case, as shown in FIG. 10a, the leading edge of a plurality of output shaft guide projections (12e) protruding from the bottom of the lower case (12) extends through a plurality of through holes (43), and as described later, the lower part of the output shaft (50) is set so that the outer edge is prevented from moving and can rotate by the leading edge of the plurality of output shaft guide projections (12e). A support is provided on the outer edge of the plurality of output shaft guide projections (12e) to support the printed circuit board (40) with a gap from the bottom.

[0140] Accordingly, as the printed circuit board (40) is supported with a gap from the bottom of the lower case (12), the motor driving circuit (41) shown in FIG. 8 can be safely mounted on the lower surface of the printed circuit board (40).

[0141] In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, in the present invention, first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) are installed at both ends of the lower surface of the printed circuit board (40) to detect auxiliary magnets (not shown) for stopper sensors of the rotor (20) when the rotor (20) rotates in a left / right direction, and the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) can serve as stopper sensors that limit the rotation range of the rotor (20).

[0142] In this case, when the rotor (20) rotates in the left / right direction, it is preferable that the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) be installed on the lower surface of the printed circuit board (40) to avoid contact with the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b), and for convenience of explanation, FIG. 11 shows the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) installed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board (40).

[0143] In addition, in the present invention, the auxiliary magnet may be installed in the empty space inside the magnet (22) of the rotor (20) so that the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) detect the auxiliary magnet for the stopper sensor when the rotor (20) rotates in the left / right direction.

[0144] When in the initial state, if the central part of the rotor (20) is positioned opposite a reference point set in the center by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator (30), the auxiliary magnet for the stopper sensor may be positioned opposite the reference point, or positioned at an appropriate location considering that the rotor (20) is driven to pivot in a range of 60 to 80 degrees in the left / right direction from the reference point.

[0145] The first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) can be installed at both ends of the lower surface of the printed circuit board (PCB) (40) corresponding to both ends of the first to fourth inner stator teeth (31a-31d) which are formed in the shape of an arc with an arc angle of 150 to 180 degrees.

[0146] Accordingly, when the rotor (20) rotates in the left / right direction and approaches the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b), and the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) detect the auxiliary magnet of the rotor (20), the motor driving circuit (41) determines that the rotor (20) has reached the left / right rotation limit point and can drive the step motor (150) in the reverse direction to reverse the rotation according to the mode setting of the air vent.

[0147] The output shaft drive device (200) that generates rotational power in the air vent actuator (100) according to the second embodiment of the present invention is installed inside the housing (10) and is composed of a radial gap type eccentric step motor (150) in which a circular rotor (20) and an eccentric stator (30) are installed facing each other.

[0148] As described above, the output shaft drive device (200) that rotates the output shaft (50) in the present invention is substantially the same as the eccentric step motor (150) since it is implemented by the eccentric step motor (150).

[0149] The above eccentric stepper motor (150) includes an eccentric stator (30) whose inner surface is formed in an arc shape ranging from, for example, 150 to 180 degrees, a circular rotor (20) whose outer surface is separated from the arc-shaped inner surface of the eccentric stator (30) by an air gap, and an output shaft (50) which is fixedly coupled to the center of the rotor (20) and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotor (20).

[0150] The circular rotor (20) is driven to pivot in a range of 60 to 80 degrees in the left and right directions from a reference point set in the center by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator (30), and as a result, the operating lever (not shown) connected to the output shaft (50) and the wind direction control wing is also driven to pivot simultaneously in conjunction with the pivoting drive of the circular rotor (20).

[0151] Accordingly, the eccentric stepper motor (150) can pivotally drive the first and second operating levers, which are respectively connected to the vertical wind direction control wing and the horizontal wind direction control wing, in the up / down or left / right directions from the central reference point through the output shaft (50).

[0152] Referring to FIGS. 9 to 15b, in an air vent actuator (100) according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the eccentric stator (30) includes a first stator (30a) of phase A and a second stator (30b) of phase B stacked on the upper and lower sides to form a two-phase four-wire stepper motor (150), and the first stator (30a) of phase A and the second stator (30b) of phase B have substantially the same structure.

[0153] The first stator (30a) of the above A phase and the second stator (30b) of the above B phase stacked below the first stator (30a) of the above A phase are identical to the first embodiment, so a detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0154] In the first stator (30a) of the above A, a plurality of first inner stator teeth (31a) and a plurality of second inner stator teeth (31b) are arranged to intersect each other as shown in FIG. 15a and FIG. 15b.

[0155] In addition, in the second stator (30b) of the above B, a plurality of third inner stator teeth (31c) and a plurality of fourth inner stator teeth (31d) are arranged to intersect each other, as shown in FIG. 15a and FIG. 15b.

[0156] The first to fourth back yokes (33a-33d) in the first stator (30a) of phase A and the second stator (30b) of phase B above serve as magnetic circuits.

[0157] The first and second bobbins (32a, 32b) can be integrally formed in the first to fourth coil winding sections (330a-330d) by an insert molding method to form first to fourth coil winding regions (320a-320d) on the inside and outside, and, for example, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), which is a thermoplastic plastic, can be used.

[0158] A plurality of first to fourth inner stator teeth (31a-31d) arranged on an inward curved surface at the respective leading ends of the first stator (30a) of the A phase and the second stator (30b) of the B phase are formed on a curved surface that forms an arc shape in the range of approximately 150 to 180 degrees overall.

[0159] The first to fourth inner stator teeth (31a-31d) of the stator (30) can be set in proportion to the pivoting angle of the operating lever so that the operating lever can pivot in a range of 120 to 160 degrees in total, with each of the up / down or left / right directions being 60 to 80 degrees from the reference point, depending on the rotation of the rotor (20).

[0160] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 15b, in the air vent actuator (100) according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the rotor (20) is formed on the outer circumference of the output shaft (50), and the output shaft (50) rotates simultaneously with the rotation of the rotor (20).

[0161] The rotor (20) is formed in a cylindrical structure and includes a circular back yoke (21) coupled to the outer circumference of the output shaft (50) and a circular magnet (22) stacked on the front of the back yoke (21) in which N and S poles are alternately magnetized or a dividing piece is arranged.

[0162] In the air vent actuator (100) according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the eccentric stepper motor (150) is configured as a radial gap type motor comprising an eccentric stator (30) formed in an arc shape and a circular rotor (20) having an outer surface separated from the arc-shaped inner surface of the eccentric stator (30) by an air gap, and the output shaft (50) is coupled and fixed to the center of the rotor (20) and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotor (20).

[0163] In this case, the rotor (20) according to the second embodiment of the present invention is arranged in a radial gap type with an eccentric stator (30) formed in an arc shape, and pivoting is driven in a range of 120 to 180 degrees overall, for example, in the up / down or left / right directions, each of which is 60 to 80 degrees from a reference point.

[0164] In the case of configuring a radial gap type motor and an eccentric stator (30) formed in an arc shape using a rotor (20) having a cylindrical structure in which a circular magnet (22) is stacked on the front of a circular back yoke (21) in the rotor (20) according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the force acting between the circular magnet (22) of the rotor (20) and the core of the eccentric stator (30) (i.e., the first to fourth inner stator teeth (31a-31d) of the first stator (30a) of the A phase and the second stator (30b) of the B phase) acts more strongly than that of a rotor equipped with an arc-shaped magnet, thereby increasing motor efficiency and torque.

[0165] In the second embodiment of the present invention, when a step motor (150) uses a rotor (20) with a circular structure, the driving range is not limited to a limited angle range, but rather the angle range can be adjusted, and the balance is improved.

[0166] In the illustrated embodiment, the magnet (22) may be circular, and the rotor (20) rotates the output shaft (50) in a range of 120 to 180 degrees in total, with rotational movement of 60 to 80 degrees each in the up / down or left / right directions from a reference point, for example.

[0167] In addition, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the output shaft (50) includes a body (52) in the shape of a circular rod, an extension part (53) that extends upward from the body (52) and has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the body (52) and is formed with a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the output shaft guide (11b), and a "+" shaped shaft coupling projection (51) that extends from the extension part (53), protrudes to the outside of the output shaft guide (11b), and is connected to the operating lever.

[0168] In this case, as shown in FIG. 10a and FIG. 13a, a groove (52b) with a trench-shaped cross-section is formed in a circular shape on the lower surface of the body (52) of the output shaft (50), and a slimming groove (52c) is formed in the center of the lower surface of the body (52).

[0169] As the tip portions of the four output shaft guide projections (12e) protruding from the bottom of the lower case (12) are coupled to the trench-shaped groove (52b) of the body (52), rotation of the body (52) of the output shaft (50) is possible, but left-right movement is restricted.

[0170] Furthermore, as the outer diameter of the body (52) is set larger than the inner diameter of the output shaft guide (11b) and the outer diameter of the extension (53) is set smaller than the inner diameter of the output shaft guide (11b), the upper part of the output shaft (50) may be prevented from moving upward or being blocked by the output shaft guide (11b).

[0171] Additionally, since the circular magnet (22) disposed on the surface of the rotor (20) is disposed opposite to the inner circumference of the first to fourth plates (35a-35d) of the first stator (30a) of phase A and the second stator (30b) of phase B with an air gap, the outer diameter of the body (52) can be formed with a large diameter by having the same curvature as the curvature of the rotor (20).

[0172] As a result, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the output shaft (50) is formed with a large diameter body (52), and the tip portions of the four output shaft guide protrusions (12e) are coupled to the trench-shaped groove (52b) provided at the bottom, so that stable rotation can be achieved when the output shaft (50) rotates.

[0173] As described above, the output shaft (50) according to the present invention can be driven in place as the body (52) is prevented from moving upward or moving by the output shaft guide (11b), and the lower part of the body (52) is restricted from moving left and right by the tip of the four output shaft guide protrusions (12e), and since the rotational speed of the rotor (20) is about 5 RPM and the friction load is small, there is no need to use a separate bearing.

[0174] In this case, the output shaft (50) and the rotor support (23) can both be formed from a thermoplastic plastic, for example, polyoxymethylene (POM) (also known as acetal).

[0175] The above output shaft drive device (200) receives a control signal from the air conditioning control device (CCM) according to the user's automatic or manual mode setting, and by driving the operating lever of the air vent to pivot within a preset range, it pivots the direction of the airflow of the cooling and heating air supplied to the interior through the air vent in the left / right horizontal direction or the up / down vertical direction, and as a result, the circulation of air inside the vehicle can be automatically achieved.

[0176] The step motor (150) according to the second embodiment of the present invention can be driven using the motor driving circuit shown in FIG. 8, in the same way as the first embodiment.

[0177] The stepper motor (150) according to the second embodiment is composed of 18 slots / 36 poles by using a rotor (20) with a circular structure.

[0178] In the stepper motor (150) according to the second embodiment, the stator (30) is identical to that of the first embodiment and includes the first coil (34a) of the A phase and the second coil (34b) of the B phase, which are respectively wound in the first and second coil winding sections (330a, 330b) of the first and second back yoke (33a, 33b) of the A phase first stator (30a) and the third and fourth coil winding sections (330c, 330d) of the third and fourth back yoke (33c, 33d) of the B phase second stator (30b).

[0179] Since the A-phase and B-phase lead wires (A, A' and B, B') are connected to each end of the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B of the step motor (150), the signal wires leaked out of the step motor (150) are 2-phase 4-wire type.

[0180] A motor driving circuit (41) is mounted on the printed circuit board (40) positioned below the stator (30), and the motor driving circuit (41) is, for example, composed of an integrated circuit (IC) chip and equipped with a 16-bit microcontroller unit (MCU) internally for data signal processing, and a motor driving signal (T on T, W, V, U) of the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) method s ,W s ,V s ,U s A motor driver (42) that generates ) is provided at the output terminal.

[0181] The above bipolar driving circuit can be implemented in the motor driver (42), and the motor driver (42) has four pairs of power switching transistors each connected in a totem pole at an output terminal connected to a pre-driver, and a motor driving signal (T on T, W, V, U) from the connection point between the four totem pole connected power switching transistors s ,W s ,V s ,U s is causing ).

[0182] Motor driving signal (T on the above T, W) s ,W s ) is applied to the A-phase lead wire (A,A'), and the motor driving signal (V) of the V,U phase s ,U s ) is applied to the B phase lead wire (B,B').

[0183] An important feature of the bipolar driving of the 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor (150) is that bidirectional current flow is possible through the A-phase and B-phase lead wires (A, A' and B, B') connected to the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B, and the incoming current flows through the entire motor winding (i.e., coil).

[0184] The above bipolar driving step motor (150) is a motor driving signal (T, W, V, U) in the form of pulses generated from the motor driver (42) of the motor driving circuit (41). s ,W s ,V s ,U s The motor driving signal (T) of the T and W phases applied to the A phase lead wire (A, A') among ) s ,W s ) and the motor driving signal (V) of the V and U phases applied to the B phase lead wires (B, B') s ,U s Depending on the setting of ), the direction of the current flowing through the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B can be set.

[0185] Accordingly, the 2-phase 4-wire stepper motor (150) can rotate the rotor (20) by one step at a time by generating a rotating magnetic field from the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B according to a 4-step sequence set according to the combination of the current directions flowing through the first coil (34a) of phase A and the second coil (34b) of phase B inserted into the bipolar driving circuit.

[0186] The "Pollution" (abbreviated as a 2017) is a diluted 2017.

[0187] The rotational speed of the rotor (20) is proportional to the pulse speed applied to the first and second coils (34a, 34b), so it can be easily controlled, and when operated at a low speed of 5 rpm as in the present invention, the bipolar driving circuit has strong torque and relatively good power efficiency.

[0188] In this case, after the rotor (20) is rotated by a preset angle in the left or right direction from the reference point, if the first and second Hall sensors (45a, 45b) installed at both ends of the lower surface of the printed circuit board (40) detect the auxiliary magnet of the rotor (20), the rotation of the rotor (20) is stopped, and the rotation direction of the rotor (20) is reversed so that rotational driving can be performed in the opposite direction.

[0189] As described above, the air vent actuator (100) according to the present invention receives a control signal from the air conditioning control device (CCM) according to the user's automatic or manual mode setting and drives the air vent operating lever to pivot within a preset range, thereby pivoting the direction of the cooling and heating airflow supplied to the room through the air vent in a left / right horizontal direction or an up / down vertical direction, and as a result, the circulation of air inside the vehicle can be automatically achieved.

[0190] In addition, the air vent actuator (100) according to the present invention can circulate air inside the vehicle by driving an operating lever fixedly installed on the air vent body to pivot in the left / right direction according to the automatic mode setting, and can adjust the direction of internal air circulation to the direction desired by the user by setting the operating lever according to the manual mode setting.

[0191] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described above with reference to specific preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0192] The present invention can be applied to an actuator for an air vent that can electrically drive the air direction adjustment wing of the air vent according to the indoor temperature.

Claims

1. A housing having an internal space in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped; An output shaft that pivotally drives an operating lever connected to a wind direction control wing; and An output shaft driving device comprising a radial gap type eccentric stepper motor installed inside the housing and driving the output shaft according to a motor driving signal driven by a 2-phase 4-wire bipolar driving method; The above eccentric stepper motor An eccentric stator whose inner surface is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range and which generates a rotating magnetic field according to the motor driving signal; and The outer surface is separated from the inner surface of the eccentric stator by an air gap and is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range, and the eccentric rotor is driven to pivot within a preset range from a reference point set in the center by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator; The above output shaft is an air vent actuator in which one side of the outer circumference is integrally connected to the inner side of the eccentric rotor, and pivoting is performed in synchronization with the pivoting drive of the eccentric rotor.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above eccentric stator A first stator of phase A in which a first coil of phase A is wound on the first and second coil winding sections of the first and second back yoke; and A second stator of phase B, which is stacked on the lower part of the first stator of phase A and in which the second coil of phase B is wound in the third and fourth coil winding portions of the third and fourth back yoke; and The first stator of the above A phase is A first pole plate A having a first coil winding section that is bent downward at a right angle at the rear end of the body and on which a first coil of phase A is wound, and a plurality of first inner stator teeth that are bent downward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the first pole plate and extended at equal intervals; A second back yoke having a second coil winding section arranged intersecting the first coil winding section, which is bent upward at a right angle at the rear end of the body and has a first coil of phase A wound thereon, and a second pole plate a having a plurality of second inner stator teeth that are bent upward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the second back yoke and extended at equal intervals; An insulating first bobbin that is coupled to the inner and outer circumferences of the first and second coil winding sections, which are each bent at a right angle to the rear ends of the first and second back yokes and arranged to intersect, and forms trench-type first and second coil winding regions on the inner side, respectively; and It includes a first coil of phase A wound in the first and second coil winding regions of the first bobbin; The second stator of the above B phase is A third back yoke having a third coil winding section that is bent downward at a right angle at the rear end of the body and on which a second coil of phase B is wound, and a third pole plate B having a plurality of third inner stator teeth that are bent downward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the third back yoke and extended at equal intervals; A fourth back yoke having a fourth coil winding section that is bent downward at a right angle at the rear end of the body and on which a second coil of phase B is wound, and a fourth pole plate b having a plurality of fourth inner stator teeth that are bent upward at a right angle from an inward curved surface located at the front end of the fourth back yoke and extended at equal intervals; Insulating second bobbins that are each bent at a right angle to the rear ends of the third and fourth back yokes and then intersected, and are coupled to the inner and outer circumferences of the third and fourth coil winding sections, respectively, forming trench-type third and fourth coil winding regions; and An air vent actuator comprising: a second coil of phase B wound in the third and fourth coil winding regions of the second bobbin.

3. In Paragraph 2, It further includes a motor driving circuit mounted on a printed circuit board disposed at the bottom of the stator and generating motor driving signals on the T, W, V, and U phases in a PWM manner from the output terminal of the motor driver; Motor driving signals of phases T and W are applied from the output terminal of the motor driver to the phase A lead wire connected to both ends of the first coil of phase A, and motor driving signals of phases V and U are applied from the output terminal of the motor driver to the phase B lead wire connected to both ends of the second coil of phase B. The above eccentric stepper motor is an actuator for an air vent in which the pivoting of the eccentric rotor is driven by a 4-step sequence in which the sequence is set according to the combination of the current directions flowing through the first coil of phase A and the second coil of phase B when the motor driving signals of phases T, W, V, and U are applied from the motor driver.

4. In Paragraph 1, The above eccentric rotor A rotor support formed extending in an arc shape from the outer periphery of the output shaft; A back yoke installed in an arc-shaped groove formed at the tip of the rotor support; and An actuator for an air vent comprising: an arc-shaped magnet stacked on the tip of the above-mentioned back yoke, wherein N-pole and S-pole magnetic poles are alternately arranged.

5. In Paragraph 1, A motor driving circuit mounted on a printed circuit board disposed at the lower part of the stator and generating motor driving signals on T, W, V, and U in a PWM manner from the output terminal of a motor driver; and It further includes first and second Hall sensors for detecting the magnets of the rotor when the rotor pivots in the left / right direction at both ends of the printed circuit board; The above motor drive circuit is an actuator for an air vent that drives the rotor in the reverse direction to reverse the rotation direction of the rotor when the first and second Hall sensors detect the magnet of the rotor and determine that the rotor has reached a left / right rotation limit point.

6. In Paragraph 1, The above housing is A lower case in the shape of a rectangular prism; and It includes an upper cover that covers the upper part of the lower case and has a cylindrical output shaft guide extended therefrom; The above output shaft is A circular rod-shaped body formed integrally with the rotor support of the above-mentioned eccentric rotor; An extension portion extending upward from the body and having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the body, and formed with a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the output shaft guide; and An actuator for an air vent comprising a "+" shaped shaft coupling projection that is extended from the above extension portion, protrudes to the outside of the output shaft guide, and is connected to the operating lever.

7. A housing having a rectangular space inside; A printed circuit board (PCB) installed inside the above housing and having a motor driving circuit mounted thereon that generates motor driving signals on the T, W, V, and U phases using a 2-phase 4-wire bipolar driving method; An output shaft that pivotally drives an operating lever connected to the air direction control wing of an air vent; It includes an eccentric stepper motor that generates rotational power necessary for the operation of an actuator according to the motor drive signal and pivotally drives the output shaft; The above eccentric stepper motor An eccentric stator whose inner surface is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range and which generates a rotating magnetic field according to the motor driving signal; and The outer surface is separated from the inner surface of the eccentric stator by an air gap and is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range, and the eccentric rotor is driven to pivot within a preset range from a reference point set in the center by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator; The above output shaft is an air vent actuator in which one side of the outer circumference is integrally connected to the inner side of the eccentric rotor, and pivoting is performed in synchronization with the pivoting drive of the eccentric rotor.

8. In Paragraph 7, The above eccentric stator A first stator of phase A in which a first coil of phase A is wound on the first and second coil winding sections of the first and second back yoke; and An air vent actuator comprising: a second stator of phase B, which is stacked on the lower part of the first stator of phase A and in which the second coil of phase B is wound in the third and fourth coil winding portions of the third and fourth back yoke.

9. In Paragraph 8, Motor driving signals of phases T and W are applied from the output terminal of the motor driving circuit to the phase A lead wire connected to both ends of the first coil of phase A, and motor driving signals of phases V and U are applied from the output terminal of the motor driving circuit to the phase B lead wire connected to both ends of the second coil of phase B. An actuator for an air vent in which the pivoting of the eccentric rotor is driven by a 4-step sequence in which the sequence is set according to the combination of the current directions flowing in the first coil of the A phase and the second coil of the B phase when the motor driving signals of the T, W, V, and U phases are applied to the first coil of the A phase and the second coil of the B phase.

10. A housing having an internal space in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped; An output shaft that pivotally drives an operating lever connected to a wind direction control wing; and It includes a radial gap type eccentric stepper motor installed inside the above housing, driven by a 2-phase 4-wire bipolar driving method, and driving the output shaft according to a motor driving signal; The above eccentric stepper motor An eccentric stator whose inner surface is formed in the shape of an arc within a preset range and which generates a rotating magnetic field according to the motor driving signal; and A circular rotor formed concentrically on the outer periphery of the output shaft and driven to pivot within a preset range from a reference point set at the center by the rotating magnetic field of the eccentric stator; An air vent actuator in which the body of the output shaft is coupled to a plurality of output shaft guide projections protruding from the bottom of the housing in a trench-shaped circular groove formed on the lower surface, thereby supporting the rotation of the output shaft.

11. In Paragraph 10, It further includes a motor driving circuit mounted on a printed circuit board disposed at the bottom of the stator and generating first to fourth motor driving signals on T, W, V, and U in a PWM manner from the output terminal of the motor driver; The above step motor is an actuator for an air vent that sets the direction of current flowing in the first coil of phase A and the second coil of phase B, respectively, according to the setting of the first and second motor driving signals of phases T and W applied to the A-phase lead wire and the third and fourth motor driving signals of phases V and U applied to the B-phase lead wire among the first to fourth motor driving signals of phases T, W, V, and U generated from the motor driver, and sets the sequence according to a 4-step sequence in which the sequence is set according to the combination of the directions of current flowing in the first coil of phase A and the second coil of phase B.

12. In Paragraph 11, An air vent actuator in which the phase current flowing through the first coil of phase A and the second coil of phase B is switched every 180 degrees of electrical angle, the current flowing through the first and second coils of phase A and B is applied with a 90-degree phase difference, and each sequence in the 4-step sequence is set at 5-degree mechanical angle intervals.

13. In Paragraph 10, The above circular rotor A circular back yoke formed on the outer periphery of the output shaft; and An actuator for an air vent comprising a circular magnet stacked on the outer periphery of the above-mentioned back yoke, wherein N-pole and S-pole magnetic poles are alternately arranged.

14. In Paragraph 10, The above housing is A lower case in the shape of a rectangular prism; and It includes an upper cover that covers the upper part of the lower case and has a cylindrical output shaft guide extended therefrom; The above output shaft is A circular rod-shaped body coupled to the center of the above-mentioned circular rotor; An extension portion extending upward from the body and having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the body, and formed with a diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the output shaft guide; and An actuator for an air vent comprising a "+" shaped shaft coupling projection that is extended from the above extension portion, protrudes to the outside of the output shaft guide, and is connected to the operating lever.

15. In Paragraph 10, The above eccentric stator A first stator of phase A in which a first coil of phase A is wound on the first and second coil winding sections of the first and second back yoke; and A second stator of phase B, which is stacked on the lower part of the first stator of phase A and in which the second coil of phase B is wound in the third and fourth coil winding portions of the third and fourth back yoke; and Motor driving signals of phases T and W are applied from the output terminal of the motor driving circuit to the A-phase lead wire connected to both ends of the first coil of phase A, and motor driving signals of phases V and U are applied from the output terminal of the motor driving circuit to the B-phase lead wire connected to both ends of the second coil of phase B. An actuator for an air vent in which the rotational driving of the circular rotor is achieved by a 4-step sequence in which the sequence is set according to the combination of the current directions flowing in the first coil of the A phase and the second coil of the B phase when the motor driving signals of the T, W, V, and U phases are applied to the first coil of the A phase and the second coil of the B phase.

Images