Adaptive Vehicle Air Vent Housing for Low-Noise Air Deflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air vents with straight housing walls suffer from suboptimal air deflection and increased flow resistance and noise when the height is reduced, particularly below 50 mm, due to turbulence caused by pivotable air-guiding slats.
Innovation Solution
The air vent incorporates an adaptive housing wall region that can pivot or move into the air duct to deflect air effectively, maintaining low flow resistance and noise levels, even at reduced heights, by using an adaptive air-guiding element that interacts with a pivotable air-guiding slat, allowing for optimized air deflection without widening the outlet opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the air vent height is reduced to less than 50 mm, then the installation space requirement is improved, but the flow resistance increases due to turbulence caused by pivotable air-guiding slats
Solution Approach 1:
The housing wall is designed with an adaptive region that can change its position dynamically. In the retracted position, the air duct has a first cross-sectional height suitable for compact installation. In the extended position, the adaptive region protrudes into the air duct to increase the effective cross-sectional height, reducing flow resistance and turbulence when the air vent is installed in a space-constrained environment with height less than 50 mm.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptive region of the housing wall can move in the direction perpendicular to the main flow direction, effectively changing the cross-sectional dimensions of the air duct. This dimensional adjustment allows the air vent to adapt its internal geometry to maintain optimal flow characteristics despite external height constraints.
2Volume of moving object
If the air vent height is reduced to less than 35 mm, then the installation space requirement is further improved, but the turbulence and noise increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptive region dynamically adjusts the air duct geometry to compensate for the reduced overall height. By extending into the air duct when needed, it creates sufficient flow passage height to prevent turbulence-induced noise, while allowing the external housing to maintain a compact profile of less than 35 mm.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptive region is positioned and configured in advance to anticipate flow requirements. Its predetermined geometry and positioning ensure that when air flow occurs, the housing wall structure already provides the necessary flow guidance to minimize turbulence and noise generation.
3Ease of operation
If arc-shaped housing walls are used to deflect air flow, then the air deflection performance is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and mounting difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing wall is segmented into a fixed region and an adaptive region. The fixed region maintains the basic parallel structure for simplicity, while the adaptive region provides the necessary deflection functionality through its movable capability, separating the structural simplicity from the functional complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a permanently complex arc-shaped structure, the invention uses a dynamic adaptive region that can change its configuration as needed. This allows the housing to maintain a simple parallel-walled structure most of the time, while providing arc-like deflection functionality only when required for air flow control.
4Ease of manufacture
If parallel housing walls are used to simplify manufacturing, then the manufacturing ease is improved, but the air deflection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptive region introduces dynamic functionality to an otherwise static parallel-walled structure. This movable element provides the necessary air deflection capability that would otherwise require complex arc-shaped housing walls, while maintaining the manufacturing simplicity of the fixed parallel regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing wall is divided into simple-to-manufacture fixed regions and a functional adaptive region. This segmentation allows the majority of the housing to be manufactured using simple parallel wall techniques, while the adaptive region provides the specialized deflection functionality through its movable design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enables efficient air deflection with reduced flow resistance and noise, allowing for compact air vents with a height of less than 20 mm, suitable for installation in previously inaccessible vehicle areas without the need for large mounting panels, while maintaining functionality and acoustics.
Implementation Method 1
at least one region of the housing wall...is designed adaptively such that said region is able to be moved out into the air duct and/or pivoted into the air duct, as required, in order to deflect the air, flowing through the air duct, from the main flow direction
Data Source
AI summary
An air vent (1) for a vehicle, wherein the air vent (1) has a housing whose housing wall (5a, 5b) regionally delimits an air duct (3) for air flowing through the air vent (1) along a main flow direction (H), wherein at least one region (7, 8) of the housing wall (5a, 5b) is designed adaptively such that said region (7, 8) is able to be moved out into the air duct (3) and/or pivoted into the air duct (3), as required, in order to deflect the air, flowing through the air duct (3), from the main flow direction (H).