Adjustable Air Vent With Nested Actuator to Reduce Flow Blockage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustable air vents for vehicles often require complicated mechanical linkage systems and obstruct airflow with the air adjustment actuator, limiting directional adjustment to only vertical or horizontal movements without the ability to direct the air stream in all directions.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable air vent design featuring a fixed air guide within the housing that divides the air stream into upper and lower channels, with adjustable vanes controlled by an air adjustment actuator positioned at the center of the discharge opening, allowing stepless adjustment in any direction by combining vertical and horizontal displacements, and minimizing airflow obstruction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the air adjustment actuator is located at or in the air vent itself, then the adjustment of vanes is simplified, but the air adjustment actuator blocks the air flow from the discharge opening
Solution Approach 1:
The air adjustment actuator is positioned inside the housing and rotates about an axis that passes through the air guide. The actuator is nested within the housing structure rather than being mounted externally, which reduces its projection into the air flow path while maintaining its adjustment function. The actuator body is contained within the housing boundaries, minimizing interference with air discharge.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation axis of the air adjustment actuator is positioned such that it passes through the air guide, creating a three-dimensional arrangement where the actuator rotates in a plane that minimizes air flow obstruction. By orienting the rotation axis strategically within the housing, the actuator's movement occurs in a dimension that has minimal impact on the primary air flow direction.
2Loss of energy
If the air adjustment actuator is located in the dashboard beside the discharge opening, then air flow blockage is reduced, but a complicated mechanical linkage system is required
Solution Approach 1:
The air adjustment actuator is extracted from the dashboard location and integrated directly into the housing structure. By removing the actuator from the dashboard and placing it within the housing, the complex external linkage system is eliminated and replaced with a direct, simplified connection between the actuator and the vanes through the air guide mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The air adjustment actuator is merged with the housing and air guide assembly, creating an integrated unit. The actuator, air guide, and vanes form a combined mechanism where the actuator's rotation directly influences the air guide and vanes without requiring separate linkage components. This merging reduces the overall system complexity while maintaining air flow efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If vertical vanes and horizontal vanes are adjusted independently, then directional control is limited to vertical and horizontal adjustments, but the adjustment mechanism remains simple
Solution Approach 1:
The air adjustment actuator serves multiple functions by simultaneously controlling both the vertical and horizontal orientation of the air stream. A single actuator rotates about an axis that enables it to adjust the air guide in a manner that affects both vertical and horizontal vanes, providing omnidirectional air flow control without requiring separate actuators for each direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The air guide and vanes are designed with dynamic adjustment capabilities, allowing the air stream direction to be continuously varied in any direction. The rotatable air adjustment actuator enables dynamic repositioning of the air guide, which in turn dynamically adjusts the orientation of both vertical and horizontal vanes to direct the air stream anywhere within a wide angular range.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Adjustable air vent (3) comprising an elongate housing extending in a length direction (L), one or more vertical vanes at least partly located in the housing, one or more horizontal vanes (17) at least partly located in the housing, an air guide (13) at least partly located within the housing fixedly positioned in relation to the housing and extending in the length direction (L), an air adjustment actuator (5) being displaceable in relation to the housing to adjust a direction of the air stream, a first connection directly or indirectly connecting the air adjustment actuator (5) to the one or more horizontal vanes (17) for selecting the vertical direction of the air stream and a second connection directly or indirectly connecting the air adjustment actuator (5) to the one or more vertical vanes for selecting the horizontal direction of the air stream wherein the air adjustment actuator (5) surrounds the air guide (13) and is displaceable relative thereto.