Air-conditioning outlet device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air-conditioning outlet devices with a frame-shaped housing suffer from air leakage around the shaft portions of the fin due to gaps, even when the flow path is closed, which compromises the effectiveness of air shut-off.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a housing with integrated support portions that include a base portion, stepped portion, and connecting portion, featuring a clearance recess and a barrier wall to create a blow-in space, which is then obstructed by a bulging portion or lid portion to prevent air leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the housing has a frame shape with integrated support portions to simplify structure and ease of manufacture, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the gap around the shaft portions of the fin becomes large causing air leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion is segmented into three distinct functional regions: a base portion having a support hole for rotatably supporting the shaft portion, a stepped portion stepped inward from the base portion, and a connecting portion connecting the base portion and stepped portion. This segmentation allows each region to perform its specific function while maintaining structural integrity of the integrated support portion.
Solution Approach 2:
A clearance recess is formed in the connecting portion, creating a three-dimensional blow-in space between the plate-shaped portion and the base portion. This dimensional change allows the air flow path to be controlled in the radial direction, redirecting leaked air into a designated space rather than allowing it to directly enter the vehicle cabin.
Solution Approach 3:
A barrier wall is introduced as an intermediary element to interfere with and redirect the air flow path. The barrier wall, which may be formed by a bulging portion of the fin or a lid portion, acts as a mediator that changes the direction of leaked air, guiding it away from the vehicle cabin and into the blow-in space defined by the clearance recess.
2Reliability
If the gap around the shaft portions is reduced to improve air tightness, then air leakage is suppressed, but the fin cannot be properly fitted to the housing
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion is divided into functional segments including the base portion with support hole, stepped portion, and connecting portion with clearance recess. This segmentation allows the fin to be properly fitted to the housing through the support hole while the clearance recess provides controlled space for the plate-shaped portion, enabling both proper fitting and air tightness.
Solution Approach 2:
The clearance recess acts as an intermediary structure that mediates between the need for a tight fit and the need to prevent air leakage. It provides a controlled space that allows the fin to be fitted while simultaneously managing the air flow path to prevent leakage into the vehicle cabin.
3Reliability
If the barrier wall is positioned to effectively block air flow into the vehicle cabin, then air leakage is suppressed, but the blow-in space becomes larger allowing more air to be redirected
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier wall is positioned at a specific location within the blow-in space to interfere with the air flow path at the critical point where air would otherwise enter the vehicle cabin. The barrier wall does not need to block the entire blow-in space, only the portion that would lead to air leakage, thereby maintaining air tightness while minimizing the volume of the blow-in space.
Data Source
AI summary
The air-conditioning outlet device includes the housing having a frame shape and having a flow path through which air flows. The housing has an overlapping surface that a fin is overlappable in a state where the flow path is closed, and a clearance recess recessed from the overlapping surface so as not to come into contact with the fin when the fin rotates from the state where the flow path is closed. The clearance recess of the housing and the fin define a blow-in space into which the air is blown from a gap between the housing and the fin. One of the fin and the housing includes a barrier wall that interferes with the air flowing through the blow-in space.