Air-conditioning register
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air-conditioning registers in vehicles have visible outlets, which do not meet the aesthetic demand of being hard to see while maintaining the essential functionality.
Innovation Solution
An air-conditioning register design with a retainer, air-direction changing member, and manipulating member, where the outlet is positioned forward and downward, utilizing an inclined surface and transmission mechanisms to direct air flow upward toward the occupant, while the manipulating member is exposed for easy access, and the outlet is concealed by a projecting portion, leveraging the Coanda effect to change air flow direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the outlet is arranged at a visible position to ensure functional accessibility, then the air-conditioning register can effectively control airflow direction, but the outlet becomes visible to vehicle occupants which compromises aesthetic demands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the outlet in the vertical dimension (forward and downward from the occupant) rather than only in the horizontal plane, utilizing the third dimension to achieve both visibility concealment and functional accessibility. The projecting portion creates a spatial relationship where the outlet remains accessible for airflow control while being hidden from the occupant's line of sight.
2Shape
If the outlet is positioned forward and downward to hide it from view, then aesthetic demands are satisfied, but the airflow direction control becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an inclined surface as an intermediary element between the outlet and the occupant. This inclined surface redirects the airflow upward after it exits the hidden outlet, achieving the dual purpose of concealing the outlet while maintaining effective airflow direction control toward the occupant.
3Ease of operation
If the manipulating member is arranged outside the retainer for ease of operation, then the manipulating member is easily accessible to occupants, but the overall structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the air-conditioning register into separate functional modules: the retainer containing the airflow passage and outlet, the air-direction changing member for airflow control, and the manipulating member for user operation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while simplifying the overall structure through modular 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
The air-conditioning register effectively directs air flow toward the occupant while concealing the outlet, improving aesthetics and usability by ensuring the outlet is not visible and facilitating easy manipulation of the controlling knob.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing the Coanda effect to direct air upward towards the occupant
Implementation Method 2
After having been blown out from the outlet, as has been described, the air-conditioning air flows along the inclined surface, which is formed in the lower section of the projecting portion, due to the Coanda effect. The flow direction of the air-conditioning air is thus changed to flow upward toward the occupant.
Data Source
AI summary
An interior component has a projecting portion projecting rearward at a position forward and downward from a vehicle occupant when the occupant maintains a sitting posture in a passenger compartment. The interior component has a front inclined surface section and a rear inclined surface section in a lower section of the projecting portion. A retainer and air-direction changing members arranged in the retainer are arranged immediately below the projecting portion at positions forward from the front inclined surface section. A manipulating member is arranged above the rear inclined surface section with at least a part of the manipulating member exposed rearward from the projecting portion. A first transmission mechanism and a second transmission mechanism, which transmit movement of the manipulating member to the air-direction changing members, are arranged in the interior component.