Compact Motor Vehicle Air Inlet Adjustment Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustment devices for air inlets in motor vehicles are complex, maintenance-prone, heavy, large, and sensitive to failure, with insufficient power, limiting their effectiveness and durability.
Innovation Solution
A compact adjustment device utilizing a compound drive system, such as a planetary gear system, cycloidal drive system, or harmonic-drive system, with a side axis and detachable output gear for fail-safe functionality, allowing for a high transmission ratio and reduced overall height, enabling flexible design and operation with a small motor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex drive unit is used to adjust the air inlet, then the air inlet can be adjusted between open and closed positions, but the drive unit becomes maintenance-prone, heavy, large, and sensitive to failure
Solution Approach 1:
The drive unit is segmented into modular components: an electric motor, a planetary gear set, and a worm gear. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall complexity while maintaining reliability. The planetary gear set provides high torque multiplication in a compact form, and the worm gear offers self-locking capability for fail-safe operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The planetary gear set is nested within the drive unit housing, with the sun gear, planet gears, and ring gear arranged concentrically. This nested configuration minimizes the spatial footprint of the drive unit while achieving high transmission ratios, thereby reducing overall device size and weight without compromising reliability.
2Length of moving object
If a compact drive unit is used, then the overall height is reduced and design flexibility increases, but the transmission ratio may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The planetary gear set and worm gear are combined in a single integrated drive unit. The planetary gear set provides the first stage of torque multiplication with a compact nested structure, while the worm gear provides the second stage with self-locking capability. This merging of two gear mechanisms achieves high transmission ratios in a compact configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive unit employs composite gear systems combining planetary gears and worm gears. This composite approach allows the drive unit to achieve high transmission ratios (i.e., large reduction) in a compact form factor, simultaneously reducing height while maintaining sufficient power transmission capability for air inlet adjustment.
3Volume of moving object
If a small motor is used to operate the adjustment device, then the overall dimensions are reduced, but the power and torque may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces a direct-drive mechanical system with a gear-based transmission system. A small electric motor is coupled to a planetary gear set, which mechanically amplifies the motor's torque through high transmission ratio. This substitution allows a compact motor to generate sufficient torque for air inlet adjustment without increasing overall dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The planetary gear set changes the mechanical parameters by providing high transmission ratio and torque multiplication. This parameter transformation allows a small motor operating at high speed with low torque to be converted into a high-torque output suitable for driving the air inlet adjustment mechanism, all within compact dimensions.
4Loss of energy
If the air inlet is kept closed to reduce air resistance and improve fuel consumption, then fuel efficiency increases, but the motor temperature may rise above optimum levels
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlet is designed as a dynamic component that can adjust its opening degree based on operating conditions. The adjustment device enables the air inlet to transition between fully closed (for fuel efficiency) and partially open or fully open (for cooling) positions. This dynamic adjustability allows the system to optimize both fuel consumption and motor temperature management according to real-time operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the air inlet opening parameter to balance fuel efficiency and cooling requirements. When fuel consumption is prioritized, the air inlet is closed or partially closed. When motor cooling is needed, the air inlet opening is increased to allow more air flow. This parameter adjustment enables optimization of both contradictory objectives under different operating conditions.
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 compact and efficient design enhances the adjustment device's reliability, reduces maintenance needs, and provides fail-safe operation, improving the air inlet's adjustability and overall vehicle performance while minimizing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Implementation Method 1
The side gear (7) drives a sun gear (8) as input gear of the planetary gear system (4). The planet gear (9) has an external toothing (9a) which meshes with an internal toothing (10a) of a ring gear (10). The external toothing (9a) of the planet gear (9) also meshes with an internal toothing (11a) of the drive wheel (11).
Implementation Method 2
The sun gear (8) is designed with an eccentric output (8a), so that in this exemplary embodiment use can be made of just one planet gear (9). Due to the eccentric output (8a) of the sun gear (8) and due to the planet gear (9) having a smaller number of teeth than the toothing (10a) of the ring gear (10), the planet gear (9) revolves in the ring gear (10) while meshing with a limited number of teeth.
Implementation Method 3
A motor (5) drives a planetary gear system (4) via a worm wheel (6) and a side gear (7).
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~6
Figure 3
AI summary
An adjustment device for adjusting an air inlet of a motor compartment of a motor vehicle between at least a first position in which the air inlet is substantially open and a second position in which the air inlet is substantially closed, comprising a drive unit for adjusting the air inlet between at least the first position and the second position, wherein the drive unit comprises a compound drive system.