Vehicle Air Inlet Shutter With Automatic Return After Drive Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air inlet closing devices for motor vehicles, such as Active Curtain Shutter (ACS), can become stuck in a closed position due to drive device failures, limiting air flow and impacting heat exchanger performance.
Innovation Solution
An air inlet closing device with an automatic curtain return system, utilizing an elastic element and cylindrical slide with a helical groove, allows the curtain to return to its open position using stored elastic energy, even if the drive device is not operational, ensuring air flow circulation through the cooling module.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the drive device is used to wind the curtain around the winding shaft to open the air inlet, then the drag coefficient is reduced and fuel consumption is lowered, but the system becomes vulnerable to drive device failure that can leave the curtain stuck in the closed position
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic element is pre-loaded during normal operation to accumulate elastic energy, preparing the system in advance for potential drive failure. This preliminary energy storage enables automatic curtain opening without requiring additional power when the drive device fails.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potential harmful situation of drive failure into a beneficial automatic safety mechanism. When the drive device fails, the pre-loaded elastic element automatically activates to open the curtain, transforming a system vulnerability into a fail-safe feature that ensures cooling continuity.
2Loss of energy
If the curtain is kept in the closed position to reduce air flow and lower drag, then fuel efficiency improves, but the cooling module performance deteriorates due to limited air flow circulation
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts between closed and open states based on operational needs. The elastic element enables rapid transition from closed (fuel-efficient) to open (cooling-required) position, allowing the system to optimize between fuel efficiency and cooling performance as conditions change.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic return mechanism allows the system to self-correct when cooling is needed. If the curtain remains closed due to drive failure, the pre-loaded elastic element automatically activates to open the curtain, enabling the cooling system to service itself without external intervention or additional power.
3Device complexity
If the curtain is made flexible and stored on a winding shaft to enable compact storage in the open position, then the device complexity is reduced, but the system loses the ability to automatically return to the open position upon drive failure
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic element is continuously pre-loaded during normal curtain operation, storing elastic energy in advance. This preliminary energy storage prepares the simple winding shaft mechanism to automatically reverse and open the curtain without requiring complex additional components or power sources when drive failure occurs.
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 automatic return system ensures continuous air flow circulation, preventing engine overheating and maintaining cooling module performance even in the event of drive device failure.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic element in elongation along the winding axis of the winding shaft, said elastic element being fixed at one of its ends to the winding shaft so as to be driven in rotation by said winding shaft and vice versa
Implementation Method 2
said slide also having on its external surface a helical groove, the support frame having a fixed finger configured to be inserted into the helical groove of the slide
Data Source
Figure 1~2a
Figure 2b~3
Figure 4a
AI summary
The invention relates to an air inlet closure device (10) for a motor vehicle (1) comprising: - a support frame (13) defining an opening for the passage of an incoming airflow (F), - a curtain (15) movable between a closed position and an open position, said curtain (15) having an edge (31) fixed to a winding shaft (23) connected to a drive device (38) so as to wind and unwind the curtain (15) around said winding shaft (23), - an automatic return system (50) for the curtain (15) comprising: - an elastic element (52) in elongation along the winding axis (A1) of the winding shaft (23) and fixed thereto so as to be driven in rotation and vice versa;- a cylindrical slide (58) intended to move in translation along the winding axis (A1) and in rotation around this same axis (A1), said slide (58) being fixed to the elastic element (52) so as to be indirectly driven in rotation by the winding shaft (23), said slide (58) having on its external surface a helical groove (60), the support frame (13) having a fixed finger (70) configured to be inserted into said helical groove (60).;