Rotatable Air Register Shutter for Accurate Airflow Direction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Air registers in vehicles often redirect airflow, causing misalignment and reducing the accuracy of airflow direction due to air contacting side walls, which affects the cumulative flow angle.

Innovation Solution

An air register with a rotatable shutter mechanism that adjusts airflow direction by rotating a shutter relative to the blade member, inhibiting air entry when closed, and allowing airflow between vertical blades when open.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If air flows through the air register with vertical vanes, then airflow direction can be adjusted to left or right, but air contacts side walls and redirects, causing cumulative flow angle misalignment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveairflow direction adjustmentVSAvoidflow direction accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the harmful interaction between air and side walls by introducing a shutter that blocks the air path along the side walls. The shutter prevents air from contacting the side wall surface, eliminating the unwanted redirection effect while preserving the vertical vane's primary airflow control function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The shutter acts as an intermediary element between the air flow and the side wall structure. By positioning the shutter in the air path, it mediates the interaction by selectively blocking air from reaching the side wall, thus preventing the harmful redirection while allowing controlled airflow through the vertical vanes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If a shutter is added to prevent air from contacting side walls, then airflow direction accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflow direction accuracyVSAvoidair register structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shutter is merged with the existing blade member structure, sharing the same rotational axis and housing integration. This combining approach allows the shutter to be controlled through the existing actuation mechanism, adding the flow correction function without requiring a completely separate control system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The shutter serves multiple functions: it blocks air from contacting side walls to prevent redirection, works in conjunction with the vertical vanes for precise airflow control, and can be actuated through the existing mechanical linkage system. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12589636B2Air registers including a rotatable shutter

Publication Date: 2026.03.31 TOYODA GOSEI CO LTD

AI summary

An air register including a blade member including a plurality of vertical blades and a side wall defining a rear opening, and a shutter rotatably coupled to the blade member, wherein rotation of the blade member in a rotation direction from a center state causes the shutter to rotate in the rotation direction and at least partially overlap the rear opening of the blade member, a rate of rotation of the shutter as the shutter rotates in the rotation direction is greater than a rate of rotation of the blade member as the blade member rotates in the rotation direction.