Vehicle Air Vent Bearing Layout for Uniform Lamella Pivoting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air vent designs for motor vehicles face challenges in easily pivoting lamellae while preventing undesirable adjustments, maintaining performance across varying temperatures and humidity, and minimizing rattling noises, especially due to unround bearing pins affecting actuating forces.
Innovation Solution
The lamellae are mounted using a three-point bearing system with radial and axial bearings, where the axial bearing features a fork with axial clearance and the radial bearing is designed as a circular opening, allowing for uniform actuating forces and independent adaptation to tolerances, and a coupling rod synchronizes lamellae movement to prevent rattling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If spring clips with Ω-shape are used to mount bearing pins, then automatic adjustment and rattling are prevented, but actuating force fluctuates significantly due to unroundness of bearing pins
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing support is segmented into two independent bearing elements: a axial bearing element that prevents automatic adjustment and rattling, and a radial bearing element that ensures uniform actuating force. This segmentation allows each element to specialize in one function, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure (the combined axial and radial bearing elements) that mediates between the bearing pin and the housing. The axial bearing element acts as a mediator to prevent unwanted movements, while the radial bearing element mediates to ensure uniform force distribution, together resolving the conflicting requirements.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional mounting methods are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but tolerances significantly affect pivoting forces and performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the bearing elements, specifically designing the radial bearing element with a circular cross-section that is larger than the bearing pin diameter. This parameter change creates radial clearance that compensates for manufacturing tolerances and unroundness, ensuring consistent actuating force while maintaining ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The radial bearing element is designed with built-in radial clearance that acts as a cushion against the effects of manufacturing tolerances and unroundness. This beforehand cushioning ensures that variations in bearing pin geometry do not significantly affect the actuating force, maintaining reliability without complicating manufacturing.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple bearings are used on each side, then positioning precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using exactly two bearing elements (axial and radial) per bearing pin location - no more, no less. This partial action provides sufficient positioning precision to resolve the contradiction, avoiding the need for three or more bearings that would increase device complexity unnecessarily.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to an air vent (5) for a motor vehicle, comprising a housing (7) which defines an air guiding channel and a plurality of lamellae (10) which are provided at their ends with bearing pins (12, 14), the lamellae (10) being pivotably attached thereby to the housing (7), wherein the lamellae (10) are mounted on opposing sides with one respective radial bearing (28, 40) and on just one side with one respective axial bearing (16).