Vehicle Air Vent Linkage for Slim Discharge Port Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle air vents face challenges in slimming the discharge port while maintaining effective wind direction control, leading to increased manufacturing costs and complex designs.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle air vent design includes a duct housing, a first wing extending horizontally in the discharge port, a second wing extending vertically, and a driving link that connects the wings to rotate the second wing in the left-right direction, simplifying the structure and operation for wind direction control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If many components are used in the air vent to prevent loss of wind volume while slimming the discharge port, then wind volume is maintained, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the front wing and rear wing into a single integrated wing structure with a unified body. The wing includes a top surface, bottom surface, and side surfaces formed as one continuous piece, eliminating the need for separate front and rear wing components. This integration maintains the wind control functionality while reducing the number of parts and assembly steps, thereby lowering manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated wing structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it controls wind direction, maintains wind volume, and provides structural support. The wing's geometry is designed to perform both the functions of a front wing and rear wing, eliminating the need for separate components while achieving the same aerodynamic performance.
2Ease of operation
If the inner side of the front wing is cut excessively to prevent interference during knob bar operation, then interference is avoided, but wind control performance is seriously reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the interference issue not by cutting the wing horizontally, but by designing the wing with sufficient vertical height (third dimension). The wing's bottom surface extends downward enough to clear the knob bar's path of motion, allowing the wing to maintain its full horizontal extent for effective wind control while avoiding interference through vertical clearance.
3Ease of operation
If the inner side of the connected portion is cut to allow knob bar operation, then interference is prevented, but the shape becomes complicated and design/manufacturing becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating complex horizontal cutouts in the wing's inner side, the patent uses vertical dimensioning to provide clearance. The wing's bottom surface extends downward to clear the knob bar, maintaining a simple, continuous horizontal shape that is easy to design and manufacture while still preventing interference.
4Length of stationary object
If the discharge port is slimmed to meet design trends, then cockpit module is slimmed, but wind direction control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the wing to match the slimmed discharge port dimensions. The wing's width, height, and curvature are optimized for the narrower opening, allowing effective wind direction control within the constrained space. The wing's surface area and shape are adjusted to maintain control authority despite the reduced discharge port size.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle air vent including a duct housing, a first wing horizontally extending in a discharge port of the duct housing; a second wing vertically extending in the duct housing; and a driving link of having a first side connected to the first wing and a second side connected to the second wing. The driving link slides along a guide groove in a bottom surface of the duct housing in the discharge port to rotate the second wing in a left-right direction.