Vehicle Air Vent Wing Layout for Compact Manual and Electric Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle air vents have a large size due to multiple horizontal and vertical wings, leading to packaging issues and reduced design freedom for surrounding components. Additionally, they lack diversity in functionality, with manually operated vents offering intuitive control but limited options, and electrically operated vents providing versatility but lower intuition.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle air vent structure featuring a vent duct with a rotatable rear wing and manually rotatable front wings, driven by a driving member and a spacer. This design allows for intuitive manual operation and various automatic modes, including electric and automatic modes, enabling flexible air direction and volume control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional air vents use at least six or more horizontal and vertical wings, then the air vent can control air flow direction effectively, but the size of the air vent becomes large, causing packaging problems and reducing design freedom for surrounding components
Solution Approach 1:
The air vent is divided into multiple independent wings (horizontal wings and vertical wings) that can rotate separately. Each wing is controlled by its own actuator, allowing the air vent to achieve various air flow directions through coordinated rotation of segmented components rather than moving a single large structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The air vent transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one where wings can rotate to different positions. The actuators enable continuous adjustment of wing angles, allowing the air vent to adapt its configuration for different air flow requirements while maintaining a compact form factor.
2Ease of operation
If manually operated air vents are used, then intuitive control of wind direction and volume is achieved, but the functions are not diverse
Solution Approach 1:
The air vent integrates both manual operation capability and automatic control functions into a single system. Users can manually rotate the wings for intuitive control, or the actuators can automatically adjust the wings based on preset programs or sensor feedback, providing multiple operational modes and enhanced versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator serves as an intermediary between the user's manual input and the wing rotation. When operated manually, the actuator translates user input into precise wing movements. When operated automatically, it responds to control signals, enabling both direct manual control and automated functions through the same mechanical interface.
3Adaptability or versatility
If electrically operated air vents are used, then diverse functions and automated control are achieved, but intuition is lower compared to manually operated vents
Solution Approach 1:
The air vent system can operate autonomously through the actuators that automatically adjust wing positions based on programmed sequences or sensor inputs. The system serves itself by making automatic adjustments without requiring continuous manual intervention, yet the manual override capability preserves user intuition when needed.
4Device complexity
If the air vent occupies a large mounting space in the center fascia panel, then sufficient space is available for multiple wings, but the degree of design freedom for clusters and audio/video/navigation devices arranged around the air vent is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple wings are arranged in a nested or layered configuration within the air vent housing. Horizontal wings and vertical wings are positioned in different planes and can rotate within confined spaces, allowing the complex multi-wing structure to be compacted into a smaller overall footprint that preserves design freedom for surrounding components.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle air vent structure includes a vent duct having a front surface facing a vehicle interior and being open to form a discharge port configured to discharge air, a rear wing accommodated in a region of the discharge port and being rotatably coupled to the vent duct, a plurality of front wings disposed in a direction orthogonal to the rear wing behind the rear wing, a driving member mounted outside the vent duct and being coupled to the front wings to selectively rotate the front wings, and a spacer elongated in a width direction of the vent duct to rotate the plurality of front wings, wherein the front wings rotate together with the driving member, in response to a driving force being generated from the driving member and the front wings being manually rotatable, in response to the driving force being blocked from the driving member.