Automobile Air Vent With Nested Link Mechanism for Slim Outlet Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automobile air vents struggle to achieve a slim outlet design due to the placement of the rear wing close to the air discharge outlet, which limits the slimness of the outlet and complicates the operation of the knob.
Innovation Solution
The air vent design includes a duct housing with a first and second wing, a link to control the rotation of these wings, and a handle unit to control the link's movement. The link is disposed to be movable and rotatable inside the first wing, allowing for a more compact outlet design and simplified operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rear wing is disposed close to the outlet to control wind direction, then the wind direction control function is improved, but the outlet cannot be made slim due to the required operating radius
Solution Approach 1:
The link is disposed inside the first wing, with the first link body located inside the first wing and the second link body extending toward the second wing. This nesting arrangement allows the link mechanism to be contained within the wing structure, eliminating the need for additional space around the outlet while maintaining full rotational control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The link is designed to be movable and rotatable inside the first wing, utilizing internal degrees of freedom rather than external space. The first link body moves in the left-right direction while the second link body extends to the second wing, creating a compact three-dimensional arrangement that preserves functionality while reducing outlet dimensions.
Data Source
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AI summary
Air vent for an automobile, including a duct housing (100) configured to guide a flow of air and having an outlet formed therein, a first wing (200) and a second wing (300) disposed to be spaced apart from each other inside the duct housing (100), a link (400) configured to control a rotation of each of the first wing (200) and the second wing (300), and a handle unit (500) coupled to the link (400) and configured to control a movement of the link (400), wherein the link (400) is disposed to be movable and rotatable, inside the first wing (200).