Compact Vehicle Air Vent Wings for Intuitive Airflow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle air vents occupy large mounting spaces, reducing design freedom for surrounding components and lacking intuitive control over air direction and volume.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle air vent structure with a vent duct, rear wing, and front wings that can be manually or automatically controlled, featuring a driving member and spacer to rotate the front wings, allowing for intuitive manual operation and diverse functionality.
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, but the size of the air vent becomes large, occupying large mounting space and reducing design freedom for surrounding parts
Solution Approach 1:
The air vent is divided into multiple independent wings (horizontal wings and vertical wings) that can rotate independently. Each wing is controlled by its own actuator, allowing the air vent to achieve various air flow directions through combinations of individual wing positions rather than requiring a single large moving structure
Solution Approach 2:
The air vent structure transitions from a static configuration to a dynamic one where wings can rotate to different positions. The actuators enable the wings to adjust their angles, allowing the same physical structure to occupy different effective spaces and provide multiple air flow directions without increasing the mounting footprint
2Ease of operation
If conventional air vents use multiple horizontal and vertical wings, then air flow control is achieved, but the air vent occupies large mounting space in the center fascia panel or crash pad, reducing design freedom for clusters and audio/video/navigation devices
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple wings are arranged in a nested configuration where horizontal wings and vertical wings are positioned within the same mounting envelope. The wings are disposed in overlapping or adjacent relationships that allow them to function independently while occupying minimal combined space, freeing up surrounding areas for clusters and AVN devices
Solution Approach 2:
The air vent structure utilizes three-dimensional spatial arrangement by disposing horizontal wings and vertical wings in different planes and orientations. This multi-dimensional configuration allows the air vent to achieve comprehensive air flow control while maintaining a compact footprint that preserves design freedom for surrounding components
3Ease of operation
If manually operated air vent is used, then intuitive control over wind direction and volume is achieved, but the functions are not diverse
Solution Approach 1:
The air vent system integrates both manual operation capability and automatic actuator control within the same structure. The actuators can be controlled through various interfaces (manual knobs, electronic controls, voice commands), allowing the same physical air vent to serve multiple functions and adapt to different user preferences and usage scenarios
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator serves as an intermediary mechanism between the user's manual input (via knobs or electronic interfaces) and the physical wings. This intermediary allows diverse control methods to operate the same mechanical structure, providing both intuitive manual control and automated functionality through different control interfaces
4Adaptability or versatility
If electrically operated air vent is used, then diverse functions and usage environment adaptation are achieved, but intuition compared to manually operated air vent is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The air vent system merges the actuator-based automatic control mechanism with manual adjustment capability in a unified structure. Users can operate the air vent through electronic interfaces for automated adaptation to different usage environments, or directly manipulate the physical components for intuitive control, with both methods acting on the same mechanical system
Data Source
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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.