Dual Shutter Airflow Control for Vehicle Grilles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing grille airflow shutter systems for vehicles lack precise airflow control, with discrete shutters providing inadequate precision and variable shutters increasing complexity and cost due to pulse width modulation.
Innovation Solution
A dual shutter system with synchronized first and second shutter arrangements, where the second shutter arrangement is adjusted differently based on the first shutter's travel, allowing for improved aerodynamics and thermodynamics by controlling airflow more precisely without the need for complex control algorithms or additional hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If discrete open/shut shutters are used for airflow control, then the system structure is simple, but the airflow control precision is insufficient and causes repeated cycling
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter system is divided into multiple independent shutter elements (first shutter element, second shutter element, etc.) that can be controlled separately. This segmentation allows for incremental airflow control rather than binary open/shut states, improving precision while maintaining simple individual element structures
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter elements are made adjustable and dynamic, allowing them to change position between open and closed states. The control unit can independently adjust each shutter element's position, enabling continuous airflow modulation without complex mechanical structures
2Measurement precision
If variable shutters with pulse width modulation are used for precise airflow control, then the airflow control precision is improved, but the hardware cost and control algorithm complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single variable shutter requiring PWM control, the system segments the airflow control into multiple discrete shutter elements. Each element can be controlled with simpler on/off or position-based control, achieving cumulative precise control through multiple elements rather than complex modulation of one element
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple shutter elements are used as simplified copies or representations of the airflow control function, where each element contributes a portion of the total airflow control. This replaces the need for complex PWM modulation with multiple simpler control units working in parallel
Data Source
AI summary
A closure or grille airflow shutter system, particularly for a motor vehicle includes a first shutter featuring at least one first adjustable shutter element with a first adjustment travel between a first and a second position. A second shutter features at least one second adjustable shutter element with a second adjustment travel between a first and a second position. A shutter coupling couples the first and the second shutters to one another in such a way that the second shutter element is not adjusted or adjusted over a first section of the second adjustment travel, which is smaller than the first section of the first adjustment travel, during an adjustment of the first shutter element over a first section of the first adjustment travel and adjusted over a second section of the second adjustment travel during an adjustment of the first shutter element over a second section of the first adjustment travel.