Vehicle Grille Movable Fins Nesting Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle grille apparatuses face issues with reliability due to a large number of moving points, requiring significant time and space for opening and closing operations, and increasing the thickness of the cover member in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle grille apparatus featuring a first cover member with fixed fins and a second cover member with movable fins that alternate with the fixed fins, driven by a mechanism that allows the movable fins to retract behind the fixed fins, reducing the movement distance and simplifying the configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single cover member is slidably provided in front of a grille opening portion to reduce moving points, then reliability is improved, but the stroke of the opening and closing operation becomes large and the apparatus requires significant accommodation space
Solution Approach 1:
The grille cover is divided into multiple individual fins (first fins and second fins) that can move independently or in groups, rather than using a single large cover member. This segmentation allows each fin to have a smaller movement distance while collectively achieving the desired grille opening/closing function, thus reducing the stroke requirement while maintaining reliability through fewer moving points per fin.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces movement in multiple dimensions by having fins rotate about their longitudinal axes while also allowing vertical movement. This multi-dimensional movement approach enables the fins to achieve grille closure with smaller linear strokes compared to traditional single-dimension sliding mechanisms.
2Reliability
If a single cover member is slidably provided in front of a grille opening portion to reduce moving points, then reliability is improved, but the apparatus requires significant accommodation space and the cover member thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable second fins are designed to nest behind the fixed first fins when the grille is in the closed position. This nesting arrangement allows the movable fins to be stored within the same spatial envelope as the fixed fins, significantly reducing the accommodation space required and minimizing the increase in cover member thickness in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
3Ease of operation
If multiple moving points are used in the cover member turning mechanism, then the grille opening and closing function is achieved, but the reliability of the apparatus decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple adjacent second fins are connected to each other to form a single integrated movable unit, and these units are driven by common drive mechanisms. This merging approach reduces the total number of moving points and mechanical connections required, thereby improving reliability while still achieving the grille opening and closing function through the coordinated movement of fin groups.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle grille apparatus includes: a first cover member that includes a plurality of fixed fins which are disposed to be lined up in an opening portion of a front grille; a second cover member that includes a plurality of movable fins which are connected to each other in such a manner as to be able to integrally move, and configured such that the movable fins are disposed in a line to alternate with the fixed fins; and a drive mechanism that changes the degree of opening of the front grille by driving the second cover member such that the movable fins retract behind the respective fixed fins.