Mixed-Type Air Flap Door Structure for Space and Leakage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing external air flaps face challenges in securing operation space and preventing air leakage due to their integration with the bumper cover, leading to performance deterioration of cooling modules.
Innovation Solution
A mixed-type door structure is introduced, where the upper door is planar and the lower door is cylindrical, with distinct rotation shaft configurations, allowing for smoother operation and eliminating the need for additional upper space, thus preventing air leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an external air flap is integrated with the bumper cover, then it can control airflow to cooling modules, but it cannot secure sufficient operation space and causes air leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The air flap is divided into multiple doors (first door and second door) that can operate independently. Each door is equipped with its own driving structure, allowing segmented control of airflow to different regions of the cooling module. This segmentation enables each door to have optimized operation space while maintaining overall airflow control reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new spatial dimension by positioning rotation shafts at locations that utilize previously unused space within the bumper cover integration. The first rotation shaft and second rotation shaft are arranged in different spatial configurations, effectively using three-dimensional space to resolve the two-dimensional space constraint problem.
2Ease of operation
If rotation shafts are positioned to enable door operation, then doors can open and close, but air leakage occurs through the operation space
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation shafts are nested within the door structures or positioned in such a way that they occupy space that would otherwise be available for door movement. The first rotation shaft is positioned to utilize space within or adjacent to the first door, while the second rotation shaft similarly utilizes space for the second door, thereby eliminating unused operation space that would cause air leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of required operation space into a beneficial feature by designing the rotation shaft positions to define the exact boundaries of necessary movement. The operation space is minimized to precisely what is needed for door function, and any space that would cause leakage is eliminated through the specific positioning of rotation shafts.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an air flap having a mixed-type door structure. The objective of the present invention is to provide an air flap having a mixed-type door structure. In terms of a door structure of an external air flap provided matching a bumper cover, an upper door, for which it is difficult to secure an upper operation space, is formed in a planar shape, whereas a lower door is formed in a cylindrical shape in the same manner as a door of a general external air flap, such that, on the whole, the air flap has a mixed-type door structure.