Air vent for a vehicle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air vents in vehicles often fail to fully seal due to manufacturing tolerances, leading to leakage flows and unpleasant closing noises, as the closing force decreases with distance from the control slat, making it difficult to achieve reliable and quiet closure.
Innovation Solution
The air vent design features a slat assembly where air-guiding slats reach their end positions successively during closure, utilizing an elastic coupling rod and end stops to distribute closing forces uniformly and compensate for manufacturing tolerances, ensuring tight sealing and reduced noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air-guiding slats are designed to close simultaneously in known air vents, then the closing action is simple, but manufacturing tolerances cause leakage flows and the closing force decreases with distance from the control slat
Solution Approach 1:
The closing action is segmented into multiple sequential stages, with each slat reaching its end position in succession rather than simultaneously. This is achieved through the elastic coupling rod that transmits closing force sequentially from the control slat to adjacent slats, ensuring each slat is properly braced before the next one closes, thereby maintaining uniform operating force distribution across all slats.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling rod is designed with elastic properties rather than being rigid, allowing it to dynamically adapt to manufacturing tolerances. The elasticity enables the coupling rod to flex and distribute closing forces uniformly across all slats regardless of their position, compensating for dimensional variations and ensuring reliable sealing throughout the closing process.
2Productivity
If all air-guiding slats reach their end position simultaneously, then the closing action is quick, but loud closing noises occur due to simultaneous slat interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The simultaneous closing action is divided into sequential closing stages, where slats reach their end positions one after another in a controlled manner. The elastic coupling rod transmits the closing motion sequentially through the slat assembly, spacing out the impact events and reducing noise while still achieving complete closure efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The closing process follows a periodic sequence where each slat is actuated in succession rather than simultaneously. This periodic action pattern, controlled by the elastic coupling rod's flexing and extending, distributes the closing events over time, reducing acoustic interference and minimizing overall noise levels.
3Device complexity
If a rigid coupling rod is used to connect air-guiding slats, then the structure is simple, but manufacturing tolerances prevent sufficient sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling rod's physical parameter of rigidity is changed to elasticity, transforming it from a rigid structure to a flexible one. This parameter change allows the coupling rod to accommodate manufacturing tolerances by flexing and adapting to dimensional variations in the slats and housing, thereby ensuring reliable sealing without significantly increasing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism transitions from a static rigid connection to a dynamic elastic connection. The elastic coupling rod can flex and deform elastically during operation, dynamically adapting to manufacturing tolerances and ensuring consistent sealing performance across all slats regardless of minor dimensional variations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design allows for low operating forces to achieve complete sealing with minimal noise, as each slat reaches its end position incrementally, reducing the overall closing force required and minimizing noise from simultaneous slat interactions.
Implementation Method 1
at least one elastically formed coupling rod (32)
Implementation Method 2
a resiliently configured gearwheel, which acts on one or more coupling rods that are adjustable via the gearwheel. As a result, the slats are pushed synchronously as a whole against the sealing surfaces in the housing by way of the energy stored in the spring element
Data Source
AI summary
Air vent for a vehicle, including a housing with an inlet opening and an outlet opening, and an air duct for air flowing from the inlet opening to the outlet opening in a main flow direction. A slat assembly is arranged in the air duct and has a plurality of air-guiding slats that are pivotable together with respect to the main flow direction, and designed to divert the air flow from the main flow direction in an open position of the slat assembly and to interrupt the air flow in a closed position of the slat assembly. The air-guiding slats, in the closed position, are braced relative to one another and each of them takes up its end position, and at least some of the air-guiding slats reach their respective end position in succession during an adjustment of the slat assembly from the open position to the closed position.