Abstract
An air blowing device includes: a tubular body defining an airflow passage and an air outlet; a guide wall configured to guide an airflow having passed through the air outlet in an intended direction; and a movable projecting portion, which is capable of projecting from an inside of the guide wall to an outside of the guide wall. The guide wall has a convex surface shape projecting in a direction intersecting a forward direction of the air outlet, and is arranged so that a projection image, which is obtained by projecting the guide wall onto a virtual plane including the air outlet, covers the entire air outlet. The movable projecting portion is capable of adjusting a projecting amount from the guide wall within a range of from zero to a predetermined maximum amount, and configured to adjust the projecting amount depending on the intended direction.
Claims
1. An air blowing device, comprising: a tubular body defining an airflow passage and an air outlet; a guide wall configured to guide an airflow having passed through the air outlet in an intended direction; and a movable projecting portion, which is capable of projecting from an inside of the guide wall to an outside of the guide wall, wherein: the guide wall having a convex surface shape projecting in a direction intersecting a forward direction of the air outlet, and being arranged so that a projection image, which is obtained by projecting the guide wall onto a virtual plane including the air outlet, covers the entire air outlet, the movable projecting portion being capable of adjusting a projecting amount from the guide wall within a range of from zero to a predetermined maximum amount, and being configured to adjust the projecting amount depending on the intended direction.
2. The air blowing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the projecting amount is larger than zero, an angle formed between a surface of the guide wall, which is formed on upstream of the movable projecting portion and adjacent to the movable projecting portion, and a side surface of the movable projecting portion, which is adjacent to the surface, is a right angle or an acute angle.
3. The air blowing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the projecting amount is zero, the movable projecting portion forms a part of the wall surface of the guide wall.
4. The air blowing device according to claim 2, wherein, when the projecting amount is zero, the movable projecting portion forms a part of the wall surface of the guide wall.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view for illustrating an example of an air blowing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0037] FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view for illustrating the air blowing device cut along a plane along the axis A-A of FIG. 1.
[0038] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view for illustrating the air blowing device cut along the plane along the axis A-A of FIG. 1.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a schematic view for illustrating a relationship between a projecting amount of a movable projecting portion and a flow direction of a blowing airflow.
[0040] FIG. 5 is a schematic view for illustrating the relationship between the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion and the flow direction of the blowing airflow.
[0041] FIG. 6 is a schematic view for illustrating the relationship between the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion and the flow direction of the blowing airflow.
[0042] FIG. 7 is a schematic view for illustrating the relationship between the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion and the flow direction of the blowing airflow.
[0043] FIG. 8 is a graph for showing the relationship between the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion and the flow direction of the blowing airflow.
[0044] FIG. 9 is a sectional view for illustrating an example of an air blowing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0045] FIG. 10 is a sectional view for illustrating an example of an air blowing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0046] FIG. 11 is a sectional view for illustrating an example of an air blowing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0047] Now, an air blowing device according to embodiments of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings.
[0048] <Overview of Device>
[0049] As illustrated in a schematic perspective view of FIG. 1, an air blowing device 10 according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment device 10”) includes a hollow columnar tubular body 21 for allowing an airflow to pass therethrough, a shelf-like guide wall 31 for allowing the airflow to be guided along a curved wall surface, and a movable projecting portion 41 which is capable of projecting from an inside of the guide wall 31 to an outside of the guide wall 31. Further, the embodiment device 10 includes an adjusting dial 51 for adjusting a projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41.
[0050] Now, for the sake of convenience, forward and backward directions from the embodiment device 10 along an axial line AX of the embodiment device 10 are hereinafter referred to as “forward direction F” and “backward direction B,” respectively. Upward, downward, leftward, and rightward directions from the embodiment device 10, which are orthogonal to the forward direction F, are hereinafter referred to as “upward direction U,” “downward direction D,” “leftward direction L,” and “rightward direction R,” respectively. Those directions are defined based on forward, backward, upward, downward, leftward, and rightward directions which are given when a user views the embodiment device 10 mounted to an instrument panel of an automobile, or the like (see, for example, FIG. 2).
[0051] As indicated by the arrows of FIG. 1, the embodiment device 10 is configured to guide an airflow, which has flowed into the tubular body 21 from an end of the tubular body 21 in the backward direction B and has blown from an end of the tubular body 21 in the forward direction F, along the guide wall 31 in the forward direction F while curving the airflow, and to blow (or guide) the airflow in a direction determined depending on the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41 (described later in detail).
[0052] Now, the structure of each component is described in more detail while a case where the embodiment device 10 is mounted to the automobile is exemplified.
[0053] As illustrated in a schematic sectional view of FIG. 2, which is a sectional view taken along the axis A-A of FIG. 1, the embodiment device 10 is mounted to the instrument panel of the automobile so as to be sandwiched between a peripheral component P1 and a peripheral component P2. In this embodiment, the peripheral component P1 is a casing of the instrument panel, and the peripheral component P2 is a display exterior portion of a car navigation system.
[0054] The tubular body 21 defines an airflow passage 21a thereinside, an air outlet 21b in the end thereof in the forward direction F, and an opening portion 21c in the end thereof in the backward direction B. The tubular body 21 is a tubular body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The air outlet 21b and the opening portion 21c have substantially rectangular parallelepiped shapes with short sides in the leftward and rightward directions (L and R) and long sides in the upward and downward directions (U and D) (see also FIG. 1). Further, the guide wall 31, which is configured to guide an airflow having passed through the air outlet 21b in an intended direction, is formed on downstream with respect to the air outlet 21b of the tubular body 21. A width of the guide wall 31 in a vertical direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the drawing sheet, is substantially equal to a width of the tubular body 21 in the vertical direction. With those structures, air, which has flowed from an opening portion 21c of the tubular body 21, passes through the airflow passage 21a. The air is then blown from the air outlet 21b, and is guided (or led) in the intended direction along the guide wall 31. The arrows in FIG. 1 indicate the flow of the air.
[0055] The amount of the air supplied to the embodiment device 10, which is an amount of the air flowing from the opening portion 21c of the embodiment device 10 in the backward direction B into the airflow passage 21a, that is, flow rate of the airflow passing through the airflow passage 21a and then the air outlet 21b, may be adjusted by operating as necessary a flow rate adjustment valve (not shown) arranged inside or outside the embodiment device 10, a pump (not shown) for supplying air to the embodiment device 10, or the like.
[0056] The guide wall 31 has a wall surface 32 having a convex surface shape, which is a curved surface having a convex shape. The wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 protrudes in a direction intersecting the forward direction F of the air outlet 21b, which is a direction extending direction of a straight line passing through a center point 21b1 of an opening plane of the air outlet 21b so as to be orthogonal to the opening plane. Specifically, the forward direction F of the air outlet 21b is an extending direction of the axial line AX in FIG. 1, and the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 protrudes from the left side L to the right side R in FIG. 2.
[0057] Further, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the guide wall 31, specifically, the wall surface 32 is arranged so that a projection image PP, which is obtained by projecting the guide wall 31, specifically, the wall surface 32 onto a virtual plane IP including the air outlet 21b, covers the entire air outlet 21b.
[0058] Therefore, when the user of the automobile views the embodiment device 10 from the front side of the embodiment device 10, that is, along the projection direction as indicated by the line of sight in FIG. 2, the air outlet 21b is hidden by the guide wall 31 so that the air outlet 21b is not visually recognized by the user.
[0059] With reference to FIG. 2 again, the movable projecting portion 41 is a plate body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in plan view. The movable projecting portion 41 is coupled to the adjusting dial 51 through intermediation of a link mechanism (not shown). The movable projecting portion 41 is advanceable and retreatable in directions of the dotted arrows of FIG. 2 in accordance with rotation of the adjusting dial 51. In other words, the movable projecting portion 41 is configured to adjust the projecting amount within a range of from a state in which the movable projecting portion 41 is received inside the guide wall 31, that is, a state in which the projecting amount is zero to a state in which the movable projecting portion 41 is projected to the outside of the guide wall 31, that is, a state in which the projecting amount is a predetermined maximum amount. In this embodiment, the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41 is defined as the shortest distance between a tip 41a of the movable projecting portion 41 and the wall surface 32 of the guide wall, which is a distance between the tip 41a and an end 32a of the wall surface 32 in partially enlarged view.
[0060] Further, as illustrated in a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2, when the movable projecting portion 41 is projected from the guide wall 31, for example, when the movable projecting portion 41 is moved to the dotted line position of FIG. 2, the movable projecting portion 41 is constructed such that an angle θ formed between a surface 32b of the guide wall, that is, a wall surface, which is formed on upstream of the movable projecting portion 41 and adjacent to the movable projecting portion 41, and a side surface 41b of the movable projecting portion 41, which is adjacent to the wall surface 32, is equal to or smaller than 90 degrees, which is a right angle or an acute angle.
[0061] The overview of the embodiment device 10 is described above.
[0062] <Actual Actuation>
[0063] Next, actual actuation of the embodiment device 10 is described.
[0064] The embodiment device 10 is configured to adjust a flow direction of a blowing airflow by changing a separation degree of the airflow on downstream of the movable projecting portion 41 through change in projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41. Now, the adjustment of the blowing airflow by the embodiment device 10 is described with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 7. Similarly to FIG. 2, FIG. 4 to FIG. 7 are schematic sectional views for illustrating the embodiment device 10, which are sectional views taken along the axis A-A of FIG. 1. In FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, for the sake of convenience, the illustration of the peripheral components P1 and P2 and the adjusting dial 51 is omitted.
[0065] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the airflow, which has flowed from the opening portion 21c of the embodiment device 10 on the back side into the airflow passage 21a, passes through the air outlet 21b, and then flows along the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 due to the Coanda effect. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 4, when the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41 is zero, the airflow having passed through the airflow passage 21a flows along the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 without being brought into contact with the movable projecting portion 41. Then, the airflow is separated from the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 at an endmost portion of the guide wall 31 in the forward direction F. After that, the airflow flows in a tangential plane direction B0 at the endmost portion of the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31. As a result, the flow direction of the blowing airflow is adjusted to the forward direction F of the embodiment device 10. As an indicator of the flow direction of the blowing airflow, for example, an angle formed between the axial line AX of the embodiment device 10 and the flow direction B0 of the blowing airflow is zero, that is, the axial line AX and the flow direction B0 are parallel to each other.
[0066] Next, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the movable projecting portion 41 is moved so that the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41 becomes a projecting amount P1 which corresponds to substantially ten percent of the maximum projecting amount, which is a projecting amount obtained when the movable projecting portion 41 is present at a position 41 max of the dotted line of FIG. 5, the airflow having passed through the air outlet 21b is brought into contact with the movable projecting portion 41. Thus, an adhesive force obtained by the Coanda effect on the downstream of the movable projecting portion 41 is reduced as compared to the case of FIG. 4, that is, the case where the projecting amount is zero. In this case, on the downstream of the movable projecting portion 41, the airflow does not completely flow along the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 and flows in a direction B1 further away from the wall surface 32 than the case of FIG. 4. In this case, due to reduction in adhesive force, the airflow is separated from the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 on slightly upstream of the endmost portion of the guide wall 31 in the forward direction F. As a result, the flow direction of the blowing airflow is adjusted in the rightward direction R with respect to the flow direction of FIG. 4. As an indicator of the flow direction of the blowing airflow, for example, an angle formed between the axial line AX of the embodiment device 10 and the flow direction B1 of the blowing airflow is an angle α1 which is larger than zero as illustrated in FIG. 4.
[0067] Next, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when the movable projecting portion 41 is moved so that the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41 becomes a projecting amount P2 which corresponds to substantially half of the maximum projecting amount, specifically, a position 41 max of the dotted line, the adhesive force obtained by the Coanda effect on the downstream of the movable projecting portion 41 is further reduced as compared to the case of FIG. 5. In this case, on the downstream of the movable projecting portion 41, the airflow flows in a direction B2 further away from the wall surface 32 than the case of FIG. 5. In this case, due to reduction in adhesive force, the airflow is separated from the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 on slightly upstream of the separation position in the case of FIG. 5. As a result, the flow direction of the blowing airflow is further adjusted in the rightward direction R with respect to the flow direction of FIG. 5. As an indicator of the flow direction of the blowing airflow, for example, an angle formed between the axial line AX of the embodiment device 10 and the flow direction B2 of the blowing airflow is an angle α2 which is larger than the angle α1 illustrated in FIG. 5.
[0068] Next, as illustrated in FIG. 7, when the movable projecting portion 41 is moved so that the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41 becomes a maximum projecting amount P3, which is a projecting amount obtained when the movable projecting portion 41 reaches the position 41 max of the dotted lines of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the adhesive force obtained by the Coanda effect is completely lost on the downstream of the movable projecting portion 41. Thus, the airflow is separated from the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 at a position where the movable projecting portion 41 is present. In this case, on the downstream of the movable projecting portion 41, the airflow flows in a direction further away from the wall surface 32 than the case of FIG. 6. Specifically, the airflow flows in a direction B3 which is substantially the same as the tangential plane direction of the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 at the position where the movable projecting portion 41 is present (separating position). As a result, the flow direction of the blowing airflow is further adjusted in the rightward direction R with respect to the flow direction of FIG. 6. As an indicator of the flow direction of the blowing airflow, for example, an angle formed between the axial line AX of the embodiment device 10 and the flow direction B3 of the blowing airflow is an angle α3 which is larger than the angle α2 illustrated in FIG. 6.
[0069] In this manner, the embodiment device 10 is configured to change the separation degree of the airflow on the downstream of the movable projecting portion 41 and adjust the flow directions (B0 to B3) of the blowing airflow by changing the projecting amount (zero to P3) of the movable projecting portion 41. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the flow direction of the blowing airflow, that is, an angle formed between the axial line AX and the flow direction of the blowing airflow can continuously be changed within a range of from zero to α3 by increasing and reducing the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41.
[0070] The actual actuation of the embodiment device 10 is described above.
[0071] As described above, the embodiment device 10 includes the tubular body 21, the guide wall 31, and the movable projecting portion 41, which are structured as described above. With this, the embodiment device 10 can adjust the flow direction of the blowing airflow while preventing the air outlet 21b from being visually recognized by the user, that is, keeping the air outlet 21b invisible.
[0072] <Other Embodiments>
[0073] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications may be employed within the scope of the present invention.
[0074] For example, in the embodiment device 10, when the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41 is zero, that is, when the movable projecting portion 41 is received inside the guide wall 31, the opening portion, through which the movable projecting portion 41 passes, is exposed to the surface of the guide wall 31. However, the air blowing device according to the present invention may be constructed so that, as illustrated in FIG. 9, in particular, in a partially enlarged view of FIG. 9, the movable projecting portion 41, specifically, a surface 41c of the movable projecting portion 41 forms a part of the wall surface 32 of the guide wall 31 when the movable projecting portion 41 is received inside the guide wall 31. With this structure, the opening portion, through which the movable projecting portion 41 passes, is closed by the movable projecting portion 41. Thus, when the movable projecting portion 41 is received inside the guide wall 31, that is when the projecting amount is zero, an influence that the opening portion exerts on the airflow can be reduced. As a result, the flow direction of the blowing airflow can more precisely be adjusted.
[0075] Further, the embodiment device 10 is configured to adjust the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41 by causing the movable projecting portion 41 to substantially linearly advance and retreat. However, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the air blowing device according to the present invention may be constructed to adjust the projecting amount by rotating the movable projecting portion 41 about a predetermined rotary shaft 41d, that is, by causing the movable projecting portion 41 to arcuately advance and retreat. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the air blowing device according to the present invention may be constructed to adjust the projecting amount by receiving the movable projecting portion 41 in a support body 41f which is rotatable about a rotary shaft 41e and causing the movable projecting portion 41 to advance and retreat in accordance with rotation of the support body 41f, that is, by combining linear movement and arcuate movement. In such structures, the definition of the projecting amount may be the same as that of the embodiment device 10, specifically, the shortest distance between the tip of the movable projecting portion 41 and the wall surface 32 of the guide wall. Alternatively, the definition of the projecting amount may be other definitions, for example, a cross sectional area of a portion of the movable projecting portion 41 present on an outer side of the guide wall 31 with respect to the wall surface 32 of the guide wall, or an angle formed between the wall surface 32 of the guide wall, which is present on upstream of the movable projecting portion 41 and adjacent to the movable projecting portion 41, and the side surface of the movable projecting portion 41 adjacent to the wall surface 32 of the guide wall. As described above, the air blowing device according to the present invention may adopt various methods as a method of adjusting the projecting amount of the movable projecting portion 41.
[0076] Further, the embodiment device 10 is mounted inside a vehicle cabin of the automobile, for example, an inner panel. However, the air blowing device of the present invention may be mounted on another portion such as a pillar portion inside the vehicle cabin of the automobile. In addition, the air blowing device of the present invention is not limited to the one mounted inside the vehicle cabin of the automobile, and, for example, may be mounted to such various members that air supply and stop of the air supply are desired.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0077] 10 air blowing device, 21 tubular body, 21a airflow passage, 21b air outlet, 31 guide wall, 41 movable projecting portion, IP virtual plane, PP projection image
