Air vent for a motor vehicle

Abstract

For air-conditioning within a vehicle interior of a motor vehicle, an air vent is provided with at least one air-directing device located in the region of an air outlet opening. The air vent is configured to allow air flowing out of the air outlet opening to flow, by way of the Coanda effect, in a directed manner along a surface which is adjacent to the air outlet opening. The air-directing device and the adjacent surface are inclined in relation to each other by an angle of inclination which is between 23° and 27°, and the directed air has a volumetric flow of between 30 m.sup.3/h and 700 m.sup.3/h.

Claims

1. An air vent arranged in an instrument panel of a motor vehicle, comprising: an air directing device that is located in a region of an air exit opening; a surface that is adjacent the air exit opening, wherein the air directing device and the adjacent surface are inclined in relation to each other by an inclination angle which is between 23° and 27°, the air directing device cooperates with the surface that is adjacent the air exit opening so that when the inclination angle is between 23° and 27° and a volumetric flow of air out of the air exit opening is between 30 m.sup.3/h and 700 m.sup.3/h the air out of the air exit opening, by way of the Coanda effect, is directed to flow along the adjacent surface, and the adjacent surface comprises an operator part operatable by an operator of the motor vehicle.

2. The air vent according to claim 1, wherein the air directing device and the adjacent surface are inclined in relation to each other by an inclination angle of 26° , and the directed air has a volumetric flow of between 60 m.sup.3/h and 180 m.sup.3/h.

3. The air vent according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent surface is located below the air directing device.

4. The air vent according to claim 1, wherein the air directing device is a base surface of the air vent and/or has a pivot axis that is parallel to a base of the air vent.

5. The air vent according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent surface and the air exit opening are part of the air vent.

6. An instrument panel for a motor vehicle, comprising: at least one air vent according to claim 1, wherein the at least one air vent is in the instrument panel.

7. A motor vehicle comprising: at least one seat that receives a vehicle occupant, and an air vent according to claim 1.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising the instrument panel having the air vent.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the air vent directs the volumetric flow at least in part to a hip point of a vehicle occupant.

10. The motor vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the air exit opening is located above the adjacent surface that is configured as the operator part, and the operator part is operatively connected to an air-conditioning system that is situated in the motor vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view through an air vent according to an embodiment of the invention, which is situated in a partially illustrated instrument panel of a partially illustrated motor vehicle.

(2) FIG. 2 shows an embodiment as an alternative to FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a partially illustrated motor vehicle as an alternative to FIGS. 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(4) A motor vehicle 1 in which an instrument panel 5 is situated is schematically shown in FIG. 1. The instrument panel 5 has an air vent 10 which, on the entry side, is operatively connected to an air-conditioning system 15 that is located in the motor vehicle 1. An air exit opening 20 by way of which air conditioned by the air-conditioning system 15 can flow into a vehicle interior space 25 is situated on the left side of the air vent 10 in FIG. 1. The conveying of the air according to this exemplary embodiment is performed by way of a blower known per se (not shown here).

(5) The air vent 10 on the lower region thereof in FIG. 1 comprises an air directing device 30 which simultaneously functions as the base 35 of said air vent 10 and by way of which the air that flows in by way of the entry side flows in the direction of the air exit opening 20. A surface 40 by way of which air exiting the air exit opening 20 flows is located below the air exit opening 20, so as to be adjacent the latter. The surface 40 according to this exemplary embodiment is an aperture 42 of the air vent 10; it is however understood that the surface 40 can also perform other functions or can be a component part of another component that is situated in a vehicle interior space 25.

(6) The air vent 10 is specified in such a manner that a volumetric flow 45 of the air, represented by the arrow shown in FIG. 1, exits the air exit opening 20 and, by means of the Coanda effect, sweeps the surface 40 neighboring said air vent 10. For this purpose, the inclination angle φ between the air directing device 30, or the base 35, respectively, and the surface 40 is substantially between 23° and 27°, and the volumetric flow 45 is substantially between 30 m.sup.3/h and 700 m.sup.3/h. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the inclination angle φ=26°, and the volumetric flow, depending on the desire of a vehicle occupant (not shown here), is between 60 m.sup.3/h and 180 m.sup.3/h. It is to be pointed out that the air flowing out of the air exit opening 20 bears on the surface 40 in the case of any arbitrary combination of the inclination angle φ and the volumetric flow 45, as long as the conditions illustrated above in terms of inclination angle φ and the volumetric flow 45 are adhered to.

(7) The inclination angle φ between the air directing device 30, or the base 35, respectively, and the surface 40 is invariable according to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1. By contrast, an exemplary embodiment having a variable inclination angle φ is illustrated in FIG. 2. In this case, a slat 50 that functions as an air directing device 30 is mounted so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis 55 which is situated in the air vent 10 and is aligned so as to be parallel to the base 35.

(8) Here too, the air vent 10 is specified in such a manner that a volumetric flow 45 of the air, represented by the arrow shown in FIG. 2, exits the air exit opening 20 and by means of the Coanda effect sweeps the surface 40 that neighbors the air exit opening 20. For this purpose, the inclination angle φ between the air direction device 30, or the slat 50, respectively, and the surface 40 is adjustable substantially between 23° and 27°, and the volumetric flow 45 is adjustable substantially between 30 m.sup.3/h and 700 m.sup.3/h. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the inclination angle φ=27° and the volumetric flow is substantially between 60 m.sup.3/h and 180 m.sup.3/h, depending on the desire of a vehicle occupant (not shown here).

(9) It is to be pointed out that the air flowing from the air exit opening 20 of FIG. 2 bears on the surface 40 at any arbitrary combination of the inclination angle φ and the volumetric flow 45, as long as the conditions illustrated above in terms of the inclination angle φ and the volumetric flow 45 are adhered to. In the case of the vehicle occupant no longer desiring a volumetric flow 45 that bears on the surface 40, said vehicle occupant can pivot the inclination angle φ out of the disclosed range. It is thus advantageously possible for a release of the volumetric flow 45 from the surface 40 to be initiated when the inclination angle φ is larger than substantially 27°, in particular is 30° or 35°, wherein the volumetric flow 45 can be substantially between 60 m.sup.3/h and 180 m.sup.3/h.

(10) A perspective view of a partially illustrated motor vehicle according to the invention, as an alternative to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, is shown in FIG. 3. The surface 40 is configured as an operator part 60, known per se, of an air-conditioning system 15 shown. In order for the comfort of a partially illustrated vehicle occupant 65 who is situated on a seat 62 to be increased, the volumetric flow 45 can be aligned with the hip point 70 of the vehicle occupant 65. This is possible in a simple manner when the air vent 10 is aligned in such a manner that the air flowing out of the air exit opening 20, by means of the Coanda effect, flows across the operator face 60 in the direction of the hip point 70, wherein the following conditions have to be met:
23°≤inclination angle φ≤27°, and
30 m.sup.3/h≤volumetric flow 45≤700 m.sup.3/h.

(11) It is to be understood that the volumetric flow 45 of the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 can be an average volumetric flow 45. Moreover, it is possible for not only a single air directing device 30 but a plurality of the latter to be provided, as long as the conditions illustrated above in terms of the inclination angles φ and the volumetric flows 45 are met.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(12) 1 Motor vehicle 5 Instrument panel 10 Air vent 15 Air-conditioning system 20 Air exit opening 25 Vehicle interior space 30 Air directing device 35 Base 40 Surface 42 Aperture 45 Volumetric flow 50 Slat 55 Pivot axis 60 Operator part 62 Seat 65 Vehicle occupant 70 Hip point x, y, z Axes of a vehicle-dedicated Cartesian coordinate system, known per se φ Inclination angle

(13) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.