AIR DIFFUSER FOR A VEHICLE

Abstract

An air vent with a feed channel via which air can be fed, including a chamber to which the air can be supplied via the feed channel, and at least one air outlet via which the air can flow into the vehicle compartment. At least one movable partition is provided in the chamber, which partition can be moved into different positions by an adjustment device, in such a way that the airflow can be fed to at least one air outlet.

Claims

1-18. (canceled)

19. An air vent, comprising: at least one feed channel through which air is feedable; a chamber to which the air is fed via the feed channel; at least one air outlet via which the air flows into the vehicle compartment; at least one movable partition provided in the chamber; and, an adjustment device that moves the partition into different positions so that the airflow is fed to the at least one air outlet.

20. The air vent according to claim 19, wherein the partition has an axis of rotation of the partition that moves on a circular path.

21. The air vent according to claim 19, wherein a cross-section of the airflow is closable by the partition.

22. The air vent according to claim 19, further comprising at least one faceplate arranged on the at least one air outlet.

23. The air vent according to claim 19, wherein the partition has a wing-shape.

24. The air vent according to claim 22, wherein the at least one air outlet is formed by the faceplate and a wall that defines the chamber.

25. The air vent according to claim 19, wherein the adjustment device includes a drive.

26. The air vent according to claim 19, wherein the adjustment device includes a transmission.

27. The air vent according to claim 26, wherein the transmission is a ring gear transmission.

28. The air vent according to claim 19, wherein the at least one air outlet includes a first air outlet and a second air outlet, the chamber being divideable by the partition so that the first air outlet is blocked and the airflow is supplied to the second air outlet.

29. The air vent according to claim 19, wherein the at least one air outlet is shaped so that the airflow is conducted in a particular direction.

30. The air vent according to claim 24, wherein the faceplate and the wall defining the chamber at least in part form a shape of the at least one air outlet.

31. The air vent according to claim 19, wherein the at least one air outlet includes a first air outlet with an outflow direction and a second air outlet with an outflow direction, the outflow directions being oriented so that meeting airflows of the first air outlet and of the second air outlet overlap one another to form a third direction.

32. The air vent according to claim 19, wherein the partition is symmetrical with respect to each of two center point axes that are at right-angles to one another.

33. The air vent according to claim 19, further comprising at least one guide wall that laterally deflects the airflow.

34. The air vent according to claim 33, wherein the guide wall is mounted on the partition.

35. A vehicle passenger compartment, comprising: a console; trim; and at least one air vent according to claim 19 provided in at least one region of the trim and/or the console.

36. The vehicle passenger compartment according to claim 35, wherein at least two air vents are arranged so that the air outlets are flush with one another.

Description

[0040] In the schematic figures:

[0041] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dashboard in the front region of the passenger compartment,

[0042] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an air vent according to the invention, wherein the partition is arranged in a first position,

[0043] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an air vent based on FIG. 2, wherein the partition is arranged in a second position,

[0044] FIG. 4 shows the air vent based on FIG. 2, wherein the partition is arranged in a third position,

[0045] FIG. 5 shows the air vent based on FIG. 2, wherein the partition is arranged in a fourth position,

[0046] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the air vent,

[0047] FIG. 7 is a sectional view according to sectional line A-A in FIG. 6,

[0048] FIG. 8 is a sectional view according to sectional line B-B in FIG. 6.

[0049] The air vent as a whole is denoted in the figures by the reference sign 10.

[0050] In FIG. 1, a dashboard 11 of a vehicle, comprising a steering wheel 46 (shown schematically) is visible, which dashboard is provided with a plurality of air vents 10 according to the invention. The arrangement of the air vents 10 is indicated in each case by a dashed line. All the air vents are of the same design. Therefore, just one air vent 10 is described in the following. Visually, a visible region 45 of the air vent 10 is adapted to the design of adjoining regions of the dashboard 1. In other word, the air vent does not stand out for the vehicle occupant, since it does not differ from the design of adjoining regions.

[0051] The air vent 10 comprises an upper slit-like air outlet 12 and a lower slit-like air outlet 13. The air outlets 12 and 13 extend in parallel, approximately horizontally. The air outlets 12 and 13 of the individual air vents 10 are flush with one another in each case.

[0052] The air outlets 12 and 13 are statically integrated into the dashboard 11. The upper air outlet 12 is for example designed in such a way that the air flows obliquely downwards (see outflow direction 23). The lower air outlet 13 is for example designed in such a way that the air flows out obliquely upwards (see outflow direction 24). The maximum flow direction of the respective air outlet 12 or 13 is predetermined on account of the shape of the air outlets and adjacent surface parts of the dashboard 11. However, it is possible to influence, for each air vent 10 separately or for example for a plurality of air vents 10 together, whether the airflow emerges from one of the air outlets 12 or 13, from both air outlets 12 and 13, or whether no airflow emerges from the air vent 10.

[0053] A longitudinal sectional view through the air vent 10 is shown in FIG. 2. Said air vent comprises a housing 17, in which a chamber 14 is formed. The airflow 25 flows in the direction x through an air inlet 15 into the chamber 14. The chamber 14 is delimited by an upper region 18, a lower region 19, and side regions 22 of an inside wall 21, wherein only one of the side regions 22 is visible in the figure.

[0054] The chamber 14 is of a bulbous shape. From the air inlet 15, the chamber 14 widens with an increasing x-direction with respect to the z-direction, as far as a plane E, and then tapers again. Thus, a particular flow direction is induced in the airflow 25.

[0055] The airflow 25 flows through the chamber 14 and is conducted to one of the air outlets 12 or 13. The airflow 25 can also be split in the chamber 14, such that a first partial flow 28 of the airflow 25 flows out via the air outlet 12, and a second partial flow 29 of the airflow 25 flows out via the air outlet 13.

[0056] An upper end region of a faceplate 16, together with the housing 17, forms a reveal 26 of the air outlet 12, and a lower end region of the faceplate 16, together with the housing 17, forms a reveal 27 of the air outlet 13.

[0057] A partition 20 comprising a first side surface 43 and a second side surface 44 is movably mounted in the chamber 14. The partition 20 has a streamlined, wing-shaped convex form having end regions 30 and 31. The partition 20 is symmetrical to an axis a1 and to an axis a3 which is perpendicular on the axis a1. The axes a1 and a3 extend through a center point M.

[0058] In FIG. 2 the partition 20 is arranged in such a way that the airflow 25 emerging from the air inlet 15 is split by the partition 20 and, downstream, forms two partial flows 28 and 29. For example, an end region 30 of the partition 20 is positioned on the air inlet 15, on a longitudinal central axis a2 of the air vent 10. A second end region 31 of the partition 20 approximately closes the faceplate 16 by means of an inside wall surface 32. In this case, the first partial flow 28 extends between the upper region 18 of the inside wall 12 and the side surface 43 of the partition 20, to the air outlet 12, and a second partial flow 29 extends between the lower region 19 and the side surface 44 of the partition 20, to the air outlet 13. In other words, the partial flows 28 and 29 emerge from the two air outlets 12 and 13.

[0059] According to FIG. 3, the partition 20 is arranged such that the air outlet 12 is closed. The end region 30 of the partition 20 is approximately flush with the upper region 18 of the inside wall 21 of the housing 17. The end region 31 is flush with a lower end region of the inside wall 32 of the faceplate 16. The airflow 25 can therefore flow only through the air outlet 13.

[0060] The position of the partition 20 according to FIG. 4 is such that the air outlet 13 is closed. The entire airflow 25 flows through the air outlet 12. The end region 30 of the partition 20 rests flush on a lower region 19 of the inside wall 21, while the end region 31 closes the inside wall 32 of the faceplate 16, by means of an upper end region.

[0061] According to FIG. 5, the end region 30 closes the inside wall 21, by means of the upper region 18, and the end region 31 closes the inside wall 21, by means of the lower region 19. In this case, an airflow does not emerge from either of the air outlets 12 and 13. The flow cross-section is blocked and the airflow 25 cannot pass through the chamber 14.

[0062] A portion 41 of the upper region 18 of the chamber 14 is of a shape which, together with the shape of the upper region of the faceplate 16, brings about a flow direction that is obliquely downwards in the direction 23. A portion 42 of the lower region 19 is shaped in such a way that, together with the shape of a lower region of the faceplate 16, it induces a flow direction that is obliquely upwards in the direction 24. The airflow of the air outlet 12 is therefore always in direction 23, i.e. directed obliquely downwards, and the airflow of the air outlet 13 is always in direction 24, i.e. directed obliquely upwards. In the case of partial flows 28 and 29, these overlap one another to form an airflow in direction x.

[0063] The air vent 10 comprises an adjustment device 40 for the partition 20, having a transmission 39 (see FIGS. 6 to 8, wherein the partition 20 is not shown in FIGS. 7 and 8). The transmission 39 comprises a carrier wheel 33 having an external toothing which is in engagement with an internal toothing of a ring gear 34. The carrier wheel 33 is rigidly connected to the partition 20 and is immovable relative to the partition 20. During the movement of the carrier wheel 33 in the ring gear 34, an eccentric shaft 35 moves on a circular path 38 (see FIG. 8). The carrier wheel 33 is rotatably mounted on the eccentric shaft 35. Said carrier wheel is driven by a drive wheel, on which the eccentric shaft 35 is arranged eccentrically with respect to a center point axis 37 of the drive wheel 36. The eccentric shaft 35 forms the center point M of the partition 20. The driving of the drive wheel 36 is not shown in greater detail here.

[0064] From the position according to FIG. 2, the drive wheel 36 (the drive wheel is shown without teeth in FIG. 2) rotates for example in direction u1, wherein, due to the rotational movement of the eccentric shaft 35 on the circular path 38, the partition 33 rolls on the toothing of the ring gear 34 and rotates in direction v2 about the eccentric shaft 25, until the position according to FIG. 3 is reached. Proceeding from the position according to FIG. 2, the position according to FIG. 4 can be reached in that the drive wheel 36 rotates for example in direction u2, wherein the carrier wheel 33 moves in direction v1. The position of the partition 20 according to FIG. 5 can be set, in that, proceeding from the position according to FIG. 3, the drive wheel 36 is moved further in direction u1 or, proceeding from the position according to FIG. 4, the drive wheel 36 is oved in direction u2.

[0065] The drive wheel 36 is driven for example by a motor (not shown), which can be actuated by means of a controller, so as to be movable in both rotation directions. Alternatively, for example a manual movement of the drive wheel 36 using a suitable actuation means, for example by means of an operating wheel that is freely rotatable, manually, about 360°, is also possible in order to set the different positions of the partition 20, and thus the type of air supply.

[0066] According to an alternative embodiment which is not shown, the partition 20 additionally comprises guide walls for laterally deflection of the airflow in the directions y1 and y2.