AIR FLAP ARRANGEMENT CONFIGURED FOR ONBOARD DIAGNOSIS FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

An air flap arrangement including an air flap carrier with an air outlet opening, where at the air flap carrier there are mounted movably a plurality of air flaps which project into the air outlet opening, where each air flap is adjustable between a blocked operating position and an opened operating position, where each two air flaps directly adjacent in the sequential direction are linked by one linking component for joint movement, where the air flap arrangement having a movement drive which is linked with a driving air flap for the transmission of driving force, where a first operating position out of the blocked operating position and the opened operating position is defined by a first end-stop arrangement which during specified normal operation impedes movement beyond the first operating position of a first control air flap arranged at a distance from the driving air flap for changing the flow-through cross-sectional area of the air outlet opening; only the first control air flap directly and a first group of air flaps, including the driving air flap and the intermediate air flaps which connect the driving air flap and the first control air flap with one another through linking components indirectly, are impeded by the first end-stop arrangement in their movement beyond the first operating position.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. An air flap arrangement comprising an air flap carrier with an air outlet opening which penetrates through the air flap carrier, where at the air flap carrier there are mounted movably a plurality of air flaps arranged following one another directly along a sequential direction, which are arranged at the air flap carrier projecting into the air outlet opening or straddling the air outlet opening, where each air flap out of the plurality of along the sequential direction following one another directly air flaps is adjustable between a blocked operating position in which the respective air flap decreases more strongly a flow-through cross-sectional area of the air outlet opening, and an opened operating position in which the respective air flap decreases less strongly the cross-sectional area, where each two air flaps directly adjacent in the sequential direction are linked by a linking component for common movement between their blocked operating position and their opened operating position, where the air flap arrangement comprises a movement drive which is linked with an air flap as a driving air flap out of the plurality of air flaps following one another directly along the sequential direction for the transmission of a driving force, where a first operating position out of the blocked operating position and the opened operating position is defined by a first end-stop arrangement which during specified normal operation impedes a movement beyond the first operating position of a first control air flap arranged in the sequential direction at a distance from the driving air flap out of the plurality of air flaps following one another directly along the sequential direction for changing the flow-through cross-sectional area of the air outlet opening, wherein only the first control air flap directly and a first group of air flaps, comprising the driving air flap and the intermediate air flaps which connect the driving air flap and the first control air flap with one another through linking components indirectly, are impeded by the first end-stop arrangement during specified normal operation in their movement beyond the first operating position.

12. The air flap arrangement according to claim 11, wherein a second operating position different from the first one out of the blocked operating position and the opened operating position is defined by a second end-stop arrangement which during specified normal operation impedes movement beyond the second operating position of a second control air flap arranged in the sequential direction at a distance from the driving air flap for changing the flow-through cross-sectional area of the air outlet opening, where only the second control air flap directly and a second group of air flaps, comprising the driving air flap and the intermediate air flaps which connect the driving air flap and the second control air flap with one another through linking components indirectly, are impeded by the second end-stop arrangement during specified normal operation in their movement beyond the second operating position.

13. The air flap arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the first control air flap is the second control air flap.

14. The air flap arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the air flap arrangement exhibits a detection device which interacts with the movement drive in such a way that the detection device detects whether a movement operation of the movement drive for displacement of the plurality of air flaps between the blocked operating position and the opened operating position corresponds to a displacement of the plurality of air flaps towards a special position lying outside the displacement region between the blocked operating position and the opened operating position.

15. The air flap arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the detection device performs the detection whether the end of the operation corresponds to the special position, based on a time duration of the movement operation and/or a position of an output element of the movement drive.

16. The air flap arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the air flap arrangement comprises a first OBD end-stop arrangement which impedes movement of the driving air flap in a first direction of movement in a region outside the displacement region between the blocked operating position and the opened operating position.

17. The air flap arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the air flap arrangement comprises a second OBD end-stop arrangement which impedes movement of the driving air flap in a second direction of movement opposed to the first direction of movement into a region outside the displacement region between the blocked operating position and the opened operating position.

18. The air flap arrangement according to claim 11, wherein for at least one intermediate air flap it is the case that a first linking component which links the intermediate air flap with the air flap adjacent to it against the sequential direction for joint displacement movement and a second linking component which links the intermediate air flap with the air flap adjacent to it in the sequential direction for joint displacement movement are free from a direct connection with one another.

19. The air flap arrangement according to claim 11, wherein for at least one intermediate air flap it is the case that a first linking component which links the intermediate air flap with the air flap adjacent to it against the sequential direction for joint displacement movement, and a second linking component which links the intermediate air flap with the air flap adjacent to it in the sequential direction for joint displacement movement are articulated at a common trunnion connected rigidly with the intermediate air flap.

20. The air flap arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the driving air flap on the one hand and the first and/or the second control air flap on the other are each respectively the outermost air flaps arranged at opposite end-regions of the plurality of air flaps following one another directly along the sequential direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, a preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which forms a part hereof and wherein:

[0033] FIG. 1 A rough schematic top view of an air flap arrangement according to the invention of the present application, where the air flaps are in the blocked operating position,

[0034] FIG. 2 A rough schematic cross-sectional view of the air flap arrangement of FIG. 1 along the sectional plane II-II of FIG. 1,

[0035] FIG. 3 A rough schematic cross-sectional view of the air flap arrangement of FIG. 1 with the air flaps in the opened operating position, and

[0036] FIG. 4 A rough schematic cross-sectional view of the air flap arrangement of FIG. 1 in a damaged situation through loss of the lower intermediate air flap.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting the same, in FIG. 1, an embodiment of an air flap arrangement according to the invention depicted in a rough schematic top view is labeled generally by 10. The air flap arrangement 10 comprises an air flap carrier 12 with an upper cross-brace 12a, with a lower cross-brace 12b, with a left lateral frame 12c in in the view of FIG. 1, and with a right lateral frame 12d. The air flap carrier 12 surrounds an air outlet opening 14, which in the view of FIG. 1 allows through-flow of air orthogonally to the drawing plane of FIG. 1 when the air flap arrangement 10 assumes an operational state suitable therefor. Air flap arrangement 10 is arranged on a motor vehicle V, for instance in the region of a radiator grille.

[0038] The air flap arrangement 10 exhibits a movement drive 16 in the form of a rotary electric motor, arranged as an example at the right lateral frame 12d. An output shaft 18 is linked with a driving air flap 20 in a torque-transmitting manner. The driving air flap 20 is the air flap located nearest to the upper cross-brace 12a. Its swivel axis, labeled by S20 in FIG. 2, proceeds in parallel to the cross-braces 12a and 12b.

[0039] In a sequential direction F, the driving air flap 20 is followed by an upper intermediate air flap 22, a lower intermediate air flap 24, and a control air flap 26.

[0040] All air flaps 20, 22, 24, and 26 are preferably configured identically and are swivel-mounted via longitudinal-end mounting trunnions 28 on the respective nearest lateral frames 12c and 12d about their swivel axes S20, S22, S24, and S26 shown in FIG. 2 and proceeding orthogonally to the drawing plane of FIG. 2. Therefore the air flaps 20, 22, 24, and 26 straddle the air outlet opening 14.

[0041] In the depictions of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the air flaps 20, 22, 24, and 26 are in their respective blocked operating position, in which they cover the air outlet opening 14 maximally and essentially prevent airflow through the air outlet opening 14.

[0042] Each air flap 20, 22, 24, and 26 exhibits at its longitudinal end furthest from the movement drive 16 and nearest to the lateral frame 12c an operating lever 30, which also serves for transmitting force and movement between the air flaps 20, 22, 24, and 26. From each operating lever 30 there projects a trunnion 32, namely in the depicted example in the direction away from the movement drive 16. The trunnion longitudinal axes of the trunnion 32 are parallel to one another and to the air flap swivel axes S20, S22, S24, and S26.

[0043] The trunnions 32 of the driving air flap 20 and of the upper intermediate air flap 22 and hence the driving air flap 20 and the upper intermediate air flap 22 are linked with one another by a first linking component 34. The upper intermediate air flap 22 and the lower intermediate air flap 24 are linked with one another via their trunnions 32 by means of a second linking component 36. The lower intermediate air flap 24 and the control air flap 26 are linked via their trunnions 32 by means of a third linking component 38.

[0044] The linking components 34, 36, and 38 form together with the air flaps 20, 22, 24, and 26 a force transmission path from the movement drive 16 to a first counter-abutting section 40a configured at the air flap carrier 12, shown in FIG. 2, on which a first abutment section 40b of the control air flap 26 abuts in the depicted blocked operating position. The first counter-abutting section 40a and the first abutment section 40b form a first end-stop arrangement 40. The latter limits the movement path of the control air flap 26 and hence with a functioning air flap arrangement 10 the movement path of all air flaps 20, 22, 24, and 26 during their displacement into the blocked operating position depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0045] Likewise there is already discernible in FIG. 2 a second counter-abutting section 42a on the air flap carrier 12 and a second abutment section 42b on the control air flap 26, which together form a second end-stop arrangement 42 which defines the opened operating position depicted in FIG. 3.

[0046] FIG. 3 depicts the air flap arrangement 10 displaced into the opened operating position. In the opened operating position, the second abutment section 42b of the control air flap 26 abuts on the second counter-abutting section 42a. With an undamaged air flap arrangement 10, the end-stop arrangements 40 and 42 thus limit in their specified normal operation, which concerns the displacement between the operating positions depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, the movement path of the air flaps 20, 22, 24, and 26 and consequently also the movement path of the output shaft 18 of the movement drive 16.

[0047] FIG. 4 depicts a damage event in which the lower intermediate air flap 24 has been lost, for example through a stone impact. The force transmission path from the movement drive 16 up to the first counter-abutting section 40a is consequently interrupted. The control air flap 26 is still situated in the blocked operating position into which it has most recently been displaced together with the air flaps 20 and 22 and with the still present lower intermediate air flap 24.

[0048] Following loss of the lower intermediate air flap 24, the air flap arrangement 10 was displaced into the opened operating position, which however was only performed along the still functioning residual force transmission path for the driving air flap 20 and for the upper intermediate air flap 22. Consequently, an abutment of the control air flap 26 on the second counter-abutting section 42a which in any case is no longer effected, could not act back on the movement drive 16.

[0049] The movement drive 16 has therefore displaced the driving air flap 20 and the upper intermediate air flap 22 linked with it so far in the direction of the opened operating position, until an OBD abutment section 44b of the operating lever 30 of the driving air flap 20 has ended up in abutment on an OBD counter-abutting section 44a. The displacement movement of the movement drive 16 has ended with the production of the abutment engagement between the OBD abutment section 44b and the OBD counter-abutting section 44a. The OBD counter-abutting section 44a and the OBD abutment section 44b form a first OBD end-stop arrangement 44.

[0050] The trunnion 32 of the driving air flap 20 and the lateral frame 12c form a second OBD end-stop arrangement 45 (s. FIG. 1), which acts in the opposite direction of movement and ends the movement of the movement drive in the direction of the blocked operating position, if this has not occurred previously through the second end-stop arrangement 42. As with the first OBD end-stop arrangement 44, in the case of the second OBD end-stop arrangement 45 too, an abutment engagement takes place only outside the usual specified displacement operation and/or displacement region at a special position which is reached only in the event of a damaged air flap arrangement 10.

[0051] A detection and control device 46 integrated into the movement drive 16 (see FIG. 1) detects the movement path of the movement drive 16 and compares it with a reference movement path which according to a predetermined calibration suffices for reaching the opened operating position.

[0052] The detection and control device 46 determines that the movement path travelled by the movement drive 16 in the last movement operation was longer than the reference movement path, whence therefore an end position of the movement drive 16 and the driving air flap 20 is a special position lying outside the specified displacement region.

[0053] The detection and control device 46 thereupon outputs an error message to a higher-level control unit, for instance a motor vehicle control unit 48. Instead of a combined detection and control device 46, a detection device and a control device configured separately from it but linked with the detection device for signal transmission can also be envisaged.

[0054] The detection result of the control device 46 would be the same for the loss of any one air flap 20, 22, 24, and 26 and for the loss of any arbitrary linking component 34, 36, and 38. The same applies mutatis mutandis to a displacement of the air flap device 10 into the blocked operating position in the absence of one of the aforementioned components.

[0055] It needs adding that only the trunnions 32 of the driving air flap 20 and of the control air flap 26 secure the linking components 34 and/or 38 respectively against stripping along the trunnion's longitudinal axis in the direction away from the respective operating lever 30. The aforementioned trunnions 32 exhibit a trunnion head 32a forming a springy latch formation. The remaining trunnions merely penetrate through apertures in the linking components 34, 36, and 38 without engaging with these from behind.

[0056] While considerable emphasis has been placed on the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that other embodiments, and equivalences thereof, can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above can be combined to form yet other embodiments of the invention of this application. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.