AIR VENT ASSEMBLY

Abstract

An air vent assembly, in particular for a motor vehicle, with an air vent, which has a housing having an air duct and at least one air deflector blade assigned to the air duct with a trailing edge and a leading edge. Leading edge of the air deflector blade is mounted to be pivotable about an axis of rotation assigned to the trailing edge, and has a decorative device which has at least one fixed decorative blade with a visible edge extending in extension of the trailing edge of the air deflector blade. The air deflector blade is mounted to be pivotable about the axis of rotation by means of a pivot pin on the decorative blade. The decorative blade has a radially open bearing receptacle for the pivot pin, and the housing has a bearing projection.

Claims

1. An air vent assembly for a motor vehicle, the air vent assembly comprising: an air vent that has a housing including an air duct and at least one air deflector blade associated with the air duct that has a trailing edge and a leading edge, the air deflector blade with its leading edge is mounted to be pivotable about an axis of rotation that is associated with the trailing edge; and a decorative device, which has at least one fixed decorative blade with a visible edge extending as an extension of the trailing edge of the air deflector blade, wherein the air deflector blade is mounted to be pivotable about the rotational axis on the decorative blade via a pivot pin, wherein the decorative blade has a radially open bearing receptacle for the pivot pin, and wherein the housing has a bearing projection which, when the decorative blade is mounted on the housing, protrudes into the bearing receptacle so as to form a radial bearing or a pivot bearing for the pivot pin together with the bearing receptacle.

2. The air vent assembly according to claim 1, wherein the bearing projection is designed such that the pivot pin is held in the radial bearing free of radial play or at least substantially free of radial play.

3. The air vent assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pivot pin is fixedly arranged on the air deflector blade.

4. The air vent assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pivot pin is formed in one piece with the air deflector blade.

5. The air vent assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pivot pin is mounted to be pivotable about the axis of rotation on the air deflector blade.

6. The air vent assembly according to claim 1, wherein the bearing projection has a curved contact surface for pivotably bearing the pivot pin.

7. The air vent assembly according to claim 1, wherein, on an end of the air deflector blade facing away from the decorative blade, a further decorative blade is arranged on the housing in a longitudinal extension of the air deflector blade.

8. The air vent assembly according to claim 1, wherein the air deflector blade has a further pivot pin at its end which is associated with the further decorative blade.

9. The air vent assembly according to claim 1, wherein the further decorative blade has a further radially open bearing receptacle for the further pivot pin, and wherein the housing has a further bearing projection, which, when the further decorative blade is mounted on the housing, protrudes into the further bearing receptacle and together with the further decorative blade, forms a further radial bearing or a pivot bearing for the further pivot pin.

10. A method for producing an air vent assembly according to claim 1, the method comprising: introducing the air deflector blade with the pivot pin radially into the radial bearing of the decorative blade, and arranging, subsequently, the decorative blade with the air deflector blade on the housing such that the bearing projection of the housing protrudes into the bearing receptacle of the decorative blade and, together with the bearing receptacle, forms a radial bearing for the pivot pin.

11. The method for producing an air vent assembly according to claim 1, the method comprising: placing the air deflector blade with the pivot pin on the bearing projection of the housing; and arranging, subsequently, the decorative blade on the housing such that the bearing projection of the housing with the pivot pin placed thereon is fed into the bearing receptacle of the decorative blade and, together with the bearing receptacle forms a radial bearing for the pivot pin there.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

[0019] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary air vent assembly in a perspective plan view;

[0020] FIG. 2 shows the air vent assembly from FIG. 1 in a rear view; and

[0021] FIGS. 3A to 3C show an assembly process of the air vent assembly in several steps, each in a cross-sectional view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] FIG. 1 shows, in a perspective plan view, an advantageous air vent assembly 1 for a motor vehicle. The air vent assembly 1 has a housing 2 which is attached, for example, to a dashboard 3 of the motor vehicle. The housing 2 forms an air duct 4 extending through the housing 2, which on a rear side 5 of the housing is or can be connected to an air conditioning and/or ventilation system of the motor vehicle, so that, in particular, conditioned fresh air can flow through the air duct 4 into the vehicle interior of the motor vehicle. In the present case, three air deflector blades 6 are also assigned to the air duct 4. The air deflector blades extend parallel to one another across the air duct 4. The air deflector blades 6 are arranged at an end of the air duct 4 facing the interior. The air deflector blades 6 each have a trailing edge 7 at their end facing the interior space and a leading edge 8 at their end facing the interior space and in particular the air duct 4. The air deflector blades 6 in particular have a wing-like cross-sectional profile and are mounted to be pivotable with their respective leading edge 8 about an axis of rotation 9 assigned to the trailing edge 7 in order to influence an air flow exiting the air duct 4. By pivoting the air deflector blades, in particular the discharge direction of the air flow can be influenced. In the present case, when mounted properly, the air deflector blades 6 are at least substantially aligned to extend horizontally, so that by a pivoting of the air deflector blades 6 about the axes of rotation 9, a discharge angle of the discharged air flow is adjustable in height in such a way that by pivoting the air deflector blades 6, the air flow, for example, can optionally be supplied to a head area or a torso area of the vehicle occupants.

[0023] Together with the air deflector blades 6, the housing 5 forms an air vent 10. In conventional air vents 10, the air deflector blades are mounted to be pivotable directly on the housing 5 and are mounted together with the housing on the dashboard 3.

[0024] According to the present exemplary embodiment, the air vent assembly 1 is supplemented by decorative blades 11. The decorative blades 11 are fixedly arranged on the housing and are therefore immobile. A visible edge 12 of the respective decorative blade 11 is formed in accordance with the discharge edge 7 of the air deflector blade 6 assigned to it and is arranged flush with it, so that optically a continuous blade of the air vent assembly results. If the air deflector blades 6 are pivoted, this is only slightly visible in the overall impression. This is in particular achieved in that the air deflector blades 6 and the decorative blades 11 on the trailing edge 7 and the visible edge 12 have the same curvature or a curvature with the same radius, viewed in cross section.

[0025] FIG. 2 shows the air vent assembly 1 in a simplified rear view in which the housing 5 has been removed. The decorative blades 11 are formed in one piece with a decorative element 13 which faces the vehicle interior and covers areas of the dashboard. The decorative blades 11 each have a radially open bearing receptacle 14 on their side facing the air duct 4 or the housing 5, which is used for the pivotable bearing of the respective decorative blade 6 assigned to it.

[0026] In a simplified cross-sectional view of the air vent assembly 1, FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C each show assembly steps for manufacturing the air vent assembly 1. FIG. 3A shows a radially open bearing receptacle 14 of one of the decorative blades 11. The radially open receptacle 14 has a circular bearing contour at its bottom or base and is overall U- or V-shaped. The respective air deflector blade 6 has at its end facing the respective decorative blade 11 in each case a pivot pin 15 which is formed in one piece with the respective air deflector blade 6. The outer diameter of the pivot pin is only slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the circular base of the bearing receptacle 14 or is at most the same size.

[0027] When the air deflector blades 6 are installed, they are introduced radially with their respective pivot pins 15 into the bearing receptacles 14 of the associated decorative blades 11, as indicated in FIG. 3A by an arrow 16 and as can be seen in FIG. 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the housing 2 is supplied. Facing the decorative element 13, the housing 2 has a respective bearing projection 17 for each of the bearing receptacles 14, which is designed to be pushed into the respective bearing receptacle 14 in certain areas. For this purpose, the respective bearing projection 17, viewed in longitudinal section, is provided with a V- or U-shaped outer contour which at least essentially corresponds to the inner contour of the bearing receptacle 14. At its free end, the respective bearing projection 17 preferably has a concave contact surface 18, the radius of which at least substantially corresponds to the radius of the pivot pin 15 in the bearing receptacle 14. The respective bearing projection 17 extends far enough forward from the housing 2 that the pivot pin 15, when the housing 2 is mounted on the decorative element 13, is mounted to be pivotable due to the bearing projection 17 on the one hand and the bearing receptacle 14 or the associated decorative blade 11 on the other, with little or no radial play. The bearing projection 17, together with the bearing receptacle 14, thus forms a radial bearing 19 for the respective air deflector blade 6, as shown in FIG. 3C. By mounting the housing 2 on the decorative element 13, the pivot bearing of the air deflector blades 6 is achieved, wherein the bearing projection 17 and bearing receptacle 14 are designed in such a way that the pivot pin 15, which is formed integrally with the respective air deflector blade 6, is pivotably held about its longitudinal central axis in the respective radial bearing 19. The longitudinal central axis thus forms the above-mentioned respective rotational axis 9 for each of the air deflector blades 6, about which the air deflector blades 6 are pivoted with their respective leading edge 8.

[0028] While according to the previously explained embodiment, the respective air deflector blade 6 with the pivot pin 15 is first arranged in the bearing receptacle 14, according to a further embodiment it is provided that the respective air deflector blade 6 with the pivot pin 15 is first placed on the bearing projection 17 of the housing 2. For this purpose, the bearing projection 17 has a contact surface 18 which is adapted to or is adapted to match the circular shape of the pivot pin 15, in particular, as described above, which preferably extends over at least a quarter of the circumference of the pivot pin 15, particularly preferably over at least a third of the circumference of the pivot pin 15, so that the pivot pin 15 can be safely placed on the bearing projection 17 for pre-assembly. In this case, the decorative element 13 is only subsequently arranged on the housing 2 in such a way that the pivot pin 15 and the bearing projection 17 are inserted into the associated bearing receptacle 14 of the decorative element 13 in order to form the radial bearing 19 for the pivot pin 15 there.

[0029] According to an exemplary embodiment, the pivot pin 15 of the respective air deflector blade 6 is braced or clamped between the bearing projection 17 and the bearing receptacle or the respective decorative blade 11, and is pivotably held in or on the respective air deflector blade 6, so that the pivot movement is made possible by means of the pivot bearing of the pivot pin on the air deflector blade 6.

[0030] The embodiment shown has the advantage that on the one hand, the air vent assembly 1 can be easily mounted with few steps, and on the other, the air deflector blades 6 are captively held on the housing 2 and the decorative element 13 and can be produced and mounted with simple means.

[0031] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.