AIR FLAP DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE INCLUDING AN OPTICAL FUNCTIONAL CHECK

Abstract

An air flap device for a motor vehicle, to a plurality of jointly adjustable air flaps and to an actuator for adjusting the plurality of air flaps between a closed position and an open position, the air flap device including a radiative detection device for detecting and assessing a position of the plurality of air flaps; the radiative detection device having a radiation source and a radiation receiver, the radiation source emitting an electromagnetic test radiation in the direction toward the radiation receiver, at least one air flap as a test air flap having a test section through which the test radiation is able to radiate, the test section being situated in the propagation path of the test radiation from the radiation source to the radiation receiver in such a way that only when the test air flap is in a predetermined reference operating position at least a portion of the test radiation radiates through the test section toward the radiation receiver and reaches the radiation receiver with an irradiation result within a predetermined irradiation result space.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. An air flap device for a motor vehicle, comprising a frame having an air passage opening, a plurality of air flaps accommodated on the frame in a jointly adjustable manner, which protrude at least into the air passage opening, and an actuator for adjusting the plurality of air flaps between two operating positions of different coverage of the air passage opening by the plurality of air flaps, the air flaps being jointly adjustable between a closed position, in which the air flaps cover the air passage opening to a greater degree against a flow through the passage, and an open position, in which the air flaps cover the air passage opening to a lesser degree against a flow through the passage, the air flap device further including a radiative detection device for detecting and assessing a position of the plurality of air flaps, wherein the radiative detection device comprises a radiation source and a radiation receiver, the radiation source emitting an electromagnetic test radiation in the direction of the radiation receiver, at least one air flap from the plurality of air flaps as a test air flap having a test section through which the test radiation is able to pass, the test section being situated in the propagation path of the test radiation from the radiation source to the radiation receiver in such a way that when the test air flap is in a predetermined reference operating position, at least one portion of the test radiation radiates through the test section toward the radiation receiver and reaches the radiation receiver with an irradiation result within a predetermined irradiation result space, and when the test air flap is not in the predetermined reference operating position, the test radiation does not reach the radiation receiver with an irradiation result within the predetermined irradiation result space.

16. The air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein the plurality of air flaps comprises multiple test air flaps, each of which includes one test section.

17. The air flap device as recited in claim 16, wherein the multiple test air flaps with their test sections are arranged in series, so that at least a portion of test radiation reaches the radiation receiver with an irradiation result within in a predetermined irradiation result space only when all test air flaps of the plurality of air flaps are in their respective reference operating position, and the test radiation does not reach the radiation receiver with an irradiation result within a predetermined irradiation result space when at least one of the multiple test air flaps is not in its reference operating position.

18. The air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein the test air flap has a planar flap section, which is situated in the area of the air passage opening for changing the ability of air to flow through it, and a bearing section, which is designed in cooperation with a mating bearing section on the frame for the adjustable support of the test air flap on the frame.

19. The air flap device as recited in claim 18, wherein the test section is developed in the bearing section.

20. The air flap device as recited in claim 19, wherein the test air flap is situated on the frame so as to be swivable about a flap swivel axis, the test radiation being able to radiate through the test section in at least one of the following directions: crosswise to the flap swivel axis or along the flap swivel axis.

21. The air flap device as recited in claim 18, wherein the test air flap is situated on the frame so as to be swivable about a flap swivel axis, the test radiation being able to radiate through the test section in at least one of the following directions: crosswise to the flap swivel axis or along the flap swivel axis.

22. The air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein the radiation source and the radiation receiver are situated on one and the same side of the air passage opening.

23. The air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein the test section comprises or is a clearance.

24. The air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein the test section comprises an optical radiation conductor having an entry area and an exit area, the optical radiation conductor conducting the electromagnetic test radiation from an entry area to an exit area of the optical radiation conductor.

25. The air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein the radiative detection device comprises an optical radiation conductor that is fixed on the frame, which conducts the test radiation at least along a section of the path from the radiation source to the radiation receiver.

26. The air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein the radiation source and the radiation receiver are located on the same side of the at least one test section and the radiative detection device comprises a radiation reversal device, which deflects the test radiation reaching it by 170° to 190°.

27. The air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein the test radiation is able to radiate through the test air flap along the flap swivel axis, the radiative detection device comprising at least one beam-refracting and/or beam-diffracting and/or beam-polarizing and/or beam-interfering device.

28. The air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein the radiation receiver is designed to differentiate irradiation results of at least one of the irradiation properties of irradiation intensity, irradiation wavelength, irradiation location and irradiation pattern of the test radiation irradiating the radiation receiver.

29. A vehicle having an air flap device as recited in claim 15, wherein a control device of the vehicle is designed for signal transmission with the detection device of the air flap device and for evaluating signals transmitted by the detection device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] 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:

[0040] FIG. 1 a rough schematic top view onto a first specific embodiment in accordance with the invention of an air flap device of the present invention,

[0041] FIG. 2 a rough schematic top view onto a diagrammatic sketch of a specific embodiment largely corresponding to the first specific embodiment with air flaps in the closed position,

[0042] FIG. 3 the specific embodiment from FIG. 2 as a diagrammatic sketch with open air flaps in the open position,

[0043] FIG. 4 a rough schematic diagrammatic sketch of a further specific embodiment of an air flap device of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] 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 air flap device of the present invention according to a first specific embodiment is generally designated by reference numeral 10. The air flap device 10 has a frame 12, in which two air passage openings 14 and 16 are developed for air to flow through orthogonally to the drawing plane of FIG. 1. The air flap device 10 is developed essentially in mirror symmetry with respect to a mirror symmetry plane SE that is orthogonal to the drawing plane of FIG. 1, which is why it suffices to describe only the right half of the air flap device 10 in FIG. 1. The left half of the air flap device 10 corresponds to the right half in its structure under the aforementioned condition of mirror symmetry.

[0045] In the illustrated operating state of FIG. 1, the right passage opening 16 is closed by six air flaps 18 swivable about respective flap swivel axes K. In the operating state shown in FIG. 1, the air flaps 18 are in their closed position, in which they allow no or only a negligible air flow through the passage opening 16.

[0046] Centrally along the flap swivel axis K, each air flap has a planar flap section 20, from which axially relative to flap swivel axis K on both sides respectively one upper bearing journal 22 and one lower bearing journal 24 protrude as a bearing section 26. The bearing journals 22 and 24 are accommodated in frame-side bushings 28 and 30, respectively, as mating bearing sections 32, so as to be swivable about flap swivel axis K.

[0047] For reasons of better clarity, not all bearing journals and bushings are labeled by reference numerals.

[0048] For the on-board diagnosis of the correct functioning of the air flap device 10, the air flap device 10 has a radiative, in the present case optical, detection device 34. This comprises a radiation source 36 in the form of a light source and a radiation receiver 38 in the form of a photocell or a CCD field.

[0049] The detection device 34 further comprises a radiation conductor 40 fixed on the frame in the form of a light conductor, formed by way of example by a bundle of glass fibers. The radiation conductor 40 runs, interrupted by the upper bearing journals 22, from the radiation source 36 to the radiation receiver 38. The radiation conductor 40 runs parallel to the upper edge of the air passage opening 16 along a curved path. The advantage of using the radiation conductor 40 lies precisely in this possibility of conducting electromagnetic radiation, in this case light, along nearly any path reliably and as loss-free as possible.

[0050] A radiation conductor 42, in this case a radiation conductor fixed on the flap, is likewise situated in the upper bearing journal 22 of the air flaps 18, which interrupts the frame-fixed radiation conductor 40, for example by injection molding around the flap-fixed radiation conductor 42 if air flaps 18 are produced by injection molding. The flap-fixed radiation conductor 42 runs in each air flap 18 crosswise to the flap swivel axis K.

[0051] The bearing journal 22 equipped with a radiation conductor 40 forms a test section 41, cooperating with the detection device 34, of the air flap 18, which is a test air flap on account of the development of test section 41.

[0052] The air flaps 18 may be designed identically or may be designed differently, depending on the location of their arrangement in the air passage opening 16.

[0053] The radiation conductors 42 fixed on the flaps may be formed of the same material as the radiation conductors 40 fixed on the frame.

[0054] In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the flap-fixed radiation conductors 42 conduct light from the adjacent section of the frame-fixed radiation conductor 40, located closer to the radiation source 36, to the adjacent section of the frame-fixed radiation conductor 40, located closer to the radiation receiver 38, only when the air flaps 18 are in the closed position shown in FIG. 1.

[0055] In the open position, the air flaps 18 are swiveled so far about the flap swivel axis K that each section of the frame-fixed radiation conductor 40 adjacent to the upper bearing journal 22 is opposite to a section of the material of the remaining bearing journal 22 that is opaque or that is at least more diffusive than a radiation conductor and in any event unsuitable for radiation conduction, so that no test radiation is able to enter the flap-fixed radiation conductor 42 from the section of the adjacent frame-fixated radiation conductor 40 located closer to the radiation source 36 and be conducted by the flap-fixed radiation conductor 42 to the adjacent section of the frame-fixed radiation conductor 40 located closer to the radiation receiver 38.

[0056] Light, as the test radiation of the present example, therefore reaches the radiation receiver in the intended quantity only when all air flaps 18 are jointly in the closed position. If only one of the air flaps 18 is not in the closed position, light emitted by the radiation source 36 does not reach the radiation receiver 38 with a light intensity within a predetermined setpoint intensity range as a possible irradiation result space. The detection device 34 in cooperation with an evaluation device 44 is therefore able to assess whether all air flaps 16 of the air passage opening 16 are actually in the closed position when they are supposed to be in the closed position due to an operation of an actuator 46 adjusting the air flaps 18 between the closed position and the open position. The evaluation device 44 may be part of a control device 48 of a vehicle V supporting the air flap device 10 or may be connected by signal transmission to a control device 48 of the vehicle V, so that the evaluation device 44 is able to transmit, either its evaluation result or the signals of the radiation receiver 38 transmitted to it, to the control device 48 of the vehicle V.

[0057] FIGS. 2 and 3 show in rough schematic fashion a specific embodiment, whose functional principle corresponds essentially to that of the specific embodiment from FIG. 1. Identical and functionally identical components and component sections as in FIG. 1 are provided with the same reference symbols in FIGS. 2 and 3, but increased by 100. The specific embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3 is described in detail below only to the extent that it differs from that of FIG. 1, to the description of which reference is otherwise made also for explaining the specific embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0058] In FIGS. 2 and 3, at the lower edge of the air passage opening 116, the section of the frame 112 with the mating bearing sections 132 supporting the air flaps 118 is not illustrated for the sake of clarity. At the upper sections of the frame 112 and the mating bearing sections 132 illustrated there, it may be seen that the latter surround the upper bearing journals 122 over a circumferential section as partially cylindrical brackets 128. For each bearing journal 122, preferably two mutually diametrically opposite partially cylindrical brackets 128 are provided, which retain the respective bearing journal 122 between each other. Instead of the partially cylindrical bracket pairs, it is of course possible to use any other kind of mating bearing section that supports the bearing journals 122 with sufficient definition for a swivel movement about the flap swivel axis K. The upper and the lower swivel bearings of the air flaps 118 preferably have an identical design.

[0059] As may be seen in FIG. 3 in the open position of the air flap device 110, if the planar flap body 120 is situated outside of the flap swivel axis K, the respective bearing journal 122 and 124, respectively, may be connected to the flap body 120 via a web 150.

[0060] Cylindrical clearances 152 are developed in the lower bearing journals 124. These cylindrical clearances 152 are aligned in the closed position shown in FIG. 2. Their cylinder axes are then essentially collinear. In the closed position, therefore, light emitted in a diverging manner by the radiation source 136 is able to reach the radiation receiver via the clearances 152 aligned in series one behind the other in such a way that the irradiation result of the light emitted by the radiation source 136 is within a predetermined irradiation result space, for example within a predetermined intensity range. When the air flap device 110 is supposed to be in the closed position and the radiation receiver 138 transmits to the evaluation device an irradiation result that lies within a predetermined irradiation result space associated with a correct functioning of the air flap device 110, the evaluation device infers an operational and correctly functioning air flap device 110. If, by contrast, the air flap device 110 is in the closed position and the irradiation result lies outside of the predetermined irradiation result space, the evaluation device detects a faulty air flap device 110.

[0061] In the aligned arrangement of the clearances 152 of the individual air flaps 118 shown in FIG. 2, it suffices to provide the clearances 152 as hollow spaces. As shown in FIG. 3, in the open position of the air flap device 110, there exists no line of sight from the radiation source 136 to the radiation receiver 138. Rather, the propagation path of radiation emitted by the radiation source 136 toward the radiation receiver 138 is interrupted by the opaque bearing journals 124. Deviating from the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, it is also possible that no radiation conductor is situated between the bearing journals 124 and/or between at least one device made up of radiation source 136 and radiation receiver 138 on the one hand and the respectively most proximate bearing journal 124.

[0062] Since the air flaps 18 and 118 are coupled for joint movement via a coupling mechanism, such as for example a linkage or gearing, only a portion of the air flaps may be adjusted by the actuator when the coupling mechanism fails for example, while a faulty air flap 18, 118 is no longer moved by the coupling mechanism. The present detection device 34 or 134 is able to detect this situation.

[0063] The clearance 152 of at least one air flap 118 may accommodate, as in FIG. 1, a radiation conductor running along the clearance 152. This is advantageous especially when it is not possible to transmit the radiation from the radiation source 136 to the radiation receiver 138 in a straight line.

[0064] FIG. 4 illustrates a further specific embodiment of the detection device 234 in rough schematic fashion. Components and component sections identical and functionally identical to those in FIGS. 1 to 3 are labeled in FIG. 4 with the same reference numerals, but in the number range from 200 to 299. The specific embodiment of FIG. 4 is described in detail below only to the extent that it differs from those of FIGS. 1 to 3, to the description of which reference is otherwise made also for explaining the specific embodiment of FIG. 4.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows an air flap 218, through which test radiation of the radiation source 236 is able to pass, not crosswise with respect to its flap swivel axis K, but rather along the same. In contrast to the previous specific embodiments, a separate radiation receiver 238 is therefore assigned to each air flap 218 developed as a test air flap.

[0066] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the clearance 252 of air flap 218 extends axially on both sides of the air flap 218 in the frame as upper frame-side clearance 254 and as lower frame-side clearance 256. Test radiation emitted by the radiation source 236 therefore also radiates through clearances 254 and 256.

[0067] Since the clearance 252 and the radiation source 238 in the illustrated example are arranged coaxially with respect to flap swivel axis K, the fundamental capacity of the clearance 252 to allow test radiation from radiation source 238 to pass through does not change as a function of the swivel position of the air flap 218.

[0068] In order for the radiative detection device 234 nevertheless to be able to detect the rotational position of air flap 218, air flap 218 has in its test section 241, preferably at its one axial longitudinal end situated closer to the radiation receiver 238, that is, in the upper bearing journal 222, a polarization filter 258 that is swivable jointly with air flap 218. Additionally, an identical polarization filter 260 is accommodated fixed on the frame in the upper frame-side clearance 254, so that when air flap 218 is swiveled about flap swivel axis K, the polarization filter 258 fixed on the flap is swiveled relative to the polarization filter 260 fixed on the frame. The polarization filters 258 and 260 are here arranged in such a way that their polarization planes are parallel in the closed position of the air flap 218, so that light polarized by polarization filter 258 is also able to radiate through the polarization filter 260, while in the open position the polarization planes of the polarization filters 258 and 160 run crosswise, in particular orthogonally, to each other, so that in the open position not light or only very little light from the radiation source 136 reaches the radiation receiver 238.

[0069] Instead of polarization filters 258 and 260, diffraction gratings, radiation-refracting prisms and the like may be provided, which produce a change of the irradiation result on the radiation receiver 238 as a function of the swivel position of the air flap 218. For the detection of more complex irradiation results, such as predetermined diffraction patterns, the radiation receiver 238 may be a CCD field or a similar planar optical sensor, although this increases its costs.

[0070] Since all of the air flaps provided with reference numerals 18 through 218 in the present FIGS. 1 to 4 are assessable in their functionality by the detection device 34 to 234, all such air flaps in the FIGS. 1 to 4 are test air flap in the sense of the introduction of the description.

[0071] 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.

[0072] 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.