AIR FLAP AND A METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE AIR FLAP

Abstract

An air flap for an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle may include a bearing section defining a pivot axis for mounting the air flap on a housing and at least one flap wing integrally formed on the bearing section. The at least one flap wing may extend from the pivot axis at least one of radially towards an outside and in a circumferential direction relative to the pivot axis at least in regions. At least one of the at least one flap wing and the bearing section may include an outer skin and at least one inner region delimited from the outer skin towards a respective inside. At least one of the at least one flap wing and the bearing section may be composed of a plastic. The plastic may be exclusively a foamed plastic in the at least one inner region.

Claims

1. An air flap for an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle, comprising: a bearing section defining a pivot axis for mounting the air flap on a housing; at least one flap wing integrally formed on the bearing section and extending from the pivot axis at least one of radially towards an outside and in a circumferential direction relative to the pivot axis at least in regions; at least one of the at least one flap wing and the bearing section including an outer skin and at least one inner region delimited from the outer skin towards a respective inside; and wherein at least one of the at least one flap wing and the bearing section are composed of a plastic, and wherein the plastic is exclusively a foamed plastic in the at least one inner region.

2. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein a density of the foamed plastic in the at least one inner region is lower by a foaming factor of 1.1 to 4 than a density of a plastic in the outer skin.

3. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein the at least one inner region includes at least two inner regions, and wherein a respective foaming factor of the foamed plastic in the at least two inner regions deviate from one another.

4. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein at least one of: on a bearing side of the bearing section an axially projecting bearing element is integrally provided, the bearing element of the bearing section arrangable in a bearing opening of the housing such that the air flap is rotatably mounted about the pivot axis on the housing when the bearing element of the bearing section is arranged in the bearing opening of the housing; and on the bearing side of the bearing section an axially extending bearing opening is disposed, the bearing opening of the bearing section structured and arranged to receive an axially projecting bearing element of the housing such that the air flap is rotatably mounted about the pivot axis on the housing when the bearing element of the housing is arranged in the bearing opening of the bearing section.

5. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein the bearing section includes, on a receiving side of the bearing section, an axially extending mounting space and, in the mounting space, an output element is non-rotatably coupled on one side, and wherein the output element on another side is rotatably arrangable in a receiving opening of the housing such that the air flap is rotatably mounted about the pivot axis on the housing when the another side of the output element is arranged in the receiving opening.

6. The air flap according to claim 5, wherein at least one of: the mounting space includes at least one radial engagement opening and the output element includes at least one radial engagement lug, the output element non-rotatably engaged in the mounting space via the at least one engagement opening and the at least one engagement lug; and the mounting space includes at least one of an axially extending groove and an axially extending tongue and the output element includes at least one of a complementarily structured tongue and a complimentarily structured groove which are in engagement with one another in the circumferential direction, and wherein the output element is non-rotatably coupled in the mounting space via the at least one of the grove and the tongue and the at least one of the complimentary tongue and the complimentary groove.

7. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one flap wing includes an interference structure with at least one of a plurality of mouldings and a plurality of recesses; and the at least one of the plurality of mouldings and the plurality of recesses are one of regularly and irregularly arranged on the at least one flap wing.

8. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein the at least one flap wing has a flat radial region adjoining the bearing section and a flat deflection region adjoining the radial region, and wherein the deflection region adjoins the radial region at a bending angle.

9. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein, in an edge region of the at least one flap wing facing away from the bearing section, an axially extending sealing lip is coupled in at least one of a material-bonded manner via injection moulding and a form-fitting manner via engaging.

10. A method for producing an air flap for an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle, the air flap including a bearing section defining a pivot axis for mounting the air flap on a housing and at least one flap wing integrally formed on the bearing section and extending at least one of radially away from the pivot axis and in a circumferential direction relative to the pivot axis at least in regions, at least one of the at least one flap wing and the bearing section including an outer skin and at least one inner region delimited from the outer skin towards a respective inside, at least one of the at least one flap wing and the bearing section composed of a plastic and the at least one inner region composed exclusively of a foamed plastic, the method comprising: forming a closed cavity between two mould parts; filling the closed cavity with a melted plastic charged with a blowing agent; enlarging the closed cavity filled with the melted plastic via moving at least one of the two mould parts and a plurality of individual mould segments of at least one of the two mould parts such that in the closed cavity an under pressure is created and a foam formation in the melted plastic is initiated; and opening the closed cavity and removing the air flap following a solidification of the melted plastic.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising one of chemically foaming and mechanically foaming the melted plastic in the at least one inner region of the at least one of the at least one flap wing and the bearing section to a density that is lower by a foaming factor of 1.1 to 4 than a density of the melted plastic in the outer skin.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising one of: foaming the melted plastic in the at least one inner region of the bearing section by a deviating foaming factor than the melted plastic in the at least one inner region of the at least one flap wing; and foaming none of the melted plastic in the bearing section.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: temperature controlling at least one of the two mould parts and the plurality of individual mould segments to a deviating process temperature; and adapting a foaming factor of the melted plastic in the at least one inner region of the at least one of the at least one flap wing and the bearing section via the deviating process temperature.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising, after removing the air flap, injection moulding an axially extending sealing lip onto the at least one flap wing in an edge region of the at least one flap wing facing away from the bearing section, wherein the sealing lip is injection moulded on in at least one of a material-bonded manner and in an engaging form-fitting manner.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising one of chemically foaming and mechanically foaming the melted plastic in the at least one inner region of the at least one of the at least one flap wing and the bearing section to a density that is lower by a foaming factor of 2 than a density of the melted plastic in the outer skin.

16. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein a density of the foamed plastic in the at least one inner region is lower by a foaming factor of 2 than a density of a plastic in the outer skin.

17. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein: the at least one flap wing includes an interference structure with at least one of a plurality of mouldings and a plurality of recesses; and the at least one of the plurality of mouldings and the plurality of recesses are irregularly arranged on the at least one flap wing.

18. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein the at least one flap wing includes an interference structure with a plurality of mouldings and a plurality of recesses.

19. The air flap according to claim 1, wherein both the at least one flap wing and the bearing section include the outer skin.

20. The air flap according to claim 7, wherein, in an edge region of the at least one flap wing facing away from the bearing section, an axially extending sealing lip is coupled in at least one of a material-bonded manner via injection moulding and a form-fitting manner via engaging.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] It shows, in each case schematically

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of an air flap according to the invention with an outer skin and a foamed inner region;

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of an air flap according to the invention with an outer skin and two foamed inner regions;

[0031] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a bearing section of an air flap according to the invention;

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of an output element of an air flap according to the invention;

[0033] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of an output element of an air flap according to the invention engaged in a mounting space of a bearing section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of an air flap 1 for an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle according to the invention. The air flap 1 comprises a bearing section 3 defining a pivot axis 2 of the air flap 1 and two same flap wings 4a and 4b. The flap wings 4a and 4b are integrally formed on the bearing section 3 and extend from the pivot axis 2 of the air flap 1 radially to the outside. The flap wings 4a and 4b and the bearing section 3 have an outer skin 5 and an inner region 6 that is delimited from the outer skin 5 towards the inside. The outer skin 5 and the inner region 6 merge integrally into one another and are produced from a same plastic 7, wherein the plastic 7 is exclusively foamed in the inner region 6. In the edge regions 8a and 8b of the flap wings 4a and 4b facing away from the bearing section 3, the air flap 1 furthermore comprises axially extending sealing lips 9a and 9b. In this exemplary embodiment, the sealing lip 9a and 9b is injection moulded onto the flap wings 4a and 4b.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a lateral view of the air flap 1 according to the invention in a deviating configuration. Here, the air flap 1 comprises two inner regions 6a and 6b in the two flap wings 4a and 4b. The inner regions 6a and 6b are arranged in the flap wings 4a and 4b and delimited towards the outside by the outer skin 5. The outer skin 5 and the inner regions 6a and 6b merge integrally into one another and are produced from the same plastic 7, wherein the plastic 7 is exclusively foamed in the inner regions 6a and 6b. In the bearing section 3, which separates the two flap wings 4a and 4b from one another, the air flap 1 does not have an inner region, so that the bearing section 3 is configured in a particularly stiff and sturdy manner in order to make possible an exact mounting of the air flap 1 in an air duct of the air conditioning system. Alternatively, axial outside regions of the bearing section 3 cannot be foamed and an axial middle region can be foamedand an inner region formed. The foamed region of the bearing section 3 follows the non-foamed regions of the bearing section 3 axially on both sides. On the non-foamed regions of the bearing section 3 the air flap can then be mounted in the air duct. Here, too, the air flap 1 comprises the injection-moulded sealing lip 9a and 9b each in the edge regions 8a and 8b of the flap wings 4a and 4b.

[0036] The air flaps 1 in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2 can consist for example of polypropylene, polyamide or polyolefin with a suitable for example mineral additive for foaming the plastic 7 and the sealing lips 9a and 9b can consist for example of a thermoplastic elastomer. The outer skin 5 is formed from the non-foamed plastic 7a and the inner region 6 as well as the inner regions 6a and 6b from the foamed plastic. The outer skin 5 has the density corresponding to the non-foamed plastic 7a and the density of the foamed plastic 7b in the inner region 6 as well as in the inner regions 6a and 6b is reduced according to a foaming factor. The foaming factor can be between 1.1 and 4 and make possible a density reduction by 10% to 75% in the respective inner regions 6 as well as 6a and 6b. In this advantageous manner, the air flap 1 has a reduced net weight with no or a minor reduction of the wall thickness and the bending strength of the flap wings 4a and 4b as well as of the bearing section 3.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a bearing section 3 of the air flap 1 according to the invention on a receiving side 3a. In the bearing section 3, an axially extending mounting space 10 is formed, in which an output element 11 can be non-rotatably fixed. A sectional view of the corresponding output element 11 is shown in FIG. 4. For non-rotatably fixing the output element 11 in the mounting space 10, multiple grooves 12a and tongues 12b extending axially are formed in the mounting space 10. On the output element 11, multiple complementarily formed tongues 13b and grooves 13a are moulded. The respective grooves 12a and 13a and the respective tongues 12b and 13b are in engagement in the circumferential direction to the pivot axis 2 and the output element 11 is non-rotatably fixed in the mounting space 10 on one side. On the other side, the output element 11 is rotatably arranged in a receiving opening 14 of a housing 15. A circumferential seal 16 seals the receiving opening 14 in the housing 15 towards the outside. On the output element 11, a pivot or tilting drive can be arranged in order to pivot or tilt the output element 11 and because of this the air flap 1 that is non-rotatably fixed on the output element 11 about the pivot axis 2.

[0038] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the air flap 1 according to the invention with the alternatively configured bearing section 3 and the alternatively configured output element 11. Here, the output element 11 is non-rotatably engaged in the mounting space 10 of the bearing section 3. To this end, radial engagement openings 17a are moulded in the mounting space 10 and radially projecting engagement lugs 17b on the output element 11. The engagement lugs 17b are engaged in the engagement openings 17a and the output element 11 non-rotatably fixed in the mounting space 10 on one side. Analogously to the output element in FIG. 4, the output element 11 in this exemplary embodiment is rotatably fixed in the receiving opening 14 of the housing 15 on the other side and can be pivoted or tilted with the air flap 1 about the pivot axis 2 by a pivot or tilting drive.

[0039] In summary, the air flap 1 according to the invention has a reduced net weight with a high bending strength. Furthermore, additional reinforcement structures such as for example ribs or corrugations are not required with the air flap 1 according to the invention so that the undesirable noise development and the complexity of the air flap 1 are reduced.