AIR OUTLET FOR CONTROLLING AN AIR FLOW

Abstract

An air outlet for controlling an air flow has a ventilator housing and a direction and diffuser arrangement received in the ventilator housing. An air channel is formed by the ventilator housing and the direction and diffuser arrangement. In order to adjust flow properties of the air flow, the direction and diffuser arrangement is constructed so as to be able to be moved in a rotational manner about a center axis of the ventilator housing and/or moved in translation along the center axis of the ventilator housing and/or pivoted relative to the center axis of the ventilator housing.

Claims

1. An air outlet for controlling an air flow to a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, comprising: a ventilator housing; a direction and diffuser arrangement received in said ventilator housing; and an air channel formed by said ventilator housing and said direction and diffuser arrangement, said air channel including a flow inlet connected to an air supply channel and at least one flow outlet facing into an environment wherein properties of said air flow exiting said air outlet are adjusted by displacing said direction and diffuser arrangement with respect to said ventilator housing in (a) a rotational manner about a center axis of said ventilator housing, (b) a translational manner along said center axis of said ventilator housing (c) a pivotal manner relative to said center axis of said ventilator housing and (d) a combination of (a), (b) and (c).

2. The air outlet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the direction and diffuser arrangement has at least in a front portion which faces into the environment a conical form which is constructed in a basic or starting position of the direction and diffuser arrangement in a substantially rotationally symmetrical manner about the center axis of the ventilator housing.

3. The air outlet as claimed in claim 2, wherein the direction and diffuser arrangement is pivoted relative to the center axis of the ventilator housing in order to control a discharge direction of the air flow and/or the direction and diffuser arrangement is moved in translation along the center axis of the ventilator housing in order to control a flow speed and/or a volume flow and/or diffusivity.

4. The air outlet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the direction and diffuser arrangement is pivoted relative to the center axis of the ventilator housing in order to control the diffusivity, wherein the direction and diffuser arrangement is deflected from a starting position and is at the same time driven in rotation about the center axis of the ventilator housing and/or is driven in translation along the center axis of the ventilator housing.

5. The air outlet as claimed in claim 4, wherein an actuation motor in order to actively control at least the translational and/or rotational movement of the direction and diffuser arrangement is connected to the direction or diffuser arrangement, wherein the actuation motor is programmed to carry out different control processes.

6. The air outlet as claimed in claim 5, wherein the actuation motor is programmed to carry out control processes which result in a periodically recurring movement of the direction and diffuser arrangement.

7. The air outlet as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least the pivoting of the direction and diffuser arrangement relative to the center axis of the ventilator housing is carried out manually and/or at least a deflection of the direction and diffuser arrangement from the basic or starting position is manually adjusted through an angle relative to the center axis of the ventilator housing.

8. The air outlet of claim 1, wherein said direction and diffuser arrangement includes a ball joint.

9. The air outlet of claim 8, wherein said direction and diffuser arrangement further includes a rod, said ball joint carried on a distal end of said rod.

10. A method for controlling direction, flow speed, flow volume and diffusivity of an air flow from an air outlet including a ventilator housing, having a center axis, and a direction and diffuser arrangement held in said ventilator housing, comprising: rotating said direction and diffuser arrangement about said center axis with respect to said ventilator housing; translating said direction and diffuser arrangement along said center axis with respect to said ventilator housing; and pivoting said direction and diffuser arrangement relative to center axis with respect to said ventilator housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0021] Other advantageous embodiments of the air outlet are disclosed in the following description of the single FIGURE, in which:

[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectioned side view of an exemplary embodiment of the new and improved air outlet in a basic or starting position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectioned side view of an exemplary embodiment of a new and improved air outlet 100 in a basic or starting position. The air outlet 100 has a substantially spherical ventilator housing 110 and a direction and diffuser arrangement 120 which is arranged coaxially relative to the center axis 111 thereof. The ventilator housing 110 forms, together with the direction and diffuser arrangement 120, an air channel 200. The flow outlet 201 of the air channel 200, facing an environment 300, is delimited in the manner of an annular gap by a conical front portion 121 of the direction and diffuser arrangement 120 and an opening of the ventilator housing 110. A rear portion 122 of the direction and diffuser arrangement 120 abuts an inner face of the ventilator housing 110 and is surrounded by a flow inlet 202 of the air channel 200. The flow inlet 202 is connected to an air supply channel 203 in a fluid directing manner. The rear portion 122 of the direction and diffuser arrangement 120 is constructed in a substantially spherical manner.

[0024] The direction and diffuser arrangement 120 further has a ball joint 124 which is supported by means of a spherical rod 123 which is constructed as a shaft so as to be able to be moved in translation along the center axis 111 in the direction of the arrow Z relative to the ventilator housing 110. The spherical rod 123 is driven in translation and rotation by means of an actuation motor 400. The rotational movement of the spherical rod 123 is carried out about the center axis 111 in accordance with the arrow X. In order to transmit the rotational movement of the spherical rod 123 to the direction and diffuser arrangement 120, it is possible to provide between the spherical head and the spherical socket of the ball joint 124, for example, a frictional engagement. A pivoting of the direction and diffuser arrangement 120 through an angle relative to the center axis 111 in accordance with the arrow Y is possible, for example, by means of manual actuation of a passenger or a driver.

[0025] The body 123 of the direction and diffuser arrangement 120 is carried on the ball joint 124. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the body is generally teardrop-shaped in cross section.

[0026] In summary, the direction and diffuser arrangement 120 is supported so as to be able to be moved, relative to the ventilator housing 110, in translation along the center axis 111, in the direction of the arrow Z, in rotation about the center axis 111 in the direction of the arrow X and so as to be able to be pivoted through an angle with respect to the center axis 111, in the direction of the arrow Y. By deflecting the direction and diffuser arrangement 120 from the basic or starting position thereof, either manually or by means of the actuation motor 400, in the respective directions of the arrows X, Y and Z, on the one hand, the geometry of the air channel 200 and, on the other hand, the geometry of the flow outlet 201 can be changed in order to control the air flow properties, such as volume flow, flow speed, diffusivity and/or discharge direction. By means of periodic and/or rhythmic deflection, occurrences of turbulence of the air flow which contribute to increased diffusivity can further be produced.