Flush-Mounted Air Inlet Flaps

Abstract

Device for admitting cooling air to a motor vehicle interior, formed of one or several mobile flaps, each orientable in rotation about an axis by a control mechanism, each flap includes on its external periphery a pressing surface intended, when the mobile flap is in the closed position, to come into contact with a bearing surface. The pressing surface has a point of first contact and a point of last contact with the said bearing surface, these points being defined in such a way that when the control mechanism actuates closure of the mobile flaps and the point of first contact comes into contact with the said bearing surface, the point of last contact is distant from the said bearing surface by a predefined and non-zero distance.

Claims

1. A device for admitting cooling air to a motor vehicle interior comprising: one or more mobile flaps, each orientable in rotation about an axis by a control mechanism, each mobile flap comprising on its external periphery a pressing surface such that, when the mobile flap is in the closed position the pressing surface comes into contact with a bearing surface, wherein the pressing surface comprises points including a point of first contact and a point of last contact with said bearing surface, the points being defined in such a way that when the control mechanism actuates closure of the mobile flaps and the point of first contact comes into contact with said bearing surface, the point of last contact is distant from the said bearing surface by a predefined and non-zero distance.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the point of last contact of the mobile flap comes into contact with said bearing surface under the effect of: a pressing torque generated by the control mechanism, and an elastic deformation of the mobile flap, so that all the points of the pressing surface of the mobile flap come into contact with the said bearing surface.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the pressing torque applied by the control mechanism is at least equal to or greater than the sum of a torque required to create the elastic deformation of the flap until the point of last contact rests against the bearing surface, and a torque required to overcome an aerodynamic pressure exerted on said flap when the vehicle is driving at high speed.

4. The air inlet device according to claim 1, wherein the value of the predefined and non-zero distance is between 2 mm and 10 mm.

5. The air inlet device according to claim 4, wherein the distance between the axis of rotation and an edge of the mobile flap is less than a quarter of a largest width of the mobile flap measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

6. The air inlet device according to claim 5, wherein the point of first contact is arranged at a point of the pressing surface located at a distance as far away as possible from the axis of rotation.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the bearing surface of the mobile flap is arranged wholly or partially on a fixed part of the vehicle bodywork surrounding said mobile flaps.

8. The air inlet device according to claim 4, wherein the bearing surface of one of the mobile flaps is formed wholly or partially by a pressing surface located on one or more adjacent ones of the mobile flaps.

9. The air inlet device according to claim 8, wherein the axes of the mobile flaps are not parallel to each other.

10. The air inlet device according to claim 4, wherein outer surfaces of the mobile flaps are surfaces visible from outside the vehicle.

11. The air inlet device according to claim 10, wherein, in the closed position, the outer surfaces of the mobile flaps are in general continuity of shape with the outer surfaces of an adjacent one of the mobile flaps and with bodywork surfaces visible from the outside and surrounding said mobile flaps.

12. The air inlet device according to claim 4, wherein a seal is arranged between the pressing surface of the mobile flaps and the bearing surface.

13. The air inlet device of claim 1 being located on a vehicle bodywork.

14. The air inlet device according to claim 1, wherein the value of the predefined and non-zero distance is between 3 mm and 5 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The invention will be better understood on reading the accompanying figures, which are given solely by way of example and not limiting in any way, in which:

[0034] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flap according to the invention.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view along plane C1 of the flap in the partially open position,

[0036] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view along plane C1 of the flap when the first point of contact comes into contact with the bearing surface.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view along plane C2 of the flap when the first point of contact comes into contact with the bearing surface.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view along plane C2 of the flap when a torque is applied to the axis of rotation by the control mechanism and when the point of last contact comes into contact with the bearing surface.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of an air inlet device comprising two superimposed flaps in the closed position.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a general perspective view of the front part of a vehicle comprising an air inlet device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0041] FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of an air inlet flap 1. This flap is mobile in rotation about an axis YY under the action of a control mechanism (not shown).

[0042] In the closed position, the surface 12 of the flap is oriented towards the outside of the vehicle and participates in the general external shape of the vehicle,

[0043] A pressing surface 11 is arranged on the periphery of the mobile flap. Depending on its arrangement relative to the axis of rotation YY, the pressing surface 11 is placed on the face of the mobile flap oriented towards the outside of the vehicle (11a) or on the face of the mobile flap oriented towards the inside the vehicle (11b).

[0044] FIG. 2 illustrates the mobile flap in the partially open position relative to the components of the bodywork 3 considered as fixed and forming, with respect to the flaps, the fixed parts of the bodywork surrounding the one or more flaps.

[0045] This fixed part comprises a bearing surface 31, with which the pressing surface 11 is intended to come into contact when the mobile flap is in the closed position.

[0046] Conversely to the mobile flap, the surface of the bearing surface 31 is oriented towards the outer part (31b) of the vehicle, when the pressing surface (11b) is oriented towards the inside of the vehicle, and towards the inside of the vehicle (31a) when the pressing surface (11a) is oriented towards the outside of the vehicle.

[0047] The bearing surface 31 on which the pressing surface rests when the mobile flap is in the closed position can be represented as a closed line in the three-dimensional space.

[0048] When the mobile flap is in the unstressed state, i.e. when the pressing surface 11 of the mobile flap 1 is not in contact with the bearing surface 31, the pressing surface 11 of the mobile flap can also be represented as a closed line in the three-dimensional space.

[0049] When the flap is in the unstressed state, these two lines are not exactly superimposed.

[0050] Thus, as explained above, the mobile flap is designed and manufactured so that it is slightly curved. This controlled pre-deformation is obtained by twisting the surface of the flap about an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation YY. In other words, the shape of the flap in the unstressed state corresponds to that which would be obtained on a flap whose shape of the pressing surface would precisely correspond to the shape of the bearing surface, and on the axis of rotation to which a torque would be applied, while keeping the point of first contact in a fixed position.

[0051] When closing, and under the action of the closing mechanism, as shown on FIG. 3, the pressing surface 11 comes into contact with the bearing surface 31 via a point of first contact P1.

[0052] The closing mechanism then applies a pressing torque T to the axis YY so as to force, under the effect of the elastic deformation of the mobile flap, all points of the pressing surface 11 to come into contact with the bearing surface 31, until the point P2, considered in this case as the point of last contact, rests on the bearing surface 11. Complete closure of the mobile flap is shown on FIG. 5. In addition, the closed lines of the pressing surface and of the bearing surface have perfectly complementary shapes so that the final shape of the flap in the closed position corresponds to the shape required by the designer.

[0053] When the point of the first contact P1 rests against the bearing surface 31, and if the pressing torque T is not applied, the point of last contact P2, supported by the pressing surface 11, is distant from the bearing surface 31 by a predefined value d, as shown on FIG. 4.

[0054] This distance d may be relatively small, and is evaluated according to the size of the mobile flaps. It may usefully lie between 2 mm and 10 mm and preferably between 3 mm and 5 mm.

[0055] The pressing torque applied by the closing mechanism is determined by the stiffness of the mobile flap. When designing the mobile flap therefore, care should be taken to ensure that this component can deform without the need to exert excessive forces while ensuring that the mobile flap is stiff enough to withstand the pressure exerted by the air when the vehicle is driving at high speed.

[0056] To facilitate this elastic deformation, we must therefore ensure that the point of first contact P1 is arranged at a distance D as far away as possible from the axis of rotation YY, as shown on FIG. 1. When the flap is in the open position, this optimisation also reduces the part of the flap protruding towards the outside of the bodywork.

[0057] To increase this distance D, the axis of rotation YY could be placed as close as possible to one of the edges of the periphery of the mobile flap, preferably locating it at less than a quarter of the largest width of the flap measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation, as shown on FIG. 2.

[0058] However, when carrying out this optimisation, care should be taken to ensure that the torque induced by the aerodynamic pressure applied to the surface of the mobile flap in the closed position when the vehicle is driving at high speed, and which opposes the pressing torque, remains less or even much less than the said pressing torque exerted on the mobile flap by the closing mechanism, so that, in this configuration, and under these driving conditions, the point of last contact P2, which is also the least stressed point pressing on the bearing surface, always remains in contact with the bearing surface 31.

[0059] Thus, the pressing torque applied by the closing mechanism is at least equal to, and preferably greater than, the sum of the torque required to create the elastic deformation of the flap until the point of last contact P2 rests on the bearing surface 31 when closing the flap and when the vehicle is stationary, and the torque required to overcome the aerodynamic pressure exerted on the flaps when the vehicle is driving at high speed.

[0060] The principle used to design the mobile flaps, as described above, makes it possible to control the pressing of the pressing surface 11 on the bearing surface 31, and to improve the general continuity of shape between the visible part of the flaps 12 and the fixed components of the bodywork 32, also visible from the outside, while guaranteeing better airtightness when the flap is in the closed position.

[0061] To improve this airtightness, a flexible seal 2 can be positioned between the bearing surface 31 and the pressing surface 11, as shown on FIG. 2. The seal can be fixed, for example by bonding to the bearing surface 31 or to the pressing surface 11. However, for aesthetic reasons, the seal can be positioned simultaneously on the parts of the pressing surface 11 and of the bearing surface 31 which are not visible from the outside when the flap is in the open position.

[0062] FIG. 6 illustrates the case in which the air inlet mechanism comprises a plurality of flaps adjacent to each other.

[0063] This configuration can be chosen for style effects or, if the air inlet has a large cross-section, to distribute the aerodynamic pressure exerted on the flaps over several of them.

[0064] Each flap pivots about its axis YY.

[0065] Note that, in this configuration, the axes YY are not necessarily parallel to each other. The angle formed by the axes of rotation of two mobile flaps may reach 10

[0066] In the example shown on FIG. 6, the air inlet device comprises two flaps 1a and 1b.

[0067] In the closed position, the point of last contact P2a of the flap 1a of the pressing surface 11a rests on the bearing surface 31 of the fixed part 3. In addition, the point of last contact P2b of the pressing surface 11b of the flap 1b rests on the pressing surface 11a of the flap 1a acting as bearing surface.

[0068] When the air inlet device comprises several flaps, the bearing surface of the flaps is therefore partly located on the pressing surface of an adjacent flap.

[0069] Note that the pressing torque applied to the flap 1b opposes the pressing torque of the flap 1a, and is added to the torque generated by the aerodynamic pressure exerted on the flap 1a.

[0070] Care should therefore be taken to arrange the respective positions of the axis of rotation of each flap properly, and to determine the value of the pressing torques to ensure that the flaps are correctly closed when the vehicle is driving at high speed.

[0071] FIG. 7 illustrates the front part of the bodywork of a motor vehicle whose radiator grille is fitted with an air inlet device according to the invention. The flaps 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e and 1f are in the closed position and are in general continuity of shape relative to each other and with the fixed parts of the radiator grille.

NOMENCLATURE

[0072] 1 Mobile air inlet flap. [0073] 1a First mobile flap. [0074] 1b Second mobile flap. [0075] 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f Mobile flaps. [0076] 11 Pressing surface of the mobile flap. [0077] 11a Pressing surface of the mobile flap oriented towards the outside of the vehicle. [0078] 11b Pressing surface of the mobile flap oriented towards the inside of the vehicle. [0079] 12 Outer surface of the mobile flap. [0080] 2 Seal. [0081] 3 Fixed part of the vehicle. [0082] 31 Bearing surface on which the pressing surface rests in the closed position. [0083] 31a Bearing surface oriented towards the inside of the vehicle. [0084] 31b Bearing surface oriented towards the outside of the vehicle. [0085] 32 Outer surface of the fixed part forming the bodywork visible from outside the vehicle. [0086] P1 Point of first contact between the pressing surface and the bearing surface. [0087] P2 Point of last contact between the pressing surface and the bearing surface. [0088] P2a Point of last contact of the first mobile flap. [0089] P2b Point of last contact of the second mobile flap. [0090] T Pressing torque exerted by the closing mechanism to the axis YY. [0091] YY Axis of rotation of the mobile flaps. [0092] d Predefined distance between the point of second contact and the bearing surface when the point of first contact rests on the said bearing surface. [0093] D Distance between the point of first contact and the axis of rotation of the mobile flap.