Air vent for a motor vehicle and motor vehicle equipped therewith

Abstract

An air vent in a motor vehicle interior includes an air supply channel, a first air discharge channel, which branches off from the air supply channel and includes a first air inlet opening and a first air outlet opening. The air vent also includes a second air discharge channel, which branches off from the air supply channel and includes a second air inlet opening and a second air outlet opening, and an air adjuster for adjustment of the quantity of air transported through the first air discharge channel and the second air discharge channel. The air adjuster has a round cross-section, on the outer face of which a first, a second, and a third segment are provided, which are spaced apart from one another, and which respectively close or at least partially open the first air inlet opening, the second air inlet opening, or the air supply channel, as required.

Claims

1. An air vent for a motor vehicle comprising: an air supply channel; a first air discharge channel which branches off from the air supply channel and which comprises a first air inlet opening having a first air inlet opening angular extent (φ11) and a first air outlet opening; and a second air discharge channel which branches off from the air supply channel and which comprises a second air inlet opening having a second air inlet opening angular extent (φ22) and a second air outlet opening, wherein the first air inlet opening and the second air inlet opening are constructed to be parallel with each other in fluid terms, the first air outlet opening and the second air outlet opening are spaced apart from each other, an air adjuster which is for adjusting a quantity of air transported through the first air discharge channel and the second air discharge channel and which is arranged adjacent to the first air inlet opening and the second air inlet opening, the air adjuster has a round cross-section at an outer side of which a first portion having a first portion angular extent (φ1) and a second portion having a second portion angular extent (φ2) are provided, the first portion and the second portion are spaced apart from each other with an air guiding channel being formed, the first portion selectively closes or at least partially releases the first air inlet opening, and the second portion selectively closes or at least partially releases the second air inlet opening, the first portion is arranged adjacent to the first air inlet opening and the second portion is arranged adjacent to the second air inlet opening, and the first portion angular extent is substantially equal to the first air inlet opening extent (φ1=φ11) and the second portion angular extent is substantially equal to the second air inlet opening extent (φ2=φ22), wherein the air adjuster further has a third portion having a third portion angular extent (φ3), and the third portion selectively closes or opens the air supply channel to the air adjuster, and the third portion angular extent is greater than each of the first and second portion angular extents.

2. The air vent according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of the air guiding channel substantially corresponds to a cross-sectional area of a region of the air supply channel adjacent thereto.

3. The air vent according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of the first portion and/or the second portion at least corresponds to a cross-sectional area of a region of the air supply channel adjacent thereto.

4. The air vent according to claim 1, wherein at least one plate is located in the first air discharge channel and/or the second air discharge channel.

5. A motor vehicle comprising at least one air vent according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an air vent according to the invention in a first operating position.

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the air vent shown in FIG. 1 in a second operating position.

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of an alternative air vent in a first operating position.

(4) FIG. 4 shows a portion of the air vent illustrated in FIG. 3 in a second operating position.

(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded illustration of the air vent of FIGS. 1 to 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(6) FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a motor vehicle 1 in which an air vent 5 is located. This air vent has an air supply channel 10 into which air (which is indicated with the two arrows) can flow from a fan which is not shown in this instance and/or an air-conditioning system which is not shown in this instance into the air vent 5.

(7) There is connected downstream to the air supply channel 10 an air adjuster 15 whose function will be described below. The air adjuster 15 is constructed in a substantially cylindrical manner. Consequently, the air adjuster 15 is constructed to be substantially circular in cross-section, that is to say, in accordance with a section through the vertical plane (x-z plane) of a Cartesian vehicle-orientated coordinate system known per se, and supported so as to be able to be pivoted about a rotation axis 20 which is located in the central region thereof and which is orientated orthogonally with respect to the vertical plane. There are located in the radial outer region of the air adjuster 15 a first portion 25 and a second portion 30 which is spaced apart therefrom and in the perspective shown they have a cross-section in the form of a circular ring and extend in a longitudinal direction (that is to say, in the y direction of the coordinate system mentioned). Between the first portion 25 and the second portion 30 there is formed an air guiding channel 35 through which the air introduced from the air supply channel 10 can flow in the direction of a first air discharge channel 40 and a second air discharge channel 45. The first air discharge channel 40 has a first air inlet opening 50 and a first air outlet opening 55 which is located downstream thereof. The second air discharge channel 45 has a second air inlet opening 60 and a second air outlet opening 65 which is located downstream thereof.

(8) From the first air outlet opening 55 and the second air outlet opening 65, as indicated by the arrows, air can flow out of the air vent 5 into a motor vehicle inner space 70. To this end, it is necessary—as shown in FIG. 1—for the first portion 25 and the second portion 30 to be located in a position in which both the first air inlet opening 50 and the second air inlet opening 55 are released and the air guiding channel 35 is in fluid communication therewith.

(9) The two air outlet openings 60 and 65 shown in this figure are constructed as gaps which extend substantially in the transverse direction of the motor vehicle 1, that is to say, in the y direction. As a result, an air flow from the air outlet openings 60 and 65 will flow out substantially in the x-z plane. In order to also enable flowing out in other directions, there are provided in the first air discharge channel 40 and the second air discharge channel 45 plates 75 which can be adjusted from the motor vehicle inner space 70 by way of an adjustment mechanism which is known per se and which is depicted here only schematically. The plates 75 are in the embodiment shown here pivotably supported by way of a common pivot axle 80 about a vertical axis z of the motor vehicle 1 so that a direction change of the discharged air in the y direction, consequently in the y-z plane, is possible in a simple manner.

(10) As can be seen in FIG. 1, both the first air outlet opening 60 and the second air outlet opening 65 are flowed through. By way of an appropriate adjustment of the air adjuster 15 shown in FIG. 2, it is also possible to allow air to flow only through the first air outlet opening 60, whilst the second air outlet opening 65 does not permit any air flow. To this end, it is simply necessary to rotate the air adjuster 15 according to the embodiment in a counter-clockwise direction about the rotation axis 20 in such a manner that the second portion 30 covers the second air inlet opening 60, whilst the first portion 25 releases the first air inlet opening 50.

(11) If in contrast air is intended to flow only through the second air outlet opening 65, whilst the first air outlet opening 60 does not permit any air flow, it is only necessary to rotate the air adjuster 15 in a clockwise direction about the rotation axis 20 in such a manner that the second portion 30 releases the second air inlet opening 60, whilst the first portion 25 covers the first air inlet opening 50.

(12) FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of an air vent 5 which not only comprises a first portion 25 and a second portion 30 (to the function of which the previous statements apply), but also a third portion 90 which is located on the air adjuster 15. This covers in the operating position shown here the first air inlet opening 50 and the second air inlet opening 60 so that a discharge of air from the first air outlet opening 55 and the second air outlet opening 65 is prevented. Nonetheless, air can flow through the air guiding channel 35 in the y-z plane so that additional air outlet openings which are not shown here and which are connected in fluid terms to the air guiding channel 35 (that is to say, ones which are located with respect to FIG. 3 on this side and/or the other side of the paper plane) can be supplied.

(13) In FIG. 4, the air adjuster 15 shown in FIG. 3 is again illustrated schematically, wherein the third portion 90 now covers the air supply channel 10. In this operating position, no air at all is directed through the air adjuster 15, as a result of which no air can flow through all the air outlet openings 55, 65 which are in fluid communication with each other (that is to say, also those which extend at this side or the other side of the paper plane of FIGS. 3 and 4) into the vehicle inner space 70. As can be seen in this figure, all of the faces of the respective first, second and third portions 25, 30 and 90 which are adjacent to the air supply channel 10, the first air inlet opening 50 and the second air inlet opening 65 have a radius R with respect to the rotation axis 20 which corresponds to the radius of the air adjuster 15. The first portion 25 has a direction angle φ1, the second portion has a direction angle φ2 and the third portion 90 has a direction angle φ3. A spacing which is located between the first portion 25 and the third portion 90 has with the radius R a direction angle φ13 and a spacing which is located between the second portion 30 and the third portion 90 has a direction angle φ23. The first air inlet opening 50 has a direction angle φ11 and the second air inlet opening 60 has a direction angle φ22. The mutually adjacent sides of the first air inlet opening 50 and the second air inlet opening 60 are spaced apart from each other in accordance with a direction angle φd. On the whole, according to this embodiment the following relationship applies:
φ1+φ13+φ3+φ23+φ2+φ22+φd+φ11=360°,where
φ1=φ11,
φ2=φ22,
φ3=φ11+φd+φ22, and
φ1>φ13,
φ2>φ23.

(14) If, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, no third portion 90 is provided, all the variables of the previous relationship indexed with a “3” are omitted, wherein the spacing located between the first portion 25 and the second portion 30 would correspond to the sum of the variables indexed with “3”, which is, for example, 180°.

(15) In FIG. 5, the air vent 5 is shown as a perspective exploded illustration. As can be seen, in the width direction y thereof in the first air outlet opening 55 and the second air outlet opening 65 there are provided five plates 75 which can each be pivoted about a pivot axis which extends in a vertical direction z and which is not shown here. The two air outlet openings 55, 65 are constructed substantially as slots which extend in the y direction and which are spaced apart from each other in the z direction so that a very appealing aesthetic shape of the air vent 5 in the direction of the motor vehicle inner space 70 is provided.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(16) 1 Motor vehicle 5 Air vent 10 Air supply channel 15 Air Adjuster 20 Rotation axis 25 First portion 30 Second portion 35 Air guiding channel 40 First air discharge channel 45 Second air discharge channel 50 First air inlet opening 55 First air outlet opening 60 Second air inlet opening 65 Second air outlet opening 70 Motor vehicle inner space 75 Plates 80 Pivot axis 90 Third portion x, y, z Axes of a motor-vehicle-specific Cartesian coordinate system which is known per se φ Direction angle

(17) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.