Air control device having a bearing location

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10393183-B2
Application number	US-201514837990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2015
Priority date	Aug 28, 2014
Publication date	Aug 27, 2019
Grant date	Aug 27, 2019

Abstract

A bearing location for rotatably supporting a shaft on a carrier structure about a rotation axis may include a bearing opening disposed in the carrier structure. The bearing opening may include an cylindrical inner bearing face on an inner periphery arranged coaxially with the rotation axis. The inner bearing face may interact with a cylindrical outer bearing face disposed on an outer periphery of the shaft. An annular seal may be arranged coaxially with the rotation axis and may include a labyrinth seal have at least one annular rib and at least one annular groove. An inner sealing gap and an outer sealing gap may be disposed radially between walls of the rib and walls of the groove. The inner sealing gap and the outer sealing gap may each extend annularly and may be arranged coaxially with the rotation axis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bearing location for rotatably supporting a shaft about a rotation axis on a carrier structure provided by a wall section, comprising:
a bearing opening disposed in the carrier structure and configured to receive the shaft;
an annular seal arranged coaxially with respect to the rotation axis for sealing the bearing opening;
the bearing opening including a cylindrical inner bearing face on an inner periphery and arranged coaxially with respect to the rotation axis;
the cylindrical inner bearing face of the bearing opening being configured to interact with a cylindrical outer bearing face disposed on an outer periphery of the shaft, wherein the cylindrical outer bearing face is arranged coaxially relative to the rotation axis;
the cylindrical outer bearing face being in planar engagement with the cylindrical inner bearing face;
the annular seal is structured as a labyrinth seal including at least one annular rib and at least one annular groove, the at least one annular rib arranged axially within the at least one annular groove, wherein the at least one annular rib includes two outer walls facing away from each other and an end wall disposed between the two outer walls, and the at least one annular groove includes two inner walls facing towards each other and a groove base disposed between the two inner walls;
the at least one annular rib and the at least one annular groove structured and arranged to define an inner sealing gap and an outer sealing gap disposed radially between the two outer walls of the at least one annular rib and the two inner walls of the at least one annular groove, wherein the inner sealing gap and the outer sealing gap each extend annularly and are arranged coaxially to the rotation axis with the inner s sling gap being radially separated from the outer sealing gap via the at least one annular rib;
wherein the inner sealing gap has an inner radial play between a first one of the two inner walls of the at least one annular groove and a first one of the two outer walls of the at least one annular rib disposed proximal to the rotation axis, and the outer sealing gap has an outer radial play between a second one of the two inner walls of the at least one annular groove and a second one of the two outer walls of the at least one annular rib disposed distal to the rotation axis; and
wherein at least one of the inner radial play of the inner sealing gap and the outer radial play of the outer sealing gap is smaller than an axial spacing defined between the end wall and the groove base, and wherein the at least one of the inner radial play and the outer radial play is at least 10 times smaller than a radially measured width of the at least one annular rib to facilitate sealing the inner sealing gap and the outer sealing gap, receptively.

2. The bearing location according to claim 1 , wherein the inner radial play of the inner sealing gap and the outer radial play of the outer sealing gap are each smaller than the axial spacing and are each at least 10 times smaller than the radially measured width of the at least one annular rib.

3. The bearing location according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one annular rib engages axially in the at least one annular groove at an axial portion of the shaft, and wherein the cylindrical outer bearing face cooperates radially with the cylindrical inner bearing face at the axial portion of the shaft.

4. The bearing location according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one annular rib is disposed on the shaft and the at least one annular groove is disposed on the carrier structure.

5. The bearing location according to claim 1 , wherein the inner radial play and the outer radial play are each at least 20 times smaller than the radially measured width of the annular rib to facilitate an efficient sealing action of the inner sealing gap and the outer sealing gap for sealing an open space running axially between the two outer walls of the at least one annular rib and the two inner walls the at least one annular groove.

6. The bearing location according to claim 1 , wherein a radial spacing provided between the cylindrical outer bearing face and the first one of the two outer walls of the at least one annular rib is equal to the radially measured width of the at least one annular rib.

7. An air control device for an air-conditioning unit, comprising:
a housing including a channel for guiding an air flow;
at least one flap valve for controlling the air flow in the channel, wherein the at least one flap valve is arranged in the housing and is rotatable about a rotation axis to open and close the channel;
the at least one flap valve including a shaft and at least one wing protruding from the shaft;
the shaft being rotatably supported about the rotation axis on at least one longitudinal end via a bearing location disposed on a wall of the housing, the wall providing a carrier structure for rotatably supporting the shaft, wherein the bearing location includes:
a bearing opening disposed in the carrier structure and configured to receive the shaft, the bearing opening including a cylindrical inner bearing face on an inner periphery arranged coaxially with respect to the rotation axis;
a cylindrical outer bearing face disposed on an outer periphery of the at least one longitudinal end of the shaft and arranged coaxially with respect to the rotation axis, wherein the cylindrical outer bearing face is arranged in planar engagement with the cylindrical inner bearing face;
an annular seal arranged coaxially with respect to the rotation axis for sealing the bearing opening, the annular seal configured as a labyrinth seal including an annular rib arranged in an annular groove, the annular rib including two outer walls facing away from each other and the annular groove including two inner walls facing toward each other, wherein the annular groove defines a groove base and the annular rib defines an end wall facing the groove base, and an axial spacing is disposed between the groove base and the end wall;
the annular rib and the annular groove structured and arranged to provide an inner sealing gap and an outer sealing gap disposed radially between the two outer walls of the annular rib and the two inner walls of the annular groove where the inner sealing gap and the outer sealing gap run axially along the annular rib and the annular groove, the inner sealing gap and the outer sealing gap each extending annularly and are arranged coaxially with respect to the rotation axis, wherein the inner sealing gap is radially separated from the outer sealing gap via the annular rib;
wherein the inner sealing gap has an inner radial play between one of the two inner walls of the annular groove and one of the two outer walls of the annular rib disposed proximal to the rotation axis with respect to the other of the two inner walls of the annular groove and the other of the two outer walls of the annular rib, and the outer sealing gap has an outer radial play between one of the two inner walls of the annular groove and one of the two outer walls of the annular rib disposed distal to the rotation axis with respect to the other of the two inner walls of the annular groove and the other of the two outer walls of the annular rib; and
wherein at least one of the inner radial play of the inner sealing gap and the outer radial play of the outer sealing gap is smaller than the axial spacing, and wherein the at least one of the inner radial play and the outer radial play is at least 10 times smaller than a radially measured width of the annular rib to facilitate sealing the inner sealing gap and the outer sealing gap, respectively.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one flap valve

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Goce Richard
• Klinger Manuel

Classifications

• B60H2001/00707

  Details of pivots of damper doors · CPC title

• B60H1/00678

  the axis of rotation being in the door plane, e.g. butterfly doors · CPC title

• F16C33/723 Primary

  Shaft end sealing means, e.g. cup-shaped caps or covers · CPC title

• F16C35/10 Primary

  with sliding-contact bearings · CPC title