Low-friction ride plate for operating an airflow damper of a vehicle HVAC register and method of formation thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10780765-B2
Application number	US-201715617655-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2017
Publication date	Sep 22, 2020
Grant date	Sep 22, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle air register includes an airflow damper disposed within a register housing. A rotationally-operable control is coupled to the airflow damper and the register housing. A ride plate is disposed within the register housing and that slidably receives the control to define open and closed positions of the airflow damper. The control includes a biased pin that engages the ride plate. The ride plate is made of a different material than the housing. A method for forming a vehicle register includes forming a ride plate that is made of a first material, forming a register housing made of a second material, and having a plate receptacle defined therein, disposing the ride plate within the plate receptacle, and disposing a damper and damper control within the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle air register comprising:
an airflow damper disposed within a register housing;
a rotationally-operable control coupled to the airflow damper and the register housing;
a ride plate disposed within the register housing and that slidably receives the control to define open and closed positions of the airflow damper; and
a control holder that connects to the control and the housing, wherein the control holder positions the ride plate; wherein
the control includes a biased pin that engages the ride plate;
the ride plate is made of a different material than the housing; and
the ride plate is integrally formed with the control holder as a single injection molded piece.

2. The vehicle air register of claim 1 , wherein the ride plate is disposed within a plate receptacle that positions the ride plate proximate the control.

3. The vehicle air register of claim 2 , wherein the plate receptacle is defined within the housing and the ride plate is coupled to the plate receptacle of the housing.

4. The vehicle air register of claim 2 , wherein the ride plate includes a plurality of retaining tabs that engage tab recesses of the plate receptacle.

5. The vehicle air register of claim 4 , wherein the ride plate is coupled to the housing free of adhesives.

6. The vehicle air register of claim 1 , wherein the ride plate includes a plurality of rotational positions of the airflow damper, the plurality of rotational positions including the open position corresponding to an open detent of the ride plate and the closed position corresponding to a closed detent of the ride plate.

7. The vehicle air register of claim 1 , wherein the biased pin includes an outwardly biased spring that biases the biased pin away from a rotational axis of the control, and wherein the ride plate is disposed outside of the control.

8. The vehicle air register of claim 1 , wherein the ride plate is made of polyoxymethylene.

9. The vehicle air register of claim 1 , wherein the housing is made of polypropylene.

10. A vehicle comprising:
a damper for an air register housing; and
a control slidably engaged with a ride plate to define a plurality of damper positions; wherein
the ride plate is attached to the housing;
an outwardly-biased protrusion of the control engages the ride plate;
the ride plate is made of a different material than a portion of the housing surrounding the ride plate;
the ride plate is disposed within a plate receptacle of the housing that positions the ride plate proximate the control; and
the ride plate includes a plurality of retaining tabs that engage tab recesses of the plate receptacle.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the control is a rotationally-operable control that rotates between open and closed positions, and wherein the ride plate is disposed substantially concentric with the control.

12. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the ride plate defines the plurality of damper positions, the plurality of damper positions including an open position corresponding to an open detent of the ride plate and a closed position corresponding to a closed detent of the ride plate.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the outwardly-biased protrusion selectively and alternatively engages the open and closed detents to define the open and closed positions, respectively.

14. The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein a low-friction surface is disposed between the open and closed detents.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein at least the low-friction surface of the ride plate is made of polyoxymethylene.

16. A method of forming a vehicle air register, the method comprising steps of:
forming a ride plate that is made of a first material;
forming a register housing made of a second material and having a plate receptacle defined therein;
disposing the ride plate within the plate receptacle;
disposing a damper and damper control within the housing; wherein
the damper control is slidably engaged with the ride plate to define a plurality of damper positions;
the ride plate includes an open detent and a closed detent that selectively define open and closed positions of the damper, respectively;
the ride plate includes a low-friction surface that extends between the open and closed detents;
the plate receptacle of the housing positions the ride plate proximate the damper control; and
the ride plate includes a plurality of retaining tabs that engage tab recesses of the plate receptacle.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first material is polyoxymethylene and wherein the ride plate is coupled to the plate receptacle free of adhesives.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Fidh Steven Nicholas
• Surajit Das
• Amrendra Kumar
• Saigal Vikas

Classifications

• B60H1/3421 Primary

  using only pivoting shutters · CPC title

• B60H2001/3478

  acting on additional damper doors · CPC title