Vehicle cabin air register

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10792976-B2
Application number	US-201614989481-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2016
Priority date	Jan 13, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle cabin air register includes a tube shaped retainer disposed in a register opening, a bezel connected to the retainer, and a first fin axially supported by a pivot axis at an inner side of the retainer. A restricting mechanism restricts a pivot range of the first fin. The vehicle cabin air register also includes a second fin including a pair of second fin main bodies, an operation knob attached to a center portion of the first fin, a first flow path, and a second flow path. A minimum gap of the first flow path is narrower than a minimum gap of the second flow path. When the register is in a restricted state, the downstream end of the operation knob and the downstream end of the other second fin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies are positioned downstream of the bezel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle cabin air register comprising:
a tube shaped retainer disposed in a register opening and forming an air duct along a tube axis;
a bezel connected to the retainer;
a first fin axially supported by a pivot axis at an inner side of the retainer, the first fin having an upstream end, a downstream end, and a first fin axis, the first fin axis defined between the upstream and downstream ends of the first fin, the first fin configured to be in a standard state when the first fin axis is disposed along the tube axis;
a restricting mechanism restricting a pivot range of the first fin;
a second fin including a pair of second fin main bodies disposed alongside the first fin and oriented in a parallel direction on either side of the first fin in a plate thickness direction of the first fin, the second fin being configured to pivot integrally with the first fin, each second fin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies having an upstream end and a downstream end such that when the first fin is in the standard state, the downstream end of each second fin main body is set further toward a vehicle cabin than the downstream end of the first fin;
an operation knob attached to a center portion of the first fin, the operation knob having an upstream end and a downstream end, the downstream end of the operation knob extending toward the vehicle cabin such that when the first fin is in the standard state, the downstream end of the operation knob is set further towards the vehicle cabin downstream than the downstream end of each second fin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies;
a first flow path and a second flow path, the first flow path being positioned downstream of the pivot axis and between the operation knob and one second fin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies, the second flow path being positioned between the first fin and the one second tin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies; and
a minimum gap of the first flow path being narrower than a minimum gap of the second flow path,
wherein when the register is in a restricted state, the operation knob is pivoted towards a side of the one second fin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies such that the downstream end of the operation knob and the downstream end of an other second fin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies are aligned with each other along a plane perpendicular to the tube axis, the first fin being restricted from pivoting by the restricting mechanism, the downstream end of the operation knob and the downstream end of the other second fin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies being configured to be positioned downstream of the bezel.

2. The vehicle cabin air register of claim 1 , wherein the first fin and each second fin main body of the pair of second fin main bodies are disposed so as to extend along a vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle cabin.

3. The vehicle cabin air register of claim 1 , wherein:
the pair of second fin main bodies converge from upstream ends of the pair of second fin main bodies to the minimum gap of the first flow path such that the first flow path narrows from the upstream ends of the pair of second fin main bodies to the minimum gap of the first flow path, and
the pair of second fin main bodies diverge from the minimum gap of the first flow path to downstream ends of the pair of second fin main bodies such that the first flow path expands from the minimum gap of the first flow path to the downstream ends of the pair of second fin main bodies.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wada Toshinao

Classifications

• B60H1/3421 Primary

  using only pivoting shutters · CPC title

• B60H2001/00721

  Air deflecting or air directing means · CPC title

• B60H1/00871

  Air directing means, e.g. blades in an air outlet (construction of nozzles or air diffusers B60H1/34) · CPC title

• B60H1/3414 Primary

  with means for adjusting the air stream direction (B60H1/345 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/0065

  Control members, e.g. levers or knobs (B60H1/00985 takes precedence) · CPC title