Air vent apparatus for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11273689-B2
Application number	US-201916559975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2019
Priority date	Apr 24, 2019
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

An air vent apparatus for a vehicle includes a wing cover mounted at an outlet of an air duct to be movable in a front-rear direction by using a pop-up driving device and angularly adjustable by using a ball joint. The apparatus is configured to simultaneously perform a wind direction adjustment and a damper door function, and can pop-up and then angularly rotate the wing cover around the ball joint in a desired direction, thereby adjusting a wind direction of the air discharged to an interior of the vehicle in the desired direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air vent apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
an air duct having a ball joint housing formed therein;
a ball housing rotatably fastened within the ball joint housing;
an air guide mounted between an outer surface of the ball joint housing and an inner surface of the air duct to straightly guide the air discharged to an interior of the vehicle;
a wing cover connected with the ball housing and disposed at an outlet of the air duct to be pop-up and angularly adjustable; and
a pop-up driving device connected between the ball housing and the wing cover to pop-up and drive the wing cover.

2. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 1 ,
A wherein a connecting plate is integrally connected between the outer surface of the ball joint housing and an inner wall of the air duct so that the ball joint housing is disposed at an inner central portion of the air duct.

3. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 1 ,
wherein a plurality of rotational angle limiting grooves are formed in the ball joint housing, a ball cap is mounted at a rear portion of the ball housing, and an angle limiting pin selectively inserted into one of the plurality of rotational angle limiting grooves is formed to be protruded from a rear surface of the ball cap.

4. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 3 ,
wherein the angle limiting pin is inserted into and mounted at the rear surface of the ball cap together with a supporting spring so that the angle limiting pin is selectively inserted into one of the plurality of rotational angle limiting grooves by an elastic restoring force of the supporting spring.

5. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 3 ,
wherein a resistance providing rubber that is in close contact with the rear surface of the ball cap in order to provide resistance upon rotation of the ball housing is attached to an inner surface of the ball joint housing.

6. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 1 ,
wherein the air guide is provided as a structure in which a plurality of streamlined vanes forming a whirlwind for straight wind are connected between an inside ring and an outside ring.

7. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 1 ,
wherein the wing cover is composed of a wing body having an air guide surface that is gradually narrowed toward an opposite side of the direction of the interior of the vehicle, and an operating plate fastened to a front surface portion of the wing body and exposed toward the interior of the vehicle.

8. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 7 ,
wherein a sealing rubber is provided for blocking air leakage upon closing the wing cover.

9. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the pop-up driving device comprises:
a knob mounted at a front surface of the wing cover;
a cam housing fastened to an inside of the ball housing;
a fixed cam having a plurality of cam slide grooves formed along a circumferential direction thereof, and provided as a hollow structure in which a latching projection is formed at a rear surface portion thereof to be formed inside the cam housing;
a cam cap formed at a front surface portion of the ball cap mounted at a rear portion of the ball housing, wherein the cam cap is a plate structure in which a plurality of rotational guide saw teeth are formed at regular intervals along a circumferential direction thereof;
a pop-up rod having a front end portion connected to a rear surface of the knob, and having a rear end portion extended to an inside of the fixed cam through a central portion of the wing cover;
a rotary cam provided as a structure in which a plurality of slide cams moving along the plurality of cam slide grooves are formed along a circumferential direction thereof to be rotatably connected to the rear end portion of the pop-up rod; and
a main spring compressibly connected between the rotary cam and the cam cap.

10. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 9 ,
wherein a concave portion is formed at an inner surface of the ball housing, and a convex portion press-fitted into and fastened to the concave portion is formed at an outer surface of the cam housing.

11. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 9 ,
wherein a knob seating groove having the knob inserted therein is formed at a front surface of the wing cover.

12. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 11 ,
wherein an auxiliary spring for providing an elastic restoring force after the knob is pressed is connected between a back surface of the knob and a bottom surface of the knob seating groove.

13. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the pop-up driving device comprises:
a movable cylinder provided as a structure in which a female screw is formed therein to be integrally formed at a rear end portion of the wing cover; and
a fixed cylinder integrally formed at a front end portion of the ball housing as a structure in which a male screw screw-fastened to the female screw is formed.

14. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the pop-up driving device comprises:
a movable cylinder provided as a structure in which a multi-stage locking groove is formed therein to be integrally formed at a rear end portion of the wing cover; and
a fixed cylinder integrally formed at a front end portion of the ball housing as a structure having a locking protrusion fastened to the multi-stage locking groove.

15. The air vent apparatus for the vehicle of claim 14 ,
wherein a ball is formed at a front end portion of the movable cylinder, and a ball joint groove is formed at a rear surface portion of the wing cover.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp
• Nifco Korea Inc
• Hyundai Mobis Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Yong Woo
• Park Ran Jeong
• Lee Kwan Woo
• Lee Jong Chae
• Sung Kee Jin

Classifications

• B60H1/00564

  of air ducts · CPC title

• B60H1/3414 Primary

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

• B60H1/00671

  Damper doors moved by rotation; Grilles · CPC title

• B60H2001/3471

  Details of actuators · CPC title

• B60H1/3442 Primary

  the frame being spherical · CPC title