Air duct system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12466233-B2
Application number	US-202217669342-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2022
Priority date	Feb 11, 2021
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

An air duct system for conducting air within an HVAC equipment of a motor vehicle may include a housing of the HVAC equipment, a sensor through which air is flowable, and at least one air duct connected to the sensor in an air-conducting manner. The housing may include (i) a first housing part with a first connecting surface and (ii) a second housing part with a second connecting surface. The first housing part and the second housing part may abut one another and may be fixedly connected to each other via the first and second connecting surface. The at least one air duct may be formed, at least in regions, between the first and second connecting surface. The at least one air duct may have at least one constriction point at which a cross-section of the at least one air duct is reduced.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An air duct system for conducting air within an HVAC equipment of a motor vehicle, comprising:
a housing of the HVAC equipment; a sensor through which air is flowable; the housing including at least two housing parts each with a connecting surface, the at least two housing parts including (i) a first housing part with a first connecting surface and (ii) a second housing part with a second connecting surface; the first housing part and the second housing part fixedly connected to each with the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface abutting one another; the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface forming at least one air passage therebetween; the at least one air passage connected to the sensor in an air-conducting manner; and wherein the at least one air passage has at least one constriction point at which a cross-section of the at least one air passage is reduced.

2 . The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the cross-section of the at least one air passage is reduced at the at least one constriction point in an hourglass-shaped manner in a longitudinal direction of the at least one air passage.

3 . The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one constriction point of the at least one air passage is formed within the housing via a formation; and the formation is integrally arranged on the housing and protrudes into the at least one air passage transversely with respect to a longitudinal direction of the at least one air passage.

4 . The air duct system of claim 3 , wherein the formation is formed on one of the at least two housing parts and protrudes into the at least one air passage in a top down manner when the HVAC equipment is properly installed in the motor vehicle.

5 . The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one constriction point is formed via an insert piece that is structured as a separate, individual component from the housing; and the insert piece is arranged in the at least one air passage and blocks, transversely with respect to a longitudinal direction of the at least one air passage, a region of the cross-section of the at least one air passage.

6 . The air duct system of claim 5 , wherein:
an outer diameter of the insert piece corresponds to an inner diameter of the at least one air passage; and the cross-section of the at least one air passage is determined at the at least one constriction point via a central opening of the insert piece that is aligned in the longitudinal direction.

7 . The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one air passage is formed outside the housing, at least in regions, via a separate coupling piece in which the at least one constriction point is formed.

8 . The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one constriction point is formed via a screw element; and the screw element is screwed into the at least one air passage from an outside transversely with respect to a longitudinal direction of the at least one air passage.

9 . The air duct system of claim 8 , wherein the cross-section of the at least one air passage is adjustable at the at least one constriction point via adjusting a screw-in depth of the screw element.

10 . The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one air passage includes two air passages, the two air passages including an inflow air passage for conducting an inflow of air to the sensor and an outflow air passage for conducting an out-flow of air from the sensor; and the at least one constriction point is formed in at least one of the inflow air passage and the outflow air passage.

11 . The air duct system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one air passage includes two air passages; the two air passages includes an inflow air passage for conducting an inflow of air to the sensor and an outflow air passage for conducting an out-flow of air from the sensor; and the at least one constriction point is formed exclusively in the outflow air passage.

12 . The air duct system of claim 9 , further comprising a stepper motor via which the screw-in depth of the screw element is adjustable.

13 . An air duct system for conducting air within a component of an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle, comprising:
component housing including (i) a first housing part with a first connecting surface and (ii) a second housing part with a second connecting surface complimentary to the first connecting surface; the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface lying on one another and forming at least one air passage therebetween; a sensor through which air is flowable, the sensor connected to the at least one air passage in an air-conducting manner; the first housing part and the second housing part connected to each other with the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface abutting one another; wherein at least a portion of the at least one air passage is defined by and between the first connecting surface and second connecting surface; and wherein, at at least one constriction point, the at least one air passage has a reduced cross-section that is smaller than a cross-section of the at least one air passage outside of the at least one constriction point.

14 . The air duct system of claim 13 , further comprising an insert piece that is structured as a separate, individual component from the housing, wherein:
the insert piece is arranged within the at least one air passage at the at least one constriction point and at least partially blocks a flow of air through the at least one air passage; and the reduced cross-section of the at least one air passage is at least partially defined by the insert piece.

15 . The air duct system of claim 13 , wherein the sensor is an air quality sensor.

16 . The air duct system of claim 13 , wherein the sensor is a dust sensor.

17 . An air duct system for conducting air within an HVAC equipment of a motor vehicle, comprising:
a housing of the HVAC equipment; a sensor through which air is flowable; the housing including at least two housing parts each with a connecting surface, the at least two housing parts including (i) a first housing part with a first connecting surface and (ii) a second housing part with a second connecting surface; the first housing part and the second housing part abutting one another and fixedly connected to each other via the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface; an air duct through which air is flowable, the air duct defined by and between the first connecting surface and second connecting surface; the air duct connected to the sensor in an air-conducting manner; wherein the air duct has a constriction point at which a cross-section of the at least one air duct is reduced; and wherein the air duct is one of i) an inflow air duct for conducting an inflow of air to the sensor such that the constriction point is disposed upstream of the sensor and ii) an outflow air duct for conducting an out-flow of air from the sensor such that the constriction point is disposed downstream of the sensor.

18 . The air duct system of claim 17 , further comprising a second air duct, wherein the second air duct is the other one of i) the inflow air duct and ii) the outflow air duct.

19 . The air duct system of claim 18 , wherein the second air duct has a second constriction point at which a cross-section of the second air duct is reduced.

20 . The air duct system of clai

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Klein Florian
• Michael Markus
• Reiter Anja
• Schaudt Jochen
• Schultze Oliver

Classifications

• B60H2001/2246

  obtaining information from a variable, e.g. by means of a sensor · CPC title

• B60H1/00792

  Arrangement of detectors (B60H1/00742, B60H1/0075, B60H1/00785 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/00564 Primary

  of air ducts · CPC title

• B60H1/00021 Primary

  Air flow details of HVAC devices · CPC title