Air vent apparatus for vehicle and vehicle equipped with the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023249517-A1
Application number	US-202318099440-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2023
Priority date	Feb 7, 2022
Publication date	Aug 10, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air vent apparatus for a vehicle and a vehicle provided with the air vent apparatus includes: a controller mounted on a vehicle body; a mounting base mounted on the vehicle body and including a discharge port formed at a rear end portion of the mounting base; an air guide assembly mounted adjacent to the discharge port of the mounting base; and a drive assembly electrically connected to the controller and configured to drive the air guide assembly engaged to the drive assembly to rotate to a first position, a second position, or a third position under a control of the controller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An air vent apparatus for a vehicle, the air vent apparatus comprising:
a controller mounted on a vehicle body; a mounting base mounted on the vehicle body and including a discharge port formed at a rear end portion of the mounting base; an air guide assembly mounted adjacent to the discharge port of the mounting base; and a drive assembly electrically connected to the controller and configured to drive the air guide assembly engaged to the drive assembly to rotate to a first position, a second position, or a third position under a control of the controller, wherein, in the first position, the air guide assembly is controlled to guide wind of an air conditioner from the discharge port of the mounting base to a driver's seat of the vehicle, in the second position, the air guide assembly is controlled to guide the wind of the air conditioner from the discharge port of the mounting base to a rear seat of the vehicle, and in the third position, the air guide assembly is controlled to guide the wind of the air conditioner from the discharge port of the mounting base to a passenger seat of the vehicle.

2 . The air vent apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the drive assembly is controlled to drive the air guide assembly to rotate to a fourth position under the control of the controller, and wherein, in the fourth position, the air guide assembly blocks the wind of the air conditioner from being discharged from the discharge port of the mounting base to an outside thereof.

3 . The air vent apparatus of claim 1 , further including an air guide shell,
wherein the air guide shell is provided with a mounting chamber and first and second air guide chambers, and the first and second air guide chambers are located on left and right sides of the mounting chamber, respectively.

4 . The air vent apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly includes:
a driving member including an output shaft; a gear shaft including an upper end portion connected to the output shaft of the driving member; a first swing arm including a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein a first protruding shaft extending in an upward direction is mounted on an upper surface of the first end portion and is connected to a lower end portion of the gear shaft, and the first swing arm is rotatable about the first protruding shaft by driving of the gear shaft; a second swing arm including a second protruding shaft connected upwardly in a center portion of the second swing arm, wherein the second protruding shaft is connected to the second end portion of the first swing arm, and the second swing arm is rotatably about the first protruding shaft by driving of the first swing arm; and two third swing arms, each including a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein a third protruding shaft extending in the upward direction is mounted on an upper surface of each first end portion, each second end portion of each third swing arm is connected to a corresponding end portion of the second swing arm, and each third protruding shaft is connected to a lower end portion of a corresponding air guide assembly to drive the corresponding air guide assembly to rotate.

5 . The air vent apparatus of claim 4 ,
wherein the second swing arm includes a first connection portion and a second connection portion connected to the first connection portion, and wherein a longitudinal axis of the first connection portion and a longitudinal axis of the second connection portion are positioned with an obtuse angle therebetween.

6 . The air vent apparatus of claim 5 , wherein a length of the first connection portion is greater than a length of the second connection portion, so that the two third swing arms are driven to rotate corresponding air guide assemblies at a same angle, respectively.

7 . The air vent apparatus of claim 6 , wherein each second end portion of each third swing arm is rotatably connected to a distal end of the first connection portion and a distal end of the second connection portion.

8 . The air vent apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the second protruding shaft of the second swing arm is formed on a junction portion of the first connection portion and the second connection portion.

9 . The air vent apparatus of claim 4 ,
wherein the air guide assemblies are set into two groups, and wherein each group includes:
a lower fixed rod and an upper fixed rod;
a plurality of guide plates pivotably connected to the lower fixed rod and the upper fixed rod; and
a guide plate connecting rod connected to the plurality of guide plates to synchronously rotate the plurality of guide plates, and
wherein the third protruding shaft of each third swing arm is connected to one guide plate of the plurality of guide plates in each group to drive the one guide plate to rotate, and the one guide plate drives remaining guide plates in each group to be synchronously rotated through the guide plate connecting rod.

10 . The air vent apparatus of claim 4 , further including an air guide shell,
wherein a position limiting boss and a position limiting boss are disposed on the air guide shell to limit rotation angles of the first swing arm and the second swing arm.

11 . The air vent apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly drives the air guide assembly to be fixed in one of the first position, the second position, and the third position under the control of the controller.

12 . The air vent apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly drives the air guide assembly to cyclically swing among the first position, the second position, and the third position under the control of the controller.

13 . The air vent apparatus of claim 1 , further including an input module,
wherein the input module is electrically connected to the controller, and is configured to receive manipulation information of a user and to transmit the manipulation information to the controller.

14 . The air vent apparatus of claim 1 , further including a display module,
wherein the display module is electrically connected to the controller and displays a position of the air guide assembly.

15 . A vehicle provided with the air vent apparatus of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Corp

Inventors

• Li Ming Zhe
• Zhang miao miao
• Bae Won Young
• Sang Chun Lei

Classifications

• Y02T10/88

  Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses · CPC title

• B60H1/3421 Primary

  using only pivoting shutters · CPC title

• B60H1/0065

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

• B60H1/00985

  Control systems or circuits characterised by display or indicating devices, e.g. voice simulators (characterised by the input of sound using a voice synthesizer B60H1/00757; B60H1/00978 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H2001/3471

  Details of actuators · CPC title