Ventilation controlling apparatus and method for controlling ventilation in motor vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9566844-B2
Application number	US-29970307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2007
Priority date	May 9, 2006
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A ventilation controlling apparatus for feeding windshield defrost outlets and side window demist outlets in motor vehicles with one or more air passages and respective doors for each outlet. The apparatus supports a mode in which the demist door opens up to a predefined angle without the defrost door opening, too, with the predefined angle depending on the design of a cam attached to the demist door and a pin engaged with that cam and attached to the defrost door.

First claim

We claim:

1. A ventilation controlling apparatus, comprising:
a casing for forming a sealable first air passage, an additional sealable first air passage, and at least one sealable second air passage, said first air passage and said second air passage being separated from each other by a first partition wall, and said additional first air passage and said second air passage being separated from each other by a second partition wall;
a first door attached to a rotatable first shaft and arranged so as to be movable between a door stop position in which said first air passage is closed and at least one door open position;
an additional first door attached to said rotatable first shaft and arranged so as to be movable between a door stop position in which said additional first air passage is closed and at least one door open position;
a second door attached to a rotatable second shaft and arranged so as to be movable between a door stop position in which said second air passage is closed and at least one door open position, the second door disposed between said first door and said additional first door in a central region of said casing;
a drive element attached to said first shaft; and
a mechanical link comprising a cam and a pin engaged in said cam, said mechanical link configured to cause an angle of said second shaft to be a function of an angle of said first shaft such that said second door remains in its respective door stop position as long as said first door and said additional first door have an angle ranging from their respective door stop positions to a predefined aperture angle, and such that said second door opens when said first door and said additional first door have an angle exceeding said predefined aperture angle,
wherein said first door and said additional first door have a same angle and a same door stop position,
wherein said first door and said additional first door exceed said predefined aperture angle, said first door, said additional first door, and said second door move dependently of each other, and
wherein said predefined aperture angle equals 18°.

2. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said drive element comprises a gear.

3. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said cam is attached to said first shaft such that a surface of said cam contacts said first shaft.

4. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said cam is attached to said drive element such that a surface of said cam contacts said drive element.

5. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said cam is attached to one of said first door and said additional first door such that a surface of said cam contacts the one of said first door and said additional first door.

6. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said pin is attached to said second door such that a surface of said pin contacts said second door.

7. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said mechanical link additionally comprises a lever attached to said second shaft, and said pin is attached to said lever such that a surface of said pin contacts said lever.

8. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first shaft is at least partially hollow and said second shaft is at least partially arranged coaxially inside of said first shaft and the mechanical link comprises a torsion spring engaged with said first shaft and said second shaft.

9. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said second shaft is at least partially hollow and said first shaft is at least partially arranged coaxially inside of said second shaft and the mechanical link comprises a torsion spring engaged with said first shaft and said second shaft.

10. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said second shaft is arranged parallel to said first shaft.

11. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an additional second air passage; and
an additional second door attached to said rotatable second shaft and arranged so as to be movable between a door stop position in which said additional second air passage is closed and at least one door open position, said additional second door disposed between said second door and one of said first door and said additional first door.

12. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein said second air passage and said additional second air passage are arranged adjacently to each other in said central region of said casing,
wherein said first air passage is arranged adjacently to one of said second air passage and said additional second air passage and further arranged adjacently to a first outboard wall of said casing, and
wherein said additional first air passage is arranged adjacently to the other of said second air passage and said additional second air passage and further arranged adjacently to a second outboard wall of said casing.

13. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first shaft has bearings at least in two outboard walls of said casing, and said second shaft has a bearing at least in one of said first partition wall located between said first air passage and said second air passage and said second partition wall located between said additional first air passage and said second air passage.

14. A motor vehicle comprising a ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first air passage and said additional first air passage are connected to provide at least one side window demist air outlet with an air flow and said second air passage is connected to provide at least one defrost windshield outlet with an air flow.

15. A method for controlling ventilation with a ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising:
turning said drive element to set an angle of said first door and said additional first door;
by using said mechanical link, determining an angle of said second door as a function of the angle of said first door and said additional first door, such that said second door is caused to be in its respective door stop position as long as said first door and said additional first door have the angle ranging from their respective door stop positions to said predefined aperture angle; and
opening said second door when said first door and said additional first door have the angle exceeding said predefined aperture angle,
wherein the pin engages in said cam such that opening said second door occurs when said first door and said additional first door have the angle exceeding said predefined aperture angle.

16. The method according to claim 15 applied in a motor vehicle,
wherein an air flow from said first air passage and said additional first air passage feeds at least one side window demist outlet, the airflow from said second air passage feeds at least one defrost outlet, and an angle of said drive element and thus said first door and said additional first door is controlled by a ventilation mode selected by a motor vehicle operator so that said first door and said additional first door are turned to said predefined angle when a bi-level mode is selected.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein said first door and said additional first door are in their door stop positions when a vent mode is selected.

18. The ventilation controlling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said second sha

Assignees

• Lange Michael
• Schlinke Gunnar
• Rappel Thomas
• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Lange Michael
• Schlinke Gunnar
• Rappel Thomas

Classifications

• B60H1/00857 Primary

  characterised by the means connecting the initiating means, e.g. control lever, to the damper door · CPC title

• B60H2001/00707

  Details of pivots of damper doors · CPC title

• B60H1/00671

  Damper doors moved by rotation; Grilles · CPC title