Vehicle door closure cabin pressure relief system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656534-B2
Application number	US-201313803592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

An active pressure relief system for a vehicle cabin in response to a cabin-door closure. An air-extractor may be configured to open when a cabin-door is opened, and remain open until the last of a number of cabin-doors are closed. The air-extractor allows for the increased pressure resulting from the cabin-door closure to be equalized with the external environment through the air-extractor. After the last of a number of cabin-doors are closed, the air-extractor closes to inhibit noise and external elements from entering the cabin through the air-extractor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle cabin pressure-relief system comprising:
an air-extractor, including a louver and gear to rotate the louver, and an actuator mechanically linked to the louver via a pinion gear and belt, fluidly connected to a cabin;
a spring to bias the air-extractor;
a position sensor for a door; and
a controller in communication with the position sensor and programmed to open the air-extractor, via the actuator, when the door is in a non-closed position.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an actuator connected to and capable of opening the air-extractor, wherein the controller is programmed to actuate the actuator to open the air-extractor based upon the door being in the non-closed position.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the controller actuates the actuator to overcome a spring force to open the air-extractor, and the spring force returns the air-extractor to a closed position when the actuator is no longer actuated by the controller.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising an actuator connected to and capable of closing the air-extractor, wherein the controller is programmed to actuate the actuator to close the air-extractor based upon the door being in the closed position.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the cabin has a number of doors and each door has an air-extractor.

6. A vehicle cabin pressure relief system comprising:
a valve, including a louver and gear to rotate the louver, and an actuator mechanically linked to the louver via a pinion gear and belt to drive the gear, fluidly connected to a cabin, biased to a closed position by a spring; and
a controller programmed to maintain the valve in an open position, via the actuator, based on a door being open such that an increase in air pressure within the cabin caused by a closure of the door is equalized with an external environment through the valve.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising a number of doors and the controller maintains the valve in an open position when any one of the number of doors remains open.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the controller is further programmed to close the valve based upon a last of the number of doors being closed.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the valve is closed by a spring.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the valve is closed by an actuator.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the valve allows an air pressure differential between the cabin and the external environment through the valve when the valve is in a closed position.

12. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller obtains an indication of the door being open from an internal communications network.

13. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller is a door control module.

14. The system of claim 6 wherein the spring is a torsion spring, the controller energizes a motor to overcome a force of the torsion spring to open the valve, the motor remains energized by the controller to maintain the valve open, and the torsion spring overcomes a friction of the motor when the motor is no longer energized to close the valve.

15. A method of controlling pressure increase in a vehicle cabin caused by a closure of a cabin-door comprising:
biasing a cabin-valve including a louver and gear to rotate the louver, and an actuator mechanically linked to the louver via a pinion gear and belt to drive the gear that fluidly connects the vehicle cabin to an external environment to a closed position using a spring;
opening, via the gear, a cabin-valve in response to an opening of a cabin-door;
maintaining the cabin-valve, via the actuator, in an open position while a cabin-door is open allowing increased cabin pressure caused by a cabin-door closure to pass through the cabin-valve; and
allowing, via the spring, the cabin-valve to close in response to a closing of a cabin-door.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the vehicle cabin has a number of cabin-doors, and the method further comprising maintaining the cabin-valve in an open position in response to any of the number of cabin-doors being open, and closing the cabin-valve in response to a last of the number of cabin-doors being closed.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising closing the cabin-valve and inhibiting exterior elements and noise from an exterior of the cabin from entering the cabin through the cabin-valve.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Wade David Arthur
• Elia Paul
• Marleau James Antime
• Repp Paul
• Newton Richard E

Classifications

• B60H1/00735

  Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models · CPC title

• B60H1/00828 Primary

  Ventilators, e.g. speed control (B60H1/00864 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/248

  Air-extractors, air-evacuation from the vehicle interior · CPC title