Ventilation – Vehicle – Having inlet airway
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-28
2001-07-03
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3404)
Ventilation
Vehicle
Having inlet airway
C137S601070, C454S336000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254475
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the control of air flows, and more particularly, but without limitation, to the field of air conditioning installations for motor vehicles.
More precisely, the invention relates to multi-vane registers whereby the flow rate of a stream of air can be varied as a function of the position of the vanes of the register.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to provide such registers having a plurality of vanes (blades, slats, flaps) which are synchronised under a common control, in the manner described for example in international patent specification No. W
0
96116827. These pivoting vanes are usually articulated about their central axis of symmetry, and are therefore driven simultaneously, all in the same direction, by a suitable drive mechanism such as a crank.
The use of a register of this kind makes it necessary to introduce a lateral component into the air flow, which is thereby offset upwardly or downwardly with respect to the structure which carries the vanes. With this arrangement it is only when the register is fully open that the air flow is properly homogeneous. Thus, in all intermediate positions between the fully closed and fully open positions of the register, there is a tendency towards poor mixing of the air, for example at the surface of a heat exchanger or in a mixing chamber, both of which are situated downstream of the multi-vane register.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the preferred embodiment includes a register structure having multiple vanes which overcomes the above drawbacks, by giving, for all intermediate positions of the register, a downstream air flow which has substantially no lateral component, and which is therefore much more efficient as regards the design of the air conditioning system.
A register according to the preferred embodiment is a multi-vane register comprising a frame which carries a plurality of pivoting vanes mounted for rotation about mutually parallel axes, this rotation being controlled by any suitable common drive mechanism in such a way as to cause the positions of the vanes to be varied, between a position of maximum air flow in which the vanes have a minimum inclination with respect to the direction of the stream of air passing through the register, and a no-flow position, or minimum position, in which the vanes have a maximum inclination with respect to the direction.
According to the preferred embodiment, in such a register, the drive mechanism controls pivoting of the vanes of the register in such a way that all the vanes pivot through the same angle, but with each vane pivoting in the opposite direction of rotation from the next.
An even number of vanes is preferred.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the frame carries a plurality of elongate intermediate baffles or spacers, which extend lengthwise parallel to the axis of the vanes, the width of each baffle extending in the direction of the stream of air, the thickness and position of the intermediate baffles being so chosen that the free edges of the vanes, in the no-flow position, come into contact with the wall of the adjacent intermediate baffle. In that case, preferably, the intermediate baffles carry, in the region of contact with the adjacent vane, a deformable sealing and engagement element, which is preferably a sealing element moulded on the intermediate baffle.
In another embodiment of the invention, the respective free edges of adjacent vanes are arranged to make contact with each other in the no-flow position. In that case, preferably, the free edges of each vane carries a deformable sealing and engagement element in the region of contact with the adjacent vane. Preferably, such a sealing element is formed by moulding it on the body of the vane. The sealing element preferably has a rounded, bead-shaped, thickened portion at its free edge.
According to a preferred feature of the invention, the entry side, or the exit side, or both, of each vane is provided with roughening means such as to reduce aerodynamic noise and adapted to modify the flow of the stream of air locally by causing attachment of the boundary layer.
Further features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on a reading of the following description of some preferred embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1872599 (1932-08-01), Grand
patent: 3547152 (1970-12-01), Hess
patent: 3771559 (1973-11-01), Alley
patent: 3967779 (1976-07-01), Logsdon
patent: 4610197 (1986-09-01), Van Becelaere
patent: 5454757 (1995-10-01), Wirfel
patent: 24 31 065 (1976-01-01), None
patent: 36 02 120 (1987-08-01), None
patent: 1 296 921 (1972-11-01), None
patent: 55-121344 (1980-09-01), None
patent: 1-189455 (1989-07-01), None
patent: 4-116337 (1992-04-01), None
patent: 96/16827 (1996-06-01), None
Danieau Jacques
El Mayas Jihad
Joyce Harold
Morgan & Finnegan , LLP
Valeo Climatisation
LandOfFree
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