Ventilation – Vehicle – Having inlet airway
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-10
2004-09-21
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Vehicle
Having inlet airway
C251S248000, C251S250500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06793573
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to generally to air conditioning systems for vehicles and vehicles comprising such air conditioning systems. In particular, the present invention is directed towards air conditioning systems and vehicles, in which a sector gear is used to increase the stroke length of an air mixing damper of the air conditioning system, without increasing the size of the air conditioning system.
2. Description of Related Art
Referring to
FIGS. 7-9
, a known air conditioning system
70
for a vehicle (not shown), such as the air conditioning system described in EP1312494A1, includes a casing
71
, and an air duct
72
including a first air path
75
and a second air path
76
formed within casing
71
. Air conditioning system
70
also includes an evaporator
73
and a heater
74
positioned within air duct
72
. Moreover, first air path
75
guides air which passes through evaporator
73
to heater
74
, and a second air path
76
guides air which passes through evaporator
73
around heater
74
. Air conditioning system
70
also includes a flexible, plate-type air mixing damper
77
positioned between evaporator
73
and heater
74
for adjusting the amount of air which flows within first air path
75
and the amount of air which flows within second air path
76
.
Referring to
FIG. 8
, air mixing damper
77
includes a plurality of convex portions
78
a
, and plurality of concave portions
78
b
positioned between adjacent pairs of convex portions
78
a
. Air conditioning system
70
also includes a drive mechanism (not numbered). The drive mechanism includes plurality of first circular gears
79
which engage concave portions
78
b
and convex portions
78
a
. First circular gears
79
are mounted on a shaft
80
, and an end portion
80
a
of shaft
80
projects outside casing
71
. The drive mechanism also includes a second circular gear
81
mounted on end portion
80
a
, and a rack
82
or a third circular gear (not shown) connected to a wire (not shown). Rack
82
or the third circular gear engages second circular gear
81
. Air conditioning system
70
also may include a plurality of damper guides
84
, and air mixing damper
77
moves along damper guides
84
.
Referring to
FIG. 9
, when a driver or a passenger of the vehicle moves a lever (not shown) for adjusting an interior temperature of the vehicle from a first position to a second position, rack
82
moves in a first direction along a base
83
via the wire. When rack
82
moves along base
83
, second circular gear
81
, shaft
80
, and first circular gears
79
rotate, and air mixing damper
77
moves along damper guides
84
. Referring again to
FIG. 8
, when air mixing damper
77
moves along damper guides
84
, air mixing damper
77
adjusts the amount of air which flows within first air path
75
and the amount of air which flows within second air path
76
. Because air mixing damper
77
is a plate-type air mixing damper, and the movement of air mixing damper
77
adjusts the amount of air which flows within first air path
75
and the amount of air which flows within second air path
76
, air conditioning system
70
may be smaller than known air conditioning systems which use a rotary-type air mixing damper. Specifically, when a rotary-type air mixing damper is used, the size of the air duct is selected, such that the rotary-type air mixing damper rotates within the air duct without contacting the casing of the air conditioning system.
In air conditioning
70
, the stroke length of rack
82
depends on the stroke length of the lever, e.g., increasing the stroke length of the lever increases the stroke length of rack
82
, and the stroke length of air mixing damper
77
depends on the stroke length of rack
82
, e.g., increasing the stroke length of rack
82
increases the stroke length of air mixing damper
77
. A control panel of the vehicle includes the lever and a plurality of other components, e.g., a plurality of buttons for controlling a radio, a tape player, and a compact disc player; a plurality of buttons for selecting a mode for dispensing cooled or heated air into the interior of the vehicle; or the like. Consequently, the stroke length of the lever is limited by the size of the control panel and the amount of space occupied by these other components of the control panel. As such, it may be impractical to increase the stroke length of air mixing damper
77
by increasing the stroke length of the lever.
Decreasing the diameter of second circular gear
81
also increases the stroke length of air damper
77
. Nevertheless, decreasing the diameter of second circular gear
81
also increases the amount of force needed to move the lever from the first position to the second position. Referring to
FIG. 9
, increasing a fulcrum distance A between the portions of second circular gear
81
which engage rack
82
and the rotational center of second circular gear
81
decreases the amount of force needed to moved the lever from the first position to the second position. Nevertheless, increasing fulcrum distance A also increases the diameter of second circular gear
81
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, a need has arisen for air conditioning systems which overcome these and other shortcomings of the related art. A technical advantage of the present invention is that the stroke length of the air mixing damper may be increased without increasing the size of the air condition system relative to the size of known air conditioning systems. Specifically, a sector gear is used to increase the stroke length of the air mixing damper.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an air conditioning system for a vehicle comprises a first air path formed within an air duct, and a second air path formed within the air duct. The air conditioning system also comprises an air mixing damper for adjusting a first amount of air, which flows within the first air path, and a second amount of air, which flows within the second air path. The air mixing damper comprises a plurality of convex portions, and a plurality of concave portions, each of which concave portions is positioned between adjacent pairs of the plurality of convex portions. The air conditioning system also comprises a drive mechanism for driving the air mixing damper. The drive mechanism comprises at least one first gear engaging at least a portion of the plurality of convex portions and at least a portion of the plurality of concave portions. The drive mechanism also comprises a shaft coupled operationally to the at least one first gear, and at least one end of the shaft is positioned outside the air duct. Moreover, the drive mechanism comprises a second gear coupled operationally to the at least one end of the shaft, and a sector gear engaged with the second gear. For example, a gear ratio of the second gear to the sector gear may be at least 3:1.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle comprises an air conditioning system. The air conditioning system comprises a first air path formed within an air duct, and a second air path formed within the air duct. The air conditioning system also comprises an air mixing damper for adjusting a first amount of air, which flows within the first air path, and a second amount of air, which flows within the second air path. The air mixing damper comprises a plurality of convex portions, and a plurality of concave portions, each of which concave portions is positioned between adjacent pairs of the plurality of convex portions. The air conditioning system also comprises a drive mechanism for driving the air mixing damper. The drive mechanism comprises at least one first gear engaging at least a portion of the plurality of convex portions and at least a portion of the plurality of concave portions. The drive mechanism also comprises a shaft coupled operationally to the at least one first gear, and at least one end of the shaft is positioned outside the air duct. Moreover, the drive mechanism comprises a second gear couple
Baker & Botts L.L.P.
Joyce Harold
Sanden Corporation
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