CN110799366A

CN110799366A - Air guiding arrangement for air outlet

Info

Publication number: CN110799366A
Application number: CN201880023028.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 戈恩特·克雷默
Original assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Current assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date: 2017-04-03
Filing date: 2018-03-29
Publication date: 2020-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 2038-03-29
Also published as: WO2018187142A1; DE102017107068A1; CN110799366B

Abstract

An air guiding arrangement of an air outlet of a vehicle comprises an air guiding element (10) and an operating element (12), wherein the operating element (12) is movable relative to the air guiding element (10) and has a manually actuatable operating section (24) arranged on a front side of the air guiding element (10). The light source (29) is arranged on the operating element (12) on a rear side of the air guiding element (10), which is opposite to the front side. A light guide (32) is provided, wherein light emitted from the light source (29) is coupled into the light guide (32) and guided to the light exit section of the operating section (24), the light guide (32) being guided around the air-guiding member (10).

Description

Air guiding arrangement for air outlet

Technical Field

The invention relates to an air guiding arrangement of an air outlet of a vehicle, comprising an air guiding element and an operating element, wherein the operating element is movable relative to the air guiding element and has a manually actuatable operating section arranged on a front side of the air guiding element.

Background

Air outlets of the above-mentioned type are used in vehicles and for ventilating the vehicle interior. Thus, the air outlet is connected to the air supply. The air outlet usually has a plurality of air guiding elements, for example air guiding slats, which guide the air flow in a desired direction into the vehicle interior. The at least one air guiding element comprises an operating element by means of which the air guiding element can be pivoted, for example, in order to change the direction of the air flow. The air guide elements coupled to the operating element may be coupled to the further air guide elements so that the further air guide elements pivot synchronously. It is also possible to couple the air guide element provided with the operating element to a further air guide element, wherein the further air guide element can thus likewise be pivoted via the operating element, but for example about a pivot axis which is perpendicular to the pivot axis of the air guide element provided with the operating element.

In particular, it is desirable to remove the operating element for night lighting, search lighting or ambient lighting. This leads to poor non-uniform illumination (hot spots) if, for example, light-emitting diodes are arranged in the region of the air outlet section of the operating element. DE 20118014U 1 proposes making the air guiding element configured as a slat from a light-flooded material and loading the air guiding element via at least one narrow edge with light distributed in the slat body and exiting the defined section. Alternatively or additionally, it is proposed in said document to make the setting or display elements from a plastic which can be flooded with light. For the power supply, a conductive rail or a conductive plastic strip in the strip is proposed, on which the sliding contact slides in the event of a relative movement between the strip and the actuating element. In order to make the light emission uniform, DE 202013105590U 1 proposes to include elongate light guides as air guiding elements in the slats. The light guide extends over at least one length region of the strip and is intended to enable uniform illumination of the light exit face over its entire width and length.

However, the construction of the air guiding element from a light permeable material or from a light guide in part results in incorrect (mis) applied forces not being absorbed at the level typically required by vehicle manufacturers. This applies, in particular, to the deflection of the air guide slats. Furthermore, the durability of this type of system is also problematic. Thus, for example, light-permeable PMMA materials suffer from safety concerns, since light-permeable PMMA materials generally break in a brittle manner and tend to break, which can lead to considerable injury, for example in the event of head impact. Furthermore, the electrical contact formed via the sliding contact proposed in the prior art has an adverse effect on the moving force of the operating element and leads to undesirable noise generation and wear.

Disclosure of Invention

Starting from the described prior art, the invention is based on the following objectives: an air guiding arrangement of the air outlet is provided, wherein the air guiding arrangement achieves a uniform illumination of the operating element while always meeting safety requirements.

The invention achieves the object by the subject matter of claim 1. Advantageous developments can be found in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

The invention achieves the object with the following facts for an air guiding arrangement of the type mentioned at the outset: the light source is arranged on the operating element on a rear side of the air-guiding element, the rear side being opposite to the front side, and a light guide is provided, into which light emitted from the light source is coupled and guided to the light exit section of the operating section, the light guide being guided around the air-guiding element.

The air guiding arrangement according to the invention is provided for an air outlet of a vehicle, such as a passenger car or a truck. Air outlets of this type usually have a housing, for example made of a plastic material. One or more air guide members are movably mounted (e.g., pivotably mounted) on the housing. The air guide element can likewise consist of plastic. At least one of the air guiding elements is provided with an operating element, via which the air guiding element and possibly further air guiding elements coupled thereto can be manually adjusted (e.g. pivotable) in the manner described at the outset in order to guide the air flow into the vehicle interior in a desired manner. The operating element can likewise consist of plastic. In addition to the air guiding element provided with the operating element, the air guiding arrangement according to the invention may have a further air guiding element, wherein the further air guiding element may be specifically coupled to the air guiding element provided with the operating element and need not have any operating element.

The manually actuable operating section of the operating element is arranged on a front side, wherein the front side faces the vehicle interior in the assembled state. The light source is arranged on the operating element on a rear side of the air guiding element, wherein the rear side is opposite to the front side and faces away from the vehicle interior in the assembled state. The light source may comprise, for example, at least one Light Emitting Diode (LED), also in particular a plurality of light emitting diodes. The light emitted by the light source is coupled into a light guide, wherein the light guide guides the light to the light exit section of the operating section. The light guide is guided around the air guiding element. For example, the light guide may be guided along a lower side or an upper side of the air guiding element below or above the air guiding element. Split or one-piece (e.g., horseshoe or semi-circular) light guides are also contemplated, where such light guides have, for example, sections that extend above the air guiding element and sections that extend below the air guiding element. Depending on the geometry of the air guiding element, the light guide may also be rotationally guided around the air guiding element, for example in the case of a rotatable air guiding element. The air guiding element itself (e.g. the air guiding slats) may be impermeable for the light of the light source. Thus, according to the invention, the light guiding section need not be arranged within the air guiding element. The light emitted by the light source and guided by the light guide around the air guiding element exits uniformly from the light exit section and exits without forming hot spots. Weakening of the air guiding element can be reliably avoided by not requiring a light guiding section within the air guiding element. In particular, the requirements relating to a high incorrect use force can also be reliably fulfilled in this way. Furthermore, a plastic material that does not break in a brittle manner or tends to break in the event of a collision can be selected for the air-guiding element. Furthermore, the arrangement of the light source on the rear side of the air guiding element achieves an optimal shielding in order to completely avoid undesirable light leakage. In the case of the solution according to the invention, it is also possible to use a suitable damping element, wherein the damping element causes a pleasant tactile sensation during the movement of the operating element.

According to a refinement, at least one electrical conductor can be arranged in the air guiding element, wherein the electrical conductor is firstly connected to the light source and can be secondly connected to the power supply source. For example, two or more electrical conductors may be provided. The electrical conductor may be comprised of metal. Thus, the electrical conductor may be formed, for example, by a metal insert inserted into the air guiding element. They need not be positioned parallel to each other. The metal insert may be integrated into the air guiding element, for example during a plastic injection molding process. In this regard, electrically conductive plastics are also fundamentally contemplated. Manufacturing using a two-part injection molding process would thus be possible. The electrical conductor may first be connected to an external voltage source via the housing of the air outlet in order to supply the electrical conductor with power. Secondly, the electrical conductor may be connected to the light source in order to supply it with electricity. In particular, for the connection between the electrical conductor and the light source, a plug-in connection can be provided in an easy-to-assemble manner.

According to a further refinement, it can be provided that at least one elastic electrical connection element is provided for the electrical connection between the light source and the at least one electrical conductor, wherein the electrical connection element is fixedly held on one side on the air-guiding element and on the other side on the operating element, and the electrical connection element is elastically deformed in the event of a relative movement between the air-guiding element and the operating element. The at least one electrical transmission element may be at least one resilient conductor strip bent in a U-shaped manner, a first leg thereof being held on a first holder connected to the electrical conductor and a second leg thereof being held on a second holder electrically connected to the light source. The conductor strip is electrically conductive and may be, for example, a metal strip. In each case, the first holder and the second holder are electrically conductive. These holders may for example be metal holders. Here, for example, a clamping mounting of the one or more conductor bars in the holder is possible. In the case of two conductor bars, for example two electrical conductors, there are thus two first holders and two second holders, respectively. The holder may be part of an electrical plug. In this way, the first holder and the second holder may be electrically connected to each other. The first holders may for example be plugged onto the respective electrical conductors. The second holder may, for example, be inserted onto a printed circuit board supporting the light source. The elastic electrical connection element provided in the above-described improvement, in particular the elastic conductor strip, also provides a reliable electrical connection between the parts that can always move relative to each other, even in the case of a relative movement between the operating element and the air-guiding element, without the need for sliding contacts as proposed in the prior art. Thus, the adverse effect of the force on the movement of the operating element can be eliminated. Furthermore, undesirable noise development and/or wear can be avoided. The conductor strip rolls with elastic deformation between the extension faces facing the conductor strip during the movement between the operating element and the air-guiding element and in this way compensates the movement, for example a displacement of the operating element relative to the air-guiding element. For example, the flexible conductor strip may be configured as a spring steel strip, a flexible printed circuit board, a copper strip, or a conductive plastic strip. Carbon fiber strips are also considered if they also exhibit suitable electrical conductivity. The assembly units, which may preferably be formed by elements of a plug comprising a first holder and a second holder, a resilient conductor strip and a light source or a printed circuit board holding the light source, in each case with associated contact elements, may be preassembled in a simple manner and may then be finally assembled in one piece. In this way, an electrical connection is also possible in the case of a knob as operating element, whereby the elastic conductor strip is rolled on a circular track. A combination between a rotational movement and a sliding movement in combination with the electrical connection is also possible. In principle, the above-described improvements can be used in the case of every conceivable relative movement between the operating element and the air guide element, for example even in the case of a cartridge-type air outlet or a spherical-type air outlet, in particular even in a combination of two linear units. Furthermore, more than two electrical conductors may be guided through the air guiding element, for example at least four electrical conductors. In this way, an actuation of the color RGB light emitting diodes as light sources will thus be possible, which will make individually adjustable illumination colors possible. It goes without saying that an embodiment with three electrical conductors (for example if the control electronics of the RGB light-emitting diode are located on a printed circuit board) or an embodiment with five electrical conductors (for example for the actuation of the RGBW light-emitting diode) is also possible.

As an alternative to the above-described improvements, the electrical connection can also be made via a cable which is led out, for example, on the rear side of the operating element and from there is guided outwards through the housing of the air outlet. Thus, no electrical conductors in the air guiding element may be required. For example, the air can be guided out of the housing via a further air guide element arranged behind the air guide element provided with the operating element. In this case, the cable, due to the sufficient length, compensates for the relative movement between the operating element and the air guiding element.

The air guide element may in particular be an air guide slat which is pivotably mounted in the housing of the air outlet. The air guide slats may be pivotable, for example, about a pivot axis which is horizontal in the assembled state. For the pivotable mounting, a pivot pin can be arranged in a manner known per se on a transverse end face of the air guide slat, wherein the pivot pin engages into a corresponding pivot-bearing section of the housing of the air outlet. Thus, it is furthermore possible that the at least one electrical conductor is integrated into at least one pivot pin of the air guide slat for pivotably mounting the air guide slat on the housing of the air outlet. For example, if two electrical conductors are provided, one electrical conductor may be integrated into one of the pivot pins in each case. Via integration into the pivot pin, electrical contact on the housing is thus made. Thus, the pivot-carrying segment receiving the pivot pin has corresponding electrical contacts and is connected to an external power supply.

According to a further refinement, the light exit section of the operating section can be formed by an insertion section of the operating element, wherein the insertion section is transparent to the light from the light source and is inserted into the operating section. The insertion section segments form the outer face of the operating section. The insert section can be composed, for example, of plastic, in particular plastic with a diffuser effect, in order to achieve uniform illumination. Furthermore, the insertion section can additionally be provided partially with a coating, for example a paint or chrome coating, in order to achieve a clear depiction of the illumination area. It is also contemplated to integrate the light transmissive section into the operative section of the operative element during the two-part injection molding process. According to a further alternative refinement, it would also be possible to form the operating section or even the entire operating portion from a material which is transparent to the light emitted by the light source. Thus, a coating (e.g. paint or chrome coating) can be provided again, wherein the coating exposes only the desired light exit section.

According to a further refinement, the operating element can have a housing, wherein the housing is arranged on the air guiding element. For example, the housing may be pushed onto the air guide member. In this way, the operating element is held on the air guiding element. The housing may have an open side so that the housing may be pushed onto the air guide member. In this respect, according to a further refinement, the operating element may comprise a closure part, wherein the closure part is releasably connected to the housing and closes a side of the housing, for example a rear side of the housing, wherein the rear side faces away from the vehicle interior in the assembled state. The closure may be releasably connected to the housing, for example by a latching connection or a press fit or the like. After the housing has been pushed onto the air guide element, a closing part may be connected to the housing in order to close an open side of the housing, wherein the open side is provided for assembly. The insertion section may be arranged in the housing. The light guide may also be arranged in the housing. Furthermore, the light guide can be held on a printed circuit board of the operating element, wherein the printed circuit board is arranged in the housing. The closure may form a holding socket for the printed circuit board. A plug according to the above-described improvement for establishing an electrical connection between the light source and the electrical conductor provided in the air guiding element may also be arranged in the housing. As described above, the component units can be formed by the elements of a plug, which comprises the first and second holders, the elastic conductor strip and the light source or the printed circuit board holding the light source, in each case with the associated contact elements. In a particularly simple manner, the assembly unit can then be inserted in its entirety into the housing. A visually pleasing appearance results from the arrangement of the above-mentioned components within the housing. For assembly purposes, the component may be inserted into the housing, for example from the rear side, using a closing element which is not yet connected to the housing. The light guide can be pushed into the operating element, for example from the rear side, and can be latched there or held in a positively locking manner. The insertion section can be pushed into the operating section, for example from the front side, and can be latched there or held in a positively locking manner, for example by means of suitable pins or the like. After assembly of the components, the housing may be closed by a closure.

However, according to an alternative refinement, it is also possible for the operating element to have a lower housing part and an upper housing part which is releasably connected to the lower housing part, the air-guiding element being arranged between the lower housing part and the upper housing part. The releasable connection can again be made, for example, by a latching connection or a press fit or the like. The insert section can thus be held between the housing lower part and the housing upper part. The light guide may also be held between the lower housing portion and the upper housing portion. The printed circuit board of the operating element, wherein the printed circuit board holds the light source, may likewise be held between the lower housing part and the upper housing part.

The operating element may be a sliding operating element or a rotary operating element. Combinations are also possible.

According to a further refinement, the light source may be surrounded by a shielding element segment, wherein the shielding element allows light to exit substantially only into the light guide. The shielding element may be located on the light guide in a positive locking manner, for example as a separate part.

The invention also relates to an air outlet of a vehicle, in particular a passenger car or truck, comprising a housing in which an air-guiding element provided with an operating element is pivotably mounted, and an air-guiding arrangement according to the invention arranged in the housing. It is also possible to provide a plurality of air guide elements which are pivotably mounted in the housing, whereby at least one air guide element is provided with an illuminated operating element in the manner according to the invention. The air outlet is in particular connected to an air supply. The air then flows out at the front side, the air flow being controlled by means of air guide elements. As mentioned above, a plurality of air guide elements, for example a plurality of air guide slats, can be provided, which are in particular mounted on the housing of the air outlet such that they can be pivoted about parallel axes. Furthermore, a holder (e.g. a fork-shaped holder) may be provided on the operating element on the rear side of the air guiding element, wherein on the holder one or more further air guiding elements are arranged which are arranged behind the front air guiding element. The air guide element (which may, for example, likewise be an air guide slat) may thus, for example, be pivoted about a pivot axis which is perpendicular to the pivot axis of the front air guide element. The pivoting can be produced by a lateral displacement of the operating element. The front air guide element may be pivoted, for example, by an upward and downward inclination of the air guide element. All of which are known per se.

Drawings

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail below using the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows an air guiding arrangement according to the invention in a top perspective view,

figure 2 shows the air guiding arrangement of figure 1 in a partially transparent illustration and without the housing of the operating element,

figure 3 shows a part of the air guiding arrangement shown in figure 1 in a top perspective view,

figure 4 shows a portion of figure 3 in a bottom perspective view,

FIG. 5 shows a further view of a part of the air guide arrangement of FIG. 1 in a perspective, partially transparent rear side view, an

Fig. 6 shows a perspective rear side view of an air guiding arrangement according to the invention according to a further refinement.

Unless otherwise specified, like reference numerals refer to like objects in the drawings.

Detailed Description

The air guiding arrangement shown in fig. 1 comprises an air guiding element 10 (in the example shown, an air guiding slat 10), wherein the air guiding element 10 is mounted in a housing of an air outlet of a vehicle, in particular a passenger car or truck, such that the air guiding element 10 is pivotable about a longitudinal axis via pivot pins 11, 13 arranged on opposite end sides. In the example shown, the operating element 12 which is movable relative to the air guide slat 10 is configured as a manually actuatable sliding operating element 12. The operating element 12 comprises a housing 16 which is open on one side (in the present case, the rear side facing away from the vehicle interior in the assembled state), wherein the housing is arranged on the air guide slat 10. Furthermore, on the rear side facing away from the vehicle interior in the assembled state, the operating element 12 has a fork-shaped holder 20, wherein at least one further air guiding element (not shown in greater detail in fig. 1) can be held on the fork-shaped holder 20, for example, in the same way as the at least one air guiding element. As seen in fig. 1, the operating element 12 can be displaced to the left and to the right relative to the air guiding slats 10, as a result of which the further air guiding elements held in the sockets 22 of the fork-shaped holder 20 are pivoted about an axis perpendicular to the pivot axis of the air guiding elements 10. Furthermore, the operating element 12 can be tilted manually upwards and downwards, as a result of which the air guide slat 10 pivots about a pivot axis formed by the pivot pins 11, 13. For actuating the operating element 12, a manually actuatable operating section 24 is formed on a front side of the operating element 12, wherein the front side faces the vehicle interior in the assembled state. Furthermore, the insertion section 26 is inserted into the operating section 24, wherein the insertion section 26 forms a light exit section of the operating section 24. The insert section 26 is transparent to the light emitted by the light source arranged on the rear side of the operating element 12, and said insert section 26 can have a diffuser effect to achieve a uniform light exit. In this example, the light source is a light emitting diode shown at 29 in fig. 4. The light source 29 is arranged on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) shown for example at 28 in fig. 4, and said light source 29 is held by a closure 30. The closing portion 30 serves to close the open rear side of the housing 16 in the case of the components mounted in the housing 16. The closure 30 may be releasably connected to the housing 16, such as by a latching connection or a press-fit, etc. The light emitted by the light source 29 is coupled or guided into the light guide 32 and thus via the light guide 32 (wherein the light guide is guided around the air guide slat 10 or extends around the air guide slat 10 and is arranged in the housing 16) to the insertion section 26, which is also arranged in the housing 16, and exits the operating element 12 uniformly via said insertion section 26. The light guide 32 is visible, for example, in the illustration of fig. 2, wherein the housing 16 is not shown for illustration purposes. The light guide 32 can also be clearly seen in fig. 3 and 4, wherein the air guide slats 10, the housing 16, the insertion section 26, the fork-shaped holder 20 and the closure 30 are not shown for illustration reasons. In fig. 2, silicone dampers for damping the relative movement between the operating element 12 and the air guide slat 10 are also visible at reference numerals 34, 36. At one end, the light guide 32 has a light-incoupling face 31 for incoupling light emitted by the light source 29 and, at its opposite end, a light-outcoupling face 33 for outcoupling light into the insertion section 26.

In addition, it can be seen in the partly transparent view of fig. 2 that the two

electrical conductors

38, 40 configured as inserts extend along the pivot axis of the air guide slat 10 and through the pivot pins 11, 13. In the assembled state, said

electrical conductors

38, 40 are in contact with corresponding power supply contacts of the housing of the air inlet via the pivot pins 11, 13, which power supply contacts are in turn connected to a power supply.

The electrical connection between the

electrical conductors

38, 40 and the printed circuit board 28 with the light source 29 will now be described in more detail using fig. 3 to 5. In fig. 5, the housing 16, the fork-shaped holder 20, the insertion section 26, the closure 30 and the printed circuit board 28 are not shown for illustration reasons. The air guide strip 10 has a cavity 42 on its rear side, wherein the

electrical conductors

38, 40 project into the cavity 42. The cavity 42 has a web 44, wherein the web 44 supports the cavity and prevents it from collapsing under a flexural load. The plug 46 likewise comprises two

electrical conductors

48, 50, wherein the two

electrical conductors

48, 50 comprise in each case a

first holder

52, 54 as first contact elements. The

first holders

52, 54 are inserted onto the

electrical conductors

38, 40 in the cavities 42 and thus establish an electrically conductive contact, as can be seen in particular in fig. 3 and 5. On the opposite side, the

electrical conductors

48, 50 of the plug 46 comprise in each case a

second holder

56, 58 as second contact element, wherein in each case one

elastic conductor strip

60, 62 is held in a clamping manner on the

second holder

56, 58. The conductor bars 60, 62 may be, for example, metal bars. The plug 46, which comprises the

electrical conductors

48, 50 and the first and

second holders

52, 54, 56, 58, may be configured in one piece and may likewise consist of metal, for example. The conductor bars 60, 62 are in each case bent in a U-shaped manner, in each case the first leg being held on the

second holders

56 and 58, respectively. The second leg of the metal strips 60, 62 bent in a U-shaped manner is held in a clamping manner in each case on a

third holder

64, 66 as a third contact element, wherein the

third holders

64, 66 are fastened on the printed circuit board 28. If the operating element 12 is displaced laterally on the air guide element 10 in order to set the air flow direction, this results in a corresponding relative movement between the operating element 12 and the air guide element 10. The conductor bars 60, 62 serve to electrically bridge the relative movement. Thus, during relative movement, the conductor bars 60, 62 roll under elastic deformation between the associated extended faces. In the example shown, a shielding element 68 (visible in fig. 4) is arranged on the printed circuit board 28 in order to shield light emitted by the light source 29, wherein the shielding element 68 simultaneously forms a first extension face of the conductor bars 60, 62. On the opposite side, the conductor bars 60, 62 are rolled on the respective extension faces, wherein the respective extension faces are formed, for example, by the faces of the plug 46 or by the air guide slat 10 itself. The shielding element 68 shields light not coupled into the light guide 32 that leaks from the light source 29 and forms the scroll faces of the conductor strips 60, 62 as described above.

The assembly unit may preferably be formed by elements of the plug 46, wherein the plug 46 has its

electrical conductors

48, 50, conductor bars 60, 62 and printed circuit board 28 with associated

holders

52, 54, 56, 58, 6466.

In a further embodiment, the

electrical conductors

48, 50, the

first holders

52, 54, the

second holders

56, 58, the conductor strips 60, 62, the

third holders

64, 66 and the conductor tracks of the printed circuit board and thus the contacts of the light source 29 are connected to one another, for example integrally, so that a current feed is produced for each pole. Thus, using a plate of conductor bars and adding a corresponding geometry, this achieves the contacting of the

electrical conductors

48, 50 in the air guiding strip, the integration of the conductor bars 60, 62 and finally also the contacting of the light source 29. Thus, for example, the integral component is overmolded with the closing portion 30 of the operating portion 12 and forms an easily assembled component together with the closing portion 30.

Fig. 6 shows a further exemplary embodiment of an air guiding arrangement according to the present invention, wherein the further exemplary embodiment largely corresponds to the air guiding arrangement shown in fig. 1 to 5. The exemplary embodiment of fig. 6 differs only in the power supply of the light source 29 arranged on the printed circuit board 28. Thus, in the case of the exemplary embodiment of fig. 6, instead of the

electrical conductors

38, 40 being guided through the air guiding element 10, a cable supply is provided via a cable, one of which is visible at 70 in fig. 6. The cable 70 is guided along a further air guiding element 10', wherein the further air guiding element 10' is held in the fork-shaped holder 20 and can be pivoted perpendicular to the pivot axis of the air guiding element 10 along the pivot axis defined by the two pivot pins 11 'and 13' by a lateral displacement of the operating element 12 on the air guiding element 10. In the case of this exemplary embodiment, the electrical conductor is not provided in the air guiding element 10. In practice, the cable 70 is guided from the printed circuit board 28 outwards through a suitable hole in the closure 30, and then from the closure 30 over the fork-shaped holder 20 as far as the air guiding element 10' (which is likewise configured as an air guiding strip) and from there out of the housing as far as the power supply, as can be seen for the cable 70 in fig. 6. In this case, the cable 70, due to the sufficient length, compensates for the relative movement between the operating element 12 and the air guiding element 10.

List of reference numerals

10. 10' air guide member 68 shield member

11. 11', 13' pivot pin 70 cable

12 operating element

16 casing

20 fork-shaped holder

22 socket

24 operating section

26 insertion section

28 printed circuit board

29 light source

30 closure part

31 light-to-incoupling surface

32 light guide

33 light out-coupling surface

34. 36 silicon resin damper

38. 40 electric conductor

42 cavity

44 Web Material

46 plug

48. 50 electric conductor

52. 54 first holder

56. 58 second holder

60. 62 conductor strip

64. 66 third holder

Claims

1. An air guiding arrangement of an air outlet of a vehicle, comprising an air guiding element (10) and an operating element (12), wherein the operating element (12) is movable relative to the air guiding element (10) and has a manually actuatable operating section (24) arranged on a front side of the air guiding element (10), characterized in that a light source (29) is arranged on the operating element (12) on a rear side of the air guiding element (10), which rear side is opposite to the front side, and in that a light guide (32) is provided, wherein light emitted from the light source (29) is coupled into the light guide (32) and is guided to a light exit section of the operating section (24), which light guide (32) is guided around the air guiding element (10).

2. Air guiding arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one electrical conductor (38, 40) is arranged in the air guiding element (10), wherein the electrical conductor (38, 40) is firstly connected to the light source (29) and secondly connectable to an electrical power supply.

3. The air guiding arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one elastic electrical connection element is provided for the electrical connection between the light source (29) and the at least one electrical conductor (38, 40), wherein the electrical connection element is fixedly held on one side on the air guiding element (10) and on the other side on the operating element (12), and the electrical connection element is elastically deformed in case of a relative movement between the air guiding element (10) and the operating element (12).

4. Air guiding arrangement according to claim 3, characterized in that the at least one electrical connection element is at least one resilient conductor strip (60, 62) bent in a U-shaped manner, a first leg of which is held on a first holder (52, 54) connected to the electrical conductor (38, 40) and a second leg of which is held on a second holder (56, 58) electrically connected to the light source.

5. The air guiding arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air guiding element (10) is an air guiding slat (10) pivotably mounted in a housing of an air outlet.

6. The air guiding arrangement according to claim 5 and according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the at least one electrical conductor (38, 40) is integrated into at least one pivot pin (11, 13) of the air guiding slat (10) for pivotably mounting the air guiding slat (10) on the housing of the air outlet.

7. The air guiding arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the light exit section of the operating section (24) is formed by an insertion section (26) of the operating element (12), wherein the insertion section (26) is light-transmissive for light from the light source and is inserted into the operating section (24).

8. The air guiding arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating element (12) has a housing (16), the housing (16) being arranged on the air guiding element (10).

9. The air guiding arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that the operating element (12) comprises a closing part (30), which closing part (30) is releasably connected to the housing (16) and closes one side of the housing.

10. The air guiding arrangement according to claim 7 and according to any one of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the insertion section (26) is arranged in the housing (16).

11. The air guiding arrangement according to any of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the light guide (32) is arranged in the housing (16).

12. The air guiding arrangement according to any of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that the light source (29) is held on a printed circuit board (28) arranged in the housing (16).

13. The air guiding arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating element (12) is a sliding operating element (12) or a rotating operating element.

14. The air guiding arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the light source (29) is surrounded in sections by a shielding element (68), the shielding element (68) allowing light to exit substantially only into the light guide (32).

15. An air outlet of a vehicle comprising a housing and an air guiding arrangement according to any preceding claim arranged in the housing.