JP2007055427A - Air conditioning register - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioning register capable of suppressing air leakage without using seal members when fins are closed. <P>SOLUTION: On the inner surface of a retainer 1, ribs 11 extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of fins are formed so as to come into contact therewith when an air passage is blocked and seal sections 13 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the fins by the fins 30' and the ribs 11 when an air passage is blocked. Recessed grooves 12 are formed in the seal sections 13 so as to act as weirs. Thus, air leakage can effectively suppressed without using the seal members. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement in the structure of an air-conditioning register that is provided in an automobile interior and that constitutes an opening for blowing out hot air or cold air.

  An instrument panel or the like of an automobile is provided with a register as an opening that blows hot and cold air from an air conditioner. This register has a cylindrical retainer that forms an air flow path and a blow-off opening, a plurality of parallel horizontal fins and vertical fins that are swingably disposed in the retainer, and a horizontal fin or vertical fin such as a knob. It consists of variable means that varies the blowing direction by moving it and changing the angle with respect to the retainer. Generally, the blowing direction can be adjusted by manually driving the variable means and adjusting the angle of the horizontal fin or vertical fin. ing.

  For example, one end of each horizontal fin is pivotally supported by the side plate of the retainer, and the other end is pivotally supported by the connecting rod so as to be parallel to each other. The connecting rod is connected to the link mechanism, and the link mechanism drives the connecting rod so that all horizontal fins swing in synchronization.

  By the way, a plurality of automobile registers are generally arranged in the vehicle interior for the purpose of quickly air-conditioning the interior of the vehicle and improving the comfort by sending air evenly to passengers in each seat. However, there are many cases in which it is necessary to individually control the blowing / stopping from each register according to a small number of passengers or individual differences in comfort.

  Therefore, in the conventional register, an air damper is provided in the retainer, and an occupant can manually open and close the air flow path in the retainer by driving the air damper.

  The air damper is configured by, for example, a plate-shaped damper body having a ring-shaped sealing material at a peripheral portion thereof pivotally supported in a retainer. When the occupant operates the operation knob, the damper main body opens and closes the inside of the retainer by the link mechanism, and it is possible to switch between blowing and stopping. However, this air damper has a large number of parts such as a damper main body, a sealing material, an operation knob, a link mechanism, and a large number of assembly steps, which causes an increase in the cost of the register.

  Therefore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-180140 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-198646 discloses a fin-shut structure register that closes the retainer opening by swinging a plurality of fins so that the surfaces thereof are substantially flush with each other. It is disclosed. By adopting such a fin-shut structure, the number of operation knobs can be reduced, and an air damper is not required, so that the cost can be greatly reduced. Moreover, a stop state can be visually recognized with a fin shut, and the design property in the state is also excellent.

  In a fin-shut structure register, air leakage from between the fins is restricted by overlapping of the fins, and air from between the retainer and the fins is brought into contact with the rib provided on the inner wall of the retainer and the outermost fin. Regulating leakage. However, since both the fin and the retainer are made of resin, a gap may be formed between the fins or between the rib and the fin due to distortion during molding, and there is a problem that air leakage during fin shutting is large. The speed of the wind flowing through the air flow path is larger at the center of the shaft and smaller at the periphery. Air collects in the air and air leakage from between the ribs and fins is particularly problematic.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-280683 describes that a seal member is disposed between a rear fin and an inner peripheral surface of a retainer in a register having a fin-shut structure with a rear fin. By providing the soft seal member, the sealing performance between the fins and between the fin and the rib is enhanced, and by providing the sealing member on the rear fin, it is prevented from being visually recognized from the blowout opening and the design property is prevented from being impaired. However, disposing a soft seal member has a problem that the number of parts increases and the cost increases as the number of steps increases.
JP-A-11-180140 JP-A-11-198646 JP2001-280683

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and makes it the subject which should be solved to suppress an air leak, without using a sealing member.

The air-conditioning register of the present invention that solves the above problems is characterized by a cylindrical retainer that forms a blowout opening and an air flow path, and a swingable arrangement within the retainer that swings while maintaining a parallel state. A plurality of fins, and variable means for changing the blowing direction by changing the angle with respect to the retainer by swinging the fins, and the surfaces of the plurality of fins are substantially flush when swung to a predetermined position. An air-conditioning register configured to close the air flow path,
The inner wall surface of the retainer has a rib that extends in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the fin and contacts the fin when the air flow path is closed, and a seal portion along the longitudinal direction of the fin between the fin and the rib when the air flow path is closed. It is formed and a groove is formed on at least one surface of the rib and the fin in the seal portion.

  In the register of the present invention, when the air flow path is closed, the fin and the rib form a seal portion along the longitudinal direction of the fin, and at least one surface of the rib and the fin in the seal portion has a continuous groove in the longitudinal direction. Is formed. That is, the fin and the rib are in contact with both sides of the concave groove, and a double seal structure is formed in the wind flow direction. Therefore, it is considered that the wind that has first passed through the first seal portion is unlikely to pass through the second seal portion because the wind once enters into the large-groove groove and the pressure decreases. If the sealing force of the second seal portion is equal to that of the first seal portion, the first pressure is not reached until the pressure of the air in the concave groove is the same as the wind pressure before passing through the first seal portion. It is thought that it passes through the second seal portion. Furthermore, if the sealing force of the second seal portion is stronger than that of the first seal portion, it is difficult to pass through the second seal portion even if the air flow has passed through the first seal portion. It is also conceivable that turbulent flow is generated due to the presence of the concave groove and it is difficult to pass through the second seal portion.

  Therefore, according to the air-conditioning register of the present invention, air leakage can be suppressed without using a sealing member due to the above-described weir effect of the recessed groove, and the increase in the number of parts can be suppressed, thereby reducing the cost. .

  The fin group composed of a plurality of fins may be swingable only in one direction, but the concave groove may be visually recognized from outside when the fin is not shut. Therefore, it is desirable that the front fin group provided in the vicinity of the blowout opening and the rear fin group disposed behind the front fin group are formed, and the seal portion is constituted by the outermost fins and ribs of the rear fin group. By comprising in this way, it is hidden in a front fin group and a ditch | groove becomes difficult to visually recognize, and the design property improves.

  The concave groove may be formed in a part of the seal portion, but is preferably continuous in the longitudinal direction of the seal portion. By comprising in this way, an air leak can further be suppressed. In addition, it is not preferable to form the concave groove beyond the seal portion because air leaks from the concave groove that appears.

  The concave groove may be formed on the rib surface, may be formed on the fin surface, or may be formed on both the rib and the fin. However, since fins are often thin in order to reduce the airflow resistance, it is desirable to form at least ribs. Thereby, the depth of a ditch | groove can fully be ensured and the weir effect of a ditch | groove can be expressed reliably.

  As for a fin or a rib, it is desirable to have a convex part which enters in a concave groove. If it does in this way, in addition to the effect of the above-mentioned ditch | groove, an air leak can be further suppressed by the labyrinth effect which makes a flow path of a wind complicated.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an air-conditioning register provided in an instrument panel of an automobile.

Example 1
1 to 4 show an air conditioning register according to this embodiment. This air-conditioning register includes a rectangular tubular retainer 1 fixed to the vehicle body, a plurality of horizontal fin groups 2 held swingably in the vicinity of the blowing opening 10 of the retainer 1, and a rear side of the horizontal fin group 2. A plurality of vertical fin groups 3 held in a swingable manner in the retainer 1, and a bezel 4 constituting a design is fixed to a blowing opening 10 of the retainer 1.

  The plurality of horizontal fin groups 2 includes a plurality of fins arranged in parallel to each other, each fin having a long plate-like horizontal fin body 20, a first shaft portion 21 protruding from one end of the horizontal fin body 20, And a second shaft portion 22 protruding from the other end. The first shaft portion 21 is pivotally supported on the right side wall of the retainer 1. The second shaft portion 22 is rotatably held in a groove 11 formed on the left side wall of the retainer 1, and a connecting member 23 is fixed to the second shaft portion 22 protruding from the groove 11. The connecting members 23 are pivotally supported by thin plate-like connecting rods 24, and the horizontal fin bodies 20 can swing up and down in synchronization with each other. The horizontal fin body 20 located at the center engages with a knob 25 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, and the horizontal fin body 20 located at the center is swayed up and down by pinching the knob 25 so that each horizontal fin body 20 20 swings up and down in synchronization with each other.

  The plurality of vertical fin groups 3 includes a plurality of fins arranged in parallel to each other, and each fin includes a long plate-shaped vertical fin body 30. A second shaft portion 31 protrudes from both ends of the vertical fin body 30 and is pivotally supported on the upper and lower walls of the retainer 1. The second shaft portion 31 protruding upward penetrates the upper wall of the retainer 1 and is fixed to one end of the connecting member 32 on the upper side of the retainer 1. The plurality of connecting members 32 are pivotally supported by the connecting rod 33, respectively. Further, the knob 25 is engaged with the vertical fin body 30 located at the center, and the vertical fin bodies 30 are motivated by each other and can swing left and right by moving the knob 25 left and right.

  Therefore, when the horizontal fin body 20 is swung up and down with the knob 25, all the horizontal fin bodies 20 are swung up and down synchronously by the connecting rod 24, so the direction of the air flow blown out from the blowing opening 10 Can be adjusted freely in the vertical direction. When the knob 25 is moved in the horizontal direction, the vertical fin body 30 with which the knob 25 is engaged swings in the left-right direction, and all the vertical fin bodies 30 swing in the left-right direction in synchronization with the connecting rod 33. To do. Thereby, the direction of the airflow blown out from the blowout opening 10 can be freely adjusted in the left-right direction.

  Ribs 11 extending in parallel with the vertical fin body 30 of the vertical fin group 3 are formed on the left and right inner wall surfaces of the retainer 1, and the vertical fin bodies at the left and right ends of the vertical fin group 3 when the knob 25 is rotated to the leftmost side. The surface of 30 ′ is configured to come into contact with the surface of the rib 11. A concave groove 12 that is continuous in the vertical direction is formed on the surface of the rib 11, and the concave groove 12 is formed so as to be closed by the vertical fin body 30 when the vertical fin body 30 contacts.

  Therefore, in the state where the surfaces of the vertical fin bodies 30 ′ at the left and right ends are not in contact with the surface of the rib 11, the wind blows out from the blowing opening 10 in the direction corresponding to the angle of the vertical fin group 3 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, when fins shut the surfaces of the vertical fin bodies 30 'at the left and right ends in contact with the surfaces of the ribs 11, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. A seal portion 13 in which the main body 30 ′ and the rib 11 are in contact is formed.

(Comparative Example 1)
As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 5, the same register as that of Example 1 was used as Comparative Example 1 except that the concave groove 12 was not formed. In the register of the comparative example 1, the seal portion 13 is not divided by the concave groove 12 as in the first embodiment, and the seal portion is formed also in the concave groove 12 portion to form one continuous seal portion 13. ing.

<Evaluation>
Using the registers of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the surfaces of the vertical fin bodies 30 ′ at both the left and right ends were in contact with the surfaces of the ribs 11. Then, from the rear of the vertical fin group 3, when the air was supplied so that the difference between the atmospheric pressure and the internal pressure of the register was 290 Pa, the amount of air leaked from the blowing opening 10 side was measured, and the results are shown in Table 1. .

  From Table 1, it can be seen that the register of Example 1 has a smaller amount of leakage air at the time of fin shut than the register of Comparative Example 1, and it is clear that this is the effect of forming the concave groove 12. That is, it is clear that the weir effect by the concave groove 12 can suppress air leakage during fin shut.

(Example 2)
As shown in FIG. 6, the present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that convex portions 35 that enter the concave grooves 12 are formed on the surfaces of the vertical fin bodies 30 ′ at both left and right ends.

  According to the register of the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are exhibited, and air leakage can be further suppressed by a labyrinth effect that complicates the flow path of the wind.

(Example 3)
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the second embodiment is the same as the second embodiment except that the shapes of the groove 12 and the protrusion 35 are changed. In other words, the surface of the convex portion 35 and a part of the surface of the concave groove 12 are curved, and the seal portion 13 is formed in contact with the convex portion 35 continuously from the tip of the rib 11 to a part of the concave groove 12 inside. ing.

  According to this register, the seal portion 13 ′ formed by the convex portion 35 has a curved shape, and the distance of the seal portion 13 ′ is increased and the adhesion at the seal portion 13 ′ is increased, so that air leakage is further suppressed. Can do.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the air-conditioning register | resistor of one Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the normal ventilation state of the air-conditioning register | resistor of one Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the ventilation stop state of the air-conditioning register | resistor of one Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view in the air supply stop state of the air-conditioning register | resistor of one Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view in the ventilation stop state of the air-conditioning register of a comparative example. It is a principal part expanded sectional view in the ventilation stop state of the air-conditioning register | resistor of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view in the ventilation stop state of the air-conditioning register | resistor of 3rd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Retainer 2: Horizontal fin group 3: Vertical fin group 4: Bezel 11: Rib 12: Groove
13: Seal part 20: Horizontal fin body 25: Knob
30: Vertical fin body 35: Convex

Claims (5)

A cylindrical retainer that forms a blow-off opening and an air flow path, a plurality of fins that are swingably disposed in the retainer and that swing while maintaining a state parallel to each other, and swinging the fins against the retainer Variable means for changing the blowing direction by changing the angle, and when the plurality of fins are swung to a predetermined position, the surfaces of the fins become substantially flush and close the air flow path. A configured air-conditioning register,
The inner wall surface of the retainer has a rib that extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the fin and contacts the fin when the air flow path is closed, and the fin and the rib form the fin when the air flow path is closed. The air-conditioning register is characterized in that a seal portion is formed along the longitudinal direction, and a groove is formed on at least one surface of the rib and the fin in the seal portion.   The fin includes a front fin group provided in the vicinity of the blowing opening and a rear fin group disposed behind the front fin group, and the seal portion includes an outermost fin and the rib of the rear fin group. The air-conditioning register according to claim 1, formed by:   The air-conditioning register according to claim 1, wherein the concave groove is continuous in a longitudinal direction of the seal portion.   The air-conditioning register according to claim 1, wherein the concave groove is formed at least on a surface of the rib. The air-conditioning register according to claim 1, wherein the fin or the rib has a convex portion that enters the concave groove.

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