JP2022150751A - Wind direction adjustment device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wind direction adjustment device which enables a rotating body related to wind direction adjustment to be operated by stable torque regardless of use conditions.SOLUTION: A wind direction adjustment device 1 includes: a case body 3 in which a gas circulates; a rotating body 2 which adjusts a wind direction of the gas; and a first spacer 10 having a shaft hole 10a with which a rotary shaft 2b set as a rotation center of the rotating body 2 engages. The rotating body 2 is rotatably supported through the first spacer 10 by the case body 3. The first spacer 10 is a soft member having an operation torque adjustment part (a slit 10b) which adjusts operation torque provided to the rotating body 2 when the rotary shaft 2b slides on the shaft hole 10a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to wind direction adjusting devices.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a wind direction adjusting device that is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile and adjusts the direction of air that is supplied from an air conditioner of the vehicle to the interior of the vehicle. Patent Literature 1 discloses a wind direction adjusting device in which a housing (rotating body) having louvers for adjusting the wind direction is rotatably supported inside an air conditioning case (case body). In this airflow direction adjusting device, the housing is supported by the air conditioning case via an elastic spacer made of soft elastomer resin, so that a constant operating torque is applied to the housing during rotation.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-15716

A soft material such as a soft elastomer resin tends to have a stronger fixing strength as the standing time becomes longer. Therefore, in the wind direction adjusting device described in Patent Document 1, if the housing is not operated for a long period of time, it is conceivable that the resistance obtained by the elastic spacer will become larger than that at the time of initial setting. As a result, when the housing is re-operated, the initial movement of the housing does not proceed smoothly, and when the housing is rotated with an operating force greater than resistance, the housing suddenly rotates to a rotational position beyond the desired position. It is possible. Incidentally, such a sudden rotation of the housing is sometimes referred to as "stick-slip". Such an increase in resistance may significantly deteriorate the operational feeling of a passenger in the vehicle when operating a rotating body such as a housing including a louver.

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a wind direction adjusting device that allows a rotating body related to wind direction adjustment to be operated with a stable torque regardless of usage conditions.

The wind direction adjusting device according to the present disclosure includes a case body that allows gas to flow, a rotating body that adjusts the wind direction of the gas, and a spacer that has a shaft hole that engages a rotating shaft serving as the center of rotation of the rotating body. The rotating body is rotatably supported by the case body via a spacer, and the spacer is a soft material having an operation torque adjusting portion for adjusting the operating torque applied to the rotating body when the rotating shaft slides in the shaft hole. It is a sexual member.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an airflow direction adjusting device that allows a rotating body related to airflow direction adjustment to be operated with stable torque regardless of usage conditions.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a wind direction adjusting device according to one embodiment; FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a wind direction adjusting device according to one embodiment; FIG. It is a perspective view of a first spacer. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a first example of a first spacer; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a second example of the first spacer; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second spacer; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a first example of a second spacer; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a second example of a second spacer; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a third spacer; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a first example of a third spacer; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a second example of a third spacer; It is a perspective view of a 4th spacer. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a first example of a fourth spacer; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a second example of a fourth spacer; 4 is a graph showing the operating force with respect to the rotation angle of the rotating body;

Exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to the drawings. Here, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to omit redundant description, and elements that are not directly related to the present disclosure are omitted from the illustration.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a wind direction adjusting device 1 according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the wind direction adjusting device 1. FIG. FIG. 2 partially shows some components of the wind direction adjusting device 1 . The opposite side of the rotating body 2 along the rotating shaft 2b also has the same configuration and shape as the illustrated side. The wind direction adjusting device 1 is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile, and adjusts the direction of the wind supplied from the air conditioner of the vehicle to the interior of the vehicle. For example, the wind direction adjusting device 1 is attached to an opening provided in an instrument panel, a center console, or the like in the vehicle interior of an automobile. In addition, air conditioners that include a similar wind direction adjustment device are sometimes called ventilators and registers.

The wind direction adjusting device 1 includes a rotating body 2 , a case body 3 , a finisher 4 and a first spacer 10 .

The rotating body 2 is a wind direction variable mechanism for adjusting the wind direction of the gas blown out from the gas blowout port 4a. The rotating body 2 has a plurality of louvers 2a and a pair of rotating shafts 2b. Each of the plurality of louvers 2a is plate-shaped and arranged parallel to each other at regular intervals. That is, the rotating body 2 is an assembly of a plurality of louvers 2a. One of the plurality of louvers 2a may be provided with an operation knob 2c, which is used by the passenger to change the attitude of the rotating body 2 from the passenger compartment side, at a position facing the passenger compartment. The pair of rotating shafts 2 b are on the same axis and serve as the center of rotation of the rotating body 2 . Each rotating shaft 2b is installed on both side wall portions of the rotating body 2 integrally supporting the side ends of the plurality of louvers 2a. Each rotating shaft 2b protrudes from the side wall portion of the rotating body 2 toward the inner wall surface of the case body 3 in opposite directions. Each rotating shaft 2b engages with one of the shaft holes 10a provided in each of the pair of first spacers 10. As shown in FIG.

The case body 3 has a tubular shape having an internal flow path for allowing gas to flow therethrough, and in the present embodiment, has a square tubular shape in which the cross-sectional shape of the internal flow path is rectangular. The case body 3 accommodates at least a portion of the rotating body 2 therein, and rotatably supports the rotating body 2 via the first spacer 10 . Of the wall portions in each direction constituting the case body 3, two wall portions facing one of the pair of rotating shafts 2b are respectively provided with recesses 3a for accommodating and holding the first spacers 10. there is The shape of the recess 3 a is set according to the outer shape of the first spacer 10 . One open end of the case body 3 is connected to the finisher 4 . The other open end of the case body 3 is connected to an air conditioner (not shown) installed in the vehicle, and introduces gas supplied from the air conditioner. As in this embodiment, when the vehicle to be applied is a general automobile, the gas is air.

The finisher 4 is a panel that is installed at the opening end of the case body 3 on the passenger compartment side and forms a part of the design surface of the installation position of the wind direction adjusting device 1 . The finisher 4 has a gas blowout port 4a for blowing out the gas that has flowed through the internal flow path of the case body 3 toward the vehicle interior.

The rotating body 2, the case body 3, or the finisher 4 may be made of, for example, a synthetic resin such as ABS resin or PP resin.

3A is a perspective view of the first spacer 10. FIG. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of a first example of the first spacer 10. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of a second example of the first spacer 10. FIG. 3B and 3C respectively correspond to the IIIB-IIIB cross section in FIG. 3A and are cut along the axial direction of the shaft hole 10a so as to include the cross section of any of the slits 10b.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the first spacer 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped including two sides of a square that are parallel to each other. In this case, the shape of the concave portion 3 a provided in the case body 3 matches the rectangular parallelepiped shape of the first spacer 10 . That is, the first spacer 10 does not rotate with respect to the case body 3 while being fitted in the recess 3a.

The material of the first spacer 10 is a soft material such as a soft elastomer resin. That is, the first spacer 10 is a soft member.

In addition, the first spacer 10 has one shaft hole 10a penetrating through the square faces, with an axis passing through the centers of the two square faces as an approximate central axis. One of the pair of rotating shafts 2b provided in the rotating body 2 is engaged with the shaft hole 10a. The diameter of the shaft hole 10a approximately matches the diameter of each rotary shaft 2b.

Further, the first spacer 10 has an operation torque adjusting portion that adjusts the operation torque applied to the rotating body 2 when the rotating shaft 2b slides with respect to the shaft hole 10a. The operation torque adjusting portion in this embodiment is a slit 10b formed along the axial direction of the shaft hole 10a.

The first spacer 10 in this embodiment has four slits 10b. As shown in FIG. 3A, the four slits 10b extend radially with respect to the shaft hole 10a and are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft hole 10a. Here, as in the present embodiment, when the first spacer 10 has a shape that penetrates the shaft hole 10a between the square faces and the number of the slits 10b formed is four, each slit 10b is , may be formed on diagonals of a regular square. In the radial direction with respect to the shaft hole 10a, the distance from the shaft hole 10a to the side surface of the first spacer 10 is the longest on the diagonal line of the square. It is advantageous for maintaining the durability of the spacer 10 . One end of each slit 10b is continuous with the shaft hole 10a.

There are two possible settings for the length of each slit 10b in the depth direction, that is, the length of the shaft hole 10a in the axial direction. As a first example, the length of the slit 10b in the depth direction may penetrate along the shaft hole 10a, as shown in FIG. 3B. On the other hand, as a second example, as shown in FIG. 3C, the length of the slit 10b in the depth direction extends from one surface of the first spacer 10 along the axial hole 10a and reaches the other surface. No, it may be non-penetrating.

Next, the operation and effects of the wind direction adjusting device 1 will be described.

The airflow direction adjusting device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a case body 3 for circulating gas, a rotating body 2 for adjusting the wind direction of the gas, and a shaft hole for engaging a rotating shaft 2b serving as the center of rotation of the rotating body 2. and a first spacer 10 having 10a. The rotating body 2 is rotatably supported by the case body 3 via the first spacer 10 . The first spacer 10 is a flexible member having an operation torque adjustment portion (slit 10b) for adjusting the operation torque applied to the rotating body 2 when the rotating shaft 2b slides in the shaft hole 10a.

First, in the wind direction adjusting device 1, for example, an occupant on the passenger compartment side can rotate the rotating body 2 to a desired angular position around the rotating shaft 2b, thereby adjusting the wind direction in a desired direction. Further, when the rotating shaft 2b slides with respect to the shaft hole 10a, the rotating body 2 is given a rotating torque as an operation torque due to the radial load between the rotating shaft 2b and the shaft hole 10a. , the operational feeling of the passenger can be improved. Furthermore, since the first spacer 10 is a soft member, it is easy to absorb variations in component precision, etc., and from this point, it is advantageous to obtain an operation torque that improves the operation feeling.

In addition, in the wind direction adjusting device 1, the first spacer 10 is provided with an operation torque adjustment section that adjusts the operation torque. Here, as a first use condition, when the rotating body 2 is operated with a relatively high frequency, the sliding action of the rotating shaft 2b with respect to the shaft hole 10a is maintained constant, and a desired operation feeling can be obtained. be done. On the other hand, as the second use condition, when the rotating body 2 is operated relatively infrequently, the first spacer 10, which is a soft member, is left standing for a longer period of time, increasing the fixing strength of the first spacer 10. It is also possible. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the first spacer 10 is provided with an operation torque adjusting portion corresponding to the slit 10b illustrated above, so the rigidity of a part of the first spacer 10 is reduced. Therefore, even if the fixing strength of the contact surface of the shaft hole 10a with respect to the rotary shaft 2b increases, the propagation of the slip is interrupted so that the sliding does not occur at once, and the contact surface becomes easy to bend, thereby reducing the initial It encourages movement and reduces the difference in static and dynamic friction. As a more specific example, if the rigidity of a part of the first spacer 10 is reduced, even if the fixing strength of the shaft hole 10a is increased, the dynamic friction that begins to work when the rotation shaft 2b is about to rotate is It acts on the portion where the rigidity of the first spacer 10 is lowered. As a result, a portion of the first spacer 10 is distorted, and the shape of the shaft hole 10a is also distorted. As a result, the amount of fixation to the rotating shaft 2b is reduced, so that the contact surface is easily bent. In other words, even if the rotating body 2 is not operated for a while in the wind direction adjusting device 1, the obtained operation torque can be stabilized, and the deterioration of the operation feeling can be suppressed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the wind direction adjusting device 1 that allows the rotating body 2 related to wind direction adjustment to be operated with a stable torque regardless of the usage conditions.

Further, in the wind direction adjusting device 1, the operation torque adjusting portion may be a slit, a groove continuous with the shaft hole, or a hole formed along the axial direction of the shaft hole.

Here, in the above example, the operation torque adjustment units are the four slits 10b. According to such a slit 10b, the contact surface of the shaft hole 10a with respect to the rotary shaft 2b is divided into a plurality, that is, four in this embodiment, so that the rigidity of a part of the contact surface can be reliably reduced. be able to. Note that the action and effect can be obtained whether the slit 10b penetrates along the shaft hole 10a as shown in FIG. 3B or does not penetrate as shown in FIG. 3C.

On the other hand, the operation torque adjustment portion is not limited to the shape of the slit 10b exemplified above, and similar functions and effects can be obtained even if it has the following shape.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a second spacer 20 that can replace the first spacer 10. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of a first example of the second spacer 20. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of a second example of the second spacer 20. FIG. 4B and 4C respectively correspond to the IVB-IVB cross section in FIG. 4A, and are cut along the axial direction of the shaft hole 20a so as to include the cross section of any of the slits 20b.

The second spacer 20 has the same overall shape and material as the first spacer 10 . On the other hand, in the first spacer 10, one end of each slit 10b is continuous with the shaft hole 10a. not. In the second spacer 20, the slit 20b does not directly divide the contact surface of the shaft hole 20a with respect to the rotation shaft 2b. functions in the same manner as the slit 10b of . Regarding the action and effect when the second spacer 20 is employed, even if the slit 20b penetrates along the shaft hole 20a as shown in FIG. 4B, it does not penetrate as shown in FIG. 4C. also play.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a third spacer 30 that can replace the first spacer 10. FIG. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a first example of the third spacer 30. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of a second example of the third spacer 30. FIG. 5B and 5C respectively correspond to the VB-VB cross section in FIG. 5A, and are cut along the axial direction of the shaft hole 30a so as to include the cross section of any one of the grooves 30b.

The third spacer 30 has the same shape and material as the first spacer 10 . On the other hand, the operation torque adjustment portion of the third spacer 30 is a groove 30b having a spatial width larger than that of the slit shape. Each groove 30b is continuous with the shaft hole 30a. Therefore, each groove 30b divides the contact surface of the shaft hole 30a with respect to the rotary shaft 2b, and functions similarly to the slit 10b of the first spacer 10. As shown in FIG. Also, according to the shape of the third spacer 30, the contact surface of the shaft hole 30a with respect to the rotary shaft 2b is reduced compared to the case where such a groove 30b does not exist. Therefore, the third spacer 30 also has the advantage of being less affected by the fixing strength than the first spacer 10 and the like. Regarding the action and effect when the third spacer 30 is employed, even if the groove 30b penetrates along the shaft hole 30a as shown in FIG. 5B, it does not penetrate as shown in FIG. 5C. also play.

Further, each groove 30b is a space portion continuous with the shaft hole 30a as described above. Therefore, according to the third spacer 30, the shavings generated by the contact between the shaft hole 30a and the rotary shaft 2b can enter the groove 30b, so that the influence caused by the shavings can be reduced. .

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a fourth spacer 40 that can replace the first spacer 10. FIG. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of a first example of the fourth spacer 40. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view of a second example of the fourth spacer 40. FIG. 6B and 6C respectively correspond to the VIB-VIB cross section in FIG. 6A, and are cut along the axial direction of the shaft hole 40a so as to include the cross section of any one of the holes 40b.

The fourth spacer 40 has the same shape and material as the first spacer 10 . Here, the operation torque adjustment portion in the fourth spacer 40 is a hole 40b that has a space width larger than that of the slit shape and is not continuous with the shaft hole 40a. In the fourth spacer 40, the hole 40b does not directly divide the contact surface of the shaft hole 40a with respect to the rotation shaft 2b. functions in the same manner as the slit 10b of . Regarding the action and effect when the fourth spacer 40 is employed, even if the hole 40b penetrates along the shaft hole 40a as shown in FIG. 6B, it does not penetrate as shown in FIG. 6C. also play.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the operating force (N) versus the rotation angle (deg) of the rotating body 2 measured under the second usage condition, as an example of the effect of the wind direction adjusting device 1 . Five data are reflected in FIG. 7, and the three data described as "Slit" in the legend are the measured values of three times when the first spacer 10 in this embodiment is adopted. . On the other hand, the two data without the notation "Slit" in the legend are two measurement values when the spacer without the operation torque adjustment part exemplified in the present embodiment is used as a comparative example. . The data that the operating force is constant at "6E-16" regardless of the angle value is common to the above five data, and is not affected by the adhesion strength, which corresponds to the first use condition above. It is the operating force that is sometimes required. As is clear from the results shown in FIG. 7, the spacer not having the operation torque adjusting portion exemplified in the present embodiment requires a large operating force, especially at the initial start of movement. On the other hand, in the spacer having the operation torque adjustment portion exemplified in the present embodiment, the operation force required for the initial start of movement is relatively small, and there is little variation even for each rotation angle. That is, it can be said that the wind direction adjusting device 1 according to the present embodiment can stabilize the operation torque and suppress the deterioration of the operation feeling.

In addition, in the wind direction adjusting device 1, the operation torque adjusting portion has a plurality of slits, grooves or holes, and the plurality of slits, grooves or holes extend radially with respect to the shaft hole and extend around the shaft hole. They may be equally spaced in the direction.

For example, the slit is the slit 10b formed in the first spacer 10, and the shaft hole at this time is the shaft hole 10a. The groove is the groove 30b formed in the third spacer 30, and the shaft hole at this time is the shaft hole 30a. The hole is the hole 40b formed in the fourth spacer 40, and the shaft hole at this time is the shaft hole 40a.

According to the wind direction adjusting device 1, the operation torque adjusting portion is the plurality of slits 10b and the like, so it is easy to obtain the desired low rigidity. In addition, since the operation torque adjusting portions extend radially with respect to the shaft hole 10a and the like and are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft hole 10a and the like, the portion to obtain low rigidity is less likely to be biased. It is easy to maintain the durability of spacers such as 1 spacer 10 .

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a plurality of shapes and arrangements of the operation torque adjusting portion in the spacer such as the first spacer 10 are exemplified, but the present disclosure is not limited to these. For example, if various conditions such as desired low rigidity and durability of spacers can be satisfied, the number and positions of installation of slits 10b, slits 20b, grooves 30b or holes 40b for one spacer can be changed as appropriate. good too. For example, the number of installed slits 10b and the like may be one.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the rotating body 2 is a wind direction variable mechanism having a plurality of louvers 2a was exemplified, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the rotating body applied to the wind direction adjusting device of the present disclosure may be a shutter valve or the like that shuts off the wind direction.

Further, it is possible to modify or transform the embodiments based on the above disclosure. Also, all the constituent elements of the above embodiments and all the features described in the claims may be individually extracted and combined as long as they do not contradict each other.

1 wind direction adjusting device 2 rotating body 2b rotating shaft 3 case body 10 first spacer 10a shaft hole 10b slit 20 second spacer 20a shaft hole 20b slit 30 third spacer 30a shaft hole 30b groove 40 fourth spacer 40a shaft hole 40b hole

Claims (3)

a case body for circulating gas;
a rotating body for adjusting the wind direction of the gas;
a spacer having a shaft hole for engaging a rotation shaft serving as a rotation center of the rotating body;
The rotating body is rotatably supported by the case body via the spacer,
The airflow direction adjusting device, wherein the spacer is a soft member having an operation torque adjusting portion that adjusts an operation torque applied to the rotating body when the rotating shaft slides with respect to the shaft hole. 2. The wind direction adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the operation torque adjusting portion is a slit, a groove continuous with the shaft hole, or a hole formed along the axial direction of the shaft hole. The operation torque adjustment unit has a plurality of the slits, the grooves or the holes,
3. The wind direction adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of slits, grooves, or holes extend radially with respect to the shaft hole and are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft hole.

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