US1807165A - Shutter for automobile radiators - Google Patents

Description

May 26, 1931. A. MUELLER SHUTTER FOR AUTOMOBILE RADIATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 20; 1950- mum May 26, 1931. E R 1,807,165

S HUTTER FOR AUTOMOBILE RADIATORS Filed March 20, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STA TES PATENT OFFICE Anon MUELLER, or CHEEKTOWAGA, NEW YORK, AssIeNoR TO IRVING ENGINEERING CO., INC., OF SIOUX GITYQIOWA SHUTTER FOR AUTOMOBILE RADIATORS Application filed March 20, 1930. Serial No. 437,409.

This invention relates to radiator shutters or closure devices for controlling the flow of air or other media.

Heretofore in radiator closures or shutters '5 considerable difficulty has been experienced with the frame or shell portion buckling or becoming distorted under the forces tending to open and close the shutters and difficulty has been experienced in retaining the shutters 10, or vanes in their original form or condition during usage.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a radiator shutter in which the stresses or strains incident to the operation ll, of the shutter are taken upon relatively rigid parts of the device and have no effect upon the relatively light vanes or upon the decoratively formed metal shell.

Further objects are to provide a structure which will not produce rattles or other noises under vibration, which consists of relative- 1y "few parts, permitting of ready and economical assemblage and so constructed as to eliminate the necessity of springs or other vibration dampening or anti-rattling devices.

To effect these and other objects of the invention, I preferentially provide a shutter comprising a plurality of vanes which are mounted upon relatively fixed and relatively movable members serving to interconnect the vanes of the shutter. This mounting is obtained by providing integral and laterally extending portions on each vane, to each of which is rigidly fixed a pair of outwardly projecting members interengaging with each of the relatively fixed and relatively movable. supporting members. The improved construction provides a durable shutter and is also-such that the laterally extending members themselves are somewhat spaced from the supporting members in order to permit of a free movement therebetween when the shutter is operated. In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a broken rear elevation of the improvedshutter assembly.

Fig. 2 is a broken horizontal section therethrough.

Fig.. 3 isa 80 fragmentary perspective view showing the shutter body removed from its housing. Fig. 4: is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through a portion of the shutter, showing the vanes in their open position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view depicting the vanes in their closed position.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of one end of the vane showing particularly its reinforced fabrication. v

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view therethrough.

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective View of the cable guard.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the vanes or closure members whichv are actuated through. means of a push rod 11. 12 designates a mounting or spacing frame whichv may be ofrelatively flexible construc-. tion, and is provided at relatively spaced intervals with openings 13 to receive the pintles orv pivots 1 1 to regulate the turning movement of the vanes.

In order to prevent any distorting effect upon the vanes the pintles 14: are formed as parts of integral reinforcing members 15 here shown as. U-shaped, the portions or lugs 16 of these parts projecting through openings in the push rod, as at 17, whereby upon actuation of the push rod, the member 16 is turned about its pivot portion 14;, thereby turning or carrying the vane. The vanes 10 arelprovided with laterally extending parts or tongues 18'through which the parts 14 and 16 are inserted with the central portions of the reinforcing members 15 being secured thereto as by spot welding indicated at 15a in Figure 6. 19 designates a crank or arm pivoted as at 20 on the frame and engaged at 11 with the push rod 11 whereby upon actuation of the crank or arm the push rod will be moved to in turn move the vanes.

Spring means are preferably provided for I holding the vanes in open position. As shown this may be in the form of a tension spring 21 fixed at one end to an ear 22 on the frame portion and at its other end to an ear 23 on the push rod. As shown in Fig. 3 the function of the spring is to retain the vanes inopen position. 24 designates a cord 1 or cable for actuating the crank arm to close the vanes. This cord or cable travels over a the track of the pulley. This guard may be pulley.

conveniently stamped from sheetmetal and.

turned up from the body portion 28 in which is providedan opening 29 through which the stud 26 is projected, a downturned flange 30 overhanging the edge of the bracket 26 so as to interlock with the same in holding the guard 27 properly positioned relative to the point at which the cable 24 tracks about the The vanes may be formed from light gauge sheet metal stock andprovided with an angular flange '31 designed for overlapping the adjacent edge of the next vane when the shutter is in closed position. This flange also provides longitudinal reinforcement for the vane which may be further reinforced bodily by giving the same a transverse curvature as indicated clearly in Figs. 4 and 5.

The inturned terminal tongues 18 are given substantial reinforcement and rigidness by the base portions of the U-members 15 which, together with the longitudinal reinforcement accorded the vanes, provides a light sheet metal vane construction which possesses that degree of rigidness and durability required to stand the strains and stresses to which a structure of this kind is subjected. In punching out the holes in the tongues 18 to receive the pintles 1 1 and '16 the stock is slightly pushedout asindicated at 34 so as to provide slight bosses for spacing the body of the tongues from the adjacent face portions of the frame 12 and bar 11, or in other words, for providing a structure which avoids fiat contact between these parts and the friction incident thereto. r

The frame 12 is mounted in its shell in a suitable manner such asby the brackets 33 which serve to support and space the frame 12 therefrom. The shell or framing casing 32, having an open center, provides a finished construction for the shutter body which is nested or received therein. These brackets are disposed at the opposite sides of the frame 12 whereby the top and lower portions of the frame are left solely for the mounting of the vanes and their operating means.

In practical use the cord or cable 24 is extended to apoint readily accessible to the driver of the motor vehicle, such as on the instrument board, and when it becomes desirable to close the'shutter the cable is pulled to effect a shifting of the upper and lower push rods 11 (the mounting of the vanes being the same at their upper and lower ends in thepreferred embodiment) whereupon the vanes are swung about their pivots :14 from the position indicated in Fig. 4' to that indicated in Fig. 5 wherein the vanes, by reason of their overlapping flanges 31, provide a substantially solid closure for the front of the vehicle radiator. Suitable means may be provided for securing the cable against slackening, and when it is desired to open the shutter the cable is released so as to permit the free functioning of the spring 21 in reversing the movement of the push rods 11 to swing the shutters to their open position.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a plurality of vanes struck from sheet metal and having inturned terminal tongues each provided with spaced openings, a reinforcing member for each tongue having spaced parts projected through the tongue openings thereof and constituting a vane-mounting pintle and an operating lug, said pintle being engaged in a bearing in the .frame, andmeans engaging the lugs of the several vanes for imparting a simultaneous movement thereto to efi'ect a pivoting of the several .vanes about the frames engaged pintles.

2. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a plurality of vanes having terminal tongues each provided with spaced openings, 'a substantially U-shaped reinforcing element for each tongue having its legs projected through the tongue openings thereof with one leg constituting apintle and the companion leg a lug, said pintle being engaged in a bearing in the frame, the base portion of each U-element being substantially fiat and directly secured to its tongue to lend reinforcement thereto, and meansv connecting the several vane lugs for imparting a simultaneous pivoting of the several vanes about the frame-engaged pintles.

3. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a plurality of sheet metal vanes having inturned terminal tongues,,a reinforcing member for each tongue shaving spaced parts projecting therefrom and constituting a pivoting part and an actuating part, said pintle part being engaged in a bearing in the frame, a push rod having bearings pivotally receiving the actuating parts, and means for shifting said push rod to effect a pivoting movement of the vanes.

4. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a plurality of vaneshaving tongues provided with spaced openings, a substantially U-shaped reinforcement for each tongue having its legs projected through V the tongue openings thereof and constituting a pintle and a lug, said pintle being engaged toward its opposite limit of movement against the tensioning of said spring.

5. A shutter for motor vehicle radiators comprising a frame, a plurality of vanes struck from sheet metal and having inturned terminal tongues each provided with spaced openings and bosses thereabout, a substantially U-shaped reinforcing member for each tongue having its legs projected through the tongue openings and the bosses and constituting a pintle and a lug, said pintles being engaged in bearings in the frame, a push rod having bearings pivotally receiving the several lugs, said bosses serving to space the body of the tongue from the frame and rod, and means for operating the rod.

6. In radiator shutters, the combination of a plurality of vane positioning and actuating members having integral spaced-apart pivot portions and actuating portions, means for receiving and spacing the pivot portions in predetermined relation one from the other, a plurality of vanes, said vanes being connected to said members, whereby said vanes are pivotally mounted by said members and forces directed to swing said vanes are exerted onto said members and said vanes are swung by said members without directly ap- I plying the forces for movement to said vanes, and means for simultaneously moving the actuating portions of said members through equal angles of movement.

7. In radiator shutter construction, a vane of relatively light-weight material, a vane mounting and actuating member comprising a pair of pivots and a portion directly connecting said pivots, said member being connected to said vane, relatively stationary means providing a bearing for one of said pivots, and relatively movable means providing a bearing for the other of said pivots, whereby said member is swung by said relatively movable means and whereby said member receives all bending and compression strains from said relatively movable member and directs such strains to the relatively stationary bearing member without imposition thereof upon the material of said tongue formed on one end thereof and a mounting, pivoting, actuating and reinforoing means for said vane comprising a U shaped member having its central part secured to said terminal tongue, said tongue

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