US2017996A - Vehicle ventilator - Google Patents

Description

7 Oct. 22, 1935. w STONEHOUSE 2,017,996

VEHICLE VENTILATOR Filed June 22, 1933 \s k\xo mj if: it: 3.3 I INVENTOR.

W'zlliam A? Sfonelzaizse Patented Oct. 22, 1935 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to ventilators for vehicles having sliding windows, and more particularly to improved means for controlling the in-' flow and withdrawal of air to and from the closed bodies of passenger automobiles. An important object of the invention is the provision of an extremely simple and inexpensive device utilizable in conjunction with each or any of the sliding windows with which closed motorcars are commonly provided, enabling the admission of an ample quantity of air into the vehicle for ventilation Without the creation of undesirable drafts, which does not interfere with vision through the window to which it is appurtenant, and is very simple and economical of construction, sturdy and fool-proof.

A further object is the provision of such a ventilator adapted to promote the withdrawal of air by suction from the front portion of a window opening and regulatable by raising and lowering of the window without requiring special adjustment of accessory apparatus.

Another object is the provision of such a ventilator having an inflow portion and means for separately regulating the same, but so arranged as to be controllable also by opening and closing the window to which it is appurtenant in the usual way, and which also defines an outflow section of the window opening regulatable by operation of the window.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawing illustrating preferred embodiments of my invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an automobile body of the sedan type, the door windows of which are shown equipped with my improved ventilators;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the body, showing a partly opened door equipped with a ventilator;

Figures Sand 4 are sectional views taken substantially on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 respectively of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the inside of one of the doors, partly broken away, showing the ventilator and fragmentarily showing adjacent portions of the body;

Figure 6 is a similar inside elevational view of the upper portion of a door and immediately adjacent body portions, showing a somewhat modified embodiment of the invention adapted for accessory installation upon an already completed vehicle, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the 5 opposite side of a ventilator of such modified form, removed from the door.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the motor vehicle fragmentarily shown for illustrative pur- 10 poses will be seen to be of the four-door sedan type, the body, generally designated It, being equipped with vertically slidable windows, as I2, in the doors l3 thereof. The windows may be controllable by means of suitable regulating l5 handles as IS. The doors are shown as of hollow steel construction, although this obviously is not essential. The windows l2 are slidable in channeled guides ll and when fully raised fit in a similar top channel l1 extending across the 20 bottom of the door header 13'.

As is well. known, when such a closed automobile is moving forward relatively to the air,

a partial vacuum is formed immediately out side the front portion of the front windows I2, 25 so that when one of these windows is opened or partially opened air is drawn out of the vehicle through the front portion of the window opening, while the natural eddying of the air currents tends to force air into the vehicle through the 30 back portion of the'same opening. This tendency of the air to enter the rear portion of the open window creates strong objectionable drafts inside the body, and in fact all methods now in common use of introducing air into such a ve- 35 hicle tend to create strong drafts which are either worse in the back than in the front portion of the car, or tend to strike the occupants of the front seat in the head or neck.

To obviate these defects, which are inherent in attempts to regulate the supplying and exhaustion of air to and from an enclosed motorcar body entirely by adjustment of the conventional sliding windows, I propose to furnish, appurtenant the upper portion of whichever of the 45 windows may be desired to be provided with such additional regulation, such a construction as is shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, which may be incorporated in the body during manufacture.

The preferred arrangement includes a glass 50 baffle 20 angularly arranged adjacent the upper rear portion of each window, and preferably extending forwardly to a distance somewhat more than half the windows width. The baffie designated 20 is so arranged that it lies close to the 55 glass along its bottom edge and at the top is somewhat spaced therefrom, but substantially blocks the rear portion of the space over the 7 window when the glass is partially lowered, leaving the forward portion of such space unobstructed, however. As noted above, when such a closed car is in motion the area outside the front portionsof the windows, particularly the front windows, represents a low pressure area which tends to draw air out of the car through these portions of the windows when open; The unbafiled area 30 lying in this field thus serves as an air outlet regulatable by means of the window.

While the area'immediately outside the rear portion of each window is one of higher pressure, and'air tends to flow into the car through these I portions, the baiile prevents unrestricted inflow through this'portion of the window. A boxlike housing generally designated 22 overhangs the rear portion of the baflle, as best shown in Figure 2, forming'a controllable ventilator inlet when the window [2 is lowered from the top, as.

best shown in Figure 3, wherein the inlet is designated 23. A continuation of the housing extends downwardly about the rear end of the bafile, preferably in a smooth curve, to direct the air currents into the interior of the car in a downward inner door panel.

discharge with the least possible resistance to the inflow and turbulence. This downwardly extending portion, constituting an air duct and designated 24, may be formed integrally'with the It is provided with a downward and forwardly opening discharge aperture ranged in the duct 24, here shown appurtenant the outlet 25, to regulate the inflow of air. A

handle 28 may project integrally from the damper and through the outlet opening 25 to enable convenient manipulation of the damper. It will be seen that the arrangement is such that when the window is lowered substantially to the point 6 shown, the unbafiled' area forward of the plate 20 and constituting the discharge opening, lies entirely within the outside area which is normally at reduced pressure when the vehicle is in V motion. Movement of the vehicle through the air accordingly produces suction tending to draw air out of c the vehicle through the opening 30, while through the inlet 23, opening in the direction in which the vehicle is moving and lying in an area of increased pressure, air is forced in relatively large quantities when the damper 2! is open. The direction in which the air so. introduced is discharged by the outlet 25, moreover, is

such that the injected air cannot disturb the occupants of the vehicle by causing direct drafts, for the air is projected downwardly and forwardly close to the glass and not toward the occupants.

If the inlet duct and housing portion be formed 7 integrally with the inner door panel of a hollow door, it is of course immaterial where the outlet 25 be located, and it may be in a lower portion of the door if desired, or arranged to discharge at any point or in any direction.

The baffle plate 20 may be retained by a sheet metal clamping channel 29 carried by and forming a continuation of the hood and duct portions 7 22-24, and it will be seen that if transparent glass is used in the baflle, the ventilator does not affect visibility through the window opening to any material degree. c 5

If it is desired to install such a ventilator upon an already completed car, it may, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, be formed as an accessory device, the body of which comprises a sheet metal duct portion 24a having a marginal flange 32 insert- 10 able in the window channel alongside the glass, as best shown in Figure 6, and retaining means may be provided, such as the hooks 33 loosely secured in and'projecting from the duct portion and shown held by nuts 34. The stem portions 15 of the securing hooks are somewhat smaller in diameter than the holes in the duct portion through which they project, so that the hooks may be swiveled to any desired position within limits to adapt them to overhang and secure the 20 accessory to the beading designated 35 surrounding the window openings of cars having such portions of variant dimensions. The ends of the hooks are threaded to receive the nuts 34 for a length sufficient to permit securing the device 25 to such beading portions of various widths to hold the accessory in position in the manner best shown in Figure 6. When so arranged the bafile 28a projects angularly beside the upper portion of the window opening in a manner similar to 30 the arrangement of the previously described bafile 20. Other portions of this accessory embodiment will also be seen to be analogous, and have accordingly been given like reference numerals to those used in describing the first embodiment, 8| with the addition of the distinguishing character a.

The partition 26 forming the front wall of the duct portion 24a may assist in supporting the bafiie-retaining channel 29a, and such channel 40 may also be secured at its top to the hood portion 22a in similar relation to the flange 32 which determines the position of the device relatively to the window opening. The outlet portion 25a of the duct. 24a maybe formed as an'integral continuation thereof, and the entire duct'may have no wall on its side facing the glass 12a of the window, its edges and the'edge of the damper 21a being arranged to lie close to the window glass when the latter is closed. The damperis shown pivoted between the rear wall of the duct portion 24a and the bottom of the partition 26, and controllable by an integrally extending handle 28a. The operation of this embodiment will I also be seen to be similar to that previously described. T

While the accessory embodiment last described. consumes slightly moreof the'window opening, this form also will be seen to use so littleof this space as to interfere virtually not at all with 00 visibility through the window, the only opaque portion comprising a small portion of the duct arranged in the upperrear corner of the window. The outlet area (30) formed by the device when the window glass is lowered all the way to the bottom of the baflie is adequate to assure the exhaustion of ample quantities of air therethrough when the vehicle is in motion or any breeze is blowing past the windows, while the exhaustion is also aided by the positive injection of air into the body through the inlets. Further, such injection prevents the uncomfortable reduction of pressure within the vehicle noticeable with some ventilating systems where vacuum type outlets are provided without the proper 'incorporation of air inlet means. Moreover, despite such positive injection of air when the inlets are open, by reason of the manner of its discharge into the vehicle, no drafts are created, yet the air is constantly changed and circulated, and smoke, fumes and humid air quickly removed.

While it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiments of my invention herein disclosedare well calculated to adequately fulfill the ob-- jects and advantages primarily stated, it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modification and change within the spirit and scope of the subjolned claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a vehicle body, ventilating means therefor including a window opening having a vertically slidable window closure therein, a baffle angularly arranged near the top of the opening and lying closer to the plane of the closure at its bottom than at its top, said bafiie being opened at its ends, whereby air may flow through the opening around either end of the bafiie, and regulatable means for controlling the flow of air around the rear end of the baflie.

2. In combination with a vehicle body movable through the air, ventilating means therefor including a window opening having a slidable window closure and lying in an area throughout which the pressure varies from positive to negative when the vehicle is in motion, a baffle extending longitudinally of the top of the Window opening and close to but out of the plane of the closure, said baffle stopping short of the front of the opening in a relatively low and normally negative pressure area to provide an outlet open to the exterior, and also having its'rear end open to the exterior in a higher pressure area, the front end of the opening being left unobstructed except for the closure, and regulable means arranged to obturate the inlet formed by the open rear end of the baflie and regulate the infiow of air therearound.

3. In combination with a vehicle body having a slidable window closure lying in an area the front portion of which, when the vehicle is in motion through the air, is at reduced pressure, while the rear portion of such area is at relatively higher pressure, ventilation controllingmeans for regulating the airflow through the window when 5 open, comprising a baffle extending longitudinally of and close beside the top of the closure and lying principally in said high pressure area, an inlet air duct extending around the rear end portion of the baffle having an inlet lying immediately inside the plane of the closure member and in said high pressure area when the window is open, said duct having an outlet inside the vehicle, the space forward of the baflie and lying behind the low pressure area comprising an outlet opening through which air may be drawn from the vehicle when the window is open, whereby the inlet duct and outlet opening may be regulated by opening and closing movement of the closure.

4. In combination with a vehicle having a slidable window closure member lying in an area the front portion of which, when the vehicle is in motion through the air, is at reduced pressure while the rear portion is at relatively higher pressure, ventilation controlling means for regulating the airflow into and out of the window when open induced by said high and low pressure areas, comprising a baffle extending longitudinally of the top of the closure and close to the plane thereof the active portion of the baffle lying principally in said area of higher pressure, an inlet air duct extending around the rear end portion of the baffle, having an inlet opening arranged directly inside the closure member and opening toward the outside in such manner that it may be controlled by operation of the closure member, the closure member being movable to simultaneously expose said inlet opening and the area forward of the baffle, the latter area being adapted to serve as an outlet through which air may be drawn from the vehicle by reason of the presence of the ow pressure area immediately outside the same.

WILLIAM L. STONEHOUSE.

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