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CN-115210098-B - Active grille shutter with improved sealing

CN115210098BCN 115210098 BCN115210098 BCN 115210098BCN-115210098-B

Abstract

A typical active grille shutter is attached to the frame at either end, with little play between the parts to avoid the parts coming together. The present invention adds a set of soft flaps molded in a two shot process to allow the blade to seal against the frame when closed and to seat unrestricted by the frame when open. This play is achieved by adding stepped walls to the frame member to create interference between the vane tabs as the closed position is turned, causing the tabs to deflect in a progressive manner so that the actuator motor is not burdened by a sudden increase in the required torque.

Inventors

  • Jeffrey B. Mannheil

Assignees

  • 麦格纳外饰公司
  • 麦格纳外饰公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260421
Application Date
20210210
Priority Date
20200211

Claims (12)

  1. 1. A vehicle active grille shutter system having sealing blades, the vehicle active grille shutter system comprising: A frame having a blade connection side with a plurality of apertures for rotatably receiving pivot pins of respective ones of a plurality of blades; The plurality of vanes each include a body portion having a first end and a second end, a pivot pin extending from the first end for rotatable connection with a respective aperture of the plurality of apertures of the vane connection side of the frame, and Each of the plurality of vanes includes at least one soft wing connected to the first end of a respective vane of the plurality of vanes, wherein the at least one soft wing extends toward the frame and spans a gap between the body of the respective vane of the plurality of vanes and the frame when the respective vane of the plurality of vanes is rotated to a closed position, wherein the vane connecting side has an inner edge and an outer edge each having an angular shoulder that allows the at least one soft wing to relax when one vane of the plurality of vanes is in an open position, thereby reducing torque load on an actuator of the vehicle active grille system.
  2. 2. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 1 further comprising: Wherein each of the plurality of blades includes a raised collar such that one raised collar surrounds a corresponding one of the pivot pins, and the raised collar facilitates rotatably positioning the plurality of blades when the plurality of blades are connected to the blade connection side of the frame.
  3. 3. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 2 further comprising: Wherein each of the plurality of apertures includes a cylindrical portion extending from a surface of the blade connection side and surrounding a respective one of the plurality of apertures, wherein the cylindrical portion fills a portion of a gap between the body of the respective one of the plurality of blades and the blade connection side when the plurality of blades are in the closed position.
  4. 4. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 3 further comprising: wherein each cylindrical portion includes a planar surface between a respective one of the plurality of apertures and the cylindrical portion.
  5. 5. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 1 further comprising: Wherein each of the plurality of apertures includes a cylindrical portion extending from a surface of the blade connection side and surrounding a respective one of the plurality of apertures, wherein the cylindrical portion fills a portion of a gap between the body of the respective one of the plurality of blades and the blade connection side when the plurality of blades are in the closed position.
  6. 6. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 1 further comprising: wherein each cylindrical portion includes a planar surface between a respective one of the plurality of apertures and the cylindrical portion.
  7. 7. A vehicle active grille shutter system having sealing blades, comprising: a frame having a plurality of blade connecting sides each having a plurality of apertures for rotatably receiving a respective one of a plurality of pivot pins extending from each of a plurality of blades; Each of the plurality of blades includes a body portion having a first end and a second end, a pivot pin extending from the first end for rotatably connecting with a respective aperture of the plurality of apertures of a respective one of the plurality of blade connection sides of the frame, and a pivot pin extending from the second end for rotatably connecting with a respective aperture of the plurality of apertures of another one of the plurality of blade connection sides; Each of the plurality of vanes includes at least one soft tab connected to the first end of the respective vane of the plurality of vanes and at least one soft tab connected to the second end of the respective vane of the plurality of vanes, wherein the at least one soft tab of the first end and the at least one soft tab of the second end each extend toward the frame and when the respective vane of the plurality of vanes is rotated to a closed position, the at least one soft tab of the first end and the at least one soft tab of the second end each span a gap between the body of the respective vane of the plurality of vanes and the frame, and wherein the vane connection side has an inboard edge and an outboard edge each having an angular shoulder that slacks the at least one soft tab when one vane of the plurality of vanes is in an open position, thereby reducing a torque of an actuator of the vehicle active grille system.
  8. 8. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 7 further comprising: wherein each of the plurality of blades includes a raised collar surrounding a respective pivot pin, the raised collar facilitating rotatable positioning of a respective blade of the plurality of blades when the respective blade is connected to the blade connection side of the frame.
  9. 9. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 8 further comprising: Wherein each of the plurality of apertures includes a cylindrical portion extending from a surface of the blade connection side and surrounding a respective one of the plurality of apertures, wherein the cylindrical portion fills a portion of a gap between the body of the respective one of the plurality of blades and the blade connection side when the plurality of blades are in the closed position.
  10. 10. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 8 further comprising: wherein each cylindrical portion includes a planar surface between a respective one of the plurality of apertures and the cylindrical portion.
  11. 11. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 7 further comprising: Wherein each of the plurality of apertures includes a cylindrical portion extending from a surface of the blade connection side and surrounding a respective one of the plurality of apertures, wherein the cylindrical portion fills a portion of a gap between the body of the respective one of the plurality of blades and the blade connection side when the plurality of blades are in the closed position.
  12. 12. The vehicle active grille shutter system with sealing vane of claim 7 further comprising: wherein each cylindrical portion includes a planar surface between a respective one of the plurality of apertures and the cylindrical portion.

Description

Active grille shutter with improved sealing Technical Field The invention relates to an active grille shutter with improved sealing. Background Current active grille designs do not completely block airflow when closed because of air leakage around the perimeter of the vane pack. Also due to play requirements, the blade tends to slap the frame in some cases. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved blade which interfaces with a surrounding frame such that the space around the end of the blade is very small when closed, thereby improving sealing performance and reducing or eliminating unwanted rattling noise. Disclosure of Invention Typical active grille shutter blades are attached to the frame at opposite ends, with little play between the parts to avoid the parts coming together. The present invention adds a set of soft flaps molded in a two shot process to allow the blade to seal against the frame when closed and to seat unrestricted by the frame when open. This play is achieved by adding stepped walls to the frame member to cause interference between or increase the interference between the vane tabs when turning to the closed position, resulting in the tabs deflecting in a progressive manner so that the actuator motor is not burdened by a sudden increase in the required torque. In addition, since the tabs are molded into both the inner and outer sides of the blade, these tabs provide a centering function to the blade to enable the blade to remain centered in the middle of the frame-this reduces or eliminates the possibility of slapping. Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. The detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Drawings The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is an enlarged end perspective view of a blade according to the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side perspective view of the blade attachment side of the frame according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged side cross-sectional plan view of an end of a blade connected to a blade connection. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional plan view of two blades connected with a blade connection. Fig. 5 is an enlarged side plan view of the sound reduction feature of the present invention. Fig. 6 is an enlarged side perspective view of the sound reduction feature of the present invention. Detailed Description The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. Referring now to the drawings, a vehicle active grille shutter system 10 having at least one vane 12a, 12b is shown and described. The active grille shutter system 10 includes a frame 14 having at least one blade attachment side 16. In most applications, each blade 12a, 12b has a pivot pin 18, 18' at each end that is connected to two different locations of the frame 14. However, it is within the scope of the invention for the blades 12a, 12b to be connected to the frame 14 at one end and for the blades 12a, 12b to be connected to a different frame or other vehicle structure used at the opposite end. Embodiments of the present invention depict an active grille shutter system 10, the active grille shutter system 10 comprising a frame 14 having a blade attachment side at an end opposite the blade 12 for rotatably connecting the blades 12a, 12b to the vehicle active grille shutter system 10. Each blade attachment side 16 includes a plurality of apertures 20 a-20 b, each for rotatably receiving a respective one of a plurality of pivot pins 18, 18' extending from each blade 12a, 12 b. Referring now to FIG. 1, an enlarged view of the ends of each blade 12a, 12b is shown. Each blade 12a, 12b has a body portion 22 with a first end 24 and a second end 26, wherein a respective one of the pivot pins 18, 18' extends from either the first end 24 or the second end 26. Since each end of the blades 12a, 12b is identical, fig. 1 contains reference numerals representing both the first end 24 and the second end 26 of the blades 12a, 12 b. However, as noted above, some embodiments may have different structures or connection features at the ends opposite the blades 12a, 12b, and thus the scope of the present invention is not limited to having the first end 24 and the second end 26 identical in all embodiments of the present invention. Each pivot pin 18, 18' is connected with a respective one of a plurality of apertures 20a, 20b of a respective one of the plurality of blade connecting sides 16. The plurality of blades 12a, 12b include raised collars 28, 28' surrounding the respective pivot pins 18, 18', the raised collars 28, 28' facili