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CN-115805803-B - Active air damper for vehicle

CN115805803BCN 115805803 BCN115805803 BCN 115805803BCN-115805803-B

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an active air damper for a vehicle, including a frame unit having a hollow structure, wherein a horizontal frame and a vertical frame of the frame unit are connected to each other and are configured to be in fluid communication with an external air inlet of a grille, a damper unit having a plurality of damper members rotatably connected to the frame unit and configured to open and close the external air inlet, a driving unit configured to provide driving force to the damper unit, and a link unit connected between the damper unit and the driving unit to transmit the driving force from the driving unit to the damper unit. The active air damper for a vehicle of the present disclosure is capable of controlling damper components to be sequentially operated based on a multi-path operating structure to improve cooling efficiency and optimize aerodynamic performance.

Inventors

  • Bian Zaixie
  • LI JINGYAN

Assignees

  • 现代摩比斯株式会社

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20211229
Priority Date
20210914

Claims (15)

  1. 1. An active air damper for a vehicle, comprising: A frame unit having a hollow structure in which a horizontal frame and a vertical frame of the frame unit are connected to each other, and the horizontal frame and the vertical frame are configured to be in fluid communication with an external air inlet of the grill; A damper unit having a plurality of damper members rotatably connected to the frame unit, and configured to open and close the external air inlet; a driving unit configured to provide a driving force to the damper unit, and A link unit connected between the damper unit and the driving unit to transmit the driving force from the driving unit to the damper unit; Wherein the vertical frame comprises: a first guide groove having a straight section and a curved section extending as a single path and configured to guide an opening/closing path of each of the damper members, and A second guide slot having a step spaced apart from the first guide slot and configured to guide a linear path of each of the damper members.
  2. 2. The active air damper of claim 1, wherein: When the external air inlet is opened, each of the damper members is linearly moved to the straight line section of the first guide slot and the second guide slot and then rotated via the curved section of the first guide slot, and When the external air inlet is closed, each of the damper members is rotated by the curved section of the first guide slot and then returned to its original position via the straight section of the first guide slot and the second guide slot.
  3. 3. The active air damper of claim 1, wherein each of the damper members comprises: a first guide protrusion provided on each end of the damper member and movable on the first guide groove, and And a second guide protrusion provided on each end of the damper member and movable on the second guide groove.
  4. 4. The active air damper according to claim 3, wherein the second guide protrusion is located at a rear end of the second guide slot to serve as a rotation axis of each of the damper members when the damper members open and close the external air inlet.
  5. 5. The active air damper of claim 1, wherein the drive unit is actuated by an electronic control unit ECU to cause the damper member to sequentially open and close the external air inlet.
  6. 6. The active air damper of claim 1, wherein the drive unit comprises: An actuator having a drive shaft; A drive pinion which rotates with the drive shaft, and A rack vertically reciprocating on the vertical frame with rotation of the driving pinion; wherein the rack comprises: a drive tooth which is located on a partial section of one side in the rack width direction and meshes with the drive pinion, and A plurality of driven teeth arranged at intervals from each other on the other side in the rack width direction so as to transmit a rotational driving force to the link unit.
  7. 7. The active air damper of claim 6, wherein the link unit comprises: a driven pinion gear engaged with the driven teeth, A plurality of connecting rods located at both ends of each of the damper members, wherein each of the connecting rods has a first end that rotates with the driven pinion, A loader shaft configured to connect the connecting rod, and A connecting plate configured to connect a second end of each connecting rod to a first guide projection protruding from each end of each damper member; Wherein the first end of each of the connecting rods and the connecting plate are rotatably connected to each other.
  8. 8. The active air damper of claim 6, wherein: the driving unit and the link unit are embedded in the vertical frame, and Each of the driving unit and the link unit has a portion protruding from the vertical frame and covered by a cover.
  9. 9. The active air damper of claim 8, wherein the cover is secured to the front of the vertical frame by a snap fit.
  10. 10. An active air damper for a vehicle, comprising: a damper unit having a plurality of damper members configured to sequentially open and close an external air inlet of a grill located at a front portion of a vehicle according to preset logic, A driving unit configured to provide driving force to the damper unit and control an opening area of each of the damper members, and A link unit configured to transmit the driving force from the driving unit to the damper unit; a first guide groove having a straight section and a curved section extending as a single path and configured to guide an opening/closing path of each of the damper members, and A second guide slot having a step spaced apart from the first guide slot and configured to guide a straight path of each of the damper members, Wherein the driving unit includes: An actuator having a drive shaft, A drive pinion which rotates with the drive shaft, and A rack vertically reciprocating with rotation of the drive pinion.
  11. 11. The active air damper of claim 10, wherein the rack comprises: a drive tooth which is located on a partial section of one side in the rack width direction and meshes with the drive pinion, and A plurality of driven teeth arranged at intervals from each other on the other side in the rack width direction so as to transmit a rotational driving force to the link unit.
  12. 12. The active air damper of claim 11, wherein the link unit comprises: a driven pinion gear engaged with the driven teeth, A plurality of connecting rods located at both ends of each of the damper members, wherein each of the connecting rods has a first end that rotates with the driven pinion, A loader shaft configured to connect the connecting rod, and A connecting plate configured to connect a second end of each connecting rod to a first guide projection protruding from each end of each damper member; Wherein the first end of the connecting rod and the connecting plate are rotatably connected to each other.
  13. 13. An active air damper for a vehicle, comprising: a frame unit having a hollow structure in which a horizontal frame and a vertical frame of the frame unit are connected to each other, and the horizontal frame and the vertical frame are configured to be in fluid communication with an external air inlet of a grille located at a front portion of a vehicle; A damper unit having a plurality of damper members configured to sequentially open and close the external air inlet by sliding in a forward-backward direction and rotating at a point on the vertical frame of the frame unit; a driving unit configured to provide a driving force to the damper unit; a link unit configured to transmit the driving force from the driving unit to the damper unit, and A fixing unit located on a sliding path of each of the damper members to prevent each of the damper members from being pushed or twisted backward due to aerodynamic force when a fixing protrusion protruding from each end of each of the damper members is located thereon, Wherein the vertical frame comprises: a first guide groove having a straight section and a curved section extending as a single path and configured to guide an opening/closing path of each of the damper members, and A second guide slot having a step spaced apart from the first guide slot and configured to guide a linear path of each of the damper members.
  14. 14. The active air damper of claim 13, wherein the fixing unit has a fixing groove therein fixable to a corresponding fixing protrusion.
  15. 15. The active air damper of claim 13, wherein the stationary unit comprises a resilient material capable of damping vibrations.

Description

Active air damper for vehicle Cross Reference to Related Applications The present application claims priority and benefit from korean patent application No. 10-2021-012694 filed on 9/14 of 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an active air damper for a vehicle. Background An active air damper (ACTIVE AIR FLAP, AAF) is mounted in (or on) a bumper or grille in the front of the vehicle to open and close an external air intake of the grille depending on vehicle conditions (e.g., driving conditions, etc.). Specifically, the active air damper closes the damper member to close the external air intake port to achieve the effects of reducing air resistance and improving fuel efficiency when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed, or opens the damper member to open the external air intake port to reduce the temperature in the overheated engine compartment. Generally, in active air dampers, when an actuator is actuated to simultaneously rotate multiple damper members (which are configured to open and close an external air inlet), the driving pressure increases, which may result in an increase in the actuator torque to rotate the damper members. Disclosure of Invention Embodiments relate to an active air damper for a vehicle capable of improving cooling efficiency and optimizing aerodynamic performance by controlling damper members to be sequentially operated based on a multi-path (bi-directional path) operation structure. In particular, embodiments relate to an active air damper for a vehicle that is capable of preventing one or more damper members from being pushed by aerodynamic forces while being capable of preventing twisting in either direction when the damper members are operated. The present disclosure is not limited to the above objects, and other objects of the present disclosure will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains through the following description. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an active air damper for a vehicle, including a frame unit having a hollow structure, wherein a horizontal frame and a vertical frame of the frame unit are connected to each other and are configured to be in fluid communication with an external air inlet of a grille, a damper unit having a plurality of damper members rotatably connected to the frame unit and configured to open and close the external air inlet, a driving unit configured to provide driving force to the damper unit, and a link unit connected between the damper unit and the driving unit to transmit the driving force from the driving unit to the damper unit. The vertical frame may include a first guide groove having a straight line section and a curved section extending as a single path and configured to guide an opening/closing path of each of the damper members, and a second guide groove having a step spaced apart from the first guide groove and configured to guide a straight line path of each of the damper members. When the external air inlet is open, each damper member is linearly movable to the straight segment of the first guide slot and the second guide slot and then rotated via the curved segment of the first guide slot. When the external air inlet is closed, each damper member may be rotated by the curved section of the first guide slot and then returned to its original position via the straight section of the first guide slot and the second guide slot. Each of the damper members may include a first guide protrusion disposed on each end of the damper member and movable on the first guide slot, and a second guide protrusion disposed on each end of the damper member and movable on the second guide slot. The second guide protrusion may be located at a rear end of the second guide groove to serve as a rotation shaft of each of the damper members when each of the damper members opens and closes the external air inlet. The drive unit may be actuated by an electronic control unit (electronic control unit, ECU) to cause the damper member to sequentially open and close the external air intake. The driving unit may include an actuator having a driving shaft, a driving pinion rotated together with the driving shaft, and a rack vertically reciprocating on the vertical frame with the rotation of the driving pinion. The rack may include a driving tooth located at a partial section of one side in the rack width direction and engaged with the driving pinion, and a plurality of driven teeth located at the other side in the rack width direction and spaced apart from each other so as to transmit the rotational driving force to the link unit. The linking unit may include a driven pinion engaged with the driven teeth, a plurality of connecting rods located at both ends of each of the damper members, each connecting rod having a first end rotating together with the driven pinion, a loader shaft configur