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EP-4294653-B1 - AIR VENT FOR A HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

EP4294653B1EP 4294653 B1EP4294653 B1EP 4294653B1EP-4294653-B1

Inventors

  • BARTHAUD, CHRISTOPHE
  • CHOUARAIN, LAURENT

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220120

Claims (9)

  1. Aerator (1) for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system system of a motor vehicle, comprising: hollow body (2) defining a conduit (3) adapted to channel an air flow (F) as far as an exit opening (4) opening into the passenger compartment of said vehicle, at least one first set (6) of deflexion fins (6 A, 6 B, 6 C, 6 D) mounted to pivot about parallel axes inside said conduit (3) between two end angular positions, the latter also being constrained to rotate with one another by means of at least one connecting rod (9, 10), an occulting flap (11) pivotally mounted in said conduit (3) upstream said first set (6) of fins (6 A, 6 B, 6 C, 6 D) between a maximum opening position and a closing position preventing the channelled air flow (F) from escaping through said exit opening (4); the aerator (1) further comprising a gear mechanism (15, 18, 21) controlled by a single drive knob (12), said mechanism (15, 18, 21) being configured such that the rotation of said knob (12) over a first part (C 1) of its angular travel makes it possible to order the rotation of the fins (6 A, 6 B, 6 C, 6 D) of said first clearance (6) between their two end angular positions, and such that the rotation of said knob (12) over the second remaining part (C 2) of its angular travel makes it possible to order the rotation of said flap (11) between its maximum opening position and its closing position, said knob (12) comprising a first outer toothing in the shape of an arc of a circle (14) meshed with a second outer toothing (16) provided on a wheel (15) mounted to rotate, wherein said wheel (15) gates a first guide finger (17) moving in a first cam path (18) provided on one (9) of the at least one connecting rod (9, 10), so as to drive, during the rotation of said knob (12) over the first part (C 1) of its angular travel, the displacement of this connecting rod (9) causing the progressive pivoting of the fins (6 A, 6 B, 6 C, 6 D) of said first clearance (6) between their two end angular positions.
  2. An aerator (1) according to claim 1, wherein the profile of said first cam path (18) is arranged such that the rotation of said knob (12) on the second remaining part (C 2) of its travel does not cause any displacement of said connecting rod (9) in order to prevent the continuation of the pivoting of the fins (6 A, 6 B, 6 C, 6 D) of said first set (6).
  3. An aerator (1) according to one of the previous claims, wherein said wheel (15) comprises a third outer toothing in the shape of an arc of a circle (19) adapted to cooperate, during the rotation of said knob (12) on the second remaining part (C 2) of its travel, with a fourth outer toothing in the shape of an arc of a circle (20) centred on the pivot axis of said flap (11) and provided on a drive plate (21) rigidly connected to this flap (11), so as to drive, during the rotation of this knob (12) on this second remaining part (C 2) of its travel, the progressive pivoting of this flap (11) between its maximum opening position and its closing position.
  4. An aerator (1) according to claim 4, wherein said wheel (15) gates a second guide finger (22) adapted to cooperate, during the rotation of said knob (12) on the second remaining part (C 2) of its travel, with a second cam path (23) arranged on said plate (21), so as to allow perfectly synchronised and smooth meshing of said third toothing (19) on said fourth toothing (20).
  5. An aerator (1) according to one of the previous claims, wherein said knob (12) gates, on an angular sector extending opposite the first outer toothing (14) and at least equal to that of the latter, an outer covering (25) having a plurality of gripping notches.
  6. An aerator (1) according to one of the previous claims, wherein said mechanism (15, 18, 21) is arranged such that the first part (C1) of the travel of said knob (12) extends over an angular sector greater than that of the second remaining part (C2) of this travel.
  7. An aerator (1) according to claim 7, wherein the first part (C1) of the travel of said knob (12) extends over an angular sector at least twice as great as that of the second remaining part (C2) of this travel.
  8. An aerator (1) according to one of the previous claims, further comprising a second set (5) of deflexion fins (5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E, 5F) pivotally mounted inside said conduit (3), in downstream with the fins (6A, 6B, 6C, 6D) of said first set (6) and along rotational axes perpendicular to those of the latter.
  9. Motor vehicle comprising at least one aerator (1) according to one of the previous claims.

Description

[Technical field] The present invention relates to a ventilator for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of a motor vehicle. [Previous technique] Such an aerator, known for example from the French patent application FR 2 956 065 , typically includes: a hollow body defining a conduit capable of channeling an airflow to an outlet opening leading into the passenger compartment of the vehicle; at least one first set of deflection fins mounted to pivot inside said duct along parallel axes between two extreme angular positions, the latter being rotationally fixed to each other by means of at least one connecting element; and an actuation device intended to ensure the rotational control of the at least said first set of fins via a control mechanism. Such a ventilator is also equipped with means of occlusion designed, in a particular configuration, to prevent as much as possible the channeled airflow circulating in the duct from escaping through the outlet opening. The documents FR3081778 , FR3081384 And DE2012000 describe aerators featuring a dial that controls the movement of flaps in order to change their orientation. According to a first well-known solution of the prior art, these means of occultation are constituted by the deflection fins of a set which are able to occupy a closure configuration in which they partially overlap so as to obstruct the conduit. The main drawback of using such blackout-type fins, which provide both directional and blackout functions, is that they significantly alter the flow rate of the air entering the passenger compartment depending on the orientation of these fins, so that users experience some difficulty in finding the right compromise in their adjustment. According to a second solution also well known from the prior art, the means of occultation consist of a single occultation flap mounted pivoting in the duct upstream of the set or sets of fins between a maximum opening position and a closed position preventing the channeled airflow from escaping through the outlet opening. The rotational control of this flap is then ensured by a knob accessible from the front face of the hollow body and connected to a second control mechanism. However, the main drawback of this solution is that it requires two different control mechanisms driven by two different actuation devices, which generates additional manufacturing costs. [Description of the invention] The present invention therefore aims to improve the situation. For this purpose, it offers an air vent for automotive heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, comprising: a hollow body defining a conduit capable of channeling an airflow to an outlet opening into the passenger compartment of said vehicle, at least one first set of deflection fins mounted to pivot about parallel axes inside said duct between two extreme angular positions, the latter being further rotationally connected to each other by means of at least one connecting rod, a pivoting blackout flap mounted in said duct upstream of said first set of fins between a maximum opening position and a closed position preventing the channeled airflow from escaping through said outlet opening; the aerator further comprising a geared mechanism driven by a single drive knob, said mechanism being configured such that the The rotation of said knob through a first part of its angular travel controls the rotation of the vanes of said first set between their two extreme angular positions, and such that the rotation of said knob through the remaining second part of its angular travel controls the rotation of said flap between its maximum opening position and its closed position. Said knob comprises a first external toothed arc meshing with a second external toothed arc provided on a rotating wheel, said wheel carrying a first guide finger traveling in a first cam track formed on at least one connecting rod, so as to cause, during the rotation of said knob through the first part of its angular travel, the displacement of this connecting rod, causing the progressive pivoting of the vanes of said first set between their two extreme angular positions. By allowing sequential control of the airflow directionality via the rotation of conventional deflection vanes and the obstruction of the duct via the rotation of the flap using a single dial, the aerator according to the invention ensures optimal user comfort while limiting the cost price. Furthermore, this aerator has the advantage, when equipped with a second set of fins arranged downstream of those of the first set, of avoiding the need for a slider mounted on one of these fins of the second set to ensure the adjustment of the orientation of the two sets of fins but preventing the application of any decorative coating on these same fins (the repeated friction between this actuator and the fin on which it is mounted causing a progressive disappearance of this coating and thus negatively impacting the level of quality per