WO2020150302A1

WO2020150302A1 - Disappearing automotive vent

Info

Publication number: WO2020150302A1
Application number: PCT/US2020/013605
Authority: WO
Inventors: David HORNICK
Original assignee: FlexSys Inc
Current assignee: FlexSys Inc
Priority date: 2019-01-17
Filing date: 2020-01-15
Publication date: 2020-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 2021-07-17

Abstract

A vehicle component includes a body panel, a flap monolithically connected on an upstream side of the flap with the body panel, the upstream side being defined with respect to an airstream passing the flap when installed in a forward-moving vehicle; and an actuator operatively connected to the flap on a vehicle-inner side of the body panel to move a free downstream end of the flap toward the vehicle-inner side. The flap forms a flush surface with the body panel in a closed state of the flap and reaches an open state by bending of an upstream portion of the flap. The flap and the body panel are made of an elastically bendable material. The flap is formed by a narrow kerf cut machined in the body panel along an outline of the flap that remains attached to the remainder of the body panel on the upstream side.

Description

DISAPPEARING AUTOMOTIVE VENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure deals with ca vent or air duct opening in a vehicle body. The vehicle may be a motor vehicle such as a truck, a van, a passenger car, a motor cycle, a boat, or a personal watercraft.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Automotive vents are common for various purposes, such as cooling or air supply. As such vents, however, cause turbulences that negatively affect the aerodynamics and appearance of a vehicle.

[0003] It has been proposed to provide movable shutters or louvers to cover an automotive vent when the air stream passing through the vent is not required, for instance while the vehicle is parked or when no cooling is necessary.

SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure provides an enhanced automotive vent that reduces the number of parts required for provided a closable automotive vent and does not require pivoted hinges. A seamless transition from the vehicle skin to the movable vent improves the aerodynamic properties of the vent by creating a smooth outer surface when the vent is closed.

[0005] Accordingly, the present disclosure presents a vehicle component comprising a body panel, a flap monolithically connected on an upstream side of the flap with the body panel, the upstream side being defined with respect to an airstream passing the flap when installed in a forward-moving vehicle; and an actuator operatively connected to the flap on a vehicle-inner side of the body panel to move a free downstream end of the flap toward the vehicle-inner side.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the flap forms a flush surface with the body panel in a closed state of the flap and reaches an open state by bending of an upstream portion of the flap.

[0007] To reduce material fatigue, the flap and the body panel may be made of an elastically bendable material.

[0008] In designs, in which the body panel has a curved outer surface, the flap may have an outer surface adapted to be flush with the curved outer surface of the body panel.

[0009] To keep the gap between the flap and the body panel at a minimum, the flap may be formed by a narrow kerf cut machined in the body panel along an outline of the flap that remains attached to the remainder of the body panel on the upstream side to maintain a monolithic connection with the body panel.

[0010] The flap may be configured to bend along a bending axis parallel to a virtual line connecting the ends of the kerf cut and transverse to the airstream passing the flap when installed in the forward-moving vehicle.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the actuator may be configured to pull the flap inward, thereby opening a vent.

[0012] In one variation, the actuator is configured to release the flap for closing the vent by an elastic restoring force acting on the flap.

[0013] In another variation, the actuator is configured to push the flap outward to close the vent. [0014] In a further development of the actuator, the actuator may comprises a compliant structure attached to a vehicle-inner surface of the flap.

[0015] The compliant structure may have a V-shape profile with an outer leg and an inner leg attached to each other at downstream ends of the outer and inner legs at a junction, wherein the actuator has a drive mechanism acting on the inner leg.

[0016] The outer leg of the compliant structure may be attached to the vehicle- inner surface of the flap.

[0017] The bending shape and stiffness of the compliant structure may be modified by at least one web connecting the inner and outer leg upstream of the junction.

[0018] For reducing the number of parts and simplifying the assembly, the inner leg, the outer leg, and the at least one web are monolithically formed from elastically bendable material.

[0019] Where feasible, a vent box may be disposed on the vehicle-inner side of the flap, wherein the actuator is configured to move the flap into the vent box for opening a vent.

[0020] Further details and benefits of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of several examples shown in the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In the drawings,

[0022] Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a first example of a disappearing vent operated by a linear actuator connected to the underside of the flap via a hinge in the closed position; [0023] Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the vent of Fig. 1 in the fully open position;

[0024] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the vent of Fig. 1 in the closed position;

[0025] Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the vent of Fig. 1 in the fully open position;

[0026] Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a second example of a disappearing vent operated by a morphing structurer connected to the underside of the flap in the closed position;

[0027] Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the vent of Fig. 5 in the fully open position;

[0028] Fig. 7 shows a disappearing vent according to the present disclosure in the closed position on the hood of a passenger vehicle;

[0029] Fig. 8 shows the disappearing vent of Fig. 7 in the fully open position;

[0030] Fig. 9 shows a disappearing vent according to the present disclosure in the closed position on a rear door of a passenger vehicle; and

[0031] Fig. 10 shows the disappearing vent of Fig. 9 in the fully open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The present disclosure deals with an air duct 16 that is selectively closable with a flap 12 to form a flush surface with a surrounding vehicle body panel 14 when not in use, thus forming a vent 10 that disappears when closed.

[0033] Manufacturing the vent 10 begins with a smooth body panel 14 made of any standard material, for example sheet metal, carbon fiber, glass fiber, or another suitable bendable material. The body panel 14 has a shape as dictated by the design of the respective vehicle. The body panel 14 may have a three-dimensional surface curvature with elevations, depressions, or both.

[0034] A narrow kerf cut 18 is machined in the body panel 14 along an outline of the intended vent 10 or opening to form a tongue or flap 12 that remains attached to the remainder of the body panel 14 on one side to maintain a monolithic connection with the body panel 14. The cut 18 may be machined with any suitable method, for example a saw, a laser, or a waterjet, depending on the material and thickness of the body panel 14.

[0035] The connected side is generally an upstream side, while the flap 12 has a disconnected downstream end as generally indicated by arrows designating an air stream 20. The cut 18, for example, may extend around two or three edges of the planned opening area creating a flexible flap 12. Alternatively, the cut 18 may define a U-shape with a rounded outline. A virtual line A (shown in Figs. 3 and 4) connecting lateral ends of the connected side, i.e. the ends of the cut 18, extends transverse to an air stream 20 passing the assembled vehicle during forward travel. This virtual line A extends generally parallel to a bending axis of the flap 12.

[0036] In a relaxed state, the outer surface of the flap 12 aligns with the outer surface of the surrounding body panel 14. The outer surface of the body panel 14 may be curved, depending on the surface formed by the body panel 14. Because, however, the flap 12 is cut out of the body panel 14, its edges adapt to the surrounding surface absent any external forces.

[0037] When the flap 12 is pulled down toward the interior of the vehicle body in an installed position, it creates a bottom surface of a vent 10. Opposite from the connected side of the flap 12, a gap is formed between the free end of the flap 12 and the respective edge of the remaining body panel 14. This gap opens an air duct 16. A vent box 24 may be attached beneath the flap area, or the flap 12 may form the bottom flow surface without a vent box 24.

[0038] For moving the flap 12 inward, an actuator 22 may interact with the underside of the flap 12. The actuator 22 can be electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, or passive. Passive in this context means that the flap 12 may move inward under a difference in air pressure between the outside of the flap 12 and the inside of the flap 12, generally due to a pressure difference caused by the movement of the vehicle.

[0039] The actuator 22 can be linear or rotary. While two examples of actuators 22 are shown in the attached drawings, any mechanism causing the flap 12 to flex inward may be implemented. Examples for the configuration of the actuation system’s connection to the flexing flap 12 include a direct connection, a four-bar linkage, a compliant structure 26, a magnetic actuator, or an air bladder. As the actuator system is activated, the flap 12 is pulled inward, for example to the bottom 30 of the vent box 24 where a vent box 24 is present, or returned to its original position.

[0040] The body panel 14 has a thickness designed to provide a repeatable aerodynamic shape in the retracted condition, and to provide the stiffness needed to limit deformation under air loads in the non-retracted condition, at least if actuators 22 are used that do not retain the flap 12 in the closed position. The material and stiffness are chosen to ensure a durable elastic deformation during actuation. Passive systems or systems, in which the actuator 22 only pulls the flap 12 inward, are designed to minimize any remaining plastic deformation of the flap 12 so that the flap 12 retains its own restoring force to return into its relaxed state flush with the surrounding body panel 14.

[0041] This type of vent 10 can be used on a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, boats, and watercraft.

[0042] The amount of flap 12 displacement can be used to control the amount of flow into the vent 10 or air duct 16. This means that the flap 12 may have a fully closed position flush with the surrounding body panel 14, a fully open position, and at least one intermediate position. The flap 12 may also have a continuously adjustable position, without any predetermined, discrete incremental steps.

[0043] In Fig. 1 , a disappearing vent 10 is shown in a cross-sectional view. The vent 10 may be positioned in any outside surface of a vehicle that is exposed to an air stream 20 during vehicle movement. In the example shown, the air stream 20 is indicated by hollow arrows pointing from the left side to the right side of the drawing figure. A flap 12 is surrounded by a body panel 14 and is monolithically connected to the body panel 14 on the upstream side of the flap 12, which is the left side of the drawing. An actuator 22 is hingedly connected to the inside surface of the flap 12.

[0044] The hinge of the flap shown in all drawings is similar to a live hinge in that the flap is moved by bending. In contrast to a live hinge, however, there is no defined line of reduced thickness of material to mark a folding line so that no fixed bending axis is defined. A virtual bending axis in all deflected positions of the flap is always parallel to a virtual line A connecting the lateral ends of the connected side of the flap as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In the shown example, the actuator 22 is connected to the flap 12 near the free end of the flap 12, i.e. the downstream end on the right side of the drawing. An optional vent box 24 is shown that has an opening in the bottom 30, through which the actuator 22 extends. Alternatively, the vent box 24 may have dimensions to accommodate the complete actuator 22 so that only electrical connectors or a hydraulic or pneumatic line needs to extend through the bottom 30 or through a side wall 28 of the vent box 24. While the actuator 22 is shown as a telescopic shaft, it may be formed by a push-pull cable mounted in the vent box 24 or my other mechanical assemblies, such as linkages. The vent box 24 has side walls 28 that form side walls 28 of an air channel opened up by the flap 12. Accordingly, the side walls 28 may have a curved surface adapted to the shape of the flap outline. Where no vent box 24 is present, side walls 28 may be attached to the inside surface of the surrounding body panel 14. In that case, the bottom 30 of the vent box 24 is absent.

[0045] In Fig. 1 , the actuator 22 is extended so that the flap 12 lies flush with the body panel 14, forming a smooth outer surface that is only broken up by a thin kerf cut 18 that may be as narrow as a fraction of a millimeter up to two millimeters wide.

[0046] In Fig. 2, the actuator 22 is retracted so that the flap 12 is bent inward. “Inward” means toward the interior or the vehicle when the body panel 14 is installed on the vehicle. The monolithically connected upstream side of the flap 12 remains flush with the body panel 14, while the downstream end opens a gap between the flap 12 and the body panel 14. This gap leads to an air duct 16 that may serve to cool a vehicle device or to supply air to the interior of the vehicle cabin. In the open position, the flap 12 forms the bottom of the air channel leading to the air duct 16.

[0047] Fig. 2 shows the flap 12 in a fully open position. In the example shown, the downstream end of the flap 12 is in contact with the bottom 30 of the vent box 24. The fully open position may otherwise be determined by an actuator end position, especially, but not exclusively, in embodiments without a vent box 24. Also, intermediate positions can be established by a partial retraction of the actuator 22.

[0048] Figs. 3 and 4 show a perspective view of an automotive vent 10 that may be actuated in accordance with the example shown in Figs. 1 and 2 or in another manner. The view of Fig. 3 shows that the vent 10 is flush with the surrounding body panel 14 when the flap 12 is in the closed position. Only a narrow kerf remains visible. As shown in Fig. 4, when the flap 12 is lowered toward the inside of the vehicle body, a gap is formed at the downstream end of the flap 12 to open an air duct 16 receiving the air stream 20. The upstream end of the flap 12 remains connected to the body panel 14 and provides a smooth transition from the body panel 14 to the flap 12.

[0049] Figs. 5 and 6 show an alternative actuator assembly 22 that involves a bendable understructure attached to the flap 12. The bendable understructure is a compliant structure 26 attached to the vehicle-inner surface of the flap 12. The compliant structure 26 has a V-shape profile with an outer leg 32 and an inner leg 34 attached to each other at downstream ends of the outer and inner leg 34s at a junction, wherein the actuator 22 has a drive mechanism 38 acting on the inner leg 34. The outer leg 32 of the compliant structure 26 is attached to the vehicle-inner surface of the flap 12. At least one web 36 connects the inner leg 34 and the outer leg 32 upstream of the junction. The inner leg 34, the outer leg 32, and the at least one web 36 are monolithically formed from elastically bendable material.

[0050] The depiction of Figs. 5 and 6 is merely schematic, and there are many possible arrangements of flexible arrangements that may be feasible to provide a bendable understructure. The positions shown in Figs. 5 and 6 correspond to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and additional intermediate positions may be occupied by the flap 12 by partial retractions of the actuator 22. Generally, Fig. 5 shows the relaxed state of the flap 12, and Fig. 6 shows the actuated state of the flap 12, where the actuator 22 has been retracted in a direction indicated by an arrow in Fig. 5.

[0051] In the shown example, a linear drive mechanism 38 moves a part of the compliant structure 26, which in turn flexes the flap 12 due to the pulling force applied to the compliant structure 26. The exact shape, in which the flap 12 is deformed, can be established by varying the thicknesses of the compliant structure 26 along the flap 12 and by adding further webs 36 for added control of the flap position.

[0052] The example of Figs. 5 and 6 does not include a vent box 24. A vent box 24 of suitable shape and volume may be added, or the vent 10 may have added side walls 28 as described above. Further, the drive mechanism 38 may be configured to perform a non-linear motion, for example an angular rotation of the compliant structure 26. In the perspective of Figs. 5 and 6, a clockwise rotation of the compliant structure 26 would open the vent 10.

[0053] Figs. 7 and 8 show a vent 10 as described above in a vehicle hood. The flap 12 has a connected side toward the front of the vehicle, and the air duct 16 is positioned at the downstream end of the flap 12, which is toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0054] Figs. 9 and 10 show a vent 10 as described above having a variation in shape due to its location on a rear side door of a vehicle. The concept is analogous to the examples described above. [0055] While the above description constitutes the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope and fair meaning of the accompanying claims.

Claims

Patent Claim:

1. A vehicle component comprising:

a body panel,

a flap monolithically connected on an upstream side of the flap with the body panel, the upstream side being defined with respect to an airstream passing the flap when installed in a forward-moving vehicle; and

an actuator operatively connected to the flap on a vehicle-inner side of the body panel to move a free downstream end of the flap toward the vehicle-inner side.

2. The vehicle component according to claim 1 , wherein the flap forms a flush surface with the body panel in a closed state of the flap and reaches an open state by bending of an upstream portion of the flap.

3. The vehicle component according to claim 1 , wherein the flap and the body panel are made of an elastically bendable material.

4. The vehicle component according to claim 1 , wherein the body panel has a curved outer surface and the flap has an outer surface adapted to be flush with the curved outer surface of the body panel.

5. The vehicle component according to claim 1 , wherein the flap is formed by a narrow kerf cut machined in the body panel along an outline of the flap that remains attached to the remainder of the body panel on the upstream side to maintain a monolithic connection with the body panel.

6. The vehicle component according to claim 5, wherein the narrow kerf cut has ends and a virtual line connecting the ends of the kerf cut extends parallel to a bending axis of the flap and transverse to the airstream passing the flap when installed in the forward- moving vehicle.

7. The vehicle component according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured to pull the flap inward, thereby opening a vent.

8. The vehicle component according to claim 7, wherein the actuator is configured to release the flap for closing the vent by an elastic restoring force acting on the flap.

9. The vehicle component according to claim 7, wherein the actuator is configured to push the flap outward to close the vent.

10. The vehicle component according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a compliant structure attached to a vehicle-inner surface of the flap.

1 1 . The vehicle component according to claim 10, wherein the compliant structure has a V-shape profile with an outer leg and an inner leg attached to each other at downstream ends of the outer and inner legs at a junction, wherein the actuator has a drive mechanism acting on the inner leg.

12. The vehicle component according to claim 1 1 , wherein the outer leg of the compliant structure is attached to the vehicle-inner surface of the flap.

13. The vehicle component according to claim 1 1 , wherein at least one web connects the inner and outer legs upstream of the junction.

14. The vehicle component according to claim 12, wherein the inner leg, the outer leg, and the at least one web are monolithically formed from elastically bendable material.

15. The vehicle component according to claim 1 , wherein a vent box is disposed on the vehicle-inner side of the flap, wherein the actuator is configured to move the flap into the vent box for opening a vent.