This patent application claims priority on and the benefit of German Patent Application No. 10 2021 106 053.2 having a filing date of 12 Mar. 2021.
The invention relates to an air circulation system which is used in particular for motor vehicle front ends.
Corresponding air circulation systems have at least one air duct through which air sucked in from outside a vehicle can get into the interior of the vehicle. This air must be controlled under certain circumstances, which is why an air control device which in particular has lamellar air control flaps mounted in pivot bearings is generally used for this purpose. By changing the pivoting position of the air control flaps, more or less air can be sucked in at the air inlet. Such air control flaps are usually coupled to a controllable actuator so that the vehicle controller can operate this actuator and thus change the pivoting position of the air control flaps.
For this purpose, these air control flaps 4 are usually mounted in a frame 3 of the air control device 2, as shown in
These frames must have a certain stability so that the air control device works properly even under high pressure from the outside. As electromobility technology progresses, vehicles are becoming heavier on average due to the batteries required, and it is therefore important to compensate for this increase in weight by saving weight in other areas. In particular, this requires new solutions in the design of motor vehicle front ends.
Therefore, the problem addressed by the present invention is that of providing an air circulation system and a motor vehicle front end having said system which meet the current requirements for weight reduction.
This problem is solved by an air circulation system, as well as a motor vehicle front end having an air circulation system, the air circulation system for a motor vehicle front end having at least one air duct having an air inlet and an air control device which has at least one, in particular lamellar, air control flap which is mounted in pivot bearings and can be pivoted via a drive, in particular an actuator, in order to control the passage of air through the air inlet, wherein the air duct comprises a foamed or injection-molded material at least in the region of the air control device, in particular in the region of the air inlet, wherein at least one or a plurality of the pivot bearings is/are accommodated or formed in the foamed material.
The air circulation system according to the invention for a motor vehicle front end has at least one air duct having an air inlet and an air control device, said air control device comprising at least one, in particular lamellar, air control flap mounted in pivot bearings. Said air control flap can be pivoted via a drive, in particular an actuator, in order to control the passage of air through the air inlet. The air duct comprises a foamed or injection-molded material at least in the region of the air control device, in particular in the region of the air inlet. According to the invention, at least one or a plurality of the pivot bearings is/are accommodated or formed in the foamed material.
The invention is based on the concept of using a lightweight material for the air duct, such as a sprayed or foamed material, for example polypropylene foam (EPP), thereby removing the need for the frame previously used to hold the air control flaps and connecting the pivot bearing for the air control flap directly to the material of the air duct. In this way, weight can be reduced compared to known solutions having a frame.
The manner in which the pivot bearings are fastened to the air duct can vary. According to a preferred embodiment, one or a plurality of the pivot bearings can be foamed into the foamed material or injection-molded into the injection-molded material. Corresponding pivot bearings can already be inserted into a corresponding mold during production of the air duct and are then already assembled so that only an actuator or the air control flaps have to be attached. This significantly reduces the assembly complexity and by injection-molding or foaming, the pivot bearing can be securely fastened to the air duct without the need for additional fastening elements.
Alternatively or additionally, one or a plurality of the pivot bearings can be frictionally, form-fittingly and/or integrally fastened in or on the foamed or injection-molded material, in particular in recesses formed in the foamed or injection-molded material. It is therefore possible here for individual fastening steps to be carried out only after the air duct has been produced.
The type of such connections is at the discretion of a person skilled in the art and must be adapted to the local conditions or the specific assembly situation. For example, one or a plurality of the pivot bearings can be connected to the foamed or injection-molded material via a screw connection. This is particularly advantageous if, for example, the air control device is to be removed for maintenance or repair purposes.
In principle, it is also possible for a plurality of the pivot bearings to be arranged on a connecting portion, in particular a strip, which is frictionally, form-fittingly and/or integrally connected to the foamed or injection-molded material. Such a connecting portion having a plurality of pivot bearings reduces the number of components required and in this respect makes for an easier assembly process. It is therefore conceivable that a plurality of pivot bearings are located on a single, integral component, for example a plastics material component.
Conversely, a plurality of the pivot bearings can be designed as sleeves or bushings which are in particular not connected to one another and in which a pivot bearing pin of the air control flap(s) is pivotally accommodated.
The pivot bearing(s) and/or the air control flap(s) is/are preferably made of a plastics material, in particular polypropylene (PP). Of course, other materials are also conceivable. The air circulation system described above is preferably part of a motor vehicle front end. Of course, it is also conceivable to accommodate a corresponding air circulation system on other components, in particular components of a vehicle.
The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to
The air circulation system 1 shown in
A first embodiment of the air control device 2 according to the invention will now be explained with reference to
In the figures mentioned, only examples of air control devices 2 having a plurality of lamellar air control flaps 4 are shown. The invention works just as well having just one such air control flap 4. The air control flaps 4 have bearing pins or bearing portions 42 (cf.
The sectional view shown in
The pivot bearing devices 5, 7 are preferably injection-molded or foamed into the material of the air circulation system 1.
Of course, it is also possible to connect corresponding bearing sleeves or bearing bushes individually to the material of the air circulation system 1 or air duct without corresponding bearing sleeves or bearing bushes 50, 73 being connected to one another, as is shown by way of the pivot bearing devices 5 or 7 in the embodiment of
In this respect,
A first embodiment of a bearing sleeve 50′ to be attached separately is shown in
It is also possible to provide a pivot bearing device 5, 7 having corresponding recesses and a fastening element 52″ (
The type of anchoring in the foamed or injection-molded material can be produced in different ways, for example the corresponding fastening element 52″ can be a rivet, a self-tapping screw 52′″ having a corresponding wide spiral 52a which extends into the foamed or injection-molded material of the air circulation system 1 or the air duct, or a simple bolt which is fastened by means of adhesion in a recess provided in the material of the air circulation system 1 or the air duct. Finally, it is also possible to design such a fastening element 52″ having dowel-like or rib-like projections with or without undercuts that are pressed into a recess provided in the material of the air circulation system 1 or the air duct. The corresponding fastening element 52″ is held in the corresponding recess by the ribs, undercuts or the like. This can also be additionally supported using adhesive.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
102021106053.2 | Mar 2021 | DE | national |