AIR-CONDITIONING REGISTER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an air-conditioning register that blows out air-conditioning air, which is delivered from an air conditioner, through the outlet of an airflow passage.

Vehicles have air-conditioning registers, which are configured to change the direction in which air-conditioning air from the air duct of the air conditioner is blown into the passenger compartment. One example of such an air-conditioning register includes fins and a retainer having an airflow passage, through which air-conditioning air flows. The fins are arranged in the airflow passage and tiltably supported by the retainer with fin pivots.

Each fin has a coupling pin at a position displaced from the fin pivot. The fins are arranged parallel with each other, and the coupling pins are coupled to each other by a coupling link. This allows all the fins to be tilted while being arranged parallel with each other. Air-conditioning air is blown out from the outlet such that the air-conditioning air flows along the adjacent fins and the like, and in parallel streams through all the spaces in between and the like. The blow mode in which the air-conditioning air is blown out in this manner is referred to as a parallel blow mode.

In recent years, a type of air-conditioning register has been proposed that is capable of blowing out air-conditioning air from the outlet in blow modes other than the parallel blow mode (non-parallel blow modes). For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-293133 discloses an air-conditioning register that implements a diffusion blow mode and a concentration blow mode as non-parallel blow modes.

In the diffusion blow mode, adjacent fins are tilted such that the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. In this case, the air-conditioning air flows along the adjacent fins and the like through spaces in between to be diffused to a wider area toward the downstream end. A weaker flow of air-conditioning air is blown onto a wider area of the body of an occupant than in a case in which the parallel blow mode is selected.

In the concentration blow mode, adjacent fins are tilted such that the spaces in between at the upstream end are wider than those at the downstream end. In this case, the air-conditioning air flows along adjacent fins and the like through spaces in between to be converged to reach areas that are narrowed down toward the downstream end. A stronger flow of air-conditioning air is blown onto a narrower area of the body of an occupant than in a case in which the parallel blow mode is selected.

To implement non-parallel blow modes, the configuration of the publication employs a guide link in addition to the coupling link. The coupling link has support holes, the number of which is equal to that of the fins, and the guide link has guide holes, the number of which is equal to that of the fins. A coupling pin associated with one of the fins is received by the intersecting parts of one of the support holes and the corresponding guide hole.

When the guide link is moved along the flow of air-conditioning air, the relative positions of the guide link and the coupling link are changed. This shifts the positions of the intersecting parts of the support holes and the guide holes to tilt the fins, so that the blow mode is switched between the parallel blow mode and the diffusion blow mode or between the parallel blow mode and the concentration blow mode.

Further, the guide link and the coupling link are lifted or lowered, so that the fins are tilted while being maintained parallel. That is, when the parallel blow mode is selected, the direction of the parallel streams of the air-conditioning air is changed.

When selecting the diffusion blow mode, the passenger may desire to change the part onto which the diffused air-conditioning air is blown. Also, when selecting the concentration blow mode, the passenger may desire to change the part onto which the converged air-conditioning air is blown.

However, the air-conditioning register of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-293133, which tilts the fins by changing the positions of the intersecting parts of the support holes and the guide holes, has a limitation in increasing the patterns of tilting of the fins and thus cannot meet the above described needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an air-conditioning register that is capable of changing the direction of air-conditioning air not only in the parallel blow mode, but also in the non-parallel blow modes.

To achieve the foregoing objective and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an air-conditioning register that includes a retainer, a plurality of fins, a coupling plate, and a drive mechanism is provided. An airflow passage is provided in the retainer. The airflow passage has an outlet at a downstream end in a flowing direction of air-conditioning air. The fins are arranged in the airflow passage and tiltably supported by the retainer with fin pivots. Each fin has a coupling pin at a position displaced from the fin pivot. The coupling plate couples the fins together at the coupling pins. The drive mechanism changes a position of the coupling plate in the flowing direction. The coupling pins, which are respectively associated with the fins, are engaged with cam grooves provided in the coupling plate, so that all the fins are coupled to the coupling plate. Each cam groove includes a parallel blow zone and at least one non-parallel blow zone. In the parallel blow zone, adjacent fins are arranged to be parallel with each other. In the non-parallel blow zone, adjacent fins are in at least one of a state in which a space in between is narrower at an upstream end than at a downstream end and a state in which the space is wider at the upstream end than at the downstream end. The drive mechanism includes an allowing portion. When operation is executed to tilt the fins about the fin pivots, the allowing portion allows the coupling plate to move in an arrangement direction of the fins, while maintaining the coupling pins in the current zones in the cam grooves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air-conditioning register according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the air-conditioning register of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the coupling plate and the guide plate according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4a-4a of FIG. 1, illustrating a parallel blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4b-4b of FIG. 1, illustrating the parallel blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the parallel blow mode.

FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the parallel blow mode.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A, illustrating a diffusion blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B, illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the diffusion blow mode.

FIG. 7B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the diffusion blow mode.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A, illustrating a concentration blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B, illustrating the concentration blow mode of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4A, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the concentration blow mode.

FIG. 9B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 4B, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the concentration blow mode.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an air-conditioning register according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the air-conditioning register shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing some of the components of the air-conditioning register of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing some of the components of the air-conditioning register of FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14-14 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 15-15 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the coupling plate and the guide plate according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 17-17 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 18A is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 15, illustrating the parallel blow mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 18B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 17, illustrating the parallel blow mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 19A is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 15, illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 19B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 17, illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the second embodiment.

FIG. 20A is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 15, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the diffusion blow mode.

FIG. 20B is a partial cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 17, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the diffusion blow mode.

FIG. 21 is a partial side view of an air-conditioning register according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a partial bottom view of the air-conditioning register of the third embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a side view of the coupling plate and the guide plate of the third embodiment.

FIG. 24A is a cross-sectional side view extracting and illustrating the coupling plate and the guide plate in the parallel blow mode of the third embodiment.

FIG. 24B is a cross-sectional side view extracting and illustrating the fins in the parallel blow mode of the third embodiment.

FIG. 25A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the parallel blow mode.

FIG. 25B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the parallel blow mode.

FIG. 26A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the parallel blow mode.

FIG. 26B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the parallel blow mode.

FIG. 27A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A, illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the third embodiment.

FIG. 27B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B, illustrating the diffusion blow mode of the third embodiment.

FIG. 28A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the diffusion blow mode.

FIG. 28B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the diffusion blow mode.

FIG. 29A is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24A, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the diffusion blow mode.

FIG. 29B is a cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG. 24B, illustrating a state in which the blow direction has been changed in the diffusion blow mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
First Embodiment

An air-conditioning register according to a first embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9B.

The air-conditioning register is designed to be installed in a vehicle.

In the following description, the direction in which the vehicle advances (moves forward) will be referred to as the front, and the reverse direction will be referred to as the rear. The height direction of the vehicle will be referred to as an up-down direction of the vehicle. The width direction (the left-right direction) of the vehicle is defined with reference to the state in which the vehicle is viewed from the rear.

In the passenger compartment, an instrument panel is located in front of the front seats of the vehicle (the driver's seat and the front passenger seat). The instrument panel incorporates air-conditioning registers at the center and the sides with reference to the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The main function of the air-conditioning registers is to change the direction of air-conditioning air that is delivered from the air conditioner and discharged through the outlets.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each air-conditioning register includes a retainer 10, a downstream fin set, an operation knob 45, a coupling plate 51, and a drive mechanism DM. The structure of each component constituting the air-conditioning register will now be described.

The retainer 10 is configured to connect the air duct (not shown) of the air conditioner to the opening (not shown) in the instrument panel and includes a retainer body 11 and a bezel 25.

The interior space of the retainer 10 constitutes a passage for air-conditioning air A1 (hereinafter, referred to as an airflow passage 14, refer to FIG. 4B). With regard to the direction in which the air-conditioning air A1 flows, the side closer to the air conditioner is referred to as “upstream,” or “upstream side,” and the side farther from the air conditioner is referred to as “downstream,” or “downstream side.”

The retainer body 11 is substantially shaped as a rectangular tube with an open upstream end and an open downstream end. The airflow passage 14 is surrounded by four walls of the retainer body 11. The four walls include side walls 15, 16, an upper wall 17, and a lower wall 18. The side walls 15, 16 are arranged to be parallel with each other and opposed to each other in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 are arranged to be parallel with each other and opposed to each other in the up-down direction. The upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 correspond to “two opposed walls” in the claims.

The lower wall 18 has a shaft portion 19 projecting from a downstream section at the center in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The lower wall 18 also has two guide pins 21 projecting downward. The guide pins 21 are spaced rightward from the shaft portion 19 and spaced apart from each other in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1.

The right side wall 16 has a guide pin 22 projecting rightward at the center in the up-down direction and substantially at the center in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1 (FIG. 4A).

The bezel 25 constitutes the most downstream part of the retainer 10 and is coupled to the downstream end of the retainer body 11. The bezel 25 has an outlet 26 at the downstream end of the airflow passage 14. The air-conditioning air A1 is blown out through the outlet 26. The surface on the downstream side of the bezel 25 about the outlet 26 constitutes a decorative surface of the air-conditioning register.

The outlet 26 includes a pair of short side portions 27 and a pair of long side portions 28, which is slightly longer than the short side portions 27. The short side portions 27 are parallel with and spaced apart from each other and extend in the up-down direction. The long side portions 28 are parallel with and spaced apart from each other and extend in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction), which is perpendicular to the short side portions 27. The thus structured outlet 26 has an elongated rectangular shape that is slightly longer in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction) than in the up-down direction.

The bezel 25 has a window 29, which has a horizontally elongated rectangular shape and is spaced apart downward from the outlet 26.

The retainer body 11 has an odd number (three) of sets of bearing portions 31 between the bezel 25 and each of the left and right side walls 15, 16. The bearing portions 31 in each of the side walls 15, 16 are spaced apart in the up-down direction. The bearing portions 31 are substantially evenly spaced apart from each other.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4B, the downstream fin set includes an odd number (three) of fins having the same structure. Each fin is used to change the angle α of the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1 blown out from the outlet 26 relative to the short side portions 27. To distinguish the three fins, the one at the center in the direction of arrangement (the up-down direction) will be referred to as a fin 35, and the fins above and below the fin 35 will be referred to as fins 36. The fins 35, 36 are mainly formed by plate-shaped members, which extend in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction) along the long side portions 28. The fins 35, 36 are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the thickness of the plate-shaped members.

Each of the fins 35, 36 has fin pivots 41 in the downstream section. The fin pivots 41 extend along the long side portions 28 in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The fin pivots 41, which are respectively associated with the fins 35, 36, are supported by the side walls 15, 16 via the bearing portions 31.

The fin pivots 41, which are respectively associated with the fins 35, 36, are exposed to the right from the right side wall 16. Each fin pivot 41 has an arm 42 at the part exposed from the side wall 16. Each arm 42 extends upstream from the corresponding fin pivot 41 and has a columnar coupling pin 43 at the distal end. In other words, the fins 35, 36 each have the coupling pin 43 at the position displaced from the corresponding fin pivot 41.

The operation knob 45 is fitted to the fin 35 at the center in the arrangement direction (the up-down direction). The operation knob 45 is manipulated by an occupant to change the direction of the air-conditioning air A1 blown out from the outlet 26. When upward or downward force is applied to the operation knob 45, the center fin 35 is tilted about the fin pivots 41.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the coupling plate 51 is configured to couple all the fins 35, 36 together via the coupling pins 43. The coupling plate 51 is slightly spaced rightward from the right side wall 16.

The coupling plate 51 has cam grooves the number of which is equal to the number of the fins 35, 36 (three). The cam grooves are arranged in the up-down direction. To distinguish the three cam grooves, the one at the center in the direction of arrangement (the up-down direction) will be referred to as a cam groove 52, and the cam grooves above and below the cam groove 52 will be referred to as cam grooves 53. The coupling pin 43 of the fin 35 is engaged with cam groove 52, and the coupling pins 43 of the fins 36 are engaged with the cam grooves 53, so that all the fins 35, 36 are coupled to the coupling plate 51.

The cam grooves 52, 53 extend in a slightly greater width than the diameter of the coupling pins 43. The cam groove 52 extends linearly in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The cam grooves 53 are formed to be symmetrical with respect to the center cam groove 52.

The cam grooves 52, 53 each have a parallel blow zone Z1 and at least one non-parallel blow zone. In the first embodiment, the non-parallel blow zones include a diffusion blow zone Z2 and a concentration blow zone Z3.

The parallel blow zones Z1 are configured to arrange the adjacent fins 35, 36 to be parallel with each other. The parallel arrangement not only includes a strictly parallel arrangement, but also a substantially parallel arrangement. The diffusion blow zones Z2 are configured to arrange the adjacent fins 35, 36 such that the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. The concentration blow zones Z3 are configured to arrange the adjacent fins 35, 36 such that the spaces in between at the upstream end are wider than those at the downstream end.

The parallel blow zones Z1 are middle sections of the cam grooves 52, 53 with respect to the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The diffusion blow zones Z2 are set in the cam grooves 52, 53 on the upstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1. The concentration blow zones Z3 are set in the cam grooves 52, 53 on the downstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1.

The drive mechanism DM is provided to change the position of the coupling plate 51 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The coupling plate 51 has two guide holes 55, which extend in the up-down direction and are spaced apart in the up-down direction. The guide holes 55 are slightly spaced apart toward the upstream end from all the cam grooves 52, 53.

The drive mechanism DM includes an operating member 61 and a guide plate 65. The operating member 61 is shaped as a disc and rotationally supported by the shaft portion 19. Part of the operating member 61 projects in the downward direction from the window 29 of the bezel 25.

The guide plate 65 includes a vertical guide plate portion 66 and a horizontal guide plate portion 72. The vertical guide plate portion 66 is laid on the coupling plate 51 in the thickness direction. In the first embodiment, the vertical guide plate portion 66 is arranged between the right side wall 16 of the retainer 10 and the coupling plate 51.

The vertical guide plate portion 66 has an elongated hole 67 in the upstream section substantially at the center in the up-down direction. The elongated hole 67 extends in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1 and receives the guide pin 22, which projects rightward from the right side wall 16. The elongated hole 67 and the guide pin 22 have a function to guide the guide plate 65 to move in the flowing direction. A member, which is a screw 68 in the first embodiment, is threaded to the guide pin 22. The screw 68 restricts rightward movement of the vertical guide plate portion 66, thereby preventing the vertical guide plate portion 66 from coming off the guide pin 22.

The vertical guide plate portion 66 has two guide projections 69 at the downstream section. The guide projections 69 are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction and project rightward. The guide projections 69 are respectively engaged with the guide holes 55 of the coupling plate 51. Members, which are screws 71 in the first embodiment, are threaded to the guide projections 69. The screws 71 restrict rightward movement of the coupling plate 51, thereby preventing the coupling plate 51 from coming off the guide projections 69.

The guide holes 55 of the coupling plate 51 and the guide projections 69 of the vertical guide plate portion 66 constitute an allowing portion of the drive mechanism DM. When the occupant operates the operation knob 45 to tilt the fins 35, 36 about the fin pivots 41, the allowing portion allows the coupling plate 51 to move in the up-down direction, which is the arrangement direction of the fins 35, 36, while maintaining the coupling pins 43 in the current zones in the cam grooves 52, 53.

The horizontal guide plate portion 72 is located directly below the lower wall 18 of the retainer 10 and laid on the lower wall 18. The horizontal guide plate portion 72 has elongated holes 73 at two positions spaced apart from each other in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The elongated holes 73 extend in the flowing direction and receive the guide pins 21, which project downward from the lower wall 18. The elongated holes 73 and the guide pins 21 have a function to guide the guide plate 65 to move in the flowing direction. Members, which are screws 74 in the first embodiment, are threaded to the guide pins 21. The screws 74 restrict downward movement of the horizontal guide plate portion 72, thereby preventing the horizontal guide plate portion 72 from coming off the guide pins 21. The horizontal guide plate portion 72 has a rack gear 75 on the left edge. The rack gear 75 has teeth arranged in the flowing direction.

A pinion gear 62 is coaxially provided on the operating member 61. The pinion gear 62 rotates integrally with the operating member 61 and meshes with the rack gear 75. The pinion gear 62 and the rack gear 75 are used to convert rotation of the operating member 61 to linear motion and transmit it to the guide plate 65.

Operation of the first embodiment, which is configured as described above, will now be described.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the state of each component when the operating member 61 is located at an intermediate position in the pivoting range (movable range). At this time, the coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with the fins 35, 36, are located in the parallel blow zones Z1 (see FIG. 3), which are set in the intermediate sections in the flow direction in the cam grooves 52, 53.

The fins 35, 36 are tiltable about the fin pivots 41. The inclination of the fin 35, which is at the center in the arrangement direction, is determined by the position of the coupling pin 43 in the straight center cam groove 52. The inclination of each of the fins 36 is determined by the position of the coupling pin 43 in the corresponding cam groove 53.

In the fins 35, 36, each coupling pin 43 is located at the same height as the corresponding fin pivot 41. The center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36, which are above and below the center fin 35, are arranged to be parallel with the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18.

The upper and lower guide projections 69 are each located at the center in the up-down direction of the corresponding guide hole 55. Each of the guide pins 21, 22 is located in the middle section in the flowing direction of the corresponding one of the elongated holes 73, 67.

Thus, the air-conditioning air A1 that has flowed into the retainer 10 flows through spaces between the adjacent fins 35, 36 and the like in parallel streams along the fins 35, 36 and the like and is blown out from the outlet 26 in the parallel blow mode. “The spaces between the fins 35 and 36 and the like” include not only the spaces between the adjacent fins 35 and 36, but also the space between the upper fin 36 and the upper wall 17 and the space between the lower fin 36 and the lower wall 18. “The fins 35, 36 and the like” include not only the fins 35, 36, but also the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18. The same applies to the following description.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in the guide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the coupling plate 51 is moved downward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the parallel blow zones Z1 in the cam grooves 52, 53. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35, 36 are moved to positions below the fin pivots 41. The fins 35, 36 are parallel with each other and all tilted to be lower toward the upstream end, so that the direction of the air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out in parallel streams, is changed from a horizontal direction to an upward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the components operate, although not illustrated, in directions opposite to those in the case when upward force is applied. The fins 35, 36 are parallel with each other and all tilted to be higher toward the upstream end, so that the direction of the air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out in parallel streams, is changed from a horizontal direction to a downward direction.

When force in one direction, for example, leftward force, is applied to the operating member 61 in the state shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, the operating member 61 and the pinion gear 62 integrally rotate counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 2. The rotation is transmitted to the guide plate 65 via the rack gear 75, which meshes with the pinion gear 62. The position at which the rack gear 75 meshes with the pinion gear 62 is changed so that the guide plate 65 is moved downstream as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. At this time, since the positions of the guide pins 22, 21 in the three elongated holes 67, 73 are changed only in the flowing direction, in which the elongated holes 67, 73 extend, the downstream movement of the guide plate 65 is guided.

The movement of the guide plate 65 is transmitted to the coupling plate 51 via the two guide projections 69 and the guide holes 55, so that the coupling plate 51 is moved downstream together with the guide plate 65. Accordingly, the cam grooves 52, 53 are moved downstream. The coupling pins 43 are moved in the cam grooves 52, 53 from the parallel blow zones Z1 to the diffusion blow zones Z2 (see FIG. 3) on the upstream side.

As described above, when the coupling pins 43 are moved to the diffusion blow zones Z2, the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 are tilted such that spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. In the first embodiment, the center fin 35 is maintained to be horizontal (the position parallel with the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18). The upper fin 36 is tilted to be lower toward the upstream end, and the lower fin 36 is tilted to be higher toward the upstream end.

The two cam grooves 53, which are adjacent to the center cam groove 52, are symmetrical with respect to the center cam groove 52. Thus, the two fins 36, which are adjacent to the center fin 35, are tilted in mutually opposite directions.

The air-conditioning air A1 is blown out in the diffusion blow mode by flowing along the fins 35, 36 and the like through the spaces between the adjacent fins 35, 36 and the like. The blown out air-conditioning air A1 is diffused to reach a wider range toward the downstream end. A weaker flow of the air-conditioning air A1 is blown onto a wider area of the body of an occupant than in a case in which the parallel blow mode is selected.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in the guide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the coupling plate 51 is moved downward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the diffusion blow zones Z2 (refer to FIG. 3) in the cam grooves 52, 53. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35, 36 are moved downward. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. The direction of the diffused air-conditioning air A1 is shifted to an upward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the components operate, although not illustrated, in directions opposite to those in the case when upward force is applied. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. The direction of the diffused air-conditioning air A1 is shifted to a downward direction.

In contrast, when rightward force, which is in the direction opposite to the above example, is applied to the operating member 61 in the state shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, the operating member 61 and the pinion gear 62 integrally rotate clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2. The rotation is transmitted to the guide plate 65 via the rack gear 75, so that the guide plate 65 is moved upstream as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.

The movement of the guide plate 65 is transmitted to the coupling plate 51 via the two guide projections 69 and the guide holes 55, so that the coupling plate 51 is moved upstream together with the guide plate 65. Accordingly, the cam grooves 52, 53 are moved upstream, so that the coupling pins 43 are moved in the cam grooves 52, 53 from the parallel blow zones Z1 to the concentration blow zones Z3 (see FIG. 3) on the downstream side.

As described above, when the coupling pins 43 are moved to the concentration blow zones Z3, the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 are tilted such that spaces in between at the upstream end are wider than those at the downstream end. At this time, since the cam grooves 53, which are above and below the center cam groove 52, are symmetrical with respect to the center cam groove 52, the two fins 36 are tilted in mutually opposite directions. In the first embodiment, the center fin 35 is maintained at the horizontal position. The upper fin 36 is tilted to be higher toward the upstream end, and the lower fin 36 is tilted to be lower toward the upstream end.

The air-conditioning air A1 is blown out in the concentration blow mode by flowing along the fins 35, 36 and the like through the spaces between the adjacent fins 35, 36 and the like. The blown out air-conditioning air A1 is converged to reach a narrower range toward the downstream end. A stronger flow of the air-conditioning air A1 is blown onto a narrower area of the body of an occupant than in a case in which the parallel blow mode is selected.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in the guide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the coupling plate 51 is moved downward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the concentration blow zones Z3 in the cam grooves 52, 53. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with the respective fins 35, 36, are moved downward. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are wider than those at the downstream end. The direction of the converged air-conditioning air A1 is shifted to an upward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the components operate, although not illustrated, in directions opposite to those in the case when upward force is applied. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are wider than those at the downstream end. The direction of the converged air-conditioning air A1 is shifted to a downward direction.

The first embodiment as described above achieves the following advantages.

(1) The air-conditioning register includes the retainer 10, the multiple (three) fins 35, 36, the coupling plate 51, and the drive mechanism DM. The coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with the respective fins 35, 36, are engaged with the cam grooves 52, 53 of the coupling plate 51, so that all the fins 35, 36 are coupled to the coupling plate 51 (FIG. 1). Each of the cam grooves 52, 53 has a parallel blow zone Z1, a diffusion blow zone Z2, and a concentration blow zone Z3 (FIG. 3). The drive mechanism DM includes the allowing portion (FIGS. 4A and 4B). When the operation knob 45 is operated to tilt the fins 35, 36 about the fin pivots 41, the allowing portion allows the coupling plate 51 to move in the up-down direction, which is the arrangement direction of the fins 35, 36, while maintaining the coupling pins 43 in the current zones in the cam grooves 52, 53.

Thus, the air-conditioning air A1 is allowed to be blown out in any of the parallel blow mode, the diffusion blow mode, and the concentration blow mode. The direction of the air-conditioning air A1 can be changed in any of the blow modes.

(2) The center cam groove 52 in the arrangement direction extends linearly in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The two cam grooves 53, which are adjacent to and located on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52 are symmetrical with respect to the center cam groove 52 (FIG. 3).

Thus, the two fins 36, which are adjacent to and located on the opposite sides of the center fin 35 in the arrangement direction, can be tilted in mutually opposite directions.

As a result, when the coupling pins 43 are located in the parallel blow zones Z1, the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 can be arranged to be parallel with each other (FIGS. 4A and 4B). When the coupling pins 43 are located in the diffusion blow zones Z2, the spaces between the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 at the upstream end can be made narrower than those at the downstream end (FIGS. 6A and 6B). When the coupling pins 43 are located in the concentration blow zones Z3, the spaces between the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 at the upstream end can be made wider than those at the downstream end (FIGS. 8A and 8B).

(3) The parallel blow zones Z1 are middle sections of the cam grooves 52, 53 with respect to the flowing direction. The diffusion blow zones Z2 are located on the upstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1 in the cam grooves 52, 53, and the concentration blow zones Z3 are located on the downstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1 in the cam grooves 52, 53 (FIG. 3).

Thus, the positions of the coupling pins 43 in the respective cam grooves 52, 53 can be set in any of the diffusion blow zones Z2, the parallel blow zones Z1, and the concentration blow zones Z3 by moving the coupling plate 51 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The blow mode can be set to or switched among the diffusion blow mode, the parallel blow mode, and the concentration blow mode.

(4) The drive mechanism DM is laid on the coupling plate 51 and includes the guide plate 65, which is moved in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1 in response to rotation of the operating member 61. The coupling plate 51 has the guide holes 55, which extend in the arrangement direction of the fins 35, 36 (the up-down direction), and each guide projection 69 on the guide plate 65 is engaged with the corresponding guide hole 55. The guide holes 55 and the guide projections 69 constitute the allowing portion (FIGS. 1 and 3).

Thus, when the operating member 61 is rotated, the guide plate 65 and the coupling plate 51 are moved in the flowing direction to tilt the fins 35, 36, so that the blow mode is switched.

When operation is executed to tilt the fins 35, 36 about the fin pivots 41 via the operation knob 45, the vertical positions of the guide projections 69 in the guide holes 55 can be changed. This allows the coupling plate 51 to be moved in the up-down direction relative to the guide plate 65, while maintaining the positions of the coupling pins 43 in the current zones in the cam grooves 52, 53, so that the advantage (1) is achieved.

(5) The operating member 61 is rotationally supported by the shaft portion 19 of the retainer 10. The guide plate 65 has the rack gear 75. The pinion gear 62 is arranged between the operating member 61 and the guide plate 65 (FIG. 2). The pinion gear 62 meshes with the rack gear 75 and is rotated by rotation of the operating member 61.

Accordingly, rotation of the operating member 61 can be converted into linear motion and transmitted to the guide plate 65, so that the guide plate 65 can be moved in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1.

Rotation of the operating member 61 allows the position of the guide plate 65 in the flowing direction to be finely adjusted, so that the inclinations of the fins 35, 36 are finely adjusted.

Second Embodiment

Next, an air-conditioning register according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 20B. The air-conditioning register of the second embodiment is designed to be actually installed and used in a vehicle. Unlike the first embodiment, the second embodiment is designed to include components and mechanisms that are not directly related to the characteristic features of the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, a retainer body 11 of the second embodiment is constituted by two components (an upstream retainer 12 and a downstream retainer 13), which are arranged in the direction of the flow of the air-conditioning air A1. The downstream retainer 13 is coupled to each of the upstream retainer 12 and the bezel 25.

As shown in FIG. 13, the downstream retainer body 13 has three sets of bearing portions 31 between the bezel 25 and each of the left and right side walls 15, 16. The bearing portions 31 in each of the side walls 15, 16 are spaced apart in the up-down direction. The fin pivots 41, which are respectively associated with the fins 35, 36, are supported by the side walls 15, 16 via the bearing portions 31.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, an operation knob 45 is fitted to the center fin 35 to be slidable in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The operation knob 45 is operated by an occupant to change the direction of the air-conditioning air A1 blown out from the outlet 26. The operation knob 45 is allowed to tilt, together with the center fin 35, about the fin pivots 41 in the direction along the short sides 27 of the outlet 26 (the up-down direction). Also, the operation knob 45 is allowed to slide on the fin 35 to be displaced in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The operation knob 45 has a bifurcated fork portion 46, which extends upstream. The fork portion 46 is configured to transmit movement (sliding motion) of the operation knob 45 in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction) to an upstream fin 86, which will be discussed below.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 have bearing portions 32, which are located between the upstream retainer 12 and the downstream retainer 13 and substantially equally spaced apart in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). Multiple upstream fins are arranged in the airflow passage 14 at positions upstream of the fins 35, 36. The upstream fins are substantially parallel with each other and substantially equally spaced apart in the left-right direction. The upstream fins are configured to change an angle β between the air-conditioning air A1 discharged from the outlet 26 and the long side portions 28.

To distinguish the multiple upstream fins, the one located at the center in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction) will be referred to as an upstream fin 86, and the other upstream fins will be referred to as upstream fins 87.

The upstream fins 86, 87 include fin pivots 88, which extend in the up-down direction. The upstream fins 86, 87 are tiltably supported by the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 with the bearing portions 32 at the fin pivots 88. Each of the upstream fins 86, 87 has a pin 89 at a position displaced upstream from the upper fin pivots 41. The pins 89, which are respectively associated with the upstream fins 86, 87, are coupled together by an elongated coupling rod 91, which extends in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The upstream fins 86, 87, the fin pivots 88, the pins 89, and the coupling rod 91 constitute a parallel link mechanism, which allows the upstream fins 87 to be tilted in synchronization with the center upstream fin 86.

Unlike the upstream fins 87, the upstream fin 86 has a transmission shaft 92 at the downstream end. The transmission shaft 92 extends in the up-down direction and is held by the fork portion 46 of the operation knob 45. Thus, when the operation knob 45 is slid in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction) on the center fin 35, force in the same direction is applied to the upstream fin 86 through the fork portion 46 and the transmission shaft 92, so that the upstream fin 86 is tilted in the same direction about the fin pivots 88.

Each of the side walls 15, 16 of the upstream retainer 12 has a bearing portion 33. A shut-off damper 93 is arranged in the airflow passage 14 at a position upstream of the upstream fins 86, 87. The shut-off damper 93 has damper pivots 94, which extend in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The shut-off damper 93 is tiltably supported by the side walls 15, 16 with the bearing portions 33 at the damper pivots 94.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 14, the air-conditioning register includes a damper drive mechanism, which tilts the shut-off damper 93 to selectively open and close the airflow passage 14. The damper drive mechanism includes an operating member 95 and a rotation transmitting portion 96. The operating member 95 is rotationally supported by the left side wall 15 of the retainer 10. The rotation transmitting portion 96 is configured to transmit rotation of the operating member 95 to the shut-off damper 93 and is constituted by a link mechanism, a gear mechanism, and the like.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the cam grooves 52, 53 of the coupling plate 51 each have, in addition to the parallel blow zone Z1, only the diffusion blow zone Z2 as a non-parallel blow zone. The parallel blow zones Z1 are upstream sections of the cam grooves 52, 53 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The diffusion blow zones Z2 are set in the cam grooves 52, 53 on the downstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1.

The coupling plate 51 has two guide projections 69 at two positions spaced apart in the up-down direction. The guide projections 69 are slightly spaced apart toward the upstream end from all the cam grooves 52, 53.

A guide plate 79 constitutes part of the drive mechanism DM. Unlike the guide plate 65 of the first embodiment, the guide plate 79 does not have the horizontal guide plate portion 72. The guide plate 79 has two guide holes 55, which extend in the up-down direction and are spaced apart in the up-down direction. The guide projections 69 of the coupling plate 51 are engaged with the respective guide holes 55.

The second embodiment employs a drive mechanism DM that is different from that of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, an operating member 63 is employed in place of the operating member 61. The operating member 63 includes a knob portion 63a and a shaft portion 63b, which extends upstream from the knob portion 63a. The operating member 63 is rotationally supported by the bezel 25 at the shaft portion 63b.

The following configuration is employed to transmit rotation of the operating member 63 to the guide plate 79, thereby moving the guide plate 79 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1.

The right side wall 16 has, in its downstream section, support plate portions 76 at the upper and the lower end. The support plate portions 76 project rightward. Each support plate portion 76 has a linear guide groove 77, which is formed in the surface that faces the other support plate portion 76. The guide groove 77 is located at a position close to the side wall 16 and extends in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. Each of the upper and lower support plate portions 76 has a bearing portion 78 at a position displaced rightward from the guide groove 77.

A guide plate 79 is arranged between the upper and lower support plate portions 76. The guide plate 79 has rack gears 81 at the upper and lower ends. Each rack gear 81 is formed by teeth arranged in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. Each rack gear 81 has a guide protrusion 82, which protrudes toward the corresponding support plate portion 76. Each guide protrusion 82 has an elongated shape extending in the flowing direction and is engaged with the guide groove 77 of the corresponding support plate portion 76 to be slidable in the flowing direction.

A shaft 83, which extends in the up-down direction, is arranged between the support plate portions 76. The upper and lower ends of the shaft 83 are rotationally supported by the bearing portions 78. Pinion gears 84 are provided at upper and lower end portions of the shaft 83 to rotate integrally with the shaft 83. Each pinion gear 84 meshes with the corresponding rack gear 81.

The operating member 63 and the shaft 83 are coupled to each other by a bevel gear mechanism. The bevel gear mechanism is configured to transmit rotation of the shaft portion 63b, which extends in a direction intersecting the shaft 83, to the shaft 83. The bevel gear mechanism is constituted by the combination of a drive bevel gear 64, which is provided at the upstream end of the shaft portion 63b of the operating member 63, and a driven bevel gear 85, which is provided between the pinion gears 84 of the shaft 83 and meshes with the bevel gear 64.

As shown in FIG. 17, the upper wall 17 has a projection 23 that is downstream of and adjacent to the bezel 25 and projects toward the lower wall 18. The lower wall 18 has a projection 23 that is downstream of and adjacent to the bezel 25 and projects toward the upper wall 17. The projections 23 sandwich the fins 35, 36 from the opposite sides in the arrangement direction (the up-down direction). Each projection 23 has an upstream inclined portion 23a and a downstream inclined portion 23b. Each upstream inclined portion 23a constitutes an upstream part of the corresponding projection 23. The upstream inclined portions 23a are inclined in the upper and lower walls 17 and 18 relative to the parts upstream of the projections 23 such that the space between the projections 23 decreases toward the downstream end. Each downstream inclined portion 23b constitutes a downstream part of the corresponding projection 23. The downstream inclined portions 23b are inclined in the upper and lower walls 17 and 18 relative to the parts upstream of the projections 23 such that the space between the projections 23 increases toward the downstream end.

Other than these differences, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment. Thus, like or the same reference numerals are given to those components that are like or the same as the corresponding components described above in the first embodiment and detailed explanations are omitted.

Operation of the second embodiment, which is configured as described above, will now be described.

FIGS. 15 and 17 illustrate the state of each component when the operating member 63 is located at one end in the pivoting range (movable range). At this time, the coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with the fins 35, 36, are located in the parallel blow zones Z1 (see FIG. 16), which are set in the upstream sections in the cam grooves 52, 53.

In the fins 35, 36, each coupling pin 43 is located at the same height as the corresponding fin pivot 41. The center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 are parallel with parts of the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 at which the projections 23 are not provided. The upper and lower guide projections 69 are each located substantially at the center in the up-down direction of the corresponding guide hole 55.

Thus, the air-conditioning air A1 that has flowed into the retainer 10 and passed through the shut-off damper 93 and the upstream fins 86, 87 flows through spaces between the adjacent fins 35, 36 and the like in parallel streams along the fins 35, 36 and the like and is blown out from the outlet 26 in the parallel blow mode.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted downward in the guide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the coupling plate 51 is moved downward relative to the guide plate 79 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the parallel blow zones Z1 in the cam grooves 52, 53. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35, 36 are moved to positions below the fin pivots 41. The fins 35, 36 are parallel with each other and all tilted to be lower toward the upstream end, so that the direction of the air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out in parallel streams, is changed from a horizontal direction to an upward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the components operate, although not illustrated, in directions opposite to those in the case when upward force is applied. The fins 35, 36 are parallel with each other and all tilted to be higher toward the upstream end, so that the direction of the air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out in parallel streams, is changed from a horizontal direction to a downward direction.

When clockwise force is applied to the knob portion 63a of the operating member 63 in the state shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the operating member 63 rotates in the same direction as and integrally with the drive bevel gear 64. The rotation is transmitted to the guide plate 79 via the driven bevel gear 85, the shaft 83, the pinion gears 84, and the rack gears 81. The position at which the rack gear 81 meshes with the pinion gear 84 is changed so that the guide plate 79 is moved upstream as shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B.

The movement of the guide plate 79 is transmitted to the coupling plate 51 via the two guide projections 69 and the guide holes 55, so that the coupling plate 51 is moved upstream together with the guide plate 79. Accordingly, the cam grooves 52, 53 are moved upstream. The coupling pins 43 are moved in the cam grooves 52, 53 from the parallel blow zones Z1 to the diffusion blow zones Z2 (see FIG. 16) on the downstream side.

The two cam grooves 53, which are adjacent to and located on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52 are symmetrical with respect to the center cam groove 52. Thus, the two fins 36 are tilted in mutually opposite directions.

At this time, the fins 36, which are on the ends in the arrangement direction, are tilted such that the space in between at the downstream end is wider than that at the upstream end.

Also, the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 each have the projection 23, and the projections 23 have the downstream inclined portions 23b such that the space between the projections 23 increases toward the downstream end. Each downstream inclined portion 23b is inclined in the same direction as the corresponding one of the fins 36 at the ends in the arrangement direction. Like the fins 36, the downstream inclined portions 23b have a function of diffusing the air-conditioning air A1.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, upward force is applied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in the guide holes 55 as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the coupling plate 51 is moved upward relative to the guide plate 79 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the diffusion blow zones Z2 in the cam grooves 52, 53. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35, 36 are moved upward. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. The direction of the diffused air-conditioning air A1 is shifted to a downward direction.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob 45 in the state shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, the components operate, although not illustrated, in directions opposite to those in the case when downward force is applied. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. The direction of the diffused air-conditioning air A1 is shifted to an upward direction.

Thus, the second embodiment achieves the same advantages as the above described advantages (1) and (2). However, regarding the advantage (1) of the second embodiment, only the diffusion blow mode can be set as the non-parallel blow mode and change the direction of the air-conditioning air A1.

The second embodiment achieves the following advantages (3a), (4a), and (5a) in place of the above described advantages (3), (4), and (5). The second embodiment also achieves the advantage (6) discussed below.

(3a) The cam grooves 52, 53 have the parallel blow zones Z1 in the upstream sections with respect to the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1 and the diffusion blow zones Z2 at positions downstream of the parallel blow zones Z1 (FIG. 16).

Thus, the positions of the coupling pins 43 in the respective cam grooves 52, 53 can be set in any of the diffusion blow zones Z2 and the parallel blow zones Z1 by moving the coupling plate 51 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The blow mode can be set to or switched between the diffusion blow mode and the parallel blow mode.

(4a) The guide plate 79 of the drive mechanism DM has the guide holes 55, which extend in the arrangement direction of the fins 35, 36 (the up-down direction), and each guide projection 69 on the coupling plate 51 is engaged with the corresponding guide hole 55 (FIG. 16).

Thus, when the operating member 63 is rotated, the guide plate 79 and the coupling plate 51 are moved in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1 to tilt the fins 35, 36, so that the blow mode can be switched between the parallel blow mode and the diffusion blow mode.

When operation is executed to tilt the fins 35, 36 about the fin pivots 41 via the operation knob 45, the positions of the guide projections 69 in the guide holes 55 can be changed. This allows the coupling plate 51 to be moved in the up-down direction relative to the guide plate 79, while maintaining the positions of the coupling pins 43 in the current zones in the cam grooves 52, 53, so that the advantage (1) is achieved.

(5a) The operating member 63 is rotationally supported by the retainer 10 (the bezel 25). The guide plate 79 has a rack gear 81 at each of the upper and lower ends. The shaft 83, which extends in the up-down direction and is rotationally supported, has pinion gears 84 that mesh with the rack gears 81. The shaft portion 63b of the operating member 63 and the shaft 83 are coupled to each other by the bevel gear mechanism (FIGS. 11 and 13).

Accordingly, rotation of the operating member 63 can be converted into linear motion and transmitted to the guide plate 79, so that the guide plate 79 can be moved in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1.

Also, rotation of the operating member 63 allows the position of the guide plate 79 in the flowing direction to be finely adjusted, so that the inclinations of the fins 35, 36 are finely adjusted.

(6) The upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 of the retainer 10 have the projections 23, which face each other, in the downstream sections. The projections 23 have the upstream inclined portions 23a, the space between which decreases toward the downstream end, and the downstream inclined portions 23b, which are located on the downstream side of the upstream inclined portions 23a. The space between the downstream inclined portions 23b increases toward the downstream end (FIGS. 19A, 19B).

Thus, when the coupling pins 43 are in the diffusion blow zones Z2 in the cam grooves 52, 53 to tilt the adjacent fins 35, 36 such that the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end, the downstream inclined portions 23b are allowed to function to diffuse the air-conditioning air A1 like the fins 36 on the opposite ends in the arrangement direction. Diffusion of the air-conditioning air A1 is more promoted than in the configuration without the downstream inclined portions 23b.

Third Embodiment

An air-conditioning register according to a third embodiment will now be described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 29B focusing on differences from the first and second embodiments.

Major differences of the third embodiment from the first and second embodiments include that, as shown in FIG. 21, the bezel 25 is inclined such that the higher a position, the closer the position is to the upstream end in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1, and that, as shown in FIG. 24B, five fins are provided. Among the five fins, the one at the center in the arrangement direction is set as a reference. The number of the fins is increased from three to five by adding two fins 37 on the opposite sides in the arrangement direction of the three fins 35, 36 of the first and second embodiments. The added fins 37 have the same structure as the fins 35, 36. That is, the added fins 37 each have fin pivots 41 in the downstream section, an arm 42 extending upstream from the fin pivot 41, and a coupling pin 43 at the upstream end of the arm 42.

Since the bezel 25 is inclined, the five fins 35 to 37 are arranged such that the closer a fin 35 to 37 is to the upper end, the closer the fin 35 to 37 is to the upstream end. The shapes of the coupling plate 51 and the guide plate 65 are different from those of the previous embodiments. The coupling plate 51 has one guide hole 55 instead of two.

As shown in FIG. 23, the coupling plate 51 has five cam grooves, the number of which is the same as the number of the fins 35 to 37. The center cam groove 52 in the arrangement direction extends linearly in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. Two cam grooves 53 are adjacent to and above and below the center cam groove 52. The cam grooves 53 have shapes in a converse relationship on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52. The two cam grooves 54, which are at the opposite ends in the arrangement direction, are located on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52 and have shapes in a converse relationship. The “converse relationship” refers to a relationship in which, if one of the two cam grooves 53 is inclined relative to the center cam groove 52, the other cam groove 53 is inclined in the opposite direction relative to the center cam groove 52.

In the third embodiment, the cam grooves 52 to 54 of the coupling plate 51 each have, in addition to the parallel blow zone Z1, only the diffusion blow zone Z2 as a non-parallel blow zone as in the second embodiment. The parallel blow zones Z1 are upstream sections of the cam grooves 52 to 54 in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The diffusion blow zones Z2 are set in the cam grooves 52 to 54 on the downstream side of the parallel blow zones Z1.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that the operating member 61 is rotationally supported by the lower wall 18 of the retainer 10, that the horizontal guide plate portion 72 of the guide plate 65 has the rack gear 75, that the pinion gear 62 is formed to be coaxial with the operating member 61, and that the pinion gear 62 meshes with the rack gear 75.

Operation of the third embodiment, which is configured as described above, will now be described.

FIGS. 21, 24A, and 24B illustrate the state of each component when the operating member 61 is located at one end in the movable range. At this time, the coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with the fins 35 to 37, are located in the parallel blow zones Z1 (see FIG. 23), which are set in the upstream sections in the cam grooves 52 to 54.

The fins 35 to 37 are tiltable about the fin pivots 41. The inclination of the fin 35, which is at the center in the arrangement direction, is determined by the position of the coupling pin 43 in the straight center cam groove 52. The inclination of each of the two fins 36 is determined by the position of the coupling pin 43 in the corresponding cam groove 53. The inclination of each of the two fins 37 is determined by the position of the coupling pin 43 in the corresponding cam groove 54.

In the fins 35 to 37, each coupling pin 43 is located at a position slightly lower than the corresponding fin pivot 41. All the fins 35 to 37 are parallel with each other and are tilted to be higher toward the downstream end.

The upper and lower guide projections 69 are each located at the middle section in the up-down direction in the guide hole 55. Also, each of the guide pins 21, 22 is located in the upstream section in the flowing direction of the corresponding one of the elongated holes 67, 73.

Thus, the air-conditioning air A1 that has flowed into the retainer 10 flows through spaces between the adjacent fins 35 to 37 and the like in parallel streams along the fins 35 to 37 and the like and is blown out from the outlet 26 in the parallel blow mode.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob (not shown) of the center fin 35 in the state shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in the guide hole 55 as shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, the coupling plate 51 is moved downward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the parallel blow zones Z1 (refer to FIG. 23) in the cam grooves 52 to 54. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35 to 37 are moved to positions below the fin pivots 41. The fins 35 to 37 are parallel with each other and all tilted to be lower toward the upstream end, so that the direction of the air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out in parallel streams, is changed to a further upward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob in the state shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, upward force is applied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted downward in the guide hole 55 as shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, the coupling plate 51 is moved upward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the parallel blow zones Z1 in the cam grooves 52 to 54. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35 to 37 are moved to positions slightly higher than the fin pivots 41. The fins 35 to 37 are parallel with each other and all tilted to be slightly higher toward the upstream end, so that the direction of the air-conditioning air A1, which is blown out in parallel streams, is changed from a slightly upward direction to a slightly downward direction.

When rightward force is applied to the operating member 61 in the state shown in FIGS. 24A, 24B, the operating member 61 and the pinion gear 62 integrally rotate clockwise as viewed in FIG. 22. The rotation is transmitted to the guide plate 65 via the rack gear 75. The position at which the rack gear 75 meshes with the pinion gear 62 is changed so that the guide plate 65 is moved upstream as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B. At this time, since the positions of the guide pins 22, 21 in the three elongated holes 67, 73 are changed only in the flowing direction, in which the elongated holes 67, 73 extend, the upstream movement of the guide plate 65 is guided.

The upstream movement of the guide plate 65 is transmitted to the coupling plate 51 via the two guide projections 69 and the guide hole 55, so that the coupling plate 51 is moved upstream together with the guide plate 65. Accordingly, the cam grooves 52 to 54 are moved upstream. The coupling pins 43 are moved in the cam grooves 52 to 54 from the parallel blow zones Z1 to the diffusion blow zones Z2 (see FIG. 23) on the downstream side.

As described above, when the coupling pins 43 are moved to the diffusion blow zones Z2, the center fin 35 and the adjacent fins 36 are tilted such that spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. The lower fin 36 and the fin 37 below the lower fin 36 are tilted such that the space in between at the upstream end is narrower than those at the downstream end.

The cam grooves 53 on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52 have shapes in a converse relationship on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52. Thus, the fins 36, which are adjacent to and on the opposite sides of the center fin 35, are tilted in mutually opposite directions. The cam grooves 54, which are at the opposite ends in the arrangement direction, have shapes in a converse relationship on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52. Thus, the fins 37, which are at the opposite ends in the arrangement direction, are tilted in mutually opposite directions.

The air-conditioning air A1 is blown out in the diffusion blow mode by flowing along the fins 35 to 37 through the spaces between the adjacent fins 35, 36 and between the adjacent fins 36, 37 and the like. The blown out air-conditioning air A1 is diffused to reach a wider range toward the downstream end. A weaker flow of the air-conditioning air A1 is blown onto a wider area of the body of an occupant than in a case in which the parallel blow mode is selected.

When upward force is applied to the operation knob in the state shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B, downward force is applied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted upward in the guide hole 55 as shown in FIGS. 28A and 28B, the coupling plate 51 is moved downward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the diffusion blow zones Z2 in the cam grooves 52 to 54. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35 to 37 are moved downward. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. The lower fin 36 and the fin 37 below the lower fin 36 act in the same manner. The direction of the diffused air-conditioning air A1 is shifted to a further upward direction.

When downward force is applied to the operation knob in the state shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B, upward force is applied to the coupling plate 51 via the coupling pin 43 of the center fin 35 and the cam groove 52. When the positions of the guide projections 69 are shifted downward in the guide hole 55 as shown in FIGS. 29A and 29B, the coupling plate 51 is moved upward relative to the guide plate 65 with the coupling pins 43 maintained in the diffusion blow zones Z2 in the cam grooves 52 to 54. Accordingly, the coupling pins 43 of the fins 35 to 37 are moved upward. The adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted while maintaining the state in which the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end. The lower fin 36 and the fin 37 below the lower fin 36 act in the same manner. The direction of the diffused air-conditioning air A1 is shifted to a downward direction.

Thus, the third embodiment achieves the same advantages as the above described advantages (1), (3a), (4), and (5). However, as in the second embodiment, regarding the advantages (1) and (4) of the third embodiment, only the diffusion blow mode can be set as the non-parallel blow mode to change the direction of the air-conditioning air A1.

The third embodiment achieves the following advantage (2a) in place of the above described advantage (2).

(2a) The center cam groove 52 in the arrangement direction extends linearly in the flowing direction of the air-conditioning air A1. The two cam grooves 53 are adjacent to and on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52. The cam grooves 53 have shapes in a converse relationship on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52. Further, the cam grooves 54, which are at the opposite ends in the arrangement direction, have shapes in a converse relationship on the opposite sides of the center cam groove 52 (FIG. 23).

Thus, the two fins 36, which are adjacent to and located on the opposite sides of the center fin 35 in the arrangement direction, can be tilted in mutually opposite directions. Also, the fins 37, which are on the opposite ends in the arrangement direction, can be tilted in mutually opposite directions.

As a result, when the coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with the fins 35 to 37, are located in the parallel blow zones Z1, all the fins 35 to 37 can be arranged to be parallel with each other. Also, when the coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with the fins 35 to 37, are located in the diffusion blow zones Z2, the spaces between the fins 35 to 37 at the upstream end can be set narrower than those at the downstream end.

The above embodiments may be modified as follows.

The cam grooves 52 to 54 in the first to third embodiments do not necessarily need to extend through the coupling plate 51 in the thickness direction (may have bottoms).

The guide holes 55 in the first and third embodiments do not necessarily need to extend through the coupling plate 51 in the thickness direction (may have bottoms).

The guide holes 55 in the second embodiment do not necessarily need to extend through the guide plate 79 in the thickness direction (may have bottoms).

The elongated holes 67 in the first and third embodiments do not necessarily need to extend through the vertical guide plate portion 66 in the thickness direction (may have a bottom). Likewise, the elongated holes 73 do not necessarily need to extend through the horizontal guide plate portion 72 in the thickness direction (may have a bottom).

The shapes of the cam grooves 52 to 54 may be modified such that only concentration blow zones Z3 are set in the cam grooves 52 to 54 as non-parallel blow zones.

In the first embodiment, the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 may each have a projection 23, which is formed by an upstream inclined portion 23a and a downstream inclined portion 23b as in the second embodiment.

In this case, when the coupling pins 43, which are respectively associated with the fins 35, 36, are located in the concentration blow zones Z3 in the cam grooves 52, 53, the adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted such that the spaces in between at the upstream end are wider than those at the downstream end.

The fins 36, which are on the ends in the arrangement direction, are tilted such that the spaces in between at the downstream end are narrower than those at the upstream end.

On the other hand, the projections 23 respectively have the upstream inclined portions 23a, the space between which decreases toward the downstream end. Each upstream inclined portion 23a is inclined in the same direction as the corresponding one of the fins 36 at the ends in the arrangement direction. Like the fins 36, the upstream inclined portions 23a have a function of causing the air-conditioning air A1 to converge. Thus, compared to a configuration without the upstream inclined portions 23a, convergence of the air-conditioning air A1 is promoted.

In contrast, when the coupling pins 43 of the respective fins 35, 36 are located in the diffusion blow zones Z2 in the cam grooves 52, 53, the adjacent fins 35, 36 are tilted such that the spaces in between at the upstream end are narrower than those at the downstream end, as in the second embodiment.

The fins 36, which are on the ends in the arrangement direction, are tilted such that the spaces in between at the downstream end are wider than those at the upstream end.

On the other hand, the projections 23 respectively have the downstream inclined portions 23b, the space between which increases toward the downstream end. Each downstream inclined portion 23b is inclined in the same direction as the corresponding one of the fins 36 at the ends in the arrangement direction. Like the fins 36, the downstream inclined portions 23b have a function of diffusing the air-conditioning air A1. Thus, compared to a configuration without the downstream inclined portions 23b, diffusion of the air-conditioning air A1 is promoted.

Since the diffusion and convergence of the air-conditioning air A1 are promoted, the number of the fins can be reduced. Also, the space between the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 18 can be reduced to make the retainer 10 low-profile.

The air-conditioning register may include an even number of fins.

The air-conditioning register may be provided at a position in the passenger compartment other than the instrument panel.

As long as the above-described air-conditioning register uses fins to change the direction of the air-conditioning air A1 blown out into the passenger compartment from the air conditioner, the air-conditioning register may be employed in a wide range of apparatuses other than vehicles.

The outlet 26 of the above-described air-conditioning register may be arranged to be elongated in the vertical direction. In this case, the fins 35 to 37 extend in the up-down direction and are arranged in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction). The upstream fins 86, 87 extend in the left-right direction (the vehicle width direction) and are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction.

AIR-CONDITIONING REGISTER

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