Patent Application
20180170149
This disclosure relates generally to air vents and air vent registers for dispensing conditioned air from a vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. More particularly, the disclosure relates to an air vent register including a hybrid actuator system allowing both manual and electronic control of air flow distribution through various air registers to improve HVAC performance, power use efficiency, and vehicle occupant comfort and satisfaction.
The basic design of a vehicle vent register is well-known and does not require extensive description herein. However, at a high level and with reference to
Currently, electronic control of air flow distribution via an HVAC system is limited to mechanisms disposed within the HVAC case which apply controls before the air flow enters the vehicle duct system/air registers. Such systems also typically only adjust airflow automatically according to determined overall passenger cabin temperature, not by individual vent register control. It is left to the vehicle occupant to mechanically set the air flow distribution in the vehicle passenger cabin to her liking by adjusting the air register mechanisms mechanically, usually by way of a thumbwheel 103 or other actuator that translates a damper or a series of vanes between an open and a closed position. While effective, there are limitations to this system. In particular, when the driver is the only occupant of the vehicle, she can only adjust the air flow to her liking for the air register(s) closest to the driver's seat. Because it may be the case that excess and unnecessary air flow is being directed to unoccupied vehicle seats, this can result in inefficient power use. To compensate for the air flow passing through other air registers of the vehicle, the driver may also have to adjust the air register(s) closest to the driver's seat to provide a greater or a lesser airflow than would otherwise be the case.
Accordingly, a need is identified in the art for improved systems and methods for controlling airflow through particular vent registers and/or groups of air vent registers. To solve this and other problems, the present disclosure relates to a hybrid actuator system for a vehicle vent register damper, to vent registers including the hybrid actuator system, and to methods for operating a vent register damper using the hybrid actuator system.
In accordance with the purposes and benefits described herein, in one aspect of the present disclosure a hybrid actuator system is provided for a vehicle vent register damper, comprising a manual actuator mechanism operatively connected to a vent register damper and a power actuator mechanism operatively connected to a portion of the manual actuator mechanism.
In embodiments, the manual actuator mechanism comprises a lever operatively connected to the vent register damper and a manual actuator operatively connected to the lever for translating the vent register damper between a fully open position and a fully closed position. The manual actuator may be a thumbwheel or other suitable manual actuator.
In embodiments, the power actuator mechanism comprises a position member operatively connected to a power actuator and to the lever. The position member includes a body having an arcuate slot interfacing with a portion of the lever. The position member is configured whereby a neutral position is possible whereby the lever may be manually actuated to open and close the vent register damper without contacting the arcuate slot.
A position sensor may be operatively associated with the power actuator. A controller is operatively associated with the power actuator and/or the position sensor.
In another aspect, a vent register for a vehicle is provided, including a housing and a damper carried by the housing. The damper is actuable to at least partially block an airflow from an HVAC system by way of the hybrid actuator system as described above.
In yet another aspect, a method for controlling an airflow through one or more vehicle vent registers is described. The method includes providing a manual actuator mechanism operatively connected to a vent register damper and a power actuator mechanism operatively connected to a portion of the manual actuator mechanism. A controller causes the power actuator mechanism to translate the vent register damper to a desired orientation according to one or more predefined conditions. In embodiments, the manual actuator mechanism and the power actuator mechanism are as described above.
The described method further includes steps of, by the power actuator under control of the controller and optionally the position sensor, holding the position member in a neutral orientation whereby the lever is not moved by the position member during a manual actuation of the vent register damper by the manual actuator mechanism. On determining a one of the one or more predefined conditions, the power actuator under control of the controller and optionally the position sensor translates the position member from the neutral position sufficiently to cause the lever to translate the vent register damper to the desired orientation at or between a fully open position and a fully closed position.
In embodiments, the one or more predefined conditions are selected from the group consisting of detecting an unoccupied vehicle seat, detecting a vehicle heating, air conditioning, and ventilation (HVAC) system defrost mode, determining a need for operation of a specific zone of a multiple-zone HVAC system, determining a need for altering a temperature of a specific zone of the multiple-zone HVAC system, and determining a need for adjusting a combined airflow allowed through two or more vent registers.
In the following description, there are shown and described embodiments of the disclosed hybrid actuator system for a vehicle vent register damper, vent registers including the hybrid actuator system, and methods for operating a vent register damper using the hybrid actuator system. As it should be realized, the devices and methods are capable of other, different embodiments and their several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the devices and methods as set forth and described in the following claims. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
The accompanying drawing figures incorporated herein and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the disclosed hybrid actuator system for a vehicle vent register damper, and also vent registers and methods incorporating same, and together with the description serve to explain certain principles thereof. In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosed vent register for a motor vehicle, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures.
Referring now to
The hybrid actuator system 202 is shown in isolation in
The hybrid actuator system 202 further includes a power actuator mechanism having a power actuator 212 operatively connected to a position member 214. The position member 214 includes a body 216 defining a slot 218 which as shown engages a portion of the lever 206. In the depicted embodiment the position member 214 engages a pin 220 carried by the lever 206. As is shown, the slot 218 defines an arcuate shape, and is dimensioned whereby only the terminal ends of the slot actually contact the pin 220 when the position member has rotated a sufficient distance. The reason for this will be explained in greater detail below.
The position member 214 may be located concentric to the damper 208 axis or to the manual actuator 204 axis. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the vent register damper 208 may be actuated by a series of gears. In this embodiment, the position member 214 may comprise a portion of an idle gear. The power actuator 212 may be directly connected to the position member 214 as shown, or may in an alternative embodiment (not shown) be operatively connected to the position member by a series of links or gears. The power actuator 212 may be an electric motor, or a fluid or air driven actuator operatively associated with a pressure vessel or tank which provides the driving fluid/air.
The hybrid actuator system 202 also includes a controller represented generally as reference numeral 222, and may include a position sensor represented generally as reference numeral 224. The controller 222 may be an on-board controller such as a vehicle Electronic Control Unit (ECU), which may include without intending any limitation the Electronic Control Module (ECM), Central Control Module (CCM), General Electronic Module (GEM), and others. Alternatively, the controller 222 may be a separate stand-alone controller configured only to control of the power actuator 212. Still further, the power actuator 212 may be controlled by various combinations of controllers as referenced above. The position sensor 224 may be integrated into the power actuator 212 or may be a stand-alone device. Without intending any limitation, devices suitable as position sensors 224 may include a potentiometer, an encoder, a series of discrete switches, optical sensors, and others.
A feature of the above-described system allowing the hybrid actuation will now be described. As shown in
On the other hand, when power rather than manual actuation of the vent register damper 208 is needed or desired the position member 214 is translated by the power actuator 212 from the neutral position N. This is illustrated in
As will be appreciated, various embodiments are possible for control of the position member 214 by the power actuator 212. For example, the power actuator 212 may be a drive motor providing a fixed-distance translation of the position member 214 whereby the vent register damper 208 may only be translated between the fully opened and fully closed configurations shown in
In turn, other operative connecting members between the position member 214 and the manual actuator 204 are contemplated. The important point is that the position member 214 defines a greater range of travel than the member connecting the position member to the manual actuator 204, to allow the functions described above.
The described hybrid actuator system 202 finds use in a variety of situations. For example,
As is known, such HVAC duct 302 arrangements define a multiple-zone environment wherein different zones of the passenger cabin 300 may be differently heated/cooled by altering airflow entering particular zones. For example, the front seats 306, 308 may represent one zone, and the rear seat 312 may represent another zone. Alternatively, the left side front seat 306 could be a zone, the right side front seat 308 could be a zone, and the rear seat 312 could be a zone. As discussed above, conventionally the only way for vehicle occupants to separately control airflow to such zones was manually.
By use of the described hybrid actuator system 202 under control of a controller 222 and/or position sensor 224 as described, automated control of airflow into various zones of the passenger cabin 300 is made possible, with such control of airflow occurring at the air vent registers 200 rather than centrally within the HVAC case (not shown). Particular situations wherein such individual control of airflow would be beneficial can be envisioned. For example, a driver may be the only occupant of a vehicle passenger cabin 300, and in that case airflow would only be necessary through the vent registers 200 closest to the seat 306. Alternatively, the driver and a child placed in a child seat (not shown) on the rear seat 312 may be occupying the passenger cabin 300, and in that case airflow through the vent registers 200 closest to the seat 306 and seat 312 would be needed.
In such situations, detection of passengers in particular seats could be accomplished by use of seat occupancy sensors 314, for example seat-mounted sensors 314, cameras (not shown), or by other detection systems. A variety of such seat-mounted seat occupancy sensors 314 are known, for example pressure sensors. Such seat occupancy sensors 314 would communicate with the controller 222 or with another controller (not shown) which in turn communicates with controller 222, indicating a need for airflow to the seat associated with the sensor. In this manner, airflow to occupied seats in the passenger cabin 300 could be established at a reduced overall vehicle airflow, since unnecessary airflow to unoccupied seats is prevented. This would reduce energy costs and component wear and tear, since the HVAC compressor (not shown) would not need to cycle on and off as frequently to provide the desired airflow.
Other representative situations are possible. For example, when both seat 306 and seat 308 are occupied, it may be desirable to balance air flow between the vent registers 200 closest to those seats, to thereby balance airflow between the left and right sides of the passenger cabin 300 at a reduced energy cost. This could be accomplished automatically by use of the described hybrid actuator system 202. Again, the presence of occupants in the indicated seats 206, 308 could be accomplished by sensors 314 communicating with the controller 222 or another controller (not shown) which in turn communicates with controller 222. In yet another example, when an HVAC system is placed in defrost mode, it is necessary to provide some airflow to outer vent registers of the passenger cabin 300 to prevent condensation on the front windows. This could be accomplished by the hybrid actuator system 202 described herein by automatically causing the center vent register dampers 208 to close when the HVAC system is placed in defrost mode, whereby airflow or bleed is provided to the vehicle-outboard vent registers 200 during a defrosting operation.
To address these and other predefined conditions, the controller 222 may be programmed with logic causing the hybrid actuator system 202 power actuator 212 to translate the vent register damper 208 to a desired orientation providing a desired airflow through a particular vent register 200 or set of vent registers 200 on detecting the predefined condition. This method 400 for controlling airflow is illustrated at a high level in
As shown therein, the process begins (step 402) by detection of a predefined condition. As described above, this could be detection of vehicle occupants in one or more zones of a passenger cabin 300 by way of sensors 314, a determination that a vehicle HVAC system has been placed in defrost mode, a determination that airflow to different sides of a passenger cabin 300 requires balancing, etc. This predefined condition could be communicated to the controller 222 directly or indirectly by way of another controller.
The controller 222 is programmed with logic defining various vent register damper 208 settings to be implemented on receipt of such an indication of a predefined condition, which could be stored in memory as a look-up table. A representative look-up table is shown below in Table 1, showing various pre-programmed damper 208 orientations for particular vent registers 200 of a passenger cabin 300, for example at the driver's seat outboard vent register (LHOB), driver's seat inboard vent register (LHIB), passenger's seat outboard vent register (RHOB), passenger's seat inboard vent register (LHIB), and rear seat/second row vent registers.
In the top one of the two highlighted example predefined conditions, the driver's and the front passengers' seats of the passenger cabin 300 are occupied and the HVAC system is set on panel mode. In that situation, the signals provided by the combination of seat occupancy sensors 314 (Step 404) and an HVAC mode sensor (not shown) which detects that a vehicle occupant has selected an HVAC defrost mode, or alternatively that a control head (not shown) has automatically placed the HVAC in defrost mode according to various inputs, would indicate from the look-up table that the RHIB and RHOB vent registers 200 should be opened and the remaining vent registers should be closed. Accordingly, as described above the controller 222 would cause the power actuators 212 associated with those two vent registers 200 (Step 406) to translate their vent register dampers 208 to the fully closed position (Step 408) as determined by the position sensor 224.
In the bottom one of the two highlighted example predefined conditions, the front passenger and second row seats are occupied and the HVAC system is set on defrost. In this situation, the signals provided by the combination of seat occupancy sensors 314 and an HVAC mode sensor (not shown) (Step 404) would indicate from the look-up table that the LHIB and RHIB vent registers 200 should be closed and the remaining vent registers should be opened. Accordingly, as described above the controller 222 would cause the power actuators 212 associated with those two vent registers 200 (Step 406) to translate their vent register dampers 208 to the fully closed position (Step 408) as determined by the position sensor 224.
Obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the disclosure depicts and describes a pivoting vent register damper 208. However, alternative damper configurations are known in the art such as rotating disc dampers, sliding dampers, etc., and such are contemplated for use herein also. In turn, while the descriptions above are generally directed to dual HVAC zone vehicles, the skilled artisan will readily appreciate that the described devices and methods are equally applicable to single HVAC zone vehicles. Therefore, the disclosure should not be taken as limiting in these respects.
All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.
