Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of air vents for automobiles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an air vent assembly that is highly durable and easy to operate, and configured to provide multi-directional airflow inside the vehicles.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] In general, an air vent assembly for a vehicle is an air discharge means of an air conditioning system, such as a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, for appropriately maintaining temperature of an interior of the vehicle. Using the air conditioning system, warm air or cold air is discharged through the air vent assembly, and it becomes important for the air vent assembly in aspect of design, operability and convenience as it is exposed to the vehicle indoor.
[0004] The air vent assemblies are also used to control direction of flow of air in the interior of vehicles. These type of air vent assemblies are well known in the industry and are normally found to be mounted around an axis secured to a dashboard, roof, rear side of front seats, and other interior surfaces of the vehicles.
[0005] Existing air vents include a knob configured to be manually rotated or moved by an occupant to control airflow in the interior of the vehicles. Such knobs are typically located in vicinity of a fixed bezel member installed in center of the air vents. Fig. 1 illustrates a conventional air vent assembly (100) having a knob (102) attached to a vane (104). The knob (102) enables an occupant of a vehicle to control the airflow passing through an air conditioning system of the vehicle by appropriately changing orientation of the vane (104). The air vent assembly (100) also includes a fixed bezel member (106) positioned in vicinity of the vane (104). The fixed bezel member (106) is generally chrome-plated and installed at a front portion of the air vent assembly (100). The fixed bezel member (106) extends in a transverse direction, i.e., a width direction of the vehicle), to support the front portion of the air vent assembly (100). In addition, the fixed bezel member (106) present at the center of the air vent assembly (100) may make it difficult for the occupant to operate the knob (102) in a reliable manner. The knob (102) is also prone to fail to control the airflow when subjected to different loading conditions applied thereto by the operator.
[0006] There is therefore a need to overcome the above drawbacks, and provide a simple, easy to operate and assemble, and improved air vent assembly for vehicles to provide multi-directional airflow inside the vehicles. Further, there is a need in the art to improve reliability and operability of the process of controlling the airflow inside the vehicles.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0007] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are as listed herein below.
[0008] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved air vent assembly for vehicles to provide multi-directional airflow inside the vehicles.

SUMMARY
[0009] The present disclosure relates to the field of air vents for automobiles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an air vent assembly for vehicles that is easy to be assembled and operated, and configured to provide multi-directional airflow inside the vehicles.
[0010] An aspect of the present disclosure pertains to an air vent assembly including a housing in which a passage having an air inlet and an air outlet is formed. The assembly includes a master vane rotatably coupled to the housing, the master vane having an upper vane member coupled to a lower vane member by an intermediate vane member with a gap formed between the upper vane member and the lower vane member. The intermediate vane member includes a slot extending in a lateral direction of the intermediate vane member. The assembly also includes a knob assembly for actuating the master vane. The knob assembly includes an operating member and at least one engaging member rearward from the operating member. The knob assembly is coupled to the master vane by passing the at least one engaging member through the slot. The at least one engaging member includes a protrusion engageable with a rear surface of the intermediate vane member.
[0011] In an embodiment, the assembly includes a knob carrier assembly disposed in the housing. The knob assembly includes one or more fixing members arranged substantially parallel to the at least one engaging member. The fixing members are coupled to the knob carrier assembly.
[0012] In an embodiment, the operating member has a curved profile extending away from the one or more fixing members.
[0013] In an embodiment, the intermediate vane member includes a bulging member on the rear surface thereof, the bulging member positioned in contact with an elastomeric pad attached to the knob carrier assembly.
[0014] In an embodiment, the protrusion engages with the rear surface of the intermediate vane member to prevent at least partial disengagement of the knob assembly with the mater vane when a load is applied to the operating member.
[0015] In an embodiment, the intermediate vane member is arranged substantially perpendicular to the upper vane member.
[0016] In an embodiment, the master vane is connected to one or more horizontal vanes to control an air flow direction from the air vent assembly into the vehicle interior in the vertical direction upon actuation of the operating member in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the master vane. The knob assembly is connected to one or more vertical vanes to control the air flow direction from the air vent assembly into the vehicle interior in the horizontal direction upon actuation of the operating member along the longitudinal direction of the master vane.
[0017] In an embodiment, the at least one engaging member is configured to slide in the slot by sliding the operating member in the longitudinal direction of the master vane (208) to control the air flow from the air outlet in the horizontal direction.
[0018] In an embodiment, the assembly includes bezel arranged on the housing and positioned downstream to a distal end of the vane member in the air flow direction, wherein the vane member and the bezel (208) are facing each other.
[0019] In an embodiment, the upper vane member, the intermediate vane member and the lower vane member are integrated with one another to form the master vane (208).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0020] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. The diagrams are for illustration only, which thus is not a limitation of the present disclosure.
[0021] In the figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.
[0022] Fig. 1 illustrates a conventional air vent assembly for a vehicle, in accordance with prior art;
[0023] Figs. 2A and 2B illustrate exemplary views of the proposed air vent assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] Figs. 3A-3C illustrate exemplary views of a master vane of the air vent assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] Figs. 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary views of a knob carrier assembly of the air vent assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary perspective view of a knob assembly of the air vent assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0027] Figs. 6A-6D illustrate exemplary views of the knob assembly coupled to the master vane and the knob carrier assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present10 disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0029] The present disclosure relates to the field of air vents for automobiles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an air vent assembly that is highly durable and easy to operate, and configured to provide multi-directional airflow inside the automobile. The air vent assembly improves reliability and operability of the process of controlling the airflow inside the automobile.
[0030] Figs. 2A and 2B illustrate exemplary views of the air vent assembly (200). The air vent assembly (200) may be installed around an axis secured to a dashboard, roof, rear side of front seats, and other interior surfaces of a vehicle. Fig. 2A illustrates the air vent assembly (200) mounted on a dashboard of the vehicle. The air vent assembly (200) includes a housing (202) in which a passage having an air inlet and an air outlet is formed. The air inlet is connected to a duct or outlet of an air conditioning system, such as, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, of the vehicle configured to provide warm air or cold air to an interior of the vehicle so as to maintain the temperature of the vehicle interior. The air vent assembly (200) may include one or more horizontal vanes (204) and one or more vertical vanes (206) installed at the air outlet. Each of the horizontal vanes (204) and the vertical vanes (206) may be pivotally connected to the housing (202) to regulate airflow of the warm air or cold air passing through the air outlet in both horizontal and vertical directions inside the vehicle interior.
[0031] The air vent assembly (200) also includes a master vane (208) coupled to the horizontal vanes (204). The master vane (208) is connected to the horizontal vanes (204) to control air flow from the air outlet in the vertical direction, such that actuation of the master vane (208) changes orientation of the horizontal vanes (204), to regulate the airflow inside the vehicle interior in the vertical direction. The air vent assembly (200) includes a knob assembly (210) adapted to control actuation of the master vane (208), and a knob carrier assembly (212) mounted in the housing (202). The knob assembly (210) is coupled to the knob carrier assembly (212) with the master vane (208) arranged therebetween. The air vent assembly (200) may also include a bezel (214) positioned in vicinity of the master vane (208). The bezel (214) may be arranged on the housing and positioned downstream to a distal end of the master vane (208) in the air flow direction, wherein the master vane (208) and the bezel (214) are facing each other. The bezel (214) also distributes the airflow from the air outlet into a first airflow channel and a second airflow channel. The bezel (214) may be installed at a front portion of the air vent assembly (200), and may be chrome-plated to improve aesthetics of the air vent assembly (200). The bezel (214) may extends in a transverse/lateral direction, i.e., a width direction of the vehicle, to support the front portion of the air vent assembly (100).
[0032] Figs. 3A and 3B illustrate a front view and a perspective view of the master vane (208), respectively. Fig. 3C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the master vane (208). The master vane (208) may be pivotally coupled to the housing (202) to enable pivotal rotation of the master vane (208) with respect to the housing (202). The master vane (208) includes an upper vane member (302) coupled to a lower vane member (304) by an intermediate vane member (306) with a gap (308) formed between the upper vane member (302) and the lower vane member (304). The intermediate vane member (306) includes a slot (310) extending in the lateral direction of the intermediate vane member (306). The slot (310) may extend at least partially in the lateral direction, and may be positioned in a recessed portion of the intermediate vane member (306). The upper vane member (302), the intermediate vane member (306) and the lower vane member (304) may be integrated with one another to form the master vane (208).
[0033] The master vane (208) is rotatably coupled with the housing (202) with the help of pins (310) provided at lateral ends thereof. The pins (310) are adapted for snug fitting with corresponding holes provided in the housing (202). A length of the upper vane member (302) is greater than a length of the lower vane member (304) in the lateral direction. A length of the upper vane member (302) may be greater than a length of the lower vane member (304) in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, such that the upper vane member (302) fully covers the lover vane member (304) when viewed from above. The intermediate vane member (306) may be substantially perpendicular to the lower vane member (304) to form an L-shaped arm of the master vane (208). The intermediate vane member (306) may include a bulging member (312) positioned above the slot (310) on a rear surface thereof .
[0034] Figs. 4A and 4B illustrate a front view and a perspective view of the knob carrier assembly (212), respectively. The knob carrier assembly (212) may be positioned in the housing (202) and may include a recessed portion (402) for receiving the bulging member (312) of the master vane (208). The master vane (208) may be installed into the recessed portion (402) such that the bulging member (312) is in contact with an elastomeric pad (clearly shown in Fig. 6C) disposed in the recessed portion (402). The knob carrier assembly (212) may also include one or more slots (404) adapted to receive fixing members (as clearly shown in Fig. 5) of the knob assembly (210). Each of the slots (404) may include one or more flanges for easy fitment of the fixing members through a snap-fit arrangement.
[0035] Referring now to Fig. 5, where a perspective view of the knob assembly (210) is shown. The knob assembly (210) enables an occupant of the vehicle to manually actuate the master vane (208) by either sliding the master vane (208) in the lateral direction or pivotally rotating the master vane (208) in the vertical direction, so as to easily and reliably control airflow of the warm air or cold air passing through the air outlet of the housing (202). The knob assembly (210) includes an operating member (502) and at least one engaging member (504) positioned rearward from the operating member (502). The knob assembly (210) is coupled to the master vane (208) by passing the engaging member (504) through the slot (310) formed in the intermediate vane member (306). The master vane (208) may be connected to the horizontal vanes (204) to control air flow from the air outlet in the vertical direction upon actuation of the operating member (502) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the master vane (208). The knob assembly (210) may also be connected to one or more vertical vanes (204) to control air flow from the air outlet in the horizontal direction upon actuation of the operating member (502) along the longitudinal direction of the master vane (208).
[0036] The engaging member (504) is configured to slide in the slot (310) by sliding the operating member (502) in the longitudinal direction of the master vane (208) to control the air flow from the air outlet in the horizontal direction. The engaging member (504) includes a protrusion (506) engageable with the rear surface of the intermediate vane member (306) while being passed through the slot (310). The protrusion (506) engages with the rear surface of the intermediate vane member (306) to prevent at least partial disengagement of the knob assembly (210) with the master vane (208) when a load is applied to the operating member (502).
[0037] The knob assembly (210) also include one or more fixing members (508) arranged substantially parallel to the engaging member (504). The operating member (502) has a curved profile extending away from the one or more fixing members (508). The curved profile of the operating member (502) may be in the form of a crescent shape or a semi-circular shape. The curved profile of the operating member (502) enables the occupant of the vehicle to easily and comfortably operate the knob assembly (502) to actuate the master vane (208), even with the presence of the bezel (214) at the front portion of the air vent assembly (200).
[0038] The knob assembly (210) may be coupled to the knob carrier assembly (212) by passing the fixing members (508) through the slots (404) of the knob carrier assembly (212). One or more of the fixing members (508) may include snapping members (506) adapted to engage the flanges present in the slots (404) of the knob carrier assembly (212). The snapping members (506) may be in the form of any of hooks, latches or projections adapted to fixedly couple the knob assembly (210) to the knob carrier assembly (212). The engaging member (504) and a region accommodating the fixing members (508) may form a C-shape structure.
[0039] Figs. 6A and 6B illustrate a front view and a perspective view of the knob assembly (210) coupled to the master vane (208) and the knob carrier assembly (212), respectively. Fig. 6C illustrates an exploded view of the configuration shown in Fig. 6B. Fig. 6D illustrates a cross-sectional view of the configuration shown in Fig. 6B. The air vent assembly (200) is formed by placing the knob carrier assembly (212) beneath the master vane (208) and then clipping the fixing members (508) of the knob assembly (210) through the slots (308) of the knob carrier assembly (212). As shown, the knob assembly (210) is coupled to the master vane (208) by passing the at least one engaging member (504) through the gap (308) and the slot (310) of the master vane (208) such that the protrusion (506) is present at the rear surface of the intermediate vane member (306). This configuration improves stability of the knob assembly (210). Thereafter, the elastomeric pad (602) and the knob carrier assembly (212) are installed with the master vane (208) from a rear side thereof such that the bulging member (312) is present in contact with the elastomeric pad (602). This further improves stability of the knob assembly (210) during rotation thereof. The knob assembly (210) enables the occupant of the vehicle to easily and conveniently actuate the master vane (208), even with the presence of the bezel (214) at the front portion of the air vent assembly (200).
[0040] In an implementation, when the knob assembly (210) is in the loaded condition, i.e., when a load is applied to the operating member (502) by the occupant of the vehicle in vertically downward direction, the protrusion (506) engages with the rear surface of the intermediate vane member (306) to prevent at least partial disengagement of the knob assembly (210) with the master vane (208) when a load is applied thereto, while allowing rotation of the knob assembly (210) and the master vane (208) in the vertical direction. Thus, in the loaded condition, the knob assembly (210) is easily operable to change orientation of the horizontal vanes (104) to control the airflow inside the vehicle interior in the vertical direction. When the knob assembly (210) is not in the loaded condition, the master vane (208) is free to slide in the lateral direction to change orientation of the vertical vanes (106) to control the airflow inside the vehicle interior in the horizontal direction. This ensure proper operation of the air vent assembly (200) while improving stability and durability thereof.
[0041] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0042] The proposed invention provides a simple, easy to operate and assemble, and improved air vent assembly for vehicles to provide multi-directional airflow inside the vehicles.
[0043] The proposed invention improves reliability and operability of the process of controlling the airflow inside the vehicles.
[0044] The proposed invention provides a highly durable and cost-efficient air vent assembly for vehicles.
[0045] The proposed invention provides an air vent assembly capable of allowing an operator to efficiently control the airflow inside the vehicles, even with presence of a fixed bezel member in close proximity of a knob thereof.
[0046] The proposed invention provides an air vent assembly for vehicles, which is aesthetically pleasing.
[0047] The proposed invention provides an air vent assembly capable of being easily retrofitted into existing vehicles.
, Claims:1. An air vent assembly (200) comprising:
a housing (202) in which a passage having an air inlet and an air outlet is formed;
a master vane (208) rotatably coupled to the housing (202), the master vane (208) including an upper vane member (302) coupled to a lower vane member (304) by an intermediate vane member (306) with a gap (308) formed between the upper vane member (302) and the lower vane member (304), the intermediate vane member (306) including a slot (310) extending in a lateral direction of the intermediate vane member (306); and
a knob assembly (210) for actuating the master vane (208), the knob assembly (210) comprising an operating member (502) and at least one engaging member (504) rearward from the operating member (502), wherein the knob assembly (210) is coupled to the master vane (208) by passing the at least one engaging member (504) through the slot (310), and the at least one engaging member (504) includes a protrusion (506) engageable with a rear surface of the intermediate vane member (306).
2. The air vent assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a knob carrier assembly (212) disposed in the housing (202), wherein the knob assembly (210) includes one or more fixing members (508) arranged substantially parallel to the at least one engaging member (504), the one or more fixing members (508) being coupled to the knob carrier assembly (212).
3. The air vent assembly (200) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the operating member (502) has a curved profile extending away from the one or more fixing members (508).
4. The air vent assembly (200) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intermediate vane member (306) comprises a bulging member (312) on the rear surface thereof, the bulging member (312) positioned in contact with an elastomeric pad (602) attached to the knob carrier assembly (212).

5. The air vent assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protrusion (506) engages with the rear surface of the intermediate vane member (306) to prevent at least partial disengagement of the knob assembly (210) with the master vane (208) when a load is applied to the operating member (502).
6. The air vent assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intermediate vane member (306) is arranged substantially perpendicular to the upper vane member (302).
7. The air vent assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the master vane (208) is connected to one or more horizontal vanes (204) to control an air flow direction from the air vent assembly (200) into the vehicle interior in the vertical direction upon actuation of the operating member (502) in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the master vane (208), wherein the knob assembly (210) is connected to one or more vertical vanes (204) to control the air flow from the air vent assembly (200) into the vehicle interior in the horizontal direction upon actuation of the operating member (502) along the longitudinal direction of the master vane (208).
8. The air vent assembly (200) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one engaging member (504) is configured to slide in the slot (310) by sliding the operating member (502) in the longitudinal direction of the master vane (208) to control the air flow from the air outlet in the horizontal direction.
9. The air vent assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a bezel (214) arranged on the housing and positioned downstream to a distal end of the master vane (208) in the air flow direction, wherein the master vane (208) and the bezel (214) are facing each other.
10. The air vent assembly (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper vane member (302), the intermediate vane member (306) and the lower vane member (304) are integrated with one another to form the master vane (208).