DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of air vents of automobiles.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
Automobiles are provided with an air vent that is mounted on the dashboard of the automobile. The air vent is used to facilitate a user to control the climate of the interior of the automobile. The air vent comprises a housing which includes an outflow opening, a plurality of vanes which are associated with the outflow opening of the housing and which are swivel-mounted. Each vane is coupled to each other which allow all the vanes to be swiveled open when even one vane is moved. The air that is provided by a heating/air-conditioning system of the automobile flows through the air vent into the interior of the vehicle, the direction of the air flow being adjustable by means of the swiveling vanes.
Generally, air vents further comprise guide members that are attached in the housing. The guide members can be a thumb wheel, a vent tab or a vent adjuster having a swivel axis perpendicular to the swivel axis of the vanes. The guide members are configured to allow the user to swivel the vanes by moving the guide members, thus allowing the user to adjust the direction of the air flow in the desired direction.
However, the conventional guide members break away easily due to the repeated force applied thereon. Moreover it is not easy to join the guide members with the air vent when broken, thereby requiring the replacement of the entire assembly. Hence, not only is replacement of the guide member time consuming but is also expensive.
There is therefore felt a need for a shutoff mechanism for the air-vent that alleviates the aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
An object of the present disclosure is to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a shutoff mechanism for an air-vent of an automobile.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a shutoff mechanism for an air-vent, which requires less time for assembly.
Still object of the present disclosure is to provide a shutoff mechanism for an air-vent, which comprises relatively less number of parts.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a shutoff mechanism for an air-vent of an automobile. The air vent includes a housing defined by an outer bezel, an accent ring and a vane spacer. The housing has a plurality of interconnected vanes swivel mounted on the housing, The shutoff mechanism for the air-vent comprises a gear, a rack and pinion, a shut-off flap and an actuator knob. The gear is provided on the housing of the air vent. The rack and pinion is attached to an operative top portion of the vane spacer, and the pinion is connected to the gear. The shut-off flap is connected to the gear. The shut-off flap is configured to be linearly moved when the gear is rotated. The actuator knob is attached to the vanes, and is rotatably connected to the rack with the help of the vane spacer. The actuator knob when rotated to a predetermined angle, linearly drives the rack to rotate the pinion, and thereby rotate the gear to facilitate linear movement of the shut-off flap to either open or close the vanes.
In an embodiment, the actuator knob is integrally formed with the vanes.
In another embodiment, the actuator knob is configured to be rotated to a predetermined angle of 30 degrees.
In still another embodiment, a projection is provided on one vane of the plurality of vanes.
In yet another embodiment, internal threads are configured on operative inner surface of the actuator knob to facilitate attachment of the actuator knob with the projection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A shutoff mechanism, of the present disclosure, for an air-vent of an automobile will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates an isometric side view of the mechanism of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates an isometric front view of the mechanism of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional isometric view of the mechanism of Figure 2.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 Shutoff Mechanism
110 Actuator Knob
112A Rack
112B Pinion
115 Shut-off Flap
120 Gear
200 Air Vent
210 Outer Bezel
215 Accent Ring
220 Vane Spacer
220A First Set of Vanes
220B Second Set of Vanes
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details, are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
When an element is referred to as being “mounted on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element or component from another element or component. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Terms such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
A shutoff mechanism (100), of the present disclosure, for an air vent (200) of an automobile will now be described with reference to Figure 1 through Figure 3.
The air vent (200) comprises a housing (not specifically labeled in figures) and a plurality of interconnected vanes swivel mounted on the housing. Each vane of the plurality of vanes is joined with each other. A projection is provided on one vane of the plurality of vanes. The plurality of vanes includes a first set of vanes (220A) configured vertically in the housing, and a second set of vanes (220B) configured horizontally in the housing. The housing is defined by an outer bezel (210), an accent ring (215) and a vane spacer (220).
The shutoff mechanism (100) comprises an actuator knob (110), a rack and pinion, a shut-off flap (115), and a gear (120). The actuator knob (110) is rotatably connected to the rack (112A) of the rack and pinion with the help of the vane spacer (220). The rack and pinion is configured on an operative top portion of the vane spacer (220). The pinion (112B) of the rack and pinion is connected to the gear (120) provided on the housing of the air vent (200). The gear (120) is connected to the shut-off flap (115). The actuator knob (110) is attached to the plurality of vanes, and is configured to be rotated, by a user, to a predetermined angle. In an embodiment, the actuator knob (110) is integrally formed with the vanes. In another embodiment, the actuator knob (110) is configured to be rotated to a predetermined angle of 30 degrees.
More specifically, the actuator knob (110) is rotated to an angle of 30 degrees in clockwise direction to open the air vent (200), and is rotated to an angle of 30 degrees in anti-clockwise direction to close the air vent (200). The rotation of the actuator knob (110) causes the vane spacer (220) to be rotated. Rotation of the vane spacer (220) linearly drives the rack (112A) to rotate the pinion (112B), which subsequently rotates the gear (120) to facilitate linear movement of the shut-off flap (115). Since the gear (120) is connected to the shut-off flap (115), the rotation of the gear (120) causes the shut-off flap (115) to either open or close the air vent (200).
In an embodiment, internal threads are configured on an operative inner surface of the actuator knob (110) to facilitate attachment of the actuator knob (110) with the projection made on one vane of the plurality of vanes.
Further only a few numbers of parts are required to form the mechanism (100) of the present disclosure. As a result, the weight and cost of the mechanism (100) is relatively less.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a shutoff mechanism for an air-vent of an automobile which:
• which requires less time for being assembled; and
• that comprises relatively less number of parts.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. A shutoff mechanism (100) for an air-vent (200) of an automobile, said air vent including a housing defined by an outer bezel (210), an accent ring (215) and a vane spacer (220), said housing having a plurality of interconnected vanes swivel mounted on said housing,
said shutoff mechanism (100) for said air-vent (200) comprising:
• a gear (120) provided on said housing of said air vent (200)
• a rack and pinion attached to an operative top portion of said vane spacer (220), said pinion (112B) connected to said gear (120);
• a shut-off flap (115) connected to said gear (120), said shut-off flap (115) configured to be linearly moved when said gear (120) is rotated;
• an actuator knob (110) attached to said vanes, and rotatably connected to said rack (112A) with the help of said vane spacer (220);
wherein said actuator knob (110) when rotated to a predetermined angle linearly drives said rack (112A) to rotate said pinion (112B), and thereby rotate said gear (120) to facilitate linear movement of said shut-off flap (115) to either open or close said vanes.
2. The shutoff mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuator knob (110) is integrally formed with said vanes.
3. The shutoff mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuator knob (110) is configured to be rotated to a predetermined angle of 30 degrees.
4. The shutoff mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a projection is provided on one vane of said plurality of vanes.
5. The shutoff mechanism (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein internal threads are configured on an operative inner surface of said actuator knob (110) to facilitate attachment of said actuator knob (110) with said projection.