Claims:We Claim:
1. An airvent 200 for a vehicle interior, the airvent 200 comprising:
a housing 100 having an upper chamber 110 and a lower chamber 120, the upper chamber 110 having an inlet 102 to ingress the air into the housing 100 and the lower chamber 120 having an outlet 104 to egress the air into the vehicle interior;
an opening 140a or 140b configured between the upper chamber 110 and the lower chamber 120 for passage of air from the upper chamber 110 to the lower chamber 120; and
a guiding member 150 for changing the direction of the air flow into the vehicle interior.

2. The airvent 200 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower chamber 120 is having a plurality of baffles 160 configured therein for further deflection of the air.

3. The airvent 200 as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first opening 140a and a second opening 140b are configured between the upper chamber 110 and the lower chamber 120 for passage of air from the upper chamber 110 to the lower chamber 120.

4. The airvent 200 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding member 150 is movable between a first position and a second position from an idle position of guiding member 150.

5. The airvent 200 as claimed in claim 4, wherein the guiding member 150 in its first position or second position prevents the flow of air through the second opening 140b or first opening 140a thereby directing the air only through the first opening 140a or second opening 140b for directing the air in the desired direction.

6. The airvent 200 as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of baffles 160 is arranged angularly with respect to X-axis directing airflow towards the air outlet 104 and the baffles 160 are arranged on side portions of the lower chamber 120.

7. The airvent 200 as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of baffles 160 is movably arranged in the lower chamber 120.

8. The airvent 200 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower chamber 120 is having a vane 180a or 180b for further guiding the air in desired direction towards the vehicle interior.

9. The airvent 200 as claimed in claims 1 and 8, wherein the vane 180a or 180b guides the air into the vehicle interior in a direction other than that of the plurality of baffles 160 directing the air into the vehicle interior.

10. The airvent 200 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air vent 200 is located horizontally or vertically on an interior panel of the vehicle.
, Description:Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an airvent for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a slim airvent for a vehicle interior.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Air-vents inside a vehicle are known for guiding and distributing air inside the vehicle from an HVAC duct. Generally, these air-vents are provided with vanes for directing and deflecting the air according to the preference of the occupants inside the vehicle. These vanes are moved by operating a thumb wheel which is arranged exterior to the air-vents. The thumb wheel may be operated in two direction which allows the vanes to deflect the flow of air inside the air-vent. Currently, slim airvents which are wider enough to provide sufficient supply of air is being used. These slim airvents are useful to modulate air in upward and downward direction, but then they are not designed well enough for left and right modulation.

[0003] Further, the slim airvent may have 130 to 150 mm wider profile. Anything bigger in dimensions brings in a different challenge of directivity towards the left and the right. Also, the airvent outlet opening is around 40mm, anything less than that may create a pressure drop and cause difficulties in managing directivity.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need to provide an airvent inside a vehicle, which overcomes few or all of the drawbacks of the existing airvent.

Objects of the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an airvent for a vehicle interior.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide an airvent for a vehicle interior, which allows slim and wide profile airvent to manage the airflow in left or right directivity efficiently.

[0007] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an airvent for a vehicle interior, which minimises the pressure drop across the airvent opening.

[0008] One more object of the present invention is to provide an airvent for a vehicle interior, which has a lesser number of parts and thereby easy to assemble.

[0009] Still, one more object of the present invention is to provide an airvent for a vehicle interior, which is robust in construction.

Summary of the invention

[0010] According to the present invention, there is provided an airvent for a vehicle interior. The airvent facilitates in providing proper ventilation inside the vehicle interior. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the airvent is a slim airvent which has a wider airflow channel assuring an optimum air distribution through the airvent. The wider profile of the airvent enables to manage the airflow in left or right directivity with good efficiency. The airvent includes a housing defining the periphery of the air-vent. The housing confines an airflow channel with an air inlet and an air outlet.

[0011] The housing is having an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The upper chamber has the air inlet to ingress air in the housing may be from an HVAC unit of the vehicle. The lower chamber has the outlet to egress the air towards the vehicle interior. A partition wall is provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber. The air flows from the upper chamber to the lower chamber through at least one opening configured on the partition wall. In the present embodiment, two openings like a first opening and a second opening are provided on each side corners of the partition wall between the upper chamber and the lower chamber.
[0012] Further, a guiding member may be pivotally or slidably configured in the upper chamber or the lower chamber for changing the direction of the air flow in the vehicle interior. Specifically, the guiding member is a central vane which directs the air flow to the lower chamber in a specific manner. In the present embodiment, the guiding member is pivoted in a pivot pin along a vertical pivot axis allowing the guiding member to pivotally move between a first position and a second position on the partition wall from an idle position of the guiding member. Specifically, the pivot pin of the guiding member is centrally configured on the partition wall distal to the air inlet. In the first position, the guiding member moves around the pivot pin towards a right side portion of the housing. Similarly, in the second position, the guiding member moves around the pivot pin towards a left side portion of the housing. The guiding member prevents the flow of air through one of the openings thereby directing the air through the other opening for directing the air in a desired direction.

[0013] In the idle position, the guiding member allows the air to flow through both the first opening and the second opening towards the lower chamber. In the idle position, the guiding member is positioned centrally allowing air to flow in the lower chamber from both the first opening and the second opening on the partition wall, thereby directing the air straight out of the air outlet into the vehicle interior. Upon operating a knob, the guiding member may pivotally or slidably moves towards one of the side of the upper chamber closing one of the openings on the partition wall thereby preventing air flow through the other opening.

[0014] For example, upon operating the knob, the guiding member moves in the first position and prevents the air to flow from the second opening and allows air to flow through the first opening into the lower chamber. Similarly, when the guiding member moves in the second direction, it prevents the air to flow from the first opening and allows air to flow from the second opening into the lower chamber. Further, it also possible to have a plurality of intermediate position of guiding member (not shown) to adjust the quantity of air flows towards one of the openings of the air vent.

[0015] Further, the lower chamber of the housing may have plurality of baffles configured therein for further deflection of the air. The baffles are thin sheet-like structures arranged vertically and adjacent to each other which facilitates in deflection of air from the lower chamber towards the outlet into the vehicle interior. In the present embodiment, the baffles are arranged in both side portions of the lower chamber, below the first opening and the second opening of the partition wall, directing opposite to each other. Specifically, the plurality of baffles is arranged angularly with respect to X-axis directing airflow towards the air outlet. The baffles are arranged on both right and left side portions of the lower chamber, specifically in a particular angle to deviate air in a specific angle.
[0016] In the present embodiment, when the guiding member moves in the first position, the air flows through the first opening and reaches the left side portion of the lower chamber. The baffles in the left side portion, direct the air in a focused stream rightwards through the outlet of the housing into the vehicle interior. Similarly, when the guiding member moves in the second position, the air flows through the second opening and reaches a right portion of the lower chamber. The baffles in the right side portion direct the air in a focused stream leftwards through the outlet of the housing into the vehicle interior.

[0017] In an embodiment, the baffles are movably configured in the lower chamber. An operating button may be associated with the baffles for the movement. The baffles can change the directivity according to the requirement of the occupant.

[0018] Further, the lower chamber may be provided with a vane. The vanes facilitates further guiding the air in desired direction towards the vehicle interior. The vanes may guide the air into the vehicle interior in a direction other than that of the plurality of baffles directing the air into the vehicle interior.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] The advantages and features of the present invention will be understood better with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

[0020] Figure 1 illustrates an airvent for a vehicle interior in accordance with the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 illustrates a sectional view of the airvent;

[0022] Figure 3 illustrates another sectional view of the airvent;

[0023] Figure 4 illustrates a top view of the airvent showing an idle position of a guiding member;

[0024] Figure 5 illustrates the top view of the airvent showing a first position of the guiding member;

[0025] Figure 6 illustrates the top view of the airvent showing a second position of the guiding member;

[0026] Figure 7 illustrates a side view of the airvent in accordance with the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 illustrates the airvent located horizontally on an interior panel of the vehicle; and

[0028] Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment of the airvent located vertically on the interior panel of the vehicle in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0029] An embodiment of this invention, illustrating its features, will now be described in detail. The words "comprising, "having, "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

[0030] The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms “an” and “a” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

[0031] The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms.

[0032] Referring to figures 1, 2 and 3, an airvent 200 for a vehicle interior in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. The airvent 200 facilitates in providing proper ventilation inside the vehicle interior. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the airvent 200 is a slim airvent which has a wider airflow channel assuring an optimum air distribution through the airvent 200. The wider profile of the airvent 200 enables to manage the airflow in left or right directivity efficiently. The airvent 200 includes a housing 100 defining the periphery of the air vent 200. The housing 100 confines the airflow channel with an air inlet 102 and an air outlet 104. The air inlet 102 allows air flow into the air flow channel of the airvent 200, and the air outlet 104 allows air to flow outside of the airvent 100 towards the interior of the vehicle.
[0033] The housing 100 is having an upper chamber 110 and a lower chamber 120. The upper chamber 110 is having the air inlet 102 to ingress air from an HVAC unit in the housing 100. The lower chamber 120 is having the outlet 104 to egress the air towards the vehicle interior. A partition wall 130 is provided between the upper chamber 110 and the lower chamber 120 as explained above. The air flows from the upper chamber 110 to the lower chamber 120 through at least one opening configured on the partition wall 130. In the present embodiment, two openings like a first opening 140a and a second opening 140b are provided on each side corners of the partition wall 130 between the upper chamber 110 and the lower chamber 120 as shown in figures 4, 5 and 6. It may be obvious to a person skilled in the art to configure the two chambers 110 and 120 in any positions. Also, the two chambers 110 and 120 can be interchangeably arranged. By way of non-limiting example, the two chambers 110 and 120 can be arranged adjacently in a left and right configuration.

[0034] Further, a guiding member 150 is pivotally configured in the upper chamber 110 for changing the direction of the air flow in the vehicle interior (refer figure 4, 5, 6). Specifically, the guiding member 150 is a central vane which directs the air flow from the upper chamber (110) to the lower chamber 120 in a specific manner (as shown in figure 4). In the present embodiment, the guiding member 150 is pivoted in a pivot pin 152 along a vertical pivot axis allowing the guiding member 150 to pivotally move from an idle position to a first position (as shown in figure 5) and a second position (as shown in figure 6) on the partition wall 130 of the housing 100. Specifically, the pivot pin 152 of the guiding member 150 is centrally configured on the partition wall 130 distal to the air inlet 102. In the first position, the guiding member 150 moves around the pivot pin 152 towards a right side portion of the housing 100 (as shown in figure 5).

[0035] Similarly, in the second position, the guiding member 150 moves around the pivot pin 152 towards a left side portion of the housing 100 (as shown in figure 6). The guiding member 150 can be moved by operating a knob (not shown) which is provided exterior to the airvent 100 allowing an occupant to move the guiding member 150. Further, the guiding member 150 prevents the flow of air through one of the openings 140a or 140b thereby directing the air through the other opening 140a or 140b for directing the air in a desired direction.

[0036] In the idle position, the guiding member 150 positioned centrally in the upper chamber 110 allowing air to flow in the lower chamber 120 from both the first opening 140a and the second openings 140bon the partition wall 130, thereby directing the air straight out of the air outlet 104 into the vehicle interior as shown in figure 4. Upon operating the knob, the guiding member 150 pivotally moves towards one of the sides of the upper chamber 110 closing one of the opening 140a or 140b on the partition wall 130 thereby preventing air flow through one of the opening 140a or 140b.

[0037] For example, as shown in figure 5, upon operating the knob, the guiding member 150 moves in the first position and prevents the air to flow through the second opening 140b and allows air to flow through the first opening 140a thereby directing the air to a left side portion of the lower chamber 120. Similarly, when the guiding member 150 moves in the second position, it prevents the air to flow from the first opening 140a and allows air to flow through the second opening 140b towards a right side of the lower chamber 120 as shown in figure 6. Further, a stopper (not shown) may be provided proximal to each of the opening 140a and140b in the direction of the movement of the guiding member 150 for preventing the excess movement of the guiding member 150 across the openings 140a and140b. Further, it also possible to have a plurality of intermediate position of guiding member (not shown) to adjust the quantity of air flows towards one of the openings 140a or 140b of the air vent 200.

[0038] Referring again to figures 2 and 3, the lower chamber 120 of the housing 100 is having a plurality of baffles 160 configured therein for further deflection of the air. The baffles 160 are thin sheet-like structures arranged vertically and adjacent to each other which facilitates in deflection of air from the lower chamber 120 towards the outlet 104 into the vehicle interior. The baffles 160 are extending downwards from the partition wall 130 in the lower chamber 120. In the present embodiment, the baffles 160 are arranged in both the side portions of the lower chamber 120, below the first opening 140a and the second opening 140b directing opposite to each other. The present embodiment is shown to have baffles like 160a, 160b, 160c, 160d, 160e, 160f in a left side portion and 170a, 170b, 170c, 170d, 170e and 170f in a right side portion of the lower chamber 120 as shown in figures 4, 5 and 6. Specifically, the baffles 160a, 160b, 160c, 160d, 160e, 160f, 170a, 170b, 170c, 170d, 170e and 170f are arranged angularly with respect to X-axis directing airflow towards the air outlet 104. The baffles 160a, 160b, 160c, 160d, 160e, 160f, 170a, 170b, 170c, 170d, 170e and 170f are arranged on both right and left side portions of the lower chamber 120, specifically in a particular angle to deviate air in a specific angle towards the air outlet 104.

[0039] For example, when the guiding member 150 moves in the first position (as shown in figure 5), the air flows through only the first opening 140a and reaches the left side portion of the lower chamber 120. The baffles 160a, 160b, 160c, 160d, 160e, 160f in the left side portion, directs the air rightwards in a focused stream through the outlet 104 of the housing 100 into the vehicle interior. Similarly, when the guiding member 150 moves in the second position, the air flows through only the second opening 140b and reaches the right side portion of the lower chamber 120. The baffles 170a, 170b, 170c, 170d, 170e and 170f in the right side portion, directs the air in a focused stream leftwards through the outlet 104 of the housing 100 into the vehicle interior.

[0040] In an embodiment, the baffles 160a, 160b, 160c, 160d, 170a, 170b, 170c and 170d are movably configured in the lower chamber 120. An operating button may be associated with the baffles 160a, 160b, 160c, 160d, 170a, 170b, 170c and 170d for the movement. The baffles 160a, 160b, 160c, 160d, 170a, 170b, 170c and 170d can change the directivity according to the requirement of the occupant.

[0041] Further, the lower chamber 120 may be provided with a vane as shown in figure 7 for up or down directivity of the air flow therethrough. Specifically, two vanes like a first vane 180a and a second vane 180b is provided. The vanes 180a, 180b facilitates further guiding the air in the desired direction towards the vehicle interior. The vanes 180a, and 180b may be operable manually or by using a thumbwheel associated therewith. The vanes 180a, 180b may be a rotary or pivotable vane or the like which enable the user to change the up and down directivity of the air flow of the airvent 200 into to vehicle interior as desired by a user. The vanes 180a, 180b are pivotally arranged, such that when the first vane 180a is pivoted into the air flow channel, air flows downwardly into the vehicle interior. Similarly, when the second vane 180b is pivoted into the air flow channel, air flows upwardly into the vehicle interior. Further, the vanes 180a or 180b may guide the air into the vehicle interior in a direction other than that of the plurality of baffles 160 directing the air into the vehicle interior.

[0042] The above-explained airvent 200 embodiment(s) was described in a manner where the airvent 200 is placed or located horizontally on an interior panel of the vehicle (like a horizontal air vent 200a) as shown in figure 8. Specifically, the horizontal airvent 200a is arranged on an instrumental panel 400 of the vehicle interior. The airvent 200 can be placed or located vertically on the vehicle interior panel (like a vertical air vent 200b) as shown in figure 9. Specifically, the vertical airvent 200b is arranged on a support base 510 of an armrest 500 of the vehicle to provide ventilation and air distribution towards a rear seat of the vehicle. In case of the vertical airvent 200b, the upper chamber the chambers 110 and 120 is configured sideways like left and right side inside the housing 100.

[0043] Therefore the advantages of the present invention are to provide an airvent 200 for a vehicle interior, which allows slim and wide profile airvent 200 to manage the airflow in left or right directivity efficiently. The airvent 200 also minimises the pressure drop across the airvent opening. Further, the airvent 200 has a lesser number of parts and thereby easy to assemble. Also, the airvent 200 is robust in construction.

[0044] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilise the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention.