[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) vehicle control unit. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an HVAC control unit for manual air conditioning systems of vehicles. Exemplary systems according to the present disclosure include an HVAC control unit with a dial knob assembly for manual air conditioning system of a vehicle, thereby enhancing utilization and efficiencies associated therewith.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] Control rotary knobs are used for a variety of different functions on many different types of devices. Often, rotary knobs offer a degree of control to a user that is not matched in other forms of control devices, such as button or switch controls. For example, many users prefer to use a rotary knob to adjust the volume of audio output from a stereo or other sound output device, since the rotary knob allows both fine and coarse adjustment of volume with relative ease, especially compared to button controls. Also, the rotary knobs are majorly used to operating modes of the manual air conditioning system of a vehicle.
[0004] However, as the variety of auxiliary functions in the vehicles continue to increase, more and more control devices, such as air conditioning controllers, music controllers, and radio controllers, need to be installed on the car dashboard. Nowadays, most of the control devices use dial knobs instead of rotary knobs, as the dial knobs are more practical, easy to use, and improve the aesthetic appeal of HVAC control unit in an instrument panel of the vehicles.
[0005] Therefore, in the layout design of an HVAC control unit of a vehicle, it is necessary to consider the usage of dial knobs for controlling the manual air conditioning units. But, such alteration of the rotary knobs with the dial knobs require the addition of components to transfer the rotary motion from the dial knobs to a rotary control shaft of the manual air conditioning system. Otherwise, a dial knob having a small size matching with the size of a recess within a label portion in the control unit has to be installed. Such small size dial knob is difficult to grab and operate under the premise of satisfying the practicality. Also, such small size dial knob also degrades the aesthetic appeal of the control unit.
[0006] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an HVAC control unit with a dial knob assembly for manual air conditioning system of a vehicle, which can enhance the utilization and aesthetic appeal of the control unit.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0007] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed hereinbelow.
[0008] A general object of the present disclosure is to provide an HVAC control unit with a dial knob assembly for manual air conditioning system of a vehicle, which can enhance the utilization and aesthetic appeal of the control unit.
[0009] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an HVAC control unit with a dial knob assembly which ensures economical manufacturing of the control unit with minimum changes with respect to the conventional control unit having rotary knobs.
[0010] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide an HVAC control unit with a dial knob assembly having a textual label portion fixed with a dial knob.
[0011] These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of the present disclosure is illustrated.
SUMMARY
[0012] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to an HVAC control unit with a dial knob assembly for a manual air conditioning system of a vehicle. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0013] The present disclosure relates to an HVAC control unit with a dial knob assembly for a manual air conditioning system of a vehicle. The control unit includes a dial knob having an inner fixed portion and an outer rotary portion, said outer rotary portion includes an engaging member with a receiving slot on an outer surface of the engaging member. The control unit further includes a panel housing including an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder. The inner cylinder including a rotary control shaft having an operation shaft formed offset from a center point of an external surface. The operation shaft protrudes away from the external surface. The panel housing is configured to retain the dial knob between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder with the operation shaft fitting within the receiving slot of the outer rotary portion.
[0014] In an aspect, the inner fixed portion includes a rear tubular member with a receiving slot on an outer surface of the rear tubular member. Further, the outer cylinder is having an inner surface that includes at least one projection configured to fit on the receiving slot of the inner fixed portion so as to lock the rotation of the inner fixed portion.
[0015] In an aspect, the outer rotary portion is being rotatable around external edge region of the inner fixed portion.
[0016] In an aspect, the rotary control shaft along with the operation shaft is formed from a thermoplastic polymer.
[0017] In an aspect, the thermoplastic polymer is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
[0018] In an aspect, the inner fixed portion includes an electronic display.
[0019] In an aspect, the electronic display is a liquid crystal display.
[0020] In an aspect, the electronic display is a vacuum florescence display.
[0021] In an aspect, a protective applique is provided in front of the electronic display to protect the electronic display.
[0022] In an aspect, the inner fixed portion includes an illuminated textual label for the standard user interface.
[0023] In an aspect, a light source is fixed to the operation shaft such that when the outer rotary portion is rotated, the light source indicates a selection in the electronic display of the inner fixed portion of the dial knob. The selection can be different modes of air conditioning or different cooling/heating temperature.
[0024] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
[0025] It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.
[0026] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and methods that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein:
[0028] FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional control unit for manual air conditioning system of a vehicle;
[0029] FIG. 1B illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary rotary knob as per the state of the art;
[0030] FIG. 1C illustrates a back perspective view of an exemplary rotary knob as per the state of the art;
[0031] FIG. 1D illustrates an exemplary panel housing as per the state of the art;
[0032] FIG. 1E illustrates an exemplary rotary shaft of the rotary knob as per the state of the art;
[0033] FIG. 2A illustrates a front view of an HVAC control unit with a dial knob assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0034] FIG. 2B illustrates a top view of the HVAC control unit with the dial knob assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0035] FIG. 2C illustrates a front perspective view of a dial knob of the HVAC control unit, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0036] FIG. 2D illustrates a back perspective view of the dial knob of the HVAC control unit, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0037] FIGS. 2E and 2F illustrate different views of a panel housing of the HVAC control unit, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0038] FIGS. 2G and 2H illustrate different views of a rotary shaft of the HVAC control unit, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0039] The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0040] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein 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 present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0041] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0042] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[0043] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0044] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0045] Embodiments explained herein pertain to HVAC control unit for the manual air conditioning system of a vehicle. FIG. 1A shows a conventional HVAC control unit 100 for manual air conditioning system of a vehicle. The conventional HVAC control unit 100 includes at least three control knobs 102-1, 102-2, 102-3, say, for temperature setting, blower speed selection, and operation mode selection. In an example, the knobs 102-1 and 102-3 are rotary knobs and the knob 102-2 is dial knob.
[0046] FIG. 1B shows a front perspective view of an exemplary rotary knob 102-1, 102-3 (hereinafter referred as 102), while FIG. 1C shows a back perspective view of an exemplary rotary knob 102-1, 102-3 (hereinafter referred as 102). In the back perspective view, a locking feature 104 is formed on inner side of the rotary knob 102. This locking feature 104 is locked with a locking feature 106 formed on an operation shaft 108 of a rotary control shaft 110 of the HVAC control unit 100 (FIGS. 1D and 1E). In the state of the art, the operation shaft 108 is typically formed at a central point of an external surface of a circular disc 112 formed at the head of the rotary control shaft 110. This configuration is simple and robust to receive the force exerted on the rotary knob 102 and to translate the same on the further components mounted inside a panel housing 114.
[0047] However, as mentioned above, as the variety of auxiliary functions in vehicles continues to increase, more and more control devices, such as air conditioning controllers, music controllers, and radio controllers, need to be installed on the car dashboard. Nowadays, most of the control devices use dial knobs instead of rotary knobs, as the dial knobs are more practical, easy to use, and improve aesthetic appeal of control unit.
[0048] To this, the present disclosure provides an HVAC control unit with a dial knob assembly for manual air conditioning system of a vehicle. A front view of the HVAC control unit 200 with the dial knob assembly is shown in FIG. 2A, while a top view of the HVAC control unit 200 with the dial knob assembly is shown in FIG. 2B. As can be seen from FIGS. 2A and 2B, the HVAC control unit 200 includes a panel cover 201, a panel housing 202, one or more dial knobs 204-1, 204-2,…, 204-N (collectively referred to as 204), and a rotary shaft 212 (shown in FIGS. 2G and 2H).The panel housing 202 comprises a number of intermediate components to translate the signal received from a dial knob 204 to control systems of the manual air conditioning system of the vehicle.
[0049] As per an implementation of the present disclosure, a front perspective view of the dial knob 204 is shown in FIG. 2C, and a back perspective view of the dial knob 204 is shown in FIG. 2D. As can be seen from FIG. 2C, the dial knob 204 has an inner fixed portion 204-1 and an outer rotary portion 204-2. In an aspect, the outer rotary portion 204-2 is being rotatable around external edge region of the inner fixed portion 204-1.
[0050] Further, as can be seen from FIG. 2D, the outer rotary portion 204-2 includes an engaging member 206 with a receiving slot 206-S on an outer surface of the engaging member 206. Similarly, the inner fixed portion 204-1 includes a rear tubular member 208 with a receiving slot 208-S on an outer surface of the rear tubular member 208. In an aspect, the engaging member 206 and the rear tubular member 208 are formed on peripheral areas of the outer rotary portion 204-2 and the inner fixed portion 204-1, respectively.
[0051] Referring now to FIGS. 2E and 2F, the panel housing 202 includes an inner cylinder 220 and an outer cylinder 222. The inner cylinder 220 includes a rotary control shaft 212 (FIGS. 2G and 2H) having an operation shaft 214 formed offset from a center point of its external surface 216. The operation shaft 214 protrudes away from the external surface 216. In an aspect, the rotary control shaft 212 along with the operation shaft 214 is formed from a thermoplastic polymer. The thermoplastic polymer includes, but not limited to, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
[0052] In an aspect, at an end away from the external surface 216, the operation shaft 214 includes a snap-fit lock 218 (FIG. 2H) for being locked into the receiving slot 206-S of the outer rotary portion 204-2, so as to allow the outer rotary portion 204-2 to provide rotary control signals to the components in the panel housing 202 of the manual air conditioning system.
[0053] Returning to FIGS. 2E and 2F, the inner surface of the outer cylinder 222 is formed with at least one projection 224. While assembling the dial knob 204 on the panel housing 202, the projection 224 fits into the receiving slot 208-S of the inner fixed portion 204-1 so as to lock the rotation of the inner fixed portion 204-1. With such configuration, the inner fixed portion 204-1 remains fixed while the outer rotary portion 204-2 is allowed to provide rotational signals to the components of the manual air conditioning system. Such configuration of the present HVAC control unit 200 provides an economical solution of replacing the conventional rotary knobs with the dial knobs 204 proposed herein without making much change in the existing structure. This configuration not only improves the ergonomics of the HVAC control unit 200 but also enhances utilization and efficiencies associated with the dial knob assembly.
[0054] Furthermore, although not shown in the figures, those skilled in the art can appreciate that the inner fixed portion 204-1 includes an illuminated textual label for the standard user interface.
[0055] In an alternative aspect, the inner fixed portion 204-1 may include an electronic display. The electronic display includes a liquid crystal display, a vacuum florescence display, and the like. In an example, a protective applique can be provided in front of the electronic display to protect the electronic display.
[0056] In an alternative aspect, a light source (not shown in figures) is fixed to the operation shaft 214 such that when the outer rotary portion 204-2 is rotated, the light source indicates a selection in the electronic display of the inner fixed portion 204-1 of the dial knob 204. The selection can be different modes of air conditioning or different cooling/heating temperature.
[0057] Although the shelving systems disclosed herein have been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is apparent that modifications and/or changes may be made to the disclosed assemblies without departing from the spirit and/or scope of the disclosed invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, it is envisioned and well within the scope of the present invention that the disclosed systems could be modified in such a manner as to implement the dial knobs to multimedia devices to adjust the volume of audio output from a stereo or other sound output device. Thus, having described the present invention in detail and with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the claims which follow.
[0058] Further, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.
[0059] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.
[0060] It will be appreciated that variants of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.

We claim

An HVAC control unit (200) with a dial knob assembly for manual air conditioning system of a vehicle, the HVAC control unit (200) comprising:
a dial knob (204) having an inner fixed portion (204-1) and an outer rotary portion (204-2), the outer rotary portion (204-2) includes an engaging member (206) with a receiving slot (206-S) on an outer surface of the engaging member (206); and
a panel housing (202) including an inner cylinder (220) and an outer cylinder (222), the inner cylinder (220) comprising a rotary control shaft (212) having an operation shaft (214) formed offset from a center point of an external surface (216) of the rotary control shaft (212), the operation shaft (214) being protruding away from the external surface (216), the panel housing (202) being configured to retain the dial knob (204) between the inner cylinder (220) and the outer cylinder (222) with the operation shaft (214) configured to fit within the receiving slot (206-S) of the outer rotary portion (204-2).

2. The HVAC control unit (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the inner fixed portion (204-1) comprises a rear tubular member (208) with a receiving slot (208-S) on an outer surface of the rear tubular member (208); and
the outer cylinder (222) having an inner surface that includes at least one projection (224) configured to fit in the receiving slot (208-S) of the inner fixed portion (204-1) so as to lock the rotation of the inner fixed portion (204-1).

3. The HVAC control unit (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer rotary portion (204-2) is being rotatable around the external edge region of the inner fixed portion (204-1).
4. The HVAC control unit (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotary control shaft (212) along with the operation shaft (214) is formed from a thermoplastic polymer.

5. The HVAC control unit (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner fixed portion (204-1) includes an electronic display.

6. The HVAC control unit (200) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the electronic display is a one of a liquid crystal display and a vacuum florescence display.

7. The HVAC control unit (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation shaft (214) includes a snap-fit lock (218) for being locked into the receiving slot (206-S) of the outer rotary portion (204-2).

8. The HVAC control unit (200) as claimed in claim 5, further including a protective applique in front of the electronic display to protect the electronic display.

9. The HVAC control unit (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner fixed portion (204-1) includes an illuminated textual label for the standard user interface.

10. The HVAC control unit (200) as claimed in claim 5, wherein a light source is fixed to the operation shaft (214) such that when the outer rotary portion (204-2) is rotated, the light source indicates a selection in the electronic display of the inner fixed portion (204-1) of the dial knob (204).