FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an air vent for a vehicle.

INTRODUCTION

This introduction generally presents the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this introduction, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against this disclosure.

Modern passenger vehicles include a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system that allows a vehicle occupant to control the temperature or adjust other settings of a vehicle interior. For instance, a motor-driven fan or blower circulates conditioned air to the vehicle interior through air vents. Some vehicles are equipped with heated and/or cooled seats, a heated steering wheel, and other features that collectively improve the overall drive experience. HVAC systems may include front and rear defrosters for improving visibility through the windshield and rear window, respectively. An occupant of the vehicle selects desired HVAC system settings using dials, knobs, push-buttons, and/or touch screens.

SUMMARY

In an exemplary aspect, a vehicle air vent includes a primary vane system pivotal about a horizontal axis to direct an airflow from an outlet of the vehicle air vent in an up/down direction, a secondary vane system pivotal about a vertical axis to direct an airflow from an outlet of the vehicle air vent in a side-to-side direction. A primary vane of the primary vane system is co-located along an airflow path through the vehicle air vent with a secondary vane of the secondary vane system. The vehicle air vent further includes an airflow volume control system adapted to adjust the volume of airflow through the vehicle air vent, and a joystick controller adapted to independently operate the primary vane system, the secondary vane system, and the airflow volume control system.

In another exemplary aspect, the secondary vane includes a secondary vane pivot shaft that extends vertically through the primary vane and the secondary vane is pivotal relative to the primary vane about the secondary vane pivot shaft.

In another exemplary aspect, the vehicle air vent further includes a secondary vane arm extending from the secondary vane pivot shaft and engaging a secondary vane control arm at a position that is offset from the secondary vane pivot shaft. The secondary vane control arm is connected to the joystick controller such that a side-to-side motion of the joystick controller pivots the secondary vane about the secondary vane pivot shaft to direct an airflow from the outlet of the vehicle air vent in the side-to-side direction.

In another exemplary aspect, the joystick controller includes a joystick knob, a joystick body with a joystick shaft extending from a spherical section of the joystick body, the joystick shaft engages the joystick knob, a joystick sphere housing that includes a left side sphere housing and a right side sphere housing that encloses the spherical section of the joystick body, and a primary vane pivot extending from the spherical section of the joystick body along a primary axis.

In another exemplary aspect, the vehicle air vent further includes a substantially u-shaped hinge portion extending from the primary vane pivot, a primary vane fork including a pair of tines extending rearwardly from a pivot connection with hinge portion extending from the primary vane pivot, and a primary control arm extending from the primary vane, where the primary control arm includes a primary control arm shaft that is aligned about an offset axis that is offset from a primary vane axis about which the primary vane is rotatable.

In another exemplary aspect, the primary vane includes an upper primary vane portion attached to a lower primary vane portion.

In another exemplary aspect, the secondary vane includes an upper secondary vane that includes an upper secondary vane pivot shaft that extends vertically downward through the upper primary vane portion, and a lower secondary vane that includes a lower secondary vane pivot shaft that extends vertically upward through the lower primary vane portion, where the upper secondary vane pivot shaft and the lower secondary vane pivot shaft are fixedly connected to each other and are freely rotatable about a vertical axis that extends through the primary vane, and where one of the lower secondary vane and the upper secondary vane includes a vane arm that extends rearwardly from a respective vane pivot shaft and which includes a secondary vane vertical protrusion at a distal end of the secondary vane arm.

In another exemplary aspect, the vehicle air vent further includes a secondary vane control arm pivotally connected to the secondary vane vertical protrusion, where the secondary vane control arm extends substantially completely through the primary vane between the upper primary vane portion and the secondary primary vane portion, a rearwardly extending arm extending rearwardly form the secondary vane control arm, an arcuate arm with a vertically oriented slot, where the rearwardly extending arm extends into the vertically oriented slot, a first gear attached to a lower portion of the arcuate arm, a second gear having second gear teeth engaging first gear teeth on the first gear, and a second gear key that a slot in a lower portion of the spherical section of the joystick body, where the slot in the lower portion of the spherical section is oriented in a forward/rearward direction.

In another exemplary aspect, the airflow volume control system includes a butterfly door having an upper door and a lower door that are each pivotal about a door pivot axis, where the upper door includes an upper door gear and the lower door includes a lower door gear, a pinion gear that is pivotally mounted on a pinion gear pivot that is fixed with respect to a housing of the vehicle air vent, where both of the upper door gear and the lower door gear are coaxial with the door pivot axis and each of them engage opposing sides of the pinion gear, a lower door extension extending from the lower door, an intermediate control arm connected to the lower door extension with a first universal joint, and a joystick door control arm connected to the intermediate control arm with a second universal joint and to an inner joystick body, where the inner joystick body includes a cylindrical section positioned within the spherical section of the joystick body in a manner which permits the inner joystick body to rotate along a joystick axis relative to the joystick body, where the inner joystick body further includes a protruding shaft on which the joystick knob is mounted, and where the joystick door control arm also includes a joystick key that is positioned within an inner slot in the cylindrical section of the inner joystick body.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided below. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages, of the present invention are readily apparent from the detailed description, including the claims, and exemplary embodiments when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

