DE102011077920A1 - Air damper for motor vehicle, has elongated air valve structure that is provided bearing geometry made of thermoplastic material - Google Patents

Abstract

The air damper (10) has an elongated air valve structure (14) which extends along longitudinal axis (12) in axial direction. The elongated air valve structure has a bearing geometry (16) that is made of thermoplastic material having higher elastic modulus, higher hardness, higher thermal resistance, higher tensile strength, higher flexural strength and high density. The bearing geometry is provided with a recess (22) and a filling out region (26).

Description

The present invention relates to an air damper, in particular a motor vehicle air damper, with an elongated damper body which extends along an axial longitudinal air damper longitudinal axis and which is adapted to change by relative movement relative to a flow opening an effective flow cross section thereof, and at least one Bearing geometry, which is designed to store the air damper movable relative to the flow opening.

Such louvers are well known in the art. They are used in particular in motor vehicles and are located there in a frame having the aforementioned flow opening in order to control or regulate an air supply through the flow opening to a located in the flow direction behind the flow opening aggregate. This control or regulation is done by relative adjustment of the air damper, usually a plurality of louvers with preferably parallel louver longitudinal axes, relative to said frame and thus relative to the flow opening.

In many cases, the air damper is made as an injection molded part. But it can also be designed as a pressed part.

In the case of the louvers, different demands are placed on the louver body on the one hand and on the bearing geometry on the other hand. So it comes just in the at least one bearing geometry on high wear resistance, since the bearing geometry in the installed state of the air damper in a relative movement relative to the frame supporting the air damper is usually burdened by a solid friction with the bearing geometry receiving bearing counter-geometry of the frame.

Likewise, a high dimensional stability is desired in the case of the air flap body, since its load is significantly characterized by an air flow flowing against the air flap body during operation and thus producing a dynamic pressure.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve the known from the prior art air damper, in particular to form as possible to stress.

This object is achieved by an air damper of the type mentioned, in which the air flap body is formed from a body material and and in which the at least one bearing geometry is formed from a different material from the body material bearing material. Preferably, the body material is a thermoplastic material, so that can be performed with this known per se molding and forming process. Likewise, the bearing material is preferably thermoplastic, so that this can be brought into shape by known primary molding or forming process. Thus, for example, both the air damper body and the bearing geometry can be produced by injection molding. However, it should not be ruled out that body material and / or bearing material are brought into a desired shape by press forming, deep drawing and the like. In the case of injection molding a bearing geometry, this is preferably molded onto the air flap body.

By using different materials for the air damper body on the one hand and for the at least one bearing geometry on the other hand, said components of the air damper discussed here can each be made of the most relevant material for the respective component load case.

Since a load on the bearing geometry, as already described above, is determined under normal operation by the solid geometry occurring between the bearing geometry and a receiving bearing counter geometry, wherein also acting on the air damper forces, in particular aerodynamic forces must be supported on the bearing geometry, is the bearing material is often chosen in comparison to the body material such that the bearing material has a higher modulus of elasticity and / or a higher hardness and / or a higher thermal resistance and / or a higher tensile strength and / or a higher bending strength and / or a higher density than that body material.

The proposed in the present invention damper also allows an economical production of air dampers, since the usually more wear-resistant bearing material per unit weight or volume is more expensive than the body material and the air damper of the present invention is designed so that the more expensive and therefore more expensive Material is used only where it is actually needed, so at least one bearing geometry.

Otherwise, the entire air damper would have to be made according to the conventional design with the material which is required by the largest occurring load case, although this load case locally only very limited, such as at the bearing points occurs.

In principle, the at least one bearing geometry can be designed in any suitable manner. However, it has proven to be particularly advantageous if the at least one bearing geometry comprises a bearing projection, such as a bearing journal, and also bearing hollow pins. Then the bearing projection can be accommodated in a corresponding bearing recess on the side of the counter bearing geometry.

In principle, however, this ratio can also be kinematically reversed, so that it is also conceivable according to a development of the present invention that the bearing geometry comprises a recess, such as recess, passage opening and the like.

The air flap body is usually an elongated component, which moreover should preferably be able to fulfill the function of the air line and / or air quantity control over its entire length. Therefore, it is advantageous if the bearing geometry affects the air valve body as little as possible in its function. For this purpose, it can be provided that the at least one bearing geometry is provided in the axial direction following the air flap body.

In order to be able to ensure the best possible connection of the air damper body on the one hand and the at least one bearing geometry on the other hand, the invention can be further developed thinking that the at least one bearing geometry is provided overlapping the air damper body in the axial direction. Due to the above-mentioned advantages, this overlap advantageously takes place at one or both longitudinal ends of the air flap.

In the particularly preferred case of the injection molding construction of at least the at least one bearing geometry, it can be thought of that the bearing geometry of the bearing material is injection-molded onto the air flap body. In many, even in most cases, this provides sufficient connection security between the air dam body and the bearing geometry.

But then, if a particularly high connection strength of the bearing geometry and air damper body is to be achieved, it is advantageous if a component of bearing geometry and air damper body in an axial overlap region of the components on the air damper one, preferably at least in the axial direction, particularly preferably in a to Has axial direction orthogonal direction, at least one undercut anchoring geometry, which is surrounded by the other component.

Additionally or alternatively, it may be provided that the bearing geometry and / or air flap body in the contact region of the bearing geometry and air flap body have a surface-increasing contour formation, such as in the form of a toothing and the like.

Since the louver body compared to the bearing geometry usually has the larger component volume, it is advantageous if the louver body has the anchoring geometry, which is surrounded by the bearing geometry.

For the above-mentioned reasons of a possible avoidable disturbance of the function of the air damper body by the bearing geometry, it is advantageous if the bearing geometry is provided in a longitudinal end of the air damper body, preferably each longitudinal end of the air damper body has a bearing geometry.

Although exceptions should not be excluded, it will still be the rule that the air damper is movably received at its two longitudinal ends relative to a frame carrying the air damper. Accordingly, an air damper can be mounted particularly precisely movable with the bearing geometry, if it has two axially spaced bearing geometries, which together define a Relativbewegungsachse the air damper relative to the flow opening, wherein the relative axis of movement is preferably parallel to or collinear with the air damper longitudinal axis.

The above-mentioned object is likewise achieved by an air flap device, comprising a frame defining a flow opening, on which at least one air flap, as described above, is received in such a relatively movable manner that the flow cross-sectional area of the flow opening can be changed by relative movement of the air flap relative to the frame.

Such an air flap device preferably has a plurality of substantially identical air flaps. These louvers are preferably arranged with parallel louver longitudinal axes, so that they can be connected together if desired for common movement. However, it should not be ruled out that individual or multiple louvers can be driven separately relative to each other for relative movement relative to the frame. In this case, several of the separately operable air dampers can be connected to each other for common movement, so that there may be groups of a plurality of coupled to the common movement louvers, which groups are separately movable from each other.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows:

1 a plan view of a longitudinal end of an embodiment of the invention and

2 a cross-sectional view of the damper of 1 along the cutting plane II-II.

In 1 is an air damper according to the invention in general 10 designated. Shown here is a longitudinal end of the air damper 10 at their one relative to the damper longitudinal axis 12 axial longitudinal end 10a ,

The air damper 10 has an air damper body 14 on and further has a bearing geometry 16 on which a bearing projection 18 includes, in the example shown in the direction of the air damper longitudinal 12 from the air flap body 14 projects.

As 2 shows is the air damper body 14 in the radial direction of the air flap longitudinal axis 12 contoured away, for example by kinks 14a to 14d , This contouring is merely illustrative and can be used with other air dampers 10 be configured in another way.

In the area of the air damper longitudinal axis 12 can the air damper body 14 a rounding, preferably part-cylindrical rounding with the air flap longitudinal axis 12 as the cylinder axis. This rounding is in 1 with the reference number 20 designated.

The air damper body 14a is made of a body material that meets the requirements of the air damper body 14 is selected. It may be, for example, a relatively soft material which permits surface treatment such as painting or other coating and the like. Such a material may be for example ASA.

In contrast, the bearing geometry 16 formed of a material different from the body material bearing material, which may have a greater hardness, ie a higher penetration resistance than the body material. Likewise, the bearing material may have a higher modulus of elasticity and / or a higher tensile strength and / or a higher density than the body material to provide a higher wear resistance, especially in view of the solid state friction occurring on the bearing geometry, than the body material.

The bearing geometry 16 is at the with a corresponding section 22 provided air damper body 14 molded in an injection molding process. However, it should not be excluded that the bearing geometry 16 otherwise with the damper body 14 has been connected, such as by gluing.

To the pull-out strength of the air damper body 14 preferably molded bearing geometry 16 in the direction of the air damper longitudinal axis 12 from the air flap body 14 To increase the distance, can be used to accommodate the air damper geometry 16 on the air valve body 14 provided section 22 be formed with an undercut geometry. In particular, a the cutout 22 bordering edge 22a with a corresponding undercut geometry 24 be formed with respect to the axial extension direction. The undercut geometry 24 is in 1 indicated by dashed lines at the bottom.

The bearing geometry 16 has in the transition from the recess 22 filling area 26 for bearing projection 18 towards a disc area 28 on, which for a good anchoring of the bearing projection 18 at which the recess 22 filling area 26 and thus on the air damper body 14 provides a total, because the air damper shown in the present embodiment 10 points straight in the area of the air damper longitudinal axis 12 to which the bearing projection 18 Preferably coaxially aligned, due to the rounding described above 20 in the example shown no material, which is an attachment of the bearing projection 18 difficult without disc part.

In the example shown here, the area fills 26 the bearing geometry 16 the recess 22 in the air valve body 14 flush. Alternatively or additionally, it may be thought that the bearing material of the bearing geometry 16 Body material of the air valve body 14 partially engages or overlaps. Thus, the bearing geometry, here preferably at least partially flush with the air damper body 14 connects, forming a thickening of the air damper.

In principle, however, the flush connection described here is preferred because this the air flow and flow characteristics of the air damper body 14 does not bother.

Claims (10)

Air damper ( 10 ), in particular motor vehicle air damper, with an elongate damper body ( 14 ), which along an axial direction defining air damper longitudinal axis ( 12 ) and which is adapted to change by relative movement relative to a flow opening an effective flow cross section thereof, and with at least one bearing geometry ( 16 ), which is adapted to the air damper ( 10 ) movable relative to the flow opening, characterized in that the air flap body ( 14 ) is formed from a, preferably thermoplastic, body material, and that the at least one bearing geometry ( 16 ) is formed from a different, preferably thermoplastic, bearing material from the body material. Air damper according to claim 1, characterized in that the bearing material has a higher modulus of elasticity and / or a higher hardness and / or a higher thermal resistance and / or a higher tensile strength and / or a higher bending strength and / or a higher density than the body material. Air damper according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one bearing geometry ( 16 ) a bearing projection ( 18 ), such as a journal, also Lagerhohlzapfen includes. Air damper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bearing geometry ( 16 ) comprises a recess, such as recess, passage opening and the like. Air damper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one bearing geometry ( 16 ) in the axial direction of the damper body ( 14 ) is provided following. Air damper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one bearing geometry ( 16 ) in the axial direction of the air flap body ( 14 ) is provided overlapping. Air damper according to claim 6, characterized in that a component ( 14 ) from bearing geometry ( 16 ) and damper body ( 14 ) in an axial overlapping area of the components on the air flap ( 10 ) one, preferably at least in the axial direction, particularly preferably in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, at least one undercut anchoring geometry ( 24 ), which of the other component ( 16 ) is surrounded. Air flap according to claim 7, characterized in that the air flap body ( 14 ) the anchoring geometry ( 24 ), which depends on the bearing geometry ( 16 ) is surrounded. Air damper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bearing geometry ( 16 ) in a longitudinal end region (at 10a ) of the air flap body ( 14 ), wherein preferably each longitudinal end region of the air flap body ( 14 ) one bearing geometry each ( 16 ) having. Air damper according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has two axially spaced bearing geometries ( 16 ), which together a relative axis of motion ( 12 ) the air damper ( 10 ) relative to the flow opening, the relative axis of movement ( 12 ) preferably parallel to or collinear with the damper longitudinal axis ( 12 ).

Images