JP7631124B2 - Wind direction control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wind direction control device having a guide louver that is rotatably arranged relative to a case body.

For example, JP 2012-42210 A (Patent Document 1) describes a louver support member (fin support member) that is applied to a wind direction control device of an automobile. The wind direction control device is attached to an interior member such as an instrument panel, and controls the direction of the air blown into the vehicle cabin.

The louver support member described in Patent Document 1 is attached to the air outlet of the air direction control device. In addition, multiple guide louvers are arranged at the air outlet. A cylindrical rotating shaft is formed at both ends of each guide louver, and one rotating shaft of the guide louver is inserted into a through hole provided in the louver support member and supported so as to be freely rotatable.

The louver support member in Patent Document 1 is made of an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer with a specified shear hardness. This creates a large number of fine irregularities on the louver support surface of the louver support member. Patent Document 1 explains that by using such a louver support member, no load change occurs at the peak of the operating load when the guide louvers are rotated.

JP 2012-42210 A

In the case of a wind direction control device equipped with the louver support member of Patent Document 1, as described above, when the guide louver is rotated, no load change occurs at the peak of the operating load, so a stable rotation load is obtained and a smooth operating torque can be generated.

However, if the guide louvers are not rotated for a long period of time and are held at their rest angle, they tend to adhere tightly to the louver support member. As a result, when a driver or other person manually rotates the guide louvers, the operating resistance (feeling of weight when operating) increases momentarily, giving the driver a feeling of being caught in the operation or the rotation of the guide louvers becoming unstable, resulting in reduced operability of the guide louvers.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems with the conventional technology, and its purpose is to provide a wind direction control device that can improve operability by suppressing the momentary increase in operating resistance when rotating the guide louvers.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the wind direction control device provided by the present invention is a wind direction control device having a case body that circulates air inside, and at least one guide louver that is rotatably arranged relative to the case body, wherein the guide louver has a louver main body portion and a pair of rotating shaft portions protruding from one end and the other end of the louver main body portion, an elastically deformable shaft spacer member that rotatably holds the rotating shaft portion of the guide louver is attached to the case body, the shaft spacer member has a louver holding portion that rotatably holds the rotating shaft portion, the louver holding portion has a contact surface that is in close contact with at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft portion and at least one slit portion having a shape that intersects with the contact surface, and wherein elastic deformation of the louver holding portion is promoted when the rotating shaft portion rotates .

In such a wind direction control device of the present invention, it is preferable that the slit portion is formed by a cut, gap, or groove portion extending along the radial direction of the rotating shaft portion of the guide louver.

In addition, a wind direction control device according to another embodiment of the present invention is a wind direction control device having a case body that allows air to circulate inside, at least one first guide louver rotatably arranged with respect to the case body, at least one second guide louver rotatably arranged upstream of the first guide louver with respect to the case body, and an operation knob that is slidably attached to the first guide louver and is operated to rotate the second guide louver, and the operation knob has a knob main body portion that is attached to the first guide louver, an engagement portion that extends from the knob main body portion toward the upstream side and engages with the second guide louver, and an elastically deformable knob spacer member that is fixed within the knob main body portion and is brought into close contact with the outer surface of the first guide louver, and the knob spacer member has a contact surface that is in close contact with at least a portion of the first guide louver and at least one slit portion having a shape that intersects with the contact surface.

In this case, it is preferable that the slit portion is formed by a gap or groove portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the operating knob.

The wind direction control device of the present invention can improve operability by suppressing momentary increases in operating resistance when rotating the guide louvers.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a wind direction control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic exploded state of a horizontal louver and an axis spacer member of the airflow direction control device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic diagram showing a horizontal louver and an operation knob of the airflow direction control device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a knob spacer member before it is attached to a knob body of the operation knob. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a shaft spacer member according to a first modified example; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a shaft spacer member when attached to the airflow direction control device. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a shaft spacer member according to a second modified example. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a shaft spacer member according to a third modified example. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a shaft spacer member according to a fourth modified example. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a knob spacer member according to a first modified example. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a knob spacer member before it is attached to the operation knob. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a knob spacer member according to a second modified example.

The following describes preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings and examples. Note that the present invention is not limited to the examples described below, and various modifications are possible as long as the device has substantially the same configuration as the present invention and provides similar effects. For example, the overall shape, design, size, etc. of the wind direction control device are not particularly limited, and can be modified depending on the installation location of the device, the type and design of the vehicle in which it is installed, etc.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a typical wind direction control device according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a typical disassembled state of the horizontal louvers and axial spacer members of the wind direction control device. Figure 3 is a schematic view showing an enlarged view of the operation knob of the wind direction control device.

The airflow direction control device 1 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is installed, for example, in an interior member such as an instrument panel or a center console arranged in the passenger compartment of an automobile. By connecting this airflow direction control device 1 to an air conditioning device (not shown) installed in the automobile, it is possible to blow air supplied from the air conditioning device into the passenger compartment through an air outlet (opening) formed in the interior member.

Here, with regard to the wind direction control device 1, the front-to-rear direction refers to the direction along the air blowing direction from the wind direction control device 1 when the horizontal louvers 20 and vertical louvers 30 described below are held in the neutral center position. The front-to-rear direction can also be rephrased as the air flow direction of the wind direction control device 1. In this case, the downstream side of the air flow is the front, and the upstream side of the air flow is the rear. The neutral center position of the horizontal louvers 20 (or the vertical louvers 30) refers to the position where the horizontal louvers 20 (or the vertical louvers 30) are held so that the top and bottom surfaces of the horizontal louvers 20 (or the left and right side surfaces of the vertical louvers 30) are aligned along the front-to-rear direction.

The up-down direction and the left-right direction are the vertical direction (height direction) and the horizontal direction (width direction) when the air direction control device 1 is viewed from the air outlet side. In this case, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are each perpendicular to the front-to-back direction, and the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are also perpendicular to each other.

The wind direction control device 1 of this embodiment has a case body 10 that allows air to circulate inside, a number of horizontal louvers (front guide louvers) 20 that are rotatably arranged as first guide louvers at the front end of the case body 10, and a number of vertical louvers (rear guide louvers) 30 that are rotatably arranged as second guide louvers at a position rearward (upstream) of the horizontal louvers 20. In this embodiment, three horizontal louvers 20 and three vertical louvers 30 are attached to the wind direction control device 1. Note that in the present invention, there is no particular limit to the number of horizontal louvers 20 and vertical louvers 30 that are installed.

The wind direction control device 1 also has a horizontal link member 29 that connects the multiple horizontal louvers 20, a pair of left and right axial spacer members (first spacer members) 40 that rotatably hold the multiple horizontal louvers 20 and are attached to the case body 10, a vertical link member (not shown) that connects the multiple vertical louvers 30, and an operation knob 50 that is operated when rotating the vertical louvers 30.

The case body 10 of this embodiment is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape with a cross section perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction that is approximately rectangular. An air flow path is formed in the front-to-rear direction within the case body 10, which allows air supplied from the air conditioning device to flow forward. This case body 10 has a case main body 11 with a cross section perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction that has a constant shape, and a front end frame portion (spacer mounting portion) 12 formed integrally with the front end of the case main body 11.

The case body 11 of the case body 10 has an upper wall, a lower wall, and left and right side walls. In addition, the upper and lower walls of the case body 11 are provided with a plurality of engagement holes 13 that rotatably hold the vertical louvers 30 and penetrate the upper and lower walls in the vertical direction.

The front end frame 12 of the case body 10 is formed with a larger dimension in the left-right direction than the case main body 11 via a step. The front end frame 12 has an upper wall, a lower wall, and left and right side walls, and the upper and lower walls of the front end frame 12 are arranged so that the outer and inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls form a continuous surface with the outer and inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls of the case main body 11 without providing a step. Each of the left and right side walls of the front end frame 12 has an insertion recess 14 that fits and holds a part of the shaft spacer member 40, recessed from the front edge of the left and right side walls toward the rear. In this embodiment, each of the left and right side walls has three insertion recesses 14 at equal intervals in the vertical direction.

The horizontal louvers 20 in this embodiment are arranged along the left-right direction and are arranged so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction relative to the case body 10. In this embodiment, the horizontal louvers 20 have upper horizontal louvers 21, middle horizontal louvers 22, and lower horizontal louvers 23 that are arranged spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction. The upper horizontal louvers 21 and lower horizontal louvers 23 are also arranged spaced apart in the up-down direction from the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion of the case body 10, respectively. The upper horizontal louvers 21, middle horizontal louvers 22, and lower horizontal louvers 23 are connected via horizontal link members 29 so as to maintain a parallel positional relationship with each other and so that their respective rotational movements are linked.

Each horizontal louver 20 has a thin plate-shaped horizontal louver main body 25, a pair of left and right rotating shafts 26 that protrude outward in the left-right direction from the left and right side ends of the horizontal louver main body 25, and a connecting pin (not shown) that is connected to a horizontal link member 29. In this case, the outer surfaces of the front and rear ends of the horizontal louver main body 25 are formed into curved surfaces that curve in an arc shape so as to bulge outward. In addition, a mounting recess 27 for mounting an operation knob 50 is provided at the rear end of the horizontal louver main body 25 of the middle horizontal louver 22 so as to be recessed forward. When the operation knob 50 is attached to the middle horizontal louver 22, it can move left and right within the range in which the mounting recess 27 of the middle horizontal louver 22 is formed.

The vertical louvers 30 in this embodiment are arranged in the up-down direction and are supported on the case body 10 so as to be rotatable in the left-right direction. The vertical louvers 30 also have a left vertical louver 31, a central vertical louver 32, and a right vertical louver 33 that are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The left vertical louvers 31, the central vertical louvers 32, and the right vertical louvers 33 are connected via vertical link members (not shown) so that they maintain a parallel positional relationship with each other and so that their respective rotational movements are linked.

Each vertical louver 30 has a thin plate-shaped vertical louver body 35, a pair of upper and lower rotating shafts (not shown) protruding from the upper and lower ends of the vertical louver body 35, and a connecting pin (not shown) connected to the vertical link member. The rotating shafts provided on each vertical louver 30 are inserted into engagement holes 13 provided on the upper and lower walls of the case body 10 and are rotatably held. The central vertical louver 32 has a central recess 36 provided in the vertical center of the vertical louver body 35 so as to be recessed from the front end edge toward the rear, and an engagement shaft 37 that spans the central recess 36 in the vertical direction or approximately in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the left and right axial spacer members 40 are formed in a symmetrical shape. The axial spacer members 40 are made of soft synthetic resin with elasticity such as elastomer, and are elastically deformable. Each axial spacer member 40 has four vertical wall portions 41 arranged in the vertical direction, and three louver holding portions 42 that connect two vertically adjacent vertical wall portions 41 and are curved in an approximately U-shape.

The four vertical wall portions 41 are arranged in a straight line. Each U-shaped louver holding portion 42 is a portion of the axial spacer member 40 that rotatably holds the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20. Each louver holding portion 42 has upper and lower clamping portions 42a that clamp the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 from the top and bottom, and a curved portion 42b that connects the upper and lower clamping portions 42a. In addition, the louver holding portion 42 is formed so as to be elastically deformable between a state in which the upper and lower clamping portions 42a are in contact with or close to each other (the state in FIG. 1) and a state in which they are spaced apart to such an extent that the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 can be inserted (the state in FIG. 2). Furthermore, in each louver holding portion 42, the inner peripheral surfaces of the upper and lower clamping portions 42a facing each other are recessed with accommodation groove portions 42c that extend along the left-right direction and can accommodate the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20.

Here, a method for rotatably mounting the three horizontal louvers 20 to the case body 10 using the left and right axial spacer members 40 will be described.
2, the left and right axial spacer members 40 are held in a state in which the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portions 42 are spaced apart. Next, the rotating shaft portions 26 of each horizontal louver 20 are inserted between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the corresponding louver holding portions 42 in the left and right axial spacer members 40. At this time, it is preferable to insert the rotating shaft portions 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 into the accommodation groove portions 42c of the louver holding portions 42.

After inserting the rotating shaft portion 26 of each horizontal louver 20 into the corresponding louver holding portion 42 of the axial spacer member 40, the axial spacer member 40 is elastically deformed in the vertical direction so that the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portion 42 come into contact or are close to each other. This elastic deformation causes each rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 to be sandwiched between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the corresponding louver holding portion 42, and at least a portion of the rotating shaft portion 26 is accommodated in the accommodation groove portion 42c provided in the upper and lower clamping portions 42a. This allows the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 to be rotatably held by the corresponding louver holding portion 42. At this time, the louver holding portion 42 holding the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 is held in a state crushed in the vertical direction (a state in which the upper and lower clamping portions 42a come into contact or are close to each other).

Next, the left and right axial spacer members 40 holding the rotating shafts 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 are attached to the front end frame 12 of the case body 10. Specifically, the vertical wall 41 of the axial spacer member 40 is inserted into the inside of the front end frame 12 of the case body 10 along the left and right side walls of the front end frame 12, and the louver holding portion 42, which holds the rotating shafts 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 and is crushed in the vertical direction, is inserted into the corresponding insertion recess 14 provided in the front end frame 12 of the case body 10. The work of inserting the louver holding portions 42 of the axial spacer members 40 into the insertion recess 14 of the case body 10 may be performed simultaneously for a total of six louver holding portions 42 provided on the left and right axial spacer members 40, or may be performed one or more at a time in sequence.

As described above, the six louver holding parts 42 that hold the rotation shaft parts 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 are fitted into the corresponding fitting recesses 14 of the case body 10 and assembled, thereby attaching the left and right shaft spacer members 40 to the case body 10. At the same time, the three horizontal louvers 20 are rotatably held in the case body 10 via the left and right shaft spacer members 40.

When the horizontal louvers 20 are rotatably held in the case body 10, each louver holding portion 42 of the axial spacer member 40 has a contact surface that is in close contact with the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louvers 20, and a slit portion 45 formed between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portion 42. In this case, the contact surface that is in close contact with the rotating shaft portion 26 of the louver holding portion 42 is formed by the inner surface of the accommodation groove portion 42c provided in the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portion 42.

The slits 45 of the louver holding portion 42 are formed perpendicular to the vertical direction by a slit or gap between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portion 42 as a result of the upper and lower clamping portions 42a coming into contact with or close to each other. Therefore, the slits 45 of the louver holding portion 42 are formed along the radial direction of the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 (or along the direction normal to the rotation direction of the rotating shaft portion 26) so as to intersect with the contact surface that is in close contact with the rotating shaft portion 26 of the louver holding portion 42.

Here, the slit portion 45 intersects with the contact surface of the louver holding portion 42 means that, for example, a slit or gap between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a that form the slit portion 45 is formed extending to the position of the contact surface. Also, the slit means a portion where the louver holding portion 42 is interrupted by overlapping surfaces such as the inner circumferential surfaces of the louver holding portion 42, and this slit includes, for example, the boundary portion (boundary surface) between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a where no gap is formed as in this embodiment.

As described above, the slits 45 of the louver holding portion 42 are formed in a shape that intersects with the contact surface that is in close contact with the rotating shaft portion 26 of the louver holding portion 42. This promotes elastic deformation of the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portion 42 (particularly the portion close to the slits 45 of the clamping portion 42a) when the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 rotates between the upper and lower clamping portions 42a of the louver holding portion 42, thereby making it easier for air to enter between the rotating shaft portion 26 and the upper and lower clamping portions 42a, which are in close contact with each other. As a result, for example, even if the rotating shaft portion 26 is in a state where it is difficult to move (i.e., stuck) when rotating the horizontal louver 20, it is easy to release this state, and the rotating shaft portion 26 can be rotated smoothly.

In the air direction control device 1 of this embodiment, the operation knob 50 used to operate the vertical louvers 30 is attached to the middle horizontal louvers 22 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation knob 50 has a knob main body 51, a vertical louver engagement portion 52 extending rearward from the knob main body 51, and a knob spacer member (second spacer member) 60 fixed inside the knob main body 51.

The knob body 51 of the operation knob 50 is formed to cover at least the upper surface, the front end, and the mounting recess 27 provided at the rear end of the middle horizontal louver 22. The vertical louver engagement portion 52 has a pair of left and right engagement arms 52a that extend rearward from the rear end of the knob body 51. A space is provided between the left and right engagement arms 52a. The vertical louver engagement portion 52 engages with the central vertical louver 32 by accommodating the engagement shaft portion 37 of the central vertical louver 32 in the space of the vertical louver engagement portion 52.

Since the vertical louver engagement portion 52 of the operation knob 50 is engaged with the central vertical louver 32 in this way, when the operation knob 50 is slid left or right, the central vertical louver 32 and the left vertical louvers 31 and right vertical louvers 33, which are connected to the central vertical louver 32 by vertical link members (not shown), can be rotated left or right together in accordance with the movement of the operation knob 50.

The knob spacer member 60 is held (fixed) at a predetermined position within the knob body 51. A part of the knob spacer member 60 (abutment portion 63 described later) is in close contact with the middle horizontal louver 22. The knob spacer member 60 is made of a soft synthetic resin with elasticity, such as an elastomer, and is elastically deformable.

As shown in FIG. 4, for example, before being attached to the knob body 51, the knob spacer member 60 has left and right side plate portions 61, five lateral wall portions 62 arranged in the left-right direction between the left and right side plate portions 61, and four abutment portions (close contact portions) 63 that connect two adjacent lateral wall portions 62 on the left and right and are curved in an approximately U-shape.

The left and right side plate portions 61 are arranged parallel to each other. In addition, a horizontal wall portion 62 is connected to the front end portion of the side plate portion 61. The five horizontal wall portions 62 are arranged so as to be aligned in a straight line between the left and right side plate portions 61. The abutment portion 63 of the knob spacer member 60 comes into close contact with the middle horizontal louver 22, thereby generating an appropriate operating resistance when the operating knob 50 is slid left and right.

The knob spacer member 60 shown in FIG. 4 is attached to the knob body 51 by being held at a predetermined position within the knob body 51 in a state in which the knob spacer member 60 is compressed in the left-right direction so as to reduce the distance between the left and right side plate portions 61. In the knob spacer member 60 attached to the knob body 51, each of the approximately U-shaped abutment portions 63 is held in a deformed state so as to reduce the distance between the side wall portions 62.

When the operation knob 50 having the knob spacer member 60 is slidably attached to the middle horizontal louvers 22, the knob spacer member 60 is held in the operation knob 50 with the rear end of the abutment portion 63 abutting (closely contacting) the front end of the middle horizontal louvers 22. In this case, the knob spacer member 60 has a contact surface where each abutment portion 63 is in close contact with the middle horizontal louvers 22, slit portions 65 provided adjacent to each abutment portion 63 in the left-right direction, and gap portions 66 formed between the horizontal wall portions 62 along the up-down direction.

In this case, the slit portion 65 of the knob spacer member 60 is formed by a gap that is provided between two abutment portions 63 adjacent in the left-right direction and opens toward the rear. In other words, the slit portion 65 of the knob spacer member 60 is formed to extend to the position of the contact surfaces so as to intersect with the contact surfaces of the four abutment portions 63 aligned in the left-right direction.

Furthermore, in this knob spacer member 60, gaps 66 are provided between each side wall portion 62 in the vertical direction, which makes it easier for the abutment portions 63, which are provided to sandwich each gap portion 66, to be elastically deformed in the left-right direction.

By providing the knob spacer member 60 with the above-mentioned slit portion 65 and gap portion 66, when the operation knob 50 slides left and right along the middle horizontal louver 22, elastic deformation of each abutment portion 63 (particularly the portion of the abutment portion 63 close to the slit portion 65) is promoted, thereby making it easier for air to enter between the abutment portion 63 and the front end portion of the middle horizontal louver 22, which are in close contact with each other. As a result, for example, when sliding the operation knob 50, even if the abutment portion 63 is in a state where it is in strong contact with the middle horizontal louver 22 and difficult to move (i.e., stuck state), it is easy to release that state, and the operation knob 50 can be slid smoothly.

As described above, in the wind direction control device 1 of this embodiment, when the horizontal louvers 20 are rotated in the vertical direction, even if the horizontal louvers 20 are tightly attached to the left and right axial spacer members 40 because they are not rotated for a long time and are held at their stopped angle, when the horizontal louvers 20 start to rotate, air can easily enter between the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louvers 20 and the axial spacer members 40, as described above. As a result, the horizontal louvers 20 can be rotated smoothly in the vertical direction, which makes it less likely that problems such as a feeling of catching when operating, or problems such as unstable rotation of the horizontal louvers 20, as occurs with conventional wind direction control devices, will occur, improving the operability of the horizontal louvers 20.

In addition, when the vertical louvers 30 are rotated left and right by the operation knob 50, as in the case of the horizontal louvers 20, even if the knob spacer member 60 of the operation knob 50 is tightly attached to the middle horizontal louvers 22 due to the vertical louvers 30 not being rotated for a long period of time, as described above, when the operation knob 50 begins to be operated, air can be easily introduced between the knob spacer member 60 and the middle horizontal louvers 22. As a result, the vertical louvers 30 can be rotated smoothly left and right, making it less likely that problems such as a feeling of catching when operating or problems such as unstable rotation of the vertical louvers 30 will occur, improving the operability of the vertical louvers 30.

In the present invention, the axial spacer member that holds the rotating shaft of the horizontal louvers is not limited to the shape of the axial spacer member 40 in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be formed in various shapes other than those in the embodiment, as long as it has a contact surface that contacts at least a part of the rotating shaft of the horizontal louvers and a slit portion with a shape that intersects with the contact surface, as shown in Figs. 5 to 9, for example. Below, the modified axial spacer member will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

Figures 5 and 6 show an axial spacer member 70 according to a first modified example. The axial spacer member 70 according to this first modified example is made of a soft synthetic resin with elasticity, such as an elastomer. The axial spacer member 70 according to the first modified example has a pair of vertical wall portions 71 arranged along the vertical direction, an upper hinge portion 72 connecting the upper ends of the two vertical wall portions 71, and a locking portion 73 provided at the lower ends of the two vertical wall portions 71.

In this case, the locking portion 73 has a hook portion 73a provided at the lower end of one vertical wall portion 71 and a protrusion portion 73b provided at the lower end of the other vertical wall portion 71 and onto which the hook portion 73a hooks. Note that in the present invention, the structure of the locking portion 73 is not particularly limited. Also, three accommodation groove portions 74 that accommodate and rotatably hold the rotation shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 are recessed in the inner side edge portions facing each other of the vertical wall portions 71.

When combining two axial spacer members 70 of the first modified example and attaching them to the case body of the airflow direction control device, first, the rotating shaft portions 26 of the three horizontal louvers 20 are inserted between a pair of spaced apart vertical wall portions 71 of the axial spacer member 70 and held in the position of the corresponding storage groove portion 74. Next, the two vertical wall portions 71 are closed to make contact or to be close to each other as shown in FIG. 6, and the hook portion 73a of the locking portion 73 is engaged with the protrusion portion 73b to lock it. This causes the rotating shaft portions 26 of the three horizontal louvers 20 to be rotatably held by the axial spacer member 70.

After the left and right rotating shafts 26 of the three horizontal louvers 20 are rotatably held by the left and right axial spacer members 70, the left and right axial spacer members 70 are attached to the front end frame of the case body. In this case, although not shown, for example, the upper wall of the front end frame of the case body is provided with an insertion recess into which the upper hinge portion 72 of the axial spacer member 70 is inserted and held, and the lower wall of the front end frame is provided with an insertion recess into which the locking portion 73 of the axial spacer member 70 is inserted and held, thereby making it possible to easily attach the axial spacer member 70 to the case body. As a result, the three horizontal louvers 20 are rotatably held in the case body via the left and right axial spacer members 70. Note that in the present invention, the method and means for attaching the axial spacer member 70 to the front end frame of the case body are not particularly limited.

In this case, the axial spacer member 70 has a contact surface (the inner surface of the accommodation groove portion 74) that is in close contact with the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20, and a slit portion 75 (a cut or gap) formed between the two vertical wall portions 71 of the axial spacer member 70. The slit portion 75 is also formed in the vertical direction so as to intersect with the contact surface that is in close contact with the rotating shaft portion 26 of the vertical wall portion 71.

In the wind direction control device formed using the axial spacer member 70 of this first modified example, when the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 rotates between a pair of vertical wall portions 71 of the left and right axial spacer members 70, the elastic deformation of the vertical wall portions 71 is promoted, making it easier for air to enter between the rotating shaft portion 26 and the vertical wall portions 71 that are in close contact with each other. As a result, even if the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 is tightly attached to the axial spacer member 70 and is difficult to move, it is possible to make it easier to rotate the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20 smoothly, as in the case of the axial spacer member 40 of the above-mentioned embodiment. Therefore, the operability of the horizontal louver 20 can be improved.

The shaft spacer member 70a according to the second modified example shown in FIG. 7 has a pair of vertical wall portions 71 arranged in the up-down direction, an upper hinge portion 72 connecting the upper ends of the two vertical wall portions 71, and a lower hinge portion 76 connecting the lower ends of the two vertical wall portions 71. The shaft spacer member 70a of the second modified example has a lower hinge portion 76 instead of the locking portion 73 of the shaft spacer member 70 of the first modified example, but the parts other than the lower hinge portion 76 are formed substantially the same as the shaft spacer member 70 of the first modified example.

The shaft spacer member 70b according to the third modified example shown in FIG. 8 has a pair of vertical wall portions 71 arranged along the up-down direction. The shaft spacer member 70b according to the third modified example is formed in a shape in which the upper hinge portion 72 and the locking portion 73 are removed from the shaft spacer member 70 according to the first modified example.

In the wind direction control device formed using the axial spacer members 70a, 70b of the second and third modified examples described above, the operability of the horizontal louvers 20 can be improved, as in the case of the above-mentioned embodiment and first modified example.

The axial spacer member 80 according to the fourth modified example shown in FIG. 9 has a vertical wall portion 81 arranged along the vertical direction. This vertical wall portion 81 has a vertical groove portion 82 arranged along the vertical direction, and three accommodation holes 83 that accommodate and rotatably hold the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louver 20.

The vertical groove 82 is provided over the entire vertical wall 81 in the up-down direction. The vertical groove 82 is also formed as a V-shaped groove over the entire vertical wall 81 in the up-down direction, with a cross section perpendicular to the up-down direction having a constant, approximately V-shaped shape. The vertical wall 81 can be folded in the direction of opening and closing by using the portion of the vertical wall 81 that is thinned by the vertical groove 82 as a hinge.

In the wind direction control device formed using the axial spacer member 80 of this fourth modified example, the horizontal louvers 20 are rotatably held by the axial spacer member 80. In this case, the axial spacer member 80 has a contact surface (the inner surface of the accommodation hole 83) that is in close contact with the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft portion 26 of the horizontal louvers 20, and a V-shaped vertical groove portion 82 that serves as a slit portion formed between the two vertical wall portions 81 of the axial spacer member 80. In addition, the slit portion (V-shaped vertical groove portion 82) is formed along the vertical direction so as to intersect with the contact surface of the accommodation hole portion 83. Therefore, in the wind direction control device formed using the axial spacer member 80 of the fourth modified example, the operability of the horizontal louvers 20 can be improved, as in the case of the above-mentioned embodiment.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the form of the knob spacer member that is installed on the operation knob 50 and is in close contact with the horizontal louvers 20 is not limited to the knob spacer member 60 of the above-mentioned embodiment. In the present invention, instead of the knob spacer member 60 of the embodiment, it is also possible to use, for example, the knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example shown in Figures 10 and 11, or the knob spacer member 90a of the second modified example shown in Figure 12.

Here, FIG. 10 is a perspective view that typically shows the knob spacer member 90 when attached to the operation knob 50, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view that typically shows the knob spacer member 90 before being attached to the operation knob 50.
The knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example has a spacer main body 91, two slit portions 92 formed forward from the rear end face of the spacer main body 91, and two V-shaped groove portions 93 recessed in an approximately V shape from the front end face of the spacer main body 91 toward the rear.

In the knob spacer member 90 attached to the operation knob 50, the spacer body 91 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this case, the six faces of the spacer body 91 facing the front-rear, left-right, and top-bottom directions are formed as flat surfaces except for the portions in which the slits 92 and V-shaped grooves 93 are formed. The slits 92 are formed in the shape of a thin groove.

In addition, the knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example can be bent so that the left and right side ends of the spacer main body 91 are positioned forward of the widthwise center of the spacer main body 91 by using the portions where the dimensions in the front-to-rear direction are reduced by the slit portions 92 and V-shaped groove portions 93 as hinges (see FIG. 11).

The knob spacer member 90 of this first modified example is held on the operation knob 50 in the state shown in FIG. 10. Furthermore, the operation knob 50 to which the knob spacer member 90 is attached is slidably attached to the middle horizontal louver 22. Therefore, in the air direction control device formed using the knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example, the knob spacer member 90 is held inside the operation knob 50 with the rear end face of the spacer main body 91 abutting against the front end of the middle horizontal louver 22.

In this case, the knob spacer member 90 has a contact surface where the spacer body 91 is in contact with the middle horizontal louver 22, two slits 92 arranged to intersect with the rear end surface of the spacer body 91, and a V-shaped groove 93 that opens into the front end surface of the spacer body 91.

The knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example is provided with the above-mentioned slit portion 92 and V-shaped groove portion 93, which promotes elastic deformation of the rear end portion of the spacer body portion 91 (particularly the portion close to the slit portion 92) when the operation knob 50 slides left and right along the middle horizontal louver 22, thereby making it easier for air to enter between the spacer body portion 91 and the middle horizontal louver 22, which are in close contact with each other. As a result, for example, when sliding the operation knob 50, even if the spacer body portion 91 is tightly in contact with the middle horizontal louver 22 and is difficult to move, the operation knob 50 can be easily slid smoothly, as in the case of the knob spacer member 60 of the above-mentioned embodiment. Therefore, the operability of the vertical louvers 30 can be improved.

The knob spacer member 90a according to the second modified example shown in FIG. 12 has a spacer body 91a, two slits 92 formed forward from the rear end face of the spacer body 91a, and two V-shaped grooves 93 recessed in a substantially V-shape from the front end face of the spacer body 91a rearward. The knob spacer member 90a according to the second modified example is formed substantially the same as the knob spacer member 90 according to the first modified example, except that the shape of the spacer body 91a differs from that of the knob spacer member 90 according to the first modified example.

In the knob spacer member 90a of the second modified example attached to the operating knob 50, the spacer body 91a has five faces facing forward, left and right, upward, and downward, which are formed as flat surfaces, except for the portions where the slit portion 92 and the V-shaped groove portion 93 are formed. The rear end portion of the spacer body 91a is provided with two protrusions 94 that protrude toward the rear. Each protrusion 94 has a mountain-like shape whose thickness (dimension in the vertical direction) gradually decreases toward the rear. The two protrusions 94 are also arranged parallel to each other along the left-right direction.

In the air direction control device formed using the knob spacer member 90a of this second modified example, the operability of the vertical louvers 30 can be improved, as in the case of the knob spacer members 60 and 90 of the above-mentioned embodiment and the first modified example. Furthermore, when the knob spacer member 90a of the second modified example is used, the contact area between the knob spacer member 90a and the front end of the middle horizontal louver 22 is reduced, so that the operating resistance when sliding the operating knob 50 in the left-right direction can be reduced. Therefore, by using the knob spacer member 90a of the second modified example, it is possible to operate the operating knob 50 more easily than with the knob spacer member 90 of the first modified example.

In addition, in the wind direction control device 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the horizontal louvers 20 are arranged in front of the vertical louvers 30, and the operation knob 50 for controlling the rotation of the vertical louvers 30 is attached to the front horizontal louvers 20. However, in the present invention, the wind direction control device may be formed so that the vertical louvers are arranged in front of the horizontal louvers, and the operation knob for controlling the rotation of the horizontal louvers is attached to the front vertical louvers so that it can slide up and down.

1 Airflow control device 10 Case body 11 Case main body 12 Front end frame (spacer mounting portion)
13 Engagement hole 14 Fitting recess 20 Horizontal louver (front guide louver)
21 Upper horizontal louver 22 Middle horizontal louver 23 Lower horizontal louver 25 Horizontal louver main body 26 Rotating shaft portion 27 Mounting recess 29 Horizontal link member 30 Vertical louver (rear guide louver)
31 Left side vertical louver 32 Central vertical louver 33 Right side vertical louver 35 Vertical louver main body 36 Central recess 37 Engagement shaft portion 40 Shaft spacer member (first spacer member)
Reference Signs List 41 Vertical wall portion 42 Louver holding portion 42a Clamping portion 42b Curved portion 42c Storage groove portion 45 Slit portion 50 Operation knob 51 Knob main body portion 52 Vertical louver engagement portion 52a Engagement arm portion 60 Knob spacer member (second spacer member)
61 Side plate portion 62 Side wall portion 63 Contact portion (close contact portion)
65 Slit portion 66 Gap portion 70 Shaft spacer member 70a, 70b Shaft spacer member 71 Vertical wall portion 72 Upper hinge portion 73 Locking portion 73a Hook portion 73b Projection portion 74 Accommodation groove portion 75 Slit portion 76 Lower hinge portion 80 Shaft spacer member 81 Vertical wall portion 82 Vertical groove portion 83 Accommodation hole portion 90, 90a Knob spacer member 91, 91a Spacer body portion 92 Slit portion 93 V-shaped groove portion 94 Projection portion

Claims (2)

A wind direction control device having a case body that allows air to circulate inside and at least one guide louver that is rotatably arranged with respect to the case body,
The guide louver has a louver main body and a pair of rotation shaft portions protruding from one end and the other end of the louver main body,
an elastically deformable shaft spacer member that rotatably holds the rotation shaft portion of the guide louver is attached to the case body;
the shaft spacer member has a louver holding portion that rotatably holds the rotating shaft portion,
the louver holding portion has a contact surface that is in contact with at least a part of a circumferential surface of the rotating shaft portion, and at least one slit portion having a shape that intersects with the contact surface ,
When the rotating shaft portion rotates, elastic deformation of the louver holding portion is promoted.
A wind direction control device. The wind direction control device according to claim 1, wherein the slit portion is formed by a cut, gap, or groove portion extending along the radial direction of the rotating shaft portion of the guide louver.

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