Single piece vane knob

Abstract

A closed control knob for a vent having vanes and louvers includes a resilient member integrally molded within the control knob. The resilient member acts between the control knob and the louver on which it is mounted to provide a frictional force to retain the knob in the position it is placed by a passenger in a vehicle of other user. By integrally forming the resilient member with the control knob, assembly is simplified and failure of glued, snapped or welded joints is avoided.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is related to the applicants' Canadian application 2,474,315 filed Jul. 15, 2004 and claims priority therefrom. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a control knob for vents in automotive ventilation systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a closed control knob for vents, which closed control knob can be constructed as a single, molded piece with an integral resilient member. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Automotive ventilation systems typically include one or more vents with vertical vanes and horizontal louvers which can be adjusted by a passenger to direct the airflow from the vent in a desired direction and / or which can, in some cases, be closed to block the airflow from the vent. The designers and stylists of automotive interiors have several concerns when designing a vent, namely: ease of operation; appearance; reliability; and the cost of assembly and manufacture...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] The present invention provides a control knob for a vent having vanes and louvers includes a resilient member integrally molded within the control knob. The resilient member acts between the control knob and the louver on which it is mounted to provide a frictional force to retain the knob in the position it is placed by a passenger in a vehicle of other user. By integrally forming the resilient member with the control knob, assembly is simplified and failure of glued, snapped or welded joints is avoided.

Problems solved by technology

While this design is widely employed in the automotive industry, it suffers from disadvantages.

However, when such a spring or resilient member is employed with the knob, the spring and / or resilient member must be assembled into the knob, which increases the cost of the vent.

Further, such knobs must be assembled from two or more components to permit installation of the spring or resilient member into the knob and this can lead to failure of the knob assembly at one or more of the assembly joints if a glued, snapped or welded joint fails.

Further, if the spring or resilient member acts against the top or bottom side of the louver, rather than against an edge of the louver, a visible track, groove or other non-aesthetic feature must be formed on the louver, resulting in a vent which is less attractive than may be desired.

These open knob designs have included an integrally formed spring but such previous solutions have not been well received as it is possible in use to detach the knob from the louver, by a user applying too much pressure to the knob, resulting in failure of the knob and vent.

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