GB2529834A

GB2529834A - Ventilation of vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2529834A
Application number: GB1415550.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James John Alexander Dowle
Original assignee: NORMAN TRUST
Current assignee: NORMAN TRUST
Priority date: 2014-09-03
Filing date: 2014-09-03
Publication date: 2016-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 2034-09-03
Also published as: GB201415550D0; GB2529834B

Abstract

A vehicle ventilation assembly comprising; a plenum chamber (21, figure 4) with an inlet 7, and an outlet 13 displaced laterally to each other. The ventilation assembly may have the inlet exposed to the exterior of the vehicle and the outlet exposed to the interior of the vehicle, and may be placed at the foot of a windscreen (1, figure 1). The assembly may have two outlets, with the inlet located in-between, so that fresh air from the exterior of the vehicle may flow freely through the assembly to reach the interior of the vehicle, but a good proportion of any water, dust, and the like entering the inlet will strike an internal wall of the plenum chamber rather than pass through the outlet, figure 4. Water entering in this way can be allowed to exit via a water drain aperture in a lower portion of the plenum chamber, which can preferably drain to the exterior of the vehicle. The inlet may be covered by a grill and have the drive spindle of a windscreen wiper extend through, figure 5.

Description

Ventilation of Vehicles

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the ventilation of vehicles.

BACKGROUND ART

The people within the cabin of a vehicle need a source of ventilation, to prevent the cabin air from becoming stale and to provide fresh air from the outside to counteract the natural greenhouse tendency of a glass-faced cabin. Many and various solutions to this need have been adopted over time, from simple exterior flaps that open to reveal an aperture, as in the Land Rover Defender (registered trademarks of Jaguar Land Rover Limited), to more complex multi-zone climate control systems that can regulate the interior temperatures of different parts of a cabin to within half a degree Celsius.

The more complex solutions are, inevitably, heavy, complex and expensive. This makes them unsuitable for use in low-cost vehicles, and vehicles that are intended for use in off-road and other adverse or remote conditions. Simpler solutions such as that used in the Defender do however allow ingress of water (etc.) during adverse weather, thus meaning that ventilation is unavailable at a time when it may be especially necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a ventilation system that provides a sufficient quantity of fresh air to a cabin while being simple and straightforward to construct and to maintain. It therefore provides a ventilation assembly for fitting to a vehicle, comprising a plenum chamber having at least one inlet facing in a longitudinally-forward direction and at least one outlet facing in a longitudinally-rearward direction, each of the inlets and outlets being displaced laterally with respect to each other. Fresh air from the exterior of the vehicle will thus be able to flow freely through the assembly to reach the interior of the vehicle, but a good proportion of any water, dust, and the like entering the inlet will strike an internal wall of the plenum chamber rather than pass through the outlet. Water entering in this way can be allowed to exit via a water drain aperture in a lower portion of the plenum chamber, which can preferably drain to the exterior of the vehicle.

The ventilation assembly can be adapted to be mounted with the at least one inlet exposed to the exterior of the vehicle and the at least one outlet exposed to the interior of the vehicle. In this way, the ventilation system is kept as simple as possible, enhancing its reliability even in adverse conditions and making maintenance easier. A suitable location for the assembly is at the foot of a windscreen, as this places it in the airflow and also locates the outlets within easy reach of and directed towards those in the vehicle. It may be formed integrally with a windscreen surround, for convenience.

A convenient arrangement for the assembly is a pair of outlets, which can be placed either side of a single inlet.

The ventilation assembly also provides a convenient location for fitment of a windscreen wiper. One or more apertures can be provided in a grille covering the inlet for this purpose. A windscreen wiper arm (or arms) can be included, attached to a drive spindle that extends through the inlet. The spindle may pass through the plenum for connection to a drive motor mounted on a rear external face of the plenum.

The present invention also relates to a vehicle, comprising a ventilation assembly according to any one of the preceding claims fitted to the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures in which; Figure 1 is a schematic, perspective view of the front of a vehicle front windscreen panel viewed from outside the vehicle and incorporating a ventilation assembly in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic, perspective view of the reverse of the vehicle front windscreen assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view along the arrow X in Figure 2 and showing, in side elevation and partial cross-section, part of a ventilation assembly in accordance with the invention; Figure 4 is a plan view along line AA in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is detailed perspective view, in partial cross-section, of part of the windscreen assembly of Figure 1 as fitted to a vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In this description, references to directions such as longitudinal, lateral, and the like, are references to a direction relative to the vehicle in or to which the item is question is fitted or is to be fitted. In relation to the vehicle, the longitudinal forward direction is the usual lbrward direction of travel of the vehicle, and terms such as "forward", "forwardly", "rear" and the like should be construed accordingly. The lateral directions are the horizontal directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Generally, an assembly of the type described in relation to this invention for fitting to a vehicle has a defined orientation in which it is to be fitted, discernible via (for example) mounting points provided on the assembly, and therefore inherits definable directions from the vehicle itself.

The vehicle windscreen panel 1 in Figure 1 is shown as having three separate windows 3a, 3b, 3c; these are fitted to a structural surround S using trim, seals and/or adhesive as is known in the art. The structural surround running beneath the windows is shown as having three rectangular forward-facing ambient air intakes 7 through which ventilation air can flow when the vehicle is in forward motion. The intakes 7 are holes in the structural framework, which are covered by a mesh or grill 9 (seen more clearly in Figure 4), which prevents coarse items such as stones or insects from passing through the intake. The central part of the mesh 9 is shaped and configured (illustrated by the two circular arrangements 11 seen in the centre of each grill 9) to accept the spindle of a windscreen wiper mechanism (not shown), as will be further described below.

Figure 2 shows the other side of the windscreen panel 1, as it would appear from inside the vehicle; there are two air outlets 13 arranged as a pair beneath each of the outer windows 3a, 3c, but not between the centre window 13b, where instead there are blanking plates 15. Between each pair of air outlets 13, and between the blanking plates 15, are two holes 17 which lie to the rear of the air inlets 7 and are aligned with the circular arrangements 11 for accepting the spindle of the windscreen wiper mechanism.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, behind the part of the structural surround 5 there is a hollow, longitudinal box section 19 running transversely behind the air inlets 7; this forms a plenum chamber 21, which channels air which passes through the inlets 7 as the vehicle moves forwardly to the air outlets 13, whence it exits to ventilate the interior of the vehicle. The longitudinal box section 19 is closed, other than at the air inlets 7, at the holes 23, to each of which either an air outlet 13 or a blanking plate 15 is fitted by way of fixing 24 and at the windscreen wiper spindle holes 17 (which, in use, are sealed/closed off, either by the windscreen spindle mounting (not shown) or, where there is no windscreen wiper/mechanism, by a suitable cap); this ensures that all air entering the plenum chamber 21 is directed towards the air outlets 13. Each air outlet 13 may be selectively opened or closed, by way of a twisting mechanism 25 (or any other simple and inexpensive mechanism as is known in the art), so that a vehicle occupant can direct the flow of ventilation air within the vehicle. The sizes of the air inlets and outlets and the dimensions of the plenum chamber are such as to optimise the flow of air through the ventilation assembly; this is a straightforward design choice, according to the number, sizes and orientation of the inlets and outlets and the likely average speed of the vehicle in use.

It will be seen from Figure 4 (which shows the lower part of the structure 5 underneath window Ba, at the far right hand side of the vehicle (but to the left of Figure 1), and, for clarity, with the windscreen wiper operating mechanism not in place) that the various holes in the box section 19, and the air outlets 13 the associated air inlet 7, are positioned transversely relative to each other so that there is no direct, solely longitudinal rearward path for air entering an inlet 7 to exit an outlet 13; any air entering an inlet 7 must divert transversely to a lesser or greater extent before it can exit an outletl3. This is advantageous, because it means that any water, dust or the like which passes with the air through an inlet will tend to impinge against the rear wall of the box section 19 rather than go straight through an outlet and into the vehicle interior and, potentially, the eye or face of an occupant. Any air entrained water entering the plenum chamber will tend to settle at the bottom of the chamber, from where it may be drained at a tapping point 27 (shown as being formed as part of the air outlet 13 (Figure 3), there could be such a tapping point 27 in any or all of the air outlets 13, additionally or alternatively the base of the box section 19 may be formed so as to channel water to one or more drain points). The box section 19 and the air outlets 13 are all injection moulded from a suitably inexpensive and robust plastic material.

Figure 5 shows a set of two windscreen wiper arms 29 which are mounted to spindles which run from an operating mechanism (not shown) through the holes 17 at the rear of the box section 19 and circular aperture arrangements 11 in the mesh grille 9 at the front of the surround 5. The operating mechanism (in its simplest form) consists of a drive motor for the windscreen wiper arms, mounted to a rear face of the plenum chamber. A pair of drive spindles are both driven by the motor via a suitable gear arrangement, extend through the plenum, and exit via the circular arrangements 11. The wiper arms 29 are then connected to the spindles.

As shown in the drawing, there are three open rectangular mounting points 21 beneath the window 3c, with the air inlet 7 being in the form of a plate shown for mounting to the central mounting point by any suitable fasteners, which could be releasable (e.g. a nut and bolt); the other two mounting points would, in use, be covered by blanking plates; these blanking plates provide a simple means of clearing any accumulated debris from inside the plenum chamber which might block the flow of air -a blanking plate can be easily removed and replaced after any debris has been removed.

It will of course be understood by those skilled in the art that many variations may be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, there may be any number of number of separate windows, wipers and/or air outlets and not just the number shown, and the air in lets may be of any suitable shape, not necessarily rectangular. The windscreen wipers could be mounted to any of the different mounting points beneath a window (alternatives to the holes 17 being located in an appropriate alternative position, or additional holes being provided). The air inlets 13 may be positioned further apart in the lateral direction than as shown in Figure 4 so as to further prevent the throughflow of air entrained water, dust etc. There may be baffles or the like formed inside the box section, forming a slightly labyrinthine air path, so as to help direct the flow of air and/or to separate air entrained water or dust etc. from the flow of air. The windscreen wiper operating system has been described above as mounting to the rear of the box section 19; however, if the box section 19 were appropriately shaped, the windscreen wiper operating mechanism could be located within box section 19, and/or linkages from a single operating mechanism could run within box section 19, so that a single mechanism could operate several sets of wipers simultaneously, making for a light and simple arrangement. Instead of being formed of a cheap and light plastics material, box section could be made of a stronger material (e.g. fabricated of metal) and could then perform a structural function, such as reinforcing the structural assembly 5. Where different variations or alternative arrangements are described above, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention may incorporate such variations and/or alternatives in any suitable combination.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A ventilation assembly for fitting to a vehicle, comprising a plenum chamber having at least one inlet facing in a longitudinally-forward direction and at least one outlet facing in a longitudinally-rearward direction, each of the inlets and outlets being displaced laterally with respect to each other.
2. A ventilation assembly according to claim 1, adapted to be mounted with the at least one inlet exposed to the exterior of the vehicle and the at least one outlet exposed to the interior of the vehicle.
3. A ventilation assembly according to claim 2, adapted to be mounted at the foot of a windscreen.
4. A ventilation assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, formed integrally with a windscreen surround.
5. A ventilation assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, having two outlets.
6. A ventilation assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, having a single inlet.
7. A ventilation assembly according to claim 5, having a single inlet located laterally between the two outlets.
8. A ventilation assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, having a water drain aperture in a lower portion of the plenum chamber.
9. A ventilation assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a grille covering the inlet, the grille having at least one aperture for fitment of a windscreen wiper.
10. A ventilation assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one windscreen wiper arm, the at least one arm being attached to a drive spindle that extends through the inlet.
11. A ventilation assembly according to claim 10 in which the spindle passes through the plenum and is connected to a drive motor mounted on a rear external face of the plenum.
12. A vehicle comprising a ventilation assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, fitted to the vehicle.
13. A ventilation assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying figures.