US 11,813,937 B2
Air flap apparatus having asynchronously movable air flap arrays
Kangyu Sui, Kelsterbach (DE); and Christophe Rouvet, Worms (DE)
Assigned to Röchling Automotive SE, Mannheim (DE)
Filed by Röchling Automotive SE, Mannheim (DE)
Filed on Mar. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/212,297.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 108 906.6 (DE), filed on Mar. 31, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0300174 A1, Sep. 30, 2021
Int. Cl. B60K 11/08 (2006.01)
CPC B60K 11/085 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An air flap apparatus for a motor vehicle, encompassing:
a frame having an air passthrough opening;
a first air flap arrangement encompassing at least two first air flaps arranged displaceably relative to the frame synchronously together;
a second air flap arrangement, different from the first air flap arrangement and functionally spaced from the first air flap arrangement, encompassing at least two second air flaps arranged displaceably relative to the frame synchronously together;
a common motion drive system for displacing the first and the second air flap arrangement;
a motion coupling for coupling both the first and the second air flap arrangement to the motion drive system,
the first air flap arrangement being displaceable between a blocking position having a greater degree of coverage of a first portion of the air passthrough opening and a passthrough position having a lesser degree of coverage of the first portion of the air passthrough opening;
the second air flap arrangement being displaceable between a closed position having a greater degree of coverage of a second portion, different from the first, of the air passthrough opening and an open position having a lesser degree of coverage of the second portion of the air passthrough opening;
the motion coupling coupling the first and the second air flap arrangement to the motion drive system in such a way that the first and the second air flap arrangement are drivable by the motion drive system asynchronously for a displacement motion between a blocking operating state in which the first air flap arrangement is in the blocking position and the second air flap arrangement is in the closed position, and a passthrough operating state in which the first air flap arrangement is in the passthrough position and the second air flap arrangement is in the open position,
the motion coupling encompassing:
a coupling component connected to an output member of the motion drive system for motion together;
a first counterpart coupling component that is force- and motion-transferringly coupled to the coupling component and is connected to the first air flap arrangement for motion together; and
a second counterpart coupling component that is force- and motion-transferringly coupled to the coupling component and is connected to the second air flap arrangement for motion together wherein the second counterpart coupling component is movable relative to the first counterpart coupling component,
wherein the coupling component comprises a common motion coupling configuration that, during a shifting of the air flap apparatus between the blocking operating state and the passthrough operating state, is force- and motion-transferringly coupled both to the first and to the second counterpart coupling component in order to produce a first displacement of the first air flap arrangement between the blocking position and the passthrough position, and to produce a second displacement of the second air flap arrangement between the closed position and the open position, the first displacement being at least partially asynchronous to the second displacement.