Patent ID: 11912108
Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A vehicle air vent system, comprising:
a duct defining an outlet that directs air into an interior compartment;
an air register assembly operably coupled to the duct proximate to the outlet, wherein the air register assembly comprises:
a frame;
a vane rotatably coupled to the frame;
a guide assembly coupled to the frame and extending upstream from the frame proximate to the vane, wherein the guide assembly includes guide features fixed to the frame, and wherein the guide features include a first guide feature disposed centrally to the frame and fixed to a bottom side of the frame via a support feature and a second guide feature disposed centrally to the frame and proximate a top side of the frame, wherein the first guide feature is spaced from and operably coupled to the second guide feature and each of the first guide feature and the second guide feature is configured to rotate with the frame;
a vane position indicator disposed on an opposing side of the frame relative to the vane, wherein the vane position indicator rotates with rotation of the vane, and wherein the vane position indicator includes a body that tapers towards a protrusion at an end of the vane position indicator, the protrusion extending towards the vane;
a variable resistor operably coupled to the frame; and
an indicator light coupled to a downstream edge of the vane;

a user interface having a display; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the user interface and the variable resistor, wherein the controller receives a signal from the variable resistor and determines a position of the air register assembly in response to the signal, wherein the indicator light is activated by the controller when the vane is disposed at an angle that directs an airflow at a user-defined position.