Blowing louver with swinging fins for air conditioners

Blowing louver for air conditioners provides plural swinging fins for shifting the direction of the wind conditioned. Each fin has first and second swinging axes which are pivotably supported by first and second link members. The first link member is manually operated so as to swing fins about respective second axes and the second link member is driven reciprocally by a driving mechanism so as to swing fins about respective first axes automatically.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a blowing louver for an air conditioner 
which provides swinging fins for shifting the direction of the air to be 
blown out, and more particularly to a swinging mechanism for the fins. 
2. Related Art 
Conventionally, there has been proposed a blowing louver with swinging fins 
for an air conditioner such as a car air cooler in which the fins are 
automatically driven so as to swing within a predetermined angle 
repeatedly around respective pivotal axes when a driving motor is switched 
on and, when the driving motor is switched off, they are manually operable 
to shift the direction of the wind (See for example Japanese patent 
publication S58-4256). In such a blowing louver as mentioned above, there 
is provided a clutch mechanism for releasing an engagement between a 
driving force transmission mechanism and the fins to be driven thereby 
order to bring them to a manually operable state. 
In the above patent publication, there is disclosed a slider mechanism 
utilizing the friction contact or an over-running clutch mechanism such as 
a ratchet and wheel mechanism. In the former mechanism, the switching 
operation of the clutch is done manually and, in the latter mechanism, it 
is done automatically. The former mechanism is disadvantageous in that the 
manual switching operation is often forgotten since it is laborious. 
Contrary to this, the latter mechanism is advantageous since the switching 
is automatically done. However, the latter has such a disadvantage that 
the engaging force at the engaging part becomes weak, resulting in a 
hindrance to the swinging of the fins when used repeatedly, since it is 
necessary to move the connecting part against the engaging force between 
the transmission mechanism of the driving force upon manual operation of 
the fins. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An essential object of the present invention is to provide a blowing louver 
with swinging fins for air conditioners which is able to switch from the 
automatic swinging to the manual swinging or vice versa without using any 
clutch mechanism as mentioned above. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blowing louver with 
swinging fins for air conditioners which is able to set a desirable 
direction of the fins upon stopping the automatic swinging drive. 
In order to accomplish these objects, according to the present invention, 
there is provided a blowing louver for air conditioners comprising plural 
fins for shifting the direction of the wind each of which provides first 
and second parallel, 
at least one first link member for connecting said first pivotal axes of a 
predetermined number of said fins in common, 
at least one operation means for moving said at least one first link member 
manually in a length-wise direction thereof, 
at least one second link member for connecting said second pivotal axe of a 
predetermined number of said fins in common, and 
at least one driving means for driving said at least one second link member 
reciprocally in a length-wise direction thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a blowing louver with fins according to 
the preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a 
cross-sectional view along I--I line of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 is a schematic 
plan view thereof. 
In these figures, plural fins 2 for shifting the direction of the air to be 
blown out are arranged apart from each other by a predetermined distance 
in a space defined by a louver frame 1 forming a rectangular blowing 
aperture A. 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 clearly, each fin 2 provides first and second 
swinging axes 3 and 4 in a vertical direction thereof. The first swinging 
axis 3 is defined by upper and lower pivotal projections 3u and 3d formed 
upwardly and downwardly on the front side of upper and lower end faces of 
the fin 2, and the second swinging axis 4 is defined by an upper pivotal 
projection 4u. These fins 2 are connected in common with upper and lower 
first link members 5u and 5d which extend in a horizontal direction in 
parallel with each other along the upper and lower flame portions 1u and 
1d of the louver flame 1. The upper and lower pivotal projections 3u and 
3d of the fin 2 are pivotably supported by the upper and lower first link 
members 3u and 3d so that each fin 2 can swing around the first swinging 
axis 3. 
The upper pivotal projections 4u of the fins 2 forming the second swinging 
axe 4 are also connected in common by an upper second link member 6 
extending in parallel with the upper first link member 5u and the upper 
flame portion 1u of the louver flame 1 so that each fin 2 can swing around 
the second swinging axis 4. 
The upper and lower first link members 5u and 5d have upward and downward 
projections 7u and 7d, respectively, which fit into upper and lower guide 
grooves 8u and 8d formed on the upper and lower frame portions 1u and 1d. 
The upper and lower guide grooves 8u and 8d are formed in parallel with 
the upper and lower first link members 5u and 5d so as to guide them while 
keeping the parallel relation between them when the upper first link 
member 5u is operated. 
The upper first link member 5u has an end 9 elongated in a length-wise 
direction thereof and a manual operation lever 11 is mounted on the 
elongated end 9. This elongated end 9 extends till an aperture 12 formed 
on an operation panel of the air conditioner and the manual operation 
level 11 projects from the aperture 12 (See FIG. 1) so as to be able to 
operate it manually. 
Thus, the upper and lower first link members 5u and 5d, the elongated end 9 
and the manual operation lever 11 constitute a manual operating mechanism 
for the fins 2. Namely, when an operator operates the manual operation 
lever 11 in a direction for example in a left direction, as shown in FIG. 
4, the upper and lower first link members 5u and 5d are moved in the 
direction while being guided by the guide grooves 8u and 8d and, thereby, 
all fins 2 are swung around individual second swinging axe 4 by an angle 
corresponding to the amount of movement of the lever 11. 
It is desirable to mount the manual operation lever 11 rotatably around the 
elongated end 9, as shown in FIGS. 5(a), 5(b) and 5(c). In this case, the 
lever 11 is automatically engaged to a notch 13 formed at the center of 
lower edge of the aperture 12 by the dead weight thereof when the upper 
first link member 5u is moved without operating the lever 11. In other 
words, the operation lever 11 is automatically held in the notch 13 during 
the automatic swinging. 
Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), it is also possible to form 
a small concavity 15 on the lower face of the operation lever 11 and a 
small projection 16 on the center of the aperture 12 so as to engage with 
each other when the operation lever 11 comes to the center position of the 
aperture 12. 
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper link member 5 provides triangular 
stoppers 17l and 17r at both end portions thereof. These stoppers 17l and 
17r determine left and right swing limits of the fins 2. 
On the other hand, the second link member 6 has an arm 18 extending 
rearwardly from an end thereof. On the arm 18, there is formed an 
elongated groove 19 extending in the length-wise direction thereof into 
which a crank pin 21 is sliderablly engaged. The crank pin 21 is fixed on 
a crank disk 22 which is driven to rotate about its center by a motor (not 
shown). Namely, the arm 18, crank pin 21 and crank disk 22 form a crank 
mechanism for swinging the fins 2 reciprocally by rotating the crank disk 
22. In this automatic swinging mode, all fins 2 are swung around 
respective first swinging axes 3 according to the reciprocal movement of 
the second link member 6 and, thereby, the direction of the air is 
automatically shifted. 
In the structure mentioned above, when the motor is switched off in the 
automatic swinging mode, the fins 2 take an arbitrary swing angle 
corresponding to the stop timing of the motor. Accordingly, it becomes 
necessary to operate the fins 2 manually in order to obtain a desirable 
direction of the air. Further, if the motor is switched on when the manual 
operation lever 11 location is shifted from the center position (the notch 
13), the fins 2 are moved parallelly without swinging at first since the 
upper and lower first link members 5u and 5d are moved together with the 
second link member 6 until the manual operation lever 11 is caught by the 
notch 13. 
In order to avoid these inconveniences mentioned above, it is desirable to 
control the motor so as to stop at a predetermined phase. 
FIG. 7 shows a control circuit for the motor. 
The control circuit has a first control circuit C1 including a manual 
switch SW1 and a second control circuit C2 for controlling the motor M so 
as to stop at a predetermined phase. The second control circuit C2 
includes a switching mechanism comprised of a movable contact 23 formed on 
the second link member 6 and a stationary contact plate 24 fixed on the 
inner surface of the upper frame portion 1u of the louver frame 1 which 
extends in parallel with the second link member 6. The contact plate 24 
has a notched portion 24a at a predetermined position thereof. When the 
movable contact 24 comes to the position of the notched portion 24a of the 
contact plate 24, the motor M is switched off as far as the second control 
circuit C2 concerns. 
Since the first control circuit C1 is provided in parallel with the second 
control circuit C2, the motor M is driven irrespective to the second 
control circuit C2 being switched on and off insofar as the manual switch 
SW1 of the first control circuit C1 is switched on. Accordingly, the fins 
2 are swung automatically. 
On the other hand, the motor M is not stopped at once even when the manual 
switch SW1 is switched off. In other words, the motor M continues to 
rotate until the movable contact 23 comes to the notched portion 24a of 
the contact plate 24. Therefore, the motor M is always stopped at a 
predetermined phase. The position of the notched portion 24a is usually 
selected so as to orient the fins 2 in a direction perpendicular to the 
aperture A of the louver frame 1. 
Thus, according to the control circuit mentioned above, the fins 2 are 
always stopped in a desirable direction, as shown in FIG. 7. Accordingly, 
it is not always necessary to operate the manual operation lever 11 when 
the automatic swinging mode is released. 
FIGS. 8 and 9 show other examples of the switching mechanism for the second 
control circuit C2. 
In the example shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), the switching mechanism SW2 is 
comprised of a contact ring 26 having a notched portion 26a which is 
formed along the periphery of the crank disk 22 made of an inslating 
material and a contact ball 27 biased by a suitable spring (not shown) so 
as to contact to the contact ring 26. In this case, when the notched 
portion 26a of the contact ring 26 comes to the position of the contact 
ball 27 according to the rotation of the crank disk 22, the motor M is 
switched off at a phase determined by the phase of the notched portion 
26a. 
In the example shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), a circular contact plate 28 
having a notched portion 28a is fixed on the under surface of the crank 
disk 22. To this contact plate 28, two spring contacts 29a and 29b are 
arranged. The first spring contact 29a is arranged so as to contact to the 
contact plate 28 always and the second spring contact 29b is arranged on a 
rotation locus of the notched portion 28a. Accordingly, when the notched 
portion 28a comes to the position of the second spring contact 29b, the 
motor M is switched off at a phase determined by the phase of the notched 
portion 28a. Namely, the contact plate 28 and two spring contacts 29a and 
29b constitute the switching mechanism for switching off the motor M at a 
predetermined phase. 
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a blowing louver according to the 
present invention. 
This blowing louver is substantially comprised of a louver frame 30 forming 
two apertures 31 and 32 wherein horizontal fins 33 are arranged pivotably 
about respective horizontal axe and a fin assembly 35 comprising two units 
36 and 37 each of which has five vertical fins 2. 
Each unit 36 or 37 has a rectangular frame 38, as the first link member 5, 
which supports five vertical fins 2 pivotably around respective first 
swinging axes 3 in common. Each rectangular frame 38 has a nob 39 for 
manually operating the vertical fins 2 of each unit 36 or 37 which is 
slidably fitted in a shallow and relatively wide groove 40 formed on the 
bottom wall of each aperture 31 or 32. 
These two units 36 and 37 are connected by a long link member 41, as the 
second link member 6, which pivotably supports second swinging axes 4 of 
all vertical fins 2 in common. This second link member 41 has an arm 18 
having a groove 19 at one end thereof. Into the groove 19, a crank pin 21 
is slidablly engaged and a crank arm 22 supporting the crank pin 22 is 
driven by a motor M. 
Thus, when the motor M is switched on, the second link member 41 is moved 
in the length-wise direction thereof reciprocally, and, thereby, all 
vertical fins 2 are reciprocally swung about respective first swinging 
axes 3, as explained above. 
FIG. 11 shows an example of the second link member. In this case, the 
second link member is made of a flexible material such as resin in the 
form of a band connected by vertical elements 42. The second link member 
of this type is advantageous in that every unit of fins can be arranged in 
a direction slightly different from other units of fins. 
FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 show another preferred embodiment of the present 
invention. 
As shown in FIG. 12 a blowing louver frame 101 provides three blowing 
apertures 102, 103 and 104 partitioned by two columns 105 and 106 formed 
at the front of the blowing louver frame 101. 
In each of the blowing apertures 102, 103 and 104, upper and lower 
horizontal fins 108 and 109 are arranged pivotably around respective 
horizontal axes as will be explained later in detail. To each upper 
horizontal fin 108, there is provided an operation nob 110 which is 
slidable therealong in a horizontal direction. In the back space of each 
blowing aperture 102, 103 or 104, there are arranged three vertical fins 
111, 112 and 113. 
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the louver frame 101 is comprised of a front 
housing 115 and a rear housing 116 which is inserted into the front 
housing 115 from the rear side. Between each of the columns 105 and 106 of 
the front housing 115 and each of vertical ribs 117 and 118, connecting 
columns 119 and 120 for pivotably supporting the horizontal fins 108 and 
109 are inserted, respectively. 
Each of the horizontal fins 108 and 109 has pivotal projections 121 and 122 
projected from respective ends in the length-wise direction thereof. These 
pivotal projections 121 and 122 are received by the front portion of the 
rear housing 116 and/or connecting column 119 or 120, respectively and, 
thereby, each horizontal fin 108 or 109 is supported pivotably about a 
horizontal axis. Each pair of the upper and lower horizontal fins 108 and 
109 are connected by a vertical link 123 so as to pivot together when the 
operation nob 110 is operated, in a vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 
14. 
As stated in the foregoing preferred embodiment, each vertical fin 111, 112 
or 113 has first and second pivotal axes 124 and 125. 
The first axes 124 of every three vertical fins 111, 112 and 113 are 
supported pivotably by a link member 126 of a rectangular frame shape as 
shown in FIG. 15. The link member 126 has a triangular overhang 127, at 
the apex of which a connecting pin 128 is projected downwardly. This 
connecting pin 128 is engaged with a fork 129 provided at the rear side of 
each operation nob 110. Accordingly, the direction of each vertical fin 
111, 112 or 113 is changed by operating each nob 110 so as to slide along 
the upper horizontal fin 108, as shown in FIG. 13. Namely, when the nob 
110 is slid along the upper horizontal fin 108, the connecting pin 128 is 
moved together with the link member 126. Thus, three vertical fins 111, 
112 and 113 supported by the link member 126 are simultaneously swung 
around respective second swinging axes 125. 
The second swinging axes 125 of all vertical fins are connected in common 
by a second link member 131 extending transversally in the rear housing 
116. The second link member 131 has a trunk portion 132 extending 
rearwardly which provides a groove 133 into which a crank pin 134 is 
fitted. The crank pin 134 is supported by a crank disk 135 which is driven 
by a motor 136 via a gear transmission mechanism 137. The motor 136 and 
the gear transmission mechanism 137 are housed in a motor housing 138 
being formed integrally with the rear housing 116. 
Thus, when the motor 136 is switched on, the crank pin 134 is rotated about 
the center of the crank disk 135 and, thereby, the second link member 131 
is moved reciprocally in a transversal direction. Due to this reciprocal 
movement of the second link member 131, all vertical fins are swung 
reciprocally about respective first swinging axes 124. 
In this preferred embodiment, the horizontal fins and the vertical fins are 
manually operated by the operation nob 110 in common. And, in the 
automatic swinging mode, all vertical fins are swung by the second link 
member 131 in common. 
It is understood that various other modifications will be apparent to and 
can be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the 
scope and spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is not intended 
that the scope of the claims appended hereto be limited to the description 
as set forth herein, but rather that the claims be construed as 
encompassing all the features of patentable novelty that reside in the 
present invention, including all features that would be treated as 
equivalents thereof by those skilled in the art to which the present 
invention pertains.