Vehicle Interior Ventilation System and Vehicle

A vehicle interior ventilation system has air outlet slots in a dashboard or a different panel of the vehicle. A display is provided in the dashboard or the different panel, on which display the air flow direction of an airflow resulting from the airflows coming from the air outlet slots can be displayed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a vehicle interior ventilation system. It also relates to a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, which is equipped with such a vehicle interior ventilation system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

To ventilate the vehicle interior, fresh air is usually drawn in from the outside through a filter by means of a fan and is introduced into the vehicle interior by a system of air guide ducts through air vents provided at different locations of the vehicle interior. Such a vehicle interior ventilation system usually also has heat exchangers of a heating and air-conditioning device in addition to an air filter and a fan. The air vents are generally provided by ventilation slots (for example below the windshield), rigid slat air vents (for example for blowing air onto the front side windows) or movable air vents with manually or electrically adjustable slats for spatially orienting the emerging air flow.

Such movable air vents are often provided in the region of the dashboard. The flow direction of the emerging air can be easily discerned by the vehicle passenger through the visible movable slats of such air vents.

Novel vehicle interior designs are increasingly using so-called interstice vents which do not have any visible slats for adjusting the flow direction of the emerging air. In these interstice vents, the direction of the emerging air is defined by the profile of that section of the air guide duct which is directly upstream of the air vent, the so-called issue duct section. Consequently, the direction of the air flow emerging from these interstice vents can no longer be visually captured. In particular, when a plurality of interstice vents, the emerging air flows of which cross one another, are placed below one another or beside one another, resulting air flows are produced, the flow direction of which differs from the outflow direction from the respective interstice vent. The direction of these resulting air flows also cannot be visually determined by a vehicle occupant. It is therefore difficult for the vehicle occupant to adjust an air flow as desired.

US 2017/0253107 A1 discloses a vehicle interior ventilation system in which a plurality of air outlet slots which run substantially horizontally and are arranged above one another are provided in a dashboard and form such interstice vents. The flow directions of the air emerging from these air outlet slots cross one another outside the dashboard and therefore form a resulting air flow which is directed into the vehicle interior. The direction of this resulting air flow is determined by the flow velocity or the volumetric flow of the air flow respectively emerging from the air outlet slots. The direction of the resulting air flow can be influenced by varying the respective flow velocity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle interior ventilation system of the generic type which makes it possible to visually capture the associated air flow in the vehicle interior even when using air outlet slots which form interstice vents.

This object is achieved with the features of the independent claim.

A vehicle interior ventilation system having at least one fan which is provided in an air guide housing, at least two air guide ducts fluidically connected to the air guide housing and air vents which are fluidically connected to the air guide ducts, wherein at least some of the air vents form air outlet slots in a dashboard or another console of the vehicle which each form the orifice of an issue duct section, and wherein at least one upper air outlet slot and at least one lower air outlet slot are provided in the dashboard or the console, from which the respective air flow emerges in an air outlet direction predefined by the respective issue duct section, and wherein the air flows impinge on one another and form a resulting air flow with a resulting air flow direction, is distinguished by the fact that an upper air sensor is provided for the purpose of capturing the air flow velocity or the volumetric air flow in the upper air guide duct or issue duct section leading to the upper air outlet slot, that a lower air sensor is provided for the purpose of capturing the air flow velocity or the volumetric air flow in the lower air guide duct or issue duct section leading to the lower air outlet slot, that the upper air sensor and the lower air sensor are connected to a control unit of a control device for the purpose of transmitting signals, that the control unit is connected to a display apparatus provided in the dashboard or the console for the purpose of transmitting signals, and that the control unit is designed to determine the resulting air flow direction of the resulting air flow from the captured air flow velocities or volumetric air flows taking into account the respective air outlet direction and to form at least one control signal therefrom for application to the display apparatus.

The vehicle interior ventilation system according to the invention makes it possible for a vehicle occupant to visually detect the air outflow direction or the flow direction of a resulting air flow even when air outlet slots, in particular so-called interstice vents, are provided instead of air vents with visible movable slats. The display apparatus visualizes the resulting flow direction of the resulting air flow that is formed and displays this direction to the occupant.

The dependent claims relate to further preferred advantageous configuration features of the vehicle interior ventilation system according to the invention.

It is particularly advantageous if the display apparatus is formed by light signal elements or at least has light signal elements.

It is also advantageous if the display apparatus has a two-dimensional arrangement of light signal elements as a display panel, on which at least one active signal area can be displayed. Such a two-dimensional display apparatus is formed, for example, by a screen area or a screen region of a so-called smart bar extending over the width or part of the width of the dashboard.

It is also advantageous if the control unit is designed in such a manner that a resulting air flow velocity or a resulting air flow is determined from the magnitude of the air flow velocity or volumetric air flow captured by the respective air sensor, and an area extent control signal is formed therefrom and is applied to the display apparatus in such a manner that the area extent of the active signal area displayed on the display apparatus is dependent on the determined magnitude of the resulting air flow velocity or the resulting volumetric air flow. Such a variable area extent of the active signal area can be intuitively associated by vehicle occupants with the intensity of the resulting air flow flowing into the vehicle interior, wherein a larger area extent of the active signal area is equated with a greater air outlet velocity or a greater volumetric air flow of the resulting air flow. The magnitude of the area extent of the active signal area displayed on the two-dimensional display apparatus therefore correlates with the intensity of the resulting air flow (air velocity or volumetric air flow).

Also advantageous is an embodiment of the vehicle interior ventilation system in which the control unit is designed to control the two-dimensional display apparatus by means of a region control signal in such a manner that an upper region of the display panel has the active signal area if the resulting flow direction is directed upward, that a lower region of the display panel has the active signal area if the resulting flow direction is directed downward, and that a central region of the display panel has the active signal area if the resulting flow direction is directed in a substantially horizontal manner, that is to say to the vehicle occupant's torso.

This embodiment makes it possible for the vehicle occupant to easily capture whether the air flow is directed upward, downward or directly onto his body. The upper region, the lower region and the central region of the display panel need not be discretely separated from one another in this case, but rather the display effected using the active signal area can continuously merge between the respective regions.

In a further advantageous embodiment which can be combined with other embodiments, the light signal elements are designed to reproduce different colors depending on a color control signal. In addition to the previously described location-based and area-based displays on the two-dimensional display apparatus, this development makes it possible to convey additional information to the occupant.

In this case, it is particularly advantageous if the control unit is designed in such a manner that a resulting air flow velocity or a resulting volumetric air flow is determined from the magnitude of the air flow velocity or the volumetric air flow captured by the respective air sensor, and the color control signal is dependent on the magnitude of the resulting air flow velocity or the resulting volumetric air flow. In this manner, the intensity of the emerging air flow can be communicated by selecting a corresponding color of the active signal area.

Alternatively or additionally, at least one temperature sensor can be provided in the air guide housing and/or in the upper air guide duct or issue duct section and/or in the lower air guide duct or issue duct section, and the control unit can be designed to determine a resulting mixing temperature from the values of the air temperature captured by the respective temperature sensor taking into account the respective air flow velocity or the respective volumetric air flow, and the color control signal is dependent on the determined mixing temperature. In this manner, the temperature of the resulting air flow flowing into the vehicle interior is visualized to the occupant on the display apparatus. In particular, when air of a different temperature is guided through the different air guide ducts, a mixing temperature arising in the emerging air can be determined by the control unit, when a temperature sensor is provided in each air guide duct, taking into account the air volumes flowing through the respective guide duct and can be displayed on the display apparatus either numerically and/or by means of a corresponding color signal.

It is particularly advantageous if the display apparatus is arranged in the dashboard or the console between the upper air outlet slot and the lower air outlet slot assigned to the latter. This makes it possible to respectively display the corresponding information for the vehicle occupant in the immediate vicinity of the respective air outlet slots, which is particularly advantageous when different air outlet slots or pairs of upper and lower air outlet slots are provided in a manner distributed over the width of the dashboard or the console. In this case, separate display apparatuses may be assigned to each of these air outlet slots or pairs of upper and lower air outlet slots.

A particularly advantageous development which can be combined with any of the above-mentioned embodiments is distinguished by the fact that the control unit can apply a warning signal to the display apparatus provided in the dashboard, which warning signal causes a priority warning display of the display apparatus. This warning display can be generated completely independently of parameters of the vehicle interior ventilation. This warning signal is advantageously a traffic-related warning signal, for example a signal warning of a rear-end collision or an upcoming end of a traffic jam.

It goes without saying that it is also possible to provide vehicle information other than an input variable for controlling the display apparatus. For example, a driving speed signal can be used to control the color display of the display apparatus, with the result that the color displayed on the display apparatus is an indicator of the current vehicle speed.

The invention is also directed to a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, which is equipped with at least one vehicle interior ventilation system designed according to the invention. This at least one vehicle interior ventilation system may be a ventilation system provided in a dashboard, but may likewise be formed by a ventilation system formed in corresponding vehicle consoles in front of a second or further row of seats of the vehicle.

Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention with additional configuration details and further advantages are described and explained in more detail below with reference to the attached drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1shows a schematic illustration of a vehicle interior ventilation system1as a vertical section through a dashboard20of a motor vehicle2. The front windshield22of the motor vehicle2is partially illustrated for better consideration and for orientation with respect to the direction of travel F of the motor vehicle2. An upper air vent10and a lower air vent12, which are both in the form of air outlet slots11,13in the dashboard20, are shown in the dashboard20.

The ventilation system1has an air guide housing14in which a heating, ventilation and cooling unit3having a fan30, a cooling system heat exchanger32and a heating heat exchanger34downstream of the latter in the direction of air flow R is arranged in a known manner. At its end on the inflow side which leads to an air inlet (not shown), the air guide housing14is connected to an air supply duct15. On the outflow side of the heating, ventilation and cooling unit3, the air guide housing14is connected to an upper air guide duct16and a lower air guide duct18. It goes without saying that yet further air guide ducts may be connected here.

At its end issuing into the vehicle interior24, the upper air guide duct16forms the upper air vent10which is in the form of an upper air outlet slot11, wherein the last section of the upper air guide duct16forms an upper issue duct section17upstream of the upper air outlet slot11. At its end issuing into the vehicle interior24, the lower air guide duct18forms the lower air vent12which is in the form of a lower air outlet slot13, wherein the last section of the lower air guide duct18forms a lower issue duct section19upstream of the lower air outlet slot13. The respective issue duct sections17,19guide the air flowing in the respective air guide duct16,18to the respective air vent10,12and orient the emerging air flow according to the profile of the respective issue duct section17,19, with the result that the issue duct sections17,19determine the air outlet direction Roand Ru.

The upper air outlet direction Roof the air flow Loemerging from the upper air outlet slot11is directed slightly obliquely downward (in the negative Z direction) according to the profile of the upper issue duct section17. The lower air outlet direction Ruto of the air flow Luemerging from the lower air outlet slot13is directed obliquely upward (in the positive Z direction) according to the profile of the lower issue duct section19. Consequently, the two air flows Loand Luimpinge on one another at a distance from the dashboard20, are mixed and form a resulting air flow Lrwhich moves into the vehicle interior24in a resulting air flow direction Rr.

An upper additional fan36is provided in the upper air guide duct16and can be used to accelerate the air flow in the upper air guide duct16to the upper air vent10. In a corresponding manner, a lower additional fan38is provided in the lower air guide duct18and can be used to accelerate the air flow in the lower air guide duct18to the lower air vent12. The fan30, the upper additional fan36and the lower additional fan38can be individually controlled, as a result of which the flow velocity in the upper air guide duct16and the flow velocity in the lower air guide duct18can be set differently from one another.

Between the upper air vent10and the lower air vent12, the dashboard20is provided with a display apparatus4which is formed by a two-dimensional display panel40in the example shown. This two-dimensional display panel40, which is in the form of a matrix screen, for example, has a multiplicity of light signal elements which emit light into the vehicle interior24when activated.

An upper air sensor50of a control device5is provided in the upper air guide duct16or in the upper issue duct section17and captures the air flow velocity or the volumetric air flow in the upper air guide duct16. This upper air sensor50may be an independent air flow sensor, as schematically illustrated inFIG. 1, or may be formed by a speed sensor of the upper additional fan36. In a similar manner, a lower air sensor52is provided in the lower air guide duct18and may likewise be in the form of an independent sensor for capturing the flow or may be in the form of a speed sensor of the lower additional fan38. Both air sensors50,52are connected to a control unit54of the control device5.

In addition to the respective air sensor50,52, an upper temperature sensor51and a lower temperature sensor53may also be respectively provided in the air guide ducts16,18and are likewise illustrated only schematically inFIG. 1.

FIGS. 2A to 2Cshow different operating states of the vehicle interior ventilation system according to the invention.FIG. 2Aillustrates a state in which the upper additional fan36runs at a lower speed than the lower additional fan38, with the result that the flow velocity, and therefore the volumetric air flow, in the lower air guide duct18is considerably greater than in the upper ventilation duct16. The lower air flow Lutherefore dominates the resulting air flow Lrwhich is formed when the lower air flow meets the upper air flow Lo, which resulting air flow is directed obliquely upward in the resulting air flow direction Rr′, that is to say is directed at the passenger's head, as symbolically illustrated by the ventilation symbol on the right-hand side ofFIG. 2A.

In the state shown inFIG. 2B, the speeds of the upper additional fan36and of the lower additional fan38are substantially the same, with the result that the same flow velocities also result in the upper air guide duct16and in the lower air guide duct18. The upper air flow Loand the lower air flow Luare combined in a substantially equivalent manner to form the resulting air flow Lrwhich is directed at the vehicle occupant substantially in a horizontal direction and therefore provides the vehicle occupant with an approximately uniform air flow in the resulting air flow direction Rr′″, as symbolically illustrated by the ventilation symbol on the right-hand side ofFIG. 2B.

FIG. 2Cshows a state in which the speed of the upper additional fan36is greater than the speed of the lower additional fan38, with the result that the flow velocity, and therefore the volumetric air flow, in the upper air guide duct16is greater than in the lower air guide duct18. The emerging upper air flow Lotherefore dominates the emerging lower air flow Lu, with the result that the resulting air flow Lris directed obliquely downward in the resulting air flow direction Rr″, as is symbolically illustrated by the symbol on the right-hand side ofFIG. 2C.

FIG. 3schematically illustrates the control of the display apparatus4. A signal proportional to the air flow velocity is respectively transmitted from the upper air sensor50and from the lower air sensor52to the control unit54of the control device5in a wireless or wired manner. A temperature signal proportional to the air temperature in the respective air guide duct is likewise transmitted from the upper temperature sensor51and from the lower temperature sensor53to the control unit54in a wireless or wired manner. The control unit54also receives other operating signals for the vehicle from vehicle electronics56which are illustrated only symbolically inFIG. 3. These signals may comprise, for example, the current driving speed of the vehicle1or warning signals. The control unit54may also receive a speed signal from a speed sensor31of the fan30.

The control unit54processes the received signals by means of a control computer55provided in the control unit54and then transmits control signals S to the display apparatus4. These control signals may comprise an area extent control signal SA, a region control signal SB, a color control signal SCand/or a warning signal SWor other suitable signals for controlling the display apparatus4. Different possible ways of controlling the display apparatus4are described below on the basis ofFIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4shows a front view of the dashboard20from the point of view of a vehicle passenger in the direction of the arrow IV inFIG. 1. The dashboard20is only partially illustrated here. The upper air vent10, which forms an upper air outlet slot11, and the lower air vent12, which forms a lower air outlet slot13, can be seen. The two air vents10,12are arranged at a vertical distance from one another above and below a smart bar21in the dashboard20. The smart bar21has a transparent or translucent casing element23substantially transversely over the width of the dashboard20(Y direction). Different information devices are provided behind the casing element23and make visual information visible to the vehicle occupants through the transparent or translucent casing element23. Such an information device is the display apparatus4which is arranged between the two air vents10and12, as illustrated by dashed lines inFIG. 4. This display apparatus4has a display panel40which is directed at the vehicle occupant and comprises a multiplicity of light signal elements (not shown) and is in the form of an LCD or TFT screen, for example.

The display panel40can be divided virtually into three regions, an upper region40′, a lower region40″ and a central region40′″, as is illustrated by way of example using dash-dotted lines inFIG. 4. This division is not a physical division of the display panel40but rather is effected merely on the control side, as is explained below.

If the vehicle interior ventilation system is in the operating state shown inFIG. 2Ain which the resulting air flow Lris directed obliquely upward in the resulting air flow direction Rr′, that is to say at the occupant's head, the upper region40′ of the display panel40is illuminated. If the vehicle interior ventilation system1assumes the operating state shown inFIG. 2Bin which the resulting air flow Lris directed at the occupant's body in a substantially horizontal manner in the resulting air flow direction Rr′″, the central region40′″ of the display panel40is illuminated. In contrast, if the vehicle interior ventilation system1assumes the operating state shown inFIG. 2Cin which the resulting air flow Lris directed obliquely downward into the foot region and at the legs of the occupant in the resulting air flow direction Rr“, the lower region40” of the display panel40is illuminated. In this manner, the vehicle occupant can discern the direction in which the resulting air flow is directed on the basis of the position of the illuminated region of the display panel in the vertical direction.

It is within the discretion of a person skilled in the art to not provide any high-contrast transitions between the illuminated region and the non-illuminated regions when controlling the three regions40′40″,40′″ of the display panel40, but rather to configure these transitions with a continuous brightness profile and also to provide intermediate positions.

FIG. 5shows an alternative form of display which can be combined with the other forms of display. On account of an area extent control signal SAreceived from the control unit54, the area extent of the illuminated display region on the display panel40can be changed. The area of the oval illuminated display region41bounded by a solid line can therefore be increased, as illustrated by the oval display region41′ depicted using dashed lines, or can be reduced. In this manner, the intensity of the resulting air flow Lr, that is to say the level of the air flow velocity or the magnitude of the emerging volumetric air flow, can be visually displayed, for example. In this case, the smaller illuminated display region41represents a less intensive resulting air flow Lr, while the display region41′ which is larger in terms of the illuminated area represents a more intensive resulting air flow Lr. In this case too, there may be a gradual transition between display regions of different sizes as a function of the air flow velocity or the volumetric air flow.

This form of display for visualizing the air flow intensity can be combined with the form of display inFIG. 4, with the result that the oval display regions41,41′ illustrated inFIG. 5can move over the display panel40in the vertical direction and can therefore also indicate the direction of the air flow (as shown inFIG. 4) in addition to the intensity of the latter.

Additional information can be conveyed to the vehicle occupant by choosing the color of the corresponding illuminated display in that the color of the illuminated region displayed on the display panel40is displayed on the basis of the determined temperature of the emerging resulting air flow Lrby virtue of a color control signal SCreceived from the control unit54. For example, a color transition along the visible color spectrum from green to red via blue or any other arbitrarily selectable color transition may thus symbolize a range for the temperature level of the emerging resulting air flow Lr.

In this manner, three different items of information can be conveyed to the vehicle occupant by means of the display panel40of the display apparatus4, namely an item of information relating to the resulting air flow direction Rrof the emerging resulting air flow Lr, an item of information relating to the intensity of the resulting air flow Lrand an item of information relating to the temperature of the resulting air flow Lr.

As an additional benefit, the display panel40, under the control of a warning signal SWreceived from the control unit54, can display priority warning information which temporarily pushes the displays illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 5and based on the resulting air flow Lrinto the background or hides them, with the result that only the warning information can be seen. If the motor vehicle2approaches the end of a traffic jam, for example, without a substantial reduction in the driving speed being able to be determined, an extensive warning signal from an emergency brake assistant can be displayed on the display panel40in order to therefore draw the attention of the vehicle occupants, in particular of the vehicle driver, to the imminent hazardous situation. It goes without saying that it is also possible to display other warning signals, for example if a predefined maximum speed is exceeded, without this being described in detail here.

The invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiment above which is used only to generally explain the core idea of the invention. Rather, the apparatus according to the invention may also assume configurations other than those described within the scope of protection. In this case, the apparatus may have, in particular, features which represent a combination of the respective individual features of the claims.

Reference signs in the claims, the description and the drawings are used only for the better understanding of the invention and are not intended to restrict the scope of protection.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

1Vehicle interior ventilation system2Motor vehicle3Heating, ventilation and cooling unit4Display apparatus5Control device10Upper air vent11Upper air outlet slot12Lower air vent13Lower air outlet slot14Air guide housing15Air supply duct16Upper air guide duct17Upper issue duct section18Lower air guide channel19Lower issue duct section20Dashboard21Smart bar22Windshield23Casing element24Vehicle interior30Fan31Speed sensor of the fan32Cooling system heat exchanger34Heating heat exchanger36Upper additional fan38Lower additional fan40Display panel40′ Upper region of the display panel40″ Lower region of the display panel40′″ Central region of the display panel50Upper air sensor51Upper temperature sensor52Lower air sensor53Lower temperature sensor54Control unitA Active signal areaA1Active signal areaA1′ Active signal areaA2Active signal areaA3Active signal areaA4Active signal areaF Direction of travelLo Upper air flowLr Resulting air flowLu Lower air flowR Air flow directionRo Air outlet direction at the topRr Resulting air flow directionRr′ Resulting air flow directionRr″ Resulting air flow directionRr′″ Resulting air flow directionRu Air outlet direction at the bottomS Control signalSA Area extent control signalSB Region control signalSC Color control signalSW Warning signal