Abstract:
An air vent, in particular for venting an interior of a vehicle, comprises a frame and at least one check flap, an antenna being fitted to the frame.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    The invention relates to an air vent, in particular for venting the interior of a vehicle, including a frame and at least one check flap.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Vehicles nowadays are provided with various transmitting and receiving systems, for example for mobile radio telephones, emergency call systems or navigation systems. These transmitting and receiving systems require, as a rule, a separate antenna suitably located on the vehicle.  
           [0003]    The object of the invention is to accommodate an antenna in a vehicle so that it has good transceiver performance whilst being simple to fit.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    According to the invention, an air vent, in particular for venting an interior of a vehicle, comprises a frame and at least one check flap. An antenna is fitted to the frame. Thus, the antenna can be spaced away from the vehicle body, resulting in good transceiver performance of the antenna. The antenna can be fitted to the air vent before the latter is secured in the vehicle so that assembly is now simpler and more cost-effective.  
           [0005]    Further advantageous embodiments read from the sub-claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air vent according to the invention;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the frame of the air vent as shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is a magnified view of the portion III as shown in FIG. 2;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 is a magnified view of the portion IV as shown in FIG. 2;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is a magnified view of the portion V as shown in FIG. 2;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 6 is a magnified view of the portion VI as shown in FIG. 2. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0012]    Referring now to FIG. 1 there is illustrated an air vent  10  consisting of a frame  12  including check flaps  14  and a reflector  16 . The frame  12  is formed by a rectangular baseplate  18  having rounded comers  20 , featuring an upper side  22  and an underside  24 . Configured in the baseplate  18  is a through-flow opening  26  (FIG. 2) which can be closed off by the check flaps  14 . Since the basic functioning of the air vent  10  is known from prior art, it is not further detailed here.  
         [0013]    For stabilizing, the through-flow opening  26  is bridged by a longitudinal web  28  and a cross web  30  forming a right-angled cross over the through-flow opening  26 . Extending perpendicular to the plane of the baseplate  18  at the upper side  22  of the baseplate  18  is a connecting wall  32  having an inner side facing the through-flow opening  26 , surrounding the through-flow opening  26  at its rim and serving for guiding the air vent  10  in an aperture in the vehicle body when fitted in a vehicle, for example. The connecting wall  32  is made up of a first longitudinal wall section  36  adjoining a longitudinal side of the through-flow opening  26 , a second longitudinal wall section  38  parallel to the first longitudinal wall section  36  and two short straight transverse wall sections  40  connecting the longitudinal wall sections  36  and  38  along the narrow sides of the through-flow opening  26  via curved wall sections  42 .  
         [0014]    In the middle of the first longitudinal wall section  36  there is provided a recess  44  (see FIG. 4) into which two latching tabs  46  spaced away from each other extend in parallel. The latching tabs  46  protrude beyond the rim of the first longitudinal wall section  36  remote from the baseplate  18  and are provided at each end with a wedge-shaped hook  48 .  
         [0015]    Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a recess  50  which is provided at each end of the second longitudinal wall section  38  of the connecting wall  32  so as to adjoin the curved wall sections  42 . Provided at the inner side  52  of the second longitudinal wall section  38  in the portion between the recess  50  and the rim of the through-flow opening  26  are snap-action tabs  54 , which each protrude into the portion defined by recess  50  on the inner side  52  of the longitudinal wall section  38 . Each snap-action tab  54  is provided in turn at its free end with a wedge-shaped hook  56  (FIG. 3). Furthermore, extending from the inner side  52  of the second longitudinal wall section  38  in the direction toward each snap-action tab  54  is a flexible spring web  58 , each of which protrudes from the rim of the recess  50  by its free end in the direction toward the wedge-shaped hook  56 .  
         [0016]    At the level with the recess  44 , the inner surface areas of the first longitudinal wall section  36  and of the second longitudinal wall section  38  are connected by the cross web  30 , which nearby the second longitudinal wall section  38  is flared into a mounting opening  60  (FIG. 6). This mounting opening  60  has the shape of a circular cylindrical tube and leads to the underside  24  of the baseplate  18 .  
         [0017]    A T-shaped antenna  62  comprising a middle bar  64  and a crossbar  66  is fitted to the frame  12 . Provided at the joint between the middle bar  64  and the crossbar  66  of the antenna  62  is a protuberance through which a connecting cable  68  emerges from the antenna  62 . When fitting the antenna  62 , the connecting cable  68  is guided through the mounting opening  60 , and the protuberance, configured for example cylindrical or conical, is inserted into the mounting opening  60  to thus center the antenna  62  on the frame  12 . The antenna  62  is fixed to the frame  12  furthermore by means of three fastener points, namely in the region of the recess  50  between the snap-action tabs  54  and the spring webs  58  as well as by protrusions  70  configured on the middle bar  64 , these protrusions  70  cooperating with the latching tabs  46  by being clasped by the wedge-shaped hooks  48  to thus form a latching connection. In this way a simple but reliable and rugged fitting of the antenna  62  on the frame  12  is produced. The frame  12  of the air vent  10  is preferably made of plastics so as not to detriment the electric field of the antenna  62 . The T-shape of the antenna is particularly of advantage for it being fitted to the frame  12  since it does not reduce the through-flow opening  26 .  
         [0018]    In the illustrated embodiment the reflector  16  is configured as a cuboidal cage produced as a stamped sheet-metal grille, comprising a base  72  and side surface areas  74 . The aperture of the cage is provided to accommodate the frame  12 . Referring now to FIG. 5 there is illustrated how retaining tabs  76 , extending perpendicularly from the underside  24  of the baseplate  18 , are provided for securing the reflector  16 . The front side  78  of the retaining tabs  76  facing away from the through-flow opening  26  is flush with the outer edge of the baseplate  18 , whilst the rear side rests at the underside  24  of the baseplate  18  by means of a web  79 . Configured at the front side  78  of each retaining tab  76  is a wedge-shaped snap-action hook  80 .  
         [0019]    To fit the reflector  16  it is mounted by its side walls  74  over the retaining tabs  76 , the side walls  74  being flexed outwardly by the snap-action hooks  80  until the snap-action hooks  80  snap into the recesses  82  in the side walls  74 , so that the reflector  16  is reliable secured to the frame  12 . The connecting cable  68  can then be simply guided to the outside through the gaps in the metal grille.  
         [0020]    The air vent  10  in accordance with the invention may be fitted, for example, in a panel aperture in the vehicle trunk, for compensating any increase in pressure in the vehicle interior by means of the check flaps  14 . The air vent  10  permits very simple installation in the vehicle by it being inserted with the connecting wall  32  into the panel aperture in the vehicle, the fastener tabs  84  configured in the connecting wall  32  securely clasping the air vent  10  in the panel aperture. A gasket  86  running around the upper side of the baseplate seals off the air vent  10 . The antenna  62  is thus accommodated in the vehicle safe from physical damage and is protected by the reflector  16  from sources of interference in the vehicle interior.