Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to vehicles having a body and a vehicle ventilation system for supplying air to the cabin within the body.

Background of the Invention

Passenger vehicles are generally provided with a ventilation system to supply air into the cabin. The ventilation system generally comprises a system for preparing conditioned air (which is generally external air which has been filtered and/or heated and/or cooled and/or dehumidified as required) such as a heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC) system. At least one blower may direct the conditioned air to a plurality of outlets in the form of vents distributed about the vehicle cabin. Appropriate ducts may be provided to provide an airflow path between the blower and the vents. The vents and/or the airflow supplied to the vents may generally be user adjustable.

The positioning and control of cabin air flow can have a direct impact on vehicle occupant comfort and resulting perception of the vehicle. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide air vents distributed throughout the cabin at convenient locations, for example proximal to vehicle occupant seating positions.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a vehicle comprising a ventilation system for ventilating the passenger cabin, the ventilation system comprising a vent; and a duct for ducting airflow to the vent, wherein the duct comprises a bore extending across an airflow passage of the duct and a sidewall around the bore sealing the bore from the airflow passage, and the vehicle comprises a fixing extending through the bore to a structure of the vehicle for fixing the duct to the structure.

This arrangement advantageously facilitates a load path for the fixing directly through the airflow passage of the duct. Compared for example to a fixing extending through a peripheral portion of the duct that is offset from the airflow passage, for example, through a tab extending radially from a wall of the duct, this arrangement may permit the load path to extend more centrally of the duct. For example, in this arrangement the load path may extend close to, or through, a centre of mass of the duct. Consequently, the connection between the duct and the structure may be more rigid and the duct may be less susceptible to pivoting about the fixing under load. Furthermore, because the fixing may be located more centrally of the duct, load applied to the duct may be transmitted to the structure more linearly through the fixing, and the risk of failure of the fixing is thereby reduced. Because the bore is sealed from the airflow passage by the sidewall, leakage of airflow from the duct is prevented. The duct could be fixed to a ‘body-in-white’ (BIW) structure of the vehicle, for example, to the sill of the BIW. The fixing could, for example, be a bolt or rivet securing the duct to the structure, or alternatively could, for example, be a locating spigot extending from the structure fixing the position of the duct relative to the structure.

The sidewall may define an aerofoil. That is to say, the outer diameter of the sidewall may have an aerofoil shape. Shaping the sidewall to define an aerofoil may reduce the restriction presented to air flowing through the airflow passage of the duct and/or may reduce turbulence imparted on the airflow. Additionally, the level of acoustic noise generated as the airflow flows past the sidewall may be reduced. Shaping the outer diameter of the sidewall to define an aerofoil may thus reduce the undesirable consequences of routing the leg of the cover through the airflow passage of the duct.

The bore may extend across a centre of the airflow passage. In other words, the bore extend through the centroid or geometric centre of the airflow passage. In this arrangement the areas of the airflow passage either side of the bore are approximately equal. Consequently, the pressure of the airflow at either side of the bore may be approximately equal, and so the pressure drop and turbulence of the airflow may be reduced. Each of the bore and the fixing may be circular in cross section. In other words, an inner diameter of the sidewall and an outer diameter of the fixing may be circular in cross- section. This arrangement facilitates the use of fixing having a circular cross-section, for example, a threaded fixing, whilst maintaining a close conformance between the fixing and the inner diameter of the sidewall. The close conformance may advantageously minimise relative movement between the duct and the fixing and thus provide a more rigid connection between the duct and the structure of the vehicle. Consequently, the duct may be less susceptible to movement relative to the vehicle structure during use of the vehicle, and so acoustic noise associated with movement of the duct, for example, resulting from impact of the duct with the structure, may be avoided. Additionally, damage to the duct resulting from movement of the duct, for example, vibration induced fatigue, may be avoided.

Achieving a circular inner diameter of the sidewall may be complicated where the outer diameter of the sidewall is not correspondingly circular, for example, where the outer diameter defines an aerofoil. In this circumstance, in order to achieve a circular inner diameter and a non-circular outer diameter, the sidewall must be formed with a non- uniform thickness. This may complicate manufacture of the duct, for example, blow moulding of the duct may not be feasible and the duct may instead need to be injection- moulded, or alternatively the sidewall may need to be produced separately to the remainder of the duct and the parts subsequently joined. The advantage associated with this feature may thus come at a cost.

The duct may comprise a further bore extending across the airflow passage downstream of the bore, and a further sidewall around the further bore sealing the further bore from the airflow passage, wherein airflow moves along the airflow passage between the bore and the further bore along an axis, and the bore and the further bore are aligned along the axis.

The further bore facilitates insertion through the duct of further items, for example, of further fixings. The axis represents an average direction of airflow along the airflow passage between the bore and the further bore. Because the bore and the further bore are aligned along the axis of the airflow, the further bore may be located in the slipstream of the bore. Consequently, the restriction presented to air flowing through the duct and the turbulence imparted on the airflow by the bore and the further bore may be reduced. In the context, the term ‘aligned’ means that both bores are intersected by the axis.

The average direction of airflow along the airflow passage may be expected to be traced by a centroid axis of the airflow passage. The immediately preceding feature may thus alternatively be expressed as, the duct comprising a further bore extending across the airflow passage downstream of the bore, and a further sidewall around the further bore sealing the further bore from the airflow passage, wherein the bore and the further bore are aligned along an axis parallel or coincident with the centroid axis of the airflow passage.

The further bore may have the features aforementioned with reference to the bore.

The vehicle may comprise a further fixing for fixing the duct to the structure, wherein the further fixing extends through the further bore to the structure. In other words, a further fixing may be provided, spaced apart from the first fixing, and arranged to extend through the further bore to the structure. The further fixing provides another load path for transmitting load from the duct to the structure. Consequently, for a given load on the duct, the load on the first fixing is reduced. As a result, the first fixing may be less susceptible to failure. Furthermore, because the further fixing is spaced apart from the fixing, the connection between the duct and the cover may be more rigid along the length of the duct and the duct may be less susceptible to movement relative to the structure.

The airflow passage may have a uniform cross-sectional area between the bore and the further bore. A uniform cross-sectional area of the airflow passage may advantageously result in a relatively smooth laminar airflow between the bore and the further bore with minimal change in pressure of the airflow. This arrangement may elongate the wake of the airflow leading from the bore, thus enhancing the slipstream effect experienced by the further bore.

The vehicle may comprise a cover covering the duct, wherein the cover comprises a leg providing a load path to the structure of the vehicle independent of the duct, and the leg extends through the bore to the structure.

The duct may be susceptible to crushing under load. This risk is particularly prevalent if the duct is laid along a floor of the vehicle, where a passenger may inadvertently step on the duct. Crushing of the duct may undesirably temporarily interrupt or restrict airflow through the duct, and worse may even permanently damage the duct. In this arrangement, the cover may protect the duct from loading, for example, from a passenger stepping on the duct. The leg of the cover provides a load path to the structure of the vehicle independent of the duct. In other words, the leg forms a path that does not pass through the duct by which a load applied to the cover may transmitted to the structure. The risk of crushing of the duct is thereby reduced.

Routing the leg of the cover through the bore of the duct facilitates a straight load path from a point of the cover overlying the duct to the structure. Compared for example to a leg extending around the outside of the duct to the structure, in this arrangement the load path may be less geometrically convoluted, and so may be capable of transmitting relatively higher compression loads and the cover may be less susceptible to buckling. The risk of crushing of the duct is thereby further reduced. Moreover, because the bore is sealed from the airflow passage by the sidewall, the risk of airflow escaping from the airflow passage between the leg of the cover and the duct is avoided. The cover is preferably rigid such that the cover itself is resistant to deformation and may best protect the duct from loading. The cover could be formed of a rigid plastic material, for example, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.

The fixing may extend through the leg of the cover. For example, the leg may be tubular, and the fixing may extend through a bore of the leg. This arrangement best balances the force exerted on the cover by tension in the fixing against the counteracting force provided by the leg. Accordingly, the cover may be less susceptible to damage by the fixing, and so the risk of the cover failing and the duct being crushed is reduced. Additionally, a tube may be a particularly efficient form for the leg, in which circumstance it may be desirable for the fixing to extend through the bore of the leg to minimise the overall footprint of the leg and fixing, and thereby minimise the required diameter of the bore.

The duct may be resiliently compressible. For example, the duct could be formed of foamed low-density polyethylene. A resiliently compressible duct is particularly well suited to this application because of the risk of crushing of the duct. Specifically, in this configuration, even if the duct were crushed, for example, if the cover were to fail, the duct would unlikely be permanently damaged and would tend to return to its original shape on removal of the load. Consequently, the hazards associated with crushing the duct that arise from this application are reduced.

The ventilation system may comprise a blower for generating an airflow along the airflow passage.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 A and IB are illustrative top and side views of a vehicle comprising a ventilation assembly;

Figure 2 is an illustrative view of a section of a vehicle cabin and door assembly including a ventilation assembly in accordance with an embodiment;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a ventilation assembly; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a section through the ventilation assembly;

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a section through the ventilation assembly; Figure 6 is a top view of the duct of the ventilation assembly on a sill of the vehicle; and Figure 7 is an exploded cross section showing the duct fastening arrangement.

Detailed Description of the Invention

It may be appreciated that references herein to “vertical” or “horizontal” are to be understood to be made generally with reference to the intended “in use” orientation of the features when installed in a vehicle. Likewise, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the “transverse” and “longitudinal” axis of a vehicle are established terms in the art (wherein the transverse direction is parallel to the axles and the longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the axles).

Figure 1 shows a vehicle 1 having a passenger cabin 2 and a vehicle ventilation system 10 for supplying air to the cabin 2. The configuration of the vehicle is for example purposes only but shows a six-seat configuration with the seating arranged in three rows, each row including two seats 5. Such a seating configuration may, for example, be used in a “sports utility vehicle” (or “SUV”). The vehicle may for example be an electric vehicle (an “EV”) and, whilst it will be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to such vehicles, the skilled person will be aware that the type of drive system may result in specific packaging or configuration requirements for the vehicle ventilation system 10. The body of the vehicle typically includes a number of upwardly extending support members which are known as pillars and between which the vehicle door frames 50 are defined. The pillars of a passenger vehicle 1 are generally designated sequentially, from the front of the vehicle to the rear, as an A pillar 20, B pillar 30 and C pillar 35. The vehicle ventilation system 10 receives air from outside of the vehicle 1 through an intake 110, conditions the air by filtering and heating/cooling and/or humidifying/dehumidifying the air and distributes the conditioned air into the vehicle cabin 2. A heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (“HVAC”) system 200, which may include at least one heat exchanger 210, carries out the heating/cooling and/or humidifying/dehumidifying and a blower 220 for generating an airflow. The components of the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (“HVAC”) system 200 may be concealed from the passenger cabin behind a dashboard or instrument panel 40. The ventilation system may also include a ventilation assembly 300 for distributing air about the vehicle cabin 2. The ventilation assembly 300 may include a number of vents 305, 310 positioned around the cabin 2. The vents 305, 310 may be user adjustable (either by direct manual adjustment or by adjustment using a control system) to enable vehicle occupants to optimise their individual comfort. The ventilation assembly 300 may also include ducts 320 for delivering air from the HVAC system 200 to the vents 305, 310 in the cabin.

Vents 305, 310 may typically be positioned such that an occupant in an adjacent seat 5 of the cabin 2 are able to direct and adjust the airflow at themselves as required. As such it is desirable to provide vents in the rear portions of the cabin as well as the forward areas (which are closer to the vehicle ventilation system). A convenient location for such vents 310 is on the rearward pillars such as the B pillar 30 or the C pillar 35. As will be described further below, embodiments of the present invention provide a convenient arrangement for directing airflow to a pillar mounted vent 310.

As shown in figure 2 and 3, the vehicle 1 has a body including a cabin floor 40 and a side panel including an A pillar 20, a B pillar 30 and a C pillar 35. A door frame 50 is defined between the adjacent pillars (the A and B pillar in the example of the invention) and is closed by a door 55. If the vehicle is an EV then the floor 40 may extend over a battery pack. It is also generally an advantage for occupant comfort and convenience for the vehicle floor 40 to be generally flat. These may be constraints in the convenient supply of ventilation ducts to the rear portions of the cabin. The bottom of the door frame 50 is defined by a longitudinally extending sill 58. It may be noted from figure 3 that the longitudinal sill 58 may also be the upper extent of a longitudinally extending structural member of the car body.

The general configuration of the duct 320 is shown in figure 2. The duct 320 is shaped to extend along the lower portion of the door frame 50 and includes a first portion 320a which extends generally vertically downwardly along the A pillar 20, a second portion 320b which extends generally longitudinally along the sill 58 of the door frame 50 and a third section 320c which extends generally upwardly along the B pillar 30. The first portion 320a may be in fluid communication with a connecting portion 328 which extends transversely between the outsidewall of the car body and the heating, ventilation, air- conditioning (“HVAC”) system 200. The connecting portion 328 may extend through an inside of a dashboard of the vehicle and can have any convenient configuration. The third portion 320c ends at a vent 310 intended to direct airflow at a passenger seated in the second row of seats 5. As best seen in Figure 3, a cover 340 is provided on the sill 58 extending over and protecting the duct portion 320b which extends generally longitudinally along the sill 58.

The relative configuration of the cover 340 and duct 320 of the ventilation assembly 300 is shown in the partial cross sections of Figures 4 and 5. The cover 340 and duct 320 are both positioned on the upper surface of the sill 58 and are on the dry side of a door seal. In the illustrated version it may be noted that the vehicle structure includes a flange 59 extending upwardly from the sill 58. The flange 59 may provide a sealing surface for the door 50 (not shown in figures 4 and 5) and/or may provide a barrier against water ingress. Both the cover 340 and duct 320 are on the inside of the flange 59. As such, it may be noted that the duct assembly 300 is on a dry side of the door seal. Conveniently the vertical proportions of the ventilation assembly 300 may be substantially equal to the height of the flange 59 to provide a substantially flush finish in the assembled configuration.

The cover 340 may be formed from a rigid moulded plastic (for example ABS or polypropylene) and extends longitudinally along the sill 58. The cover 340 has a width and length which substantially matches the internal dimensions of the sill 58. The upper surface of the cover 340 comprises a treadplate 349 which is generally parallel to and vertically spaced apart from the sill 58. The sides of the cover 340 include vertical aligned sidewalls 345 and 346. The outer sidewall 346 generally abuts the inside of the flange 59. The inner sidewall 345 is generally aligned with the insidewall of the sill 58 (which extends down to the floor 40). In the example, the inner sidewall 345 is provided with a double walled construction. Such an arrangement may provide a first wall to be positioned against the duct 320 and a second wall which is aligned with the edge of the sill 58. It may be appreciated that the cover 340 provides a generally flush fitting arrangement when positioned on the sill 58.

Internally, the cover 340 may have a cross section with a generally inverted trough-shaped profile. A plurality of support columns are provided spaced longitudinally along the length of the cover 340. Each support column is configured as a leg 341 providing a load path to the sill independent of the duct. The, or each, leg 341 is configured to extend through the duct 320 to engage the sill 58. It may also be noted that the outer sidewall 346 and the he inner sidewall 345 provide additional compressive load support. As such, the walls 345, 346 may be additional support legs which may provide a particularly balanced support arrangement with legs for transferring load from the cover to the sill provided at both transverse sides of the duct as well as through a mid-section of the duct 320. The legs 341 may be generally centrally located across the width of the cover 340 when viewed in cross section so will provide good resistance to bending of the tread plate 349 in comparison to an arrangement relying upon only sidewall legs for support.

A best seen in the exploded cross-section of Figure 7, the centre of each leg 341 includes an aperture 342, extending the full length of the leg 341 and through the treadplate 349, for receiving a fixing 350 to provide an engagement between the cover 340 and the sill 58 of the vehicle body. The fixing 350 may for example be a screw, bolt or rivet. A recess 344 may also be formed in the upper face of the treadplate 349 extending over the apertures 342 to enable a veneer to be used to conceal the apertures 342 and their associated fixing. The legs 341 hold the cover in place and may, therefore, be under tension when assembled. The legs 341 also provide a compressive load path from the cover to the sill 58.

The duct 320 may be formed from a flexible material to conform to the shape of the sill 58 and other vehicle body structures. For example, the duct 320 may be soft-foamed LDPE. A duct 320 formed from a resilient material such as soft-foamed LDPE may advantageously be resiliently deformable in use. For example, any forces or dynamic loads which the cover 340 is unable to fully protect the duct 320 may only temporarily deform or restrict the duct 320 before the duct resilient deforms back to its intended shape.

The duct 320 has a shallow cross-sectional profile such that it conforms closely to the sill 58. The duct 320 may have a generally rectangular cross section with an aspect ratio which is significantly wider (in the transverse direction) than it is high (in the vertical direction). Such an arrangement may reduce the extent to which the ventilation assembly 300 intrudes into the door frame 50.

A series of longitudinally spaced bores 325 are provided in the duct 320. The spacing and proportions of the bores 325 match spacing and proportions of the plurality of support legs 34 E As such, each bore 325 receives and is penetrated by a leg 341 of the cover 340 when the ventilation assembly 300 is attached to the vehicle. The fixing 350, for example a rivet or screw, may pass through the bore 325 and retain the duct in position on the vehicle body, for example engaging the sill 58 or another part of the “body -in-white” structure of the vehicle. Advantageously, by passing through the duct 320 the fixing is central to the duct and may provide a more robust attachment. To prevent leakage of air from the duct 320 a surrounding sidewall 322 extends around each bore 325 and seals the airflow passage on the inside of the duct 320. As a result, it may be noted that locally to the bores 325 the duct may be considered to have two parallel passageways 320a and 320b (in otherwords, the duct may be considered to be separated into two similarly proportioned airflow passages). Figure 6 shows a top view of the duct 320 positioned on the sill 58 with the cover 340 omitted for clarity. It may be noted that the bores 325 are each provided with a streamlined body shape aligned to the flow direction through the duct (as indicated by arrow A). Each bore 325 may be formed as a symmetric aerofoil aligned with the airflow direction through the duct. It may also be noted that the bores 325 are generally aligned along a single longitudinal axis. The shaping and alignment of the bores 325 may reduce turbulence and/or drag in the airflow passing through the duct 320. This is shown schematically by the flow lines 600 in figure 6. It may be noted from these flow lines 600 that any wake type turbulence of flow around an upstream bore 325 is confined to a central region 620 of the duct 320 and that the subsequent, downstream, bores 325 are positioned within this wake region 620 such that there is a slipstream effect. The airflow either side of the wake region, in regions 610 and 630 is minimally turbulent. It may be appreciated that this configuration may help both in reducing undesirable noise from the duct 320 and in reducing any pressure drop in the airflow as it passes through the duct.

From the above it may be appreciated that the ventilation assembly 300 of embodiments provides a configuration in which the duct 320 and cover 340 provide a clear airflow routing without overly intruding upon cabin space. The cover 340 provides a rigid and robust protection for the duct 320 for example due to loading if a user steps on the sill when entering the vehicle.

Although the invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, it will be appreciated that various changes or modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, whilst the duct and cover of the above embodiment are formed as two entirely distinct components it may be possible to provide alternate arrangements in which the duct is at least partially defined by other surfaces. For example, at least one surface of a duct could be formed by an abutting part of the cover or sill against which the duct or cover seals in use. Whilst the embodiment described above relates to a duct extending along the sill of a door it will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention may also be used on other areas of a vehicle. For example, the duct could be attached to a roof, floor or pillar, with the provision of a fixing extending through a bore extending across an airflow passage of the duct still providing an advantageous arrangement.