# US 11,440,374 B2 · Air outlet device for air conditioner

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- Number: US 11,440,374 B2
- Document ID: US11440374B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/023,925
- Filed: 2020-09-17
- Published: 2021-04-15
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-10-15
- Assignees: Moriroku Technology Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Moriroku Technology Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Nobuya Egashira
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440374B2

## CPC

- B60H 1/00871: {Air directing means, e.g. blades in an air outlet (construction of nozzles or air diffusers B60H1/34)}
- B60H 1/3421: {using only pivoting shutters}
- B60H 2001/3471: {Details of actuators}
- B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES

## Abstract

An air outlet device for an air conditioner includes a housing that also serves as an air outlet, swingable fins supported by the housing, a pinion gear portion that can swing with the fins, a rack gear portion that meshes with the pinion gear portion, and an operation portion that can linearly move with the rack gear portion. When the fins are swinging to a maximum swingable angle, a rack tooth portion of the rack gear portion, which meshes with the pinion gear portion, is a rack large tooth portion that is formed larger than the adjacent rack tooth portions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An air outlet device for an air conditioner, the air outlet device comprising:
a housing, which is exposed to a room interior and serves as an air outlet;
at least one fin swingably supported by the housing, and capable of adjusting a direction of air blowing;
a pinion gear portion that is configured to swing with the at least one fin, the pinion gear portion being a substantially arcuate gear;
a rack gear portion, which is a linear gear and meshes with the pinion gear portion; and
an operation unit that is configured to linearly move with the rack gear portion,
a rack tooth portion of the rack gear portion, which meshes with the pinion gear portion when the at least one fin swings to a maximum swingable angle, the rack tooth portion being a rack large tooth portion that is formed larger than adjacent rack tooth portions of the rack gear portion, or
a pinion tooth portion of the pinion gear portion, which meshes with the rack gear portion when the at least one fin swings to the maximum swingable angle, the pinion tooth portion being a pinion large tooth portion that is formed larger than adjacent pinion tooth portions of the pinion gear portion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The air outlet device for the air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the pinion gear portion has a pinion large bottom that faces a free end of the rack large tooth portion and is formed deeper than adjacent pinion bottoms of the pinion gear portion, or
the rack gear portion has a rack large bottom that faces the pinion large tooth portion, and is formed deeper than adjacent rack bottoms of the rack gear portion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The air outlet device for the air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the pinion large bottom has a shape that conforms to the rack large tooth portion, or
the rack large bottom has a shape that conforms to the pinion large tooth portion.