Adjustment device for air inlet, method for adjusting an air inlet with an adjustment device, motor vehicle provided with an air inlet having an adjustment device
AssigneeMCi (Mirror Controls International) Netherlands B.V.
InventorsStephen Alexander George Gustavo Boom, Erik Alfred Simeon de Vries
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An adjustment device for adjusting an air inlet of a motor compartment of a motor vehicle between at least a first position in which the air inlet is substantially open and a second position in which the air inlet is substantially closed, comprising a drive unit for adjusting the air inlet between at least the first position and the second position, further comprising an auxiliary unit which is arranged for adjusting the air inlet in case of a calamity for bringing the air inlet to a predefined position, comprising at least one energy storage element.
Claims17
An adjustment device for adjusting an air inlet of a motor compartment of a motor vehicle between at least a first position in which the air inlet is substantially open and a second position in which the air inlet is substantially closed, comprising a drive unit for adjusting the air inlet between at least the first position and the second position, wherein the drive unit comprises an electric motor for enabling the drive to adjust the air inlet between at least the first position and the second position and at least the second position and the first position, the adjustment device furthermore comprising an auxiliary unit which is arranged for adjusting the air inlet in case of a calamity for bringing the air inlet to a predefined position, comprising at least one energy storage element, wherein the energy storage element supplies the auxiliary unit with its own independent energy supply separate from an energy supply of the electric motor of the drive unit, and wherein the auxiliary unit is independent of the drive unit such that during normal use the energy storage element is not acted on by operation of the drive unit and in the case of a calamity the energy storage element is coupled with the air inlet to bring the air inlet to the predefined position.
A method for adjusting an air inlet of a motor vehicle between at least a first position in which the air inlet is substantially open and a second position in which the air inlet is substantially closed, the method comprising:
- providing an adjustment device having a drive unit comprising an electric motor and having an auxiliary unit comprising an energy storage element, wherein the energy storage element supplies the auxiliary unit with its own independent energy supply separate from an energy supply of the electric motor of the drive unit, wherein the auxiliary unit is independent of the drive unit, such that during normal use the energy storage element is not acted on by operation of the drive unit and in the case of a calamity the energy storage element is coupled with the air inlet to bring the air inlet to the predefined position;
- enabling, with the electric motor, the drive unit to adjust the air inlet between at least the first position and the second position and at least the second position and the first position;
- determining whether the drive unit has failed;
- in response to a determination that the drive unit has failed, coupling the auxiliary unit with the air inlet for moving the air inlet to a predefined position.
An adjustment device for adjusting an air inlet of a motor compartment of a motor vehicle between at least a first position in which the air inlet is substantially open and a second position in which the air inlet is substantially closed, comprising a drive unit for adjusting the air inlet between at least the first position and the second position, wherein the drive unit comprises an electric motor for enabling the drive to adjust the air inlet between at least the first position and the second position and at least the second position and the first position, the adjustment device furthermore comprising an auxiliary unit which is arranged for adjusting the air inlet in case of a calamity for bringing the air inlet to a predefined position, wherein the auxiliary unit has components independent of and separate from the drive unit, such that during normal use the energy storage element is not acted on by operation of the drive unit and in the case of a calamity the energy storage element is coupled with the air inlet to adjust the air inlet to the predefined position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.