VEHICLE AND VEHICLE CABIN AIR EXTRACTION SYSTEM

• US 20160229257A1
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Published: 08/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: YERKE, Eric R., HOKE, Paul Bryan, FUSCO, Frank, SAWYER, Robert Steven
• Application Number:
  US14/618,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20160229257A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/248 Air-extractors, air-evacuation from the vehicle interior

Abstract

A vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes an air extraction outlet located on an interior panel that partially defines an interior cabin of the vehicle. The air extraction outlet has a series of vanes that are configured to transition between open and closed positions. An actuator is utilized to transition the series of vanes between the open and closed positions. The air extraction outlet is configured to exhaust air from the cabin of the vehicle when the vanes are in the open position. The vehicle also includes a sensor and a controller. The controller is programmed to activate the actuator in order to transition the vanes between the open and closed positions based on a condition of the sensor.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an air extraction outlet on a panel partially defining a cabin of the vehicle, having vanes configured to transition between open and closed positions via an actuator, and configured to exhaust air from the cabin when the vanes are in the open position;

a sensor; and

a controller programmed to activate the actuator to transition the vanes between the open and closed positions based on a condition of the sensor.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vanes are further configured to obstruct a line of sight into an interior of the air extraction outlet when in the closed position.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor and the condition corresponds to a cabin pressure of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a humidity sensor and the condition corresponds to a cabin humidity of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a carbon monoxide gas sensor and the condition corresponds to a cabin carbon monoxide content of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a NO_x gas sensor and the condition corresponds to a cabin NO content of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the actuator is a pneumatic cylinder.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the actuator is an electric motor.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the air extraction outlet is positioned adjacent to a window of the vehicle and the open position permits the air extraction outlet to draw air away from the window.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the panel is a package tray.

11. A vehicle comprising:

a package tray partially defining a cabin of the vehicle;

an air extraction outlet on the package tray having articulating vanes configured to exhaust air from the vehicle cabin when in an open position and obstruct a line of sight into an interior of the air extraction outlet when in a closed position;

an actuator configured to transition the articulating vanes between the open and closed positions;

a sensor; and

a controller programmed to activate the actuator to transition the articulating vanes between the open and closed positions based on a condition of the sensor.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor and the condition corresponds to a cabin pressure of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor is a humidity sensor and the condition corresponds to a cabin humidity of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor is a carbon monoxide gas sensor and the condition corresponds to a cabin carbon monoxide content of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the sensor is a NO_x gas sensor and the condition corresponds to a cabin NO_x content of the vehicle.

16. A method of operating an air extraction system in a vehicle comprising:

activating an actuator to transition articulating vanes of an air extraction outlet located on a panel partially defining a cabin of the vehicle between open and closed positons in response to a sensed condition of the cabin to selectively exhaust air from the cabin.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensed condition is a pressure in the cabin.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensed condition is a humidity level in the cabin.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensed condition is a carbon monoxide gas content in the cabin.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensed condition is a NO_x gas content in the cabin.