Vehicle door closure cabin pressure relief system

• US 9,656,534 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Elia, Paul, Newton, Richard E., Wade, David Arthur, Marleau, James Antime, Repp, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Ko-Wei
• Application Number:
  US13/803,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20140273786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• Field of Search: 454 70, 454 75
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00735 Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00828 Ventilators, e.g. speed control B60H1/00864 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/248 Air-extractors, air-evacuation from the vehicle interior

Abstract

An active pressure relief system for a vehicle cabin in response to a cabin-door closure. An air-extractor may be configured to open when a cabin-door is opened, and remain open until the last of a number of cabin-doors are closed. The air-extractor allows for the increased pressure resulting from the cabin-door closure to be equalized with the external environment through the air-extractor. After the last of a number of cabin-doors are closed, the air-extractor closes to inhibit noise and external elements from entering the cabin through the air-extractor.

Claims

1. A vehicle cabin pressure-relief system comprising:

an air-extractor, including a louver and gear to rotate the louver, and an actuator mechanically linked to the louver via a pinion gear and belt, fluidly connected to a cabin;

a spring to bias the air-extractor;

a position sensor for a door; and

a controller in communication with the position sensor and programmed to open the air-extractor, via the actuator, when the door is in a non-closed position.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising an actuator connected to and capable of opening the air-extractor, wherein the controller is programmed to actuate the actuator to open the air-extractor based upon the door being in the non-closed position.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the controller actuates the actuator to overcome a spring force to open the air-extractor, and the spring force returns the air-extractor to a closed position when the actuator is no longer actuated by the controller.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising an actuator connected to and capable of closing the air-extractor, wherein the controller is programmed to actuate the actuator to close the air-extractor based upon the door being in the closed position.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the cabin has a number of doors and each door has an air-extractor.

6. A vehicle cabin pressure relief system comprising:

a valve, including a louver and gear to rotate the louver, and an actuator mechanically linked to the louver via a pinion gear and belt to drive the gear, fluidly connected to a cabin, biased to a closed position by a spring; and

a controller programmed to maintain the valve in an open position, via the actuator, based on a door being open such that an increase in air pressure within the cabin caused by a closure of the door is equalized with an external environment through the valve.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising a number of doors and the controller maintains the valve in an open position when any one of the number of doors remains open.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the controller is further programmed to close the valve based upon a last of the number of doors being closed.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the valve is closed by a spring.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the valve is closed by an actuator.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the valve allows an air pressure differential between the cabin and the external environment through the valve when the valve is in a closed position.

12. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller obtains an indication of the door being open from an internal communications network.

13. The system of claim 6 wherein the controller is a door control module.

14. The system of claim 6 wherein the spring is a torsion spring, the controller energizes a motor to overcome a force of the torsion spring to open the valve, the motor remains energized by the controller to maintain the valve open, and the torsion spring overcomes a friction of the motor when the motor is no longer energized to close the valve.

15. A method of controlling pressure increase in a vehicle cabin caused by a closure of a cabin-door comprising:

biasing a cabin-valve including a louver and gear to rotate the louver, and an actuator mechanically linked to the louver via a pinion gear and belt to drive the gear that fluidly connects the vehicle cabin to an external environment to a closed position using a spring;

opening, via the gear, a cabin-valve in response to an opening of a cabin-door;

maintaining the cabin-valve, via the actuator, in an open position while a cabin-door is open allowing increased cabin pressure caused by a cabin-door closure to pass through the cabin-valve; and

allowing, via the spring, the cabin-valve to close in response to a closing of a cabin-door.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the vehicle cabin has a number of cabin-doors, and the method further comprising maintaining the cabin-valve in an open position in response to any of the number of cabin-doors being open, and closing the cabin-valve in response to a last of the number of cabin-doors being closed.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising closing the cabin-valve and inhibiting exterior elements and noise from an exterior of the cabin from entering the cabin through the cabin-valve.