IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,508,896
Granted Patent B2
US 12,508,896 · App. 18/029,844 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Air guidance control unit for a motor vehicle

Inventors: Andreas Pütz (Much, DE); Andreas Ewert (Waldbröl, DE); Sebastian Schwegmann (Lohmar, DE); Johannes Müller (Waldbröl, DE); Frank Mika (Nümbrecht, DE)
Assignee: MONTAPLAST GMBH
B60K11/085
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,508,896
App. No.
18/029,844
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Air flow control insertable into an air opening for controlling air flowing along an air flow direction, with a closure device including a cloth or fabric adjustable between an opening position releasing the air opening and a closing position at least partially closing the air opening by means of an adjustment device for selectively releasing and closing the air opening to change the air resistance and/or for thermal management of a downstream unit in the air flow direction. Various solutions are proposed to integrate the air control system in or behind an air grille, especially in very limited installation space.

Claims (11)

1 . An air flow control for a vehicle comprising a frame surrounding an air opening for air flowing therethrough along an air flow direction, a closure device comprising a fabric or a tissue, which is adjustable by an adjustment device between an open position releasing the air opening and a closed position at least partially closing the air opening for selectively releasing and closing the air opening, the closure device comprising a self-winding fabric roller blind with a spring winding shaft extending transversely to the air opening and spring-biased on which the fabric is windable with a first fabric end, the adjusting device comprising a rotatably mounted adjusting spindle ( 24 ) extending also transversely and parallel offset to the spring winding shaft and having counter-rotating threaded portions at opposite ends, corresponding drivers running on the threaded portions, and the drivers being connected to a second fabric end of the fabric roller blind via connecting arms rotatably articulated to said drivers.

2 . The air flow control for the vehicle according to claim 1 , comprising two spring winding shafts each located at an outer end of the frame, the adjustment spindle being located in a center of the air opening, and wherein one fabric blind each is located at an equal distance from the centered adjustment spindle.

3 . The air flow control or the vehicle according to claim 1 comprising guides for the connecting arms.

4 . The air flow control for the vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the guides are formed as link motion channel guides.

5 . The air flow control for the vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the drivers comprise nuts.

6 . The air flow control for the vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the fabric has a stabilizing bar at a free end facing the adjustment spindle.

7 . The air flow control for the vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the fabric and the stabilizing bar are formed as plastic injection moldings.

8 . The air flow control for the vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the fabric and the stabilizing bar are produced in one injection molding cycle.

9 . The air flow control for the vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of individual frames with closure devices associated therewith can be assembled in a module-like manner to form an overall frame.

10 . The air flow control for the vehicle, according to claim 1 , further comprising an air guide control.

11 . The air flow control for the vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one air flow control.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 5, 2023
From: PÜTZ, ANDREAS; EWERT, ANDREAS; SCHWEGMANN, SEBASTIAN; MÜLLER, JOHANNES; MIKA, FRANK
To: MONTAPLAST GMBH
Reel/Frame 063229/0631 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2020 125 917.4 · Oct 2, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230406092A1 · Dec 21, 2023
References Cited (19)
US 6390217B1 · O'Brien · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 7927684B2 · Comeaux · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 8627911B2 · Tregnago · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 9109594B2 · Pawlick · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 9180751B2 · Han · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 9365106B2 · Brückner · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 10479193B2 · Shimizu · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20110232865A1 · Mildner · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20140216834A1 · Elliott · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20170334284A1 · Drozdowski · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20190009667A1 · Steffen · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200156461A1 · Droulez · 2020 [cited by examiner]
DE 202011050032U1 · 2011 [cited by applicant]
DE 102017211577A1 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
FR 2975949A1 · 2012 [cited by applicant]
GB 962336A · 1964 [cited by applicant]
WO 2018158513A1 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
WO 2019197747A1 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
Int'l Search Report and Written Opinion mailed Mar. 28, 2022 in Int'l Application No. PCT/EP2021/077287. [cited by applicant]