Abstract:
An HVAC system is provided for use in a vehicle. The HVAC system includes a HVAC housing having a duct opening formed in a wall. An auxiliary duct may be inserted into the opening formed in the wall to direct air to a specified location. The opening may form a flap that contacts the auxiliary duct and is held in place adjacent to the wall by the contact of the auxiliary duct. The location can of the duct opening can be anywhere along the HVAC housing or any ducts leading off the HVAC.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in vehicles and, more particularly, relates to an auxiliary duct attachment. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates generally to automotive vehicle climate control HVAC systems, it is common to have a climate control system located within an instrument panel which provides heated or cooled air to occupants through dash panel defrost air outlets, instrument panel venting air outlets and floor directed air outlets. Some vehicles, depending on option level, may require different areas of the vehicle to be heated or cooled by an auxiliary duct. The auxiliary duct may direct climate controlled air to a beverage cooler or heater, dashboard compartment for beverages, passenger space, passenger seat, or electronics by way of non-limiting example. Additionally, modern vehicles and assembly techniques are driving toward commonality and adaptability with many components to allow different features and upgrades to be easily added to higher option vehicles without adding cost or complexity to manufacturing facilities. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. 
         [0005]    A embodiment may be an HVAC system that has a housing which also may have a case wall. The case wall may have an inside surface and an exterior surface. The wall may also have a duct opening formed in it. The duct opening may form a flap, the flap may be coupled to the case wall by a living hinge. A auxiliary duct may be inserted into the duct opening and contacts the flap and holds the flap adjacent to the inside surface of the case wall. 
         [0006]    An additional embodiment may be a duct that has a wall. The wall may have an inside surface and an outside surface. The wall may also contain an opening through the wall. A flap, that has a living hinge, may be connected to the wall by the living hinge. An auxiliary duct may be inserted inside the opening, the auxiliary duct may make contact to a flat portion of the flap causing the flap to be held adjacent to the inside surface of the wall. 
         [0007]    An additional embodiment may be a vehicle HVAC system that has an HVAC housing. The housing may also contain a duct opening formed in a wall, the wall may have an inside surface and an outside surface. The HVAC housing may also have a evaporator which has a upstream side and a downstream side. The HVAC housing may also have a blower located upstream of the evaporator; and a heater core located downstream of the evaporator. Further downstream of the heater core may be a plurality of ducts. The HVAC housing may also contain a flap that is connected to the inside surface of the wall by a living hinge, the living hinge may be a part of the duct opening. Also the system may have an auxiliary duct which may be inserted inside the duct opening with a portion of the auxiliary duct located inside the HVAC housing. The portion of the auxiliary duct that may be located inside the housing may have a cross-sectional shape that is generally triangular. Additionally, the flap may have a flat portion adjacent to the living hinge and an angled portion that is opposite the living hinge. The flat portion of the flap may abut against the auxiliary duct and which may hold the flap adjacent to the inside surface of the wall. 
         [0008]    Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of a vehicle having a HVAC system; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a representation the passenger space of the vehicle; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the HVAC system; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4A  is side view of the auxiliary duct; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4B  is a front view of the auxiliary duct; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5A  is a side cross section view of the HVAC case wall; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5B  is a front view of the HVAC case wall; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a view of the auxiliary duct being assembled; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a view of the assembly; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8A  is a view of the locking feature; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8B  is a view of another embodiment locking feature; 
           [0021]      FIG. 9A  is another embodiment of the auxiliary duct; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9B  is another embodiment of the auxiliary duct; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 9C  is yet another embodiment of the auxiliary duct. 
           [0024]    Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 , an automotive vehicle  10  with an HVAC system  20  within which an HVAC module  22  according to the present teachings can be utilized is shown. Vehicle  10  includes a passenger compartment  12  which may have both a front passenger compartment  12   a  and a rear passenger compartment  12   b.  HVAC controls  14  allow adjustment of the operation of HVAC module  22  to provide desired flows of conditioned air. 
         [0027]    With reference to  FIG. 3 , a block diagram of a conventional vehicle HVAC module  22  is shown. An HVAC case  24  forms a ventilation duct through which air conditioned and/or heated air is sent into the passenger compartment  12 . The HVAC case  24  contains a fan, or known in the art as a blower  26 , which is arranged on the upstream side of an evaporator  28 . Low pressure refrigerant flowing into the evaporator  28  absorbs heat from the air inside the HVAC case  24  for evaporation. The HVAC case  24  accommodates, on the downstream side of the evaporator  28 , a hot water heater core  30  (heat exchanger). The heater core  30  includes an inlet pipe  32  and an outlet pipe  34 . Hot water (coolant) of the vehicle engine (not shown) is directed to the heater core  30  through the inlet pipe  32  by a water pump (not shown). 
         [0028]    An air bypass channel  38  is formed beside the heater core  30 . An air distribution door  40  is provided to adjust the volume ratio between warm air and cool air that passes through the hot water heater core  30  and the bypass channel  38 , respectively. The air distribution door  40  adjusts the temperature of the air blown into the passenger compartment  12  by adjusting the volume ratio between the warm air and the cool air. The door rotates on an axis  42  to adjust the volume ratio. 
         [0029]    Additionally, the HVAC case  24  may have a plurality of ducts that lead to a face outlet  44 , a defroster outlet  46 , a foot outlet  48  and a rear cabin compartment outlet  50 . The face outlet  44  directs air toward the upper body portions of passengers, the defroster outlet  46  directs air toward the internal surface of a windshield, the foot outlet  48  directs air toward the feet of the front seat passengers, and the rear cabin outlet  50  directs air toward the rear passenger compartment  12   b  of the vehicle  10 . The outlets  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50  are opened and closed by outlet mode doors (not shown). An auxiliary duct  52 , shown in detail in  FIG. 4A &amp; 4B , may be placed anywhere on the HVAC case  24 . If non-conditioned airflow is desired; the auxiliary duct may be placed downstream of the blower  26  and upstream of the evaporator  28  in a location similar to circle A in  FIG. 3 , as a non-limiting example. If cool air is desired; the auxiliary duct  52  may be placed in a location between the evaporator  28  and heater core  30 , this location represented by circle B as a non-limiting example. It may also be desired to provide heated or cooled air, depending on the user settings of the HVAC system  20 . If so desired, the auxiliary duct  52  may be placed in a location represented by circle C of the HVAC case  24 . It can also be appreciated by someone skilled in the art that the auxiliary duct  52  may be placed anywhere on the HVAC case  24  or on any duct or hollow vessel leading out of the HVAC case  24 . 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 4A  which shows a side view of an auxiliary duct  52 , specifically the portion of the auxiliary duct  52  that may be connected to an HVAC case  24  or any other portion of another duct (not shown). The end  54  of the auxiliary duct  52  has a generally triangular shape portion  56  of the cross-sectional side view; this triangular shape forms a piercing edge  58 . The auxiliary duct  52  may also include a locking portion  60 ; this locking portion  60  may include a tongue portion  62  that may engage a structure on the HVAC case  24 . The locking portion  60  may surround the perimeter of the auxiliary duct  52 ; it may act as a seal to prevent air leakage when connected to the HVAC case  24 , it may also act as a positive stop during the assembly process.  FIG. 4B  shows a front view of the auxiliary duct  52 , in this embodiment the auxiliary duct  52  is square shaped, however it can be understood in the art that the auxiliary duct  52  can be any suitable shape. 
         [0031]    The corresponding connection to the auxiliary duct  52  on the HVAC case  24  is illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . Referring to  FIG. 5A , a cross-section view of the HVAC case  24  is displayed, which may be located at any of the circles referenced in  FIG. 3  or any other desired location along any other duct or a hollow vessel. The HVAC case  24  may contain a groove section  64  that may engage the tongue portion  62  of the auxiliary duct  52 . The tongue portion  62  may be inserted into the groove section  64  to create a snap or locking feature  96  (shown in  FIG. 8 ). This locking feature  96  may, when fully assembled, attach or securely fix together the auxiliary duct  52  to the case wall  24 . The groove section  64  may surround the entire auxiliary duct opening area  66 , which generally matches the shape of the locking portion  60  surrounding the perimeter of the auxiliary duct  52 . The HVAC case  24  may have an inner surface  68  and may have an outer or exterior surface  70 . The HVAC case  24  may also contain a weakened portion  72 . The weakened portion  72  may be a molded triangular shape with a first edge  74  perpendicular to the outer surface  70 , the opening  76  of the weakened portion is substantially parallel with the outer surface  70 . An angled edge  78  completes the triangular shape of the weakened portion  72 . It may be appreciated that the weakened portion  72  does not fully extend through the HVAC case  24 , a thickness T 1  of the HVAC case  24  remains. This thickness T 1  remains so the HVAC case  24  may be used in applications where an auxiliary duct  52  is not needed and have sufficient strength to last the life of the vehicle  10 . The HVAC case  24  may also have a hinge portion  80 . The hinge portion  80  may be created in the HVAC case  24  by molding or forming a trapezoidal shape  82  in the HVAC case  24 . The trapezoidal shape  82  may contain a first edge  84  that may be substantially flat and perpendicular to the outer surface  70 , the opening of the hinge portion  80  is substantially parallel with the outer surface  70 , additionally the top edge  86  may be parallel with the outer surface  70 . An angled edge  85  of the trapezoid shape  82  hinge portion  80  extends from the top edge  86  toward the groove section  64 . The trapezoid shape  82  does not extend through the entire thickness of the HVAC case, a thickness T 2  of the HVAC case  24  remains to act as a living hinge as part of the hinge portion  80 . Additionally, thickness T 2  is thick enough to keep the flap  88  attached to the HVAC case  24 , throughout the life of the vehicle  10 . It is appreciated that in the current square shape embodiment the weakened portion  72  would make up three sides to the square shape and the hinge portion only one side of the square. This is illustrated in  FIG. 5B , which is a front view of the corresponding connection to the auxiliary duct  52  on the HVAC case  24 . Sides S 1 , S 2 , S 3  may contain the shaped of the weakened portion  72 , whereas the fourth side S 4  may contain the hinge portion  80 . The four sides complete a square flap  88 . The groove section  64  may completely surrounds the perimeter of the square flap  88 . 
         [0032]    Assembling the auxiliary duct  52  to the HVAC case  24  is shown in  FIG. 6 . The auxiliary duct  52  is forced toward the HVAC case  24 , specifically toward the outside surface  70 , in the direction as shown by arrow  90 . The piercing edge  58  of the auxiliary duct may be aligned with one of the sides of the HVAC case  24  with the weakened portion  72  opposite the hinge portion  80 . As the piercing edge  58  makes contact with the weakened portion  72 , the weakened portion  72  will break or fracture. As the auxiliary duct  52  is further inserted into the HVAC case  24  the additional sides of the flap  88  that contained the weakened portion  72  will also break or fracture and the flap  88  will start to rotate around the hinge portion  80  which acts as a living hinge, as displayed by the dotted lines in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0033]    The fully assembled auxiliary duct  52  and HVAC case  24  is illustrated in  FIG. 7 . When fully assembled the orientation and shape of the hinge portion  80  and weakened portion  72  may be appreciated. When fully assembled the bottom surface  92  of the auxiliary duct  52 , which is the opposite side of the piercing edge  58 , may come into contact with the first edge  84  of the trapezoid shape  82  formed into the HVAC case  24 . This contact or abutment may allow the flap  88  to be completely folded over and parallel and adjacent to the inside surface  68  of the HVAC case  24 . This contact also may act as a hard stop to keep the flap  88  stationary during operation of the HVAC module  22 , specifically when airflow, represented by arrows  94 , passes over the flap  88 . If the flap  88  is allowed to move during operation it may vibrate or create a noise that may be heard in the vehicle  10 , or may cause a restriction in airflow  94  and reduce overall HVAC system  20  performance. It can also be appreciated the molded orientation of the weakened portion  72  triangular shape  76 . When the auxiliary duct  52  may be fully inserted and the flap  88  may be completely folded over; the angle edge  78  then may act as an angled lead-in to the auxiliary duct  52 , the point  95  of the angle edge points into and opposite the airflow  94 . This may reduce some noise, vibration, or performance issues with having the flap  88  within the airflow  94  stream. Additionally the triangular portion  56  of the end  54  of the auxiliary duct  52  can be appreciated when fully assembled. In combination with the angled edge  78  and the triangular portion  56 , the assembly may reduce airflow restrictions and may maximize amount of air distributed to the auxiliary duct  52  while limiting any noise or vibration concerns. 
         [0034]      FIG. 8A  is a close up of the circle D from  FIG. 7 , which shows an embodiment of the tongue  62  and groove  64  locking feature  96 . The groove  64  may contain on one side a ramp  98  which is an angled portion, adjacent to the ramp  98  is a flat portion  100 . The tongue may also have a ramp  102  and a flat portion  104 . During insertion of the auxiliary duct  24  the tongue ramp  102  and groove ramp  98  will make contact, the tongue  62  may flex or bend or the groove  64  may flex or bend until each flat portions  100 ,  104  are engaged and parallel, locking and affixing the two components together.  FIG. 8B , is another embodiment of locking feature  96  wherein the tongue  62  may have two symmetrical ramp portions  106 ,  108  and may have flat portions  110 ,  112 . The groove  64  may contain on both sides a ramp  114 ,  116  which is an angled portion, adjacent to the ramps  114 ,  116  may be flat portions  118 ,  120 . With this embodiment the groove  62  may flex or bend until each of the flat portions of the grove  118 ,  120  are engaged and parallel to the tongue  62  flat portions  110 ,  112  locking the two components together. It is also understood in the art that any locking mechanism may be used to attach the auxiliary duct  52  to the HVAC case  24 . 
         [0035]    It can be appreciated that the duct shape may be any shape as illustrated in  FIGS. 9A-9C .  FIG. 9A  shows that the duct may be triangular shape.  FIG. 9B  shows that the duct may be rectangular shape.  FIG. 9C  shows that the duct may be an oval or a circular shape, however it is understood that a flat portion  122  may be needed for a proper hinge portion  80 . 
         [0036]    Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, the specification and the following claims. 
         [0037]    The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.