Patent ID: 8535002

Claim:
A diffuser for an automotive heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, wherein the HVAC system includes a blower and a variable blower control (VBC) module having a plurality of cooling fins, the diffuser comprising: an inlet for receiving air flow from the blower; an outlet downstream from the inlet; and an enclosed passageway between the inlet and the outlet for forming a diffused air stream at the outlet, wherein the enclosed passageway has a plurality of peripheral walls for guiding the air stream between the inlet and the outlet, and wherein the peripheral walls include a curved outer peripheral wall corresponding to a region with a tendency for a high flow as a result of centrifugal effects; wherein one of the peripheral walls includes a VBC receptacle formed as a depression that is sunk into the peripheral wall having a substantially flat mounting surface and a first sloped side at an upstream end of the VBC receptacle to shape a portion of the diffused air stream, wherein the depression is configured to enclose the VBC module, and wherein the flat mounting surface includes a plurality of cooling fin receiving slots arranged to receive the cooling fins, whereby the depression increases a distance by which the cooling fins extend into an interior of the diffused air stream.