Patent ID: 6959561

Claim:
An automotive air conditioner comprising: a housing having mutually opposed vertical side walls between which an air flow passage is defined and along which said air flow passage extends from an upstream position toward a downstream position; a fan installed in an upstream part of said air flow passage to introduce air into said air flow passage; and an evaporator installed in said air flow passage at a position downstream of said fan, said evaporator being of a stack type including a plurality of flat tube elements which are stacked on one another, every adjacent two of said flat tube elements leaving therebetween a clearance which has inlet and outlet sides, said evaporator is postured in such a manner that said flat tube elements extend between said mutually opposed vertical side walls of said housing having the inlet sides of the clearances of said tube elements directed upstream toward said fan; a water guide structure provided adjacent to each of said mutually opposed vertical side walls of said housing to guide condensed water from outer surfaces of said flat tube elements toward lower portions of said mutually opposed vertical side walls, said water guide structure including: an elongate step formed on each of said mutually opposed vertical side walls for holding thereon one lateral side of said evaporator; a drain cut provided at a lower end portion of said elongate step; and a drain opening provided at a lowermost position of said air flow passage, wherein the condensed water is guided to flow from the outer surfaces of said flat tube elements toward said drain opening through said elongate step and said drain cut.