Cowl panel with water resistant HVAC air inlets

Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

Reexamination Certificate

active

06224143

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to heating, ventilating, air conditioning (HVAC) systems in automobiles and more particularly to the air inlet vents for such systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Automobile vehicles HVAC systems for treating and conditioning the ambient air inside the vehicle. These systems comprise a heater and an air conditioner. The heater warms the air that is recirculated in the vehicle and the air that is brought into the vehicle from the atmosphere surrounding the vehicle. The air conditioner dries the air that is both in recirculated in the vehicle and introduced from the atmosphere. Most of the currently available passenger vehicles have a continuous ventilation system. That is a portion of the air in the vehicle is discharged or vented from the vehicle and replacement air is introduced into the vehicle.
The vented air is generally expelled through the rear of the vehicle and the replacement air is brought in through the front of the vehicle. The air entering the vehicle passes through a cowl panel and plenum adjacent the outer edge of the front windshield. The cowl panel has a screen that prevent debris from entering the plenum. The plenum has drain passages that collect the liquid, such as rain water, and prevent it from continuing with the incoming air that enters the interior of the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved air inlet apparatus that discourages liquid from entering the ventilation system of an automobile.
In one aspect of the present invention, a gas permeable material is assembled adjacent a cowl air inlet opening in a passenger vehicle. In another aspect of the present invention, the gas permeable material has liquid rejecting properties. In yet another aspect of the present invention, a spunbonded plastic material is heat bonded to the underside of the cowl immediately beneath the air vents. In still another aspect of the present invention, the spunbonded plastic material has various sizes of pores the larger of which will permit water to drip through at a very slow rate.


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patent: 0157871 (1987-07-01), None

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