Integral center-mounted airhandling system with integral instrument panel air-conditioning duct and structural beam

An airhandling system for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

• a pair of blowers each one of which has a fresh air inlet, a recirculation air inlet, and an air outlet fluidically connected to a respective one of said blowers for taking in fresh air and recirculation air and discharging said fresh air and said recirculation air out of said respective one of said blowers as outlet air;
• an evaporator core disposed within a housing and downstream of said air outlets of said pair of blowers for receiving and cooling said outlet air from said pair of blowers;
• a heater core disposed within said housing and downstream of said evaporator core for receiving and heating said cooled air discharged by said evaporator core;
• a blend door interposed between said evaporator core and said heater core and pivotably movable between adjustable positions so as to determine the volume of air which may bypass said heater core and be discharged from said housing as cooled air, and which may be transmitted from said evaporator core to said heater core so as to be discharged from said housing as heated air;
• and
• an instrument panel duct assembly fluidically connected to said housing, within which said evaporator core and said heater core are disposed, for selectively receiving said cooled air and said heated air from said housing and for discharging said cooled air and said heated air into different regions of said automotive vehicle as instrument panel air, defrost air, and demist air;
• characterized in that said pair of blowers are independently controllable so as to be selectively operable and inoperable for supplying said outlet air to said evaporator core and said instrument panel duct assembly such that air is discharged from opposite sides of said instrument panel duct assembly whereby said vehicle is provided with dual-zone control and temperature levels within driver and passenger sides of said vehicle.

An airhandling system for an automotive vehicle having an integral instrument panel air duct and a structural beam, comprising:

• at least one blower having at least one fresh air inlet, at least one recirculation air inlet, and at least one air outlet, fluidically connected to said at least one blower for taking in fresh air and recirculation air and discharging said fresh air and said recirculation air out of said at least one air outlet as outlet air;
• an evaporator core disposed within a housing and downstream of said at least one air outlet of said at least one blower for receiving and cooling said outlet air from said at least one blower;
• a heater core disposed within said housing and downstream of said evaporator core for receiving and heating said cooled air discharged by said evaporator core;
• a blend door interposed between said evaporator core and said heater core and pivotably movable between adjustable positions so as to determine the volume of air which may bypass said heater core and be discharged from said housing as cooled air, and which may be transmitted from said evaporator core to said heater core so as to be discharged from said housing as heated air;
• and
• an instrument panel duct assembly fluidically connected to said housing, within which said evaporator core and said heater core are disposed, for selectively receiving said cooled air and said heated air from said housing and for discharging said cooled air and said heated air into different regions of said automotive vehicle as instrument panel air, defrost air, and demist air;
• characterized in that said instrument panel duct assembly is fabricated from a carbon composite material so as to comprise a structural cross-beam for said automotive vehicle whereby an integral instrument panel air duct assembly-structural cross-beam eliminates the need for separate instrument panel air duct assembly and structural cross-beam components within said automotive vehicle.