A/C condenser damage protection device
AssigneeChrysler Group LLC
InventorJerome E Kowalski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device protects at least a portion of an A/C condenser of an automotive vehicle against damage from stones and other road debris. The device includes a guard having a plurality of spaced apart louvers for intercepting and deflecting the stones and other road debris but permitting air to pass through the guard between the louvers.
Claims16
A device for protecting at least a portion of an A/C condenser of an automotive vehicle against damage from stones and other road debris, said device comprising:
- a guard having a plurality of spaced apart louvers spaced closely enough to intercept and deflect the stones and other road debris but permitting air to pass through the guard between the louvers,
- wherein said guard comprises an elongated frame carrying the louvers and the louvers are disposed in side-by-side relation to one another in a row extending lengthwise of the frame along a central plane thereof,
- wherein said louvers are slanted at an acute angle to the central plane of the frame, and
- wherein a first set of said louvers are parallel to one another and slanted in one direction and a second set of said louvers are parallel to one another and slanted in another direction, and
- wherein the elongated frame and plurality of sets of louvers form a guard of unitary construction that is disposed forwardly of, adjacent to, and generally in-line with the condenser and rearwardly of and adjacent to an opening in a front fascia of the automotive vehicle that is disposed in a front end of the automotive vehicle that allows air entering through the fascia opening to pass between the louvers through the guard and be directed to the condenser, and
- wherein the frame is attached to a structural cross-member of the vehicle adjacent the condenser and rearwardly of the front fascia and wherein no portion of the frame is in contact with the front fascia.
A device for protecting at least a portion of an A/C condenser of an automotive vehicle against damage from stones and other road debris, wherein the condenser is disposed rearwardly of a front fascia of the vehicle and a bumper beam is disposed between the front fascia and the condenser, said device comprising:
- a guard between the fascia and the condenser comprised of a horizontally extending frame and a plurality of spaced apart louvers carried by the frame that intercepts and deflects stones and other road debris and that permits air to pass through the guard between the louvers, said guard being rearwardly spaced from the fascia and mounted on the bumper beam rearwardly of the front fascia and forwardly of and adjacent the condenser;
- wherein louvers overlie a portion of the condenser and there are louvers extending substantially along the entire transverse length of the condenser;
- and
- wherein the frame and louvers define a guard of unitary construction that is recessed such that no portion extends outwardly from the front fascia, and
- wherein said frame comprises an elongated horizontal frame which extends transversely of the vehicle and is disposed between the front fascia and the condenser, the frame has a horizontal top frame member and a horizontal bottom frame member, and the louvers have upper and lower ends secured respectively to the top and bottom frame members and are disposed in side-by-side relation to one another in a row extending lengthwise of the frame along a central plane thereof, and
- wherein the frame has a top flange fixed to the bumper beam.
A device for protecting at least a portion of an A/C condenser of an automotive vehicle against damage from stones and other road debris in combination with an A/C condenser disposed in an automotive vehicle, the combination comprising:
- (a) an A/C condenser disposed rearwardly of a generally transversely extending and elongate bumper beam having top and bottom edges that is disposed rearwardly of a front fascia of a front end of the vehicle with the front fascia having an elongate and generally transversely extending fascia opening formed therein extending along a portion of one of the top and bottom edges of the bumper beam and the condenser disposed forwardly of a generally transversely extending structural cross member;
- (b) a device comprised of a guard disposed rearwardly of the fascia and generally overlying the fascia opening, the guard comprising (1) a plurality of generally upwardly oriented elongate louvers disposed in-line with the fascia opening and rearwardly of the bumper beam with a first plurality of louvers disposed along a portion of one side of the condenser and a second plurality of louvers disposed along a portion of an opposite side of the condenser, and (2) a frame carrying the louvers that has a first flange outwardly extending generally toward the bumper beam and that is connected to the bumper beam and a second flange outwardly extending toward the structural cross member and that is connected to the structural cross member;
- and
- wherein the guard is interiorly disposed in the front end of the automotive vehicle such that no portion of the guard extends outwardly of the front fascia.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.