Heating, ventilating and air-conditioning apparatus

An HVAC system for use in a vehicle, said vehicle having a passenger compartment volume, said system comprising:

• a HVAC housing having an auxiliary duct opening formed in an exterior sidewall thereof, the exterior sidewall including a first wall and a second wall;
• an evaporator having an upstream side and a downstream side, said evaporator accepting air from said upstream side and exhausting air to said downstream side, said exhausting air being cooler than said air on said upstream side, said downstream side being at least partially disposed in said HVAC housing;
• a heating heat exchanger disposed on said downstream side of said evaporator;
• an air mix door pivotably coupled within said HVAC housing, said air mix door being pivotable to a position immediately adjacent to said auxiliary duct opening, said second wall of the exterior sidewall being offset from said air mix door to define an air channel offset to permit air flow through said auxiliary duct opening when said air mix door is in said position immediately adjacent to said auxiliary duct opening,
• an auxiliary compartment spaced apart from said HVAC housing;
• and
• an auxiliary duct fluidly interconnecting said HVAC housing and said auxiliary compartment via said auxiliary duct opening for transmitting said exhausting air to said auxiliary compartment;
• wherein
• said air channel offset comprises:
• said first wall of said exterior sidewall being generally adjacent and spaced a first distance from said air mix door, said first wall being downstream of said auxiliary duct opening;
• and
• said second wall of said exterior sidewall being upstream of said first wall and upstream of said auxiliary duct opening, said second wall being spaced a second distance from said air mix door, said second distance being greater than said first distance to define said air channel offset;
• the air mix door is pivotable between a first position prohibiting said exhausting air from flowing through said heating heat exchanger, a second position allowing said exhausting air to flow through said heating heat exchanger, and an intermediate position between the first position and the second position;
• and
• said exhausting air flowing through said auxiliary duct when said air mix door is in said intermediate position between the first and the second positions.

An HVAC system for use in a vehicle, said vehicle having a passenger compartment volume, said system comprising:

• a HVAC housing having auxiliary duct opening formed in an exterior sidewall thereof, the exterior sidewall including a first portion and a second portion;
• an evaporator having an upstream side and a downstream side, said evaporator accepting air from said upstream side and exhausting air to said downstream side, said exhausting air being cooler than said air on said upstream side, said downstream side being at least partially disposed in said HVAC housing;
• a heating heat exchanger disposed on said downstream side of said evaporator;
• an auxiliary compartment spaced apart from said HVAC housing;
• an auxiliary duct fluidly interconnecting said HVAC housing and said auxiliary compartment via said auxiliary duct opening for transmitting said exhausting air to said auxiliary compartment;
• an actuatable door selectively interrupting fluid communication along said auxiliary duct;
• a control system operably coupled to said actuatable door, said control system actuating said actuatable door in response to a control input;
• and
• an air mix door pivotably coupled within said HVAC housing, said air mix door being pivotable to a position immediately adjacent to said auxiliary duct opening, said second portion of the exterior sidewall being offset from said air mix door to define an air channel offset to permit air flow through said auxiliary duct opening when said air mix door is in said position immediately adjacent to said auxiliary duct opening;
• wherein
• the air mix door is pivotable between a first position prohibiting said exhausting air from flowing through said heating heat exchanger, a second position allowing said exhausting air to flow through said heating heat exchanger, and an intermediate position between the first position and the second position;
• and
• said exhausting air flowing through said auxiliary duct when said air mix door is in said intermediate position between the first and the second positions.