Automotive air conditioning system

Claim 1

IN AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE HAVING AN INTERIOR ENCLOSURE, A VARIABLE SPEED POWER PLANT, AND AN AUXILIARY COMPARTMENT, A SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING THE INTERIOR ENCLOSURE BELOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURE DURING PERIODS OF IDLE AND SHUTDOWN OF THE VEHICLE''S VARIABLE SPEED POWER PLANT, SAID SYSTEM INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION, A COMPRESSOR, A DIRECT DRIVING CONNECTION ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO THE VEHICLE''S VARIABLE SPEED POWER PLANT AND THE COMPRESSOR, THE COMPRESSOR THEREBY BEING ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN AT A SPEED IN CONSONANCE WITH VARIATIONS IN SPEED OF THE VEHICLE''S POWER PLANT, SAID COMPRESSOR THEREBY BEING ADAPTED TO BE SHUT DOWN DURING PERIODS OF SHUT DOWN OF THE VEHICLE''S POWER PLANT, A REFRIGERANT CONDENSER, AN EVAPORATOR COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF OVERLAPPING RUNS, AND REFRIGERANT CIRCULANT LINES CONNECTING THE CONDENSER, EVAPORATOR AND COMPRESSOR IN A CLOSED CIRCUIT, SAID EVAPORATOR BEING SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AN ADJACENT SURFACE IN THE AUXILIARY COMPARTMENT, SAID EVAPORATOR BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER AND WIDER THAN IT IS THICK AND BEING CLOSELY SPACED TO THE ADJACENT SURFACE WITH THE THICKNESS DIMENSION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE ADJACENT SURFACE, STRUCTURE FORMING A SUBSTANTIALLY IMPERVIOUS, CONFINED, AIR FLOW PATH HAVING AN INLET AND OUTLET, SAID EVAPORATOR BEING LOCATED IN THE AIR FLOW PATH STRUCTURE INTERMEDIATE ITS INLET AND OUTLET, AIR CIRCULATING MEANS LOCATED ON THE INLET SIDE OF THE EVAPORATOR AND BEING POSITIONED TO MOVE AIR FROM THE INLET ACROSS THE EVAPORATOR, LIQUID TIGHT EUTECTIC HOUSING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE EVAPORATOR RUNS, THE AIR FLOW PATH STRUCTURE BEING RELATIVELY THIN AND HAVING ITS LARGEST OPPOSED WALLS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER, SAID AIR CIRCULATING MEANS BEING OPERABLE BY A POWER SOURCE INDEPENDENT OF THE VEHICLE''S POWER PLANT TO MOVE AIR ACROSS THE EUTECTIC HOUSING MEANS WHEREBY SAID AIR CIRCULATING MEANS MAY OPERATE DURING PERIODS OF SHUT DOWN OF THE VEHICLE''S POWER PLANT AND CONSEQUENTLY THE REFRIGERANT FLOW IS MINIMAL OR LACKING, THE COOLING EFFECT OF AIR DRAWN INTO THE VEHICLE''S INTERIOR BEING THEREBY PROVIDED BY THE STAND-BY COOLING EFFECT OF THE EUTECTIC COMPLETELY INDEPENDENTLY OF THE OPERATION OF THE COMPRESSOR OR VEHICLE POWER PLANT.