WO2001005623A1 - Ventilated motor vehicle seat - Google Patents

Ventilated motor vehicle seat Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2001005623A1
WO2001005623A1 PCT/EP2000/005305 EP0005305W WO0105623A1 WO 2001005623 A1 WO2001005623 A1 WO 2001005623A1 EP 0005305 W EP0005305 W EP 0005305W WO 0105623 A1 WO0105623 A1 WO 0105623A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
abovementioned
duct
seat
cushion
seat according
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2000/005305
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Luca Enrietti
Original Assignee
Lear Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Lear Corporation filed Critical Lear Corporation
Publication of WO2001005623A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001005623A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/56—Heating or ventilating devices
    • B60N2/5607—Heating or ventilating devices characterised by convection
    • B60N2/5621—Heating or ventilating devices characterised by convection by air
    • B60N2/5635—Heating or ventilating devices characterised by convection by air coming from the passenger compartment
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/56—Heating or ventilating devices
    • B60N2/5607—Heating or ventilating devices characterised by convection
    • B60N2/5621—Heating or ventilating devices characterised by convection by air
    • B60N2/565—Heating or ventilating devices characterised by convection by air sucked from the seat surface

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to motor vehicle seats of the type comprising plastic foam padding, a cover, for the said padding, that is porous in at least one area in contact with the user' s body, and a system of passages running through the padding and ending in at least one main duct provided with ventilation means for setting up a flow of ventilating air through the said passages.
  • Motor vehicle seats of the type indicated above are already known and used.
  • the abovementioned ventilation means consist of an extractor fan or a blowing fan generating a flow of air which passes through the abovementioned passages and the porous cover of the padding in order to give adequate ventilation to the body of the seated person.
  • the subject of the invention is a motor vehicle seat of the type indicated at the outset, characterized in that the abovementioned system of passages comprises a porous support mattress having limited flexibility and high permeability that is positioned adjacent to the surface in contact with the user' s body, the said passages being in communication at one end with the abovementioned main duct and at a second end with at least one auxiliary duct that is open to the exterior, both of the said main and auxiliary ducts being formed in the body of plastic foam material of the padding, in such a way that starting the abovementioned ventilation means creates a flow of air through the said porous mattress, parallel with and adjacent to the surface in contact with the user's body, at least one of the said main and auxiliary ducts also being provided with a throttle valve.
  • the abovementioned system of passages comprises a porous support mattress having limited flexibility and high permeability that is positioned adjacent to the surface in contact with the user' s body, the said passages being in communication at one end
  • the abovementioned ventilation means may consist of an extractor fan (in which case the main duct in which the fan is fitted acts as the outlet duct) or a blowing fan (in which case the main duct is the inlet duct) .
  • the main duct may be connected to the air conditioning system of the motor vehicle and act for example as the inlet duct.
  • the seat according to the invention is able to ensure more efficient and reliable ventilation than the known systems described earlier.
  • the system according to the invention is capable of operating at a lower pressure and increased air flowrate than the abovementioned known systems. Furthermore the loss of head/air flowrate characteristic can be varied by throttling the abovementioned duct containing the throttle valve, without altering the fan speed.
  • Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a cushion for a motor vehicle seat according to the invention.
  • Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the cushion of Figure 1
  • Figure 3 illustrates a variant of Figure 1.
  • the drawings illustrate the application of the invention to a motor vehicle seat cushion, although it should be understood that the invention is equally applicable to a backrest.
  • the number 1 indicates the whole of the structure of the cushion which incorporates a padding element 2, consisting of foam plastic, for example, which is designed to be mounted on a frame (not shown), typically of metal.
  • the front end of the cushion 1 is provided on its underside with a fan 3 fitted to an air duct 4 mounted underneath the padding 2.
  • the padding 2 contains a main duct 4 which passes vertically through the padding 2 from its undersurface 2a to a sunken surface 5a in the upper face of the cushion 1.
  • This sunken surface receives a porous mattress 5 which may also consist of a foam plastic, for example, attached by any known method, for example adhesive bonding, to the body 2 of the padding.
  • the mattress 5 acts as a support mattress and has limited flexibility and high permeability.
  • the body of the cushion, including the mattress 5, is covered with a cover 6 of porous material, for example a fabric.
  • auxiliary through ducts 7 Formed in the rear of the body of the padding 2 are three auxiliary through ducts 7 containing butterfly valves 8 controlled by a single shaft 9 operated by an actuator device 10 of any known type (see Figure 2) .
  • the fan 3 is made in such a way as to tend to draw air in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 1 in order to set up a flow of ventilating air that passes into the auxiliary ducts 7, which therefore act as inlet ducts (arrow B) , passes through the porous mattress 5 parallel with and adjacent to the upper surface of the cushion (arrow C) and passes out through the main duct 4 and the fan 3 (arrow A) .
  • the suction action of the fan 3 also tends to draw air from the outside into the porous mattress 5 through the pores of the cover 6 (arrow D) .
  • the actuator 10 which may be of any known type, may be controlled directly by the driver, or automatically by a central electronic control unit on the basis of any predetermined criterion for throttling the suction ducts 7, so as to be able to vary the loss of head/air flowrate characteristic without having to regulate the fan speed.
  • One of the major advantages of the invention is that the good operation and efficiency of the ventilation are not influenced by potential obstruction of the pores of the cushion cover caused by direct contact with the body of the user.
  • FIG. 3 shows a variant in which the air conditioning system of the motor vehicle is connected directly to a connector 11 situated in an inlet duct 12 in order to blow air into the cushion.
  • the valves 8 are fitted in outlet ducts 13.

Abstract

A motor vehicle seat comprises foam plastic padding which incorporates, adjacent to the area in contact with the user's body, a porous support mattress having limited flexibility and high permeability that defines a system of passages for the air communicating at one end with at least one air inlet duct (7), which is provided with a throttle valve (8), and at the other end with a main duct (4) fitted with a fan (3) for setting up the circulation of air from the inlet duct to the outlet duct through the passages defined by the abovementioned porous mattress adjacent to the area of contact with the user's body.

Description

"Ventilated motor vehicle seat"
The present invention relates to motor vehicle seats of the type comprising plastic foam padding, a cover, for the said padding, that is porous in at least one area in contact with the user' s body, and a system of passages running through the padding and ending in at least one main duct provided with ventilation means for setting up a flow of ventilating air through the said passages. Motor vehicle seats of the type indicated above are already known and used. In these known solutions, the abovementioned ventilation means consist of an extractor fan or a blowing fan generating a flow of air which passes through the abovementioned passages and the porous cover of the padding in order to give adequate ventilation to the body of the seated person. One problem with these solutions is that they cannot be regulated without varying the speed of the fan, and their operation is furthermore nonuniform for varying dimensions of the body of the occupant because of the fact that a variable proportion of the permeable surface of the cover is blocked by the user's own body.
In order to obviate these drawbacks, the subject of the invention is a motor vehicle seat of the type indicated at the outset, characterized in that the abovementioned system of passages comprises a porous support mattress having limited flexibility and high permeability that is positioned adjacent to the surface in contact with the user' s body, the said passages being in communication at one end with the abovementioned main duct and at a second end with at least one auxiliary duct that is open to the exterior, both of the said main and auxiliary ducts being formed in the body of plastic foam material of the padding, in such a way that starting the abovementioned ventilation means creates a flow of air through the said porous mattress, parallel with and adjacent to the surface in contact with the user's body, at least one of the said main and auxiliary ducts also being provided with a throttle valve.
The abovementioned ventilation means may consist of an extractor fan (in which case the main duct in which the fan is fitted acts as the outlet duct) or a blowing fan (in which case the main duct is the inlet duct) . Alternatively the main duct may be connected to the air conditioning system of the motor vehicle and act for example as the inlet duct.
With the arrangement described above the seat according to the invention is able to ensure more efficient and reliable ventilation than the known systems described earlier. The system according to the invention is capable of operating at a lower pressure and increased air flowrate than the abovementioned known systems. Furthermore the loss of head/air flowrate characteristic can be varied by throttling the abovementioned duct containing the throttle valve, without altering the fan speed.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description which refers to the attached drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a cushion for a motor vehicle seat according to the invention.
Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the cushion of Figure 1, and
Figure 3 illustrates a variant of Figure 1.
The drawings illustrate the application of the invention to a motor vehicle seat cushion, although it should be understood that the invention is equally applicable to a backrest. The number 1 indicates the whole of the structure of the cushion which incorporates a padding element 2, consisting of foam plastic, for example, which is designed to be mounted on a frame (not shown), typically of metal. The front end of the cushion 1 is provided on its underside with a fan 3 fitted to an air duct 4 mounted underneath the padding 2. At the fan 3 end, the padding 2 contains a main duct 4 which passes vertically through the padding 2 from its undersurface 2a to a sunken surface 5a in the upper face of the cushion 1. This sunken surface receives a porous mattress 5 which may also consist of a foam plastic, for example, attached by any known method, for example adhesive bonding, to the body 2 of the padding. The mattress 5 acts as a support mattress and has limited flexibility and high permeability. The body of the cushion, including the mattress 5, is covered with a cover 6 of porous material, for example a fabric.
Formed in the rear of the body of the padding 2 are three auxiliary through ducts 7 containing butterfly valves 8 controlled by a single shaft 9 operated by an actuator device 10 of any known type (see Figure 2) .
The fan 3 is made in such a way as to tend to draw air in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 1 in order to set up a flow of ventilating air that passes into the auxiliary ducts 7, which therefore act as inlet ducts (arrow B) , passes through the porous mattress 5 parallel with and adjacent to the upper surface of the cushion (arrow C) and passes out through the main duct 4 and the fan 3 (arrow A) . The suction action of the fan 3 also tends to draw air from the outside into the porous mattress 5 through the pores of the cover 6 (arrow D) . The actuator 10, which may be of any known type, may be controlled directly by the driver, or automatically by a central electronic control unit on the basis of any predetermined criterion for throttling the suction ducts 7, so as to be able to vary the loss of head/air flowrate characteristic without having to regulate the fan speed.
One of the major advantages of the invention is that the good operation and efficiency of the ventilation are not influenced by potential obstruction of the pores of the cushion cover caused by direct contact with the body of the user.
Figure 3 shows a variant in which the air conditioning system of the motor vehicle is connected directly to a connector 11 situated in an inlet duct 12 in order to blow air into the cushion. In this case the valves 8 are fitted in outlet ducts 13.
Clearly, without altering the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the forms of embodiment can vary considerably from those described and illustrated purely by way of example, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Motor vehicle seat comprising plastic foam padding (2), a cover (6), for the said padding (2), that is porous in at least one area in contact with the user's body, and a system of passages (5) running through the padding (2) and ending in at least one main duct (4) provided with ventilation means (3) for setting up a flow of ventilating air through the said passages, characterized in that the abovementioned system of passages is defined by a porous support mattress (5) having limited flexibility and high permeability that is positioned adjacent to the surface in contact with the user's body, the said passages being in communication at one end with the abovementioned main duct (4) and at a second end with at least one auxiliary duct (7) that is open to the exterior, both of the said main and auxiliary ducts (4, 7) being formed in the body of plastic foam material (2) of the padding, in such a way that starting the abovementioned ventilation means (3) creates a flow of air through the said porous mattress (5), parallel with and adjacent to the surface in contact with the user's body, while a throttle valve is fitted in the said auxiliary duct (7) .
2. Seat according to Claim 1, characterized in that the abovementioned ventilation means consist of an extractor fan or a blowing fan.
3. Seat according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said main duct (12) is provided with a connector (11) for connection to the air conditioning system of the motor vehicle, which therefore acts as the abovementioned ventilation means.
4. Seat according to Claim 1, in which the abovementioned arrangement is applied to a seat cushion, characterized in that the auxiliary duct (7) is located in the rear part of the cushion and extends vertically, while the main duct (4) is situated in the front part of the cushion and is also directed vertically.
5. Seat according to Claim 4, characterized in that a plurality of mutually parallel auxiliary ducts (7) is provided in the rear part of the cushion.
6. Seat according to Claim 5, characterized in that the throttle valve in each auxiliary duct (7) is a butterfly valve (8), the said seat being provided with a single control device (9, 10) for simultaneously controlling the butterfly valves (8) fitted to the abovementioned auxiliary ducts (7) .
7. Seat according to Claim 1, characterized in that the abovementioned porous mattress is made of plastic foam material and is laid on top of a sunken surface (5a) on the upper face of the cushion of the seat.
8. Seat according to Claim 1, in which the abovementioned arrangement is applied to a seat back.
PCT/EP2000/005305 1999-07-20 2000-06-08 Ventilated motor vehicle seat WO2001005623A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO99A000641 1999-07-20
IT1999TO000641 IT1310125B1 (en) 1999-07-20 1999-07-20 VENTILATED VEHICLE SEAT.

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001005623A1 true WO2001005623A1 (en) 2001-01-25

Family

ID=11417982

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2000/005305 WO2001005623A1 (en) 1999-07-20 2000-06-08 Ventilated motor vehicle seat

Country Status (2)

Country Link
IT (1) IT1310125B1 (en)
WO (1) WO2001005623A1 (en)

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003051666A1 (en) * 2001-12-19 2003-06-26 Johnson Controls Gmbh Ventilation system for an upholstery part
DE102004038458A1 (en) * 2004-08-07 2006-02-23 Johnson Controls Gmbh Seat e.g. vehicle seat has air or humidity permeable occupant contact surface on seat part or back rest, air flow is passed through it using blower whereby by-pass duct is arranged between blower and area offside of occupant contact surface
WO2009124622A1 (en) * 2008-04-12 2009-10-15 Daimler Ag Vehicle having ventilation unit and ventilated vehicle seat
DE102008063850A1 (en) * 2008-12-19 2010-07-01 Tesa Se Cushion for active air-conditioned seat or couch furniture, comprises elastic and air-permeable cushion base part with recess, in which air-permeable spacing part is arranged
US7837270B2 (en) * 2004-03-31 2010-11-23 Lear Corporation Vehicle seat having a ventilation system
DE102014004175A1 (en) 2014-03-22 2015-09-24 Daimler Ag Seat ventilation device for a seat system, in particular a motor vehicle
JP2016052377A (en) * 2014-09-03 2016-04-14 コトブキシーティング株式会社 Suction/blowout combined type air-conditioned char
US9440567B2 (en) 2005-08-19 2016-09-13 Gentherm Gmbh Automotive vehicle seat insert
JP2020203511A (en) * 2019-06-14 2020-12-24 トヨタ紡織株式会社 Seat temperature control system
US11707909B2 (en) * 2017-10-27 2023-07-25 Gentherm Gmbh Surface temperature-controlling device

Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB957135A (en) * 1962-07-07 1964-05-06 Arthur Paul Pedrick Suction apparatus for retaining personnel in vehicles or aircraft in their seats
US4685727A (en) * 1985-03-28 1987-08-11 Keiper Recaro Gmbh & Co. Vehicle seat
US5138851A (en) * 1990-12-14 1992-08-18 Golden Empire Trading Co., Inc. Active seat cooling system
US5176424A (en) * 1988-06-10 1993-01-05 Mazda Motor Corporation Automobile seat assembly
WO1997009909A1 (en) * 1995-09-14 1997-03-20 Walinov Ab A fan device contained in a ventilated vehicle chair
US5626021A (en) * 1993-11-22 1997-05-06 Amerigon, Inc. Variable temperature seat climate control system
EP0834420A1 (en) * 1996-10-07 1998-04-08 JC Associates Co., Ltd. Ventilator for use with vehicle seat
DE19703516C1 (en) * 1997-01-31 1998-05-07 Daimler Benz Ag Vehicle seat with upholstery heating and cooling
DE19805174C1 (en) * 1998-02-10 1999-06-02 Daimler Chrysler Ag Motor vehicle heated seat with seat and backrest cushions containing air passages and electric fans
DE29904238U1 (en) * 1998-08-21 1999-06-24 Chen Ming Gui Seat cushion with cooling function

Patent Citations (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB957135A (en) * 1962-07-07 1964-05-06 Arthur Paul Pedrick Suction apparatus for retaining personnel in vehicles or aircraft in their seats
US4685727A (en) * 1985-03-28 1987-08-11 Keiper Recaro Gmbh & Co. Vehicle seat
US5176424A (en) * 1988-06-10 1993-01-05 Mazda Motor Corporation Automobile seat assembly
US5138851A (en) * 1990-12-14 1992-08-18 Golden Empire Trading Co., Inc. Active seat cooling system
US5626021A (en) * 1993-11-22 1997-05-06 Amerigon, Inc. Variable temperature seat climate control system
WO1997009909A1 (en) * 1995-09-14 1997-03-20 Walinov Ab A fan device contained in a ventilated vehicle chair
EP0834420A1 (en) * 1996-10-07 1998-04-08 JC Associates Co., Ltd. Ventilator for use with vehicle seat
DE19703516C1 (en) * 1997-01-31 1998-05-07 Daimler Benz Ag Vehicle seat with upholstery heating and cooling
DE19805174C1 (en) * 1998-02-10 1999-06-02 Daimler Chrysler Ag Motor vehicle heated seat with seat and backrest cushions containing air passages and electric fans
DE29904238U1 (en) * 1998-08-21 1999-06-24 Chen Ming Gui Seat cushion with cooling function

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003051666A1 (en) * 2001-12-19 2003-06-26 Johnson Controls Gmbh Ventilation system for an upholstery part
JP2005537817A (en) * 2001-12-19 2005-12-15 ジョンソン・コントロールズ・ゲー・エム・ベー・ハー Upholstery ventilation system
US7837270B2 (en) * 2004-03-31 2010-11-23 Lear Corporation Vehicle seat having a ventilation system
DE102004038458B4 (en) * 2004-08-07 2008-09-25 Johnson Controls Gmbh Ventilated seat, in particular vehicle seat, and method for ventilating a seat
DE102004038458A1 (en) * 2004-08-07 2006-02-23 Johnson Controls Gmbh Seat e.g. vehicle seat has air or humidity permeable occupant contact surface on seat part or back rest, air flow is passed through it using blower whereby by-pass duct is arranged between blower and area offside of occupant contact surface
US9440567B2 (en) 2005-08-19 2016-09-13 Gentherm Gmbh Automotive vehicle seat insert
WO2009124622A1 (en) * 2008-04-12 2009-10-15 Daimler Ag Vehicle having ventilation unit and ventilated vehicle seat
DE102008063850A1 (en) * 2008-12-19 2010-07-01 Tesa Se Cushion for active air-conditioned seat or couch furniture, comprises elastic and air-permeable cushion base part with recess, in which air-permeable spacing part is arranged
DE102014004175A1 (en) 2014-03-22 2015-09-24 Daimler Ag Seat ventilation device for a seat system, in particular a motor vehicle
JP2016052377A (en) * 2014-09-03 2016-04-14 コトブキシーティング株式会社 Suction/blowout combined type air-conditioned char
US11707909B2 (en) * 2017-10-27 2023-07-25 Gentherm Gmbh Surface temperature-controlling device
JP2020203511A (en) * 2019-06-14 2020-12-24 トヨタ紡織株式会社 Seat temperature control system
JP7176479B2 (en) 2019-06-14 2022-11-22 トヨタ紡織株式会社 Seat temperature control system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IT1310125B1 (en) 2002-02-11
ITTO990641A1 (en) 2001-01-20

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