Air conditioner for vehicle seat

• US 10,293,719 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Fujii, Takahisa, Niimi, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Probst, Samantha
• Application Number:
  US14/462,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20150056906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: 454120, 454 75
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5628 coming from the vehicle ventilation system, e.g. air-conditioning system
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/565 sucked from the seat surface
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5657 blown towards the seat surface

Abstract

An air conditioner for a vehicle seat has: a centrifugal fan; a first case housing the fan and including a fan inlet and a fan outlet; and a second case providing an inlet-side air passage and an outlet-side air passage. The second case has; an inside-air inlet introducing air from a surface of the vehicle seat into the inlet-side air passage; a conditioned-air inlet introducing conditioned air from an air conditioning unit for a passenger compartment into the inlet-side air passage; a conditioned-air outlet through which air in the outlet-side air passage flows to the surface of the vehicle seat; and an exhaust-air outlet through which air in the outlet-side air passage flows out of the second case. The second case includes: an inlet-side switching door that selectively opens or closes the inside-air inlet and the conditioned-air inlet; and an outlet-side switching door that selectively opens or closes the conditioned-air outlet and the exhaust-air outlet.

Claims

1. An air conditioner for a vehicle seat, comprising:

a centrifugal fan having a fan shaft;

a first case that houses the fan and includes a fan inlet drawing air and a fan outlet blowing air; and

a second case that provides an inlet-side air passage connecting to the fan inlet and an outlet-side air passage connecting to the fan outlet, wherein

the inlet-side air passage is adjacent to the outlet-side air passage,

the inlet-side air passage includes;

an inside-air inlet drawing air from a surface of the vehicle seat into the inlet-side air passage, the inside-air inlet being arranged in a plane intersecting with an axial direction of the fan shaft;

a conditioned-air inlet introducing conditioned air from an air conditioning unit that performs air conditioning for a passenger compartment into the inlet-side air passage, the conditioned-air inlet being arranged in a plane parallel to the axial direction of the fan shaft; and

an inlet-side switching door that selectively opens or closes the inside-air inlet and the conditioned-air inlet;

the outlet-side air passage includes;

a conditioned-air outlet through which an air flowing in the outlet-side air passage flows to the surface of the vehicle seat;

an exhaust-air outlet through which an air flowing in the outlet-side air passage flows out of the second case away from the surface of the vehicle seat; and

an outlet-side switching door that selectively opens or closes the conditioned-air outlet and the exhaust-air outlet,

the fan outlet and the conditioned-air outlet are arranged along a blowing direction of air flowing out of the fan outlet, and

the inside-air inlet is proximate to the conditioned-air outlet in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the fan shaft.

2. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

each of the inlet-side switching door and the outlet-side switching door is configured by a single plate door.

3. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 2, further comprising:

an actuator operating the inlet-side switching door and the outlet-side switching door, wherein

the inlet-side switching door has a first door shaft and a first gear,

the outlet-side switching door has a second door shaft and a second gear,

the inlet-side switching door and the outlet-side switching door are adjacent to each other in a direction in which the first door shaft and the second door shaft extend, and

the inlet-side switching door and the outlet-side switching door are connected to each other through the first gear and the second gear.

4. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein

the actuator is a bimetal that is deformed depending on a temperature of air flowing in the second case.

5. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 3, further comprising:

a controller controlling an operation of the actuator, wherein

the actuator is an electric motor.

6. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 5, further comprising:

a temperature sensor that is disposed in the first case or the second case to detect a temperature of air, wherein

the controller sets positions of the inlet-side switching door and the outlet-side switching door depending on the temperature of the air detected by the temperature sensor.

7. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the conditioned-air outlet is located at an angle along the blowing direction of air from the fan outlet.

8. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the first case is connected to the second case in the axial direction of the fan shaft.

9. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

air flows from the first case to the second case in the axial direction of the fan shaft.

10. An air conditioner for a vehicle seat, comprising:

a centrifugal fan having a fan shaft;

a first case that houses the fan and includes a fan inlet drawing air and a fan outlet blowing air; and

a second case that provides an inlet-side air passage connecting to the fan inlet and an outlet-side air passage connecting to the fan outlet, wherein

the inlet-side air passage is adjacent to the outlet-side air passage,

the inlet-side air passage includes;

an inside-air inlet drawing air from a surface of the vehicle seat into the inlet-side air passage, the inside-air inlet being arranged in a plane intersecting with an axial direction of the fan shaft;

a conditioned-air inlet introducing conditioned air from an air conditioning unit that performs air conditioning for a passenger compartment into the inlet-side air passage, the conditioned-air inlet being arranged in a plane parallel to the axial direction of the fan shaft; and

an inlet-side switching door that selectively opens or closes the inside-air inlet and the conditioned-air inlet,

the outlet-side air passage includes;

a conditioned-air outlet through which an air flowing in the outlet-side air passage flows to the surface of the vehicle seat;

an exhaust-air outlet through which an air flowing in the outlet-side air passage flows out of the second case away from the surface of the vehicle seat; and

an outlet-side switching door that selectively opens or closes the conditioned-air outlet and the exhaust-air outlet,

the fan outlet and the conditioned-air outlet are arranged along a blowing direction of air flowing out of the fan outlet,

the conditioned-air outlet is arranged such that at least a part of a projection image of the conditioned-air outlet that is projected relative to the first case in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the fan shaft overlaps the fan outlet, and

the inside-air inlet is proximate to the conditioned-air outlet in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the fan shaft.

11. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 10, wherein

the conditioned-air outlet is located at an angle along the blowing direction of air from the fan outlet.

12. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 10, wherein

the first case is connected to the second case in the axial direction of the fan shaft.

13. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 10, wherein

air flows from the first case to the second case in the axial direction of the fan shaft.