VEHICLE SEAT AIR-CONDITIONER AND VEHICLE TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER

• US 20110017421A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Esaki, Hidenori
• Granted Patent: US 8,944,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00285 for vehicle seats vehicle seats with heating or ventilation means independent from the HVAC system of the vehicle B60N2/56
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/003 Component temperature regulation using an air flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5628 coming from the vehicle ventilation system, e.g. air-conditioning system
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5635 coming from the passenger compartment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5825 by hooks, staples, clips, snap fasteners or the like

Abstract

A vehicle seat air-conditioner includes a seat on which an occupant sits, a seat temperature adjustment device that adjusts the temperature of a conditioned gas, a blower that supplies the conditioned gas to the seat, a seat covering layer provided on a surface of the seat and facing the seated occupant, and a flow channel provided on an underside of the seat covering layer that pass the conditioned gas that is introduced by the blower. The vehicle seat air-conditioner is adapted to convey heat of the conditioned gas to an occupant side of the seat covering layer by directly blowing out a portion of the introduced conditioned gas to the occupant side of the seat covering layer, and to perform heat exchange with the occupant side of the seat covering layer by circulating a portion of a remainder of the conditioned gas through the flow channel.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat air-conditioner comprising:

a seat adapted to receive an occupant;

a seat temperature adjustment device that adjusts a temperature of a conditioned gas;

a blower that supplies the conditioned gas to the seat;

a seat covering layer defining an outer surface of the seat; and

a cushion body that is covered by the seat covering layer, wherein

the vehicle seat air-conditioner is adapted to convey heat from the conditioned gas to the occupant, and

the blower is disposed underneath a side support which protrudes from a sitting region in the seat to the occupant side.

2. The vehicle seat air-conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising

a flow channel defined by a space between the cushion body and the seat covering layer, and extending along a surface of the seat, the flow channel receiving the conditioned gas from the blower.

3. The vehicle seat air-conditioner according to claim 2, wherein

the seat covering layer is adapted to convey heat of the conditioned gas flowing through the flow channel to the occupant.

4. The vehicle seat air-conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising

a blow-out hole formed in the seat covering layer and connected to the flow channel, the conditioned gas flowing through the flow channel being blown out through the blow-out hole toward the occupant.

5. The vehicle seat air-conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

at least a portion of the blower is disposed above a bottom surface of the cushion body.

6. The vehicle seat air-conditioner according to claim 1, wherein

the seat covering layer is pulled into a tack groove provided in the cushion body.

7. The vehicle seat air-conditioner according to claim 6, wherein

the tack groove extends along a width direction of the seat.

8. The vehicle seat air-conditioner according to claim 7, wherein

the vehicle seat air-conditioner is adapted to introduce the conditioned gas into a flow channel defined by a space between the cushion body and the seat covering layer by connecting a blow-out portion of the blower to the tack groove.

9. The vehicle seat air-conditioner according to claim 2, wherein

the flow channel is formed by a thread shaped fiber that is capable of expanding and contracting in a thickness direction of the seat.