VEHICLE SEAT

• US 20130113239A1
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: AKAIKE, Fumitoshi, HARITA, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,926,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/180.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5685 Resistance

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a seat main body, a heating portion provided in the seat main body, a degree-of-contact measuring portion that measures a degree of contact between the seat main body and an occupant seated on the seat main body, and a control portion that controls an amount of heat output from the heating portion such that the amount of heat increases according to an increase in the degree of contact between the seat main body and the occupant, and decreases according to a decrease in the degree of contact between the seat main body and the occupant.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat main body;

a heating portion provided in the seat main body;

a degree-of-contact measuring portion that measures a degree of contact between the seat main body and an occupant seated on the seat main body; and

a control portion that controls an amount of heat output from the heating portion such that the amount of heat increases according to an increase in the degree of contact between the seat main body and the occupant.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the control portion places the heating portion in a heat retaining state when it is determined that the occupant is not contacting the seat main body according to the degree-of-contact measuring portion.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein a temperature of the heat retaining state is changed according to an external environment.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein a temperature of the heat retaining state is changed by the occupant.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein a relationship between the amount of heat output from the heating portion and the degree of contact when the control portion controls the amount of heat output from the heating portion according to the degree of contact is changed according to an external environment.

6. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein a relationship between the amount of heat output from the heating portion and the degree of contact when the control portion controls the amount of heat output from the heating portion according to the degree of contact is changed by the occupant.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the heating portion is divided into a plurality of heating portions, and the degree-of-contact measuring portion is arranged for each heating portion;

and the control portion controls the amount of heat output from one of the heating portions such that the amount of heat increases according to an increase in the degree of contact measured by a degree-of-contact measuring portion corresponding to another heating portion that is adjacent to the one heating portion.

8. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat main body;

a heating portion provided in the seat main body;

a degree-of-contact measuring portion that measures a degree of contact between the seat main body and an occupant seated on the seat main body; and

a control portion that controls an amount of heat output from the heating portion such that the amount of heat decreases according to a decrease in the degree of contact between the seat main body and the occupant.

9. The vehicle seat according to claim 8, wherein the control portion places the heating portion in a heat retaining state when it is determined that the occupant is not contacting the seat main body according to the degree-of-contact measuring portion.

10. The vehicle seat according to claim 9, wherein a temperature of the heat retaining state is changed according to an external environment.

11. The vehicle seat according to claim 9, wherein a temperature of the heat retaining state is changed by the occupant.

12. The vehicle seat according to claim 8, wherein a relationship between the amount of heat output from the heating portion and the degree of contact when the control portion controls the amount of heat output from the heating portion according to the degree of contact is changed according to an external environment.

13. The vehicle seat according to claim 8, wherein a relationship between the amount of heat output from the heating portion and the degree of contact when the control portion controls the amount of heat output from the heating portion according to the degree of contact is changed by the occupant.

14. The vehicle seat according to claim 8, wherein the heating portion is divided into a plurality of heating portions, and the degree-of-contact measuring portion is arranged for each heating portion;

and the control portion controls the amount of heat output from one of the heating portions such that the amount of heat decreases according to a decrease in the degree of contact measured by a degree-of-contact measuring portion corresponding to another heating portion that is adjacent to the one heating portion.