Air conditioning apparatus for vehicle seat

• US 6,105,667 A
• Filed: 03/02/1999
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Aoki, Shinji, Ito, Hajime, Yoshinori, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, John K.
• Application Number:
  US09/260,907
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 165/42, 165/43, 165/202, 165/203, 165/204, 165/299, 165/240, 237/12.3 B, 237/12.3 A, 237/12.3 R, 237/2 A, 454/120, 454/907, 454/75, 219/202
• US Class Current: 165/202
• 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 2/5657 blown towards the seat surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 454/907 Seat

Abstract

An air conditioning apparatus for a vehicle seat includes a seat blower unit disposed in a lower side of the seat, and a seat duct for leading air from an air conditioning unit to the seat through the seat blower unit. In the air conditioning apparatus, it can be determined that heat load of a passenger compartment is decreased to a predetermined value based on an operation state of a unit blower of the air conditioning unit, and the seat blower is stopped when the heat load is decreased to the predetermined value. Further, the seat blower is turned on or off according to the heat load of the passenger compartment, so that temperature of the seat can be controlled within a predetermined range. On the other hand, even when the unit blower is stopped when a water temperature of a heating unit of the air conditioning unit is lower than a set temperature, the seat blower unit and an electrical heater disposed in the seat duct are operated so that air passing through the heating unit is heated by the electrical unit and is blown into the seat by the seat blower unit.

Claims

1. An air conditioning apparatus for a seat disposed in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

an air conditioning unit for adjusting a temperature of air blown into the passenger compartment, said air conditioning unit includes

a unit blower for blowing air into the passenger compartment, and

a heating unit for heating air passing therethrough using a thermal medium;

a seat duct for forming an air passage for leading air from said air conditioning unit to the seat;

a seat blower, disposed in said seat duct, for blowing air in said seat duct toward the seat; and

an electrical heater, disposed in said seat duct, for heating air blown into the seat, wherein;

said unit blower is stopped when temperature of the thermal medium is lower than a first predetermined temperature during a heating mode for heating the passenger compartment; and

said seat blower and said electrical heater are operated when the temperature of the thermal medium is higher than a set temperature lower than the first predetermined temperature, in such a manner that air passing through said heating unit of said air conditioning unit is heated by said electrical heater and is blown into the seat through said seat duct.

2. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electrical heater is turned off, when the temperature of the thermal medium is increased to a second predetermined temperature higher than the first predetermined temperature during the heating mode.

3. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said seat duct includes a rear foot duct having an air outlet for blowing air from said air conditioning unit toward a lower rear side of the passenger compartment, and a branch duct for leading air from said rear foot duct to the seat.

4. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising

a switching door for opening and closing said air outlet of said rear foot duct,

wherein said switching door closes said air outlet of said rear foot duct when said electrical heater is turned on.

5. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermal medium is a cooling water for cooling an engine of the vehicle.

6. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electrical heater is turned off, when a heat load of the passenger compartment is lower than a predetermined value during the heating mode.

7. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said unit blower has a blower level for controlling an amount of air blown into the passenger compartment, and

said blower level of said unit blower is controlled according to the temperature of the thermal medium.

8. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said seat blower has a blower level for controlling an amount of air blown toward the seat; and

said blower level of said seat blower is controlled according to the temperature of the thermal medium.

9. The air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said seat blower is stopped, when heat load of the passenger compartment is lower than a predetermined value during the heating mode.