Air conditioned cushion part for a vehicle seat

• US 7,108,319 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2002
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Johnson Controls GmbH (Adient plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls GmbH (Adient plc)
• Inventors: Hartwich, Dirk, Schmale, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITE, RODNEY BARNETT
• Application Number:
  US10/485,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20040189061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,515 Days
• Field of Search: 297/180.1, 297/180.12, 297/180.13, 297/180.14, 297/180.16
• US Class Current: 297/180.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/56 Heating or ventilating devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5635 coming from the passenger compartment

Abstract

The invention relates to an upholstered element (1) for a lower seat part (2) and/or a backrest (4) of an air-conditioned motor-vehicle seat (6), comprising an elastic upholstered air-permeable base part (8) and an air-permeable air-conditioning layer (10) which is disposed on the surface of the base part (8). The air-conditioning layer (10) consists of at least two partial layers (14, 16), i.e. a lower layer (14) which is oriented towards the base part (8) and an upper layer (16) which is disposed on top of the lower layer (14). The upper layer (16) is made of a material which absorbs moisture. Preferably, an intermediate layer (22) made of an air-permeable material is disposed between the base part (8) and the lower layer (14). The lower layer (14) is relatively softer and the intermediate layer (22, 22a) is relatively harder, whereby the lower layer (14) and intermediate layer (22) are prevented from being pressed into holes (18) in the base part (8) when the seat is occupied.

Claims

1. A cushion part for at least one of a lower seat part and a backrest of a vehicle seat comprising:

an elastic cushion base part having a thickness;

a plurality of holes extending through the cushion base part, each of the plurality of holes having a length equal to the thickness of the cushion base part and a diameter that is between approximately one-half and one-third the length of the aperture; and

an air-permeable air-conditioning layer arranged flat on the base part, the air- conditioning layer including a lower layer facing the base part and an upper layer lying on the lower layer;

wherein the cushion base part and the air-conditioning layer are configured to passively exchange at least one of heat and moisture.

2. The cushion part of claim 1 wherein the upper layer of the air-conditioning layer includes a moisture-absorbing material.

3. The cushion part of claim 1 wherein the upper layer of the air-conditioning layer includes at least one of a nonwoven material, a hydrophilized textile material, or rubberized hair.

4. The cushion part of claim 1 wherein the upper layer of the air-conditioning layer includes a foam base material.

5. The cushion part of claim 4 further comprising activated carbon within the foam base material.

6. The cushion part of claim 4 wherein the foam base material is needle-punched with a nonwoven material.

7. The cushion part of claim 1 wherein the upper layer of the air-conditioning layer includes a material having a compression hardness ranging from approximately 4 kPa to approximately 6 kPa and an air permeability of at least 500 l/dm²/min.

8. The cushion part of claim 1 wherein the lower layer of the air-conditioning layer includes rubberized hair having a relative density ranging from approximately 500 kg/m³ to approximately 800 kg/m³.

9. The cushion part of claim 1 wherein the lower layer of the air-conditioning layer includes a plastic knit having a compression hardness ranging from approximately 5 kPa to approximately 20 kPa.

10. The cushion part of claim 1 wherein the lower layer of the air-conditioning layer has a high elastic restoring force and a high air and water-vapor permeability.

11. The cushion part of claim 1 wherein the base part has a main seat plane and a seat surface and wherein the plurality of holes are distributed over the seat surface and extend continuously through the base part in a direction perpendicular with respect to the main seat plane.

12. The cushion part of claim 11, further comprising an air-permeable intermediate layer located between the base part and the lower layer.

13. The cushion part of claim 12, wherein the lower layer is softer than the intermediate layer and the intermediate layer is hard enough to prevent the lower layer and the intermediate layer from being pressed into the plurality of holes of the base part when the vehicle seat is subjected to a load.

14. The cushion part of claim 13, wherein the lower layer has a compression hardness ranging from approximately 5 kPa to approximately 15 kPa.

15. The cushion part of claim 13, wherein the intermediate layer has a compression hardness ranging from approximately 20 kPa to approximately 50 kPa.

16. The cushion part of claim 12, wherein the intermediate layer includes rubberized hair having a relative density ranging from approximately 600 kg/m³ to approximately 1000 kg/m³.

17. The cushion part of claim 12, wherein the intermediate layer includes a highly compressed and perforated nonwoven material.

18. The cushion part of claim 12, wherein the intermediate layer includes a perforated plastic plate.

19. The cushion part of claim 1 wherein the base part includes a single-piece foamed-plastic body.

20. The cushion part of claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning layer has a lower side adjacent to the base part and an upper side opposite the lower side and wherein the base part includes edge regions raised at least to approximately the level of the upper side of the air-conditioning layer.

21. The cushion part of claim 20, wherein channel-like clearances are formed between the air-conditioning layer and the edge regions of the base part.

22. The cushion part of claim 1, further comprising an air-permeable supporting seat structure.

23. The cushion part of claim 22, wherein the base part lies flat on the supporting seat structure.

24. The cushion part of claim 1, further comprising a covering material covering the air-conditioning layer and the base part, at least a portion of the covering material having high air and water-vapor permeability.

25. The cushion part of claim 24, wherein the at least a portion of the covering material has an air permeability of more that 450 l/m²/s.

27. The cushion part of claim 1, wherein the upper layer of the air- conditioning layer comprises activated carbon.

28. The cushion part of claim 27, wherein the activated carbon is in particle form.

26. A cushion part for at least one of a lower seat part and a backrest of a vehicle seat comprising:

an elastic cushion base part having a seat surface and including at least five holes distributed substantially evenly over the seat surface, the at least five holes extending through the cushion base part; and

an air-permeable air-conditioning layer arranged flat on the base part, the air-conditioning layer including a lower layer facing the base part and an upper layer lying on the lower layer;

wherein the at least five holes are configured to allow for the exchange of at least one of heat and moisture in the absence of a fan, by way of excitation from the movement of an occupant on the cushion part of the vehicle seat.

29. A cushion part for at least one of a lower seat part and a backrest of a vehicle seat comprising:

an elastic cushion base part having a seat surface and including at least five holes distributed substantially evenly over the seat surface, the at least five holes extending through the cushion base part; and

an air-permeable air-conditioning layer arranged flat on the base part, the air-conditioning layer including a lower layer facing the base part and an upper layer lying on the lower layer, the upper layer including activated carbon;

wherein the at least five holes are configured to allow for the exchange of at least one of heat and moisture in the absence of a fan, by way of excitation from the movement of an occupant on the cushion part of the vehicle seat.