Ventilation system

• US 9,415,712 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentherm GmbH (Gentherm Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gentherm GmbH (Gentherm Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stoll, Andreas, Zhang, Jonathan, Fries, Thomas, Yu, Eric (Tong), Philipp, Denise
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): GORMAN, ERIC DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/301,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20140333101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2/5621 by air
• 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 2/565 sucked from the seat surface
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5657 blown towards the seat surface
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5685 Resistance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20256 Steering and controls assemblies

Abstract

The present invention is drawn to a ventilation system for a “climate object”, in particular all components with which the user of a vehicle may come in contact in a passenger compartment such as, for example, a steering mechanism for a vehicle, a dashboard, an armrest, a door paneling, a seat cover, a heating blanket, a padding, a cover or a seat, all which include at least one air flow device to guide air through the climate object.

Claims

1. A ventilation system for a climatizable seat comprising:

at least one flat air flow device including;

an air exchange device;

a spacing device including;

i) a spacer carrier, and

ii) a plurality of spacers distributed across the spacer carrier and extending from the spacer carrier for keeping an air passage of the ventilation system open;

one or more air movement mechanisms; and

one or more connecting devices connecting the at least one flat air flow device and the one or more air movement mechanisms;

wherein the spacer carrier is at least partially made of a foil;

wherein the plurality of spacers are nub-shaped projections that provide compressive strength to the spacing device; and

wherein the at least one flat air flow device is adapted to be located on a B-side below padding of the climatizable seat.

2. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the one or more connecting devices includes two or more channel segments that are arranged in a row relative to an air flow guided through the at least one flat air flow device, and wherein the two or more channel segments are movable, relative to each other;

and wherein the two or more channel segments are arranged adjacent to each other and are attached to each other.

3. The ventilation system of claim 2, wherein the two or more channel segments are attached to each other at one or more pivot points and engage with each other in chain-like fashion.

4. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the ventilation system includes at least one channel segment, and wherein the at least one channel segment has at least one segment frame, wherein the segment frame braces at least two sides of a hollow space cross section.

5. The ventilation system of claim 4, wherein the at least one segment frame is a shaft-like frame that is pivotable relative to another segment frame arranged relative thereto in flush and articulated fashion.

6. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the ventilation system includes at least one channel segment, and wherein the at least one channel segment has at least one segment articulation, which is realized by projections provided on the segment articulation or by recesses fitting the projections.

7. The ventilation system of claim 6, wherein the at least one segment articulation allows one channel segment to bend relative to adjacent channel segments.

9. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the spacing device is at least partially attached to an encasing device, and the encasing device is at least partly made of a foil impermeable to air.

10. The ventilation system of claim 9, wherein the foil of the encasing device, the spacer carrier, or both, is made of polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polypropylene, polyurethane, or combination thereof.

11. The ventilation system of claim 2, wherein the two or more channel segments are at least partially arranged so that a gap remains between the two or more channel segments relative to an air flow direction.

13. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of spacers cover about 10 percent to about 33 percent of a base area of the spacing device.

14. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the spacing device is at least partially flexible to follow one or more bends of the at least one flat air flow device.

15. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein one or more spacers are at least partially made of an elastic supporting material, and wherein the elastic supporting material is a foam, rubber, or a combination thereof.

16. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of spacers are at least partially made of the material of the spacer carrier.

17. The ventilation system of claim 16, wherein the one or more of the plurality of spacers are integrally formed with the spacer carrier.

18. The ventilation system of claim 9, wherein the encasing device includes a sealing device that encases at least a portion of the spacing device to reduce escaping of air from the at least one flat air flow device.

8. The ventilation systems 7, wherein the at least one segment articulation has a rotational axis located at a distance from an external edge of the at least one segment frame.

12. A climatizable seat comprising:

a ventilation system comprising;

at least one flat air flow device including;

an air exchange device;

a spacing device including;

i) a spacer carrier, and

ii) a plurality of spacers extending from the spacer carrier for keeping an air passage of the ventilation system open; and

an air movement mechanism;

wherein the at least one flat air flow device is connected to the air movement mechanism,

wherein the spacing device is marginally compressible so that during normal operating loads, the spacing device is reducible in its thickness by 50 percent or less;

wherein the spacer carrier is at least partially made of a foil;

wherein the plurality of spacers are nub-shaped projections that provide compressive strength to the spacing device;

wherein the nub-shaped projections have height of about 3 mm to about 25 mm measured from the spacer carrier to a highest point of each nub-shaped projection;

wherein the plurality of spacers are arranged on the spacer carrier to create one or more flow paths to guide air flow into one or more directions; and

wherein the at least one flat air flow device is located on B-side below padding of the climatizable seat.

19. The climatizable seat of claim 12, wherein a distance between spacers along one or more main air flow directions is smaller than a distance between spacers arranged transversally to the one or more main air flow directions.

20. The climatizable seat of claim 12, wherein an area of the spacing device and/or plurality of spacers is at least partially removed to create a space for connection to the one or more air movement mechanisms.