Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Fluid delivery systems for climate controlled seats

Fluid delivery systems for climate controlled seats description/claims

This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/947,605, filed Jul. 2, 2007, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

1. Field of the Inventions

This application relates generally to climate control, and more specifically, to climate control of a seat assembly.

2. Description of the Related Art

Temperature modified air for environmental control of living or working space is typically provided to relatively extensive areas, such as entire buildings, selected offices, suites of offices or other rooms and/or the like. In the case of vehicles, such as automobiles, the entire vehicle is typically cooled or heated as a unit. There are many situations, however, in which more selective or restrictive air temperature modification is desirable. For example, it is often desirable to provide an individualized climate control for a seat so that substantially instantaneous heating or cooling can be achieved. For example, a vehicle exposed to the summer weather (e.g., where the vehicle has been parked in an unshaded area for a long period of time) can cause one or more of the vehicle seats to become hot and generally uncomfortable for the occupant for some time after first entering and beginning to use the vehicle. This may be the case even if the vehicle's air conditioning system (e.g., automotive HVAC) is being operated. Furthermore, even with normal air-conditioning, the seat occupant's back and other pressure points may remain uncomfortably hot and/or sweaty. Under cold conditions, it may be desirable to relatively quickly warm a seat portion, especially where the vehicle's heating system is unlikely to warm the vehicle's interior as quickly.

For such reasons, there have been provided various types of individualized climate control systems for vehicle seats (see e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,114,771 and 6,869,139). Such climate control systems typically include a distribution system comprising a combination of channels and passages formed in the cushion of the seat. Climate conditioned air is supplied to these channels and passages by a climate control device. The climate conditioned air flows through the channels and passages to cool or heat the space adjacent the surface of the vehicle seat.

There are, however, problems that have been experienced with existing climate control systems for seat assemblies. For example, the distribution system can be difficult to install and/or require a large number of components that results in increased steps during assembly. In addition, many of the existing control systems for seat assemblies include relatively thick profiles that tend to interfere with the manufacture of the assembly and/or decrease an occupant's comfort level. With the increased popularity of climate controlled vehicle seats, car manufacturers are increasingly looking for climate control systems that can be installed more easily and for systems that can provide the comparable performance at a lower cost.

According to some embodiments of the present application, a climate control assembly for a seat includes a cushion having an outer surface comprising a first side for supporting an occupant and a second side, the first side and the second side facing generally in opposite directions. In addition, the climate control system includes one or more fluid passages extending from the first side to the second side of the cushion and a recessed area along the first side of the cushion. In one embodiment, the recessed area is in fluid communication with the fluid passage. The assembly further comprises a spacer positioned within the recessed area. The spacer can be at least partially fluid permeable and configured to substantially retain the spatial integrity of the recessed area. In some arrangements, the recessed area occupies at least about half of a surface area of the first side of the cushion.

In some embodiments, the recessed area is configured to further receive a scrim which includes at least one opening through which fluids may pass. In one arrangement, the scrim comprises a plurality of openings. In other embodiments, the scrim comprises a single opening having an area generally greater than one-half of the total area of the scrim. In one embodiment, the scrim comprises one or more padding layers configured to generally enhance the comfort to a seated occupant. In yet other arrangements, the recessed area includes a bottom surface and at least one side surface. In one embodiment, the recessed area includes at least one film layer to cover at least of the bottom surface and the side surfaces. In another embodiment, the film layer comprises an air permeability that is lower than an air permeability of the spacer.

In some arrangements, the film layer is attached to the spacer. In yet other embodiments, the recessed area comprises a generally rectangular shape, another polygonal shape, a circular or other curved shape, an irregular shape and/or the like. In one embodiment, the fluid passage is configured to be in fluid communication with a fluid module. In some configurations, the fluid module comprises a fluid transfer device. In other arrangements, the fluid module further comprises a thermoelectric device configured to selectively heat or cool a fluid. In some arrangements, the climate control assembly additionally comprises an occupant sensing device configured to detect when an occupant is seated within the seat.

In one embodiment, the assembly further comprises a resistive heater (e.g., a heating mat) and/or another type of heating element of device. In some arrangements, the heating element is generally positioned between the bottom surface of the recessed area and an exterior surface of the seat. In other embodiments, the heating element is generally integrated with the spacer or is permanently or removably attached to it. In some embodiments, the heating element comprises a plurality of slots or other openings, which are configured to permit a fluid to pass therethrough.

In some arrangements, the climate control assembly is configured to be positioned within an automobile seat, another type of vehicle seat, a bed, a sofa, a chair and/or the like. In one embodiment, the first side of the cushion comprises at least one pocket which is in fluid communication with the recessed area. The pocket is configured to deliver a volume of fluid to a targeted region of the cushion (e.g., legs, thighs, lower back, neck, shoulders, etc.). In some arrangements, the pockets are coextensive with the recessed area. In another embodiment, the spacer comprises a unitary member that is shaped and sized to fit within both the recessed area and the pocket. In other arrangements, the pocket is separate from the recessed area. In yet other embodiments, the pocket and the recessed area are in fluid communication using a channel formed on the first side of the cushion. In still another configuration, the pocket and the recessed area are in fluid communication using a channel formed on the second side of the cushion. In one embodiment, the pocket and the recessed area are in fluid communication using a conduit positioned within the cushion, generally between the first and second sides of the cushion.

In some arrangements, the fluid module is configured to deliver fluid through the fluid passage in a direction generally from the first side to the second side of the cushion. However, in other embodiments, the fluid module is configured to deliver fluid through the fluid passage in a direction generally from the second side to the first side of the cushion. In still other embodiments, the climate control assembly additionally comprises a second fluid module and a second fluid passage, such that the second fluid module is further configured to deliver fluid through the second fluid passage in a direction generally from the second side to the first side of the cushion. In some arrangements, the spacer comprises a spacer fabric, member or the like. In other embodiments, the fluid passage is configured to be selectively placed in fluid communication with a vehicle's or a building's air conditioning system (e.g., HVAC system).

According to some embodiments, a climate controlled seat assembly includes a cushion having an outer surface comprising a first side for supporting an occupant and a second side, the first side and the second side facing generally in opposite directions. The seat assembly further comprises one or more fluid passages extending from the first side to the second side of the cushion and a recessed area along the first side of the cushion, the recessed area being in fluid communication with the fluid passage. In addition, the seat assembly includes a spacer positioned within the recessed area, the spacer being at least partially fluid permeable and being configured to substantially retain the spatial integrity of the recessed area. In some embodiments, the recessed area comprises a depth between 5 and 15 mm. In other arrangements, the depth of the recessed area can be greater than 15 mm or smaller than 5 mm.

According to some arrangements, a climate controlled seat comprises a cushion having an outer surface comprising a first side for supporting an occupant and a second side, the first side and the second side facing generally in opposite directions. The seat further includes one or more fluid passages generally extending from the first side to the second side of the cushion, a recessed area along the first side of the cushion and a spacer positioned within the recessed area, the spacer being at least partially fluid permeable and being configured to substantially retain the spatial integrity of the recessed area. The recessed is in fluid communication with the fluid passage. In some arrangements, the recessed area comprises a width to depth ratio between 8 and 40. However, in other arrangements, the width to depth ratio is greater than 40 or less than 8.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present inventions comprises a seat portion and/or a backrest portion of seating assembly comprising a recessed area or wide groove along its exterior surface. The recessed area can be configured to receive a spacer fabric that helps maintains the spatial and structural integrity of the recessed area. The spacer fabric can be generally air and fluid permeable. In addition, a scrim layer can be positioned over the spacer fabric to help direct and/or distribute air or other fluid to an exterior surface of the seating assembly. The recessed area can also be configured to receive one or more films, occupant sensory devices, heating devices and/or the like. Thus, air or other fluid can be delivered into the recessed area of a seat or backrest portion of a seating assembly, and subsequently delivered through the spacer fabric and scrim layer towards an occupant. In some embodiments, the air or fluid is conditioned (e.g., heated or cooled) prior to entering the recessed area.

Another aspect of the present invention comprises a climate controlled assembly having a cushion with an outer surface comprising a first side for supporting an occupant and a second side, the first side and the second side facing generally in opposite directions. The assembly further comprises one or more fluid passages extending from the first side to the second side of the cushion and a recessed area along the first side of the cushion. The recessed area being in fluid communication with the fluid passage. The assembly further includes a spacer fabric positioned within the recessed area, the spacer fabric being at least partially fluid permeable and being configured to substantially retain the spatial integrity of the recessed area. The recessed area occupies at least about half of a surface area of the first side of the cushion.

According to another embodiment, the recessed area is configured to further receive a scrim layer that comprises one or more openings. The scrim layer being configured to distribute fluid through the openings. In other embodiments, the scrim layer comprises a plurality of openings or just a single opening.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws