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Seat constructionSeat construction description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070120400, Seat construction. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The invention relates to a seat construction comprising a seat cushion part and a backrest part, and a presence sensor for detecting at least the presence of a person or an object placed in the said seat construction, means for ventilating the seat construction comprising at least one duct through the said presence sensor and at least one air passage through the rest of the seat construction, and a device for feeding an air current through the said air passage and through the said duct for ventilation of a predetermined region adjacent to the seat construction. PRIOR ART [0002] In modern-day motor vehicles, for example private cars, various types of safety devices are used for the passengers in the motor vehicle. For example, seat belts and airbags are used to increase safety for the passengers. [0003] An airbag can be placed, for example, in the steering wheel hub of a vehicle, in order to protect the driver of the vehicle, and in the dashboard, in order to protect a passenger in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Although, for example, an airbag which is placed in the dashboard in front of the front passenger seat can offer good protection for a passenger in this seat, a problem arises from the fact that the airbag can also cause injury if the passenger is sitting, for example, in a heavily forward-leaning position or if there is a rear-facing child seat placed in the passenger seat. [0004] A traditional airbag is optimized in terms of its protective effect for a person of normal build and weight and, not least, a normal sifting position of a passenger in the particular seat. In the event of deviations from these normal conditions, an activated airbag can therefore cause injury to the passenger. [0005] As a result of the above problems, special presence sensors have been produced, intended, for example, for the passenger seat in the front of a vehicle. The purpose of such a presence sensor is to detect whether a person is sitting in the particular seat and - if so - expediently also to detect and record additional parameters such as, for example, the weight, weight distribution and posture of the person. The presence sensor is further connected to an electronic control unit for the recording of detected parameters. In this way, detected information from the presence sensor can be used to regulate the process for activating an airbag. For example, the airbag can be activated with reduced power, i.e. with a reduced quantity of gas which is generated as it is inflated, if a person is sitting leaning forward in the seat. Likewise, the airbag can be fully prevented from being released if there is a rear-facing child seat placed in the seat. In addition, the time period for the inflation of the airbag can be controlled in dependence on, for example, the weight and posture of the passenger. [0006] According to the prior art, a presence sensor of the aforementioned type can be made up of a bladder which is filled with silicone and which is positioned inside the seat cushion part of the particular seat. The bladder then has an extent which substantially corresponds to the region in which the passenger is expected to sit in the seat. The weight and the weight distribution resulting from a passenger sitting in the seat can then be detected with the aid of a pressure transducer in the bladder and can further be recorded in an electronic control unit. As stated above, the recorded information can afterwards be used for optimal control of an airbag should it be activated in a collision. [0007] A presence sensor of the aforementioned type is previously known through patent document U.S. Pat. No. 6286861. [0008] In order to make optimal use of a presence sensor of the known type, an analysis is normally made of the seat type in which it is intended to be used, especially as regards the pressure changes which occur in the presence sensor in a variety of occurring situations with regard to weight, weight distribution, posture, etc. of a passenger in this seat type. Recorded values from this analysis with respect to pressure changes occurring in the presence sensor as a result of various operating scenarios can then be stored and can constitute a norm for the particular seat type and then, during running, be used for comparisons with actual measured values. In this way, the process for activating an airbag can be optimally regulated. [0009] In such an analysis, or charting, of the working of a presence sensor in a certain seat type, there are normally certain regions in a fitted presence sensor which do not produce any altered measured signal from the pressure transducer, even if the weight, weight distribution, etc. of the passenger were to change. Such regions, which do not actually contribute to the information for the detection carried out with the aid of the presence sensor, are usually referred to as "dead zones". [0010] Since the dead zones do not contribute to the result from the measurement with the presence sensor, they can be physically removed from the rest of the presence sensor. In this way, a presence sensor can comprise, for example, one or more ducts, the placement of which corresponds to the positions of the respective dead zone. These ducts thus constitute openings straight through the presence sensor and can be used, for example, for drawing cabling through the presence sensor, which is an advantage from the stuffing viewpoint. [0011] Similarly, other components can also be positioned in the seat such that benefit can be gained from the created openings in the dead zones. [0012] A problem with a construction of the aforementioned type, having ducts in the presence sensor in positions corresponding to the aforementioned dead zones, arises from the fact that these positions are only able to be determined once the complete seat construction is finished and has been analysed in the aforementioned manner, i.e. only once it has been established how a certain presence sensor operates in a certain seat construction. This means that the correct positions in which possible cabling or additional components are to be fitted cannot be known in advance. This makes the design, shaping and stuffing of the complete seat and its various integral components more difficult. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0013] An object of the invention is to provide an improved seat construction comprising a presence sensor of the type which includes dead zones of the aforementioned type, especially with a view to enabling, from the functional aspect, correct installation of an additional component adjacent to the presence sensor. [0014] The invention is particularly suitable for use in those seat constructions which are ventilated, i.e. in which the additional component is constituted by a fan or a corresponding device for generating an air flow through the seat construction. [0015] The aforementioned object is achieved by means of a device of the type stated in the introduction, which is characterized in that the seat construction comprises a layer of an air-distributing material disposed between the said presence sensor and the said air-current-feeding device, whereby a flow path is provided for the said air current through the air passage, the duct, the said layer of air-distributing material and the said air-current-feeding device. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [0016] The invention will now be described with reference to a preferred embodiment and the appended figures, in which: [0017] FIG. 1 shows in simplified form a vehicle seat having a presence sensor which can be used in the control of an airbag, [0018] FIG. 2 shows a top view of a presence sensor, and [0019] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view along the section A-A in FIG. 2, illustrating the basic principles behind the present invention. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Continue reading about Seat construction... Full patent description for Seat construction Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Seat construction patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Seat construction or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Automotive vehicle seating insert Next Patent Application: Series of components for a vehicle seat Industry Class: Chairs and seats ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Seat construction patent info. 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