Vehicle seat with serpentine air flow channel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10449877-B1
Application number	US-201815979025-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 14, 2018
Priority date	May 14, 2018
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a thermal comfort system including an air duct in a foam cushion, a thermoelectric device, a heat sink extending inside the air duct from the thermoelectric device, and an air mover that causes air to flow from the passenger cabin, through the seating surface, along the air duct and heat sink, and back out of the seat. In a cooling mode, air flowing along air duct absorbs heat from one side of the thermoelectric device via the heat sink while the opposite side of the thermoelectric device absorbs heat from the trim cover via thermal conduction. The air duct can be shaped to position the thermoelectric device near the seating surface for enhanced conductive energy exchange without the need for uncomfortable rigid ductwork.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat comprising a seat bottom and a seat back, at least one of the seat bottom or the seat back comprising:
an air permeable trim cover including a seating surface;
an air duct underlying the trim cover and defining an air flow channel in the seat;
a thermoelectric device underlying the trim cover;
a heat sink attached to the thermoelectric device and extending into the air flow channel; and
an air mover operable to cause air to flow into the seat through the trim cover, along the air flow channel and heat sink, and out of the seat at a location away from the seating surface,
wherein the thermoelectric device is arranged to modulate the temperature of the trim cover by thermal conduction, and
wherein the air flow channel is shaped so that air flows in a direction toward the trim cover at an upstream side of the heat sink and in a direction away from the trim cover at a downstream side of the heat sink.

2. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein an angle between said directions is greater than 90 degrees.

3. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the heat sink is attached to a first side of the thermoelectric device and an opposite second side of the thermoelectric device is located outside the air flow channel.

4. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a conductive layer attached to the thermoelectric device, the conductive layer extending along and being in contact with the trim cover.

5. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a foam cushion underlying the trim cover, wherein at least a portion of the air flow channel extends through the foam cushion.

6. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , further comprising at least one air intake channel having a first end in fluidic communication with the trim cover and a second end in fluidic communication with the air flow channel of the air duct at a location upstream from the heat sink such that at least some of the air that flows into the seat through the trim cover flows along the at least one air intake channel before flowing along the heat sink and out of the seat.

7. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , further comprising at least one air intake channel having a first end in fluidic communication with the trim cover and a second end in fluidic communication with the air flow channel of the air duct at a location downstream from the heat sink such that at least some of the air that flows into the seat through the trim cover flows along the at least one air intake channel and out of the seat without flowing along the heat sink.

8. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a foam cushion underlying the trim cover, wherein a foam portion of the air duct is defined by the foam cushion and the heat sink extends into the air flow channel along the foam portion of the air duct.

9. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 8 , wherein the heat sink is supported and biased toward the trim cover by the foam cushion.

10. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 8 , wherein the air duct further comprises an intake portion upstream from the foam portion such that air flows along the intake portion before flowing along the heat sink, the intake portion of the air duct being formed at least in part by an intake housing formed separately from and attached to the foam cushion.

11. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 10 , wherein the air duct further comprises an exhaust portion downstream from the foam portion such that air flows along the exhaust portion before exiting the seat, the exhaust portion of the air duct being formed at least in part by an exhaust housing formed separately from and attached to the foam cushion.

12. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 11 , further comprising a duct housing that includes the intake housing and the exhaust housing formed together as a single piece attached to the foam cushion.

13. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 11 , wherein the heat sink portion of the air duct is formed in the foam cushion and extends between opposite first and second ends located and spaced apart along a surface of the foam cushion facing away from the trim cover, the heat sink extending into the air flow channel at an apex of the foam portion of the air duct positioned between the trim cover and said surface of the foam cushion.

14. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a foam cushion underlying the trim cover, the foam cushion having a first side facing the trim cover and an opposite second side,
wherein the heat sink is located along a U-shaped portion of the air duct that is formed in the foam cushion with opposite first and second ends spaced apart along the second side of the foam cushion.

15. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 14 , further comprising:
a housing formed separately from and attached to the second side of the foam cushion, the housing at least partly defining an intake portion of the air duct upstream from the U-shaped portion; and
a plurality of air intake channels formed in the foam cushion separately from the U-shaped portion of the air duct and extending from the first side of the foam cushion to the second side of the foam cushion,
wherein the intake portion fluidly connects at least one of the air intake channels to the U-shaped portion such that air flows along a serpentine-shaped path while in the seat, with air flowing away from the trim cover in the at least one air intake channel before flowing toward the trim cover to reach the heat sink and then flowing away from the trim cover again before exiting the seat.

Assignees

• Faurecia Automotive Seating Llc

Inventors

• Tait Shaun Dorian

Classifications

• B60N2/5692

  Refrigerating means · CPC title

• B60N2/565

  sucked from the seat surface · CPC title

• B60H1/00564

  of air ducts · CPC title

• B60N2/5642 Primary

  with circulation of air through a layer inside the seat · CPC title

• B60N2/70 Primary

  Upholstery springs {; Upholstery} · CPC title