Seat with ventilation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10517405-B2
Application number	US-201515534210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2015
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A seat with a ventilation system that maintains seated person's coolness by blowing air to minimum segments of a seatback and a seat cushion so that seated person's comfort is maintained is provided. Air-blowing means is controlled in air-blowing quantity and air-blowing time periodically by air-blowing control means, and air blowing in each period is set to include a first term T1 in which a predetermined quantity of air is blown and a second term T2 in which the predetermined quantity of air to be blown is gradually reduced.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A seat with a ventilation system comprising:
a seat cushion and a seatback;
an air-blower blowing air to an outside of one or both of a seating surface of the seat cushion and a backrest surface of the seatback;
an air-blowing controller controlling the air-blower to control air-blowing quantity and air-blowing time cyclically,
wherein, air blowing in each cycle includes a first term in which a predetermined quantity of air is blown and a second term in which the predetermined quantity of air to be blown is reduced over time, and
wherein a period of the first term is the same as a period of the second term, and
wherein each of the seat cushion and the seatback includes an aerated layer, to which the air from the air-blower is introduced, extending along a covering material of the seat cushion and the seatback, the aerated layer is divided into a plurality of segments by a plurality of spacers that allows air to pass between adjacent segments, and each segment includes a vent that discharges air supplied by the air-blower,
wherein a period of the air blowing is longer than 30 seconds within a range shorter than 240 second, and
wherein the air-blowing controller abruptly increases the quantity of air to the predetermined quantity of air to be blown in the first term at an end of the second term.

2. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the air-blowing controller varies the air-blowing quantity to the predetermined air-blowing quantity after the second term in which the air-blowing quantity is gradually reduced.

3. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 2 , wherein in the second term in which the air-blowing quantity is reduced over time, and the air blowing is maintained throughout the second term.

4. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the second term (T 2 ) is in a range longer than 15 seconds and shorter than 120 seconds.

5. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the first term (T 1 ) is in a range longer than 15 seconds and shorter than 120 seconds.

6. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the first term (T 1 ′) right after being seated is in a range shorter than 240 seconds.

7. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein air is blown to a portion that corresponds to a thigh region of a seated person on a seating surface of the seat cushion.

8. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 1 wherein air is blown to one or both of a portion that corresponds to a shoulder region of the seated person and a portion that corresponds to a lumber region of the seated person on the backrest surface of the seatback.

9. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the air-blower is an electric air-blowing apparatus, and the air-blowing controller controls the number of rotations of the air-blower.

10. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 9 , wherein the air-blowing controller controls a voltage to be supplied to the air-blower.

11. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 9 , wherein the air-blowing controller controls the air-blower by pulse-width-modulation (PWM).

12. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the air-blower is a compressor, and the air-blowing controller controls an aperture at a midsection of a flow channel.

13. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 1 , wherein the air-blower is a compressor and the air-blowing controller controls a pressure of air from the compressor.

14. A seat with a ventilation system, comprising:
a seat cushion and a seatback;
an air-blower blowing air to an outside of one or both of a seating surface of the seat cushion and a backrest surface of the seatback: and
an air-blowing controller controlling the air-blower to control air velocity and air-blowing time cyclically,
wherein, the air velocity in each cycle includes a first term in which air is blown at a predetermined air velocity and a second term in which the predetermined air velocity of air to be blown is reduced over time, and
wherein a period of the first term is the same as a period of the second term, and
wherein each of the seat cushion and the seatback includes an aerated layer, to which the air from the air-blower is introduced, extending along a covering material of the seat cushion and the seatback, the aerated layer is divided into a plurality of segments by a plurality of spacers that allows air to pass between adjacent segments, and each segment includes a vent that discharges air supplied by the air-blower,
wherein a period of the air blowing is longer than 30 seconds within a range shorter than 240 second, and
wherein the air-blowing controller abruptly increases the quantity of air to the predetermined quantity of air to be blown in the first term at an end of the second term.

15. The seat with a ventilation system according to claim 14 , wherein in the second term in which the air-blowing quantity is reduced over time, and the air blowing is maintained throughout the second term.

Assignees

• Univ Chiba Nat Univ Corp
• Tachi S Co

Inventors

• Katsuura Tetsuo
• Shimomura Yoshihiro
• Takeuchi Tomoyuki
• Tobata Hideo
• Fujikake Tsutomu
• Arata Kazuyoshi

Classifications

• A47C1/11

  Accessories not otherwise provided for, e.g. seats for children · CPC title

• B60N2/5657

  blown towards the seat surface · CPC title

• A61G5/10

  Parts, details or accessories · CPC title

• A47C7/744 Primary

  with active means, e.g. by using air blowers or liquid pumps · CPC title

• B60N2/5635

  coming from the passenger compartment · CPC title