Vehicle seat air-conditioning device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10569616-B2
Application number	US-201415030667-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2014
Priority date	Oct 25, 2013
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A seat air-conditioning device is provided with an air blowout portion which is open so as to blow out air toward a seated occupant seated on a vehicle seat, the air being blown from a ventilator. A control device of the seat air-conditioning device causes a blowing direction changing device to change a blowing direction of the air blown our from the air blowout portion based on passenger information including a build and a sitting position of a passenger which is the seated occupant. Accordingly, air can be blown in a direction according to the build or the sitting position of the seated occupant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat air-conditioning device, comprising:
a ventilator that blows air;
an air blowout portion that is open so as to blow out the air blown by the ventilator toward a passenger sitting in a vehicle seat;
a blowing direction changing portion disposed in the air blowout portion, the blowing direction changing portion changing a blowing direction of the air blown out from the air blowout portion; and
a controller that causes the blowing direction changing portion to change the blowing direction based on passenger information, the passenger information representing a body weight of the passenger, wherein
the vehicle seat includes a seat cushion, the seat cushion including a passenger support portion that supports the passenger,
the air blowout portion opens around the passenger support portion of the seat cushion at a passenger side thereof, and
the controller is programmed to:
acquire the passenger information to detect the body weight of the passenger; and
control the blowing direction changing portion such that as the body weight of the passenger increases, the blowing direction changing portion changes the blowing direction from pointing inward to pointing upward at the vehicle seat.

2. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle seat includes a seat component member corresponding to one of a seat back and the seat cushion, and
the air blowout portion is disposed so as to be adjacent to the seat component member in the vehicle width direction.

3. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle seat includes a seat component member corresponding to one of a seat back and the seat cushion, and
the seat component member includes a seat pad having elasticity, a seat cover that covers a surface of the passenger side of the seat pad, and cover joining portions formed as a pair lined up in the vehicle width direction, the cover joining portions joining the seat cover to the seat pad, and
the air blowout portion is disposed in seat peripheral portions, the seat peripheral portions being formed in the seat component member outward of each of the pair of cover joining portions in the vehicle width direction.

4. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 3 , wherein
a plurality of micro holes are formed in the seat cover, the plurality of micro holes blowing out the air blown by the ventilator, and
the seat pad has formed therein a first ventilation passage that sends the air blown by the ventilator to the micro holes, and a second ventilation passage that sends the air blown by the ventilator to the air blowout portion.

5. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 4 , wherein
the second ventilation passage is connected to the first ventilation passage, and
the first ventilation passage and the second ventilation passage are formed such that the air blown by the ventilator flows through one of the first ventilation passage and the second ventilation passage and into the other of the first ventilation passage and the second ventilation passage.

6. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a heat exchanger disposed at an airflow upstream side of the air blowout portion, the heat exchanger heating or cooling the air blown out by the air blowout portion.

7. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an air intake portion that guides air, which is guided from a vehicle cabin interior air-conditioner unit disposed separately from the vehicle seat, toward an air intake side of the ventilator.

8. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory storing a blowing direction map representing a predetermined relationship between the blowing direction and the body weight of the passenger, wherein
the controller reads the blowing direction map so as to control the blowing direction changing portion.

9. A vehicle seat air-conditioning device, comprising:
a ventilator that blows air;
an air blowout portion that is open so as to blow out the air blown by the ventilator toward a passenger sitting in a vehicle seat;
a blowing direction changing portion disposed in the air blowout portion, the blowing direction changing portion changing a blowing direction of the air blown out from the air blowout portion; and
a controller that causes the blowing direction changing portion to change the blowing direction based on passenger information, the passenger information representing a position of a thigh region of the passenger with respect to the vehicle seat, wherein
the vehicle seat includes a seat cushion, the seat cushion including a passenger support portion that supports the passenger,
the air blowout portion opens around the passenger support portion of the seat cushion at a passenger side thereof, and
the controller is programmed to:
acquire the passenger information to detect a position of the thigh region of the passenger on the seat cushion; and
control the blowing direction changing portion such that as the position of the thigh region of the passenger on the seat cushion is more outward in a vehicle width direction, the blowing direction changing portion changes the blowing direction from pointing inward to pointing upward at the vehicle seat.

10. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 9 , further comprising:
a plurality of weight sensors disposed in the seat cushion in a line in the vehicle width direction that detect weights from the passenger side, wherein
the controller is programmed to determine the thigh region to be more outward in the vehicle width direction as the weight sensors detect a weight, which is at or above a predetermined threshold weight, exists outward in the vehicle width direction.

11. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 10 , wherein
the seat cushion includes a seat pad having elasticity, a seat cover that covers a surface of the passenger side of the seat pad, and cover joining portions formed as a pair lined up in the vehicle width direction, the cover joining portions joining the seat cover to the seat pad, and
all or a portion of the plurality of weight sensors are disposed in seat peripheral portions, the seat peripheral portions being formed in the seat cushion outward of each of the pair of cover joining portions in the vehicle width direction.

12. The vehicle seat air-conditioning device of claim 9 , further comprising:
a memory storing a blowing direction map representing a predetermined relationship between the blowing direction and the position of the thigh region of the passenger, wherein
the controller reads the blowing direction map so as to control the blowing direction changing portion.

13. A vehicle seat air-conditioning device, comprising:
a ventilator that blows air;
an air blowout portion that is open so as to blow out the air blown by the ventilator toward a passenger sitting in a vehicle seat;
a blowing direction changing portion disposed in the air blowout portion, the blowing direction changing portion changing a blowing direction of the air blown out from the air blowout portion; and
a controller that causes the blowing direction changing portion to change the blowing direction based on passenger information, the passenger information representing a body weight of the passenger and a position of a thigh region of the passenger with respect to the vehicle seat, wherein
the vehicle seat includes a seat cushion, the seat cushion including a passenger support portion that supports the passenger,
the air blowout portion opens around the passenger support

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Yuusuke
• Niimi Yasuhiko
• Fujii Takahisa

Classifications

• B60H1/00742

  by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors · CPC title

• B60H1/00285 Primary

  for vehicle seats · CPC title

• B60H2001/00128

  Electric heaters · CPC title

• B60H1/00871

  Air directing means, e.g. blades in an air outlet (construction of nozzles or air diffusers B60H1/34) · CPC title

• B60H2001/003

  Component temperature regulation using an air flow · CPC title