Air conditioning device for an air flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12071052-B2
Application number	US-202318129966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2023
Priority date	Mar 29, 2019
Publication date	Aug 27, 2024
Grant date	Aug 27, 2024

Abstract

An air conditioning device for a vehicle seat, the air conditioning device includes: at least one flow generator to generate an air flow; at least one air inlet opening fluidically connected to a flow inlet of the flow generator to draw in air to be temperature-controlled; at least one air outlet opening fluidically connected to a flow outlet of the flow generator to eject the temperature-controlled air; a temperature-control device configured to control a temperature of the air drawn in through the at least one air inlet opening prior to the air being ejected from the at least one air outlet opening; and a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the air drawn into the at least one air inlet opening and to adapt a heating power of the temperature-control device to the detected temperature of the drawn-in air.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air conditioning device for a vehicle seat, the air conditioning device comprising:
at least one flow generator configured to generate an air flow;
at least one air inlet opening fluidically connected to a flow inlet of the at least one flow generator to draw in air to be temperature-controlled;
at least one air outlet opening fluidically connected to a flow outlet of the at least one flow generator to eject the temperature-controlled air;
a temperature-control device configured to control a temperature of the air prior to the air being ejected from the at least one air outlet opening; and
a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the air that is drawn into the at least one air inlet opening and/or the at least one flow generator, and a heating power of the temperature-control device is controlled based on the detected temperature of the air drawn into the at least one air inlet opening and/or the at least one flow generator.

2. The air conditioning device according to claim 1 , wherein the air conditioning device comprises a one-piece, air routing body comprising the at least one air inlet opening and the at least one air outlet opening.

3. The air conditioning device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one air inlet opening and the at least one air outlet opening form a common air passage opening.

4. The air conditioning device according to claim 1 , wherein an inlet flow region directly adjoining the at least one air inlet opening runs separately from an outlet flow region to which the at least one air outlet opening adjoins directly, and optionally the outlet flow region has a free flow cross-section, which increases in a flow direction of the temperature-controlled air.

5. The air conditioning device according to claim 1 , wherein the flow outlet is a channel defined by a pair of opposing diverging walls that diverge in an outflow direction of the temperature-controlled air, and the flow inlet is a channel that is defined by a pair of walls, which extend at least partially alongside the temperature control device to the inlet of the at least one flow generator.

6. The air conditioning device according to claim 4 , wherein the outlet flow region is arranged between two inlet flow regions.

7. The air conditioning device according to claim 2 , wherein the air conditioning device comprises a guide grille body, which has a plurality of air guide elements which form a lattice structure and are configured to influence a flow direction of the air flow within the air routing body and/or the flow direction of the air flow out of the air routing body.

8. The air conditioning device according to claim 7 , wherein the guide grille body is arranged in an outlet flow region and/or in an inlet flow region and in a vicinity of the at least one air outlet opening and/or the at least one air inlet opening, wherein the air guide elements are fan-like arranged air guide blades.

9. The air conditioning device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one air inlet opening and the at least one flow generator are connected via one or more inlet flow channels and the at least one flow generator and the at least one air outlet opening are connected via one or more outlet flow channels, wherein the one or more inlet flow channels and tone or more outlet flow channels are formed separately from one another and/or are arranged adjacent to one another.

10. The air conditioning device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one flow generator and the temperature-control device have a common fan housing, wherein the air routing body is fastened to the fan housing.

11. The air conditioning device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one air inlet opening and the at least one air outlet opening are arranged next to one another such that, when the air conditioning device is in operation, outside the air conditioning device in a transition region between the at least one air inlet opening and the at least one air outlet opening, an air turbulence forms which deflects the air ejected through the at least one air outlet opening to the outside.

12. A support device comprising:
a support body which has a support surface for a back and/or a back of a head of a user; and
the air conditioning device according to claim 1 , to draw in, control the temperature of and eject the air flow, the air conditioning device being arranged within the support body.

13. The support device according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one air inlet opening and/or the at least one air outlet opening of the air conditioning device are at least partially surrounded by the support surface of the support body or are integrated into the support surface of the support body, wherein the support device is a headrest or a backrest of the vehicle seat.

14. The air conditioning device according to claim 5 , wherein the pair of opposing diverging walls of the flow outlet channel are arranged at a spread angle to one another, the spread angle having a vertex that is offset from a rotational axis of the at least one flow generator.

15. The air conditioning device according to claim 5 , wherein the pair of walls of the flow inlet channel extend at least partially alongside and past the temperature control device to the inlet of the at least one flow generator.

16. The air conditioning device according to claim 15 , wherein one of the pair of walls of the flow inlet channel directly adjoins one wall of the pair of opposing diverging walls of the flow outlet channel, a cross section of the inlet flow channel is generally constant, and the inlet flow channel has a substantially linear extension.

Assignees

• Gentherm Gmbh

Inventors

• Pfaff Jochen
• Rappl Alexander

Classifications

• B60N2/5657

  blown towards the seat surface · CPC title

• B60N2/565

  sucked from the seat surface · CPC title

• B60N2/879

  with additional features not related to head-rest positioning, e.g. heating or cooling devices or loudspeakers · CPC title

• B60N2/5685

  Resistance · CPC title

• B60N2/5678

  characterised by electrical systems · CPC title