Air Supply Device for a Motor Vehicle Seat and Method for Operating the Air Supply Device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016236599-A1
Application number	US-201615136073-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 22, 2016
Priority date	Oct 23, 2013
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air supply device and a method of operating same are provided for a vehicle seat having an air discharge opening provided in the upper region of the vehicle seat, via which opening a head, shoulder, and neck region of the seat occupant can be supplied with an airflow. The airflow is adjustable by a control unit for controlling or regulating a fan rotational speed of a blower and can be heated via a heating element. The control unit is supplied at least one activation signal for activating the air supply device and a temperature signal that provides information about the interior temperature. The control unit activates the heating element and the blower according to the activation signal and then controls at least the blower as a function of the interior temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of operating an air-supply device for a vehicle seat having an air-outflow opening provided in an upper region of the vehicle seat via which a head, shoulder and neck region of the seat occupant is suppliable with an air stream, the air stream being adjustable by control or regulation of a speed of a fan and being heatable by a heating element, the method comprising the acts of:
(a) checking, in a control unit, whether a switch-on signal that switches on the air-supply device is present; (b) if the switch-on signal is present, determining whether an interior temperature of a vehicle exceeds a preset threshold temperature value, wherein:
(b1) if the interior temperature exceeds the preset threshold temperature value, switching-on the heating element and the fan and controlling or regulating, via the control unit, a fan power such that the fan is operated at a power-setting fan speed dependent on a required power setting of the air-supply device;
(b2) if the interior temperature does not exceed the preset threshold temperature value, switching on the heating element and the fan and controlling or regulating, via the control unit the fan power such that the fan is operated at a preset minimum fan speed which is lower than the power-setting fan speed, then:
(b3) starting a timer for measuring an elapsed time;
(b4) checking whether the interior temperature exceeds the preset threshold temperature value, wherein: (i) if the interior temperature exceeds the preset threshold temperature value, controlling or regulating the fan power so that the fan is operated at the power-setting fan speed dependent on the required power setting of the air-supply device, and (ii) if the interior temperature does not exceed the preset threshold temperature value, checking whether a period of time elapsed since the timer started is greater than a preset period of time and, if not, returning to step (b4), otherwise controlling or regulating the fan power so that the fan is operated at the power-setting fan speed dependent on the required power setting of the air-supply device.

2 . An air-supply device for a vehicle seat having an air-outflow opening provided in an upper region of the vehicle seat via which a head, shoulder and neck region of a seat occupant is suppliable with an air stream, the air-supply device comprising:
a fan controllable to adjust the air stream; a heating element configured to heat the air stream; a control unit operatively configured to control a speed of the fan and the heating element in accordance with a switch-on signal of the air-supply device received by the control unit, wherein
the control unit receives a temperature signal indicating an interior temperature of the vehicle, and
in response to the switch-on signal received by the control unit, the control unit switches on the heating element and activates the fan depending on the interior temperature.

3 . The air-supply device according to claim 2 , further wherein the control unit, in response to the switch-on signal, causes the fan to be operated at a preset minimum fan speed when the temperature signal indicates that the interior temperature is lower than a preset threshold temperature value.

4 . The air-supply device according to claim 3 , further wherein the control unit causes the fan operated at the preset minimum fan speed to be operated at a higher fan speed dependent on a required power setting of the air-supply device as soon as the temperature signal indicates that the interior temperature is above the preset threshold temperature value.

5 . The air-supply device according to claim 4 , wherein the higher fan speed is a defined power-setting fan speed.

6 . The air-supply device according to claim 4 , further wherein the control unit causes the fan operated at the preset minimum fan speed to be operated at the higher fan speed irrespective of the temperature signal when the fan has operated at the preset minimum fan speed for more than a preset period of time.

7 . The air-supply device according to claim 5 , further wherein the control unit causes the fan operated at the preset minimum fan speed to be operated at the higher fan speed irrespective of the temperature signal when the fan has operated at the preset minimum fan speed for more than a preset period of time.

8 . The air-supply device according to claim 7 , further wherein the control unit, in response to the switch-on signal, causes the fan to be operated directly at the defined power-setting fan speed dependent on a required power setting of the air-supply device and greater than the preset minimum fan speed when the temperature signal indicates that the interior temperature is above the present threshold temperature value.

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Nordalm Hendrik
• Geithner Sebastian

Classifications

• B60N2/5671 Primary

  forming a windbreak, e.g. warm air blown on the neck of the passenger of an open vehicle · CPC title

• B60N2/5621

  by air · CPC title

• B60N2/5685

  Resistance · CPC title