EP0407362A1 - A seat with temperature control - Google Patents
A seat with temperature control Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0407362A1 EP0407362A1 EP90830302A EP90830302A EP0407362A1 EP 0407362 A1 EP0407362 A1 EP 0407362A1 EP 90830302 A EP90830302 A EP 90830302A EP 90830302 A EP90830302 A EP 90830302A EP 0407362 A1 EP0407362 A1 EP 0407362A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- seat
- layer
- grooves
- heat
- squab
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47C—CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS
- A47C7/00—Parts, details, or accessories of chairs or stools
- A47C7/62—Accessories for chairs
- A47C7/72—Adaptations for incorporating lamps, radio sets, bars, telephones, ventilation, heating or cooling arrangements or the like
- A47C7/74—Adaptations for incorporating lamps, radio sets, bars, telephones, ventilation, heating or cooling arrangements or the like for ventilation, heating or cooling
Definitions
- the present invention relates in general to the heating and cooling of the seats of a motor vehicle.
- it concerns a seat with temperature control, including a mass of padding with a layered structure and heat-exchange means for heating or cooling the seat.
- the invention proposes the provision of a multi-layered seat structure suitable for housing a heat-exchange device so that its temperature can be regulated.
- a seat of the aforesaid type which has the further characteristic that the outermost layer has outwardly-open grooves suitable for housing the heat-exchange means.
- a motor vehicle seat is constituted by a squab 1 including a layer 6 which has a resilient response and is sufficiently soft to ensure the comfort of the occupant; superposed on the layer 6 is a layer 5 with a "plastic" type of response, that is, a layer which can deform according to the load acting on it and can therefore increase the surface used to support the body weight of the occupant and at the same time improve its restraint, is superposed on the layer 6; this plastic layer can return to its undeformed condition some time after the removal of the load.
- a squab 1 including a layer 6 which has a resilient response and is sufficiently soft to ensure the comfort of the occupant; superposed on the layer 6 is a layer 5 with a "plastic" type of response, that is, a layer which can deform according to the load acting on it and can therefore increase the surface used to support the body weight of the occupant and at the same time improve its restraint, is superposed on the layer 6; this plastic layer can return to its undeformed condition some time after the removal of the
- a further surface layer (of resilient type) is glued on top of the "plastic" layer 5 and includes longitudinal grooves 3 defined by ribs 2 of the outer surface layer.
- the outer surface layer includes two lateral restraining pads 7.
- Longitudinal heat-exchange elements 4 are housed in the grooves (see Figure 2) and may be either electrical resistances or tubes containing a cooling or heating fluid.
- the outer layer of padding is squashed so as to enable the heat-exchange elements 4 to come very close to the surface of the squab and thus eliminate the aforementioned insulation effects which lead to the low thermal efficiency of the controlled-temperature seat.
- the outer layer including the grooves 3 could also be made of compact foam if design requirements call for the outermost layer of the squab 1 to have such a characteristic.
- longitudinal grooves 3 enables the heat-exchange elements 4 to be maintained easily and also to be replaced quickly in the event of breakage.
- an intermediate layer 10 which has the function of supporting the heat-exchange elements 4, to be inserted between the plastic layer 5 and the outer layer.
- the squab has a surface covering layer 9 formed with longitudinal cavities and ribs, as described above; resilient foam (shown by shading in Figure 5) is subsequently injected into the grooves thus formed.
- This composite, surface covering layer 9 and the resilient foam padding in the ribs 2 is then glued to the underlying plastic layer 5, with or without the interposition of the intermediate support layer 10.
- Figure 6 shows the whole squab structure, in which the base 12 (made of mesh or a rigid tray) and the header tube 11 which connects the tubes 4 arranged longitudinally within the grooves 3 are also shown.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates in general to the heating and cooling of the seats of a motor vehicle. In particular, it concerns a seat with temperature control, including a mass of padding with a layered structure and heat-exchange means for heating or cooling the seat.
- The heating and cooling of seats present considerable difficulties as regards the transmission of heat because of the types of material constituting the padding of the squab and the backrest respectively. In fact, such padding is made of closed- or open-cell foam which, in any event, has a low density and thus a large air content and therefore has particularly good insulation characteristics whereby the transfer of heat from the electrical resistances or tubes embedded in the padding is very inefficient.
- In the case of seats with a layered structure, the arrangement of the layers and the need to insert the heat-exchange means in padding which is not homogeneous create a further difficulty.
- The provision of car seats with multi-layered padding has already been proposed by the Applicant Patent application EP-A-O 363 330) in order to provide a motor vheicle seat with a differentiated resilient-plastic response. Starting from the aforesaid problem of inefficient heating, the invention proposes the provision of a multi-layered seat structure suitable for housing a heat-exchange device so that its temperature can be regulated.
- According to the invention, this is achieved by a seat of the aforesaid type which has the further characteristic that the outermost layer has outwardly-open grooves suitable for housing the heat-exchange means.
- Possible advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.
- The invention will now be described, purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a partial cross-section of the squab of a seat according to the invention, taken in a vertical plane;
- Figure 2 is a schematic front view of the squab of Figure 1, in the undeformed condition;
- Figure 3 shows the squab of Figure 2 in the loaded condition;
- Figure 4 and Figure 5 show a second embodiment of the squab according to the invention;
- Figure 6 is a partially-sectioned perspective view of the squab according to an embodiment of the invention.
- A motor vehicle seat is constituted by a squab 1 including a
layer 6 which has a resilient response and is sufficiently soft to ensure the comfort of the occupant; superposed on thelayer 6 is alayer 5 with a "plastic" type of response, that is, a layer which can deform according to the load acting on it and can therefore increase the surface used to support the body weight of the occupant and at the same time improve its restraint, is superposed on thelayer 6; this plastic layer can return to its undeformed condition some time after the removal of the load. As stated, this arrangement is described in European Patent application EP-A-0 363 330. - A further surface layer (of resilient type) is glued on top of the "plastic"
layer 5 and includeslongitudinal grooves 3 defined byribs 2 of the outer surface layer. - As usual, the outer surface layer includes two
lateral restraining pads 7. - Longitudinal heat-
exchange elements 4 are housed in the grooves (see Figure 2) and may be either electrical resistances or tubes containing a cooling or heating fluid. - Since the
grooves 3 are formed in the first layer, that is, the resilient surface layer with a low-rigidity response to the body weight of the occupant of the seat, the outer layer of padding is squashed so as to enable the heat-exchange elements 4 to come very close to the surface of the squab and thus eliminate the aforementioned insulation effects which lead to the low thermal efficiency of the controlled-temperature seat. - Alternatively, of course, the outer layer including the
grooves 3 could also be made of compact foam if design requirements call for the outermost layer of the squab 1 to have such a characteristic. - The use of
longitudinal grooves 3 enables the heat-exchange elements 4 to be maintained easily and also to be replaced quickly in the event of breakage. - It is also possible to consider leaving the
grooves 3 empty, without heat-exchange elements 4, and in this case the grooves would at least have the function of ventilating the squab. - According to the invention, it is also possible to provide for an
intermediate layer 10, which has the function of supporting the heat-exchange elements 4, to be inserted between theplastic layer 5 and the outer layer. - According to the variant shown in Figures 4 and 5, the squab has a surface covering layer 9 formed with longitudinal cavities and ribs, as described above; resilient foam (shown by shading in Figure 5) is subsequently injected into the grooves thus formed. This composite, surface covering layer 9 and the resilient foam padding in the
ribs 2 is then glued to the underlyingplastic layer 5, with or without the interposition of theintermediate support layer 10. - This solution has the advantage that there is better adhesion of the covering layer 9 since it is glued directly to the
plastic layer 5 which, as a result of its physical properties, has very good "gluing" characteristics. - This results in greater substantiality and durability of the padding of the seat which must last for a period of time without deteriorating appreciably either in function or in appearance.
- It should be noted that the distance between two adjacent
longitudinal grooves 2 is shown in the drawings as being greater than it is in reality; the slots between twoadjacent ribs 2 are in fact invisible when the seat is undeformed. - Figure 6 shows the whole squab structure, in which the base 12 (made of mesh or a rigid tray) and the
header tube 11 which connects thetubes 4 arranged longitudinally within thegrooves 3 are also shown. - The examples described above relate to squabs for motor vehicle seats but the invention obviously applies to entire seats, that is, to the squab and to the backrest both of a front seat and a rear seat.
Claims (5)
characterised in that the outermost layer has outwardly-open grooves (3) for housing the heat-exchange elements (4).
characterised in that that grooves (3) have bottle-shaped cross-sections which are wider towards the inside and narrower towards the outside.
characterised in that the grooves (3) are provided in the squab (1) of the seat.
characterised in that the outermost layer is less firm than the adjacent inner layer (5).
characterised in that it has a thin surface covering layer (9) surrounding the grooves (3).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
IT8967553A IT1232130B (en) | 1989-07-05 | 1989-07-05 | SEAT AT CONTROLLABLE TEMPERATURE |
IT6755389 | 1989-07-05 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0407362A1 true EP0407362A1 (en) | 1991-01-09 |
EP0407362B1 EP0407362B1 (en) | 1993-10-27 |
Family
ID=11303393
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP90830302A Expired - Lifetime EP0407362B1 (en) | 1989-07-05 | 1990-07-03 | A seat with temperature control |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0407362B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69004168T2 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2045886T3 (en) |
IT (1) | IT1232130B (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7527329B2 (en) * | 2006-07-11 | 2009-05-05 | C.R.F. Societa Consortile Per Azioni | Seat, in particular a vehicle seat, with means for deviating a ventilation flow based on Coanda effect |
US20110017421A1 (en) * | 2004-09-02 | 2011-01-27 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Vehicle seat air-conditioner and vehicle temperature controller |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE742101C (en) * | 1940-09-18 | 1943-11-22 | Continental Gummiwerke A G | Upholstery cushions or padding made of sponge rubber, cellular rubber, rubber-bound hair or similar materials for seating and reclining furniture |
DE2228001A1 (en) * | 1971-06-11 | 1972-12-28 | Edwall, Per Arvid Lars, Johanneshov (Schweden) | radiator |
US3833259A (en) * | 1972-05-30 | 1974-09-03 | Deere & Co | Vehicle seat comprising three foam layers |
DE3306871A1 (en) * | 1983-02-26 | 1984-08-30 | Bayer Ag, 5090 Leverkusen | Air-conditionable cushion |
EP0206152A2 (en) * | 1985-06-24 | 1986-12-30 | Adriano Antolini | Perfected cover, particularly for vehicle seats |
-
1989
- 1989-07-05 IT IT8967553A patent/IT1232130B/en active
-
1990
- 1990-07-03 ES ES90830302T patent/ES2045886T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-07-03 EP EP90830302A patent/EP0407362B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1990-07-03 DE DE90830302T patent/DE69004168T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE742101C (en) * | 1940-09-18 | 1943-11-22 | Continental Gummiwerke A G | Upholstery cushions or padding made of sponge rubber, cellular rubber, rubber-bound hair or similar materials for seating and reclining furniture |
DE2228001A1 (en) * | 1971-06-11 | 1972-12-28 | Edwall, Per Arvid Lars, Johanneshov (Schweden) | radiator |
US3833259A (en) * | 1972-05-30 | 1974-09-03 | Deere & Co | Vehicle seat comprising three foam layers |
DE3306871A1 (en) * | 1983-02-26 | 1984-08-30 | Bayer Ag, 5090 Leverkusen | Air-conditionable cushion |
EP0206152A2 (en) * | 1985-06-24 | 1986-12-30 | Adriano Antolini | Perfected cover, particularly for vehicle seats |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20110017421A1 (en) * | 2004-09-02 | 2011-01-27 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Vehicle seat air-conditioner and vehicle temperature controller |
US8944145B2 (en) * | 2004-09-02 | 2015-02-03 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Vehicle seat air-conditioner and vehicle temperature controller |
US7527329B2 (en) * | 2006-07-11 | 2009-05-05 | C.R.F. Societa Consortile Per Azioni | Seat, in particular a vehicle seat, with means for deviating a ventilation flow based on Coanda effect |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE69004168T2 (en) | 1994-03-24 |
ES2045886T3 (en) | 1994-01-16 |
IT1232130B (en) | 1992-01-23 |
EP0407362B1 (en) | 1993-10-27 |
IT8967553A0 (en) | 1989-07-05 |
DE69004168D1 (en) | 1993-12-02 |
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