Vehicle Seat Airflow Management for Localized Thermal Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicle climate control systems often require heating or cooling the entire cabin before passengers feel relief, especially on extreme days, leading to inefficiency and delayed comfort.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a vehicle seat with air discharge and intake ports, coupled with a blower and heat exchangers, allows for localized climate control, directing air streams along the passenger's body to create a vehicle seat-specific climate, minimizing energy use and reducing wait time for thermal comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the vehicle climate control system heats or cools the entire passenger cabin, then the overall cabin temperature reaches the desired level, but the passenger experiences delayed thermal comfort as the entire cabin volume must be conditioned
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the climate control function by dividing the cabin air conditioning into localized seat-level zones. Each seat has its own air discharge ports and intake ports, creating independent climate zones that can be controlled separately. This allows targeted conditioning of only the passenger's immediate vicinity rather than the entire cabin volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements local quality by providing differentiated climate control at each seat location. Air discharge ports are positioned to deliver conditioned air directly to the passenger's body, creating locally optimized thermal environments. This enables different temperature settings for different seats based on individual passenger needs.
2Loss of time
If air is discharged from ports located away from the passenger, then the climate control system can operate independently, but the passenger does not receive immediate thermal relief
Solution Approach 1:
The invention embeds the airflow management system within the seat structure itself. The air discharge ports are integrated into the seat back and seat bottom, with ducting nested within the seat framework. The intake ports are positioned to draw air from the cabin environment through the seat structure, creating a self-contained climate control unit at each seat.
Solution Approach 2:
The seat-level climate control system operates autonomously at each seat location. Each seat has its own blower, air discharge ports, and intake ports that work together independently to provide localized conditioning. The system self-regulates airflow through the seat structure without requiring centralized cabin-wide air distribution infrastructure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables immediate thermal comfort for passengers by creating a localized climate around the seat, reducing energy consumption and shortening the time to achieve desired temperatures, as only a smaller volume of air needs to be conditioned.
Implementation Method 1
a blower having an output side arranged to provide air flow out of the air discharge ports
Implementation Method 2
one or more heat exchangers located along a system air flow path to affect the temperature of the air flowing through the system
Data Source
AI summary
Vehicle seats may be configured as part of an airflow management system capable of controlling the environment in the immediate vicinity of seated passengers. A vehicle seat may include any number of air intake and discharge ports arranged so that discharged air flows along the body of the seated passenger on its way to the air intake ports. The air may be heated and/or cooled along a system air flow path to have an immediate effect on the comfort of the seated passenger without the need to heat or cool the entire vehicle cabin. Less energy is consumed to achieve a vehicle seat-specific climate than to achieve an overall interior cabin climate. The airflow management system may include more than one such vehicle seat, and the airflow characteristics with respect to each vehicle seat may be separately controllable.