This disclosure relates to temperature control of a vehicle interior environment, such as within an automobile. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a vehicle microclimate system and a method for controlling the same for increasing an occupant's personal comfort.
Heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems are widely used in the automobile industry to control the temperature within the vehicle to increase occupant comfort. Increasingly, vehicles have incorporated additional, auxiliary thermal conditioning devices, such as heated and cooled seats and heated steering wheels to provide a personalized microclimate for the occupant. These auxiliary thermal conditioning devices are intended to further enhance occupant comfort.
If the vehicle interior is very hot or very cold, it may take undesirably long for the HVAC system to reach a thermally comfortable equilibrium. Additionally, although microclimate devices may be used to provide occupant comfort, these microclimate devices may not be able to overcome the effects of an uncomfortable vehicle interior. It is desirable to further improve the microclimate occupied by each occupant.
In one exemplary embodiment, a vehicle occupant air curtain system includes a seat that has a seat cushion and a seat back. The seat back has a region that is configured to be arranged above an occupant shoulder. An air vent is supported on the seat back and is arranged in the region. The air vent is configured to direct an airflow adjacent to a seated occupant's head and neck.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the seat back includes a head rest. The head rest is adjustable with respect to a seat back support.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the air vent is configured to be directed away from the seated occupant's head and neck.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the air vent includes a housing and a vent. The vent is movable relative to the housing to position an airflow from the vent adjacent to and away from the seated occupant's head and neck.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, a dead zone in air directed by the air vent is aligned with the seated occupant's ears.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the air vent is configured to provide an airflow that has at least two of 3.5 cfm+1-10%, a Reynolds number of 4500+/−10%, and a velocity of 8 m/s+/−10%.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the air vent is a first air vent. The seat cushion includes lateral sides that each include a second air vent that is configured to direct another airflow adjacent to a seated occupant's legs.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the second air vent is configured to provide an airflow having at least two of 3.5 cfm+/−10%, a Reynolds number of 4000+/−10%, and a velocity of 7 m/s+/−10%.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the seat is in communication with a thermoelectric module that is configured to provide conditioned air to at least one of the first and second air vents and comprises an air inlet to the thermoelectric module that draws air from a source substantially other than the first and second air vents.
In another exemplary embodiment, a vehicle occupant air curtain system includes a seat having a seat cushion and a seat back. The seat cushion includes lateral sides that each include an air vent configured to direct an airflow adjacent to a seated occupant's legs and meet above the occupant's legs so as to continue away from the occupant.
In another exemplary embodiment, a method of generating an air curtain from a seat and about a vehicle occupant. The method includes the step of conditioning air from an inlet from a diffused, ambient environment. The conditioned air is provided to first and second air vents. A first boundary layer of air is created from a first air vent and is adjacent to an occupant's head. A second boundary layer of air is created from a second air vent and is adjacent to an occupant's legs.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the first boundary layer creating step includes supplying the first boundary layer of air from the first air vent located on a seat back and has a region above an occupant shoulder. The second boundary layer creating step includes supplying the second boundary layer of air from the second air vent located on a lateral side of a seat cushion.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the first and second boundary layers of air each provide an airflow having at least two of 3.5 cfm+/−10%, a Reynolds number of 4250+/−20%, and a velocity of 7.5 m/s+/−20%.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the first and second boundary layers of air enter the vehicle cabin from the first and second vents without further obstruction.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the first air vent includes a housing and a vent. The vent is movable relative to the housing to position an airflow from the vent adjacent to and away from the seated occupant's head and neck. The first air vent provides a dead zone arranged between an upper flow path and a lower flow path. The dead zone obstructs flow through the air vent.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the air conditioning step is performed by passing air across a thermoelectric device operable based upon the Peltier effect.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the air conditioning step is performed by passing air across a heat exchanger that has an evaporative liquid refrigerant.
In another exemplary embodiment, an air curtain vent for a seat includes a housing. A vent is movable relative to the housing. The vent includes a height substantially greater than a width. The height and width provide an exit that provides upper and lower flow paths. A dead zone is arranged between the upper and lower flow paths. The dead zone is configured to significantly obstruct flow through the vent.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the vent includes a baffle that blocks at least 15% of the exit. The height is at least three times the width.
In another exemplary embodiment, a front seat includes a seat cushion and a seat back which together provide an occupant support surface. The occupant support surface is configured to provide thermal conditioning to a front seat occupant. The seat back has a thermal conditioning module opposite the occupant support surface and is configured to provide thermal conditioning to a rear occupant aft of the front seat.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the seat back supports a radiant heating device that faces opposite the occupant support surface.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the seat back includes an air vent that faces opposite the occupant support surface.
The disclosure can be further understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The embodiments, examples and alternatives of the preceding paragraphs, the claims, or the following description and drawings, including any of their various aspects or respective individual features, may be taken independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments, unless such features are incompatible.
An example microclimate control system 10 is schematically shown in
The system 10 includes a controller 12 that coordinates operation of an HVAC system 14 and one or more occupant microclimate devices to provide a comfortable environment for the occupants within a vehicle. One or more foot well heating vents may be used.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Returning to
The vehicle may also employ other microclimate devices, such as a heated/cooled steering wheel, heated/cooled interior panels, heated/cooled arm rests, a heated/cooled center console cover or other heated/cooled surfaces.
Thermal energy source microclimate devices can include central HVAC, auxiliary heaters (PTC heater), auxiliary thermoelectric devices, auxiliary HVAC devices such as mini-compressor systems (e.g.,
An occupant comfort feedback device 22, such as an infrared sensor for measuring an occupant's thermal state or skin temperature, may be used to provide feedback to the system and automatically regulate the occupant's microclimate to maximize occupant comfort.
In order to improve occupant thermal comfort, it may be desirable to thermally isolate the occupant from the environment within the vehicle until the vehicle interior reaches a comfortable thermal equilibrium. Alternatively or additionally, it may be desirable to create a thermal microclimate around all or part of the occupant to reduce reliance on and energy consumed by the central HVAC for occupant conditioning. To this end, the seat provides an occupant air curtain system 30 which creates a boundary layer of conditioned air about the occupant. This boundary layer of air is different from air supplied, for example, from the typical HVAC dashboard vents or elsewhere as such air is significantly or entirely diffused and highly turbulent by the time the conditioned air reaches the occupant. As such, this air is incapable of creating a discrete boundary layer of air about the occupant. The air curtain C is a layer of air created in the immediate vicinity of the occupant that separates the occupant from air in the remainder of the interior compartment, or boundary layer. The air curtain C disrupts the flow of air from the central HVAC that is directed towards the occupant. The air curtain C may mix with air from the central HVAC and thereby alter the temperature and velocity of air from the central HVAC. As a boundary layer, the air curtain C may serve as the primary means by which the occupant is conditioned or as the primary effector of the occupant's thermal sensation.
In one embodiment, the occupant air curtain system 30 includes first and second air vents 32, 34 respectively provided in the seat back and seat bottom. In one example, air exiting the vents 32, 34 each include flow directing structure that produce first and second boundary layers of air respectively that have an airflow having at least two of 3.5 cfm+1-10%, a Reynolds number of 4250+/−20%, and a velocity of 7.5 m/s+/−20%. The air flow characteristics may depend on the area of the curtain C, and can vary based on air flow rates from the central HVAC directed towards the occupant (e.g. higher air curtain flow rates desired to maintain buffer against higher central HVAC rates, etc.) As such the air flow characteristics may be in a range of 2.5-7.0 cfm, a Reynolds number of 3000-8500, and a velocity of 5.0-15.0 m/s. In another example, all three airflow characteristics are achieved. The air flow characteristics relate to average air curtain C values, or values associated with a portion of the air curtain C. Air from an inlet to the thermoelectric module is conditioned. The inlet air comes from a source of diffused, ambient air and substantially other than the first and second air vents 32, 34. That is, the air is drawn in from away from the air curtain C generated by the first and second air vents 32, 34 so that the generated air curtain C is not “wrapped” about the occupant. The conditioned air is then provided to the first and second air vents 32, 34 and into the vehicle cabin without further obstruction.
Although not shown, the occupant air curtain system 30 can optionally have a third air vent located along a lower section of the perimeter of the seat back. In one example, the third air vent can be directed forward toward seat occupant. In an alternate example, the third air vent can be directed rearward toward an occupant of another seat.
The first air vent(s) 32 may be provided by vents in the upper portion of the seat back and/or headrest (
In a similar manner, each of the second air vents 34 provided at a perimeter of the seat bottom supplies a boundary layer of air about the occupant's legs and lower torso. Referring to
Referring to
The example second air vent 34 configurations are shown in
One example first air vent 32 is shown in
The vent 96 has louvers 108, 110 that provide first and second flow paths 114, 116 separated by a dead zone 112 in which air is not expelled from the exit 106 of the vent 96. The louvers 110 create a baffle that blocks at least 15% of the exit 106, which has a height at least three times its width. It should be understood that no baffle may be used, or baffles that block a lesser or greater amount of the exit 106, for example, 5%-25%. The dead zone 112 is designed to align with the occupant's ear (
The occupant air curtain system and its boundary layer about the occupant is schematically illustrated in
Referring to
It should also be understood that although a particular component arrangement is disclosed in the illustrated embodiment, other arrangements will benefit herefrom. Although particular step sequences are shown, described, and claimed, it should be understood that steps may be performed in any order, separated or combined unless otherwise indicated and will still benefit from the present invention.
Although the different examples have specific components shown in the illustrations, embodiments of this invention are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another one of the examples.
Although an example embodiment has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of the claims. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content.
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/330,476 filed on Mar. 5, 2019, which is a National Phase Application of International Application No. PCT/US2017/050677 filed on Sep. 8, 2017, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/385,781, which was filed on Sep. 9, 2016 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62385781 | Sep 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16330476 | Mar 2019 | US |
Child | 17892526 | US |