Patent ID: 8176741
Filing Date: 2012-05-15
Classification: B60H,B60N

Abstract:
1. A local air conditioning system for a vehicle, said system comprising: a local air conditioning unit disposed in a seat of the vehicle for performing one of a cooling operation and a heating operation for a predetermined portion of the seat; means for acquiring information regarding a user; means for identifying a current scene based on the information acquired by the information acquiring means; and means for controlling the local air conditioning unit on condition that the current scene is identified as a getting-in-vehicle scene in which the user gets in the vehicle and sits on the seat, wherein the local air conditioning unit includes an air generating mechanism that is capable of generating one of cool air and warm air and introducing the one toward the predetermined portion of the seat, the predetermined portion of the seat is provided in an area excluding a contact area that makes close contact with a body of a user when the user is seated on the seat, the air generating mechanism includes a blower for generating a flow of air, a Peltier module for adjusting a temperature of air blown by the blower, a blowoff port disposed at the predetermined portion of the seat for blowing off the air, an air guide passage part disposed within the seat to guide air blown by the blower to the blowoff port via the Peltier module, and a drive unit capable of driving the Peltier module, the Peltier module, the blower and the air guide passage part are integrally embedded in a seatback of the seat, the blowoff port forms openings on opposite sides of a headrest of the seat, the Peltier module is embedded in a lower portion of the seatback such that a first side thereof faces a front side of the seatback and a second side thereof faces a rear side of the seatback, the first side being brought to a cold side when the Peltier module is driven in a forward polarity, the second side including a heat sink portion, the air guide passage part includes a seatback passage portion that extends in a substantially upward direction for guiding the air having passed through the first side of the Peltier module toward the blowoff port, the air generating mechanism further includes a waste heat discharging port on the rear side of the seatback for discharging a waste heat from the heat sink, the air generating mechanism further includes a cooling sheet between the seatback passage portion and a front cushion layer of the seatback, and the seatback passage portion is made of metal, and is in contact with the cooling sheet.