Air cooled/heated vehicle seat assembly

A vehicle seat assembly includes a seat frame structure having a riser and a movable portion movable in relation to the riser in fore and aft directions with respect to a longitudinal axis of a vehicle. A seat cushion assembly including an open-cell foam seat cushion is mounted on the movable portion. The seat cushion includes a plurality of air channels therein extending from a bottom surface to a top surface thereof. The seat cushion is of sufficient thickness and density to support an occupant thereon. The seat cushion assembly includes a seat cushion cover material covering at least the top surface of the seat cushion. The seat cushion cover material is constructed and arranged to permit air to pass therethrough. A seat back frame is coupled to the movable portion of the frame structure. A seat back pad assembly is mounted on the seat back frame. Air flow directing structure is adapted to be coupled to a source of forced air and has a portion constructed and arranged to be mounted on the floor of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to a vehicle seat assembly, and 
more particularly to a vehicle seat assembly which may be heated or cooled 
by forced air directed through the cushions of the seat assembly. 
When a conventional vehicle seat is exposed to a warm ambient temperature, 
the seat may attain a high temperature. Further, after the occupant of the 
vehicle is seated on the seat, the occupant may quickly become 
uncomfortable as the heat held by the seat is trapped between the 
occupant's body and the seat. Even after the vehicle's air conditioning 
system has cooled the vehicle's interior, the heat trapped between the 
seat and the occupant is ever present, causing the occupant to perspire. 
This moisture becomes a primary source of discomfort to the occupant. The 
moisture build up between the seat and the occupant increases with the 
length of time the occupant is seated on the seat. The moisture is most 
noticeable upon exiting the vehicle, when the occupant has the chance to 
actually feel his or her dampened clothing. 
In colder temperatures, the conventional vehicle seats can be uncomfortably 
cold for a period of time. After the vehicle's interior has heated up, the 
occupant's body may lose a significant amount of heat, and subsequently, 
the occupant may be uncomfortable until the heat can be replaced. 
Molded foam vehicle seating is especially susceptible to the 
above-mentioned problems since a barrier film, necessary for molding, lies 
approximately five millimeters below the seat covering material or fabric 
surface. Thus, even if the material covering the foam is air permeable, 
the seat will not "breath," due to the film barrier layer. When covering 
material such as leather is used to cover the foamed cushion, the leather 
must be punctured so as to permit air to pass therethrough enabling the 
seat to breath. However, even seats that can breath still cause the 
above-mentioned discomfort to the occupant since sufficient heating or 
cooling of the seat cannot occur. 
Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a vehicle seating assembly 
which permits air flow through the seat cushion structure to heat or cool 
the seat and to provide a flow of air to reach the occupant seated on the 
seat to reduce moisture between the occupant and the seat. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention to provide a vehicle seating assembly to 
fulfill the need referred to above. In accordance with the principles of 
the present invention, this objective is obtained by providing a vehicle 
seat assembly including a seat frame structure having a riser constructed 
and arranged to be fixedly mounted on a floor of a vehicle, and a movable 
portion constructed and arranged to be movable in relation to the riser in 
fore and aft directions with respect to a longitudinal axis of the 
vehicle. 
A seat cushion assembly including an open-cell foam seat cushion is mounted 
on the movable portion. The seat cushion has a top surface and a bottom 
surface and includes a plurality of air channels therein extending 
generally from the bottom surface to the top surface to direct air to the 
top surface of the seat cushion. The seat cushion is of sufficient 
thickness and density to support an occupant thereon. The seat cushion 
assembly includes a seat cushion cover material covering at least the top 
surface of the seat cushion. The seat cushion cover material is 
constructed and arranged to permit air to pass therethrough. 
A seat back frame is coupled to the movable portion of the frame structure. 
A seat back pad assembly including an open-cell foam seat back pad is 
mounted on the seat back frame. The seat back pad has a front surface and 
a rear surface and has a thickness and density generally equal to the 
thickness and density of the seat cushion. The seat back pad includes a 
plurality of air channels therein extending generally from the rear 
surface to the front surface to direct air to the front surface of the 
seat back pad. The seat back pad assembly includes a seat back cover 
material covering at least the front surface of the seat back pad. The 
seat back cover material is constructed and arranged to permit air to pass 
therethrough. 
Air flow directing structure is adapted to be coupled to a source of forced 
air and has a portion constructed and arranged to be mounted on the floor 
of the vehicle. The air flow directing structure is operatively associated 
with the seat cushion assembly and seat back pad assembly so as to direct 
forced air (1) through the open cells of the seat cushion and of the seat 
back pad so as to change a temperature of the seat cushion and of the seat 
back pad, and (2) through the channels in the seat cushion and the 
channels in the seat back pad and through the seat cushion cover material 
and the seat back cover material. The air flow directing structure is 
constructed and arranged to accommodate the fore and aft movement of the 
movable portion of the frame structure. 
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a seating 
assembly of the type described, which is simple in construction, effective 
in operation and economical to manufacture and maintain. 
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent 
during the course of the following detailed description and appended 
claims. 
The invention may be best understood with reference to the accompanying 
drawings wherein an illustrative embodiment is shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT 
Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown therein a 
vehicle seating assembly, generally indicated at 10, which embodies the 
principles of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the 
assembly 10 includes a driver's seat 12 and an adjacent passenger's seat 
14. Each seat is generally identical and includes a seat frame structure, 
generally indicated at 15, including a riser 16 constructed and arranged 
to be fixedly mounted within the passenger compartment of a vehicle on the 
vehicle floor 18. The frame structure 15 includes a movable portion, 
generally indicated at 20, including a pair of spaced supports, 22 and 24 
which are mounted for movement with respect to an associated riser 16. In 
the illustrated embodiment, each of the supports 22 and 24 is mounted so 
as to be slidable along tracks 26 of the riser 16, in fore and aft 
directions with respect to a longitudinal axis A of the vehicle. The 
movable portion 20 of each seat 12 and 14, also includes a seat pan 28 
mounted between the supports 22 and 24 so as to be movable therewith. 
In the illustrated embodiment, a seat cushion assembly, generally indicated 
at 30, including a molded, open cell foam seat cushion 32 (FIG. 8) and a 
cover material 33 is mounted on each seat pan 28. The seat cushion 
assemblies are identical and thus, only one will be described in detail. 
The seat cushion 32 has a top surface 34 and an opposing bottom surface 
36, with a plurality of air channels 38 extending generally from the 
bottom surface 36 to the top surface 34 thereof. As shown in FIG. 8, the 
plurality of air channels 38 are arranged in the seat cushion 32 such that 
the channels 38 correspond generally to a leg engaging area of the 
occupant. Thus, when air is forced through the channels 38 and through the 
cover material 33, moisture between the cover material 33 and the 
occupant's legs can be prevented, as will be explained more fully below. 
The seat cushion 32 with the channels 38 therein is of sufficient thickness 
and density to support an occupant thereon. 
While the preferred embodiment described above utilizes only open cell 
foam, it is within the contemplation of the present invention to utilize 
spring supported open cell foam in accordance with conventional practice. 
This applies to the seat back cushion as well. 
The seat cushion cover material 33 covers at least the top surface 34 of 
the seat cushion 32. The seat cushion cover material 33 is preferably made 
of cloth or other air permeable fabric. If the cover material 33 is 
leather or other impermeable material, the leather must include 
perforations 42 (FIG. 1) therein so as to permit air to flow therethrough. 
An exemplary perforation pattern is formed by a series of round holes 
approximately 0.03 inches in diameter disposed in a series of straight 
rows. The holes of each row are spaced apart approximately 0.36 inches. 
The rows are spaced apart approximately 0.35 inches. The holes of every 
other row are aligned and the holes of adjacent rows are equally offset. 
Another exemplary perforation pattern is formed by groups of three round 
holes each approximately 0.03 inches in diameter. A group of three holes 
are formed centrally in every other square of a grid of imaginary 
perpendicular parallel lines spaced apart approximately 0.25 inches. Each 
group of three includes two holes spaced apart approximately 0.12 inches 
and a third spaced approximately 0.15 inches from the two. 
It is within the contemplation of the invention to provide a cover material 
which may include a fabric covering a thin foam layer, which ultimately 
covers at least a portion of the seat cushion. When the cover material 
includes the foam layer, both the foam layer and covering must be 
constructed and arranged to permit air to pass therethrough. 
If the seat cushion assembly is molded from foam, having a film barrier 49 
(FIG. 8) beneath the cover material 33, which is required for the molding 
process, the barrier 49 must be punctured or must include perforations 47 
so as to permit air to flow therethrough. Further, the foamed seat cushion 
32 should have open cells to permit air to pass through the open cells for 
conditioning the cushion, as will be explained in more detail below. With 
molded foam cushions, it is necessary to open the cells of the cushion 
after molding. This can be done by performing a crushing operation on the 
foam cushion and then permitting the cushion to return to its molded 
shape. 
A seat back frame 44 is pivotally coupled to the supports 22 and 24 of the 
movable portion 20 of an associated seat frame structure at pins 45. A 
seat back pad assembly, generally indicated at 46, is mounted on the seat 
back frame 44. The seat back pad assembly 46 includes an open-cell foam 
seat back pad 48 and a seat back cover material 50 covering at least a 
front surface of the seat back pad 48. The seat back pad 48 has a rear 
surface opposing the front surface thereof and has a thickness and density 
generally equal to the thickness and density of the seat cushion 32 so as 
to sufficiently support the back of the occupant. 
As with the seat cushion 32, the seat back pad 48 includes a plurality of 
air channels 52 (FIG. 2) therein extending generally from the rear surface 
to the front surface thereof to direct air to the front surface of the 
seat back pad 48. The seat back cover material 50 is the same material as 
the cover material 33 and is constructed and arranged to permit air to 
pass therethrough. 
Again, if the seat back pad assembly is a molded foam assembly, the film 
barrier provided therein must be punctured to permit air to pass 
therethrough. Also, if the cover material 50 is an impermeable material 
such as leather, as shown covering the passenger seat 14 in FIG. 1, the 
material must include perforations 53 similar to the perforations 42 
previously described to permit air to pass therethrough. 
Although, in the illustrated embodiment, molded foam seat cushion 
assemblies are shown, it is within the contemplation of the invention to 
provide seats made from any known process. For example, cut and sew type 
seat cushion assemblies and glued seat cushion assemblies may be employed, 
so long as they are constructed and arranged to permit forced air to flow 
from a rear portion of the seat to the front surface of the seat and 
through the cover material thereof for conditioning the seat cushion 
assembly. 
The movable portion 20 of the seat frame structure 15 permits the seat pan 
28 together with the seat cushion assembly 30 thereon and the seat back 
frame 44 and seat back pad assembly 46 thereon to be movable in relation 
to the riser 16 in fore and aft directions with respect to the 
longitudinal axis A of the vehicle. Further, the seat back frame 44 may be 
pivoted so as to fold forwardly to permit passengers to enter a rear 
compartment of the vehicle or may pivot rearwardly so as to be disposed in 
and inclined position. It is within the contemplation of the invention to 
provide at least the driver's seat 12 of the seat assembly 10 to be 
movable vertically as well as fore and aft to thus provide a seat with a 
conventional six-position adjustment. 
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, air flow directing structure, generally 
indicated at 54, is provided and includes and air receiving member 56 
constructed and arranged to be mounted on the vehicle floor 18. A forward 
portion 58 of the receiving member 56 is adapted to be coupled to a source 
of forced air such as the HVAC system of the vehicle. Alternatively, a 
separate source of forced air may be provided, such as a system mounted 
under at least one of the seats and coupled to the air receiving member 
56. As shown, the air receiving member 56 is generally of T-shaped 
configuration defining an internal air chamber 57. The air flow directing 
structure includes a seat manifold 60 coupled to the seat pan 28 of each 
seat 12 and 14. Each manifold 60 is connected to an inlet 61 of the air 
receiving member 56 by a flexible hose 62 to accommodate the fore and aft 
movement of the associated seat. 
As shown in FIG. 4, in the illustrated embodiment, each of the seat 
manifolds 60 includes upwardly extending flexible members 64 which are 
engaged with holes 66 defined in the bottom of the seat pan 28. Thus, each 
seat manifold 60 is coupled to an associated seat pan 28 such that forced 
air directed from the source may flow through the air receiving member 56 
and to each seat manifold 60, with the manifold 60 directing air upwardly 
through the seat cushion 32. 
As shown in FIG. 5, a flexible hose 68 couples a seat manifold 60 to an 
associated seat back pad assembly 46 such that forced air may flow through 
the seat manifold to the seat back pad 48. In the illustrated embodiment, 
the air flow directing structure includes a seat back manifold 70 sewn 
into the seat back pad assembly 46 and coupled to the flexible hose 68 
such that forced air from the seat manifold 60 is directed to the seat 
back manifold 70. The seat back manifold 70 then directs the air from the 
rear surface of the seat back pad 48 to the front surface thereof. 
With reference to FIG. 3, the air receiving member 56 includes a manually 
movable flow control member 72 mounted within the air chamber 67 and 
associated with each seat manifold 60 so as to control the flow of forced 
air from the air chamber to the associated seat. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 
7, each flow control member 72 includes a sliding member 74 sealingly 
mounted with respect to the air receiving member 56 so as to be manually 
moved to open, close, or particularly close a passageway 76 which leads to 
the associated seat manifold 60. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the 
passageway 76 substantially closed by the sliding member 74. Thus, it can 
be appreciated that the driver and passenger can individually adjust the 
flow of forced air to their seat by moving the associated sliding member 
74. 
The operation of the seat assembly 10 will be appreciated below. As noted 
above, the air receiving member 56 may be coupled to a source of forced 
air, preferably the HVAC system of the vehicle. It is preferable to couple 
the air flow receiving member to the HVAC system since both heating and 
cooling can be provided to the seat assembly 10 and the temperature of the 
air can be controlled by the existing vehicle temperature controls. With 
reference to the drawings, when coupled to the vehicle's HVAC system, 
forced air can enter the T-shaped air receiving member 56. The air flow to 
either seat 12 and 14 can be controlled by the air control members 72. The 
air may then flow through the flexible tubes 62 and into the seat 
manifolds 60. Each seat manifold 60 then supplies the air to both the 
associated seat cushion 32 and to the associated seat back assembly 46 via 
the flexible tube 68. In the illustrated embodiment, the air directed to 
the seat cushion 32 flows from the seat manifold 60, which directs air to 
the channels 38 and to the bottom surface of the seat cushion 32. Thus, 
the air flows through the open cells of the seat cushion 32 so as to 
change a temperature of the seat cushion 32, and, the air flows through 
the channels 38 in the seat cushion 32 and through the cover material 33 
to evaporate moisture which may accumulate between the cover material 33 
and the occupant's legs. 
Air is directed from each seat manifold 60 to the associated seat back 
manifold 70. The air flows from the seat back manifold 70 through the open 
cells of the seat back pad 48 to change the temperature of the seat back 
pad 48 and also flows through the channels 52 in the seat back pad 48 
through the cover material 50 and ultimately to the occupant. 
It can be appreciated that air will reach the cover materials 33 and 50 
since air is being forced through the open cell foam seat cushion and seat 
back pad, respectively. The channels defined in the seat cushion and seat 
back pad reduce the time required to condition the temperature of the seat 
cushion or seat back pad and also reduce the time required for air to 
reach the cover materials. 
From the foregoing, it can be appreciated that the seat back pad assembly 
46 and the seat cushion assembly 30 can be cooled or heated to a 
comfortable temperature in as much time as is required to cool or heat the 
vehicle interior. When cooling is required, the air flowing through the 
cover material of each seat 12 and 14 may evaporate and dissipate any 
moisture built up during the initial cool down period, thereby preventing 
any further perspiring of the occupant. Since the entire seat is being 
conditioned due to the open cell construction of the foam seat cushion 32 
and seat back pad 48, a comfortable seat temperature can be provided. 
Further, the assembly 10 is completely controllable, since the air flow to 
each seat can be regulated individually by throttling back the air flow 
and by adjusting the vehicle's HVAC control. 
Although in the illustrated embodiment, a pair of bucket-type seats are 
shown, it is within the contemplation of the invention to provide the 
heating and cooling features of the invention to only one seat, such as 
the driver's seat 10. Further, the heating and cooling features may be 
employed in a bench seat or the like. With a bench seat, a seat pan may 
not be required and the forced air can be provided in any manner to the 
underside of the bench seat, and if desired, to the seat back of the bench 
seat. Further, although in the illustrated embodiment, the seat manifolds 
and the seat back manifolds are provided separately, they can be made part 
of seat pan or part of the seat back assembly, respectively. 
Although the invention discloses air flow through both the seat cushion 
assembly and seat back pad assembly of each seat, it can be appreciated 
that air flow need not be provided to the seat back pad assembly, since 
most moisture or discomfort to the occupant is a result of improper 
temperature control of the seat cushion assembly. 
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently 
considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment it is 
understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment 
but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and 
equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the 
appended claims.