Ventilation apparatus for vehicle seat

Abstract

A ventilation apparatus may include a vehicle seat, wherein the vehicle seat is configured by a seat cushion and a seat back, wherein the seat back is configured by a metal frame, a back board, and a skirt to eject air to the vehicle seat using a cushion duct and a back duct which are varied in length by a connection duct without a change in cross-sectional area of an internal passage through which air passes along the movement of the seat cushion therein, and the back duct and the cushion duct are connected to the skirt by a fixing means while a portion of the back duct and a portion of the cushion duct are covered by the connection duct.

Claims

1. A ventilation apparatus for a vehicle seat configured by a seat cushion and a seat back configured by a metal frame, a back board, and a skirt, the ventilation apparatus comprising: a cushion duct, a back duct and a connection duct, wherein air is ejected to the vehicle seat using the cushion duct and the back duct which are varied in length by the connection duct without a change in cross-sectional area of an internal passage through which the air passes along a movement of the seat cushion therein, and wherein the back duct and the cushion duct are connected to the skirt by a fixing means while a portion of the back duct and a portion of the cushion duct are covered by the connection duct.

2. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the back duct is provided on the back board to be sealed by the fixing means.

3. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein one end portion of the back duct is branched to form a first end portion and a second end portion.

4. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 3, wherein the first end portion and the second end portion of the back duct are connected to the cushion duct.

5. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the back duct is formed in a Y-shaped duct.

6. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the back duct is formed of a rectangular closed cross-section at an inlet side connected to the cushion duct, and a side fixed to the back board is formed of a “Π”-shaped cross section with one opened side.

7. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the connection duct is formed by sewing a non-woven fabric or formed of a molded product.

8. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the connection duct is to fix a soft member by thermal fusion or fitting to flow in an operating direction of a recliner.

9. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the connection duct has a V-shaped groove formed in a middle portion of the connection duct.

10. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the connection duct is configured to protrude from an external surface thereof.

11. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein a first side of the connection duct is fixed to the back duct or the cushion duct, and a second side thereof is slidingly coupled to the unfixed back duct or cushion duct.

12. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein an end portion of the back duct includes a flange at an edge portion thereof to be fixed to the back board.

13. The ventilation apparatus for the vehicle seat of claim 12, wherein the flange of the back duct is fixed to an inner surface of the back board.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a view exemplarily illustrating a state in which a duct is provided in a seat back and a back seat of a conventional vehicle.

(2) FIG. 2 is a view exemplarily illustrating a state in which the foot of a rear passenger is in contact with a portion through which a conventional duct passes.

(3) FIG. 3 is a view schematically illustrating a state in which a conventional back duct is provided.

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a state in which a ventilation apparatus of a vehicle seat according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided.

(5) FIG. 5 is a view for describing components of the ventilation apparatus of the vehicle seat according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view exemplarily illustrating a state in which a back duct is provided on a back board forming the ventilation apparatus of the vehicle seat according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

(7) FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view exemplarily illustrating a state in which a connection duct is provided on a skirt forming the ventilation apparatus of the vehicle seat according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 8 is a view schematically illustrating a state in which a cushion duct and a back duct forming the ventilation apparatus of the vehicle seat according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are fixed to a skirt by a connection duct.

(9) FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are views illustrating an operating state of the connection duct forming the ventilation apparatus of the vehicle seat according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 10 is a view exemplarily illustrating another method for coupling the connection duct and the back duct forming the ventilation apparatus of the vehicle seat according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

(11) It may be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the present invention. The specific design features of the present invention as included herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particularly intended application and use environment.

(12) In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent portions of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(13) Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the present invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the present invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the other hand, the present invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

(14) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to be easily implemented by those skilled in the art to which various exemplary embodiments of the present invention belongs. However, the present invention may be realized in various different forms, and is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

(15) Parts irrelevant to the description will be omitted to clearly describe the present invention, and like or similar elements will be designated by like reference numerals throughout the specification.

(16) Terms and words used in the exemplary embodiment and claims may not be interpreted as being limited to typical or dictionary meanings, but may be interpreted to the inventors as meanings and concepts which comply with the technical spirit of the present invention, based on the principle that the inventors can appropriately define the concept of the term to describe their own invention in the best manner.

(17) Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(18) The present invention includes a back board 10, a skirt 40, a back duct 100, a cushion duct 200, and a connection duct 300, as illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

(19) The back duct 100 is formed of an inverted Y-shape, wherein a front side thereof is opened, and a flange is formed at the edge portion to be fixed to the back board 10 by the fixing means 400.

(20) Of course, the back duct 100 may be injection-molded as a separate material, but may be integrally molded with the back board 10.

(21) The fixing means 400 may be a screw, a bolt and a nut, or a rivet.

(22) Furthermore, the cross-section of the opening-type back duct 100 is formed in a substantially “Π” shape, and a portion in contact with the cushion duct 200 has a rectangular closed cross-section.

(23) At the present time, the interior of the duct may also be coated for a smooth air flow.

(24) As illustrated in FIG. 7 or 9, the connection duct 300 has a shape similar to the cross-section of the back duct 100, and a substantially V groove 301 is formed in the center.

(25) The V groove 301 is considered when the seat back formed of the backboard 10 is folded, and the material may be sewn or molded using a soft member.

(26) At the present time, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the connection duct 300 is configured to protrude like a portion A to the external surface of the back duct 100, so that the cross-sectional area inside the connection duct 300 is not reduced in a bending state.

(27) The soft member may be a non-woven fabric made of a thick material.

(28) On the other hand, the skirt 40 is made of a thick non-woven fabric so that the connection duct 300 is fixed by a thermal fusion means.

(29) As illustrated in FIG. 10, in a manner of fixing the connection duct 300 and the back duct 100, a flange 110 is formed on the back duct 100, and the connection duct 300 may be molded and used to fit the flange 110.

(30) Therefore, the ventilation apparatus of the vehicle seat configured as described above is configured so that the back duct 100 is integrally configured on the back board 10, maximally utilizing the space inside the seat back, and the passenger's foot is in contact with the back duct, improving productability of the seat by improving the overall appearance while solving the inconvenience.

(31) For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “up”, “down”, “upwards”, “downwards”, “front”, “rear”, “back”, “inside”, “outside”, “inwardly”, “outwardly”, “interior”, “exterior”, “internal”, “external”, “inner”, “outer”, “forwards”, and “backwards” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. It will be further understood that the term “connect” or its derivatives refer both to direct and indirect connection.

(32) The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described to explain certain principles of the present invention and their practical application, to enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the present invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.