Abstract: A vehicle seat including at least one pad (12) having an air-permeable surface area (16). In the region of the air-permeable surface area (16) of the pad, an air-permeable heating element (18) is arranged to heat the surface area (16) of the pad. A fan unit (24) blows air through the heating element (18) and the surface area (16) of the pad. A first temperature sensor (26) detects the temperature of the surface area (16) or of the heating element (18). A second temperature sensor (30) detects the temperature of the air aspirated by the fan (24). A fan regulator (32) regulates the volume flow of air as a function of the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor (30).
Abstract: There is disclosed an automotive vehicle seating comfort system for providing heating, cooling, ventilation or a combination thereof to an individual in an automotive car seat. The system typically includes an insert, a blower and a tubular structure for providing fluid communication between the insert and blower for providing ventilation and/or cooling for the individual. Preferably, the insert includes a heater or heater layer for providing heat for the individual.
Type:
Application
Filed:
June 17, 2003
Publication date:
November 20, 2003
Applicant:
W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG
Inventors:
Lindy Brennan, Goran Bajic, Lucas Fernandez, Valerija Drobnjakovic
Abstract: A vehicle seat ventilating system comprising at least one fan (4) arranged in the seat (7) and controlled by a central control unit (1) and an electric control unit (3) associated with each fan (4) for actuating the respective fan in response to control signals from the central control unit (1), wherein each electronic control (3) is arranged at the respective fan (4) Thus, each of the fans (4) arranged in the vehicle seat (7) has its own electronic control unit (3) that is located at the fan (4) and is connected to the central seat control unit (1) by a data line (2) that transmits control signals. The power supply currents required to drive the fan (4) are regulated directly in the electronic control unit (3) located at the respective fan (4). Thus, each of the fans (4) arranged in the vehicle seat (7) has its own electronic control unit (3) located at the fan (4) and is connected to the central seat control unit (1) by a data line (2) that transmits control signals.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 23, 2001
Date of Patent:
September 16, 2003
Assignee:
W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG
Inventors:
Stefan Stöwe, Matthias Pietsch, Matthias Michniacki
Abstract: A pressure sensor having a first pole element and a second pole element spaced apart from each other and forming a capacitor. The first pole element includes a substantially flat portion around which the second pole element is bent forming a bent edge portion of the second pole element. The bent edge portion is located at a distance from the substantially flat portion. The length of the distance and, thereby, the capacitance of the sensor, varies as a function of a loading state of the sensor. The sensor is well suited for use as an occupant detector in automotive seating applications.
Abstract: The present invention relates to a pressure sensor comprising a capacitor with a first capacitor pole element (1) and at least one additional capacitor pole element (3) arranged at a distance from one another. In accordance with the invention, at least one capacitor pole element (1, 3) has at least one textured region (31, 31′ and/or 32, 32′) on the surface of its conductive components facing toward the other capacitor pole element (3, 1), and the distance between the two capacitor pole elements (1,3) is different in the textured region (31,31′ and/or 32; 32′) than in an adjacent region (32, 32′ and/or 31, 31′) to the textured region (31; 31′ and/or 32, 32′). The difference between these two different distances can be changed—more particularly, reduced—by deformation of at least one capacitor pole element (1,3) when the capacitor is subjected to pressure.
Abstract: The present invention concerns a detector for detecting seat occupancy with at least two flat electrodes and a separating medium that separates the two electrodes from each other. The invention provides that the separating medium (3) has at least one spacing zone (4) and one deformation zone (5), which has a greater compressibility than the spacing zone (4).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 27, 2000
Date of Patent:
September 10, 2002
Assignee:
W.E.T. Automotive System, AG Aktiengesellschaft
Abstract: A ventilation device for the seat (2, 3) of a motor vehicle (1) which has an electrically driven fan (3, 5), the vehicle (1) having a solar cell arrangement (8) which, with the vehicle (1) turned off, provides a supply of solar generated power for operation of the fan (3, 5).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 6, 2000
Date of Patent:
August 27, 2002
Assignees:
Webasto Systemkomponenten GmbH, W.E.T. Automotive Systems AG
Inventors:
Thomas Ganz, Hans-Georg Rauh, Stefan Stöwe
Abstract: The presented invention concerns a seat that is equipped with at least one vented and heated ventilation area (3, 4) and at least one additional heated heating surface (5 through 8) on its surface. In order to improve seat temperature comfort, the temperature of the seat surface in the ventilation area (3, 4) can be regulated independently of the temperature of the heating surface (5 through 8).
Abstract: The seat heater includes at least one electric sheet-type heating element (10) made of flexible high-resistivity material to which the main electrodes (13A, 13B) are connected. In order to minimize the time during which the seat is perceived as being cold without any notable increase in overall power requirements, the seat heater is equipped with an additional feature (18A, 18B) for heating basically at least a partial area (SH) of the sheet-type heating element (10) with increased heating density, and a switch device for changing from heating the partial area (SH) with the additional feature (18A, 18B) to overall homogeneous heating of the sheet-type heating element (10) with regular heating density through the main electrodes (13A, 13) or the main electrodes (13A, 13B) and the additional feature (18A, 18B).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 13, 1999
Date of Patent:
November 21, 2000
Assignee:
W.E.T Automotive System AG
Inventors:
Michael Weiss, Markus Hugenschmidt, Ralf Carle
Abstract: In a method and the arrangement for operating an electric seat heating apparatus of a vehicle, it is provided, with a view to optimizing the heat-up behavior, that the given heat-up time or temperature, respectively, being reached, the heating power is preset by a microprocessor as a function of a field of characteristic curves or tables stored in a non-volatile memory such that for seats that differ in size, upholstery, and surface quality, the optimally to be supplied heating power or heating time, respectively, is empirically detected as a function of the desired seat temperature on the surface of the seating face or the rear and is stored in the non-volatile memory in the form of curves or tables, that a curve or table is selected from the field of characteristic curves or tables, respectively, by the microprocessor as a function of a coding recorded by the microprocessor, of the respective seat to the heated, and that then the power supply to the respective seat to be actually heated takes place in accor