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US 12,110,115 B2Granted
Methods and apparatus to direct ventilation of vehicle occupants
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorDouglas D. Maben
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus to direct ventilation of vehicle occupants are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes an air supply duct of a cabin of a vehicle, a manifold fluidly coupled to the air supply duct, the manifold to extend to occupant seats of the cabin, and nozzles fluidly coupled to the manifold, the nozzles to be positioned to face toward a front of a face of an occupant when the occupant occupies one of the occupant seats.
Claims22
An apparatus comprising:
- an air supply duct of a cabin of a vehicle;
- a manifold fluidly coupled to the air supply duct, the manifold to extend below occupant seats of a same row of the cabin;
- a tube fluidly coupled to the manifold, the tube having (i) an arcuate portion extending toward a front of one of the occupant seats and (ii) a straight portion configured to extend across a width of at least one of a mouth or a nose of a face of a respective occupant when the occupant occupies the occupant seat, the straight portion defining a nozzle area;
- nozzles extending across the nozzle area of the tube, the nozzles defined by respective apertures arranged across the straight portion of the tube;
- and
- a conduit to fluidly couple the manifold and the tube, the conduit extending from below the occupant seat to a rotational joint that rotatably couples the tube to the conduit, the rotational joint proximate a headrest of the occupant seat, the conduit external to a seat back of the occupant seat and pliable to adjust a position of the rotational joint and the tube.
3 more elements
A seat for use with a vehicle, the seat comprising:
- a tube proximate a headrest of the seat and fluidly coupled to a manifold that is fluidly coupled to an air supply duct, the tube having (i) an arcuate portion extending toward a front of the seat and (ii) a straight portion configured to extend across a width of at least one of a mouth or a nose of a face of a respective occupant when the occupant occupies the seat, the straight portion defining a nozzle area;
- nozzles extending across the nozzle area of the tube, the nozzles defined by respective apertures arranged across the straight portion of the tube;
- and
- a conduit to fluidly couple the manifold and the tube, the conduit extending from below the seat to a rotational joint that rotatably couples the tube to the conduit, the conduit external to a seat back of the seat and pliable to move the rotational joint to adjust a position of the tube.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- providing air to an air supply duct associated with a cabin of a vehicle, the air supply duct fluidly coupled to a manifold that extends below occupant seats of a same row of the cabin, wherein a conduit is fluidly coupled to the manifold, the conduit extending from below one of the occupant seats to a rotational joint, the conduit external to a seat back of the seat and pliable to adjust a position of the rotational joint and a tube extending from the rotational joint, the tube rotatably coupled to the conduit at the rotational joint;
- and
- directing the air from the conduit to the tube, the tube having (i) an arcuate portion extending toward a front of the seat and (ii) a straight portion configured to extend across a width of at least one of a mouth or a nose of a face of a respective occupant when the occupant occupies the occupant seat, wherein the tube includes nozzles defined by respective apertures arranged across the straight portion of the tube.
A method comprising:
- coupling a manifold to a seat of a cabin of a vehicle, the manifold to be disposed below occupant seats of a same row of the cabin and fluidly coupled to an air supply duct associated with the cabin;
- rotatably coupling a tube to a conduit to define a rotational joint therebetween, the conduit fluidly coupled to the manifold, the tube extending from a headrest of the seat, the tube having (i) an arcuate portion extending toward a front of the seat and (ii) a straight portion configured to extend across a width of at least one of a mouth or a nose of a face of a respective occupant when the occupant occupies the seat, wherein the tube includes nozzles defined by respective apertures arranged across the straight portion of the tube, the conduit extending from below the seat to the rotational joint, the conduit external to a seat back of the seat and pliable to adjust a position of the rotational joint;
- and
- positioning at least one of the tube or the nozzles so that air from the air supply duct is directed toward a front of the face of the occupant when the occupant occupies the seat.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.