Thermal comfort wheelchair backrest
OwnerJintao Qiu, Mingjie Cai +1inventors
InventorsJintao Qiu, Mingjie Cai, Robert Stanford Magyar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A backrest for a wheelchair or other mobility device configured to provide user controllable cooling and heat to the wheelchair user's back. The cooling element includes a Peltier chip, heat sink and gel pad for user contact. The heating element includes heating wire interposed between the fabric cover and the compressible foam of the backrest cushioning. The cooling element and heating element both move with the movement of the fabric cover so as to provide good heat conduction contact without adversely affecting cushioning. The backrest includes a tillable mount.
Claims17
A backrest for a mobility device, the backrest comprising:
- a backboard having a front side and a rear side;
- a resiliently compressible cushioning having a cushioning surface, and overlying and affixed to the backboard front side, whereby, responsive to user pressure, the cushioning compresses and the cushioning moves rearward, and, responsive to a reduction in user pressure, the cushioning expands and the cushioning surface moves frontward;
- a cooling assembly having a cooling element at the cushioning surface;
- wherein, in use cooling element moves rearward and frontward with the rearward and frontward movement of cushioning surface;
- wherein the backboard has a cooling opening therethrough;
- the cooling element is a heat conduction pad;
- and
- the cooling assembly further comprises:
- a Peltier chip bonded to the heat conduction pad;
- a heat sink abutting the Peltier chip;
- and
- a floating mount for the Peltier chip and heat sink;
- and
- wherein, in use, the Peltier chip moves with the heat conduction pad responsive to user pressure, within the cooling opening, and the heat sink dissipates heat at the backboard rear side.
A backrest for a mobility device, the backrest comprising:
- a backboard having a front side, a rear side, and a cooling opening therethrough;
- a resiliently compressible cushioning having a cushioning surface, and overlying and affixed to the backboard front side, whereby, responsive to user pressure, the cushioning compresses and the cushioning moves rearward, and, responsive to a reduction in user pressure, the cushioning expands and the cushioning surface moves frontward;
- a heating element at the cushioning surface, wherein the cushioning comprises compressible foam and a fabric cover bonded to the compressible foam;
- and the heating element comprises a heating wire interposed between the foam and the fabric cover, whereby in use the heating element moves rearward and frontward with the rearward and frontward movement of the cushioning surface;
- a cooling assembly having:
- a heat conduction pad containing a liquid silicone gel, and located at the cushioning surface;
- a Peltier chip bonded to the heat conduction pad;
- a heat sink abutting the Peltier chip;
- and a floating mount for the Peltier chip and heat sink, comprising a pivot mount affixed to the backboard wherein, in use, the Peltier chip moves with the heat conduction pad responsive to user pressure, within the cooling opening, and the heat sink dissipates heat at the backboard rear side;
- a fan;
- and a fan air flow path that includes the heat sink, wherein in use a fan generated flow of air passes over the heat sink when the cooling element is operational;
- a processing unit connected to the heating element, the cooling element;
- a battery connected to the processing unit;
- and
- a user control connected to the processing unit,
- wherein, in use the processing unit directs electrical power from the battery to the heating element or the cooling element, responsive to user instructions from the user control.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.