Preconditioning surfaces using intelligent thermal effectors
AssigneeGentherm Incorporated
InventorsKenneth Turner, Amey Pise, Chad Pacilli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermal conditioning system for conditioning a seat surface of a vehicle or other surface. The system includes a thermoelectric Peltier device with a main side and a waste side. A flap adjusts a proportion of an airflow between a main side airflow path and a waste side airflow path based on whether the surface is occupied, the power provided the thermoelectric Peltier device, the flow rates along the airflow paths, the power provided to a blower, and/or other factors.
Claims30
A control method for conditioning a surface with a thermal conditioning system having a thermoelectric device (TED), comprising:
- determining whether the surface is occupied;
- providing power to the TED, the TED including a main side and a waste side;
- providing an airflow with a blower;
- and
- adjusting a position of a flow control valve to adjust a proportion of the airflow between a main side flow path across the main side of the TED and a waste side flow path across the waste side of the TED based on whether the surface is occupied,
- wherein the flow control valve is in a first position that directs a majority of the airflow along the waste side flow path with the surface determined to be unoccupied, and
- wherein the flow control valve is in a second position with the surface determined to be occupied.
A control method for conditioning a surface with a thermal conditioning system having a thermoelectric device (TED), comprising:
- determining that the surface is unoccupied;
- providing power to the TED, based at least in part on the determination that the surface is unoccupied, wherein the TED includes a main side and a waste side;
- and
- providing power to a blower to direct airflow through the TED based at least in part on the determination that the surface is unoccupied, with power being provided to the TED.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.