Convective seating and sleeping systems

Abstract

A convective seating and sleeping system with a plenum for use as a mattress, cushion or as part of seat or other structure to deliver air flow to a user or users. The convective cushion includes a modular plenum made of removable pockets and a thermocouple to provide control data to selectively control the temperature and/or quantity of the air delivered to the cushion. The cushion includes the use of tubular spacer material. The cushion has deep styling lateral and longitudinal pleats and air flow structures around the pleats to provide a controlled air flow to the cushion. The invention includes an improved Stirling cycle heat pump with magnetic bearing structures and relative humidity controls and an improved thermoelectric heat pump that selectively controls the relative humidity of the air delivered to the cushion. The cushion can be activated and operated by remote operation from a telecommunications device.

1 . A convective cushion comprising: 
 a plenum defined by a bottom surface secured around a perimeter to a generally air permeable top surface and containing a modular air flow structure therein, said top surface adapted for convective air flow delivered from said modular air flow structure;    an air inlet in fluid communication with the air flow structure;    a power unit having a blower in fluid communication with the air inlet for delivering air of a selectively variable temperature and quantity to the modular air flow structure through the air inlet; and    wherein said modular air flow structure comprises a plurality of removable pockets, each of said pockets containing a plurality of air permeable tubular spacer material arranged in a generally parallel configuration therein, and wherein positioning said plurality of pockets within said plenum is adapted to deliver said air of a selectively variable temperature and quantity from said air inlet to the top surface of the plenum.    
   
   
       2 . The convective cushion of  claim 1  further comprising a mattress adjoining the bottom surface of the plenum and having a first end and a second end opposite said first end, wherein said air inlet comprises an air duct configured within said mattress at said first end.  
   
   
       3 . The convective cushion of  claim 2  wherein said mattress further comprises an air outlet duct at the second end of said mattress.  
   
   
       4 . The convective cushion of  claim 4  further comprising a face plate attached to at least a portion of an outer surface of the blower.  
   
   
       5 . The convective cushion of  claim 1  further comprising a thermocouple adapted to provide control data to said power unit to selectively control the temperature of air delivered to said air inlet.  
   
   
       6 . The convective cushion of  claim 5  wherein the control data comprises temperature data from the plenum.  
   
   
       7 . The convective cushion of  claim 5  wherein the control data comprises temperature data from the air produced by the blower.  
   
   
       8 . The convective cushion of  claim 1  further comprising a thermocouple adjacent to the plenum and adapted to provide control data to said power unit to selectively control the temperature of air delivered to said air inlet wherein the control data comprises temperature data from a cover placed adjacent to the top surface of the plenum.  
   
   
       9 . The convective cushion of  claim 1  wherein said power unit further comprises a Stirling cycle heat pump and a blower control potentiometer, said blower control potentiometer adapted to control the flow of air delivered to the air inlet by said blower independent of the temperature change of the air.  
   
   
       10 . The convective cushion of  claim 1  wherein said power unit further comprises a Stirling cycle heat pump and a double pole double throw switch adapted to control the flow of air delivered to the air inlet by said blower independent of the temperature change of the air.  
   
   
       11 . A convective cushion comprising: 
 a plenum defined by a bottom surface secured around its perimeter to a generally air permeable top surface and containing a plurality of air permeable tubular spacer material therein, the longitudinal axes of the tubular spacer material arranged in a mutually parallel configuration;    an air inlet in fluid communication with the tubular spacer material, said air inlet adapted to deliver selectively variable temperature air from a power unit having a blower to the tubular spacer material; and    wherein said plenum includes at least one pleat through said plenum, said pleat extending in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the tubular spacer material and along the plenum, whereby the air from the air inlet is delivered to said top surface through said tubular spacer material.    
   
   
       12 . The convective cushion of  claim 11  wherein said plenum is anchored to a base by wire and hooks.  
   
   
       13 . A convective cushion comprising: 
 a plenum defined by a bottom surface secured around its perimeter to a generally air permeable top surface and containing a plurality of air permeable tubular spacer material therein, the longitudinal axes of the tubular spacer material arranged in a mutually parallel configuration;    an air inlet in fluid communication with the tubular spacer material, said air inlet adapted to deliver selectively variable temperature air from a power unit having a blower to the tubular spacer material; and    wherein said plenum includes at least one pleat through said plenum, said pleat extending in a lateral direction relative to the longitudinal axes of the tubular spacer material along the plenum, whereby the air from said air inlet is delivered to said top surface through said tubular spacer material.    
   
   
       14 . The convective cushion of  claim 13  wherein the bottom surface of the plenum is anchored to a base by wire and hooks.  
   
   
       15 . The convective cushion of  claim 13  further comprising an air outlet and including a series panel flow structure between said air inlet and the air outlet, whereby at least a portion of the air delivered to the air inlet flows through said series panel flow structure to said air outlet.  
   
   
       16 . The convective cushion of  claim 13  further comprising an air outlet and including a parallel panel flow structure between said air inlet and the air outlet, whereby at least a portion of the air delivered to the air inlet flows through said parallel panel flow structure to said air outlet.  
   
   
       17 . The convective cushion of  claim 15  further comprising a headrest and said air outlet is attached to said headrest.  
   
   
       18 . A convective cushion comprising: 
 a plenum defined by a bottom surface secured around a perimeter to a generally air permeable top surface and containing an air flow structure therein, said top surface adapted for convective air flow delivered from the air flow structure to the top surface;    an air inlet in fluid communication with the air flow structure;    a power unit having a blower in fluid communication with the air inlet for delivering air of a selectively variable temperature and quantity to the air flow structure through the air inlet;    wherein the power unit comprises a free piston Stirling cycle heat pump configured to provide reciprocal movement of a piston within a cylinder in a sealed housing during operation, and comprising a magnetic bearing permanent magnet and pole assembly secured to the cylinder and adapted to interact magnetically with a magnetic ring insert on the piston so as to substantially maintain the piston and magnetic ring insert on center within the cylinder during the reciprocal movement of the piston.    
   
   
       19 . The convective cushion of  claim 18  wherein the air flow structure comprises tubular spacer material.  
   
   
       20 . The convective cushion of  claim 18  further comprising ferrofluid within a first gap between the magnetic bearing permanent magnet and the magnetic ring insert on the piston.  
   
   
       21 . The convective cushion of  claim 18  wherein said Stirling cycle heat pump further comprises a stator pole and a piston driver coil assembly and having ferrofluid within a second gap between the stator pole and the piston driver coil assembly.  
   
   
       22 . A method for remote control of a convective cushion in a vehicle, the steps comprising: 
 providing a receiver, the receiver in communication with a controller that selectively controls the operation of a power unit and blower in fluid communication with the convective cushion to control the delivery of air from the blower to the convective cushion;    transmitting a control signal to the receiver from a telecommunications unit located remotely from the vehicle to activate delivery of air from the blower to the convective cushion.    
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein said telecommunications unit is a mobile telephone.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22  wherein said telecommunications unit includes a pager.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the convective cushion comprises tubular spacer material within said convective cushion.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the control signal provides information to select operating modes of the power unit and the blower.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the operating modes include selectively variable temperature of the air delivered to the convective cushion.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the operating modes include selectively variable quantity of the air delivered to the convective cushion.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the step of transmitting a control signal activates the operation of a variable temperature steering wheel in the vehicle.  
   
   
       30 . A convective cushion comprising: 
 a plenum defined by a bottom surface secured around a perimeter to a generally air permeable top surface and containing an air flow structure therein, said top surface adapted for convective air flow delivered from the air flow structure to the top surface;    an air inlet in fluid communication with the air flow structure;    a power unit comprising a blower in fluid communication with the air inlet for delivering air of a selectively variable temperature and quantity to the air flow structure through the air inlet;    wherein the power unit comprises a free piston Stirling cycle heat pump adapted for reciprocal movement of a piston within a cylinder to produce a cold end of a sealed housing during operation and having a reheater and a master controller to control the operation of the free piston Stirling cycle heat pump and reheater such that the master controller selectively activates and controls the reheater to control the relative humidity of cooled air from the blower to be delivered to the air inlet.    
   
   
       31 . The convective cushion of  claim 30  wherein the air flow structure comprises tubular spacer material.  
   
   
       32 . The convective cushion of  claim 30  wherein the master controller controls the operation of the reheater in response to data from a hygrometer.  
   
   
       33 . The convective cushion of  claim 30  wherein the master controller controls the operation of the reheater in response to data from an air temperature sensor.  
   
   
       34 . The convective cushion of  claim 30  wherein the master controls selectively controls the reheater so that a desired relative humidity is maintained for a desired air temperature.  
   
   
       35 . The convective cushion of  claim 30  wherein the master controller selectively controls the reheater until a desired temperature is maintained at a desired relative humidity.  
   
   
       36 . The convective cushion of  claim 30  wherein the reheater is configured to further heat the heated air to be delivered from the blower to the air inlet.  
   
   
       37 . The convective cushion of  claim 30  whereby the power unit further comprises an auxiliary fan and a reheater air duct adjacent to the reheater and configured such that the auxiliary fan draws ambient air into the reheater air duct so as to transfer heat from the ambient air to the cooled air from the blower and thereby control the relative humidity of air from the blower to be delivered to the air inlet.  
   
   
       38 . A convective cushion comprising: 
 a plenum defined by a bottom surface secured around its perimeter to a generally air permeable top surface and containing tubular spacer material therein, said top surface adapted for convective flow of air delivered from the tubular spacer material to the top surface and wherein the plenum is divided into a first section and a second section by a divider, said divider configured to provide a substantially air impermeable barrier within the plenum between said first section and said second section;    a first air inlet in fluid communication with the tubular spacer material within the first section;    a second air inlet in fluid communication with the tubular spacer material within the second section; and    a power unit having at least two independently controlled outputs such that a first output is in fluid communication with the first air inlet for delivering air of a selectively variable temperature to the first air inlet for the first section and a second output is in fluid communication with the second air inlet for delivering air of a selectively variable temperature to the second air inlet for the second section.    
   
   
       39 . The convective cushion of  claim 38  further comprising an air outlet for the outlet of at least a portion of the air delivered to the plenum.  
   
   
       40 . The convective cushion of  claim 38  wherein the power unit comprises a Stirling cycle heat pump.  
   
   
       41 . The convective cushion of  claim 38  wherein the power unit comprises a thermoelectric heat pump.  
   
   
       42 . The convective cushion of  claim 38  wherein the tubular spacer material has been cut to length along a cut line after a film is secured on and adjacent to said cut line to thereby limit the unraveling of fibers of the tubular spacer material along said cut line.  
   
   
       43 . The convective cushion of  claim 42  wherein the film is applied to the tubular spacer material with an adhesive.  
   
   
       44 . A convective cushion comprising: 
 a plenum defined by a bottom surface secured around a perimeter to a generally air permeable top surface and containing an air flow structure therein, said top surface adapted for convective air flow delivered from the air flow structure to the top surface;    an air inlet in fluid communication with the air flow structure;    a power unit comprising a blower in fluid communication with the air inlet for delivering air of a selectively variable temperature to the air flow structure through the air inlet;    wherein the power unit comprises a thermoelectric heat pump and having an auxiliary fan and a reheater with an adjacent reheater air duct such that the auxiliary fan draws ambient air into the reheater air duct so as to transfer heat from the ambient air to the cooled air from the blower and thereby control the relative humidity of cooled air from the blower to be delivered to the air inlet.    
   
   
       45 . The convective cushion of  claim 44  further comprising a condensate wick in communication with a heat exchanger in the power unit and the reheater.  
   
   
       46 . The convective cushion of  claim 44  wherein the reheater is configured to further heat the heated air to be delivered from the blower to the air inlet.  
   
   
       47 . The convective cushion of  claim 44  wherein the air flow structure comprises tubular spacer material.