US 5,626,021 · Granted 1997-05-06
The Peltier Seat Patent That Made Car Cabins Climate-Controlled Luxury
Imagine a car seat that can heat you up on a cold day or cool you down when it's hot — without heating or cooling the whole car. This patent describes a smart seat that uses special electronic cooling chips (called Peltier modules) to warm or chill the air flowing into your seat, with sensors and a controller that keep you comfortable automatically.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a temperature-controlled seat system that uses Peltier thermoelectric modules housed in a heat exchanger to condition air directed into a seat cushion. What's protected here is the combination of the Peltier modules, a main exchanger fan, temperature sensors (for both ambient and conditioned air), and an automated controller that adjusts the modules and fan speed based on comfort logic and safety thresholds. Someone making an unauthorized heated or cooled seat using this exact architecture would infringe.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early commercial application of Peltier technology for automotive comfort — a category that became a premium feature in high-end vehicles. By automating temperature regulation with safety logic, it eliminated the need for traditional heating or cooling ducts to reach individual seats, allowing manufacturers to offer personalized climate control without massive engineering changes. The patent gave Amerigon, which pioneered heated and cooled car seats, a defensible position in a growing luxury automotive segment.
Real-world use
When you sit in a luxury car and feel the seat heating or cooling independently of the cabin temperature, you're experiencing technology directly descended from this patent's design.
Original USPTO abstract
A temperature climate control system comprises a variable temperature seat, at least one heat pump, at least one heat pump temperature sensor, and a controller. Each heat pump comprises a number of Peltier thermoelectric modules for temperature conditioning the air in a main heat exchanger and a main exchanger fan for passing the conditioned air from the main exchanger to the variable temperature seat. The Peltier modules and each main fan may be manually adjusted via a control switch or a control signal. Additionally, the temperature climate control system may comprise a number of additional temperature sensors to monitor the temperature of the ambient air surrounding the occupant as well as the temperature of the conditioned air directed to the occupant. The controller is configured to automatically regulate the operation of the Peltier modules and/or each main fan according to a temperature climate control logic designed both to maximize occupant comfort during normal operation, and minimize possible equipment damage, occupant discomfort, or occupant injury in the event of a heat pump malfunction.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,626,021
- Filing date
- 1994-08-10
- Grant date
- 1997-05-06
- Assignee
- Amerigon, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- KARUNASIRI; TISSA R., GALLUP; DAVID F., NOLES; DAVID R., GREGORY; CHRISTIAN T.
- CPC class
- B60N2/5642
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