Car interior odor air ventilation system

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a ventilation system and particularly to a ventilation system for removing offensive odor air of expelled human waste gas from the passenger inside an automobile.

2. Background Art

Due to the confined enclosed environment of the interior of an automobile, the odor of expelled human waste gas from a passenger located inside the automobile is particularly offensive. Common ventilation systems in automobile are provided for drawing outside fresh air into its interior, such ventilation systems do not remove air from the interior of the automobile, and any offensive odor in the automobile interior would require a relatively long period of time to dissipate. Opening the windows of the automobile for removing the odors is not practical in winter time in cold climate regions, or when the automobile is traveling in high speed on the highway, or in a dusty or noisy area. Furthermore, drawing outside air into the automobile can largely alter its interior desirable temperature and comfort environment.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a ventilation system which operates to remove effectively the offensive expelled human waste gas from the passenger from the interior of an automobile.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a ventilation system for removing the human waste gas expelled from the passenger in an automobile directly from the seat so as to prevent the offensive odors from pervading into the entire automobile interior.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a ventilation system for removing and exhausting the offensive expelled human waste gas from a passenger out of the automobile.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a ventilation system for removing offensive expelled human waste gas from the passenger in the automobile while maintaining a relatively constant stable interior condition and environment.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the odors ventilation system of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a perspective side elevation view of the seat of the automobile having the ventilation intake formed directly below the passenger for receiving the expelled human waste gas and with the ammonia sensor and air drawing fan of the present invention incorporated therein.

FIG. 2B is an enlarged top perspective elevation view of the top of the cushioned seat of the automobile having the provision of the odor air intake opening according to the present invention.

FIG. 2C is an isolated enlarged schematic view of the ammonia sensor of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of the seat fan module of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of the filter fan module of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the alternative embodiment of the system of the present invention having an individual main air exhaust duct for each individual seat.

With reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various different views, the ventilation system of the present invention is illustrated with a four-seat automobile having a let front seat 1 , a right front seat 2 , a left back seat 3 , and a right back seat 4 . It can be understood that the same system can be employed in an automobile having two to a plurality of seats for the same purposes. As best shown in FIG. 2A a ventilation intake opening 5 is provided in the seat top 6 at the location directly below the passenger sitting on the seat. A screen 7 is provided at the intake opening 5 to prevent foreign objects from falling into the intake opening 5 accidentally. A telescopic pipe 8 is located in the seat cushion in a generally vertical manner and it is connected preferably to the intake opening 5 by a funnel shaped adapter 9 and to an outlet port 10 at the underside of the seat. The telescopic pipe 8 may be constricted under the weight of the passenger sitting on the cushioned seat supported by compress springs illustrated schematically by springs 11 and 12 in FIG. 2A . The seat has a backrest 13 .

An ammonia sensor 14 is mounted at the top portion of the resilient pipe 8 and located immediately below the screen 7 for detecting expelled body waste gas from the passenger. An air drawing seat fan 15 may also be located in the telescopic pipe 8 or alternative it may be located in a branch exhaust duct 16 connected to the outlet port 10 of the seat as shown in FIG. 1 . The operation of the air drawing seat fan 15 is controlled by a seat fan module 17 .

The seat fan module 17 is automatically actuated when the ignition switch of the automobile is turned on as well as an occupancy switch located in the seat cushion detecting a passenger is sitting in the seat. The seat fan module 17 is operated by the ammonia sensor 14 to turn on the fan motor of the air drawing seat fan 15 to operate in a medium fan speed for removing the odor air through the branch exhaust duct 16 when the ammonia sensor 14 detects the existence of body waste gas expelled by the passenger. The seat fan module 17 will maintain the seat fan 15 to operate in a low speed for an additional 15 seconds after the ammonia sensor 14 has detected the complete removal of the odor air. The seat fan module 17 of all the other seats having an occupant, as detected by its seat sensor, may also be operated in the low speed in the meantime for the additional 15 seconds so as to avoid back draft and data sharing. The seat fan module 17 of each seat may also be operated by a manual override switch located on the door switch panel adjacent to each seat to operate the individual seat fan 15 if required. As shown in FIG. 1 , a manual override switch 18 is provided for the seat fan module of the left front seat 1 ; a manual override switch 19 is provided for the right front seat 2 ; a manual override switch 20 is provided for the left back seat 3 ; and a manual override switch 21 is provided for the right back seat 4 .

The branch exhaust ducts 16 of the seats are connected to a main exhaust duct 22 which is connected to a carbon filter unit 23 having an exhaust fan for expelling the odor air out of the automobile. The exhaust fan of the carbon filter unit 23 is controlled by an exhaust fan filter module 24 as best shown in FIG. 3B as well as a filter door interlocking switch located at the access door of the carbon filter unit 23 . The exhaust fan filter module 24 maintains in a memory the operation time of the filter and to provide an indication of the requirement of the replacement of the filter. The system will not operate if the filter is not replaced as required. A diagnostic unit 25 is connected to all the seat fan modules as well as the exhaust fan filter module and it is operative for detecting the normal operation of these modules.

Alternatively, each of the branch exhaust duct 16 may be connected to a separate main exhaust duct. As shown in FIG. 4 , the branch exhaust duct 16 of the seat 1 is connected to a main exhaust duct 26 ; the branch exhaust duct 16 of the seat 2 is connected to a main exhaust duct 27 ; the branch exhaust duct 16 of the seat 3 is connected to a main exhaust duct 28 ; and the branch exhaust duct 16 of the seat 4 is connected to the main exhaust duct 29 . The individual main exhaust ducts 26 , 27 , 28 and 29 may be connected to a single carbon filter unit or to separate individual carbon filter units for expelling the odor air out of the automobile.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above. It will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.