A reformable article 10 for a vehicle seat, comprising a layer 12 of thermoplastics material. The article may be less than 1mm thick. The thermoplastic material may have a forming temperature in the range 50 to 70 degrees Celsius, and may comprise methacrylate, polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyacetate or co-polymers thereof. The reformable article may be a laminate comprising two layers of thermoplastics material 12 and a support layer 14 sandwiched between the two thermoplastics layers. The support layer may comprise carbon fibre or glass fiber. A vehicle seat 18 may comprise a plurality of reformable elements 20, 22, 24 having different rigidities, e.g. in the squab 25, seat cushion 27, headrest, leg or footrest. The seat may comprise heating means (e.g. heater mat 28) and cooling means 36 (e.g. fan), for controlling a user’s thermal comfort. A method of heating the reformable article to or above the forming temperature for a period of time using heating means, such that the person sitting on the seat will cause the article to be reformed in situ, preferably cooling it after it changes profile for increased passenger comfort.
Reformable article
2019-06-19
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B60N SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES , Sitze besonders für Fahrzeuge ausgebildet / A47C Stühle , CHAIRS / B29C Formen oder Verbinden von Kunststoffen , SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS / B32B LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM , Schichtkörper, d.h. aus Ebenen oder gewölbten Schichten, z.B. mit zell- oder wabenförmiger Form, aufgebaute Erzeugnisse |