DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates generally to a vehicle. More particularly but not exclusively the present subject matter relates to a wire routing in a space constraint area under a seat of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Now-a-days, with the advancement in the technology, drivers and passengers of automobiles and trucks have access to air conditioning systems within the vehicle and, in many cases, have the luxury of heated and/or cooled seats. Temperature controlled seats provide increased comfort. A two-wheeled seat is subjected to extreme weather conditions comprising extreme heat of the sun, exposure to rain, exposure to cold temperatures during night driving. During summer season, the seat absorbs more heat and thus a rider or a pillion rider will feel extremely uncomfortable. So, a temperature controlled seat is very crucial feature to be added for better riding comfort of the rider and the pillion rider of the two-wheeled vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] The details are described with reference to an embodiment of a two-wheeled vehicle along with the accompanying diagrams. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference similar features and components.
[0004] Figure 1 exemplarily illustrates a side view of a two-wheeled vehicle.
[0005] Figure 2 exemplarily illustrates a perspective view of the seat assembly of the two-wheeled vehicle.
[0006] Figure 3 exemplarily illustrates a coiled wire used in the wiring harness under the seat assembly on the two-wheeled vehicle.
[0007] Figure 4(a) exemplarily illustrates a back side view of the seat assembly.
[0008] Figure 4(b) exemplarily illustrates a back side view of the seat assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0001] Generally, Open-air vehicles, such as a two-wheeled vehicle, generates a large amount of heat close to a rider and specifically under a seat assembly. With an engine so close to the rider, air from under the seat assembly is at a relatively high temperature and not suitable for cooling the seat assembly. Further, with higher capacity engines, the engine size increases, and the seat base becomes more closer to the engine. Further, as the engine base is closer to the rider thighs, it leads to discomfort to the rider.
[0002] Conventional temperature control systems are often too large to be mounted within, below or around the vehicle seat assembly. The heat exchanger is several inches wide and long, and at least an inch or so thick. From the heat exchanger the air is transported through ducts to the bottom of the seat cushion and to the back of the seat cushion. Such systems are bulky and difficult to fit underneath or inside car seats. With recent advancements, cooling units are provided within the rider seat however, the cooling units reduce foam thickness of the rider seat, and such reduced thickness of the foam causes discomfort to the rider.
[0003] With the above-mentioned problem, it has been established that there is a space crunch under the seat assembly. Apart from this, the space below the seat assembly is used for various other purposes like housing a battery, a storage space for user items or fuses, one or more diagnostic connectors, and the like. The seat assembly is further limited by a vehicle frame acting as a boundary and mounting support for the seat assembly.
[0004] The temperature controlled seat contains one or more internal circuitry for controlling the temperature of the seat assembly either based on user preference or on its own. To achieve this, the system needs to be connected to the main vehicle control system. Further, the temperature controlled system under the seat needs to be connected to various other systems for its functioning like power source, communications, etc. This is achieved by means of a cable/wire. The problem arises while connecting the temperature controlled systems with these other system in the vehicle because of the limited space below the seat assembly. This is due to the limitation of a wire length that can be accommodated in this space to connect the temperature controlled systems with any other system in the vehicle. If the length of the wire short, the person handling the vehicle while servicing or the user while accessing a utility box or some other related parts may not be able to move the seat assembly due to huge amount of wires, creating handling issues, which can further damage the wiring connection, leading to damage or non-operability of the systems placed under the seat assembly. Improper handling of so many wires can also raise the issue of wear and tear or breakage of the long wires or can cause damage to existing routing due to mishandling/excessive force exerted while removing the seat assembly.
[0005] In order to avoid the above-mentioned problem, many manufacturers have utilized cable loom in vehicles to accommodate higher length of wire. The cable loom is comprising at least one electrical cable and a stretching device longitudinally engaging at least a section of the cable loom. The stretching device exerts a force aligning the cable loom so as to be substantially free of curvature on the portion of the cable loom engaged by the stretching device. But again, this entire structure with the loom is a very big structure which cannot be placed under the seat within the small space available.
[0006] In another known art, to solve this issue, the wires can be replaced by a connector. The connector can be removed from a mating part of the connector while removing the seat for servicing or any other purpose. The problem with these types of connections is that the connector and the mating part has to be kept dangling, otherwise it can snap its mounting when the seat assembly is removed. But again, if the connector and the mating parts are kept dangling then there is a risk that it can interfere with the components below the seat assembly and can cause noise/wire damage during riding operation of the vehicle. So, if the routing of the wire in the available space under the seat assembly is improper, it can lead to wire tear/ snapping. Also, if excessive pull is exerted on the seat assembly due to short length of wire, during handling, then it can again lead to wire tear and snapping. Further, improper routing of the wires can cause dangling issues may result in wire interfering with other components located below the seat assembly. Thus, there is a need to overcome the above-mentioned problems and other problems of known art.
[0007] An objective of the present subject matter is to provide a seat assembly having a temperature control system with a wiring harness which can be accommodated in a compact space under the seat assembly without causing any damage to the wiring harness, such that the wiring harness can handle more load without wear and tear, and without any interference with other components. The present subject matter is described using an exemplary two-wheeled vehicle, whereas the claimed subject matter can be used in any other vehicle, with required changes and without deviating from the scope of invention. The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a two-wheeled vehicle along with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the present embodiments. The present subject matter is further described with reference to accompanying figures. It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate principles of the present subject matter. Various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, encompass the principles of the present subject matter. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and examples of the present subject matter, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0008] Fig.1 exemplarily illustrates a side view of a two-wheeled vehicle 100. The two-wheeled vehicle 100 comprising of a front portion F and a rear portion R. The front portion F includes a front frame assembly (not shown) having a head pipe (not shown), and a down frame (not shown). The front portion F includes a front fork assembly 102, a handlebar assembly 104, a headlamp assembly 106, and a speedometer 108. The rear portion R includes a rear frame assembly 110. The head pipe is configured to receive a steering column (not shown) to steer the vehicle 100. The rear frame assembly 110 extends horizontally rearward from the head pipe. The head pipe and the front fork assembly 102 is supported by a top mounting bracket (not shown) and a bottom mounting bracket (not shown). The handlebar assembly 104 is mounted on the top mounting bracket (not shown). The headlamp assembly 106 is mounted in front of the fork assembly 102 and is positioned below the top mounting bracket (not shown). The speedometer 108 is positioned behind the headlamp assembly 106, facing a display of the speedometer 108 towards a rider of the vehicle 100. The display of the speedometer 108 shows the vehicle parameters to keep the rider of the vehicle informed. The two-wheeled vehicle 100 includes a front wheel 112 supporting the front portion F and a rear wheel 114 supporting the rear portion R of the vehicle 100. A side stand 116 is attached at a right side of the vehicle 100 to support the vehicle while in parking. A rear shock absorber 118 is provided in the rear portion R of the vehicle 100, upper side of the rear shock absorber 118 mounted on the frame assembly and the lower side of the rear shock absorber 118 is supported from a transmission assembly 120 of the vehicle 100. A seat assembly 124 is mounted on the rear frame assembly 110 of the vehicle 100. The seat assembly 124 includes a rider seat 124a and a pillion rider seat 124b.
[0009] Fig.2 exemplarily illustrates a perspective view of the seat assembly 124 of the two-wheeled vehicle 100. Fig.3 exemplarily illustrates one or more coiled wire 126 used in the wiring harness under the seat assembly 124 on the two-wheeled vehicle 100. Fig.2 and Fig.3 shall be discussed together. The present invention is application to the rider seat 124a as well as the pillion rider seat 124b. A temperature-controlled system (not shown) is installed under the seat assembly 124 to control the temperature of the seat assembly 124 for providing comfortable riding experience of the rider and the pillion rider of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the seat assembly 124 is detachably attached and thus can be removed for servicing or accessing any component or a utility box (not shown) placed under the seat assembly 124. The seat assembly 124 includes one or more chamber 128 to house one or more thermoelectric assembly (not shown) of the temperature-controlled system. The seat assembly 124 is partially a trapezoidal shape to allow the rider to be seated comfortably. In order to overcome the problem of accommodating long bunch of wires being connected to the temperature-controlled system at one end and being connected to a vehicle control unit (not shown) or any other sub systems of the vehicle 100 for the functioning of the temperature-controlled system, one or more coiled wire 126 is employed. The coiled wire 126 will connect the vehicle to the temperature controlled seat. When the seat assembly 124 is removed from its position, for example, the wire length in the range of 185- 195 mm (one third of the extended length) can be extended to 545-555 mm thus providing more flexibility to the user to move the seat freely while at the same time not interfering with other components below the seat assembly 124 when the seat assembly 124 is mounted on the vehicle 100. The coiled wires 126 provide flexibility to the user to move the harness while at the same time it occupies less space when it is mounted on the vehicle 100 below the seat assembly 124 with less space. With this, the need to package the excess wire under the seat is avoided thereby eliminating packaging cost and unnecessary wear and tear due to interference of the wires 126 with components below the seat assembly 124 in its mounted position.
[00010] Fig.4(a) and Fig.4(b) exemplarily illustrates a back side view of the seat assembly 124. The back side of the seat assembly 124 includes one or more inlet holes 130 configured to receive cool air to enter a cool area for cooling the seat assembly 124. Further, the back side of the seat assembly 124 includes one or more of exhaust holes 132 configured to direct hot air from the one or more thermoelectric assembly away from the seat assembly 124. One or more first wiring routing hole 134 is configured to arrange the plurality of wires of the thermoelectric assembly and a control circuit board 136 disposed in the seat assembly 124 to control the thermoelectric assembly. As shown in Fig. 4(a) and 4(b) one end of the coiled wire 126 is connected/soldered to the control circuit board 136 of the seat temperature controlled system, either by directly soldering the wire 126 to the board or through a connector (not shown), and the other end of the coiled wire 126 is connected to the vehicle control unit as a part of its wiring harness. The control circuit board 136 is located in the seat assembly 124, in the proximity of a lock pin 138. The lock pin 138 is used to lock the seat assembly 124 at its designated place so that it doesn’t move from its stipulated place while the rider is sitting on the vehicle 100. The coiled wire 126 is routed to the seat assembly 124 through a second wiring routing hole (not shown) located in proximity of the lock pin 138 and it is sealed in such a way that it is made resistant to pull to prevent wear and breakage while handling of the coiled wire 126 in case of servicing or while accessing any part under the seat assembly 124.
[00011] The present invention thus provides a coiled wire 126 to avoid tangling and to accommodate the entire wire length in space constraint area without causing any damage to the wiring harness, such that the wiring harness can handle more load without wear and tear, and without any interference with other components. The present invention eliminates the possibility of wire interference with other components located below the seat. It further facilitates enhanced user handling capability since as the coiled wire 126 can be moved with flexibility. It further eliminates the wire tear/snapping due to excessive pull exerted on the seat assembly due to short length of wire. Many other improvements and modifications may be incorporated herein without deviating from the scope of the invention.

Dated this the……. day of …….20…….

(Digitally Signed)
Chandan Chavan
Head IP
TVS Motor Company Limited

List of Reference numerals
F: Front portion
R: Rear portion
100: Two wheeled vehicle
102: Front fork assembly
104: Handlebar assembly
106: Headlamp assembly
108: Speedometer
110: Rear frame assembly
112: Front wheel
114: Rear wheel
116: Side stand
118: Rear shock absorber
120: Transmission assembly
122: Secondary display device
124: Seat assembly
124(a): Rider seat
124(b): Pillion rider seat
126: One or more coiled wire
128: One or more chamber
130: One or more inlet holes
132: One or more exhaust holes
134: One or more first wiring routing hole
136: Control circuit board
138: Lock pin

,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. A seat assembly (124) comprising:
a temperature controlled system, the temperature controlled system is disposed at a back side of the seat assembly (124), the temperature controlled system includes a control circuit board (136); 5
wherein, one or more coiled wire (126) is placed at the back side of the seat assembly (124), the one or more coiled wire (126) is connected to the control circuit board (136) at a first end and the one or more coiled wire (126) is connected to a vehicle control unit at a second end.
10
2. The seat assembly (124) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seat assembly (124) includes a rider seat (124a) and a pillion rider seat (124b), the pillion rider seat (124b) is disposed at a rear end of the rider seat (124a).
3. The seat assembly (124) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more 15 coiled wire (126) can be extended up to a range of 545-555 mm to form a long wire.
4. The seat assembly (124) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end of the one or more coiled wire (126) is connected to the control circuit board (136) 20 by soldering.
5. The seat assembly (124) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end of the one or more coiled wire (126) is connected to the control circuit board (136) through a connector. 25
6. The seat assembly (124) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second end of the one or more coiled wire (126) is connected to the vehicle control unit as a part of a wiring harness.
30
13
7.The seat assembly (124) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or morecoiled wire (126) is routed to the seat assembly (124) through a wire routinghole (134), the wire routing hole (134) is located in proximity of a lock pin(138).