Seat Heat/Cool Ventilation Module

WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 8 other vehicles, including the 2011 GMC Yukon XL, 2011 GMC Yukon, 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2011 Chevrolet Suburban, and 2011 Chevrolet Avalanche. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Each heated/cool seat has 2 ventilation modules, one located under the seat cushion and one located in the seat back. These modules are controlled by the CCSM. Each ventilation module contains a thermo-electric device (TED), a temperature sensor, and a blower motor. The TED and temperature sensor are mounted downstream of the blower motor. Each TED consists of a circuit of positive and negative connections sandwiched between 2 ceramic plates. Each ceramic plate is equipped with copper fins for heat exchange. The air flowing past these fins is either directed as conditioned air into the seat cushion and seat back, or directed into the cabin as waste air.

A TED is essentially a solid state heat pump that is used to heat or cool the air supply to the seat cushion and seat back. When voltage is applied to a TED, one side releases energy as heat, while the opposite side absorbs energy and gets cold. When the polarity of the current flow to the TEDs is switched, the hot and cool sides of the TED reverse.

During the following climate control seat system description and operation, the TEDs, blower motors, and temperature sensors will be referenced independently even though they are all packaged together as a module.