CN216610991U - Cup holder temperature adjusting device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a cup holder temperature adjusting device for a vehicle. The device comprises an air conditioning mechanism with a plurality of air outlets, a cup holder arranged in front of the appointed air outlet, a container detector arranged near the cup holder and outputting a container detection signal when detecting that the cup holder holds the container, and an air conditioning controller for outputting an operation signal when executing normal control; an empty cup signal outputter for outputting an empty cup signal when there is no need to temperature-adjust the beverage in the container held by the cup holder; and a container temperature regulator for outputting a temperature regulation signal to the air conditioner controller to stop the normal control and to increase the air volume of the air-conditioned air to be blown out from the designated air outlet when the container detection signal is received from the container detector and the empty cup signal is not received from the empty cup signal output device after the operation signal is received from the air conditioner controller. With the above configuration, it is possible to prevent waste of energy by adjusting the temperature of the container when the amount of beverage in the container is small.

Description

Cup holder temperature adjusting device for vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cup holder temperature control device for a vehicle.

Background

Conventionally, some vehicles are provided with a cup holder temperature control device that cools or warms a beverage in a container placed on a cup holder by cold air or warm air blown from an outlet port of the vehicle, by disposing the cup holder for holding a beverage container such as a cup in front of the outlet port through which air-conditioned air is blown into a vehicle compartment. In a vehicle provided with such a cup holder temperature adjusting device, the beverage in the container placed on the cup holder can be adjusted to a temperature suitable for the occupant to drink, depending on the season or the like, so that the riding comfort can be improved.

However, in the case of using the cup holder temperature control device, after the user has drunk the beverage and has returned the empty container to the cup holder, the cool air or the warm air from the outlet may still be blown to the empty container. Thus, the cold or warm air blowing toward the empty container wastes energy consumption, increasing the power loss of the vehicle.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a cup holder temperature adjustment device for a vehicle that adjusts the temperature of a beverage in a container held by a cup holder by using an air-conditioned air blown from an air outlet only when the temperature of the beverage in the container needs to be adjusted.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a cup holder temperature control device for a vehicle, including an air conditioning mechanism having a plurality of outlets for conditioned air provided in a vehicle compartment, a cup holder disposed in front of a predetermined outlet among the plurality of outlets, and a container detector disposed in the vicinity of the cup holder and outputting a container detection signal when it is detected that the cup holder holds a container, the cup holder temperature control device comprising: an air conditioner controller for performing normal control including air conditioning air blowing control and air volume control of air conditioning air for each of the plurality of outlets, and outputting an operation signal when performing the normal control; an empty cup signal outputter for outputting an empty cup signal when there is no need to temperature-adjust the beverage in the container held by the cup holder; and a container temperature controller connected to the air conditioner controller, the container detector, and the empty cup signal output device through signal lines, and outputting a temperature adjustment signal to the air conditioner controller to stop the normal control and to cause the air-conditioned air to be blown out from the designated air outlet at a larger air volume than the air volume in the normal control, if the container detection signal is received from the container detector and the empty cup signal is not received from the empty cup signal output device after the operation signal is received from the air conditioner controller.

The above-described cup holder temperature control device for a vehicle according to the present invention has an advantage that, only when temperature control of a beverage in a container held by a cup holder is required, air-conditioned air (cool air or warm air) having an increased air volume is blown out from a predetermined outlet port, and the beverage in the container held by the cup holder arranged in front of the predetermined outlet port is cooled or heated (temperature control). Specifically, for example, during the normal cooling control in which the air conditioning controller performs blowing of cool air into the vehicle compartment in summer, if the container detector detects that the cup holder in front of the designated air outlet holds the container and does not receive an empty cup signal from the empty cup signal outputter, that is, the beverage in the container needs to be cooled, the container temperature adjustor outputs a temperature adjustment signal to the air conditioning controller. After receiving the temperature adjustment signal, the air conditioner controller stops the conventional cooling control, and the cold air is increased and then blown out from the designated air outlet. As a result, the beverage in the container can be cooled by the increased amount of cold air blown out from the predetermined outlet port, and the temperature of the beverage can be lowered. In contrast, if the beverage in the container does not exceed a prescribed amount (a cup empty state) or cooling is not necessary during the normal cooling control by the air conditioner controller, the container temperature regulator receives a cup empty signal from the cup empty signal outputter, so that the container temperature regulator does not output a temperature regulation signal to the air conditioner controller. As a result, the air conditioning controller can continue the normal cooling control without increasing the amount of cold air blown out from the designated outlet, and can prevent the waste of energy consumption due to cooling of the container in an empty cup state or a container that does not need cooling.

In the cup holder temperature control device for a vehicle according to the present invention, it is preferable that the cup signal output unit is a cup holder temperature control switch manually operated by a rider in a vehicle cabin.

With this configuration, the occupant can determine whether or not to adjust the temperature of the beverage in the tank, and the temperature of the tank can be adjusted without necessity, thereby preventing waste of energy. Specifically, when little beverage has been left in the container or the occupant considers that temperature adjustment of the beverage is not desirable, the occupant can manually operate the cup holder temperature adjustment switch. The cup holder temperature adjusting switch outputs an empty cup signal when operated, and thus the container temperature adjuster does not output a temperature adjusting signal.

In the cup holder temperature control device for a vehicle according to the present invention, it is preferable that a weight sensor for detecting a weight of a container held by the cup holder is disposed on a bottom surface of the cup holder as the container detector and the empty cup signal output unit.

With this configuration, the weight sensor functions as both the container detector and the empty cup signal output device, and the automatic switching between the container temperature adjustment and the normal control can be realized only based on the weight of the container detected by the weight sensor. Specifically, when the weight detected by the weight sensor exceeds a predetermined amount, it means that a certain amount of beverage is contained in the container, and temperature adjustment is required so that no empty cup signal is output; when the weight detected by the weight sensor does not exceed the predetermined amount, it means that the amount of beverage in the container is small and temperature regulation is not required, thereby outputting an empty cup signal. Thus, automatic switching between the container temperature regulation control and the conventional control can be realized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a driver's seat in a vehicle cabin provided with a cup holder temperature adjustment device for a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioning mechanism for providing air conditioning to a vehicle cabin.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system in the cup holder temperature adjustment device for a vehicle according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing processing performed by the cup temperature controller in the cup holder temperature control device for a vehicle according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a control system in the cup holder temperature adjustment device for a vehicle according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the cup temperature controller in the cup holder temperature control device for a vehicle according to the second embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a cup holder temperature control device for a vehicle according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the "cup holder temperature adjustment device for a vehicle" will be simply referred to as "cup holder temperature adjustment device".

< first embodiment >

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a driver's seat in a vehicle cabin provided with a cup holder temperature adjustment device according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 1, a driver seat side face outlet 5 for blowing air-conditioned air into a vehicle cabin 2 is provided in the vehicle cabin 2 of the vehicle 1 on the side of a driver seat 4 where a steering wheel 3 is provided. The driver seat side face outlet 5 is disposed in the vicinity of the door 7 and has a height substantially equal to the height of the steering wheel 3. In addition to the driver seat side face outlet 5, a center area face outlet and a sub-driver seat side face outlet, not shown, are provided in the front center area and the sub-driver seat side in the vehicle compartment 2, respectively.

A cup holder 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is disposed in front of the driver seat side outlet 5 (at a position closer to the rear side of the vehicle 1 than the driver seat side outlet 5). The cup holder 10 has a cylindrical cup holding portion 10a that opens upward. As shown by the broken line in fig. 1, the cup C is held on the cup holder 10 with the lower portion inserted in the cup holding portion 10 a. In the present embodiment, the cup C is used as the container, but the container may be a beverage can, a beverage bottle, a water tube, or the like.

On the periphery of the cup holding portion 10a, an inducing plate 10b for inducing the cup C is formed. The cup holder 10 can hold the cup C by pressing the cup C onto the bottom of the cup holding portion 10a while being placed above the guide plate 10 b.

A cup sensor (container detector) 12 is disposed on the back surface of the induction plate 10 b. When the cup sensor 12 is pressed against the inner wall of the cup holding portion 10a of the cup holder 10 together with the induction plate 10b, the cup sensor 12 detects that a cup C is placed (held) on the cup holder 10, and outputs a cup detection signal (container detection signal). Here, the cup sensor 12 may be configured to optically detect whether or not the cup holder 10 holds the cup C by emitting an optical signal toward the cup holder 10.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the air conditioning mechanism 15 for blowing the air-conditioned air into the vehicle compartment 2 from the driver seat side face outlet 5 and the like. As shown in fig. 2, the air conditioning mechanism 15 has a fan 17 disposed at an upstream end of an air passage (air duct) 16. The fan 17 introduces outside air or inside air and blows air to the downstream side of the air passage 16.

In the air duct 16, an evaporator 18 and a heater core 19 are arranged in this order toward the downstream side of the fan 17.

An air mix door 22 is disposed upstream of the heater core 19. By adjusting the opening degree of the air mix door 22, the cool air cooled by the evaporator 18 and the warm air heated by the heater core 19 can be appropriately mixed to generate the air-conditioned air having the target temperature.

From the downstream end of the air duct 16, a driver seat side face outlet 5, a middle area face outlet 27, a passenger seat side face outlet 28, a foot outlet 29, and a rear seat side outlet 30 branch off. The intermediate-region face outlet 27 is disposed in the intermediate region in the vehicle width direction in the vehicle compartment 2, and the passenger-side face outlet 28 is disposed on the passenger side in the vehicle compartment 2.

The middle area face outlet 27 is divided into a driver seat side middle area face outlet 27a and a passenger seat side middle area face outlet 27 b. The leg outlet 29 is divided into a driver-side leg outlet 29a and a passenger-side leg outlet 29 b.

A passenger seat side intermediate area duct opening/closing door 34 is provided in the passenger seat side intermediate area face outlet 27 b. A passenger seat side duct opening/closing door 35 is provided in the passenger seat side outlet 28. A driver seat side foot tunnel opening/closing door 36 is provided in the driver seat side foot outlet 29 a. A passenger seat side leg air outlet 29b is provided with a passenger seat side leg duct opening/closing door 37. A rear seat side duct opening/closing door 38 is provided in the rear seat side air outlet 30.

In fig. 2, the fully open position of the air mix door 22 is shown by a thick solid line, and the fully closed position of the air mix door 22 is shown by a thick broken line; the fully open positions of the respective aisle opening/closing doors (34-38) are shown by thick solid lines, and the fully closed positions of the respective aisle opening/closing doors (34-38) are shown by thick broken lines.

The air conditioning mechanism 15 further includes a blower motor 42 for driving the fan 17 to rotate, and a door motor 43 for adjusting the opening degree of the air mix door 22 and opening and closing the duct opening/closing doors (34 to 38).

The air conditioning mechanism 15 is controlled by an air conditioning controller 40 provided with a CPU or the like. Specifically, the air conditioning controller 40 outputs an air volume control signal to the blower motor 42 through a signal line 44, and outputs an opening degree control signal and an opening/closing door control signal to the door motor 43 through a signal line 45.

The air conditioning controller 40 is connected to a room temperature adjusting knob 50 and an air volume setting knob 51, which are manually operated by the driver, via a signal line 52 and a signal line 53, and is connected to a driver seat seating sensor 55, a passenger seat seating sensor 56, and a rear seat seating sensor 57, which detect whether or not a person is seated in the driver seat, the passenger seat, and the rear seat, via a signal line 58, a signal line 59, and a signal line 60, respectively.

The air conditioning controller 40 controls the blowing of the conditioned air from each outlet (5, 27a, 27b, 28, 29a, 29b, 30) and outputs an air volume control signal to the blower motor 42 to control the air volume increase/decrease of the conditioned air.

For example, when only the driver is seated in the driver's seat, upon receiving the seating detection signal from the driver's seat seating sensor 55, the air volume control signal is output to the blower motor 42 to rotate the drive fan 17 and to turn the air volume of the conditioned air to the air volume of the conditioned air set by the driver by operating the air volume setting knob 51, and the duct opening/closing doors other than the driver's seat side leg opening/closing door 36 (i.e., the passenger's seat side intermediate region duct opening/closing door 34, the passenger's seat side duct opening/closing door 35, the passenger's seat side leg opening/closing door 37, and the rear seat side duct opening/closing door 38) are all closed. Thus, the conditioned air is blown into the vehicle compartment 2 only from the driver seat side outlet (i.e., the driver seat side face outlet 5, the driver seat side middle area face outlet 27a, and the driver seat side foot outlet 29 a).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the air conditioning controller 40 has a function of blowing the conditioned air into the vehicle compartment 2 from different locations, and also has a power saving air flow control (save energy air flow control) function of blowing the conditioned air into the vehicle compartment 2 from only the driver's seat side or only the driver's seat side and the passenger seat side when only the driver is riding in the vehicle or only the driver's seat and the passenger seat are seated.

In the present embodiment, the control of blowing the conditioned air from each outlet (5, 27a, 27b, 28, 29a, 29b, 30) and the control of increasing or decreasing the volume of the conditioned air are referred to as normal control of the air conditioner, and the air conditioner controller 40 outputs the operation signal when performing the normal control.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cup holder temperature adjusting device 70. As shown in fig. 3, the cup holder temperature adjusting device 70 includes a cup temperature adjuster 71 in which a computer (computer), a ram (random Access memory), and the like are incorporated.

The cup temperature regulator 71 is connected to the air conditioner controller 40 through a signal line 72 and a signal line 73. The air conditioner controller 40 outputs an operation signal to the cup temperature regulator 71 through the signal line 72 when performing a normal control.

Further, the cup temperature regulator 71 is connected to the cup sensor 12 through a signal line 74. The cup sensor 12 outputs a cup detection signal to the cup temperature regulator 71 through a signal line 74.

Further, the cup temperature adjuster 71 is connected to the lamp 76 through a signal line 78. As shown in fig. 1, the lamp 76 is disposed in the vicinity of the driver seat side outlet 5 and used for illumination of the cup holder 10. The lamp 76 is turned on when receiving a lighting control signal from the cup temperature regulator 71 through a signal line 78. However, the position of the lamp 76 is not limited to the vicinity of the cup holder 10, and may be a position easily visible to the driver. The lamp 76 is provided to remind the driver of the necessity of temperature adjustment of the beverage in the cup C by lighting the lamp 76.

Further, the cup temperature controller 71 is connected to a cup holder temperature control switch 77 (empty cup signal output device) via a signal line 79. Here, the cup holder temperature adjustment switch 77 is a switch for the driver to manually operate (OFF operation) when the temperature of the beverage in the cup C is not required to be adjusted (for example, when the amount of the beverage in the cup C held by the cup holder 10 does not exceed a predetermined amount and the cup is almost empty). As shown in fig. 1, the cup holder temperature adjustment switch 77 is disposed on the spoke 3a of the steering wheel 3. The cup holder temperature adjusting switch 77 outputs an OFF signal (empty cup signal) when manually operated. The OFF signal is output to the cup temperature regulator 71 through a signal line 79. The position of the cup holder temperature adjustment switch 77 is not limited to the position on the steering wheel 3, and may be any position that is convenient for the driver to manually operate.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a temperature adjustment process performed by the cup temperature adjuster 71. While the air conditioning controller 40 performs normal control of air conditioning (i.e., control of blowing out the conditioned air to a partial area or the entire area in the vehicle compartment 2 in the case where only the driver is present in the driver seat 4, or only the driver and the occupant are present in the front seat, or the driver and the occupant are present in the front seat and the occupant are present in the rear seat), the processing shown in fig. 4 is repeated at predetermined time intervals.

After the process is started, in step S1, the cup thermostat 71 determines whether or not an operation signal is received from the air conditioner controller 40, ends the process if the operation signal is not received, and proceeds to step S2 if the operation signal is received.

In step S2, for example, in summer, the driver and the passenger are present only in the front seat (driver seat and passenger seat), the air-conditioning wind (cold wind) is thus blown only to the space in the vehicle compartment 2 where the front seats are located, specifically, under normal control of the air conditioning controller 40 (here, normal cooling control), the rear seat-side tunnel opening and closing door 38 is brought into a closed state, since the other duct opening/closing doors (34-37) are opened, the air-conditioned air is not blown out from the rear seat side outlet port (30), but is blown into the vehicle compartment 2 from the driver seat side face outlet 5, the intermediate region face outlet 27, the passenger seat side face outlet 28, and the foot outlet 29 as indicated by arrows in fig. 2, and, in response to the driver's operation of the room temperature adjusting knob 50, the opening degree of the air mix door 22 is adjusted, so that low-temperature cold air is blown into the vehicle compartment 2 to cause the temperature in the vehicle compartment 2 to approach the set temperature; at the same time, the rotational speed of the blower motor 42 is adjusted in response to the driver's operation of the air volume setting knob 51, and the volume of cool air (the volume of air of the fan 17) becomes the set volume of air. In this state, the cup temperature controller 71 determines whether a cup detection signal is received from the cup sensor 12, and if it is determined that the cup detection signal is not received (i.e., the cup C is not held in the cup holder 10), the routine proceeds to step S3, and if it is determined that the cup detection signal is received (i.e., the cup C is held in the cup holder 10), the routine proceeds to step S4.

In step S3, the cup temperature regulator 71 signals the air conditioner controller 40 to perform normal control, and then ends the process. Thus, the air conditioning controller 40 continues to perform the above-described conventional cooling control.

In step S4, the cup temperature controller 71 performs lighting control, that is, outputs a lighting control signal through the signal line 78 to light the lamp 76, and then proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the cup temperature regulator 71 determines whether the cup holder temperature adjusting switch 77 has been manually operated (OFF operation), and if the driver sees that the lamp 76 is lit and does not perform the OFF operation on the cup holder temperature adjusting switch 77 because the driver considers that the beverage in the cup C needs to be cooled (for example, because the remaining amount of the beverage in the cup C exceeds a prescribed amount), the cup temperature regulator 71 does not receive the OFF signal (empty signal) from the cup holder temperature adjusting switch 77, and proceeds to step S6; in contrast, if the driver considers that the beverage in the cup C does not need to be cooled after seeing the lamp 76 turned on (for example, because the beverage in the cup C has been consumed or the remaining amount is small, or the driver does not want the beverage in the cup C to be cooled), and the cup holder temperature adjusting switch 77 is turned OFF (OFF), the cup temperature adjuster 71 receives an OFF signal (empty signal) from the cup holder temperature adjusting switch 77 and proceeds to step S7.

In step S6, cup temperature controller 71 performs temperature control of cup C, and in this case, controls cooling of cup C. Specifically, a temperature adjustment signal for causing the air conditioning controller 40 to stop the normal control of the air conditioning and to blow out the increased amount of cool air from the face outlets (5, 27, 28) on the driver seat side, the center area, and the passenger seat side is sent to the air conditioning controller 40 through the signal line 73. When the air conditioner controller 40 receives the temperature adjustment signal, the driver seat side foot passage opening/closing door 36, the passenger seat side foot passage opening/closing door 37, and the rear seat side passage opening/closing door 38 are closed and controlled to close the foot outlet 29 and the rear seat side outlet 30, and an air volume control signal for increasing the air volume is output to the air blowing motor 42 to generate an air volume larger than that under the normal control in the fan 17, and the processing is terminated.

In step S7, the cup temperature regulator 71 performs light-off control, that is, outputs a light-off control signal through the signal line 78 to turn off the light 76, and then returns to step S3 to cause the air conditioning controller 40 to perform normal control of air conditioning to stop blowing an increased amount of cold air from the respective face outlets (5, 27, 28).

As described above, in the present embodiment, for example, in the case where the air conditioning mechanism 15 blows the air-conditioned air only to the front seat in the vehicle compartment 2, if the driver considers that the temperature adjustment of the beverage in the cup C held by the cup holder 10 in front of the driver's seat side face outlet 5 is necessary, the driver does not manually operate the cup holder temperature adjustment switch 77, and the cup temperature adjuster 71 increases the air volume of the cool air by the fan 17 and blows the cool air with the increased air volume out of the face outlets (5, 27, 28), so that the beverage in the cup C can be sufficiently cooled by the increased amount of cool air blown out of the driver's seat side face outlet 5. In contrast, in a case where the driver considers that cooling of the beverage is not necessary, the driver manually operates (OFF operation) the cup holder temperature adjustment switch 77, and by this manual operation, the regular control of the air conditioner can be restarted. Thus, it is possible to prevent the cup C from being cooled by the cold air blown out from the driver seat side face outlet 5 without necessity, and the energy consumption from being wasted.

< second embodiment >

In the first embodiment described above, only when the driver manually operates the cup holder temperature adjustment switch 77, the temperature adjustment control for cooling the cup C with an increased amount of cold air is switched to the normal control for air conditioning. In the present embodiment, a configuration in which automatic switching between the container temperature adjustment control and the normal control of the air conditioner can be achieved will be described. In the present embodiment, the cup C is explained as a container.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cup holder temperature control device 70 ', and as compared with the configuration shown in fig. 3, the cup holder temperature control device 70' does not include the cup sensor 12, the cup holder temperature control switch 77, and the lamp 76, but instead includes a weight sensor 85. The weight sensor 85 is disposed at the bottom of the cup holder 10 in fig. 1 (not shown in detail), and is pressed by the cup C when the cup C is held in the cup holder 10. Thus, the weight of the cup C can be measured by the weight sensor 85. Since it is possible to determine whether or not a cup C is present in the cup holder 10 and whether or not the cup C is in an empty state by using the weight detected by the weight sensor 85, the weight sensor 85 functions as both the cup sensor (container detector) 12 and the cup holder temperature adjustment switch (empty signal output device) 77 in the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a temperature adjustment process performed by the cup temperature adjuster 71'. The process shown in fig. 5 is repeated at predetermined time intervals while the air conditioner controller 40 performs normal control of the air conditioner.

After the process is started, in step S1, the cup temperature controller 71' determines whether or not an operation signal is received from the air conditioner controller 40, ends the process if the operation signal is not received, and proceeds to step S2 if the operation signal is received.

In step S2, the cup temperature controller 71' determines whether or not an empty cup signal is received from the weight sensor 85, that is, determines whether or not the cup C is in an empty cup state based on the weight detected by the weight sensor 85, and if the cup C is not in an empty cup state (if the amount of beverage in the cup C exceeds a predetermined amount), proceeds to step S3; if the cup C is empty (if the amount of beverage in the cup C does not exceed the predetermined amount), the flow proceeds to step S4.

In step S3, the cup temperature regulator 71' performs control for regulating the temperature of the beverage in the cup C, as in step S6 in fig. 4. Specifically, a temperature adjustment signal for causing the air conditioning controller 40 to stop the normal control of the air conditioning and to blow out the increased amount of cool air from the face outlets (5, 27, 28) on the driver seat side, the center area, and the passenger seat side is sent to the air conditioning controller 40 through the signal line 73, and the processing is terminated. When receiving the temperature adjustment signal, the air conditioning controller 40 performs closing control on the driver seat side foot passage opening/closing door 36, the passenger seat side foot passage opening/closing door 37, and the rear seat side passage opening/closing door 38 to close the foot outlet 29 and the rear seat side outlet 30, and outputs an air volume control signal for increasing the air volume to the air blowing motor 42 to generate an air volume larger than that under the normal control in the fan 17.

In step S4, the cup thermostat 71' signals the air conditioner controller 40 to implement regular control, as in step S3 in fig. 4, and then ends the process.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not the beverage in the cup C exceeds the predetermined amount based on the weight detected by the weight sensor 85 without any manual operation by the driver, and when the beverage in the cup C exceeds the predetermined amount, the normal control of the air conditioner is automatically switched to the temperature adjustment control of the cup C, that is, the beverage in the cup C is adjusted in temperature by blowing an increased amount of air-conditioned air from the driver seat side face outlet 5; on the contrary, in a state where it is determined that the beverage in the cup C is not more than the predetermined amount and empty, the temperature adjustment of the cup C is stopped and the normal control is continued.

The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the above embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate. For example, in each of the above embodiments, when the amount of beverage in cup C exceeds a predetermined amount, an increased amount of conditioned air is blown out from all of the face outlets (5, 27, 28) on the driver seat side, the passenger seat side, and the intermediate area. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, if the amount of beverage in cup C exceeds a predetermined amount, an increased amount of conditioned air may be blown out only from face outlet 5 on the driver's seat side.

In each of the above embodiments, the cup holder 10 is disposed in front of the driver seat side face outlet 5, but the cup holder 10 may be disposed in front of the passenger seat side face outlet 27 or the middle region face outlet 28.

In the above embodiments, the example in which the cool air is blown only to the front seats in summer is given as the normal control of the air conditioner, but the normal control of the air conditioner includes the control performed by the air conditioner controller 40 when cooling or heating the entire vehicle cabin 2 including the rear seats.

Claims (3)

1. A cup holder temperature adjustment device for a vehicle, comprising an air conditioning mechanism having a plurality of outlets for conditioned air provided in a vehicle compartment, a cup holder disposed in front of a predetermined outlet among the plurality of outlets, and a container detector disposed in the vicinity of the cup holder and outputting a container detection signal when it is detected that the cup holder holds a container, characterized in that: is provided with

An air conditioner controller for performing normal control including air conditioning air blowing control and air volume control of air conditioning air for each of the plurality of air outlets, and outputting an operation signal when performing the normal control;

an empty cup signal outputter for outputting an empty cup signal when there is no need to temperature-adjust the beverage in the container held by the cup holder; and

and a container temperature controller connected to the air conditioner controller, the container detector, and the empty cup signal output device through signal lines, and outputting a temperature adjustment signal to the air conditioner controller to stop the normal control and to cause the air conditioning air to be blown out from the designated air outlet at a flow rate greater than that in the normal control, when the operation signal is received from the air conditioner controller and the container detection signal is received from the container detector and the empty cup signal is not received from the empty cup signal output device.

2. The cup holder temperature adjustment device for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that:

the empty cup signal output device is a cup holder temperature adjusting switch which is manually operated by a driver in the carriage.

3. The cup holder temperature adjustment device for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that:

the container detector and the empty cup signal output device are each a weight sensor disposed on the bottom surface of the cup holder and configured to detect the weight of the container held by the cup holder.

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