JP2000060681A - Vehicular seat-cooling/heating appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular seat-cooling/heating appliance of compact structure. SOLUTION: This vehicular seat-cooling/heating appliance is provided with one or more heat pipes 11 provided in the surface area of a seat; a Peltier element 12 provided on one end side of the heat pipe 11; and a heater 13 provided on the other end side of the heat pipe 11. A dew point of cabin internal air is obtained on the basis of cabin internal temperature from a temperature sensor 16 and cabin internal humidity from a humidity sensor 17, and the operation of the Peltier element 12 is stopped when the seat temperature from a seat temperature sensor 14 is in a specified dew point area.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle seat heating / cooling device which is provided in a vehicle seat to cool and heat an occupant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Air conditioners for automobiles have been widely used to control the temperature in the interior of an automobile, but the rise in the sensible temperature of passengers has been improved. In order to save energy, various types of seats provided with a cooling / heating device directly have been proposed. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 60-42115 discloses an air conditioner for a vehicle seat of the type in which a heater core of an air conditioner for a vehicle is used to draw warm air from here.

However, since the air conditioner for automobiles has restrictions on the handling of hot water to the heater core and the handling of refrigerant to the evaporator, it is generally installed under the instrument panel on the front side of the room. . Therefore, when trying to draw in warm air from here, it is necessary to route the blower duct to the floor in the room, which causes a large problem in terms of space and cost.

Further, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-253037, there has been proposed a device in which a heater is directly provided on a seat in addition to an air conditioner for an automobile, but this device has a cooling function. Is not prepared.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a cooling and heating apparatus having a compact structure.

[0006]

[1] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a cooling / heating device (1) for a vehicle seat according to claim 1 is provided in a surface area of a seat (2) or one thereof. A vehicle air conditioner including the above heat pipe (11), a cooling element (12) provided on one end side of the heat pipe, and a heating element (13) provided on the other end side of the heat pipe. In, a temperature sensor (16) for detecting the temperature inside the vehicle, a humidity sensor (17) for detecting the humidity inside the vehicle, a seat temperature sensor (14) for detecting the temperature of the seat, and a temperature sensor Control for determining the dew point of the cabin air based on the cabin temperature and the cabin humidity from the humidity sensor, and stopping the operation of the cooling element when the seat temperature from the seat temperature sensor reaches a predetermined dew point region. Means (15) and It is characterized by doing.

In the cooling and heating apparatus of the present invention, the cooling element for cooling and the heating element for heating are respectively provided at the end portions of the heat pipe, and when cooling is desired, the cooling element is operated to operate the heat pipe. One end of is cooled,
This cold heat is rapidly transmitted to the other end by the heat pipe. If heating is desired, the other end of the heat pipe is heated by the heating element, and this heating is rapidly transmitted to the one end by the heat pipe.

As described above, according to the cooling and heating apparatus of the present invention, the heat transfer rate is high in both cooling and heating, and the heat pipe, the cooling element and the heating element have a simple structure, so that the apparatus becomes compact. It can also be stored in the seat.

However, since there is a risk of dew condensation on the seat due to overcooling during cooling, the air conditioner according to the present invention is based on the vehicle interior temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the vehicle interior humidity detected by the humidity sensor. The dew point of the current passenger compartment air is calculated by using the temperature sensor, and when the seat temperature detected by the seat temperature sensor reaches the specified dew point range, the cooling element is stopped. You can

[2] In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioning system (1) for a vehicle seat according to claim 2 has one or more heat pipes (11) provided in a surface area of the seat (2). ), A cooling element (12) provided on one end side of the heat pipe, and a heating element (13) provided on the other end side of the heat pipe. Temperature sensor (16) for detecting the temperature of the seat, a seat temperature sensor (14) for detecting the temperature of the seat, and when the temperature inside the vehicle from the temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined temperature, A control means (15) for stopping the operation of the cooling element so that the seat temperature is directly proportional to the vehicle compartment temperature.

In the cooling and heating apparatus of the present invention, cooling is started using the cooling element when the temperature inside the vehicle from the temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined temperature, but the seat temperature is also increased according to the high temperature inside the vehicle. That is, when the vehicle interior temperature is extremely high, the seat temperature is not lowered so much, and the cooling element is controlled so that the temperature difference between the vehicle interior temperature and the seat temperature becomes substantially equal. As a result, it is possible to prevent a sense of discomfort caused by so-called too cold or too large temperature difference.

In the present invention, the direct proportional relationship between the vehicle interior temperature and the seat temperature does not mean a strict mathematical meaning, but means that they are in a direct proportional relationship in a substantially correlated manner.

[3] As the cooling element according to the present invention, a Peltier element can be exemplified. This is an element that has the property of generating or absorbing heat other than Joule heat at the contacts when a current is applied to the contacts of different conductors or different semiconductors. If the current direction is reversed, heat generation and absorption will occur. Is reversed. The specific material is not particularly limited.

Further, in the cooling and heating apparatus of the present invention, since the Peltier element is used as the cooling element, the heat absorbing portion of the Peltier element is provided in the heat pipe, but the heat is generated by cooling the other heat generating portion. The heat absorption effect of the absorption part is further improved. For this reason, although not particularly limited, like the vehicle seat heating and cooling device according to claim 3, the cooling element is a Peltier element, and the heat generation portion of the Peltier element is a heat dissipation passage ( 23), a blower fan (122) is provided in the heat radiation passage, and the control means further controls the operation of the blower fan when the cooling element is activated.

By allowing the heat generating portion of the Peltier element to face the heat radiating passage, and providing a blower fan in this heat radiating passage to control by the control means, the heat radiating effect becomes remarkable and the cooling effect by the heat absorbing portion becomes high. Further, by forming this heat radiation passage in the seat, the device can be made compact.

[4] Incidentally, in the cooling and heating apparatus of the present invention, although not particularly limited, the inlet (23) of the heat radiation passage
It is more preferable to provide the damper (233) that faces 1) indoors and outdoors and switches between them.

If the vehicle is parked for a long time with the windows closed during the summer, the indoor temperature is often higher than the outdoor temperature. In such a case, the heat radiation effect is higher when the outdoor air having a lower temperature is introduced than when the indoor air is introduced into the heat radiation passage. In the cooling and heating apparatus according to the fourth aspect, this can be done by switching the damper, so that the cooling effect by the Peltier element becomes higher.

In the cooling and heating apparatus of the present invention, although not particularly limited, the heat pipe includes an oscillating portion (11).
1) is formed, the swinging portion is provided in a boundary area of the seat back portion (21) and the seat cushion portion (22) of the seat, and the heat pipe is continuously provided in the seat back portion and the seat cushion portion. You can also

By doing so, it suffices to provide one cooling and heating device for the seat back portion and the seat cushion portion, and the number of parts such as cooling elements and heating elements can be reduced.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a mounted state of the cooling and heating apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a mounting range of the cooling and heating apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a conceptual view of a main part showing another embodiment of the cooling / heating apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a front view showing an embodiment of the cooling / heating apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along line VI-VI of FIG. Figure,
FIG. 7 is a side view showing another embodiment of the heat pipe according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a side view showing still another embodiment of the heat pipe according to the present invention.

First, the structure of the cooling and heating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 shows a front view of the cooling and heating apparatus 1 embedded in the seat back portion 21 of the seat 2, and a plurality of (here, 6 Main) heat pipe 11, Peltier elements 12 provided at one end (here, the upper end) of the heat pipe 11, a radiator 121 provided on the heat generating portion side of the Peltier element 12, and a heat pipe The heater 13 is provided at the other end (here, the lower end) of the heater 11.

The heat pipe 11 is a heat transfer promoting means in which various working fluids such as water, ammonia, methanol or sodium are enclosed, and the working fluid is moved to the inner wall of the tube by a capillary phenomenon. (For example, wire mesh or fiber material of about 100 to 150 mesh) or grooves are formed. The working fluid evaporates and absorbs heat from the outside in the evaporator (here, the lower end region), and the vapor of the working fluid condenses and radiates heat in the condenser (here, the upper end region). The working fluid condensed in the condensing section returns to the evaporating section by the capillary force in the above-mentioned wick or groove. As a result, the heat applied to the evaporator or the cold applied to the condenser is immediately transferred to the other, improving the rise of the cooling and heating effect of the seat back part 21 and the seat cushion part 22 as a whole. be able to.

Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the seat back portion 21 is normally in a substantially upright posture, so that the working fluid condensed in the condenser portion of the heat pipe 11 moves to the evaporator portion due to its own weight. That is, when the cooling element is provided at one end of the heat pipe 11 and the heating element is provided at the other end, the arrangement of the cooling element and the heating element is not limited in general, but the cooling is performed at the upper end portion as in this embodiment. By providing the element 12 and the heating element 13 at the lower end,
The return of the working fluid due to its own weight can be further promoted. That is, the heat transfer rate becomes faster. Similarly to this,
Since the seat cushion portion 22 is usually in a substantially horizontal posture or lowered rearward, the cooling element 12 is provided at the end of the heat pipe 11 on the front side of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1, and the heating element 13 is provided at the end of the rear side of the vehicle. Is desirable. However, such selection of the mounting positions of the cooling element 12 and the heating element 13 is not an essential requirement of the present invention, and if the above-mentioned wick or groove is provided on the inner wall of the heat pipe 11, no problem will occur.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a Peltier element 12 is attached to each heat pipe 11 at the upper end of the heat pipe 11. Peltier element 1
As described above, 2 is an element having a property that when a current is applied to a contact such as a different conductor, the contact generates or absorbs heat other than Joule heat. It is the opposite of absorption. Although the specific material is not particularly limited, since the Peltier element 12 is used as a cooling element in the cooling and heating device 1 of the embodiment, the heat absorbing portion of the Peltier element 12 is attached to the heat pipe 11, or the heat pipe 11 is attached. The direction of the electric current is set so that the mounted part becomes the heat absorption part.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a heat radiating body 121 is provided on the heat generating portion of the Peltier element 12, here on the main surface opposite to the heat pipe 11. Although not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, this heat radiator 121
Is composed of one so that it can be shared by all Peltier elements 12. The radiator 121 is attached to the seat 2 so as to face the inside of a radiator passage 23 described later.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, one heater 13 is attached to the lower end of the heat pipe 11 in common with each heat pipe 11. The heater 13 is used as a heating element, and an electric heater or the like can be used. In the illustrated embodiment, one heater 1
However, a plurality of heaters 13 may be provided for each heat pipe 11.

The air conditioner 1 described above is installed in the vehicle seat 2
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, it is desirable to install it in a region as close to the surface of the seat 2 as possible and within a range where the body of the occupant comes into contact when the occupant is seated. Seat 2
As an example of being provided in the front surface area, it is desirable to provide it in contact with the back surface of the seat cover 24 as shown in FIG. Also, as an example of providing in the range where the body contacts,
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it is desirable to provide it in the central region where the back of the seat back part 21 contacts, or the central region where the buttocks and the back of the knee of the seat cushion part 22 contact.

In addition, the air conditioner 1 according to this embodiment is installed in the seat 2
When mounted on the seat 2, as shown in FIG.
And an inlet 231 is provided on the back side and an outlet 232 is provided on the upper surface. Then, in the heat dissipation passage 23,
Radiator 1 attached to the heat generating part of the Peltier element 12
Face 21. At this time, although the radiator 121 may be cooled by natural ventilation of the radiator passage 23, in the present embodiment, the blower fan 122 is provided in the radiator passage 23 to perform forced air blow and the amount of heat released from the radiator 121. Is to increase. The positions of the inlet 231 and the outlet 232 of the heat dissipation passage 23 may be opposite to those in the example shown in FIG.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a temperature sensor 14 (corresponding to the seat temperature sensor of the present invention) is attached to the heat insulating portion at the center of the heat pipe 11.
A controller 15 is provided for processing electric power supplied to the Peltier element 12, electric power supplied to the heater 13, ON / OFF of the blower fan 122, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 14.

Further, the temperature sensor 16 for detecting the vehicle interior temperature and the humidity sensor 1 for detecting the vehicle interior humidity.
7 and 7 are provided inside the vehicle compartment, and these output signals are sent to the controller 15. The temperature sensor 16
The humidity sensor 17 may be the same as the existing air conditioner.

Based on the temperature of the heat insulating portion of the heat pipe 11 detected by the temperature sensor 14, the controller 15
The power supplied to the Peltier element 12 and the blower fan 122 are turned ON / OFF during cooling, and the power supplied to the heater 13 is controlled during heating.

The details are as follows. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the control flow of the air conditioner of the present invention, FIG.
[Fig. 3] is a graph showing an example of temperature control of the cooling and heating device of the present invention.

In an environment where the room temperature is high and cooling is required, such as in the summer, the room temperature becomes abnormally high, especially when the vehicle is parked for a long time. Is difficult to do. In such a case, according to the control command from the controller 15, the Peltier element 12 is supplied with electric power and the blower fan 122 is operated, but in the present embodiment, the dew condensation prevention routine is executed before that.

That is, after a predetermined instruction condition check (initialization) is executed in step 1 of FIG.
In step 2, it is determined whether the operation is cooling or heating. This determination can be made based on, for example, the temperature setting value of the air conditioner already described. If the cooling operation is performed in step 2, the temperature sensor 16 and the humidity sensor 1 are determined in step 3.
7 and the temperature sensor 14 provided on the heat pipe 11.
In step 4, the present dew point of the room air is calculated from the room temperature and the room humidity detected by the temperature sensor 16 and the humidity sensor 17, respectively.

Then, in step 5, the temperature sensor 14
If the seat temperature detected in 1 is lower than the dew point temperature, the power supply to the Peltier element 12 is stopped. This control routine is always executed even while the cooling and heating device 1 is in operation. As a result, dew condensation on the seat 2 can be prevented in advance, and it is possible to prevent clothes from getting wet and feeling discomfort.

If the seat temperature is equal to or higher than the dew point as a result of the determination in step 5, the process proceeds to step 7 via step 6, but here the indoor temperature detected by the temperature sensor 16 is used again to carry out the present embodiment. It is determined whether or not the cooling and heating device 1 of the form is to be used. That is, when the room temperature is, for example, 28 ° C. or less, the cooling effect is sufficiently obtained without using the cooling / heating device 1, so that the Peltier element 12 is not supplied with power.

On the other hand, in step 7, the room temperature is 28
If the temperature is higher than 0 ° C., proceed to steps 8 and 9 to start cooling.

When a current is applied to the Peltier element 12 to start cooling, heat is absorbed in the heat absorbing portion, that is, the upper end of the heat pipe 11 (condensing portion of the heat pipe), as shown in FIG. The fluid condenses. The condensed working fluid having the low temperature flows down the inner wall of the heat pipe 11 by the capillary force and its own weight and reaches the evaporation section at the lower end, whereby the entire heat pipe 11 is cooled. Such cooling occurs immediately after operating the cooling / heating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, and since the cooling / heating apparatus 1 is provided so as to almost contact the body and the sensible temperature is also sensitive, the cooling feeling rises remarkably. improves. Such a cooling effect is obtained not only in the seat back portion 21 but also in the seat cushion portion 22.

When the blower fan 122 is operated, the indoor air is sucked in through the inlet 231 of the heat dissipation passage 23 and the outlet 2
Since the air is discharged from 32, an air flow is generated in the heat radiation passage 23, and the amount of heat radiation from the heat radiator 121 increases. As a result, the temperature of the heat generating portion of the Peltier element 12 drops, so the heat absorbing capacity of the heat absorbing portion further increases, and the temperature of the heat pipe 11 further lowers even when the same electric power is supplied to the Peltier element 12. That is, the cooling capacity can be controlled.

By the way, when the vehicle is parked for a long time, the room temperature is often higher than the outdoor temperature. In consideration of such a case, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, an inlet 231b for introducing the outdoor air is provided at the inlet 231 of the heat dissipation passage 23, and an inlet 231a for introducing the indoor air and an inlet 231b for introducing the outdoor air are provided. A damper 233 that selectively switches may be provided. When the indoor temperature is higher than the outdoor temperature, the air introduced into the heat dissipation passage 23 is used as the outside air, whereby the radiator 1
21 further increases the heat radiation amount.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing an example of the control pattern of the seat temperature with respect to the vehicle interior temperature. The range in which the vehicle interior temperature is 28 ° C. or higher is the cooling region. Particularly, in the seat temperature control pattern of the present embodiment, the seat temperature is controlled to be higher when the vehicle compartment temperature is higher. That is, when the vehicle interior temperature is extremely high, the seat temperature is not lowered so much that the temperature difference between the vehicle interior temperature and the seat temperature becomes substantially equal,
The Peltier element 12 is controlled. As a result, it is possible to prevent a sense of discomfort caused by so-called too cold or too large temperature difference.

On the other hand, in an environment where the room temperature is low and heating is required, such as in the winter, especially when the vehicle is parked for a long time, the room temperature becomes abnormally low and only the normal air conditioner is used. Therefore, it is difficult to heat the room rapidly. Especially in the case of heating, since the engine cooling water is used as the heat source, it is necessary to withstand the cold until the engine warms up.

In such a case, the determination of the room temperature is executed in step 10, and when the room temperature is lower than 20 ° C., the heater 13 is operated by the control command from the controller 15 (steps 11 and 12).

As shown in FIG. 3, when a current is passed through the heater 13, the lower end of the heat pipe 11 (evaporating portion of the heat pipe) is heated, and the working fluid is evaporated. The evaporating working fluid having the high temperature rises up the inner wall of the heat pipe 11 and reaches the condensation section at the upper end, whereby the entire heat pipe 11 is heated. Such heating occurs immediately after operating the cooling / heating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, and since the cooling / heating apparatus 1 is provided so as to almost contact the body and the sensible temperature is also sensitive, the rise of the heating sensation is remarkable. improves. This heating effect is achieved by the seat back portion 21.
The same can be obtained with the seat cushion portion 22 as well.

The above-described embodiments are described for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above-described embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment (FIGS. 1 and 2), the cooling / heating device 1 of the present invention is separately mounted to the seat back portion 21 and the seat cushion portion 22 of the seat 2, but one cooling / heating device is used. The device 1 can be attached to the seat back portion 21 and the seat cushion portion 22.

However, the normal seat 2 has a seat back portion 21.
Since there is a reclining fulcrum between the seat cushion portion 22 and the seat cushion portion 22 and the seat cushion portion 22 swings by a predetermined angle, the heat pipe 11 also needs to be swingable accordingly.

Regarding this point, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the swinging portion 1 having a bellows structure is provided in the middle of the heat pipe 11.
11 is provided, and the heat pipe 11 is arranged so that the swinging portion 111 is located at the fulcrum of the seat back portion 21. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the middle of the heat pipe 11 (preferably the heat insulating portion of the heat pipe) is connected by a flexible tube made of a reinforcing thread and a soft metal, and this is used as the swinging portion 111. is there. Also in this case, the heat pipe 11 is arranged so that the swinging portion 111 is located at the fulcrum of the seat back portion 21.

By doing so, it suffices to provide one air conditioner 1 for the seat back portion 21 and the seat cushion portion 22, and the number of parts such as the Peltier element 12 and the heater 13 can be reduced.

[0050]

As described above, according to the air conditioner of the present invention, it is possible to prevent dew condensation on the seat during cooling. In addition, it is possible to prevent excessive coldness and discomfort during cooling.

In addition to these, the speed of heat transfer is high in both cooling and heating, and the simple construction of the heat pipe, cooling element and heating element makes it compact and can be stored in the seat. . Therefore, even if the cooling load or the heating load is significantly large and is insufficient by only the normal air conditioner such as when parked for a long time, the use of the cooling and heating device of the present invention enables quick cooling or rapid heating. It will be possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a mounted state of a cooling and heating device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a mounting range of the cooling and heating device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a main part showing another embodiment of the cooling and heating device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing an embodiment of a cooling and heating apparatus of the present invention.

6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing another embodiment of the heat pipe according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing still another embodiment of the heat pipe according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the cooling and heating device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing an example of temperature control of the cooling and heating device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Air conditioner 11 ... Heat pipe 111 ... Oscillating part 12 ... Peltier element (cooling element) 121 ... Radiator 122 ... Blower fan 13 ... Heater (heating element) 14 ... Temperature sensor (seat temperature sensor) 15 ... Controller (control means) 16 ... Temperature sensor 17 ... Humidity sensor 2 ... seat 21 ... Seat back section 22 ... Seat cushion 23 ... Heat dissipation passage 231, 231a, 231b ... Entrance 232 ... Exit 233 ... Damper 24 ... Seat cover

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. One or more heat pipes provided in a surface area of a seat, a cooling element provided on one end side of the heat pipe, and a heating element provided on the other end side of the heat pipe. In a vehicle seat air-conditioning system including: a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature in a vehicle compartment; a humidity sensor for detecting a humidity in the vehicle compartment; a seat temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the seat; Control for determining the dew point of the cabin air based on the cabin temperature and the cabin humidity from the humidity sensor, and stopping the operation of the cooling element when the seat temperature from the seat temperature sensor reaches a predetermined dew point region. And a means for cooling and heating a vehicle seat. 2. One or more heat pipes provided in the surface area of the seat, a cooling element provided on one end side of the heat pipe, and a heating element provided on the other end side of the heat pipe. In a vehicle seat cooling and heating device having a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature inside the vehicle, a seat temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the seat, and when the temperature inside the vehicle from the temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined temperature. And a control means for stopping the operation of the cooling element so that the seat temperature from the seat temperature sensor is directly proportional to the vehicle interior temperature. 3. The cooling element comprises a Peltier element, a heat generating portion of the Peltier element is provided directly or indirectly to face a heat radiation passage formed in the seat, and a fan is provided in the heat radiation passage. The air conditioner for a vehicle seat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means controls the operation of the blower fan when the cooling element is operated.