JP2001322416A - Air conditioner for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the change of an average temperature at a face part caused by the change of a temperature at a background part of the face part to obtain a stable temperature environment in an air conditioner capable of detecting the distribution of a temperature at the face part of an occupant and in the circumference of the face part for conditioning the air on the basis of its temperature signal. SOLUTION: A position of a non-contact temperature sensor 70 is determined so as to superpose the face part M3 on the glass 171a of the vehicle when observing a temperature detecting area 160 from the position of the non-contact temperature sensor 70. As the glass 171a has low heat conductivity, and high heat capacity, the sudden change of the temperature caused by the air- conditioning air, the outside air, the solar radiation or the like can be reduced. Accordingly, the change of the average temperature at the face part caused by the change of the temperature at the background part of the face part can be reduced, and the change of the blowing-off capacity of the air-conditioning air and the blow-off temperature can be reduced, which provides the stable temperature environment.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner for performing air conditioning control based on a temperature in a vehicle cabin detected by a non-contact temperature sensor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of vehicle air conditioner,
As shown in FIG. 13, the temperature near the face M3 of the occupant M is detected by an infrared sensor (a non-contact temperature sensor) in which a large number of temperature detecting elements are arranged in a matrix, and the face temperature (33
There is known a method in which the average temperature of pixels A, B, and C indicating a temperature close to (approximately ° C.) is set as the face average temperature, and air conditioning control is performed based on the face average temperature and the like.

Here, of the three pixels A, B, and C, the pixel A includes not only the face M3 but also the background. However, since the ratio of the face M3 is large, the temperature of the pixel A is low. The value is close to the face temperature. Therefore, the pixel A is determined to be the face M3, and the temperature of the pixel A is also used for calculating the average face temperature.

[0004]

However, the pixel A
If the temperature of the background changes, the average temperature of the face also changes. And if the background part is a sheet or ceiling,
Since they have a small heat capacity, the temperature tends to fluctuate rapidly due to air conditioning wind, solar radiation, etc., and therefore, the average temperature of the face also fluctuates rapidly due to these effects. Therefore, when the air conditioning control is performed based on the face average temperature and the like, the blowout air volume and the blowout temperature of the conditioned air fluctuate according to the temperature fluctuation of the background portion of the pixel A, and a stable temperature environment cannot be obtained. There was a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a non-contact temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the occupant's face and the surrounding area of the occupant, and performs air conditioning control based on the temperature signal. It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner for use in which a variation in the average temperature of the face due to a variation in the temperature of the background of the face is reduced so that a stable temperature environment can be obtained.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a face (M) of an occupant (M) is provided.
3) and the surroundings of the face (M3) in the temperature detection region (1).
60), a non-contact temperature sensor (70) for detecting the temperature distribution of the temperature detection area (160) in a non-contact manner by a number of temperature detection elements, and air conditioning based on the temperature signal of the non-contact temperature sensor (70). In the vehicle air conditioner that performs control, when the temperature detection area (160) is viewed from the position of the non-contact temperature sensor (70), the face (M3) and the glass parts (171a, 174, 175) of the vehicle overlap. As described above, the position of the non-contact temperature sensor (70) is set.

As a result, the glass serving as the background portion of the face has a low thermal conductivity and a large heat capacity, so that a rapid temperature change due to conditioned air, outside air, solar radiation or the like is unlikely to occur. Therefore, the fluctuation of the average temperature of the face due to the fluctuation of the temperature of the background of the face is reduced, and the fluctuation of the blowing air volume and the blowing temperature of the conditioned air is reduced, so that a stable temperature environment can be obtained.

[0008] The second aspect of the invention is characterized in that a plurality of occupants (M) seated in different seats enter the temperature detection area (160) of one non-contact temperature sensor (70).

[0009] With this, it is possible to detect the seating positions and the average temperatures of the faces of a plurality of occupants with one non-contact temperature sensor, so that the number of non-contact temperature sensors can be smaller than the number of occupants to be detected. it can.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a vehicle air conditioner having a plurality of seats arranged in a vehicle width direction, a non-contact temperature sensor (70) is provided on one side in the vehicle width direction.
And the size of the face (M3) is determined based on the temperature signal, and the seat on which the occupant (M) is seated can be specified from the size of the face (M3).

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the presence or absence of a moving object is determined from a change in the temperature signal, and whether or not the moving object is an occupant (M) is determined based on a temperature signal of a portion corresponding to the position of the moving object. It is characterized by determining.

Thus, the blowing of the conditioned air to moving objects other than the occupant can be stopped, and the conditioned air can be blown out to the occupant preferentially (intensively).

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle air conditioner for controlling the temperature in a passenger compartment to a set temperature desired by an occupant (M), and after the temperature in the passenger compartment becomes substantially equal to the set temperature. , The seat on which the occupant (M) is seated is specified based on the temperature signal.

Thus, when the temperature in the cabin is substantially equal to the set temperature, the temperature of the glass serving as the background portion of the face is stabilized, so that the accuracy of detecting the seating position of the occupant and the average temperature of the face is improved. can do.

The reference numerals in parentheses of the above-mentioned means indicate the correspondence with the concrete means described in the embodiments described later.

[0016]

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows an air conditioner for a vehicle according to the present invention. The air conditioner has an air duct 10 which forms an air passage. The face outlet 11 and the foot outlet 12 open into the vehicle interior 10a. Cool air is mainly blown out from the face outlet 11 toward the upper body of the occupant, and warm air is mainly blown out from the foot outlet 12 toward the foot of the occupant. Inside the air duct 10, from the air introduction port side to each of the air outlets 11 and 12, an inside / outside air switching door 80, a blower 20, an evaporator (heat exchanger for cooling) 30, an air mix damper 40, a heater core (heat exchange for heating). ) 50 and an outlet switching damper 60 are arranged in this order.

The inside / outside air switching door 80 determines whether to introduce outside air into the air duct 10 or inside air. The blower 20 introduces an air flow from the inlet into the air duct 10 in response to the drive of the blower motor 20 a, and passes through the evaporator 30, the air mix damper 40, the heater core 50, and the outlet switching damper 60 to the face outlet 11.
Alternatively, air is blown from the foot outlet 12 into the vehicle interior 10a. The evaporator 30 receives the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle under the operation of the compressor 30a and cools the airflow from the blower 20. The compressor 30a is driven by the engine of the vehicle under selective engagement of an electromagnetic clutch 30b attached thereto.

The air mix damper 40 constitutes a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the air, and a cooling air flow to be flowed from the evaporator 30 to the heater 50 in accordance with the actual opening degree θ (see FIG. 1). And the amount of cooling air to be bypassed to the heater 50 from the evaporator 30 and flow into the downstream stream. In such a case, when the air mix damper 40 is at the position shown by the broken line (or the solid line) in FIG. 1, the actual opening θ becomes the minimum opening θmin (or the maximum opening θmax). The heater core 50 receives engine cooling water and reheats its incoming cooling airflow.

At a switching position (hereinafter, referred to as a first switching position) indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1, the air outlet switching damper 60 mixes the heated air flow from the heater core 50 and the cooling air flow bypassing the heater core 50. A stream is blown out from the foot outlet 12. Further, the outlet switching damper 60 is switched to a position for closing the foot outlet 12 (hereinafter, referred to as a second switching position), and the mixed air flow is switched to the face outlet 11.
Blow out from. Further, the air outlet switching damper 60 is switched to a position in which both the air outlets 11 and 12 are both opened (hereinafter, referred to as a third switching position), and blows out the mixed airflow from the air outlets 11 and 12.

The air conditioner includes a non-contact temperature sensor 70, an internal temperature sensor 71, opening sensors 72 to 74, and various sensors (not shown).
The interior temperature sensor 71 detects the surface temperature of a predetermined area in the vehicle compartment 10a in a non-contact manner and generates a surface temperature signal. 74 detect the actual opening of the air mix damper 40, the air outlet switching damper 60, and the inside / outside air switching door 80, and generate an opening signal.

The operation panel 150 generates various setting signals (set temperature signal, mode selection signal, auto / manual selection signal, etc.) which are inputs from the occupant to the air conditioner. Here, the operation panel 150 includes a temperature setting unit for setting the temperature in the room desired by the occupant.

The ECU 90 executes the program in accordance with the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, and during this execution, the drive circuits 100, 110, 120, connected to the blower motor 20a, the electromagnetic clutch 30b, and the three motors 120a, 130a, 140a, respectively. The arithmetic processing required for controlling 130 and 140 is performed. In such a case, the ECU 90
Power is supplied from the battery B by the ignition switch IG of the vehicle, the vehicle is activated, and the execution of the program is started. The above program is executed by the RO of the ECU 90.
M is stored in advance.

The drive circuit 100 controls the rotational speed of the blower motor 20a under the control of the ECU 90. Drive circuit 110 is controlled by ECU 90 to selectively engage electromagnetic clutch 30a. The motor 120a is
It is driven and rotated by the drive circuit 120 under the control of the CU 90. This means that the motor 120a adjusts the actual opening of the air mix damper 40 via a speed reduction mechanism (not shown).

The motor 130a is driven and rotated by the drive circuit 130 under the control of the ECU 90. This means that the motor 130a selectively switches the outlet switching damper 60 to the first to third switching positions via a speed reduction mechanism (not shown). The motor 140a is connected to the ECU 9
In response to 0, it is driven and rotated by the drive circuit 140. This means that the motor 140a adjusts the actual opening of the inside / outside air switching door 80 via the speed reduction mechanism (not shown).

The electromagnetic clutch 30b is connected to the ECU 90
The compressor 30a is driven by the driving circuit 110 to engage in response to the output signal from the motor, and the compressor 30a is driven by the engine to supply the compressed refrigerant to the evaporator 30. Thus, the air flow introduced by the blower 20 is cooled by the evaporator 30, flows into the heater core 50 in an amount corresponding to the actual opening degree θ of the air mix damper 40, and is heated. It flows directly behind heater core 50 and mixes with the heated airflow.

Next, a non-contact temperature sensor 70 which is a main part of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 shows a surface temperature detection area 160 by the non-contact temperature sensor 70. The detection area 160 includes a driver (occupant) M upper body (clothing part) M1, head M2, face M3, Front door 171
171a, a door lining 171b, and a front seat 172 are included.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the non-contact temperature sensor 70 having the detection area angle θir set as shown in FIG. 4 is installed near the rearview mirror in front of the driver M on the ceiling. When the temperature detection area 160 is viewed from the position of the non-contact temperature sensor 70, the face M3 and the side glass 171a overlap each other, that is, the background portion of the face M3 substantially becomes the side glass 171a.

The non-contact temperature sensor 70 is configured by arranging a large number of temperature detecting elements in a matrix of 12 rows and 18 columns on one substrate. A surface temperature signal is generated by independently detecting each surface temperature. The non-contact temperature sensor 70 is an infrared sensor that generates a surface temperature signal in response to a change in the amount of infrared light due to a change in the temperature of the test object. This is an infrared sensor using a thermopile detection element that generates an electromotive force proportional to the amount of infrared rays in response to a change in the amount.

In the above configuration, the engine of the vehicle is started by closing the ignition switch IG, and the ECU 90 is operated.

Next, when an operation signal is generated from the operation panel 150, the ECU 90 starts execution of the program in the ECU 90 according to the flowchart of FIG. 2, and is used in step S100 to execute the subsequent processing. After executing the initialization process for initializing the counter and the flag, the process proceeds to step S110. And step S
At 110 and 120, switch signals and various sensor signals including the non-contact temperature sensor 70 (internal air temperature, engine cooling water temperature, evaporator outlet temperature, vehicle speed, humidity, etc.) are read.
Among these sensor signals, the signal of the non-contact temperature sensor 70 is input to step S130.

In step S130, a coefficient is set for each temperature signal of each temperature detection element in consideration of the degree of influence on the system. That is, the coefficient for the surface temperature signal output value of the detection region having a large influence on the cooling heat load and the thermal sensation is increased.

Next, in step S140, step S
Based on the surface temperature signal output value read at 120, the set temperature, and the inside air temperature, the target blow-off air temperature TAO is calculated.

Next, in step S150, an applied voltage (first blower voltage) to the blower motor 20a corresponding to the target air volume is calculated based on the target blown air temperature TAO, and a second blower is calculated based on the engine cooling water temperature. The voltage is calculated, and the lower of the two blower voltages is determined as the blower voltage.

Next, in step S160, the target opening degree SW of the air mix damper 40 is determined based on the target outlet air temperature TAO, the engine cooling water temperature, and the evaporator outlet temperature.
Is calculated.

Next, in step S170, it is determined whether to introduce inside air or outside air based on the target blown air temperature TAO. Next, in step S180, it is determined whether the outlet mode is any of the face mode, the bi-level mode, and the foot mode based on the target outlet air temperature TAO.

In step S190, the blower voltage control signal, the air mix damper opening control signal, the inside / outside air introduction mode control are sent to the drive circuits 100, 120, 130 and 140 in accordance with the calculation results in steps S150 to S180. A signal and an outlet mode control signal are output. Then, the process proceeds to step S200, in which it is determined whether or not the cycle time t seconds has elapsed. If NO, the process waits in step S200, and if YES, step S110.
Return to

In the present embodiment, the position of the face M3 is determined based on the temperature distribution information of the detection area 160 detected by the non-contact temperature sensor 70. That is, except for the case where the internal temperature is extremely high, such as during a cool-down period in summer, the temperature distribution is highest in the vicinity of the face M3, and therefore the highest temperature portion (in this example, the hatched portion in FIG. 3) is the face. It is determined to be the position of the part M3. Incidentally, the temperature of the head M2 is around 27 ° C., and the temperature of the face M3 is around 33 ° C.

The pixel 1 corresponding to the position of the face M3
The average temperature of the face is obtained by averaging the temperatures of the 60a, and based on the average temperature of the face, the amount of air blown by the conditioned air (blower voltage)
And the blowout temperature (air mix damper opening θ)
Perform air-conditioning control that matches the feeling of warmth.

Here, the temperature of the side glass 171a is about the midpoint between the inside air temperature and the outside air temperature, and even in summer when the outside air temperature is high, the temperature of the vehicle compartment 10a is maintained at the set temperature (about 25 ° C.).
Is substantially equal to the temperature of the side glass 171a becomes lower than the temperature of the face M3 (around 33 ° C.). Therefore, based on the temperature distribution information of the detection area 160, the face M
3 can be easily determined. In addition, since the area of the side glass 171a is large, the face M3 and the side glass 171a overlap when the temperature of the temperature detection area 160 is viewed from the position of the non-contact temperature sensor 70, even if the driver M moves slightly back and forth and left and right. Is maintained.

The pixel 16 corresponding to the position of the face M3
A part of Oa includes the side glass 171a as a background part of the face M3. However, since the glass has a low thermal conductivity and a large heat capacity, a rapid temperature change due to conditioned air, outside air, solar radiation or the like is unlikely to occur. Therefore, the fluctuation of the average temperature of the face due to the fluctuation of the temperature of the background of the face is reduced, and the fluctuation of the blowing air volume and the blowing temperature of the conditioned air is reduced, so that a stable temperature environment can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment shown in FIG. 5 will be described. In the first embodiment, only one occupant enters the temperature detection region 160 of the non-contact temperature sensor 70, but in the present embodiment, a plurality of (two in this example) occupants enter the temperature detection region 160. . In addition, the installation position of the non-contact temperature sensor 70 and the temperature detection area 160
Is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the point that has been changed.

That is, in the present embodiment, the non-contact temperature sensor 70 is provided near the rearview mirror in front of the driver M at the ceiling, or at an intermediate portion between the front seat and the rear seat at the ceiling and in the width direction of the vehicle. Central part (X position in FIGS. 1 and 4)
As shown in FIG. 5, when the temperature detection area 160 is viewed from the position of the non-contact temperature sensor 70, the face portions M of the plurality of occupants M seated on the rear seat 173 are provided.
3 so that the rear glass 174 overlaps with the rear glass 174, that is, the background portion of the face M3 is substantially the rear glass 174.

In the above configuration, the presence / absence of the rear occupant M and the seating position are determined based on the temperature distribution information of the temperature detection area 160. That is, face temperature (around 33 ° C)
If, for example, four or more pixels are adjacent to a high-temperature pixel portion (in this example, a hatched portion in FIG. 5) indicating a value close to, the high-temperature pixel portion is estimated to be the face M3 of the occupant M, It is determined that the occupant M is sitting at that position.

Then, the average temperature of the face is obtained by averaging the surface temperatures of the pixel portions (hatched portions in FIG. 5) corresponding to the position of the face M3. Air conditioning control that matches the sense of warmth is performed by controlling the air temperature and the outlet temperature.

In the case of an air conditioner capable of controlling the amount of air blown out and the temperature of air blown out independently for each seat, air-conditioned air is blown only to the seat where the occupant M is seated. In accordance with the partial average temperature, the blowout air volume and blowout temperature are controlled independently for each seat.

According to the present embodiment, since the background of the face M3 is substantially the rear glass 174, the face M3 is detected based on the temperature distribution information of the detection area 160 as in the first embodiment. The position can be easily determined,
In addition, fluctuations in the amount and temperature of the blown conditioned air are reduced, and a stable temperature environment can be obtained.

Further, since one non-contact temperature sensor 70 detects the seating position and the average temperature of the face of a plurality of occupants M, the number of non-contact temperature sensors 70 is smaller than the number of occupants to be detected. can do.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 will be described. In the second embodiment, one non-contact temperature sensor 70 detects the seating position and average face temperature of a plurality of occupants of the rear seat 173, but in the present embodiment, one non-contact temperature sensor 70 detects the driver occupant. In addition, the presence / absence of the passenger in the passenger seat and the average temperature of the face are detected. Note that the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the installation position of the non-contact temperature sensor 70, the temperature detection area 160 is changed, and the control processing of FIG. 7 is added.

That is, in the present embodiment, the non-contact temperature sensor 70 is installed above the A-pillar on the passenger seat side or substantially at the center of the A-pillar in the vertical direction (Y position in FIG. 4), whereby When the temperature detection area 160 is viewed from the position of the non-contact temperature sensor 70, the face M3 of the driver's seat occupant M overlaps with the front side glass 171a, and the face M3 of the passenger's seat occupant M overlaps with the face M3. The rear side glass 175 overlaps, that is, the background portions of the faces M3 of both occupants are substantially made of glass. In addition, the A pillar referred to in the present specification is a pillar that is located on both sides in the width direction of the vehicle and at the forefront of the vehicle among the pillars that constitute the vehicle compartment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for judging the presence / absence of the front seat occupant M and the seating position. First, in step S300, temperature distribution information of the temperature detection area 160 is obtained. Next, in step S310, it is determined whether there is a high-temperature pixel portion (in this example, a hatched portion in FIG. 6) indicating a value close to the face temperature, and if YES, it is determined that the occupant M is present. Then, the process proceeds to step S320. In step S320,
The temperature distribution information of a predetermined portion of the temperature detection region 160 (a portion where the face M3 is estimated to be located when the seating posture is correct) is extracted.

Next, in step S330, it is determined at which position in the temperature detection area 160 a high-temperature pixel portion having a value close to the face temperature is located, and how many of the high-temperature pixel portions are present (that is, the number of high-temperature pixel portions). , Size of face M3)
Thus, the seat on which the occupant M is seated is specified.

When the seating of the occupant has been specified (YES in step S330), the process proceeds to step S340.
In the same manner as in the second embodiment, the blowout air volume and the blowout temperature are controlled according to the seating position of the front seat occupant M and the average temperature of the face of the occupant M in each seat.

According to the present embodiment, the background of the face M3 is substantially made of glass. Therefore, the position of the face M3 is determined based on the temperature distribution information of the detection area 160 as in the first embodiment. Can be easily determined, and fluctuations in the blowout air volume and blowout temperature of the conditioned air are reduced, and a stable temperature environment can be obtained.

Further, similarly to the second embodiment, the number of non-contact temperature sensors 70 can be made smaller than the number of occupants to be detected.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 will be described. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether an object moving in the vehicle compartment is an occupant or a luggage, and the air conditioning control is preferentially (intensively) performed for the occupant. Note that the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the control process of FIG. 8 is added.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for determining whether the moving object is an occupant or a baggage. First, in step S400, the current temperature distribution information of the temperature detection area 160 is obtained, and in step S410, The temperature change information of each pixel is obtained from the current (current) temperature distribution information and the previous temperature distribution information in step S420, and the temperature change amount of each pixel is obtained in step S430. Is compared to a threshold.

Here, FIG. 9 shows a state of a temperature change when the temperature of the various test objects in the vehicle compartment is detected by a certain pixel. The dashed-dotted line and the two-dot dashed line show the temperature change characteristics when the occupant or the luggage moves. As is clear from FIG. 9, when the temperature of glass or the like changes under the influence of the environment, the temperature change is gradual, while the temperature change when the object moves is steep.

Therefore, in step S430, by comparing the amount of temperature change per predetermined time for each pixel with the threshold value, it is possible to determine whether the temperature change is due to the influence of the environment or the temperature change due to the movement of the object. If there is a pixel whose temperature change amount is equal to or larger than the threshold, there is a moving object (step S4).
30 is determined as YES), and the process proceeds to step S440.

In step S440, the position and the current temperature information are stored only for the pixels (the hatched portions in FIG. 10) for which the amount of temperature change is equal to or larger than the threshold value.

Next, in step S450, the previous temperature information is provided for the pixel whose temperature change amount is equal to or larger than the threshold (the hatched portion in FIG. 10), the current temperature information is provided for the other pixels, and the current temperature information is provided for the other pixels. It is stored as temperature information. Then, the stored temperature information is later read out as the previous temperature distribution information in step S410.

Next, in step S460, step S
It is determined whether or not the temperature information stored in 440 includes temperature information having a value close to the face temperature. If the temperature information having a value close to the face temperature is not included, the moving object is determined to be luggage. (Step S460 is NO), if temperature information having a value close to the face temperature is included, the moving object is determined to be an occupant (Step S460 is YES), and the process proceeds to Step S470.

Next, in step S470, step S
The seat on which the occupant M is seated is specified based on the position and temperature information stored in 440. And step S
Proceeding to 480, the blowout air volume and blowout temperature are controlled according to the seating position of the occupant M and the average temperature of the face of the occupant M in each seat.

According to the present embodiment, when the internal temperature is extremely high, for example, during a cool-down period in summer, the blowing of the conditioned air to the luggage side is stopped, and the occupants are preferentially (intensively) air-conditioned. Can blow out the wind.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment shown in FIG.
An embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the seating position of the occupant M and the average face temperature are detected after the vehicle interior temperature (inside air temperature) becomes substantially equal to the set temperature desired by the occupant M. Note that the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the control process of FIG. 11 is added.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the control. In step S500, information on the set temperature and the inside air temperature set by the occupant M is obtained. Next, step S5
At 10, the set temperature is compared with the inside temperature, and when the inside temperature is substantially equal to the set temperature (for example, inside temperature = set temperature ± 2)
° C), the process proceeds to step S520. And step S
At 520, the seating position and the average face temperature of the occupant M are detected based on the temperature distribution information detected by the non-contact temperature sensor 70.

As described above, when the inside air temperature is substantially equal to the set temperature, the temperature of the glass is stable around an intermediate point between the inside air temperature and the outside air temperature. Detection accuracy can be improved.

Note that it may be determined whether the internal air temperature has become substantially equal to the set temperature based on the amount of air blown out and the temperature of the blown air.

(Sixth Embodiment) Next, the sixth embodiment shown in FIG.
An embodiment will be described. In FIG. 12, a large number of load sensors 180 that generate electric signals corresponding to the load are dispersedly arranged on a seat surface 172a of a front seat 172. In addition, except that the load sensor 180 was added,
This is the same as the first embodiment.

Then, the load distribution on the seating surface 172a is obtained from the signals of a large number (16 in this example) of the load sensors 180, and the seating position of the occupant M in the seat 172 is obtained from the load distribution, thereby obtaining the occupant M Of the face portion M3 (left or right) can be estimated. Therefore, based on the load distribution information of the load sensor 180 and the temperature distribution information of the non-contact temperature sensor 70, the face M3 of the occupant M
Can be accurately estimated.

(Other Embodiment) Load sensor 18 shown in FIG.
When the occupant's seat is confirmed by the signal of 0 or the signal of the seat belt switch, the average temperature of the face may be detected based on the temperature distribution information detected by the non-contact temperature sensor 70.

Further, in the above embodiment, an infrared sensor using a thermopile type detecting element is exemplified as the non-contact temperature sensor, but an infrared sensor using a bolometer type detecting element or a pyroelectric type detecting element can also be used. further,
Not limited to the infrared sensor, another type of non-contact temperature sensor that detects the surface temperature of the test object in a non-contact manner may be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an air conditioning control process executed by an ECU of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the temperature detection range of the non-contact temperature sensor in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a vehicle interior showing a temperature detection range according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a vehicle interior showing a temperature detection range according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an air conditioning control process according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an air conditioning control process according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a characteristic diagram used to explain the operation of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a temperature distribution in a temperature detection range acquired by a non-contact temperature sensor.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an air conditioning control process according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a seat portion according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of a vehicle interior showing a conventional temperature detection range.

[Explanation of symbols]

70: non-contact temperature sensor, 160: temperature detection area, 17
1a, 174, 175: glass part, M: occupant, M3: face part.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Ando 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Pref. Inside

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A face (M3) of an occupant (M) and a periphery of the face (M3) are defined as a temperature detection area (160), and the temperature distribution of the temperature detection area (160) is determined by a number of temperature detection elements. An air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising a non-contact temperature sensor (70) for detecting in a non-contact manner and performing air-conditioning control based on a temperature signal of the non-contact temperature sensor (70). The position of the non-contact temperature sensor (70) is set so that the face (M3) and the glass part (171a, 174, 175) of the vehicle overlap when looking at the temperature detection area (160). A vehicle air conditioner characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The occupant (M) seated in different seats enters the temperature detection area (160) of one non-contact temperature sensor (70).
A vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1. 3. An air conditioner for a vehicle in which a plurality of seats are arranged in a width direction of the vehicle, wherein the non-contact temperature sensor (70) is arranged on one side in the width direction of the vehicle, and the face ( M
3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the size of 3) is determined based on the temperature signal, and the seat on which the occupant (M) is seated is specified based on the size of the face portion (M3). 4. Air conditioner. 4. Determine the presence or absence of a moving object based on a change in the temperature signal, and determine whether the moving object is the occupant (M) based on the temperature signal of a portion corresponding to the position of the moving object. The air conditioner for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: 5. An air conditioner for a vehicle for controlling a temperature in a vehicle compartment to a set temperature desired by an occupant (M), wherein the temperature signal is output after the temperature in the vehicle compartment becomes substantially equal to the set temperature. The seat on which the occupant (M) is seated is specified based on the information.
The vehicle air conditioner according to any one of the above.