JP2004216924A - Method for controlling cabin inside aroma - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for controlling aroma for a vehicle for inexpensively avoiding "paralysis of the sense of smell" without requiring parts such as a timer and a solenoid valve. <P>SOLUTION: In this method, the inside of a cabin is kept an aroma state by using an air conditioner 2 mounted on the vehicle and an air cleaner 1 with an aroma generator. When the air cleaner 1 generates aroma in an ON state, air quantity of outside air to be blown to the inside of the cabin is changed (increased) by changing opening of an inside/outside air switching door of the air conditioner 2 after the lapse of prescribed time. Fluctuation of air quantity of outside air to be blown to the inside of the cabin may be repeated at prescribed time intervals. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle interior fragrance control method for using a vehicle air conditioner and a vehicle air purifier with a fragrance generator to bring a vehicle interior into a fragrance state.
[0002]
Conventionally, a vehicle air purifier with a scent generator has been widely used for removing odors (tobacco, body odor, etc.) and dust in a vehicle cabin. However, when operating the air purifying device for a vehicle with a scent generator, that is, when the scent is generated in the vehicle interior, the scent generator continues to emit a certain scent, but the human sense of smell is easy to get used to the scent For this reason, the user does not immediately notice that the scent is generated.
[0003]
As a method of avoiding this “smell habituation”, there is a so-called “fluctuation (1 / f) control (a scent is released at regular intervals)”. To perform this control, the scent generator has a fluctuation control function. It is necessary to provide an appropriate circuit. Further, in order to continuously turn on and off the scent, components such as a servomotor, a timer, and a solenoid valve are required. Therefore, there is a problem that the cost of the apparatus is high.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an in-vehicle fragrance control method that does not require components such as a timer and an electromagnetic valve, and that can avoid "small habituation" at low cost. It is to be.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention provides a vehicle interior fragrance control method described in each claim as means for solving the problem.
The fragrance control method according to claim 1 includes an air conditioner mounted on the vehicle and an air purifier with a scent generator, and releases the scent into the vehicle compartment when the air purifier with the scent generator is in an ON state. When a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the airflow of the outside air blown into the passenger compartment is changed by the air conditioner, so that the air conditioner mounted on the vehicle can be used periodically. More and more fresh outside air can be introduced into the vehicle interior, and it is possible to prevent a person from getting used to the smell of smell using inexpensive means.
[0006]
In the vehicle interior fragrance control method according to claim 2, when the air purifier with the fragrance generator is in the ON state and emits the fragrance into the vehicle interior, the variation of the air volume of the outside air blown into the vehicle interior by the air conditioner, This is performed repeatedly at predetermined time intervals. Also in this case, the introduction of refreshed outside air can prevent a person from getting used to the smell of smell.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the change in the amount of outside air is performed by switching the inside and outside air of the air conditioner. By switching to the refreshed outside air by switching between the inside and outside air, it is possible to completely prevent the smell of smell from getting used to.
[0007]
In the vehicle interior fragrance control method according to a fourth aspect, the amount of outside air is changed by changing the opening of the inside / outside air switching door of the air conditioner. The cost can be reduced by using the existing components.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a change in the amount of outside air is performed by changing an outlet of an air conditioner. In this case, the airflow of the entire outside air introduced into the passenger compartment does not change, but the airflow from the outlet of the air conditioner that blows the airflow near the occupant's face contains a lot of refreshed outside air, and the other airflow By squeezing the mouth, it is possible to prevent a person from getting used to the smell of smell.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a vehicle interior fragrance control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an automobile equipped with an air conditioner (air conditioner) and an air purifier with a scent generator. Reference numeral 1 indicates an air purifier with a scent generator. The air purifier 1 with a scent generator is already known, and although not shown in FIG. 1, the air purifier and the scent generator are integrated, and preferably the It is provided on the ceiling.
[0009]
Reference numeral 2 denotes a vehicle air conditioner, which is preferably mounted at the front of the vehicle. Although not shown in FIG. 2 as is well known, the air conditioner 2 has an inside / outside air switching door for switching the introduced air between inside air and outside air at its air introduction port. By adjusting, the ratio of the inside and outside air amount can be changed. Further, the air conditioner 2 is provided with each outlet such as a defroster outlet, a face outlet or a foot outlet at the most downstream side of the air conditioning duct. The amount of air blown from the can be changed.
[0010]
Reference numeral 3 indicates an air control device (ECV) that controls the operation of the air conditioner 2. The air control device 3 receives an ON / OFF signal of the scent generator, which is an operation status of the air purifier 1 with a scent generator, and also detects the state of outside air from an exhaust gas sensor 4 provided in front of the vehicle. Is entered. Also, a signal from an automatic inside / outside air sensor (not shown) is input. The air control device 3 controls the operation of the air conditioner 2 based on the information. That is, it outputs an inside / outside air switching signal to the inside / outside air switching door of the air conditioner 2 and outputs a signal for adjusting the opening degree of each air outlet. The air control device 3 performs scent control based on a flowchart described below.
[0011]
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the vehicle interior fragrance control method according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, in step S1, the ON-OFF state of the air purifier 1 with a scent generator, that is, ON-OFF of the scent generation function, is determined. If the scent generation function is ON and the scent is being emitted into the vehicle interior, the process proceeds to step S2, and it is determined whether the time during which the scent is generated exceeds a certain fixed time. The certain time period is a period of time from when the scent is filled in the vehicle interior to when the person becomes accustomed to the scent and no longer feels the scent. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S3, where it is determined whether or not the outside air is clean based on a signal from the exhaust gas sensor 4 mounted in front of the vehicle. When it is determined that the outside air is clean, the process proceeds to step S5, in which the air volume of the outside air entering the vehicle interior is changed (increased) to supply more fresh air to the vehicle interior, thereby refreshing the human sense of smell. Let the fragrance get used to.
[0012]
Further, when the air purifier with the scent generator is not operating in step S1 and the scent generation function is OFF, or when a certain time has not yet elapsed since the scent generation function was turned ON in step S2, Alternatively, when it is determined from the signal from the exhaust gas sensor 4 in step S3 that the outside air is contaminated and not clean, the process proceeds to step S4, in which the inside / outside air control of the normal air conditioner 2 using the inside / outside air sensor signal is performed.
[0013]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a fragrance in a vehicle compartment according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this alternative embodiment, steps S10 to S14 are the same as in the previous embodiment, but after changing the airflow of the outside air entering the vehicle cabin in steps S15 and S16, the airflow of the steady outside air after a predetermined time has elapsed. Back to. That is, first, the ON / OFF state of the scent generation function is determined in step S10, and if the scent generation function is ON, it is determined in step S11 whether the ON state has exceeded a certain fixed time. If the predetermined time has elapsed, it is determined in step S12 whether or not the outside air is clean based on a signal from the exhaust gas sensor 4. If the outside air is clean, the flow rate of the outside air entering the vehicle interior is changed in step S14 ( Increase) to supply more fresh air to the cabin.
If the determinations in steps S10, S11, and S12 are all NO, the process proceeds to step S12, where the inside / outside air control based on the normal inside / outside air sensor signal of the air conditioner 2 is performed.
[0014]
At step S14, the air flow of the outside air entering the vehicle interior is changed (increased), and after a predetermined time has elapsed after supplying more fresh air to the vehicle interior (step S15), the process proceeds to the next step S16, where the vehicle The air volume of the outside air entering the room is returned to a steady state. Next, returning to step S10, the above cycle is repeated.
[0015]
In addition, since refreshing the sense of smell of humans can be performed by changing the state of the air around the face, it is possible to refresh the sense of smell even by causing a change in the air flow including the outside air from each air outlet of the air conditioner. It can prevent getting used to.
[0016]
As described above, in the present invention, the scent of human beings becomes accustomed to the scent emitted by the scent generator, and when the effect of the scent is reduced, the scent is increased by increasing the flow rate of fresh outside air. It can be re-recognized. In this case, whether the outside air is fresh is determined based on information from the exhaust gas sensor. Also, conventionally, in order to obtain such a refreshing effect of the sense of smell, a scent generator itself is equipped with a timer, an electromagnetic valve, and the like, and such a so-called “fluctuation control” is performed. Since no air conditioner is used, a scent effect can be obtained at a low cost without requiring components such as a timer and a solenoid valve.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an automobile equipped with an air conditioner and an air purifier with a scent generator for implementing a vehicle interior fragrance control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a vehicle interior fragrance control method according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a vehicle interior fragrance control method according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1. Air purifier with scent generator 2. Air conditioner 3. Air control device (ECV)
4: Exhaust gas sensor

Claims (5)

Using an air conditioner mounted on the vehicle and an air purifier with a scent generator, in a vehicle interior fragrance control method of keeping the vehicle interior in a fragrance state,
When the air purifier with the scent generator is in the ON state and generating a scent, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the air volume of the outside air blown into the vehicle interior by the air conditioner is changed. Aroma control method. Using an air conditioner mounted on the vehicle and an air purifier with a scent generator, in a vehicle interior fragrance control method of keeping the vehicle interior in a fragrance state,
When the air purifier with a scent generator is in an ON state and generating a scent, the air conditioner repeatedly changes the air volume of the outside air blown into the cabin at a predetermined time interval. Aroma control method. 3. The vehicle interior fragrance control method according to claim 1, wherein the change in the air volume of the outside air is performed by switching the inside and outside air of the air conditioner. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the change in the amount of outside air is performed by changing an opening degree of an inside / outside air switching door of the air conditioner. 3. The vehicle interior fragrance control method according to claim 1, wherein a change in the amount of outside air is performed by periodically changing an outlet of the air conditioner.

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