JP2005206110A - Internal/external air switching method for vehicle air conditioner and vehicle air-conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform switching of internal/external air on a real time basis in response to existence of uncomfortable odor and to previously prevent intrusion of the uncomfortable odor into a cabin. <P>SOLUTION: When switching from an external air introduction mode to an internal air circulation mode is performed in an air conditioner 53 of a vehicle during traveling, the switch is noticed to an on-vehicle machine 15 as generation of an event. The on-vehicle machine 15 receiving generation of the event transmits information indicating generation of the event with position information of the vehicle to a host computer 13 of a management center. The host computer receiving this prepares an odor map 13a capable of specifying an uncomfortable area PA where the air conditioner of the vehicle should be made to the internal air circulation mode. Whereas, the position information of the vehicle is periodically transmitted from the on-vehicle machine 15 of a second vehicle 3 during traveling to the host computer. It is determined based on the odor map and the position information of the second vehicle 3 whether or not the mode of the air conditioner 53 of the second vehicle 3 is switched from the external air introduction mode to the internal air circulation mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an inside / outside air switching method for a vehicle air conditioner and a vehicle air conditioning system.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle air conditioner that detects the degree of outside air pollution by a sensor mounted on a vehicle and switches between an outside air introduction mode and an inside air circulation mode according to the detection result is known (the following patent document). 3). There is also known a vehicle air conditioner that determines the presence or absence of a tunnel in the traveling direction from map data of a navigation device and switches between an outside air introduction mode and an inside air circulation mode before entering the tunnel (Patent Document 2 below). ). According to the former, there is an advantage that the air conditioner mode can be switched in real time. The latter is excellent in that it can prevent intrusion of air that humans feel uncomfortable.
JP-A-11-147415 JP 09-309330 A JP 05-180771 A

  By the way, an unpleasant odor occurrence area (unpleasant area) does not always appear on the map. For example, there are agricultural areas where cut grass is burned by the road, industrial areas where factory flue gas flows on the road depending on the wind direction, and areas that are difficult to represent in advance on a map. This is because the presence or absence of unpleasant odors is uncertain and greatly influenced by multiple factors such as industrial activities, traffic volume, seasons, and weather. Therefore, according to the method of controlling the air conditioner by relying on the map data, there arises a problem that the automatic switching between the inside and outside air cannot be performed in such an area. On the other hand, the method of detecting the degree of outside air contamination with a sensor has a problem that it is not possible to prevent intrusion into the vehicle.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention is a vehicle air conditioner that can switch between inside and outside air in real time according to the presence or absence of an unpleasant odor and can prevent unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide an internal / external air switching method and a vehicle air conditioning system that employs the method.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an event notification from an air conditioner to an in-vehicle device of the first vehicle when the air conditioner of the traveling first vehicle is switched from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode. A step of notifying the occurrence, an in-vehicle device of the first vehicle that has received the occurrence of the event, a step of transmitting information indicating the occurrence of the event together with the position information of the own vehicle to the host computer of the management center, Based on the information indicating the occurrence of the event and the position information, a step of creating an odor map that can identify an uncomfortable area in which the air conditioner of the vehicle should be set to the inside air circulation mode; A second step of periodically transmitting the position information of the own vehicle, the odor map and the position information of the second vehicle; Determining whether to switch both of the air conditioner to inside air circulation mode from the outside air introduction mode, and key comprising the.

  In the present invention, an air conditioner of another vehicle (second vehicle) is controlled based on an event occurring in one vehicle (first vehicle). In other words, from the data collected from the first vehicle, the host computer of the management center identifies the odor generating area (= discomfort area) that humans feel unpleasant, and feeds back this identification result to the air conditioning control of the second vehicle. It is. As a means for identifying an uncomfortable area, the host computer creates an odor map, which is created and updated in real time. Therefore, even if a new uncomfortable area occurs or disappears, the air conditioner of the second vehicle can always perform mode switching according to the situation. As a result, an unpleasant smell entering the vehicle is blocked.

  Specifically, the event described above can be as follows. That is, the air conditioner of the first vehicle determines that an event has occurred when switching from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode based on the detection result of the odor sensor provided in the first vehicle. It is configured to Further, the air conditioner of the first vehicle is configured to determine that an event has occurred when switching from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode is performed by an input from a passenger of the first vehicle. It may be.

  As described above, the first vehicle passing through a completely new unpleasant area cannot prevent the entry of unpleasant odor air. However, based on the experience, the host computer of the management center cannot A smell map will be created. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the first vehicle plays a role as a scout. Since the information from the first vehicle is fed back to the following vehicle (second vehicle or the like), the air conditioner mode can be switched in advance before the unpleasant smell of air enters the vehicle.

  In one preferred embodiment, the host computer creates an odor map so that each of the areas defined on the map can be distinguished from the uncomfortable area, and the position of the second vehicle and the odor map are displayed. When the second vehicle is matched to the uncomfortable area and it is determined that the second vehicle has entered the uncomfortable area, the air conditioner of the second vehicle is circulated from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation to the in-vehicle device of the second vehicle. Send a switch request to switch to mode. Then, in the air conditioner of the second vehicle, switching from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode is performed in response to a switching command from the in-vehicle device that has acquired the switching request. In this aspect, whether or not to switch the mode of the air conditioner of the second vehicle is determined by the host computer of the management center, and sending to the second vehicle is a switching request. This is preferable from the viewpoint of suppressing the amount of data to be transmitted and from the viewpoint of reducing the processing load of the in-vehicle device (such as car navigation system) of the second vehicle. In addition, regarding the individual areas partitioned in a mesh shape as described above, if the discomfort area and the comfort area are distinguished and managed, the data for identifying the discomfort area is relatively small, and the second It is also easy to determine whether to switch the mode of the vehicle air conditioner.

  Of course, the second vehicle may determine whether or not to switch the mode of the air conditioner. That is, in another preferred embodiment, the host computer described above creates an odor map so as to distinguish whether each of the divided areas on the map is an unpleasant area, and makes the odor map unpleasant. It is comprised so that it may transmit to the vehicle equipment of the 2nd vehicle which entered the area or located in the fixed range from the unpleasant area. On the other hand, in the in-vehicle device of the second vehicle, the outside air introduction mode and the inside air circulation mode in the air conditioner of the second vehicle based on the fact that the unpleasant area is identified by referring to the odor map and the position information of the own vehicle, Will be switched. If the odor map is actually transmitted to the second vehicle, the odor map can be displayed on the monitor of the navigation device of the second vehicle. This method has an advantage that the passenger can directly check the uncomfortable area.

  Further, the above-described method of the present invention can be directly applied to a vehicle air conditioning system formed by a host computer installed in a management center and a plurality of vehicles connected to the host computer by a wireless communication network. It becomes clear from the embodiment shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows an air conditioning system 100 for a vehicle according to the present invention. The vehicle air conditioning system 100 includes a host computer 13 (see FIG. 2) installed in the management center 9 and a plurality of vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 that can exchange data with the host computer 13 by wireless communication. Is done. The vehicle air-conditioning system 100 assumes that when the air conditioner (air conditioner) of one vehicle is switched from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode, the point where the switching is performed is included in the unpleasant area. Is fed back to other vehicles passing through. In the example of FIG. 1, the vehicles 3, 5, and 7 that pass from the rear of the vehicle 1 through the uncomfortable area where the smoke of the factory 11 flows are sent from the management center 9 before entering the uncomfortable area. Based on the information, the air conditioner can be switched to the inside air circulation mode.

  The configuration of each vehicle is shown in the block diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the configurations of the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 can be the same. However, in the following description, the vehicle 1 (first vehicle) and the vehicles 3, 5, and 7 (second vehicle) may be described separately for convenience.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes an in-vehicle device 15 and an air conditioner ECU 23. The in-vehicle device 15 forms a main control unit of the known navigation device 51 and has a function of a communication device such as VICS and FM multiplex communication. A GPS 21 (Global Positioning System), a display 19, and an antenna 17 are connected to each other. The in-vehicle device 15 can perform data communication with the host computer 13 of the management center 9 via the antenna 17. The GPS 21 is for detecting the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from the satellite. The own vehicle position obtained by the GPS 21 is input to the in-vehicle device 15 and is periodically transmitted to the host computer 13 of the management center 9. Thereby, the host computer 13 can grasp the positions of all the vehicles forming the vehicle air conditioning system 100. Specifically, a vehicle ID unique to the vehicle-mounted device 15 of each of the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 may be given, and this vehicle ID may be transmitted to the host computer 13 together with the position information. In the host computer 13, a database indicating the position of the running vehicle is created and updated sequentially.

  The air conditioner ECU 23 forms a main control unit of the air conditioner 53, and receives signals from the air conditioner operation unit 27 and the odor sensor 29. In addition, the air conditioner ECU 23 performs switching control between the outside air introduction mode and the inside air circulation mode by sending a drive control signal to the inside / outside air switching door drive control means 25. The inside / outside air switching door drive control means 25 is configured to include an inside / outside air switching door drive motor and a drive control circuit for the motor. The air conditioner operation unit 27 includes a changeover switch for the passenger to manually switch between the outside air introduction mode and the inside air circulation mode.

The odor sensor 29 can detect volatile sulfides such as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide, and components capable of detecting unpleasant odor such as ammonia and hydrogen chloride, for example, metal oxide such as SnO ₂ and ZnO. An odor sensor using a physical semiconductor or an odor sensor using a conductive polymer can be used. The odor sensor 29 may be a gas sensor that detects the degree of air contamination by carbon monoxide or nitrogen oxides. These sensors may be used alone or in combination of a plurality of types.

A flow of processing in the vehicle air conditioning system 100 will be described.
First, FIG. 3 is a process flowchart of the air conditioner ECU 23, and particularly shows a process when an event occurs. The air conditioner ECU 23 determines whether or not the odor sensor 29 has reacted, and whether or not the air conditioner operation unit 27 (changeover switch) has been operated by the passenger (S1). In the case of YES, the process proceeds to S2 to give an inside air instruction to the inside / outside air switching door drive control means 25.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, when the flue gas from the factory 11 flows on the road, the passenger of the vehicle 1 sets the air conditioner 53 in the inside air circulation mode so that the flue gas enters the vehicle. In order to prevent this, the air conditioner operating unit 27 is operated. The air conditioner ECU 23 detects a mode switching input by the passenger and instructs the inside / outside air switching door drive control means 25 to switch to the inside air circulation mode (S2 in FIG. 2). Further, the odor sensor 29 detects an unpleasant component in the surrounding air. When the detection result of the odor sensor 29 is input to the air conditioner ECU 23 via an AD conversion circuit (not shown) and the detection result exceeds a preset threshold value, the inside air circulation mode is automatically selected, A drive control signal is output to the air switching door drive control means 25. Then, the air conditioner ECU 23 notifies the vehicle-mounted device 15 that an event has occurred (S3).

  Next, FIG. 4 shows a processing flowchart at the time of data transmission in the in-vehicle device 15. First, in S10, the in-vehicle device 15 determines whether or not an event has been detected. That is, in response to the event being notified from the air conditioner ECU 23 to the vehicle-mounted device 15 in S3 of FIG. 3, the vehicle-mounted device 15 acquires the event content (S11) and also acquires the position information of the vehicle from the GPS 21 (S12). ), The event information and the position information are transmitted to the host computer 13 (S13). Further, as shown in S12 and S13, the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 transmit position information even when no event occurs. As a result, the host computer 13 recognizes the positions of the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7. Since the position information is transmitted every time the routine of FIG. 4 is executed, the position records of the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 are periodically updated in the host computer 13.

  Next, FIG. 5 is a process flowchart of the host computer 13 of the management center 9. When receiving data from the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7, the host computer 13 determines whether event information is included in the data (S20, S21). If event information is included, the event content and position information are extracted (S22, S23). The fact that event information is included in the data sent from the vehicles 1, 3, 5 and 7 means that a new uncomfortable area has been found as in the vehicle 1 of FIG. Therefore, based on the position information extracted in S23, an event occurrence point, that is, an unpleasant point is mapped to map data, and an odor map is created (S24).

  The odor map is created by adding / registering position data regarding an uncomfortable spot to map data prepared in advance. In addition, if it is data that represents an uncomfortable point and old position data that has passed several hours after registration is deleted and the odor map is updated sequentially, a highly accurate odor map can always be obtained. Become. Of course, tunnels and specific roads with heavy traffic can be registered as fixed unpleasant areas that are not updated.

  FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of an odor map 13 a created by the host computer 13. The odor map 13a can be obtained by dividing the map into mesh-like areas and displaying areas that are uncomfortable for humans. A dotted line portion in the figure is an actual area where the user feels uncomfortable, and a hatched portion is an unpleasant area PA when the hatched portion is corrected (converted) into a mesh. For example, an area of a certain distance from the event occurrence point sent from the vehicle can be shown as an area surrounded by a dotted line. In addition, each area divided into meshes can be set as an unpleasant area PA if at least one unpleasant spot is registered in the area.

  Returning to FIG. If it is determined in S21 that event information is not included in the transmitted data, the host computer 13 extracts position information from the received data and performs matching with the odor map 13a (S25, S26). . In S27, when it is determined that the current position of each vehicle 1, 3, 5, 7 is within the uncomfortable area PA, an inside air switching request is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 15 (S28).

  Here, a case is assumed in which the inside air switching request is transmitted to a vehicle that is already in the inside air circulation mode. Therefore, when executing the processing of FIG. 4, mode information indicating whether the air conditioner 53 is in the outside air introduction mode or the inside air circulation mode is transmitted to the host computer 13 together with the position information of the own vehicle. What should I do? In the host computer 13, mode information of the air conditioner 53 is recorded together with position information of each vehicle 1, 3, 5, 7. By determining whether or not to transmit the inside air switching request (S28 in FIG. 5) based on this record, wasteful processing can be omitted and communication resources can be saved.

  By the way, in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the odor map 13 a is not sent to each of the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7. . In this case, the matching process between the vehicle position and the uncomfortable area PA can be performed by the in-vehicle device 15 of each of the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7. A specific flowchart is shown in FIG. ST20 to ST26 are as described in FIG. In ST26, the current position of the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 to which the data has been sent is matched with the odor map. As a result, the odor map 13a around the vehicle is transmitted only when certain conditions are met (ST27, ST28). According to such a configuration, the odor map 13a can be directly displayed on the display 19 or the like, and the passenger himself / herself can recognize the unpleasant area PA.

  Further, as a certain condition of ST27, (i) the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 are located in the unpleasant area PA, and (ii) the comfort that the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 are adjacent to the unpleasant area PA It can be shown that it is located in an area (non-uncomfortable area). The odor map 13a may be transmitted on condition (i) above. However, if the odor map 13a is transmitted on condition (ii) above, the control of switching between the inside and outside air before entering the uncomfortable area PA. Is more convenient. Further, since the odor map 13a is not transmitted (downloaded) unless the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 approach the uncomfortable area PA, communication resources are also saved.

  Next, FIG. 7 shows a processing flowchart at the time of data transmission in the in-vehicle device 15. FIG. 8 is a process flowchart of the air conditioner ECU 23 linked to the process of the in-vehicle device 15. As shown in FIG. 7, when receiving the data from the host computer 13 of the management center 9, the in-vehicle device 15 transmits an inside air switching request to the air conditioner ECU 23 and waits for a response (S 30, S 31). On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when the air conditioner ECU 23 receives a request from the vehicle-mounted device 15, the air conditioner ECU 23 instructs the inside / outside air switching door drive control means 25 to perform the inside air operation, and sets the inside / outside air switching door (not shown) to the outside air introduction position. To the internal circulation position (S40, S41). When the operation completion response is received from the inside / outside air switching door drive control means 25 and it is confirmed that the switching has been completed, the air conditioner ECU 23 transmits the operation completion response to the in-vehicle device 15 to complete the processing (S42 to S44). . Returning to FIG. 7, when receiving the response from the air conditioner ECU 23, the in-vehicle device 15 displays on the display 19 that the “inside air circulation” has been switched, and ends the processing (S 32 to S 34). Note that the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 assume a case where the in-vehicle device 15 and the host computer 13 do not recognize the air conditioning mode of the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7.

  In addition, once the inside air circulation mode is entered, it may be possible not to return to the outside air introduction mode by a method other than manual input. However, when the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 depart from the unpleasant area PA, or the unpleasant area. When the vehicle is away from the PA by a certain distance, switching from the inside air circulation mode to the outside air introduction mode may be performed in the same procedure.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 10, when the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 pass the route R that frequently crosses the boundary between the unpleasant area PA and the unpleasant area, switching between the inside and outside air is frequently performed, and the passengers May feel uncomfortable. As one method for preventing this, the following method can be employed. FIG. 11 shows an inside / outside air switching algorithm that can be employed in the in-vehicle device 15 or the host computer 13.

  First, the inside / outside air switching state (outside air introduction mode or inside air circulation mode) of the air conditioner 53 of the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 and the area mesh A where the vehicles 1, 3, 5, and 7 are currently located are acquired ( S50, S51). Next, the number n of unpleasant areas PA existing in the vicinity of the acquired area mesh A is acquired. Specifically, according to the example of FIG. 10, the number of areas that are adjacent to the area mesh A where one vehicle exists and that are registered as the uncomfortable area PA is “3”. When the number n is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value, switching is prohibited, and when it is less than the threshold value, switching is permitted (S53 to S55). This can reduce unnecessary switching. Of course, such processing can be performed by the host computer 13, or may be performed by the in-vehicle device 15 that has downloaded the odor map 13 a from the host computer 13.

Schematic of a vehicle air conditioning system. The block diagram which shows the structure of a vehicle. The process flowchart at the time of event generation in air-conditioner ECU. The process flowchart at the time of the data transmission in vehicle equipment. The process flowchart in a management center. The processing flowchart of another form in a management center. The air-conditioner control flowchart in vehicle equipment. The process flowchart at the time of the request reception in air-conditioner ECU. Conceptual diagram of odor map. The conceptual diagram which shows the advancing route of a vehicle on an odor map. The flowchart which shows an inside / outside air switching algorithm.

Explanation of symbols

1, 3, 5, 7 Vehicle 9 Management center 13 Host computer 13a Odor map 15 On-board unit 23 Air conditioner ECU
25 Inside / outside air switching door drive control means 27 Air-conditioner operation unit 29 Odor sensor 53 Air-conditioner 100 Vehicle air-conditioning system

Claims (6)

A step of notifying the occurrence of an event from the air conditioner to the in-vehicle device of the first vehicle when the air conditioner of the traveling first vehicle is switched from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode;
The in-vehicle device of the first vehicle that has received the occurrence of the event transmits information indicating the occurrence of the event together with the position information of the own vehicle to a host computer of the management center;
In the host computer, based on the information indicating the occurrence of the event and the position information, creating an odor map that can identify an uncomfortable area where the air conditioner of the vehicle should be in the inside air circulation mode;
Periodically transmitting position information of the host vehicle from the in-vehicle device of the second vehicle that is running to the host computer;
Determining whether to switch the air conditioner of the second vehicle from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode based on the odor map and the position information of the second vehicle;
An internal / external air switching method for a vehicle air conditioner.   When the air conditioner of the first vehicle switches from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode based on the detection result of an odor sensor provided in the first vehicle, the fact that the event has occurred The inside / outside air switching method for a vehicle air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the determination is made as follows.   The air conditioner of the first vehicle determines that the event has occurred when switching from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode by an input of a passenger of the first vehicle. 3. An inside / outside air switching method for a vehicle air conditioner according to 1 or 2. The host computer creates the odor map so as to distinguish whether each of the sections partitioned on the map is the unpleasant area, and also the position of the second vehicle and the unpleasant map on the odor map. When matching with the area and determining that the second vehicle has entered the uncomfortable area, the air conditioner of the second vehicle is moved from the outside air introduction mode to the in-vehicle device of the second vehicle. Send a switch request to switch to inside air circulation mode,
4. The air conditioner of the second vehicle is switched from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode in response to a switching command from the in-vehicle device that has acquired the switching request. 5. The inside / outside air switching method for the vehicle air conditioner described in the above section. The host computer creates the odor map so that each of the areas partitioned on the map can be distinguished from the unpleasant area, and the odor map has entered the unpleasant area or from the unpleasant area. While transmitting to the in-vehicle device of the second vehicle located in a certain range,
In the in-vehicle device of the second vehicle, the outside air introduction mode and the inside air in the air conditioner of the second vehicle based on the fact that the unpleasant area is identified by referring to the odor map and the position information of the own vehicle. The inside / outside air switching method for a vehicle air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein switching to the circulation mode is performed. When the air conditioner of the traveling first vehicle is switched from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode, the air conditioner notifies the in-vehicle device of the first vehicle that the switching has occurred,
The in-vehicle device of the first vehicle that has received the occurrence of the event transmits information indicating the occurrence of the event together with the position information of the own vehicle to the host computer of the management center,
In the host computer, based on the information indicating the occurrence of the event and the position information, an odor map that can identify an uncomfortable area in which the vehicle air conditioner should be set to the inside air circulation mode is created.
From the in-vehicle device of the second vehicle that is running, the location information of the own vehicle is periodically transmitted to the host computer,
Whether the mode of the air conditioner of the second vehicle is switched from the outside air introduction mode to the inside air circulation mode based on the odor map and the position information of the second vehicle, whether the host computer or the second vehicle is mounted A vehicle air-conditioning system configured to be determined by a device.

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