JP2009280063A - Vehicle air conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle air conditioning system having good energy efficiency by suppressing wasteful power consumption. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicle air conditioning system is provided with an air conditioning control means for controlling air conditioner, a seat control means for controlling position and reclining of a seat, and a vehicle window control means for controlling opening/closing of a vehicle window. The vehicle air conditioning system has a boarding intention decision means for deciding a boarding intention based on an action pattern of a user, an arrival time prediction means for predicting arrival time when deciding the boarding intention, and a vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle information including a vehicle inside temperature, vehicle inside equipment information and information on sunlight. According to the vehicle inside temperature, a vehicle inside target temperature fixed in advance and the arrival time, the control of the air conditioner by an air conditioning means, the control of position and reclining of the seat by the seat control means or the opening control of the vehicle window by the vehicle window control means is performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle air conditioner (car air conditioner) is known that sets an operation time of an air conditioner before boarding and performs cooling and heating so that the passenger compartment temperature falls within an appropriate temperature range at the time of boarding.

As a technology related to this, it is detected whether or not the temperature in the passenger compartment is out of an appropriate temperature range with respect to a predetermined set temperature when a preliminary driving instruction specified in advance before getting on the vehicle is detected. There is a car air conditioner automatic operation method and apparatus for starting the operation of a car air conditioner when out of range (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-10324

  By the way, in the vehicle air conditioning system for setting the vehicle room temperature to an appropriate temperature range before boarding the user, it may take time to reach the appropriate temperature range. It is important to be able to start (control) vehicle air conditioning.

  However, in the vehicle air conditioner described above and the invention described in Patent Document 1, the air conditioner operation before the boarding is controlled, for example, when a smart key is detected or the door is opened, depending on the environment outside the vehicle interior. At this control timing, it may be difficult to achieve an appropriate cabin temperature when the passenger gets on. In addition, when controlling the air conditioner operation with a timer or remote operation, it may be too early and useless power may be consumed.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioning system that suppresses wasteful power consumption and has high energy efficiency.

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle air conditioning system according to a first aspect of the invention controls air conditioning control means for controlling an air conditioning device that performs air conditioning, seat control means for controlling the position and reclining of a seat, and opening and closing of a vehicle window. A vehicle air conditioning system for a vehicle comprising vehicle window control means,
Boarding intention determining means for determining the user's boarding intention based on the user's behavior pattern;
An arrival time predicting means for predicting an arrival time from when the user intends to get on to when the user arrives at the vehicle when the user's intention to get on is determined by the user who wants to get on the vehicle;
Vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring the vehicle information including information related to in-vehicle temperature, in-vehicle equipment information, and sunlight,
Control of the air conditioner by the air conditioning unit, seat position and reclining by the seat control unit according to the in-vehicle temperature acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, the predetermined target temperature in the vehicle, and the arrival time Or opening control of the vehicle window by the vehicle window control means.

2nd invention is the vehicle air conditioning system which concerns on 1st invention,
When the in-vehicle temperature is lower than the target temperature and the in-vehicle temperature reaches the target temperature within the arrival time due to heating by the air conditioner, the seat control means obtains the vehicle information on the seat position and reclining. Move based on information about sunlight acquired by means,
When the vehicle interior temperature is lower than the target temperature and the vehicle interior temperature does not reach the target temperature within the arrival time due to heating by the air conditioner, the air conditioning control means activates the heating by the air conditioner. Features.

3rd invention is the vehicle air conditioning system which concerns on 1st or 2nd invention,
When the vehicle interior temperature is higher than the target temperature and the vehicle interior temperature reaches the target temperature within the arrival time due to cooling by the air conditioner, the vehicle window control means opens the vehicle window,
When the vehicle interior temperature is higher than the target temperature and the vehicle interior temperature does not reach the target temperature within the arrival time due to cooling by the air conditioner, the air conditioning control means activates the cooling by the air conditioner. Features.

A fourth invention is the vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of the first to third inventions,
Control by the air conditioning control means, the seat control means, and / or the vehicle window control when it is determined by the boarding intention determination means that the user's boarding intention is continued and it is determined that the user does not have a boarding intention. It is characterized by stopping.

5th invention is the vehicle air conditioning system which concerns on 4th invention,
The seat control means stops the control after returning the seat position and reclining to the position before the movement,
The vehicle window control means stops the control after closing the vehicle window.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, useless electric power consumption is suppressed and a vehicle air conditioning system with sufficient energy efficiency is obtained.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle air conditioning system 1 according to the present invention. The vehicle air conditioning system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a boarding intention detection device 10 disposed outside the vehicle and an on-vehicle device 30 mounted on the vehicle.

  The boarding intention detection device 10 includes a driver determination unit 12, a driver behavior detection unit 14, a clock 16, a database 17, a boarding pattern determination unit 18, and a communication unit 20. These main functions will be described below, but details will be described later.

  The driver determination unit 12 determines whether or not a person who has gone out of the home is a driver of a vehicle registered in advance, and notifies the driver behavior detection unit 14 of driver information. Here, the home is typically a place where a driver lives for a long time by parking a vehicle near the driver's home or company. Whether or not the person who goes out of the home is a driver of a pre-registered vehicle, for example, possesses a vehicle key that the user should have (for example, a portable key such as a smart key) or an electronic license. Whether or not the user associated with the vehicle key or the ID of the electronic license is a pre-registered user is detected using a non-contact sensor (including a character receiver). Good. At this time, the non-contact sensor may be provided at a predetermined entrance / exit of the home. Further, the non-contact sensor may be provided at a company entrance or the like, and may determine whether or not the user is a pre-registered user from data of an electronic employee card detected when leaving the office. . The driver information may include biological information such as an ID of a vehicle key possessed by the detected user, a mobile phone number, and a face.

  Based on the driver information, the driver behavior detection unit 14 detects the presence and behavior of the driver (movement trajectory, movement direction, Face orientation, line of sight, etc.).

  The clock 16 manages the current time and notifies the boarding pattern determination unit 18 of time information such as the current time.

  The database 17 includes a user's past behavior pattern detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14, an action pattern when the user gets on (boarding pattern), and an action pattern when the user does not get on. (Non-riding pattern) is stored.

  The boarding pattern determination unit 18 compares the behavior detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14 and the time information from the clock 16 with the action history pattern of the user's past boarding stored in the database 17. The driver's intention to get on the vehicle is detected, and the arrival time of the driver (and the passenger) to the vehicle is predicted. The arrival prediction time is assumed to be in a form that represents how many seconds after the current time it will be reached. However, the predicted arrival time may be represented by, for example, an absolute time.

  The communication unit 20 transmits the predicted arrival time to the vehicle and the pre-boarding control start permission information (pre-boarding control start instruction) to the in-vehicle device 30 of the vehicle by wireless communication.

  The vehicle-mounted device 30 includes a communication unit 32, a vehicle information acquisition unit 34, a pre-boarding control content determination unit 36, and a control device 38. These main functions will be described below, but details will be described later.

  The communication unit 32 receives a signal representing the predicted arrival time of the driver to the vehicle and pre-boarding control start permission information from the communication unit 20 of the boarding intention detection device 10, and the predicted arrival time of the driver and the ride The pre-control start permission information is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36.

  The vehicle information acquisition unit 34 acquires the current vehicle state (for example, in-vehicle environment such as room temperature and seat position, in-vehicle equipment status, and basic information indicating the intention of boarding) via various in-vehicle sensors. The basic information indicating the intention to get on (hereinafter referred to as basic information on the intention to get on) is information indicating that there is actually a boarding, and is generated when a door unlocking operation and a door opening operation are detected. May be. In addition, in addition to door unlocking and door opening operations, basic information on boarding intentions is provided by in-vehicle sensors (for example, in-vehicle cameras, seat load sensors embedded in driver seats, smart receivers, etc.). May be generated when it is detected that a person is present. Moreover, the vehicle information acquisition part 34 notifies boarding intention basic | foundation information to the boarding intention detection apparatus 10 via the communication part 32, when boarding intention basic information is acquired.

  The pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 gets on the basis of the predicted arrival time of the driver obtained from the boarding intention detection device 10, the current vehicle state from the vehicle information acquisition unit 34, and the time required for control (known information). Determine (determine) previous control contents (including timing).

  The control device 38 is a device that controls a device that changes the passenger compartment temperature. For example, an air conditioning control device for an air conditioner such as a car air conditioner that performs cooling or heating, a seat (such as an electric seat) at a position that can receive the maximum amount of sunlight. And a seat control device that controls reclining, a vehicle window control device that controls opening and closing of the vehicle window, and the like. The control device 38 performs various controls related to air conditioning according to the control content determined by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing basic processing related to the pre-boarding control realized by the vehicle air conditioning system 1.

  In step 100, when a driver going out from the home is detected in the driver determination unit 12, it is determined whether or not the driver out of the home satisfies the driver condition. The driver condition is a condition such as whether the vehicle key is carried when going out, a driver's license is carried, or whether the vehicle is permitted in advance. If the person who is out of the home satisfies the driver condition, the process proceeds to step 102, and otherwise, the process of the current cycle is terminated.

  In step 102, the driver behavior detector 14 detects the behavior (behavior pattern) of the driver from the home. For example, departure time when going out, walking route, arrival time to each point on the walking route, face direction during walking, line of sight, gesture, and the like may be detected.

  In step 104, the behavior pattern currently detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14 in the boarding pattern determination unit 18 is compared / contrast with the behavior pattern of the previous boarding (or non-boarding) stored in the database 17. Is done.

  In step 106, the driver behavior detection unit 14 determines whether or not the driver has an intention to board as a result of the comparison in step 104. Specifically, if the behavior pattern currently detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14 matches the past behavior pattern stored in the database 17, it is determined that the driver has an intention to ride. Is done. On the other hand, if the behavior pattern currently detected by the driver behavior detection unit 14 does not match the behavior pattern at the time of the past boarding stored in the database 17, the driver has no intention to board (or is unknown). Determined.

  In step 108, pre-boarding control is started by the control device 38 in the vehicle-mounted device 30. The control device 38 performs various controls related to air conditioning according to the control content determined by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36.

  As described above, according to the basic processing shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to perform the necessary control and service before boarding without requiring any special operation by the user, so that the comfort during boarding can be improved.

  Next, the functions of the main components will be described through more specific examples.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the driver determination unit 12 (details of processing in step 100 in FIG. 2).

  In step 200, it is determined whether or not an out-of-home person has been detected. For example, when the home is a home, an outing person from the home may be detected based on an opening / closing operation of a front door of the home. In addition, when the home is a commuting company, an outing person may be detected when passing through the exit gate. In addition, when the home is a store, a person who has gone out may be detected when the store passes through the doorway.

  In step 202, vehicle key detection processing is executed. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the outsider is carrying the vehicle key. For example, when the vehicle key is a smart key used in a smart system, it may be determined whether or not an outsider is carrying the vehicle key based on the reception status of radio waves from the smart key.

  In step 204, it is determined whether or not the driver condition is satisfied based on the processing results of steps 200 and 202. The driver condition is a condition such as whether the vehicle key is carried when going out, a driver's license is carried, or whether the vehicle is permitted in advance. When the person who has gone out of the home satisfies the driver condition, the process proceeds to step 206, and otherwise, the process of the current cycle is finished as it is.

  In step 206, an instruction is transmitted to the driver behavior detection unit 14 to start the driver behavior detection process.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing (details of processing in steps 102, 104, and 106 in FIG. 2) realized by the driver behavior detection unit 14, the boarding pattern determination unit 18, and the communication unit 20.

  In step 300, driver information (for example, key ID) and pre-boarding control start instruction are transmitted to the vehicle via the communication unit 20. When the on-board device 30 of the vehicle corresponding to the key ID receives the pre-boarding control start instruction, the on-board device 30 starts the pre-boarding control. Note that the pre-boarding control start instruction may be transmitted to the vehicle when a positive determination is made in step 308 described later.

  In step 302, time information indicating the current time is acquired from the clock 16.

  In step 304, the driver behavior detection unit 14 detects the driver's walking route, and in step 306, the driver's walking speed is detected. In the present steps 304 and 306, for example, the driver's movement may be detected by a plurality of road cameras installed between the home and the vehicle (parking lot). In addition, a smart key or RFID carried by the driver may be detected by a plurality of antennas installed between the vehicle and the vehicle (parking lot), and the driver's walking route and the driver's walking speed may be detected. Further, the movement trajectory, direction, and speed of the driver may be detected using GPS information of the mobile phone owned by the user.

  In step 308, the driver's action pattern detected in steps 304 and 306 in the boarding pattern determination unit 18 matches the boarding pattern stored in the database 17 (the action pattern when the driver has boarded in the past). It is determined whether or not (matching) is performed. If it matches the boarding pattern, the process proceeds to step 310, and if it does not match, the process proceeds to step 314.

  In step 310, the boarding pattern determination unit 18 compares the past boarding pattern with the current action pattern to calculate the predicted arrival time and the expected approach direction of the driver (and the passenger) to the vehicle. The

  In step 312, information representing the predicted arrival time and predicted approach direction to the vehicle calculated in step 310 is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device 30 of the vehicle via the communication unit 20.

  In step 314, the driver pattern detected in steps 304 and 306 in the boarding pattern determination unit 18 is a non-boarding pattern stored in the database 17 (behavior pattern when the driver has not boarded in the past). ) Is matched (matched). Note that the non-riding pattern typically includes, for example, a behavior pattern when the driver just comes to the vehicle to pick up forgotten things and does not get on, or the driver only gets to see the state of the vehicle. It consists of an action pattern when not driving, an action pattern when the driver goes out for another purpose other than the vehicle, and the like. When the behavior pattern of the driver detected this time coincides with the non-riding pattern, it is determined that the driver has no intention to board, and the process proceeds to step 320. On the other hand, when the action pattern of the driver detected this time does not match the non-riding pattern, the process proceeds to step 316.

  In step 316, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the point in time when the behavior pattern of the driver detected this time does not match the boarding pattern is within the limit time. The time limit may correspond to a general time from going out of the home to reaching the vehicle. If the elapsed time is within the limit time, the process proceeds to step 318, and if the elapsed time exceeds the limit time, the process proceeds to step 320.

  In step 318, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 20 has received the basic intention to get on board from the vehicle-mounted device 30. In addition, the boarding intention basic information is information indicating that the boarding is detected through the door unlocking operation and the door opening operation as described above. If the boarding intention basic information is received, the process proceeds to step 320. If the boarding intention basic information is not received, the process returns to step 302, and the processes in and after step 302 are repeated.

  In step 320, an instruction to end the pre-boarding control (pre-boarding control end instruction) is transmitted to the vehicle via the communication unit 20. In response to this, the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the vehicle-mounted device 30 terminates / stops various pre-boarding controls as will be described later. When the transmission process of step 320 is finished, the processing routine of FIG. 4 is finished.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process (details of the process in step 108 in FIG. 2) realized by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the vehicle-mounted device 30.

  In step 400, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information, the process proceeds to step 402.

  In step 402, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received the predicted arrival time and the expected approach direction (see step 312 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10. If the communication unit 32 has received the predicted arrival time and the predicted approach direction, the process proceeds to step 404. If the communication unit 32 has not received the predicted arrival time and the predicted approach direction, the process proceeds to step 410.

  In step 404, vehicle information and surrounding information are acquired via the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. Specifically, vehicle interior and vehicle interior conditions such as vehicle compartment temperature and seat position (seat position and reclining angle), and vehicle surroundings such as ambient brightness, (outside) temperature, weather, and sunlight information Is detected and acquired using various on-vehicle sensors. In addition, since the information regarding sunlight is information used to move a seat (electric seat or the like) or reclining to a position where sunlight can be received to the maximum extent, for example, presence or absence of sunlight, sunlight (sunlight) Including the presence or absence of insertion into the car and the intensity of sunlight.

  In step 406, the control content is determined based on the information obtained in steps 402 and 404. In step 408, various controls related to air conditioning are executed in accordance with the control content. Details of embodiments of various controls will be described later.

  In step 410, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control end instruction (see step 320 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10. In this step 410, instead of this determination, it may be determined whether or not the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has detected basic information on boarding intention. In such a configuration, the process of step 320 shown in FIG. 4 may be omitted. If the pre-boarding control end instruction is received in step 410, the process proceeds to step 412. If the pre-boarding control end instruction has not been received (that is, the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has detected the basic information on boarding intention). If not, return to step 402.

  In step 412, the pre-boarding control by the control device 38 is terminated. In this case, when the pre-boarding control by the control device 38 has not yet started, the state where the execution is not started is maintained. On the other hand, when the pre-boarding control by the control device 38 is already being executed, the execution is stopped. In this case, for example, return control may be performed as necessary to return the seat position and reclining to the state before execution of the pre-boarding control. Even in situations where a pre-boarding control end instruction is received, for example, control other than pre-boarding control, such as door unlocking using a wireless key, is naturally maintained in an executable state. Is done.

  FIG. 6 is a system configuration diagram showing a vehicle air conditioning system 2 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle air-conditioning system 2 shown in FIG. 6 is different from the vehicle air-conditioning system 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that the vehicle-mounted device 30 newly includes a boarding intention confirmation unit 40 and a database 42, and the others may be the same.

  The boarding intention confirmation unit 40 includes an in-vehicle camera and an image processing device, and the in-vehicle camera may be any camera that captures scenery outside the vehicle, but preferably images a user (driver) approaching the vehicle. It is a camera arranged so that it can. The boarding intention confirmation unit 40 detects the approach of the user to the vehicle from the predicted arrival time and the predicted approach direction (see step 312 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10, and the user's line of sight (especially the user's approach to the vehicle). Gaze) is detected.

  The database 42 stores a driver's past gaze pattern (line-of-sight pattern) detected by the boarding intention confirmation unit 40 and a gaze pattern when the driver gets on.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the boarding intention confirmation unit 40.

  In step 500, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control start instruction from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction, the process proceeds to step 502.

  In step 502, the communication unit 32 receives from the boarding intention detection device 10 the predicted time T until reaching the vehicle periphery (or vehicle) and the predicted approach direction to the vehicle.

  In step 504, it is determined whether or not the predicted time T has arrived (elapsed). If the predicted time T has arrived, the process proceeds to step 506, and if the predicted time T has not arrived, the process returns to step 502.

  In step 506, it is determined whether or not the driver's face or line of sight has been recognized (detected) in the expected approach direction. In addition, when the imaging method of a vehicle-mounted camera is variable, the imaging direction of a vehicle-mounted camera may be adjusted so that it may face an expected approach direction. Various methods for recognizing a face or line of sight have been proposed and known, and any appropriate method may be used. If the driver's face or line of sight is detected in the expected approach direction, the process proceeds to step 508, and if not detected, the process proceeds to step 514.

  In step 508, based on the detection result of the driver's face or line of sight in step 506, it is determined whether or not the driver's gaze on the vehicle has been detected. In this determination, an image recognition result for an image (images of a plurality of frames) captured over a predetermined time may be considered. If the driver's gaze on the vehicle is detected, the process proceeds to step 510. If the driver's gaze on the vehicle is not detected, the process proceeds to step 514.

  In step 510, it is determined whether or not the gaze pattern currently detected by the boarding intention confirmation unit 40 matches (matches) the gaze pattern at the time of boarding stored in the database 42. If the gaze pattern currently detected in the boarding intention confirmation unit 40 matches the gaze pattern at the time of boarding stored in the database 42, the process proceeds to step 512. If not, the process proceeds to step 514.

  In step 512, it is confirmed (final determination) that the driver has a boarding intention, and boarding intention confirmation information is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content judgment unit 36. When the boarding intention confirmation information is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36, each pre-boarding control by the control device 38 is continuously executed. An example of how to use the boarding intention confirmation information will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step 514, since it is not possible to confirm that the user has an intention to board, a pre-boarding control end instruction is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36. When a pre-boarding control end instruction is transmitted to the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36, each pre-boarding control by the control device 38 is ended as in step 412 of FIG.

  According to the vehicle air conditioning system 2 according to the other embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the boarding intention confirmation unit 40 that confirms the boarding intention of the driver is provided on the vehicle side, so that the boarding intention of the driver is detected with high accuracy. This can increase the reliability of the pre-boarding control.

  FIG. 8 is a system configuration diagram showing a vehicle air conditioning system 3 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle air-conditioning system 3 shown in FIG. 8 differs from the vehicle air-conditioning system 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that the boarding intention detection device 10 is newly provided with a pattern learning unit 24, and the others may be the same.

  The pattern learning unit 24 is configured to learn the above-described boarding patterns and non-boarding patterns and store them in the database 17.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in the pattern learning unit 24.

  In step 600, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control start instruction from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction, the process proceeds to step 602.

  In step 602, various data (driver information, each behavior, time data, etc.) acquired by the driver behavior detection unit 14 are held.

  In step 604, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 20 has received the basic information on boarding intention from the vehicle-mounted device 30. In addition, the boarding intention basic information is information indicating that the boarding is detected through the door unlocking operation and the door opening operation as described above. If the boarding intention basic information is received, the process proceeds to step 606. If the boarding intention basic information is not received, the process proceeds to step 608.

  In step 606, the data held in step 602 and stored from the start of the driver behavior detection process (see step 206 in FIG. 3) is stored in the database 17 as a boarding pattern. At this time, in consideration of an environment in which a plurality of users use the same vehicle, the boarding pattern may be stored in association with the driver.

  In step 608, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the pre-boarding control start instruction was received. Here, the fixed time corresponds to a threshold for detecting going out without getting on the basis of the elapsed time since the going out from the home is detected, and corresponds to the general time from the home to the vehicle. May be determined appropriately. If a predetermined time has elapsed since the pre-boarding control start instruction was received, it is determined that the user has not been boarded, and the process proceeds to step 610. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step 602.

  In step 610, the data held in step 602 and stored from the start of the driver behavior detection process (see step 206 in FIG. 3) is stored in the database 17 as a non-riding pattern. At this time, in consideration of an environment in which a plurality of users use the same vehicle, the boarding pattern may be stored in association with the driver.

  According to the vehicle air-conditioning system 3 according to the other embodiment shown in FIG. 8, by providing the pattern learning unit 24 that learns the riding pattern and the non-riding pattern and accumulates them in the database 17, the driving intention of the driver is driven. Can be detected with high accuracy based on the person's behavior pattern, and the reliability of the pre-boarding control can be improved.

  FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram showing a vehicle air conditioning system 4 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle air-conditioning system 4 shown in FIG. 10 is different from the vehicle air-conditioning system 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that the boarding intention detection device 10 newly includes a personal authentication unit 26, and the others may be the same.

  The personal authentication unit 26 performs personal authentication at the time of driver determination in the driver determination unit 12 and identifies who is a person who has gone out. FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing some examples of personal authentication modes when going out from the home. If your home is at home, personal authentication can be a vehicle key (or other personal portable key, such as a home key), cell phone, driver's license or other property authentication, face near the door It may be realized by any one or any combination of authentication, biometric authentication such as fingerprint authentication with a doorknob, or knowledge authentication by input to a home security controller or the like. In addition, when the home is a commuting destination, personal authentication may be performed in addition to the same authentication as in the case where the home is at home, or property authentication with a commuter pass when leaving the office. Regarding the above-described property authentication, vehicle key authentication may be realized using a smart key system, and mobile phone authentication is realized using communication via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or GPS information. Alternatively, the authentication of the driver's license may be realized by detecting an ID tag embedded in the driver's license. In addition, the technique described in JP-A-2005-226284 may be applied.

  According to the vehicle air-conditioning system 4 according to the other embodiment shown in FIG. 10, by providing the personal authentication unit 26, the driver can be specified with high accuracy and the reliability of the control before boarding can be improved. it can.

  Next, some specific examples of pre-boarding control that provides suitable in-vehicle air conditioning in the vehicle air conditioning systems 1, 2, 3, and 4 according to the above-described embodiments will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the pre-boarding control realized by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the in-vehicle device 30. The process of FIG. 12 corresponds to a more specific example of the process shown in FIG. Here, the case where the process of FIG. 12 is implement | achieved in the above-mentioned vehicle air conditioning system 1 is demonstrated.

  The pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 is based on the predicted (arrival) time of the driver obtained from the boarding intention detection device 10, the current vehicle state from the vehicle information acquisition unit 34, and the time required for control (known information). The control content (including timing) related to air conditioning before boarding is determined (determined). The control device 38 related to air conditioning performs control related to air conditioning according to the control content determined by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36.

  In step 1202, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received the pre-boarding control start instruction and driver information from the boarding intention detection device 10. When the communication unit 32 receives the pre-boarding control start instruction and the driver information, the process proceeds to step 1204.

  In step 1204, the predicted arrival time T (see step 312 in FIG. 4) transmitted from the boarding intention detection device 10 is received.

  In step 1206, vehicle information is acquired from the vehicle information acquisition unit 34. As described above, the vehicle interior and vehicle interior conditions such as the vehicle interior temperature and the seat position (seat position and reclining angle), and information representing the surrounding conditions such as the vehicle exterior temperature, ambient brightness, weather, and information on sunlight. Obtained from the vehicle information obtaining unit 34. In addition, since the information regarding sunlight is information used to move a seat (electric seat or the like) or reclining to a position where sunlight can be received to the maximum extent, for example, presence or absence of sunlight, sunlight (sunlight) Including the presence or absence of insertion into the car and the intensity of sunlight.

  In Step 1208, based on the current in-vehicle temperature in Step 1206, the control time t required to adjust the current in-vehicle temperature to a predetermined target temperature when the car air conditioner is operated is calculated. The predetermined target temperature may be the in-vehicle temperature at the end of the previous driving (immediately before getting off), or may be the preset temperature of the past air conditioner set by the driver.

  In step 1210, the vehicle interior temperature is compared with the target temperature. If the in-vehicle temperature is higher than the target temperature, the process proceeds to step 1212. On the other hand, if the vehicle interior temperature is lower than the target temperature, the process proceeds to step 1218.

  In step 1212, it is determined whether the predicted time T is equal to or shorter than the control time t. If the predicted time T is less than or equal to the control time t, the process proceeds to step 1214. If the predicted time T is greater than the control time t, the process proceeds to step 1216.

  In step 1214, pre-boarding control is started via the control device 38. That is, the control device 38 for the car air conditioner performs the cooling control according to the control content determined by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 and activates the cooling of the car air conditioner. Thereby, the vehicle interior temperature is lowered to the target temperature as much as possible.

  In step 1216, pre-boarding control is started via the control device 38. If the predicted time T is longer than the control time t, the air conditioning by the car air conditioner consumes unnecessary power for the surplus time. In this case, in order to suppress wasteful power consumption, car air-conditioner driving is not performed, and natural ventilation, that is, inside / outside air circulation by window opening, is performed. Therefore, the pre-boarding control is started by the window opening / closing control device 38. In this case, control is performed to bring the vehicle interior temperature close to the target temperature by opening the window and circulating outside air into the vehicle.

  On the other hand, in step 1218, it is determined whether the predicted time T is equal to or shorter than the control time t. If the predicted time T is less than or equal to the control time t, the process proceeds to step 1220. If the predicted time T is greater than the control time t, the process proceeds to step 1222.

  In step 1220, pre-boarding control is started via the control device 38. That is, the control device 38 of the car air conditioner performs the heating control according to the control content determined by the pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 and activates the heating of the car air conditioner. Thereby, the in-vehicle temperature is raised to the target temperature as much as possible.

  In step 1222, pre-boarding control is started via the control device 38. If the predicted time T is longer than the control time t, the air conditioning by the car air conditioner consumes unnecessary power for the surplus time. In this case, in order to suppress wasteful power consumption, the heat control of sunlight is performed by seat control without driving the car air-conditioner, so that the pre-boarding control is started by the seat control device 38. In this case, seat control is performed, and solar heat is taken into the vehicle, so that the vehicle interior temperature is brought close to the target temperature. Specifically, the seat position (seat position, reclining angle), the presence of sunlight, the presence of sunlight (sunlight) in the car, the intensity of sunlight, etc. are acquired. Based on this, the seat and the reclining are moved to a position and an angle at which sunlight can be efficiently received. Furthermore, it is preferable to use a fiber that absorbs sunlight and converts it into heat, or a dark-colored material that easily absorbs sunlight, for a part of the sheet or the back of the sheet. Thereby, control which makes vehicle interior temperature close to target temperature is performed.

  In step 1224, it is determined whether or not the communication unit 32 has received a pre-boarding control end instruction (see step 320 in FIG. 4) from the boarding intention detection device 10. In this step 1224, instead of this determination, it may be determined whether or not the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has detected basic information on boarding intention. If the pre-boarding control end instruction has been received, the process proceeds to step 1226, and if the pre-boarding control end instruction has not been received (that is, if the vehicle information acquisition unit 34 has not detected basic boarding intention information). Return to step 1204.

  In step 1226, the pre-boarding control by each control device 38 described above is stopped. When the pre-boarding control is started, the pre-boarding control is stopped when the pre-boarding control end instruction is received.

  By the way, in the pre-boarding control related to conventional air conditioning that is started at the time of wireless unlocking operation or door opening / closing operation, the start timing is delayed depending on the environment inside and outside the vehicle, and it is difficult to prepare an appropriate vehicle interior environment when boarding There is a problem.

  In this regard, according to the process shown in FIG. 12, by learning the behavior pattern up to the boarding and detecting the boarding intention from an early stage, the environment inside and outside the vehicle is taken into consideration in advance when the driver and the passenger board the car. Thus, it is possible to perform pre-boarding control according to the time required for the air conditioning service.

  In this way, when the intention to board is confirmed and there is a time delay for the rider to arrive, the window is opened without using the air conditioner (cooling) and the outside air is circulated in the vehicle. By controlling the vehicle interior temperature close to the target temperature, or by controlling the seat position and angle so that the window opening seat can receive the maximum amount of sunlight without using an air conditioner (heating), Vehicle energy can be efficiently used for air conditioning preparation. If it is determined that there is no intention to get on the vehicle, the air conditioning can be stopped to suppress wasteful energy consumption. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle air conditioning system that suppresses wasteful power consumption and has high energy efficiency.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle air conditioning system 1 according to the present invention. 2 is a flowchart showing basic processing related to pre-boarding control realized by the vehicle air conditioning system 1; 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in a driver determination unit 12. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing realized by a driver behavior detection unit 14, a boarding pattern determination unit 18, and a communication unit 20. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing realized by a pre-boarding control content determination unit 36 of the in-vehicle device 30. It is a system block diagram which shows the vehicle air conditioning system 2 by the other Example of this invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in a boarding intention confirmation unit 40. It is a system block diagram which shows the vehicle air conditioning system 3 by the further another Example of this invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in a pattern learning unit 24. It is a system block diagram which shows the vehicle air conditioning system 4 by the further another Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically some examples of the personal authentication aspect at the time of going out from a home. It is a flowchart which shows an example of before-boarding control which concerns on an air conditioning.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 3, 4 Vehicle air conditioning system 10 Riding intention detection device 12 Driver determination unit 14 Driver behavior detection unit 16 Clock 17 Database 18 Riding pattern determination unit 20 Communication unit 24 Pattern learning unit 26 Personal authentication unit 30 On-vehicle device 32 Communication unit 34 Vehicle information acquisition unit 36 Pre-boarding control content determination unit 38 Control device 40 Riding intention confirmation unit 42 Database

Claims (5)

An air conditioning control means for controlling an air conditioner that performs air conditioning, a seat control means for controlling the position and reclining of a seat, and a vehicle window control means for controlling opening and closing of a vehicle window,
Boarding intention determining means for determining the user's boarding intention based on the user's behavior pattern;
An arrival time predicting means for predicting an arrival time from when the user intends to get on to when the user arrives at the vehicle when the user's intention to get on is determined by the user who wants to get on the vehicle;
Vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring the vehicle information including information related to in-vehicle temperature, in-vehicle equipment information, and sunlight,
Control of the air conditioner by the air conditioning unit, seat position and reclining by the seat control unit according to the in-vehicle temperature acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit, the predetermined target temperature in the vehicle, and the arrival time Controlling the opening of the vehicle window by the vehicle window control means,
Vehicle air conditioning system characterized by When the in-vehicle temperature is lower than the target temperature and the in-vehicle temperature reaches the target temperature within the arrival time due to heating by the air conditioner, the seat control means obtains the vehicle information on the seat position and reclining. Move based on information about sunlight acquired by means,
When the vehicle interior temperature is lower than the target temperature and the vehicle interior temperature does not reach the target temperature within the arrival time due to heating by the air conditioner, the air conditioning control means activates heating by the air conditioner;
The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1. When the vehicle interior temperature is higher than the target temperature and the vehicle interior temperature reaches the target temperature within the arrival time due to cooling by the air conditioner, the vehicle window control means opens the vehicle window,
When the vehicle interior temperature is higher than the target temperature and the vehicle interior temperature does not reach the target temperature within the arrival time due to cooling by the air conditioner, the air conditioning control means activates cooling by the air conditioner;
The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2. Control by the air conditioning control means, the seat control means, and / or the vehicle window control when it is determined by the boarding intention determination means that the user's boarding intention is continued and it is determined that the user does not have a boarding intention. To stop the
The vehicle air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The seat control means stops the control after returning the seat position and reclining to the position before the movement,
The vehicle window control means is configured to stop the control after closing the vehicle window.
The vehicle air conditioning system according to claim 4.

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