JP2012224122A - Seat heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a set heater capable of giving a seated person refreshing feeling by control for flowingly decreasing a heat generation amount of each of multiple heating elements provided in the seat.SOLUTION: The seat heater 1 includes: three or more heating elements (31 to 35) arranged at different positions of the seat 2; and a controller 4 for controlling electric conduction for each heating element. At least one of the heating elements is subjected to electric conduction for a minimum heating amount in a predetermined time period, and the heating element which is set for the minimum heating amount is moved in the order of an arrangement position thereof. Thereby, damp is prevented from being generated by heat containment between a seat surface and the seated person, when the seat heater is heated for a long period of time, without ruining heat sensation obtained from the entire seat heater. Moreover, the seated person is stimulated by the heat fluctuation in which a heat decrease part flowingly moves, and brisk refreshing feeling is given to the seated person.

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat heater, and more particularly, to a seat heater that can provide a refreshing feeling to a seated person by controlling the amount of heat generated by a plurality of heating elements provided on the seat.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a seat heater that warms a seated person by using a heating element in a seat surface portion or a backrest portion of a seat of a vehicle or the like has been used. In many of such seat heaters, the temperature is adjusted by changing the amount of heat generated by the heating element of the entire seat heater, or by turning on / off the power supply to the heating element.
In addition, a vehicle seat heater is known that not only warms a seated occupant but also provides comfort to the seated person. For example, a heater device is known in which a heat generation unit provided in a support member that supports a seated person is divided into a plurality of blocks, and when the heat generation unit is operated, the energization state of the heat generator is changed and controlled for each block. (See Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-40185 A

A seat heater provided in a seat of a vehicle or the like warms a seated person by energizing one or a plurality of heating elements. As described above, in many seat heaters, the temperature is adjusted by changing the calorific value of the entire seat heater. However, when the seat heater is used for a long time, heat builds up between the seated person and stuffiness. It occurred and the comfort was impaired. In addition, when the temperature adjustment is performed by turning on and off the energization of the heating element, there is a problem that when the energization is turned off, the seated person feels a decrease in heat.
According to the heater device described in Patent Document 1, the heating element is divided into a plurality of blocks, and the same portion can be continuously heated for a long time by partially changing the energized state (ON, OFF). Therefore, heat does not accumulate between the support member that supports the seated person and the seated person, and the steaming does not occur. However, if energization of one heating element is turned off, the seated person can experience a decrease in the temperature of the relevant part and can give a thermal stimulus, but the heat generation provided with a plurality of such changes in the energization state If it is performed without regularity on the body, the seated person cannot feel the temperature change.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and provides a seat heater that can give a seated person a refreshing feeling by controlling to reduce the amount of heat generated by each of the heating elements provided on the seat so as to flow. With the goal.

In order to solve the above problems, the seat heater of the first invention includes three or more heating elements disposed at different positions of the sheet, and a control unit that controls energization for each heating element, The gist is that the control unit energizes at least one of the heat generating elements to have a minimum heat generation amount for a predetermined time, and switches the heat generating elements to be the minimum heat generation amount in order of their arrangement positions. .
The gist of the second invention is that, in the first invention, the minimum heat generation amount and the duration thereof are determined for each heating element.
The third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the control unit increases a heat generation amount immediately before the minimum heat generation amount for the heat generating body having the minimum heat generation amount for a predetermined time. .
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the invention, the three or more heating elements are disposed at each position of the seat corresponding to a shoulder, back, waist, buttocks and thighs of a seated person. The main point is to include the body.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the heating element disposed at a predetermined position has a smaller minimum heat generation amount than the heating elements disposed at other positions, and the minimum heating element. The gist is that the duration of the quantity is either or both.

  According to the present invention, it is provided with three or more heating elements disposed at different positions of the sheet, and a control unit that controls energization for each heating element, and the control unit is at least one of the heating elements. Since the heat is supplied to the seat heater for a predetermined period of time, heat is trapped between the seat surface and the seated person when the seat heater is heated for a long time without impairing the thermal feeling obtained from the entire seat heater. It is possible to prevent stuffiness from occurring. In addition, since the heating elements having the minimum calorific value are switched in order of their arrangement positions, the seat occupant can be stimulated by the thermal fluctuation that moves so that the portion where the temperature is reduced flows, and a refreshing refreshing feeling can be given to the seat occupant. .

When the minimum calorific value and duration thereof are determined for each heating element, the minimum is determined according to the difference in the thermal sensation of each part of the human body and the ease of heat accumulation between each heating element and the seated person. Since the calorific value and duration can be set, a refreshing feeling can be given more effectively without giving a sense of incongruity due to a partial decrease in heat to the seated person.
In addition, when the control unit increases the heat generation amount of the heating element as the minimum heat generation amount in a predetermined time immediately before the heat generation amount as the minimum heat generation amount, in order to lower the temperature of the heating element portion after slightly increasing the temperature, The seated person can feel the change when the minimum heat generation amount is reached more excitingly, and the refreshed feeling of the seated person can be increased.

When the three or more heating elements include heating elements arranged at positions of the seat corresponding to the shoulder, back, hips, buttocks and thighs of the seated person, the minimum heating part flows through each part. Therefore, thermal fluctuation is given to each part from the shoulder to the thigh of the seated person, and an exhilarating refresh effect can be achieved.
Further, the heating element disposed at a predetermined position is set to have a minimum heating value smaller than that of the heating elements disposed at other positions and a duration of a long minimum heating value, or In the case of both, the heat from the shoulder to the thigh is reduced by making the minimum heat generation smaller or making the minimum heat generation time relatively longer for the heating element of the part where heat tends to be accumulated. Without changing the time of the thermal cycle, an effective thermal fluctuation can be obtained, and a refreshing feeling can be given to the seated person.

The present invention is further illustrated by the following detailed description with reference to a number of referenced drawings, given non-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments according to the present invention, wherein like reference numerals denote Similar parts are shown throughout the figure.
It is a perspective view showing an example of a car seat provided with this seat heater. It is a chart for demonstrating the control method (1) of the emitted-heat amount of the heat generating body provided in each site | part of a sheet | seat. It is a graph which shows the time change of the emitted-heat amount of the heat generating body of each sheet | seat part by the control method 1, (a) is a shoulder part of a sheet | seat, (b) is a back part, (c) is a waist | hip | lumbar part, (d) is a buttocks part, (E) shows the time change of the calorific value of the heating element provided in the thigh. It is a chart for demonstrating another control method 2 of the emitted-heat amount of the heat generating body provided in each site | part of a sheet | seat. 6 is a chart for explaining a specific control example of step S2 in the control method 2 of FIG. It is a chart for demonstrating another control method 3 of the emitted-heat amount of the heat generating body provided in each site | part of a sheet | seat. It is a chart for demonstrating another control method 4 of the emitted-heat amount of the heat generating body provided in each site | part of a sheet | seat. It is a chart for demonstrating the specific control example of step S1 in the control method 4 of FIG. It is a graph which shows the temperature change from the initial state of the said site | part by the heat generating body provided in the waist | lumbar part of the sheet | seat, and the evaluation value by a seated person.

1. Hereinafter, the seat heater of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The seat heater includes three or more heating elements disposed at different positions of the sheet, and a control unit that controls energization for each heating element. The seat provided with the seat heater is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include various seats such as a vehicle seat and an indoor seat.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a vehicle seat provided with the seat heater. The vehicle seat 2 includes a backrest portion 21 and a seat surface portion 22. The seat heater 1 includes heating elements 31 to 35 disposed on the surface layer at different positions of the sheet 2 and a control unit 4 connected to each heating element. In the present example, five heating elements are provided, and a shoulder heating element 31, a back heating element 32, and a lumbar heating element 33 are provided at each position of the seat corresponding to the shoulder, back, waist, buttocks and thigh parts of the seated person. In addition, a bottom heat generating element 34 and a thigh heat generating element 35 are provided. The heating elements 31 to 35 are independently energized by the control unit 4, thereby changing the amount of heat generated.

The number of heating elements provided in one sheet is not limited as long as it is three or more. The reason for setting the number of heating elements to 3 or more is to obtain thermal fluctuations that move so that the temperature reduction portion of the sheet flows by sequentially switching the minimum heating position. Such a thermal fluctuation provides a refreshing effect with a refreshing feeling for the seated person. The arrangement and size of each heating element are not particularly limited as long as heat is applied to each part of the human body of the seated person in contact with the seat. Adjacent heating elements may be provided without a gap or may be provided with a gap.
The three or more heating elements may include the heating elements 31 to 35 corresponding to the shoulder, back, waist, hips, and thigh parts of the seated person. Further, in FIG. 1, the heating elements are arranged in five parts from the shoulder part to the knee part. However, the heating element is not limited to this part and can be divided in an arbitrary range. For example, the heating element may be provided by dividing the shoulder portion to the knee portion into 6 or more. By increasing the number of heating elements, changes in the amount of heat generated for each heating element can be made fine and the movement of the minimum heating area can be made smooth. Further, the heating element may be provided by dividing the sheet in the left-right direction. For example, the shoulder portion may be divided into left and right to include two heating elements.

  The material and structure of each heating element are not particularly limited, and for example, a resistance heating wire or a planar heating element can be used. Each heating element is preferably provided on the surface layer portion of the seat in contact with the seated person. The surface layer portion can include a sheet cover that is integrated with the sheet so as to cover the outer surface of the sheet. For example, the heating elements 31 to 35 can be provided between a cushion material provided in the seat and a seat cover.

The control unit 4 is connected to each of the heating elements, and is configured to control the amount of heat generated for each heating element at predetermined time intervals so as to give thermal fluctuation. The predetermined time does not need to be uniform, and can be a time that varies depending on the part where the heating element is provided, the heat generation state, and the like. Further, it is not necessary to always cause thermal fluctuation during use of the seat heater, and thermal fluctuation can be started and ended depending on the elapsed time after energization, the surface temperature of the sheet, and the like. A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of each part of the sheet or the heating element, a temperature sensor for detecting the room temperature around the sheet, and the like may be further provided. In that case, the control part 4 can change the magnitude | size of a emitted-heat amount, control start / end of a thermal fluctuation, the said predetermined time, etc. by detecting those temperatures.
The control unit 4 may be configured only by hardware, or may be configured by hardware and software using a microprocessor or the like. The power source for the control unit 4 and each heating element is supplied by a power source 5 that receives power from, for example, a vehicle battery.

The amount of heat generated by each heating element can be changed by controlling energization (supply power) to each of the heating elements. An energization control method can be arbitrarily selected, and examples thereof include pulse width modulation (PWM), voltage control, and current control.
For each part on the sheet, a heat generation amount that normally generates heat from each heating element can be determined as a reference heat generation amount. This is because even if the amount of heat generated is the same, the thermal sensation of the seated person is different depending on the part, and the heat accumulation and the degree of stuffiness between the heating element and the seated person are different depending on the part. By setting a reference calorific value for each heating element, each part of the body of the seated person can be warmed appropriately.

The reference calorific value can be determined at a constant ratio with respect to the maximum calorific value for each part, with the calorific value when a constant amount of current is always supplied to the heating element as the maximum calorific value. For example, in the case of the sheet 2 provided with the heating elements 31 to 35, the reference heating value of the shoulder heating element 31 is 60% of the maximum heating value, and the reference heating value of the back heating element 32 is 40% of the maximum heating value. The reference heat generation amount of the waist heating element 33 is 40% of the maximum heat generation amount, the reference heat generation amount of the hip heating element 34 is 60% of the maximum heat generation amount, and the reference heat generation amount of the thigh heating element 35 is the maximum heat generation amount. It is determined to be about 70%. Thereby, the normal calorific value can be such that the thigh is large and the back and waist are small.
The reference heat generation amount of each heating element may be appropriately set according to the maximum heat generation amount, the arrangement structure, etc. for each heating element. When the temperature fluctuation is not controlled, the heating element at each part can be controlled to generate heat of the reference heating value.

  Based on a predetermined control sequence, the control unit 4 energizes at least one of the plurality of heating elements to have a minimum heat generation amount for a predetermined time. This minimum heat generation amount is a heat generation amount when the temperature of the portion of the heating element that has generated heat at the reference heat generation amount is lowered, and can be set for each heating element depending on the portion of the human body that is in contact with each heating element. The minimum heat generation amount may be arbitrarily determined for each part where the heating element is provided so that the seated person can feel the temperature drop of the part. Preferably, the minimum calorific value of each heating element is about 0 to 20% of the maximum calorific value so that the temperature of the part does not excessively decrease and the subsequent temperature rise is rapid. Set by range. For example, in the case of the back heating element 32 described above, the minimum heat generation amount can be about 10% of the maximum heat generation amount, that is, about 1/4 of the reference heat generation amount (40% of the maximum heat generation amount). Further, the minimum heat generation amount may include a state where the heat generation amount is 0, that is, a state in which the heating element is not energized.

2. Control method and operation of the seat heater A control method (thermal fluctuation control) for energizing at least one of the heat generating elements to have a minimum heat generation amount for a predetermined time and switching the heat generating elements having the minimum heat generation amount in order of arrangement positions Can be set in various patterns. When the thermal fluctuation control is not performed, each heating element can be set as a reference heating value. When performing the thermal fluctuation control, for example, the heating element having the minimum heat generation amount is switched in order from the shoulder (heating element 31) to the knee (heating element 35) at predetermined time intervals or in the reverse direction. Or can be switched to circulate.
The predetermined time, that is, the timing for changing the heat generation amount of the heating element can be set as appropriate, and the heat generation amount may be changed at regular intervals, or the heat generation amount may be changed at different times depending on the part of the heating element. May be. Further, the time may be set or changed depending on the elapsed time after the start of the thermal fluctuation control, the temperature of the sheet surface layer, the room temperature, or the like.
The seat heater 1 may be controlled so as to appropriately give the seated person a refreshing feeling, and may be, for example, each control method described below or a combination thereof. In the following control method, thermal fluctuation control is performed on all the heating elements provided on the seat, but a range of heating elements (for example, a plurality of heating elements provided on the seat back portion). The same thermal fluctuation control may be performed only for the target.
Furthermore, the control method of this seat heater can be used on arbitrary conditions. For example, by controlling the heat generation so that each heating element maintains a predetermined temperature for a certain period of time after energization, and then using this seat heater control method for a certain period of time using a switch, you can experience the effects of thermal fluctuations more clearly. be able to. Moreover, while detecting the stuffiness of a sheet | seat by the temperature sensor and humidity sensor etc. which are provided in a sheet | seat etc., the effect by a thermal fluctuation can be more clearly experienced by using the control method of this sheet | seat heater.

(1) Control method 1
FIG. 2 shows an example of thermal fluctuation control of the sheet shown in FIG. The shoulder, back, waist, buttocks, and thigh represent the heating elements 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 that respectively face the seated person, and steps S1 to S5 are performed for a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 5). It shows the control of the amount of heat generated sequentially every 20 seconds). The durations (periods) of steps S1 to S5 may be the same or different.
B, D, and E in the chart represent the calorific value of each heating element, “B” is the reference calorific value, and “D” is the first minimum calorific value (for example, 10% of the maximum calorific value). “E” indicates a state where the second minimum heat generation amount (for example, the heat generation amount is 0) which is smaller than the first minimum heat generation amount. As described above, the reference heat generation amount B can be different for each heating element. The reason why the minimum calorific value is set to two levels, D and E, by the heating element is to allow the seated person to be stimulated by the temperature drop according to the part. In this example, by making the minimum heat generation of the waist heating element 33 and the buttocks heating element 34 much smaller than the minimum heat generation of other parts, the temperature drop of the waist and buttocks where heat tends to be accumulated is increased. .

  The control unit 4 sets one of the plurality of heating elements 31 to 35 that generate heat at the reference heat generation amount B to the minimum heat generation amount (D or E) for a predetermined time in order of step S1 to step S5. The energization is controlled so that the heating elements having the minimum calorific value at every predetermined time are switched in the order of their arrangement positions. After the thigh heating element 35 at the end position is set to the minimum heating value in Step 5, the process can be switched to return to Step 1 so that the heating element having the minimum heating value circulates. Further, the heating element may be set to the minimum calorific value sequentially from the thigh to the shoulder in the reverse order from step S1 to step S5. By performing such control, it is possible to bring about a thermal fluctuation that moves so that the temperature drop portion flows to the body of the seated person, and to give a refreshing effect by giving a refreshing feeling that the heat is lost.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a change in the amount of heat generated by each heating element when the control shown in FIG. 2 is performed. FIGS. 4A to 4E show heating elements 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 corresponding to the shoulder, back, waist, buttocks and thighs, respectively. Steps S1 to S5 are all 15 seconds, and the figure shows only one cycle from steps S1 to S5.
It is assumed that the heat generation amount of each heating element is PWM-controlled by the control unit 4, and each vertical axis in FIGS. 3A to 3E indicates a PWM duty ratio (percentage). The amount of heat generated by each heating element can be approximately proportional to the PWM duty ratio. For example, when the duty ratio is 100%, the heat generation amount is 100% which is the maximum heat generation amount, and when the duty ratio is 10%, the heat generation amount is 10%.
As shown in FIG. 3, the heat generation amount of each of the heating elements 31 to 35 is controlled in three states: a reference heat generation amount B, a first minimum heat generation amount D, and a second minimum heat generation amount E. The reference heat generation amount B is set for each heating element. The shoulder (a) and the hip (d) have a duty ratio of 60%, the back (b) and the waist (c) have a duty ratio of 40%, and the thigh (e ) Has a duty ratio of 70%. Further, the first minimum heat generation amount D is 10% duty ratio, and the second minimum heat generation amount E is 0% duty ratio, that is, no power is supplied.

In the first step S1 (15 seconds), the shoulder heating element 31 is set to the first minimum heating value D, and the other heating elements are set to the respective reference heating values B. Thereby, a seated person can be made to experience the fall from the temperature until then in a shoulder part.
In the next step S2 (15 seconds), only the back heating element 32 adjacent to the shoulder heating element 31 is set to the first minimum heating value D, and the other heating elements are set to the respective reference heating values B. . Thereby, a seated person can be made to feel as if the relative cooling sensation has moved from the shoulder to the back.
In the subsequent step S3 (15 seconds), only the waist heating element 33 adjacent to the back heating element 32 is set to the second minimum heating value E, and the other heating elements are set to the respective reference heating values B. Thereby, a seated person can be made to feel as if the relative cooling sensation has moved from the back to the waist. Moreover, since the waist part where heat is easily trapped is set to the second minimum calorific value E that is much lower, stimulation of a temperature drop can be strengthened.
In the subsequent step S4 (15 seconds), only the buttocks heating element 34 adjacent to the waist heating element 33 is set to the second minimum heating value E, and the other heating elements are set to the respective reference heating values B. Thereby, a seated person can be made to feel as if the relative cooling sensation has moved from the waist to the buttocks. The bottom where heat easily accumulates can increase the difference between the reference calorific value B (duty ratio 60%) and the second minimum calorific value E (duty ratio 0%), so that a cool feeling can be strongly imparted. .
In the subsequent step S5 (15 seconds), only the thigh heating element 35 adjacent to the buttocks heating element 34 is set to the first minimum heating value D, and the other heating elements are set to the respective reference heating values B. . Thereby, a seated person can be made to feel as if the relative cooling sensation has moved from the buttocks to the thighs. Since the difference between the reference calorific value B (duty ratio 70%) and the first minimum calorific value D (duty ratio 10%) is also increased in the thigh, a cool feeling can be given strongly.
Thereafter, the process returns to the state of the first step S1, and thereafter, this can be repeatedly controlled.

(2) Control method 2
The control unit 4 may change the minimum heat generation amount by the heating element as described above, or may control to change the time for which the heating element is set to the minimum heating amount depending on the position of the heating element. Good. For example, it is possible to lengthen the time required for the minimum heat generation amount for the heat generating element at the waist and the heat generating element at the bottom. However, if the time for making the minimum calorific value at the waist and the buttocks (steps S3 and S4 shown in FIG. 2) is simply increased, the refreshing feeling that flows sequentially is impaired, and the temperature drop at the relevant part is strongly increased. It will make you feel. In order to avoid this, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the minimum heat generation amount including the previous and subsequent steps can be set.

In the control method of FIG. 4, the heat generating element at the waist is set to the minimum heat generation amount D in step S3 and steps S2 and S4 before and after the step. Similarly, the bottom heating element has a minimum heat generation amount D in step S5 and steps S4 and S6 before and after the step S5. In this case, in steps S2, S4 and S6, the two adjacent heating elements are set to the minimum heating value.
Further, the time required for one cycle (steps S1 to S6) of the control in FIG. 4 can be the same as the time required for one cycle (steps S1 to S5) shown in FIG. By such a control, without changing the time of one cycle and without changing the duty ratio for each heating element, a cool feeling is effectively given to a part that tends to be hot and a flowing refreshing feeling is provided. It becomes possible to give.

  In step S3 shown in FIG. 4, the amount of heat generated by each heating element is adjusted. Here, the calorific value state “A” is a calorific value somewhat higher than the reference calorific value of the heating element (for example, 10% of the maximum calorific value), and the calorific value state “C” is the calorific value of the heating element. The calorific value can be made somewhat smaller (for example, 10% of the maximum calorific value) than the reference calorific value. Thus, by appropriately adjusting the amount of heat generated by each heating element, the refreshing feeling given to the seated person can be optimized.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, a specific heating element is controlled to a minimum heating value by combining a step for setting the minimum heating value with the steps before and after that. Thereby, for example, in step S2, the back portion and the waist portion are simultaneously set to the minimum heat generation amount D. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the control in step S <b> 2 can be controlled such that adjacent heating elements overlap with each other only for a part of time and become the minimum heat generation amount D. Step S2 shown in FIG. 5 is divided into step S21 in which the back portion and the waist are set as the reference heat generation amount B, and step S22 in which the back portion and the waist are set as the minimum heat generation amount D. Each time of step S21 and S22 should just be allocated suitably. Further, the back portion and the waist portion may be switched at different timings. Thus, it is possible to optimize the refreshing feeling given to the seated person by appropriately adjusting the overlapping time at which the adjacent heating elements simultaneously become the minimum heat generation amount.

(3) Control method 3
The control method shown in FIG. 6 is a combination of the control methods 1 and 2 described above. In the control method 2, the waist and the hips are set to the first minimum heat generation amount D for a predetermined time. This is an example in which the minimum calorific value E is 2. Similarly to the control method 1, if the second minimum heat generation amount is set to 0%, that is, the state where the current is not energized, the temperature of the waist and the hips can be greatly reduced for a predetermined time as compared with the case of the control method 2. When the part has a large amount of heat, it is possible to more effectively suppress stuffiness.

(4) Control method 4
The control method shown in FIG. 7 is an example based on the control method 2 in which control is performed so that the heat generation amount is temporarily increased immediately before each heating element is set to the minimum heat generation amount. In the figure, “A” represents a state in which the heating value of each heating element is increased from the reference heating value B. The degree to which the heat generation amount is increased may be set as appropriate. For example, it may be a value obtained by increasing the reference heat generation amount by about 10% of the maximum heat generation amount. In this way, once the heat generation amount is slightly increased, the heat generation element is set to the minimum heat generation amount, so that a temperature drop can be stimulated by the seated person, so that a refreshing feeling can be more effectively achieved. Can be given.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, there is a period in which the heat generation amount of one of the adjacent heat generators increases and at the same time the other heat generation amount is the minimum heat generation amount. For example, in step S1, the heating element at the back increases to the heating value A, and the heating element at the shoulder reaches the minimum heating value D. If the time for increasing the amount of heat generated by the heating element at the back is long, the temperature of the portion increases, and the seated person may be uncomfortable due to the difference from the shoulder where the temperature has decreased. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, it is preferable to control so that the heating value of one heating element is increased only for a fixed time before the end of step S1. For example, in FIG. 8, when step S1 is set to 15 seconds, the heat generation amount of the back and lower back, which is the next minimum heat generation amount, can be increased only for 5 seconds (S12) before the end of step S1. By such control, it is possible to increase the temperature of the back part adjacent to the shoulder part whose temperature has been lowered for a short time, and to prevent the refreshing feeling of the seated person from being impaired.

  In the initial state immediately after the start of use of the seat heater and the seat is cold, the thermal fluctuation control as exemplified in the above control methods 1 to 4 is not performed, but after a predetermined time has passed or a predetermined temperature is reached. In addition, the thermal fluctuation control can be performed. As a result, warming of the seat heater can be accelerated, and thermal fluctuation can be generated only when the seated person feels hot.

3. Effect of Seat Heater FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the result of the thermal fluctuation control performed by this seat heater. The horizontal axis in the figure represents the time from the start of energization of the seat heater 1. In the figure, the temperature P represents the measured value of the surface temperature of the seat part that hits the butt of the seated person (see the left scale). In addition, the evaluation value Q changing in a staircase pattern is obtained by recording the evaluation of the bodily sensation by the subject who is seated in one minute (see the right scale). The experience is evaluated in five stages: cold (1), slightly cold (2), slightly warm (3), slightly hot (4), and hot (5). It is. The thermal fluctuation control in this example is control in which the control method 2 is repeatedly performed.

When the ambient temperature and the sheet surface temperature were 10 ° C., energization to the seat heater 1 was started (time: 0 minute). In the initial state where the sheet is cold, the thermal fluctuation control is not performed, and the sheet temperature is quickly raised by energizing each heating element to the reference heating value. Since the seat surface is initially 10 ° C., the seated person is evaluated as “cold”.
The temperature at the bottom of the seat rises rapidly after the current starts to flow through the heating element and reaches 30 ° C. or more by the time 10 minutes elapse, so it feels somewhat hot for the seated person (evaluation value 3.75). . However, from the 20th minute to the 45th minute, the seat temperature gradually rises to about 38 ° C., and the state where the seated person evaluates as comfortable continues. As the seat temperature rises further, the occupant feels “hot”. The sheet temperature was 39.1 ° C. after 60 minutes.

Therefore, thermal fluctuation control was performed for 5 minutes from the lapse of 60 minutes. Then, one minute after the start of the thermal fluctuation control, the seated person was evaluated as “comfortable”, and after that, the state of being cool and comfortable was continued. It can be seen that a refreshing feeling is given to the seated person by controlling the thermal fluctuation of the seat heater.
Five minutes after the start of the thermal fluctuation control, the temperature at the bottom of the sheet was 38.0 ° C. That is, the temperature drop (p) due to the thermal fluctuation control is only 1.1 ° C. Since the decrease in the seat temperature due to the thermal fluctuation control of the seat heater is slight, the thermal feeling obtained by the seated person is maintained. Although the measured value of the temperature of the hips is shown in FIG. 9, the temperature drop due to the thermal fluctuation control was 1.1 to 1.3 ° C. also in other parts.
From the above results, it can be said that the present seat heater can provide a refreshing effect that gives the seated person an exhilarating feeling while maintaining a feeling of heat over the respective portions of the seat.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention depending on the purpose and application.
In the above description, the case where the heating elements are provided on the shoulder, the back, the waist, the hips, and the thighs has been described, but the number and arrangement positions of the heating elements are not limited thereto. In addition, the place where the heating element is provided is not limited to the sheet alone, and for example, the heating element is provided on a footrest on which a calf, the sole of a foot, etc. is placed, and thermal fluctuation control can be performed together with the heating element provided on the sheet. . Further, the target of the thermal fluctuation control may be all the heating elements provided on the sheet or a part thereof.
Although the control methods 1 to 4 are exemplified as the control method of the thermal fluctuation, the control method may be variously modified or combined. The heating element having the minimum heat generation amount may be switched so as to reciprocate between one end and the other end in addition to switching so as to cycle in the order of the arrangement position. The start and end times of the control of the thermal fluctuation, the time for which one heating element is used as the minimum calorific value, and the like can be appropriately set or adjusted.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Seat heater, 2; Seat, 21; Backrest part, 22: Seat surface part, 31-35; Heat generating body (shoulder part, back part, waist part, hip part, thigh part in order), 4; Control part, 5; A: a calorific value greater than the reference calorific value, B: a standard calorific value, C: a calorific value smaller than the reference calorific value, D: a first minimum calorific value, E: a second minimal calorific value The quantity state.

Claims (5)

Three or more heating elements disposed at different positions of the sheet, and a control unit that controls energization for each heating element,
The control unit is configured to energize at least one of the heat generating elements to have a minimum heat generation amount for a predetermined time, and to switch the heat generating elements having the minimum heat generation amount in order of their arrangement positions. Seat heater.   The seat heater according to claim 1, wherein the minimum heat generation amount and the duration thereof are determined for each heating element.   3. The seat heater according to claim 1, wherein the control unit increases a heat generation amount immediately before the minimum heat generation amount for the heat generating element having the minimum heat generation amount for a predetermined time.   The seat heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the three or more heating elements include a heating element disposed at each position of the seat corresponding to a seated person's shoulder, back, waist, hips, and thighs.   Either or both of the heating element arranged at a predetermined position has a smaller minimum heating value and a longer duration of the minimum heating quantity than heating elements arranged at other positions The seat heater according to claim 4.

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