JP2022126077A - Vehicular air conditioning control system, control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To perform air conditioning control with higher accuracy.SOLUTION: A vehicular air conditioning control system includes: an environment information acquisition section which acquires environment information indicating an environment around a second vehicle which is obtained from the second vehicle existing or existed on a travel route of a first vehicle; and an air conditioning control unit which controls air conditioning of the first vehicle moving along the travel route based on the environment information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioning control system, control method and program.

Conventional vehicle air-conditioning systems automatically control the air conditioning in vehicles until they reach their destinations or transit points by obtaining information on the weather and temperature at the destination or transit points set in the navigation system from the Internet. is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-230270

In the conventional technology, air conditioning control is performed using only the information of the destination and waypoints, so appropriate air conditioning control is not necessarily performed in the middle of the travel route. In general, information obtained from the Internet is information based on a rough weather forecast for a wide area, and may be information with low immediacy. Therefore, the conventional technology may not be able to perform highly accurate air conditioning control.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of the objects thereof is to provide a vehicle air conditioning control system, control method, and program capable of performing air conditioning control with higher accuracy.

A vehicle air-conditioning control system, control method, and program according to the present invention employ the following configurations.
(1): A vehicle air-conditioning control system according to one aspect of the present invention indicates the environment around a second vehicle obtained from a second vehicle that exists or has existed on a travel route of a first vehicle. An air conditioning control system for a vehicle, comprising: an environment information acquisition unit that acquires environment information; and an air conditioning control unit that controls air conditioning of the first vehicle that moves along the travel route based on the environment information. .

(2): In the above aspect (1), the air-conditioning control unit controls the position of the first vehicle and the position of the second vehicle at the time when the environment information is generated. It controls the air conditioning.

(3): In the aspect (1) or (2) above, the thermal sensation is predicted based on the temperature inside the first vehicle and the environmental information. A prediction unit is further provided, and the air conditioning control unit controls the air conditioning based on the prediction result of the thermal sensation.

(4): In the control method according to one aspect of the present invention, the computer indicates the environment around the second vehicle obtained from the second vehicle existing or existing on the travel route of the first vehicle. A control method comprising: an environment information acquisition step of acquiring environment information; and an air conditioning control step of controlling air conditioning of the first vehicle moving along the travel route by the computer based on the environment information. .

(5): A program according to an aspect of the present invention acquires environment information indicating the environment around the second vehicle obtained from the second vehicle existing or existing on the travel route of the first vehicle. and controls the air conditioning of the first vehicle moving along the travel route based on the environmental information.

According to the aspects (1) to (5), the environmental information obtained from other vehicles on the travel route can be used to perform air conditioning control according to the position on the travel route. can be controlled.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle air-conditioning control system 1; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a vehicle air-conditioning control system 1; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle air conditioning control system 1;

Embodiments of a vehicle air-conditioning control system, a control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of Vehicle Air Conditioning Control System]
A configuration of a vehicle air-conditioning control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle air conditioning control system 1. As shown in FIG. A vehicle air-conditioning control system 1 includes a vehicle 100 , a plurality of vehicles 200 , and a server 300 .

Vehicle 100, vehicle 200, and server 300 are communicatively connected to each other via communication network NW. The communication network NW is, for example, the Internet, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), or the like. Data can be mutually transmitted and received between vehicle 100, vehicle 200, and server 300 via communication network NW. Communication network NW transmits at least data transmitted from vehicle 200 to server 300 and transmits data transmitted from server 300 to vehicle 100 .

The vehicle 100 and the vehicle 200 are electric vehicles or vehicles equipped with an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine. The vehicle 100 and the vehicle 200 are hybrid vehicles equipped with an internal combustion engine and a secondary battery that accumulates electric power for running that is supplied to the drive motor, or supply the electric power for running to the drive motor. A vehicle or the like equipped with a fuel cell may be used.

Vehicle 100 is equipped with a navigation system. The vehicle 100 travels toward the destination along the travel route searched by the navigation system. Vehicle 100 transmits information indicating the travel route to server 300 .

Vehicle 200 is a vehicle that exists or has existed on the travel route to the destination of vehicle 100 . Vehicle 200 is equipped with various sensors and a navigation system. The vehicle 200 acquires sensor information from various sensors and the like, and acquires position information indicating its own position from the navigation system. For example, sensor information is information such as temperature, humidity, and amount of solar radiation measured by a sensor. Vehicle 200 transmits information in which position information indicating its own position and sensor information are linked (hereinafter referred to as “environmental information”) to server 300 via communication network NW. Thus, the environment information is information representing the environment around the vehicle 200 .

Server 300 collects and accumulates environmental information from at least one vehicle 200 . The server 300 acquires information indicating the travel route from the vehicle 100 . Server 300 refers to the accumulated environmental information and identifies the environmental information transmitted from vehicle 200 located on the acquired travel route. Server 300 sends back the specified environmental information to vehicle 100 via communication network NW.

Vehicle 100 acquires the environment information transmitted from server 300 . Vehicle 100 uses the position information and sensor information included in the environment information to estimate the air conditioning settings that will bring comfort to the occupants. Vehicle 100 performs air conditioning control according to the estimated air conditioning settings according to its own position until it reaches its destination.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the vehicle air conditioning control system 1. As shown in FIG. In the following description, of the components included in the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 200, descriptions of components that are less relevant to the vehicle air-conditioning control system 1 will be omitted. For example, the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 200 naturally have components related to running functions, such as a motor, an engine, a braking device, and tires, which are provided in general vehicles, but descriptions of these components are omitted.

Vehicle 100 includes control unit 110 , communication unit 120 , and navigation system 130 . These components are implemented by executing a program (software) by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Some or all of these components are hardware (circuit part; circuitry) or by cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage such as a DVD or CD-ROM. It may be stored in a medium (non-transitory storage medium) and installed by loading the storage medium into a drive device. Vehicle 100 also includes a room temperature sensor 140 and an air conditioner 150 .

The navigation system 130 can recognize the current position of the vehicle 100 by a positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System). Also, the navigation system 130 can acquire map information. The navigation system 130 sets the destination based on the operation input from the passenger, for example. The navigation system 130 can search for a route to a set destination and display the travel route on a map. Navigation system 130 outputs information indicating a travel route to a destination (hereinafter referred to as “route information”) to control unit 110 .

Room temperature sensor 140 measures the temperature inside vehicle 100 and outputs information indicating the measured value to control unit 110 .

Control unit 110 acquires route information output from navigation system 130 . Control unit 110 controls communication unit 120 to transmit route information to server 300 via communication network NW. The communication unit 120 (environmental information acquiring unit) receives environmental information transmitted from the server 300 in response to transmission of the route information. The environment information received here is environment information generated in the vehicle 200 that exists or has existed on the travel route of the vehicle 100 .

The control unit 110 includes a thermal sensation prediction unit 111 and an air conditioning control unit 112 . The thermal sensation prediction unit 111 predicts the thermal sensation using the measured value of the temperature inside the vehicle acquired from the room temperature sensor 140 and the environment information received by the communication unit 120 from the server 300 . The term "thermal sensation prediction" as used herein refers to prediction of the thermal sensation that the occupant will feel in accordance with the position on the travel route of the vehicle 100. FIG.

Any conventional method can be used as the thermal sensation prediction method, but for example, machine learning may be used. For example, training data is prepared in advance, in which environmental information, measured values of the temperature inside the vehicle, and information in which index values of the thermal sensation of the human body are associated with each other are linked, and machine learning is performed using the training data. may be broken. In this case, the thermal sensation prediction unit 111 inputs the measured value of the temperature inside the vehicle obtained from the room temperature sensor 140 and the environmental information received from the server 300 to the thermal sensation prediction model generated by machine learning. Thus, information indicating the result of thermal sensation prediction is obtained.

In this case, PMV (Predicted Mean Vote), for example, may be used as the index value of the thermal sensation of the human body. PMV is an index value that evaluates whether a person feels hot or cold based on six factors that affect the thermal sensation of the human body, and expresses the thermal sensation in seven stages from -3 to +3. is. The six factors consist of four physical factors, room temperature, average radiant temperature, relative humidity, and average wind speed, and two human factors, the amount of clothing and the amount of work of people in the room.

Thermal sensation prediction unit 111 outputs to air-conditioning control unit 112 information indicating the prediction result of thermal sensation prediction for each position of vehicle 200 on the travel route.

The air conditioning control unit 112 acquires information indicating the prediction result of the thermal sensation prediction output from the thermal sensation prediction unit 111 . Also, the air conditioning control unit 112 acquires information indicating the current position of the vehicle 100 from the navigation system 130 at any time. Air conditioning control unit 112 controls the setting state of air conditioner 150 based on the current position of vehicle 100 and information indicating the prediction result of thermal sensation prediction for each position of vehicle 200 .

The air conditioner 150 includes a heat exchanger and an ECU (Engine Control Unit) that controls the amount of air blown from the heat exchanger and the outlet of the air conditioner. The air conditioner 150 adjusts the environment inside the vehicle 100 by adjusting the state of the air inside the vehicle 100 . The operation of air conditioner 150 is controlled by air conditioning control section 112 of control section 110 . The air conditioner 150 is controlled, for example, by the air conditioning controller 112 to be in an operation state of "cooling operation", "heating operation", "holding operation", or "stop". The holding operation is an operation for holding the temperature inside the vehicle 100 .

Vehicle 200 includes a control unit 210 , a communication unit 220 and a navigation system 230 . These components are implemented by executing a program (software) by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Some or all of these components are hardware (circuit part; circuitry) or by cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium) such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage such as a DVD or CD-ROM. It may be stored in a medium (non-transitory storage medium) and installed by loading the storage medium into a drive device.

Vehicle 200 also includes a sensor group 240 . The sensor group 240 includes an outside air temperature sensor 241, a humidity sensor 242, an exterior camera 243, an interior camera 244, a raindrop sensor 245, a solar radiation sensor 246, a wiper operation detection unit 247, a defroster operation detection unit 248, and a tire slip detector 249 .

The navigation system 230 can recognize the current position of the vehicle 200 using a positioning system such as GPS. Navigation system 230 outputs information indicating its own position to control unit 210 .

Outside air temperature sensor 241 measures the temperature of outside air and outputs information indicating the measured value to control unit 210 . The outside air temperature sensor 241 is desirably installed at a location that is not easily affected by heat from the engine, vehicle body, road surface, or the like. For example, the outside air temperature sensor 241 is installed near the front bumper. Humidity sensor 242 measures the humidity of the outside air and outputs information indicating the measured value to control unit 210 .

Vehicle exterior camera 243 captures an image of the exterior of the vehicle and outputs the image to control unit 210 . In-vehicle camera 244 captures an image of the interior of the vehicle and outputs the image to control unit 210 . The raindrop sensor 245 detects rainfall and outputs information indicating the degree of rainfall, such as the amount of rainfall, to the control unit 210 . For example, the raindrop sensor 245 is installed near the windshield. Solar radiation sensor 246 measures the amount of solar radiation and outputs information indicating the measured value to control unit 210 .

Wiper operation detection portion 247 detects the operating state of the wipers and outputs information indicating the detection result to control portion 210 . The operating state of the wiper includes, for example, a state of continuous high-speed operation, a state of continuous low-speed operation, a state of intermittent operation, or a non-operating state. Defroster operation detection unit 248 detects the operating state of the defroster and outputs information indicating the detection result to control unit 210 . The operating state of the defroster is, for example, an operating state or a non-operating state. The tire slip detection unit 249 detects a tire slip state from, for example, an ABS (Anti-lock Braking) system or the like, and outputs information indicating the detection result to the control unit 210 .

The control unit 210 associates sensor information acquired from the sensor group 240 with position information of the vehicle 200 acquired from the navigation system 230 when the sensor information is acquired. As a result, the environment information described above is generated. Control unit 210 controls communication unit 220 and transmits the environment information to server 300 via communication network NW.

The server 300 is, for example, an information processing device such as a general-purpose computer. The server 300 has an environment information storage unit 310 . The environment information storage unit 310 is, for example, a storage medium such as an HDD or flash memory. Server 300 receives the environment information transmitted from vehicle 200 and records the environment information in environment information storage unit 310 .

Server 300 acquires the route information transmitted from vehicle 100 . Server 300 collates the travel route based on the acquired route information with the position information included in the environment information recorded in environment information storage unit 310 . Server 300 extracts environment information including position information corresponding to a position on the travel route of vehicle 100 . Server 300 sends the extracted environment information back to vehicle 100 via communication network NW.

As described above, the thermal sensation prediction unit 111 of the control unit 110 of the vehicle 100 predicts the thermal sensation using the measured value of the temperature inside the vehicle obtained from the room temperature sensor 140 and the environmental information obtained from the server 300. conduct. At this time, the thermal sensation prediction unit 111 may analyze an image captured by the vehicle exterior camera 243, which is included in the environmental information, for example. The thermal sensation prediction unit 111 detects, for example, a person from an image by image analysis, and identifies the clothing of the person. The thermal sensation prediction unit 111 estimates the air temperature, sensible temperature, etc. around the vehicle 200 based on the specified clothes. Also, the thermal sensation prediction unit 111 detects, for example, raindrops in the image by image analysis, and estimates the intensity of rainfall around the vehicle 200 and the like.

Also, the thermal sensation prediction unit 111 may analyze an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 244, which is included in the environmental information, for example. The thermal sensation prediction unit 111 detects, for example, an occupant of the vehicle 200 from the image by image analysis, and identifies the clothing of the occupant. The thermal sensation prediction unit 111 estimates the temperature inside the vehicle 200, the sensible temperature of the passenger, and the like, based on the specified clothes. In this case, the in-vehicle camera 244 may be a thermographic camera. In this case, the thermal sensation prediction unit 111 estimates the surface temperature of the occupant's skin by analyzing the thermograph image.

[Operation of Vehicle Air Conditioning Control System]
An example of the operation of the vehicle air conditioning control system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation of the vehicle air conditioning control system 1. As shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of vehicle 100, the operation of vehicle 200, and the operation of server 300 will be described in this order. Note that the relationship between the operation timings of the vehicle 100, the vehicle 200, and the server 300 is indicated by dashed arrows in FIG.

First, the operation of vehicle 100 will be described. The navigation system 130 searches for a route to a destination, for example, based on an operation input by a passenger. The navigation system 130 determines a travel route to the destination (step S101). Next, the control unit 110 controls the communication unit 12 to send the route information indicating the travel route to the server 300, thereby requesting acquisition of the environment information (step S102).

Next, the control unit 110 waits for reception of environment information transmitted from the server 300 in response to transmission of the route information (step S103). When the environmental information is received, the thermal sensation prediction unit 111 of the control unit 110 predicts the thermal sensation using the measured value of the temperature inside the vehicle obtained from the room temperature sensor 140 and the environmental information obtained from the server 300 . Execute (step S104). Next, the air-conditioning control unit 112 executes air-conditioning control according to the prediction result of the thermal sensation prediction (step S105).

Specifically, for example, the information indicating a plurality of prediction results output from the thermal sensation prediction unit 111 (hereinafter referred to as “prediction result information”) includes the vehicle 200 that generated the environment information used for prediction. are linked to each other. Based on the position information of vehicle 200, air-conditioning control unit 112 rearranges the pieces of prediction result information in the order in which vehicle 100 passes on the travel route. The air-conditioning control unit 112 performs air-conditioning control using a plurality of pieces of prediction result information in the sorted order.

For example, when the prediction result of the thermal sensation prediction is indicated by the aforementioned PMV value, the air conditioning control unit 112 determines that the PMV value included in the prediction result information is in the range from -1 (cool) to +1 (warm). Detects whether or not If the PMV value is not within the range from -1 (cool) to +1 (warm), the air conditioning control unit 112 controls the air conditioning so that the value is within the range.

Next, the air-conditioning control unit 112 collates the position information of the vehicle 200 linked to the prediction result information with the information indicating the current position of the vehicle 100 acquired from the navigation system 130 at any time. When detecting that the vehicle 100 has passed through the prediction target point, the air conditioning control unit 112 stops air conditioning control based on this prediction result information (step S107). Here, the prediction target point is the position of the vehicle 200 based on the position information included in the environment information used in the thermal sensation prediction.

Next, the air-conditioning control unit 112 detects whether or not the vehicle 100 has arrived at the destination based on the information acquired from the navigation system 130 (step S108). When the vehicle 100 has not arrived at the destination, the air-conditioning control unit 112 performs air-conditioning control using the following prediction result information. When the vehicle 100 reaches the destination, the operation of the vehicle 100 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 ends.

Next, the operation of vehicle 200 will be described. The control unit 210 waits for the ignition to be switched to the ON state (step S201). When the ignition is switched to the ON state, the control unit 210 periodically acquires sensor information from the sensor group 240 . When the fluctuation range of the measured value from each sensor indicated by the sensor information is large, the control unit 210 combines the sensor information and the position information of the vehicle 200 acquired from the navigation system 230 at the time when the sensor information is acquired. Environmental information is generated by linking. Control unit 210 controls communication unit 220 to transmit environment information to server 300 (step S202).

The control unit 210 repeats the process of acquiring the sensor information and the process of transmitting the environment information to the server 300 until the ignition is turned off (step S203). When the ignition is switched to the OFF state, the operation of vehicle 200 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 ends.

Next, the operation of server 300 will be described. The server 300 receives the environment information transmitted from the vehicle 200 and records the environment information in the environment information storage unit 310 (step S301). Next, server 300 receives the route information transmitted from vehicle 100 (step S302). Server 300 refers to the accumulated environmental information and identifies the environmental information transmitted from vehicle 200 located on the travel route based on the acquired route information. Server 300 sends back the identified environmental information to vehicle 100 (step S303). Server 300 repeats the above process.

With the above configuration, the vehicle air-conditioning control system 1 of the present embodiment can perform air-conditioning control according to the position on the travel route by using environmental information obtained from other vehicles on the travel route. . Therefore, compared to the case where air conditioning control is performed based only on information such as weather forecasts at fixed points as in the conventional technology, the vehicle air conditioning control system 1 can provide environmental information, Moreover, since more immediate (real-time) environment information can be used, more accurate air conditioning control can be performed.

Further, with the above configuration, the vehicle air-conditioning control system 1 can appropriately control the air-conditioning of the vehicle according to the position of the vehicle during travel. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of stress and poor physical condition caused by a cold sensation.

In addition, with the above configuration, the vehicle air-conditioning control system 1 can reduce the number of operations for changing air-conditioning settings performed by the occupant while the vehicle is running. As a result, the vehicle air-conditioning control system 1 can reduce occupant actions that affect driving, thereby improving traffic safety.

The embodiment described above can be expressed as follows.
a storage device storing a program;
a hardware processor;
By the hardware processor executing the program stored in the storage device,
Acquiring environment information indicating the environment around the second vehicle obtained from a second vehicle existing or existing on the travel route of the first vehicle, and based on the environment information, along the travel route A vehicular air conditioning control system configured to control air conditioning of the first vehicle moving by means of a vehicle.

As described above, the mode for carrying out the present invention has been described using the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments at all, and various modifications and replacements can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. can be added.

1 vehicle air conditioning control system 12 communication unit 100 vehicle 110 control unit 111 thermal sensation prediction unit 112 air conditioning control unit 120 communication unit 130 navigation system 140 room temperature sensor 150 air conditioner 200 vehicle 210 control unit 220 communication unit 230 navigation system 240 sensor group 241 Outside air temperature sensor 242 Humidity sensor 243 Outside camera 244 Inside camera 245 Raindrop sensor 246 Sunlight sensor 247 Wiper operation detection unit 248 Defroster operation detection unit 249 Tire slip detection unit 300 Server 310 Environmental information storage unit

Claims (5)

an environment information acquisition unit that acquires environment information indicating the environment around the second vehicle obtained from a second vehicle that is or was present on the travel route of the first vehicle;
an air conditioning control unit that controls air conditioning of the first vehicle that moves along the travel route based on the environmental information;
A vehicle air conditioning control system comprising: The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioning control unit controls the air conditioning based on the position of the first vehicle and the position of the second vehicle at the time when the environment information was generated. Air conditioning control system. a thermal sensation prediction unit that predicts the thermal sensation of the occupant of the first vehicle based on the temperature inside the first vehicle and the environmental information;
The vehicle air-conditioning control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air-conditioning control unit controls the air-conditioning based on a prediction result of the thermal sensation. the computer
Acquiring environmental information indicating the environment around the second vehicle obtained from the second vehicle existing or existing on the travel route of the first vehicle;
Controlling air conditioning of the first vehicle traveling along the travel route based on the environmental information. A control method. to the computer,
Acquiring environmental information indicating the environment around the second vehicle obtained from the second vehicle existing or existing on the travel route of the first vehicle;
A program for controlling air conditioning of the first vehicle that moves along the travel route based on the environmental information.

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