JP2022185294A - seat device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a seat device which can rationally perform presentation of a temperature sense with respect to a skin surface of a seating person across a wide range.SOLUTION: A seat device 1 includes: a top plate part 2A for supporting a body of a seating person; and a temperature sense presentation device 10 provided at the top plate part 2A for presenting a temperature sense to a skin surface of the seating person. The temperature sense presentation device 10 includes: at least one planar heat generating body 11 for imparting a temperature stimulus to the skin surface of the seating person; a plurality of vibration stimulation parts 12 for imparting a vibration stimulus to the skin surface of the seating person at a position different from the planar heat generating body 11; and a control part 13 for operating and controlling these. The plurality of vibration stimulation parts 12 is arranged in the arraying direction of skin segments of the seating person along a seat seating surface. The control part 13 presents a temperature sense by an illusion of temperature sense transfer at a perception position of the skin surface by phantom sensation according to a strength ratio of the vibration stimulus between the plurality of vibration stimulation parts 12, by performing vibration stimulus by the plurality of vibration stimulation parts 12 simultaneously with the temperature stimulus by the planar heat generating body 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a seat device. More specifically, it relates to a seat device having a top plate portion that supports the body of a seated person on a continuous seat surface, and a temperature sensation presentation device that is provided on the top plate portion and presents a temperature sensation to the skin surface of the seated person. .

2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle seat is known to include a thermal device called “Thermal Referral” that presents a thermal sensation to the body of a seated person by thermal sensation transfer using an illusion phenomenon (Patent Document 1). Specifically, the heat sensing device is configured to simultaneously apply a thermal stimulus by a heater and a vibration stimulus by a vibrator to the seated person's body, thereby presenting a sense of warmth to the part to which the vibration stimulus is applied.

JP 2020-153584 A

In order to present the temperature sensation over a wide range, it is necessary to set a heater or transducer for each skin segment, which increases the number of parts and complicates the control channel. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a seat device capable of rationally presenting temperature sensations to the skin surface of a seated person over a wide range.

In order to solve the above problems, the seat device of the present invention employs the following means.

That is, the seat device of the present invention includes a top plate portion that supports the body of a seated person on a continuous seat surface, and a warmth presentation device that is provided on the top plate portion and presents a temperature sensation to the skin surface of the seated person. , has The temperature sensation presentation device includes at least one temperature stimulation unit that applies temperature stimulation to the skin surface of the seated person, a plurality of vibration stimulation units that apply vibration stimulation to the skin surface of the seated person at positions different from the temperature stimulation units, and temperature stimulation. a controller for controlling operation of the stimulator and the plurality of vibration stimulators.

A plurality of vibration stimulation units are arranged in the direction in which the dermatomes of the seated person are aligned along the seat surface. The control unit performs temperature stimulation by the temperature stimulation unit and vibration stimulation by the plurality of vibration stimulation units at the same time, so that phantom sensation corresponding to the intensity ratio of the vibration stimulation between the plurality of vibration stimulation units is applied to the skin surface of the seated person. It presents the temperature sensation by the illusion of temperature sensation transfer to the sensory position.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to present a temperature sensation to the skin surface of the seated person from the temperature stimulating section. In addition, by using phantom sensation, the temperature sensation is presented on the skin surface of the seated person by the illusion of temperature sensation transfer from an arbitrary perception position according to the intensity ratio of the vibration stimulation among multiple vibration stimulation parts. can be done. Therefore, even if a large number of temperature stimulation units are not set for each skin segment, a rational configuration with a small number of parts in which a plurality of vibration stimulation units are arranged at intervals allows a wide range of temperature sensations to be presented to the skin surface of the seated person. It can be done over

Further, the seat device of the present invention may be configured as follows. That is, the seat device has a top plate portion that supports the body of the seated person on a continuous seat surface, and a temperature sensation presentation device that is provided on the top plate portion and presents a temperature sensation to the skin surface of the seated person. . A temperature sensation presentation device has a plurality of temperature stimulation units that apply temperature stimulation to the skin surface of a seated person, and a control unit that controls the operation of the plurality of temperature stimulation units.

A plurality of thermal stimulation units are arranged in the direction in which the dermatomes of the seated person are aligned along the seat surface. The control unit simultaneously performs temperature stimulation by a plurality of temperature stimulation units, so that thermal phantom sensation corresponding to the intensity ratio of the temperature stimulation among the plurality of temperature stimulation units transfers temperature sensation to the perceived position on the skin surface of the seated person. Presents the temperature sensation by the illusion of

According to the above configuration, the thermal phantom sensation is used to transfer the temperature sensation to the skin surface of the seated person from an arbitrary position according to the intensity ratio of the temperature stimulation among the plurality of temperature stimulation parts. can be presented. Therefore, even if a large number of temperature stimulation units are not set for each skin segment, a rational configuration with a small number of parts in which a plurality of temperature stimulation units are arranged at intervals allows a wide range of temperature sensations to be presented to the skin surface of the seated person. It can be done over

Moreover, the seat device of the present invention may be further configured as follows. The seat surface is used as the backrest surface of the seat back. A plurality of vibration stimulation units are arranged side by side in the height direction on the backrest surface.

According to the above configuration, by simply arranging a plurality of vibration stimulation units on the backrest surface of the seat back in the height direction, it is possible to appropriately present the temperature sensation over a wide range of the back of the seated person.

Moreover, the seat device of the present invention may be further configured as follows. A plurality of vibration stimulation units are provided in pairs at symmetrical positions in the seat width direction on the backrest surface. A temperature stimulation part is provided in the intermediate part in the seat width direction between the pair.

According to the above configuration, the temperature stimulation section can appropriately apply the temperature stimulation to the central portion of the back of the seated person. In addition, a plurality of vibration stimulation units symmetrically arranged on both sides of the temperature stimulation unit in the seat width direction appropriately presents the temperature sensation by the illusion of temperature sensation transfer on the skin surface of the seated person at a position close to the temperature stimulation unit. be able to.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a seat device according to a first embodiment; FIG. It is a front view of a seat back. It is a block diagram of a warmth presentation device. It is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of human dermatomes. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing experimental conditions for thermosensitive transfer. FIG. 11 is a table representing experimental conditions for thermosensory transcription. FIG. 4 is a graph showing experimental results of Condition 1. FIG. 4 is a graph showing experimental results of condition 2. FIG. 10 is a graph showing experimental results of Condition 3. FIG. It is a graph showing an example of the control pattern of a control part.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using drawing.

<<1st Embodiment>>
(Structure of seat device 1)
First, the configuration of a seat device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. In the following description, when directions such as front, back, up, down, left, and right are indicated, they refer to the respective directions shown in the respective drawings. The forward direction in each drawing represents the traveling direction of the automobile. In addition, in the following description, any one of FIGS. 1 to 10 will be referred to as appropriate when specific reference figures are not shown or reference symbols are not used.

As shown in FIG. 1, a seat device 1 according to this embodiment is configured as a seat for an automobile. The seat device 1 has a seat back 2 that serves as a backrest portion for a seated person, a seat cushion 3 that serves as a sitting portion, and a headrest 4 that serves as a headrest portion. The seat back 2 is configured to include a top plate portion 2A that supports the back of a seated person with a continuous seat surface.

The seat back 2 has lower ends on both left and right sides connected to rear ends on both left and right sides of the seat cushion 3 via electric reclining devices (not shown). Thereby, the seat back 2 is configured so that the backrest angle with respect to the seat cushion 3 can be freely adjusted in the seat longitudinal direction as each reclining device is operated by operating an electric switch (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seat device 1 further includes a warmth presentation device 10 which is provided on the top plate portion 2A of the seat back 2 and can present a temperature sensation to the skin surface of the seated person. Prepare. The temperature sensation presentation device 10 includes four planar heat generating elements 11 made of film heaters, four vibrators 12, and a controller 13 that controls the operation of these (see FIG. 3). Here, each planar heating element 11 corresponds to the "temperature stimulating section" of the present invention. Further, each vibrator 12 corresponds to the "vibration stimulator" of the present invention.

(Presentation of warmth by Phantom Sensation)
The temperature sensation presentation device 10 is a seat that warms the back of the seated person leaning against the top plate portion 2A of the seat back 2 by controlling the operation of the four planar heating elements 11 and the four vibrators 12 by the control unit 13. It is configured to function as a heater. Specifically, the heat sensation presentation device 10 heats each planar heating element 11 to give a temperature stimulus to the corresponding skin surface on the back of the seated person.

Further, the warmth presentation device 10 vibrates each vibrator 12 to give a vibration stimulation to the corresponding skin surface on the back of the seated person. With this vibration stimulus, the temperature sensation presentation device 10 simultaneously performs temperature stimulation by the planar heating elements 11, thereby performing temperature sensation transfer using an illusion phenomenon called "Thermal Referral" to the location where the vibration stimulus is applied. . Transfer of temperature sensation by "Thermal Referral" tends to obtain a higher effect when the location where the vibration stimulus is applied by each vibrator 12 is closer to each planar heating element 11 .

As a result, the temperature sensation presentation device 10 presents an illusory temperature sensation to the location where the vibration stimulus is applied. Specifically, the temperature sensation presentation device 10 vibrates two pairs of upper and lower transducers 12 out of the four transducers 12 at the same time, so that phantom sensation is generated at the corresponding sensory position on the skin surface on the back of the seated person. The temperature sensation is presented by the illusion of the above temperature sensation transfer.

"Phantom sensation" refers to the phenomenon in human tactile perception, when vibration stimuli are applied to two different points on the dermatome Seg (see Fig. 4), these vibration stimuli are fused and appear at one point between the above two points. It is a phenomenon in which an illusory vibration stimulus is perceived. It is known that the perceived position of the vibration stimulus is biased to the side with the higher vibration strength depending on the intensity ratio of the vibration stimulus at two points.

For example, when the vibration intensity of the two points is the same, the perceived position of the vibration stimulus is the intermediate point between them. By making the vibration intensity of one of them higher than that of the other, the perceived position of the vibration stimulus shifts from the intermediate position to one according to the intensity ratio.

Therefore, by changing the intensity ratio of the vibration stimulus between the two points, the perceived position of the vibration stimulus can be appropriately changed to any position between the two points. For this reason, it is possible to perform thermal sensation transfer by "Thermal Referral" to the perceived position of the vibration stimulus by the phantom sensation.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, a dermatome Seg is an area innervated by sensory nerves extending from each spinal nerve root of the human body. In the back of the human body, each dermatome Seg extends laterally from the spinal nerve root in the middle of the back. In the back of the human body, a plurality of such dermatomes Seg extending in the left-right direction are arranged in a row in the height direction.

Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 2, the temperature sensation presentation device 10 has four planar heating elements 11 and four vibrators 12, each of which has different skin segments Seg (FIG. 4) on the human back. See) are arranged so as to be located above. In the following, the concrete arrangement of these and the results of presentation of temperature sensations by experiments will be described.

The four planar heating elements 11 and the four vibrators 12 are arranged vertically two by two at symmetrical positions separated in the seat width direction on the top plate portion 2A of the seat back 2 . More specifically, the four planar heat generating elements 11 are arranged in two low positions, left and right, which are in contact with the waist of the seated person, and two left and right high positions, which are in contact with the shoulder blades of the seated person. there is

The four vibrators 12 are located at two locations on the left and right sides of the two planar heating elements 11 arranged side by side in the two locations on the left and right sides of the low position, and two locations on the left and right sides on the high position. They are arranged in two locations on the left and right sides of the two sheet heating elements 11 arranged side by side on both sides in the sheet width direction. The four planar heating elements 11 and the four vibrators 12 are electrically connected to the controller 13 (see FIG. 3).

The control unit 13 controls the operations of the four sheet heating elements 11 and the four vibrators 12 by PWM control. Specifically, the control unit 13 changes and modulates the duty ratio of the output pulse wave, thereby changing the intensity of the temperature stimulus in each planar heating element 11 and the intensity of the vibration stimulus in each vibrator 12. .

(Temperature sensation presentation experiment)
Next, the results of a temperature sensation presentation experiment performed by the temperature sensation presentation device 10 will be described. The experimental conditions are as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a sensing portion P is set at one position on the top plate portion 2A of the seat back 2 to report whether or not the subject has sensed temperature sensation.

The sensing portion P is set at a position on the top plate portion 2A of the seat back 2 that is in contact with the middle portion between the left waist and the left shoulder blade of the seated person. Two planar heating elements 11 are arranged side by side in a bilaterally symmetrical manner at a middle position in the height direction to be horizontally aligned with the sensing portion P. As shown in FIG.

The vibrators 12 are arranged at a total of four positions: two upper and lower positions on the left side sandwiching the sensing part P above and below, and two upper and lower positions on the right side which are symmetrically arranged therewith. These four vibrators 12 are arranged at positions shifted outward in the sheet width direction from the two planar heating elements 11 arranged side by side.

In the temperature sensation presentation experiment, by vibrating one or both of the upper and lower vibrators 12 on the left side at the same time as the temperature stimulation by each planar heating element 11, an illusory temperature sensation is sensed in the sensing part P. Verify whether or not Specifically, three experiments were conducted under experimental conditions 1 to 3 as shown in FIG. 6, and the results are summarized in FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the experimental condition 1 is to vibrate only the vibrator 12 on the upper left side at the same time as the temperature stimulation by each planar heating element 11 is performed. Other vibrators 12 are not vibrated. Experimental condition 2 is to vibrate only the vibrator 12 on the lower left side at the same time as the temperature stimulation by each planar heating element 11 . Other vibrators 12 are not vibrated.

Experimental condition 3 is to vibrate only both the upper and lower vibrators 12 on the left side at the same time as the temperature stimulation by each planar heating element 11 . Each vibrator 12 shall vibrate with the same vibration intensity. Other vibrators 12 are not vibrated.

The graph of FIG. 7 shows the results of the experiment conducted under experimental condition 1. FIG. The vertical axis indicates the intensity of the transcribed thermal sensation. As can be seen from this graph, when the experiment was conducted under the experimental condition 1, the sensor P did not sense the temperature sensation. This is because even if only the upper left vibrator 12 vibrates at the same time as the temperature stimulation by each planar heating element 11, the thermal referral causes the transfer of thermal sensation to occur at the vibrating portion of the upper left vibrator 12. It is considered that the vibration stimulus is not perceived by the sensing portion P, and the temperature sensation is not transferred.

Next, the graph of FIG. 8 shows the results of an experiment conducted under experimental condition 2. In FIG. As can be seen from this graph, even when the experiment was conducted under the experimental condition 2, the sensing portion P did not sense the temperature sensation. This is because even if only the lower left vibrator 12 vibrates at the same time as the temperature stimulus by each sheet heating element 11, the temperature sense transfer is performed at the vibrating part of the lower left vibrator 12 by "Thermal Referral". It is considered that the vibration stimulus is not perceived by the sensing portion P, and the temperature sensation is not transferred.

Next, the graph of FIG. 9 shows the results of an experiment conducted under experimental condition 3. In FIG. As can be seen from this graph, when the experiment was conducted under Experimental Condition 3, the sensing portion P sensed temperature sensation. This is because both the upper and lower vibrators 12 on the left side vibrate at the same time as the temperature stimulation by each planar heating element 11, and the vibration stimulation by the phantom sensation is presented at the sensing part P in the middle part, thereby "Thermal This is considered to be due to the fact that temperature sensation was transcribed by "Referral".

Therefore, as can be seen from the above experimental results, even if the planar heating element 11 and the vibrator 12 are not provided at the position of the sensing part P as described above with reference to FIG. can make a presentation. Therefore, it is possible to present a wide range of temperature sensations with a small number of components. Further, along with this, the number of channels controlled by the control unit 13 can be reduced, and the cost of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

FIG. 10 shows an example of an operation control pattern of each vibrator 12 by the control section 13. As shown in FIG. The horizontal axis in the figure indicates the passage of time. Also, the vertical axis indicates the magnitude of the duty ratio. CH1 indicates operation control of the upper transducer 12, and CH2 indicates operation control of the lower transducer 12. FIG.

As shown in the above figure, by decreasing the output of CH1 with the lapse of time and increasing the output of CH2 with the lapse of time, the perceived position of the vibration stimulus due to the phantom sensation is shifted to the position of the upper transducer 12. It can be gradually displaced from the position to the position where the vibrator 12 is located on the lower side. Therefore, by performing such operation control, the perceived position of the vibration stimulus can be changed over a wide range, and the temperature sensation can be transferred over a wide range by "Thermal Referral".

Specifically, the temperature of the skin surface corresponding to the back of the seated person can be repeatedly raised or lowered by performing operation control to change the presentation position of the temperature sensation as described above at predetermined time intervals. can. By performing such operation control, it is possible to increase the rate of temperature rise of the skin surface when the temperature is raised, compared to a configuration in which a continuous heat sensation is presented to the skin surface of the seated person. Therefore, it is possible to present a more warm temperature sensation to the seated occupant in spite of the fact that the power consumption is less than that of the one that continuously presents the warmth sensation.

(Presentation of warmth by heat phantom sensation)
As shown in FIG. 2, the above-described thermal sensation presentation device 10 not only transfers the temperature sensation by combining the above-described "Thermal Referral" and the phantom sensation, but also transfers the thermal sensation to the back of the seated person by the thermal phantom sensation. It is configured to be able to present the temperature sensation due to the illusion of temperature sensation transfer even at the sensory position on the skin surface.

“Thermal Phantom Sensation” is defined as a phenomenon in human tactile perception, when thermal stimuli are applied to two different points on the dermatome Seg (see FIG. 4), these thermal stimuli are fused and one point between the above two points is detected. This is a phenomenon in which temperature stimuli are perceived by illusion. It is known that the perceived position of the temperature stimulus is biased toward the higher intensity of the temperature stimulus depending on the intensity ratio of the two points of the temperature stimulus.

For example, when the intensity of the temperature stimulus at the two points is the same, the perceived position of the temperature stimulus is the intermediate point. Then, by making the temperature intensity of one of them higher than that of the other, the perceived position of the temperature stimulus shifts from the intermediate location to one according to the intensity ratio.

Therefore, by changing the intensity ratio of the temperature stimulus between the two points, the perceived position of the temperature stimulus can be appropriately changed to any position between the two points. Specifically, the temperature sensation presentation device 10 provides temperature stimulus perception between the upper and lower planar heating elements 11 arranged to apply temperature stimuli to different dermatome Seg positions on the back of the seated person. It is configured to change the position.

Note that the control for changing the perceived position of the temperature stimulus by the thermal phantom sensation can be performed in the same manner as the control for changing the perceived position of the vibration stimulus by the phantom sensation described above, so a detailed description will be omitted. By variously controlling the output intensity and output timing of each planar heating element 11 and each vibrator 12, the temperature sensation presentation device 10 provides temperature sensation over a wide range on the top plate portion 2A of the seat back 2. Able to transfer properly

(summary)
In summary, the seat device 1 according to this embodiment has the following configuration. Note that the reference numerals in parentheses below correspond to the respective configurations shown in the above embodiments.

That is, the seat device (1) includes a top plate portion (2A) that supports the body of the seated person on a continuous seat surface, and a temperature sensation that is provided on the top plate portion (2A) to present the skin surface of the seated person. and a warmth presentation device (10). A thermal sensation presentation device (10) has at least one thermal stimulus section (11) that applies a thermal stimulus to the skin surface of a seated person, and a vibration stimulus to the skin surface of the seated person at a position different from the thermal stimulus section (11). It has a plurality of vibration stimulation units (12) that apply heat, and a control unit (13) that controls the operation of the temperature stimulation unit (11) and the plurality of vibration stimulation units (12).

A plurality of vibration stimulation units (12) are arranged in the direction in which the skin segments (Seg) of the seated person are aligned along the seat surface. A control unit (13) performs vibration stimulation by a plurality of vibration stimulation units (12) at the same time as temperature stimulation by a temperature stimulation unit (11), so that intensity ratio of vibration stimulation between a plurality of vibration stimulation units (12) The temperature sensation is presented by the illusion of temperature sensation transfer to the sensory position on the skin surface of the seated person by the phantom sensation according to the condition.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to present a temperature sensation to the skin surface of the seated person from the temperature stimulating section (11). In addition, using the phantom sensation, the temperature sensation is generated on the skin surface of the seated person by the illusion of temperature sensation transfer from an arbitrary perception position according to the intensity ratio of the vibration stimulation among the plurality of vibration stimulation units (12). can be presented. Therefore, even if a large number of temperature stimulation units (11) are not set for each skin segment (Seg), a plurality of vibration stimulation units (12) are spaced apart and arranged in a rational configuration with a small number of parts. A wide range of presentations of temperature sensations can be made on the skin surface.

Further, the seat surface is used as the backrest surface of the seat back (2). A plurality of vibration stimulation units (12) are arranged side by side in the height direction on the backrest surface. According to the above configuration, by simply arranging a plurality of vibration stimulation units (12) on the backrest surface of the seat back (2) in the height direction, it is possible to appropriately present temperature sensation over a wide range of the back of the seated person. can be done.

Also, a plurality of vibration stimulation units (12) are provided in pairs on the backrest surface at symmetrical positions in the seat width direction. A temperature stimulation part (11) is provided in the intermediate part in the seat width direction between the pair. According to the above configuration, the temperature stimulation section (11) can appropriately apply the temperature stimulation to the central portion of the back of the seated person. In addition, a plurality of vibration stimulation units (12) symmetrically arranged on both sides of the temperature stimulation unit (11) in the seat width direction transfer temperature sensation to the skin surface of the seated person at a position close to the temperature stimulation unit (11). An illusory temperature sensation can be presented appropriately.

In addition, the seat device (1) includes a top plate portion (2A) that supports the body of the seated person on a continuous seat surface, and a temperature sensation provided on the top plate portion (2A) to present the skin surface of the seated person. and a warmth presentation device (10). A temperature sensation presentation device (10) has a plurality of temperature stimulation units (11) for applying temperature stimulation to the skin surface of a seated person, and a control unit (13) for controlling the operation of the plurality of temperature stimulation units (11). .

A plurality of thermal stimulation units (11) are arranged in the direction in which the skin segments (Seg) of the seated person are aligned along the seat surface. A control unit (13) performs thermal stimulation by a plurality of temperature stimulation units (11) at the same time, so that a seated person can experience thermal phantom sensation according to the intensity ratio of the temperature stimulations among the plurality of temperature stimulation units (11). It presents the temperature sensation by the illusion of temperature sensation transcription at the perceptual position on the skin surface.

According to the above configuration, the thermal phantom sensation is used to create the illusion of thermal sensation transfer to the skin surface of the seated person from an arbitrary sensory position according to the intensity ratio of the thermal stimulation among the plurality of thermal stimulation units (11). can present a sense of temperature. Therefore, even if a large number of temperature stimulation units (11) are not set for each skin segment (Seg), a plurality of temperature stimulation units (11) are spaced apart and arranged in a rational configuration with a small number of parts. A wide range of presentations of temperature sensations can be made on the skin surface.

<<About other embodiments>>
As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described using one embodiment, but the present invention can be implemented in various forms shown below in addition to the above embodiment.

1. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The seat device of the present invention can be applied not only to automobile seats, but also to vehicles other than automobiles, such as railways, and vehicles other than vehicles, such as aircraft and ships. In addition to vehicles, the seat device can also be applied to seats installed in various facilities such as sports facilities, theaters, movie theaters, concert venues, and event venues, as well as seats other than vehicles such as massage seats. It is. In addition, the seat device can be applied to a two-seat seat or a three-seat seat in addition to the one-seat seat.

2. The heat sensation presentation device may be one that presents a sensation of warmth to the surface of the skin of the seated person, and may present a sensation of coldness. Various types of heaters, such as a radiation type heater and a hot air type heater, can be applied to the thermal stimulus section in addition to the film heater. Moreover, the heat sensation presentation device may be provided on a seat cushion or an ottoman in addition to being provided on the seat back.

When the temperature sensation presentation device is provided on a seat cushion or an ottoman, the alignment direction of the vibration stimulation units is the seat width direction corresponding to the alignment direction of the corresponding skin segments of the seated person. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, in the seated person's buttocks, thighs, and lower legs, the direction in which the dermatomes extend is the direction in which the legs extend, and a plurality of such dermatomes are arranged side by side. It's for.

3. The vibration stimulation section and/or the temperature stimulation section may not necessarily be arranged symmetrically on the top panel of the seat device. In addition, three or more vibration stimulation units and/or temperature stimulation units are arranged in the direction in which the dermatomes of the seated person are arranged along the seat surface, and temperature is generated by phantom sensation or thermal phantom sensation between each row. It may be one in which sensation is transferred.

4. In the above-described embodiment, the thermal sensation presentation device can transfer temperature sensation by phantom sensation using a plurality of vibration stimulation units and transfer temperature sensation by thermal phantom sensation using a plurality of temperature stimulation units. However, only one of them may be used to transfer the temperature sensation. That is, at least one temperature stimulator and a plurality of vibration stimulators are required to transfer the temperature sensation by phantom sensation.

However, in the case of transferring the temperature sensation by thermal phantom sensation, the temperature stimulator is sufficient and the vibration stimulator is unnecessary. Therefore, by increasing the number of thermal stimulus units or expanding the installation area, it is possible to transfer thermal sensation over a wide range.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 seat device 2 seat back 2A top plate portion 3 seat cushion 4 headrest 10 temperature presentation device 11 planar heating element (temperature stimulation portion)
12 transducer (vibration stimulator)
13 Controller Seg Dermatome P Sensor

Claims (4)

A seat device comprising: a top plate portion for supporting a seated person's body on a continuous seat surface; and a temperature sensation presentation device provided on the top plate portion for presenting a temperature sensation to the seated person's skin surface. ,
The warmth presentation device
at least one thermal stimulator that applies a thermal stimulus to the skin surface of the seated person;
a plurality of vibration stimulation units that apply vibration stimulation to the skin surface of the seated person at positions different from the temperature stimulation unit;
a control unit that controls operation of the temperature stimulation unit and the plurality of vibration stimulation units;
A plurality of the vibration stimulation units are arranged in a direction in which the skin segments of the seated person are arranged along the seat surface, and the control unit causes vibration stimulation by the plurality of vibration stimulation units simultaneously with temperature stimulation by the temperature stimulation unit. By performing the above, the seat device presents the temperature sensation by the illusion of temperature sensation transfer at the perception position of the skin surface of the seated person by phantom sensation according to the intensity ratio of the vibration stimulation among the plurality of vibration stimulation units. A seat device comprising: a top plate portion for supporting a seated person's body on a continuous seat surface; and a temperature sensation presentation device provided on the top plate portion for presenting a temperature sensation to the seated person's skin surface. ,
The warmth presentation device
a plurality of temperature stimulation units that apply temperature stimulation to the skin surface of the seated person;
a control unit that controls the operation of a plurality of the temperature stimulation units;
A plurality of the temperature stimulation units are arranged in the direction in which the dermatomes of the seated person are arranged along the seat surface, and the control unit simultaneously performs temperature stimulation by the plurality of the temperature stimulation units, so that the plurality of the temperature stimulation units A seat device that presents a temperature sensation based on the illusion of thermal sensation transfer at the sensory position on the skin surface of a seated person by thermal phantom sensation according to the intensity ratio of the thermal stimulation between the thermal stimulation parts. The seat device according to claim 1,
A seat device according to claim 1, wherein the seat surface is a backrest surface of a seatback, and a plurality of the vibration stimulation units are arranged on the backrest surface in a height direction. The seat device according to claim 3,
A seat device in which a plurality of the vibration stimulation units are provided in pairs at symmetrical positions in the seat width direction on the backrest surface, and the temperature stimulation unit is provided in an intermediate portion in the seat width direction between the pair.

Images