JP5257754B2 - Vehicle seat air conditioning system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat air conditioning system.

  The interior space of an automobile has a smaller space volume compared to ordinary houses, etc., and when the window is closed, it becomes a sealed space.For example, the temperature inside the parked vehicle is higher than expected in summer due to heat rays that leak through the glass. To rise. However, a general automobile air conditioner is a centralized type and is designed to lower the air temperature of the entire space in the passenger compartment, so there is a problem that it takes time to adjust the temperature.

  Therefore, an air passage, a heating coil, and a blower are provided in the seat cushion and the seat back of the vehicle seat, respectively, and the heating coil and the blower are turned on according to the temperature detected by a temperature sensor provided in a predetermined part of the vehicle seat. A vehicle seat air conditioning system has been devised that controls the OFF and output and optimizes the air conditioning state of the vehicle seat.

  For example, when a person sitting in an air-conditioning seat device has an air container for accumulating and storing dehumidified air, the dehumidified air stored in the air container is ejected from the seat, and the human body surface An air-conditioning seat device has been devised that takes away heat of vaporization by evaporating the sweat of the body to give a cool feeling to the human body and prevent a feeling of stuffiness (see Patent Document 1).

  For seat cushions where the seating pressure of the occupant is high and the flow resistance of the ventilation path is high, a pressure-type centrifugal fan or mixed flow fan is used. Also, the seating pressure is relatively low and the flow resistance of the ventilation path is low. For low-back seat backs, a vehicle seat air-conditioning device has been devised that can effectively blow air using an airflow-type axial flow fan, improving the air-conditioning effect by improving the total air-blowing amount while saving energy overall. (See Patent Document 2).

  The temperature and atmosphere control system also includes a variable temperature seat suitable for supplying temperature-controlled air to a seat occupant, at least one heat pump that regulates ambient air and passes the air through the seat A variable temperature seat atmosphere control system with a temperature sensor located in each heat pump, a controller configured to monitor the temperature of the heat pump and adjust their movement according to a temperature atmosphere control algorithm (See Patent Document 3).

JP 2003-300409 A JP 2003-285628 A JP 2005-280710 A

  The vehicle seat air conditioning system is also effective, for example, for refrigerated passengers. Coldness is mainly caused by the disorder of the autonomic nerve that regulates blood flow. As a result, blood circulation worsens, and the skin becomes cold, especially because blood does not reach the limbs and hips at the end with few blood vessels. In order to improve coldness, it is necessary to warm the body and improve blood circulation.

  When a cold occupant uses a vehicle seat air conditioning system, it is necessary to increase the set temperature compared to a non-cool occupant. For this reason, there is a problem that the set temperature has to be increased every time the user gets on (the seat to be seated changes), and the setting operation for both the occupant and the occupant who is not cool is increased.

  In the configurations of Patent Documents 1 to 3, there is no disclosure or suggestion of automatically controlling the set temperature in response to individual occupant circumstances such as cooling.

  In addition, even if the set temperature is increased, in the configurations of Patent Documents 1 to 3, for example, even if there is an air conditioner in the seating portion and the backrest portion of the seat, it is not a configuration that operates independently, but the entire body is not necessarily It is not always possible to provide a comfortable environment for refrigerated passengers that do not need to be warmed.

  Against the background of the above problems, the vehicle seat air conditioning system can provide an optimal environment for passengers who have a situation where the set temperature must be higher than usual, such as cooling, and can reduce the operation load on the passengers Is to provide.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

A vehicle seat air conditioning system for solving the above problems includes an air conditioner provided on a vehicle seat, an operation mode setting means for setting an operation mode of the air conditioner based on an operation input of a vehicle occupant, and a seat An occupant detection means for detecting a seated occupant, an occupant attribute estimation means for estimating an attribute of the seated occupant, and an operation mode of the air conditioner based on the set operation mode based on the occupant attribute When, the normal mode is assumed to be provided with, and the air conditioning control means for controlling being switched between the operation mode is different special modes.

  With the above configuration, it is possible not only to switch the operation mode only by setting the operation mode based on the operation input of the occupant, but also to perform the optimal air conditioning control for the occupant by switching the operation mode based on the attribute of the occupant.

  In recent years, a vehicle control device has been devised that includes driver attribute estimation means for estimating attributes such as age, physique, gender, etc. of a person driving a vehicle, and controls assist characteristics in an electric power steering device or the like based on the age. (See JP 2007-203951 A). For example, if this driver attribute estimation means is used, the configuration of the present invention can be realized at a relatively low cost.

  In the vehicle seat air conditioning system according to the present invention, an air conditioner is individually provided on a plurality of seats of the vehicle, and the air conditioning control means is configured to control the individual seat air conditioner based on the attribute of the occupant by the occupant attribute estimating means. The operation mode is independently switched between the normal mode and the special mode.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to perform air-conditioning control according to the individual circumstances (attributes) of the occupant for each seat.

  In addition, the vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention includes an imaging unit that captures an image of the occupant, and the occupant attribute estimation unit is configured to estimate the occupant attribute based on the occupant image.

  Various methods have been devised for taking an image including a human face and estimating an attribute such as gender and age of the human from the image (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2000-222572 and 2003-099779, particularly No. 2005-250712). With the above configuration, the configuration of the present invention can be realized at a relatively low cost by utilizing an existing occupant attribute estimation method.

  Further, the seat in the vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention is provided with an attribute setting switch for an occupant to operate, and the occupant attribute estimating means estimates the occupant attribute based on the state of the attribute setting switch. Configured to do.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to respond to a passenger's request even when the attribute of the occupant cannot be correctly estimated, or when the attribute is correctly estimated but it is desired to switch to the special mode due to the occupant's circumstances.

  Further, the attribute of the occupant in the vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention includes gender, and the air conditioning control means switches the operation mode of the air conditioner to the special mode when it is estimated that the occupant attribute is female. Composed.

  Coldness is often seen in women. With the above configuration, when a woman is seated, it is possible to switch to the special mode without operating the attribute setting switch. Of course, there are women who are not cool, but you can switch to the normal mode by operating the attribute setting switch. In addition, there are men who are cold, but they can be switched to the special mode by operating the attribute setting switch.

  Further, the air conditioning control means in the vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention is configured such that, in the special mode, the temperature around the lower waist of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat is higher than the temperature around the upper waist of the occupant. Is done.

  As described above, in the case of coldness, the limbs and waist are mainly cooled. With the above configuration, the body (waist) of the refrigeration occupant can be effectively warmed, and the refrigeration can be improved.

The vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention further includes a vehicle interior temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the vehicle interior of the vehicle, and a temperature setting means for setting the temperature set value of the air conditioner to be changeable, and the temperature setting. The means is configured to change and set the temperature setting value of the air conditioner in a predetermined portion of the vehicle seat so as to be higher than the temperature in the passenger compartment in the special mode.

  As described above, in the case of the coolability, the limbs and waist are mainly cooled, so it is meaningless to uniformly warm the entire seat, and power consumption is wasted. With the above-described configuration, it is possible to effectively warm the body (waist) of the occupant with low power consumption and to improve the chillability.

Further, the temperature setting means in the vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention sets the temperature setting value of the air conditioner in the seating portion of the seat to be changeable, and the temperature setting means is the air conditioning in the seating portion in the special mode. The temperature setting value of the apparatus is configured to be changed and set so as to be higher than the temperature in the passenger compartment.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to effectively warm the body (waist) of the occupant with low power consumption and to improve the chillability.

Further, the temperature setting means in the vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention changes the temperature setting value of the air conditioner in a predetermined part of the vehicle seat so that it is different from the temperature setting value of other parts in the special mode. Configured to set.

  Also with the above configuration, the body of the refrigeration occupant can be effectively warmed with less power consumption, and the chillability can be improved.

Further, the temperature setting means in the vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention sets the temperature setting value of the air conditioner in the seating portion and the backrest portion of the seat to be changeable, and the temperature setting means is seated in the special mode. The temperature setting value of the air conditioner in the section is configured to be changed and set to be higher than the temperature setting value of the air conditioner in the backrest section.

  In order to warm up the waist, the temperature setting value of the air conditioner in the seating portion may be increased, and even if the temperature setting value of the air conditioning device in the backrest portion is increased, it does not contribute much to the improvement of cooling performance. Also with the above configuration, it is possible to effectively warm the body (waist) of a cool occupant with low power consumption, and it is possible to improve the coolability.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic diagram of an example of a vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention. The vehicle seat air conditioning system 50 is incorporated in a vehicle seat 1 (see FIG. 2). The seat 1 includes a seat portion 101 on which the occupant's buttocks are placed, a backrest portion 102 against which the back is applied, and a headrest 2 attached to the top of the backrest portion 102. A spout 104 is formed in each skin 103 of the seat portion 101 and the backrest portion 102.

  An air duct 105 is formed inside each of the seat portion 101 and the backrest portion 102. The air duct 105 has one end opened in the vehicle interior and the other end opened to the jet port 104. A Peltier module 3 is interposed in the middle of each air duct 105. The Peltier module 3 has a well-known Peltier element that is DC-driven in the thickness direction so that one surface is an endothermic surface and the other surface is a heat-dissipating surface. A fin for promoting heat exchange on the back surface of the heat sink, which has a metal heat block arranged in close contact with the surface serving as the side and a metal heat sink disposed in close contact with the surface serving as the air conditioning heat exchange side. Has a well-known configuration integrated with each other (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  On the upstream side of the Peltier module 3 in the middle of the air duct 105, a blower 4 that pressure-feeds air in the passenger compartment is provided on the heat dissipation fin of the Peltier module 3. The blower 4 generates temperature-adjusted air by blowing ambient air onto the radiating fin, and the temperature-adjusted air is blown out from the outlet 104 through the air duct 105. In this way, the air conditioner 10A having the air duct 105, the Peltier module 3 and the blower 4 is individually incorporated in the backrest portion 102, and the air conditioner 10B having the same configuration is individually incorporated in the seat portion 101. ing. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle seat air conditioning system having the air conditioning apparatuses 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B having the above-described structure has each seat of the vehicle (specifically, driver's seat 1 (A), passenger seat 1). (B), right rear seat 1 (C), left rear seat 1 (D)).

  Returning to FIG. 1, each seat 1 is provided with a hand operation switch 112 for an air conditioner to be operated by a passenger. The hand operation switch 112 is a rotary switch having a push lock mechanism. When the hand operation switch 112 is pressed once, the hand operation switch 112 is locked at that position and the hand power switch 113 is turned off. Then, when it is pressed again, it pops out and the power switch 113 is turned on, and a rotation operation for changing the set temperature becomes possible.

  When the hand operation switch 112 is rotated in the first direction (the right direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the neutral position NTL, the temperature setting is performed in the heating mode, and the set temperature increases as the distance from the neutral position NTL increases. When it is rotated to the limit position in the direction, the maximum heating temperature is set. Further, when the rotation is made in the second direction (left direction in FIG. 1) with respect to the neutral position NTL, the temperature is set in the cooling mode, and the set temperature decreases as the distance from the neutral position NTL decreases, and the limit position in the second direction. Until the minimum cooling temperature is set. The on / off state of the power switch 113 and the temperature setting state (and the cooling / heating mode) are input to the ECU 130 via the temperature adjustment input interface (I / F) 122 (see FIG. 3). The hand operation switch 112 corresponds to the operation mode setting means of the present invention.

  ECU 130 (see FIG. 3) stops the operation of air conditioner 10 regardless of the occupant detection content by occupant detection sensor 114 when hand power switch 113 is in the OFF state. When the hand power switch 113 is in the on state, the operation of the air conditioners 10A and 10B is performed while switching between the normal mode and the restriction mode based on the passenger detection contents by the passenger detection sensor 114 and the passenger attributes (details will be described later). Control.

  The hand operation switch 112 may be provided with a switch for the backrest and the seat so that the temperature can be set independently for the backrest 102 and the seat 101.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the electrical configuration of the vehicle seat air conditioning system 50. The main part is a control circuit 100 mainly composed of an ECU 130 configured as a microprocessor, and an occupant detection sensor 114 and an inside air temperature sensor 115 are respectively connected to hand operation switches (in FIG. 3, “ A temperature control setting switch ”112 and a local power switch (referred to as“ power switch ”in FIG. 3) 113 are connected to the ECU 130 via the temperature control input interface 122. The inside air temperature sensor 115 corresponds to the vehicle interior temperature detecting means of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the occupant detection sensor 114 is a seating sensor 114 embedded in the seating surface of the seat portion of each seat. As shown in FIG. 3, the occupant detection sensor 114 is a camera 110 that captures a seated occupant. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, a detection switch (also referred to as a seat belt buckle switch) 114 incorporated in the seat belt buckle 51 can be used. The occupant detection sensor 114 corresponds to the occupant detection means of the present invention.

  As the mode setting switch 116, for example, a push switch having a push lock mechanism is used. A seesaw switch may be used. When the mode setting switch 116 is pressed once, it is locked at that position and the operation mode is set to the special mode. Then, when it is pressed again, it pops out and the operation mode is set to the normal mode. The state of the mode setting switch 116 is input to the ECU 130 via the input interface (I / F) 126. The mode setting switch corresponds to the attribute setting switch of the present invention 116.

  The ECU 130 is connected to an air conditioner 10 </ b> A (for the backrest portion 102) and 10 </ b> B (for the seat portion 101) each composed of a set of the Peltier module 3, the blower 4, and the drive unit 121 that controls driving of the Peltier module 3. The drive unit 121 drives the Peltier module 3 to be energized with different polarities when using cooling and when using heating. The ECU 130 controls the operation of the air conditioner 10 while switching between the normal mode and the special mode based on whether or not an occupant is detected and the operation mode setting state. The ECU 130 corresponds to air conditioning control means and temperature setting means of the present invention.

  In addition, independent individual ECUs 130 are provided for the air conditioners 10A and 10B of the respective seats. However, a single ECU 130 is provided for each seat (driver seat 1 (A), passenger seat 1 (B), right rear seat). 1 (C), left rear seat 1 (D), see FIG. 2), and the air conditioners 10A and 10B of the respective seats may be collectively connected to perform control. In any case, the ECU 130 sets the operation mode of the air conditioners 10A and 10B for the individual seats between the normal mode and the special mode based on the occupant detection content and the operation mode setting state by the occupant detection sensor 114 of each seat. Control to switch independently.

  The camera 110 is configured as a well-known CCD camera or infrared imaging camera, and each vehicle seat (driver seat 1 (A), passenger seat 1 (B), right rear seat 1 (C), left rear seat 1 (D). , See FIG. 2), for example, it is installed on the ceiling in the passenger compartment so that the passenger can be photographed. The photographed image of the occupant is sent to the attribute determination unit 127. Note that the camera 110 corresponds to the photographing means of the present invention.

The attribute determination unit 127 determines gender, which is one of the attributes of the occupant, based on the photographed occupant image. The attribute determination unit 117 corresponds to the occupant attribute estimation means of the present invention. Any of the following may be used as the gender determination method.
・ Principal component analysis is performed on a set of male and female learning face images to obtain principal component vectors, and each learning face image is converted into a principal component using the principal component vector. Determine the parameters of linear discriminant analysis to discriminate between men and women using the principal components of the object, then convert the face image to be identified into principal components by the principal component vector, and then linearly discriminate by the converted principal components Analyzes or non-linear discriminant analysis is performed to determine the sexes of men and women (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-222572).

  ・ Average face data with the coordinates of feature points in the average face is prepared for each different age and gender, and feature points are also extracted and input from face image data obtained by photographing the face of the person to be estimated Create face data. For each average face data, after normalizing the input face data so that the input face data matches the average face data, then using a predetermined evaluation function, the coordinates of the average face data and the input face data An evaluation value based on the distance between the coordinates is calculated, and the age and sex of the person are estimated. (Refer to Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-099779).

  ・ It is obtained by preparing a human attribute identification model (hairstyle, presence / absence of tie, etc.) to identify each of them individually corresponding to multiple types of human attribute identification data, and photographing a person with a camera. After creating a plurality of types of person attribute identification data from the processing target frame image, an index value such as likelihood is individually calculated for each person attribute identification data using the person attribute identification model, The index values are integrated to identify personal attributes such as gender and age (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-250712).

  Further, as a power supply line connected to the in-vehicle battery + B, the power supply voltage is always supplied regardless of the state of the ignition switch and the first power supply line PL1 in which the supply / cutoff of the power supply voltage is switched in conjunction with the ignition switch 120 of the vehicle. A second power supply line PL2 is provided. The ignition switch 120 includes an off position (OFF) where the power supply voltage is not supplied to either the accessory system load or the engine electrical system load, and an accessory on position (ACC-ON) which is also supplied only to the accessory system load. Switching between the ignition ON position (IG-ON) supplied to both the accessory system load and the engine electrical system load is performed. ECU 130 and air conditioner 10 of vehicle seat air conditioning system 50 are connected to second power supply line PL2.

  FIG. 5 shows a circuit configuration example of the drive unit 121. The drive power supply is configured as an insulation type in consideration of prevention of overvoltage application to the Peltier element. Specifically, it has an input-side DC power supply 150 that receives an in-vehicle battery voltage + B as an input voltage, and the DC output voltage is driven by a boost switching transistor 152 (power in this embodiment) driven by a boost oscillation circuit 153. It is configured by an FET, and is input to the primary side of the boosting transformer 151 while being switched at a boosting switching frequency of 10 to 30 kHz (for example, 15 kHz). The secondary side boosted output voltage of the transformer 151 is 8 to 15V (for example, 12V). Note that the boosting oscillation circuit 153 is configured as a self-excited oscillation circuit that uses part of the primary inductance of the transformer 151.

  The secondary-side boosted output voltage of the transformer 151 is half-wave rectified by the diode 154D, smoothed by the capacitor 154C, and then input to the PWM switching transistor 155. The PWM switching transistor 155 is composed of a power FET and is PWM-switched at a duty ratio determined by the ECU 130 (for example, 50 to 100%). The PWM switching transistor 155 is switched by the photocoupler 165 via the gate driving transistor 156.

  Since the Peltier element is configured as a metal conductor with a large conduction cross section, when a PWM switching voltage waveform is directly input to the Peltier element, an eddy current is generated when the current is interrupted at the waveform edge, and the voltage in the direction opposite to the target polarity Is not preferable because a large amount of Joule heat is generated to reduce the cooling efficiency. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the drive smoothing circuit 201 having the coil 158 and the capacitor 159 converts the PWM switching voltage waveform into a DC drive voltage corresponding to the duty ratio (the output voltage range is, for example, 6 to 12 V: output current). The range is smoothed as, for example, 3 to 6A) and supplied to the Peltier module 3 via the polarity changeover switch 160. The PWM switching frequency is, for example, 1 to 5 kHz, and is set smaller than the boost switching frequency.

  In this embodiment, the polarity changeover switch 160 is configured as a relay switch, and the operation is controlled by the photocoupler 163 via the coil 161 and the relay drive transistor 162 (here, when the relay drive transistor 162 is OFF, the terminal 160A is The power input and the terminal 160B are grounded (forward polarity), and the switch 160 is switched so that the terminal 160A is grounded and the terminal 160B is the power input (reverse polarity) when it is on. Further, the motor drive output to the blower 4 is taken out in a non-switching state from the front side of the PWM switching transistor 155 on the secondary side of the transformer 151 via the voltage stabilization regulator IC 164.

  In this embodiment, a booster circuit is incorporated to compensate for fluctuations in the in-vehicle battery voltage + B. However, when the operation of the Peltier element can be ensured, for example, the drive output voltage range to the Peltier element is the in-vehicle battery voltage + B. If it can be ensured that it is always smaller than the fluctuation range, this step-up circuit can be omitted. In this case, a voltage monitoring unit may be added to the output stage to the Peltier element, and a regulator unit that stabilizes the voltage by feeding it back to the duty ratio control of PWM switching may be added. Even when the drive output voltage to the Peltier element slightly exceeds the fluctuation range of the in-vehicle battery voltage + B, the booster circuit can be omitted in the same manner if the regulator unit is configured as a known step-up step-up circuit.

  As described above, the ON / OFF state of the power switch 113 and the temperature setting state (and the cooling / heating mode) are input to the ECU 130 via the temperature adjustment input interface 122. When the power switch 113 is in the off state, the ECU 130 turns off the power switch 150S provided on the battery power receiving path to the input side DC power source 150, and stops both the Peltier module 3 and the blower 4. On the other hand, when the power switch 113 is on, the power switch 150S is turned on in the normal mode. If the hand operation switch 112 is rotated to the cooling side, the relay drive transistor 162 is turned off, and the energization polarity is set to the forward direction. Moreover, if it is rotating to the heating side, the relay drive transistor 162 is turned on, and the energization polarity is reversed.

  On either the cooling side or the heating side, the operation angle of the hand operation switch 112 is read by the temperature control input interface 122 via, for example, a potentiometer, etc., and is converted into the cooling set temperature θ or the heating set temperature θ ′ and sent to the ECU 130. Sent. The ECU 130 acquires the cooling set temperature θ or the heating set temperature θ ′ and the temperature detection value T of the internal air temperature sensor 115, and the duty ratio (current) shown in FIG. Referring to the value) table, an appropriate duty ratio η is read, and the PWM switching transistor 155 is driven to switch at the duty ratio η to adjust the output of the Peltier element. During cooling, the duty ratio (current value) η is set higher as T-θ increases, and during heating, the duty ratio (current value) η is set higher as θ-T increases.

  The air conditioning control process of the vehicle seat air conditioning system 50 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is performed in the ECU 130. The control contents are the same for the four seats (driver seat 1 (A), passenger seat 1 (B), right rear seat 1 (C), left rear seat 1 (D)), and independent control. Is executed.

  First, the information of the occupant detection sensor 114 of each seat is acquired (S11). And the presence or absence of a passenger | crew is determined. If no occupant is detected (S12: No), this process ends. On the other hand, when an occupant is detected (S12: Yes), the camera 110 captures an image including the occupant's head (S13). Subsequently, based on the captured image, the attribute determination unit 127 determines the attribute (gender) of the occupant using the method described above (S14).

  If the gender is determined to be female (S15: Yes), special mode processing is executed (S19, described later). On the other hand, if the gender is not determined to be female (S15: No), information on the state of the mode setting switch 116 is acquired (S16). When the mode setting switch 116 is depressed and the operation mode is set to the special mode (S17: Yes), the special mode process is executed (S19, described later). On the other hand, when the mode setting switch 116 is not depressed and the operation mode is set to the normal mode (S17: No), normal mode processing is executed (S18, described later).

  The normal mode process corresponding to step S18 of FIG. 8 will be described using FIG. First, the state of the local power switch 113 is acquired (S31). When the hand power switch 113 is in the off state (S32: No), the power switch 150S (see FIG. 5) is turned off, and the operations of the Peltier module 3 and the blower (fan) 4 of the seat portion 101 and the backrest portion 102 are stopped. (S36).

  On the other hand, when the hand power switch 113 is in the on state (S32: Yes), the power switch 150S is turned on, the set temperature (and the air conditioning mode) is read from the operation position of the hand operation switch 112 (S33), Thus, the set duty ratio (current value) η is read with reference to the tables of FIGS. 6 to 7 (S34), and the Peltier module 3 of the seat portion 101 and the backrest portion 102 is driven with the duty ratio and the blower ( The fan 4 is driven (S35).

  The special mode process corresponding to step S19 in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the state of the local power switch 113 is acquired (S51). When the hand power switch 113 is in the off state (S52: No), the power switch 150S (see FIG. 5) is turned off, and the operations of the Peltier module 3 and the blower (fan) 4 of the seat portion 101 and the backrest portion 102 are stopped. (S57).

  On the other hand, when the local power switch 113 is in the on state (S52: Yes), the power switch 150S is turned on to acquire data from the inside air temperature sensor 112 (S53). Then, it is assumed that a preset value such as 5 ° C. is added to the set temperature as the set temperature (S54), and the set duty ratio (current value) η is read with reference to the tables of FIGS. In S55, the Peltier module 3 is driven at the duty ratio and the blower (fan) 4 is driven (S56). At this time, only the Peltier module 3 and the blower 4 (air conditioner 10B) installed in the seat part 101 are driven.

  In step S56, both the Peltier modules 3 and the blower 4 of the seat portion 101 and the backrest portion 102 may be driven.

  With reference to FIG. 11, another example of special mode processing corresponding to step S19 in FIG. 8 will be described. First, the state of the local power switch 113 is acquired (S71). When the hand power switch 113 is in the off state (S72: No), the power switch 150S (see FIG. 5) is turned off, and the operation of the Peltier module 3 and the blower (fan) 4 in the seat portion 101 and the backrest portion 102 is stopped. (S79).

  On the other hand, when the hand power switch 113 is in the on state (S72: Yes), the power switch 150S is turned on, and the set temperature (and the air conditioning mode) is read from the operation position of the hand operation switch 112 (S73). The set temperature for the backrest 102 is set to the set temperature read above (S74). Based on the set temperature, the set duty ratio (current value) η is read with reference to the tables of FIGS. 6 to 7 (S75).

  Next, it is assumed that the set temperature for the seat portion 101 is obtained by adding a predetermined value such as 5 ° C. to the set temperature read above (S76). Based on the set temperature, the set duty ratio (current value) η is read with reference to the tables of FIGS. 6 to 7 (S77).

  And in each of the backrest part 102 and the seat part 101, while driving the Peltier module 3 with the duty ratio read above, the air blower (fan) 4 is driven (S78).

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the spirit of the claims. Various modifications based on this are possible.

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of an automobile seat incorporating the vehicle seat air conditioning system of the present invention. The plane schematic diagram which shows the installation example of the seat layout in a vehicle, and the vehicle seat air conditioning system. 1 is an overall block diagram illustrating an example of an electrical configuration of a vehicle seat air conditioning system according to the present invention. The schematic diagram which shows another example of a passenger | crew detection sensor. The circuit diagram which shows an example of the electrical constitution of the drive unit of a Peltier module. The schematic diagram of the duty ratio table used at the time of air_conditioning | cooling. The schematic diagram of the duty ratio table used at the time of heating. The flowchart explaining a sheet | seat air-conditioning control process. The flowchart explaining a normal mode process. The flowchart explaining special mode processing. The flowchart explaining another example of special mode processing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sheet | seat 3 Peltier module 4 Blower 10A, 10B Air conditioner 101 Seat part 102 Backrest part 110 Camera (imaging means)
112 Hand control switch (temperature control setting switch, operation mode setting means)
113 Hand power switch 114 Occupant detection sensor (occupant detection means)
115 Interior temperature sensor (vehicle interior temperature detection means)
116 Mode setting switch (attribute setting switch)
127 attribute determination unit (occupant attribute estimation means)
130 ECU (air conditioning control means, temperature setting means)

Claims (3)

An air conditioner provided on a vehicle seat;
An operation mode setting means for setting an operation mode of the air conditioner based on an operation input of an occupant of the vehicle;
Occupant detection means for detecting an occupant seated on the seat;
Occupant attribute estimating means for estimating the attribute of the seated occupant;
Air conditioning that controls the operation mode of the air conditioner while switching between a normal mode that operates based on the set operation mode and a special mode that has a different operation mode from the normal mode based on the attributes of the occupant Control means;
With
The seat is provided with an attribute setting switch for the occupant to operate,
The occupant attribute estimation means estimates the occupant attribute based on the state of the attribute setting switch,
The occupant attributes include gender,
The air conditioning control means switches the operation mode of the air conditioner to the special mode when the occupant attribute is estimated to be female ,
In the special mode, the temperature around the lower waist of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat is higher than the temperature around the upper waist of the occupant,
Vehicle interior temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the vehicle interior of the vehicle;
A temperature setting means for setting the temperature setting value of the air conditioner to be changeable, and
The temperature setting means sets the temperature setting value of the air conditioner in the seating portion of the seat to be changeable, and in the special mode, sets the temperature setting value of the air conditioning device in the seating portion to be higher than the temperature in the vehicle interior. A vehicle seat air-conditioning system that is set to be changed to be higher . The air conditioners are individually provided on a plurality of seats of the vehicle,
2. The air conditioning control unit is configured to independently switch an operation mode of an air conditioning device for each seat between the normal mode and the special mode based on the occupant attribute by the occupant attribute estimation unit. The vehicle seat air conditioning system described in 1. A photographing means for photographing an image of the occupant;
The vehicle seat air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the occupant attribute estimating means estimates the occupant attribute based on the occupant image.

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