JP6388222B2 - Vehicle heating system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle heating system including a hot air heater attached to a vehicle seat.

  Conventionally, as a vehicle seat for a vehicle or the like, a vehicle seat with a heating that can supply warm air to the occupant's lower leg has been proposed.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle seat with heating 200 in which an air conditioner 205 is disposed inside a seat cushion 240. The air conditioner 205 includes an intake port 251, an intake duct 253 a, a blower 255, a pair of exhaust ducts 253 b, a pair of heaters 257, and a pair of exhaust ports 252. The heater 257 is provided inside each of the pair of exhaust ducts 253b. The intake port 251 and the pair of exhaust ports 252 open toward the front of the vehicle seat 200 with heating, and these are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. Further, the exhaust port 252 is provided with fins 252a for directing the air discharged from the exhaust port 252 downward.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, Patent Document 2 discloses a heated vehicle seat 300 including a seat cushion 340, a footrest member 358, a blower 355, and a duct 353. A part of the duct 353 is formed on the footrest member 358. Hot air blown from the blower 355 is supplied to the occupant's lower leg through the duct 353.

  In Patent Document 3, a specific occupant detected by the occupant detection means is heated by an electric heater, and when the temperature of the engine cooling water exceeds a predetermined temperature, the conditioned air is directed toward the lower body of the specific occupant. The vehicle heating device which performs control which blows off is disclosed (refer to Drawing 1 and Drawing 4 of patent documents 3).

JP 2011-254882 A JP 2012-183154 A JP 2008-265490 A

  The vehicle seat with heating of Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 or the vehicle heating device of Patent Literature 3 has room for performance improvement from the viewpoint of preventing the comfort of the vehicle interior space from being impaired. Then, an object of this invention is to provide the heating system for vehicles which can prevent the comfort of the interior space of a vehicle being impaired.

This disclosure
A seating sensor that detects whether an occupant is seated on a vehicle seat;
A housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, and a fan and a heater provided in an internal space of the housing as a flow path of air from the air inlet to the air outlet, by the fan and the heater A hot air heater attached to the vehicle seat so as to blow out the generated hot air toward the lower leg of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat from the outlet;
When the hot air heater blows hot air from the air outlet and the seating sensor detects that an occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat, the hot air from the air outlet A vehicle heating system comprising: a controller that controls at least one of the fan and the heater so as to stop blowing.

  According to the vehicle heating system described above, when the occupant leaves the vehicle seat while the hot air heater is blowing hot air from the air outlet, the hot air is blown from the air outlet of the hot air heater. Stops. As a result, it is possible to prevent the comfort of the vehicle interior space from being impaired.

The perspective view of the vehicle seat which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 1 is a perspective view of the hot air heater shown in FIG. The side view which shows notionally the flow of the air produced by the warm air heater shown in FIG. Block diagram of a vehicle heating system according to the first embodiment Flow chart showing the operation of the vehicle heating system until the start of hot air blowing Flow chart showing the operation of the vehicle heating system after the start of hot air blowing Flow diagram showing operation of vehicle heating system when hot air blowout is stopped Flow diagram showing operation of vehicle heating system when fan does not rotate Hot air heater according to a modification Hot air heater according to another modification A perspective view of a conventional vehicle seat with heating Side view of another conventional heated vehicle seat

  In the heated vehicle seats of Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, when warm air is supplied toward the occupant's lower leg, it is assumed that the occupant leaves the vehicle seat. In this case, according to the vehicle seat with heating of patent document 1 and patent document 2, unless the passenger | crew stops the heating by the vehicle seat with heating, blowing of warm air continues.

  A warm air heater that blows warm air into the interior space of a vehicle warms a relatively wide area of the interior space of the vehicle. For this reason, it is desirable to continue blowing hot air even when the occupant is temporarily away from the vehicle seat in order to avoid a temperature drop in the vehicle interior space. However, the space existing in the direction in which the warm air of the heated vehicle seat of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 is blown out (in front of the lower portion of the vehicle seat) extends upward or forward, for example, an instrument panel or a dash. May be limited by panel. In the heated vehicle seats of Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, when the occupant is seated on the vehicle seat, the hot air blown out hits the lower leg of the occupant, so the hot air is likely to decelerate and diffuse . However, if the blowing of warm air continues when the occupant leaves the seat, the warm air is supplied to the specific space below the instrument panel without being decelerated, and the air hardly diffuses forward or upward from the specific space. Therefore, the temperature of this specific space may increase too much. For this reason, the comfort of the interior space of a vehicle may be impaired.

  According to the vehicle heating device of Patent Document 3, the occupant's boarding state is detected by the occupant detection means. However, no consideration is given to the control of the vehicle heating device when the occupant leaves the vehicle seat during heating by the vehicle heating device.

The first aspect of the present disclosure is:
A seating sensor that detects whether an occupant is seated on a vehicle seat;
A housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, and a fan and a heater provided in an internal space of the housing as a flow path of air from the air inlet to the air outlet, by the fan and the heater A hot air heater attached to the vehicle seat so as to blow out the generated hot air toward the lower leg of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat from the outlet;
When the hot air heater blows hot air from the air outlet and the seating sensor detects that an occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat, the hot air from the air outlet A vehicle heating system comprising: a controller that controls at least one of the fan and the heater so as to stop blowing.

  In the second aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first aspect, the air outlet of the hot air heater is located above the air intake port in a state where the hot air heater is attached to the vehicle seat. Provided is a vehicle heating system that is located and is configured to blow warm air downward from a horizontal direction. According to the second aspect, since warm air easily circulates between the air outlet and the air inlet, warm air is below the seat portion of the vehicle seat and in the space (foot space) in front of the vehicle seat. Easy to stay. For this reason, when the occupant leaves the vehicle seat and the blowing of warm air from the air outlet stops, the temperature of the foot space is unlikely to decrease.

  According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first aspect or the second aspect, the controller is configured to perform a predetermined waiting time from a time point when the seating sensor detects that an occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat. The fan and the heater are controlled so that hot air is blown out from the air outlet during a standby period until the time elapses, and the hot air is blown out from the air outlet when the standby time has elapsed. A vehicle heating system that controls at least one of the fan and the heater is provided. According to the third aspect, the blowing of warm air continues during the standby time after the occupant leaves the vehicle seat. For this reason, it can prevent that the temperature of a foot space falls immediately after a passenger | crew leaves a vehicle seat.

  In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the third aspect, when the seating sensor detects that an occupant is seated on the vehicle seat within the standby period, the controller is configured to perform the standby time. The vehicle heating system that continues the control of the fan and the heater so as to blow out the warm air from the outlet is finished. According to the 4th aspect, if the time when the passenger | crew is leaving the vehicle seat is shorter than standby | waiting time, the blowing of the warm air from a blower outlet will continue. For this reason, when the occupant leaves the vehicle seat and returns to the vehicle seat in a relatively short time, it is possible to prevent the blowout of hot air from the outlet and the temperature of the foot space from being lowered. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the controller stops blowing hot air from the outlet by stopping or reducing the output of the heater. A vehicle heating system is provided. According to the 5th aspect, since the output of a heater stops or falls, it can prevent that the temperature of the internal space of the housing | casing of a warm air heater becomes high too much.

  In addition to the fifth aspect, the sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides the vehicle heating system in which the controller operates the fan until a predetermined cooling period elapses after the output of the heater is stopped. . According to the 6th aspect, a heater can be cooled by ventilation with a fan. Further, since the warm air in the foot space circulates between the air outlet and the intake port during the cooling period, it is possible to prevent the warm air in the foot space from diffusing and the temperature of the foot space from rapidly decreasing.

  In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, the controller stops the output of the heater when it is detected that the fan is not rotating. A vehicle heating system is provided. According to the 7th aspect, when the fan is not rotating normally, it can prevent that the temperature of the internal space of the housing | casing of a warm air heater becomes high too much.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the controller further includes a seat heater attached to the vehicle seat, and the controller is configured to turn on the seat heater. Provided is a vehicle heating system that switches the seat heater to an off state when the seating sensor detects that an occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat. Since the seat heater hardly warms the interior space of the vehicle, useless energy is consumed even if the seat heater is kept on when the occupant leaves the vehicle seat. According to the eighth aspect, when the occupant leaves the vehicle seat while the seat heater is on, the seat heater is switched to the off state, so that energy consumption by the seat heater can be reduced.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any one of the first to eighth aspects, an ignition power source of a vehicle provided with the vehicle heating system is off, and an accessory power source of the vehicle is on. When the controller is instructed to blow warm air from the air outlet, the controller provides a vehicle heating system that permits the hot air to be blown from the air outlet. According to the 9th aspect, even if an ignition power supply is OFF, if an accessory power supply is ON, warm air can be blown out from a blower outlet.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description relates to an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these. In the following description, it is assumed that the vehicle is placed on a horizontal plane.

<First Embodiment>
First, the vehicle seat 1a will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat 1a includes a seat portion side seat cushion 2s, a backrest side seat cushion 2b, and a headrest 2h. The seat portion side seat cushion 2s has a seat portion S which is a seat surface. The backrest side seat cushion 2b has a backrest portion B that is a surface facing the waist and back of the occupant. In the attached drawings, the XY plane is a horizontal plane, and the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction. The positive direction of the X axis is the front of the vehicle seat 1a (the traveling direction of the vehicle), and the Y axis direction is the width direction of the vehicle seat 1a. The direction from the right to the left of the vehicle seat 1a is the positive direction of the Y axis. In the present specification, “left” and “right” are determined based on the occupant seated on the vehicle seat 1a.

  A seat sensor 3 is provided on the seat cushion 2s. The seating sensor 3 detects whether or not an occupant is seated on the vehicle seat 1a. The seating sensor 3 is, for example, a normally open switch embedded in the seat portion side seat cushion 2s. The normally open switch as the seating sensor 3 is closed when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the seat S from above. On the other hand, when the load applied to the seat S is removed, the normally open switch as the seating sensor 3 is opened. That is, the normally open switch is in an on state when the occupant is seated on the vehicle seat 1a, and is in an off state when the occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat 1a.

  The vehicle seat 1a is provided with a seat heater 20a and a seat heater 20b. The seat heater 20a is embedded in the seat side seat cushion 2s. The seat heater 20b is embedded in the backrest side seat cushion 2b. The seat heater 20a and the seat heater 20b are, for example, electric heaters that generate heat when energized. The seat heater 20a warms the occupant's upper thigh (thigh) or buttocks. The seat heater 20b warms the occupant's waist or back.

  A warm air heater 5a is attached to the vehicle seat 1a. As shown in FIG. 2, the hot air heater 5 a includes a housing 50, a fan 55, and a heater 57. The housing 50 includes an air inlet 51 and an air outlet 52, and an internal space 53 as an air flow path from the air inlet 51 to the air outlet 52. The fan 55 and the heater 57 are provided in the internal space 53. As shown in FIG. 3, the warm air heater 5a has a seat portion S so that the warm air generated by the fan 55 and the heater 57 is blown out from the air outlet 52 toward the lower leg of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat 1a. A lower part is attached to the vehicle seat 1a. In addition, in this specification, warm air means the flow of the air whose temperature in the blower outlet 52 is 35 degreeC or more, for example.

  The air outlet 52 is located above the intake port 51 and below the horizontal direction in a use state (hereinafter referred to as “use state”) in which the hot air heater 5a is attached to the vehicle seat 1a. It is formed so as to blow warm air toward it. That is, the blower outlet 52 is opened obliquely downward. In the use state, the air inlet 51 opens forward or downward. According to such a configuration, since the warm air easily circulates between the air outlet 52 and the air inlet 51, the space below the seat portion of the vehicle seat and in front of the vehicle seat (foot space). Warm air tends to stay. For this reason, when the occupant leaves the vehicle seat and the blowing of warm air from the air outlet stops, the temperature of the foot space is unlikely to decrease. In addition, the housing 50 includes a partition wall 59 that suppresses intake air from the rear or side to the intake port 51 when in use.

  The air flow path 53 extends upward from the air inlet 51 in the use state, and extends obliquely downward at the upper end of the housing 50 to the air outlet 52. The housing | casing 50 has a part bent in the shape of a bowl as a part in which the blower outlet 52 is formed. When the fan 55 is operated, the air around the intake port 51 is sucked from the intake port 51 and supplied to the internal space 53 (flow path). The air sent upward by the fan 55 is heated by the heater 57 in the process of flowing through the flow path 53. Air (warm air) heated by the heater 57 is blown out of the housing 50 from the blowout port 52.

  In the present embodiment, the fan 55 is located closer to the intake port 51 than the heater 57. That is, according to the present embodiment, the heater 57 does not exist in the upstream portion of the flow path 53 from the fan 55. According to such a configuration, since the pressure loss of the air flow in the flow path 53 upstream of the fan 55 is reduced, the suction force of the fan 55 is unlikely to decrease. Moreover, since the heater 57 is located in the downstream part of the flow path 53 from the fan 55, the length of the flow path 53 between the heater 57 and the blower outlet 52 is comparatively short. For this reason, the heat loss of the air heated by the heater 57 is reduced. Furthermore, since the air blown out from the fan 55 always passes through the heater 57, the flow velocity distribution of the hot air blown out from the blowout port 52 is unlikely to vary. As shown in FIG. 2, the fan 55 may be provided at a position adjacent to the intake port 51.

  However, the heater 57 may be positioned closer to the intake port 51 than the fan 55. According to such a configuration, since the distance between the fan 55 and the air outlet 52 is relatively short, the flow rate of the warm air blown from the air outlet 52 can be increased, and the space between the air outlet 52 and the air inlet 51 is increased. The circulation of warm air in is promoted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the warm air blown out from the air outlet 52 flows downward along the occupant's lower leg and reaches the floor of the vehicle. The warm air that has reached the floor of the vehicle flows upward and rearward so as to be pushed by the warm air blown from the air outlet 52 and reaches the periphery of the air inlet 51. Part of the warm air that has reached the periphery of the intake port 51 is sucked into the intake port 51 and supplied to the flow path 53 inside the housing 50. That is, the warm air blown from the outlet 52 forms a circulating airflow at the feet of the occupant and easily reaches the intake port 51. Therefore, the temperature of the air sucked into the intake port 51 can be increased, and the heating amount required for the heater 57 can be reduced. Thereby, the warm air heater 5a has little energy consumption required for heating.

  As the fan 55, an axial fan or a centrifugal fan can be used. Although the air volume by the fan 55 is not particularly limited, for example, the air flow rate immediately after being sent out from the fan 55 is preferably 0.4 to 2.0 m / sec. According to this, the circulation flow of the warm air as described above is easily formed. The fan 55 operates by receiving power from a secondary battery (not shown). The heater 57 is an electric heater such as a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater or a ceramic heater. In this case, the heater 57 generates heat when heated by a secondary battery (not shown) and heats the air flowing through the flow path 53. The output of the heater 57 is not particularly limited, but is 50 to 300 W, for example. The heater 57 may be a hot water heater or the like that heats with a coolant that exchanges heat with a heat source (for example, a water-cooled engine) outside the hot air heater 5a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the air outlet 52 continuously extends in the width direction at the upper end of the housing 50. Two intake ports 51 are formed at the lower end of the housing 50. When the hot air heater 5a is viewed in plan from the front side of the seat portion S in use, the air outlet 52 and the air inlet 51 overlap each other in the width direction. When the air inlet 51 is translated in the vertical direction on a plan view when the hot air heater 5a is viewed in plan from the front side, it overlaps with the air outlet 52. According to such a positional relationship, the warm air blown downward from the air outlet 52 easily reaches the air inlet 51. For this reason, circulation of warm air is promoted between the air outlet 52 and the air inlet 51. The two intake ports 51 include a left intake port 51l located on one end side (left side) of the housing 50 and a right intake port 51r located on the other end side (right side) of the housing 50. For this reason, the left intake port 51l is likely to face the rear surface of the lower leg of the occupant's left leg, and the right intake port 51r is likely to face the rear surface of the lower leg of the occupant. As a result, the warm air flows along the rear surface of the lower leg of the occupant and easily reaches the left intake port 51l or the right intake port 51r. Thereby, circulation of warm air is promoted between the air outlet 52 and the air inlet 51.

  The heater 57 extends in the width direction so as to be located right above the left intake port 51l and right above the right intake port 51r. Therefore, both the air sucked from the left air inlet 51l and the air sucked from the right air inlet 51r are sufficiently heated by the heater 7.

  Next, the vehicle heating system 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle heating system 100 includes a seating sensor 3, a heating switch 11, an ignition (IGN) power switch 12, an accessory (ACC) power switch 13, a fan rotation sensor 14, and a controller. 10, a warm air heater 5 a, a seat heater 20 a, a seat heater 20 b, and a display unit 30. The controller 10 is an electronic control unit (ECU) that includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like and peripheral circuits.

  The seating sensor 3 is electrically connected to the controller 10, and a signal related to the detection result of the seating sensor 3 is input to the controller 10.

  The heating switch 11 is a switch for instructing activation of the hot air heater 5a, the seat heater 20a, and the seat heater 20b. The heating switch 11 is electrically connected to the controller 10, and an input signal regarding on / off of the heating switch 11 is input to the controller 10. The heating switch 11 should just be provided in the interior space of the vehicle. In consideration of passenger convenience, the heating switch 11 is preferably provided in the vicinity of the vehicle seat 1a.

  The IGN power switch 12 is a switch for starting an ignition power source of the vehicle. When the IGN power switch 12 is in the on state, the ignition power supply is activated. The ACC power switch 13 is a switch for starting the accessory power supply of the vehicle. When the ACC power switch 13 is in the on state, the accessory power supply is activated. The IGN power switch 12 and the ACC power switch 13 are electrically connected to the controller 10. An input signal related to ON / OFF of the IGN power switch 12 and an input signal related to ON / OFF of the ACC power switch 13 are input to the controller 10.

  The fan rotation sensor 14 is a sensor that detects whether or not the fan 55 is rotating. The fan rotation sensor 14 is electrically connected to the controller 10, and a fan rotation signal that is a detection result of the fan rotation sensor 14 is input to the controller 10.

  Based on signals input from the seating sensor 3, the heating switch 11, the IGN power switch 12, the ACC power switch 13, and the fan rotation sensor 14, the controller 10 warms the warm air heater 5 a, the seat heater 20 a, and the seat heater. 20b is controlled. Specifically, the controller 10 outputs control signals for switching on / off the energization of the fan 55, the heater 57, the seat heater 20a, and the seat heater 20b, or for changing the outputs thereof. . Further, controlling the fan 55, the heater 57, the seat heater 20a, and the seat heater 20b includes controlling them via other circuits such as a power supply circuit. Further, the controller 10 controls the display unit 30 so that the display unit 30 displays predetermined information. The display unit 30 is provided, for example, on a vehicle instrument panel (not shown).

  The operation of the vehicle heating system 100 will be described. First, operation | movement of the vehicle heating system 100 until the blowing of the warm air from the blower outlet 52 of the warm air heater 5a starts is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 5, the controller 10 confirms the vehicle state (step S1). The controller 10 determines whether or not the IGN power switch 12 is on (step S2). When the IGN power switch 12 is on, the controller 10 proceeds to a process of detecting a signal from the heating switch 11 (step S4). On the other hand, when the IGN power switch 12 is off, the controller 10 further determines whether or not the ACC power switch 13 is on (step S3). When the ACC power switch 13 is on, the controller 10 proceeds to a process of detecting a signal from the heating switch 11 (step S4). On the other hand, when the ACC power switch 13 is off, the controller 10 returns to the vehicle state confirmation process (step S1).

  If it transfers to the process (step S4) which detects the signal of the heating switch 11, the controller 10 will judge whether the heating switch 11 is ON (step S5). When the heating switch 11 is off, the controller 10 returns to the vehicle state confirmation process (step S1). On the other hand, when the heating switch 11 is on, the controller 10 controls the seat heater 20a and the seat heater 20b so that energization to the seat heater 20a and the seat heater 20b starts (step S6). Further, the controller 10 controls the fan 55 so that energization to the fan 55 starts (step S7). The process of step S6 and step S7 may be performed sequentially or in parallel.

  The controller 10 determines whether or not the fan 55 is rotating based on the detection signal of the fan rotation sensor 14 after the energization of the fan 55 is started (step S8). When the fan 55 is not rotating, the controller 10 controls the fan 55 so that energization to the fan 55 is stopped. In addition, the controller 10 controls the display unit 30 so that the display unit 30 performs an abnormal display (for example, lighting of a warning lamp) (step S10). Thereafter, the operation of the vehicle heating system 100 ends.

  When the fan 55 is rotating, the controller 10 proceeds to a process of detecting a signal from the seating sensor 3 (step S11). The controller 10 determines whether or not the seating sensor 3 is on (step S12). When the seating sensor 3 is off, that is, when an occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat 1a, it continues to check whether the seating sensor 3 is on until the seating sensor 3 is turned on (step S12). ). On the other hand, when the seating sensor 3 is on, that is, when an occupant is seated on the vehicle seat 1a, the controller 10 controls the heater 57 so that energization of the heater 57 is started (step S13). Thereby, the warm air heater 5a blows out the warm air produced | generated by the fan 55 and the heater 57 toward the leg of the passenger | crew who seated on the vehicle seat 1a from the blower outlet 52. FIG.

  Next, operation | movement of the vehicle heating system 100 after the blowing of the warm air from the blower outlet 52 of the warm air heater 5a starts is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 6, the controller 10 confirms the vehicle state in a state where the warm air is blown from the outlet 52 of the warm air heater 5a (step S14). First, the controller 10 determines whether or not the IGN power switch 12 is on (step S15). When the IGN power switch 12 is on, the controller 10 proceeds to a process for detecting a signal from the heating switch 11 (step S16). On the other hand, when the IGN power switch 12 is off, the controller 10 further determines whether or not the ACC power switch 13 is on (step S17). When the ACC power switch 13 is on, the controller 10 proceeds to a process of detecting a signal from the heating switch 11 (step S16). On the other hand, when the ACC power switch 13 is off, the controller 10 proceeds to the heating stop processing (steps S28 to S33) shown in FIG.

  When the controller 10 proceeds to the process of detecting the signal of the heating switch 11 (step S16), the controller 10 determines whether or not the heating switch 11 is on (step S18). When the heating switch 11 is off, the controller 10 proceeds to the heating stop processing (steps S28 to S33) shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the heating switch 11 is on, the controller 10 controls the seat heater 20a and the seat heater 20b so that energization to the seat heater 20a and the seat heater 20b is continued (step S19). Further, the controller 10 controls the fan 55 so that energization to the fan 55 is continued (step S20).

  Next, it is determined whether the fan 55 is rotating based on the detection signal of the fan rotation sensor 14 (step S21). When the fan 55 is not rotating, the controller 10 proceeds to a process (steps S34 to S37) for stopping the fan 55 shown in FIG.

  When the fan 55 is rotating, the controller 10 proceeds to processing for detecting a signal from the seating sensor 3 (step S22). The controller 10 determines whether or not the seating sensor 3 is on (step S23). When the seating sensor 3 is on, the controller 10 controls the heater 57 so that the energization of the heater 57 is continued, and the process returns to step S14. On the other hand, when the seating sensor 3 is off, the controller 10 activates the away timer. Further, the controller 10 determines whether or not a predetermined standby time has elapsed from the time when the seating sensor 3 is detected to be off based on the absence timer (step S26). The waiting time is, for example, 5 seconds. When the standby time has elapsed, the process proceeds to the heating stop process (steps S28 to S33) shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the standby time has not elapsed, the controller 10 determines whether or not the seating sensor 3 is on (step S27). When the seating sensor 3 is on, the controller 10 ends the waiting time measurement by the away timer, controls the heater 57 so that the energization of the heater 57 continues, and returns to step S14. On the other hand, when the seating sensor 3 is off, the controller 10 returns to step S26 and determines again whether the standby time has elapsed. According to such control, the blowing of warm air continues during the standby time after the occupant leaves the vehicle seat 1a. For this reason, it can prevent that the temperature of a foot space falls immediately after a passenger | crew leaves the vehicle seat 1a.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle heating system 100 when performing processing for stopping heating will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the controller 10 controls the heater 57 so that the energization to the heater 57 is stopped (step S28). Thereby, blowing of warm air from the blower outlet 52 stops.

  Further, the controller 10 controls the seat heater 20a and the seat heater 20b so that energization to the seat heater 20a and the seat heater 20b is stopped (step S29). Furthermore, the controller 10 operates a cooling timer (step S30). Based on the cooling timer, the controller 10 determines whether a predetermined cooling period has elapsed after stopping the output of the heater (step S31). When the cooling period has not elapsed, the controller 10 increments the counter of the cooling timer (for example, +1 second) (step S32), and returns to step S31. On the other hand, when the cooling period has elapsed, the controller 10 controls the fan 55 so that the energization of the fan 55 is stopped (step S33). That is, the controller 10 operates the fan 55 until a predetermined cooling period elapses after the output of the heater 57 is stopped. Thereafter, the operation of the vehicle heating system 100 ends. According to such control, the heater 57 can be cooled by blowing air from the fan 55. Further, since the warm air in the foot space circulates between the air outlet 52 and the intake port 51 during the cooling period, it is possible to prevent the warm air in the foot space from diffusing and the temperature of the foot space from rapidly decreasing.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle heating system when it is detected in step S21 that the fan 55 is not rotating will be described. In this case, the controller 10 controls the heater 57 so that energization to the heater 57 is stopped (step S34). Further, the controller 10 controls the seat heater 20a and the seat heater 20b so that energization to the seat heater 20a and the seat heater 20b is stopped (step S35). Furthermore, the controller 10 controls the display unit 30 so that the display unit 30 displays an abnormality (for example, a warning lamp blinks) (step S36). Moreover, the control part 10 controls the fan 55 so that the electricity supply to the fan 55 stops (step S37). Thereafter, the operation of the vehicle heating system 100 ends. The processes of steps S34 to S37 may be executed sequentially or in parallel.

  According to steps S23 and S28 to S33, the controller 10 is such that the warm air heater 5a blows hot air from the outlet 52, and the occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat 1a by the seating sensor 3. When this is detected, the fan 55 and the heater 57 are controlled so as to stop the blowing of warm air from the air outlet 52. When the occupant leaves the vehicle seat 1a while the hot air heater 5a is blowing hot air from the outlet 52, the blowing of hot air from the outlet 52 of the hot air heater 5a stops. As a result, when the occupant is away from the vehicle seat 1a, the blowing of the warm air by the warm air heater 5a continues, so that the temperature of a specific space such as the space below the instrument panel rises too much. It is possible to prevent the comfort of the interior space of the vehicle from being impaired.

  According to steps S23, S25, and S26, the controller 10 performs the blowing in a waiting period until a predetermined waiting time elapses after the seating sensor 3 detects that the occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat 1a. The fan 55 and the heater 57 are controlled so as to blow warm air from the outlet 52. Further, according to steps S26 and S28 to S33, the controller 10 controls the fan 55 and the heater 57 so as to stop the blowing of warm air from the outlet 52 when the standby time has elapsed.

  According to steps S26, S27, and S24, when the seating sensor 3 detects that the occupant is seated on the vehicle seat 1a within the standby period, the controller 10 ends the measurement of the standby time, The fan 55 and the heater 57 are controlled so as to blow warm air from the outlet 52. If the time during which the occupant leaves the vehicle seat 1a is shorter than the standby time, the blowing of warm air from the air outlet 52 continues. For this reason, when an occupant leaves the vehicle seat 1a and returns to the vehicle seat 1a in a relatively short time, the blowing of warm air from the air outlet 52 stops and the temperature of the foot space decreases. Can be prevented.

  According to step S28, the controller 10 stops the blowing of warm air from the outlet 52 by stopping the output of the heater 57. Since the output of the heater 57 is stopped, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the internal space 53 of the casing 50 of the hot air heater 5a from becoming excessively high.

  According to steps S21 and S34, the controller 10 stops the output of the heater 57 when it is detected that the fan 55 is not rotating. When the fan 55 is not rotating normally, it can prevent that the temperature of the internal space 53 of the housing | casing 50 of the warm air heater 5a becomes high too much.

  According to steps S23 and S29, when the controller 10 detects that the seat heater 20a (20b) is on and the seating sensor 3 does not seat the occupant on the vehicle seat 1a, The seat heater 20a (20b) is switched to the off state. When the occupant leaves the vehicle seat 1a while the seat heater 20a (20b) is on, the seat heater 20a (20b) is switched to the off state, thereby reducing the energy consumption by the seat heater 20a (20b). it can.

  According to steps S2, S3, S5, S13 and steps S15, S17, S18, S24, the ignition power supply of the vehicle provided with the vehicle heating system 100 is off and the accessory power supply of the vehicle is on. When the controller 10 is instructed to blow warm air from the air outlet 52, the controller 10 permits the hot air to blow out from the air outlet 52. For this reason, even if the ignition power source is off, if the accessory power source is on, the warm air can be blown out from the outlet 52.

<Modification>
The above embodiment can be modified from various viewpoints. In the present specification, “stopping the blowing of warm air” means realizing a state where the blowing of warm air is not performed. Therefore, the blowing of warm air from the air outlet 52 may be stopped by reducing the output of the heater 57. That is, the blowing of warm air from the air outlet 52 may be stopped by lowering the temperature of the air flow blown from the air outlet 52. For example, the controller 10 may reduce the output of the heater 57 so that the temperature of the wind blown from the blowout port 52 is lower than 35 ° C. When stopping the blowing of warm air from the outlet 52 by stopping or reducing the output of the heater 57, the fan 55 may be operated continuously. In this case, when the fan 55 is operated, warm air blown out from the air outlet 52 as hot air circulates between the air outlet 52 and the air inlet 51. For this reason, it can prevent that warm air diffuses and the temperature of the space below the seat part S of the vehicle seat 1a and in front of the vehicle seat 1a rapidly decreases.

  By stopping the operation of the fan 55, the blowing of warm air from the outlet 52 may be stopped. In this case, it is desirable to stop or reduce the output of the heater 57, but the output of the heater 57 may be maintained. That is, the controller 10 may control at least one of the fan 55 and the heater 57 so as to stop the blowing of warm air from the air outlet 52. When the output of the heater 57 is maintained, hot air having a high temperature can be immediately blown out when hot air blowing from the blowout port 52 is resumed.

  The seat heater 20a and / or the seat heater 20b may be omitted. In steps S34 to S37, the controller 10 may control the seat heater 20a and / or the seat heater 20b so that energization to the seat heater 20a and / or the seat heater 20b is continued.

  The seating sensor 3 may be, for example, an infrared sensor attached in front of the vehicle seat 1a. In this case, the infrared sensor as the seating sensor 3 detects whether or not an occupant is seated on the vehicle seat 1a by detecting the temperature distribution around the vehicle seat 1a. As the seating sensor 3, various sensors such as an optical sensor, a humidity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and a sensor camera can be used as long as it can be detected whether or not an occupant is seated on the vehicle seat 1a.

  The abnormality display in step S36 may be notified to the occupant by, for example, OBD (On-Board Diagnostics). Further, the abnormality display process in step S36 may be omitted.

  The air inlet 51 of the warm air heater 5a may be formed only at one place, or may be formed at a plurality of places. Moreover, the blower outlet 52 of the warm air heater 5a may be formed in one place, and may be formed in several places. For example, the air outlets 52 of the warm air heater 5a may be formed at two locations separated from each other in the width direction of the vehicle seat 1a.

  FIG. 9A shows a hot air heater 5b as a modification. The hot air heater 5b is similar to the hot air heater 5a except that the casing other than the air inlet 51 and the air outlet 52 is attached to the vehicle seat 1b so as to be built in the vehicle seat 1b. It is configured. According to this modification, the space ahead of the vehicle seat 1b can be enlarged. Moreover, since heat does not easily escape from the surface of the casing of the hot air heater 5b, the amount of heating required for the heater 57 can be reduced.

  FIG. 9B shows a hot air heater 5c as another modification. The warm air heater 5c is different from the warm air heater 5a in that the warm air heater 5c includes a left warm air heater 5cl and a right warm air heater 5cr. The left hot air heater 5cl and the right hot air heater 5cr are attached to the vehicle seat 1c apart from each other in the width direction of the vehicle seat 1c. Further, the left side hot air heater 5cl and the right side hot air heater 5cr are attached to the vehicle seat 1c so as to be movable in the width direction of the vehicle seat 1c. Specifically, the left-side hot air heater 5cl and the right-side hot air heater 5cr are movably mounted on a rail 60 attached in front of the seat cushion seat 2s of the vehicle seat 1c. Thereby, the left hot air heater 5cl or the right hot air heater 5cr can be moved to an appropriate position according to the physical characteristics of the passenger or the posture of the passenger.

  The vehicle heating system disclosed in this specification can be used as a vehicle heating system including a warm air heater attached to a vehicle seat of a vehicle such as an automobile, a train, an airplane, and a ship.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a-1c Vehicle seat 3 Seating sensor 5a-5c Hot air heater 10 Controller 20a, 20b Seat heater 50 Housing | casing 51 Inlet 52 Outlet 53 Internal space (air flow path)
55 Fan 57 Heater 100 Vehicle heating system

Claims (2)

A seating sensor that detects whether an occupant is seated on a vehicle seat;
A hot air heater having a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet, and being attached to the vehicle seat so as to blow warm air from the air outlet toward a lower leg of an occupant seated on the vehicle seat; ,
A seat heater attached to the vehicle seat;
A controller for controlling the warm air heater and the seat heater,
The controller is configured such that the warm air heater blows warm air from the outlet, the seat heater is in an on state, and an occupant is not seated on the vehicle seat by the seating sensor. In the waiting period from the detected first time point until a predetermined waiting time elapses, the seat heater is switched off at the first time point when it is detected that the seating is not performed, and the waiting time has passed. Controlling the hot air heater and the seat heater to stop blowing hot air from the outlet of the hot air heater at the time point,
Vehicle heating system.   When the seating sensor detects that an occupant is seated on the vehicle seat during the standby period, the controller continues to blow hot air from the outlet even after the standby time has elapsed. The vehicle heating system according to claim 1, wherein the hot air heater is controlled so as to be discharged.