JPH10278541A - Doze preventive device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a doze preventive device for vehicles, which awakens the sleepiness of a driver utilizing a driving seat provided with a temperature adjusting function. SOLUTION: It is detected by a doze detector 2 that the drive is taking a nap. An air blow temperature forcibly changing section 7, when supplied with a doze state detection signal 2a, activates an electric fan 41 and also controls a heating and cooling section 42 to the cooling operation state at the maximum cooling capacity. The cool wind cooled in the heating and cooling section 42 is supplied to a plurality of air blow holes 3a through the communication passages 3d and 3e formed in an air supply tube 8 and a seat for the driver 3, blowing the cool wind from the plurality of the air blow holes 3a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drowsiness prevention device for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle drowsiness that awakens a driver's drowsiness by changing the temperature of a seat having a temperature adjusting function. It relates to a prevention device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art JP-A-63-101119 discloses that
When the vehicle interior temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature that is expected to induce the driver to fall asleep, the air conditioning system has a drowsiness prevention function that lowers the blowing temperature to the drowsiness prevention temperature and directs the blowing direction to the driver. A vehicle air conditioning system is described.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-229716 discloses that each member for controlling the direction of air blowing or the amount of air blown is controlled, and the air blown from the air outlet is irregularly changed in airflow and applied to the occupant of the vehicle. This describes a vehicle air conditioner that can prevent a passenger from falling asleep.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-66335, a cooling means for cooling a driver's hand gripping a steering wheel of an automobile is provided, and the cooling means is automatically detected by sensing a temperature of a palm which changes before falling asleep. There is described a dozing driving prevention device that cools a hand before entering a dozing state to wake up a driver.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-260811 discloses that the concentration of oxygen or carbon dioxide in a vehicle compartment is detected, and when the environment in the vehicle compartment is determined by a determination unit to be in a state that encourages the driver to fall asleep. A vehicle air conditioner is disclosed in which a set temperature of the air conditioner is reduced to prevent a driver from falling asleep.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-16694, a buzzer and a fragrance generator are provided as means for calling the driver's attention, and when a drowsy state is detected, a warning sound is first sounded with a buzzer, and then the fragrance is delayed There is described a drowsy driving prevention device configured to generate a drowsy driving.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 5-155280 discloses a swing actuator which swingably supports a shaft body of a backrest portion behind a lowering portion of a seat and swings about a shaft center of the shaft body. A backrest oscillating device which is provided so as to prevent drowsy driving is described.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-270243 discloses that the air conditioner is rapidly cooled until the temperature near the driver's head becomes lower than a predetermined temperature at which the drowsy driving state is canceled when the drowsy driving prevention switch is turned on. A drowsy driving prevention device is disclosed in which when the temperature falls below the temperature, the quenching operation is stopped for a certain period of time and then the quenching operation is repeated again.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 6-107031 discloses that a driver is awakened by sound from a speaker, display on a display, lighting of a lamp, etc. Vibrating the seat, blowing cool air from the air conditioner toward the driver, opening the window to wake the driver, and forcibly stopping the vehicle by operating the throttle and brake A dozing driving prevention device is described.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-225028 discloses a method in which a blink parameter is extracted from a movement of a driver's eyelid, and a lateral deviation amount of the vehicle from a target traveling locus is detected.
A driver's arousal level detection device that detects a drowsy driving by detecting a driver's arousal level based on a correlation between a blink parameter and a lateral deviation amount is described.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-268190 discloses that a frequency component that changes during a drowsy operation in a steering angle detection signal is extracted, and the time required for the sum of its absolute values to reach a predetermined value is within a predetermined range. At this time, a dozing warning device that activates warning means to warn a driver is described.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-293850 discloses a method of determining a dozing state based on the number of times of sitting down and the forward leaning posture.
A dozing driving alarm device that emits an alarm is described.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-818433 discloses that a fuzzy inference unit estimates arousal based on membership functions of a driving operation detecting unit, a steering operation detecting unit, a running position detecting unit for detecting a meandering amount, and the like. A drowsy driving alarm device that generates an alarm by pressing is described.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-277020 discloses a sheet having an air outlet formed on a surface thereof, a space formed in the sheet and communicating with the air outlet, a Peltier element disposed in the space, There is described an automobile seat that includes a fan disposed in the space that sends air toward the air outlet, and blows air heated or cooled by the Peltier element from the air outlet.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The driver's dozing state is detected based on physiological phenomena such as heart rate and blinking and the behavior of the vehicle, etc., and wakefulness is displayed by audible display, aroma, change of air-conditioning operation state, and the like. Various devices have been proposed to facilitate this. However, there is a difference in the hearing ability of individuals with audible warnings or other audible indications.Therefore, if a sufficient volume is secured for a person with low hearing ability, the volume is high for a person with excellent hearing ability. May be too surprised. Similarly, with respect to aroma, the ability of the sense of smell differs from person to person, and the sense of smell changes depending on the physical condition. Spraying cool air on the face is not much affected by individual differences and physical condition differences, but it is necessary to add ducts, dampers, etc. to blow cool air on the face. Vehicle air conditioner (air conditioner)
If the operating state such as is changed to, for example, a rapid cooling operation state, cold air will also be supplied to the fellow passengers.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and provides a vehicle doze prevention apparatus which can provide a driver with a stimulus for awakening without requiring additional parts. The purpose is to do.

[0017]

According to the present invention, there is provided a drowsiness prevention apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a drowsiness detection unit for detecting a drowsiness state of a driver; and a driver seat having an air blowing hole. A heating / cooling device for supplying hot air or cold air to the air outlet, and changing the operating state of the heating / cooling device based on the dozing state detection signal supplied from the dozing detection unit to change the air blown out from the air outlet. An air blowing temperature forcible change unit for changing the temperature.

When the driver's drowsy state is detected by the drowsiness detector, the air blowing temperature compulsory changing unit changes the temperature of the air blown out from the air blowing holes of the driver's seat. Thereby, the drowsiness of the driver can be awakened. For example, the air blowing temperature forcible change unit is configured to change the operating state of the heating / cooling device to the operating state with the maximum cooling capacity based on the dozing state detection signal.

The air blowing temperature forcible change unit changes the operating state of the heating / cooling device between the hot air operating state and the cold air operating state at predetermined time intervals based on the dozing state detection signal, and changes the air blowing out from the air blowing hole. The temperature may be changed. By supplying hot air in the hot air operation state and supplying cool air in the cold air operation state and switching the air supply at predetermined time intervals, the drowsiness of the driver can be awakened. In addition, the air blowing sound can be switched or the air blowing sound can be interrupted, and the driver can be alerted from the ear to awaken the driver's drowsiness.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle doze prevention device according to the present invention. The drowsiness prevention device 1 for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a drowsiness detection unit 2 that detects a drowsiness state of a driver, a driver's seat 3 having an air outlet 3a, and hot air or cold air to the air outlet 3a. It comprises a heating / cooling device 4 for supplying, an operation unit 5, and a sheet temperature control device 6. The seat temperature control device 6 includes an air blowing temperature forced change unit 7 that changes the air blowing temperature to awaken the driver's dozing state.

The dozing detection section 2 outputs a dozing state detection signal 2a when detecting a dozing state of the driver. The dozing detection unit 2 may detect the blink of the driver, estimate the dozing state based on the blinking frequency, and output the dozing state detection signal 2a. The dozing detection unit 2
It is also possible to detect the driver's heart rate, estimate the dozing state based on the change in the heart rate, and output the dozing state detection signal 2a. The dozing detection section 2 may estimate the dozing state of the driver based on the steering operation or the behavior of the vehicle, and may output the dozing state detection signal 2a. The dozing detection unit 2 may estimate the dozing state based on the driver's re-sitting operation or the forward leaning posture, and may output the dozing state detection signal 2a.

The driver's seat 3 has a plurality of air outlets 3a in each of the seating portion 3b and the backrest portion 3c. Each of the air outlets 3a communicates with a communication passage 3d formed inside the seat 3b and a communication passage 3e formed inside the backrest 3c. Each communication passage 3d,
3 e is connected to a discharge port 4 a of the heating / cooling device 4 via an air supply pipe 8. Although FIG. 1 shows a structure in which the air supply pipe 8 is pulled out from a lower portion of the driver's seat 3,
The air supply pipe 8 may be drawn out from the side of the driver's seat 3. Further, the heating / cooling device 4 is connected to the seat 3b.
May be arranged at the bottom.

The heating / cooling device 4 includes an electric fan 41 and a heating / cooling unit 42. The heating / cooling unit 42 may be configured using a thermoelectric element having a thermoelectric conversion function, may be configured using an electronic cooling element, and may be configured using an element utilizing generation and absorption of heat by the Peltier effect. You may comprise.

The operation unit 5 includes operation switches for performing operations such as switching between hot air and cold air, starting and stopping air supply, and adjusting air temperature. The operation unit 5
It is arranged at a position where the driver can operate while sitting on the driver's seat 3. The operation unit 5 may be provided on the side of the driver's seat 3 or the like.

The seat temperature control device 6 controls the operation of the electric fan 41 and the heating / cooling unit 42 based on an operation input signal 5a supplied from the operation unit 5. When a warm air operation is requested from the operation unit 5, the seat temperature control device 6 operates the electric fan 41 and controls the heating / cooling unit 42 to a heating operation state. The seat temperature control device 6 controls the heating capacity of the heating / cooling unit 42 based on the temperature set by the operation unit 5. Seat temperature control device 6
When the operation unit 5 requests the cool air operation, the electric fan 41 is operated and the heating / cooling unit 42 is controlled to the cooling operation state. The seat temperature control device 6 controls the cooling capacity of the heating / cooling unit 42 based on the temperature set by the operation unit 5. The seat temperature control device 6 drives the electric fan 41 when the air blowing operation is requested from the operation unit 5.

It should be noted that the sheet temperature control device 6
The heating capacity or the cooling capacity of the heating / cooling unit 42 may be feedback-controlled based on the difference between the air temperature detected by the temperature sensor 43 provided near “a” and the set temperature set by the operation unit 5. . Thus, air at a set temperature can be supplied regardless of the atmospheric temperature. Further, the temperature sensor 43 may be provided in the vicinity of the air outlet 3a of the driving seat 3. Thereby, the difference between the temperature of the air blown out from the air blowing holes 3a and the set temperature can be reduced.

When the drowsiness detection signal 2a is supplied from the drowsiness detection unit 2, the forced air temperature change unit 7 rotates the electric fan 41 at the maximum speed regardless of the operation state set by the operation unit 5. Driving, heating and
The cooling unit 42 is driven at the maximum cooling capacity. Thereby, cool air is blown out from each air blowing hole 3a of the driver's seat 3, and it is possible to encourage the driver to wake up.

During the forced operation for waking up the driver based on the dozing state detection signal 2a, the air outlet temperature compulsory changing unit 7 drives a sounding body (for example, a piezoelectric buzzer) (not shown) to generate an alarm. A sound may be generated, or a visible indicator (for example, a light emitting diode) not shown may be turned on or blinked. Thus, it is possible to notify the driver that the air blowing temperature forced change unit 7 is in the forced driving state for awakening the driver.

When the doze state detection signal 2a is no longer supplied, the forced air temperature change section 7 stops the forced operation for awakening and returns to the operation state previously set by the operation section 5. For example, when the forced operation for awakening is performed from the state in which the warm air (cool air, blowing) operation is set, when the dozing state detection signal 2a is not supplied, the previous warm air (cool air, blowing) is used. Return to operating state. When the forced operation is performed from the state in which the operation (hot air, cold air, or air blowing) is stopped, the operation returns to the operation stop state.

The air outlet temperature forcible changing unit 7 is forcibly changing the temperature when the operation unit 5 supplies an operation input such as a stop operation or a temperature adjustment while the forced operation for awakening is being performed. The operation may be stopped.

When the doze state detection signal 2a is supplied during the cool air operation state, the air blowing temperature compulsory change section 7 may supply the hot air with the maximum heating capacity. Thus, the driver can be alerted even during the supply of cold air. In addition, the air outlet temperature forced change unit 7
When the dozing state detection signal 2a is supplied, the cooling air and the hot air may be switched and supplied at predetermined time intervals. Thus, the driver can be alerted.
For example, every 10 seconds, every 20 seconds, every 30 seconds, every 60 seconds, 9
The switching may be performed every 0 seconds or every 120 seconds. Further, the air blowing sound can be switched or the air blowing sound can be switched on and off, and the driver can be alerted by ear. Similarly, when the dozing state detection signal 2a is supplied, the air blowing temperature compulsory changing unit 7 changes the operating state of the heating / cooling device at predetermined time intervals to change the air blowing sound, for example, the air blowing sound. May be interrupted.
For example, the state may be switched to the operation state / operation stop state at predetermined time intervals, or may be switched to the warm air operation state / cool air operation state, hot air operation state / air blowing operation state, or cold air operation state / air blowing operation state at predetermined time intervals. Is also good. The air blowing sound can be switched or the air blowing sound can be switched on and off, and the driver can be alerted by ear.

The drowsiness detector 2 detects a drowsiness state based on the driver's blink, heart rate, or the number of times of reseating, and outputs a drowsiness state detection signal 2a even when the vehicle is stopped. When the air blowing temperature forcible change unit 7 detects that the vehicle is stopped or parked based on a vehicle speed signal (not shown) or a shift position signal (not shown), the dozing state detection signal 2a is supplied. You may comprise so that a forced driving for awakening may not be performed. As a result, it is possible to prevent a nap during stoppage or parking.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the seat temperature control device. In step S1, a determination is made as to whether or not the user is dozing. When the dozing state detection signal 2a is not supplied, the supply and stop of air are controlled based on the driving state specified by the operation unit 5 (step S2). While the dozing state detection signal 2a is being supplied, cool air is supplied (step S3).

When the forced driving for awakening is performed based on the dozing state detection signal 2a, all the driving states previously set by the operation unit 5 are invalidated, and the forced driving for awakening ends. At this point, the operation of the heating / cooling device 4 may be stopped. This allows
For example, when the supply of hot air (cold air) causes sleepiness, it is possible to prevent the supply of hot air (cold air) again.

The temperature of the hot air in the forced operation for awakening may be about 40 to 50 ° C. or about 45 ° C. The temperature of cold air in forced operation for awakening is
The temperature may be about 10 to 20 ° C or about 15 ° C. The temperature of the cold air in the operating state at the maximum cooling capacity is
The temperature may be about 10 to 20 ° C or about 15 ° C. The temperature of the hot air in the forced operation for awakening is 5 ° C. to the air blowing temperature or the set temperature before the driver falls asleep.
A value obtained by adding the degrees may be used. The temperature of the cool air in the forced operation for awakening may be a value obtained by subtracting about 5 ° C. from the air blowing temperature or the set temperature before the driver falls asleep.

[0036]

As described above, in the vehicle drowsiness prevention apparatus according to the present invention, when the drowsiness detection unit detects the drowsiness of the driver, the air blowing temperature compulsory changing unit performs the air blowing of the driver's seat. Since the temperature of the air blown out from the holes is changed, it is possible to give a temperature change over a wide range to the driver of various clothes sitting on the driver's seat, and to make the driver sleepy. Can be awakened.

Further, the vehicle doze prevention apparatus according to the present invention is a vehicle equipped with a driver's seat having a temperature adjustment function by air blowing, in which only the temperature adjustment is changed when a doze state is detected. As a result, the driver can be provided with a stimulus for awakening without requiring any additional parts.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified configuration diagram of a vehicle doze prevention device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a simplified flowchart illustrating an operation example of a seat temperature control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Drowsiness prevention device for vehicles, 2 ... Drowsiness detection part, 3 ... Driver's seat, 3a ... Air blowing hole, 4 ... Heating / cooling device, 5 ... Operation unit, 6 ... Seat temperature control device, 7 ... Air blowing Temperature forced change unit, 41: electric fan, 42: heating / cooling unit.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A drowsiness detection unit for detecting a drowsiness state of a driver; a driver seat having an air outlet; a heating / cooling device for supplying warm air or cold air to the air outlet; A device for changing a running state of a heating / cooling device based on a dozing state detection signal supplied from a vehicle to change a temperature of air blown out from an air blowing hole; . 2. An air blowing temperature forcible changing unit changes an operating state of a heating / cooling device to an operating state with a maximum cooling capacity based on a dozing state detection signal to change a temperature of air blown out from an air blowing hole. 2. The vehicle snooze prevention device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. An air blowing temperature forced change unit that changes the operating state of the heating / cooling device between a hot air operating state and a cold air operating state at predetermined time intervals based on a dozing state detection signal and blows out from the air blowing hole. The vehicle doze prevention device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the air is changed.