KR102463689B1 - Apparatus for controlling temperature of vehicle seat and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat, and by varying the target temperature corresponding to the temperature control level of the seat according to the indoor temperature of the vehicle and direct sunlight, unnecessary energy consumption of the battery without compromising the commercial properties of the vehicle An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling the temperature of a seat for a vehicle capable of improving fuel efficiency by reducing the temperature of the vehicle.
To this end, the present invention provides a vehicle seat temperature control device, comprising: an indoor temperature measuring unit for measuring the indoor temperature of the vehicle; Direct sunlight sensing unit for detecting direct sunlight incident into the interior of the vehicle; and adjusting the temperature of the sheet to a heating target temperature corresponding to the heating temperature control level or a cooling target temperature corresponding to the cooling temperature control level, but according to the measured indoor temperature and whether the direct sunlight enters the room, the heating target temperature and the cooling target It includes a control unit for varying the temperature.

Description

A vehicle seat temperature control device and method

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat, and more particularly, to an irrational driver's request that a seat heating request is input on a hot summer day or a seat cooling request on a cold winter day is input. The present invention relates to a technology for detecting a phosphorus operation request and changing a target temperature corresponding to a heating temperature control level and a cooling temperature control level.

In general, automobiles are equipped with a heating and cooling system called HVAC (Heater-Vent-Air conditioning), and by the driver's operation, various air conditioning functions such as ventilation or heating and cooling are performed to provide a comfortable environment for the driver and passengers of the vehicle. to provide. The HVAC can be operated by a driver and an indoor passenger by operating an operation switch provided at the lower right side of the steering wheel, and is operated by controlling an air ventilation path by driving an automatic temperature control unit or operating an air conditioner compressor.

In addition, various convenience devices are provided in the seat that provides a comfortable ride through a cushion, and a heating device or a cooling device is installed inside the seat.

In the early days, a seat heating device for providing warmth during winter operation by installing a heating wire on the seat and a seat cooling device for providing coolness during summer operation by installing a blower on the seat were respectively installed. A thermoelectric assembly capable of performing all of these functions is mainly used.

Most of the heating and cooling devices for sheets using a thermoelectric element assembly as a heat source device have a functional mesh having an air passage or a breathable structure for free air flow, and by introducing (blowing) air generated from the heat source device into the functional mesh, It allows the surface to be maintained at the temperature desired by the consumer.

These conventional seat heaters (seat heating wires), seat air conditioners (seat blowers), and seat air conditioners (thermoelectric element assemblies) heat or cool the seat based on a fixed target temperature corresponding to each level of the temperature control button. did.

Therefore, when a driver's illogical operation request such as a request for heating a seat on a hot summer day or a request for cooling a seat on a cold winter day is input, unnecessary battery consumption is caused and fuel efficiency of the vehicle is reduced. There is a problem.

For reference, the control algorithm that ignores the driver's request for illogical operation may be perceived as a failure by the driver as not responding to the driver's various needs, and is not recommended because it reduces the popularity of the vehicle in terms of commercialization. ) is a countermeasure to be taken.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2015-0059677

In order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, the present invention is to change the target temperature corresponding to the temperature control level of the seat according to the indoor temperature of the vehicle and direct sunlight, thereby reducing unnecessary energy consumption of the battery without compromising the marketability of the vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat that can reduce fuel efficiency and improve fuel efficiency.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned may be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by the examples of the present invention. It will also be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by the means and combinations thereof indicated in the appended claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for controlling a temperature of a vehicle seat, comprising: an indoor temperature measuring unit for measuring an indoor temperature of a vehicle; Direct sunlight sensing unit for detecting direct sunlight incident into the interior of the vehicle; and adjusting the temperature of the sheet to a heating target temperature corresponding to the heating temperature control level or a cooling target temperature corresponding to the cooling temperature control level, but according to the measured indoor temperature and whether the direct sunlight enters the room, the heating target temperature and the cooling target It includes a control unit for varying the temperature.

Here, when the heating request of the sheet is input, the control unit gives different weights depending on whether direct sunlight is incident on the room when the indoor temperature exceeds the reference value.

In addition, when the cooling request of the seat is input, the control unit gives different weights depending on whether direct sunlight enters the room if the indoor temperature does not exceed the reference value.

In addition, the control unit controls heating and cooling of the sheet in any one of a current control method, a voltage control method, and an On/Off timing control method.

In addition, the direct sunlight detector is installed in the interior of the vehicle to which the direct sunlight is incident.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a temperature of a vehicle seat, the method comprising: measuring, by an indoor temperature measuring unit, an indoor temperature of a vehicle; detecting, by a direct sunlight detector, direct sunlight incident into the interior of the vehicle; and the control unit adjusts the temperature of the sheet to a heating target temperature corresponding to the heating temperature control level or a cooling target temperature corresponding to the cooling temperature control level, and according to the measured indoor temperature and whether direct sunlight enters the room, the heating target temperature and and varying the cooling target temperature.

Here, in the variable step, when a seat heating request is input, if the indoor temperature exceeds the reference value, different weights are given depending on whether direct sunlight enters the room, and when a seat cooling request is input, the indoor temperature exceeds the reference value If not, different weights are given depending on whether direct sunlight is incident on the room.

In addition, the variable step controls heating and cooling of the sheet in any one of a current control method, a voltage control method, and an On/Off timing control method.

According to the present invention as described above, by varying the target temperature corresponding to the temperature control level of the seat according to the indoor temperature of the vehicle and direct sunlight, it is possible to improve fuel efficiency by reducing unnecessary energy consumption of the battery without compromising the marketability of the vehicle. It works.

In addition, by reducing unnecessary energy consumption of the battery, the present invention has the effect of not only preventing the failure of an alternator charging the battery, but also increasing the lifespan.

1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a temperature control device for a vehicle seat according to the present invention;
2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat according to the present invention;
3 is an exemplary view showing the improvement effect of the temperature control device of the vehicle seat according to the present invention.

The above-described objects, features and advantages will become more clear through the detailed description that will be described later in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can understand the technical idea of the present invention. can be easily implemented. In addition, in the description of the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of a known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a temperature control device for a vehicle seat according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the device for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat according to the present invention includes a storage unit 10 , an indoor temperature measuring unit 20 , a direct sunlight sensing unit 30 , a control unit 40 , and an air conditioner 50 . ) is included.

Looking at each of the components, first, the storage unit 10 basically stores a basic target temperature corresponding to each heating temperature control level and a basic target temperature corresponding to each cooling temperature control level. At this time, the heating temperature control level and the cooling temperature control level mean 1st stage, 2nd stage, 3rd stage, etc., respectively.

In particular, the storage unit 10 calculates the variable target temperature corresponding to each heating temperature control level and the variable target temperature corresponding to each cooling temperature control level according to the indoor temperature of the vehicle and whether or not direct sunlight is incident on the interior of the vehicle. Save.

Next, the indoor temperature measuring unit 20 measures the indoor temperature of the vehicle. In order to accurately measure the indoor temperature, the indoor temperature measuring unit 20 is preferably installed in an area where direct sunlight is not incident.

Next, the direct sunlight sensor 30 may be implemented as a kind of illuminance sensor, and when the illuminance value exceeds a threshold, it is determined that direct sunlight is incident. In order to accurately detect whether or not direct sunlight is incident, the direct sunlight detector 30 may be positioned around the windshield to which the direct sunlight is incident.

Next, the control unit 40 performs overall control so that each of the components can perform their functions normally.

In particular, the control unit 40, based on the heating temperature control table and the cooling temperature control table stored in the storage unit 10, the indoor temperature measured by the indoor temperature measuring unit 20 and the direct sunlight sensing unit 30 The target temperature is set according to whether the direct sunlight detected by the

That is, in the case of heating the seat, if the room temperature does not exceed, for example, 20° C., the seat is heated based on the reference target temperature (the conventional set temperature). If it exceeds 20℃, different weights are set depending on whether direct sunlight is incident on the room. That is, when direct sunlight enters the room, the weight (HT _HOT ) is set, and when the direct sunlight does not enter the room, the weight (HT _WARM ) is set. At this time, the weight is multiplied by the level according to the temperature control level.

Further, in the case of cooling the seat, if the room temperature exceeds 20° C. for example, the seat is heated based on the reference target temperature (the conventionally set temperature). If it does not exceed 20℃, different weights are set depending on whether direct sunlight is incident on the room. That is, when direct sunlight enters the room, the weight (CT _COOL ) is set, and when direct sunlight does not enter the room, the weight (HT _COLD ) is set. At this time, the weight is multiplied by the level according to the temperature control level.

As an example, the target temperature is varied in the same manner as in [Table 1] and [Table 2] below.

[Table 1]

[Table 1] shows the reference target temperature and the variable target temperature when the sheet is heated.

For example, HT _LEVEL1 = 40℃, HT _LEVEL2 = 45℃, HT _LEVEL3 = 50℃, HT _HOT = 4℃, HT _WARM = 2℃, when the indoor temperature is 20℃ or higher and direct sunlight is incident, the variable target temperature of level 1 is 36℃, the variable target temperature of level 2 is 37℃, and the variable target temperature of level 3 is 38 becomes ℃.

In addition, when the indoor temperature is 20°C or higher and direct sunlight is not incident, the variable target temperature of level 1 is 38°C, the variable target temperature of level 2 is 41°C, and the variable target temperature of level 3 is 44°C. .

Here, the temperature of the HT _HOT and the temperature of the HT _WARM can be arbitrarily changed according to the intention of the designer.

[Table 2]

[Table 2] shows the reference target temperature and the variable target temperature during sheet cooling.

For example, CT _LEVEL1 = 20℃, CT _LEVEL2 = 15℃, CT _LEVEL3 = 10℃, CT _COOL = 2℃, CT _COLD = 4℃, when the indoor temperature is below 0℃ and direct sunlight is incident, the variable target temperature of level 1 is 22℃, the variable target temperature of level 2 is 19℃, and the variable target temperature of level 3 is 16 becomes ℃.

In addition, when the room temperature is 0°C or lower and direct sunlight is not incident, the variable target temperature of level 1 is 24°C, the variable target temperature of level 2 is 23°C, and the variable target temperature of level 3 is 22°C. .

Here, the temperature of the HT _HOT and the temperature of the HT _WARM can be arbitrarily changed according to the intention of the designer.

On the other hand, the control unit 40 is a method of driving the air conditioner 50 to the target temperature, current control (constant current), voltage control (constant voltage, PWM), On/Off timing control (variable current / voltage) in various ways. The air conditioner 50 may be driven.

Next, the air conditioner 50 is a driver for driving a sheet heating wire, a sheet blower, a sheet thermoelectric element, and the like, and is driven based on the target temperature set by the control unit 40 .

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3, an effect improved by the temperature control device for a vehicle seat according to the present invention will be described.

Since the temperature change rate (ΔT) is proportional to the power consumption (P) and the thermal resistance parameter (R _th ), the following [Equation 1] is satisfied.

[Equation 1]

ΔT = P × R _th

Since the thermal conductivity of an alloy of nickel and copper or copper hot wire used in the sheet is about 400, assuming that the length is 10 m and the cross-sectional area is 1 cm 2 , R _th is about 25 ° C / W through the following [Equation 2].

[Equation 2]

R _th = 1/C × L/A

Here, C is the thermal conductivity (W/m × °C), L is the length (m), A is the cross-sectional area (m2), respectively.

In the case of 'HOT', the power consumption calculated based on [Equation 1] and [Equation 2] showed an improvement effect of 20% at level 1, 32% at level 2, and 48% at level 3, , in the case of 'WARM', 10% improvement at level 1, 16% at level 2, and 20% dml at level 3 were observed.

2 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat according to the present invention.

First, the storage unit 10 stores a variable target temperature corresponding to each heating temperature control level and a variable target temperature corresponding to each cooling temperature control level ( 201 ).

Thereafter, the indoor temperature measuring unit 20 measures the indoor temperature of the vehicle ( 202 ).

Then, the direct sunlight detector 30 detects direct sunlight incident into the interior of the vehicle ( 203 ).

Then, the control unit 40 based on the heating temperature control table and the cooling temperature control table stored in the storage unit 10, the indoor temperature measured by the indoor temperature measuring unit 20 and the direct sunlight sensing unit 30 ), a corresponding variable target temperature is set according to the detection result ( 204 ).

In the above-described method of the present invention, in the ignition on (IGN ON) state indicating a state in which the power of the battery provided in the vehicle is supplied to the electric load of the vehicle (the state in which power for heating and cooling the seat is supplied), the driver receives the seat from the seat. A flow is executed when a cooling request or a heating request is received.

In addition, although an example in which the heating temperature control level and the cooling temperature control level are implemented in three stages has been described as an example, this can be arbitrarily changed according to the implementation intention of the designer.

Meanwhile, the method of the present invention as described above can be written in a computer program. In addition, codes and code segments constituting the program can be easily inferred by a computer programmer in the art. In addition, the written program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium (information storage medium), read and executed by the computer, thereby implementing the method of the present invention. And the recording medium includes all types of computer-readable recording media.

The present invention described above, for those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, various substitutions, modifications and changes are possible within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It is not limited by the drawings.

10: storage
20: room temperature measuring unit
30: direct sunlight detection unit
40: control unit
50: air conditioner

Claims (10)

an indoor temperature measuring unit for measuring the indoor temperature of the vehicle;
Direct sunlight sensing unit for detecting direct sunlight incident into the interior of the vehicle; and
The temperature of the sheet is adjusted to the heating target temperature corresponding to the heating temperature control level or the cooling target temperature corresponding to the cooling temperature control level, and the heating target temperature and cooling target temperature are adjusted according to the measured indoor temperature and whether direct sunlight enters the room. including a control unit for varying the
The control unit is
When the room temperature exceeds the first reference value and direct sunlight is incident in a state in which the sheet heating request is input, the difference between the heating target temperatures for each heating temperature control level is maintained as the first temperature, and the indoor temperature is the first reference value In the case of exceeding and direct sunlight is not incident, the difference between the heating target temperature for each heating temperature control level is maintained as the second temperature,
When the room temperature does not exceed the second reference value and direct sunlight is incident in a state in which the sheet cooling request is input, the difference between the cooling target temperatures for each cooling temperature control level is maintained as the second temperature, and the indoor temperature is set to the second temperature. 2 If the reference value is not exceeded and direct sunlight is not incident, the difference between the cooling target temperatures for each cooling temperature control level is maintained as the first temperature,
The first reference value is higher than the second reference value, and the first temperature is lower than the second temperature.
The method of claim 1,
The control unit is
When a seat heating request is input, when the indoor temperature exceeds a reference value, a temperature control device for a vehicle seat, characterized in that different weights are given depending on whether direct sunlight enters the room.
The method of claim 1,
The control unit is
When a request for cooling of the seat is input, if the indoor temperature does not exceed a reference value, a temperature control device for a vehicle seat, characterized in that different weights are given depending on whether direct sunlight is incident on the indoor or not.
The method of claim 1,
The control unit is
A temperature control device for a vehicle seat, characterized in that the heating and cooling of the seat is controlled by any one of a current control method, a voltage control method, and an On/Off timing control method.
The method of claim 1,
The direct sunlight sensing unit,
A temperature control device for a vehicle seat, characterized in that it is installed in the interior of a vehicle to which direct sunlight is incident.
measuring, by an indoor temperature measuring unit, an indoor temperature of the vehicle;
detecting, by a direct sunlight detector, direct sunlight incident into the interior of the vehicle; and
The control unit adjusts the temperature of the sheet to the heating target temperature corresponding to the heating temperature control level or the cooling target temperature corresponding to the cooling temperature control level, but the heating target temperature and cooling according to the measured indoor temperature and whether direct sunlight enters the room Including the step of varying the target temperature,
The varying step is
When the room temperature exceeds the first reference value and direct sunlight is incident in a state in which the sheet heating request is input, the difference between the heating target temperatures for each heating temperature control level is maintained as the first temperature, and the indoor temperature is the first reference value maintaining the difference between the heating target temperature for each heating temperature control level as a second temperature when the temperature exceeds and direct sunlight is not incident; and
When the room temperature does not exceed the second reference value and direct sunlight is incident in a state in which the sheet cooling request is input, the difference between the cooling target temperatures for each cooling temperature control level is maintained as the second temperature, and the indoor temperature is set to the second temperature. 2 When the reference value is not exceeded and direct sunlight is not incident, maintaining the difference between the cooling target temperatures for each cooling temperature control level as the first temperature,
The first reference value is higher than the second reference value, and the first temperature is lower than the second temperature.
7. The method of claim 6,
The variable step is
When a seat heating request is input, when the indoor temperature exceeds a reference value, a method for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat, characterized in that different weights are given depending on whether direct sunlight is incident on the indoor or not.
7. The method of claim 6,
The variable step is
When a request for cooling of the seat is input, if the indoor temperature does not exceed a reference value, a method for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat, characterized in that different weights are given depending on whether or not direct sunlight enters the room.
7. The method of claim 6,
The variable step is
A method for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat, characterized in that the heating and cooling of the seat are controlled by any one of a current control method, a voltage control method, and an On/Off timing control method.
7. The method of claim 6,
The direct sunlight sensing unit,
A method for controlling the temperature of a vehicle seat, characterized in that it is installed in the interior of a vehicle to which direct sunlight is incident.

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