Vehicle air-conditioning device and vehicle provided with vehicle air-conditioning device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11766918-B2
Application number	US-202017036139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2020
Priority date	Mar 30, 2018
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

A comfort sensation calculation unit quantitatively calculates comfort sensation of an occupant from an RRI of the occupant A, and a target control value of a thermal environment control device is set based on the comfort sensation of the occupant. Therefore, it is possible to achieve air conditioning control that reflects the comfort sensation of the occupant. When a signal output from the comfort sensation calculation unit and a signal output from the occupant thermal sensation calculation unit do not correspond to each other, the signal output from the comfort sensation calculation unit is corrected, and the target control value is determined.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle air conditioner mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
thermal environment detector configured to detect a thermal environment around an occupant in a cabin;
an R-R Interval detector configured to detect an RRI from a pulse wave of the occupant;
a comfort sensation calculator configured to calculate comfort sensation of the occupant from the RRI detected by the RRI detector, and output a signal indicating the comfort sensation of the occupant;
a thermal environment control device configured to control the thermal environment around the occupant;
a target control value setter configured to set a target control value of the thermal environment control device, based on the signal output from the comfort sensation calculator, which indicates the comfort sensation of the occupant; and
an occupant thermal sensation calculator configured to obtain a thermal model of the occupant based on thermal sensation calculation information containing the thermal environment around the occupant which is detected by the thermal environment detector and an operation state of the thermal environment control device, calculate thermal sensation of the occupant, and output a signal indicating the calculated thermal sensation, wherein
the target control value setter is configured to determine whether the signal from the comfort sensation calculator and the signal from the occupant thermal sensation calculator correspond to each other, and execute a process of correction for the signal output from the comfort sensation calculator, when both of the signals do not correspond to each other.

2. The vehicle air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein
the target control value setter is configured to disable the process of correction when it is determined that the signal output from the comfort sensation calculator and the signal output from the occupant thermal sensation calculator correspond to each other.

3. The vehicle air conditioner of claim 1 , further comprising:
a skin temperature detector configured to detect a skin temperature of the occupant,
wherein the thermal sensation calculation information contains the skin temperature of the occupant detected by the skin temperature detector.

4. The vehicle air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein
the comfort sensation calculator is configured to obtain the thermal environment around the occupant detected by the thermal environment detector and the operation state of the thermal environment control device, and when the RRI detected by the RRI detector changes although the thermal environment around the occupant and the operation state are not changed, calculate the comfort sensation of the occupant based on the RRI before the change.

5. The vehicle air conditioner of claim 3 , wherein
the comfort sensation calculator is configured to obtain the thermal environment around the occupant detected by the thermal environment detector, the operation state of the thermal environment control device, and the skin temperature detected by the skin temperature detector, and when the RRI detected by the RRI detector changes although the thermal environment around the occupant, the operation state, and the skin temperature of the occupant are not changed, calculate the comfort sensation of the occupant based on the RRI before the change.

6. The vehicle air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein
when the RRI cannot be detected by the RRI detector, the comfort sensation calculator calculates the comfort sensation of the occupant based on the signal output from the occupant thermal sensation calculator.

7. A vehicle comprising the vehicle air conditioner of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd
• Japan Climate Systems Corp

Inventors

• Nakashima Yu
• Komori Kou
• Furui Mio
• Saitou Kensaku
• Hamamoto Hiroshi
• Miyazaki Yoichi
• Nishii Hideaki
• Shigenaka Hiroaki

Classifications

• B60H1/00742 Primary

  by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors · CPC title

• B60H1/00892

  Devices specially adapted for avoiding uncomfortable feeling, e.g. sudden temperature changes (B60H1/00885 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/0073

  Control systems or circuits characterised by particular algorithms or computational models, e.g. fuzzy logic or dynamic models · CPC title

• A61B5/18

  for vehicle drivers {or machine operators} · CPC title

• A61B5/01

  Measuring temperature of body parts {; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue} (clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20) · CPC title