On-vehicle airconditioning control device, control method and control program

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle air conditioning control device, a control method and a control program which can further improve control accuracy, by further improving estimation accuracy of a biological model.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle air-conditioning control device according to the present invention controls an on-vehicle air conditioner 6 on the basis of a body temperature of an occupant estimated using a biological model. The biological model is represented by explanatory variables including at least an amount of latent heat of sensible perspiration and includes a model formula that estimates a skin temperature as an objective variable, where the amount of the latent heat of sensible perspiration is represented by a sub model formula defined using a thermal resistance coefficient of a cloth worn by the occupant. An on-vehicle air-conditioning system 1000 provided with the on-vehicle air-conditioning control device obtains an amount of perspiration of the occupant, determines the thermal resistance coefficient of the cloth worn by the occupant on the basis of the obtained amount of perspiration of the occupant, and estimates a body temperature of the occupant using the biological model of the sub model formula using the determined thermal resistance coefficient of the cloth worn by the occupant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an on-board air conditioning control device, an on-board air conditioning control method, and an on-board air conditioning control program for controlling an on-board air conditioning device that is mounted in a vehicle and adjusts the air inside the vehicle cabin. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to make the environment in the vehicle cabin comfortable, there is known an in-vehicle air conditioner that blows out conditioned air from an outlet provided on an instrument panel or an outlet provided at the feet. When adjusting the environment in the vehicle cabin using such an in-vehicle air conditioner, it is considered to control the in-vehicle air conditioner based on the heat balance of the occupant in the vehicle cabin, since the occupant, who is a heat source, is cooled or heated by the in-vehicle air conditioner. Since heat production can be explained thermodynamically, various biological models have been proposed in the past, for example, in Non-Patent Document 1.

[0003] In this non-patent document 1, the Gagge two-node model, which regards the human body as a sphere consisting of two layers, a deep part and a body surface (skin), is used for the biobody heat model (biological model), and the sweat rate and skin blood flow rate, which are two terms included in the polynomial skin temperature model, are each defined by an equation including six parameters. Since the sweat rate and skin blood flow rate are most affected by individual differences due to differences in age, sex, and physique (height, weight), for example, in order to fit (identify) the sweat rate and skin blood flow rate to an individual, the biobody heat model can be fitted to the individual by fitting the six parameters representing the individual differences to the individual. In the determination (calibration) of parameters for fitting the biobody heat model to an individual, in the non-patent document 1, parameters are calculated for all combinations in the search range (target range of calibration), and the parameter values ​​that can calculate the estimated values ​​of the skin temperature closest to the actual measured values ​​of the skin temperature are determined as the parameters that fit the individual. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Naoshi Hamatani, Akira Uchiyama, Teruo Higashino, "Proposal of a method for estimating deep body temperature based on a living body temperature model using a wearable sensor," Information Processing Society of Japan Research Report, 2014 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when controlling an in-vehicle air conditioner based on body temperature estimated by a biological model, there has been a phenomenon in which the control accuracy of the in-vehicle air conditioner deteriorates in a hot environment. As a result of various studies, it was found that the estimation accuracy of the biological model deteriorates in a hot environment. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the biological model, and therefore, there is also room for improvement in the air conditioning control device.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an in-vehicle air conditioning control device, an in-vehicle air conditioning control method, and an in-vehicle air conditioning control program that can improve control accuracy by further improving the estimation accuracy of a biological model. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] As a result of various investigations, the inventors have found that the above object can be achieved by the present invention described below. That is, an on-vehicle air-conditioning control device according to one aspect of the present invention is a device that controls an on-vehicle air-conditioning device based on a body temperature of an occupant estimated by a biological model, the biological model is represented by explanatory variables including at least a latent heat amount of sweat evaporation, includes a model formula for estimating a skin temperature as a target variable, the latent heat amount of sweat evaporation is represented by a sub-model formula defined using a thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant, and includes a sweat amount acquisition unit that acquires the amount of sweat of the occupant, a thermal resistance coefficient processing unit that calculates the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant based on the amount of sweat of the occupant acquired by the sweat amount acquisition unit, and a body temperature estimation unit that estimates the body temperature of the occupant by the biological model of the sub-model formula using the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant acquired by the thermal resistance coefficient processing unit. Preferably, in the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted air-conditioning control device, the body temperature includes a deep body temperature and a skin temperature, and the sweat rate acquisition unit includes a sweat rate processing unit that determines the amount of sweat of the occupant based on the deep body temperature and the skin temperature of the occupant. Preferably, in the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted air-conditioning control device, the sweat rate acquisition unit includes a sweat rate sensor that measures the amount of sweat of the occupant. Here, the sweat evaporation includes insensible evaporation and sensible evaporation.

[0008] Usually, there is an air layer having a relatively high heat insulating property between the clothing of the occupant (clothing worn by the occupant) and the skin, and the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing is relatively high (large). In an environment where the occupant sweats, when the clothing gets wet due to sweating of the occupant, the clothing sticks to the skin, and the air layer that was between the clothing and the skin before the clothing got wet is reduced or disappears. When the air layer is reduced or disappears, the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing is reduced and becomes relatively low (small). The above-mentioned vehicle-mounted air-conditioning control device acquires the amount of sweating of the occupant, calculates the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant based on the acquired amount of sweating of the occupant, and estimates the body temperature of the occupant with the biological model of the sub-model formula using the calculated thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant, so that the body temperature of the occupant can be estimated with higher accuracy, and therefore the vehicle-mounted air-conditioning device can be controlled with higher accuracy. Therefore, the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted air-conditioning control device can improve the control accuracy by further improving the estimation accuracy of the biological model.

[0009] In another aspect, the vehicle-mounted air conditioning control device further includes a correspondence information storage unit that stores correspondence information representing a correspondence between the amount of sweating and the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing, and the correspondence is a plurality of correspondences according to the individual type of the occupant. Preferably, in the vehicle-mounted air conditioning control device, the correspondence between the amount of sweating and the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing is a relationship in which the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing decreases as the amount of sweating increases (the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing decreases as the amount of sweating increases). Preferably, in the vehicle-mounted air conditioning control device, the individual type is classified according to at least one of sex, age, and physical build. Preferably, the physical build is classified according to height and weight. Preferably, in the vehicle-mounted air conditioning control device, the vehicle-mounted air conditioning control device further includes an individual type input unit that accepts input of the individual type of the occupant (personal information (occupant information) of the occupant). Preferably, in the vehicle-mounted air conditioning control device, the correspondence according to the individual differences of the occupant is further a plurality of correspondences according to seasons. Preferably, the seasons include at least a winter season and a summer season. Preferably, the seasons include a winter season, a summer season, and a spring / autumn season (intermediate season).

[0010] The clothing of occupants often differs depending on the individual type, which is classified according to differences in, for example, gender, age, physique, etc. The above-mentioned on-board air-conditioning control device has multiple correspondence relationships between the amount of sweat and the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing according to the individual type of occupant, so it is possible to set the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing according to the individual type of occupant, and the on-board air-conditioning device can be controlled to better fit (adapt) the occupant.

[0011] In another aspect, in the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted air-conditioning control device, the sub-model formula is further defined using a skin temperature difference between the skin temperature and a regulation start skin temperature at the start of thermoregulation by sweating, and further includes a skin temperature acquisition unit that acquires the skin temperature of the occupant, and a regulation start skin temperature acquisition unit that acquires the regulation start skin temperature of the occupant. Preferably, in the above-mentioned vehicle-mounted air-conditioning control device, the body temperature includes a deep body temperature and a skin temperature, the sub-model formula is further defined using an internal body temperature difference between an internal body temperature that is an average of the deep body temperature and the skin temperature and a regulation start internal body temperature at the start of thermoregulation by sweating, and a skin temperature difference between the skin temperature and the regulation start skin temperature at the start of thermoregulation by sweating, the deep body temperature is set to a predetermined value, and further includes a skin temperature acquisition unit that acquires the skin temperature of the occupant, and a regulation start skin temperature acquisition unit that acquires the regulation start skin temperature of the occupant.

[0012] When the vehicle air conditioner starts adjusting the air in the vehicle cabin, the skin temperature of the occupant usually transitions from the adjustment start skin temperature to a steady-state skin temperature according to the vehicle cabin environment by the conditioned air. Here, the inventor has found that there are individual differences in the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant. On the other hand, since the sub-model formula for estimating the latent heat of sweating and evaporation in the biological model is defined using the skin temperature difference, which is the difference between the skin temperature and the adjustment start skin temperature, the individual difference in the adjustment start skin temperature affects the estimation of the body temperature. Since the above-mentioned vehicle air conditioning control device acquires the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant, the body temperature of the occupant is estimated using a biological model of the sub-model formula that fits the occupant, so the body temperature of the occupant can be estimated with higher accuracy, and therefore the vehicle air conditioner can be controlled with higher accuracy. Therefore, the above-mentioned vehicle air conditioning control device can improve the control accuracy by further improving the estimation accuracy of the biological model.

[0013] In another aspect, in the above-mentioned vehicle air conditioning control device, the skin temperature acquisition unit includes a skin temperature sensor that measures the skin temperature of the occupant, and the adjustment start skin temperature acquisition unit includes a comfort input unit that accepts input indicating that the occupant is comfortable, and a judgment processing unit that determines whether the skin temperature of the occupant measured by the skin temperature sensor is stable over time, and if the result of the judgment is that the skin temperature of the occupant is stable over time and the comfort input unit accepts input indicating that the occupant is comfortable, the skin temperature of the occupant when it is determined that the skin temperature of the occupant is stable over time is set as the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant.

[0014] Such an in-vehicle air conditioning control device can obtain the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant by actual measurement.

[0015] In another aspect, in the above-mentioned in-vehicle air conditioning control device, the skin temperature acquisition unit is an interface unit that receives adjustment start skin temperature data representing the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant from an external device.

[0016] Such an in-vehicle air conditioning control device can obtain the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant via an external device such as a wearable sensor.

[0017] Another aspect of the present invention provides an in-vehicle air conditioning control method, which is a method for controlling an in-vehicle air conditioning unit based on a body temperature of an occupant estimated by a biological model, wherein the biological model is represented by explanatory variables including at least a latent heat amount of sweat evaporation and includes a model equation for estimating a target variable, skin temperature, and the latent heat amount of sweat evaporation is represented by a sub-model equation defined using a thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant, and the method includes the following steps: a sweat amount acquisition step for acquiring the amount of sweat of the occupant; a thermal resistance coefficient processing step for calculating the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant based on the amount of sweat of the occupant acquired in the sweat amount acquisition step; and a body temperature estimation step for estimating the body temperature of the occupant using the biological model of the sub-model equation using the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant acquired in the thermal resistance coefficient processing step.

[0018] In this vehicle air conditioning control method, the amount of sweat of the occupant is acquired, a thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant is calculated based on the acquired amount of sweat of the occupant, and the body temperature of the occupant is estimated by the biological model of the sub-model formula using the calculated thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant, so that the body temperature of the occupant can be estimated with higher accuracy, and therefore the vehicle air conditioning device can be controlled with higher accuracy. Therefore, the vehicle air conditioning control method can improve the control accuracy by improving the estimation accuracy of the biological model.

[0019] Another aspect of the present invention is an in-vehicle air conditioning control program that controls an in-vehicle air conditioning device based on the body temperature of an occupant estimated by a biological model, and is a program for causing a computer to function as any of the above-mentioned in-vehicle air conditioning control devices.

[0020] This makes it possible to provide an on-board air-conditioning control program, which provides the same effects as the above-mentioned on-board air-conditioning control devices. Effect of the Invention

[0021] The on-board air conditioning control device, on-board air conditioning control method, and on-board air conditioning control program according to the present invention can improve the estimation accuracy of the biological model, thereby improving the control accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an in-vehicle air conditioning system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram for explaining a passenger compartment of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted air conditioning system. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a change in the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing (clothing) due to sweating. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the regulation start skin temperature. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of setting the regulation start skin temperature based on actual measurement. FIG. [Figure 6]5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle air conditioning system with respect to setting of the adjustment start skin temperature based on an actual measurement. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle air conditioning system regarding control of the vehicle air conditioner. [Figure 8] 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation and effect of the vehicle air conditioning system; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. In addition, configurations with the same reference numerals in each drawing indicate that they are the same configurations, and their description will be omitted as appropriate. In this specification, when referring to a general term, a reference numeral without a subscript is used, and when referring to an individual configuration, a reference numeral with a subscript is used.

[0024] The vehicle air conditioning control device in the embodiment is a device that controls the vehicle air conditioner based on the body temperature of the occupant estimated by a biological model. The biological model is represented by explanatory variables including at least the latent heat amount of sweating and evaporation, and includes a model formula for estimating the skin temperature of the objective variable, and the latent heat amount of sweating and evaporation is represented by a sub-model formula defined using the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothes of the occupant. The vehicle air conditioning control device includes a sweat amount acquisition unit that acquires the sweat amount of the occupant, a thermal resistance coefficient processing unit that calculates the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothes of the occupant based on the sweat amount of the occupant acquired by the sweat amount acquisition unit, and a body temperature estimation unit that estimates the body temperature of the occupant by the biological model of the sub-model formula using the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothes of the occupant acquired by the thermal resistance coefficient processing unit. Hereinafter, the vehicle air conditioning control device and the vehicle air conditioning control method and vehicle air conditioning control program implemented therein will be described in more detail using a vehicle air conditioning system equipped with such a vehicle air conditioning control device.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an in-vehicle air conditioning system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the cabin of a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle air conditioning system. In FIG. 2, "FR" indicates the front of the vehicle, "RE" indicates the rear of the vehicle, "UP" indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and "LO" indicates the lower side of the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the change in the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing (clothing) due to sweating. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram for explaining the change in the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing when the clothing is wet, compared to the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing when the clothing is not wet. FIG. 3A shows each thermal resistance coefficient and its average value for four types of clothing (clothing types A to D). FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram for explaining the correspondence relationship between the amount of sweating and the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing, in which the horizontal axis is the amount of sweating (amount of wetness) and the vertical axis is the thermal resistance coefficient R of clothing. pcl FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the regulation start skin temperature. The horizontal axis of FIG. 4 is time (elapsed time) [min], and the vertical axis is temperature (body temperature; deep temperature, skin temperature) [°C]. The deep temperature is shown by a dotted line, and the skin temperature is shown by a continuous line. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of setting the regulation start skin temperature by actual measurement. The horizontal axis of FIG. 5 is time (elapsed time) [min], and the vertical axis is skin temperature [°C].

[0026] The vehicle air conditioning system 1000 in the embodiment is a device that is mounted on a vehicle VC and controls the vehicle air conditioning device based on the body temperature of the occupant estimated by a biological model, and for example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, includes a first temperature sensor 1-1, a second temperature sensor 1-2, a humidity sensor 1-3, a solar radiation sensor 1-4, a skin temperature sensor 1-5, an input unit 1-6, a communication network 2, an interface unit (IF unit) 3, a control processing unit 4, a memory unit 5, and an air conditioning device 6.

[0027] The biological model is represented by explanatory variables including at least the latent heat of sweating and evaporation, includes a model equation for estimating the skin temperature as a response variable, and the latent heat of sweating and evaporation is represented by a sub-model equation defined using the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant (the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing). This biological model will be described in more detail later.

[0028] The vehicle VC is provided with a front window FW that separates the interior of the vehicle from the outside of the vehicle. The front window FW is made of glass. The vehicle VC is provided with a front door FD and a rear door (not shown). The front door FD is provided with an openable front side window FDa at the top and a front door trim FDb as an interior member at the bottom. The rear door is similar, and is provided with an openable rear side window at the top and a rear door trim as an interior member at the bottom. The vehicle VC is also provided with a front door and a rear door on the front side of the paper of FIG. 2, but these are not shown in FIG. 2. The rear window and the like provided on the rear side of the vehicle VC are also not shown in FIG. 2. A room mirror RM is provided near the top of the front window FW, approximately at the center in the vehicle width direction, spaced apart from the ceiling and supported by the ceiling.

[0029] A seat ST for an occupant OC to sit on is provided within the vehicle cabin. Note that Fig. 2 only illustrates the driver's seat ST on which the driver sits. A passenger seat is also provided within the vehicle cabin on the front side of the paper in Fig. 2, but is not shown in Fig. 2. The seat ST includes a seat cushion SC that forms a seating surface, a seat back SB that serves as a backrest and is attached at its lower end (one end) to the rear end (other end) of the seat cushion SC, and a pillow-shaped headrest HR that is attached to the upper end (other end) of the seat back SB.

[0030] A steering wheel (handle) SW is disposed in front of the seat back SB of the seat ST. The steering wheel SW is disposed in a position where the driver (occupant OC) seated in the seat ST can grasp it by stretching his / her arms.

[0031] An instrument panel IP is provided below the front end portion of the front window FW in the vehicle interior. The instrument panel IP is provided with a meter cluster for displaying various information related to the running of the vehicle VC, an input unit 1-6 for inputting various command information, and the like.

[0032] The input unit 1-6 is connected to the communication network 2, and is a device that accepts, for example, an input of an instruction from the occupant OC regarding the air conditioner (vehicle air conditioner) 6, accepts an input that the occupant OC is comfortable, and accepts an input of the type of individual in the occupant OC (personal information (occupant information) of the occupant). The input unit 1-6 is configured with, for example, a touch panel. The touch panel includes, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL display device that performs display, and a position input device that is provided on the display surface of the display device and detects and inputs an operation position such as a resistive film type or a capacitive type. In this touch panel, one or more candidates of input contents that can be input are displayed on the display device, and when a user touches a display position that displays the input content that the user wants to input, the position is detected by the position input device, and the display content displayed at the detected position is input to the touch panel as the user's operation input content. The input unit 1-6 outputs the accepted input content to the control processing unit 4 via the communication network 2 and the IF unit 3.

[0033] The types of individuals are classified by at least one of sex, age, and physical build, and the physical build is classified by height and weight. In this embodiment, the types of individuals are classified by sex, age, and physical build (height, weight). The occupant OC is classified into one of the types of individuals depending on the differences in age, sex, and physical build (height, weight).

[0034] The air conditioner (HVAC; Heating Ventilation and Conditioning) 6 is an in-vehicle air conditioner that is mounted on the vehicle VC and connected to the control processing unit 4 to adjust the air in the vehicle compartment CB according to control signals from the control processing unit 4. The air conditioner 6 blows out conditioned air from a first air outlet 7-1 (7-11 to 7-14) provided at the front of the vehicle compartment CB, and blows out conditioned air from a second air outlet 7-2 for the feet, for example. These first and second air outlets 7-1, 7-2 are provided in the same manner as in a typical vehicle. For example, the first air outlet 7-1 includes 1A and 1B air outlets 7-11, 7-12 for the driver's seat side and 1C and 1D air outlets 7-13, 7-14 for the passenger's seat side, the 1A and 1B air outlets 7-11, 7-12 are provided on the instrument panel IP at the left and right positions of the steering wheel SW, and the 1C and 1D air outlets 7-13, 7-14 are provided on the instrument panel IP at positions symmetrical to the 1B and 1A air outlets 7-12, 7-11. The second air outlet 7-2 is provided at the bottom of the instrument panel IP so that the conditioned air flows from the front to the rear along the floor. The air conditioner 6 is connected to the 1A to 1D air outlets 7-11 to 7-14 and the second air outlet 7-2 by ducts (communication passages) or the like.

[0035] The first temperature sensor 1-1 is a sensor connected to the communication network 2, and measures the temperature (wall temperature) of the member (compartment forming member) forming the vehicle interior CB and the surface temperature (seat surface temperature) of the seat ST. The first temperature sensor 1-1 is configured with, for example, an infrared camera (thermography camera) for visualizing infrared rays emitted from an object. The infrared camera is, for example, a digital infrared camera including an imaging optical system that forms an infrared optical image of an imaging target on a predetermined imaging plane, an image sensor arranged with a light receiving surface aligned with the imaging plane and converting the infrared optical image of the imaging target into an electrical signal, and an image processing unit that generates infrared image data that is data representing an infrared image (infrared image) of the imaging target by image processing the output of the image sensor. In the infrared image, the temperature of the imaging target reflected in a pixel is represented by the pixel value of the pixel. The first temperature sensor 1-1 outputs its measurement result (infrared image data in the above example) to the control processing unit 4 via the communication network 2 and the IF unit 3.

[0036] In this embodiment, as described later, the wall temperature and seat surface temperature are determined by the body temperature estimation unit 44 of the control processing unit 4 based on the infrared image data. Alternatively, the first temperature sensor 1-1 itself may determine the wall temperature and seat surface temperature based on the infrared image data and output the determined wall temperature and seat surface temperature to the control processing unit 4 via the communication network 2 and the IF unit 3.

[0037] The first temperature sensor 1-1 is disposed in the vehicle interior so as to capture an image of a predetermined area (image capture area) including vehicle interior forming members and the surface of the seat. The first temperature sensor 1-1 is disposed, for example, between the rearview mirror RM and the ceiling and attached to the ceiling. Alternatively, for example, the first temperature sensor 1-1 may be disposed at an end portion of the rearview mirror RM on the seat ST side.

[0038] The second temperature sensor 1-2 is a sensor that is connected to the communication network 2 and measures the temperature inside the vehicle cabin (vehicle room temperature). The second temperature sensor 1-2 outputs the measurement result (vehicle room temperature) to the control processing unit 4 via the communication network 2 and the IF unit 3.

[0039] The humidity sensor 1-3 is a sensor that is connected to the communication network 2 and measures the humidity inside the vehicle cabin (vehicle interior humidity). The humidity sensor 1-3 outputs the measurement result (vehicle interior humidity) to the control processing unit 4 via the communication network 2 and the IF unit 3.

[0040] The second temperature sensor 1-2 and the humidity sensor 1-3 are disposed in the vehicle interior so as to be able to measure the vehicle interior temperature and the vehicle interior humidity, respectively. For example, the second temperature sensor 1-2 and the humidity sensor 1-3 are disposed in parallel to each other on the instrument panel IP.

[0041] The solar radiation sensor 1-4 is a sensor that is connected to the communication network 2 and measures the amount of solar radiation (e.g., total solar radiation) outside the vehicle cabin. The solar radiation sensor 1-4 is disposed outside or inside the vehicle cabin so as to face the sky. For example, the solar radiation sensor 1-4 is disposed at the front end portion of the instrument panel IP so as to face the sky through the front window FW. The solar radiation sensor 1-4 outputs its measurement result (amount of solar radiation) to the control processing unit 4 via the communication network 2 and the IF unit 3.

[0042] The skin temperature sensor 1-5 is connected to the communication network 2 and is a sensor that measures the skin temperature (skin temperature) of the occupant OC of the vehicle VC in order to actually measure the regulation start skin temperature of the occupant OC. The regulation start skin temperature is the skin temperature when thermoregulation by sweating begins. For example, the skin temperature sensor 1-5 is a temperature sensor and is arranged in the vehicle VC so as to come into close contact (abut) with the skin of the occupant OC to measure the skin temperature of the occupant OC. In this embodiment, the skin temperature sensor 1-5 is arranged on the steering wheel SW so that a measurement surface for measuring the temperature faces the outside and the measurement surface comes into close contact with the hand of the occupant OC when the occupant OC holds it. The skin temperature sensor 1-5 outputs the measurement result (skin temperature) to the control processing unit 4 via the communication network 2 and the IF unit 3.

[0043] The storage unit 5 is a circuit connected to the control processing unit 4 and stores various predetermined programs and various predetermined data according to the control of the control processing unit 4. The various predetermined programs include, for example, a control processing program, and the control processing program includes, for example, a control program, a sweat amount processing program, a thermal resistance coefficient processing program, a body temperature estimation program, an air conditioning control program, and a judgment processing program. The control program is a program that controls each part 1 (1-1 to 1-6), 3, and 5 of the vehicle-mounted air conditioning system 1000 according to the function of each part. The sweat amount processing program is a program that calculates the sweat amount of the occupant OC based on the deep body temperature and skin temperature of the occupant OC. The thermal resistance coefficient processing program is a program that calculates the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant OC based on the sweat amount of the occupant OC calculated by the sweat amount processing program. The body temperature estimation program is a program that estimates the body temperature of the occupant OC by the biological model of the sub-model formula using the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant OC calculated by the thermal resistance coefficient processing program. The air conditioning control program is a program for controlling the air conditioner 6 based on the body temperature of the occupant OC estimated by the body temperature estimation program. The determination process program is a program for determining whether the skin temperature of the occupant OC measured by the skin temperature sensor 1-5 is stable over time, and when it is determined that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time as a result of the determination and the input unit 1-6 receives an input indicating that the occupant OC is comfortable, the program sets the skin temperature of the occupant OC when it is determined that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time as the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant OC. The various types of predetermined data include data required for executing each of these programs, such as correspondence relationship information, occupant information, and each value used in each equation described later, such as basal metabolism, internal heat transfer coefficient, and specific heat of blood.

[0044] The storage unit 5 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) which is a nonvolatile storage element, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) which is a rewritable nonvolatile storage element, etc. The storage unit 5 also includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) which serves as a so-called working memory of the control processing unit 4 for storing data generated during the execution of the predetermined program, etc.

[0045] The storage unit 5 functionally includes a correspondence information storage unit 51 and an occupant information storage unit 52 in order to store the correspondence information and the occupant information.

[0046] The correspondence information storage unit 51 stores the correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the amount of sweat and the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing (the thermal resistance coefficient of clothes).

[0047] Normally, an air layer having a relatively high heat insulating property exists between the clothing (clothing worn by the occupant) of the occupant OC and the skin, and the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing is relatively high (large), for example, as shown in FIG. 3A as a non-wet state. In an environment in which the occupant OC sweats, when the clothing becomes wet due to sweating by the occupant OC, the clothing adheres to the skin, and the air layer between the clothing and the skin before the clothing becomes wet is reduced or eliminated. When the air layer is reduced or eliminated, the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing is reduced and becomes relatively low (small), for example, as shown in FIG. 3A as a wet state. The correspondence information storage unit 51 stores such a correspondence relationship as correspondence information representing it. More specifically, this correspondence relationship is a relationship in which the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing decreases as the amount of sweating increases, as shown in FIG. 3B (the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing decreases as the amount of sweating increases).

[0048] The clothes of the occupant OC often differ according to the type of the individual, which is classified according to differences in, for example, gender, age, and physique. For this reason, in this embodiment, the correspondence relationship is a plurality of relationships according to the type of the individual of the occupant. For example, when the types of the individual are 24 types (=2×4×3) according to gender (male and female), age (infant and toddler, 0 to 5 years old), juvenile (5 to 15 years old), young adult (15 to 65 years old), and elderly (65 years old or older), and physique (those with a slim physique, for example, a physique with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of less than 18.5), standard physique (a physique with a BMI of 18.5 to 25), and overweight physique (a physique with a BMI of 25 or more), the correspondence relationships are 24 relationships corresponding to the 24 types. The correspondence relationship information storage unit 51 stores the 24 correspondence relationships in association with the type of the individual. Furthermore, since clothing differs depending on the season, in this embodiment, the correspondence relationship is further multiple according to the season, and the season includes at least winter and summer. More specifically, the correspondence relationship information storage unit 51 stores 24 correspondence relationships for summer (June to September) in association with the type of individual, stores 24 correspondence relationships for winter (December to February) in association with the type of individual, and stores 24 correspondence relationships for spring and autumn (intermediate period, March to May, October, November) in association with the type of individual. Each of such multiple correspondence relationships is appropriately set in advance from, for example, multiple samples, and stored in the correspondence relationship information storage unit 51. Note that the correspondence relationship may be set according to the destination of the vehicle VC, since clothing may differ depending on the customs in the destination of the vehicle VC.

[0049] The occupant information storage unit 52 stores information (occupant information) on the attributes of the occupant OC that allows classification of the individual type of the occupant OC. The occupant information includes, for example, the gender, age, height, weight, etc. of the occupant OC. Such occupant information is input by the occupant OC through the input unit 1-6 and stored in the occupant information storage unit 52 in association with the occupant OC.

[0050] The control processing unit 4 is a circuit for controlling each unit 1 (1-1 to 1-6), 3, 5 of the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 according to the function of each unit, and for controlling the air conditioner 6. The control processing unit 4 is configured to include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits. In the control processing unit 4, a control unit 41, a sweat rate processing unit 42, a thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43, a body temperature estimation unit 44, an air conditioning control unit 45, and a judgment processing unit 46 are functionally configured by executing the control processing program.

[0051] The control unit 41 controls each of the units 1 (1-1 to 1-7), 3, and 5 of the vehicle-mounted air-conditioning system 1000 in accordance with the function of each unit, and is in charge of controlling the vehicle-mounted air-conditioning system 1000 as a whole.

[0052] The sweat amount processing unit 42 calculates the amount of sweat of the occupant OC based on the deep body temperature and the skin temperature of the occupant OC. More specifically, the sweat amount processing unit 42 calculates the amount of sweat of the occupant OC based on the deep body temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk By using this in Equation 7c described later, the amount of sweating of the occupant OC m rsw As will be described later, the deep temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk When the body temperature estimation unit 44 estimates the amount of sweat m rsw Therefore, the body temperature estimating section 44 may also function as the sweat rate processing section 42.

[0053] The thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43 obtains the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant OC based on the amount of sweat of the occupant OC obtained by the sweat amount processing unit. More specifically, the thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43 obtains the thermal resistance coefficient corresponding to the amount of sweat of the occupant OC obtained by the sweat amount processing unit from the correspondence of the correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit 51 of the storage unit 5. In this embodiment, the correspondence is a plurality of correspondences according to the type of individual and further a plurality of correspondences according to the season, so more specifically, the thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43 functions as follows. In order to identify the season, the thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43 has a calendar function that measures the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second and obtains the date (season). The thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43 first identifies the season using the calendar function, and then identifies the type of individual in the occupant OC from the occupant information stored in the occupant information storage unit 52 of the storage unit 5. Next, the thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43 selects (extracts) the correspondence relationships corresponding to the identified seasons and types of individuals from among the correspondence relationships of the correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit 51. Then, the thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43 obtains, from the selected correspondence relationship, a thermal resistance coefficient corresponding to the amount of sweating of the occupant OC obtained by the sweating amount processing unit.

[0054] The body temperature estimation unit 44 estimates the body temperature of the occupant OC using a sub-model type biological model that uses the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant OC obtained by the thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43.

[0055] More specifically, the body temperature estimation unit 44 estimates the body temperature of the occupant OC using a biological model as follows. In this embodiment, infrared image data is transmitted from the first temperature sensor 1-1, and the body temperature estimation unit 44 calculates the wall temperature and seat surface temperature based on the infrared image data, so this process will first be described.

[0056] In the calculation of the wall temperature, the wall temperature is used to calculate the amount of radiant heat received by the occupant OC from the vehicle interior forming member, as described later. Therefore, the vehicle interior forming member is, for example, composed of a ceiling portion and a peripheral wall portion, an area in which the ceiling portion is reflected in an infrared image based on the infrared image data is set in advance as a ceiling temperature detection area, and the temperature of the ceiling portion (ceiling temperature) is obtained based on the pixel values ​​(temperatures) of the pixels in the ceiling temperature detection area, and an area in which a background portion with respect to the occupant OC is reflected in the infrared image is set in advance as a peripheral wall temperature detection area, and the temperature of the peripheral wall portion (peripheral wall temperature) is obtained based on the pixel values ​​(temperatures) of the pixels in the peripheral wall temperature detection area. Then, the ratios of the ceiling portion and the peripheral wall portion to the entire surroundings of the occupant OC are appropriately set in advance as distribution ratios (weights), and the wall temperature is obtained as a weighted average value of the ceiling temperature and the peripheral wall temperature ((wall temperature)=(weight of the ceiling portion)×(ceiling temperature)+(1-(weight of the ceiling portion))×(peripheral wall temperature)).

[0057] In calculating the seat surface temperature, an area in the infrared image where the seat surface is reflected is preset as a seat temperature detection area, and the temperature of the seat surface (seat surface temperature) is calculated based on the pixel values ​​(temperatures) of the pixels in the seat temperature detection area.

[0058] In the calculation of temperature based on pixel values ​​of pixels in the detection area, for example, the average value of pixel values ​​calculated for all pixels in the detection area is set as the temperature. Alternatively, for example, the average value of pixel values ​​calculated for a preset number of pixels in the detection area is set as the temperature. Alternatively, for example, the pixel value of a pixel located at the center of the detection area is set as the temperature. Alternatively, for example, the maximum pixel value (maximum temperature, peak temperature) of each pixel value of all pixels in the detection area is set as the temperature.

[0059] In the above description, skin temperature sensor 1-5 is a contact type temperature sensor, and first temperature sensor 1-1 is a non-contact type. However, by obtaining the temperature from an infrared image area that captures the skin of occupant OC, for example the face, first temperature sensor 1-1 can also serve as skin temperature sensor 1-5, and skin temperature sensor 1-5 may be omitted.

[0060] In the present embodiment, the body temperature is calculated using, for example, the Gagge two-node model described above as a biological model. This biological model regards the human body as a sphere consisting of two layers, a deep part and a body surface, and calculates the heat balance of the human body to obtain the temperature of the deep part (deep part temperature) and the temperature of the body surface (skin temperature). In other words, the body temperature includes the deep part temperature and the skin temperature. The amount of heat stored in the deep part S cr [W / m 2 ] is expressed by the following equation 1a, and the amount of heat stored on the body surface S sk [W / m 2 ] is expressed by the following equation 1b. On the other hand, the heat storage amount S cr is the mass m at depth cr [kg](=(body weight)×(78.3 / 81.7)), specific heat c cr and deep temperature change △T cr [℃] is expressed by the following formula 2a, and the amount of heat stored on the body surface S sk is the mass m on the body surface sk [kg](=(body weight)×(3.4 / 81.7)), specific heat c sk and skin temperature change △T sk From these equations 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b, the deep temperature change △T cr and time series skin temperature change △T sk Therefore, the deep temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk is repeatedly calculated at a predetermined sampling interval, and the deep temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk To calculate the change in deep temperature △T at the current sampling timing, use Equation 1 and Equation 2. cr and skin temperature change △T sk To calculate the deep temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk is the deep temperature T obtained at the previous sampling timing. cr and skin temperature T sk In addition, the deep temperature change △T crare the rates of deep temperature change per unit time, with each time interval in the time series being a unit time, and the time-series skin temperature change ΔT sk is also the rate of change of skin temperature per unit time.

[0061]

number

[0062]

number

[0063] Here, Q met is metabolic heat [W / m 2 ] and the basal metabolic rate M0 [W / m 2 ], its allocation ratio D met and shivering heat production M shiv [W / m 2 ], its allocation ratio D shiv The amount of heat produced by shivering is expressed by the following formula 3a. shiv is the deep temperature when thermoregulation by sweating begins (regulation start deep temperature, initial value of deep temperature (deep temperature set point)) T cr_set [℃], core temperature T cr [℃], skin temperature when thermoregulation by sweating begins (regulation start skin temperature, initial value of skin temperature (skin temperature set point)) T sk_set [℃] and skin temperature T sk [℃], is expressed by the following formula 3b (shivering thermogenesis formula 3b). shiv [W / (m 2 ·℃)] is a coefficient of the shivering thermogenesis formula 3b. The basal metabolic rate M0 is set appropriately in advance. Alternatively, the basal metabolic rate M0 is defined in advance as a function of height and weight. met , D shiv is set appropriately in advance. The coefficient C of the shivering heat production formula 3b shiv is set in advance based on known documents or multiple samples. max(a, b) is an operator that selects (outputs) the larger of a and b.

[0064] Wex is the external work of the crew OC [W / m 2 ] and is appropriately set in advance.

[0065] Q res is the amount of heat lost to the outside of the body by breathing of the occupant OC [W / m 2 ] and metabolic heat Q met , the saturated vapor pressure at depth P cr_set [Pa], vapor pressure of the cabin air P a [Pa], core temperature T cr and car temperature T a This is expressed by the following formula 3c (respiratory heat dissipation formula 3c). res1 [1 / Pa], C res2 [1 / ℃] are the first and second coefficients of the respiration heat dissipation formula 3c. Note that the saturated vapor pressure P cr_set and vapor pressure P a are calculated as follows. The first and second coefficients C resl , C res2 is set in advance based on known documents or a number of samples.

[0066]

number

[0067] K T is the internal heat transfer coefficient [W / (m 2 ·°C)] and K T (T cr -T sk ) is the amount of heat conducted between the deep part and the surface of the body, and c bl is the specific heat of blood, and V bl is skin blood flow [L / (hr m 2 )] and is expressed by the following equation 4 (blood flow equation 4): bl V bl (T cr -T sk ) is the amount of heat transported by blood flow between the deep part and the surface of the body. T and the specific heat of blood c bl is set in advance based on known documents or a number of samples.

[0068]

number

[0069] Here, D bl is the blood flow rate V bl The allocation ratio of C bl is the first coefficient of the blood flow equation 4 (resting blood flow rate) [L / (hr m 2 )], and C dil is the second coefficient (vasodilation coefficient) of the blood flow equation 4 [L / (hr m 2 ·°C)], and C str is the third coefficient (coefficient at vasoconstriction) [L / ℃] of the blood flow formula 4. bl and the first through third coefficients C bl , C dil , C str is appropriately set in advance.

[0070] Q r is the amount of radiant heat emitted from the body surface [W / m 2 ], and the emissivity ε and the clothing surface area increase rate f cl , the Stefan-Boltzmann constant σ (σ = 5.67 × 10 -8 [W / (m 2 ·K 4 )], Gebhart's absorption coefficient B, clothing surface temperature T cl [℃] and wall temperature T w Q is expressed by the following formula 5b in [℃]. cnv is the amount of convective heat loss from the body surface [W / m 2 ] and the clothing surface area increase rate f cl , the convective heat transfer coefficient h c [W / (m 2 ·K), clothing surface temperature T cl and car temperature T a Q is expressed by the following formula 5c in [℃]. cond is the amount of heat transferred from the body surface through clothing [W / m 2 ] and the clothing surface area increase rate f cl , the thermal conductance G between the clothing and the seat ST cond , clothing surface temperature Tcl and the seat surface temperature T sf Q is expressed by the following formula 5c in [℃]. s is the amount of heat received from solar radiation [W / m 2 ]. These radiative heat losses Q r , convection heat loss Q cnv , heat transfer from contact Q cond and solar radiation Q s The sensible heat quantity Q is calculated as shown in the following equation 5a. dry These emissivity ε and clothing surface area increase rate f cl , Gebhart absorption coefficient B, convection heat transfer coefficient h c and thermal conductance G cond is set in advance based on known literature or multiple samples. w and the seat surface temperature T sf In this embodiment, as described above, the vehicle interior temperature T a The measurement result of the second temperature sensor 1-2 is used for the amount of solar radiation Q s The measurement results of the solar radiation sensor 1-4 are used.

[0071]

number

[0072] Sensible heat Q dry and clothing surface temperature T cl What is skin temperature T sk and the amount of clothing worn by the occupant OC (the thermal resistance of clothing) I cl [clo] is expressed by the following formula 6. The amount of clothing I cl is set in advance based on known documents or a number of samples.

[0073]

number

[0074] In this embodiment, the heat balance is considered as a whole human body, i.e., "deep body - skin - environment", so the clothing surface area increase rate f cl and convection heat transfer coefficient hc By inputting the above, the sensible heat quantity Q dry is obtained, and as a result, the clothing surface temperature T cl is required.

[0075] Qe is the latent heat of sweating and evaporation (sensible and insensible perspiration) [W / m 2 ], and the wetness rate due to insensible perspiration and thermal sweating w, the clothing surface area increase rate f cl , the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing R pcl The reciprocal of R -1 pcl (=Clothing moisture permeability F pcl ), the material heat transfer coefficient h e , the saturated vapor pressure on the skin surface P sk_sat and the vapor pressure of the cabin air P a The wetness ratio w is expressed by the following formula 7a. The wetness ratio w due to insensible perspiration is dif , clothing surface area increase rate f cl , the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing R pcl The reciprocal of R -1 pcl (=F pcl ), material heat transfer coefficient h e , latent heat of vaporization C vw (=2430[kJ / kg]; 30[℃]), thermal sweating rate m rsw , the saturated vapor pressure on the skin surface P sk_sat and the vapor pressure of the cabin air P a The amount of thermal sweating m is expressed by the following formula 7b. rsw is the distribution ratio D of the amount of thermal sweating rsw , the deep temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk The internal body temperature T b [℃], the internal body temperature at the start of thermoregulation by sweating (regulation start internal body temperature, initial value of internal body temperature (internal body temperature set point)) T b_set [℃], skin temperature T sk , and the starting skin temperature T sk_set This is expressed by the following formula 7c (thermal sweating formula 7c). sw1 , C sw2 are the first and second coefficients of the thermal sweating equation 7c. bis the weight when averaging the deep temperature and the skin temperature, and is the body surface ratio (skin layer ratio), and is expressed by the following formula 7f. The cabin humidity RH measured by the humidity sensor 1-3 is expressed by P a = RH × P a_sat The vapor pressure of the air in the vehicle compartment P a Here, the cabin humidity RH is a dimensionless number, and P a_sat is the saturated vapor pressure of the air in the vehicle compartment, and is calculated based on the vehicle room temperature Ta measured by the second temperature sensor 1-2 using a known method such as the Antoine formula or the Sonntag formula. a is used in Equation 3c, Equation 7a, and Equation 7b. The wetness ratio for insensible perspiration w dif is set in advance based on publicly known literature or multiple samples. rsw , and No. 1 and No. 2C sw1 , C sw2 is appropriately set in advance.

[0076]

number

[0077] In this embodiment, the regulation start skin temperature T sk_set is set for each occupant OC based on actual measurement by the skin temperature sensor 1-5.

[0078] For example, as shown in Figure 4, when a living body moves from a normal temperature environment to a hot environment, the core temperature T cr The skin temperature T sk The temperature of the skin starts to rise and the body starts to sweat. Figure 4 shows the changes in skin temperature T over time for four people, from Mr. A to Mr. D. sk The skin temperature at the start of thermoregulation by sweating (regulation start skin temperature) T sk_set For this reason, in this embodiment, the adjustment start skin temperature T 1 of the occupant OC is set by the determination processing unit 46 as described below based on the actual measurement by the skin temperature sensor 1-5, and is stored in the memory unit 5. In estimating the body temperature using a biological model, the adjustment start skin temperature T 1 of the occupant OC stored in the memory unit 5 is set by the determination processing unit 46 as described below. sk_set is used.

[0079] The body temperature estimation unit 44 estimates the temperature T at the previous sampling timing (previous step) n. cr and T sk For each, the deep temperature change △T cr and skin temperature change △T sk By adding them together, the T of the current sampling timing (current step) n+1 is obtained. cr and T sk Find each (T cr ←T cr +△T cr , T sk ←T sk +△T sk This allows you to measure body temperature (core temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk ) is estimated.

[0080] The air conditioning control unit 45 controls the air conditioner 6 based on the body temperature of the occupant OC estimated by the body temperature estimation unit 44. More specifically, the air conditioning control unit 45 controls the air conditioner 6 based on the skin temperature T sk The degree of comfort (comfort level) of the occupant OC is calculated from the above, and the temperature and air volume of the conditioned air are adjusted to control the air conditioner 6 so that the calculated comfort level becomes the target comfort level. A known comfort model such as SET* (standard new effective temperature) or PMV (predicted average thermal sensation declaration) is used to calculate the comfort level. If the calculated comfort level is higher than the target comfort level, the air conditioning control unit 45 controls the air conditioner 6 to adjust the temperature and air volume of the conditioned air so that the comfort level decreases and the comfort level becomes the target comfort level. If the calculated comfort level is lower than the target comfort level, the air conditioning control unit 45 controls the air conditioner 6 to adjust the temperature and air volume of the conditioned air so that the comfort level increases and the comfort level becomes the target comfort level. For example, the difference between the calculated comfort level and the target comfort level is divided into three levels: large, medium, and small. If the difference is large, both the temperature and air volume of the conditioned air are adjusted. If the difference is medium, the temperature of the conditioned air is adjusted first. If the difference is small, the air volume of the conditioned air is adjusted first.

[0081] The determination processing unit 46 determines whether the skin temperature of the occupant OC measured by the skin temperature sensor 1-5 is stable over time. When it is determined that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time as a result of the determination and the input unit 1-6 has received an input indicating that the occupant OC is comfortable, the determination processing unit 46 calculates the skin temperature of the occupant OC when it is determined that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time as the adjustment start skin temperature T sk_set and stores it in the storage unit 5.

[0082] For example, as shown in Fig. 5, when an occupant OC gets into a vehicle VC from inside a dealership or from outside the vehicle, the air conditioning device 6 is turned on, and the occupant OC grips the steering wheel SW, making the hands of the occupant OC measurable by the skin temperature sensor 1-5, there is a transitional period from this point onwards, during which the skin temperature of the occupant OC measured by the skin temperature sensor 1-5 is not stable. After a while, the skin temperature of the occupant OC measured by the skin temperature sensor 1-5 becomes stable over time. For example, the determination processing unit 46 samples the measurement results of the skin temperature sensor 1-5 at a predetermined sampling interval, calculates the difference between the skin temperature of the occupant OC sampled at the current sampling timing and the skin temperature of the occupant OC sampled at the previous sampling timing, determines whether or not this calculated difference is within a predetermined range, and if the difference falls within the predetermined range for a predetermined number of times (i.e., a predetermined period of time), determines that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time, and otherwise determines that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is not stable over time. Then, if it is determined that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time, and further if the input unit 1-6 receives an input indicating that the occupant OC is comfortable, the determination processing unit 46 sets the skin temperature of the occupant OC at this time as the adjustment start skin temperature T sk_set and is stored in the memory unit 5. Note that the adjustment start skin temperature T sk_set may be considered as one piece of occupant information and stored in the occupant information storage unit 52.

[0083] The IF unit 3, the control processing unit 4, and the storage unit 5 can be configured by a computer called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

[0084] In this embodiment, the perspiration rate processing unit 42 corresponds to an example of a perspiration rate acquisition unit that acquires the perspiration rate of the occupant. The input unit 1-6, the IF unit 3, the control processing unit 4, and the storage unit 5 correspond to an example of an in-vehicle air-conditioning control device. As described above, in the case where the sensors 1-1 to 1-5 are connected to the control processing unit 4 by the respective signal lines, the sensors 1-1 to 1-5, the input unit 1-6, the control processing unit 4, and the storage unit 5 correspond to another example of an in-vehicle air-conditioning control device.

[0085] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the in-vehicle air conditioning system with respect to setting the adjustment start skin temperature based on actual measurement. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the in-vehicle air conditioning system with respect to control of the in-vehicle air conditioner.

[0086] When the vehicle VC starts operating, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 executes initialization of the necessary parts and starts operating. By executing the control processing program, the control processing unit 4 is functionally configured with a control unit 41, a sweat rate processing unit 42, a thermal resistance coefficient processing unit 43, a body temperature estimation unit 44, an air conditioning control unit 45, and a judgment processing unit 46.

[0087] First, the input of occupant information and the setting of the adjustment start skin temperature will be described. For example, when the vehicle VC is purchased and delivered, and the occupant information and the adjustment start skin temperature are input from a menu screen (not shown) displayed on the touch panel, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 outputs an occupant information input message prompting the input of occupant information by the control unit 41 of the control processing unit 4 (S1) in Fig. 6. For example, the control unit 41 displays each entry field such as an occupant name (occupant ID) entry field, a gender entry field, an age entry field (date of birth entry field), a height entry field, and a weight entry field, as well as a message such as "Please fill in each field" on the touch panel.

[0088] When the occupant OC fills in each entry field on the touch panel, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 acquires each piece of information from each entry field using the control unit 41, and stores this acquired occupant information entered in each entry field, such as the gender entry field, the age entry field, the height entry field, and the weight entry field, in the occupant information memory unit 52 of the memory unit 5 in association with the occupant name entered in the occupant name entry field (S2).

[0089] Next, the in-vehicle air conditioning system 1000 outputs a skin temperature measurement start message to prompt the driver to measure the skin temperature by the control unit 41 (S3). For example, the control unit 41 displays a message such as "Set the air conditioner to XX degrees, turn it on, and hold the steering wheel at the position of the skin temperature sensor mark" on the touch panel.

[0090] When the occupant OC turns on the air conditioner 6 using the touch panel, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 operates the air conditioner 6 at the set temperature by the air conditioning control unit 45 of the control processing unit 4 (S4).

[0091] Next, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 acquires the measurement result (skin temperature) from the skin temperature sensor 1-5 by the determination processing unit 46 of the control processing unit 4, and determines whether or not the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time (S5). If the result of this determination is that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time (Yes), the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 then executes process S6. On the other hand, if the result of the above determination is that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is not stable over time (No), the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 returns the process to process S5. Therefore, process S5 is repeated until the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time.

[0092] In this process S6, the in-vehicle air conditioning system 1000 outputs a comfort inquiry message to inquire about comfort to the occupant OC through the judgment processing unit 46. For example, the control unit 41 displays a message such as "Is the vehicle interior environment comfortable? Please press one of the buttons below", a "Yes" button, and a "No" button on the touch panel.

[0093] Next, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 judges whether the occupant OC is comfortable or not by the judgment processing unit 46 (S7). If the result of this judgment is that the occupant is not comfortable (No), the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 next executes process S8, whereas if the result of the judgment is that the occupant is comfortable (Yes), the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 next executes process S10. For example, in the above example, when the occupant inputs the "No" button, the judgment processing unit 46 judges that the occupant is not comfortable, and when the occupant inputs the "Yes" button, the judgment processing unit 46 judges that the occupant is comfortable.

[0094] In this process S8, the in-vehicle air conditioning system 1000 outputs an air conditioning setting change message to prompt the occupant OC to change the air conditioning setting by the determination processing unit 46. For example, the control unit 41 displays a message such as "Please change the air conditioning setting to make it more comfortable" on the touch panel.

[0095] When the occupant OC changes the settings of the air conditioner 6 using the touch panel, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 controls the air conditioner 6 to operate with the changed settings using the air conditioning control unit 45 of the control processing unit 4 (S9), and the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 returns the process to process S5.

[0096] In the process S10, when it is determined that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time and an input indicating that the occupant OC is comfortable is received via the touch panel as the input unit 1-6, the in-vehicle air conditioning system 1000 determines, by the determination processing unit 46, the skin temperature of the occupant when it is determined in the process S5 that the skin temperature of the occupant OC is stable over time, as the adjustment start skin temperature T sk_set The result is stored in the storage unit 5, and the process ends.

[0097] Next, a description will be given of the control of the air conditioner 6. In the control of the air conditioner 6, when a sampling timing (control timing) comes, in Fig. 7, the vehicle-mounted air conditioning system 1000 acquires each measurement result (infrared image data, vehicle room temperature, vehicle interior humidity, and solar radiation amount) from each of the sensors 1-1 to 1-4 via the communication network 2 and the IF unit 3 by the control unit 41 of the control processing unit 4 (S21).

[0098] Next, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 calculates the sweat amount m rsw At the first sampling timing, the deep temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk There is no (T cr ←T cr +△T cr , T sk ←T sk +△T sk ). Deep temperature T cr As shown in FIG. 4, for example, since it hardly changes, a default value is set in advance, and the deep temperature T obtained at the previous sampling timing at the first sampling timing is cr This default value may be used as the skin temperature T obtained at the previous sampling timing at the first sampling timing. sk As a result, the skin temperature T sk_set Alternatively, the skin temperature T obtained at the previous sampling timing at the first sampling timing may be used. sk Alternatively, when the occupant OC (e.g., face part, etc.) is captured in the infrared image captured by the first temperature sensor 1-1, the temperature of the area of ​​the infrared image in which the occupant OC is captured may be used as the skin temperature T sk It may be used as:

[0099] Next, the vehicle-mounted air-conditioning system 1000 calculates the thermal resistance coefficient R pclIn this case, as described above, the correspondence relationship according to the season and the type of the individual in the occupant OC is used.

[0100] Next, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 estimates the body temperature (core temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk In this case, as described above, the adjustment start skin temperature T sk_set is used.

[0101] Then, the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 controls the air conditioning device 6 using the air conditioning control unit 45 of the control processing unit 4 based on the body temperature of the occupant OC estimated using the biological model in process S24 (S25), and ends this process at the current sampling timing.

[0102] As described above, the vehicle air conditioning control device provided in the vehicle air conditioning system 1000 according to the embodiment and the vehicle air conditioning control method and program implemented therein are capable of controlling the amount of sweat m rsw The amount of sweating of the occupant OC obtained by the calculation m rsw Based on the thermal resistance coefficient R of the clothing of the occupant OC pcl The thermal resistance coefficient R of the clothing of the occupant is calculated. pcl The body temperature (core temperature T cr and skin temperature T sk ), the body temperature of the occupant OC can be estimated with higher accuracy, and therefore the in-vehicle air-conditioning device 6 can be controlled with higher accuracy. Therefore, the in-vehicle air-conditioning system 1000, the in-vehicle air-conditioning control device, the in-vehicle air-conditioning control method, and the in-vehicle air-conditioning control program can further improve the estimation accuracy of the biological model, thereby further improving the control accuracy.

[0103] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the action and effect of the vehicle-mounted air-conditioning system. When a living body (person, occupant OC) moves from a normal temperature environment to a hot environment, Fig. 8A shows the result of estimating the body temperature of the occupant OC by the vehicle-mounted air-conditioning system 1000 in the embodiment, and Fig. 8B shows the result of estimating the body temperature of the occupant OC in a comparative example in which the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant OC is not corrected based on the amount of sweat of the occupant OC. The horizontal axis of Fig. 8A and Fig. 8B is time (elapsed time) [min], and each vertical axis is temperature [°C].

[0104] In Figure 8, the deep temperature T cr Since there is little fluctuation in the estimated deep temperature T cr is the estimated deep temperature T shown in Figure 8B. cr On the other hand, the skin temperature T sk The difference △ES1 between the actual measured value and the estimated value in the skin temperature T sk This is smaller than the difference △ES0 between the actual measured value and the estimated value in (△ES1<△ES0). Therefore, it is clear that calculating the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing based on the amount of sweat of the occupant OC is effective in improving the estimation accuracy.

[0105] Furthermore, the above-mentioned vehicle air conditioning system 1000, vehicle air conditioning control device, vehicle air conditioning control method, and vehicle air conditioning control program have multiple correspondence relationships between the amount of sweat and the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing depending on the individual type of the occupant OC, making it possible to set the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing depending on the individual type of the occupant OC, and the vehicle air conditioning device 6 can be controlled to better fit (adapt) the occupant OC.

[0106] The vehicle air conditioning system 1000, the vehicle air conditioning control device, the vehicle air conditioning control method, and the vehicle air conditioning control program are sk_setSince the body temperature of the occupant OC is estimated using a sub-model type biological model that fits the occupant OC, the body temperature of the occupant OC can be estimated with higher accuracy, and therefore the in-vehicle air conditioner 6 can be controlled with higher accuracy. Therefore, the in-vehicle air conditioning system 1000, the in-vehicle air conditioning control device, the in-vehicle air conditioning control method, and the in-vehicle air conditioning control program can further improve the control accuracy by further improving the estimation accuracy of the biological model. In this embodiment, the adjustment start skin temperature T sk_set can be obtained.

[0107] In the above embodiment, the adjustment start skin temperature T sk_set is actually measured by a skin temperature sensor 1-5 equipped in the vehicle VC, but may be actually measured by utilizing an external device. For example, the external device for measuring the skin temperature may be a wearable skin temperature sensor (e.g., a wristwatch-type skin temperature sensor) equipped with a communication function with the outside and attached to the occupant OC. In this case, the IF unit 3 of the in-vehicle air-conditioning system 1000 has a communication interface function for transmitting and receiving communication signals to and from the external device, for example, by using an infrared communication standard or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. Such an in-vehicle air-conditioning system 1000, in-vehicle air-conditioning control device, in-vehicle air-conditioning control method, and in-vehicle air-conditioning control program receive the adjustment start skin temperature T sk_set and receiving control start skin temperature data representing the control start skin temperature T sk_set The IF unit 3 having the communication interface function corresponds to another example of a skin temperature acquisition unit that acquires the skin temperature of the occupant.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the amount of sweat is calculated by the calculation process by the sweat amount processing unit 42. However, for example, the amount of sweat may be measured by a sweat amount sensor that measures the amount of sweat, as disclosed in JP 2020-44129 A and the like. The sweat detection device disclosed in JP 2020-44129 A (JP Patent No. 7126196 A) is a device that detects sweat of a living body using a detection circuit including first and second electrodes whose main surfaces are insulated and an inductive element, and includes a resistance variable member that changes the resistance value according to the amount of absorbed liquid, a resonance resistance measurement unit that measures the resonance resistance value of the detection circuit, and a sweat determination unit that determines the amount of sweat based on the resonance resistance value measured by the resonance resistance measurement unit, and the first and second electrodes are juxtaposed via the resistance variable member while contacting the resistance variable member on surfaces other than the main surface. The sweat amount sensor corresponds to another example of a sweat amount acquisition unit.

[0109] In order to express the present invention, the present invention has been described adequately and sufficiently through the embodiments with reference to the drawings in the above description, but it should be recognized that those skilled in the art can easily change and / or improve the above-mentioned embodiments. Therefore, unless the changes or improvements made by those skilled in the art are at a level that departs from the scope of the claims described in the claims, the changes or improvements are interpreted as being included in the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] 1000 Vehicle Air Conditioning System 1-1 First temperature sensor 1-2 Second temperature sensor 1-3 Humidity sensor 1-4 Solar radiation sensor 1-5 Skin temperature sensor 2. Communication Network 3. Interface section (IF section) 4. Control Processing Section 5 Storage section 6 Air conditioner 7 (7-11, 7-12, 7-13, 7-14, 7-2) Air outlet (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D air outlet, 2nd air outlet) 41 Control section 42 Sweat amount processing section 43 Thermal resistance coefficient processing section 44 Body Temperature Estimation Unit 45 Air conditioning control unit 46 Judgment processing unit

Claims

1. An in-vehicle air conditioning control device that controls an in-vehicle air conditioning device based on a body temperature of an occupant estimated by a biological model, The biological model is represented by explanatory variables including at least the latent heat quantity of sweating and includes a model formula for estimating the skin temperature as a response variable; The latent heat amount of the sweating and evaporation is expressed by a sub-model equation defined using a thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant, a sweat rate acquisition unit that acquires the amount of sweat of the occupant; a thermal resistance coefficient processing unit that calculates a thermal resistance coefficient of clothing of the occupant based on the amount of sweat of the occupant acquired by the sweat amount acquisition unit; a body temperature estimation unit that estimates a body temperature of the occupant using the biological model of the sub-model equation using the thermal resistance coefficient of clothing of the occupant obtained by the thermal resistance coefficient processing unit, In-vehicle air conditioning control device.

2. a correspondence information storage unit configured to store correspondence information representing a correspondence relationship between the amount of sweat and the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing, The correspondence relationship is a plurality of relationships corresponding to the types of individuals of the occupants. The vehicle air conditioning control device according to claim 1 .

3. The sub-model formula is further defined using a skin temperature difference between the skin temperature and a regulation start skin temperature at the start of thermoregulation by sweating, a skin temperature acquisition unit that acquires the skin temperature of the occupant; and further comprising an adjustment start skin temperature acquisition unit for acquiring the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant. The vehicle air conditioning control device according to claim 1 .

4. the skin temperature acquisition unit includes a skin temperature sensor for measuring the skin temperature of the occupant, The adjustment start skin temperature acquisition unit includes a comfort input unit that receives an input indicating that the occupant is comfortable, and a determination processing unit that determines whether the skin temperature of the occupant measured by the skin temperature sensor is stable over time, and when it is determined that the skin temperature of the occupant is stable over time as a result of the determination and the comfort input unit receives an input indicating that the occupant is comfortable, sets the skin temperature of the occupant when it is determined that the skin temperature of the occupant is stable over time as the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant. The vehicle air conditioning control device according to claim 3.

5. The skin temperature acquisition unit is an interface unit that receives adjustment start skin temperature data representing the adjustment start skin temperature of the occupant from an external device. The vehicle air conditioning control device according to claim 3.

6. A method for controlling an in-vehicle air conditioning device based on a body temperature of an occupant estimated by a biological model, comprising: The biological model is represented by explanatory variables including at least the latent heat quantity of sweating and includes a model formula for estimating the skin temperature as a response variable; The latent heat amount of the sweating and evaporation is expressed by a sub-model equation defined using a thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant, a sweat rate acquisition step of acquiring a sweat rate of the occupant; a thermal resistance coefficient processing step of determining a thermal resistance coefficient of clothing of the occupant based on the amount of sweat of the occupant acquired in the amount of sweat acquisition step; a body temperature estimating step of estimating a body temperature of the occupant using the biological model of the sub-model equation using the thermal resistance coefficient of the clothing of the occupant obtained in the thermal resistance coefficient processing step, A method for controlling vehicle air conditioning.

7. An in-vehicle air conditioning control program for controlling an in-vehicle air conditioning device based on a body temperature of an occupant estimated by a biological model, A method for causing a computer to function as the vehicle air conditioning control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, In-vehicle air conditioning control program.

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