Fragrance control device

Abstract

To provide a fragrance control device that can control intensity of fragrance to the intensity which is desired by an occupant.SOLUTION: A fragrance control device includes: a blower 14 for blowing a fragrance substance 22 into a cabin; a control unit 12 for controlling the blower 14; a first detection part 16 for detecting fragrance cartridge information relating to a fragrance cartridge 26 storing the fragrance substance 22; a second detection part 18 for detecting environmental information of a vehicle; and a third detection part 20 for detecting usage status information inside the cabin. The control unit 12 receives information from the first detection part 16, the second detection part 18, and the third detection part 20 and operates the blower 14 on the basis of the received information to control the strength of blown air.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a scent control device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, techniques relating to scent control devices have been proposed with the aim of improving the comfort of vehicle interior spaces.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a control device for a shared vehicle system. This control device is used in a shared vehicle system in which multiple people share a vehicle equipped with a fragrance emitting device that emits a fragrance inside the vehicle cabin. When a new user starts using the vehicle, this control device controls the interior of the vehicle to the fragrance preferred by that user, even if the fragrance preferred by the previous user who used the vehicle is different from the fragrance preferred by the new user. This is said to allow each user to use the vehicle comfortably. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-169270 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In conventional scent control devices, the occupant selects the scent strength using a terminal device, etc., and the scent strength blown into the vehicle cabin is controlled based on that selection. However, even when the occupant selects the scent strength, the strength corresponding to that selection may not match the occupant's preference.

[0006] Therefore, this specification provides a scent control device that can control the scent strength to the passenger's preference. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The fragrance control device disclosed in this specification comprises a blower that blows a fragrance substance into the vehicle cabin, a control unit that controls the blower, a first detection unit that detects fragrance cartridge information related to the fragrance cartridge that contains the fragrance substance, a second detection unit that detects vehicle environmental information, and a third detection unit that detects usage status information within the vehicle cabin, and is characterized in that the control unit receives information from the first detection unit, the second detection unit, and the third detection unit, and operates the blower and controls the strength of the air blowing based on the received information.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the amount of fragrance volatilized can be adjusted by controlling the strength of the air blown from the blower according to the vehicle environment, so that the fragrance strength can be controlled to the occupant's preference.

[0009] The control unit controls the intensity at predetermined intervals when the blower is operated to blow the fragrance material.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the strength of the air blown from the blower is controlled at predetermined intervals, so that the strength of the fragrance can be kept constant.

[0011] The control unit controls the intensity when there is a change in the received information while the blower is operating to blow the fragrance material.

[0012] According to the above configuration, it is possible to perform timely control that is more suited to the vehicle environment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the scent control device disclosed in this specification, the amount of scent volatilized can be adjusted by controlling the strength of the air blown from the blower to suit the vehicle environment, so that the scent strength can be controlled to the occupant's desired level. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an aroma control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the scent control device of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The scent control device will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, the scent control device will be described as being installed in a vehicle, but this is not limited to this. For example, part of the scent control device may be installed in an external management center that manages vehicles, or it may be built on the cloud.

[0016] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a scent control device according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the scent control device 10 includes a control unit 12, a blower 14, a first detection unit 16, a second detection unit 18, and a third detection unit 20.

[0017] The control unit 12 is an electronic control unit having at least a CPU that performs various arithmetic processing and a memory that stores control programs and data. The control unit 12 controls a communication unit (not shown) external to the scent control device 10 or provided in the scent control device 10 to exchange data with various devices provided in the scent control device 10 and the vehicle in which the scent control device 10 is installed. The control unit 12 also controls the operation of each unit provided in the scent control device 10. As an example, the control unit 12 receives information from the first detection unit 16, the second detection unit 18, and the third detection unit 20, and operates the blower 14 to control the intensity of the scent to be blown based on the received information. In other words, the control unit 12 adjusts the amount of scent to be volatilized and controls the intensity of the scent by changing the strength of the blower 14 based on each piece of information.

[0018] The blower 14 is a known blower that blows the aromatic substance 22 (see FIG. 2) into the vehicle cabin. More specifically, the blower 14 blows the aromatic substance 22, which has volatilized from an aroma cartridge 26 (see FIG. 2) that contains the aromatic substance 22, into the vehicle cabin through an air outlet toward the inside of the vehicle cabin.

[0019] The first detection unit 16 detects aroma cartridge information related to the aroma cartridge 26. The second detection unit 18 detects vehicle environment information. The third detection unit 20 detects vehicle interior usage status information. The first detection unit 16, the second detection unit 18, and the third detection unit 20 will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the scent control device 10 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the scent control device 10 further includes a scent generator 24. The scent generator 24 is disposed, for example, near an air conditioning system (not shown) and includes a blower 14, a scent cartridge 26, and a fragrance ECU 28. The scent cartridge 26 is a known cartridge that includes a reservoir (not shown) for accommodating a solution containing a scent substance 22 that generates a scent according to the occupant's preferences, and an opening (not shown) through which the scent is released. The fragrance ECU 28 is a microprocessor including a CPU that receives information related to the scent cartridge 26 and performs various calculations. Examples of the information related to the scent cartridge 26 include the type and remaining amount of scent stored in the scent cartridge 26. For example, when the remaining amount of scent becomes low, the scent substance 22 may not be sufficiently released. On the other hand, depending on the type of scent, when the remaining amount of scent becomes low (i.e., as time passes since the start of use), the scent may mature and appear to be more concentrated. In this case, even if the amount of fragrance material 22 released is the same as immediately after use, the fragrance may be perceived as stronger. Therefore, by having the fragrance ECU 28 acquire information about the fragrance cartridge 26, it is possible to release a fragrance into the vehicle cabin at a strength more suited to the passenger's desire. The information about the fragrance cartridge 26 received by the fragrance ECU 28 corresponds to the information detected by the first detection unit 16 shown in FIG. 1.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the fragrance control device 10 further includes a body ECU 30 and an air conditioner ECU 32. The body ECU 30 is a microprocessor including a CPU that receives cabin usage information and performs various calculations. Specifically, the body ECU 30 receives signals from various sensors in the cabin. Examples of such sensors include a seatbelt sensor and a seating sensor. The body ECU 30 acquires information from these sensors, such as the number of passengers in the cabin and the seats in which each passenger is seated. For example, the way a fragrance spreads in the cabin and the effectiveness of the air conditioning system that delivers the fragrance differ depending on whether the vehicle is occupied by only one passenger or multiple passengers. Therefore, by acquiring cabin usage information, the body ECU 30 can control the fragrance intensity to better match the passengers' preferences. Note that the information received by the body ECU 30 corresponds to the information detected by the third detection unit 20 shown in FIG. 1.

[0022] The air conditioner ECU 32 is a microprocessor including a CPU that receives vehicle environmental information and performs various calculations. Specifically, the air conditioner ECU 32 receives signals from various sensors installed inside and outside the vehicle. These sensors include a temperature sensor that measures the interior temperature and the exterior temperature, and a humidity sensor. The air conditioner ECU 32 also receives signals for the air conditioner's set temperature, the airflow rate, and the selection of an air outlet. The information received by the air conditioner ECU 32 corresponds to the information detected by the second detection unit 18 shown in FIG. 1. The fragrance ECU 28, body ECU 30, and air conditioner ECU 32 shown in FIG. 2 correspond to the control unit 12 shown in FIG. 1.

[0023] Next, referring to FIG. 2, the fragrance intensity control performed by the fragrance control device 10 will be further described. As shown in FIG. 2, first, information from the multimedia device 34 is transmitted to the body ECU 30. The multimedia device 34 is, for example, a portable terminal device of the occupant. The occupant can select the fragrance intensity to be emitted from the fragrance generator 24 by operating the multimedia device 34. For example, four buttons, "Stop / Weak / Medium / Strong," are displayed on the display screen of the multimedia device 34, and the occupant selects one of these buttons. Then, upon receiving the selection from the occupant (i.e., an instruction for fragrance intensity by pressing a button), the body ECU 30 transmits information regarding the instruction to the fragrance ECU 28. In conventional fragrance control devices, when an instruction for fragrance intensity is issued via the multimedia device 34, the instruction is transmitted to the body ECU 30, and the fragrance ECU 28 controls the blower 14 based on the information regarding the instruction transmitted via the body ECU 30. In other words, conventionally, the instruction from the occupant via the multimedia device 34 is directly reflected in the control of the blower 14. However, in the fragrance control device 10 according to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 , the body ECU 30 receives information from the air conditioner ECU 32 in addition to information from the multimedia 34. The information transmitted from the body ECU 30 to the fragrance ECU 28 includes information acquired by the body ECU 30 itself from various sensors, in addition to information from the multimedia 34 and the air conditioner ECU 32. The fragrance ECU 28 then performs calculations based on the information received from the body ECU 30 and information acquired by the fragrance cartridge 26, and operates the blower 14 to control the strength of the air blown onto the fragrance material 22, thereby adjusting the amount of the fragrance material 22 volatilized. In other words, the fragrance control device 10 controls the blower 14 in accordance with the vehicle environment so as to achieve the fragrance strength selected by the occupant. The blower 14 may have, for example, an electric motor, and the strength of the air blown (e.g., the amount of air blown) is controlled by controlling the power supplied to the electric motor. As described above, the airflow can be set by the occupant.For example, when "Auto" is set, the air volume is automatically controlled according to the set temperature and the room temperature, so the above-mentioned control can be applied as is. The air outlet can also be set to feet (Foot), face (FACE), etc. The strength of the scent is affected by the airflow direction, so scent intensity control should be performed on the premise that the airflow setting will be made by the occupant. For example, if the airflow direction is towards the feet, the scent will be perceived as weak by the occupant, so the airflow volume can be made relatively large, whereas if the airflow direction is towards the face, the scent will be perceived as strong by the occupant, so the airflow volume can be made relatively small.

[0024] Generally, the scent intensity perceived by occupants varies depending on the external and interior environments of the vehicle, and scent intensity changes over time. However, with the scent control device 10 according to the embodiment, the above configuration allows for control of the scent intensity to suit the occupants' preferences, thereby improving the comfort of the vehicle interior.

[0025] For example, if a new scent cartridge 26 is first used and there is only one occupant, and the scent strength is set to "weak," the fragrance ECU 28 memorizes this and sets the same scent strength under the same conditions. The fragrance ECU 28 then sets the blower 14 to the airflow strength that it determines is optimal, depending on the remaining amount of scented material 22, the number of occupants, the outside temperature, the indoor temperature, and other factors. This airflow strength may be the same as the four levels set by the multimedia 34, or it may be set more precisely or continuously depending on the situation. Furthermore, the occupant may be identified using a smart key or the like, and the setting may be tailored to the occupant's preferences.

[0026] Furthermore, the control unit 12 (fragrance ECU 28 in FIG. 2) may control the intensity at predetermined intervals when the blower 14 is operating to blow the fragrant substance 22. With such a configuration, the intensity of the fragrance can be maintained constant. Furthermore, the control unit 12 (fragrance ECU 28 in FIG. 2) may control the intensity of the air blown when there is a change in the information received via the body ECU 30 or when there is a change in information such as the remaining amount of fragrance obtained from the fragrance cartridge 26 while the blower 14 is operating to blow the fragrant substance 22. With such a configuration, timely control can be performed that is more suited to the vehicle environment.

[0027] The above description is merely an example. In the scent control device disclosed in this specification, the control unit receives information from the first, second, and third detectors and operates the blower to control the intensity of the airflow based on the received information. Therefore, other configurations may be modified as appropriate. For example, in the embodiment, a series of processes are executed to control the blower 14 in response to the occupant's selection of scent intensity via the multimedia 34, but this is not limited to this. Even if no instruction is input from the occupant, for example, when the occupant gets in the vehicle, the scent may be controlled to be released into the vehicle cabin at an appropriate intensity based on the occupant's pre-stored preferences. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 10 scent control device, 12 control unit, 14 blower, 16 first detection unit, 18 second detection unit, 20 third detection unit, 22 scent substance, 24 scent generator, 26 scent cartridge, 28 fragrance ECU, 30 body ECU, 32 air conditioning ECU, 34 multimedia.

Claims

1. a blower that blows the fragrance material into the vehicle interior; a control unit for controlling the blower; a first detection unit that detects scent cartridge information related to the scent cartridge that contains the scent material; a second detection unit that detects environmental information of the vehicle; a third detection unit that detects occupancy information of the vehicle interior; Equipped with the control unit receives information from the first detection unit, the second detection unit, and the third detection unit, and operates the blower based on the received information to control the intensity of air blowing. A scent control device characterized by:

2. The control unit controls the intensity for each predetermined period while operating the blower to blow the fragrance material. The scent control device according to claim 1 .

3. the control unit controls the intensity when there is a change in the received information while the blower is operating to blow the fragrance material. The scent control device according to claim 1 .

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