Odor detection device and odor detection method

Abstract

To provide an odor detection device and an odor detection method that make an odor easier to detect by stirring the air.SOLUTION: An odor detection device 16 is an odor detection device 16 which detects an odor in a cabin of a vehicle, and comprises: a detection unit 31 for determining a degree of agitation of the air within a cabin; an odor sensor control unit 32 for controlling an odor sensor 11 that detects an odor in the cabin; an odor determination unit 34 that determines the state of the odor based on an odor-measured value measured by the odor sensor 11; and an agitation control unit 33 for controlling an operation of an agitator 12 for agitating the air in the cabin, wherein: the detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the cabin is high based on an operation state of the agitator 12; and the odor determination unit 34 determines the odor state based on the odor-measured value measured by the odor sensor 11 when the detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the cabin is high.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an off-odor detection device and an off-odor detection method. [Background technology]

[0002] A monitoring device is known that notifies vehicle occupants of information about the state of luggage based on sensor data from an odor sensor installed in the luggage compartment of a vehicle (Patent Document 1).

[0003] This technology makes it possible to manage the condition of cargo transported in a vehicle based on the odor of the cargo. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-129824 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For example, when a vehicle is parked and the vehicle's air conditioning system is not running, the air within the enclosed vehicle cabin is not moving.

[0006] In general, when odorous gas enters the flow path and hits the sensor element, the resistance of the sensor element changes, and this change is output as a measurement value. In other words, if the air around the odor sensor is not moving, the change in the resistance of the sensor element will also be small, and the odor sensor may not be able to properly measure the odor. Also, if the odor sensor is located far from the source of the odor and there is no movement in the air inside the vehicle, the air containing the odorous gas will not move near the odor sensor, and the odor inside the vehicle may not be properly detected. Similar problems can occur when detecting odors in enclosed spaces other than vehicles.

[0007] The present invention was made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide an odor detection device and an odor detection method that make it easier to detect odors by agitating the air. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is an odor detection device that detects odors within the passenger compartment of a vehicle, and includes a detection unit that determines the degree of agitation of the air within the passenger compartment, an odor sensor control unit that controls the odor sensor that detects odors within the passenger compartment, an odor determination unit that determines the state of the odor based on odor measurement values ​​measured by the odor sensor, and an agitation control unit that controls the operation of an agitator that agitates the air within the passenger compartment.The detection unit determines that the degree of agitation of the air within the passenger compartment is high based on the operating state of the agitator, and the odor determination unit determines the state of the odor based on the odor measurement values ​​measured by the odor sensor when the detection unit determines that the degree of agitation of the air within the passenger compartment is high.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention provides an odor detection method for detecting an odor in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, and includes a detection step for determining the degree of agitation of the air in the passenger compartment, an odor sensor control step for controlling an odor sensor that detects odors in the passenger compartment, an odor determination step for determining the state of the odor based on odor measurement values ​​measured by the odor sensor, and an agitation control step for controlling the operation of an agitation device that agitates the air in the passenger compartment.The detection step determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the passenger compartment is high based on the operating state of the agitation device, and the odor determination step determines the state of the odor based on the odor measurement values ​​measured by the odor sensor when the detection step determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the passenger compartment is high. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, odors inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle can be appropriately detected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an off-odor detection system 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the abnormal odor detection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] [One embodiment] (Configuration of Off-odor Detection System 1) 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an anomalous odor detection system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The anomalous odor detection system 1 is mounted on a vehicle, but all or part of its configuration can be provided in on-board equipment such as a drive recorder or car navigation system, or in a mobile terminal such as a user's smartphone, or it can be provided separately in the vehicle as a dedicated device.

[0013] The off-odor detection system 1 includes an odor sensor 11, a stirring device 12, a display unit 13, an audio output unit 14, an input operation unit 15, and an off-odor detection device 16.

[0014] The odor sensor 11 measures odors in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. For example, when odorous gas enters the flow path and hits the sensor element, the resistance value of the sensor element changes, and the odor sensor 11 outputs this change as sensor data of the odor measurement value. One or more odor sensors 11 may be installed in the passenger compartment of a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0015] The agitator 12 is a device that circulates air inside the vehicle cabin. The agitator 12 is, for example, a circulator or an air conditioner (air conditioner), and may be controlled by sending a control signal to an air conditioning device installed in the vehicle, or may be configured as a dedicated or general-purpose air conditioning fan brought in from outside. The agitator 12 does not necessarily have a function of controlling the air temperature, etc., and may only operate as a so-called fan. One or more agitators 12 may be installed inside the vehicle cabin.

[0016] The agitator 12 operates or stops at predetermined times. For example, the agitator 12 operates or stops at times determined by an odor detection process, which will be described later. The agitator 12 also operates or stops at times determined by a user's settings on the input operation unit 15. The agitator 12 also operates or stops at times determined by a maintenance mode. The maintenance mode is a scheduled air conditioning management mode that periodically operates the agitator 12, which is a vehicle's air conditioning unit, to suppress the growth of mold and bacteria, and is adopted in some vehicles. Note that the operation or stop of the agitator 12 due to a process other than the odor detection process, such as a user's settings on the input operation unit 15 or the maintenance mode, is appropriately referred to as the operation or stop of the agitator 12 due to normal operation processing.

[0017] Display unit 13 is, for example, a liquid crystal or organic EL (Electroluminescence) display device. Display unit 13 may also be, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). Display unit 13 notifies the user that the abnormal odor detection device 16 has detected an abnormal odor.

[0018] The audio output unit 14 is, for example, a speaker, and notifies the user by voice that the odor detection device 16 has detected an odor.

[0019] The input operation unit 15 is, for example, a touch panel formed integrally with the display unit 13, and accepts input operations of various information from the user. The user interface may use known techniques such as a touch panel, buttons, or acquisition via communication.

[0020] The odor detection device 16, the details of which will be described later, activates the agitator 12 at a predetermined timing, and when the agitator 12 is activated, determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high. If it is determined that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high, control is performed to perform measurement by odor sensor 11. This series of processes is called the abnormal odor detection process. Then, when an abnormal odor is detected, abnormal odor detection device 16 notifies the user. Here, the user is assumed to be a user such as the driver of the vehicle, but it can also be an owner or manager of a rental car or the like.

[0021] The off-odor detection device 16 is connected to the odor sensor 11 through the input operation unit 15 by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives various information.

[0022] (Configuration of the odor detection device 16) The off-odor detection device 16 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit .

[0023] Control unit 21 is composed of an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory circuit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). By reading and executing an information processing program stored in memory unit 22, control unit 21 functions as detection unit 31, odor sensor control unit 32, stirring control unit 33, off-odor determination unit 34, and notification control unit 35, and executes the off-odor detection process.

[0024] The detection unit 31 determines whether the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is low based on a predetermined criterion. Here, a low degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin means a state in which the air flow in the vehicle cabin is low, and the air movement near the odor sensor 11 is low and the state is not suitable for odor measurement. For example, the detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is low when there is no passenger in the vehicle cabin, the agitator 12 is stopped, and the vehicle windows are closed.

[0025] Whether or not a person is present in the vehicle cabin is determined, for example, by a known image analysis method such as motion detection from images provided by cameras inside and outside the vehicle (not shown). It may also be determined by a known method from sensor data provided by, for example, a weight sensor, a vibration sensor, or a radio wave sensor (not shown). In this specification, whether or not the vehicle windows are closed refers to whether or not the vehicle cabin is sealed, and assumes that the vehicle doors and windows are closed. The state of the vehicle windows is determined, as described above, by image analysis or sensor data provided by a power window control mechanism, a door open / close detection mechanism, etc. Information required for the determination can also be acquired as vehicle information via an in-vehicle network such as the vehicle's CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0026] The detection unit 31 also determines whether the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high. For example, if the continuous operation time of the agitator 12 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high.

[0027] The odor sensor control unit 32 controls the odor sensor 11 and causes the sensor data measured by the odor sensor 11 to be output to the off-odor determination unit 34. The odor sensor control unit 32 controls the operating state and stopped state of the odor sensor 11 based on, for example, the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin by the detection unit 31, and causes the sensor data of the odor measurement value measured by the odor sensor 11 to be output to the off-odor determination unit 34. The odor sensor 11 may be controlled so that it is operated only when an actual measurement is to be performed.

[0028] The stirring control unit 33 controls the operation of the stirring device 12. The stirring control unit 33 activates the stirring device 12 at a predetermined timing. For example, when the detection unit 31 determines that the degree of stirring of the air in the vehicle cabin is low, the stirring control unit 33 activates the stirring device 12.

[0029] The off-odor determination unit 34 determines the state of odor in the vehicle cabin. For example, the memory unit 22 stores a reference value to be compared with the odor measurement value indicated by the sensor data measured by the odor sensor 11, and also stores a threshold value (hereinafter also referred to as the "normal range threshold") for the difference between the odor measurement value and the reference value. The off-odor determination unit 34 then determines whether the difference between the odor measurement value indicated by the sensor data measured by the odor sensor 11 and the reference value pre-stored in the memory unit 22 exceeds the normal range threshold. If the difference between the odor measurement value and the reference value is equal to or less than the normal range threshold, the off-odor determination unit 34 determines that the odor in the vehicle cabin is normal. On the other hand, if the difference between the odor measurement value and the reference value is greater than the normal range threshold, the off-odor determination unit 34 determines that the odor in the vehicle cabin is not normal, i.e., that an off-odor is occurring. The odor determination is one example, and the state of odor may also be determined by statistically analyzing changes in measurement values ​​or based on components analyzed by the odor sensor 11 or the like that can analyze odor components.

[0030] When the odor determination unit 34 determines that the odor in the vehicle cabin is abnormal, i.e., that an abnormal odor is occurring, the notification control unit 35 generates notification information to notify the user of this and notifies the user via either the display unit 13 or the audio output unit 14. For example, a light source such as an LED provided on the display unit 13 may flash, or text information such as "An abnormal odor has been detected" may be displayed on the display unit 13. A voice message or an alarm sound may also be output via the audio output unit 14.

[0031] The storage unit 22 is an information recording device configured with a magnetic recording medium (e.g., a flexible disk, a magnetic tape, a hard disk drive), a magneto-optical recording medium (e.g., a magneto-optical disk), a semiconductor memory (e.g., an EPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a flash ROM, a RAM), etc. The storage unit 22 stores an OS and various programs for controlling the overall operation of the off-odor detection device 16, temporary data, data for the odor sensor, etc.

[0032] The communication unit 23 communicates with the odor sensor 11, the agitator 12, the display unit 13, the audio output unit 14, and the input operation unit 15. The communication unit 23 may transmit and receive various information in cooperation with other in-vehicle devices, including an in-vehicle network, via wired communication. Furthermore, some or all of the communication may be realized by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Furthermore, information may be exchanged with external servers and various services via a network (not shown) or the like, using wide-area wireless communication such as mobile communication.

[0033] (Foul odor detection processing) FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the off-odor detection process performed by the off-odor detection device 16.

[0034] In step S1, the detection unit 31 determines whether the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is low. In this example, the detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is low when there is no passenger in the vehicle cabin, the agitation device 12 is stopped, and the vehicle windows are closed.

[0035] If it is determined in step S1 that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is low, in step S2, the agitation control unit 33 activates the agitator 12. Note that if the agitator 12 is already operating according to the normal operation process, step S2 is skipped.

[0036] In step S3, the detection unit 31 determines whether the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high. In this example, if the continuous operation time of the agitator 12 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time T, the detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high. In step S2, if the agitator 12 is in an operating state, the detection unit 31 determines whether the predetermined time T is equal to or longer than the predetermined time T based on the time from when the agitator 12 was activated, or if the agitator 12 is already operating through normal operation processing, the detection unit 31 determines whether the predetermined time T is equal to or longer than the predetermined time T based on the time from when the agitator 12 started operating through normal operation processing. The time T is the time during which the air in the vehicle cabin is considered to have been sufficiently agitated. If the agitator 12 is, for example, an air conditioner installed in the vehicle, a sufficient amount of air can be obtained, and this may be on the order of a few seconds. If the agitator 12 is a small blower fan, the time may be longer, for example, on the order of one minute. The time T can be set arbitrarily depending on the conditions, or may be determined through experiments, for example.

[0037] If it is determined in step S3 that the continuous operation time of the agitator 12 is equal to or longer than time T and the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high, then in step S4, the odor sensor control unit 32 puts the odor sensor 11 into an operating state.

[0038] Next, in step S5, the off-odor determination unit 34 determines whether the difference between the odor measurement value indicated by the sensor data measured by the odor sensor 11 and the reference value pre-stored in the memory unit 22 exceeds the normal range threshold. If it is determined that the difference between the odor measurement value and the reference value exceeds the normal range threshold, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0039] In step S6, the notification control unit 35 generates notification information for notifying the user that an abnormal odor has been detected, and notifies the user via at least one of the display unit 13 and the audio output unit 14. Then, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0040] If it is determined in step S5 that the difference between the odor measurement value and the reference value does not exceed the normal range threshold, the process skips step S6 and proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the agitation control unit 33 stops the agitator 12, and the odor sensor control unit 32 stops the odor sensor 11. If the agitator 12 is stopped by the normal operation process, the stopped state is maintained. If the agitator 12 is operating by the normal operation process, the operating state is maintained. The maintenance mode generally operates infrequently and ends in a short time. The detection unit 31 waits until a predetermined standby time has elapsed, and then returns to step S1. The predetermined standby time may be set to a longer time, such as two hours, taking into account power consumption and other factors. Furthermore, the standby time may be shortened depending on the environment, such as during the daytime in summer, when items left inside a vehicle are more likely to spoil.

[0041] The abnormal odor detection process ends, for example, when the user performs a termination operation on the input operation unit 15 (not shown).

[0042] (Specific example of odor detection processing) The above-mentioned odor detection process will be explained based on a specific example. For example, when a vehicle arrives at a destination, the vehicle windows are closed, the engine is stopped, and the user exits the vehicle, it is determined that the degree of agitation of the air inside the vehicle cabin is low (step S1: Yes). Then, the agitator 12 is activated (step S2). After that, when time T has elapsed since the agitator 12 started operating (step S3: Yes), it is determined that the degree of agitation of the air is high, and the odor sensor 11 is activated (step S4). That is, air flows near the odor sensor 11, allowing the odor sensor 11 to properly measure odors. Furthermore, air from other locations flows near the odor sensor 11, allowing odors generated in various locations inside the vehicle cabin to be circulated and measured properly.

[0043] If the difference between the odor measurement value indicated by the sensor data measured by odor sensor 11 and the reference value exceeds the normal range threshold (step S5: Yes), notification control unit 35 issues a notification (step S6). For example, if the display unit 13 and audio output unit 14 of the user's smartphone are the notification destinations, the user who receives the notification can assume that something unusual has happened to the luggage left in the vehicle and return to the vehicle. After the notification to the user, agitation device 12 and odor sensor 11 are stopped, and after a predetermined time has elapsed (step S7), it is again determined whether the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is low (step S1).

[0044] If it is confirmed in step S1 that the agitator 12 is operating in maintenance mode, step S2 is skipped, and after the operation time of the agitator 12 has elapsed for time T, it is determined that the degree of agitation of the air is high (step S3: Yes), and the odor sensor 11 enters an operating state (step S4).

[0045] Typically, the cause of an odor caused by food such as fish or meat left in the vehicle cabin (hereinafter referred to as an odor-causing object) gradually becomes stronger, so the user may not notice the odor-causing object when getting out of the vehicle. Therefore, with the above-described processing, even if the odor is weak at first, it is possible to effectively detect and notify the user of the presence of an odor-causing object when the odor gradually becomes stronger. The user who receives the notification can then take action such as removing the odor-causing object from the vehicle, thereby avoiding the unpleasant situation caused by leaving the odor-causing object for a long period of time and the difficulty of cleaning it. As a result, the interior of the vehicle can be maintained as a comfortable space.

[0046] If the agitator 12 is already operating through normal operation processing, including in maintenance mode, the odor sensor control unit 32 determines that the degree of agitation of the air is high at that time and activates the odor sensor 11. In this way, by utilizing the operation of the agitator 12 through normal operation processing, the odor detection device 16 can efficiently and appropriately detect odors in the vehicle cabin without consuming more battery power than necessary.

[0047] [Other Examples] (Another example of a criterion for determining whether the degree of agitation of the air inside the vehicle cabin is low) In the above-described embodiment, the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is determined to be low when there is no passenger in the vehicle cabin, the agitator 12 is stopped, and the vehicle windows are closed. However, this is not limited to this. When the agitator 12 is stopped and the vehicle windows are closed, the air in the vehicle cabin does not flow significantly, so the passengers in the vehicle may not immediately notice an odor. Therefore, for the user in the vehicle, the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin may be determined to be low when the agitator 12 is stopped and the vehicle windows are closed, regardless of whether there is a passenger in the vehicle cabin or not, and subsequent processing may be executed. Also, if the agitator 12 is, for example, an air conditioner installed in the vehicle and is operating in an air conditioning mode that exhausts air from the vehicle cabin and actively replaces the air, the air may not be agitated in a state suitable for odor measurement. If it is known that the maintenance mode is to operate in such an air conditioning mode, in step S1 described above, even if operation of the agitator 12 in the maintenance mode is confirmed, the degree of agitation may be determined to remain low, and the process may not proceed to step S2. In this case, it is desirable to resume the determination in step S1 after the maintenance mode has finished and things have settled down, for example, a few minutes later.

[0048] (Another example of a criterion for determining whether the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high) In the above-described embodiment, it is determined that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high when the continuous operation time of the agitator 12 is equal to or longer than the predetermined time T, but this is not limiting. When the agitator 12 is in an operating state, it can also be determined that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high regardless of the continuous operation time.

[0049] (Other examples of notifications) In the above-described embodiment, when an abnormal odor is detected by the abnormal odor determination unit 34, the notification control unit 35 outputs a notification to that effect via the display unit 13 and the audio output unit 14. Considering the case where the user is not near the vehicle, the notification state of the display unit 13 provided on the vehicle may be maintained for a long time until the user returns to the vehicle, or the notification may be made after detecting that the user has returned near the vehicle. In the parking lot of the user's residence, the notification may be made in a conspicuous manner so as to notify a friendly neighbor. As described above, notification information may be sent via a network to the user's smartphone or the vehicle manager's terminal via email, a dedicated app, or the like. The notification method is not limited to this, and various known notification methods are possible, and may be selected by the user by, for example, setting it in advance.

[0050] Furthermore, after issuing the notification, the notification control unit 35 may activate the air conditioning equipment, such as an air conditioner, installed in the vehicle if the air conditioning equipment has a deodorizing function. This allows the malodor detection device 16 to further avoid unpleasant conditions caused by leaving the malodor-producing material for a long period of time, or situations where cleaning becomes difficult.

[0051] (Another example of the odor detection device 16) As mentioned above, the peculiar odor detection device 16 can be installed in the vehicle as an independent device, but it can also be incorporated into or linked to a car navigation system or a drive recorder. If the car navigation system or drive recorder is equipped with an air conditioning fan or the like, and this operation can stir the air inside the vehicle cabin, it can be linked to the peculiar odor detection device 16 and used as a stirrer 12 for odor measurement.

[0052] If the odor detection device 16 is incorporated into a navigation system, the odor detection device 16 may register the location where the odor is detected as data that can be viewed on a personal computer, etc., in the same way as registering favorite locations.

[0053] When the peculiar odor detection device 16 is incorporated into a drive recorder, the peculiar odor detection device 16 may register information on the detection of an peculiar odor in the same way as the accident detection data of the drive recorder.

[0054] The odor detection device 16 may also be incorporated into a known in-vehicle air cleaning ozone generator that can be attached to a drink holder or the like.

[0055] [Supplementary explanation of the embodiment] The above-described embodiments each show a preferred specific example of the present invention. The numerical values, components, arrangement positions and connection order of components, processing order in flowcharts, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, each figure is not necessarily a strict illustration.

[0056] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0057] The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. When the series of processes is executed by software, the program constituting the software is installed from a program recording medium into a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware, or into, for example, a general-purpose personal computer that can execute various functions by installing various programs.

[0058] The program executed by the computer may be a program that processes in chronological order according to the order described in this specification, or may be a program that processes in parallel or at the required timing, such as when called.

[0059] [Note] The contents of the above-described embodiments can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0060] (1) Measurement by odor sensor 11 when the degree of air agitation is high The above-mentioned off-odor detection device 16 includes: An odor detection device 16 for detecting an odor in a vehicle cabin, a detection unit 31 that determines the degree of agitation of air in the vehicle cabin; an odor sensor control unit 32 that controls an odor sensor 11 that detects odors in the vehicle interior; an odor determination unit (34) that determines the state of the odor based on the odor measurement value measured by the odor sensor (11); a stirring control unit 33 that controls the operation of the stirring device 12 that stirs the air in the vehicle cabin; Equipped with The detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high based on the operating state of the agitator 12, The odor determination unit 34 determines the state of the odor based on the odor measurement value measured by the odor sensor 11 when the detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high. It is possible.

[0061] With this configuration, the odor detection device 16 performs measurements with the odor sensor 11 while stirring the air in the vehicle compartment, making it easier for the odor sensor 11 to detect an odor in the vehicle compartment.

[0062] (2) Timing of operation of the agitator 12 In the above-mentioned off-odor detection device 16, The stirring control unit 33 activates the stirring device 12 when the detection unit 31 determines that the degree of stirring of the air in the vehicle cabin is low based on a predetermined standard. It is possible.

[0063] With this configuration, agitation control unit 33 detects an odor when the degree of agitation of the air is low, for example, when the vehicle is parked, and therefore it is possible to avoid leaving an odor-producing substance unattended for a long period of time. Furthermore, agitation control unit 33 operates agitator 12 when the degree of agitation of the air is low, and conversely, does not operate agitator 12 when the degree of agitation of the air is high, thereby reducing battery consumption due to operation of agitator 12.

[0064] (3) Requirements for determining that the degree of air agitation in the vehicle cabin is high The detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high when the operating state of the agitator 12 continues for a predetermined time. It is possible.

[0065] With this configuration, the detection unit 31 determines that the operating state of the agitator 12 has continued for a predetermined time, the air has been sufficiently agitated, and the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is high, allowing the odor sensor 11 to properly measure odors.

[0066] (4) Requirements for determining that the degree of air agitation in the vehicle cabin is low In the above-mentioned off-odor detection device 16, The detection unit 31 determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is low when there is no passenger in the vehicle cabin, when the agitation device is not operating, and when the vehicle windows are closed. It is possible.

[0067] With this configuration, abnormal odors are detected mainly when the vehicle is parked, which reduces battery consumption. Furthermore, even when the vehicle is parked, if the air is agitated, such as when someone is inside the vehicle, abnormal odors are not detected, which further reduces battery consumption. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1. Odor detection system 11 Odor sensor 12 Stirring device 12 Separate stirring device 13 Display section 14 Audio output section 15 Input operation section 16. Odor detection device 21 Control section 22 Memory section 23 Communications Department 31 Detection unit 32 Odor sensor control unit 33 Stirring control unit 34 Odor Judgment Section 35 Notification control section

Claims

1. An odor detection device for detecting an odor in a vehicle cabin, a detection unit that determines a degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin; an odor sensor control unit that controls an odor sensor that detects odors in the vehicle interior; an off-odor determination unit that determines the state of the off-odor based on the odor measurement value measured by the odor sensor; an agitation control unit that controls operation of an agitation device that agitates the air in the vehicle cabin; Equipped with The detection unit determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle compartment is high based on an operating state of the agitation device, The odor determination unit determines the state of the odor based on the odor measurement value measured by the odor sensor in a state in which the detection unit determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle compartment is high. An odor detection device characterized by:

2. The off-odor detection device according to claim 1, The stirring control unit activates the stirring device when the detection unit determines that the degree of stirring of the air in the vehicle compartment is low. An odor detection device characterized by:

3. The off-odor detection device according to claim 1 or 2, The detection unit determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle compartment is high when the operating state of the agitation device continues for a predetermined time. An odor detection device characterized by:

4. The off-odor detection device according to claim 1 or 2, The detection unit determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin is low when there is no passenger in the vehicle cabin, when the agitation device is not operating, and when the vehicle windows are closed. An odor detection device characterized by:

5. An odor detection method for detecting an odor in a vehicle cabin, comprising: a detection step of determining a degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle cabin; an odor sensor control step of controlling an odor sensor that detects odors in the vehicle interior; an off-odor determination step of determining the state of the off-odor based on the odor measurement value measured by the odor sensor; an agitation control step of controlling operation of an agitation device that agitates the air in the vehicle cabin; Equipped with The detecting step determines that the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle compartment is high based on an operating state of the agitation device, The abnormal odor determination step determines the abnormal odor state based on the odor measurement value measured by the odor sensor in a state in which the degree of agitation of the air in the vehicle compartment is determined to be high in the detection step. A method for detecting an abnormal odor.

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