Contact detection device

Abstract

This contact detection device detects that a human body (81) has come into contact with target equipment (30, 87) disposed on a mobile body (85). The contact detection device is provided with a detector (12), a first contact detection unit (17), and a second contact detection unit (18). The detector detects a physical quantity (Ci) that varies in accordance with approach and / or contact of the body with respect to the target equipment, and outputs an output signal (Sci) corresponding to the physical quantity. The first contact detection unit detects contact of the body with the target equipment on the basis of the output signal during a necessary detection period (PD1) in which it is necessary to detect contact of the body with the target equipment. The second contact detection unit detects, before the start of the necessary detection period, contact of the body with the target equipment on the basis of the output signal.

Description

Contact detection device Cross-reference to related applications

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-47170 filed on March 21, 2025, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a contact detection device for a moving body.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a heater device including contact detection means for detecting contact of an object with a heat generating layer, and energization amount reducing means. The energization amount reducing means reduces the amount of energization to a heat generating portion provided in the heat generating layer when the contact detection means detects contact of an object with the heat generating layer.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 6447245

[0005] For example, conventional contact detection devices such as the contact detection means in Patent Document 1 detect contact with a target device such as the aforementioned heat generating layer by capturing changes in physical quantities (e.g., capacitance) associated with the contact motion of a human body against the target device. Therefore, if the human body continues to be in contact with the target device before contact detection for the target device is required, no change in physical quantities such as capacitance occurs, which may lead to a situation where contact of the human body with the target device cannot be detected. This problem can occur not only when capacitance is used as the physical quantity serving as an index for contact detection, but also when other physical quantities such as electrical resistance are used. As a result of detailed studies by the inventors, the above facts have been found.

[0006] In view of the above points, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a contact detection device capable of detecting contact of a human body with a target device even when the contact has continued since before the start of a required detection period in which detection of the contact is required.

[0007] To achieve the above objective, a contact detection device according to one aspect of this disclosure is a contact detection device for detecting when a person's body comes into contact with a target device installed on a moving object, comprising: a detector that detects a physical quantity that changes in accordance with at least one of approach to or contact with the target device and outputs an output signal corresponding to the physical quantity; a first contact detection unit that detects contact with the target device based on the output signal during a required detection period in which it is necessary to detect contact with the target device; and a second contact detection unit that detects contact with the target device based on the output signal before the start of the required detection period.

[0008] In this way, if physical contact with the target device continues before the start of the required detection period, the second contact detection unit can detect that physical contact with the target device. Then, during the required detection period, the first contact detection unit can detect that physical contact with the target device. Therefore, even if physical contact with the target device continues before the start of the required detection period, or if physical contact occurs after the start of the required detection period, physical contact with the target device can be appropriately detected.

[0009] This is a diagram illustrating the prior art, showing a time chart illustrating the case where a person's body comes into contact with a radiant heater after the radiant heater has started steady-state heating operation. This is a diagram illustrating the prior art, showing a time chart illustrating the case where a person's body continues to come into contact with a radiant heater before the radiant heater has started steady-state heating operation. This is a diagram schematically showing a radiant heater installed in the vehicle cabin and its vicinity in the first embodiment. This is a block diagram illustrating a contact detection device and related equipment in the first embodiment. This is a flowchart illustrating the control process executed by the control device in Figure 4 in the first embodiment. This is a time chart illustrating the control process in Figure 5, using as an example the case where a person's body comes into contact with a radiant heater after the radiant heater's start switch has been switched from off to on and the radiant heater has started normal heating operation in the first embodiment. This is a time chart illustrating the control process in Figure 5, using as an example the case where a person's body continues to come into contact with a radiant heater before the radiant heater's start switch has been switched from off to on in the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, this is a time chart showing enlarged portions VIIIa, VIIIb, and VIIIc of Figure 7. In the second embodiment, this is a block diagram showing the contact detection device and the equipment related to the contact detection device, corresponding to Figure 4. In the second embodiment, this is a flowchart showing the control process executed by the control device in Figure 9, corresponding to Figure 5. In the third embodiment, this is a flowchart showing the control process executed by the control device in Figure 4, corresponding to Figure 5. In the fourth embodiment, this is a flowchart showing the control process executed by the control device in Figure 9, corresponding to Figure 10. In the fifth embodiment, this is a block diagram showing the contact detection device and the equipment related to the contact detection device, corresponding to Figure 4.

[0010] (Description of prior art) For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a contact detection device for detecting contact between a person's body 81 and a radiant heater placed inside the cabin of an automobile. One such contact detection device is a capacitive type, which has been known for some time. Here, the contact detection device for a radiant heater will be described as a capacitive type.

[0011] In conventional technology, as shown in the time chart in Figure 1, for example, the radiant heater starts a steady heating operation that provides sufficient heating capacity from time ta1 when the radiant heater's start switch is turned on. At the same time from time ta1, the contact detection device starts monitoring the capacitance Cj between the contact detection electrodes provided on the radiant heater. At this time, the contact detection device recognizes the initial value of capacitance Cj at the time it started monitoring capacitance Cj, that is, the capacitance Cj at time ta1, as the reference value Cs of that capacitance Cj.

[0012] Then, during the contact detection period Pj after time ta1, the contact detection device determines that a person's body 81 has come into contact with the radiant heater if the capacitance Cj monitored by the contact detection device changes by a predetermined determination value Ct or more relative to the reference value Cs. This is because, during the contact detection period Pj, the radiant heater becomes hot due to its heating operation, and if a body 81 comes into contact with the radiant heater, the heating operation of the radiant heater needs to be stopped or sufficiently suppressed.

[0013] For example, as shown in Figure 1, suppose that at time ta2, the body 81 touches the radiant heater. In this case, at time ta2, the capacitance Cj has changed by a predetermined judgment value Ct or more relative to the reference value Cs, so the contact detection device determines that the person's body 81 has come into contact with the radiant heater. When it is determined that the body 81 has come into contact with the radiant heater, the output of the radiant heater is reduced, or the heating operation of the radiant heater is stopped.

[0014] Thus, conventional contact detection devices perform contact detection with a radiant heater by capturing changes in physical quantities (e.g., changes in capacitance Cj) from the time contact detection with the radiant heater is initiated (e.g., time ta1 in Figure 1).

[0015] Here, let's consider the case shown in Figure 2, where the body 81 has been in continuous contact with the radiant heater since before time ta1, which is the start of the contact detection period Pj when contact detection of the body 81 with the radiant heater is required. In this case, the capacitance Cj remains approximately constant from before time ta1, when the radiant heater's start switch is turned on. As a result, with conventional contact detection devices, contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater is not detected, and the radiant heater starts a steady heating operation from time ta1, even though the body 81 is in contact with it, similar to Figure 1, which is a potential problem.

[0016] The contact detection device 10 in each embodiment described below is configured to avoid such inconveniences.

[0017] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, parts that are the same or equivalent to each other are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

[0018] (First Embodiment) As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the contact detection device 10 of this embodiment is installed on an automobile 85, which is a type of mobile object. The contact detection device 10 detects when the body 81 of an occupant 80 (i.e., a person's body 81) comes into contact with a radiant heater 30 installed on the automobile 85. In the description of this embodiment, the automobile 85 may be simply referred to as a vehicle 85. In this embodiment, the radiant heater 30 corresponds to the equipment covered by this disclosure. In Figure 3, the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of the vehicle 85 are indicated by double-ended arrows, respectively.

[0019] The radiant heater 30 is located inside the passenger compartment 85a of the vehicle 85. The radiant heater 30 is part of a heating system that warms the inside of the passenger compartment 85a. The radiant heater 30 is an electric heater that generates heat when powered by a power source of the vehicle 85. The radiant heater 30 is formed in the shape of a thin plate. The radiant heater 30 primarily radiates radiant heat H in a direction perpendicular to its surface in order to warm an object positioned perpendicular to its surface.

[0020] A seat 86 for the occupant 80 is installed inside the passenger compartment 85a. The radiant heater 30 is installed inside the passenger compartment 85a so as to radiate radiant heat H to the feet of the occupant 80. The radiant heater 30 can be used, for example, immediately after the start of another heating device to provide warmth to the occupant 80.

[0021] The radiant heater 30 is installed so as to face the body 81 of the occupant 80 in a presumed normal posture. For example, a vehicle 85 has a steering wheel 87 operated by the occupant 80 to determine the direction of travel of the vehicle 85, and a steering column 88 for supporting the steering wheel 87. The radiant heater 30 can be installed below the steering column 88 so as to face the body 81 of the occupant 80. In this description of the embodiment, the steering wheel 87 may be referred to as the steering 87.

[0022] The radiant heater 30 comprises a heat-generating section 31 and a contact reaction section 32. The heat-generating section 31 and the contact reaction section 32 are each formed in layers and joined together in a stacked state. The heat-generating section 31 generates heat when an electric current is passed through it, and for example, the amount of heat generated by the heat-generating section 31 increases as the current passed through it increases.

[0023] The contact reaction section 32 extends in a planar manner to cover the heating section 31. The contact reaction section 32 is equipped with a pair of electrodes that generate capacitance Ci. The contact reaction section 32 is configured such that the capacitance Ci between its electrodes, in other words, the capacitance Ci in the contact reaction section 32, fluctuates in response to the contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30. Therefore, the contact detection device 10 can detect the contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 by monitoring the capacitance Ci in the contact reaction section 32. In this embodiment, the capacitance Ci in the contact reaction section 32 described above may be referred to as the reaction section capacitance Ci.

[0024] For example, in this embodiment, the contact reaction unit 32 is configured such that the capacitance Ci of the reaction unit increases as the body 81 comes into contact with the radiant heater 30. The capacitance Ci of the reaction unit also fluctuates when the body 81 comes very close to the radiant heater 30, but this does not interfere with the detection of contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30.

[0025] In this embodiment, the vehicle 85 is equipped with a radiant heater 30, as well as a detector 12 and a control device 14 for controlling the radiant heater 30. The control device 14 functionally comprises a control execution unit 15, a first contact detection unit 17, and a second contact detection unit 18. In this embodiment, the first contact detection unit 17, the second contact detection unit 18, and the detector 12 constitute a contact detection device 10.

[0026] The control device 14 is an electronic control device configured as a microcomputer, equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, and non-volatile rewritable memory (not shown). The control device 14 reads and executes a computer program stored in the ROM or non-volatile rewritable memory, which are non-transitional physical recording media. When this computer program is executed, a method corresponding to the computer program is performed. That is, the control device 14 performs various control processes, such as the control process shown in Figure 5, according to the computer program. The details of the control process shown in Figure 5 will be described later.

[0027] The detector 12 is configured to include an electrical circuit and is electrically connected to the contact reaction part 32 of the radiant heater 30. The detector 12 detects the reaction part capacitance Ci, which is a physical quantity that fluctuates in response to the contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30, and outputs an output signal Sci corresponding to the reaction part capacitance Ci. In this embodiment, the output signal Sci represents the reaction part capacitance Ci by voltage, but it may also represent the reaction part capacitance Ci by current, frequency, etc.

[0028] The control execution unit 15 of the control device 14 controls the amount of heat generated by the heat-generating part 31 of the radiant heater 30 by increasing or decreasing the current flowing to the heat-generating part 31. In short, the control execution unit 15 controls the heat-generating operation of the radiant heater 30.

[0029] The first contact detection unit 17 and the second contact detection unit 18 receive the output signal Sci from the detector 12. The first contact detection unit 17 and the second contact detection unit 18 then detect contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 according to the control process shown in Figure 5.

[0030] In detail, the first contact detection unit 17 detects contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 based on the output signal Sci of the detector 12 during the first detection period PD1, which is the period from tb1 in Figure 6, as described later. In other words, the first detection period PD1 is the period during which the first contact detection unit 17 performs contact detection of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30.

[0031] In response to this, the second contact detection unit 18 detects contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 based on the output signal Sci of the detector 12 during the second detection period PD2, which is the period before the start of the first detection period PD1 (for example, the period from tb0 to tb1 in Figure 6). In other words, the second detection period PD2 is the period during which the second contact detection unit 18 detects contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30. The second detection period PD2 is provided as a period that follows the first detection period PD1 without any interval.

[0032] Regarding the first detection period PD1 mentioned above, during this period, the radiant heater 30 is energized to provide sufficient heating capacity, so normally the radiant heater 30 becomes significantly hotter than the body temperature of the occupant 80. In other words, the first detection period PD1 is the period of full-scale heating when the radiant heater 30 begins full-scale heating operation.

[0033] Therefore, if, during the first detection period PD1, the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30, but the energized state of the heating element 31 is maintained as if there were no contact with the body 81, there is a risk that adverse effects due to high temperature may occur on the body 81. Accordingly, it is necessary to detect contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30 during the first detection period PD1. In other words, the first detection period PD1 can be said to be a necessary detection period during which it is necessary to detect contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30.

[0034] Next, the control process shown in Figure 5, executed by the control device 14, will be described. As shown in Figure 5, first, in step S101, the control device 14 determines whether the start switch 141 for starting the radiant heater 30 has been switched from off to on. The start switch 141 is an operation switch that is manually operated by the crew 80, and a signal indicating the switching status of the start switch 141 is input to the control device 14. The crew 80 turns on the start switch 141 when they want to generate heat in the radiant heater 30, and turns off the start switch 141 when they want to stop generating heat in the radiant heater 30.

[0035] Therefore, the switching of the start switch 141 from off to on corresponds to an instruction from the crew member 80 to start the steady operation of the radiant heater 30. In other words, in step S101, the control device 14 determines whether or not an instruction to start the steady operation of the radiant heater 30 has been given by determining whether or not the start switch 141 has been switched from off to on. The control device 14 then determines that an instruction to start the steady operation of the radiant heater 30 has been given when the start switch 141 has been switched from off to on. Note that in step S101, the heating operation of the radiant heater 30 has not yet started.

[0036] If it is determined in step S101 that the start switch 141 has been switched from off to on, the process proceeds to step S102. In the time chart of Figure 6, at time tb0, the process in Figure 5 has moved from step S101 to step S102.

[0037] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S101 of Figure 5 that the start switch 141 has not been switched from off to on, that is, if it is determined that the start switch 141 remains off, the process returns to step S101 and the determination in step S101 is performed again.

[0038] If the start switch 141 is switched from on to off during the execution of steps S102 and later in Figure 5, the control device 14 will stop the control process in Figure 5 and stop the heating of the radiant heater 30. After stopping the control process in Figure 5, the control device 14 will restart the control process from the first step, step S101.

[0039] In step S102, the second contact detection unit 18 of the control device 14 starts contact detection to determine whether the occupant's body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the second contact detection unit 18 receives the output signal Sci from the detector 12 and converts the output signal Sci into an internal processing signal Sa suitable for signal processing within the control device 14. The second contact detection unit 18 then monitors the reaction unit capacitance Ci by monitoring the internal processing signal Sa. The internal processing signal Sa is generated to fluctuate in accordance with the output signal Sci from the detector 12, and therefore fluctuates in accordance with the reaction unit capacitance Ci.

[0040] If the second contact detection unit 18 has already started contact detection, it will continue contact detection. After step S102 in Figure 5, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0041] In step S103, the second contact detection unit 18 determines whether the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30. The determination method used by the second contact detection unit 18 will be described later.

[0042] In step S103, if it is determined that the body 81 is in contact with the radiation heater 30, in other words, if it is determined that there is contact with the radiation heater 30, the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if it is determined that the body 81 is not in contact with the radiation heater 30, in other words, if it is determined that there is no contact with the radiation heater 30, the process proceeds to step S105. In the time chart of FIG. 6, at time tb1, the process of FIG. 5 proceeds from step S103 to step S105.

[0043] In step S104 of FIG. 5, the control execution unit 15 of the control device 14 causes the radiation heater 30 to perform an operation corresponding to the presence of the contact, in other words, an operation when the body 81 is in contact with the radiation heater 30. Specifically, the control execution unit 15 stops power supply to the heat generating portion 31 of the radiation heater 30 to stop heat generation of the radiation heater 30. That is, the operation corresponding to the presence of the contact means that the radiation heater 30 does not generate heat. If the operation corresponding to the presence of the contact has already been performed, the control execution unit 15 continues the operation corresponding to the presence of the contact. After step S104 in FIG. 5, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0044] In step S105, the control execution unit 15 causes the radiation heater 30 to perform an operation corresponding to the absence of the contact, in other words, an operation when the body 81 is separated from the radiation heater 30. Specifically, the control execution unit 15 supplies power to the heat generating portion 31 so that the radiation heater 30 exerts sufficient heating capacity. That is, the operation corresponding to the absence of the contact means that the radiation heater 30 performs a normal heat generation operation that reaches a temperature significantly higher than human body temperature. If the operation corresponding to the absence of the contact has already been performed, the control execution unit 15 continues the operation corresponding to the absence of the contact.

[0045] For example, in the time chart of FIG. 6, starting from time point tb1, the control execution unit 15 causes the radiant heater 30 to start a heating operation that is executed on condition that the body 81 is away from the radiant heater 30 in step S105. In other words, starting from time point tb1 in FIG. 6, the control execution unit 15 causes the radiant heater 30 to perform a normal heating operation in step S105 of FIG. 5. Therefore, the temperature of the radiant heater 30, that is, the radiant heater temperature, rises starting from time point tb1 in FIG. 6. After step S105 in FIG. 5, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0046] In step S106, the first contact detection unit 17 of the control device 14 starts contact detection for detecting whether the body 81 of the occupant 80 is in contact with the radiant heater 30. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, similar to the second contact detection unit 18 described above, the first contact detection unit 17 receives the output signal Sci of the detector 12 and converts the output signal Sci into an internal processing signal Sa. Then, the first contact detection unit 17 monitors the reaction unit capacitance Ci by monitoring the internal processing signal Sa.

[0047] Note that if the first contact detection unit 17 has already started contact detection, the first contact detection unit 17 continues the contact detection. In addition, since the contact detection by the first contact detection unit 17 replaces the contact detection by the second contact detection unit 18 started in step S102, the contact detection by the second contact detection unit 18 ends simultaneously with the start of contact detection by the first contact detection unit 17. After step S106 in FIG. 5, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0048] In step S107, the first contact detection unit 17 determines whether the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30. The determination method by this first contact detection unit 17 will be described later.

[0049] In step S107, if it is determined that the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30, in other words, if it is determined that there is contact with the radiant heater 30, the process proceeds to step S108. On the other hand, if it is determined that the body 81 is not in contact with the radiant heater 30, in other words, if it is determined that there is no contact with the radiant heater 30, the process proceeds to step S105. In the time chart of Figure 6, at time tb2, the determination of no contact changes to the determination of contact. Note that the time chart of Figure 6 shows a situation where the body 81 is away from the radiant heater 30 before time tb2, is in contact with the radiant heater 30 at time tb2, and continues to be in contact thereafter.

[0050] In step S108, similar to step S104 described above, the control execution unit 15 of the control device 14 causes the radiant heater 30 to perform an operation corresponding to the presence of contact. For example, in the time chart of Figure 6, from time tb2, the radiant heater temperature decreases because the control execution unit 15 stopped generating heat in step S108 of Figure 5. After step S108 in Figure 5, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0051] Furthermore, the processes in each step of Figure 5 described above constitute the functional units that realize their respective functions. This is also true for the flowchart described later.

[0052] Next, the method by which the first contact detection unit 17 determines whether or not the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 will be explained with reference to Figures 5 and 6. First, the first contact detection unit 17 determines in step S103 of Figure 5 that there is no contact with the radiant heater 30, and sets the capacitance Ci of the reaction part at that time, i.e., the capacitance Ci of the reaction part at time tb1 in Figure 6, as the first reference value C1s of the capacitance Ci of the reaction part. In other words, this first reference value C1s is the capacitance Ci of the reaction part at the start of the first detection period PD1 in which the first contact detection unit 17 detects contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30, in short, it is the initial value of the capacitance Ci of the reaction part during the first detection period PD1.

[0053] Furthermore, during the first detection period PD1, in step S107 of Figure 5, the first contact detection unit 17 determines whether the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i, which is the difference between the reaction part capacitance Ci monitored by the first contact detection unit 17 and the first reference value C1s, is greater than or equal to a predetermined first detection judgment value ΔC1it. This first detection judgment value ΔC1it is determined experimentally in advance to ensure that the first contact detection unit 17 can accurately perform contact detection while eliminating the influence of external disturbances such as noise. The first capacitance change amount ΔC1i is calculated as an absolute value.

[0054] Furthermore, the first contact detection unit 17 determines that the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 if it determines that the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i is greater than or equal to the first detection determination value ΔC1it. Conversely, the first contact detection unit 17 determines that the body 81 is not in contact with the radiant heater 30 if it determines that the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i is less than the first detection determination value ΔC1it. In short, during the first detection period PD1, the first contact detection unit 17 detects the switching between a non-contact state where the body 81 is away from the radiant heater 30 and a contact state where the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30, based on an output signal Sci corresponding to the reaction unit capacitance Ci.

[0055] As described in detail above, the first contact detection unit 17 monitors the capacitance Ci of the reaction unit by monitoring the internal processing signal Sa, and performs a comparison and determination between the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i and the first detection determination value ΔC1it using the internal processing signal Sa. In other words, the first contact detection unit 17 determines whether the change amount ΔC1a of the internal processing signal Sa corresponding to the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i is greater than or equal to the determination value ΔC1at corresponding to the first detection determination value ΔC1it. Then, by making a determination on the change amount ΔC1a of the internal processing signal Sa, the first contact detection unit 17 determines whether the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i is greater than or equal to the first detection determination value ΔC1it.

[0056] In this embodiment, the sensitivity of the first contact detection unit 17 to changes in the output signal Sci of the detector 12 is adjusted as follows. That is, the sensitivity is adjusted so that fluctuations in the capacitance Ci of the reaction unit caused by disturbances such as noise are not easily recognized by the first contact detection unit 17, and fluctuations in the capacitance Ci of the reaction unit caused by contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 are appropriately recognized. The above sensitivity can be adjusted, for example, by the relationship between the output signal Sci of the detector 12 and the internal processing signal Sa.

[0057] Next, the method by which the second contact detection unit 18 determines whether or not the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 will be explained with reference to Figures 5, 7, and 8. The time chart in Figure 7 shows a situation in which the body 81 is continuously in contact with the radiant heater 30 from before time tb0. Therefore, in the time chart in Figure 7, the heat generation of the radiant heater 30 is stopped throughout, so the temperature of the radiant heater remains virtually unchanged from before time tb0.

[0058] The tb0 point in Figure 7 is the same point in time as the tb0 point in Figure 6, that is, the point in time when the process in Figure 5 moves from step S101 to step S102. The vertical axis scales in Figure 7 are the same as those in Figure 6, and Figure 8 is a time chart showing enlarged views of sections VIIIa, VIIIb, and VIIIc in Figure 7.

[0059] First, the second contact detection unit 18 determines in step S101 of Figure 5 that the start switch 141 has been switched from off to on, and sets the capacitance Ci of the reaction part at that time, i.e., the capacitance Ci of the reaction part at time tb0 in Figure 7, as the second reference value C2s of the capacitance Ci of the reaction part. In other words, this second reference value C2s is the capacitance Ci of the reaction part at the start of the second detection period PD2 in which the second contact detection unit 18 detects contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30, in short, it is the initial value of the capacitance Ci of the reaction part during the second detection period PD2.

[0060] Here, the capacitance Ci of the reaction section fluctuates significantly when the body 81 moves from a state away from the radiant heater 30 to a state where it comes into contact with the radiant heater 30, but as shown in Figure 7, it hardly changes when the body 81 continues to be in contact with the radiant heater 30. However, even when the body 81 continues to be in contact with the radiant heater 30, the contact portion moves slightly relative to the radiant heater 30 due to changes in the posture of the contact portion of the body 81, etc. Therefore, even when the body 81 continues to be in contact with the radiant heater 30, as shown in Figure 8, the capacitance Ci of the reaction section fluctuates slightly in accordance with the slight movement of the contact portion of the body 81.

[0061] Therefore, in order to recognize minute fluctuations in the capacitance Ci of the reaction part in response to the movement of the body 81, the second contact detection unit 18 detects contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 after increasing its sensitivity to changes in the output signal Sci of the detector 12 compared to the first contact detection unit 17.

[0062] Specifically, in step S103 of Figure 5, the second contact detection unit 18 makes the following determination. That is, the second contact detection unit 18 determines whether the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i, which is the difference between the reaction unit capacitance Ci monitored by the second contact detection unit 18 and the second reference value C2s, has become equal to or greater than a predetermined second detection determination value ΔC2it within a predetermined determination period PD2j.

[0063] The second capacitance change ΔC2i is calculated as an absolute value. The second detection judgment value ΔC2it is predetermined experimentally so that even if the body 81 continues to be in contact with the radiant heater 30, if there is a minute fluctuation in the reaction part capacitance Ci corresponding to the movement of the contact part of the body 81, the contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 can be detected. To confirm, this second detection judgment value ΔC2it is significantly smaller than the first detection judgment value ΔC1it. The judgment period PD2j is a period included in the second detection period PD2 and is predetermined experimentally as a grace period that allows for the capture of minute fluctuations in the reaction part capacitance Ci corresponding to the movement of the contact part of the body 81 that continues to be in contact with the radiant heater 30.

[0064] The second contact detection unit 18 determines that the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 if, for example, the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i becomes equal to or greater than the second detection determination value ΔC2it at any point during the determination period PD2j. Conversely, the second contact detection unit 18 determines that the body 81 is not in contact with the radiant heater 30 if the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i remains below the second detection determination value ΔC2it during the determination period PD2j. Therefore, in Figure 6, there is no contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30 during the second detection period PD2, so the second detection period PD2 is the same as the determination period PD2j.

[0065] In detail, the second contact detection unit 18 monitors the capacitance Ci of the reaction unit by monitoring the internal processing signal Sa, similar to the first contact detection unit 17. Therefore, it uses the internal processing signal Sa to compare and determine the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i and the second detection determination value ΔC2it. In other words, the second contact detection unit 18 determines whether the change amount ΔC2a of the internal processing signal Sa corresponding to the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i has become equal to or greater than the determination value ΔC2at corresponding to the second detection determination value ΔC2it within the determination period PD2j. By making a determination on the change amount ΔC2a of the internal processing signal Sa, the second contact detection unit 18 determines whether the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i has become equal to or greater than the second detection determination value ΔC2it within the determination period PD2j.

[0066] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. According to this embodiment, the first contact detection unit 17 detects contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 based on the output signal Sci of the detector 12 during the first detection period PD1, which is the required detection period for detecting contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30. The second contact detection unit 18 also detects contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 based on the output signal Sci of the detector 12 during the second detection period PD2, which is the period before the start of the first detection period PD1.

[0067] Therefore, if the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 from before the start of the first detection period PD1, the second contact detection unit 18 can detect the contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30. During the first detection period PD1, the first contact detection unit 17 can detect the contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30. Thus, even if the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 from before the start of the first detection period PD1, which is the required detection period, the contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 can be appropriately detected. Of course, even if the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 after the start of the first detection period PD1, the contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 can be appropriately detected.

[0068] (1) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the second contact detection unit 18 detects contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 after increasing its sensitivity to changes in the output signal Sci of the detector 12 compared to the first contact detection unit 17. Therefore, even if the body 81 continues to be in contact with the radiant heater 30, the second contact detection unit 18 can recognize minute fluctuations in the reaction unit capacitance Ci corresponding to the movement of the body 81. As a result, the second contact detection unit 18 can detect contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 based on the output signal Sci of the detector 12 without requiring a contact operation in which the body 81 comes into contact with the radiant heater 30 from a distance.

[0069] In other words, the sensitivity of the first contact detection unit 17 to changes in the output signal Sci of the detector 12 is reduced compared to the second contact detection unit 18. Therefore, it is suppressed that the first contact detection unit 17 may mistakenly determine that there is contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30, even though there is no contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30, due to disturbances such as noise. Consequently, the first contact detection unit 17 can appropriately detect contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30.

[0070] (2) In addition, according to this embodiment, the detector 12 detects a physical quantity that changes in response to the contact of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30, and outputs an output signal Sci corresponding to that physical quantity to the first contact detection unit 17 and the second contact detection unit 18. The physical quantity is the capacitance Ci of the reaction unit. Therefore, it is possible to accurately indicate whether or not the body 81 has come into contact with the radiant heater 30 by the change in the output signal Sci.

[0071] (3) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the target equipment for which the first and second contact detection units 17 and 18 detect contact with the body 81 is the radiant heater 30. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately adjust the temperature of the radiant heater 30 depending on whether or not the body 81 has come into contact with it.

[0072] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment described above will be mainly explained. Also, parts that are the same as or equivalent to the above embodiment will be omitted or simplified in the explanation. The same applies to the later embodiments.

[0073] In this embodiment, a contact detection device 10 is used to perform automatic driving of the vehicle 85. Automatic driving of the vehicle 85 means that the vehicle control device 143 of the vehicle 85 automatically performs driving operations of the vehicle 85, such as operating the steering wheel 87, operating the brakes, and adjusting the vehicle speed.

[0074] Furthermore, the execution conditions for performing autonomous driving include the occupant 80 touching the steering wheel 87 in Figure 1. That is, autonomous driving is performed when the occupant 80 is touching the steering wheel 87 and the other execution conditions are met. Therefore, in this embodiment, the target equipment for which the first and second contact detection units 17 and 18 detect contact with the body 81 is the steering wheel 87, not the radiant heater 30 in the first embodiment.

[0075] Therefore, as shown in Figure 9, the detector 12 in this embodiment is electrically connected to the contact reaction part 32 of the steering wheel 87, rather than to the radiant heater 30 (see Figure 4). The contact reaction part 32 in this embodiment is located, for example, on the surface of the steering wheel 87. The detector 12 then detects the reaction part capacitance Ci, which is a physical quantity that changes in response to the contact of the body 81 with the steering wheel 87, and outputs an output signal Sci corresponding to the reaction part capacitance Ci.

[0076] Next, the control process shown in Figure 10, executed by the control device 14 of this embodiment, will be described. The flow of the control process shown in Figure 10 of this embodiment is basically the same as the flow of the control process shown in Figure 5 of the first embodiment. Therefore, steps S201 to S208 in Figure 10 correspond to steps S101 to S108 in Figure 5, respectively.

[0077] However, the control process in Figure 10 differs from that in Figure 5 in the following respects. Specifically, the control process in Figure 10 differs from that in Figure 5 in that the target device is the steering wheel 87 instead of the radiant heater 30. Furthermore, the control process in Figure 10 differs from that in Figure 5 in that the contact detection result of the contact detection device 10 is used to control the automatic driving of the vehicle 85 rather than to control the heat generation operation of the radiant heater 30.

[0078] Specifically, as shown in Figure 10, first, in step S201, the control device 14 determines whether the start switch 142 for starting the automatic operation of the vehicle 85 has been switched from off to on. The start switch 142, like the start switch 141 in the first embodiment, is an operation switch that is manually operated by the occupant 80, and a signal indicating the switching status of the start switch 142 is input to the control device 14. The occupant 80 turns on the start switch 142 when starting automatic operation and turns off the start switch 142 when stopping automatic operation.

[0079] Therefore, the switching of the start switch 142 from off to on corresponds to an instruction from the occupant 80 to start the steady operation of automatic driving. In other words, in step S201, the control device 14 determines whether or not an instruction to start the steady operation of automatic driving has been given by determining whether or not the start switch 142 has been switched from off to on. Note that automatic driving has not yet started in this step S201.

[0080] If it is determined in step S201 that the start switch 142 has been switched from off to on, the process proceeds to step S202. On the other hand, if it is determined that the start switch 142 has not been switched from off to on, that is, if it is determined that the start switch 142 remains off, the process returns to step S201 and the determination in step S201 is performed again.

[0081] If the start switch 142 is switched from on to off during the execution of steps S202 and later in Figure 10, the control device 14 will stop the control process in Figure 10 and terminate the automatic operation. After stopping the control process in Figure 10, the control device 14 will restart the control process from the first step, step S201.

[0082] In step S202, the second contact detection unit 18 of the control device 14 starts contact detection to determine whether the occupant's body 81 is in contact with the steering wheel 87. In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the first and second contact detection units 17 and 18 convert the output signal Sci of the detector 12 into an internal processing signal Sa, and monitor the internal processing signal Sa to monitor the capacitance Ci of the reaction unit.

[0083] If the second contact detection unit 18 has already started contact detection, it will continue contact detection. After step S202 in Figure 10, the process proceeds to step S203.

[0084] In step S203, the second contact detection unit 18 determines whether the body 81 is in contact with the steering wheel 87. The determination method by the second contact detection unit 18 is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0085] If it is determined in step S203 that the body 81 is in contact with the steering wheel 87, in other words, if it is determined that there is contact with the steering wheel 87, the process proceeds to step S204. On the other hand, if it is determined that the body 81 is not in contact with the steering wheel 87, in other words, if it is determined that there is no contact with the steering wheel 87, the process proceeds to step S205.

[0086] In step S204 of Figure 10, the control execution unit 15 of the control device 14 causes the vehicle control device 143, which is connected to the control device 14, to perform an action corresponding to the presence of contact, in other words, an action when the body 81 is in contact with the steering wheel 87. Specifically, the control execution unit 15 notifies the vehicle control device 143 that the body 81 is in contact with the steering wheel 87, and causes the vehicle control device 143 to start automatic driving. In other words, the action corresponding to the presence of contact is the execution of automatic driving.

[0087] However, to be more precise, other conditions for executing automated driving besides the condition that the body 81 is in contact with the steering wheel 87 are also required for automated driving to be executed. Therefore, if the above-mentioned other conditions for executing automated driving have not yet been met, the vehicle control device 143 will wait for the above-mentioned other conditions for executing automated driving to be met before starting automated driving. If automated driving has already started, the control execution unit 15 will continue the execution of that automated driving. After step S204 in Figure 10, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0088] In step S205, the control execution unit 15 causes the notification device 144 connected to the control device 14 to perform an action corresponding to the absence of contact, in other words, an action when the body 81 is away from the steering wheel 87. The notification device 144 is composed of, for example, a speaker or display located inside the passenger compartment 85a. Specifically, the control execution unit 15 causes the notification device 144 to give an audio or display notification prompting the occupant 80 to grip the steering wheel 87. In other words, the action corresponding to the absence of contact is to give a notification prompting the occupant 80 to grip the steering wheel 87.

[0089] If the above-mentioned operation corresponding to no contact has already been performed, the control execution unit 15 will repeat the voice notification prompting the occupant 80 to grip the steering wheel 87 at predetermined time intervals, if the voice notification is an audible notification. Also, if the above-mentioned operation corresponding to no contact has already been performed, the control execution unit 15 will continue the display notification prompting the occupant 80 to grip the steering wheel 87, if the display notification is a visual notification. After step S205 in Figure 10, the process proceeds to step S206.

[0090] In step S206, the first contact detection unit 17 of the control device 14 starts contact detection to determine whether or not the occupant's body 81 is in contact with the steering wheel 87.

[0091] Furthermore, if the first contact detection unit 17 has already started contact detection, it will continue the contact detection performed by the first contact detection unit 17. Also, similar to the first embodiment, contact detection by the second contact detection unit 18 will end at the same time as contact detection by the first contact detection unit 17 begins.

[0092] Furthermore, since the notification in step S205, that is, the notification prompting the occupant 80 to grip the steering wheel 87, is given at the start of the first detection period PD1, it is necessary to detect contact of the body 81 with the steering wheel 87 within the first detection period PD1. In other words, the first detection period PD1 can be said to be a necessary detection period in which it is necessary to detect contact of the body 81 with the steering wheel 87. After step S206 in Figure 10, the process proceeds to step S207.

[0093] In step S207, the first contact detection unit 17 determines whether the body 81 is in contact with the steering wheel 87. The determination method by the first contact detection unit 17 is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0094] If it is determined in step S207 that the body 81 is in contact with the steering wheel 87, in other words, if it is determined that there is contact with the steering wheel 87, the process proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, if it is determined that the body 81 is not in contact with the steering wheel 87, in other words, if it is determined that there is no contact with the steering wheel 87, the process proceeds to step S205.

[0095] In step S208, the same process as in step S204 described above is executed. That is, the control execution unit 15 of the control device 14 causes the vehicle control device 143 to perform the operation corresponding to the presence of contact. After step S208 in Figure 10, the process proceeds to step S206.

[0096] Except as described above, this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the effects obtained from the configuration common to the first embodiment can be obtained in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0097] (Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment described above will be mainly explained.

[0098] In this embodiment, the start time of the second detection period PD2 in Figure 6 is defined as the time when the body 81 becomes capable of making contact with the radiant heater 30. That is, the second contact detection unit 18 starts detecting contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30 when the body 81 becomes capable of making contact with the radiant heater 30.

[0099] Specifically, the control device 14 executes the control process shown in Figure 11, resulting in the above. In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, a seating sensor 89 is provided on the seat 86 to detect whether or not the occupant 80 is seated in the seat 86, and a detection signal indicating whether or not the occupant 80 is seated in the seat 86 is input from the seating sensor 89 to the control device 14.

[0100] The control process shown in Figure 11 will now be explained. In the flowchart of Figure 11, steps that are denoted by the same reference numerals as the steps in Figure 5 have the same content as the steps in Figure 5 that are denoted by the same reference numerals. Specifically, steps S102 to S108 in Figure 11 are the same as steps S102 to S108 in Figure 5. Also, step S301 in Figure 11 is a step that replaces step S101 in Figure 5, and steps S302 to S305 are added to Figure 5. In this description of the embodiment, the explanation of steps in the flowchart of Figure 11 that have the same content as the steps in Figure 5 will be omitted or simplified. The same omission or simplification of explanations for steps with the same content will also be applied to the flowchart described later.

[0101] As shown in Figure 11, in step S301, the control device 14 determines whether the body 81 is in a state where it can make contact with the radiant heater 30. Specifically, when the occupant 80 shown in Figure 3 gets into the vehicle 85 and sits in the seat 86, it is determined that the occupant 80's body 81 is in a state where it can make contact with the radiant heater 30.

[0102] Therefore, the control device 14 obtains a detection signal from the seating sensor 89 indicating whether or not the occupant 80 is seated in the seat 86. Specifically, the seating sensor 89 turns on when the occupant 80 is seated in the seat 86 and turns off when the occupant 80 is not seated in the seat 86. The seating sensor 89 then outputs a signal indicating whether it is on or off to the control device 14 as the detection signal. The control device 14 then determines that the body 81 is in a state where it can make contact with the radiant heater 30 when the seating sensor 89 switches from off to on.

[0103] In step S301 of Figure 11, if it is determined that the seat sensor 89 has switched from off to on, the process proceeds to step S102. That is, the process from step S102 onward is executed when the body 81 becomes able to make contact with the radiant heater 30. On the other hand, if it is determined that the seat sensor 89 has not switched from off to on, for example, if it is determined that the seat sensor 89 remains off or on, or if it is determined that the seat sensor 89 has switched from on to off, the process returns to step S301, and the determination in step S301 is performed again.

[0104] In step S103 of Figure 11, if it is determined that there is contact with the radiant heater 30, the process proceeds to step S302. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no contact with the radiant heater 30, the process proceeds to step S304.

[0105] In step S103, when determining contact, the sensitivity of the second contact detection unit 18 to changes in the output signal Sci of the detector 12 may be higher than that of the first contact detection unit 17, as in the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the sensitivity is the same as that of the first contact detection unit 17. Therefore, the determination method by the second contact detection unit 18 in step S103 is the same as the determination method by the first contact detection unit 17 in step S107.

[0106] For example, the second detection determination value ΔC2it (see Figure 8) used for determination by the second contact detection unit 18 is set to the same value as the first detection determination value ΔC1it (see Figure 6). Furthermore, in step S103 of this embodiment, it is sufficient to perform a determination once to determine whether the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i has become equal to or greater than the second detection determination value ΔC2it, and setting the determination period PD2j (see Figure 8) is unnecessary.

[0107] In step S302, the control device 14 determines whether the start switch 141 is turned on or off. If it is determined in step S302 that the start switch 141 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if it is determined that the start switch 141 is turned off, the process proceeds to step S303.

[0108] In step S303, the control execution unit 15 of the control device 14 stops the power supply to the heat-generating part 31 of the radiant heater 30, thereby stopping the heating of the radiant heater 30. In other words, the control execution unit 15 does not execute the control to operate the radiant heater 30 to generate heat. After step S303 in Figure 11, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0109] In step S304, the control device 14 determines whether the start switch 141 is ON or OFF, similar to step S302. If it is determined in step S304 that the start switch 141 is ON, the process proceeds to step S105. On the other hand, if it is determined that the start switch 141 is OFF, the process proceeds to step S305.

[0110] The process in step S305 is the same as the process in step S303 described above. That is, in step S305, the control execution unit 15 stops the power supply to the heat-generating part 31 of the radiant heater 30, thereby stopping the heating of the radiant heater 30. After step S305 in Figure 11, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0111] If the start switch 141 is switched from on to off during the execution of steps S102 and later in Figure 11, the control device 14 will stop the control process in Figure 11 and stop the heating of the radiant heater 30. After stopping the control process in Figure 11, the control device 14 will restart the control process from step S102.

[0112] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) According to this embodiment, the second contact detection unit 18 starts detecting contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30 when the body 81 becomes capable of making contact with the radiant heater 30.

[0113] Therefore, once it is confirmed that the body 81 is away from the radiant heater 30, the second contact detection unit 18 can begin detecting contact between the body 81 and the radiant heater 30. In short, at the start of the second detection period PD2, the body 81 is away from the radiant heater 30. For this reason, in this embodiment, the second contact detection unit 18 does not need to increase its sensitivity to changes in the output signal Sci of the detector 12 compared to the first contact detection unit 17, so that contact detection by the second contact detection unit 18 can be performed appropriately while suppressing the influence of disturbances such as noise.

[0114] Except as described above, this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the effects obtained from the configuration common to the first embodiment can be obtained in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0115] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the differences from the second embodiment described above will be mainly explained.

[0116] This embodiment is a modification based on the second embodiment, incorporating the changes from the third embodiment to the first embodiment into the second embodiment. Specifically, the control device 14 of this embodiment executes the control process shown in Figure 12.

[0117] In the flowchart of Figure 12, the steps that are denoted by the same reference numerals as the steps in Figure 10 of the second embodiment have the same content as the steps in Figure 10 that are denoted by the same reference numerals. Specifically, steps S202 to S208 in Figure 12 are the same as steps S202 to S208 in Figure 10, respectively.

[0118] Furthermore, in the flowchart of Figure 12, step S201 in Figure 10 is replaced by step S301, and step S301 in Figure 12 is the same as step S301 in Figure 11. Therefore, in step S301 of Figure 12, if it is determined that the seat sensor 89 has switched from off to on, the process proceeds to step S202. In other words, the processing from step S202 onward is executed when the body 81 becomes able to contact the steering wheel 87.

[0119] Furthermore, in Figure 12, steps S402 to S405 are added compared to Figure 10. Steps S402 to S405 in Figure 12 correspond to steps S302 to S305 in Figure 11, respectively.

[0120] In step S203 of Figure 12, if it is determined that there is contact with the steering wheel 87, the process proceeds to step S402. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no contact with the steering wheel 87, the process proceeds to step S404.

[0121] In this embodiment, when determining contact in step S203, the sensitivity of the second contact detection unit 18 to changes in the output signal Sci of the detector 12 is the same as that of the first contact detection unit 17, as in the case of determining contact in step S103 of the third embodiment. Furthermore, the determination method by the second contact detection unit 18 in step S203 of this embodiment is the same as the determination method by the second contact detection unit 18 in step S103 of the third embodiment.

[0122] In step S402, the control device 14 determines whether the start switch 142 is turned on or off. If it is determined in step S402 that the start switch 142 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S204. On the other hand, if it is determined that the start switch 142 is turned off, the process proceeds to step S403.

[0123] In step S403, the control execution unit 15 of the control device 14 instructs the vehicle control device 143 to cancel automatic driving. In other words, the control execution unit 15 stops the automatic driving. If automatic driving has already been canceled, that canceled state continues. After step S403 in Figure 12, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0124] In step S404, the control device 14 determines whether the start switch 142 is ON or OFF, similar to step S402. If it is determined in step S404 that the start switch 142 is ON, the process proceeds to step S205. On the other hand, if it is determined that the start switch 142 is OFF, the process proceeds to step S405.

[0125] The process in step S405 is the same as the process in step S403 described above. That is, in step S405, the control execution unit 15 instructs the vehicle control device 143 to cancel automatic driving. After step S405 in Figure 12, the process proceeds to step S202.

[0126] If the start switch 142 is switched from on to off during the execution of steps S202 and later in Figure 12, the control device 14 will stop the control process in Figure 12 and terminate the automatic operation. After stopping the control process in Figure 12, the control device 14 will restart the control process from step S202.

[0127] Except as described above, this embodiment is the same as the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the effects obtained from the configuration common to the second embodiment can be obtained in the same way as in the second embodiment. Furthermore, since this embodiment also has a configuration common to the third embodiment, the effects obtained from the configuration common to the third embodiment can be obtained in the same way as in the third embodiment.

[0128] (Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment described above will be mainly explained.

[0129] As shown in Figure 13, the control device 14 of this embodiment functionally includes a storage unit 19 in addition to the control execution unit 15, the first contact detection unit 17, and the second contact detection unit 18. The storage unit 19 pre-stores the capacitance Ci of the reaction unit when the body 81 is not in contact with the radiant heater 30 as a non-contact reference value Csd. This non-contact reference value Csd is provided from the storage unit 19 to the first contact detection unit 17 and the second contact detection unit 18.

[0130] The non-contact state of the body 81 described above refers to a state in which the body 81 is neither approaching nor in contact with the radiant heater 30; in short, the body 81 is separated from the radiant heater 30. For example, the capacitance Ci of the reaction unit, measured in advance in the non-contact state of the body 81, is stored in the storage unit 19 as the non-contact reference value Csd. The non-contact reference value Csd in this embodiment corresponds to the reference capacitance in this disclosure.

[0131] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the first contact detection unit 17 performs contact determination in step S107 of Figure 5, it replaces the first reference value C1s in Figure 6 with the non-contact reference value Csd and performs the contact determination. Therefore, the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i, which is compared with the first detection determination value ΔC1it in step S107, is the absolute value of the difference between the reaction part capacitance Ci monitored by the first contact detection unit 17 and the non-contact reference value Csd. Then, in step S107, the first contact detection unit 17 determines whether the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i is greater than or equal to the first detection determination value ΔC1it. As a result, if the first contact detection unit 17 determines that the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i is greater than or equal to the first detection determination value ΔC1it, it determines that the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30.

[0132] Similarly, when the second contact detection unit 18 makes a contact determination in step S103 of Figure 5, it replaces the second reference value C2s in Figure 6 with the non-contact reference value Csd and makes the contact determination. Therefore, the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i (see Figure 8), which is compared with the second detection determination value ΔC2it in step S103, is the absolute value of the difference between the reaction part capacitance Ci monitored by the second contact detection unit 18 and the non-contact reference value Csd.

[0133] Then, in step S103, the second contact detection unit 18 determines whether the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i has become equal to or greater than the second detection determination value ΔC2it. If the second contact detection unit 18 determines that the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i has become equal to or greater than the second detection determination value ΔC2it, it determines that the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30.

[0134] In this embodiment, the second detection determination value ΔC2it corresponds to a predetermined limit in this disclosure. Also, when determining contact in step S103 of this embodiment, the sensitivity of the second contact detection unit 18 to the change in the output signal Sci of the detector 12 is the same as that of the first contact detection unit 17, as in the case of determining contact in step S103 of the third embodiment.

[0135] Furthermore, the determination method by the second contact detection unit 18 in step S103 of this embodiment is the same as the determination method by the second contact detection unit 18 in step S103 of the third embodiment. For example, the second detection determination value ΔC2it (see Figure 8) used for determination by the second contact detection unit 18 is set to the same value as the first detection determination value ΔC1it (see Figure 6). Also, in step S103 of this embodiment, it is sufficient to perform a determination once to see whether the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i has become equal to or greater than the second detection determination value ΔC2it, and setting the determination period PD2j (see Figure 8) as in the first embodiment is unnecessary.

[0136] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) According to this embodiment, the memory unit 19 included in the control device 14 stores in advance the reaction part capacitance Ci in a non-contact state of the body 81 with respect to the radiant heater 30 as a non-contact reference value Csd. The second contact detection unit 18 then makes the following determination in step S103 of Figure 5. That is, the second contact detection unit 18 determines that the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 if the second capacitance change amount ΔC2i, which is the absolute value of the difference between the reaction part capacitance Ci indicated by the output signal Sci of the detector 12 and the non-contact reference value Csd, is greater than or equal to the second detection determination value ΔC2it.

[0137] Therefore, similar to the third embodiment, in this embodiment as well, the second contact detection unit 18 does not need to increase its sensitivity to changes in the output signal Sci of the detector 12 compared to the first contact detection unit 17. As a result, contact detection by the second contact detection unit 18 can be performed appropriately while suppressing the influence of disturbances such as noise.

[0138] Except as described above, this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the effects obtained from the configuration common to the first embodiment can be obtained in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0139] Although this embodiment is a modification based on the first embodiment, it is also possible to combine this embodiment with the second embodiment described above.

[0140] (Other Embodiments) (1) In the first embodiment described above, the contact reaction part 32 of the radiant heater 30 shown in Figure 4 is configured such that the capacitance Ci of the reaction part increases when the body 81 comes into contact with the radiant heater 30, but this is just one example. For example, the opposite may be true, such that the contact reaction part 32 is configured such that the capacitance Ci of the reaction part decreases when the body 81 comes into contact with the radiant heater 30. In that case, contact detection of the body 81 with the radiant heater 30 should be performed in a manner that corresponds to the change characteristics of the capacitance Ci of the reaction part.

[0141] (2) In the first embodiment described above, for example as shown in Figure 6, the first contact detection unit 17 determines that the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 if it determines that the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i is equal to or greater than the first detection determination value ΔC1it. That is, the first contact detection unit 17 captures the change in the capacitance Ci of the reaction part based on the first capacitance change amount ΔC1i, and determines whether or not the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 based on the change in the capacitance Ci of the reaction part.

[0142] However, this is just one example. For example, the first contact detection unit 17 may detect changes in the capacitance Ci of the reaction part based on the amount of change in the capacitance Ci of the reaction part per unit time, and determine whether or not the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30 based on that change in the capacitance Ci of the reaction part. The same applies to contact detection by the second contact detection unit 18, that is, when the second contact detection unit 18 determines whether or not the body 81 is in contact with the radiant heater 30.

[0143] (3) In the first embodiment described above, the operation corresponding to the presence of contact, performed in steps S104 and S108 of Figure 5, is that the radiant heater 30 does not generate heat, but this is just one example. For example, the operation corresponding to the presence of contact may be that the radiant heater 30 generates heat at a low temperature that does not cause any problems even if the body 81 continues to be in contact with the radiant heater 30. In this case, compared to the normal heating operation of the radiant heater 30 (i.e., the operation corresponding to no contact), the radiant heater 30 performing the operation corresponding to contact will generate heat at a significantly lower temperature than when the normal heating operation is being performed. Furthermore, the operation performed in step S104 and the operation performed in step S108 of Figure 5 do not need to be the same.

[0144] (4) In each of the embodiments described above, the contact detection device 10 shown in Figure 4, etc., is a capacitive type device that performs contact detection by detecting a change in the capacitance Ci of the reaction part, but this is just one example. For example, the contact detection device 10 can employ various contact detection methods other than the capacitive type, such as a pressure detection type, a radio wave type, an infrared type, or an image type.

[0145] (5) In the third and fourth embodiments described above, in step S301 of Figure 11, the control device 14 determines whether the body 81 is in a state where it can make contact with the radiant heater 30 based on the detection signal from the seating sensor 89, but this is just one example. For example, the determination in step S301 may be made based on detection information from an infrared sensor or camera, which is arranged to detect the position and posture of the occupant 80 in the passenger compartment 85a.

[0146] (6) In each of the embodiments described above, the processing of each step shown in the flowcharts of Figures 5, 10, 11, and 12 is implemented by a computer program, but it may also be implemented by hardware.

[0147] (7) The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be implemented in various modified forms. Furthermore, the embodiments described above are not unrelated to each other and can be combined as appropriate, except in cases where the combination is clearly impossible.

[0148] Furthermore, it goes without saying that, in each of the above embodiments, the elements constituting the embodiment are not necessarily essential unless explicitly stated to be particularly essential or unless they are clearly considered essential in principle. Also, in each of the above embodiments, when numerical values ​​such as the number, numerical values, quantities, or ranges of the components of the embodiment are mentioned, the embodiment is not limited to those specific numbers unless explicitly stated to be particularly essential or unless it is clearly limited to a specific number in principle. Also, in each of the above embodiments, when the material, shape, positional relationship, etc. of the components are mentioned, the embodiment is not limited to those material, shape, positional relationship, etc. unless explicitly stated or unless it is clearly limited to a specific material, shape, positional relationship, etc. in principle.

[0149] Furthermore, the control device 14 and its method described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the control device 14 and its method described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor by one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control device 14 and its method described in this disclosure may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may also be stored as instructions executed by the computer on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium.

[0150] (Perspective of this Disclosure) The above-mentioned disclosure can be understood, for example, from the following perspectives. [First Perspective] A contact detection device for detecting when a person's body (81) comes into contact with target equipment (30, 87) provided on a moving body (85), comprising: a detector (12) that detects a physical quantity (Ci) that fluctuates in accordance with at least one of the approach or contact of the body with respect to the target equipment and outputs an output signal (Sci) corresponding to the physical quantity; a first contact detection unit (17) that detects the body's contact with the target equipment based on the output signal during a required detection period (PD1) in which it is necessary to detect the body's contact with the target equipment; and a second contact detection unit (18) that detects the body's contact with the target equipment based on the output signal before the start of the required detection period. [Second viewpoint] The contact detection device according to the first viewpoint, wherein the second contact detection unit detects contact of the body with the target device after increasing the sensitivity to changes in the output signal compared to the first contact detection unit. [Third viewpoint] The contact detection device according to the first or second viewpoint, wherein the second contact detection unit starts detecting contact of the body with the target device when the body becomes capable of contacting the target device. [Fourth viewpoint] The contact detection device according to any one of the first to third viewpoints, wherein the physical quantity is capacitance. [Fifth viewpoint] The contact detection device according to the fourth viewpoint, further comprising a storage unit (19) that stores in advance the capacitance in a non-contact state where neither approach nor contact of the body with the target device has occurred as a reference capacitance (Csd), and the second contact detection unit determines that the body is in contact with the target device when the difference between the capacitance indicated by the output signal and the reference capacitance is greater than or equal to a predetermined limit (ΔC2it). [Sixth viewpoint] The contact detection device according to any one of the first to fifth viewpoints, wherein the target device is a radiant heater.

Claims

1. A contact detection device for detecting when a person's body (81) comes into contact with target equipment (30, 87) provided on a moving body (85), comprising: a detector (12) that detects a physical quantity (Ci) that fluctuates in accordance with at least one of the approach or contact of the body with the target equipment and outputs an output signal (Sci) corresponding to the physical quantity; a first contact detection unit (17) that detects the body's contact with the target equipment based on the output signal during a required detection period (PD1) in which it is necessary to detect the body's contact with the target equipment; and a second contact detection unit (18) that detects the body's contact with the target equipment based on the output signal before the start of the required detection period.

2. The contact detection device according to claim 1, wherein the second contact detection unit detects contact of the body with the target device, with the second contact detection unit having a higher sensitivity to changes in the output signal than the first contact detection unit.

3. The contact detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second contact detection unit starts detecting contact of the body with the target device when the body becomes capable of making contact with the target device.

4. The contact detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the physical quantity is capacitance.

5. The contact detection device according to claim 4, comprising a storage unit (19) which stores in advance the capacitance in a non-contact state in which the body neither approaches nor makes contact with the target device as a reference capacitance (Csd), wherein the second contact detection unit determines that the body is in contact with the target device when the difference between the capacitance indicated by the output signal and the reference capacitance is greater than or equal to a predetermined limit (ΔC2it).

6. The contact detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the target device is a radiant heater.

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