JP7632168B2 - Thermal sensation adjustment system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a thermal sensation adjustment system.

Conventionally, there is known a vehicle air conditioner that can change the direction of the conditioned air blown out from the air outlet by using a blow state variable device provided at the air outlet (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This blow state variable device has a swing louver that swings in the vertical direction of the vehicle and a swing louver that swings in the horizontal direction of the vehicle. The vehicle air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 changes the direction of the conditioned air in the vertical and horizontal directions by reciprocating these swing louvers in the vertical and horizontal directions independently of each other.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-268526

A vehicle air conditioning system such as that described in Patent Document 1 improves the thermal sensation of an occupant's body by directing conditioned air at parts of the body that the occupant feels uncomfortable, thereby providing the occupant with a comfortable thermal sensation. For example, when cooled conditioned air is blown at a part of the body that the occupant feels hot, the occupant feels a cool thermal sensation at that part, improving the thermal sensation of the uncomfortable part.

However, when the direction of the conditioned air is changed up and down and left and right so that the conditioned air is blown toward multiple uncomfortable parts, the direction of the conditioned air may be changed across parts that are already experiencing a comfortable thermal sensation. However, the vehicle air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the comfort and discomfort of multiple body parts when changing the direction of the conditioned air. As a result, the same amount of conditioned air is blown toward parts that are already experiencing a comfortable thermal sensation as the amount of air blown toward the uncomfortable parts.

This is undesirable because it causes the comfortable thermal sensation of the area, which already has a comfortable thermal sensation and does not require adjustment, to be cooled or heated, thereby impairing the comfortable thermal sensation of the area. This fact was discovered after extensive research by the inventors.

The present disclosure aims to provide a thermal sensation adjustment system that provides a comfortable thermal sensation to multiple body parts of an occupant without compromising the thermal sensation in parts that do not require adjustment of the thermal sensation.

The invention described in claim 1 is
A thermal sensation adjustment system for adjusting a thermal sensation of a vehicle occupant,
A thermal sensation detection unit (70) for detecting information regarding thermal sensation for each of a plurality of body parts of an occupant;
An air conditioning unit (10) that blows conditioned air toward an occupant;
a deviation part detection part (84a) which calculates a thermal sensation for each of a plurality of body parts based on information related to the thermal sensation detected by the thermal sensation detection part, detects a plurality of thermal sensation deviation parts among the plurality of body parts where the thermal sensation deviation amount where the calculated thermal sensation and the target thermal sensation deviates from the plurality of body parts is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and detects a thermal sensation non-deviation part where the thermal sensation deviation amount is smaller than the predetermined threshold;
and an air conditioning airflow adjustment section (84) that adjusts the volume of the air conditioning airflow blown out by the air conditioning unit and adjusts the direction of the air conditioning airflow so that it is directed toward a plurality of thermal sensation deviation areas,
The air conditioning airflow adjustment unit changes the direction of the air conditioning airflow from a first adjustment direction toward a predetermined thermal sensation deviation site among the plurality of thermal sensation deviation sites to a second adjustment direction toward a thermal sensation deviation site other than the predetermined thermal sensation deviation site, so that the air conditioning airflow is blown toward the plurality of thermal sensation deviation sites in a predetermined order, and
When changing the direction of the conditioned airflow from a first adjustment direction to a second adjustment direction, if the direction in which the conditioned airflow is blown crosses a non-adjustment direction toward a thermal sensation non-dissociation part, the volume of the conditioned airflow blown in the non-adjustment direction is made smaller than the volumes of the conditioned airflow blown in the first adjustment direction and the second adjustment direction.
The invention described in claim 8 is as follows:
A thermal sensation adjustment system for adjusting a thermal sensation of a vehicle occupant,
A thermal sensation detection unit (70) for detecting information regarding thermal sensation for each of a plurality of body parts of an occupant;
An air conditioning unit (10) that blows conditioned air toward an occupant;
a deviation part detection part (84a) which calculates a thermal sensation for each of a plurality of body parts based on information related to the thermal sensation detected by the thermal sensation detection part, detects a plurality of thermal sensation deviation parts among the plurality of body parts where the thermal sensation deviation amount where the calculated thermal sensation and the target thermal sensation deviates from the plurality of body parts is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and detects a thermal sensation non-deviation part where the thermal sensation deviation amount is smaller than the predetermined threshold;
and an air conditioning airflow adjustment section (84) that adjusts the volume of the air conditioning airflow blown out by the air conditioning unit and adjusts the direction of the air conditioning airflow so that it is directed toward a plurality of thermal sensation deviation areas,
The air conditioning airflow adjustment unit changes the direction of the air conditioning airflow from a first adjustment direction toward a predetermined thermal sensation deviation site among the plurality of thermal sensation deviation sites to a second adjustment direction toward a thermal sensation deviation site other than the predetermined thermal sensation deviation site,
When changing the direction of the conditioned airflow from a first adjustment direction to a second adjustment direction, if the direction in which the conditioned airflow is blown crosses a non-adjustment direction toward a thermal sensation non-deviation part, the air volume of the conditioned airflow blown toward the non-adjustment direction is made smaller than the air volumes of the conditioned airflow blown toward the first adjustment direction and the second adjustment direction, and the air volume of the conditioned air blown toward the multiple thermal sensation deviation parts is made larger the larger the thermal sensation deviation amount is.

Accordingly, when the thermal sensation adjustment system changes the direction of the conditioned air across non-thermal sensation deviation areas when adjusting the thermal sensation of multiple thermal sensation deviation areas, the volume of the conditioned air blown to the non-thermal sensation deviation areas is made less than the volume of the conditioned air blown to the thermal sensation deviation areas. This makes it possible to provide a comfortable thermal sensation to multiple body parts of the occupant without impairing the thermal sensation of non-thermal sensation deviation areas that do not require adjustment of the thermal sensation.

The reference symbols in parentheses attached to each component indicate an example of the correspondence between the component and the specific components described in the embodiments described below.

1 is a side view of a vehicle equipped with a thermal sensation adjusting system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with a thermal sensation adjusting system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle device and an air conditioning unit according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the thermal sensation adjusting system in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of a first rear seat face duct of the air conditioning unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a top view of a first rear seat face duct of the air conditioning unit in the first embodiment. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which left and right fins are positioned in a left-right central direction in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the left and right fins are positioned toward the left side in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the left and right fins are positioned toward the right side in the first embodiment. FIG. 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the body parts of an occupant for which the thermal sensation adjusting system in the first embodiment adjusts the thermal sensation; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing body parts of an occupant divided in the left-right direction. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a state in which upper and lower fins are positioned in the vertical center direction in the first embodiment. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a state in which upper and lower fins are positioned toward the upper portion in the first embodiment. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a state in which upper and lower fins are positioned toward a lower portion in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing body parts of an occupant divided in the vertical direction. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the distribution of thermal sensation reference values in the summer default mode in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the distribution of thermal sensation reference values in the winter default mode in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the distribution of thermal sensation reference values in a relaxation mode in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the distribution of thermal sensation reference values in the focus mode in the first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the operation of a thermal sensation adjusting system in a first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a separation portion temperature adjusting section in the first embodiment. 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the thermal sensation adjusting system of the first embodiment when changing the direction of air conditioning airflow to the left or right. 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the thermal sensation adjusting system of the first embodiment when changing the direction of air conditioning airflow in the vertical direction. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating normal positions of left and right fins in the second embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating concentrated positions of left and right fins in the second embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating the spreading positions of the left and right fins in the second embodiment.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, parts that are the same as or equivalent to those described in the preceding embodiments may be given the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted. In addition, in the embodiments where only some of the components are described, the components described in the preceding embodiments may be applied to the other parts of the components. The following embodiments may be partially combined with each other, as long as the combination does not cause any problems, even if not specifically stated.

First Embodiment
This embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 23. The thermal sensation adjustment system of this embodiment adjusts the thermal sensation of a front seat occupant 4 seated in a front seat 2 and a rear seat occupant 5 seated in a rear seat 3 in the passenger compartment of a vehicle 1 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Specifically, the thermal sensation adjustment system adjusts the thermal sensation of a driver D seated in the driver's seat 21 of the front seats 2, a passenger seat occupant P seated in the passenger seat 22, a right rear seat occupant B1 seated in the right rear seat 31 of the rear seats 3, and a left rear seat occupant B2 seated in the left rear seat 32. In this embodiment, the arrow DRud shown in Fig. 1 indicates the up-down direction (i.e., the vertical direction) of the vehicle 1, and the arrow DRw indicates the left-right direction (i.e., the vehicle width direction) of the vehicle 1.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the thermal sensation adjustment system mainly includes an air conditioning unit 10 that adjusts the temperature of the space in the vehicle 1 in which the front seat occupants 4 and rear seat occupants 5 are present to adjust the thermal sensation of the front seat occupants 4 and rear seat occupants 5. The thermal sensation adjustment system also includes a seat air conditioning device 40 that adjusts the thermal sensation of the rear seat occupants 5, an IR sensor 70 that detects the thermal sensation of the rear seat occupants 5, and an air conditioner ECU 80 (described later) that controls the various components of the thermal sensation adjustment system.

The vehicle 1 equipped with the thermal sensation adjustment system of this embodiment has a space within the vehicle cabin divided into a first space S1 and a second space S2 by a space partition wall 6. The first space S1 is a space that is subject to air conditioning within the vehicle cabin, and is a space in which the driver's seat 21 and the passenger seat 22 are provided. In the first space S1, the driver's seat 21 is provided on the right side and the passenger seat 22 is provided on the left side, aligned in the left-right direction DRw. The second space S2 is a space that is subject to air conditioning within the vehicle cabin, and is a space in which the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat 32 are provided. In the second space S2, the right rear seat 31 is provided on the right side and the left rear seat 32 is provided on the left side, aligned in the left-right direction DRw.

The air conditioning unit 10 mainly adjusts the temperature inside the vehicle cabin by blowing temperature-adjusted conditioned air into the vehicle cabin, and also adjusts the thermal sensation of the front seat occupants 4 and the rear seat occupants 5 by blowing conditioned air toward them. As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioning unit 10 includes a refrigeration cycle device 110, a first air conditioning device 120, a second air conditioning device 140, etc.

The refrigeration cycle device 110 has a compressor 111 that compresses the refrigerant, a radiator 112 that radiates heat from the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 111, and a first expansion valve 113 and a second expansion valve 114 that reduce the pressure of the refrigerant that flows out from the radiator 112. The refrigeration cycle device 110 also has a first evaporator 115 that evaporates the refrigerant that flows out from the first expansion valve 113, and a second evaporator 116 that evaporates the refrigerant that flows out from the second expansion valve 114.

The compressor 111 draws in, compresses, and discharges the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle device 110. The compressor 111 is an electric compressor that has an electric motor and rotates a fixed-capacity compression mechanism with a fixed discharge capacity using the electric motor. The rotation speed (i.e., refrigerant discharge capacity) of the compressor 111 is controlled by a control signal output from the air conditioner ECU 80, which will be described later. A radiator 112 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 111.

The radiator 112 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 111 and outside air to cool the refrigerant. A first expansion valve 113 and a second expansion valve 114 are connected to the refrigerant outlet side of the radiator 112.

The first expansion valve 113 and the second expansion valve 114 are pressure reducers that reduce the pressure and expand the refrigerant that flows out from the radiator 112. The operation of the first expansion valve 113 and the second expansion valve 114 is controlled by a control signal output from the air conditioner ECU 80. The first evaporator 115 is connected to the refrigerant outlet side of the first expansion valve 113. The second evaporator 116 is connected to the refrigerant outlet side of the second expansion valve 114.

The first evaporator 115 and the second evaporator 116 are heat exchangers for absorbing heat, which evaporate the refrigerant by exchanging heat between the refrigerant decompressed and expanded by the first expansion valve 113 and the second expansion valve 114, respectively, and the air flowing in the air conditioning unit 10, thereby exerting a heat absorbing effect. The refrigerant outlet side of the first evaporator 115 and the refrigerant outlet side of the second evaporator 116 are connected to the refrigerant suction side of the compressor 111.

Next, the first air conditioner 120 and the second air conditioner 140 will be described. The first air conditioner 120 is an air conditioner that mainly conditions the first space S1 by blowing conditioned air toward the first space S1, and adjusts the thermal sensation of the driver D and the passenger seat passenger P. As described below, the first air conditioner 120 has the function of adjusting the thermal sensation of the right rear seat passenger B1 and the left rear seat passenger B2 when the second air conditioner 140 conditions the second space S2. The first air conditioner 120 is disposed inside the dashboard 7, as shown in FIG. 2.

The second air conditioner 140 is an air conditioner that conditions the second space S2 by blowing conditioned air toward the second space S2 and adjusts the thermal sensation of the right rear seat occupant B1 and the left rear seat occupant B2. The second air conditioner 140 is disposed under the floor of the vehicle 1 behind the rear seat 3.

The first air conditioner 120, which conditions the first space S1 in which the front seats 2 are located, is configured to be able to exert a greater air conditioning capacity than the second air conditioner 140, which conditions the second space S2 in which the rear seats 3 are located. In other words, the first air conditioner 120 is configured to be able to blow out a greater amount of conditioned air than the second air conditioner 140 blows out. This is because the first space S1 in which the front seats 2 are located is easily affected by radiant heat from sunlight through the windshield, and heat is also easily lost from the interior of the vehicle through the windshield, so the air conditioner that conditions the first space S1 is required to have a relatively greater air conditioning capacity.

The first air conditioner 120 includes a first air conditioner case 121, a first inside/outside air switching door 122, a first centrifugal fan 123, a first front heater core 124, a first front air mix door 125, a first front face door 126, a first front foot door 127, and a defroster door 128. The first air conditioner 120 also includes a first rear heater core 129, a first rear air mix door 130, a first rear face door 131, and a first rear foot door 132. The first air conditioner 120 also includes a first front face duct 133, a first front foot duct 134, a defroster duct 135, a first rear face duct 136, a first rear foot duct 137, an opening/closing door 138, and a wind direction adjustment mechanism 139.

The first air conditioner 120 also includes a first inside/outside air actuator 122a, a first fan actuator 123a, a first front seat air mix actuator 125a, and a first front seat mode actuator 126a. The first air conditioner 120 also includes a first rear seat air mix actuator 130a, a first rear seat mode actuator 131a, an opening/closing door actuator 138a, a wind direction actuator 139a, and the like.

The first air conditioning case 121 surrounds the first ventilation passage 121a through which the temperature-adjusted air blown into the vehicle cabin passes. The first inside/outside air switching door 122 is a member that adjusts the opening area of the first inside air inlet 121b and the opening area of the first outside air inlet 121c. The first inside/outside air switching door 122 rotates so that the more one of the openings of the first inside air inlet 121b and the first outside air inlet 121c is opened, the more the other opening is closed. This allows the first inside/outside air switching door 122 to adjust the ratio of the volume of inside air and the volume of outside air introduced into the first ventilation passage 121a (i.e., the inside/outside air ratio). Here, the inside air is the air inside the vehicle cabin, and the outside air is the air outside the vehicle cabin.

The first inside/outside air actuator 122a is an actuator that drives the first inside/outside air switching door 122, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4.

The first centrifugal fan 123 is a blower that generates an air current for the conditioned air to flow inside the first air conditioning case 121 and blows the conditioned air from a plurality of air outlets 133a, 134a, 135a, 136a, and 137a described below. When the first internal air inlet 121b is open, the first centrifugal fan 123 rotates to introduce internal air from the first internal air inlet 121b into the first ventilation passage 121a and sends the introduced air downstream of the air flow of the first centrifugal fan 123 in the first ventilation passage 121a. In addition, when the first outside air inlet 121c is open, the first centrifugal fan 123 rotates to introduce outside air from the first outside air inlet 121c into the first ventilation passage 121a and sends the introduced air downstream of the air flow of the first centrifugal fan 123 in the first ventilation passage 121a.

The first fan actuator 123a is an actuator that drives the first centrifugal fan 123, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4. The first fan actuator 123a is a drive unit that adjusts the blowing capacity of the first centrifugal fan 123 (i.e., the volume and speed of the conditioned air) in response to a control signal transmitted from the air conditioner ECU 80.

The downstream side of the air flow from the first centrifugal fan 123 in the first ventilation passage 121a is divided by a ventilation passage partition wall 121d into a front seat first ventilation passage 121aa and a rear seat first ventilation passage 121ab. A first evaporator 115 is disposed downstream of the air flow from the first centrifugal fan 123 in the first ventilation passage 121a, straddling the front seat first ventilation passage 121aa and the rear seat first ventilation passage 121ab.

The first evaporator 115 cools the air sent from the first centrifugal fan 123. The first evaporator 115 constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with the compressor 111, the radiator 112, the first expansion valve 113, etc. When the refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle passes through the first evaporator 115, heat exchange occurs between the refrigerant and the air. This heat exchange causes the refrigerant to evaporate and cool the air. A first front seat heater core 124 is disposed downstream of the first evaporator 115 in the air flow direction in the front seat first ventilation passage 121aa. A first rear seat heater core 129 is disposed downstream of the first evaporator 115 in the air flow direction in the rear seat first ventilation passage 121ab.

The first front seat heater core 124 is disposed in the front seat first ventilation passage 121aa, downstream of the air flow of the first evaporator 115. Engine coolant flows through the first front seat heater core 124. The first front seat heater core 124 heats the air that has passed through the first evaporator 115 by exchanging heat with the engine coolant. The first front seat heater core 124 may be replaced with an electric heater that heats the air that has passed through the first evaporator 115. A first front seat air mix door 125 is provided upstream of the air flow of the first front seat heater core 124.

The first front seat air mix door 125 is provided between the first evaporator 115 and the first front seat heater core 124. The first front seat air mix door 125 is a door that adjusts the ratio between the amount of cold air that passes through the first evaporator 115 and then bypasses the first front seat heater core 124, and the amount of warm air that passes through the first evaporator 115 and then passes through the first front seat heater core 124. In other words, the first front seat air mix door 125 adjusts the air mix ratio.

The first front seat air mix actuator 125a is an actuator that drives the first front seat air mix door 125, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4.

The first rear seat heater core 129 has a similar basic structure to the first front seat heater core 124, so its description is omitted. Also, the first rear seat air mix door 130 has a similar basic structure to the first front seat air mix door 125, so its description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first air conditioning case 121 has a plurality of openings formed on the downstream side of the air flow direction of the front seat first ventilation passage 121aa for blowing conditioned air from the front seat first ventilation passage 121aa to the first space S1. Specifically, the first air conditioning case 121 has a first front seat face opening 121e, a first front seat foot opening 121f, and a defroster opening 121g formed on the downstream side of the air flow direction of the front seat first ventilation passage 121aa. The conditioned air flows from an air mix space in which the air that has bypassed the first front seat heater core 124 and the air that has passed through the first front seat heater core 124 are mixed to the first front seat face opening 121e, the first front seat foot opening 121f, and the defroster opening 121g.

In addition, the first air conditioning case 121 is formed with a first rear seat face opening 121h and a first rear seat foot opening 121k on the downstream side of the air flow direction of the rear seat first ventilation passage 121ab for blowing conditioned air from the rear seat first ventilation passage 121ab to the second space S2. The conditioned air flows into the first rear seat face opening 121h and the first rear seat foot opening 121k from an air mix space in the rear seat first ventilation passage 121ab where air that has bypassed the first rear seat heater core 129 and air that has passed through the first rear seat heater core 129 are mixed.

The first front seat face opening 121e, the first front seat foot opening 121f, and the defroster opening 121g are provided with front seat mode switching doors for opening and closing the respective openings. The front seat mode switching doors are composed of a first front seat face door 126, a first front seat foot door 127, and a defroster door 128. The first front seat face door 126 opens and closes the first front seat face opening 121e. The first front seat foot door 127 opens and closes the first front seat foot opening 121f. The defroster door 128 opens and closes the defroster opening 121g.

The first front seat mode actuator 126a is an actuator that drives the first front seat face door 126, the first front seat foot door 127, and the defroster door 128, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4. The first front seat mode actuator 126a controls the first front seat outlet mode of the first air conditioner 120. The first front seat outlet mode includes, for example, the first front seat face mode, the first front seat foot mode, and the defroster mode.

The first front seat face mode is a blowing mode in which the first front seat face door 126 opens and the first front seat foot door 127 and the defroster door 128 close. The first front seat foot mode is a blowing mode in which the first front seat foot door 127 opens and the first front seat face door 126 and the defroster door 128 close. The defroster mode is a blowing mode in which the defroster door 128 opens and the first front seat face door 126 and the first front seat foot door 127 close.

One end of the first front seat face duct 133 is connected to the first front seat face opening 121e. The other end of the first front seat face duct 133, the four first front seat face air outlets 133a, open at a position on the dashboard 7 facing the seat back of the front seat 2, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Specifically, of the four first front seat face air outlets 133a, two open at a position facing the seat back of the driver's seat 21, and the remaining two open at a position facing the seat back of the passenger seat 22.

Air that passes through the first front seat face opening 121e from the first front seat ventilation passage 121aa passes through the first front seat face duct 133, and is then blown out from each of the four first front seat face outlets 133a into the first space S1. The air blown out from the four first front seat face outlets 133a flows mainly toward or around the upper bodies of the driver D seated in the driver's seat 21 and the passenger P seated in the passenger seat 22.

One end of the first front seat foot duct 134 is connected to the first front seat foot opening 121f. The other end of the first front seat foot duct 134, the two first front seat foot outlets 134a, open to face the foot space in front of the seat cushion of the front seat 2 on the dashboard 7, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Specifically, one of the two first front seat foot outlets 134a opens to a position facing the seat back of the driver's seat 21, and the other opens to a position facing the seat back of the passenger seat 22.

Air that passes through the first front seat foot opening 121f from the first front seat ventilation passage 121aa passes through the first front seat foot duct 134, and is then blown out from each of the two first front seat foot outlets 134a into the first space S1. The air blown out from the two first front seat foot outlets 134a flows mainly toward the left and right lower legs and the surrounding areas of the driver D seated in the driver's seat 21 and the passenger P seated in the passenger seat 22.

One end of the defroster duct 135 is connected to the defroster opening 121g, and the other end, the defroster outlet 135a, opens in the dashboard 7 facing the windshield, as shown in FIG. 1. Air that passes through the defroster opening 121g from the front seat first ventilation passage 121aa passes through the defroster duct 135, and then is blown out from the defroster outlet 135a into the first space S1. The air blown out from the defroster outlet 135a flows toward the windshield or its surroundings.

The first rear seat face opening 121h and the first rear seat foot opening 121k are provided with rear seat mode switching doors for opening and closing the respective openings. The rear seat mode switching doors are composed of a first rear seat face door 131 and a first rear seat foot door 132. The first rear seat face door 131 opens and closes the first rear seat face opening 121h. The first rear seat foot door 132 opens and closes the first rear seat foot opening 121k.

The first rear seat mode actuator 131a is an actuator that drives the first rear seat face door 131 and the first rear seat foot door 132, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4. The first rear seat mode actuator 131a controls the first rear seat outlet mode of the first air conditioner 120. The first rear seat outlet mode includes, for example, a first rear seat face mode and a first rear seat foot mode.

The first rear seat face mode is a blowing mode in which the first rear seat face door 131 opens and the first rear seat foot door 132 closes. The first rear seat foot mode is a blowing mode in which the first rear seat foot door 132 opens and the first rear seat face door 131 closes.

The first rear seat blowing mode can be switched independently of the first front seat blowing mode. In other words, the first air conditioner 120 can operate in any combination of one of the three first front seat blowing modes and one of the two first rear seat blowing modes.

One end of the first rear seat face duct 136 is connected to the first rear seat face opening 121h. The other end of the first rear seat face duct 136, the two first rear seat face air outlets 136a, open at a position facing the seat back of the rear seat 3 in the space partition wall 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Specifically, one of the two first rear seat face air outlets 136a opens at a position facing the approximate center of the seat back of the right rear seat 31 in the left-right direction DRw, and the other opens at a position facing the approximate center of the seat back of the left rear seat 32 in the left-right direction DRw.

Air that passes through the first rear seat face opening 121h from the first rear seat ventilation passage 121ab passes through the first rear seat face duct 136, and is then blown out from each of the two first rear seat face outlets 136a into the second space S2. The air blown out from the two first rear seat face outlets 136a flows mainly toward or around the upper body and thighs of the right rear seat occupant B1 seated in the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat occupant B2 seated in the left rear seat 32.

One end of the first rear seat foot duct 137 is connected to the first rear seat foot opening 121k. The other end of the first rear seat foot duct 137, the two first rear seat foot outlets 137a, open to face the foot space in front of the seat cushion of the rear seat 3 in the space partition wall 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Specifically, one of the two first rear seat foot outlets 137a opens to face the foot space in front of the seat cushion of the right rear seat 31, and the other opens to face the foot space in front of the seat cushion of the left rear seat 32.

Air that passes through the first rear seat foot opening 121k from the first rear seat ventilation passage 121ab passes through the first rear seat foot duct 137, and is then blown out from the two first rear seat foot outlets 137a into the second space S2. The air blown out from the two first rear seat foot outlets 137a flows mainly toward the left and right feet and surrounding areas of the right rear seat occupant B1 seated in the right rear seat 31 and the left rear seat occupant B2 seated in the left rear seat 32.

In this way, the first front seat face vent 133a, the first front seat foot vent 134a, the defroster vent 135a, the first rear seat face vent 136a, and the first rear seat foot vent 137a open at different positions within the vehicle cabin.

The first air conditioner 120 conditions the interior of the vehicle with conditioned air blown out from the air outlets 133a, 134a, 135a, 136a, and 137a that open at different positions, and can also affect the thermal sensation of the body parts of the front seat occupant 4 and the rear seat occupant 5. Specifically, the first air conditioner 120 conditions the first space S1 with conditioned air blown out from the four first front seat face air outlets 133a, and has the greatest effect on the thermal sensation of the body parts belonging to the upper body of the driver D and the passenger seat occupant P. In addition, the first air conditioner 120 conditions the first space S1 with conditioned air blown out from the two first front seat foot air outlets 134a, and has the greatest effect on the thermal sensation of the body parts of the driver D and the passenger seat occupant P that belong to the left and right lower legs.

The first air conditioner 120 conditions the second space S2 with conditioned air blown out from the two first rear seat face vents 136a, and has the greatest effect on the thermal sensation of the upper body and thighs of the right rear seat occupant B1 and the left rear seat occupant B2. The first air conditioner 120 conditions the second space S2 with conditioned air blown out from the two first rear seat foot vents 137a, and has the greatest effect on the thermal sensation of the left and right feet of the right rear seat occupant B1 and the left rear seat occupant B2.

The first air conditioner 120 has a greater air conditioning capacity for conditioning the first space S1 than for conditioning the second space S2. In other words, the first air conditioner 120 is configured to blow a greater amount of conditioned air into the first space S1 than into the second space S2. For this reason, the first air conditioner 120 mainly conditions the first space S1 within the vehicle cabin. The first air conditioner 120 assists the second air conditioner 140 in conditioning the second space S2.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, an opening/closing door 138 and an air direction adjustment mechanism 139 are attached to the upstream side of the air flow of each of the two first rear seat face air outlets 136a. The opening/closing door 138 is a member that adjusts the flow area of the air flow path surrounded by the first rear seat face air duct 136, thereby adjusting the flow rate of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a. The opening/closing door 138 has an opening/closing plate 138b that rotates to adjust the flow area of the first rear seat face air duct 136, and an opening/closing door shaft 138c that rotates the opening/closing plate 138b.

The opening and closing door shaft 138c is a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction DRw. The opening and closing door shaft 138c is driven to rotate around its axis in the left-right direction DRw by the driving force supplied from the opening and closing door actuator 138a. The opening and closing door shaft 138c is connected to the opening and closing plate 138b and rotates together with the opening and closing plate 138b. The opening and closing plate 138b is in the shape of a thin plate and extends flatly away from the axis of the opening and closing door shaft 138c.

The opening and closing door 138 is configured so that the flow area of the first rear seat face duct 136 can be adjusted in the range of 0 to 100% by adjusting the rotational position of the opening and closing plate 138b. For example, the opening and closing door 138 places the plate surface of the opening and closing plate 138b at a position perpendicular to the up-down direction DRud, thereby opening the first rear seat face duct 136 fully (i.e., the opening degree is 100%). In this case, all of the conditioned air that flows into the first rear seat face duct 136 is blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a.

The opening and closing door 138 also places the plate surface of the opening and closing plate 138b in a position perpendicular to the air flow direction, thereby placing the first rear seat face duct 136 in a fully closed state (i.e., the opening degree is 0%). In this case, the conditioned air that has flowed into the first rear seat face duct 136 is prohibited from being blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a. The opening and closing door 138 also places the plate surface of the opening and closing plate 138b in an intermediate position between a position that places the first rear seat face duct 136 in a fully open state and a position that places the first rear seat face duct 136 in a fully closed state, thereby placing the first rear seat face duct 136 in a half-open state (i.e., the opening degree is 50%). In this embodiment, the opening and closing door 138 functions as an air volume adjustment unit.

The opening/closing door actuator 138a is an actuator that drives the opening/closing door 138, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4. A wind direction adjustment mechanism 139 is disposed downstream of the opening/closing door 138 in the air flow direction.

The airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139 is an airflow direction adjustment unit that adjusts the direction of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a into the second space S2. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139 has six left and right fins 139b that change their posture to adjust the direction of the conditioned air in the left-right direction DRw, and six left and right fin shafts 139c that change the posture of each of the six left and right fins 139b. In addition, the airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139 has two upper and lower fins 139d that change their posture to adjust the direction of the conditioned air in the up-down direction DRud, and two upper and lower fin shafts 139e that change the posture of each of the upper and lower fins 139d.

The six left and right fins 139b are arranged side by side in the left-right direction DRw in the first rear seat face duct 136. Each of the six left and right fins 139b has a thin plate shape and extends in a plane away from the axis of the left and right fin shaft 139c.

The left and right fin shafts 139c are rod-shaped members extending in the up-down direction DRud. The left and right fin shafts 139c are driven to rotate around the up-down direction DRud as the axial direction by the driving force supplied from the wind direction actuator 139a. Each of the left and right fin shafts 139c is connected to the corresponding left and right fins 139b, and rotates together with the left and right fins 139b within a predetermined range. In this embodiment, each of the six left and right fins 139b rotates together with the other left and right fins 139b via the six left and right fin shafts 139c.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 7 to 9, the left and right fins 139b are configured to be rotatable within a predetermined range of angles in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the vehicle 1 around the axis of the left and right fin shafts 139c. The left and right fins 139b are also configured to be able to change their rotational position so that the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a is directed toward a predetermined part of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

As shown in FIG. 7, the left and right fins 139b are positioned such that the plate surfaces of the left and right fins 139b are in a left-right central direction DRwC perpendicular to the left-right direction DRw, thereby enabling the air conditioning air to be guided in the left-right central direction DRwC. When the plate surfaces of the left and right fins 139b are perpendicular to the left-right direction DRw, the inclination angle of the left and right fins 139b with respect to the direction perpendicular to the left-right direction DRw and the up-down direction DRud is 0°.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the left and right fins 139b can be positioned in the left side direction DRwL by changing the inclination angle by a predetermined angle clockwise from the left-right center direction DRwC, thereby directing the conditioned air in the left side direction DRwL. When the left and right fins 139b are positioned in the left side direction DRwL, the upstream end of the left and right fins 139b in the air flow is positioned to the right of the downstream end of the air flow in the left-right direction DRw.

The left and right fins 139b can be positioned in the right side direction DRwR by changing the inclination angle by a predetermined angle counterclockwise from the left-right center direction DRwC as shown in FIG. 9, thereby directing the conditioned air in the right side direction DRwR. When the left and right fins 139b are positioned in the right side direction DRwR, the upstream end of the left and right fins 139b in the air flow is positioned to the left of the downstream end of the air flow in the left-right direction DRw.

The left and right fins 139b are set so that when positioned in the left-right central direction DRwC, the conditioned air flows toward the front of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a. In other words, the left-right central direction DRwC is set so that the conditioned air flows mainly toward the left-right central area that belongs to the central portion in the left-right direction DRw of the rear seat occupant 5 shown in Figures 10 and 11.

The left and right central regions are regions including the head 5a, neck 5b, chest 5c, and abdomen 5d among the multiple body regions of the rear seat occupant 5. In other words, the left and right central direction DRwC is a direction in which the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a is guided primarily to one of the multiple body regions of the rear seat occupant 5, namely, the head 5a, neck 5b, chest 5c, or abdomen 5d.

The left and right fins 139b are also set so that when positioned in the left side area direction DRwL, the conditioned air flows toward the left side of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a in the left-right direction DRw. In other words, the left side area direction DRwL is set so that the conditioned air flows mainly toward the left side area that belongs to the left side of the rear seat occupant 5 in the left-right direction DRw.

The left side regions include the left upper arm 5e, left forearm 5f, left hand 5g, left thigh 5h, and left lower leg 5s among the multiple body regions of the rear seat occupant 5. In other words, the left side region direction DRwL is a direction in which the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a is guided primarily to one of the multiple body regions of the rear seat occupant 5, the left upper arm 5e, left forearm 5f, left hand 5g, left thigh 5h, or left lower leg 5s.

The left and right fins 139b are also set so that when positioned in the right-side area direction DRwR, the conditioned air flows toward the right of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a in the left-right direction DRw. In other words, the right-side area direction DRwR is set so that the conditioned air flows mainly toward the right side of the rear seat occupant 5, which is on the right side in the left-right direction DRw.

The right side part includes the right upper arm 5k, right forearm 5m, right hand 5n, right thigh 5r, and right lower leg 5t among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. In other words, the right side part direction DRwR is a direction in which the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a is guided mainly to one of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the right upper arm 5k, right forearm 5m, right hand 5n, right thigh 5r, or right lower leg 5t.

In this way, the six left and right fins 139b change the inclination angle to change the flow direction of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a to the left and right direction DRw (i.e., the vehicle width direction). Depending on the rotation position, the six left and right fins 139b can guide the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a to one of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, either the left or right central part, the left part, or the right part.

The two upper and lower fins 139d are arranged side by side in the vertical direction DRud in the first rear seat face duct 136. Each of the two upper and lower fins 139d has a thin plate shape and extends in a plane away from the axis of the upper and lower fin shaft 139e.

The upper and lower fin shafts 139e are rod-shaped members extending in the left-right direction DRw. The upper and lower fin shafts 139e are driven to rotate around the left-right direction DRw as the axial direction by the driving force supplied from the wind direction actuator 139a. Each of the upper and lower fin shafts 139e is connected to the corresponding upper and lower fins 139d, and rotates together with the upper and lower fins 139d within a predetermined range. In this embodiment, each of the two upper and lower fins 139d rotates together with the other upper and lower fins 139d by the two upper and lower fin shafts 139e.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 12 to 14, the upper and lower fins 139d are configured to be rotatable within a predetermined range of angles in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction around the axis of the upper and lower fin shaft 139e when viewed from the left side of the vehicle 1. The upper and lower fins 139d are also configured to be able to change their rotational position so that the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a is directed toward a predetermined part of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

As shown in FIG. 12, the upper and lower fins 139d are positioned such that the plate surfaces of the upper and lower fins 139d are in a vertical center direction DRudC perpendicular to the vertical direction DRud, thereby enabling the air conditioning air to be guided in the vertical center direction DRudC. When the plate surfaces of the upper and lower fins 139d are perpendicular to the vertical direction DRud, the inclination angle of the upper and lower fins 139d with respect to the left-right direction DRw and the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction DRud is 0°.

Also, as shown in FIG. 13, the upper and lower fins 139d can be positioned in the upper part direction DRudA by changing the inclination angle by a predetermined angle counterclockwise from the vertical center direction DRudC, thereby directing the conditioned air in the upper part direction DRudA. When the upper and lower fins 139d are positioned in the upper part direction DRudA, the upstream end of the upper and lower fins 139d in the air flow is positioned lower in the vertical direction DRud (i.e., vertical direction) than the downstream end of the air flow.

The upper and lower fins 139d are positioned in the lower part direction DRudB by changing the inclination angle by a predetermined angle clockwise from the vertical center direction DRudC as shown in FIG. 14, so that the conditioned air can be guided in the lower part direction DRudB. When the upper and lower fins 139d are positioned in the lower part direction DRudB, the upstream end of the upper and lower fins 139d in the air flow is positioned higher in the vertical direction DRud (i.e., vertical direction) than the downstream end of the air flow.

The upper and lower fins 139d are set so that when positioned in the vertical center direction DRudC, the conditioned air flows toward the front of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a. In other words, the vertical center direction DRudC is set so that the conditioned air flows toward the vertical center area A2 that belongs to the center in the vertical direction DRud of the rear seat occupant 5 shown in Figures 10 and 15.

The vertical central area A2 includes the chest 5c, abdomen 5d, left upper arm 5e, left forearm 5f, right upper arm 5k, right forearm 5m, left hand 5g, and right hand 5n among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. In other words, the vertical central direction DRudC is a direction in which the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a is guided mainly to one of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the chest 5c, abdomen 5d, left upper arm 5e, left forearm 5f, right upper arm 5k, right forearm 5m, left hand 5g, or right hand 5n.

The upper and lower fins 139d are also set so that when positioned in the upper area direction DRudA, the conditioned air flows toward the upper side in the vertical direction DRud than the first rear seat face air outlet 136a. In other words, the upper area direction DRudA is set so that the conditioned air flows mainly toward the upper area A1, which belongs to the upper part of the rear seat occupant 5 in the vertical direction DRud.

The upper part A1 is a part including the head 5a and neck 5b among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. In other words, the upper part direction DRudA is a direction in which the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a to the second space S2 is guided mainly to either the head 5a or the neck 5b among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

The upper and lower fins 139d are also set so that when positioned in the lower area direction DRudB, the conditioned air flows toward the lower side of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a in the vertical direction DRud. In other words, the lower area direction DRudB is set so that the conditioned air flows mainly toward the lower area A3, which belongs to the lower part of the rear seat occupant 5 in the vertical direction DRud.

The lower part A3 includes the left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. In other words, the lower part direction DRudB is a direction in which the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a to the second space S2 is guided primarily to one of the left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

In this way, the two upper and lower fins 139d change the inclination angle to change the direction of the flow of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a to the up-down direction DRud (i.e., vertical direction). Specifically, the two upper and lower fins 139d can guide the direction of the conditioned air upward in the vertical direction by positioning the upstream end of the upper and lower fins 139d in the air flow lower in the up-down direction DRud than the downstream end of the air flow. Also, the two upper and lower fins 139d can guide the direction of the conditioned air downward in the vertical direction by positioning the upstream end of the upper and lower fins 139d in the air flow higher in the up-down direction DRud than the downstream end of the air flow.

The two upper and lower fins 139d can guide the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a to one of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, namely the upper and lower central part A2, the upper part A1, or the lower part A3, depending on the rotational position.

In addition, the first air conditioner 120 can guide the conditioned air blown out from the two first rear seat foot vents 137a toward the toe area A4, which belongs to the toe portion of the rear seat occupant 5. The toe area A4 is an area including the left toe 5u and the right toe 5w among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 shown in FIG. 10.

As described above, the airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139 changes the direction of the flow of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a by changing the inclination angle of the six left and right fins 139b and the two top and bottom fins 139d. In this way, the airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139 can change the parts of the body of the rear seat occupant 5 that are affected by the thermal sensation caused by the conditioned air blown out by the first air conditioner 120.

The airflow direction actuator 139a is an actuator that drives the airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139, and is an electric motor that rotates the left-right fin shaft 139c and the upper-lower fin shaft 139e. The airflow direction actuator 139a is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80, as shown in FIG. 4.

Returning to FIG. 3, the second air conditioner 140 includes a second air conditioner case 141, a second inside/outside air switching door 142, a second centrifugal fan 143, a second heater core 144, a second air mix door 145, a second rear seat face door 146, and a second rear seat foot door 147. The second air conditioner 140 also includes a second rear seat face duct 148 and a second rear seat foot duct 149. The second air conditioner 140 also includes a second inside/outside air actuator 142a, a second fan actuator 143a, a second rear seat air mix actuator 145a, a second rear seat mode actuator 146a, etc.

The second air conditioning case 141 surrounds the second ventilation passage 141a through which the temperature-regulated air passes before being blown into the vehicle cabin. The second air conditioning case 141 has almost the same basic structure as the first air conditioning case 121. However, the second air conditioning case 141 differs from the first air conditioning case 121 in that it does not have a member equivalent to the ventilation passage partition wall 121d in the first air conditioning case 121, and has fewer openings through which conditioned air is blown into the vehicle cabin compared to the first air conditioning case 121.

Specifically, the second air conditioning case 141 has a second inside air inlet 141b and a second outside air inlet 141c on the upstream side in the air flow direction. In addition, the second air conditioning case 141 has a second rear seat face opening 141h and a second rear seat foot opening 141k on the downstream side in the air flow direction of the second ventilation passage 141a for blowing conditioned air from the second ventilation passage 141a to the second space S2.

In the second air conditioning case 141, the ratio of the volume of inside air and the volume of outside air introduced into the second ventilation passage 141a is adjusted by the second inside/outside air switching door 142. The second inside/outside air actuator 142a is an actuator that drives the second inside/outside air switching door 142, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4.

The second rear seat face opening 141h and the second rear seat foot opening 141k are provided with rear seat mode switching doors for opening and closing the respective openings. The rear seat mode switching doors are composed of a second rear seat face door 146 and a second rear seat foot door 147. The second rear seat face door 146 opens and closes the second rear seat face opening 141h. The second rear seat foot door 147 opens and closes the second rear seat foot opening 141k.

The second rear seat mode actuator 146a is an actuator that drives the second rear seat face door 146 and the second rear seat foot door 147, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4. The second rear seat mode actuator 146a controls the second rear seat outlet mode of the second air conditioner 140. The second rear seat outlet mode includes, for example, a second rear seat face mode and a second rear seat foot mode.

The second rear seat face mode is a blowing mode in which the second rear seat face door 146 opens and the second rear seat foot door 147 closes. The second rear seat foot mode is a blowing mode in which the second rear seat foot door 147 opens and the second rear seat face door 146 closes. The second rear seat blowing mode can be switched independently of the first front seat blowing mode and the first rear seat blowing mode.

The second air conditioning case 141 also houses a second centrifugal fan 143, a second heater core 144, and a second air mix door 145. The second centrifugal fan 143 has the same basic structure as the first centrifugal fan 123. The second heater core 144 has the same basic structure as the first front seat heater core 124. The second air mix door 145 has the same basic structure as the first front seat air mix door 125. For this reason, detailed explanations of the second centrifugal fan 143, the second heater core 144, and the second air mix door 145 will be omitted.

The second fan actuator 143a is an actuator that drives the second centrifugal fan 143, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4. The second rear seat air mix actuator 145a is an actuator that drives the second air mix door 145, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 4.

The second ventilation passage 141a allows conditioned air to flow from the air mix space, where the air that bypasses the second heater core 144 and the air that passes through the second heater core 144 are mixed, to the second rear seat face opening 141h and the second rear seat foot opening 141k.

One end of the second rear seat face duct 148 is connected to the second rear seat face opening 141h, and the other end, the second rear seat face air outlet 148a, opens in two at a position facing the rear seat 3 in the ceiling forming the second space S2, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The air that passes through the second rear seat face opening 141h from the second ventilation passage 141a passes through the second rear seat face duct 148, and is then blown out from the second rear seat face air outlet 148a into the second space S2. The air blown out from the second rear seat face air outlet 148a flows mainly toward or around the upper body of the rear seat occupant 5 seated in the rear seat 3.

One end of the second rear seat foot duct 149 is connected to the second rear seat foot opening 141k. The other end of the second rear seat foot duct 149, the second rear seat foot outlet 149a, opens facing the foot space below the seat cushion of the rear seat 3 on the floor forming the second space S2, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The air that passes through the second rear seat foot opening 141k from the second ventilation passage 141a passes through the second rear seat foot duct 149, and is then blown out from the second rear seat foot outlet 149a into the second space S2. The air blown out from the second rear seat foot outlet 149a flows toward the left and right feet of the rear seat occupant 5 seated in the rear seat 3 and the surrounding areas.

Next, the seat air conditioning unit 40 will be described. The seat air conditioning unit 40 is attached to the rear seat 3 and is a temperature control device that adjusts the thermal sensation of the rear seat occupant 5 seated in the rear seat 3 by cooling and heating multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the seat air conditioning unit 40 has a back ventilation duct 41, a back ventilation port 41a, a back fan 42, a back fan actuator 42a, a seat ventilation duct 43, a seat surface ventilation port 43a, a seat fan 44, a seat fan actuator 44a, a neck heater 45, a back heater 46, and a thigh heater 47.

The back ventilation duct 41 is an air flow path provided inside the seat back of the rear seat 3. One side of the back ventilation duct 41 is connected to the rear ventilation port 41a, and the other side is connected to the space on the rear side of the seat back of the rear seat 3. The back ventilation duct 41 also houses a back fan 42.

The rear ventilation opening 41a is provided on the front side of the seat back of the rear seat 3, approximately in the vertical center of the seat back. In other words, the rear ventilation opening 41a is provided at a position on the seat back that is expected to face the back of the rear seat occupant 5 when the rear seat occupant 5 is seated in the rear seat 3.

The rear fan 42 is an electric fan that generates an airflow in the rear ventilation passage 41 and blows the air drawn in from the rear ventilation opening 41a into the space behind the seat back of the rear seat 3. The rear fan actuator 42a is an actuator that drives the rear fan 42, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 3.

The seat ventilation passage 43 is an air flow path provided inside the seat cushion of the rear seat 3. One side of the seat ventilation passage 43 is connected to the seat surface ventilation port 43a, and the other side is connected to the space on the underside of the seat cushion of the rear seat 3. The seat ventilation passage 43 also houses a seat fan 44.

The rear ventilation opening 41a is provided on the upper surface of the seat cushion of the rear seat 3, approximately in the center of the seat cushion in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, the rear ventilation opening 41a is provided at a position on the seat cushion that is expected to face the buttocks and the areas around the left and right thighs of the rear seat occupant 5 when the rear seat occupant 5 is seated in the rear seat 3.

The seat fan 44 is an electric fan that generates an airflow in the seat ventilation passage 43 and blows the air drawn in from the seat ventilation opening 43a into the space below the seat cushion of the rear seat 3. The seat fan actuator 44a is an actuator that drives the seat fan 44, and is controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 as shown in FIG. 3.

The neck heater 45 is an electric heater located on the front side of the seat back at the top of the seat back of the rear seat 3 in the up-down direction DRud.

The back heater 46 is an electric heater that is provided on the front side of the seat back of the rear seat 3, approximately in the center of the seat back in the up-down direction DRud. The back heater 46 is provided around the rear ventilation opening 41a.

The thigh heater 47 is an electric heater provided on the upper surface side of the seat cushion in the rear seat 3. The thigh heater 47 is provided around the seat ventilation opening 43a.

The amount of heat generated by each of the neck heater 45, back heater 46, and thigh heater 47 is controlled by a control signal output from the air conditioner ECU 80.

When the back fan 42 is driven, the seat air conditioner 40 draws in air from the rear ventilation opening 41a around the back of the rear seat occupant 5 seated in the rear seat 3. This cools mainly the back of the rear seat occupant 5 out of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

In addition, when the seat fan 44 is driven, the seat air conditioning unit 40 draws in air around the buttocks and thighs of the rear seat occupant 5 seated in the rear seat 3 through the seat ventilation opening 43a. This cools mainly the buttocks and thighs of the rear seat occupant 5 out of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

The seat air conditioning unit 40 can change the effect of the thermal sensation on the rear seat occupant 5 according to the rotation speed of the back fan 42 and the seat fan 44. Specifically, the seat air conditioning unit 40 can provide more cooling to the back of the rear seat occupant 5 the higher the rotation speed of the back fan 42. Also, the seat air conditioning unit 40 can provide more cooling to the buttocks and thighs of the rear seat occupant 5 the higher the rotation speed of the seat fan 44.

In addition, when the neck heater 45 of the seat air conditioning unit 40 starts operating, the neck heater 45 generates heat. As a result, of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, mainly the neck is warmed. In addition, when the back heater 46 of the seat air conditioning unit 40 starts operating, the back heater 46 generates heat. As a result, of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, mainly the back is warmed. In addition, when the thigh heater 47 of the seat air conditioning unit 40 starts operating, the thigh heater 47 generates heat. As a result, of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, mainly the buttocks and thighs are heated.

The seat air conditioning unit 40 can change the effect of the thermal sensation on the rear seat occupant 5 according to the amount of heat generated by each of the neck heater 45, back heater 46, and thigh heater 47. Specifically, the seat air conditioning unit 40 can provide more warmth to the neck of the rear seat occupant 5 by increasing the amount of heat generated by the neck heater 45. The seat air conditioning unit 40 can provide more warmth to the back of the rear seat occupant 5 by increasing the amount of heat generated by the back heater 46. And the seat air conditioning unit 40 can provide more warmth to the buttocks and thighs of the rear seat occupant 5 by increasing the amount of heat generated by the thigh heater 47.

In addition, the seat air conditioning unit 40 may be replaced with a device including a Peltier element that heats and cools multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, in which the back ventilation duct 41, back fan 42, seat ventilation duct 43, seat fan 44, neck heater 45, back heater 46, and thigh heater 47 are arranged.

The IR sensor 70 is a sensor that acquires infrared radiation emitted from within a predetermined shooting range, and generates and outputs an image that represents the surface temperature at each position within the shooting range as a pixel value based on the acquired infrared radiation. The IR sensor 70 is composed of an optical sensor that irradiates and receives infrared radiation, a microcomputer that includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and other storage units, and its peripheral circuits. The shooting range of the IR sensor 70 includes the rear seat occupant 5 and the area around the rear seat occupant 5 within the vehicle cabin. The IR sensor 70 detects information related to the thermal sensation of the rear seat occupant 5 based on image data generated by capturing an image of the rear seat occupant 5 and the area around the rear seat occupant 5.

The IR sensor 70 is also connected to the air conditioner ECU 80 and is configured to be able to acquire information relating to the operation of the air conditioning unit 10 from the air conditioner ECU 80. The information relating to the operation of the air conditioning unit 10 includes, for example, the rotation speed of the compressor 111, the rotation speed of the first centrifugal fan 123, the rotation speed of the second centrifugal fan 143, the target blowing temperature of the conditioned air blown out by the air conditioning unit 10, etc.

The IR sensor 70 estimates the thermal sensation of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 by performing various calculations and processing based on the temperature information contained in the generated image and the control map stored in the memory unit. The control map is determined in advance based on the predicted thermal sensation of each of the body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the temperature information contained in the generated image, and information related to the operation of the air conditioning unit 10, and can be obtained from the results of experiments conducted in advance. The IR sensor 70 detects the ambient temperature of the rear seat occupant 5, and outputs the thermal sensation of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 estimated using the detected ambient temperature to the air conditioner ECU 80 as information on the current thermal sensation of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. The IR sensor 70 in this embodiment functions as a thermal sensation detection unit.

The air conditioner ECU 80 is composed of a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and its peripheral circuits. The air conditioner ECU 80 performs various calculations and processes based on the air conditioning control program stored in the ROM, and controls the operation of various controlled devices connected to its output side. The ROM and RAM of the air conditioner ECU 80 are composed of non-transient physical storage media.

As shown in FIG. 4, the thermal sensation adjustment system includes a first interior air temperature sensor 71, a second interior air temperature sensor 72, an outside air temperature sensor 73, a solar radiation sensor 74, a first setting unit 75, and a second setting unit 76. The first interior air temperature sensor 71 outputs a detection signal to the air conditioner ECU 80 according to the air temperature in the first space S1 of the vehicle interior (hereinafter, the first interior air temperature FrTr). The second interior air temperature sensor 72 outputs a detection signal to the air conditioner ECU 80 according to the air temperature in the second space S2 of the vehicle interior (hereinafter, the second interior air temperature RrTr). The outside air temperature sensor 73 outputs a detection signal to the air conditioner ECU 80 according to the air temperature outside the vehicle interior (hereinafter, the outside air temperature Tam). The solar radiation sensor 74 outputs a detection signal to the air conditioner ECU 80 according to the amount of solar radiation Ts entering the vehicle interior.

The first setting unit 75 is a device that accepts input operations from the front seat occupant 4. Specifically, the first setting unit 75 is disposed near an instrument panel (not shown) in the first space S1, and has various operation switches that can be operated individually by the front seat occupant 4. The first setting unit 75 outputs information input by the operation of the front seat occupant 4 to the air conditioner ECU 80.

The various operation switches provided in the first setting section 75 include, for example, an air conditioning power switch that sets the air conditioning unit 10 to start or stop operation, and an auto switch that sets or cancels automatic control operation of the air conditioning unit 10. The various operation switches also include a temperature setting switch that individually sets the first target temperature FrTset of the first space S1 and the second target temperature RrTset of the second space S2 in the vehicle cabin, and a mode selection switch that selects the operation mode of the air conditioning unit 10.

The second setting unit 76 is a device that accepts input operations from the rear seat occupant 5. Specifically, the second setting unit 76 is disposed in a center console (not shown) provided between the two rear seats 3 in the second space S2, and has various operation switches that can be operated individually by each rear seat occupant 5. The second setting unit 76 outputs information input by the operation of the rear seat occupant 5 to the air conditioning ECU 80.

The various operation switches provided in the second setting section 76 include, for example, an air conditioning power switch that sets the air conditioning unit 10 to start or stop operation, and an auto switch that sets or cancels automatic control operation of the air conditioning unit 10. Other operation switches include a temperature setting switch that sets the second target temperature RrTset of the second space S2 in the vehicle cabin, and a mode selection switch that selects the operation mode of the air conditioning unit 10.

Furthermore, the various operation switches include a correction switch that sets the target thermal sensation for the rear seat occupant 5, and a seat air conditioning power switch that sets the start or stop of operation of the seat air conditioning device 40. The various operation switches also include an auto switch that sets or cancels the automatic control operation of the seat air conditioning device 40, a temperature setting switch that sets the seat target temperature STset for the rear seat 3, etc.

The operations of starting or stopping the operation of the air conditioning unit 10, setting or canceling automatic control operation, selecting the operation mode, and setting the second target temperature RrTset can be performed by either the first setting unit 75 or the second setting unit 76. In contrast, the operation of setting the first target temperature FrTset of the first space S1 cannot be performed by the second setting unit 76, and can be performed only by the first setting unit 75. In addition, the operations of setting the target thermal sensation for the rear seat occupant 5, starting or stopping the operation of the seat air conditioning device 40, setting or canceling automatic control operation, and setting the seat target temperature STset cannot be performed by the first setting unit 75, and can be performed only by the second setting unit 76.

The air conditioner ECU 80 can switch the operation of the thermal sensation adjustment system to different operating modes based on the operation of the mode selection switch of the first setting unit 75 and the operation of the mode selection switch of the second setting unit 76. Specifically, the air conditioner ECU 80 can switch the operating mode to either the default mode, the relax mode, or the focus mode based on the operation of the first setting unit 75 and the second setting unit 76. Furthermore, when the default mode is set based on the operation of the first setting unit 75 and the second setting unit 76, the air conditioner ECU 80 sets the operating mode to either the summer default mode or the winter default mode based on the external environment.

The summer default mode is a mode used mainly in the summer when the temperature is high, and is a mode for cooling the interior of the vehicle. As described below, in the summer default mode, the thermal sensation adjustment system cools the entire second space S2 and cools parts of the body of the rear seat passenger 5 so that the thermal sensation of the rear seat passenger 5 approaches the target thermal sensation.

The winter default mode is a mode used mainly in the winter when the temperature is low, and heats the interior of the vehicle. As described below, in the winter default mode, the thermal sensation adjustment system heats the entire second space S2 and heats parts of the body of the rear seat passenger 5 so that the thermal sensation of the rear seat passenger 5 approaches the target thermal sensation.

The relaxation mode is a mode for calming the mind of the rear seat passenger 5. As described below, in the relaxation mode, the thermal sensation adjustment system conditions the entire second space S2 and adjusts the temperature of the body parts of the rear seat passenger 5 so that the thermal sensation of the rear seat passenger 5 approaches a target thermal sensation in order to put the rear seat passenger 5 in a relaxed state.

The focus mode is a mode for invigorating the mind of the rear seat passenger 5. As described below, in the focus mode, the thermal sensation adjustment system air-conditions the entire second space S2 and adjusts the temperature of the body parts of the rear seat passenger 5 so that the thermal sensation of the rear seat passenger 5 approaches a target thermal sensation in order to improve the concentration of the rear seat passenger 5.

When the driving mode is set to the summer default mode, winter default mode, relax mode, or focus mode, the air conditioner ECU 80 controls various components of the thermal sensation adjustment system so that the thermal sensation of the rear seat passenger 5 approaches a target thermal sensation. The target thermal sensation is data that represents multiple target values of thermal sensations targeted at multiple body parts of the rear seat passenger 5.

Each driving mode has a different reference temperature distribution for each driving mode shown in Figures 16 to 19. The reference temperature distribution is set in advance in the air conditioner ECU 80 for each of the four areas of the rear seat occupant 5, the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4, as described above. Therefore, of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the parts that belong to the same area of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4 have the same reference temperature distribution set to the same value.

For example, of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the head 5a and neck 5b included in the upper region A1 are set to the same reference temperature distribution value. Also, of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the chest 5c, abdomen 5d, left upper arm 5e, left forearm 5f, right upper arm 5k, right forearm 5m, left hand 5g, and right hand 5n included in the upper and lower central region A2 are set to the same reference temperature distribution value.

Among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t included in the lower region A3 are set to have the same reference temperature distribution value. Also, among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the left toe 5u and right toe 5w included in the toe region A4 are set to have the same reference temperature distribution value.

Here, among the thermal sensations felt by a person, the value of a very cold thermal sensation is "-5", the value of a cold thermal sensation is "-4", the value of a slightly cold thermal sensation is "-3", the value of a cool thermal sensation is "-2", and the value of a slightly cool thermal sensation is "-1". Also, among the thermal sensations felt by a person, the value of a very hot thermal sensation is "+5", the value of a hot thermal sensation is "+4", the value of a slightly hot thermal sensation is "+3", the value of a warm thermal sensation is "+2", and the value of a slightly warm thermal sensation is "+1". And the value of a thermal sensation that a person feels neither warm nor cool is "0".

The standard thermal sensation distribution for each driving mode is set to a value within the range of "-2" to "+2" that is the thermal sensation value that the rear seat passenger 5 is likely to feel comfortable in the upper area A1, upper and lower central areas A2, lower area A3, and toe area A4. Hereinafter, the standard value of the thermal sensation that the rear seat passenger 5 generally feels comfortable in each area is also referred to as the thermal sensation standard value.

The warmer the thermal sensation that the rear seat passenger 5 feels comfortable with in the body parts belonging to each area, the higher the thermal sensation standard value. Conversely, the cooler the thermal sensation that the rear seat passenger 5 feels comfortable with in the body parts belonging to each area, the lower the thermal sensation standard value. Note that in Figures 16 to 19, the ranges indicating the thermal sensation standard values for each area are hatched with a dot pattern.

The distribution of thermal sensation standard values for each driving mode is created as a distribution of thermal sensation that is assumed to be comfortable for the rear seat passenger 5 in that driving mode. These distributions of thermal sensation standard values are determined in advance through experiments as being ones that will satisfy an unspecified number of passengers on average. By creating them in this way, if a distribution of thermal sensation standard values for a certain mode is realized, each of the body parts belonging to each area of the rear seat passenger 5 will be more likely to feel comfortable.

Specifically, the thermal sensation standard value in the summer default mode is set so that the rear seat occupant 5 feels a cool thermal sensation in all of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4, as shown in FIG. 16. In addition, the thermal sensation standard value in the summer default mode is set so that the upper area A1 is set in the range of "-2 to -1", which is the coolest compared to other areas, and the other areas A2, A3, and A4 are set in the range of "-1 to 0", which is higher than the value in the upper area A1.

The reason for setting the distribution of thermal sensation standard values in this way is to improve the comfort of the rear seat occupant 5 by keeping the head cool and the feet warm, i.e., keeping the head cool and the feet warm. Also, because the temperature of the air relatively high up in the vehicle cabin tends to increase due to radiant heat from the windows that are heated by sunlight, it is necessary to give a relatively cool thermal sensation to the relatively high up parts of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

The thermal sensation standard value for the summer default mode set in this way is generally a thermal sensation distribution that a person feels comfortable with when cooling the interior of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 17, the thermal sensation standard value in the winter default mode is set so that the rear seat occupant 5 feels a warm thermal sensation in all of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4. The thermal sensation standard value in the winter default mode is set in the range of "0 to +1" for the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, and the lower area A3. The thermal sensation standard value in the winter default mode is set in the range of "+1 to +2" for the toe area A4. In this way, the thermal sensation standard value in the winter default mode is set so that the toe area A4 feels a warmer thermal sensation than the other areas.

The reason for setting the distribution of thermal sensation standard values in this way is to improve the comfort of rear seat passengers 5 by keeping their heads cool and their feet warm, a so-called cool head, warm feet, similar to the summer default mode. It is also to avoid discomfort in the heads of rear seat passengers 5 even when the temperature around the heads of rear seat passengers 5 rises due to the relatively high air temperature in the passenger compartment caused by heating.

The thermal sensation standard value for the winter default mode set in this way is generally a thermal sensation distribution that makes a person feel comfortable when heating the vehicle interior.

The thermal sensation standard value for the relaxation mode is set so that the rear seat occupant 5 feels a warm thermal sensation in all of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4, as shown in FIG. 18. The thermal sensation standard value for the relaxation mode is the same in all of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4, and is set in the range of "+1 to +2."

As shown in FIG. 19, the thermal sensation standard value in focus mode is set so that the rear seat passenger 5 feels a cool thermal sensation in the upper area A1 and the upper and lower central areas A2, and feels a warm thermal sensation in the lower area A3 and the toes area A4. The thermal sensation standard value in focus mode is set so that the thermal sensation value increases in the order of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toes area A4. Specifically, the thermal sensation standard value in focus mode is set so that the upper area A1 is set in the range of "-2 to -1", the upper and lower central areas A2 are set in the range of "-1 to 0", the lower area A3 is set in the range of "0 to +1", and the toes area A4 is set in the range of "+1 to +2".

In this way, the thermal sensation standard value for each driving mode is individually set to a value that is likely to be comfortable for the areas corresponding to the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4. Meanwhile, the thermal sensation that the rear seat passenger 5 is likely to feel comfortable with in each of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4 varies depending on the external environment and the mental state that the rear seat passenger 5 desires to achieve. The thermal sensation standard value for each driving mode in this embodiment is individually set to a value that is likely to be comfortable for the areas corresponding to the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4, which varies depending on the external environment and the mental state that the rear seat passenger 5 desires to achieve.

In addition, the target thermal sensation value in each operating mode can be corrected from the thermal sensation reference value to a desired value by operating the correction switch. Specifically, based on the operation of the correction switch, the target thermal sensation value of one or more areas selected from the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4 of each operating mode is individually corrected to the negative or positive side from the thermal sensation reference value.

With the above-described configuration of the thermal sensation adjustment system, the air conditioning unit 10 and the seat air conditioning device 40 are configured to be able to change the thermal sensation for each body part of the rear seat occupant 5 in each driving mode. The first air conditioning device 120, the second air conditioning device 140 and the seat air conditioning device 40 of the air conditioning unit 10 can adjust their output independently of each other by the air conditioning ECU 80.

In addition, the air conditioning unit 10 can adjust the temperature and volume of the conditioned air sent into the vehicle cabin by the first air conditioning device 120 and the second air conditioning device 140, independently of the operation of the seat air conditioning device 40, by the air conditioning ECU 80. Furthermore, the air conditioning ECU 80 can switch the outlet from which the conditioned air is blown out by changing the blowing mode of the first air conditioning device 120 and the second air conditioning device 140.

In addition, the air conditioner ECU 80 can adjust the volume of air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a by changing the rotational position of the opening and closing door 138. In addition, the air conditioner ECU 80 can adjust the direction of air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a by changing the inclination angle of the six left and right fins 139b and the two upper and lower fins 139d. In addition, the seat air conditioner 40 can adjust the heat generation amount of each of the neck heater 45, the back heater 46, and the thigh heater 47 by the air conditioner ECU 80 independently of the operation of the first air conditioner 120 and the second air conditioner 140. In addition, the seat air conditioner 40 can adjust the rotation speed of each of the back fan 42 and the seat fan 44 by the air conditioner ECU 80 independently of the operation of the first air conditioner 120 and the second air conditioner 140.

This allows, for example, the thermal sensation of the rear seat passenger 5 to be adjusted for each body part so that the thermal sensation of multiple body parts of the rear seat passenger 5 approaches a target thermal sensation.

20 to 23, the operation of the thermal sensation adjustment system controlled by the air conditioner ECU 80 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 20, the air conditioner ECU 80 has a first air conditioning control unit 81, a second air conditioning control unit 82, a target setting unit 83, and a deviation area temperature adjustment unit 84. When an auto switch that starts the automatic control operation of the air conditioning unit 10 is turned on, the air conditioner ECU 80 executes an air conditioning control program to function as the first air conditioning control unit 81, the second air conditioning control unit 82, the target setting unit 83, and the deviation area temperature adjustment unit 84. Alternatively, the air conditioner ECU 80 may have multiple circuit modules that correspond one-to-one to the first air conditioning control unit 81, the second air conditioning control unit 82, the target setting unit 83, and the deviation area temperature adjustment unit 84.

The functions of the first air conditioning control unit 81, the second air conditioning control unit 82, the target setting unit 83, and the deviation area temperature adjustment unit 84 will be described below individually. First, the first air conditioning control unit 81 will be described. The first air conditioning control unit 81 calculates the target temperature of the conditioned air blown by the first air conditioner 120 toward the first space S1 when the thermal sensation adjustment system adjusts the thermal sensation of the front seat occupant 4 present in the first space S1.

Based on the detection signals of various sensors input to the air conditioner ECU 80, the first air conditioning control unit 81 calculates the first target blowing temperature FrTAO of the conditioned air blown out by the first air conditioner 120 into the first space S1 using the following formula 1.

(Equation 1)
FrTAO=Kset×FrTset-Kr×FrTr-Kam×Tam-Ks×Ts+C
Here, FrTset is the target temperature of the first space S1 set by the temperature setting switch. FrTr is the temperature of the first space S1 detected by the first interior air temperature sensor 71. Tam is the temperature outside the vehicle compartment detected by the exterior air temperature sensor 73. Ts is the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation sensor 74. Kset, Kr, Kam, and Ks are control gains, and C is a correction constant.

Next, the target setting unit 83 will be described. The target setting unit 83 performs the following process to set the target thermal sensation distribution.

First, the target setting unit 83 selects an operating mode based on the operation of the mode selection switch of the first setting unit 75 or the second setting unit 76.

Specifically, the goal setting unit 83 selects one of the default mode, the relax mode, and the focus mode based on the operation of the mode selection switch of the first setting unit 75 or the second setting unit 76. When the default mode is set, the goal setting unit 83 selects either the summer default mode or the winter default mode, by referring to a control map that is determined in advance based on the outside air temperature Tam and the amount of solar radiation Ts.

Then, the target setting unit 83 refers to the thermal sensation reference value corresponding to the selected operation mode and determines the tentative target thermal sensation value for each of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4 in that operation mode. Hereinafter, the tentative target thermal sensation is also referred to as the tentative target SET*.

Then, when there is an input to the correction switch in the second setting unit 76, the target setting unit 83 determines a correction value for the tentative target SET*.

When the correction switch is used to perform a correction operation for one of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4, the target setting unit 83 determines a correction value for correcting the tentative target SET* of the area selected based on that operation. Also, when the correction switch is used to perform a correction operation for multiple areas of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4, the target setting unit 83 determines a correction value for correcting the tentative target SET* of each of the multiple areas selected based on that operation.

Then, the target setting unit 83 determines the target thermal sensations of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4 as the target SET* based on the tentative target SET* and the determined correction value. Specifically, the target setting unit 83 determines the target SET* by adding or subtracting the correction value for each area from the tentative target SET* of all of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4. This determines the target SET* for each of the head 5a, neck 5b, chest 5c, abdomen 5d, left upper arm 5e, left forearm 5f, left hand 5g, left thigh 5h, right upper arm 5k, right forearm 5m, right hand 5n, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, right lower leg 5t, left toe 5u, and right toe 5w of the rear seat occupant 5.

If no input is made to the correction switch, the target setting unit 83 determines the tentative target SET* value as the target SET* for each of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4.

Now let us explain SET*. SET* is a temperature index called the standard new effective temperature. SET* is calculated by considering six elements: temperature, humidity, radiation, and airflow in the environment, and metabolic rate in the human body, and the amount of clothing worn. SET* defines the ASHRAE standard environment. When a person who has been in a real environment moves to the standard environment, the temperature of the standard environment when it feels the same as the real environment is the SET* in the real environment. Details of SET* are omitted here as it is a well-known technology. SET* has a one-to-one correspondence with the thermal sensation shown in the distribution of thermal sensation standard values. Therefore, SET* is also an index that expresses thermal sensation.

In this way, the thermal sensation adjustment system of this embodiment can change the thermal sensation reference value for each operating mode to set the target thermal sensation distribution to a desired value.

Next, the second air conditioning control unit 82 will be described. The second air conditioning control unit 82 executes the process described below to calculate the second target blowing temperature RrTAO. First, the second air conditioning control unit 82 selects an operation mode based on the operation of the mode selection switch of the first setting unit 75 or the second setting unit 76 in a manner similar to that described in the operation of the target setting unit 83.

The second air conditioning control unit 82 then reads the second target temperature RrTset that was set by operating the temperature setting switch. The second air conditioning control unit 82 also reads the second inside air temperature RrTr, the outside air temperature Tam, and the amount of solar radiation Ts detected by the second inside air temperature sensor 72, the outside air temperature sensor 73, and the solar radiation sensor 74.

The second air conditioning control unit 82 then reads the thermal sensation deviation amounts Dt for the head 5a, neck 5b, chest 5c, abdomen 5d, left upper arm 5e, left forearm 5f, left hand 5g, left thigh 5h, right upper arm 5k, right forearm 5m, right hand 5n, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, right lower leg 5t, left toe 5u, and right toe 5w, calculated by the thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a described below. The thermal sensation deviation amounts Dt are the deviation amounts of the current thermal sensation of each body part of the rear seat occupant 5 from the target SET*.

The second air conditioning control unit 82 calculates a tentative second target blowing temperature VRrTAO based on the second target temperature RrTset, the second inside air temperature RrTr, the outside air temperature Tam, and the amount of solar radiation Ts. Specifically, the second air conditioning control unit 82 first calculates the tentative second target blowing temperature VRrTAO using the following formula 3.

(Equation 3)
VRrTAO=Kset×RrTset-Kr×RrTr-Kam×Tam-Ks×Ts+C
Here, RrTset is the target temperature of the second space S2 set by the temperature setting switch. RrTr is the temperature of the second space S2 detected by the second interior air temperature sensor 72. Tam is the temperature outside the vehicle compartment detected by the exterior air temperature sensor 73. Ts is the amount of solar radiation detected by the solar radiation sensor 74. Kset, Kr, Kam, and Ks are control gains, and C is a correction constant.

The second air conditioning control unit 82 then sets the second target blowing temperature RrTAO based on the tentative second target blowing temperature VRrTAO and the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt. The second target blowing temperature RrTAO is set so that the thermal sensation of the part of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 that has the largest thermal sensation deviation amount Dt approaches the target SET*.

For example, if the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of the area with the largest thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is a positive value, the second target blowing temperature RrTAO is set to a temperature higher than the provisional second target blowing temperature VRrTAO to increase the value of the thermal sensation. Also, if the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of the area with the largest thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is a negative value, the second target blowing temperature RrTAO is set to a temperature lower than the provisional second target blowing temperature VRrTAO to decrease the value of the thermal sensation.

Next, the deviation area temperature adjustment unit 84 will be described. The deviation area temperature adjustment unit 84 has a thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a, a wind direction determination unit 84b, and an FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c. The deviation area temperature adjustment unit 84 functions as the thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a, the wind direction determination unit 84b, and the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c by executing a predetermined program. Alternatively, the deviation area temperature adjustment unit 84 may have multiple circuit modules that correspond one-to-one to the thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a, the wind direction determination unit 84b, and the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c.

The deviation area temperature adjustment unit 84 executes the process shown in FIG. 21 to calculate the direction and volume of the conditioned air that the first air conditioner 120 blows into the second space S2, and the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO. The third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO is the target temperature of the conditioned air that the first air conditioner 120 blows into the second space S2.

First, in step S10, the thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a calculates the difference between the SET* (i.e., the current thermal sensation) of the rear seat occupant 5 and the target SET* determined by the target setting unit 83 based on the detection signal of the IR sensor 70. The thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a calculates the difference by subtracting the current SET* of each of the rear seat occupant 5's body parts from the target SET* of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

Specifically, the thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a subtracts the current SET* of each corresponding body part from the target SET* of the head 5a, neck 5b, chest 5c, abdomen 5d, left upper arm 5e, left forearm 5f, left hand 5g, left thigh 5h, right upper arm 5k, right forearm 5m, right hand 5n, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, right lower leg 5t, left toe 5u, and right toe 5w of the rear seat occupant 5.

As a result, a thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is calculated, which is the amount of deviation between the target SET* and the current SET* for each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. Here, among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the parts for which the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value α are thermal sensation deviation parts. In contrast, among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the parts for which the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is smaller than the predetermined threshold value α are thermal sensation non-deviation parts. In this embodiment, the thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a functions as a deviation part detection unit.

The predetermined threshold value α is a value for determining whether or not it is necessary to adjust the thermal sensation for each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. In other words, the predetermined threshold value α is a value for determining whether or not it is necessary to reduce the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt. The predetermined threshold value α is determined in advance in the air conditioner ECU 80.

Specifically, the predetermined threshold value α in this embodiment is a value that is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a reference value, and is set to, for example, 0.5. Note that the predetermined threshold value α may be a value greater than 0.5 or less than 0.5.

In step S12, the thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a calculates a maximum deviation value Dmax, which is the maximum absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt, based on the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. The thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a outputs information on the calculated thermal sensation deviation amount Dt to each of the second air conditioning control unit 82, the wind direction determination unit 84b, and the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c. Furthermore, the thermal sensation deviation calculation unit 84a outputs information on the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt being the maximum deviation value Dmax to the wind direction determination unit 84b.

In step S14, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the direction of the conditioned air when the first air conditioner 120 blows the conditioned air into the second space S2.

Specifically, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the areas where there is a thermal sensation deviation determined in step S12 as areas where there is a thermal sensation adjustment. In contrast, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the areas where there is no thermal sensation deviation determined in step S12 as areas where adjustment is not required.

Then, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the direction of the conditioned airflow so that the conditioned airflow blown out by the first air conditioner 120 into the second space S2 hits the thermal sensation adjustment area. In other words, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the first rear seat blowing mode and the rotational positions of the left and right fins 139b and the upper and lower fins 139d so that the conditioned air blown out by the first air conditioner 120 hits the thermal sensation adjustment area.

Specifically, if the part of the thermal sensation adjustment area where the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is the maximum deviation value Dmax is any of the head 5a, neck 5b, chest 5c, abdomen 5d, left upper arm 5e, left forearm 5f, left hand 5g, right upper arm 5k, right forearm 5m, right hand 5n, left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the first rear seat blowing mode to be the first rear seat face mode. Also, if the part of the thermal sensation adjustment area where the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is the maximum deviation value Dmax is any of the left toes 5u and right toes 5w, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the first rear seat blowing mode to be the first rear seat foot mode.

Furthermore, if the thermal sensation adjustment area includes either the head 5a or the neck 5b, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the rotational position of the left and right fins 139b to be in the left-right central direction DRwC, and determines the rotational position of the upper and lower fins 139d to be in the upper area direction DRudA. Furthermore, if the thermal sensation adjustment area includes either the chest 5c or the abdomen 5d, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the rotational position of the left and right fins 139b to be in the left-right central direction DRwC, and determines the rotational position of the upper and lower fins 139d to be in the up-down central direction DRudC.

When the thermal sensation adjustment part includes the left upper arm 5e, the left forearm 5f, or the left hand 5g, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the rotational position of the left and right fins 139b to be the left side part direction DRwL, and the rotational position of the upper and lower fins 139d to be the vertical center direction DRudC. On the other hand, when the thermal sensation adjustment part includes the right upper arm 5k, the right forearm 5m, or the right hand 5n, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the rotational position of the left and right fins 139b to be the right side part direction DRwR, and the rotational position of the upper and lower fins 139d to be the vertical center direction DRudC.

When the thermal sensation adjustment area includes either the left thigh 5h or the left lower leg 5s, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the rotational position of the left and right fins 139b to be the left side area direction DRwL, and the rotational position of the upper and lower fins 139d to be the lower side area direction DRudB. When the thermal sensation adjustment area includes either the right thigh 5r or the right lower leg 5t, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the rotational position of the left and right fins 139b to be the right side area direction DRwR, and the rotational position of the upper and lower fins 139d to be the lower side area direction DRudB.

The direction of the conditioned airflow determined by the airflow direction determination unit 84b so that the conditioned airflow blown into the second space S2 by the first air conditioning unit 120 hits the thermal sensation adjustment area is also called the adjustment direction. In contrast, the direction toward the thermal sensation non-deviation area is also called the non-adjustment direction. When there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment areas, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the adjustment direction for each thermal sensation adjustment area.

When there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the rotational positions of the left and right fins 139b and the top and bottom fins 139d so that the conditioned air is blown toward the multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts in a predetermined order. In other words, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the order of the parts for which the thermal sensation is adjusted.

The order of the parts that adjust the thermal sensation when there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts may be a fixed order that is predetermined based on, for example, the positional relationship of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5. Specifically, the order of the parts that adjust the thermal sensation when there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts may be predetermined in accordance with the positional relationship of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 so as to reduce changes in the rotational positions of the left and right fins 139b and the upper and lower fins 139d. Furthermore, the order of the parts that adjust the thermal sensation when there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts may be determined when the airflow direction determination unit 84b executes the process of step S14, for example, based on the magnitude of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt. Specifically, the order of the parts that adjust the thermal sensation when there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts may be determined so that the thermal sensation is adjusted from the part with the larger thermal sensation deviation amount Dt to the part with the smaller thermal sensation deviation amount Dt.

In step S16, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c reads the second target blowing temperature RrTAO calculated by the second air conditioning control unit 82.

In step S18, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c calculates the third target outlet temperature FrRrTAO of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a and the first rear seat foot outlet 137a. The third target outlet temperature FrRrTAO is set by referring to a control map determined in advance based on the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt and the second target outlet temperature RrTAO.

Specifically, the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO is set so that the thermal sensation of the thermal sensation adjustment area approaches the target SET*. For example, if the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of the thermal sensation adjustment area is a positive value, the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO is set to a temperature higher than the second target blowing temperature RrTAO so as to increase the thermal sensation value of the thermal sensation adjustment area. Also, if the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of the thermal sensation adjustment area is a negative value, the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO is set to a temperature lower than the second target blowing temperature RrTAO so as to decrease the thermal sensation value of the thermal sensation adjustment area.

If the first rear seat blowing mode is determined to be the first rear seat face mode in step S14, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the volume of conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a in step S20. If multiple thermal sensation adjustment areas are determined in step S14, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the volume of conditioned air blown out for each of the multiple thermal sensation adjustment areas. The FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the volume of conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a by determining the rotational position of the opening and closing door 138 for each thermal sensation adjustment area.

Specifically, it is determined whether the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is equal to or greater than the air volume reference value β. The air volume reference value β is a value for determining whether the volume of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a should be relatively large, and is set in advance in the air conditioner ECU 80 as a value greater than a predetermined threshold value α.

In other words, the air volume reference value β is a value used to determine whether or not a sufficient volume of air needs to be blown to the thermal sensation adjustment area. A thermal sensation adjustment area in which the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation Dt is equal to or greater than the air volume reference value β is a area in which adjustment of the thermal sensation is required as a priority.

When it is determined that the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is equal to or greater than the airflow reference value β, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the rotation position of the opening and closing door 138 to be the fully open position where the first rear seat face duct 136 is fully open. On the other hand, when it is not determined that the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is equal to or greater than the airflow reference value β, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the rotation position of the opening and closing door 138 to be the half-open position where the first rear seat face duct 136 is half-open. Then, the volume of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a when the opening and closing door 138 is in the half-open position is approximately half the volume of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a when the opening and closing door 138 is in the fully open position.

In this way, when there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment areas, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the volume of conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a for each thermal sensation adjustment area. The FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c then determines the volume of conditioned air blown out toward the multiple thermal sensation deviation areas so that the volume increases as the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt increases.

Incidentally, when the thermal sensation of multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts is adjusted in sequence using the left and right fins 139b and the upper and lower fins 139d, it is conceivable that the direction of the conditioned airflow may change across parts that do not require adjustment. For example, if the thermal sensation adjustment parts are the left upper arm 5e and the right upper arm 5k, and the chest 5c is a part that does not require adjustment, when the direction of the conditioned airflow is changed from the left upper arm 5e to the right upper arm 5k, the direction of the conditioned airflow will include a direction toward the chest 5c, which is a non-adjusted direction.

In such a case, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the rotational position of the opening and closing door 138 so that the volume of the conditioned air blown toward the area not requiring adjustment is less than the volume of the conditioned air blown toward the area not requiring adjustment. In this embodiment, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the volume of the conditioned air blown toward the area not requiring adjustment to be 0. In other words, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the rotational position of the opening and closing door 138 when the conditioned air is positioned in a direction toward the area not requiring adjustment by the rotational positions of the left and right fins 139b and the upper and lower fins 139d to be the fully closed position in which the first rear seat face duct 136 is fully closed.

In this way, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines the second target blowing temperature RrTAO based on the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of the rear seat occupant 5 in addition to information on the interior and exterior environments of the vehicle, such as the second interior air temperature RrTr, the exterior air temperature Tam, and the amount of solar radiation Ts, as well as the second target temperature RrTset. The air conditioner ECU 80 also determines the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO and the direction and volume of the conditioned air blown out by the first air conditioner 120 into the second space S2 based on the second target blowing temperature RrTAO and the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of the rear seat occupant 5. The air conditioner ECU 80 of this embodiment adjusts the volume of the conditioned air blown out by the air conditioning unit 10 and functions as an air conditioner air adjustment unit that adjusts the direction of the conditioned air so that it is directed toward multiple thermal sensation deviation areas.

The specific operation when the first target blowing temperature FrTAO, the second target blowing temperature RrTAO, and the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO are each determined will be explained below.

The air conditioner ECU 80 determines the first front seat air outlet mode based on the calculated first target air outlet temperature FrTAO. The air conditioner ECU 80 then controls the operation of the first front seat mode actuator 126a so that conditioned air is blown out from the air outlet corresponding to the determined first front seat air outlet mode.

In addition, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines the first rear seat outlet mode based on the direction of the conditioned air determined in step S14. The air conditioner ECU 80 then controls the operation of the first rear seat mode actuator 131a so that the conditioned air is blown out from the outlet corresponding to the determined first rear seat outlet mode.

When the first rear seat air outlet mode is determined to be the first rear seat face mode, the air conditioner ECU 80 controls the operation of the air direction actuator 139a so that the left and right fins 139b and the upper and lower fins 139d are positioned at the rotational position determined in step S14. The air conditioner ECU 80 then controls the operation of the opening and closing door actuator 138a so that the opening and closing door 138 is positioned at the rotational position determined in step S20.

In addition, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines the second rear seat air outlet mode based on the second target air outlet temperature RrTAO calculated by the second air conditioning control unit 82. The air conditioner ECU 80 then controls the operation of the second rear seat mode actuator 146a so that the conditioned air is blown out from the air outlet corresponding to the determined second rear seat air outlet mode.

In addition, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines the rotation speed of the compressor 111, the rotation position of the first inside/outside air switching door 122, the rotation speed of the first centrifugal fan 123, the opening degree of the first front seat air mix door 125, the opening degree of the first rear seat air mix door 130, the rotation position of the second inside/outside air switching door 142, the rotation speed of the second centrifugal fan 143, and the opening degree of the second air mix door 145 based on the first target blowing temperature FrTAO, the second target blowing temperature RrTAO, and the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO.

Then, the air conditioner ECU 80 controls these devices so that the temperature of the conditioned air blown out from the air outlets corresponding to the determined first front seat air outlet mode, first rear seat air outlet mode, and second rear seat air outlet mode approaches the target temperature that is set individually for each mode.

Specifically, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines the rotation speed of the compressor 111, the rotation position of the first inside/outside air switching door 122, the opening degree of the first front seat air mix door 125, and the opening degree of the first rear seat air mix door 130 so that the temperature of the conditioned air blown out by the first air conditioner 120 approaches the average temperature of the first target blowing temperature FrTAO and the second target blowing temperature RrTAO.

In addition, in the air conditioning unit 10 of this embodiment, the air conditioner ECU 80 may control various components so that a good thermal sensation for the rear seat occupant 5 is prioritized over the thermal sensation for the front seat occupant 4. In this case, the air conditioner ECU 80 may control various components so that the temperature of the conditioned air blown out by the air conditioning unit 10 is closer to the second target blowing temperature RrTAO and the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO than the first target blowing temperature FrTAO.

The air conditioner ECU 80 may also control various components so that the temperature of the conditioned air blown out by the air conditioning unit 10 is closer to the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO than the second target blowing temperature RrTAO. Alternatively, the air conditioner ECU 80 may control various components so that the temperature of the conditioned air blown out is closer to the second target blowing temperature RrTAO than the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO.

When the various components are controlled in this manner, the first air conditioner 120, when operating in the first front seat face mode, blows conditioned air from the first front seat face outlet 133a to condition the first space S1 while adjusting the thermal sensation mainly of the upper body of the front seat occupant 4. When operating in the first front seat foot mode, the first air conditioner 120 blows conditioned air from the first front seat foot outlet 134a to condition the first space S1 while adjusting the thermal sensation mainly of the lower body of the front seat occupant 4. When operating in the defroster mode, the first air conditioner 120 blows conditioned air from the defroster outlet 135a to condition the first space S1, and directs the conditioned air against the windshield to prevent fogging of the windshield.

When the first air conditioner 120 operates in the first rear seat face mode, it blows conditioned air from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a to condition the second space S2 while adjusting the thermal sensation of the thermal sensation adjustment area of the rear seat occupant 5.

When operating in the first rear seat foot mode, the first air conditioner 120 blows conditioned air from the first rear seat foot outlet 137a to condition the second space S2 while adjusting the thermal sensation of the thermal sensation adjustment area of the rear seat occupant 5.

Specifically, the higher the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO, the more the first air conditioner 120 adjusts the state of the conditioned air so that a warmer thermal sensation can be imparted to the thermal sensation adjustment area, thereby bringing the thermal sensation of the thermal sensation adjustment area closer to the target thermal sensation. Also, the lower the third target blowing temperature FrRrTAO, the more the first air conditioner 120 adjusts the state of the conditioned air so that a cooler thermal sensation can be imparted to the thermal sensation adjustment area, thereby bringing the thermal sensation of the thermal sensation adjustment area closer to the target thermal sensation.

In addition, when the second air conditioner 140 operates in the second rear seat face mode, it blows conditioned air from the second rear seat face outlet 148a to condition the second space S2 while adjusting the thermal sensation mainly of the upper body of the rear seat occupant 5. In addition, when it operates in the second rear seat foot mode, the second air conditioner 140 blows conditioned air from the second rear seat foot outlet 149a to condition the second space S2 while adjusting the thermal sensation mainly of the lower body of the rear seat occupant 5.

Furthermore, when the seat air conditioning power switch is turned on, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines whether to start or stop the operation of the back fan 42 and the seat fan 44 based on the second interior air temperature RrTr and the seat target temperature STset. Then, when operating the seat fan 44, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines the rotation speed of the back fan 42 and the seat fan 44.

When the seat air conditioning power switch is turned on, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines whether to start or stop the operation of the neck heater 45, back heater 46, and thigh heater 47 based on the second interior air temperature RrTr and the seat target temperature STset. When the air conditioner ECU 80 operates the neck heater 45, back heater 46, and thigh heater 47, it determines the amount of heat generated by each of the neck heater 45, back heater 46, and thigh heater 47.

For example, when the second inside air temperature RrTr is equal to or higher than the seat target temperature STset, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines the rotation speed of the back fan 42 and the seat fan 44 based on the difference between the second inside air temperature RrTr and the seat target temperature STset. Specifically, when the difference between the second inside air temperature RrTr and the seat target temperature STset is equal to or higher than a predetermined cooling threshold, the air conditioner ECU 80 increases the rotation speed of the back fan 42 and the seat fan 44 compared to when the difference is smaller than the predetermined cooling threshold.

The predetermined cooling threshold is a value for determining whether or not to increase the volume of air drawn in through the rear ventilation opening 41a and the seat ventilation opening 43a, and is determined in advance in the air conditioner ECU 80.

As a result, the seat air conditioner 40 draws in air from the rear ventilation opening 41a to cool mainly the back of the rear seat occupant 5 among the multiple body parts. The seat air conditioner 40 also draws in air from the seat ventilation opening 43a to cool mainly the buttocks and thighs of the rear seat occupant 5 among the multiple body parts.

Furthermore, when the second interior air temperature RrTr is lower than the seat target temperature STset, the air conditioner ECU 80 determines the amount of heat generated by each of the neck heater 45, back heater 46, and thigh heater 47 based on the difference between the second interior air temperature RrTr and the seat target temperature STset. Specifically, when the difference between the second interior air temperature RrTr and the seat target temperature STset is equal to or greater than a predetermined heating threshold, the air conditioner ECU 80 increases the amount of heat generated by each of the neck heater 45, back heater 46, and thigh heater 47 compared to when the difference is smaller than the predetermined heating threshold.

The predetermined heating threshold is a value for determining whether or not to increase the heat output of each of the neck heater 45, back heater 46, and thigh heater 47, and is determined in advance in the air conditioner ECU 80.

As a result, the seat air conditioning unit 40 warms mainly the neck of the rear seat occupant 5 among the multiple body parts by the neck heater 45 generating heat. The seat air conditioning unit 40 warms mainly the back of the rear seat occupant 5 among the multiple body parts by the back heater 46 generating heat. The seat air conditioning unit 40 warms mainly the buttocks and thighs of the rear seat occupant 5 among the multiple body parts by the thigh heater 47 generating heat.

Here, we will explain the case where there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts. When there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts, the air conditioner ECU 80 controls the operation of the air direction actuator 139a so that the conditioned air is blown toward the multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts in a predetermined order. This reduces the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of the multiple thermal sensation adjustment parts.

By repeating this operation, the thermal sensation of the thermal sensation deviation areas of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 changes from moment to moment. Therefore, the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt approaches the target thermal sensation for each body part of the rear seat occupant 5. In other words, the similarity between the distribution of the current SET* by body part and the distribution of the target SET* by body part increases. As a result, the thermal sensation of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 is guided to the target SET*.

As a result, the thermal sensation adjustment system can adjust the thermal sensation for each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 so as to achieve the target thermal sensation distribution for each driving mode shown in Figures 16 to 18.

For example, when operating in the summer default mode, the rear seat passenger 5 can be made to feel comfortable by imparting a feeling of heat that feels cool to all of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4. Also, when operating in the winter default mode, the rear seat passenger 5 can be made to feel comfortable by imparting a feeling of heat that feels warm to all of the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4.

When operating in the relaxation mode, the rear seat passenger 5 can be made to feel comfortable by providing a similar cool thermal sensation to the upper area A1, the upper and lower central areas A2, the lower area A3, and the toe area A4. When operating in the focus mode, the rear seat passenger 5 can be made to feel comfortable by providing a cool thermal sensation and a warm thermal sensation depending on the body area of the rear seat passenger 5.

In this way, the thermal sensation adjustment system can provide a thermal sensation that each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 feels comfortable even if the thermal sensation that each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 feels comfortable changes depending on the external environment and the mental state that the rear seat occupant 5 desires to achieve. Also, even if the thermal sensation value that the rear seat occupant 5 feels comfortable varies for each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, the thermal sensation that each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 feels comfortable can be provided.

Therefore, when cooling or heating the vehicle interior, the thermal sensation adjustment system can adjust the thermal sensation for each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 to make the rear seat occupant 5 comfortable. Furthermore, the thermal sensation adjustment system can provide a thermal sensation that calms the mind of the rear seat occupant 5 or a thermal sensation that invigorates the mind of the rear seat occupant 5 by adjusting the thermal sensation for each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

When there are multiple thermal sensation adjustment areas, for example, in the summer, the thermal sensation of the right upper arm 5k of the right rear seat occupant B1 is worsened by radiant heat from the window, and the thermal sensation of the left upper arm 5e of the right rear seat occupant B1 is worsened by hot air trapped in the vehicle cabin. In this case, the right upper arm 5k and left upper arm 5e of the right rear seat occupant B1 are thermal sensation adjustment areas, and the chest 5c and abdomen 5d located between the right upper arm 5k and left upper arm 5e are areas that do not require adjustment.

Then, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the direction of the conditioned air toward the right upper arm 5k as the first adjustment direction, and the direction of the conditioned air toward the left upper arm 5e as the second adjustment direction. The direction toward the chest 5c and abdomen 5d is the non-adjustment direction.

In addition, for example, in winter, it is assumed that relatively low temperature air will be trapped in the upper and lower parts of the vehicle interior, worsening the thermal sensation of the head 5a, neck 5b, left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t of the rear seat occupant 5. In this case, the head 5a, neck 5b, left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t of the rear seat occupant 5 are the thermal sensation adjustment areas, and the chest 5c and abdomen 5d located between the head 5a and neck 5b and the left thigh 5h and right thigh 5r are the areas not requiring adjustment.

Then, the airflow direction determination unit 84b determines the direction of the conditioned air toward the head 5a and neck 5b as the first adjustment direction, and the direction of the conditioned air toward the left lower leg 5s and right lower leg 5t as the second adjustment direction. In addition, the directions toward the chest 5c, abdomen 5d, left thigh 5h, and right thigh 5r are non-adjustment directions.

A case where the right upper arm 5k and the left upper arm 5e are the areas for which thermal sensation is adjusted, and the chest 5c and abdomen 5d are areas for which adjustment is not required, will be described with reference to FIG. 24. In this case, the air conditioner ECU 80 controls the operation of the air direction actuator 139a to change the rotational position of the left and right fins 139b from the right side area direction DRwR to the left side area direction DRwL with the upper and lower fins 139d positioned in the vertical center direction DRudC.

In this case, the direction of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a is changed from the right side direction DRwR, which is the first adjustment direction, to the left side direction DRwL, which is the second adjustment direction. When the direction of the conditioned air is changed from the first adjustment direction to the second adjustment direction, it crosses the left-right center direction DRwC, which is the non-adjustment direction.

Here, let us assume that when the direction of the conditioned airflow crosses the left-right central direction DRwC, the volume of conditioned airflow blown out is the same as the volume of air blown out in the first and second adjustment directions toward the chest 5c and abdomen 5d, which are areas that do not require adjustment.

The volume of air blown out in the first and second adjustment directions is sufficient to adjust the thermal sensation of the upper right arm 5k and the upper left arm 5e. Specifically, the volume of conditioned air blown out toward the upper right arm 5k is sufficient to provide a cool thermal sensation to the upper right arm 5k, which feels hot due to radiant heat from the window. Also, the volume of conditioned air blown out toward the left upper arm 5e is sufficient to provide a cool thermal sensation to the upper left arm 5e, which feels hot due to the heat trapped in the vehicle cabin.

By blowing conditioned air at such a volume toward parts that do not require adjustment, there is a risk that the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of the non-discrepancy parts will exceed the predetermined threshold value α. In other words, by blowing conditioned air at such a volume toward the chest 5c and abdomen 5d, which are among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 and do not require adjustment of thermal sensation, there is a risk that the thermal sensation of the chest 5c and abdomen 5d will be impaired. As a result, it is difficult for the rear seat occupant 5 to feel a comfortable thermal sensation in each of the multiple body parts.

In contrast, the thermal sensation adjustment system of this embodiment controls the operation of the opening and closing door actuator 138a to reduce the volume of air when the direction of the conditioned air is changed to the left-right central direction DRwC to be less than the volume of air blown in the first adjustment direction and the second adjustment direction. Specifically, when the direction of the conditioned air is changed to the left-right central direction DRwC, the thermal sensation adjustment system prohibits the conditioned air from being blown toward the chest 5c and abdomen 5d by setting the rotation position of the opening and closing door 138 to the fully closed position by the opening and closing door actuator 138a.

As a result, conditioned air is not blown toward the chest 5c and abdomen 5d, which are among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 and do not require adjustment of the sense of warmth. This makes it possible to avoid impairing the sense of warmth of the chest 5c and abdomen 5d.

Furthermore, a case where the head 5a, neck 5b, left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t are the parts for which thermal sensation is adjusted, and the chest 5c and abdomen 5d are the parts for which adjustment is not required, will be described with reference to FIG. 25. In this case, the air conditioner ECU 80 controls the operation of the air direction actuator 139a to change the upper and lower fins 139d from the upper part direction DRudA to the lower part direction DRudB with the rotational position of the left and right fins 139b positioned in the left-right central direction DRwC.

In this case, the direction of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a is changed from the upper part direction DRudA, which is the first adjustment direction, to the lower part direction DRudB, which is the second adjustment direction. When the direction of the conditioned air is changed from the first adjustment direction to the second adjustment direction, it includes the vertical center direction DRudC, which is the non-adjustment direction.

Here, let us assume that when the direction of the conditioned airflow crosses the vertical center direction DRudC, the volume of conditioned airflow blown out is the same as the volume of air blown out in the first and second adjustment directions toward the chest 5c and abdomen 5d, which are areas that do not require adjustment.

The volume of air blown out in the first and second adjustment directions is sufficient to adjust the thermal sensation of the head 5a, neck 5b, left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t. Specifically, the volume of air blown out toward the head 5a and neck 5b is sufficient to provide a warm thermal sensation to the head 5a and neck 5b, which feel cold due to relatively low temperature air trapped in the upper part of the vehicle cabin. Also, the volume of air blown out toward the left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t is sufficient to provide a warm thermal sensation to the left thigh 5h, right thigh 5r, left lower leg 5s, and right lower leg 5t, which feel cold due to relatively low temperature air trapped in the lower part of the vehicle cabin.

By blowing conditioned air at such a volume toward parts that do not require adjustment, there is a risk that the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt of the non-thermal sensation deviation parts will exceed the predetermined threshold value α. In other words, by blowing conditioned air at such a volume toward the chest 5c and abdomen 5d, which are among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 and do not require adjustment of thermal sensation, there is a risk that the thermal sensation of the chest 5c and abdomen 5d will be impaired. As a result, it is difficult for the rear seat occupant 5 to feel a comfortable thermal sensation in each of the multiple body parts.

In contrast, the thermal sensation adjustment system of this embodiment controls the operation of the opening and closing door actuator 138a when the direction of the conditioned air is changed to the vertical center direction DRudC, thereby reducing the amount of conditioned air blown out toward the first adjustment direction and the second adjustment direction. Specifically, when the direction of the conditioned air is changed to the vertical center direction DRudC, the thermal sensation adjustment system prohibits the conditioned air from being blown out toward the chest 5c and abdomen 5d by setting the rotation position of the opening and closing door 138 to the fully closed position by the opening and closing door actuator 138a.

As a result, conditioned air is not blown toward the chest 5c and abdomen 5d, which are among the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 and do not require adjustment of the sense of warmth. This makes it possible to avoid impairing the sense of warmth of the chest 5c and abdomen 5d.

As described above, when the direction of the conditioned airflow is changed across areas not requiring adjustment in adjusting the thermal sensation of multiple thermal sensation adjustment areas, the thermal sensation adjustment system of this embodiment makes the volume of the conditioned airflow blown out to the areas not requiring adjustment less than the volume of the conditioned airflow blown in the adjustment direction. This makes it possible to provide a comfortable thermal sensation to multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 without compromising the thermal sensation of areas of the rear seat occupant 5 that do not require adjustment.

(1) In the above embodiment, the first air conditioner 120 has a plurality of air outlets 133a, 134a, 135a, 136a, 137a that blow out the conditioned air. The first air conditioner 120 also has an opening/closing door 138 that adjusts the volume of the conditioned air blown out by the first rear seat face air outlet 136a, which blows out the conditioned air in the non-adjustment direction. The air conditioner ECU 80 then adjusts the volume of the conditioned air blown out in the non-adjustment direction by the opening/closing door 138.

If the blowing capacity of the first centrifugal fan 123 is adjusted to adjust the volume of conditioned air blown in the non-adjusted direction, there is a risk that the volume of conditioned air blown out from the first front seat face outlet 133a, the first front seat foot outlet 134a, and the defroster outlet 135a will also be adjusted. In this case, it is difficult to individually adjust the thermal sensation of the rear seat passenger 5 and the front seat passenger 4.

In contrast, in the above embodiment, the volume of conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a is adjusted by the opening and closing door 138. This allows the volume of conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a to be adjusted independently of the volume of conditioned air blown out from the first front seat face outlet 133a, the first front seat foot outlet 134a, and the defroster outlet 135a. Therefore, the thermal sensation of each of the rear seat occupant 5 and the front seat occupant 4 can be adjusted individually.

(2) In the above embodiment, the IR sensor 70 detects the ambient temperature of the rear seat passenger 5, and the detected ambient temperature is used to estimate the thermal sensation of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat passenger 5. This makes it possible to detect the thermal sensation of the rear seat passenger 5 with a simpler configuration than a configuration in which a thermal sensation sensor is provided to detect the thermal sensation of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat passenger 5.

(3) In the above embodiment, the volume of conditioned air blown toward multiple thermal sensation deviation areas is increased as the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt increases.

This makes it easier for the thermal sensation adjustment system to adjust the thermal sensation of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, compared to when the volume of conditioned air blown toward the thermal sensation adjustment area is constant.

(4) In the above embodiment, the first air conditioner 120 has a plurality of upper and lower fins 139d that change the direction of the conditioned air in the up-down direction DRud by changing the inclination angle. The conditioned air is guided upward in the vertical direction by changing the inclination angle of the upper and lower fins 139d so that the upstream ends of the air flow of the upper and lower fins 139d are vertically lower than the downstream ends of the air flow. The conditioned air is guided downward in the vertical direction by changing the inclination angle of the upper and lower fins 139d so that the upstream ends of the air flow of the upper and lower fins 139d are vertically higher than the downstream ends of the air flow. The air conditioner ECU 80 changes the inclination angle of the upper and lower fins 139d when changing the direction of the conditioned air from the first adjustment direction to the second adjustment direction. This allows the conditioned air to be blown out toward the thermal sensation adjustment parts with a simple structure.

Second Embodiment
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 24 to 26. The thermal sensation adjustment system in this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it is not provided with an opening and closing door 138, and is configured so that the volume of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a can be adjusted by the left and right fins 139b. In addition, the thermal sensation adjustment system in this embodiment is configured so that the direction of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a cannot be changed toward the thermal sensation adjustment part by the left and right fins 139b. In this embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same parts as in the first embodiment may be omitted.

As shown in Figures 24 to 26, the left and right fins 139b of this embodiment are composed of three right fins 139ba arranged on the right side in the left-right direction DRw and three left fins 139bb arranged on the left side in the left-right direction DRw. The left and right fins 139b are configured so that the three right fins 139ba and the three left fins 139bb can rotate in different directions to change the inclination angle. In this embodiment, the three right fins 139ba correspond to the fins on one side, and the three left fins 139bb correspond to the fins on the other side.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 24, when the right fin 139ba is positioned at a tilt angle of 0° by the airflow direction actuator 139a, the left fin 139bb is positioned at a tilt angle of 0°.

As shown in FIG. 25, when the right fin 139ba rotates clockwise from the tilt angle of 0° by the airflow direction actuator 139a, the left fin 139bb rotates counterclockwise from the tilt angle of 0°. In this case, the more the right fin 139ba rotates clockwise from the tilt angle of 0°, the more the left fin 139bb rotates counterclockwise. In other words, the left and right fins 139b rotate so that the downstream ends of the airflow of the right fin 139ba and the left fin 139bb get closer to each other.

As shown in FIG. 26, when the right fin 139ba rotates counterclockwise from the tilt angle of 0° by the airflow direction actuator 139a, the left fin 139bb rotates clockwise from the tilt angle of 0°. In this case, the more the right fin 139ba rotates counterclockwise from the tilt angle of 0°, the more the left fin 139bb rotates clockwise. In other words, the left and right fins 139b rotate so that the downstream ends of the airflow of the right fin 139ba and the left fin 139bb are separated from each other.

The volume of conditioned air blown toward the rear seat occupant 5 when the left and right fins 139b rotate in this manner will now be described. When the left and right fins 139b are positioned in the normal position shown in FIG. 24, the direction of the conditioned air flowing through the first rear seat face duct 136 is hardly changed as it passes through the left and right fins 139b. Therefore, the conditioned air flowing through the first rear seat face duct 136 is blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a without its direction being changed by the left and right fins 139b.

In contrast, when the left and right fins 139b are positioned at the concentrated position shown in FIG. 25, the conditioned air flowing through the first rear seat face duct 136 is redirected toward the center of the first rear seat face duct 136 in the left-right direction DRw as it passes through the left and right fins 139b. As a result, the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a flows without spreading in the left-right direction DRw, and is blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a in a concentrated manner toward the front of the first rear seat face outlet 136a.

In this case, the amount of air blown out in a predetermined direction, which is a direction toward the center of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a in the left-right direction DRw, is greater than when the left and right fins 139b are positioned in the normal position shown in FIG. 24. In other words, the more the inclination angle is changed so that the downstream ends of the air flow of the right fin 139ba and the left fin 139bb are brought closer to each other, the greater the amount of air blown out in the predetermined direction.

Therefore, the closer the downstream ends of the air flow of the right fin 139ba and the left fin 139bb are to each other, the greater the impact of the heat sensation on the part of the body of the rear seat occupant 5 that faces the center of the first rear seat face outlet 136a in the left-right direction DRw.

When the left and right fins 139b are positioned in the diffusion position shown in FIG. 26, the conditioned air flowing through the first rear seat face duct 136 is redirected away from the center of the first rear seat face duct 136 in the left-right direction DRw as it passes through the left and right fins 139b. Therefore, the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a spreads and flows in the left-right direction DRw, and is blown out in a diffused manner from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a.

In this case, the amount of air blown out in a specified direction is less than when the left and right fins 139b are positioned in the normal position shown in FIG. 24. In other words, the more the inclination angle is changed so that the downstream ends of the air flow of the right fin 139ba and the left fin 139bb are separated from each other, the less the amount of air blown out in a specified direction.

Therefore, the further away the downstream ends of the air flow of the right fin 139ba and the left fin 139bb are from each other, the smaller the impact of the heat sensation on the body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 that face the center of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a in the left-right direction DRw.

In this way, by changing the distance between the downstream ends of the air flow of each of the right fin 139ba and the left fin 139bb, the amount of air blown out in the direction toward the center of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a in the left-right direction DRw can be changed. Hereinafter, the distance between the downstream ends of the air flow of each of the right fin 139ba and the left fin 139bb will be referred to as the fin end distance, and the body part of the rear seat occupant 5 facing the center of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a in the left-right direction DRw will also be referred to as the front part of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a. In this embodiment, the left and right fins 139b function as air volume adjustment units that adjust the amount of conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face air outlet 136a.

In this embodiment, in step S14 described in the first embodiment, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the amount of air to be blown in a predetermined direction for each of the multiple thermal sensation adjustment areas.

Specifically, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the rotational positions of the left and right fins 139b to be different positions when it is determined that the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is equal to or greater than the airflow reference value β and when it is not determined that the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is equal to or greater than the airflow reference value β. More specifically, when it is determined that the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is equal to or greater than the airflow reference value β, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the rotational positions of the left and right fins 139b to be concentrated positions. On the other hand, when it is not determined that the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is equal to or greater than the airflow reference value β, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the rotational positions of the left and right fins 139b to be normal positions.

Furthermore, when the rotational positions of the upper and lower fins 139d are positioned in a direction toward an area not requiring adjustment, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c sets the fin end distance to be greater than the fin end distance when the rotational positions of the upper and lower fins 139d are positioned in a direction toward an area requiring thermal sensation adjustment. Specifically, the FrRrTAO calculation unit 84c determines the rotational positions of the left and right fins 139b to be diffusion positions.

In this way, when adjusting the thermal sensation of multiple thermal sensation adjustment areas, if the front area of the first rear seat face air outlet 136a is an area that does not require adjustment, the thermal sensation adjustment system makes the volume of conditioned air blown to that front area less than the volume of conditioned air blown to the area that does not require adjustment. This makes it possible to provide a comfortable thermal sensation to multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 without compromising the thermal sensation of the areas of the rear seat occupant 5 that do not require adjustment.

Other Embodiments
Representative embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways, for example, as described below.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the first rear seat face duct 136 is provided with an opening/closing door 138 and an airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139, and the thermal sensation adjustment system changes the volume and direction of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a, but this is not limiting. For example, the thermal sensation adjustment system may be configured such that the opening/closing door 138 and the airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139 are provided in at least one of the first front seat face duct 133 and the second rear seat face duct 148.

For example, if the first front seat face duct 133 is provided with an opening/closing door 138 and an airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139, the thermal sensation adjustment system changes the volume and direction of the conditioned air blown out from the first front seat face air outlet 133a. In this case, a comfortable thermal sensation can be given to multiple body parts of the front seat occupant 4 without impairing the thermal sensation of parts of the front seat occupant 4 that do not require thermal sensation adjustment.

In addition, if the second rear seat face duct 148 is provided with an opening/closing door 138 and an airflow direction adjustment mechanism 139, the thermal sensation adjustment system changes the volume and direction of the conditioned air blown out from the second rear seat face air outlet 148a. In this case, a comfortable thermal sensation can be given to multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 without impairing the thermal sensation of parts of the rear seat occupant 5 that do not require thermal sensation adjustment.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the air conditioning unit 10 has a first air conditioning device 120 and a second air conditioning device 140, but this is not limited to the example. For example, the air conditioning unit 10 may have only the first air conditioning device 120.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the air conditioner ECU 80 adjusts the volume of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a by changing the position of the opening and closing door 138 or the air direction adjustment mechanism 139, but this is not limiting. For example, the thermal sensation adjustment system may be configured to adjust the volume of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a by the first fan actuator 123a adjusting the blowing capacity of the first centrifugal fan 123.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the volume of the conditioned air blown out from the first rear seat face outlet 136a is changed to one of two volume patterns based on whether the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt is equal to or greater than the air volume reference value β, but this is not limiting. The thermal sensation adjustment system may be configured to have multiple reference values for determining the volume of the conditioned air, and to be able to change the volume of the air to three or more patterns depending on the absolute value of the thermal sensation deviation amount Dt.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the upper and lower fins 139d change the direction of the conditioned air to one of three directions: the upper and lower center direction DRudC, the upper part direction DRudA, and the lower part direction DRudB. However, this is not limiting. The upper and lower fins 139d may be configured to be able to change the direction of the conditioned air to four or more directions by adjusting the inclination angle.

In the first embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the left and right fins 139b change the direction of the air conditioning air to one of three directions, the left and right central direction DRwC, the left side part direction DRwL, and the right side part direction DRwR. However, this is not limited to this. The left and right fins 139b may be configured to be able to change the direction of the air conditioning air to four or more directions by adjusting the inclination angle.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the thermal sensation adjustment system includes a seat air conditioner 40, and in addition to the first air conditioner 120, the seat air conditioner 40 is also configured to be able to adjust the thermal sensation of multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, but this is not limited thereto. The thermal sensation adjustment system may also be configured not to include a seat air conditioner 40, and to adjust the thermal sensation of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 using only the first air conditioner 120.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the thermal sensation detection unit is configured with an IR sensor 70, the IR sensor 70 detects the ambient temperature of the rear seat occupant 5, and the detected ambient temperature is used to estimate the surface temperature of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, but this is not limiting. For example, the thermal sensation adjustment system may be configured in such a way that the IR sensor 70 detects the surface temperature of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, and the air conditioner ECU 80 calculates the surface temperature of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5 based on the temperature information detected by the IR sensor 70. Also, for example, the thermal sensation detection unit may be configured to be configured with multiple temperature sensors corresponding to each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5, and the multiple temperature sensors detect the temperature of each of the multiple body parts of the rear seat occupant 5.

In the above embodiment, the distribution of thermal sensation reference values in each operating mode is shown in Figures 16 to 19, but the distribution of thermal sensation reference values is not limited to this. The distribution of thermal sensation reference values in each operating mode shown in Figures 16 to 19 is an example and can be changed as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which SET* is used as an index representing thermal sensation, but this is not limiting. For example, instead of SET*, a thermal environment evaluation index PMV (Predicted Mean Vote, predicted thermal sensation declaration) may be used as an index representing thermal sensation.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the air conditioner ECU 80 selects a driving mode based on operations on the first setting unit 75 and the second setting unit 76, but this is not limiting. For example, the air conditioner ECU 80 may identify the posture of the rear seat occupant 5 from an image obtained from the IR sensor 70 using image recognition technology, and select a driving mode according to the identified behavior. For example, if the posture of the seat back of the rear seat 3 has changed from a predetermined posture, the air conditioner ECU 80 may select the relax mode.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the air conditioner ECU 80 executes the process shown in FIG. 21 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the thermal sensation adjustment system may include a processing device provided separately from the air conditioner ECU 80, and the processing device may execute the process in FIG. 21. In this case, the processing device corresponds to the thermal sensation deviation calculation unit by executing step S12.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the second ventilation passage 141a is a single passage has been described, but this is not limiting. For example, the second ventilation passage 141a in the second air conditioner 140 may be divided into ventilation passages corresponding to the two rear seats 3 by a partition plate. The thermal sensation adjustment system may be configured to independently adjust the thermal sensation of the rear seat occupants 5 seated in each of the two rear seats 3.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the distribution of thermal sensation reference values and the RrTAO correction value C2, etc. are set in the air conditioner ECU 80 mounted on the vehicle 1, but this is not limiting. For example, only a part or all of the distribution of thermal sensation reference values and the RrTAO correction value C2 may be stored in one or more servers (e.g., the cloud) installed in a location other than the vehicle 1. In that case, the air conditioner ECU 80 may acquire the distribution of thermal sensation reference values and the RrTAO correction value C2 by communicating with the server.

Alternatively, the air conditioner ECU 80 itself may be provided in one or more servers installed in a location other than the vehicle 1. In this case, the air conditioner ECU 80 may realize the above-mentioned processing by communicating with various components of the thermal sensation adjustment system via communication.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the air conditioner ECU 80 acquires the outside air temperature Tam from the outside air temperature sensor 73 and the amount of solar radiation Ts from the solar radiation sensor 74, but this is not limiting. For example, the thermal sensation adjustment system may be configured to eliminate the outside air temperature sensor 73 and the solar radiation sensor 74, and to receive the outside air temperature Tam and the amount of solar radiation Ts from a server or cloud external to the vehicle 1. Alternatively, the thermal sensation adjustment system may be configured to eliminate the outside air temperature sensor 73 and the solar radiation sensor 74, and to acquire relevant information related to the outside air temperature Tam and the amount of solar radiation Ts from a server or cloud external to the vehicle 1. The thermal sensation adjustment system may then be configured to estimate the outside air temperature Tam and the amount of solar radiation Ts from the acquired relevant information.

It goes without saying that in the above-described embodiments, the elements constituting the embodiments are not necessarily essential, except in cases where they are specifically stated as essential or where they are clearly considered essential in principle.

In the above-described embodiments, when numerical values such as the number, values, amounts, ranges, etc. of components of the embodiments are mentioned, they are not limited to the specific numbers, except when it is expressly stated that they are essential or when they are clearly limited to a specific number in principle.

In the above-described embodiments, when referring to the shapes, positional relationships, etc. of components, etc., there is no limitation to those shapes, positional relationships, etc., unless specifically stated otherwise or in principle limited to a specific shape, positional relationship, etc.

10 Air conditioning unit 70 Thermal sensation detection section 84 Air conditioning air adjustment section 84a Deviation portion detection section

Claims (8)

A thermal sensation adjustment system for adjusting a thermal sensation of a vehicle occupant,
A thermal sensation detection unit (70) for detecting information regarding a thermal sensation for each of a plurality of body parts of the occupant;
an air conditioning unit (10) that blows conditioned air toward the occupants;
a deviation part detection part (84a) that calculates a thermal sensation for each of the plurality of body parts based on information related to the thermal sensation detected by the thermal sensation detection part, detects a plurality of thermal sensation deviation parts among the plurality of body parts where the calculated thermal sensation and the target thermal sensation deviate by a thermal sensation amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and detects a thermal sensation non-deviation part where the thermal sensation deviation amount is smaller than the predetermined threshold;
and an air conditioning airflow adjustment unit (84) that adjusts the volume of the air conditioning airflow blown out by the air conditioning unit and adjusts the direction of the air conditioning airflow so as to be directed toward the plurality of thermal sensation deviation portions,
The air conditioning airflow adjustment unit changes the direction of the air conditioning airflow from a first adjustment direction toward a predetermined thermal sensation deviation site among the plurality of thermal sensation deviation sites to a second adjustment direction toward a thermal sensation deviation site other than the predetermined thermal sensation deviation site in a predetermined order so that the air conditioning airflow is blown toward the plurality of thermal sensation deviation sites, and
A thermal sensation adjustment system in which, when changing the direction of the air conditioning air from the first adjustment direction to the second adjustment direction, if the direction in which the air conditioning air is blown out straddles a non-adjustment direction toward the thermal sensation non-divergence area, the volume of the air conditioning air blown out in the non-adjustment direction is made less than the volume of the air conditioning air blown out in the first adjustment direction and the second adjustment direction. The air conditioning unit includes a plurality of air outlets (133a, 134a, 135a, 136a, 137a) for blowing out the conditioned air, a blower (123) for generating an air current for blowing out the conditioned air from the plurality of air outlets, and an air volume adjustment section (138, 139b) for adjusting the volume of the conditioned air blown out from a predetermined air outlet (134a) among the plurality of air outlets for blowing out the conditioned air in the non-adjustment direction,
The thermal sensation adjusting system according to claim 1 , wherein the conditioned airflow adjusting unit adjusts the volume of the conditioned airflow blown out in the non-adjustment direction by the airflow volume adjusting unit. The air conditioning unit has a blower (123) that generates an air current for blowing the conditioned air, and a drive unit (123a) that adjusts the blowing capacity of the blower,
The thermal sensation adjusting system according to claim 1 , wherein the conditioned airflow adjusting unit adjusts the volume of the conditioned airflow blown out in the non-adjustment direction by controlling the drive unit. The thermal sensation adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the thermal sensation detection unit detects the ambient temperature of the occupant and estimates the thermal sensation of each of the occupant's multiple body parts using the detected ambient temperature. The thermal sensation adjustment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air conditioning air adjustment unit increases the volume of the air conditioning air blown toward the multiple thermal sensation deviation areas as the thermal sensation deviation increases. The air conditioning unit has a plurality of upper and lower fins (139d) that change the direction of the air conditioning airflow to the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction by changing the inclination angle, and by changing the inclination angle of the plurality of upper and lower fins so that the upstream ends of the airflow of the plurality of upper and lower fins are lower in the vertical direction than the downstream ends of the airflow, it is possible to guide the air conditioning airflow to the upper side in the vertical direction, and by changing the inclination angle of the plurality of upper and lower fins so that the upstream ends of the airflow of the plurality of upper and lower fins are higher in the vertical direction than the downstream ends of the airflow, it is possible to guide the air conditioning airflow to the lower side in the vertical direction,
The thermal sensation adjustment system described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the air conditioning airflow adjustment unit changes the inclination angle of the multiple upper and lower fins when changing the direction of the air conditioning airflow from the first adjustment direction to the second adjustment direction. The air conditioning unit has a one-side fin (139ba) that is arranged on one side in the left-right direction of the vehicle and changes the direction of the air conditioning air by changing the inclination angle, and an other-side fin (139bb) that is arranged on the other side in the left-right direction and changes the direction of the air conditioning air by changing the inclination angle, and it is possible to reduce the amount of airflow of the air conditioning air flowing in a predetermined direction as the inclination angle is changed so that the downstream ends of the airflow of the one-side fin and the downstream ends of the other-side fin are separated from each other, and to increase the amount of airflow of the air conditioning air flowing in the predetermined direction as the inclination angle is changed so that the downstream ends of the airflow of the one-side fin and the downstream ends of the other-side fin are brought closer to each other,
The thermal sensation adjustment system described in claim 6, wherein the air conditioning airflow adjustment unit makes the distance between the downstream ends of the air flow of each of the one-side fins and the other-side fins greater when the direction of the air conditioning airflow is in the non-adjustment direction than the distance between the downstream ends of the air flow of each of the one-side fins and the other-side fins when the direction of the air conditioning airflow is in the first adjustment direction and the second adjustment direction. A thermal sensation adjustment system for adjusting a thermal sensation of a vehicle occupant,
A thermal sensation detection unit (70) for detecting information regarding a thermal sensation for each of a plurality of body parts of the occupant;
an air conditioning unit (10) that blows conditioned air toward the occupants;
a deviation part detection part (84a) that calculates a thermal sensation for each of the plurality of body parts based on information related to the thermal sensation detected by the thermal sensation detection part, detects a plurality of thermal sensation deviation parts among the plurality of body parts where the calculated thermal sensation and the target thermal sensation deviate by a thermal sensation amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and detects a thermal sensation non-deviation part where the thermal sensation deviation amount is smaller than the predetermined threshold;
and an air conditioning airflow adjustment unit (84) that adjusts the volume of the air conditioning airflow blown out by the air conditioning unit and adjusts the direction of the air conditioning airflow so as to be directed toward the plurality of thermal sensation deviation portions,
The air conditioning airflow adjustment unit changes the direction of the air conditioning airflow from a first adjustment direction toward a predetermined thermal sensation deviation portion among the plurality of thermal sensation deviation portions to a second adjustment direction toward a thermal sensation deviation portion other than the predetermined thermal sensation deviation portion,
A thermal sensation adjustment system in which, when changing the direction of the air conditioning air from the first adjustment direction to the second adjustment direction, if the direction in which the air conditioning air is blown out straddles a non-adjustment direction toward the thermal sensation non-deviation area, the volume of the air conditioning air blown out in the non-adjustment direction is made smaller than the volumes of the air conditioning air blown out in the first adjustment direction and the second adjustment direction , and the volume of the air conditioning air blown out toward the multiple thermal sensation deviation areas is made larger the greater the thermal sensation deviation amount .

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