JP2006341841A - Seat air conditioning unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To establish compatibility between a draft effect due to a large airflow in the transitional state and a cooling and heating effects in the steady state. <P>SOLUTION: The seat air conditioning unit is provided with a first heat exchanger 10 at one side heat absorbing surface 8a of a Peltier element 8 and a second heat exchanger 11 at other side heat radiating surface 8b. The air heat-exchanged by the first heat exchanger 10 is blown out from the seat surface and the air heat-exchanged by the second heat exchanger 11 is discharged to the outside of the seat in a usual mode. The seat air conditioning unit is provided with a bypass passage 16 on a first ventilation flute 5, and a third door 17 opening/closing the bypass passage 16 at an upstream side of the bypass passage 16. In draft mode in the transitional state, the bypass passage 16 is fully opened by positioning a third door 17 at the position shown in full line, and the airflow blown out from a first blowout port 13 through the first ventilation flute 5 is increased. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat air conditioning unit that emits hot air or cold air from a seat surface.

  Conventionally, in a seat air conditioner for a vehicle, a heat exchanger dedicated to seat air conditioning using a Peltier element is provided to improve the seating feeling of the occupant by blowing out the air heated or lowered from the surface of the seat. Yes (see Patent Document 1). Specifically, this includes a first heat exchanger on one heat absorbing surface side of the Peltier element and a second heat exchanger on the other heat radiating surface side, and the first heat out of the air blown from the blower. The air conditioning is performed by blowing out air exchanged by the exchanger from the seat surface and discharging the air exchanged heat by the second heat exchanger out of the seat. In addition, when the humidity between the occupant and the seat exceeds a predetermined value, the air that has been heat-exchanged by the second heat exchanger with the mix door opened and the air that has been heat-exchanged by the first heat exchanger The mixed air is blown out to the seat surface to eliminate the stuffiness of the occupant.

In addition, a seat air conditioner of a type that blows the air in the passenger compartment as it is to the seat surface without adjusting the temperature by the heat exchanger dedicated to seat air conditioning as described above has been put into practical use.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-44756

  In seat air conditioning, for example, when the seat surface is hot in summer, the seat surface needs to be cooled down (rapid cooling during transition) to improve the seating feeling in a short time. Further, when the seat surface is cold in winter, it is necessary to warm up the seat surface (rapid heating during transition) to improve the seating feeling in a short time.

  However, in the former prior art, the air heat-exchanged by the first heat exchanger is blown out from the sheet surface even in a transient state where rapid cooling or rapid heating of the sheet surface is necessary, and the second heat exchanger Since the seat air-conditioning is performed in a mode in which the air heat-exchanged in the above is discharged out of the seat, it is difficult to increase the amount of air blown to the seat surface. That is, the air that passes through the second heat exchanger out of the air blown from the blower is discharged out of the sheet as exhaust heat (cold air due to heat absorption or warm air due to heat radiation), and thus a large wind of air blown out to the sheet surface Quantification is difficult. For this reason, there is a problem that only the air volume passing through the first heat exchanger has a small cool-down effect due to the draft at the time of transition and it is difficult to improve the seating feeling.

  On the other hand, in the latter conventional technology, since there is no exhaust heat, it is easy to increase the amount of air blown to the seat surface, and a cool-down effect (or warm-up effect) due to a draft during transition can be expected. Since only the wind can be blown out, there is a problem that the cooling / heating effect in a steady state is small.

  In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to realize both a draft effect due to a large air volume during a transition and a cooling / heating effect during a steady state in a seat air conditioning unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the air flow from the upstream side is guided into the duct (2), and the air flow is directed from the first outlet (13) disposed on the downstream side of the duct. A seat air-conditioning unit that blows out to the surface of the seat, the inlet (3) that is open so that an air flow flows in on the upstream side of the duct, and the air that flows into the inlet is branched to the first outlet. Provided in a duct between the first ventilation path (5) that leads to the second ventilation path (6) that leads to the second outlet (14) and between the suction port and the first and second outlets, current flows A thermoelectric effect element (8) having a heat absorbing surface and a heat radiating surface that are switched between the heat absorbing side and the heat radiating side depending on the direction, and the air in the first ventilation path provided on either the heat absorbing surface or the heat radiating surface of the thermoelectric effect element; A first heat exchanger arranged for heat exchange ( 0) and a second heat exchanger (11) provided on the other surface of the thermoelectric effect element and arranged to exchange heat with the air in the second ventilation path (9) A bypass passage (16) that forms an air flow from the suction port to the first outlet by bypassing the first and second heat exchangers, and an air volume adjusting means (17) that adjusts the air volume flowing through the bypass passage; The air that is energized in the thermoelectric effect element and blows air that has been heat-exchanged by the first heat exchanger to the first air outlet and the air that has been heat-exchanged by the second heat exchanger is discharged from the second air outlet to the outside of the seat. And the draft mode that increases the ratio of the amount of air blown from the first outlet to the amount of air flowing into the inlet than in the normal mode, and in the draft mode By-pass passage by air volume adjustment means Increasing the volume of air, characterized in that increasing the volume of air blown out from the first outlet to.

  According to the present invention, the ratio of the air volume blown out from the first air outlet corresponding to the air outlet to the seat surface with respect to the air volume flowing into the inlet can be changed between the draft mode and the normal mode, and the air volume ratio is increased. In the draft mode, the draft effect by the wind blown from the first outlet to the seat surface can be obtained by increasing the amount of air flowing through the bypass passage by the air amount adjusting means. In the normal mode, the first effect is obtained. The wind blown out from the air outlet can be an air conditioning effect enhanced by the first heat exchanger. Moreover, since air is guide | induced to a 1st blower outlet through the bypass channel | path which bypasses a 1st, 2nd heat exchanger, a pressure loss is small and the air volume blown from a 1st blower outlet can be increased greatly. . For this reason, as in the invention described in claim 2, when the air blower (4) generates an amount of air flowing into the suction port, the same fan is driven as compared with that described in Patent Document 1. The air volume can be increased by force. Moreover, even if the same air volume is output, the power for driving the blower can be reduced. Furthermore, since the pressure loss is small, noise can be prevented.

  Note that, as in the invention described in claim 3, the bypass passage may be disposed on the seat side with respect to the first heat exchanger in the first ventilation path.

  Further, as in the invention according to claim 4, in the draft mode, if the thermoelectric effect element is in a state in which the heat exchange amount of the first and second heat exchangers is smaller than that in the normal mode, power saving is achieved. The above draft effect can be obtained.

  Further, as in the fifth aspect of the invention, the first opening / closing mechanism (12) for opening and closing the second ventilation path and adjusting the amount of air blown from the second outlet is provided upstream of the second heat exchanger. In the draft mode, if the first opening / closing mechanism is fully closed to prevent the blowout from the second air outlet, the amount of air blown from the first air outlet can be further increased.

  Further, as in the invention described in claim 6, the second heat exchanger is arranged to open and close the second ventilation path on the downstream side of the second heat exchanger, and when the second ventilation path is fully closed. A first opening / closing mechanism that operates to prevent the air that has passed through the second heat exchanger from flowing into the first ventilation path when the air that has passed through the first ventilation path is caused to flow and the second ventilation path is fully opened. 15), and in the draft mode, if the first opening / closing mechanism is fully closed to prevent the air blowing from the second air outlet, the amount of air blown from the first air outlet can be further increased.

  In the case of the invention described in claim 6, as in the invention described in claim 7, the first opening / closing mechanism is made of a material that deforms according to the ambient temperature, and opens and closes the second ventilation path by the deformation of the material. If operated in such a manner, the first opening / closing mechanism can be opened / closed independently depending on the ambient temperature.

  The air volume adjusting means includes a second opening / closing mechanism (17) that opens and closes the bypass passage, as in the invention described in claim 8, and opens the second opening / closing mechanism to reduce the amount of air blown from the first air outlet. Can be increased.

  In this case, the second opening / closing mechanism may be provided on the upstream side of the bypass passage, as in the ninth aspect of the invention.

  Further, as in the invention described in claim 10, if the first heat exchanger is opened to the surface (10 a) on the bypass passage side, the wind passes through the first heat exchanger. Ventilation resistance can be reduced and the amount of blown air from the first outlet can be increased.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each said means shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The first, second, and third embodiments described below are not the embodiments of the invention described in the claims, but the fourth embodiment that is an embodiment of the invention described in the claims. It is for demonstrating the structure used as the premise of embodiment after a form.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a seat air conditioning unit 1 according to the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, an example in which the seat air conditioning unit 1 is disposed inside the seat cushion 21 of the seat 20 is shown, but the seat air conditioning unit 1 may be provided in the seat back 22.

  The seat air conditioning unit 1 includes a duct 2. A suction port 3 is provided on the upstream side of the duct 2 (leftward in FIG. 1), and a blower 4 that sucks vehicle interior air and blows it into the duct 2 is disposed on the upstream side of the suction port 3. All the wind generated by the blower 4 flows into the suction port 3. In FIG. 1, the blower 4 shows an axial fan, but a centrifugal fan is actually used.

  The duct 2 is branched into a first ventilation path 5 and a second ventilation path 6 on the downstream side of the suction port 3 (rightward in FIG. 1). A first air outlet 13 is provided at the downstream end of the first air passage 5, and a second air outlet 14 is provided at the downstream end of the second air passage 6.

  On the downstream side of the first air outlet 13, a large number of sheet air outlets 24 for blowing the sheet conditioned air to the surface of the sheet 20 are connected. That is, the 1st ventilation path 5, the 1st blower outlet 13, and the seat blower outlet 24 form the path | route of sheet | seat air conditioning wind. On the other hand, the second air outlet 14 discharges the wind (exhaust heat air) passing through the second ventilation path 6 as an exhaust heat outlet to the outside of the seat 20.

  In the duct 2, a heat exchange unit 9 is provided between the suction port 3 and the first and second outlets 13 and 14. The heat exchanging unit 9 includes a Peltier element 8 as a thermoelectric effect element having a heat absorption surface and a heat dissipation surface that are switched between the heat absorption side and the heat dissipation side according to the direction of current flow. Using this Peltier element 8 as a heat source, one of the Peltier elements 8 The first heat exchanger 10 provided on the heat absorbing surface 8a side and the second heat exchanger 11 provided on the other heat radiating surface 8b side are provided.

  The plate-shaped Peltier element 8 forms a part of the partition wall 7 between the first ventilation path 5 and the second ventilation path 6, the first heat exchanger 10 is disposed in the first ventilation path 5, and the second The heat exchanger 11 is disposed in the second ventilation path 6. That is, all the wind passing through the first heat exchanger 10 is guided to the first outlet 13 through the first ventilation path 5, and all the wind passing through the second heat exchanger 11 is in the second ventilation path 6. It is led to the 2nd blower outlet 14 through.

  A first door 12 serving as a first opening / closing mechanism is provided on the upstream side of the second heat exchanger 11. The first door 12 is rotated by a door motor 31 and a link 32 as actuators. That is, the first door 12 is in a normal mode state (indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 1) in which both the first ventilation path 5 and the second ventilation path 6 are fully opened, and in a draft mode state in which only the second ventilation path 6 is fully closed. (Indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1).

  In the normal mode state, the wind flowing into the suction port 3 is branched, one is cooled in the first ventilation path 5 by the first heat exchanger 10 and blown to the first outlet 13 and the other is the second ventilation. The inside of the path 6 is heated by the second heat exchanger 11 and blown to the second outlet 14. In the present embodiment, the second ventilation path 6 corresponds to the exhaust heat side of the Peltier element 8, and thus the heated air is discharged out of the sheet 20 from the second outlet 14 as an exhaust heat outlet.

  In the draft mode state, the wind that flows into the suction port 3 is blocked from flowing into the second heat exchanger 11 by the closed first door 12, and all flows into the first heat exchanger 10 and enters the first heat exchanger 10. Passes through one ventilation path 5. Therefore, in the draft mode state, the amount of air blown from the first outlet 13 is substantially equal to the amount of air flowing into the inlet 3 (the amount of air generated by the blower 4).

  That is, in the draft mode state, even if the air volume flowing into the intake port 3 is constant, the air volume blown from the first outlet 13 (that is, the air volume ratio) can be increased compared to the normal mode state.

  Next, the electric control unit of the seat air conditioning unit 1 will be described. The seat air conditioning unit 1 includes an ECU 30 as control means. The ECU 30 includes a microcomputer and peripheral circuits.

  An internal air temperature sensor 33 and a seat temperature sensor 34 are connected to the ECU 30. The inside air temperature sensor 33 is disposed, for example, in the vicinity of the suction side of the blower 4, detects the air temperature (inside air temperature) in the passenger compartment flowing into the suction port 3, and outputs a detection signal Tr to the ECU 30.

  The seat temperature sensor 34 detects the seat temperature and outputs a detection signal Ts to the ECU 30. Note that the seat temperature sensor 34 may be disposed between the cushion members 23 of the seat 20 in order to make it less susceptible to the conditioned air blowing from the seat outlet 24 and the direct influence from the heat exchange unit 9. desirable.

  The ECU 30 performs duty control on the blower motor 4 a to generate a necessary air volume for the blower 4. In addition, the ECU 30 rotationally drives a door motor 31 that is an actuator for rotating the first door 12 to position the first door 12 to a position in the draft mode state and the normal mode state.

  Further, the ECU 30 performs duty control on the energization current to the Peltier element 8 to cause the Peltier element 8 to absorb and dissipate heat in accordance with the input power.

  In the present embodiment, the Peltier system including the Peltier element 8, the heat exchange unit 9, the duct 2 and the blower 4 is a system in which ΔPt = 5 ° C. This ΔPt is the difference between the Peltier element 8 inlet side air temperature (corresponding to the internal temperature Tr) and the heat absorption side (first heat exchanger 10) outlet air temperature when the Peltier element 8 and the blower 4 are both driven MAX. is there. That is, ΔPt is a temperature difference that can be generated with respect to the internal air temperature Tr of the temperature at which the air is discharged from the sheet outlet 24 for cooling the surface of the sheet 20.

  Next, the operation of the seat air conditioning unit 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control routine executed by the ECU 30. This control routine is started when the power supply of the ECU 30 is turned on.

  Note that the ECU 30 is turned on in addition to the operation of turning on the power switch (not shown) of the seat air conditioner, for example, the ECU 30 is turned on in conjunction with the operation of releasing the door lock of the parked vehicle. May be. In the latter case, the seat air conditioning unit 1 operates in the draft mode as will be described later before the occupant is seated on the seat 20, and the seat temperature can be rapidly lowered.

  First, in the initial setting, the blower 4 is set to a stopped state, and the Peltier element 8 is set to OFF (energization current = 0). Thereafter, in step S100, it is determined whether or not the sheet temperature Ts is equal to or higher than a threshold value T1 (for example, 30 ° C.). If the seat temperature Ts is not equal to or higher than T1 (less than 30 ° C.), the process proceeds to step S160 and the seat air conditioning unit 1 is operated normally.

  If the seat temperature Ts is a relatively high temperature equal to or higher than the threshold value T1, the blower 4 is driven in step S110. In this case, the blower motor 4a is controlled by, for example, duty = MAX (for example, 99%) so that the blower 4 has the maximum blown amount.

  Next, in step S120, it is determined whether or not the detected sheet temperature Ts is higher than the internal temperature Tr by ΔPt (5 ° C.) or more. When the determination result is YES, the cooling efficiency of the sheet temperature is higher when the large air volume is blown to the surface of the sheet without operating the Peltier element 8 than when the seat air conditioning is performed with a relatively small air volume cooled by the Peltier element 8. In step S130, the operation is performed in the draft mode.

  In the draft mode in the present embodiment, the Peltier element 8 is turned off and the blower 4 is in the MAX drive (duty = 99%) state, and the position of the first door 12 closes the second ventilation path 6, that is, the second The inlet side of the heat exchanger 11 is closed, and the amount of air in the second ventilation path 6 is set to 0 (therefore, the amount of air blown from the second outlet 14 as the heat exhaust port is set to 0).

  In the draft mode according to the present embodiment, the Peltier element 8 is turned off, so that the Peltier element 8 is not damaged even when the air volume on the exhaust heat side is set to 0 as described above, and a power saving effect is obtained. It is done.

  As a result of the operation in the draft mode, the air volume from the blower 4 flowing into the suction port 3 passes through the first heat exchanger 10 and the first ventilation path 5 with a slight pressure loss, but the first blower outlet. The air is blown from 13 to the sheet outlet 24. Therefore, the ratio of the blown air volume from the first outlet 13 is the maximum with respect to the constant (maximum blown air volume) air volume flowing into the inlet 3.

  As described above, in the draft mode, the air having the internal air temperature Tr is blown out from the seat outlet 24 at the maximum air volume (ratio), so that the temperature is high (for example, about Ts = 60 ° C.) in the daytime when the sunlight is strong in summer. The sheet temperature can be rapidly reduced to at least the internal temperature Tr + ΔPt (for example, 45 to 50 ° C.) by the draft effect of the large air volume (here, ΔPt may be set to about the heat absorption side cooling capacity at the time of Peltier operation) .

  The operation in the draft mode is performed until the difference between the seat temperature Ts and the internal temperature Tr becomes less than ΔPt. If the difference between the seat temperature Ts and the internal temperature Tr is less than ΔPt in step S120, the operation shifts to the normal mode operation in step S140.

  In the normal mode, first, the first door 12 is rotated to a position where the second ventilation path 6 is opened, that is, the inlet side of the second heat exchanger 11 is opened, and the air volume in the second ventilation path 6 is changed to the draft mode. From 0 to a predetermined amount.

  In this case, both the first ventilation path 5 and the second ventilation path 6 are in an open state, and the amount of air generated by the blower 4 flowing into the intake port 3 is branched, so that the first ventilation path 5 and the second ventilation path 6 are respectively branched. Flowing inside.

  In step S150, the Peltier element 8 is turned on to perform duty control during normal operation, and the process proceeds to normal operation in step S160.

  Note that during normal operation in step S160, the Peltier element 8 and the blower 4 are turned on when the seat temperature Ts is equal to or higher than the comfortable temperature (for example, 35 ° C.), as in the control conditions performed in the seat air conditioning control using the normal Peltier module. Both are driven at MAX (duty = 99%) to perform normal cool-down operation.

  When the seat temperature Ts falls below the comfortable temperature (35 ° C.) by this normal cool-down operation, both the Peltier element 8 and the blower 4 are set to, for example, 50% capacity operation (duty = 50%) to make the seat temperature comfortable. Steady operation is performed to maintain the temperature.

  The effect by this 1st Embodiment which operate | moves as mentioned above is demonstrated. FIG. 3 shows how the seat temperature Ts changes with time during the cool-down operation.

  The environmental conditions are as follows: the outside air temperature is 40 ° C., the strong solar radiation, the inside air temperature Tr is about 45 ° C., and the seat temperature Ts is 60 ° C. (elapsed time = 0). Operates only in mode (large air volume + Peltier OFF) (broken line), B: operates only in normal mode (Peltier ON + exhaust heat side open) (one-dot chain line), C: operates in the first embodiment (solid line) It shows how the sheet temperature Ts changes under the conditions.

  It should be noted that the internal air temperature Tr is changed to 40 ° C. after a few minutes (about 5 minutes) and to the air conditioner set temperature (for example, 25 ° C.) in a steady state by the vehicle air conditioner that starts operating from the elapsed time = 0.

  Even in the operation condition A (draft mode only), the vehicle interior air at a temperature Tr lower by 15 to 20 ° C. than the seat temperature Ts is blown at the initial stage of operation, and a large air volume can be generated. The cooling effect of the sheet 20 is higher than that of the ON), that is, the sheet 20 is cooled earlier. In addition, for the seated passenger, there is an effect that there is a draft feeling and a cool feeling is obtained.

  When the cool-down progresses with time and the seat temperature Ts approaches the inside temperature Tr, the seat condition heat cannot be taken under the operating condition A, and is saturated under the influence of the occupant's body temperature in the steady state.

  On the other hand, under the operating condition B, a high cooling effect can be obtained even when the seat temperature Ts approaches the internal temperature Tr over time. It is possible to cool the seat temperature Ts to a temperature at which the passenger feels “cold” (for example, 35 ° C. or lower in summer), and seat air conditioning by Peltier ON (normal mode) that enables active temperature control is effective It is.

  In FIG. 3, the diagram of the operating condition B is experimental data indicating the sheet cooling capability when the Peltier ON state is continued without performing temperature control.

  That is, as shown by the operating condition C (solid line) in FIG. 3, in the first embodiment, rapid cooling of the seat with a large air volume in the draft mode is effective at the early stage of cool down immediately after the start of the operation of the seat air conditioning unit 1. In addition, when the seat temperature approaches the passenger compartment temperature, active temperature control (cooling) by the Peltier element 8 in the normal mode is effective for bringing a cool feeling to the passenger.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the control routine by the ECU 30, and the other configurations are all the same. Therefore, the description of FIG. 1 will be omitted below, and the operation in the second embodiment will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the ECU 30 is turned on, the process is started and the same initial setting as in the first embodiment is performed. Then, in step S105, the internal temperature Tr detected by the internal temperature sensor 33 is set to a threshold value T2 (for example, 30). Whether or not the temperature is equal to or higher than (° C.) is determined. This threshold value T2 can be changed for each vehicle type, use area (destination), or for each user (that is, for each use situation).

  If it is not more than threshold value T2, it will transfer to step S160 similarly to 1st Embodiment, and will operate seat air-conditioning unit 1 normally.

  When the internal temperature Tr is a relatively high temperature equal to or higher than the threshold value T2, in step S110, the blower 4 is turned on, specifically, the MAX drive (duty = 99%) is performed as in the first embodiment. Thereafter, in step S115, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes) has elapsed. This predetermined time is set in advance by a timer, and can be changed for each assumed use situation or vehicle type.

  If the determination in step 115 is NO, the operation is performed in the draft mode in step S130.

  As in the first embodiment, the draft mode in the second embodiment is such that the Peltier element 8 is turned off and the blower 4 is in MAX drive (duty = 99%), and the position of the first door 12 is the second ventilation. The path 6 is closed, that is, the inlet side of the second heat exchanger 11 is closed, and the air volume in the second ventilation path 6 is set to 0 (therefore, the blown air volume from the second outlet 14 as the heat exhaust port is set to 0). To do.

  By operating in the draft mode, as in the first embodiment, when the Peltier element 8 is in the off state, the second air passage 6 is blocked by the first door 12, so that the maximum air volume of the blower 4 flowing into the suction port 3 is increased. Almost all of the air is blown out from the first air outlet 13 to the surface of the sheet 20, and the sheet surface temperature can be lowered rapidly so as to approach the internal temperature Tr by the draft effect due to the large air volume.

  And when predetermined time passes after the operation | movement of draft mode starts, determination of step S115 will become YES and it will transfer to operation | movement by the normal mode in step S140 similarly to 1st Embodiment.

  That is, first, the first door 12 is rotated to a position where the second ventilation path 6 is opened, that is, the inlet side of the second heat exchanger 11 is opened, and the air volume in the second ventilation path 6 is set to 0 in the draft mode. Increase to a predetermined amount.

  In this case, both the first ventilation path 5 and the second ventilation path 6 are in an open state, and the amount of air generated by the blower 4 flowing into the intake port 3 is branched, so that the first ventilation path 5 and the second ventilation path 6 are respectively branched. Flowing inside.

  Then, as in the first embodiment, in step S150, the Peltier element 8 is turned on, duty control during normal operation is performed, and the process proceeds to normal operation in step S160.

  Note that during normal operation in step S160, the Peltier element 8 and the blower 4 are turned on when the seat temperature Ts is equal to or higher than the comfortable temperature (for example, 35 ° C.), as in the control conditions performed in the seat air conditioning control using the normal Peltier module. Both are driven at MAX (duty = 99%) to perform normal cool-down operation.

  When the normal cool-down operation causes the seat temperature Ts to drop below the comfortable temperature (35 ° C.), both the Peltier element 8 and the blower 4 are set to 50% capacity operation (duty = 50%), and the seat temperature is set to the comfortable temperature. Perform steady operation to maintain.

  Also by the operation in the second embodiment as described above, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above example, the end of the draft mode is determined after the elapse of a predetermined time. However, as shown in FIG. 5, has the vehicle interior temperature Tr become equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature T3 lower than the threshold value T2? Step S125 may be provided to determine whether or not, and the end of the draft mode may be determined when the vehicle interior temperature Tr falls below a predetermined temperature T3 lower than the threshold value T2.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in that a second door 15 as a first opening / closing mechanism is used instead of the first door 12 as the first opening / closing mechanism. The other points are the same except that they are provided.

  In FIG. 6, only the portions from the air inlet 3 to the first air outlet 13 and the second air outlet 14 of the seat air conditioning unit 1 of the third embodiment are shown, and have the same configuration as the first and second embodiments. Are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  That is, in the third embodiment, the second door 15 is provided as the first opening / closing mechanism, and the second ventilation path 6 is provided on the downstream side of the heat exchange unit 9, more specifically, on the downstream side of the second heat exchanger 11. Arrange to open and close. Further, when the second air passage 6 is fully closed, the second door 15 is opened through the second heat exchanger 11 by opening the opening 15a of the partition wall 7 between the first air passage 5 and the second air passage 6. When the second ventilation path is fully opened, the air that has passed through the second heat exchanger 11 is closed by closing the opening 15a of the partition wall 7 when the second ventilation path is fully opened. Arranged to prevent inflow. The second door 15 is driven by the door motor 31 via the link 32a as in the first and second embodiments.

  In the third embodiment, the control routine executed by the ECU 30 is basically the same as that in the first and second embodiments, but the first control routine is replaced with the first door 12 in the first and second embodiments. The two doors 15 are different from those of the first and second embodiments in that the positioning is controlled as follows.

  First, in the normal mode in which the Peltier element 8 is turned on and the cooling effect by the first heat exchanger 10 is obtained, the second door 15 is positioned so as to be at the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. The opening 15a of the partition wall 7 with the second ventilation path 6 is fully closed, and at the same time, the second ventilation path 6 is fully opened, and the Peltier element 8 and the second heat exchanger are opened from the second outlet 14 as a heat exhaust port. The exhaust heat air from 11 can be blown out.

  By the position of the second door 15 in the normal mode, a form similar to the air distribution form in the normal mode in the first and second embodiments is realized.

  On the other hand, in the draft mode, in step S130 of FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the second door 15 fully closes (closes) the second ventilation path 6 so as to be in the position shown by the solid line in FIG. The first ventilation path 5 and the second ventilation path 6 are positioned so as to open the opening 15 a of the partition wall 7. Further, after the end of the draft mode, the second door 15 is positioned at the position indicated by the broken line in FIG.

  Thereby, in draft mode, the air volume from the 1st blower outlet 13 passes the 2nd heat exchanger 11 in addition to the original air volume which passes the 1st heat exchanger 10 and flows in the 1st ventilation path 5. When the air volume to flow flows into the first ventilation path 5 through the opening 15a, the ratio to the air volume flowing into the suction port 3 increases.

  In the draft mode, since the Peltier element 8 is turned off, the wind passing through the second heat exchanger 11 is not exhaust heat air but air of the inside air temperature blown by the blower 4.

  Also in the third embodiment, the same effect as in the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the fourth embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that a bypass passage 16 is provided and a second opening / closing mechanism is used instead of the first door 12 as the first opening / closing mechanism. The third door 17 is different, and the other configurations are the same. In FIG. 7, only the portions from the air inlet 3 to the first air outlet 13 and the second air outlet 14 of the seat air conditioning unit 1 of the fourth embodiment are shown, and have the same configuration as the first and second embodiments. Are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the fourth embodiment, a bypass passage 16 for passing an air flow that does not pass through the first heat exchanger 10 is provided in the first ventilation path 5. The bypass passage 16 is disposed on the seat side with respect to the first heat exchanger 10 in the first ventilation path 5. A third door 17 serving as a second opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the bypass passage is provided on the inlet side (upstream side) of the bypass passage 16. The third door 17 is driven by the door motor 31 via the link 32b as in the first and second embodiments.

  In the fourth embodiment, the control routine executed by the ECU 30 is basically the same as that in the first and second embodiments, but the first control routine is replaced with the first door 12 in the first and second embodiments. The third door 17 is different from those of the first and second embodiments in that the positioning is controlled as follows.

  First, in the normal mode in which the Peltier element 8 is turned on to obtain the cooling effect by the first heat exchanger 10, the third door 17 is positioned so as to close the bypass passage 16 as shown by the broken line in FIG. Is done. As a result, about half of the amount of air that has flowed into the suction port 3 is branched by the partition wall 7 and is cooled by passing through the first heat exchanger 10. The sheet is blown out from the sheet outlet 24 to the surface of the sheet 20.

  At this time, the exhaust hot air heated by passing through the second heat exchanger 11 according to the operation of the Peltier element 8 is blown out of the seat from the second air outlet 6 through the second air outlet 14 as the heat exhaust port. Due to the position of the third door 17 in the normal mode, a form similar to the air distribution form in the normal mode in the first to third embodiments is realized.

  On the other hand, in the draft mode, in step S130 of FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the third door 17 is positioned at a position where the bypass passage 16 is fully opened (opened) so as to be a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. . Further, after the end of the draft mode, the third door 17 is positioned so as to be in the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 7 in step S140 of FIGS.

  As a result, in the draft mode, the pressure loss of the first ventilation path 5 is reduced, so that the amount of air blown from the first outlet 13 through the first ventilation path 5 is increased. That is, the ratio of the amount of air blown out from the first outlet 13 to the amount of air flowing into the inlet 3 is increased.

  Also in the fourth embodiment, the same effect as in the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

  In the fourth embodiment, in the draft mode, as in the above embodiments, the Peltier element 8 is turned off to obtain a power saving effect.

  However, in the fourth embodiment, the wind (exhaust hot air) that always passes through the second heat exchanger 11 is blown out of the sheet from the second outlet 14 (exhaust heat outlet). There is no need to turn off.

  Therefore, even in the draft mode, the Peltier element 8 can be turned on in step S110 in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, and the cooling air can be blown out from the first outlet 13 in the first heat exchanger 10.

  At this time, although the cooling effect is reduced by the amount of air flow in the bypass passage 16 that is higher than the cooling efficiency in the normal mode, the decrease in the sheet surface temperature due to the draft effect due to the increase in the air amount is caused by the air cooled from the internal air temperature Tr. Further improvement can be achieved.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the fifth embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that a first opening / closing mechanism similar to the third embodiment is used instead of the first door 12 as the first opening / closing mechanism. The second door 15 is provided, and a bypass passage 16 similar to that of the fourth embodiment and a third door 17 as a second opening / closing mechanism are provided, and the other configurations are the same. In FIG. 8, only the portions from the air inlet 3 to the first air outlet 13 and the second air outlet 14 of the seat air conditioning unit 1 of the fifth embodiment are shown, and the same configuration as the first and second embodiments is shown. Are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  That is, in the fifth embodiment, as in the third embodiment, the second door 15 is provided as the first opening / closing mechanism on the downstream side of the heat exchange unit 9, more specifically, on the downstream side of the second heat exchanger 11. The second ventilation path 6 is opened or closed, and the opening 15a of the partition wall 7 between the first ventilation path 5 and the second ventilation path 6 is closed or opened. Further, as in the fourth embodiment, a bypass passage 16 for passing an air flow that does not pass through the first heat exchanger 10 through the first ventilation passage 5 and a bypass passage at the inlet side (upstream side) of the bypass passage 16 are provided. A third door 17 is provided as a second opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes. The second and third doors 15 and 17 are simultaneously driven by the door motor 31 via the links 32a and 32b as in the third and fourth embodiments.

  Also in the fifth embodiment, the control routine executed by the ECU 30 is basically the same as that in the first and second embodiments, but instead of the first door 12 in the first and second embodiments. The second door 15 and the third door 17 are different from those in the first and second embodiments in that the positioning is controlled as follows.

  First, in the normal mode in which the Peltier element 8 is turned on to obtain the cooling effect by the first heat exchanger 10, the second door 15 is positioned so as to be in the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. The opening 15a of the partition wall 7 with the second ventilation path 6 is fully closed, and at the same time, the second ventilation path 6 is fully opened, and the Peltier element 8 and the second heat exchanger are opened from the second outlet 14 as a heat exhaust port. The exhaust heat air from 11 can be blown out. At the same time, the third door 17 is positioned so as to close the bypass passage 16 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. As a result, about half of the amount of air that has flowed into the suction port 3 is branched by the partition wall 7 and is cooled by passing through the first heat exchanger 10. The sheet is blown out from the sheet outlet 24 to the surface of the sheet 20.

  On the other hand, in the draft mode, in step S130 of FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the second door 15 fully closes (closes) the second ventilation path 6 so as to be in the position shown by the solid line in FIG. The third door 17 is positioned at a position where the opening 15a of the partition wall 7 between the first ventilation path 5 and the second ventilation path 6 is opened, and the third door 17 is fully opened so that the position shown by the solid line in FIG. It is positioned at the position to be released. Further, after the end of the draft mode, in step S140 of FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the second door 15 is positioned so as to be in the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 8, and the third door 17 is broken by the broken line in FIG. It is positioned so as to be the position indicated by.

  Thereby, in draft mode, the air volume from the 1st blower outlet 13 passes the 2nd heat exchanger 11 in addition to the original air volume which passes the 1st heat exchanger 10 and flows in the 1st ventilation path 5. When the air volume to flow flows into the first ventilation path 5, the ratio to the air volume flowing into the suction port 3 increases.

  Thereby, in draft mode, since the pressure loss of the 1st ventilation path 5 becomes small by opening of the bypass passage 16, the original air volume which passes along the 1st ventilation path 5 increases, and also passes the 2nd heat exchanger 11. When the air volume flows into the first ventilation path 5 through the opening 15a, the ratio of the air volume blown out from the first air outlet 13 to the air volume flowing into the inlet 3 is further increased than in the first to fourth embodiments. Will be.

  In the draft mode, since the Peltier element 8 is turned off, the wind passing through the second heat exchanger 11 is not exhaust heat air but air of the inside air temperature blown by the blower 4.

  Also in the fifth embodiment, the same effect as in the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

(Other embodiments)
(1) In each of the above embodiments, the air flow in the heat exchange unit 9 has been described as being formed in a direction parallel to the Peltier element 8, but this is not a limitation, and as shown in FIG. The surface 10a on the bypass passage 16 side of the exchanger 10 may form an opening.

  That is, normally, the Peltier module composed of the Peltier element 8 and the heat exchanging section 9 (the first heat exchanger 10 and the second heat exchanger 11) has a heat exchanging fin 10b on both sides 8a and 8b of the Peltier element 8. 11b, and sandwiched between the bottom plates 11, a plurality of openings 10c are provided in the bottom plate (top plate) of the surface 10a on the bypass passage 16 side on the first heat exchanger 10 side, or the top plate itself It can be set as the structure which eliminates.

  Thereby, the pressure loss of the air flow which passes the 1st heat exchanger 10 can further be lowered | hung because the wind which passes the 1st heat exchanger 10 escapes upwards, ie, the bypass channel 16 side. FIG. 9 shows an example in which an opening 10c is provided on one top plate in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG.

  (2) In contrast to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 10, as in the first and second embodiments, the first door 12, which is a first opening / closing mechanism, is located upstream of the second heat exchanger 11. The first door 12 may be rotated by a door motor 31 and a link 32 as actuators. In this case, the control routine executed by the ECU 30 is basically the same as that of the first and second embodiments, but in addition to the positioning control of the first door 12 in the first and second embodiments, the third control routine is executed. The positioning of the door 17 is controlled as in the fourth embodiment. In this case, the Peltier device 8 is turned off in the draft mode.

  (3) In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 10, the third door 17 as the second opening / closing mechanism is provided on the upstream side of the bypass passage 16, but as shown in FIG. In addition to providing the door 17 on the downstream side of the bypass passage 16, the door 17 may be provided between the upstream side and the downstream side of the bypass passage 16 as shown in FIG. 12. 11 and 12 show a modification to FIG. 7, but the present invention can be similarly applied to FIGS. 8 and 10. Further, the bypass passage 16 may have another configuration as long as it bypasses the air flow passing through the first and second heat exchangers 10 and 11, for example, the second ventilation passage 6 side has the second passage. A passage that bypasses the heat exchanger 11 may be provided, and an air flow may be formed from the bypass passage to the first outlet 13 by a duct.

  (4) In each of the above embodiments, in the draft mode, the Peltier element 8 is turned off, that is, the energization current is set to 0. However, the duty ratio for driving the Peltier element 8 is reduced to reduce the first and second You may make it make the heat exchange amount in the heat exchangers 10 and 11 smaller than normal mode. That is, in the draft mode, the Peltier element 8 only needs to be in a state where the heat exchange amount of the first and second heat exchangers 10 and 11 is smaller than that in the normal mode.

  (5) As the physical quantity related to the sheet surface temperature, the sheet temperature detected by the sheet temperature sensor 34 is used in the first embodiment, and the inside air temperature detected by the inside air temperature sensor 33 is used in the second embodiment. The seat surface temperature is corrected by correcting the inside air temperature with at least one of the amount of solar radiation, outside air temperature, and heat exchange temperature (temperature detected by a sensor provided downstream of the heat exchanger), or the amount of solar radiation and outside The seat surface temperature may be estimated from the air temperature, or the seat surface temperature may be estimated from the amount of solar radiation, the outside air temperature, and the heat exchange temperature.

  (6) In the above embodiments, the first door 12, the second door 15, and the third door 17 are driven by the door motor 31 via the links 32, 32a, and 32b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In particular, the second door 15 as the first opening / closing mechanism in the third embodiment and the fifth embodiment may be made of a material that can be deformed by the ambient temperature, such as a bimetal or a shape memory alloy.

  That is, when the temperature of the air passing through the first heat exchanger 10 with the Peltier element 8 turned on is lowered, the exhaust heat side is opened. When the ambient temperature is relatively high when the Peltier element 8 is off, the exhaust heat side is opened. If it is made to close, the electric power for a door drive can be reduced.

  (7) In each of the above embodiments, the description has been given mainly about the cool-down operation, that is, the case where the rapid cooling is performed when the seat temperature Ts is high in summer or the like. You may use in the warm-up operation at the time of heating using the characteristic that the heat absorption side and the exhaust heat side are reversed by flowing a reverse current.

  That is, referring to FIG. 1, when the seat surface temperature becomes low in winter or the like, the first door 12 is closed in the draft mode, and the amount of air blown from the first outlet 13 is increased. At this time, if the Peltier element 8 is in an off state, the air blown from the first air outlet 13 in response to the air blown by the blower 4 becomes air having an internal temperature higher than the sheet temperature which has become low, thereby Can be warmed up.

  Then, in a state where the warm-up progresses and the seat temperature approaches the inside air temperature, the mode is changed to the normal mode, and the Peltier element 8 is set so that the first heat exchanger 10 side becomes a heat dissipation surface and the second heat exchanger 11 side becomes a heat absorption surface. The direction of the energizing current is set, the Peltier element is turned on, and the first door 12 is opened, whereby the heated air is blown from the first ventilation path 6 to the seat outlet 24, and from the second ventilation path 6. Exhaust hot air (cooling air by heat absorption) is blown out of the sheet 20 from the second outlet 14 as an exhaust heat outlet.

It is a schematic block diagram of the seat air-conditioning unit of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control routine in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the change with time progress of the seat temperature at the time of cool-down driving | operation. It is a flowchart which shows the control routine in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the other control routine in 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the seat air-conditioning unit of 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the seat air-conditioning unit of 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the seat air conditioning unit of 5th Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the seat air conditioning unit of other embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the seat air conditioning unit of other embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the seat air conditioning unit of other embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the seat air conditioning unit of other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Seat air-conditioning unit, 2 ... Duct, 3 ... Inlet, 4 ... Blower, 5 ... 1st ventilation path, 6 ... 2nd ventilation path, 8 ... Peltier element, 10 ... 1st heat exchanger, 11 ... 2nd Heat exchanger, 12 ... first door (first opening / closing mechanism), 13 ... first outlet, 14 ... second outlet (exhaust heat outlet), 15 ... second door (first opening / closing mechanism), 16 ... bypass Passage, 17... Third door (second opening / closing mechanism, air volume adjusting means).

Claims (10)

A seat air conditioning unit that guides an air flow from the upstream side into the duct (2), and blows out the air flow from a first outlet (13) disposed on the downstream side of the duct to the seat surface,
An inlet (3) that is open to allow the air flow to flow upstream of the duct;
A first ventilation path (5) for branching the air flowing into the inlet and leading to the first outlet, and a second ventilation path (6) for leading to the second outlet (14);
A thermoelectric effect element (8) provided in the duct between the suction port and the first and second outlets, and having a heat absorption surface and a heat dissipation surface, wherein the heat absorption side and the heat dissipation side are switched depending on the direction of current flow; A first heat exchanger (10) provided on one of the heat absorption surface and the heat dissipation surface of the thermoelectric effect element and arranged to exchange heat with the air in the first ventilation path; and the thermoelectric effect A heat exchange section (9) comprising a second heat exchanger (11) provided on the other surface of the element and arranged to exchange heat with the air in the second ventilation path;
A bypass passage (16) that forms an air flow that bypasses the first and second heat exchangers from the suction port to reach the first outlet;
An air volume adjusting means (17) for adjusting the air volume flowing through the bypass passage,
Air that is energized to the thermoelectric effect element and heat-exchanged by the first heat exchanger is blown to the first air outlet, and air that is heat-exchanged by the second heat exchanger is sent from the second air outlet to the seat. It operates in a normal mode when exhausting outside and a draft mode that increases the ratio of the air volume blown from the first air outlet to the air volume flowing into the inlet than in the normal mode. ,
In the draft mode, the air volume adjusting means increases the air volume flowing through the bypass passage to increase the air volume blown from the first air outlet. 2. The seat air conditioning unit according to claim 1, wherein a blower (4) that generates air of an amount of air flowing into the suction port is provided upstream of the suction port. 3. The seat air conditioning unit according to claim 1, wherein the bypass passage is disposed on a seat side with respect to the first heat exchanger in the first ventilation path. 4. In the draft mode, the heat exchange amount of the thermoelectric effect element is in a state where the heat exchange amount of the first and second heat exchangers is smaller than that in the normal mode. The seat air conditioning unit according to any one of 3 above. A first opening / closing mechanism (12) is provided upstream of the second heat exchanger to open and close the second ventilation path to adjust the amount of air blown from the second outlet, and in the draft mode, the first opening The seat air-conditioning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the opening / closing mechanism is fully closed to prevent blowing from the second air outlet. The second ventilation path is arranged on the downstream side of the second heat exchanger so as to open and close the second ventilation path, and the air that has passed through the second heat exchanger when the second ventilation path is fully closed is And a first opening / closing mechanism (15) that operates to prevent air that has passed through the second heat exchanger from flowing into the first ventilation path when the second ventilation path is fully opened. 5. The seat air-conditioning unit according to claim 1, wherein in the draft mode, the first opening / closing mechanism is fully closed to prevent blowing from the second air outlet. 6. The seat air conditioning unit according to claim 6, wherein the first opening / closing mechanism is configured by a material that deforms according to an ambient temperature, and operates to open and close the second ventilation path by deformation of the material. . The said air volume adjustment means is provided with the 2nd opening-and-closing mechanism (17) which opens and closes the said bypass channel, and increases the blowing air volume from the said 1st blower outlet by opening the said 2nd opening-and-closing mechanism. The seat air conditioning unit according to any one of 1 to 7. The seat air conditioning unit according to claim 8, wherein the second opening / closing mechanism is provided on an upstream side of the bypass passage. The seat air-conditioning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first heat exchanger opens on a surface (10a) on the bypass passage side.

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