Air conditioner for vehicle cabin

• US 20060068693A1
• Filed: 02/03/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kono, Miyuki, Masuzawa, Hiroshi, Miyatake, Takafumi, Matsumura, Takafumi, Miura, Naoto, Nagasaka, Akio, Kashimura, Yuichi
• Application Number:
  US11/048,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20060068693A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/75
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 3/0007 Adding substances other than water to the air, e.g. perfume, oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 3/0035 characterised by the control methods for adding the substance

Abstract

The invention detects the state where a vehicle cabin is or the individual occupants are short of oxygen and eliminates this shortage of oxygen. Further, the invention prevents the occupant from developing high-altitude sickness when a vehicle runs in highlands. Still further, the invention constructs a system tough to the failure of sensors. There is provided an apparatus in which a system is constructed in such a way as to provide a vehicle with a function of measuring oxygen saturation in blood, a function of measuring oxygen concentration or carbon dioxide concentration, and a function of measuring altitude and can condition air in a vehicle cabin by use of a remaining function even in the event of a failure of the respective functions. With this, it is possible to eliminate a shortage of oxygen in individual occupants according to their states and hence to prevent the occupants from developing high-altitude sickness when the vehicle runs in highlands and hence to secure the safe running of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A control unit that controls a ratio of constituents of air supplied to a vehicle cabin by an air conditioner according to oxygen saturation in blood of a driver or a fellow passenger, which is detected by an oxygen saturation detecting part.

2. The control unit as claimed in claim 1,

wherein when oxygen saturation detected by the oxygen saturation detecting part is lower than a predetermined threshold, the air conditioner supplies air enriched with oxygen to the vehicle cabin.

3. The control unit as claimed in claim 1,

wherein when oxygen concentration in the vehicle cabin, which is detected by an oxygen concentration detecting part, is detected to be lower than a predetermined threshold, the air conditioner supplies air enriched with oxygen to the vehicle cabin.

4. The control unit as claimed in claim 1,

wherein when carbon dioxide concentration in the vehicle cabin, which is detected by a carbon dioxide concentration detecting part, is detected to be higher than a predetermined threshold, the air conditioner supplies air enriched with oxygen to the vehicle cabin.

5. The control unit as claimed in claim 1,

wherein when a rate of the altitude change in time of the position of the moving vehicle, which is detected by an altitude detecting part, is detected to be higher than a predetermined threshold, the air conditioner supplies air enriched with oxygen to the vehicle cabin.

8. An air conditioning system comprising the control unit as claimed in claim 1.

10. The control unit as claimed claim 1,

wherein warning is outputted depends on a value of the saturation in blood.

6. A control unit that makes an air conditioner supply air enriched with oxygen to a vehicle cabin when carbon dioxide concentration in the vehicle cabin, which is detected by a carbon dioxide concentration detecting part, is detected to be higher than a predetermined threshold.

7. A control unit that makes an air conditioner supply air enriched with oxygen to the vehicle cabin when a rate of the altitude change in time of the position of the moving vehicle, which is detected by an altitude detecting part, is detected to be higher than a predetermined threshold.

9. A method for conditioning air, comprising the steps of:

detecting oxygen saturation in blood of a driver or a fellow passenger by an oxygen saturation detecting part;

inputting the oxygen saturation to a control unit by the oxygen saturation detecting part; and

controlling oxygen concentration of air supplied to a vehicle cabin from an air conditioner by the control unit according to the oxygen saturation.