HEATING SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE

• US 20170080779A1
• Filed: 05/26/2015
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sagou, Yasuhiro, Kako, Hideaki, Ishikawa, Kimitake, Oide, Hiroyasu, Seki, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 10,583,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00285 for vehicle seats vehicle seats with heating or ventilation means independent from the HVAC system of the vehicle B60N2/56
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00292 for steering wheels steering wheels with heating or ventilation means independent from the HVAC system of the vehicle B62D1/065
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/0073 Control systems or circuits characterised by particular algorithms or computational models, e.g. fuzzy logic or dynamic models
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2215 the heat being derived from electric heaters
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2218 controlling the operation of electric heaters
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2226 Electric heaters using radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2227 Electric heaters incorporated in vehicle trim components, e.g. panels or linings
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/224 automatic operation, e.g. control circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2243 manual operation, e.g. remote control or timer
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2265 related to the quantity of heat produced by the heater
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2293 Integration into other parts of a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

A heating system for a vehicle includes: a heater for non-contact heating that emits radiation heat by heat supplied from its heat generating part, which generates heat upon energization, to give warmth to an occupant in a state where a body of the occupant is not in contact with the heater; a heater for contact heating that generates heat upon energization to give warmth to the occupant in a state where the body of the occupant is in contact with the heater; and a control device that controls operations of the heater for contact heating and the heater for non-contact heating. The control device adjusts a heating output provided by the heater for contact heating and a heating output provided by the heater for non-contact heating, and controls the operations to be switchable between: a non-contact heating priority mode to make larger the heating output of the heater for non-contact heating than the heating output of the heater for contact heating; and a contact heating priority mode to make larger the heating output of the heater for contact heating than the heating output of the heater for non-contact heating. As a consequence of the above, the occupant can enjoy a sense of heating that is not stereotypical, and achieve energy saving.

Claims

1. A heating system for a vehicle, the heating system being disposed in the vehicle to give warmth to an occupant of the vehicle and comprising:

a heater for non-contact heating that emits radiation heat by heat supplied from its heat generating part, which generates heat upon energization, to give warmth to the occupant in a state where a body of the occupant is not in contact with the heater for non-contact heating;

a heater for contact heating that generates heat upon energization to give warmth to the occupant in a state where the body of the occupant is in contact with the heater for contact heating; and

a control device that controls operations of the heater for contact heating and the heater for non-contact heating, wherein the control device adjusts a heating output provided by the heater for contact heating and a heating output provided by the heater for non-contact heating, and controls the operations to be switchable between;

a non-contact heating priority mode to make larger the heating output of the heater for non-contact heating than the heating output of the heater for contact heating; and

a contact heating priority mode to make larger the heating output of the heater for contact heating than the heating output of the heater for non-contact heating.

2. The heating system for the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a priority mode operation part that is operated to be capable of choosing a preferential mode from the non-contact heating priority mode and the contact heating priority mode, wherein the control device controls the operations in the mode chosen in accordance with the operation of the priority mode operation part.

3. The heating system for the vehicle according to claim 2, wherein when a power restriction command from another device disposed in the vehicle is inputted into the control device, the control device operates the heater for non-contact heating and the heater for contact heating in one of the non-contact heating priority mode and the contact heating priority mode in accordance with the mode chosen by the operation of the priority mode operation part.

4. The heating system for the vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a power saving operation part that is operated to be capable of selecting a power saving mode to restrict use of electric power of the vehicle, wherein when a power saving command is inputted into the control device through the operation of the power saving operation part, the control device operates the heater for non-contact heating and the heater for contact heating in one of the non-contact heating priority mode and the contact heating priority mode in accordance with the mode chosen by the operation of the priority mode operation part.

5. The heating system for the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature detector that detects a temperature of the body of the occupant, wherein the control device controls the operations in a mode to preferentially warm a lower-temperature region of the body of the occupant using the temperature detected by the temperature detector from the non-contact heating priority mode and the contact heating priority mode.

6. The heating system for the vehicle according to claim 5, wherein when a power restriction command from another device disposed in the vehicle is inputted into the control device, the control device operates the heater for non-contact heating and the heater for contact heating in one of the non-contact heating priority mode and the contact heating priority mode in accordance with the mode to preferentially warm the lower-temperature region of the body of the occupant.

7. The heating system for the vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising a power saving operation part that is operated to be capable of selecting a power saving mode to restrict use of electric power of the vehicle, wherein when a power saving command is inputted into the control device through the operation of the power saving operation part, the control device operates the heater for non-contact heating and the heater for contact heating in one of the non-contact heating priority mode and the contact heating priority mode in accordance with a mode to preferentially warm a lower-temperature region of the body of the occupant.