JP2010101525A - Contact member temperature control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contact member temperature control device capable of allowing a user to more efficiently feel warmth. <P>SOLUTION: A steering device 100 constituted by arranging a plurality of cooling elements 3 generating a temperature lower than a reference temperature, and a plurality of heaters 4 generating a temperature higher than the reference temperature on a surface of a rim 20 in horizontal stripes, includes an arteriovenous anastomosis control means 50 for controlling opening/closing of driver's arteriovenous anastomosis by simultaneously operating the cooling elements 3 and the heaters 4 to simultaneously stimulate warm feeling and cold feeling of skin of driver's palm gripping the rim 20 and allowing the driver to pseudoly feel a temperature higher than the temperature of the heater 4 due to illusion of warm and cold feelings. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling the temperature of a member that contacts a user's skin, and in particular, a plurality of minute low-temperature heat source units that generate a temperature lower than a reference temperature, and a plurality that generates a temperature higher than the reference temperature. It is related with the apparatus which controls the temperature of these heat-source parts, arrange | positioning the minute high-temperature heat-source parts in the surface of the member.

  Conventionally, a steering wheel in which a plurality of minute cooling Peltier elements that generate heat lower than the reference temperature and a plurality of minute heaters that generate heat higher than the reference temperature are arranged in a vertical stripe pattern on the surface of the steering wheel. An apparatus temperature controller is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The temperature controller operates the heater when the surface temperature of the steering device is lower than a predetermined temperature to maintain the temperature of the steering device surface at a comfortable temperature.

In addition, when it is determined that the driver's attention is reduced, the temperature controller operates both the cooling Peltier element and the heater at the same time to narrow the driver's skin surface. The driver's attention is enhanced by causing the driver to feel pseudo pain due to the illusion of thermal sensation while simultaneously stimulating the distributed thermal sensation.
JP 2007-101082 A

  However, the heater in the steering device described in Patent Document 1 needs to be limited in its upper limit temperature in order to prevent low-temperature burns, and may not be sufficient for the driver to feel the warmth efficiently. .

  In addition, the driver cannot feel the warmth by making the driver feel the pseudo pain due to the illusion of hot and cold.

  In view of the above-described points, an object of the present invention is to provide a contact member temperature control device that allows a user to experience warmth more efficiently.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a contact member temperature control device according to a first invention generates a plurality of first heat source units that generate a low temperature set temperature lower than a reference temperature and a high temperature set temperature higher than the reference temperature. A contact member temperature control device that arranges a plurality of second heat source parts to be mixed on the surface of the contact member, and uses both the first heat source part and the second heat source part to operate and contact the contact member An arteriovenous anastomosis that controls the opening and closing of the user's arteriovenous anastomosis by causing the user to experience a temperature higher than the high temperature setting temperature of the second heat source part by generating an illusion of thermal sensation on the skin of the person Control means is provided.

  Moreover, 2nd invention is the contact member temperature control apparatus which concerns on 1st invention, Comprising: The said high temperature setting temperature is the temperature which satisfy | fills the safety standard regarding a low temperature burn.

  Moreover, 3rd invention is a contact member temperature control apparatus which concerns on 1st or 2nd invention, Comprising: The said high temperature preset temperature is 40 degreeC, The said low temperature preset temperature is 24 degreeC, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. And

  By the above-mentioned means, this invention can provide the contact member temperature control apparatus which can make a user experience warmth more efficiently.

  The present invention uses an open / close control of an arteriovenous anastomosis based on the illusion of thermal sensation as means for efficiently experiencing warmth by a person in a cold environment.

  “Illusion of thermal sensation” is a phenomenon in which when the adjacent thermal sensation on the skin surface is stimulated at the same time, the illusion of a stimulus different from the given stimulus is sensed. It is known as a phenomenon that causes pain.

  An "arteriovenous anastomosis" is a blood vessel that directly connects arterioles and venules that exist in human fingers, palms, tip of heel, under nails, and earlobe, and flows through arterioles. This is a short circuit for allowing the blood to flow to the venule without passing through the capillaries.

  When the sympathetic nerve is stimulated by cold stimulation, the human heart contracts the precapillary sphincter, opens the arteriovenous anastomosis, allows arteriole blood to flow into the venule, and reduces the amount of blood flowing through the capillary on the skin surface. To maintain deep body temperature, such as the brain and brain, but when the sympathetic nerve is stimulated by thermal stimulation, the anterior arterial sphincter is expanded, the arteriovenous anastomosis is closed, and arteriole blood flows into the capillaries and the capillaries on the skin surface Promotes metabolism while increasing the amount of blood flowing through

  In addition, it is known that local thermal stimulation to fingers and palms promotes blood flow not only to fingers and palms that are directly subjected to thermal stimulation, but also to the entire limb that is not directly subjected to thermal stimulation. As long as you do not feel pain (because you cannot feel pain (discomfort) continuously while applying thermal stimulation), the greater the thermal stimulation (the higher the temperature you feel with your fingertips), the more The degree of closing of the venous anastomosis is large, and the amount of blood flowing through the capillary blood vessels on the skin surface is increased, so that warmth can be experienced more efficiently throughout the body.

  Based on the above insights, the present invention is a combination of temperatures (high-temperature objects) that makes an illusion of “heat (temperature higher than the actual temperature of the high-temperature object temperature)” instead of the illusion of “pain” by simultaneous stimulation of thermal and cold sensations. The temperature and temperature of a low-temperature object are used to efficiently close the arteriovenous anastomosis at a specific part of the user so that the user can feel the warmth.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a steering device having a contact member temperature control device according to the present invention. The steering device 100 is an in-vehicle device used for a steering operation that determines a traveling direction of a vehicle or the like, and includes a control unit 1, a steering wheel 2, a cooling element 3, a heater 4, a cooling element temperature sensor 5, and a heater temperature sensor 6. , A control start button 7, a low temperature set temperature change button 8, a high temperature set temperature change button 9, a cooling element power source 10, a heater power source 11, and an arteriovenous anastomosis state detector 12.

  The control unit 1 is a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM), a write-once storage device, etc., and an arteriovenous anastomosis control While storing the program corresponding to the means 50 in the ROM, the cooling element temperature sensor 5, the heater temperature sensor 6, the control start button 7, the low temperature set temperature change button 8, the high temperature set temperature change button 9, and the arteriovenous anastomosis state In response to the output from the detector 12, the CPU executes processing corresponding to the arteriovenous anastomosis control means 50, and outputs the calculation result to the cooling element power source 10 and the heater power source 11.

  The steering wheel 2 includes an annular rim 20 that is a gripping member that is gripped by a hand when a driver of the vehicle performs a steering operation, a hub 21 that supports rotation of the rim 20, and a plurality of links that connect the rim 20 and the hub 21. It is composed of spokes 22. In the present embodiment, the rim 20 is annular, but may have other shapes that allow the driver to easily operate the vehicle or the like, such as a shape in which a part of the ring is missing.

  The cooling element 3 is an electronic component having a plate-like structure, and is a Peltier element that absorbs heat on one surface and generates heat on the other surface. The Peltier element is suitable for such an application because it does not have a movable part, is easy to maintain, and does not generate noise.

  The heater 4 is a sheet heater that converts electricity into heat, a nichrome wire, or the like. Preferably, the time until the temperature reaches 40 ° C. from the state where the ambient temperature is minus 5 ° C. is about 10 seconds. .

  Further, the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 may be those whose surfaces that generate heat are exposed, or may be covered with a thin skin or the like. The cooling element 3 and the heater 4 may be heat transfer members that transmit heat from the cooling element 3 and the heater 4. The heat transfer member is preferably formed of a metal material having high thermal conductivity and low energy loss, and the metal material is, for example, gold, aluminum, copper, silver, platinum, zinc, or the like. Ceramic or epoxy adhesive may be used as another material.

  Further, since the Peltier element as the cooling element 3 has both a heat absorption surface and a heat generation surface, the heat generation surface of the Peltier element may be used as the heater 4 or a part of the heater 4.

  The cooling element temperature sensor 5 measures the temperature of the cooling element 3 on the surface of the rim 20 or the heat transfer member connected thereto, and outputs the measurement result to the control unit 1.

  The heater temperature sensor 6 measures the temperature of the heater 4 on the surface of the rim 20 or the heat transfer member connected thereto, and outputs the measurement result to the control unit 1.

  The control start button 7 is a button for starting cooling by the cooling element 3 and heating by the heater 4, and outputs a start signal to the control unit 1 so that the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 are set to a low temperature setting temperature and a high temperature respectively. Change to the set temperature state.

  The low temperature set temperature is a target temperature reached by the cooling element 3 and is a temperature that is sufficiently low to stimulate a cold spot in the skin, and is set to 24 ° C., for example, lower than the body temperature.

  The high temperature set temperature is the target temperature reached by the heater 4 and is sufficiently high to stimulate a hot spot on the skin, and is set to 40 ° C., which is higher than the body temperature, for example. The upper limit of the high temperature set temperature is a temperature that satisfies a safety standard related to low temperature burns or the like defined by each country or various organizations, and a maximum allowable time for maintaining and maintaining the upper limit temperature may be determined together.

  The combination of the low temperature set temperature (24 ° C.) and the high temperature set temperature (40 ° C.) is a combination suitable for making the illusion of heat without causing the illusion of pain due to the illusion of hot and cold sensation. This combination is determined based on the subject's electrical skin activity and the amplitude of the pulse wave amplitude when the subject holds the steering device 100 to which the above combination is applied. Note that the values of the low temperature set temperature and the high temperature set temperature are stored in advance in the NVRAM of the control unit 1.

  The low temperature set temperature change button 8 is a button for changing the low temperature set temperature of the cooling element 3, and the high temperature set temperature change button 9 is a button for changing the high temperature set temperature of the heater 4. The low temperature set temperature change button 8 and the high temperature set temperature change button 9 are constituted by, for example, up and down buttons installed on the instrument panel, and the driver can manually adjust each value stored in the NVRAM of the control unit 1. Like that.

  The cooling element power supply 10 is a power supply that supplies electric energy to the cooling element 3, and maintains the cooling element 3 at a low temperature setting temperature while supplying electric energy to the cooling element 3 based on an output from the control unit 1.

  The heater power supply 11 is a power supply for supplying electric energy to the heater 4 and maintains the heater 4 at a high temperature setting temperature while supplying electric energy to the heater 4 based on an output from the control unit 1.

  The arteriovenous anastomosis state detector 12 is a device for detecting the state of the arteriovenous anastomosis at a specific site of the user. For example, the arteriovenous anastomosis state detector 12 is a pulse oximeter installed on the fingertip and non-percutaneously. The state of arteriovenous anastomosis at the fingertip is detected by measuring the blood flow through the capillary at the fingertip while monitoring the arterial oxygen saturation, and the detection result is output to the control unit 1.

  The arteriovenous anastomosis detector 12 may detect the state of the arteriovenous anastomosis based on the output of a laser Doppler blood flow meter, skin electrometer, electroencephalograph, electrocardiograph, thermometer, blood vessel shape meter, or the like. Good.

  When the control start button 7 is pressed, the arteriovenous anastomosis control means 50 reads the low temperature set temperature and the high temperature set temperature stored in the NVRAM, and outputs them from the cooling element temperature sensor 5 and the heater temperature sensor 6. While the control signal is output to the cooling element power supply 10 and the heater power supply 11 according to the temperature information of the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 to be moved, the cooling element 3 is shifted to the low temperature setting temperature state, and the heater 4 is heated to a high temperature. Change to the set temperature state.

  In addition, the arteriovenous anastomosis control means 50 determines the low temperature set temperature of the cooling element 3 and the high temperature set temperature of the heater 4 based on the output of the arteriovenous anastomosis state detector 12 in order to realize the closed state of the arteriovenous anastomosis. For example, when it is determined that the blood flow in the capillary at the fingertip is small and the degree of closure of the arteriovenous anastomosis is small, the low temperature setting temperature and the One or both of the high temperature set temperatures may be adjusted (for example, the temperature difference between the low temperature set temperature and the high temperature set temperature is reduced).

  Further, the arteriovenous anastomosis control means 50 associates the output of the arteriovenous anastomosis state detector 12 with the low temperature set temperature and the combination of the high temperature set temperatures at that time and stores them in the write-once type storage device of the control unit 1 for each driver. Then, an optimal combination of the low temperature set temperature and the high temperature set temperature according to each driver (the optimal combination for closing the arteriovenous anastomosis) may be analyzed afterwards.

  FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the rim 20. The rim 20 has the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 on the surface. Each component of the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 is about 5 mm in length and width, and is arranged so as not to contact each other with a predetermined interval alternately. The interval is about 5 mm, for example. In the present embodiment, the cooling elements 3 and the heaters 4 are continuously arranged in the circumferential direction A of the rim 20 to form a row, and the rows of the cooling elements 3 and the heater are arranged in the circumferential direction B of the circle drawn by the cross section of the rim 20. The four rows are alternately arranged in a horizontal stripe pattern. Note that the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 may be arranged so that at least one of the adjacent elements becomes the other element, may be arranged alternately in the form of vertical stripes, It may be arranged.

  Moreover, the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 may be arrange | positioned over the whole circumferential direction of the cyclic | annular rim | limb 20, and may be partially arrange | positioned only in the part which a driver | operator is easy to grasp. When the range in which the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 are arranged is narrow, the number of components can be suppressed, so that low power consumption and high temperature responsiveness can be realized. On the other hand, when the arrangement range is wide, the driver can handle various ways of gripping the rim 20. In the present embodiment, the rim 20 has a hollow structure, and has an exhaust heat fan 27 inside and a suction hole 26 for sucking outside air in the lower surface, but has a solid structure. May be.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rim 20. The cooling element 3 and the heater 4 are disposed on the surface of the rim 20. The cooling element 3 is disposed such that the heat absorption surface is in contact with the external space of the rim 20 and the heat generation surface is in contact with the internal space of the rim 20. The rim 20 has a circular cross section, but may have an oval shape or other shape that can be easily gripped by the driver. The cooling element 3 and the heater 4 are disposed on the surface of the rim 20 over the entire cross-sectional circumference of the rim 20. It may be arranged, and as shown in the figure, for example, it may be arranged in an angle range of about 100 degrees. If this angle range is narrow, the area where the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 come into contact with the air outside the steering wheel 2 becomes small, so that low power consumption and high temperature responsiveness can be realized. On the other hand, when this angle range is wide, it is possible to cope with various ways of gripping the rim 20 by the driver.

  FIG. 4 is a top view of the steering wheel 2, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the steering wheel 2. The arrows indicate the air flow in the internal space of the rim 20 of FIG. When the exhaust heat fan 27 shown in FIG. 3 operates, the air outside the steering wheel 2 is sucked into the rim 20 through the intake holes 26 shown in FIG. The exhaust heat fan 27 has a hollow spoke 22 and a hub that connect air in the rim 20 heated by the heat generating surface of the cooling element 3 and the heater 4 to an exhaust hole (not shown) of the rim 20. It is discharged to the outside of the steering wheel 2 through 21.

  Thereby, an excessive temperature rise inside the rim 20 is suppressed, and the temperature of the endothermic (cooling) surface of the cooling element 3 is not raised. As a result, the endothermic surface of the Peltier element 3 can be stably kept at a low temperature.

  With the configuration described above, the steering device 100 allows the driver to experience a higher temperature than the actual temperature presented by the heater 4 through the illusion of thermal sensation, thereby efficiently performing arteriovenous anastomosis of the driver's fingertips. Therefore, the blood flow in the capillaries of the fingertips can be promoted and the warmth can be experienced more efficiently without causing low-temperature burns. Thereby, the driver can refrain from using excessive heating by a car air conditioner or the like, and can promote energy saving.

  Further, the steering device 100 causes the driver to experience a temperature higher than the actual temperature presented by the heater 4 through the illusion of temperature and coldness, while suppressing the high temperature set temperature of the heater 4 to be relatively low. In addition, the driver can experience a sufficient warmth in a simulated manner, and the power consumption required for heating can be reduced.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the contact member temperature control device is applied to the steering device 100, but other members that can be directly touched by the driver's skin, such as a shift knob, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a seat, an armrest, and a headrest. May be applied.

  Further, the steering device 100 limits the high temperature set temperature to a temperature that satisfies a safety standard for low temperature burns, or limits the duration of the high temperature set temperature within a continuous interval that satisfies the safety standard for low temperature burns, Since the driver has an illusion that the temperature is higher than the set temperature, heat therapy that improves the blood circulation, reduces pain, or relaxes by exciting the physiological reaction by applying heat of 52 to 86 ° C to the living body. It can be implemented in a pseudo manner, and can provide the driver with a therapeutic effect equivalent to that of thermotherapy without causing low-temperature burns during driving.

  In addition, the steering device 100 causes the driver to experience a heat at a temperature higher than the high temperature setting temperature through the illusion of temperature and cooling (temperature stage), and causes the driver to experience the coldness through the cooling element 3 (cooling). Step) alternately (for example, 2 minutes for the warm phase and 1 minute for the cool phase), thereby performing a warm / cold alternate bath in a simulated manner and alternating between warm and cool without causing low-temperature burns during operation. A therapeutic effect equivalent to that of a bath can be provided to the driver.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a steering device. It is a fragmentary perspective view of a rim | limb. It is sectional drawing of a rim. It is a top view of a steering wheel. It is a front view of a steering wheel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control part 2 Steering wheel 3 Cooling element 4 Heater 5 Temperature sensor for cooling elements 6 Heater temperature sensor 7 Control start button 8 Low temperature setting temperature change button 9 High temperature setting temperature change button 10 Power supply for cooling element 11 Power supply for heater 12 Arterial vein Anastomosis detector 20 Rim 21 Hub 22 Spoke 26 Intake hole 27 Heat exhaust fan 50 Arteriovenous anastomosis control means 100 Steering device

Claims (3)

A contact member temperature in which a plurality of first heat source units that generate a low temperature set temperature lower than the reference temperature and a plurality of second heat source units that generate a high temperature set temperature higher than the reference temperature are arranged on the surface of the contact member. A control device,
By operating both the first heat source part and the second heat source part to generate an illusion of thermal sensation on the skin of the user who is in contact with the contact member, a temperature higher than the high temperature set temperature of the second heat source part is set. An arteriovenous anastomosis control means for controlling the opening and closing of the user's arteriovenous anastomosis by letting the user experience it,
The contact member temperature control apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The high temperature set temperature is a temperature that satisfies a safety standard for low temperature burns,
The contact member temperature control device according to claim 1. The high temperature set temperature is 40 ° C., and the low temperature set temperature is 24 ° C.,
The contact member temperature control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein