COMFORT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, IN PARTICULAR FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a comfort management system (1), in particular for a motor vehicle, said system being designed to diffuse, into a passenger compartment, a volatile substance designed to neutralize or attenuate an existing olfactory perception that a person could have in this passenger compartment.

Claims

1. A comfort management system for a motor vehicle, the system comprising: a diffuser for diffusing into a vehicle interior a volatile substance that is configured to neutralize or attenuate an existing olfactory perception of an individual inside the vehicle interior.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volatile substance is a blank odor chosen to give the individual in the vehicle interior the sensation of an absence of odor.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volatile substance is a reset odor perceptible to the individual and triggering in the individual a mental image associated with the odor.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the reset odor is the smell of ground coffee or the smell of ginger.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, the diffuser being configured to: diffuse the volatile substance designed to neutralize or attenuate the olfactory perception of the individual, and subsequently diffuse into the vehicle interior a pleasant volatile substance comprising a fragrance.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the volatile substance configured to neutralize or attenuate the olfactory perception that the individual has when entering the vehicle interior is chosen independently of potential undesirable residual odors in the vehicle interior.

7. A comfort management method for a motor vehicle, comprising: diffusing into a vehicle interior a volatile substance that is configured to neutralize or attenuate the olfactory perception that an individual has when entering the vehicle interior.

8. The method as claimed in the preceding claim 7, further comprising: subsequent to diffusing the volatile substance configured designed to neutralize or attenuate the olfactory perception of the individual, diffusing into the vehicle interior a pleasant volatile substance comprising a fragrance.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least diffusing of the volatile substance configured to neutralize or attenuate the olfactory perception of the individual is implemented in a time interval between one passenger leaving the motor vehicle and a new passenger entering the motor vehicle.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the diffusion of the volatile substance is performed during a journey in the motor vehicle, when the individual inside the vehicle desire a change in olfactory ambience.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: recognizing the individual in the vehicle interior using a camera; and diffusing the pleasant volatile substance according to the individual.

12. The system of claim 5, further comprising: a camera configured to recognize the individual and diffuse the pleasant volatile substance according to the individual.

13. The system of claim 5, further comprising: a man-machine interface configured to receive input from the individual regarding a choice of pleasant volatile substance.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a reservoir of the volatile substance operatively connected to the diffuser.

Description

[0045] It will be understood that the features and configurations above are in no way limiting. Further features, details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and from several exemplary embodiments given as non-limiting examples with reference to the attached schematic drawings, in which:

[0046] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of one exemplary embodiment of a system according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention;

[0047] FIG. 2 illustrates various steps of a method according to one example of the invention.

[0048] FIG. 1 depicts a comfort management system 1 for a motor vehicle, this system being designed to diffuse into a vehicle interior 2 a volatile substance that is designed to neutralize or attenuate the olfactory perception that an individual may have when entering this vehicle interior.

[0049] The system 1 comprises a reservoir 10 of volatile substance.

[0050] The volatile substance is a blank odor chosen to give the individual in the vehicle interior the sensation of an absence of odor. In particular, this volatile substance contains a plurality of compounds which are selected for their action on the human cells associated with the sense of smell in order to produce this sensation of an absence of odor. In particular, the blank odor mixes with the odor that is to be eliminated/replaced.

[0051] The use of a blank odor, particularly in place of masking the unpleasant odors, which is what is being proposed now, with, in this case, the need to identify the unpleasant odor and allow the counter-odor to diffuse, means that the perception of the unpleasant odor that is to be masked can be blocked notably by saturating the olfactory receptors. There is thus no need to identify the unpleasant odor in order to correct it. This approach is notably effective for all odors, unpleasant or otherwise.

[0052] In one variant of the invention, the volatile substance is a reset odor perceptible to the individual and triggering in this individual a mental image associated with the odor. This reset odor is chosen so that it generates a mental image that is strong enough to attenuate or eliminate the individual's perception of odors existing in the vehicle interior. For example, this reset odor is the smell of ground coffee or the smell of ginger. Other odors may be proposed.

[0053] The system 1 is designed to diffuse the volatile substance intended to neutralize or attenuate the olfactory perception of the individual in anticipation, before the individual enters the vehicle interior. This individual, on entering the vehicle interior, discovers the olfactory environment and it is important for this individual not to have an unpleasant sensation, which they may have in car-sharing situations.

[0054] The system 1 is designed so that, at the moment that a passenger P1 leaves the shared vehicle (step 11 in FIG. 2) there are performed a step 12 of diffusing the volatile substance designed to neutralize or attenuate the olfactory perception of an individual, and a step 13, after the previous step 12, of diffusing into the vehicle interior 2 a pleasant volatile substance, notably a fragrance, a perfume, an aroma, which can be customized to an individual P2 who is to enter the vehicle (step 14).

[0055] The individual P2 thus finds themselves in an olfactory environment suited to them, thanks to the olfactory preparation steps 12 and 13.

[0056] Thus, steps 12 and 13 are implemented in the time interval between the passenger P1 leaving the motor vehicle and a new passenger P2 arriving in this vehicle.

[0057] The olfactory customization step 13 may be omitted, if desired, and then only the odor-neutralizing step 12 is applied.

[0058] In the example illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the invention also allows the possibility of changing the olfactory ambience during the use of the vehicle on a journey, if the passenger(s) so wish.

[0059] In this example, the passenger(s) remains (remain) in the vehicle, for example on a journey. Thus, the system 1 is designed so that, in a step 21, it diffuses a volatile substance, for example a first perfume, and then in a next step 22 of commanding a change in olfactory ambience, then diffuses the volatile substance designed to neutralize or attenuate the olfactory perception of the passenger(s) so as to change the olfactory ambience in the vehicle interior, for example so as to change the ambience following a change in mood of the passenger(s) or by the choice and on the command of the passenger (step 23).

[0060] In step 24, a pleasant volatile substance, notably a fragrance, a perfume, an aroma, is diffused into the vehicle interior.

[0061] Thus, the passenger(s) can change the olfactory ambience during the course of a journey.

[0062] According to one of the aspects of the invention, the system 1 is designed to recognize the individual(s) in the vehicle interior and to diffuse the pleasant volatile substance according to this or these individual(s).

[0063] This recognition is notably performed by an exchange of information between the vehicle and the individual. As an alternative, this recognition is obtained using a sensor placed in the vehicle interior and designed to acquire data regarding the individual in the vehicle interior, this sensor notably being a camera.

[0064] The system 1 comprises a man-machine interface designed to allow the individual to input a choice of pleasant volatile substance.

[0065] The system 1 comprises one or more diffusers 9 for diffusing the volatile substance(s).

[0066] The system 1 may comprise one or more sensors 19 designed to be able to recognize passengers installed in the vehicle interior and act according to the data associated with these passengers in order to manage the comfort according to the invention.

[0067] The system 1 comprises a processing unit designed to produce, on the basis of acquired data pertaining to the passenger and using the diffusion of volatile substances, a customized olfactory environment tailored to that passenger.