Energy-saving compensation strategy for autonomous vehicle passenger cabin

Abstract

A method for controlling a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of an autonomous vehicle includes determining a vehicle operating state and operating the HVAC system based on the determined vehicle operating state. A control module comprising a sensor array and at least one controller operably connected to the sensor array and the HVAC system controls operation of the HVAC system based on the determined vehicle operating state. The vehicle operating state is selected from one of vehicle occupied - in use, vehicle unoccupied - in use requested, and vehicle unoccupied - on standby. The HVAC system operates in an operating setting that provides reduced energy consumption in a vehicle with the operating state being vehicle unoccupied - on standby. The reduced energy consumption operating setting is determined based on a constant offset value or a variable offset value determined based on input provided by the sensor array.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to autonomous vehicles and, more particularly, to passenger cabin climate control strategies for energy conservation in autonomous vehicles. Background Art

[0002] Autonomous vehicles, also variously referred to as driverless vehicles, self-driving vehicles, and robotic vehicles, are known vehicles that can sense their environment and navigate between destinations via a navigation system without the need for human input or control. The navigation system typically comprises a combination of onboard and remote location systems and / or services and may be based on radar, laser, global positioning satellite (GPS), odometry, and computer vision technology. Autonomous vehicles also include a control system that can analyze sensory data to distinguish between different vehicles encountered on the driving path to allow routes to be drawn between locations. Although fully autonomous vehicles (i.e., vehicles lacking any driver input devices) are currently not allowed to travel on public roads, this technology, when fully developed and implemented, will provide many advantages, including but not limited to reducing traffic congestion and improving traffic flow, including reducing traffic collisions and associated injuries and economic costs, increasing travel options for people with disabilities, reducing parking requirements, reducing crime, etc.

[0003] Another potential benefit of autonomous vehicle technology is the facilitation of new business models for transportation services, particularly within the sharing economy. Indeed, it is anticipated that the initial applications of the first generation of autonomous vehicle technology will be for-profit fleets. A user wishing to travel from her current location to her destination would simply request (and pay for) a ride from a for-profit enterprise, and an autonomous vehicle would arrive at the user's location to pick her up at the appropriate time.

[0004] Another concern with for-profit autonomous vehicle fleets is energy consumption. This is because for any fleet, autonomous or otherwise, increased vehicle energy consumption translates directly into increased costs and reduced profits. A potential strategy for fleet owners is to provide autonomous vehicles that are as fuel-efficient as current technology allows. However, the way even very fuel-efficient vehicles are operated can positively or negatively impact energy consumption, a factor that fleet owners / operators must consider.

[0005] For example, for an unoccupied autonomous vehicle, it is certainly possible to simply turn the vehicle's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system from an "on" setting to an "off" setting when the vehicle is not actively in use or in service to reduce energy consumption. However, before returning the autonomous vehicle to service (i.e., with passengers), the HVAC system would have to be activated to restore the vehicle's passenger cabin to a comfortable temperature and / or humidity set point. Without this step, the passenger cabin may be too hot or too cold for passenger preferences, leading to passenger dissatisfaction. Operating the HVAC system at constant settings to maintain the passenger cabin at a desired temperature, etc., even when the vehicle is not actively in use (i.e., "on standby"), increases energy consumption. Similarly, turning off the HVAC system while the vehicle is on standby and then turning it on before returning the vehicle to service to restore the vehicle's passenger cabin conditions to a desired temperature level, etc., would require increased energy consumption, particularly in very hot or very cold environments, and would increase the time required to bring the passenger cabin back to the desired comfort level, thereby reducing the vehicle's paid usage time.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need in the art for methods of reducing energy consumption of autonomous vehicles. The present disclosure addresses this and other problems by providing methods and corresponding systems for controlling an autonomous vehicle climate control system based on determined vehicle operating conditions, thereby reducing energy consumption of the autonomous vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In accordance with the objectives and benefits described herein, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a climate control system of an autonomous vehicle is provided, comprising determining a vehicle operating state and operating the climate control system based on the determined vehicle operating state. Operating the climate control system based on the determined vehicle operating state is performed by a control module comprising a sensor array and at least one controller operatively connected to the sensor array and the climate control system. The at least one controller selects the vehicle operating state from the group consisting of: vehicle occupied - in use; vehicle unoccupied - requesting use; and vehicle unoccupied - on standby.

[0008] The at least one controller operates the climate control system in a first operating setting when the vehicle operating state is determined to be one of vehicle occupied use or vehicle requested use, and operates the climate control system in a second operating setting when the vehicle operating state is determined to be vehicle on standby, the second operating setting providing lower energy consumption than the first operating setting. The second operating setting may be determined by the controller by adjusting the first operating setting according to a predetermined offset value.

[0009] In an embodiment, the first operating setting is adjusted by the at least one controller based on a constant offset value to provide the second operating setting. In an alternative embodiment, the first operating setting is adjusted by the at least one controller based on a variable offset value to provide the second operating setting.

[0010] In an embodiment, a sensor array is provided that includes a vehicle external ambient temperature sensor, and the at least one controller determines the variable compensation value based on a determined vehicle external ambient temperature input provided by the vehicle external ambient temperature sensor. In an alternative or additional embodiment, the sensor array further includes a passenger cabin solar illumination sensor and a passenger cabin humidity sensor, and the at least one controller determines the variable compensation value based on the passenger cabin solar illumination input provided by the passenger cabin solar illumination sensor and / or the passenger cabin humidity input provided by the passenger cabin humidity sensor.

[0011] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for controlling energy consumption in an autonomous vehicle is provided, comprising a climate control system and a control module operably connected to the climate control system. The control module comprises a sensor array and at least one controller configured to determine a vehicle operating state and operate the climate control system based on the determined vehicle operating state and one or more inputs from the sensor array. The at least one controller is configured to determine the vehicle operating state from a group consisting of vehicle occupied - in use, vehicle unoccupied - requesting use, and vehicle unoccupied - on standby.

[0012] The at least one controller is configured to operate the climate control system in a first operating setting when the controller module determines that the vehicle operating state is one of: the vehicle is occupied or access is requested. Accordingly, the at least one controller is configured to operate the system in a second operating setting when the controller module determines that the vehicle operating state is on standby, the second operating setting providing lower energy consumption than the first operating setting. The at least one controller is further configured to determine the second operating setting by adjusting the first operating setting according to a predetermined offset value.

[0013] In an embodiment, the at least one controller is configured to adjust the first operating setting based on a constant compensation value. In an alternative embodiment, the at least one controller is configured to adjust the first operating setting based on a variable compensation value. In an embodiment, the sensor array includes a vehicle external ambient temperature sensor, and the at least one controller is configured to modify the variable compensation value based on a determined vehicle external ambient temperature input provided by the vehicle external ambient temperature sensor. In an alternative or additional embodiment, the sensor array further includes a passenger cabin solar illumination sensor and a passenger cabin humidity sensor, and the at least one controller is further configured to modify the variable compensation value based on a determined passenger cabin solar illumination input provided by the solar illumination sensor and / or a passenger cabin humidity input provided by the passenger cabin humidity sensor.

[0014] In the following description, embodiments of the disclosed method and system for controlling a climate control system of an autonomous vehicle are shown and described. It should be appreciated that the described method and associated system are capable of other, different embodiments and that several details thereof are capable of modification in various, obvious respects, without departing from the apparatus and method set forth in the following claims. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the disclosed method and system for controlling a climate control system of an autonomous vehicle and, together with the description, serve to explain certain principles thereof. In the drawings:

[0016] Figure 1 An autonomous vehicle including a climate control system and a control module adapted to control the climate control module according to the present disclosure is shown in schematic form;

[0017] Figure 2 An embodiment of a method for controlling a climate control system of an autonomous vehicle according to the present disclosure is shown; and

[0018] Figure 3 An embodiment of a method for determining the state of an occupant of an autonomous vehicle according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosed method and system for controlling a climate control system of an autonomous vehicle, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Preliminarily, various methods and systems for controlling navigation and other functions of autonomous vehicles are known. A complete description of these methods and systems is beyond the scope of the present disclosure and is not described herein. In addition, the presently described methods and corresponding systems for controlling the climate control system of an autonomous vehicle are described primarily in the context of controlling the vehicle's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. However, as is known, other vehicle systems may form part of the vehicle's climate control system, such as power windows adapted to automatically open or close under certain predetermined passenger cabin conditions of temperature, humidity, air pollutant particles, etc. Moreover, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the presently described methods and corresponding systems for controlling the climate control system of an autonomous vehicle are equally applicable to fully autonomous vehicles, partially autonomous vehicles, and conventional or non-autonomous vehicles. Therefore, the present disclosure will not be considered limited in this respect.

[0021] Figure 1 A system is shown by which the presently described method for controlling a climate control system of an autonomous vehicle 100 including a passenger cabin 102 may be implemented. As mentioned above, the vehicle 100 also includes a navigation control system, the specific mechanical and operational details of which are beyond the scope of this disclosure, which is generally indicated by the reference numeral 104 but which may include at least a system for determining the geographic location of the vehicle 100, such as a global positioning satellite system.

[0022] Vehicle 100 also includes a climate control system 106 that includes at least an HVAC system 108, which in turn includes at least an HVAC evaporator core 110. HVAC system 108 also includes an HVAC blower 112 in fluid communication with an HVAC air distribution door 114. HVAC air distribution door 114, in turn, places HVAC blower 112 in fluid communication with an HVAC duct system 116, via which a conditioned air flow is introduced into passenger cabin 102 through registers 118.

[0023] A climate control system 120 is in operable communication with the HVAC system 108. Through the climate control system 120, the HVAC system 108 can control the amount and temperature of air flow introduced into the passenger compartment 102, either automatically or through user commands. Active control is provided by a climate control module (CCM) 122, which includes at least one controller 124 equipped with one or more processors, one or more memories, and storage devices containing logic configured to control the vehicle's HVAC system 108. The climate control system 120 can also be in operable communication with other onboard vehicle controllers, such as a body control module (BCM) 126, other electronic control units (ECUs; not shown), and the like.

[0024] The climate control module 122 and / or at least one controller 124 also communicates with and receives input from a sensor array 127 comprising various onboard sensors, including but not limited to one or more HVAC evaporator core temperature sensors 128, one or more HVAC duct discharge air temperature sensors 130, one or more vehicle exterior ambient temperature sensors 132, one or more passenger cabin solar illumination sensors 134, one or more occupancy sensors 136, one or more wheel sensors 138, one or more engine speed sensors 140, one or more vehicle interior temperature sensors 141, one or more vehicle interior humidity sensors 143, and the like. Other sensor implementations are also contemplated, such as a door sensor 145 that determines the open or closed state of a door of the vehicle 100. The specific mechanisms and operational details of such sensors are known in the art, and a full description thereof is beyond the scope of this disclosure. It should be understood that the above description of the sensors described in the foregoing description is beyond the scope of this disclosure. Figure 1 The illustrations of the various sensors described in are for convenience only and do not necessarily reflect the actual locations of such sensors in the vehicle 100 .

[0025] The present disclosure also provides methods for controlling the climate control system 120 to positively impact various relevant factors, including, but not limited to, reducing the time from when a passenger engages the vehicle until the vehicle is available (as a function of the passenger cabin 102 temperature), reducing the time required to heat / cool the passenger cabin 102 to a predetermined comfort level C, reducing energy consumption by the autonomous vehicle 100, etc. At a high level, these methods involve determining an operating state of the vehicle 100 and operating the climate control system 106 based on that state.

[0026] For the purposes of the method described herein, three operating state conditions are considered relevant. The first is "Vehicle 100 Occupied," meaning that vehicle 100 has at least one passenger in passenger cabin 102 and is actively transporting that passenger to a destination. In this case, it is desirable to maintain passenger cabin 102 at a predetermined comfort level (temperature, humidity, etc.) that is satisfactory to the passenger. The next relevant operating state is "Vehicle 100 Requested." In this case, autonomous vehicle 100 is not currently occupied but has been called and / or dispatched to transport one or more passengers. Here, it is also desirable to maintain passenger cabin 102 at a predetermined comfort level (temperature, humidity, etc.) that is satisfactory to the passenger. The third relevant operating state is "Vehicle 100 On Demand." In this case, autonomous vehicle 100 is not occupied and has not yet been scheduled to travel to a location to pick up a passenger. In this case, setting passenger cabin 102 to the predetermined comfort level may result in unnecessary energy consumption. However, switching the climate control system 120 to the “off” setting will also require unnecessary energy consumption to achieve a predetermined comfort level when the vehicle 100 is intended to be driven to carry a passenger and / or to carry the passenger, particularly in hot or cold ambient conditions.

[0027] To address this issue, a method 200 for controlling the climate control system 120 to reduce energy consumption of the autonomous vehicle 100 is provided. Figure 2 For the described method, it is assumed that autonomous vehicle 100 is "started," ie, is in a ready-to-drive state and can be used to transport passengers.

[0028] At step 202, the climate control module 122 queries the operating status of the vehicle 100, such as one of "vehicle 100 occupied" (step 202a), "vehicle 100 access requested" (step 202b), or "vehicle 100 on standby" (step 202c), as described above. Alternatively, a different control module, such as the BCM 126, may provide this query and transmit commands to the climate control module 122 accordingly. There are many ways to implement this step. For example, the determination that the "vehicle is occupied" may be made by the climate control module 122 and / or the BCM 126 receiving input from the occupancy sensor 136. This input may be provided by a variety of sensor types, such as pressure sensors mounted to vehicle seats, including but not limited to those associated with airbags, cameras mounted to the vehicle dashboard or roof lining, proximity sensors mounted to the vehicle dashboard or roof lining, infrared or other motion sensors, and other sensors suitable for detecting the presence of an occupant in the passenger compartment 102 and transmitting input indicating such presence. Likewise, a determination to “request use of vehicle 100 ” may be determined by climate control module 122 or other modules (BCM 126 , etc.) by receiving input from one or more wheel sensors 138 and / or engine sensors 140 , etc., indicating that autonomous vehicle 100 is traveling.

[0029] In other embodiments, the vehicle occupant status may be determined by pre-programmed logic. Figure 3 As shown in Figure 3 A method 300 is shown for determining the vehicle occupant status (i.e., whether the vehicle 100 is occupied) based on various inputs received by the climate control module 122 and / or at least one controller 124 and / or the BCM 126 and / or other dedicated controllers. At step 302, the vehicle 100 occupant status (i.e., whether it is occupied) is determined to resolve whether the vehicle has one or more passengers on board. At step 304, a determination is made as to whether the vehicle 100 has arrived at a desired pickup location. This can be accomplished by any suitable method, such as the vehicle navigation control system 104 communicating with one or more of the climate control module 122 and / or at least one controller 124 and / or the BCM 126 and / or other dedicated controllers to match the current location of the vehicle 100 with a determined geographic pickup location where one or more passengers will be picked up. At step 306a, a determination is made as to whether a vehicle 100 door is open, indicating that one or more passengers have entered the vehicle. If not, the system awaits an indication of a "doors open" status. It will be appreciated that this may be provided by a variety of mechanisms including, but not limited to, suitable electronic or mechanical (pressure) door sensors 145 associated with the vehicle doors.

[0030] At step 308a, a determination is made as to whether the doors of vehicle 100 are closed, indicating that one or more passengers have entered the vehicle and are ready to proceed to their selected destination. If not, the system waits for an indication of a "doors closed" status. If so, at step 310, the system implements a predetermined / preset comfort level C (temperature, humidity, etc.) that has been determined to be at least sufficiently satisfactory for the passengers.

[0031] Back to Figure 2 If the climate control module 122 and / or the BCM 126 determine at steps 204 / 206, respectively, that the operating state of the vehicle 100 is one of "vehicle 100 occupied" or "use of vehicle 100 requested," the climate control module 122 operates one or more components of the climate control system 120, such as the HVAC system 108, to bring the passenger cabin 102 to or maintain the passenger cabin 102 at a first operating setting that provides a predetermined / preset comfort level C (temperature, humidity, etc.) that has been determined to be at least sufficiently satisfactory for the occupants. It will be appreciated that this may be provided by operating the HVAC system 108 as needed to heat or cool the interior of the passenger cabin 102 based on the ambient temperature outside the vehicle to a predetermined temperature of the passenger cabin 102 that has been determined to be at least sufficiently satisfactory for the occupants.

[0032] On the other hand, if the query of the climate control module 122 / BCM 126 determines that the operating state of the vehicle 100 is "vehicle 100 on standby" (step 202c), then at step 208, the climate control module 122 / BCM 126 adjusts the predetermined / preset comfort level C by an offset value to heat or cool (as needed) the interior of the passenger cabin 102 to a predetermined standby comfort level C' (step 210). These offset values will be discussed in more detail below. It will be appreciated that by operating the climate control system 106 / HVAC system 108 to sufficiently heat or cool (as needed) the interior of the passenger cabin 102 to provide the predetermined standby comfort level C', when the operating state of the vehicle 100 is subsequently determined to be one of "vehicle 100 occupied" or "vehicle 100 requested," the energy consumption required to bring the passenger cabin to the predetermined / preset comfort level C will be less than the energy consumption that would be required if the climate control system 106 / HVAC system 108 had simply been turned off.

[0033] The predetermined / preset comfort level C can be adjusted by a constant offset value to heat or cool the interior of the passenger compartment 102 (as needed) to the predetermined standby comfort level C'. When the ambient temperature is "warm," the system allows the passenger compartment 102 to become warmer by the determined offset value (as indicated by a positive offset value). When the ambient temperature is "cool," the system allows the passenger compartment 102 to become cooler by the determined offset value (as indicated by a negative offset value). Table 1 shows one possible embodiment that relies solely on the determined ambient temperature outside the vehicle.

[0034] Table 1. Constant compensation values.

[0035] Ambient temperature >15℃ +4℃ Ambient temperature <15℃ -4℃

[0036] In another possible embodiment, the predetermined / preset comfort level C may be adjusted by a constant compensation that takes into account the determined solar illuminance provided to the climate control module 122 / BCM 126 via one or more passenger cabin solar illuminance sensors 134. One possible embodiment is shown in Table 2 below.

[0037] Table 2. Compensation values using constant solar illumination.

[0038]

[0039] Here, the designator "-" indicates compensation for providing a setting that is cooler than a predetermined comfort setting (23° C. in one possible example). The designator "+" indicates compensation for providing a setting that is warmer than a predetermined comfort setting.

[0040] In yet another possible embodiment, the predetermined / preset comfort level C can be adjusted by a variable or varying offset value to heat or cool the interior of the passenger compartment 102 (as needed) to a predetermined standby comfort level C'. Table 3 shows one possible embodiment, where the offset value is determined at a varying scale depending on a range of ambient vehicle temperatures.

[0041] Table 3. Variable compensation values.

[0042]

[0043] Here, application of the variable compensation value is determined by the vehicle external ambient temperature, which is in turn determined by the climate control module 122 and / or the BCM 126 based on input provided by one or more vehicle external ambient temperature sensors 132 .

[0044] It will be appreciated that the particular set of variable or varying compensation values may be further calibrated based on other factors that affect the temperature inside the passenger cabin 102, such as, but not limited to, inputs provided by one or more passenger cabin solar illumination sensors 134, one or more vehicle interior humidity sensors 143, etc. Such an example is shown in Table 4 below.

[0045] Table 4. Variable compensation values using solar illumination.

[0046]

[0047] In the above example, an ambient temperature of >25°C would be considered "warm." For conditions of high humidity and high solar illumination in the passenger cabin 102, the cooling load and "time to comfort" would increase, minimizing the opportunity for compensation in warm ambient conditions. Conditions of "low solar illumination and high humidity" would require a milder cooling state for the passenger cabin 102, allowing for increased compensation in warm ambient conditions. Conversely, conditions of low solar illumination and low humidity would require the lowest cooling load for the passenger cabin 102, allowing for maximum compensation for the predetermined comfort setting C in warm ambient conditions.

[0048] At ambient temperatures below 0°C, ambient humidity will not be a factor because the vehicle air conditioning system will not be used to dry the air in the passenger compartment 102. At cool ambient temperatures, high solar illumination allows for increased compensation because solar illumination will slow the cooling of the cabin 102 and accelerate the warming of the passenger compartment. On the other hand, at cool ambient temperatures, low solar illumination allows for reduced compensation because the passenger compartment 102 will cool at a faster rate and warm at a slower rate.

[0049] It should be understood that the above compensation values are representative only and illustrate possible trends depending on the environmental factors considered. The specific compensation value will vary depending on the size and model of the vehicle, and the presence or absence of features that affect the solar illumination and / or temperature of the passenger compartment 102 (e.g., window curtains, tinted windows, privacy glass, etc.). In one embodiment, the compensation value can be determined, for example, by the climate control module 122 and / or the BCM 126, according to the following formula:

[0050] Temperature compensation = ∫(T 所编程的舒适度设置C ,T 周围环境 , humidity, solar illumination, time to next passenger, location).

[0051] In one specific embodiment, the method 200 described above is particularly useful for controlling energy consumption of autonomous vehicle 100 when it is important to rapidly heat or cool the interior of passenger cabin 102 of an autonomous vehicle in an on-call operating state to potentially extreme temperatures, particularly in ambient temperatures indicative of overheating or overcooling conditions. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the described method 200 is equally applicable in less extreme ambient conditions, and thus, application of the method and system to periods of extreme heat or cold should not be considered limiting.

[0052] Obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings, and all such modifications and variations are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a climate control system in an autonomous vehicle, comprising: determining an autonomous vehicle operating state from the group consisting of vehicle occupied - in use, vehicle unoccupied - requesting use, and vehicle unoccupied - on standby; The climate control system is operated based on the determined vehicle operating state, wherein: operating the climate control system in a first operating setting upon determining that the vehicle operating state is one of the vehicle occupied - in use or the vehicle unoccupied - requesting use; and Upon determining that the vehicle operating state is vehicle unoccupied-standby, the climate control system is operated in a second operating setting that provides lower energy consumption than the first operating setting. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of operating the climate control system based on the determined vehicle operating state is performed by a control module operatively connected to the climate control system, the control module including a sensor array and at least one controller.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising operating the climate control system in the first operating setting, by the at least one controller, upon determining that the vehicle operating state is one of the vehicle occupied - in use or the vehicle unoccupied - requested use. 4 . The method of claim 3 , comprising operating the climate control system in the second operating setting upon determining, by the at least one controller, that the vehicle operating state is vehicle unoccupied-standby. 5 . The method of claim 4 , comprising determining, by the at least one controller, the second operating setting by adjusting the first operating setting according to a predetermined offset value. 6 . The method of claim 5 , comprising adjusting, by the at least one controller, the first operating setting according to a constant compensation value.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising adjusting, by the at least one controller, the first operating setting based on a variable offset value.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising providing a sensor array including a vehicle external ambient temperature sensor, and determining, by the at least one controller, the variable compensation value based on a determined vehicle external ambient temperature input provided by the vehicle external ambient temperature sensor.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising providing the sensor array to include a passenger cabin solar illumination sensor and a passenger cabin humidity sensor, and determining, by the at least one controller, the variable compensation value based on a passenger cabin solar illumination input provided by the passenger cabin solar illumination sensor and / or a passenger cabin humidity input provided by the passenger cabin humidity sensor.

10. A system for controlling a climate control system of an autonomous vehicle, comprising a control module operatively connected to the climate control system and comprising a sensor array and at least one controller configured to: determining an autonomous vehicle operating state from the group consisting of vehicle occupied - in use, vehicle unoccupied - requesting use, and vehicle unoccupied - on standby; and The climate control system is operated based on the determined vehicle operating state and one or more inputs from the sensor array, wherein: operating the climate control system in a first operating setting when the control module determines that the vehicle operating state is one of vehicle occupied - in use or vehicle unoccupied - requested use; The climate control system is operated in a second operating setting when the vehicle operating state is determined by the control module to be vehicle unoccupied-standby, the second operating setting providing lower energy consumption than the first operating setting. 11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine the second operating setting by adjusting the first operating setting according to a predetermined offset value.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one controller is configured to adjust the first operating setting based on a constant compensation value.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one controller is configured to adjust the first operating setting based on a variable compensation value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the sensor array includes a vehicle external ambient temperature sensor, and the at least one controller is configured to modify the variable compensation value based on a determined vehicle external ambient temperature input provided by the vehicle external ambient temperature sensor.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the sensor array further comprises a passenger cabin solar illumination sensor and a passenger cabin humidity sensor, and the at least one controller is further configured to modify the variable compensation value based on a determined passenger cabin solar illumination input provided by the solar illumination sensor and / or a passenger cabin humidity input provided by the passenger cabin humidity sensor.

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