Heat effect device adjusting system

Abstract

An adjustment system operable in a vehicle. The conditioning system includes a thermal effect device, a first local sensor (24) associated with the thermal effect device (12, 14), and a controller (16, 18) in signal communication with the thermal effect device and the first local sensor. A controller or additional controller dynamically estimates thermal conditions remote from and at least partially affected by the thermal effect. The dynamic estimation is based on a first temperature sensed by a first local sensor (24) and optionally a second temperature sensed by an optional second local sensor (26). The controller controls the thermal effect device based on the dynamically estimated thermal condition.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 352,751, filed on June 16, 2022, and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a conditioning system operable in a vehicle, wherein the conditioning system comprises one or more controllers for controlling one or more thermoeffectors for regulating a surface temperature and / or an airflow temperature. Background Art

[0004] Some climate-adaptive vehicle systems operate at a set of predetermined discrete set points that are selected by the occupant via buttons, dials, etc. One disadvantage of these systems is the inability to adjust the temperature between set points. Another disadvantage is the constant change of the temperature set point during vehicle operation.

[0005] To address these challenges, some climate-adapted vehicle systems employ sensors to monitor parameters such as the temperature of the thermoeffectors, blower speed, outside temperature, solar radiation, cabin air temperature, humidity, and the number of occupants. Occupant-selected set points are then associated with these parameters via lookup tables so that the operation of the thermoeffectors (e.g., the duty cycle of a heating pad) is guided by both the set points and the parameters. These systems operate under a limited number of predetermined scenarios. One drawback of these systems is the extensive calibration effort required to account for the possible conditions that a vehicle may face. For example, the system is typically calibrated to account for driving in different seasons, geographic climates, weather conditions, etc. Furthermore, because these parameters affect different vehicle models differently (including the number and location of thermoeffectors), calibration is performed for each make, model, model year, and trim level of the vehicle.

[0006] Typically, sensors and thermoeffectors are calibrated individually. Therefore, calibration is done for individual effectors. Because of this individual processing, thermoeffectors typically do not communicate with each other to coordinate in regulating the vehicle or energy usage. Therefore, where a surface is regulated by multiple thermoeffectors, the ramp up to the set point temperature is typically done slowly and very carefully so as not to cause discomfort to the occupants.

[0007] Likewise, because the calibration takes into account cabin air temperature rather than surface temperature, thermal effectors should be operated with care to avoid overheating or overcooling that could cause discomfort to occupants. As a result, it takes longer for the surface to reach the selected set point temperature than would otherwise be the case.

[0008] Some climate-adapted vehicle systems calibrate thermoeffectors to a specific cabin air temperature. However, cabin air temperature is not an accurate representation of the temperature felt by an occupant at a surface and is subject to constant fluctuations. While providing sensors adjacent to a surface can detect the temperature of that surface, it also presents some challenges. Thermoeffector operation may require repeatable accuracy and precision in the location of these sensors to coordinate with the calibration of the system. However, consistent location of these sensors during the manufacturing process may be difficult. In addition, the automotive industry is concerned with reducing costs, so additional sensors and their attendant costs are generally not a favorable solution. Sensors provided in or on a compressible layer (such as a spacer layer in a seat) may be felt by the occupant, thereby negatively affecting comfort. In addition, compressible layers expose the sensors to repeated wear, which can degrade the integrity of the sensors over time.

[0009] There is a need for a system for controlling a conductive thermal effector based on a dynamically estimated temperature felt by an occupant at a surface. There is a need for a system for controlling a convective thermal effector based on a dynamically estimated temperature of an airflow at an outlet.

[0010] What is needed is a system for controlling thermoeffectors using existing sensor and / or controller hardware.

[0011] There is a need for a system that provides thermoeffector control of dynamic surface temperatures without being constrained by predetermined set points. There is a need for a system that provides thermoeffector control of dynamic airflow temperatures without being constrained by predetermined set points.

[0012] What is needed is a system that does not require calibration to populate the lookup table.

[0013] There is a need for a system that provides cooperation between thermal effectors to condition a common surface and share energy usage. There is a need for a system that provides cooperation between thermal effectors to condition a common airflow and share energy usage.

[0014] What is needed is a system that can reach an occupant-selected set point (eg, a temperature set point) more quickly than conventional systems. Summary of the invention

[0015] The present disclosure provides a regulation system that can meet at least some of the above needs. The regulation system is capable of operating in a vehicle. The regulation system may include a thermoeffector, a first local sensor associated with the thermoeffector, and a controller that communicates signals with the thermoeffector and the first local sensor. The controller or an additional controller can dynamically estimate a thermal condition that is away from the thermoeffector and at least partially affected by it. The dynamic estimation can be based on a first temperature sensed by the first local sensor and a second temperature optionally sensed by an optional second local sensor. The present disclosure contemplates that the optional second sensor may or may not be part of the system. Regardless of whether the optional second local sensor is part of the system, input provided therefrom can be adopted by the system. The controller controls the thermoeffector based on the dynamically estimated thermal conditions.

[0016] The controller may be a thermoeffector controller local to the thermoeffector.

[0017] The regulation system may include two or more thermoeffectors and two or more controllers. Each of the two or more controllers may be local to each of the two or more thermoeffectors. The two or more thermoeffectors may regulate a common surface and / or a common airflow, or the two or more thermoeffectors regulate a common vehicle component.

[0018] The two or more controllers may communicate power consumption signals to each other. The power consumption signals may indicate power consumed by the two or more thermoeffectors. The two or more thermoeffectors may contribute equally to the power consumption, or the two or more thermoeffectors may function in a hierarchy with each successive thermoeffector contributing progressively less to the power consumption.

[0019] Each of the two or more controllers may dynamically estimate thermal conditions.

[0020] One of the two or more controllers operating as a parent controller may dynamically estimate thermal conditions and provide the thermal conditions to the remaining controllers of the two or more controllers operating as child controllers.

[0021] Communications between two or more controllers may occur via a local interconnect network bus.

[0022] The additional controller may be a dedicated system controller local to the vehicle component regulated by the system.

[0023] Additional controllers may operate as parent controllers to dynamically estimate thermal conditions and provide the thermal conditions to controllers operating as child controllers.

[0024] Communications between the controller and additional controllers may occur via a local interconnect network bus.

[0025] Thermal conditions may include surface temperature, airflow temperature, or both. The surface may be located on a seat cushion, seat back, headrest, door panel, center console, steering wheel, shifter, dashboard, canopy, floor, leg board, or any combination thereof. Airflow may be emitted from a vent on or in a seat cushion, seat back, headrest, door panel, center console, steering wheel, shifter, dashboard, canopy, floor, leg board, or any combination thereof. The vent may be communicated with a receiving device.

[0026] The thermal condition may be a surface temperature, and the controller or an additional controller may determine a first heat transfer rate relative to the surface. The first heat transfer rate may be directly or indirectly affected by a thermal effector. The first heat transfer rate may ultimately be determined by input from a first local sensor. The dynamically estimated thermal condition may be based on the first heat transfer rate.

[0027] The controller or an additional controller may determine a second heat transfer rate relative to the surface. The second heat transfer rate may be affected by the cabin environment, and / or the controller may determine a third heat transfer rate relative to the surface. The third heat transfer rate may be affected by the occupant. The second heat transfer rate may ultimately be determined by an input indicating the cabin environment temperature. The third heat transfer rate may ultimately be determined by an input indicating the occupant temperature. The dynamically estimated thermal condition may be based on the second heat transfer rate and / or the third heat transfer rate.

[0028] The thermal condition may be a temperature of the airflow, and the controller or an additional controller may determine a first heat transfer rate relative to the airflow. The first heat transfer rate may be directly or indirectly affected by a thermal effector. The first heat transfer rate may ultimately be determined by input from a first local sensor. The dynamically estimated thermal condition may be based on the first heat transfer rate.

[0029] The controller or an additional controller may determine a second heat transfer rate relative to the airflow. The second heat transfer rate may be affected by the cabin environment. The second heat transfer rate may ultimately be determined by an input indicative of the cabin ambient temperature. The dynamically estimated thermal condition may be based on the second heat transfer rate.

[0030] The first local sensor may be located on or adjacent to the thermoeffector.

[0031] The thermoeffector may be located in or on a vehicle component. The vehicle component may include a seat cushion, seat back, headrest, door panel, center console, steering wheel, shifter, instrument panel, headliner, floor, leg panel, duct, or any combination thereof.

[0032] Thermoeffectors may include resistive elements, thermoelectric devices, or both.

[0033] Controlling the thermoeffector may include modulating the power of the thermoeffector and / or reversing the polarity of the thermoeffector to achieve a set point temperature. The control may be based on dynamically estimated thermal conditions and the set point temperature.

[0034] The regulation system may include a human-machine interface. The human-machine interface may be adapted to receive a set point temperature, a set point mass air flow, or both.

[0035] The regulating system may include a blower and / or a valve. The controller may coordinately control the blower speed and / or the valve position to achieve a set point mass air flow and / or a set point temperature. The control may be based on a temperature dynamically estimated by the controller or an additional controller.

[0036] The controller or additional controller may receive from an existing vehicle controller: a set point temperature, a set point mass air flow, a temperature sensed by a second local sensor, a power budget, an occupancy state, an operating mode, or any combination thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of a system of the present teachings is shown.

[0038] Figure 1B A schematic diagram of a system of the present teachings is shown.

[0039] Figure 1C A schematic diagram of a system of the present teachings is shown.

[0040] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a system of the present teachings is shown.

[0041] Figure 3 Graphs comparing estimated surface temperature according to the present teachings to actual measured surface temperature, pre-calibration, and post-calibration are shown.

[0042] Figure 4 Graphs comparing estimated surface temperature according to the present teachings to actual measured surface temperature, pre-calibration, and post-calibration are shown.

[0043] Figure 5 Graphs comparing estimated airflow temperature according to the present teachings to actual measured airflow temperature, pre-calibration, and post-calibration are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The present disclosure provides a system for regulating one or more vehicle components. The regulation can be driven by one or more thermoeffectors. The thermoeffectors can regulate surfaces, airflows, or both. The surfaces and / or airflows can be used to exchange heat with passengers. For example, passengers may contact the regulated surface, be contacted by radiation emitted by the surface, and / or be contacted by the airflow. The surface and / or airflow can be directly or indirectly thermally connected to one or more thermoeffectors. One or more elements can be arranged between the thermoeffector and the surface and / or airflow. These elements can transfer heat between the thermoeffector and the regulating medium. These elements can include material layers, heat exchangers, or both.

[0045] The surface may be any surface of a vehicle component. The surface may be located within the cabin of the vehicle. The surface may be located on a trim layer. That is, an exposed, visible vehicle surface that an occupant typically contacts (e.g., seat leather or fabric). A vehicle component may include any component that an occupant contacts. The surface may exchange heat with one or more thermal effectors, one or more material layers, an occupant, a cabin environment, a radiant heat source, or any combination thereof. As described herein, the cabin environment may refer to the air within the vehicle cabin where the occupant is seated.

[0046] The airflow may be discharged from an outlet (such as a vent). The outlet may be located in a vehicle component. The airflow may be generated by one or more blowers. Before reaching the outlet, the airflow may pass through one or more conduits and / or exchange heat with one or more conduits. The airflow may be directed into one or more conduits and / or mixed with one or more other airflows through one or more valves. One or more heat exchangers and / or thermoeffectors may be arranged in or on one or more conduits. The airflow may exchange heat with one or more thermoeffectors and / or heat exchangers. The airflow may be provided to a cabin of the vehicle. The airflow may be thermally connected to the cabin environment and / or one or more occupants.

[0047] The vehicle component may include, but is not limited to, a steering wheel, a shifter, a seat, a headrest, a door panel, an instrument panel, a canopy, a center console, a leg panel, a floor, a pillar, or any combination thereof. A seat may include a backrest on which the back of an occupant rests. A seat may include a seat on which the rear of an occupant rests. A vehicle component may be any component within the vehicle cabin. A vehicle component may be climate controlled. That is, the component may be heated and / or cooled to provide comfort to the occupant.

[0048] Non-limiting examples of climate controlled steering wheels are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,727,467 B1 and 9,399,480 B2, which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. A non-limiting example of a climate controlled shifter is described in U.S. Patent No. 9,298,207 B2, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Non-limiting examples of climate controlled seats are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 7,338,117 B2 (describing ventilated seats) and 7,196,288 B2 (describing conductive heated seats), which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. A non-limiting example of a climate controlled headrest is described in U.S. Patent No. 9,333,888 B2, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0049] Non-limiting examples of vents located in or on a seat are described in U.S. Publication Nos. 2017 / 0129375A1 and 2021 / 0276463A1, which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Non-limiting examples of vents located in a headrest are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,333,888B2, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Non-limiting examples of vents located in a door are described in U.S. Publication No. 2017 / 0182861A1, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Non-limiting examples of vents located in a headliner are described in U.S. Patent No. 10,266,031B2, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Non-limiting examples of other systems for regulating airflow are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 9,103,573B2 and 9,555,686B2, which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0050] The temperature of the surface and / or gas flow may be regulated by one or more thermal effectors ("effectors").

[0051] The thermal effector in thermal communication with the surface can be a conductive effector. A conductive effector can generate heat that is ultimately conducted to the surface in contact with the rider. A conductive effector can absorb heat from its surroundings, ultimately absorbing heat from the surface in contact with the rider. Non-limiting examples of conductive effectors are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,657,963 B2 (describing a heating pad), which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0052] The thermal effector in thermal communication with the airflow may be a convection effector. The convection effector can heat and / or cool one or more airflows delivered to the passengers and / or one or more surfaces. The convection effector of the conditioning surface can deliver the airflow to a sealed or at least partially sealed containment device (e.g., a containment bag). Therefore, conditioned air can be delivered to the containment device, and the air in the containment device can be heat exchanged with one or more media in contact with the containment device. The thermal effector can be matched with one or more heat exchangers. The heat exchanger can play a role in thermal communication with the airflow. The heat exchanger can be made of a thermally conductive material (e.g., a thermal conductivity of about 100W / (m·K) or higher, more preferably about 200W / (m·K) or higher, or even more preferably about 300W / (m·K) or more). The heat exchanger can be adapted to the surface area on which the airflow travels. To this end, the heat exchanger can include a plurality of fins or corrugated sheets, although any other suitable shape can be envisioned in the present teaching. Non-limiting examples of suitable heat exchangers are described in US Pat. Nos. 7,178,344 B2 and 8,143,554 B2, which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0053] Heating and / or cooling can be achieved by the operation of one or more resistive elements, thermoelectric devices, or both. Non-limiting examples of resistive elements are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,657,963B2, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Non-limiting examples of thermoelectric devices are described in U.S. Patent No. 9,857,107B2, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. The thermoelectric device may include two surfaces, one of which is the "hot" side and the other is the "cold" side relative to each other. By reversing the polarity of the power supplied to the thermoelectric device, the relative temperature of each side may be flipped. Heating and / or cooling can utilize a fluid medium (e.g., air) that transfers heat to and / or from occupants, vehicle components, or both. The fluid medium can be moved by one or more blowers. Non-limiting examples of blowers are described in International Publication No. WO 2008 / 115831 A1 and U.S. Patent No. 9,121,414B2, which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0054] Thermoeffectors may be controlled to provide heating and / or cooling corresponding to an operating mode, a set point temperature, a set point mass air flow rate, or any combination thereof. The operating mode, set point temperature, and / or set point mass air flow rate may be determined by an occupant interacting with a human-machine interface (HMI). The operating mode, set point temperature, and / or set point mass air flow rate may be determined by an occupant actuating one or more knobs, buttons, dials, toggle keys, switches, etc., or any combination thereof. The operating mode, set point temperature, and / or set point mass air flow rate may be determined by an autonomous control system. These systems may consider one or more sensor inputs and autonomously regulate the set point through one or more controllers. The operating mode may be ON or OFF. The operating mode may specify heating, cooling, and / or mass air flow rate levels (e.g., levels 1, 2, 3, etc.). Thermoeffectors, blowers, and / or valves may be operated by regulating their power (e.g., pulse width modulation duty cycle, constant current control, etc.) and / or reversing their polarity (e.g., reversing the polarity of a thermoelectric device). The duty cycle may be operated to ramp up to achieve and maintain the set point temperature, at least until a change in operating mode or a change in the set point is made by the occupant's direction. The duty cycle may be operated based on a difference between the dynamically estimated surface temperature and the set point temperature.

[0055] The system of the present disclosure may rely at least in part on a dynamic estimate of temperature. A dynamic estimate of a surface temperature is disclosed in U.S. Application No. 63 / 316,762. A dynamic estimate of a gas flow temperature is disclosed in U.S. Application No. 63 / 316,779. The dynamic estimate may be based on one or more heat transfer rates, heat capacity, program cycle time, and an initial temperature or a temperature from a previous program cycle. The heat transfer rate between two media is typically based on a temperature difference between the two media, a surface area over which heat transfer occurs, one or more thermal resistances, or any combination thereof. Heat capacity, cycle time, thermal resistance, surface area, or any combination thereof may be a predetermined value. Other predetermined values ​​may be understood by the present teaching. The current and previous program cycle temperatures may be provided by previous dynamic estimates or sensor inputs. Therefore, the heat transfer rate and the dynamically estimated temperature of any number of continuous thermal media may be determined based on only one variable input (e.g., a thermal effector temperature).

[0056] The system of the present disclosure may control one or more thermoeffectors based on the dynamic estimation. The system may include one or more controllers working in conjunction to control the thermoeffectors. The control method is disclosed in US application No. 63 / 337,645.

[0057] As described herein, estimation may mean calculation of a parameter, i.e., the result of such calculation may not correspond exactly to the actual value (e.g., surface temperature). Therefore, the result of such calculation may be an estimate of the actual value. The systems and methods of the present disclosure may provide an estimate that deviates from the actual value by about 10% or less, more preferably 5% or less, and even more preferably 1% or less. The foregoing applies to all embodiments.

[0058] Any calculation, dynamic estimation, storage, transmission, determination and / or acquisition steps described herein can be performed by one or more controllers. The controller may include one or more thermal effector controllers, dedicated system controllers, existing vehicle controllers, or any combination thereof. Calculations and dynamic estimations can be performed by one controller or distributed among multiple controllers. Any non-transient value (e.g., a predetermined value) or input can be stored locally on the controller and / or away from the controller. Any input calculated or estimated from other modules can be stored locally on the controller and / or remotely. Any input calculated or estimated from other modules can be temporarily stored on the controller. Any input calculated or estimated from other modules can be replaced or updated by newly provided inputs calculated or estimated from other modules. The foregoing applies to all embodiments.

[0059] Any communication or transmission between different controllers, sensors and / or other devices can be performed via a local interconnect network (LIN) bus. The communication or transmission can be from a sensor to a controller or from a controller to another controller. As an example and not limitation, an occupancy sensor can transmit an occupancy state to a vehicle controller, and then the vehicle controller can transmit an occupancy signal to a dedicated effector controller. The above applies to all embodiments.

[0060] The vehicle referred to herein may be any automobile, recreational vehicle, marine vessel, aircraft vessel, etc., or any combination thereof. Although the present disclosure discusses the conditioning of vehicles and surfaces thereof, the teachings herein may be applicable to any space conditioned with surfaces that may be in direct and / or radiant thermal communication with an individual. For example, the present teachings may be applied to furniture (e.g., chairs and beds), buildings, etc., or any combination thereof. The foregoing applies to all embodiments.

[0061] Any reference to heat transfer rate and dynamic estimated temperature may refer to the current heat transfer rate and the current dynamic estimated temperature. That is, these values ​​may ultimately be determined by one or more sensor inputs from one or more sensors at the current time and / or one or more calculations performed at the current time (e.g., from the immediately previous program loop and / or the current program loop). The above applies to all embodiments.

[0062] Controller and system architecture

[0063] One or more controllers can dynamically estimate the temperature of the surface and / or the airflow, as described below. One or more controllers can determine one or more heat transfer rates relative to the surface and / or the airflow, as described below. One or more controllers can regulate the temperature of the surface and / or the airflow, as described below.

[0064] The controller may be referred to herein as an electronic control unit ("ECU"). The controller may include an existing vehicle controller, a dedicated system controller, a thermoeffector controller, or any combination thereof.

[0065] A dedicated system controller may be referred to herein as a position controller. That is, a position controller may be associated with one or more thermoeffectors acting on a specific vehicle component (e.g., a seat). The position controller may be located on or in the vehicle component regulated by the associated thermoeffector, or remote from the vehicle component regulated by the associated thermoeffector.

[0066] The thermoeffector controller may be located on or adjacent to (e.g., no more than 5 cm, more preferably no more than 2 cm, and even more preferably no more than 1 cm) the thermoeffector it controls. Each thermoeffector may be associated with a thermoeffector controller. A thermoeffector controller may control more than one thermoeffector.

[0067] One or more estimates, determinations, and / or calculations disclosed herein may be performed by one or more controllers. In one aspect, dynamic estimates, heat transfer rate determinations, and / or temperature regulation may be performed by a dedicated system controller. In one aspect, dynamic estimates, heat transfer rate determinations, and / or temperature regulation may be performed by a thermoeffector controller.

[0068] A Position Controller can be run as a parent controller and a Thermo-Effector Controller can be run as a child controller. A Thermo-Effector Controller can be run as a parent controller and any other Thermo-Effector Sensor can be run as a child controller.

[0069] The system may include one or more dedicated system controllers and / or one or more thermoeffector controllers. Dynamic estimation, heat transfer rate determination, and / or temperature regulation may be performed by a dedicated system controller. One or more thermoeffector controllers may direct power regulation of thermoeffectors associated therewith. One or more thermoeffector controllers may communicate power consumption between them to coordinately adjust surfaces and / or airflow.

[0070] The system can include one or more thermoeffector controllers. Dynamic estimation, heat transfer rate determination, and / or temperature regulation can be performed by a thermoeffector controller. In one aspect, a parent thermoeffector controller performs dynamic estimation, heat transfer rate determination, and / or temperature regulation and provides its output to a child thermoeffector controller. One or more thermoeffector controllers can direct power regulation of thermoeffectors associated therewith. One or more thermoeffector controllers can communicate power consumption between them to coordinately adjust surfaces and / or airflow.

[0071] The position controller may be calibrated based on a target time to reach a target temperature, a thermal capacity of an element in a heat exchange system, a thermal resistance of an element in a heat exchange system, or any combination thereof. Thus, the target time, thermal resistance, thermal capacity, etc. may not be actual values ​​but rather may be adjusted to obtain the desired performance of the system.

[0072] The system can dynamically estimate the temperature of a surface and / or airflow, dynamically estimate the temperature of one or more elements associated with a surface (e.g., a material layer) and / or an airflow (e.g., a conduit), determine one or more heat transfer rates, regulate the temperature of a surface and / or airflow, regulate the power of one or more thermal effectors, or any combination thereof. Each of these functions can be performed by a single module associated with the controller. One or more of these functions can be performed by a module associated with the controller. As described herein, the term module can refer to computer executable instructions stored in a storage medium, more specifically, a non-transient storage medium, and executed by a processing component of a controller. Therefore, where a particular module is referenced in association with a particular controller, the controller performs the functions specified by the module.

[0073] Dynamic estimation of land surface temperature

[0074] The system can dynamically estimate the temperature of a surface (e.g., a decorative layer). One or more controllers can dynamically estimate the surface temperature. One or more dedicated system controllers, thermal effector controllers, or both can dynamically estimate the surface temperature. The surface temperature can be dynamically estimated in accordance with U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 316,762, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0075] The surface temperature can be determined based on the heat transfer rate between the surface and one or more surrounding media (e.g., material layers, occupants, cabin environment, etc.). To dynamically estimate.

[0076] Temperature change per unit time The temperature change (ΔT; represented by the parentheses in Equation A) can be determined based on one or more heat transfer rates and / or heat capacities from the surface to one or more surrounding media. Given a known cycle time (t), the temperature change (ΔT; represented by the parentheses in Equation A) can be determined. From the initial surface temperature or a previously dynamically estimated surface temperature (T (n-1) ) can determine the dynamic estimated surface temperature (T est ). The surface temperature can be estimated dynamically according to the following equation.

[0077] Equation A

[0078] The program cycle time (e.g., 1 second or less, 50 milliseconds or less, 30 milliseconds or less, or even 10 milliseconds or less) can be measured (e.g., by a timer) and / or stored in a storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium.

[0079] The initial surface temperature may be determined at vehicle startup. The initial surface temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed at startup by a local sensor (e.g., a sensor adapted to sense the ambient cabin temperature). These sensors may include sensors disposed within the cabin, on heating elements, in air vents, or elsewhere. Any sensor in the vehicle may provide the temperature at startup. After startup, the previous surface temperature may be a dynamically estimated surface temperature from a previous program cycle.

[0080] The estimated surface temperature may be used for operation of one or more thermoeffectors. That is, based on the dynamic estimate of the surface temperature and in view of the set point temperature, power regulation (e.g., pulse width modulation duty cycle, constant current control, etc.) of one or more thermoeffectors may be controlled to achieve the set point temperature. Based on the dynamic estimate of the surface temperature in view of the set point temperature, power regulation (e.g., pulse width modulation duty cycle, constant current control, etc.) and / or ON / OFF commands of one or more blowers and / or one or more valves may be controlled to achieve the set point temperature.

[0081] The system may determine one or more heat transfer rates. One or more controllers may determine the heat transfer rate. One or more dedicated system controllers, thermoeffector controllers, or both may determine the heat transfer rate. The heat transfer rate may be determined according to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 316,762, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0082] The surface can exchange heat with one or more media in contact with the surface. The medium can include one or more material layers (e.g., spacer layers), one or more thermal effectors, occupants, cabin environment, or any combination thereof.

[0083] The material layer may include a spacer layer. The spacer layer may be used to protect the thermoeffector and / or sensors associated therewith, provide comfort to the occupant, and regulate the heat transfer rate from the thermoeffector by the material and thickness of the spacer layer or any combination thereof. The material layer may include one or more fabrics, films, leathers, foams, meshes, air bags or any combination thereof.

[0084] Typically, one or more thermoeffectors are separated from the surface by one or more layers of material (eg, a spacer layer). However, the present disclosure contemplates that one or more thermoeffectors are in direct thermal communication with the surface.

[0085] An occupant may contact (e.g., sit on) a surface. The surface may radiate heat to the occupant. In the case of heat radiation, the rate of heat transfer between the occupant and the surface may not be considered. Regardless of whether an occupant contacts the surface, typically at least a portion of the surface is in thermal communication with the air of the cabin environment. However, the present disclosure contemplates that an occupant may contact the entire surface.

[0086] The cabin environment may be in thermal communication with the surface. If an occupant is not contacting (e.g., sitting on) the surface, the entire surface may be in thermal communication with the cabin environment. In the event that an occupant is contacting the surface, one or more portions of the surface may be in thermal communication with the occupant and one or more other portions of the surface may be in thermal communication with the cabin environment.

[0087] The thermal effectors, material layers, occupants, and cabin environment may be referred to herein as media, that is, media that exchanges heat with the surface.

[0088] Relative to the surface The heat transfer rate can be based on the surface (T surf ) temperature, the temperature of the medium exchanging heat with the surface (T med ), the surface area over which heat is transferred (A surf ), the thermal resistance (R) between the surface and the medium exchanging heat with the surface, or any combination thereof. The heat transfer rate can be calculated according to the following equation.

[0089] Equation B

[0090] The thermal resistance may be a predetermined value. The value may be stored in and / or obtained from a memory storage medium, more specifically a non-transient memory storage medium. The thermal resistance may be assigned based on a specific vehicle brand, model, model year, trim level, or any combination thereof. The thermal resistance may vary due to different materials, layer thicknesses, etc. The thermal resistance may depend on the geographic region, season, part of the body being conditioned, or any combination thereof. The thermal resistance may reflect whether a vehicle component (such as a seat) is occupied (such as compressed by an occupant) or unoccupied (i.e., not compressed by an occupant). The occupancy status may be provided by existing sensors in the vehicle, such as occupancy sensors for operating airbags. In the case of determining the heat transfer rate between a surface and the cabin environment, the thermal resistance may be the thermal resistance of free convection air. When the heat transfer rate is between the occupant and the surface, the thermal resistance may be the thermal resistance of the skin, clothing, or both.

[0091] The occupancy state may determine whether to consider the surface heat transfer rate associated with the occupants, the cabin environment, or both. The occupancy state may determine what proportion of the surface area where heat transfer occurs is attributable to the occupants, the cabin environment, or both.

[0092] The surface area may be a predetermined value. The value may be stored in and / or obtained from a storage medium, particularly a non-transient storage medium. The surface area may be allocated according to a specific vehicle brand, model, model year, trim level, or any combination thereof. For example, the dimensions of a seat of one model may be different from the dimensions of a seat of another model. The surface area may be described by one or more dimensions (e.g., length and width) of one or more thermal effectors. The surface area may be described by the surface area of ​​the vehicle components that are in contact with the occupant and / or the cabin environment. For example, when the occupant is seated, the area between the occupant's legs and the area around the outer edge of the seat may be thermally connected to the cabin environment.

[0093] In view of industry concerns about cost and manufacturing complexity, not all components in the heat exchange system described herein have dedicated sensors associated therewith. It can be assumed that the temperature of the components not monitored by the dedicated sensors is equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensors when the vehicle is started. The temperature of the components not monitored by the dedicated sensors can be provided by dynamic estimation of the previous program cycle after startup (see equation C below). The present disclosure does not exclude the possibility that the vehicle may include sensors for sensing these components. In this case, dynamic estimation of their temperature may not be required.

[0094] Thermoeffector temperature may be provided by input from one or more sensors, such as a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) sensor. Thermoeffectors are typically provided with at least one sensor. Thermoeffector temperature may be determined at soak. That is, when the temperature rises to the maintenance set point temperature of the previous cycle.

[0095] The cabin ambient temperature may be obtained from one or more local sensors, an estimate provided by another vehicle system, or both.

[0096] The surface temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensor before the vehicle is started. After the vehicle is started, the surface temperature may be obtained from a dynamic estimate (see equation C). The dynamic estimate may be from a previous program cycle.

[0097] The material layer temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensor before the vehicle is started. The material layer temperature may be obtained from a dynamic estimate after the vehicle is started (see equation C). The dynamic estimate may be from a previous program cycle.

[0098] The occupant's skin temperature may be set to a fixed value (e.g., a value within the normal human skin temperature range of 33° C. to 37° C.) before and / or after vehicle startup. The occupant's skin temperature may be provided after vehicle startup by a dynamic estimate (see Equation C). The dynamic estimate may be from a previous program cycle. The skin temperature may be modeled as a function of surface temperature, cabin ambient temperature, thermal effector operation, or any combination thereof.

[0099] A dynamic temperature estimate for an element that is not monitored by a dedicated sensor can be determined by a stepwise progression of heat transfer rate determinations (see Equation B) and dynamic temperature estimates (see Equation C), starting with an element having a sensed or assumed temperature, proceeding through each successive element in the system that is in thermal communication with one another, until finally reaching the surface. For example, a heat transfer rate between a thermoeffector and a material layer can be determined based on the sensed temperature of the thermoeffector, and a dynamically estimated temperature of the material layer can be determined based at least in part on the heat transfer rate. The same principles can be applied to any number of material layers disposed between the thermoeffector and the surface.

[0100] One or more thermoeffectors may exchange heat with the same material layer or surface. For example, a first thermoeffector may exchange heat with the left side of a layer (e.g., a material layer) and a second thermoeffector may exchange heat with the right side of the same layer (e.g., a material layer). In this arrangement, a plurality of different heat transfer rates between the material layer and each individual thermoeffector may be determined and used in Equation C.

[0101] Two or more thermoeffectors may be stacked together. The present teachings contemplate two or more, three or more, or even four or more thermoeffectors in a stacked arrangement. In such an arrangement, the thermoeffectors may be considered discrete layers. For example, the heat transfer rate from a first thermoeffector to a second thermoeffector may be calculated in a manner similar to that described above, and then the heat transfer rate from the second thermoeffector to the material layer may be calculated.

[0102] The system can dynamically estimate the temperature of one or more elements. One or more controllers can dynamically estimate the temperature of one or more elements. One or more dedicated system controllers, thermal effector controllers, or both can dynamically estimate the temperature of one or more elements. Temperature can be dynamically estimated according to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 316,762, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Dynamic estimation may be particularly advantageous in cases where elements in the thermal system are not sensed by any local sensors. This can be applicable to material layers, the skin of the occupant, or both.

[0103] Dynamic temperature estimation can be based on the initial temperature of the component or the previously dynamically estimated temperature (T (n-1) ), one or more heat transfer rates relative to the element The temperature may be determined by the heat capacity (C) of the element (eg, the heat capacity of a material layer or the skin of an occupant), the time between program cycles (Δt), or any combination thereof. The temperature may be estimated dynamically according to the following equation.

[0104] Equation C

[0105] The program cycle time (e.g., 1 second or less, 50 milliseconds or less, 30 milliseconds or less, or even 10 milliseconds or less) can be measured (e.g., by a timer) and / or stored in a storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium.

[0106] The thermal capacity may be a predetermined value. The value may be stored in and / or obtained from a storage medium, particularly a non-transient storage medium. The thermal capacity may be assigned according to a specific vehicle make, model, model year, trim level, or any combination thereof. The thermal capacity may be specific to different materials, layer thicknesses, etc.

[0107] The initial temperature may be determined at vehicle startup. The initial temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by a local sensor (e.g., a sensor adapted to sense ambient cabin air temperature) at vehicle startup. These sensors may include sensors disposed within the cabin, on a heating element, on an air vent, or elsewhere. Any sensor in the vehicle may provide the temperature at startup. After startup, the previous temperature may be a dynamically estimated temperature from a previous program cycle.

[0108] The thermoeffector temperature may be provided by input from one or more sensors, such as an NTC sensor.Thermoeffectors are typically provided with at least one sensor.

[0109] The cabin ambient temperature may be obtained from one or more local sensors, an estimate provided by another vehicle system, or both.

[0110] The surface temperature can be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensor before the vehicle is started. The surface temperature can be obtained from the dynamic estimation after the vehicle is started.

[0111] The skin temperature of the occupant may be set to a fixed value (e.g., a value within the normal human skin temperature range of 33° C. to 37° C.) before and / or after the vehicle is started. As described above, the skin temperature of a particular body part may be determined. As described above, the location of the body part at one or more levels of the cabin may be considered.

[0112] The heat transfer rate relative to the material layer can include the heat transfer rate between one or more thermal effectors and the material layer, the heat transfer rate between the material layer and a surface, the heat transfer rate between the material layer and another material layer, or any combination thereof. Other heat transfer rates to and / or from the material layer can be achieved by the present invention.

[0113] The heat transfer rate relative to the occupant may include heat transfer between the occupant and a surface, heat transfer rate between the occupant and the cabin environment, heat transfer between the occupant and a radiant heat source (such as the sun), or any combination thereof. Other heat transfers to and from the occupant may be achieved through the present invention.

[0114] Regulating surface temperature

[0115] The system can regulate surface temperature. One or more controllers can regulate surface temperature. One or more dedicated system controllers, thermoeffector controllers, or both can regulate surface temperature. Surface temperature can be regulated according to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 337,645, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0116] The surface temperature may be regulated by one or more conductive and / or convective thermal effectors. An example of a suitable conductive thermal effector may be a resistive heating pad (e.g., disposed within a seat). An example of a suitable convective effector may be a thermoelectric device that regulates airflow delivered to a bladder (e.g., disposed within a seat).

[0117] Ultimately, the regulation of the surface temperature by one or more thermoeffectors can be determined by the dynamically estimated surface temperature at the current time point and the set point temperature. In other words, the amount of energy supplied to the one or more thermoeffectors and the amount of time to supply the energy to achieve the set point temperature can ultimately be determined by the difference between the current dynamically estimated temperature and the set point temperature.

[0118] Dynamically estimated surface temperature (T surf-est ) and set point temperature (T surf-set ) can determine the temperature change (ΔT surf ; represented by the parentheses in Equation D). Temperature change (ΔT surf ) and the target time to reach the set point temperature (t to-set ) can determine the rate of change of surface temperature The surface temperature change rate can be expressed as and the surface heat capacity (C surf ) to determine the temperature change rate into the surface The target total heat transfer rate is The target total heat transfer rate can be determined according to the following equation.

[0119] Equation D

[0120] The dynamically estimated surface temperature may be determined as taught above.The set point temperature may be received by a human machine interface (HMI) and / or an autonomous control system.

[0121] The time taken to reach the set point temperature may be a fixed value or may vary. The time taken to reach the set point temperature may be stored in a storage medium, in particular a non-transient storage medium.

[0122] The thermal capacity may be a predetermined value. The value may be stored in and / or obtained from a storage medium, particularly a non-transient storage medium. The thermal capacity may be assigned according to a specific vehicle make, model, model year, trim level, or any combination thereof. The thermal capacity may be specific to different materials, layer thicknesses, etc.

[0123] The system can determine a target material layer (e.g., spacer layer) temperature required to achieve a target heat transfer rate between the material layer and the surface. The target total heat transfer rate can be determined based on the above and any other heat transfer rate relative to the surface (e.g., the heat transfer rate between the environment and the surface and / or occupants and surfaces The heat transfer rate between the surfaces is determined from This can be subtracted or added to the surface, depending on whether the heat is transferred to or from the surface. Achieving a target heat transfer rate between the material layer and the surface The desired target material layer temperature (T mat-tat ) can be calculated based on the target heat transfer rate between the material layer and the surface Thermal resistance between the ground and the spacer (R surf-mat ) and the current dynamically estimated spacer temperature (T mat-est The target spacer temperature can be determined according to the following equation.

[0124] Equation E

[0125] The above operations may be performed repeatedly until a target temperature for one or more thermoeffectors is determined. Where there is only one material layer between the surface and the thermoeffector, a target total heat transfer rate into / from the material layer for the one or more thermoeffectors may be determined to achieve a temperature change rate for the material layer. Then, a target thermoeffector temperature required to achieve the target heat transfer rate between the one or more thermoeffectors and the material layer may be determined. Where there are multiple material layers between the surface and the thermoeffector, the same procedure described above may be repeated for each layer, where the set point temperature (Equation D) for each successive layer in the system may be the target temperature (Equation E) determined from the immediately preceding calculation.

[0126] The present teachings contemplate that one or more thermoeffectors are in direct thermal communication with a surface. In this case, only equations D and E only need to be performed between the one or more thermoeffectors and the surface.

[0127] The present teachings contemplate that multiple material layers may be disposed between the surface and one or more thermal effectors. In such cases, equations D and E may be performed between each layer in the system.

[0128] It will be appreciated that any thermal resistance, thermal capacitance, time to reach set point temperature, etc., is unique to each element in the system (e.g., different materials have associated thermal resistances). These values ​​may be predetermined. These values ​​may be stored in a storage medium, particularly a non-transient storage medium.

[0129] It is understood that relative to the main components in the system (e.g. and ) may be unique to the bulk layer. For example, a material layer that is thermally connected to one or more thermal effectors may also be thermally connected to a surface or another material layer.

[0130] Dynamic estimation of air flow temperature

[0131] The system can dynamically estimate the airflow temperature at or near the outlet. One or more controllers can dynamically estimate the airflow temperature. One or more dedicated system controllers, thermal effector controllers, or both can dynamically estimate the airflow temperature. The airflow temperature can be dynamically estimated according to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 316,779, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0132] The air flow temperature can be determined based on the heat transfer rate between the air flow and one or more surrounding media (e.g., a heat exchanger, a conduit, or both). Dynamic estimation.

[0133] Temperature change per unit time The temperature change (ΔT; represented by the parentheses in Equation G) can be determined based on one or more heat transfer rates and / or heat capacities of the gas stream to one or more surrounding media. Given a known cycle time (t), the temperature change (ΔT; represented by the parentheses in Equation G) can be determined. From the initial gas stream temperature or a previously estimated gas stream temperature (T (n-1) ) can determine the dynamic estimated airflow velocity (T est ). The air flow temperature can be estimated dynamically according to the following equation.

[0134] Equation G

[0135] The program cycle time (eg, 1 second or less, 50 milliseconds or less, 30 milliseconds or less, or even 10 milliseconds or less) may be measured (eg, by a timer) and / or stored in a storage medium.

[0136] The initial airflow temperature may be determined at vehicle startup. The initial airflow temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by a local sensor (e.g., a sensor adapted to sense ambient cabin air temperature) at vehicle startup. These sensors may include sensors disposed within the cabin, on a heating element, on an air vent, or elsewhere. Any sensor in the vehicle may provide the temperature at startup. After startup, the previous airflow temperature may be a dynamically estimated airflow temperature from a previous program cycle.

[0137] The estimated airflow temperature may be used for operation of one or more thermoeffectors. That is, based on the dynamic estimation of the airflow temperature, power regulation (e.g., pulse width modulation duty cycle, constant current control, etc.) of one or more thermoeffectors may be controlled to achieve a set point temperature. Based on the dynamic estimation of the airflow temperature, power regulation (e.g., pulse width modulation duty cycle, constant current control, etc.) of one or more blowers and / or one or more valves may be controlled to achieve a set point temperature.

[0138] The system can determine one or more relative heat transfer rates. One or more controllers can determine the heat transfer rate. One or more dedicated system controllers, thermoeffector controllers, or both can determine the heat transfer rate. The heat transfer rate can be determined according to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 316,779, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0139] The airflow can exchange heat with one or more media in contact with the airflow. The media can include one or more conduits, one or more heat exchangers, or both.

[0140] The airflow may be in thermal communication with one or more conduits from the area where the airflow is discharged from the blower to the area where the airflow exits the outlet. The conduit may extend through one or more vehicle components. The temperature of the conduit may be affected by the temperature applied to the outer surface of the conduit, the outer surface being opposite to the surface contacting the airflow. The conduit may extend through a solid object (e.g., a seat layer) and / or an open space (e.g., an open space defined by the interior of an instrument panel). With respect to the conduit, the solid object and / or the open space may be referred to herein as an environment.

[0141] One or more heat exchangers may be at least partially located within the conduit. One or more heat exchangers may be arranged at one or more locations along the length of the conduit. Airflow may be above and / or through the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger may be in thermal communication with one or more thermoeffectors. The present disclosure contemplates that the airflow is directly in thermal communication with one or more thermoeffectors. The thermoeffector may be integrated with the heat exchanger. One or more media (e.g., thermal paste) may be arranged between the heat exchanger and the thermoeffector.

[0142] Thermal effectors, conduits, and heat exchangers may be referred to herein as media, that is, media that exchanges heat with an airflow.

[0143] Heat transfer rate relative to air flow According to the air flow temperature (T air ), the temperature of the medium that exchanges heat with the airflow (T med ), the surface area over which heat is transferred (A surf ), the thermal resistance (R) between the airflow and the medium exchanging heat with the airflow, or any combination thereof. The heat transfer rate can be calculated according to the following equation.

[0144] Equation H

[0145] The thermal resistance may be a predetermined value. The value may be stored in and / or obtained from a memory storage medium, more particularly a non-transitory memory storage medium. The thermal resistance may be assigned based on a specific vehicle make, model, model year, trim level, or any combination thereof. The thermal resistance may vary for different materials, layer thicknesses, etc. The thermal resistance may be the thermal resistance of free convection air.

[0146] The surface area may be a predetermined value. The value may be stored in and / or obtained from a storage medium, particularly a non-transient storage medium. The surface area may be assigned based on a specific vehicle make, model, model year, trim level, or any combination thereof. For example, the size of a conduit for one model may be different than the size of a conduit for another model. The surface area may be characterized by one or more dimensions of the conduit, the heat exchanger, or both (e.g., the length of the cross-sectional perimeter and / or the length of the conduit extending through the environment).

[0147] In view of industry concerns about cost and manufacturing complexity, not all elements in the heat exchange system described herein have dedicated sensors associated with them. It can be assumed that the temperature of elements not monitored by dedicated sensors is equal to the temperature sensed by local sensors when the vehicle is started. The temperature of elements without sensors associated with them can be provided by dynamic estimation of previous program cycles after startup (see Equation I below). This disclosure does not exclude the possibility that the vehicle may include sensors for sensing these elements. In this case, dynamic estimation of their temperature may not be required.

[0148] Thermoeffector temperature may be provided by input from one or more sensors (e.g., NTC sensors). Thermoeffectors are typically provided with at least one sensor. Thermoeffector temperature may be determined at soak. That is, when the temperature rises to the maintenance set point temperature of the previous cycle.

[0149] The heat exchanger temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensor when the vehicle is started. The heat exchanger temperature may be provided after start-up by a dynamic estimate (see Equation I).

[0150] The ambient (eg, solid objects and / or open space through which the conduit extends) temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensor.

[0151] The duct temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensor when the vehicle is started. After start-up, the duct temperature may be provided by a dynamic estimate (see equation 1). The dynamic estimate may be from a previous program cycle.

[0152] The airflow temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensor when the vehicle is started. After starting, the airflow temperature may be provided by a dynamic estimate (see Equation I). The dynamic estimate may be from a previous program cycle.

[0153] A dynamic estimate of the temperature of an element not monitored by a dedicated sensor can be determined by a step-wise progression of the heat transfer rate determination (see Equation H) and the dynamic temperature estimation (see Equation I), starting with the element having a sensed or assumed temperature, and proceeding through each successive element in the system that is thermally connected to each other until ultimately reaching the airflow.

[0154] The system can dynamically estimate the temperature of one or more elements. One or more controllers can dynamically estimate the temperature of one or more elements. One or more dedicated system controllers, thermal effector controllers, or both can dynamically estimate the temperature of one or more elements. Temperature can be dynamically estimated according to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 316,779, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Dynamic estimation may be particularly advantageous in the case where an element in a thermal system is not sensed by any local sensor. This may be applicable to conduits, heat exchangers, or both.

[0155] Dynamic temperature estimation can be based on the initial temperature of the component or the previously dynamically estimated temperature (T (n-1) ), one or more heat transfer rates relative to the element The temperature may be determined by the thermal capacity (C) of the element (eg, the thermal capacity of a conduit or heat exchanger), the time between program cycles (Δt), or any combination thereof. The temperature may be estimated dynamically according to the following equation.

[0156] Equation I

[0157] The program cycle time (e.g., 1 second or less, 50 milliseconds or less, 30 milliseconds or less, or even 10 milliseconds or less) can be measured (e.g., by a timer) and / or stored in a storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium.

[0158] The thermal capacities may be predetermined values. These values ​​may be stored in and / or obtained from a storage medium, particularly a non-transient storage medium. The thermal capacities may be assigned based on a specific vehicle make, model, model year, trim level, or any combination thereof. The thermal capacities may be specific to different materials, layer thicknesses, etc.

[0159] The initial temperature may be determined at vehicle startup. The initial temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by a local sensor (e.g., a sensor adapted to sense ambient cabin air temperature) at vehicle startup. These sensors may include sensors disposed within the cabin, on a heating element, on an air vent, or elsewhere. Any sensor in the vehicle may provide the temperature at startup. After startup, the previous temperature may be a dynamically estimated temperature from a previous program cycle.

[0160] The duct temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensor when the vehicle is started. The duct temperature may be provided by a dynamic estimate after start-up.

[0161] The heat exchanger temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by the local sensor when the vehicle is started. The heat exchanger temperature may be provided after start-up by a dynamic estimation as taught herein.

[0162] The heat transfer rate relative to the conduit may include the heat transfer rate between the conduit and the environment, the heat transfer rate between the conduit and the gas flow, or both.Other heat transfer rates to and / or from the conduit may be achieved through the present invention.

[0163] The heat transfer rate relative to the heat exchanger may include the heat transfer rate between one or more thermoeffectors and the heat exchanger, the heat transfer rate between the gas flow and the heat exchanger, or both.Other heat transfer rates to and / or from the heat exchanger may be achieved through the present invention.

[0164] Regulating air flow temperature

[0165] The system can regulate the temperature of the airflow. One or more controllers can regulate the temperature of the airflow. One or more dedicated system controllers, thermoeffector controllers, or both can regulate the airflow temperature. The airflow temperature can be regulated according to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 337,645, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0166] The air flow temperature may be regulated by one or more conductive and / or convective thermal effectors. An example of a suitable convective effector may be a thermoelectric device that regulates the air flow.

[0167] Ultimately, the regulation of the airflow temperature by one or more thermoeffectors can be determined by the dynamically estimated airflow temperature at the current time point and the set point temperature. In other words, the amount of energy supplied to the one or more thermoeffectors and the amount of time to supply the energy to achieve the set point temperature can ultimately be determined by the difference between the current dynamically estimated temperature and the set point temperature.

[0168] Dynamically estimated air flow temperature (T air-est ) and set point temperature (T air-set ) can determine the temperature change (ΔT air ; represented by the parentheses in Equation J). Temperature change (ΔT air ) and the target time to reach the set point temperature (t to-set ) can determine the air flow temperature change rate ( The temperature change rate of the airflow can be expressed as and the heat capacity of the airflow (C air ) to determine the incoming airflow to achieve the temperature change rate The target total heat transfer rate is The target total heat transfer rate can be determined according to the following equation.

[0169] Equation J

[0170] The dynamically estimated airflow temperature may be determined as taught above.The set point temperature may be received by a human machine interface (HMI) and / or an autonomous control system.

[0171] The time taken to reach the set point temperature may be a fixed value or may vary. The time taken to reach the set point temperature may be stored in a storage medium, in particular a non-transient storage medium.

[0172] The heat capacity may be a predetermined value. The value may be stored in and / or obtained from a storage medium, in particular a non-transient storage medium. The heat capacity may be the heat capacity of free convection air.

[0173] The system can determine the target heat exchanger temperature required to achieve a target heat transfer rate between the heat exchanger and the airflow. The total heat transfer rate can be calculated based on the target and any other heat transfer rate relative to the gas flow (e.g., the heat transfer rate between the conduit and the gas flow ( )) is determined. Other heat transfer rates relative to the air flow are obtained from This can be subtracted or added to depending on whether heat is being transferred to or from the airflow. Achieving a target heat transfer rate between the heat exchanger and the airflow The desired target heat exchanger temperature (T exch-tgt ) can be based on the target heat transfer rate between the heat exchanger and the airflow The thermal resistance between the heat exchanger and the gas flow (R air-exch ) and the current dynamically estimated heat exchanger temperature (T exch-est The target heat exchanger temperature can be determined according to the following equation.

[0174] Equation K

[0175] The above operations may be performed repeatedly until a target temperature for one or more thermoeffectors is determined. Where there is only one element between the airflow and the thermoeffector, a target total heat transfer rate to / from the element for the one or more thermoeffectors may be determined to achieve a temperature change rate for the element. Then, a target thermoeffector temperature required to achieve the target heat transfer rate between the one or more thermoeffectors and the element may be determined. Where there are multiple elements between the airflow and the thermoeffector, the same procedure may be repeated for each element, where the set point temperature (Equation J) for each successive element in the system may be the target temperature (Equation K) determined from the immediately preceding calculation.

[0176] The present teachings contemplate that one or more thermoeffectors are in direct thermal communication with the airflow. In this case, only equations J and K need to be executed between the one or more thermoeffectors and the airflow.

[0177] The present teachings contemplate that multiple elements may be disposed between the airflow and one or more thermal effectors. In this case, equations J and K may be performed between each element in the system.

[0178] It will be appreciated that any thermal resistance, thermal capacitance, time to reach set point temperature, etc., is unique to each element in the system (e.g., different materials have associated thermal resistances). These values ​​may be predetermined. These values ​​may be stored in a storage medium, particularly a non-transient storage medium.

[0179] It will be appreciated that the identification of "any other" heat transfer rate relative to the bulk element in the system (e.g. ) may be unique to the body element. For example, a heat exchanger in thermal communication with one or more thermoeffectors may also be in thermal communication with a conduit wall through which the heat exchanger may extend.

[0180] Controlling the Co-Position Thermal Effector

[0181] One or more thermoeffectors may affect the temperature change of the surface and / or airflow. When multiple thermoeffectors work together to affect the temperature change, they may be referred to as co-located thermoeffectors in this article. Multiple thermoeffectors can affect the temperature change equally (e.g., providing equal or approximately equal energy). Multiple thermoeffectors can act in a hierarchical structure (e.g., providing different energies). That is, each active thermoeffector may cause less and less heat transfer. Not all thermoeffectors can work properly at any given time. The number of thermoeffectors that work at one time may depend on the required temperature change amplitude. For example, a temperature change of 1°C may only require one thermoeffector to work, while a temperature change of 10°C may require two or more thermoeffectors to work.

[0182] The thermoeffectors and / or thermoeffector controllers may communicate signals with each other to communicate their energy usage to each other. The thermoeffectors and / or thermoeffector controllers may communicate signals with a dedicated system controller (position controller), an existing vehicle controller, or both. The dedicated system controller and / or the existing vehicle controller may operate as a medium to communicate energy usage between the thermoeffectors and / or thermoeffector controllers.

[0183] Target heat transfer rate for a specific (single) thermal effector The total heat transfer rate required for all thermal effectors can be and the heat transfer rate assigned to any other thermal effectors The target temperature (T eff-tgt ) can be based on the target heat transfer rate of a specific (single) thermal effector and the thermal resistance (R eff-med ) is determined. Therefore, the thermal effector can be adjusted to achieve the target temperature (T eff-tgt ). The target temperature to be achieved for a specific thermal effector can be determined using the following equation.

[0184] Equation L

[0185] Figure 1A-Figure 1C A schematic diagram of a system 10 according to the present disclosure is shown. The system includes a parent thermoeffector 12 and a child thermoeffector 14. The thermoeffectors 12, 14 thermally affect surfaces within a vehicle (e.g., seat surfaces) and / or airflow within the vehicle. The system 10 includes a parent thermoeffector electronic control unit 16 that controls the operation of the parent effector 12. The system 10 includes a child thermoeffector electronic control unit 18 that controls the operation of the child effector 14.

[0186] The present disclosure contemplates that the system includes only one thermoeffector. Thus, there is no parent / child configuration. The present disclosure contemplates that the system includes multiple child thermoeffectors. For example, the seat bottom, seat bottom cushions (e.g., left and right side cushions), seat back, seat back cushions (e.g., left and right side cushions) of a vehicle seat may each be thermally affected by a thermoeffector, where one thermoeffector operates as a parent thermoeffector and another thermoeffector operates as a child thermoeffector. The same applies to the electronic control unit associated with each thermoeffector.

[0187] A parent / child configuration may refer to one or more outputs (e.g., power usage) of a parent thermal effector that affect the thermal effects provided to a child thermal effector. In this way, collaboration (e.g., power sharing) of co-located thermal effectors that thermally affect surfaces and / or airflow may be provided. A parent / child configuration may refer to one or more calculations performed by a parent electronic control unit that generate one or more outputs that are used by a child effector electronic control unit. In this way, repeated computational work may be reduced or eliminated. A parent / child configuration may refer to one or more control signals provided by a parent electronic control unit that are used by a child effector electronic control unit. In this way, the operation of a child effector may be coordinated with the operation of a parent effector.

[0188] The system 10 controls the operation of the thermoeffectors 12, 14. To do this, a set point 20 (e.g., temperature) is compared to current thermal conditions (e.g., surface temperature or airflow temperature) to determine the control signal and / or power required by the thermoeffectors 12, 14 to achieve the set point 20. In addition, this comparison may affect Figure 2 The one or more blowers and / or one or more valves shown achieve the control signals and / or power required for the set point 20. To this end, the system 10 includes a human-machine interface (HMI) 22 that receives input related to the set point 20 (e.g., temperature) from the occupant. The system 10 relies on a dynamic estimate of the current thermal condition (e.g., temperature) of the surface and / or airflow away from the thermal effectors 12, 14. The heat transfer rate of the surface or airflow can be calculated based on one or more sensed temperatures and / or assumed temperatures (e.g., assumed to be equal to the temperature of the cabin environment). The heat transfer rate can be used to dynamically estimate the current thermal condition (e.g., temperature) of the surface and / or airflow. The sensed temperature may rely on sensors away from the surface or airflow. These sensors include temperature sensors 24 (e.g., negative temperature coefficient ("NTC") sensors) associated with the thermal effectors 12, 14, and temperature sensors 26 located anywhere else in the vehicle cabin. Therefore, there is no need to directly sense the current conditions of all thermally connected elements, thereby eliminating the need for additional sensors in the vehicle.

[0189] Figure 1A A system according to the present teachings is shown in which a parent thermoeffector electronic control unit 16 , a child thermoeffector electronic control unit 18 , a dedicated system electronic control unit 28 , and an existing vehicle electronic control unit 30 cooperate in operation. Figure 1B and Figure 1C A system according to the present teachings is shown wherein a parent thermoeffector ECU 16, a child thermoeffector ECU 18, and an existing vehicle ECU 30 cooperate in operation. The system configuration shown is not limiting, and any feasible configuration may be employed.

[0190] The set point 20 is ultimately communicated to a control module 36 (e.g., a proportional-integral-derivative module) associated with the parent thermoeffector ECU 14 and the child thermoeffector ECU 18 for comparison with the dynamically estimated surface and / or airflow temperatures. The set point 20 may be communicated directly to a dedicated system ECU 28 (see Figure 1A 1) or the parent thermoeffector electronic control unit 16 (see Figure 1B and Figure 1C The set point 20 can be communicated to the existing vehicle electronic control unit 30 and then from the existing vehicle electronic control unit 30 to the dedicated system electronic control unit 28 (see Figure 1A 2) or the parent thermo-effector electronic control unit 16 (see Figure 1B and Figure 1C The control module 36 is used to receive the dynamic estimated temperature of the surface and / or airflow discussed below, compare the dynamic estimated temperature with the set point 20 provided by the HMI 22, and then provide a power output (e.g., pulse width modulation (PWM)) to the corresponding thermal effector 12, 14.

[0191] The parent thermoeffector 12 and the child thermoeffector 14 each include a temperature sensor 24. The temperature sensor 24 provides the sensed temperature of the thermoeffectors 12, 14 as a signal to a dedicated system electronic control unit 28 ( Figure 1A ) or corresponding thermo-effector electronic control unit 16, 18 ( Figure 1B and Figure 1C ) input.

[0192] The dedicated system electronic control unit 28 includes a heat transfer rate estimation module 32 ( Figure 1A ), the parent thermoeffector electronic control unit 16 includes a heat transfer rate estimation module 32 (see Figure 1B ), or the parent and child thermal effector electronic control units 16, 18 include a heat transfer rate estimation module 32 (attached Figure 1C As taught herein, the heat transfer rate can be estimated based on the temperature of two thermally connected media, the surface area over which the heat is transferred, and the thermal resistance. The temperature provided by the temperature sensor 24 associated with the thermoeffector 12, 14 provides the temperature used for the estimate. The temperature of any other thermal medium may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by a local sensor (e.g., a sensor located within the cabin 26), or may be provided by an estimate from a previous program cycle. Estimates from previous program cycles, surface areas, and thermal resistances may be retrieved from a memory storage medium (e.g., local to the thermoeffector control unit 16, 18 and / or dedicated system electronic control unit 28). One or more dynamically estimated temperatures may be obtained from the temperature estimator module 34 discussed below.

[0193] The dedicated system electronic control unit 28 includes a temperature estimator module 34 ( Figure 1A ), the parent thermoeffector electronic control unit 16 includes a temperature estimator module 34 (see Figure 1B ), or the parent and child thermal effector electronic control units 16, 18 include a temperature estimator module 34. As taught herein, the temperature may be estimated based on an initial or previous temperature of the element, one or more heat transfer rates relative to the element, heat capacity, and cycle time. The initial temperature may be assumed to be equal to the temperature sensed by a local sensor (e.g., a sensor located within the cabin 26). The previous temperature may be provided by an estimate from a previous program cycle. The estimate from the previous program cycle and / or the thermal capacity may be retrieved from a memory storage medium (e.g., local to the thermoeffector control unit 16, 18 and / or the dedicated system electronic control unit 28). The cycle time may be obtained from a memory storage medium (e.g., local to the thermoeffector control unit 16, 18 and / or the dedicated system electronic control unit 28) or provided by a timer. One or more heat transfer rates may be obtained from the heat transfer rate estimation module 32 described above.

[0194] The parent thermoeffector ECU 14 and the child thermoeffector ECU 18 include a control module 36 (eg, a proportional-integral-derivative module) ( Figure 1A-1B The control module 36 is configured to receive a dynamic estimated temperature of a surface and / or airflow, compare the dynamic estimated temperature to a set point temperature provided by the HMI 22, and then provide a power output (e.g., PWM) to the corresponding effector 12, 14. The temperature estimator module 34 communicates with the control module 36 to provide a dynamic estimated temperature of a surface or airflow.

[0195] The system may include one or more sub-thermal effectors 14 that do include their own temperature estimator module 34 ( Figure 1B In this way, no repeated calculations need to be performed. In this configuration, the temperature estimator module 34 associated with the parent thermal effector 12 can communicate the dynamically estimated temperature to the control module 36 associated with the child thermal effector 14.

[0196] The system may include multiple co-located thermoeffectors that work together to condition a common surface, airflow, and / or vehicle component. In this case, power consumption may be evenly or unevenly distributed between the parent thermoeffector 12 and the child thermoeffector 14. Thus, their control modules 36 may communicate their respective power usage to each other.

[0197] Figure 2A schematic diagram of a system 10 according to the present disclosure is shown. The system 10 is used to adjust a seat 38, which includes a backrest area 40 for resting the back of an occupant, a seat area 42 for resting the rear of an occupant, a neck area 44 located adjacent to the neck of a seated occupant, and an armrest area 46 for resting the arms of an occupant. The backrest area 40 includes a central portion 48 and a cushion portion 50. The seat area 42 includes a central portion 52 and a cushion portion 54. The neck area 44 includes a headrest 56. The armrest area 46 includes a center console portion 58 and a door panel portion 60.

[0198] Each of the zone portions includes one or more thermoeffectors 62 .

[0199] The central portion 48 of the backrest area 40 includes a resistive heater 64 and a thermoelectric device 66. The thermoelectric device 66 is used to regulate the airflow delivered to the receiving device, wherein the receiving device is in conductive thermal communication with the central portion 48. In conjunction with the thermoelectric device 66, a blower 68 produces a regulated airflow, and one or more valves 70 direct the airflow into one or more conduits and / or mix the airflow with one or more other airflows. The present disclosure contemplates that either or both of the resistive heater 64 and the thermoelectric device 66 (including the associated blower 68 and one or more valves 70) are present in the central portion 48. The cushion portion 50 of the backrest area 40 includes the resistive heater 64.

[0200] The central portion 52 of the seating area 42 includes a resistive heater 64 and a thermoelectric device 66. The thermoelectric device 66 is used to regulate the airflow delivered to the receiving device, wherein the receiving device is in conductive thermal communication with the central portion 52. In conjunction with the thermoelectric device 66, a blower 68 produces a regulated airflow, and one or more valves 70 direct the airflow into one or more ducts and / or mix the airflow with one or more other airflows. The present disclosure contemplates that either or both of the resistive heater 64 and the thermoelectric device 66 (including the associated blower 68 and one or more valves 70) are present in the central portion 52. The cushion portion 54 of the seating area 42 includes the resistive heater 64.

[0201] The headrest 56 of the neck region 44 includes a thermoelectric device 66. The thermoelectric device 66 operates to regulate the airflow exhausted from the headrest 56. In cooperation with the thermoelectric device 66, a blower 68 generates the regulated airflow, and one or more valves 70 direct the airflow into one or more ducts and / or mix the airflow with one or more other airflows.

[0202] The center console portion 58 of the armrest area 46 includes a resistive heater 64 .

[0203] The door panel portion 60 of the armrest area 46 includes resistive heaters 64 in the upper, middle and central portions thereof.

[0204] The thermoeffectors 62 (resistive heaters 64) of the center console portion 58 are controlled by a thermoeffector electronic control unit 72 associated with the center console portion 58. The thermoeffectors 62 (resistive heaters 64) of the door panel portion 60 are controlled by a thermoeffector electronic control unit 72 associated with the door panel portion 60. The present disclosure contemplates that the thermoeffectors 62 of the center console portion 58 and the door panel portion 60 may be controlled by a dedicated system electronic control unit, and / or that the thermoeffector electronic control unit 72 may be eliminated.

[0205] Thermoeffectors 62, blowers 68 and valves 70 for back zone 40, seat zone 42 and neck zone 44 are controlled by a dedicated system electronic control unit 74. The present disclosure contemplates that one or more zones and / or portions thereof may be controlled by a thermoeffector electronic control unit local and / or dedicated to that zone.

[0206] The dedicated system ECU 74 may operate as a parent controller and the thermoeffector ECU 72 may operate as a child controller. The present disclosure contemplates that any ECU may operate as a parent controller and any remaining ECUs may operate as child controllers.

[0207] Figure 3 A graph comparing a dynamically estimated surface temperature according to the present disclosure with an actually measured surface temperature is shown. The X-axis shows time (seconds) and the Y-axis shows temperature (°C). The tolerance of the actually measured temperature is represented by the shaded area. The surface is heated by a resistive heater. The surface is soaked at -10°C and then gradually heated up. Before calibration, the dynamic estimate varies outside the tolerance band of the actually measured temperature. After calibration, the dynamic estimate is substantially within the tolerance band of the actually measured temperature. That is, the dynamic estimate deviates from the tolerance band by a maximum of about 1°C only within a time range of 400 to 500 seconds.

[0208] Figure 4 A graph is shown comparing a dynamically estimated surface temperature according to the present disclosure with an actually measured surface temperature. The X-axis shows time (seconds) and the Y-axis shows temperature (°C). The tolerance of the actually measured temperature is represented by the shaded area. The surface is heated by a coordinated configuration of convection and conduction. That is, the airflow is regulated by a thermoeffector and delivered to a containment device that is in conductive thermal communication with a vehicle component. The surface is soaked at -10°C and then gradually heated up. Prior to calibration, the dynamic estimate varied outside the tolerance band of the actually measured temperature. After calibration, the dynamic estimate is substantially within the tolerance band. That is, the dynamic estimate deviates from the tolerance band by a maximum of approximately 1°C only within a time range of 300 to 500 seconds.

[0209] Figure 5A graph comparing the dynamically estimated airflow temperature at the outlet according to the present disclosure with the actually measured airflow temperature is shown. The X-axis shows time (seconds) and the Y-axis shows temperature (°C). The tolerance of the actually measured temperature is represented by the shaded area. The airflow is generated by a blower and heated by a resistive heater. The air source is soaked at a temperature of -30°C and then gradually heated up. Before calibration, the dynamic estimate varies outside the tolerance band. After calibration, the dynamic estimate is within the tolerance band.

[0210] about Figure 3-Figure 5 The calibration mentioned in the above may adjust one or more parameters (e.g., thermal resistance, heat capacity, surface area, etc., or any combination thereof) used in the dynamic temperature estimation and / or heat transfer rate determination. That is, the adjusted parameters may not reflect their true values. In addition, constants may be used to calibrate the system in the dynamic temperature estimation and / or heat transfer rate determination.

[0211] It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. The explanations and illustrations presented herein are intended to familiarize those skilled in the art with the invention, its principles, and its practical applications.

[0212] Those skilled in the art can adapt and apply the present invention in various forms to best suit the requirements of a particular application.After reading the above description, many embodiments and many applications other than the examples provided herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0213] Accordingly, the specific embodiments of the invention described herein are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting.The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

[0214] The omission from the following claims of any aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein does not constitute a disclaimer of such subject matter and should not be construed as an indication that the inventors did not consider such subject matter to be part of the disclosed inventive subject matter.

[0215] The disclosures of all articles and references, including patent applications and publications, are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0216] A single integrated element or step may provide multiple elements or steps. Alternatively, a single element or step may be divided into separate multiple elements or steps.

[0217] Disclosure of “a” or “one” to describe an element or step does not mean excluding other elements or steps.

[0218] The use of "about" or "approximately" in connection with ranges applies to both ends of the range. Thus, "about 20 to 30" is intended to cover "about 20 to about 30", including at least the specified endpoints.

[0219] Unless otherwise specified, all ranges include endpoints and all numbers between the endpoints, with increments of one unit, provided that there is at least a 2-unit interval between any lower endpoint and any higher endpoint. For example, if the value of the amount of a component, property, or process variable (such as temperature, pressure, time, etc.) is specified as 1 to 90, 20 to 80, or 30 to 70, it is intended that the intermediate range values ​​(such as 15 to 85, 22 to 68, 43 to 51, 30 to 32, etc.) are within the teaching of this specification. Similarly, individual intermediate values ​​are also within the teaching.

[0220] For values ​​which are less than one, one unit is considered to be 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01 or 0.1, as appropriate. These are only examples of what is specifically intended, and all possible combinations of numerical values ​​between the lower and upper endpoints enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this application in a similar manner.

[0221] The term "consisting essentially of..." used to describe a combination shall include the identified elements, ingredients, components, or steps, as well as other elements, ingredients, components, or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the combination. The use of the terms "includes" or "comprising" to describe a combination of elements, ingredients, components, or steps herein also contemplates embodiments consisting essentially of these elements, ingredients, components, or steps.

[0222] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or segments, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or segments should not be limited by these terms. These terms can be used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer and / or segment from another region, layer or segment. Unless the context clearly indicates, the "first", "second" and other numerical terms used in this article do not mean sequence or order. Therefore, without departing from the teaching, the first element, component, region, layer and / or segment discussed below can be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer and / or segment.

[0223] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "inside," "outside," "below," "beneath," "lower," "above," "upper," etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship of an element or feature to other elements or features shown in the drawings. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the device in the drawings is flipped, elements described as "below" or "below" other elements or features would be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the example term "below" can include both above and below directions. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0224] The terms "typically" or "substantially" used to describe angle measurements may mean about + / -10° or less, about + / -5° or less, or even about + / -1° or less. The terms "typically" or "substantially" used to describe angle measurements may mean about + / -0.01° or more, about + / -0.1° or more, or even about + / -0.5° or more.

[0225] The terms "typically" or "substantially" used to describe a linear measurement, percentage, or ratio may mean about + / -10% or less, about + / -5% or less, or even about + / -1% or less. The terms "typically" or "substantially" used to describe a linear measurement, percentage, or ratio may mean about + / -0.01% or more, about + / -0.1% or more, or even about + / -0.5% or more.

[0226] The method may include one or more steps described herein, some of which may be duplicated, deleted or eliminated, rearranged relative to other steps, combined into one or more steps, separated into two or more steps, or a combination thereof.

[0227] The flow charts described herein do not imply a fixed order to the steps, and unless otherwise specified herein, embodiments of the present invention may be practiced in any practicable order.

[0228] Reference numerals

[0229] 10 system; 12 parent thermal effector ("parent effector"); 14 child thermal effector ("child effector"); 16 parent thermal effector electronic control unit ("parent ECU"); 18 child thermal effector electronic control unit ("child ECU"); 20 set point; 22 human machine interface ("HMI"); 24 temperature sensor (associated with the thermal effector); 26 temperature sensor (located in the cabin); 28 dedicated system electronic control unit ("dedicated ECU"); 30 existing vehicle electronic control unit ("vehicle ECU"); 32 heat transfer rate estimation module; 3 4 Temperature estimator module; 36 Control module (Proportional-Integral-Derivative module); 38 Seat; 40 Backrest area; 42 Seat area; 44 Neck area; 46 Armrest area; 48 Central portion of backrest area; 50 Cushion portion of backrest area; 52 Central portion of seat area; 54 Cushion portion of seat area; 56 Headrest; 58 Center console portion; 60 Door panel portion; 62 Thermal effector; 64 Resistance heater; 66 Thermoelectric device; 68 Blower; 70 Valve; 72 Thermal effector electronic control unit; 74 Special system electronic control unit; 76 Existing vehicle electronic control unit.

Claims

1. A regulating system operable in a vehicle, the regulating system comprising: Thermo-effector, a first local sensor associated with the thermoeffector, and a controller in signal communication with the thermoeffector and the first local sensor; wherein the controller or an additional controller dynamically estimates a thermal condition remote from the thermoeffector and at least partially affected by the thermoeffector based on a first temperature sensed by the first local sensor and optionally a second temperature sensed by an optional second local sensor; and Wherein the controller controls the thermal effector based on a dynamically estimated thermal condition.

2. The adjustment system according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is a thermoeffector controller local to the thermoeffector.

3. The regulation system according to claim 1 or 2, comprising two or more thermoeffectors and two or more controllers, each of the two or more controllers being located locally to the two or more thermoeffectors; wherein, The two or more thermoeffectors condition a common surface and / or a common airflow, or the two or more thermoeffectors condition a common vehicle component.

4. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The two or more controllers communicate power consumption signals to each other, the power consumption signals indicating power consumed by the two or more thermoeffectors; and wherein the two or more thermoeffectors contribute equally to the power consumption, or the two or more thermoeffectors function in a hierarchy with each successive thermoeffector contributing progressively less to the power consumption.

5. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Each of the two or more controllers dynamically estimates the thermal condition.

6. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: One of the two or more controllers operating as a parent controller dynamically estimates the thermal condition and provides the thermal condition to the remaining controllers of the two or more controllers operating as child controllers.

7. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The communication between the two or more controllers is performed via a local interconnect network bus.

8. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The additional controller is a dedicated system controller local to the vehicle component regulated by the system.

9. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The additional controller operates as a parent controller to dynamically estimate the thermal condition and provide the thermal condition to the controller operating as a child controller.

10. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The communication between the controller and the additional controllers is performed via a local interconnect network bus.

11. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The thermal conditions include surface temperature, airflow temperature, or both; wherein the surface is located on a seat cushion, seat back, headrest, door panel, center console, steering wheel, shifter, instrument panel, headliner, floor, leg panel, or any combination thereof; and Wherein, the air flow is emitted from the vents on or in the seat cushion, seat back, headrest, door panel, center console, steering wheel, shifter, dashboard, ceiling, floor, leg board or any combination thereof; optionally, the vents are connected to the containing device.

12. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The thermal condition is a surface temperature, and the controller or the additional controller determines a first heat transfer rate relative to the surface, the first heat transfer rate being directly or indirectly affected by the thermal effector; wherein the first heat transfer rate is ultimately determined by input from the first local sensor; and wherein the dynamically estimated thermal condition is based on the first heat transfer rate.

13. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The controller or the additional controller determines a second heat transfer rate relative to the surface, the second heat transfer rate being affected by the cabin environment, and / or the controller determines a third heat transfer rate relative to the surface, the third heat transfer rate being affected by the occupant; wherein the second heat transfer rate is ultimately determined by an input indicative of the cabin environment temperature; wherein the third heat transfer rate is ultimately determined by an input indicative of the occupant temperature; and wherein the dynamically estimated thermal condition is based on the second heat transfer rate and / or the third heat transfer rate.

14. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The thermal condition is an airflow temperature, and the controller or the additional controller determines a first heat transfer rate relative to the airflow, the first heat transfer rate being directly or indirectly affected by the thermal effector; wherein the first heat transfer rate is ultimately determined by input from the first local sensor; and wherein the dynamically estimated thermal condition is based on the first heat transfer rate.

15. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The controller or the additional controller determines a second heat transfer rate relative to the airflow, the second heat transfer rate being affected by the cabin environment; wherein the second heat transfer rate is ultimately determined by an input indicative of the cabin ambient temperature; and wherein the dynamically estimated thermal condition is based on the second heat transfer rate.

16. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The first local sensor is located on or adjacent to the thermoeffector.

17. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The thermal effector is located in or on a vehicle component; wherein the vehicle component includes a seat cushion, a seat back, a headrest, a door panel, a center console, a steering wheel, a shifter, an instrument panel, a roof, a floor, a leg panel, a duct or any combination thereof.

18. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The thermoeffector includes a resistive element, a thermoelectric device, or both.

19. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Controlling the thermoeffector includes regulating the power of the thermoeffector and / or reversing the polarity of the thermoeffector to achieve a set point temperature; And wherein the controlling is based on the dynamically estimated thermal condition and the set point temperature.

20. A conditioning system according to any preceding claim, comprising a human machine interface adapted to receive a set point temperature, a set point mass air flow or both.

21. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The regulation system comprises a blower and / or a valve; wherein the controller cooperates to control the blower speed and / or the valve position to achieve a set point mass air flow and / or a set point temperature; and wherein the control is based on a temperature dynamically estimated by the controller or the additional controller.

22. A regulating system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The controller or the additional controller receives from an existing vehicle controller: a set point temperature, a set point mass air flow, a temperature sensed by a second local sensor, a power budget, an occupancy status, an operating mode, or any combination thereof.

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