Method for controlling and regulating a vehicle air conditioning system

Abstract

Method for controlling and regulating a vehicle air conditioning arrangement, characterized in that - a footwell air flow (13) and a headwell air flow (14) are generated in the air conditioning unit (9) to supply a vehicle cabin with the same temperature and - depending on operator specifications, contact heating elements (1, 2, 3, 8) and radiant heating elements (4, 5, 6, 7) are activated for local heating and - a user-specific thermal comfort profile is created for each passenger, whereby - the temperature in the vehicle cabin is lowered and the thermal comfort for the passenger is adjusted by switching on the local contact heating elements (1, 2, 3, 8) and radiant heating elements (4, 5, 6, 7), whereby - a seat heater (1), a steering wheel heater (2), an armrest heater (3) and / or a footwell floor heater (8) are provided as contact heating elements (1, 2, 3, 8) and at least one windscreen heater (4), a footwell ceiling radiant heater (5), a footwell wall radiant heater (6) and / or a footwell door radiant heater (7) are provided as radiant heating elements (4, 5, 6, 7).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for controlling and regulating a vehicle air conditioning system.

[0002] A preferred field of application of the invention is the air conditioning of vehicles and in particular of electric vehicles.

[0003] Air conditioning units, also known as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units, are used to air condition vehicles. These units are designed to maintain interior temperatures between 21°C and 26°C in the vehicle cabin. Thermal comfort for passengers is provided by air conditioning using refrigerant circuits with standard refrigerants and auxiliary electric heaters for cooling, heating, and dehumidification.

[0004] PTC heaters are typically used as auxiliary electric heaters in these systems. Air conditioning in cold ambient temperatures is a known problem for electric vehicles or even highly efficient combustion vehicles due to the lack of waste heat at a suitable temperature level.

[0005] Modern electric vehicles therefore also utilize heat pump systems and high-voltage PTC auxiliary heating elements to achieve comfortable temperatures in the vehicle cabin even at low ambient temperatures. High-voltage PTC heating elements of up to 6 kW are used for auxiliary heating. The heating potential of heat pump systems is particularly limited in cold ambient conditions, for example, ambient temperatures between minus 20°C and minus 10°C. State-of-the-art systems close the gap between comfortable interior temperatures of 21°C to 26°C and cold ambient temperatures using a high-voltage PTC heating element. However, this compromises the range of electric vehicles in extreme cold and can reduce them by up to 40%.

[0006] It is also known that, in addition to the influence of air temperature, the influence of radiant surfaces also affects passengers' thermal sensation. High thermal comfort can also be achieved by, for example, increasing the heated wall area and simultaneously lowering the air temperature. However, the radiant surfaces available in vehicles are much smaller, so the potential for larger radiant surfaces is severely limited or nonexistent due to capacity constraints.

[0007] Furthermore, the air conditioning system in current vehicles operates in such a way that the air conditioning units provide a warmer air temperature in the foot area and a cooler air temperature in the head area. The relevant standards recommend air stratification between the head and foot areas at a level of 2 to 12 K / m. Therefore, different air conditioning unit discharge temperatures are required for the foot area and the head area, which in turn necessitates a complex air conditioning unit design and in-depth system control.

[0008] Furthermore, vehicle air conditioning arrangements are known in the prior art which include radiant and contact heating systems.

[0009] For example, US 2012 / 0 267 354 A1 discloses a radiant heating system for use in vehicles, which includes heating means for generating radiant heat and protective elements to prevent the driver from coming into contact with the heating means. The heating means are positioned for radiant heating of the vehicle's footwell.

[0010] JP 2014 - 205 432 A also discloses a radiant heating air conditioning system for radiantly heating the footwell of the vehicle, wherein the radiant heating is controllable via an air conditioning control device.

[0011] DE 11 2015 002 482 T5 discloses a heating system for a vehicle that combines radiant heating elements and contact heating elements. A control device distinguishes between a priority mode for radiant heating and a priority mode for contact heating, with which the heating system can be operated depending on the situation.

[0012] Further examples of radiation and contact heating systems in the prior art can be found in JP 3 395 229 B2, JP 2016 - 47 670 A, JP 2017 - 178 020 A, JP 2017 - 159 858 A, US 4 920 759 A, US 2010 / 0 176 110 A1, US 2013 / 0 068 440 A1, DE 198 08 571 B4, DE 10 2013 214 557 A1, DE 10 2013 021 593 A1, DE 10 2014 210 736 A1, DE 10 2012 221 116 A1 and DE 10 2015 117 645 A1.

[0013] DE 10 2016 101 093 A1 relates to an adaptive vehicle climate control system and a method for vehicle climate control. The problem to be solved is to reconcile the achievement of a desired comfort level within the vehicle cabin of an electrified vehicle with maximizing the driving range of the electrified vehicle. To this end, the method provides, among other things, for automatically adjusting an occupant comfort level within a vehicle in the AUTO mode or ECO mode of a climate control system of the vehicle. The automatic adjustment step includes modifying a temperature within the vehicle and activating a first additional comfort feature and a second additional comfort feature of the vehicle, wherein the first additional comfort feature is a different feature than the second additional comfort feature.A vehicle climate control system according to DE 10 2016 101 093 A1 includes, among other things, an HVAC system, a first auxiliary comfort feature, a second auxiliary comfort feature different from the first auxiliary comfort feature, and a zone climate control unit configured to control a temperature change in the interior of a vehicle using the HVAC system and to actuate the first auxiliary comfort feature and the second auxiliary comfort feature to modify an occupant comfort level in the interior of the vehicle.

[0014] DE 10 2013 214 555 A1 relates to a method for heating the interior of a vehicle, in particular a hybrid or electric vehicle. The object to be achieved is to provide an improved method for heating the interior of a vehicle using at least one decentralized heating system. To achieve this object, the vehicle in which the inventive method for heating the interior of a vehicle is to be used has, in addition to a conventional central heating system, several decentralized heating surfaces, wherein the decentralized heating surfaces are designed as infrared heating surfaces.

[0015] DE 10 2012 208 593 A1 generally relates to motor vehicle HVAC systems (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) and, more particularly, to a system and method for coordinating multiple heating and cooling devices for air conditioning vehicle occupants in a manner that optimizes energy consumption. Minimizing vehicle heat loads and HVAC energy consumption and exploiting physiological sensations in a manner that reduces energy consumption are crucial for maximizing fuel economy while meeting customer comfort expectations. A method is provided for operating an HVAC comfort system in an interior of a vehicle. Several vehicle status parameters are measured, including an interior temperature and a seat occupancy configuration. The method detects whether the vehicle status parameters correspond to a predetermined override condition.If the vehicle status parameters correspond to the predetermined override condition, a respective prescribed setting is automatically activated. If not prevented by the prescribed setting, one of several HVAC modes is automatically selected in response to the interior temperature. The HVAC modes include an extremity heating mode and a panel circulation mode. The extremity heating mode consists of automatic activation of a heated climate contact surface in response to the seat occupancy configuration. The extremity heating mode may also include convection and radiant heating devices.

[0016] The panel circulation mode consists of the automatic activation of one or more convection cooling zones in response to the seat occupancy configuration. The panel circulation mode may also include the activation of a cooled climate contact surface and / or the cooling of other surfaces in the vehicle (thereby reducing the radiant heating of the occupant from these surfaces).

[0017] DE 10 2018 120 147 A1 relates to a system and method for heating an electrified vehicle. Electrified vehicles often present particular challenges in thermal management. For example, achieving desired comfort levels in the passenger compartment in an electrified vehicle must be balanced against maximizing fuel efficiency and the range of the electrified vehicle. To solve this problem, it is stated that an electrified vehicle includes, among other things, a passenger compartment, an infrared heater configured to radiate heat for conditioning the passenger compartment, a heating device configured to heat an air flow for conditioning the passenger compartment, and a controller. The controller is configured to selectively command a change in an output of the heating device based on an amount of power available for the infrared heater.

[0018] DE 10 2011 101 011 A1 discloses an underfloor heating system for a motor vehicle for generating at least one heat field. The problem to be solved is to create an underfloor heating system for a motor vehicle that can be operated as economically and safely as possible and that can be activated independently of the operation of the vehicle, even when connected to a vehicle's electrical system. To this end, DE 10 2011 101 011 A1 discloses an electric underfloor heating system for a motor vehicle that generates one or more heat fields on the floor. This system has a surface heating element that can be electrically connected to a power supply source present on the motor vehicle. Advantageously, this underfloor heating system further comprises a control device by means of which the surface heating element can be controlled independently of the operation of the motor vehicle's engine, in order to thus initiate heating operation when desired and necessary.This prevents the underfloor heating from heating at undesirable times when it is powered by the vehicle's electrical system. On the other hand, it also makes it possible for the underfloor heating to operate even when the engine is not running, for example to preheat the floor.

[0019] Further documents from the state of the art are DE 10 2011 076 897 A1, DE 11 2015 005 822 T5 and DE 20 2018 105 047 U1.

[0020] The above-mentioned state-of-the-art solutions have the disadvantage that, although individual aspects of comfort and reduction of energy consumption are achieved by combining radiant and contact heating systems and integrating them into vehicle air conditioning systems, an increase in the complexity of the overall system is accompanied by only partial improvements in the system.

[0021] The object of the invention is to provide a method for controlling and regulating a vehicle air conditioning system which is simple in terms of equipment, whereby a high level of thermal comfort for the vehicle occupants is to be achieved while at the same time minimizing the electrical consumption of the system.

[0022] The problem is solved by a method for controlling and regulating a vehicle air conditioning system having the features of independent patent claim 1. Further developments are specified in the dependent patent claims.

[0023] It is known that a vehicle air conditioning system comprises three components that can be used for heating: the air conditioning unit, contact heating elements, and radiant heating elements. These components are combined in a higher-level control algorithm and integrated into the vehicle air conditioning system, hereinafter referred to simply as the air conditioning system, to achieve stratification of the air within the vehicle cabin through the combination of these elements while simultaneously lowering the air temperature within the vehicle cabin.

[0024] A significant advantage associated with this concept is that a considerable simplification of the design of the air conditioning unit can be achieved, as the air conditioning unit no longer needs to provide thermal stratification of the air flows.

[0025] According to the design, thermal stratification is achieved using radiant heating elements integrated into a higher-level control strategy. As a result, the cabin temperature can be reduced while maintaining the same level of thermal comfort.

[0026] As a result, the desired thermal comfort for the vehicle occupants can be achieved without having to meet the previously usual requirements of achieving an air temperature between 21°C and 26°C and an air stratification between the head area and the foot area with the vehicle air conditioning arrangement according to the invention.

[0027] This is achieved, especially in cold ambient temperatures, by re-evaluating thermal comfort and an efficient heating strategy, particularly taking into account the specific characteristics of electric vehicles.

[0028] In terms of equipment and control technology, the concept is implemented by subjecting the individual components used to heat the vehicle cabin to a higher-level control system. The vehicle cabin temperature is maintained at a minimum air temperature using a heat pump system, and heat loss from the vehicle occupants is compensated for by local heating using radiant and contact heaters to achieve comfortable conditions.

[0029] An additional advantage of the resulting climate control system is that it can better reflect individual passenger preferences. Unlike previous air conditioning systems in electric vehicles, the air temperature is not the control variable for passenger comfort. The control variable is the passenger's thermal comfort, which can be individually controlled.

[0030] The conventional air conditioning system already provides a basic temperature control at the various outlets, without stratifying the air between the foot and head areas. Comfort stratification between the head and foot areas is achieved through local heating strategies, both for stratification and for lowering the cabin temperature while maintaining a consistently high level of thermal comfort. Contact heaters such as seat heaters, steering wheel heaters, armrest heaters, and carpet heaters are used for this purpose. Radiant heaters are also used, for example, on the windshield, under the steering wheel, on the left side of the passenger footwell, and on the right side of the driver's footwell.

[0031] The object of the invention is achieved by a method for controlling and regulating a vehicle air conditioning system, which comprises an air conditioning unit with at least one fan, an evaporator, and a heating heat exchanger. In addition, contact heating elements and radiant heating elements are provided, as well as a control and regulating device for controlling the components of the vehicle air conditioning system. To heat and create a thermal stratification of the air with a warmer layer in the footwell and a cooler layer in the head area of ​​the vehicle cabin, the contact heating elements and the radiant heating elements are designed to complement the air conditioning unit and can be switched on and controlled according to a storable, predeterminable user profile.

[0032] Preferably, the air conditioning unit is designed to be operated as a heat pump, so that the air conditioning unit itself also functions as a heater.

[0033] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a weight sensor is arranged in the interior vehicle seat and / or an infrared sensor is arranged at the passenger's head height, whereby the occupancy or occupation of the seats is detected and thus the corresponding components of the contact and radiant heating elements can be specifically addressed in the control and regulating device.

[0034] Seat heating, steering wheel heating, armrest heating and / or floor heating are preferably positioned in the vehicle cabin as contact heating elements.

[0035] The radiant heating elements in the vehicle cabin are preferably a windshield heater, a footwell ceiling radiant heater, a footwell wall radiant heater and / or a footwell door radiant heater.

[0036] On the passenger side, the steering wheel heating has been replaced by a radiant heating element in the glove compartment.

[0037] To increase the comfort of the passengers in the rear, a radiant heating element is arranged on the back of the front vehicle seats to heat the footwell of the passengers in the rear vehicle seats.

[0038] The object of the invention is further achieved by a method for controlling and regulating a vehicle air conditioning arrangement, wherein a footwell air flow and a headwell air flow are generated in the air conditioning unit to supply a vehicle cabin with the same temperature and the contact heating elements and the radiant heating elements are activated for local heating depending on the operator specifications and that, in addition, a user-related profile for thermal comfort is created which can be individualized for each passenger, wherein the temperature of the air in the vehicle cabin is lowered and the thermal comfort for the passenger is adjusted by switching on the local contact heating elements and radiant heating elements.It is provided that a seat heater, a steering wheel heater, an armrest heater and / or a footwell floor heater are provided as contact heating elements and at least one windshield heater, a footwell ceiling heater, a footwell wall heater and / or a footwell door heater are provided as radiant heating elements.

[0039] Advantageously, the contact heating elements and the radiant heating elements are only activated when the weight sensor and / or the infrared sensor registers the occupancy of the corresponding vehicle seat.

[0040] Preferably, basic settings for the operation of the components of the vehicle air conditioning system are stored in the control and regulation system for typical operating conditions and temperatures. A manual change to the basic settings is saved as a personal user profile and subsequently retrieved and executed, for example, when a person is detected via the weight sensor.

[0041] Furthermore, at cold ambient temperatures of minus 20°C, the air temperature in the vehicle cabin is advantageously set to a slightly cool state of 17°C to 19°C with the air conditioning unit operating as a heat pump, whereby the temperature of the footwell air flow corresponds to the temperature of the headwell air flow and the contact heating elements and the radiant heating elements are set to a medium level with 50% of the maximum heating output as the basic setting.

[0042] The method according to the invention, with the corresponding control strategy, has a particularly advantageous effect in that, on the one hand, the air temperature at foot level rises due to natural air circulation around the radiant heating elements, the heating plates, and, on the other hand, the operating room temperature at foot level also rises due to the higher radiant temperature. Passengers perceive this temperature as warmer. Therefore, the air temperature stratification can be lower than with conventional systems, as the passenger feels comfortable, and the exhaust temperature can be lowered.

[0043] In the air conditioning unit, this minimizes the amount of air bypassing the heater core. This improves fan efficiency. The interior air temperature in the vehicle cabin can thus be lowered, and an additional high-voltage PTC heating element is no longer required in the air conditioning unit.

[0044] In summary, the advantages are that the air conditioning unit can be designed more simply and built more compactly than existing systems without air stratification, since no mixing of air for different discharge temperatures is required.

[0045] According to the design, the radiant and contact heating elements are integrated into a higher-level operating strategy.

[0046] The operating strategy described below demonstrates the concept for controlling comfortable conditions for passengers. The controlled variable of the presented application is user comfort. Passengers can individually control their comfort. If they feel cold or warm, they can increase or decrease the heat output of the district heating systems, the contact heating elements, and the radiant heating elements, accordingly. The interaction of the heat pump and the contact and radiant heating systems can create comfortable conditions in cold ambient temperatures, even at minus 20°C.

[0047] The following outlines the concept for controlling comfortable conditions for passengers. The initial condition is a relatively cold ambient temperature of, for example, minus 20°C. Using a heat pump system, the air temperature in the cabin is adjusted to a slightly cool level of, for example, 17°C to 19°C. The air conditioning unit provides the same outlet air temperature for the head and foot areas. The local contact heating elements and radiant heating elements are set to a medium intensity level. The passenger feels comfortable because heat loss can be compensated for by the contact heating elements, such as the seat, steering wheel, armrest, and carpet heating, and by the radiant heating at foot level.

[0048] Stratification between head and foot level is achieved by heating via radiant surfaces in the foot area. The operating room temperature in the foot area can be varied using the heating surface segments. This allows a comfortable operating temperature to be set individually for each passenger. Another special feature of the control system is that a personal profile algorithm is created for each passenger based on a weight sensor in the seat and an infrared sensor at the passenger's head. If a passenger feels thermally uncomfortable, the local heaters at the feet and body can be varied according to the passenger's wishes to increase thermal comfort. If the passenger desires a higher temperature, the radiator in the foot area is set to a higher level. If a passenger feels uncomfortable at head level, the outlet temperature can be increased or decreased.If a passenger feels thermally uncomfortable, the local heating can be increased or decreased. The settings for each passenger are logged and stored in an individual comfort profile.

[0049] In summary, the advantages of the invention are that, first and foremost, the vehicle's air conditioning unit can be designed more simply, since the foot and head areas are supplied with the same air temperature. This eliminates the need for various temperature flaps and mixing zones within the air conditioning unit, and this space can be made available for other components and features of the vehicle.

[0050] Overall, the use of this concept and the associated reduction in the complexity of the air conditioning unit also leads to the vehicle air conditioning system being produced more cost-effectively and operated in a more energy-efficient manner.

[0051] Further details, features, and advantages of embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Fig. 1: State-of-the-art vehicle air conditioning system Fig. 2: Process-controlled vehicle air conditioning system Fig. 3: Control concept of a vehicle air conditioning system Fig. 4: Control concept user profile Fig. 5: Schematic representation of the vehicle cabin, driver's side Fig. 6: Schematic representation of the vehicle cabin, passenger side Fig. 7: Schematic representation of the rear air conditioning concept Fig. 8: Schematic representation of the autonomous driving air conditioning concept.

[0052] In Fig. Figure 1 schematically illustrates a prior art vehicle air conditioning system. The vehicle occupant 15 sits on the vehicle seat 16 of the vehicle in the vehicle cabin. In the illustrated case, the driver is shown, as indicated by the steering wheel. A conventional air conditioning unit 9 is installed in the vehicle. This unit generates an air flow by means of a fan 10, which is cooled and dehumidified in an evaporator 11, and subsequently raised to the desired temperature in the heating heat exchanger 12. The resulting air flow is divided into a footwell air flow 13 and a headwell air flow 14, with the footwell air flow 13 supplying the footwell 17 of the vehicle cabin and the headwell air flow 14 supplying the headwell 18 of the vehicle cabin with conditioned air.This simplified illustration does not show the technical measures required by the air conditioning unit 9 to generate a stratified airflow of footwell airflow 13 and headwell airflow 14, which, according to current requirements, have different temperatures. The overall airflow is stratified into a warm footwell airflow 13 and a cooler headwell airflow 14.

[0053] In Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a vehicle air conditioning system controlled according to the method. The air conditioning unit 9 supplies the vehicle cabin with a footwell air flow 13 and a headwell air flow 14, which, however, have the same uniform temperature and thus no thermal stratification. The temperature of the footwell air flow 13 and the headwell air flow 14 is relatively low compared to the discharge temperatures of conventional air conditioning units according to the prior art. The vehicle air conditioning system is supplemented by several local heating components, such as the contact heating elements of the seat heater 1, the steering wheel heater 2, the armrest heater 3, and the footwell floor heater 8. Furthermore, radiant heating elements are provided, which are designed as windshield heater 4, footwell ceiling radiant heater 5, footwell wall radiant heater 6, and footwell door radiant heater 7 and are positioned in the vehicle cabin.

[0054] In Fig. Figure 3 shows a flow chart for the control strategy under cold ambient conditions as starting point 19. Fig. Figure 3 shows schematically the possibilities of user-specific settings of the vehicle air conditioning arrangement.

[0055] At the starting point 19, the control at cold ambient temperatures of, for example, minus 20°C, the system is set to a vehicle cabin temperature 20 by adjusting the heat pump and to a medium level of heating output 21 of the local heating elements. If the user now desires a change, three different zones are available. The head zone 22, the foot zone 23, and the body zone 24 can each be individually adjusted by setting them colder 25, warmer 26, or no change 27. Changes made result in the outlet temperature of the air conditioning unit operating as a heat pump being reduced 28 or increased 29 for the desired change for the head zone 22. If a change is desired for the foot zone 23, this leads to a corresponding reduction in the heating output 30 or an increase in the heating output 31, either in the foot zone 23 or the body zone 24.After completing the user's individual settings, their profile is saved as user profile 32 and is specifically assigned to a user, for example via an infrared sensor and a weight sensor.

[0056] A learning algorithm controls the personal preference of each passenger. Based on a weight sensor in the seat and an infrared sensor on the passenger's head, the control and regulation system creates a user-specific comfort profile for each passenger. A corresponding circuit diagram is shown in Fig. 4 shown.

[0057] The algorithm of the control system 33 processes each passenger's user profile 32, which stores the passengers' thermal preferences. Based on this, the calculation of passenger comfort is adjusted, taking into account the weight sensor 34, infrared sensor 35, and temperature sensors 36, as well as the individual thermal preferences.

[0058] The control algorithm calculates the target value for the vehicle cabin temperature 20, which is provided by the air conditioning unit 9. The air conditioning unit 9 also influences the heating component control 37. The heating outputs for local heating surfaces, such as the seat heating 1, the steering wheel heating 2, the armrest heating 3, the floor heating 8, and the windshield heating 4, are calculated by the heating component control 37, and the corresponding components are subsequently controlled. The windshield heating is used for defrosting and demisting, as well as for radiant heating to increase thermal comfort in the head area of ​​the driver and front passenger. Contact and radiant heating can be adjusted to a wide variety of surface temperatures using the control algorithm.

[0059] In Fig. Figure 5 shows a schematic representation of the components of the vehicle air conditioning system for the driver or vehicle occupant 15. The local radiant and contact heating elements are shown as seat heating 1, steering wheel heating 2, armrest heating 3, and footwell floor heating 8. The surface heating systems, also referred to as radiant heating elements, are installed as windshield heating 4 and footwell ceiling radiant heating 5 below the steering wheel and on the left side of the driver's feet as footwell door radiant heating 7 in the door area, and on the right side of the driver's footwell area as footwell wall radiant heating 6.

[0060] In Fig. 6, the vehicle air conditioning arrangement with the heating systems for the passenger as vehicle occupant 15 is analogous to the representation in Fig. 5. In contrast to the local heating elements for the driver according to Fig. 5 the steering wheel heating is converted into a surface heating 2 on the glove compartment.

[0061] In Fig. Figure 7 shows the installation of surface heating systems for the vehicle occupants 15 in the rear seat or in the second or a rear row of seats. The local heating elements are analogous to the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 arranged.

[0062] For example, the footwell ceiling radiant heater 5 is arranged under the front seat and additionally in the lower area of ​​the front seat backrest to heat the footwell of the rear vehicle occupants 15. Furthermore, an armrest heater 3 and a seat heater 1 are provided to improve the thermal comfort of the vehicle occupants 15.

[0063] In Fig. Figure 8 schematically illustrates the situation during autonomous driving, which differs only in that the vehicle occupants 15 are arranged facing each other in the vehicle cabin. The seat heater 1, the armrest heater 3, the footwell wall radiant heater 6, the footwell door radiant heater 7, and the footwell floor heater 8 are controlled in a similar manner to the previous Fig. 5 to 7. List of reference symbols 1 seat heating 2 steering wheel heating, surface heating 3 Armrest heating 4 Windshield heating 5 Footwell ceiling radiant heating 6 Footwell wall radiant heating 7 Footwell door radiant heating 8 Underfloor heating 9 Air conditioner 10 fans 11 evaporators 12 heating heat exchangers 13 Footwell airflow 14 Headroom airflow 15 vehicle occupants 16 Vehicle seat 17 Footwell of the vehicle cabin 18 Headroom of the vehicle cabin 19 Starting point for cold ambient temperature control 20 Vehicle cabin temperature 21 Heating output 22 Head area 23 Foot area 24 body area 25 Colder 26 warmers 27 No change 28 Reduce discharge temperature 29 Increase outlet temperature 30 Reduce heating output 31 Increase heating output 32 User profile 33 Control system 34 Weight sensor 35 Infrared sensor 36 Temperature sensor 37 Heating component control

Claims

[1] Method for controlling and regulating a vehicle air conditioning system, characterized by , that - a footwell air flow (13) and a headwell air flow (14) are generated in the air conditioning unit (9) to supply a vehicle cabin with the same temperature and - depending on operator specifications, contact heating elements (1, 2, 3, 8) and radiant heating elements (4, 5, 6, 7) are activated for local heating and - a user-specific thermal comfort profile is created for each passenger, whereby - the temperature in the vehicle cabin is lowered and the thermal comfort for the passenger is adjusted by switching on the local contact heating elements (1, 2, 3, 8) and radiant heating elements (4, 5, 6, 7), whereby - a seat heater (1), a steering wheel heater (2), an armrest heater (3) and / or a footwell floor heater (8) are provided as contact heating elements (1, 2, 3, 8) and at least one windscreen heater (4), a footwell ceiling radiant heater (5), a footwell wall radiant heater (6) and / or a footwell door radiant heater (7) are provided as radiant heating elements (4, 5, 6, 7). [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the contact heating elements (1, 2, 3, 8) and the radiant heating elements (4, 5, 6, 7) are only put into operation when the weight sensor (34) and / or the infrared sensor (35) registers the occupancy of the associated vehicle seat (16). [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat basic settings for the operation of the components of the vehicle air conditioning arrangement are stored in the control and regulating device for typical operating conditions and temperatures and a manual change of the basic settings is stored as a personal user profile and is subsequently retrieved and executed when the person is detected via the weight sensor (34). [4] Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that at cold ambient temperatures of -20°C, the air temperature in the vehicle cabin is set to a slightly cool state of 17°C to 19°C with the air conditioning unit (9) operating as a heat pump, whereby the temperature of the footwell air flow (13) corresponds to the temperature of the headwell air flow (14) and that the contact heating elements (1, 2, 3, 8) and the radiant heating elements (4, 5, 6, 7) are set to a medium level of 50% of the maximum heating output as the basic setting.

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