Climate and / or ventilation control methods and systems

Abstract

The invention relates to a climate and / or ventilation control method in a motor vehicle, in which an optical detection device arranged in the vehicle interior detects light reflections in at least one area of ​​a windshield and corresponding image data is supplied to an electronic computing device for the analysis of transmission properties. For adaptive dehumidification and / or defrosting of the windshield areas, the electronic computing device is configured to evaluate the light reflections caused by the activation of ambient lighting, to draw conclusions about the moisture and / or ice condition in the windshield area based on the evaluation, and to control ventilation nozzles to the windshield areas based on the determined condition. The invention further relates to a system (10).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a climate and / or ventilation control method in a motor vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a system for climate and / or ventilation control in a motor vehicle.

[0002] Such climate and / or ventilation control methods are designed to control indoor climate and visibility conditions and are used in particular to automatically keep window areas free from condensation or ice formation.

[0003] It is already known that climate and / or ventilation control methods are based on temperature and / or humidity sensors located in the interior. While these methods allow for basic control of the ventilation nozzles, they do not sufficiently take into account local variations in the window area or dynamic adjustments based on optical reflection patterns.

[0004] The object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic control of the ventilation nozzles for adaptive dehumidification and / or defrosting of window areas.

[0005] This problem is solved by means of a climate and / or ventilation control method with the features of claim 1, and by means of a climate and / or ventilation control system according to the invention in a motor vehicle. Advantageous embodiments of the climate and / or ventilation control method according to the invention are to be regarded as advantageous embodiments of the climate and / or ventilation control system according to the invention, wherein the means of the system can be used to carry out the respective process steps. Furthermore, advantageous developments of the invention are described by the dependent claims, the following description, and the figures.

[0006] One aspect of the invention relates to a climate and / or ventilation control method in a motor vehicle, particularly a passenger car, in which an optical detection device arranged in the vehicle interior detects light reflections in at least one pane area of ​​a windshield and the corresponding image data is supplied to an electronic computing device for the analysis of transmission properties. The method thus comprises an optical detection device that records the light reflections and an electronic computing device that processes the recorded image data. Furthermore, the method includes a ventilation device with several ventilation nozzles, which enables the control of airflows in the vehicle interior.

[0007] To solve the problem of the invention and thus enable adaptive dehumidification and / or defrosting of the window areas, the invention provides that the electronic computing device is designed to evaluate the light reflections caused by the control of ambient lighting, to draw conclusions about the moisture and / or ice condition in the window area based on this evaluation, and to control the ventilation nozzles to the window areas based on the determined condition. This design ensures that the method is not limited to individual interior sensors, but rather enables spatially resolved, dynamic adjustment of the ventilation to the actual condition of the window.

[0008] In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, a system calibration is performed in which the optical detection device and the ambient lighting are aligned with a reference coordinate system, thereby providing a reliable evaluation of the detected reflections. This is particularly advantageous in situations with complex windshield geometry.

[0009] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the ambient lighting is controlled in such a way that a color sequence and / or a continuously changing color is projected, which enables a clear identification of the reflection characteristics in the pane areas. This allows the differentiation between dry, moist, and icy surfaces.

[0010] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one stored reference curve, in particular an absorption curve for water and / or laminated glass, is used and correlated with the measured reflections. This creates a robust basis for comparison, enabling reliable determination even under varying environmental conditions.

[0011] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that several measuring points are defined within the lens area, at which the reflections are evaluated. The measuring points can be evenly distributed and / or arranged in a denser density in critical viewing areas, thereby enabling targeted control of the ventilation nozzles.

[0012] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, relative absorption values ​​are determined from the measured reflection data and linked to a delta value depending on reference values. This provides a quantitative assessment of the humidity and / or ice condition, which forms the basis for differentiated control of the ventilation nozzles.

[0013] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the evaluation of the reflections is performed cyclically and / or event-driven, thereby enabling dynamic adaptation to changing interior conditions. For example, rapid condensation can be detected immediately and the ventilation nozzle can be controlled directly.

[0014] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the ventilation nozzles are controlled zonally, so that different areas of the windshield can be individually dehumidified and / or defrosted. This is particularly advantageous in the case of partial fogging in the driver's field of vision, as air can be directed specifically to this area without affecting the entire interior.

[0015] A further aspect of the invention relates to a climate and / or ventilation control system in a motor vehicle, comprising an optical detection device arranged in the vehicle interior, which is configured to detect respective light reflections in at least one pane area of ​​a windshield, an electronic computing device configured for adaptive dehumidification and / or defrosting of the pane areas, which evaluates the detected image data for the analysis of transmission properties, and a ventilation device comprising several ventilation nozzles. The electronic computing device is configured to evaluate the light reflections caused by the activation of ambient lighting, to draw conclusions about the humidity and / or ice condition, and to control the ventilation nozzles depending on this condition.

[0016] In other words, the climate and / or ventilation control system is designed to include not only the detection and evaluation of light reflections, but also the integration of reference curves, the definition of multiple measuring points, the calculation of delta values, the cyclical repetition of the evaluation, and the zonal control of the air vents. Additionally, the system integrates the optical detection device, the ambient lighting, and / or the electronic computing unit, thereby enabling seamless integration into an existing vehicle infotainment system. The combination of these features essentially results in improved automatic control of the air vents, allowing for situation-appropriate dehumidification and / or defrosting of individual window areas that surpasses current state-of-the-art technology.

[0017] Furthermore, it is planned that different wavelength ranges will be successively projected by controlling ambient lighting, in particular a connected ambient light unit, so that the light reflections captured by a head-up camera can reveal relative absorption in the windshield area. This approach utilizes the fact that absorption coefficients are available for specific windshield materials and / or for water, allowing for comparison with stored reference curves. The evaluation area can be determined by known CAD data of the windshield position and / or by detecting the optical flow in the image, taking into account the effects of individual occlusions by the driver and / or passengers.

[0018] Depending on the projected wavelengths, a relative change in the absorption coefficients is determined, indicating the presence of moisture and / or ice in the windshield area. A delta value is calculated using threshold analysis and compared with previously determined absorption curves for water and / or glass. If the delta value exceeds a threshold, moisture and / or ice formation is detected, triggering the activation of the corresponding ventilation nozzle. The projection of the wavelength chirps can be designed to be below the driver's perception threshold, thus ensuring that visibility is not impaired.

[0019] This method enables adaptive determination of the humidity level in the vehicle interior without additional interior sensors, as the head-up camera is used in combination with ambient lighting and / or the electronic processing unit for data acquisition and analysis. There is no dependence on additional sensors such as radar and / or lidar, nor is there any need to combine multiple cameras. Rather, the approach is essentially based on a pure software solution that can be integrated into existing systems through appropriate calibration.

[0020] Furthermore, the described steps are intended to be repeated cyclically and / or event-driven within a control loop, thus achieving continuous monitoring of the windshield areas. The air vents can be controlled zonally, allowing critical vision areas to be individually dehumidified and / or defrosted. This results in a significant increase in comfort for the driver and / or passengers, as the adjustment occurs automatically without any further driver input. Moreover, the approach is globally functional, as it operates based on the general physical absorption properties of water and / or glass materials and, in particular, does not require any OEM-specific hardware.

[0021] Overall, the invention is intended to provide an adaptive ventilation control system taking into account ambient lighting and / or color chirp projection, thereby enabling the automatic control of the ventilation nozzles depending on a determined humidity and / or ice condition in the window area.

[0022] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment and from the drawing. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as those mentioned below in the figure description and / or shown in the figure alone, can be used not only in the combinations specified, but also in other combinations or individually, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0023] This shows: Fig. 1 a block diagram of a method for adaptive ventilation control in the interior of a motor vehicle.

[0024] In the figures, identical or functionally equivalent elements are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0025] Fig. Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a method for adaptive ventilation control in the interior of a motor vehicle, using a color chirp projection via Connected Ambient Light (CAL) in combination with a head-up camera as an optical detection device. The method comprises process steps VS1 to VS10, where the blocks represent the functional units of system 10 and the arrows indicate the data flow and / or control signals, essentially in the order of processing.In this process, the optical detection device captures the respective light reflections in at least one area of ​​a windshield and the corresponding image data is fed to an electronic computing device, which is designed to evaluate the light reflections caused by the control of the ambient lighting, to draw conclusions about the moisture and / or ice condition in the windshield area depending on the evaluation and to control ventilation nozzles accordingly, thereby enabling adaptive dehumidification and / or de-icing of the windshield areas.

[0026] In the first process step VS1 (system calibration), the system components involved, in particular the HU camera, the CAL unit and a control unit, are calibrated to each other. The calibration includes a geometric adjustment of the projection angles and viewing angles so that the projected light patterns of the CAL unit are identical to the areas of the windshield captured by the camera.

[0027] In a second process step, VS2 (reference absorption curve), reference absorption curves are obtained and / or retrieved, particularly for water and laminated glass. These curves can be stored in a vehicle-side database and can be dynamically adjusted as needed using sensor data on temperature and / or humidity, thus providing a reference basis adapted to the ambient conditions.

[0028] In a third process step, VS3 (detection of the glass area), the glass area relevant to the camera is detected. This can be done either using a CAD reference geometry of the front or side glass or by image analysis using optical flow. This allows the outlines of the glass area to be identified and the position of the measurement points to be prepared for further analysis.

[0029] In a fourth process step, VS4 (determination of measuring points), several discrete measuring points are defined within the determined area of ​​the windscreen. These can be evenly distributed or concentrated in critical zones, such as the driver's field of vision or areas with a high tendency to fog up.

[0030] In a fifth process step, VS5 (Synchronous Color Projection), the CAL unit sequentially emits different wavelength ranges of the visible spectrum, generating a time-modulated control signal in the form of a color chirp. The projection is preferably pulsed and is time-synchronized with the frame rate of the HU camera (optical detection device), allowing a corresponding camera image to be captured for each projected wavelength. This enables a clear correlation between emitted spectral components and the light components reflected or transmitted by the disk, allowing subsequent spectral analysis to be performed with high signal separation and low noise.

[0031] In a sixth process step, VS6 (detection projection), the HU camera records the color components generated by the CAL unit for each measurement point. For each projected wavelength interval, the luminance at the respective measurement point is stored, resulting in a spectral profile that allows conclusions to be drawn about the transmission properties of the glass and any possible water films.

[0032] In a seventh process step, VS7 (determination of relative absorption), a relative absorption curve is calculated for each measurement point from the recorded measurement series. This curve shows the deviation of the current transmission properties of the pane compared to the known reference behavior of dry laminated glass.

[0033] In an eighth process step, VS8 (calculation of water absorption correlation), the relative absorption curve is compared with the water absorption curve stored in VS2. A delta value is calculated here, representing the water content at the respective measurement point. Depending on the evaluation, water film thickness and / or droplet formation can also be detected.

[0034] In a ninth process step, VS9 (Adaptive Ventilation Control), the ventilation is controlled based on the determined delta values. The control unit can individually regulate the corresponding air outlets, directing the airflow specifically to the affected areas of the window. This enables adaptive defrosting and / or dehumidification, particularly in areas with a limited field of vision.

[0035] In a tenth process step, VS10 (Cyclic Repetition), steps VS2 to VS9 are continuously repeated, dynamically adapting the ventilation control to changing environmental conditions. This process can be triggered cyclically at fixed time intervals or event-driven, for example, upon detection of condensation patterns.

[0036] Finally, in Fig. 1. Another cyclic repetition Y is displayed, which includes process steps VS2 to VS9. This cyclic repetition ensures continuous validation of the data generated in the process steps, allowing temporal changes in the reflection characteristics in the pane area to be detected, measurement deviations to be statistically smoothed, and adaptive corrections to the ventilation control to be made depending on dynamic indoor conditions.

[0037] The technical advantage of the presented design is that the determination of moisture or ice content does not require additional sensors, but can be carried out using existing components of a ventilation system (System 10). This enables a software-based expansion of existing systems without the need to integrate additional hardware.

[0038] In summary, the invention proposes an adaptive ventilation control system taking into account an AL-supported color chirp projection.

Claims

[1] Climate and / or ventilation control method in a motor vehicle in which, by means of an optical detection device arranged in the vehicle interior, respective light reflections in at least one pane area of ​​a windshield are detected and corresponding image data are supplied to an electronic computing device for the analysis of transmission properties, where For adaptive dehumidification and / or defrosting of the window areas, the electronic computing device is designed to evaluate the light reflections caused by the control of ambient lighting, to draw conclusions about the moisture and / or ice condition in the window area depending on the evaluation, and to control ventilation nozzles to the window areas depending on the determined condition. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by, that a system calibration is performed in which the optical detection device and the ambient lighting are aligned in relation to a reference coordinate system. [3] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the ambient lighting is controlled in such a way that a color sequence and / or a continuously changing color is projected, whereby the light reflections caused by the change are evaluated. [4] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that at least one stored reference curve, in particular an absorption curve for water and / or laminated glass, is used and correlated with the recorded reflections. [5] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that several measuring points are defined within the disc area at which the reflections are evaluated, whereby the measuring points can be evenly distributed and / or in critical viewing areas. [6] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that relative absorption values ​​are determined from the calculated reflection data and these are linked to a delta value depending on reference values. [7] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the evaluation of the reflections is repeated cyclically and / or event-driven, thus enabling dynamic adaptation to changing indoor conditions. [8] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the ventilation nozzles are controlled zonally, so that different areas of the window are individually dehumidified and / or defrosted. [9] System (10) for climate and / or ventilation control in a motor vehicle, comprising an optical detection device arranged in the vehicle interior, which is configured to detect respective light reflections in at least one area of ​​a windshield, an electronic computing device configured for adaptive dehumidification and / or defrosting of the window areas, which evaluates the detected image data for the analysis of transmission properties, and a ventilation device comprising several ventilation nozzles, wherein the electronic computing device is configured to evaluate the light reflections caused by the control of ambient lighting, to draw conclusions about a moisture and / or ice condition in the window area depending on the evaluation, and to control the ventilation nozzles to the window areas depending on the determined condition.

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