Auxiliary heated close comfort system for motor vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to an auxiliary close comfort system (100) for a motor vehicle intended to contribute to improving the comfort of the passengers of said vehicle in addition to or as a replacement for the HVAC air treatment system of this vehicle, said system comprising a plurality of heating close comfort elements (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120) as well as a control unit (140) capable of autonomously controlling the operation of said heating close comfort elements in cold or temperate weather; characterized in that said system also comprises a supervision module (130) capable of detecting the opening level of each of the windows of said vehicle, said control unit being configured to modulate the electrical heating power of said heating close comfort elements as a function of the opening level of said windows. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 2

Description

Title of the invention: Auxiliary heating close comfort system for motor vehicle Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the problem of improving thermal comfort in the passenger compartment of motor vehicles. Prior art

[0002] As is known, motor vehicles are equipped with an air treatment system within the passenger compartment of the vehicle in order to ensure passenger comfort.

[0003] Generally designated by the acronym HVAC (for Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning in English) and conventionally installed under the dashboard of the vehicle, such an air treatment system is likely to be supplied with outside air taken from a canopy located at the foot of the windshield and / or with recycled air taken from the passenger compartment.

[0004] A supply flap also makes it possible to adjust the ratio between the flow of outside air taken and the flow of recycled air, this flap being controlled by a manual or automatic control making it possible to choose the incoming air subjected to conditioning.

[0005] The HVAC system comprises heating means for delivering hot air to the interior of the vehicle passenger compartment so as to heat this passenger compartment and achieve a certain level of comfort for the passengers.

[0006] These heating means may, for example, comprise a reversible heat pump comprising a circuit for circulating a refrigerant fluid and / or heating modules provided with ceramic substrates and / or electrical resistors.

[0007] In order to improve passenger comfort in cold climates (outside temperature less than or equal to 5°C) or temperate climates (outside temperature between 5 and 20°C), certain motor vehicles are also equipped with an auxiliary heating close comfort system operating independently in addition to or as a replacement for the HVAC system and comprising a plurality of heating close comfort elements integrated into various parts of the vehicle such as, for example, the steering wheel, the seat backs or the door panels.

[0008] Described for example in document US 10,279,650 B2, such an auxiliary close comfort system also comprises a control unit capable of autonomously controlling the operation of said close comfort heating elements in cold or temperate weather.

[0009] Furthermore, in cold winter weather the windows are at a temperature close to the outside temperature and their infrared radiation towards the passengers contributes significantly to the feeling of thermal comfort or discomfort.

[0010] Certain treatments of the internal face of these glazings with low-emissivity coatings make it possible to reduce this infrared radiation and improve passenger comfort. It is also known to integrate heating close comfort elements into these glazings.

[0011] During these periods of cold weather, the discomfort felt by passengers becomes even greater when at least one of the vehicle windows opens at least partially, for example when passing through a toll booth or to collect an order at a restaurant collection point.

[0012] Such an opening of at least one window of the vehicle thus causes an influx of cold outside air into the passenger compartment, almost immediately causing discomfort for the passengers. Statement of the invention

[0013] The present invention aims to improve the situation.

[0014] To this end, it proposes an auxiliary close comfort system for a motor vehicle intended to participate in improving the comfort of the passengers of said vehicle in addition to or as a replacement for the HVAC air treatment system of this vehicle, said system comprising a plurality of heating close comfort elements as well as a control unit capable of autonomously controlling the operation of said heating close comfort elements in cold or temperate weather; characterized in that said system also comprises a supervision module capable of detecting the level of opening of each of the windows of said vehicle, said control unit being configured to modulate the electrical heating power of said heating close comfort elements according to the level of opening of said windows.

[0015] The auxiliary close comfort system according to the invention thus makes it possible to avoid or at least significantly reduce the feeling of discomfort for passengers when at least one window of the vehicle is partially or completely opened. It also makes it possible to optimize the electrical consumption of the heating close comfort elements of the vehicle so as to limit their impact on the autonomy of the vehicle (this criterion being particularly important for electrically powered vehicles whose autonomy is less than for thermally powered vehicles).

[0016] According to preferred characteristics of said auxiliary close comfort system according to the invention: - said control unit is configured so that the power modulation only concerns certain heating close comfort elements located in a predetermined zone associated with the window whose opening level changes; - the heating close comfort element(s) located across several zones are considered as belonging to all of these zones, so that their heating power is modulated in the event of a change in the opening level of one of the windows associated with these zones; - said control unit is configured to activate the modulation of the electrical heating power of the close comfort heating elements of the zone associated with a window, only when the opening level of the window in question reaches certain predefined levels each corresponding to a predetermined percentage of its maximum opening level; - the modulation of the electrical heating power of the heating close comfort elements located in the area associated with a window of the vehicle is differentiated between these elements; - the modulation of the power upwards or downwards depends on the distance between the window concerned and the nearby heating comfort element, being greater for the element(s) closest to this window; - said control unit is configured so that the modulation of the electrical heating power of said heating close comfort elements is carried out in stages, each corresponding to a predefined percentage of their maximum power; - said supervision module comprises sensors integrated into the motorization mechanisms of the vehicle windows and associated with a sub-module for processing the data transmitted by these sensors; and / or - said supervision module comprises at least one camera associated with a sub-module for analyzing the images captured by the latter.

[0017] The invention also aims, in a second aspect, at a motor vehicle comprising such an auxiliary close comfort system. Brief description of the drawings

[0018] The description of the invention will now be continued by the detailed description of an exemplary embodiment, given below for illustrative but non-limiting purposes, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: - [Fig.l] represents a schematic top view of a motor vehicle comprising an auxiliary close comfort system according to the invention; and - [Fig.2] is a functional diagram of the auxiliary close comfort system according to the invention. Description of the embodiments

[0019] [Fig.l] represents a schematic top view of a motor vehicle 1 of the electric type comprising an electric propulsion machine powered by one or more high-voltage batteries.

[0020] The invention is however not limited to this type of vehicle and may also relate to a hybrid type vehicle comprising a combustion engine as well as an electric propulsion machine, or even a purely thermal vehicle equipped only with a combustion engine.

[0021] In the remainder of this description and by convention, the terms “front” and “rear” will be understood in relation to the general orientation of the vehicle 1. The term “front” will indicate a positioning oriented towards the front of the vehicle in the horizontal direction and the term “rear” will indicate a positioning oriented towards the rear of this vehicle in the same horizontal direction.

[0022] The motor vehicle 1 is provided with a passenger compartment comprising a first row of seats consisting in this case of two front seats 3, 4 arranged symmetrically on either side of the median longitudinal axis of the vehicle, as well as a second row of seats consisting in this case of three rear seats 5, 6, 7 independent or constituting a bench seat and extending transversely across the width of this passenger compartment to the rear of the front seats 3, 4.

[0023] The invention is however not limited to this type of arrangement and the passenger compartment may for example comprise a third row of seats and / or a different number of seats per row.

[0024] The vehicle 1 is equipped with an HVAC air treatment system, not shown, comprising heating means as well as air ducts in fluid communication with aerators or air outlet nozzles installed for example at the level of the dashboard of this vehicle 1 and making it possible to diffuse hot air into the passenger compartment so as to heat this passenger compartment and achieve a certain level of comfort for the passengers.

[0025] These heating means may consist, for example, of an electrical resistor arranged in a ventilation system, directly heating the air before it is introduced into the passenger compartment using a blower, or of an electrical resistor heating a heat transfer fluid, the heat transfer fluid heating a heat exchanger through which the air passes before it is introduced into the passenger compartment, or of a temperature exchanger of a heat pump type device.

[0026] The vehicle 1 further comprises an auxiliary close comfort system 100, the functional diagram of which is shown in [Fig.2].

[0027] This auxiliary close comfort system 100 is provided with a certain number of heating close comfort elements comprising in this case: - a heating element 110 integrated into the steering wheel 8; - a heating element 111 integrated in the glove box 9; - a heating element 112 integrated in the armrest 10 of the central console; - two heating elements 113, 114 integrated respectively in the panels of the front side doors 11, 12; - two heating elements 115, 116 integrated respectively in the two backrests of the front seats 3, 4; - two heating elements 117, 118 integrated respectively in two footwells 13, 14 located in front of the front seats 3, 4; and - two heating elements 119, 120 integrated respectively in the two backrests of the rear side seats 5, 7.

[0028] These various heating close comfort elements 110 to 120 which each comprise for example a resistive electrical sheet, thus make it possible to transfer by conduction, convection and / or radiation part of the heat that they produce to certain body areas (feet, legs, arms, back, head, etc.) of the passengers of the vehicle 1.

[0029] Depending in particular on their surface area and / or the distance separating them from the targeted body zone(s), the heating close comfort elements 110 to 120 advantageously have different maximum electrical powers of, for example, between 50 and 100 W.

[0030] The invention is however not limited to such an arrangement and other types of heating close comfort elements can be arranged in the vehicle.

[0031] For example, it would be possible to provide for the integration of such heating close comfort elements in the central armrest of the rear bench seat, in the side armrests, in the headrests of the front and / or rear seats, in the roof lining, in the panels of the rear side doors, in the footwells located in front of the rear side seats, or even in the sun visors.

[0032] With reference to [Fig.2], this auxiliary close comfort system 100 also comprises a supervision module 130 capable of detecting the level of opening of each of the windows of the vehicle 1 between their two extreme positions, fully open and fully closed.

[0033] This supervision module 130 may for example comprise sensors integrated into the motorization mechanisms of the windows of the vehicle 1 and associated with a sub-module for processing the data transmitted by these sensors.

[0034] Alternatively, this supervision module 130 could comprise at least one camera associated with a sub-module for analyzing the images captured by the latter.

[0035] According to an advantageous embodiment, this supervision module 130 can also be informed by certain functional modules of the vehicle of the next automated opening / closing of one of the windows of the vehicle in certain circumstances (e.g., when approaching / exiting a toll barrier or a restaurant collection point).

[0036] The auxiliary close comfort system 100 further comprises a control unit 140, preferably consisting of the vehicle's BSI (for "Intelligent Service Box") also called VSM (for "Vehicle Supervisor Module" in English) in common terminology, and connected, via the on-board electronic network of the vehicle 1, to the various heating close comfort elements 110 to 120 as well as to the supervision module 130.

[0037] The control unit 140 is capable of autonomously controlling the operation of the heating close comfort elements 110 to 120 in cold or temperate weather (i.e. when the outside temperature is lower than a first predetermined temperature, for example equal to 20°C).

[0038] It can also ensure the control of the HVAC air treatment system. The invention is however not limited to such a configuration and this HVAC air treatment system can be controlled independently by another specific control unit.

[0039] According to the invention, the control unit 140 is configured to modulate the electrical heating power of the heating close comfort elements 110 to 120 of the vehicle 1 as a function of the level of opening of the windows of this vehicle.

[0040] This modulation of the electric heating power is advantageously determined via a multiple-input correspondence table stored in a memory of this control unit 140 and specifying the power modulation to be applied to each heating close comfort element 110 to 120 of the vehicle 1 as a function of the level of opening of the windows of this vehicle.

[0041] Generally, the control unit 140 is configured so as to: - increasing the electrical heating power generated by all of the heating close comfort elements 110 to 120 of the vehicle 1 when the opening level of at least one of the windows of the vehicle increases (for example, when moving from a configuration where all of the windows of the vehicle are closed to a configuration where at least one of them is at least partially open); and - decreasing the electrical heating power generated by all of the heating close comfort elements 110 to 120 of the vehicle 1 when the opening level of at least one of the windows of the vehicle decreases (for example, when moving from a configuration where one of the windows of the vehicle is at least partially open to a configuration where all of these windows are closed).

[0042] Advantageously, the control unit 140 is configured so that the power modulation only concerns certain close comfort elements. heating located in a predetermined area associated with the window whose opening level changes.

[0043] As illustrated by [Fig.l], the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1 is thus in this case divided into four zones: front left Zl, front right Z2, rear left Z3 and rear right Z4 associated respectively with the front left window, the front right window, the rear left window and the rear right window.

[0044] According to variants not shown, the zones may be delimited differently. Zones Z1 and Z2 may for example each extend over a respective lateral half of the passenger compartment to take into account the propagation of cold outside air in the left or right rear lateral part of this passenger compartment when the opening level of the front window located on the corresponding side increases.

[0045] Advantageously, the heating close comfort element(s) located across several zones will be considered as belonging to all of these zones, so that their heating power is modulated in the event of a change in the opening level of one of the windows associated with these zones. This is the case in this instance for the heating element 112 integrated in the armrest 10 of the central console which will be considered as belonging to the two front left zones Z1 and front right zones Z2.

[0046] Thus, in the event, for example, of an increase (respectively, a decrease) in the opening level of the left front window, the control unit 140 will command an increase (respectively, a decrease) in the electrical heating power of the heating elements 110, 112, 113, 115 and 117 of the left front zone Zl.

[0047] Alternatively, it could be considered that the heating power of the heating close comfort element(s) located across several zones is never modulated or only in the event of a change in the opening level of all the windows associated with these zones.

[0048] The control unit 140 is advantageously configured to activate the modulation of the electrical heating power of the close comfort heating elements of the zone associated with a window only when the opening level of the window in question reaches certain predefined levels each corresponding to a predetermined percentage of its maximum opening level (for example, 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%).

[0049] This control unit 140 is also advantageously configured so that the modulation of the electrical heating power of the heating close comfort elements is carried out in stages, each corresponding to a predefined percentage of their maximum power (for example, 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%).

[0050] Advantageously, the modulation of the electrical heating power of the heating close comfort elements located in the area associated with a window of the vehicle can be differentiated between these elements.

[0051] Taking the example above of an increase (respectively, a decrease) in the opening level of the left front window, it could for example be envisaged that the modulation of the power upwards (respectively, downwards) depends on the distance between the window concerned and the heating close comfort element, being greater for the element(s) closest to this window.

[0052] In this case and when the opening level of the left front window goes from 0% (window closed) to 100% (window fully open), the heating close comfort element 113 integrated in the left front door panel and located as close as possible to this left front window can thus for example go from 50% to 100% of its maximum power, while the other heating close comfort elements located in the zone ZI associated with this window will only go from 50% to 75% of their maximum power.

[0053] Many other variant embodiments of the present invention are of course conceivable and it is recalled in this respect that this invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the figures, but also encompasses all the variant embodiments within the reach of those skilled in the art.

Claims

Claims

1. Motor vehicle (1) comprising an auxiliary close comfort system (100) intended to participate in improving the comfort of the passengers of said vehicle in addition to or in replacement of the HVAC air treatment system of this vehicle, said system (100) comprising a plurality of heating close comfort elements (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120) as well as a control unit (140) capable of autonomously controlling the operation of said heating close comfort elements in cold or temperate weather;characterized in that said system (100) also comprises a supervision module (130) capable of detecting the opening level of each of the windows of said vehicle (1), said control unit (140) being configured to modulate the electrical heating power of said heating close comfort elements as a function of the opening level of said windows and being configured so that the power modulation only concerns certain heating close comfort elements located in a predetermined zone (Zl, Z2, Z3, Z4) associated with the window whose opening level changes.;

2. Auxiliary close comfort system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating close comfort element(s) (112) located across several zones (Z1, Z2) are considered as belonging to all of these zones, so that their heating power is modulated in the event of a change in the opening level of one of the windows associated with these zones.

3. Auxiliary close comfort system (100) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said control unit (140) is configured to activate the modulation of the electrical heating power of the close comfort heating elements (110, 112, 113, 115, 117; 111, 112, 114, 116, 118; 119; 120) of the zone (Zl; Z2; Z3; Z4) associated with a window, only when the opening level of the window in question reaches certain predefined levels each corresponding to a predetermined percentage of its maximum opening level.

4. Auxiliary close comfort system (100) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the modulation of the electrical heating power of the close comfort elements heating (110, 112, 113, 115, 117; 111, 112, 114, 116, 118) located in the zone (ZI; Z2) associated with a window of the vehicle is differentiated between these elements.

5. Auxiliary close comfort system (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that the modulation of the power upwards or downwards depends on the distance between the window concerned and the heating close comfort element, being greater for the element(s) closest to this window.

6. Auxiliary close comfort system (100) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said control unit (140) is configured so that the modulation of the electrical heating power of said close comfort heating elements (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120) is carried out in stages, each corresponding to a predefined percentage of their maximum power.

7. Auxiliary close comfort system (100) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said supervision module (130) comprises sensors integrated into the motorization mechanisms of the vehicle windows and associated with a sub-module for processing the data transmitted by these sensors.

8. Auxiliary close comfort system (100) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said supervision module (130) comprises at least one camera associated with a sub-module for analyzing the images captured by the latter.

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