Vehicle Cabin Climate Pre-conditioning via Weather and Departure Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles often experience cabin temperatures that are not aligned with user preferences due to equalization with ambient weather conditions, as users may not be aware of external weather conditions before entering the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes sensors to determine outdoor weather conditions, a processor to assess the user's expected departure time, and a memory module to send user input requests to a remote device for climate control adjustments based on weather and departure time, allowing for pre-activation of climate control systems to achieve preferred cabin conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the cabin is enclosed to protect users from external weather conditions, then protection from harmful environmental factors is improved, but the cabin temperature equalizes with ambient temperature over time causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines an expected departure time based on user patterns and sends a notification to the user device before the user approaches the vehicle. This preliminary action allows the user to decide whether to pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin before entering, ensuring comfortable temperature without continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors cabin temperature and sends notifications to the user device with current temperature status and projected arrival time. This feedback loop allows the user to make informed decisions about climate control activation based on real-time conditions
2Temperature
If the climate control system operates continuously to maintain preferred temperature, then cabin temperature comfort is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous operation, the system activates climate control only when needed based on predicted user arrival time and current temperature conditions. The processor determines whether pre-conditioning is necessary by comparing expected departure time with temperature thresholds, reducing unnecessary energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The system operates in periodic cycles: monitoring temperature, determining expected departure time, sending notifications to user device, and activating climate control only during specific time windows when the user is approaching. This periodic operation replaces continuous operation, significantly reducing energy usage while maintaining comfort
3Ease of operation
If the system sends automated notifications to the user device, then user convenience and awareness of weather conditions are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the user's existing mobile device as an intermediary communication interface. Instead of adding complex in-cabin displays or controls, the system leverages the smartphone app to deliver weather information, expected departure time calculations, and climate control status updates, simplifying the overall system architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The notification system serves multiple functions: informing users of external weather conditions, providing expected departure time predictions, requesting user input for climate preferences, and confirming system activation status. This multi-functional approach consolidates several communication tasks into a single integrated notification mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a sensor for sensing an outdoor environment weather condition of an outdoor environment, a processor, and a memory module communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory module including one or more processor-readable instructions that when executed, cause the processor to determine an expected departure time, determine the outdoor environment weather condition from data received from the sensor, and send a request for user input to a remote device, the request including a user input selector to initiate at least one climate control system based on one or more of the expected departure time and the outdoor environment weather condition.