Vehicle Climate Control Interface for Air-Conditioning Style Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle heating and air-conditioning systems with automatic functions lack intuitive selection and display of air-conditioning styles and characteristic curves, making it unclear how users select and adapt to their draft sensitivity within the automatic-function control mode.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle heating and air-conditioning system that allows selection of air-conditioning styles through a single setting device, used for both manual and automatic control modes, with a display unit showing selected air quantities and styles using identical illuminated symbols, eliminating the need for additional operating elements and maintaining user familiarity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a separate operating element is added for selecting air-conditioning styles in automatic-function mode, then the selection capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first setting device, originally designed for selecting air quantities in manual mode, is made multi-functional to also select air-conditioning styles in automatic-function mode. This eliminates the need for a separate operating element while maintaining full selection capability, directly resolving the contradiction between versatility and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the function of selecting air quantities (manual mode) and selecting air-conditioning styles (automatic-function mode) into a single operating element. This consolidation reduces the total number of operating elements from two to one, achieving both goals simultaneously
2Loss of information
If different display types are used for manual and automatic modes, then the information display is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display unit is designed to perform multiple functions: displaying air quantity information in manual mode and air-conditioning style information in automatic-function mode. This single display unit replaces what would otherwise require two separate display systems, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining complete information display capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the display functions for manual and automatic modes into one unified display unit. By merging these display functions, the system avoids the need for separate display hardware, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle heating and/or air-conditioning system has an automatic heating and air-conditioning function. In a manual control mode, corresponding to an air quantity settable by the user with a first setting device and a desired interior temperature settable by a second setting device, a manual control of the actual interior temperature and the air quantity takes place. In an automatic-function control mode, corresponding to the desired interior temperature settable by the user and a selected air-conditioning style, an automatic-function control of the actual interior temperature takes place by controlling fans and air distribution flaps corresponding to the selected air-conditioning style. A characteristic fan curve and/or a characteristic air distribution curve is assigned to each air-conditioning style. A display unit, in which at least the air quantity manually selected by the user in the manual mode, and the air-conditioning style selected in the automatic mode uses identical illuminated symbols as its display.