Demand-Based Fresh Air Control for Vehicle Ventilation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning systems for passenger vehicles fail to effectively regulate fresh air supply based on contaminant levels and occupancy, leading to inadequate ventilation and inefficient energy use.
Innovation Solution
A passenger vehicle air conditioning system that includes a fresh air duct, a damper, contaminant sensors, and a controller to adjust fresh air flow based on contaminant levels and occupancy, using door and damper sensors to optimize air flow rates and energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If fresh air intake is increased to improve ventilation and reduce contaminant levels, then air quality improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damper is made movable and adjustable to dynamically control the fresh air intake based on real-time contaminant levels. The controller automatically adjusts the damper position to optimize the balance between ventilation and energy efficiency, rather than maintaining a fixed opening position.
Solution Approach 2:
The contaminant sensor provides continuous feedback about air quality to the controller, which then adjusts the damper position accordingly. This closed-loop control system ensures fresh air intake is optimized based on actual contaminant levels, preventing both over-ventilation (wasting energy) and under-ventilation (poor air quality).
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fresh air intake is increased to enhance passenger comfort, then ventilation improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller serves multiple functions: it receives signals from both the contaminant sensor and door sensor, processes this information, and controls the damper position. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate control systems while improving overall system coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The door sensor acts as an intermediary that detects door opening events and provides this information to the controller. The controller then uses this information to adjust damper position, creating a coordinated response to door openings that improves comfort without requiring direct complex sensing of all environmental parameters.
Data Source
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AI summary
A demand-based air conditioning system (18) for a passenger vehicle that may utilize one or both of a contaminate sensor (34) and a door sensor (16). A controller (36) operates a damper (22) to send an estimated amount of fresh air into a passenger compartment, based on the sensed level of contaminate in the passenger compartment, to ensure the air quality in the passenger compartment is acceptable for passengers.