Fleet Vehicle Climate Control GUI for Auxiliary Power Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current HVAC climate control systems in vehicle fleets face inefficiencies due to user-dependent operation and lack of centralized control, leading to excessive draining of auxiliary power sources, which can result in insufficient power for climate control and vehicle startup.
Innovation Solution
A remote management system that monitors and controls climate control systems across a fleet of vehicles, identifying performance inefficiencies and adjusting operational settings in real-time to optimize energy use, using a central server that receives parameters from each vehicle and transmits efficient settings to reduce energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If local control of climate control systems is provided to drivers, then ease of operation is improved, but energy efficiency deteriorates due to user-dependent operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors operational parameters from each vehicle's climate control system and provides real-time feedback to drivers through the user interface. The server compares actual energy consumption against optimal settings and communicates adjustments back to the vehicle, creating a closed-loop feedback system that guides users toward more efficient operation without removing local control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A central server acts as an intermediary between the driver's local controls and the climate control system. The server receives operational data from the vehicle, determines optimal settings based on fleet-wide efficiency patterns, and transmits recommended settings back to the vehicle's controller, which then adjusts the climate system. This intermediary layer enables centralized optimization while preserving local user interface accessibility.
2Use of energy by moving object
If centralized remote management is implemented across the fleet, then energy efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server system performs multiple functions through a single integrated platform: collecting operational data from all vehicles, analyzing energy consumption patterns, determining optimal settings, transmitting control instructions, and monitoring compliance. This multi-functional approach consolidates what could be separate complex systems into one unified management platform, reducing overall system complexity while achieving centralized fleet-wide optimization.
3Reliability
If continuous monitoring of fleet vehicles is performed, then reliability is improved through early inefficiency detection, but use of energy increases due to data transmission and processing
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous monitoring of critical operational parameters that most directly impact energy consumption and system reliability, rather than attempting to monitor every possible parameter at all times. The server focuses data collection on key metrics such as compressor runtime, temperature differentials, and auxiliary power source status, transmitting only essential data to maintain reliability while minimizing the energy overhead of continuous monitoring across the entire fleet.
Data Source
AI summary
The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and systems for managing client control systems of a fleet of vehicles. In one aspect, a method includes (i) receiving, at a controller from a fleet server remote from at least one vehicle, at least one graphics instruction relating to a state of the at least one vehicle's auxiliary power source, and (ii) displaying on a graphical user interface (GUI), (a) a parameter associated with a climate control system of the at least one vehicle, and (b) a ring surrounding the parameter. The ring represents the state of the auxiliary power source that changes color, intensity, or size based on a degree of energy efficiency of the climate control system of the at least one vehicle.