Mono-Zone Vehicle Thermal Control with Sun and Passenger Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mono-zone thermal control systems in vehicle cabins fail to maintain optimal thermal comfort for both the driver and passenger, as temperature corrections based on sun sensors often degrade passenger comfort by uniformly adjusting the cabin temperature, neglecting individual seat conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method that collects 'sun data' and passenger presence information to provide corrective and modulating commands to the thermal unit, allowing for localized temperature adjustments around both the driver and passenger seats, ensuring a compromise between their thermal comfort levels, even with a mono-zone system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a mono-zone thermal control system is used to maintain overall cabin temperature, then system complexity is reduced, but the ability to maintain optimal thermal comfort for both driver and passenger is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cabin into at least two thermal zones: a driver zone and a passenger zone. By detecting sun position and passenger presence, the system applies different temperature control strategies to different zones using a single thermal control unit. This segmentation allows differentiated thermal management without requiring physically separate thermal control systems for each zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback from sun sensors that continuously monitor sun position and intensity, as well as from passenger presence detectors. This feedback information is used by the control unit to dynamically adjust corrective commands, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to changing environmental and occupancy conditions while maintaining thermal comfort.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for regulating a thermal control system (1) of a cabin (101) of a vehicle (100), the cabin forming a user compartment (102) having a driver seat (103) and a passenger seat (104), the thermal control system (1) comprising a thermal unit (10) and a control unit (20) capable of controlling the thermal unit (10). The method comprises: - controlling the thermal unit (10) according to a main command (C0), with the aim of having an inside ambient temperature (IAT) in the user compartment (102) equal to a target temperature (Tt); - collecting a so-called "sun data" representative of at least one parameter which is related to the sun and which may influence a first local temperature (T1) in the user compartment (102), around the driver seat (103); - depending on said sun data, providing a corrective command (C1) to the thermal unit (10) for correcting the main command (C0), in order to reduce the gap between the first local temperature (T1) and the target temperature (Tt); - detecting whether a passenger is present, i.e. occupies the passenger seat (104), or not; - if a passenger is present, providing a modulating command (C2) to the thermal unit (10) for modulating the corrective command (C1), in order to reduce the gap between the first local temperature (T1) and a second local temperature (T2) in the user compartment (102), around the passenger seat (104).