Vehicle Seat Airflow Control Using Surface Temperature Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature control systems for vehicle seats often inaccurately estimate the seat surface temperature, leading to inefficient performance, poor thermal comfort, and wasted energy or battery utilization due to the discrepancy between heating pad temperature and actual seat surface temperature.
Innovation Solution
A model-based system that estimates surface-averaged seat temperature using vehicle signals, such as cabin and evaporator temperatures, blower duty cycle feedback, and cabin heater power, validated through chamber and driving tests, to improve temperature control efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a temperature sensor at the heating pad is used to control seat temperature, then the control system is simple, but the temperature measurement is inaccurate leading to poor thermal comfort and wasted energy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational model that acts as a mediator between the simple heating pad temperature sensor and the desired seat surface temperature control. The model uses the heating pad temperature as input along with other vehicle signals (cabin temperature, evaporator temperature, blower duty cycle, heater power) to compute an accurate estimate of the seat surface temperature without requiring direct physical contact with the seat surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the direct mechanical/physical measurement approach (placing temperature sensors directly on the seat surface) with a computational substitution approach. Instead of physically measuring seat surface temperature with complex sensor arrays, the system uses a mathematical model that substitutes physical measurement with computational estimation based on readily available vehicle system data.
2Productivity
If the heating pad temperature is used as a proxy for seat surface temperature, then the system is simple to implement, but the temperature control performance is inefficient and energy is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the computational model continuously estimates the seat surface temperature based on current heating pad temperature and other vehicle signals. This estimated temperature feeds back to the control system, enabling real-time adjustment of heating power to maintain optimal seat temperature, thereby improving control efficiency and reducing energy waste from overheating or prolonged heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The computational model performs preliminary estimation of seat surface temperature before actual heating control decisions are made. By predicting the thermal state of the seat surface in advance based on heating pad temperature and environmental conditions, the system can pre-adjust heating power to achieve desired thermal comfort more efficiently and avoid energy-wasting overshoots.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes one or more processors, coupled with memory, to receive, from a first sensor in a vehicle, temperature information. The one or more processors can identify a parameter of a device that provides airflow for a seat of the vehicle. The one or more processors can determine, via a model based on the temperature information and the parameter of the device, a temperature of a surface of the seat and control a temperature of the airflow provided via the device for the seat based on the temperature of the surface of the seat.