Vehicle Air-Conditioning Control Using Clothing Amount Estimation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air-conditioning control systems for vehicles do not adequately consider the clothing amount of occupants, leading to insufficient estimation of their warm-cold sense and potentially compromised comfort.
Innovation Solution
An air-conditioning control system that acquires exposure and clothing surface temperatures, estimates non-exposure body surface temperatures, and adjusts air conditioning based on estimated clothing amounts to set a target clothing surface temperature for enhanced comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If air-conditioning control is performed based on thermal sensation estimated from surface temperature of exposed body parts only, then the control system is simple, but the estimation accuracy of occupant warm-cold sense is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct measurement of non-exposed body surface temperature with an estimation algorithm that calculates the temperature based on measured exposed body surface temperature and clothing amount. This substitution of physical measurement with computational estimation achieves accurate thermal sensation assessment without requiring sensors on hidden body parts, thus maintaining system simplicity while improving measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces clothing amount as an intermediary parameter that connects the measurable exposed body surface temperature to the unmeasurable non-exposed body surface temperature. By measuring clothing amount (via sensors or user input) and using it in the estimation algorithm, the system indirectly obtains accurate thermal sensation data without direct contact with non-exposed areas.
2Ease of operation
If air-conditioning control does not consider clothing amount, then the control system is simple, but occupant comfort cannot be adequately enhanced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the control parameter from simple exposed body surface temperature to a composite parameter that includes both exposed body surface temperature and clothing amount. This parameter transformation enables the system to account for thermal insulation effects of clothing, thereby improving occupant comfort assessment and air-conditioning control accuracy without requiring complex additional hardware.
3Measurement precision
If multiple temperature sensors are added to measure non-exposed body surfaces directly, then measurement accuracy improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical sensors that would need to be placed on non-exposed body surfaces with a computational estimation model. The model uses readily available data (exposed body surface temperature from existing sensors and clothing amount) to calculate the temperature of non-exposed areas, eliminating the need for additional invasive sensors while maintaining high measurement accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Improves comfort and increases estimation accuracy of clothing amounts, allowing for more precise air-conditioning control to match the occupant's thermal sensation.
Implementation Method 1
a technology of estimating warm-cold sense of an occupant and performing air-conditioning control by estimating a metabolic rate or a clothing amount of the occupant on the basis of results detected by an infrared sensor
Implementation Method 2
a heat radiation amount estimator configured to estimate a heat radiation amount of the occupant on the basis of the non-exposure temperature
Data Source
AI summary
An air-conditioning control system for a vehicle includes an acquisitor configured to acquire an exposure temperature of an exposed body surface of an occupant and a clothing surface temperature of the occupant, a non-exposure temperature estimator configured to estimate a non-exposure temperature of a non-exposed body surface of the occupant on the basis of the exposure temperature and a clothing amount, a clothing amount estimator configured to estimate the clothing amount on the basis of the non-exposure temperature and the clothing surface temperature, and a control unit configured to control an air conditioner of a vehicle into which the occupant gets on the basis of an estimation result of the clothing amount estimator.