# US 11,993,244 B2 · Vehicle air-conditioning control system and computer-readable storage medium storing vehicle air-conditioning control program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,993,244 B2 - Document ID: US11993244B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/212,441 - Filed: 2021-03-25 - Published: 2021-10-07 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2020-04-01 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Masahiro Nishiyama; Kenji Tsukagishi; Takahisa Kaneko; Erina Kigoshi; Aiko Miyamoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11993244B2 ## CPC - B60H 1/00771: {the input being a vehicle position or surrounding, e.g. GPS-based position or tunnel} - B60W 10/30: including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps - B60H 1/00642: {Control systems or circuits; Control members or indication devices for heating, cooling or ventilating devices (B60H1/3201 - B60H1/3208, B60H1/3225 take precedence)} - B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT ## Abstract An air-conditioning control system includes an information receiver configured to communicate with a second vehicle around a first vehicle, to acquire drive source information of the second vehicle, and an air-conditioning controller configured to control an air conditioner of the first vehicle in an inside air recirculation mode or in an outside air introduction mode based on the drive source information. The drive source information includes active drive source information indicating a drive source that is currently active in the second vehicle, such that the air conditioner is controlled in accordance with the active drive source. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle air-conditioning control system, comprising: an information receiver configured to communicate with at least one second vehicle around a first vehicle, to acquire drive source information of the at least one second vehicle; and an air-conditioning controller configured to control an air conditioner of the first vehicle in an inside air recirculation mode or in an outside air introduction mode based on the drive source information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle air-conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the drive source information comprises active drive source information indicating a drive source working in the at least one second vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle air-conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the drive source information comprises mounted drive source information indicating a drive source mounted in the at least one second vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle air-conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning controller controls the air conditioner in the inside air recirculation mode in response to the drive source information indicating an engine. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle air-conditioning control system according to claim 1, further comprising: a vehicle identifier configured to identify the at least one second vehicle located windward of the first vehicle, wherein the air-conditioning controller controls the air conditioner in the inside air recirculation mode or in the outside air introduction mode, based on the drive source information of the at least one second vehicle located windward of the first vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle air-conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second vehicle comprises a plurality of second vehicles, and the information receiver acquires the drive source information from each of the plurality of second vehicles around the first vehicle, and the air-conditioning controller controls the air conditioner in the inside air recirculation mode or in the outside air introduction mode, in response to the drive source information from each of the plurality of second vehicles satisfying a predetermined criterion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle air-conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning controller maintains the outside air introduction mode of the air conditioner in response to a defroster in operation and the air conditioner in the outside air introduction mode, in spite of the drive source information indicating an engine. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle air-conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the information receiver acquires the drive source information through vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the first vehicle and the at least one second vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle air-conditioning control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle air-conditioning control system is disposed external to the first vehicle and the at least one second vehicle, and the information receiver acquires position information from each of a plurality of vehicles including the first vehicle, identifies a vehicle located around the first vehicle as the at least one second vehicle based on the position information that is acquired, and acquires the drive source information of the at least one second vehicle that is identified. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a vehicle air-conditioning control program, the vehicle air-conditioning control program causing a processor of a computer to execute operations comprising: communicating with a second vehicle around a first vehicle to acquire drive source information of the second vehicle; and controlling an air conditioner of the first vehicle in an inside air recirculation mode or in an outside air introduction mode based on the drive source information.