Vehicle microclimate personalization based on occupant thermophysiology

A thermal conditioning system comprising:

• a plurality of thermal effectors arranged into a plurality of discrete occupant personalization zones (OPZs) that are each associated with a different part of an occupant body area, such that each OPZ includes at least one of the thermal effectors;
• and
• a controller including circuitry configured to:
• determine a respective target temperature for each OPZ based on a difference between a first overall thermal sensation (OTS) indicative of a target heat flux for the occupant and a second OTS indicative of an estimated heat flux currently experienced by the occupant, wherein the respective target temperatures differ between the OPZs, and wherein the determination includes determination of a plurality of discrete OTS values, each corresponding to an estimated heat flux in a respective one of the plurality of OPZs, and calculation of the second OTS based on the plurality of discrete OTS values;
• control at least one thermal effector in each OPZ based on the target temperature for the OPZ;
• receive a respective temperature offset value for multiple respective ones of the OPZs from the occupant;
• adjust the target temperature for the multiple respective ones of the OPZs based on the respective temperature offset values;
• and
• for a particular one of the OPZs:
• compare the adjusted target temperature to at least one of a maximum permissible target temperature for the OPZ and a minimum permissible target temperature for the OPZ;
• and
• reduce the temperature offset for the OPZ based on the adjusted target temperature for the OPZ exceeding the maximum permissible target temperature for the OPZ or falling below the minimum permissible target temperature for the OPZ.