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US 12,611,911 B2Granted
Methods and systems for ventilating air flow in a vehicle
AssigneeFca US LLC
InventorsMark E Stout, II, Travis D Bechtel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal management system configured to analyze thermal condition data generated by at least one thermal sensor located in a vehicle of an occupant of the vehicle, and control a flow of conditioned air to the occupant based on the analyzed thermal condition data.
Claims16
A method for ventilating air flow in a vehicle to an occupant, the method comprising:
- receiving thermal condition data of the occupant from at least one thermal sensor located in the vehicle, the thermal condition data defining areas of thermal variance of the occupant;
- determining, based on the areas of thermal variance of the occupant, whether at least one of the areas is a surface of the occupant experiencing thermal neglect;
- after determining whether there is a surface of the occupant experiencing thermal neglect, directing, using a motorized HVAC vent, conditioned air at or near the surface of the occupant experiencing thermal neglect for a time duration that does not oversaturate the surface of the occupant experiencing thermal neglect with the conditioned air;
- and
- receiving updated thermal condition data of the occupant during the directing of conditioned air at or near the surface of the occupant experiencing thermal neglect, and correcting a flow of the conditioned air to the occupant based on the updated thermal condition data,
- wherein the correcting includes updating a pattern of the flow of the conditioned air and the pattern of the flow of the conditioned air includes sweeping the motorized HVAC vent at least one of back/forth and up/down or focusing the flow of conditioned air to a single point of the occupant.
3 more elements
A vehicle comprising:
- a cabin including a plurality of seats that each include an occupant sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of whether an occupant is present in a respective seat;
- a thermal management system configured to provide thermal comfort to occupants of the vehicle, the thermal management system including:
- a thermal management electronic control module in communication with each of the occupant sensors and configured to receive the signal indicative of whether an occupant is present in a respective seat;
- at least one thermal sensor in communication with the thermal management electronic control module that is configured to generate thermal condition data of at least one occupant, the at least one thermal sensor generating the thermal condition data of the at least one occupant after receipt of an instruction from the thermal management electronic control module that is generated in response to the thermal management electronic control module receiving the signal from the occupant sensors;
- and
- an HVAC system in communication with the thermal management electronic control module, the HVAC system including a plurality of motorized HVAC vents,
- wherein the thermal management electronic control module is configured to receive the thermal condition data from the at least one thermal sensor and analyze the thermal condition data to determine areas of thermal variance of the at least one occupant;
- and
- after determining the areas of thermal variance of the at least one occupant, the thermal management electronic control module is configured to control the plurality of motorized HVAC vents to direct conditioned air to the at least one occupant based on the determined areas of thermal variance,
- wherein the thermal management electronic control module is configured to precondition the cabin prior to receiving the signals from the occupant sensors, and
- wherein after the preconditioning is complete and it has been determined by the thermal management electronic control module that the occupant has entered the vehicle, and before thermal condition data of the occupant is received from the at least one thermal sensor, the thermal management electronic control module is configured to control the motorized HVAC vent to direct the conditioned air away from the occupant.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.