HVAC control system for an automobile
AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHank Tien Dao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system for a vehicle including a front HVAC control system that communicates with a rear HVAC control system. The rear HVAC control system includes a control panel having mode, temperature, and blower speed controls. The front HVAC control system includes a control panel having a rear manual control switch for enabling/disabling manual control of the rear HVAC system via the rear HVAC control panel. A microprocessor communicates control information from the front HVAC control system to the rear HVAC control system regardless of the position of the rear manual control switch. Whether the supplied control information is used by the rear HVAC control system is determined by the rear manual switch.
Claims14
A control system for an automobile heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, said HVAC system comprising a front HVAC system and a rear HVAC system, comprising:
- a rear control system having a plurality of switches for manually controlling operation of the rear system;
- a front control system having a plurality of switches for manually controlling operation of the front system and for selectively manually controlling operation of said rear system;
- a microprocessor that is operable to transmit control information from said front control system to said rear control system;
- a control switch that selectively enables said rear control system switches such that, when said control switch is in a first position, said rear control system switches control operation of said rear system and said control information from said microprocessor is ignored and, when said control switch is in a second position, said rear system is manually controlled by said front control system switches in accordance with said control information supplied from said microprocessor.
A method for controlling an automobile heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, said HVAC system including a front HVAC system and a rear HVAC system, said control system comprising a front HVAC control system and a rear HVAC control system, said rear HVAC control system including a control panel having switches for manual operation of said rear HVAC system, said front HVAC system including a control panel having switches for controlling operation of said front HVAC system and a rear manual switch for selectively enabling and disabling manual control of said rear HVAC system via said rear HVAC system control panel, the method comprising the steps of:
- communicating control information from said front HVAC control system to said rear HVAC control system;
- using said control information to operate said rear HVAC system when said rear manual switch is in a second position;
- and,
- ignoring said control information and enabling manual control of said rear HVAC system via said rear HVAC control panel when said rear manual switch is in a first position.
A control system for an automobile heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, said HVAC system comprising a front HVAC system and a rear HVAC system, comprising:
- a rear control system having a plurality of switches for manually controlling operation of the rear system;
- a front control system having a plurality of switches for manually controlling operation of the front system and for selectively manually controlling operation of said rear system;
- a microprocessor that is operable to transmit control information from said front control system to said rear control system;
- control means for selectively enabling said rear control system switches such that, when said control means is in a first operating condition, said rear control system switches control operation of said rear system and said control information from said microprocessor is ignored and, when said control means is in a second operating condition, said rear system is manually controlled by said front control system switches in accordance with said control information supplied from said microprocessor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.