Adaptive climate control system

• US 10,315,663 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2017
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Dudar, Aed M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berona, Kimberly S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sood, Anshul
• Application Number:
  US15/402,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20180194361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00764 the input being a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed B60H1/00828, B60H1/00864 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for an adaptive climate control system. An example vehicle includes a plurality of sensors to determine the speed of the vehicle, an internal temperature of the vehicle, and a fuel economy of the vehicle. The vehicle includes control units each coupled to a corresponding window and an HVAC controller. The vehicle also includes a processor and memory with a climate control adapter. The climate control adapter performs adaptive cooling based on the speed, fuel economy, and the internal temperature of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

sensors;

windows;

processors configured to;

perform adaptive cooling based on a speed of the vehicle, a fuel economy value and an internal temperature, wherein the adaptive cooling includes adjusting at least one position of a designated amount of the windows in response to the internal temperature of the vehicle not satisfying temperature thresholds, the designated amount being less than all of the windows.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein adaptive cooling includes entering one of a plurality of modes, wherein the plurality of modes include a low speed mode, a high speed mode, and an intermediate speed mode.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the processors are further configured to:

responsive to entering the low speed mode;

deactivate an air conditioner of the vehicle; and

open the windows.

4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the processors are further configured to:

responsive to entering the high speed mode;

close the windows; and

activate an air conditioner of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the processors are further configured to:

responsive to entering the intermediate mode;

measure the speed of the vehicle;

receive data associated with the speed of the vehicle; and

based on the speed of the vehicle and the data;

open the windows of the vehicle, or

activate an air conditioner of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein to receive the data associated with the speed of the vehicle, the processors are to receive the data from an external database, wherein the data includes a vehicle model, the speed, and an action specifying a first state of the windows and a second state of the air conditioner.

7. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein to receive the data associated with the speed of the vehicle, the processors are to retrieve the data from an internal data storage device.

8. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein after entering the intermediate speed mode, the processors to:

measure the speed of the vehicle;

open the windows of the vehicle;

measure a change in fuel economy of the vehicle; and

close the windows and activate an air conditioner of the vehicle in response to the change in fuel economy satisfying a fuel economy threshold.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the threshold temperatures include a first temperature threshold and a second temperature threshold, and wherein the processors are further configured to:

measure the internal temperature of the vehicle;

close the windows and activate the air conditioner in response to the internal temperature satisfying the first temperature threshold; and

adjust positions of the windows in response to the internal temperature not satisfying the first temperature threshold and the internal temperature not satisfying the second temperature threshold.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the processors are further configured to adjust the positions of the windows by opening front ones of the windows and closing rear ones of the windows.

11. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein to the processors are further configured to adjust the positions of the windows by:

opening a sun roof;

opening rear ones of the windows; and

closing front ones of the windows.

12. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the processors are further configured to adjust the positions of the windows by partially closing the windows.

13. A method comprising:

opening windows of a vehicle;

calculating, with a processor, a change in fuel economy of the vehicle;

closing the window and activating an air conditioner of the vehicle, via an HVAC controller, in response to the change in fuel economy satisfying a fuel economy threshold; and

adjusting a designated amount of the windows in response to the change in fuel economy not satisfying the fuel economy threshold, the designated amount being less than all of the windows.

14. The method of claim 13 further including, in response to the change in fuel economy not satisfying the fuel economy threshold:

measuring an internal temperature of the vehicle;

closing the window and activating the air conditioner, in response to the internal temperature of the vehicle satisfying a first temperature threshold; and

adjusting a position of the window in response to the internal temperature of the vehicle not satisfying the first temperature threshold and the internal temperature of the vehicle does not satisfy a second temperature threshold.

15. The method of claim 14 further including recording data to an internal data storage device of the vehicle, the data including a speed of the vehicle and a first state of the window and a second state of the air conditioner.

16. The method of claim 13 further including uploading data to an external database, the data including a vehicle model, a speed of the vehicle, a first state of the air conditioner, and a second state of the window.

17. A method comprising:

measuring a speed of a vehicle;

receiving, from at least one of a group consisting an internal data storage device of the vehicle and an external database, speed data based on a model of the vehicle, the speed data correlating different speeds of the vehicle with first states of vehicle windows and second states of a vehicle air conditioner;

based on the speed data, performing, with a processor, one of opening the vehicle windows or controlling the vehicle air conditioner; and

performing, with the processor, adaptive cooling based on the speed of the vehicle, a fuel economy value of the vehicle, and an internal temperature of the vehicle, wherein the adaptive cooling includes adjusting at least one position of a designated amount of the vehicle windows in response to the internal temperature of the vehicle not satisfying temperature thresholds, the designated amount being less than all of the vehicle windows.

18. The method of claim 17 further including storing the speed data to the internal data storage device of the vehicle.