Vehicle climate control apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A vehicle climate control apparatus mounted on the vehicle using an engine or a motor as a power source and controlling an air-conditioning device for controlling the climate in the compartment, the apparatus comprising:
- an air-conditioning control unit for controlling the air-conditioning state in the vehicle compartments by controlling the air-conditioning device;
a drive behavior detection unit for detecting the operation amounts of the driver;
an estimation unit for calculating the behavioral intention estimation information for estimating the prospective driving behavior of the driver based on the operation amounts detected by the driving behavior detection unit; and
a determining unit for estimating the output state of a power source based on the behavioral intention estimating information and giving an instruction to the air-conditioning control unit in accordance with the estimated output state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle climate control apparatus and method realizing a satisfactory drive feeling and in-compartment comfort, at the same time, by estimating the behavioral intention of the driver at an early time are disclosed. The vehicle climate control apparatus comprises an air-conditioning control unit for controlling the air-conditioning state in the compartments by controlling the air-conditioning device, a driving behavior detection unit for detecting the operation amounts of the driver, an estimation unit for calculating the behavioral intention estimating information for estimating the prospective driving behavior of the driver based on the operation amounts detected by the driving behavior detection unit, and a determining unit for estimating the output state of the power source based on the behavioral intention estimating information and giving an instruction to the air-conditioning control unit in accordance with the estimated output state.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A vehicle climate control apparatus mounted on the vehicle using an engine or a motor as a power source and controlling an air-conditioning device for controlling the climate in the compartment, the apparatus comprising:
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an air-conditioning control unit for controlling the air-conditioning state in the vehicle compartments by controlling the air-conditioning device;
a drive behavior detection unit for detecting the operation amounts of the driver;
an estimation unit for calculating the behavioral intention estimation information for estimating the prospective driving behavior of the driver based on the operation amounts detected by the driving behavior detection unit; and
a determining unit for estimating the output state of a power source based on the behavioral intention estimating information and giving an instruction to the air-conditioning control unit in accordance with the estimated output state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A vehicle climate control apparatus, mounted on a vehicle driven by an engine or a motor as a power source to control the climate in the compartment of the vehicle, the apparatus controlling an air-conditioning device having a cool storage unit for storing the cold thermal energy using the cooling capacity during the air-conditioning operation, the apparatus comprising:
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an air-conditioning control unit for controlling the air-conditioning state in the vehicle compartment by controlling the air-conditioning device;
a driving behavior detection unit for detecting the operation amounts of the driver;
an estimation unit for calculating the behavioral intention estimating information for estimating the prospective driving behavior of the driver based on the operation amounts detected;
a vehicle motion detection unit for detecting the motion of the vehicle; and
a determining unit for determining the conviction degree indicating the accuracy of the behavioral intention estimating information based on the vehicle motion information detected by the vehicle motion detection unit and instructing the air-conditioning control unit to store the cold thermal energy in the cool storage unit based on the conviction degree. - View Dependent Claims (9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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8. A vehicle climate control apparatus according to clam 7,
wherein the determining unit instructs the air-conditioning control unit to store the cold thermal energy in the cool storage unit in the case where the conviction degree exceeds a predetermined value and does not instruct the air-conditioning control unit to store the cold thermal energy in the cool storage unit in the case where the conviction degree is not more than the predetermined value.
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10. A vehicle climate control apparatus according to clam 7,
wherein the air-conditioning device has an evaporator, and the determining unit instructs the cool storage unit to store the cold thermal energy so as to achieve a target evaporator temperature.
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16. A climate control method for controlling the climate control apparatus mounted on a vehicle driven by an engine or a motor as a power source to control the climate in the vehicle compartment, comprising the steps of:
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determining the similarity degree by comparing a predetermined driving behavior pattern with the driving behavior pattern of the driver determined based on the detection information from a driver behavior detection unit for detecting the operation amounts of the driver;
calculating the behavioral intention estimating information for estimating the prospective driving behavior of the driver based on the driving pattern highest in similarity degree;
determining the conviction degree indicating the accuracy of the behavioral intention estimating information based on the vehicle motion information from the vehicle motion detection unit for detecting the vehicle motion, the behavioral intention estimating information and the similarity degree; and
controlling the air-conditioning capacity of the climate control apparatus in accordance with the vehicle motion information and the behavioral intention estimating information in the case where the conviction degree is high. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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Specification