System and method for controlling a ventilation unit of a vehicle
First Claim
1. A sensor system for controlling a ventilation unit of a vehicle, said ventilation unit including an inlet air valve for switching between an outside air mode and a recirculation mode, and said system comprising:
- a sensitivity selector for enabling a user to select an air quality threshold;
an air quality sensor proximate an exterior of said vehicle for detecting an air quality parameter;
a controller responsive to said sensitivity selector and said air quality sensor, said controller being configured for communication with said inlet air valve, said controller receiving a current value of said air quality parameter for comparison with said air quality threshold, and said controller generating a switch signal in response to said comparison for adjusting said inlet air valve between said outside air mode and said recirculation mode.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sensor system (24) for controlling a ventilation unit (22) of a vehicle (20) includes a sensitivity selector (70) for enabling a user to select a setting (76) corresponding to an air quality threshold (94, 98), and an air quality sensor (62) proximate an exterior of the vehicle (20) for detecting an air quality parameter (71). A controller (66) is responsive to the selector (70) and the sensor (62), and is in communication with an inlet air valve (32) of the ventilation unit (22). A method (118) of operating the sensor system (24) entails receiving a current value of the air quality parameter (71) at the controller (66) for comparison with the air quality threshold (94, 98). The controller (66) generates a switch signal (74) in response to the comparison for adjusting the inlet air valve (32) between an outside air mode (44) and a recirculation mode (46).
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A sensor system for controlling a ventilation unit of a vehicle, said ventilation unit including an inlet air valve for switching between an outside air mode and a recirculation mode, and said system comprising:
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a sensitivity selector for enabling a user to select an air quality threshold;
an air quality sensor proximate an exterior of said vehicle for detecting an air quality parameter;
a controller responsive to said sensitivity selector and said air quality sensor, said controller being configured for communication with said inlet air valve, said controller receiving a current value of said air quality parameter for comparison with said air quality threshold, and said controller generating a switch signal in response to said comparison for adjusting said inlet air valve between said outside air mode and said recirculation mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of operating a sensor system to control a ventilation unit of a vehicle, said ventilation unit including an inlet air valve for switching between an outside air mode and a recirculation mode, said sensor system being in communication with said inlet air valve, and said method comprising:
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obtaining a manually selected setting corresponding to an air quality threshold at a controller of said sensor system;
storing said setting in a memory element associated with said controller;
detecting a current value of an air quality parameter at an air quality sensor of said sensor system;
comparing said current value of said air quality parameter with said air quality threshold;
when said current value exceeds said air quality threshold, generating a first switch signal to instruct said air inlet valve to switch to said recirculation mode; and
when said current value is less than said air quality threshold, generating a second switch signal to instruct said air inlet valve to switch to said outside air mode. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A computer program executable by a controller, said computer program being configured to control a ventilation unit of a vehicle, said vehicle including an air quality sensor for detecting an air quality parameter, said ventilation unit including an inlet air valve for switching between an outside air mode and a recirculation mode, and said computer program instructing said controller to perform operations comprising:
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obtaining a manually selected setting corresponding to an air quality threshold;
receiving a current speed of said vehicle;
adjusting said air quality threshold in response to said current speed;
receiving a current value of said air quality parameter from said air quality sensor;
comparing said current value with said air quality threshold;
when said current value exceeds said air quality threshold, generating a switch signal to instruct said air inlet valve to switch to said recirculation mode; and
when said current value is less than said air quality threshold, generating said switch signal to instruct said air inlet valve to switch to said outside air mode. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification