Method Of Estimating An Air Quality Condition By A Motor Vehicle

• US 20110246022A1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bai, Sue
• Granted Patent: US 8,509,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00771 the input being a vehicle position or surrounding, e.g. GPS-based position or tunnel
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A method and system for estimating an air quality condition based on vehicle data received from surrounding vehicles is disclosed. The method includes a step of determining a dynamic traffic pattern from the received vehicle data to determine a level of congestion. The method also includes a step of estimating the air quality condition based on the dynamic traffic pattern. The method and system further includes adjusting one or more settings of a cabin air control system based on the estimated air quality condition.

Claims

1. A method of estimating an air quality condition based on received vehicle data, comprising the steps of:

receiving vehicle data from a plurality of vehicles within a communication range, the vehicle data including at least one of speed, location, heading, acceleration, brake status, and number of vehicles;

wherein the communication range is associated with a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) system; and

estimating an air quality condition based on the received vehicle data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of estimating the air quality condition further comprises:

determining a dynamic vehicle pattern associated with the received vehicle data from the plurality of vehicles; and

using the dynamic vehicle pattern to estimate the air quality condition.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of determining the dynamic vehicle pattern further comprises:

associating one or more of the speed, location, heading, acceleration, brake status, and number of vehicles included in the received vehicle data with a first time period.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of using the dynamic vehicle pattern to estimate the air quality condition further comprises:

determining a first air quality condition associated with a high level of pollutants based on a congested status of the dynamic vehicle pattern.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

determining a second air quality condition associated with a low level of pollutants based on an uncongested status of the dynamic vehicle pattern.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

operating a cabin air control system to adjust at least one setting based on the estimated air quality condition.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one setting includes one or more of a fan speed, a recirculation/external air mode, and an air filter mode.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of operating the cabin air control system further comprises:

estimating the air quality condition using a dynamic vehicle pattern associated with the received vehicle data from the plurality of vehicles; and

wherein the at least one setting is adjusted based on a level of congestion of the dynamic vehicle pattern.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one setting includes one or more of a fan speed, a recirculation/external air mode, and an air filter mode.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of estimating the air quality condition using the dynamic vehicle pattern further comprises:

determining a first air quality condition associated with a high level of pollutants based on a congested state of the dynamic vehicle pattern; and

determining a second air quality condition associated with a low level of pollutants based on an uncongested state of the dynamic vehicle pattern.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

operating the cabin air control system in a recirculation mode in response to the first air quality condition.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

operating the cabin air control system in an external air mode in response to the second air quality condition.

8. A method of controlling a cabin air control system in a vehicle based on received vehicle data, comprising the steps of:

receiving vehicle data from a plurality of vehicles within a communication range, the vehicle data including at least one of speed, location, heading, acceleration, brake status, and number of vehicles;

wherein the communication range is associated with a dedicated short range communication (DSRC) system; and

operating the cabin air control system to adjust at least one setting based on an air quality condition estimated based on the received vehicle data.

14. A system for estimating an air quality condition based on received vehicle data comprising:

a dedicated short range communications (DSRC) receiver configured to receive vehicle data from a plurality of vehicles within a communication range associated with a DSRC system, the vehicle data including at least one of speed, location, heading, acceleration, brake status, and number of vehicles; and

a processor configured to receive the vehicle data from the receiver and to estimate an air quality condition based on the received vehicle data.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a dynamic vehicle pattern associated with the received vehicle data from the plurality of vehicles;

and

wherein the processor is configured to use the dynamic vehicle pattern to estimate the air quality condition.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the dynamic vehicle pattern by associating one or more of the speed, location, heading, acceleration, brake status, and number of vehicles included in the received vehicle data with a first time period.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a first air quality condition associated with a high level of pollutants based on a congested state of the dynamic vehicle pattern, and to determine a second air quality condition associated with a low level of pollutants based on an uncongested state of the dynamic vehicle pattern.

18. The system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a cabin air control system configured to adjust at least one setting based on the estimated air quality condition.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one setting includes one or more of a fan speed, a recirculation/external air mode, and an air filter mode.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the cabin air control system is configured to operate in a recirculation mode in response to a first air quality condition associated with a high level of pollutants, and is configured to operate in an external air mode in response to a second air quality condition associated with a low level of pollutants.