Method for operating a vehicle system

• US 8,649,941 B1
• Filed: 08/14/2012
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tsuda, Hiroshi, Eisenhour, Ronald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHUDY, ANGELINA M
• Application Number:
  US13/585,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20140052344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 701/49, 701/93, 701/96, 622/44, 382/106
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00771 the input being a vehicle position or surrounding, e.g. GPS-based position or tunnel

Abstract

A method for operating an HVAC system in a host vehicle. The method includes detecting a following distance between the host vehicle and another vehicle, and operating an on-board control device to control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to operate in a first mode while the following distance is detected as being greater than a threshold distance and to automatically operate in a second mode while the following distance is detected as being less than or equal to the threshold distance.

Claims

1. A method for operating a heating, ventilation, and air condition (HVAC) system in a host vehicle based on a following distance between the host and a preceding vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a preceding vehicle communication including a low-emission indication;

determining whether the preceding vehicle is a low-emission vehicle based on the low-emission indication of the preceding vehicle communication;

detecting the following distance between the host vehicle and another the preceding vehicle;

operating an on-board control device to control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to automatically operate in a first mode while the following distance is detected as being greater than a threshold distance regardless of the low-emission indication, automatically operate in the first mode while the preceding vehicle is determined to be a low-emission vehicle regardless of the following distance, and automatically operate in a second mode while the following distance is detected as being less than or equal to the threshold distance and the preceding vehicle is not detected to be a low-emission vehicle;

operating a cooperative adaptive cruise control system to form a cooperative platoon of at least the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and set a desired following distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle; and

automatically operating the cooperative adaptive cruise control system of the host vehicle to present a suggested order, the suggested order including the low-emission vehicles of the cooperative platoon in leading positions of the cooperative platoon.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the first mode is a fresh air mode in which the HVAC system receives external ambient air from external the host vehicle and passes the external ambient air into a passenger compartment of the host vehicle;

and

the second mode is a recirculation mode in which the HVAC system receives internal air from within the passenger compartment of the host vehicle and returns the internal air back to the passenger compartment.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the first mode is a first fresh air mode which includes automatically operating the HVAC system to open a forward facing inlet and receive a first external ambient air from external the host vehicle via the forward facing inlet and pass the first external ambient air to the passenger compartment;

and

the second mode is a second fresh air mode which includes automatically operating the HVAC system to obstruct the forward facing inlet, open at least one of a side facing inlet and a rear facing inlet, and receive a second external ambient air from external the host vehicle via the at least one of the side facing inlet and the rear facing inlet and pass the second external ambient air to the passenger compartment.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the first mode is a fresh air mode in which the HVAC system receives external ambient air from external the host vehicle and passes the external ambient air into a passenger compartment of the host vehicle;

and

the operating of the on-board control device to control the HVAC system to operate in the second mode includes operating a purifying device of the HVAC system to clean the external ambient air before passing the external ambient air to the passenger compartment of the host vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the operating of the on-board control device to control the HVAC system to operate in the first mode includes operating the on-board control device to automatically control the HVAC system to operate according to a user input.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

sensing a temperature of an engine of the host vehicle;

and

while the following distance is less than or equal to the threshold distance and the temperature of the engine is detected as being greater than a temperature threshold, performing an engine cooling countermeasure.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

presenting a suggested order of the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the low-emission indicator.

8. A method for operating a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in a host vehicle based on a following distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, the method comprising:

operating a cooperative adaptive cruise control system to form a cooperative platoon of at least the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and set a desired following distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;

detecting the following distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle;

operating an on-board control device to control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to operate in a first mode while the following distance is detected as being greater than a threshold distance, and to automatically operate in a second mode while the following distance is detected as being less than or equal to the threshold distance;

determining whether any vehicles of the cooperative platoon are low-emission vehicles; and

automatically operating the cooperative adaptive cruise control system of the host vehicle to present a suggested order, the suggested order including the low-emission vehicles of the cooperative platoon in leading positions of the cooperative platoon.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein

the controller is further configured receive a preceding vehicle communication, the communication including a low-emission indication, and determine whether the preceding vehicle is a low-emission vehicle based on the low-emission indication of the preceding vehicle communication.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein

the first mode is a fresh air mode in which the HVAC system receives external ambient air from external the host vehicle and passes the external ambient air into a passenger compartment of the host vehicle;

and

the second mode is a recirculation mode in which the HVAC system receives internal air from within the passenger compartment of the host vehicle and returns the internal air back to the passenger compartment.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein

the first mode is a fresh air mode in which the HVAC system receives external ambient air from external the host vehicle and passes the external ambient air into a passenger compartment of the host vehicle;

and

the operating of the on-board control device to control the HVAC system to operate in the second mode includes operating a purifying device of the HVAC system to clean the external ambient air before passing the external ambient air to the passenger compartment of the host vehicle.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein

the first mode is a first fresh air mode which includes automatically operating the HVAC system to open a forward facing inlet and receive a first external ambient air from external the host vehicle via the forward facing inlet and pass the first external ambient air to the passenger compartment;

and

the second mode is a second fresh air mode which includes automatically operating the HVAC system to obstruct the forward facing inlet, open at least one of a side facing inlet and a rear facing inlet, and receive a second external ambient air from external the host vehicle via the at least one of the side facing inlet and the rear facing inlet and pass the second external ambient air to the passenger compartment.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein

the first mode includes operating the on-board control device to automatically control the HVAC system to operate according to a user input.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein

an engine temperature sensor to detect a temperature of an engine of the host vehicle, wherein when the following distance is less than or equal to the threshold distance and the temperature is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature the controller performs an engine cooling countermeasure.

15. A system for operating a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in a host vehicle, the system comprising:

a detector configured to detect a following distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle;

a first fresh-air inlet having a first opening facing in a forward direction of the host vehicle;

a second fresh-air inlet having a second opening facing in at least one of a sideward direction and a rearward direction of the host vehicle;

a controller configured to control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to operate in a first fresh-air mode in which the first opening is open and the second opening is closed to receive a forward external ambient air while the following distance is greater than a threshold distance and to automatically operate in a second fresh-air mode in which the second opening is open and the first opening is closed to receive at least one of a sideward external ambient air and a rearward external ambient air while the following distance is less than or equal to the threshold distance; and

a cooperative adaptive cruise control system that is configured to form a cooperative platoon of at least the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, set a desired following distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, determine whether any of the vehicles in the cooperative platoon are low-emission vehicles, and present a suggested order including the low-emission vehicles in leading positions of the cooperative platoon.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising

a purifier, wherein the second mode includes automatically operating the purifier to at least one of clean, purify, filter and ionize the external ambient air from external the host vehicle before supplying the external ambient air to a passenger compartment of the host vehicle.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein

the second fresh-air mode includes automatically operating the HVAC system to control an engine cooling fan to run while the following distance is less than or equal to the threshold distance.

18. The system according to claim 15, further comprising an engine temperature sensor to detect a temperature of an engine of the host vehicle, wherein when the following distance is less than or equal to the threshold distance and the temperature is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature the controller performs an engine cooling countermeasure.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein

the first mode includes operating the on-board control device to automatically control the HVAC system to operate according to a user input.

20. The system according to claim 15, wherein

the controller is further configured receive a preceding vehicle communication, the communication including a low-emission indication, and determine whether the preceding vehicle is a low-emission vehicle based on the low-emission indication of the preceding vehicle communication, wherein the controller is further configured to control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to automatically operate in the first mode while the following distance is detected as being greater than the threshold distance regardless of the low-emission indication;

automatically operate in the first mode while the preceding vehicle is determined to be a low-emission vehicle regardless of the following distance, and automatically operate in the second mode while the following distance is detected as being less than or equal to the threshold distance and the preceding vehicle is not detected to be a low-emission vehicle.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein

the controller is further configured to present a suggested order of the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the low-emission indicator.