Automatic temperature override pattern recognition system

• US 9,120,365 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Herr-Rathke, Jennifer A., Hoke, Paul B., Hurd, James R., Errick, Steven D., Wallington, Alan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nelson, Sara
• Application Number:
  US14/100,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20150158368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/49, 165/201, 165/202, 165/42, 165/43
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00964 Control systems or circuits characterised by including features for automatic and non-automatic control, e.g. for changing from automatic to manual control

Abstract

Each vehicle in a fleet comprises a climate controller having an auto mode. The auto mode controls climate actuators in response to a model relating sensed climate conditions to respective settings for the actuators. The vehicle has a buffer memory periodically storing sample vectors comprised of actuator/operation settings and sensed climate conditions. A user interface in the vehicle is responsive to a user override commands to modify respective operation settings while in auto mode. Each vehicle has a wireless communication system for sending data packages to a remote server when the user generates the override. Each data package is comprised of a plurality of stored sample vectors and an identification of the override command A central database associated with the remote server receives the data packages from the fleet vehicles in order to identify patterns within the received vectors that are associated with any given override command

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a fleet of vehicles, wherein each vehicle comprises;

a climate controller having a manual mode and an auto mode, wherein the auto mode controls climate actuators in the vehicle in response to a model relating sensed climate conditions in the vehicle to respective operation settings;

a buffer memory periodically storing sample vectors comprised of respective operation settings and respective sensed climate conditions;

a user interface responsive to a user override commands to modify respective operation settings while in the auto mode; and

a wireless communication system sending data packages to a remote server when the user generates the override command, wherein each data package is comprised of a plurality of stored sample vectors and an identification of the override command; and

a central database associated with remote server receiving the data packages from the fleet of vehicles in order to identify patterns within the received sample vectors that are associated with a same override command

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the data package covers a predetermined interval of substantially continuous operation of the auto mode.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the climate actuators include a variable-speed blower and a plurality of airflow control doors, wherein air circulated by the blower is distributed via ducts according to respective positions of the airflow control doors.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the respective operation settings include a blower speed, an airflow mode, and a target duct temperature.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the user override commands include a blower speed change and an air circulation mode change.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the user override commands include an occupant setpoint temperature change.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a modified model derived from the identified patterns and stored on the server, wherein the server forwards the modified model to climate controllers in the fleet of vehicles via the wireless communication systems, and wherein the climate controllers are configured to incorporate the modified model.

8. A method comprising the steps of:

operating a plurality of climate controllers in a plurality of vehicles in an automatic temperature control mode, wherein the automatic mode uses a model relating sensed climate conditions in each respective vehicle to respective operation settings for respective climate actuators;

periodically buffering in respective vehicle memories sample vectors, wherein each sample vector is comprised of respective operation settings and respective sensed climate conditions at respective sample times;

detecting manual override commands in respective vehicles wherein a user modifies an actuator setting from a value set by the automatic mode;

transmitting data packages to a remote server when a respective user generates one of the override commands, wherein each data package is comprised of a plurality of stored sample vectors and an identification of the corresponding override command;

aggregating a plurality of data packages from at least some of the plurality of vehicles in a central database;

identifying patterns within the sample vectors in the central database that are associated with a same override command; and

identifying changes to the automatic temperature control mode to reduce a likelihood of future occurrence of the override command

9. The method of claim 8 wherein each data package covers a predetermined interval of substantially continuous operation of the auto mode in a respective vehicle.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the climate actuators include a variable-speed blower and a plurality of airflow control doors, wherein air circulated by the blower is distributed via ducts according to respective positions of the airflow control doors.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the respective operation settings include a blower speed, an airflow mode, and a target duct temperature.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the user override commands include a blower speed change and an air circulation mode change.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the user override commands include an occupant setpoint temperature change.

14. A method comprising:

automatically controlling temperature in vehicles with a model for determining operation settings;

storing sample vectors in respective vehicles of operation settings and sensed conditions at respective times;

wirelessly transmitting stored sample vectors and an identification of corresponding override commands to a server in response to an override command;

identifying patterns within the sample vectors and identifying changes to the model to reduce a likelihood of future occurrence of the override command