Customized air conditioner controlling system and method thereof

• US 9,862,245 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2013
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jeong Ku
• Primary Examiner(s): Ciric, Ljiljana
• Application Number:
  US14/093,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20150075763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 165 111, 165202, 165203, 165204
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00757 by the input of sound, e.g. by using a voice synthesizer
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00878 the components being temperature regulating devices

Abstract

A system and method for controlling an air conditioner to provide cooling or heating customized to each occupant of a vehicle by measuring body temperatures of each occupant. The system includes a body temperature measuring unit configured to measure a body temperature of each occupant, a personalized service determining unit configured to determine a personalized service including whether to drive a cooling device or a heating device for each occupant based on the body temperature of each occupant, and an air conditioner controlling unit configured to control the air conditioner discriminatively for each occupant based on a personalized service.

Claims

1. An air conditioner controlling apparatus, comprising:

a body temperature sensor configured to measure respective body temperatures of occupants in a vehicle, based on an interior temperature of the vehicle and wind speeds from respective air conditioners corresponding to the occupants;

a personalized service determining processor configured to determine whether to drive each of the air conditioners based on the respective body temperatures; and

an air conditioner controller configured to control the each of the air conditioners based on the determination whether to drive the each of the air conditions.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a voice position detecting unit detecting a position where a voice is output; and

a voice analyzing unit analyzing the voice,

wherein the air conditioner controlling unit controls the air conditioner so that a personalized service, which coincides with an analysis result of the voice, is preferentially provided to the position where the voice is detected.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a health state judging unit judging a health state of each occupant based on the body temperature of each passenger,

wherein the air conditioner controlling unit controls the air conditioner based on the health state.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the health state judging unit includes:

a first determination unit determining whether the body temperature is within a normal body temperature range by comparing the body temperature and the normal body temperature range with each other;

a cooling/heating driving stopping unit stopping the driving of the cooling device or the heating device and allowing the cooling device or the heating device to stand by until a predetermined time elapses when it is determined that the temperature is not within the normal body temperature range;

a second determination unit determining whether a body temperature remeasured after the predetermined time elapsed is within the normal body temperature range by comparing the remeasured body temperature and the normal body temperature range with each other; and

a health disorder notifying unit notifying a fact of a health disorder to the corresponding occupant when it is determined that the remeasured body temperature is not within the normal body temperature range.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the personalized service determining processor comprises:

an interior temperature sensor configured to measure the interior temperature;

a first comparison processor configured to calculate a difference value between one of the respective body temperatures and the interior temperature, and to determine whether an absolute value of the difference value is greater than or equal to a reference value;

a second comparison processor configured to compare a temperature value with the one of the respective body temperatures, in response to determining that the absolute value of the difference value is greater than or equal to the reference value, wherein the temperature value is a sum of the interior temperature and an offset temperature; and

a cooling/heating determining processor configured to determine to drive a cooler of the air conditioners, in response to determining that the one of the respective body temperatures is higher than the temperature value, and to determine to drive a heater of the air conditioners, in response to determining that the one of the respective body temperatures is lower than the temperature value.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the cooling/heating determining processor is further configured to query temperature regulation data of one of the occupants before the cooler or the heater is driven, and to analyze a response of the one of the occupants to determine the temperature regulation data of the one of the occupants after a cooling operation or a heating operation is determined.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the cooling/heating determining processor is further configured to determine whether to drive the cooler or the heater by determining a health state of the one of the occupants based on the one of the respective body temperatures, in response to determining that the one of the respective body temperatures is equal to the interior temperature, wherein the one of the respective body temperatures corresponds to the one of the occupants.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body temperature sensor is further configured to measure the one of the respective body temperatures using a non-contact sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the non-contact sensor comprises a thermal image camera or an infrared temperature sensor and is configured to measure a temperature of facial skin of the one of the occupants.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the air conditioner controlling unit determines an occupant to which the personalized service is provided for each air conditioner based on a distance from the occupant.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the respective body temperatures is measured according to:

Tb=C1+C2Ti−

C3V+C4VTi, where Tb is the one of the respective body temperatures, C1 is a first constant, C2 is a second constant, Ti is the interior temperature of the vehicle, C3 is a third constant, V is one of the wind speeds, and C4 is a fourth constant.