Low power environment management for an automobile

• US 9,915,091 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gantman, Russell Stuart, Grimme, Jason, VanBlon, Russell Speight
• Primary Examiner(s): Ziaeianmehdizadeh, Navid
• Application Number:
  US14/142,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20150184442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/71 responsive to temperature changes, rain, wind or noise
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 17/00 Special devices for shifting a plurality of wings operated simultaneously for simultaneously moving a plurality of interconnected ventilating lamellae E06B7/086
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/42 for multiple openings
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows

Abstract

For low power environment management for an automobile, a method is disclosed that includes sensing an environmental condition at an automobile, comparing a level of the environmental condition to a selected threshold value, and adjusting the opening of one or more windows of the automobile based on the sensed environmental condition.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

an environmental sensor;

one or more windows;

a fan;

an automobile body that houses the processor, the environmental sensor, the one or more windows, and the fan;

one or more motors housed by the automobile body that translate the automobile body;

an environment module that;

determines an environmental condition based on environment data sensed at the environmental sensor in response to a user remotely commanding the automobile to initiate a low power environment management system for a plurality of different components of the automobile, the low power environment management system comprising a secondary power source that is separate from a primary power source of the automobile, the environmental sensor sensing the environment data in response to receiving the remote command, the environmental condition comprising an air temperature and a relative humidity; and

calculates a heat index based on the air temperature and the relative humidity;

a reserve power module that determines an amount of reserve power available, the reserve power generated by the secondary power source;

a threshold module that compares the calculated heat index to a heat index threshold and compares the available amount of reserve power to a reserve power threshold;

a cooling module that adjusts an opening of the one or more windows based on the calculated head index satisfying the heat index threshold; and

an air flow module that enables the fan based on the calculated head index satisfying the heat index threshold and responsive to the available amount of reserve power satisfying the reserve power threshold, the fan being enabled for a period of time determined as a function of an amount of available reserve power.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a state module that monitors a state of the apparatus, the environmental condition being determined in response to the state.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a configuration parameter module that stores configuration parameters, the configuration parameters comprising environment settings, threshold values, and adjustment settings, wherein an environmental condition is determined based on the environment settings, and the opening of the one or more windows is adjusted based on the adjustment settings.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air flow module further enables the fan in response to the environmental condition comprising temperature, the temperature exceeding the selected threshold value.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the opening of the one or more windows is adjusted based on the amount of reserve power available.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling module further opens the one or more windows in response to a user of the automobile approaching the automobile, the opening of the one or more windows adjusted by lowering one or more windows down.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the environment module determines an environmental condition in response to an initiation event, the initiation event selected from the group consisting of a user turning off the automobile, the user locking the automobile, and the user remotely commanding the automobile.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the environment module determines the environmental condition based on the automobile being powered off, the environmental condition comprising temperature, the one or more windows opened in response to the temperature exceeding a selected temperature threshold.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein an opening of the one or more windows comprises the one or more windows being opened less than 0.5 inches.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a command, remotely, to initiate a low power environment management system that comprises a secondary power source that is separate from a primary power source of an automobile, the low power environment management system managing a plurality of different components of the automobile;

determining, by use of a processor, an environmental condition based on environment data sensed by an environmental sensor at the automobile, the environmental sensor sensing the environment data in response to receiving the remote command, the environmental condition comprising an air temperature and a relative humidity;

calculating a heat index based on the air temperature and the relative humidity;

determining, by use of the processor, an amount of reserve power available, the reserve power generated by the secondary power source;

comparing, by use of the processor, the calculated heat index to a heat index threshold;

comparing, by use of the processor, the available amount of reserve power to a reserve power threshold;

adjusting, by use of the processor, the opening of the one or more windows based on the calculated head index satisfying the heat index threshold; and

enabling, by use of the processor, a fan based on the calculated head index satisfying the heat index threshold and responsive to the available amount of reserve power satisfying the reserve power threshold, the fan being enabled for a period of time determined as a function of an amount of available reserve power.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining to initiate low power environment management in the automobile based on a state of the automobile.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the environmental condition is selected from the group consisting of temperature, humidity, light, and precipitation.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving a set of configuration parameters, the configuration parameters selected from the group consisting of sensor settings, comparison settings, and adjustment settings.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising closing one or more windows of the automobile in response to a terminating event, the terminating event selected from the group consisting of a user returning to the automobile, exceeding a time threshold, insufficient reserve power, and meeting a temperature threshold.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising monitoring the amount of reserve power for the automobile, the adjusting based on the amount of available reserve power.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising closing the windows of the automobile in response to the environmental condition comprising precipitation.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising starting a fan for the automobile, wherein the environmental condition comprises temperature exceeding a temperature threshold.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising returning windows of the car to a default position in response to a user of the automobile starting the automobile.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory that stores code executable by the processor, the code comprising;

an environment module that;

determines an environmental condition based on environment data sensed at the environmental sensor in response to a user remotely commanding an automobile to initiate a low power environment management system, the low power environment management system managing a plurality of different components of the automobile, the low power environment management system comprising a secondary power source that is separate from a primary power source of the automobile, the environmental sensor sensing the environment data in response to receiving the remote command, the environmental condition comprising an air temperature and a relative humidity; and

calculates a heat index based on the air temperature and the relative humidity;

a reserve power module that determines an amount of reserve power available, the reserve power generated by the secondary power source;

a threshold module that compares the calculated heat index to a heat index threshold and compares the available amount of reserve power to a reserve power threshold;

a cooling module that adjusts an opening of the one or more windows based on the calculated head index satisfying the heat index threshold; and

an air flow module that enables the fan based on the calculated head index satisfying the heat index threshold and responsive to the available amount of reserve power satisfying the reserve power threshold, the fan being enabled for a period of time determined as a function of an amount of available reserve power.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the cooling module further closes the windows in response to the environmental condition comprising precipitation.