System and method for controlling air conditioner for vehicle

• US 10,611,211 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2018
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GARIN System Co.,Ltd.
• Original Assignee: GARIN System Co.,Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Yun Sub
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/893,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20180244130A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00657 Remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00778 the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping

Abstract

A system for controlling an air conditioner for a vehicle includes a sensor group that generates environmental information, a gear mode sensing unit that senses a gear mode, a timer that counts time, a communication unit that receives a remote control signal and transmit air-conditioning control information, a control unit that generates a start-up control signal for a vehicle in response to the remote control signal or a set time, outputs or stops a start-up control signal in response to the gear mode, outputs an air-conditioning control signal when start-up is performed, performs transmission control through the communication unit by generating the air-conditioning control information, measures air-conditioning target deviation corresponding to the environmental information, and selectively performs preliminary air-conditioning control, a start-up device that performs start-up in response to the start-up control signal, and an air conditioner that performs air-conditioning control in response to the air-conditioning control signal.

Claims

1. A system for controlling an air conditioner for a vehicle, the system comprising:

a sensor group configured to generate environmental information;

a gear mode sensing unit configured to sense a gear mode;

a timer configured to count time;

a communication unit configured to receive a remote control signal and transmit air-conditioning control information;

a control unit configured to generate a start-up control signal for a vehicle in response to the remote control signal or a set time, output or stop a start-up control signal in response to the gear mode, output an air-conditioning control signal when start-up is performed, perform transmission control through the communication unit by generating the air-conditioning control information, measure air-conditioning target deviation corresponding to the environmental information, and selectively perform preliminary air-conditioning control;

a start-up device configured to perform start-up in response to the start-up control signal; and

an air conditioner configured to perform air-conditioning control in response to the air-conditioning control signal,

wherein, responsive to a determination, based on the environmental information generated by the sensor group, that a current environment is incapable of reaching a required air-conditioning target value through automatic start-up, the control unit is further configured to control the air conditioner to perform preliminary air-conditioning after start-up is performed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises:

an air-conditioning target deviation measurement unit configured to measure air-conditioning target deviation based on the environmental information, time information and gear mode information;

a start-up unit configured to generate the start-up control signal when the air-conditioning target deviation is a set value or more; and

an air-conditioning intensity adjustment unit configured to generate the air-conditioning control signal in response to the start-up and adjust intensity of air-conditioning when the air-conditioning target deviation is the set value or more.

3. A method of controlling an air conditioner for a vehicle, the method comprising:

collecting environmental information;

determining whether a current environment is capable of reaching a required air-conditioning target value on a set time through automatic start-up based on the environmental information;

performing start-up if the current environment is incapable of reaching the required air-conditioning target value through the automatic start-up; and

performing preliminary air-conditioning in response to the start-up.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the start-up is performed only when a gear state is a parking mode or a neutral mode.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the preliminary air-conditioning is performed within a set time of the automatic start-up time.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein air-conditioning control is performed along with the start-up at the automatic start-up time.