Multiple zone automatic HVAC control system and method

• US 6,640,890 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2000
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Girard, Hilton W., Dage, Gerhard Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, John K.
• Application Number:
  US09/587,428
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 165/203, 165/42, 165/43, 165/202, 165/247, 165/249, 165/291, 165/201, 165/204, 236/49.3, 236/91.C, 236/91.F, 701/36, 706/4
• US Class Current: 165/203
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00821 the components being ventilating, air admitting or air distributing devices

Abstract

A multiple zone electronic control system and method are provided to control a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for a vehicle. The control system includes a plurality of sensors to provide inputs relating to multiple zones of an occupant compartment of the vehicle and a plurality of buttons to provide manual inputs relating to the multiple zones. The control system also includes a plurality of mechanisms to control temperature and flow of air from the HVAC system into the multiple zones. The control system further includes a controller electrically connected to the sensors and the buttons to receive the inputs therefrom and electrically connected to the mechanisms to control the temperature and flow of air into each of the multiple zones.

Claims

1. A method of automatically controlling a multiple zone heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of sensed inputs from sensors relating to multiple zones of an occupant compartment of the vehicle comprising a driver side zone, a passenger side zone, and a rear zone;

receiving a plurality of manual inputs from buttons relating to the multiple zones;

calculating a driver side blend function, rear blend function and passenger side blend function wherein the rear blend function is a calculation based on the driver side blend function and the passenger side blend function and interpolating outputs based on a blend linear interpolation for each determined blend function;

outputting the interpolated outputs to mechanisms for the zones of the HVAC system to control temperature and flow of air from the HVAC system into the multiple zones; and

controlling the temperature and flow of air into each of the multiple zones based on the received inputs and outputs to the mechanisms.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 including the step of determining a blower function based on the determined blend function.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2 including the step of interpolating the output based on a blend linearization for the determined blower function.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said step of outputting the interpolated output to the mechanism for a blower.

5. A method as set forth in claim 3 including the step of determining a cold engine function based on the interpolated output to the mechanism for a blower.

6. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of calculating the rear blend function is based on the driver side blend function plus the passenger side blend function divided by two.