Method of controlling a heating and air conditioning system in a motor vehicle

• US 7,255,161 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2004
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BMW SUPPLIER NO. 141 642-10
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Augst, Alexander, Durach, Stephan, Borke, Danny
• Primary Examiner(s): CIRIC, LJILJANA V
• Application Number:
  US10/784,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20040194945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 165/202, 165/203, 165/204, 454/75, 621/766, 622/49, 701/36, 701/49
• US Class Current: 165/202
• 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 1/00821 the components being ventilating, air admitting or air distributing devices

Abstract

A method for controlling a heating and air conditioning system equipped with actuators, preferably vents, is provided. Interior conditions are detected by an interior sensing system, with at least the seat occupancy with occupants being automatically recognized by an object recognition system on the basis of the data supplied by the interior sensing system. An optimized adjustment of the heating and air conditioning system to the seat occupancy is automatically performed as a function of the recognized seat occupancy.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a vehicle interior heating and air conditioning system equipped with actuators, comprising the acts of:

detecting interior conditions with an interior sensing system;

automatically detecting seat occupancy with an object recognition system on the basis of data received from the interior sensing system; and

adjusting automatically the heating and air conditioning system actuators as a function of seat occupancy to maintain desired interior conditions at at least one of a plurality of seats within the vehicle interior,

wherein

in the step of detecting seat occupancy, a head position is calculated by the object recognition system for at least one occupant, and

in the adjusting step, an optimized setting of the heating and air conditioning system for each detected occupant is automatically performed by actuators as a function of seat occupancy and head position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

in the adjusting step, if one of the plurality of seats is unoccupied by a passenger, the actuators of the heating and air conditioning system are operated so that one of a fan intensity and an air distribution in the direction of the unoccupied one of the plurality of seats is adjusted.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

in the adjusting step, the actuators of the heating and air conditioning system are operated so that a temperature in an area of an unoccupied one of the plurality of seats is adjusted toward the desired interior conditions.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein

in the adjusting step, the actuators of the heating and air conditioning system are operated during interior cooling so that a temperature at an unoccupied one of the plurality of seats is permitted to increase to reduce heating and air conditioning system energy usage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

in the adjusting step, the actuators of the heating and air conditioning system are operated so that a temperature at an unoccupied one of the plurality of seats is adjusted toward the desired interior conditions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

in the adjusting step, the actuators of the heating and air conditioning system are operated during interior cooling so that a temperature at an unoccupied one of the plurality of seats is permitted to increase to reduce heating and air conditioning system energy usage.