Enhanced climate control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11059349-B2
Application number	US-201515755844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2015
Priority date	Oct 16, 2015
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

Data about a skin response characteristic are collected from a vehicle occupant. A target cabin temperature is determined based on the skin data. A climate control system is adjusted based on the target cabin temperature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising a computer including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the computer to:
collect data about a skin galvanic response and a skin temperature from a vehicle occupant with a wearable device in contact with skin of the vehicle occupant, the wearable device including a skin galvanic response sensor and a temperature sensor;
determine an ambient cabin temperature with a temperature sensor in a handheld user device;
determine a target cabin temperature with the handheld user device based on a most recent measurement of at least one of the skin temperature or the skin galvanic response sent by the wearable device to the handheld user device; and
adjust a climate control system to adjust the ambient cabin temperature to the target cabin temperature sent by the handheld user device to the computer.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the skin galvanic response is a measure of electric conductivity of skin.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wearable device includes a thermocouple.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the wearable device includes an electric conductivity sensor.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions include further instructions to determine the ambient cabin temperature according to data from the wearable device.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the instructions include instructions to determine a difference between the ambient cabin temperature measured by the wearable device and an ambient cabin temperature measured by the climate control system, wherein the target cabin temperature is determined at least in part by the difference.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to present the target cabin temperature to the occupant on the wearable device and to adjust the climate control system upon approval of the occupant.

8. A method, comprising:
collecting data about a skin galvanic response and a skin temperature from a vehicle occupant with a wearable device in contact with skin of the vehicle occupant, the wearable device including a skin galvanic response sensor and a temperature sensor;
determining an ambient cabin temperature with a temperature sensor in a handheld user device;
determining a target cabin temperature with the handheld user device, based on a most recent measurement of at least one of the skin temperature or the skin galvanic response sent by the wearable device to the handheld user device; and
adjusting a climate control system to adjust the ambient cabin temperature to the target cabin temperature sent by the handheld user device to the computer.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the skin galvanic response is a measure of electric conductivity of skin.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the wearable device includes a thermocouple.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the wearable device includes an electric conductivity sensor.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining the ambient cabin temperature according to data from the wearable device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the instructions include instructions to determine a difference between the ambient cabin temperature measured by the wearable device and an ambient cabin temperature measured by the climate control system, wherein the target cabin temperature is determined at least in part by the difference.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising presenting the target cabin temperature to the occupant on the wearable device and to adjust the climate control system upon approval of the occupant.

15. A system, comprising a computer including a processor and a memory, the memory, storing instructions executable by the computer to:
collect data about a skin galvanic response and a skin temperature from a vehicle occupant with a wearable device in contact with skin of the vehicle occupant, the wearable device including a skin galvanic response sensor and a temperature sensor;
determine a target cabin temperature based on a most recent measurement of at least one of the skin temperature or the skin galvanic response;
determine an ambient cabin temperature with a temperature sensor in a handheld user device; and
adjust a climate control system to adjust the ambient cabin temperature to the target cabin temperature.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Prakah-Asante Kwaku O
• Tonshal Basavaraj
• Chen Yifan
• Kolisetty Padma Aiswarya
• Yang Hsin-Hsiang
• Strumolo Gary Steven

Classifications

• G05D23/1917

  using digital means · CPC title

• B60H1/00

  Heating, cooling or ventilating devices · CPC title

• B60H1/00807

  the input being a specific way of measuring or calculating an air or coolant temperature · CPC title

• B60H1/00742 Primary

  by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors · CPC title

• B60H1/00792

  Arrangement of detectors (B60H1/00742, B60H1/0075, B60H1/00785 take precedence) · CPC title