Air-conditioning control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11472257-B2
Application number	US-201916675081-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2019
Priority date	May 9, 2017
Publication date	Oct 18, 2022
Grant date	Oct 18, 2022

Abstract

An air-conditioning control ECU is an air-conditioning control apparatus mounted in an automated driving vehicle, and includes an occupant determining section that determines whether an occupant is in the automated driving vehicle, and a window operation controlling section that executes a window operation air-conditioning control for performing cabin air-conditioning when a determination result of the occupant determining section indicates the automated driving vehicle is in an unmanned traveling state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning control apparatus mounted in an automated driving vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
an occupant determining section that is configured to determine whether an occupant is in the automated driving vehicle;
an air-conditioning controlling section that is configured to execute an air-conditioning control by exchanging an inside air in a vehicle cabin with an outside air when the occupant determining section determines that the automated driving vehicle is in an unmanned state;
a travel determining section that is configured to determine whether the automated driving vehicle is traveling;
an inside cabin temperature detecting section that is configured to detect an inside cabin temperature of the automated driving vehicle; and
an outside cabin temperature detecting section that is configured to detect an outside cabin temperature of the automated driving vehicle, wherein
the air-conditioning controlling section is further configured to serve as a window operation controlling section that executes the air-conditioning control by operating a window of the automated driving vehicle when determination results of the occupant determining section and the travel determining section indicate the automated driving vehicle is traveling in the unmanned state, and
the window operation controlling section is further configured to determine controlling conditions for the air-conditioning control based on the inside cabin temperature and the outside cabin temperature.

2. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the air-conditioning controlling section is further configured to execute the air-conditioning control after the automated driving vehicle changes to the unmanned state from a manned state.

3. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the air-conditioning controlling section is further configured to stop the air-conditioning control when the automated driving vehicle changes to a manned state from the unmanned state.

4. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the window operation controlling section is further configured to:
refrain from executing the air-conditioning control when the inside cabin temperature falls within a proper temperature range; and
execute the air-conditioning control so that the inside cabin temperature falls within the proper temperature range when the inside cabin temperature does not fall within the proper temperature range.

5. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the window operation controlling section is further configured to increase an opening degree of the window as the air-conditioning control when:
the inside cabin temperature is higher than the proper temperature range and the inside cabin temperature is higher than the outside cabin temperature; or
the inside cabin temperature is lower than the proper temperature range and the inside cabin temperature is lower than the outside cabin temperature.

6. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the window operation controlling section is further configured to decrease an opening degree of the window as the air-conditioning control when:
the inside cabin temperature is higher than the proper temperature range and the inside cabin temperature is not higher than the outside cabin temperature; or
the inside cabin temperature is lower than the proper temperature range and the inside cabin temperature is not lower than the outside cabin temperature.

7. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the travel determining section is further configured to acquire vehicle speed information including information indicating a vehicle speed of the automated driving vehicle or information associated with a vehicle speed of the automated driving vehicle, and
the window operation controlling section is further configured to determine controlling conditions for the air-conditioning control in light of the vehicle speed information.

8. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the window operation controlling section is further configured to refrain from executing the air-conditioning control, and close the window if the window is open, when the vehicle speed information no longer indicates the automated driving vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold speed.

9. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the window operation controlling section is further configured to adjust the opening degree of the window in the air-conditioning control based on the vehicle speed information when the vehicle speed information indicates the automated driving vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold speed and the air-conditioning control is continuously executed.

10. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the window operation controlling section is further configured to adjust, when the vehicle speed information indicates that the vehicle is traveling at a low speed, the opening degree of the window to be less than that of the window when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed greater than the low speed.

11. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a wind velocity detecting section that is configured to detect wind velocity information indicating a velocity of wind entering the vehicle cabin, wherein
the window operation controlling section is further configured to determine controlling conditions of the air-conditioning control in light of the wind velocity information.

12. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a refrigerating cycle air-conditioning controlling section that is configured to control a vehicle air-conditioning apparatus configured to perform cabin air-conditioning using a conditioned air having a temperature adjusted by a refrigerating cycle system mounted in the automated driving vehicle; and
a remaining travel calculating section that is configured to calculate a scheduled traveling time for which the automated driving vehicle is expected to be in the unmanned state until an occupant rides in the automated driving vehicle, wherein
the window operation controlling section is further configured to stop the air-conditioning control, and close the window if the window is open, and the refrigerating cycle air-conditioning controlling section is further configured to execute the cabin air-conditioning by operating the refrigerating cycle system, when a required time to have the inside cabin temperature fall within a proper temperature range by the vehicle air-conditioning apparatus is equal to or less than the scheduled traveling time.

13. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an invading object determining section that is configured to determine whether an outside object likely entering the cabin of the automated driving vehicle exists, wherein
the window operation controlling section is further configured to refrain from executing the air-conditioning control, and close the window if the window is open, when a determination result of the invading object determining section indicates that an outside object likely entering the cabin exists.

14. The air-conditioning control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a weather information acquiring section that is configured to acquire weather information, wherein
the w

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Sakai Koji
• Sekito Yasuhiro

Classifications

• 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

• B60H1/00764

  the input being a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed (B60H1/00828, B60H1/00864 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60J9/00

  Devices not provided for in one of main groups B60J1/00 - B60J7/00 (B60J10/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2/002

  Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon (detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266) · CPC title

• B60N2210/18

  Infrared · CPC title