System and method for reducing air pressure in a vehicle trunk to assist in closing a trunk door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11498392-B2
Application number	US-201916278460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2019
Priority date	Feb 18, 2019
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to assisting in closing a trunk door of a vehicle by leveraging a Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) system in the vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a position of the trunk door, and when the position of the trunk door is an open position, determining whether to activate the HVAC system to reduce air pressure in a trunk of the vehicle, where the trunk and the HVAC system are fluidly connected by an air duct. The method includes, in response to determining to activate the HVAC system to reduce air pressure in the trunk, pumping air out of the trunk through the air duct such that at least some of any increased air pressure caused by a trunk door closure is removed from the trunk. The method includes, when the position of the trunk door has changed from the open position to a closed position, deactivating the HVAC system to stop pumping air out from the trunk.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for assisting in closing a trunk door of a vehicle, the method comprising:
using at least one sensor to detect a position of the trunk door;
using an air pressure control module to determine whether to activate a Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) system to reduce air pressure in a trunk of the vehicle based on the position of the trunk door, wherein the trunk and the HVAC system are fluidly connected by an air duct;
in response to determining to activate the HVAC system to reduce the air pressure in the trunk, using an HVAC control module to control the HVAC system to pump air out of the trunk through the air duct such that at least some of any increased air pressure caused by closing the trunk door is removed from the trunk; and
using the air pressure control module to determine whether to deactivate the HVAC system to stop pumping the air out of the trunk based on the position of the trunk door.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining an HVAC system rate of pumping the air out of the trunk through the air duct; and
adjusting the HVAC system to pump the air out of the trunk through the air duct according to the HVAC system rate.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining the HVAC system rate of pumping the air out of the trunk through the air duct, further comprises:
determining a size of a user closing the trunk door;
estimating a force from the user to close the trunk door based on the user's size; and
wherein the HVAC system rate of pumping the air out of the trunk is at least based on the estimated force.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining the HVAC system rate of pumping the air out of the trunk through the air duct, further comprises:
identifying a weight of the trunk door;
estimating a force required to close the trunk door based on at least the weight of the trunk door; and
wherein the HVAC system rate of pumping the air out of the trunk is at least based on the estimated force.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the HVAC system comprises a blower, wherein the blower is fluidly connected to each of the trunk and a cabin of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the HVAC system comprises:
a blower fluidly connected to the trunk; and
a second blower fluidly connected to a cabin of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether to activate the HVAC system to reduce the air pressure in the trunk of the vehicle further comprises:
detecting an opening on the vehicle, wherein the opening on the vehicle is different from a trunk door opening for receiving the trunk door; and
determining whether, based on the opening on the vehicle, to activate the HVAC system to pump the air out of the trunk.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a cabin of the vehicle is fluidly connected to the trunk, wherein the opening on the vehicle includes a vehicle door opening for receiving a vehicle door, further comprising:
detecting a position of the vehicle door;
when the position of the vehicle door is an open position and the vehicle door is stationary, determining whether to activate the HVAC system to reduce the air pressure in the trunk; and
when the position of the vehicle door is the open position and the vehicle door is moving toward a closed position, determining to activate the HVAC system to reduce the air pressure in the trunk.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting an air pressure level in the trunk, wherein the determination of whether to activate the HVAC system to reduce the air pressure in the trunk occurs when the position of the trunk door is the open position and an increase in the air pressure level is detected.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
deactivating the HVAC system to stop pumping the air out of trunk through the air duct after a predetermined period of time.

11. A trunk pressure-relief system for assisting in closing a trunk door of a vehicle, comprising:
at least one sensor operable to detect a position of the trunk door;
a Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) system;
one or more processors;
a memory communicably coupled to the one or more processors and storing:
an air pressure control module including instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to, determine whether to activate the HVAC system to reduce air pressure in a trunk of the vehicle based on the position of the trunk door, wherein the trunk and the HVAC system are fluidly connected by an air duct; wherein, in response to determining to activate the HVAC system to reduce the air pressure in the trunk, the HVAC system pumps air out of the trunk through the air duct such that at least some of any increased air pressure caused by closing the trunk door is removed from the trunk; and

an HVAC control module including instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to deactivate the HVAC system to stop pumping the air out from the trunk based on the position of the trunk door.

12. The trunk pressure-relief system of claim 11 , wherein
the air pressure control module further includes instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to determine an HVAC system rate of pumping the air out of the trunk through the air duct, wherein the HVAC control module further includes instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to adjust the HVAC system to pump the air out of the trunk according to the HVAC system rate.

13. The trunk pressure-relief system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions to determine the HVAC system rate of pumping the air out of the trunk further include instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:
determine a size of a user closing the trunk door;
estimate a force from the user to close the trunk door based on the user's size; and
wherein the HVAC system rate of pumping the air out of the trunk is at least based on the estimated force.

14. The trunk pressure-relief system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a blower, wherein the blower is fluidly connected to each of the trunk and a cabin of the vehicle.

15. The trunk pressure-relief system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a blower fluidly connected to the trunk; and
a second blower fluidly connected to a cabin of the vehicle.

16. The trunk pressure-relief system of claim 11 , further comprising at least one sensor operable to detect an opening on the vehicle, wherein the opening on the vehicle is different from a trunk door opening for receiving the trunk door; and
wherein the air pressure control module further includes instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to, determine whether, based on the opening on the vehicle, to activate the HVAC system to reduce the air pressure in the trunk.

17. The trunk pressure-relief system of claim 16 , wherein a cabin of the vehicle is fluidly connected to the trunk, wherein the opening on the vehicle is a vehicle door opening for receiving a vehicle door, further comprising at least one sensor operable to detect a position of the vehicle door; and
wherein the air pressure control module further includes instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to,
when the position of the vehicle door is an open position and the vehicle door is stationary, determine whether to

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Williams Paxton S
• Frederick Scott Louis
• Robison Scott P

Classifications

• B60H1/00557

  Details of ducts or cables · CPC title

• B60H1/00735

  Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models · CPC title

• B60H1/248 Primary

  Air-extractors, air-evacuation from the vehicle interior · CPC title

• B60H1/00849

  for selectively commanding the induction of outside or inside air (B60H1/00842 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/00828 Primary

  Ventilators, e.g. speed control (B60H1/00864 takes precedence) · CPC title