An air-conditioning control device according to the present disclosure includes: a first temperature sensor which detects the temperature of an occupant; a processing unit which estimates, from the result of detection by the first temperature sensor, the thermal sensation felt by the occupant; and a control unit which controls an air conditioner according to the thermal sensation estimated by the processing unit. The processing unit determines a change in a clothing amount of the occupant from the result of detection by the first temperature sensor, and the control unit controls the output of the air conditioner according to the change in the clothing amount determined by the processing unit.

The present invention concerns a method for the detection of sunlight with a detector arrangement that delivers an output signal as a function of incident sunlight. In the method a detector arrangement is deployed with an SiC-semiconductor detector, which is only sensitive to the UV-component of the incident sunlight. By the deployment of such a detector arrangement a disturbance of the sunlight detection by artificial light sources is to a large extent avoided, so that a more reliable detection of the sunlight is enabled.

A method of operating a climate control system includes determining a sun/shade line within a vehicle based on thermal images from a thermal image device within the vehicle. The method further includes controlling a climate control system based of the sun/shade line.

Methods and systems are provided for managing cabin conditions. A fogging metric can be determined. A control signal is generated based on the fogging metric. The system facilitates modification to the operation control of the at least one climate control device based on the control signal. Such a response can correspond to control of a target evaporator temperature of an HVAC system. The target evaporator temperature can be adjusted within a continuous range of available temperatures. As such, the operation of the evaporator can be adjustably tailored to the needs of addressing a fog factor while also maximizing efficiency of the overall system.

A vehicle includes a compartment having a first space having a first environmental condition and a second space having a second environmental condition. At least one camera captures a first image of a first part of a region external to the vehicle and a second image of a second part of the region. The first part of the region aligns with the first space, and the second part of the region aligns with the second space. An environmental control system of the vehicle has at least one of lighting control and climate control. Control circuitry is configured to determine brightness conditions of the region based on the first image and the second image and control the environmental control system to adjust the environmental conditions based on the brightness conditions.

A vehicle includes at least one camera that captures at least one image of a region external to the vehicle. The vehicle includes an environmental control system of the vehicle having at least one of lighting control and climate control for the vehicle. The vehicle includes control circuitry configured to process a first set of images of the plurality of images at a first sampling rate, determine a brightness condition of the region external to the vehicle based on processing the first set of images, process a second set of images of the plurality of images at a second sampling rate different than the first sampling rate, detect a shift in the brightness condition based on the second set of images, and control the environmental control system in response to the shift in the brightness condition.

Illustrative examples of a vehicle system and associated methods may be directed to monitoring one or more vehicle components to prevent excess temperatures or heat. A thermal controller may be configured to determine a timer based on a predicted thermal input, and based on the timer, compare a temperature of the vehicle component to a temperature threshold. The thermal controller may be further configured to send an instruction to reduce the temperature of the vehicle component based on the comparison of the temperature to the temperature threshold.

A vehicle air conditioning apparatus is provided that can prevent temperature variations of the air after the heat exchange in a radiator to reliably control the temperature of the air supplied to the vehicle interior. During the heating operation and the heating and dehumidifying operation, target degree of supercooling SCt when target air-blowing temperature TAO is a predetermined temperature or higher is set to SCt1 that is greater than SCt2 when the target air-blowing temperature TAO is lower than the predetermined temperature. When amount of air Ga supplied from indoor fan 12 is lower than a predetermined value, the target degree of supercooling SCt is corrected, which is set such that the degree of supercooling is lower than target degree of supercooling corrected when the amount of air Ga supplied from the indoor fan 12 is a predetermined value or higher.

A vehicle air conditioning apparatus is provided that can prevent temperature variations of the air after the heat exchange in a radiator to reliably control the temperature of the air supplied to the vehicle interior. During the heating operation and the heating and dehumidifying operation, target degree of supercooling SCt when target air-blowing temperature TAO is a predetermined temperature or higher is set to SCt1 that is greater than SCt2 when the target air-blowing temperature TAO is lower than the predetermined temperature. When amount of air Ga supplied from indoor fan 12 is lower than a predetermined value, the target degree of supercooling SCt is corrected, which is set such that the degree of supercooling is lower than target degree of supercooling corrected when the amount of air Ga supplied from the indoor fan 12 is a predetermined value or higher.

Embodiments of the invention provide air conditioning system for use in a motor vehicle, the air conditioning system comprising a controller, at least one primary vent and an air delivery apparatus for location in a dashboard of a motor vehicle, the apparatus comprising: at least one secondary vent; and means for moving the at least one secondary vent between a retracted position in which the at least one secondary vent lies rearward of an A surface of the dashboard and a deployed position in which the at least one secondary vent is exposed for delivery of air to a zone of the vehicle, the controller being operable to: control the air conditioning system to provide a flow of air from the at least one primary vent while the air delivery apparatus is in a retracted position; and control the at least one vent to assume the deployed position responsive to a demand for a flow of air from the at least one secondary vent.