Systems and methods for heating and cooling a vehicle using a heat pump are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a system for heating and cooling the vehicle includes a heat pump having: a compressor located in an engine compartment of the vehicle, and an evaporator located in a sleeper or a cab of the vehicle. The system also includes a controller for selecting a cooling mode or a heating mode for the heat pump. In one embodiment, the system includes a clutch for engaging the compressor with a transmission of the vehicle.

A vehicle occupant safety system includes temperature, ambient, and interior monitoring modules. The temperature monitoring module includes at least one temperature sensor. The temperature monitoring module is configured to detect temperatures in zones within an interior of a vehicle. The ambient temperature sensor is configured to detect an ambient temperature within the interior of the vehicle. The interior monitoring module is configured to: based on the detected temperatures of the zones, determine for the zones at least one of a temperature gradient over time or a temperature gradient over space; determine if the ambient temperature is outside a predetermined range; and in response to the ambient temperature being outside the predetermined range and based on the at least one of a temperature gradient over time or a temperature gradient over space, detecting an occupant in the vehicle and performing a countermeasure to prevent an injury to the occupant.

A vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system including a cabin air filter, a sensor for providing a sensor reading, and a controller for determining a feedback signal from the sensor reading, wherein the feedback signal relates to a usage modifier of the cabin air filter.

Coolant flowing from a compressor passes through a heat exchanger and opening-degree adjustable type of expansion valves for heating, and an external heat exchanger. The coolant passing through the external heat exchanger is capable of passing through an expansion valve and a heat exchanger for cooling, and an expansion valve and a heat exchanger for cooling a battery. A grille shutter to change an introduction state of traveling air is provided in front of the external heat exchanger. When pressure of the coolant (particularly, pressure of the coolant at a timing after the coolant passes through the external heat exchanger) is a specified pressure or lower, the grille shutter is closed, whereby the heat-exchange performance of the external heat exchanger is lowered.

A vehicle climate control system includes an air conditioning unit including an exterior heat exchanger, an interior heat exchanger, an evaporator, a compressor, a first expansion valve, and a second expansion valve. A seat coil is embedded in a vehicle seat and connected to the air conditioning unit through a first inlet passage, a first outlet passage, a second inlet passage, and a second outlet passage. The compressor is selectively connected to the exterior heat exchanger, the evaporator, the interior heat exchanger, and the seat coil. The first expansion valve is selectively connected to an outlet of the exterior heat exchanger, an inlet of the evaporator, and the seat coil. The second expansion valve is selectively connected to an outlet of the interior heat exchanger, an inlet of the exterior heat exchanger, and the seat coil air conditioning unit.

The invention relates to an operating device (5) for an automatic climate control (2) of a motor vehicle (1) including a sensor assembly (7) for determining an interior temperature in a passenger cabin (4) of the motor vehicle (1) and including an operating area (8), wherein the sensor assembly (7) comprises a circuit board (11) and a sensor unit (12) disposed on the circuit board (11) with a first temperature sensor (17), and wherein a top side (9) of the operating area (8) faces the passenger cabin (4) in an intended installation position of the operating device (5) on the motor vehicle (1). In addition, the invention relates to an automatic climate control (2) as well as to a motor vehicle (1).

A method for activating a pre acclimatization system of the passenger compartment of a vehicle includes monitoring an operational state of the vehicle, including a first state in which the vehicle is on and a second state in which the vehicle is off. In the second state, the method includes monitoring a plurality of conditions, the conditions selected from a group including current time and date, a driver appointment schedule, a historical database, wherein said monitoring step is performed by a system controller incorporated into the vehicle. The method further includes determining the most probable time of departure of the vehicle from a present location based on said plurality of conditions monitored by said system controller, suggesting time of departure to driver, monitoring reply from driver, setting timer for activating said pre acclimatization according to reply from driver, and activating sleep mode for the vehicle systems.

A method of controlling a temperature altering element within a seating assembly of a vehicle comprising: presenting a vehicle including a seating assembly including a temperature altering element, a controller in communication with the temperature altering element, the controller including a Pre-established Predictive Activation Model setting forth rules governing the activation of the temperature altering element as a function of data relating to Certain Identifiable Conditions, and a user interface configured to allow the temperature altering element to be manually activated or deactivated; occupying the seating assembly with a first occupant; collecting data relating to the Certain Identifiable Conditions while the first occupant is occupying the seating assembly; determining, by comparing the collected data to the rules of the Pre-established Predictive Activation Model, whether the collected data satisfies the rules of the Pre-established Predictive Activation Model so as to activate the temperature altering element; and activating the temperature altering element.

An air-conditioning control system includes: a weather information providing system and an air-conditioning control apparatus that controls an air conditioner installed in a vehicle. The air-conditioning control apparatus includes: a receiving unit that receives, from the weather information providing system, first weather information indicating an estimated weather condition predicted at the vehicle; a measurement unit that performs measurements concerning second weather information indicating an actual weather condition at the position of the vehicle; a judgment unit that judges whether or not a reliability level of the first weather information is below a first threshold value by comparing the first weather information and the second weather information or by detecting a change per unit time of the second weather information; and a transmission unit that transmits, to the weather information providing system.

A vehicle HVAC system includes a compressor, a first heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant outside air, a first check valve set, a first expansion device for decompressing a first portion of the refrigerant, a second heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the first portion of the refrigerant and a second portion of the refrigerant, a second expansion device for decompressing the second portion of the refrigerant, a second check valve set, a third heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and inside air, and a selector valve for switching between a heating mode and a cooling mode. The first check valve set and the second check valve set together maintain a constant flow direction through the first expansion device, the second heat exchanger, and the second expansion device between the heating mode and the cooling mode.