Methods and systems for controlling a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) intake. An air-conditioning control device receives the detected ambient air from an ambient air sensor, and the detected air temperature at a front of a condenser. The two temperatures are compared to determine whether to change the HVAC intake. In response to determining the air temperature at the front of the condenser is higher than the ambient air, the HVAC intake is placed into a recirculate position to allow air from the vehicle compartment to enter the HVAC intake.

A system includes a sensor for sensing an outdoor environment weather condition of an outdoor environment, a processor, and a memory module communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory module including one or more processor-readable instructions that when executed, cause the processor to determine an expected departure time, determine the outdoor environment weather condition from data received from the sensor, and send a request for user input to a remote device, the request including a user input selector to initiate at least one climate control system based on one or more of the expected departure time and the outdoor environment weather condition.

An air conditioning control system includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry includes an ambient temperature obtainment unit, a departure time estimation unit configured to estimate a departure time of a vehicle, an air conditioning condition calculator configured to calculate an operation period and an operation output that allow a passenger compartment temperature of the vehicle to reach a preset target temperature, an air conditioning start time determination unit configured to determine an activation time of an air conditioner, and an air conditioning controller. The air conditioning start time determination unit is configured to determine that the activation time is a time earlier than the departure time by the operation period.

Methods and systems for controlling a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) intake. An air-conditioning control device receives the detected ambient air from an ambient air sensor, and the detected air temperature at a front of a condenser. The two temperatures are compared to determine whether to change the HVAC intake. In response to determining the air temperature at the front of the condenser is higher than the ambient air, the HVAC intake is placed into a recirculate position to allow air from the vehicle compartment to enter the HVAC intake.

There is disclosed a vehicle air conditioner of a heat pump system in which there is prevented or inhibited frosting to an outdoor heat exchanger when heating in a vehicle interior is beforehand performed during plug-in, thereby achieving comfortable heating in the vehicle interior during running and also extending a running distance. The vehicle air conditioner includes an injection circuit 40 which distributes a refrigerant flowing out from a radiator 4 to return the refrigerant to the middle of compression by a compressor 2, a controller has frosting estimation means for estimating the frosting to an outdoor heat exchanger 7, and when a heating mode is executed in a state where a power is supplied from an external power source to the compressor 2 or to a battery which supplies the power to drive the compressor 2, the injection circuit 40 performs gas injection to the compressor 2 in a case where the frosting to the outdoor heat exchanger 7 is predicted.

An vehicle with abandoned occupant alert system incorporates a pad having a global positioning tracking device, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip, a wireless transmitter, and a temperature gauge. The pad also comprises a heating and cooling mechanism which is activated in response to the interior temperature of the vehicle. The pad is configured to transmit a signal to an electronic device equipped with an application which alerts a user to the presence of an individual of sufficient weight sitting upon the pad in an unoccupied vehicle the engine of which has been shut off.

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. An HVAC unit of the system includes a heater core, an evaporator, a plurality of mode doors that control airflow from the HVAC unit, and one or more actuators, each one of the one or more actuators moves one or more of the plurality of mode doors. A plurality of airflow sensors are each associated with a different one of a plurality of air duct outlets through which airflow from the HVAC unit flows. The plurality of airflow sensors measure airflow through each one of the plurality of air duct outlets. A control module determines airflow amount through each one of the plurality of air duct outlets based on inputs received from the sensors, and moves one or more of the plurality of mode doors until airflow amount measured by the plurality of airflow sensors is at least substantially equal to a requested airflow distribution pattern.

A transport refrigeration unit (TRU) system is provided and includes a TRU and an energy storage device (ESD). The TRU includes components which are configured to control an environment and a TRU controller configured to control the components in accordance with component operating settings. The ESD includes an ESD controller receptive of identification data identifying the components, current condition data reflective of current conditions and control data reflective of a temperature profile. The ESD controller is configured to determine the component operating settings in accordance with the identification, current condition and control data and to issue the component operating settings to the TRU controller.

Systems and methods can determine whether an air conditioning (AC) system of the vehicle is being operated under a maximum cooling condition. Responsive to determining that the AC system is being operated under the maximum cooling condition, it can be determined whether vehicle fluid temperatures meet associated predetermined thresholds. If none of the vehicle fluid temperatures meet the associated predetermined thresholds, a heater core valve can be switched to a closed position to reduce a flow rate of the coolant through a heater core. If one or more of the vehicle fluid temperatures meet the associated predetermined thresholds, the heater core valve can be switched to an open position to increase the flow rate of the coolant through the heater core. Such systems can force coolant to flow through the heater core to reduce vehicle fluid temperatures even when the AC system is being operated under the maximum cooling condition.

A method for operating a climate-control system of a vehicle using an initial ambient (outside the vehicle) air temperature calculated based upon a current air temperature measured by a temperature sensor located on a side-mirror of the vehicle. A previous air temperature is stored at or before an engine shut-down time. At a subsequent engine start time: a) the temperature sensor on the side-mirror determines the current air temperature; b) a solar radiation on the vehicle is measured; and c) a duration since the previous air temperature was stored is determined. If, at the engine re-start time; a) the duration exceeds a threshold value; and b) the current air temperature is higher than the previous air temperature, then the initial air temperature is calculated from: a) the current air temperature, b) the previous air temperature, and c) the solar radiation. The climate-control system is operated using the calculated initial temp.