A method of heating the interior of a vehicle is provided. The vehicle has a central heating system and several decentralized heating surfaces constructed as infrared radiators. The temperature of the vehicle interior is controllable by the central heating system and/or the decentralized heating surfaces corresponding to a heating demand of at least one vehicle occupant. For controlling the temperature of the vehicle interior corresponding to a heating demand, a power distribution takes place between the central heating system and the decentralized heating surfaces as a function of specified distribution demands.

A radiant heater air-conditioning system includes: a heater main body having a heating portion energized to generate heat so as to radiate a radiant heat into a vehicle interior; an energization setting unit that sets an energization enable state for enabling energization of the heating portion and an energization disable state for disabling the energization of the heating portion; and an air-conditioning control apparatus that controls an air-conditioning output of a heating operation in the vehicle interior. The air-conditioning control apparatus reduces the air-conditioning output when the energization enable state is set, compared with when the energization disable state is set.

A heating apparatus for generating a hot air flow comprises a single fan, a burner heating element and a resistance heating element. In this respect, an air passage that conducts air to be heated and a combustion air passage that leads to a burner adjoin the fan downstream, wherein a combustion air flow in the combustion air passage can be controlled by a control element associated with the combustion air passage.

Systems and methods are provided for cooling and heating in a vehicle. A thermoelectric cooling system can include a heatsink in thermal communication with an exterior of a vehicle, thermoelectric cells within the vehicle mounted to the heatsink, and a power supply electrically connected to the one or more thermoelectric cells. In response to receiving power from the power supply, the thermoelectric cells produce a temperature difference to draw heat from the vehicle in to the heatsink. Cooling a vehicle cabin can include receiving a desired temperature and a current temperature of a vehicle cabin, determining a temperature difference between the desired temperature and the current temperature, and, based on determining the temperature difference indicates the desired temperature is lower than the current temperature, causing thermoelectric cells to receive power so the thermoelectric cells produce a temperature difference to draw heat from the vehicle cabin in to the heatsink.

A heating system for a vehicle includes: a heater for non-contact heating that emits radiation heat by heat supplied from its heat generating part, which generates heat upon energization, to give warmth to an occupant in a state where a body of the occupant is not in contact with the heater; a heater for contact heating that generates heat upon energization to give warmth to the occupant in a state where the body of the occupant is in contact with the heater; and a control device that controls operations of the heater for contact heating and the heater for non-contact heating. The control device adjusts a heating output provided by the heater for contact heating and a heating output provided by the heater for non-contact heating, and controls the operations to be switchable between: a non-contact heating priority mode to make larger the heating output of the heater for non-contact heating than the heating output of the heater for contact heating; and a contact heating priority mode to make larger the heating output of the heater for contact heating than the heating output of the heater for non-contact heating. As a consequence of the above, the occupant can enjoy a sense of heating that is not stereotypical, and achieve energy saving.

An air-conditioner for a vehicle includes: a first circuit in which a cooling medium circulates; a heater heating the cooling medium; a first pump disposed in the first circuit; a second circuit cooling a heat emitting portion; a second pump disposed in the second circuit; an adjustment portion controlling a circulation amount of the cooling medium flowing in the first circuit and a circulation amount of the cooling medium flowing in the second circuit; and a control portion. The vehicle includes a regenerative device, and a storage device is charged with electric energy recovered by the regenerative device. When the regenerative device is recovering the electric energy and when it is determined that power in the storage device needs to be consumed, the control portion drives the heater to heat the cooling medium such that the power in the storage device is converted into heat energy.

A method (7) for controlling the temperature of a heating surface (5) of a heating panel (1) suitable for being installed inside a passenger compartment of a vehicle, for example a motor vehicle, this surface (5) being likely to be touched by a passenger in said passenger compartment, the method (7) involving controlling the temperature of said heating surface (5) as a function of at least one item of data representative of the profile of a passenger accommodated in the passenger compartment and/or at least one item of data representative of the heating surface (5) of the heating panel (1). The invention also relates to a corresponding control device (15).

A method of controlling an occupant microclimate environment includes determining a heat balance on an occupant in a microclimate environment based upon a thermal model of the heat transfer effects on the occupant, estimating an overall thermal sensation of the occupant based upon the heat balance, referencing a target overall thermal sensation of the occupant, calculating an error between the estimated overall thermal sensation and the target overall thermal sensation, and controlling at least one thermal effector in at least one zone in the microclimate environment to reduce the error in overall thermal sensation while maintaining all effectors within limits of temperature and flow rate that ensure occupant comfort.

A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater for use in a vehicle air conditioner. The PTC heater comprises a plurality of independently electrically controllable PTC modules that can be selected. All the PTC modules are directly started simultaneously to activate the entire PTC heater; or the operation of one or some of the PTC modules is started before all the PTC modules are started simultaneously to activate the entire PTC heater. In addition, a method for controlling the PTC heater and a control system for operating the control method are also provided. By controlling the coordinated operation of the PTC heater and a compressor, the purposes of reducing power consumption to increase energy efficiency and extending the range of an electric bus are achieved.

A microclimate system for a vehicle occupant includes multiple microclimate thermal effectors. Each of the microclimate communication with the microclimate thermal effectors and includes a plurality of first transfer functions. Each of the first transfer functions models a corresponding microclimate thermal effector in the plurality of microclimate thermal effectors. A system transfer function models the microclimate system. Each of the first transfer functions is nested within the system transfer function.