A temperature control system includes a heater core utilizing heat of a heat medium; an engine heat exchanger utilizing exhaust heat of an engine to heat the heat medium; a condenser utilizing heat other than the exhaust heat to heat the heat medium; a heat circuit having the heater core and condenser; a communication flow path making the engine heat exchanger communicate with the heat circuit; and a connection state switching mechanism switching a flow state of the heat medium, between a first state and a second state. In the first state, the heat medium flows through the heat circuit, while flowing through the heater core, and in the second state, the heat medium flows through the heat circuit without flowing through the heater core. The heat circuit is arranged at a front of a passenger compartment, and the engine heat exchanger is arranged at a rear of the compartment.

A method for controlling air conditioning of a vehicle includes: determining whether an air conditioning control entry condition for battery cooling wind backseat backflow compensation is satisfied from environment information collected from the vehicle; starting air conditioning control for the battery cooling wind backseat backflow compensation if it is determined that the entry condition is satisfied; determining a compensation value corresponding to a current operating level of a battery cooling fan when the air conditioning control for the battery cooling wind backseat backflow compensation is started; compensating for a current control variable value of an air conditioning device component using the determined compensation value; and performing an air conditioning operation for compensation in accordance with a backflow of a battery cooling wind having cooled a battery toward a backseat by controlling a state of the air conditioning device component in accordance with the compensated control variable value.

A system and method for protecting against low refrigerant charge of a refrigerant subsystem in a vehicle includes a controller configured to control a component of the vehicle in response to detecting a low refrigerant charge based on an ambient temperature of the refrigerant subsystem, a suction pressure of refrigerant entering a compressor of the refrigerant subsystem, and a speed of the compressor.

The invention relates to a thermal control system for an electric vehicle comprising: a high voltage battery; a first heat exchanger adapted to be in contact with the ambient for circulating a heat exchange medium in thermal contact with the ambient; a second heat exchanger in thermal contact with the battery; a heat transport system for transporting the heat exchange medium from the first heat exchanger to an evaporator/condenser assembly that is in thermal contact with the second heat exchanger for transfer of heat to the battery and for transporting the heat exchange medium back to the first heat exchanger. At least one of the first and second heat exchangers is provided with a vibration device, such as an ultrasonic transducer, for releasing of ice formed on the at least one heat exchanger.

Vehicle control apparatus and vehicle control method are described. The vehicle control apparatus may include a compressor and a controller. The controller may determine a thermal load level at one or more of: a first time point at which an engine is switched to an ON state from an OFF state, a second time point at which a first discharge amount of the battery exceeds a first reference value while the engine is in the OFF state, or a third time point at which a second discharge amount of the battery exceeds a second reference value smaller than the first reference value and a discharge rate associated with the battery exceeds a third reference value while the engine is in the OFF state. The controller may control the compressor using a control value corresponding to the thermal load level.

Disclosed is a method of operating a trailer refrigeration unit of a refrigerated trailer system comprising setting a cargo hold set point temperature through a user interface; urging an airflow along a flowpath from a return air inlet port, through an evaporator of the trailer refrigeration unit, and to a supply air outlet port of the trailer refrigeration unit; monitoring a return air temperature of the airflow flowing through the return air inlet port; monitoring a supply air temperature of the airflow flowing through the supply air outlet port; heating the airflow flowing through the supply air outlet port when the return air temperature is less than the cargo hold set point temperature; and stopping heating of the airflow flowing to the supply air outlet port when the return air temperature is less than the cargo hold set point temperature and the supply air temperature reaches a threshold.

Disclosed is a method of operating a trailer refrigeration unit of a refrigerated trailer system comprising setting a cargo hold set point temperature through a user interface; urging an airflow along a flowpath from a return air inlet port, through an evaporator of the trailer refrigeration unit, and to a supply air outlet port of the trailer refrigeration unit; monitoring a return air temperature of the airflow flowing through the return air inlet port; monitoring a supply air temperature of the airflow flowing through the supply air outlet port; heating the airflow flowing through the supply air outlet port when the return air temperature is less than the cargo hold set point temperature; and stopping heating of the airflow flowing to the supply air outlet port when the return air temperature is less than the cargo hold set point temperature and the supply air temperature reaches a threshold.

A method for operating a cooling system of a motor vehicle for cooling at least one component, a cooling system of a motor vehicle for cooling at least one component, and a motor vehicle having such a cooling system. The cooling system has a coolant circuit and a refrigerant circuit. The coolant circuit serves for cooling the at least one component and the refrigerant circuit and the coolant circuit are coupled thermally to one another via a heat exchanger. The coolant circuit has a conveying device for conveying a coolant in the coolant circuit. A cooling power of the refrigerant circuit can be regulated. The regulation of the cooling power of the refrigerant circuit is realized in a manner dependent on a return temperature of the coolant and/or on a temporal development of the return temperature of the coolant.

A heat pump system for the vehicle includes a cooling apparatus, which includes a radiator and a water pump connected by a coolant line and circulating a coolant in the coolant line to cool at least one heating element provided on the coolant line. The heat pump system further includes a branched line including one end connected to a valve on the coolant line between the radiator and the heating element and the other end connected to the coolant line between the radiator and the water pump. The heat pump system further includes an air conditioner device circulating a refrigerant along the refrigerant line to adjust an indoor temperature of the vehicle.

A computer-implemented process for controlling a vehicle interior includes detecting a previously defined situation that relates to an undesirable environmental condition of the vehicle interior, and assessing both a risk level and an urgency level, based on a vehicle sensor input. The process also includes generating a vehicle command based upon the detected previously defined situation, the assessed risk level, and assessed urgency level, and executing the generated vehicle command to control at least one of an engine, a window, and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit to modify an environmental condition of the vehicle interior.