An in-vehicle ventilation system includes a power window mechanism configured to open and close a window of a vehicle and a control unit configured to control the power window mechanism. The control unit is further configured to acquire a first environmental information representing an environment inside the vehicle and a second environmental information representing an environment outside the vehicle, automatically select, based on the first environmental information and the second environmental information, a specific ventilation adjustment mode suitable for at least one occupant of the vehicle out of a plurality of ventilation adjustment modes and control the power window mechanism according to the selected ventilation adjustment mode.

An olfactory communication system for generating aroma-based notifications to one or more occupants of a vehicle includes an aroma diffuser that emits aromas into an interior cabin of the vehicle and a controller in electronic communication with the aroma diffuser. The one or more controllers execute instructions to receive a message indicating a specific event is occurring, where the specific event is an occurrence that the one or more occupants experience while in the interior cabin of the vehicle. In response to receiving the message, the one or more controllers determine a customized aroma based on the specific event, where the customized aroma creates an odor that informs the one or more occupants of the specific event. The one or more controllers instruct the aroma diffuser to emit the customized aroma into the interior cabin of the vehicle.

A smart electric temperature-controlled system connected to a vehicle, such as a vehicle-transported refrigeration system, includes a power management system and an energy storage module. The power management system and energy storage module can manage power delivered to the temperature-controlled system components by monitoring temperatures and voltages (and possibly other factors) and by delivering power as a function of the things monitored. In a typical implementation the power management system and an energy storage module can supply power to a vehicle-transported refrigeration system when the vehicle is stopped and/or power from the vehicle electrical system is electrically isolated or otherwise unavailable.

A vehicle ventilation control system includes: a reception unit that receives an instruction signal input by a user via wireless communication; and a control unit that controls ventilation inside a vehicle based on the instruction signal, in which the control unit performs ventilation control to control the ventilation based on the instruction signal input during a period after the user gets out of the vehicle to next boarding.

Provided is a control unit and a system for monitoring in real-time and/or controlling the air quality of a vehicle cabin. Upon receiving input data from various sensors in the cabin of the vehicle, the control unit processes the data and outputs a unified processed/calculated data of all the sensed data from sensors in the cabin that is indicative of the general air quality in the cabin. In addition, the control unit may output instructions of operations that need to be carried out for optimal circulation of the air that results in improvement of the air quality within the cabin. These instructions of operations may be also affected from data that is received by the control unit that is indicative of the air quality in the surrounding of the vehicle.

A vehicle and method are provided for monitoring and changing quality of air in a passenger compartment of a vehicle so that the air quality remains above a predeterminable threshold value. The vehicle has an air quality sensing device and an air quality changing device. The method includes sensing the quality of the air in the passenger compartment and in the surroundings of the vehicle with the air quality sensing device; and in the event that the quality of the air in the passenger compartment of the vehicle drops below the predeterminable threshold value, changing the quality of the air in the passenger compartment of the vehicle with the air quality changing device so that the quality of the air in the passenger compartment rises above the predeterminable threshold value.

A method for controlling a comfort component of a vehicle is presented. The method includes determining that the vehicle has arrived at a destination. The method also includes determining that the comfort component is activated. The method further includes deactivating the comfort component in response to determining that the comfort component is activated and the vehicle has arrived at the destination.

A HVAC thermal conditioning system provides a macroclimate environment. An auxiliary thermal conditioning system has multiple microclimate devices in close proximity to a region of the occupant. The microclimate devices are arranged within an interior space that provides the macroclimate environment to an occupant. A controller communicates with the microclimate devices and calculates an occupant personal comfort based upon a thermal energy experienced by the occupant from thermal radiation sources, thermal convection sources, and thermal conduction sources, and to automatically command the microclimate devices in response to the calculated occupant personal comfort to achieve a desired occupant personal comfort. The automatic command adjusts and apportions the thermal conduction sources and/or thermal radiation sources to achieve the desired occupant personal comfort. A power management module adjusts the HVAC thermal conditioning system while adjusting and apportioning the thermal conduction sources and/or thermal radiation sources to achieve the desired occupant personal comfort.

An apparatus includes a capture device and a processor. The capture device may be configured to generate pixel data corresponding to an exterior view from a vehicle. The processor may be configured to generate video frames from the pixel data, perform computer vision operations on the video frames to detect objects in the video frames and determine characteristics of the objects, analyze the characteristics with respect to the vehicle to determine visual indicators to predict an air quality and generate a control signal in response to an air quality value. The control signal may be configured to toggle an activation of an air recirculation feature of the vehicle when the air quality value reaches a threshold value. The visual indicators may be used to adjust the air quality value.

A method for determining a heating load of a hybrid electric vehicle includes determining an SOC of a high-voltage battery through a controller, determining whether or not there is a heating request, based on a travel pattern input, through the controller when the SOC of the high-voltage battery is normal, calculating a required heating load according to the travel pattern input when there is the heating request, calculating an environmental condition according to an environment of the vehicle when there is the heating request, calculating a final heating load value through a combination of the calculated required heating load and the environmental condition of the vehicle, and adjusting a basic request engine torque according to the travel pattern input, taking into consideration the calculated final heating load value, and controlling driving of an engine based on the adjusted basic request engine torque.