Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, responsive to receiving a request for sanitization of a vehicle interior, operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the vehicle interior above an upper threshold temperature for a threshold duration. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes.

Methods and systems for reducing a pressure wave are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a motor vehicle comprises a cabin and a receiver positioned to detect an input pressure wave within the cabin and produce an input signal. A fan with a blade having a variable pitch is positioned within the vehicle where the fan is audible within the cabin. A processor is in communication with the receiver and the fan, where the processor is configured to receive the input signal and determine an input frequency and an input phase. The processor is further configured to instruct the fan to control a pitch of the blade to produce a cancellation pressure wave with a cancellation frequency that is about the same as the input frequency and a cancellation phase that is about 180° out of phase with the input phase.

An environmental equipment control apparatus controls environmental equipment. The environmental equipment control apparatus includes a grasping unit that grasps physical-and-mental-state information about a physical and mental state of a user, a control unit that changes a control state of the environmental equipment in a case in which the physical-and-mental-state information satisfies a predetermined state condition, and a storage unit that stores correspondence information in which changes in the control state of the environmental equipment are associated with changes in the physical-and-mental-state information of the user grasped by the grasping unit in accordance with the changes in the control state of the environmental equipment.

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to assisting in closing a door of a vehicle by leveraging a Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) system in the vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a position of at least one vehicle door, and when the position of the at least one vehicle door is an open position, determining whether to activate the HVAC system to reduce air pressure in a cabin of the vehicle. The method includes, in response to determining to activate the HVAC system, pumping air out of the cabin such that at least some of any increased air pressure caused by a vehicle door closure is removed from the cabin. The method includes, when the position of the at least one vehicle door has changed from the open position to a closed position, deactivating the HVAC system to stop pumping air out from the cabin.

A cooling system is provided for a traction battery of an electrified motor vehicle. That cooling system includes a cooling circuit, a refrigerant circuit, a plurality of flow control valves and a control system. That control system includes a controller configured to (a) control operation of the plurality of flow control valves and (b) prioritize cabin cooling over traction battery cooling.

A computer includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to, heat a passenger cabin of a vehicle, suppress a climate control limiter that prevents an air blower of a climate control component from operating when an engine coolant temperature exceeds a temperature threshold, and actuate a motor on an air pump to introduce air external to the vehicle to the passenger cabin.

A vehicle system includes: an olfaction sensor comprising: a blower configured to draw air from a passenger cabin through an inlet; a sensor located downstream of the inlet and including one or more proteins configured to measure an amount of a chemical in the air passing the sensor; and a purge source configured to selectively flows a purge gas into the sensor; and a control module configured to selectively take one or more remedial actions based on the amount of the chemical in the air.

A vehicle system includes: a volatile organic compounds (VOC) sensor configured to measure an amount of a VOC within a passenger cabin of a vehicle; a particulate matter sensor configured to measure an amount of particulate matter within the passenger cabin of the vehicle; a triggering module configured to, during a use of the vehicle, selectively trigger the VOC and particulate matter sensors to measure the amount of the VOC and the amount of particulate matter; an odor database including a mapping of amounts of VOCs and amounts of particulate matter to odors; and an odor determination module configured to, using the odor database, determine an odor introduced into the passenger cabin of the vehicle during the use of the vehicle based on the measured amounts of VOCs and particulate matter.

A vehicle system includes: a blower configured to draw air from within a passenger cabin of a vehicle through an inlet; a binding agent source configured to flow a binding agent into the air; and a sensor disposed downstream of the binding agent source in the direction of airflow, the sensor configured to determine an amount of smoke in the air from within the passenger cabin based on a measured characteristic of particulate at the sensor and a predetermined characteristic of the binding agent.

In an air conditioner for a vehicle, a flow speed of air flowing through a first ventilation part of an evaporator is faster than a flow speed of air flowing through a second ventilation part of the evaporator when an intensive air-conditioning operation for a driver seat is operated, with respect to a case where a normal air-conditioning operation is performed. In this case, a correct target evaporator temperature is calculated to be higher by a predetermined temperature than a target evaporator temperature, and a detected temperature detected by an evaporator sensor is approached to the correct target evaporator temperature. Therefore, it can restrict the second ventilation part from being frosted.