A method of operating a stop-start vehicle with an HVAC system that does not include an electric auxiliary coolant pump for circulating warm coolant to a heater core of the HVAC system in an engine-off condition of the vehicle comprises the steps of driving the vehicle via compulsion by an engine in an environment having an ambient outside temperature of about or less than 30 degrees Fahrenheit, entering an auto stop event, such that the engine enters the engine-off condition, and circulating heated air into a cabin of the vehicle in the engine-off condition for at least one minute. The heated air is circulated by decreasing the speed of a blower motor, adjusting a recirculation door position to increase air recirculation, and adjusting a temperature blend door position toward a full-heat position based on a sensed engine coolant temperature and a sensed evaporator core temperature.

A vehicle HVAC noise control system includes an air handler, a blower motor, an audio event device and a controller. The air handler is connected to a passenger compartment. The blower motor is operably connected to the air handler to provide a plurality of airflow rates for air flowing into a passenger compartment. The audio event device produces an audio event to the passenger compartment. The controller is operatively connected to the blower motor and the audio event device. The controller controls operation of the blower motor initially at an operating airflow rate and subsequently switches to a noise reducing airflow rate in response to a signal from the audio event device indicating that the audio event device will subsequently produce the audio event.

Disclosed herein is an air conditioner for a vehicle, which can select a blower with the maximum efficiency within a range of a targeted air discharge volume for indoor circulation and select a blower with the maximum efficiency within a range of a targeted air discharge volume for outdoor discharge. The air conditioner includes: an air-conditioning case having a first air passageway and a second air passageway; an evaporator disposed on the first air passageway or the second air passageway; a condenser disposed on the first air passageway or the second air passageway; a first blower arranged on an indoor circulation passage; and a second blower arranged on an outdoor discharge passage.

A vehicle HVAC system includes: a casing to direct air from outdoors into the interior of a passenger compartment, an air blower blowing the air into the casing, an evaporator disposed in the casing, a heater core disposed downstream of the evaporator, and front and rear seat side temperature doors disposed between the evaporator and the heater core. A method for controlling the HVAC system includes: determining, by a controller, whether a required temperature for cooling rear seats is set to be lower than a required temperature for cooling front seats after an outdoor condition of a vehicle meets a reference high temperature condition; and lowering, by the controller, a target temperature of the evaporator based on the set required temperature for cooling the rear seats when the required temperature for cooling the rear seats is set to be lower than the required temperature for cooling the front seats.

Ventilation control systems and methods for a vehicle are presented. The system includes a touch screen that is configures to display an object and receive a selection of a part of the object. The system also includes an air vent that comprises at least one controllable fin and a motor that can control the configuration of that fin. A control circuitry of the system configures the fin, using the at least one motor, to direct air from the air vent to a location that corresponds to the selected part of the object.

Control methods and systems including a smart vehicle, a smart mobile device including a processor, a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, and machine readable instructions stored in the memory that may cause a system to perform at least the following when executed by the processor: use the smart mobile device to automatically control functionality of smart features of the smart vehicle based on an applied control logic and environmental inputs and/or use the smart mobile device to automatically control a wireless routing selection between a local area network associated with the smart vehicle and a remote wide area network based on an application tool switch logic.

Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, responsive to receiving a request for cleaning an interior of a vehicle, adjusting a position of a sun shade based on at least one of an ambient temperature outside of the vehicle and a sun load of the vehicle, and operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the interior above an upper threshold temperature for a first threshold duration. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes.

An assembly for a ventilation system of a vehicle is provided. The assembly is configured to use a single actuator to control direction of a vent and additionally control the flow rate of that vent. The assembly may comprise a single rotatable control member with two routes, one route used for controlling flow rate and one route for controlling flow direction. Each route may have a straight portion and curved portion.

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 air conditioner, including a first duct having a first ventilation opening that is disposed on first side in a width direction of a seat provided in a vehicle, a second duct having a second ventilation opening that is disposed on second side in the width direction of the seat, the second side being opposite side of the first side, and a third duct having a third ventilation opening that is disposed in front of the seat.