A vehicle control method is disclosed. A vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can determine a drowsy state of a driver through AI processing of state information of the driver acquired from a sensor included in a vehicle. A processor can control a carbon dioxide concentration, a carbon monoxide concentration, a fine dust concentration and cooling efficiency inside the vehicle by causing the outside air to enter the vehicle or circulating the air inside the vehicle upon determining that the driver is in a drowsy state. The processor outputs a second warning and controls driving of the vehicle according to the second warning upon determining that the driver is continuously in the drowsy state. Accordingly, occurrence of accidents due to drowsiness of the driver can be reduced. One or more of an (autonomous vehicle, a user terminal and a server) of the present disclosure can be associated with artificial intelligence modules, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)), robots, augmented reality (AR) devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, devices related to 5G service, etc.

A vehicle air conditioner includes an external air introduction port, an internal air introduction port, an internal/external air-switching door, an air blower, a plurality of types of blowing ports, an internal/external air changeover switch, and a control device. The plurality of types of blowing ports blow conditioning air from a place that corresponds to a selected blowing mode. Even in a case where the internal/external air changeover switch is operated such that the external air introduction port is opened, when a blowing mode that opens a predetermined blowing port having a large total opening area among the blowing ports is selected and when an output of the air blower is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the control device controls the internal/external air-switching door such that the internal air introduction port is partially opened.

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.

Automotive Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning system includes a recirculation mode to control movement of cabin air in vehicle. Air is recirculated within the vehicle cabin space when the vehicle recirculation mode is on. Air is drawn from outside when the recirculation mode is turned off. Because of the buildup of carbon dioxide (CO2) inside the vehicle, the vehicle needs regular ventilation to maintain low CO2 levels in the vehicle cabin space. A method is described for determining and communicating recirculation mode in a vehicle for improving cabin air quality. The method comprises of capturing an image or video of the traffic ahead of the vehicle using a dashboard or windshield mounted smartphone camera or a vehicle camera, followed by analyzing the image or video of traffic to determine traffic condition as the weighted sum of the sizes of vehicles detected in traffic. The method further comprises of acquiring the number of vehicle occupants and vehicle speed, determining outside air acceptability state based on the traffic condition and the vehicle speed, determining carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the vehicle cabin space based on the number of vehicle occupants present, determining the final recirculation mode based on the outside air acceptability state and the CO2 levels in the vehicle cabin space, and communicating the final recirculation mode to the vehicle controller or vehicle occupant.

A method of air pollution filtration in a vehicle is disclosed. A plurality of purification devices are provided to detect and transmit an inside-device gas detection datum, respectively, for intelligently selecting and controlling the activation of filtering the air pollution in the inner space of the vehicle. An in-car gas exchange system and a connection device are provided. The connection device receives and compares the respective inside-device gas detection datum, and selectively transmits a control instruction to drive the in-car gas exchange system and the purification devices. The movement of the air pollution is accelerated by the gas convention of the in-car gas exchange system, so that the air pollution is directionally moved toward the corresponding one of the purification devices adjacent to the air pollution for filtration. The air pollution in the inner space of the vehicle is filtered rapidly, so as to provide clean, safe and breathable air.

A method for preventing and handling in-car air pollution includes providing an out-car gas detector to detect a polluted gas outside a car and transmit an out-car gas detection data; providing an in-car gas detector to detect a polluted gas in an interior space of the car and transmit an in-car gas detection data; providing an in-car gas exchange system for controlling and determining whether to introduce a gas outside the car into the interior space, where the in-car gas exchange system includes a cleaning unit for filtering and purifying the polluted gas in the interior space and a control driving unit for receiving and comparing the out-car gas detection data with the in-car gas detection data; and filtering and exchanging the polluted gas in the interior space after the control driving unit compares the out-car gas detection data with the in-car gas detection data.

An inlet subassembly for a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The inlet subassembly includes a fresh air inlet and a fresh air door movable to control fresh airflow through the fresh air inlet. The inlet subassembly further includes a recirculation air inlet and a partition defining a first airflow channel and a second airflow channel extending from the recirculation air inlet. A recirculation air door is adjacent to the recirculation air inlet and is movable to a closed position restricting recirculated airflow into both the first airflow channel and the second airflow channel, an open position permitting recirculated airflow into both the first airflow channel and the second airflow channel, and a two-layer position in which the recirculation air door restricts recirculated airflow into the first airflow channel and permits recirculated airflow into the second airflow channel.

Among other things, vehicle cabin pressure systems and vehicle cabin pressure techniques are described for a vehicle. The vehicle includes a cabin configured to seat a plurality of passengers; at least one inlet including at least one inlet fan; at least one occupancy sensor; and at least one processor configured to execute computer executable instructions, the execution carrying out operations including: receiving a signal from the at least one occupancy sensor indicating a number of passengers within the cabin; and controlling the at least one inlet to cause air that is or has been filtered to flow into the cabin and increase a pressure in the cabin to a predetermined level above an ambient pressure level outside the vehicle based on the number of passengers in the cabin.

A method for controlling a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, may include: allowing, by a controller, only the indoor air to be directed into a housing when the HVAC system operates in a cooling mode and an engine is stopped by an Idle Stop and Go (ISG) system; allowing, by the controller, the indoor air directed into the housing to bypass a heater core; and maintaining, by the controller, a flow rate of the air directed into the housing at a minimum flow rate.

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.