A heating device for heating an airflow in a motor vehicle is described, with a plurality of heating rods, which have connection plates made of aluminium, or an aluminium-based alloy, and a circuit board, which carries a control circuit, to which the heating rods are connected by way of busbars. In accordance with this disclosure, provision is made for the busbars to have a body made of aluminium, or an aluminium-based alloy, which establishes contact with the heating rods by means of a welded connection, and an end piece made of copper, or a copper-based alloy, which establishes contact with the circuit board by means of a plug-in connector.

A microclimate system for a vehicle occupant includes multiple microclimate thermal effectors. Each of the microclimate thermal effectors at least partially controls a climate in at least one of multiple occupant zones. Each of the microclimate thermal effectors includes a sensor configured to determine microclimate temperature data corresponding to the zone. A controller includes an input configured to receive vehicle temperature data including cabin temperature and outside air temperature from a vehicle data bus. The controller fuses the microclimate temperature data with the vehicle temperature data and determines an estimated local equivalent temperature for each of the microclimate thermal effectors. The controller further provides a temperature command to each of the microclimate thermal effectors based upon the estimated local equivalent temperature corresponding to the microclimate thermal effector.

A method of controlling a microclimate system includes identifying a set of multiple microclimate thermal effectors configured to provide multiple occupant zones and determining a differential temperature between a local temperature at one of the microclimate thermal effectors and a preset temperature for the microclimate thermal effectors. The differential temperature is determined for each of the microclimate thermal effectors. A fuzzy set is generated for each of the microclimate thermal effectors based upon the respective differential temperature. A respective temperature set point for each of the microclimate thermal effectors is defined based upon the fuzzy set for the corresponding microclimate thermal effectors. Each microclimate thermal effector is commanded to the corresponding respective temperature set point.

An air conditioner for a vehicle includes an air conditioning case having a first air passageway and a second air passageway partitioned by a separator therein; a PTC heater disposed in each of the first air passageway and the second air passageway to generate heat by electric energy; and a control unit for controlling operation of the PTC heater. The control unit individually controls discharge temperature of the first air passageway and discharge temperature of the second air passageway of the PTC heater, and if target discharge temperature of the first air passageway and target discharge temperature of the second air passageway are different from each other, the control unit calculates and outputs a compensation value for the PTC heater output of at least one of the first air passageway and the second air passageway. The PTC heater therefore has a reduced output when controlling for dual temperatures.

An electrical connection interface (100) of a device for electrically heating a flow of air flowing within a ventilation, heating and/or air conditioning system of a motor vehicle comprises, in a panel (102), at least one notch that is dimensioned for receiving a connection terminal (126) mounted at the end of an electrode of a heating element of the electric heating device. The electrical connection interface comprises at least one device for limiting the shear (101) of the connection terminal which extends proud from the panel (102) adjacent to the notch.

A heater element for heating a vehicle interior includes a pillar shaped honeycomb structure portion having: an outer peripheral wall; and partition walls arranged on an inner side of the outer peripheral wall, the partition walls defining a plurality of cells, each of the cells forming a flow path from a first end face to a second end face. The outer peripheral wall and the partition walls are made of a material having PTC characteristics. The heater element further includes a dense insulating film that covers at least a part of the pillar shaped honeycomb structure portion.

An electric heating apparatus includes a PTC heating device comprising at least one PTC element and electric conductor tracks which are connected to the PTC element in an electrically conductive manner, and a housing which receives the PTC heating device and on which inlet and outlet openings for a fluid to be heated are exposed. A helically-shaped tube is provided in the housing and connects the inlet opening to the outlet opening and is coupled to the PTC heating device in a thermally conductive manner.

A vehicle air-conditioning apparatus is provided which is capable of expanding an effective range of a dehumidifying and heating mode to achieve comfortable vehicle interior air conditioning. A control device (controller) executes a dehumidifying and heating mode to let a refrigerant discharged from a compressor 2 radiate heat in a radiator 4, let a part of the refrigerant flow from a bypass circuit (refrigerant pipe 13F) to an indoor expansion valve 8, and let the residual refrigerant flow through an outdoor expansion valve 6. In the dehumidifying and heating mode, the control device has a state of controlling the operation of the compressor 2, based on a heat absorber temperature Te and executes a radiator temperature priority mode which enlarges a capability of the compressor when heat radiation in the radiator is insufficient.

A hybrid motor vehicle, having an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, an interior climate-control device, a catalytic converter assigned to the internal combustion engine with a catalytic heating device which is operable from a medium-voltage network at a first voltage, particularly 48 V, a high-voltage network to which the electric motor is connected, at a second voltage that is higher than the first voltage, a voltage converter for converting the second voltage into the first voltage, a heat exchange device for heating a temperature-control medium, which is circulating in a temperature-control circuit, of the interior climate-control device by waste heat from the internal combustion engine, and a control device for operating the catalytic heating device as a function of the operation of the internal combustion engine.

A method of operating a vehicle climate system includes, by a controller, responsive to a same blower motor request, operating a blower motor at a first speed responsive to a heater core isolation valve (HCIV) directing coolant used to heat a cabin to an engine. The method further includes, by the controller, responsive to the same blower motor request, operating the blower motor at a second speed less than the first speed responsive to the HCIV directing the coolant to an electric heater and not to the engine.