This disclosure describes vehicle climate control systems and methods for more intelligently controlling an occupant comfort level within a vehicle interior in a manner that minimizes energy usage of the vehicle. The climate control system may be automatically controlled in an economical mode (i.e., ECO mode) when certain vehicle conditions are met. For example, the decision to activate the ECO mode of the climate control system may be a function of one or more variables including, but not limited to, vehicle speed, vehicle speed differentials, ambient temperatures, temperature differentials, battery state of charge, predicted low battery state of charge, etc.

When a temperature of a coolant is a first predetermined temperature or higher, an air conditioner ECU executes a first control that sets a target evaporation temperature higher by a predetermined temperature and the air conditioner ECU executes a second control that changes the target evaporation temperature in accordance with a cooling load inside the vehicle cabin. When the second control is executed after the first control is executed, the air conditioner ECU sets a first target evaporation temperature set by the first control as the target evaporation temperature, and calculates a second target evaporation temperature that is changed by the second control based on the target evaporation temperature immediately before the first control is executed. When the second target evaporation temperature becomes larger than the first target evaporation temperature, the air conditioner ECU sets the second target evaporation temperature as the target evaporation temperature.

An air conditioning control apparatus and method, may include a photo sensor that detects a quantity of insolation incident to an interior of a vehicle, and a processor that sets a correction ratio according to window tinting information of the vehicle, corrects a photo sensor value detected by the photo sensor by use of the set correction ratio, and controls indoor air conditioning of the vehicle according to the corrected photo sensor value.

Systems and methods for mitigating a thermal impact on a vehicle cabin caused by a battery thermal-management system, include determining a status of vehicle climate control system; determining whether a battery thermal-management system of the vehicle is operating above a determined threshold; and if the vehicle climate control system is active and the battery thermal-management system of the vehicle is operating above the determined threshold, adjusting at least one of a plurality of cabin temperature control parameters to mitigate a thermal impact of the battery thermal-management system on a rear portion of the vehicle cabin.

In a vehicle air conditioner, a controller is configured (i) to set a target cooling temperature of air cooled by a cooling heat exchanger, (ii) to control an operation of a compressor based on a cooling temperature and the target cooling temperature of the cooling heat exchanger, and (iii) to determine a traveling state of the vehicle. The controller is configured to set a normal target temperature as the target cooling temperature when the vehicle is traveling with a normal condition, and to set a modified target temperature higher than the normal target temperature as the target cooling temperature when the vehicle starts decelerating. In addition, the controller is configured to cause the compressor to stop operating when the vehicle starts decelerating, and to cause the compressor to restart operating when the cooling temperature detected by a temperature sensor is equal to or higher than the modified target temperature.

Methods and apparatus for vehicle climate control using distributed sensors are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving data from sensors distributed within a vehicle at a first controller, processing the data at the first controller to identify an event associated with the interior of the vehicle and sending an instruction based on the event from the first controller to a second controller of the vehicle to affect an operation of a climate control system of the vehicle.

Systems and methods are disclosed for supporting and executing automated control of climate comfort settings based on user classification within a group identity database. Methods of generating and employing the group identity database are also disclosed.

An automatic climate controller device identifies an operating zone of the climate control system according to at least two input factors, and identifies a discharge temperature of the climate control system. Based on the operating zone and the discharge temperature, the automatic climate controller device determines whether to perform at least one override action to override a climate control system setting to reduce the possibility of evaporator core icing. The automatic climate controller device also adjusts an evaporator set point according to the at least one override action to reduce the discharge temperature. The input factors may include evaporator temperature and cabin relative humidity. The actions may include one or more of increasing blower speed or increasing use of recirculated air.

The present invention relates to an air conditioner for a vehicle and a control method thereof, which can calculate the range of discharge temperature to the interior of the vehicle, set the upper limit of the discharge temperature, and control the degree of opening of a temp door such that the discharge temperature to the interior of the vehicle gets lower than the upper limit, thereby preventing air of discharge temperature above the upper limit from being discharged to the interior of the vehicle and preventing displeasure or personal injury that may be caused when air of high temperature is discharged.

A method for controlling air conditioning devices in a transportation vehicle wherein, upon the recording of an operator's air conditioning need and a conversion of the need into an air conditioning function for an air conditioning device, the implementability of the air conditioning need is compared with an influencing variable measured by a sensor. In response to the air conditioning need being recognized as implementable, information asserting this fact is issued to the operator. An apparatus for performing the method.