DE102024136608B3 - Method for controlling the interior temperature of a vehicle, vehicle hardware, computer system and arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (1000) for controlling the interior temperature of a vehicle. For this purpose, vehicle hardware (12), configured to control the climate in the vehicle's interior, and a remote computer system (14), comprising a vehicle model (20), are used. The vehicle model (20) receives measured values of boundary conditions (R) of the vehicle as input data and provides calculated heat transfers (Q) to a passenger of the vehicle as output data. The vehicle hardware (12) controls the interior climate based on the calculated heat transfers (Q). The invention further relates to vehicle hardware (12), a computer system (14), and an arrangement (10). It offers a simple and convenient way to control the interior climate.

Description

The present invention relates to methods and devices for regulating the interior temperature of a vehicle.

State of the art

FR 3 116 472 A1 , WO 2021/ 206 887 A1 and WO 2022/ 084 316 A1 Each describes methods and devices for regulating an interior temperature or climate in a motor vehicle using thermophysiological models.

In CN 1 15 503 435 A A method and a system for controlling a vehicle air conditioning system are described, which use a thermophysiology model.

DE 10 2019 122 398 A1 describes an app for controlling the climate in a vehicle, using a thermophysiology model.

WO 2020/ 094 998 A1 deals with a thermal management system for a vehicle passenger compartment that uses a thermophysiology model.

DE 10 2009 007 414 A1 This concerns a method for temperature control in a vehicle that uses a thermophysical approach.

CN 1 14 537 086 A describes a known method for controlling a vehicle air conditioning system that uses a thermophysiology model.

FR 3 134 349 A1 deals with a method for the thermal control of a vehicle climate control system that uses a thermophysiology model.

CN 1 18 893 950 A describes a control method, a device and a system for an automotive air conditioning system.

Disclosure of the invention

Modern climate control systems for vehicle interiors can typically be set by selecting an interior temperature. However, the set interior temperature may differ from the actual temperature regulated by the climate control system and, more generally, from the regulated climate conditions of the interior.

This aims to ensure that a passenger, for example, when the interior temperature is set to 22°C, experiences a temperature that corresponds to the set temperature as independently as possible from external factors such as sunlight. A set temperature of 22°C can correspond to a temperature level perceived as comfortable. A lower set temperature, for example 21°C, can correspond to a slightly cooler perceived temperature level. A slightly higher set temperature, for example 23°C, can correspond to a warmer perceived temperature level.

The actual regulated temperature therefore only corresponds to the set temperature at a few operating points.

Overall, the actual regulated temperature should depend on a variety of parameters in order to offer the passenger a constant temperature experience regardless of the conditions and to save them from having to manually adjust the interior temperature.

Extensive characteristic curve fields are required to map control parameters, such as the actual controlled temperature, to, for example, the set temperature. Determining these curves necessitates complex investigations. Individual passenger characteristics can only be inadequately considered using this method.

In principle, it is conceivable to use thermophysiological models to deduce the temperatures to be regulated. However, a problem arises because conventional thermophysiological models require input measurements that would have to be taken directly from the passenger, for example, on a section of the passenger's skin. This would require attaching sensors to the passenger, which is generally impractical in the case of vehicle interiors. Therefore, the practical application of such existing thermophysiological models has been virtually impossible until now.

The object of the present invention is therefore to offer methods and devices that enable convenient control of an indoor temperature with minimal effort.

The problem is solved first by a method for controlling the interior temperature of a vehicle, using vehicle hardware configured to regulate the climate in the vehicle's interior and a remote computer system comprising a vehicle model. The vehicle model receives measured values of the vehicle's boundary conditions as input data. It provides calculated heat transfers to a passenger in the vehicle as output data. The vehicle hardware then regulates the Indoor climate based on calculated heat transfer.

Therefore, it is no longer essential to collect measurements of a passenger's body temperature to regulate the climate. Instead, measurements of the vehicle's boundary conditions can be used. This reduces the complexity of operating the climate control system. For example, there is no need to install sensors to collect such measurements, especially those attached to the person. Because the computing system is remote, such as a cloud-based system, even complex vehicle models requiring significant processing power can be used. Within the vehicle itself, a relatively small amount of overall computing power is sufficient.

By placing the vehicle model in a remote computer system, it can be processed centrally. If the vehicle model includes a trainable module, such as a neural network, it can be improved using data from a large number of vehicles and passengers. For example, the frequency and/or extent of adjustments could be used as a training indicator for feedback-based training of the trainable module. This would allow the frequency and/or extent of adjustments to be reduced, thereby improving passenger comfort.

In particular, it is conceivable that the vehicle hardware includes a model-based climate controller and a thermophysiology model, whereby a comfort parameter is determined from the calculated heat transfers using the thermophysiology model, and where the climate controller minimizes a cost function based on the comfort parameter.

Instead of the previously used characteristic curve fields, the cost function can now be used. This reduces or even completely eliminates the effort required to create the characteristic curve fields.

Because heat transfers are now calculated, the thermophysiology model can also be used in practice. In particular, the thermophysiology model can be used without separate sensors for recording measurements close to the body. The thermophysiology model makes it possible to determine a comfort parameter. This comfort parameter can be configured to express the climate experience, especially the temperature experience, that the vehicle passenger is likely to experience.

Accordingly, the climate controller can now use the cost function to minimize and determine the parameters it can adjust, ultimately achieving a temperature experience desired by the passenger.

The cost function can also represent thermal comfort.

Additionally, it is conceivable that at least one physiological measurement of the passenger is recorded. For example, this physiological measurement could be recorded using a wearable device. Such a physiological measurement could, for instance, correspond to a metabolic rate. It could also be a temperature value, such as that of skin surface area. It is also conceivable that the physiological measurement relates to humidity.

The invention further encompasses vehicle hardware for installation in a vehicle, comprising a model-based climate controller and a thermophysiology model. The vehicle hardware is configured to receive calculated heat transfers and to regulate the climate of the interior of the vehicle in which it is installed based on these heat transfers. The vehicle hardware can be used, in particular, in a method of the type described above. For the reasons stated in connection with the method described above, the vehicle hardware enables convenient climate control with minimal effort.

The model-based climate controller can be particularly simple in design if it can use a comfort parameter as an input. Therefore, it is conceivable that the thermophysiology model could be configured to determine such a comfort parameter. This parameter could then be provided to the climate controller.

Furthermore, the invention includes a computer system configured to communicate with vehicle hardware of the type described above. The computer system comprises a vehicle model configured to calculate heat transfer to a passenger of the vehicle based on the boundary conditions of the vehicle in which the vehicle hardware is installed. The computer system can be configured as a remote computer system. For example, it can be implemented on and/or include a cloud computing system. The boundary conditions can include, for example, measured values of the vehicle and/or its environment. For example... The boundary conditions can include driving speed, sun, rain, generally the intensity of light entering the interior of the vehicle, the state of an interior opening, for example the degree to which a window of the vehicle is open, or the like.

The computer system can, for example, use a virtual vehicle implemented within it to determine heat transfer based on real-world boundary conditions within the vehicle. In particular, heat transfer to the passenger(s) can be calculated based on vehicle measurement data.

The invention also includes an arrangement comprising a vehicle in which vehicle hardware of the type described above is installed and a computer system of the type described above, wherein the computer system is configured to communicate with the vehicle hardware over a distance.

The arrangement thus forms a complete system consisting of the remote computer system and the vehicle with its vehicle hardware. It can therefore realize all the advantages previously described for the vehicle hardware and the computer system.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawing, which shows details essential to the invention, and from the claims.

The individual features can be implemented individually or in any combination in various versions of the invention. The schematic drawing illustrates exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are explained in more detail in the following description.

Brief description of the drawing

• The only character ( 1 ) shows an arrangement with a computer system and a vehicle, comprising a thermophysiology model and a model-based climate controller, as well as a method for controlling the interior temperature of a vehicle.

Embodiments of the invention

1 Figure 10 shows a schematic representation of an arrangement 10. A method 1000 for regulating the interior temperature of a vehicle will be explained in more detail using the arrangement 10.

The arrangement 10 comprises vehicle hardware 12 and a remote computer system 14.

The vehicle hardware 12 includes a model-based climate controller 16 and a thermophysiology model 18.

The remote computer system 14 includes a vehicle model 20.

The vehicle hardware 12 is installed in a vehicle whose interior is to be climate-controlled so that a passenger inside the interior feels comfortable.

To do this, a passenger, for example using a human-machine interface such as a touchscreen of the vehicle's on-board computer, first sets a temperature at which he expects a comfortable, pleasant stay in the interior.

Sensors in the vehicle, in particular the vehicle hardware 12, detect boundary conditions R of the vehicle. In particular, the vehicle's speed, the incidence of light, especially the brightness in the interior, the ambient climate, especially whether the sun is shining and/or it is raining in the vicinity of the vehicle, the open/closed states of the interior windows, and the current interior temperature are detected as boundary conditions R.

The boundary conditions R are transmitted to the remote computer system 14, for example via a mobile network connection and the internet. The boundary conditions R serve as input data for the vehicle model 20. The vehicle model 20 comprises a neural network on which a virtual replica of the vehicle, in which the vehicle hardware 12 is installed, is modeled.

The computer system 14 calculates heat transfers Q at the passenger of the vehicle in which the vehicle hardware 12 is installed, based on the vehicle model 20 and on the basis of the boundary conditions R.

It goes without saying that heat transfer Q can also be calculated analogously if there are several passengers inside the vehicle.

The calculated heat transfers Q are transferred to the vehicle hardware 12, in particular to the thermophysiology model 18, which evaluates them as input data.

The thermophysiology model 18 determines a comfort parameter K based on the heat transfers Q and preferably also the boundary conditions R.

The comfort parameter K serves in turn as an input parameter for the climate controller 16.

Climate controller 16 includes a cost function representing passenger climate comfort. Climate controller 16 minimizes this cost function to derive control parameters for regulating the interior temperature.

After determining the control parameters, the climate controller 16 sets up an air conditioning and ventilation system to regulate the interior temperature of the vehicle according to the determined control parameters, in order to regulate the interior temperature of the vehicle according to the desired comfort of the passenger.

Overall, the arrangement 10 thus implements a method 1000 for controlling the interior temperature of the vehicle, wherein a vehicle hardware 12, which is configured to control a climate in the interior of the vehicle, and the remote computer system 14, comprising the vehicle model 20, are used, wherein the vehicle model 20 receives measured values of the boundary conditions R of the vehicle as input data and provides the calculated heat transfers Q to a passenger of the vehicle as output data, wherein the vehicle hardware 12 controls the climate of the interior based on the calculated heat transfers Q.

Reference symbol list

10

arrangement

12

Vehicle hardware

14

computer system

16

Climate control

18

Thermophysiology model

20

Vehicle model

K

Comfort parameter

Q

Heat transfers

R

boundary condition

1000

Proceedings

Claims (8)

Method (1000) for controlling the interior temperature of a vehicle, - wherein vehicle hardware (12) configured to control the climate in an interior of the vehicle and a remote computer system (14) comprising a vehicle model (20) are used, - wherein the vehicle model (20) receives measured values of boundary conditions (R) of the vehicle as input data and provides calculated heat transfers (Q) to a passenger of the vehicle as output data, wherein the vehicle hardware (12) controls the interior climate based on the calculated heat transfers (Q). Method (1000) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the vehicle hardware (12) comprises a model-based climate controller (16) and a thermophysiology model (18), wherein a comfort parameter (K) is determined from the calculated heat transfers (Q) using the thermophysiology model (18) and wherein the climate controller (16) minimizes a cost function on the basis of the comfort parameter (K). Method (1000) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cost function represents thermal comfort. Method (1000) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one physiological measurement of the passenger is recorded. Vehicle hardware (12) for installation in a vehicle, in particular for use in a method (1000) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a model-based climate controller (16) and a thermophysiology model (18), wherein the vehicle hardware (12) is configured to receive calculated heat transfers (Q) and to control the climate of an interior of a vehicle in which it is installed, based on the heat transfers (Q). Vehicle hardware (12) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the thermophysiology model (18) is configured to determine a comfort parameter (K). computer system (14) that is set up with vehicle hardware (12) according to one of the preceding Patent claims 5 or 6 to communicate, wherein the computer system (14) comprises a vehicle model (20) which is set up to calculate heat transfers (Q) to a passenger of the vehicle from boundary conditions (R) of a vehicle in which the vehicle hardware (12) is installed. arrangement (10) comprising a vehicle into which vehicle hardware (12) according to one of the Patent claims 5 or 6 is built-in and a Computer system (14) according to the preceding claim, wherein the computer system (14) is configured to communicate with the vehicle hardware (12) over a distance.