U.S. patent application number 13/585427 was filed with the patent office on 2014-02-20 for method for operating a vehicle system.
This patent application is currently assigned to NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Ronald S. Eisenhour, Hiroshi Tsuda. Invention is credited to Ronald S. Eisenhour, Hiroshi Tsuda.
Application Number | 20140052344 13/585427 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50032832 |
Filed Date | 2014-02-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140052344 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tsuda; Hiroshi ; et
al. |
February 20, 2014 |
METHOD FOR OPERATING A VEHICLE SYSTEM
Abstract
A method for operating an HVAC system in a host vehicle. The
method includes detecting a following distance between the host
vehicle and another vehicle, and operating an on-board control
device to control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to operate in
a first mode while the following distance is detected as being
greater than a threshold distance and to automatically operate in a
second mode while the following distance is detected as being less
than or equal to the threshold distance.
Inventors: |
Tsuda; Hiroshi; (McLean,
VA) ; Eisenhour; Ronald S.; (West Bloomfield,
MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Tsuda; Hiroshi
Eisenhour; Ronald S. |
McLean
West Bloomfield |
VA
MI |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Franklin
TN
|
Family ID: |
50032832 |
Appl. No.: |
13/585427 |
Filed: |
August 14, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
701/49 ; 701/36;
701/96 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60H 1/00771
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/49 ; 701/36;
701/96 |
International
Class: |
B60W 10/30 20060101
B60W010/30; G08G 1/00 20060101 G08G001/00; B60W 30/16 20120101
B60W030/16 |
Claims
1. A method for operating a heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system in a host vehicle based on a following
distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, the
method comprising: receiving a preceding vehicle communication
including a low-emission indication; determining whether the
preceding vehicle is a low-emission vehicle based on the
low-emission indication of the preceding vehicle communication;
detecting the following distance between the host vehicle and the
preceding vehicle; and operating an on-board control device to
control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to automatically
operate in a first mode while the following distance is detected as
being greater than a threshold distance regardless of the
low-emission indication, automatically operate in the first mode
while the preceding vehicle is determined to be a low-emission
vehicle regardless of the following distance, and automatically
operate in a second mode while the following distance is detected
as being less than or equal to the threshold distance and the
preceding vehicle is not detected to be a low-emission vehicle.
2. (canceled)
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mode is a
fresh air mode in which the HVAC system receives external ambient
air from external the host vehicle and passes the external ambient
air into a passenger compartment of the host vehicle; and the
second mode is a recirculation mode in which the HVAC system
receives internal air from within the passenger compartment of the
host vehicle and returns the internal air back to the passenger
compartment.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mode is a
first fresh air mode which includes automatically operating the
HVAC system to open a forward facing inlet and receive a first
external ambient air from external the host vehicle via the forward
facing inlet and pass the first external ambient air to the
passenger compartment; and the second mode is a second fresh air
mode which includes automatically operating the HVAC system to
obstruct the forward facing inlet, open at least one of a side
facing inlet and a rear facing inlet, and receive a second external
ambient air from external the host vehicle via the at least one of
the side facing inlet and the rear facing inlet and pass the second
external ambient air to the passenger compartment.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mode is a
fresh air mode in which the HVAC system receives external ambient
air from external the host vehicle and passes the external ambient
air into a passenger compartment of the host vehicle; and the
operating of the on-board control device to control the HVAC system
to operate in the second mode includes operating a purifying device
of the HVAC system to clean the external ambient air before passing
the external ambient air to the passenger compartment of the host
vehicle.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating of the
on-board control device to control the HVAC system to operate in
the first mode includes operating the on-board control device to
automatically control the HVAC system to operate according to a
user input.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising operating a
cooperative adaptive cruise control system to form a cooperative
platoon of at least the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle and
set a desired following distance between the host vehicle and the
preceding vehicle; and automatically operating the cooperative
adaptive cruise control system of the host vehicle to present a
suggested order, the suggested order including the low-emission
vehicles of the cooperative platoon in leading positions of the
cooperative platoon.
8. (canceled)
9. A method for operating a heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system in a host vehicle based on a following
distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, the
method comprising: operating a cooperative adaptive cruise control
system to form a cooperative platoon of at least the host vehicle
and the preceding vehicle and set a desired following distance
between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle; detecting the
following distance between the host vehicle and the preceding
vehicle; operating an on-board control device to control the HVAC
system in the host vehicle to operate in a first mode while the
following distance is detected as being greater than a threshold
distance, and to automatically operate in a second mode while the
following distance is detected as being less than or equal to the
threshold distance; determining whether any vehicles of the
cooperative platoon are low-emission vehicles; and automatically
operating the cooperative adaptive cruise control system of the
host vehicle to present a suggested order, the suggested order
including the low-emission vehicles of the cooperative platoon in
leading positions of the cooperative platoon.
10. (canceled)
11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sensing a
temperature of an engine of the host vehicle; and while the
following distance is less than or equal to the threshold distance
and the temperature of the engine is detected as being greater than
a temperature threshold, performing an engine cooling
countermeasure.
12. A system for operating a heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system in a host vehicle, the system
comprising: a detector configured to detect a following distance
between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle; a first fresh-air
inlet having a first opening facing in a forward direction of the
host vehicle; a second fresh-air inlet having a second opening
facing in at least one of a sideward direction and a rearward
direction of the host vehicle; and a controller configured to
control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to operate in a first
fresh-air mode in which the first opening is open and the second
opening is closed to receive a forward external ambient air while
the following distance is greater than a threshold distance and to
automatically operate in a second fresh-air mode in which the
second opening is open and the first opening is closed to receive
at least one of a sideward external ambient air and a rearward
external ambient air while the following distance is less than or
equal to the threshold distance.
13-15. (canceled)
16. The system according to claim 12, further comprising a
purifier, wherein the second mode includes automatically operating
the purifier to at least one of clean, purify, filter and ionize
the external ambient air from external the host vehicle before
supplying the external ambient air to a passenger compartment of
the host vehicle.
17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the second fresh-air
mode includes automatically operating the HVAC system to control an
engine cooling fan to run while the following distance is less than
or equal to the threshold distance.
18. (canceled)
19. The system according to claim 12, further comprising a
cooperative adaptive cruise control system that is configured to
form a cooperative platoon of at least the host vehicle and the
preceding vehicle, set a desired following distance between the
host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, determine whether any of
the vehicles in the cooperative platoon are low-emission vehicles,
and present a suggested order including the low-emission vehicles
in leading positions of the cooperative platoon.
20. The system according to claim 12, further comprising an engine
temperature sensor to detect a temperature of an engine of the host
vehicle, wherein when the following distance is less than or equal
to the threshold distance and the temperature is greater than or
equal to a threshold temperature the controller performs an engine
cooling countermeasure.
21. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first mode
includes operating the on-board control device to automatically
control the HVAC system to operate according to a user input.
22-23. (canceled)
24. The method according to claim 1, further comprising presenting
a suggested order of the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle
based on the low-emission indicator.
25. The system according to claim 9, wherein the controller is
further configured receive a preceding vehicle communication, the
communication including a low-emission indication, and determine
whether the preceding vehicle is a low-emission vehicle based on
the low-emission indication of the preceding vehicle
communication.
26. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first mode is a
fresh air mode in which the HVAC system receives external ambient
air from external the host vehicle and passes the external ambient
air into a passenger compartment of the host vehicle; and the
second mode is a recirculation mode in which the HVAC system
receives internal air from within the passenger compartment of the
host vehicle and returns the internal air back to the passenger
compartment.
27. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first mode is a
fresh air mode in which the HVAC system receives external ambient
air from external the host vehicle and passes the external ambient
air into a passenger compartment of the host vehicle; and the
operating of the on-board control device to control the HVAC system
to operate in the second mode includes operating a purifying device
of the HVAC system to clean the external ambient air before passing
the external ambient air to the passenger compartment of the host
vehicle.
28. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first mode is a
first fresh air mode which includes automatically operating the
HVAC system to open a forward facing inlet and receive a first
external ambient air from external the host vehicle via the forward
facing inlet and pass the first external ambient air to the
passenger compartment; and the second mode is a second fresh air
mode which includes automatically operating the HVAC system to
obstruct the forward facing inlet, open at least one of a side
facing inlet and a rear facing inlet, and receive a second external
ambient air from external the host vehicle via the at least one of
the side facing inlet and the rear facing inlet and pass the second
external ambient air to the passenger compartment.
29. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first mode
includes operating the on-board control device to automatically
control the HVAC system to operate according to a user input.
30. The system according to claim 9, wherein an engine temperature
sensor to detect a temperature of an engine of the host vehicle,
wherein when the following distance is less than or equal to the
threshold distance and the temperature is greater than or equal to
a threshold temperature the controller performs an engine cooling
countermeasure.
31. The system according to claim 12, wherein the controller is
further configured receive a preceding vehicle communication, the
communication including a low-emission indication, and determine
whether the preceding vehicle is a low-emission vehicle based on
the low-emission indication of the preceding vehicle communication,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the HVAC
system in the host vehicle to automatically operate in the first
mode while the following distance is detected as being greater than
the threshold distance regardless of the low-emission indication;
automatically operate in the first mode while the preceding vehicle
is determined to be a low-emission vehicle regardless of the
following distance, and automatically operate in the second mode
while the following distance is detected as being less than or
equal to the threshold distance and the preceding vehicle is not
detected to be a low-emission vehicle.
32. The system according to claim 31, wherein the controller is
further configured to present a suggested order of the host vehicle
and the preceding vehicle based on the low-emission indicator.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention generally relates to a method for
operating a vehicle system, such as a vehicle heating ventilation
and air conditioning (HVAC) system. More specifically, the present
invention relates to a method for operating a vehicle HVAC system
based on a following distance between the vehicle and another
vehicle or other prescribed characteristics.
[0003] 2. Background Information
[0004] Most vehicles include a climate control system, such as an
HVAC system, which allows a passenger of the vehicle to switch
between a fresh air mode and a recirculation mode. In the fresh air
mode, a fresh air vent is opened to introduce fresh air into the
vehicle. In the recirculation mode, the fresh air vent is closed
and the air within the vehicle is recirculated. Recirculation
provides a climate control capacity advantage in that the cabin
temperature is less extreme than the outside conditions. For
example in heating conditions, it is much easier to deliver warm
air from a heater using 0.degree. C. air from within the cabin than
-40.degree. C. outside air. In cooling conditions, it is easier to
cool 25.degree. C. air from within the cabin than +40.degree. C.
outside air. Thus, when the driver first starts up the vehicle on a
very hot day or a very cold day, the driver may set the controls to
a recirculation mode to warm up or cool-down the cabin at a faster
rate than if outside air was utilized.
[0005] However, there may be other instances where it is desirable
for the climate control system to operate in a fresh air mode
instead of a recirculation mode, and vice-versa. In view of the
above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this
disclosure that there exists a need for an improved system and
method for operating a vehicle HVAC system. This invention
addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will
become apparent to those skilled in the art from this
disclosure.
SUMMARY
[0006] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a
method for operating an HVAC system in a host vehicle is provided.
The method includes detecting a following distance between the host
vehicle and another vehicle, and operating an on-board control
device to control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to operate in
a first mode while the following distance is detected as being
greater than a threshold distance and to automatically operate in a
second mode while the following distance is detected as being less
than or equal to the threshold distance.
[0007] These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of
the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the
art from the following detailed description, which, taken in
conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of
this original disclosure:
[0009] FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped
with a vehicle HVAC system that is controlled based on a method in
accordance with a disclosed embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram of a cooperative adaptive
cruise control system employed in the vehicle of FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary operations that
are performed by the method for controlling the vehicle HVAC system
shown in FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of ambient
air flow with respect to the vehicle and a preceding vehicle as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the
vehicle following a preceding vehicle at a following distance that
is increased in accordance with an increase in a desired following
distance such that the desired following distance and the following
distance become equal to an engine cooling distance;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the
vehicle following a preceding vehicle at a following distance
greater than a threshold distance;
[0015] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the
vehicle following a preceding vehicle at a following distance less
than a threshold distance; and
[0016] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the
vehicle following a preceding vehicle at a following distance less
than a threshold distance and equal to a desired following
distance.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0017] Selected embodiments will now be explained with reference to
the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from
this disclosure that the following descriptions of the disclosed
embodiments are provided for illustration only and not for the
purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims
and their equivalents.
[0018] Referring initially to FIG. 1, an overall schematic diagram
of a vehicle HVAC system 10 operating in accordance with a vehicle
HVAC operating method according to a disclosed embodiment is
illustrated. The vehicle HVAC system 10, which can also be referred
to as a climate control system, is installed in a vehicle 12.
Basically, the vehicle HVAC system 10 includes, among other things,
an engine 14, a compressor 16, a condenser 18, an expansion valve
or orifice 20, an evaporator 22, a heater core 24, a radiator 26, a
fan 27 and an engine temperature sensor 28. The components 14, 16,
18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 constitute at least part of a refrigerant
circuit for the air conditioner of the vehicle 12. The engine 14,
the heater core 24 and the radiator 26 constitute a heater circuit
for the heater of the vehicle 12. These components 14, 16, 18, 20,
22, 24, 26, 27 and 28 are conventional components that are well
known in vehicles. Since these components 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24,
26, 27 and 28 are well known, the structures of these components
will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein except as
they relate to the operation of the HVAC system 10 according to the
disclosed embodiments.
[0019] The compressor 16 is fluidly connected to the condenser 18
via a refrigerant pipe or conduit. The condenser 18 is located in
front of the radiator 26 that cools the engine coolant of the
engine 14. The evaporator 22 is also fluidly connected to the
compressor 16 via a refrigerant pipe or conduit. The expansion
valve 20 is fluidly connected to the condenser 18 via a refrigerant
pipe or conduit, and to the evaporator 22 by a refrigerant pipe or
conduit. Thus, a refrigerant such as Freon, R134a, or any other
suitable refrigerant, is circulated through the refrigerant circuit
of the air conditioner to cool the passenger compartment or vehicle
cabin.
[0020] The compressor 16 receives and compresses a cool vapor-phase
refrigerant from the evaporator 22. The compressor 16 is preferably
turned "on" and "off" by selectively energizing and de-energizing
the electromagnetic clutch of the compressor 16 to adjust the
temperature and pressure of the evaporator 22. For example, a
thermal switch 30 is disposed at the evaporator 22 to sense the
temperature of the evaporator 22 such that the thermal switch 30
selectively turns the compressor 16 "on" and "off" depending on the
temperature of the evaporator 22. In the illustrated embodiment,
the thermal switch 30 opens when the temperature of the evaporator
22 is below a prescribed temperature T1 (e.g., about 0.degree. C.)
and closes when the temperature of the evaporator 22 is above a
prescribed temperature T2 (e.g., about 3.degree. C.). When the
thermal switch 30 opens, a control circuit of the compressor 16 is
opened to deactivate the compressor 16 and to avoid forming ice on
the evaporator 22. When the thermal switch 30 closes, the control
circuit of the compressor 16 is grounded to activate the compressor
16. In this way, the compressor 16 is cycled "on" and "off" to
maintain the selected cabin temperature when the air conditioner is
operating. Also operation of the compressor 16 to maintain the
evaporator temperatures at these temperatures is effective in
preventing window fogging, since humidity can be condensed from the
air stream entering the cabin. Thus, the thermal switch 30 is a
thermal sensing arrangement configured to detect a prescribed
temperature condition, such as prescribed temperature conditions
corresponding to the opening and closing of the switch 30.
[0021] The engine 14, the heater core 24 and the radiator 26 are
all fluidly connected such that heat from the engine 14 is
transferred to the cabin by the heater core 24 in a conventional
manner. Thus, as the engine 14 warms up, the heater core 24 is also
warmed up.
[0022] As seen in FIG. 1, the operations of the climate control
system can be controlled by a set of operator controls 32 that are
located in the cabin of the vehicle 12. The operator controls 32
typically will include an A/C "on/off" switch 34, a temperature
control 36 and a blower fan speed control 38. The climate control
system also has an air duct system 40 with a fresh air duct 41, a
pair of recirculation ducts 42, a floor duct 43, a main duct 44 and
a defrost duct 45. The fresh air duct 41 can include via a single
fresh air inlet or, more preferably, a plurality of fresh air
inlets. For example, the fresh air duct 41 can be coupled to at
least one forward facing inlet 46 that is open in a forward
direction of the vehicle 12, and thus can receive ambient air
external to the host vehicle 12 via the forward facing inlet 46.
The fresh air duct 41 can be coupled to at least one side facing
inlet 47 that is open in a direction toward at least one side of
the vehicle 12. Naturally, the fresh air duct 41 can be coupled to
a plurality of side facing inlets 47 that are open to both sides of
the vehicle 12. Furthermore, the fresh air duct 41 can be coupled
to at least one rear facing inlet 48 that is open in a rearward
direction of the vehicle 12. Thus, as shown, the forward facing
inlet or inlets 46, the side facing inlet or inlets 47 and the rear
facing inlet or inlets 48 can be coupled together to feed into the
air duct system 40 a single fresh air duct 41.
[0023] The evaporator 22 and the heater core 24 are disposed in the
air duct system 40 downstream of a blower 50 that is operated by a
motor 52. The blower 50 is located downstream of the fresh air duct
41 and the recirculation ducts 42. The fresh air duct 41 and the
recirculation ducts 42 are alternately opened and closed by a pair
of recirculation doors 53. The recirculation doors 53 are opened
and closed by a recirculation door actuator 54. Similarly, the
forward facing inlet or inlets 46, the side facing inlet or inlets
47 and the rear facing inlet or inlets 48 of the fresh air duct 41
are alternately opened and closed by a pair of doors 55. The doors
55 are opened and closed by a door actuator 56.
[0024] In addition, a sensor 57 can be present in the fresh air
duct 41 to detect for existence of an impurity characteristic of
ambient air entering the vehicle 12, such as smog and other
airborne impurities. Furthermore, a purifying device 58 can be
present in the fresh air duct 41 and operable to clean, purify,
filter and/or ionize ambient air external to the vehicle 12 in a
manner as understood in the art before supplying the ambient air to
the passenger compartment of the vehicle 12.
[0025] The operations of climate control systems are well known,
and thus only automatic control, such as the automatic control of
switching between a fresh air mode and a recirculation mode, by the
vehicle HVAC system 10 will be discussed in accordance with
disclosed embodiments. As discussed in more detail below, the
vehicle HVAC system 10 automatically switches between a fresh air
mode and a recirculation mode if certain prescribed conditions are
met, regardless of the mode in which the HVAC system 10 has been
previously set by, for example, the operator controls 32. That is,
the vehicle HVAC system 10 includes a controller 60 that controls
switching between the fresh air mode and recirculation mode. The
controller 60 preferably includes a microcomputer with a control
program that controls the recirculation door actuator 54 and door
actuator 56 as discussed below. The controller 60 includes other
conventional components such as an input interface circuit, an
output interface circuit, and storage devices such as a ROM (Read
Only Memory) device and a RAM (Random Access Memory) device. The
microcomputer of the controller 60 is at least programmed to
control the recirculation door actuator 54 and door actuator 56 in
accordance with the flow chart of FIG. 3 as discussed below. It
will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure
that the precise structure and algorithms for the controller 60 can
be any combination of hardware and software that will carry out the
functions of the present invention. In other words, "means plus
function" clauses as utilized in the specification and claims
should include any structure or hardware and/or algorithm or
software that can be utilized to carry out the function of the
"means plus function" clause.
[0026] The controller 60 is operatively connected to a vehicle
ignition switch 62 so that the controller 60 can become activated
when the vehicle ignition is started. The controller 60 is further
operatively connected to a thermal sensing arrangement (e.g., the
thermal switch 30) that detects a prescribed temperature condition,
and a blower speed sensing arrangement 63 positioned at, for
example, the hot side of the blower terminal of blower 50 that
provides a prescribed blower signal (e.g., a prescribed voltage)
indicative of a prescribed blower speed condition. The controller
60 can thus selectively activate the recirculation door actuator 53
to switch between a normal air intake mode (i.e., the passenger's
selection of either the fresh mode or the recirculation mode) and a
recirculation override mode based on the prescribed temperature
condition detected by the thermal sensing arrangement 30 and the
prescribed blower signal received from the blower speed sensing
arrangement 63.
[0027] The controller 60 also is operatively coupled to the fan 27,
the engine temperature sensor 28, the sensor 57 and the purifying
device 58 to receive signals from the sensors 28 and 57 and to
control the fan 27 and the purifying device 58 for reasons
discussed in more detail below. In addition, the controller 60 is
operatively connected to a cruise control system 64. The cruise
control system 64 typically includes one or more microcomputers and
related components similar to those discussed above with regard to
controller 60. In this example, the cruise control system 64 is a
cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) system as known in the
art. However, the cruise control system 64 can be an adaptive
cruise control (ACC) system or any other suitable type of cruise
control or distance measuring system as understood in the art. The
cruise control system 64 can include one or more distance sensors
66, which can be any type of ranging equipment such as radar
sensors, infrared sensors, sonar sensors and so on as understood in
the art, that enable the cruise control system 64 to determine a
distance between the vehicle 12 and surrounding objects, such as
other vehicles, as discussed below.
[0028] An example of additional features associated with the cruise
control system 64 is shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the cruise control
system 64 of the vehicle 12 communicates with a two-way wireless
communications network 70. Several neighboring or nearby vehicles
72 can each be equipped with a cruise control system 64. The
two-way wireless communications network 70 also includes one or
more global positioning satellites 74 (only one shown) and one or
more roadside units 76 (only one shown) that send and receive
signals to and from the vehicles 12 and 72. In this arrangement,
the vehicle 12 can be referred to as a "host vehicle 12" or simply
"vehicle 12." The vehicle or vehicles 72 that are located in front
of the host vehicle 12 relative to its direction of travel can be
referred to as "forward vehicle(s)" or "preceding vehicle(s)",
while the vehicle or vehicles 72 that are behind the host vehicle
12 relative to its direction of travel can be referred to as
"following vehicle(s)." The term "neighboring vehicle(s)" refers to
a vehicle or vehicles 72 that are located within a communication
(broadcasting/receiving) area surrounding the host vehicle 12 in
which the host vehicle 12 is capable of either broadcasting a
wireless signal to another vehicle 72 within a certain range and/or
receiving a signal from another vehicle 72 within a certain range.
Thus, the "neighboring vehicles" can include forward and following
vehicles 72.
[0029] Accordingly, the cruise control system 64 or controller can
determine the respective distances between the vehicle 12 and any
neighboring vehicles 72 in a manner as understood in the art. Also,
the vehicle 12 and the other vehicles 72 can wirelessly communicate
information about themselves to each other. For example, the
vehicle 12 and other vehicles 72 can inform each other of their
locations to determine the distance between them, or whether they
are a low-emission vehicle, such as an electric vehicle, or a
hybrid vehicle. As used herein, the term "low-emission vehicle" can
refer to a zero emission vehicle such as a purely electric vehicle,
a hybrid vehicle, or a combustion vehicle that is equipped to
minimize emissions below a particular threshold to be classified as
a low-emission vehicle in the automotive industry. In addition, the
vehicle 12 and any of the other vehicles 72 can be equipped with a
forward vehicle brake warning system that provide a warning an
operator of the host vehicle 12 that a neighboring vehicle 72 or
forward vehicle 72 in or proximate the path of the host vehicle 12
is currently braking or decelerating.
[0030] In addition, the controller 60 uses the detected vehicle
distance information received from the distance sensors 66 or the
cruise control system 64 to control the HVAC system 10 as will now
be discussed with regard to the flowchart in FIG. 3 and the
diagrams shown in FIGS. 4 through 8. Specifically, a method for
operating the HVAC system 10 in the host vehicle 12 as shown in
FIG. 3 can be performed by, for example, the controller 60 alone or
in cooperation with cruise control system 64. The controller 60 can
also be referred to as an on-board control device 60.
[0031] As the host vehicle 12 is traveling in a forward direction
as shown in FIG. 4, ram air A.sub.RAM is received in any forward
facing inlet 46 as front or first external ambient air Af. Exhaust
Ae from the neighboring vehicle 72 can mix with the ram air
A.sub.RAM as shown. In addition, any side facing inlet 47 can
receive side external ambient air As, and any rear facing inlet 48
can receive rear external ambient air Ar. The side external ambient
air As and the rear external ambient air Ar can be referred to as
second external ambient air.
[0032] It should be noted that drivers that use a cruise control
system 64 such as an adaptive cruise control system or cooperative
adaptive cruise control system tend to position their vehicle 12 to
follow closer to other vehicles 72 when the cruise control system
64 is activated. However, some drivers naturally tend to position
their vehicle 12 to follow closer to other vehicles 72 (e.g.,
tailgate) whether or not they are using a cruise control system 64.
As shown in FIG. 4, since exhaust Ae from the another vehicle 72
mixes with the ram air A.sub.RAM, some exhaust Ae can be introduced
into the HVAC system 10 via any foward facing inlet 46. Following
closely to another vehicle 72 increases the concentration of the
exhaust Ae in the front external ambient air Af. Furthermore, the
ram air A.sub.RAM helps to cool the engine 14 to maintain the
engine temperature Te low. Therefore, following closely to another
vehicle 72 can impede the flow of ram air A.sub.RAM which can
result in an increase the engine temperature Te.
[0033] As understood in the art, a cruise control system 64 that is
an adaptive cruise control system or a cooperative adaptive cruise
control system enables a user to set a desired following distance
Ds (see FIGS. 5 through 8) between the host vehicle 12 and another
vehicle 72 via, for example, a control panel as understood in the
art. This desired following distance Ds can be, for example, less
than or equal to a prescribed threshold distance Dt, which can be a
preset value, or can be greater than the prescribed threshold
distance Dt if desired. Accordingly, the cruise control system 64
can operate to enable a user to manually set a desired following
distance Ds.
[0034] As will now be discussed in more detail, the cruise control
system 64 can receive signals from the engine temperature sensor
28, the sensor 57 and the distance sensor 66 either directly or via
the controller 60, and can set or adjust the following distance Df
at which the host vehicle 12 follows another vehicle 72 based on
information contained in those signals. For example, the cruise
control system 64 can set the following distance Df at a greater
distance than the desired following distance Ds to improve the flow
of ambient air Af into the engine compartment of the host vehicle
12 to cool the engine 14 if the engine temperature sensor 28
indicates that the engine temperature is increasing or is higher
than desired. Also, the cruise control system 64 can set the
following distance Df at a greater distance than the desired
following distance Ds to reduce the concentration of exhaust Ae
from another vehicle 72 in the ambient air Af entering the forward
facing inlet 46 if the sensor 57 indicates that the level of
impurities in the ambient air Af is increasing or is greater than
desired. Naturally, the cruise control system 64 can set the
following distance Df by overriding any desired following distance
Ds that was set by a user or the following distance Df at which the
user is manually controlling the host vehicle 12 to follow behind
another vehicle 72 while driving. Furthermore, the set desired
following distance Ds that the cruise control system 64 sets based
on the signals from the engine temperature sensor 28, the sensor 57
and the distance sensor 66 can be less than, equal to or greater
than the threshold distance Dt as appropriate. In addition, the
cruise control system 64 can be used to set a desired following
distance Ds between the host vehicle 12 and another vehicle 72 to
form a cooperative platoon of two or more vehicles including at
least the host vehicle 12 and the another vehicle 72 as shown, for
example, in FIG. 2.
[0035] Turning now to the flowchart of FIG. 3, an actual or
detected following distance Df between the host vehicle 12 and a
preceding vehicle 72 is detected by, for example, the distance
sensors 66 in step S1. As discussed above, the cruise control
system 64 or controller 60 can receive information from the
distance sensors 66 which detects the following distance Df between
the host vehicle 12 and the preceding vehicle 72.
[0036] In step S2, the controller 60 determines whether the
detected following distance Df is greater than a cooling distance
Dc. The cooling distance Dc is a distance at which the host vehicle
12 can travel behind a preceding vehicle 72 so that the flow of the
ram air A.sub.RAM into the engine compartment of the vehicle 12 is
sufficient to cool the engine 14.
[0037] When the detected following distance Df is not greater than
the cooling distance Dc, the controller 60 can receive signals from
the engine temperature sensor 28 to sense a temperature Te of the
engine 14 of the host vehicle 12 in step S3. While the temperature
Te of the engine 14 is detected in step S4 as being greater than a
temperature threshold Tt, the controller 60 can automatically
perform at least one cooling countermeasure in step S5. For
example, the controller 60 can provide a visual and/or audible
warning in the host vehicle 12 via, for example, a display panel
and/or speaker. The controller 60 can also control the cruise
control system 64 to automatically adjust the desired following
distance Ds of the host vehicle 12 to be greater than or equal to
the cooling distance Dc. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the
cooling distance Dc is greater than the desired following distance
Ds and the threshold distance Dt. Of course, the cooling distance
Dc and the desired following distance Ds can be equal to each
other. Also, the cooling distance Dc, the desired following
distance Ds, or both, can be equal to or greater than the threshold
distance Dt. Thus, when the cooling distance is greater than the
desired following distance Ds as shown in FIG. 5, the desired
following distance Ds of the host vehicle 12 is increased to be
greater than or equal to the cooling distance Dc. In this event,
the detected following distance Df of the host vehicle 12 will
transition to the newly set desired following distance Ds, and will
thus become equal to the cooling distance Dc as shown in FIG. 5.
Furthermore, the controller 60 can operate the engine cooling fan
27 or increase the speed of the engine cooling fan 27 to cool the
engine 14. Naturally, the controller 60 can perform any or all of
these cooling countermeasure operations simultaneously as needed or
desired, or can perform some or all of these operations at
different times when the temperature Te of the engine 14 is
detected in step S4 as being greater than the temperature threshold
Tt.
[0038] If the temperature Te of the engine 14 is detected in step
S4 as being less than a temperature threshold Tt, or after the at
least one cooling countermeasure has been performed in step S5, the
processing continues to step S6. In step S6, the controller 60
determines whether the detected following distance Df is greater
than the threshold distance Dt. If the controller 60 determines
that the detected following distance Df is greater that the
threshold distance Dt, the controller 60 is operated to
automatically control the HVAC system based on the detected
following distance Df so that the HVAC system 10 automatically
operates or automatically maintains operation in a first mode in
step S7.
[0039] That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the detected following distance
Df is greater than the threshold distance Dt (Df>Dt), so the
HVAC system 10 operates in the first mode. The HVAC system 10
continues to operate in the first mode even as the host vehicle 12
begins to approach the desired following distance Ds between the
host vehicle 12 and another vehicle 72 as long as the detected
following distance Df is greater than the threshold distance Dt. As
discussed above, the desired following distance Ds could be set by
the cruise control system 64, can be set during the cooling
countermeasure operations in step S5, or can represent the
subjective desired following distance of the driver of the host
vehicle 12.
[0040] For purposes of this example, the first mode can be a fresh
air mode which receives ambient air from external to the host
vehicle 12 and passes that air into a passenger compartment of the
host vehicle 12 as discussed above with regard to FIG. 1. That is,
the controller 60 can control the recirculation door actuator 54 to
open the recirculation doors 53 to the fresh air duct 41 so that
external ambient air is passed into the passenger compartment of
the host vehicle via the fresh air duct 41. In other words, when
controller 60 operates to control the HVAC system 10 to
automatically operate in the first mode, the HVAC system 10
operates to supply ambient air from external the host vehicle 12
directly to a passenger compartment of the host vehicle 12. For
example, the operating of the on-board control device to control
the HVAC system 10 to automatically operate in the first mode
includes operating the HVAC system 10 to open a forward facing
inlet 46 and receive ambient air from external the host vehicle 12
via the forward facing inlet 46 and pass that air into the fresh
air duct 41. Hence, in this regard, the first mode is a first fresh
air mode which includes automatically operating the HVAC system 10
to open a forward facing inlet 46 and receive a first external
ambient air from external the host vehicle 12 via the forward
facing inlet 46 and pass the first external ambient air to the
passenger compartment of the vehicle 12.
[0041] Also, when operating in the first mode in step S7, the
controller 60 can control the HVAC system 10 to clean, purify,
filter and/or ionize ambient air external to the host vehicle 12
before supplying the ambient air to a passenger compartment of the
host vehicle 12. That is, the controller 60 can receive a signal
from the sensor 57 indicating impurity characteristics of the
ambient air entering the fresh air duct 41. If the controller 60
determines based on the signal that the impurity characteristics,
such as smog, are at an unacceptable level, the controller can
control the purifying device 58 to clean, purify, filter and/or
ionize ambient air passing through the fresh air duct 41.
Naturally, as discussed above, the first mode could be selected by
the user can be this type of first fresh air mode or any other
desired mode as discussed herein.
[0042] The processing then returns to step S1 and repeats as
discussed above.
[0043] Alternatively, if the controller 60 determines in step S6
that the detected following distance Df is or has become less than
or equal to the threshold distance Dt (Df.ltoreq.Dt) as shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8, the processing continues to step S8. In step S8, the
controller 60 determines, based on information received from the
other vehicle 72 via the cruise control system 64, whether any of
the vehicles 12 and 72 in the platoon of vehicles or among the
nearby vehicles is a low-emission vehicle. For example, as
discussed above, the other vehicles 72 can wirelessly transmit
their respective information to the vehicle 12. This respective
information can indicate whether a vehicle 72 is an electric
vehicle, a hybrid vehicle or a combustion engine vehicle. If the
controller 60 determines that the preceding vehicle 72 is a
low-emission vehicle, the processing can proceed to step S7 as
discussed above where the controller 60 can control the HVAC system
10 to automatically operate in a first mode regardless of the
distance at which the host vehicle 12 is following the preceding
vehicle 72. Alternatively, the first mode can be any operation that
is selected by a user via, for example, the operator controls 32.
Thus, the controller 60 can control the HVAC system 10 to operate
in the first mode based on user input that the controller 60
receives via the operator controls 32. In addition, the controller
60, for example, can communicate via the cruise control system 64
to the cruise control systems 64 in the other vehicles 72 to
present a suggested order to each of the vehicles 12 and 72 in the
platoon, such that the suggested order includes the detected
low-emission vehicles in leading positions of the platoon.
[0044] However, if the controller 60 determines in step S8 that the
other vehicle 72 is not a low-emission vehicle, or it cannot be
determined whether the other vehicle 72 is or is not a low-emission
vehicle, the processing continues to step S9. It should also be
noted that instead of performing step S8 to determine whether the
host vehicle 12 is following a low emission vehicle, the processing
can skip step S8 and proceed directly from step S6 to step S9 while
the detected following distance Df is less than or equal to the
threshold distance Dt.
[0045] In step S9, the controller 60 controls the HVAC system 10 to
automatically operate in a second mode, or to automatically switch
from operating in the first mode to operating in the second mode.
Moreover, as discussed above, the desired following distance Ds can
be set to be less than or equal to the threshold distance Dt, or
can represent the subjective desired following distance of the
driver of the host vehicle 12. Thus, the on-board control device 60
can automatically control the HVAC system 10 to operate in the
second mode when detected the following distance Df reaches the
threshold distance Dt as the host vehicle approaches the set
desired following distance Ds which, in this example, is less than
the threshold distance Dt. In the particular example shown in FIG.
6, the detected following distance Df is still greater than the
desired following distance Ds (Df>Ds).
[0046] The second mode can be, for example, a recirculation mode
which recirculates air within the passenger compartment of the host
vehicle 12 as discussed above with regard to FIG. 1. That is, the
controller 60 can control the recirculation door actuator 54 to
close the recirculation doors 53, such as the forward recirculation
or blend doors 53 located in a forward section of the host vehicle
12, so that air is recirculated in the passenger compartment of the
host vehicle 12. In other words, the HVAC system 10 receives
internal air from within the passenger compartment of the host
vehicle 12 and returns the internal air back to the passenger
compartment.
[0047] Alternatively, the operating of the on-board control device
to control the HVAC system 10 to operate in the second mode can
include operating the HVAC system 10 to control the door actuator
56 to close the doors 55 to obstruct the forward facing inlet 46
and receive ambient air from external the host vehicle 12 via at
least one of a side facing inlet 47 and a rear facing inlet 48 and
pass that air into the fresh air duct 41. Hence, in this regard,
the second mode is a second fresh air mode which includes
automatically operating the HVAC system 10 to obstruct the forward
facing inlet 46 and receive a second external ambient air (As
and/or Ar) from external the host vehicle 12 via at least one of a
side facing inlet 47 and a rear facing inlet 48 and pass the second
external ambient air (As and/or Ar) to the passenger
compartment.
[0048] Furthermore, the operating of the on-board control device 60
to control the HVAC system 10 to operate in the second mode
includes operating the impurity sensor 57 to detect for existence
of an impurity characteristic of ambient air entering from external
the host vehicle while the following distance Df is less than or
equal to the threshold distance Dt, and operating the HVAC system
10 to operate purifying device 58 to at least one of clean, purify,
filter and ionize ambient air from external the host vehicle before
supplying that air to a passenger compartment of the host vehicle
12 while the impurity characteristic is detected to exist. Thus,
the quality of the air reaching the passenger compartment of the
vehicle 12 can be improved by receiving a second external ambient
air such as the side external ambient air As, the rear external
ambient air Ar, or both, via any side facing inlet 47, rear facing
inlet 48, or both, that are spaced apart from the forward facing
inlet or inlets 46, and/or by cleaning, purifying and/or ionizing
the external ambient air received via any of the inlets 46 through
48. The controller 60 can also control the engine cooling fan 27 to
run, or increase the running speed of the engine cooling fan 27 if
it is already running, during the second mode while the detected
following distance Df is less than or equal to the threshold
distance Dt. In any event, when the controller 60 controls the HVAC
system 10 to operate in the second mode, the controller 60 can
override any user selected operation and perform the predetermined
operations to provide the best HVAC performance, best air quality
for the passenger compartment of the vehicle 12, and best engine
cooling performance as discussed above. If the user coincidentally
had set the HVAC system 10 to operate in this manner during the
first mode, the controller 60 could maintain these operations of
the HVAC system 10 in the second mode. However, it should be noted
that the controller 60 is determining whether to change or maintain
some or all of these operations in the second mode and thus, is
overriding the user selected operations.
[0049] The processing then repeats as discussed above. As can be
appreciated from the above, the controller 60 controls the HVAC
system 10 to continue to operate in the second mode while the
controller determines in step S6 that the detected following
distance Df is less than or equal to the threshold distance Dt but
greater than the desired following distance Ds as shown in FIG. 7,
or when the detected following distance reaches the desired
following distance Ds that is less than the threshold distance Dt
as shown in FIG. 8 (Df=Ds and Df.ltoreq.Dt). However, if the
controller 60 determines in step S6 that the detected following
distance Df has become greater than the threshold distance Dt, such
as in FIG. 6, the controller 60 can control the HVAC system 10 to
automatically switch to operate in the first mode in step S7 as
discussed above.
[0050] Accordingly, as can be appreciated from the above, the HVAC
system 10 operates based on a detected following distance Df
between the vehicle 12 and another vehicle 72 or other prescribed
characteristics, such as information contained in the signals from
the engine temperature sensor 28 and the sensor 57, to improve
performance of the HVAC system 10. For example, the HVAC system 10
is controlled to minimize or at least reduce the presence of
exhaust Ae from a preceding vehicle 72 in ambient air that is fed
into the passenger compartment of the vehicle 12. The HVAC system
10 and cruise control system 64 are further controlled to prevent
overheating or at least reduce the temperature Te of the engine 14
of the vehicle 12.
GENERAL INTERPRETATION OF TERMS
[0051] In understanding the scope of the present invention, the
term "comprising" and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended
to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated
features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but
do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements,
components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also
applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms,
"including", "having" and their derivatives. Also, the terms
"part," "section," "portion," "member" or "element" when used in
the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a
plurality of parts. The term "detect" as used herein to describe an
operation or function carried out by a component, a section, a
device or the like includes a component, a section, a device or the
like that does not require physical detection, but rather includes
determining, measuring, modeling, predicting or computing or the
like to carry out the operation or function. The term "configured"
as used herein to describe a component, section or part of a device
includes hardware and/or software that is constructed and/or
programmed to carry out the desired function.
[0052] While only selected embodiments have been chosen to
illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those
skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and
modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope
of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example,
the size, shape, location or orientation of the various components
can be changed as needed and/or desired. Components that are shown
directly connected or contacting each other can have intermediate
structures disposed between them. The functions of one element can
be performed by two, and vice versa. The structures and functions
of one embodiment can be adopted in another embodiment. It is not
necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular
embodiment at the same time. Every feature which is unique from the
prior art, alone or in combination with other features, also should
be considered a separate description of further inventions by the
applicant, including the structural and/or functional concepts
embodied by such feature(s). Thus, the foregoing descriptions of
the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for
illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the
invention as defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
* * * * *