IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,459,330
Granted Patent B2
US 12,459,330 · App. 18/109,976 · Granted Nov 4, 2025

System and method of controlling air conditioning system for vehicle

Inventors: Ding Yuan Fu (Shandong, CN); Hao Fu (Shandong, CN); Xiao Rui Zhai (Shandong, CN); Jingjing Shao (Shandong, CN); Tae Hun Jung (Seoul, KR); Xiao Zhong Ding (Shandong, CN); Qing Dong Hou (Shandong, CN); Xueshan Tang (Shandong, CN)
Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Corporation
B60H1/00742B60H1/00757B60H1/00771B60H1/00792B60H1/00828
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,459,330
App. No.
18/109,976
Granted
Nov 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system includes a plurality of sensors configured to sense an opening/closing of a door, fastening/unfastening of a seat safety belt, and change in a vehicle height; a first processor configured to determine the number of all occupants in the vehicle by the opening/closing of the door, the fastening/unfastening of the seat safety belt, and the change in the vehicle height sensed by the plurality of sensors and preliminarily determine an internal circulation ratio of the air conditioning system according to the determined number of all occupants in the vehicle; a second processor configured to adjust the internal circulation ratio which is preliminarily determined by the first processor according to at least one of a sound intensity and a sound duration time in the vehicle; and a controller configured to control the air conditioning system according to the adjusted internal circulation ratio.

Claims (67)

1 . A system for controlling an air conditioning system for a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of sensors configured to sense: an opening/closing of at least one door, a fastening/unfastening of at least one seat safety belt, and a change in a vehicle height;

a first processor configured to: determine the number of all occupants in the vehicle by the opening/closing of the at least one door, the fastening/unfastening of the at least one seat safety belt, and the change in the vehicle height is sensed by at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors, and determine a preliminary internal circulation ratio of the air conditioning system according to the determined number of all occupants in the vehicle;

a second processor configured to adjust the preliminary internal circulation ratio into an adjusted internal circulation ratio according to at least one of: a sound intensity in the vehicle and/or a sound duration time in the vehicle; and

a controller configured to control the air conditioning system according to the adjusted internal circulation ratio,

wherein the second processor is further configured to determine: whether an occupant is on a call, to acquire a call duration time if it is determined that the occupant is on the call, not to adjust the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio when the call duration time is equal to or lower than a first predetermined time, and if the call duration time is longer than the first predetermined time, to reduce the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio by a first predetermined value at every first predetermined time interval until the internal circulation ratio becomes zero.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:

if at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors senses that a driver seat side door is open and a driver seat safety belt is fastened, the first processor is configured to determine that there is a driver,

if at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors senses that a front passenger seat side door is open and a front passenger seat safety belt is fastened, the first processor is configured to determine that there is a front passenger, and

if at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors senses that at least one back seat side door is open and the change in the vehicle height changes on at least one side of the vehicle, the first processor is configured to determine a number of back seat occupants according to the sensed change in the vehicle height.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein if the change in the vehicle height is sensed at one side, the first processor is further configured to:

determine that the number of occupants is zero if the change in the vehicle height is 0 mm;

determine that the back seat occupant has entered the vehicle and to increase the number of back seat occupants by 1 if the change in the vehicle height decreases; and

determine that the back seat occupant moves a position to maintain the number of back seat occupants when the change in the vehicle height increases.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein, if at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors senses the change in the vehicle height at both sides, the first processor is configured to determine a maximum value of the number of back seat occupants determined at both sides to be the number of back seat occupants.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein, if a predetermined time elapses after the call ends, the second processor is further configured to recover the internal circulation ratio to the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the second processor is further configured to:

collect the sound intensity in the vehicle if it is determined that the occupant is not on the call;

determine a reference sound intensity in the vehicle;

not to adjust the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio if the current sound intensity in the vehicle is equal to or lower than a sum of the reference sound intensity and a first predetermined sound intensity value;

determine the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle if the current sound intensity in the vehicle is larger than the sum of the reference sound intensity and the first predetermined sound intensity value and is smaller than a sum of the reference sound intensity and a second predetermined sound intensity value which is larger than the first predetermined sound intensity value;

not adjust the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is equal to or shorter than a second predetermined time;

reduce the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio by a second predetermined value at every second predetermined time interval if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is longer than the second predetermined time;

determine the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle if the current sound intensity in the vehicle is larger than the sum of the reference sound intensity and the second predetermined sound intensity value;

not adjust the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is equal to or shorter than a third predetermined time which is shorter than the second predetermined time;

reduce the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio by the second predetermined value at every second predetermined time interval if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is longer than the third predetermined time and is equal to or shorter than the second predetermined time; and

reduce the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio by a third predetermined value, which is larger than the second predetermined value at every second predetermined time interval, if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is longer than the second predetermined time.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the second processor is further configured to determine the reference noise intensity in the vehicle according to a driving speed of the vehicle and whether a radio is on or off.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein, if an ambient temperature outside the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the controller is configured to not control the air conditioning system according to the internal circulation ratio.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein, if the at least one door is completely closed, the first processor is configured to end the determining the number of all occupants in the vehicle.

10 . A method of controlling an air conditioning system for a vehicle, comprising:

sensing opening/closing of at least one door, fastening or unfastening of at least one seat safety belt, and a change in a vehicle height;

determining the number of all occupants in the vehicle by the sensed opening/closing of the at least one door, the fastening or unfastening of the at least one seat safety belt, and the change in the vehicle height;

preliminarily determining an internal circulation ratio of the air conditioning system according to the determined number of all occupants in the vehicle;

adjusting the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio into an adjusted internal circulation ratio according to at least one of a sound intensity in the vehicle and/or a sound duration time in the vehicle; and

controlling the air conditioning system according to the adjusted internal circulation ratio, wherein adjusting the internal circulation ratio which is preliminarily determined includes:

determining whether the occupant is on a call;

acquiring a call duration time if it is determined that the occupant is on the call;

not adjusting the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio if the call duration time is below a first predetermined time; and

reducing the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio by a first predetermined value at a first predetermined time interval until the internal circulation ratio becomes zero if the call duration time is longer than the first predetermined time.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining the number of all occupants in the vehicle step includes:

determining that there is a driver if a driver seat side door is open and fastening of a driver seat safety belt is sensed;

determining that there is a front passenger if opening of a front passenger side door and fastening of a front passenger seat safety belt are sensed; and

determining the number of occupants of the back seats according to the sensed change in the vehicle height if it is sensed that at least one back seat side door is open and the change in the vehicle height is sensed from at least one side.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining the number of back seat occupants if the change in the vehicle height is sensed at one side includes:

determining the number of back seat occupants to be 0 if the change of the vehicle height is 0 mm;

determining that the back seat occupant enters the vehicle to increase the number of back seat occupants to 1 if the change in the vehicle height decreases; and

determining that the back seat occupant moves a position to maintain the number of back seat occupants if the change in the vehicle height increases.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the determining the number of back seat occupants further includes:

if the change in the vehicle height is sensed at both sides, determining a maximum value of the number of back seat occupants determined at both sides as the number of the back seat occupants.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein adjusting the internal circulation ratio which is preliminarily determined further includes:

recovering the internal circulation ratio to the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio if a predetermine time elapses after ending the call.

15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein adjusting the internal circulation ratio which is preliminarily determined further includes:

collecting the sound intensity in the vehicle if it is determined that the occupant is not on the call;

determining a reference sound intensity in the vehicle;

not adjusting the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio if the current sound intensity in the vehicle is equal to or lower than a sum of the reference sound intensity and a first predetermined sound intensity value;

determining a duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle if the current sound intensity in the vehicle is larger than the sum of the reference sound intensity and the first predetermined sound intensity value and is smaller than a sum of the reference sound intensity and a second predetermined sound intensity value which is larger than the first predetermined sound intensity value;

not adjusting the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is equal to or shorter than a second predetermined time;

reducing the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio by a second predetermined value at every second predetermined time interval if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is longer than the second predetermined time;

determining the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle if the current sound intensity in the vehicle is larger than the sum of the reference sound intensity and the second predetermined sound intensity value;

not adjusting the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is equal to or shorter than a third predetermined time which is shorter than the second predetermined time;

reducing the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio by a second predetermined value at every second predetermined time interval if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is longer than the third predetermined time and is equal to or shorter than the second predetermined time, and

reducing the preliminarily determined internal circulation ratio by a third predetermined value which is larger than the second predetermined value at every second predetermined time interval if the duration time of the current sound intensity in the vehicle is longer than the second predetermined time.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein determining the reference sound intensity in the vehicle includes:

determining a reference noise intensity in the vehicle depending on a driving speed of the vehicle and whether a radio is On or Off.

17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein, if an ambient temperature outside the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the control of the air conditioning system according to the internal circulation ratio is not performed.

18 . The method of claim 10 , wherein, if the at least one door is completely closed, the determining the number of all occupants in the vehicle ends.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 15, 2023
From: FU, DING YUAN; FU, HAO; ZHAI, XIAO RUI; SHAO, JINGJING; JUNG, TAE HUN; DING, XIAO ZHONG; HOU, QING DONG; TANG, XUESHAN
To: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY; KIA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062706/0030 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 202211484515.4 · Nov 24, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240174048A1 · May 30, 2024
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