Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Frank Fusco

Alan Gutowski

John Eric Rollinger

Adam J Richards

Curtis Mark Jones

Peter Mitchell Lyon

Steve T Skikun

David Hancock

M Scott Christensen

Stephen Michael White

Manfred Koberstein

Fred Koberstein

Paul Bryan Hoke

Jennifer A Herr-Rathke

Scott Thompson

Venkatesh Krishnan

Scott James Thompson

Gerhard Allan Dage

Loren John Lohmeyer, Iii

Scott Steadmon Thompson

Lawrence C Karas

James R Hurd

Eric R Yerke

Emily Obert

Jose A Nava

Steven Michael Kahrs

Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, responsive to receiving a request for cleaning an interior of a vehicle, adjusting a position of a sun shade based on at least one of an ambient temperature outside of the vehicle and a sun load of the vehicle, and operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the interior above an upper threshold temperature for a first threshold duration. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes.

Method and system for a vehicle sanitizing mode

Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, responsive to receiving a request for sanitization of a vehicle interior, activating an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) system and operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the vehicle interior above an upper threshold temperature for a threshold duration. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes while the UVGI system may supplement the heat sanitizing.

Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, while receiving power from an external power source and responsive to receiving a request for cleaning an interior of a vehicle, operating an electric heater of a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the interior above an upper threshold temperature for a first threshold duration using the power received from the external power source. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes while vehicle battery power and fuel are conserved by using power supplied from the external power source.

Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, responsive to receiving a request for sanitization of a vehicle interior, operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the vehicle interior above an upper threshold temperature for a threshold duration. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes.

An integrated display and ventilation assembly includes a display screen and a first air register. The first air register is displaceable between a first stowed position concealed behind the display screen and a first deployed position projecting from behind the display screen. A related method of ventilating a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle is also disclosed.

Integrated display and ventilation assembly

A vehicle includes an interior and a controller configured to control a climate system for the interior based at least in part on data related to a departure location of the vehicle, a destination location of the vehicle, or a proximate location within a certain proximity to the vehicle, while moving to the destination location between the departure location and the destination location, or any combination of said locations. The data related to the departure location can include a temperature profile of the departure location. The temperature profile of the departure location can assume that the departure location is colder than a comfortable ambient temperature, and the controller is configured to direct heated air into the interior upon activation of the vehicle at the departure location. The data related to the departure location can include an activity profile of the departure location.

Control of a climate system within a vehicle using location data

A vehicle air-handling system includes a heat exchanger, a blower in communication with the heat exchanger, and an operable duct having driver and passenger portions that are each in communication with the heat exchanger and the blower. When the blower is activated, the driver portion continuously delivers blower air and the passenger portion selectively delivers blower air.

Interchangeable operable duct with blocking component for a driver-only function

A vehicle glass heating system may include a vehicle glass having two or more electrically heated zones. The system may also have a controller, which determines an output based on an input signal and selectively actuates at least a portion of the heated zones to heat the vehicle glass according to the output.

Zonal vehicle glass heating strategy

A system may control demist flow by computing a fogging possibility for a zone of a vehicle using a fogging heuristic according to received inputs, the fogging possibility indicative of fogging risk for vehicle glass in the zone of the vehicle; determining, based on comparing the fogging possibility to at least one fogging risk threshold, whether a change in demist flow for the zone is warranted to at least one of reduce the fogging risk for vehicle glass in the zone of the vehicle and reduce energy usage for the production of demist flow to be provided to vehicle glass in the zone of the vehicle; and selectively providing an output to at least one of the plurality of demist doors associated with the zone of the vehicle to adjust the demist flow to the zone of the vehicle when a change in demist flow for the zone is warranted.

Multi-zone demist strategy

A multi-zone climate control system and method for a vehicle. The system comprises a passenger seat occupancy detector at each of a plurality of passenger seats for generating a respective seat occupancy signal indicative of an occupancy condition of a respective seat. The system also includes a plurality of control units, wherein each of the control units is associated with a respective passenger seat location. The control units are used for selecting desired climate settings for each passenger location. A controller is in operative communication with each control unit and each passenger seat occupancy detector. The controller is operative to control the climate at each occupied passenger location according to the desired climate settings for the respective passenger location and modify the climate at each unoccupied passenger location to optimize the comfort at each occupied passenger location.

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Plymouth, MI, United States of America

Frank Fusco