Gentherm Gmbh

James Francis Gallagher

Adam Joseph Steinman

A method that includes supplying an amount of power to a thermal system to effect a temperate change of a touch surface; determining a rate of the temperature change of the touch surface; comparing the determined rate of the temperature change to a predetermined rate threshold; and changing the amount of power supplied to the thermal system after the comparing step based on whether the determined rate of temperature change is less than or greater than the predetermined rate threshold.

Thermal control using repeated thermoreceptor stimulation

A method for controlling a thermal state of a vehicle occupant, includes obtaining an infrared (IR) image of a face of the occupant using a passive infrared sensor (PIR) sensor. The IR image comprising a spatial array of facial temperatures and receives the image in a controller. A first segment of the array is determined based on a first facial temperature associated with the first segment using the controller. The first segment corresponds to a nose of the occupant. A second segment of the array is determined at least partially surrounding the first segment based on a plurality of second facial temperatures associated with the second segment using the controller. The second segment corresponds to a region of the face surrounding the nose. A difference is determined based on the first facial temperature and at least one of the second facial temperatures using the controller. The thermal state of the occupant is determined based on the difference.

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Walled Lake, MI, United States of America

James Francis Gallagher