"Human-Centric Approach to HVAC Using Smart Devices "

Due to the popularity of wearable devices, there is more physiological data available than ever and one of the potential applications where this data can be used is HVAC. This presentation demonstrates an innovative utilization of this data for a human-centric climate control in vehicles. Using a flexible interface, we were able to connect physiological data generated by a wearable device with measured quantities inside and outside of the vehicle and asses the comfort of the occupants. The vehicle cabin and the ambient were represented by a system simulation model and a dedicated controller was catering to the comfort requirements of the occupants on one hand, and ensuring an optimized energy consumption of related auxiliary devices on the other hand. A simplified experimentally derived comfort evaluation model focusing on the relationship between the heart rate and thermal sensation was derived in the course of the study. To assess the potential of this setup, we have compared the calculated comfort rating and the energy consumption of the refrigerant compressor at identical ambient temperatures and heart rates when the physiological data was used by the controller and when it was not. Since the used interface supports connections to real hardware sensor, we have additionally investigated the feasibility of a CO2 sensor in the passenger compartment by implementing a virtual CO2 sensor into the cabin simulation model. This enabled the controller to determine the recirculation rate of the air with the goal of speeding up the cooling or heating of the cabin air without compromising its quality.