CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0158359, filed on Dec. 10, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and system for variably adjusting an indoor temperature of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a method and system for variably adjusting an indoor temperature of a vehicle based on characteristics of an object to be protected in the vehicle when a driver has turned off the engine and exited the vehicle.

Discussion of the Related Art

In recent years, accidents occurring inside vehicles are increasing. For example, when a long period of time has elapsed after a driver has turned off the engine and exited the vehicle in hot external temperatures, the life of children, pets or plants in the vehicle may be in danger due to a high temperature or explosive products such as cellular phones or lighters left in the vehicle by the driver may explode.

As another example, when a driver sleeps for a particular period of time while the engine is turned off in a season other than the summer (e.g., during colder temperatures), dizziness, vomiting or suffocation may occur due to lack of oxygen in the sealed interior of the vehicle. Another type of accident that may occur inside a vehicle is when a substantial period of time has elapsed after a driver has turned off the engine and exited the vehicle in cold winter, the life of children, pets or plants in the vehicle may be in danger due to a low temperature.

Accordingly, a method of automatically controlling the indoor temperature of a vehicle when a driver sets a sleep mode, and a control method thereof has been developed. In addition, a system for preventing a driver sleeping in a vehicle from dying due to suffocation to enhance the safety of the driver, and a control method thereof has been developed.

Another developed technique discloses an in-vehicle audio video navigation (AVN) system protection device and method capable of using a protruding AVN system, performance of which may be influenced by overheating caused by direct sunlight in hot summer weather or an extremely low temperature in cold winter, in a state of being protected against an extreme situation using an air conditioning system of a vehicle.

However, in the related art, since operation is performed in a state in which a driver is in the vehicle or in a state in which the ignition (IG) terminal of the key box of the vehicle capable of driving a relay to enable the charging function of the vehicle is in an ON state, the indoor temperature of the vehicle is unable to be adjusted when the driver turns off the key of the vehicle or when the key is not turned off but the vehicle is parked in a state in which the IG terminal is off. Even when operation is performed in a state in which a driver is in the vehicle or in a state in which the IG terminal is in an ON state, since the indoor temperature of the vehicle is adjusted based on the driver of the vehicle, it may be impossible to variably adjust the temperature to protect pets, plants or other explosive objects in the vehicle.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method and system for variably adjusting an indoor temperature of a vehicle. An object of the present invention provides a method and system for variably adjusting an indoor temperature of a vehicle based on characteristics of an object to be protected in the vehicle when a driver has turned off the engine and exited the vehicle.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a method of variably adjusting an indoor temperature of a vehicle may include determining whether a current indoor temperature of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined allowable temperature of an object to be protected, switching an IG terminal of a key box of the vehicle to an ON state and calculating a sustainable time of indoor temperature control of the vehicle, in response to determining that the current indoor temperature of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined allowable temperature of the object to be protected, and adjusting the indoor temperature of the vehicle within a predetermined allowable temperature range or circulating indoor air of the vehicle according to the sustainable time.

In another aspect of the present invention, a system for variably adjusting an indoor temperature of a vehicle may include an object-to-be-protected detector (100) having a selective combination of at least one of a weight detection sensor (10), an indoor temperature automatic control switch (20), a microphone (30) and a speaker (40), and a controller (200) configured to determine an object to be protected in the vehicle based on a value detected by the object-to-be-protected detector (100), to determine a predetermined temperature as an allowable temperature according to the object to be protected, to determine whether a current indoor temperature of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined allowable temperature of the object to be protected, to switch an IG terminal of a key box of the vehicle to an ON state in response determining that the current indoor temperature of the vehicle exceeds the predetermined allowable temperature of the object to be protected, and to calculate a sustainable time of indoor temperature control of the vehicle, and to adjust the indoor temperature of the vehicle within a predetermined allowable temperature range or circulating indoor air of the vehicle according to the sustainable time.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

