Patent ID: 7931209

Claim:
A control system for controlling an air-conditioning system within an environment including independent zones of a driver compartment and independent zones within a passenger compartment of a vehicle, the control system comprising: a plurality of separate temperature sensors designed to independently detect temperatures prevailing at the driver compartment and at the independent zones of the passenger compartment, respectively; a plurality of comfort sensors, designed to detect quantities representing the thermal comfort of at least one passenger present in said environment; a temperature setting device operative for setting an objective temperature of said environment, which can be regulated by said passenger; an ECU receiving as input signals, signals provided from said comfort sensors, from said temperature sensors, and from said setting means for said compartments, respectively, and designed to generate control signals for actuator devices for actuating said air-conditioning system to provide air from independent air conditioning units to said compartments based on the respective comfort signals and temperature signals at each of said compartments, wherein said comfort sensors comprise: at least two mean-radiant-temperature sensors, a first mean-radiant-temperature sensor, having a set operational field of vision range, being positioned in said driver compartment and being operable to supply a signal indicating a mean radiant temperature in a first respective field of vision, including at least a portion of said driver compartment, and a second mean-radiant-temperature sensor, having a set operational field of vision range, being positioned in said passenger compartment and being operable to supply a signal indicating a mean radiant temperature in a second respective field of vision, including at least a portion of said passenger compartment.