Experimental Study on Thermal Environment and Thermal Comfort of Passenger Compartment in Winter with Personal Comfort System

Abstract

The combined heating method of seat heating and air conditioning (A/C) was applied in the passenger compartment under different experiment conditions, using thermocouples to continuously measure the wall surfaces and air temperatures in the passenger compartment and the passengers’ skin temperatures of 17 segments. Meanwhile, a subjective evaluation questionnaire survey was conducted using a nine-point evaluation scale on the local and overall thermal sensation and thermal comfort of the passengers, and the data from the questionnaire were analyzed with the ANOVA method. The results showed that the use of the heating pad directly affected the changes in human skin temperature, which in turn affected the local and overall thermal sensation and thermal comfort. For the two thermally stimulated segments of the back and under the thighs, the skin temperature of the back was higher than that of the thighs. Using the heating pad resulted in a rapid increase in the mean skin temperature in the early period of the experiment. Thermal sensation of the back and under-thighs shifted rapidly towards the hot zone in the first 10 min, and then settled around +3, with even more significant differences between the groups. Thermal sensations in non-thermally stimulated segments changed in relation to their position on the heating pad, with slower changes in those at the “distal” end of the body, the head and the feet. Continued use of the heating pads at lower ambient temperatures maintained overall thermal comfort at a neutral level in the range of 0–1, whereas at higher ambient temperatures there was a gradual deterioration of local and overall thermal comfort.

Keywords

• thermal comfort
• personal comfort system
• heating seat
• vehicle cabin
• thermal environment