Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Masanori Nishikawa

Norio Abe

Kazuaki Hioki

Kazumi Nagayama

Yoshimitsu Fujiwara

Takaaki Hyoudou

Koji Yoshimoto

Naruaki Akai

Tomoyuki Kawase

Takashi Sawa

Hiroyuki Ogino

Naohito Asami

Masahiro Takiguchi

Yukio Abe

A temperature detection unit detects the temperature of a power plug. A control unit stops electric conduction to a battery when the detected temperature detected by the temperature detection unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined specified temperature (T). The control unit recovers the electric conduction to the battery when the detected temperature detected by the temperature detection unit decreases to a specified temperature (T) or lower, the specified temperature (T) being lower than the specified temperature (T).

Charging cable

The seat heater of the present invention comprises: a warming heater provided in a seat section of a seat; a warming heater provided in a back section; an overheating-prevention unit; and a heating unit that heats the overheating-prevention unit, the overheating-prevention unit being configured by a non-return type temperature switch. This configuration allows activating the non-return type overheating-prevention unit prior to reaching an unsafe event, and turns the warming heaters OFF reliably, whereby a seat heater with an aim of implementing both high output and safety can be provided.

Seat heater

A seat heater device initiates power supply upon operation of a switch by a seat occupant within a vehicle interior and includes a heater for warming installed in a seat within the vehicle interior and a control unit for controlling energization of the heater for warming. The control unit includes a low-voltage detecting means for detecting whether an input voltage is a regular drive voltage value of the control unit or a voltage value lower than a predetermined voltage value and a switching element that is turned on when the low-voltage detecting means detects the regular drive voltage value of the control unit and turned off when the low-voltage detecting means detects a voltage value lower than the predetermined voltage value. This configuration can avoid heat generation of the switching element even if a leakage occurs in an electronic circuit within the switch due to, for example, insulation failure.

Seat heater device

A charging cable for use in charging a battery of an electrically-driven vehicle includes a power plug to be detachably connected to a receptacle outlet of a commercially available power source, a charging coupler to be detachably connected to the electrically-driven vehicle, a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of an electric circuit between the power plug and the charging coupler, and a charging device having a controller for controlling a current value that flows from the power plug to the charging coupler. This configuration can minimize the charging time and enhance the durability between the charging cable and the receptacle outlet and between the charging cable and the charging coupler.

Charging cable for electrically-driven vehicle

A battery heater device which heats a battery with a plurality of cells mounted on a vehicle comprises a first heater part which heats cells positioned at an outer side in the battery; a second heater part which heats cells positioned at an inner side in the battery; and a controller which controls power to be supplied to the first and second heater parts; wherein the controller reduces the power supplied to the second heater part at a predetermined timing after start of the power supply to the first and second heater parts, thereby improving quick-heating performance of the battery and heating the battery more uniformly with use of simple arrangement.

Battery heater device

A seat heater includes a seat-warming heater which is connected to a power source and warms a person sitting on a seat, an over-temperature-preventing part which disconnects the connection between the seat-warming heater and the power source when the over-temperature-preventing part is heated to a predetermined temperature so as to prevent over-temperature of the seat-warming heater, and a heater which heats the over-temperature-preventing part, wherein the over-temperature-preventing part is non-return type, and the heater for the over-temperature-preventing part is arranged to cover opposite portions of the over-temperature-preventing part, thereby realizing both higher output and improved safety.

Seat heater with over-temperature protection

A seat heater includes first heat-generating elements embedded in a seat so as to correspond to first sites of a seat occupant, second heat-generating elements embedded in the seat so as to correspond to second sites of the seat occupant, and a controller for executing a fluctuation control in which a first set temperature of the first heat-generating elements and a second set temperature of the second heat-generating elements are increased or decreased in each of a plurality of predetermined time periods. The controller sets the first set temperature to be higher than the second set temperature in one of the time periods and sets the second set temperature to be higher than the first set temperature in another of the time periods.

A vehicle seat heater, which is to be fitted to a vehicle seat, includes a base sheet and a heater wire laid in the base sheet. The heater wire is laid in the base sheet so as not to orthogonally intersect its predicted wrinkle lines R. As a result, disconnections of the heater wire caused by repeated deformations of the vehicle seat heater can be suppressed.

Vehicle seat heater

A more comfortable seat is provided by detecting whether or not a person is in a seat. A seat has a heating elementa seat surface temperature detectorthat is situated below a seat surface cover and that detects the temperature of the seat surface, and a seating determination unitfor determining whether or not a seat is occupied. A determination is made as to whether or not a seat is occupied according to an amount of temperature change detected by the seat surface temperature detectorfor a predetermined period of time, whereby a determination can be readily made as to whether or not a person is seated. When no one is seated, application of power to the heating elementis stopped, and the like, which in turn contributes to energy saving and enhancement of fuel efficiency.

Growing community of inventors

Shiga, Japan

Masanori Nishikawa