Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Naohito Asami

Kazumi Nagayama

Norio Abe

Mitsuru Yoneyama

Akira Shiratake

Hiroyuki Ogino

Satoshi Arima

Hideaki Konishi

Takehiko Shigeoka

Masanori Nishikawa

Koji Yoshimoto

Kazuaki Hioki

Naruaki Akai

Yoshimitsu Fujiwara

Noriyuki Yoneno

Hiroshi Mitsunaga

Ryuta Kondou

Yoshitaka Morikawa

Osamu Yoshida

When a seat heater and a planar electric heater on a surface of an interior member are used in parallel, the seat heater and the planar electric heater cannot be heated sufficiently due to a limitation on an electric capacity of a vehicle, and in particular, in a vehicle having good engine efficiency, heating of an interior of a passenger compartment by air conditioning utilizing hot air generated by heat expelled from an engine is not sufficient, whereby there sometimes occurs a situation where occupants feel cold. A heating deviceis provided in a side door panelof a vehicle and a seat heater is made to be heated mainly at an initial stage of heating after an occupant gets in the vehicle, whereas the heating deviceis made to be heated after a predetermined period of time elapses, whereby the body of the occupant can be warmed quickly and efficiently without making the occupant feel cold physically.

Vehicle heating system

A sheet heater structured so that heating wire is fixed to air-passing base material by sewing. This structure can provide a sheet heater that has improved durability of heating wireagainst the load imposed on the seat during sitting, comfortable feeling of sitting in the seat, and high air-passing capability.

Sheet heater

A seat with a heating device is provided which realizes a configuration in which the arm, palms and finger tips of a user can easily be warmed when the user uses the seat with the heating device. When the user is seated in a seat with a heating device and feels cold due to it being winter, the user controls a switch to heat the seat, whereby energization of heating elementsis started which are connected to a power supply via electric wires. When the energization of the heating elementsis started, heat generated thereby is conducted to skin materialsand surfaces of the skin materials are warmed. When the user places his or her arm on an armrest portion, the arm is warmed via the skin material, whereby the user can feel the sensation of comfortableness.

Seat with heating device

A heating element includes a base material and a heater disposed on the base material, which can be deformed to accommodate a part of the heater. A steering wheel equipped with the heating element is free from surface protrusions caused by the heater. Employment of a linear heater reduces connections between the heater and power supply lines, and a high connecting reliability is obtained. The steering wheel includes the heating element and the power lines, and connections between the heating element and the power lines are disposed in the boss portion of the steering wheel. The steering wheel is further provided with a temperature detector, a temperature detector heater and a temperature controller, and the detector and the detector heater are disposed in the boss portion. Thus, a steering wheel with a good grip and a good appearance can be provided at a low cost.

Heating element for steering wheel

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.

Heater-equipped seat

The invention relates to a planar heat generating element for use on steering wheels of automotive vehicles and motorboats, and a problem of the invention is to adjust a temperature portion of a planar heat generating element which is attached to a steering wheel, so as to enhance the sensation of using the steering wheel by the user when he or she grips thereon. In the invention, since linear heaters () of a planar heat generating element () are provided so as to be turned repeatedly along a circumferential direction and such that the density of turns of the liner heaters () at an outermost circumferential portion of a ring portion () becomes sparse, the temperature of the outermost circumferential portion of the ring portion () with which the palms of the user are brought into contact when he or she grips the ring portion () can be made to be adjusted, and the heat generation of the planar heat generating element () can be adjusted so as to match the user's way of gripping, thereby the sensation of using the steering wheel felt by the user when he or she grips thereon being able to be enhanced.

Steering wheel planar heat generating element

A heating element used for a heated seat assembly of the present invention comprises a base material made of hotmelt material, and a linear heater disposed at a predetermined pattern on the base material. The linear heater is fixed by adhesion or sewing onto the base material. In one example of the present invention, the linear heater is characterized in that a plurality of conductors and threads are braided into the linear heater. In another example, a number of threads comprising the linear heater is at least the same with a number of conductors. According to the heating element of the present invention and the method of manufacturing the heated seat assembly according to the present invention, a heated seat assembly with excellent seating comfort and even seat temperature can be obtained, and the heating element is durable.

Heated seat assembly and method of manufacturing the same

A surface heating device comprises a heating element fabricated by braiding plural conductors on a flexible supporter. The surface heating device employs a heating element member which is reduced in thickness or diameter, and thus can be inhibited from providing an uncomfortable touch when sat upon or appearing as a relief on a surface cover of a seat. Also, because a pad is reduced in thickness, the surface cover of the seat can be heated up rapidly. The heating element is fabricated by braiding the conductors, and thus, when loaded with a weight when sat upon, the heating element allows a resultant stress exerted thereon to be dispersed through the conductors, hence being stronger against bending. Moreover, the conductors are inhibited from separating from each other and need no insulating coat.

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Nara, Japan

Naohito Asami