Electrical heating device, method for the production thereof, and vehicle seat with such a heating device

• US 10,531,519 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2016
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentherm GmbH (Gentherm Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gentherm GmbH (Gentherm Incorporated)
• Inventors: Voros, Gabor
• Primary Examiner(s): Paschall, Mark H
• Application Number:
  US15/098,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20160309544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 219202, 219505, 219494, 219497, 219549, 219541
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0238 For seats
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/003 using serpentine layout
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/34 flexible, e.g. heating nets or webs

Abstract

An electrical heating device includes at least one support; at least one ohmic heating resistor; and at least one temperature sensor. The heating resistor includes a heating conductor strand, which is laid out on, or in, the support in a track-like, curving, or meandering pattern to span a heating field. The heating conductor strand includes a measurement loop formed by at least two heating conductor sections that are separated from one another, and, in each case, are connected together electrically conductively at one end, and which are laid out around the temperature sensor and form a delimited measurement field. The temperature sensor is placed in a measurement position within the measurement field spanned by the measurement loop so that it is positioned as a function of a surface area formed by the measurement field at a greater or smaller distance from an opening of the measurement loop.

Claims

1. An electrical heating device comprising:

a. at least one support;

b. at least one ohmic heating resistor; and

c. at least one temperature sensor;

wherein the at least one ohmic heating resistor comprises at least one heating conductor strand, the at least one heating conductor strand is laid out on, or in, the at least one support in a track-like, curving, or meandering pattern in order to span a heating field,

wherein the at least one heating conductor strand comprises at least one measurement loop, which is formed by two straight heating conductor strand sections that are separated from one another and connected together electrically conductively at one end, the two straight heating conductor strand sections are laid out around the at least one temperature sensor and thereby form a delimited measurement field,

wherein the at least one temperature sensor is placed in a measurement position within the delimited measurement field spanned by the at least one measurement loop in such a way that the at least one temperature sensor;

i. has approximately a same distance from the two straight heating conductor strand sections of the at least one measurement loop, and

ii. is positioned within the at least one measurement loop as a function of a surface area formed by the delimited measurement field.

2. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the delimited measurement field spans the surface area having a defined magnitude, and

wherein depending on the defined magnitude of the surface area of the delimited measurement field, a certain position in the surface area of the delimited measurement field is associated with the at least one temperature sensor.

3. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one temperature sensor is arranged approximately equidistantly between the two straight heating conductor strand sections, and

wherein a distance from a section connecting the two straight heating conductor strand sections or from an opening formed between the two straight heating conductor strand sections is a function of the surface area of the delimited measurement field.

4. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the two straight heating conductor strand sections that form the delimited measurement field are oriented at least approximately parallel to one another or parallel to one another in at least some sections.

5. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the two straight heating conductor strand sections that form the delimited measurement field are arranged at a distance which is between 4 mm and 10 mm from one another.

6. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one temperature sensor is formed as an NTC sensor which is narrowly localized spatially.

7. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one heating conductor strand and/or the at least one temperature sensor is/are sewn into the at least one support.

8. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one temperature sensor comprises a plurality of temperature sensors that are attached in two or more positions within the electrical heating device.

9. The electrical heating device according to according to claim 1, wherein a correlation between a temperature measurement value delivered by the at least one temperature sensor and an actual temperature averaged over the surface area of the heating field corresponds to the delimited measurement field that is matched to an individual heating device.

10. A heatable vehicle seat having a seat pad and/or a backrest pad, wherein at least the seat pad and/or the backrest pad is/are provided with the electrical heating device according to claim 1 which forms a seat heater of the vehicle seat.

11. A method for production of the electrical heating device according to claim 1 comprising:

arranging the at least one heating conductor strand in a curving or meandering pattern in at least some sections; and

acquiring a magnitude of a distance and/or a surface area between the two straight heating conductor strands that form the delimited measurement field; and

fixing the at least one temperature sensor in a defined position within the delimited measurement field as a function of the acquired magnitude.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the method includes a step of acquiring by means of a camera system, an exact pattern of the two straight heating conductor strand sections forming the heating conductor loop.

13. The method according to claim 11 wherein a target position of the at least one temperature sensor within the delimited measurement field is indicated by means of a light spot, in particular, by means of a laser pointer, which gives a manual, partially automatic or automatic positioning of the at least one temperature sensor within the electrical heating device.

14. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one measurement loop has a parabolic shape.

15. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the two straight heating conductor strand sections are spaced apart by a distance of 7 mm, and a sensor head of the at least one temperature sensor is placed at a depth of 21 mm from the opening of the at least one measurement loop.

16. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the two straight heating conductor strand sections are spaced apart by a distance of 6 mm, and a sensor head of the at least one temperature sensor is placed at a depth of 19 mm from the opening of the at least one measurement loop.

17. The electrical heating device according to claim 1, wherein the two straight heating conductor strand sections are spaced apart by a distance of 8 mm, and a sensor head of the at least one temperature sensor is placed at a depth of 23 mm from the opening of the at least one measurement loop.

18. An electrical heating device comprising:

a. at least one support;

b. at least one ohmic heating resistor; and

c. at least one temperature sensor;

wherein the at least one ohmic heating resistor comprises at least one heating conductor strand, the at least one heating conductor strand is laid out on or in the at least one support in a track-like, curving or meandering pattern in order to span a heating field,

wherein the at least one heating conductor strand comprises at least one measurement loop, which is formed by at least two straight heating conductor strand sections that are separated from one another and connected together electrically conductively at one end, and which are laid out around the at least one temperature sensor and thereby form a delimited measurement field,

wherein the at least one temperature sensor is placed in a measurement position within the delimited measurement field spanned by the at least one measurement loop in such a way that the at least one temperature sensor;

i. has approximately same distances between the at least two straight heating conductor strand sections of the at least one measurement loop, and

ii. as a function of a surface area formed by the delimited measurement field, the at least one temperature sensor is positioned at a larger distance from an opening of the at least one measurement loop,

wherein a distance from a section connecting the at least two straight heating conductor strand sections or from an opening formed between the at least two straight heating conductor strand sections is variable as a function of the surface area of the delimited measurement field,

wherein the at least two straight heating conductor strand sections that form the delimited measurement field are oriented at least approximately parallel to one another or parallel to one another in at least some sections,

wherein sections of the at least two straight heating conductor strand sections that form the delimited measurement field are arranged at a distance between 6 mm and 8 mm from one another,

wherein the at least one heating conductor strand and/or the at least one temperature sensor, is/are sewn into the at least one support, and

wherein a correlation between a temperature measurement value delivered by the at least one temperature sensor and an actual temperature averaged over the surface area of the heating field corresponds to an individual electrical heating device.