Calibrated thermal sensing system

• US 20070257017A1
• Filed: 05/04/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Milliken & Company
• Original Assignee: Milliken & Company
• Inventors: Deangelis, Alfred, Horvath, Joshua, Child, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/417,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20070257017A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/211
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0272 For heating of fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/003 using serpentine layout
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/026 Heaters specially adapted for floor heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/029 Heaters specially adapted for seat warmers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/036 Heaters specially adapted for garment heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/342 heaters used in textiles

Abstract

The invention relates to a warming article comprising a heating element and a sensing system, wherein the sensing system comprises a first sensor element being a temperature dependent variable resistor and a second sensor element being a variable resistor, and wherein the first sensor element is linear and flexible and the second sensor element is used to adjust the total sensor resistance to a fixed value at a particular temperature.

Claims

1. A warming article comprising a heating element and a sensing circuit, wherein the sensing circuit comprises a first sensor element being a temperature dependent variable resistor, a second sensor element being a temperature independent variable resistor, and a third sensor element being a temperature independent variable resistor, an wherein the first sensor element is linear and flexible.

2. The warming article of claim 1, wherein the second sensor element comprises a combination of resistors.

3. The warming article of claim 1, wherein the first sensor element is electrically connected in series to the second sensor element.

4. The warming article of claim 1, wherein the first sensor element is electrically connected in parallel to the second sensor element.

5. The warming article of claim 1, wherein the first sensor element is electrically connected in parallel to the third sensor element and wherein the second sensor element is electrically connected in series to the combination of the first sensor element and the third sensor element.

6. The warming article of claim 1, wherein the first sensor element is electrically connected in series to the second sensor element and wherein the third sensor element is electrically connected in parallel to the combination of the first sensor element and the second sensor element.

7. The warming article of claim 1, wherein the second sensor element comprises a first section and a second section, wherein the first sensor element is electrically connected in series with the first section of the second sensor element and the second section of the second sensor element is electrically connected in parallel with the combination of the first sensor element and the first section of the second sensor element.

8. The warming article of claim 1, further comprising a controller element, wherein the controller measures the resistance of the sensing system and controls the amount of heat generated by the heating element.

9. The warming article of claim 1, wherein the heating element and the sensing system are incorporated into a fabric.

10. The warming article of claim 1, wherein the first sensing element is an electrically conductive wire.

11. A warming article comprising a heating element and a sensing system, wherein the sensing system comprises a first sensor element being a temperature dependent variable resistor and a calibration element, wherein the calibration element is encoded with the resistance of the first sensor element at a measured baseline temperature, and wherein the first sensor element is linear and flexible.

12. The warming article of claim 11, further comprising a controller element, wherein the controller reads the resistance of the first sensor element from the calibration element and controls the amount of heat generated by the heating element.

13. The warming article of claim 11, wherein the heating element and the sensing system are incorporated into a fabric.

14. The warming article of claim 11, wherein the first sensor element is an electrically conductive wire.

15. A warming article comprising a heating element and a sensing system, wherein the sensing system comprises a first sensor element being a temperature dependent variable resistor and a calibration element being an independent temperature sensor, wherein the independent temperature sensor senses the ambient temperature surrounding the warming article, and wherein the first sensor element is linear and flexible.

16. The warming article of claim 15, further comprising a controller element, wherein the controller element reads the ambient temperature input from the calibration element and measures the resistance of the first sensor element, and sets a correspondence between the temperature from the calibration element and the resistance from the first sensor element.

17. The warming article of claim 16, wherein the controller sets a correspondence between the temperature from the calibration element and the resistance from the first sensor element each time the controller is turned on.

18. The warming article of claim 16, further comprising a writable electronic device, wherein the correspondence between the temperature from the calibration element and the resistance from the first sensor element is encoded in the writable electronic device.

19. The warming article of claim 15, wherein the heating element and the sensing system are incorporated into a fabric.

20. The warming article of claim 15, wherein the first sensor element is an electrically conductive wire.

21. A warming article comprising a heating element and a sensing system, wherein the sensing system comprises a first sensor element being a temperature dependent variable resistor and a calibration element, wherein the calibration element is encoded with a user input of room temperature, and wherein the first sensor element is linear and flexible.

22. The warming article of claim 21, further comprising a controller element, wherein the controller element reads the resistance of the first sensor element and sets a correspondence between the encoded temperature from the calibration element and the resistance from the first sensor element.

23. The warming article of claim 21, wherein the heating element and the sensing system are incorporated into a fabric.

24. The warming article of claim 21, wherein the first sensor element is an electrically conductive wire.