POLYMER HEATING ELEMENT

• US 20100326976A1
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Hiroshi, Umeda, Akihiro, Uno, Katsuhiko, Nakajima, Keizo, Ishii, Takahito
• Granted Patent: US 8,519,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/217
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/748 for heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5685 Resistance
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/011 Heaters using laterally extending conductive material as connecting means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/029 Heaters specially adapted for seat warmers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/04 Heating means manufactured by using nanotechnology
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/34 flexible, e.g. heating nets or webs

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a polymer resistor capable of being formed thin and exhibiting low resistance, thereby providing a polymer heating element in which the flexibility and usability and reliability of a planar heating element at the time of attachment to an appliance are improved while reducing the cost.

The polymer heating element includes an electrically insulating base substrate 2, at least a pair of electrodes 3, 3′ made of a plurality of thin metal wires formed on the electrically insulating base substrate 2, a polymer resistor 4 which is not in direct contact with the pair of electrodes 3, 3′ and which has PTC characteristics, and conductive layers 5, 5′ which are in contact with both the electrodes 3, 3′ and the polymer resistor 4, in which the conductive layers 5, 5′ include at least a resin component, a conductor component and an additive component.

Claims

1. A polymer heating element comprising:

an electrically insulating base substrate;

at least a pair of electrodes formed on the electrically insulating base substrate and made of a plurality of thin metal wires;

a polymer resistor which is not in direct contact with the pair of electrodes and which has PTC characteristics; and

a conductive layer which is in contact with both the electrodes and the polymer resistor,

wherein the conductive layer contains at least a resin component, a conductor component and an additive component.

2. The polymer heating element according to claim 1, wherein the resin component of the conductive layer has a functional group responsible for metal affinity.

8. The polymer heating element according to claim 1, wherein the additive component of the conductive layer contains at least one flame retardant selected from phosphorus, nitrogen and silicone-based flame retardants.

9. The polymer heating element according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is set to be 0.01 to 500 Ω

·

cm in specific electrical resistance.

19. The polymer heating element according to claim 1, wherein the conductor component of the conductive layer is contained from 50% by weight or more and 80% by weight or less with respect to the weight of the conductive layer in terms of weight percentage.

20. The polymer heating element according to claim 1, wherein the conductor component of the conductive layer contains a conductor selected from at least one of carbon black, graphite, carbon nanotube, carbon fiber, conductive ceramic fiber, conductive whisker, metal fiber, conductive inorganic oxide and conductive polymer fiber.

21. The polymer heating element according to claim 1, wherein the electrode is made of thin metal wires containing at least one of a tin plated copper, copper containing silver and silver-copper alloy.

22. The polymer heating element according to claim 1, wherein the electrically insulating base substrate is made of at least one of a resin film, fabric and non-woven fabric.

23. A seat device of an automobile on which the polymer heating element according to claim 1 is mounted.

3. A polymer heating element comprising:

an electrically insulating base substrate;

at least a pair of electrodes formed on the electrically insulating base substrate and made of a plurality of thin metal wires;

a polymer resistor which is not in direct contact with the pair of electrodes and which has PTC characteristics; and

a conductive layer which is in contact with both the electrodes and the polymer resistor,

wherein the conductive layer contains at least a cross-linking resin component and a conductor component.

4. The polymer heating element according to claim 3, wherein the conductive layer contains the cross-linking resin component, the conductor component and a melt tension improver component.

5. The polymer heating element according to claim 3, wherein the cross-linking resin component of the conductive layer is cross-linked by a reactive additive agent.

6. The polymer heating element according to claim 3, wherein the conductor component of the conductive layer is contained from 50% by weight or more and 80% by weight or less with respect to the weight of the conductive layer in terms of weight percentage.

7. The polymer heating element according to claim 3, wherein the conductor component of the conductive layer contains a conductor selected from at least one of carbon black, graphite, carbon nanotube, carbon fiber, conductive ceramic fiber, conductive whisker, metal fiber, conductive inorganic oxide and conductive polymer fiber.

24. The polymer heating element according to claim 3, wherein the conductive layer is set to be 0.01 to 500 Ω

·

cm in specific electrical resistance.

25. The polymer heating element according to claim 3, wherein the electrode is made of thin metal wires containing at least one of a tin plated copper, copper containing silver and silver-copper alloy.

26. The polymer heating element according to claim 3, wherein the electrically insulating base substrate is made of at least one of a resin film, fabric and non-woven fabric.

27. A seat device of an automobile on which the polymer heating element according to claim 3 is mounted.

10. A polymer heating element comprising:

an electrically insulating base substrate;

a polymer resistor formed on the electrically insulating base substrate and having PTC characteristics;

at least a pair of electrodes made of a plurality of thin metal wires which are not in direct contact with the polymer resistor; and

a conductive layer which is in contact with both the polymer resistor and the electrodes,

wherein the conductive layer exhibits PTC characteristics.

11. The polymer heating element according to claim 10, wherein a spacing between the polymer resistor and the electrode is in a range of 0.01 mm to 3 mm.

12. The polymer heating element according to claim 10, wherein resistance value of the conductive layer at 80°

C. is ten times or less than that at 20°

C., in terms of PTC characteristics.

13. The polymer heating element according to claim 10, wherein a specific electrical resistance of the polymer resistor is 100 times or less than that of the conductive layer at a temperature of 80°

C. or lower.

14. The polymer heating element according to claim 10, wherein the conductive layer is in parallel with the electrodes.

15. The polymer heating element according to claim 10, wherein a composition of the conductive layer and thin metal wires configuring the electrode are molded by co-extrusion.

16. The polymer heating element according to claim 10, wherein the electrode is made of thin metal wires containing at least one of a tin plated copper, copper containing silver and silver-copper alloy.

17. The polymer heating element according to claim 10, wherein the electrically insulating substrate is made of at least one of a resin film, fabric and non-woven fabric.

18. A seat device of an automobile on which the polymer heating element according to claim 10 is mounted.