SELF-CONFIGURING FLEXIBLE HEATER

• US 20120199575A1
• Filed: 02/04/2011
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Giri, Abhik, Krishnaiah, Girish
• Granted Patent: US 8,637,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/490
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0227 Applications

Abstract

In general, this disclosure describes example techniques for a flexible heater system to automatically configure itself to operate over different input supply voltages. The flexible heater system may include a flexible heater that includes a first heater element and a second heater element. The flexible heater system may also include a switch circuit that may automatically couple the first heater element and the second heater element in a first configuration when an input supply voltage is at a first voltage level. The switch circuit may also automatically couple the first heater element and the second heater element in a second configuration when the input supply voltage is at a second voltage level.

Claims

1. A flexible heater system comprising:

a flexible heater that includes a first heater element that includes one or more resistive elements and a second heater element that includes one or more resistive elements;

at least one switch that is coupled in parallel to at least one of the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element such that when the at least one switch is turned on substantially no current can flow through the at least one of the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element, and such that when the at least one switch is turned off current can flow through the at least one of the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element; and

a switch circuit configured to automatically turn on or off the at least one switch based on whether an input supply voltage is at a first voltage level or second voltage level so that a power dissipated by the first heater element and the second heater element is substantially similar when the input supply voltage is at the first voltage level or the second voltage level.

2. A flexible heater system comprising:

a flexible heater that includes a first heater element that includes one or more resistive elements and a second heater element that includes one or more resistive elements; and

a switch circuit configured to automatically couple the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element in a first configuration when an input supply voltage is at a first voltage level, and automatically couple the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element in a second configuration when the input supply voltage is at a second voltage level.

3. The flexible heater system of claim 2, wherein the first configuration comprises the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element coupled in parallel with the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element.

4. The flexible heater system of claim 2, wherein the second configuration comprises the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element coupled in series with the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element.

5. The flexible heater system of claim 2, wherein the second configuration comprises the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element coupled to the input supply voltage and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element not coupled to the input supply voltage.

6. The flexible heater system of claim 2, wherein the first heater element and second heater element dissipate substantially a same amount of power when the input supply voltage is at the first voltage level or at the second voltage level.

7. The flexible heater system of claim 2, wherein the switch circuit comprises a relay configured to couple the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element in parallel when the input supply voltage is at the first voltage level, and couple the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element in series when the input supply voltage is at the second voltage level.

8. The flexible heater system of claim 2, wherein the switch circuit comprises a triode for alternating current (TRIAC) configured to couple the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element in parallel when the input supply voltage is at the first voltage level, and couple the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element to the input supply voltage, and not couple the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element to the input supply voltage when the input supply voltage is at the second voltage level.

9. The flexible heater system of claim 2, further comprising a socket that delivers the input supply voltage.

10. The flexible heater system of claim 2, wherein the flexible heater includes the switch circuit.

11. The flexible heater system of claim 2, wherein the first voltage level is approximately 110 volts alternating current (V AC), and the second voltage level is approximately 220V AC.

12. The flexible heater system of claim 2, wherein the switch circuit automatically couples the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element in the first configuration when the input supply voltage is at the first voltage level, and automatically couples the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element in the second configuration when the input supply voltage is at the second voltage level without any interaction from a user or other device.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, with a switch circuit, an input supply voltage;

automatically coupling, with the switch circuit, one or more resistive elements of a first heater element formed on a flexible heater and one or more resistive elements of a second heater element formed on the flexible heater in a first configuration when the input supply voltage is at a first voltage level; and

automatically coupling, with the switch circuit, the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element formed on the flexible heater and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element formed on the flexible heater in a second configuration when the input supply voltage is at a second voltage level.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein automatically coupling the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element formed on the flexible heater and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element formed on the flexible heater in the first configuration when the input supply voltage is at the first voltage level comprises automatically coupling the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element formed on the flexible heater and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element formed on the flexible heater in parallel with one another when the input supply voltage is at the first voltage level.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein automatically coupling the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element formed on the flexible heater the and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element formed on flexible heater in the second configuration when the input supply voltage is at the second voltage level comprises automatically coupling the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element formed on the flexible heater and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element formed on the flexible heater in series with one another when the input supply voltage is at the second voltage level.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein automatically coupling the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element formed on the flexible heater and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element formed on the flexible heater in the second configuration when the input supply voltage is at the second voltage level comprises automatically coupling the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element formed on the flexible heater to the input supply voltage, and not coupling the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element formed on the flexible heater to the input supply voltage when the input supply voltage is at the second voltage level.

17. A switch circuit configured to receive an input supply voltage, automatically couple one or more resistive elements of a first heater element formed on a flexible heater and one or more resistive elements of a second heater element formed on the flexible heater in a first configuration when the input supply voltage is at a first voltage level, and automatically couple the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element formed on the flexible heater and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element formed on the flexible heater in a second configuration when the input supply voltage is at a second voltage level.

18. The switch circuit of claim 17, wherein the first configuration comprises the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element coupled in parallel with one another.

19. The switch circuit of claim 17, wherein the second configuration comprises the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element coupled in series with one another.

20. The switch circuit of claim 17, wherein the second configuration comprises the one or more resistive elements of the first heater element coupled to the input supply voltage and the one or more resistive elements of the second heater element not coupled to the input supply voltage.