FELT HEATER AND METHOD OF MAKING

• US 20130186884A1
• Filed: 01/09/2013
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentherm GmbH (Gentherm Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WET Automotive Systems Limited (Gentherm Incorporated)
• Inventors: Barfuss, Jack, Iqbal, Syed Rafat, Zuzga, Matt
• Granted Patent: US 10,201,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/529
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 11/00 Connecting or disconnecting metal parts or objects by metal-working techniques not otherwise provided for connecting sheet metal or metal tubes, rods or profiles B21D39/00; riveting B21J; soldering, unsoldering, welding B23K; hand tools for connecting wire or strip B25B25/00; connecting metal parts by adhesives F16B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 17/0652 containing carbon or carbides
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 17/06586 composed of organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/029 Heaters specially adapted for seat warmers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/0004 Devices wherein the heating current flows through the material to be heated Circuit arrangements for heating by passing the current directly across the material to be heated H05B3/0023; granular, powdered or fluid material H05B3/60
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/342 heaters used in textiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A heater comprising: (a) a non-woven heating layer having: a forward surface, a rearward surface, and a plurality of edges around a periphery of the heating layer; (b) two or more connections to a power source; wherein the heating layer is made up of a plurality of individual fibers that are randomly oriented; and wherein substantially all of the non-woven heating layer produces heat when power is to the non-woven heating layer.

Claims

1. A heater comprising:

a) a non-woven heating layer having;

a plurality of individual fibers that are randomly oriented;

a plurality of voids and/or pores interspersed between the plurality of individual fibers that are randomly oriented, and

a plurality of edges around a periphery of the heating layer;

b) two or more power applications connecting the heater to a power source; and

wherein substantially all of the non-woven heating layer produces heat when power is applied to the non-woven heating layer through the two or more power applications so that the heater has a substantially uniform heating density.

2. The heater of claim 1, wherein the plurality of individual fibers that are randomly oriented are a plurality of carbon fibers;

wherein the plurality of individual fibers are connected by a binder and the binder is present in an amount from about 1 percent to about 20 percent; and

wherein the carbon fibers are present in an amount from about 80 percent to about 99 percent.

3. The heater of claim 1, wherein the plurality of individual fibers that are randomly oriented are a plurality of polymeric fibers that are coated with a metal so that the plurality of metal coated polymeric fibers are conductive.

4. The heater of claim 3, wherein the metal is gold, silver, copper, nickel, or a combination thereof and the polymeric material is nylon, polyester, polyurethane, an aramid, a para-aramid, a meta-aramid, or a combination thereof.

5. The heater of claim 1, wherein an average fiber length of each of the plurality of individual fibers is about 130 mm or less.

6. The heater of claim 1, wherein the two or more power applications are formed by one or more wires, one or more nonwoven buss bars, or both being attached to the nonwoven heating layer by an adhesive layer, and

wherein the one or more conductive wires, the one or more nonwoven buss bars, or both extend substantially a length of the nonwoven heating layer.

7. The heater of claim 1, wherein the forward surface is covered by one or more forward cover layers, and the rearward surface is covered by one or more rearward cover layers, or both.

8. The heater of claim 7, wherein the one or more forward cover layers, the one or more rearward cover layers, or both are made of a nonwoven fleece, a woven fleece, a woven fabric, a polymeric material that is applied by gluing and/or surface melting, or a combination thereof.

9. The heater of claim 1, wherein a protecting layer interpenetrates the heating layer filing all or a portion of the plurality of voids and/or pores interspersed between the plurality of individual fibers so that the heating layer is strengthened;

the forward surface, the rearward surface, or both are dielectric;

porosity of the heating layer is reduced and/or eliminated;

or a combination thereof.

10. The heater of claim 1, wherein a material that forms the protecting layer has a viscosity of about 0.0035 Pa*s or more at 20°

C. and the heating layer is dipped in the material, and the material of the protecting layer interpenetrates the plurality of voids and/or pores and forms a dielectric coating over the entire heating layer.

11. The heating layer of claim 1, wherein the heating layer is free of any additives, deposited metals, deposited positive temperature coefficient materials, or a combination thereof that are deposited over a formed heating layer that assist in producing heat.

12. The heater of claim 1, wherein the heater is free of a stabilizing material.

13. The heater of claim 1, wherein the heater is free of hermetic sealing.

14. The heater of claim 1, wherein a heat density across the heater is substantially constant across the heater.

15. The heater of claim 1, wherein the heater is free of impregnated filling materials.

16. The heater of claim 1, wherein the heater is free of individual heating wires, threads, or both.

18. A method of producing a heater comprising:

a. obtaining the nonwoven heating layer of claim 1;

b. disposing the two or more wires along opposing edge regions of the nonwoven heating layer;

c. connecting the two or more wires to the nonwoven heating layer;

d. disposing the conductive nonwoven strip over each of the two or more wires;

e. attaching the conductive nonwoven strip to the heating layer;

wherein the step of connecting and the step of attaching are performed at the same time, or the step of connecting is performed before the step of attaching.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method includes a step of disposing one or more forward cover layers over the forward surface of the heater, disposing one or more rearward cover layers over the rearward surface of the heater, or both.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the two or more wires are each connected to the conductive nonwoven strip before both are attached to the nonwoven heating layer.

17. A heater comprising:

a) a non-woven heating layer having;

a plurality of individual fibers that are randomly oriented;

a plurality of voids and/or pores interspersed between the plurality of individual fibers that are randomly oriented

a forward surface,

a rearward surface, and

a plurality of edges around a periphery of the heating layer;

b) one or more forward cover layers that extends at least partially, entirely, or both over the forward layer;

c) one or more rearward adhesive layers between the one or more forward cover layers and the forward surface of the heating layer that secure at least a portion of the one or more forward cover layers directly to the forward surface of the heating layer;

d) one or more rearward cover layers that extends at least partially, entirely, or both over the one or more rearward layers;

e) one or more rearward adhesive layers between the one or more rearward cover layers and the rearward surface of the heating layer that secure at least a portion of the one or more rearward cover layers directly to the rearward surface of the heating layer;

f) two or more power application layers including;

i. two or more wires disposed on the forward surface or the rearward surface of the heating layer, the two or more wires being spaced apart and extending along an edge region of the two or more edges of the heating layer;

ii. one or more power adhesive layers disposed over each of the two or more wires, the one or more adhesive layers at least partially adhering the two or more wires to the forward surface or the rearward surface; and

iii. two or more nonwoven buss bars disposed over the two or more wires and the one or more power adhesive layers, the two or more nonwoven buss bars each being secured at least partially to the nonwoven heating layer by the one or more power adhesive layers;

wherein either the one or more forward cover layers and the one or more forward adhesive layers or the one or more rearward cover layers and the one or more rearward adhesive layers extend at least partially over the two or more power application layers so that the at least a portion of the one or more forward cover layers or the one or more rearward cover layers is adhered to the two or more power application layers; and

wherein substantially all of the non-woven heating layer produces heat when power is to the non-woven heating layer.