HEATING SYSTEM FOR HEATING A LIVING BEING

• US 20140346160A1
• Filed: 01/17/2013
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRUMPF Photonic Components GmbH (TRUMPF SE + Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Moench, Holger, Carpaij, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,873,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00742 by detection of the vehicle occupants' presence; by detection of conditions relating to the body of occupants, e.g. using radiant heat detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/00 Details of electric heating devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0236 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/032 Heaters specially adapted for heating by radiation heating

Abstract

The invention relates to a heating system for heating a living being, for instance, a person (2) within a vehicle (1) being preferentially a hybrid car or an electric car. The heating system comprises an infrared laser system (5, 6) for illuminating the living being with infrared laser light, thereby heating the living being. Thus, heating radiation is used, which has a high collimation and which can be focused relatively easily. The heating can therefore be confined to a certain region, in which the living being is located. The heating can even be confined to the living being or to parts of the living being only. This more focused heating allows for a reduction of the energy consumption.

Claims

1. A heating system for heating a living being, the heating system comprising:

an infrared laser system for illuminating the living being with infrared laser light, thereby heating the living being, wherein the illuminating the living being with the infrared laser light can be confined to a location of the living by a collimation of the infrared laser light.

2. The heating system of claim 1, wherein the infrared laser system comprises one or several vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

3. The heating system of claim 1, wherein the heating system further comprises:

a presence signal providing unit for providing a presence signal being indicative of whether a living being is present such that the living being is illuminatable by the infrared light from the infrared laser system; and

a control unit for controlling the infrared laser system wherein the controlling depends on the presence signal.

4. The heating system of claim 3, wherein the presence signal is further indicative of the location of the living being to be heated, wherein the control unit is adapted to:

determine the location of the living being depending on the provided presence signal, and

control the infrared laser system to provide the infrared laser light at the location of the living being.

5. The heating system of claim 3, wherein the presence signal is an image of the living being wherein the control unit is adapted to:

detect predefined regions on the living being from the provided image, and

control the infrared laser system to provide the infrared laser light to the predefined regions.

6. The heating system of claim 3, wherein the presence signal providing unit is an image of the living being wherein the control unit is adapted to:

associate a first temperature with a temperature of a living being, and

control the infrared laser system depending on a determined temperature value in the image that equals the first temperature.

7. The heating system of claim 1, wherein the heating system is adapted to be used for heating a person in a vehicle.

8. The heating system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle comprises a window and wherein the infrared laser system is adapted to also heat the window.

9. The heating system of claim 7, wherein the living being is a driver of the vehicle, wherein the heating system comprises an attention signal providing unit for providing an attention signal, if the driver'"'"'s attention is to be attracted, and a control unit for controlling the infrared laser system depending on the provided attention signal.

10. A camera system for cooperating with the heating system of claim 1, wherein the heating system comprises a control unit for controlling the infrared laser system depending on a presence signal, wherein the camera system is adapted to acquire an image of the living being and to send the acquired image as the presence signal to the heating system for allowing the control unit of the heating system to control the infrared laser system of the heating system depending on the acquired image.

11. A driver assist system for cooperating with the heating system of claim 9, wherein the driver assist system is adapted to

detect a dangerous situation,

generate an attention signal, if a dangerous situation has been detected, and

send the attention signal to the heating system, in order to allow the control unit of the heating system to control the infrared laser system of the heating system depending on the presence of the attention signal.

12. A vehicle comprising the heating system as claim 1.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the heating system comprises several infrared lasers distributed within the vehicle.

15. A heating computer program for heating a living being, the heating computer program comprising program code means for causing the heating system of claim 1 to carry out the heating method comprising illuminating the living being with infrared laser light by an infrared laser system, wherein the illuminating the living being is confined to a location of the living being by collimation of the infrared laser light, wherein the computer program is run on a computer controlling the heating system.

14. A heating method for heating a living being, the heating method comprising illuminating the living being with infrared laser light by an infrared laser system wherein the illuminating the living being is confined to a location of the living being by collimation of the infrared laser light.