Heated steering wheel

• US 6,093,908 A
• Filed: 04/30/1999
• Issued: 07/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autoliv Development AB (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Haag, Ronald Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Tu Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/302,721
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 219/200, 219/201, 219/202, 219/204, 219/535, 219/528, 219/553, 74/552, 74/557
• US Class Current: 219/204
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/065 Steering wheels with heating and ventilating means heating and ventilation of steering wheel when connected to vehicle HVAC B60H1/00292

Abstract

A heated steering wheel includes a padding member covering a frame of the heated steering wheel. The heated steering wheel also includes a heating element positioned on the padding member, having an electrically conductive woven textile member and a conductive bus bar attached to the woven textile member. The heated steering wheel further includes an outer wrap enclosing the frame, heating element and padding member.

Claims

1. A heated steering wheel for a vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a padding member covering said frame;

a heating element positioned on said padding member, wherein said heating element includes an electrically conductive woven textile member having a negative temperature coefficient and a conductive bus bar attached to said woven textile member; and

an outer wrap enclosing said frame, said heating element and said padding member.

2. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein said padding member includes a groove extending longitudinally and transversely to receive said heating element.

4. A heating steering wheel as set forth in claim 1 including a first bus bar positioned along a first outer edge of said textile member and a second bus bar positioned along a second outer edge of said textile member.

5. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bus bar is a flat, braided wire.

6. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 1 wherein said heating element is configured into a plurality of heating zones, wherein each of said heating zones includes a resistive element.

7. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 6 including a plurality of slits extending transversely through said heating element to separate said heating element into said heating zones arranged in series.

8. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 7 wherein a plurality of slits are alternately arranged.

9. A heating steering wheel as set forth in claim 1 including a temperature sensor for maintaining a predetermined temperature of said heating element.

3. A heated steering wheel for a vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a padding member covering said frame;

a heating element positioned on said padding member, wherein said heating element includes an electrically conductive woven textile member and a conductive bus bar attached to said woven textile member;

an outer wrap enclosing said frame, said heating element and said padding member; and

wherein said heating element is a carbon fiber woven textile having a negative temperature coefficient.

10. A heated steering wheel for a vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a padding member covering said frame;

a heating element positioned on said padding member, wherein said heating element includes an electrically conductive woven textile member and a conductive bus bar attached to said woven textile member;

an outer wrap enclosing said frame, said heating element and said padding member; and

wherein said textile member contains a plurality of notches between an outer edge and said bus bar to position said heating element around said padding member.

11. A heated steering wheel for a vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a padding member covering said frame;

a heating element positioned on said padding member, wherein said heating element includes a electrically conductive carbon fiber woven textile member having a negative temperature coefficient and a conductive bus bar attached to said woven textile member;

a temperature sensor disposed between said heating element and said padding member for maintaining a predetermined temperature of said heating element; and

an outer wrap enclosing said frame, said heating element and said padding member.

12. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 11 wherein said padding member includes a groove extending longitudinally and transversely to receive said heating element.

13. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 11 including a first bus bar positioned along a first outer edge of said textile member and a second bus bar positioned along a second outer edge of said textile member.

14. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 11 wherein said bus bar is a flat, braided wire.

15. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 11 wherein said heating element is configured into a plurality of heating zones, and each of said heating zones includes a resistive element.

16. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 15 including a slit extending transversely through said heating element to separate said heating element into a plurality of heating zones arranged in series.

17. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 16 wherein said slits are alternately arranged.

18. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 11 wherein said textile member contains a plurality of notches between an outer edge and said bus bar to position said heating element around said padding member.

19. A heated steering wheel for a vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a padding member covering said frame, wherein said padding member includes a groove extending longitudinally and transversely;

a heating element positioned on said padding member, wherein said heating element includes an electrically conductive carbon fiber woven textile member having a negative temperature coefficient and a first conductive bus bar attached along a first outer edge of said textile member and a second conductive bus bar attached along a second outer edge of said textile member;

a temperature sensor disposed between said heating element and said padding member for maintaining a predetermined temperature of said heating element; and

an outer wrap enclosing said frame, said heating element and said padding member.

20. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 19 wherein each of said bus bars is a flat, braided wire.

21. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 19 wherein said heating element is configured into a plurality of heating zones, and each of said heating zones includes a resistive element.

22. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 21 including a plurality of slits extending transversely through said heating element to separate said heating element into said heating zones arranged in parallel.

23. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 22 wherein said slits alternately arranged.

24. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 21 wherein said resistive elements each have the same resistance.

25. A heated steering wheel as set forth in claim 21 wherein said resistive elements each have different resistances.