Sheet heater

• US 7,244,914 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2003
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Asami, Naohito, Nagayama, Kazumi, Abe, Norio, Yoneyama, Mitsuru, Shiratake, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung; Philip H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ralis; Stephen J.
• Application Number:
  US10/408,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20030213797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 219/202, 219/211, 219/217, 219/527, 219/528, 219/529, 219/538, 219/545, 219/548, 219/552, 87/10, 297/180.12
• US Class Current: 219/545
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/003 using serpentine layout
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/014 Heaters using resistive wires or cables not provided for in H05B3/54
• 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 3/34 flexible, e.g. heating nets or webs

Abstract

A sheet heater structured so that heating wire is fixed to air-passing base material by sewing. This structure can provide a sheet heater that has improved durability of heating wire 2 against the load imposed on the seat during sitting, comfortable feeling of sitting in the seat, and high air-passing capability.

Claims

1. A sheet heater comprising:

a base material having a mesh structure, said mesh structure is made up of small openings of densely braided threads and large openings formed among the small openings, said small openings being made of a plurality of the threads adjacent to said large openings, wherein the small openings are arranged in at least a central portion of the mesh structure; and

a heating wire, said heating wire being fixed to said threads by sewing,

wherein a diameter of each of the large openings is shorter than a sewing pitch for fixation of said heating wire.

2. The sheet heater of claim 1, wherein said base material further has an upper thread and a lower thread on front and back sides thereof, respectively, and said heating wire is fixed to said base material by the upper thread and the lower thread.

3. The sheet heater of claim 1, wherein the large openings of the mesh structure have one of substantially rhombic, elliptical, and hexagonal shapes.

4. A sheet heater comprising:

a base material having a mesh structure, said mesh structure has a smaller amount of change in a direction in which the base material is held than an amount of change in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the base material is held when a tension is placed on the base material for holding the base material; and

a heating wire, said heating wire being fixed to said base material by sewing,

wherein said mesh structure is made up of small openings of densely braided threads and large openings formed among the small openings, said small openings being made of a plurality of the threads adiacent to said large openings,

said small openings surround each of the large openings, and

a diameter of each of the large openings is shorter than a sewing pitch for fixation of said heating wire.

5. The sheet heater of claim 4, wherein said base material further has an upper thread and a lower thread on front and back sides thereof, respectively, and said heating wire is fixed to said base material by the upper thread and the lower thread.

6. The sheet heater of claim 4, wherein the large openings of the mesh structure have one of substantially rhombic, elliptical, and hexagonal shapes.