Vehicle heating system

• US 8,884,191 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogino, Hiroyuki, Yoneno, Noriyuki, Konishi, Hideaki, Asami, Naohito, Arima, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ross, Dana
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUONG T
• Application Number:
  US12/664,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20100176110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,342 Days
• Field of Search: 219/202, 219/203, 219/205, 219/210, 219/212, 219/217, 219/507, 219/520, 219/529, 219/544, 219/549, 219/545, 219/501, 219/511, 219/508, 219/438, 219/490, 219/486, 219/497
• US Class Current: 219/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00271 HVAC devices specially adapted for particular vehicle parts or components and being connected to the vehicle HVAC unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00285 for vehicle seats vehicle seats with heating or ventilation means independent from the HVAC system of the vehicle B60N2/56
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2218 controlling the operation of electric heaters
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2225 arrangements of electric heaters for heating air
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2226 Electric heaters using radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2227 Electric heaters incorporated in vehicle trim components, e.g. panels or linings
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2293 Integration into other parts of a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5685 Resistance

Abstract

When a seat heater and a planar electric heater on a surface of an interior member are used in parallel, the seat heater and the planar electric heater cannot be heated sufficiently due to a limitation on an electric capacity of a vehicle, and in particular, in a vehicle having good engine efficiency, heating of an interior of a passenger compartment by air conditioning utilizing hot air generated by heat expelled from an engine is not sufficient, whereby there sometimes occurs a situation where occupants feel cold. A heating device 2 is provided in a side door panel 1 of a vehicle and a seat heater is made to be heated mainly at an initial stage of heating after an occupant gets in the vehicle, whereas the heating device 2 is made to be heated after a predetermined period of time elapses, whereby the body of the occupant can be warmed quickly and efficiently without making the occupant feel cold physically.

Claims

1. A vehicle heating system comprising:

a heating device comprising a foot radiation heater installed in an interior member within a passenger compartment and comprising a foot heater;

a seat heater;

a control device for independently controlling energization to the heating device and the seat heater; and

seat occupation detection sensors that detect occupants seated in a driver'"'"'s seat and a front passenger'"'"'s seat,

wherein, when only the driver'"'"'s seat is detected as occupied, the control device sets a relationship between making power Wf to the heating device and making power Ws to the seat heater such that Ws>

Wf in a first heating mode for a first time period after energization is started, and the control device sets a relationship such that Ws<

Wf in a second heating mode for a second time period following the first time period after the first time period has elapsed, and

wherein, when both the driver'"'"'s seat and the front passenger'"'"'s seat are detected as occupied, the total making power (WO) is distributed equally between the driver'"'"'s seat and the front passenger'"'"'s seat and the control device, and, after the predetermined length of time from the start of energization has elapsed, the control device sets the relationship Ws<

Wf,

wherein the control device sets a relationship between making power Wf to the heating device and making power Ws to the seat heater such that Ws>

Wf for a period of time from the start of energization until a temperature of the seat heater reaches a predetermined temperature, whereas the control device sets the relationship such that Ws<

Wf from a time when the temperature of the seat heater has reached the predetermined temperature onward.