HEATER APPARATUS FOR A DISPLAY PANEL

• US 20110139766A1
• Filed: 08/05/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Katayama, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,742,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/494
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133382 Heating or cooling of liquid crystal cells other than for activation, e.g. circuits or arrangements for temperature control, stabilisation or uniform distribution over the cell

Abstract

A heater apparatus includes: a heater unit including a heater resistor; a first switching unit disposed on a downstream side of the heater resistor for on/off controlling a power supply path from a supply voltage; a second switching unit disposed on an upstream side of the heater resistor for on/off controlling the power supply path from the supply voltage; and a controller outputting first and second control signals for on/off controlling the first and second switching units, respectively. The first switching unit is switched on when the first control signal is high, and the second switching unit is switched on when the second control signal is low. The heater unit is switched on when the sensor temperature is equal to or lower than a first threshold, and is switched off when the sensor temperature is equal to or higher than a second threshold.

Claims

1. A heater apparatus, comprising:

a heater unit including a heater resistor;

a temperature sensor which senses a sensor temperature around the heater unit;

a first switching unit which is disposed on a downstream side of the heater resistor for on/off controlling a power supply path from a supply voltage;

a second switching unit which is disposed on an upstream side of the heater resistor for on/off controlling the power supply path from the supply voltage; and

a controller which outputs first and second control signals for on/off controlling the first and second switching units, respectively,

wherein the first switching unit is switched on when the first control signal is high, and the second switching unit is switched on when the second control signal is low, and

wherein the controller controls the first and second switching units, such that the first and second switching units are controlled so as to switch on the heater unit when the sensor temperature is equal to or lower than a first threshold and so as to switch off the heater unit when the sensor temperature is equal to or higher than a second threshold.

2. The heater apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a third switching unit which reverses on and off of the second control signal to output the reversed second control signal to the second switching unit.