Electrically heated garment with oscillator control for heating element

• US 5,302,807 A
• Filed: 01/22/1993
• Issued: 04/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zhi-Rong Zhao
• Original Assignee: Zhi-Rong Zhao
• Inventors: Zhao, Zhi-Rong
• Primary Examiner(s): Reynolds, Bruce A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jeffery, John A.
• Application Number:
  US08/008,354
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 219/211, 219/549, 219/492
• US Class Current: 219/211
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0051 Heated garments heated divers' suits B63C11/28
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0227 Applications
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/035 Electrical circuits used in resistive heating apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/036 Heaters specially adapted for garment heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/36 heating conductor embedded in insulating material

Abstract

An electrically heated garment is provided having the effect of protecting the user against the cold. The garment is made of synthetic fiber fabric, polyurethane foam, polyethylene film, a flexible circuit of aluminum foil, and cotton cloth, formed by hot pressing and gluing each layer in sequence. Furthermore, the two ends of the aluminum foil circuit are connected to the output terminals of a heating control circuit device so that heat energy, which is spread all over the clothes, can be adjusted, raising its temperature to keep the user'"'"'s body warm. The heating control circuit includes an integrated circuit oscillator whose duty cycle is controlled by a potentiometer, without affecting the oscillation frequency.

Claims

1. An electrically heated garment, comprising:

heating means tailored to form an article of clothing for protecting a user from cold weather, said heating means including (1) a backing layer formed of cotton cloth, (2) a flexible heating element electrically insulated on opposing sides thereof and adhered to said cotton cloth on a bottom surface of said flexible heating element, said flexible heating element being formed by a length of aluminum foil, (3) a polyethylene film layer adhered to an upper surface of said flexible heating element, (4) a polyurethane foam layer overlaying said polyethylene film layer, and (5) a fabric layer formed of synthetic fibers overlaying said polyurethane foam layer;

a battery power source having a first terminal coupled to a first end of said length of aluminum foil; and

,

controller means electrically coupled to said flexible heating element and said battery power source for controlling electrical energy supplied to said flexible heating element, said controller means including;

a. a transistor amplifier having a collector element coupled to a second end of said length of aluminum foil and an emitter element coupled to a second terminal of said battery power source for completing a current path through said flexible heating element responsive to an oscillation signal having a predetermined frequency applied to a base element of said transistor amplifier;

b. an integrated circuit oscillator having an output coupled to said base element of said transistor amplifier; and

,

c. means for altering a duty cycle of said oscillation signal output from said integrated circuit oscillator to thereby vary the amount of electrical energy supplied to said flexible heating element, said integrated circuit having a trigger input terminal and a threshold input terminal wherein each are coupled to a first terminal of a capacitor, said capacitor having second terminal coupled to said second terminal of said battery power source, said duty cycle altering means including (1) a potentiometer having a first terminal coupled to said first terminal of said battery power source and a movable tap coupled to a discharge input terminal of said integrated circuit oscillator and coupled to an anode of a first diode, said first diode having a cathode coupled to both said trigger input terminal and said threshold input terminal for establishing a charge RC time constant dependent solely on a first resistance portion of said potentiometer defined between said first potentiometer terminal and said movable tap, and (2) a resistor having one end coupled to both said trigger input terminal and said threshold input terminal and an opposing end coupled in series relation with a second terminal of said potentiometer and a second diode, said second diode having a cathode coupled to said second terminal of said potentiometer for establishing a charging RC time constant determined by said resistor and a second portion of said potentiometer defined between said movable tap and said second terminal, whereby a duty cycle of said oscillation signal is variable without affecting said predetermined frequency thereof.

2. The electrically heated garment ar recited in claim 1 where each of said battery power source and controller means are disposed within pockets formed in said article of clothing.