JP5701571B2 - Seat heater - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat heater that can be suitably used for, for example, a vehicle and a seat on which the seat heater is disposed, and more particularly to a seat heater that can reduce a sense of discomfort for a seated person.

  Conventionally, as a heater unit mounted on a vehicle seat and used as a seat heater, for example, a cord-like heater having a heat-sealing layer as a heater element is meandered on a base material, and heat fusion by heating and pressurization is performed. A structure in which a base material and a heat-sealing layer are bonded and fixed by adhesion (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2), a non-woven fabric whose surface is cured by calendering, and the base material is cured. A corded heater is stitched as a heater element on top (for example, Patent Document 3), and materials having different hardnesses are welded to form substrates having different surface hardness. There is an example in which a cord-like heater is disposed as a heater element on a hard surface (for example, Patent Document 4). Moreover, as a technique relevant to the present invention, for example, Patent Document 5 is cited.

  Such temperature control of the seat heater, particularly prevention of overheating, is mainly performed by a thermostat. Specifically, when the thermostat is heated to a predetermined temperature, the thermostat is turned off and the energization to the heater element is interrupted. When the heating to the heater element is cut off and the heating is stopped, the temperature of the thermostat gradually decreases, the thermostat is turned on again, and the heater element is energized. By repeating such an operation, the seat heater is controlled to a predetermined temperature. As a car seat heater in which a thermostat is arranged, for example, a car seat heater in which a recess is provided in the center of the seat pad and a thermostat is arranged there (for example, Patent Document 6) is known.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-25916: Clave Japanese Patent No. 4202071: Clave JP 2007-200086: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. JP 2007-280787 A: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. International Publication WO2007 / 18271: Clube JP-A-61-143012: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

  Since such a thermostat or a temperature control device including a temperature detection element such as a thermistor detects the heat of the heater element, it is disposed on the substrate in the same manner as the heater element. However, since the temperature control device is an inflexible lump object, the seat occupant will feel uncomfortable if it is placed at a position where the seat occupant actually sits, such as the center portion of the seat heater. On the other hand, in patent document 6 mentioned above, the recessed part is provided in the pad and the thermostat is arrange | positioned in the position corresponding to there. However, on the contrary, the recess of the pad also causes a sense of incongruity. Furthermore, if the position of the recess and the position of the thermostat do not exactly match, both the feeling of incongruity of the recess and the feeling of incompatibility of the thermostat will be received. In car seats, the position of the pad and seat heater may gradually shift over time due to seating / separation movements and load fluctuations due to traveling G, etc., so there is a sense of discomfort over time There was also a possibility of causing.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seat heater capable of reducing a sense of discomfort of a seated person.

In order to achieve the above object, a seat heater according to the present invention includes a base material, a heater element disposed on the base material, and a temperature control device that detects the temperature from the heater element and controls the heater element. The temperature control device is a seat heater installed at a predetermined position of the base material, and the base material is formed with a notch in the vicinity of the installation location of the temperature control device, The temperature control device is installed within a range surrounded by the cuts, and the cuts are formed by a plurality of straight lines .
Further, it is conceivable that the temperature control device is a thermostat.
A seat heater according to another aspect of the present invention includes a base material, a heater element disposed on the base material, a temperature control device that detects the temperature from the heater element and controls the heater element. And the temperature control device detects a temperature from the heater element, and a temperature control circuit that controls the temperature of the heater element by an output from the temperature detection element, and the temperature detection element and Each of the temperature control circuits is a seat heater installed at a predetermined position of the base material, and the base material has a notch formed in the vicinity of the location of the temperature control circuit, and is surrounded by the notch. At least the temperature control circuit is installed in the range, and the cut is formed by a plurality of straight lines .
Further, it is conceivable that the cut is formed by a pair of parallel straight lines.

  According to the seat heater according to the present invention, the portion of the base material on which the temperature control device is installed can move independently of the other portions. As a result, when the seated person is seated, the portion of the base material where the temperature control device is installed sinks more into the pad than the other portions of the base material, so that the uncomfortable feeling caused by the temperature control device can be reduced. .

It is a figure which shows embodiment by this invention, and is a top view which shows the structure of a seat heater. It is a figure which shows embodiment by this invention, and is a perspective view which partially cuts and shows the sheet | seat in which the seat heater was installed. It is a figure which shows embodiment by this invention, and is a perspective view which expands and shows a principal part. It is a figure which shows other embodiment by this invention, and is a perspective view which expands and shows a principal part. It is a figure which shows other embodiment by this invention, and is the schematic for demonstrating a notch | incision.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. These embodiments show examples assuming that the present invention is applied to a vehicle seat.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the seat heater used in the present embodiment is configured. On a base material 5 made of a nonwoven fabric or the like, a cord-like heater 3 having a resistance wire such as a copper alloy wire or a Ni—Cr wire as a heater element is disposed in a predetermined pattern shape. As a method of fixing and holding the cord-like heater 3 on the base material 5, a method of adhering by a heat-sealing layer formed on the outer periphery of the cord-like heater 3, a method by sewing, and a pinching and holding by the base material 5 having adhesiveness Various methods are known, such as the method of In addition, an adhesive layer is formed or a double-sided tape is affixed to the surface of the substrate 5 on which the cord-like heater 3 is disposed. This is for fixing the seat heater 1 to the seat pad when it is attached to the seat.

  Further, a thermostat is connected as a temperature control device 7 via a lead wire 13 so as to be in series with the cord-like heater 3. The temperature control device 7 is installed on the base material 5. As shown in FIG. 3 in an enlarged manner, a pair of parallel straight cuts 15 are formed in the vicinity of the temperature control device 7 in the substrate 5 so as to sandwich the temperature control device 7. The temperature control device 7 is installed in a range surrounded by. Here, the “range surrounded by the cuts” will be described in detail with reference to FIG. When the cut 15 is formed by a single curve or broken line ((a) and (b) in FIG. 5), a straight line L (shown by a broken line in FIG. 5) connecting the cut 15 and the both end points at the shortest Is a range A (indicated by the hatched portion in FIG. 5). When the cut 15 is composed of a plurality of straight lines, curves, or broken lines ((c), (d), (e) in FIG. 5), the straight lines L (FIG. 5) are set so that the end points of the cuts 15 have the maximum area. A range (indicated by a hatched portion in FIG. 5) formed by connecting with a middle line is shown. In addition, the straight line said here does not show the infinite thing which does not have an end point which is a geometrical expression, but shows the line segment which has an end point. The same applies to curved lines and broken lines.

  As described above, the seat heater 1 as shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained. The seat heater 1 is appropriately connected with a cord, a connector, and the like, and is connected to the electric system of the vehicle via this connector.

  And the seat heater 1 which makes the said structure is embedded and arrange | positioned in the vehicle seat 11 in the state as shown in FIG.2 and FIG.3. That is, the seat heater 1 is disposed between the skin cover 19 and the pad 17 of the seat 11. At this time, the notches 15 are formed in the vicinity of the temperature control device 7 in the base material 5 of the seat heater 1 as described above. Therefore, the portion where the temperature control device 7 is installed in the base material 5 can move independently of the other portions. As a result, when the seated person is seated, the portion of the base material 5 where the temperature control device 7 is installed sinks more into the pad 17 than the other portion of the base material 5, and the temperature control device 7 feels uncomfortable. Can be reduced. In addition, in the pad 17, you may provide a recessed part corresponding to the position where the temperature control apparatus 7 is arrange | positioned. In particular, in the present invention, a large portion of the temperature control device 7 will sink, so that the portion enters the recess provided in the pad 17 and is caught, thereby preventing the positional deviation of the seat heater 1. .

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, as the heater element, various heaters such as an etching heater, a carbon heater, and a foil heater can be used in addition to the cord heater described above.

  As the base material, various materials such as a woven fabric, a foamed resin sheet, a foamed rubber sheet, a rubber sheet, an aluminum foil, and a resin film can be used in addition to the above-mentioned nonwoven fabric.

  In addition to the above-described thermostat, other modes may be considered as the temperature control device. For example, a temperature detection element that detects the temperature from the heater element, and a temperature that controls the temperature of the heater element based on the output from the temperature detection element A control circuit is also conceivable. Various elements such as a thermistor and a thermocouple can be used as the temperature detection element, and it is conceivable to use a plurality of temperature detection elements. These temperature detection elements and temperature control circuits may be arranged on a substrate as in Patent Document 5 described above. Although the temperature detection element is relatively small such as a thermistor, it is unlikely to feel strange, but the temperature control circuit is a circuit board etc. covered with a resin case, insulating rubber tube, resin mold, etc. Since it is relatively large, it may be uncomfortable. Therefore, in this case, a cut is formed at least near the temperature control circuit in the base material. Thereby, the uncomfortable feeling at the time of seating by the temperature control circuit can be reduced. Of course, a notch may be formed in the vicinity of the temperature detecting element. Moreover, you may form a recessed part in a pad corresponding to the position where a temperature control circuit is arrange | positioned.

  In order to protect the temperature control device from pressure or the like, another base material may be prepared, and the other base material and the base material provided with the temperature control device may be sandwiched. In this case, the incision may be formed in any base material, but it is preferable to form the incision in the base material on the pad side in order to flatten the surface on the seated person side.

  The shape of the cut is not limited to a pair of parallel straight lines as shown above and as shown in FIG. 3, and various shapes can be considered. In short, as described above, it is only necessary that the temperature control device is installed within the range surrounded by the cuts. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, if the shape is substantially U-shaped, the position where the temperature control device 7 is installed moves considerably freely, so that the effect of reducing the sense of discomfort is great. However, if the distance between the end point of the notch is too close, the part may be broken, so it is necessary to design the notch shape with sufficient consideration for strength.

  Further, the seat heater may be disposed on the seat surface side of the seat, may be disposed on the back surface side, or may be disposed on both.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a seat heater capable of reducing the discomfort of the seated person. This seat heater is used for, for example, a vehicle seat for an automobile, a motorcycle, a railroad vehicle, a seat for a ship or an aircraft, a seat for a ferris wheel at an amusement park, a seat for viewing at various stadiums, an appreciation for a theater or a movie theater, etc. It can be suitably used for various purposes such as a sheet for a home, a sofa used in a home or office, a sheet for a barber shop, and a medical sheet used in various medical institutions.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sheet heater 3 Cord-shaped heater 5 Base material 7 Temperature control apparatus 11 Sheet 15 Cutting 17 Pad 19 Skin cover

Claims (4)

A substrate, a heater element disposed on the substrate, and a temperature control device that detects the temperature from the heater element and controls the heater element. A seat heater installed at a predetermined position,
In the base material, a cut is formed in the vicinity of the installation location of the temperature control device, and the temperature control device is installed in a range surrounded by the cut,
The sheet heater is characterized in that the cut is formed by a plurality of straight lines and does not constitute a polygonal line . The seat heater according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control device is a thermostat. A base material, a heater element disposed on the base material, and a temperature control device that detects the temperature from the heater element and controls the heater element, the temperature control device from the heater element And a temperature control circuit for controlling the temperature of the heater element by an output from the temperature detection element, both of the temperature detection element and the temperature control circuit being in a predetermined position of the substrate. A seat heater installed in
In the base material, a cut is formed in the vicinity of the installation location of the temperature control circuit, and at least the temperature control circuit is installed in a range surrounded by the cut,
The sheet heater is characterized in that the cut is formed by a plurality of straight lines and does not constitute a polygonal line . The sheet heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cut is formed by a pair of parallel straight lines.

Images