Patent Application
20240260686
The present invention relates to heating panels for use in heated wearables and more particularly to the construction of a heating panel wherein the power leads connection to the heating wires are isolated in an air-tight non-breathable, fireproof and waterproof impermeable section of the heating panel and the body heating section of the panel is constructed as a breathable section.
In recent years, the popularity of heated wearables has led to advancements in the development of more powerful portable batteries for use with such heated wearables to extend their heating time. This added electrical power has also led to the construction of heating panels of larger sizes to cover a larger surface area of a person's body and eliminating the need for multiple smaller panels which made it more difficult and time consuming for its installation in garments. The use of more powerful batteries also generates higher current in its power supply and therefore higher vulnerability to fire, particularly by the creation of electrical sparks at the juncture of the copper supply wires with the heating wires which are usually made of carbon, copper alloy or other suitable conductive materials to capable of generating heat when rendered electrical conductive. These juncture connections create hot spots in the fabrics which are vulnerable to fire, particularly when present in an enriched oxygen air environment. Accordingly, this created a need to provide for the construction of the heating panels providing better fireproof and waterproof protection using polymer coverings that provide a sealing environment for the electrical wiring supply connections with the heating wires as well as providing protection against water infiltration. The heating wires are formed of flexible wires, usually carbon fibers which are flexible and capable of being sewn into the panel polymer sheet material. Because the heating panels have also become larger, this has created other problems, of being non-breathable, less pliable and therefore uncomfortable to the user person because of its inability to conform to the wearer person's body and to wick and shed perspiration. This is particularly so for such garments which are utilized, for example, by construction workers, police and people engaged in sports activities during cold winter months and who generate a greater amount of sweat.
A solution to the above-mentioned problem would be to fabricate electrically heating panels with breathable fabric materials. However, when using such breathable fabrics, oxygen becomes present in the environment of the power wire connections to the heating wires and this increases the risk of fire caused by higher current flow throughout the wire connecting paths. Because of the above problems and risks, currently electrical heating panels utilize polyester fabrics in their construction wherein such panels are airtight, non-breathable and non-fire resistant. Because such electrical heating panels have become larger in size, they have also become less comfortable to the wearer person due to their inability to wick and shed perspiration.
There is therefore a need to provide electrically heated panels for use in heated wearables and capable of overcoming the above mentioned problems of current electrically heating panels.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide an electrically heating panel structure for heated wearables and which overcomes the above mentioned problems and wherein the panel is constructed such as to be fireproof and breathable.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide an electrical heating panel structure for heated wearables which is constructed in two sections, one of which contains the power leads connections, and possibly various sensors and other electronic components, and which is fireproof and the other which contains the heating wires only and which is constructed with breathable fabric materials.
A further feature of the present invention is to provide an electrically heated panel for use in heated wearables comprising a small section of fireproof material for shielding the power leads connections to heating wire patterns disposed in a much larger panel section formed of breathable fabric materials.
According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides a heating panel structure for heated wearables and constructed with a power leads connection section and a breathable heating wire section. The power leads connection section contains at least electrically shielded power leads connections to heating wires disposed in a pattern in the breathable heating wire section. The power leads connection section is formed of selected fabrics interconnected together to form an air-tight non-breathable fireproof and waterproof impermeable enclosure for the power leads connections. The breathable heating wire section is formed with a lamination of breathable fabric sheets, between which a pattern of the heating wire is secured, and which provides moisture wicking and shedding for the comfort of a wearer person.
According to a further broad aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrically heated wearable having at least one heating panel provided with a power leads connection section and a breathable heating wire section. The power leads connection section contains at least electrically shielded power leads connections to heating wires disposed in a pattern in the breathable heating wire section. The power leads connection section is formed of selected fabrics interconnected together to form an air-tight non-breathable, fireproof and waterproof impermeable enclosure for the power leads connections. The breathable heating wire section is formed of laminated breathable fabric sheets, between which the pattern of heating wire is disposed and secured, and which provides moisture wicking and shedding for the comfort of a wearer person.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Before any embodiments of the application are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the application is not limited to the details of construction and the arrangement of component part set forth in the following description or illustrated by the drawings. Further, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting but should encompass equivalents thereof.
Referring to the drawings and more particularly to
The power connection section 12 is an air-tight section formed with outer sheets 20 and 20′ of fireproof, non-breathable fabric material, of types known in the art. These sheets 20 ands 20′, are formed of aramid fibers but can also be formed with other materials which also have waterproof properties to form an impermeable enclosure. The breathable heating wire section 13, on the other hand, is formed of laminated breathable fabric sheets 17 and 18 providing moisture wicking and shedding for the comfort of a wearer person. Fleece materials are an example of such breathable fabrics, but not limited thereto, as several other fabrics may be used in its construction to provide the moisture shedding feature.
As illustrated, the heating panel structure 10 is a rectangular shape heating panel with the power connection sections being formed in an uppermost portion of the rectangular shaped heating panel. Other panel configurations are also possible. The power connection section 12 and the breathable heating wire section 13 may also be treated with a coating of one of or a combination of anti-static solution, an anti-bacterial solution and antimicrobial solution or use fibers having these properties incorporated therein. Still further, the body facing fabric of the heating panel 10 and an outer fabric can have a different color with the body heating surface being of a reddish tone and said outer surface being of a blueish tone representative of heat and cold sides to facilitate its incorporation into wearable, such as vests, jackets, coats, pants, boots and other wearables where such panels may be integrated in all shapes and form for the comfort of the wearer person.
It is pointed out that any modifications and other embodiments of the present invention as described above will come to mind to a person skilled in the art to which the invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings described herein above and the drawings. Hence, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not to be limited to the specific examples thereof as described herein and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims. Although the foregoing descriptions and associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain examples of the elements and members and/or functions, it should be understood that different combinations of elements or substitutes and/or functions may be provided by different embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and other equivalent terms are contemplated herein with respect to the items that they relate to. It is therefore within the ambit of the resent invention to encompass all obvious modifications of the examples of the preferred embodiment described herein provide such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claim
