Adjustable Heated Garment with Modular Heating Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrically heatable clothing is inflexible and not adaptable to individual body shapes, resulting in either a unique fit or a universal size that is not suitable for most users, making it difficult to produce garments that fit various body measurements effectively.
Innovation Solution
The integration of electrically conductive heating fabric with adjustable fixing elements, such as zippers and fasteners, allows for variations in garment size and shape, enabling easy adjustment to different body measurements by gathering, folding, or inserting additional heating elements, while ensuring even heat distribution through series or parallel connections of heating elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heating wires are tailored to specific clothing pieces, then heating effectiveness is improved, but production complexity increases and standardization is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is divided into separate heating elements that can be independently attached to different clothing pieces. Each heating element contains its own heating wires tailored to specific body parts, allowing modular production and assembly without requiring custom-tailored integrated garments for each customer.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating elements are designed with universal attachment mechanisms (such as elastic bands or clips) that allow the same heating element to be used on multiple clothing pieces and different body types. This enables a single standardized heating element design to serve multiple functions across various garments.
2Ease of manufacture
If standardized heating tape is used, then production ease is improved, but adaptability to individual body shapes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The heating elements incorporate dynamic attachment features such as elastic bands, adjustable clips, or snap-fasteners that allow the rigid heating wire structure to adapt flexibly to different body contours and garment sizes. This maintains production simplicity while enabling customization to individual body shapes.
Solution Approach 2:
While maintaining a standardized overall heating element design, the system allows local adaptation by enabling users to adjust the positioning and tension of attachment mechanisms to fit specific body contours. Different heating elements can be selectively applied to different body parts based on individual needs.
3Stability of the object's composition
If heating wires are sewn onto carrier fabric, then structural integration is improved, but garment flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The heating wires are embedded within or attached to flexible fabric strips or flexible circuits that can bend and move with the garment. This flexible carrier material maintains the structural integrity of the heating element while allowing the garment to flex without compromising the heating function or causing wire damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional mechanical sewing process is replaced with alternative attachment methods such as thermal bonding, ultrasonic welding, or adhesive bonding that allow the heating elements to be integrated into the fabric without creating rigid seams or bulk that would reduce garment flexibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for a customizable fit that can be quickly adjusted to accommodate various body sizes, preventing local overheating and ensuring comfortable, efficient heating across the body, thereby enhancing user comfort and versatility.
Implementation Method 1
They typically contain an electrically conductive wire in which Joule heat is generated due to its ohmic resistance when an electric current flows through it
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an electrically heated garment (2, 2') with integrated heating elements (7, 7', 7") containing an electrically conductive heating fabric (8). The heating elements (7, 7', 7") are provided with contact elements (19, 19', 19") through which adjacent heating elements (7, 7', 7") are electrically connected to one another. The garment (2, 2') includes fastening elements (11), for example, zippers (11'), with which the shape and/or size of the garment (2, 2') can be varied. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the contact elements (19) of the heating element (7) are short-circuited with the fastening elements (11) associated with this heating element (7). In this way, when the size of the garment (2, 2') changes, further heating elements (7) are automatically switched on or short-circuited.