PTC Heated Floor Panel Structure With Direct-Written Heater Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional heated aircraft floor panels face issues with ink waste in the screen printing process and lack of impact and knife cut resistance, as well as inability to withstand repeated high loads and complex geometries.
Innovation Solution
A heater panel design featuring a core with a PTC heater layer sandwiched between dielectric layers, bonded directly to structural facings with carbon fiber and an impact layer, utilizing direct writing for the heater pattern, which reduces ink waste and enhances impact and knife cut resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If screen printing is used to apply PTC ink, then the heater layer can be formed, but excess ink is wasted and requires disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical screen printing process with a direct writing process that deposits PTC material only where needed. This substitution eliminates the inherent waste of screen printing where excess ink must be used and subsequently disposed of, while maintaining the ability to form heater layers in desired patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The direct writing process applies PTC material locally only at the positions where heating is required, rather than applying material across the entire surface as in screen printing. This localized application eliminates waste of material in areas where it is not needed, while still achieving the desired heater pattern formation.
2Strength
If traditional surface layer materials are used in composite panels, then the panel can be manufactured, but the panel cannot withstand repeated or high load impacts as well as knife cuts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an impact layer composed of high-strength materials such as carbon fiber reinforced polymer or metal materials bonded to the structural facing. This composite structure combines the manufacturing ease of traditional panels with enhanced impact and knife cut resistance, as the impact layer specifically addresses these mechanical threats while the core structure remains comparable to conventional designs.
3Device complexity
If the heater layer is bonded directly between the core and structural facing, then the panel structure is simplified, but the heater layer must withstand direct mechanical loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a dielectric layer as a protective film covering the heater layer. This thin film shields the PTC heater material from direct mechanical impacts and knife cuts while allowing the heater to remain bonded directly to the core and structural facing, thus maintaining structural simplicity while improving heater layer durability through protective encapsulation.
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
The solution minimizes ink waste, improves resistance to impacts and knife cuts, allows for contoured designs, and results in lighter, more robust, and longer-lasting heated panels.
Implementation Method 1
Positive thermal coefficient (PTC) materials increase in electrical resistance as their temperature rises. PTC materials are useful in heating panels such as used in heating air craft floors, due to their intrinsic limits on temperature.
Implementation Method 2
A heater panel includes a core and a heater/dielectric layer including a positive thermal coefficient (PTC) heater layer
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
A heater panel (100) includes a core (102) and a heater/dielectric layer (104) including a positive thermal coefficient (PTC) heater layer (106) between a pair of dielectric layers (108). A structural facing (110) is included, wherein the heater/dielectric layer (104) is bonded directly between the core (102) and the structural facing (110). A second structural facing (112) can be bonded to the core (102) opposite the heater/dielectric layer (104). An impact layer (114) can be bonded to the structural facing (110), e.g., the first structural facing described above, opposite the heater/dielectric layer (104). The heater layer (110) can be formed by direct writing a heating element pattern onto a dielectric layer (108) bonded to the core (102).