Vehicle Seat Cushion Heating Circuit Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing electrical circuits based on conductive ink in motor vehicle seat padding suffer from increased resistance and decreasing current intensity as they move away from connection points, leading to non-uniform heating.
Innovation Solution
The use of a conductive ink with higher intrinsic conductivity for the buses and a thicker deposition for the buses compared to microcircuits minimizes electrical resistance, ensuring a uniform power supply to microcircuits and maintaining current intensity across the padding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conductive ink is used to form electrical circuits in heating mats, then geometric freedom and ease of manufacturing are improved, but electrical resistance increases and current intensity decreases as distance from connection points increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the ink deposition between buses and microcircuits. Buses receive a first ink with higher intrinsic conductivity, while microcircuits receive a second ink with lower conductivity. This local differentiation allows buses to maintain low resistance for current transport while microcircuits provide adequate heating resistance, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing freedom and heating uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the conductivity parameter of the conductive ink based on the circuit element type. By using ink with different conductivity values for buses versus microcircuits, the system optimizes current distribution throughout the heating mat, ensuring uniform heating while maintaining the geometric flexibility of printed circuits.
2Device complexity
If the same ink is used for both buses and microcircuits, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but electrical resistance of buses increases with distance from connection points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by assigning different ink properties to different circuit components. Buses are formed with high-conductivity ink to minimize resistance over long distances, while microcircuits use lower-conductivity ink for adequate heating. This resolves the contradiction by localizing material properties to functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the circuit into two functional types: buses for current transport and microcircuits for heating. Each segment receives ink optimized for its specific function, with buses getting higher conductivity ink to maintain current intensity across the mat surface.
3Reliability
If thicker ink deposition is used for buses, then electrical resistance is minimized and current supply is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the conductivity parameter of the ink rather than solely relying on thickness variations. By using ink with inherently different conductivity values for buses versus microcircuits, the system achieves reliable current distribution while maintaining manageable manufacturing precision requirements through material property differentiation.
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 arrangement results in substantially uniform heating of the padding, providing consistent comfort for passengers by maintaining current intensity and reducing resistance across the circuit.
Implementation Method 1
said ink being based on a polymer binder in which conductive particles are dispersed
Implementation Method 2
microcircuits shaped so as to form resistors capable of heating said padding by passing an electric current
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention concerns a cushioning comprising a heating layer (4) comprising an electric circuit (5) made from conductive ink, said circuit comprising at least one first (7) and at least one second (8a, 8b) bus extending longitudinally, said buses being connected together by a plurality of printed microcircuits (12) shaped so as to form resistances capable of heating said cushioning, said cushioning having, as required, either one of the following features: said buses are made from a first ink and said microcircuits are made from a second ink, said first ink having a higher intrinsic conductivity than that of the second ink; or indeed said bus and microcircuits are made from the same ink, said ink being deposited more thickly for said buses than for said microcircuits, such that said buses provide minimised electrical resistance to the flow of current.