# US 10,308,273 B2 · Steering wheel heater and steering wheel

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- Number: US 10,308,273 B2
- Document ID: US10308273B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/889,314
- Filed: 2014-09-18
- Published: 2016-04-07
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2013-09-19
- Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Hiroshi Naitou; Shinji Fujikawa; Tsuyoshi Nishio; Nobuharu Katsuki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308273B2

## CPC

- B62D 1/065: {Steering wheels with heating and ventilating means (heating and ventilation of steering wheel when connected to vehicle HVAC B60H1/00292)}
- B60L 1/02: to electric heating circuits
- H05B 3/34: flexible, e.g. heating nets or webs
- H05B 2203/014: Heaters using resistive wires or cables not provided for in H05B3/54
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

A steering wheel heater device including: a heating wire; a power line connected in series to the heating wire, for supplying the heating wire with power; a ground line connected in series to the heating wire; a lead-out wire connected to a point along a wiring pattern formed of the heating wire; and a contact detection circuit electrically connected to the wiring pattern formed of the heating wire through the lead-out wire, wherein a portion of the wiring pattern is connected in series between the ground line and the contact detection circuit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A steering wheel heater comprising:
a heating wire;
a first connecting member connected to a first end of the heating wire, the first connecting member being externally connected;
a second connecting member connected to a second end of the heating wire, the second connecting member being externally connected;
a lead-out wire connected to a portion between the first end and the second end which is a point along a wiring pattern formed of the heating wire; and
a third connecting member connected to the lead-out wire, the third connecting member being externally connected, wherein
the first connecting member or the second connecting member is connected to an external power line through which a direct-current passes, the third connecting member being connected to an external signal line.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The steering wheel heater according to claim 1, wherein
the wiring pattern includes a wiring pattern formed by repeatedly bending the heating wire in a plane, and forms a planar heating element having flexibility.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The steering wheel heater according to claim 1, wherein
the heating wire includes a first heating wire having a first end and a second end, and a second heating wire having a first end and a second end, and
the lead-out wire includes a first lead-out wire connected to the second end of the first heating wire and a second lead-out wire connected to the first end of the second heating wire.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The steering wheel heater according to claim 3, wherein
the first connecting member is connected to the first end of the first heating wire, and
the second connecting member is connected to the second end of the second heating wire.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The steering wheel heater according to claim 3, wherein
a plurality of the third connecting members are provided for the first lead-out wire and the second lead-out wire in one-to-one correspondence and connected with each other through a lead wire.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The steering wheel heater according to claim 1, wherein
the wiring pattern formed of the heating wire is a series wiring pattern which has no branch between the first end and the second end.

### Claim 7

A steering wheel comprising:
a first heating wire;
a second heating wire;
a power line to which a first end of the first heating wire and a first end of the second heating wire are connected in common;
a ground line to which a second end of the first heating wire and a second end of the second heating wire are connected in common;
a first lead-out wire connected to a point along a wiring pattern formed of the first heating wire;
a second lead-out wire connected to a point along a wiring pattern formed of the second heating wire;
a first contact detection circuit electrically connected to the first wiring pattern through the first lead-out wire; and
a second contact detection circuit electrically connected to the second wiring pattern through the second lead-out wire, wherein
a portion of the first wiring pattern formed of the first heating wire is connected in series between the ground line and the first contact detection circuit,
a portion of the second wiring pattern formed of the second heating wire is connected in series between the ground line and the second contact detection circuit, and
the first wiring pattern formed of the first heating wire and the second wiring pattern formed of the second heating wire are included on left and right, respectively, of the steering wheel.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The steering wheel according to claim 7, further comprising
a first switch connected to the power line, wherein
the power line is connected via the first switch to the first end of the first heating wire and the first end of the second heating wire.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The steering wheel according to claim 8, further comprising
a second switch connected to the ground line, wherein
the ground line is connected via the second switch to the second end of the first heating wire and the second end of the second heating wire.