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US 9,174,398 B2Granted
Smart heating blanket
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRobert J. Miller, David F. Taylor, Marc R. Matsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heating blanket may include a conductor for receiving electrical current and generating a magnetic field in response to the electrical current. A plurality of sleeve segments may be mounted on the conductor in end-to-end relation to one another. Each one of the sleeve segments may be formed of magnetic material having a Curie temperature. The sleeve segments may be inductively heated in response to the magnetic field.
Claims14
A heating blanket, comprising:
- a conductor for receiving electrical current and generating a magnetic field in response to the electrical current;
- a plurality of sleeve segments being separated from one another and having a tubular or cylindrical shape and being mounted on the conductor and arranged in end-to-end relation to one another and electrically isolated from one another, at least a portion of the sleeve segments being spaced apart from one another and defining gaps therebetween, the magnetic field circling circumferentially around the sleeve segments and passing through the gaps in a manner such that eddy currents in each sleeve segment circulate predominantly along an axial direction of the sleeve segment and are concentrated on both the inner and outer segment surfaces of the sleeve segment;
- and
- each one of the sleeve segments being comprised of magnetic material having a Curie temperature, the sleeve segments being inductively heated in response to the magnetic field and having a reduction in inductive heat output upon the sleeve segments becoming non-magnetic when reaching the Curie temperature while maintaining electrical current flow through the conductor.
1 more element
A heating blanket, comprising:
- a conductor for receiving electrical current and generating a magnetic field in response to the electrical current;
- and
- a wire spirally wound along at least a portion of a length of the conductor and comprising a succession of wire wraps defining gaps therebetween such that a circumferential location on each wire wrap is spaced apart from an adjacent wire wrap at the same circumferential location, the magnetic field passing through the gaps between the wire wraps and thereby promoting the flow of eddy currents within the wire;
- the wire being comprised of magnetic material having a Curie temperature, the wire being inductively heated in response to the magnetic field.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.