PTC heater with autonomous control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10368394-B2
Application number	US-201615254209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2016
Priority date	Sep 1, 2016
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

A heating arrangement has a positive temperature coefficient (“PTC”) heater. A resistor is electrically in series with the PTC heater sized and configured to limit current through the PTC heater and the resistor below a selected value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heating arrangement comprising:
a positive temperature coefficient (“PTC”) heater;
a resistor electrically in series with the PTC heater sized and configured to limit current through the PTC heater and the resistor below a selected value;
wherein said PTC heater is utilized as a floor panel;
wherein said PTC heater has a resistance multiplier that is relatively static at lower temperatures, but increases by a factor of at least 2 across a 10° C. temperature increase as a target temperature is approached; and
wherein said PTC heater has a surface area, and said resistor is a resistance heating element which is within said surface area.

2. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said selected value is determined by parameters of a specific application.

3. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 2 , wherein at least one of the parameters is a material of the PTC heater.

4. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 2 , wherein at least one of the parameters is said surface area of the PTC heater.

5. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 2 , wherein at least one of the parameters is a maximum acceptable operating current for the PTC heater or resistor.

6. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 2 , wherein at least one of said parameters is a current available by a power supply in use with the heating arrangement.

7. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the heater has a circuit, and at least one of said parameters is a current threshold that would cause a protective device to open said circuit associated with the heater.

8. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said resistor is a negative temperature coefficient element.

9. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said resistance heating element is placed on a surface of said PTC heater.

10. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said PTC heater has a substrate, and said resistance heating element is formed by wires which are incorporated into the substrate of said PTC heater.

11. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said resistor has a surface area that is smaller compared to said surface area of said PTC heater.

12. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said resistor also provides conductors within a PTC substrate material, such that said resistor is also an operative component of the PTC heater.

13. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said PTC heater includes printed PTC ink for a substrate, with printed ink bus bars, and said PTC heater has a self-isolating function in a damaged area causes a short circuit, with the short circuit causing a flow of a material of said substrate to close the short circuit.

14. The heating arrangement as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said resistance multiplier is defined as a resistance at a given temperature divided by a resistance at a standard temperature, and said relatively static resistance multiplier is less than 1 across a 10° centigrade range at relatively lower temperatures below a target temperature, and said resistance multiplier increases by a factor of at least 3 across a 10° centigrade range as one approaches said target temperature.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Shearer Jon
• Aeschliman Carl
• Owens George F
• Roach Kevin Edward

Classifications

• H05B3/26 Primary

  heating conductor mounted on insulating base {(for transparent areas H05B3/84, H05B3/86)} · CPC title

• H05B2203/026

  Heaters specially adapted for floor heating · CPC title

• H05B1/02 Primary

  Automatic switching arrangements specially adapted to apparatus {; Control of heating devices} (thermally-actuated switches H01H37/00) · CPC title

• H05B3/0014

  Devices wherein the heating current flows through particular resistances · CPC title

• H05B2203/013

  Heaters using resistive films or coatings · CPC title