A vehicle interior assembly, such as a vehicle seat or a steering wheel, includes a cover assembly covering a frame. The cover assembly includes a vinyl or non-woven textile cover and an electrically conductive coating layer (“ECCL”) within an A-surface of the cover. The ECCL may function as a heater, a capacitive touch control, or lighting. Another cover assembly includes first and second ECCLs within an A-surface of a cover. The first ECCL functions as a heater and the second ECL functions as a capacitive touch control. Another cover assembly includes an ECCL and a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) coating layer within an A-surface of a cover. The ECCL functions as a heater dependent on current received from a power source via the PTC coating layer. The PTC coating layer regulates the current received by the ECCL from the power source dependent on a temperature of the PTC coating layer.

A cord-shaped heater having: a conductive wire 5 and a heat fusion layer 9 formed on an outer periphery of the conductive wire, wherein the heat fusion layer is formed of an aliphatic polyamide-based polymer material. A cord-shaped heater, having: a conductive wire; and a heat fusion layer formed on an outer periphery of the conductive wire, wherein the heat fusion layer is a polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomer. A sheet-shaped heater, wherein the cord-shaped heater is arranged on a substrate.

A vehicle seat system is provided that includes heating, cooling, and occupant sensing functionality in a single unit. The system includes carbon nanotube (CNT) elements disposed adjacent the seat surface. The CNT elements may be woven or stitched to a vehicle seat cover, or may be disposed in a mat that is placed between a seat cushion and the seat cover. The CNT elements may be used for heating, cooling, and occupant sensing, without requiring separate units or circuits. The system may include Peltier elements attached to the CNT elements, with the Peltier elements transferring heat between the CNT elements and a heat bank. The heat bank may be in the form of a heat sink, or the heat bank may be the seat rails of the vehicle seat, with the Peltier elements attached to the seat rails.

Described herein are methods for forming resistive heaters and force sensing elements on a flexible substrate, and devices that include these elements to provide a force responsive conductive heater, such as a seat heater in a vehicle. The methods include printing a conductive ink on a flexible substrate that is heated to 30° C. to 90° C. before and/or during the printing process and curing the substrate to produce a conductive pattern thereon. The conductive inks generally include a particle-free metal-complex composition formulated from at least one metal complex and a solvent, and optionally, a conductive filler material.

A car seat heater has an improved energy efficiency, which includes a heating wire which is coupled to a car seat and includes a metal-plated carbon fiber, a seat temperature sensor configured to detect temperature of the heating wire, and a variable temperature controller configured to control temperature of the heating wire according to a diameter of the metal-plated carbon fiber and a thickness of a plated metal thereof.

A heater element having an electrically insulating substrate, a buss layer made of a conductive material, and a resistive layer that includes a first patch of a first resistive material. The first buss layer has a first buss and a second buss extending from terminals of the heater element to a heating area of the heater element. The first resistive material is applied in a first selected location in the heating area so as to provide electrical communication between the first buss and the second buss and to enable an electrical current to flow through the first resistive material. The resistive layer includes a second patch of a second resistive material. The second patch is applied in a second selected location in the heating area so as to provide electrical communication between the first buss and the second buss, the second selected location being different from the first selected location.

The present invention relates to an electrical heating device (25), comprising at least one electric heating resistance (27) and at least one heating resistance support (26). It is provided that the heating resistance (27) is disposed as a conductor strip at the heating resistor support (26), and that the heating resistance (27) comprises a stabilizing layer (28′, 28″) in addition to the heating resistance support (26).

A device, such as a heated seat cushion device, is provided. Circuitry and other components are used to regulate, control and/or switch electrical power to an electrical element, such as a heating element, of the device. The device may regulate the energy delivered to the electrical element by a processor on an intelligent energy management platform. Accordingly, power may be routed to the electrical element of the heated device in a controlled manner. Control may include turning on and off the power, providing pulsed power, and modulating the power and/or pulsed power delivered to the electrical element.

Described herein are molecular inks, methods for printing the molecular inks on flexible substrates, and methods for forming printed electronic elements, such as resistive heaters, force sensors, motion sensors, and devices that include these elements, such as force responsive conductive heaters. The methods include printing a molecular ink on a flexible substrate that is heated to 30° C. to 90° C. before and/or during the printing process and curing the substrate to produce a conductive pattern thereon. The molecular inks generally include a particle-fee metal-complex composition formulated from at least one metal complex and a solvent, and optionally, a conductive filler material, and/or surfactant.

Described herein is a composite panel that includes a first layer made from an electrically non-conductive material. The composite panel also includes a resistance heater printed onto the first layer. Further, the composite panel includes a second layer adjacent the resistance heater, the resistance heater being positioned between the first layer and the second layer. The second layer is made from an electrically non-conductive material.