A vehicle steering wheel is provided that includes a rim having a core structure, a plurality of heating zones surrounding at least a portion of the core structure, each heating zone having conductive circuitry to define a heater and a capacitive sensor for sensing location of a user's hand on the steering wheel, and a controller controlling the conductive circuitry in each heating zone to operate as the capacitive sensor to sense a presence of the user's hand in at least one heating zone and to switch to operate as the heater to heat the at least one heating zone when the hand is sensed in the at least one heating zone.

A wireless charging steering wheel device is described herein. The wireless charging steering wheel device is coupled to a power source via a clockspring included in the steering wheel. Also disclosed herein is an integrated wireless charging/heating system. Also disclosed herein are multiple coil placements for implementing the wireless charging steering wheel device.

A heater for a passenger cabin includes a body for holding fluid coolant. A top and bottom lid cover the body and at least one heater module resides between the lids to heat the fluid coolant. The heater module has a base substrate with a longitudinally extending resistive trace and conductor to apply an external voltage to the trace for heating. Glass overlies the trace. Various embodiments teach substrates of alumina, aluminum nitride, and four heater modules parallel to one another. The modules mount parallel, perpendicular, or angled to a fluid inlet of the body.

A sensor cleaning system has anti-freezing and thawing functions in an air-jet sensor cleaning system. The sensor cleaning system includes a distributor having a channel into which compressed air is introduced and having a plurality of exits. The distributor is configured to distribute the compressed air from the channel to each of the exits. A valve of the system is formed integrally with the distributor and is capable of being opened or closed to allow or prevent supply of the compressed air through each of the exits. A heating element of the system is configured to apply heat to the distributor and a controller is configured to operate the heating element when a preset condition is satisfied.

A method for introducing electric conductors into an overmolding of a steering wheel frame is provided. The electric conductors are used for heating and shielding purposes and for sensing contact on a steering wheel. In a first step, at least one cut is introduced into the overmolding using a cutting tool. In a second step, both a first layer of an electric conductor and a second layer of an electric conductor are simultaneously introduced into the cut that has been created. The first layer forms both a heating layer for heating the steering wheel and a guard layer which, together with the second layer acting as a sensor layer, allows the capacitive sensing of hand contact.

In order to perform overheating protection of a controller for water-heating heaters 3A and 3B for in-vehicle heating, an energization circuit for a heater 3 (3A, 3B) includes IGBTs 11 and 12 as switching devices that are disposed therein to be in series with the heater 3, and a first temperature sensor (first thermistor) 21 which measures temperature of these IGBTs 11, 12. A comparator 25 is provided to transmit a signal when the temperature of the IGBTs 11, 12 is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature. Then, the IGBTs 11, 12 can be forcibly turned OFF via the IGBT driver 13 in response to a signal from the comparator 25 without a microprocessor 14 intervening therebetween.

A photographing device for a vehicle includes: an imaging element configured to receive a photographing beam passing through a beam transmission section of a window section; a heater constituted by a heating wire; a section to be heated to which the heater is fixed, the section to be heated being opposite to an inner side surface of the beam transmission section; a switch element configured to switch electrical connection state to the heater; and a current limiting element disposed at the section to be heated and being configured such that current flowing through the heater becomes zero or is reduced when the electric circuit is short-circuited such that power is supplied to the heater while bypassing the switch element and a temperature of the current limiting element become equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

A heater assembly having a lower tank that is provided with an inlet and an outlet and has a first space, a heater case that covers the first space, has at least one heat transfer pocket that is situated in the first space, and has a second space, at least one heating module that is inserted into the heat transfer pocket such that a terminal thereof is situated in the second space, a bus bar block which is accommodated in the second space and to which the terminal is connected, and a PCB module that controls the heating module is provided. The bus bar block includes a bus bar that contacts the terminal, and a first bus bar plate which has a terminal through-hole, through which the terminal passes, and in which the bus bar is arranged.

Disclosed is a blocking circuit (1) that is to be connected between an electronic device and a rear window heater in a vehicle and comprises a housing (2) with connecting plugs (3, 4), each of which has a contact partner (7); at least one coil (8) that is in electrical contact with the contact partners (7) is arranged inside the housing (2). The disclosed blocking circuit (1) is characterized in that the contact partner (7) is made of copper or brass.

The invention relates to a window glass heating apparatus comprising an electric heating wire for heating a window glass of a vehicle. The apparatus continues to stop an energization of the wire until a predetermined energization standby time has elapsed after an energization permission condition becomes satisfied. The apparatus starts the energization of the wire when the predetermined energization standby time has elapsed after the energization permission condition becomes satisfied.