초록 ▼

A heating element (10) having a first bus wire (12) and a second bus wire (14) and a plurality of flexible heating wires (16) which are connected between the first and second bus wires (12, 14), the flexible heating wires (16) which are connected between the within parallel zones (30), to make up mo

A heating element (10) having a first bus wire (12) and a second bus wire (14) and a plurality of flexible heating wires (16) which are connected between the first and second bus wires (12, 14), the flexible heating wires (16) which are connected between the within parallel zones (30), to make up modules (31), which may be attached together or cut to length so that the overall length of the heating element (10) may be varied thereby. The heating element may be self-regulating. Also a self- regulating regulating heating element (60) having a plurality of PTC heating elements (62) and at least one conductive pathway (68) which is interposed between two of the PTC heating elements, and forming a series circuit between said first and second bus wires (12, 14). Also a self-regulating heating device (100) having first and second layers (104, 106) of material, at least one of which is PTC material interposed between a first electrode (102) and a second electrode (108). Also a resettable fuse (120), which provides voltage spike protection for an element to be protected, having an element of Voltage Sensitive Material (124) which is in parallel with the element to be protected.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A heating element comprising:a first bus wire; a second bus wire; a plurality of flexible heating wires which are connected between said first and second bus wires, and forming a plurality of series circuits between said first and second bus wires, said plurality of series circuits being connecte

1. A heating element comprising:a first bus wire; a second bus wire; a plurality of flexible heating wires which are connected between said first and second bus wires, and forming a plurality of series circuits between said first and second bus wires, said plurality of series circuits being connected in an overall electrically parallel circuit and said series circuits being contained within parallel zones, to make up modules, said modules being attachable and detachable at the boundary of any of these parallel zones, so that the overall length of the heating element may be varied thereby, said heating wires being positioned on a flat substrate in a serpentine fashion within each zone, where said heating wires are substantially confined to the plane of the substrate, thus producing a high density of wire length and high power density for a given unit area.