公开(公告)号：US10449989B2

公开(公告)日：2019-10-22

申请号：US14890148

申请日：2014-12-04

Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Inventor： Tsuyoshi Nishio ,  Hiroshi Naitou ,  Baku Sakaguchi ,  Shinji Fujikawa ,  Yuta Okazaki

IPC: B62D1/06 ,  H05B6/02 ,  B60L1/02

Abstract: A steering wheel heater device including: a steering wheel heater configured of an electrical resistor which produces heat by electrical energy; an inductor; at least one switch; and a sensor circuit, wherein the inductor is connected in series to a first terminal of the steering wheel heater, the at least one switch turns on and off the supply of power to the steering wheel heater, the sensor circuit is electrically connected to the first terminal and determines whether a detected subject is in contact with a steering wheel based on a magnitude of capacitance of the steering wheel heater, and the at least one switch is at least one of a switch connected in series to the first terminal of the steering wheel heater via the inductor and a switch connected in series to a second terminal of the steering wheel heater.

公开(公告)号：US10689022B2

公开(公告)日：2020-06-23

申请号：US15571832

申请日：2016-03-16

Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Inventor： Yuta Okazaki ,  Shinji Fujikawa ,  Hiroshi Naitou ,  Tsuyoshi Nishio

IPC: B62D1/04 ,  B62D1/06 ,  G01V3/08 ,  B62D51/00

Abstract: A steering wheel grip detection device includes a positive electrode terminal electrically connected to a positive electrode of a power source and a negative electrode terminal electrically connected to a negative electrode of the power source. The steering wheel grip detection device further includes a thermostat, a heater, and an inductance element that are electrically connected with one another in this order in series wiring from the positive electrode terminal to the negative electrode terminal, as well as a capacitor through which a wiring path from the thermostat to the heater is electrically connected with the negative electrode terminal. The steering wheel grip detection device has an electrostatic sensor circuit that is electrically connected with a wiring path from the inductance element to the heater and that detects a grip on a steering wheel by a capacitance value of the heater.

公开(公告)号：US10308273B2

公开(公告)日：2019-06-04

申请号：US14889314

申请日：2014-09-18

Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Inventor： Hiroshi Naitou ,  Shinji Fujikawa ,  Tsuyoshi Nishio ,  Nobuharu Katsuki

IPC: H05B1/02 ,  B62D1/06 ,  H05B3/34 ,  B60L1/02

Abstract: A steering wheel heater device including: a heating wire; a power line connected in series to the heating wire, for supplying the heating wire with power; a ground line connected in series to the heating wire; a lead-out wire connected to a point along a wiring pattern formed of the heating wire; and a contact detection circuit electrically connected to the wiring pattern formed of the heating wire through the lead-out wire, wherein a portion of the wiring pattern is connected in series between the ground line and the contact detection circuit.

公开(公告)号：US10202137B2

公开(公告)日：2019-02-12

申请号：US15327488

申请日：2015-07-16

Applicant: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.

Inventor： Yuta Okazaki ,  Hiroshi Naitou ,  Shinji Fujikawa ,  Tsuyoshi Nishio ,  Nobuharu Katsuki

IPC: B62D1/06

Abstract: A heater device includes: a base member; a heater wire; and a sensor which measures capacitance of the heater wire, wherein the heater wire forms a first wiring pattern and a second wiring pattern connected in series, the first wiring pattern and the second wiring pattern each include N wire blocks, the N wire blocks included in the first wiring pattern and the second wiring pattern are disposed in a manner that arrangement of the N wire blocks included in the first wiring pattern and arrangement of the N wire blocks included in the second wiring pattern are reversed in the circumferential direction of the rim and facing each other in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction, and a sum of sensitivity of the sensor to capacitance of a pair of wire blocks facing each other is substantially equal to that of another pair.

公开(公告)号：US09979390B2

公开(公告)日：2018-05-22

申请号：US14691180

申请日：2015-04-20

Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Inventor： Shinji Fujikawa ,  Nobuharu Katsuki ,  Tsuyoshi Nishio ,  Hiroshi Naitou ,  Yuta Okazaki

IPC: G01R27/26 ,  H03K17/96 ,  G01N27/22 ,  B62D1/06

CPC classification number: H03K17/9622 ,  B62D1/06 ,  G01N27/22 ,  H03K2217/94026

Abstract: A grip sensor includes: a plurality of capacitive detectors which are disposed in a grip of a steering wheel of a vehicle, and output values which vary according to whether a human body is in contact; and a controller which determines, at a preset timing, a reference value to be subtracted from the values output from the plurality of capacitive detectors, to determine whether the human body is in contact, wherein the controller identifies, from among values output from the plurality of capacitive detectors at the preset timing, one or more values each having an absolute value smaller than a first threshold, and determines, as the reference value, one of the one or more values identified or an average of the one or more values identified.