Patent ID: 9393985
Filing Date: 2016-07-19
CPC Classification: B62D,H05B

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus for attaching a heating element onto a circular arc-shaped rim of a steering wheel, the apparatus comprising: a molding plate having an upper surface with a plurality of grooves with respective ends, and connection grooves connected to the ends of the grooves; a holder adapted to slide reciprocally on the upper surface of the molding plate and adapted to inject a conductive paste into the grooves and the connection grooves; a first cylinder adapted to move reciprocally the holder on the upper surface of the molding plate in a first direction so that the holder slides over the grooves and the connection grooves and injects the conductive paste into the grooves and the connection grooves, and in a second direction, opposite the first direction; an elastically deformable pad member of a soft material adapted to be brought into contact with the molding plate and with the grooves and the connection grooves filled with the conductive paste, and adapted to be separated from the molding plate with the conductive paste transferred from the grooves and the connection grooves to an external surface of the elastically deformable pad member; and a second cylinder adapted to move the elastically deformable pad member transverse to the molding plate and the rim of the steering wheel, and adapted to move reciprocally the elastically deformable pad member toward, into contact with, and away from the molding plate, and toward, into contact with, and away from the rim of the steering wheel, wherein, in operation of the second cylinder, the conductive paste transferred to the external surface of the elastically deformable pad member, when the elastically deformable pad member is in contact with the upper surface of the molding plate, is configured to transfer and form a coating of lines of the conductive paste on an outer circumference of the rim of the steering wheel when the elastically deformable pad member is configured to contact the outer circumference of the rim of the steering wheel.