Patent ID: 7067776

Claim:
A controlling and monitoring device for avoiding damage through overheating in the case of a flexible, textile surface heating elements which includes at least two opposed contact conductors made of electrically conducting, non-insulated fibers or wires between which there extends a plurality of heating conductors which are electrically connected to the contact conductors and to a source of electricity, and which further includes a base material, comprising: (a) an evaluation unit connected to the source of electricity, (b) at least one additional electric conductor positioned along at least one contact conductor over the heating conductors, wherein the additional conductor is electrically insulated by a covering material and is connected to said evaluation unit, wherein (c) the covering material has a melting point which is above the heating temperature of the surface heating element, but below the permissible thermal limit temperature of the base material, and wherein the additional electric conductor is made of a material that does not melt at a temperature below the permissible thermal limit temperature of the base material, wherein, in the case of overheating, the covering material melts but the additional conductor does not melt, and (d) wherein the heating conductors, together with the additional conductor, form an electrical circuit connected to the evaluation unit for the purpose of controlling overheating.