Sleep is essential for everyone. After a day of intense work and study, how pleasant it would be to have a comfortable sleeping environment. However, this is often not entirely satisfactory. Throughout the four seasons-spring, summer, autumn, and winter-temperatures vary greatly, especially during those cold and long winter nights when icy bedding keeps people from falling asleep for a long time. Therefore, for a long time, people have been seeking to solve this problem, attempting to find an ideal heating device for the bed. With the continuous development of modern technological products, particularly the rapid development of household "electrification" products, the "electric blanket" came into being.
The prototype electric blanket that emerged during World War II first achieved tremendous development in Europe, America, Japan, and other places.
The Soviet Union is located in the frigid zone, with long and cold winters. Before World War II, they had already used "electric mattresses" with enameled copper wire as heating elements, and subsequently gradually expanded to electric blankets, mattresses, quilts, pillows, and electric foot warmers.
Japan's electric blanket products developed rapidly, with many varieties, and became a rising star. Currently, its domestic market demand amounts to several million units annually. Among them, relatively famous production groups include electric companies such as "Sanyo," "Matsushita," and "Toshiba." The prominent features of their products are: high-grade fabrics (wool, synthetic fibers, etc.), electronic temperature control, and "three-proof" performance (waterproof, fire-proof, and protection against electric shock from broken wires).
The United States, Australia, the Federal Republic of Germany, and other countries now produce not only medical electric blankets and pads for health care, physical therapy, and hot compress, but also electric heating tapestries combined with handicrafts. Their electric quilts, electric shoes, and other products are all automatic temperature control types and can be washed in washing machines. The most famous manufacturer is the American "Northern" Electric Company (NORTHERN trademark).
In the late 1970s, electric blankets were officially introduced to China as new electrical products, and development has been quite rapid over the past few years. By 1985, China's output had exceeded 20 million units. Major manufacturers include nearly twenty locations such as Harbin, Shanghai, Hefei, and Hangzhou; varieties have also been developed with reference to foreign products, including more than ten types such as blankets, mattresses, pads, bags, knee protectors, waist protectors, medical electric blankets, and special-purpose electric blankets.
At the same time, the quality of Chinese electric blankets has been continuously improving. In 1979, heating elements mostly used "straight exposed electric heating wires"; by 1982, they were upgraded to "spiral plastic-wrapped electric heating wires," greatly improving resistance to breakage and waterproof safety performance. In recent two years, a new type of "composite temperature control" electric heating wire with overheat protection and temperature-sensing wire has also been successfully developed. To further improve product quality, the Ministry of Light Industry issued the SG277-82 electric blanket product standard in 1982, and this year it was revised to a national standard (GB4706.1-84 General Requirements for the Safety of Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, including special requirements for electric blankets in GB4706.8-86) in reference to the standards of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC standards) to ensure product safety performance.
According to market surveys and forecasts, electric blankets have a huge potential market in China. Not only in the north, but also in the Yangtze-Huai River basin and southwest regions, due to low winter temperatures, lack of indoor heating, and high humidity, household residents also have substantial demand. Not only urban areas need them, but with improved economic conditions, vast numbers of farmers have also begun purchasing them; they are suitable not only for families but are also very popular in hotels, sanatoriums, factories and mines, work sheds, and military barracks. It is estimated that during the "Seventh Five-Year Plan" period, annual demand will be around 40 million units, with urban penetration rates reaching over 20%. Therefore, electric blankets are expected to achieve greater development in terms of quantity, quality, and variety in the coming years.