FR3028775A1 - CIRCULATING CONNECTION OF A FLUID, AND A DEVICE FOR NEBULIZATION AND AERATION OF AERATION, IN PARTICULAR FOR A VEHICLE, COMPRISING SUCH A CONNECTION - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a connection for the circulation of a fluid, in particular a liquid intended to be nebulized in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, said connection comprising a conduit (31) for circulating the fluid, said connection further comprising one or more heating elements (32) of the fluid circulating in said conduit.

Description

1 fluid circulation connection as well as a nebulizing device and a ventilation installation, in particular intended for a vehicle passenger compartment, comprising such a connection The invention relates to a connection for the circulation of a fluid, in particular a liquid intended to to be nebulized in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. It also relates to a nebulizing device and a ventilation system comprising such a coupling.

The air cooling systems for a vehicle, in particular an automobile, most often incorporate an air conditioner to ensure the thermal comfort of the passengers positioned at the front and the rear, by establishing in the passenger compartment a temperature lower than the external temperature. . These systems ventilate cooled air so that they provide thermal comfort to the occupants of the vehicle.

A first disadvantage of such systems is that the fresh air can be perceived as too dry. In addition, the seats at the rear of the cabin are often less well ventilated, so they are also less refreshed. It should also be noted that although some vehicles are equipped with specific air conditioners at the rear, they are few, because it is an expensive variant, difficult to develop, and performance / cost unattractive. It should be noted that not all vehicles are equipped with an air conditioner. It is known to nebulize water in the passenger compartment. The nebulized water microdroplets are diffused with a flow of air, so that they evaporate causing a lowering of temperature due to the latent heat of vaporization which is then absorbed. Such a solution makes it possible at least partially to overcome the absence of an air conditioner or to improve the cooling of the passenger compartment when such an air conditioner is present, by making available a flow of make-up air that can be directed in any what place of the cockpit. Said air flow is also likely to provide an impression of humidification of the passenger compartment. A disadvantage of nebulizing devices is that water is stored in a tank where it can stagnate for long periods of time when the nebulizer is not in use. A development of microorganisms, in particular bacteria, may thus take place, leading to the release of bad odors and / or generating a health risk. The invention aims to overcome the above disadvantages and proposes for this purpose 5 a connection for the circulation of a fluid, in particular a liquid intended to be nebulized in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, said coupling comprising a circulation duct fluid, said connector further comprising one or more heating elements of the fluid flowing in the conduit. Thanks to the heat released by said heating elements, there is an action against the microorganisms and limits the release of bad odors as well as health risks. In addition, by providing such heaters at a connector, it facilitates their integration at the circuit.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the one or more heating elements are in heat exchange relation with said duct at a contact zone, said connection being configured so that the fluid is heated by said duct beyond of said contact zone. In other words, the duct behaves like a heat exchanger, heating the fluid passing inside.

The duct is thus used to lengthen the heat exchange zone with the fluid which is thereby heated along the length of said duct or at least on a portion thereof greater than the simple contact zone. between the duct and the heating element (s). It is thus possible to obtain sufficient heating of the fluid, even for high fluid flows, despite the small path that the fluid travels in the connection, compared with the rest of the circuit in which it is integrated. Such an effect is particularly advantageous in the case of application to nebulizers because they may involve a liquid flow greatly limiting the passage time of the liquid near the contact surface.

According to various embodiments of the invention, in particular of its first aspect already mentioned: said duct comprises a body extending in thermal continuity between a first longitudinal end of said duct and an opposite longitudinal end of said duct; conduit, said contact area being located at said body, said body extending in continuity of material from one longitudinal end to the other, said body defining a path for said fluid greater than at least five times dimension of the contact surface in a direction of flow of said fluid at said contact surface, said fitting comprises mounting flanges at one and / or both of said longitudinal ends, said flanges are derived from the material of said body, - said duct has several successive portions of fluid flow between which the direction and / or the direction fluid flow has been modified, - said or at least one of said heating elements is configured to act on a plurality of said portions, - said duct is accordion and said portions are positioned parallel to each other, - said portions are positioned substantially in the same plane, - at least one of said heating elements is located between two of said consecutive portions. Said portions are contiguous laterally in a first direction so as to form a group; two of said heating elements are situated on either side of said group in a second direction, transverse to said first direction; said duct has a shape; spiraled, - said duct comprises contiguous turns, - said turns form two opposite planar faces, - said one or more heating elements are located at at least one of said lateral faces, in particular at central turns of said turns, - said duct is made of metal, in particular of aluminum, the heating element or elements comprise thermistors, in particular of the positive temperature coefficient type, said heating element or elements comprise a resistive wire extending inside said duct, by example all along the latter.

These various embodiments may be taken together or separately. The invention also relates to a device for nebulizing a liquid, in particular for a vehicle interior, comprising a heating connection of said liquid as described above. According to various embodiments of the invention that may be taken together or separately: - said device comprises a nebulizer, - said fitting is located upstream of said nebulizer, - said fitting is mounted on said nebulizer, - said nebulizer is of type piezoelectric.

The invention also relates to a ventilation installation, in particular for a vehicle cabin, comprising a nebulization device as described above. The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, features and advantages thereof will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed explanatory description of at least one embodiment of the given invention. by way of a purely illustrative and nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended schematic drawings among which: FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a nebulization device according to the invention; FIGS. 2 to 8 schematically illustrate various embodiments of a coupling according to the invention, - Figure 9 is a sectional view from line IX-IX illustrated in Figure 7, - Figure 10 is a sectional view according to the XX line shown in Figure 8.

In these figures, the same reference corresponds to identical or similar elements.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the invention relates first of all to a device for nebulizing a liquid, in particular water. Such a device may, for example, be used in a ventilation device, in particular a vehicle cabin. Thanks to liquid microdroplets projected in this way in the passenger compartment, it can be refreshed and / or reduce the feeling of drying produced by any air conditioning device. Said nebulizing device comprises, for example, a nebulizer 10, configured to form a cloud of microdrops from said liquid, and a liquid supply 20 of said nebulizer 10.

The nebulizer 10 provides here by itself a function of pumping the liquid. It may include a nebulization channel and a piezoelectric member for generating said microdroplets in said channel, other embodiments being of course possible without departing from the scope of the invention. In operation, said nebulizer advantageously provides a continuous and relatively constant flow of microdroplets, from a continuous and relatively constant flow of liquid from said supply 20. Said supply comprises in particular a heating connector 30. It is possible to thus perform a microbicidal treatment of said liquid, which allows to sanitize the use of said device and to prevent the spread of unpleasant odors, due to possible stagnation of the liquid before nebulization. Said heating connector 30 is here located just upstream of said nebulizer 10 and mounted thereon. Said supply 20 may further comprise a reservoir 40 of liquid and a conduit 50 for circulating said liquid between said reservoir 40 and said heating connector 30.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 8, the invention also relates to the heating connector 30 itself. Arrows illustrating fluid entry and exit into the fitting have been illustrated. Said connector 30 comprises a conduit 31 for fluid circulation. In the case of the application of such a connection to the nebulizing device mentioned above, said duct is configured to be connected to the rest of the supply 20, which it then belongs to. Said connection further comprises one or more heating elements 32 of the fluid. By providing such heating elements at a connector, many circuits of a heating solution can be provided with just one interposing of the connector along said circuits and thus without having to modify the components thereof to incorporate heating elements. As more particularly illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, 7 and 9, said coupling 5 is advantageously configured so that said one or more heating elements act on the fluid beyond a contact zone 33 between said heating element (s) 32 and said 31. In other words, heat exchange occurs between the one or more heating elements 30 and said fluid via said conduit 31 and without direct contact between the heating element (s) 30 and the fluid.

Thus, the entire duct 31 or at least a portion thereof extending beyond the contact zone 33 with the one or more heating elements 32 is used to heat the fluid passing through said In this way, the duct has not only a fluid guide function, or even upstream / downstream connection, but also a heating function of said fluid. Even in the case of a high flow rate, the fluid can therefore be heated sufficiently during its passage in the connection. The one or more heating elements 30 comprise, for example, a current conductor. Said current conductor may be a thermistor. In particular, said current conductor may have a CTP effect, that is to say a positive temperature coefficient. The use of stones or ceramic materials with CTP effect is possible, among others. Advantageously, the conduit is flattened, at least to the right of said stones, to allow plane contact with the planes. Said duct here comprises a body 34 extending in thermal continuity 25 between a first longitudinal end 35 of said duct and a second longitudinal end 36, opposite said conduit, said contact zone 33 being located at said body. In particular, said body may extend in continuity of material from one longitudinal end to the other. This is, for example, a body made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

As more particularly illustrated in FIG. 2, in order to optimize the heating, said body 34 may define a path T for said upper fluid at, for example, at least five times a dimension D of the contact surface in a direction of flow. said fluid at said contact surface.

In order to facilitate its mounting on the rest of the circuit, said connection here comprises mounting flanges 37 at one and / or the other of said longitudinal ends. Said mounting flanges may be derived from material of said body to further lengthen the area of the connector for heating the fluid. As illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 and 8 and 10, alternatively, the one or more heating elements 32 comprise a resistive wire 38 extending inside said conduit 31, for example all along the latter. Again, said connector may include mounting flanges 37 at one and / or the other of said longitudinal ends. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, according to a first aspect of the invention, said duct 31 is rectilinear. In FIG. 2, said contact surface 33 is disposed substantially in the middle of said duct 31. There are two heating elements 32 located on either side of said duct 31. In FIG. 5, said resistive wire extends parallel to the direction of said duct 31, for example along its inner wall. Other configurations are possible, including a spiral winding. As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, in a variant, said duct 31 has several successive portions, here three successive portions 31a, 31b, 31c, of flow of the fluid between which the direction and / or the direction of flow of the fluid has been modified. Said or at least one of said heating elements 32 is configured to act on a plurality of said portions. Said duct 31 is here in accordion and said portions 31a, 31b, 31c are positioned parallel to each other, substantially in the same plane. In Figure 3, said heating elements 32 are each located between two of said portions 31a, 31b, 31c, consecutive. In other words, two heating elements 33 are provided. In this mode, said portions 31a, 31b, 31c may be in continuity of material or connected by bent sprockets 39 of said duct 31. In FIG. 4, said portions are joined laterally according to a first direction D1 so as to form a group. In other words, lateral walls of the body 34 of the duct 31 are in contact with one another between two successive portions of said duct 31. Two heating elements 33 are located on either side of said group in a second direction D2, orthogonal to said first direction D1. In this mode, said portions 31a, 31b, 31c may be in continuity of material with each other. It is also possible that said portions 31a, 31b, 31c are only in thermal continuity with each other, in particular by their lateral zones in contact, said portions 31a, 31b, 31c being connected by bent sprockets 39 of said duct 31, with regard to the circulation of the fluid. In FIG. 6, said resistive wire 39 follows the accordion path of conduit 31 which is here a folded tube. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 10, according to yet another variant, the duct 31 is of spiral shape. Here it comprises contiguous turns, said turns being in this way in thermal continuity of adjacent turns by their faces located vis-à-vis. Said turns may form two opposite planar faces. One of said planar faces comprises a mouth 60 of said duct supplying the innermost turn of said duct. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the heating element (s) 32 comprise thermistors, in particular PTC stones. The one or more heating elements 32 are located at at least one of said lateral faces, in particular at the level of central turns of said turns. Here, only one thermistor is provided, at the side face opposite to that accommodating the mouth 60. Other thermistors may also be provided, on one as on the other flat face. It is understood that, in this mode, the planar aspect of the lateral faces of the spiral shape is particularly advantageous for ensuring a good heat exchange between the thermistor (s) and the turns, as well as the contact between the turns so that a heat exchange takes place all along the duct. In Figures 9 and 10, the heating element 32 is a heating wire, integrated in the conduit 31 and in its shape.

In all the above modes, the conduit and the heating element (s) are advantageously configured so that the fluid is heated to more than 80 ° C., for a period of at least one minute, preferably at a flow rate of the order of 4 mL / min or above. This can be done by varying the number or power of the heating elements and / or the section and / or length of the duct. For example, the duct may have an inside diameter of 4 mm and the heating elements may comprise two PTC type stones of approximately 30 x 8 mm, in contact with flanks of said flattened exchange tube, the length of the duct 5. being then adapted to achieve the desired result. The invention also relates to a ventilation device, in particular for a vehicle interior, comprising a nebulization device as described above.

Such a device, although not illustrated, comprises, for example, a blower, for generating an air flow, a duct for circulating said air flow and an aerator through which said air flow opens to the outside. . It is configured so that the microdroplets generated by said nebulizing device are introduced into said air flow, at the level of said air flow duct, said aerator and / or downstream.

Claims (15)

REVENDICATIONS1. A fluid circulation connection, in particular a liquid intended to be nebulized in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, said connection comprising a conduit (31) for circulating the fluid, said connection further comprising one or more heating elements (32) fluid flowing in said conduit. 2. A coupling according to claim 1, wherein said one or more heating elements (32) are in heat exchange relation with said duct (31) at a contact zone (33), said connection being configured so that the fluid is heated by said conduit beyond said contact zone (33). 3. Connection according to the preceding claim, wherein said duct (31) comprises a body (34) extending in thermal continuity between a first longitudinal end (35) of said duct and a second longitudinal end (36), opposite, said duct. said contact area (33) being located at said body (34). 4. A coupling according to the preceding claim, wherein said body (34) extends in continuity of material from one longitudinal end to the other. The coupling of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein said body (34) defines a path for said fluid greater than at least five times a dimension of the contact surface in a direction of flow of said fluid at of said contact surface (33). 6. A coupling according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said conduit (31) has a plurality of successive portions (31a, 31b, 31c) of fluid flow between which the direction and / or direction of flow of the fluid has said at least one of said heating elements (32) being configured to act on a plurality of said portions (31a, 31b, 31c). 3028775 11 7. A coupling according to the preceding claim, wherein said duct (31) is accordion and said portions (31a, 31b, 31c) are positioned parallel to each other. 5 8. A coupling according to the preceding claim, wherein said portions (31a, 31b, 31c) are positioned substantially in the same plane. 9. A coupling according to any one of claims 7 or 8, wherein at least one of said heating elements (32) is located between two of said portions (31a, 31b, 31c) consecutive. 10. A coupling according to any one of claims 7 or 8, wherein said portions (31a, 31b, 31c) are joined laterally in a first direction so as to form a group and two of said heating elements (32) 15 are located both sides in a second direction transverse to said first direction. 11. A coupling according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said duct (31) has a spiral shape. 12. Connection according to the preceding claim, wherein said duct (31) comprises contiguous turns, forming two opposite planar faces, said one or more heating elements (32) being located at at least one of said side faces. The connector of any preceding claim, wherein said one or more heating elements (32) comprise a thermistor and / or a resistive wire (38) extending within said conduit all along the conduit. 30 14. Liquid nebulizing device comprising a connection (30) of said liquid according to any one of the preceding claims. 20 25 3028775 12 15. Aeration installation comprising a nebulizing device according to claim 14.