GB2047868A - Heating Device - Google Patents

Abstract

A heater unit 1 which includes a fan and a combustion or electric heat source, for the supply of heated air has a collapsible hose device connected thereto. The collapsible hose device shown includes a portion 6 enclosing the unit 1 and from which extend an outlet arm 8 for the heated air and an air inlet arm 7. The hose arms are each provided with a series of perforations 9, 10 along their length to allow a controlled leakage of warm air from the outlet and ingress of fresh air to the heating device if the end of the inlet arm is blocked. The hose may be formed from a flat strip the edges of which are connected together, e.g. by open type zippers, to provide the perforations. The hose may incorporate flexible reinforcing to allow it to bend readily whilst resisting collapse when in use. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Heating Device The present invention relates to heating devices comprising a heat source and a fan device as well as an air inlet to and an air outlet from the heating device, and in particular to heating devices provided with arrangements for distribution of heated air.

The invention relates to heating devices which have low weight and small dimensions. Such devices should also have simple and reliable design making them easily portable. One important application of the invention is as a personnel heater. After accidents it is often very important to keep injured persons warm. The invention may be used in connection with sleeping bags, stretchers, beds and the like. The heater will in these cases be of particular importance for injured patients suffering from shock who have lost their natural heat controlling ability and where heat is of vital importance.

A heating device similar to the type outlined above is described in US Pat. No. 3,809,526, but that heating unit is arranged to be placed in thermal contact with the object to be heated and describes no way of distributing heated air to the surroundings.

According to the present invention there is provided a heating device including a heat source and a fan device, the heating device being provided with an air inlet and an air outlet and at least one collapsible hose for distribution of heated air.

Such a heating device provides means for effectively heating a body (human or animal) in case of injury or shock conditions or otherwise, and means for heating and e.g. drying other objects, e.g. clothing and boots. A further and important feature of the invention is that the hose is made collapsible so that it may be rolled up or folded onto the heating unit or separated from the heating unit.

The above mentioned and other features of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, where Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a heating unit similar to that described in US Patent No.

3,809,526, Fig. 2 schematically shows an alternative heating unit to that shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows a flexible collapsible hose for the heating units of Figures 1 and 2 or other heating units having inlet and outlet on the same side, Fig. 4 shows an alternative collapsible hose, Fig. 5 illustrates the collapsible hose of Fig. 3 partly collapsed, Fig. 6 shows the hose of Fig. 3 or 4 fully collapsed and rolled up, Fig. 7 illustrates how the heating device can have the inlet and outlet connected in tandem, Figures8, 9 and 10 schematically show alternative ways of providing a strip of hose material with flexible elements, and Fig. 11 shows three alternative ways of connecting the longitudinal edges of the strip material to make a hose.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a heating unit 1 of the type mentioned in said US Patent No.

3,809,526. The unit is provided with a heat source and a fan device (not shown) as well as an air inlet 2 and an air outlet 3. It will be understood that while the heat source in said US Patent consists substantially of carbon which is ignited and made to burn to produce a predetermined heat effect, the heat source of the present invention may be of any type as long as there is a fan which circulates air within the unit so that the outlet air is warmer than the inlet air. In fact the heat source may even be of the electric type.

In the abovementioned US Patent the main purpose of the air flow is to maintain combustion and control the rate of combustion. Moreover the air outlet contains the exhaust gases from the combustion. In a carbon burner heating unit of the above-mentioned type the amount of exhaust gases in outlet air stream is not harmful for human beings and animals. Using carbon in the form described in the above-mentioned patent the exhaust gases are odorless, smokeless and non-poisonous as the contents of hazardous gases like carbonmonoxide are extremely low.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a heating unit as above, but one which has also been provided with a separate exhaust outlet 4 so that the warm air flowing out of outlet 3 is as clean as the air entering at inlet 2.

Fig. 3 illustrates a heating device 5 according to the present invention. The heating unit 1 of Figure 1 or 2 is enclosed within the left hand part 6 of the collapsible hose device. The collapsible hose device is in this illustration provided with an arm 7 for inlet of air and an arm 8 for outlet of heated air. The exhaust could be let out through hose arm 8 or through a separate outlet (not shown).

Of course it will be quite possible to leave the heating unit 1 outside the collapsible hose cover and simply apply a separate hose 8', Fig. 4 to the outlet 3 indicated as a flange in Figs. 1 and 2. If desirable a hose may also be attached to the inlet 2.

The collapsible hose portion 8 should preferably be provided with perforations 9 along a substantial part of its length in order to be able to distribute the heated air over a certain area. The hose is also preferably easily bendable in all directions.

The perforations may effectively be combined with the edge-interconnection means of longitudinal strips constituting the hose. The reference number 9 (and 10) in Fig. 3 and 1 1 in Fig. 5 may in one embodiment of the invention be an open-type zipper. If a zipper of the closed-type is used, perforations should preferably be provided at other places in the hose material.

While a zipper is considered to be a good solution to the problem of making a collapsible hose, other closing means like buttons, loops or the like may be used.

Alternatively the desired perforations in the hose may be provided by the hose material used, that is the fabric or the like may be of a somewhat openly-woven material which allows escape or bleeding of a certain amount of air.

In Fig. 5 is illustrated the collapsible hose of Fig. 3, partly collapsed as the zippers 1 1 and 12 are partly unzipped. As appears from Fig. 5 the hose when unzipped tends to take configuration of a flat strip so that it may easily be rolled to a small unit 13 as shown in Fig. 6.

A feature of the invention is that at least the hose portions 7 and 8 of the hose illustrated in Fig. 3 are provided with flexible elements so that these hose portions are capable of withstanding substantial compression without being flattened.

If a hose is used for the inlet, it is important that the hose portion concerned remains open under normal operating conditions. In this case it is also important that the hose is provided with perforations, apertures and the like if the main inlet of the hose should be blocked.

As an alternative it may be possible to connect the inlet hose in tandem with the outlet hose, because the general effect of air leakage in the collapsible hoses will ensure that enough oxygen is supplied to the heating unit if this is of the combustion type. This is illustrated in Fig. 7.

When the outlet hose 8, 8' is concerned, it is important that it maintains an open or hollow configuration because the air flow provided with this type of heating unit is not strong. While ordinary water and air hoses remain flat until inflated by pressure water or pressurized air, such types of hoses are quite unsuitable for the purpose of the present invention.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 is illustrated how a strip of material is provided with flexible elements 14, which tend to remain flat in the collapsed condition of the hose, and which ensure that the hose has a not necessarily circular cross-section, but at least is open or has a hollow configuration in the closed condition. While a plurality of flexible elements 14 are indicated in Fig. 8, there is in Fig.

9 indicated a single meander shaped flexible element 15, which provides necessary flexibility of the hose, axially as well as radially.

It is essential that the hose is made of a material which is comfortable against the skin of the person to be warmed. The outside of the hose should therefore preferably be made of a relative soft material.

The flexible elements 14 as shown in Fig. 10 may be laminated between two strips of fabric or other material. This can be done by a gluing process, or the elements may be sewn between two strips of fabric, like nylon, cotton or other material.

In Fig. 11 is illustrated various ways of placing the zipper or hose closing means on the strip constituting the hose. in Figures 8, 9 and 10 the closing means are indicated along the periphery of the strip.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. A heating device including a heat source and a fan device, the heating device being provided with an air inlet and an air outlet and at least one collapsible hose for distribution of heated air.

2. A heating device according to claim 1, in which each hose comprises a flexible strip the longitudinal edges of which are separably interconnected continuously or discontinuously to make a hose, the strip constituting a collapsed hose when the edges are separated.

3. A heating device according to claim 1, in which the collapsible hose includes a portion which substantially encloses the heating device.

4. A heating device according to claim 1, in which the hose is provided with distributed apertures or perforations for bleeding the heated air to the surroundings via the perforations.

5. A heating device according to claim 1, in which the hose is provided with a longitudinal zipper for collapsing the hose in the idle condition.

6. A heating device according to claim 4, in which the perforations are constituted by the apertures of an open-type zipper.

7. A heating device according to claim 2, in which the longitudinal strip comprises one or more flexible elements which when the edges of the strip are interconnected form a self-contained open hose and which, when the edges of the strip are separated, form a flat strip.

8. A heating device according to claim 7, in which the flexible elements are arranged crosswise or in a meander like pattern along the strip.

9. A heating device according to claim 6, in which the flexible element(s) is (are) embedded in the longitudinal strip by being sewn between two sheets of fabric or the like or by being laminated to one sheet or between two sheets of fabric so as to produce a hose which is flexible in the collapsed strip condition as well as in the selfcontained hose condition.

10. A heating device according to claim 1, in which there is also provided a collapsible hose for the air inlet, either separate from the air outlet hose, combined with the air outlet hose, or connected in tandem with the air outlet hose.

11. A heating device substantially as described with reference to any one of Figs. 2-11 1 of the accompanying drawings.