JP2014173437A - Blowby gas heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a step for fitting a power source supplying portion and a rubber packing and the like to be eliminated and to enable a low cost to be realized in a blowby gas heater of this invention by simplifying a structure.SOLUTION: This invention relates to a blowby gas heater 1 in which a case main body 11 is integrally formed with a first heat receiving member 21, a second heat receiving member 31 and an electrical power supplying part 51. The case main body 11 is formed with a storing part 16 capable of storing a PTC element 41 generating heat upon receiving an electrical power from the electrical power supplying part 51. The storing part 16 has an opening part 13 enabling the PTC element 41 to be inserted from outside into a flowing-out port side 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to a blow-by gas heater provided in a return passage of blow-by gas generated in an engine room mounted on a vehicle, and more specifically, by raising the temperature of the blow-by gas, the temperature of the gas passage itself is increased and moisture adheres thereto. The present invention relates to a blow-by gas heater provided in a reflux path for blow-by gas for preventing icing.

  Patent Literature 1 describes a blow-by gas heater using an electronic ceramic heater (“Blow-by gas reflux device” in Patent Literature 1). As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11 of the document 1, this blow-by gas recirculation device 50 has an electronic ceramic heater 56 placed above the recirculation downstream pipe 54 and a plug member 57 that supplies power from above is fitted. It has a configuration.

JP 2012-215137 A

  In the conventional blow-by gas heater represented by the blow-by gas heater described in Patent Document 1, the main body of the case and the power supply part are separate parts. With the power supply part removed, the PTC element was placed inside and after that, it was necessary to fit the power supply part, so a rubber packing or the like was required to keep the sealing property when fitted. An assembly process was required. Therefore, further simplification of the structure and cost reduction have been demanded.

  Therefore, the blow-by gas heater according to the present invention has been made in view of such demands, and the object of the blow-by gas heater is a blow-by gas heater that can realize cost reduction by simplifying the structure. It is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, a blow-by gas heater according to the present invention is a synthesis having an inlet through which blow-by gas flows in, an outlet through which blow-by gas flows out, and a gas passage that is located between them and allows the blow-by gas to pass through. A resin case body,
A first heat receiving member which is disposed at least in the vicinity of the outlet so as to be able to touch the blow-by gas passing through the case body, has a PTC element installation portion, and has thermal conductivity and conductivity. Members,
It has a substantially flat plate shape, has a first electrode on one surface and a second electrode on the other surface, and either the first electrode or the second electrode is a PTC of the first heat receiving member. A PTC element installed facing the element installation part;
A second heat receiving member having thermal conductivity and conductivity that is fixed to the case main body facing either the first electrode or the second electrode on the side not facing the PTC element installation portion. When,
A first terminal plate having a tip electrically connected to the first heat receiving member so as to supply external power to the PTC element via the first heat receiving member and the second heat receiving member; A power supply unit having a second terminal plate whose tip is electrically connected to the second heat receiving member;
A blow-by gas heater provided in a return path of blow-by gas generated in an engine room mounted on a vehicle equipped with
The case body portion integrally molds the first heat receiving member, the second heat receiving member, and the power supply portion, and between the case main body portion and the first heat receiving member. And forming an accommodating portion capable of accommodating at least the PTC element and the tip of the second heat receiving member, and the accommodating portion has an opening through which the PTC element can be inserted on the outlet side. Blow-by gas heater characterized by.

In the power supply unit, the tip ends of the first and second terminal plates are integrated with the first and second heat receiving members, respectively.
It is preferable that the base ends of the first and second terminal plates are integrally formed with the case body so that the base ends are exposed from the case body.

  The first heat receiving member and the second heat receiving member are preferably formed of a single metal member together with the first terminal plate and the second terminal plate of the power supply unit.

  Moreover, it is preferable to provide an elastic body that elastically presses the first electrode and the second electrode of the PTC element toward the first heat receiving member at the tip of the second heat receiving member. .

  Further, it is preferable that an O-ring is disposed around the PTC element and in a gap between the first heat receiving member and the second heat receiving member.

  Further, between at least one of the first electrode of the PTC element and the first heat receiving member and between the second electrode of the PTC element and the second heat receiving member, thermal conductivity and It is preferable that a thin plate-like auxiliary electrode having conductivity is inserted.

  According to the blow-by gas heater according to the present invention, the case main body portion integrally molds the first heat receiving member, the second heat receiving member, and the power supply portion, and the case main body portion and the first heat receiving member. A housing portion that can accommodate at least the PTC element and the tip of the second heat receiving member is formed between the heat receiving member, and the housing portion has an opening through which the PTC element can be inserted on the outlet side. Therefore, the step of fitting the power supply portion and the rubber packing are not required, and the cost can be reduced by simplifying the structure.

It is a top view which shows the whole blowby gas heater of this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 2. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the 1st heat receiving member and the 2nd heat receiving member which comprise a blow-by gas heater. An example of the PTC element used for a blowby gas heater and a related member is shown, Comprising: (a) is a disassembled perspective view, (b) is a partially expanded sectional view. The other example of the PTC element used for a blow-by gas heater and a related member is shown, Comprising: (a) is a disassembled perspective view, (b) is a partially expanded sectional view. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the other example of the 1st heat receiving member which comprises a blow-by gas heater, and a 2nd heat receiving member. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the entire blow bar gas heater using the first heat receiving member and the second heat receiving member which are other examples shown in FIG. 7. Plan view showing the entire engine compartment Perspective view of the whole engine showing the installation position of the blow-by gas heater

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a state in which the blow-by gas reflux path and the blow-by gas heater are inserted in the vehicle engine 102 to which the blow-by gas heater 1 of the present invention is attached will be described.

  The blow-by gas discharged from the engine 102 mounted in the engine room 101 passes through the blow-by gas outlet 103, the blow-by gas recirculation pipe 104, the general blow-by gas heater 105, the blow-by gas inlet side pipe 106, and reaches the intermediate hose 107. . Note that the blow-by gas inlet side pipe 106 may be omitted, and the outlet from which the blow-by gas flows out of the blow-by gas heater 105 may be directly connected to the intermediate hose 107. On the other hand, intake air in the intake system passes from the air cleaner 108 through the intake hose 109 to the intermediate hose 107. Accordingly, the blow-by gas and the intake air of the intake system merge at the intermediate hose 107 and are supplied to the cylinder head 110. The blow-by gas heater 105 needs to raise the temperature of the blow-by gas passage and the blow-by gas in order to prevent moisture contained in the blow-by gas from icing at the junction with the intake air of the intake system.

  Therefore, a heater (blow-by gas heater 105) is provided in the vicinity of the connection portion with the intake system of the reflux path for returning the blow-by gas to the intake system as a means for raising the temperature of the blow-by gas passage and blow-by gas.

Next, the blow-by gas heater 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the blow-by gas heater 1 mainly includes a case main body 11, a first heat receiving member 21, a second heat receiving member 31, a PTC element 41, and a power supply unit 51. It is a constituent member.

  The case main body 11 is formed integrally with a first heat receiving member 21, a second heat receiving member 31, and a power supply unit 51, which will be described later, by insert molding so that they are included. By integrally forming them, other members such as an assembling process and packing when attaching later are unnecessary, so that it is possible to manufacture at a low cost.

  The case body 11 has an inlet 2 through which blow-by gas flows in and an outlet 3 through which blow-by gas flows out. Gas passages 4 and 24 are formed between the inlet 2 and the outlet 3. The Specifically, the case main body 11 covers the outside of the substantially cylindrical first heat receiving member 21 and the case main body 11 also has a gas passage so that the gas passage 24 of the first heat receiving member 21 is continuous. 4 is formed. That is, the gas passage 24 has the first heat receiving member 21 as its outer wall, and the gas passage 4 has the case body 11 as its outer wall, and both are continuous.

As shown in FIG. 2, the blow-by gas passes through the gas passages 4 and 24 in the case main body 11 in the direction of the arrow line Z, that is, from the inlet 2 toward the outlet 3.
9 and 10, the blow-by gas heater 11 has a blow-by gas recirculation pipe 104 on the inlet 2 side and a blow-by gas inlet-side pipe 106 on the outlet 3 side (the blow-by gas inlet-side pipe 106 as described above). Is omitted, the intermediate hose 107) is connected to each other, so that the bulging portions 12 and 12 for retaining are provided at the outer peripheral end portions of the inflow port 2 and the outflow port 3 of the case main body 11. Is preferred.

  Since the case body 11 is required to have heat resistance, oil resistance, etc., it is generally preferable to use a synthetic resin material such as nylon, PBT, or PPS.

Next, the first heat receiving member 21 included in the case main body 11 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the first heat receiving member 21 has a substantially cylindrical shape in which a gas passage 24 is formed inside by a flat portion 22 formed on the upper surface and a curved portion 23. The curved portion 23 is curved and extended from both side ends of the flat portion 22 and has a substantially U-shaped cross section. The first heat receiving member 21 is integrally included in the case body 11 and is disposed at least on the outlet 3 side.

  The flat portion 22 only needs to have a portion for placing a PTC element 41, which will be described later, and the cross-sectional shape formed by the curved portion 23 is not substantially U-shaped, for example, may be substantially U-shaped. good. The flat portion 22 has a predetermined length in the direction of the gas passages 4 and 24, and then has an inclined portion 25 that bends obliquely upward, and then has an extension portion 26 that becomes flat again. Similarly to the flat portion 22, the inclined portion 25 and the extended portion 26 are connected to the curved portions 23 that are curved from both sides thereof, and are substantially cylindrical. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the case main body 11 is included and integrated, the opening area of the gas passages 4, 24 is narrowed by reaching the portion of the inclined portion 25 from the extension portion 26, and the flat portion. A space for storing the PTC element 41 and the like in the case main body 11 can be secured above 22.

  The first heat receiving member 21 has thermal conductivity and conductivity. Specifically, copper is suitable, but other materials such as brass may be used. The material of the first heat receiving member 21 is similarly applied to the second heat receiving member 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tip of the first heat receiving member 21 on the outlet 3 side protrudes outward from the outlet 3 of the case main body 11. However, as in other examples of the first heat receiving member and the second heat receiving member shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the tip end portion does not protrude from the outlet 3 of the case main body portion 11, and the case main body portion 11 It may be included.

Next, the second heat receiving member 31 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the second heat receiving member 31 has a substantially flat flat portion 32 having a predetermined length, and thereafter an inclined portion 33 that bends obliquely upward, and then an extension that becomes flat again. Part 34.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second heat receiving member 31 is disposed so as to face the first heat receiving member 21 with a predetermined interval, and is contained and integrated in the case main body 11. Further, unlike the first heat receiving member 21, its tip is located inside the outlet 3 so that when the opening 13 is blocked by the seal member 15, it is completely located inside the case body 11. Be placed.

  The power supply unit 51 includes a positive terminal plate 52 that is a first terminal plate and a negative terminal plate 53 that is a second terminal plate connected to a power supply circuit (not shown). Both the terminal plates 52 and 53 are made of a thin metal plate and have a long plate shape. The plus-side terminal plate 52 is an extension portion 26 of the first heat receiving member 21, and the minus-side terminal plate 53 is the second heat receiving member 31. The extension 34 is electrically and physically connected.

  In FIG. 4, the connection between the plus side terminal plate 52 and the first heat receiving member 21 is a caulking structure, and the connection between the minus side terminal plate 53 and the second heat receiving member 31 is integrally formed. The plus side terminal plate 52, the first heat receiving member 21, the minus side terminal plate 53, and the second heat receiving member 31 need only be electrically and physically connected. The same connection form may be used.

  In addition, the second heat receiving member 31 is notched in the vicinity of the base end where the integrally formed minus side terminal plate 53 is continuously provided to ensure electrical insulation with the plus side terminal plate 52 arranged in proximity. A formed recess 35 is provided.

  One end of the plus side terminal plate 52 and the minus side terminal plate 53 is connected to the first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31, and the other end thereof is a connector terminal 54. Connected to external power supply. Thereby, electric power is supplied from the external power source to the first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31 via the both terminal plates 52 and 53.

The power supply unit 51 including the plus-side terminal plate 52 and the minus-side terminal plate 53 is integrally included in the case main body 11 together with the first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31. Since the other end of the plate is exposed as a connector terminal 54, it is only necessary to connect to the connector terminal 54 when connecting to an external power source. Thereby, there is no need to use a member such as a process for attaching the power supply unit 51 or packing, and the blow-by gas heater 1 can be provided at low cost.
Note that the member denoted by reference numeral 52 may be a minus side terminal plate, and the member denoted by reference numeral 53 may be a plus side terminal plate. This is because, when the body of the automobile is electrically negative, it is better to have the terminal plate electrically and physically connected to the first heat receiving member 21 on the negative side.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the PTC element 41 has an electrode formed on one surface (hereinafter referred to as “front surface”) and the other surface (hereinafter referred to as “back surface”) facing each other in a generally flat plate shape. When the power is supplied from the power supply unit 51 through the electrodes 42 and 43 via the first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31, the heat is generated. The PTC element 41 is a semiconductor ceramic whose main component is barium titanate, and in the form of a circular flat plate, the electrodes 42 and 43 are made of a circular Ag material slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the semiconductor ceramic. The one that is fixed is used. Note that the PTC element 41 is not in the form of a circular flat plate, but may be a square flat plate or other forms.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), a generally disk shape having flanges 45, 45 extending in the vertical direction so as to cover the electrode 42 on the front surface and the electrode 43 on the back surface of the PTC element 41. The auxiliary electrode plates 44, 44 are attached. The auxiliary electrode plates 44, 44 are made of conductive metal, and for example, those using copper are preferable. Thereby, the electrical contact and thermal conductivity of the electrodes 42 and 43 of the PTC element 41 can be performed more reliably. Further, as will be described later, the PTC element 41 functions as a protective plate for preventing the electrodes 42 and 43 from being damaged when the PTC element 41 is inserted from the opening portion 13 into the accommodating portion 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the auxiliary electrode plates 46 and 46 may be configured such that the flange portions 47 and 47 do not protrude entirely but only a part thereof protrudes.

  Here, when the configuration of the present embodiment is arranged, the case main body 11 integrally molds the first heat receiving member 21, the second heat receiving member 31, and the power supply unit 51, and the case main body. An accommodating portion 16 capable of accommodating at least the tip portion of the PTC element 41 and the second heat receiving member 31 is formed between the portion 11 and the first heat receiving member 21, and the accommodating portion 16 is disposed on the outlet 3 side. This is to have an opening 13 through which the element 41 can be inserted. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the height in the accommodating portion 16 is further set so that the second heat receiving member 31 is exposed on the upper surface of the flat portion 22 of the first heat receiving member 21. The upper part of the second heat receiving member 31 is also formed to have a space for the spring 14 to be disposed. Moreover, the length of the accommodating part 16 has a part which can arrange | position the PTC element 41 and the sealing member 15 at least.

  The PTC element 41 is slid into the accommodating portion 16 from the opening 13 and inserted. The PTC element 41 is disposed between the flat portion 22 of the first heat receiving member 21 and the flat portion 32 of the second heat receiving member 31. By this insertion, the flat portion 32 of the second heat receiving member 31 and the electrode 42 of the PTC element 41 between the flat portions 22 and 32, more specifically, the first heat receiving member via the auxiliary electrode 44. More specifically, the flat portion 22 of the electrode 21 and the electrode 43 of the PTC element 41 are in electrical contact with each other via the auxiliary electrode 44.

  The spring 14 is an elastic body that elastically presses the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 43 of the PTC element 41 toward the first heat receiving member 21, is wound in a coil shape, and has a truncated cone shape. The second heat receiving member 31 is compressed and suspended between the upper side of the flat portion 32 and the upper surface of the accommodating portion 16. The spring 14 is not limited to a coil shape and has a truncated cone shape, and may be a cylindrical shape or a plate shape. Thereby, since the force which always presses the flat part 32 of the 2nd heat receiving member 31 to the PTC element 41 side can be applied, the electrical press-contact state of the PTC element 41 and both the flat parts 22 and 32 is continued. be able to.

  By attaching the PTC element 41 by insertion, as described above, it is possible to manufacture at a low cost.

  The O-ring 48 is disposed around the PTC element 41 and in a gap where the first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31 are opposed to each other. (As described above, this is performed at the same time when the PTC element 41 is slid into the accommodating portion 16 and inserted from the opening portion 13). This is because the PTC element 41, its electrodes 42 and 43, the auxiliary electrode, and the first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31 that are in contact with them, touch water, oil, gas, etc. from the outside. This is to prevent them from entering.

After the PTC element 41, the auxiliary electrode 44, and the O-ring are slid from the opening 13 into the receiving portion 16 and inserted into a predetermined position, the opening 13 is sealed with the seal member 15. This prevents water, oil, gas, etc. from entering the space of the storage unit 16 from the outside. 2 and 8, the seal member 15 shows a shape in which only a part of the opening 13 is sealed. However, even if a part or all of the space of the storage portion 16 is filled with the seal member 15. Good. In this case, vibration resistance and impact resistance after the O-ring 48 and the spring 14 are attached are also improved.
The seal member 15 is preferably made of an elastic material such as a rubber adhesive or a modified silicone adhesive that does not interfere with the action of the spring 14 after curing.

  When the blow-by gas heater 1 is supplied with power from the plus-side terminal plate 52 and the minus-side terminal plate 53 of the power supply unit 51, the PTC element 41 generates heat based on a predetermined resistance-temperature characteristic. The first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31 reach a desired temperature. The first heat receiving member 21 forms the gas passage 24, and the resin near the outlet 3 is also heated, and as a result, the blow-by gas can be raised to a preferable temperature.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31 may be deformed as follows. That is, the second heat receiving member 31 may be provided with a folded portion 36 that is folded from the extension portion 34. The folded portion 36 is a flat plate-like member that is substantially parallel to the flat plate portion 32, and is disposed with an interval so that the spring 14 can be disposed between the flat plate portion 32 and the folded portion 36 as shown in FIG. Is done. By forming the folded portion 36, the temperature can be directly transmitted from the second heat receiving member 31 to the case main body 11 in the vicinity of the outlet 3, and the rise in the temperature of the blow-by gas can be more efficiently performed. It can be carried out.

Further, the first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31 are formed of the two extension portions 26 as is apparent from the comparison of the first heat receiving member 21 and the second heat receiving member 31 shown in FIG. , 34 are short in the horizontal direction and extend to the lower part of the power supply unit 51 of the case body 11. This is a form in which both extension portions 26 and 34 shown in FIG. 2 are formed long and the entire case main body 11 is heated, whereas the one shown in FIG. 8 is mainly heated around the outflow port 3. It is a form to do. The lengths of the extensions 26 and 34 can be changed as appropriate.
In particular, in the case where the outlet 3 of the case body 11 is directly attached to the intermediate hose 107, the vicinity of the outlet 3 is cooled by the air of the intake system, so that it is required to heat this part more than the others. It is done. This is achieved by the turn-up 36. In addition, in order to prevent moisture from adhering to the vicinity of the outflow port 3 and freezing, the protruding length (from the outflow port 3) of the front end portion of the first heat receiving member 21 can be appropriately changed.

  Further, in order to ensure electrical insulation between the plus-side terminal plate 52 and the minus-side terminal plate 53, the extension portion 26 of the first heat receiving member 21 is partially extended from one end of the extension portion 34 of the second heat receiving member 31. Is further extended, and the plus-side terminal plate 52 is integrally formed. Note that the O-ring 48 may be omitted when the seal member 15 can sufficiently prevent water, oil, gas, and the like from entering the space of the storage unit 16 from the outside.

  As described above, the blow-by gas heater of the present invention can provide a blow-by heater whose cost can be reduced by simplifying the structure.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Blow-by gas heater 2 Inlet 3 Outlet 4 Gas passage 11 Case main-body part 13 Opening part 14 Spring (elastic body)
15 Seal member 16 Storage portion 21 First heat receiving member 24 Gas passage 31 Second heat receiving member 41 PTC element 44 Auxiliary electrode 46 Auxiliary electrode (another example)
48 O-ring 51 Power supply unit 52 Positive side terminal board (first terminal board)
53 Negative terminal plate (second terminal plate)

Claims (6)

A synthetic resin case body having an inflow port through which blow-by gas flows in, an outflow port through which blow-by gas flows out, and a gas passage that is located between them and allows the blow-by gas to pass through;
A first heat receiving member which is disposed at least in the vicinity of the outlet so as to be able to touch the blow-by gas passing through the case body, has a PTC element installation portion, and has thermal conductivity and conductivity. Members,
It has a substantially flat plate shape, has a first electrode on one surface and a second electrode on the other surface, and either the first electrode or the second electrode is a PTC of the first heat receiving member. A PTC element installed facing the element installation part;
A second heat receiving member having thermal conductivity and conductivity that is fixed to the case main body facing either the first electrode or the second electrode on the side not facing the PTC element installation portion. When,
A first terminal plate having a tip electrically connected to the first heat receiving member so as to supply external power to the PTC element via the first heat receiving member and the second heat receiving member; A power supply unit having a second terminal plate whose tip is electrically connected to the second heat receiving member;
A blow-by gas heater provided in a return path of blow-by gas generated in an engine room mounted on a vehicle equipped with
The case body portion integrally molds the first heat receiving member, the second heat receiving member, and the power supply portion, and between the case main body portion and the first heat receiving member. And forming an accommodating portion that can accommodate at least the PTC element and the tip portion of the second heat receiving member, and the accommodating portion has an opening through which the PTC element can be inserted on the outlet side. Blow-by gas heater characterized by. In the power supply unit, tips of the first and second terminal plates are integrated with the first and second heat receiving members, respectively.
2. The blow-by gas heater according to claim 1, wherein the blow-by gas heater is integrally formed with the case body so that proximal ends of the first and second terminal plates are exposed from the case body.   The first heat receiving member and the second heat receiving member are each formed of a single metal member together with the first terminal plate and the second terminal plate of the power supply unit. 2. The blow-by gas heater according to 2.   4. The blow-by gas according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic body that elastically presses the first electrode and the second electrode of the PTC element toward the first heat receiving member. heater.   5. The blow-by according to claim 1, wherein an O-ring is disposed around the PTC element and in a gap between the first heat receiving member and the second heat receiving member. Gas heater.   Between at least one of the first electrode of the PTC element and the first heat receiving member and between the second electrode of the PTC element and the second heat receiving member, thermal conductivity and conductivity are provided. A blow-by gas heater according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a thin plate-like auxiliary electrode is inserted.

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