JP2014184882A - Liquid heating device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent chiefly no-water heating.SOLUTION: There is provided a liquid heating device for a vehicle in which a liquid heating medium 8 accumulated in a liquid tank 21 is heated by an electric heater 22 disposed in the liquid tank 21. A tank seal portion 42 is so provided as to seal an open hole 41 formed in the liquid tank 21. A liquid detection device 43, which can detect a liquid, is provided outside the open hole 41. A heater stop mechanism 44 is provided which stops heating of the liquid heating medium 8 by the electric hater 22 when the liquid is detected by the liquid detection device 43.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle liquid heating apparatus.

  A vehicle such as an automobile is provided with an air conditioner (air conditioner) for adjusting the temperature in the passenger compartment.

  Such an air conditioner is usually provided with an air heater (heater core) for heating air for air conditioning using the heat of engine cooling water.

  However, in the case of a vehicle that does not use an engine as a drive source, such as an electric vehicle, or a vehicle that has only a small engine, such as a hybrid vehicle, the heat of engine cooling water is (sufficiently) used. Therefore, a liquid heat medium (liquid heat medium) heated by an electric heater instead of engine cooling water is sent to the above-described air heater.

  For this purpose, a liquid heating apparatus is used in which the liquid heat medium is heated with an electric heater (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In such a liquid heating apparatus, there is one in which a control board for controlling an electric heater is installed outside the liquid tank portion.

  For example, in the thing of patent document 1, while opening the liquid tank part with the collar part provided in the heat sink of the electric heater, the control board and the control board are accommodated in the outer surface part of the above-described collar part. A board storage box was attached.

  In this way, by installing the control board outside the liquid tank unit, it is possible to eliminate or shorten the cable routing of the power supply system (mainly high power system), thereby improving cost reduction and layout. It becomes possible.

JP 2012-17031 A

  By the way, in the liquid heating apparatus for vehicles described in the said patent document 1, no examination was made | formed about the emptying prevention in a liquid tank part.

In order to solve the above problems, in the vehicle liquid heating apparatus according to the present invention, the liquid heat medium stored in the liquid tank part is heated by an electric heater installed in the liquid tank part,
In addition, a tank seal portion for sealing the through hole formed in the liquid tank portion is provided,
While providing a liquid detection device capable of detecting liquid outside the through hole,
A heater stop mechanism is provided for stopping the heating of the liquid heat medium by the electric heater when the liquid is detected by the liquid detector.

  According to the present invention, the above-described configuration can prevent emptying.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram of the control mechanism for controlling the liquid heating apparatus for vehicles of FIG. It is a whole perspective view of the liquid heating apparatus for vehicles of FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 3. (A) is the elements on larger scale of the liquid heating apparatus for vehicles of FIG. (B) is sectional drawing of the waterproof ventilation member of (a). It is a partial expanded sectional view concerning other examples of the liquid heating device for vehicles. It is a partial expanded sectional view concerning another example of the liquid heating device for vehicles. It is a circuit diagram similar to FIG. 2 which shows the modification of a control mechanism.

  A vehicle such as an automobile is provided with an air conditioner (air conditioner) for adjusting the temperature in the passenger compartment. Such an air conditioner is provided with an air heater (heater core) for heating air for air conditioning.

  For example, in the case of a vehicle that does not use an engine as a drive source, such as an electric vehicle, or a vehicle that has only a small engine such as a hybrid vehicle, the engine coolant is used as a heat source for the air heater. It is not possible to use as, or it is difficult to use as such, a liquid heat medium (liquid heat medium) is heated using an electric heater, and the liquid heat medium thus heated is sent to the above air heater, It is used as a heat source for the air heater.

  The following liquid heating apparatus is used to heat the liquid heat medium described above with an electric heater.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment and examples embodying the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIGS. 1-8 shows the Example of this Embodiment and its modification.

  <Configuration> The configuration will be described below.

  First, FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioner 1 (vehicle air conditioner) provided in a vehicle.

  The air conditioner 1 includes a flow path-shaped air conditioner body 4 having an air intake port 2 and an air intake port 3. Inside the air conditioner body 4, at least a fan 6 (blower) for sucking air-conditioning air 5 and an air heater 7 for heating the sucked air-conditioning air 5 are provided.

  Although not particularly illustrated, the air conditioner 1 may be provided with, for example, an air cooler in addition to the above.

  The air heater 7 is connected to a loop-shaped heat medium flow path 9 for circulating the liquid heat medium 8 serving as a heat source. A pump 11 for driving circulation of the liquid heat medium 8 and a liquid heating apparatus 12 (vehicle liquid heating apparatus) according to this embodiment are provided in the middle of the heat medium flow path 9. And the control apparatus 15 which sends the control signals 13 and 14 with respect to these pumps 11 and the liquid heating apparatus 12 is provided.

  Further, the liquid heating device 12 is provided with a heat detection member (heat detection means or heat detection device) such as a temperature sensor 16, and a detection signal 17 from the temperature sensor 16 is sent to the control device 15 described above. It is supposed to be. And the temperature control of the liquid heating apparatus 12 is performed by the detection signal 17 from the temperature sensor 16 (basic control).

  Next, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a control mechanism for controlling the liquid heating device 12 described above.

  The liquid heating device 12 includes a liquid tank unit 21 that can store and distribute the liquid heat medium 8, and an electric heater 22 that can heat the liquid heat medium 8 that is circulated inside the liquid tank unit 21. Yes. The liquid heat medium 8 is heated to about 60 ° C. by the electric heater 22, for example.

  The above-described electric heater 22 is connected to a high-power circuit including a high-voltage power supply 24 having a voltage of 350 V, which constitutes the power supply system 23, for example. Further, the control device 15 described above is connected to a weak electric circuit that connects the ground GL and the low-voltage power supply 26 having a voltage of 12 V, which constitutes the control system 25. An A / C AMP or the like is used for the control device 15.

  Further, first and second switch elements 27 for switching on / off of the electric power supplied to the electric heater 22 are connected in series to both poles of the electric heater 22 in the electric power supply system 23. Then, the control signal 14 from the control device 15 described above is sent to the pair of switch elements 27 (gate portions thereof) to control the switch elements 27.

  The switch element 27 is composed of an electronic element called IGBT or the like. As described above, by providing a pair of switch elements 27, a double protection circuit that assumes a failure is configured. Further, a power breaker 28 is connected in series between the high-voltage power supply 24 and the first switch element 27. For example, a 30 A fuse is used for the power breaker 28.

  3 is a perspective view of the liquid heating device 12 in an assembled state, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid heating device 12 described above.

  As shown mainly in FIG. 4, the above-described liquid heating device 12 has a bottomed container-like tank body having an opening 31 on one surface (in this case, the upper surface; hereinafter the same). 32, the above-described electric heater 22 installed inside the tank body 32 (so as to be inserted from the opening 31), a lid 33 attached to the opening 31 of the tank body 32 so as to be hermetically sealed, have.

  A control board 34 is disposed on the outer surface side (upper surface side) of the lid portion 33. Although not specifically shown in the figure, the control board 34 is mounted with the switch element 27 provided in the power supply system 23 described above, the control device 15 provided in the control system 25 described above, and the like.

  Further, a protective cover 35 that covers the control board 34 is disposed on the outer surface side (upper surface side) of the control board 34.

  The tank body 32, the lid portion 33, and the protective cover 35 are fastened and fixed by a fastening and fixing member 37 such as a bolt extending in the vertical direction with a gasket 36 interposed therebetween. Thereby, the electric heater 22 is housed in a watertight state between the tank body 32 and the lid portion 33, and the liquid heating is performed in a state in which the control substrate 34 is housed in a sealed state between the lid portion 33 and the protective cover 35. The device 12 is integrated.

  In addition to the basic configuration as described above, the present embodiment has the following configuration.

(Configuration 1)
As shown in each embodiment of FIGS. 5 to 7 (mainly refer to FIG. 5), the liquid tank portion 21 has a through hole 41 (through the inside and outside of the liquid tank portion 21), and the through hole. A tank seal portion 42 for sealing 41 is provided.

  A liquid detection device 43 that can detect the liquid from the through hole 41 is provided outside the through hole 41.

  Then, a heater stop mechanism 44 (see FIG. 2 or FIG. 8) for stopping the heating of the liquid heat medium 8 by the electric heater 22 when a liquid is detected by the liquid detector 43 is provided.

(Supplementary explanation 1)
Here, the above-mentioned “liquid heat medium 8” is literally a liquid heat medium (a liquid serving as a medium for transferring heat). The liquid heat medium 8 is used to heat the air-conditioning air 5 by heat exchange in the air heater 7 (see FIG. 1) of the air-conditioning apparatus 1 described above. Water, antifreeze (LLC), and other liquids can be used for the liquid heat medium 8. In this case, an antifreeze is used.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the above-described “liquid tank portion 21” has a low height in the vertical direction and has a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The liquid tank unit 21 is provided with a heat medium supply port 45 and a heat medium discharge port 46 for supplying and discharging the liquid heat medium 8 on the opposite side surfaces. However, the shape of the liquid tank unit 21 and the installation position of the heat medium supply port 45 and the heat medium discharge port 46 in the liquid tank unit 21 are not limited thereto.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the “electric heater 22” includes a coil-shaped winding portion 22a and a pair of linear portions 22b extending from both ends of the winding portion 22a toward the outside in the winding direction. It is supposed to have.

  In this case, the winding portion 22a has a short axis in the vertical direction, a long side direction (a direction connecting the heat medium supply port 45 and the heat medium discharge port 46) as a long axis, and a short side direction (the vertical direction and the above-described long length). It is assumed to be of a horizontally long flat shape (substantially oval shape) wound along a direction perpendicular to the side direction. The entire winding portion 22a is a heat generating portion.

  On the other hand, in this case, the pair of straight line portions 22b extend upward. The straight portion 22b has a lower portion as a heat generating portion and an upper portion as a non-heat generating portion. A portion of the non-heat generating portion passes through the lid portion 33 upward and is taken out into the protective cover 35.

  In this case, the above-described “through hole 41” is formed in the lid portion 33 as shown in FIG. The through-hole 41 is used as a sensor attachment hole, as will be described later.

  The “tank seal portion 42” described above is a seal portion provided around the through hole 41 of the lid portion 33 in order to seal the through hole 41. More specifically, for example, an O-ring or the like is used.

  The “liquid detection device 43” described above generates a liquid detection signal when a liquid is detected. As the liquid detection device 43, water level sensors 43a and 43b as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a liquid leakage sensor 43c as shown in FIG. 7, and the like can be used.

  And when this liquid detection apparatus 43 is made into the water level sensors 43a and 43b, it can be set as an electrostatic capacitance type as shown in FIG. The capacitance type water level sensor 43a is embedded in a resin (resin 57b or the like) constituting a sealing member 56 (a bus bar module 57 or a tank cover 58) to be described later in order to avoid corrosion of the terminal portion. The sealing member 56 can be integrated.

  Further, the liquid detection device 43 may be a water level sensor 43b other than the capacitance type as shown in FIG. 6, a liquid leakage sensor 43c as shown in FIG. In this case, the liquid detection device 43 places the sensor body and the wiring through the sealing member 56 (the tank cover 58 and the bus bar module 57) in a state in which the water tightness is secured by a sealing material such as the seal bush 48. Can do. In this case, the wiring of the water level sensor 43 b in FIG. 6 and the liquid leakage sensor 43 c in FIG. 7 is connected to the control board 34 via the connector 49. Moreover, the leak sensor 43c of FIG. 7 can be directly attached to sensors such as a bimetal switch 51 described later and the temperature sensor 16 (not shown in FIG. 7). In addition, the leak sensor 43c selects an optimal thing according to the kind of liquid heat medium 8 to be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 8, the “heater stop mechanism 44” includes a liquid leakage determination unit 52 that determines liquid leakage based on a liquid detection signal from the liquid detection device 43, and a liquid leakage determination unit 52. And a circuit breaker 53 that cuts off the circuit according to the command signal. When the water level sensors 43a and 43b are used in the liquid detection device 43, the liquid leakage determination unit 52 can be a water level determination circuit or the like. The circuit breaker 53 can be a relay or the like.

(Configuration 2)
As shown in FIG. 5 (FIG. 7 to FIG. 7), the liquid reservoir 55 formed so as to surround the through hole 41 and the opening 55 a of the liquid reservoir 55 are sealed outside the liquid tank portion 21. A possible sealing member 56 is provided.

  The liquid detection device 43 described above is installed in a sealed space 59 formed between the liquid reservoir 55 and the sealing member 56.

(Supplementary explanation 2)
Here, the above-mentioned “liquid reservoir 55” is a recess or the like in which the liquid heat medium 8 can be stored. In this case, the housing recess is provided so as to surround the periphery of the through hole 41 formed in the lid 33. In this case, the liquid storage portion 55 is formed in a stepped shape so as to expand the diameter of the upper end side portion of the through hole 41 within the thickness range of the lid portion 33. However, structurally, an enclosure wall protruding on the upper surface side of the lid portion 33 is provided as the liquid storage portion 55, or the liquid storage portion 55 and the through hole 41 are formed in a concave shape protruding on the lower surface side of the lid portion 33. It is also possible to form the lid 33 beyond the normal thickness range.

  The “opening 55 a” described above is an opening formed at the outer end (or the upper end, etc.) of the liquid reservoir 55 so as to form the inlet of the liquid reservoir 55.

  The “sealing member 56” described above is at least a lid for the opening 55a. In this case, as the sealing member 56, a bus bar module 57 (FIG. 5), a tank cover 58 (FIGS. 6 and 7), which will be described later, or the like is used. Among these, the tank cover 58 is literally a cover member provided so as to cover the lid portion 33 of the liquid tank portion 21, has substantially the same shape and size as the lid portion 33, and It is attached to the outer surface side (upper surface side). For example, the tank cover 58 is fixed to the lid 33 using a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown). The bus bar module 57 will be described later.

  As described above, the “sealed space 59” is a small, sealed space formed between the liquid storage portion 55 and the sealing member 56.

(Configuration 3)
As shown in FIG. 5 (b), a waterproof ventilation member 61 that allows the air in the sealed space 59 to escape to the outside and prevents the liquid heat medium 8 from passing through is provided in the sealed member 56.

(Supplementary explanation 3)
Here, the above-mentioned “waterproof ventilation member 61” is provided with waterproofness and air permeability by using a microfilter 61a having a roughness of an eye that does not allow liquid to pass through air. For the microfilter 61a, a fluororesin porous film, a hollow fiber membrane, or the like can be suitably used. For example, the waterproof ventilation member 61 is attached to the outer end (upper end) of the tubular waterproof ventilation member main body 61b so that the sheet or cloth microfilter 61a covers the entire end surface. At the same time, the upper portion of the microfilter 61a is covered with a cap member 61c having a hole. The cap member 61c is detachably attached to a cap attachment portion 61d provided at the outer end (upper end) of the waterproof ventilation member main body 61b.

  The waterproof ventilation member main body 61b described above is fitted into the mounting hole 62 formed in the sealing member 56, and the claw portion provided on the outer peripheral surface on the inner end side of the waterproof ventilation member main body 61b. It is latched and held on the inner surface side of the sealing member 56 by 61e. And the sealing member 61f for sealing with respect to the said attachment hole 62 is installed in the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof ventilation member main body 61b. The seal member 61f is interposed between the outer surface (upper surface) of the sealing member 56 and the cap attachment portion 61d.

(Configuration 4)
As shown in FIG. 5 (FIG. 7 to FIG. 7), a sealed space seal portion 65 is provided between the opening 55 a of the liquid storage portion 55 and the sealing member 56.

(Supplementary explanation 4)
Here, the above-described “sealed space sealing portion 65” is provided around the opening 55a in order to seal the above-described sealed space 59 against the outside (in this case, the internal space of the protective cover 35). It is a seal part. More specifically, an O-ring having a larger diameter than the tank seal portion 42, a gasket, or the like is used for the sealed space seal portion 65.

(Configuration 5)
As shown in FIG. 5, the sealing member 56 is configured by a bus bar module 57.

(Supplementary explanation 5)
Here, the above-mentioned “bus bar module 57” is a non-conductive (insulating) resin 57b (insulating member) made of a power transmitting member 57a (bus bar) such as an iron plate or a metal bar capable of supplying power and signals. Contained inside and integrated. The bus bar module 57 has substantially the same shape and size as the tank cover 58 described above, and can be used as a cover member that covers the liquid tank portion 21 instead of the tank cover 58. The bus bar module 57 is installed substantially in contact with the outer surface of the lid 33 and is fixed using a fastening member such as a bolt.

  A control board 34 for controlling the electric heater 22 is provided outside the bus bar module 57.

  As described above, the above-described “control board 34” is mounted with the electronic components constituting the power supply system 23 and the control system 25 for the electric heater 22 of the liquid heating device 12. In this case, the control board 34 is attached to the outer surface side (upper surface side) of the bus bar module 57. The control board 34 is directly fixed to the bus bar module 57 using a fastening fixture 67 such as a bolt.

  Then, by electrically connecting the control board 34 to the bus bar module 57, power is supplied to the control board 34 and the electric heater 22 through the bus bar module 57. In this way, in particular, it is possible to eliminate or shorten the cable routing of the power supply system 23 (mainly the high-power circuit), thereby improving cost reduction and layout.

(Configuration 6)
As shown in FIG. 2, the heater stop mechanism 44 shuts off the control system 25 of the electric heater 22 when the liquid is detected by the liquid detection device 43.

(Supplementary explanation 6)
Here, the above-described “control system 25” is as described above.

  In this case, the heater stop mechanism 44 sets the circuit breaker 53 between the control device 15 (or a bimetal switch 51 described later) and the switch element 27 (the gate portion thereof) in the control system 25. It is assumed that they are connected in series. In this case, the circuit breaker 53 uses a relay 53a that is normally closed and is configured to shut off the control system 25 by opening.

(Configuration 7)
As shown in FIG. 8, the heater stop mechanism 44 cuts off the power supply system 23 of the electric heater 22 when the liquid is detected by the liquid detection device 43.

(Supplementary explanation 7)
Here, the above-described “power supply system 23” is as described above.

  In this case, the heater stopping mechanism 44 causes the circuit breaker 53 to be connected to the first switch element 27 and the electric heater 22 and the second switch element 27 connected in series in the power supply system 23. It is assumed that they are connected in parallel. In this case, the circuit breaker 53 uses a relay 53b that is normally open and closed to short-circuit the power supply system 23 and open the power circuit breaker 28, thereby cutting off the power supply system 23. Is done.

  Note that at least one or both of the relay 53a and the relay 53b of the circuit breaker 53 are provided.

(Configuration 8)
As shown in FIG. 2 (or FIG. 8) and FIG. 5 (to FIG. 7), a bimetal switch 51 or a temperature sensor 16 for detecting the temperature of the electric heater 22 is provided.

  The bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 is installed in the through hole 41.

  The tank seal portion 42 is provided between the liquid tank portion 21 and the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16.

(Supplementary explanation 8)
Here, the above-described bimetal switch 51 is disposed in direct contact with the electric heater 22 in order to obtain high sensitivity.

  The above-described bimetal is formed by bonding a plurality of metal plates having different thermal expansion coefficients, and is deformed by heat (due to a difference in elongation due to the heat). The switch is operated by bimetal deformation. The switch can be normally open or normally closed.

  The bimetal switch 51 stops heating by the liquid heating device 12 when the temperature of the liquid heating device 12 rises to a predetermined value or more.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bimetal switch 51 is connected in series between the control device 15 and the first and second switch elements 27 (gate portions thereof) with respect to the control system 25. In this case, the bimetal switch 51 is normally closed, and opens to operate when the temperature of the electric heater 22 becomes higher than a predetermined temperature, and functions to cut off the control signal 14.

  In the control system 25, the bimetal switch 51 and the circuit breaker 53 of the heater stop mechanism 44 described above are connected in series, but their positional relationship may be reversed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the bimetal switch 51 is parallel to the first switch element 27 and the electric heater 22 and the second switch element 27 connected in series to the power supply system 23. Connected to. In this case, the bimetal switch 51 is normally open, and closes when the temperature of the electric heater 22 becomes higher than a predetermined temperature, short-circuits the power supply system 23, and opens the power breaker 28. By functioning, the power supply system 23 functions to be cut off.

  The above-described “temperature sensor 16” is literally a sensor for detecting temperature. As described above, the temperature sensor 16 is used for basic control.

  In the case of FIG. 5 (to FIG. 7), the bimetal switch 51 described above is fitted and disposed in the through hole 41. In this state, the tank seal portion 42 is sandwiched between the flange portion 51 a provided on the outer surface side of the bimetal switch 51 and the bottom portion of the liquid storage portion 55 in the lid portion 33 of the liquid tank portion 21. I am trying to intervene in. The temperature sensor 16 can have a similar structure.

  Although not particularly illustrated, the bimetal switch 51 (or the temperature sensor 16) does not illustrate the portion of the flange portion 51a outside the tank seal portion 42 with respect to the bottom portion of the liquid storage portion 55 described above. It can fix using fastening fixing members, such as a screw. However, the method of attaching the tank seal portion 42 is not limited to this.

(Configuration 9)
The bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 is provided inside the liquid reservoir 55.

  An opening 55a for providing the sealing member 56 and the sealing space 65 for the sealed space of the liquid storage unit 55 is formed to be larger than the through hole 41 in which the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 is installed. .

(Supplementary explanation 9)
Here, the above-described “opening 55a is larger than the through-hole 41” is a hole that faces the inside of the liquid tank portion 21 because the through-hole 41 faces the inside of the liquid tank portion 21. Is preferably as small as possible, whereas the liquid reservoir 55 communicating with the through-hole 41 widens the through-hole 41 toward the outside of the liquid tank 21, and the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 or This is because the opening 55a of the liquid detection device 43 needs to have a required opening because the liquid detection device 43 and the like can be accommodated and installed.

  The through hole 41 is formed concentrically at the bottom of the liquid storage portion 55.

  The above is summarized as follows, for example.

(Configuration 10)
The liquid heating device 12 (vehicle liquid heating device) of this embodiment is
A liquid tank section 21 for storing the liquid heat medium 8,
An electric heater 22 installed in the liquid tank section 21;
A bimetal switch 51 or a temperature sensor 16 installed so as to close the through-hole 41 formed in the liquid tank portion 21;
A recess (liquid storage portion 55) provided outside the liquid tank portion 21 so as to surround the through hole 41;
Water level sensors 43a, 43b or a liquid leakage sensor 43c that detect liquid (is a liquid detection device 43) installed in the recess, and
A heater stop mechanism 44 for stopping the heating of the liquid heat medium 8 by the electric heater 22 when a liquid is detected by a liquid detection signal from the water level sensors 43a, 43b or the liquid leakage sensor 43c. The

  <Operation> The operation of this embodiment will be described below.

  The liquid heat medium 8 stored in the liquid tank unit 21 is heated by an electric heater 22 installed in the liquid tank unit 21. The liquid heat medium 8 heated by the electric heater 22 is then led to the outside and used to heat the air-conditioning air 5. The air-conditioning air 5 that has been deprived of heat by heating the air-conditioning air 5 is returned to the liquid tank portion 21 again, heated by the electric heater 22, and thereafter circulated and used.

  The heating of the liquid heat medium 8 by the electric heater 22 is controlled by the control board 34. A power supply system 23 that supplies power to the electric heater 22 and a control system 25 that controls the temperature of the electric heater 22 are mounted on the control board 34. Supply of electric power to the control board 34 is performed via the bus bar module 57.

  In this embodiment, the control board 34 is provided with a heater stop mechanism 44. The heater stop mechanism 44 stops the heating of the liquid heat medium 8 by the electric heater 22 when the liquid is detected by the liquid detection signal from the water level sensors 43a and 43b or the leak sensor 43c. The heater stop mechanism 44 may be configured separately from the control board 34. For example, the circuit breaker 53 constituted by the relays 53a and 53b or the like shorts the power supply system 23 or shuts off the control system 25 by sensing the liquid by the water level sensors 43a and 43b or the leak sensor 43c. You may do it.

  Then, the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 installed in the through hole 41 of the liquid tank unit 21 detects the temperature of the electric heater 22. When the temperature of the electric heater 22 becomes higher than a predetermined temperature, the electric heater 22 is used to shut off at least one of the control system 25 or the power supply system 23 of the electric heater 22.

  Further, the water level sensors 43 a and 43 b or the liquid leakage sensor 43 c as the liquid detection device 43 installed outside the through hole 41 detects the liquid from the through hole 41. As described above, the heater stop mechanism 44 is used to shut off at least one of the control system 25 or the power supply system 23 of the electric heater 22 when liquid is detected.

  A sealed space 59 is formed by a liquid storage portion 55 provided outside the liquid tank portion 21 so as to surround the through hole 41 and a sealing member 56 capable of sealing the opening 55a of the liquid storage portion 55. The In the sealed space 59, the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16, and the water level sensors 43a and 43b or the leak sensor 43c are accommodated and installed in a watertight state.

  Thereby, the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 can directly detect the temperature of the electric heater 22 through the through hole 41.

  In addition, by using the bus bar module 57 as the sealing member 56 described above, it is possible to obtain a structure and function aggregation and a reduction in the number of parts due to the aggregation.

  Then, by installing a control board 34 for controlling the electric heater 22 outside the bus bar module 57, it is possible to efficiently supply power to the control board 34.

  <Effect> According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  For example, if a strong external force is applied to the liquid heating device 12 due to a collision accident or the like and the sealed state by the tank seal portion 42 is impaired, there is a possibility that the liquid heat medium 8 may leak. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the liquid detection device 43 provided outside the through hole 41 detects the liquid, and the heater stop mechanism 44 stops the heating of the liquid heat medium 8 by the electric heater 22. This prevents the liquid tank unit 21 from being empty.

  At this time, in this embodiment, the sealed space 59 and the sealed member 56 prevent liquid leakage to the outside of the liquid heating device 12, and the sealed space sealing portion 65 further improves this liquid leakage preventing effect. I am letting. Further, by detecting the liquid heat medium 8 accumulated in the sealed space 59, the liquid detection by the liquid detection device 43 can be facilitated.

  Moreover, in the said Example, the waterproof ventilation member 61 provided in the sealing member 56 functions so that the air in the sealed space 59 may escape outside, and liquid may not pass through (it does not leak outside). Thereby, even if the pressure in the sealed space 59 rises due to the heating of the liquid heating device 12, it can be released by the waterproof ventilation member 61.

  Moreover, in the said Example, since the sealing member 56 is comprised by the bus-bar module 57, the function as the sealing member 56 can be given to the bus-bar module 57, and simplification of the structure by concentration of a function is aimed at. Can do. Furthermore, since the bus bar in the bus bar module 57 is generally made of metal, the bus bar module 57 can be firmly fixed to the lid 33 using a bolt or the like. Thereby, liquid leakage of the liquid heat medium 8 from the sealed space 59 to the outside can be prevented.

  Moreover, in the said Example, the following effects can be obtained. That is, when the liquid is detected by the liquid detection device 43, the heater stop mechanism 44 shuts off the control system 25 of the electric heater 22. As a result, power supply to the electric heater 22 is not controlled, so that the heating of the liquid heat medium 8 by the electric heater 22 can be reliably stopped.

  Moreover, in the said Example, the following effects can be obtained. That is, when the liquid is detected by the liquid detection device 43, the heater stop mechanism 44 shuts off the power supply system 23 of the electric heater 22. As a result, power is not supplied to the electric heater 22, so that the heating of the liquid heat medium 8 by the electric heater 22 can be reliably stopped.

  Moreover, in the said Example, the following effects can be obtained. That is, when the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 installed in the through hole 41 of the liquid tank unit 21 detects the temperature of the electric heater 22, the temperature of the electric heater 22 becomes higher than a predetermined temperature. As described above, the heating of the liquid heat medium 8 by the electric heater 22 can be stopped. Thereby, temperature adjustment of the electric heater 22 can be performed, abnormal heating of the electric heater 22 can be prevented, and the like.

  The through hole 41 to which the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 is attached can be sealed by the tank seal portion 42 provided between the liquid tank 21 and the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16. Furthermore, as described above, the liquid detection device 43 provided outside the through hole 41 can detect the liquid from the through hole 41 where the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 is attached.

  Moreover, in the said Example, the following effects can be obtained. That is, the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 is provided inside the liquid storage unit 55, so that the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 can be installed in the sealed space 59 in a sealed state. Thereby, the liquid leak from the part which installed the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 can be prevented effectively.

  Further, the opening 55a provided with the sealing member 56 and the sealed space sealing portion 65 of the liquid storage unit 55 is formed larger than the through-hole 41 in which the bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 is installed. The bimetal switch 51 or the temperature sensor 16 can be easily installed in the sealed space 59 through the portion 55a.

  According to the configuration 10, it is possible to obtain substantially the same operational effects as the above-described operational effects.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the embodiments are only examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments. Needless to say, design changes and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the invention are included in the present invention. Further, for example, when each embodiment includes a plurality of configurations, it is a matter of course that possible combinations of these configurations are included even if not specifically described. Further, when a plurality of embodiments and modifications are shown, it is needless to say that possible combinations of configurations extending over these are included even if not specifically described. Further, the configuration depicted in the drawings is of course included even if not particularly described. Further, when there is a term of “etc.”, it is used in the sense that the equivalent is included. In addition, when there are terms such as “almost”, “about”, “degree”, etc., they are used in the sense that they include those in the range and accuracy recognized by common sense.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 Liquid heat medium 12 Liquid heating device 16 Temperature sensor 21 Liquid tank part 22 Electric heater 23 Electric power supply system 25 Control system 34 Control board 41 Through-hole 42 Tank seal part 43 Liquid detection device 43a, 43b Water level sensor 43c Leakage sensor 44 Heater Stop mechanism 51 Bimetal switch 55 Liquid reservoir 55a Opening 56 Sealing member 57 Bus bar module 59 Sealed space 61 Waterproof ventilation member 65 Sealing part for sealed space

Claims (10)

In the vehicle liquid heating apparatus configured to heat the liquid heat medium stored in the liquid tank part with an electric heater installed in the liquid tank part,
A tank seal portion for sealing a through hole formed in the liquid tank portion is provided;
While providing a liquid detection device capable of detecting liquid outside the through hole,
A vehicle liquid heating apparatus comprising a heater stop mechanism for stopping heating of the liquid heat medium by the electric heater when a liquid is detected by the liquid detection apparatus. Outside the liquid tank part, a liquid storage part formed so as to surround the through hole, and a sealing member capable of sealing the opening of the liquid storage part are provided,
The vehicle liquid heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid detection device is installed in a sealed space formed between the liquid storage unit and the sealing member.   3. The vehicle liquid heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sealing member is constituted by a bus bar module formed by covering a bus bar with an insulating member.   4. The vehicle liquid heating according to claim 2, wherein a waterproof ventilation member that allows air in the sealed space to escape to the outside and prevents a liquid heat medium from passing through is provided in the sealed member. 5. apparatus.   5. The vehicular liquid heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a sealed space sealing portion is provided between the opening of the liquid storage portion and the sealing member.   6. The heater according to claim 1, wherein the heater stop mechanism shuts off a control system of the electric heater when the liquid is detected by the liquid detection device. Liquid heating device for vehicles.   7. The heater according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heater stop mechanism is configured to cut off a power supply system of the electric heater when the liquid is detected by the liquid detection device. The liquid heating apparatus for vehicles as described. A bimetal switch or temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the electric heater is provided,
The bimetal switch or temperature sensor is installed in the through hole,
6. The vehicle liquid heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the tank seal portion is provided between the liquid tank portion and a bimetal switch or a temperature sensor. The bimetal switch or temperature sensor is provided inside the liquid reservoir;
9. The opening of the liquid storage part in which the sealing member and the sealing part for the sealed space are provided is formed larger than the through hole in which the bimetal switch or the temperature sensor is installed. Liquid heating device for vehicles. A liquid tank for storing a liquid heat medium;
An electric heater installed in the liquid tank,
A bimetal switch or a temperature sensor installed so as to close a through-hole formed in the liquid tank,
A recess provided outside the liquid tank portion so as to surround the through hole;
A water level sensor or a liquid leakage sensor, which is a liquid detection device installed in the recess, for detecting liquid,
A heater stop mechanism for stopping heating of the liquid heat medium by the electric heater when a liquid is detected by a liquid detection signal from the water level sensor or a liquid leakage sensor;
A vehicular liquid heating apparatus comprising: