JP2017016817A - Fluid heating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid heating device which reduces the number of components and enables improvement of cooling performance of a heating body.SOLUTION: A fluid heating device 100 heats a fluid flowing in a tank 10 and includes: a heating body 21; a heating part 20 which is molded so as to cover around the heating body 21, is stored in the tank 10, and heats the fluid; and a lid part 23 which is integrally molded with the heating part 20 and joined to an opening part 15 of the tank 10. The lid part 23 includes fins 23b protruding from a back side of an outer surface, to which heating elements 34, 35 contact, into the tank 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid heating apparatus.

  Conventionally, Patent Document 1 discloses a heater device in which a heating element that generates heat when an electric current flows is accommodated in a tank, a fluid is circulated through the tank, and the fluid is heated by heat generated by the heating element.

JP 2014-053288 A

  In the above heater device, the heater is fixed to the tank using the holding member, the number of parts increases, and the number of work steps during assembly increases.

  Moreover, since the semiconductor element etc. which are used for the control part which controls a heater apparatus etc. become high temperature at the time of use, it needs to be cooled. If the semiconductor can be cooled by the fluid flowing through the heater device, the system including the heater device can be downsized.

  The present invention has been invented in view of these points, and aims to reduce the number of work steps and downsize the system.

  A fluid heating device according to an aspect of the present invention is a fluid heating device that heats a fluid flowing in a tank, and is formed so as to cover a heating element and the surroundings of the heating element, and is accommodated in the tank to heat the fluid. A heating part that is integrally formed with the heating part and joined to the opening of the tank, and the lid part includes fins that protrude into the tank from the back side of the outer surface with which the heating element contacts.

  According to this aspect, the heating part and the cover part are integrally formed, so that the number of parts is reduced and the work process is reduced, and the heat generated in the heating element by the fins can be radiated to the fluid. Since the system can be cooled, the system can be downsized.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a fluid heating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the heater unit and the tank of the fluid heating device, and is a view showing the tank in cross section. FIG. 3 is a front view of the heater unit and the tank of the fluid heating device, and is a view showing the tank in cross section. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.

  Hereinafter, a fluid heating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The fluid heating device 100 is applied to a vehicle air conditioner (not shown) mounted on a vehicle such as an EV (Electric Vehicle: electric vehicle) or an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle: hybrid vehicle). The fluid heating device 100 heats hot water as a fluid in order for the vehicle air conditioner to perform a heating operation.

  First, the overall configuration of the fluid heating apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fluid heating device 100 includes a tank 10 through which water flows, a heater unit 20 accommodated in the tank 10, a bus bar module 30 for connecting various electrical components, and a heater unit 20. The control board 40 as a control part for controlling operation | movement and the cover 50 which covers the bus-bar module 30 and the control board 40 are provided.

  The tank 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The tank 10 has a rectangular bottom surface 13, a wall surface 14 erected from the bottom surface 13, and an opening 15 that opens at an end of the wall surface 14 so as to face the bottom surface 13. The tank 10 has a supply port 11 through which hot water is supplied and a discharge port 12 through which hot water is discharged. The supply port 11 and the discharge port 12 open side by side on the same wall surface 14 of the tank 10. The fluid heating device 100 is disposed in the vehicle such that the discharge port 12 is positioned above the supply port 11 when in use.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heater unit 20 includes a spiral heater 21 and a heating unit 22 formed so as to cover the periphery of the heater 21. In the heater unit 20, a metal is die-cast around the heater 21, and a heating part 22 including the heater 21 and cast is formed. The heater unit 20 is formed integrally with a top plate portion 23 that closes the opening 15 of the tank 10. A connecting portion 29 is formed between the heater unit 20 and the top plate portion 23, and the connecting portion 29 is formed integrally with the top plate portion 23 together with the heater unit 20. That is, the heater unit 20, the connecting portion 29, and the top plate portion 23 are integrally formed.

  The heater 21 has a pair of terminals 21 a and 21 b to which electric power is supplied via a bus bar module 30 from a power supply device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle. The heater 21 has a spiral heating element 21c protruding into the tank 10 between the pair of terminals 21a and 21b. The heater 21 is a sheathed heater or a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater that generates heat from the heating element 21c when energized. The heater 21 is preferably a sheathed heater in terms of cost. The heater 21 generates heat upon receiving a command from the control board 40 and heats the hot water flowing through the tank 10 via the heating unit 22.

  The heating part 22 is formed smaller than the inner periphery of the heater 21 and is formed larger than the outer periphery of the through hole 25 that penetrates along the central axis of the heater 21 and the inner wall 17 of the tank 10. And an outer wall portion 26 to be used. The heating unit 22 is formed of a metal having a lower melting point than that of the heater 21. Here, the heater 21 is formed of stainless steel, and the heating unit 22 is formed of an aluminum alloy. The heating unit 22 transfers the heat generated by the heater 21 to the hot water and heats the hot water.

  The through hole 25 is formed inside the heating element 21c wound in a spiral. The supply port 11 of the tank 10 opens on an extension line of the through hole 25. The through-hole 25 forms an inner peripheral flow path 27 (see FIG. 3) through which hot water supplied from the supply port 11 flows.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the through hole 25 has a plurality of inner peripheral fins 25 a that protrude to the inner periphery along the flow direction of the hot water. The inner peripheral fin 25a increases the heat transfer area in the inner peripheral flow path 27 as compared with the case where the inner peripheral fin 25a is not provided. The plurality of inner peripheral fins 25 a are formed at equiangular intervals over the entire circumference of the through hole 25.

  The outer wall portion 26 forms an outer peripheral flow path 28 that guides the hot water flowing through the inner peripheral flow path 27 to the discharge port 12 between the inner wall 17 of the tank 10. The outer wall portion 26 has a larger heat transfer area than the through hole 25. Further, the outer peripheral channel 28 has a larger channel area than the inner peripheral channel 27.

  The outer wall portion 26 includes an outer wall main body 26a formed along the outer peripheral shape of the heater 21 and a plurality of outer peripheral fins 26b protruding outward from the outer wall main body 26a along the flow direction of hot water.

  The outer wall main body 26a is formed so as to cover the outer side of the heating element 21c wound spirally. Since the outer wall main body 26a is provided, the heater 21 and the hot water are not in direct contact with each other.

  The outer peripheral fins 26b increase the heat transfer area in the outer peripheral flow path 28 as compared with the case where the outer peripheral fins 26b are not provided. The outer peripheral fins 26 b extend substantially parallel to the bottom surface 13 and the top surface 16 of the tank 10. The outer peripheral fins 26 b are formed larger as they are closer to the top surface 16 as compared with the central portion of the tank 10 in the height direction. The outer peripheral fins 26b are formed so as to face the pair of opposing wall surfaces 14 of the tank 10 with a predetermined interval.

  As described above, the heater unit 20 includes the heating unit 22 formed so as to cover the periphery of the heater 21. The heating unit 22 includes a through hole 25 formed smaller than the inner periphery of the heater 21 and an outer wall portion 26 formed larger than the outer periphery of the heater 21. In the heater unit 20, the surface area of the heating unit 22 is a heat transfer area for exchanging heat with hot water, so the total surface area of the through holes 25 and the outer wall part 26 is the heat transfer area. Therefore, compared with the case where the heater 21 and warm water are made to contact directly, the heat transfer area for heat exchange with warm water can be enlarged.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the top plate 23 is formed longer in the axial direction of the heater unit 20 than the opening 15 of the tank 10. A connector (not shown) for connecting the fluid heating device 100 to a power supply device or a host controller (not shown) mounted on the vehicle is provided at a portion of the top plate portion 23 that protrudes from the tank 10.

  The top plate portion 23 is welded to the outer peripheral edge of the opening 15 in a state where the heater unit 20 is inserted into the tank 10. The top plate portion 23 forms the top surface 16 of the tank 10. The top surface 16 faces the bottom surface 13 of the tank 10 substantially in parallel.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the top plate 23 has a recess 24 a for attaching a bimetal switch 31 as a temperature switch, a recess 24 b for attaching a heater temperature sensor 32, and a recess 24 c for attaching a water temperature sensor 33. And are formed. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) 34 and 35 abut on the top plate portion 23. The top plate portion 23 is formed with fins 23b that protrude toward the inside of the tank 10 from the top surface 16 located on the back side of the portion where the IGBTs 34 and 35 abut.

  A plurality of fins 23b are formed along the flow direction of the hot water around the fins 23b, that is, along the flow direction of the warm water in the outer peripheral flow path 28 so that the amount of protrusion from the top plate portion 23 increases along the flow direction of the warm water. It is formed. Specifically, it is formed so that the amount of protrusion from the top plate portion 23 increases as it becomes closer to the discharge port 12 side. Further, the fins 23b are formed so as not to contact the heating unit 22. In addition, although each fin 23b is extended along the direction orthogonal to the flow of warm water here, you may extend each fin 23b along the flow direction of warm water.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting portion 29 is provided between the heating portion 22 and the top plate portion 23 of the heater unit 20, and extends along the axial direction of the heater unit 20 as shown in FIG. 2. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. The connecting portion 29 includes a neck portion 29 a that is connected to the upper portion of the heating portion 22, and a heat radiating portion 29 b that is provided between the neck portion 29 a and the top plate portion 23 and connects the neck portion 29 a and the top plate portion 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the neck portion 29 a is formed such that the width of the neck portion 29 a is shorter than the width of the heater unit 20. By shortening the width of the neck portion 29a with respect to the heating portion 22, heat transfer from the heating portion 22 to the top plate portion 23 is suppressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the heat radiating portion 29 b is formed such that a part of the heat radiating portion 29 b is longer than the width of the neck portion 29 a. The heat radiating part 29b radiates the heat transmitted from the top plate part 23 to the hot water. Moreover, the heat radiating part 29b radiates the heat transmitted from the neck part 29a to the hot water. By dissipating heat to the hot water by the heat radiating part 29b, heat transfer between the heating part 22 and the top plate part 23 is suppressed.

  The IGBTs 34 and 35 are connected to a vehicle power supply device via the bus bar module 30. The IGBTs 34 and 35 are connected to the control board 40 and perform a switching operation in response to a command signal from the control board 40. The IGBTs 34 and 35 control the supply of electric power to the heater unit 20 by a switching operation. Thereby, the heater unit 20 is adjusted to a desired temperature, and the hot water discharged from the discharge port 12 is adjusted to a desired temperature.

  The IGBTs 34 and 35 generate heat by repeating the switching operation. The maximum temperature at which the IGBTs 34 and 35 can operate is higher than the temperature of hot water flowing in the tank 10. Therefore, the heat generated in the IGBTs 34 and 35 is radiated to the hot water flowing in the tank 10 through the fins 23b and the heat radiating part 29b, and the IGBTs 34 and 35 are cooled.

  The bimetal switch 31 detects the temperature of the heater unit 20 and switches according to the detected temperature. Specifically, the bimetal switch 31 cuts off the supply of power to the heater unit 20 when the temperature of the heater unit 20 rises above the first set temperature. When the temperature of the heater unit 20 falls below a second set temperature that is lower than the first set temperature, the bimetal switch 31 is switched again so that the supply of power to the heater unit 20 is resumed. Also good.

  The heater temperature sensor 32 detects the temperature of the heater 21 in the heater unit 20. The heater temperature sensor 32 sends an electrical signal corresponding to the detected temperature of the heater 21 to the control board 40. The control board 40 stops the supply of power to the heater 21 when the temperature of the heater 21 detected by the heater temperature sensor 32 is higher than the set temperature.

  The water temperature sensor 33 detects the temperature of hot water in the vicinity of the discharge port 12 of the tank 10. That is, the water temperature sensor 33 detects the temperature of the heated hot water discharged from the tank 10. The water temperature sensor 33 is provided inside a protrusion 23 a (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that protrudes from the top plate 23 into the tank 10. The water temperature sensor 33 sends an electrical signal corresponding to the detected temperature of the hot water to the control board 40. The control board 40 controls the supply of electric power to the heater 21 so that the temperature of the hot water detected by the water temperature sensor 33 becomes a desired temperature.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bus bar module 30 is stacked on top of the top plate portion 23. The bus bar module 30 is formed in a small rectangle as compared with the top plate portion 23. The bus bar module 30 is a conductive connection member formed of a metal plate capable of supplying electric power and electric signals.

  The control board 40 is stacked on top of the bus bar module 30. The control board 40 is formed in a small rectangle as compared with the top plate part 23. The control board 40 is electrically connected to the bus bar module 30 and the IGBTs 34 and 35. The control board 40 controls the IGBTs 34 and 35 based on commands from the host controller.

  The cover 50 is provided on the upper part of the control board 40. The cover 50 is formed in the substantially same outer peripheral shape as the top plate portion 23. The cover 50 is welded to the outer peripheral edge of the top plate portion 23. The cover 50 seals the internal space between the top plate portion 23.

  The effect of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  In the present embodiment, the heating unit 22 provided so as to cover the periphery of the heater 21, and the top plate unit 23 having the fins 23 b protruding into the tank 10 from the top surface 16 on the back side where the IGBTs 34 and 35 abut. It is molded integrally.

  Thereby, by reducing the number of parts and joining the top plate part 23 and the tank 10, the heater unit 20 can be accommodated and attached to the tank 10, and the work process can be reduced. Further, the heat generated in the IGBTs 34 and 35 can be radiated to the hot water through the fins 23b, and it is not necessary to separately provide a mechanism for cooling the IGBTs 34 and 35, and the fluid heating device 100 can be downsized.

  The fins 23 b are provided so as not to contact the heating unit 22. Thereby, it can prevent that the heat which generate | occur | produces with the heater 21 is transmitted to the fin 23b from the heating part 22, and it can prevent that the cooling performance of IGBT34 and 35 falls.

  The amount of protrusion of the fins 23b from the top surface 16 is increased along the direction of hot water flow around the fins 23b. Thereby, also in the downstream of the flow direction of the warm water in the outer peripheral flow path 28, the heat radiation amount from the fins 23b to the warm water can be increased, and the IGBTs 34 and 35 can be further cooled.

  A neck portion 29 a having a width shorter than that of the heating portion 22 is provided at the connecting portion 29 that connects the heating portion 22 and the top plate portion 23. Thereby, the heat transfer from the heating part 22 to the top plate part 23 can be suppressed, the temperature of the top plate part 23 is suppressed, and the temperatures of the IGBTs 34 and 35 that are in contact with the top plate part 23 are high. It can be suppressed. Moreover, by suppressing the heat transfer from the heating part 22 to the top plate part 23, the heat transfer from the heating part 22 to other than the warm water can be suppressed, and the heating part 22 caused by the heat transfer to other than the warm water can be suppressed. Temperature drop can be suppressed. Therefore, the heat generation in the heater 21, that is, the energization amount to the heater 21, can be suppressed, and the power consumption in the heater 21 can be suppressed.

  A heat radiating portion 29b having a width wider than that of the neck portion 29a is provided between the neck portion 29a and the top plate portion 23. Thereby, the heat transfer area with the warm water in the heat radiating part 29b can be increased, and the heat radiation amount of heat transferred from the heating part 22 through the neck part 29a can be increased. Therefore, heat transfer from the heating unit 22 to the top plate part 23 can be suppressed, the temperature of the top plate part 23 is suppressed from being increased, and the temperatures of the IGBTs 34 and 35 that are in contact with the top plate part 23 are increased. This can be suppressed. Further, the amount of heat dissipated from the top plate portion 23 to the heat radiating portion 29b can be increased, the temperature of the top plate portion 23 is suppressed from increasing, and the IGBTs 34 and 35 that contact the top plate portion 23 are prevented. It can suppress that temperature becomes high.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the above embodiment only shows a part of application examples of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited to the specific configuration of the above embodiment. Absent.

  In addition, you may provide only the neck part 29a, without providing the thermal radiation part 29b in the connection part 29. FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Tank 15: Opening part 16: Top surface 20: Heater unit 21: Heater 21c: Heat generating body 22: Heating part 23: Top plate part (lid part)
23b: Fin 29: Connection part 29a: Neck part 29b: Heat radiation part 100: Fluid heating device

Claims (5)

A fluid heating device for heating a fluid flowing in a tank,
A heating element;
A heating part that is molded so as to cover the periphery of the heating element, is accommodated in the tank, and heats the fluid;
A lid that is integrally formed with the heating unit and joined to the opening of the tank;
The lid portion includes a fin that protrudes into the tank from the back side of the outer surface with which the heating element contacts.
A fluid heating apparatus. The fluid heating device according to claim 1,
The fin does not contact the heating unit;
A fluid heating apparatus. The fluid heating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The fin has a large protrusion amount from the lid along the fluid flow direction around the fin.
A fluid heating apparatus. A fluid heating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The heating part and the lid part are connected, and the heating part and the lid part are integrally formed with a connecting part,
The connecting part includes a neck part having a shorter width than the heating part,
A fluid heating apparatus. The fluid heating device according to claim 4,
The connecting portion includes a heat radiating portion having a longer width than the neck portion between the neck portion and the lid portion.
A fluid heating apparatus.

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