JP2755460B2 - Automotive heating system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a heating device for a vehicle having a combustion type heater using gasoline, kerosene or light oil as fuel.

(Prior Art) As a heat source for heating the interior of a vehicle, a part of engine cooling water which has become high temperature by cooling an engine is usually used. However, when the heat capacity is insufficient if only the engine cooling water is used as the heat source, for example, when the volume of the vehicle interior is large, such as in a bus or a one-box car, a combustion heater is used.

In an automotive heating device using such a combustion heater, a combustion heater and its related devices are operated by electric power supplied from a battery, and hot air generated by the operation of the combustion heater is passed through a heat exchanger. Heat is exchanged with engine cooling water, and the heated engine cooling water is guided to a heater core to exchange heat with air blown into the vehicle interior. Preheating of the vehicle interior, that is, heating of the vehicle interior before starting the engine, is performed by consuming the electric power of the battery and operating the combustion heater. Therefore, in a vehicle in which the running time is relatively short and the battery is not sufficiently charged, when preheating is performed using a combustion heater, the possibility of the battery rising is high.

Therefore, in order to prevent the rise of the battery by using a combustion type heater, conventionally, a battery protection circuit for stopping the supply of power from the battery when the voltage of the battery falls below the set voltage is provided. 63
As shown in Japanese Patent No. -1666619, a turbine power generation means for generating power by using combustion exhaust gas of a combustion type heater is provided separately from the combustion type heater, and the power consumption of the battery is reduced by the power obtained by the turbine power generation means. I was trying to make up for it.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, when a battery protection circuit is provided, the battery protection circuit operates when the voltage of the battery becomes equal to or lower than the set voltage, and the power supply from the battery is stopped. When there is little, the pre-heating of the vehicle interior may not be performed sufficiently.

In addition, even if power is generated using turbine power generation means,
Since the turbine power generation means needs to be arranged separately from the combustion type heater, the configuration of the vehicle heating device becomes complicated,
In addition, the size of the entire heating device including the pipes must be increased accordingly. It should be noted that in a vehicle in which the turbine power generation means is already provided in the exhaust system of the engine, it is conceivable that the turbine power generation means is also used. For this reason, the above problems generally apply to ordinary vehicles that require a combustion heater.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art, and in a heating apparatus for an automobile having a combustion type heater, power generation is performed during operation of the combustion type heater while avoiding a complicated or large-sized apparatus configuration. It is an object of the present invention to provide a power generating means that performs power generation, and to supplement the power consumption of the battery with the power generated by the power generating means.

[Composition of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention for achieving the above object heats a vehicle interior using combustion heat of combustion gas generated inside a combustion chamber of a combustion heater. In a heating device for an automobile, a thermoelectric generator for generating a thermoelectromotive force is attached to the combustion chamber,
The thermoelectric generator is connected to a battery, and the battery is charged with the thermoelectromotive force generated in the thermoelectric generator. Further, the present invention is characterized in that the thermoelectric generator is mounted such that one end thereof is arranged inside the combustion chamber and the other end is arranged outside the combustion chamber. Further, the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the thermoelectric elements are attached to the combustion chamber, and the plurality of thermoelectric elements are radially arranged at an outlet of the combustion chamber.

(Operation) With this configuration, when the combustion type heater operates, combustion gas is generated inside the combustion chamber, and a temperature difference occurs in the thermoelectric generator. As a result, an electromotive force (thermal electromotive force) proportional to the temperature difference is generated in the thermoelectric generator (Seebeck effect). Then, the thermoelectromotive force charges the battery. At that time, when one end of the thermoelectric generator is arranged inside the combustion chamber and the other end is arranged outside the combustion chamber, the temperature difference generated in the thermoelectric generator becomes large, and the magnitude of the generated thermoelectromotive force also increases. growing.

Further, when a plurality of thermoelectric generators are attached and they are arranged radially at the outlet of the combustion chamber,
The outlet of the combustion chamber is throttled by the plurality of thermoelectric elements, and as a result, the flame is effectively held in the combustion chamber, and stable combustion is obtained.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a vehicle heating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the combustion heater shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle heating device is roughly divided into a vehicle air conditioner 1, an engine 18,
It is composed of a combustion heater 28, a control device 52, and a battery 53.

As shown in FIG. 1, the automotive air conditioner 1 includes an intake unit 2, a cooler unit 3, and a heater unit 4, and is provided at a lower part of an instrument panel (not shown) of the vehicle. The intake unit 2 is provided with an intake door 7 for switching between an outside air intake 5 and an inside air intake 6, and a blower fan 9 for discharging air flowing from one of the intakes into the apparatus. The blower fan 9 is driven by a motor 8. The cooler unit 3 has an evaporator 10 for cooling the air from the intake unit 2, and the heater unit 4 located on the rear side of the cooler unit 3 has a heater core 11 for heating the cooled air passing through the evaporator 10. Is provided. Further, the heater unit 4 is provided with an air mix door 12 that determines the ratio of air passing through the heater core 11 and thereby adjusts the temperature of the air blown into the vehicle interior. Further, in order to blow air at a desired temperature from the heater unit 4 into the vehicle interior, a vent duct connection port 13 to which a vent duct (not shown) is connected, a defroster duct connection port 14 to which a defroster duct (not shown) is connected, A room duct connection port 15 to which a room duct (not shown) is connected is provided.

A water jacket 19 through which engine cooling water (hot water) passes is provided in the engine 18 shown in FIG. The water jacket 19 communicates with the hot water inlet 16 of the heater core 11 by an inlet-side conduit 20 and communicates with the hot water outlet 17 of the heater core 11 by an outlet-side conduit 21. An inlet pipe for supplying engine cooling water in the water jacket 19 to the combustion heater 28 as a bypass pipe to the inlet side conduit 20.
22 and an outflow pipe 23 are connected to each other. A part of the engine coolant flowing out of the water jacket 19 is supplied to a combustion type heater 28 by a one-way valve 24 mounted between the two connection portions. Will be sent. When the engine 18 is stopped or when the flow rate of the engine coolant to the combustion heater 28 is changed, the water pump 25 is operated to circulate the engine coolant to the combustion heater 28. Therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the engine cooling water passing through the combustion type heater 28 flows into the water jacket 19 → inflow pipe 22 → combustion type heater 28 → outflow pipe 23 → inlet side conduit 20 → heater core 11 → outlet side. The water circulates along a path from the conduit 21 to the water jacket 19. When the temperature of the engine cooling water in the water jacket 19 becomes higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 80 ° C.), the thermovalve 26 operates to activate the water jacket.
The engine cooling water in 19 is sent to a radiator 27 where it is cooled.

The combustion heater 28 mixes fuel (for example, gasoline, kerosene, light oil, etc.) supplied by the fuel pump 43 with air supplied by the blower fan 44 and burns it, and exchanges heat of combustion of the generated combustion gas. Then, a part of the engine cooling water guided to the heater core 11 is heated. The combustion heater 28 is operated separately from the engine 18 by the control device 52 and the battery 53, and is used, for example, when the vehicle interior is heated before the engine is started. In addition,
The blower fan 44 is driven by a motor 45.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the combustion type heater 28 has a multiple cylindrical shape, and a fuel injection nozzle 30 connected to a fuel pump 43 is fixed to one end of the combustion cylinder 29.
The fuel injected from the fuel injection nozzle 30 is vaporized by an evaporating plate (wick) 31, and the vaporized fuel is supplied to a combustion chamber 32 formed inside a combustion cylinder 29. In addition, this combustion chamber 32
And an annular air chamber 33 formed outside the combustion cylinder 29 are communicated through a number of small openings 34, and a blower fan 44
The air that flows into the air chamber 33 from the air intake pipe 35 is opened
From 34, it is supplied to the combustion chamber 32. The fuel and air supplied to the combustion chamber 32 are mixed, ignited by a spark plug 36, and burned. Thus, high-temperature combustion gas is generated in the combustion chamber 32.
The high-temperature combustion gas is sequentially supplied to a first exhaust chamber 37 formed on the downstream side of the combustion chamber 32 in the combustion cylinder 29, and an annular gas formed outside the combustion cylinder 29 in communication with the first exhaust chamber 37. The air is exhausted to the exhaust pipe 39 through the second exhaust chamber 38. In this exhausting process, the high-temperature combustion gas to be exhausted via the heat transfer cylinder 41 disposed between the combustion cylinder 29 and the outer cylinder 40 and the outer cylinder 40
Heat is exchanged with the engine cooling water flowing into the inside, and as a result, the engine cooling water is heated. The high-temperature engine cooling water is discharged to the outflow pipe 23,
It is led to the hot water inlet 16 of the heater core 11 via the inlet side conduit 20. The air chamber 33 and the second exhaust chamber 38 are bounded by a partition plate 42.

The combustion chamber 32 of the combustion heater 28 is provided with a thermoelectric generator 46 for generating electromotive force based on the Seebeck effect, for example, eight iron silicon thermoelectric generators. The thermoelectric generator 46 has two different conductors 46a and 4
One end of 6b is connected to each other at a joint 47, and a lead 48 is connected to the other end.Eight such thermoelectric generators 46 are connected in series by the lead 48, One end of the series connection is grounded, and the other end is connected to the battery 53 of the vehicle. These eight thermoelectric elements 46
The battery 53 will be charged with the thermoelectromotive force generated in the above.

The eight thermoelectric elements 46 are mounted so that the high-temperature contact 49 on the joint 47 side is inside the combustion chamber 32, and the low-temperature contact 50 on the lead wire 48 side is inside the air chamber 33. ing. As a result, the high-temperature contact 49 of the thermoelectric generator 46 becomes extremely high due to the combustion heat of the combustion gas, while the low-temperature contact 50
Is cooled by the combustion air blown by the blower fan 44, the temperature difference between the high-temperature contact 49 and the low-temperature contact 50 of the thermoelectric generator 46 increases, and the magnitude of the generated thermoelectromotive force also increases. Become.

Furthermore, the eight thermoelectric elements 46 are radially arranged at the outlet 51 of the combustion chamber 32 with their high-temperature contacts 49 facing each other. As a result, the outlet 51 of the combustion chamber 32 is throttled, and the flame in the combustion chamber 32 is favorably held.

The battery 53 is connected to the control device 52 in addition to being connected to the thermoelectric generator 46, and supplies power to the corresponding element of the heating device via the control device 52. Also,
The control device 52 is connected to the motors 8 and 45 of the two types of blower fans 9 and 44, the spark plug 36 of the combustion heater 28, the water pump 25, and the fuel pump 43. This control device
52 incorporates a microcomputer having a timer, and controls the temperature of the air blown into the vehicle cabin by arithmetically processing signals from various sensors and switches (not shown).

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, eight thermoelectric generators 46 are simply attached to the combustion chamber 32 of the combustion heater 28 and connected in series, and the heat generated in the thermoelectric generator 46 with the operation of the combustion heater 28. Since the battery 53 was filled with electromotive force,
The use of the combustion type heater 28 can greatly reduce the rise of the battery while avoiding the complexity and size increase of the device configuration. Therefore, even in a vehicle whose traveling time is relatively short and the battery is not sufficiently charged, it is possible to perform pre-heating of the vehicle interior.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the high-temperature contact 49 of the thermoelectric generator 46 is
Side inside the combustion chamber 32 and its cold junction 50 side is located in the air chamber 33 outside the combustion chamber 32 so that the temperature difference between the hot junction 49 and the cold junction 50 is as large as possible. Therefore, the magnitude of the thermoelectromotive force generated in the thermoelectric generator 46 increases, and the effect of charging the battery 53 with the use of the combustion heater 28 can be further improved.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the eight thermoelectric generators 46 are radially arranged at the outlet 51 of the combustion chamber 32 so that the combustion chamber 32
Since the flame is effectively held, a separate member such as a throttle plate required for the outlet 51 of the combustion chamber 32 for holding the flame is not required, and the structure of the combustion chamber 32 can be simplified accordingly. can do.

According to the present embodiment, the engine cooling water heated by the combustion heater 28 is guided to the heater core 11 of the automotive air conditioner 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The configuration may be such that the engine cooling water heated by the combustion heater 28 is guided to the heater core of the heater.

Further, in the present embodiment, eight thermoelectric generators 46 are used, but the number is not limited thereto, and the number of thermoelectric generators 46 to be used is determined in consideration of the power generation capacity and size of each thermoelectric generator 46. Just do it.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention,
A thermoelectric generator is installed in the combustion chamber of the combustion heater, and the battery is charged with the thermoelectromotive force generated in the thermoelectric generator due to the operation of the combustion heater. The battery rise due to the use of the combustion heater can be greatly reduced while using the heater. Therefore, even in a vehicle whose traveling time is relatively short and the battery is not sufficiently charged, it is possible to perform pre-heating of the vehicle interior. At that time, when one end of the thermoelectric generator is arranged inside the combustion chamber and the other end is arranged outside the combustion chamber, the magnitude of the thermoelectromotive force generated in the thermoelectric generator increases, so that the combustion type The effect of charging the battery with the use of the heater can be further improved.

Further, when a plurality of thermoelectric generators are attached and they are arranged radially at the outlet of the combustion chamber,
Since the flame is effectively held by the plurality of thermoelectric elements, a separate member such as a throttle plate is not required, and the structure of the combustion chamber can be simplified accordingly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an automotive heating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the combustion heater shown in FIG. 11 ... heater core, 28 ... combustion heater, 32 ... combustion type, 46 ... thermoelectric generator, 51 ... outlet, 52 ... control device, 53 ... battery.

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A thermoelectric generator for generating a thermoelectromotive force in an automotive heating system for heating a vehicle interior by using combustion heat of combustion gas generated inside a combustion chamber (32) of a combustion heater (28). (46) is attached to the combustion chamber (32), and the thermoelectric generator (46) is connected to a battery (53), and the thermoelectric power generated in the thermoelectric generator (46) is applied to the battery (53). A heating device for an automobile, wherein the heating device is charged. 2. The thermoelectric generator (46) is mounted so that one end is disposed inside the combustion chamber (32) and the other end is disposed outside the combustion chamber (32). The heating device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The combustion chamber (32) wherein the thermoelectric element (46) is provided in the combustion chamber (32).
A plurality of thermoelectric generators (46) are radially arranged at an outlet (51) of the combustion chamber (32). 2)
A heating device for an automobile according to claim 1.