JP3028960B1 - Panel heater - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a panel heater capable of reducing power consumption, averaging a temperature distribution on a panel surface, and reducing the weight. SOLUTION: A foamed layer 2 made of a metal foam is provided on each of the front and back sides of a PTC planar heating element 1, and the surface of the foamed layer 2 is covered with a panel surface layer 3 made of artificial stone. The solution.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to heating, drying,
The present invention relates to an improvement of a panel heater for snow melting and the like, and particularly to a panel heater suitable for use on both front and back surfaces such as a partition panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art
As this type of heater, a linear heating element generally called a sheathed heater is used, and is used by being provided inside a panel material on the surface. However, since it is a linear heating method using a sheathed heater, there are many heating losses due to heating the entire surface from a linear heat source, and power consumption is also constant because the heating value is constant regardless of temperature changes. There is a problem that the temperature is large and the heat generation temperature becomes too high, which may cause ignition. In addition, since the linear heating method is used, only the vicinity of the heater is locally heated, and there is a problem that the temperature unevenness on the surface of the panel material is large.

In order to alleviate such temperature unevenness, a metal plate may be interposed between the sheathed heater and the panel material. However, since the metal plate has high heat conduction efficiency, the metal plate is interposed from the sheathed heater as a heat source via the metal plate. Thus, only the part of the panel material which is conducted to the panel material and is in contact with the metal plate is directly heated. That is, since it is difficult to obtain horizontal heat conduction from the sheathed heater in the horizontal direction, a temperature difference occurs between the sheet heater and a portion of the panel material that is not in contact with the metal plate. In addition, the weight increases according to the used area of the metal plate, and the burden of construction and transportation also increases.

In any case, conventionally, in addition to the problems caused by the heater such as large power consumption, there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain a uniform temperature distribution and it is difficult to reduce the weight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a panel heater capable of reducing power consumption, averaging the temperature distribution on the panel surface, and reducing the weight.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a panel heater according to the present invention has a foamed layer made of a metal foam on both front and back sides of a PTC planar heating element 1. 2 are provided, and the surface of the foamed layer 2 is covered with a panel surface layer 3 made of artificial stone.

Since the panel heater is not of the linear heating type but of the planar heating type using the PTC planar heating element 1, the heating loss in heating the entire panel surface layer 3 is small. To PTC (Positive Temp)
Since it has the characteristic of an "Effect Coefficient", it automatically responds to a temperature change without using a temperature control device such as a thermostat. That is, as the temperature increases, the resistance value increases, the current value decreases, and the amount of heat generated is suppressed. On the contrary, when the temperature is low, the resistance value decreases, a large current flows, and the amount of generated heat increases.

In addition, the heat dissipation area is large due to the planar heating method, and the heat conduction from the PTC planar heating element 1 serving as a heat source is multi-directional by the metal foam by interposing the foam layer 2 made of a metal foam. Are distributed. That is, in the conventional metal plate, the direction of heat conduction from the heat source is the direction toward the surface of the panel heater. However, by using a metal foam, the front and back direction (thickness direction) toward the panel surface layer 3 is used.
, But also conducts in a planar manner to the sides, whereby the panel surface layer 3 is heated over the whole.

Further, since the PTC sheet heating element 1 has the foam layer 2 and the panel surface layer 3 on both the front and back sides, the panel heat is applied to the panel by utilizing the uniformed radiant heat from the panel surface layers 3. The heater can be used on both sides. For example, if the panel heater is used as a partition, the panel heater can be covered with a towel, clothing, or the like, and the heat radiated from both the front and back surfaces can be efficiently used for drying.

The panel surface layer 3 is made of artificial stone.
This artificial stone is composed of a base material made of granular or powdery natural stone (marble, granite, etc.) or metal powder, and a binder made of a thermoplastic resin (polyester or acrylic) for bonding the base material. Is done.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a panel heater according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the panel heater according to the present embodiment has a substantially rectangular shape in a front view and is formed in a thin plate shape having a substantially uniform thickness, and a sheet-like PTC sheet heating element 1 is built in a central position in a front view. It has been done. Specifically, the PTC planar heating element 1 is provided substantially at the center in the thickness direction (front and back direction) of the panel heater, and foam layers 2 made of a metal foam are provided on both front and back sides, respectively. The entire front and back surfaces of the sheet heating element 1 are covered with a metal foam. The metal foam is made of porous aluminum having countless cells. In the present embodiment, the thickness ratio of the foam layer 2 on the front side and the foam layer 2 on the back side is substantially equal. In the case where any one of them is mainly used, it is also possible to increase the thickness mainly used.

Further, the surface of each foam layer 2 is entirely covered with a panel surface layer 3 made of artificial stone.
Further, the side surfaces of the PTC planar heating element 1 and the foam layers 2 and 2 are also covered with artificial stones over the entire circumference. That is, the artificial stone is formed over the entire surface of the panel heater, and P
It is configured to cover the entire TC planar heating element 1 and the foam layer 2.

Here, the artificial stone is formed by a molding process in which a mixture of a base material and a binder is kneaded and cured at about 80 to 120 degrees.
2 are integrally formed on the surface of the second. Therefore, artificial stone is impregnated to some extent inside the foam layer 2 by molding.

The panel surface layer 3 made of the artificial stone
The power connector of the PTC planar heating element 1 is provided on the left and right, one is a female connector 4a and the other is a male connector 4b corresponding to the female connector 4a. As shown by, a male connector 4b of another panel heater can be engaged with the female connector 4a.
That is, the power supply connector functions as a joining portion for joining the panel heaters in a planar manner on the side surfaces thereof. Power can be supplied via the power connector. Power can be supplied to the PTC planar heating element 1 by connecting a power cord to the female connector 4a.

As described above, the panel heater of the present embodiment has the following advantages because it employs the sandwich structure in which the PTC planar heating element 1 is sandwiched between the front and back surfaces of the metal foam and the artificial stone.

That is, since the PTC planar heating element 1 automatically responds to a temperature change, an excessive rise in temperature can be prevented, power consumption can be reduced, and it is not necessary to use a temperature control device. Also, since the calorific value increases as the temperature decreases, the effect is particularly large when used for snow melting.

Further, the heat conduction is also dispersed in the plane direction by the foam layer 2, and the temperature distribution of the panel surface layer 3 can be averaged in combination with the heat storage effect of the bubbles. That is,
Not only the central portion is locally heated, but also the heat is transmitted to the peripheral portion of the panel surface layer 3 so that a soft touch can be obtained even when touched by hand. In addition, since the foam layer 2 is a porous body made of aluminum, the weight can be reduced as compared with a conventional metal plate, and the burden during transportation and construction can be reduced.

Furthermore, since the surface of the panel heater is covered with artificial stone, the artificial layer protects the foamed layer 2 and the strength of the panel heater itself can be ensured. Since the surface is impregnated, the peel strength is also ensured. In addition, it is easy to apply the coating to the panel surface layer 3 and the panel surface layer 3 is resistant to moisture, so that it has an excellent insulating effect.

Moreover, by joining a plurality of panel heaters in a plane as described above, it is suitable for a wide range of use.
In this case, since the power connector is used as the joint, there is no need to provide a power cord to each panel heater, and there is an advantage that wiring can be simplified.

Further, since the metal foam and the artificial stone are provided on both sides of the PTC planar heating element 1, it is particularly effective for use on both sides. For example, when this panel heater is used as a partition, substantially uniform heat is radiated from both panel surface layers 3 and 3 to warm the spaces on both sides substantially uniformly. It can be dried more efficiently than used.

The power supply connector serving as a joint can adopt various forms other than the above-described configuration. For example, a configuration having a lead wire 5 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be employed. In this case, it is preferable to provide the thin portion 6 on the peripheral portion of the panel heater. At the time of joining, the power connector having the lead wire 5 is placed below the thin portion 6 (the back side) to maintain the flatness on the back side. it can.

Further, since the metal foam is also porous, the strength of the panel heater itself can be sufficiently ensured. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the PTC planar heating element 1 is small in area of the entire panel heater. In this case, by providing a reinforcing portion 8 that penetrates the foam layer 2 from front to back on the outside of the PTC planar heating element 1,
The strength can be further increased. This reinforcing portion 8
By forming a hole in a predetermined position of the foam layer 2 in advance, the artificial stone is formed by entering the hole at the time of molding the artificial stone,
Both panel surface layers 3 are connected front and back by the reinforcing portion 8 to increase the strength and protect the internal PTC planar heating element 1 from inadvertent pressing force. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 7 denotes a power cord.

In addition, the design can be appropriately changed within the range intended by the present invention and according to the desired application, and the types of metal foams and artificial stones are not limited to those described above. Further, a thin plate-shaped artificial stone formed by molding may be fixed to the surface of the foam layer 2 by bonding or the like.

[0024]

As described above, since the PTC sheet heating element is used, in addition to good heating efficiency by the sheet heating method,
The power consumption is self-suppressed by the PTC characteristics, and the power consumption can be greatly reduced as compared to the linear heating element represented by the conventional sheathed heater, and an excessive temperature rise can be prevented beforehand, which is superior in safety. Yes, there is no need to use a temperature control device such as a thermostat.

Further, since the heat is dispersed by the foamed layer made of the metal foam, the temperature distribution of the panel surface layer can be averaged, and the weight can be reduced as compared with the conventional metal plate, so that the transportation and operation can be performed. Since the load during construction is reduced, and the surface is covered with the panel surface layer made of artificial stone, sufficient strength can be ensured while reducing the weight.

Further, since the panel heater can be used on both sides, it can be used for various purposes, such as being used as a partition such as a partition in addition to floor heating.

In particular, when the panel surface layer is integrally formed on the surface of the foam layer by molding, the artificial stone impregnates the metal foam at the time of molding, so that there is no risk of peeling of the artificial stone. There is an advantage that the strength of the panel heater can be increased as compared with a case where a thin artificial stone is simply fixed to the surface of the foam layer.

Further, since the panel heaters can be joined to each other two-dimensionally, it is effective for heating and the like over a wider area. In particular, the joint for joining the panel heaters is a PTC sheet heating element. If the power supply connector between the PTC planar heating element of one panel heater and the PTC planar heating element of the other panel heater can be energized via the power supply connector, the number of panel heaters can be reduced. No power cord is required, and electrical wiring is greatly simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a panel heater according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line PP of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a panel heater according to another embodiment, including a break line as viewed from the rear side.

FIG. 4 shows a bonding state of the panel heater of the embodiment;
(A) is a rear view, and (B) is a QQ sectional view of (A).

5A and 5B show a panel heater according to another embodiment, wherein FIG. 5A is a front view, and FIG. 5B is an RR cross-sectional view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... PTC planar heating element, 2 ... foam layer, 3 ... panel surface layer, 4a ... female connector (power supply connector), 4b ... male connector (power supply connector)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F24D 13/02

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A foam layer (2) made of a metal foam is provided on both sides of a PTC sheet heating element (1), and the surface of the foam layer (2) is made of artificial stone. A panel heater characterized by being covered by 3). 2. The panel heater according to claim 1, wherein said panel surface layer (3) is integrally formed on the surface of said foam layer (2) by molding. 3. The panel heater according to claim 1, wherein the panel heaters can be joined to each other in a plane. 4. A power connector (4) of the PTC planar heating element (1) for joining panel heaters to each other.
a, 4b), and the P of one of the panel heaters to be joined is
4. The panel heater according to claim 3, wherein electricity can be conducted between the TC planar heating element (1) and the PTC planar heating element (1) of the other panel heater via power connectors (4a, 4b).