JPS61243687A - Sheet heater article - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to wall, floor and ceiling heaters.

[Conventional technology]

walls, floors and ceilings of rooms (i.e. room panels) to provide unobtrusive and controllable heating means to the room;
It is known to install electrically heated heating elements. For example, heating elements are commonly installed within the panels of a room when the room is being constructed, often under a layer of grout that protects the heating element from mechanical abuse or spilled hazardous fluids. Installing heating elements under a layer of grout material is time consuming. Furthermore, due to the weight and volume of the installed heaters, rooms must be pre-planned to fit the walls, floors and ceilings to be heated, and such heaters must be installed after construction is completed, for example during renovations. It will be impossible to install it. Repair and/or replacement of heating elements may require major renovations.

Furthermore, the drawbacks of many prior art systems are:
The heating elements must be electrically interconnected in the field, which further lengthens installation time and increases installation costs and opportunities for error.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention provides a wall, floor and ceiling heater that can be installed in a room during or after construction and solves the problems associated with prior art heaters.

[Structure of the invention]

According to the invention, there is provided a heater for walls, floors and ceilings, the heater comprising a plurality of long self-regulating electric heating elements, each having a sheet shape and connected to at least two connecting elements; and a support for holding the heater element and the connecting element in a substantially predetermined spatial relationship in the plane of the heater element.

The self-regulating properties of the heater elements included in the heater provide several advantages. First, the amount of heat generated by the heater can be changed as needed in any part of the room. That is, more heat can be generated in colder areas of the room, such as near windows, and less heat can be generated in warmer areas of the room. Second, the heating element does not overheat, making it safer to use than comparable conventional constant power consumption heaters.
And it is more reliable. Burnout of the heating element is significantly reduced. Furthermore, furniture, wall hangings and other insulation elements can be placed against or against the heater without risk of overheating, which allows more flexibility in the arrangement of furniture, etc.

Sheet-shaped heaters make installation and repair more convenient. The heater of the invention can be installed after construction of the room, for example as a carpet or wall covering, if necessary with a layer of suitable facing material. Surface - The material may serve, for example, to protect the heater from mechanical abuse or from fluids or other chemicals, or may serve an aesthetic function, for example to enhance the appearance of the heater. .

The self-regulating heating element preferably consists of a feed exhibiting PTC behavior, in particular an organic polymer and a granular conductive filler dispersed therein, in particular carbon black.
Made of C conductive polymer.

For this purpose, known self-regulating heating elements are suitable, in particular conventional conductive polymer strip heaters having two conductive wires embedded in a melt-extruded strip of PTC conductive polymer. include. Also European Patent Application No. 85300415.8 and United States Patent Application No. 650,918.650,91
Also suitable are the seat heaters disclosed in No. 9 and No. 650.920. PTC conductive polymer and P'
Regarding electrical devices comprising self-regulating heaters made of TC conductive polymers, reference may be made, for example, to the following publications: United States of America.

Kitsuki 2,952,761.2,978,665.3゜2
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4,085,286.4,117. ．． 3, j2! , 4
゜177.376.4, 177.446.4, 188゜276.4, 237, 441.4, 242, 57.3.
4.246,468.4,250,400.4,255
．． 698.4,271,350.4,272°! 71.
4,309,596.4,3Q9,597.4゜314
．． 230.4, 315, 237.4, 318°881.
4,327,351.4,220,704.4.334
, 148.4, 334, 351.4, 361.799.
4,388,607.4,425,497.4,426
, 339.4, 426, 633.4° 427.897.
4,4.29,216.4,435. .

639.4, 442, 139.4, 459, 473.4
．． 481,498.4,473,450 and 4°50
No. 2.92.5; British Patent No. 1,605°005
No.; Clason and Kubat (K 1ason and K
ubat), Journal of Applied Polymer Science (,1, Applied Polymer
5science) 19.813-815 (1975);
Narkis et al., polymer engineering and e&science
gineeringand 5science)18,6
49-653 (1978); West German Patent Publication No. 2
,634,999.2,746.6. ．． 02 and 2.
,．． No. 8.21.799; Yoguchi, Tsuba Patent Application Publication No. 38,713.38.71438゜718.63,44
0.68,688.74,281.92,406.96
, 492.119.807 and 128664; European Patent Application No. 8407984.9.84305584
．． 7.84306456.9 and 84307984.
No. 9.

The long heating element of the heater of the invention generally has a strip or layer of conductive polymer exhibiting PTC behavior, preferably a strip or layer of melt extrusion;
The heater element may have two or more electrodes placed thereon, such as spaced electrodes printed on the surface of a single layer of conductive polymer, or two long parallel electrodes extending generally parallel along the element. embedded or enclosed within. Long strip heaters with a generally flattened tape-like cross section are particularly preferred. The heating element is preferably laid flat along its entire length.

It is advantageous to use parallel circuit heating elements in the heater of the present invention, since they can be cut to suit the installation situation. How to cut to suit the situation depends on the arrangement of the heating element and the connecting element. For example, a heater ("consisting of substantially parallel heater elements with connecting elements perpendicular to the heater elements", which can be cut along any line substantially parallel to the heater elements; one side of each heater element Heaters where the heating element is connected to a connecting element at the end may also be cut to fit along a line substantially perpendicular to the heating element, in which case for safety and between exposed electrodes The ends of the heater element exposed by cutting should be curled to prevent the formation of short circuits.

0.4m or less (J or less, 0.8m, 1.Om.

Heaters can be manufactured and supplied in standard widths such as 1.5m, 2.0m and wider.

The arrangement of the heater elements of the heater depends on the application for which the heater is to be used. A square or rectangular arrangement is used for many applications. In such an arrangement, the heater element preferably extends generally parallel to the first direction. The connecting element is preferably 1. < extends perpendicular to that direction. However, other arrangements are also possible. That is, it also includes a radial arrangement in which a number of heater elements extend radially from one point or are connected to two points. However, the heater elements are preferably spaced apart along their entire length.

Since the connecting element and the heating element are in a substantially predetermined spatial relationship, the installation work of the heater is made easier, since there is no need to assemble and interconnect the various elements on site. The heater is preferably flexible about at least one axis, allowing it to be temporarily bent or rolled for ease of transportation.

For example, -11 = In a heater consisting of a number of generally parallel heater elements and connecting elements extending perpendicular thereto, the heater may be flexible about an axis parallel to the heater elements. When the heater is laid flat or installed on a wall, floor, wall or ceiling, the heating elements and connecting elements of the flexible heater must be in a substantially predetermined spatial relationship in the plane of the sheet. it is obvious.

When installed, the heater of the present invention can be designed to have a thin cross-section and be light in weight. For example, if the heater to be installed has a thickness of 1 cm or less and a weight of 50 J
/m' or less, for example, 250 g/m2. Thin cross-section heaters can be achieved by using tape-like heater elements with flat cross-sections that lie flat along their length (ie, on the major surfaces of the tape). The construction of the present heater differs significantly from prior art heaters in which the heating element is installed several centimeters below grout, such as concrete. Thus, the thin profile and light weight of the system makes it particularly suitable for use as a retrofit system in rooms where the use of wall, floor or ceiling heaters was not initially considered. For example, the heater may be installed as a carpet layer or wall covering or on wainscoting.

Each heater element is directly electrically connected to at least two connecting elements. The connecting element may be in the form of a busbar extending along one or more ends of the heater. For example, the heaters may be in a comb-like arrangement, in which two long electrodes of each heater element, preferably in the form of a tape, may be connected along one edge of the sort. Busbars are supplied. while along each of the opposite ends between which the heating element is placed;
One or more busbars are supplied.

That is, at opposite ends of the element, the two electrodes of each heater may be connected to respective busbars. This will make it look like a ladder arrangement.

Instead of using a pair of connecting elements to which substantially all heater elements are connected, the heater can be manufactured to connect with a portion of a pair of connecting elements. For example, a separate pair of connecting elements can be used to connect each pair of adjacent heater elements. In the latter case, each heater element can be connected to both of its adjacent heater elements at the same end.

Alternatively, each end can be connected to one of the heater elements adjacent to it.

In a particularly preferred construction, the support is extruded around the connecting element, so that the support itself can form electrical insulation for the element. However, the connecting element may also be precoated with a suitable temperature-resistant insulation material.

There are many factors to consider when making wiring decisions.

For example, in some situations it is advantageous to construct a heater with all connecting elements extending along one edge so that the width of the heater can be cut to suit its particular application. Since the heating element is a parallel circuit, it can be cut to size. In other situations, it is advantageous to connect the heater elements by connecting elements at each end of the heater element, since the connections can be designed so that there are no points where the connecting elements or electrodes overlap. This allows the heater to be designed to have a thin cross section. In other situations, it is advantageous to arrange the connecting elements to connect substantially all of the heater elements in pairs, since this minimizes the number of electrode ends and connecting elements to be connected.

Forming an electrical connection by crimping the bare parts of the connecting elements at the ends of the conductor or between the ends, by means of insulation passing through studs on a printed circuit board, by welding or soldering be able to. Other methods of making electrical connections are common to those skilled in the art. Insulation of electrical connections can be achieved in any way, for example by the use of heat-shrinkable tubular or suitably shaped parts, or by the use of encapsulating gels as disclosed in GB 2133026. You may. In another construction, which is of considerable advantage when producing heaters, the support may be extruded around the connecting element. That is, recesses exposing short lengths of the connecting element for connection of the heating element may be arranged at equal intervals in the support. After joining the heater elements 1. The recess may be filled with a suitable insulating material, such as a gel, or a hardened or cured resin such as an epoxy or polyurethane potting compound.

The type of support for the heater element depends on the application of the heater. In one embodiment, the support consists of a sheet material having a thermal conductivity of at least 50 W/mK. Also,
In some embodiments, the support comprises a sheet or strip of material that supports the heater element on at least one of its major surfaces. In another embodiment, the heater element may be sandwiched between two laminated support sheet materials. For example, the laminated sheets can be coated with adhesives, tacks,
They may be fixed together with screws or the like.

The support preferably provides mechanical protection to the heater element. One of the sheets may consist of one or more -16= strips or tapes.

Alternatively or additionally, a heating element is embedded;
Alternatively, the support may consist of a layer of material laid down thereon. The support may consist of a rigid or resilient material, such as a foamed material, a rigid sheet of polyamide or polyester, a fibrous sheet, and the like. In order to ensure that the main surface of the heater is substantially flat and to support the loads imposed on the heater, elements of the support, especially in the form of strips, are used as spacers between the heater elements. May be used. Alternatively, the strips of support material may be arranged such that adjacent strips touch, and the contacting ends may be hinged to allow the heater to be wrapped or folded. good. The hinge may also be provided by a glued film. If the support consists of a hinged strip of material, the heating elements are preferably embedded in the grooves of the strip. In the case of the latter construction, the connecting element extends perpendicular to the hinge, and in such a situation, when unwinding the heater, the connecting element is It is desirable to have a king or bent at the hinge part. If the support is extruded around the connecting element, such kinks or bends may be manufactured by suitable in-line manufacturing techniques.

To ensure a more even distribution of heat over the area of the heater, it is preferred to use a sheet of metal or a material with a thermal conductivity of at least 30 W/mK for the heater. Aluminum is preferred because it is lightweight. Aluminum (or other conductive material) can be
It may be used as a foil or the sheet itself may consist of aluminum. The metal parts are
It is used because of its thermal conductive properties, but may also be used as an electrical ground layer. Alternatively or additionally, for example, a woven or braided layer or a layer of other conductive material may be used for this purpose. Resilient materials can be used to further protect the heating element or to provide a more comfortable floor or wall covering over the entire heater or to protect only a limited area, e.g. the heating element. can be incorporated into the heater structure. If appropriate and/or desired, layers of material may be incorporated into the support for aesthetic reasons, for example to decorate the room to be heated.

The heater may have or be capable of being connected to control devices such as thermostats and timer devices.

Next, aspects of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In each of the heaters shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numbers are used to refer to the same elements. Each heater has a connecting element 2 and a heater element 4, which heater element has an electrode 6 extending in the length direction of the element. The elements of the heater shown in Figure 1a are arranged in a comb-like manner, with a pair of connecting elements extending along the edges of the heater, with each electrode 6 of each heater element connected to the connecting element at one end of the heater element. Connected. The heater may be shortened in length and width to suit the particular application.

The elements of the heater shown in FIG. 1b are also arranged in a comb-like manner. However, individual connecting elements are used to connect each pair of adjacent heater elements, and the connections between heater elements and connecting elements are made by crimping.
g).

In the ladder configuration shown in FIG. 1C, the connecting elements extend along both ends of the heater element, and the electrodes of each heater element are connected to the respective connecting elements at opposite ends of the heater element. This arrangement is advantageous since there is no need for the electrodes and/or the connecting elements to overlap in the connecting part.
The cross section can be made thinner than the arrangement shown in the figure. A heater with a similarly thin cross section can also be obtained by adopting the arrangement shown in Figure 1d, using a pair of connecting elements to interconnect each adjacent pair of heating elements. .

The connection elements of the heater shown in FIG. 1a and a preferred embodiment of the connections between the heater elements are shown in FIG.

The joining element 2 is doubly insulated. That is, the outer insulation material 20
is removed at the connection, and the inner insulation 22 is removed from the element at spatially separated locations. loop 28
is formed in each exposed connection element, and each electrode 30 and 32 of heater element 34 is connected to that loop by a crimp 36. An insulating plate 38 suitably scored to fit over the connecting element prevents the exposed connecting element portions and/or heater element electrodes from shorting out. The connection is surrounded by an insulating housing 40, outlined in dotted lines, which may be a heat-recoverable molded or gel-coated part.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the floor heater. The heater element arrangement is similar to that shown in Figure 1a, with the cross section shown in Figure 1a.
It is along the line A-A in the figure. The heater has a heater element placed on an aluminum sheet 30, and an aluminum cover sheet 32 is bonded to the aluminum sheet so that the heater element is sandwiched between the sheets. A rigid spacer 34 is placed between the heater elements so that the surfaces on both sides of the heater are substantially flat. A resilient foam 36 is placed on the lower surface of the heater.

In the heater shown in FIG. 4, the support comprises a strip 40 of a hard polymer matrix, such as polyamide.

The strips are hinged with a film 42 glued to the surface of the strips.

The film may be made from polymeric or metallic materials. The heater element is placed in a groove in the slip of the support and is held in the groove by a layer of aluminum foil 46 covering the two sides of the groove.

FIG. 5 shows one element of the coextruded heater of the present invention. The heater comprises a heater element 50 having electrodes 51 and 52 soldered to connecting elements 53 and 54, respectively. Elements 53 and 54 are assembled by extruding a support around them.
The heater support 55 is embedded therein. Groove 57 of support body 55
A sorted metal cover plate is placed on the inner side of the heater element 50 and serves as a mechanical protection for the heater element. Electrodes 51 and 52 are connected to connecting elements 53 and 5
A recess 58 is placed in the extruded sabot 55 to allow connection to 4. After the connection, the recess 58 is filled with epoxy resin (not shown in the figure)
filled with.

Details of the connection of electrode 51 to connecting element 53 are shown in FIG. A short portion of the insulated connecting element 53 is also exposed so that a single soldering iron can be applied to the exposed electrode 51. Then the cavity 58 (”filled with epoxy resin,
It is covered and assembled with a sheet metal cover plate 56.

Figures 7a and 71) show details of the hinge provided by the extrusion of a round sabot of the connecting element. During the extrusion process, a thinned region 60 is present in the boat;
The connecting element 61 is deformed so as to produce a kink 62 in the hinge area. T-When bending each section, the thinned region 60 deforms to allow the bending movement;
The kink 62 straightens so that the device can be unwound without leaving undesirable tension forces on the connecting elements or support material.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1a, Ib, Ic and Id schematically illustrate different constructions of the wall, floor or ceiling heating element of the invention.
゜2. Connection element, 4. Heater element, 6.. Electrode. FIG. 2 shows the electrical connections that may be used in the heater of FIG. 1a. 20. External insulation material, 22. Internal insulation material, 30.32
...Electrode, 34.Heater element, 36.Crimp, 38. Insulating plate, 40. Insulating housing. FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of a heater structure in which the arrangement of the heater elements is similar to FIG. 1a. 4. Heater element, 30.32. Aluminum notebook, 34. Spacer. Fig. 4 shows a cross section of a possible structure of the heater. =24-40...Strip, 42...Filno8.
44 - Heater element, 46 Aluminum foil. FIG. 5 shows a partial plan view of the structure of the heater with coextruded connecting elements. 50 heater element, 51.52 electrode, 53.
54...Connection element, 55.Heater support, 56.Cover plate, 57.Groove, 58..Indentation. FIG. 6 shows a partial side view of the heater of FIG. 5. 51. Electrode, 53... Connection element, 56-
Cover plate, 58 - recess. Figures 7a and Ib (J, showing a partial side view of the operation of the hinge mechanism. 60. Thinned area, 61. Connecting element, 62 kink. Patent Applicant Reychem Geselnojaft Mits Penn, Renchtel. Haftunog

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A plurality of elongated self-regulating electric heating elements having the shape of a sheet, each connected to at least two connecting elements, and substantially in a predetermined spatial relationship in the plane of the sheet. A heater having a support for holding a heating element and a connecting element therein. 2. The heater of claim 1, wherein each heater element is a parallel circuit heater consisting of a composition exhibiting PTC behavior and two or more electrodes in electrical contact with the PTC composition. 3. The heater according to claim 2, wherein the PTC composition comprises a conductive polymer composition. 4. A heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each heater element comprises a melt-extruded core of a PTC conductive polymer composition and two conductive wires embedded in the core. 5. The heater according to claim 4, wherein the heater element is laid flat over its entire length. 6. A heater according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the connection between the electrode of at least one heater element and each connection element is at the same end of the heater element. 7. Heater according to claim 6, having a comb-like arrangement in which the connecting elements form the spine of the comb and the heating elements are the teeth thereof. 8. A heater according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the connection between the electrode of at least one heater element and each connection element is at both ends of the heater element. 9. The heater according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein adjacent heater elements are spaced apart along their length. 10. The heater of claim 9, wherein the heater elements extend generally parallel to each other. 11. The heater according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the support is made of a sheet material having a main surface that supports the heater element. 12. Claim 1, wherein the support is comprised of a laminate of two sheets of material, and the heater element is sandwiched between the sheets.
The heater described in item 1. 13. The heater according to claim 12, wherein the sheet materials are bonded together. 14. The heater according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the support mechanically protects the heater element. 15. The heater according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the support is made of a sheet material having a thermal conductivity of at least 50 W/mK. 16. A heater according to any of claims 5 to 15, wherein the support has a spacer between the heater elements, the spacer being dimensioned so as to make the main surface of the heater substantially flat. . 17. A heater according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein one major surface of the heater is provided with a layer of elastic material. 18. The heater according to any one of claims 1 to 17, which is sufficiently flexible and can be wound into a roll. 19. The heater of claim 18, wherein the support comprises abutting sheets or strips of relatively rigid material, the sheets or strips being hinged along the abutting edges. 20. A heater according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the support is extruded around the connecting element. 21. The heater according to claim 20, wherein the support has a thinned portion that acts as a hinge for bending the heater. 22. Heater according to claim 21, in which the connecting element is twisted or bent in the thinned section. 23. A heater according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the heater element is provided with a sheet metal cover plate.