KR102603063B1 - Cup holder for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A holder body in which a beverage container is stored in a cylindrical shape; A heat diffusion plate located on the bottom of the holder body and one side of which is exposed to the inside of the holder body; A cup holder for a vehicle including a heating element located on the other side of the heat diffusion plate and supplying heat energy to the heat diffusion plate is introduced.

Description

Car cup holder {CUP HOLDER FOR VEHICLE}

The present invention relates to a cup holder for a vehicle whose performance has been improved to meet the user's preference by rapidly cooling or heating beverages stored in the cup holder.

Typically, vehicles are equipped with cup holders for storing beverage containers. These cup holders generally only have a simple grip function, but cup holders that also have a heating function are being introduced depending on some car models.

However, even if it is a cup holder with a heating function, in order to actually perform properly, there must be good contact between the holder body part where the beverage container is stored and the heating element.

In the past, in order to facilitate heat transfer, a technology was introduced in which the cup holder was made of different materials such as metal and non-metal, and a PTC element was brought into contact with the metal body, or the two were bonded using thermal grease. However, this required a double cup holder structure, which increased weight and cost, and the thermal grease had a problem of low durability.

The matters described as background technology above are only for the purpose of improving understanding of the background of the present invention, and should not be taken as recognition that they correspond to prior art already known to those skilled in the art.

KR 10-2015-0058912 A

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a coupling structure that can improve heat conduction efficiency by suggesting a coupling structure between a heating element and a holder body that conducts heat to a beverage container.

A cup holder for a vehicle according to the present invention to achieve the above object includes a holder body in which a beverage container is stored; A heat diffusion plate located on the bottom surface of the holder body and forming at least a portion of the bottom surface of the holder body, the upper surface of which is exposed to the internal space of the holder body; and a heating element that supplies heat energy to the heat diffusion plate by being integrally coupled to the heat diffusion plate so that the upper surface is in close contact with the lower surface of the heat diffusion plate.

It may further include a lower case that surrounds the heating element and the heat diffusion plate and is coupled to the lower part of the holder body.

The space formed by the lower case and the holder body may be filled with an insulating material.

A plurality of fixed legs are protruding from the lower surface of the heat diffusion plate, and the heating element is disposed between the fixed legs. By deforming and hemming the fixed legs, the fixed legs press the heating element, so that the upper surface of the heating element and the lower surface of the heat diffusion plate can be brought into close contact. .

The side edge of the heating element and the fixed leg are spaced a certain distance apart to absorb thermal expansion of the heating element.

The holder body may be made of a plastic material, and the heat diffusion plate may be made of a metal material.

The holder body and the heat diffusion plate are made of plastic and are injected as one piece, and a heating element can be inserted into the bottom of the heat diffusion plate to be double-injected.

A support portion is provided on the lower surface of the heating element, and the support portion is connected to the heat diffusion plate and a connection portion on the side of the heating element. The holder body, heat diffusion plate, support portion, and connection portion may be integrally injected from the same material.

The connection part and the holder body or the connection part and the lower part of the heat diffusion plate can be spaced a certain distance apart to form a separation distance that absorbs thermal expansion of the heating element.

One side end of the heating element may be closed by a connection part and the other side end may be exposed to the outside.

The heating element may be a PTC element.

According to the vehicle cup holder of the present invention as described above, productivity is improved by lowering the production cost and simplifying the work process, and quick effectiveness is increased by improving the heat conduction efficiency of the heating element and the holder body.

In particular, thermal contact between the heating element and the holder body can be structurally achieved, ensuring the sustainability and durability of heat transfer.

In addition, there is an advantage that the required performance can be sufficiently achieved even if the holder body has a single structure rather than a dual structure.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle cup holder according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A to 2B are diagrams showing the process of combining a heat diffusion plate and a heating element.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle cup holder according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle cup holder using a double injection method as another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a view showing the bottom surface of the vehicle cup holder shown in FIG. 4 cut based on where the heating element is located.
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Figure 5
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 5

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be looked at with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cup holder for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 2a and 2b are diagrams showing a process of combining the heat diffusion plate 103 and the heating element 201.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle cup holder according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle cup holder using a double injection method as another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle cup holder shown in Figure 4. It is a drawing showing the bottom surface of a vehicle cup holder cut based on the location of the heating element 201. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Figure 5, and Figure 7 is a view taken along line B-B of Figure 5. This is a cross-sectional view.

The cup holder for a vehicle according to the present invention includes a holder body 101 in which a beverage container is stored in a cylindrical shape; A heat diffusion plate 103 located on the bottom of the holder body 101 and having one surface exposed to the inside of the holder body 101; and a heating element 201 located on the other side of the heat diffusion plate 103 to supply heat energy to the heat diffusion plate 103. It may further include a lower case 105 surrounding the heating element 201 and the heat diffusion plate 103 and coupled to the holder body 101.

The holder body 101 may be made of a plastic material, and the heat diffusion plate 103 may be made of a metallic material. The heating element 201 may be a PTC device. The space formed by the lower case 105 and the holder body 101 may be filled with an insulating material 301.

The vehicle cup holder of the present invention basically heats the beverage container through conduction from the heating element 201. The heating element 201 may be a PTC element (Positive Temperature Coefficient Element) that performs only heating, or, if necessary, may be a thermoelectric element capable of performing both refrigeration and heating depending on the applied electrical characteristics. In the present invention, the case where heating is performed is given priority.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the beverage container is heated through conduction through contact with the heat diffusion plate 103 located on the bottom surface of the holder body 101. Contact between the beverage container and the heat diffusion plate 103 is also a very important factor in heating the beverage, but it is excluded because it is not a factor that can be directly controlled. Excluding this, in order to increase efficiency in conduction, contact between the heating element 201 and the heat diffusion plate 103 and blocking energy lost to the outside are key factors.

First, looking at the aspect of blocking loss energy with reference to FIG. 1, in the present invention, the holder body 101 is made of a plastic material, the heat diffusion plate 103 is made of a metal material with good thermal conductivity, and the lower case 105 ) is used to surround the heating element 201 and the heat diffusion plate 103 and combine them with the holder body 101.

The heat diffusion plate 103 is made of a metal material with good thermal conductivity to evenly transfer heat to the beverage container regardless of the size or shape of the heating element 201. In the case of the holder body 101, it is made of plastic material to block the heat conducted by the heating element 201, thereby preventing the holder body 101 from being heated unnecessarily and wasting energy, and even if it touches the user's skin, it prevents burns. Make sure there is no risk. The lower case is provided in a shape that surrounds the heating element 201 and the heat diffusion plate to form an air insulation layer in the internal space, thereby reducing energy loss to parts other than the beverage container. Additionally, if the space formed by the lower case 105 and the holder body 101 is filled with an insulating material 301, energy loss can be prevented more effectively.

The key to improving energy conduction efficiency is securing the area for heat transfer. This is also related to the confidentiality of the interview. In conduction by surface contact, if contact between surfaces is not properly achieved, the effectiveness of heat transfer is very low. If surface contact is not made properly, an air layer is formed between the surfaces, because the thermal conductivity of air is very low.

Specifically, in the case of stainless steel, which is one of the various materials that can be used as a material for the heat diffusion plate 103, the thermal conductivity is 20 W/m·K on average, while the thermal conductivity of air is 0.025 W/m·K, which is about 800 times higher. Because there is a difference.

Therefore, in the present invention, two methods are used to improve the contact area between the heat diffusion plate 103 and the heating element 201 and to remove the air layer.

First, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a pair of fixed legs 107 are formed protruding from the other surface of the heat diffusion plate 103, and the heating element 201 is disposed between the fixed legs 107. By pressing, bending and deforming (107) and hemming, the heating element 201 is pressed and the heating element 201 and the heat diffusion plate 103 are contacted and fixed. In this method, the fixing leg 107 is physically deformed by a tool to fix the heating element 201 and the heat diffusion plate 103, so the bonding strength is excellent, and then assembly is performed using the holder body 101 and the lower case 105. This is easy and productivity improves.

In this respect, it is different from the conventional technology using thermal grease. In the case of thermal grease, cracks occur and durability is weak due to the difference in thermal expansion of two different materials, whereas in the case of the present invention, durability of surface contact is increased by physically pressurizing and having a structure that allows a slight slip.

In addition, a certain distance is provided between the side end of the heating element 201 and the fixed leg 107, so that even if the heating element is excessively expanded, it does not contact the fixed leg, and the binding force of the fixed leg is maintained so that there is no problem with surface contact. .

The second method is a method in which the holder body 101 and the heat diffusion plate 103 are formed as one piece and the heating element 201 is double-injected together, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8.

By performing double injection using a plastic material that ensures durability even at high temperatures and embedding the heating element 201 inside the heat diffusion plate 103, the airtightness of the heating element 201 and the heat diffusion plate 103 can be maximized. Through this, the heat transfer efficiency of the heating element 201 can be maximized.

Specifically, the holder body is injected from a plastic material. And by making the bottom surface of the holder body directly form a heat diffusion plate, the holder body and heat diffusion plate are injected from the same material at once. And by performing double injection in the form of inserting a thermoelectric element into the bottom surface of the heat diffusion plate, manufacturing is easy and contact with the heating element is fundamentally realized. However, when molding into one piece, a design that takes into account the thermal expansion rate of the heating element is necessary.

Looking at Figures 7 and 8, an empty separation distance 109 is formed on the left and right around the heating element 201. This is the space where the jig that fixed the heating element 201 during the double injection process was located, and is a space created when the jig is removed after the double injection process is completed.

This separation distance 109 may be removed during post-processing, but in the present invention, the separation distance 109 is maintained. The separation distance 109 improves the durability of the heat diffusion plate 103 and the surface contact performance of the heating element by absorbing the tolerance due to volume expansion occurring during the heating process of the heating element 201.

Specifically, a support part (a) is provided on the lower surface of the heating element 201, and the support part (a) is connected to the heat diffusion plate 103 and the connection part (b) on the side of the heating element 201 as shown in Figure 6, and the holder The body 101, the heat diffusion plate 103, the support part (a), and the connection part (b) may be integrally injected from the same material.

In addition, as shown in Figure 6, the connection part (b) and the holder body 101 or the connection part (b) and the lower part of the heat diffusion plate 103 are spaced a certain distance apart to form a separation distance 109 that absorbs the thermal expansion of the heating element. . Even if the heating element 201 expands more, the connection part (b) expands together and absorbs the expansion. In addition, one side end of the heating element 201 is closed by the connecting portion (b) as shown in FIG. 6, but the other side end is exposed to the outside as shown in FIG. 7, leading to easy expansion of the heating element 201.

This method also ensures the durability of the contact by physically and fundamentally contacting the heating element and the heat diffusion plate without a separate spring or thermal grease. This method is of great help in reducing manufacturing costs because it does not require separate parts or equipment. In particular, it is of great help in reducing weight as it does not require a metallic internal holder.

According to the vehicle cup holder of the present invention as described above, productivity is improved by lowering the production cost and simplifying the work process, and quick effectiveness is increased by improving the heat conduction efficiency of the heating element and the holder body.

In particular, thermal contact between the heating element and the holder body can be structurally achieved, ensuring the sustainability and durability of heat transfer.

In addition, there is an advantage that the required performance can be sufficiently achieved even if the holder body has a single structure rather than a dual structure.

Although the present invention has been shown and described in relation to specific embodiments, it is known in the art that the present invention can be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the technical spirit of the invention as provided by the following claims. This will be self-evident to those with ordinary knowledge.

101: Holder body 103: Heat diffusion plate
105: lower case 107: fixed leg
109: air gap 201: heating element
301: insulation material

Claims (11)

A holder body in which a beverage container is stored;
A heat diffusion plate located on the bottom surface of the holder body and forming at least a portion of the bottom surface of the holder body, the upper surface of which is exposed to the internal space of the holder body; and
It includes a heating element that supplies heat energy to the heat diffusion plate by being integrally coupled to the heat diffusion plate so that the upper surface is in close contact with the lower surface of the heat diffusion plate;
A plurality of fixed legs are protruding from the lower surface of the heat diffusion plate, and the heating element is disposed between the fixed legs. By deforming and hemming the fixed legs, the fixed legs press the heating element, and the upper surface of the heating element and the lower surface of the heat diffusion plate are in close contact. A car cup holder. In claim 1,
A cup holder for a vehicle, further comprising a lower case that surrounds the heating element and the heat diffusion plate and is coupled to the lower part of the holder body. In claim 2,
A cup holder for a vehicle, characterized in that the space formed by the lower case and the holder body is filled with insulation material. delete In claim 1,
A cup holder for a vehicle characterized in that the side end of the heating element and the fixing leg are spaced a certain distance apart to absorb thermal expansion of the heating element. In claim 1,
A cup holder for a vehicle, wherein the holder body is made of a plastic material and the heat diffusion plate is made of a metal material. A holder body in which a beverage container is stored;
A heat diffusion plate located on the bottom surface of the holder body and forming at least a portion of the bottom surface of the holder body, the upper surface of which is exposed to the internal space of the holder body; and
It includes a heating element that supplies heat energy to the heat diffusion plate by being integrally coupled to the heat diffusion plate so that the upper surface is in close contact with the lower surface of the heat diffusion plate;
The holder body and heat diffusion plate are made of plastic and are injected as one piece, and a heating element is inserted into the bottom of the heat diffusion plate and is double-injected.
A support portion is provided on the lower surface of the heating element, the support portion is connected to the heat diffusion plate and a connection portion on the side of the heating element, and the holder body, heat diffusion plate, support portion, and connection portion are made of the same material and are integrally injected. A cup holder for a vehicle. delete In claim 7,
A cup holder for a vehicle, characterized in that the connection part and the holder body or the connection part and the lower part of the heat diffusion plate are spaced a certain distance apart to form a separation distance that absorbs thermal expansion of the heating element. In claim 7,
A cup holder for a vehicle, characterized in that one side end of the heating element is closed by a connection part and the other side end is exposed to the outside. In claim 1,
A cup holder for a vehicle wherein the heating element is a PTC element.

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