KR20220145759A - Flexible Heater and the Manufacturing Method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flexible heater and comprises a heating module composed of a plate-shaped heating unit, an electrical insulating unit surrounding the plate-shaped heating unit and having flexibility, and a sheet unit surrounding the plate-shaped heating unit and the electrical insulation unit and having flexibility. The heating module has a plurality of through spaces at positions where the heater pattern of the plate-shaped heating unit is not formed, and a lower sheet and an upper sheet are connected to each other through a connecting means in the through space. Even if the shape of the heating module is curved or bent in order to increase heating efficiency, the sheet unit does not lift and maintains its shape. According to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a flexible heater that is mechanically robust and can be easily changed in shape to be arranged in three dimensions, so an object to be heated such as a medium or large tank can be efficiently heated.

Description

Flexible heater and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to a flexible heater having a high degree of freedom of shape deformation such as bending, comprising a flexible plate-shaped heating unit formed in the center, an electric insulating unit having flexibility surrounding the plate-shaped heating unit, and a flexible metal sheet unit surrounding the insulating layer. .

In addition, the present invention includes a plate-shaped heating unit having flexibility, an electric insulation unit having flexibility surrounding the plate-shaped heating unit, and a metal layer having flexibility surrounding the insulating layer, and has a structure in which the upper metal layer and the lower metal layer of the metal layer are reinforcedly connected, such as a curved shape It relates to a flexible heater with a high degree of freedom of deformation as well as a strong and durable heater.

In addition, the present invention further includes a flexible plate-shaped heating unit, a flexible electric insulation unit surrounding the plate-shaped heating unit, and a flexible metal layer and a flexible temperature sensing unit surrounding the insulating layer, so that the degree of freedom of shape deformation such as bending is high and robust. It relates to a flexible heater with excellent durability as well as excellent temperature control and uniform heating characteristics.

Generally speaking, heaters often refer to heaters using linear heating elements such as nickel/chrome wire heaters or carbon wire heaters. is expanding its use in

Unlike conventional linear heaters, flat-type heaters have a two-dimensional area and have the advantage of uniformly heating a specified wide range by dissipating heat evenly over the entire area. It is widely used in heaters, etc.

The present inventors have commercialized a film heater composed of an etched-foil resistance heating element laminated between flexible insulating layers, and these film heaters are used for home appliances, ESS (energy Storage device, Energy Storage System), hot water mat, LCD/LED, car battery, water purifier, etc.

However, when the flat plate heater was first developed, it was sufficient to achieve the purpose of heating one side of an object to be heated, such as the floor of a floor or a car seat. The desire to use it for the same purpose is increasing.

That is, if a flat plate heater with flexibility is formed and furthermore, if such a flat heater is implemented as a 'flat plate heater with flexibility' that can be processed into various shapes with a large surface area, they are three-dimensionally arranged in a container to directly water Alternatively, it is possible to apply an immersion method that warms the liquid, so it is expected that a heater with a very excellent heating effect can be manufactured.

The conventional flat heater is a method of heating only one surface, such as the bottom of the container, so the heating efficiency is not excellent. A new system that can directly heat a liquid could be created.

However, in order to implement a 'flexible flat heater (flexible heater)' to be implemented in the present invention, the following two problems must be solved.

The first problem is that the flat plate heater having flexibility has a basic shape in which a film heater is formed on a flexible base film, so it is difficult to maintain a solid shape although the flat heater itself is very flexible. Therefore, there is a difficulty in that a solid final product can be formed only by adding an exterior member supporting the flat heater.

In order to make a heater having a strong and flexible, as described in Patent Document 3 below, the film heater and the outer member are compressed by inserting the film heater into the outer member of the oval-shaped metal tube and then rolling using a rolling roller. Although a method of making a 'heating unit' has been tried, this rolling process has disadvantages in that a separate rolling equipment is required and it is difficult to control the precision of the electrical and electronic component manufacturing process.

As a second problem, even if a heating unit in which the film heater and the exterior member are compressed by the rolling process described above, that is, a flat heater, is made in the prior art, mechanical stability during processing such as bending of the press-formed flat heater is improved, etc. that there was no awareness of

That is, even if a flat heater having a certain strength is manufactured by attaching an exterior member, in order to increase the heating performance by increasing the surface area of the flat heater, processing such as bending must be performed on the flat heater. In the conventional method for manufacturing a pressurized heat generating unit, there is no study to improve the problem and the problem such as peeling of the film heater and the exterior member that may occur during bending.

In the end, in order to provide a 'flexible flat heater (flexible heater)' with excellent performance, it is necessary to keep in mind the addition of an exterior member for maintaining the shape of the flat heater, as well as to improve the heating characteristics of the flat heater. Since shape changes such as bending must be taken into consideration, a technology is needed to solve problems such as peeling of the plate-shaped heating part and the electrical insulating part of the plate-type heater and the exterior member surrounding the same.

On the other hand, as prior art related to the conventional film heater, there are Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-135463 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-158274 (Patent Document 2).

In Patent Document 1, there is a planar heater in which the density per area of the film-type heating element in the center and the outer periphery of the heater is designed in different patterns in order to solve the non-uniformity between the center of the heater, which is poorly dissipated, and the outer periphery of the heater, which is well dissipated. has been disclosed.

In Patent Document 2, the heating element and the support member covering the periphery of the heating element, and an insulating layer for insulating between the heating element and the support member disposed between the heating element and the support member are provided, and the insulating layer is made of ceramics. It was intended to provide a flat heater that can be used, has no trouble, and can be used stably.

On the other hand, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0772069 (Patent Document 3) discloses a ribbon heating unit for auxiliary heating devices comprising a ribbon heating element and an aluminum accommodating member for accommodating the ribbon heating element, and Korean Patent Publication No. 10- In No. 1037652 (Patent Document 4), a heater assembly capable of reducing power consumption by optimizing power consumption by increasing heat exchange efficiency with air by implementing a planar heating member in which a thin metal strip is corrugated (wrinkled) as a heater And a heating device using the same is disclosed.

In addition, in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1416170 (Patent Document 5), a planar heating member that receives electric power between the base plates as a unit heater to generate heat is sequentially contacted with the heat conduction plate member and the heat dissipation plate member. A heating unit for drying laundry that separately protects the connection part of the terminal is disclosed, and in Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2019-0100010 (Patent Document 6), it is laminated on an insulating layer and an insulating layer as a heating element to generate heat when a current is applied. Disclosed are a heating element for increasing the heat density by having a heat source to increase the heat density, and a vehicle air conditioning heater including the same.

Although Patent Documents 3 and 4 describe the basic technical characteristics of providing a heater assembly that can reduce power consumption by increasing the heating effect by implementing a corrugated (wrinkled) planar heating member as a heater, the heating unit and There is no awareness about solving problems such as the bonding between the insulating part and the external metal part and the separation thereof.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-135463 (2001. 5. 18) Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-158274 (June 16, 2005) Patent Document 3: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0772069 (2007. 10. 25) Patent Document 4: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1037652 (May 23, 2011) Patent Document 5: Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1416170 (2014. 7. 1) Patent Document 6: Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0100010 (2019. 7. 20.)

Conventionally, there have been very few attempts to use a flexible flat plate heater for a heating device of a medium or large container. Furthermore, it was intended to provide a 'flexible heater' with excellent heating efficiency as well as excellent durability.

More specifically, a first object of the present invention is to provide a flexible heater that can be freely deformed in shape.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a flexible heater that is strong and durable to prevent lifting of each component even when the shape of the flat heater including the heating module is changed by bending.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a flexible heater capable of maximizing a specific surface area per unit volume when liquid immersion in an object to be heated.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a flexible heater capable of independently measuring the temperature of each part of the heating module by adding a temperature sensing unit and directly monitoring the temperature of each part of the object to be heated.

Another fifth object of the present invention is to provide a flexible heater capable of maximizing heat transfer by heating an object to be heated at a uniform and high speed, and controlling the heat of each heating module, respectively.

In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, a flexible heater according to the present invention includes a plate-shaped heating unit having flexibility, an electrical insulation unit having flexibility surrounding the plate-shaped heating unit, and surrounding the plate-shaped heating unit and the electric insulation unit A seat portion having flexibility is included. Here, it is revealed that the seat portion is a term collectively referred to as an upper sheet and a lower sheet having flexibility.

The 'heating module' in the present invention includes a plate-shaped heating unit having flexibility, an electric insulating unit having flexibility surrounding the plate-shaped heating unit, and a sheet unit having flexibility surrounding the electric insulating unit, and refers to a region where heating actually occurs. indicate that the term

In the heating module of the present invention, a plurality of through-spaces passing through the sheet part are uniformly arranged based on a position where the heating pattern of the plate-shaped heating part is not formed, and a part of the plurality of through-spaces is connected to the lower sheet by a connection means. The upper sheets may be configured to be interconnected.

The connecting means may integrally connect the through space through a connector or a fusion material, and may be configured such that the connecting portion of the connecting means and the lower/upper sheet are hermetically treated. Such a connection means may be configured as a rivet connector of a material, and may be configured by brazing fusion by filling the through space with a brazing material as a fusion material. In the case of a rivet, it is preferable to apply a coating material having a similar coefficient of thermal expansion to that of the seat portion.

The heating module may be configured such that the edge portions of both sides are formed to be relatively thinner than the thickness of the center portion, and the edge portions of the lower sheet and the upper sheet are sealingly connected.

The heating module may be configured such that the thickness of both edge portions is relatively thinner than the thickness of the center portion, and the fusion surface is formed by a bonding means by bringing the edge portions of the lower sheet and the upper sheet together.

The fusion surface may be configured such that mountains and valleys are formed at regular intervals along the surface through welding or surface processing.

The plate-shaped heating unit may be formed as a film-type heating unit or a woven material type heating unit by coating it with a polymer using at least one conductor of silver, copper, CNT, and graphene as a main component.

The plate-shaped heating unit may be configured such that an alloy sheet made of nichrome, SUS material, or a heating element made of aluminum or copper material is formed at regular intervals as an electrical resistance circuit to sense the temperature during heating.

The electrical insulating part may be configured to have a multilayer structure of two or more layers by alternately stacking an insulating layer and an adhesive layer having thermal conductivity.

The electrical insulating part may be configured such that the insulating layer is formed of one or more ceramic layers including at least one of mica, silica wool, zirkorea, and thin alumina, and the adhesive layer is formed of a ceramic adhesive.

The electrical insulating part may be heated in both directions or a heat insulating layer is laminated on one side of the insulating layer to be heated in one direction.

The heat insulating layer may be configured to be formed of a thin heat insulating film in which hollow silica or glass is dispersed or in which fine bubbles are widely distributed. The insulating film may be composed of an airgel polyimide sheet, a ceramic sheet, or the like.

The sheet part may be configured to be formed of a metal layer including any one of aluminum, copper, SUS, nichrome, and a nickel-based alloy.

The sheet portion may be configured such that a coating layer through a parylene-based polymer material or a metal thin film is additionally formed on the surface of the metal layer. Here, the coating layer may include a parylene-based polymer material or a metal thin film to maintain airtightness on the surface of the sheet part.

And, the flexible heater according to the present invention includes a heating module and a heating module having a flexible sheet portion surrounding the heating unit and the electric insulation having flexibility, and the heating unit and the electric insulation surrounding the heating unit.

The heating module may be configured such that the shape of the heating module is three-dimensionally bent and the surface area of the heating unit in contact with the heating medium in a predetermined heating space is expanded.

The flexible heater may further include a shape maintaining means for maintaining the shape of the heating module or for maintaining the shape of the heating unit at equal intervals when the heating module is laminated in one or more layers.

The heating module may be configured to be bent and deformed in any one of a concentric type, a symmetric type, a radial type, and a waveform.

The concentric heating module can be configured such that the radius is gradually increased while the distance is kept constant in the concentric circle direction from the central bend, and both front ends are arranged in the same direction.

The symmetrical heating module may be configured such that a plurality of bent portions are formed symmetrically in a direction facing each other, and both front ends are disposed in the same direction.

The radial heating module may be configured such that a flat portion having a predetermined length between the outer curved portion and the inner curved portion is formed along the circumferential surface, and the interval between the outer curved portions is relatively wider than the interval between the inner curved portions. .

The wave heating module may have a predetermined area and may be formed such that convex portions and concave portions are alternately arranged.

The heating module may be configured to further include a temperature sensing unit mounted along the inner surface of the seat unit to sense a temperature for each part.

The temperature sensing unit may have a structure in which a thin sensing element is laminated on a flexible sheet-like insulating layer on which an internal wiring electrode is formed.

The sensing element of the temperature sensing unit may be made of any one of a material for a negative temperature coefficient thermistor element, copper, nickel, a nickel-based alloy, platinum, and a platinum-based alloy.

The method for manufacturing a flexible heater according to the present invention comprises the steps of forming a plate-shaped heating unit by laminating a plurality of heater patterns on an insulating polymer film, and alternately laminating an insulating layer and an adhesive layer having frequent thermal conductivity on the surface of the plate-shaped heating unit to make electricity Forming an insulating part, forming a sheet part by arranging a lower sheet and an upper sheet in the electrical insulating part, and forming a heating module by pressing a structure in which a plate-shaped heating part, an electrical insulating part, and a sheet part are laminated; , forming a through section in the lower sheet and the upper sheet and caulking the through end through a connecting means.

The method may further include sealing and connecting an edge formed by the sheet portion after the step of forming the heating module by arranging and compressing the lower sheet and the upper sheet.

The sealing connection of the edge portions formed by the sheet portion may be configured to be sealingly connected by brazing or soldering through the clad sheet.

After the step of forming the plate-shaped heating part and the step of forming an electrical insulating part on the surface of the plate-shaped heating part, it may be configured by further forming a temperature sensing part.

According to the flexible heater according to the present invention, a plurality of through-spaces are formed in the heating module along the space where the plate-shaped heating part and the electrical insulation part are not partially formed, and the through-space is caulked through a connector such as a rivet or through a brazing material. When the shape of the heating module is changed by fusion welding, the sheet part does not rise and it is possible to maintain its shape. Accordingly, the heat transfer degree of the heating module can be constantly maintained regardless of the shape change of the heating module, and durability can be improved by preventing the heating module from being separated, and airtightness can be improved at the same time.

In addition, the workability of the heating module can be improved by configuring the edge thickness of the heating module to be relatively thinner than that of the flat part.

In addition, the shape variability such as bending of the heating module can be increased by forming a weld surface using a material for brazing or nano-ink by putting the edge of the sheet part against each other, and then forming mountains and valleys on the weld surface through laser processing or etching treatment. there will be

In addition, the heating module can secure flexibility that can be bent into any shape, and can increase the specific surface area per unit volume during liquid immersion.

In addition, by embedding a temperature sensing unit having a plurality of sensing elements inside the heating module, it is possible to precisely measure each part of the heating unit and to monitor the temperature state of the heating unit from the outside.

1 is a perspective view showing a flexible heater according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
2a to 2c are views showing a manufacturing process of the sheet part of the heating module according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a cross-sectional view of the edge coupling of the heating module according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a heating module according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
5a and 5b are partial cross-sectional views of a modified heating module of the flexible heater according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a configuration diagram showing a flexible heater according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a block diagram showing a flexible heater according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
8a to 8e are schematic views in which the shape of the heating module according to the third embodiment of the present invention is modified;
9 is a graph comparing the temperature state of the heating part in the flexible heater according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. However, this is presented as an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims to be described later. The embodiments to be described below may be modified in various forms without departing from the concept and scope of the present invention. Wherever possible, identical or similar parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

The terminology used below is for the purpose of referring to specific embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms also include the plural forms unless the phrases clearly indicate the opposite. As used herein, the meaning of 'comprising' specifies a particular characteristic, region, integer, step, operation, element and/or component, and other specific characteristic, region, integer, step, operation, element, component, and/or group. It does not exclude the existence or addition of

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. However, the following examples are only preferred examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

1 is a block diagram showing a flexible heater according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figures 2a to 2c is a view showing the manufacturing process of the sheet portion of the heating module according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the edge coupling of the heating module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

A flexible heater (FH, Flexible Heater) according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, is connected to the heating module 100 and the heating module 100 to supply electrical energy. and a terminal module 200 . In this case, a heater pattern 201 and a ground terminal 202 may be formed on the terminal module 200 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the heating module 100 is a plate-shaped heating unit 110 having flexibility formed in the center, and an electric insulating unit having flexibility to insulate the upper and lower surfaces of the plate-shaped heating unit 110 ( 120), including the sheet portion 130 having the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 having flexibility, and a plurality of through spaces (not shown) at positions where the pattern of the plate-shaped heating unit 110 is not formed. is to be provided.

Here, the sheet unit 130 refers to a portion in which the plate-shaped heating unit 110 and the electrical insulating unit 120 are surrounded by the lower sheet 132 and the upper sheet 134 . That is, the seat portion 130 is a generic term for the lower sheet 132 , the upper sheet 134 , and peripheral portions thereof.

In addition, the heating module 100, as shown in FIG. 1, is formed in the through-holes 102 formed in one row in the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134, the plate-shaped heating unit 100, and the electrical insulation unit 120. It has a structure in which the through space (not shown) is interconnected through a connecting means. That is, the heating module 100 forms the through-holes 102 in a plurality of rows in the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134, and corresponds to the plurality of through-holes 102 with the plate-shaped heating unit 100 and the electrical insulation unit ( 120) to form a through space so as to be interconnected through a connecting means.

Here, the through space does not have to be all connected by a connecting means. That is, a part of the plurality of through spaces may be connected by a connecting means and the remaining parts may be left without being connected through a connecting means. Of course, when some of the through spaces are left without being connected through the connecting means, the through holes 102 of the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 must be airtight so that the heating medium (fluid) does not flow inside.

The connecting means may be configured as a connector 104 using rivets made of the same material as the seat portion 130 . In the case of a conventional rivet, it is preferable to apply a material coated with a material having a similar coefficient of thermal expansion to the seat portion.

In addition, the connection means may be configured by brazing fusion by filling the through space with a brazing material as a fusion material. It goes without saying that the connection portion of the lower sheet and the upper sheet must be airtightly treated by such brazing fusion.

As a result, the connection means is in close contact with the surface of the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 and is not separated from the through space, so that even if the shape of the heating module 100 is changed, the plate-shaped heating unit 110 and the electrical insulation unit 120 ), the lower / lower sheet (132, 134) can function to maintain its shape in its original state without lifting.

Accordingly, as one of the key technical features of the present invention, the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 are not lifted with respect to the plate-shaped heating unit 110 and the electrical insulation unit 120 by the connection/support structure of the present invention. By maintaining the shape well, it has the effect of not causing defects in the heater even when bending processing is performed on the flexible heater (FH) in order to increase the heating efficiency by increasing the surface area.

2A to 2C are views illustrating a manufacturing process of the sheet part of the heating module.

As shown in FIG. 2A , the heating module 100 forms the through-holes 102 in one row (upper drawing) in the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 (upper view), and the plate-shaped heating unit 100 and the electrical insulation unit 120. The lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 may be arranged with both ends facing each other (middle drawing) so that the is inserted. And, the lower drawing shows a state in which the cut-out portion 103 is formed in a portion to be bent of the flat heater.

As shown in FIG. 2B , the sheet part 130 forms a plurality of rows of through holes 102 in the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 , and the plate-shaped heating part 100 and the electrical insulation part 120 are inserted thereinto. The lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 may be disposed with both ends facing each other. And, the lower drawing shows a state in which the cut-out portion 103 is formed in advance at the portion to be bent of the flat heater.

As shown in Fig. 2c, the plate-shaped heating unit 100 and the electrical insulating unit 120 are inserted between the lower / upper sheets 132 and 134, and the through hole 102 and the through space (not shown) are connected as a connecting means. is meant to be connected. Here, the connection means should consider the number of through holes 102 and through spaces, and may be designed in various ways according to the size and mechanical characteristics of the heater.

And, as shown in FIG. 3 , in the heating module 100 , both edge portions 137 of the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 are connected to the clad sheet 136 . Here, the sheet portion 130 may be formed so that the total thickness of both edge portions is relatively thinner than the thickness of the center portion. This is achieved through a structure in which the heating unit 110 and the electrical insulator 120 are not disposed along both side edge portions 137 of the sheet portion 130, and both edges of the heating module 100 are thinly formed. The reason for doing this is to connect the edge of the sheet portion 130, that is, the edge portion 137 of the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134, to the clad sheet 136 by brazing or soldering.

The clad sheet 136 is preferably formed to be thinner than the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 in consideration of the shape change, that is, less than 3/4 of the thickness of the sheet unit 130 .

On the other hand, the clad sheet 136 is formed by placing the lower sheet 132 and the upper sheet 134 on the lower and upper portions of the heating module 100 including the insulating part, respectively, and then applying pressure to form an intermediate stage shape of the flat heater. will lose At this time, when the heating module 100 is placed inward than the end alignment line of the lower sheet 132 and the upper sheet 134 and pressure is applied, the structure in which the lower sheet 132 and the lower sheet 134 surrounds the module itself is will be done

In such a state, if only the side of the flexible heater FH is hermetically sealed with the clad sheet 136 or the like, the flat heater protected from the external environment is completed. Since the heating module 100 is made up of a combination of components having flexibility, the flexible heater FH thus completed can of course have the flexibility to bend, bend, and the like.

The 'hermetic seal' is also called a hermetic seal. It completely blocks electrical and electronic components such as semiconductor elements from outside air and seals it in the container, preventing the ingress of moisture and foreign substances to mechanically protect the device. . In this case, metal, ceramic, glass, etc. are suitable as the encapsulant, and when metal is used, the same metal material as the lower sheet and the upper sheet may be used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the plate-shaped heating unit 110 is a heating source located at the center of the heating module 100, and is made of a polyimide material or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material. It can be composed of a flat plate type metal heater surrounded.

In addition, the plate-shaped heating unit 110 is made of at least one conductor of silver (Ag), copper (Cu), CNT (Carbon Nanotube), and graphene as a main component and coated with a polymer to form a film-type heating unit. can In the case of the film-type heating unit, an electrically conductive material may be screen-printed on the film to form a thin film having a two-dimensional structure. In addition, of course, it can be configured as a woven fabric-type heating unit.

On the other hand, the plate-shaped heating unit 110 is an alloy sheet made of nichrome (Ni-Cr), SUS, or a heating element made of aluminum (Al), copper (Cu) is formed at regular intervals as an electrical resistance circuit. It can be configured to sense the temperature during heating. Here, the heating element may achieve a heating function and a sensing function at the same time.

It is a matter of course that the heating element in the plate-shaped heating unit 110 may have various types of patterns as needed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the electrical insulating part 120 is disposed between the plate-shaped heating part 110 and the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134, respectively, and includes an insulating layer 122 having thermal conductivity and the An adhesive layer 124 may be laminated on the lower surface or upper surface of the insulating layer 122 to form a multi-layer structure.

The electrical insulating part 120 has a three-layer structure in which an adhesive layer 124 is formed on a lower surface and an upper surface of the insulating layer 122, respectively, and the adhesive layer 124, the insulating layer 122, and the adhesive layer 124 are sequentially formed. It is preferable to consist of

The insulating layer 122 may include at least one of mica, silica wool, zirkorea, and thin alumina, and may be formed of one or more ceramic layers.

The adhesive layer 124 is preferably coated with a ceramic adhesive to form a layer.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B , the electrical insulating part 120 is disposed between the plate-shaped heating part 110 and the lower sheet 132 or between the plate-shaped heating part 110 and the upper sheet 134 . By laminating the heat insulating layer 123, it may be configured to further improve the heating characteristic in one direction.

That is, the electrical insulating part 120 blocks heat transfer in the direction in which the heat insulating layer 123 is formed, and heats the heating module in one direction by allowing heat transfer only in the opposite direction in which the heat insulating layer 123 is not formed.

The heat insulating layer 123 may be formed of a thin heat insulating film in which hollow silica or glass is dispersed or fine air bubbles are widely distributed.

The lower sheet 132 and the upper sheet 134 may be formed of a metal layer made of any one of aluminum, copper, SUS, nichrome, and a nickel-based alloy.

Here, it is preferable that the lower sheet 132 and the upper sheet 134 have a thickness of about 5 to 500 μm. In this thickness range, while firmly protecting the plate-shaped heating unit 110 and the electrical insulation unit 120, plastic processing such as bending can be performed smoothly.

In addition, the lower sheet 132 and the upper sheet 134 may be configured such that a coating layer through a parylene-based polymer material or a metal thin film is additionally formed on the surface of the metal layer.

Here, the coating layer is to be able to increase the insulation, adhesion, corrosion prevention, durability, and airtightness on the surfaces of the lower sheet 132 and the upper sheet 134 through a parylene-based polymer material or a metal thin film.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the seat portion 130 can be sealed and connected to the edge portions of the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 by brazing or soldering as the clad sheet 136. Although it can be relatively separated, it is of course also possible to implement it with an integrated tube structure.

In addition, the edge portions of the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 may be connected by sealing with the clad sheet 136. In this way, the plate-shaped heating unit 110 other than the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 and the electrical insulation unit 120 may be connected. Since the side of the metal sheet material has a structure that completely surrounds it, the airtightness and durability of the flexible heater (FH) are increased.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4 , the heating module 100 includes an electrical insulating part 120 having an insulating layer 122 and an adhesive layer 124 downward with respect to the plate-shaped heating part 110 located in the center and a lower part. The sheet 132 is disposed, and the electrical insulating part 120 and the upper sheet 134 provided with the insulating layer 122 and the adhesive layer 124 are disposed upward to form a symmetrical structure as a whole.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5A, the heating module 100 includes an electrical insulating part 120 and a lower sheet having a heat insulating layer 123 and an adhesive layer 124 downward based on the plate-shaped heating part 110 located in the center. 132 is disposed, it may be configured such that the electrical insulating portion 120 and the upper sheet 134 having the insulating layer 122 and the adhesive layer 124 above are disposed.

On the contrary, the heating module 100 has an electrical insulating part 120 and an upper sheet 134 having a heat insulating layer 123 and an adhesive layer 124 upward with respect to the plate-shaped heating part 110 located in the center, as shown in FIG. 5B . ) is disposed, and the electrical insulating portion 120 and the lower sheet 132 provided with the insulating layer 122 and the adhesive layer 124 below may be configured to be disposed.

According to the flexible heater (FH) according to the first embodiment of the present invention, first, a plurality of through spaces 102 in the heating module 100 along the space where the heating pattern is not partially formed in the plate-shaped heating unit 110 . When the shape of the heating module 100 is changed by forming a caulking process through the connector 104, such as a rivet, in the through space 102, the sheet 130 can maintain its shape without lifting.

Accordingly, it is possible to provide a flexible heater that is strong and has the characteristics of easy plastic processing such as bending and bending.

6 is a configuration diagram showing a flexible heater according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Flexible heater (FH) according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as in the first embodiment, as a heating module 100, a flexible plate-shaped heating unit 110, an electrical insulation unit 120 having flexibility, flexibility and a seat portion 130 having lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 having Here, since the plate-shaped heating unit 110 and the electrical insulating unit 120 are substantially identical to the configuration of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The feature in the second embodiment of the present invention is to form the fusion surface 138 through the bonding means below the melting point of the sheet material after butting the edges of the lower / upper sheets 132 and 134 in the heating module 100. .

According to the second embodiment of the present invention as described above, there is an advantage in that it is possible to manufacture a flexible flat heater that is much easier to change shape such as bending through a relatively simple process of forming a fusion surface.

At this time, the fusion surface 138 is preferably formed so that the peaks 138a and the valleys 138b are formed at regular intervals along the side surface through surface processing with a laser or the like. The peaks 138a and troughs 138b help to facilitate bending and bending of the heating module 100 .

At this time, wave patterns are formed on the welding surface by the peaks 138a and troughs 138b, and the depth at which these wave patterns are formed is preferably less than 30% of the thickness of the flat heater.

Here, the bonding means may use a material for brazing or a material for nano-ink that can be sintered at a low temperature. Of course, such brazing materials can use various materials, including Gyeongnam solder, that have bonding strength above a certain value and do not cause deformation in the sheet material itself.

According to the flexible heater according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when it is not easy to form mountains and valleys immediately when performing fusion, the edges of the lower/upper sheets 132 and 134 are brought together for brazing or nano-ink material. After forming the welding surface 138 using , the welding surface 138 may be etched to form the peaks 138a and the valleys 138b. Even if the mountains 138a and the valleys 138b are formed by the etching process, the effect of improving the variable characteristics such as bending of the heating module 100 is the same.

7 is a configuration showing a flexible heater according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The flexible heater (FH) according to the third embodiment of the present invention is a heating module 100 , as in the first and second embodiments, a plate-shaped heating unit 110 having flexibility, an electric insulation unit 120 having flexibility, and flexibility. and a seat portion 130 having a Here, the heating module 100 has a technical feature in that the shape is three-dimensionally bent and deformed to expand the surface area of the plate-shaped heating unit 110 that is in contact with the heating medium in a predetermined heating space.

The temperature sensing unit 150 has a configuration in which a sensing element 153 is positioned on a flexible sheet-like insulating layer 152 on which a wiring electrode 151 is formed.

In addition, the entire temperature sensing unit 150 is designed to have a sheet-like thin structure, so that the contact area with the part to be measured can be increased, so that thermal equilibrium can be reached within a short time, so that accurate temperature measurement is possible.

The wiring electrode 151 is generally made of a material with high electrical conductivity, such as copper, aluminum, silver, gold, etc., on or inside the sheet-like insulating layer 152 through thick-film printing, lamination, and etching methods. will be formed

The sheet-like insulating layer 152 is an insulating protective layer of the temperature element, and is composed of any one of various resins such as vinyl, epoxy, phenol, Teflon, and silicone, or a composite material thereof.

On the other hand, the sensing element 153 serves to convert the heat sensed from the measured object (water or fluid contained therein in the case of a medium or large tank) into an electric signal, and the shape of the element is that the wide surface of the element is a flat heater. It is built to be constructed parallel to

In addition, the sensing element 153 is made of a material for a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor element, copper, nickel, a nickel-based alloy, platinum, or any one of a platinum-based alloy, and has a flexible thick film structure. is made of

Here, the temperature sensing unit 150 is provided with a sensing element 153 at a plurality of points to detect a temperature for each part of the heating unit 110 of the heating module 100 . It is possible to accurately monitor the state of the heating unit 110 of the heating module 100 from the outside through the temperature sensing unit 150 .

In addition, the flexible heater (FH) according to the third embodiment of the present invention may be coated with various coating materials such as silicone, perillin, etc. so that the connection part and the surface of the sheet part 130 have airtightness. Of course, as in the first and second embodiments, the through-hole 102 of the seat unit 130 and a part of the through-space of the heating unit 100 and the electrical insulating unit 120 are connected by a connecting means to form the seat unit 130 . It can also be configured so that it does not float.

Furthermore, the flexible heater (FH) according to the third embodiment of the present invention maintains the shape of the bending-deformed heating module 100 or when the heating module 100 is laminated in one or more layers, the heating unit 110, etc. It may further include a shape maintaining means 140 to be maintained at an interval (see FIGS. 8a and 8e). Here, of course, the shape maintaining means 140 may be configured as a support for supporting the heating module 100 . It is preferable that the shape maintaining means 140 or the support body is configured so that the shape of the heating unit 100 is maintained at equal intervals as much as possible.

The heating module 100 may be implemented in various shapes, such as concentric, symmetrical, radial, and waveform, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D . The heating module 100 is exemplified as a concentric, symmetrical, radial, and waveform, of course, can be implemented in various other forms. The shape maintaining means 140 may have a different structure for supporting it according to the curved shape of the heating module 100 .

First, as shown in Figure 8a, the concentric heating module 100 is wound to have a predetermined radius in the concentric circle direction in the central bent portion 100a and both front ends 100b can be configured to be arranged in the same direction.

This concentric heating module 100 is wound to have a predetermined radius in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction while maintaining a predetermined interval in a state in which the central bent portion 100a is formed, and maintaining the shape between the concentric heating modules 100 The means 140 can be arranged to maintain its shape. Accordingly, the concentric heating module 100 can increase the heating efficiency by expanding the heating surface area even in a limited space while maintaining its shape.

On the other hand, although not shown in the drawing, the concentric heating module 100 may be configured as a multi-layer structure by overlapping the flanges 140a of the plurality of shape maintaining means 140 to abut.

Next, the symmetrical heating module 100 may be configured such that, as shown in FIG. 8b , a plurality of bent portions 100c are symmetrically formed in the opposite direction, and both front ends 100b are disposed in the same direction.

The symmetrical heating module 100 may have a plurality of curved portions 100c facing each other along a virtual circumferential surface to heat a heating medium in a predetermined space. Here, in order to expand the heating surface area, the structure of the symmetrical heating module 100 may be changed into various shapes to form more curved portions 100c. In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the symmetrical heating module 100 may be configured as a multilayer by overlapping through a shape maintaining means (not shown) to expand the heating surface area.

Next, in the radial heating module 100, as shown in FIG. 8c, a flat portion 100f having a predetermined length L between the outer curved portion 100d and the inner curved portion 100e is formed along the circumferential surface and , so that the interval D between the outer curved portions 100d is relatively wider than the interval d between the inner curved portions 100e. Here, it is preferable that the radial heating module 100 gradually widens the interval from the inner curved portion 100e to the outer curved portion 100d. In addition, the radial heating module 100 may be formed outside, although not shown, at the tip forming the terminal, and may be formed inside through the shape maintaining means 140 if necessary.

Another form of the radial heating module 100 is divided into an outer first radiating part 102 and an inner second radiating part 104 as shown in FIG. 8D . Here, the first radiation portion 102 has an outer curved portion 100d, an inner curved portion 100e, and a flat portion 100f, and the second radiation portion 104 has an outer curved portion 100d' and an inner curved portion 100e'. ), and a flat portion 100f'.

The radial heating module 100 can vary the heating surface area according to the length of the flat portion 100f and the degree of curvature of the outer curved portion 100d and the inner curved portion 100e, and its shape through the shape maintaining means 140 It is possible to heat the heating medium according to the space by keeping it.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 8e, the wave heating module 100 has a certain area and is formed such that the convex parts 100g and the concave parts 100h are alternately arranged to form a wave shape based on the cross section. have. Here, in the wave heating module 100, the convex portion 100g and the concave portion 100h may be formed in the longitudinal direction, and may be formed at a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction.

The corrugated heating module 100 can be stacked in multiple layers through the shape maintaining means 140 to increase the heating efficiency by expanding the heating surface area even in a limited space.

According to the flexible heater according to the third embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to increase the heat transfer efficiency by increasing the heating surface area by bending and deforming the shape of the heating module 100, depending on the space of the heating medium and the type of the heating medium, According to the flow state of the heating medium, concentric, symmetrical, radial, and corrugated heating modules 100 can be selectively applied. In addition, it is possible to increase the heating efficiency by increasing the heating surface area even in a limited space by stacking it in multiple layers while maintaining the shape of the heating module 100 through the shape maintaining means 140 . Moreover, since the temperature sensing unit 150 is mounted along the inner surface of the seat unit 130 to sense the temperature for each part of the heating unit 110 of the heating module 100, the heating module 100 from the outside It is possible to accurately monitor the state of the heating unit 110 .

9 is a view showing a temperature profile in the heating tank according to the present invention, wherein the horizontal axis indicates time (minutes) and the vertical axis indicates temperature.

The 'dotted line' indicates the profile of temperature control, and the 'solid line' indicates the current change in temperature during heating/cooling by the flat heater to which the temperature sensing unit is not attached, and the 'thick solid line' indicates the present invention. As in the third embodiment, the temperature change of the integrated sensor is shown when the temperature sensing unit 150 is heated/cooled using an integrated flat heater.

As can be seen from FIG. 9, when a sensor-integrated flat plate heater using the heating module 100 in which the temperature sensing unit 150 is integrated is used, the high temperature section (A, about 200° C.) and the medium temperature section (B, about 180) ℃), it can be seen that the designed temperature profile is precisely followed without a large error.

In conclusion, it can be estimated that the heating module 100 in which the temperature sensing unit 150 is embedded can measure close to the actual temperature state at high temperatures as well as low and medium temperatures.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described as described above, various modifications and other embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art. All such modifications and other embodiments are intended to be contemplated and included in the appended claims without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

100: heating module 102: through hole
103: cutout 104: connector
110: plate-shaped heating part 120: electrical insulation part
122: insulating layer 123: insulating layer
124: adhesive layer 130: sheet portion
132: lower sheet 134: upper sheet
136: clad sheet 138: fusion surface 140: shape maintaining means 150: temperature sensing unit 151: wiring electrode 152: insulating layer 153: sensing element 200: terminal module 201: heater pattern 202: ground terminal FH: flexible heater

Claims (20)

A heating module comprising a plate-shaped heating unit having flexibility, an electric insulating unit having flexibility to surround the plate-shaped heating unit, and a sheet unit having flexibility to surround the plate-shaped heating unit and the electric insulating unit,
In the heating module, a plurality of through-spaces passing through the sheet portion are uniformly arranged based on a position where the heating pattern of the plate-shaped heating portion is not formed, and a portion of the plurality of through-spaces is connected to a lower sheet and an upper sheet by a connecting means. Flexible heater, characterized in that interconnected.
The method according to claim 1,
The connecting means integrally connects the through space through a connector or a fusion material,
Flexible heater, characterized in that the connection part of the connection means and the lower / upper sheet is hermetically processed.
The method according to claim 1,
The heating module is formed so that the thickness of both edges is relatively thinner than the thickness of the center,
A flexible heater, characterized in that the edge portions of the lower sheet and the upper sheet are sealingly connected.
The method according to claim 1,
The heating module is formed so that the thickness of both edges is relatively thinner than the thickness of the center,
A flexible heater, characterized in that a fusion surface is formed by a bonding means by abutting the edges of the lower sheet and the upper sheet.
5. The method according to claim 4,
The fusion surface is a flexible heater, characterized in that the mountains and valleys are formed at regular intervals.
The method according to claim 1,
The plate-type heating unit is a flexible heater, characterized in that it is formed as a film-type heating unit or a woven type heating unit by coating with a polymer using at least one conductor of silver, copper, CNT, and graphene as a main component.
The method according to claim 1,
The plate-shaped heating part is a flexible heater, characterized in that the heating element made of nichrome, an alloy of SUS material, aluminum or copper is formed at regular intervals as an electrical resistance circuit, and sensing the temperature during heating.
The method according to claim 1,
The electric insulating part is a flexible heater, characterized in that the insulating layer and the adhesive layer having thermal conductivity are alternately laminated to form a multi-layer structure of two or more layers.
9. The method of claim 8,
The electrical insulation part is formed of one or more ceramic layers in which the insulating layer contains at least one of mica, silica wool, zirkorea, and thin alumina,
The adhesive layer is a flexible heater, characterized in that formed of a ceramic adhesive.
10. The method according to claim 8 or 9,
The electric insulation part is a flexible heater, characterized in that the heating module is heated in both directions or a heat insulating layer is formed on one side of the insulating layer so that the heating module is heated in one direction.
11. The method of claim 10,
The heat insulating layer is a flexible heater, characterized in that the hollow silica or glass is dispersed or formed of a thin insulating film in which fine bubbles are widely distributed.
The method according to claim 1,
The sheet portion is a flexible heater, characterized in that formed of a metal layer containing any one of aluminum, copper, SUS, nichrome, and a nickel-based alloy.
12. The method of claim 11,
The sheet portion is a flexible heater, characterized in that the coating layer through a parylene-based polymer material or a metal thin film is additionally formed on the surface of the metal layer.
The method according to claim 1,
The heating module is mounted along the inner surface of the seat portion flexible heater, characterized in that it further comprises a temperature sensing unit for sensing the temperature for each part.
15. The method of claim 14,
The temperature sensing unit is a flexible heater, characterized in that it has a structure in which a thin sensing element is laminated on a flexible sheet-like insulating layer on which an internal wiring electrode is formed.
16. The method of claim 15,
The sensing element of the temperature sensing unit is a material for a negative temperature coefficient thermistor element, copper, nickel, a nickel-based alloy, platinum, a flexible heater, characterized in that made of any one of a platinum-based alloy.
forming a plate-shaped heating unit by laminating a plurality of heater patterns on an insulating polymer film;
forming an electrical insulating part by alternately laminating an insulating layer and an adhesive layer having frequent thermal conductivity on the surface of the plate-shaped heating part;
forming a sheet portion by disposing a lower sheet and an upper sheet on the electrically insulating portion;
forming a heating module by pressing the plate-shaped heating unit, the electrical insulation unit, and the sheet unit laminated structure;
A method of manufacturing a flexible heater comprising a; forming a through section in the lower sheet and the upper sheet and caulking the through end through a connecting means.
18. The method of claim 17,
The method of manufacturing a flexible heater further comprising a; sealing the edge formed by the sheet portion after the step of arranging and pressing the lower sheet and the upper sheet to form a heating module.
19. The method of claim 18,
The sealing connection step of the edge formed by the sheet portion is a manufacturing method of a flexible heater, characterized in that the sealing connection through a clad sheet.
18. The method of claim 17,
A method of manufacturing a flexible heater, characterized in that after forming the plate-shaped heating part and forming an electrical insulating part on the surface of the plate-shaped heating part, further forming a temperature sensing part.

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