Heating device for a tank of an exhaust gas aftertreatment system, tank device

Abstract

The invention relates to a heating device (6) for a tank (2) of an exhaust gas aftertreatment agent system, having a carrier (7) and having a plurality of heating elements (10) arranged on the carrier (7). According to the invention, the carrier (7) has a plurality of carrying elements (8), which are connected to one another in an articulated manner, and at least one spring element (13), which applies a spring force to at least two of the carrying elements (8). The carrier (7) is thus formed to be flexible or deformable overall, wherein the carrier is forced into a final shape by the spring element.

Claims

1. A heating device (6) for a tank (2) of an exhaust gas aftertreatment agent system, the heating device having a carrier (7) and having a plurality of heating elements (10) arranged on the carrier (7), characterized in that the carrier (7) has a plurality of carrying elements (8) which are separate from one another and are connected to one another in an articulated manner, and at least one spring element (9, 13) which applies a spring force to at least two of the plurality of carrying elements (8), wherein the plurality of heating elements (10) are separate from and coupled to the plurality of carrying elements (8) at a plurality of points.

2. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the plurality of carrying elements (8) forms a spacer (14).

3. The heating device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the spacer (14) defines a minimum distance between at least two of the plurality of carrying elements (8) and is configured to prevent the at least two of the plurality of carrying elements (8) from moving closer than the minimum distance.

4. The heating device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the spacer (14) defines a maximum distance between at least two of the plurality of carrying elements (8) and is configured to prevent the at least two of the plurality of carrying elements (8) from moving further than the maximum distance.

5. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the plurality of heating elements (10) is arranged on one of the plurality of the carrying elements (8).

6. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the plurality of heating elements (10) is configured as an electric heating element (10).

7. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of heating elements (10) are arranged on a heater band (11), wherein the heater band (11) is connected to the plurality of the carrying elements (8) at the plurality of points.

8. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the at least one spring element (14) is configured as a helical spring.

9. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the plurality of carrying elements (8) is configured as a stiff carrier part (12).

10. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the plurality of carrying elements (8) is designed as an elastically deformable spring part (9).

11. A tank device (1) for storing and providing a liquid exhaust gas aftertreatment agent for an exhaust gas aftertreatment system of an internal combustion engine, the tank device having a tank (2) and having a heating device (6) arranged in the tank (2), wherein the heating device (6) is configured as claimed in claim 1.

12. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least two of the plurality of carrying elements (8) are connected to one another by at least one spacer (14).

13. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each of the plurality of heating elements (10) is arranged on one of the plurality of carrying elements (8).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages and preferred features and combinations of features emerge in particular from what has already been described and from the claims. The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, in which:

(2) FIGS. 1A and B show a first exemplary embodiment of an advantageous tank device,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the tank device, and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a third exemplary embodiment of the tank device, in each case in a simplified illustration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1A of FIG. 1 shows a simplified sectional illustration of a tank device 1 of an exhaust gas aftertreatment system (not illustrated specifically here) and FIG. 1B shows a top view of the tank device 1.

(6) The tank device 1 comprises a tank 2 in which an in particular liquid exhaust gas aftertreatment agent is stored or can be stored. A tank bottom 4 of the tank 2 is assigned an extraction module 5 by means of which the liquid exhaust gas aftertreatment agent can be extracted from the tank 2. For this purpose, the extraction module 5 in addition to an extraction opening in particular also has a conveyor device for sucking up and conveying the liquid exhaust gas aftertreatment agent.

(7) Furthermore, a heating device 6 is arranged in the tank 2. The heating device 6 has a carrier 7 which is produced from a plurality of carrying elements 8. In the present case, the carrying elements 8 are configured as spring parts 9. The spring parts 9 are connected in an articulated manner to one another at their ends and are configured as compression springs. In addition, the carrying elements 8 are manufactured from a heat-conductive material.

(8) A plurality of heating elements 10 which are configured as electric heating elements, in particular as resistance heating elements, are arranged on the carrier 7. The heating elements 10 are arranged here on a heater band 11 which is electrically connected to the extraction module 5. The heating element 11 is connected to the carrier 7 at a plurality of points, and therefore the heater band 11 is stretched in the tank 2 by the resilient carrying elements 8 such that an extensive heating region is produced in the tank 2, said heating region being shown here by a region indicated by dashed lines. Within the heating region, even frozen exhaust gas aftertreatment agent can always be thawed and is therefore available for the extraction module 5. Owing to the fact that the heater band 11 leads to the extraction module 5, the advantage is also achieved here that thawed exhaust gas aftertreatment agent flows directly to the extraction module 5 through the channel thawed in the frozen exhaust gas aftertreatment agent.

(9) FIG. 1B shows the tank device 1 in a top view, from which it is apparent that the heater band 11 is preferably not only guided in a serpentine-like manner in a vertical plane, as shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1A, but optionally or preferably also runs in a serpentine-like manner in a horizontal plane in order to be able to reach and thaw an even greater volume in the tank 2.

(10) FIG. 2 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the tank device 1, wherein only the heating device 6 which differs from the preceding exemplary embodiment is illustrated here. FIG. 2 basically shows the design of the heating device 6 with the carrying elements 8 which are connected to one another in an articulated manner at their ends, shown in FIG. 2 by junction points, in order to form a three-dimensional structure which corresponds to a three-dimensional lattice. In the preceding exemplary embodiment, the carrying elements 8 are each configured as spring parts 9. As an alternative thereto, according to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2, it is provided that the carrying elements 8 are configured as rod-shaped stiff carrying parts 12. Preferably either the horizontal or the vertically oriented carrying elements 8 are configured as carrying parts 12, and the respectively remaining carrying elements 8 as spring parts 9. All of the carrying elements 8 are preferably configured as carrying parts 12 which are connected to one another in an articulated manner at their ends. In this case, at least one spring element 13 is then additionally provided which is kept pretensioned as a compression spring between at least two carrying elements 8, in particular between articulation points, in order to move the latter away from one another, as a result of which the lattice structure is erected. The effect achieved here by the provision of the carrying parts 12 is that the joints are each at a fixed distance from one another. In an embodiment with spring parts, as is shown in FIG. 1, the carrier 7 preferably has spacers 14 which define a minimum distance or a maximum distance between the carrying elements 8 in order to provide a predetermined starting shape or final shape of the carrier 7. The spacers 14 can thus be configured, for example, by the spring parts 9 themselves, in particular in the function as minimum spacers.

(11) Furthermore, it is conceivable not to arrange the heating elements 10 on a separate heater band 11, but directly on the carrying elements 8, in particular on at least one vertically oriented and/or at least on one horizontally oriented carrying part 12. It is also conceivable to arrange the heating elements 10 directly on the joints.

(12) FIG. 3 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the tank device 1 which differs from the first exemplary embodiment in that the tank has a contour which differs from a rectangular shape. If the heating device 6 known from FIG. 1 is inserted in said tank 2, the advantage is afforded that said heating device is automatically adapted to the contour of the tank by the spring action and the flexibility of the carrier 7 and thereby ensures simple installation and a large thawing volume in the tank 2.

(13) The effect also achieved by the advantageous configuration of the carrying elements 8 from a heat-conductive material is that, even in the regions spaced apart from the heating elements 10, heat is introduced into the possibly frozen exhaust gas aftertreatment agent. A continuous admission of heat into the entire or virtually entire tank filling is ensured, enabling the tank volume to be able to be thawed in all sloping positions of the vehicle. As an alternative to the described exemplary embodiments with electric heating elements 10, it is also conceivable to provide liquid heating elements through which a heating liquid flows in order to thaw the tank volume, in particular the exhaust gas aftertreatment agent.