ELECTRIC HEATING DEVICE

Abstract

An electric heating apparatus, in particular a liquid or air heating apparatus, in particular for a motor vehicle, including a first heating element and at least one second heating element. The heating elements comprise in each case one, in particular insulating, substrate and one polymer layer which contains a polymer component and a conductive component, in particular a carbon component. An intermediate space through which the fluid is capable of passing for heating said fluid is configured between the heating elements. The heating elements are connected to one another by one or a plurality of, in particular conductive, spacer(s) disposed therebetween, and/or one or more, in particular conductive, positioning element(s) that penetrate (a) respective clearance(s) and/or openings of the heating elements.

Claims

1. Electric heating apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising a first heating element and at least one second heating element, wherein the heating elements comprise in each case one substrate and one polymer layer which contains a polymer component and a conductive component, wherein an intermediate space through which fluid is capable of passing for heating said fluid is configured between the heating elements, wherein the heating elements are connected to one another by one or a plurality of spacer(s) disposed therebetween, and/or one or more positioning element(s) that penetrate (a) respective clearance(s) and/or openings of the heating elements.

2. Heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or the second heating element extend(s) at least substantially along a fluid flow direction and/or extend(s) at an angle in relation to the air flow direction.

3. Heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the respective polymer layer is printed in particular onto the substrate, and/or electrical connector structures are printed onto the substrate or the polymer layer, respectively.

4. Heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least three heating elements having corresponding intermediate spaces are provided.

5. Heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the component is a carbon component and is present in particle form and/or as a structure, and/or the carbon component is present in the form of carbon black and/or graphite and/or graphene and/or carbon fibres and/or carbon nanotubes, and/or the polymer component is configured in the form of an electrically insulating polymer component and/or comprises a first polymer sub-component based on ethylene acetate or ethylene acetate copolymer and/or ethylene acrylate or ethylene acrylate copolymer, and/or a second polymer sub-component based on polyolefin, in particular polyethylene and/or polypropylene, and/or polyester and/or polyamide and/or fluoropolymer.

6. Heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating elements are electrically wired in parallel.

7. Heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spacers are an integral component part of the heating elements.

8. Method for producing an electric heating apparatus, according to claim 1, comprising a first heating element and at least one second heating element, wherein the heating elements comprises in each case one substrate and one polymer layer which contains a polymer component and a conductive component wherein an intermediate space through which fluid is capable of passing for heating said fluid is configured between the heating elements, wherein the heating elements are stacked on top of one another and/or are mutually spaced apart by spacers disposed between said heating elements, and/or wherein conductive, positioning elements are guided through the heating elements.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein spacers of dissimilar sizes are provided and at least one spacer of a specific size is/are selected from said spacers, and/or positioning elements of dissimilar sizes are provided and at least one positioning element of a specific size is/are selected from said positioning elements.

10. Method according to claim 8, wherein the polymer layer and/or at least one electrical connector element is/are imprinted.

11. Kit for producing a heating apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a multiplicity of heating elements, wherein the heating elements comprise in each case one substrate and one polymer layer, which contains a polymer component and a conductive component wherein an intermediate space through which fluid can flow for heating said fluid is capable of being configured between the heating elements, wherein the heating elements are capable of being connected to one another in a modular manner such that a second number of heating elements can be added to or removed from a first number of heating elements that are connected to one another.

12. Kit according to claim 11, wherein the kit comprises spacers and/or positioning elements of dissimilar sizes, in particular lengths and/or thicknesses.

13. Method for operating a heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein fluid flows through the at least one intermediate space and is heated herein.

14. Motor vehicle including a heating apparatus according to claim 1, for heating air or a liquid in an interior space of the motor vehicle

15. Electric heating apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is an insulating substrate, the conductive component is carbon component and the spacer(s), and/or the positioning element(s) are conductive.

16. Electric heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is liquid or air

17. Heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the angle is less than or equal to 90 and more than 0.

18. Heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the angle is less than or equal to 90 and more than 10.

19. Method according to claim 8 wherein the substrate is an insulating substrate, the conductive component is carbon component and the spacer(s), and/or the positioning element(s) are conductive.

20. Kit according to claim 11, wherein the substrate is insulating, the conductive component is a carbon component, and wherein the heating elements are connected to one another by means of conductive spacers that are disposed between the heating elements, and/or by means of conductive positioning elements that penetrate the heating elements.

Description

[0065] The disclosure will be described hereunder by means of exemplary embodiments which will be explained in more detail by means of the appended figures in which:

[0066] FIG. 1 shows a schematic oblique view of an electric air heating apparatus according to the disclosure;

[0067] FIG. 2 shows a schematic oblique view of an electric air heating apparatus according to one further embodiment of the disclosure; and

[0068] FIG. 3 shows a schematic oblique view of an electric air heating apparatus according to one further embodiment of the disclosure.

[0069] The same reference signs are used for identical and functionally equivalent parts in the description hereunder.

[0070] FIG. 1 shows a schematic oblique view of an air heating apparatus according to the disclosure. The electric air heating apparatus has a plurality of (presently specifically four, this however not being mandatory) heating elements 9a to 9d. Corresponding intermediate spaces 16a to 16c are configured between the heating elements. Air can flow through said intermediate spaces for said air to be heated. The individual heating elements 9a to 9d are furthermore mutually spaced apart by spacers 10a, 10b, 10c that are disposed within the intermediate spaces 16a to 16c. precisely one spacer 10a, 10b, 10c is shown for each intermediate space 16a, 16b, 16c in FIG. 1. However, it is conceivable, for example, for two or more spacers to be provided. For example, a corresponding spacer can also be provided on an opposite periphery of the respective intermediate space 16a to 16c (on the left periphery in FIG. 1). The spacers are preferably from a conductive material (in particular metal).

[0071] Furthermore shown are positioning elements 11a, 11b. The positioning elements form in particular guide pins and penetrate (in the present exemplary embodiment all of the) heating elements 9a to 9d, or openings 12a to 12d and 13a to 13d of said heating elements 9a to 9d, respectively. Precisely two positioning elements 11a, 11b are provided in the present exemplary embodiment (this not being mandatory).

[0072] In the embodiment, both (not shown in detail) a (conductive) polymer layer 14a to 14d and corresponding electrodes 15a to 15d provided for contacting are printed on (in the present case on only one, optionally both) surface(s) of a respective substrate 18a to 18d. Apart from the printed electrodes, contacting preferably takes place by way of the (conductive) positioning elements 11a, 11b (preferably from metal) and the (conductive) spacers (contact pads) 16a to 16c (preferably from metal).

[0073] The positioning elements preferably are of a strip shape or a rod shape, respectively. A cross section can be rectangular, in particular square.

[0074] The positioning elements 11a, 11b preferably has a (round) rod shape and can have a round (circular) cross section.

[0075] The electric air heating apparatus is contacted by way of the terminals 17a, 17b.

[0076] FIG. 2 shows a schematic oblique view of an electric air heating apparatus according to one further embodiment of the disclosure. In the case of this embodiment, spacers 10a to 10d (which are bent upwards or run in a kinked manner, respectively) form an integral (monolithic) structure having the heating elements 9a to 9d.

[0077] FIG. 3 shows a schematic oblique view of an electric air heating apparatus according to one further embodiment of the disclosure. In the case of this embodiment, the heating elements 9a to 9d run at an angle of more than 0, for example between 20 and 45, (or so as to be at an attitude, respectively) in relation to a primary flow direction of the inflowing fluid according to arrow 19.

[0078] It is to be pointed out here that all parts described above are claimed to be relevant to the disclosure individually and in each combination, in particular in terms of the details illustrated in the drawings. Modifications thereof are well known to the person skilled in the art.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0079] 9a to 9d Heating element [0080] 10a to 10d Spacer [0081] 11a, 11b Positioning element [0082] 12a to 12d Opening [0083] 13a to 13d Opening [0084] 14a to 14d Polymer layer [0085] 15a to 15d Electrical connector structure [0086] 16a to 16c Intermediate space [0087] 17a, 17b Terminals [0088] 18a to 18d Substrate [0089] 19 Arrow