TEMPERATURE CONTROL DEVICE ESPECIALLY FOR HEATING AN INTERIOR SPACE OF A VEHICLE AND/OR UNITS OF THE VEHICLE

Abstract

A temperature control device for heating an interior space of a vehicle and/or units of the vehicle, includes a number of electrically operated heating elements, electric leads, by means of which the heating element can be connected to the voltage supply of the vehicle, and at least one heat transfer section. A fluid flows through the at least one heat transfer section and transfers the heat generated by the heating elements to a fluid. The at least one heat transfer section includes a thermally conductive first material, and the heating elements and the electric leads are enclosed by an electrically non-conductive and thermally conductive second material. A related method is also disclosed for producing the present temperature control device.

Claims

1. A temperature control device for heating an interior space of a vehicle and/or units of the vehicle, comprising: a plurality of electrically operated heating elements; electric leads connected to the plurality of electrically operated heating elements; and at least one heat transfer section, wherein a fluid flows and heat generated by the plurality of electrically operated heating elements is transferred to the fluid, said temperature control device being further characterized by said at least one heat transfer section including a thermally conductive first material, and the plurality of electrically operated heating elements and the electric leads being enclosed by an electrically non-conductive and thermally conductive second material.

2. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first material and the second material are made from the same material which is electrically non-conductive and thermally conductive.

3. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 2, further including a third material which is thermally non-conductive.

4. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first material, the second material and the third material are all injection moldable plastics.

5. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plurality of electrically operated heating elements are posistors.

6. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 5, further including a terminal section whereby the temperature control device is connected to a voltage supply of a vehicle.

7. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 1, further including a third material which is thermally non-conductive.

8. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first material, the second material and the third material are all injection moldable plastics.

9. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of electrically operated heating elements are posistors.

10. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 9, further including a terminal section whereby the temperature control device is connected to a voltage supply of a vehicle.

11. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrically operated heating elements are posistors.

12. The temperature control device as claimed in claim 1, further including a terminal section whereby the temperature control device is connected to a voltage supply of a vehicle.

13. A vehicle comprising the temperature control device as claimed in claim 1.

14. A method for producing a temperature control device including a plurality of electrically operated heating elements, electric loads connected to said plurality of electrically operated heating elements and at least one heat transfer section, said method comprising: producing said temperature control device by a one-shot molding process.

15. The method of claim 14 including positioning the plurality of electrically operated heating elements and electric leads into an injection mold.

16. The method of claim 15, including molding said at least one heat transfer section from a first plastic material.

17. The method of claim 16, including coating said plurality of electrically operated heating elements and electric leads with a second plastic material.

18. The method of claim 17, including molding a frame of said temperature control device from a third plastic material.

19. The method of claim 18, including using one plastic material for said first and second plastic material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0021] Exemplary embodiments are explained in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings:

[0022] FIG. 1a shows a schematic view of an embodiment of the new and improved temperature control device,

[0023] FIG. 1b shows an enlarged view of the region X which is identified in FIG. 1a, and

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan view of a vehicle which is equipped with the temperature control device shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Shown in FIG. 1a is a schematic view of an embodiment of a temperature control device 10 and shown in FIG. 1b is an enlarged view of the region X which is identified in FIG. 1a. Therefore, the following description relates equally to FIGS. 1a and 1b.

[0026] The temperature control device 10 has a number of electrically operated heating elements 12 which in the depicted embodiment are designed as posistors 14. The heating elements 12 are connected by means of electric leads 16 to a terminal section 17 by means of which the temperature control device 10 can be connected to the onboard electronics of a vehicle 32, especially to a control unit 18 and a voltage supply 20 (see FIG. 2). Moreover, the power electronics of the heating element 12 and especially of the posistors 14 can be accommodated in the terminal section 17. As is evident from FIG. 1b, the heating elements 12 are connected in parallel.

[0027] Furthermore, the temperature control device 10 has a plurality of heat transfer sections 22 through which flows a fluid, especially air. In the depicted example, the heat transfer sections 22 are produced from a first material 24 which is thermally conductive, for example from aluminum.

[0028] The heating element 12 and the electric leads 16 are enclosed by a second material 26 which is thermally conductive and electrically insulating and acts with supporting effect. The second material 26 is in contact with the first material 24 so that the heat generated by the heating element 12 can be directed to the heat transfer section 22 and transferred to the fluid there.

[0029] Not shown is an embodiment in which the power electronics of the heating element 12, especially of the posistor 14, is also enclosed by the second material 26. The heat generated by the power electronics during operation can be directed via the second material 26 into the heat transfer section 22 and transferred to the fluid there, as a result of which the power loss is reduced.

[0030] Furthermore, the temperature control device 10 comprises a frame 28 which is produced from a third material 30 which is not thermally conductive. By means of the frame 28, the temperature control device 10 is fastened to the terminal section 17. The fact that the temperature control device 10 can be fastened by means of the frame 28 to adjacent components of the vehicle 32 is not shown.

[0031] For the first material 24, the second material 26 and the third material 30, use can be made of injection moldable plastics which enable the temperature control device 10 to be produced by injection molding, as a result of which high piece numbers can be realized at low costs. The heating elements 12 and the electric leads 16 can be positioned in the injection mold by means of cores and pins and then coated by the second material 26. The heat transfer sections 22, and after that the frame 28, are then coated. Other production sequences are also conceivable. All the injection molding steps can be carried out without the injection mold being opened in the meantime so that the temperature control device 10 can be produced during the one-shot molding process. The production can be further simplified by at least the second material 26 being substituted at least for the first material 24 and therefore the number of materials used is reduced. However, it would make sense to produce the frame 28 from the third material 30 which is thermally non-conductive. As a result of this, the effect of the heat generated by the heating element 12 being dissipated to the adjacent components and therefore no longer being available for heating the fluid is prevented.

[0032] Shown in FIG. 2, based on a schematic plan view, is a vehicle 32 having an interior space 33. The vehicle 32 is equipped with a temperature control device 10 of the type previously described. The temperature control device 10 is connected by means of the electric leads 16 to the onboard electronics of the vehicle which include the control unit 18. The control unit 18 is connected to temperature measuring sensors 34 which measure the temperature in the interior space 33 of the vehicle. The control unit 18 is also connected to an interface 36 by means of which the driver can set the desired interior-space temperature. The interior-space temperature in the vehicle 32 can be regulated by means of corresponding algorithms which are stored in the control unit 18. At this point, it is to be noted that the use of the posistor 14, also referred to as a PTC element, enables the interior-space temperature not only to be increased but also to be lowered.

[0033] Furthermore, the temperature control device 10 is connected by the electric leads 16 to the voltage supply 20 which provides the electric power for operating the temperature control device 10. The vehicle 32 depicted in FIG. 2 is electrically operated and therefore has a vehicle battery 38 for driving an electric motor, which is not shown. The temperature control device 10 can also be used for the temperature control of the vehicle battery 38 or other units, not shown, of the vehicle. It is also conceivable that the temperature control device 10 is supplied with electric power from the vehicle battery 38 so that the voltage supply 20 is not required. The depicted isolation of the voltage supply 20 from the vehicle battery 38 is, however, sensible insofar as the vehicle battery 38 discharges more quickly especially at low outside temperatures than at moderate outside temperatures. As a result of the isolation of the voltage supply 20 from the vehicle battery 38, heating strategies can be realized, for example, in that after a specified time, with the falling short of a specified temperature, the temperature control device 10 is activated by the control unit 18 so that when the driver wants to begin the journey the vehicle battery 38 is warmed up without even having been demanded during the warm-up phase. As a result of this, the effect of the vehicle battery 38 discharging more quickly on account of the low outside temperatures can be prevented.

[0034] The temperature control device 10 can also be used when the vehicle 32 is driven by an internal combustion engine (not shown) which itself in fact provides waste heat but not always in sufficient measure in order to be able to heat for example the interior space 33 of the vehicle 32 to the desired temperature within a specified time. In this case, the temperature control device 10 does not act as the single heat source but interacts with the internal combustion engine, which is why the temperature control device 10 is also referred to as an auxiliary heater. Heating strategies which are designed quite like those which have been described for the vehicle battery 38 can be realized in this case also. Since the internal combustion engine operates optimally only at its operating temperature, the temperature control device 10 can be used for preheating the internal combustion engine and/or the engine oil and/or other components of the drive train, especially at low outside temperatures, in order to reach the operating temperature more quickly and therefore to reduce the use and the wear of the internal combustion engine and/or of the drive train.