HAND-HELD AUTOMOTIVE INDUCTIVE HEATING UNIT

Abstract

A hand-held heating unit is disclosed having a turbine connected to a generator to generate electrical power from a compressed air source. The electrical power produced by the generator is suppled to a transformer to establish a voltage which is in turn used to energize a coil with an alternating current. The current causes a magnetic field to form in the coil that can be used to heat ferrous materials within the coil. A circuit board can control the current and frequency for different applications.

Claims

1. A hand-held inductive heating unit, comprising: a housing including an air pressure inlet port; a fan disposed in the housing and configured to rotate a shaft in response to a flow of air entering the air pressure inlet port; a generator in the housing and cooperating with the fan to produce electrical power from the rotation of the turbine's shaft; a circuit board in the housing and configured to modulate the electrical power; a transformer in the housing configured to adjust a voltage or current derived from the electrical power; a heat sink in the housing and having the voltage applied thereto; and a working coil connected to the transformer for passing an alternating current therein to establish a magnetic field in the coil.

2. The hand-held inductive heating unit of claim 1, wherein the heat sink is a pair of metal plates.

3. The hand-held inductive heating unit of claim 1, further comprising a trigger connected to the housing for actuating the unit.

4. The hand-held inductive heating unit of claim 3, wherein the trigger forms part of an electrical circuit that closes when the trigger is actuated.

5. The hand-held inductive heating unit of claim 1, wherein the housing has a length of no greater than thirty centimeters.

6. The hand-held indicative heating unit of claim 1, further comprising a nozzle to accelerate the air entering the air pressure inlet port.

7. The hand-held inductive heating unit of claim 1, wherein an exhaust air flow exiting the turbine can be directed to cool an object heated by the unit.

8. The hand-held inductive unit of claim 1, further comprising a non-stationary source of compressed air connected to the housing.

9. The hand-held inductive unit of claim 1, further comprising a stationary source of compressed air connected to the housing.

10. The hand-held inductive unit of claim 1, wherein the circuit board controls the electrical power to resonate at a user selected frequency from first and second frequencies.

11. The hand-held inductive unit of claim 10, wherein the first frequency is optimized to heat steel.

12. The hand-held inductive unit of claim 10, wherein the second frequency is optimized to heat aluminum.

13. The hand-held inductive unit of claim 10, wherein the circuit board uses a duty cycle to turn the unit on and off according to a pattern to control an amount of heat generated by the unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is an enlarged, elevated perspective view of the compressed air to electrical energy portion of the present invention; and

[0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The present invention is a device for generating focused heat using one or more sources of energy, at least one of those sources being a supply of compressed air. In one preferred embodiment, alternate sources of energy can be compressed air and a battery, compressed air and electrical current, or a combination of all three power sources. FIG. 2 is a schematic of a device 10 for generating focused heat within a coil 40 using a magnetic field produced by electrical current passing through the coil 40. The device 10 includes a housing 12 having a body portion 14 and a handle portion 16. In a preferred embodiment, the body portion 14 has a length that is less than or equal to thirty centimeters (30 cm), making it both handheld and portable. In the embodiment depicted, the handle portion 16 is formed with a trigger 18 or other actuator but in other embodiments the handle and body can approximate more of a cylindrical configuration. The trigger 18 is connected to a switch (not shown) that in turn is connected to a circuit board 20 in the body portion 14 of the housing 12. Actuating the trigger 18 closes the switch and completes a circuit, a portion of which is formed by wire 22, to actuate the device 10. Other mechanisms could be used in place of a trigger 18, such as a switch, dial, sliding button, press button, and the like to actuate the device.

[0011] The device 10 is connected to a source of compressed air 24, which may be a compressor, a canister, or a pump. The source of compressed air 24 is connected either directly or via an air hose 26 to an air inlet port/nozzle 28 to direct and accelerate the airflow through the inlet. The nozzle forces the rapidly moving air over a turbine or fan 30, which is preferably formed with blades or vanes 31 to improve the efficiency of the rotation of the fan 30. The fan 30 includes a shaft 32 which in turn is connected to an electrical generator 34. Rotation of the shaft 32 as the fan spins is converted by the electrical generator 34 into electrical power, and the current is used to power the circuit board 20 in the housing 12.

[0012] The circuit board 20 interprets the electrical power from the electrical generator 34 via cable 35 and uses the current to energize the transformer 36 in the housing 12. The transformer can be used to establish a desired alternating current based on the settings that are stored in the circuit board 20. The frequency of the alternating current developed in the transformer can be adjusted to either steel, aluminum, or another frequency range depending upon the application and job to be performed. A dial, switch, or other control on the housing can be used to select the appropriate frequency (and hence heating condition) based on the specific application.

[0013] There are two ways to control the heat using the processor. The first way is to employ a duty cycle to cycle the circuit on and off according to a predetermined pattern. Another way to manage the amount of heat generated is to adjust the frequency of the alternating current, which in turn can vary the energy being generated and thus the heat produced. The voltage established in the transformer 36 is used to pass an alternating current in the coil 40, which in turn generates a magnetic field inside the coil. Ferrous materials inside the coil absorb energy from the magnetic field and are heated up thereby. To moderate the amount of heat generated, a heat sink typically in the form of a pair of parallel plates 38 are placed proximal the coil 40 to absorb some of the excess heat produced by the AC current.

[0014] Exhaust air in the housing 12 can be vented through the handle 16 or another port on the housing 12 to perform a cooling function. The cool air uses convection to remove heat from an object or surface heated by the device 10.

[0015] While certain preferred embodiments have been described and depicted herein and in the drawings, it is understood that the invention is not limited to those depictions and descriptions unless specifically so expressed. Rather, a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate certain modifications, substitutions, and variations and the invention is intended to include all such modifications, substitutions, and variations. Accordingly, the scope of the claims are properly determined by the appended claims using their customary and ordinary meanings, consistent with but not limited by the descriptions and depictions herein.