Electrical heating elements and controls therefor

• US 5,852,283 A
• Filed: 07/03/1996
• Issued: 12/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Otter Controls Limited
• Original Assignee: Otter Controls Limited
• Inventors: O'Neill, Robert Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIK, SANG YEOP
• Application Number:
  US08/632,507
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 219/438, 219/441, 219/443, 219/449, 219/450, 219/451, 219/452, 219/457, 219/464, 219/468, 219/543, 337/298, 337/299, 337/333-336, 361/25, 361/26, 361/103, 361/105
• US Class Current: 219/448.18
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/21041 with heating elements arranged outside the water vessel A47J27/2105 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/21066 Details concerning the mounting thereof in or on the water boiling vessel
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 37/002 combined with protective means
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 37/14 by anticipatory electric heater
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0213 using bimetallic elements
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/30 on or between metallic plates
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/82 Fixedly-mounted immersion heaters

Abstract

A planar heating element for an electrically-heated water boiling vessel comprises a stainless steel plate having a printed heating element formed on one side thereof, the printed beating element being sandwiched between electrically-insulating layers of glass. A control for switching off the element in an overtemperature situation has a primary actuator in the form of a bimetal which directly accesses the printing element through a window formed in the outermost glass insulating layer, and the bimetal is held in a secondary actuator in the form of a thermally-collapsible carrier for the bimetal which contacts the glass insulation around the window. By virtue of this arrangement the primary and secondary actuators are subjected to different temperatures which ensures that the secondary actuator is not susceptible to nuisance operation.

Claims

1. A generally planar electrical heating element which is designed for use with an element protector control having a primary thermally-responsive actuator and a secondary thermally-responsive actuator operable in response to the element temperature rising significantly above the temperature at which the primary actuator is designed to operate, said electrical heating element comprising a substrate defining an electrically-insulating surface, an electrical conductor formed on said electrically-insulating surface, said electrical conductor being formed of a material having such an electrical resistance as to constitute an electrical resistance heating element proper, and an electrically-insulating layer form said electrical conductor, said electrically-insulating layer having an opening therethrough whereat, in use of the electrical heating element with the element protector control aforesaid, the primary thermally-responsive actuator may access the said electrical conductor so as to be responsive directly to the temperature thereof, the secondary thermally-responsive actuator being prevented from accessing the said electrical conductor directly and being responsive to the temperature thereof by conduction of heat through the electrically-insulating layer.

2. A heating element as claimed in claim 1 wherein said substrate is formed of a metallic material.

3. A heating element as claimed in claim 2 wherein said metallic material comprises stainless steel.

4. A heating element as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second electrically-insulating layer is formed of a glass material.

5. A heating element as claimed in claim 1 wherein said substrate is formed of a non-metallic electrically-insulating material.

6. A heating element as claimed in claim 5 wherein the substrate is formed of the same material as the first-mentioned electrically-insulating layer formed thereon.

7. A heating element as claimed in claim 6 wherein the substrate and the first-mentioned electrically-insulating layer formed thereon are one and the same.

8. A heating element as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first-mentioned electrically-insulating layer is formed of a glass material.

9. A heating element as claimed in claim 1 wherein said electrical conductor comprises an electrically-resistive heater track deposited onto the electrically-insulating layer.

10. A heating element as claimed in claim 9 wherein said heater track comprises electrically conductive ink printed onto the electrically insulating layer.

11. A heating element as claimed in claim 9 wherein said heater track includes end terminations underlying respective apertures provided in overlying electrically-insulating layer for enabling said end terminations to be accessed for supplying electrical energy to the heater track.

12. A heating element as claimed in claim 1 in combination with an element protector control.

13. A combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the primary thermally-responsive actuator comprises a bimetallic element and the secondary thermally-responsive actuator comprises a member formed of a material selected to be deformable under spring pressure at temperatures above a predetermined level.

14. A combination as claimed in claim 13 wherein the secondary thermally-responsive actuator comprises a member formed of a thermoplastics material.

15. A combination as claimed in claim 13 wherein the secondary thermally-responsive actuator comprises a carrier for said bimetallic element.

16. A heating element as claimed in claim 1 wherein said substrate has an electrically-insulating layer formed on a portion of at least one surface of said substrate, said electrical conductor is formed on said electrically-insulating layer so as to be isolated thereby from said substrate, and said heating element further comprising a second electrically-insulating layer, said electrically-insulating layer forming said opening.

17. An element protector control for use with a generally planar heating element, the said control comprising a body part formed of electrically insulating material, a primary thermally-responsive switch actuator provided on one side of said body part to be juxtaposed with a generally planar heating element, a second thermally-responsive switch actuator provided on said one side of said body part to be juxtaposed with said generally planar heating element at least one location spaced apart from the location whereat said primary thermally-responsive switch actuator is arranged to be juxtaposed with the generally planar heating element, switch means in said body part responsive to said primary and second thermally-responsive switch actuators for determining the supply of electrical energy through the control to the generally planar heating element, and terminal means electrically connected to said switch means and extending on said one side of said body part for electrically contacting electrical terminals of said generally planar heating element.

18. A planar heating element comprising a heater track formed on a substrate and an electrically-insulating layer formed over said heater track, said layer having an aperture therein in registry with a portion of the heater track, said aperture providing access to the heater track for directly monitoring the temperature thereof.

19. A planar heating element as claimed in claim 18 in combination with an element protector control, said control including a primary thermally-responsive actuator arranged to be responsive directly to the temperature of that portion of the heater track which is accessible through said aperture and a secondary thermally-responsive actuator arranged to be responsive to the temperature of the heater track at one or more locations outside of said aperture.