Heating heat exchanger with electric heat emitter

• US 5,995,711 A
• Filed: 08/05/1998
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nakamura, Mitsugu, Fukuoka, Mikio, Yamamoto, Michiyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung, Philip H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Vinod D
• Application Number:
  US09/129,665
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 392/347, 392/360, 392/355, 392/485, 219/540, 219/504, 219/202
• US Class Current: 392/347
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00328 of the liquid-air type
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2225 arrangements of electric heaters for heating air
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2296 integration into fluid/air heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 3/002 using electric energy supply
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 3/0429 For vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 3/0435 Structures comprising heat spreading elements in the form of fins
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 3/0452 Frame constructions
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 3/082 The tubes being an electrical isolator containing the heater
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 9/1872 PTC
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/05366 Assemblies of conduits connected to common headers, e.g. core type radiators
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0096 for space heating for air-conditioning in vehicles B60H1/00321
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 1/126 consisting of zig-zag shaped fins F28F1/105 takes precedence

Abstract

A heat-exchanging core portion includes a plurality of tubes arranged in parallel and a plurality of fin members disposed between a pair of adjacent tubes. While an electric heat emitting unit is constructed by supporting a heat emitting body including a heat emitting element inside a frame through a fin member. The electric heat emitting unit is installed into a space, which is defined in the heat-exchanging core portion, having a predetermined distance after the heat-exchanging core portion is assembled and integrally brazed while defining the space.

Claims

1. A heating heat exchanger for heating air passing through said heating heat exchanger, said heating heat exchanger comprising:

a heat-exchanging core portion having a plurality of tubes arranged in parallel and a plurality of heat exchanging fin members disposed between a pair of adjacent tubes out of said tubes;

a heat source fluid flowing in said plurality of tubes, said heat source fluid transmitting heat to said air passing through said heating heat exchanger using said plurality of heat exchanging fin members; and

an electric heat emitting unit installed in said heat-exchanging core portion, said electric heat emitting unit constructed by supporting a heat emitting body including a heat emitting element inside a frame through a heat unit fin member, said electric heat emitting unit transmitting heat to said air passing through said heating heat exchanger using said heat unit fin member.

2. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein said electric heat emitting unit is installed into a space, which is defined in said heat-exchanging core portion, having a predetermined distance after said heat-exchanging core portion is assembled while defining said space.

3. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein said frame is made of a material superior in heat conductivity performance.

4. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein said electric heat emitting unit is installed into the space defined by a pair of adjacent tubes.

5. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein said heat emitting body is electric ally insulated from said heat unit fin member in said electric heat emitting unit.

6. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein

said heat emitting body further includes a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, and said heat emitting element is disposed between the positive and negative electrode plates,

said electrode plates are covered in all round by an insulator made of electrically insulating material,

said heat unit fin member of said electric heat emitting unit is a corrugated fin, and

an outer surface of said insulator press-contacts a ridge portion of said corrugated fin.

7. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 6, wherein said positive electrode plate and said negative electrode plate include terminal portions for connecting to an outside electric circuit respectively.

8. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 7, wherein said terminal portions are integrally formed with said positive electrode plate and said negative electrode plate respectively.

9. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 7, wherein said terminal portions protrude from said positive electrode plate and said negative electrode plate toward an air downstream side of said heat-exchanging core portion.

10. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 6, further comprising a metal thin plate disposed between the outer surface of said insulator and the ridge portion of said corrugated fin of said electric heat emitting unit.

11. A heating heat exchanger according to claim 1, further comprising a tightening member for tightening said heat-exchanging core portion relative to said electric heat emitting unit.

12. A heat exchanger comprising:

a first heat exchanging core portion having a first plurality of tubes arranged in parallel and a first plurality of fin members disposed between adjacent tubes of said first tubes, said first plurality of fin members transferring heat from fluid flowing in said first tubes to air passing over said first plurality of fin members;

a second heat exchanging core portion having a second plurality of tubes arranged in parallel and a second plurality of fin members disposed between adjacent tubes of said second tubes, said second plurality of fin members transferring heat from fluid flowing in said second tubes to air passing over said second plurality of fin members; and

an electric heat emitting unit disposed between said first and second heat exchanging cores, said electric heat emitting unit including a heat emitting element supported inside a frame by a heat unit fin member, said heat unit fin member transferring heat from said heat emitting element to air passing over said heat unit fin member.