Heating system and heater

• US 7,865,071 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips IP Ventures B.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Access Business Group International LLC (Alticor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Baarman, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBINSON, DANIEL LEON
• Application Number:
  US11/854,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20080037966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 392/441, 392308-464, 199/73, 126344-363, 119/73
• US Class Current: 392/441
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/02 Automatic switching arrangements specially adapted to apparatus ; Control of heating devices thermally-actuated switches H01H37/00

Abstract

An inductively power heating system includes an inductive power source for supplying power to an inductive heater. The inductive heater may include a resistive heater and a multiple coil secondary. A heater control within the inductive heater may control the power supplied to the resistive heater, and thereby control the temperature of the resistive heater. The inductive heater may encapsulate the resistive heater, the multiple coil secondary and the heater control, thereby providing a sealed, inductive heater.

Claims

1. A method for heating a device comprising the steps of:

physically coupling an electrically resistive heating element with the device;

electrically coupling the electrically resistive heating element with one or more inductive secondary coils; and

enclosing the secondary coil and the electrically resistive heating element such that the enclosure is fully sealed and unpenetrated;

controlling energization of the electrically resistive heating element with a heater control;

altering power transferred from a primary to the inductive secondary coil with an adjustable impedance;

coupling a temperature sensor with the heater control;

controlling the adjustable impedance with a controller responding to the temperature sensor;

controlling an electric current in response to the controller operating responsive to instructions received from a receiver coupled to the controller to change the adjustable impedance;

transmitting information from the temperature sensor to the controller from a transmitter physically coupled to the temperature sensor; and

moving the inductively powered heater with a propulsion system including an electric motor.

2. A method for heating a device comprising the steps of:

physically coupling a heating element with the device;

coupling to and positioning the heating element around an inductive secondary, both within a fully sealed and unpenetrated enclosure;

making the enclosure an elastomeric material which is a thermally conductive polymer; and

making the conductive polymer out of liquid crystalline polymer and polyphenylene sulfide.