Heating system and heater

• US 20060132045A1
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Philips IP Ventures B.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips IP Ventures B.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Baarman, David W.
• Application Number:
  US11/015,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20060132045A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/94
• 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 heating system comprising:

an adaptive inductive power supply; and

a heater receiving electrical power inductively from the adaptive inductive power supply.

2. The heating system of claim 1 where the heater further comprises a multiple coil secondary for receiving electrical power from the adaptive inductive power supply.

3. The heating system of claim 2 where the heater has a heating element.

4. The heating system of claim 3 where the heating element is one of self-limiting parallel circuit heating tape, insulated resistance wire, flexible foil heaters, wire-wound rubber heaters, insulated flexible heater, and silicon rubber heater.

5. The heating system of claim 4 where the heater has a heater control.

6. The heating system of claim 5 where the heater has a capacitor arranged to improve energy transfer from the adaptive inductive power supply to the heater.

7. The heating system of claim 1 where the adaptive inductive power supply has a power supply transceiver and the heater has a heater receiver for receiving communication from the adaptive inductive power supply.

8. The heating system of claim 1 where the adaptive inductive power supply has a power supply receiver and the heater has a heater transmitter for sending communication to the adaptive inductive power supply.

9. The heating system of claim 1 where the adaptive inductive power supply has a transceiver and the heater has a transceiver for communicating with the adaptive inductive power supply.

10. The heating system of claim 9 where the heater further comprises a controller.

11. The heating system of claim 10 where the heater further comprises a temperature sensor.

12. The heating system of claim 11 where the heater further comprises a memory.

13. The heating system of claim 3 where the heater is hermetically sealed.

14. The heating system of claim 3 where the heater is encapsulated within a plastic enclosure.

15. An inductively powered heater comprising:

a secondary for receiving power; and

an electrically resistive heater.

16. The inductively powered heater of claim 15 further comprising:

an enclosure having an exterior surface, the secondary being positioned within the enclosure and the electrically resistive heater positioned proximal to the exterior surface.

17. The inductively powered heater of claim 16 where the electrically resistive heater is positioned outside of the enclosure.

18. The inductively powered heater of claim 16 where the electrically resistive heater is positioned inside the enclosure.

19. The inductively powered heater of claim 16 further comprising a propulsion system.

20. The inductively powered heater of claim 19 where the propulsion system includes an electric motor.

21. The inductively powered heater of claim 20 where the electrically resistive heater is one of self-limiting parallel circuit heating tape, insulated resistance wire, flexible foil heaters, wire-wound rubber heaters, insulated flexible heater, and silicon rubber heater.

22. An inductively powered heater comprising:

an inductive secondary for receiving power;

an electrically resistive heater; and

an enclosure containing the inductive secondary and the electrically resistive heater such that the enclosure is fully sealed and unpenetrated.

23. The inductively powered heater of claim 22 further comprising:

a heater control contained within the enclosure for controlling energization of the inductively powered heater.

24. The inductively powered heater of claim 23 further comprising an adjustable impendence, the adjustable impedance being adjustable so as to alter power transferred from a primary to the inductive secondary.

25. The inductively powered heater of claim 24 further comprising a controller for controlling the adjustable impendence.

26. The inductively powered heater of claim 25 where the heater control includes a temperature sensor.

27. The inductively powered heater of claim 26 where the controller is responsive to the temperature sensor to change the adjustable impedance.

28. The inductively powered heater of claim 25 further comprising a receiver, the receiver coupled to the controller, the controller operating responsive to instructions received from the receiver to change the adjustable impedance to control an electric current.

29. The inductively powered heater of claim 27 further comprising a transmitter for transmitting information from the temperature sensor.

30. The inductively powered heater of claim 29 further comprising a propulsion system for moving the inductively powered heater.

31. The inductively powered heater of claim 30 where the propulsion system includes an electric motor.

32. A heating system for a material comprising:

an inductive primary; and

a plurality of inductive heaters, the inductive heaters receiving power from the inductive primary.

33. The heating system of claim 32 further comprising a heater control for controlling an electric current supplied to the plurality of inductive heaters.

34. The heating system of claim 33 where the heater control includes a receiver for receiving information from the plurality of inductive heaters.

35. The heating system of claim 34 where at least one of the plurality of inductive heaters has a transmitter for transmitting information to the heater control.

36. An inductively powered electric heater comprising:

an inductive secondary for receiving power;

an electric heater coupled to the inductive secondary and positioned around the inductive secondary;

and an enclosure containing the secondary the electrically resistive heater such that the enclosure is fully sealed and unpenetrated.

37. The inductively powered electric heater of claim 36 where the enclosure is an elastomeric material.

38. The inductively powered electric heater of claim 37 where the elastomeric material is a thermally conductive polymer.

39. The inductively powered electric heater of claim 38 where the thermally conductive polymer is one of liquid crystalline polymer and polyphenylene sulfide.

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

physically coupling a heating element with the device;

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

providing an electrical signal from an inductive power supply to the secondary coil.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising the step of coupling a heater control with the heating element.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising the step of coupling a temperature sensor with the heating element.