Intelligent control PTC heating device
Through integrated design and intelligent control, the PTC heating device achieves precise flow and power regulation of multiple heating units, solving the problems of unstable heating output and safety hazards in existing technologies, and improving the stability and safety of the system.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-27
AI Technical Summary
Existing PTC heating devices struggle to achieve independent and precise control across multiple heating units and lack effective mechanisms to prevent secondary overheating, leading to unstable heating output and safety hazards.
Adopting an integrated design, the system works in conjunction with a flow regulation device, a mixing water temperature measuring device, and an intelligent controller to achieve precise flow and power regulation of each heating unit. It also provides a graded response in case of abnormal temperature, including flow regulation and a cooling mechanism to prevent scalding.
This improves the stability and safety of heating output, ensures constant water temperature, prevents the risk of scalding, and enhances the system's availability and energy efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN121739583A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of PTC heating, specifically to an intelligently controlled PTC heating device. Background Technology
[0002] Positive temperature coefficient (PTC) ceramic heating technology has been widely used in modern liquid heating fields, such as thermal management systems for new energy vehicles, household instant hot water systems, and industrial temperature control, due to its advantages including automatic temperature control, safety, reliability, and high heat conversion efficiency. PTC heaters typically consist of a PTC ceramic heating element combined with metal heat sink fins. The heat output is adjusted by controlling the power supply, thereby achieving rapid and stable heating of the liquid. As application scenarios increasingly demand higher energy efficiency, safety, and control precision, intelligent and integrated PTC heating devices have become an important development direction in this field.
[0003] However, existing PTC heating devices still have some limitations. Firstly, many devices employ a single, centralized flow and power control method. When one of the multiple parallel PTC heating units experiences performance degradation or abnormal temperature due to aging, scaling, or other reasons, the system struggles to independently and accurately regulate it, often resorting to overall power reduction or shutdown. This affects the stability of the overall heating output and reduces the system's availability under partial failures. Secondly, there is a lack of effective mechanisms to prevent secondary overheating. If a heating unit is forcibly powered off due to a malfunction, the residual high-temperature liquid or accumulated heat inside, if not dissipated in time, may cause a sudden output of ultra-high-temperature liquid under subsequent accidental restarts or water flow impacts, posing a safety hazard of scalding users.
[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an intelligent control PTC heating device that can achieve stable output water temperature from multiple heating units. Summary of the Invention
[0005] Based on this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an intelligently controlled PTC heating device to solve the technical problems mentioned in the background art.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an intelligent controlled PTC heating device, comprising a housing and multiple PTC heaters fixed within the housing by a bracket, each PTC heater having a flow regulating device at its inlet and a mixing temperature measuring device at its outlet; further comprising an inlet pipe having one end connected to the input ends of the multiple flow regulating devices and the other end extending to the outside of the housing, and an outlet pipe having one end connected to the output ends of the multiple mixing temperature measuring devices and the other end extending to the outside of the housing; further comprising a controller electrically connected to the flow regulating devices and the mixing temperature measuring devices; the controller receives temperature data measured by the mixing temperature measuring devices, and triggers the flow regulating devices to adjust the flow rate when the temperature data deviation is greater than a set value one and less than a set value two, and triggers the flow regulating devices to zero the flow rate when the temperature data deviation is greater than the set value two.
[0007] Preferably, the PTC heater includes an outer casing fixed to the outer shell by a bracket, a plurality of aluminum finned tubes disposed in the outer casing, and a plurality of PTC heating elements disposed in the gaps between the aluminum finned tubes; the water inlet and water outlet of the aluminum finned tubes both extend to the outside of the outer shell.
[0008] Preferably, the flow regulating device includes a flow regulating box disposed at the top of the aluminum finned tube and communicating with the aluminum finned tube, a flow regulating plate slidably connected inside the flow regulating box, and a driving component disposed on the outer wall of the flow regulating box for driving the flow regulating plate to move.
[0009] Preferably, the driving component includes a fixed box disposed on one side of the flow regulating box, a threaded rod with one end connected to the flow regulating plate and the other end extending into the fixed box and slidably connected to the inner wall of the fixed box, a worm gear ring connected to the inner wall of the fixed box through a bearing seat and sleeved on the outer wall of the threaded rod; it also includes a drive motor disposed on the inner wall of the fixed box, and a worm disposed on the actuating end of the drive motor and meshing with the worm gear ring; the inner ring of the worm gear ring is threadedly connected to the threaded rod.
[0010] Preferably, the flow regulating plate is provided with a plurality of flow regulating holes, and the plurality of flow regulating holes correspond one-to-one with the water inlet positions of the plurality of aluminum finned tubes.
[0011] Preferably, it further includes a monitoring component, which includes a drive disk disposed at the end of the worm gear, an encoder disposed on the inner wall of the fixed box, and a driven disk disposed at the input end of the encoder and abutting against the drive disk.
[0012] Preferably, the water mixing temperature measuring device includes a mixing tube, a first guide tube with one end connected to the mixing tube and the other end connected to the aluminum finned tube, and a second guide tube with one end connected to the mixing tube and the other end connected to the water outlet pipe.
[0013] Preferably, it further includes a mounting bracket disposed on the outer wall of the second guide tube, and a temperature sensor disposed on the mounting bracket with its detection end extending into the second guide tube.
[0014] Preferably, it also includes an electric valve and a flow sensor sequentially disposed on the water inlet pipe.
[0015] Preferably, the controller includes an input flow monitoring module, an output temperature monitoring module, a flow distribution module, a power regulation module, and a scald-prevention heat extraction module.
[0016] In summary, the present invention has the following main beneficial effects: The intelligent PTC heating device of this invention achieves efficient, safe, and stable heating control through integrated design and multi-module collaboration. The system uses an outer casing as its frame, internally modularly arranging PTC heaters, flow regulators, mixing water temperature measuring devices, and an intelligent controller, resulting in a compact structure that is easy to maintain. During heating, the controller dynamically adjusts the flow rate and power of each heater based on inlet water flow and outlet water temperature data to ensure a constant output water temperature. When an abnormal temperature is detected in a heating unit, the system adopts a tiered response: for minor deviations, the flow rate of that unit is adjusted first, and the overall output is maintained stably by coordinating with other units; for severe overheating, its flow rate and heating are immediately cut off, and a timed low-flow cooling mechanism is activated to effectively dissipate residual heat, fundamentally preventing the risk of scalding.
[0017] The flow regulation device uses a worm gear driven regulating plate to precisely control the flow rate into each heater, and provides real-time position feedback via an encoder, forming a closed-loop control. The mixing and temperature measurement device ensures thorough mixing of the water from each branch before temperature measurement, resulting in more representative temperature data and providing a reliable basis for controller decisions. This combination of precise flow distribution and uniform temperature detection improves energy efficiency and ensures heating uniformity and stability. Attached Figure Description
[0018] Figure 1 This is a control system framework diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a structural framework diagram of the controller system of the present invention; Figure 3 This is an isometric view of the heating device structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the heating device structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is an isometric view of the PTC heater structure of the present invention; Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the flow regulating device structure of the present invention; Figure 7This is an exploded view of the drive component structure of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the heating device structure of the present invention; Figure 9 For the present invention Figure 8 Enlarged view of the structure at point A in the middle.
[0019] Figure Descriptions: 10. Outer casing; 11. PTC heater; 111. Outer housing; 112. Aluminum finned tube; 12. Inlet pipe; 121. Electric valve; 122. Flow sensor; 13. Outlet pipe; 20. Flow regulating device; 21. Flow regulating box; 22. Flow regulating plate; 221. Flow regulating hole; 23. Drive component; 231. Fixing box; 232. Threaded rod; 233. Worm gear ring; 234. Drive motor; 235. 24. Worm gear; 24. Monitoring component; 241. Drive disk; 242. Encoder; 243. Driven disk; 30. Mixing water temperature measuring device; 31. Mixing pipe; 32. First guide pipe; 33. Second guide pipe; 331. Mounting bracket; 332. Temperature sensor; 40. Controller; 41. Input flow monitoring module; 42. Output temperature monitoring module; 43. Flow distribution module; 44. Power adjustment module; 45. Anti-scalding heat conduction module. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.
[0021] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described.
[0022] Please refer to the appendix for details. Figure 1 , 2As shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, and 8, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an intelligently controlled PTC heating device includes a housing 10 and a plurality of PTC heaters 11 fixed within the housing 10 by a bracket. Each PTC heater 11 has a flow regulating device 20 at its inlet end and a mixing temperature measuring device 30 at its outlet end. The device also includes an inlet pipe 12 with one end connected to the input of the plurality of flow regulating devices 20 and the other end extending to the outside of the housing 10, and an outlet pipe 13 with one end connected to the output of the plurality of mixing temperature measuring devices 30 and the other end extending to the outside of the housing 10. Furthermore, the device includes an electrical signal-connected flow regulating device. The device 20 and the controller 40 of the mixing water temperature measuring device 30; the PTC heater 11 includes an outer cover box 111 fixed inside the outer shell 10 by a bracket, a plurality of aluminum finned tubes 112 disposed inside the outer cover box 111, and a plurality of PTC heating elements disposed at the gaps between the aluminum finned tubes 112; the water inlet and water outlet of the aluminum finned tubes 112 both extend to the outside of the outer shell 10, and also includes an electric valve 121 and a flow sensor 122 disposed sequentially on the water inlet pipe 12; the controller 40 includes an input flow monitoring module 41, an output temperature monitoring module 42, a flow distribution module 43, a power adjustment module 44, and an anti-scalding heat conduction module 45.
[0023] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the heating process of the PTC heating device is as follows: the liquid to be heated enters each flow regulating device 20 through the inlet pipe 12. After the flow regulating device 20 regulates the flow, the liquid to be heated enters the PTC heater 11 for heating. After the heated liquid enters the mixing and temperature measuring device 30 for mixing and temperature measurement, it is discharged through the outlet pipe 13. During normal heating: the input flow monitoring module 41 receives the liquid flow information measured by the flow sensor 122, and after analysis, obtains the heating flow information and heating power information. The power adjustment module 44 adjusts the output power of the PTC heater 11 according to the heating power information. The flow distribution module 43 triggers the flow adjustment device 20 to adjust the liquid flow entering the PTC heater 11 according to the heating flow information. When the outlet water temperature of one or more PTC heaters 11 is abnormal, the output temperature monitoring module 42 receives the temperature information measured by the mixing water temperature measuring device 30. When the deviation value of the temperature information is greater than the set value one and less than the set value two, the flow distribution module 43 first adjusts the flow regulating device 20 of the abnormal PTC heater 11. By changing the flow regulating temperature difference value, the deviation value of the temperature information is adjusted until it is less than the set value one. At the same time, the flow distribution module 43 can also adjust the flow regulating device 20 of the other normally operating PTC heaters 11. Meanwhile, the power regulation module 44 adjusts the power of the other normally operating PTC heaters 11 to maintain the temperature constant and keep the overall output flow of the PTC heating device constant. When the temperature deviation exceeds the set value, the flow distribution module 43 prioritizes adjusting the flow regulation device 20 of the abnormal PTC heater 11 until the flow of the abnormal PTC heater 11 is zero. At the same time, the power regulation module 44 triggers the abnormal PTC heater 11 to stop heating. The flow distribution module 43 can also adjust the flow regulation device 20 of the other normally operating PTC heaters 11. Meanwhile, the power regulation module 44 adjusts the power of the other normally operating PTC heaters 11 to maintain a constant temperature and keep the overall output flow of the PTC heating device constant. After a unit of time, the anti-scalding heat removal module 45 triggers the flow regulation device 20 to open the set flow. The liquid flows through the abnormal PTC heater 11 and carries away the heat in the abnormal PTC heater 11 to prevent the user from being scalded by the subsequent reheating of residual liquid. Furthermore, after the electric valve 121 is opened, the liquid enters through the water inlet pipe 12, and the electric valve 121 can be set to a continuously open state. Furthermore, when the PTC heater 11 is working, the liquid enters through the inlet of the aluminum finned tube 112 and exits through the outlet. The PTC heating element at the gap of the aluminum finned tube 112 is heated after being energized to heat the liquid inside the aluminum finned tube 112. Furthermore, the flow distribution module (43) has a pre-stored flow-temperature compensation relationship table, or adopts a proportional-integral (PI) control algorithm. When the temperature Ti measured by a certain mixing water temperature measuring device (30) deviates from the target temperature T0 by a deviation ΔT (ΔT = Ti - T0) and satisfies 'set value one < |ΔT| < set value two', if ΔT > 0 (temperature is too high), the opening of the branch flow regulating device (20) is increased by Kp * ΔT (Kp is the proportional coefficient) to reduce the water temperature; if ΔT < 0 (temperature is too low), the opening is reduced. At the same time, the flow distribution module (43) adjusts the opening of the remaining normal branches in reverse proportion according to the total flow demand to keep the total flow constant. The power regulating module (44) dynamically calculates and adjusts the input power of each PTC heater (11) according to the total heating demand and the flow changes of each branch; Setting value one can be set according to the water temperature control accuracy requirements, such as ±2℃; setting value two is the safety threshold value, such as +10℃ or higher, exceeding this range is considered a unit failure; Furthermore, when a PTC heater (11) is cut off from flow and power due to a temperature deviation greater than the set value, the anti-scalding heat exhaust module (45) starts a cooling program: after a preset safety delay, such as 30 seconds, the flow regulating device (20) of the branch is turned on at a small flow rate, such as 5%-10% of the normal flow rate, so that the coolant flows through the faulty PTC heater (11) for a period of time, such as 60 seconds, to exhaust the residual heat inside and prevent the accumulation of residual heat.
[0024] Please refer to the appendix for details. Figure 1 , 4 As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the controller 40 receives temperature data measured by the mixing water temperature measuring device 30, and triggers the flow regulating device 20 to regulate the flow when the temperature data deviation is greater than a set value one and less than a set value two, and triggers the flow regulating device 20 to zero the flow when the temperature data deviation is greater than a set value two. The flow regulating device 20 includes a flow regulating box 21 disposed on the top of the aluminum finned tube 112 and communicating with the aluminum finned tube 112, a flow regulating plate 22 slidably connected inside the flow regulating box 21, and a driving component 23 disposed on the outer wall of the flow regulating box 21 for driving the flow regulating plate 22 to move. The driving component 23 includes a fixed box 231 disposed on one side of the flow regulating box 21, one end of which is connected to the flow regulating plate 22, and the other end extends into the fixed box 231 and is connected to the fixed box 231. The inner wall of the fixed box 231 is connected to a threaded rod 232, which is slidably connected to the inner wall of the fixed box 231. A worm gear ring 233 is connected to the inner wall of the fixed box 231 and sleeved on the outer wall of the threaded rod 232. The fixed box 231 also includes a drive motor 234 located on the inner wall of the fixed box 231, and a worm 235 located at the execution end of the drive motor 234 and meshing with the worm gear ring 233. The inner ring of the worm gear ring 233 is threadedly connected to the threaded rod 232. The flow regulating plate 22 is provided with a plurality of flow regulating holes 221, and the plurality of flow regulating holes 221 correspond one-to-one with the water inlet positions of the plurality of aluminum finned tubes 112. The fixed box 231 also includes a monitoring component 24, which includes a drive disk 241 located at the end of the worm 235, an encoder 242 located on the inner wall of the fixed box 231, and a driven disk 243 located at the input end of the encoder 242 and abutting against the drive disk 241.
[0025] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, when the flow regulating device 20 is working, the drive motor 234 drives the worm 235 to rotate, the worm 235 drives the worm wheel ring 233 to rotate, the worm wheel ring 233 drives the threaded rod 232 to move through the thread of the inner ring, and the threaded rod 232 drives the flow regulating plate 22 to move. The higher the degree of overlap between the flow regulating hole 221 and the connection between the flow regulating box 21 and the aluminum finned tube 112, the greater the flow rate. The lower the degree of overlap between the flow regulating hole 221 and the connection between the flow regulating box 21 and the aluminum finned tube 112, the smaller the flow rate. When the flow regulating hole 221 and the connection between the flow regulating box 21 and the aluminum finned tube 112 are completely misaligned, the flow rate is zero. Furthermore, when the worm gear 235 rotates, it drives the driven disk 243 to rotate via the drive disk 241. The driven disk 243 drives the input end of the encoder 242 to rotate. The controller 40 receives the rotation angle information measured by the encoder 242 and infers the position of the flow regulating plate 22 based on the rotation angle information to obtain flow information.
[0026] Please refer to the appendix for details. Figure 1 , 4 As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mixing water temperature measuring device 30 includes a mixing pipe 31, a first guide pipe 32 with one end connected to the mixing pipe 31 and the other end connected to the aluminum finned tube 112, and a second guide pipe 33 with one end connected to the mixing pipe 31 and the other end connected to the water outlet pipe 13. It also includes a mounting bracket 331 disposed on the outer wall of the second guide pipe 33, and a temperature sensor 332 disposed on the mounting bracket 331 with its detection end extending into the second guide pipe 33.
[0027] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the water at the outlet end of the aluminum finned tube 112 enters the mixing tube 31 through the first guide tube 32. After the liquids collide and mix in the mixing tube 31, they enter the second guide tube 33 and then enter the outlet tube 13 through the second guide tube 33. Furthermore, the temperature sensor 332 measures the temperature information of the liquid in the second guide tube 33 and transmits it to the controller 40.
[0028] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, these specific embodiments are merely explanations of the invention and are not intended to limit it. The specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. After reading this specification, those skilled in the art may make modifications, substitutions, and variations to the embodiments as needed without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, but such modifications, substitutions, and variations are protected by patent law as long as they are within the scope of the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A smart-controlled PTC heating device, comprising a housing (10) and a plurality of PTC heaters (11) fixed within the housing (10) by a bracket, characterized in that, Each PTC heater (11) is equipped with a flow regulating device (20) at its inlet end and a mixing water temperature measuring device (30) at its outlet end. It also includes an inlet pipe (12) with one end connected to the input end of multiple flow regulating devices (20) and the other end extending to the outside of the outer shell (10), and an outlet pipe (13) with one end connected to the output end of multiple mixing water temperature measuring devices (30) and the other end extending to the outside of the outer shell (10). It also includes a controller (40) for the flow regulating device (20) and the mixing water temperature measuring device (30) connected by an electrical signal. The controller (40) receives the temperature data measured by the mixing water temperature measuring device (30), and triggers the flow regulating device (20) to regulate the flow when the temperature data deviation is greater than the set value one and less than the set value two, and triggers the flow regulating device (20) to zero the flow when the temperature data deviation is greater than the set value two.
2. The intelligent control PTC heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The PTC heater (11) includes an outer casing (111) fixed inside the outer casing (10) by a bracket, a plurality of aluminum finned tubes (112) disposed inside the outer casing (111), and a plurality of PTC heating elements disposed at the gaps between the aluminum finned tubes (112); The inlet and outlet of the aluminum finned tube (112) both extend to the outside of the outer shell (10).
3. The intelligent control PTC heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The flow regulating device (20) includes a flow regulating box (21) disposed on the top of the aluminum fin tube (112) and communicating with the aluminum fin tube (112), a flow regulating plate (22) slidably connected inside the flow regulating box (21), and a driving component (23) disposed on the outer wall of the flow regulating box (21) for driving the flow regulating plate (22) to move.
4. The intelligent control PTC heating device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The drive component (23) includes a fixed box (231) located on one side of the flow regulating box (21), a threaded rod (232) with one end connected to the flow regulating plate (22) and the other end extending into the fixed box (231) and slidably connected to the inner wall of the fixed box (231), and a worm gear ring (233) connected to the inner wall of the fixed box (231) through a bearing seat and sleeved on the outer wall of the threaded rod (232). It also includes a drive motor (234) disposed on the inner wall of the fixed box (231), and a worm (235) disposed on the actuating end of the drive motor (234) and meshing with the worm gear ring (233). The inner ring of the worm gear ring (233) is threadedly connected to the threaded rod (232).
5. The intelligent control PTC heating device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The flow regulating plate (22) is provided with multiple flow regulating holes (221), and the multiple flow regulating holes (221) correspond one-to-one with the water inlet positions of the multiple aluminum finned tubes (112).
6. The intelligent control PTC heating device according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a monitoring component (24), which includes a drive disk (241) located at the end of the worm (235), an encoder (242) located on the inner wall of the fixed box (231), and a driven disk (243) located at the input end of the encoder (242) and abutting against the drive disk (241).
7. The intelligent control PTC heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The water mixing temperature measuring device (30) includes a mixing pipe (31), a first guide pipe (32) with one end connected to the mixing pipe (31) and the other end connected to the aluminum finned tube (112), and a second guide pipe (33) with one end connected to the mixing pipe (31) and the other end connected to the water outlet pipe (13).
8. The intelligent control PTC heating device according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a mounting bracket (331) disposed on the outer wall of the second guide tube (33), and a temperature sensor (332) disposed on the mounting bracket (331) with its detection end extending into the second guide tube (33).
9. The intelligent control PTC heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an electric valve (121) and a flow sensor (122) sequentially installed on the water inlet pipe (12).
10. The intelligently controlled PTC heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller (40) includes an input flow monitoring module (41), an output temperature monitoring module (42), a flow distribution module (43), a power adjustment module (44), and a scald prevention heat conduction module (45).