Fluid heater
The modular fluid heater design with unified interfaces addresses the high power needs of commercial vehicles, reducing costs and complexity by allowing independent module control and integration with vehicle systems.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421780755.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-08-28
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-15
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-07-25
AI Technical Summary
The prior art is difficult to economically provide efficient fluid heaters for commercial vehicles, and the increased number of interfaces leads to complex installation.
A fluid heater is designed, including multiple heating modules connected in series or parallel fashion, with no increase in the number of interfaces, and each heating module can be independently controlled, equipped with a temperature sensor and a control unit to monitor and diagnose operating conditions.
It realizes the production of high-efficiency fluid heaters at a lower cost, is suitable for commercial vehicles, is easy to install, can gradually adjust the temperature and diagnose faults, and improves heat transfer efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN223106290U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to a fluid heater for heating a liquid in a motor vehicle. Background Art
[0002] Fluid heaters are required in vehicles to heat various liquids, especially water or aqueous solutions and oils. The heating power required for commercial vehicles is usually two to three times higher than that required for passenger vehicles. Summary of the Utility Model
[0003] The object of the utility model is to reduce the development work and cost expenditure to provide a fluid heater for commercial vehicles.
[0004] This object is achieved by a fluid heater of the utility model, which includes an inlet, an outlet and an electrical interface. Among them, the fluid heater further includes a plurality of heating modules, and each heating module includes: a module inlet connected to the inlet; a module outlet connected to the outlet; a heating element for heating the liquid flowing from the module inlet to the module outlet; and an electrical module interface connected to the electrical interface. The beneficial improvements of the utility model are the contents of the dependent claims.
[0005] According to the utility model, the fluid heater includes a plurality of heating modules, and these modules are connected to a single inlet and a single outlet in series or parallel. Although the fluid heater includes a plurality of heating modules, compared with the fluid heaters for commercial vehicles in the prior art, the number of interfaces for connecting to commercial vehicles does not increase. The heating modules can be set with a rated power suitable for commercial vehicles, so they can be mass-produced in an economical way. Therefore, the utility model shows how to produce a fluid heater for commercial vehicles at a lower cost and still be quite easily installed in commercial vehicles. The utility model effectively uses a plurality of fluid heaters suitable for passenger vehicles in commercial vehicles, while the interfaces with the vehicle remain the same as those of a single fluid heater with a larger power.
[0006] For example, the heating module can have a heating power of 3kW to 6kW, and the fluid heater can include two to four heating modules. Then the heating power of the fluid heater can be in the range of 8kW to 14kW.
[0007] In one embodiment, the fluid heater includes an internal bus that connects the electrical module interfaces.
[0008] In one embodiment, the electrical interface includes a first plug connector for connecting to a heating current source and a second plug connector for connecting to a vehicle control unit.
[0009] When operating a fluid heater, the heating power of each heating module can be set individually. This means that the individual heating modules of the fluid heater can operate at different heating powers. If the individual heating modules are connected in series, the temperature of the liquid to be heated will gradually increase from the first heating module to the last one. To achieve the most efficient heat transfer, the heating power of the heating modules can be gradually reduced from the first heating module to the last one.
[0010] In another embodiment, each heating module can be equipped with a temperature sensor, and the control unit of the fluid heater uses these temperature sensors to monitor the operation of each heating module. The control unit can communicate with the vehicle control unit and provide operating parameters to the vehicle control unit. For example, the control unit can diagnose the operating conditions of each heating module and store the conditions in a memory. Then, when setting the heating power of each module, this operating condition can be considered, especially when a fault condition of the module is detected, and the fault condition is reported to the vehicle control unit. Description of the Drawings
[0011] Referring to the drawings, more details and advantages of the present utility model are explained by way of examples of embodiments. The same and corresponding parts in all embodiments use the same reference numerals in all the drawings.
[0012] Figure 1 A circuit diagram of the fluid heater is schematically shown;
[0013] Figure 2 Another circuit diagram of the fluid heater is schematically shown;
[0014] Figure 3 Another circuit diagram of the fluid heater is schematically shown;
[0015] Figure 4 The heating module of the fluid heater is shown;
[0016] Figure 5 A fluid heater including three heating modules is shown;
[0017] Description of Reference Numerals: 1 - Heating module; 2 - Module inlet; 3 - Module outlet; 4 - Inlet; 5 - Outlet; 6 - Electrical interface; 7 - Electrical module interface; 8 - Electrical interface; 9 - Electrical module interface; 10 - Internal bus; 11 - Control unit; 12 - Frame. Detailed Description of the Embodiments
[0018] Figure 1A circuit diagram of a fluid heater is schematically shown, which includes three heating modules 1, and each heating module 1 has a module inlet 2 and a module outlet 3. The module inlets 2 are connected in parallel to the inlet 4 of the fluid heater, and the module outlets 3 are connected in parallel to the outlet 5 of the fluid heater. During operation, the liquid to be heated flows in parallel through the respective heating modules 1 from the inlet 4 of the fluid heater and then flows to the outlet 5 of the fluid heater.
[0019] The module inlets 2 and the module outlets 3 may include spigots, for example as Figure 1 shown. The module outlet 3 can also be directly connected to the module inlet 2. For example, the heating module 1 may have a module inlet 2 on the upper side and a module outlet 3 on the lower side, so that when the modules are stacked on top of each other, the module inlet of the heating module can be connected to the module outlet of the upper heating module. Seals such as O-rings can be used between the module outlet and the module inlet.
[0020] The fluid heater has an electrical interface 6 for connection to a heating current source, such as a high-voltage source. The electrical interface 6 is connected in parallel to the electrical module interface 7 to supply heating power to the heating modules 1. The fluid heater also has another electrical interface 8 for connection to a vehicle control unit. In the illustrated embodiment, the electrical control interface 8 of the fluid heater is only connected to an electrical module interface 9 of one of the heating modules 1. This heating module 1 is connected to the other heating modules 1 via an internal bus 10 and controls the other heating modules 1 according to the commands received via the electrical interface 8 of the fluid heater. The heating modules can be controlled using a master-slave architecture, where the heating module connected to the electrical control interface 8 of the vehicle serves as the master module, which controls the other heating modules as slave modules via the internal bus 10.
[0021] Figure 2 Another circuit diagram of a fluid heater is schematically shown, which includes three heating modules 1. The difference between this embodiment and the Figure 1 embodiment discussed above is only that the liquid to be heated flows through the heating modules 1 in series from the module inlet 4 of the fluid heater and then flows to the outlet 5 of the fluid heater.
[0022] Compared with the series connection of the heating modules 1 as Figure 2 shown, the parallel connection of the heating modules 1 as Figure 1 shown results in a lower pressure loss. This is advantageous in some applications, but the parallel connection requires a larger fluid flow rate to prevent overheating.
[0023] Figure 3 Another circuit diagram of a fluid heater is schematically shown, which includes three heating modules 1. This embodiment is the same as Figure 2The embodiments only differ in the control method of the heating module 1. The electrical control interface 8 of the fluid heater is connected to the control unit 11, and the control unit 11 controls all the heating modules 1 through the internal bus 10. Each heating module 1 has an electrical module interface 9, which is connected to the internal bus 10 and connected to the control unit 11 through the internal bus 10. The control unit 11 is arranged between the electrical control interface 8 and the internal bus 10.
[0024] The control unit 11 can individually set the heating power of each heating module 1. If the individual heating modules are connected in series, the temperature of the liquid to be heated gradually increases from the first heating module to the last heating module. To achieve the most efficient heat transfer, the heating power of the heating modules can gradually decrease from the first heating module to the last heating module.
[0025] In addition, each heating module 1 can be equipped with a temperature sensor, and the control unit 11 of the fluid heater uses this temperature sensor to monitor the operation of each heating module 1. The control unit 11 can communicate with the vehicle control unit through the electrical interface 8 and provide the operating parameters to the vehicle control unit. For example, the control unit 11 can diagnose the operating conditions of each heating module and store the conditions in the memory. Then, when setting the heating power of each module, the operating conditions can be considered, especially when a fault condition of the module is detected, and the fault condition is reported to the vehicle control unit.
[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the heating module 1 is shown. The heating module 1 includes a module inlet 2 for the liquid to be heated, a module outlet 3, a heating element (such as an electric heating resistor) for heating the liquid flowing from the module inlet 2 to the module outlet 3, an electrical module interface 7 for the heating current, and another electrical module interface 9 for receiving control signals. The electrical module interface 9 can therefore also be referred to as an electrical module control interface. The electrical module interface 7 and the electrical module interface 9 can be electrical plug connectors.
[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the fluid heater is shown, which includes three heating modules 1 stacked on top of each other. The fluid heater has an inlet 4 for the liquid to be heated, an outlet 5 for the heated liquid, an electrical interface 6 for connecting to a heating current source (such as a vehicle battery), and an electrical control interface 8 for connecting to the vehicle control unit. The electrical interface 6 and the electrical control interface 8 can be electrical plug connectors.
[0028] The inlet 4 is connected in parallel to the module inlet 2 of the heating module 1, and the outlet 5 is connected in parallel to the module outlet 3 of the heating module 1. As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the electrical interface 6 is connected to the electrical module interface 7. As Figure 1 、 Figure 2 orFigure 3 As shown, the electrical control interface 8 can be connected to the electrical control interface 9 of the heating module 1.
[0029] The fluid heater includes a frame 12 that carries an inlet 4 and an outlet 5, and connecting spigots that connect the inlet 4 and the outlet 5 to the module inlet 2 and the module outlet 3 respectively. The frame 12 also carries electrical plug connectors that define an electrical interface 6 and an electrical interface 8. In addition, the frame 12 can also carry a control unit 11 and an internal bus 10 that is connected to the electrical module interface 9 of the heating module as Figure 3 shown. The frame 12 can include a plate that covers the front of the heating module 3, and the electrical connectors are arranged on the plate.
[0030] The heating module 1 is fixed by the frame 12. The frame 12 mechanically connects a plurality of heating modules 1, thereby combining the plurality of heating modules 1 into a device that can be conveniently handled when installed on a commercial vehicle.
Claims
1. Fluid heater, comprising: An inlet (4), an outlet (5) and electrical interfaces (6, 8), characterized in that, The fluid heater further comprises a plurality of heating modules (1), each heating module comprising: A module inlet (2), connected to the inlet (4), A module outlet (3), connected to the outlet (5), A heating element for heating the liquid flowing from the module inlet (2) to the module outlet (3), and Electrical module interfaces (7, 9), connected to the electrical interfaces (6, 8).
2. The fluid heater according to claim 1, wherein, The module inlets (2) of the plurality of heating modules (1) are connected in parallel to the inlet (4).
3. The fluid heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of heating modules (1) are connected in series such that the liquid to be heated flows through the heating modules (1) one after another.
4. The fluid heater according to claim 1, wherein, The heating modules (1) are stacked on top of each other.
5. The fluid heater according to claim 1, characterized in that, Further comprising: A frame (12) and connecting faucets, the frame (12) for carrying the electrical module interfaces (7, 9), the inlet (4), the outlet (5), and the connecting faucets for connecting the inlet (4) to the module inlet (2) and the outlet (5) to the module outlet (3) respectively.
6. The fluid heater according to claim 5, characterized in that, The heating modules (1) are fixed by the frame (12).
7. The fluid heater according to claim 5, characterized in that, Further comprising an internal bus (10), the internal bus (10) connecting the electrical module interface (9).
8. The fluid heater according to claim 7, characterized in that, The internal bus (10) is provided on the frame (12).
9. The fluid heater according to claim 7, wherein, A control unit (11) is connected to the electrical interface (8) and the internal bus (10).
10. The fluid heater according to claim 9, characterized in that, The control unit (11) is provided on the frame (12).
11. The fluid heater according to claim 7, wherein, One of the heating modules (1) comprises a control unit, and the control unit controls the other heating modules (1) through the internal bus (10).
12. The fluid heater according to claim 1, wherein The electrical interfaces (6, 8) comprise a first plug connector for connecting to a heating current source and a second plug connector for connecting to a vehicle control unit.
13. The fluid heater according to claim 1, wherein, The heating element is a resistor.