Improved PTC heater structure

Abstract

The utility model discloses an improved PTC heater structure, which relates to the technical field of heaters, and comprises an upper shell and a lower shell, a heating body assembly is arranged between the upper shell and the lower shell, the heating body assembly is assembled on the lower shell and then is filled with glue to form an integral structure, and the upper shell is fixedly arranged on the lower shell; the heating body assembly comprises a water tank, bent pipes are symmetrically installed on the two sides of the water tank, the bent pipes are placed on V-shaped openings formed in the lower shell, and sealing and fixing are achieved through an insertion plate, a waterproof ring and a cover plate which are sequentially arranged. A straight pipe is changed into the bent pipe, and space is saved when the water inlet and outlet pipe is installed. Sealing between the upper shell body and the lower shell body is achieved through the silica gel ring and glue protection, the sealing effect is remarkable, and condensate water is not prone to occurring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of heaters, in particular to an improved PTC heater structure. Background Art

[0002] With the growing demand for electric heavy-duty trucks, performance requirements for high-voltage, high-power water heaters have reached new heights. This has necessitated an urgent optimization and upgrade of existing structures. This effort aims to significantly enhance the equipment's vibration resistance, strengthen condensation protection, and reinforce the insulation barrier. This ensures the heaters can operate stably under complex and changing operating conditions, meeting the increasingly stringent demands of the electric heavy-duty truck industry.

[0003] The prior art has the following defects:

[0004] Problem: 1. During customer assembly, the straight inlet and outlet pipes presented a significant challenge: a larger turning radius was required to accommodate installation requirements, which inevitably resulted in additional space usage. Therefore, to optimize spatial layout and improve assembly efficiency, the introduction of curved pipes became necessary. This design aims to adjust the water flow path, effectively reducing the required space while ensuring unimpeded water flow.

[0005] Problem 2. In previous designs, we used silicone rings as a sealing method, but practice has shown that their sealing performance is less than ideal. To fundamentally address this issue and improve overall waterproof performance, we have implemented a technological innovation, introducing a glue protective layer, thus creating a double-layer waterproof protection system. This improvement not only effectively solves the problem of condensation in the original structure, but also significantly enhances the sealing effect, ensuring product stability and durability. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this utility model is to provide an improved PTC heater structure to solve the above technical problems.

[0007] The purpose of the utility model can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0008] An improved PTC heater structure includes an upper shell and a lower shell. A heating element assembly is disposed between the upper shell and the lower shell. The heating element assembly is assembled to the lower shell and then glued to form an integral structure. The upper shell is fixedly mounted on the lower shell.

[0009] The heating element assembly includes a water tank, with elbows symmetrically installed on both sides of the water tank. The elbows are placed on the V-shaped opening opened on the lower shell and are sealed and fixed by the plug plate, waterproof ring and cover plate arranged in sequence.

[0010] As a further solution of the present invention: copper studs are provided on the bottom inner wall of the lower shell.

[0011] As a further solution of the present invention: a sealing groove is provided on the top of the lower shell, a silicone ring is embedded in the sealing groove, and glue is applied in the sealing groove to form a double seal.

[0012] As a further solution of the present invention: a plurality of PTC heating sheets are provided on the water tank, and the outside of each PTC heating sheet is covered with a polyimide film bag.

[0013] As a further solution of the present invention: the exterior of the plurality of PTC heating sheets is fixed by a clamp, and a silicone gasket is installed between the clamp and the PTC heating sheet.

[0014] As a further solution of the present invention: a plurality of PTC heating sheets are connected to busbar partitions, and a plurality of knurled copper nuts are embedded and installed on the busbar partitions.

[0015] Beneficial effects of the utility model:

[0016] The utility model changes the straight pipe into a curved pipe, which saves space when installing the inlet and outlet pipes.

[0017] The utility model adopts a silicone ring and glue protection to achieve sealing between the upper shell and the lower shell, and the sealing effect is significant, and condensation water is not easy to appear.

[0018] The utility model installs the heating element assembly into the shell and then performs overall glue filling to completely cover the outlet position of the connector. The overall glue filling process can, on the one hand, prevent the connector from entering with water vapor and generating condensation water, and on the other hand, also improve the vibration resistance.

[0019] The utility model adopts symmetrical waterproof effect on both sides, which is suitable for installation of irregular pipes and expands the adaptability of the housing to different heating element assemblies.

[0020] The silicone gasket of the utility model can prevent insulation failure caused by vibration during assembly or use.

[0021] The exterior of the PTC heating sheet of the utility model is covered with a polyimide film bag to avoid leakage current and play a protective role. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the utility model as a whole;

[0024] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the top view of the lower shell of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a side structural diagram of the lower shell of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the top view of the heating element assembly of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the heating element assembly of the utility model

[0028] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the heating element assembly of the utility model;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the busbar partition of the utility model;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the PTC heating element of the utility model;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the conductive sheet structure of the utility model;

[0032] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the triangular connection method of the utility model;

[0033] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the triangle connection method of the PTC copper busbar of the utility model;

[0034] In the figure: 1. Upper shell; 2. Lower shell; 21. Sealing groove; 22. Copper stud; 23. V-shaped mouth; 3. Heating element assembly; 31. Water tank; 32. Elbow; 33. Insert plate; 34. Waterproof ring; 35. Cover plate; 36. Busbar partition; 361. Knurled copper nut; 37. Polyimide film bag; 38. Silicone gasket; 39. Clamp; 310. PTC heating element; 311. Conductive sheet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] See also Figure 1-7As shown, the present invention is an improved PTC heater structure, comprising an upper shell 1 and a lower shell 2. A heating element assembly 3 is disposed between the upper and lower shells 1 and 2. The heating element assembly 3 is assembled to the lower shell 2 and then glued to form an integrated structure that completely covers the connector outlet. The upper shell 1 is fixedly mounted on the lower shell 2. Existing designs lack an integrated glue-pouring process, which easily allows moisture to enter the connector, resulting in condensation. The glue-pouring structure prevents moisture from entering the connector, preventing condensation, and also improves vibration resistance.

[0037] The heating element assembly 3 includes a water tank 31, and curved pipes 32 are symmetrically installed on both sides of the water tank 31. Most of the existing technologies use straight pipes for water inlet and outlet, which requires more space to install. Therefore, the curved pipe design is improved to save space.

[0038] The bend 32 is placed on the V-shaped opening 23 opened on the lower shell 2, and is sealed and fixed by the plug plate 33, waterproof ring 34 and cover plate 35 arranged in sequence to achieve waterproofing. In the past, a single-sided waterproof design was used, the compatibility of the shell was not good enough, and the assembly efficiency was low. The same waterproof design on both sides is adopted, the waterproof effect is good, and the flexibility of the water inlet and outlet design of the water tank is increased. The symmetrical waterproof effect is adopted on both sides for the installation of irregular pipes. The adaptability of the expanded shell to different heating element assemblies.

[0039] A copper stud 22 is installed on the inner wall of the bottom of the lower housing 2, which is internally connected to the water tank via wiring. Previously, grounding required a grounding wire to be connected through a connector, which was inconvenient for customers. Using internal wiring provides a simpler structure and greater reliability. Previous technology used hexagonal flat nuts, but this was found to have insufficient pullout strength and could easily cause them to fall off due to collisions. Therefore, a knurled nut was used to connect to the copper stud 22.

[0040] The top of the lower housing 2 is provided with a sealing groove 21, into which a silicone ring is embedded and glued to create a double seal. Previously, only the silicone ring was used for sealing, but the sealing effect was poor. Therefore, glue protection was added to improve the double-layer waterproof protection. The previous structure was more prone to condensation. The double seal is more effective and enhances the sealing effect.

[0041] The water tank 31 is provided with a plurality of PTC heating sheets 310. The PTC heating sheets 310 are composed of a conductive sheet 311, a PTC sheet and a polyimide film bag 37. The specific structure is as follows: Figure 8 As shown, the previous structure was relatively complex, which made assembly difficult and affected assembly efficiency; the new PTC heating sheet 310 is more concise and efficient.

[0042] The conductive sheet 311 is used to attach to the lead portion of the PTC sheet on the side with better conductivity, connecting to the busbar as a conductive path. When the resistance of the PTC heating sheet 310 increases due to temperature changes and the current is limited, the conductive sheet 311 can share some of the current conduction task, ensuring the connectivity and stability of the entire circuit. Since the PTC sheet itself is relatively fragile, the conductive sheet 311 has good hardness and strength to prevent the PTC sheet from being damaged. It improves heat dissipation performance, controls the rate of temperature rise, and prevents the PTC sheet from overheating and causing performance degradation.

[0043] Each PTC heating element 310 is covered with a polyimide film bag 37. In the past, ceramic PTC heating elements were used, but ceramics are fragile and can cause leakage current, leading to insulation failure in the vehicle. Therefore, the polyimide film bag 37 is added for protection.

[0044] The PTC heating sheets 310 are fixed externally by a clamp 39 , and a silicone gasket 38 is installed between the clamp 39 and the PTC heating sheet 310 . In the past, the silicone gasket 38 was not used, and vibration during assembly or use would cause insulation failure.

[0045] Multiple PTC heating elements 310 are connected to busbar separators 36, which are embedded with multiple knurled copper nuts 361. In the past, busbar separators were installed by riveting nuts to the busbar separators, but these nuts were prone to loosening and falling off. A new solution is to embed the knurled copper nuts in plastic parts, which provides better insulation and easier installation.

[0046] The busbar partition 36 adopts a four-core outlet method with two positive and two negative terminals. In the past, two-core high-voltage connectors were used, but the current carrying capacity was not large enough, or the size was too large to be installed. Therefore, a four-core outlet method with two positive and two negative terminals is used. It can also enable the heater to have two-speed control capabilities. If it is three-phase electricity, three wire harnesses can be used, using a simpler and safer triangle connection method, such as Figure 10 As shown: the previous method is to use wire harness wiring and wire clips for wiring; this solution uses a busbar, one or more heating elements in a group, which can be combined into a three-phase triangle connection. Figure 11 shown.

[0047] The above describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail. However, the above content is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and should not be considered to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. All equivalent changes and improvements made within the scope of the present invention should still fall within the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

Claims

1. An improved PTC heater structure, characterized in that: The device comprises an upper shell (1) and a lower shell (2), wherein a heating element assembly (3) is provided between the upper shell (1) and the lower shell (2), and the heating element assembly (3) is assembled to the lower shell (2) and then glued to form an integral structure, and the upper shell (1) is fixedly mounted on the lower shell (2); The heating element assembly (3) includes a water tank (31), and curved pipes (32) are symmetrically installed on both sides of the water tank (31). The curved pipes (32) are placed on the V-shaped opening (23) opened on the lower shell (2), and are sealed and fixed by the plug plate (33), waterproof ring (34) and cover plate (35) arranged in sequence.

2. The improved PTC heater structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A copper stud (22) is provided on the bottom inner wall of the lower shell (2).

3. The improved PTC heater structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sealing groove (21) is provided on the top of the lower shell (2), a silicone ring is embedded in the sealing groove (21), and glue is applied in the sealing groove (21) to form a double seal.

4. The improved PTC heater structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of PTC heating sheets (310) are provided on the water tank (31), and the exterior of each PTC heating sheet (310) is covered with a polyimide film bag (37).

5. The improved PTC heater structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The exterior of the plurality of PTC heating sheets (310) is fixed by a clamp (39), and a silicone gasket (38) is installed between the clamp (39) and the PTC heating sheet (310).

6. The improved PTC heater structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: A plurality of PTC heating sheets (310) are connected to a busbar partition (36), and a plurality of knurled copper nuts (361) are embedded and mounted on the busbar partition (36).

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