Vehicle heater

Abstract

A vehicle heater (10), comprising a heater housing (12) and, in the heater housing (12), a burner region (18) to be supplied with combustion air and fuel, and a control unit (42), wherein a control unit receptacle (70) is formed on a housing part (16) of the heater housing (12), wherein the control unit receptacle (70) comprises a peripheral wall (74) surrounding the control unit (42), characterized in that two second connection contact penetration regions (96, 98) are provided in the housing part (16) in the region of the peripheral wall (74), wherein the control unit (42) can be positioned in two different positions in the control unit receptacle (70), and in each of the positions, a connection region (104) provided on the control unit (42) interacts with a different one of the second connection contact penetration regions (96, 98).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle heater comprising a heater housing and, in the heater housing, a burner area to be supplied with combustion air and fuel and a control unit.

[0002] The Fig. Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a vehicle heater marketed by the applicant under the trade name "AIRTRONIC" with its essential components. This vehicle heater 10 comprises a heater housing 12 with a first housing part 14 and a second housing part 16 acting essentially as a housing cover. The essential components intended for heat generation and heat transfer are accommodated or fixed in the first housing part 14. For example, a burner area 18 with a combustion chamber housing 20 and a combustion chamber provided therein is arranged in the first housing part 14, with a fuel supply line 22 leading through an opening in the first housing part 14 to a fuel delivery arrangement (not shown), for example a metering pump.

[0003] The hot combustion exhaust gases leaving the burner region 18 flow towards a heat exchanger arrangement 24. The heat exchanger arrangement 24 absorbs the combustion heat or a portion of it and transfers the heat to the air flowing through the heater housing 12 via a plurality of heat transfer fins 26 provided on the outer circumference thereof.

[0004] A blower assembly, generally designated 28, comprises an electric drive motor 30, the drive shaft of which is mounted on the Fig. 1 left side of the electric drive motor 30 carries a hot air conveyor wheel 32. On the Fig. 1 On the right-hand side of the electric drive motor 30, a combustion air conveyor wheel of a combustion air conveyor arrangement 34, for example, a side-channel blower, is mounted on the drive shaft. The two conveyor wheels are jointly driven to rotate by the electric drive motor 30. The combustion air conveyed by the combustion air conveyor arrangement 34 is directed toward the combustion chamber housing 20, where it can be combusted with the supplied fuel.

[0005] To start combustion, an ignition element 36 is provided, which can be positioned in an ignition element receiving projection 38 of the combustion chamber housing 20. Furthermore, the temperature of the heating air and / or the combustion exhaust gases can be detected, for example, via a temperature sensor arrangement 40.

[0006] To control / regulate the operation of the vehicle heater 10 or the various system areas to be controlled, a control unit 42 is provided. This comprises a control unit housing 44 and the electronics housed therein. A connecting cable 46 with a connector plug 48 is provided to establish a connection to the vehicle's on-board voltage system or the vehicle's data transmission system. Depending on the installation position of the vehicle heater 10, this connecting cable 46 can be passed through one of two through-openings 50, 52 provided on the first housing part 14. Elastic closure elements 54, 56, which can be inserted into the through-openings 50, 52, are used to achieve a tight seal. The control unit 42 or the control unit housing 44 is firmly connected to the fan assembly 28 by a screw connection.

[0007] In the assembled state of the vehicle heater 10, essentially all components or system areas are housed in the first housing part 14, and by removing the second housing part 16 from the first housing part 14, these components are essentially accessible. The second housing part 16 can be connected to the first housing part 14, for example, by snap-in connecting elements 58, 60. In the assembled state, the two housing parts 14, 16 provide a heating air inlet opening 62 and, at the opposite end, a heating air outlet 63 for the heating air heated in the area of ​​the heat exchanger arrangement 24.

[0008] From DE 102 41 588 A1, a design of an additional heater for a vehicle air conditioning device is known, in which a housing cover having a cavity for receiving a control unit is provided on a heater housing, the outer peripheral contour of which is adapted to the outer peripheral contour of the heater housing and thus specifies the mounting position of the housing cover.

[0009] DE 20 2004 015 442 U1 discloses a vehicle air heater in which a burner / heat exchanger assembly is enclosed by a heater housing that also serves to guide a flow of air to be heated. A control unit arranged in a housing is mounted on the burner / heat exchanger assembly.

[0010] US 5 855 319 A discloses a vehicle water heater in which a volume for accommodating a control unit is formed in a housing part of a multi-part housing.

[0011] It is the object of the present invention to design a vehicle heater in such a way that increased functionality can be achieved with a simplified structure.

[0012] According to the invention, this object is achieved by a vehicle heater according to claim 1. The vehicle heater comprises a heater housing and, in the heater housing, a burner area to be supplied with combustion air and fuel and a control unit, wherein a control unit receptacle is formed on a housing part of the heater housing.

[0013] Since the control unit is directly mounted on the heater housing in the inventive design of a vehicle heater, there is no need to configure this or other system areas, in particular the previously mentioned fan assembly, for interconnection. Furthermore, the provision of the control unit on a housing part of the heater housing significantly facilitates the possibility of establishing electrical contact with the corresponding supply lines of a vehicle.

[0014] In a variant which is particularly simple and cost-effective to implement, it is proposed that at least part of the control unit receptacle is formed integrally with the housing part.

[0015] In order to provide encapsulation of the control unit, the control unit receptacle comprises a peripheral wall surrounding the control unit.

[0016] In order to stably hold the control unit on the housing part, it is proposed that the control unit holder comprises a support area that carries the control unit.

[0017] The risk of the control unit coming into contact with media that could endanger its operability, such as moisture or liquid, can be avoided by locking the control unit holder with a cover.

[0018] In order to nevertheless be able to maintain a control connection to various system areas to be controlled by the control unit or system areas providing information to the control unit, it is further proposed that at least one first connection contact penetration area is provided in the closure cover.

[0019] The establishment of an electrical connection with a vehicle is realized by providing two second connection contact penetration areas in the housing part.

[0020] The second connection contact penetration areas are provided in the area of ​​the peripheral wall.

[0021] In order to provide increased variability when installing the heater in a vehicle, the control unit can be positioned in the control unit holder in two different positions, and in each of the positions, a connection area provided on the control unit interacts with another of the second connection contact penetration areas.

[0022] A compact design can be supported in the vehicle heater according to the invention by arranging in the heater housing a combustion air conveying arrangement for conveying combustion air to a combustion chamber of the burner area and / or a heating air conveying arrangement for conveying air to be heated.

[0023] If, according to a further advantageous aspect, the heater housing delimits a flow space for the medium to be heated, preferably air, a further fusion of functions can be achieved in the heater housing beyond the encapsulation of the essential system areas of the vehicle heater and the carrying functionality for the control unit.

[0024] For example, the construction may be such that the heater housing comprises a first housing part carrying the burner region and a second housing part connectable to the first housing part, wherein the control unit receptacle is provided on the second housing part.

[0025] The present invention is described in detail below. It shows: Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of the essential components of a known vehicle heater; Fig. 2 an interior view of a housing part of a heater housing providing a control unit; Fig. 3 a side view of the housing part of the Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a sectional view of the housing part of the Fig. 2, viewed in direction IV-IV in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 a longitudinal sectional view of the housing part of the Fig. 3, viewed in the direction VV in Fig. 2.

[0026] Before referring to the Fig. 2 to 5, the design of a vehicle heater according to the invention or of a heater housing therefor is described, it should be noted that the basic structure of a vehicle heater according to the invention can correspond to that described above with reference to the Fig. 1. Therefore, reference should be made to the previous explanations on Fig. 1. In the following description of the inventive design of the heater housing, for components which have been described above with reference to the Fig. 1 described components perform the same or similar functions, the same reference symbols are used.

[0027] The Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show, in an internal view and in a side view, the second housing part 16 of the heater housing 12. One can see the edge region 64 which can be brought into contact with the first housing part 14 and a semi-cylindrical projection 66 which, in conjunction with a corresponding projection of the first housing part 14 (not shown here), delimits the heating air inlet opening 62. On the inner side 68 of the second housing part 16 facing the first housing part 14, there is provided a control unit receptacle, generally designated 70. This control unit receptacle 70 is essentially provided by a Fig. 4 also recognizable bottom wall 72 of the second housing part 16, and thus extending from this to the inner side 68. The peripheral wall 74 is in the Fig.2, in accordance with the corresponding design of the control electronics 76 of the control unit 42, it is essentially rectangular.

[0028] For example, a base region 78, also surrounded by the peripheral wall 74, is also formed integrally with the housing part 16. The control unit 42 or its control electronics 76 can be secured to the base region 78, for example, by screwing, clamping, locking, or the like. To increase stability, the base region 78 can be supported by a plurality of ribs 80 relative to the base wall 72 of the second housing part 16.

[0029] A closure cover 84 can be attached, for example, by clamping or locking, to the free end region 82 of the peripheral wall 74 facing away from the base region 78. This closure cover 84 essentially seals the interior of the control unit receptacle 70 in a liquid-tight manner and thus prevents the control electronics 76 from coming into contact with moisture contained in the heating air to be heated. The peripheral wall 74, in conjunction with the base region 78 and the closure cover 84, thus essentially completely encapsulates the control unit 42, thus providing a sealed receiving volume for the control unit 42.

[0030] By providing the ribs 80 and the resulting spacing of the base region 78 from the base wall 72, air flow around the control unit receptacle 70 is ensured, which, on the one hand, ensures the lowest possible air flow resistance for the heating air flowing in the heater housing 12 and, on the other hand, ensures a cooling effect for the control unit 42. For this purpose, the peripheral wall 74 extends to the base wall 72 only where it runs parallel to the air flow direction, but only to the base region 78 in its axial end regions in the flow direction.

[0031] In order to be able to connect the various system areas of the vehicle heater to be controlled, such as the electric drive motor 30, the ignition element 36, as well as system areas that input information from the area of ​​the vehicle heater 10 into the control unit 42, such as the temperature sensor arrangement 40, to the control electronics 76, a first connection contact penetration area 86 is provided in the closure cover 84. This comprises a plurality of penetration openings 88, closed for example by elastic sealing elements, for connection contacts 90, which extend from the control electronics 76 in the direction of the closure cover 84 and thus also through it. Various lines with respective connection plugs leading to the previously mentioned system areas can then be plugged onto these connection contacts 90.

[0032] In order to further establish an electrical connection between the control electronics 76 and the vehicle, for example, the on-board voltage system or the data transmission system thereof, recesses 100, 102 are provided in the second housing part 16 or the control unit receptacle 70 on two opposing side walls 92, 94 of the first housing part 16 to provide respective second connection contact penetration areas 96, 98, which provide access to the peripheral wall 74. Openings 106 are provided in the peripheral wall 74 in association with connection contacts 104, which extend at an angle and thus laterally away from the control electronics 76. These openings receive the connection contacts 104 with a close and thus also liquid-tight fit or are essentially liquid-tightly sealed by additional sealing elements.A respective connector plug on a vehicle-mounted connecting cable can be inserted into the respective recess 100 or 102 penetrated by the connecting contacts 104, thus connecting it to the control electronics 76. Also, or exclusively, by inserting such a connector plug into a respective recess 100 or 102, it is also possible to achieve a liquid-tight seal for each recess. The recess or the second connecting contact penetration area in which no connecting contacts 104 are provided can then be sealed off by a plug, a cover, or the like.

[0033] The essentially rectangular design of the control unit receptacle 70 and the control unit 42 itself makes it possible to mount them in two positions rotated by 180° relative to each other, so that the connection contacts 104 are exposed for contacting either in the second connection contact penetration area 96 or in the second connection contact penetration area 98. This makes it possible to select the appropriate positioning for the control unit 42 depending on the installation position of the heater 10, thus also making it easy to establish the plug-in connection.

[0034] It should be noted here that, as an alternative to the connection contacts 104 penetrating the peripheral wall 74, through-openings could be formed in the peripheral wall 74, through which respective contacts in a plug pass, so that the electrical contact is then established entirely within the control unit receptacle 70. In this case in particular, it is advantageous if a respective connection plug, in conjunction with a recess 100 or 102 accommodating it, can establish the essentially liquid-tight seal.

Claims

[1] Vehicle heater (10), comprising a heater housing (12) and, in the heater housing (12), a burner area (18) to be supplied with combustion air and fuel and a control unit (42), wherein a control unit receptacle (70) is formed on a housing part (16) of the heater housing (12), wherein the control unit receptacle (70) comprises a peripheral wall (74) surrounding the control unit (42), characterized by in that two second connection contact penetration areas (96, 98) are provided in the housing part (16) in the region of the peripheral wall (74), wherein the control unit (42) can be positioned in the control unit receptacle (70) in two different positions and in each of the positions a connection area (104) provided on the control unit (42) interacts with another of the second connection contact penetration areas (96, 98). [2] Vehicle heater (10) according to claim 1, characterized bythat at least a part of the control unit receptacle (70) is formed integrally with the housing part (16). [3] Vehicle heater (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the control unit holder (70) comprises a support area (78) carrying the control unit (42). [4] Vehicle heater (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the control unit receptacle (70) can be locked by a closing cover (84). [5] Vehicle heater (10) according to claim 4, characterized by that at least one first connection contact penetration area (86) is provided in the closure cover (84). [6] Vehicle heater (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized bythat a combustion air conveying arrangement (34, 30) for conveying combustion air to a combustion chamber of the burner region (18) and / or a heating air conveying arrangement (32, 30) for conveying air to be heated is arranged in the heater housing (12). [7] Vehicle heater (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by that the heater housing (12) defines a flow space for the medium to be heated, preferably air. [8] Vehicle heater (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by that the heater housing (12) comprises a first housing part (14) carrying the burner region (18) and a second housing part (16) connectable to the first housing part (14), wherein the control unit receptacle (70) is provided on the second housing part (16).

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