Electric surface heating for heating the interior of a vehicle, especially an electrically powered vehicle.

Abstract

The invention relates to an electric surface heater for heating the interior of a vehicle, in particular an electrically powered vehicle (5), with which a local zone of the interior (3) and / or a body part (25, 27, 35) of a vehicle occupant (9, 41) can be directly and contactlessly exposed to thermal radiation. In a surface heater that is structurally simple for reliably heating local areas of the interior, the surface heater (1) is geometrically variable for focusing the emitted thermal radiation and / or for adjusting the intensity of the thermal radiation.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an electric surface heating system for heating an interior of a vehicle, in particular an electrically powered vehicle, with which a local zone of the interior and / or a body part of a vehicle occupant can be exposed to heat radiation directly and without contact.

[0002] DE 11 205 005 822 T5 discloses a heating / cooling system for a vehicle, comprising a heating / cooling device, a position detection unit for various areas of the vehicle occupant, and a control unit. The heating / cooling device comprises a heating unit that, depending on a measurement result from the position detection unit, is guided by the control unit toward a body area of ​​the vehicle occupant to be heated when the occupant's position has changed.

[0003] DE 10 2022 001 984 A1 discloses an infrared heating device for the interior of a motor vehicle, in which the infrared radiation emitted by the infrared heating device is specifically directed to a local area of ​​the interior. A control device controls a lens device arranged in the infrared beam path in front of the infrared heating device, thereby focusing the infrared radiation on predetermined areas of the interior.

[0004] The object of the invention is to provide an electric surface heating system for heating the interior of a vehicle, in particular an electrically powered vehicle, which has a simple construction for reliably heating local areas of the interior.

[0005] The invention is based on the features of the independent claims. Advantageous developments and refinements are the subject of the dependent claims. Further features, possible applications, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the explanation of exemplary embodiments of the invention illustrated in the figures.

[0006] The problem is solved by the subject matter of patent claim 1.

[0007] In the electric surface heating system described above for heating the interior of a vehicle, in particular an electrically powered vehicle, with which a local zone in the interior and / or a body part of a vehicle occupant can be directly and contactlessly exposed to thermal radiation, the surface heating system being geometrically variable to focus the thermal radiation emitted by it and / or to adjust the intensity of the thermal radiation. This has the advantage that the parameters of the thermal radiation can be adjusted simply by changing the geometry of the surface heating system. Separate components for focusing or changing the intensity of the surface heating system can be dispensed with, which reduces the manufacturing and adjustment effort for the surface heating system in the vehicle.

[0008] Advantageously, the shape of the surface heating system is variable. For example, the size of the surface heating system can be adjusted if the surface heating system has a structure consisting of at least two parts, with the at least two elements of the surface heating system being arranged side by side or at least partially one above the other. When the surface heating elements are arranged in one plane, all elements radiate heat onto the local area of ​​the vehicle's interior that is to be heated. If, for example, two elements are arranged one above the other, thereby reducing the size of the surface heating system, only the element on top of the surface heating system radiates heat. This reduces the heat radiation output.

[0009] In one design, a curved surface can be adjusted on the panel heating. This curved surface better focuses the heat radiation on the local area to be heated. This can reduce the power required for heating.

[0010] In one variant, the geometry of the surface heating can be adjusted manually or automatically, particularly using at least one actuator. With manual adjustment, the vehicle occupant can determine which zone in the vehicle interior or which part of the occupant's body should be heated. With automatic adjustment, personal data is stored in the vehicle, which the occupant simply needs to access. The actuator then moves the surface heating to the desired geometry.

[0011] In one embodiment, the geometry of the surface heating is changed using an actuator designed as a stepper motor, which is connected to a control unit for controlling the stepper motor according to the characteristic maps or lookup tables stored in the control unit. The use of the stepper motor allows for a differentiated adjustment of the geometry of the surface heating according to the specifications contained in the characteristic maps or lookup tables.

[0012] It is advantageous if the surface heating can be positioned in the vehicle's interior. This allows the surface heating to be adjusted over a larger distance, for example, between the driver and passenger. This allows a single surface heating system to be used for different local zones.

[0013] In a further embodiment, the surface heating can be repositioned by rotating it around one of its axes or sliding it along a rail. This allows for versatile positioning of the surface heating within the vehicle's interior.

[0014] In another variant, the lookup tables contain alignment factors for the surface heating elements relative to the corresponding body segments of the vehicle occupant. By using a surface heating system consisting of several separately controllable elements, the heat radiation can be more precisely directed to the corresponding body region of the vehicle occupant, since the lookup table specifies a separate alignment factor for each surface heating element.

[0015] In another embodiment, the surface heating is designed as an infrared radiant heating element or a heating foil. Whether an infrared radiant element or a heating foil is used depends on the specific application.

[0016] Further advantages, features, and details will become apparent from the following description, in which at least one exemplary embodiment is described in detail—possibly with reference to the drawings. Described and / or illustrated features may form the subject matter of the invention alone or in any meaningful combination, possibly independently of the claims, and may, in particular, also be the subject of one or more separate applications. Identical, similar, and / or functionally equivalent parts are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0017] They show: Fig. 1 an embodiment of the surface heating according to the invention in an interior of a vehicle, Fig. 2 an embodiment for the automatic control of the surface heating, Fig. 3 an embodiment of an arrangement of the surface heating according to the invention on a seat cushion, Fig. 4 an embodiment of an arrangement of the surface heating according to the invention on a seat back, Fig. 5 shows a further embodiment of an arrangement of the surface heating according to the invention on a seat back, Fig. 6 an embodiment of an arrangement of the surface heating according to the invention on an instrument panel, Fig. 7 an embodiment of an arrangement of the surface heating according to the invention on a vehicle roof.

[0018] In Fig. Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the surface heating system 1 according to the invention, which is arranged in an interior 3 of a vehicle 5. The surface heating system 1 is connected to a voltage source 7 of the vehicle 5 for electrical heating and heats the interior 3 of the vehicle without contact. The surface heating system 1 is arranged such that a predetermined local zone of the interior 3 or a specific body region of the vehicle occupant 9 is heated.

[0019] The surface heating element 1 can be designed as a heating foil, for example, made of aluminum. Alternatively, the surface heating element 1 can comprise copper strands with an electrically conductive silver-carbon coating. The surface heating element can also be designed as a radiant heating element.

[0020] Fig. Figure 2 shows an embodiment for the automatic control of the surface heating system 1. The surface heating system 1 is coupled to an actuator 11, which is designed, for example, as a stepper motor. The stepper motor is controlled by a control unit 13, in which a characteristic map or a lookup table 15 is stored, which contains factors that determine by which parameters and by how much the surface heating system 1 should be changed in its size, shape, and / or position.

[0021] Table 1 shows an example of a rotation of the surface heater 1 by an angle β depending on a preset orientation factor AF. The orientation factors AF are purely geometric quantities that indicate what percentage of the surface of the surface heater 1 is visible from another surface, for example, a body part of the vehicle occupant. Table 1 β [°] AF [%] 0 15 15 18 30 25 45 10 60 5 90 0

[0022] The Fig. 3 to 7 show various possibilities for arranging the surface heating 1 in the interior 3 of the vehicle 5.

[0023] Fig. Figure 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of an arrangement of the surface heating device 1 according to the invention on a seat cushion 17 of a vehicle seat 19, which, in addition to the seat cushion 17, has a seat back 21 and a headrest 23. The vehicle occupant 9 is indicated by his lower legs 25 and his feet 27. The surface heating device 1 is arranged under the seat cushion 17 in a rest position parallel to the seat cushion 17 ( Fig. 3a). Fig. 3b, the surface heating 1 is rotated out of its position so that it extends approximately parallel to the lower legs 25 of the vehicle occupant 9 and heats them. Fig. 3c, the surface heating 1 is moved in its extended position along a rail 29 in the direction of the lower legs 25 in order to increase the heating effect on the lower legs 25.

[0024] Exemplary embodiments for an arrangement of the surface heating 1 according to the invention on the seat back 21 are shown in the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. In both cases, the surface heating is positioned on the back of the seat backrest 21 of a front seat, whereby the vehicle occupant 41 sitting in the rear compartment behind this front seat is heated with heat. Fig. 4a, the surface heating 1 is in its rest position, while in Fig. 4b is pressed at its edges 31 to form a curvature 33 toward the rear seated vehicle occupant 41 in order to focus the heat radiation emitted by the surface heating 1. In this case, the actuator 11 has one or more stamps that rest on the edges 31 of the surface heating 1 and press against them.

[0025] In Fig. 5 shows a variable-size surface heating system 1, which consists of two elements 1a, 1b. In the parking position according to Fig. In Figure 5a, the two elements 1a, 1b of the surface heating system 1 are positioned one above the other, with only the uppermost element 1a being heated. The size of the surface heating system 1 is changed by moving the second element 1b out from under the first element 1a, either downwards or upwards. The surface heating system 1 then covers a significantly larger area, from which a greater heating effect is achieved when the first and second elements 1a, 1b are heated simultaneously.

[0026] Out of Fig. 6 shows an embodiment of an arrangement of the surface heating 1 according to the invention on an instrument panel 34. In Fig. 6a, the vertically positioned surface heating 1 heats the thighs 35 of the upright seated vehicle occupant 9. According to Fig. 6b, the surface heating 1 is shown rotated from its vertical position into a horizontal position below the instrument panel 34, whereby the lower legs 25 and the feet 27 of the vehicle occupant 9 are heated when the vehicle seat 19 is in a relaxed seating position.

[0027] An embodiment of an arrangement of the surface heating 1 according to the invention on a vehicle roof 37 is shown in Fig. 7. This heats the head area 39 of a rear passenger 41. The surface heater 1 can also be designed to be movable and / or rotatable in this case. The positioning can be selected depending on the seating position of the rear passenger 41 and / or the backrest inclination. It can also be used to heat the head area of ​​a vehicle occupant in a front seat.

[0028] The described solution enables particularly energy-efficient heating of a vehicle occupant while providing optimal local and global thermal comfort. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 11 205 005 822 T5

[0002] DE 10 2022 001 984 A1

[0003]

Claims

[1] Electric surface heating for heating an interior of a vehicle, in particular an electrically driven vehicle (5), with which a local zone of the interior (3) and / or a body part (25, 27, 35) of a vehicle occupant (9, 41) can be exposed to heat radiation directly and without contact, wherein the surface heating (1) is geometrically variable for focusing the heat radiation emitted by it and / or for adjusting the intensity of the heat radiation, wherein the surface heating (1) is variable in its shape, characterized by that an at least two-part structure is provided, wherein the at least two elements (1a, 1b) of the surface heating (1) can be arranged next to one another or at least partially one above the other and wherein a curvature (33) is adjustable. [2] Surface heating according to claim 1, characterized bythat the change in the geometry of the surface heating (1) can be adjusted manually or automatically, in particular using at least one actuator (11). [3] Surface heating according to claim 2, characterized by that the change in the geometry of the surface heating (11) takes place by means of an actuator (11) designed as a stepper motor, which is connected to a control unit (13) for controlling the stepper motor in accordance with the characteristic maps or lookup tables (15) stored in the control unit (13). [4] Surface heating according to claim 3, characterized by a variable position in the interior (3) of the vehicle (5). [5] Surface heating according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by a change in position occurs as a result of rotation about one of its axes or displacement along a rail (29). [6] Surface heating according to claim 5, characterized bythat the lookup tables (15) comprise orientation factors (AF) of the elements (1a, 1b) of the surface heating (1) to corresponding body segments of a vehicle occupant (9, 41). [7] Surface heating according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized by training as an infrared radiant heating element or as a heating foil.

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