Heater

Abstract

To provide a heater which allows immediate warmth to be felt only on an upper side of the heater but also at any peripheries by further improving an existing heater including a heat radiation panel and planar heating element.SOLUTION: A heater includes: a flat-plate-like heat radiation panel 9 in which a plurality of through-hole-like ventilation passages 9b extending in a vertical direction is arrayed; and a pair of planar heating elements 10 disposed so as to hold the heat radiation panel 9 on both surface side of the heat radiation panel to generate heat when being energized. The planar heating elements 10 is fixed via a spacer 11a to the heat radiation panel 9 to provide an interval g.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heater using a sheet heating element such as a glass heater or a ceramic heater. [Background technology]

[0002] Known devices for heating a room include, for example, oil stoves that burn kerosene, heaters that use hot water to heat a heat dissipation panel (see Patent Document 1 below), and heaters that use hot water to heat a cylindrical member (see Patent Document 2 below). Oil stoves have problems such as the risk of causing a fire if they are tipped over because they use fire, and heaters that use hot water have problems such as poor thermal efficiency.

[0003] Therefore, the inventors developed a heater comprising "a flat heat dissipation panel having a plurality of fin sections arranged to span between opposing flat surfaces with parallel through-hole-like air passages extending vertically between the fin sections, and a pair of planar heating elements arranged to sandwich each of the flat surfaces of the heat dissipation panel in contact with each other and generate heat when electricity is passed through them" (see Patent Document 3 below).

[0004] This heater has sheet heating elements on both sides of a heat dissipation panel, improving thermal efficiency and enabling the room to be heated quickly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-39629 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-39628 A [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 6908311 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The heater described in Patent Document 3 above is thermally efficient and can heat a room rapidly, but most of the heat from the planar heating element is transferred to the heat dissipation panel, which warms the air and creates an ascending air current, so that while the area near the upper air outlet is immediately warm after turning on the power, the front, back, and sides of the heater feel slightly slower to warm up than the area near the air outlet.

[0007] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to further improve a conventional heater equipped with a heat dissipation panel and a planar heating element, and to provide a heater that allows the warmth to be felt immediately not only above the heater, but anywhere around it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One form of heater of the present invention comprises a flat heat dissipation panel having a plurality of parallel through-hole-like air passages extending in the vertical direction, and a pair of sheet-shaped heating elements arranged to be sandwiched on both sides of the heat dissipation panel and which generate heat when electricity is passed through them, and is characterized in that the sheet-shaped heating elements are fixed between the heat dissipation panel and the pair of sheet-shaped heating elements via a spacer.

[0009] In the heater of the above-mentioned embodiment, a gap is formed between the heat dissipation panel and the planar heating element, so that the heat generated from the planar heating element warms not only the heat dissipation panel but also the air in the gap, which dissipates and allows immediate heating not only above the heater but anywhere in the surrounding area.

[0010] In the heater of the one embodiment described above, the gap width between the planar heating element and the heat dissipation panel is preferably 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm, and the spacer is preferably 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm in thickness. By setting the gap width between the planar heating element and the heat dissipation panel in this range, both the heat dissipation panel and the air in the gap can be heated appropriately. If it is narrower than this, only the heat dissipation panel heats up, so only the upper part of the heater tends to heat up, and if it is wider than this, heat is not easily transferred to the heat dissipation panel.

[0011] In the heater of the above embodiment, it is preferable that the spacer is formed integrally with a fixture that fixes the sheet heating element to the heat dissipation panel. This makes it possible to easily form a gap between the planar heating element and the heat dissipation panel, and allows the assembly work to be carried out efficiently.

[0012] In one form of the heater described above, it is preferable that the fixing device is configured to include a clip portion that elastically clamps the planar heating element, and a fixing portion that fixes it in contact with one surface of the heat dissipation panel. By using such a fixing device, the clip portion can be clamped to the planar heating element and the fixing portion can be fixed to the heat dissipation panel with screws or the like, thereby allowing the planar heating element to be fixed to the heat dissipation panel while also forming a gap between it and the heat dissipation panel. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a heater according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the heater of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a heating unit which is a component of the heater in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the heating unit of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the heating unit of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] 4 is a perspective view of a heat dissipation panel which is a component of the heating unit in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fixture which is a component of the heating unit in FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, a heater according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described, however, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0015] A heater 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 2 having a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape and a heating section 3 disposed inside the main body 2, as shown in FIG. The heater 1 is not particularly limited, but is suitable as a home heater for heating a living room or the like of a residence.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 2 has a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a front surface 2a, a rear surface 2b, a top surface 2c, left and right side surfaces 2d, and a bottom surface 2e. The main body 2 is preferably a thin rectangular parallelepiped with the width (width of the front portion 2a) being thinner than the depth (width of the side portion 2d), and although there are no particular limitations, it is preferable that the width be within the range of 150 mm to 350 mm, the depth be within the range of 400 mm to 600 mm, and the height be within the range of 500 mm to 700 mm.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface portion 2c is provided with an operation portion 4 and an air outlet 5. The operation unit 4 is provided with switches for operating the heater 1 and lights that indicate the operating status of the heater 1, and allows the heater to be turned on / off and the volume of air to be adjusted. The air outlet 5 opens in a horizontally long rectangular shape and is capable of discharging air heated by the internal heating unit 3. The air outlet 5 has a lattice-like mesh structure to prevent objects or fingers from getting stuck inside.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the front portion 2a and the back portion 2b of the main body 2 are provided with a handle portion 6 that is recessed into a horizontally long rectangular shape near the top portion 2c, and the heater 1 can be easily carried by hooking the fingers on the handle portion 6.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1 or 2, the bottom surface 2e of the main body 2 is provided with legs 7 and an inlet 8. The legs 7 have rod-like supports 7a that protrude diagonally outward from each corner of the bottom surface 2e, and casters 7b are fixed to the tip of each support 7a to make the main body 2 easy to move. The suction port 8 is opened in a horizontally long rectangular shape so that air can be taken in. The suction port 8 has a lattice-like mesh structure to prevent objects or fingers from getting inside.

[0020] In this embodiment, the main body 2 is in the shape of a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped, but this is not limited thereto and various designs can be adopted.

[0021] The heating section 3 is disposed near the center inside the main body section 2 as shown in FIG. 2, and includes a heat dissipation panel 9, a planar heating element 10, and a fixture 11 as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, the heat dissipation panel 9 is a hollow, vertically elongated rectangular flat plate that penetrates in the vertical direction, and has thin plate-like fin portions 9a arranged in parallel at approximately equal intervals inside to form multiple air passages 9b. The ventilation passages 9b are formed as through holes extending in the vertical direction and are arranged in a row. The ventilation passages 9b are preferably rectangular in cross section, and more preferably elongated rectangular in cross section, although this is not particularly limited. The width of the ventilation passages 9b is preferably narrow, and is preferably 25 mm or less, more preferably 10 mm or less, and even more preferably 5 mm or less, although this is not particularly limited.

[0022] The flat surfaces 9c on both sides of the heat dissipation panel 9 are adapted to accommodate the planar heating element 10 as shown in Figures 3 to 5. The flatness of the flat surfaces 9c is preferably increased by pressing or the like, and the flatness is preferably 0.01 mm or less, for example. Screw holes 9g for fastening fixtures 11 are provided on the left and right edge sides of the flat surfaces 9c. The flat surface 9c is provided with grooves 9h extending in the up-down direction. In this embodiment, five grooves 9h are provided on each surface of the flat surface 9c. The grooves 9h are not particularly limited, but may be formed in various shapes such as a square groove, a circular groove, or a triangular cross section. A lip-shaped fixing groove 9e is formed in the vertical direction on both side end surface portions 9d of the heat dissipation panel 9 so that the panel can be fixed to the main body portion 2.

[0023] The heat dissipation panel 9 is preferably formed from a material with good thermal conductivity, and although there is no particular limitation, it is preferably formed from a metal such as copper, aluminum, or an aluminum alloy, and is preferably formed integrally by extruding aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

[0024] The sheet heating element 10 is flat and generates heat over its entire surface when electricity is applied, and may be, for example, a glass heater, a ceramic heater, a graft carbon heater (graft carbon is a registered trademark), etc. More specifically, examples of the ceramic heater include an alumina-based ceramic heater and a silicon nitride-based ceramic heater.

[0025] In this embodiment, the planar heating element 10 is configured by arranging conductive wires (not shown) in a rectangular, flat heating portion, and the heating portion has an area slightly smaller than the planar portion 9c of the heat dissipation panel 9, and is fixed by sandwiching a pair of heat dissipation panels 9 from both sides.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5, the sheet heating element 10 and the heat dissipation panel 9 are fixed together with a spacer 11a therebetween, leaving a gap g therebetween. The spacer 11a may be a thin plate-like washer-like member, but in this embodiment, it is formed integrally with the fastener 11 for fastening the sheet heating element 10 to the heat dissipation panel 9.

[0027] 7, the fixture 11 includes a clip portion 12 having a U-shaped cross section formed by bending a rectangular plate material so that its longitudinal edges overlap, and a fixing portion 13 having a hole 13a through which a screw or the like for fixing to the heat dissipation panel 9 is inserted. In this embodiment, one sheet heating element 10 is fixed to the heat dissipation panel 9 using four fixtures 11.

[0028] The clip portion 12 of the fixture 11 is adapted to be clamped to the edge portion of the sheet heating element 10, and comprises a spacer piece 12a and a clamping piece 12b facing the spacer piece 12a. The spacer piece 12a is in the form of a long and narrow rectangular plate, is sandwiched between the sheet heating element 10 and the heat dissipation panel 9, and serves the role of the spacer 11a, and can form a gap g between the sheet heating element 10 and the heat dissipation panel 9. The width of the gap g is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm, and more preferably 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm. The thickness of the spacer piece 12a is preferably 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm, and more preferably 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm, so that the width of the gap g falls within this range.

[0029] The clamping piece 12b is an elongated rectangular plate, and is disposed facing the spacer piece 12a with a gap therebetween. The clamping piece 12b is provided with a protrusion 12c having a triangular cross section that protrudes toward the spacer piece 12a. When the sheet heating element 10 is clamped, the protrusion 12c comes into contact with the sheet heating element 10, making it difficult for it to come out due to its elastic force.

[0030] The fixing portion 13 is formed flush with the spacer piece 12a and is made up of two pieces protruding in a rectangular plate shape. Each piece is provided with a circular hole 13a so that a screw or the like can be inserted through it and fastened to the screw hole 9g of the heat dissipation panel 9 for fixing.

[0031] To assemble the heating unit 3, first, the fasteners 11 are attached to the left and right edge portions of the sheet heating element 10. The left and right edge portions of the sheet heating element 10 are sandwiched between the spacer pieces 12a and the clamping pieces 12b of the clip portion 12 of the fasteners 11, so that the protrusions 12c come into contact with the sheet heating element 10 and the sheet heating element 10 can be attached without coming off due to its elastic force. After the two fasteners 11 are attached to the left and right edge portions of the sheet heating element 10, the sheet heating element 10 is superimposed on the flat portion 9c of the heat dissipation panel 9. If disk-shaped positioning pins 9f are provided near the top and bottom ends of the flat portion 9c of the heat dissipation panel 9, the sheet heating element 10 can be easily positioned.

[0032] Then, with the sheet heating element 10 placed on the flat surface 9c of the heat dissipation panel 9, screws or the like are inserted into the holes 13a of the fixing portion 13 of the fixing fixture 11 for fastening, thereby fixing the sheet heating element 10 to the heat dissipation panel 9. The heating unit 3 can be assembled by similarly fixing the sheet heating element 10 to the other flat surface 9c. The sheet heating element 10 and the heat dissipation panel 9 are fixed via a spacer piece 12a which also functions as a spacer 11a, so that a gap g of an appropriate width can be formed between them.

[0033] The heater 1 can be operated, for example, as follows. The heater 1 is started by turning on the ON / OFF switch. This causes electricity to flow through the sheet heating element 10, and the temperature of the sheet heating element 10 begins to rise. The sheet heating element 10 is placed on the heat dissipation panel 9 via a spacer, creating a gap g, and the heat of the sheet heating element 10 is conducted to the heat dissipation panel 9 and the air in the gap g can also be heated. The temperature of the fin portion 9a, the flat portion 9c, and the side end surface portion 9d of the heat dissipation panel 9 rises, and the air in the air passage 9b is heated. The heated air rises in the air passage 9b, is released from the opening at the top of the heat dissipation panel 9, and is sent out from the air outlet 5, thereby heating the upper side of the heater 1. Furthermore, the air in the gap g is also heated, and the heated air is released from the four sides of the sheet heating element 10. Therefore, not only the upper side of the heater 1 but also the front, back, and side can be rapidly heated, and the warmth can be felt immediately anywhere around the heater 1.

[0034] In this way, the heater 1 is safe as it does not use fire, and the heat generated by a pair of planar heating elements 10 provided on both flat surfaces 9c of the heat dissipation panel 9 is efficiently transferred to the heat dissipation panel 9, thereby heating the air and also moderately heating the area around the heater 1.

[0035] The use of the fixing device 11 not only makes it easy to fix the heat dissipation panel 9 and the sheet heating element 10 together, but also makes it easy to provide the gap g between the heat dissipation panel 9 and the sheet heating element 10. Furthermore, by providing a groove 9h in the heat dissipation panel 9, air in the gap g can easily flow in the vertical direction, making it easier to heat the area around the heater 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Heater 2…Main body 2a...Front section 2b…Back part 2c...Top part 2d...Side part 2e…Bottom part 3...Heating section 4...Operation unit 5…Ventilation vent 6…Handle 7…Legs 7a...Support part 7b…Caster 8…Suction port 9…Heat dissipation panel 9a…Fin section 9b…Ventilation passage 9c…Plane part 9d…Side end face part 9e…Fixing groove 9f…Locating pin 9g…Screw hole 9h…Groove 10...Sheet heating element 11...Fixing tool 11a…Spacer 12…Clip section 12a…Spacer piece 12b...Pinching piece 12c...Protrusion part 13...Fixed part 13a...fixing piece 13b...hole g...Gap

Claims

1. This heater comprises a flat heat dissipation panel having a plurality of parallel through-hole-like air passages extending in the vertical direction, and a pair of planar heating elements arranged to be sandwiched on both sides of the heat dissipation panel and which generate heat when electricity is passed through them, the planar heating elements being fixed between the heat dissipation panel and the panel via a spacer.

2. 2. The heater according to claim 1, wherein a gap width between the sheet heating element and the heat dissipation panel is set to 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm.

3. 2. The heater according to claim 1, wherein the spacer has a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm.

4. 4. The heater according to claim 2, wherein the spacer is formed integrally with a fixture for fixing the sheet heating element to the heat dissipation panel.

5. 5. The heater according to claim 4, wherein the fixing device comprises a clip portion for elastically clamping the sheet heating element, and a fixing portion for fixing the sheet heating element in contact with one surface of the heat dissipation panel.

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