Heating apparatus for electric vehicle

Abstract

To provide a heating apparatus for an electric vehicle that is capable of heating air in a cabin to a temperature suitable for heating by generating heat at a relatively low temperature with a heating element having an area close to a projected area of an upper part of the cabin.SOLUTION: A heating apparatus for an electric vehicle that uses vehicle electric power to heat an entire passenger compartment 14 includes: a planar ceiling heating element 1 disposed on the ceiling of the passenger compartment and having an area close to an upper projected area; a planar instrument panel heating element 2 disposed on the front instrument panel side of the passenger compartment; a planar rear trim heating element 3 disposed on the rear side of the passenger compartment; and a control unit that selects and adjusts the temperatures of the ceiling heating element 1, the instrument panel heating element 2, and the rear trim heating element 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heating device for an electric vehicle, and more particularly to a heating device for an electric vehicle that uses vehicle power to heat the entire passenger compartment. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional heating device of this type is known to use a sheet-shaped heating element that is positioned on the ceiling surface in front of the occupant's head to match their body shape, thereby heating the upper body of the front seat occupant using radiant heat (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] According to Patent Document 1, by arranging a sheet heating element with a low heat generation density directly above the head and a sheet heating element with a high heat generation density outside of directly above the head, it is possible to eliminate the discomfort of radiant heat felt on the head when the temperature inside the vehicle cabin rises, and to achieve a comfortable heating effect even with limited electrical capacity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-89629 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the device described in Patent Document 1, a sheet heating element is disposed on the ceiling surface, but there is no size specification, and it is provided for the purpose of directly heating the upper body of the occupant by radiation. Therefore, since it does not heat the entire air in the vehicle cabin, although some parts are warm, there is a concern that the areas that can be heated for a given amount of heat are limited. In other words, to achieve the effect of directly heating the human body using a sheet heating element, radiant heat is used, but because the low-temperature air other than the irradiated area absorbs the heat by convection, the applied heat is transferred to the outside by heat transfer. Therefore, there is a concern that areas other than those exposed to radiation will not be warmed easily.

[0006] Furthermore, to directly heat the human body through radiation, the greater the distance from the heating element, the higher the temperature required, and a certain amount of spatial distance is required to prevent contact between the heating element and passengers in the vehicle. This naturally requires that the temperature of the heating element be very high, and contact at that temperature could result in burns. Therefore, since heating elements located in the ceiling are easily accessible to passengers, additional safety devices are required to prevent burns upon contact.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a heating device for an electric vehicle that can heat the air in the passenger compartment to a temperature appropriate for heating by generating heat at a relatively low temperature using a heating element with an area close to the projected area of ​​the upper part of the passenger compartment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a heating device for an electric vehicle that uses vehicle power to heat the entire passenger compartment, and is characterized by comprising: a planar main heating element arranged on the ceiling of the passenger compartment and having an area close to the upper projected area; a planar front heating element arranged on the front instrument panel side of the passenger compartment; a planar rear heating element arranged on the rear side of the passenger compartment; and a control unit that selects and adjusts the temperature of the main heating element, the front heating element, and the rear heating element.

[0009] With this configuration, the main heating element, which has an area close to the projected area of ​​the upper part of the passenger compartment, generates heat at a relatively low temperature, making it possible to heat the air inside the passenger compartment through the greenhouse effect of CO2 inside the passenger compartment with reduced circulation. Also, if the area of ​​the main heating element is insufficient compared to the passenger compartment space area, the front auxiliary heating element and the rear auxiliary heating element can be selected to generate heat, making it possible to heat the air inside the passenger compartment through the greenhouse effect of CO2 inside the passenger compartment with reduced circulation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to this invention, by configuring as described above, a heating element with an area close to the projected area of ​​the upper part of the passenger compartment generates heat at a relatively low temperature, thereby making it possible to heat the air in the passenger compartment to a temperature suitable for heating. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a heating device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic circuit block diagram showing a state of temperature control of the heating device according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a heating state by a main heating element in the present invention. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a heating state using the main heating element, the front auxiliary heating element, and the rear auxiliary heating element in the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the heating device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention is a heating device for an electric vehicle that uses vehicle power from a power source 4 mounted on the vehicle to heat the entire passenger compartment 14, and is equipped with: a ceiling heating element 1 which is a planar main heating element with an area close to the upper projected area and disposed on the ceiling of the passenger compartment 14; an instrument panel heating element 2 which is a planar front heating element disposed on the front instrument panel side of the passenger compartment 14, i.e., on the instrument panel 12 side; a rear trim heating element 3 which is a planar rear heating element disposed on the rear side of the passenger compartment 14, i.e., on the rear trim 13 side; and a control unit 5 which selects and adjusts the temperatures of the ceiling heating element 1, the instrument panel heating element 2, and the rear trim heating element 3.

[0013] Ceiling heating element 1 is disposed on ceiling surface 11 so as to have an area close to the projected area of ​​the top of vehicle 10, and is provided so as to cover the area above front seats 15 and rear seats 16 of passenger compartment 14. Heat emitted from ceiling heating element 1 configured in this manner can heat the air inside passenger compartment 14 due to the greenhouse effect of CO2 in passenger compartment 14, which has suppressed circulation. In other words, the CO2 absorbs the infrared rays in the heat radiated from ceiling heating element 1, i.e., electromagnetic waves that are light with long wavelengths, and thus heats the air inside passenger compartment 14.

[0014] The instrument panel heating element 2 is disposed on the instrument panel 12 side at the front of the passenger compartment 14, and is configured to emit radiant heat toward the area toward the front of the passenger compartment from the ceiling heating element 1. The rear trim heating element 3 is disposed on the rear side of the passenger compartment 14, i.e., in the rear trim part 13 behind the rear seat 16, and is configured to emit radiant heat toward the area toward the rear of the passenger compartment from the ceiling heating element 1.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 2, the ceiling heating element 1 configured as described above is connected to a power source 4, such as a battery mounted on the vehicle, via a switch S1 and a variable resistor R1. The instrument panel heating element 2 is connected to the power source 4 via a switch S2 and a variable resistor R2. The rear trim heating element 3 is connected to the power source 4 via a switch S3 and a variable resistor R3.

[0016] The circuits for the switches S1, S2, and S3 and the variable resistors R1, R2, and R3 are electrically connected to the control unit 5, and the control unit 5 controls the selection of the switches S1, S2, and S3 and the temperature adjustment by changing the resistance values ​​of the variable resistors R1, R2, and R3 based on a control signal from the control unit 5. Specifically, the control unit 5 controls the selection of the switches S1, S2, and S3, for example, by turning switch S1 ON and switches S2 and S3 OFF, or by turning switch S1 ON and one or both of switches S2 and S3 ON. The temperatures of the ceiling heating element 1, instrument panel heating element 2, and rear trim heating element 3 can be controlled by changing the resistance values ​​of the variable resistors R1, R2, and R3. By changing the resistance values ​​of the variable resistors R1, R2, and R3, the heating temperatures of the ceiling heating element 1, instrument panel heating element 2, and rear trim heating element 3 can be adjusted to predetermined temperatures.

[0017] In addition, a CO2 gas sensor 6 that measures the CO2 gas concentration in the vehicle cabin 14 is electrically connected to the control unit 5, and the selection control of switches S1, S2, and S3 and the temperature adjustment of variable resistors R1, R2, and R3 are controlled based on the CO2 gas concentration measured by the CO2 gas sensor 6.

[0018] In the heating device configured as described above, when the ceiling heating element 1 is energized, as shown in Fig. 3, the ceiling heating element 1, which has an area close to the upper projected area, generates heat, and the air inside the passenger compartment 14 is heated by the greenhouse effect of the CO2 contained in the passenger compartment 14 due to the heat radiation from the ceiling heating element 1. In other words, by generating heat using the ceiling heating element 1, which occupies more than half of the projected area from the top surface of the passenger compartment 14, the CO2 contained in the air inside the passenger compartment 14 absorbs the infrared rays of the heat radiated from the ceiling heating element 1, i.e., electromagnetic waves which are light with long wavelengths, and the air inside the passenger compartment 14 is heated.

[0019] Therefore, even if the temperature of the ceiling heating element 1 is relatively low, for example, 50°C or less, at which there is no risk of burns, it can heat the air around the occupant 20, and can heat the interior of the vehicle compartment 14 with less heat than a radiant heater.

[0020] If the area of ​​the ceiling heating element 1 is insufficient relative to the volume of the vehicle interior, the area is supplemented by the instrument panel heating element 2 and the rear trim heating element 3, thereby heating the air in the vehicle interior 14. That is, when the instrument panel heating element 2 and the rear trim heating element 3 are energized, as shown in Fig. 4, the instrument panel heating element 2 and the rear trim heating element 3 generate heat, and the air in the vehicle interior 14 is heated by the greenhouse effect of CO2 contained in the vehicle interior 14 due to the heat radiation from the instrument panel heating element 2 and the rear trim heating element 3.

[0021] In the above embodiment, when the area of ​​the ceiling heating element 1 is insufficient, the instrument panel heating element 2 and the rear trim heating element 3 are energized. However, if necessary, either the instrument panel heating element 2 or the rear trim heating element 3 may be energized so that the air inside the passenger compartment 14 is heated by the greenhouse effect of the CO2 contained in the passenger compartment 14 due to the heat radiation from either the instrument panel heating element 2 or the rear trim heating element 3.

[0022] According to the heating device of the embodiment configured as described above, by generating heat at a relatively low temperature from the ceiling heating element 1, which has an area close to the projected area of ​​the upper part of the passenger compartment, the air inside the passenger compartment 14 can be heated by the greenhouse effect of CO2 inside the passenger compartment 14 with reduced circulation. Furthermore, if the area of ​​the ceiling heating element 1 is insufficient compared to the passenger compartment space area, the air inside the passenger compartment can be heated by selectively generating heat from the instrument panel heating element 2 and the rear trim heating element 3, thereby reducing circulation and increasing the greenhouse effect of CO2 inside the passenger compartment.

[0023] The heating device of the above embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the present heating device) can be controlled in cooperation with the vehicle's main heating device to suppress air circulation within the passenger compartment 14 while the present heating device is heating. That is, when the present heating device is operated, if the driver selects the present heating device as a priority, the air conditioning function of the main heating device can be stopped or set to a low setting, thereby avoiding air exchange and achieving a heating effect quickly and with low power consumption. In other words, a function can be provided to reduce the air conditioning capacity of the main heating device when it is determined that the present heating device has a faster heating speed compared with a preset heating capacity map of the main heating device.

[0024] Furthermore, according to the heating device of the embodiment, the CO2 concentration and humidity inside the vehicle interior 14 can be adjusted by adjusting the circulation of inside and outside air in the vehicle interior 14, thereby making the heating effect more effective. That is, using the CO2 gas sensor 6, when the outside air temperature falls below a level at which the heating device is likely to be used in winter, the CO2 concentration can be increased by adjusting the inside and outside air circulation of the air conditioner in advance within a range that does not affect the human body, thereby making it possible to perform control that can enhance the effect of the heating device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 Ceiling heating element (main heating element) 2. Instrument panel heating element (front heating element) 3 Rear trim heating element (rear heating element) 4 Power supply 5. Control section 6 CO2 gas sensor 10 vehicles 11 Ceiling surface 12 Instrument panel 13 Rear trim section 14 Cabin 15 Front seats 16 Back seat 20 crew members S1, S2, S3 switches R1, R2, R3 variable resistors

Claims

[Claim 1] A heating device for an electric vehicle that uses vehicle power to heat the entire vehicle cabin, a planar main heating element disposed on a ceiling portion of the vehicle compartment and having an area close to an upper projected area; a planar front heating element disposed on a front instrument panel side of the vehicle interior; a planar rear heating element disposed at a rear side of the vehicle interior; a control unit that selects and adjusts the temperatures of the main heating element, the front heating element, and the rear heating element, A heating device for an electric vehicle.

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