A PTC element assembly for vehicle heater in series connection and the method thereof

Abstract

A PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater and a method of assembly for a series connection type, wherein a PTC element having a capacity (voltage or resistance) corresponding to a common divisor of a plurality of supply voltages is fabricated as a unit element, and the unit elements are connected in series to match each supply voltage to assemble a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater for a corresponding supply voltage. The assembly comprises: (a) a step of fabricating PTC elements having resistance characteristics corresponding to a voltage that is a common divisor of a plurality of supply voltages; (b) a step of connecting a plurality of PTC elements (20) in series for a given supply voltage to form a series assembly; and (c) a step of connecting at least one series assembly in parallel to form a PTC element assembly. By the method described above, PTC elements with capacitances corresponding to the common divisors of multiple supply voltages are fabricated and connected in series according to each supply voltage, so that the same PTC elements can be shared and assembled even if the supply voltages of the vehicles are different.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a series-connected PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater and a method of assembly, wherein PTC elements having a capacitance (voltage or resistance) corresponding to a common divisor of a plurality of supply voltages are fabricated as unit elements, and the unit elements are connected in series to match each supply voltage to assemble a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater of the corresponding supply voltage.

[0002] In addition, the present invention relates to a series-connected PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater and a method of assembly, wherein unit PTC elements manufactured with a capacity corresponding to a common divisor of a plurality of supply voltages are configured in series, and the sum of the distributed voltages of the unit PTC elements connected in series is maintained within the range of the supply voltage. Background Technology

[0003] Generally, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) device is a thermistor with a positive temperature coefficient, which is a thermally sensitive resistor whose resistance changes with temperature. In particular, PTC devices exhibit the characteristic of increasing resistance as temperature rises.

[0004] Meanwhile, PTC devices are manufactured using N-type semiconductors that have been made conductive by adding a dopant to metal oxides or ceramics. PTC devices are widely used in various industrial fields, such as heaters, overcurrent protection, and temperature protection, utilizing these characteristics.

[0005] In particular, when a PTC is applied to a heater, unlike a general heater (such as a heating wire heater), it utilizes constant temperature heating characteristics that generate heat at a constant temperature without the need for separate sensors or temperature control circuits when voltage is applied, and is used in heater components such as automobiles where safety and reliability are required. In the case of electric vehicles and hydrogen electric vehicles without internal combustion engines, the air conditioning system for heating and cooling can be configured using a PTC heater module [Patent Document 1]. At this time, the PTC heater module is configured to include a PTC element with constant temperature heating characteristics and aluminum heat dissipation fins, and receives current from the battery to heat the air passing through the air conditioning system to heat the vehicle interior, thereby having advantages such as lower cost and faster response compared to conventional heat pumps.

[0006] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle PTC assembly (1) according to the prior art is configured by connecting individual PTC elements (2) in parallel, and power (3) is supplied from a power supply unit. At this time, since the individual PTC elements (2) are connected only in parallel, the driving voltage (Vp) of the power is directly supplied to each PTC element (2). Therefore, a product that matches the supply voltage (Vp) must be used for the PTC elements (2).

[0007] Generally, when manufacturing a PTC element (2), voltage, resistance, temperature (or Curie temperature), size (dimensions), etc., are determined as specifications. Since the temperature of a PTC element used as a vehicle heater is mostly constant, the most important variables are voltage and resistance. Also, once other variables are determined, resistance has a proportional relationship with voltage. That is, if a high voltage is applied to the PTC element (2), the PTC element (2) must have a correspondingly high resistance characteristic.

[0008] However, the power supply voltage for each vehicle is set differently depending on the type of vehicle. Therefore, the PTC element (2) must be manufactured to have a voltage characteristic value (or resistance characteristic value) corresponding to the supply voltage of each vehicle. In addition, if the supply voltage of the vehicles is different, the PTC element of one vehicle cannot be used as the PTC element of another vehicle. In other words, since the PTC element cannot be shared if the supply voltage of the vehicles is different, there is a problem that the PTC element must be manufactured differently according to the supply voltage of each vehicle.

[0009] In addition, in the case of a PTC assembly for a vehicle heater, the supplied voltage is typically a high-voltage power supply, and the entire voltage is applied directly to the PTC element (2). Therefore, there is a problem that the PTC element (2) must have a high resistance value.

[0010] In addition, if a high voltage is applied directly to the PTC element (2), there is also a problem that the noise increases accordingly. Prior art literature

[0011] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2023-0032741 (Published March 7, 2023) The problem to be solved

[0012] The objective of the present invention is to solve the problems described above by providing a series-connected PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater and an assembly method, wherein a PTC element with a capacitance (voltage or resistance) corresponding to a common divisor of a plurality of supply voltages is fabricated as a unit element, and the unit elements are connected in series to match each supply voltage to assemble a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater of that supply voltage.

[0013] In addition, the present invention relates to a series-connected PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater and a method of assembly, wherein unit PTC elements manufactured with a capacity corresponding to a common divisor of a plurality of supply voltages are configured in series, and the sum of the distributed voltages of the unit PTC elements connected in series is maintained within the range of the supply voltage. means of solving the problem

[0014] To achieve the above objective, the present invention relates to a method for assembling a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater in a series connection type, comprising: (a) a step of manufacturing PTC elements having resistance characteristics corresponding to a common divisor voltage of a plurality of supply voltages; (b) a step of forming a series assembly by connecting a plurality of PTC elements (20) in series for a given supply voltage; and (c) a step of forming a PTC element assembly by connecting at least one series assembly in parallel.

[0015] In addition, the present invention relates to a method for assembling a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater in a series connection type, wherein in step (a), the common divisor voltage is a voltage such that each of the plurality of supply voltages can be obtained by multiplying the corresponding common divisor voltage by a natural number and taking a multiple, or a voltage that is included within a predetermined first error range for each of the plurality of supply voltages.

[0016] In addition, the present invention relates to a method for assembling a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater in a series connection type, characterized in that, in step (b), a number of PTC elements are configured in series equal to the number of PTC elements divided by the voltage division voltage of the PTC elements with respect to the given supply voltage.

[0017] In addition, the present invention relates to a method for assembling a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater in a series connection type, wherein in step (b), the number of PTC elements is determined such that the sum of the divided voltages of the PTC elements connected in series falls within the error range of the given supply voltage, and the number of PTC elements is connected in series such that the number of PTC elements is determined.

[0018] In addition, the present invention relates to a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater in a series connection type, comprising at least one series assembly, wherein the series assembly is configured by connecting at least two PTC elements in series, and the sum of each voltage division corresponding to the resistance of the series-connected PTC elements is within a predetermined error range of the given supply voltage.

[0019] In addition, the present invention relates to a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater in a series connection type, wherein the divided voltage of the PTC element is set to a common divisor voltage of the given supply voltage and a plurality of supply voltages.

[0020] In addition, the present invention relates to a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater in a series connection type, wherein the common divisor voltage is a voltage such that each of the plurality of supply voltages can be obtained by multiplying the corresponding common divisor voltage by a natural number and taking a multiple, or a voltage that is included within a predetermined first error range for each of the plurality of supply voltages. Effects of the invention

[0021] As described above, according to the series connection type PTC element assembly and assembly method for a vehicle heater of the present invention, by manufacturing PTC elements with capacities corresponding to the common divisor of a plurality of supply voltages and connecting them in series according to each supply voltage, it is possible to assemble the same PTC elements even if the supply voltages of the vehicles are different, thereby obtaining the effect of enabling efficient inventory management by standardizing the PTC element components.

[0022] In addition, according to the series-connected PTC element assembly and assembly method for a vehicle heater of the present invention, a plurality of PTC elements are connected in series and voltage is distributed to each, thereby allowing the voltage applied to each PTC element to be lowered inversely proportional to the number of series relative to the total supply voltage. Through this, a PTC element having low resistance characteristics can be used, and since a low voltage is applied, the effect of generating less noise is obtained.

[0023] In addition, according to the series-connected PTC element assembly and assembly method for a vehicle heater of the present invention, by configuring the sum of the distributed voltages of unit PTC elements connected in series to be maintained within the error range of the supply voltage, the resistance error of individual PTC elements is not significant, so the resistance error range can be set wider, thereby increasing the yield of PTC elements and achieving cost reduction effects. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0025] FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of an assembly of a PTC element according to the prior art. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a PTC element assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exemplary circuit diagram of a series assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the resistance distribution of a PTC element according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of assembling a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater in a serial connection type according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0026] Hereinafter, specific details for implementing the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

[0027] In addition, in describing the present invention, identical parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their repeated description is omitted.

[0028] First, the configuration of a PTC element assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, a PTC element assembly (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention is composed of at least one series assembly (30) connected in parallel, and each series assembly (30) is composed of at least two PTC elements (20) connected in series.

[0030] That is, if there are two or more series assemblies (30), the series assemblies (30) are connected in parallel. The PTC element assembly (10) can be configured with two or more series assemblies (30) in parallel to meet the required capacitance.

[0031] Additionally, the series assembly (30) is composed of at least two PTC elements or unit elements (20) connected in series.

[0032] Meanwhile, preferably, each series assembly (30) constituting the PTC element assembly (10) is composed of the same number of PTC elements (20). More preferably, each PTC element (20) constituting the series assembly (30) is composed of the same type of element.

[0033] In addition, the PTC element (20) is implemented as a conventional PTC element or a PTC stone.

[0034] Preferably, the PTC element (20) is set (manufactured) with a capacitance (resistance) corresponding to the common divisor voltage of a plurality of supply voltages. The resistance (resistance characteristic value) of the PTC element (20) has a proportional relationship with the voltage applied to the element. That is, if a high voltage is applied to the PTC element (20), the PTC element (20) must have a correspondingly high resistance characteristic. The voltage corresponding to the capacitance of the PTC element (20) is referred to as the divided voltage.

[0035] Here, a common divisor voltage represents a voltage that yields each of the multiple supply voltages by multiplying it by any natural number (taking a multiple). In other words, it is equivalent to finding the common divisors of the numbers representing the multiple supply voltages. For example, if the supply voltages are 500V, 300V, and 200V, the common divisor voltages can be 100V, 50V, 10V, etc. If 100V is multiplied by 5, 3, and 2, respectively, supply voltages of 500V, 300V, and 200V can be obtained. Similarly, if 50V, etc. is multiplied by 10, 6, and 4, supply voltages of 500V, 300V, and 200V can be obtained, respectively.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the series assembly (30) is configured with a number of PTC elements (20) in series, divided by the voltage division voltage (voltage corresponding to the capacitance of the PTC element) of the PTC element (20) for a given supply voltage.

[0037] In the example of FIG. 3, (a) is assumed to have a supply voltage of 500V, (b) to have a supply voltage of 300V, and (c) to have a supply voltage of 200V, and the voltage divider of each PTC element (20) is assumed to be 100V. In this case, FIG. 3(a) corresponds to 5 when the supply voltage of 500V is divided by the voltage divider of 100V, and a series assembly (30) is formed by connecting 5 PTC elements (20) in series. Also, FIG. 3(b) corresponds to 3 when the supply voltage of 300V is divided by the voltage divider of 100V, and a series assembly (30) is formed by connecting 3 PTC elements (20) in series.

[0038] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, each PTC element (20) connected in series in the series assembly (30) is divided from the total supply voltage, and only the divided voltage is applied. Therefore, the voltage applied to each PTC element (20) is lowered inversely proportional to the number of elements relative to the total supply voltage.

[0039] Next, the configuration of a PTC element assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0040] The second embodiment of the present invention is identical to the first embodiment described above, except that there is a difference in the method of setting the common divisor voltage used as the voltage divider of the PTC element (20). Only the differences are described below, and for configurations not described, refer to the description of the first embodiment described above.

[0041] A common divisor voltage represents a voltage that falls within the error range (hereinafter referred to as the first error range) of each of the multiple supply voltages when multiplied by any natural number (taking a multiple). For example, if the error range is 10%, 100V may be the common divisor voltage even if the supply voltages are 480V, 320V, and 220V. When 100V is multiplied by 5, 3, and 2, respectively, voltages of 500V, 300V, and 200V are obtained, and each of the obtained voltages falls within the 10% range of 480V, 320V, and 220V, respectively.

[0042] Next, the configuration of a PTC element assembly according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0043] The third embodiment of the present invention is identical to the first or second embodiment described above, except that there is a difference in the method of determining the number of PTC elements (20) constituting the serial assembly (30). Only the differences are described below, and for configurations not described, refer to the description of the first or second embodiment described above.

[0044] A series assembly (30) is configured by connecting the PTC elements (20) in series such that the sum of the divided voltages of each PTC element (20) connected in series to the series assembly (30) is included within the error range of the given supply voltage (hereinafter referred to as the second error range).

[0045] As shown in FIG. 4(a), when manufacturing a PTC element (20), a PTC element or PTC stone with a resistance (hereinafter reference resistance) corresponding to a given voltage (or divided voltage) is manufactured, but PTC elements having various distributions of resistance (or resistance characteristics) based on the reference resistance are manufactured. Typically, a predetermined error range is set based on the reference resistance, and a PTC assembly is formed by selecting a PTC element within that range. According to the prior art, since the supply voltage is directly applied to the PTC element, the resistance error range of each individual PTC element must be set narrowly.

[0046] However, since a plurality of PTC elements of the present invention are connected in series to form a series assembly (30), the error range of the total voltage of the series assembly (30) is more important than the error range of individual PTC elements. That is, the total voltage of the series assembly (30) (the sum of each voltage division) only needs to be within the error range of the supply voltage.

[0047] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4(b), it is acceptable to set the error range of individual PTC elements (20) wider. This is because the sum of the voltage divisions of the PTC elements (20) connected in series only needs to be within the error range of the supply voltage. For example, by widening the error range from 5% to 10%, PTC elements of 90V and 110V can be used at a reference voltage of 100V, and if these are connected in series to form 200V, there is no problem in forming the series assembly (30).

[0048] In other words, since the present invention only requires matching the total resistance value to the desired value, the error of individual resistances is not significantly important. Therefore, as the range of usable PTC resistance values ​​increases, the number of usable PTC elements increases, thereby increasing the yield and enabling cost reduction.

[0049] Next, a method for assembling a PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater in a serial connection type according to an embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. 5.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 5, first, PTC elements (20) having resistance characteristics corresponding to the common divisor voltage of a plurality of supply voltages are fabricated (S10).

[0051] Multiple supply voltages are two or more different supply voltages. A common divisor voltage represents a voltage such that each of the multiple supply voltages can be obtained by multiplying the voltage by any natural number (taking the multiple).

[0052] In another embodiment, the common divisor voltage represents a voltage that is included within the error range (hereinafter the first error range) of each of the multiple supply voltages when multiplied by any natural number (taking a multiple).

[0053] A PTC element (20) is fabricated to have a resistance characteristic value corresponding to the corresponding common divisor voltage.

[0054] Next, a series assembly (30) is formed by connecting a plurality of PTC elements (20) in series for a given supply voltage (S20).

[0055] At this time, for a given supply voltage, a number of PTC elements (20) are configured in series equal to the number of divided voltages of the PTC elements (20).

[0056] In another embodiment, the number of PTC elements (20) is determined such that the sum of the divided voltages (voltages corresponding to the resistance characteristics of the elements) of the PTC elements (20) connected in series is equal to a given supply voltage or falls within the error range of the given supply voltage. That is, the number of PTC elements (20) is determined to satisfy these conditions, and the determined number of PTC elements (20) are connected in series.

[0057] Next, a plurality of series assemblies (30) are connected in parallel to match the given output power to form a PTC element assembly (30) (S30). At this time, the number of series assemblies (30) is determined such that the sum of the output powers of each of the plurality of series assemblies (30) is equal to the given output power or falls within the corresponding error range, and the number of series assemblies (30) determined is connected in parallel.

[0058] Next, the effects of the present invention will be explained in more detail.

[0059] As in the previous example, the PTC element assembly (10) of the present invention can be adapted to various given supply voltages by adjusting only the number of PTC elements (20) connected in series. That is, the same PTC element (20) can be used for various products with different supply voltages. In other words, by making the PTC element (20) common, inventory management can be done efficiently and costs can be reduced.

[0060] In addition, as explained above, since only the total resistance of the series assembly (30) needs to be matched, the individual resistance error of the PTC element (20) can be specified more broadly. This allows for an increase in the manufacturing yield of the PTC element (20) and a reduction in costs.

[0061] Additionally, each PTC element (20) connected in series in the series assembly (30) is divided from the total supply voltage, and only the divided voltage is applied. Therefore, the voltage applied to each PTC element (20) is lowered inversely proportional to the number of elements relative to the total supply voltage.

[0062] In other words, the resistance value required to output the same power is lowered. Through this, the voltage applied to each PTC element (20) is reduced, thereby reducing overall noise. That is, since the resistance of the PTC element (20) is proportional to its length and inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area (R=ρ(L / A)), reducing the resistance compared to the prior art means reducing the length of the PTC element (20). This can reduce the overall volume and allow for cost reduction.

[0063] Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described above according to embodiments, the invention is not limited to the embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Explanation of the symbols

[0065] 10 : PTC element assembly 20 : PTC element 30: Serial assembly

Claims

Claim 1 In a manufacturing environment where the supply voltage of each vehicle is set differently according to the type of vehicle, a method for assembling a PTC element assembly for any one of N predetermined different supply voltages (hereinafter referred to as "given supply voltage"), comprising: (a) a step of manufacturing one type of PTC element having a resistance characteristic corresponding to a common divisor voltage of the N different supply voltages; (b) a step of connecting a plurality of the PTC elements in series for the given supply voltage to form a series assembly; and, (c) a step of forming a PTC element assembly by connecting at least one series assembly in parallel, wherein in step (a), the common divisor voltage is a voltage that falls within a predetermined first error range for each of the N different supply voltages when the common divisor voltage is multiplied by a natural number and a multiple is taken, and in step (b), when determining the number of PTC elements, the number of PTC elements is determined such that the sum of the voltage divisions of the PTC elements connected in series falls within a predetermined second error range of the given supply voltage, and the number of PTC elements is connected in series such that the number of PTC elements is determined. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 A series-connected PTC element assembly for a vehicle heater, intended to be used for any one of N different supply voltages (hereinafter referred to as "given supply voltage") among N different supply voltages (N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2) predetermined in a manufacturing environment where the supply voltage of each vehicle is set differently according to the type of vehicle, comprising at least one series assembly, wherein the series assembly is configured by connecting at least two PTC elements in series, and the sum of each voltage division corresponding to the resistance of the series-connected PTC elements is within a predetermined second error range of the given supply voltage, wherein the PTC elements are of a single type with a constant voltage division, and the voltage division of the PTC elements is set as a common divisor voltage of the given supply voltage and the N different supply voltages, and wherein the common divisor voltage is a voltage that is included within a predetermined first error range of each of the N different supply voltages when the common divisor voltage is multiplied by a natural number and the multiple is taken. Claim 6 delete Claim 7 delete

Images