Corrugated Heat Sink Assembly for Low-Cost Vehicle Air Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical heating devices for automotive vehicles are costly to produce and inefficient in heating the interior, as they rely on complex and expensive heat sink designs.
Innovation Solution
The use of corrugated sheet metal heat sinks clamped by longitudinally running flanges on heating rods, with a filler material to enhance thermal contact, allows for efficient and cost-effective heating by providing a large contact area and improved heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If complex heat sink designs are used, then heating efficiency is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs corrugated sheet metal heat sinks with a wave-like structure that creates multiple surfaces and valleys. This corrugated design increases the effective heat transfer area without requiring complex manufacturing processes, allowing efficient heating while maintaining low production costs through simple forming operations
Solution Approach 2:
The flanges are bent in the longitudinal direction to create a clamping action that secures the heat sinks. This dimensional transformation of the flanges from flat to bent provides effective fixation and thermal contact without adding complex assembly mechanisms, resolving the contradiction between secure mounting and manufacturing simplicity
2Reliability
If flanges are bent to clamp heat sinks, then heat sink retention is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the clamping function directly into the flange structure by bending the flanges themselves to create the clamping action. This merging of the support and retention functions into a single structural element simplifies the overall device complexity while ensuring reliable heat sink retention through the bent flange configuration
3Loss of energy
If filler material is added to improve thermal contact, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but manufacturing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filler material acts as an intermediary substance placed between the heating rod and the corrugated heat sink to eliminate thermal contact resistance. This simple additive approach improves heat transfer efficiency by ensuring intimate thermal contact without requiring complex integration steps or specialized manufacturing processes
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enables efficient heating of the vehicle interior at a lower cost by utilizing affordable corrugated sheet metal heat sinks and a filler material to improve thermal contact between the heating rods and heat sinks, enhancing the heating process.
Implementation Method 1
heating rods (3) and heat sinks (4)... The heating devices heat a stream of air that passes their heat sinks
Implementation Method 2
the filler material improves the flow of heat form the heating rod to the heat sinks by providing a good thermal contact
Implementation Method 3
heat sinks (4)... heat a stream of air that passes their heat sinks and is blown into the interior of a car
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure refers to an electrical heating device comprising a heating rod, and heat sinks which are held between opposing flanges of the heating rod. The heat sinks are clamped by the flanges pressing laterally against the heat sinks.