Electric heating device

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electrical heating devices for motor vehicles, particularly those with high-voltage applications, face challenges in safety, complexity, and cost due to complex designs and high assembly efforts, especially in hybrid and electric vehicles where high power density is required.

Innovation Solution

A simplified and cost-effective electrical heating device design featuring a housing with sealed heating element housings and contact elements, where the heating elements are thermally bonded and encapsulated to ensure safety and reliability, with a compact electronic control unit for efficient heat transfer and pressure management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If electrical heating devices are designed with high power density for high-voltage applications, then heating efficiency is improved, but safety hazards and construction complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating power densityVSAvoidconstruction complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The heating device is divided into multiple independent heating elements, each with its own heating means and contact elements. This segmentation allows the high-power device to be constructed from multiple lower-power units, reducing the complexity and safety risks associated with any single high-voltage component while maintaining the overall high power density through parallel arrangement of multiple elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Power

If heating elements are directly contacted by high-voltage current, then heating efficiency is improved, but safety hazards increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating efficiencyVSAvoidsafety hazards
Core Design Contradiction:
PowerVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Contact elements are introduced as intermediaries between the electrical supply and the heating means. These contact elements facilitate the high-voltage current flow to the heating elements while being designed with specific safety features and insulation arrangements, thereby enabling efficient heating while mitigating the safety hazards of direct high-voltage contact.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If complex heating device designs are used to ensure safety, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost and assembly effort increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The device is segmented into modular heating elements that can be manufactured independently using standardized processes. This modularity simplifies manufacturing and assembly compared to building a single complex high-voltage heating unit, while maintaining safety through the distributed architecture where failure of one element does not compromise the entire system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Loss of time

If high-voltage components are integrated in the vehicle interior, then heating response time is improved, but construction complexity and safety requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating response timeVSAvoidconstruction complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The heating elements are designed to be inserted into openings in the housing, with the heating element housings sealed to the housing. This partial integration approach allows the heating elements to be positioned within the vehicle interior for rapid heating response, while the sealed housing design contains the high-voltage components and maintains safety, avoiding the need for fully integrated complex high-voltage systems throughout the interior.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

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

The solution provides a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective heating solution with improved heat transfer and reduced complexity, suitable for high-voltage applications, while maintaining operational reliability and flexibility in installation.

Implementation Method 1

electrical power is fed directly into a liquid medium, such as a coolant, which emits the heat into the interior of the motor vehicle via a further heat exchanger

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectJoule heating: Joule Heating

Data Source

PatentEP3290819B1Electric heating device
Publication Date: 2023.03.15 MAHLE INT GMBH
  • EP3290819B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3290819B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3290819B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The invention relates to an electrical heating device (1) with a housing (2) with a fluid inlet (3) and with a fluid outlet (4), wherein a number of openings (10) is provided in a wall of the housing (2), in which Heating elements (9, 50) are inserted and project into the interior (13) of the housing (2), the heating elements (9, 50) having a heating element housing (11, 51) and a heating element (9, 50) in the heating element housing ( 11, 51) at least one heating means (19, 56) and contact elements (12, 55) making contact with the at least one heating means (19, 56) and electrical insulation for insulating the contact elements (12, 55) from the heating element housing (11, 51) wherein the heating elements (9, 50) are inserted with their heating element housing (11, 51) into the openings (10) of the housing (2) in such a way that the heating element housings (11, 51) are sealingly connected to the housing (2). .