Multi-Layer Heater Hose for Constant Power Across Input Voltages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heater hoses are limited in application due to fixed electrical resistance, making them unsuitable for different input voltage levels, leading to inconsistent power output and requiring costly customization for specific voltage requirements.
Innovation Solution
A heater hose configuration with multiple conductive layers separated by non-conductive layers, allowing individual heating wires to be connected in series to adjust resistance based on input voltage, ensuring a consistent power output across varying voltage levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional heater hoses use fixed wiring configurations, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to different voltage levels is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The heater hose is divided into multiple conductive layers with discrete heating wires that can be independently connected. Each layer contains heating wires that can be selectively series-connected to achieve different total resistance values, allowing the same physical hose to adapt to different voltage levels while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized layer construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical resistance of the heater hose is made dynamically adjustable through selective series-connection of heating wires from different conductive layers. This allows the resistance to be changed based on the input voltage level, transforming a static fixed-resistance design into a dynamic multi-resistance system that maintains constant power output across varying voltages.
2Reliability
If heater hoses are customized for specific voltage levels, then power output consistency is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single heater hose design incorporates multiple conductive layers with heating wires that can be configured for different voltage levels (e.g., 12V, 24V, 48V). This universal design allows one hose to serve multiple voltage applications, eliminating the need for separate customized hoses for each voltage level while ensuring consistent power output through appropriate series-connection of heating wires.
Solution Approach 2:
The total electrical resistance of the heater hose is changed by varying the number of heating wires connected in series. By selecting different combinations of heating wires from the multiple conductive layers, the resistance can be adjusted to match different voltage levels, thereby maintaining constant power output (P=V²/R) across varying voltage conditions without requiring physically different hose designs.
3Device complexity
If single-layer heating elements are used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different voltage levels is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single-layer heating element, the design segments the heating function into multiple conductive layers, each containing heating wires. This segmentation allows selective series-connection of wires from different layers to achieve different total resistance values, providing voltage level adaptability while keeping each individual layer's structure relatively simple and standardized.
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
Enables a single heater hose design to accommodate different input voltages by adjusting resistance, providing consistent power output and reducing the need for multiple hose configurations, thus enhancing versatility and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
The conductive wiring functions as a resistance heating element, whereby heat is generated by an electric current flowing through the conductive wiring
Data Source
AI summary
A heater hose assembly configuration has multiple electrically conductive layers (12, 14, 16, 18) of heating wires that are separated from each other by electrically non-conductive separating layers (22, 24, 26). The individual heating wires are electrically connectable in series to other individual heating wires, either to individual heating wires within a given electrically conductive layer and/or to individual heating wires of an adjacent electrically conductive layer. The total electrical resistance of the system is determined by the number of series-connected individual heating wires of the electrically conductive layers. Given that user input voltage supplies can differ in voltage level, the output power of the heater hose can be set to a same, desired total output power by series-connecting a selected number of individual heating wires based on the particular input voltage level that is accessible to achieve such desired total output power.