Heater Connecting Wire Cavity Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric heater designs face challenges in achieving safe, compact, and cost-effective electrical contacting with low contact resistance, especially in applications with low resistances and high currents, due to issues with crimp connectors, structural space requirements, and inhomogeneous welds.
Innovation Solution
An electric heater design featuring a connecting wire with a cavity to accommodate a section of the electric heating element or feed line, ensuring a defined and reproducible large contact surface, thereby reducing contact resistance and allowing for efficient current flow, while maintaining a compact and vibration-resistant structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If crimp connectors are used to connect the heating element with connecting wire, then the electrical contacting can be achieved, but the structural space is enlarged and manual production safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is inserted into the connecting wire itself, which contains a cavity. This nesting arrangement eliminates the need for separate crimp connectors and reduces the overall structural space while maintaining reliable electrical contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector function is extracted from the heating element and integrated into the connecting wire. The connecting wire is designed with an embedded cavity that directly receives the heating element, removing the need for additional crimping components.
2Reliability
If the heating element is crimped with connecting wire using ceramic component, then electrical insulation is guaranteed, but the structural space is enlarged due to wall thickness requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is nested within the cavity of the connecting wire, allowing the connecting wire's own wall structure to provide the necessary electrical insulation. This eliminates the need for additional ceramic insulating components and reduces overall space requirements.
3Reliability
If welding is used to connect connecting wire with heating element, then low contact resistance can be achieved, but exact positioning is required and production complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting wire is pre-formed with a cavity of specific dimensions that precisely accommodate the heating element. This preliminary structuring ensures correct positioning and alignment before the crimping operation, eliminating the need for high-precision positioning during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding process is replaced with a crimping operation. The cavity design ensures that crimping alone is sufficient to create a reliable electrical connection with low contact resistance, eliminating the complexity of welding positioning and process control.
4Reliability
If multiple contact points are provided for electrical connection, then reliable current flow can be achieved, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple contact points are merged into a single continuous cavity within the connecting wire. The heating element makes contact along the entire length of the cavity, effectively combining multiple discrete contact points into one integrated connection structure.
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 design provides reliable and reproducible low contact resistances, reduces the need for multiple contact points, enhances vibration resistance, and minimizes heat development in unheated areas, making it suitable for applications with high currents and low resistances.
Implementation Method 1
By arranging a section of the electric heating element in this cavity (i.e., the at least partial filling of the cavity with the electric heating element or the electric feed line to the electric heating element), a defined and readily reproducible positioning with a large contact surface is made possible, which leads to defined, readily reproducible and low contact resistances.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric heater (100, 200, 300, 1600, 1700, 2200) has an outer jacket (101, 201, 301, 1601, 1701, 2201) and an electric heating element (102, 202, 302, 2202), which can be supplied with an electric current by at least one connecting wire (106, 107, 206, 207, 306, 307, 406, 506, 606, 706, 806, 906, 1006, 1106, 1206, 1306, 1406, 1506, 1606, 1607, 1608, 1706, 1806, 2206, 2207), arranged at least in some sections within the outer jacket (101, 201, 301, 1601, 1701, 2201). The connecting wire (106, 107, 206, 207, 306, 307, 406, 506, 606, 706, 806, 906, 1006, 1106, 1206, 1306, 1406, 1506, 1606, 1607, 1608, 1706, 1806, 2206, 2207) has a cavity, in which a section (104, 105, 204, 205, 2204, 2205) of the electric heating element (102, 202, 2202) or an electric feed line (330, 331) to the electric heating element (302) is accommodated.