Mobile Heater Fan Coupling for Lower Power and Noise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile heaters for vehicles face inefficiencies in power consumption and noise levels due to the independent operation of combustion air and heating medium fans, which are not optimized for varying operating conditions.
Innovation Solution
Coupling the combustion air fan and heating medium fan to a common drive allows for adaptive speed adjustments based on heating medium mass flow, reducing fan power and noise by ensuring only necessary fan speeds are used, while maintaining a permissible combustion air ratio within specified limits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the combustion air fan and heating medium fan are operated independently with fixed speeds, then the combustion air ratio can be maintained within permissible limits, but the power consumption and noise levels are high due to non-optimized fan speeds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the combustion air fan and heating medium fan into a single common drive unit. This merging allows both fans to be controlled together, enabling adaptive speed adjustment based on actual heating medium mass flow requirements while maintaining permissible combustion air ratio limits, thus reducing power consumption and noise levels
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic speed control of the common drive based on monitored heating medium mass flow. The controller continuously adjusts the fan speeds within permissible ranges to match actual operating conditions, transitioning from fixed speeds to dynamically adaptive speeds that reduce energy consumption while maintaining combustion safety
2Reliability
If the heating medium fan is operated with high fan power to ensure sufficient mass flow under all conditions, then the mass flow requirement is met, but the average power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback control by monitoring the actual heating medium mass flow and using this information to adjust the common drive speed. The controller receives mass flow data and dynamically adjusts fan speeds to maintain sufficient mass flow only when necessary, avoiding continuous high-power operation and thereby reducing average power consumption while ensuring reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters of the fan system by adjusting speeds within permissible ranges based on actual mass flow requirements. Instead of operating at fixed high power, the system dynamically modifies speed parameters to match demand, reducing average power consumption while maintaining mass flow sufficiency through adaptive parameter adjustment
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the combustion air fan speed is increased to maintain combustion air ratio within limits, then emission compliance is achieved, but the noise level due to heating medium flow increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic speed adjustment of the common drive that balances combustion air ratio requirements with noise reduction. The controller adapts fan speeds within permissible ranges to maintain emission compliance only when necessary, reducing noise levels during normal operation while ensuring combustion safety through dynamic parameter optimization
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 significantly reduces average power consumption and noise levels by ensuring the heating medium fan operates with required power, while maintaining efficient heat transfer and emission compliance across different operating conditions.
Implementation Method 1
fuel is reacted with combustion air to generate thermal heat
Implementation Method 2
the heat released is transferred to liquid as the heating medium (usually engine coolant) in a heat exchanger of the heater
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a heating device, in particular for mobile use, comprising a combustion chamber for reacting fuel with combustion air in order to release heat, a heat exchanger for transferring at least part of the released heat to a heating medium to be heated, a fuel conveying device for supplying fuel to the combustion chamber, a combustion air fan for supplying combustion air to the combustion chamber, a heating medium fan for supplying the heating medium to the heat exchanger, a common drive for the combustion air fan and the heating medium fan, at least one sensor for monitoring the mass flow of the heating medium, and a controller, which controls the fuel conveying device and the common drive. The controller is designed to change the ratio of the amount of the heating medium and the amount of the fuel supplied to the combustion chamber according to the mass flow of the heating medium.