Vehicle Floor Heating via Modular Heat-Conducting Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heating and cooling systems for vehicles with floating internal floors, such as railway vehicles, are complex, expensive, and difficult to manufacture, assemble, and replace, with known solutions either being unsuitable for refrigeration or requiring lengthy disassembly for maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A heating and/or cooling device comprising a support structure with elongated structural elements and internal floor elements made of heat-conducting materials, where the structural elements include a profile and a heating/cooling unit connected via contact surfaces for efficient thermal conduction, allowing for quick assembly and replacement while maintaining uniform temperature within the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If heating sheets are bonded to floor panels after installation, then heating function is added to existing floors, but replacement and maintenance require lengthy disassembly and disruption of other assembly work
Solution Approach 1:
The floor is divided into modular panels, each with an integrated heating sheet. This segmentation allows individual panels to be removed and replaced independently without disrupting the entire floor assembly, directly solving the maintenance accessibility problem while preserving the heating function.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating sheet is merged with the floor panel during manufacturing, creating an integrated unit. This combination eliminates the need for separate installation of heating elements and enables easy replacement of the entire panel as a single module, addressing both the heating function requirement and the maintenance difficulty.
2Ease of repair
If modular composite floor panels with heating units are used, then heating units can be quickly replaced, but the panels become complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The heating sheet is merged with the floor panel during manufacturing, creating an integrated unit. This combination eliminates the need for separate installation of heating elements and enables easy replacement of the entire panel as a single module, addressing both the heating function requirement and the maintenance difficulty.
3Adaptability or versatility
If heating sheets are bonded to floor panels, then heating function is provided, but the sheets cannot be easily replaced if damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The floor is divided into modular panels, each with an integrated heating sheet. This segmentation allows individual panels to be removed and replaced independently without disrupting the entire floor assembly, directly solving the maintenance accessibility problem while preserving the heating function.
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 enables simpler, cost-effective manufacturing and assembly of heating and cooling systems for vehicles, facilitating quick replacement of components and achieving homogeneous temperature distribution within the vehicle, reducing energy consumption and assembly time.
Implementation Method 1
the heat fluxes generated by said heating and/or cooling unit are transmitted by said elongated structural element to heat or cool the ambient air inside said vehicle
Implementation Method 2
said heating and/or cooling unit, which is connected to said profile by means of one or more contact surfaces ensuring good thermal conduction between said heating and/or cooling unit and said profile
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for heating and/or cooling a vehicle provided with an inner floor, including a supporting structure (10), an elongate structural element (9) and an inner floor (3), in which: a) said elongate structural element (9) includes a profile member (90) which is made of a heat-conductive material and which has an upper bearing surface (97) for supporting the inner floor elements, and a heating and/or cooling unit (40) in contact with said profile member; b) each inner floor element (30) includes an edge (31) made of a heat-conductive material which has a lower bearing surface (37) and a heat-conductive layer (32) in contact with said edge; c) after mounting said inner floor, said lower bearing surface (37) and said upper bearing surface (97) are connected to one another by means of one or more contact surfaces (S) ensuring good thermal conductivity between said inner floor element and said profile member.