Radiation heater apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9769879-B2
Application number	US-201314402664-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2013
Priority date	May 23, 2012
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A radiation heater apparatus has a plurality of heat radiation parts and a plurality of heating parts. A low thermal conductive part is formed between adjacent two of the heat radiation parts. The low thermal conductive part is provided with resin material which mainly forms a substrate part. The low thermal conductive part thermally isolates the heat radiation part by surrounding a periphery of the heat radiation part. As a body contacts with the surface of the apparatus, the thermal energy of specific heat radiation part directly under the body dissipates heat to the body. Furthermore, heat transfer from the periphery of the specific heat radiation part to the specific heat radiation part is reduced by the low thermal conductive part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiation heater apparatus comprising:
a plurality of heat radiation parts, each heat radiation part is capable of emitting heat radiation by thermal energy generated by being supplied with electric current, the plurality of heat radiation parts are arranged on a surface in a distributed manner, and are made by a material having high thermal conductivity; and
a low thermal conductive part which has a thermal conductivity lower than a thermal conductivity in a cross section containing the plurality of heat radiation parts, and is disposed to surround each of the plurality of heat radiation parts, and reduces an inflow of the thermal energy from a periphery to each of the plurality of heat radiation parts.

2. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 1 , wherein
each of the heat radiation parts is formed in a shape of a thin plate.

3. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
heating parts which are thermally connected to the plurality of heat radiation parts, and generate heat by being supplied with electric current.

4. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of heat radiation parts are also heating parts which generate heat by being supplied with electric current.

5. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 3 , further comprising:
a junction part made of an alloy and formed in a truncated cone shape which is arranged between each of the plurality of heat radiation parts and the heating parts, and is thermally and electrically connected to both the heat radiation part and the heating part.

6. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a heating part which is thermally connected to each of the plurality of heat radiation parts, and generates heat by being supplied with electric current, wherein the heating part and the plurality of heat radiation parts are arranged in an overlapping manner with respect to a direction vertical to a surface from which the heat radiation is emitted.

7. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a heating part which is thermally connected to each of the plurality of heat radiation parts, and generate heat by being supplied with electric current, the heating part being arranged to be covered with the plurality of heat radiation parts except for a part placed between adjacent heat radiation parts.

8. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 6 , wherein
the heating part is a thin metal line and is arranged without being directly connected with the plurality of heat radiation parts.

9. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 8 , wherein
the cross-sectional area of the metal line is not greater than 0.015 Square millimeters.

10. A radiation heater apparatus comprising:
a plurality of heat radiation parts, each radiation part is capable of emitting heat radiation by thermal energy generated by being supplied with electric current, the plurality of heat radiation parts are arranged on a surface in a distributed manner; and
a low thermal conductive part which has a thermal conductivity lower than a thermal conductivity in a cross section containing the plurality of heat radiation parts, and is disposed to surround each of the plurality of heat radiation parts, wherein
each of the heat radiation parts is formed in a shape of a thin plate,
the radiation heater apparatus further comprising:
a substrate part supporting the plurality of heat radiation parts; and
a conductor part through which the electric current can flow and which is disposed between adjacent two of the plurality of heat radiation parts, wherein
the low thermal conductive part contains the substrate part and the conductor part, without containing the plurality of heat radiation parts.

11. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 10 , wherein
a thermal conductivity in a cross section containing the plurality of heat radiation parts is an average thermal conductivity in a cross section crossing the plurality of heat radiation parts, and wherein
the thermal conductivity of the low thermal conductive part is an average thermal conductivity in a periphery surrounding the plurality of heat radiation parts.

12. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 10 , wherein
the thermal energy supplied to the plurality of heat radiation parts is set so that the temperature of the plurality of heat radiation parts can reach a radiation temperature for emitting the heat radiation which warms a human, and wherein
the thermal conductivity of the low thermal conductive part is set, when a body contacts above the heat radiation part, so that a temperature of a portion, where the body contacts, is stable at a suppressed temperature lower than the radiation temperature and higher than a temperature of the body.

13. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 10 , wherein
a length, along a flowing direction of electric current, of the conductor part is longer than a distance between adjacent heat radiation parts which are connected by the conductor part.

14. A radiation heater apparatus comprising:
a plurality of heat radiation parts, each radiation part is capable of emitting heat radiation by thermal energy generated by being supplied with electric current, the plurality of heat radiation parts are arranged on a surface in a distributed manner;
a low thermal conductive part which has a thermal conductivity lower than a thermal conductivity in a cross section containing the plurality of heat radiation parts and is disposed to surround each of the plurality of heat radiation parts; and
a heating part which is thermally connected to each of the plurality of heat radiation parts and generates heat by being supplied with electric current, wherein
at least a part of the heating part is arranged within a thin layer which is defined by a thickness of the plurality of heat radiation parts.

15. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 14 , wherein
each of the plurality of heat radiation parts are formed in a shape of thin plates.

16. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 15 , further comprising:
a substrate part which supports the plurality of heat radiation parts, wherein
the heating part is disposed between adjacent two of the heat radiation parts, and is a conductor part through which electric current can flow, and wherein
the low thermal conductive part contains the substrate part and the conductor part, without containing the plurality of heat radiation parts.

17. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 16 , wherein
the thermal conductivity in a cross section containing the plurality of heat radiation parts is an average thermal conductivity in a cross section which crosses the plurality of heat radiation parts, and wherein
the thermal conductivity of the low thermal conductive part is an average thermal conductivity in a periphery surrounding the plurality of heat radiation parts.

18. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 14 , wherein
the plurality of heat radiation parts are also the heating part which generates heat by being supplied with electric current.

19. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 14 , wherein
the plurality of heat radiation parts and the heating part are provided by the same continuous material.

20. The radiation heater apparatus claimed in claim 14 , wherein
the plurality of heat radiation parts and the heating part are provided by different materials

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Ota Koji
• Maeda Manabu
• Sagou Yasuhiro
• Kondoh Kouji
• Masuda Gentaro
• Kajino Hidetada
• Shiraishi Yoshihiko

Classifications

• H05B2203/007

  using multiple electrically connected resistive elements or resistive zones · CPC title

• H05B3/267

  the insulating base being an organic material, e.g. plastic (H05B3/262 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05B2203/013

  Heaters using resistive films or coatings · CPC title

• H05B3/0042 Primary

  used in motor vehicles · CPC title

• H05B2203/005

  using multiple resistive elements or resistive zones isolated from each other · CPC title