This application claims priority to PCT/EP2008/053295 filed Mar. 19, 2008, DE 20 2007 006 115.3 filed Apr. 26, 2007, DE 20 2007 009 588.0 filed Jul. 9, 2007, DE 10 2007 040 786.8 filed Aug. 28, 2007, and DE 20 2008 003 365.9 filed Mar. 10, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a line connector for media lines (pipelines or hose lines for, in particular, hydraulic flow media), comprising a connector piece with at least one junction portion for junction connection to a media line or to an assembly, and a transitional portion contiguous to the junction portion and having an inner flow duct.
The present invention relates, furthermore, to a ready-made media line, using a line connector of this type.
Line connectors serve for the mutual connection of at least two media lines or for the junction connection of at least one line to any assembly, in a motor vehicle. In this case, such media are often routed via the lines, which on account of a relatively high freezing point tend to freeze even at relatively high ambient temperatures possible under certain climatic conditions. Upon freezing of the media, specific functions may become impaired. This occurs, for example, in water lines for the windshield washing system and also in the case of lines for a urea solution which is used as an NO reduction additive for diesel engines having SCR catalytic converters, as they are known.
A continual need and desire therefore exists to provide a line connector of the type mentioned, which is especially suitable for the preferred application mentioned and which prevents freezing of the respective medium in the connector region.
One objective of the present invention is to make a ready-made line available for the purpose describe above. This is achieved, according to one aspect of the invention, by the line at least in the region of the transitional portion, that is to say outside the junction portion or junction portions, including electrical heating means in an arrangement surrounding the flow duct over its circumference at least partially, but preferably completely over 360°. This heating means can avoid or eliminate the freezing of the respective medium inside the connector piece, in that a medium which, for example, is frozen overnight when the vehicle is stationary is defrosted. In this case, the heating means are designed in such a way that a defined heating is ensured, along with good electrical insulation, good heat transmission, good mechanical properties and protection against mechanical damage and corrosion. By the ready-made line being continuously heated according to one aspect of the invention over the entire length, protection against freezing over the entire transport path of the medium is ensured.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The invention, advantageous refinements, and advantages achieved will be described in greater detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the appended drawings. The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
a is an electrical equivalent circuit diagram according to one aspect of the present invention showing the wiring of the resistance wires and heating conductors of
b is an electrical equivalent circuit diagram according to another aspect of the present invention showing the wiring of the resistance wires and heating conductors of
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present invention or its application or uses. It should be understood that throughout the description and drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.
Referring to
In the preferred exemplary embodiments illustrated, the connector piece 2 is designed as an angle connector, the junction portions 6 and 8 forming with respect to their junction axes a specific, for example right angle (90°). In this case, the junction portions 6, 8 are connected via a transitional portion 10 which has an inner flow duct 11 which can be seen only in
The connector piece 2 may also have any other desired configuration deviating from the examples illustrated, for example as a T-piece or distributor piece with three or more junction portions, as a rectilinear passage connector, as an angle connector (for example V-piece) with any desired junction axis angle deviating from a right angle (90°) or the like without exceeding the scope of the invention.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the connector piece 2 has, at least in the region of the transitional portion 10, electrical heating means 12 in an arrangement surrounding the flow duct 11 radially or circumferentially. As a result, the line connector 1 according to this aspect of the invention is suitable particularly for lines in motor vehicles for the routing of media, such as water or, in particular urea, which are at risk of freezing. The term “transitional portion” 10 will be understood by one skilled-in-the-art as meaning that region of the line connector 1 or of the connector piece 2 which, after the junction of lines (4) and/or after junction to an assembly, is still “exposed” and can therefore be provided with heating means 12.
As may be gathered from
Alternatively to this, however, the resistance wire 14 may also surround the connector piece 2 by being wound in a coil-like manner on the outside (see
The resistance wire 14 attached on the outside may be covered with an insulating coating comprised for example, of a coating powder or the like. This may also be a dip coating. Owing to the insulating coating, the resistance wire 14 itself may be produced without any specific insulation.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the resistance wire 14 may also be embedded (formed) into the material of the plastic connector piece 2. Reference is made in this respect to
In one design variant of the present invention illustrated in
In order to achieve high heat conductivity, when the connector piece 2 is plastic, the plastic material may have specific fillers for increasing the heat conductivity. Suitable fillers are particles of aluminum Al2O3, glass fibers and/or carbon fibers, among others.
Referring to
Alternatively, according to another aspect of the present invention, it is also possible, as cladding, for the entire connector piece 2 to be injection-molded around with an outer housing. Moreover, the cladding provided may also be what is known as a shrinkable tube, fabric tube or the like. Owing to the cladding, an air volume can be enclosed between the latter and the connector piece, with the result that good heat distribution, but also thermal insulation outwardly, are achieved. The outer coating or the cladding may bring about outward heat insulation. For this purpose, the plastic, without conductive fillers, is designed to have as low heat conductivity as possible.
In various aspects of the present invention where the resistance wire 14 is attached on the outside, the wire ends are preferably fastened via latching connections such that they project outward for contacting purposes. In the aspect of the present invention illustrated in
The heating means 12 may be designed with a power of 3 to 20 Watt and the resistance wire 14 may be designed with a length of, for example, up to 200 mm. For a connector piece 2 with an inner volume of the flow duct 11 in the range of 0.1 to 1.0 cm3, a power quotient in the range of from 1 to 15 watts/cm3 is preferred. The resistance wire 14 may be designed with a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) or with a positive temperature coefficient (PTC). A supply voltage of the order of 10 to a maximum of 14 volts is preferred.
The respective junction portion 6 may be designed as a junction gudgeon for the direct plugging on of a media line 4 (see, in this respect,
Referring now to
As is illustrated, by the example of the junction portion 8, the latter may also be designed as a plug socket for receiving a plug shank. In this case, in regards to a plug connection, any desired means for the releasable locking of the plug connection parts may be provided. Reference is made in this respect, for example, to
As one skilled-in-the-art will understand from
The outer housing 24 possesses, in the introduction region of the sheathing 27, the corrugated tube, ribs 25 which run around on its inner wall and which project into the wave troughs 31 of the corrugated tube. According to the invention, a form-fit connection between the outer housing 24 and the sheathing 27 is made. Moreover, it can be seen in
Referring now to
The present invention also embraces a ready-made media line, such as is illustrated in
In a preferred embodiment, a line connector 1, which is designed as an angle plug, is fastened at one end, and a straight plug junction is provided as a line connector 1 at the other end. In the examples illustrated in the present disclosure, the line connectors 1 are in each case designed at the end as a socket part, but they may likewise be designed as a plug part.
As illustrated in
The heating conductor 29 is preferably wound around with an adhesive tape and is thereby fixed to the pipeline 4a. Alternatively, it may likewise be possible that the heating conductor 29 is arranged on the pipeline 4a by means of an outer lacquer or adhesive layer. Particularly when different heating powers are desired along the pipeline 4a, the density of the number of turns and/or the electrical resistance may vary along the pipeline 4a, so that different heating powers can thereby be generated in portions, for example in siphon regions or in regions of the media line which are acted upon by relative wind and in which there is an increased tendency for the medium to freeze. The connector piece 2 present inside the line connector 1 may be connected to the pipeline 4a via a plug connection, but it is likewise within the scope of the invention if the pipeline 4a is connected to the connector piece 2 in a materially integral manner, for example by welding or adhesive bonding.
Furthermore, it is preferred when a defined air gap is formed between the pipeline 4a and the line sheathing 27. This may be achieved, for example, by the ring waviness itself or by means of spacers or the like arranged inside the corrugated tube. For better sealing off, it may likewise be advantageous, according to one aspect of the present invention, if a sealing compound 30 is introduced between the outer housing 24 of the line connector 1 and the connector piece 2, particularly in the region of connection of the line sheathing 27 to the line connector 1. The sealing compound 30, on the one hand, constitutes mechanical protection and, on the other hand, may also serve for improving the IP system of protection by sealing off. In
When the ready-made lines according to one aspect of the present invention have to be laid in the vicinity of heat-generating structural parts, it may be preferred if the ready-made line is surrounded, as seen over its length, completely or partially by a heat protection layer. This heat protection layer may be formed, for example, by a foil, such as a metalized foil reflecting heat radiation. Furthermore, for mechanical protection and for protection against rattling, an upholstering layer comprising, for example, of microcellular rubber or the like may also be applied, in particular, around the outer sheathing 27. It is also conceivable to also arrange an additional outer thermal insulation layer.
The arrangement of an outer sheathing or of a protective layer or reinforcement is illustrated in section in
In this case, RWST means the resistance of the resistance wire winding 14 of a line connector 1 which is designed in the example illustrated as an angle plug, and R1L means the electrical resistance of one of the wires of the wire windings 29a, 29b which surround the pipeline 4a. RGST is the resistance of the resistance wire 14 of the straight plug connector, and R2L is the electrical resistance of the other winding wire of the wire winding 29a, 29b around the pipeline 4a. The junctions lying outside the line connectors 1 are in each case identified by A1 and A2. Another wiring is illustrated in
It may be preferable, furthermore, to reduce the pitch of the resistance wire winding 14 at the end regions of the pipeline 4a. Another configuration may involve arranging a further winding in the pipe end region of the pipeline 4a in addition to the circumferential winding 14 of the resistance wire, in order to make an additional wire length available. This affords the possibility, during contacting, of drawing wire out of the pipeline end.
Referring now to
It is within the scope of the invention to form only one ply consisting of the sheet-like heating element 40 according to one aspect of the present invention or else, in order to increase the heating power, to arrange a plurality of plies of the sheet-like heating element 40 around the pipeline 4a one above the other.
The sheet-like heating element 40 according to one aspect of the present invention consists of a carrier 47 to which electrical heating conductors 48 are fixed. The electrical heating conductors 48 are connected electrically conductively to contact conductors 49 arranged on the carrier 47. This is preferably a carrier 47 consisting of a textile nonwoven material, of a knitted fabric or of a woven fabric. It is likewise possible, however, to form the carrier 47 from a plastic foam or from a combination of the above materials. The electrical heating conductors 48 are laid in a wavy or meander-shaped and/or mesh-like manner on the carrier 47. The electrical heating conductors 48 preferably consist of carbon fibers.
The use of carbon fibers to produce the electrical conductors affords the advantages of very high tensile strength, along with the lowest possible weight and good electrical conductivity; furthermore, transparency with respect to X-rays is thereby afforded, this being advantageous during check inspections. Moreover, resistance to chemicals and high thermal resistance are ensured. Moreover, carbon fibers can be processed easily. The electrical heating conductors 48 are, in particular, arranged, distributed uniformly, over the entire surface of the sheet-like heating element 40. The main direction X of the electrical heating conductors 48 expediently runs in the transverse direction of the strip-shaped carrier 47.
The contact conductors 49, which may likewise consist of carbon fibers or else of metallic material, may run rectilinearly and/or in a wavy manner. Preferably, a plurality of contact conductors 49 running parallel are laid, as is illustrated in
Furthermore, it can be seen in
In order to ensure a simple attachment of the sheet-like heating element 40 on the pipeline 4a, the carrier 47 is preferably coated on its rear side facing away from the heating conductors 48 with a temperature-resistant pressure-sensitive adhesive 54, thus ensuring intimate bearing contact of the heating element 40 on the surface of the pipeline 4a, so that good heat transmission is possible. The carrier 47 preferably has a moisture-repelling finish. The electrical contact conductors 49 are preferably flexible and run between the heating conductors 48 and the carrier 47. The contact conductors 49 are led out at both ends for a series connection of various lines, or preferably only at one of the ends of the line 1 according to one aspect of the present invention, by means of two junction wires 52. It is likewise possible to lead out only one junction wire 52 at each of the two ends.
It is likewise within the scope of the invention if the contact conductors 49 are incorporated into the textile carrier 47. The electrical heating conductors 48 may be arranged to run parallel to one another, but they may also be designed to overlap one another. Such an overlapping arrangement of the heating conductors 48 achieves a uniform contacting of the heating conductors 48 over the entire surface and a uniform current distribution, so that, even in the event of an individual break of a heating conductor portion, there is consequently no appreciable impairment in the heating power. Particularly when a plurality of contact conductors 49 running parallel are present, in which case a wavy arrangement is likewise possible or else a mesh-like composite structure of the contact conductors 49 may be present, reliable contacting with the heating conductors 48 is likewise made possible.
The foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. Numerous modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20 2007 006 115 U | Apr 2007 | DE | national |
20 2007 009 588 U | Jul 2007 | DE | national |
10 2007 040 786 | Aug 2007 | DE | national |
20 2008 003 365 U | Mar 2008 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2008/053295 | 3/19/2008 | WO | 00 | 4/15/2010 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2008/131993 | 11/6/2008 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3932727 | True | Jan 1976 | A |
6617556 | Wedel | Sep 2003 | B1 |
20050083638 | Warren et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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20 2005 004 602 | Jul 2005 | DE |
20 2006 003 590 | Jun 2006 | DE |
202006003590 | Jun 2006 | DE |
0 543 075 | Jan 1992 | EP |
0 764 810 | Mar 1997 | EP |
1 710 484 | Oct 2006 | EP |
1710484 | Oct 2006 | EP |
Entry |
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International Search Report of PCT/EP2008/053295. |
Translated International Preliminary Report on Patentability in Corresponding PCT/EP/2008/053295. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20100290764 A1 | Nov 2010 | US |