Patent Application
20190029480
The present invention relates to a portable electric heating ice scraper.
As is well-known, an ice scraper is used to remove ice such as ice formed on a vehicle windshield in winter. According to the thickness of a formed ice layer, it is tired, time-consuming and difficult to remove the ice layer by using only a mechanical ice scraper. Therefore, for example, DE 10052281 C2, DE 202006000830 U1 or U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,679 A also discloses a known ice scraper that heats and melts ice by using an electric heating element mounted on a scraper blade. In addition, in DE 2927887 A1, DE 4300500 A1, GB 2295006 A, GB 2328734 A, and US 2006/0282980 A1, a device for melting ice by using a hot air apparatus is also described. The device herein generally refers to a relatively cumbersome hot air gun. It herein refers generally to a relatively cumbersome hot air gun. A device described in US2006/0282980 A1 uses a rotary blade to remove ice from a windshield, and includes a fan to blow cold air to remove melting ice.
A task of the present invention is to provide an easily-operated and easily-used electric heating ice scraper. By means of the electric heating ice scraper, ice on a windshield can be effectively and easily removed.
This task is resolved by using a portable electric heating ice scraper with an elongated housing. The housing includes: a front housing portion including a front housing end and a scraper blade disposed at the front housing end, and a rear housing portion including a handle and a rear housing end. An electric-powered fan that generates an airflow in a direction of the scraper blade and at least one electric-powered heating element configured to heat the airflow are disposed in the housing. The front housing portion and the rear housing portion approximately extend on a plane in a longitudinal direction of the housing or the front housing portion is curved at an angle not greater than 35° relative to the rear housing portion in the longitudinal direction of the housing.
According to the present invention, the ice scraper includes a scraper blade located in the front portion and a handle located in the rear portion that are included in a known mechanical ice scraper of a general type. The ice scraper includes a housing made for accommodating essential electronic components including a fan. Although the electronic components are accommodated, the housing of the ice scraper according to the present invention is mainly constructed to be relatively smooth and does not include a pistol grip, so that the ice scraper may be used in an operation mode of the known mechanical ice scraper. The rear housing portion including the handle and the front housing portion including the scraper blade are approximately located on a plane or the front housing portion relatively slightly leans towards a bottom housing portion or the scraper blade relative to the rear housing portion in the longitudinal direction of the housing. Compared with, for example, an ice scraper with a pistol grip, pressure needed when necessary can be generated more easily by using this ice scraper. In addition, a more compact design is produced, so that the apparatus can be placed more easily. The electric-powered fan disposed in the housing generates an airflow, and the airflow is heated by using the at least one electric-powered heating element and is blew towards the direction of the scraper blade. Ice, for example, on the windshield, can be heated and at least be melted in this way. Therefore, the ice can be easily removed from the windshield by using the ice scraper.
The term “smoothly” about the housing refers to that the housing has a relatively small height relative to the length of the housing.
The term “electric heating ice scraper” refers to an ice scraper, where heat generated by the ice scraper can at least support windshield ice removal.
The expression of “a handle is included in a rear housing portion” refers to that at least at a partial area of the rear housing portion is constructed in this manner, so that it is quite easy for people to grip the ice scraper. The expression includes that the rear housing portion is constructed as a handle. Therefore, the rear housing portion forms a handle portion of the ice scraper.
The expression “the front housing portion and the rear housing portion approximately extend on a plane in a longitudinal direction of the housing or the front housing portion is curved at an angle not greater than 35° relative to the rear housing portion in the longitudinal direction of the housing” refers to that the front housing portion and the rear housing portion of the ice scraper according to the present invention are not curved or are only slightly curved to each other, and the rear housing portion is particularly not provided with a pistol grip. The word “curved” herein does not refer to that there should be a curved edge, or the like. To be more precise, the front housing portion may have a corresponding curvature. Curving of the front housing portion causes the scraper blade to be disposed below a plane of the rear housing portion. Therefore, it is not necessary for the ice scraper to be heavily curved relative to a plane of the windshield. To be more precise, the ice scraper may be approximately parallel to the windshield by using the handle of the ice scraper.
In an preferred implementation of the ice scraper according to the present invention, the front housing portion is curved at an angle not greater than 30° relative to the rear housing portion, the angle is preferably not greater than 25° or 20°, and is particularly preferably not greater than 15°.
In another preferred implementation of the ice scraper according to the present invention, the front housing portion extends to the scraper blade in a direction transverse to a longitudinal direction of the housing. For example, the front housing portion may extend in a conical shape in the direction of the scraper blade to provide a wide scraper blade as much as possible and remove a wide ice stripe from the windshield as much as possible during operation.
The housing of the ice scraper according to the present invention is constructed to be relatively smoothly. Particularly preferably, a ratio of the total length of the housing to the height of the housing at the rear housing portion should be in a range of ≥5, preferably ≥6, ≥7, ≥8 or ≥9. The ratio may be, for example, approximately 10, 11 or 12. In a longer outline design, the ratio may further be greater. For example, the length of housing body of the ice scraper according to the present invention may be approximately 240 millimeters when the height of the housing at the rear housing portion is in a range of approximately 22 millimeters. The housing may be made of, for example, thermoset plastic, or may be made of another material or a material mixture, for example, a metal or a composite fiber material. The housing may include upper and lower housing components, and the two housing components may be connected to each other by using, for example, a clip, a screw, or the like. The two housing components may be constructed as a whole. The housing may include more than two components. Particularly, when there is a non-rechargeable battery, a battery housing cover may be disposed in the housing.
The scraper blade of the ice scraper according to the present invention first includes multiple ventilation ducts configured to discharge airflows. The ventilation duct may be an opening or a slot in the scraper blade or within an area of the scraper blade. An airflow generated by the fan and heated by using the at least one heating element is discharged from the housing through the opening or slot, and is passed onto, for example, a windshield. The scraper blade may be made of, for example, thermoset plastic, or may be made of another material or a material mixture.
The fan preferably refers to a centrifugal fan, and the fan is preferably horizontally disposed in the direction of the scraper blade with an air outlet connector.
The at least one heating element is disposed between the fan and the scraper blade, so that the airflow is heated all the way and is passed to the scraper blade. The at least one heating element preferably refers to a “positive temperature coefficient”-heating element (PTC heating element). Preferably, multiple PTC heating elements are disposed. The heating element and a position of the heating element should be selected to generate a sufficient temperature, for example, 60° C. to 70° C., on the scraper blade. The heating elements may generate a temperature, for example, 195° C. herein. Certainly, the heating elements may generate a relatively low or relatively high temperature according to a use objective.
In a particularly preferably implementation of the present invention, the fan and the at least one heating element are preferably electrically connected to at least one battery disposed in the housing, so that the fan and the at least one heating element are driven by power saved in the battery. The term “battery” herein includes a non-rechargeable battery and a rechargeable battery (storage battery). In addition to the fan and the at least one heating element, other electronic components, such as a switch, an electronic control apparatus and an indicator light, accommodated in the housing are connected to the battery.
Alternatively or if necessary, the fan and the at least one heating element and the cable may be electrically connected to at least one battery. The cable may be connected to a vehicle power port, for example, a 12 V power port, by using a plug. In this implementation of the ice scraper according to the present invention, the ice scraper preferably has a cable having an appropriate length, so that the ice scraper is directly connected to, for example, a vehicle power port, and is driven. If necessary, a separate setting is permitted, so that the rechargeable battery can be repeatedly charged by using the power port by using the cable.
In a preferably implementation, an electronic control apparatus configured to electronically control the fan and/or the at least one heating element is disposed in the housing of the ice scraper according to the present invention. The electronic control apparatus may control, for example, a heating power of the at least one heating element and a fan relying on the at least one heating element. The electronic control apparatus may be set in such a way that when the at least one heating element reaches a pre-selected temperature, for example, 150° C., the fan is powered on.
To guide an airflow onto the scraper blade, an appropriate guide apparatus is disposed in the housing. The guide apparatus herein may be, for example, one or multiple plastic profiles or metal profiles. The guide apparatus first extends from the air outlet connector of the fan towards the direction of the scraper blade, so that the guide apparatus receives an airflow and limits the airflow in space.
For example, a plastic profile or a metal profile extending in a conical shape to the scraper blade may be disposed in the front housing portion by using a side wall and if necessary, by using another baffle. The plastic profile or the metal profile preferably has a support structure used to support the at least one heating element. A material of the guide apparatus is selected depending on a temperature generated by using the heating element and an airflow temperature consequently generated. The material herein first needs to be sufficiently heat-resistant. When the material is a good heat conduction material such as a metal, it is beneficial to dispose an insulation layer around the guide apparatus, to avoid performing unnecessary heating on an outer surface of the ice scraper.
To prevent water generated by ice melting from penetrating to an internal housing portion of the ice scraper according to the present invention, a block that prevents the scraper blade from being penetrated by water is disposed between the at least one heating element and the scraper blade in the housing. The block may be a plastic block extending through a cross section of the front housing portion. The plastic block should be set in such a manner that, for example, the height of the plastic block is set to make the cross section of the housing just filled in this area, so that when the ice scraper is operated in a normal expected amount of water, the water does not penetrate to the internal housing portion any more, and a hot airflow flows to the scraper blade as always.
Preferably, an indication apparatus is disposed in the ice scraper according to the present invention. The indication apparatus indicates whether the at least one heating element reaches a sufficient temperature. The indication apparatus may be, for example, an LED indicator light that is disposed in a top housing portion. The LED indicator is on or off when a temperature is sufficient. The indication apparatus further preferably includes an indicator. The indicator indicates whether the ice scraper is open or whether there is a sufficient voltage supply. Colors of the indicator light herein may be set in such a way that the indicator light preferably emits lights of different colors when the indicator light indicates that the heating element generates a sufficient temperature. Different color effects may be generated by using, for example, transparent covers of the indicator light of different colors. The indication apparatus may further, for example, indicate an operation state of the fan, so that when necessary, whether the fan is operating is learned from the outside.
In a preferred implementation of the ice scraper according to the present invention, the scraper blade is detachably connected to the front housing portion. Therefore, in this implementation, the scraper blade may be removed. In addition, for example, when the scraper blade is worn, the scraper blade may be replaced with another scraper blade. Certainly, the following manner also works. For example, scraper blades made of different materials are mounted on the ice scraper, or scraper blades are mounted on the ice scraper by using different mounting methods.
The ice scraper may be preferably operated in an appropriate manner, for example, by using a switch attached on a side surface of the housing. To charge a rechargeable battery, a corresponding port may be disposed. Certainly, it is possible to dispose an illuminating apparatus in the housing, to light a whole working area when necessary.
The following describes the present invention in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments only for the purpose of illustration.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2017 117 106.1 | Jul 2017 | DE | national |
