BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional airflow heater with PTC heat generator.
FIG. 2 is a side view of another conventional airflow heater with PTC heat generator which uses air divider to separate the airflow.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a heat coverage enhancement of an airflow heater according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a configuration of the single PTC heat generator arrangement and the heat dissipating arrangement with the single airflow guider installed.
FIG. 3B is a sectional side view of a heat coverage enhancement according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3C illustrates an alternative mode of the heat coverage enhancement according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3D is a sectional side view of the alternative heat coverage enhancement according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3E illustrates a second alternative mode of the heat coverage enhancement according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3F illustrates a third alternative mode of the heat coverage enhancement according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the V-shaped airflow guider.
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a heat coverage enhancement of an airflow heater according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a configuration of the multiple PTC heat generator arrangement and the heat dissipating arrangement with the single airflow guider installed.
FIG. 4B illustrates an alternative mode of the heat coverage enhancement according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing two spaced apart airflow guiders.
FIG. 4C illustrates a second alternative mode of the heat coverage enhancement according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the V-shaped airflow guider.
FIG. 4D illustrates an alternative mode of the heat coverage enhancement according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing two spaced apart V-shaped airflow guiders.
FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the airflow heater according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5B illustrates an alternative mode of the airflow guider according to the above third preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5C illustrates another alternative mode of the airflow guider according to the above third preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the airflow heater illustrating an extension of the coverage of airflow being heated up when the airflow is exiting according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The following embodiments give a more detail description of the present invention.
The present invention provides an airflow heater which blows out heated air. The airflow heater comprises a housing, an air source to generate an airflow, a heat coverage enhancement which is positioned in front of the air source to generate and dissipate heat to the surroundings. The air source, which is supported in the housing, comprises an air propeller electrically connecting to a power source so as to generate the airflow. The airflow passed through the heat coverage enhancement will be heated up. The heat coverage enhancement then guides the heated airflow to a desired location of an exiting side of the housing. The heat coverage enhancement comprises a PTC heat generating arrangement 10, a heat dissipating arrangement 20 extended from two sides of the PTC heat generating arrangement 10, and an airflow deviating unit to form a single module of PCT assembly. Accordingly, the airflow deviating unit can be integrated with the heat dissipating arrangement 20 to form an integrated unit or the airflow deviating unit can be detachably attached to the heat dissipating arrangement 20
As shown in FIG. 3, the heat dissipating arrangement 20 comprises two heat dissipating units 21 as an individual set, wherein each of the dissipating units 21 comprises a plurality of heat dissipating elements 211 and two retaining sidewalls 22 attached thereto at a position that the heat dissipating elements 211 are spacedly mounted between the two retaining sidewalls 22. According to the preferred embodiment, the heat dissipating elements 211 are formed by an elongated metal panel made of aluminum alloy bent in a zigzag manner, wherein two side edges of each of the heat dissipating elements 211 are securely attached to the retaining sidewalls 22 respectively by welding. It is worth to mention that the heat dissipating elements 211 is made of material giving high heat transfer coefficient to transfer heat conductively from the surrounding efficiently. A heat dissipating channel is formed between every two of the heat dissipating elements 211, wherein the heat dissipating channel has a triangular cross section or trapezoid cross section for allowing the airflow passing through from the air source to the airflow deviating unit. In other words, the airflow is heated up when the airflow passes through the heat dissipating channels. The PTC heat generating arrangement 10 is mounted between the two heat dissipating units 21. The PTC heat generating arrangement 10 comprises an elongated heating element sandwiched between the two heat dissipating units 21. Accordingly, when the elongated heating element is shorter than the heat dissipating unit 21, two or more elongated heating elements can be located end-to-end to extend the overall length thereof in order to fit between the two heat dissipating units 21. Accordingly, the two corresponding retaining sidewalls 22 of the two heat dissipating units 21 are mounted to two sides of the elongated heating element of the PTC heat generating arrangement 10 respectively by applying an adhesive thereto while the adhesive is made of material that the heat can be conductively transmitted from the PTC heat generating arrangement 10 to the two heat dissipating units 21. The end terminal of the PTC heat generating arrangement 10 is electrically connected to the power source. According to the preferred embodiment, the airflow deviating unit comprises an airflow guider 30 is extended from a front side of at least one of the heat dissipating units 21, wherein the airflow deviating unit can be a flat panel or have a V-shaped cross section, a U-shaped cross section or other curved shaped panel. In particularly, the airflow guider 30 is frontwardly, outwardly, and inclinedly extended from one of the retaining sidewalls 22 of the heat dissipating unit 21. The airflow guider 30 is made of aluminum. In other words, the airflow guider 30 is extended at the exiting side of the retaining sidewall 22 of the heat dissipating arrangement 20. A shown in FIG. 3B, the airflow guider 30 extends out at the exiting side of the heat dissipating arrangement 20 forming an acute angle α with respect to the heat dissipating arrangement 20. The angle α as the exiting angle can be changed to adapt to different applications as desired. Therefore, when the airflow hits the airflow guider 30 after the airflow is heated up through the heat dissipating channels, the airflow is spread out at the exiting side of the heat dissipating arrangement 20. In other words, when the air source 40 generates the airflow towards the PTC heat generating arrangement 10 and a heat dissipating arrangement 20 of the heat coverage enhancement, the heated airflow is deviated via the airflow guider 30 to maximize a coverage area B as shown in FIG. 6 in comparison with the coverage area A in FIG. 1 of prior art. According to the preferred embodiment, the integrated airflow guider 30 locates at different positions resulting in different coverage area extension. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the airflow guider 30 is sandwiched between the PTC heat generating arrangement 10 and the corresponding heat dissipating unit 21, wherein the airflow guider 30 is a flat panel inclinedly, frontwardly, and outwardly extended from the inner retaining sidewall 22 of one of the heat dissipating units 21. Therefore, only a portion of the airflow is deviated via the airflow guider 30 when the airflow passes through the corresponding heat dissipating unit 21 to extend the coverage area at one side. There is unchanged for the rest portion of the airflow passing through another heat dissipating unit 21. In other words, this configuration allows the airflow to be guided to one side. As shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, two airflow guiders 30, each having a flat panel structure, extends inclinedly, frontwardly, and outwardly from two outer retaining sidewalls 22 of the two heat dissipating units 21 respectively. Accordingly, the two airflow guiders 30 are inclinedly extended at different directions. In addition, the airflow guiders 30 are integrally extended from the retaining sidewalls 22 respectively. This configuration allows the control of the exiting angle of the outgoing airflow after the airflow is heated up. Referring to FIG. 3E of the drawings, two airflow guiders 30, each having a flat panel structure, are used, wherein one of the airflow guiders 30 is inclinedly, frontwardly, and outwardly extended from the inner retaining sidewall 22 of one of the heat dissipating units 21 and another airflow guider 30 is inclinedly, frontwardly, and outwardly extended from the outer retaining sidewall 22 of another heat dissipating unit 21. Accordingly, the two airflow guiders 30 are inclinedly extended at different directions to guide the airflow. As shown in FIG. 3F, two airflow guiders 30, each having a flat panel, are inclinedly, frontwardly, and outwardly extended from two inner retaining sidewalls 22 of the two heat dissipating units 21 respectively such that the two airflow guiders 30 forms a V-shaped cross section. In other words, the V-shaped airflow guider 30, which is a combined of two flat panel shaped airflow guiders 30, is installed on the retaining sidewalls 22 so as to separate the airflow when exiting from the heat dissipating arrangement 20.
As shown in FIG. 4, an airflow arrangement of a second embodiment illustrates an alternative mode of the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the second embodiment has the same structural components of the first embodiment, including the PTC heat generating arrangements 10, the heat dissipating arrangements 20, and the airflow guider 30. The first embodiment illustrates a single module of heat coverage enhancement while the first embodiment illustrates a multiple module of heat coverage enhancement. According to the second embodiment, the heat coverage enhancement comprises a plurality of PTC heat generating arrangements 10, and a plurality of heat dissipating arrangements 20, wherein the heat generating arrangements 10 and the heat dissipating arrangements 20 are mounted in an alternated manner. As shown in FIG. 4A, there are two sets of heat dissipating units 21, i.e. four heat dissipating units 21, wherein the airflow guider 30 is extended at the retaining sidewall 22 at the position between the two sets of heat dissipating units 21. As shown in FIG. 4B, three sets of heat dissipating units 21, i.e. six heat dissipating units 21, wherein two airflow guiders 30 are extended at the retaining sidewalls 22 at a position between the first and second heat dissipating units 21 and between the second and third heat dissipating units 21 respectively. As shown in FIG. 4C, there are two sets of heat dissipating units 21 wherein two airflow guiders 30 are extended from the middle retaining sidewall 22 of the of heat dissipating units 21 to form a V-shaped cross sectional structure. As shown in FIG. 4D, there are three sets of heat dissipating units 21 wherein four airflow guiders 30 are extended at the retaining sidewalls 22 at a position between the first and second heat dissipating units 21 and between the second and third heat dissipating units 21 to form two V-shaped airflow guiders respectively. All the configurations described above helps extend the coverage area B of airflow and guide the airflow to a predetermined location as shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 5A, an airflow heater of a third embodiment illustrates another alternative mode of the first and second embodiments of the present invention, wherein the airflow heater of the third embodiment has the same structure of the first and second embodiments expect the airflow deviating unit is detachably attaching to the heat dissipating arrangement 20. As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the heat coverage enhancement further comprises an airflow guiding frame 40 mounted in front of the heat dissipating arrangement 20 at the exiting side thereof, wherein the airflow guiders 30 are spacedly mounted within the airflow guiding frame 40. Accordingly, the airflow guiders 30 can be attached to the airflow guiding frame 40 by ultrasonic welding or the airflow guiders 30 can be integrally attached to the airflow guiding frame 40 to form a one-piece structure. The airflow guiding frame 40 comprises four surrounding walls outwardly and inclinedly extending in such a manner that a size of the airflow guiding frame 40 is gradually increasing from an inner opening to an outer opening. In order to withstand the heat from the PTC heat generating arrangements 10, the airflow guiding frame 40 should be made of heat insulating material such as engineering plastic or thermoplastic that exhibit superior thermal properties. Accordingly, the airflow guiding frame 40 is mounted at the exiting side of the heat dissipating arrangement 20 by screws or other fastening elements. As shown in FIG. 5A, the airflow guiding frame 40 is mounted to the heat dissipating arrangement 20 of the first embodiment as a single module, wherein the airflow guiders 3 are mounted within the airflow guiding frame 40 to form a V-shaped structure, such that when the airflow guiding frame 40 is mounted to the exiting side of the heat dissipating arrangement 20, the airflow guiders 30 are aligned thereto. As shown in FIG. 5B, the airflow guiders 3 are mounted within the airflow guiding frame 40 to form a V-shaped structure, wherein the airflow guiding frame 40 is mounted to the heat dissipating arrangement 20 of the second embodiment as a multiple module. As shown in FIG. 5C, the two airflow guiders 30 are spaced mounted within the airflow guiding frame 40 for fitting to the heat dissipating arrangement 20 of the second embodiment as a multiple module.
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. The embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
Patent Application
20080083718
