JP7575314B2 - Heater - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a heater.

Conventionally, this type of heater has a heat dissipation unit that dissipates heat from a heater and is housed inside a housing, and the heat dissipated from the heat dissipation unit warms the air to be conditioned. (For example, see Patent Document 1)

JP 2021-4694 A

However, with this conventional system, if the user goes to sleep at night with the heater on and then moves around with the lights off in the room, the user cannot visually check the area around the feet of the housing, so there is a risk that the user may bump into the housing, leaving room for improvement.

In order to solve the above problem, claim 1 of the present invention provides an electronic appliance comprising: a housing containing a heat dissipation section that dissipates heat from a heater; an upper cover arranged along an upper surface of the housing; a lower plate located at the lower end of the housing on which the housing is placed; and legs connected to a horizontal end below the lower plate and installed on a floor surface, the lower plate having a heater chamber side intake port for taking in air into the housing, the upper cover having a heater chamber side outlet port for blowing out air that is taken in from the heater chamber side intake port and flows from bottom to top, a light-emitting means facing the floor surface is disposed on the lower plate , the light-emitting means is stored in a storage section formed in the lower plate, and a cover that covers the storage section is installed below the light-emitting means, the light-emitting means is composed of a light-emitting section, a light-emitting board on which the light-emitting section is installed, and wiring that connects to the light-emitting board, and the storage section has holes formed at least in the vertical direction to allow air to flow from the bottom to the top of the housing .

In a second aspect of the present invention, the hole is formed in a side surface of the storage portion.

In a third aspect of the present invention, the storage portion is located approximately in the center of the heater chamber side inlet port.

According to this invention, since the light emitting means facing the floor surface is disposed on the lower plate, even if the user moves around at night without turning on the indoor lights, the user can visually check the vicinity of the lower part of the housing, reducing the risk of the user colliding with the housing. In addition, when electricity is applied to the heater, the vicinity of the heat dissipation part is heated, and an air flow from the lower part to the upper part of the housing is generated. At this time, a part of the air that passes through the heater chamber side suction port of the lower plate passes through the hole below the storage part and enters the storage part. The air that has entered the storage part passes through the hole above the storage part and escapes to the outside of the storage part. An air flow is generated in the storage part, and the indoor air passes near the light emitting board, cooling the light emitting board.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a heater according to the present invention, viewed from the right front of the heater; This is a perspective view of the heater from the front right with the front panel and left and right panels removed. Cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. A perspective view illustrating the bottom plate, base plate, and cover of the heater. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the lower plate of a heater. A bottom view of the heater's lower plate 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG.

An embodiment of a heater according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

In the following description, "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "right," and "left" follow the definitions in Figures 1 to 3. The up-down direction corresponds to the vertical direction when heater 1 is installed. The front-rear direction and the left-right direction correspond to the horizontal direction when heater 1 is installed.

The heater 1 mainly comprises a heat dissipation unit 10, a heater 20, a housing 30, a main control board 70, and a power supply board 80.

The heat dissipation section 10 has an upper heat dissipation section 10a, a middle heat dissipation section 10b, and a lower heat dissipation section 10c. The upper heat dissipation section 10a, the middle heat dissipation section 10b, and the lower heat dissipation section 10c (hereinafter, when these are not distinguished, they will be simply referred to as "heat dissipation section 10") house an upper heater 20a, a middle heater 20b, and a lower heater 20c (hereinafter, when these are not distinguished, they will be simply referred to as "heater 20") inside, respectively, and dissipate heat from the heater 20 from the outer surface. The heat dissipation section 10 is, for example, a die-cast molded product of an aluminum alloy. The heat dissipation section 10 has a heater housing section 11 and a plurality of fins 12. The heater housing section 11 is formed between two plate-shaped members 13 having a surface direction along the front-rear direction, and houses the heater 20. The fins 12 protrude substantially perpendicularly from the plate-like member 13 in the left-right direction and extend in the up-down direction (having a surface direction along the up-down direction). The fins 12 are arranged, for example, at substantially equal intervals along the front-rear direction. The heat dissipation unit 10 is connected to a fastener 15 by a bolt 14 on the left and right side surfaces. The heat dissipation unit 10 is fixed (mounted) to a pair of heat shield plates 50 via the fastener 15.

The heater 20 is, for example, a sheathed heater, and has terminals 21 on both ends. The heater 20 has a U-shape that extends mainly in the front-to-rear direction. The heater 20 is housed in the heater housing 11 with the terminals 21 exposed from the heat dissipation section 10. The heater 20 is molded integrally with the heat dissipation section 10 by being cast inside the heat dissipation section 10.

The housing 30 houses the heat dissipation section 10 and forms the outer shell of the heater 1. The housing 30 has a front plate 31, a rear plate 32, a lower plate 33, an upper cover 34, left and right panels 35, a heat shield plate 50, and a partition plate 60. The front plate 31, the rear plate 32, the lower plate 33, the upper cover 34, and the left and right panels 35 are made of thin steel plates such as cold-rolled steel plates and hot-dip galvanized steel plates. The heat shield plate 50 and the partition plate 60 are made of thin steel plates, for example.

The front panel 31 is disposed along the front surface of the heater 1. The front panel 31 has a display unit 37, an operation unit 38, and a front handle 39. The display unit 37 is, for example, a liquid crystal display panel that displays the operating state and operation details of the heater 1. The operation unit 38 receives instructions for turning the heater 1 on and off and the operation details. The front handle 39 is disposed above the display unit 37, and is used by the user to move the heater 1. The rear panel 32 is disposed along the rear surface of the heater 1. The rear panel 32 has a rear handle (not shown) at a position that pairs with the front handle 39 in the front-to-rear direction.

The lower plate 33 is arranged along the underside of the heater 1. The lower plate 33 is the base for the front plate 31, rear plate 32, and heat shield plate 50, and supports the housing 30. The lower plate 33 has a pair of legs 41 with casters at paired positions in the lower front-to-rear direction as legs used to move the heater 1. The legs 41 with casters are connected to the front-to-rear ends, which are both horizontal ends of the lower plate 33.

The lower plate 33 is also arranged across the heater chamber 30a and the substrate chamber 30b in the front-to-rear direction. The lower plate 33 located on the heater chamber 30a side has a lattice-shaped heater chamber side suction port 40a that takes in air into the heater chamber 30a. The lower plate 33 located on the substrate chamber 30b side has a substrate chamber side suction port 40b that takes in air into the substrate chamber 30b. In other words, the substrate chamber side suction port 40b is an suction port provided vertically downward in the substrate chamber 30b.

The upper cover 34 is arranged along the upper surface of the heater 1. The upper cover 34 has a grill 42, a wire mesh 43, and a panel mounting fixture 45. The grill 42 has a heater chamber side outlet 46a that blows out air that is taken in from the heater chamber side inlet 40a or the substrate chamber side inlet 40b and flows from bottom to top inside the heater 1. The wire mesh 43 is arranged below the grill 42 so as to block the heater chamber side outlet 46a. The panel mounting fixture 45 is a frame member that is arranged below the wire mesh 43 and is installed in the front and back between a pair of heat shield plates 50. The panel mounting fixture 45 has claws 45a on the left and right frame surfaces, which are structures for fixing the left and right panels 35.

The left and right panels 35 are arranged along the left and right sides of the heater 1, respectively. The left and right panels 35 cover and shield the heat dissipation section 10 to ensure the safety of the user against high-temperature heat from the heat dissipation section 10. This prevents the user from seeing inside the heater 1.

The left and right panels 35 have an inwardly facing fold (not shown) at their upper ends. The upper ends of the left and right panels 35 are fixed by hooking the folds onto the claws 45a of the panel mounting fixtures 45. The lower ends of the left and right panels 35 are fixed by being screwed to the lower plate 33. The front and rear ends of the left and right panels 35 are respectively engaged with the front plate 31 and the rear plate 32. The center portions 36a of the left and right panels 35 have a shape that bulges out from the outer edge portions 36b so as to move away from the heat dissipation section 10. As a result, the left and right panels 35 are fixed without contacting the heat shield plate 50, and a certain gap is provided between the left and right panels 35 and the heat dissipation section 10. This prevents the left and right panels 35 from excessively increasing in temperature.

The heat shield 50 shields heat from the heat dissipation section 10 between the front plate 31 and the rear plate 32 and the heat dissipation section 10. The lower part of the heat shield 50 is fixed to the lower plate 33, and the upper part is fixed to the panel mounting fixture 45 located above the heat shield 50. In this way, the heat shield 50, the panel mounting fixture 45, and the lower plate 33 form the internal framework of the heater 1 (heater chamber 30a).

The front heat shield 51, which is disposed at the front and faces the front panel 31, separates the electronic components such as the main control board 70, power supply board 80, and lead wires 87 from the heat dissipation section 10 in the front-rear direction (horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction), isolating the heat dissipation section 10 from the electronic components. That is, the front heat shield 51 divides the inside of the housing 30 so that the housing 30 has a heater chamber 30a that houses the heater 20, and a board chamber 30b that houses the power supply board 80, thermostat 85, lead wires 87, and main control board 70. The front heat shield 51 has a board chamber side outlet 46b (outlet) vertically upward. The board chamber side outlet 46b discharges air rising by natural convection in the board chamber 30b to the heater chamber 30a side.

The partition plate 60 is disposed in the board chamber 30b and divides the board chamber 30b into a first space 90 including the power supply board 80 and lead wires 87, and a second space 91 including the main control board 70. The second space 91 is a space located forward of the partition plate 60 within the vertical range in which the partition plate 60 is located. The first space 90 is a space other than the second space 91 in the board chamber 30b. As is clear from Figures 2 and 3, the partition plate 60 does not clearly separate all of the boundaries between the first space 90 and the second space 91.

The partition plate 60 has a base surface 61, an inclined surface 62, and a fixed piece 63. The base surface 61 is a flat plate having a surface direction along the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the base surface 61 is disposed behind the main control board 70 and in front of the power supply board 80 and the lead wires 87. The upper end 61a of the base surface 61 (the upper end of the partition plate 60) is positioned above the main control board 70, taking into consideration heat dissipation from the power supply board 80 and noise from the lead wires 87. It is preferable that no gaps are provided between the left and right sides 61b of the base surface 61 and the heat shield plate 50 for heat insulation and noise shielding properties.

The inclined surface 62 is a flat plate formed continuously with the lower end (base surface lower end 61c) of the base surface 61, and is inclined downward from the base surface lower end 61c position so as to approach the front plate 31. The lower end (inclined surface lower end 62c) of the inclined surface 62 has a gap 92 with respect to the front plate 31. The inclined surface lower end 62c is located below the main control board 70. The fixing pieces 63 are provided intermittently on the left and right edges 61b of the base surface 61, and fix the partition plate 60 to the left and right side surfaces 51a of the front heat shield plate 51.

At the lower end 62c of the inclined surface (the lower end of the partition plate 60), the partition plate 60 branches the flow path of the air sucked in from the substrate chamber side suction port 40b toward the substrate chamber side outlet port 46b into a first flow path and a second flow path. The first flow path passes through the first space 90, i.e., the flow path that passes through the rear of the partition plate 60. The second flow path passes through the second space 91, i.e., the flow path that passes through the front of the partition plate 60.

The main control board 70 is a circuit board having a microcomputer that performs overall control of the heater 1. The main control board 70 receives instructions from the user via the operation unit 38, and controls the supply of power from the power supply board 80 to the heater 20 based on these instructions. The main control board 70 also controls the display unit 37 to display necessary information. The main control board 70, together with the display unit 37 and operation unit 38, is fixed to the rear side of the display unit 37 and operation unit 38 on the front panel 31.

The main control board 70 is connected to a room temperature thermistor 71 and a plug thermistor 72. The room temperature thermistor 71 is fixed to the caster-mounted legs 41 and detects the temperature outside the heater 1 as the room temperature. The main control board 70 controls the output of the heater 20 based on the room temperature obtained from the room temperature thermistor 71. The plug thermistor 72 is a thermistor housed in the power plug 86 and detects the temperature of the power plug 86. If the main control board 70 detects an abnormally high temperature from the plug thermistor 72 that is deemed to be the result of a tracking phenomenon or the like, it turns off the power to the heater 1 (stops the supply of power to the heater 20).

The power supply board 80 supplies power to each heater 20 under the control of the main control board 70. The power supply board 80 mainly has a triac 81 and a heat sink 82. The triac 81 controls the on/off of the power supply to the heater 20. The heat sink 82 dissipates heat from the triac 81.

The power supply board 80 is also connected to a thermostat 85 and a power plug 86. The thermostat 85 is connected in series to the power plug 86 via lead wires 87 and the power supply board 80. The thermostat 85 is disposed vertically above the power supply board 80 and above the main control board 70 and the partition plate 60. The thermostat 85 is fixed to the front heat shield plate 51, and turns off the power to the heater 1 (cuts off the power supply to the heater 20) if the ambient temperature in the board chamber 30b becomes abnormally high.

The main control board 70 is disposed between the power supply board 80 and the thermostat 85, in the second space 91. The power supply board 80 is disposed below the main control board 70, in the first space 90. The lead wires 87 extend vertically through the first space 90.

Next, the structure near the center of the lower plate 33 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 5 to 8.

100 is a storage section formed approximately in the center of the lower plate 33, with a hollow interior and an open lower surface 100a. When the heater 1 is installed on the floor, the lower surface 100a of the storage section 100 faces the floor surface at a predetermined distance. The storage section 100 has an upper hole 101 formed on the side in the front-rear direction, and a lower hole 102 formed on each side of the upper hole 101. The upper hole 101 and the lower hole 102 are formed so as to be separated in the vertical direction so that the upper hole 101 is above the lower hole 102. The storage section 100 has three locking holes 103 and a screw hole 104 formed on the upper surface. The storage section 100 has a wiring hole 105 formed on the left side through which the wiring 123 described later passes. The storage section 100 has a board locking claw 106 formed on the upper end surface to lock the light emitting board 122 described later.

110 is a cover that is installed to cover the underside 100a of the storage unit 100 and has a cover surface 110a that is translucent and has a generally circular shape when viewed from above. The cover 110 has claws 111 formed at two locations on the end of the side surface, and protrusions 112 formed on the left and right of the claws 111. The claws 111 and the protrusions 112 are elastic.

When the user lifts the cover 110 upward to align it with the underside 100a of the storage unit 100, the tabs 111 fit into the upper holes 101 and the protrusions 112 fit into the lower holes 102, thereby attaching the cover 110 to the underside 100a. The tabs 111 fit into the upper holes 101, preventing the cover 110 from falling off. The protrusions 112 fit into the lower holes 102, preventing the cover 110 from becoming misaligned due to horizontal rotation.
Furthermore, the user can detach the cover 110 from the lower surface 100a by bending the tabs 111 toward the center of the storage section 100, removing the tabs 111 from the upper holes 101, and pulling them downward.

120 is a light emitting means stored in the storage unit 100. The light emitting means 120 is composed of a light emitting unit 121 composed of an LED, a light emitting board 122 composed of a microcomputer on which the light emitting unit 121 is installed approximately in the center, and a wire 123 connected at one end to the light emitting board 122 and at the other end to the main control board 70.

The light-emitting unit 121 switches between on and off in response to a user's operation of a foot lighting switch (not shown) on the operation unit 38. The illumination level of the light-emitting unit 121 can be switched between multiple levels by the operation unit 38, and is adjusted to a predetermined illumination level in response to the operation of the operation unit 38.

The light-emitting board 122 is disposed approximately in the center of the upper end of the storage unit 100 by hooking parts formed in three places (not shown) that hook into the locking holes 103, the ends being locked by the board locking claws 106, and screws 124 passing through the screw holes 122a formed in the light-emitting board 122 and screwing into the screw locking holes 104. When the light-emitting board 122 is disposed in the storage unit 100, the distance between the light-emitting part 121 and the floor surface is secured, and the floor surface of the housing 30 can be illuminated evenly when the light-emitting part 121 is turned on. When the room in which the heater 1 is installed is turned off and the light-emitting part 121 is turned on, the user can easily determine the position of the heater 1.

The wire 123 is connected to the main control board 70 via the wire hole 105 in the storage unit 100. It transmits instructions from the operation unit 38 and current from the power supply board 80 to the light-emitting board 122, causing the light-emitting unit 121 to emit light at a specified illuminance or turn off the light.

During normal operation, the heater 20 is energized to heat the area near the heat dissipation section 10, generating an air flow from the bottom to the top of the housing 30. At this time, part of the air that passes through the heater chamber side intake port 40a of the lower plate 33 passes through the gap with the protrusion 112 in the lower hole 102 and enters the storage section 100. The air that has entered the storage section 100 passes through the gap with the tab 111 in the upper hole 101 or the connection hole 105 and exits the storage section 100. An air flow is generated within the storage section 100, and indoor air passes near the light emitting board 122, cooling it.

The light emitting board 122 installed in the storage section 100 has the lower heater 20c located above it. When the heater 20 is driven, the temperature of the light emitting board 122 is likely to rise due to the thermal effect of the heater 20. The upper hole 101, lower hole 102, and wiring hole 105 create an air flow inside the storage section 100, which cools the light emitting board 122 and prevents a temperature rise. This prevents the light emitting board 122 from rising in temperature and thermal damage to the functional components arranged on the light emitting board 122.

The upper hole 101, the lower hole 102, and the wiring hole 105 are formed on the side of the storage section 100. The lower heater 20c is located above the storage section 100 and is easily affected by heat. By forming each hole on the side of the storage section 100, air can flow without being affected by the lower heater 20c. The light-emitting substrate 122 can be cooled efficiently.

In addition, the storage section 100 housing the light emitting means 120 is located approximately in the center of the heater room side intake port 40a of the lower plate 33, so that when the heater 20 is driven, the air passes through the lattice-shaped heater room side intake port 40a and rises up the housing 30, preventing uneven draft caused by natural convection, and realizing a uniform draft. The air rises uniformly from the heater room side outlet 46a, without compromising the feeling of warmth.

In addition, the storage section 100 housing the light emitting means 120 is located approximately in the center of the heater room side intake port 40a of the lower plate 33, so the light emitting section 121 and the legs with casters 41 are spaced equally apart in the front-to-back direction. When the light emitting section 121 is turned on, the legs with casters 41 do not cast unnatural shadows on the floor surface, providing natural indirect lighting.

Next, the effects of the present invention will be explained.

A light emitting means 120 is provided facing the floor on the bottom plate 33 on which the housing 30 of the heater 1 is placed. Even if the user moves around at night without turning on the room lights, the user can visually check the area near the bottom of the housing 30. This reduces the risk of the user colliding with the heater 1.

The light emitting means 120 is stored in a storage section 100 formed in the lower plate 33, and a cover 110 that covers the storage section 100 is installed below the light emitting means 120. When a user looks at the heater 1, the light emitting means 120 cannot be directly seen. This improves the aesthetic appearance of the heater 1.

The light emitting means 120 is composed of a light emitting unit 121, a light emitting board 122 on which the light emitting unit 121 is installed, and a connection wire 123 connected to the light emitting board 122. The storage unit 100 has holes formed therein that are separated at least in the vertical direction and allow air to flow. The storage unit 100 has a lower hole 102 into which the convex portion 112 of the cover 110 fits, an upper hole 101 into which the claw 111 of the cover 110 fits, and a connection hole 105 through which the connection wire 123 connecting to the light emitting board 122 passes. In the vertical direction, the upper hole 101 and the connection hole 105 are located above the lower hole 102. When the heater 20 is energized, the air is heated and an upward air flow is generated, and the air that enters the storage unit 100 from the lower hole 102 escapes to the outside of the storage unit 100 from the upper hole 101 or the connection hole 105. Air circulates within the storage unit 100 to cool the light-emitting substrate 122. This prevents thermal damage to the functional components arranged on the light-emitting substrate 122.

The upper hole 101, the lower hole 102, and the connection hole 105 are formed on the side of the storage section 100. The heater 20 is located above the lower plate 33, and becomes hot when the heater 20 is driven. The upper part of the storage section 100 is easily affected by the heat from the heater 20. By forming the upper hole 101, the lower hole 102, and the connection hole 105 on the side of the storage section 100, the influence of heat from the heater 20 is small. The indoor air that enters the storage section 100 from the lower hole 102 can be discharged outside the storage section 100 from the upper hole 101 and the connection hole 105 without being affected by the heat of the heater 20. The light-emitting substrate 122 can be cooled efficiently.

In this embodiment, air flows through the upper hole 101, the lower hole 102, and the wiring hole 105 formed on the side of the storage unit 100. However, a through hole may be formed in the cover 110 facing the floor surface, and air may flow through the through hole and each hole formed on the side of the storage unit 100. Air enters the storage unit 100 through the through hole in the cover 110, and escapes through each hole formed on the side of the storage unit 100. The light emitting substrate 122 can be cooled efficiently.

In addition, in this embodiment, the light-emitting substrate 122 is disposed at approximately the center of the top surface of the storage unit 100, but this is not limited to this as long as the light emitted by the light-emitting unit 121 can illuminate the floor surface below the heater 1.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Heater 10 Heat dissipation section 20 Heater 30 Housing 33 Lower plate 41 Caster-equipped legs (legs)
100 Storage section 101 Upper hole 102 Lower hole 105 Connection hole 110 Cover 120 Light emitting means 121 Light emitting section 122 Light emitting board 123 Connection

Claims (3)

a housing that houses a heat dissipation unit that dissipates heat from a heater;
an upper cover disposed along an upper surface of the housing;
a lower plate located at a lower end of the housing and on which the housing is placed;
A leg portion is provided below the lower plate, connected to the horizontal end portion and installed on the floor surface,
the lower plate has a heater chamber side suction port for taking air into the housing,
the upper cover has a heater chamber side outlet for blowing out air that is taken in through the heater chamber side inlet and flows from the bottom to the top,
A light emitting means is disposed on the lower plate so as to face a floor surface ;
The light emitting means is accommodated in a storage portion formed in the lower plate,
a cover for covering the storage section is provided below the light emitting means;
the light emitting means is composed of a light emitting unit, a light emitting board on which the light emitting unit is installed, and a wire connecting the light emitting board;
The heater is characterized in that the storage section is formed with holes separated at least in the vertical direction to allow air to circulate from the lower part to the upper part of the housing . The heater according to claim 1, characterized in that the hole is formed on the side of the storage section. 3. The heater according to claim 1, wherein the storage portion is positioned approximately at the center of the heater chamber side inlet.

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