JP2012017031A - Heat medium-heating device and air conditioner for vehicle using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat medium-heating device capable of enhancing pressure resistance, improving heating performance and materializing the miniaturization and weight reduction thereof, and to provide an air conditioner for vehicle using the heat medium-heating device.SOLUTION: The heat medium-heating device includes: a heater assembly 16 formed by holding and fastening both sides of a PTC element and an electrode plate 17 with a pair of heat radiation plates 19, 20 having fins 21, 22 from the outside via an insulation and thermal conduction sheet 18; and a box-shaped housing 12 which has a heat medium inlet and a heat medium outlet and has opened one end thereof; wherein the heater assembly 16 is inserted into the housing 12 from a one-end opening part and is fixed to the housing 12 so as to tightly close the opening via a flange part 27 disposed on one of the heat radiation plates 19, 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat medium heating device that heats a heat medium using a positive temperature coefficient thermistor element (PTC element) and a vehicle air conditioner using the same.

  In a vehicle air conditioner applied to an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like, a positive temperature coefficient thermistor (hereinafter referred to as a positive temperature coefficient element) is used as one of heat medium heating devices that heat a medium to be heated that serves as a heat source for heating. , Which is called a PTC element) using a heater assembly having a heating element is known. The PTC element has a positive thermistor characteristic, and the resistance value increases as the temperature rises. As a result, the current consumption is controlled and the temperature rises gradually. Reaches the saturation region and stabilizes, and has a self-temperature control characteristic.

  In the heat medium heating apparatus as described above, Patent Document 1 discloses that a flat plate heater assembly is formed by providing an electrode plate, an insulating layer, and a heat transfer layer on both sides of a PTC element, and both sides of the heater assembly are arranged. A heat transfer medium having a laminated structure in which a pair of heat medium flow boxes connected to each other having an inlet and an outlet of the heat medium are stacked, and a substrate storage box and a lid are provided on the outer surface of the box. A device is presented.

  In Patent Document 2, a housing having an inlet and an outlet for a heat medium is provided with a number of partition walls that divide the housing into a heating chamber and a heat medium circulation chamber. There has been proposed a heating medium heating device in which a PTC heating element is inserted and installed on the chamber side so as to be in contact with the partition wall, and the heating medium circulated to the circulation chamber side via the partition wall is heated.

JP 2008-56044 A JP 2008-7106 A

  Patent Document 1 discloses a heat medium by stacking a pair of heat medium distribution boxes having heat radiating fins on both sides of a heater assembly, and further providing a substrate housing box and a lid for housing a control board on its outer surface. The flow path is hermetically sealed, and a laminated structure in which they are fastened with bolts. For this reason, it becomes the structure which receives the internal pressure by a heat medium with a volt | bolt, and since a pressure receiving area becomes a magnitude | size equivalent to the plane area of a heat medium distribution | circulation box, it has a structure unsuitable for high pressure | voltage resistance.

  In particular, in a hybrid vehicle or the like, since a heat medium is circulated by an engine-driven mechanical pump, a high pressure resistance is required corresponding to the pressure of the pump. It was inevitable that the cost would increase. In addition, the heat medium distribution box, the substrate housing box, and the lid must be made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy from the viewpoint of heat transfer and pressure resistance, and there is a problem that there is a limit to weight reduction.

  Moreover, what was shown by patent document 2 is set as the structure which inserted and installed the PTC heating element in the heating chamber formed of the partition. For this reason, it is not easy to insert and install the PTC heating element in close contact between the partition walls serving as the heat transfer surface, and the contact thermal resistance between the partition walls and the PTC heating element increases, resulting in a decrease in heat transfer efficiency. There was a problem that it was easy.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a heat medium heating device capable of realizing high pressure resistance, improving heating performance, and reducing size and weight, and vehicle air using the same. It aims at providing a harmony device.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the heat medium heating device of the present invention and the vehicle air conditioner using the same employ the following means.
That is, a heating medium heating device according to the present invention includes a heater assembly in which both sides of a PTC element and an electrode plate are sandwiched and clamped by a pair of heat sinks having fins from outside through insulating and heat conducting sheets, a heating medium inlet, And a box-shaped housing having one end opened, and the heater assembly is inserted into the housing from the one end opening and provided on one of the heat radiating plates. The opening is fixed to the housing via a flange so as to seal the opening.

  According to the present invention, a heater assembly in which both sides of a PTC element and an electrode plate are sandwiched and clamped by a pair of heat sinks having fins from outside through insulating and heat conductive sheets is provided with a heat medium inlet and a heat medium outlet. At the same time, it is inserted into a box-shaped housing having one end opened from one end opening, and is fixed to the housing so as to seal the one end opening through a flange provided on one side of the heat sink of the heater assembly. The pressure receiving surface that receives the internal pressure of the heat medium circulated through the pump and affects the pressure strength is only the flange of the heat sink that seals one end opening of the box-shaped housing. Since the pressure receiving area can be reduced, the housing can have a high pressure resistance while the strength of the portion to which the collar portion is fixed is suppressed. Further, since the heater assembly is clamped by sandwiching both sides of the PTC element and the electrode plate with a pair of heat radiating plates, the contact heat resistance in the heater assembly can be reduced and the heat transfer efficiency to the heat medium can be increased. For this reason, it is possible to realize a high withstand voltage of the heat medium heating device, to expand the application range, to improve the heating performance of the heat medium heating device, and to reduce the size and weight.

  Furthermore, in the heat medium heating device of the present invention, in the above heat medium heating device, a concave portion that accommodates the PTC element and the electrode plate is formed on one surface of the heat radiating plate provided with the flange portion, The PTC element and the electrode plate are installed in the recess in a state where the periphery thereof is hermetically sealed with a sealing material via the insulating and heat conductive sheet.

  According to the present invention, the concave portion for accommodating the PTC element and the electrode plate is formed on one surface of the heat radiating plate provided with the flange portion, and the PTC element and the electrode plate are interposed in the concave portion via the insulating and heat conductive sheet. Since the periphery is installed in a state of being hermetically sealed with a sealing material, the PTC element and the electrode plate can be positioned by a recess between a pair of heat radiating plates, and can be accommodated and installed in close contact with each other. The PTC element and the electrode plate can be hermetically sealed from the heat medium through a seal material such as a ring. For this reason, while reducing the contact thermal resistance with respect to a heat sink, the heat_generation | fever of a PTC element can be efficiently transferred to a heat medium, the improvement of the heating performance of a heat medium heating apparatus, size reduction, and weight reduction can be achieved, and a PTC element and The electrical system such as the electrode plate can be reliably hermetically sealed from the heat medium to ensure the reliability of the heat medium heating device with respect to the electric system.

  Furthermore, in the heat medium heating device of the present invention, in any one of the heat medium heating devices described above, a substrate storage box is provided on the outer surface side of the flange, and the control for controlling the PTC element in the substrate storage box A substrate, a semiconductor switching element, and the like are accommodated and installed.

  According to the present invention, the board housing box is provided on the outer surface side of the collar portion, and the control board for controlling the PTC element and the semiconductor switching element are housed and installed in the board housing box. A control board, a semiconductor switching element, etc. can be installed in one end part of this via a board storage box, and a heat carrier heating device can be constituted compactly. Further, the inside of the substrate housing box can be efficiently cooled by using the flange provided on the heat radiating plate as a heat sink. For this reason, while being able to improve the mounting property with respect to a vehicle, the semiconductor switching element which consists of IGBT etc. can be reliably cooled below to predetermined temperature via a collar part with a heat medium.

  Furthermore, the heat medium heating device of the present invention is characterized in that, in the heat medium heating device, the semiconductor switching element is installed on an outer surface of the flange portion of the heat radiating plate in the substrate housing box. And

  According to the present invention, since the semiconductor switching element is installed on the outer surface of the flange part of the heat sink in the substrate housing box, the semiconductor switching element such as IGBT is used as a heat medium by using the heat sink as the heat sink. Can be cooled directly. For this reason, the cooling effect with respect to a semiconductor switching element can be improved, and the heat-resistant reliability of a heat medium heating apparatus can be improved further.

  Furthermore, the heat medium heating device of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the heat medium heating devices described above, the substrate housing box is made of resin.

  According to the present invention, since the substrate accommodation box is made of resin, the heating medium heating device can be reduced in weight as compared with the case using a metal substrate accommodation box such as an aluminum alloy. For this reason, the mounting property with respect to a vehicle can be improved and driving performance, such as an electric vehicle and a hybrid vehicle, can be improved.

  Furthermore, the heat medium heating device of the present invention is the heat medium heating device according to any one of the above, wherein a through-passage continuous to the recess is provided in a flange portion of the heat radiating plate, the PTC element and the electrode plate, and the control The substrate and the semiconductor switching element are electrically connected via a harness wired through the through path.

  According to the present invention, a through-passage connected to the recess is provided in the flange portion of the heat sink, and the PTC element, the electrode plate, the control board, and the semiconductor switching element are electrically connected via the harness wired through the through-passage. Since it is connected, the PTC element and electrode plate of the heater assembly inserted and installed in the housing, and the control board and semiconductor switching element installed in the substrate housing box are provided in the flange portion of the heat sink It can be easily electrically connected by a harness through the road. For this reason, even if the PTC element and the electrode plate are inserted and installed inside the housing that becomes the heat medium atmosphere, the wiring path is not complicated, and the heat medium heating device can be simply configured.

  Furthermore, the heat medium heating device of the present invention is characterized in that, in any of the heat medium heating devices described above, the heat radiating plate is made of an aluminum alloy.

  According to the present invention, since the heat sink is made of an aluminum alloy, the heat generated from the PTC element is transferred to the heat medium by the heat sink made of aluminum alloy, which is lightweight and has good heat conductivity, and the heat medium is efficiently heated. The heater assembly can be reduced in weight. For this reason, the heating performance of the heat medium heating device can be improved, and the size and weight can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the heat medium heating device of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the heat medium heating devices described above, the housing is made of resin.

  According to the present invention, since the housing is made of resin, the box or housing that distributes the largest heat medium among the components of the heat medium heating device is a metal box or housing such as an aluminum alloy. On the other hand, it is possible to significantly reduce the weight and cost. For this reason, the mountability with respect to the vehicle can be improved, the running performance of an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like can be improved, and the cost can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the heat medium heating device of the present invention is the heat medium heating device according to any one of the above-described heat medium heating devices, wherein the housing has a rectangular shape in a plan view and has a predetermined thickness dimension, and the opening is on the short side. It is provided at one end.

  According to the present invention, the housing has a rectangular shape in plan view and a box shape having a predetermined thickness, and the opening is provided at one end on the short side, so that the heat medium circulated through the pump The pressure receiving surface that affects the pressure strength is limited to the flange of the heat sink that seals one end opening of the box-shaped housing, and the pressure receiving area can be reduced. It is possible to increase the pressure resistance of the housing while suppressing the strength. For this reason, the high pressure | voltage resistance of a heat-medium heating apparatus is implement | achieved, and an application range can be expanded also to the air conditioning apparatus for hybrid vehicles etc. which a heat-medium pump becomes an engine drive.

  Furthermore, in the heat medium heating device of the present invention, in any one of the heat medium heating devices described above, the heat medium inlet is provided at a position close to the flange side of the radiator plate that seals the opening of the housing. The heat medium outlet is provided at a position away from the heat medium inlet.

  According to the present invention, the heat medium inlet is provided at a position close to the flange side of the heat sink that seals the opening of the housing, and the heat medium outlet is provided at a position away from the heat medium inlet. A heat medium having a relatively low temperature before being heated from the inlet of the heat medium into the housing can be introduced at a position close to the flange side of the heat radiating plate provided with the storage box, The control board, the semiconductor switching element, and the like installed in the board housing box can be effectively cooled. For this reason, the control board, semiconductor switching element, etc. which are accommodated in the board | substrate accommodation box can be cooled efficiently, and the cooling effect can be heightened.

  Furthermore, in the heat medium heating device of the present invention, in any one of the heat medium heating devices described above, the fins of the heat radiating plate are formed in a curved shape from the heat medium inlet side toward the heat medium outlet side. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, since the fins of the heat radiating plate are formed in a curved shape from the heat medium inlet side to the heat medium outlet side, the heat medium inlet and the heat medium outlet are provided on the same side surface of the housing. Even in this case, the heat medium flowing into the housing from the heat medium inlet can be circulated along the fins formed in a curved shape toward the heat medium outlet. For this reason, the pressure loss of the heat medium between the heat medium inlet and the heat medium outlet can be reduced, and the heating performance of the heat medium heating device can be further improved.

  Furthermore, the heat medium heating device of the present invention is the heat medium heating device according to any one of the above, wherein the heat of the heat medium flowing into the housing between the heat medium inlet and the heat medium outlet of the housing. A baffle wall is provided that prevents bypass flow to the medium outlet and distributes the heat medium along the fins of the heat radiating plate.

  According to the present invention, the bypass flow of the heat medium flowing into the housing to the heat medium outlet is prevented between the heat medium inlet and the heat medium outlet of the housing, and the heat medium is moved along the fins of the heat sink. Since the baffle wall is provided to circulate, the heat medium flowing into the housing from the heat medium inlet is circulated along the fins of the heat sink toward the heat medium outlet through the baffle wall and is in sufficient contact with the fins. After heating, the liquid can be discharged from the outlet of the heat medium. For this reason, the heat transfer efficiency by a heater assembly can be improved and the heating performance of a heat medium heating apparatus can further be improved.

  Furthermore, the vehicle air conditioner according to the present invention includes an air flow path, a blower that circulates outside air or vehicle interior air in the air flow path, a cooler provided on the downstream side of the blower, and the cooling An air conditioner for a vehicle having a radiator provided downstream of the heater, wherein the heat medium heated by any one of the heat medium heating devices described above is circulated in the radiator. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, since the heat medium heated by any one of the above-described heat medium heating devices can be circulated in the radiator provided in the air flow path, the heat medium is heated by the heat medium heating device. The heated heat medium can be supplied to the radiator to be a heat source for heating the outside air or the passenger compartment air circulated through the blower. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a vehicle air conditioner that is suitable for application to an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and the like, and is light and compact and excellent in mountability.

  According to the heat medium heating device of the present invention, the heat receiving plate that receives the internal pressure of the heat medium circulated through the pump and seals the one end opening of the box-shaped housing has a pressure receiving surface that affects the pressure resistance strength. Since the pressure receiving area can be reduced by using only the portion, the housing can have a high pressure resistance while the strength of the portion to which the collar portion is fixed is suppressed. Further, since the heater assembly is configured to be clamped by sandwiching both sides of the PTC element and the electrode plate with a pair of heat radiating plates, the contact thermal resistance in the heater assembly can be reduced, and the heat transfer efficiency to the heat medium can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to realize a high withstand voltage of the heat medium heating device and expand the application range, and it is possible to improve the heating performance of the heat medium heating device and reduce the size and weight.

  Moreover, according to the vehicle air conditioner of the present invention, the heat medium heated by the above-described heat medium heating apparatus is supplied to the radiator, and the outside air or the vehicle interior air circulated through the blower is heated. Since it can be used as a heat source, it is possible to provide a vehicle air conditioner that is suitable for electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and the like, and that is suitable for light weight, compactness, and excellent mountability.

It is a lineblock diagram of the air harmony device for vehicles to which the heat carrier heating device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is an external appearance perspective view of the heat carrier heating apparatus shown in FIG. It is an AA longitudinal cross-section equivalent view of the heat carrier heating apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a heater assembly of the heat medium heating device shown in FIG. 3. It is a disassembled perspective view of the board | substrate accommodation box of the heat carrier heating apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view of the heat sink of the heat medium heating apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the heat medium heating apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle air conditioner 1 to which a heat medium heating device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.
The vehicle air conditioner 1 includes a casing 3 that forms an air flow path 2 that takes in outside air or air in the vehicle interior and regulates the temperature and blows it out into the vehicle interior.

  In the casing 3, outside air or vehicle interior air is sequentially sucked from the upstream side to the downstream side of the air flow path 2 to increase the pressure, and the blower 4 pumps it to the downstream side, and the air fed by the blower 4. A cooler 5 that cools the flow, a radiator 6 that heats the cooled airflow through the cooler 5, an air flow that flows through the radiator 6, and an air that bypasses the radiator 6 An air mix damper 7 is installed to adjust the ratio with the flow rate and adjust the temperature of the air flow mixed on the downstream side thereof to the set temperature.

  On the downstream side of the casing 3, a plurality of air blowing passages (not shown) and the air blowing passages are selectively opened and closed, and the conditioned air whose temperature is adjusted through any air blowing passage is introduced into the vehicle interior. A plurality of blowing mode switching dampers for blowing out are provided. The cooler 5 constitutes a refrigerant circuit together with a refrigerant compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, etc. (not shown), and cools the air flowing through the cooler 5 by evaporating the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion valve. Is. The radiator 6 constitutes a heat medium circulation circuit 11 together with the tank 8, the pump 9, the heat medium heating device 10 and the like, and the heat medium heated by the heat medium heating device 10 is circulated through the pump 9. Thus, the air flowing through the radiator 6 is heated.

  FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the heat medium heating device 10, FIG. 3 is an AA longitudinal cross-sectional view thereof, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the heater assembly, and FIG. An exploded perspective view is shown. The heat medium heating device 10 includes a box-shaped housing 12 having a rectangular shape in plan view and a predetermined thickness dimension, and a heater assembly 16 inserted and installed in the housing 12. The housing 12 is integrally formed of a resin material, and one end portion on the short side is opened, and a flange 13 erected in an orthogonal direction is integrally formed around the opening.

  A heat medium inlet 14 and a heat medium outlet 15 are provided on one side of the long side of the housing 12. The heat medium inlet 14 is provided at a position near one end opening of the housing 12, and the heat medium outlet 15 is provided on the other end side of the housing 12 away from the heat medium inlet 14. .

  The heater assembly 16 includes a plurality of rectangular PTC elements and electrode plates 17 (which may be simply abbreviated as PTC elements 17) configured in a flat plate shape, and upper and lower sides of the PTC elements and electrode plates 17 therebetween. It is comprised from a pair of thin-plate-like insulation and heat conductive sheet 18 provided in both sides, and a pair of heat sinks 19 and 20 which sandwich this insulation and heat conductive sheet 18 from the outside. The pair of heat sinks 19 and 20 are made of an aluminum alloy and have a large number of fins 21 and 22 erected in parallel to the outer surface. At least one of the heat sinks 19 has a PTC on the inner surface side. A substantially rectangular recess 23 capable of accommodating the element and electrode plate 17 and a pair of insulating and heat conductive sheets 18 in a stacked manner is formed. In addition, a seal groove 25 for interposing a seal material 24 such as an O-ring is provided around the recess 23.

  The pair of heat radiating plates 19, 20 accommodate the PTC element and electrode plate 17 and a pair of insulating and heat conductive sheets 18 stacked in the recess 23 of the heat radiating plate 19, and a sealing material 24 such as an O-ring in the sealing groove 25. A set of heater assemblies 16 is configured by being fastened and fixed by a plurality of screws 26 in a state of being interposed. One end of the heat radiating plate 19 is integrally formed with a flange 27 similar to the flange 13 provided at one end of the housing 12, and the heater assembly 16 is inserted into the housing 12 from one end opening. The housing 13 and the heater assembly 16 are assembled together by fastening the flange 13 and the flange portion 27 with a bolt 29 via a sealing material 28 such as an O-ring.

  Further, the flange portion 27 of the heat radiating plate 19 is provided with a through passage 30 communicating with one end side of the concave portion 23. Then, the PTC element and the electrode plate 17 installed in the recess 23 between the heat sinks 19 and 20 through the through passage 30, and the control board 34 and the semiconductor switching element 35 installed in the board housing box 32 described below. The harness 31 to be electrically connected is configured to be wired.

  On the outer surface side of the flange portion 27 of the heat radiating plate 19, a substrate housing box 32 integrally formed of a resin material is integrally coupled via a screw 33. The board storage box 32 forms a space for installing electrical parts such as a control board 34 and a semiconductor switching element 35 for controlling on / off of a plurality of sets of PTC elements and the electrode plate 17. A semiconductor switching element 35 formed of a heat-generating component such as (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) is installed and accommodated on the outer surface of the flange 27, and a control board 34 is accommodated and installed along the longitudinal direction thereof.

With the configuration described above, according to the vehicle air conditioner 1 and the heat medium heating device 10 of the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.
In the vehicle air conditioner 1, the outside air or vehicle interior air sucked in by the blower 4 is pumped toward the cooler 5, and is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant circulating in the cooler 5. . This cooling air is diverted by the air mix damper 7, and a part of the cooling air is distributed to the radiator 6 side and the other part is distributed by bypassing the radiator 6. The air heated in the radiator 6 is mixed with the air bypassing the radiator 6 on the downstream side, adjusted to a set temperature, and then blown out into the passenger compartment. Thereby, it is used for temperature control in the passenger compartment.

  Heating of air in the radiator 6 is performed by heat radiation from a high-temperature heat medium circulated through the heat medium circulation circuit 11. The heat medium in the heat medium circulation circuit 11 is supplied from the tank 8 through the pump 9 to the heat medium heating device 10 and heated to about 80 ° C. by the heater assembly 16 including the PTC elements 17 and the like. , Supplied to the radiator 6. This high-temperature heat medium is heat-exchanged with the air cooled and dehumidified by the cooler 5 while circulating in the radiator 6, radiates heat to the air and drops in temperature, and then returns to the tank 8. By repeating this, the air heating action by the radiator 6 is continued.

  In the heat medium heating device 10, a heat medium having a low temperature is introduced from a heat medium inlet 14 provided in the housing 12, and this heat medium is a large number of a pair of heat radiating plates 19 and 20 constituting the heater assembly 16. While being circulated between the fins 21, 22, the heat sinks 19, 20 and the fins 21, 22 are brought into contact with each other and heated to a high-temperature heat medium of about 80 ° C. To be leaked.

  However, the heating medium heating apparatus 10 includes a heater assembly in which both sides of the PTC element and the electrode plate 17 are sandwiched and clamped by a pair of heat radiation plates 19 and 20 having fins 21 and 22 from the outside via an insulating and heat conductive sheet 18. 16 is inserted into a housing 12 integrally formed of a resin material in a box shape having one end opened and a heat medium inlet 14 and outlet 15 are provided, and is inserted into a heat radiating plate 19 of the heater assembly 16. It is set as the structure fixed so that the one end opening part of the housing 12 might be sealed via the collar part 27 provided.

  For this reason, the pressure receiving surface that receives the internal pressure of the heat medium circulated through the pump 9 and affects the pressure strength is only the flange portion 27 of the heat radiating plate 19 that seals one end opening of the box-shaped housing 12. can do. The flange portion 27 has a rectangular shape in a plan view and has a size that seals an opening provided at one end portion on the short side of the housing 12 that has a box shape having a predetermined thickness dimension. Therefore, the pressure resistance strength of the housing 12 can be increased and the pressure resistance can be increased while the strength of the portion to which the flange portion 27 is fixed is suppressed.

  As a result, it is possible to increase the pressure resistance of the heat medium heating device 10 and to expand the application range to the air conditioner 1 for a hybrid vehicle in which the heat medium pump 9 is an engine drive system and the like. The heating performance of the apparatus 10 can be improved, and the size and weight can be reduced. In addition, by using the heat medium heating device 10, it is possible to provide a vehicle air conditioner 1 that is suitable for application to an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and the like and is lightweight, compact, and excellent in mountability.

  Further, a concave portion 23 for accommodating the PTC element and the electrode plate 17 is formed on one surface of the heat radiating plate 19 provided with the flange portion 27, and the PTC element and the electrode plate 17 are insulated and thermally conductive sheet 18 in the concave portion 23. The PTC element and the electrode plate 17 are positioned by the recess 23 between the pair of heat radiation plates 19 and 20 so that the periphery of the PTC element and the electrode plate 17 are sealed with a sealing material 24 such as an O-ring. In addition, the electrode plate 17 and the insulating and heat conductive sheet 18 and the heat radiating plates 19 and 20 can be installed in close contact with each other, and the PTC element and the electrode plate 17 are hermetically sealed from the heat medium through the sealing material 24. Can be installed.

  Thereby, the contact heat resistance with respect to the heat sinks 19 and 20 can be reduced, and the heat generated by the PTC element 17 can be efficiently transferred to the heat medium, so that the heating performance of the heat medium heating device 10 can be improved and the size and weight can be reduced. At the same time, the electrical system such as the PTC element and the electrode plate 17 can be reliably sealed from the heat medium to ensure the reliability of the heat medium heating device 10 with respect to the electric system.

  Further, a substrate housing box 32 is provided on the outer surface side of the flange portion 27, and a control board 34 for controlling the PTC element 17 and a semiconductor switching element 35 such as an IGBT are housed and installed in the substrate housing box 32. The control board 34, the semiconductor switching element 35, and the like can be installed at one end of the box-shaped housing 12 via the board housing box 32, and the heat medium heating device 10 can be configured compactly. Moreover, the inside of the board | substrate accommodation box 32 can be efficiently cooled by using the collar part 27 provided in the heat sink 19 as a heat sink. Therefore, it is possible to improve the mountability on the vehicle, and it is possible to reliably cool the semiconductor switching element 35 made of IGBT or the like to a predetermined temperature or less by the heat medium.

  In particular, since the semiconductor switching element 35 is installed on the outer surface of the flange portion 27 of the radiator plate 19 in the substrate housing box 32, the semiconductor switching element 35 such as an IGBT, which is a heat generating component, is radiated by the heat medium. The collar portion 27 can be directly cooled as a heat sink. For this reason, the cooling effect with respect to the semiconductor switching element 35 can be improved, and the heat-resistant reliability of the heat medium heating apparatus 10 can be improved further.

  In addition, since the housing 12 and the substrate housing box 32 are both integrally molded products made of a resin material, the heat medium heating device 10 can be compared with a housing using a metal housing such as an aluminum alloy or a substrate housing box. The weight can be greatly reduced. Therefore, it is possible to improve the mountability on the vehicle, contribute to the improvement of the running performance of the electric vehicle, the hybrid vehicle, etc., and to reduce the cost. Similarly, since the heat sinks 19 and 20 are made of an aluminum alloy, the heat generated by the PTC element 17 is transferred to the heat medium through the heat sinks 19 and 20 made of aluminum alloy having a light weight and good thermal conductivity, so that heat can be efficiently generated. The medium can be heated and the heater assembly 16 can be reduced in weight. Therefore, the heating performance of the heat medium heating device 10 can be improved, and the size and weight can be reduced.

  In addition, the flange portion 27 of the heat radiating plate 19 is provided with a through passage 30 communicating with the concave portion 23, and a harness 31 that electrically connects the PTC element and the electrode plate 17 to the control board 34 and the semiconductor switching element 35. The PTC element and the electrode plate 17 of the heater assembly 16 inserted and installed in the housing 12, the control board 34 installed in the board housing box 32, and the semiconductor switching are configured to be wired through the through-passage 30. The element 35 can be easily electrically connected by the harness 31 through the through passage 30 provided in the flange portion 27 of the heat radiating plate 19. For this reason, even if the PTC element and the electrode plate 17 are inserted and installed in the housing 12 that becomes the heat medium atmosphere, the wiring path is not complicated, and the heat medium heating device 10 can be simply configured.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the heat medium inlet 14 is provided at a position close to the flange portion 27 side of the heat radiating plate 19 that seals the opening of the housing 12, and the heat medium outlet 15 is located at a position away from the heat medium inlet 14. Therefore, a heat medium having a relatively low temperature before being heated from the heat medium inlet 14 into the housing 12 at a position close to the flange portion 27 side of the heat radiating plate 19 provided with the substrate housing box 32 is provided. The control board 34, the semiconductor switching element 35, etc. which are installed in the board | substrate accommodation box 32 can be effectively cooled via this heat medium. Therefore, the control board 34, the semiconductor switching element 35, etc. accommodated in the board | substrate accommodation box 32 can be cooled efficiently, and the cooling effect can be heightened.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This embodiment differs in the structure of fin 21A, 22A provided in the heat sinks 19 and 20 with respect to above-described 1st Embodiment. Since other points are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the fins 21A and 22A provided on the outer surfaces of the heat sinks 19 and 20 are smoothly curved in a convex shape from the heat medium inlet 14 side toward the heat medium outlet 15 side. It is made the shape.

  In this way, the fins 21A and 22A of the heat radiating plates 19 and 20 are formed to be convexly curved from the heat medium inlet 14 side toward the heat medium outlet 15 side, so that the heat medium inlet 14 and the heat medium outlet are formed. Even when 15 is provided on the same side surface of the housing 12, the fins 21 </ b> A that are smoothly curved in a convex shape from the heat medium inlet 14 into the housing 12 toward the heat medium outlet 15. It can be distributed along 22A. For this reason, the pressure loss of the heat medium between the heat medium inlet 14 and the heat medium outlet 15 can be reduced, and the heating performance of the heat medium heating apparatus 10 can be further improved.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments described above in that a baffle wall 36 is provided in the housing 12. Since other points are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, description thereof will be omitted.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the heat medium flowing from the heat medium inlet 14 bypasses the heater assembly 16 on the side surface side where the heat medium inlet 14 and the heat medium outlet 15 are provided in the housing 12. Then, a baffle wall 36 that prevents a bypass flow flowing toward the heat medium outlet 15 is provided in the housing 12 so that the heat medium flows along the fins 21 and 22 of the heat radiating plates 19 and 20.

  As described above, the bypass flow of the heat medium flowing into the housing 12 to the heat medium outlet 15 is prevented between the heat medium inlet 14 and the heat medium outlet 15 in the housing 12, and the heat medium is radiated from the heat sink. By providing a baffle wall 36 that circulates along the fins 21 and 22 of 19 and 20, the heat medium flowing into the housing 12 from the heat medium inlet 14 is directed toward the heat medium outlet 15 by the baffle wall 36. After being distributed along the fins 21 and 22 of the 19 and 20, heated in sufficient contact with the fins 21 and 22, it can be discharged to the outside from the heat medium outlet 15. Therefore, the heat transfer efficiency by the heater assembly 16 can be increased, and the heating performance of the heat medium heating device 10 can be further improved.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the invention concerning the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary, it can change suitably. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the concave portion 23 is provided only on one of the heat radiating plates 19 has been described. However, the other heat radiating plate 20 may have a concave portion. Further, the pair of insulating and heat conductive sheets 18 may be integrated sheets or separate sheets.

  Furthermore, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example which accommodated and installed the control board 34 in the board | substrate accommodation box 32 provided in the outer surface side of the collar part 27 of the heat sink 19, the dimension of the control board 34 is large, If it cannot be accommodated in the substrate accommodation box 32, the control board 34 may be installed by providing an accommodation portion on the rectangular upper surface of the housing 12 or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle air conditioner 2 Air flow path 4 Blower 5 Cooler 6 Radiator 10 Heat medium heating apparatus 11 Heat medium circulation path 12 Housing 14 Heat medium inlet 15 Heat medium outlet 16 Heater assembly 17 PTC element and electrode plate 18 Insulation and Thermal conductive sheets 19 and 20 Radiating plates 21, 21A, 22, and 22A Fins 23 Recesses 24 Sealing material 27 Saddle 30 Passage 31 Harness 32 Substrate accommodation box 34 Control board 35 Semiconductor switching element 36 Baffle wall

Claims (13)

A heater assembly in which both sides of the PTC element and the electrode plate are sandwiched and clamped by a pair of heat sinks having fins from the outside via an insulating and heat conductive sheet;
A box-shaped housing provided with a heat medium inlet and a heat medium outlet and having one end opened,
The heater assembly is inserted into the housing from the opening at the one end, and is fixed to the housing so as to seal the opening through a flange provided on one side of the heat radiating plate. Heating medium heating device.   A recess for accommodating the PTC element and the electrode plate is formed on one surface of the heat radiating plate provided with the flange, and the PTC element and the electrode plate are interposed in the recess via the insulating and heat conductive sheet. The heat medium heating device according to claim 1, wherein the heat medium heating device is installed in a state where the periphery thereof is hermetically sealed with a sealing material.   3. A substrate housing box is provided on the outer surface side of the flange portion, and a control board for controlling the PTC element, a semiconductor switching element, and the like are housed and installed in the substrate housing box. The heating medium heating device according to 1.   4. The heating medium heating device according to claim 3, wherein the semiconductor switching element is installed on an outer surface of the flange portion of the heat radiating plate in the substrate housing box. 5.   The heat medium heating apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the substrate housing box is made of resin.   A through path that continues to the recess is provided in the flange portion of the heat radiating plate, and the PTC element, the electrode plate, the control board, and the semiconductor switching element are electrically connected via a harness wired through the through path. The heat medium heating device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the heat medium heating device is connected.   The heat medium heating device according to claim 1, wherein the heat radiating plate is made of an aluminum alloy.   The heat medium heating device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is made of resin.   9. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a rectangular shape in a plan view and a box shape having a predetermined thickness, and the opening is provided at one end on a short side. Heat medium heating device.   The heat medium inlet is provided at a position close to the flange side of the heat radiating plate that seals the opening of the housing, and the heat medium outlet is provided at a position away from the heat medium inlet. The heat medium heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,   The heat medium heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein fins of the heat radiating plate are formed in a curved shape from the heat medium inlet side toward the heat medium outlet side.   Between the heat medium inlet and the heat medium outlet of the housing, a bypass flow of the heat medium flowing into the housing to the heat medium outlet is prevented, and the heat medium is made to follow the fins of the heat sink. The heat medium heating device according to claim 1, further comprising a baffle wall to be circulated through the heating medium. An air flow path, a blower for circulating outside air or vehicle interior air through the air flow path, a cooler provided on the downstream side of the blower, and a radiator provided on the downstream side of the cooler; An air conditioner for a vehicle comprising: a heat medium heated by the heat medium heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the heat radiator is configured to circulate in the radiator. Air conditioner for vehicles.

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