JP2024108271A - Heating system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heating system which enables improvement of heating efficiency around a seat and can meet a demand for space saving.

SOLUTION: A heating system includes: a heater 11 disposed at the upper surface side of a leg base 1 and formed by placing a thin-plate-like heating element 12 which generates heat by energization in a shallow-bottomed case 13; and a heat-insulating plate 20 which overlaps with the heater 11 in a plan view and is disposed below an upper surface of the leg base 1. The heat-insulating plate 20 has a shape that prevents hot air heated by the heater 11 and moving upward from accumulating at the lower surface side, guides the hot air to an end edge in a predetermined direction of the heat-insulating plate 20, and disperses the hot air to a surrounding area.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a heating device that is attached to a base that holds a seat on a floor surface and that warms the area around the seat.

Conventionally, heaters in passenger compartments of railway cars, for example, have often been installed on the pedestals that place the seats on the floor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A specific heater is one in which a sheathed wire, which is a heating element, is housed in a metal box-shaped case. Heaters using such sheathed wire require a considerable amount of volume for the entire case, as the sheathed wire is supported away from the inner wall of the case, and the vertical width (thickness) is relatively large and bulky, for example, 60 mm.

In addition, railway regulations stipulate that heaters and other equipment must be provided with insulating, non-flammable heat shields as necessary to prevent fires on trains. For example, as shown in Figure 5, such heat shields are attached horizontally below the top surface of the seat base, and the heater is hung below the heat shield. In this way, the heat shield is positioned between the seat bottom on the base and the heater.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-314667

However, in the conventional heaters mentioned above, the heated air rises by natural convection, but is often caught and retained by the underside of the horizontal heat shield. The heat shield provides insulation for the seat above it, but if the hot air remains there for a long time, it becomes very hot, and the seat can easily become so hot that the occupant feels uncomfortable.

On the other hand, because the hot air from the heater does not easily disperse around the seats, there was a problem with the efficiency of heating the area around the seats, even though the sheathed wire consumes a relatively large amount of power. In other words, with conventional heaters, coupled with the structure of the heat shields attached to them, there was a problem that the passenger compartment could not be heated sufficiently in proportion to the amount of power consumed.

Furthermore, in conventional heaters, the sheathed wires make the case bulky overall. This means that the heater requires a large amount of space in the limited space inside the footrest, which not only makes it difficult to install, but also encroaches on the placement of other components and encroaches on the space inside the footrest where a seated person can stretch their legs.

The present invention was made in response to the problems of the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide a heating device with a simple structure that can disperse hot air from a heating element to the surroundings without allowing it to stagnate locally, keeping the seat at a comfortable temperature while improving the heating efficiency around the seat, and meeting the demand for space saving without making the overall structure bulky.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
A heating device provided on a base for placing a seat on a floor surface and for heating an area around the seat, comprising:
A heater that is disposed on the upper surface side of the base and has a thin plate-shaped heating element that generates heat when electricity is applied and is contained in a shallow case;
A heat shield disposed above the heater in a plan view so as to overlap the heater,
The heat shield is characterized in that it is shaped so that the hot air heated by the heater and rising does not remain on the underside, but is guided to an edge in a predetermined direction of the heat shield and dispersed to the surroundings.

The heating device of the present invention has a simple configuration and is capable of dispersing hot air from a heating element to the surroundings without localized convection, thereby keeping the seat at a comfortable temperature and improving the heating efficiency around the seat. It also meets the demand for space saving without making the overall configuration bulky.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a heating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed in a foot stand. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a heating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is installed in a foot stand. 1 is a perspective view showing a heating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a heating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is installed in a foot stand. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a conventional heater installed in a footrest.

Various embodiments representative of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
The heating device 10 of this embodiment is provided on a pedestal 1 that places the seat on the floor surface, and heats the area around the seat. The type of seat is not particularly limited, but the following description will be given taking as an example a case where the device is applied to a seat installed in a passenger compartment of a railway vehicle. Note that the components, shapes, values, etc. shown in the embodiment described below are all examples of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention in any way.

<Outline of pedestal 1>
1 and 2, the leg base 1 is configured in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long on both sides of the seat (not shown), mainly consisting of a total of four support columns 2 lined up front and back on both the left and right sides, and a framework-like upper frame 3 assembled between the upper ends of the support columns 2. Here, the inside of the upper end of the upper frame 3 forms the upper surface of the leg base 1, but this upper surface does not necessarily have to be sealed flat with, for example, a plate-like member, and may be partially open.

As shown in FIG. 2, a rotating base 4 for mounting a seat rotation mechanism (not shown) is attached to the center of the left and right of the upper frame 3, spanning the front and rear beams. The seat on the footrest 1 is rotatably supported by this rotation mechanism so that it can change direction back and forth. A foot pedal 5 for operating the rotation mechanism is provided at one end of the top surface of the footrest 1. A wiring board 6 for collecting the wiring of the heater 11, which will be described later, is provided at the other end of the top surface of the footrest 1.

Although the seats themselves are not shown, each of the multiple seats lined up on both sides of the base 1 has a reclining mechanism that supports the backrest so that it can be tilted. When two sets of seats and backrests are lined up, such a seat can seat two people, and when three sets are lined up, it can seat three people. Of course, the width of the base 1 on both sides can be shortened to seat one person, or the width on both sides can be lengthened to seat four or more people. It is also possible to support the seats directly on the upper surface of the base 1 without providing a seat rotation mechanism.

<Overview of heating device 10>
1 and 3, the heating device 10 heats the passenger compartment of a railway vehicle, and is provided on a base 1 that supports the seats on the floor surface due to space restrictions in the passenger compartment. The heating device 10 includes a heater 11 that is provided on the upper surface of the base 1, and a heat shield 20 that is provided above the heater 11 so as to overlap it in a plan view.

The heat shield 20 is disposed on the upper side of the base 1, but above the upper surface of the case 13 (described later) of the heater 11, i.e., between the upper surface of the base 1 and the upper surface of the case 13. The lower surface of the heat shield 20 is spaced above the upper surface of the case 13 of the heater 11, and a ventilation space S is provided as a gap between the lower surface of the heat shield 20 and the upper surface of the case 13.

<<Regarding the heater 11>>
The heater 11 is configured by housing a thin plate-like heating element 12, which generates heat when electricity is applied, in a shallow case 13. Such a heater 11 is configured as an independent unit. First, the heating element 12 generates heat when electricity is applied from a power source mounted on the vehicle, and is formed, for example, from a thin plate-like resistance heating material in a flat, generally rectangular shape that is long in both sides. Here, the resistance heating material may be a nichrome material, a chrome-Al material, or the like, and may be bonded to a substrate for thermal conduction. The heat temperature of the heating element 12 is controlled by a control board mounted on the vehicle, i.e., a computer equipped with a CPU, RAM, ROM, I/O, and the like.

The heating element 12 is basically formed in a thin plate shape, but may also be formed by attaching a flexible sheet heating element to a substrate or the like. The sheet heating element here is a thin film heating element that generates heat when electricity is passed through it, specifically, for example, a circuit formed by etching PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) ink with self-temperature control function and conductive paste, but the structure is as general as the resistive heating material, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

Next, the case 13 is a metal housing that contains the heating element 12 and forms the outer shell of the heater 11. The case 13 is formed in a shallow, flat rectangular shape to have a minimum volume to match the shape of the thin plate-like heating element 12, and the opening on the top side is closed by a separate top plate 13a. By thinning the entire heater 11 in this way, it is possible to reduce the weight to about half that of a conventional heater including a sheathed wire. In addition, although not shown, the wiring of the heating element 12 extends outside the case 13. This wiring is gathered on a wiring board 6 that is extended to one side end of the top surface of the foot stand 1, and the length can be adjusted.

In addition, the opening on the top side of the case 13 does not necessarily need to be covered by the top plate 13a, and may be left as an open surface. If the top side of the case 13 were left open as it is, the upper side would be covered by the heat shield plate 20 described below, but of course, a ventilation space S for releasing hot air would be secured between the opening on the top side of the case 13 and the heat shield plate 20. Although not shown, numerous ventilation holes are formed on each surface of the case 12, including the top plate 13a. Note that the slight differences in the shape of the case 13 between Figures 1 and 3 are merely design changes.

<<About the heat shield 20>>
The heat shield 20 receives the rising air heated by the heating element 12. In particular, the heat shield 20 of the present invention has a function of guiding the hot air from the heater 11 to disperse it around it. That is, the heat shield 20 is shaped so that the hot air heated by the heater 11 and rising does not remain on the lower surface side, but is guided to the edge of the heat shield 20 in a predetermined direction and dispersed around it.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the heat shield 20 is made of a rectangular metal plate large enough to overlap the entire top surface of the case 13 in a plan view. The heat shield 20 has a mountain-shaped cross section formed by folding a single metal plate along the center line in the longitudinal direction, and the undersides of both sides of the metal plate are open to the outside between the top plate 13a of the case 13. Experimental data by the inventors has confirmed that the mountain-shaped apex 21 of the heat shield 20, which extends parallel to the longitudinal direction, allows hot air from the heater 11 to be directed to both ends of the heat shield 20.

The specific bending angle of the heat shield 20 and the size of the ventilation space are design items that can be appropriately determined based on experimental data, etc., so that the hot air from the heater 11 flows out and disperses in the intended direction. Note that the heat shield 20 is not necessarily limited to a single piece, and may be divided into multiple pieces on both sides (longitudinal direction) to avoid interference with the mounting point of the rotating base 4 on the top side of the foot stand 1, for example.

The heat shield 20 also functions as a dust shield. That is, dust or other foreign matter that falls from above onto the heat shield 20 that covers the heater 11 can be moved by the downward slope of the front and rear apexes 21 of the mountain-shaped heat shield 20 so that it slides down to the front and rear long edges of the heat shield 20 without accumulating on the heat shield 20. It is a good idea to place a dust collector such as a tray that can receive and remove the foreign matter at the location where the foreign matter moves.

<<Installation of heater 11 and heat shield 20>>
As shown in Fig. 1, the heater 11 is installed in a state of being suspended below the upper surface side of the base 1. The heat shield 20 is attached integrally to the upper surface side of the case 13 of the heater 11 in a state of defining a ventilation space S between the lower surface side of the heat shield 20 and the upper surface side of the case 13. Here, the vertical gap (cross-sectional area) of the ventilation space S need only be the minimum dimension through which hot air can flow, and therefore the heater 11 can be installed without significantly encroaching on the limited arrangement space within the base 1.

The undersides of the edges of the short sides of the heat shield 20, i.e., both sides of the ventilation space S, are open to the outside of the pedestal 1. On the other hand, the edges of the long front and rear sides of the heat shield 20 are fixed along the front and rear ends of the case 13, so that the front and rear ends of the ventilation space S are closed.

As shown in FIG. 2, two sets of mounting brackets 7 are fixed to the front and rear beams of the upper frame 3 of the pedestal 1 as fastening means, and the heater 11 and heat shield 20 are hung below the upper surface of the pedestal 1 via these mounting brackets 7. More specifically, mounting edges 22 extend along the front and rear long edges of the heat shield 20. The front and rear edges of the top panel 13a of the case 13 are overlapped on the underside of these mounting edges 22 and fixed together to the mounting brackets 7 with screws 8.

<Function of heating device 10>
According to the present heating device 10, by making the heating element 12 thin and the case 13 shallow, the entire heater 11, especially its vertical width (thickness), can be made compact and its weight can be reduced. This does not significantly restrict the installation location or mounting of the heating device 10 within the base 1, and also meets the demand for space saving.

As shown in Figure 1, the heater 11 is installed in a state where it is suspended downward from the upper surface side of the footrest 1. Here, the distance from the floor surface to the underside of the case 13 is much wider than that of a conventional heater using sheathed wires, due to the overall thinner design. This allows the space inside the footrest 1 to be used widely and effectively, and can be used to arrange other related parts, and also allows for a large space at the feet of the seated person to stretch their legs inside the footrest 1.

In the heating device 10, when electricity is applied to the heating element 12, the air taken into the case 13 is heated by the heating element 12 and becomes hot air. This hot air rises in the ventilation space S by natural convection and is temporarily received by the underside of the heat shield 20. Next, the air that reaches the underside of the heat shield 20 moves along the back side of the peak 21 of the mountain shape to both ends of the ventilation space S, and as shown by the arrows in Figure 3, flows out from the edges of the short sides of the heat shield 20 and disperses around the footrest 1.

In this way, the simple shape of the heat shield 20 itself makes it possible to actively guide and disperse the hot air from the heating element 12 in a specified direction without having it remain on the underside of the heat shield 20 for a long period of time, without the need to add a separate guide member or the like. Therefore, even with a heating element 12 that consumes relatively little power, it is possible to improve the heating efficiency in the passenger compartment around the seats. In addition, because hot air does not remain on the underside of the heat shield as with conventional heaters, seated occupants can stay comfortable without feeling an uncomfortable heat in the seat. Safety when seated is also improved.

The heat shield 20 also functions as a dust shield. That is, dust or other foreign matter that falls from above onto the heat shield 20 that covers the heater 11 slides down to the long front and rear edges of the heat shield 20 without accumulating on the heat shield 20, due to the downward slope of the front and rear of the peak of the heat shield 20. This makes it easy to clean the heating device 10, and also increases safety as there is no risk of flammable foreign matter coming into contact with the heating element 12. It is a good idea to place a garbage collector such as a tray that can receive and remove foreign matter at the location where foreign matter moves. This makes it even easier to clean the area around the heating device 10.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
The heating device 10A according to the second embodiment is basically configured in the same manner as the heating device 10 according to the first embodiment described above, but the shape of the heat shield 20A is configured to be different from that of the heat shield 20. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in the first embodiment, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heat shield 20A also has a mountain-shaped cross-sectional shape formed by folding a single metal plate along the center line in the longitudinal direction, but the intermediate portions 23 extending from the apex 21 to the front and rear long side edges are also folded toward the center. This cross-sectional shape of the heat shield 20A in the second embodiment allows for a larger volume of the ventilation space S, even if it has the same height as the heat shield 20 in the first embodiment.

<Configuration and Effects of the Present Invention>
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The present invention derived from the above-described embodiment will be described below.

First, the present invention relates to a heating device 10, 10A that is provided on a footrest 1 for placing a seat on a floor surface and that heats the surroundings of the seat,
A heater 11 is disposed on the upper surface side of the base 1 and is configured by housing a thin plate-like heating element 12 that generates heat when electricity is applied in a shallow case 13;
and heat shields 20, 20A arranged above the heater 11 in a state of overlapping in a plan view;
The heat shields 20, 20A are characterized in that they are shaped so that the hot air heated by the heater 11 and rising does not remain on the underside, but is guided to the edge of the heat shields 20, 20A in a specified direction and dispersed around.

This configuration allows the hot air from the heater 11 to be dispersed to the surroundings without localized convection, keeping the seat at a comfortable temperature and improving the heating efficiency around the seat. In addition, the overall configuration of the heater 11 is not bulky, and the need to save space within the footrest 1 can be met.

In addition, in the present invention, the heat shields 20, 20A have a mountain-shaped cross-sectional shape formed by folding a single metal plate along the center line in the longitudinal direction, and the lower side of the edge of each of the short sides of the metal plate is open to the outside between the upper surface of the case 13.

The simple vertical cross-sectional shape of the heat shields 20, 20A themselves allows the hot air from the heating element 12 to be actively guided along the mountain-shaped apex 21, and then flows out from the short edge of the heat shields 20, 20A on both sides and is dispersed around the footrest 1. This increases the heating efficiency not only of the seat itself but also of the surrounding area.

In addition, in the present invention, the heat insulating plates 20, 20A also function as dust shields that prevent foreign matter, including dust, from falling from above from accumulating on the heater 11.
With this configuration, the heating device 10, 10A can be easily cleaned, and there is no risk of flammable foreign matter coming into contact with the heating element 12, thereby improving safety.

Further, in the present invention, the seat is provided in a passenger compartment of a railway vehicle,
The heater 11 is characterized in that it heats the interior of the passenger compartment around the seats.
In this way, the heating device 10, 10A according to the present invention can be optimally applied to the interior of a railway vehicle passenger compartment.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the heat shield 20 is not limited to one mountain shape, but may be a shape with two mountain shapes arranged side by side, and the direction in which the apex 21 of the mountain shape extends is not necessarily parallel to the longitudinal direction, and a shape extending diagonally along the diagonal of a rectangle is also possible.

The present invention is not limited to installation on the seat bases of passenger compartments of vehicles such as railway cars and buses, but can also be widely applied to seats inside rooms, including passenger compartments and crew compartments, of various types of vehicles such as ships and airplanes.

Reference Signs List 1: Foot stand 10, 10A: Heating device 11: Heater 12: Heating element 13: Case 20, 20A: Heat shield

Claims (4)

A heating device provided on a base for placing a seat on a floor surface and for heating an area around the seat, comprising:
A heater that is disposed on the upper surface side of the base and has a thin plate-shaped heating element that generates heat when electricity is applied and is contained in a shallow case;
A heat shield disposed above the heater in a plan view so as to overlap the heater,
A heating device characterized in that the heat shield is shaped so that the hot air heated by the heater and rising does not stagnate on the underside, but is guided to an edge of the heat shield in a specified direction and dispersed around. The heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat shield has a mountain-shaped cross section formed by folding a single metal plate along the center line in the longitudinal direction, and the undersides of the edges of both short sides of the metal plate are open to the outside between the upper surface of the case. The heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that the heat shield also serves as a dust shield to prevent foreign matter, including dust, from falling from above and accumulating on the heater. The seat is provided in a passenger compartment of a railway vehicle,
4. The heating system according to claim 3, wherein the heater heats the interior of the passenger compartment around the seats.

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