Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – With heating or cooling means for the system or system fluid – Vehicle mounted heater and spray device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-08
2001-04-24
Douglas, Lisa Ann (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
With heating or cooling means for the system or system fluid
Vehicle mounted heater and spray device
C239S135000, C239S284100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220524
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a heating device for a vehicle's spray nozzle arranged to eject a heated washing liquid onto an external window surface through an orifice.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In current spray nozzles for automobiles at least a portion of the orifice protrudes and is permanently located outside of the vehicle proper where the nozzle is directly exposed to bad weather. Under those conditions the nozzle, or at least the protrusion, may freeze up.
A heating device is thus necessary to rapidly de-ice the spray nozzle and to enable it to operate again with the washing liquid circulating freely. In the automotive industry, two methods are known to accomplish this.
In a first method, the liquid inside the supply duct to the orifice is heated to a temperature vastly above 0° C., for instance between 50 and 60° C. Here the heating system consists of a disk-shaped heating device, comprising a variable positive temperature resistor. This type of heating system is made of metal and a ceramic-based compound material. However, there are a number of shortcomings with this method. Since the heating device is located inside the supply duct the connections are complex, costly and not particularly amenable to welding. Further, the dimensions and the shape of the heating device are not efficient from a thermotechnical viewpoint, the more so because when it must be cooled down since high voltages are required.
In a second method, the portion surrounding the protruding orifice of the spray nozzle is heated to a temperature above 0° C. Here the heating device consists of a resistor, whose rating varies according to temperature, and a resistor, whose rating is fixed. The resistors are connected in series. This method also has a number of shortcomings. First, a large surface resistor is necessary to provide efficient heating because of the high thermal load, and because of the series connection, high voltage is required.
The above heating devices are relatively costly, complex to manufacture, and also difficult to miniaturize, such that they cannot be located sufficiently close to the protruding orifice for optimum performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention improves the efficiency of the heating system of the spray nozzle by locating the heating element in the proximity of the protruding orifice, and by using a simple and cheap heating device. This is made possible by miniaturizing the heating device to permit installing it as close as possible to the protruding orifice. The invention also improves the method of regulating the temperature generated by the heating device. An important requirement is that, when energized, the heating output must be as high as possible, and that heat must be produced as quickly as possible.
To accomplish these results, the invention provides a heating device which has a first, positive temperature coefficient type (PTC), resistor and a second, fixed rating, resistor, with the first and second resistors mounted on a support and connected in parallel to a voltage supply source. The function of the second resistor is to stabilize the temperature of the heating device. The rating of the first resistor varies in relation to the ambient temperature. More precisely, the rating of the first resistor increases or decreases, when the ambient temperature or its own temperature correspondingly increases or decreases. This results because of the first resistor being a positive temperature coefficient resistor. Both the first and second resistors are electronic components.
The invention also provides a vehicle's spray nozzle, which is designed to eject a liquid onto an external washing surface via at least one protruding orifice, and which is connected to at least one liquid supply duct. The spray nozzle comprises an external sheath through which the supply duct extends with the orifice protruding from a surface. The spray nozzle utilizes the heating device described above. The heating device is located in the immediate vicinity of the protruding orifice. More precisely, the heating device is located inside the spray nozzle, positioned upstream from and close to the protruding orifice.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3060298 (1962-10-01), Swanson
patent: 4088269 (1978-05-01), Schlick
patent: 5163619 (1992-11-01), Wada
patent: 5979796 (1999-11-01), Ponziani et al.
patent: 25 19 902 A1 (1976-11-01), None
patent: 37 17 574 A1 (1988-12-01), None
patent: 2 283 801 (1976-04-01), None
patent: 2 193 617 (1988-02-01), None
patent: 2 274 410 (1994-07-01), None
patent: 2-267881 (1990-11-01), None
Sulyok Péter
Tores Denis
Douglas Lisa Ann
Inderflex
Nawrocki, Rooney & Sivertson P.A.
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