U.S. patent application number 12/533266 was filed with the patent office on 2011-02-03 for electric heater.
Invention is credited to Hen-Yuan LIN.
Application Number | 20110026907 12/533266 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43527115 |
Filed Date | 2011-02-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110026907 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIN; Hen-Yuan |
February 3, 2011 |
ELECTRIC HEATER
Abstract
An electric heater includes primarily an S-shaped air channel
which is provided in a body, at least one heating unit which is
provided in the air channel, and at least one heat energy
conversion unit which is close to an inner wall of the air channel
and close to the heating unit. An interior of the heat energy
conversion unit is defined with a passage. Hot air can be directed
rapidly by a principle that hot air ascends, through the S-shaped
air channel. Heat energy produced by the heating unit is absorbed
by the heat energy conversion unit and is then carried away by an
air power of the passage, so as to achieve effects of heat
accumulation and dissipation.
Inventors: |
LIN; Hen-Yuan; (Banciao
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Muncy, Geissler, Olds & Lowe, PLLC
4000 Legato Road, Suite 310
FAIRFAX
VA
22033
US
|
Family ID: |
43527115 |
Appl. No.: |
12/533266 |
Filed: |
July 31, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
392/347 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24H 3/002 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
392/347 |
International
Class: |
F24H 3/00 20060101
F24H003/00 |
Claims
1. An electric heater comprising a body, an interior of which is
defined with an air channel, the air channel being defined with an
air inlet at a bottom of the body and an air outlet at a top of the
body; at least one heating unit which is provided in the air
channel; and at least one heat energy conversion unit which is
close to an inner wall of the air channel and close to the heating
unit.
2. The electric heater according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet
of the air channel is provided with an air guiding element which
guides air into the air channel.
3. The electric heater according to claim 1, wherein the heating
unit is a quartz heating tube.
4. The electric heater according to claim 1, wherein the heat
energy conversion unit is made by a metallic material and an
interior of the heat energy conversion unit is defined with a
passage allowing air to pass through.
5. The electric heater according to claim 1, wherein a bottom of
the body is further provided with rollers for moving the body.
6. The electric heater according to claim 1, wherein the air
channel is in an S-shaped configuration.
7. The electric heater according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet
is further provided with an air guiding plate.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] a) Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an electric heater and more
particularly to an electric heater which is provided with effects
of heat accumulation and dissipation and blows out hot air by a
principle that hot air ascends.
[0003] b) Description of the Prior Art
[0004] An electric heater has become a necessary appliance to many
people now. Especially that in winter or when weather temperature
drops abruptly, we all need an electric heater to keep body
temperature from catching a cold. In addition, an elderly person,
as being weak, relies more on an electric heater to maintain his or
her body temperature. In an early day when weather temperature is
too low that health can be threatened, we often use stoves or
charcoals to set a fire to increase body temperature, prohibiting
the body temperature from changing with the weather temperature.
Although this method of warmth keeping can achieve the effect of
warmth keeping, the effect is not perfect; as hot air only
dissipates in front of the stoves or charcoals, and one must always
add the charcoals to keep the stoves burning. Furthermore, one
important issue is that it is highly toxic in the burning and
people can be poisoned easily, which is extremely risky.
[0005] As time changes and continual progressiveness of
technologies, this method of warmth keeping has been already
achieved by an electric appliance and an electric heater sold on a
market can be versatile, with various air blowing effects and
various heating methods. On the other hand, a difference of
apparatus also affects an entire effect of using the electric
heater. An air channel in an interior of a conventional electric
heater is mostly a straight channel and therefore, hot air is sent
out merely by air pressure and there is no effect of heat
accumulation. If high temperature hot air is required, then higher
heat energy can be released merely by depending upon a heating
power of the electric heater itself. Therefore, to achieve a user's
requirement, it will often waste electricity on heating.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The primary object of the present invention is to provide an
electric heater, wherein an interior of a body is accommodated with
an S-shaped air channel which is defined with an air inlet at a
bottom of the body and an air outlet at a top of the body, the air
inlet of the air channel is provided with an air guiding element
which guides air into the air channel, an interior of the air
channel is provided with at least a heating unit, a place close to
an inner wall of the air channel and close to the heating unit is
provided with at least a heat energy conversion unit which is made
by a metallic material, and an interior of the heat energy
conversion unit is defined with a passage allowing air to pass
through. Therefore, when air enters into the air channel through
the air guiding element, near infrared radiation energy produced by
the heating unit can be absorbed by the heat energy conversion unit
to achieve a heat accumulation effect. Next, air which carries the
heat energy flows toward the air outlet through the passage to
achieve a heat dissipation effect. By the aforementioned
technologies, the issues existing in the conventional electric
heater that the air channel is mostly a straight channel through
which hot air is sent out merely by air pressure, thus bearing no
heat accumulation effect and that when high temperature hot air is
required, higher heat energy can be released merely relying on a
heating power of the electric heater itself, thus often wasting
electricity on heating to meet the user's requirement, can be
solved. In addition, through the S-shaped air channel, hot air
produced by the heating unit can be directed rapidly by a principle
that hot air ascends. Besides, the heat energy produced by the
heating unit can be absorbed by the heat energy conversion unit and
then can be carried away through an air power of the passage,
thereby achieving the practical progressiveness of the effects of
heat accumulation and dissipation.
[0007] To enable a further understanding of the said objectives and
the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief
description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed
description of the preferred embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional perspective view of a
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 shows a three-dimensional exploded view of a
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of air energy flowing in an
air channel, according to the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of an operation that a heat
energy conversion unit accumulates and dissipates heat, according
to the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of an implementation of a
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of an implementation of
another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, it shows a three-dimensional
perspective view and a three-dimensional exploded view of a
preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the
drawing, the electric heater of the present invention comprises:
[0015] a body 10, an interior of which is defined with an air
channel 11, the air channel 11 being defined with an air inlet 111
at a bottom of the body 10 and an air outlet 112 at a top of the
body 10, the air inlet 111 being provided with an air guiding
element 12 to guide air into the air channel 11 and the air channel
11 being in an S-shaped configuration; [0016] at least a heating
unit 13 which is provided in the air channel 11, the heating unit
13 being a quartz heating tube; and [0017] at least a heat energy
conversion unit 14 which is close to an inner wall of the air
channel 11 and close to the heating unit 13, the heat energy
conversion unit 14 being made by a metallic material and an
interior of the heat energy conversion unit 14 being defined with a
passage 141 allowing air to pass through.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 at a same time, it shows a
schematic view of air energy flowing in an air channel and a
schematic view of an operation that a heat energy conversion unit
accumulates and dissipates heat, according to the present
invention. As shown in the drawings, the electric heater includes
the body 10, the interior of which is accommodated with the
S-shaped air channel 11, the air channel 11 is defined with the air
inlet 111 at the bottom of the body 10 and the air outlet 112 at
the top of the body 10, the air inlet 111 of the air channel 11 is
defined with the air guiding element 12 which can guide air 20 into
he air channel 11, the interior of the air channel 11 is provided
with at least one heating unit 13, and the place close to the inner
wall of the air channel 11 and close to the heating unit 13 is
provided with at least one heat energy conversion unit 14 which is
made by a metallic material. In addition, the interior of the heat
energy conversion unit 14 is defined with the passage 141 allowing
the air 20 to pass through. Accordingly, when the electric heater
is used, the air guiding element 12 guides the air 20 into the air
channel 11, and at a same time, as the provision of the heating
unit 13, the air 20 can be separated and diverted. Besides, the
heating unit 13 starts to heat up to produce near infrared
radiation energy 30 which can be absorbed by the heat energy
conversion unit 14. At a same time when the heat energy 30 is
absorbed, air energy carries away the heat energy 30 that is
absorbed by the heat energy conversion unit 14, through the passage
141, thereby intensifying a thermal power effect of the electric
heater. On the other hand, as the air channel 11 is in an S-shaped
configuration, the air inlet 111 becomes the bottom of the body 10
and the air outlet 112 becomes the top of the body 10, such that
the air 20 can effectively carry the heat energy 30 to the air
outlet 112 through the principle that hot air ascends, after
entering into the air inlet 111.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 5, it shows a schematic view of an
implementation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the drawing, a bottom of the body 10a is further
provided with rollers 40 allowing the body 10a to be pushed to move
freely, such that the body 10a can be moved easily.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 6, it shows a schematic view of an
implementation of another preferred embodiment of the present
invention. As shown in the drawing, the interior of the body 10b is
accommodated with the air channel 11a which is defined with the air
inlet 111a at the bottom of the body 10b, wherein the air inlet
111a is defined with an air guiding plate 50, such that when
entering into the air channel 11a from the air inlet 11a, the air
20a can be effectively guided to a side by the air guiding plate
50, allowing temperature at two sides to be equal.
[0021] Accordingly, the key technologies of the electric heater of
the present invention to improve the prior art lie in that through
the S-shaped air channel 11, hot air produced by the heating unit
13 can be directed rapidly by the principle that hot air ascends,
and the heat energy 30, which is produced by the heating unit 13,
can be absorbed by the heat energy conversion unit 14 and then can
be carried away by the air 20 in the air channel 11, so as to
achieve the effects of heat accumulation and dissipation; in
addition, by the provision of the heating unit 13, a wind shear
phenomenon can be produced to the air 20 which enters from the air
inlet 111, so as to improve efficiencies of discharging and heating
up the air, which is also provided with the practical
progressiveness of energy saving.
[0022] It is of course to be understood that the embodiments
described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the
invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be
effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following
claims.
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