US 6,270,015 B1Granted

Radiator for a vehicle

AssigneeTgk Co., Ltd.

InventorHisatoshi Hirota

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Abstract

In a radiator assembly of a water cooled engine driven vehicle, heating is performed by a compartment heat exchanger. As long as the temperature of the cooling water is low, it does not suffice to sufficiently heat by compartment heat exchanger shortly after engine start and an auxiliary heating equipment is used. The auxiliary heating equipment includes a heat exchanger at the heating side, a heat exchanger at the endothermic side and a Peltier element. The Peltier element leads to high energy efficiency because it provides a quantity of heat which is more than the quantity of energy charged into the Peltier element, since it transfers Joule heat generated by the charge energy to the heat exchanger and further transfers a quantity of heat to heat exchanger as absorbed in a heat exchanger at the endothermic side from an endothermic surface of the Peltier element by a Peltier effect to the exothermic side.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A radiator assembly of a vehicle comprising:

a heat source including a cooling water engine radiator, an inlet port and an outlet port;
a compartment heat exchanging means having an inlet port and an outlet port;
an exothermic means for heating the cooling water by heat generated by the Peltier effect, wherein the exothermic means includes at least one current supplied Peltier element having an exothermic surface at an exothermic side and an endothermic surface at an endothermic side;
a first heat exchanging means adhered to the exothermic surface upstream of the compartment heat exchanging means, wherein the first heat exchanging means includes an inlet port and an outlet port;
a second heat exchanging means adhered to the endothermic surface at the endothermic side of the at least one Peltier element, wherein the second heat exchanging means includes an inlet port and an outlet port;
at least one pump for circulating cooling water;
and
wherein the second heat exchanging means outlet port is connected by a return duct to the engine radiator inlet port, the second heat exchanging means inlet port is connected to the compartment heat exchanging means outlet port and absorbs heat in the second heat exchanging means from cooling water, the absorbed heat being transferred from the endothermic side of the at least one current supplied Peltier element to the exothermic side and into cooling water passing through the first heat exchanging means.

5 more elements

A radiator assembly of a vehicle comprising:

a heat source including a cooling water engine radiator, an inlet port and an outlet port;
a compartment heat exchanging means having an inlet port and an outlet port;
an exothermic means for heating the cooling water by heat generated by the Peltier effect, wherein the exothermic means includes at least one current supplied Peltier element having an exothermic surface at an exothermic side and an endothermic surface at an endothermic side;
a first heat exchanging means adhered to the exothermic surface upstream of the compartment heat exchanging means, wherein the first heat exchanging means includes an inlet port and an outlet port;
a second heat exchanging means adhered to the endothermic surface at the endothermic side of the at least one Peltier element, wherein the second heat exchanging means includes an inlet port and an outlet port;
at least one pump for circulating cooling water;
wherein the second heat exchanging means outlet port is connected by a return duct to the engine radiator inlet port, the second heat exchanging means inlet port is connected to the compartment heat exchanging means outlet port and absorbs heat in the second heat exchanging means from cooling water, the absorbed heat being transferred from the endothermic side of the at least one current supplied Peltier element to the exothermic side and into cooling water passing through the first heat exchanging means;
a four-way valve that switches between a first switching position and a second switching position;
wherein in the first switching position the compartment heat exchanging means outlet port is connected to the first heat exchanging means inlet port, and the engine radiator outlet port is connected to the second heat exchanging means inlet port;
and
wherein in the second switching position the compartment heat exchanging means outlet port is connected to the second heat exchanging means inlet port and the engine radiator outlet port is connected to the first heat exchanging means inlet port.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/534,289Filed 23 Mar 2000
Priority: JP 11-07891924 Mar 1999
Granted: 7 Aug 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

B60H 1/2221
The heat being derived from electric heaters: arrangements of electric heaters for heating an intermediate liquid
B60H 1/00478
Heating, cooling or ventilating devices: air-conditioning devices using the Peltier effect
B60H 1/034
And from a source other than the propulsion plant: from the cooling liquid of the propulsion plant and from an electric heating device
B60H
Arrangements of heating, cooling, ventilating or other air-treating devices specially adapted for