Heater apparatus for a motor vehicle
AssigneeWebasto Thermosysteme International GmbH
InventorFelix Wolf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heating apparatus for a motor vehicle including a heat exchanger having a wall for separating a heated exhaust gas from a heat exchange medium, a conveyor mechanism for conveying the heat exchange medium along the wall, and a protective mechanism for protecting the heater against overheating. The protective mechanism determines the mass flow of the heat exchange medium delivered by the conveyor mechanism when the heater is actuated so that the danger of overheating the heater is reliably detected when the delivery of the heat exchange medium is dammed.
Claims13
A heating apparatus for a motor vehicle comprising:
- a heat exchanger, said heat exchanger having a wall for separating a heated exhaust gas from a heat exchange medium;
- conveyor means for conveying the heat exchange medium along said wall;
- a burner for producing a heated gas mixture which heats said wall;
- and
- protective means for protecting said heating apparatus against overheating, said protective means including a heat exchange medium mass flowmeter positioned in a channel in which the heat exchange medium flows;
- wherein said protective means has a control device which is operationally coupled to said burner and said heat exchange medium mass flowmeter, said control device controlling the burner based upon a comparison of an acquired actual heat exchange medium mass flow to a theoretical heat exchange medium mass flow.
Process for controlling a heater of a motor vehicle having a heat exchanger with a wall for separating a heated exhaust gas from a heat exchange medium, conveyor means for conveying the heat exchange medium along said wall, and protective means for protecting said heating apparatus against overheating, the process comprising the steps of:
- determining the mass flow of the heat exchange medium delivered by the conveyor means;
- comparing an actual heat exchange medium mass flow to a theoretical heat exchange medium mass flow;
- and
- limiting the generation of the heated flammable gas when a difference between the current mass flow of the heat exchange medium and the theoretical mass flow of the heat exchange medium indicates overheating of the heat exchanger.
A heating apparatus for a motor vehicle comprising:
- a heat exchanger, said heat exchanger having a wall for separating a heated exhaust gas from a heat exchange medium;
- conveyor means for conveying the heat exchange medium along said wall;
- and
- protective means for protecting said heating apparatus against overheating, said protective means including a heat exchange medium mass flowmeter positioned in a channel in which the heat exchange medium flows;
- wherein the heat exchange medium is air and the heater exchange medium mass flowmeter is a hot-wire anemometer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.