US 9,036,986 B2 · Heater

Abstract

A heater comprising a housing including an intake aperture and an output aperture. The heater includes a heat exchanger operatively disposed within the housing between the intake aperture and the output aperture. The heat exchanger includes a shell forming a cavity therein, wherein an interior surface of the shell is substantially black in the infrared domain. The heater includes an infrared emission module disposed within the cavity of the heat exchanger and substantially enclosed thereby such that emitted infrared light does not escape therefrom. The infrared emission module includes a first infrared emitter and a second infrared emitter. The heater includes a fan positioned to motivate air into the housing through the intake aperture, across the heat exchanger, and out of the output aperture. The heater also includes a power module functionally coupled to the infrared emission module and the fan and configured to provide operational power thereto.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A heater, comprising:

a) a housing including an intake aperture and an output aperture;
b) a heat exchanger operatively disposed within the housing between the intake aperture and the output aperture, the heat exchanger including a shell forming a cavity therein, wherein an interior surface of the shell is substantially black in the infrared domain;
c) an infrared emission module disposed within the cavity of the heat exchanger and substantially enclosed thereby such that emitted infrared light does not escape therefrom, including:
c1) a first infrared emitter;
and
c2) a second infrared emitter;
d) a fan positioned to motivate air into the housing through the intake aperture, across the heat exchanger, and out of the output aperture;
and
e) a power module functionally coupled to the infrared emission module and the fan and configured to provide operational power thereto.

6 more elements

A heater, comprising:

a) a housing including an intake aperture and an output aperture;
b) a heat exchanger operatively disposed within the housing between the intake aperture and the output aperture, the heat exchanger including a shell forming a cavity therein, wherein an interior surface of the shell is substantially black in the infrared domain;
c) an infrared emission module disposed within the cavity of the heat exchanger and substantially enclosed thereby such that emitted infrared light does not escape therefrom, including:
c1) a first infrared emitter;
and
c2) a second infrared emitter;
d) a fan positioned to motivate air into the housing through the intake aperture, across the heat exchanger, and out of the output aperture;
e) a power module functionally coupled to the infrared emission module and the fan and configured to provide operational power thereto;
and
f) further comprising a control module in operative communication with the infrared emission module, wherein the control module includes a set of instructions for performing the steps of:
f1) receiving ambient air data regarding temperature of ambient air surrounding the heater;
f2) comparing ambient air data against a first temperature value and against a second temperature value, each of the first and second temperature values being stored in memory and the second temperature value representing a higher temperature than that represented by the first temperature value;
f3) issuing an instruction to deactivate the second infrared emitter of the infrared emission module device but not to deactivate the first infrared emitter when ambient air temperature as represented by ambient air data surpasses the temperature represented by the first temperature value;
f4) issuing an instruction to activate the second infrared emitter of the infrared emission module device when ambient air temperature as represented by ambient air data drops below the temperature represented by the first temperature value;
and
f5) issuing an instruction to deactivate the first infrared emitter of the infrared emission module device when ambient air temperature as represented by ambient air data surpasses the temperature represented by the second temperature value.

13 more elements

A heater, comprising:

a) a housing including an intake aperture and an output aperture;
wherein the intake aperture is disposed along the sides of the housing;
b) a heat exchanger operatively disposed within the housing between the intake aperture and the output aperture, the heat exchanger including a shell forming a cavity therein, wherein an interior surface of the shell is substantially black in the infrared domain;
wherein the shell of the heat exchanger includes anodized aluminum;
c) an infrared emission module disposed within the cavity of the heat exchanger and substantially enclosed thereby such that emitted infrared light does not escape therefrom, including:
c1) a first infrared emitter;
c2) a second infrared emitter;
c3) a third infrared emitter;
and
c4) a fourth infrared emitter;
d) a fan positioned to motivate air into the housing through the intake aperture, across the heat exchanger, and out of the output aperture;
e) a power module functionally coupled to the infrared emission module and the fan and configured to provide operational power thereto;
and
f) a control module in operative communication with the infrared emission module, wherein the control module includes a set of instructions for performing the steps of:
f1) receiving ambient air data regarding temperature of ambient air surrounding the heater;
f2) comparing ambient air data against a first temperature value and against a second temperature value, each of the first and second temperature values being stored in memory and the second temperature value representing a higher temperature than that represented by the first temperature value;
f3) issuing an instruction to deactivate the second infrared emitter of the infrared emission module device but not to deactivate the first infrared emitter when ambient air temperature as represented by ambient air data surpasses the temperature represented by the first temperature value;
f4) issuing an instruction to activate the second infrared emitter of the infrared emission module device when ambient air temperature as represented by ambient air data drops below the temperature represented by the first temperature value;
f5) issuing an instruction to deactivate the first infrared emitter of the infrared emission module device when ambient air temperature as represented by ambient air data surpasses the temperature represented by the second temperature value;
f6) receiving ambient air data regarding temperature of ambient air surrounding the heater;
f7) receiving output air data regarding temperature of air exiting the output aperture of the housing;
f8) calculating a difference between the ambient air data and the output air data;
f9) comparing the calculated difference against a preset delta value stored in memory;
f10) issuing an instruction to stow the fan if the calculated difference is greater than the preset delta value;
and
f11) storing user changes in context such that user behavior can be used predicatively.

23 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Heater

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Heater

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Abstract

Claims16