KR19980701703A - Heating element with heat sink and assembly method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for assembling a heater assembly comprising at least one heat sink 1 and at least one heating element 4 arranged in contact with one another. The heating elements 4 are arranged in contact with the heat sink 1 and the assembly is hot forged. Also disclosed are heater assemblies made in accordance with the present invention.

Description

Heating element with heat sink and assembly method thereof

Heater assemblies with heat sinks are already known. One of the disadvantages of conventional heater assemblies is the complexity of the methods of assembling the various components. In most cases, in practice, the heating element is welded to another part, such as a pedestal. This method of welding requires complicated tools and is also time consuming and expensive. This method is problematic in terms of aesthetics of the joining elements and can also cause quality problems.

Moreover, as a method for fixing a heating element, methods, such as a fitting, an adhesion method, the rivet or the screw method, soldering, are known. When secured in the above manner, this assembly often presents a significant drawback in that the bonding force between the parts, which can seriously affect the durability of the product, is weakened. Moreover, many parts required for assembly can complicate this assembly method and make it expensive.

The present invention relates to a general heater assembly and more particularly to a heater assembly comprising at least one heat sink and at least one heating element secured to the heat sink. The cover plate can also be included by the modification of this invention.

The invention also relates to a method of assembling such a heater assembly.

1 shows one end face of a heater assembly according to the invention assembled by hot forging. Figure 1 'shows an example comprising a cover plate in particular.

2 shows an assembly, such as a mold of a press, prior to final assembly by hot forging. 2 'shows an assembly comprising in particular a cover plate.

3 shows a heat radiating plate using a heater assembly according to the invention in which the heating element is in a zigzag form. 3 'shows a thermal radiation plate, in particular comprising a cover plate.

Figure 4 illustrates an iron bottom made using a heater assembly according to the present invention. Figure 4 'shows a bottom of the iron, in particular comprising a cover plate.

Figures 5a and 5b show the heater assembly according to the invention, having at least one groove formed in a form corresponding to the frame of the heating element, prior to assembly by hot forging.

5A illustrates an example in which a groove is not first made in the heat sink.

5B illustrates an example in which a groove is first formed in a portion of the heat sink.

Figures 5a ', 5b', 5c 'show a heater assembly according to the invention in which at least one groove is formed in a form corresponding to the contour of the heating element prior to assembly by hot forging and comprising a cover plate; It is.

5A ′ shows an example where grooves are not previously made in the heat sinks of the assembly.

5B ′ shows an example in which grooves are pre-made in a part of the heat sink.

5C 'shows an example in which a groove is first made in at least a portion of the cover plate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method of assembling, in particular, at least one heat sink and a heater assembly to which at least one heating element is fixed to the heat sink in order to improve the above-mentioned limitations and / or disadvantages. The heater assembly is made by hot forging. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a heater assembly itself assembled by hot forging.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a heat sink in which the external shape of the heating element is not made in advance, or a heat sink in which the external shape of the heating element is made in advance in at least one portion of the heat sink is used, and / or a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, a heat sink in which the contour of the heating element is pre-made in at least one portion of the cover plate can be used.

In the latter two cases in which the contour of the heating element is preformed, a groove is first made in the plate. The path of the groove is preferably made similar to that of the corresponding heating element. By forging, the material of the heat sink fills the surroundings of the heating element at least partially by elution of the material. In this particular case, where the grooves are pre-formed, the heat sink material fills a portion of the grooves that are initially empty due to the heating elements in such a way as to at least partially surround the heating elements. In this way it is durable and can be securely fixed.

In addition, as will be described later, it is preferable to match the tool of the forging with the appearance of the heating element in order to minimize the mismatch due to the effect on the heating element, especially when forging.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a heater assembly that is completely waterproof.

In order to achieve this object, a method of assembling a heater assembly comprising at least one heat sink and at least one heating element disposed against the heat sink, the method comprising: arranging the heating elements against the heat sink and hot forging the assembly. A method of assembling a heater assembly has been devised.

In addition, the heater assembly according to the above assembly method comprising at least one heat sink made of metal and at least one heating element disposed against the heat sink, the assembly is held by an intimate mechanical coupling between the heat sink and the heating elements. Characterized in that.

Such heater assemblies can be used for a variety of applications. For example, in the area of household appliances, steam generators (for ironing, laundry, etc.), steam cookers (with or without pressure) such as coffee makers, thermos, autoclaves, and frying pans, pots, China Heated cooking utensils such as pans, fryers and cooking plates, special grills such as meat grills, waffle grills, ovens, specially shaped cookware such as ovens, heat radiating plates, bottoms of irons and generally forged and welded together It can be used in any device with a heating element made out of mold.

As in FIG. 1, the heater assembly according to the invention comprises a heat sink 1 made of a metal material having better thermal conductivity when heated to an appropriate temperature. For example, an alloy plate of aluminum or copper may be used, and the shape of the alloy plate may be variously modified depending on the purpose of use of the assembly.

One (or a plurality of) heating elements 4 are arranged against the heat sink 1 (hereinafter, one heating element is used to simplify the description and does not exclude further possibilities). Known sturgeon heating elements are used. The heat dissipation cross section of the heating element may be circular, triangular or otherwise shaped. According to an embodiment, the heating element follows the path of the groove in various types of planes. The path of the groove can be round, zigzag, oval, or any other shape. Multiple heating elements can likewise be envisaged, and it is also possible for these to be arranged facing each other or arranged concentrically.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, heat sinks in which the grooves are not made in advance may be used. Forging causes partial movement of the surrounding material of the heating element and / or inserts the heating element into the heat sink at least partially.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5A, a groove of a shape corresponding to the appearance of at least one or more heating elements is not previously formed inside the heat sink, or as shown in FIG. 5B, the heat sink Heat sinks with grooves pre-formed in at least a portion of the can be used.

In the latter case, one or more grooves 3 are formed in the above-described metal plate or metal plates, and the grooves 3 are formed in such a manner that at least part of the heat dissipation cross section of the corresponding heating element can be inserted. . The path of the groove is made to match the path of the corresponding heating element.

The forged mold 10 is made to match the intended final appearance of the assembly. Therefore, it is desirable to make grooves inside the heat sink to match the intended final appearance. By forging, since the material of the heat sink at least partially surrounds the heating element, the heating element initially fills part of the hollow groove.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 5A, since no groove is made previously on the heat sink in the heater assembly, the forging tool preferably has a groove of a type corresponding to the contour of the heating element.

Depending on the purpose of use of the final assembly of the heater, a combination with varying variations may be required to form grooves on the most suitable side.

The cover plate 5 surrounding the heating element 4 is particularly designed so that even if torsion occurs due to the cover plate 5 of the heating element 4, FIGS. 1 and 1 ′, the torsion occurs in an acceptable range. In order to avoid a short circuit between the central axis 6 and the groove 3 or the groove 3 'is formed to minimize the torsion caused by the cover plate 5, 1 and 1' of the heating element 4 Is placed.

The heat sink 1 has a function of conducting thermal energy and spreading widely. Therefore, due to the large surface of the thermal conductor, it can be prevented from becoming partially overheated and dangerous. For this reason, a material having good thermal conductivity is used.

With the use of the heated heating assembly, the heat sink can meet a variety of other functions. That is, it can also be used as a very flat metal plate to be used as a support on which an object is placed, for example heated as a cooking utensil, and can also be used as the inside of a container. In this case, the outer surface of the metal plate may be made to function as the inner wall of the container.

Alternatively, as in the case above, rather than using directly into the interior of the container, the metal plate may be replaced by another element used by the interior of the container itself. With the present invention, which allows for a variety of elements, this variant makes it very easy to adopt the heating assembly, even more so for the purpose of obtaining optimum heating properties.

In all of the above examples, the heat sink transfers thermal energy generated by the heating element from the heating element 4 to the empty surface 9 of the heat sink 1.

In addition, the heater assembly may be configured in other forms as necessary, for example, to be used as a heating plate. In this case, it is preferable to separate the outer surface 2 of the metal plate and to propose supporting means on which the assembly can be placed at right angles.

The empty surface 9 of the heat sink 1 is configured such that, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the heat transfer surface can be optimized in the form of a series of small protrusions.

Once forged, it can be expected to cover and / or separate the empty surface 9 of the heating element 4, especially for safety reasons. Thus, in order to cover this empty surface 9 again, it is desirable to arrange the relevant elements.

In addition, according to another embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the heater assembly is configured to form the iron bottom itself. According to this embodiment, for example, a heat conductive material such as an aluminum alloy is added against the plate 20 formed of stainless steel. The metal plate 20, which is arranged against the empty surface of the heat sink 12 and at the same time forged together with the other elements of the assembly, functions as the bottom of the iron. For this reason, it is preferable to use as a metal plate of the iron bottom the metal known to be as durable and slippery as possible. After forging, the metal plate 20 may be glued, riveted, or screwed.

The connecting piece 7 (FIG. 1) of the heating element can be bent in the opposite direction of the metal plate 1, so that it can be sent away from the assembly. The connecting pieces thus arranged can be used as standard electrical connection terminals. The connecting piece 7 is adapted to extend out of the assembly plate so that it can exit to the side of the assembly. As such, the forging mold is proposed to be lifted up to avoid any danger that may arise from the connecting piece.

In addition, according to various variants, sensors, in particular temperature sensors, for the safety and / or adjustment of the heater assembly may be attached. This known detector can be inserted, for example, between the metal plates 1, 2 proximate the heating element.

Figure 2 illustrates a method for assembling the various elements that make up the heater assembly, according to the present invention.

As already described, a heater assembly consisting of a heat sink 1 with or without a prefabricated heat sink 1 and at least one heating element 4 is used.

In a preferred variant, the heating elements can be displaced or preassembled against the metal plate in any suitable manner known in the art, for example, welds 8 (FIG. 2 '), adhesives, fittings, etc. to facilitate forging. have.

In order to avoid all the problems of the various parts of the assembly sticking together for forging tools, it has already been proven that it is effective to use suitable known lubricants.

Next, hot forging is performed.

Such hot forging is preferably performed at an optimum elution temperature of the material constituting the heat sink (1). For aluminum and its alloys, the temperature is preferably carried out between 400 ° C and 500 ° C, in particular at approximately 455 ° C.

The assembly of the other elements by hot forging allows the assembly to be held by intimate mechanical coupling between the heat sink 1 and the adjacent part of the heating element 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the material of the heat sink is at least partially filled around the heating element by elution by performing forging. 1 shows the results obtained by forging with a heating element of triangular cross section. In this case, after the material of the metal plate 1 has eluted, it partially surrounds the edge of the heating element.

FIG. 4 shows the results obtained by forging with a heating element of circular cross section mounted against a metal plate forming the bottom of the iron.

Thus, hot forging has several effects: the strong bonding force between the heating element 4 and the adjacent part of the heat sink 1, in particular a part of the groove 3, is filled by elution of the heat sink material. By doing the above, a heater assembly having a strong bonding force can be provided. In addition, the assembly is robust, stable and has strong durability. In addition, the simplicity and rapidity of the hot forging method make it possible to obtain various embodiments at low cost. Hot forging is also well suited for automation.

A second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 1'-5 '. In these drawings, components corresponding to those of FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The cover plate 2 is arranged against the first metal plate to cover the heating element. As will be described later, when assembled, an alloy metal plate that is harder than the heat sink 1 is required to facilitate the dissolution of the metal plate 2. Therefore, it is preferable that the metal plate 2 uses steel.

The cover plate preferably covers all surfaces of the heat sink. This can be seen from the possible deviation of both sides of the boundary 11, as shown in FIG. 1 '. In addition, the cover plate may cover an insignificant surface and / or may represent a hole or a passage which is an empty space of the metal plate 1. Thus, a partial cover plate of the metal plate 1 can be obtained. According to various aspects of the embodiment, it is also envisioned that a number of cover plates may be arranged on one side of the heating element or against the empty surface 9 of the heat sink 1. This will be mentioned in the following example of the iron floor.

According to a variant of the second embodiment of the present invention, at least one groove in the cover plate and the heat sink having a shape corresponding to the frame of the heating element is not previously formed, as shown in FIG. As shown in 5b ', at least a portion of the heat sink may be pre-formed and / or as shown in FIG. 5c', at least a portion of the heat sink and the cover plates may be used.

In the latter two cases, one or more grooves 3 are formed in the one or more metal plates in order to form an contour into which at least a part of the radial cross section of the corresponding heating element can be inserted. The path of the groove is made to match the path of the corresponding heating element. If a thick and fairly thick cover plate is used, when forging, the preformed groove serves to protect the heating element disposed in the groove.

The forging mold 10 is made to match the intended final appearance of the cover plate and the assembly. It is desirable to make the groove 3 'to match the intended final appearance. In this case, no deformation occurs due to the cover plate when forging, so that the heating element is protected from minimal torsion when forging.

By the variety of methods, metal plates are used which are not pre-made. Thinner, softer cover plates may also be used to facilitate bonding of the metal plate to the contour of the heating element and / or to prevent the heating element from being damaged when forging, while also being easily coupled to the contour of the forging mold. In the case of FIG. 5A ′ in which no grooves are previously formed in the metal plate of the assembly, grooves 3 ′ are made in the forging tool 10 corresponding to the contour of the heating element.

Moreover, according to another modification, a groove is formed in a heat sink.

Depending on the intended use of the final assembly of the heater, a combination of various variations is possible so that grooves are formed on the most suitable side.

Even if a torsion occurs due to the cover plate 5, FIGS. 1 and 1 ′ of the heating element 4, in particular, the cover plate 5 surrounding the heating element 4 is such that the torsion is only within an acceptable range. In order to avoid a short circuit between the central axis 6 and the groove 3, the groove 3 or the groove 3 'is formed to minimize the torsion due to the cover plate 5, 1 and 1' of the heating element 4 And are deployed.

By forging, since the material of the heat sink at least partially surrounds the heating element, the heating element initially fills part of the hollow groove.

The heat sink 1 has a function of conducting thermal energy and spreading widely. Therefore, due to the large surface of the thermal conductor, it can be prevented from becoming partially overheated and dangerous. For this reason, a material having good thermal conductivity is used. Because of the butting effect of the at least one metal plate, a heater assembly comprising a plurality of metal plates installed next to each other can be obtained. Therefore, it is preferable that the metal plates are arranged in close proximity or overlap with each other such that they are in contact with each other.

Further, according to another variant of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 ', the heater assembly is made in the shape of an iron bottom. According to this embodiment, it is preferable that a conductor such as an aluminum alloy is disposed between the cover plates 2 and 20 such as stainless steel. The metal plate 2 plays a role similar to that described above. The metal plate 20, which is disposed against the hollow surface 12 of the heat sink and forged simultaneously with the other elements of the assembly, is used as a support. For this reason, it is preferable to use a metal known as iron bottom metal sheet which is more durable and has a sliding property. After forging, the metal plate 20 may be glued, riveted, or screwed.

Since the connecting piece 7 of the heating element can be bent in the opposite direction of the metal plate 1, it can extend out of the heater assembly through a very small groove or hole in the cover plate. The connecting pieces thus arranged can be used as standard electrical connection terminals. The connecting piece 7 is adapted to extend from the assembly plate so that it can extend to the side of the assembly. Therefore, the forging mold is designed so as to extend upward to prevent any danger that may arise from the connecting piece.

In addition, according to various modifications, a sensor, in particular a temperature sensor, may be attached for the safety and / or adjustment of the heater assembly. Such known detectors can be inserted, for example, between the metal plates 1, 2 proximate the heating element.

Figure 2 'illustrates a method for assembling the various elements that make up the heater assembly, according to the present invention.

As already described, a heater assembly is used which comprises heat sinks 1, 2 with or without first one or a plurality of grooves 3, and at least one heating element 4.

In a preferred variant, the heating elements can be displaced or prefabricated against the metal plate in any suitable manner known for example, such as welds 8, adhesives, fittings, etc. to facilitate forging.

For the forging tool 10 it has already been proven that it is effective to use a suitable known lubricant in order to avoid all the problems of the various parts of the assembly sticking together.

Next, hot forging is performed.

Such hot forging is preferably performed at an optimum elution temperature of the material constituting the heat sink (1). For aluminum and its alloys, it is preferable to carry out at an operating temperature between 400 ° C. and 500 ° C., particularly at about 455 ° C.

When the heat sink is made of aluminum, the forging is performed with a minimum pressure of about 250 N / mm 2 and a general minimum forging speed of 0.30 m / s.

The assembly of the other elements by hot forging is such that the assembly is in close contact with the heat sink 1 and the cover plate 2 on the one hand and on the other hand between the adjacent parts of the metal plate 1 and one or more heating elements. To be maintained by a bond.

In the case where the groove is formed in the cover plate of the two strongest metal plates, the heating element can be protected, and the heat sink made of a somewhat flexible material can be easily eluted when forging.

By forging, as shown in FIG. 1, the periphery of the heating element is at least partially filled by elution of the heat sink material. In practice, the heat sink material fills the portion of the groove that was empty due to the heating element. 1 ′ shows the results obtained by forging with a heating element of triangular cross section. In this case, the material will partially surround the edge of the heating element in the groove. 4 'shows the results obtained by forging with a heating element of circular cross section mounted against a metal plate forming the bottom of the iron.

Thus, hot forging has several effects: on the one hand, a strong bonding force between the heat sink 1 and its associated cover plate 2 and / or 20; On the other hand, in particular, a part of the groove 3 is filled by elution of the heat sink material, so that a strong bonding force between the heating element 4 and the adjacent part of the heat sink 1 is generated. By holding this coupling force between the adjacent part of the heat sink and the part of the cover plate 2 surrounding a part of the heat sink, an additional effect of pressurizing the heating element 4 is generated. That is, in this way it is possible to provide a heater assembly having a strong bonding force. The assembly is also robust, stable and durable. In addition, the simplicity and rapidity of the hot forging method make it possible to obtain various embodiments at low cost. Hot forging is also well suited for automation.

In fact, although the forces and speeds applied to this hot forging method can damage the heating element as in all other cases, the hot forging above does not damage the heating element at all, as is generally known or expected. Is notable.

The assembly method of the heater assembly according to the present invention, by providing a heating element or a heat sink that can be adjusted according to various heating conditions, so that the heater is not broken for a long time, very strong life, and optimally control the energy To improve thermal efficiency.

The shape and size of the heater assembly can be modified to suit the functions of all the applications involved.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described and described above. Various improvements or modifications can be applied without departing from the scope of the invention.

The invention can be used in the field of heater assemblies.

Claims (26)

In a method of assembling a heater assembly comprising at least one heat sink (1) and at least one heating element (4) arranged against the heat sink (1), Arranging the heating elements 4 against the heat sink 1, Hot forging the assembly. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one groove 3, 3 ′, which is to be connected with the at least one heating element 4, is preformed in at least one part of the at least one heat sink 1 and / or preformed in the forging tool. And disposing each heating element 4 connected to a given groove 3, 3 'against the corresponding heat sinks 1 so as to follow a path similar to that of the corresponding groove. Assembly method of a heater assembly, characterized in that it comprises a. 2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the assembly comprises at least one cover plate (2; 20) and a heat sink (1) on the one hand and a cover plate (2) on the other hand. (4) comprising disposing the heating elements (4) on the one hand between the heat sinks (1) and on the other hand the cover plates (2), and hot forging the assembly. Assembling method of a heater assembly. The method of assembling the heater assembly according to claim 3, wherein the heater assembly comprises at least one groove (3, 3 ') connected with at least one heating element (4), at least one cover plate (2) and / or a heat sink ( Forming in advance in at least one portion of 1) or in the forging tool 10, and Each heating element 4 connected to a given groove 3, 3 ′ is disposed between the corresponding cover plates 2 and the heat sinks 1 to follow a path similar to that of the corresponding groove. Assembly method of the heater assembly, characterized in that it comprises a step as a preceding step. 4. The assembly of the heater assembly according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the material of the heat sink (1) is at least partially filled around the heating elements (4) by forging, by eluting the material. Way. The method according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the material of the heat sink is configured to at least partially surround the heating element by part of the grooves 3, 3 'which were empty due to the heating elements 4 by forging. Assembly method of a heater assembly, characterized in that filling with. 5. Method according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that the grooves (3, 3 ') are formed to have a shape which corresponds substantially to the shape of the connected heating element (4). The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hot forging is carried out at an optimum elution temperature of the material constituting the heat sink (1). 9. The method of assembling a heater assembly according to claim 8, wherein said elution temperature is from 400 ° C to 500 ° C, preferably approximately 455 ° C. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said forging is performed with a minimum pressure of about 250 N / mm 2. The method of assembling a heater assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hot forging is performed at a minimum speed of 0.30 m / s. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two components of the assembly are displaced or preassembled by welding (8), adhesive or fitting prior to the step of hot forging. At least one metal heat sink (1) and at least one heating element (4) disposed against the heat sink and held in an assembly by intimate mechanical coupling between the different components. A heater assembly obtained by the method of claim 12. 14. The heater assembly of claim 13, wherein intimate mechanical coupling between the different components is obtained by hot forging the assembly. 15. Heater assembly according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that it comprises at least one cover plate (2; 20) and a heating element disposed between the heat sink and the cover plate. 16. The at least one cover plate 2 and / or the heat sink of claim 13, wherein the at least one groove forms a passageway through which at least a portion of the at least one heating element can enter. A heater assembly, characterized in that the path of the groove is preformed to coincide with the path of the heating element corresponding to at least one part of 1). 17. The heater assembly of claim 15 or 16, wherein the heater assembly is waterproof. 18. The heater assembly according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the heat sink (1) is an alloy in which aluminum is a main component. 18. The heater assembly according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the heat sink (1) is an alloy whose main component is copper. 19. The heater assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the cover plate is formed of steel. 21. The heater assembly according to any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein at least one temperature sensor is provided. 22. A household electric appliance comprising a heater assembly according to any of claims 13-21. Household appliance according to claim 22, consisting of a cooking utensil. Household appliance according to claim 22, consisting of a liquid, in particular a device for warming water. A household electric appliance according to claim 22, consisting of a heat radiating plate. Ironing appliance, in particular the household appliance according to claim 22, consisting of the bottom of the iron.