Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02470222 2004-06-18
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR .AUTOMOBILE
WARMING-UP
Background of the Invention
In cold weather, automobiles need to be warmed up before they are driven. If
an
automobile is not warmed up, frost will form on the windshield. The frost
blocks drivers'
sight, makes driving very difficult, even impossible. Of course, it is not
comfortable to
drive an automobile with cold cabin.
Normally, drivers warm up their automobiles by idling them. The idling process
generates heat energy by burning fuel in engine. The heat energy warms up the
engine
and the coolant (which is the mixture of water and anti-freezing substances,
normally
being ethylene glycol) within the recirculation system of an automobile. Then,
the
coolant carries the heat energy to heater core, which then transfers the heat
energy to the
cabin of an automobile. The warm air from the heater core prevents formation
of frost on
the windshield of an automobile. Therefore, the drivers ca.n have clear sight
when they
drive.
Although an idling process can warm up automobiles, the idling process itself
consumes fuel and increases carbon dioxide emission. The increase of fuel
consumption
definitely increases the cost to drive an automobile. More important is that
the increase of
carbon dioxide emission leads to global warm weather, which is a big issue to
human
being. The global warm weather could cause serious disasters to human being
and the
earth that we live on.
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In very cold weather, for example, -30 Celsius degrees, the lubricating system
of
the engine of an automobile does not work well. The friction damage of the
engine is
very serious. This decreases the efficiency, and shorts the life, of the
engine of an
automobile. The idling process could be quite long to reach a comfortable
cabin
temperature in such could weather. It is not tolerable in some cases.
In cold weather, since fuel and air do not mix perfectly, the engine of an
automobile does not burn the fuel completely. The unburned hydrocarbon is
emitted to
atmospheres, and causes air pollution. Since the fuel is not burned
completely, more
carbon monoxide is emitted as well.
Currently, engine block heater is used to speed warming up process. Canadian
Patent 2,152,688; 1,176,294; 1,096,918; and 1,088,136 disclose the arts of
this
technology. U.S. Patent 3,943,325; 4,175,229; 4,480,604; 4,485,771; and
5,021,633 also
give the details on this device. The engine block heater is an electric
heating device. It is
installed in the engine block of an automobile. Drivers must plug it in a
power socket to
supply electric energy. When they drive their automobiles, they have to
remember to pull
out the block heater from the power socket. It is not convenient. Moreover,
this method
consumes a lot of electric power. In some parking area, electric power is not
available.
The block heater becomes useless in this case.
Another shortage of this method is that the installation of a block heater is
not
easy. It increases the production cost of automobiles. Since it is installed
in engine block,
it may lead engine leaking sometime.
Detailed Description of this Invention
The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for automobile
warming-up. The apparatus of this invention stores the waste heat from the
engine of an
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automobile that is running. When the automobile is started later, the stored
heat energy is
released and used to warm up the automobile.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the method and apparatus of the present
invention for automobile warming-up.
After the engine of an automobile is ignited, the water pump of an automobile
recirculates the coolant through its cooling system. The engine 1 of an
automobile
generates heat energy. Supposed the coolant temperature is below the open
temperature
of thermostat 10 at this time, the coolant carries the heat energy to finned
heat exchanger
or coiled tube 6 within sealed container 5 of the apparatus of this invention,
then to heater
core 12 of an automobile. The temperature sensor 7 within, sealed container 5
of the
apparatus of this invention monitors the temperature of the phase change
material that
can form supercooled liquid. If the temperature of the phase change material
is over ten
Celsius degrees of its melting point, the control board 2 of the apparatus of
this invention
opens valve 4 of the apparatus of this invention, then closes valve 3 of the
apparatus of
this invention. Now, the coolant just passes the heater core 12. When the
coolant
temperature reaches the open temperature of the thermostat 10 of an
automobile, the
thermostat opens, the coolant flows through both the radiator 11 and heater
core 12.
After a period that an automobile runs, the phase change materials change to
liquid status, heat energy is stored in the phase change materials that can
form
supercooled liquid within the sealed container 5 of the apparatus of this
invention. When
the automobile is ignited later, the status sensor 9 within the sealed
container 5 of the
apparatus of this invention monitors the status of phase change materials that
can form
supercooled liquid. If the status of the phase change materials that can form
supercooled
liquid is solid, the control board 2 of the apparatus of this invention opens
valve 4 of the
apparatus of this invention, and closes valve 3 of the apparatus of this
invention.
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If the status is liquid, the trigger 8 of the apparatus of this invention
induces the
phase change materials that can form supercooled liquid to solid status to
release the
stored heat energy. The control board 2 of the apparatus of this invention
opens valve 3
of the apparatus of this invention, and closes valve 4 of the apparatus of
this invention.
The heat energy released by the phase change materials that can form
supercooled liquid
is carried to heater core and the engine by the coolant within the
recirculation system of
an automobile. Therefore, the automobile is warmed up. During the running of
the
automobile, heat energy is stored again in the phase change materials that can
form
supercooled liquid. The stored heat energy is ready for next time start up.
The sealed container 5 herein is made of plastics, polymers, metals, alloy,
enamel
or their combinations, The preferred material is made plastics or polymers.
The shape of sealed container 5 herein can be cube, rectangular
parallelepiped,
spheroid, cylinder, circular cone, and so on. The preferred shape is
rectangular
parallelepiped or cylinder.
The phase change material herein is any substance that can form supercooled
liquid with water or other liquids or the mixture of water and other liquids.
The preferred
phase change material is aqueous solution of salts, for example, sodium
sulfate
decahydrate, sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate, calcium chloride hexahydrate,
magnesium
chloride hexahydrate, disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate, calcium
nitrate
trihydrate, sodium acetate trihydrate, sodium acetate anhydrate, and so on.
The preferred
salt is sodium acetate trihydrate. Water partition can be any percent that can
form
supercooled liquid. Depending on the weather at different locations, the water
partition is
adjusted to meet local needs.
After sealed container 5 herein is filled with phase change materials that can
form
supercooled liquid, it is vacuumed, then filled with inert gases.
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The triggering system 8 herein is any method that can induce the supercooled
liquid from liquid state to solid state. For example, the ultrasonic wave
method, physical
spring method, seeding crystallization, circulating pump method, mechanical
stirring
method and so on.
The status sensor 9 herein is any type sensor that can monitor the status of
the
phase change materials that can form supercooled liquid.
The temperature sensor 7 herein is any type sensor that can monitor the
temperature of the phase change materials that can form supercooled liquid.
The sensor
herein should work when the phase change materials herein is at both solid and
liquid
status.
In theory, as long as the phase change material that can form supercooled
liquid
does not have any chemical change, and no other material enters the sealed
container
during the application, the apparatus of the present invention can be used
unlimitedly. In
other word, the apparatus of the present invention described above can have a
very long
life, which can match the warranty of the automobiles or like.
