Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IMPROVED ELECTRIC RADIATOR
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved type of electrically-powered
space-
heating apparatus equipped with controls suitable for making the use thereof
extremely easy and convenient.
Prior Art
Space-heating apparatus, known as "oil-filled radiators", consisting of a
radiator
filled with an electrically insulating fluid, usually oil, and in which an
electric heating
element is immersed, are known in the prior art; said apparatus are controlled
by
means of appropriate adjusting and controlling means suitable for receiving
the
functions and settings desired by the user, and for processing said commands
into
appropriate signals that are in turn sent to a current adjusting device,
usually a
TRIAC, that controls the current in said heating element.
Said radiators are generally arranged vertically for reasons of size and to
optimize
heat dispersion, and the heating element is arranged horizontally and in the
lower
part of the radiator so as to optimize the delivery of thermal power.
As shown in fig. 1, which illustrates the prior art, said adjusting and
controlling
means are logically arranged as close to the heating element as possible, for
obvious reasons of structural simplicity and convenience, and are thus to be
found, together with the heating element, in the lower part of the radiator,
that is at
the bottom, almost at floor level.
It is thus immediately obvious that such an arrangement requires some
particularly
awkward and difficult manoeuvring by the user, especially for users who are
elderly or infirm, since they must bend right down in order to operate the
controls.
Furthermore the symbols associated with said controls are also on the same
level,
i.e. almost at floor level, which means the user must also lower his/her head
to be
able to see said symbols, making the use of the controls, which are in actual
fact
almost at floor level, even more awkward.
One possible solution to this problem could be to extend the casing in which
all of
said controls are housed, lengthening the height thereof, leaving the position
of the
means for supplying energy to and controlling the heating element
substantially
unaltered, at the bottom, and moving the controls to the upper part of the
casing,
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connected by means of ordinary electrical connectors, as illustrated in the
example
in fig. 2.
However, this solution has the drawback of involving considerable costs to
produce a larger casing, also given the need to prepare a die for the casing,
which
is very expensive.
Summary of the Invention
It would therefore be desirable, and it is the purpose of the present
invention, to
provide a space-heating apparatus, of the oil-filled radiator type described
above,
equipped with user-operated adjusting and controlling means that overcome the
drawbacks described above.
Furthermore it must be possible to manufacture said apparatus in a simple
manner
using existing technology to produce a device that is economic to manufacture
and
easy to use, and that only involves the slightest modifications to current
production.
Brief Description of the Drawings
These aims are achieved with a particular type of electric space-heating
apparatus
equipped with the adjusting and controlling means described herein by way of a
non-limitative example and with reference to the drawings attached hereto, in
which:
- figures 1, 2, 3 show a heating apparatus of the state of the art,
- fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of the adjusting and controlling means
of a
heating apparatus according to the invention,
- figs. 5 and 6 show two perspective views respectively of the front and side
of a
heating apparatus according to the invention.
Detailed description of the Invention
A heating apparatus according to the prior art comprises a radiator 1 arranged
vertically and inside which is arranged an electric heating element 2, usually
immersed in oil; with reference to fig. 3, the adjusting and controlling means
according to the prior art are symbolically illustrated, said means
substantially
consisting of:
- user-operated control elements 11,
- means 21 for adjusting the electric current supplied to the heating element
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2, and
- means 22 for controlling said adjusting means 21.
With reference to fig. 4, the invention substantially consists of separating
and
physically moving said control elements 11 away from the adjusting and
controlling
means 21 and 22, and of arranging said control elements 11 in a first assembly
10, while said adjusting and controlling means 21 and 22 are brought together
in a
second assembly 20 that is physically separate from the first.
With reference to figures 5 and 6, said second assembly 20 is substantially
arranged and connected to the heating element 2 in the same way as the single
adjusting and controlling assembly according to the prior art (see fig. 1),
and thus
at the bottom, while the first assembly 10 that contains the control elements
11 is
arranged on the upper part of the heating apparatus.
No direct galvanic connections are used to connect these two assemblies. A
general wireless-type solution is used instead.
In particular, again with reference to fig. 4, the first assembly 10 is
equipped with
appropriate coding and transmission means 12, suitable for transmitting the
functions and settings defined by the user, which are usually sent via a
thermostat
and a switch that is used to select the different operating modes of the
apparatus.
However said elements may remain unaltered with respect to the prior art, and
do
not fall within the scope of the present invention.
As regards the second assembly 20, it is equipped with corresponding means 23
for receiving and decoding the wireless signal that is received, and the
electric
signal obtained is used to control in a manner that is known in the prior art
and
using conventional means the operation of the heating element 2 according to
the
commands sent via said control elements 1.
The coding and transmission means 12, and the corresponding means 23 for
receiving and decoding the wireless signal that is received, may be of the
widely
used type known in the prior art, preferably comprising infra-red technology,
or
consisting of the use of a weak radio-frequency signal; said means are now
available at reasonably low prices, they are safe and reliable and allow
extremely
flexible use.
The present invention is specifically concerned with separating some of the
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functional elements of a heating apparatus of the type described herein, by
placing
the user-operated adjusting and controlling means in a more accessible and
convenient position on the apparatus, separating them from the means for
controlling the current on the heating element, which continue to be connected
thereto, using wireless technology of the type known in the prior art for the
functional connection thereof.
Advantageously, said assemblies 10 and 20 are enclosed in respective casings,
and the transducers 24 and 25 for transmitting/receiving the signals, such as
antennas, photocells, optical devices, etc., are arranged in a direct line of
sight on
the outside of said respective casings.
A further advantage is easily obtained if said second assembly 21 is installed
in
the immediate vicinity of the heating element 2, so as to maintain the
compactness
and structural unity of the functional components in line with current
practice.
