April 8, 192 F. W. EDWARDs HEATER Filed June 10, 1946 3. Sheets-Sheet l leadopt ul INVENTOR. Z2-a/aa227A 2.27te2/-23, "feuwaa Stavvula a?721/yat-s.
April 8, 192
April 8, 192 Filed June 10, 1946 F. W. EDWARDS HEATER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 o @ INVENTOR a 227A 22.4%/23 72 Pi4 y Rl ATToRNEYs,
Patented Apr. 8, 192 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEATER, This invention relates to improvements in Space heaters, and more particularly to heaters especially adapted for use in motor vehicles. An object of the invention is the provision of a heater unit operable to admit to the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle a continuous Supply of fresh air and to selectively vary the temperature of the air so admitted to the ex tent that the temperature thereof may be either raised or not materially affected by the heater. In carrying out the foregoing, I preferably pro vide a heater unit comprising a heat exchanger and a casing therefor So constructed and ar ranged as to accommodate movement of fresh air through the unit in a path which by-passes the heat exchanger and wherein means is pro vided to cause all or a selected portion of air moving through the unit to pass through the heat exchanger. Another object of the invention is the provi Sion of a heater unit including the aforesaid ar rangement of components wherein maximum heating of air is obtained by causing the same to pass twice through the heat exchanger prior to discharge from the unit. A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient means for con trolling movement of air as aforesaid through the heater unit, and more particularly to provide a single Valve or damper for effecting Such con trol. A heater unit of the foregoing type can be utilized to supply either heated or unheated air to the vehicle windshield for defrosting the lat ter, and an additional object of the invention is to provide means in the heater operable to con trol such defrosting air Supply independently of the aforesaid air Supply. More specifically the invention provides a simple control for the de frosting air supply and operable to cause de frosting air to pass through the heat exchanger or to by-pass the latter. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following de Scription taken in connection with the accome panying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a motor ve hicle equipped With the improved heater unit. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heater unit shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken a Way to ShoW the underlying structure. Fig. 3 is a view, partly in section, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary Sectional WieW taken. Online 4-4 of Fig. 2. Franklin W. Edwards, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application June 10, 1946, Serial No. 67,29 Claim. (C. 27-136) O 20 30 3 40 4 SO 2 Fig. is a view, mainly in section, taken as on line - of Fig. 2. Referring to Fig., the improved heater unit O is shown applied to a motor vehicle including a forward compartment in which is disposed a water cooled internal combustion engine and a conventional radiator 2 therefor. Hot Water is communicated to the heater unit 0 from the engine cooling system and returned to the latter by suitable hose connections indicated at 3 and 4. Fresh air is communicated to the heater unit by a conduit extending forwardly from the unit O through the engine compartment and having a funnel-shaped inlet 6 disposed at One side of the radiator f2. Any suitable fan disposed in the housing 7 may be employed to draw air through the opening and impel the same through the conduit to the heater f0. One or more air conductors 8 lead from the heater to Supply air therefrom to the interior surface of the vehicle Windshield 9 and other conductors 20 extend laterally from the heater and rearwardly of the vehicle to supply air from the heater to portions of the vehicle passenger compartment. The heater unit to as more specifically shown in Figs. 2 to includes a heat exchanger 2 of the fin and tube type, the fins 22 being laterally spaced to accommodate the passage of air there between for heating and the tubes 23 being Con nected with the hot water supply conduits 3 and 4. The exchanger 2 is contained in a housing 24 and as more particularly shown in Fig. 3, the exchanger 2 is disposed in spaced relationship with respect to the opposite front and rear walls 2 and 26 respectively of the housing 24. An end wall 27 extends upwardly alongside an end of the exchanger 2 and is there flanged laterally from the latter as at 28 to provide, in conjunction with the walls 2, 26, an air inlet 29 projecting laterally from the main body of the housing and which is connected to the adjacent end of the air conduit t. A plate 30 extends upwardly be tween the flanged wall 28 and the top Wall of the casing alongside the adjacent end of the ex changer 2 and forwardly and rearwardly be tween the rear wall 26 and the front face of the exchanger 2, thus preventing air directly enter ing into the space or chamber indicated at 3 be tween the casing wall 26 and exchanger 2, as shown in Fig. 3, and also preventing air passage into the adjacent end of the exchanger 2. Thus air flows directly from the inlet 29 into the Space or chamber indicated at 32, between the Wall 2 and the adjacent face of the exchanger 2. Air SO admitted to the Space 32 may fow there
3. from through outlet openings to the conduits 20, one such outlet opening 33 being shown in the end wall 24. The housing front Wall 2 is also provided with an air outlet 34 controlled by a damper 3. For the purpose of causing all or a portion of the fresh air admitted to the Space 32 to pass through the exchanger 2, there is provided a valve or damper 37 disposed in such space 32. This damper is mounted on a rod 38 oscillatably Sup ported from the housing 24, one end of which rod projects outwardly from the housing through a flanged bracket 39 attached to the housing and carries an arm 40. The latter has a toothed end acted on by a pinion 4 carried by an actuator 42 mounted in the bracket 39 and extending to a location in the passenger Compartment conven ient for manual manipulation. Any suitable means other than that shown may be provided for operation of the damper 37. In the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, and the damper cooperates with the housing wall 2 and the adjacent longitudinal edges of fins 22 to divert all incoming air through the upper portion of the exchanger 2 and into the space 3 as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 3 and. The housing is closed to passage of air from the space 3 and hence the pressure produced by incoming air will force the air SO admitted to Space 3 through that portion of the exchanger 2 below the damper into the Space 32 also below such damper for discharge from the outlets as aforesaid. The damper 3 may be rotated clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3 from its illustrated position to a Second position, shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, to permit all air to pass to the Space 32 without mov ing through the exchanger 2? and thereby pro vide fresh, unheated air to the vehicle, or the damper may be positioned intermediate such posi tions to cause only a selected portion of incoming air to move through the exchanger 2, thus vary ing the temperature of the air Supply by furnish ing both heated and unheated air to the space 32. Air may be supplied from the heater unit to a relatively remote location, for example, to the Windshield for defrosting the latter, through a neck-like outlet 43 open to the space or chamber 32 at a location above the damper 37. The con trol for this Supply of air operates independently of the damper 37 and preferably utilizes a specific portion of the heat exchanger 2 for heating Such air Supply. As will be noted from Figs. 2 and 4, there is provided a horizontally disposed plate 44 extending between the casing Wall 2 and the adjacent longitudinal edge of the fins 22 and a swingably mounted valve or damper 4 also ex tending between such casing wall and fin edges, thereby blocking movement of air into that por tion of the chamber 32 bounded by the plate 44 and damper 4. A plate 46 is disposed between each pair of adjacent fins 22 and prevents air moving between the fins into the space indicated at 47 in Fig. 2 and bounded by the plate 44 and damper 4. The latter damper 4 is carried by a rod 48 mounted for oscillatory movement by any suitable mechanism, not shown, to SWing the damper 4 clockwise to a position to close the opening in the casing to the outlet 43, thereby preventing air moving to the latter, and such amper may be swung in the opposite direction to a second position to permit the free movement of air to the space 47. In operation, with the dampers positioned as illustrated, air will flow from the upper part of O. 20 3 4) 60 6 4. the chamber 32 through the exchanger 2 to the chamber 3 and thence again through the ex changer 2 to the chamber 32, the major portion of such air entering the latter below the damper 37 and a lesser portion flowing to the space 4 for discharge to the outlet 43. Swinging the valve or damper 4 anti-clockwise to the afore said position will change the above to the extent that air will pass directly to the space 47 without going through the exchanger 2. By swinging the damper 37 clockwise as viewed in Fig. 3, with the damper 4 in its illustrated position, air flow across the front face of the exchanger is unob structed and the same will pass directly to the 70 7 outlets 34, 33. However, the size of the latter openings relatively to the volume of incoming air is Such as to create a static pressure in the cham ber 32 sufficient to cause a portion of the incom ing air to move through the exchanger 2 to the chamber 3 and return through the exchanger to the space 47 for discharge through the outlet 43. Thus unheated air may be supplied to the vehicle for space heating purposes simultane ously with the supply of heated air for defrosting purposes. I claim: A space heater including a casing. a heat ex change unit in Said casing spaced laterally from a Wall thereof to provide an air passageway there between, a first damper in said passageway, said casing having air inlet and outlet openings com municating With said passageway respectively up Stream and downstream relative to said damper, said first damper being shiftable between a first position to extend at an inclination between said casing wall and unit for deflecting air through said unit prior to discharge thereof at said outlet Opening and a Second position accommodating the flow of air thereby to said outlet opening by passing Said unit, said casing having a second air outlet opening upstream of said damper and adapted to communicate with said passageway, a vertically disposed plate extending between Op posed faces of the unit, a horizontally disposed plate extending between said unit and a wall of Said casing adjacent to and below said second outlet opening and said vertical plate, and a sec Ond damper in said passageway upstream of said first damper positionable vertically in substantial alignment with said vertical plate and adjacent to Said horizontal plate for cooperation with said plates to block the flow of air from said passage Way to Said Second Outlet in a path other than through Said unit, and said second damper being shiftable to a position relative to said plates ac commodating the flow of air to said second outlet Opening in a path bypassing said unit, FRANKLIN W. EDWARDS. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS Nurnber Name Date 1,719,69 Hopkins ------------ July 2, 1929 178,334 Black -------------- Dec. 16, 1930 1839,688 I intern et al. ------ Jan., 1932 2,026,929 Backe ------------- Jan. 7, 1936 2,300,37 Hans -------------- Oct. 27, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Nunner Country Date 9,621 Great Britain ------ Oct. 14, 1914 110,808 Sweden ------------ June 6, 1944