Automobile heating system

An automobile heating system adapted for being incorporated in an automobile climate control system and being mounted on an engine housing within an engine compartment of an automobile without occupying a large space. The automobile heating system may be manufactured at low cost, and satisfactorily heats the passenger cabin of the automobile and enables the engine to quickly warm up after the start of the engine. The automobile heating system is provided with an auxiliary heat source integrally combined with one of the auxiliary machines including an idler, a power steering hydraulic pump or an alternator.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to an automobile heating system using the 
heat of a circulating heat-exchanging liquid medium such as a cooling 
water, for heating or warming the interior of an automotive body including 
a passenger cabin of the automobile. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
A conventional automobile heating system uses an engine housing including a 
cylinder block, a cylinder head and such. A main heat receiving chamber is 
formed in the cylinder head and the associated portions. The main heat 
receiving chamber is fluidly connected to a radiator and a heater core by 
a conduit which is opened and closed by a thermostat device. A cooling 
water is circulated through the main heat receiving chamber, liquid 
conduits, the radiator and the heater core by a water pump. 
The cooling water removes heat from the operating engine to cool the 
latter, and is in turn heated. The heat of the cooling water is then 
supplied to the heater core to warm the interior of an automotive body, 
e.g., a passenger cabin. When the cooling water is excessively heated by 
the heat of the engine, the thermostat opens the conduit to deliver the 
cooling water to the radiator for cooling. 
Automotive auxiliary machines such as an idler pulley, a hydraulic pump for 
power steering, and an alternator are fixedly mounted on the engine 
housing. Pulleys of the respective automotive auxiliary machines are 
connected by belts to a crankshaft pulley of the engine so as to be driven 
by the engine. 
The conventional automobile heating system relies only on the heat provided 
by the engine to warm the air of the passenger cabin and hence, the 
automobile heating system cannot heat the passenger cabin satisfactorily 
for some time period subsequent to the start of the engine and 
particularly in cold districts. 
Combustion cannot take place properly in the engine before the engine warms 
up to a certain extent even if the conduit is closed by the thermostat to 
warm up the engine by the heat provided by the engine and, therefore, the 
engine is unable to operate at a satisfactory combustion efficiency and 
discharges a polluting exhaust gas. 
However, the size of an engine unit including the engine per se is enlarged 
inevitably, if an auxiliary heat source is disposed in the engine 
compartment, and the use of the auxiliary heat source requires an 
additional space for installation and additional parts including a pulley 
and a driving shaft, increasing the manufacturing cost of the automobile. 
Thus, it is requested to solve the foregoing problems encountered by the 
conventional automobile heating system. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an 
inexpensive automobile heating system not requiring a very large space for 
installation in an engine compartment. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an automobile heating 
system capable of satisfactorily warming the interior of the automotive 
body of an automobile after the start of the engine thereof and of 
enabling the engine to be warmed up quickly. 
According to the present invention, an automobile heating system for an 
automobile comprises an engine housing having a main heat receiving 
chamber, an auxiliary machine having a machine housing, a shaft and a 
pulley, and driven by the engine of the automobile, a radiator, a conduit 
connecting the main heat receiving chamber to the radiator, a thermostat 
for opening and closing the conduit, and a heater core. The main heat 
receiving chamber, the conduit, the radiator and the heater core are 
arranged so that the cooling water circulates therethrough. 
The engine housing is provided with a separate auxiliary heat source 
including a heater housing provided with a heat generating chamber and an 
auxiliary heat receiving chamber contiguous with the heat generating 
chamber and a heater driving shaft supported for rotation on the heater 
housing, and capable of making a viscous fluid generate heat to supply 
heat to the cooling water flowing through the auxiliary heat receiving 
chamber, and the auxiliary machine and the auxiliary heat source are 
integrated in an assembly so that the machine housing also serves as the 
heater housing and/or the shaft of the auxiliary machine serves as the 
heater driving shaft. 
In the automobile heating system, the auxiliary machine functions and 
drives the auxiliary heat source when the shaft of the auxiliary machine 
is driven through a pulley by the engine and, consequently, the viscous 
fluid generates heat. The heat generated by the viscous fluid is 
transferred to the cooling water flowing through the auxiliary heat 
receiving chamber, and the circulating heat thus heated circulates through 
the conduit and the heater core to heat the passenger cabin by both the 
heat generated by the engine and the heat generated by the auxiliary heat 
source. Accordingly, the automobile heating system is able to 
satisfactorily heat the passenger cabin immediately after the start of the 
engine even in cold districts. 
In this automobile heating system, the cooling water heated by the heat 
generated by the auxiliary heat source flows through the main heat 
receiving chamber. Consequently, the engine is heated by its own heat and 
the heat generated by the auxiliary heat source, so that the engine can 
warm up quickly to ensure satisfactory combustion. Thus, the automobile 
heating system exercises excellent effects on maintaining satisfactory 
combustion efficiency and preventing the discharge of a polluting exhaust 
gas. After the engine has warmed up and the engine has become able to 
maintain an appropriate engine temperature by its own heat, the thermostat 
opens the conduit to cool the circulating conduit by the radiator so that 
the engine is not excessively heated. Preferably, the auxiliary heat 
source is of a variable capacity type. 
In the automobile heating system, the machine housing of the auxiliary 
machine serves also as a heater housing, and the shaft of the machine can 
function as a heater drive shaft. Since the auxiliary machine and the 
auxiliary heat source (viscous heater) are combined integrally in an 
assembly, the size of an engine unit including the engine per se is not 
enlarged to an intolerable extent, the auxiliary machine and the auxiliary 
heat source need not be provided pulleys and such individually and hence 
the number of parts is not increased. Therefore, the automobile heating 
system does not occupy a very large space in the engine compartment and 
can be manufactured at low cost. 
When the auxiliary heat source of the automobile heating system is of a 
variable capacity type, the heat generating ability of the auxiliary heat 
source may be reduced after the heat generating performance of the engine 
has increased to supply heat sufficient for heating the passenger cabin 
and maintaining itself at an appropriate engine temperature. Therefore, 
the cooling of the cooling water by the radiator and the resultant cooling 
of the engine can be achieved without trouble. Accordingly, the automobile 
heating system can prevent the overheating of the engine. The automobile 
heating system can more easily be mounted on the automobile when the 
auxiliary heat source is combined integrally with the auxiliary machine 
provided with the pulley thereof driven continuously while the engine is 
in operation than when the auxiliary heat source is combined integrally 
with an auxiliary machine provided with an electromagnetic clutch having 
an axial dimension greater than that of the pulley. 
In the automobile heating system, the heater core may be connected to the 
conduit at a position above the thermostat with respect to the flowing 
direction of the cooling water. 
When the heater core is thus connected to the conduit, the auxiliary heat 
source can heat the cooling water flowing at a low flow rate while the 
cooling water is cold and the conduit is closed by the thermostat. 
Therefore, the automobile heating system can heat the passenger cabin of 
an automobile quickly, and the engine is able to quickly warm up after the 
start of the engine. 
A bypass conduit bypassing the auxiliary heat receiving chamber may be 
connected to the conduit for urging the cooling water to flow through the 
auxiliary heat receiving chamber and the bypass conduit. In this case, 
since the cooling water heated by the heat generated by the engine flows 
through the bypass conduit and bypasses the auxiliary heat receiving 
chamber, the load on the water pump can be reduced. 
The auxiliary machine incorporating therein the auxiliary heat source may 
be an idler. The idler serving as the auxiliary machine may include an arm 
supported for swing motion on the engine housing, an idler shaft supported 
for rotation in a bearing on the arm, and an idler pulley fixedly mounted 
on the idler shaft. The idler tightens the belt to a fixed tension or 
guides the belt engaging with the pulley of other auxiliary machines to 
stabilize the torque. The idler takes most of the volume of the idler and 
a mounting space can relatively easily available in the vicinity of the 
idler. Therefore, when the idler is used to incorporate the auxiliary heat 
source, the idler shaft can be also used as the heater drive shaft if the 
heater housing is supported so as to swing relative to the engine housing. 
The automobile heating system thus constructed can be easily installed in 
the engine compartment and can be manufactured at low cost. 
Alternately, the hydraulic pump of the power steering system may be 
employed as the auxiliary machine incorporating therein the auxiliary heat 
source. When the hydraulic pump is employed to incorporate therein the 
auxiliary heat source, the latter can be lubricated by the hydraulic fluid 
pumped by the hydraulic pump and, consequently, the durability of the 
auxiliary heat source can be improved. When the auxiliary heat source uses 
the hydraulic fluid pumped by the hydraulic pump as the viscous fluid, the 
construction of the automobile heating system is simplified and the 
manufacturing cost of the automobile heating system can be lower. 
The alternator may be employed as an auxiliary machine which incorporates 
the auxiliary heat source therein. The rotating speed of a pulley mounted 
on the shaft of the alternator is about twice as high as that of the crank 
pulley. Therefore, the automobile heating system employing the alternator 
as the auxiliary machine to incorporate the auxiliary heat source can 
bring its heating ability into full play because the heater drive shaft is 
driven for high-speed rotation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIG. 1, an automobile heating system according to the first 
embodiment of the present invention includes a heater housing formed by 
fastening together a front housing 1 and a rear housing 2. Grooves are 
formed in the inner surfaces of the front housing 1 and the rear housing 2 
to define a labyrinthine heat generating chamber 3. An auxiliary heat 
receiving chamber WJ2 is formed so as to surround the heat generating 
chamber 3 in the front housing 1 and the rear housing 2. An inlet port and 
an outlet port, not shown, are formed in peripheral portions of the front 
housing 1 and the rear housing 2 so as to open into the auxiliary heat 
receiving chamber WJ2. 
Bearings 4 and 5 are fitted in the bosses of the front housing 1 and the 
rear housing 2, respectively, and a drive shaft 6 serving as both an idler 
shaft and a heater driving shaft is supported for rotation in the bearings 
4 and 5. An idler pulley 7 is fixedly mounted on the front end of the 
drive shaft 6, and a rotor 8 is mounted in a press fit on a middle portion 
of the drive shaft 6. The rotor 8 is provided with grooves in its opposite 
surfaces and those grooves mate with the grooves of the front housing 1 
and the rear housing 2 to form the labyrinthine heat generating chamber 3. 
The labyrinthine heat generating chamber 3 is filled up with silicone oil, 
i.e., a viscous fluid. 
A pipe 9 connected to a diaphragm case formed by joining together an upper 
case 10 and a lower case 11 is fixed to lower portions of the front 
housing 1 and the rear housing 2. A diaphragm 13a held between the upper 
case 10 and the lower case 11 is always biased upward by a compression 
spring 12. A guide rod 13 has an upper end connected to the diaphragm 13a. 
The diaphragm 13a divides the interior of the diaphragm case formed by the 
upper case 10 and the lower case 11 into an upper control chamber 10a and 
a lower control pressure chamber 11a. A guide member 14 is fixed to a 
lower portion of the lower case 11. The guide member 14 is provided with a 
guide bore 14a for guiding the guide rod 13, and a port 14b through which 
manifold pressure is applied to the control pressure chamber 11a. 
The idler pulley 7, the drive shaft 6, the heater housing formed by 
fastening together the front housing 1 and the rear housing 2 constitute 
an idler ID, and the front housing 1, the rear housing 2, the drive shaft 
6, the heat generating chamber 3, the rotor 8, the silicone oil and the 
auxiliary heat receiving jacket WJ2 constitute a viscous heater VH. Thus 
the viscous heater VH is combined integrally with the idler ID in an 
assembly, and the front housing 1, the rear housing 2 and the drive shaft 
6 serve as the components of both the idler ID and the viscous heater VH. 
The front housing 1 and the rear housing 2 are provided with through holes 
1a to receive a boss formed in the cylinder block of an engine 16 (FIG. 2) 
and through holes, not shown, to engage with a bracket attached to the 
cylinder block. The assembly of the idler ID and the viscous heater VH is 
turned relative to the cylinder block to adjust the position of the same 
on the cylinder block. 
The idler pulley 7, an electromagnetic clutch 18 for an air conditioning 
system, a power steering pulley 19, a water pump pulley 20 and an 
alternator pulley 21 are driven through a belt 22 by a crankshaft pulley 
17. As shown in FIG. 3, a main heat receiving chamber WJ1 is formed in the 
cylinder block of the engine 16 and the associated parts. The main heat 
receiving chamber WJ1 communicates with the inlet port of the viscous 
heater VH by means of the pump chamber 23 of a water pump driven through 
the water pump pulley 20. A main conduit 24 forming a passage of the 
cooling water is connected to the outlet port of the viscous heater VH. An 
auxiliary fluid conduit 25 also forming a passage of the cooling water is 
branched from the main conduit 24 at a branching position on the main 
conduit 24. A thermostat 26 is provided in a portion of the main conduit 
24 below the branching position with respect to the flowing direction of 
the cooling water, and controls the opening and closing of the portion of 
the main conduit 24 which is connected to an inlet port of a radiator 27 
for the engine. Thus, the cooling water is returned from the radiator 27 
to the main heat receiving chamber WJ1. An engine cooling fan 28 is 
disposed opposite to the radiator 27. The auxiliary conduit 25 is 
connected to a heater core 29. The cooling water supplied to the heater 
core 29 is returned to the main heat receiving chamber WJ1. A room heating 
fan 30 is disposed opposite to the heater core 29. The main heat receiving 
chamber WJ1, the pump chamber 23, the auxiliary heat receiving chamber 
WJ2, the main conduit 24, the radiator 27, the auxiliary conduit 25 and 
the heater core 29 contain the cooling water. 
The position of the idler ID relative to the cylinder block is adjusted to 
apply a fixed tension to the belt 22 and to guide the belt 22 in order 
that torque is stabilized. When the drive shaft 6 is driven through the 
idler pulley 7 by the engine 16, the rotor 8 of the viscous heater VH 
rotates in the heat generating chamber 3, while the water pump driven 
through the water pump pulley 20 by the engine 16 cause the cooling water 
to flow through the main heat receiving chamber WJ1. The silicone oil 
filling up the labyrinthine heat generating chamber 3 is sheared to 
generate heat. The heat generated in the silicone oil is transferred to 
the cooling water flowing through the auxiliary heat receiving chamber WJ2 
and the thus heated cooling water flows through the auxiliary conduit 25 
into the heater core 29. Thus both the heat generated by the engine 16 and 
the heat generated by the viscous heater VH are used for heating the 
passenger cabin. Therefore, the automobile heating system is able to heat 
the passenger cabin satisfactorily immediately after the start of the 
engine 16 even in cold districts. 
Since the cooling water heated by the heat generated by the viscous heater 
VH is circulated through the main heat receiving chamber WJ1 while the 
engine 16 is cold, the engine 16 is heated by both the heat generated by 
the engine 16 and the heat generated by the viscous heater VH, whereby the 
engine 16 is heated quickly to a temperature at which efficient combustion 
is possible. 
Since the automobile heating system heats the cooling water flowing at a 
low flow rate through the viscous heater VH by the viscous heater VH 
particularly while the cooling water is cold and the main conduit 24 is 
closed by the thermostat, the passenger cabin can quickly be heated and 
the engine 16 is able to warm up quickly after the start of the engine 16. 
In an operating mode in which the engine generates heat sufficient to 
maintain itself at an appropriate temperature, the thermostat 26 opens the 
main conduit 24 and the cooling water is cooled by the radiator 27 so that 
the engine 16 is not be heated to an excessively high temperature. In this 
operating mode, an external control signal is given to apply the manifold 
pressure to the control pressure chamber 11a, so that the diaphragm 13a is 
displaced downward against the force of the compression spring 12 to 
increase the volume of the control chamber 10a. Consequently, the silicone 
oil is caused to flow, by gravity from the heat generating chamber 3 into 
the control chamber 10a, so that the heat generating ability of the 
viscous heater VH is reduced. Accordingly, a problem does not arise in the 
cooling of the cooling water by the radiator 27 (FIG. 3) and the resultant 
cooling of the engine 16, and the automobile heating system exercises 
excellent effects on maintaining satisfactory combustion efficiency and 
preventing the discharge of a palliating exhaust gas and prevents troubles 
due to the overheating of the engine 16. 
If the engine 16 and the cooling water are cold when the engine 16 is 
started again, the thermostat 26 closes the main conduit 24 to make the 
cooling water heated by the heat generated by the viscous heater VH flow 
through the heater core 29 and the main heat receiving chamber WJ1. In 
this state, the manifold pressure applied to the pressure control chamber 
11a (FIG. 1) is equal to the atmospheric pressure, and the diaphragm 13a 
is moved to an upper position by the compression spring 12 to reduce the 
volume of the control chamber 10a. Consequently, the silicone oil flows 
from the control cheer 10a into the heat generating chamber 3 to restore 
the full heat generating ability of the viscous heater VH. 
Since the automobile heating system has the idler ID having the idler 
pulley 7 of a relatively short axial length, and the viscous heater VH 
integrally combined with the idler ID in an assembly, uses the drive shaft 
6 as both an idler shaft and a heater driving shaft, and the front housing 
1 and the rear housing 2 serve as both the components of the idler ID and 
the viscous heater VH, the size of the engine unit including the engine 16 
is not very large, the idler ID and the viscous heater VH do not need 
individual pulleys, drive shafts, electromagnetic clutches and the like, 
the automobile heating system does not increase the number of parts of the 
engine unit significantly. Therefore, the engine unit including the engine 
16 and the automobile heating system can be formed in a compact 
construction, can easily be installed in the engine compartment and can be 
manufactured at low cost. 
An automobile heating system in a second embodiment according to the 
present invention shown in FIG. 4 is substantially the same in 
configuration as the automobile heating system in the first embodiment, 
except that the former is provided with a bypass conduit 38 bypassing the 
auxiliary heat receiving chamber WJ2 and provided with an on-off valve 37. 
When the cooling water is heated to a temperature beyond a predetermined 
temperature by the heat generated by the engine 16, the on-off valve is 
opened and the hot cooling water flows through the bypass conduit 38 
bypassing the auxiliary heat receiving chamber WJ2 into the main conduit 
24 and the auxiliary conduit 25. Therefore the cooling water experiences a 
relatively low resistance against its flow. Consequently, the power demand 
of the water pump can be reduced. The effects of the automobile heating 
system in the second embodiment are the same as those of the automobile 
heating system in the first embodiment. 
Referring to FIG. 5 showing an automobile heating system in a third 
embodiment according to the present invention, a pair of plates 42 and a 
cam ring 43 provided with a pump chamber 43a are fixedly disposed in a 
front housing 40 with the cam ring 43 sandwiched between the pair of 
plates 42, and an end plate 41 is fastened to the rear end of the front 
housing 40. A drive shaft 46 is supported for rotation in a plain bearing 
44 fitted in a bore formed in the front housing 40, and a shaft seal is 
fitted in the front end of the bore of the front case 40. The power 
steering pulley 19 (FIG.; 2) is fixedly mounted on the front end of the 
drive shaft 46. The rear portion of the drive shaft 46 extend through the 
end plate 41 into a middle housing 48 and a rear housing 49. A vane rotor 
47 is fixedly mounted on the drive shaft for rotation in the pump chamber 
43a. The vane rotor 47 is provided with a plurality of vanes 47a so as to 
be able to move in a radial direction. 
The middle housing 48 is fastened to the front housing 40 and the end plate 
41, the rear housing 49 is fastened to the rear end of the middle housing 
48, and a rear end plate 52 is fastened to the rear end of the rear 
housing 49. Gaskets 50 and 51 are interposed between the middle housing 48 
and the rear housing 49 and between the rear housing 49 and the rear end 
plate 52, respectively. The middle housing 48, the rear housing 49 and the 
rear end plate 52 constitute a heater housing. A heat generating chamber 
53 is defined by a cavity formed in the front end of the rear housing 49 
and the flat rear end of the middle housing 48. An auxiliary heat 
receiving chamber WJ2 is formed in the peripheral walls of the middle 
housing 48 and the rear housing 49 so as to surround the heat generating 
chamber 53. An inlet port and an outlet port, not shown, are formed so as 
to open into the auxiliary heat receiving chamber WJ2. 
A sleeve 54 is fitted in a recess formed in the rear end surface of the 
middle housing 48, a bearing 55 is fitted in the sleeve 54, and a shaft 
seal 56 is fitted in a recess formed in the front end surface of the 
middle housing 48. A bearing 57 is fitted in a recess formed in the rear 
end of the rear housing 49. The rear portion of the drive shaft 46 is 
supported for rotation in the bearings 55 and 57, and the heater housing 
is sealed by the shaft seal 56. The drive shaft 46 serves as both a pump 
driving shaft and a heater driving shaft. A sleeve 58 is fitted 
contiguously with the sleeve 54 in a recess formed in the rear end surface 
of the middle housing 48, and a bearing 59 is fitted in the sleeve 58. A 
bearing 60 is fitted in a recess formed in the rear end of the rear 
housing 49. A driven shaft 61 is supported for rotation in the bearings 59 
and 60. A helical gear 62 is fixedly mounted on a rear portion of the 
drive shaft 46 for rotation in the heat generating chamber 53, and a 
helical gear 63 is fixedly mounted on the driven shaft 61 for rotation in 
the heat generating chamber 53 so as to be in mesh with the helical gear 
62. A space between a circumferential surface defining the heat generating 
chamber 53 and the tooth tips of the driving helical gear 62 and the 
driven helical gear 63 is filled up with silicone oil. 
The power steering pulley 19, the drive shaft 46, the front housing 40, the 
cam ring 43, the vane rotor 47 and the vane 47a constitute a power 
steering hydraulic pump PP. The drive shaft, the driven shaft 61, the heat 
generating chamber 563, the driving helical gear 62, the driven helical 
gear 63, the silicone oil, and the auxiliary heat receiving camber WJ2 
constitute a gear heater GH. Thus, the gear heater GH is combined 
integrally with the power steering hydraulic pump PP in an assembly, and 
the drive shaft 46 serves as both the components of the power steering 
hydraulic pump PP and the gear heater GH. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the power steering pulley 19, the air conditioning 
electromagnetic clutch 18, the idler pulley 14, the water pump pulley 20 
and the alternator pulley 21 are driven for rotation through the belt 22 
by the crankshaft pulley 17. 
In this automobile heating apparatus, the vane rotor 47 rotates for pumping 
in the pump chamber 43a of the cam ring 43 when the drive shaft 46 of the 
power steering hydraulic pump PP is driven through the power steering 
pulley 19 by the engine 16 and, at the same time, the drive shaft 46 of 
the gear heater GH is driven for rotation. Therefore, the driving helical 
gear 62 and the driven helical gear 63 rotate in the heat generating 
chamber 53, whereby the silicone oil is stirred and sheared to generate 
heat. Accordingly, the automobile heating system is capable of 
satisfactorily heating the passenger cabin and enables the engine 16 to 
warmup quickly after the start of the engine 16 even in cold districts. 
A small amount of a hydraulic fluid pumped by the power steering hydraulic 
pump PP leaks through the shaft seal 56 into the bearing 55 of the gear 
heater GH to lubricate the bearing 55, which improves the durability of 
the gear heater GH. 
Referring to FIG. 6 showing an automobile heating system in a fourth 
embodiment according to the present invention, a middle housing 66 is 
fastened to a front housing 65, a stator core 67 is fastened to the inner 
surfaces of the front housing 65 and the middle housing 66, and stator 
coils 68 are wound on the stator core 67. The stator coils 68 are 
electrically connected to a rectifier 69 and a voltage regulator 70. A 
drive shaft 73 is supported for rotation in bearings 71 and 72 on the 
front housing 65 and the middle housing 66. The alternator pulley 21 (FIG. 
2) is fixedly mounted on the front end of the drive shaft 73, and a rear 
portion of the drive shaft 73 extends in a rear housing 74. A rotor core 
75 is fixedly mounted on the drive shaft 73, and the rotor core 75 is 
provided with field coils 77 wound on bobbins. Currents are supplied 
through brushes 76 to the field coils 77. 
The rear housing 74 is fastened to the middle housing 66, and a rear end 
plate 80 is attached to the rear end of the rear housing 74. Gaskets 78 
and 79 are interposed between the middle housing 66 and the rear housing 
74 and between the rear housing 74 and the rear end plate 80, 
respectively. A heat generating chamber 81 and an auxiliary heat receiving 
chamber WJ2 are formed in the middle housing 66 and the rear housing 74. 
The middle housing 66 and the rear housing 74 of the fourth embodiment, 
similarly to those of the third embodiment, are provided with a shaft seal 
82, sleeves 83 and 84, and bearings 85 to 88. The rear portion of the 
drive shaft 73 extending in the middle housing 66 and the rear housing 74 
is supported for rotation in the bearings 85 and 87, and a driven shaft 89 
is supported for rotation in the bearings 86 and 88. A driving helical 
gear 90 is fixedly mounted on the rear portion of the drive shaft 73, and 
a driven helical gear 91 is fixedly mounted on the driven shaft 89 so as 
to be in mesh with the driving helical gear 90. 
The alternator pulley 21, the drive shaft 73, the front housing 65, the 
middle housing 66, the stator core 67, the stator coils 68, the rectifier 
69, the voltage regulator 70, the rotor core 75, the brushes 76, the field 
coil 75 and such constitute an alternator AL. The middle housing 66, the 
rear housing 74, the drive shaft 73, the driven shaft 89, the heat 
generating chamber 81, the driving helical gear 90, the driven helical 
gear 91, the silicone oil, the auxiliary heat receiving chamber WJ2 and 
such constitute a gear heater GH. The drive shaft 73 and the middle 
housing 66 serve as the components of both the alternator AL and the gear 
heater GH. The fourth embodiment is similar in other respects to the third 
embodiment. 
In this automobile heating apparatus, when the drive shaft 73 of the 
alternator AL is driven through the alternator pulley 21 by the engine 16, 
the rotor core 75 provided with the field coils 77 rotates inside the 
arrangement of the stator coils 68 to generate electricity and, at the 
same time, since the drive shaft 73 serves also as the drive shaft of the 
gear heater GH, the driving helical gear 90 and the driven helical gear 91 
are rotated to generate heat. Accordingly, the automobile heating system 
is capable of satisfactorily heating the passenger cabin and enables the 
engine 16 to warmup quickly after the start of the engine 16 even in cold 
districts. 
Since the drive shaft 73 of the automobile heating system rotates at a high 
rotating speed, the heating effect of the automobile heating system is 
higher than that of the automobile heating system in the third embodiment. 
The automobile heating system according to the fourth embodiment is 
similar in other functions and effects to that in the third embodiment. 
The circuit arrangement of the third and the fourth embodiment may be 
either that shown in FIG. 3 or that shown in FIG. 4. 
In a modification, the positional relation between the steering hydraulic 
pump PP and the alternator AL, and the corresponding gear heaters GH 
relative to the pulleys 19 and 21 may be reversed, respectively. 
In modifications of the first to the fourth embodiment, the auxiliary 
machine and the gear heater GH may be provided with separate drive shafts, 
respectively, and the separate drive shafts may be juxtaposed and driven 
by gears or the like for synchronous operation.