Patent Description:
Generally, HVAC systems are provided in a vehicle to provide comfort driving to the driver and the occupants. The HVAC system may include heat exchangers to provide either hot air or cold air based on a mode of operation of the heat exchangers. To provide hot air to the cabin, hot fluid is received from an engine of the vehicle if the vehicle is an internal combustion engine vehicle. In case the vehicle is an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, a heater core having heating elements provides hot air to the cabin of the vehicle. The heating elements are electrical heating elements powered by an electrical source. In some case, the heater core is used to cold start the engine of the vehicle when the vehicle is in a cold region. If the heater core is utilized to provide comfort conditions to the passengers inside the vehicle's cabin, the heater core is placed in a downstream of an evaporator of the HVAC unit.

Generally, the heater core is coupled to housing for providing electrical insulation for electrical terminals of the heating elements of the heater core. The electrical terminals of the heating elements are extended to the housing and coupled to bus bars provided in the housing. The bus bars are connected with a pair of wires (e.g., pigtail connection) to provide electrical energy to the bus bars. In turn, the bus bars transmit electrical energy to the heating elements in the heater core. Conventionally, both of the wires are adapted to enter into the housing from one side of the housing to enable contact with the electrical terminals of the heating elements. However, such design may cause electrical leakage between the electrical terminals. By providing two connections next to each other may lead to potential electrical insulation issues between the two connections. Further, such design of connections may be cumbersome to connect the two wires with the bus bar.

As shown in <FIG>, a conventional housing assembly <NUM> provides housing for a pair bus bars <NUM> that is adapted to energies a heating element (not shown in <FIG>) of a heater device. The pair of bus bars <NUM> may include terminals and adapted to connect with the heating element. The pair of bus bars <NUM> may be connected with two wires <NUM>, <NUM> to power the heating element. The first wire <NUM> and the second wire <NUM> enter into the conventional housing assembly <NUM> from a side <NUM>, where the first wire <NUM> and the second wire <NUM> are adjacent to each other. The first wire <NUM> and the second wire <NUM> are connected to the corresponding bus bars through terminal connections <NUM>, <NUM> respectively. As the terminal connections <NUM>, <NUM> are adjacent to each other, there is a potential risk of electrical leakage between the terminal connections <NUM>, <NUM> of the first wire <NUM> and the second wire <NUM> that may cause short-circuiting.

Accordingly, there is need for a simple design to connect the wires with the bus bar which eliminates risk of electrical leakage between the connections in the design.

It is known from the document <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> to place electrical terminals in protrusion portions of housings.

An object of the present invention is to provide a housing assembly that obviates the drawbacks associated with the conventional housing assembly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a housing to encapsulate terminals, which connects heating elements and wires, to provide insulation between terminals.

The housing assembly includes a housing configured with a protruded portion, a first terminal, and a second terminal. The first terminal is configured on the protruded portion of the housing and adapted to be electrically connected with a first bus bar. The second terminal is configured on a first end of the housing and adapted to be electrically connected with a second bus bar. The first bus bar and the second bus bar are connected to the heater core to provide an electrical connectivity to the heater core. Further, the first terminal and the second terminal are laterally offset to each other, and are at least partially on opposite sides of a reference line coinciding with an edge of a printed circuit board received in the housing.

In one embodiment, the housing includes a first side wall and a second side wall adapted to be coupled to the first side wall. The first side wall and the second side wall may forms a base portion.

In another embodiment, the printed circuit board is provided on a second end of the housing in such a way that the first terminal and the second terminal are adjacent to the orthogonal sides of the printed circuit board. In yet another embodiment, the housing assembly comprises a plurality of connectors that is connected to the first bus bar and the second bus bar to couple the first bus bar and the second bus bar with the printed circuit board. In yet another embodiment, the housing assembly comprises a top portion adapted to couple with the housing for encapsulating of the first terminal, the second terminal and the printed circuit board. The top portion and the housing may be of an electrically insulated material.

In yet another embodiment, the housing assembly further comprising at least one locking assembly to retain the housing and the top portion in a locked state. Further, the at least one locking assembly being a snap-fit assembly having is complementary engagement members provided on the housing and the top portion to lock the housing with the top portion. The first terminal and the second terminal are connected to an electrical energy source by a pair of electrical conductors.

In another aspect of the invention, a heating device is provided for a vehicle. The heating device includes a heater core and the housing assembly. The heater core may further include one or more heating elements with corresponding electrical contacts. The housing assembly includes a housing configured with a protruded portion, a first terminal, and a second terminal. The first terminal is configured on the protruded portion of the housing and adapted to be electrically connected with a first bus bar. The second terminal is configured on a first end of the housing and adapted to be electrically connected with a second bus bar. The first bus bar and the second bus bar are connected to the heater core to provide an electrical connectivity to the heater core. Further, the first terminal and the second terminal are laterally offset to each other, and are at least partially on opposite sides of a reference line coinciding with an edge of a printed circuit board received in the housing.

It must be noted that the figures disclose the invention in a detailed enough way to be implemented, the figures helping to better define the invention if needs be. The invention should however not be limited to the embodiment disclosed in the description.

The present subject matter relates to concepts relating to a housing assembly for housing electrical terminals of heating elements of a heating device. According to another aspect, the present subject matter relates to a heating device provided with a housing assembly for housing the electrical terminals of the heating elements. The housing assembly includes a housing having a protruded portion. Further, a couple of terminals are provided on the housing, one terminal is provided on the protruded portion and another terminal is provided on the portion other than the protruded portion. The couple of terminals are connected to heating elements through a pair of bus-bars. As the terminals are laterally offset to each other, and are at least partially on opposite sides of a reference line coinciding with an edge of a printed circuit board received in the housing, a risk of electrical leakage between the terminals is eliminated.

These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail in conjunction with the following figures. While aspects relating to a housing assembly provided with a heating device as described above and henceforth can be implemented in any number of terminals which are offset to each other to avoid electrical leakage, the embodiments are described in the context of the following system(s).

<FIG> and <FIG> illustrate a comparison of a conventional housing assembly with a housing assembly 100A of a heating device of the present subject matter. In one example, <FIG> illustrates a schematic view of the conventional housing assembly, and <FIG> illustrates a schematic view of the housing assembly 100A of the present subject matter. In conventional housing assembly <NUM> of <FIG>, the two terminals <NUM>, <NUM> are placed adjacent to each other which may leads to current/potential leakage between the two terminals <NUM>, <NUM>. In contrast, two terminals <NUM>, <NUM> of the housing assembly 100A of <FIG> are laterally offset to each other, thereby eliminating risk of potential leakage between the two terminals <NUM>, <NUM>. Further, construction and assembling of the housing assembly are described in forthcoming figures.

<FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate schematic isometric views of a heating device <NUM> provided with the housing assembly 100A of <FIG>, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. In one example, <FIG> illustrates a schematic view of the heating device <NUM> with the housing assembly 100A, <FIG> illustrates a schematic view of the heating device <NUM> having a Printed Circuit Board <NUM>, and <FIG> illustrates a perspective view of the housing assembly 100A. The heating device <NUM> includes a heater core 120A having one or more heating elements 120B, and the housing assembly 100A. The housing assembly 100A being coupled on the heater core 120A and adapted to receive corresponding electrical contacts of the one or more heating elements 120B. The housing assembly 100A includes a housing <NUM>, a first terminal <NUM>, and a second terminal <NUM>. According to the invention the housing <NUM> is provided with a protruded portion <NUM>. According to the invention the protruded portion <NUM> is formed on a wall of the housing <NUM>. The housing <NUM> may include a first side wall <NUM> and a second side wall <NUM> which are coupled to each other. The housing <NUM> may further include a first bus bar <NUM>, and a second bus bar <NUM> to connect the first terminal <NUM> and the second terminal <NUM> with corresponding electrical contacts of the one or more heating elements 120B.

The first terminal <NUM> may be configured on the protruded portion <NUM> of the housing <NUM> and is electrically connected to the first bus bar <NUM>. The second terminal <NUM> may be configured on a first end <NUM> of the housing <NUM> and is electrically connected to the second bus bar <NUM>. The housing <NUM> further receives a printed circuit board (PCB) (not shown in <FIG> and <FIG>) to adjust heating power of the heater core 102A and provide protection function to the heater core 120A. In one embodiment, the PCB may be provided with control circuits (not shown in <FIG> and <FIG>) to control supply of electrical energy to the heater core 120A and to avoid overheating of the heater core 120A. Further, the first terminal <NUM> and the second terminal <NUM> are laterally offset to each other, and are at least partially on opposite sides of a reference line coinciding with an edge <NUM> of the printed circuit board <NUM> received in the housing <NUM>. In other words, the first terminal <NUM> and the second terminal <NUM> are provided in such a way that the first terminal <NUM> is diagonally anterior to the second terminal <NUM>. The first terminal <NUM> and the second terminal <NUM> are connected to an electrical energy source by a pair of electrical conductors <NUM>. In one embodiment, the pair of electrical conductors <NUM> is electrically insulated wires. In one embodiment, the housing <NUM> is a rectangular housing having a first side wall <NUM> and a second side wall <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrate the first side wall <NUM> and the second side wall <NUM> of the housing <NUM> of <FIG>, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. In one embodiment, the housing <NUM> is formed by snap-fitting the first side wall <NUM> and the second side wall <NUM>. In one example, the first side wall <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, includes a first vertical wall <NUM> having a first horizontal portion 306A. The first horizontal portion 306A may be perpendicularly coupled to the first vertical wall <NUM>. In another example, the second side wall <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, includes a second vertical wall <NUM> having a second horizontal portion 306B perpendicular to the second vertical wall <NUM>. The second horizontal portion 306B may be perpendicularly coupled to the second vertical wall <NUM> of the second side wall <NUM>. In another embodiment, the first vertical wall <NUM>, and the second vertical wall <NUM> are adapted to couple each other thereby coupling the first horizontal portion 306A with the second horizontal portion 306B as shown in <FIG>. In one example, the first side wall <NUM> is adapted to couple with the second side wall <NUM> to form a base portion. In one embodiment, the base portion may be a portion which forms when the first horizontal portion 306A is coupled the second horizontal portion 306B.

<FIG> illustrates an exploded view of the heating device <NUM> of <FIG>, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The electrical contacts <NUM> of the one or more heating elements 120B are coupled to the first bus bar <NUM> and the second bus bar <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Further, a plurality of connectors <NUM> is provided in the first bus bar <NUM> and the second bus bar <NUM> to couple the first bus bar <NUM> and the second bus bar <NUM> with the printed circuit board <NUM>. The plurality of connectors <NUM> is coupled to the printed circuit board <NUM> to provide rigid support to the electrical contacts <NUM> of the one or more heating elements 120B. Further, the printer circuit board <NUM> is provided at a second end <NUM> of the housing <NUM> in such a way that the first terminal <NUM> and the second terminal <NUM> are adjacent to the orthogonal sides of the printed circuit board <NUM> respectively. In one embodiment, the second end <NUM> may be opposite to the first end <NUM>. In another embodiment, the printed circuit board <NUM> may partially covers the first bus bar <NUM> and the second bus bar <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

Further, the housing assembly 100A includes a top portion <NUM> adapted to couple with the housing <NUM> for encapsulating the first terminal <NUM>, the second terminal <NUM>, and the printed circuit board <NUM> as shown in the <FIG>. In one embodiment, the top portion <NUM> is complementary to the housing <NUM> to enable engagement between each other. The housing assembly 100A further includes at least one locking assembly <NUM> to retain the housing <NUM> and the top portion <NUM> in a locked state. In one embodiment, the at least one locking assembly <NUM> being a snap-fit assembly having complementary engagement members provided on the housing <NUM> and the top portion <NUM> to lock the housing <NUM> with the top portion <NUM>. In another embodiment, the housing assembly 100A may include multiple locking assemblies provided throughout the circumference of the housing <NUM> and the top portion <NUM>. In one embodiment, the top portion <NUM> and the housing <NUM> are of an electrically insulated material. In one example, the heating device <NUM> can be provided in a fossil fuel vehicle to provide heat while cold starting an engine of the vehicle in a cold region. In another example, the heating device can be provided in a HVAC unit of an electric vehicle to provide hot air to the passengers in the vehicle's cabin.

Several modifications and improvement might be applied by the person skilled in the art to the housing assembly 100A as defined above, as long as it comprises the first terminal <NUM> and the second terminal <NUM> orthogonally offset to the first terminal <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A housing assembly (100A) for facilitating electrical connectivity to a heater core (120A) of a heating device, the heater core being configured to be placed in a Heating Ventilation and Air conditioning (HVAC) system, the housing assembly comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) configured with a protruded portion (<NUM>) formed on a wall of the housing (<NUM>);
a first terminal (<NUM>) configured on the protruded portion (<NUM>) of the housing (<NUM>) and electrically connected with a first bus bar (<NUM>);
a second terminal (<NUM>) provided on the portion other than the protruded portion and configured on a first end (<NUM>) of the housing (<NUM>) and electrically connected with a second bus bar (<NUM>), wherein the first bus bar (<NUM>) and the second bus bar (<NUM>) are configured to be connected to the heater core (120A) to provide an electrical connectivity to the heater core (120A), whereby the first terminal (<NUM>) and the second terminal (<NUM>) are laterally offset to each other, and are at least partially on opposite sides of a reference line coinciding with an edge of a printed circuit board (<NUM>) received in the housing (<NUM>); and
a top portion (<NUM>) adapted to couple with the housing (<NUM>) for encapsulating the first terminal (<NUM>), the second terminal (<NUM>), and the printed circuit board (<NUM>).