The Electrical PTC Air Heater Elements with Integrated Electronics
● Heating comfort for modern vehicle concepts
Modern, fuel-efficient vehicle engines provide too little waste heat to ensure a sufficient and comfortable temperature in the passenger compartment. With additional electrical air and water heaters (PTC heaters), Espar catem offers an effective solution to this challenge.
The PTC heater elements can be adapted without difficulty to customized applications and can also be used decentrally in the vehicle, for example for targeted neck-level heating. This know-how is already operational in more than 25 million vehicles around the globe.
With high-voltage applications up to 500 V, Espar catem is already developing mass-production-ready PTC heaters. They can be installed in very little space in future vehicle generations with hybrid, electric and fuel cell drives. These PTC heater elements cover an output range of up to 7 kW and can be adapted to the typical voltage ranges, providing highly efficient heating even in new vehicle concepts.
● PTC Air Heater Elements with Integrated Electronics
Based on the proven technology of Espar catem’s standard PTC air heater elements, these powerful electronic heater elements feature integrated processor control electronics for optimal, stepless regulation and adjustment to the heating performance in every vehicle operating state. An electronic output controller is integrated directly in the PTC air heater for this purpose.
Power semiconductors switch the individual heating circuits off and on, and special protection and diagnostic functions are installed in the electronics module. Data exchange or the actuation of heating elements via the vehicle runs via a databus, e.g. LIN or CAN, or directly via a PWM interface, depending on the customer.
The microprocessor-controlled power electronics permit comprehensive diagnostics to be performed on the PTC air heater and its heating circuits. Every circuit can be monitored individually and switched off, if required. Furthermore, the system monitors the power/current consumption of the air heater.
All of this information can be made available to the vehicle electrical system via the interface for comprehensive energy management.
PTC heater elements with integrated control electronics significantly reduce cabling inside the vehicle and thus help to save on installation space and costs.