CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of German Patent Application DE 10 2018 114 615.9 filed Jun. 19, 2018.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a temperature calibrator for calibrating temperature function devices comprising an outer housing and an inner housing as well as a calibrator block, wherein the calibrator block has a radial spacing from the inner housing to form a flow space, with the flow space being in communication with the environment at the upper end and at the lower end to generate a flow, and with a fan having a fan wheel that can be driven by a motor being connected to the flow space.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Temperature calibrators are sufficiently known. They typically serve the calibration of temperature function devices such as thermometers or also thermal switches.

The object of a calibrator comprises heating or cooling to a temperature specified by the user for a thermometer or also for a thermal switch and to keep the temperature constant over a specific time period. It is necessary for this purpose that certain information is input to the calibrator or to the control and regulation unit of the calibrator, e.g. the desired temperature or the regulation parameters for the regulation of the temperature to a specified level. The calibrator block as part of a temperature unit of the calibrator has at least one heating cartridge, a temperature reference sensor, and a so-called test specimen mount, that is, a mount, for example, for a thermometer.

As already explained at another passage, it is by all means known to heat and also to cool the calibrator block as part of the calibration unit. A motor-powered fan having a fan wheel is provided for cooling the calibrator block. The fan wheel is formed from plastic in accordance with the prior art. Due to the thermal stress on the fan wheel, the fan wheel has to run at a minimum speed of approximately 50% of the rated speed during the entire operation, and here in particular during heating up, with the thermal radiation of the calibrating block located above the fan additionally being shielded by means of a heat protection plate. To achieve sufficient heat shielding, only a few small bores are located in the heat protection plate, whereby, however, the larger part of the air flows generated by the fan is shielded. It has already been pointed out that for thermal reasons the fan always has to run at 50% of its rated power, with this also being the case during the heating-up phase. To this extent, not only the time of the heating-up phase up to the reaching of the desired temperature is extended, but also unnecessary energy is rather furthermore wasted. It is known in this connection also to use an adjustable shield instead of an air-permeable heat protection plate having small bores, with additional control and regulation hardware, however, being required to control the shield, which causes the complexity and the likelihood of failures to increase. The use of an air-permeable heat protection plate is ultimately a compromise between air permeability and heat shielding and to this extent has a disadvantageous effect on efficiency both during cooling and during heating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is now the underlying object of the disclosure to provide a remedy here; the efficiency in the heating-up phase should in particular be increased.

Provision is made to achieve the object that the fan wheel is formed from a heat-resistant material and that the fan forms a predominantly closed surface in a plan view. The following results from this. When the fan is formed from a heat-resistant material, in particular from a metal, such a fan wheel can withstand temperatures of up to 700° C. and more. Since the fan wheel of the fan forms a substantially closed surface in a plan view, an air flow through the flow space can be substantially suppressed, but at least reduced, with a stationary fan wheel, which appreciably shortens the heating-up phase of the calibrating block. The fan wheel is set into rotation to cool the calibrating block, that is, to generate an air flow around the calibrating block in the flow space, from which it becomes clear that the fan wheel satisfies two functions: The first function comprises shortening the heating-up phase during the heating-up phase of the calibrator block by reducing the air flow in the flow housing; a second function comprises, as is also known from the prior art, contributing to the cooling of the calibrator block by the fan wheel.

Advantageous features and embodiments of the disclosure are disclosed herein.

Provision is thus in particular made that the fan wheel is manufactured in that a disk-shaped base body has radially extending slits, with the sections formed by the slits being rotated out of the plane of the disk-shaped base body to form fan blades. Such a fan wheel admittedly has a somewhat smaller efficiency than a fan wheel in which the spacings between the individual fan blades are larger; the smaller efficiency can, however, be compensated by a higher speed to generate the required air flow. The area covered by the fan wheel is approximately 60% to 80% of a closed circular area, preferably approximately 75%. The coverage by the fan wheel also depends on the pivot angle of the fan blades. A higher degree of coverage can be achieved in that individual fan blades are installed separately as a fan wheel. This means that the fan blades can be selected correspondingly large for the coverage and thus also so large that the coverage is also greater than 100%.

It has already been pointed out at another passage that the fan is driven by a motor, in particular by an electric motor. Electric motors can typically withstand temperatures of approximately 80° C. to 90° C. Expensive motors can also withstand higher temperatures; however, it has been found that the stated temperature limit of 80° C. to 90° C. can be observed by the shielding of the motor by a motor shielding housing so that less expensive electric motors can also be used. Provision can be made in accordance with a special feature to use such motors that have their own fans, whereby the motor can additionally be protected from overheating.

Provision is furthermore advantageously made that the space formed by the motor shielding housing is in communication with the environment to ensure an exchange of air.

A further advantageous feature is characterized in that the fan wheel is arranged in an annular housing that extends in alignment with the inner housing so that it is ensured that, on the one hand, the flow space is predominantly sealed off by the fan wheel during the heating-up phase and that the cooling air generated by the fan wheel in the cooling-down phase can actually totally pass through the flow space.

Provision is made in accordance with a further feature of the disclosure that the fan wheel is connected to the motor by a motor shaft, with the length of the shaft being selected such that specific temperatures are not exceeded, namely the already previously mentioned temperatures in the range between 80° and 90° C. This means that a motor moved away from the fan wheel by a somewhat longer shaft also provides additional security against an overheating of the motor.

The temperature calibrator has an outer housing and an inner housing, wherein, in accordance with a further feature of the disclosure, the inner housing shows an insulation on the side facing the calibrator block in order, on the one hand, to shorten the heating-up phase and, on the other hand, to prevent the outer housing from becoming so hot that there is a risk of burns on contact for the operators.

The fan of the temperature calibrator may have a surface in plan view that is at least 50% closed, or at least 60% closed, or at least 70% closed

