The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 23, 2002
Filed:
Sep. 28, 1998
Fumio Abe, Handa, JP;
NGK Insulators, Ltd., , JP;
Abstract
A heater unit includes a metallic casing, and a honeycomb heater held in the casing via a metallic holding member, comprising a metallic honeycomb structure having a large number of parallel passages extending in the direction of the flow of an exhaust gas passing through the heater unit and at least one electrode for electrical heating of the honeycomb structure, attached to the honeycomb structure. In the heater unit, the holding member has such a structure as (1) is fitted to part of the outer surface of the honeycomb heater to allow the honeycomb heater to have a stable shape and (2) substantially blocks the flow path of exhaust gas between the honeycomb heater and the casing. This heater unit can withstand severe operating conditions such as experienced in automobiles; moreover, in this heater unit, the by-pass flow of exhaust gas is made substantially zero and the whole exhaust gas can pass through the honeycomb heater.