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DE-102024132695-A1 - Adapter for connecting a radiator thermostat to a radiator valve

DE102024132695A1DE 102024132695 A1DE102024132695 A1DE 102024132695A1DE-102024132695-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an adapter (100) for connecting a radiator thermostat (300) to a radiator valve (200) comprising a base body (10), a preloading element (30), and a union nut (20), wherein the base body (10) has a receptacle (12) for the radiator valve (200) and at least one contact surface (11a) for forming surface contact with an axial contact surface (213) of the radiator valve (200), and the union nut (20) is screw-connectable or screw-connected to a threaded ring (11) of the base body (10), and wherein the preloading element (30) can be arranged between the union nut (20) and the base body (10) such that the preloading element (30) is forced radially inwards at least section by screwing the union nut (20) onto the threaded ring (11), and an axial surface pressure is exerted between the contact surface (11a) and the axial contact surface (213).

Inventors

  • Ralf Spiekermann
  • Julian Bolte
  • Mirko Ebbers
  • Markus Ortmann
  • Bastian Breimhorst
  • Matthias Kramer

Assignees

  • termios GmbH

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241108

Claims (18)

  1. Adapter (100) for connecting a radiator thermostat (300) to a radiator valve (200) with a base body (10) and a union nut (20) which is screw-connectable or screw-connected to a threaded ring (11) of the base body (10), wherein the base body (10) has a receptacle (12) for the radiator valve (200), characterized in that the base body (10) has at least one contact surface (11a) for forming a surface contact with an axial contact surface (213) of the radiator valve (200), wherein a preloading element (30) can be arranged or is arranged between the union nut (20) and the base body (10) such that the preloading element (30) is forced radially inwards at least section by screwing the union nut (20) onto the threaded ring (11), and an axial surface pressure is exerted between the contact surface (11a) and the axial contact surface (213) of the radiator valve (200). Contact area (213) is caused.
  2. Adapter (100) according to at least the general term of Patent claim 1 characterized in that the base body (10) has a thermostat-side end flange (13) which can be directly connected to or is connected to the radiator thermostat (300).
  3. Adapter (100) to Claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the preloading element (30) is arranged such that it engages at least partially in an annular groove (211) of the radiator valve (200).
  4. Adapter (100) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the union nut (20) and/or the preloading element (30) has at least one internal, inclined guide surface (21) which, in the case of a radially inward movement of the preloading element (30), causes an axial movement of the base body (10), in particular to the surface pressure between the contact surface (11a) and the axial contact surface (213).
  5. Adapter (100) to Claim 4 characterized in that the inclined guide surface (21) extends inwards in a wedge or conical direction from the radiator thermostat (300) to the radiator valve (200).
  6. Adapter (100) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the base body (10) and/or the union nut (20) comprises or consists of a thermally conductive material, in particular a metal or a ceramic.
  7. Adapter (100) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the base body (10) is monolithic.
  8. Adapter (100) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the base body (10) is connected or connectable to the radiator thermostat (300).
  9. Adapter (100) according to one of the Claims 1 and 3 until 8 characterized in that the base body (10) has a thermostat-side external thread (14) for screw connection with a connection flange (310) of a radiator thermostat (200).
  10. Adapter (100) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the base body (10), in particular the end flange (13), has a coaxial through-opening (15).
  11. Adapter (100) to Claim 10 characterized in that an extension pin (16) is arranged in the through-opening (15), which has a stop plate (16a) at a valve-side end for flat contact with a valve spindle (212) of the radiator valve (200).
  12. Adapter (100) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the preload element (30) has a snap ring (31) with a round or polygonal cross-sectional profile.
  13. Adapter (100) to Claim 11 or 12 characterized in that a circumferential, inclined sliding surface (11b) is formed at a valve-side end of the base body (10), which forms a wedge-shaped guide structure for the snap ring with the inclined guide surface (21) of the union nut (20).
  14. Adapter (100) according to one of the Claims 1 until 11 characterized in that the preload element (30) has a toothed ring (32), wherein the toothed ring (32) comprises several radially inwardly projecting, in particular at least partially wedge-shaped, teeth (33).
  15. Adapter (100) to Claim 14 characterized in that the union nut (20) has an internal, inclined transmission surface (22) which widens conically towards a side of the union nut (20) facing away from the radiator thermostat (300) and is adapted to radially compress the toothed ring (32).
  16. Adapter (100) to Claim 14 or 15 characterized in that the base body (10) has on an outer circumference a circumferential groove (17) for receiving the toothed ring (32), in which several openings (17a) are arranged through which the teeth (33) of the toothed ring (32) extend radially inwards.
  17. Radiator thermostat (300) with an adapter (100) according to one of the preceding claims.
  18. radiator thermostat (300) according to Claim 17 characterized in that the radiator thermostat (300) has a thermal energy generation element (320) for generating electrical energy from a temperature difference between the radiator thermostat (300) and the adapter (100).

Description

The invention relates to an adapter for connecting a radiator thermostat to a radiator valve according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention further relates to a radiator thermostat with such an adapter. To improve energy efficiency in buildings, electronic radiator thermostats are increasingly being used, which can be retrofitted to existing radiators. Compared to purely mechanical radiator thermostats, electronic radiator thermostats offer improved control options. This allows the heating output and room temperature to be adjusted according to the situation, thus optimizing heating energy consumption. Such radiator thermostats are already familiar in practice, with most using batteries or rechargeable batteries as their power source. Batteries must be replaced regularly, or rechargeable batteries recharged, to ensure the thermostat functions correctly. In any case, user interaction is required to maintain adequate heating control. Therefore, initial considerations are being given to designing radiator thermostats in such a way that the energy required to control the heating output is provided according to the principle of energy harvesting. EP 3 318 948 B1 This describes, for example, a radiator thermostat that uses a thermoelectric generator as its energy source. The thermoelectric generator produces electrical energy from the temperature difference between a hot side and a cold side. In the familiar radiator thermostat, the hot side is formed by the radiator itself, while the cold side is provided by the air surrounding the thermostat. The familiar radiator thermostat uses a union nut to connect to a radiator valve, which can be screwed onto the external thread of the radiator valve. The union nut engages spring-like extensions of the thermostat housing, and screwing the union nut onto the radiator valve creates a clamping connection between the finger-like extensions and the radiator valve. The common method of connecting the radiator thermostat to the radiator valve has disadvantages. In particular, the clamp connection does not reliably ensure efficient heat transfer from the radiator valve to the thermostat. This is essential to achieve the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides required for energy generation in the thermoelectric generator. Furthermore, the clamp connection is disadvantageous because the clamping pressure can vary depending on the radiator's heating output due to temperature-related material expansion. Consequently, the quality of heat transfer from the radiator valve via the clamp connection to the hot side of the thermoelectric generator is not constant and may be insufficient, especially when high control demands are placed on the system. With the familiar clamp connection, there is also the risk that the radiator thermostat will sit at an angle on the radiator valve. In particular, the radiator thermostat can become jammed at an angle if someone accidentally bumps it, further impairing heat transfer. A particularly disadvantage is that an inadequate connection between the radiator thermostat and the radiator valve is not immediately apparent but may only become evident later during operation. This usually manifests as a failure of the radiator thermostat, rendering the intended energy-saving measures ineffective. Another disadvantage of the familiar radiator thermostat is that the clamp connection can only be used for a specific type of radiator valve. However, there are radiator valves from different manufacturers that offer various connection options. For example, EP 1 154 343 B1 and DE 85 35 987 U1 Different geometries of radiator valves. While it is technically possible to retrofit radiator thermostats with adapters that connect radiator thermostats to radiator valves from different manufacturers, most of these adapters are made of plastic and therefore fundamentally unsuitable for heat transfer. Furthermore, most known adapters suffer from the same disadvantages as the standard radiator thermostat. EP 3 318 948 B1 , which means that due to insufficiently and permanently ensured surface contact, consistent heat transfer is not guaranteed. Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide an adapter for connecting a radiator thermostat to a radiator valve, which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages and, in particular, enables a permanently good thermal connection between the radiator thermostat and the radiator valve. Furthermore The object of the invention is to provide a radiator thermostat with such an adapter. According to the invention, this problem is solved with regard to the adapter by the subject matter of claim 1 and with regard to the radiator thermostat by the subject matter of claim 17. Specifically, the invention is based on the concept of providing an adapter for connecting a radiator thermostat to a radiator valve, comprising a base body and a union nut that can be screwed to or is screwed to a threaded ring of t