Pixelated Heat Image Forming Device Using Switching Transistor Arrays
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital imaging systems face challenges in efficiently forming transient heat patterns over surfaces with reduced power consumption, which is essential for processes like lithographic offset printing.
Innovation Solution
A heat image forming device utilizing an array of switching heating elements, including field effect transistors with semiconductor layers, gate, source, and drain electrodes, and conductive lines for digital addressing, allowing for precise and efficient heating of pixel-sized areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional heaters and light sources are used to form transient heat patterns, then heating capability is achieved, but power consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is divided into an array of independently controllable heating elements, each corresponding to a pixel or group of pixels. This segmentation allows only the necessary heating elements to be activated, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining precise heating capability where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating elements are dynamically controlled through digital addressing systems that can selectively activate or deactivate individual elements based on real-time imaging requirements. This dynamic control enables the system to consume power only when and where heating is actually needed, rather than continuous operation of conventional heaters.
2Measurement precision
If conventional heating methods are used, then heating function is provided, but precision and efficiency in forming transient heat patterns are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Each heating element in the array can be independently controlled to provide localized heating with precise spatial resolution. This allows the formation of complex transient heat patterns with high precision by activating only the specific elements required for the desired pattern, rather than using uniform conventional heating methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables independent control of heating parameters (temperature, duration, spatial distribution) for each heating element through digital addressing. This parameter control allows optimization of heating efficiency and precision by adjusting the state of individual elements based on specific imaging requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and efficient heating of surfaces with reduced power consumption, suitable for applications like curing materials and patterned chemical reactivity, with scalable and addressable heating elements.
Implementation Method 1
Each switching heating element may include a field effect transistor, with the transistors each having a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, a drain electrode
Data Source
AI summary
A heating circuit having an array of switching heating elements (e.g., field effect transistors, thin film transistors) provides a transient heat pattern over a surface (e.g., substrate, imaging member surface, transfer roll surface) moving relative to the heating circuit, to produce a pixelated heat image and heat a target pattern on the surface. Heat is generated by current flow in the heating elements, and the power developed by the heating circuit is the product of source-drain voltage and current in the channel. Digital addressing may accomplished by matrix addressing the array. Current may be supplied along data address lines by an external voltage controlled by digital electronics understood by a skilled artisan to provide the desired heat at a respective heating element pixels addressed by a specific gate line. The circuit may include a current return line that may be low resistance, for example, by using a 2-dimensional mesh.