Controlled-emissivity face heated by non-resistive heat source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11226236-B2
Application number	US-201716074896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2017
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

In an example, an apparatus is described that includes a non-resistive heat source, a thermally conductive face, and a temperature detector. The thermally conductive face has a controlled long-wave infrared emissivity and is in thermal contact with the non-resistive heat source. The temperature detector is positioned to detect a temperature of the thermally conductive face.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a non-resistive heat source;
a thermally conductive face having a controlled long-wave infrared emissivity, wherein the thermally conductive face is in thermal contact with the non-resistive heat source; and
a temperature detector positioned to detect a temperature of the thermally conductive face.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-resistive heat source comprises a transistor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the thermally conductive face comprises an aluminum plate that has been coated with a layer of material having a known emissivity.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controlled long-wave infrared emissivity is diffuse and uniform across an entire surface of the thermally conductive face.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a printed circuit board positioned to support the non-resistive heat source and the temperature detector; and
a thermally conductive interface positioned between the thermally conductive face and the printed circuit board.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the thermally conductive interface is electrically non-conductive.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising:
a spacer positioned to hold the thermally conductive face flat above the printed circuit board.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is deployed within a three-dimensional printer.

9. A method, comprising:
determining an expected value describing heat emitted by an emitter face having a known emissivity, based on a measurement of a temperature of the emitter face;
comparing a measurement taken by a non-contact thermal measurement device to the expected value; and
determining, based on the comparing, whether the non-contact thermal measurement device is functioning properly.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
heating the emitter face to a setpoint using a non-resistive heat source, prior to the determining the expected value.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the determining whether the non-contact thermal measurement device is functioning properly comprises:
concluding that the non-contact thermal measurement device is functioning properly when the measurement taken by a non-contact thermal measurement device is within a predefined variance of the expected value.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the determining whether the non-contact thermal measurement device is functioning properly comprises:
concluding that the non-contact thermal measurement device is not functioning properly when the measurement taken by a non-contact thermal measurement device is not within a predefined variance of the expected value.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor, the machine-readable storage medium comprising:
instructions to determine an expected value describing heat emitted by an emitter face having a known emissivity, based on a measurement of a temperature of the emitter face;
instructions to a measurement taken by a non-contact thermal measurement device to the expected value; and
instructions to determine, based on the comparing, whether the non-contact thermal measurement device is functioning properly.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions to determine whether the non-contact thermal measurement device is functioning properly comprise:
instructions to conclude that the non-contact thermal measurement device is functioning properly when the measurement taken by a non-contact thermal measurement device is within a predefined variance of the expected value.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions to determine whether the non-contact thermal measurement device is functioning properly comprises:
instructions to conclude that the non-contact thermal measurement device is not functioning properly when the measurement taken by a non-contact thermal measurement device is not within a predefined variance of the expected value.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Yasbek Joshua Peter
• Goyen Todd
• Soriano Fosas David
• Weiss Asa
• Barnes Arthur H

Classifications

• G01J5/70

  Passive compensation of pyrometer measurements, e.g. using ambient temperature sensing or sensing of temperature within housing · CPC title

• G01J5/026 Primary

  Control of working procedures of a pyrometer, other than calibration; Bandwidth calculation; Gain control · CPC title

• G01J2005/063

  Heating; Thermostating · CPC title

• G01J5/06

  Arrangements for eliminating effects of disturbing radiation; Arrangements for compensating changes in sensitivity (for adjusting of solid angle of collected radiation G01J5/07; means for wavelength selection G01J5/0801) · CPC title

• G01J2005/103

  Absorbing heated plate or film and temperature detector · CPC title