Expansion device, three-dimensional image forming system, method of expanding thermally expandable sheet, and computer readable storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11325409-B2
Application number	US-201815889832-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2018
Priority date	Mar 24, 2017
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

An expansion device, including: an installation unit in which a thermally expandable sheet is disposed; an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the thermally expandable sheet placed on the installation unit with light; and a control unit configured to perform processes described below, wherein after an expansion process to expand the thermally expandable sheet by irradiating the thermally expandable sheet placed on the installation unit with light by the irradiation unit, a cooling process to cool the thermally expandable sheet by a predetermined cooling unit while maintaining the state in which the thermally expandable sheet is placed on the installation unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An expansion device, comprising:
a housing;
an exhaust fan fixed in the housing;
an installation unit in which a thermally expandable sheet is disposed;
an irradiation unit provided inside the housing and configured to irradiate the thermally expandable sheet with light in a state in which the thermally expandable sheet is placed on the installation unit inside the housing;
an air supply fan attached to the irradiation unit;
a movement unit capable of reciprocating the irradiation unit, to which the air supply fan is attached, between a first position and a second position; and
a control unit configured to perform control of processes comprising:
an expansion process to expand the thermally expandable sheet by irradiating the thermally expandable sheet placed on the installation unit with light by the irradiation unit; and
a cooling process, performed after the expansion process, to cool the thermally expandable sheet by the air supply fan attached to the irradiation unit, while maintaining the state in which the thermally expandable sheet is placed on the installation unit inside the housing, the cooling process including drawing in outside air from outside of the housing and supplying the outside air toward the irradiation unit and into the housing by the air supply fan, and discharging air inside the housing toward the exhaust fan,

wherein the control unit is configured to perform control such that (i) the expansion process is performed when the irradiation unit moves from the first position toward the second position by the movement unit, and (ii) the cooling process is performed when the irradiation unit is returned from the second position to the first position by the movement unit or when the irradiation unit is not moving.

2. The expansion device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to perform control such that in the expansion process, the irradiation unit irradiates light when being moved from the first position toward the second position by the movement unit, and the air supply fan is stopped when the irradiation unit is moved from the first position toward the second position by the movement unit.

3. The expansion device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to perform control such that in the cooling process, the irradiation unit does not irradiate light when being returned from the second position to the first position by the movement unit or when the irradiation unit is not moving, and the air supply fan is driven when the irradiation unit is moved from the first position toward the second position by the movement unit.

4. The expansion device according to claim 1 , wherein the installation unit is configured to press at least two corners facing each other of the thermally expandable sheet.

5. The expansion device according to claim 1 , wherein the installation unit is configured to press at least two sides facing each other of the thermally expandable sheet.

6. The expansion device according to claim 1 , wherein the air supply fan cools the irradiation unit by sending the outside air drawn in from outside of the housing toward the irradiation unit.

7. The expansion device according to claim 1 , wherein the thermally expandable sheet expands upon being heated to a temperature equal to or higher than a specified temperature, and
wherein the control unit is configured to, after performing control of a drying process to dry the thermally expandable sheet by causing the irradiation unit to emit light while moving the irradiation unit by the movement unit so as to maintain the thermally expandable sheet below the specified temperature, perform control of the expansion process to expand the thermally expandable sheet by causing the irradiation unit to emit light while moving the irradiation unit by the movement unit such that the thermally expandable sheet is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the specified temperature.

8. The expansion device according to claim 7 , further comprising a ventilation unit configured to ventilate the inside of the housing,
wherein the control unit is configured to perform control of a ventilation process to cause the ventilation unit to ventilate the inside of the housing while moving the irradiation unit by the movement unit after the drying process has been performed and before the expansion process is performed.

9. The expansion device according to claim 8 , wherein the ventilation unit ventilates the inside of the housing by sending the air inside the housing in a direction of a return path of the irradiation unit along which the irradiation unit moves after the irradiation unit moves along the thermally expandable sheet in the drying process, and discharging the air to outside of the housing.

10. The expansion device according to claim 8 , wherein the control unit is configured to perform control to move the irradiation unit from the first position toward the second position by the movement unit in the drying process, move the irradiation unit from the second position toward the first position by the movement unit in the ventilation process, move the irradiation unit from the first position toward the second position by the movement unit in the expansion process, and move the irradiation unit from the second position toward the first position by the movement unit in the cooling process.

11. The expansion device according to claim 8 , wherein the ventilation unit comprises the exhaust fan, the exhaust fan discharging the air inside the housing to outside of the housing.

12. The expansion device according to claim 1 , wherein the first position is positioned farther from an opening in the housing into which the thermally expandable sheet is insertable than the second position.

13. The expansion device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a fixing member configured to fix the thermally expandable sheet disposed in the installation unit to the installation unit,
wherein the irradiation unit irradiates the thermally expandable sheet with the light in a state in which the thermally expandable sheet is fixed to the installation unit by the fixing member.

14. The expansion device according to claim 13 , wherein the cooling process cools the thermally expandable sheet together with the fixing member while maintaining the state in which the thermally expandable sheet is fixed to the installation unit by the fixing member.

Assignees

• Casio Computer Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ushigome Youichi
• Saito Minoru

Classifications

• B29C35/16 Primary

  Cooling {(cooling extruded material B29C48/911; cooling preforms for blow moulding B29C49/6427; cooling blown articles B29C49/66; cooling tyres during post cure inflation B29D30/0643)} · CPC title

• B29C2037/903

  by means of a computer · CPC title

• B29K2711/12

  Paper, e.g. cardboard · CPC title

• B29C44/60

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title

• B29C44/56

  After-treatment of articles, e.g. for altering the shape · CPC title