Holding device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11950329-B2
Application number	US-201916969703-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2019
Priority date	Feb 16, 2018
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

A holding device including a plate-shaped member, a base member, a plurality of heater electrodes disposed in the plate-shaped member, a plurality of electricity supply terminals, a bonding portion, and insulating members. The holding device holds an object on the surface of the plate-shaped member. The plurality of electricity supply terminals disposed in the holding device include N individual electricity supply terminals (N is an integer of 2 or more) electrically connected to respective N heater electrodes of the plurality of heater electrodes, and a common electricity supply terminal electrically connected to all the N heater electrodes. The N individual electricity supply terminals are received in one terminal hole in which the common electricity supply terminal is not received and are insulated from one another by an insulating member. The common electricity supply terminal is received in another terminal hole in which the individual electricity supply terminals are not received.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A holding device comprising:
a plate-shaped member having an approximately flat first surface approximately orthogonal to a first direction and a second surface opposite to the first surface;
a base member having a third surface and a fourth surface opposite to the third surface, the base member being disposed such that the third surface faces the second surface of the plate-shaped member, the base member having a plurality of first through holes extending from the third surface to the fourth surface;
a plurality of heating elements disposed in the plate-shaped member;
a plurality of electricity supply terminals electrically connected to the respective heating elements;
a bonding portion disposed between the second surface of the plate-shaped member and the third surface of the base member to bond the plate-shaped member and the base member together, the bonding portion having a plurality of second through holes which communicate with the respective first through holes of the base member and form, in cooperation with the first through holes, terminal holes for receiving the electricity supply terminals; and
insulating members received in the respective terminal holes,
the holding device holding an object on the first surface of the plate-shaped member, wherein
the plurality of electricity supply terminals include N individual electricity supply terminals (N is an integer of 2 or more) electrically connected to respective N heating elements of the plurality of heating elements, and a common electricity supply terminal electrically connected to all the N heating elements;
the N individual electricity supply terminals are received in a first one of the terminal holes and are insulated from one another by one of the insulating members, the first one of the terminal holes not receiving the common electricity supply terminal; and
the common electricity supply terminal is received in a second one of the terminal holes, the second one of the terminal holes not receiving the individual electricity supply terminals.

2. A holding device according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the plate-shaped member is virtually divided into a plurality of segments arranged in directions orthogonal to the first direction; the plurality of heating elements are disposed in the respective segments; and N segments of the plurality of segments in which the respective N heating elements are disposed form one continuous upper level segment.

3. A holding device according to claim 2 , wherein, when the holding device is viewed in the first direction, the area of each segment in a first portion of the plate-shaped member is smaller than the area of each segment in a second portion of the plate-shaped member which is closer to the center of the plate-shaped member than the first portion.

4. A holding device according to claim 2 , wherein the segments included in the one upper level segment have respective surfaces included in the first surface; a first heating element of the plurality heating elements is disposed in a first one of the segments included in the one upper level segment; a second heating element of the plurality heating elements is disposed in a second one of the segments included in the one upper level segment; and the amount of heat generated by the first heating element per unit area of the surface of the first one of the segments is approximately the same as the amount of heat generated by the second heating element per unit area of the surface of the second one of the segments.

5. A holding device according to claim 4 , wherein, in the one upper level segment including the N segments having the respective surfaces included in the first surface, the amounts of heat generated by the heating elements disposed in the respective N segments per unit area of the respective surfaces of the N segments are approximately the same.

6. A holding device according to claim 1 , further comprising a power source which can be switched between a first state in which individually set voltages are applied to the respective N individual electricity supply terminals and a second state in which the same voltage is applied to the N individual electricity supply terminals.

7. A holding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of electricity supply terminals include a plurality of the common electricity supply terminals received in the second one of the terminal holes.

8. A holding device according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of electricity supply terminals include the common electricity supply terminals which are received in the second one of the terminal holes and the number of which is N.

Assignees

• Ngk Spark Plug Co
• Niterra Co Ltd

Inventors

• Miwa Kaname

Classifications

• H10P14/60

  of insulating materials · CPC title

• H05B3/06

  Heater elements structurally combined with coupling elements or holders · CPC title

• H05B2203/016

  Heaters using particular connecting means · CPC title

• H05B3/68

  Heating arrangements specially adapted for cooking plates or analogous hot-plates · CPC title

• H10P72/7624

  characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support · CPC title