RU214670U1 - THERMOSCREEN - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model is designed to reproduce monochrome or color images available in digital formats and can be used in electronic technology, such as information display systems or electronic displays. The technical result is achieved by the fact that in a thermal screen for image reproduction containing a flexible substrate, on the surface of which a matrix of pixels is formed, each of which is connected to a control unit configured to supply current from a power source to each pixel, according to the technical solution, the pixels are thermoelements placed with a gap between them, while the outer surface of each thermoelement is provided with a layer of heat-sensitive reversible paint, while each thermoelement has temperature sensors connected to the thermal screen control unit. In the claimed device, unlike LCD screens, plasma and other types of screens, the image on the thermal screen is formed in natural colors, without additional translucent light flux. 9 w.p. f-ly, 5 ill.

Description

Technical field

The claimed utility model is designed to reproduce monochrome or color images available in digital formats and can be used in electronic engineering, for example, in information display systems or electronic displays. Also, the claimed utility model can be used to create decorative coatings, decorating the internal and external walls of buildings (including as wallpaper), which can change color, form patterns, and carry textual information. In addition, the area of application of the proposed device can also be the advertising industry, where such flexible surfaces are a means of placing advertising content.

State of the art

A significant number of sources of information are known from the prior art, revealing the construction of screens for displaying an image. For example, from RF patent No. 2316799, a thermally compensated liquid crystal screen is known, containing a control unit, a temperature control system, a heating system, including a frame framing the liquid crystal cell and being in thermal contact with it. At least along one side there are heating elements, separately fed from the control unit.

The known solution is quite difficult to manufacture, since the heating system for each cell is produced individually, and, moreover, is characterized by the lack of screen flexibility. At the same time, the heating elements used in this solution are not used in image formation and are intended solely to perform the function of thermal compensation of the liquid crystal matrix of the screen.

A similar solution is disclosed in the invention patent RU 2571189, where the system for local heating of the screen, in particular, heating of individual liquid crystal elements (pixels) of the screen, is made of light-emitting diodes, the radiation of which is incident at an angle on the front surface of the liquid crystal cell. The light emitting diodes are in thermal contact with the frame.

The main advantage of this device is to increase the performance of LCD screens at low temperatures, however, when used in standard conditions, the heating elements are unused and only increase the dimensions of the device.

The closest in technical essence to the claimed utility model is the solution of a flexible screen made of a block of LEDs fixed on a substrate (https://ru.made-in-china.com/cohttps://ru.made-in-china.com /co_jian2013/product_Ws2812b-16-16-5V-256-Pixel-Digital-Displav_eynniveey.html). The device consists of a soft plate on which an image forming matrix (pixel matrix) is fixed, made of independent LEDs located with a gap between themselves, which are connected to an external controller and provide the ability to display digital animation, video content.

Due to the brightness of the light elements, the known solution can be used mainly for lighting, lighting, one-time festival decorations. In addition, pixel sizes of 2.5 mm and a distance between them of 10 mm cannot ensure the formation of a clear image, and the use of LEDs as pixels limits the formed color gamut of the image. Finally, the use of LEDs significantly limits the scope of such a screen.

Thus, the technical problem solved by the claimed utility model is to create a device capable of recreating a changing image by using the property of heat-sensitive paints to change color when the surface temperature changes.

Brief disclosure of the essence of the utility model

The technical result achieved by using the claimed utility model is to provide the possibility of creating images on the surface of a screen made of heating elements.

The specified technical result is achieved by the fact that in a thermal screen for image reproduction, containing a flexible substrate, on the surface of which. a matrix of pixels is formed, each of which is connected to a control unit configured to supply current from a power source to each pixel, according to the technical solution, the pixels are thermoelements placed with a gap between them, while the outer surface of each thermoelement is provided with a layer of thermosensitive reversible paint , and in each thermoelement, thermal sensors are installed, connected to the thermal screen control unit. The thickness of the substrate is from 1 to 150 mm, while flexible plastic or rubber can be used as the substrate. Peltier heating-cooling elements or metal plates are used as thermoelements. The heat-sensitive ink layer may be a film or fabric treated with heat-sensitive ink placed in thermal contact with the outer surface of the thermocouples. Each thermoelement has overall dimensions from 0.1 mm to 1 m. Thermoelements are placed in even rows to form a screen structure, while the gap between adjacent elements is no more than 1/2 of the thermoelement width. The control unit can be connected to each thermoelement individually with the possibility of individual control of the current supply to each thermoelement or can be connected to rows of thermoelements with the possibility of individual control of the current supply in series to each row of thermoelements. As a heat-sensitive paint, monochrome or color reversible paint is used. In the gaps between the thermoelements, a heat-insulating material can be placed, which is used as a resin or silicone.

Thermo-, heat-sensitive paint (thermal paint, reversible / irreversible thermal paint, thermochromic paint) is a modern material with which unusual coatings are created that can change color under the influence of different temperatures. Due to this effect, heat-sensitive compounds have found wide application in various industries, from the production of souvenirs to the painting of cars.

Heat-sensitive paints, that is, paints designed to cover certain systems that reversibly change color depending on heating (for example, copper(I) tetraiodomercurate (II), silver (I) tetraiodomercurate (II)), are actively used in technology, industry fashion. Often they are also called: reversible pigments (http://chemister.ru/Database/words-description.php?dbid=1 &id=147) or thermochromic return compositions (https://kraskaton.ru/strovka-remont/vidv/ termohromnava-kraska/).

However, all of them are characterized by the fact that the change in color depends on external factors - the temperature of the surface on which the paints are applied, the temperature of the environment, that is, neither the change in color nor the image itself that appears when the temperature changes is controlled by the user. The claimed utility model provides the possibility of influencing the developing image by means of controlled heating of the surface on which the thermal paint layer is applied.

As a rule, in technology, a change in the color of thermal paints signals that the surfaces have reached certain temperatures. Heat-sensitive paints are used for visual determination of surface heating, as well as for temperature studies. (http://docplayer.ru/27959224-Himiya-i-himiki-5-2008-termoindikatorv-i-ih-primenenie-abramovich-b-g.html).

The principle of separate current supply through the control unit to numerous elements of the screen (similar to the control of a matrix with pixels of a liquid crystal screen), leads to selective heating of the elements to a temperature necessary to change the color of the thermal paint that covers these elements, or to change the color of the corresponding sections of the thermal film (thermal fabric) , which ensures the formation of an image on the screen.

When using heating-cooling elements (for example, Peltier elements) as thermoelements, the required temperature is reached much faster, which, accordingly, ensures a faster change of images on the screen.

The use of thermal sensors (for example, thermocouples) in conjunction with thermoelements makes it possible to change not only the contours of the image (in the case of a monochrome screen), but also its color in the heating gradation, when using thermal paints that change color depending on a particular temperature, for example, when As the temperature rises, the paint takes on successively the colors cyan - blue - violet - red - orange - yellow.

The claimed device is also characterized by the following advantages:

- unlike LCD screens, plasma and other types of screens, the image on the thermal screen is formed in natural colors, without an additional translucent light flux, it does not glow independently, does not blink, does not put additional stress on the eyesight and nervous system. This advantage allows you to use the thermal screen in everyday life - on furniture, wallpaper, without fear of damaging your eyesight and nervous system;

- the use of a flexible substrate with independent attachment of individual thermoelements to it makes it possible to place a thermal screen on any surface, of any shape, without the need for additional alteration;

- the device is characterized by a fairly low manufacturing complexity, which greatly simplifies its industrial use;

- the size of thermoelements (pixels) in the claimed device can be any - from 0.1 mm to 1 m, which allows you to adjust the "resolution" of the thermal screen and use it both to create an image on small surfaces, and to build images without loss of quality on large surfaces architectural, for example, facade, structures.

Brief description of the drawings

The claimed utility model is illustrated by the following drawings:

in fig. 1 and 2 are schematic images of the inventive thermal screen;

in fig. 3 is a schematic side view of a thermal screen with a coating of each thermoelement;

in fig. 4 is a schematic side view of a thermal screen coated with a layer of thermal fabric;

in fig. 5 is a schematic side view of a thermal screen coated with a layer of thermal fabric with an insulating material in the gaps between the thermoelements.

Positions in the drawings indicate:

1 - flexible substrate,

2 - thermoelement,

3 - thermoelement with changed surface color,

4 - control unit;

5 - contact wires,

6 - thermal sensors,

7 - a layer of thermal paint,

8 - thermal fabric,

9 - insulating material in the gaps.

Implementation of the utility model

The claimed device is a thermal screen of scalable size, due to which it is possible to use it in a wide variety of industries, from displays for displaying information to the fashion industry, art objects and advertising. The thermal screen is made flexible, which makes it possible to easily transport it to the place of operation.

Thermal screen includes a flexible substrate 1, made, for example, of dense rubber or flexible plastic. The thickness of the flexible substrate determines the degree of flexibility of the thermal shield. In the general case, the thickness of the substrate is limited only by its functional tasks - fastening thermocouples or supporting the entire device. The transverse overall dimensions determine the dimensions of the thermal screen. In addition, contact wires of the device can be inserted into the substrate (or under it). On the surface of the substrate are fixed, for example, glued heating or heating-cooling elements having a flat outer surface facing away from the substrate. As such thermoelements 2, for example, metal plates with high electrical resistance or Peltier elements can be used. Such elements are arranged on the substrate in rows or in a spiral, or in accordance with another chosen law of arrangement. At the same time, a gap is maintained between adjacent elements that is sufficient to allow the screen to bend. The size of the gap is chosen depending on, in fact, the size of the elements and the scope of the device. In the general case, the gap size does not exceed 1/2 of the thermoelement width. The elements fixed on the substrate are the pixels of the thermal screen - that is, "the physical elements of the display matrix that form the image" (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B8%D0%BA%Dl% 81%D0%B5%D0%BB% D1%8C). Each element (pixel) by contact wires 5 can be individually connected to the thermal screen control unit 4 to enable the degree of its heating/cooling to be adjusted. Elements 2 are chosen of identical size to ensure the formation of a complete image on the surface of the thermal screen.

In another embodiment of the device, thermoelements of one row can be interconnected, as a result of which rows of thermoelements are connected to the thermal screen control unit, which makes it possible to progressively reproduce the image on the thermal screen.

The outer surface of the thermoelements forms the surface on which the image is created.

To form an image on the outer surface of the elements (pixels), a layer of thermal paint 7 is applied, which reacts to temperature changes. The paint can be applied directly to the surface of each element separately. However, this method is rather laborious and time consuming. Thermal paint can be applied to a film or fabric, after which such a thermal layer 8 is applied to the outer surface of the thermal screen (the outer surface of the elements) and fixed. The ink layer is at least 8 µm and is generally determined by the type and quality of the selected thermal ink. As such a thermal paint, depending on the scope of the product, both monochrome (for example, https://www.fusiontech.ru/store/fleyki/termokhromnyy-pigment-chern yy/) and color (for example, https ://sjracing.ru/raznoe/kraska-menyayushhaya-cvet-ot-temperatury-termoxromnava-kraska-menyayushhaya-cvet-v-zavisimosti-ot-temperatury-xarakteristiki-primenenie.html or https://russian.alibaba.com /product-detail/gold-red-color-chameleon-car-paint-pigment-powder-60794963775.html?spm=a2700.md_ru_RU.deiletai6.17.1a5126eaHlZtYA) thermal paint. It should be chosen to be reversible, returning in color when removing the temperature gradient. The active ingredient in the composition is a thermochromic pigment. It is he who provides the response of the coating to heating or cooling, accompanied by a change in color. The amplitude of temperature fluctuations is 15-70°C. The temperature value at which the reaction begins is individual for each particular paint composition.

Thermochromic pigments are contained in the material in the form of liquid crystals, enclosed in microcapsules, which allows them to be mixed with various solutions, such as oil-based, rubber-based or acrylic-based paints. The active substance usually makes up from 5 to 30% of the total weight of the coloring agent; this number depends on the desired result.

For more accurate control of the process of changing the color of the outer surface of the thermoelements, the thermal screen can be equipped with thermal sensors 6 installed to each pixel, and, regardless of the heating elements, connected to the thermal screen control unit.

The thermal screen control unit 4 is a programmable read-only memory (ROM) - a controller or a microcircuit with microprocessors that allows processing a digital signal supplied, for example, from a computer, into the serial current direction to the required thermoelements to build an image on the screen. Just as each pixel of an LCD monitor (and there are tens of millions of them in modern displays) is connected to two transparent wires from the display video card, so each thermoelement is connected to two wires from the control unit, through which electric current is supplied from the control unit, as well as another one wire - to the temperature sensor (thermocouple) for heating control. The control unit is connected to the power supply.

Unlike liquid crystal or plasma elements, in the claimed device, electric current is supplied to different thermoelements at different times in order for each element to be heated to a certain temperature, and the thermal paint for each could change its color. In the case of using Peltier elements, the program of the control unit must also control the direction of the (constant) current to this thermoelement and change the voltage at the contacts of the desired pixel from “+” to “-” and back to change heating and cooling and, accordingly, an accurate and fast color change thermal paints.

The implementation of the utility model may differ depending on the purpose of the application - the need to build a monochrome or color image, the use of a thermal screen as a flexible, easily transportable canvas for displaying information, which requires clarity of the generated images, or as a decorative design of individual surfaces.

In the first case, it is technically preferable to use thermoelements as pixels that can be heated and cooled without being divided into heating and cooling parts, respectively. Peltier elements are best suited for this, in which, depending on the direction of the current, the surface of the element heats up or cools down. The control unit then applies current to the element in one direction or another to change its temperature. To accurately monitor the temperature, and, therefore, the color of the thermal surface element, a temperature sensor can be placed next to each. It is technically possible to use a thermocouple that transmits information about the degree of heating of one or more thermoelements to the control unit.

It is also important that each heating element be separated from neighboring elements by heat-insulating spacers 9, which prevents the heating of neighboring elements from affecting the resulting surface color of one element.

To form a thermal screen, a large number of thermoelements (~10-100 thousand pieces) can be used, which requires an even larger number of wires from each of them to the control unit.

Arrangement of thermocouples in rows with the provision of current supply to the entire row will reduce the number of wires used. For a short time, the control unit provides power to one row of thermocouples, after which it transfers power to the next row, etc. Thus, progressive scanning of the image on the screen can be carried out, similar to the construction of the image in the liquid crystal elements of LCD screens. In this case, taking into account that heating-cooling of the elements takes a certain time due to their heat capacity, the supply of current by separate pulses (which is usually the case in the case of scanning imaging) does not affect the achievement of the set temperature by the element.

The claimed device works as follows.

The thermal screen is placed in the image display area. The control unit is connected to a power source and to a computer or any other device that has a processor and the ability to send signals to the control unit. The image planned to be displayed on the thermal screen is divided into a certain number of pixels corresponding to the number of thermal elements of the thermal screen, while each pixel is assigned its own thermoelement and, accordingly, the current of the required duration or the required strength is supplied to a certain thermoelement. Taking into account the characteristics of the applied thermal paint, according to the tables of correspondence of temperatures to its color parameters, the required temperature of each thermoelement is determined to achieve a color corresponding to the color of the selected image pixel. A signal is sent to the control unit about the need to supply electric current for a fixed period of time to the selected thermoelement in order to reach a temperature that ensures a change in the color of the thermoelement surface. The control unit supplies a current of the required polarity and, thereby, provides control over the formation of an image on the screen surface.

Thus, the device displays any digital file from a computer, flash card, or smartphone, fed to the controller (control unit). Changing a file (or showing a video, a ticker) leads to the construction of a new image by changing the duration and polarity of the current supplied to certain thermoelements by the control unit and correspondingly changing their color.

Specific Implementation Examples

The claimed device is implemented in several prototypes.

Example 1

Thermoelements are metal (tin) plates 2 * 2 mm in size, equipped with contact wires. Tin thermocouples are glued in even rows on a rubber substrate. The distance between adjacent thermoelements is 0.1 mm. Thus, a screen containing 10,000 thermocouples was formed. (pixels). Each thermocouple was coated with a 0.1 mm thick layer of colored heat-sensitive paint a2700.md_ru_RU.deiletai6.17.1a5126eaHlZtYA). The wires from each element are connected to the control unit connected to the computer. The control unit supplies current to the necessary elements, they heat up, change color, creating a certain pattern. If the current supply stops, the elements cool down and change color to the original. The image changes.

Example 2

The screen is formed in accordance with Example 1, while as a layer of heat-sensitive paint, a whole film is used, covered with the specified thermal paint and superimposed on a layer of thermoelements to ensure thermal contact with them. The film visually smoothes gaps between pixels and transitions between colors of adjacent thermocouples. The clarity of the image contours in this case decreases, since it is difficult to clearly separate the areas of local heating of the film from neighboring more or less cold ones, but such a scheme can be extremely widely used for decorating surfaces, including home surfaces - furniture, walls.

Example 3

As thermoelements, Peltier elements (TEC) with a thermocouple are deposited on a flexible plastic substrate. The control unit has feedback on the heating of the elements and can accurately control the temperature and, therefore, the color of the images. Such an embodiment of thermocouples is most applicable to thermal inks, which have a color gradient depending on temperatures and thus creates a color rather than a monochromatic screen. Поверхность элементов Пельтье была покрыта такой термохромной краской фирмы HALI Company https://aliexpress.ru/item/32985851199.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.l000014.47.7dl62c03B natnh&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.14976.187566.0&scm_id=1007.14976.1875 66.0 &scm-url=l007.14976.187566.0&pvid=470ac5a9-b70a-4f9b-b3a9-f5c5a4080009&_t=gps-id:pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller, scm-url:1007.14976.187566.0.pvid: 470ac5a9-b70a-4f9b- b3a9-f5c5a4080009. tpp_buckets:668%230%23131923% 2387_668%23808%233772% 23927_668%23888%233325% 2317_4976%230%23187566% 2311_4976%232711%237538% 23209_4976%233104%239652% 231_4976%233141%239887% 234_668%232846%238108% 23128_668%232717%237564% 23683_668%231000022185% 231000066059%230_668% 233422%2315392%23701_4452% 230%23189847%230_4452% 233474%2315675%23145_4452% 233098%239599%23248_4452% 233564%2316062%23241&ga= 2.113590791.1428106762.16005 34874-452929375 . 1592230815 with a layer no more than 0.1 mm thick. Peltier elements with dimensions of 1 * 1 mm were fused into porous rubber, which is a flexible substrate, with a gap of 0.1 mm, which, due to the thermal insulating properties of rubber, was sufficient so that the heating of one element did not affect the neighboring ones and ensured screen flexibility . It is possible to manufacture thermoelements of larger or smaller sizes, as well as having a rectangular outer surface or a square one. A square matrix of 550*550 mm - 250,000 elements was formed. The matrix has 500 rows and 500 columns of elements. Each element then has a number - a row/column coordinate.

As well as for supplying current to each of the millions of pixels in the LCD screen, in this case, the elements in rows - and columns are connected by thin lines of colorless conductive plastic applied over the elements with a thickness of less than 0.1 mm, thus, each element is intersected by two similar wires. The ends of such wires - 500 from the rows and 500 from the columns - are connected to the control unit. Then, if the control unit applies voltage "+" to the wire of row 340 and - to the wire from column 124, the current goes to the thermocouple 340/124, changing its color.

In this example, type K thermocouples were used as temperature sensors, one per 100 thermoelements, attached to one of the thermoelements in a square of 10 × 10 pieces. This is enough to determine the dependence of the controller signal - the color of the thermoelement and the corresponding programming of the power supply, as well as the subsequent control of heating to achieve the desired color.

Example 4

Thermal paint 8881 1 Gold/Bronze/Green (https://russian.alibaba.com/product-detail/gold-red-color-chameleon-car-paint-pigment-powder-60794963775. html?spm=a2700.md_ru_RU.deiletai6.17.1a5126eaHlZtYA), which can be applied to clothes. Thus, the clothing fabric performed the function of a layer of heat-sensitive paint (thermal fabric). A flexible plastic substrate with built-in thermoelements is attached to the fabric from the inside - 3 * 3 mm copper plates, the heating of which changes the color of the thermal fabric segment pressed against them for thermal contact, so that a multi-colored pattern appears on the outer surface of the clothing.

Claims (10)

1. Thermal screen for image reproduction, containing a flexible substrate, on the surface of which a matrix of pixels is formed, each of which is connected to a control unit, configured to supply current from a power source to each pixel, characterized in that the pixels are thermoelements placed with a gap with each other, while the outer surface of each thermoelement is provided with a layer of heat-sensitive reversible paint, and each thermoelement has temperature sensors connected to the thermal screen control unit. 2. Thermal screen according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the substrate is from 1 mm to 150 mm, while flexible plastic or rubber is used as the substrate. 3. Thermal screen according to claim 1, characterized in that Peltier heating and cooling elements are used as thermoelements. 4. Thermal screen according to claim 1, characterized in that metal plates are used as thermoelements. 5. Thermal screen according to claim 1, characterized in that the layer of thermosensitive paint is a film or fabric treated with thermosensitive paint, placed with thermal contact on the outer surface of the thermoelements. 6. Thermal screen according to claim 1, characterized in that each thermoelement has overall dimensions from 0.1 mm to 1 m. 7. Thermal screen according to claim 1, characterized in that the thermoelements are placed in even rows to form a screen structure, while the gap between adjacent elements is no more than 1/2 of the thermoelement width. 8. Thermal screen according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit can be connected to each thermoelement separately with the possibility of individual control of the current supply to each thermoelement. 9. Thermal screen according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit can be connected to rows of thermoelements with the possibility of individual control of the current supply in series to each row of thermoelements. 10. A thermal screen according to claim 1, characterized in that a heat-insulating material is placed in the gaps between the thermoelements, which is used as resin or silicone.

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