SPATIALLY SELECTIVE HEATING OF INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER MEMBER

• US 20180017899A1
• Filed: 04/22/2015
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Indigo B.V. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Indigo BV (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lior, Shai, Sandler, Mark, Nedelin, Peter, Hamou, Guy
• Granted Patent: US 10,444,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/10 using a liquid developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/161 with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent

Abstract

In an example, an apparatus is described that includes a photosensitive imaging plate, an intermediate transfer member, and a heating unit. The photosensitive imaging plate attracts a layer of printing fluid. The intermediate transfer member contacts the photosensitive imaging plate and receives the layer of printing fluid from the photosensitive imaging plate. The heating unit includes an array of individually addressable heating elements and heats the intermediate transfer member in a manner that is spatially selective along two axes: a first axis in a direction of a width of the intermediate transfer member and a second axis in a direction of a rotation of the intermediate transfer member.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a photosensitive imaging plate for attracting a layer of printing fluid;

an intermediate transfer member contacting the photosensitive imaging plate, for receiving the layer of printing fluid from the photosensitive imaging plate; and

a heating unit positioned in proximity to the intermediate transfer member and comprising an array of individually addressable heating elements for heating the intermediate transfer member in manner that is spatially selective along a first axis in a direction of a width of the intermediate transfer member and along a second axis in a direction of a rotation of the intermediate transfer member.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the individually addressable heating elements comprises a laser emitter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the individually addressable heating elements comprises a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser emitter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the array comprises at least one row and a plurality of columns, and each of the individually addressable heating elements is positioned at an intersection of one of the at least one row and one of the plurality of columns.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one row and each of the plurality of columns is connected to a controller that sends signals to the individually addressable heating elements.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the layer of printing fluid comprises a layer of liquid electrophotographic ink.

7. A method, comprising:

transferring a layer of printing fluid from a photosensitive imaging plate to an intermediate transfer member;

subsequent to transferring the layer of printing fluid to the intermediate transfer member, heating the intermediate transfer member in a manner that is spatially selective along a first axis in a direction of a width of the intermediate transfer member and along a second axis in a direction of a rotation of the intermediate transfer member; and

subsequent to heating the intermediate transfer member, transferring the layer of printing fluid from the intermediate transfer member to a substrate.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the printing fluid comprises liquid electrophotographic ink.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the heating comprises:

activating at least one heating element in an array of individually addressable heating elements.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the individually addressable heating elements comprises a laser emitter.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each of the individually addressable heating elements comprises a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser emitter.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the array comprises at least one row and a plurality of columns, and each of the individually addressable heating elements is positioned at an intersection of one of the at least one row and one of the plurality of columns.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the heating results in direct heat being applied to less than an entirety of the intermediate transfer member.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor, the machine-readable storage medium comprising:

instructions to identify an area of an intermediate transfer member that will receive a layer of printing fluid from a photosensitive imaging plate; and

instructions to, subsequent to the identifying, heat the area of intermediate transfer member using an array of individually addressable heating elements, wherein the array is arranged to provide heat in a manner that is spatially selective along a first axis in a direction of a width of the intermediate transfer member and along a second axis in a direction of a rotation of the intermediate transfer member.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions to heat result in direct heat being applied to less than an entirety of the intermediate transfer member.