Optical heating device

An optical heating device for heating a tabular object to be heated, the optical heating device comprising:

• a heating light source unit having a plurality of light source areas, each of the light source areas being equipped with a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) for emitting at least partially overlapping light towards the tabular object to be heated;
• a controller for controlling light output of the light source located in each of the light source areas based on a list of predetermined modes, each of the modes specifying a set of light sources and a corresponding set of output values;
• the controller including
• a storage section for storing the list of the predetermined modes, temperature distribution characteristic information describing a relation between a relative ratio of the light output of the light source among the light source areas and temperature distribution along a surface direction of a main surface of a tabular test piece, and desired temperature distribution information describing desired temperature distribution in a surface direction of a main surface of the object to be heated, when the light output from the heating light source unit is irradiated based upon the predetermined modes toward the tabular test piece placed with a predetermined separation distance from the light source areas with respect to a direction orthogonal to the light source surface;
• an input receiving section for one of the predetermined modes, an input of measured temperature distribution information describing temperature distribution in the surface direction of the main surface of the object to be heated, the measured temperature distribution information being obtained when the light output from the heating light source unit is irradiated to the object to be heated in a state in which the light output of the light source is set to a predetermined light output for distribution measurement in each of the light source areas based upon one of the predetermined modes;
• and
• an output controller for determining one of the list of the predetermined modes for the light output of the light source among the light source areas based on the temperature distribution characteristic information, in order to bring the temperature distribution described in the measured temperature distribution information closer to the temperature distribution described in the desired temperature distribution information, wherein the controller repeats every one of the predetermined modes for the input receiving section and the output controller while compensating the effects of the overlapping light from the light source.