Heater for extreme convex mirrors or irregular shapes
OwnerEdward F. Bulgajewskiinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heater for a non-planar mirror may be provided on a polymer substrate that has been cut to allow flexible movement in the x, y and z axes, for example, by cutting the substrate in a generally long, narrow s-shape. By allowing flexible movement and overlapping on itself when attached to a non-planar surface, uniform adhesion is achieved over substantially the entire surface to be heated. In aspects of the invention, the heater may be screen printed on the substrate and have electrical connections attached at opposite ends of the substrate to provide comparable current flow paths across essentially the full heater surface.
Claims20
A heating device for non-planar mirror surfaces comprising:
- a polymer sheet substrate defining a continuous generally s-shaped configuration;
- and
- a heater screen printed on a surface of the substrate, the heater comprising at least one electrical bus extending the length of the substrate and having a positive electrical connection near a first end of the substrate and a negative electrical connection near a second end of the substrate.
A heating device for non-planar mirror surfaces comprising:
- a substrate, the substrate cut to provide a generally long, generally narrow continuous material having a plurality of generally linear sections connected at alternating ends to substantially cover an area;
- and
- a heater disposed on a surface of the substrate, the heater comprising at least one electrical bus that extends essentially the full length of the substrate, the at least one bus including a plurality of traces extending radially to substantially cover the surface of the substrate.
A heating device for non-planar mirror surfaces comprising:
- a polyester substrate cut into a continuous, generally narrow shape to allow flexing and overlapping during disposition of the substrate on the non-planar surface, the substrate substantially covering an area of the non-planar surface with generally uniform adhesion;
- and
- a heater screen printed on a surface of the substrate, the heater comprising:
- a conductive layer including a first bus and a second bus, the first and second busses disposed generally along a first and a second longitudinal edge of the substrate, and a plurality of traces extending from the first and second busses to distribute heat over the surface of the substrate;
- a positive electrical connection disposed at an end of the first bus and a negative electrical connection disposed at an opposing end of the second bus;
- and
- a resistive layer disposed on the conductive layer, the resistive layer comprising a thick polymer film.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.