JPS5984200A - Easely removable electron beam penetrating window frame - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electron beam structure, and more particularly, to an electron beam structure including an electron beam transparent window made of thin metal foil or the like, such as an electron beam irradiation outlet for an evacuated electron beam generator housing or the like. It involves a structure that enables smoother and faster replacement of window structures.

The problem of failure, eventual wear, and burnout in the use of thin electron beam transparent foil windows, such as those utilized in electron beam generators, has long remained unresolved and is discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,466. A number of solutions have arisen to the problem, including the use of support structures as described and the use of stronger and more durable alloys and the like.

In the present invention, we have taken a different approach from the previous ones to solve this problem, and compared it by using a frame or cassette that can be removed in a short time and installed in an airtight state, and which can be easily adopted. The installation and removal of an electron beam window assembly that can be replaced quickly and inexpensively is achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and easily installed and removed electron beam transparent exterior window assembly which largely eliminates the practical problems encountered in replacing conventional windows and the above-mentioned inconveniences associated with such windows. be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel electron beam window assembly which is superior in practicality.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, and are more particularly delineated in the appended claims.

However, in summary, in one of its important aspects, the present invention comprises a frame defining an internal opening; a thin electron beam transparent window fixed with the peripheral area supported by its frame except inside its edges against which the peripheral sealing ring of the electron beam housing wall is compressed; tab means extending beyond the frame to enable insertion of the frame and its removal therefrom; 7279 means supporting the frame on its side opposite the window; and in combination with locking means cooperating with the seven-ring means to render itself inoperative and by means of its tab means locking means for inserting the frame into or withdrawing it from a position under its sealing ring; an easily installable and removable electron beam transparent outer window assembly having a locking means adapted to act on the 7279 means to reduce the locking force sealing the window against its seal/g; It includes.

No. 4,305,000 before me and other U.S. Pat. Nos. 4.25'2,413 and 3.702,4
No. 12, No. 3,745,396 and No. 3.76
As described in No. 9,600, the exit of the electron beam generator is generally a thin window of titanium or aluminum, or a composite thereof or similar material. In applications where the electron beam generator is used in an environment containing hydrogen peroxide or other sterilizing vapors and is subject to chemical attack, the thin window must be replaced relatively frequently. , this is a serious problem in production operations, as corrosion from 1° steam weakens the window and ruins it. Other catastrophic events occur, for example, in aluminum windows, where sour gases such as nitric acid are evolved and corrode or erode the window. Titanium windows are susceptible to attack from hydrogen peroxide or other vapors. Nowadays, the ones without windows last the longest, but they tend to get punctured by corrosion due to other reasons. For example, synthetic metals, such as precious metal overlays, are also used in some instances, but this is not an economical issue for production equipment. As mentioned before,
The present invention provides a novel, easily installed and removable electron beam transmissive structure that, for example, for aluminum windows, can be quickly replaced by relatively unskilled personnel every few weeks or even daily. Strengthening the window assembly or cassette ameliorates the costly and time consuming replacement problems of conventional approaches. This concept means that current and past configurations involving conventional bolted seven-lunges to windows are abandoned.

Not only is it time consuming, but it is also incompatible with the concept of quick release or easily removable or removable construction. The second requirement is that the handling of thin, delicate foils in window assembly is absolutely safe, so that, for example, the user cannot touch the foil and damage it, and the equipment must not be able to insert or There is no risk of mishandling and no need for fine-tuning or adjustments upon withdrawal, and upon insertion the housing exit area is naturally positioned and locked-sealed against a resilient O-ring or the like. It is.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the best mode of use thereof.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a pair of longitudinally opposed, spaced apart, normally evacuated electric beam housings H are provided with webs, i.e., of material carried longitudinally along a tunnel T. It is shown assembled to illuminate opposing sides. Each housing H supports within its interior an electron-emitting cathode C of the type described in the aforementioned U.S. patent or of other conventional type, and has an electron beam transparent thin metal window W sealed at its top. The bottom (or top for lower units) K exit area is shown provided with an opening O to be opened. This seal is marked with reference number 1
, and is implemented on a resilient o-ring which tightens peripherally against the window W and holds it in a sealed assembly. A thin electron beam window W according to the invention lies over the aperture O' in a rectangular frame F supporting the thin window over the aperture O', where the window W is placed on the upper side of the frame F. It is then fixed there by a thin adhesive layer or tape A near the outer edge as at M. Its edge corresponds to the outside of the area against which the sealing ring 1 finally rests against the window W, and therefore the peripheral area supported by the frame is given such that the sealing ring 1 finally rests against it. So it corresponds to the inside of its seal close to the edge of the window. Further, according to the invention, tab means or other handle means T' are provided extending beyond the frame F, so that the user can handle the frame assembly without touching the window, and The frame assembly can be inserted into and withdrawn from the lower part of the sealing ring 1.

At the bottom of the frame F, on the opposite side from the window W, there is shown a peripheral flange FL supporting the frame assembly on the opposite side of the window, which may be sterilized or otherwise used for other purposes. The article or material shown as a "web" which is to be e-beam irradiated for the purpose of the present invention lies against the outer wall of a tunnel T bounding a passage or region R through which the article or material to be irradiated with the electron beam is passed. As shown, the housing H is bolted to the tunnel conduit at B so that the two form a single structural unit. Between the flange FL and the top surface of the passageway there is a
When inflated, sealing ring 1 abuts frame F against the underside of 7 flange FL and carries window W.
Locking means in the form of an inflatable resilient expansion body which presses against the locking means is shown.

In operation, the user places the locking mechanism in the evacuated or inoperative state and inserts and pushes in the assembly i.e. the cassette containing the locking window W carried by the frame F by means of the tab T'. , it stops due to the limiting portion S on the tab T' and engages the outer edge of the flange FL, taking up its rightful place exactly at its right position. The expansion or operation of the locking means ■ is 7 lunges FL.
, thus pushing up the frame F and window W against the sealing link 1 and effecting the desired sealing for the nozzle H, whereupon the nozzle is again evacuated and the operation replaced. Continued with windows. A resilient seal of sponge rubber adjacent to the locking-sealing means 1 and between the window F and the flange F seals the cassette at the wall of the tunnel T to prevent ozone leakage. The frame FL is pressed down against the airtight seal 3 to enable insertion and withdrawal of the window assembly. If desired, a cam (not shown) may be employed at either transverse end to rotate it to assist in this push-down step. To remove the cassette for replacement, the locking mechanism is evacuated and the frame assembly or cassette is pushed down, as previously described. Typical dimensions for suitable frames and windows that can be used under electron beam energies of around 150 KE■ for purposes such as sterile packaging are 40 CrnX 15(1);
A 2 micrometer titanium window foil W is used.

Although the illustrated best mode embodiment appears to have considerable advantages for these particular applications, the effective loading or rapid release action achieved by the machining may also be achieved by springs, cams, or similar mechanisms. It is something.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The only accompanying drawing is a longitudinal sectional view of a preferred embodiment according to the invention. 1: Sealing ring 6: Airtight sole F: Frame FL: Flange H: Housing E: Expandable body (locking means) 0° opening T tab W: Window applicant Kaoru Furuya procedural amendment (issued by Iff') Showa November 25, 1958 Kazuo Wakasugi, Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office1, Indication of Case Patent Application No. 181787/19872 Title of Invention Easily Attached and Detachable Electron Beam Transparent Assembly 6 Person Making Amendment Relationship to the case Patent applicant 5, Full text of the specification to be amended 6, Contents of the amendment The officially typewritten specification (no change in content) is amended as shown in the attached sheet. Specification 1 copy -583-

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. In an easily attachable and detachable electron beam transparent assembly: a frame defining an internal opening;
lying over said opening; 1. and for one side of said frame near its edges - a child beam... with the peripheral area supported by said frame except inwardly of its edges against which the peripheral sealing ring of the housing wall is compressed; a thin electron beam transparent window secured thereto; tab means extending beyond said frame to enable insertion of said frame into said sealing ring and its removal therefrom; flange means for supporting said frame on opposite sides thereof; and cooperating with said flange means and for being brought into position under said sealing ring by said tab means when placed in an inoperative condition; A lock adapted to permit insertion or withdrawal of said frame therefrom and to exert a locking force on said flange means which, when actuated, seals said window to said sealing ring. A window assembly characterized in that it consists of means. 2. An easily attachable and detachable electron beam transparent assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein stop means are provided and viewed to limit the insertion position of said assembly. Easily attachable and detachable electron beam according to claim 1, characterized in that said locking means includes inflatable elastic means disposed adjacent said flange means. Transparent state assembly. Claim 1, characterized in that the irradiation tunnel receiver for electron beam irradiation in the region of the window further comprises means for sealing its assembly against the wall of material.
Easily removable and removable electron beam transparent exterior window assembly as described in Sec. 5 arranged to irradiate one side of the material in the tunnel and irradiate the opposite side of the material in an area displaced along the tunnel from the initially designated window assembly; The easily installable and removable electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a similar window assembly for a similar electron beam housing sealed in an opposite wall of the electronic beam housing. Beam transmission exterior window assembly.