JP2002221482A - Automatic leakage testing apparatus of high performance filter for clean room - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow engaging a leakage testing apparatus with parts to be engaged by adjusting positions of engaging parts of the leakage testing apparatus even if positions of the parts to be engaged in a filter accommodating case are changed. SOLUTION: The automatic leakage testing apparatus 1 is detachably mounted to the filter accommodating case 11, moves a gas sucking probe along a lower face of a filter 10, and detects leakage of particles. At least four of the parts 14 to be engaged are provided around an opening of the filter accommodating case 11. The leakage testing apparatus 1 comprises: a frame 18; the first and second engaging parts 15 provided on a sliding plate 19 movable and installable in the Y direction, and capable of engaging with two parts 14 to be engaged; the third and fourth engaging parts 15 provided in positions opposite to the first and second engaging parts 15 and on a frame member 17 of the frame 18. At least three of the engaging parts 15 are movably mounted to the frame member 17 or the sliding plate 19 in the X direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultra-high performance air filter (HE) installed in a sterile preparation manufacturing room of a pharmaceutical factory or a clean room used in a semiconductor factory.
The present invention relates to an automatic leak test apparatus for inspecting a leak of a PA filter).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a leak test of this kind is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 59-10831 and
Is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. As in the case of the present invention, the leak test apparatus is suspended on the downstream side of the high-performance filter, and the suction probe of the particle detector is scanned in the X-Y direction to check for leaks.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 59-10831 does not describe a method of suspending an apparatus under a ceiling, but it is presumed from the drawing that a fixed hook for suspending the apparatus is provided and this is used for mounting a filter. It seems to be a method of hooking on the channel frame.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-243696 discloses a method in which a holding block of a leak test device is fixed and suspended by using a screw hole for mounting a filter protection member provided in a case in which a filter is mounted. It has become.

However, these systems have the following disadvantages when a leak test is performed on a plurality of high-performance filters having different dimensions and mounting methods. (1) JP-A-59-10831 In order to scan the entire surface of the filter and the outer periphery thereof with a probe without any gap, the origin position of the probe is slightly shifted from the outer frame of the filter at the corner of the filter to be tested. It is necessary to set it up at the protruding position with high accuracy.

When the size of the filter is changed, or when the relative position between the fulcrum for suspending the apparatus and the origin of the probe is shifted due to a change in the method of mounting the filter, the origin of the probe is located at an appropriate position in the filter corner. No means for adjusting is shown.

According to the estimation in the prior art, it is considered that a plurality of positioning sensors are adjusted to adjust the origin position. In such a method, it is necessary to move a plurality of positioning sensors to adjust the origin position to an appropriate position each time the size or mounting method of the filter changes, which is very complicated. In addition, every time the size of the filter or the mounting method changes, it is necessary to adjust the position of the hanging bracket, but this means is not disclosed. (2) Regarding Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-243696: a method in which a holding block of an apparatus is screwed into a mounting screw hole of a filter protection plate and fixed, and the apparatus is hung therefrom.
It is inferior in workability to attach the four holding blocks to the four screw holes in the ceiling at a high place. Also, in this method, similarly to the above-described prior art, the adjustment of the origin position is complicated every time the size and the mounting method of the filter are changed, and when the hanging dimension in the Y direction is changed in the prior art, the same is applied. There is a problem that the device cannot be suspended.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to enable positioning in correspondence with filters of various sizes and to have a simple structure. An object of the present invention is to provide a light-weight automatic leak test device for a high-performance filter for a clean room.

[0009]

An automatic leak test apparatus according to the present invention is detachably attached to a filter storage case in which a high-performance filter is disposed and has an opening at the bottom.
An automatic leak test apparatus for a high-performance filter for a clean room, which detects a leak of particles from a filter by moving a gas suction probe provided on a leak test apparatus along a lower surface of the filter. At least four engaged portions are provided around the portion, and the leak test device is capable of being moved and installed in a Y-direction along one side of the frame with a rectangular frame formed by four frame members. A first and a second engaging portion provided with a slide plate attached to the frame body and capable of engaging with two engaged portions attached to the filter storage case; At positions opposing the first and second engagement portions, third and fourth engagement portions that can be engaged with the other two engaged portions attached to the filter storage case at the frame member of the frame body.
And at least two of the first to fourth engaging portions are attached to a frame member or a slide plate so as to be movable in an X direction orthogonal to the Y direction. Thereby, the above object is achieved.

In one embodiment, at the corner of the frame,
A first origin position detection sensor movable in the X direction is provided.

In one embodiment, the frame is provided with a second origin position detection sensor capable of detecting the movement of the probe in the Y direction.

In one embodiment, a moving frame is erected in the X direction between the facing frame members of the frame, and the probe is movably mounted on the moving frame along the moving frame. ing.

In one embodiment, a position determined by the two position sensors is defined as an origin, from which X and Y are determined.
The movement of the probe in the axial direction is controlled by the control device.

The operation of the present invention is as follows.

By moving the slide plate in the Y direction along one side of the frame of the leak tester and moving each engaging portion in the X direction, each of the engaged portions provided in the filter housing case The position of the engaging portion can be adjusted. Thus, a single leak test apparatus can be used at various sites where the shape of the filter storage case is different. Even when the size of the filter to be tested changes, the position of the engaging portion of the hanging hook can be slid and adjusted to easily adjust the scan origin position.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an automatic leak test apparatus 1 for a high-performance filter for a clean room according to the present invention is provided with a filter housing case 11 in which a high-performance filter 10 is disposed and whose lower side is opened. It is detachably attached to the outlet of the. The filter storage case 11 is usually provided in the back of a ceiling such as a clean room, and air is sent from the back of the ceiling to the filter 10 through an air supply fan or a booth, and clean air is supplied to the room from a blowout port. is there. A punching screen (not shown) is detachably attached to the opening 12 of the case 11 for protecting the filter 10, for flowing air downward in a laminar flow, and for external appearance.

With the punching screen removed, the leak test apparatus 1 of the present invention is attached to the case 11 downstream. Therefore, at least four engaged portions 14 for attaching the leak test device 1 are provided around the opening 12 of the filter storage case 11.

The engaged portions 14 project from the inner surfaces of the opposing side walls of the case 11 at predetermined intervals. Although the shape and size of the engaged portion 14 are not limited, for example, a diameter of 5 to 10 mm,
It can be formed of a cylindrical metal pin having a height of about 10 mm. To provide the pin in the case 11, the pin is bonded to a metal plate, and the metal plate is attached to the case 11 with an adhesive such as a double-sided tape. Just fix it.

The leak test apparatus 1 includes a frame 18 formed by attaching four aluminum frame members 17 to form a square frame, and a frame movably in the Y direction along one side of the frame 18. A slide plate 19 attached to the body 18,
A gas suction probe 2. The frame 18 is set to a size slightly larger than the filter 10.

The slide plate 19 is mounted on the opposite frame member 1.
The slide plate 19 is mounted between the frame members 17 and 17, and both end portions of the slide plate 19 are attached to the frame member 17 so as to be slidable in the Y direction.
That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, elongated holes 20 are formed at both ends of the slide plate 19, and the frame member 17 is provided with a screw at a position corresponding to the elongated hole 20 of the slide plate 19. A hole is formed and the slide plate 19 can be moved in the Y direction of the frame body 18 and fixed at a predetermined position by fixing the screw through both the long holes 20.

The slide plate 19 is provided with first and second engaging portions 15a and 15b which can be engaged with two engaged portions 14 attached to one side wall of the filter housing case 11. . The engaging portion 15 can be formed of, for example, a resin or metal hook having a thickness of about 5 mm as shown in the figure.

The mounting position of the second engaging portion 15b can be adjusted in the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the slide plate 19. That is, one or a plurality of long holes (not shown) are formed in the slide plate 19, and the base of the engaging portion 15 is fixed to the long hole through a screw, whereby the slide plate 19 is formed.
The distance between the first and second engagement portions can be adjusted along the longitudinal direction of the first and second engagement portions.

The first and second engaging portions 15 are attached to the frame member 17 of the frame 18 facing the slide plate 19.
The third and fourth engagement portions 15c and 15d are provided at positions facing the a and 15b.

Third and fourth engagement portions 15c, 15d
Similarly to the first and second engagement portions 15a and 15b, can be formed of a resin or metal hook having a thickness of about 5 mm.

The third engaging portion 15c is
The fourth engaging portion 15 d is fixed to the frame member 17 at a position facing the frame member 17 in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) with respect to the frame member 17.
The mounting position can be adjusted. That is, by forming a long hole in the frame member 17 and fixing the base of the engaging portion 15d to the long hole through a screw, the distance between the third and fourth engaging portions along the longitudinal direction of the frame member 17 is reduced. Can be adjusted.

The position of each of the four engaging portions 15a to 15d may be adjusted, or the two engaging portions 15 may be fixed as described above.

Next, a drive mechanism of the probe 2 for moving the gas suction probe 2 provided in the leak test apparatus 1 along the lower surface of the filter 10 will be described.

Opposing frame members 17 of leak test apparatus 1
A movable frame 22 is erected so as to be movable in the X direction, and the probe 2 is attached to the movable frame 22 so as to be movable along the movable frame 22.

That is, the frame members 17 facing each other in the Y direction
First driving means 26 each including a small stepping motor 23, a timing belt 24, a pulley 25, and the like are provided (however, the motor is provided on any one of the frame members 17). Thus, the moving frame 22 can be moved in the X direction. The probe 2 is disposed on the movable frame 22 so as to be movable in the Y direction along the frame 22, and the probe 2 is driven by a second probe 2 driving means 27 including a small stepping motor, a timing belt, a pulley, and the like. Is moved.

Therefore, the first and second driving means 26,
By driving the probe 27, the probe 2 can be disposed at an arbitrary position in the frame 18, and the surface of the frame 18 can be scanned at an appropriate speed. The scanning speed of the probe 2 is JI
It is preferable that the probe 2 can scan the lower surface of the filter 10 at a moving speed of 8 cm or less in accordance with the SB9927 standard or the ISOCD16444.3 standard.

A first origin position detecting sensor 3 movable in the X direction is provided at one corner of the frame 18. For example, the sensor mounting plate may be fixed to the frame member 17 so that the position can be adjusted. This corner is a place where the slide plate 19 is not attached, and is preferably near the movement start point of the probe 2 in the X direction.

The movable frame 22 is provided with a second origin position detecting sensor (not shown) capable of detecting the movement of the probe 2 in the Y direction. It is preferable that the origin position detection sensor is a magnetic or optical sensor that can detect a metal piece for detection attached to the probe 2.

The Y of the probe 2 and the slide plate 19
The movement in the axial direction is controlled by an external computer using two stepping motors and a timing belt / pulley. Accordingly, the position determined by the two position sensors 3 is set as the origin, and the movement of the probe 2 in the X and Y axis directions is controlled by the control device 1 therefrom.

FIG. 3B shows the filter storage case 11.
The probe origin position P1 is a predetermined position in the Y direction from a point P2 which is an end point of the engaged bar 8 and also a corner of the filter housing case 11. It is provided at a predetermined position LX1 in the X direction with respect to the position LY1.
And at a position of a predetermined length L from.

Next, an example of a leak test method using the leak test apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described.

The punching screen is removed from the ceiling, and the engaged portion 14 provided on the filter storage case 11 is exposed downward. Next, the third and fourth engagement portions 15
The fourth engaging portion 15 is slid so that the interval between c and 15d matches the interval between the corresponding engaged portions 14,
The third and fourth engagement portions 15c and 15d are
4 is engaged. Similarly, the first and second engagement portions 15
The distance between the first and second engagement portions 15a and 15b is adjusted by moving the slide plate 19 along the Y direction while adjusting the distance between the first and second engagement portions 15a and 15b to be equal to the distance between the engaged portions 14. The second engaging portion 15b is engaged.

In this way, the filter storage case 1
Even if the size and shape of the outlet (i.e., the filter 10) are different, it can be attached to any case 11 by adjusting the distance between the four engaging portions 15a to 15d correspondingly. Can be. Further, since the position sensor 3 can define the origin position of the filter 10 (for example, a corner of the filter 10), X
The movement of the probe 2 in the Y-axis direction is controlled by the control device 1.

The frame 18 is preferably made of an extruded aluminum material to reduce the weight, and it is preferable that the driving portion is moved by a slide bearing or a roller bearing.

[0039]

According to the present invention, by adjusting the position of the engagement portion of the leak test device, the leak test device can be attached to the filter storage case having different dimensions. Even when the size of the filter to be tested or the relative position between the filter and the case changes, the position of the engaging portion of the hanging hook and the position of the origin position detection sensor can be slid and adjusted to easily adjust the origin position of the scan. . Further, only by hanging the leak test device, the origin position of the probe that starts scanning can be determined with high accuracy. For this reason, it has become possible to perform a leak test with an automatic machine in a short time and with high accuracy on filters having different dimensions, such as a filter at the outlet of a clean room ceiling.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of an automatic leak test apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the automatic leak test apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3A is a plan view of the automatic leak test apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a probe origin position in a filter storage case.

FIG. 3C is a front view of the automatic leak test apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3D is a side view of the automatic leak test device shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Leak test apparatus 2 Probe 3 Origin position detection sensor 10 Filter 11 Filter storage case 14 Engaged part 15 Engagement part 19 Slide plate

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Miyamoto 4-4-2, Sakuragawa, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A gas suction probe, which is detachably attached to a filter storage case in which a high-performance filter is disposed and has a lower opening, is moved along a lower surface of the filter. An automatic leak test device for a high-performance filter for a clean room that detects leakage of particles from a filter, wherein at least four engaged portions are provided around an opening of the filter storage case, A rectangular frame-shaped frame made up of four frame members, and a slide plate attached to the frame so as to be movable in the Y direction along one side of the frame, and the filter storage case is provided on the slide plate. First and second engagement portions that can be engaged with the two engaged portions attached to the first and second engagement portions, and the frame portion of the frame body at a position facing the first and second engagement portions. A third and a fourth engaging portion capable of engaging with the other two engaged portions attached to the filter storage case are provided on the material, and at least two of the first to fourth engaging portions are provided. An automatic leak test device for a high-performance filter for a clean room, wherein two engagement portions are attached to a frame member or a slide plate so as to be movable in an X direction orthogonal to the Y direction. 2. The automatic leak test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first origin position detection sensor movable in the X direction is provided at a corner of the frame. 3. The automatic leak test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second origin position detection sensor capable of detecting movement of the probe in the Y direction is provided on the frame. 4. A moving frame is movably mounted in the X direction between the opposed frame members of the frame, and the probe is movably mounted on the moving frame along the moving frame. The automatic leak test apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position determined by said two position sensors is set as an origin, and the movement of the probe in the X and Y-axis directions is controlled by a controller from the origin. Automatic leak test equipment.