JP2005037049A - Environment control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an environment control device capable of improving processing accuracy by keeping the atmosphere around a flat processed member at a good environmental value. <P>SOLUTION: A supply port 29 and an exhaust port 27 connected with a gas environmental value adjusting machine 31, are formed on one side wall of a chamber 25 accommodating a processor 21, an internal partitioning wall 37 is mounted in the chamber 25 for guiding the gas supplied from the supply port 29 to an exhaust port 27 side along a ceiling wall 25a, a blowout port 41 is formed at an outlet end side of the internal partitioning wall 37 in a state of being faced to the exhaust port 27, and the flat laminar airflow is formed around the flat processed member 33 in the chamber 25. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention controls the atmosphere around the surface to be processed of a processing target member to be processed by the processing machine to a predetermined environmental value by circulating the gas adjusted by the gas environmental value adjusting machine in the chamber containing the processing machine. In particular, the present invention relates to an environmental control apparatus suitable for a physical property testing machine in which a processing machine performs a physical property test such as a friction / wear test on the surface of a flat sample.

  For example, in the manufacturing field of semiconductor devices, liquid crystal devices, etc., in order to improve the processing accuracy of the processed member and to improve the quality by preventing the mixing of impurities, a processing machine that performs a certain process on the processed member It is an important issue to keep the environmental values such as the temperature and humidity of the ambient atmosphere constant and stable.

Therefore, as an environment control device for maintaining the environmental value of the ambient atmosphere of the processing machine to be constant and stable, a chamber defining a closed space for accommodating the processing machine and an atmosphere in the chamber are formed in the chamber. Various types of configurations including a gas environmental value adjuster that sucks out from the exhaust port and adjusts to a predetermined environmental value and then returns the air from the air supply port formed in the chamber into the chamber have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).
JP-A-9-266167

The environmental control device described in Patent Document 1 contains an optical processing machine that transfers a pattern formed on a reticle onto a wafer by laser exposure, and keeps the atmosphere in the chamber clean. The main object is to prevent the heat radiation from the heat generating part of the optical processor from affecting the temperature distribution of the atmosphere in the chamber.
For this reason, an exhaust port for sending the atmosphere in the chamber to the gas environmental value adjuster is set in almost the entire area of the bottom wall of the chamber, and an air supply for receiving a gas whose temperature and other environmental values are adjusted by the gas environmental value adjuster. The mouth is set to almost the entire area of the ceiling wall of the chamber.
As a result, the gas supplied into the chamber from the gas environment value adjuster becomes a descending airflow that flows from the ceiling wall to the bottom wall in the chamber, and becomes a circulating flow that returns to the gas environment value adjuster. Keep the atmosphere stable.

  However, since the environment control device of Patent Document 1 moves the gas in the entire chamber from the ceiling wall toward the bottom wall, a gas flow rate adjusting device having a large flow rate must be employed. There was a problem that the environmental value adjuster was increased in size.

In addition, the environmental control device of Patent Document 1 is premised on an optical processing machine in which the heat dissipating part is easily isolated as a processing machine accommodated in the chamber, and as a result, a dedicated exhaust heat means is provided in the isolated heat dissipating part. By doing so, it is easy to avoid the influence of heat radiation from the processor.
However, a processing machine accommodated in a chamber, for example, a pin-on-disk type friction that performs a friction / wear test on a sample surface by rotating and sliding a pin protruding on the surface of a flat sample on the sample surface. In the case of a wear tester or the like, it is practically impossible to isolate the heat dissipating parts at once, and local temperature rise by the heat dissipating parts at various places in the processing machine occurs in the chamber. In the circulation method of Patent Document 1 described above, since a large amount of the atmosphere in the chamber slowly descends toward the exhaust port, the local temperature rise cannot be quickly eliminated. There was a risk of a decrease in test accuracy.

  Further, when the flat sample surface is positioned horizontally, in the method of forming a descending airflow in the chamber as in Patent Document 1, the airflow hits the sample surface and diffuses, and the surrounding gas flows As a result, the assumed stable downdraft cannot be secured, and as a result, the environmental value such as temperature may deviate from an appropriate value, leading to a decrease in test accuracy.

From such a background, on the premise that the processing machine accommodated in the chamber is configured to execute a predetermined process on the surface of the plate-like member to be processed like the above friction and wear tester, The environmental control apparatus shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 was studied.
These environmental control apparatuses 101 and 102 are equipped with an exhaust port 5 and an air supply port 7 on the side wall of the chamber 3 that accommodates the processor 1, and a gas environment in which environmental values such as gas temperature and humidity can be adjusted. The discharge port 9a and the suction port 9b of the value adjuster 9 are connected to the air supply port 7 and the air exhaust port 5, and the processing is performed by appropriately selecting the opening positions and the opening areas of the air exhaust port 5 and the air supply port 7. A laminar air flow of gas whose temperature and other environmental values are adjusted intensively is formed around the flat plate-like member 11 processed by the machine 1.

In the case of the environment control apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 9, the exhaust port 5 and the air supply port 7 are provided separately on the opposite side walls 3a and 3b. On the other hand, in the case of the environmental control apparatus 102 shown in FIG. 10, the exhaust port 5 and the air supply port 7 are equipped above and below the single side wall 3a.
In addition, any of the environmental control devices 101 and 102 is provided between the discharge port 9 a of the gas environment value adjuster 9 and the air supply port 7 of the chamber 3, the suction port 9 b of the gas environment value adjuster 9, and the exhaust port of the chamber 3. 5 is connected by ducts 15 and 16.

These environmental control devices 101 and 102 circulate not only the entire area in the chamber 3 but mainly the atmosphere around the member 11 to be processed that has a high influence on the processing accuracy and the like. As compared with the case of the configuration of 1, the gas environment value adjuster 9 can employ a small-sized one with a reduced discharge flow rate.
Further, if a laminar airflow as expected can be formed, the surroundings of the member to be processed 11 are constantly replaced with fresh gas whose environmental values are adjusted by the airflow, so that the heat dissipation of the equipment is performed without isolation or the like. It is possible to avoid the influence of local temperature rise due to the above, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in processing accuracy (test accuracy) due to local temperature rise.

  However, in the correspondence shown in FIG. 9, a long duct 16 has to be installed on the outer periphery of the chamber 3, and because of the long duct 16 exposed on the outer periphery of the chamber 3, As a result, there is a problem that the change becomes large and the appearance (designability) of the apparatus is deteriorated. The duct 16 is usually made of a circular or quadrangular piping material having a simple flow path cross section, and the diameter of the piping material is the horizontal width dimension of the chamber 3 (in the figure, the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface). Therefore, when the width dimension of the member 11 to be processed is large, the assumed laminar airflow can be formed only in a part of the width dimension of the member 11 to be processed. There was also a problem that the effect of the could not be fully demonstrated.

  On the other hand, in the correspondence shown in FIG. 10, the duct 16 attached to the outer periphery of the chamber 3 is short, and the appearance of the apparatus is not impaired by the long duct that is exposed. However, since the airflow injected from the duct 16 into the chamber 3 becomes a flow returning to the duct 15 after making a U-turn at the opposite side wall, it is extremely difficult to form a good laminar airflow around the member 11 to be processed. Thus, the effectiveness of the circulation of the laminar airflow is further reduced as compared with the correspondence in FIG. 9, and there is a problem that the practical value is poor.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the gas environment value adjuster and prevent deterioration of the appearance of the apparatus due to exposure of a long duct. In addition, a flat laminar airflow having a sufficient width including the width dimension of the member to be processed can be stably formed around the member to be processed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an environment control device capable of preventing stable heat dissipation from affecting processing accuracy and continuing stable processing.

In order to achieve the above object, an environmental control apparatus according to the present invention, as described in claim 1, is configured to suck a chamber containing a processor and an atmosphere in the chamber from an exhaust port of the chamber and A gas environment value adjuster that adjusts to the environment value and then returns the chamber to the chamber through a supply port of the chamber, and the atmosphere around the surface to be processed of the member to be processed that is processed by the processor in the chamber is predetermined. An environmental control device for controlling to an environmental value of
The chamber defines a closed space for accommodating the processing machine by a ceiling wall, a bottom wall, front and rear side walls, and left and right side walls corresponding to six directions of upper, lower, front, rear, and left and right of the processing machine,
Equipped with the air supply port at a position near the upper edge of the one side wall constituting the chamber, and equipped with the exhaust port at a position a predetermined distance below the air supply port on the same side wall,
And on the inner side facing the ceiling wall of the chamber, a flow path for guiding the gas introduced from the air supply port to the position facing the exhaust port along the ceiling wall is formed by an internal partition wall,
The outlet port and the exhaust port of the flow path formed by the internal partition wall are set in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the chamber.

In the environmental control apparatus configured as described above, the layer flowing around the member to be processed is not used to move the gas in the entire chamber, but only the atmosphere around the member to be processed having a high influence on the processing accuracy and the like. Since it is circulated mainly by the flowing air flow, the gas flow rate circulated by the gas environmental value adjuster can be kept low, and a small-sized gas environment value adjuster with a reduced discharge flow rate can be adopted. It becomes possible, and it becomes possible to hold down apparatus cost by size reduction of a gas environmental value adjustment machine.
In addition, since the exhaust port and air supply port on the chamber side connected to the gas environmental value adjuster via a duct are concentrated on one side wall on the chamber, the duct used for connection can be kept short. There is little change with respect to the set temperature and humidity, and deterioration of the appearance of the apparatus due to exposure of the long duct can be prevented.
In addition, the gas supplied to the air supply port of the chamber is guided to a position opposite to the exhaust port by a flow path defined by an internal partition wall provided in the chamber, and from the blowout port in the chamber to the exhaust port. Therefore, if a laminar flow state is maintained at the outlet, a stable laminar airflow can be easily formed.
Furthermore, unlike a duct using a commercially available piping material or the like, the passage formed by the internal partition wall in the chamber can easily form a flat flow path that can be expanded to the full width of the chamber internal space. A good flat laminar airflow having a sufficient width according to the width of the flat member to be processed can be formed.

  Further, in order to achieve the above object, the environmental control device according to claim 2 is the environmental control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a flow path for guiding the gas introduced from the air supply port; The taper widening part which gradually widened the flow path width from the air supply port is provided, and the flow path width is finally widened to the full width of the space in the chamber.

  In the environmental control device configured in this way, the airflow supplied from the gas environmental value adjuster to the air supply port of the chamber through the duct gradually widens the flow path width by the taper widening portion. The generation of laminar separation and vortex generation due to the rapid diffusion of the gas can be suppressed, and a flat laminar airflow that is widened to the full width of the chamber space can be radiated from the blowout port in a stable laminar flow state.

  In order to achieve the above object, the environmental control apparatus according to claim 3 is the environmental control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the opening width of the exhaust port is a total width of the space in the chamber. Is gradually reduced to a predetermined width connected to the gas environment value adjuster.

In the environmental control device configured as described above, the air flow sucked into the exhaust port becomes a contracted flow that gradually narrows the flow path width, so that pressure loss due to friction between the air flow and the flow path wall is suppressed, and the gas environment The load on the value adjuster side can be reduced, and the laminar flow state of the suction airflow can be prevented from being destroyed by suppressing the pressure loss.
Therefore, a stable supply of a flat laminar airflow can be realized with a small gas environment value adjuster.

  In order to achieve the above object, the environmental control device according to claim 4 is the environmental control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: A flow rate adjusting fan that blows out gas toward the exhaust port is provided in front of the air outlet.

  In the environmental control device configured as described above, when the flow velocity is reduced due to the pressure loss in the flow path due to the internal partition wall in the chamber or the widening of the flow path, it is reduced by the flow rate adjusting fan. By compensating for the velocity, the air velocity and flow rate can be ensured, and the circulation of the atmosphere around the flat plate-like member can be stabilized.

  Further, in order to achieve the above object, the environmental control device according to claim 5 is the environmental control device according to claim 4, wherein the flow rate adjusting fan is further blown out from a blow-out port in the chamber. It is equipped with a blowing width adjusting nozzle for adjusting the width of the laminar airflow to be adjusted to be approximately equal to the width of the processing surface of the member to be processed installed in the processing machine.

  In the environmental control apparatus configured as described above, the circulation flow rate of the atmosphere in the chamber for maintaining the environmental value around the member to be processed is required according to the width dimension of the member to be processed by the blowing width adjusting nozzle. It is possible to regulate to a minimum range, which can promote downsizing of the gas environmental value adjuster and also save energy consumption.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the environmental control device according to the fourth or fifth aspect further comprises the environmental control device according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the flow rate adjusting fan is configured to adjust a flow rate by adjusting a rotational speed. A variable speed type that can be increased or decreased is employed.

  In the environmental control apparatus configured as described above, the flow rate of the laminar airflow to be circulated in accordance with the change of the processing machine accommodated in the chamber, the change of the member to be processed, the change of the processing condition, or the like occurs. For example, changing the operating conditions of the gas environmental value adjuster and adjusting the speed of the flow rate adjustment fan enables more flexible responses, increasing the versatility of the device and increasing the variety. It becomes possible to cope with various processing and tests.

  Moreover, in order to achieve the said objective, the environmental control apparatus of Claim 7 uses the heat insulating material for the said internal partition wall further in the environmental control apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6. It is characterized by that.

  In the environmental control device configured as described above, when the gas passes through the flow path formed by the internal partition wall in the chamber, fluctuations in environmental values such as temperature can be suppressed, and the circulating airflow supplied to the member to be processed It is easy to maintain the environmental value within the appropriate range, which leads to improvement of processing accuracy by the processing machine.

  Moreover, in order to achieve the said objective, the environment control apparatus of Claim 8 is an environment control apparatus of any one of Claims 4 thru | or 6, Furthermore, the discharge port of the said gas environmental value adjustment machine. A temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a wind speed sensor for detecting an environmental value in the vicinity, in a flow path in the chamber defined by the internal partition wall, and in front of a surface to be processed of a member to be processed installed in the processing machine Each set is provided, and the operations of the gas environment value adjuster and the flow rate adjusting fan are controlled based on detection signals of the sensors.

  In the environmental control device configured as described above, when the environmental value in the chamber fluctuates due to heat generated by the processing machine, the fluctuation of the environmental value is detected by each sensor, and the gas environmental value adjuster is promptly detected. Since it is fed back to the operation control of the flow rate adjusting fan, it is possible to automate the maintenance of the environmental value around the member to be processed by a good laminar airflow.

  In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the environmental control apparatus according to claim 9 is the environmental control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: An adjacent chamber for isolating and accommodating a part of the airframe is provided, and the adjacent chamber is equipped with a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the airframe accommodated.

  In the environmental control device configured in this way, for example, the heat generating part that is a power source of the processing machine is isolated on the adjacent chamber side, and the state of the heat generating part is controlled by the temperature adjusting means on the adjacent chamber side. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the influence on the periphery of the member to be processed, and specifically, it is possible to stably maintain high-precision processing by suppressing the occurrence of condensation due to extreme temperature changes. Become.

  The environmental control apparatus of the present invention does not move the gas in the entire chamber, but focuses on the atmosphere around the member to be processed, which has a high influence on the processing accuracy, by the laminar airflow flowing around the member to be processed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the flow rate of the gas circulated by the gas environment value adjuster, and it is possible to adopt a small gas environment value adjuster with a reduced discharge flow rate. The cost of the apparatus can be reduced by downsizing the environmental value adjuster.

  In addition, since the exhaust port and air supply port on the chamber side connected to the gas environmental value adjuster via a duct are concentrated on one side wall on the chamber, the duct used for connection can be kept short. Further, it is possible to prevent the appearance of the apparatus from being deteriorated due to the exposure of the long duct.

  In addition, the gas supplied to the air supply port of the chamber is led to the opposite wall side facing the exhaust port by a flow path defined by an internal partition wall provided in the chamber. Since the path to the exhaust port can be a simple straight path, if a laminar flow state is maintained at the outlet, a stable laminar airflow can be easily formed.

  Furthermore, the flow path formed by the internal partition wall in the chamber can be easily formed as a flat flow path that can be widened to the full width of the internal space of the chamber, unlike a duct using commercially available piping materials. An excellent flat laminar airflow having a sufficient width according to the width of the flat member to be processed can be formed.

  Therefore, a flat laminar air flow having a sufficient width including the width of the processing target member can be stably formed around the flat processing target member along the flat processing target member. The local heat dissipation of the processing machine can be prevented from affecting the processing accuracy, and stable processing can be continued.

  Hereinafter, an environment control apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an environmental control apparatus according to the present invention.

  The environmental control device 111 according to the first embodiment sucks out a chamber 25 that defines a closed space 23 that accommodates the processing machine 21, and an atmosphere in the chamber 25 from an exhaust port 27 formed on the peripheral wall of the chamber 25. A gas environment value adjuster 31 that is adjusted to a predetermined environmental value (indicating temperature, humidity, etc.) and then returned to the chamber 25 from an air supply port 29 formed in the peripheral wall of the chamber 25. The atmosphere around the processing surface of the flat plate-shaped processing member 33 processed by the processing machine 21 is controlled to a predetermined environmental value.

  In the case of this embodiment, the processing machine 21 is assumed to be a pin-on-disk type frictional wear tester, and the member to be treated 33 corresponds to a flat sample for performing the frictional wear test. In the friction and wear tester, the test accuracy can be improved by controlling the ambient atmosphere around the member 33 to be rubbed with the pin 21a to a constant environmental value that is not affected by the heat generated by the tester. In order to maintain the environmental value of the ambient atmosphere of the member to be processed 33, a laminar air flow parallel to the surface of the member to be processed 33 is required.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the chamber 25 divides the processing machine 21 by the ceiling wall 25a, the bottom wall 25b, the front and rear side walls 25c, 25d, and the left and right side walls 25e, 25f corresponding to the six directions of the processing machine 21. A closed space 23 to be accommodated is defined.

  The air supply port 29 is provided at a position near the upper edge of the right side wall 25f, which is one side wall constituting the chamber 25, and the exhaust port 27 is provided at a position lower than the air supply port 29 of the same side wall 25f by a predetermined distance. Equipped.

  In addition, the gas introduced from the air supply port 29 is introduced along the ceiling wall 25a and the opposing side wall 25e on the inner side of the ceiling wall 25a of the chamber 25 and the inner side of the left side wall 25e that is the opposing side wall facing the exhaust port 27. A flow path 35 that leads to a position opposite to the exhaust port 27 is formed by an internal partition wall 37.

  The final outlet 41 and the exhaust outlet 27 that have passed through the flow path 35 formed by the internal partition wall 37 are set in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom wall 25 b of the chamber 25. By setting the opening shapes of the blowout port 41 and the exhaust port 27, the airflow flowing from the blowout port 41 toward the exhaust port 27 is rectified into a flat laminar airflow parallel to the bottom wall 25b of the chamber 25.

  As shown in FIG. 1C, the vicinity of the air supply port 29 of the flow path 35 includes a taper widening portion 35a that gradually widens the flow path width from the air supply port 29 toward the opposing side wall 25e. The channel width is widened to the full width of the chamber internal space (that is, the closed space 23 accommodating the processing machine 21).

  Further, the upper portion of the opposing side wall 25e is set to the inclined wall 43 in order to mitigate the collision at the time of changing the direction of the airflow flowing through the flow path 35. And the front-end | tip part 37a of the internal partition wall 37 which opposes the inclined wall 43 so that the space | interval between the inclined walls 43 may be narrowed slightly gradually so that the airflow which flows out from the front-end | tip of the flow path 35 may not become a diffused flow. The slope is set.

  It is preferable to provide the tip portion 37a of the internal partition wall 37 with such an inclination, as compared with the case where the tip portion 37a is a vertical wall as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1D, the opening width of the exhaust port 27 is gradually reduced from the entire width of the chamber internal space, and finally becomes a predetermined width connected to the gas environment value adjuster 31.

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, a flow rate adjusting fan 45 that adjusts the speed of the laminar airflow blown in a flat plate shape toward the exhaust port 27 in front of the blowout port 41 at the front end of the flow path by the internal partition wall 37. It has.

  In the flow rate adjusting fan 45, the width of the flat laminar airflow blown from the blowout port 41 in the chamber 25 is adjusted to be approximately equal to the width of the processing surface of the member 33 to be processed installed in the processing machine 21. In addition, a blowing control nozzle 47 for controlling the blowing direction as a flat airflow parallel to the bottom wall 25b is provided.

  The height positions of the blowout control nozzle 47 and the exhaust port 27 are set so as to be approximately equal to the installation height of the processing target member 33.

  When the heights of both the blowout control nozzle 47 and the exhaust port 27 are aligned with the installation height of the member to be processed 33 in this way, either one or both of them are shifted from the height of the member to be processed 33 and compared. Thus, a stable flat laminar air flow along the surface of the member to be processed 33 can be easily maintained around the member to be processed 33.

  The flow rate adjusting fan 45 employs a variable speed fan that can increase or decrease the flow rate by adjusting the rotational speed.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the inner partition wall 37 and the outer wall of the chamber 25 (the ceiling wall 25a, the bottom wall 25b, the front and rear side walls 25c and 25d, the left and right side walls 25e and 25f, etc.) are all as shown in FIG. In addition, a heat insulating material-containing structure in which both sides of a heat insulating material 51 such as glass wool are sandwiched between corrosion-resistant stainless steel plates 52 is employed.

  In addition, the vicinity of the discharge port P1 of the gas environmental value adjuster 31 that sends the gas whose environmental value has been adjusted to the air supply port 29, the appropriate position P2 in the flow path 35 defined by the internal partition wall 37, and the processor 21 are installed. A sensor group 48 for detecting an environmental value is provided at the front position P3 of the surface to be processed of the processed member 33.

  Each sensor group 48 includes a plurality of types of sensors such as a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a wind speed sensor. Each sensor is preferably a small probe that does not obstruct the flow of airflow, the temperature sensor has a detection error of about ± 0.5 ° C, the humidity sensor has a detection error of about ± 2%, and the wind speed sensor has a detection error. It is desirable to adopt a sensor having a detection accuracy of about ± 0.05 m / s or more.

  In the case of the environment control device 111 according to the present embodiment, the control device (not shown) is based on the detection signal of each sensor so that the environmental value of the airflow on the processing surface of the processing member 33 is kept constant. The operation of the gas environment value adjuster 31 and the flow rate adjusting fan 45 is controlled.

  The gas environment value adjuster 31 includes a humidifier and a heater, a cooler that combines cooling and dehumidification, a dry dehumidifier for further dehumidification, a blower that adjusts the air flow, and the like. By operating, the gas sucked from the suction port 31a is adjusted to a gas having a desired temperature and humidity, and is sent out from the discharge port 31b at a predetermined speed.

  Note that the gas environment value adjuster 31 may include a filter unit that removes fine foreign matters (dust or the like) contained in the suction gas.

  The above gas environment value adjuster 31 can be adjusted with an accuracy of ± 2 ° C. within a range of −30 ° C. to + 50 ° C. and a humidity of ± 5% RH within a range of 20 to 95% RH.

  A duct 55 connecting the exhaust port 27 of the chamber 25 and the suction port 31a of the gas environmental value adjuster 31 and a duct 56 connecting the air supply port 29 and the discharge port 31b are used for pressure loss and outside air. The length is set as short as possible to suppress changes in temperature and humidity due to the influence.

  In the environment control device 111 according to the first embodiment described above, the atmosphere around the member to be processed 33 that does not move the gas in the entire chamber 25 but has a high influence on the processing accuracy is processed. Since the circulation is preferentially performed by the laminar airflow flowing around the member 33, the gas flow rate circulated by the gas environment value adjuster 31 can be reduced, and the discharge flow rate can be reduced as the gas environment value adjuster 31. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of the apparatus by reducing the size of the gas environment value adjuster 31.

  Further, the exhaust port 27 and the air supply port 29 on the side of the chamber 25 connected to the gas environment value adjuster 31 via the ducts 55 and 56 are concentrated on one side wall on the chamber 25 and are used for connection. The ducts 55 and 56 can be kept short, and the appearance of the apparatus can be prevented from being deteriorated due to the exposure of the long ducts 55 and 56.

  Further, the gas supplied to the air supply port 29 of the chamber 25 is guided to the opposing wall side facing the exhaust port 27 by the flow path 35 defined by the internal partition wall 37 equipped in the chamber 25. Since the path from the outlet 41 to the exhaust outlet 27 in the chamber 25 can be a simple straight path, if a laminar flow state is maintained at the outlet 41, a stable laminar airflow is easily formed.

  Furthermore, the flow path 35 formed by the internal partition wall 37 in the chamber 25 is different from a duct using commercially available piping materials or the like, and a flat flow path 35 that can be widened to the full width of the internal space of the chamber is easily formed. Therefore, a good flat laminar air flow having a sufficient width according to the width of the flat member 33 can be formed.

  Accordingly, a flat laminar airflow having a sufficient width including the width dimension of the processing target member 33 is stably formed along the flat processing target member 33 around the flat processing target member 33. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the local heat dissipation of the processing machine 21 from affecting the processing accuracy and to continue the stable processing.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the airflow supplied from the gas environment value adjuster 31 to the air supply port 29 of the chamber 25 through the duct 56 gradually widens the flow path width by the taper widening portion 35a. Further, the separation of layers and the generation of vortices due to the rapid diffusion of the airflow are suppressed, and a flat laminar airflow that is widened to the full width of the chamber internal space while being in a stable laminar flow state can be radiated from the outlet 41.

  4, the horizontal opening width of the duct 56 is r, the horizontal width of the closed space 23 in the chamber 25 is d, the length of the taper widening portion 35a is L1, and the taper widening portion 35a is The distance from the end to the processing part of the member 33 to be processed is L2, the velocity, pressure and temperature of the gas before passing through the taper widening portion 35a are v0, p0 and T0, and the velocity and pressure of the gas after passing through the taper widening portion 35a. When the temperatures are v, p, and T, it is found that for each value of (d / r), L1 and v have a correlation as shown in FIG.

  Further, when R is a gas constant and γ is a specific heat ratio (Cp / Cv), the following equation (1) is established for p.

v = {2γR / (γ−1)} × {1- (p / p0) ^{γ / (γ−1)} } T0 (1)
As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the pressure and velocity of the laminar airflow in the flat plate supplied to the peripheral portion of the member to be processed 33, and the temperature and humidity are appropriately adjusted to the lengths r, d, and L1. By setting, it can be changed in various ways. However, according to the experiment by the present inventor, when p0 = 50 to 200 Pa and v0 = 0.5 to 2 m / s, turbulent flow is likely to occur in the range of d <3r, and the temperature difference is greater than d> 5r. There was a tendency for the humidity difference to increase. As a result, in order to maintain a stable flat laminar airflow, it is desirable to set r: d: L1 = 1: 4: 2-4. Further, in order to reduce the temperature change and humidity change around the member to be processed 33, it is desirable to set the equipment position of the processing machine 21 so that L2 is as short as possible.

  In addition, the specific shape of the taper widening part 35a is not restricted to the widening shape by the linear inclined surface shown in the example of illustration. For example, it may be a trumpet shape or a parabona shape with a slight curvature.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the air flow sucked into the exhaust port 27 becomes a contracted flow that gradually narrows the flow path width from the entire width of the closed space 23, and therefore pressure loss due to friction between the air flow and the flow path wall is suppressed. The load on the gas environment value adjuster 31 side can be reduced, and the laminar flow state of the suction airflow can be prevented from being destroyed by suppressing the pressure loss.

  Therefore, a stable supply of a flat laminar airflow can be realized with the small gas environment value adjuster 31.

  In addition, the taper structure on the downstream side of the exhaust port 27 is not limited to the reduced width shape by the linear inclined surface as in the case of the taper widened portion 35a. For example, it may be a trumpet shape or a parabona shape with a slight curvature.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the flow rate adjusting fan 45 that adjusts the speed of the laminar airflow blown in a flat plate shape toward the exhaust port 27 is provided in front of the blowout port 41 at the front end of the flow path by the internal partition wall 37. Therefore, when the air flow speed is reduced due to pressure loss in the flow path 35 due to the internal partition wall 37 in the chamber 25 or widening of the flow path 35, the speed reduced by the flow rate adjusting fan 45 is reduced. Compensating can ensure the optimal air velocity and flow rate, and can stabilize the circulation of the atmosphere around the flat plate-shaped member 33.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the flow rate adjusting fan 45 has the width of the flat laminar airflow blown from the blowout port 41 in the chamber 25 of the processed member 33 installed in the processor 21. A blowout control nozzle 47 that adjusts to be substantially equal to the width of the processing surface is provided.

  Therefore, the air flow blown out from the flow rate adjusting fan 45 does not have an excessive width, and the circulation flow rate of the atmosphere in the chamber 25 for maintaining the environmental value around the plate-shaped member 33 is blown out. By the control nozzle 47, it is possible to regulate the necessary minimum range according to the width dimension of the flat plate-shaped member 33, thereby promoting the miniaturization of the gas environment value adjuster 31. It also saves energy.

  The inventor of the present application changes the blowing width from the flow rate adjusting fan 45 to 1/2, equal to, or twice the width of the processing surface of the member to be processed 33, and changes the environmental value for each blowing width. It was measured.

  In the experiment, the rotational speed of the frictional wear tester as the processing machine 21 is 3000 rpm, the heat generation amount at that time is 1 kW, the rotational speed of the flow rate adjusting fan 45 is constant, and the set environment value is set to three conditions. The change in the environmental value was measured for each blowing width.

  The setting environment value is temperature and humidity, the first environment setting condition is temperature 10 ° C and humidity 30% RH, the second environment setting condition is temperature 20 ° C and humidity 58% RH, the third environment setting The conditions were a temperature of 30 ° C. and a humidity of 80% RH.

  FIG. 6A shows the change in the environmental value for each balloon width when the first environment setting condition is satisfied. FIG. 6B shows the environmental value for each balloon width when the second environment setting condition is satisfied. FIG. 6C shows a change in the environmental value for each balloon width under the third environment setting condition.

  For any environmental setting condition, when the blowing width from the flow rate adjusting fan 45 is made substantially equal to the width of the processing surface of the member to be processed 33, changes in the environmental values of temperature and humidity are the smallest, It was confirmed that the setting of the balloon width as in the above embodiment was correct.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the flow rate adjusting fan 45 employs a variable speed type that can increase or decrease the flow rate by adjusting the rotational speed. For example, the processing device 21 accommodated in the chamber 25 is changed. If the member to be processed 33 is changed or the processing conditions are changed, and the flow rate of the laminar airflow to be circulated needs to be adjusted accordingly, for example, the operating condition of the gas environmental value adjuster 31 By changing the speed and adjusting the speed of the flow rate adjusting fan 45, a more flexible response is possible, the versatility of the apparatus is increased, and more various processes and tests can be handled.

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the heat insulating material 51 is used for the outer wall and the inner partition wall 37 of the chamber 25, and the environment such as temperature when the gas passes through the flow path 35 by the inner partition wall 37. The fluctuation of the value can be suppressed, and it becomes easy to maintain the environmental value of the circulating airflow supplied to the member to be processed 33 in an appropriate range, which leads to an improvement in processing accuracy by the processor 21.

  Note that if the difference between the outside air temperature and the set temperature in the chamber 25 is large, condensation tends to occur on the inner surface of the outer wall of the chamber 25, which is the boundary, and particularly when the inside of the chamber 25 is set to a high temperature and high humidity condition in winter. In this embodiment, the heat insulating material 51 is also used for the outer wall of the chamber 25 to avoid the influence of the outside air in the chamber 25 in this embodiment. It is possible to sufficiently suppress the occurrence of condensation.

  In order to confirm the effectiveness of the heat-insulating material, the inventor of the present application applied a hard foamed urethane (heat conductivity λ = 0.04) as a heat-insulating material to an aluminum plate as an internal partition wall, the thickness 5 mm rigid urethane foam (having a thermal conductivity λ = 0.04), natural wood (λ = 0.12), and no heat insulating material were prototyped. Using it as the internal partition wall 37, the influence on the environmental value change was measured.

  In the experiment, the one provided with a hard foamed urethane having a thickness of 10 mm as the heat insulating material has the smallest temperature change, and as the heat insulating material 51 in the present embodiment, it is desirable to ensure at least this degree of heat insulating performance.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the vicinity of the discharge port of the gas environmental value adjusting device 31, in the flow path 35 defined by the internal partition wall 37, and in front of the processing surface of the processing member 33 installed in the processing device 21. If the environmental value in the chamber 25 fluctuates due to heat generated by the processing machine 21 or the like, the fluctuation of the environmental value is detected by a sensor built in each sensor group 48. Since it is immediately fed back to the operation control of the gas environment value adjuster 31 and the flow rate adjusting fan 45, it is possible to automate the maintenance of the environment value around the member 33 to be processed by a good laminar airflow.

  FIG. 8 is a front view of the second embodiment of the environmental control apparatus according to the present invention.

  The environmental control device 112 according to the second embodiment includes an adjacent chamber 61 that separately accommodates and accommodates a part 21b of the body of the processing machine 21 below the bottom wall 25b of the chamber 25 illustrated in the first embodiment. In addition, the adjacent chamber 61 is further provided with a temperature adjusting means 63 for adjusting the temperature of the accommodated body 21b.

  Except for the addition of the adjacent chamber 61 and the temperature adjustment means 63, the configuration is the same as that of the environment control device 111 shown in the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the common configurations and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the environmental control device 112 according to the second embodiment, for example, the heat generation part that is the power source of the processing machine 21 is isolated on the adjacent chamber 61 side, and the temperature adjusting unit 63 on the adjacent chamber 61 side is used. By controlling the state of the heat generating portion, it is possible to suppress the influence on the periphery of the member 33 to be processed. Specifically, the processing machine by condensation is suppressed by suppressing the occurrence of condensation due to an extreme temperature change. It is possible to prevent damage and failure of the apparatus and to stably maintain high-precision processing.

  The temperature adjustment means 63 has a function of either a heater or a cooler according to the use environment (use conditions) of the environment control device 112.

  For example, when the apparatus is used in the winter, if the ambient temperature of the aircraft suddenly rises due to heat generated during operation from the state in which the processing machine 21 is cooled by the outside air, dew condensation occurs and the condensation causes the machine to become dirty. It becomes. In such a case, the temperature adjusting means 63 functions as a heat-retaining heater so that the temperature of the airframe is kept above a certain level, thereby preventing a rapid temperature change of the airframe and preventing the occurrence of condensation. it can.

  On the other hand, if the airframe 21b is likely to be overheated when used in a high temperature environment in summer, the temperature of the airframe 21b is kept below a certain level by cooling the airframe 21b. It is also possible to stabilize.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where a friction and wear tester is accommodated as the processor 21 has been described. However, the environmental control apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the friction and wear tester, and various physical property testers or processing machines for performing tests and processing on the surface of the flat sample are supplied to the chamber 25. Can be a target of accommodation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing of 1st Embodiment of the environmental control apparatus which concerns on this invention, (a) is a schematic sectional drawing from the front, (b) is AA sectional drawing of (a), (c) is (a) (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in (a). It is explanatory drawing of the structure of the front-end | tip part of an internal partition wall compared with 1st Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the heat insulation structure used for the internal partition wall etc. of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the example of a dimension setting in the taper widening part shown in FIG. It is the measurement figure of the speed and pressure of the airflow according to the dimensional ratio of each part of the taper widening part shown in FIG. It is a measurement figure of an environmental value change when changing the blower outlet width of the fan for flow control shown in FIG. It is a measurement figure of the fluctuation | variation difference of the environmental value by the kind of heat insulating material. It is a schematic front view of 2nd Embodiment of the environmental control apparatus which concerns on this invention. The improvement example of the conventional environmental control apparatus was shown, (a) is an apparatus front view, (b) is the perspective view which showed the connection form of the duct to a chamber. It shows another improvement example of the conventional environmental control device, (a) is a front view of the device, (b) is a perspective view showing a connection form of the duct to the chamber.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Processing machine 23 Closed space 25 Chamber 25a Ceiling wall 25b Bottom wall 25c, 25d Side wall 25e, 25f Side wall 27 Exhaust port 29 Air supply port 31 Gas environmental value adjustment machine 33 Processed member 35 Flow path 35a Taper widening part 37 Internal partition wall DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 Outlet port 43 Inclined wall 45 Flow rate adjusting fan 47 Outlet control nozzle 51 Heat insulating material 55,56 Duct 61 Adjacent chamber 63 Temperature control means 111 Environmental control device 112 Environmental control device

Claims (9)

A chamber that accommodates a processing machine, and a gas environmental value adjuster that draws out the atmosphere in the chamber from the exhaust port of the chamber and adjusts it to a predetermined environmental value, and then returns the atmosphere from the air supply port of the chamber to the chamber. An environment control device that controls an atmosphere around a surface to be processed of a member to be processed by the processing machine in the chamber to a predetermined environmental value,
The chamber defines a closed space for accommodating the processing machine by a ceiling wall, a bottom wall, front and rear side walls, and left and right side walls corresponding to six directions of upper, lower, front, rear, and left and right of the processing machine,
Equipped with the air supply port at a position near the upper edge of the one side wall constituting the chamber, and equipped with the exhaust port at a position a predetermined distance below the air supply port on the same side wall,
And on the inner side facing the ceiling wall of the chamber, a flow path for guiding the gas introduced from the air supply port to the position facing the exhaust port along the ceiling wall is formed by an internal partition wall,
The environment control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outlet and the exhaust port of the flow path formed by the internal partition wall are set in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the chamber. The flow path that guides the gas introduced from the air supply port along the ceiling wall includes a taper widening portion that gradually widens the flow path width from the air supply port, and finally the flow path width is within the chamber. The environment control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the environment control apparatus is widened to the full width of the space. The opening width of the exhaust port is gradually reduced from the entire width of the space in the chamber, and finally becomes a predetermined width connected to the gas environment value adjuster. The environmental control device described in 1. The environment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a flow rate adjusting fan that blows gas toward the exhaust port in front of a blowout port at a front end of the flow path by the internal partition wall. Control device. The flow rate adjusting fan is equipped with a blowing control nozzle that adjusts the width of the laminar airflow blown from the blowing port in the chamber to be approximately equal to the width of the processing surface of the member to be processed installed in the processing machine. The environment control device according to claim 4, wherein 6. The environment control device according to claim 4, wherein the flow rate adjusting fan employs a variable speed type capable of increasing or decreasing a flow rate by adjusting a rotational speed. The environment control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a heat insulating material is used for the internal partition wall. Environmental values in the vicinity of the discharge port of the gas environmental value adjuster, in the flow path in the chamber defined by the internal partition wall, and in front of the surface to be processed of the target member installed in the processing machine, respectively. 5. A temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a wind speed sensor for detecting air flow are provided, and operations of the gas environmental value adjuster and the flow rate adjusting fan are controlled based on detection signals of the sensors. The environmental control device according to any one of 6. The said chamber is provided with the adjacent chamber which isolate | separates and accommodates a part of the body of the said processing machine, The temperature adjusting means which adjusts the temperature of the body accommodated in this adjacent chamber was equipped. The environmental control device according to any one of 8.

Images