JP2005081277A - Ultraviolet ray irradiation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultraviolet ray irradiation apparatus in which an ultraviolet ray setting resin is efficiently cured by irradiating a transported and moving work with the ultraviolet ray while releasing a relatively small quantity of a gas. <P>SOLUTION: Nitrogen from a releasing port 39 is brought to the down stream side due to the work W transported at a high speed. In this apparatus, the releasing port 39 is provided at a position a little to the upstream side of the irradiation center X in an ultraviolet ray transmitting part of a work side translucent plate 34a. As a result, the nitrogen released from the upstream side is brought to the downstream side due to the movement of the work W and is spread over the whole area below the work side translucent plate 34a to efficiently reduce the concentration of oxygen in the ultraviolet irradiation part of the high speed transported work W. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus that irradiates ultraviolet rays while releasing a gas to a work to be conveyed.

As this type of ultraviolet irradiation device, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, in order to cure the UV resin by irradiating ultraviolet rays toward the workpiece that is conveyed and moved, as shown in Patent Document 1 below Some are used. By the way, when UV resin is exposed to an air atmosphere containing oxygen even if it is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, surface curing failure is caused by so-called oxygen inhibition. Therefore, it is usually in a gas atmosphere such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide. It is desirable to irradiate with ultraviolet rays. FIG. 6 shows a conventional configuration in which the workpiece 1 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays while releasing nitrogen. As shown in the figure, the housing 3 that accommodates the ultraviolet lamp 2 is provided with an irradiation window 4 in which the opening on the lower surface is sealed with a glass plate, from which ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 2 (see FIG. Then, the dotted line arrow 7) is irradiated toward the machining part of the workpiece 1. Then, the same amount of nitrogen is released toward both ends of the housing 3 (upstream and downstream of the transfer path) toward the area irradiated with the ultraviolet rays (hereinafter referred to as “ultraviolet irradiation area”) on the transfer path of the workpiece 1. A pair of nozzles 5 and 5 are extended so that the UV resin 6 applied to the workpiece 1 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays in a nitrogen atmosphere.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-1815

  However, when the work 1 is transported and moved at a relatively high speed, the nitrogen supplied from the nozzles 5 and 5 is discharged in the above-described conventional configuration in which the same amount of gas is discharged from the upstream side and the downstream side toward the ultraviolet irradiation region. Is dragged downstream of the transport path by the work 1 (solid arrow 8 in FIG. 3). That is, the upstream nitrogen concentration in the ultraviolet irradiation region is lower than the downstream nitrogen concentration. Therefore, there is a possibility that the ultraviolet irradiation cannot be performed in a state where the oxygen concentration is sufficiently lowered with respect to the workpiece 1 passing through the ultraviolet irradiation region from the upstream side to the downstream side. Certainly, it is possible to increase the upstream nitrogen concentration by increasing the amount of nitrogen released from each nozzle 5, 5, but this requires a large amount of nitrogen as well as the large amount of nitrogen to the outside. In order to prevent leakage, a configuration with higher hermeticity is required, which may cause a problem of increased cost.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultraviolet irradiation device capable of irradiating ultraviolet rays while supplying gas evenly to a workpiece to be conveyed and moved.

As means for achieving the above object, an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 includes an ultraviolet lamp that irradiates ultraviolet rays toward a conveyance path through which a workpiece passes, and ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet lamp on the conveyance path. An ultraviolet irradiation device provided with a discharge means for releasing a gas in an irradiated region is characterized by having the following configuration (a) or (b).
(A) The discharge means discharges gas only from the upstream side of the conveyance path from the irradiation center of the ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet lamp.
(B) A structure in which the discharge means discharges gas from the upstream side and the downstream side with respect to the irradiation center and releases more gas from the upstream side than the downstream side.
The “workpiece” may be a member in which an ultraviolet curable resin is applied to a certain member, may be an ultraviolet curable resin itself, or may be any material that is treated by irradiating ultraviolet rays. .

  The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, a prevention wall is provided around the discharge port of the discharge means to prevent entrainment of air around the discharge port.

<Invention of Claim 1>
According to this configuration, the discharge means (a) discharges gas only from the upstream side of the transport path from the irradiation center of ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet lamp, or (b) upstream and downstream from the irradiation center. Gas is released from the side, and more gas is released from the upstream side than from the downstream side. Then, the upstream gas is dragged by the workpiece to the downstream side where the amount of released gas is relatively small. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently supply the gas from the upstream side to the downstream side in the ultraviolet irradiation region while suppressing the amount of gas dragged further downstream from the ultraviolet irradiation region by the work as much as possible. Thereby, it is possible to irradiate ultraviolet rays while evenly supplying gas with a relatively small amount of released gas to the workpiece moving in the ultraviolet irradiation region on the conveyance path.

<Invention of Claim 2>
For example, when the discharge means is configured to discharge gas from the opening at the tip of the annular nozzle, the air around the nozzle tip may be caught in the flow of the discharged gas and flow into the conveyance path side. .
So, according to this structure, the prevention wall which prevents that the surrounding gas around the discharge port is caught in the gas discharged from the discharge port of the discharge means is provided. Therefore, it is possible to prevent ambient gas from being caught in the gas.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1. Overview of Ultraviolet Irradiation Apparatus The ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is transported by a transport means 52 that sequentially transports a workpiece W (for example, flooring) that has been subjected to various types of processing using an ultraviolet curable resin (hereinafter “UV resin 50”). It arrange | positions on the path | route 51, and it irradiates an ultraviolet-ray, spraying nitrogen as gas to the workpiece | work W, and hardens the UV resin 50. FIG. 3 and 4, the workpiece W is conveyed at a high speed from the right to the left of the drawing at a predetermined speed (for example, 1 to 100 m / min).

2. Configuration of Ultraviolet Irradiation Device FIGS. 1 to 3 are side views showing the entire ultraviolet irradiation device 10. As shown in the figure, the ultraviolet irradiation device 10 includes an ultraviolet emission unit 12 that accommodates an ultraviolet lamp (hereinafter “lamp 11”), and a gas supply unit 30 that is provided below and supplies nitrogen inside. And is configured.

(1) Ultraviolet emitting part The ultraviolet emitting part 12 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and a straight tubular lamp 11 is accommodated in a box-shaped case 13 whose one side faced toward the lower conveyance path 51 is open. The lamp 11 is held by fitting small diameter portions at both ends into through holes 14a and 14a of holding pieces 14 and 14 projecting downward from the ceiling inside the case 13 respectively. The lamp 11 is turned on when a voltage is applied from the terminal portion 15 provided on one end side of the case 13 via the cable 16 and emits ultraviolet rays radially. This ultraviolet ray is set to a wavelength suitable for UV resin curing (for example, a main wavelength of 365 nm).

  Further, a pair of reflecting mirrors 17 and 17 are arranged substantially rearward of the lamp 11 with respect to the opening direction of the case 13 (downward in FIG. 3). The reflecting mirrors 17 and 17 have a circular arc shape that covers the entire length of the upper side and the side of the lamp 11, and reflect the ultraviolet rays emitted rearward from the lamp 11 to guide them to the opening side (see FIG. 3, the optical path of the ultraviolet ray is indicated by a dotted arrow L). Each of the reflecting mirrors 17 and 17 has a lower end portion locked by grooves 13b and 13b provided inside the opening 13a of the case 13, and an upper end portion protruding downward from the ceiling surface inside the case 13. It is partially locked by the fixed fixture 20. And about the part in which the fixing tool 20 is not provided, the clearance gap S of the predetermined space | interval is formed between the upper end parts of both the reflective mirrors 17 and 17 (refer FIG. 3).

  A housing chamber 19 that houses a cooling fan 18 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the case 13. By driving the cooling fan 18, the ambient gas around the lamp 11 is converted into the pair of reflecting mirrors 17, 17. The air is drawn through the gap S between the two holes 17 and discharged to the outside through an exhaust port 19 a opened on the upper surface of the storage chamber 19.

(2) Gas Supply Unit The gas supply unit 30 has a central portion that opens in a rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of the opening 13a of the case 13 and sandwiches the sealing member 32 between the pair of frame bodies 31 and 31. In this state, both frame bodies 31, 31 are screwed with screws 33. And the opening part 31a of each frame 31 is sealed with the two translucent plates 34 and 34. As shown in FIG. Specifically, each of the translucent plates 34 and 34 is made of, for example, quartz glass and has a rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the opening 31a of the frame bodies 31 and 31 as a whole. In the present embodiment, for example, four rectangular plates are used. The glass plates 35 are arranged side by side. On each translucent plate 34, a pressing plate 36 having an opening 36a having the same shape as the opening 31a of each frame 31 is covered. Each of the translucent plates 34 is sandwiched between a peripheral portion of the opening 31a of each frame 31 and a peripheral portion of the opening 36a of each pressing plate 36. Are fixed by positioning with screws 37.

  In addition, two conduction holes 32a are formed through both short side portions of the sealing member 32, and a connecting pipe 38 is provided so as to project from these through the connecting pipe 38 from a nitrogen supply means (not shown). Of nitrogen is supplied into the space M surrounded by the pair of translucent plates 34 and 34 and the sealing member 32.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the gas supply unit 30 includes a pair of translucent plates 34 arranged vertically in front of the emission direction of ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet emission unit 12 (downward in the drawing in the drawing). , 34 are arranged. The gas supply unit 30 is attached to the case 13 via a fixture 40 that protrudes downward from both longitudinal ends of the case 13.
Further, of the pair of translucent plates 34, 34, the translucent plate (hereinafter referred to as “work side translucent plate 34 a”) directed toward the workpiece W conveyance path 51 side is one of the pair of long side ends. A plurality of discharge holes 39 are formed in a line along the long side end at a position near the long side end. This constitutes the “release means” of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, a cooling means is provided so as to be along the pair of translucent plates 34. Specifically, the sealing member 32 is formed of a member having high heat conductivity, and as shown in FIG. 2, a U-shape in which a cooling liquid flows along the longitudinal direction on both long side portions thereof. The cooling pipe 42 is inserted so as to suppress the temperature rise of the gas supply unit 30 due to ultraviolet irradiation or nitrogen supply.
Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the regulation wall 41 surrounds the periphery of the opening 13 a of the ultraviolet ray emitting portion 12 at the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the frame bodies 31, 31 positioned above the gas supply portion 30. Is formed upright.

  This restriction wall 41 is provided for the following reason. That is, if the restriction wall 41 is not provided, the cooling fan 18 is driven, and the surrounding gas containing oxygen on the side of the gas supply unit 30 (two-dot broken line arrow G2 in FIG. 3) is drawn. There is a possibility that a part flows into the transport path 51 side of the workpiece W and raises the oxygen concentration. However, in this embodiment, when the cooling fan 18 is driven, the restriction wall 41 restricts the drawing of the surrounding gas on the side of the gas supply unit 30, and the surrounding air is drawn from above the restriction wall 41, so that the lamp 11, a circulation path is formed through the periphery and discharged from the exhaust port 19a. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the problem that the oxygen concentration on the conveyance path 51 side increases due to the drawing of the cooling fan 18.

3. Operational Effects of the Present Embodiment As shown in FIG. 3, the ultraviolet irradiation device 10 described above has the discharge hole 39 of the work-side translucent plate 34 a on the upstream side of the transfer path 51 above the transfer path 51 of the work W. Arranged in this way. In other words, the discharge hole 39 is positioned on the upstream side of the transport path 51 from the irradiation center X of the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 11. When the ultraviolet irradiation device 10 is activated, the ultraviolet rays emitted from the lamp 11 are reflected downward by the pair of reflecting mirrors 17 and 17 and emitted from the opening 13 a of the case 13 toward the gas supply unit 30. The workpiece W on the transport path 51 is irradiated through the pair of translucent plates 34, 34 of the gas supply unit 30.

  Further, nitrogen (solid arrow G1 in FIG. 3) is supplied from the connection pipe 38 into the gas supply unit 30 and is discharged from the discharge hole 39 of the work-side light transmitting plate 34a. Thereby, it is possible to irradiate the processing part of the workpiece W with ultraviolet rays in a nitrogen atmosphere by blowing nitrogen onto the workpiece W conveyed through the conveyance path 51.

  Here, since the workpiece | work W is conveyed at high speed, as shown to FIG. 4 (A) (B), the nitrogen from the discharge | release hole 39 will be dragged downstream by the workpiece | work W. FIG. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the discharge hole 39 is provided at a position closer to the upstream side than the irradiation center X in the ultraviolet light transmitting portion of the work side light transmitting plate 34a. Then, nitrogen released from the upstream side is dragged downstream by the workpiece W, spreads over the entire area below the workpiece-side translucent plate 34a, and efficiently reduces the oxygen concentration at the ultraviolet irradiation site of the workpiece W that is conveyed at high speed. Can do.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the discharge hole 39 is formed through the work side translucent plate 34a through which the ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet emitting part 12 are transmitted, and the periphery of the work side opening of the discharge hole 39 is the work side translucent plate. It is a wall by 34a (or work side translucent board 34a and frame 31). That is, it is a prevention wall that prevents (suppresses) surrounding air from being entrained around the discharge hole 39. Therefore, unlike the configuration in which gas is discharged from the opening at the tip of the annular nozzle (see the column of the effect of the invention), surrounding air can be prevented from being caught. In addition, the nitrogen stream released from the discharge hole 39 spreads laterally along the surface of the workpiece W, and the nitrogen stream can push out the atmosphere containing oxygen in the vicinity of the workpiece W. The upper UV resin 50 can be efficiently cured. Note that a greater effect can be obtained by shortening the distance between the gas supply unit 30 and the workpiece W as much as possible (for example, within 30 mm).

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above embodiment, the ultraviolet curable resin is irradiated with ultraviolet rays and applied to an apparatus that supplies nitrogen as a gas. However, the present invention is not limited to nitrogen, and is a rare gas or carbon dioxide. Also good. In addition, for example, ashing or cleaning for decomposing organic substances by irradiating ultraviolet rays is performed, and the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for supplying ozone or oxygen.

(2) In the present embodiment, the discharge holes 39 are formed only on the upstream side of the glass plate 35. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of discharge holes that gradually decrease in diameter from the upstream side to the downstream side are formed. Also good. Alternatively, the number of discharge holes on the upstream side may be larger than that on the downstream side.
Even in such a configuration, the workpiece W is irradiated with ultraviolet rays in a state where the oxygen concentration is efficiently reduced from the upstream side to the downstream side in the ultraviolet irradiation region from the ultraviolet ray emitting unit 12 in the conveyance path 51. Can do.

  (3) Further, the configuration shown in FIG. 5 may be used. This has a configuration in which a nozzle 61 that discharges the gas G3 is extended to the side of the upstream side of the transmission window 60 that transmits the ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet emitting portion. Even if it is such a structure, the effect similar to the said embodiment can be acquired. In addition, the structure which provided the "prevention wall" of this invention may be sufficient. Specifically, a configuration may be adopted in which a plate-like member 62 (shown by a dotted line in the figure) is fitted to the tip of the nozzle.

  (4) Moreover, the structure which increases the nitrogen discharge | release amount from the upstream nozzle 5 rather than the downstream nozzle 5 with respect to the structure shown in FIG. In addition, you may provide the prevention wall by a plate-shaped member etc. in the front-end | tip of each nozzle 5 and 5 similarly to said (3).

The partial sectional view of the whole ultraviolet irradiation device concerning one embodiment of the present invention Bottom view as seen from workpiece transfer path Sectional drawing in the XX fracture surface of FIG. Cross-sectional view of an ultraviolet irradiation device showing the flow of nitrogen sprayed onto a workpiece being conveyed at high speed Cross-sectional view of an ultraviolet irradiation device showing a modification Cross-sectional view of a conventional ultraviolet irradiation device

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Ultraviolet irradiation apparatus 11 ... Ultraviolet lamp 34a ... Work side translucent board (prevention wall)
39 ... Release hole (release means)
51 ... Transport route 61 ... Nozzle (discharge means)
62 ... Plate-shaped member (prevention wall)
G1, G3 ... Nitrogen (gas)
G2 ... Ambient gas L ... Ultraviolet light W ... Workpiece

Claims (2)

An ultraviolet lamp that irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the transport path through which the workpiece passes;
In the ultraviolet irradiating apparatus, the irradiating means for emitting gas to a region irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet lamp on the conveying path, the emitting means is more transported than the irradiation center of the ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet lamp. An ultraviolet irradiation apparatus characterized in that the gas is discharged only from the upstream side of the path, or more gas is discharged from the upstream side than the downstream side of the irradiation center. 2. The ultraviolet irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a prevention wall capable of preventing entrainment of air around the discharge port of the discharge means is provided.

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