JP2006273400A - Optical element storage case - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical element storage case for quite stably and fixedly holding all optical elements with no damage on the optical elements even if the case collides with another object. <P>SOLUTION: A tray 10 storing a work 1 in each of its element storage part 11 is inserted in an vacuum pack 14 for making its inside vacuum. The groove width x of the work holding part 11a of the storage part 11 is slightly larger than the thickness x of the work 1, the length y of the groove structuring the length of the holding part 11a is made slightly longer than the length Y of the work 1 for storing the work 1 in a roughly perpendicular condition in the the part 11, and the depth z of the part 11 is roughly made the same as the height Z of the work 1. The upper side of the part 11 is an open part 11b and is provided with an enough space for forceps 20 to be operated and thus both right and left ends of the work 1 can be held by the holding parts 20a, 20a of the forceps 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a case for accommodating, for example, an optical element having an optical function such as a lens, an optical filter, a dichroic function, a phase difference function, or a function as a diffraction grating, particularly an optical element having a rectangular thin glass substrate. Is.

  As an optical element, for example, an optical filter is formed by forming a filter film on the surface of a thin glass plate by means such as vacuum deposition, but when incorporated into a predetermined optical device, a small chip state such as several cm square or less. It is generally incorporated as Therefore, when manufacturing an optical filter, a film is usually formed on the surface in a large glass state, and then cut to a required size. The optical elements such as the optical filter formed in this way are stored in a predetermined case, and are shipped in a state of being accommodated in the case.

  The packaging case that accommodates the optical elements is composed of a plurality of tray-like case bodies and lids that accommodate the optical elements. In order to allow the optical elements to be easily attached to and detached from the case, it is also accommodated. From the viewpoint of protecting the optical element, the optical element is usually accommodated while standing on the case body. Therefore, a large number of element receiving portions each having a groove for accommodating the optical element in the case main body are formed vertically and horizontally, and the depth dimension of the groove is made smaller than the height dimension of the optical element. That is, when the optical element is accommodated in the element accommodating portion, the upper end portion of the optical element protrudes from the case body. Thereby, without touching the effective surface of the optical element, the left and right side portions of the optical element can be gripped and accommodated in the element accommodating portion or taken out from the element accommodating portion. By attaching a lid to the case body containing a large number of optical elements in this manner and fastening the peripheral edges of the case body and the lid, each optical element is completely within the case. Packed in a state of being stored in the box.

  By the way, in order to allow the optical element to be easily attached to and detached from the case, the optical element is accommodated in an element accommodating portion formed of a groove having a width slightly larger than the thickness of the optical element with some allowance. Accordingly, the optical element can move in the direction along the groove within a limited range within the case. For this reason, the optical element will vibrate in the element accommodating portion when the case is transported, etc., and as a result, the optical element slides between the optical element and the inner surface of the case. Wear powder, broken pieces, etc. will be generated. In particular, as described above, when an optical element is formed by cutting glass, if the optical element after cutting is not subjected to a treatment such as polishing, a large amount of wear powder and broken pieces are generated. Become. If foreign matter such as abrasion powder or broken pieces generated in this way adheres to the effective surface of the optical element, the optical function is deteriorated. Therefore, if foreign matter adheres to the effective surface of the optical element, the contaminated material must be removed by cleaning. If the cut optical element is processed so as to have a smooth arcuate shape by polishing its end face, the generation of the above-mentioned wear powder and broken pieces can be suppressed to a considerable degree.

  However, as described above, cleaning is necessary to remove foreign matter adhering to the optical element, and end face processing is performed to suppress generation of wear powder, which is a problem of cost increase. Etc. are not preferable.

In consideration of the above points, various methods for fixing the optical element so as not to move after the optical element is accommodated in the case have been proposed. As one of the proposals, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an adhesive tape is attached to the bottom of the groove, and when the optical element is accommodated, its lower end is fixed to the adhesive tape. is there. As another proposal, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, the case main bodies are stacked and the upper and lower optical elements are clamped between the upper and lower case main bodies (and the lid).
JP 2002-59989 A JP 2003-200991 A

  However, as in Patent Document 1, when the optical element is fastened to the adhesive tape, not only is it difficult to take out from the case, but the adhesive remains attached to the end of the removed optical element. If it is assembled to an optical device without removing the adhesive, there is a concern that an adverse effect such as a handling error of the optical element may occur. In addition, when the thickness of the optical element is extremely thin, there is a problem that fixing and stability are not always sufficient only by fixing only one end surface of the optical element to the adhesive tape. On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, if the optical component is clamped from above and below, its fixing property and stability can be obtained. However, the dimensional accuracy of the optical component is usually not adjusted very strictly, and processing errors Etc. have occurred. Therefore, due to the variation in the size of the optical element, the clamping force can be applied only to the largest optical component of the optical element, and sufficient clamping force cannot be applied to other parts. There is also a problem that the clamping force is hardly applied to the smallest one and the like, and the occurrence of vibration during transportation cannot be completely prevented. That is, the countermeasures proposed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above cannot always be sufficient.

  Therefore, the present applicant has set up a thin plate-shaped optical element in order to be able to stably hold all the optical elements accommodated in the case in a stable state without acting adhesive force or the like. An uncovered tray in which a predetermined number of element accommodating portions to be accommodated in a state are formed vertically and horizontally, and at least an open upper surface portion of the tray in which each element accommodating portion accommodates an optical element is covered in an unconstrained state in a bending direction. A cover member made of a non-fibrous sheet having flexibility, a predetermined number of optical elements are accommodated in each element accommodating portion, and a tray covered with the cover member is accommodated and hermetically packed so as to be evacuated. A patent application was filed as Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-324508 for an optical element housing case comprising a vacuum pack.

  With this configuration, the optical element can be accommodated when the case is transported even if the case dimension is not strictly controlled and the dimension of the optical element is not controlled with high precision. There is an extremely great advantage that it is held in a stable state inside the part and there is no possibility of generation of wear powder or the like. However, this prior invention is not without problems.

  That is, in order to stably hold the optical element in the element housing portion, even if the optical element is held by vacuum suction, the groove width and the groove length of the element housing portion are as close to the size of the optical element as possible. It is necessary to. Then, since it becomes difficult to insert / remove the optical element into / from the element accommodating portion, the invention of the prior application is configured to accommodate the optical element so as to protrude to some extent from the upper surface of the case. For this reason, if the case collides with other objects, even if the impact is slight, damage such as chipping may occur, so the case must be handled carefully. Don't be.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to hold all optical elements accommodated in the case in a very stable state, and the case can be used in other cases. The object is to prevent the optical element from being damaged even if it collides with an object.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention comprises a groove slightly wider than the thickness dimension of a thin plate-shaped optical element, and a predetermined number of element accommodating portions for accommodating the optical element in a standing state are formed vertically and horizontally, An optical element housing case in which a tray in which an optical element is housed in each of these element housing portions is hermetically packaged by a vacuum pack, and the groove constituting the element housing portion has the optical element accommodated therein. Further, the depth dimension is set so as not to protrude from the surface of the tray, and the lower side in the depth direction is opposed to both sides of the optical element with a small interval, and the depth direction The upper side is characterized in that an opening is formed into which a jig for inserting and removing the optical element can be inserted.

  The optical element is housed in an upright state in the element housing portion of the tray. When the optical element is inserted into and removed from the element housing portion, the front and back surfaces of the optical element slide with respect to the wall surface constituting the element housing portion. In order to suppress this to the minimum, the width dimension of the groove constituting the element accommodating portion is set to be slightly larger than the thickness of the optical element, thereby providing a minute clearance. The total length of the groove is slightly wider than the length of the optical element. Accordingly, the optical element is accommodated in the element accommodating portion so as to be in a substantially vertical state, and the optical element is accommodated so as not to move in the element accommodating portion when the tray is transferred.

  As described above, the depth of the groove constituting the element accommodating portion is set to be approximately the same as the height when the optical element is erected. Of course, the optical element may protrude from the upper surface of the tray or may be in an embedded state, as long as it is somewhat. However, the optical element is prevented from projecting greatly to prevent breakage or chipping of the corners or the like. On the other hand, if the optical element is deeply buried in the element accommodating portion, it becomes difficult to take out the optical element, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of work. In addition, it is necessary to apply a force that presses the optical element against the bottom surface of the groove by the vacuum pack. If the optical element is buried too deep inside the element housing portion, the vacuum pack applies a pressing force from above to the optical element. In some cases, it cannot be applied.

  In the depth direction of the element housing portion, as described above, the lower side has a narrow groove width and a short length, and the portion holding the optical element exists on the lower side, and the upper side has the groove width and length. Each dimension is formed large and is an opening opening on the upper surface of the tray. This opening is used for inserting, for example, tweezers as a jig for inserting / removing the optical element into / from the element housing. Therefore, the opening on the upper side needs to have a depth and a length that can stably hold the optical element with a jig such as tweezers. However, since the optical element is held on the lower side, in order to hold the optical element in a more stable state, it is desirable to make the portion for holding the lower optical element as large as possible in the element housing portion.

  By constructing as described above, a large number of optical elements housed in the case can be fixedly held in a very stable state, and each optical element slides against the inner surface of the tray to generate abrasion powder. In addition, there is an effect that even if the case collides with another object, damage to the optical element such as chipping can be prevented even if the case collides with another object.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the workpiece 1 handled by the present invention is made of a rectangular thin glass plate, and a filter is formed on the surface thereof by, for example, a film forming means. However, the workpiece 1 is not limited to this, and can be a thin plate-like optical element other than a quadrangle, for example, a circle or the like, and other members.

  In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a tray. The tray 10 accommodates a large number of workpieces 1 in an upright state. For this purpose, an element comprising a groove for accommodating a plurality of workpieces 1 with a predetermined pitch interval. A plurality of storage portions 11 are formed in the tray 10. The tray 10 is a lidless one whose upper end is opened, and the workpiece 1 is detachably accommodated from the upper surface portion 10a of the tray 10 into each element accommodating portion 11.

  The tray 10 is formed of a thin plastic molded product. From the viewpoint of reinforcement and shape retention, a plurality of rows of concave grooves 12 that are long in the arrangement direction of the workpieces 1 and have a groove width shorter than the width dimension of the workpieces 1 are formed. Therefore, a high bending strength is given to the bent portion by the concave groove 12. The work element accommodating portion 11 is composed of grooves formed so as to protrude from the left and right side wall portions of the grooves 12 formed in a plurality of rows in this way, and the groove width is slightly larger than the thickness of the work 1. . As a result, the workpiece 1 can be easily inserted into and removed from the element accommodating portions 11, 11 formed on the left and right sides of the concave groove 12, and can be stably held without being rattled with the workpiece 1 standing up when mounted. Is done.

  In a state where the work 1 is mounted on each element accommodating portion 11 formed in the vertical and horizontal directions of the tray 10, as shown in FIG. 2, the open upper surface portion 10 a is attached so as to cover the cover member 13. It is like that. Here, the cover member 13 is a sheet-like member, has a high strength that does not easily cause scratching or tearing even when pressed against a sharp object, and wear or dust even if the surface is rubbed. It consists of a sheet that does not generate. In addition, it is flexible in the bending direction, particularly a member that is flexible in the bending direction and has cushioning properties. However, stretchability is not a requirement, but a sheet having some stretchability may be used. Further, the sheet should have a friction coefficient as small as possible, that is, smooth and slippery.

  The work 1 is mounted on all the element accommodating portions 11 provided on the tray 10 and is inserted into the vacuum pack 14 while being covered with the cover member 13. Here, the vacuum pack 14 has a rectangular shape as a whole, and one side thereof is open. Accordingly, the tray 10 covered with the cover member 13 is inserted into the vacuum pack 14 from the opening side, and is packed in such a manner that the opening is sealed after the inside is evacuated. As a result, the inside of the vacuum pack 14 is in a negative pressure state, so that a negative pressure acts in a direction in which the cover member 13 is pressed against the upper end surface of the work 1.

  Here, the cover member 13 is for protecting the work 1 mounted on the element accommodating portion 11 of the tray 10 from being damaged by a cushioning action. Therefore, depending on the material of the vacuum pack 14, the cover member 13 does not necessarily need to be interposed when a material having excellent flexibility is used.

  When the tray 10 is inserted into the vacuum pack 14 and the inside is evacuated, the internal space tends to shrink. As a result, the cover member 13 (or the vacuum pack 14) bends in the direction in which the upper surface of the tray 10 is pressed, and the pressing force in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIGS. As a result, since the lower end portion of the work 1 is in contact with the bottom surface of the element housing portion 11 in the tray 10, the work 1 is fixed so as to be sandwiched between the bottom surface of the tray 10 and the cover member 13. Moreover, since the pressing force by the cover member 13 acts independently on each workpiece 1 even though a large number of workpieces 1 are accommodated in the tray 10, the size of the workpiece 1 varies. However, all the workpieces 1 can be stably fixed. Since the workpiece 1 is thin, if the pressing force based on the negative pressure described above acts excessively, the workpiece 1 may be deformed or damaged by the action of the pressure. However, since the upper end portion of the workpiece 1 is disposed at substantially the same height as the upper surface portion 10a of the tray 10, when the vacuum is applied, the workpiece 1 is not deformed by the pressing force of the cover member 13, A stable clamping force is applied between the cover member 13 and the bottom surface of the tray 10. In addition, the rectangular workpiece 1 has the sharpest edge portion, but the cover member 13 is not pressed by the edge portion of the workpiece 1 and is not torn or damaged, and the vacuum pack 14 is broken. As a result, the pressing force on the work 1 by the cover member 13 is not lost.

    As a result, even if the tray 10 is moved, the workpiece 1 is fixed in a stable state between the bottom surface of the tray 10 and the cover member 13, and the workpiece 1 may slide with them to generate wear powder or broken pieces. In addition, since foreign matter does not enter from the outside of the vacuum pack 14, the peripheral portion of the work 1 is kept in an extremely clean state, and there is no possibility that foreign matter or the like adheres to its effective surface.

  Then, the vacuum pack 14 is opened to release the internal negative pressure, and the cover member 13 is taken out of the vacuum pack 14 together with the cover member 13, and then the cover member 13 is removed, so that it can be incorporated into a predetermined device or subjected to appropriate processing. Can be done. In addition, when storing or transporting the tray 10, it is desirable to stack it in multiple stages so that it can be stored compactly. In this case, the workpiece 1 can be more reliably protected by detachably attaching the lid 15 so as to cover the upper surface portion 10a of the tray 10. Since the lid 15 can be mounted such that the inner surface of the lid 15 is substantially in contact with the upper surface portion 10a of the tray 10, the height dimension can be minimized.

  Here, when the workpiece 1 is inserted into and removed from the element accommodating portion 11 of the tray 10, the tweezers 20 shown in FIG. 5 can be used as an example of a jig for that purpose. Accordingly, the workpiece 1 is sandwiched between a pair of gripping portions 20a and 20a constituting the tweezers 20. The position of the clamping force applied to the workpiece 1 is the insertion / removal direction with respect to the element accommodating portion 11 at the end face of the workpiece 1. The grip 20a of the tweezers 20 is not brought into contact with the left and right end surfaces and the front and back surfaces of the workpiece 1 when the upper and lower end surfaces are defined as. Since the front and back surfaces of the workpiece 1 are optical functional surfaces, that is, surfaces that transmit light, the tweezers 20 are not in contact with the workpiece so as not to be scratched or soiled. 1 is inserted and removed.

  The upper end portion of the work 1 accommodated in the element accommodating portion 11 is substantially kept in a non-projecting state from the upper surface portion 10 a of the tray 10. The workpiece 1 is stably held so as not to move inside the element accommodating portion 11 at a stage before being fixed by the vacuum pack 14 and after releasing the negative pressure of the vacuum pack 14. Therefore, the lower part side of the element accommodating part 11 is a work holding part 11a, and the upper part is an opening part 11b into which the work 1 can be inserted and removed by inserting the tweezers 20. Therefore, the dimensional relationship between the element accommodating portion 11 and the workpiece 1 is as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). 6A is a plan view of the element accommodating portion 11, and FIG. 6B is a longitudinal sectional view.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the groove width x of the workpiece holding portion 11 a in the element housing portion 11 is slightly larger than the thickness dimension X of the workpiece 1. This dimensional difference is a clearance given when the workpiece 1 is inserted into and removed from the element accommodating portion 11, and this clearance is very small. As a result, the workpiece 1 is set in a substantially vertical state in the element accommodating portion 11. Further, the length dimension of the work holding portion 11a, that is, the interval from one end of the element accommodating portion 11 to the other end across the concave groove 12, that is, the length of the groove constituting the element accommodating portion 11 The length y is slightly longer than the length Y of the workpiece 1.

  By providing the above dimensional relationship, the workpiece 1 is accommodated in the element accommodating portion 11 in a substantially vertical state, and even if the tray 10 is tilted or moved, the workpiece 1 is uncovered in the element accommodating portion 11. There will be no misalignment or collapse. As a result, there is no risk of dust generation or damage to the workpiece 1, and the workpiece is stably held. If the above-described dimensional difference is substantially eliminated, the fixing property of the workpiece 1 becomes higher. Since the tray 10 is usually formed of a resin molded product, the wall and the workpiece that constitute the element housing portion 11 when the workpiece 1 is inserted into and removed from the element housing portion 11 due to the problem of dimensional accuracy. 1 is in sliding contact, and there is a risk of scratching the front and back surfaces of the work 1. Therefore, at least a dimensional error at the time of forming the tray 10, preferably a larger dimensional difference is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the depth z of the element accommodating portion 11 composed of grooves located on both sides of the concave groove 12 is the height dimension of the workpiece 1, that is, if the workpiece 1 is square. The height dimension is the same as the length dimension, but in the case of a rectangle, when the long side is accommodated in the element accommodating portion 11 in the vertical direction, it is substantially the same as the long side dimension Z. . However, even if it protrudes from the upper surface part 10a of the tray 10 or is buried, it is not a special problem as long as it is slight.

  The aforementioned width and length dimensions of the element accommodating portion 11 are the lower-side work holding portion 11a, and the upper-side opening portion 11b is larger in width and length. Further, in the depth direction, the work holding portion 11a is elongated. In other words, the work 1 can be held more stably by giving the work holding part 11a a sufficient dimension in the depth direction. On the other hand, the depth of the opening 11b is set to have a dimension necessary for providing a space in which the tweezers 20 as a jig for inserting and removing the workpiece 1 can operate. The width and length of the opening 11b are such that the left and right ends of the work 1 are held between the holding parts 20a and 20a of the tweezers 20 in a state where the work 1 is received in the element receiving part 11. The dimensions are such that they can be easily removed. Accordingly, the work 1 can be easily and smoothly inserted into and removed from the element housing portion 11 by the tweezers 20, and the work 1 is not removed or damaged during operation.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the tray of the optical element storage case in one Embodiment of this invention, and the optical element accommodated in this tray. FIG. 5 is a configuration explanatory view showing a tray, a cover member, a vacuum pack, and a lid that constitute an optical element housing case. It is sectional drawing of the arrangement direction of the workpiece | work in the state which put the tray in the vacuum pack and was made into the vacuum. It is sectional drawing of the row direction of the workpiece | work in the state which put the tray in the vacuum pack and was made into the vacuum. It is effect | action explanatory drawing which shows the state which has inserted and removed the workpiece | work in the element accommodating part formed in the tray. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the dimension of each part which comprises the groove | channel of an element accommodating part, and the dimension of a workpiece | work.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Work 10 Tray 10a Upper surface part 11 Element accommodating part 11a Work holding | maintenance part 11b Opening part 12 Groove 13 Cover member 14 Vacuum pack 15 Cover 20 Tweezers

Claims (1)

A tray having a groove slightly wider than the thickness dimension of the thin plate-shaped optical element, and a predetermined number of element accommodating portions for accommodating the optical element in a standing state are formed vertically and horizontally, and the optical element is accommodated in each element accommodating portion. In an optical element housing case that is hermetically packed with a vacuum pack,
The groove constituting the element accommodating portion is
When the optical element is accommodated in it, there is a depth dimension that is almost non-projecting from the surface of the tray,
The lower side in the depth direction faces the both sides of the optical element with a small interval,
An optical element housing case characterized in that an upper side in the depth direction forms an opening into which a jig for inserting and removing the optical element can be inserted.

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