JP2006326389A - Washing device and washing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing device and a washing method capable of eliminating rinsing even in a water-based washing, removing particles deposited on the surface of an object to be washed, and shortening a washing period of time. <P>SOLUTION: The washing method comprises: an immersing/irradiating process for immersing a lens 2 in a washing tank 5 where functional water 3 for which at least one or more of carbon dioxide, ozone and hydrogen are dissolved in pure water is disposed and irradiating it with ultrasonic waves; and a drying process of drying the lens 2 in the state that the functional water 3 is stuck to the surface by rotating it by a rotary motor 7 as it is. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method that use functional water to remove particles and the like attached to an object to be cleaned such as optical glass.

  In the manufacture of optical elements such as lenses and prisms, cleaning is performed to remove dirt, dust, hand grease, oil, etc. adhering to the surface before coating the optical thin film on the surface of the optical element or assembling the optical component. Is going. In this cleaning step, the optical element is sequentially immersed in a number of cleaning tanks in the order of alkaline detergent cleaning, pure water rinsing, and hot air drying. At this time, cleaning methods such as lipophilic solvents, emulsifiers, city water, detergents, pure water, and hot air drying are also employed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

At this time, an ultrasonic wave is applied to a cleaning liquid such as an alkaline detergent, city water, pure water, or a solvent stored in each cleaning tank, and the optical element is immersed in the cleaning liquid for a certain period of time. Thereby, the physical force of ultrasonic waves is applied to remove the dirt. In addition, cleaning is also performed to remove an abrasive such as cerium oxide adhering to the glass surface with an alkaline detergent.
Generally, a method of rinsing these cleaning solutions using water or pure water after immersion and ultrasonic cleaning, and finally drying with hot air is generally performed.

However, in the above conventional cleaning apparatus and cleaning method, a stain remains on the optical element unless the alkaline detergent is rinsed cleanly. Accordingly, rinsing with pure water is required, and many cleaning tanks are required, and the cleaning apparatus becomes a large system. On the other hand, in the case of washing with pure water alone without using an alkaline detergent, it is possible to proceed to the drying process after washing, but there is a problem that particles cannot be removed sufficiently.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-208995

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and even in the case of water-based cleaning, rinsing is unnecessary, particles adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned can be removed, and cleaning time is shortened. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device and a cleaning method capable of performing the above.

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The cleaning method according to the present invention is a cleaning method for cleaning dirt adhering to the surface of an object to be cleaned using water, and is a functional water in which at least one of carbon dioxide, ozone and hydrogen is dissolved in pure water. Immersion / irradiation process in which the object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning tank where
A drying step of rotating and drying the object to be cleaned in a state where the functional water is adhered.

  In the cleaning method of the present invention, at least one or more of carbon dioxide, ozone, and hydrogen is dissolved in pure water, and is adhered to the object to be cleaned by electrostatic force or the like due to the action of ions or hydrogen radicals in functional water. Particles can be dispersed in water. By irradiating ultrasonic waves, functional water can enter the gap between the particles and the object to be cleaned, and bubbles can be generated by cavitation of the ultrasonic waves. Can be made.

In addition, since washing with functional water is performed without using an alkaline detergent containing a non-volatile component, an object to be washed can be dried as it is without being rinsed with pure water.
Furthermore, by rotating the object to be cleaned during drying, a flow of spiral air can be generated around the object to be cleaned, and most of the functional water adhering to the surface is removed outward by centrifugal force. Can jump out. Therefore, the object to be cleaned can be dried using an air flow or centrifugal force without heating the object to be cleaned. At this time, since the gas is dissolved in pure water, the object to be cleaned can be dried without generating dry spots.

The cleaning method according to the present invention is the cleaning method, wherein the total concentration of the carbon dioxide, ozone, and hydrogen of the functional water is 0.10 ppm or more.
The cleaning method of the present invention can secure sufficient ions and radicals to remove particles adhering to the object to be cleaned due to electrostatic force or the like.

Further, the cleaning method according to the present invention is the cleaning method, wherein the rotational speed of the object to be cleaned in the drying step is 500 r / min or more and the drying time is 120 seconds or less.
Since the cleaning method of the present invention generates sufficient centrifugal force on the object to be cleaned and generates an air flow accompanying rotation, the functional water adhering to the surface can be scattered, and the object to be cleaned is not volatilely dried. The product can be suitably dried.

  A cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is a cleaning apparatus for cleaning dirt adhered to the surface of an object to be cleaned using water, and functional water in which at least one of carbon dioxide, ozone, and hydrogen is dissolved in pure water; And a cleaning tank in which the functional water is disposed, an ultrasonic vibrator disposed in the cleaning tank, and a rotation mechanism for rotating the object to be cleaned.

  The cleaning device of the present invention uses functional water in which at least one of carbon dioxide, ozone, and hydrogen is dissolved in pure water, so that electrostatic force is generated by the action of ions, hydrogen radicals, and the like in the liquid. For example, particles adhering to the object to be cleaned can be dispersed in water. And since it is equipped with an ultrasonic transducer, functional water can enter the gap between the particles and the object to be cleaned by irradiating with ultrasonic waves, and bubbles can be generated by ultrasonic cavitation. Particles can be lifted off the surface of objects.

Moreover, since washing with functional water is performed without using an alkaline detergent containing a non-volatile component, the article to be washed can be dried as it is without being rinsed with pure water.
In addition, it has a rotating mechanism that rotates the object to be cleaned. By rotating the object to be cleaned when drying, a flow of spiral air around the object to be cleaned can be generated and adhered to the surface. Most of the functional water that is running can be ejected outward by centrifugal force. Therefore, the object to be cleaned can be dried using an air flow or centrifugal force without heating the object to be cleaned. At this time, since the gas is dissolved in pure water, the object to be cleaned can be dried without generating dry spots.

  According to the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to remove particles adhering to the surface of an object to be cleaned without using rinsing even in aqueous cleaning. Accordingly, the cleaning time can be shortened.

An embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning device 1 according to the present embodiment is a cleaning device that uses water to clean dirt attached to the surface of an optical element such as a lens (object to be cleaned) 2, which includes carbon dioxide, Functional water 3 in which at least one of ozone and hydrogen is dissolved in pure water, a cleaning tank 5 in which the functional water 3 is disposed, an ultrasonic transducer 6 disposed on the bottom side of the cleaning tank 5, a lens And a rotation motor (rotation mechanism) 7 that rotates the motor 2.

The total concentration of carbon dioxide, ozone, and hydrogen in the functional water 3 is 0.10 ppm or more. The ultrasonic transducer 6 applies predetermined ultrasonic waves to the functional water 3.
The rotation motor 7 rotates the lens 2 at a rotation speed of 500 r / min or more.

Next, a cleaning method by the cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.
In the cleaning method according to the present embodiment, the lens 2 is immersed in a cleaning tank 5 in which functional water 3 in which at least one of carbon dioxide, ozone, and hydrogen is dissolved in pure water is disposed, and ultrasonic waves are irradiated. An immersion / irradiation process, and a drying process in which the functional water 3 is drained and the lens 2 in a state where the functional water 3 adheres to the surface is rotated by the rotary motor 7 as it is and dried.

In the immersion / irradiation step, first, the functional water 3 is filled in the washing tank 5 and the lens 2 is inserted into the functional water 3 and immersed. Then, a predetermined ultrasonic wave is applied from the ultrasonic transducer 6.
At this time, particles adhering to the lens 2 due to electrostatic force or the like are dispersed in water by the action of ions, hydrogen radicals, and the like in the functional water 3. Furthermore, when the ultrasonic wave is irradiated, the functional water 3 enters the gap between the particle and the surface of the lens 2, and bubbles are generated by the ultrasonic cavitation, and the particle is peeled off from the surface of the lens 2 and floats. .

After completion of the dipping / cleaning process, the lens 2 is taken out from the cleaning tank 5 and immediately transferred to the drying process.
That is, the rotary motor 7 is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed, and a flow of spiral air is generated around the lens 2. At this time, the rotational speed is 500 r / min or more, and the drying time is 120 seconds or less.

  At this time, most of the functional water 3 adhering to the surface of the lens 2 jumps outward in the radial direction by the centrifugal force of the lens 2. Therefore, even if the lens 2 is not heated, not only is it volatilized and dried by the flow of entrained air around the lens 2 generated by the rotation, but also water is scattered from the lens 2 due to centrifugal force and the lens 2 is dried.

According to the cleaning apparatus 1 and the cleaning method, since at least one of carbon dioxide, ozone, and hydrogen is dissolved in pure water by 0.10 ppm or more is used as the functional water 3, it is cleaned by electrostatic force or the like. Sufficient ions and radicals can be secured to remove particles adhering to the object.
In addition, since an alkaline detergent containing a non-volatile component is not used, it can be dried as it is without rinsing with pure water, and even if it is dried as it is, it remains as a residue on the surface of the lens 2 like an alkaline detergent. It can suppress remaining as a stain.

Further, since the lens 2 is rotated at a high speed in the drying process, most of the functional water 3 adhering to the surface of the lens 2 is ejected by centrifugal force, and particles and other dirt components remaining slightly in the functional water 3 Can also be almost skipped. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress a stain residue generated by gradually agglomerating and concentrating particles or the like slightly remaining on the surface of the lens 2 due to volatilization of water by hot air drying.
At this time, since the functional water 3 in which volatile gas is dissolved is used, the liquid can be suitably shaken off from the surface of the lens 2.

  Accordingly, it is possible to reduce drying equipment such as a rinsing cleaning tank and a heater, and to simplify and downsize the cleaning device. In addition, the time required for cleaning can be shortened.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, carbon dioxide, ozone, or hydrogen contained in pure water may be dissolved by combining any one of them in accordance with dirt, or a combination thereof in a predetermined ratio.

Example 1
A convex lens (n = 30) having a diameter (φ) of 50 mm to which particles such as dust and the like have adhered as the lens 2 is held in the cleaning tank 5 of the cleaning apparatus 1 described above, and hydrogen was dissolved in 17 MΩ pure water. Washing was performed by filling functional water 3.

Changing the hydrogen concentration of functional water 3 to 0 ppm (pure water), 0.01 ppm, 0.05 ppm, 0.10 ppm, 1.00 ppm, 1.50 ppm, and ultrasonic waves (40 kHz, 600 W) at a liquid temperature of 30 ° C. Was washed for 1 minute and 3 minutes while changing the application time.
Then, after the immersion / ultrasonic process, the functional water 3 was drained and the process immediately moved to the drying process, and the lens 2 was rotated at a rotational speed of 500 r / min or more.
Table 1 shows the washing results.

  When the concentration of functional water 3 at the time of cleaning was 1.50 ppm, cleaning could be performed in a short time of about 1 minute, and a cleaning power equivalent to or higher than that of generally used ultrasonic cleaning could be obtained. . By further increasing the concentration, the effect of the chemical power of the functional water is increased, so that cleaning can be performed efficiently in a shorter time.

  Further, even at a concentration of 0.10 ppm, the cleaning could be performed similarly by extending the cleaning time to 3 minutes. Therefore, the functional water in which 0.10 ppm or more of hydrogen was dissolved could be suitably washed. In addition, the same result was able to be obtained not only in the functional water to use but also the functional water in which carbon dioxide and ozone were dissolved in pure water.

  As a comparative example, cleaning with pure water only was performed in an immersion / ultrasonic process. In this case, it was impossible to remove the particles.

(Example 2)
In this example, the drying property was evaluated by changing the rotation speed of the rotary motor 7 in the drying process. Functional water 3 having a concentration of 10 ppm by dissolving ozone in pure water was adjusted to a liquid temperature of 30 ° C., and washing was performed by applying ultrasonic waves of 40 kHz and 600 W for 3 minutes. In the drying process, the rotational speed of the rotary motor 7 was changed to 400 r / min, 500 r / min, 800 r / min, 1000 r / min, 1500 r / min, and 2000 r / min at 25 ° C. As a comparative example, conventional pulling hot air drying at 80 ° C. for 3 minutes was performed. The results are shown in Table 2.

When the rotational speed at the time of drying was 500 r / min, the drying time required 120 seconds, but it was possible to dry without generation of spots. When the rotational speed was 2000 r / min, drying could be performed with a drying time of 60 seconds, and the drying time could be shortened by 60 seconds compared with the case of 500 r / min. Moreover, in the conventional pull drying, a stain was generated even when the same functional water was used.
Even in the case of functional water in which carbon dioxide and hydrogen were dissolved in pure water, it could be dried without spotting by rotating at least 500 r / min.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Cleaning device 2 Lens (object to be cleaned)
3 Functional water 5 Cleaning tank 6 Ultrasonic vibrator 7 Rotating motor (Rotating mechanism)

Claims (4)

A cleaning method for cleaning dirt adhered to the surface of an object to be cleaned using water,
Immersion / irradiation step of immersing an object to be cleaned and irradiating ultrasonic waves in a cleaning tank in which functional water in which at least one of carbon dioxide, ozone and hydrogen is dissolved in pure water is disposed;
And a drying step of rotating and rotating the article to be cleaned with the functional water attached thereto.   The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the total concentration of the functional water related to the carbon dioxide, the ozone, and the hydrogen is 0.10 ppm or more.   The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein a rotation speed of the object to be cleaned in the drying step is 500 r / min or more and a drying time is 120 seconds or less. A cleaning device for cleaning dirt adhered to the surface of an object to be cleaned using water,
Functional water in which at least one of carbon dioxide, ozone, and hydrogen is dissolved in pure water;
A washing tank in which the functional water is disposed;
An ultrasonic transducer disposed in the cleaning tank;
A cleaning apparatus comprising: a rotation mechanism that rotates the object to be cleaned.

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